Page 97 of Alpha Reid

Her eyes meet mine in the mirror. “Is it too much?”

She turns at the waist to face me, and I can’t help my eyes from drifting down her frame. She’s wearing a tight light grey sweater dress and black suede thigh-high boots, her makeup impeccable and her hair pulled over one shoulder in loose red waves.

“It’s too much,” she sighs, turning on a heel and stomping off toward the large walk-in closet that we moved her things into yesterday afternoon.

“Serena…” I catch up to her in three long strides, capturing her wrist and yanking her toward me, spinning her into my chest. She lets out a little puff of air as our bodies collide, pressing her palms against my pecs and looking up at me.

“It’s not too much, you look perfect,” I murmur, leaning down to brush my lips against hers. “You’re stunning.”

Serena whimpers softly as I claim her mouth, nipping her lower lip and sweeping my tongue inside. Her arms wind around my neck as I deepen the kiss, lips gliding together, tongues tangling. I grab her by the backs of her thighs, hiking one leg up to rest against my hip as I slide my other hand up to grab her ass beneath the hem of her dress. Her body is so soft and pliable under my hands, so responsive to every touch. By the time I pull back, we’re both breathless.

“Now c’mon, just come downstairs,” I urge, giving her ass a little swat before pulling my hand out from under her dress. “My mom’s dying to meet you.”

She pushes at my chest. “Well now I need a second since you had to come in here and get me all hot and bothered.”

I laugh, relinquishing my grip on Serena and watching as she struts back over to the mirror, smoothing her hair and examining her appearance again.

“You sure this is alright?” she asks, tugging at the hem of her sweater dress. It hugs her curves perfectly and ends about six inches above the tops of her boots, leaving a tantalizing strip of thigh on display. I’m betting that few women could pull off the look that Serena’s rocking right now, and none could do it as well.

“Positive. Let’s go.” I flick my head in the direction of the door, holding a hand out toward her.

Serena spins around, stepping toward me and placing her hand in mine. I know she’s only fussing over her appearance like this because she’s a little nervous for tonight. Tonight, I’m officially introducing her to the pack as my mate and their new Luna. I’m also announcing that the remaining members of her pack will be joining ours, with an initiation ceremony to take place on the next full moon. Before all of that, though, the two most important women in my life finally get to meet.

The pack won’t be showing up here for another hour or so, but my parents came over ahead of everyone else so my mom can meet Serena first. Dad already told her that I’d found my mate, but we’ve been waiting for the right time to introduce them- both because the shadow pack conflict took precedence over everything else and because we wanted to wait for one of Mom’s ‘good’ days. After realizing yesterday that it was a necessity to introduce Serena to the pack sooner rather than later, we set today’s meeting, and luckily enough, Mom’s having a good day.

As Serena and I descend the stairs, I spot my parents sharing a couch in the living room, chatting with her sister. Considering all she’s been through, Olivia seems to be adjusting remarkably well so far. Serena has been hovering and constantly checking in on her. I guess I can’t blame her for being overattentive after everything, but she still has her own grief to process. I worry she’s just trying to distract herself from it.

The three of them are lost in conversation and I have to clear my throat when we hit the bottom of the stairs to get their attention. Mom’s gaze swings my way and her eyes immediately light up as she takes in the sight of my mate beside me.

“You must be Serena!” she says excitedly, getting to her feet with a huge smile on her face. “You’re even prettier than I thought you’d be,” she remarks, turning to swat Dad on the arm as he rises to stand beside her. “Why didn’t you tell me how pretty she was?”

“I did,” Dad chuckles, slipping an arm over Mom’s shoulders. “Words just don’t do beauty like hers justice.” He winks at Serena and she instantly starts blushing. That smooth sonofabitch.

“Well, I’ll leave you guys to it,” Olivia breathes, rising from the leather recliner and glancing awkwardly between my parents and her sister and me.

I furrow my brow and give a shake of my head. “Stay,” I urge, making my way into the living room with Serena. “Please. We’re all family now.”

Olivia smiles and drops back down onto the recliner, while Serena and I take the couch on the other side of her, across from my parents. They, too, sit down again and we all get comfortable.

“So when’s the Luna ceremony?” Mom asks, positively beaming.

Dad chuckles beside her. “Come on, now, one thing at a time…”

I sling an arm around Serena’s shoulders. “Well actually, about that…”

Serena elbows me slyly as Dad, Mom, and Olivia all stare in my direction, interest piqued, waiting for me to go on.

“We kinda jumped the gun,” I say, exchanging a side-eyed glance with Serena.

“It was just to get me in on the mind-link before the battle,” she adds quickly. “The pack should understand that, right?”

My parents exchange glances, then Dad shakes his head. “I wouldn’t even tell them. The ceremony’s more about tradition, anyways, so you’ll still have to have it either way. Until then, they’ll be none the wiser.”

In all honesty, I’d thought of this myself but wasn’t sure if it was the right approach. Hearing it from my dad solidifies it, though- I can always count on him to provide sage advice.

“You definitely still have to do the ceremony,” Mom gushes, clasping her hands together in front of her. “It’s something the two of you will never forget. It’s…” she trails off, a faraway look in her eyes. When she doesn’t pick it back up after a few moments, my dad and I share a look, knowing we’ve lost her. This happens often with my mom’s condition; she easily loses her train of thought.

Dad is always quick to jump in with the rescue. “I still remember your Luna ceremony like it was yesterday,” he says, taking my mom’s hand in his and gazing down at her adoringly.

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