"Darling, that is quite a lot of worry you've been carrying around, and then to pile on your distrust of the Leadership Council. Well, that's a very heavy load to bear," Luna Calista consoled, concern etched on her face.
Giavanna and Luna Calista had sequestered themselves up in the restricted access library with Sebastian loitering in the hallway, nervously pacing. Giavanna had told the Luna everything, from the events of the Mateship Ball until that morning's conversation regarding the Leadership Council. It had felt like a heavy weight was lifted off her chest with every sentence spoken.
"You said to come to you if I had any concerns. My original intent was to just speak about the Leadership Council, and then everything else came pouring out," Giavanna sighed, looking at the wooden tabletop between them. "Something in my bones tells me I can fully trust you."
"You can, Giavanna. I swear on the Moon Goddess you can trust me, but I need you to kn
The second she heard her mother bellow out, "Giavanna Rosalie Sperino, get your ass down here this instant!" she knew her outfit for the Mateship Ball had been delivered. Grinning to herself, Giavanna threw her bedroom door open and clambered down the stairs, nearly slamming into her sisters at the bottom of the steps.Anita Sperino smiled at her youngest daughter and ushered her older children aside so she could hand a heavy-duty black garment bag to Giavanna. Mia and Aria looked on eagerly, emitting high-pitched squeals of excitement as their little sister took the bag and hugged it to her chest."What's with all this noise?" a gruff voice called from the kitchen, followed by the scrape of chair legs moving across linoleum tiles. A beast of a man appeared in the doorway, frowning as he tugged the end of his chest-length salt and pepper be
"I'm a smoke show every damn day, but tonight I'm finally gonna have major competition!" Elsbeth Lange squealed as she gave her best friend a tight hug, careful not to wrinkle either of their outfits."Stop it," Giavanna laughed, waving her hand in front of her face in an attempt to stop grateful tears from trickling out her eyes. "You are a miracle worker.""Pfffffft! Please. You gotta have good raw material to pull this off. Unmated folks are going to literally ask you to step on them," Elsbeth stated as she turned Giavanna towards the floor-length mirror.Giavanna knew she was far from ugly, but she had never really paid attention to her appearance. Functionality was much more important to her than fashion trends once she turned 14 and began her training for the Alpha Royal Guard program. Her wardrobe mainly consisted of leggings, fitted t-shirts, and hooded sweatshirts with the occasional pair of sweatpants thrown in during winter. Twin french braids efficient
Sitting at a table in the far back corner of the ballroom, Giavanna couldn't help the smile that brightened her face as she looked around the room. Several of her friends had met their mates this evening and seemed so besotted with their new partners that Giavanna couldn't help but be happy for them. She'd enjoyed many dances with men from different packs and even did a few turns around the room with friends, though the attention from the males had become stifling, leading her to seek out the quiet.Elsbeth was busy dancing with a tall man who had muscles so large he must have needed his navy blue suit jacket custom made. One minute Elsbeth had been headed to the bathroom, and the next Giavanna had found her giggling in a corner with Dwayne. Giavanna considered signaling to her friend that she was going to take a walk through the gardens, but she knew she'd never be able to tear Elsbeth eyes away from Dwayne's face. Chuckling, Giavanna walked towards the french doors at
"If she doesn't wake up soon, I think we should call her parents," Elsbeth said softly, kneeling in the grass next to Giavanna's body. She reached out to tuck the suit jacket one of the men had laid over her best friend tighter and looked at the small circle of people surrounding them questioningly. One moment she had been making out with her mate in a dark corner; the next, Grant was dragging her and Dwayne through the back garden, babbling about some argument and Giavanna passing out. "How did this start again?" "Beta Jared here thought we were laughing at him and started calling her slut and several other insulting terms," Grant explained, pointing his thumb at his brother. "They ended up fighting, and when Sebastian distrupted them, Giavanna collapsed."Elsbeth's eyes widened in shock, her mind processing the fact that her friend had attacked the Blood Lake Beta. He could have Giavanna banished from their pack, declare a fight to the death, imprisoned - the only t
Giavanna leaned back, sinking her hands into the warm sand lining the edges of the lake that lay before her. She had made the short hike through the woods that butted against her family's backyard and was happy to find the beach deserted. With the cool breeze whipping across the water and flurry of mateship move preparations throughout the pack, she shouldn't have been surprised. She needed this time to herself to untangle all the thoughts and worries that were rattling around her brain. It had been five days since the evening of the ball; five days since she had stayed up all night with Sebastian, flirting and laughing over donuts and coffee at a 24-hour diner. Five days since she met the love of her life. Supposedly. Her mind was in a constant battle with itself, swinging from lust, guilt, contentment, and anger in an endless loop. Giavanna thought she knew what to expect with the soulmate bond. A longing to be near your partner, feeling as if a part of yourself was missin
Sebastian's P.O.V. "I'm getting really tired of these damn Mateship Balls," Jared growled as he gazed in the mirror, styling his hair. "All these ridiculous traditions and rules our pack follows are unnecessary." With a bemused smirk, Sebastian continued adjusting his tie and asked, "How do you think I feel? Are you finally understanding why I think the Leadership Council positions shouldn't be lifetime appointments anymore? Bunch of 80 and 90 something-year-olds demanding things be accomplished their way every time? I appreciate their knowledge and experience, but not the outdated social norms." "Plus, they all die around the same age, and then you're stuck with inexperienced pups making life-altering decisions until they get older and wise up!" Grant shouted from the bathroom. "Another good point," Sebastian called back, tugging down the back of his ill-fitting suit jacket. "Hey, little brother, we might actually have a chance tonight wi
Sebastian's P.O.V. "I can't do this anymore," Sebastian groaned, his arm draped across his eyes in a feeble attempt to block any light from adding to the searing pain in his head. The concealment potions weren't as effective as his magicians had implied, and due to the excessive amounts he had to consume to even spend a small amount of time with Giavanna, his body was rebelling against him. "Do you even have any potion left? With the way you've been guzzling those bottles, you should only have a few left," Grant said, bringing a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin for his bed-ridden Alpha. "They sent you with a three-week supply, and you used it up in a few days. That can't be good for you." "Yeah, did you get any response about why it's not working correctly?" Jared plugged in another heatin
Giavanna P.O.V. The morning of Sebastian's departure, Giavanna rose early, quickly changed into workout gear, brushed her hair and teeth, then headed down the stairs to grab an apple from the kitchen before meeting Grant in her driveway. He had texted her last night about tagging along to her training session. Though she had initially wanted to blow him off, Giavanna decided, or more accurately, Elsbeth decided, it might be a good opportunity to get some information out of him about Blood Lake pack. "Morning! How we doing today?" Grant chirped while Giavanna slipped into the passenger seat of his rental car. "Fine," she grunted, concentrating on her apple as she tried to ignore the delicious smell of Sebastian that lingered in the vehicle. "Good, good," the man replied, noticing the scowl on her face as she chewed. Her eyes were slightly swollen and bloodshot. It confirmed what Grant had already guessed; she had spent the previous evening crying. Inha