The Full Moon Luna

Addie: A Smell

The sunlight streamed in through the large bay window in my room and I quickly yanked the covers up over my head. I can't believe it's already morning. Ugh. I peek out just enough to read the time on the clock and see that it's 9 a.m. I have to get up. Throwing back the covers, I saunter into my bathroom and quickly climb in a warm shower.

Tonight is my brother Aaron's party and come tomorrow, he'll be Alpha of our pack New Moon. I, on the other hand, as the second born will simply be stuck living here until someone finds my smell good enough to take me away. Honestly, I really hoped my mate would be in our pack but after two weeks of being 18, I'm starting to think I would have found him by now if he was here. I'm still holding out hope that I won't have to leave my family.

The warm water rushes over me and I hold out until my skin practically becomes a prune before I willingly shut off the water. I wrap a towel around my long blonde curls and another around my body before heading out of the bathroom towards my closet.

"So what are we wearing tonight?!" an excited squeal comes from my bed. I jump backwards in shock.

"Goddess Cara! You scared the crap out of me." My best friend and unfortunately (gag me) my brother's newly discovered mate is laying on her stomach across my navy bedspread in a pair of denim shorts and a gray tank top, her white sneakers criss-crossed in the air behind her.

She starts to laugh. "Sorry! Honestly, I figured you'd have been up ages ago! I mean, the party starts at like five Addie, and let's be honest we have a ton to do to get ready!" Tonight is a big night for her and I can tell she's nervous. She's going to be accepting the role of Luna to one of the eight reigning packs in North America. Obviously it's a lot of responsibility. With nearly a thousand members in the pack, I'd be a little nervous too if I was her. I was raised for that kind of role, but Cara is the daughter of my father's gamma. She had responsibility, but never this much.

"Okay well give me like five seconds to get ready and then we can get our day started." I rush into my closet and throw on a pair of high-waisted light wash jean shorts and a basic white crew neck tee. I slide into my favorite pair of lime green sneakers. Dashing back over to the bathroom, I quickly pull my hair into a fishtail side-braid and brush my teeth before flopping on the bed next to Cara.

"Ok lady," I say looking at her, "This is as much your big day as my brother's." I fake gagging on the word brother and Cara lightly punches me in the arm. "So in all seriousness," I say regaining my composure, "what do you want to do first?"

Grabbing my hand and yanking me off the bed, Cara drags me out to her cherry red Jeep. We blast music as we drive to the spa, driving with the top down and soaking up the gorgeous summer day. Once we arrive at the spa, it's a whirlwind of activity. First, we get massages and facials, followed by manicures and pedicures. By two o'clock, we are feeling totally relaxed and ready to head to the salon.

We head over to the pack salon to get our hair and makeup done. By the time we finish, it's nearly 4:30 and we have just enough time to make it back to the packhouse and slip into our evening dresses before the party. Mine is a long sapphire blue gown that clings to my curves and halters up around my neck. There is a slit running up the side that practically hits my hips. I pair it with some silver heels and the diamond bracelet and earrings my parents got me for my 18th birthday. My curls are braided back into a classic twisted up-do and I swipe on one last coat of baby pink gloss to finalize the look.

Cara looks gorgeous with her chesnut hair curled down and swept off to one side. Her dress is the same color as her car, cherry red. Her signature color. She's paired it with a pair of black stilettos and looks like a classically powerful Luna. She'll lead the pack with poise and grace, that I can be sure of.

We head downstairs to the main ballroom and I see my brother looking at Cara like she's practically the Moon Goddess herself. She certainly hung the moon in his eyes. I'm excited for someone to look at me that way one day. He looks nice in his black tuxedo. Powerful, strong, standing at 6 feet 4 inches with a wide build he looks like a wolf you wouldn't want to mess with. He'll command respect as an Alpha. 

I leave Cara with my brother and set out to find my parents. I hear someone say Alpha Daniel and I turn and see him behind me, my mother, Luna Nicole by his side as always. Tonight is my dad's last night as Alpha. At exactly midnight my brother will turn twenty-one and he will no longer be the leader of the pack. He looks lighter than I've seen him in years, the burden of leaving the pack nearly off his shoulders.

"Mommy!" I gush, wrapping my mom up in hug. 

"Oh Addie!" She says, gripping my shoulders and holding me at arms length. "You look so beautiful tonight. I do hope your mate is here tonight, he should see you like this. And with all the visiting leading members of the most powerful packs, you just never know." She winks at me and pulls me back in for another hug.

"Ugh mom stop it!" I playfully tease. "You know I'm not ready to leave you and daddy yet. Besides, maybe my mate is in our pack and I just haven't met him yet."

"Nonsense," my father says interrupting our conversation, "Anyone in our pack worthy of my beautiful little girl would have already come across your path.You deserve only the best my little princess. You deserve to be a Luna."

"Now daddy. You know I might not be a Luna. There could be a very nice Beta or Gamma around here that would make me very happy if he was my mate. And besides, I don't think I want the pressure Cara and Aaron are going to be under. I'm not sure if I'm really Luna material."

My mother brushes me off quickly and then her and my dad are pulled into a conversation with the current Beta, Peter and his mate Anne. I begin heading towards the food when I bump into my brother's future Beta James and Gamma Paul. 

"My, don't you look beautiful," Paul says pulling me into a hug. 

"Stop it Paul," I say, playfully batting him away, "You know we're not mates and I'm never going to sleep with you so you can stop trying to get in my pants with your sweet words." He pretends to be wounded but respectfully kisses my hand and lets me go.

"At least let me get you a drink," he say, walking me over towards the bar. I really love that the werewolf drinking age is eighteen.

"Now that you can do." He orders us both a cranberry vodka and I slowly begin to sip my drink. Waiters pass by me now and then and I always manage to snag a bite of food off the trays. I'm trying to maintain my Alpha's daughter lady-like composure but what I'd really like to do is grab the whole platter and scarf it down. 

I meander around the room, stopping to talk to various members of our pack. Obviously with nearly a thousand members, not everyone is here tonight but there are a lot of my parents close friends who've known me since I was a baby and of course Aaron, Cara, and I got to invite several of our own friends so there are plenty of people to talk to. I also try to network with the other Alphas, Betas, and Gammas who have come from the other 7 reigning packs in an attempt to please my parents and fulfill my family obligations.

Our pack is the smallest, obviously being New Moon, the smallest moon. Each of the other packs is named for the other phases of the moon: Waxing Crescent Moon, First Quarter Moon, Waxing Gibbous Moon, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous Moon, Third Quarter Moon, and Waxing Crescent Moon. The bigger the moon, the bigger the pack. Full Moon has nearly 5,000 members. Their newest Alpha came into power about 3 years ago. I was too young to attend that ball which really sucked because I heard rumor it was absolutely amazing.

At five minutes to midnight, my parents, my brother and Cara take the stage. I make my way over to the front, looking up proudly at my family. It's hard sometimes, always being the second, but tonight I'm proud of my brother. I wouldn't want the responsibility he's about to take on. Leading a pack can be challenging and there are so many things that you have to take care of. My brother has been training since he was sixteen and he will make an amazing Alpha.

My father takes the microphone and his voice booms out over the crowd. "I want to thank you all for coming this evening. As you know, this is a big night for New Moon pack. Tonight, we crown a new Alpha and Luna. I couldn't be more proud of my son, Aaron." He now turns to my brother and Cara. "Aaron and Cara, do you swear to uphold the duties and responsibilities of the Alpha and Luna roles."

They grab each other's hands. "We do," they say together.

"Do you promise to do all in your power to protect New Moon pack and its members from any harm that may come to them, even if it means laying down your lives?"

"We do"

"And do you promise to lead this pack faithfully, always following the guidance of the Moon Goddess and putting pack interests before your own."

"We do"

"Then I, Alpha Daniel." 

"And I, Luna Nicole," my mom chimes in and they continue on together, "Pass you, Aaron and Cara the titles of Alpha and Luna of New Moon Pack!"

The clock strikes midnight and the crowd cheers, kneeling down before their new Alpha and Luna. Applause sound throughout the ballroom. My brother and Cara howl out and everyone rises, howling in response.

Suddenly, a scent hits my nose. Oh Goddess, Christmas smell. I love Christmas smell. It's full of pine and sage and cinnamon with just a hint of cranberry. Without thinking, I stick my nose in the air, knowing that I have to follow it.