Recap
"Calm down, it looks like you're thinking to much. I wish you could talk to me." His eyebrows furrow in what seems to be thought. "Delilah, I'm going to teach you how to speak. I just think you have to use your voice to get use to it. I mean you already know English."
****
"Hmph." I huff out air as I lay on this comfortable bed that has my mate's comforting scent surrounding it. A sheen of sweat covers my forehead as I pant, trying to breath properly.
"Com'on Delilah, it wasn't that bad." Derek chuckles.
I raise what he taught me is called a pinkie, in his direction. "So..." Pant, "Much..." Pant "Knowledge." Pant.
What I was expecting was a glare, hurtful look, or snarky remark at the action. What I didn't expect was for him to go into a fit of laughter so hard he had to hold his stomach as he rolled next to me on the bed.
I was in between the good feeling my stomach has when he smiles, and being utterly irritated that he's obviously laughing at me.
I've never heard him laugh before, it's usually small smiles, smirks, or chuckles. I like that I made him laugh like that.
"What's so funny?" I huff out in a scratchy, small voice. My voice still feels a little soar, but the more I use it, the less painful it becomes.
My mate sits at the edge of the bed with a sigh to catch his breath before reaching out to hold my hand. His long, rough fingers begin adjusting my own by lifting my middle finger instead of my pinkie. "It's the middle finger that's suppose to give the offensive, inappropriate gesture, my little vixen. Not the pinkie." A small smile is still present on his face as he corrects me.
"Oh." Is all I say as I glare at him, because I'm too angered and embarrassed to say anything else. My head turns away from him as I try to hide my red face.
"Awe, Delilah don't hide your face from me." I actually hear a smile in his voice unlike the other times when his voice is always in a calm state.
I don't respond or move.
I hear a huff, "Okay then, but lets continue our lesson. Your excelling greatly."
"No." I somewhat whisper.
"What?"
"I said, no. I'm tired and hungry." Isn't he a werewolf? I know he heard me. I slightly turn my head to see his reaction.
He seems reluctant, but says, "Okay, yeah lets go eat. Besides, it's about time I introduce you to at least some of the pack members."
My eyes widen on their own accord. "Pack?" My scratchy voice whispers.
"Yeah, pack. Didn't I tell you about that?" He asks.
I gulp, "No." I thought it was just us. I thought he just called that nurse from a hospital, not that she actually lived here. It's alway's just been me, myself, and I.
Pretty nice trio right?
I've barely gotten use to Derek, and that's probably just because he's my mate! A-A whole house full of people...how am I going to deal with that?
I feel a hand on my cheek and look up to see Derek crouched in front of me.
When did he get there?
"Delilah, it looks like you're over thinking things again." He says with his eyebrows furrowed in worry, yet his voice calm once again. "What's wrong?"
I shake my head in response, "Nothing...I'm just not hungry anymore."
"Oh, I see the problem...Delilah I promise you they're really kind people. I wouldn't have you in their presence otherwise." He reasons.
I still don't respond.
"How about this? I'll stay with you until you feel comfortable enough around them to be alone." He negotiates.
I stare at him skeptically before slowly nodding my head.
"Great!" My mate smiles before shooting up from his crouching position. He holds out his hand for me. "Now, shall we?" He says in that same calm voice of his.
A small smile tugs at my lips, and I put my hand in the palm of his in response. Doing this makes him give me a lopsided grin, showing a dimple in his left cheek that I've surprisingly never noticed.
*****
Before we left the room, Derek explained everything about the werewolf world this time, and not just mates.
As we walk through the long hallways, a thought crosses my mind. "If you're Alpha, don't you have a lot of work to do...so you can't be distracted by me." I say just above a whisper. My throat being sore all day, is starting to annoy me.
We continue to walk towards the...the...dining room with his head facing straight ahead as he responds. "You're not a distraction. If anything, you make me work harder because I know I have someone to go back to when I'm all done with a hard days work."
"Oh." I whisper.
"Besides, even if I do have a lot of work. I will always make time for you. No question about it." He says, but this time I feel his gaze on me.
We begin walking down a flight of stairs, hand in hand. I look down at my feet as I feel peoples gaze on us. After a few seconds of feeling it, I begin to growl because it's unsettling to me. It feels like I'm being watched upon as prey.
"Calm down, it's ok." He whispers to me.
The encouragement calms me down somewhat, but I'm still a bit uncomfortable. I hear gasps and whispers around me, and I don't realize why until I feel my tail wrapped around my waist from under my silky dark green colored dress that flows right above my knees.
I shifted halfway again. I think embarrassed.
"Look mamma, she has orange ears and a tail." I hear a little boy say.
"Shush Billy, that's rude." I hear, who I'm assuming is his mother, scold him. (If you read a comment in chapter 1, you know where this came from XD )
I feel my face begin to wadm up again.
"Who's she?" I hear numerous girls whisper in curiosity or jealously, and the boys whisper it in what sounds like either awe or lust.
I hate being whispered about.
My mate pulls out a chair for me that's next to a girl with raven colored hair, light brown eyes, and tan skin clear of any freckles or pimples. He stands behind the chair on the other side of me.
I try to be polite and give her a smile, that may resemble a cringe, but I'm trying. The girl in return, has her eyes rake me up and down oddly, before making up her face in a disgusted manner and turning to talk to the other brunette next to her. Now that I'm really looking at them, they look like twins. I glare down at my lap and huff, I guess that's what I get for trying.
The sound of Derek's voice booming through the dining room catches my attention. "Hello, everyone. As you know today is the start of a celebration for our food surplus_" The crowd roars in cheer, cutting him off. His face remains stoic, but he lets a small smile tug at his lips. "But," he emphasizes once the cheers die down somewhat. "I would also like to celebrate someone very important to me. Be nice, and treat her how you would any other pack member because now she is. Everyone, I've found my mate and your Luna, Deliliah." He smirks.
Some of the people in the crowd roar in cheer, genuinely happy, but some look like they have a tight-lipped smile and send fake cheers of encouragement. Mostly the women...
Derek gestures for me to stand up, but I'm frozen as I stare at all the attention coming my way. This is different...
I snap out of it when, I feel tingles on my shoulder and realize it's Derek. My mate looks down at me with that smile that leaves a dimple in his left cheek, "Introduce yourself." He says proudly.
I stand up and wrap my tail around myself again, as a nervous habit. That doesn't help because it causes more attention to attract to it, and me. I swallow hardly then say more timidly then I meant to, "Hi, I'm Delilah." My voice even comes out more scratchy than normal, making my face heat up in embarrassment. I take a deep breath and continue, this time with my voice more assertive, "I'm a fox shifter...I'm not sure if any of you have met one...up close?" I say once again, accidentally questioning myself out loud, but clear my throat and continue. "And as you can tell, I don't speak much so...yeah, that's about it." I finalize, giving a small smile to seem friendly. It works and they give a friendly smile in return.
"It's okay Luna, everyone gets shy sometimes." A dark-skinned little girl with curly black hair up in a poofy ponytail, brown eyes, and pouty lips who looks around the age of 12 says.
A little boy who looks about her age with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a small amount of freckles teases her by saying, "Like you around boys." He smirks.
"Shut up!" She fires.
"Settle down you two." Their mothers say.
I lightly giggle to myself with this. If only they knew I just didn't really know how to speak. I'm definitely not shy. I think, completely assured with myself.
****
I've been, what Derek calls it 'mingling' for a while now. I call it staying next to Derek so I don't I have to do anything, but smile at nod to people.
After we're- well he's- done speaking to a newly mated couple he turns to face me with a stern look.
"What did I do?" I ask innocently.
He tilts his head and narrows his eyes at me. I guess it would look like an intimidating gesture to most people, but to me it was just adorable.
"Don't give me that innocent look." He says although a small smile is on his lips. "Delilah, you can't just stay attatched to me the whole party in attempt to not speak to others."
I feel myself give a small pout as I look down a little bit, but put my lip back to normal before he notices. Am I clingly?
"There you go again over thinking things." He says softly and lifts my chin up to face him. "Look, your ears and tail are long gone, so you shouldn't have people staring at you anymore." He reasons. "If they still are, come and find me so I'll take care of it." The last sentence that leaves his lips end in a serious tone of voice.
I nod in understanding.
My mate gives me a small smile, "Delilah, you know how much I love hearing your voice." He whispers against my ear.
My stomach flutters and I pull back to look into his eyes, "I understand." I say returning the small smile.
His lips go against mine and my mind numbs at that moment, just focusing on the pleasurable tingles on my lips. My eyes even eventually droop shut. The...the..kiss lingers before he lets go of my chin and says, "I'll see you later."
I stand frozen in my spot for a while, still feeling the tingles on my lips.
A moment later I finally turn to scan the crowd for people to 'mingle' with, and that's when I see the same pair of light brown eyes I saw at the table, cutting through the crowd to get to me. Even from here I can see anger and annoyance still present in her eyes.
She eventually reaches to stand in front of me and reaches her hand out to...
I'm just gonna leave it on a itty bitty cliffhanger here. Don't be afraid to vote or comment! I luv reading them when I have the time :)
*P.S. If you're a ghost reader, it's fine, I'm just glad you like to read my story/stories*