"You have such beautiful hair," Charlotte said. The truth being that she'd been tugging at it for almost an hour.

Most of my looks came from my mom, but the unruly mop of hair on my head was all from my father. It was dark brown with highlights hidden throughout. It was also a curly, ratted mess. I usually just settled for straightening it so it was easier to manage.

"Thank you," I said.

I could already feel the anxiety start to bubble in my stomach. I had begun to play with the ends of the emerald dress Charlotte had put on me. I'd never thought I looked good in green, but she said it brought attention to my eyes. My mother's light green eyes.

I winced as she pulled the brush through my curls.

"Sorry," she said, continuing, "so, are you nervous?"

"Extremely," I said. It didn't help that I could feel how nervous Caleb was as well. It was enough anxiety to put me on edge for days. "Is that bad?"

"I'd be more concerned if you weren't," she said, plugging in the curling iron. "Being the next Luna is a big deal."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.

"You're going to meet a lot of important pack members tonight. The whole counsel and not only the elders, but Caleb's grandmother Luna Mother Rose."

"Luna Mother?" I asked, confused that I'd never heard the title before.

"When Alpha Desmond, Caleb's grandfather, died and Alpha Arthur stepped up, he was already mated to Luna Adeline. So, Luna Mother Rose was no longer the pack's Luna anymore, but she still has a title out of respect," Charlotte explained.

"That's a lot to remember," I said, taking a deep breath.

Charlotte took a piece of my hair and coiled it around the iron.

"Trust me, it took me forever. I honestly think I drove Alison nuts with all my questions," she said.

"Alison?" I asked. I noticed the scar at the crook of her neck.

"My mate," she said.

"I didn't realize two women could be mates," I said, "the way Caleb explained it-"

"We didn't find each other that way," she said, "Alison did have a mate but she rejected him for me. We chose each other despite her instincts."

"Oh," I said, "I'm sorry if I upset you..."

"You're fine," she smiled, "it's a question we get all the time."

"Where's the guy Alison was mated to? If you don't mind me asking." I was honestly just trying to get my mind off of my speeding heart rate and sweaty palms.

Charlotte was silent for a moment. "That's not really my story to tell," she said, quietly.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry," I said, "I was just trying to distract myself from over thinking."

"Don't worry about it. There's going to be tons of alcohol, I'll make sure you're buzzed enough to stay relaxed," she said.

I laughed, trying to remember the last time I drank when Caleb opened the door to his bedroom.

"Are you almost ready?" He asked, peeking his head in.

I smiled as I felt his anxiety wash away and I was wrapped up in the warm feeling I got whenever he looked at me like that. Like he loved me.

"She's all your's," Charlotte said, after curling the last strand of hair.

My curls haven't looked this tame in a long time. I never bothered with my hair unless my mother offered to do it for me, and since the accident I had barely done anything with it at all.

"Thank you," I said to her, smoothing out my dress.

"You look beautiful," Caleb said as he took my hand. "Thanks Char," he said to Charlotte before he led me out of the room.

"How do you know Charlotte?" I asked.

"Her mate, Alison, is my best friend," he said, smiling as he mentions her name.

"Why haven't I met her yet?" I asked, trying to keep up with his quick pace.

"You'll meet her tonight," he said, "I just didn't want to overwhelm you with people, but it looks like I don't have a choice now that my parents decided to throw you a party."

He took me down the stairs before we ended up at the french doors that led to the back yard.

"You're going to meet a lot of people today, but don't worry I know they'll love you," he said before kissing me swiftly and opening the doors.

The back yard was lit up by the sunset and string lights, they reminded me of the ones you see at Italian restaurants. In the far side of the yard there was a platform with a long table stretched across it. That's where Caleb's parents were, but to get there we had to walk through a sea of people.

Even though there were so many of them, they all seemed to know Caleb. He was friendly with them even, shaking hands, giving hugs. They were all sweet when greeting me, introducing themselves with wide smiles. They seemed genuinely happy to meet me.

As we made our way to the table Caleb pulled out my seat for me, he pushed it in and then sat in the one next to mine.

"See? That wasn't too bad," he said, taking my hand under the table.

"No, not bad at all," I said.

I looked down either side of the long table. On the other side of me Jack was picking at his food, he didn't seem very interested in the party at all.

"You okay?" I asked him, nudging his shoulder with mine.

He looked like a jolted him out of a deep thought as he registered what I said.

"Yeah, all good," he said, but his voice wasn't very convincing at all. "I'm going to get a drink, do you want anything?"

"Sure, thanks," I said, nodding.

Jack got up and jogged down the steps of the platform, disappearing through the crowd of people.

Down the other side of the table were Caleb's parents and then a few people I had yet to meet.

"Who are they?" I asked Caleb, nodding my head in the direction of the strangers.

"Next to my dad is Marcus, his Beta, and that's Marcus's wife and kids," he said.

The next three people I did know, Sophie, Olivia and Mason. Mason looked as miserable as ever, I could only assume that he still hadn't talked to Hayleigh. I made eye contact with Sophie. Her crystal blue eyes were piercing, it was like she could look right through me.

She looked away, her expression turning sour, before she stood from the table and walked away. I wish I could talk to her, explain that I didn't blame her for hating me.

"Caleb, aren't you going to give me a hug?"

A woman walked towards us, she was tall, the heels she was wearing only adding to her height. She had long black hair that fell down to her waist and bright caramel eyes, like Caleb.

"Hi grandma," he said, standing from his chair and hugging her. I followed his lead in standing, but waited for further instructions, doing my best not to embarrass myself. "This is Birdie," he said, setting his hand on the small of my back.

"What an unusual name," she said, looking me up and down, then turning her attention to the crowd of people before us. "Where's Sophie?"

I tucked an insecure strand of hair behind my ear before my fingers anxiously tugged on one another. I wished Jack would come back with my drink so that I'd at least have something to occupy my nervous hands with.

I felt a fire start to burn in the middle of my chest. Caleb was angry, at least I knew that I wasn't over thinking her dismissal.

"I don't know, why?" He said, jaw clenched.

"Birdie, why don't you come with me to get a drink?" She said, walking between Caleb and I.

I looked at him with furrowed brows. He gave me a curt nod, encouraging me to go with her. She walked quickly so I had to practically jog to keep up with her pace.

"I see he already marked you," she said, as we arrived at what seemed to be an open bar. I set my hand on the bandage at the crook of my neck. "I guess there's no stopping it now."

"I'm sorry?" I said, hoping I misheard her.

"How old are you?" She asked. Her caramel eyes weren't soft like Caleb's were. They were hard and cruel.

"Eighteen," I said, cautiously.

"You're practically a child," she scoffed. She turned to the young man at the bar and ordered a dry martini before she brought her burning gaze back to me. "Do you know about Sophie? Caleb's girlfriend, I mean."

I clenched my teeth at the implication that she was still his girlfriend, and cleared my throat before answering.

"Yes," I said, quietly.

"So, you know that she's lived her whole life preparing for the spot you've found yourself in?"

"Yes," I said again. I hated how much she intimidated me, but I couldn't stop how small I felt.

"So, what in the hell makes you think you could compare?"

"Were you not someone's mate?" I asked, my voice still small as I tried to stand up for myself. Something I wasn't particularly good at.

The young man returned to the bar, a dry martini in hand. He handed it to her before disappearing to tend to the next customer.

"I was a Beta's daughter, just like Sophie is. I, however, became Luna despite Desmond's mate. He, unlike Caleb, wasn't a complete idiot and knew a human had no place being a leader," she said, taking a cold sip of her drink. "Do you know anything about our pack's history? How the first pack members were Aleut? It's because of mindsets like Caleb's that our population has dwindled to what it is."

"I'm sorry if you don't approve of me, but I can assure you that I have every intention of being apart of this pack," I said, becoming angry.

"You're a human," she said, her voice condescending, "you can never understand what it means to be apart of a pack. The only advice I can give you is to walk away, because I can assure you that you're in over your head."

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way," I said before turning around and stalking away. I was practically fuming. She didn't even know me yet she treated me like dirt. I'd never felt so low, so worthless before.

I found myself wondering where Jack was, where Charlotte was even, both had promised alcohol and neither had delivered. I wasn't about to go back to the open bar and be near the woman who had metaphorically ripped me to shreds.

I could feel the tears forming in my eyes, and the lump in my throat was growing painful as I did my best to keep my composure. I made my way to the french doors that would lead me back inside the pack house.

Maybe she was right? Maybe I was over my head here. It was true I didn't know the first thing about being a leader, I hadn't even graduated high school yet. I made my decision to let Caleb mark me too quickly, without thinking about the consequences. I didn't even know if I wanted children and now I was all but contractually obligated to.

I couldn't remember where the bathroom was so I found myself lost in the hallways of the first floor. I didn't know how anyone could remember the layout of this place.

I could feel my emotions starting to get the best of me so I opened the next door I saw, not caring where it was, all I wanted to to hide away to collect myself. I all but fell inside the dark room, but I froze in place as I noticed that the room was already occupied.

The light from the hallway flooded in, lighting up two individuals. I found myself stunned with confusion by the image before me.

A disheveled Jack had Sophie pushed against the wall, his hands tangled in her long blonde hair as his lips moved with hers.

Once the hallway light hit them they jumped apart. Jack groaned in frustration as Sophie rushed passed me, running from the scene of the crime. Jack pushed his hair away from his forehead and looked at me with a cautious expression.

"I can explain," he said, shoving his hands deep into his suit pockets.