A party for the Luna - I

Pushing the distracting thought of the marking ceremony out of her mind, Jade focused on Malfrid’s mother. Why was she talking like that? She was answering her own questions out loud. What gave her the courage to share her thoughts so freely?

As the regent Luna, should she not hold back her thoughts?

"Come, come," the elder woman said but ended up pulling Jade out of the room and opening the door adjacent to Malfrid's room. "You can stay here. It is near and away at the same time."

Jade stepped into the room as the regent Luna stepped out.

"If you need anything, just let me know. Get ready for the ceremony tonight and I should come and get you in an hour." With a smile, she closed the door, leaving Jade alone inside.

Jade took off her shoes and moved closer to the door. Moving her ear near to it, she listened for any movements.

No one was there.

She moved away from the door, satisfied. Finally, she was alone again.

Throwing open the closet doors, she began to sift through what was available. In the end, she found something that could pass for the ceremony. It was a light blue colored dress, perfect for the occasion.

Not waiting around, Jade got to showering; making sure that the door was locked from the inside. Keeping the bag that contained some spare clothes and her weapons close, she quickly took a bath and got dressed.

Flicking the knife in her hand, she started to buckle the holder in place near her shoes. However, the dress was a little shorter than most evening gowns and it exposed her ankles. There was no way she could keep a weapon in plain sight.

She moved it to her upper thigh, hoping they wouldn’t go for a run tonight.

Once she was ready, she moved to the door. She had to scope the house first. It might help with escaping later if push came to shove.

Just as Jade opened the door, she found the alpha mate of hers, Malfrid, standing in front of his door, looking at hers with wide eyes as if he had been caught. She widened her eyes slightly and looked away.

“Stop!”

Jade jumped a little when he abruptly spoke, retreating back into the room and shutting the door immediately.

A knock came on the door. “Jade?”

She bit back a smile before clearing her throat. Werewolves were always so fun to play with.

“Y-Yes?”

“Please, I apologize for startling you. I had no intention of doing that. Do you want me to send my mother or sister to accompany you?”

His trust was the most important to win. No one in the pack would ever challenge him.

After quietly waiting for a few seconds, she opened the door and looked at his knees, refusing to meet his eyes.

“I. . . I think I should go with you. Mates are forever, so I’ve heard. So, we should get to know each other,” she whispered and bit her lips nervously.

“Look at me, Jade.” She raised her eyes and found his. “If that is what you want, then you shall have it.” He raised his hand and held it out in front of her to take. “Would you like to hold my hand?”

She glanced at it and shyly, averting her eyes from his. Jade then placed her hand in his.

They started walking together in silence. Just as she exited the house with him, Jade felt eyes on her. She was trained to detect bloodlust without even meeting her opponent’s gaze. More often than not, they would die by her blade before she even needed to look them in the eye.

However, here, she couldn’t just go and kill them. She could only grit her teeth and bide her time. Patience was a virtue, after all. All good things came to those who waited.

Malfrid led the both of them towards a group of people and she could see the similarities in them from afar. They were Malfrid’s family members, no doubt.

“Everyone, this is Jade,” he looked over to her with affectionate eyes, “my mate.” He then turned to his family and introduced them to her. “This,” he pointed to an older version of him, “is my father, Björn Mekkelsen. My mother; whom you met just now, Ida Mekkelsen.” He pointed to the woman who had led her to the room of the Alpha.

“These are my younger brothers; Eirik and Olsen.” He gestured to each of them respectively and she passed everyone a smile and a small bow of head.

Jade looked at Malfrid to find him giving his mother a questioning look.

“Where’s…” he trailed off, as if looking for someone.

Ida only sighed tiredly at her, explaining, “Nina is my youngest child. She just turned eighteen and has recently started to shift.” She shrugged apologetically. “She has gone for a run.”

“She will be coming soon,” Björn declared in his deep voice looking at her and she nodded in understanding.

Family was important to the wolves and she was the newest member. Introductions were very important for them.

Jade stayed close to the family as the members of the pack slowly started to arrive. This was not anticipated. It should’ve been a quick and easy mission— slip in and then out. Now, she was tangled in this mate mess. She had to think of something without letting the master know.

“How long have you been traveling for?” Ida asked with a curious expression.

“Ten days. I have travelled from America," Jade answered Ida politely.

Her eyes widened. “My, my. You must be hungry for some proper food then.” She turned to look at Jade’s alleged mate. “Malfrid, you must have her well fed by the end of the night.”

Jade wrinkled her nose slightly. She was not aware of her own lack of hands.

Malfrid walked with her to the table where the food was but an elder called him before they could dig in. He turned to her with a torn expression, apologetic.

She smiled. “You can go. I’ll look for your parents after or perhaps," she pointed to the benches, “I'll be there.”

Malfrid nodded and Jade watched as the Alpha reverted back to his duties. She turned back to the meat in front of her. She was starving and it certainly wouldn’t hurt to get a bit of grub in her belly before heading off to work.

"Isn't it a sight?"

She turned around to see a woman standing with her arms folded in front of her chest with a scornful expression on her face.

"Can I help you?" Even with her taunt, she was polite because Luna’s were generally regarded as the mother of the pack, so she had been taught. Being polite and respectful was one of the main qualities a Luna possessed.

The girl scoffed. "Yes, I would like my Alpha back!" she spat, making her narrow her eyes — very slightly — at her.

Jade smiled and stepped closer to the young girl. Whispering, Jade told her, "Your Alpha is still your Alpha. He's just my mate." she gave a wide smile before moving back to the food.

Behind her, she could hear the weird woman stomping away, no doubt infuriated by her words. Yet, she was in no position to refute, a fact she knew very well.

Jade moved towards the benches after piling up her plate. She loved meat. Keeping her plate on the bench, she tore a piece of meat with her hand as she hadn’t been able to find any cutleries nor could she be bothered to.

She heard a thump just as she was about to eat and she looked up to see a smirking man in front of her.

What wouldn't she give to sew them shut.

“What can I help you with?” Jade asked with a tilt of her head.

He smirked and leaned forward. “You are a fox, aren't you? I can smell it off of you. Rumour on the street is that your kind is quite the seductress. What do you say we have a little fun?”

What was with their obsession with foxes?

She leaned in as well. Her eyes moved past the man where she could see Malfrid coming towards them. He was not happy and his eyes were on the back of the head of the man sitting with her.

She turned back to the man and changed her expressions, “Foxes are the seductresses, you’re right,” she whispered tantalizingly with a small smile on her face. “We seduce and,” she placed her thumb on her neck and drew a line, “kill,” she finished, hissing the last word without remorse.

The man stared at her with wide eyes in complete shock. "Uh-h—"

"Jonathan," Malfrid's voice made the man jump, "what are you doing with my mate?" He came to her side and placed his hand over her shoulder, pulling her close.

"N-Nothing," he shook his head and stood up in a hurry. "Nothing."

Within seconds, that man, Jonathan, had walked away hurriedly. He didn’t even turn back to look, as if afraid to meet her gaze.

Good, because she wasn’t joking.

Jade looked at the Alpha who now sat in front of her previously where Jonathan was. He glared hard at the other man’s disappearing figure, as if already picturing all different manners he could have him six feet under.

Deciding to tease him a little, Jade asked, "Have you slept with anyone before me?"

Malfrid’s eyes widened briefly before he gave her a firm shake of his head. "No, I have not."

His answer was a little shocking, seeing how he was no doubt popular among his people and maybe even those from beyond his borders. Jade could never understand the extent a werewolf’s loyalty could reach.

“However,” he started to say, placing his thumb on her lip, caressing the flesh tenderly. “I don’t mind if you would like to change that.”