Chapter 22:

The morning after her introduction to the pack Camila felt a wave of serenity come over her that she hadn't experienced in a long time.

She felt bright sunlight filter through her window and warm her from the inside out. She let herself sink and then float into the morning. Things were changing for the better. She could feel it.

She stretched her limbs and enjoyed a cool, revitalising shower before going to the kitchen to have a cup of tea. She glanced at the time on the clock and saw it was still relatively early. Taine would be up.

Not having the confidence to walk up the stairs and knock on his office door she decided to wait until he came down, to ask what her first official duty as Luna would be. To say she was excited was an understatement.

Thirty minutes later she was still waiting. The cup of tea in her hands had long since been finished. Surely Taine wouldn't still be sleeping?

Werewolves were nightcrawlers. The night was where they thrived. As a species, they struggled to wake alongside the sun and Taine was the exception. She didn't know how he could manage to rise so early.

Knowing his unusual tendencies she made sure that she woke up two hours earlier than normal.

Thirty minutes turned into forty-five and patience turned into irritation.

Just to make sure Taine wasn't actually sleeping and she wasn't overreacting she turned the air temperature to ridiculously low. One of his pet peeves (she had learned about the hard way) was that you didn't use the AC unless it was a sweltering day and if you did, you never put it on the 'blizzard' setting.

She waited until even she was chilly...Nothing.

Now she could confidently conclude, he definitely wasn't home.

Camila tapped her fingers against the china mug, in morbid contemplation. It was one of three scenarios.

He tragically died in his sleep.

He decided to hit the road and leave her to run the pack.

Or he had woken up at a ridiculous hour and being the asshole he was, he didn't tell her that he was in his office in the packhouse....

She was more than happy to accept the realities of the first two options but decided with bitterness that the third was most likely. Glancing at the clock again, Camila decided she could afford another hour of 'tardiness' to dress up a little.

Forty minutes later Camila was dressed to impress and ready for her first day as a Luna.

Enjoying the stroll to the packhouse she took in the fragrant air and let her heart soar with the birds that flitted from tree to tree. This pack was smaller than her old one, but she liked it that way. It made it easier for strangers to become friends and then for friends to become family. This was the first time she felt free enough to experience it all. The first time she had arrived, everything had been coated by darkness and she had practically been smuggled into Taine's house. No time for wandering eyes.

The vast green landscape was sporadically littered with houses and greenery. To the outside, the pack looked like a closed estate. The long red brick driveway began at the gated entrance and wove its way through clusters of lovingly planted trees before it curved over a hill and into the main part of the pack, the road branched out like a river, flowing onto various establishments. An early learning centre, a café, a medical clinic, a training centre.

Glittering bursts of laughter and shouts of glee could always be heard down the path that led to the playground. These young wolves were lucky, to grow up in such a lush environment. There was another path that led to an equivalent of a suburb. That was the home to majority of the pack members.

Looking at the way the sunlight reflected off the blanket of green, all Camila wanted to do was run to the top of the highest hill, take off her heels, and roll down in reckless abandon. On that hill stood a stoic but magnificent oak tree. It was a rumoured hotspot for young lovers, who she was told, had been picnicking under the branches and carving their initials into its bark for generations.

Every inch of this land was teeming with life. It was beautiful. And in the centre of it all, standing in the middle of cobblestoned, pack-square, was the packhouse. The house itself wasn't immaculate. It had large double doors and she knew balconies existed at various points, but apart from those few features, it blended in rather seamlessly with the rest of the buildings flanking it.

How impractical for it to be a mansion when hundreds of werewolves roamed (ran, shed, scratched) its halls. It did not look unkempt or neglected, it just seemed wasted to adorn it with marble and gold. That was a very humanistic perspective of wealth that she was glad this pack did not subscribe to. The station of a pack wasn't and shouldn't be measured by how many glass doorknobs could be counted.

Before stepping up to the door, she looked once more at the fauna and flora she felt privileged to be surrounded by. That was wealth. Wealth beyond measure.

---

Since it was a weekend the house was full of wolves. Wolves, laughing, playing, cooking. She looked at everyone with pride and admiration as they continued about their harmonious routines. As soon as she entered the main living space she could tell that this pack was filled with happiness.

As anticipated Camila was stopped nearly every few seconds to meet this person, or to taste that cookie. She wasn't complaining. It was strange to be called Luna, but it also felt right.

Eventually, when she made her way to the more formal, business wing of the house she straightened her shoulders and prepared for what was to come.

She approached the front desk and flashed a winning smile at the receptionist, who she vaguely remembered seeing at the ceremony.

The young lady smiled at her from behind a pair of clear-rimmed glasses.

"Goodmorning Luna. How can I help you."

Although she had a friendly demeanour she felt like this woman was looking her up and down. Assessing her with a cool, calculating gaze.

"Hello, I am here to speak with Alpha Alverio."

Looking back down at her work she responded with a seemingly practised answer. "Alpha Alverio is busy at the moment. I can take a message."

Camila didn't feel disrespected but she was beginning to get irked. She was here to work. Not to be blocked by an entitled receptionist.

She placed her fingers on her desk, gaining her attention again. "Could you please tell him that I am here to see him."

The receptionist made eye contact with Camila. It was a challenging stare. Camila dared her to look away first. After a few tense moments. She picked up the phone and dialled the office.

Choosing to give her the benefit she decided that this lady didn't mean to be snarky, the strict work environment Ivory and Taine had probably enforced had hardened her.

"Hello, Alpha?-"

Before she had even finished talking Camila could hear Taine on the other end of the phone, using some harsh words. Even though he wasn't yelling, it was still uncalled for and just plain rude.

"Sorry Alpha Alverio, I know. Sorry. The Luna is here to see you?"

Silence on the other end of the phone.

Camila couldn't hear his eventual reply.

"Alpha Alverio asked if you could please wait." The secretary forced a smile and gestured to a few armchairs on the side of the room.

Deciding not to create more conflict, she moved to take the seat. Before she did she turned to the receptionist.

"What's your name?"

"Vanessa Wilson, Luna."

Camila gave her a reassuring smile. "Nice to meet you, Miss Wilson. I am going to speak with Alpha Alverio about how he addresses his pack members. He shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

She lowered her head but Camila could see that she was relieved and grateful. "Thank you, Luna."

Camila sat down and grabbed an old 'teen wolf' magazine from a basket and waited.