*NOT EDITED*
"Good morning," I said as I walked into the kitchen seeing Axel, Mason, and Jace having breakfast. Emily was also in the kitchen and was flipping another pancake.
Axel got up and planted a kiss in my forehead before lazily sitting back in his chair. He looked really good today.
I looked around expecting to see Victoria, but when I didn't, I addressed Mason, "So, where is Vic—,"
However, I was quickly interrupted when Mason deliberately dropped his plate on the floor, effectively shattering it. Okay that was weird. We both bent down to pick up the pieces.
"What's going on?" I whispered to him. But he just mouthed back that he will tell me later, and to make it seem that we are not conspiring anything below the table he said aloud, "So, how are you feeling about today?"
"I am honestly pretty nervous, but I feel like I am flowing with energy. Who thought getting a wolf would be so rejuvenating!"
"Everybody knows that getting a wolf makes your body stronger. And by the way, didn't you have like 16 hours of sleep? Of course you feel rejuvenated," Jace added his two cents, rolling his eyes. I wasn't really sure how to reply to that, and I didn't feel like having a spat with Jace, no matter how much I wanted to. So, I tried my best to not look at him or have any eye contact with him.
After cleaning up the mess Mason made and trying my best to convince Emily that Mason and I can take care of it, I sat down to have my breakfast.
"So, is there anything in particular that I am supposed to do today before the Trials?" I asked Axel.
"Well, just make sure that you are there at 5:00pm. Speaking of, I have to go and make sure that everything is according to plan today. Good luck today," Axel said to me as he got up from the table and set his plate at the sink.
"Yeah, I hope you break a leg," Jace said with a sickly-sweet smile on his face, making me almost one hundred percent sure that he meant that literally. Before I can say anything to retort, Axel grabbed the back of Jace's head and shoved it into his plate. Mason and I both laughed, while Jace whined, "Shit! I have syrup in my eye!"
"Too fucking bad," Axel yelled from the hall, causing me to release a giggle and Mason to shake his head while stuffing his face with food.
Jace got up to wash his eye at the sink but Emily shooed him, claiming that it because she was busy doing the dishes. But, Jace caught her winking at me, which angered his ego even further.
"You all suck!" he grunted as he left the kitchen in search of the bathroom. Well, it wasn't like he didn't deserve it. After a little bit, Emily excused herself and left the kitchen, leaving me and Mason at the table.
"So, do you want to tell me what is going on with you and Victoria?" I asked.
"There isn't anything going on between us. I mean, everything is great. But, Axel doesn't really know that she is here," he sheepishly said.
"Wait, what?" I was shocked. How was he able to keep the fact that he found his mate away from Axel?
"Well, he wasn't really open to the idea to begin with, and he is more stressed than usual because the Trials are happening. I was hoping that when everything calms down a little bit, I would introduce her to him," he explained.
"How does she feel about that?" I asked him.
"I think she suspects that I am avoiding her meeting Axel, but she hasn't said anything about it yet. You have to understand, there is nothing I want more than to have my mate and my best friend get along. But, his stubborn ass isn't helping the situation," he said.
I nodded my head in understanding. I didn't want to keep anything from Axel, but it also wasn't my place to tell. Besides, lying by omission isn't really lying, so unless Axel asks me, I'm fine. I think. "Can I meet her?" I asked Mason, hopeful that he will be okay with it.
"Are you kidding?" he said dragging me to the third floor of the house, towards the end of the hall and then finally into his room. I had never been there, but it looked exactly how I would have expected. Neat, but not overly perfect. Dark themed, but not scary.
"Tori," Mason called out to her, when he didn't see her in bed.
"Hey," I heard a soft voice say, as a beautiful girl exited the bathroom. They hugged and kissed, and while I tried to give them as much privacy as possible, I couldn't help but think how cute they were together.
"I want you to meet someone," he told her. "This is Calista, she is the Luna of the pack." Well, not yet Mase, but hopefully really soon.
"Hi! It is so nice to finally meet you!" I gushed at her, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Oh, um hi," she shyly responded. As I pulled away from her, I noticed that she had the mating mark on her neck.
"You marked her already?" I asked Mason.
"Yeah, she shifted yesterday too. We kind of used the commotion around what was going on with you to our advantage." Mason honestly stated.
"He hasn't let me mark him yet, though," she pouted.
"You were completely drained after me marking you and then you shifted yesterday. We didn't really have the chance, babe," he reassured her. However, Mason and I knew that wasn't the only reason. If Mason was marked, Axel would find out, and I don't think that was Mason's plan for right now.
She nodded her head in understanding and reached up to peck his lips.
"I'm going to leave you two girls alone for now. I need to go help Axel with a couple of things to set up for today."
"Wait, Mason, maybe I can go with you and meet you Alpha today. It is pretty disrespectful to not thank him for having me in his home. And, I don't want to be on his bad side. He is Alpha Axel Knight of the Blood Venom Pack after all."
"He is just super busy today. Tomorrow. I promise, okay?"
"Okay," Victoria hesitantly conceded.
After Mason left the room, she plopped down on the bed. "You don't think he is ashamed of me, right?" she almost whispered to me.
"Victoria--" .
"Call me Vicky!" she offered.
"Listen, I am a million percent sure that he is not ashamed of you, Vicky. You have no idea how much he loved you even before he had met you. It's just that today is a really big day for Axel and me, and Mason didn't want to add more to Axel's plate. That's all."
"I guess, but he hasn't introduced me to anyone other than you. He hasn't even introduced me to his parents," she said despondently.
"You've been here for less than a day, girlie. Trust me, you are way overthinking this." Although, now that I think about it, I haven't met Mason's parents either. I knew that Axel's were dead, but I had no idea about Mason's. He mentioned his mom a while ago, but I have no clue about his dad.
We heard a knock on the door, and I went to open it. And when I did, I was greeted with the face of an older, regal-looking woman.
"Hello," I said, still confused as to what she was doing here.
"You are..." she started.
"Calista, Calista Jessen," I answered, extending my hand out. However, she was carrying what looked like an opaque dress bag, and she struggled to shake my hand. Just who was this woman?
"Oh, I was told that you would be here. But, I am just confused why my grandson's mate would be at the Beta's quarters. It seems a little inappropriate don't you think?" Oh crap! She's Axel's grandma and apparently, she doesn't like me. Does she think I'm cheating on Axel, one day after being marked? I can feel myself getting flustered.
"Hi, it is so good to meet you. I didn't know that you were still alive. No! That came out wrong. I meant that Axel's parents are dead, and for some reason I thought that you would be too. Not that you look dead. Sorry no, I didn't mean that you look bad. You look great. Younger than me even. But, I definitely mean that in a good way. Not that you are trying to look like a teenager. Oh God! You know what—," I was about to continue my word vomit, but Vicky came to my rescue.
"She was here with me, I am Mason's mate, and we were just hanging out. It definitely wasn't inappropriate, ma'am," she stated.
"Oh, I wasn't aware that Mason had found his mate," she said, sounding sincerely surprised.
"It's fairly new. Did you need anything from Cali?" she addressed her. I was almost jealous of how well-composed Vicky was, compared to my flustered state.
"Yes, actually, come with me, Calista," she ordered leading me out of Mason's room. I guess the Knights just had to order everyone around. God forbid they ask nicely. Regardless, I followed her, it wasn't like she left me much of a choice. I grabbed Vicky's hand and dragged her with me.
We stayed walking in silence. The only thing that can be heard was the clicking and clacking of her heels on the marble floor resonating through the hallway. She finally spoke and asked me to indicate which of the rooms was mine. I led her to it, and opened the door. I had to admit that I was very nervous, but tried my best not to show it. She indicated that she wanted Vicky and I to sit on the bed, so we did.
"As you are hopefully aware, you will be doing your Lunar Trials today, which means that you will be officially presented to the pack today. Hopefully, you will pass, and everything will work out for your and my grandson," she started her eloquent speech. "So, we will have you get dressed up for the Trials. I have assembled a hair and make-up team and they will hopefully get you ready for tonight."
"I thought that I would be fighting today," I directed at her, a little confused.
"Hopefully, no one challenges you today. But, either way, you have to be dressed up. It is tradition. And speaking of tradition, you will wear this dress," she said, pulling out a beautiful white or ivory dress from the dress bag she was holding. I looked at Victoria, still a little bit confused.
"This dress has been altered to fit you and has been modernized a bit. But the fabric of the dress has been passed down from one generation of Lunas to the next. I wore this dress, and so did the Luna before me and so on. And now, it is your turn. But, just like how the Trials are changed every generation, we change the dress a little as well," she explained.
"How did you know my size?" I was astonished, still in awe of the beauty of the dress before me.
"Axel told us that Arabella's dresses fit you like a glove, and we already knew her size, so we just used that. I am here now to make sure that it looks good just in case any last-minute alterations need to be done," she stated.
"Oh, okay," I answered quietly. I really wish Axel had explained that this would be happening today. I mean I did ask him if there is anything I should be doing. And he just said to be there on time.
"So, if someone challenges me for the Luna position, do I fight in the dress?"
"Of course not!" she defended. "We don't want to ruin it!"
"Oh, so do I take it off, and then fight?" I asked, the logistics of tonight still not making sense to me.
She shook her head slowly, making me feel like an idiot.
"Here is what will happen: You will get dressed up. Axel will introduce you as his mate. You will stand on stage, and the entire pack will feast their eyes on their new, gorgeous, soon-to-be Luna. Then, you will pledge and do a bunch of other stuff. There will be a break that the Council will call, in which you will get dressed into something comfier and your hair and make-up team will touch you up and put your hair up. Then, you are ready for the physically demanding portion of the Lunar Trials. Does that all make sense to you?"
"Yeah, that does make sense," I truthfully said, appreciating the clarification. Vicky has been silent the entire time, and when I looked at her, she just looked bewildered. "What were your Trials like?" I asked her, not really knowing what to expect.
"They were 45 years ago. But, I remembered being challenged by two girls. I took them both down without a problem, but by the time the individual or the second portion of the Trials rolled around, I was pretty tired. I don't remember most of what happened, I think I was going through an adrenaline high. But, I do remember that one of the things I had to do was shoot twelve flaming arrows through the rings to light them up," she reminisced. I think she saw how my face contorted in fear and worry.
"Don't worry, I doubt they will make you do that. If they were going to test you on a certain skill like that, they would have informed you to practice."
I released a breath I was holding. Then, she grabbed me and asked me to put the dress on. Soon after the make-up and hair team started working on me and offered to get Vicky dolled up.
Next thing I know, the entire day has gone by, and I am standing in my dress, hidden from the crowds, and waiting at the side of the stage for Axel to finish his speech and call my name to the crowd. I could feel myself sweating and the July sun wasn't helping.
I zoned out through his entire speech, until I heard him say, "Blood Venom, I present to you my mate, Calista Jessen from the Mystic Pack!"
With my heart hammering in my chest, I recognized my cue. I released a breath, and I ascended the steps of the stage.