The Rising Moon Pack

Chapter 11

Maria POV

Jake came back into the room five minutes later, with a smile on his face.

"It's all been arranged." He said, smiling. "Tomorrow, my Beta will be arriving for the meetings, then at the end of the week we will be escorting our Luna, and Harry home."

I had butterflies in my stomach. I was about to become a Luna, of the largest pack in the country. I smiled to myself, and turned to my mom.

"I don't suppose you'll have time to teach me everything you know?"

"Child, I've been preparing you for this eventuality since birth!" She laughed. "You already know everything I know!"

"Besides, anything you need help with, I'm here." Jake said to me, genuinely. "Now, let's get back to that dancefloor!"

I laughed as he pulled me to my feet, and twirled me gently.

"Alpha, Luna, Harry." He excused us, politely.

"We're Mom and Dad now Jake!" My dad called after us.

I heard my mom giggling as we danced down the corridor and back to the party outside.

Jake POV

I led Maria back to the dancefloor, and as soon as we hit the floor I pulled her tight against me, just wanting to be close. She was breathtakingly beautiful, the moonlight bouncing off all of her red spiral curls beautifully. She looked up at me, and I could see in her eyes she was thinking hard.

"What's the matter, baby?" I asked her softly.

"I'm fine," She shrugged.

"Don't do that, baby. You don't have to hide your thoughts from me. What's going on in this pretty little head?" I said, accenting my question with a kiss to the forehead. I felt her sigh as the sparks left my lips, and she snuggled in closer to my body as we swayed to the music.

"I'm slightly scared about becoming a Luna to such a large pack," She admitted. " With my brother being the eldest, becoming a Luna wasn't ever something I worried too deeply about. What if I forget everything my mom taught me? I didn't even realise she was teaching me, and that's worrying." She frowned.

"Just because you didn't know she was teaching you, that doesn't mean you didn't learn. It just means that it's second nature to you, and it's in your DNA." I smiled at her reassuringly. "Besides, you have me. This is a partnership. You are my equal in every sense of the word, and I would never turn you away if you needed help or advice. You are my present, and my future. You are everything that matters to me."

She sniffled, and looked up with her big green eyes.

"What happens if I let them down, though? Their happiness rests on their Luna. If I mess this up, I risk alienating myself from our entire pack."

"Baby, the fact you're worrying so much about this just shows you're placing their needs above your own. I promise you, you are going to do this. Besides, my Beta and Gamma are both mated, so you won't be completely outweighed by us men." I joked.

"Really? " She perked up, "Tell me about them?" she asked.

I placed my arms around her shoulders and hugged her gently as we danced.

"Well, Mae is the Beta female. She's my best friend Noah's mate. They met when we were 19, and Noah adores every inch of her. She's been good support to me, since I hadn't found my mate until now. She's very kind, and she is also one of our best warriors. Although, don't tell her that. She'll kick my ass at training." I chuckled. "And Lottie, well, she's Charlie's mate. We grew up with her, so the moment she turned 18, they knew they were mates. She doesn't take s**t from anyone, which is perfect since she's in charge of our Omegas. She keeps everything running smoothly at the packhouse. She's actually probably in our wardrobe as we speak, organising it so you can find everything easily. It's her secret talent, I swear. The girl has the organisation skills of a goddess."

"Mae, and Lottie." She repeated quietly. "What are Noah and Charlie like?"

"Well," I answered honestly. " We all grew up together. Noah was a bit of a man w***e before Mae, but it all changed when they met. She accepts that he wasn't perfect, and understands that's not who he is anymore. They compliment eachother beautifully, and Noah has really grown into a better man since knowing her. Charlie, he was different. He kept himself to himself, and really respected the mate bond enough to wait for Lottie. Although, I think that was partly because he didn't have to wait for his mate as long as some of us." I laughed.

"Oh." was all she had to say.

"Baby?" I asked, concerned. I cupped her chin and tilted it up so I could look her straight in the eye. "Everything ok?"

"Does that mean that you didn't wait for me?" She asked me, quietly.

I looked at her, my mouth had gone dry. I swallowed as I thought about how to answer. I decided that honestly was probably the best way forward. I took her hand gently, and led her over to the seating area underneath a pink treehouse. A marble statue sat on a swing, the fairy lights catching and reflecting on the polished stone.

"I guess the answer to that is no," I started. "When I was 18, I thought I'd felt the mate bond with someone else, and I gave myself to her."

Maria pulled away from me, and I saw she had begun to cry quietly. My heart started to hammer in my chest, and I reached out to wipe her tears away. She stepped back from my reach, and I grew desperate to feel her touch.

"Maria... Please. " I begged. "Please let me explain."

She looked up at me, and I saw her beautiful big green eyes were filled with hurt.

"I waited, for you." She said to me. "I kept all of my firsts, for you."

She was right. I placed my head in my hands, rubbing my head in despair. How quickly my world had crumbled down around me, and I felt like I was being crushed in the rubble.

At that moment, Luna Kate appeared.

"Maria? Jake? What's going on?" She asked, concerned.

"He didn't respect our mate bond." Maria told her mother.

"Woah, hold on. That's not true!" I objected, hurt.

"Maria, sit down. Let's talk about this properly." Luna Kate stated, calmly.

Maria sat down, as far away from my reach as she could manage.

"Jake," Luna Kate patted my hand kindly. "Please elaborate."

I took a deep breathe and look at them both, desperate for Maria to accept me.

"When I was 18, I thought I'd felt the mate bond with a girl called Jackie." I began, "So I gave myself to her. But, about 2 months in, things started to feel off with Jackie. I realised that whenever we touched, it didn't feel the same as how Charlie described feeling when he touched Lottie. When I touched her, I didn't feel anything. My dad knew something was wrong, so he held off on the pack handover ceremony. He knew that I wasn't in love with Jackie, so he did a bit of digging and found out that he was right, and Jackie had used a spell from a dark Witch to enchant my heart. She didn't love me, she just wanted the power that came with being a Luna. " I looked at Maria and Kate, with tears in my eyes. Kate was holding my hand, stroking my arm gently. Maria had finally turned to face me, the look of hurt faded from her face.

"You didn't give yourself to her," She said. "She stole you from you." She came closer to me, and wrapped her tiny arms around my waist. I calmed as the sparks lit my body up, and I pulled her in as tight as I could. Kate came and sat the other side of me, and I pulled her in close too. She wrapped her arms around Maria and I, and I revelled in the peace that washed over us.

"I'm sorry," Maria whispered to me. "I shouldn't have just assumed."

"I would never do anything to hurt you, Maria." I said, honestly. " I love and respect you too much."

Luna Kate released herself from our group cuddle, and stood to her feet.

"Okay, now that's all sorted!" She said. "Is the birthday girl ready for some cake?"

Maria squealed, and I laughed. She was like a kid in a candy store at the mention of cake, and I honestly couldn't have pictured anyone better to have as a mate for all eternity.