Belonging To The Luna

Sookie Knows Best

                 “Why don’t you boys go find something to do, maybe get the Alpha’s office in order. Let the women folk manage the cleanup.” Sookie smiled at Sloan and Charles.

           Sloan looked at me for confirmation that the men were being shooed out of the dining hall. I gestured for them to go and watched as they slipped out of the oversized room with a soft smile. Sookie motioned for me to help her clear the table before following her into the kitchen.

           “I know you been holding something back from me, girl. What’s going on?” She asked as she put the dishes she carried into the large sink.

           “It’s Marrisa.”

           “That girl that made your life hell. I know the one; go on.”

           “She all but made a threat against me. She has some wild idea that Sloan belongs to her and, by default, the Luna position. To top it all off, one of the omegas I interviewed overheard her planning to make the former Alpha’s son return to take the place of Alpha.”

           “You can solve part of the problem by marking your mate.” Sookie said, giving me a pointed look. “I know for your people that means something, and nobody wants to interfere after there’s a mark.”

           “I know, but that won’t solve the whole problem.” I sighed. “She’s hellbent on being the Luna of this pack. She doesn’t care who the Alpha that stands beside her is. Sloan offered to exile anyone that harmed me, but her father used to be the Beta. I’m worried if I have him exile her, her father will make things difficult for Sloan.”

           “I see.” Sookie said, her brow furrowed in thought.

           I turned my attention to rinsing the last of the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher while she let her mind puzzle out a solution that wouldn’t create problems for my mate. While I was no stranger to good old-fashioned housework, it was a relief knowing that the omegas had access to state-of-the-art appliances to make their jobs easier. Sloan needed to build a rapport with the pack, and the fastest way to do that was to return to some semblance of normalcy. I hoped to reinstate meals at the packhouse as soon as I had the omegas back to work, which meant many wolves to clean up after.

           “I think the solution to your problem is a hex.” Sookie said finally, pulling me from my planning.

           “How do I even get close enough to put a mojo bag on her or in her space?” I asked, exasperated that my grandmother didn’t seem to be seeing the problems with her suggestion. “It’s not like she likes me, let alone trusts me to let me get close or accept something from me.”

           “I have a way to deal with that. You let Sookie handle this. You need to focus on cleansing yourself and that man of yours. Would be a waste to waste a nice, cleansed house by letting that bad mojo directed your way seep back in.”

           “Sookie, it’s not Saturday, and it’s the middle of the day. Weren’t you the one that taught me the time and day matters?”

           “What did I tell you this morning, child. The hoodoo still holds power even on the wrong day, the wrong time. Besides, cleansing together will make the magic stronger. Your daddy’s message was clear. You need the bond of your mate and your pack to get through what’s coming. No more arguments, girl. Do what I tell you, and you cleanse yourself with your mate.”

           My face flamed at the implication of her words, but I couldn’t argue with her. The incident when she had read my bones had cemented itself in my memory. I had seen too many things that my grandmother could do; too often, her spell work had brought results. I had no doubts that my experience and the message had been real. We finished cleaning up in silence. Sookie was satisfied that she had convinced me, and I was too embarrassed to argue further.

           “I’m going to have that Charles fella show me around the area. Give you time to make the bath and do what needs to be done.” Sookie smiled as I put the last of the dishes away.

           She gestured for me to lead the way to where the men were. Sloan’s office was looking more functional than it had been when we stepped inside. Several boxes were stored to one side, but his desk was clear, and there was an empty chair for someone to sit.

           “I thought you could show me around town.” Sookie grinned, pointing at Charles. “Give these two some time to get to know each other.”

           “It would be my pleasure.” He replied, offering her his arm.

           “Do what I said, girl.” Sookie looked back at me as they strolled from the office. “Done together, the magic will be more powerful, and I will know if you didn’t do it.”

           Sloan looked at me in confusion as my face burned with embarrassment. I gave Sookie a curt nod as she laughed to herself, continuing with Charles out of the office. I waited until the sounds of their footsteps disappeared to let my breath out in a whoosh.

           “What was that about?” Sloan asked curiously, continuing to unpack a small box situated on his desk.

           “Sookie suggested – no demanded – that I do a cleansing on both of us.”

           “Oh.” He grimaced, emptying his hands and moving toward me. “I guess we should get this over with, wouldn’t want her using that voodoo s**t on me again for not complying with orders.”

           “It’s hoodoo.” I giggled. “Voodoo is a religion. Hoodoo is just magic. You’re right, though. She would probably make our lives miserable until we complied. I have to make up the bath, so it might take a minute.”

           Sloan’s ears perked up, and there was a flash of something in his eyes at the word bath. The air between us was suddenly thick with need, the mate bond that I had managed to push away roaring to life. My breathing hitched as I struggled to maintain control. I turned on my heel, walking from the room. I knew if I didn’t get a grip, we would complete the mate bond, and I wasn’t sure if my standing with the pack would cause issues for us or not yet.

           Sloan followed me to the small kitchen in our quarters, and I focused on showing him how to make a cleansing bath, the same way Sookie had taught me. Working together, we made two batches of cleansing bathwater. After transferring them to large bowls, I left them on the counter to retrieve the candles and blessing oils from Sookie’s suitcase.

           “Now what?” Sloan asked when I returned.

           “Now we go through the actual cleansing. We need to be in a tub. Basically, I’ll set the candles, we walk between them without looking back, get in the tub and one at a time, pour the water over our bodies and work it downward while we say a prayer. It takes a while to be thorough, and then we anoint our bodies with the oil while saying another prayer.”

           “That’s a lot.” He chuckled. “We should use the ensuite in my room. It’s the only one in these quarters large enough for something like this without risking a fire or something.”

           I followed him through his room into the ensuite bathroom. His scent was thick as we walked through the room, setting my nerve endings on fire with need for my mate. I knew this cleansing was Sookie’s way of forcing my hand, but until I had stepped through a space so filled with him, I had thought there was hope of maintaining my wits. I knew it was a lost cause before we made it to the bathroom. I only hoped the pack would be kinder and more accepting so that I wouldn’t have to abandon my mate after whatever danger was on the horizon passed.

           Quickly, I had my mate place the bowls of cleansing water inside the tub as I situated the candles on the floor. I grabbed some towels from the shelf near the door and placed them by the tub as I sat the oils on the counter by the toilet.

           “Ok, now the awkwardness begins.” I chuckled uneasily. “Come over to where I am. We’ll both strip after I light the candles and walk to the tub without looking back.”

           Sloan did as I said, walking between the candles first as I bit my lip at the sight of his bare bottom. For a moment, I was lost in my own thoughts, fantasizing about the feel of his tightly coiled muscles under my tongue and lips.

           “You coming?” He asked without looking back, pulling me from my increasingly naughty thoughts.

           I hurried between the candles to the oversized tub, climbing in behind my mate. His eyes raked over me as he watched me reach for the first bowl of water. I dumped the contents over his head with an apologetic smile, placing the bowl between his feet. Sparks worked their way from my palms up my arms as I set my mind to the process of working the water down as I said the prayer. My breath came out in shallow pants, my muscles burning with need as I work. I couldn’t help licking my lips at the sight of his erect member. His body’s response to my touch was enough to flood the space with the scent of my arousal.

           “Now me.” I breathed.

           His eyes burned with desire as he repeated the process I had used on him—each touch from him stoking the fire burning inside me. A soft moan escaped my lips as his hands worked over the mound of my bottom and caressed the soft flesh of my thighs. He worked slowly, muttering the same words I had as he left my skin flushed with need.

           “Now what?” His voice was thick with lust as he finished.

           “Now the blessing.” I exhaled. “I’ll do you first. Step out and sit on the toilet.

           I stepped out behind him, grabbing the oil and dabbing the creases of his body. He groaned with need as my body pressed against his while I worked to reach each place. The moment I stopped murmuring the blessing, he whirled me into position to repeat the process on me. The tension between us grew as he applied the oils with near reverence. My self-control snapped as his fingers caressed my neck with oil.

           “I need you now.” I growled softly, crashing my lips into his.