Luna Rising: The Prophecy

Chapter 5: Family Dinner

Aeliana

I walked down to the second floor and knocked on Stella's door. "Are you ready for dinner?" I asked as she opened it wide.

"Yes, I am!" She beamed at me.

"You look beautiful," I told her. She was wearing a pale green dress that set off her eyes and was the picture of a beautiful summery day.

"Thank you. So do you," she said. "I'm glad you wore the blue."

"Really?" I asked. "I'm still a little undecided about it." I swished my skirts around. The dress was made with rich blue silk, and was beautiful by itself. I sometimes shied away from the color since I didn't think it went with my brown eyes. With blue being a revered color in the Blue Moon pack, though—for obvious reasons—I knew I'd have to learn to wear it more often.

"Oh hush, you look wonderful, no matter your eye color," Stella lightly admonished me, knowing about my insecurities. "Your cheeks and eyes are bright, your hair is perfect, and you're nearly as young and vibrant as me, so of course you look wonderful."

"Couldn't help complimenting yourself, I see," I laughed, linking arms with her and starting down the stairs.

The dining room was large for a human dwelling, but on the smaller side when it came to werewolf packs. Blue Moon didn't have a big dining hall like Howling Rivers did. However, the Howling Rivers packhouse was built as a castle, where this was more of a resplendent mansion, spacious but lacking enough space for preparing food and feeding the masses. They had a dedicated building not far from here. The packhouse dining room was reserved for ranked members and esteemed guests. Which, in one way or another, now also included me.

The room had warm creamy walls and gold curtains. The sun was setting, painting a brilliant picture of color through the west windows.

"Would someone please shut the drapes?" Luna Carlotta snapped, her fingers at her temples. It must have been a rough day. An omega hastened to obey, and the beautiful sunset was hidden from view, leaving us with nothing but the candlelit chandelier and candelabras on the table for light.

"Ah, that's better," she sighed. Then Derek noticed us and stood up from his chair. She glanced up and, seeing us also, pasted a tired smile on her face. "Well, come in. Do sit down," she said, waving her hand at the empty chairs. Ever the gallant one, Derek circled around and pulled out first Stella's chair, then my own. As he helped push my chair up to the table, his thumbs pressed lightly on my shoulders. I'm here with you, he seemed to say.

Luna Carlotta sat at the foot of the table, while Derek sat at the head, even though technically she was still the leader of Blue Moon and the head of the household. There were laws that a wolf could not lead a pack as its Alpha until they were eighteen. But Luna Carlotta always made it very clear that her son was the rightful heir to the title, and as such treated him with deference in little ways such as this. Beta Hudson was also there, but otherwise it was just us. It must be lonely when nobody was visiting, just the three of them. Even if my family were to eat by ourselves, which we almost never did, I was one of four children, so the party would be merry regardless.

A trio of omegas brought in several platters and covered dishes. "Mmm," I said as I lifted the cover, revealing a perfectly cooked and seasoned cut of meat, with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables that I knew were grown right here. "This looks delicious. Please give my compliments to those that prepared the meal."

"Thank you, miss," the omega that had placed the dish in front of me, a young woman with a sweet face, smiled shyly. "I will."

I turned my attention back to the table, only to find Luna Carlotta's calculating gaze fixed on me. "You are kind to the servants," she observed. From the way she said it, it didn't sound like it was a good thing.

"My Aeliana is already well known in Blue Moon for her kindness," Derek said proudly.

"It's good to have a Luna that is well liked," Beta Hudson said after eating a forkful of food.

"What do you mean by that?" Luna Carlotta asked sharply.

"I meant exactly what I said, Luna," Beta Hudson said tiredly. "Nothing more."

An awkward silence descended as we continued to eat. Stella was only picking at her food, a habit she resorted to when she was nervous. I had the opposite problem, and had to restrain myself from shoveling food into my mouth just to give my hands something to do. I had tendencies toward fidgeting.

I glanced at Derek and caught his apologetic look. I gave him a reassuring smile. Awkwardness aside, I was glad to be here. I hoped that Luna Carlotta would be able to finally relax once Derek and I took over, and enjoy retirement after putting in so many years of service to her pack without her Alpha by her side.

"So, I thought Aeliana could begin training with you tomorrow morning, mother," Derek said, finally breaking the silence. I wish he had chosen a topic that didn't include me.

"Yes," she said, looking at me impassively. "There is much to learn."

"I'm looking forward to it," I said politely. "I've been training under my mother for many years now during the winter months, but it will be very beneficial for me to learn how Blue Moon does things."

"Yes, I'm very aware of how Howling Rivers 'does things,'" Luna Carlotta replied sarcastically. "Like I said, you have much to learn."

"Yes, Luna Carlotta," I said meekly, returning my eyes to my plate. My face burned with embarrassment for being publicly dressed down by the Luna, my soon-to-be mother-in-law. I knew she had a difficult life, but wasn't it a little rude to insult a guest's pack, even indirectly? I thought Howling Rivers ran their pack very well, especially since they were the longest standing pack in the realm. Didn't that mean something?

"Mother," Derek said, a hint of steel in the edge of his voice. "Aeliana has done a fantastic job thus far. I'm confident she is already well prepared for her upcoming Luna duties."

She sighed. "I apologize. There was just another skirmish at the border, and one of our warriors didn't make it. It's set the tone for the day, I'm afraid."

"Oh no, that's awful," I said softly. My heart ached for the latest in a long line of souls lost to this terrible war. I sent a little prayer up to the Moon Goddess for the warrior's family, if they had any.

"Well, we've gotten used to it over the years. We must soldier on," she said with finality, closing the book on the subject.

The rest of the dinner conversation stayed carefully within the bounds of safe topics, and as soon as the dessert plates that held the raspberry tart were cleared, Stella and I excused ourselves from the room.

We walked silently up to the second floor, where Stella pulled me into her room in a rush. "That was not what I was expecting this evening at all!" She exclaimed. "You could have cut the tension in there with a knife!"

I lowered myself into one of the little chairs near the dresser, feeling suddenly weak-kneed. "My mother-in-law hates me," I lamented, leaning my head back.

"She doesn't hate you," Stella said soothingly, taking a seat in the other chair and taking my hand. She rubbed soothing circles into my palm. "She just has a lot on her plate, is all. We must have caught her on a bad day."

"I suppose," I said, pondering. Luna Carlotta had always struck me as a woman that operated at high levels of stress and anxiety, but I didn't really remember her being that rude before.

"A good night's rest will turn it around," Stella said, quoting something our mother said to us for as long as I could remember. Whenever one of us would have a bad day or get into trouble, she was always there, comforting us and speaking those words.

I missed her all of the sudden, feeling very much like a lost child that just wanted to find her way home. "I think you're right. I'm going to turn in early," I told my sister. I almost asked if I could stay here with her, but I didn't want to offend Derek. He might get upset if I didn't sleep in the Luna suite he had so lovingly given to me.

"Goodnight, Aeliana," Stella said, giving me a hug. "We'll spend some time together tomorrow afternoon, yes?"

"Of course," I replied. "Goodnight, Stella. I love you."

"I love you too. Sweet dreams."

"You, too."

I quietly closed her door and tiptoed up the stairs. When I got to my room, loneliness hit me like a wave crashing on the shore, and I felt the tears start slipping silently down. It wasn't just missing Stella, or being homesick for Howling Rivers. It was feeling that I wasn't quite as welcome as I originally thought.

Get it together, my wolf Eliora told me. You're loved by everyone else here. Derek's mother is not a nice woman. She's not worth it.

Except she's going to be my mother-in-law, I fretted.

So? Do your best and move on.

I sighed. Eliora and I usually got along just fine, but she didn't have that much patience if I had doubts about the prophecy. We both felt a little constrained by it, but where I had questions or doubts, she preferred to just keep her head down and live our lives until it was fulfilled.

"A good night's rest will turn it around," I whispered to myself as I dressed for bed.

Except tomorrow, I was supposed to spend the morning with Luna Carlotta. So maybe it wouldn't.