Once Dean had asserted himself to his father, we continued upstairs and headed straight to bed, knowing we wouldn't get as much sleep as we desired. It was already nearly dawn, and Dean usually had to be up fairly early to start his day of Alpha duties.
It didn't take either of us long to fall asleep. The events of the night had worn both of us out, and made the large, plush bed more welcoming than ever.
The next morning when I awoke, I was surprised to see that not only was Dean still fast asleep in bed with me, but the nearby clock read ten-o-clock in the morning. Dean was usually off to his office by seven. I didn't take him for the type to catch up on missed sleep, but I had curtained guessed wrong.
Deciding to get our day off to a nice start, I slowly slid out of bed, careful not to disturb Dean, and tip-toed to the kitchen. Perhaps he would like a small breakfast to eat before going to the office or even to take with him. I smiled to myself at the thought of making my mate happy for once, although I knew he wasn't one to show much emotion.
In the kitchen, I dug out the appropriate pans and fried up a few eggs while a bagel was in the toaster. A simple breakfast sandwich should suffice, especially if he decided to take it to the office with him rather than eating here.
I sprinkled some cheese over the top of the eggs and allowed it to melt while I popped the bagel out of the toaster and lightly spread cream cheese on one half and a touch of honey mustard on the other. Once I was satisfied with the meltiness of the cheese, I put the sandwich together and placed it on a paper plate before setting it on the end of the counter.
Like clockwork, I heard Dean slide out of bed and walk around the room. Through our mind-link, I could feel he was slightly panicked, likely wondering where I was. This was the first time I had woke before him.
Feeling the urge to calm my mate, I walked back to the bedroom and watched him from the doorway as he hurried to pull a dress shirt over his head. Once his head popped through the head-hole, he saw me standing at the other end of the room, watching him, and I noticed he visibly relaxed.
"Where did you go?" he immediately questioned, staring me down with a serious expression.
"I made you breakfast," I replied simply and softly, feeling a bit anxious due to the look on Dean's face mixed with the tone of his voice.
Dean paused for a moment, almost as if he was shocked by my words, "Oh. Thank you."
I nodded as Dean walked towards the bedroom door and then out to the kitchen, quickly turning to follow behind him. Once he reached the kitchen counter he grabbed the plate and took a bite of the sandwich, looking as if he was seriously thinking things over while chewing.
"It's very good, but I'll need to take it with me to the office. Thank you again, Audrey," he told me with a faint smile.
I nodded again and smiled back, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of pleasing my mate and having a somewhat normal morning with him for once. If I could keep my head straight, maybe things would keep moving in the right direction. I just needed to try and trust him, like Hana told me.
Dean set the plate back down and quickly moved towards me, reaching out to cup my face with his hands, "You're even more beautiful when you smile. I'd like to see it more often."
He pressed a warm kiss to my cheek, right near the corner of my lips, and hesitated for a moment before pulling away. His hesitation made me wonder what was going through his mind, but I couldn't focus on that thought for long as an intense blush formed on my cheeks.
Dean grabbed the plate with his breakfast again and headed towards the front door of our quarters so he could tend to his Alpha duties that had already been delayed by several hours.
"Oh, and Audrey? Please meet me in my office once you've eaten and cleaned up."
My eyes widened a bit – what could he possibly need me in his office for that we couldn't discuss right now?
Before I could work up the courage to ask, Dean had walked out the door, closing it firmly behind him.
I sighed, as I felt my anxiety growing like a weed in my stomach – a deeply rooted nuisance. Surely whatever Dean needed me in his office for wouldn't be bad. We had already completed the Luna ceremony, what could be worse than that?
I went through the morning routine of showering and all of the other daily essentials before applying some makeup and drying my hair. Once my hair was tamed by a brush and a few styling products, I decided it looked presentable in its natural state.
I then took a deep breath and made the short journey over to Dean's office. Although I was anxious about what he may have to say, I knew it couldn't put it off much longer. Surely if it was of extreme importance, he would've told me this morning?
Sooner than I expected, I found myself outside of the massive, oak door that led into Dean's office. Taking one more deep breath, I gently tapped my knuckles against the hard wood.
"Come in," Dean's deep voice echoed from the other side of the door.
Refusing to waste any more time, I quickly turned the door knob and pushed the door open, immediately making eye contact with my mate.
"That was fast. Did you eat?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow at me as I stepped inside his office and shut the door behind me.
I froze at his question, suddenly realizing that I did in fact, forget to eat breakfast. I knew Dean wouldn't be happy, but he'd probably be down-right angry if I lied.
I slowly shook my head as I looked down at my feet, preparing myself for Dean's criticism.
Dean let out a gruff sigh, but refrained from lecturing me on the importance of eating. I knew I was considered unhealthy and that I needed to gain weight, but it was hard to get into the habit of eating regularly.
"Have a seat," Dean told me, nodding towards the chair on the other side of his desk.
I immediately complied, eager to take the spotlight off of my eating habits.
"Now that you're almost officially the pack's Luna, I thought it'd be a good time to instruct you on some of the duties you'll have," Dean told me.
I stared at him for a moment, cocking an eyebrow, "Almost?"
Dean stared back, as if he truly didn't understand my question.
"You've been marked and initiated, but we haven't mated," he simply stated.
My face instantly heated up at his words. Of course, I knew that the mate bond wasn't complete until the pair had mated, but I hadn't expected it to have anything to do with my position as the pack's Luna. Now, I was worried that Dean would be more determined to complete the mating process. Pack members could smell us and know that we hadn't completed our mate bond, and that would look bad on both of us.
"I think you already understand the importance of that matter, but regardless, you can be informed of your duties as the Luna, even if you can't participate yet," Dean told me.
I was just thankful that he changed the subject.
"Of course," I murmured quickly with a small nod.
"The majority of your work will be done in the infirmary and school. You can help out in those locations in any area that you'd like or that is needed. We've also traditionally had a day once a month where the Luna helps prepare and serve breakfast for the pack. You may also help me with paperwork if I request it," Dean explained.
I nodded again. Those duties seemed fairly simple and like tasks I could handle.
Before speaking another word, Dean stood from his desk and walked towards me. This seemed to be a common occurrence between us, but it shocked me every time. He stood in front of me, in all of his tall, muscular glory, and stared down at me before cupping my chin with one hand and tilting my head up to face him.
"But, we do need to complete our mate bond soon, Audrey. It's not right for things to be like this. I know you're not ready, but you need to understand the importance," Dean explained.
There it was. There's the lecture.
I didn't know how to respond, so Dean and I continued to stare into each other's eyes.
Dean moved in closer, hovering just inches away from my lips, "Do you understand the importance, Audrey?"
I swallowed hard as I stared back into his two, different colored eyes. I understood, of course, but that didn't make things any better on my end of the deal.
Slowly, I nodded in response.
"Good, because this needs to happen sooner rather than later. It's important to our mate bond, and our pack."
My whole body went rigid at Dean's words. Was he insinuating that the completion of our mate bond needed to take place...tonight?
Before I could ask any more questions, Dean leaned in closer. So close, that we were only millimeters away.
So close, that in one quick movement, he planted his lips against mine.
So sorry for the delay! As some of you know, I've been very busy plus had a death in the family. I know this chapter wasn't super exciting, but what'd you think?? Updates should be better this month!
Please continue to read, vote, and comment! Check out Luna Lena and Luna Hana if you haven't already. Also, Chapter 1 of Luna Zahra and the Prologue of Luna Skylar have been posted as exclusive thank you's to you all for your support!
xoxo-V