Chapter 57

Amelie

"OK, do your worst!" I jokingly say to Celeste's "Glam Squad."

"Oh, honey! Stop it. You are going to scare the twins!" Celeste retorts.

I look over at my daughters, and they are enjoying a bubble bath. "They look fine to me."

"Relax, you are going to crack your mud mask." Sam, the glam squad leader, says.

"Yes, ma'am!" I give her a salute.

I lean back and try to relax, but I have so much on my mind. Someone tried to harm my baby. Would they try and hurt the twins? Tate and Karen still haven't been found, and I had a group of she-wolves that didn't respect me as their Luna. Along with all my pack duties and changes, I was implementing. Honestly, I don't know if I will ever be able to relax again.

I feel two sets of tiny hands grabbing my arms. I look down, and the girls are out of their bath. "Mommy, why do you have green stuff on your face?" Rose asks.

"It's called a mud mask. It helps make your skin beautiful." I make a silly face at them.

Daisy looks shocked, "there is green mud!"

"This mud is, I guess!" I laugh.

"Can I put green mud on my face too?" Daisy stands on her tiptoes to get a closer look.

"How about before your grandmas and aunt leave, we do a girls' day, and you can put green mud on your face then?" I want the girls to have time to bond with my family. Plus, their dad has been raised, so giving them a hefty dose of girl fun.

Daisy starts jumping up and down, squealing, "Yes!" Over and over. Rose stands next to her and nods excitedly.

"OK, Luna Amelie, let's get that mask washed off and start your hair." Sam is personally taking charge of my overall look today. She owns a very popular solan in the Ashwood Pack territory, and other ranked she-wolves drive hours from different packs to get a simple haircut from her. She is personal friends with Celeste, so I always got in no problem. It was an honor to have her close her shop for the day and bring her staff. I hope to get one of her apprentices to open a shop here in the Druit Guard territory.

As soon as I wash off the mask, I am amazed at the look of my skin. I don't have time to admire the glow I have acquired as I am pulled into a chair, and Sam starts to work on my hair. I look around and see the girls are sitting on the bed getting their hair done too. I can't help the smile that comes across my face. Maybe I can relax in these small moments.

Gideon bond-links me and says he's coming up to change. I can hear and feel the worry in his voice. I know he just finished a meeting with my father and stepfather. I know he does not like not being in control, and the fact someone tried to harm our child makes him unnerved. Before long, I hear a knock at the door. It's Gideon.

The twins, who are still in the middle of getting their hair done, can't wait to tell their dad all the fun 'girl' things they did. Everyone laughs. Gideon disappears into the closet and, before long, comes out looking dashing as always. He has on a deep plum-colored button-up that matches my gown: black slacks and a black vest. His sleeves are rolled up as the usual Gideon style, and the top two buttons are undone. His chin-length sandy blond hair is half pulled back in a ponytail.

He sees me eyeing him up and down and gives me a wink. Then he bond-links me, "Like what you see?"

"I guess it will do." I give him a smirk.

He comes over and kisses my forehead, then kisses the twins on the cheek.

"Ladies, take care of my girls." With that, he leaves us to finish our prep work.

Hair is done makeup is complete. I put my dress on, and it's a little tighter than I remember around my tummy. It's only been two weeks since I bought it. I could have grown that much. It's bearable, but I could already tell I could not wait to take it off. Mom was finishing her makeup. Celeste was almost done with her hair, her makeup was finished, and Hope was putting on her dress. It was time to finish getting the twins ready.

"Rose, Daisy! I have a few surprises for you!" I pull the two dress bags and the three boxes out of my closet.

"What is it, mommy." They both come running over with wide eyes.

I unzip the bags and show them the dresses. "They are real princess dresses. What do you think?"

"We are real princesses?" Rose asks, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Yes, you are. Look, it matches mommy's dress too." I pull both dresses out and help the girls put them on. They are twirling and dancing together. It's so cute.

"I have one more surprise for you girls." I give them each a box. The one with the yellow bow is for Daisy, and the pink bow is for Rose.

They pull the ribbon off and open the tops. They lean down to look inside, and they both start squealing with excitement. I didn't know Rose could get that loud.

"Mommy, are these for us!" Rose asks with sparkles in her eyes.

"Yes, they are. You want me to help you put them on?" The twins nodded their heads.

I go to Rose's box first, and I pull out the tiara I made for her. It's covered in gold, platinum, and copper roses. It looks like someone gilded a flower crown made of roses. To keep the weight down, I didn't add stones, but it didn't need it. They were the gems. I pull Daisy's out next and place it on her head. It's a crown of gilded daisies. They look so adorable.

"Mommy, what's in the other box with the purple ribbon?" Daisy points.

"That is for mommy, your grandmas, and aunty." I pull the ribbon off the box and pull out a Laurel wreath-type crown. Instead of laurel leaves, it has oak leaves and a few roses and daisies but gilded in precious metals. I turn to the hairdresser who just finished my hair "would you mind adding this." She smiled and nodded. My hair was in a low loose bun. She did it exactly how I wanted it, and the wreath crown will be perfect since it only went around the back of my head. Tonight, my marks would be on full display as I received my Luna mark and my connecting markings. I turn to my family and pull out three sets of hair combs. Each set has an oak leaf, a rose, and a daisy. They were connected with three chains between the two combs. Since all of our hair would be up, I thought it would be nice to coordinate our hairpieces as well.

Everyone in the family would be wearing a similar shade of plum. We would look like a cohesive unit. I needed that. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Not of the Luna Ceremony, I have come to understand I was more than ready to embrace my role. I was scared for my child. Someone tried to harm my baby. I was putting on a brave face, but Inari and I were on high alert. These moments with my family gave me peace. The hairdressers skillfully add the hair accessories and crowns into our up-does. Finally, we are all ready.

I take the twins' hands, and we make our way down to the outdoor theater. Mom, Celeste, and Hope go to their spots on stage first. Tyson announces the twins and me. I step out of the doorway, and everyone stands and bows. The girls are waving and smiling at everyone, and the pack members and some of the Lunas are waving back. They giggle, and I can't help but smile. They did capture hearts. I walk to the front row where James and Riley are and pass the twins to them. The boys pick up the twins, who are still waving at the crowd. I walk up the stairs to the stage. Once I am on stage, Gideon steps forward to start the Ceremony.

"Please be seated." He pauses, allowing everyone to sit. "Thank you all for coming to witness my mate Amelie Ashwood's Luna Ceremony. She is my fated second-chance mate blessed to me by the moon goddess. Now she will become the blessing to the Druit Guard Pack and the mother of our next Alpha. We will start the Ceremony."