I turned and ran a smooth hand over the white shirt he had put on. He smiled, kissed me, and shuffled me out of our room.
The ceremony was being held behind the packhouse, on a makeshift stage that looked like it had been constructed only days before.
I eyed it wearily, but Rush pulled me behind him, up the steps, and on display for his entire pack.
“Valkyrie Pack,” he called loudly. The sweet demeanor that he displayed in the bedroom was gone, a strong stone exterior replaced the softness. “Today, we welcome a new member to our pack, and we welcome a new Luna into our hearts. Sloane Calder will become the next Luna of this pack. I expect nothing but respect and kindness.” He pointedly looked at Beckett and his own mother in front of him.
An older man climbed on stage with the help of a younger woman. He smiled kindly at me as he approached, a ribbon and knife in his hands.
“Luna.” He bowed his head. It was strange to see such a show of respect, and I struggled with what to do in return. “Alpha.”
Rush nodded back to the man and held his hand out. The man placed the knife in his open palm. I leaned back as Rush held the knife firmly in his hand, staring at me expectantly.
“What?” I blurted out.
“Take the knife, Sloane,” he said, tense through clenched teeth. I frowned at his anger and grabbed the knife. Rush turned to his pack and began speaking loudly to them. My mind wandered off somewhere in the middle of his speech, and I stared blankly into the crowd of people. Rush cleared his throat and brought me out of my daze. My eyes snapped to him and his frustrated face.
“Sloane, are you paying attention?” he whispered. I fought the growl that wanted to come out. “Make the incision on your palm.”
I glanced at the pack, and they stared back at me, waiting. I was frozen in a strange bout of stage-fright and anxiety. Rush took the knife out of my hand, grabbed my hand, and brought the knife smoothly across my palm.
I sucked in my breath at the feeling of the blade. He made the same cut across his palm and then joined our hands, muttering some phrases. As we released our hands, the cut was already healed, a thin pink line in its place.
He gave the man the knife back and was handed the black ribbon.
“Now, we accept Luna Sloane into our lives with open hearts and respect. She has shown nothing but kindness and love towards your Alpha, and I expect that you show her the same.” He turned to me and tied the ribbon tightly around my palm, where the cut was made.
The old man walked closer to us, placed took each of our hands, and bowed. No one had told me what I was supposed to do, I didn’t know, and I blankly looked around me.
The old man was looking at me, smiling softly, and I snapped out of my daze.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered quickly.
“It’s alright, my dear, you may now remove the ribbon and address your pack.” He nodded encouragingly. I sent a glare over the Rush who was waiting silently. Could he not have told me I needed to give a speech?
I cleared my throat, stuttering. “I am honored to be your Luna. I hope someday I can prove to you my loyalty, but until then I will just ask that you give me a chance and I will do the same for you. I look forward to meeting all of you soon.”
Disenchanted
The pack didn’t erupt into cheers like I had hoped. They stared at me with aggressive eyes and reserved expressions. Rush nodded to his pack, grabbed my hand, and pulled me off the stage.
The pack dispersed behind us as he led me back into the packhouse.
“What the hell was that? Why didn’t you tell me I needed to speak?” I hissed in his ear.
“I thought you knew. I wasn’t trying to throw it at you, I just forget that you’ve never seen a Luna ceremony.”
“You forgot?” I asked incredulously. “And now your pack probably thinks I’m incompetent.”
He groaned and tugged me harder behind him. We climbed the stairs and walked back into our bedroom. He pulled his dress shirt out of his pants and visibly relaxed.
“No, they don’t,” he sighed, looking down. “They just don’t know you.”
“Exactly,” I insisted. He slipped his shoes off on the floor, and he left a trail of clothes from the door to the closet. I didn’t follow him. “It would just be helpful if you could tell me what to do to make them like me.”
“What do you want me to say? Do you want me to script all your conversations and tell you how to make friends?” he called.
I didn’t want to fight with him. Actually, I did, but I didn’t want to exert the energy. I left our room and walked down to the kitchen to get a glass of water, hoping that a few moments alone would settle my ravenous anger.
The house was filled with pack members I didn’t know. Frustrated with my mate and all of the people in the house, I brushed past everyone in search of the kitchen.
A middle-aged woman grabbed my elbow and pulled me to a stop. My wavy hair flew across my face as the sudden change in direction.
“Luna,” she said happily, slowly. I paused and waited for her to speak. She didn’t.
“Yes?” I drawled out. She nearly laughed at something I was unaware of. “What?” I said harshly.
She stopped smiling. “Sorry. I just wanted to have the chance to meet you.”
“I’m sorry,” I began. The pack’s hostility had put me on edge.
Cordelia, Rush’s mother, moved through the crowd over to me. I braced myself for her arrival. “Don’t worry about Sloane, Veronica. She doesn’t know how to
