Lily
I got what I wanted. No more pain, no more heartache. At least not from him sleeping with other women. I almost couldn't believe how quickly he caved. He must have felt more pain than he let on. Or maybe he wasn't willing to risk me sleeping with his packmates. I giggle a little thinking that he actually believed I would force any of them to have sex with me. That's rape and I would never commit such an atrocity. But he believed my bluff hook, line and sinker.
"I need a favor." Sam says from behind me. "Well more like our Gamma does."
"Ok...." I urge him to continue.
"He and his mate Kara just had a pup, a little girl named Grace, and she's really fussy. They've hardly been getting any sleep and they're desperate. As Luna, you have a calming effect on the pack. They were hoping you would come visit them and maybe help settle the little firecracker down for a bit so they can get some rest." I smile at the thought and nod yes.
"Wait! Let me grab something." I head up to my closet and pull out a pink baby blanket I crocheted. It seems like a girl on my floor at work was always pregnant so I liked to keep a girl and a boy one on hand just in case.
"What's that?" Sam asks.
"A blanket I made. Do you think they'll like it?" Sam gives me a warm smile and pulls me into a gentle hug.
"They'll love it."
He helps me into the SUV and we drive in comfortable silence for nearly ten minutes before we pull up to a small cottage with a wrap around porch and red door. It's charming and looks right at place in heavily wooded area. We get out of the car and just as my door closes, the red one of the cottage opens and a tall, muscular man with sandy blonde hair and warm brown eyes smiles tiredly at us.
"Luna!" He yells. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I'm Callum. Your Gamma. As soon as we get our little sprout on a normal schedule I will be your right hand." I bounce up the stairs and pull him into a hug. He looks exhausted and I have nothing but warm feelings for him.
"It's nice to meet you too! Now where is the little troublemaker? According to Sam I can be of some assistance." He smiles and leads me into the cottage.
The front door opens directly into a living room with cream walls, gray carpet, a stone fireplace and a brown suede couch where I see a beautiful young woman with long brown hair and tired hazel eyes holding a squirming, whimpering little ball of pink.
"Luna, this is my mate, Kara." Kara stands and walks up to me. She's wearing black yoga pants and a purple t shirt that obviously has baby spit up on it.
"Hi Luna. I wish I was meeting you under better circumstances. I'm so sorry for the mess." She's obviously fretting about the way her home looks, but I only have eyes for the little bundle in her arms.
"Don't you worry about that. May I hold her?" I ask reaching out gently. I've noticed that werewolves are very protective and territorial, so I have no idea how this woman will react to me holding her baby. But she surprises me and practically throws the baby in my arms.
"Yes! Please! We'll try anything! She hasn't slept in two days!" I give Kara a sympathetic smile and take the baby while handing her the blanket.
"Here I brought a gift for the little one. I made it." She holds up the blanket to inspect it as I look down at the sweet baby. She has wide brown eyes and dark brown hair. A little button nose and pink lips pursed into a scowl. I nearly laugh at her expression and look back at her mama.
"Oh Luna. It's beautiful. Thank you so much!" Kara nearly starts to cry
"Oh honey, no need for tears it's not a big deal." She shakes her head as she tries to compose herself.
"But Luna it really is. Any gift from a Luna is a big deal but a handmade one is incredibly precious. I'll make sure she keeps it for her entire life." I'm touched at her comment and reach out to squeeze her hand. I'm not sure why I feel the need to be so touchy with these people.
I sit down on the couch with the baby and begin to rock her gently. She settles down quickly and her face goes from irritated, to impassive, and then finally fast asleep.
"It's a miracle!" Callum exclaims quietly.
"Thank you so much, Luna. We were at a total loss." Kara says from next to me. I smile warmly at her and feel my heart expand.
"I'm happy to sit here with her for awhile, why don't you go take a shower and find a fresh outfit and then we can talk some more." Kara looks ready to burst into tears again and she thanks me over and over again and practically runs to the bathroom.
"You're incredible." Sam whispers from beside me as he smiles warmly at both me and the baby.
I sit in bliss snuggling this precious little girl. I lean down to smell her hair. Fresh babies always seem to have the best smell and little Grace is no exception. The only thing that smells better, to my dismay, is Liam. Although I'd never tell his arrogant ass that. His ego doesn't need a boosting. Before long Kara returns to her spot next to me and Callum decides to take a shower while Sam goes on a run to let his wolf out so it's only the two of us in the living room.
"Would it be rude of me to ask how things are going with Alpha?" She asks me quietly as she sips a glass of water.
"No, but I'm afraid there's not much to tell. We don't spend any time together and we rarely talk." I respond. I can't seem to take my eyes off of the little peanut in my arms to look at her reaction.
"He must have amazing self control to stay away from you like that." I look up at her in confusion.
"What do you mean?" She shrugs and eyes me cautiously.
"Well, newly mated couples have a hard time keeping their hands to themselves. Even if one is a human they still feel that bond. The need to be close. Callum and I didn't leave the bedroom for almost a week after he first marked me." She chuckled.
"Does he make you happy?" I ask quietly.
"Oh incredibly happy. He's my other half, my best friend. I love him more than anything. Except miss Gracie here." She smiles fondly at her baby.
The weight of her words makes me sad. I had that with Derek and now I can never go back. He doesn't even know who I am. And I'm not so naive as to think that Liam will naturally come around and want some semblance of a normal relationship with me. I'd be more surprised to find out that unicorns are real.
Well... actually.
I should probably ask about that.
"Hey," Kara says while resting her hand on my knee. "If anyone can get through to Alpha, it's you. He needs you just as much as the pack does."
I give her a little smile and lean forward to rub my cheek against hers. She stills next to me and I pull back quickly.
"Sorry, that was weird I don't know why I did that." She chuckles a little and waves me off.
"Did someone tell you to do that?" She asks curiously.
"No. Why?"
"It's just a very 'Luna' thing to do. You rubbed your scent on me. It's like a form of protection. It's a way of marking someone as yours. Now if a wolf came up to me, wanting to do me harm, he would smell you on me and know that I'm under your protection. It's a sweet gesture." She smiles at me and I smile back before leaning down to nuzzle my cheek on Grace as well. I stay with them for about another hour until Sam comes back from his run.
"Do you have any idea why she's so fussy?" I ask Callum.
"No, we have no clue." He responds.
"Are you nursing or formula feeding?" I ask Kara.
"Nursing. And she's been eating normally." I sit and ponder for a minute.
"Have you eaten anything spicy lately? I don't know how accurate it is, but I remember in nursing school they said that sometimes spices can travel into the breastmilk and cause the babies tummy to be upset."
Kara's eyes go wide and she gasps.
"Those tacos you brought me the other night! I doused them in hot sauce and had some for breakfast this morning even! Oh my God Luna you're a genius! I'll give her frozen milk for a day or two and see if that helps! Thank you so much!"
She hugs me tightly after I lay her baby down in the bassinet and make sure she stays asleep. I tuck Kara in as well, nuzzling her cheek one more time before she falls asleep. Maybe I really do have a calming effect on the pack, I think to myself. Callum hugs me as well on our way out and I nuzzle his cheek as well. He chuckles and thanks me for coming before Sam helps me back into the talk SUV.
"Well, how did that feel?" He asks me, genuinely interested in my answer.
"Incredible." I respond honestly. "Thanks for bringing me." He nods and leans over.
"Do I get a little cheek rub too?" He says amused. I giggle and lean over to rub my scent on him too. Kara is right. They are all mine and I want them under my protection.