Sitting in Xavier's lap, my hands fiddled in tune with the darting of my eyes back-and-forth across the kitchen. From the moment Xavier woke me up this morning I've been nervous about the fact that I would be meeting his pack today. I wasn't sure if I was totally ready but I knew for sure that it was something I needed to do, not only for myself but for Xavier.
Though that was my mindset, the nerves still wiggled their way into my head, resulting in my immobile position from Xavier's lap. I refused to move, even when Andrea served up our breakfast plates or when Mason and Theo chuckled at my actions. Xavier seemed content that I wouldn't move however, beaming at me every time he had to reach around me to eat his pancakes.
I slowly ate the delicious food in front of me despite wanting to hide myself in Xavier's neck and never come out. I wonder if he would mind if I found another way to meet the pack? How about I stay up in our room and he takes a video for me? That sounds like a great plan.
"You okay there, Sunshine?" Xavier diverted himself from his conversation with Theo to look at me, the concern clearly written on his face.
Sighing, I smiled. "Yeah, I think so. But don't be surprised if I hide behind you the entire time I meet the pack. Maybe I'll just yell hello over your shoulder and we can call it a day."
Xavier chuckled at my hopeful expression before pressing a kiss to my forehead. I leaned into it, basking in the feeling. I didn't fail to catch the knowing looks sent our way from everyone at the table, making me suspicious of what they thought they knew.
"I don't think that would work very well. But you can hold onto me until you're comfortable enough to let go." He flashed that cheeky smile of his. "And if you aren't at all, I won't complain one bit."
"Boooo, stop with the lovey dovey shit you're going to make me throw up my breakfast." Mason dramatically stated as he wrapped his hands around his throat and made retching sounds.
Theo quickly hit his mate's shoulder with a bewildered look on his face. "Are you kidding me? You're a hypocrite for saying that, you can't even keep your hands off of me for five seconds." He turned back to his pancakes, cutting off a small piece. "Let the two be, they're adorable."
I blushed at the compliment as Andrea jumped in with a nod of her head. "Leave my babies alone, Mason, don't make me take that breakfast away from you."
Mason's mouth fell open as he moved his plate protectively into his arms. "Wow, Andrea." He scoffed. "I thought I was your favourite. I see I've been replaced." Turning his head up to the ceiling he crossed his arms, the dramatics coming in full swing.
Xavier and I were shaking as we tried to contain our laughs, drinking in the odd sight in front of us. Andrea's eyes were bright with amusement as she stared at Mason. Jumping out of her chair she walked over to him as she began to coo, wrapping her arms around his form. "Oh, my poor sweet baby, you'll be alright. There's more than enough room for all of you to be my favourites." As she smothered his face in kisses and pinches, the whole table broke into laughter at the whole situation.
I was glad as it broke the growing anxiety I had. I was filled with joy as I finally knew; these are my people.
***************
Pacing across the grass, I began to wring my hands together while Xavier watched me. We were currently hiding behind the wall of the pack house, away from the prying eyes trying to catch a glimpse of me. Xavier asked all of the pack members to meet in the large plain of grass that stood between the pack house and the forest. I could hear the excited chatter buzzing through the crowd, making me more anxious for the hundreds of faces I was about to encounter.
Xavier's eyes had been following me since I started pacing, simply following my movement with his arms lazily crossed. But it appeared that he was done watching as he stepping in front of me on my way towards him and grasped my shoulders, effectively holding me in place. I simply looked up to examine his features hoping to calm my jitters.
A light smile came onto his face as his hands drew up and down my arms in comfort. "Relax, Sunshine. I promise you that nothing will go wrong nor do you need to be afraid of anything. Everyone in my pack is super excited to meet you and they definitely won't be aiming to make you uncomfortable, alright?"
Drinking in his words I nodded my head as I sucked in my lower lip, nibbling at it. I didn't want to be as anxious as I was but I knew it was practically unavoidable not to be. I had only adjusted to being around a handful of people, I shouldn't expect myself to be capable enough to have no anxiety when encountering two hundred unrecognizable faces. I should be proud of the fact I'm willing to do this in the first place.
Xavier snapped me out of my thoughts with the feel of his fingers grasping my chin, pulling my lip from my teeth. The intimacy of the action made me blush a deep red though Xavier simply gave a warm smile while moving his hand up to brush against my cheek. Leaning into his touch I let out a relieved sigh as the force turned my running thoughts dormant.
No words were said between us as we simply enjoyed one another's presence. After several minutes had passed, the moment was broken with the pounding of feet approaching us. Theo rounded the corner followed by Mason and Xavier's parents, who were steps behind the running Beta's. "Everyone is about to explode of excitement out there. Are you ready for your big debut as our Luna?"
Xavier dropped his hand from my face as he turned his body towards Theo, wrapping his arm around my waist before pulling me into his side. I tightly held on as I clung to his torso, resting my head on the broad expanse of his shoulder. "As ready as we'll ever be."
Sending a smile down to me Xavier began to take small steps in the direction of the pack. Andrea sent me a thumbs up and an encouraging look as we passed her and Carter, the four of them falling into step behind us. I took a deep breath as we rounded the corner only to be met with a large group.
The second they saw me all conversation halted, some gasps eliciting from the crowd. I nearly gasped back at the large group, surprised at the low level of anxiety I was feeling. My heart was palpitating and my palms were sweaty but I didn't feel as if I was going to pass out so this was an accomplishment in itself.
We stopped ten feet in front of the front line of the pack, eager expressions meeting my darting gaze. I looked up to Xavier for direction, unsure where to go from here. He seemed to understand and took the lead. "Good afternoon, family. As you know, I have called you all here today to meet and welcome a very special member to the Eclipse Pack." Xavier boomed as he brought his roaming, strong gaze down to me with a look of admiration. "One we have been waiting for our whole lifetime. While this is a celebration, some rules must be set in place for now. As you know Luna Anna has been here for months but due to personal reasons, has not felt comfortable enough to meet all of you until now. I ask that each and every one of you maintain alert at all times to ensure your Luna is not uncomfortable in your presence and if she needs anything, you grab me immediately. That is an order." The stern strictness that overpowered his tone shocked me as it was a side of Xavier I had never seen before. However, I was well aware of his position to rule over the pack and create order within it, so I was glad I would never have that tone directed at me.
"Now when it comes to meeting your Luna I ask that you do not approach her at an angle she cannot see you from and respect her boundaries if she asks anything of you. Now, do we have any questions before the celebration begins?" Xavier was practically shooting lasers into the crowd as if someone would dare to insult me in front of him. I nearly wanted to chuckle at the action but I couldn't stop the rising anxiety of someone asking something cruel about me.
Silence loomed over the crowd as they all began to bounce with joy at seeing me. Many eyes had been plastered to my form since my arrival and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. After thirty seconds had passed, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding but it was too early to do so. A muscular man with black hair and strong features stepped through to the front row and looked at me head on.
Heartbeat increasing at the sight of him I grasped Xavier tighter as he pulled me further into his side. I wasn't sure what was coming but I wasn't sure I wanted to know either.
"So, we have a human as our Luna do we?" His tone sounded the slightest bit challenging as he crossed his arms, his right brow raising.
Xavier let out a deep grumble in his chest as he began to pull me behind his protective stance. Though what I did next probably shocked everyone into the next century, including myself.
I placed my hand onto Xavier's arm to stop his movements, sending him a smile in return to his confused look. Connecting my hand with his to maintain contact I stepped in front of Xavier and ultimately closer to the male several feet in front of me. Clearing my throat I made my voice loud and clear as I looked the man straight in the eyes. "Yes, you do. Do you have a problem with that?" I raised my right brow to mirror his actions, totally unaware of where this newfound confidence had come from. I didn't really care though as I would bask in this moment while I had it.
The man's face remained the same for several passing seconds before a beaming, toothy smile plastered onto his face, arms dropping down to his side. "Not at all Luna. Welcome to your new home, as you can see we're very happy that you've found your way to us."
At the end of his sentence everyone began to clap and cheer, excitement travelling over me in waves at this new outlook. Home. I have finally found my way home.
I flinched at the loud sounds that filled the area but simply turned back to look at Xavier. Pride shone bright across his features as he looked at me with admiration once again. I let out a laugh as I wrapped my arms around his torso, hugging him close. "You know, that part wasn't half bad."
Returning the favour he wrapped his arms around my back, also letting out a chuckle. "I'm proud of you, Sunshine."
Beaming up at him I replied, "You know what? I think for once in my life, I'm proud of myself too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ahhhh, I'm so proud of my baby *sobs for hours* She managed to meet the pack without having a panic attack and even stood up to a male (by the way he was only testing her to see if she would respond there's nothing wrong with him lolol). What do you think of how she handled herself?
Please feel free to let me know what you think, either through votes or comments. I truly appreciate the feedback! :) Also, a huge thank you to all of you for getting me to 5K reads!!! I still can't believe it. I know this chapter is a little later than usual and I'm sorry for that. I apparently can't remember what day it is anymore due to quarantine and totally got my days mixed up, so I didn't realize it was Wednesday until later :( sorry!
How do you like the pack? You haven't really met them yet but as you can see they are very excited to meet Anna!
Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you are all staying safe! <3
xx kerfuffled