“Haven’t you heard?” I asked with fake enthusiasm. “I’m a pack traitor.”
“Well, all the best friends are,” she teased. Kenna didn’t pay attention to pack gossip, she said it was for the weak-minded.
We walked back the packhouse quietly chatting about ourselves and our families. She had an older brother who was training to be a pack warrior like his father. Kenna, on the other hand, wanted to be a dancer.
As we arrived back at the packhouse, a wave of nervousness shivered down my arms.
“Kenna?” She looked towards me, eyebrows raised expectantly. “Do you know anything about the Luna ceremony?”
She sighed and shook her head. “Can’t say that I do,” she said sadly. “The last one was for Luna Cordelia, but I wasn’t born yet.”
“Yeah, my old Alpha never found his mate,” I said anxiously.
“Just ask Alpha Rush, I’m sure he’ll tell you,” she chirped.
I smiled and thanked her.
Kenna left, and once again, I was left alone. Our bedroom was large enough to sustain life completely separate from the pack. I continued to organize my things in the spaces Rush had left for me.
Rush appeared a short while after six, exhausted, but carrying a large box filled with pizza. My nose smelled it before he even entered the room, and I rushed to the door to greet him.
He bent down and kissed me on the lips before shoving the box towards my reaching hands. I opened it as I sat it on the table and grabbed the first slice my hand touched. Rush unbuttoned his shirt and untucked it from his pants.
“Have you never seen food before?” He smirked. I grumbled through the mouthful of food.
“I haven’t eaten all day,” I explained, rolling my eyes at his comment, biting off another piece too large to chew.
“You’ve still been avoiding the pack?” he asked sadly. I avoided his gaze. His lips pursed, and he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing at the gesture. “Sloane, you can’t just starve yourself because you don’t want to see the pack.”
“Well, then you should get a mini fridge to put in here,” I teased.
He didn’t laugh.
I set the slice of pizza back into position in the box. Rush slipped off the brown dress shirt he had on, leaving him in a tight, white tee shirt. I smiled as the bottom of his shirt rose when he lifted his hands.
I hadn’t stopped looking at the strip of skin on his stomach hungrily before Rush had grabbed me around the waist, picked me up off the floor, and threw me on the bed. I laughed loudly as he kicked off his shoes and jumped on the bed.
He dipped down, nose skimming my cheek. His nose had a soft crookedness to it, probably from being broken, but I thought it made him look rugged.
“Someone missed me.” I lifted my leg to his waist and pulled him down to me. His lips gently curved, and he stared at me, faces close.
“I did,” he told me sweetly. I lifted my head and kissed him, never getting enough of the warmth that flooded my body when he touched me. He groaned softly against my skin and pressed his lips more aggressively to mine.
After a few minutes, we shook each other off and grabbed the box of pizza. Rush laid on his back, pants undone, hands grabbing a new slice of pizza each time his hand was empty. I laid next to him, curled into his side, stomach content, and full of pizza.
“Tomorrow is the ceremony,” he said conversationally.
I nodded against his chest. “Will it hurt?’
“It shouldn’t.” His eyes shifted down to me. “Are you nervous?”
I didn’t want to tell him, yes, but I also didn’t want to lie to him. I mulled over my options, and he took that as my answer.
“You have nothing to be worried about.” His arm reached over, and his hand touched the side of my face. He kissed my forehead as he pulled me closer. “One of our pack officials will say a few words, we’ll make a small cut on our palms, and then a ribbon will be tied around our hands to symbolize our union. It’s more for the elders than anything. They really like the tradition, and it lets everyone know that I’ve accepted you as my Luna.”
“I don’t want to be worried,” I told him. “I just don’t want to let you down.”
He scoffed and settled down further into the bed. We settled into a comfortable silence and fell asleep soon after. The pizza box was in the same place when we woke in the morning. Rush closed the lid and threw it in a loud clunk on the floor next to the garbage.
I wandered over to the closet and began shuffling through my everyday clothes. I didn’t own anything flashy or spectacular, those clothes were reserved for Isla.
“What are you doing?” Rush asked as his arms wrapped around my waist, his chin resting on my shoulder. I reached up and touched his cheek affectionately.
“Trying to decide what to wear,” I hummed, pulling on the sleeve of a plain black shirt.
“I could help you decide what not to wear,” he murmured, sliding my tee-shirt collar down my shoulder and kissing the skin there. Little sparks floated down my body and settled in my feet.
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary,” I said, laughing. He let go of me, harrumphed, and began undressing behind me. I turned at the noise his clothes made as they hit the ground. My cheeks flared, and my eyes went wide.
“Want to skip the ceremony?” His eyebrow hitched. I shook my head and sucked my lips into my mouth. He chuckled and grabbed another pair of boxers from the drawer.
I decided on a long blue cotton dress. The fabric was covered with white embroidery and small woven strands of cotton over the bodice. I began tying the halter around my neck when Rush grabbed the strings from my hands and tied
