Chapter 8: Starting my new life

“No, stop… You have the wrong person. No!” I sit up in bed quickly, my breathing heavy. It must have been a bad dream. I rub the sleep out of my eyes to see the sun streaming in from the window. I get out of bed and walk to the bathroom. There are some clothes laid out on the sink along with some shower supplies. I undress and step into the shower, letting the water run down my body for a few moments. The hot water feels so good on my skin, I never want to get out. I grab the shampoo and start washing my hair, then move on to my body. I finish by washing my face, then rinse off and get out. After drying my body and hair, I toss it into a bun, just as I always do. I throw on the fitted t-shirt and pants that are on the sink. I feel so much better after a nice hot shower and having some clean clothes to wear.

I finish getting ready and make my way downstairs to the kitchen. The smell of breakfast fills the air. I take in the smell of bacon and eggs, and I am starving. I walk in to see Troy, Jake, and Molly all sitting at the table. Troy is looking through some papers while eating. I sit down, and Alex brings me a plate and a glass of orange juice.

“Thank you,” I say with a small smile.

“It's my pleasure, Luna,” he says, nodding his head.

“Please call me Kate,” I say, taking a sip of the orange juice. He says nothing, just walks away. I look to Troy and Jake as they glance at each other before turning to me.

“What?” I ask.

"The only person who will call you Kate is Troy. To the rest of the pack, you are Luna. It is seen as disrespectful to call the Luna by her name.” Jake explains.

“But I am not a Luna, not yet anyway,” I say. Troy stops messing with the pile of papers and looks at me.

“You are there, whether it is official or not. You might as well get used to it.” Troy says sternly, then starts looking through the papers again.

I start eating, not saying another word. We just sit in silence, with the only sounds being those of forks on plates and papers shuffling. I stand up after finishing my plate and grab it. I start making my way towards the kitchen when I am stopped by Troy. He reaches his arm out as I am about to pass him.

“What are you doing?” He asks, not looking up.

“Putting my plate away,” I say with a questioning tone.

“Alex will get that,” he says, as Alex comes from the kitchen, taking the plate from my hands.

“I don't mind, it's not a big deal,” I say.

“The Luna does not do dishes,” Troy says. I go back to my seat and sit down, looking at him as he flips through the papers again.

After a moment, he says, “These look fine,” handing the stack of papers to Jake.

“Today, you will start to learn about how the pack operates day to day. You will also learn some of your roles as the Luna,” Troy says.

“Okay,” I say

“We will start with the pack meeting this morning. You will sit to the side and observe, only that means no talking,” he says, standing up from the table.

I watch as he walks down the hall past the stairs, and he stops for a moment.

“Well, come on,” he says

I stand from my chair, walking towards him, making it clear to him that I'm in no hurry to do what he says. We walk down the hall as he explains to me what the pack meeting is about.

“We have a pack meeting every Monday. Here we talk about the security of our land and any concerns the pack may have. I address them while making orders to correct them if needed. I will also let the pack know of any events coming up, as well as outlining my everyday expectations. I allow them to ask any questions they may have. After the meeting is over, we will walk the grounds, looking over our pack and its condition. There is going to be a lot going on, so prepare yourself. You will basically be just observing. You can ask questions as we go, just not while we are in the meeting,” he explains.

I shake my head so he knows I was listening. We make our way to the meeting room, and as Troy steps inside, everyone jumps to their feet. Troy raises his hand, then everyone takes their seats. The room is filled with people I do not know. I stand in the doorway, not knowing what to do. I look around the room and notice everyone is looking at me, and I am getting uncomfortable. Troy walks over to me and takes my hand. He leads me to a chair in the corner of the room. I sit down as everyone turns their attention to Troy.

“Good morning, let's get right to it. Jake, what is the report for today?” he starts.

Jake replies, “The border is good, no sign of anyone last night. However, people are starting to talk about your..” Troy cuts him off.

“Thank you. We will get to that in a minute. Does anyone have any concerts regarding pack safety? No? Okay, moving on. As some of you know, I have found my mate. The mating ceremony will be held once she is ready. For now, she will learn our ways, and everyone will make sure she is comfortable at all times,” he says. He goes on to talk some more, but I kind of just zone out.

“Tonight, we will have a bonfire. Everyone is to be on their best behavior, nothing too crazy, we do not want to scare her off,” He laughs, looking at me. I give him a look of un-amusement.

“That is all for now, everyone is dismissed,” he commands.