Surprise by moonrise

Chapter 2 - Company

“Yes, sweetheart. Will you be my apprentice?”

I can´t believe it. All my life I wanted to find an alpha as a mate so I could be Luna. Now my uncle wants to make me the next Luna, or Alpha, or… whatever. ME. I´m so excited that I can´t help it but start bouncing in my seat.

“Yes, of course!” I yell at him. “I would love to be.”

My uncle takes a deep breath and keeps on looking at me with a smile on his face. Then I see his eyes go blank, mind-linking someone.

When I see that he is done and his attention is back to me, I can´t hold in my excitement and ask him, “When will I start?”

“Tomorrow”, he says, pointing at the second desk in his office. “This will be your new desk. Decorate it however you´d like, but keep it organized, will you?”

He winks at me and then turns his attention to someone outside of the office, gesturing to them that they can come in.

I turn around and see Lewis standing in the doorway.

“Lewis, good that you´ve come by. Miss Sanders here will be working on this desk and I would like for you to arrange some flowers of her choice to be at her desk at all times. Please take care of that, will you?”

Lewis looks to the ground and shyly nods his head.

My uncle dismisses him, and he walks out of the office, keeping his head down.

Lewis is the private garner of my uncle. His parents were warriors in our pack, and unfortunately died in a rogue attack when he was only 12 years old. Alpha Jonathan took him into his home and taught him everything there is to know about flowers, plants and other gardening stuff. He has been working for my uncle for the past nine years.

I´ve only met him once, on his 18th birthday, when the whole pack came together to celebrate another wolf coming of age. He seems like a nice guy, but I didn´t really get to know him more after that.

---

By the time I arrived at the clearing where the ceremony would take place, my parents, Melissa and Emmet were already there.

“You guys look amazing”, I say, pulling my brother and sister-in-law both in for a group-hug.

Even though we had a ten-year age difference, Emmet and I looked like twins. Our red hair and grey eyes were exactly the same, and where I was curvy Emmet was very muscular. 

He was wearing navy-blue dress-pants with brown shoes and a white short-sleeve button-down.

He has is arm around Melissa, who is wearing a gorgeous strapless navy-blue dress with a white belt around the narrowest part of her waist. Her sleek brown hair is pinned back in a traditional French twist, showing off her long neck and elegant jawline. I would love to look like her, I think by myself.

“Hi sis”, Emmet laughs, pulling away from the hug. “I haven´t seen you in a couple of days. We´ve been so busy arranging the ceremony that I didn´t have time for you,” he says, pouting his lips.

“Yeah, I know. Don´t worry about that,” I reassure him.

“I promise that after the ceremony, we will go to the barbecue together and catch up.”

He looks at Melissa and they turn around, walking to the stage that was placed right in the middle of the clearing.

I haven´t told them the news about my new job yet and I´m dying too. But tonight is not the night for announcements about me. This evening is about my brother and Melissa becoming the Beta and Beta female. I will tell them tomorrow.

The ceremony goes by smoothly. My parents turn their places in the pack over to the new beta´s and the whole pack welcomes them with loud clapping, yelling and howls. My brother and Melissa have the biggest smiles on their faces and are waving to everyone. He looks at me and winks, before walking off the stage.

I turn around towards the barbecue to go find my brother when I bump into a warm broad chest. I bounce back and try to find my balance again. I feel a tight grip on my arm, steadying me before I fall to the ground. The owner of the hand smells like pinewood, with a hint of roses. I know this smell, but I can´t remember to whom it belongs.

“I´m sorry” I murmur before looking up to who I actually bumped into. To my surprise, it´s Lewis who is standing in front of me. He looks down with a smile, before composing himself, letting go of my arm and taking a step back.

“I´m sorry Miss Sanders, my mistake,” he says, lowering his head to look at his feet.

“No, it´s my bad. I should look where I walk,” I tell him.

There is something intriguing about this guy, but I can´t really understand what it is. I definitely should remember his smell next time.  

“You don´t have to bow your head to me you know”, I tell him.

He looks up at me. His green eyes stare at mine and I see the smile come back to his face.

“Are you going to the barbecue too?”, I ask him

“Actually, I am, yes.”

“Why don´t you come with me? I´m going there alone.”

He hesitates for just a moment. I wish there was a hole in the ground right below me where I could just disappear. What has gotten into me to ask him to come with me to the barbecue? I´m sure he has his own friends to hang out with and isn´t interested in a underaged redheaded girl with a bigger mouth than is good for her. I take a breath to apologize for my directness, but then nods and turns to free the way towards the barbecue.