X (SLOW UPDATES)

Seven

SEVERLY UNEDITED

--- (Name This Line?) ---

"She's absolutely stunning!" Carol gasps as she lays eyes on Mia for the first time. "She's adorable!" Candy smiled at Carol's reaction. Aside from Carly, Carol was one of the first to lay eyes on the newborn. Xavier and Candy had decided not to introduce her officially until she was at least six months old.

"Thank you," Candy said with a hum. She felt proud, in a strange sort of way, that Mia was considered cute.

"She looks so much like you!" Carol smiled brightly as Candy let her gently pick Mia up. "But, I can definitely see Alpha Xavier in her too." Carol looked awestruck. But this was common for pack members when they first meet their future Alpha. There was a slight pause before Carol piqued up again. "So, when did you get pregnant? And, what was up with the whole fake Luna and fake pregnancy thing?" Candy turned away. She didn't know how to approach the subject, especially since it's pack instinct to be protective of and see no flaws in your Alpha.

"Um..." Candy trailed, thinking hard about how she wanted to construct her sentence. "Well, it's not the prettiest story. I don't want to change the image of or the love and respect you have for Xavier."

"I mean, we all know he's not – well at least he wasn't – a good guy. We're not blind." Carol knitted her eyebrows. She knew what it was risky to voice such an opinion, but something told her that Candy knew exactly what she meant. "He was an abuser, sure. But, he didn't inherit this pack. He built it from scratch – he found the land and the people all by himself. Every single one of us here has a reason to follow him, to call him Alpha. Long story short, we all saw him for what he was before we join the pack. None of that, he-was-born-my-Alpha-so-he-can-do-no-wrong-in-my-eyes crap."

Candy stood there stunned. She hadn't expected Carol to go off on such a tangent, but it did open her eyes. Clearing her throat with a small nod, Candy started to explain everything to her from the beginning before she finished off with, "So, yeah, we never actually mated."

"Wow," was all Carol could muster. She didn't realise just how much Candy had been though. "You're so strong to have made it this far. I still can't believe you gave him a second chance."

"Yeah, I don't know. It's weird." Candy shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Having Mia changes a lot of things. You know? I don't want her to grow up without a father, so I want this to work. Things have been good since the end of the war, but sometimes when I look at him, it's like I'm on edge, just waiting for him to snap or hit me." Candy blinked away some tears. "I can see that he's changing. But, something's been up with him lately, but I'm not sure what. But, I think it's something to do with why he is, sorry, was, that way."

"I can't even imagine how hard all this must be for you. Especially, since you've just been thrust into the public eye as well." Carol hummed as she rubbed her soft hand up and down Candy's arm, hoping to offer her some kind of comfort.

"Thank you." Candy nodded, but before she could utter another word, she was interrupted. She turned around, to look behind her. There stood a tall woman in a smart suit, with perfectly polished 2-inch heels, thin red-stained lips and a bun wrapped tightly atop her head. She looked strict and scary "Um?"

"Luna, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." The woman held out her hand for Candy to shake – which she did eventually, after a moment of confusion. "My name is Piper and I am your Luna tutor."

"Lunas have teachers?" Candy thought out loud before she could stop herself. Piper's face tugged into a slight frown.

"Of course." Piper cleared her throat slightly. "Alpha's learn their role while growing up, whereas Lunas are often mated into the position."