Chapter 8

Once our desires had been partly satisfied, he straightened his clothes while I wore mine, though we still looked disheveled—like two people who had just been through a playful struggle. "I just hope I didn’t leave your parents with the wrong impression about me," he murmured, and I found myself wondering the same thing. My parents… how must they have felt seeing me like that, in heat? He gave a soft chuckle. "What’s done is done. I guess I’ll just have to come back another time." "Why?" I asked, puzzled. "I have somewhere to be this evening—a party. But I promise, I’ll come back for you," he said, cupping my face in his hands. I instinctively leaned into his touch. "Don’t keep me waiting like you did today," I told him. His lips curled into a smile. "Oh, your flowers—I’ll go get them," he said, making me smile in return. He left, and I stood there alone, the smile slowly fading from my face. Then a thought crept in—what would the pack say if they saw me with Osborne? I might be his mate, but I’m still the same fat, unattractive Aina in their eyes. They would laugh, not just at me but at him too. I could already hear their scorn: How could someone like her be our Luna? The imagined disgust in their voices made my chest tighten. I wasn’t sure I could bear it. When he returned, holding a bunch of flowers, my face lit up. "This is my favorite," I told him, and he chuckled, as if he’d known all along. There were still so many questions I wanted to ask him—how he knew I was at the pack square after the rejection, how he knew my name, and why he chose to claim me—but I’d have to wait until we met again. "Thank you, it’s lovely," I said, inhaling their fragrance. "I’ll be off now," he replied. "And don’t go around going through heat—I almost killed three guys who were hanging around your building." My eyes widened. "What? When?" He scratched his head. "Your scent was so strong, it spread outside, Aina." I froze. Did he really mean that? In our world, wolves with scents that powerful were the most desired by the opposite sex. Could that mean I was one of them, despite how I looked? "Well, I have to go now," he said, stepping closer to kiss me. "You too—don’t go around being in heat," I warned, trying to match his teasing tone. He smiled warmly. "Of course I won’t. I love you, Aina," he said, his voice sincere. I simply nodded in response. With that, I walked him out, watching as he got into his car. He gave me one last lingering look before driving off. I let out a breath of relief and went back inside. Placing the flowers on the table, I quickly straightened up the living room. I hurried to the bathroom for a shower, needing to wash off the scent of sex clinging to me. After changing into fresh clothes, I returned to the living room, only to find my family back. The moment my mother spotted me, her face lit up with a wide smile. “Oh, look who’s here,” she beamed. “The new Luna of our pack! Aina, tell me all about it.” How ironic—the very first person to laugh at me now couldn’t wait to hear the whole story. But I couldn’t ignore the look Suzy shot me—pure irritation. I knew exactly why. In her mind, the idea of me becoming our future Luna was impossible. She’d probably run off to tell her friends just to mock me; I was certain of it. “We should take it easy,” my father interjected. “So, why did he leave? I thought he came to see us?” “Yes,” I explained, “he said he had somewhere to be this evening.” My father nodded in understanding. Of course, my brother had to ruin the moment. “I can’t believe you’re the future Luna. I don’t think anyone will take you seriously,” he said with a chuckle. For the first time in my life, my mother struck him, her face burning with anger. “Apologize to your sister! How could you say that?” she snapped. My father’s voice followed, firm and unyielding. “Yes, apologize. Now.” Josh looked at me, stunned, his jaw tight. “Yeah… I guess I overstepped my boundaries. Sorry.” I almost laughed. What on earth was going on? So now I was suddenly the favorite child? “But he didn’t mean it that way,” Suzy cut in, clearly not liking the way her mate was being scolded. My parents, however, completely ignored her. My mother quickly pulled out a chair for me. “You must be exhausted, Aina. Please, sit,” she said. I stared at her in surprise but obeyed, still catching the strange look in her eyes. Suzy grabbed Josh’s hand, and the two of them stormed off to their room. “You don’t have to lift a finger today, darling. Mummy will take care of everything,” my mother assured me, my father nodding in agreement beside her. I sat there in a daze, unable to laugh or even speak. The whole scene felt foreign—so out of place—that it almost made me want to throw up. She sat beside me, her face filled with a million questions she was dying to ask. “So, we need to plan your mating ceremony. Did he say anything about that?” She paused, then hesitated before continuing. “And today… did—did you go all the way?” What? Was she seriously asking me this? “Mom!” I almost screamed, my face turning crimson. My dad, who had been listening, got up and muttered, “This is woman talk,” as he walked away. My face burned even hotter as memories of what happened in the living room flooded back. She caught onto my discomfort, and her smile widened. “You need to get pregnant quickly, Aina. I can’t believe my baby’s all grown up,” she said, dramatically wiping away a tear that wasn’t even there. “It’s not what you think, Mom,” I quickly replied, hoping to shut this conversation down. She paused, her eyes narrowing. “We didn’t go all the way,” I clarified, but her expression remained irritated for a moment before she composed herself. “But you did something—that’s all that matters. Aina, you need to step up your game fast. Before he loses interest and rejects you like Alex did.” Her words hit harder than I expected. I’d been afraid of that happening, but hearing it out loud made it feel like a slap to the face. Still, I needed to keep my composure. They were treating me better now, and I couldn’t risk losing that. So, I nodded, forcing the words out. “Yes, Mom.” She smiled, her arms wrapping around me for a hug. “I’m so proud of you,” she said. I couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually hugged me like that.