A Tale of His Spy Mate

Chapter Nine: Adjusting

Anna (Alana) POV

I woke up in a large, firm bed. No snoring, no presence of other people. It took me a second to realize that I was in the Luna suite and not at Ellie and Jacob's house.

Justin had been a perfect gentleman last night, not even trying to get a good night kiss, though his eyes hungrily watched me as I entered my room. I was somewhat surprised that he agreed to go along with the no-s*x condition in the first place.

I was grateful for the space. It was the largest room I could ever call mine and had its own bathroom.

Speaking of the bathroom, thank the goddess for not having to share. It was always hard to find enough time in the bathroom as I had to fight with three boys.

The thought made me miss my twin brother and my adopted brother, James. They could be a pain, like when they put a snake in my bed.

The snake was harmless, but I only remembered laying down before I felt it slither onto me. According to my brothers, "I screamed like a banshee that didn't have a stop button."

I remember giving out a whelp before Luna Clarice came into the room, saw the snake, and then duly punished all three boys, grounding them for an entire weekend.

I sighed. My brothers were why I was here. I needed to remember that once I saw Justin again. I don't know what happens to me when I see him; the world narrows until it is just the two of us.

Despite my attraction to Justin, I can't lose sight of my real family. I know that if I fail, they will be the ones to pay the price. The thought of any harm coming to them sends shivers up my spine. I would never be able to forgive myself if they were hurt in anyway because of me.

I had just finished showering when there was a knock on the door.

"Anna? This is Jess. I'm Derrick's mate."

I racked my brain, trying to remember who Derrick was.

"Just a second." I opened the door to see the woman standing close to the stage with me last night. Ah, yes, the gamma's mate.

She was pretty, with deep brown eyes and dark brown hair. She wore workout clothes and looked like she had just come from the training grounds.

"I'm so excited to meet you. If I wasn't sweaty, I would hug you. It is so nice to have another female in the top group. Luna Mary is so sweet, but she's also the former Luna and has that air of elegance that I don't have. Besides, we are so much closer in age. We'll become fast friends, I'm sure of it. Are you ready for breakfast? I'll bring you down." She spoke so fast I was surprised she wasn't purple by the end of it from a lack of oxygen.

"Um, sure, let's grab some breakfast."

I wasn't sure how close I wanted to be with Jess. The closer I am to someone, the harder it will be to maintain the lie about my identity. She seemed highly talkative, though; she could probably give me all the answers that I needed without much prompting.

"I'm so happy Justin met you. He's been a bit grumpy without his mate. Derrick hates going to balls with him because Justin leaves it to Derrick to steer the women away, and there are a lot of women. Hopefully, with you around, he'll be less anxious. How do you like it here so far?"

"It's been an adjustment. I spent the first-week feeding animals and gardening. Ellie and Jacob were very friendly. I haven't met many other people though."

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was a bit thoughtless of me. I forgot that you were on probationary status. It must have been hard for you to leave your boyfriend. He sounds like a total loser. I'm glad you had the courage to leave."

"I didn't have the courage to leave, though I wished did. I was kicked out of the pack after his accusations. But it's for the best. I'm in a much better place now."

The lying came too easily off my tongue. I'll have to remember everything so I don't get caught up in my lies later.

Jess smiled at that. "Yes, you are. You'll find the Crescent Moon pack is the best one around. We don't have the same level of drama as the other packs around here."

"You'll have to forgive me, Jess, but that seems odd after what I saw last night. The entire pack is ready to attack the Rising Moon Pack for no reason other than they think the Rising Moon is behind the attack."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry, that was your introduction to the pack. We are normally a much calmer pack, focused on the well-being of everyone. But that is also why we were so upset. The Rising Moon Pack has been trying to undermine us for years while they have also killed some of our members. It's hard not to get emotional about it. It's been going on for so long that I think many older pack members just want it to stop. Even if it means we must force the Rising Moon Pack to submit."

I nodded thoughtfully at her words, though unconvinced that the Crescent Moon wasn't planning an attack as we spoke. I'll have to poke around more for that information.

We arrive at the dining hall, full of young men and women, many still wearing workout clothes. At the far end of the far, I saw Justin, his eyes instantly lighting up when they saw and watched my every move.

However, the pack members in the hall had an entirely different reaction. They stared at me as I walked with Jess, knowing I wasn't accepted into the pack yet.

"Good Morning. I hope that you've enjoyed some girl time with Jess. I'm sure it's nice to have a fellow confidant in the house." Justin spoke, surprising me with his thoughtfulness.

"Yes, Jess has been a great hostess this morning and I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun together in the future. Now, I know there is a trial run to see how things go but I hope to meet more of the pack and understand how the pack is managed. I'll start with the kitchens and house staff, then review the financial ledgers."

Eric scrunched his face at me when I said financial ledgers. I could tell that he was not a fan of me. Something told me he wouldn't drop the issue of my identity. I have to find a way to get him off my identity.

"Financial ledgers? I handle that, you don't need to worry about it. But you do need to start attending morning training. It will be a good way for the warriors to learn about you. And I also think you should take a break for the morning and just take a general tour. No need to dive right into duties." Justin spoke as he started passing me food to put on my plate.

"I would love to train with you in the mornings. It's been quite a while since I've done training, but I've always enjoyed it. I'll forewarn you, though: I'm not the best."

"Good, I can't wait to see your moves tomorrow. I'm sure it will be a sight to behold."

"You'll be seeing my clumsiness but I hope I won't make too much of a fool out of myself. However, I do want to see the financial ledgers. Maybe not over the next couple of days but once I see more of the pack. I figure if I might be managing the household, I should see how money is applied."

"Why can't you be a normal woman and just spend the money your man gives you," Eric interjected, looking suspiciously at me. What a misogynist, like money, is in the realm of men alone.

"Does it really mean that much to you?" Justin looked at me curiously and ignoring Eric, as if he wasn't expecting me to push the matter.

"I want to see if I can find any efficiencies. It can never hurt to reallocate money to things that we need more." I saw Justin and Eric exchange glances.

"You're right. It can't hurt for you to take a look. Though only once you are accepted into the pack. I want to do your pack binding ceremony tonight after our afternoon date."

A date so soon? Deep breaths. I can resist his appeal. It's only a date. Though looking at his doting face, I realized that maybe I was in over my head.