The Lonely Luna

The next day

*Reyna POV*

It was finally Friday and that meant that I was one day closer to seeing my mate again. I left my apartment and headed downstairs for breakfast. I got to the kitchen and heard yelling. “WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?! WHAT’S WITH ALL THE YELLING?!” I said using my Luna tone. Everyone immediately went silent and hung their heads. “WELL? I DEMAND AN ANSWER!” I said. No one was talking. “SO BE IT! EVERYONE RETURN TO YOUR COTTAGES!! YOU’LL BE DEALT WITH LATER!” I hated using my Luna tone, but sometimes it was necessary. It was unlike the Omegas to disobey a direct order. I made my own breakfast and coffee, then headed to my office. I enjoyed the walk. I got to my office and saw an unknown man waiting in the lobby. “May I help you sir?” I asked the stranger. “I am looking for the Luna of this pack. My name is Victor. I am from Nigeria, Yoruba.” I told him that I’m the Luna and then asked him what I could help him with. He said that he was seeking asylum in America due to strife in Nigeria and fighting among the packs.

I told him that he could stay in one of my guest cottages, but that I would have to verify his story before I could let him join my pack. I told Eliza that I was taking Victor to one of our guest cottages and that I was going to be out for the entire morning. She nodded and said that she would cancel my appointments. Victor and I left my office and headed towards the cottages. We walked to one of the smaller ones that were for a single person or for a couple. I unlocked the door and we walked in. We began opening all of the windows to let it air out as it had been uninhabited in over a year. “I hope that you like it. I know that it’s small, but it’s meant for a single person or a couple. I’ll send my cleaning Omegas to dust and do some general cleaning. You’re welcome to stay at least for now. I need to get in touch with my contacts in Nigeria.” He nodded in understanding. I showed him where the bedroom and bathroom were. He looked around and said that he liked it.

I was glad. I mind linked the Omegas to let them know that one of the guest cottages was being occupied and needed to be thoroughly cleaned and the refrigerator stocked. I asked Victor what sorts of things he would like in the refrigerator and pantry. He said that he wanted rice, red beans, fish, carrots (preferably fresh), onions (also fresh and white), apples(no preference), chicken, beef, juice, bottled water, jalapeños and habañeros (fresh). I let the grocery Omegas know of his food requests. They all promised to get it done right away. Once the cleaning Omegas had arrived, Victor and I headed to the castle. We went into the first floor conference room so that I could make my calls to Nigeria. I reached my dear friend Babatunde and asked him how things were there among the packs. He said that things were not good, that there was a lot of infighting and a lot of good warriors had fled to America and other parts of Africa. Some had even taken refuge in Europe. I asked him if he had any warriors named Victor. He said that yes, he had one. He then described the man sitting in my conference to a “T”. I motioned for Victor to speak to his Alpha.

Babatunde was so overcome with emotion hearing his dear friend’s voice that both of them began to cry. Come to find out, Victor was his pack’s Gamma. I told my friend that I would be giving the Gamma asylum and that he would be safe on my territory. They were both relieved to hear the good news. After a few more minutes, we hung up. I looked at Victor and he said; “My friend, you have given me a wonderful gift by allowing me to talk to my Alpha and reassure him that I am ok. O seun (Thank you).” I knew what it was like to be away from your pack. I had traveled to other countries in hopes of expanding my business. I hated whenever I had to leave. I gave Victor a tour of the castle and asked if he would like a bigger cottage, perhaps one befitting his pack position. “No, Luna. The one you have provided is fine. I am used to a small house. I am quite sure that I can make it feel like home. I appreciate your continued kindness to me. It warms my heart that you are friends with my Alpha.” Replied Victor.

I couldn’t help but smile at his effusive praise. “Have you found your mate yet? If not, I have several eligible and attractive she-wolves in my pack. You never know, she might be here.” I said and winked. He just grinned in return and said; “No, ore (friend). I have not been so lucky as to find that special she-wolf yet. I would love to meet the rest of your pack, especially the single she-wolves.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. I started laughing. I let him know that he was welcome in the castle any time. I also contacted Ashlyn, Leti, Nora, and Lucinda via mind link and told them to bring their mates and meet me in conference room C. Victor and I headed back to the conference room we had just left. Once everyone had arrived, I introduced Victor and explained his situation. I wanted to plan a ceremony to welcome him into the pack. I needed to let the Elders know of the situation as well. We decided to give Victor two months to adjust to his new life here in America and his new pack, then we would hold the ceremony.

The guys offered to show him where he could train if he so wished. I knew that Victor was a good and honorable man just by the pack that he came from. Babatunde has led his pack for 15 years with honor, loyalty, strength, courage, kindness, and valor. He was really the only Nigerian Alpha that I trusted implicitly. The others could be shady at times, which is why I tried not to deal with them too much. I had a friend among the Elders that I needed to alert to the new arrival and soon to be a new member of my pack, providing approval from all of the Elders. João was a Portuguese Alpha that had come to America when I was a teenager. There had been too much strife in Lisbon and he had moved his whole pack here. It wasn’t much of a feat considering his pack at the time was very small; only about 100 members. Once he came here, he had found many displaced wolves from all over Portugal and took them in. He had grown his pack to 1,000 and had their complete loyalty.

It was unheard of for a pack to be that large. I reached out to my friend via the mind link (even though he’s not a member of my pack, it’s possible to communicate with him that way) and told him that I needed to speak with him in person about something. He knew that I would never disturb him over anything trivial, especially if I was requesting an in person meeting. As luck would have it, he was in Indiana visiting another pack, the Blue Moon. They were strong allies of mine. I told him that I would like him to come to Silver Moon at his earliest convenience. He said that he could be at the castle by supper time. I let him know that was fine and severed the link. I then went to the kitchen to let my grandmas and Omegas know that we were going to have an honored guest for supper that night. When I told them who, they decided to have a traditional meal prepared and the lower Omegas made their shopping lists.

Once they had everything written down that they would need, they dispersed to their cars to go get the ingredients from Saraga, the international grocery store here in Indianapolis. They were planning to make Cozido à Portuguesa, a traditional stew. A basic cozido is a mix of boiled potatoes, carrots, sausages, cabbage, leafy greens, beans, and beef. I had never had it before, but it sounded super tasty! I just hoped that João liked it. They also planned to serve Frango no Churrasco. Frango no Churrasco is the Portuguese way of saying ‘grilled chicken’ or ‘barbecue chicken’. A central recipe to many restaurants in Portugal and beyond, it is often called Chicken Piri-Piri. Variations may stem from African countries that were once Portuguese colonies, specifically Mozambique. Frango no Churrasco is basically chicken cooked on a grill and seasoned with piri-piri hot sauce. Normally, it’s served with french fries, rice and a simple salad of lettuce, tomato, and onion. Frango no Churrasco is usually enjoyed alongside a small draft beer or a glass of white wine.

Both dishes sounded absolutely delicious. Since it was still early, I knew that they would have plenty of time to do the shopping and get both dishes prepared. I left the kitchen happy that my staff would do what it took to make Elder João feel welcome in our home. I prided myself on offering a wide variety of authentic cuisine whenever I hosted any or all of the Elders. I wanted them to feel welcome and comfortable when they came to the castle. Not only did I offer traditional cuisine, I also had music from their country or region played during mealtime. I needed to look at my collection to make sure that I had Portuguese music. I went to the rec room and unlocked the cabinet that held my personal collection of music from around the world. From the looks of things, I needed to update everything. I groaned in disbelief. I locked the cabinet back and headed to the sixth floor for my wallet, a jacket, and my car keys. I decided to stop at one of the African grocery stores first for the Nigerian music.

I bought some cd’s for my collection and some to give to Victor. Once I had picked out what I wanted, I took my things to the check out. I greeted my favorite cashier, Funmilayo (foon me lie oh). She asked me where I had been. I apologized and told her that things had been a little crazy lately. “Mo ti nireti pe iwọ yoo wa ni ọjọ -ibi ọrẹ mi. Mo ni ẹbun fun ọ. Mo ṣe funrarami (I had expected you to come on your birthday my friend. I have a gift for you. I made it myself).” She handed me a gift bag and I moved to the side to open it. Inside was a beautiful traditional dress with a matching gele (or head wrap). “O seun ore mi (Thank you my friend)!” She promised to show me the proper way to wrap the gele at a later time. I thanked her again, put them back in the bag, grabbed my purchases, and headed out the door. I then stopped at this little known Portuguese store called Gosto de Portugal (Taste of Portugal). It was an amazing store! I loved it. I always found fun new things to buy. The last time I was here, I had found some candy that’s popular there like sugus (similar to starburst but way better) and confeitos (“confetti” candy). I also found some beautiful clothing and accessories.

I browsed the cd collection, picked out some ones that were popular, along with some favorites, got some more candy, restocked my favorite coffee, and headed to the checkout. The cashier was a nice looking guy, for a human and said to me; “Olá bela dama. Você encontrou tudo que você precisa? Talvez você precise de um homem forte para ajudá-lo a carregar suas malas pesadas para o carro (Hello beautiful lady. Did you find everything you need? Perhaps you need a strong man to help you carry your heavy bags to the car)?” I looked at himin disgust and replied in perfect Portuguese; “Eu não preciso da ajuda de um idiota como você! Posso carregar minhas próprias malas pesadas, seu canalha pervertido (I don’t need help from a d**k like you! I can carry my own heavy bags, you perverted scumbag)!” I paid for my things and left. Ugh! Why are men like that? Just because I’m not wearing a wedding ring or any ring on my left hand, men think it gives them the right to be perverted creeps. I loaded everything into my car and left in a hurry. I then headed back to the castle to put away my purchases and to put the cd’s for Elder João in a bag.

I had just enough time to shower and change before supper. I chose a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt. This was more of an informal meeting and I knew he wouldn’t be offended. I took the elevator down and headed to the front door. I opened just as he was about to knock. “Olá minha querida. É bom ver você novamente. Já faz muito tempo. Vamos falar inglês (Hello my dear. It’s good to see you again. It has been too long. Shall we speak English)?” “Yes please. That would be better. I’m not sure if I would be able to explain correctly in Portuguese the reason I asked you here.” I replied. I handed him the gift bag and led him to the dining room. Everyone began filing in. I noticed Bictor and motioned for him to sit at my table. We sat down and ate. The food was excellent as usual. When the three of us had finished, I mind linked Ashlyn, Leti, Nora, and Lucinda to let them know to meet us in conference room C as soon as they had finished. We didn’t have long to wait. Once everyone was seated, I spoke. “Elder João, I’m honored that you took the time to meet with me tonight. Here’s the situation.

“This is Victor. He’s from an allied pack in Nigeria led by my good friend Alpha Babatunde. There has been a lot of strife and infighting among the packs there of late. Victor has come to America in the hope of getting asylum. He came to me first and was wise to do so. I have already confirmed all of this with his Alpha. I would like permission to grant him asylum and make him a member of my pack. You know Babatunde as well. He is an honorable Alpha. I hope that you and the other Elders grant me the permission.” João looked at Victor and then began asking him questions about the trouble in Nigeria. Once all of the questions were answered, João excused himself and left the conference room. “Now what, Luna?” Victor asked. “Now we wait. He went to mind link the other Elders to let them know of the situation. Hopefully they can reach a decision quickly.” I replied. We sat in the conference room for over an hour waiting for him to come back. I was beginning to think that they were going to say no. After another 45 minutes of waiting, he came back with a huge smile on his face.

“The other Elders have agreed to his request for asylum. You can have the ceremony in two months' time.” We were all so relieved. I hugged João and then Victor. “Well, friend, it looks like you’re stuck with me as your new Luna. We’ll have your official celebration in two months.” He just smiled and shook hands with João and said; “Thank you, Elder. I really appreciate this. I won’t let you down.” “I trust you, Victor. I know your former Alpha. He is a great man and friend.” João said simply. With that, we all left the conference room in good spirits. “Luna, would you walk with me back to my cottage?” I told him that I would, but first I had to get something from my apartment. I took the elevator to get there quicker. Once I got to my apartment, I grabbed the gift bag with the cd’s I had purchased for Victor, then I went back downstairs. I found Victor and handed him the gift bag. He looked at me questioningly, but took the bag. When he looked inside and saw the cd’s, he smiled. “Thank you, Luna. I don’t have any cd’s to listen to.” I replied; “I’m glad that you like them. There’s a radio with a cd player in your cottage, or there's supposed to.”

We walked to his cottage together in friendly silence. When we arrived, he asked me if I wanted to come in for tea. “There was tea at dinner. Didn’t you get any?” “No. It was all gone by the time I got the chance to get some.” He told me. That seemed highly unlikely as not everyone in the pack drank it. Then again, only about one third of the pack ever came to the castle for meals. I followed him inside and shut the door behind me. He went into the kitchenette while I wento the living room. I could see him from where I sat. “Do you like cream and sugar or do you prefer milk and sugar?” I told him that I would prefer whole milk if he had it and two spoons of sugar. I also told him that creamer would be fine if he didn’t have the milk. He started the tea and came into the living room to sit with me. “I am so thankful for your kindness and hospitality, Luna. I don’t know where I would have gone if I had been unable to find you. My Alpha had told me to look for you onceI got to America and that you would be able to help me.

“I am so glad that you were here when I arrived. I feel like I can finally find some much needed peace. Again, thank you.” I told him that it was no trouble and that I knew Babatunde would do the same for any member of my pack. The tea finished brewing and he went to pour our cups. He put two spoons of sugar and a splash of milk in mine and two spoons of sugar in his. He brought the tea in and set it down on the table. Then he went back into the kitchenette and brought out some pastries called Puff Puff. I couldn’t wait to try them. I grabbed one and tried it. It was so good! It reminded me of the Chinese bread at my favorite buffet. “This is so good! What did you say these are called again?” “I’m glad that you like them. They are a traditional street food called Puff Puff. They are very simple to make.” He told me. I asked him if he would show me how to make them. He agreed. I was almost positive that my pack would enjoy them. We talked for several hours. He went into more detail about what was happening in Nigeria. I was absolutely appalled. It was worse than I had imagined. It was much more than infighting. Whole packs were being slaughtered without a single thought.

Their written histories were also being totally obliterated. I sat there wondering what I could do to help. “Victor, is your former pack safe? Has Babatunde found sanctuary for them?” He said that he wasn’t entirely sure as he hadn’t been given much information when they had spoken on the phone. We both hoped that the pack was safe. I looked at my watch and saw that it was very late. “Oh my goodness! It’s much later than I anticipated. Will you walk me home?” He nodded in consent and put our dishes in the kitchenette, grabbed a jacket and keys, and we headed out. He locked the door behind him and headed to the castle. Once we reached it, he offered to come upstairs with me to make sure that I got to my apartment safely. I laughed and said; “Victor, this is my pack. No one would dare harm me.” “Still, I wouldn’t be much of a friend or gentleman if I didn’t see you to your door.” I knew that I wasn’t going to win this argument, so I just let him accompany me upstairs.

Once we got up to my apartment, I thanked Victor for the escort and bid him goodnight. He leaned in for what I thought was a hug, but it turned out to be a kiss! I slapped him without even thinking. “HOW DARE YOU?! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!” I used my Luna tone. “I’m sorry, Luna. I saw that you do not bear the mark of your mate. I should not have been so bold. Forgive me.” He apologized and hung his head. “Just because I am unmarked, doesn’t mean that I haven’t found my mate. We live on different sides of town. He will be coming to see me tomorrow.” I informed him. “I think it best if you return to your cottage. Don’t bother coming to the castle for the next week. You’re free to go anywhere else you please. You may only enter the castle if you are in desperate need of medical attention. Otherwise you will not be allowed in.” He hung his head in shame and left. I unlocked my door and went inside. “Luna, is everything ok? We heard your Luna tone. I told the others to wait and see if you needed assistance.” Ashlyn asked through the mind link. “Everything is fine. I just had a minor misunderstanding with Victor. I assure you that it won’t happen again. Good night, Ashlyn and thank you for your concern.” I replied back. I went into my bathroom and stripped out of my clothes, pulled my hair up into a messy bun, ran some bath water, brushed my teeth, dropped in a bath bomb and some bath salts, climbed in, put my head back, and turned off the water once it reached the depth I liked.

I soaked in the fragrant water until it chilled, then I drained the tub, climbed out, and wrapped myself in a towel. I then gathered up my dirty clothes and put them in my hamper. Next I went to my dresser and got out my favorite pajamas (my Nightmare Before Christmas ones), put them on, then got into bed to read.