Page 128 of Luna: Posy 2

"About four thousand, give or take a couple of hundred."

I came to a stop, my hand still clutching his, and raised wide eyes to stare at him.

"Fourthousand?"

"Itisfive packs put together, luna," he giggled down at me and squeezed my hand. "How big is your old pack?"

"Green River? Um, I guess maybe six or seven hundred."

"Tiny." He nodded. "Do you know what you want to get for a present?"

"Nope. I know she makes her own clothes, doesn't like lemon-lime flavor anything, and wears understated jewelry."

"What did the alphas get her?"

After I told him, I asked him if he had any ideas.

"She likes high-end things like Miss Dior perfume and Chanel bags," he murmured as his eyes softened, "but she also collects interesting rocks and minerals, prisms, kaleidoscopes, and stuffies. She's a perfect contradiction—"

He slammed his mouth closed, and the tips of his ears tinted as pink as his cheeks. He cleared his throat and opened the door.

"Anyway, luna, I'll probably just get her a gift card to her favorite fabric store."

"A gift card is practical, but seems so impersonal." I frowned up at him.

"I need it to be impersonal. If she finds her mate tonight, it wouldn't look good for me to give her anything too special, no matter how much I want to."

"Ty, you are still her friend, and you can remain her friend. Get her whatever you want and if anyone says anything, send them to me and I'll set them straight."

That made him laugh.

"Do you hang out together at school?"

"No," he said with a tone of finality that caught my curiosity. "She runs in a whole different circle at school. I wouldn't dare approach her outside of the pack."

"Then how do you know so much about her?"

"I pay attention. I notice everything about her—"

Again, he caught himself and stopped talking. This time, red flooded his face and spread to his neck, and I had to bite my lips together to keep from giggling.

#

At five o’clock, Mason, Cole, Tyler, and I piled into Cole's SUV with our gifts piled in the back. I was alive with nerves, and Mason reached over and untangled my fingers to hold my hands in his.

"Will your family like me?" I asked.

"They will love you." He kissed the tip of my nose. "Peri's been telling them all about you."

"Just stay away from our youngest two brothers," Cole teased from the driver's seat. "Their cute, chubby cheeks and big innocent eyes will steal your heart from us."

"Impossible," I assured him, although my smile was a little shaky with anxiety.

"Emerson's telling them about you, too," Cole continued. "He and the other betas and their mates are there already, and Mama and Mom are grilling them for information. You'll probably be mobbed as soon as you get out of the car."

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

You can do this, I told myself.

---