The Moonlit Path

Chapter 31: Like A Luna

Alyx and Lux were waiting in the Luna's office in the packhouse. Titus dropped me off at the door with a long kiss goodbye and several pouts about not wanting to leave. He finally agreed to go when I promised to return home for dinner together at the end of the day. 

I threw open the heavy door to find a bright and airy office with a white desk surrounded by plush red chairs, a small sitting area with a white couch, and bookshelves covering all the walls. There must have been hundreds of books, some of them very old and traditional, some very new still without cracked spines. The room reminded me of the way I felt when Alyx hugged me, it was warm and welcoming, completely unthreatening; and yet there was a sense of power behind it. 

"Sorry I'm late," I blushed as the two turned from some papers on the desk to welcome me. 

"Don't be silly. We expected Titus would keep you all day if he could," Alyx smiled warmly. "Come and we'll fill you in on what we have done so far and we can make the necessary changes." 

They had done a lot of the work. They picked burgundy and navy blue for the colours with yellow accents to match the sunflowers they had already ordered, laid out the place settings, arranged the venue layout, pulled the ceremonial dagger and bowl from the vault in the basement, and arranged for several dresses to be delivered later in the day for me to try on. 

"What is there left to do?" I laughed.

"Well you will have to do the induction to the pack and then the Luna acceptance; a small speech is expected from you at the end of the ceremony, before dinner." Alyx pointed to an empty slot in her timetable. I had learned that she was a very organized woman who was fond of carts, time tables, models, and numbers. 

"I can do that. I think I already know what I would like to say." 

"Excellent!" Lux jumped up and down beside me. "Then we just need some music and to pick the dress and we will be done before you know it!" 

"When do the dresses arrive?" 

"I expect that my dressmaker will be bringing them up within the hour. Do you think you girls can work out a suitable playlist by then?" Alyx lifted her eyebrow playfully and Lux whipped out a long list of songs that she had already taken into consideration. 

There was a question burning inside me that I had to ask. "Will Satis be joining us today?" 

Both of the women went quiet and made shifty eye contact. 

"My sister doesn't want to participate... I'm sorry Liana." 

I thought for a moment about how she had been distant when I met her the first time. I'm sure that the impression I had made wasn't so bad; but then again, I had disappeared leaving her brother in a violent state of shambles. 

"I understand. Will she be attending tomorrow?"

"She will have to. And she will keep quiet but she is not thrilled about the match," Alyx tried to break it to me softly but there was no really easy way of saying your mate's sister thinks he would be better off without you. 

"I appreciate that. I hope she will grow to love me as the rest of the pack does." 

There was a knock at the door and Alyx rushed to get it. A tiny woman rolled in a small rack of dresses. Each one was fantastic! The first one I tried on was a soft yellow with intricate beading around the bust that clung just a little too tightly to my body. I shook my head and stepped into the second one. It was a combination of the red and yellow. Although it was beautiful, I felt I looked a little too much like a ketchup and mustard mix. Again, I shook my head and stepped toward the next one. It was navy blue with some sparkle to the flowing skirt; around the strapless sweetheart neckline were small burgundy gems that gathered near the middle.