Chapter 47

Amelie

"Owe!" I wake up with a tiny arm smacking me in the face. I turn, and Gideon is waking up with a foot in his face.

"I think we are going to need a bigger bed," I whisper as I slowly get up.

There is a slight panic in Gideon's expression, "They can't sleep with us every night."

I smile and head to the bathroom to get ready for the day. It's my first unofficial day as Luna, and I have so much I need to prepare for the Luna ceremony and pack duties. I knew what kind of Luna I was going to be. My focus would be on improving the lives of my pack members. I had a lot to dig into to do that. I knew I was going to enhance pack meals first and do some minor redecorating in the packhouse to prep for the Ceremony. I needed a team, and I knew just where to find them.

I quickly get dresses. It's starting to warm up a bit, it's still chilly, but I want to show my marks a little. I find a tank top and a thin oversized cardigan. I can look casual but still show off my marks. I'm proud of them. Gideon comes in right after I'm done getting dressed. He corners me and will not let me pass. "Where is my kiss?" He brings me into him and kisses me. He slides my cardigan off my shoulder and kisses my mark. I moan at the sparks that are stronger than ever. Gideon picks me up and sits me on the counter, and slides the rest of my cardigan off when the closet door creeks open.

Daisy yells, "Daddy! Where is Mommy!"

We stop mid-kiss, "They are not sleeping with us tonight." Gideon says before answering Daisy. "Mommy is in here with me." The door burst the rest of the way open, and Rose and Daisy come running in.

"Come on; girls, let's let daddy get dressed. We should go pick out outfits for the day too. Come on." I give Gideon a wink, and I hear a sad whimper as I walk out with the girls in hand.

We walk into the twin's closet, and they seem to want to dress like me. We find the closest outfit we can to mine. I put up their hair in a high ponytail, again like mine, and I feel like I have two little mini-me's walking around. We go back to my room to get Gideon to go down for breakfast.

We would have to do most meals with the pack for a while. It was fine for now, but I wanted to cook for my family and have our private time. I knew it would come; I just had to wait. Marcus announces to us I guess there was no sneaking in. Everyone stands to attention as we pass; they bow their heads.

As I am walking with the twins in hand, the shoulder of my cardigan slips down, and everyone can see my marks. There are gasps and whispers; I even hear a snarl or two. I scan the room, and I see the same table of she-wolves. They are bowing their heads, but they are cursing me under their breath. I can hear them as clear as if they were right next to me. Since taking the pack mark and the family mark, my Luna power is more substantial, so Inari is stronger; our senses are better than before she was sealed.

I bond-link Gideon, "Take the twins. I need to take care of this once and for all."

"Don't hurt them too much." Gideon turns around and picks up the twins.

Daisy protests and squirms but falls in line when Gideon uses his Alpha aura. Now was not the time for her to throw a fit. I walk over to the table. As I walk through the dining hall, the crowd moves, and everyone bows.

"Are you ready for this, Inari?" I need her to help push my Luna aura.

"I am ready!" I can feel her pulling in our power, and as I walk over, I can feel it pulsating. I know my eyes are glowing yellow again because I hear mummers coming from everyone as I pass by. Only the Alpha's eyes glow. This was probably the first time they saw a Luna's eyes glow. I'm not your average Luna.

I get to the table they are all bowing. "Kneel!" They all instantly drop to their knees.

"What is your name?" I target the leader of the group.

"Von Jericho, ma'am." She smirks. I knew she deliberately called me ma'am to do two things. One was to insinuate I was old, and the other was to avoid calling me Luna.

"You will address me properly as Luna. Do you understand?" I did not care about the age insult. I felt being older made me wiser, but she would not insult my position. Insulting my position insulted the pack, my family, and my mate. I would not tolerate it.

"Forgive me for saying this, but you haven't completed the Luna Ceremony yet. So, you are not our Luna." The edges of her lips start to curl up.

"Jericho, right? From the Alpha Jericho bloodline, correct?" She nods, acting all proud of her Alpha blood.

"Your mother Jenna was a chosen mate, correct? Let me guess a Luna without a Luna mark? She was a Delta, if I'm not mistaken." Von Glares at me.

"She is still a Luna." She snarls. I wished I could educate this ignorant girl on marks and what they mean. Her mother was not a Luna. The goddess did not bless her to be one. I knew her mother, a vile woman who flaunted her position and used it to belittle others. Her daughter needed a reminder she was not a pack princess anymore.

I pull down the shoulder of my cardigan, "What you fail to realize is that I am a fated mate. I don't need the Ceremony. As you can see, I have already been blessed by the goddess with my mate's marks." I step closer to her, where I am only inches away, and push my Luna aura out. She buckles under the pressure. "You just need a reminder of what a real Luna's power is like. Since he's an Alpha, I already have my rank pack make. Also, my Alpha bloodline is richer than yours. My mother a fated Luna and daughter of a Beta bloodline. I didn't ask or crave to lead a pack; I was born to do it and trained since birth. Never question my position again. I am giving you a warning. Next time I won't be able to hold back your Alpha." I smile back at her. I would use words this time and hope she was smart enough for there not to be a next time.

Von sneers back as I walk away, "Alpha blood, you are a child of desire, a bastard at best."

Gideon roars from his seat at the front table. I turn and look at him and put up my hand to stop him. I needed to fight this battle, or I would never have the pack's full respect. He backs down, but I know he is about to rip Von's head off.

I turn and push more power out, and Von is prostrated in front of me, unable to stand the pressure. "The details of my birth are no secret. You are not saying anything I have never heard before. You seem to think that this is my weakness. What you fail to realize is that I don't have the backing of one Alpha but two. In a few years, I will have two brothers as Alpha's connected to this pack. Two of the strongest pack in the area and the country. What you perceive as my weakness is actually a benefit. You should use your brain more. It might help you raise in rank. Now we are done here. You're aware of the consequences if I hear another outburst."

I hear a whimper come from her as I turn and walk away. "Yes, Luna."

It all made sense now. She comes here to try and seduce Gideon and become Luna. I wonder if she rejected her mate before coming here. She didn't care about Gideon or his twins, just the power of the position. Being so greedy for power, she would have been a horrible Luna, just like her mother.

I step up on the platform where our table is. Gideon grabs my hand and stands to address the pack. "As I said yesterday, Amelie Ashwood is my fated mate blessed to me by the goddess herself. She bears my mark, the ranked pack mark, and the family mark of my daughters. She is pregnant with my heir. If she was not fated, she would not have been able to bear any of these marks. These are not just my blessing but blessings for the whole pack. In two weeks' time, she will complete the Luna ceremony and finalize her Luna power. As you can tell, she already possesses most of her Luna power. Disobeying her is disobeying me. Am I clear!"

The entire hall rings out, "Yes, Alpha!"

"Now, without any more disturbances, let's enjoy our breakfast." Gideon snarls while looking over at Von and her cronies. Gideon sits, and everyone in the hall sits as well.