Chapter 70
Chapter 70: Sutton
“Actually, Alpha,” Tarrah interjected, “you’re going to have to share her a little while longer. We’ve planned a little celebration for you the two of you back in Jaden’s suit.”
“You did?” I asked. “Aww, that’s sweet.”
I was still trying to determine how the announcement was perceived, hoping it was as positive as I felt it was. I almost wished we had stayed a little longer to speak with some people but not enough to be ungrateful for the brevity of the event. I couldn’t remember a time I’d been the center of attention like that. I would have to work on getting comfortable with that.
“It’s not like we get a new Luna every day,” Max said as we all made our way through the packhouse. “This is a special occasion for us as well.”
“Plus, some of the girls really wanted to see you again,” Tarrah stated. “And now that they know who you are, you guys can really get to know each other better.”
“I hope you’ve been more diligent with your guest list this time,” Lucas said firmly.
“Sera will absolutely not be making an appearance tonight,” Tarrah insisted. “It’s only a small gathering anyway. Just Narya, Simone, and Lorelei. Oh, and I told Motty she could come for a little while if she can talk her aunt into letting her.”
“Motty?” Lucas questioned. “Chef Nell’s niece? Isn’t she only sixteen?”
“Seventeen as of last month,” I said with a laugh. “She’ll make sure to tell you that. We met in the kitchen the other day. She’s sweet.”
“And she’s taken a bit of a shine to Sutton,” Tarrah said with a smile. “She was hired on in housekeeping a few months back.”
“If she’s working in housekeeping, don’t let Elise find out she’s coming,” Jaden said. “She has a thing about the custodial staff fraternizing with the ranking pack members.”
“Oh, but I don’t mind if she comes,” I said with a frown. “I’d like to see her again and I think she just wants to make some friends. Chef Nell said she hasn’t been in the city that long.”
Martha, or Motty, as she was affectionately called by her aunt, had a bit of a tragic story. She came from another pack – the Hallowed Moon Pack, I believe – which has some interesting traditional practices. In their pack, if you don’t find your mate by a certain age, your parents, or even the pack Alpha, choose your mate for you. Like an arranged marriage situation. From what I understood, her parents were one of those pairings. The match was apparently not a good one. I could sense that her upbringing had left some emotional scars she was still dealing with.
Chef Nell had managed to leave the pack right after she graduated high school when she was awarded a culinary scholarship. I wasn’t sure about the reason for Motty moving here, but Nell hinted there was some kind of tragic incident. Whatever it was, I was impressed with how positive Motty had seemed.
“I’ve told Elise that I don’t care what the staff do in their free time,” Lucas said. “They have all the same privileges as any other packhouse resident. She may get bored, but I don’t see anything inappropriate about Motty joining for a bit.”
We made it to Jaden’s apartment and he opened the door. We were greeted by a cacophony of giddy screams. I was suddenly engulfed by three sets of arms, slightly knocking the wind out of me. I laughed through the surprise.
“This is so exciting, Narya stated as she pulled away. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us. Well, I mean, I guess I can believe that. I can’t believe TARRAH didn’t spill.” She gave Tarrah an accusatory look.
“We wanted to keep it secret until we announced it,” I said. “It’s a long story.”
“I’m guessing that has to do with how you two met,” Lorelei chimed in. “Which I’m hoping means you can finally tell us all about it. We’re dying to know. We all love a good fated meeting story.”
I had been preparing for that request ever since the dinner at the bar. I didn’t want to lie about the event, but I also wasn’t ready to be completely open about the circumstances that led to Lucas. So, I had taken time to work out how I would explain our first encounters together.
A loud pop sounded through the room. The girls jumped and we looked back to see Jaden at the kitchen counter with a freshly opened bottle of champagne.
“Before we get into that,” he said as he filled fluted glasses, “I think this evening calls for a toast.”
“I second that,” Tarrah agreed, starting to hand out the drinks.
Once everyone had a glass, Jaden cleared his throat.
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Chapter 70
“Of all the ways I know Alpha Lucas, there’s only so many ways I’d think to describe him–surly, brusque, stern. Kind of just an all–around grump mostly.” A quiet chuckle sounded from the rest of us. “When I heard Lucas had found his fated mate, I was looking forward to getting to see what kind of person she was. I wasn’t expecting to see an entirely new side to my best friend – happy.” I felt my face flush as everyone looked toward me. Lucas squeezed my side. “In the short time you’ve been here, Sutton, you’ve already changed the best Alpha this pack has had in generations. And all for the better. I can’t wait to see what more you can achieve.” He raised his glass. “To Alpha Lucas and Luna Sutton.”
“To Alpha Lucas and Luna Sutton,” everyone echoed.
After we all took a sip of our champagne, Simone clapped her hands as she turned back to me.
“Now, it’s your turn,” she said. “We want to know everything. How you two met… when… where… When are you planning your marking ceremony? Do you plan on having your own ranking advisors once you’re Luna?”
I laughed at her enthusiasm. “Okay, okay,” I conceded. “I’m not sure I can answer all of those questions, but I’ll tell you what I can.”
“We will leave you to regale them with the tale,” Lucas said. “I need to borrow Max and Jaden for a moment.”
“Oh, is everything okay?” I asked, a little surprised and disappointed he was leaving.
“Everything is fine,” he assured me. “This won’t take long.”
Gripping my chin, he pulled my lips to his. Kissing me firmly before leaving the room.
“This is great,” Narya stated. “Now that the males are gone, we can really get the juicy details.”
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