After mine and Dean's very...sudden...kiss, I found myself very confused. I had, of course, frozen during a moment that was supposed to be very special to me. My first kiss with my mate. At first, I had attempted to kiss him back, and although Dean still seemed very into it, I panicked and pulled away.
Dean let out a heavy sigh, but didn't comment on my actions.
"Just remember the importance of all of this," he reminded me before returning to the chair he had placed behind his desk.
I nodded and stood from my chair, walking across his office to the door. Part of me felt guilty. Why must I always mess things up? This could have been a really great moment between Dean and I, but I'd gone and made it all awkward. Typical.
At this point, I had no idea what to do with the rest of my day. Dean hadn't given any further instructions, and there was nothing on my mind that seemed desirable. Honestly, I wouldn't mind spending a whole day with my mate, and attempting to get to know him, but he was far too busy for that. He was an Alpha, what else could I expect?
"Audrey, what do you plan to do with the rest of your day?" Dean asked, just as I was about to leave the room.
I paused before turning my head to face him again, "I don't really know."
My answer was truthful. I had no clue what to do with my day. In all honesty, my only plan so far was to return to our quarters and work on my drawing, but I knew that would grow boring after a couple of hours. I felt rather useless, being the pack's Luna but being unable to carry out any of my responsibilities.
"Perhaps you should go mingle with the pack in the dining hall and other common areas, since the meet and greet didn't go as planned last night," Dean suggested.
I smiled at Dean's suggestion and nodded, although the idea twisted at my stomach, making me feel nervous. As one might expect, I was no good at socializing.
As I finally stepped out of the office and shut the door behind me, I felt even more lost about what to do. Who should I mingle with? What should I say? Where should I go? Maybe I should just go back to our quarters, would Dean even find out?
Despite my anxiety, I knew disobeying Dean was not the best way to go.
Taking a deep breath, I took a step forward and made my way downstairs to where all of the pack house common areas were. The first floor was the center of all social life for the pack. There was a theater, multiple meeting rooms, the dining hall and kitchen, a library, and a number of other places for pack members to relax and enjoy hobbies or company.
Once I reached the main level, I decided that the dining hall would be a good place to start. By now, it was early afternoon. There wouldn't be a large crowd of people, but those who enjoyed an early lunch may be around.
As I entered the large room full of long, dark oak tables, I was taken back to not all that long ago when I first met Dean as his server at the ball. I smiled to myself at the thought. It all seemed so crazy now. How did a girl like me go from an abusive father and working with Omegas, to being mated to her pack's Alpha?
I stared at the few groups of people who remained in the dining hall, and worked up the confidence to go introduce myself to each group.
The first group I approached was a group of elderly ladies who appeared to only be having a cup of tea and biscuits. They seemed friendly, and I figured friendly was the best way to start.
"Hello ladies," I said, forcing my voice to be bold as I approached the small group. They turned their attention to me and stared, obviously not immediately recognizing me from last night's ceremony.
"I'm your Luna, Audrey. I was out mingling with the pack today and thought I'd stop to say hello," I told them.
The elderly ladies suddenly began to squeal from excitement, sounding like a bunch of school girls. One of the three clapped her hands together several times while another pulled out a chair and insisted I sit down with them.
"Oh, our Luna! What an honor! Oh, such a precious young girl!" they complimented endlessly, squeezing my hand and patting me gently on the shoulder. Although I was blushing profusely, perhaps this whole socialization ordeal wouldn't be so bad after all.
"You and Alpha Dean are so lucky to have each other, and what a beautiful pair you make!" one of the ladies who wore a pink hat and long silky gloves told me.
I smiled brightly at her. I truly appreciated all of their kind comments, and since I had no grandparents of my own, socializing with these ladies was actually quite heartwarming.
"Yes, yes, yes!" one of the other ladies, this one wearing a large, sparkly, butterfly brooch, exclaimed. "She's just the sweetest little thing, isn't she? It's truly an honor, Luna. I know our Alpha needs a young lady like yourself."
After a few more minutes of chatting with the ladies, I decided it was time to excuse myself and move on to the next group. I could only hope that the rest of the pack would be as welcoming as they had been.
The other group of individuals nearest to me in the dining hall consisted of several girl who appeared to be around the same age as me. I didn't recognize them, so I assumed they wouldn't recognize me from my previous life working alongside the Omegas.
"Hello," I chirped as I slowly approached them, granting them a bright smile.
"I'm your Luna, Audrey. I'm out and about, meeting some of my pack members today. I just thought I'd stop by and say hello," I told them, my smile never fading.
I'd been hoping for a warm welcome like I'd received from the group of elderly ladies, but what I got was much more disappointing.
"Oh look, it's the Alpha's new whore," one of the girls, a petite blonde, snickered. She was attempting to keep her voice low, but I'd heard every word.
"Please, come, sit with us," another girl with much darker hair said to me, as if she thought I hadn't heard the comments from her friend.
At this point, I was tense. Did the second girl seriously think I hadn't heard her rude little friend? I was appalled, quite frankly, but didn't know how to act on my emotions.
They'd barely spoken a few sentences to me, and I felt like crying.
"So, how did Alpha Dean get matched with a thing like you?" a third girl asked, seeming amused with the entire situation.
The girl with dark hair who'd asked me to sit with them looked offended by her friend's words, but I didn't buy it.
"Jessica, hush!" she hissed, as if that would make the entire situation better.
"What? I just don't understand it, is all. She used to work with the Omegas, Claire. And now she's our Alpha's mate? As if."
Before they could say anymore, I turned around and sprinted out the door of the dining hall. As soon as I came to the foot of the stairs, I rushed up them, surely startling anyone who may have seen me. I had to get away from those girls and their malicious thoughts.
It was hard enough for me to think such things about myself. I didn't need complete strangers having the same thoughts.
By the time I reached the floor where mine and Dean's quarters were located, I was sobbing. Why had they said those things in front of me? I hadn't done a thing to them. I was only trying to be nice.
It hurt.
I busted through the doors of our quarters, completely ignoring the guards standing outside. They didn't question my tears or my frantic behavior, thankfully.
Much to my surprise, once I came through the front door, I ran straight into Dean's solid chest.
It took Dean only a matter of seconds to realize something was wrong. Perhaps it was the fact that I was running and entering our home in such a distressed state, or maybe he could hear my sobs or glanced at my tears. I didn't know, but he knew.
"Audrey, what's the matter?" Dean demanded. His voice was stern, but laced with worry.
"Nothing! I just...I shouldn't even be here!" I cried, making no sense to myself and likely even less sense to Dean.
Before I could run away, Dean grabbed me by my shoulders and placed me in front of him.
"What the hell happened?" he growled lowly. I couldn't tell if he was mad at me or the people who'd made me upset.
"Nothing, Dean. I should go back home to my father's apartment. This pack doesn't want me as their Luna. I'm not fit," I explained, stumbling over my own words as I continued to cry.
Dean tightened his grip on my shoulders, causing a slight burning pain to erupt on my skin, but I didn't care.
"You need to tell me what was said and who said it, right now," Dean demanded once again, his growls getting deeper.
"I don't ever know who they were!" I blurted out. "One said Jessica, one said Claire, I don't know! I was just trying to be nice!"
I sounded pathetic, even to myself, but I couldn't help it. Everything they'd said was true. I wasn't good enough Dean. Why was he with me? Was he trying to make some sort of statement? He deserved a better Luna. Someone strong.
Dean stared at me for a moment, holding me by the shoulders the entire time.
"Some girls made you cry, just for speaking with them?" Dean questioned. I just knew he was going to turn on me at any moment. Of course, I was being irrational. I was stupid for getting so upset over something so small. Something that didn't even matter.
I slowly nodded as I reached up and wiped the tears from my eyes.
"Well Audrey," he started, releasing me from his grasp for the first time since I'd come home to our quarters. "You're going to help me find them, and they're going to pay."
My heart began pounding even harder at Dean's words. Pay? Coming from the Alpha of Dark Root pack, that surely wasn't good.
"No, Dean. It'll be okay. I'll be okay," I attempted to assure him, forcing the tears to stop spilling out of my eyes.
"Do you not understand, Audrey?" he yelled, turning back around to face me. "They've insulted my mate. They've hurt my mate. They've disrespected their own Luna."
"Offenses like that are not taken lightly. They will suffer the consequences."
Oh no! What do you think Dean is going to do to those girls? Do you think there's more of a back story to it, or were they just being petty? Dean obviously doesn't take these things lightly!
Please continue to read, VOTE, comment, and follow! I appreciate every single ounce of support for my works! Sorry for the slight delays. Life has been crazy lately, but I'm hoping things will improve over the next couple weeks!
xoxo -V