Luna’s Mating Trilema

Chapter 8

Natalie’s POV

Raymond greeted me with a grin, saying, "Two hours of mingling and goodbyes," and that was all we had to get through. After that, I go back to my regular routine at home.

I gave him a grin and a giggle, but secretly wondered, "Will it really be that easy?"

Raymond never left my side, constantly clutching my hand. I was able to maintain my composure and find solace in his close proximity. However, I always sensed a tug at the periphery of my awareness. Harry's heartbeat, or perhaps just a whiff of that tantalizing odor.

I broke into conversation with the people in line ahead of me. I enjoyed their banter, but I was aware of his presence the entire time. I frequently found myself worrying about his whereabouts. But then Raymond's father yanked me away suddenly. I was left to my own devices while I fought the allure of my ties to Harry.

When I looked up, I met his gaze almost immediately.

I shut my eyes and took a few deep breaths to relax. The next thing I knew, he was deep in conversation with other members of his pack, completely oblivious to the fact that I had been watching him the whole time.

"Honey, how are you doing?" My mom, Jane, questioned as she touched me on the shoulder.

I nodded and smiled at her.

"Yes, I'm not sure. These past few days, I just haven't been feeling myself."

Jane took my temperature by tapping the back of her hand to my forehead. "You must have caught something nasty here," she said.

I whispered back, "I definitely caught something," as I looked again for Harry, who was nowhere to be seen.

Raymond had quickly made his way back to my side, and the two of us were on the verge of leaving. I was taken aback by how calm I suddenly felt. I looked up at Raymond with affection. When he saw me smiling at him, he returned the gesture and began making amusing faces.

We were staring at one another intently. We were wandering blindly, not caring where we went or who we bumped into.

My words were cut off when grey eyes focused on me: "Oh, I'm so sorry—"

Harry's eyes lowered to the arm that connected me to Raymond, resting across my shoulders. Almost immediately, I felt the icy distance I had anticipated from him. Raymond drew me into his chest and kissed me.

Although his words were respectful and apologetic, his tone suggested otherwise: "Excuse us, Alpha Harry, we weren't paying enough attention." Something that caught the attention, and not in a good way, of the blond man standing next to Harry.

Harry put up a hand to impede the progress of the blond man.

I made a jerking motion to drag Raymond away from them.

Harry's jaw clenched, and he turned back to look at me as soon as I did it. He scanned me from head to toe with a look of distaste, and then he turned and went away.

We had been back from the Blood Moon Gathering for three days. My normal routine had resumed by the third day. My father's patrol schedule and border reports were discussed in council with the Cold Warriors, where I also received training. Whenever possible, I also spent time alone with Raymond.

I had thought that everything would get back to normal, but that was not the case. The further apart we were, the less intense my desires for Harry were, but that didn't stop me from thinking about him. Though it wasn't constant or even overwhelming, I did find myself thinking about those grey eyes every day.

My mind wandered even as I sat with my pals to finish sending out invites to my 18th birthday party. I pondered his whereabouts and potential thoughts.

"Do you hear me, Natalie?" a voice interrupted my thoughts.

"What?" I started, "I'm sorry, but I was thinking of the patrol schedule."

It wasn't a complete fib, either. Harry's patrol routes reminded me of my father's, and I wondered if he, too, made the rounds.

"Rotating patrols? Seriously?" asked another.

I caught a glimpse of my friend Renee's purple eyes and smiled. The right side of her hair was totally shaved off, while the left side was folded over and fell just above her shoulders, separated by three little red braids.

"Oh, come on, Renee, you know Natalie gets serious about her duties as a Warrior," called back the one who had spoken first. She was a brunette with long hair and sparkling hazel eyes.

"I still take that as an insult because it came from you, Bell," I beamed, a question I couldn't contain.

I smiled as I watched Renee and Bell continue to make jokes at my expense, and we all shared a good chuckle.

They were my best buddies in the whole wide universe.

Renee was a few years older, but we were all part of the same transient social group and had grown up together. Both of them had experienced difficulties keeping their powerful personalities in check when obeying commands. Yet I had done somewhat better than Renee.

It wasn't until later that we added Bell, sometimes known as Annabelle, to our group of pals. Her mother was an Autumn, both of her parents having felt an instant connection at the Blood Moon Gathering. Her father submitted an application to join Autumn, and the family stayed there until Bell turned fifteen.

Both of her parents had been slain by a pack of wild wolves, tragically.

A year after her parents' deaths, Bell moved in with her father's family and joined the Winter tribe. Despite her difficulties adapting to her new Pack's severe regulations, she insisted that she wouldn't trade places with anyone.

I was lying to the two people I felt most comfortable with in the world.

"I asked, 'What's up, Ash?'" Renee asked, touching my knee with her hand.

I laughed and shook my head.

"Nothing," I replied, "I just have too many things on my mind, that's all."

Bell said, "Liar," as she crunched down on an apple.

Renee dared me to deny it, saying, "We know something is going on, and we know it has something to do with Raymond."

"How can you explain that?" I said, averting my gaze.

"Hey, stop acting so stupid," Renee implored, "Just tell us what's going on."

"It's common knowledge that you postponed the wedding, Ash," Bell said, "Look, we just want to know what occurred." She looked directly at me to convey her genuine worry.

A deep breath entered my lungs.

"In the beginning," I said, "Look, I just have so much going on, I mean with the birthday party and—"

"Eeehhhh! Wrong!" Bell cried out, making a buzzer sound. "The 'I'm too busy to plan my wedding' excuse doesn't fly with us because we've seen the binder."

It was a yes from Renee.

I sighed loudly and slumped in my chair, "I forgot about the binder." I remembered the secret binder I'd kept under my bed, where I'd written out all my plans for the perfect wedding to Raymond.

Renee and Bell sat down next to each other, one holding each of my hands.

Renee said with a grin, "Secrets are hard to keep when we share everything."

Bell elaborated, "Plus, we are very nosy and very annoying."

Even I joined in on the merriment.

"Explain the situation to us, please," Renee said, extending a comforting squeeze of my hand.

Sighing, I said, "You're probably correct, but I don't believe I can. I can't say that just yet."

"Just tell me this," Bell asked, "do I need to hurt Raymond?"

"No," I scoffed. "Raymond is fantastic. He's been really tolerant and accommodating. I simply need to sort out my thoughts at the moment."

"We are here for you whenever you're ready," Renee said.

Smiling, I said, "I know, thank you." I then got to my feet. "But there are other things I must do, so if I could leave the rest of this in your capable hands, I would really appreciate it."

Renee said with a grin, "You know it."

"You're a total slacker if you haven't brought the invitations to the maildrop yet," Bell prodded me in the ribs.

I chuckled and said, "Ok, ok." I grabbed the finished invitations from the stack.

Renee said as she grabbed the last envelope I had been working on, "Oh, don't forget this one."

When Renee saw the name on the envelope, she frowned. She looked up at me with a question in her eyes.

"Alpha Harry? In the Summer?" she inquired.

My chest tightened, and my heart sprang to my throat. Even if he wasn't there physically, I still thought about him.

"Did I accidentally extend an invitation to him?" I questioned internally.

"That's really odd," Bell said, "I don't remember him being on the guestlist... not sure why he would be since he hates us." She then turned to me with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Yeah, I had a thought. A figurative olive branch. Each of the Alphas, not just him, is cordially invited. Daughter of Alpha, trained in the art of negotiation," I explained.

Bell said, "Right," but she looked at me as if she still weren't sure.

Regardless, I accepted Renee's invitation and walked out the door. "Thanks again, fellas. Tomorrow, all right?"

I left hastily, not waiting for a response.