Page 26 of Alpha's Choice
Satisfied, I grabbed a lacy cami and went to the bathroom to change. I curled my hair and left it loose, putting on a little more makeup than the almost none I usually wore. I finished the outfit with a pair of flat sandals.
“You look perfect.” Tobias gave me a heated look as he grabbed my hand and led me from the bedroom. “The pack is going to love you.”
I looked at him in disbelief. “Love seems unlikely. How about we aim for grudging acceptance?”
“We can do better than that.” He spoke with confidence, but I could sense an underlying nervousness that matched my own.
We headed out the door and met up with Matthew and Brenda as they exited their apartment. Brenda rushed over and gave me a reassuring hug. “Don’t be nervous. We’ll be right beside you, giving you our support.”
I hugged her back. She had a lot of energy, but it felt genuine. We descended the stairs and one floor down, two men joined us. Tobias introduced them as Patrick and Danny, his Gamma and Delta.
I shot a surreptitious glance at Danny, who would train me on Monday. He winked and gave me a big grin, earning a low growl from Tobias. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Emma. I’m looking forward to training you. We’ll have you kicking butt in no time.”
A short laugh burst out of me. “I’d settle for being able to hold my own and not embarrass myself. I don’t expect to beat wolves in a fight.”
“Nah, that’s aiming too low.” He nudged me with his elbow. “We’ll come up with strategies to work with your strengths.”
“What strengths? I don’t have any fighting strengths.”
“Everyone has them. It’s just a matter of finding out what yours are.” He slung his arm around my shoulders. “It’ll be fun.”
Tobias moved Danny’s arm and stepped between us. “Hands off my girl. It’s bad enough you’ll have to touch her in training.”
The guys laughed at Tobias’s pout. Patrick joked. “I bet he’s going to show up and give Danny the evil eye all during training.”
“So what if I do?” Tobias crossed his arms. “There’s nothing wrong with making sure my mate is okay.” He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, tucking my head under his chin.
Danny groaned. “That’s all I need. A possessive Alpha watching as I teach his Luna to fight.”
I relaxed back into Tobias’s embrace. I let their banter wash over me as I took deep breaths to settle my nerves for the meeting. Tobias’s friends were all supportive. Not one of them had given me a reason to think they weren’t accepting of me as Tobias’s mate and Luna. Maybe having the leadership team on my side would help the rest of the pack to accept me.
Tobias gave me a gentle squeeze before releasing me to head down to the main floor, lacing our fingers together. The familiar sparks were now comforting, a signal to my brain of the connection I had with Tobias.
We moved together through the packhouse foyer, curious stares landing on me as people moved out of the way. I spotted Kylie with our friends from school and gave them a small wave as we passed.
Round tables filled the dining hall, half of them empty. Tobias took me to a long head table on a raised stage.
He leaned in and whispered in my ear. “The head table is just because it’s a pack meeting. We don’t always have to be on display when we eat in the dining hall.”
“Good. If we had to eat like this every day, we’d never eat here. And I don’t cook.”
Tobias gave a low laugh as he guided me to a pair of chairs in the middle of the table. We sat down and the rest of his leadership team followed, flanking us, Matthew and Brenda to Tobias’s right, while Patrick and Danny sat on my left.
Tobias’s family was sitting at the far right end of the table. His parents gave me polite smiles in greeting, but Megan ignored me.
“I asked your mom and Greg to sit up here with us as well. I thought you’d appreciate the extra support.”
I brushed my lips against Tobias’s cheek and whispered my thanks in his ear before pulling back. Mom and Greg came into the dining hall, each giving me a hug before sitting next to Danny.
The dining hall filled, and I was happy that Kylie and my friends sat at a table in the front, where I could see them. Kylie gave me a discreet thumbs up.
Tobias stood, and a hush fell over the room. “We’ve asked you here today to address the rumors going around.” He reached down and pulled me up to stand beside him. “I have found my mate and the pack’s new Luna, Emma Chambers.”
The room erupted in whispers. I couldn’t make out what they were saying but guessed it wasn’t good as Tobias’s hand tightened around mine. “Yes, Emma is human, and she will be the first human Luna in pack history. But don’t forget the Moon Goddess chose her for that role.”
His gaze was stern as it traveled over the seated pack. “Emma is new to pack life, having joined us only a week ago when Greg returned with his new mate, Emma’s mother, Jane. But she is curious and eager to learn more about the pack. I know she will make an amazing Luna.”
Beta Matthew stood and raised his water glass. “I’ve had the pleasure of following Emma’s progress her first week here, and I second that. Even before Tobias met her, I told him she would be a credit to this pack. I didn’t know then how important she would be to him and to all of us, but I, for one, trust the Moon Goddess and her wisdom.”
