KATOMI - RISE OF THE FAE QUEEN

CHAPTER 20 – LUNCH DATE

KATOMI’S POV

I couldn’t believe how fast this week rushed by and now suddenly it was Saturday, between studying for my finals and my new relationship with Wyatt, the days were flying by, had it already been two weeks since my shift?

I was having lunch with the Queen in an hour and it had to go perfectly, especially considering I had to blow her off last Saturday because I’d stupidly forgot to take my pills, a fact that Wyatt and my father still hadn’t let go, Wyatt text me every two days to remind me to take them.

‘No’ Bronwyn shook her head and threw aside another outfit

We were in my room, attempting to make me look half decent but I had nothing that felt right to wear for my first lunch with my future mother-in-law.

‘I like this one Kat’ Mia pulled up a pretty red dress, her favourite colour was red ‘It’s pretty’

‘It’s too short’ I shook my head ‘I can’t wear that one to see the Queen’

I growled when my hair, that I was trying to pull up into a braid kept falling out of its loops ‘Stupid frigging un-cooperative hair! I’m cutting it all off!’

‘Kat calm down’ Bron laughed and shoved me down on the chair at my desk and took my brush from me ‘Let me do it’

I was currently sitting in my underwear with a towel wrapped around my body, nothing I’d tried on felt right ‘I may as well just wear this’ I complained and gestured towards the towel

Mia and Bron laughed as Bronwyn started pulling my hair back into a neater fish tale braid then the one I’d been attempting

‘So is the Alpha going with you?’ Bronwyn asked and I shook my head ‘Stay still’ She complained

‘He has some pack stuff to do’ I sighed ‘He’s always working, he needs to rest more’

‘Spoken like a true Luna’ Bron laughed again

‘He did say he’d be finished by the time lunch is over so we could go do something together’

‘I suggest a movie day in bed’ Bronwyn winked at me in the mirror ‘Although I doubt that will help him get rest’

I rolled my eyes as Bronwyn laughed harder ‘I don’t understand’ Mia frowned as she held up two new outfits

‘Don’t worry about it’ I told her and glared at Bronwyn who stifled another laugh

‘Ew’ Mia scrunched up her nose ‘Are you talking about s*x, daddy said you shouldn’t have s*x with Alpha Wyatt until you turn 18’

Bronwyn and I burst into fits of laughter ‘Thanks Mia’ I wiped a happy tear from my eyes ‘I needed that’

‘Anyway’ I sighed ‘Mia, pass me that blue dress you’re holding’

Mia walked over and passed me a long sleeve, royal blue maxi dress, it was fitted and the neckline was modest and very feminine

‘I like this one’ I decided ‘It should be good for lunch’

‘Perfect’ Bronwyn agreed, she finished my hair and then started placing pretty little fake diamond clips in various locations through my braid ‘Alright get dressed and you're set, the car should be here soon’

I nodded and pulled on my dress, Wyatt had organized for someone to collect me and take me to his mother’s today, because I’d returned his car to him again after my dad told me how expensive it was, and he was too busy to drive me.

Wyatt thought I was being overly unreasonable and dramatic by returning his car for the second time but otherwise let it go, he’d continued to pick me up and drop me off at school every day as a compromise but I didn't mind spending the mornings and afternoons with him, the stares from the other students and even the teachers hadn’t died down yet and Liz was still giving me death stares whenever we were alone but mostly she was easy to ignore.

I’d spent every day after school with Wyatt, studying for my finals on the couch in his office while he went on with pack work, a few times I’d offered to help him but he just said I should take advantage of the next year and not worry about the pack because once I was marked, I’d have more work then I knew what to do with but I still felt guilty leaving him to do it all alone.

Even though it had been two weeks since my birthday, my dad was still upset about Wyatt being my mate, especially now that we were growing closer but he understood the mate pull only too well, having felt it for two women, my mother and Shay, he still said he wanted to work on a contingency plan though, in case Wyatt found out and reacted badly and he needed to get me and the family out, we’d come up with several plans but he wasn’t 100% satisfied and said he’d keep going over things on his own.

I hated lying to Wyatt about who I truly was, sometimes when we were alone together, I found myself wanting to tell him everything but for the sake of my family I kept my mouth shut, a part of me was also terrified that it would disgust him and he would reject me on site and lock me up or worst, kill me and then I’d always felt guilty for thinking so badly of him

Remi was all for telling Wyatt and Kai the truth, she truly believed that they would protect us and keep the secret, but I was too afraid, having kept this secret for 13 years, it wasn’t easy to tell someone, especially Wyatt, I loved him so much already, I couldn’t stand it if he stopped loving me.

‘Sweetheart’ Shay knocked and opened my door, she was dressed in her work clothes, just about to go to her shift at the hospital, Bronwyn had agreed to baby sit the twins as my father was training his troops today.

‘Yes’

‘There's a man at the door’ She told me ‘He said he’s here to pick you up’

‘Oh no’ I gasped and looked at the clock on the wall ‘He’s early’

I rushed over to my slip-on shoes and sighed ‘Do you think she’ll care if I don’t wear shoes?’

I’d always hated wearing footwear, the Fae rarely covered their feet, we liked to stay connected to the earth but since we moved here, my dad had fought me every day until I finally gave up and started wearing shoes without a fuss.

‘You really are weird’ Bron rolled her eyes ‘What girl doesn’t like shoes, just put them on’

I sighed and quickly stepped into them ‘Where’s my gift?’

I spun around, frantically looking for the gift I’d made for the Queen ‘Kat would you chill out’ Bronwyn laughed and passed me a small tote bag ‘Here’

‘Thanks’ I smiled ‘You’re a legend, ok wish my luck’

‘You don’t need luck’ Bronwyn told me ‘The Queen’s always loved you, you have nothing to worry about and besides, so what if she doesn’t, the Alpha wouldn’t care’

‘I want her to like me’ I snapped nervously ‘I’m going to be a part of her family, it would be hard for Wyatt if we didn’t get along’

‘You’ll do fine sweetheart’ Shay smiled ‘Just be polite and don’t forget to thank her having you over’

‘Right’ I bit my lip nervously and walked out of my room ‘See you guys later’

This was such a strange situation, I’d spent my whole life avoiding the Queen, she would always remind me of the King and what he did to me, not to mention that she always looked at me as though she saw through my mask, like she knew my secret, sometimes she’d say things that made me think she knew what I really was but if that was the case, why hadn’t she told her husband when he was alive, why didn’t she say anything to Wyatt now?

I grabbed a jacket just in case, it looked like it would rain today, and I pulled open the door, a tanned blond Lycan I’d never seen before was waiting patiently by the back passenger side door, dressed in black slacks and a white button up shirt, when he saw me, he stood up straighter and pulled open the door

‘Thank you’ I said shyly and hoped in

‘You’re welcome, Luna’ He smiled at me, I thought I saw his eyes darken a little in lust but he quickly looked away and lowered his gaze, no doubt remembering who my mate was and what would happen to him if he tried anything.

I got comfortable on the seat and pulled on my seatbelt, resting my jacket over my lap

I didn’t know how to act ‘Should we speak to him?’ I asked Remi about the driver

‘I don’t know’ She giggled, as clueless as me

I cleared my throat ‘What’s your name?’ I asked timidly

‘Forgive me Luna’ He said, smiling at me in the review mirror ‘It’s Liam, Liam Cross’

‘Oh’ I smiled ‘I’m Katomi but I guess you’d know that wouldn’t you?’

‘I do’ He acknowledged, and we both fell silent, great job Kat, you can’t even talk to a random pack member, you’re going to be great with the Queen.

I sighed quietly and started fidgeting with my gift bag

‘I’ve been assigned as your permanent driver Luna’ Liam told me after a few minutes

‘Excuse me?’ I hadn’t heard anything about this, why did Wyatt do these things without discussing it with me first

‘The Alpha assigned me yesterday’ Liam informed me ‘Whenever he’s unavailable, I’ll be taking you anywhere you need to go’

‘But I’ll have my car back soon’ I pointed out ‘I won’t need a driver’

‘The Alpha has organized a new car for you’

HE WHAT!

‘It should be here by next week’ He went on, oblivious to my rage ‘I’ll be driving you from now on, you won’t need to drive’

‘I see’ I said through my teeth, Liam looked at me again through the mirror and paled, he clearly knew he’d put his foot in it, he fell silent again

‘WYATT GRAYSON!’ I growled through the link

‘Hello, my love’ He said back, sounding smug ‘And what have I done to earn your ire today?’

‘Liam here just informed me that he is my permanent driver’

‘And?’

‘AND!’ I growled ‘And, I don’t need a driver, I can drive myself, why do you keep doing these kinds of things’

‘Because I can’ He said back as matter of factly ‘I’m the alpha, it’s my duty to take care of my Luna, whether it’s her safety or anything else she needs, anyway, I’m about to jump into a meeting, have fun with my mother, I love you’

‘WYATT!’ I growled but he laughed and cut the link

‘I’m going to kill him’ I informed Remi but she simply laughed and began thinking about Kai

The drive to the Queen’s cottage only took 15 minutes, she really did live in a pretty area of the territory, there were wild flowers and vines growing off of everything and there was a fresh flowering breeze drifting off of the water, I wondering absently again, what I smelt like to Wyatt, I’d have to remember to ask him one day.

Once the car stopped I opened the door like normal but I noticed Liam panic and he jumped out of the car, he rushed over to me and held the door in place ‘I can open your door Luna’

‘There’s no need’ I smiled politely ‘I’m fine doing it’

‘But it’s my job’ He said proudly ‘I’m happy to do it for you’

‘Oh’ I blushed, I hadn’t thought he’d enjoy being my driver ‘I’m sorry, I’ve never had a driver before, I’ll let you get my door from now on’

‘No Luna’ He said nervously ‘I didn’t mean to, you don’t have to apologize, I just’

‘That’s enough Liam’ The queens voice sounded stern

We turned around and saw her walking over to us, she was in a knee length floral white dress and cardigan, he long dark hair was flowing down her back loosely and she looked very happy to see me, I let out a relieved nervous breath

‘I’m sure Kat just needs to get used to how things are done’ She told him ‘You may leave’

‘Yes, your majesty’ He gushed before turning to me and nodding ‘Luna’

‘Bye and thank you for driving me’ I said awkwardly, I smiled up the Queen ‘Thank you for inviting me for lunch, I’m sorry about missing lunch last week’

‘It’s nothing darling, I’ve been dying to have you visit’ She said as she linked my arm in hers and began walking us towards her cottage ‘You look as beautiful as ever’

‘Thank you’ I blushed ‘So do you’

‘Thank you darling’ She smiled at me ‘We’ll be having lunch in the garden, I know how much you love the sun, although I don’t much like the look of those clouds, we might get washed out before we finish’

‘I hope not’ I looked at the sky, there was definitely as storm coming, ‘I already showered today’ I joked though my mind was on her comment about the sun, how did she know I liked the sunshine?

The Queen laughed and pulled me towards the back of her cottage and into a lovely garden filled with my favourite wildflowers, a black glass table and chairs sat on a round stone platform, the table was full of small sandwiches, scones, fruit and cakes

‘Wow’ I murmured as I looked around the garden ‘Your garden is beautiful Luna’

‘None of that’ She said dismissively and gestured for me to sit at one of the chairs at the table ‘It’s mom from now on’

I froze, my eyes widening ‘I…I couldn’t’ I looked down, tears filled my eyes but I pushed them away

‘Oh no, Kat’ Charlotte reached out and touched my arm ‘I didn’t think darling, I’m sorry, Charlotte is fine’

I nodded and smiled, looking up at her ‘I’m sorry’

‘Don’t be’ She smiled kindly at me ‘We’ll work up to mom’

I smiled politely but held my tongue, I could never envision a time where I’d call anyone mom, I didn't even call Shay mom

‘I brought you something’ I said and placed the small tote bag on the table to change the subject

‘How kind of you darling’ She opened the bag

‘Wyatt said you liked mint chocolate’ I said nervously ‘So I made you some last night, I hope you like them’

‘You made these yourself’

‘I like to bake’ I answered ‘My grandmother taught when I was little, it was something we used to do together before… before we moved here’

‘Do you miss your fathers old pack?’ The Queen asked, looking at me as she pulled out a chocolate ‘Is it true that Lycan's and Fae live together in peace, I could never imagine such a place’

I cleared my throat ‘Yes’ I smiled ‘It’s true, Dragons, Werewolves, Lycan’s and Fae, everyone together, everyone living in peace’ I looked down at my hands as I remembered how safe I used to feel there before my mother was killed ‘And yes, I miss it every day, no war, no death’

I looked up to see the Queen watching me intensely ‘Um…’ I cleared my throat again ‘Were you always from this pack Charlotte?’

‘No’ She smiled ‘I came from the South, I still have a brother there and Wyatt’s younger sister Danica is mated with the current Alpha now, so I sometimes think about going back but I didn’t want to leave Wyatt here all alone but happily, he has you now and my future grandbabies of course’ She winked at me, and I froze again, Wyatt hadn’t told her

Charlotte bit into a piece of chocolate and moaned happily ‘Delicious darling’ She smiled ‘I see Wyatt will have to watch he’s weight around you if you’re going to make such delicious sweets for him’

I laughed quietly and took a deep breath ‘Luna, um… Charlotte’ I corrected ‘About children’

‘Oh hush’ She put her hands up ‘I know, I know, you’re much to young, Wyatt should have waited for you to turn 18 before letting you know about the bond, I’m sure you’re not ready to be a mother, we can discuss this next year, there’s a lot you’ll need to know about being pregnant with an heir, I shouldn’t have brought it up and Wyatt made me swear not to talk children with you, he said it was sore subject but I want lots darling’ She added ‘So as soon as you're ready, you and Wyatt will need to get to work, I know he’s very excited to be a father and goddess knows how beautiful they’ll be if they get your looks’

I smiled, s**t, don’t cry Kat, don’t show, put on the mask ‘Did I say something wrong again?’ She asked, looking at me in concern ‘Wyatt will never let you visit me again if I keep upsetting you’

‘No please lu.. Charlotte’ I smiled ‘I’m having a wonderful time, just a little nervous’

‘Don’t be, we’re family now’ She laughed, sounding relieved, was she just as nervous about today as I was ‘Please, help yourself’

The Queen passed me a plate and began pilling food onto her own, everything looked so delicious, I grabbed one of the scones because Remi was drooling over them.

‘How are you coping after the shifting darling?’ Charlotte enquired ‘Have you been having any pains?’

‘No’ I smiled ‘It’s been very easy actually, I remember my best friend Bronwyn having a lot of cramps the first two weeks after her first s**t and especially during her first heat but I haven’t felt anything’

‘It’s most likely due to Wyatt’ She said thoughtfully ‘Having your mate to draw on can help with the pain relief’

I nodded, like in the hospital, when Wyatt held me, the pain went away 'Does that mean that Wyatt's been feeling my pains instead of me?'

'No, nothing like that darling' She shook her head 'It just lessons your pain, so you're probably having the cramps but not noticing'

'Good' I sighed in relief

‘Has Wyatt taken you on a second run yet?’

‘No’ I shook my head and took another bit of my scone ‘He’s been very busy’

‘Aw yes’ Charlotte said knowingly ‘Running the pack, all the packs, does take up a lot of time, you’ll find that out very soon, when I was running things full time, there didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day, when you take over, I’ll be more than happy to help you find your legs, it takes a little to get used to everything’

‘That would be amazing Charlotte, thank you’ I laughed in relief

‘Think nothing of it darling’ She smiled and touched my arm ‘You were born to lead, it’s in your blood, you’ll get the hang of it in no time’

‘What did she mean by that?’ I asked Remi ‘Does she know what I am, who I am?’

‘So, I do have an ulterior motive for inviting you here today’ Charlotte continued before I could change the subject

I froze for a second before swallowing the food in my mouth ‘Oh’ I said causally

‘I want to start getting everything ready for your Luna and crowning ceremony’ She told me, and I let out a sigh of relief ‘I know we have 12 months but these things take a while to plan, you have to pick the right date and send out the invitations and pick the right caterers, the dress, there’s lots to do’

‘I hadn’t really thought about it to be honest’ I admitted

‘Well, that’s why you have me darling’ She smiled and squeezed my hand ‘I just need some answers’ She pulled out a small notebook, the words Luna Ceremony were sprawled on the first page ‘So, what’s your favourite flowers?’

I blinked in amusement but answered her question, which was immediately followed up by at least another 40, I would never learn to be this organized, after Charlotte was satisfied with her list of answers, we ate, and she gave me some embarrassing stories of Wyatt growing up that I could use against him, along with advice on how to deal with a King.

Charlotte was a lot lovelier than I’d ever thought, she was really funny and kind and I enjoyed listening to her speak, after we’d eaten our fill, she took me around the garden, showing me her favourite flowers and telling me about the improvements she intended to make

Just after 3pm, she said that she better let me go but made me promise to come visit her again soon and walked me out to the car where Liam was waiting by the car, holding the door for me, I smiled graciously at him

‘Thank you again for lunch Charlotte’ I smiled, it still felt so awkward calling her by her name

‘Any time darling’ She pulled me into a hug ‘You’re always welcome, no need to call, just come by’

‘Thank you’ I smiled and hoped into the car.