We reached the dining room, of which I didn't remember finding before, and suddenly I didn't feel so ready anymore. I gripped Kota's sleeve to hold him back while I caught my breath; the twins scampered on, oblivious to us as they disappeared through the doors.

"Eirenae?" He placed a warm hand over mine on his arm. "It's okay," he said when he saw the fear in my eyes, "we're not meeting anyone right now. We just have to get through to our table and then we can get some food and talk with those you're already comfortable with." I didn't know if he realized and was doing so on purpose, but his voice guiding me through the predicted steps of the next little bit helped by a landslide. My heart settled and my grip on him slackened. Gently, he moved my arm so it was wrapped around from underneath and we walked through the doors.

Thankfully, it wasn't a signal for everyone to quiet down and, like, bow to us or anything. Barely even anyone acknowledged our presence. A few nodded as they passed though, out of respect it seemed, but no one tried to stop and talk to us, or say hello to me. For that, I was extremely grateful to everyone in this room.

Which was grand, by the way. We walked down the middle, in between two long tables and towards a smaller one in the back. People were mingling around, some sitting and eating already, some walking around, carrying plates of food or talking amongst one another. It made the spacious area feel crowded and loud and I pressed closer to Kota.

We reached the smaller table where two empty seats waited in the center, facing the room. When I sat down, I felt like royalty, in way of the room's and table's design. Kota sat to my left.

The twins had already found their seats, and they were across from me, but next to each other. Jaycee was on my right with Dexter on the other side of her. Cole sat across from Kota with Sydney next to him. Mrs. Anderson sat on Kota's left. Based on how they were sitting, and the hierarchy of the pack, I figured it would be traditional for Dexter to be next to Kota with Jaycee over there too, but it was as if they all just knew I would feel more comfortable next to Jaycee.

I also noticed an empty seat on the end, next to Kota's mother. When he noticed me staring, Kota leaned in to whisper against my ear. "To honor my father, but also because she hasn't been able to fully let go of her Mate the past two years. He always has a spot next to her." I frowned with sadness. That was so sweet of them not to give up his spot after all this time!

I also briefly wondered where she would sit when they decide to follow proper etiquette and Dexter and Jaycee are over there. Or. I thought suddenly, when I have a kid next to me up here.

"You hungry?" Kota asked, bringing me away from that thought. I nodded in a rush and stood up, but he chuckled, offering me back my seat. "No, no, stay here; I'll get your food."

I smiled my gratitude and he disappeared into the swarm of pack members. I soon lost sight of him.

Jaycee patted my leg, "thanks for getting the twins ready! I kind of ran out of energy after getting ourselves ready this morning!"

I eyed her weird — Jaycee? Running out of energy? — but squeezed the hand on my leg all the same. Maybe she wasn't feeling to well. Or maybe. . . A voice suggested, but I shot it down as fast as it had popped up. No, Jaycee would've told me. But I couldn't help but subtly flick my eyes down to her abdomen. Right?

She grinned before moving on to speak with Dexter.

"How are you doing, sweetie?" Mrs. Anderson

asked across from Kota's empty seat. I fiddled with the tablecloth, unsure if I could speak to her. I had still been uncomfortable doing so in most situations.

I nodded to tell her I was fine.

Thankfully it wasn't long before Kota came back, carrying a plate in either hand. He sat down between his mom and I and placed one of the plates in front of me. I smiled and picked up a fork, digging in right away. He chuckled before joining me.

I was eating much better than I had been when Kota first brought me here. Sure, there were still times when I couldn't finish the plate, or I forgot to eat out of habit, but Kota was usually on top of things. And with my new metabolism brought on by the wolf, I could stomach much more at a time and more often.

As I ate, I mostly listened to the talk around me, and watched the pack mingle and converse, even though I couldn't hear everyone's individual conversations, it was still enjoyable. However, the most entertaining had to be the two kids across from me. For, at the moment, Autumn was peacefully picking at her roll — amusingly digging out the inside first — while Amber sported a devilish grin as she aimed to flick a spoonful of casserole at her sister's head. Suppressing a giggle, I stretched a leg out under the table to kick the chair, stopping that fight before it had a chance to start. Amber glared at me, but obeyed, instead putting the spoon in her mouth and eating the bite of casserole.

When I was finished with the majority of my plate, I leaned back against my chair, placing my fork on the plate to signal I was full. As I gazed lazily around the room, I started to notice a lot of people were pretty much done with their food and they were staring at Kota and I, almost like they were anticipating something.

"They want to meet you." Kota answered my unspoken question. "It's been two months, and while they've heard a lot, they're growing impatient to actually talk with you. It's traditional," he added, "Lunas are often held pretty high on that pedestal and the pack always rejoices when the Alpha finds his mate. This one especially, because I was young when I took the title."

I was nodding, but inside I was frozen with anxiety. Would they like me, even though I wouldn't respond to anything they said to me? Would they approve of me as a leader? The select few I'd met this week had been nice, but it still frightened me to the bone.

He squeezed my hand as if he could feel how anxious I was, "don't worry, it won't be long, just a few words from the families that are wanting to say hello, and then they'll move on. Simple, really." When he put it that way, it did sound simple. And so, finally, I nodded to tell him I was ready.

Keeping my hand clasped in his, he stood up and brought everyone's attention to him — like how I had expected when we had first walked in. "Hello, my Shining Moon Pack," Kota announced to the members staring at us with smiles on their faces. "I know you all have been dying to meet my mate — your Luna — Eirenae, so as you finish eating, you can make your way to the main foyer where you can speak to us and Eirenae can try to keep track of all your names!" A ripple of amusement shifted in the crowd and heat rushed to my face. Stubborn as I was, I suddenly was determined to do exactly that: learn their names! Vanessa, the Tracker from yesterday, caught my eye and smiled. I grinned back, feeling a little better about the whole ordeal now.

Kota grabbed my hand gently in his and led me out of the room. We walked through the kitchen and down the main entryway, turning left at the foot of the stairs. If I remembered correctly, turning right would lead us to the corridor where I'd found the music foyer and Kota's office.

The left brought us through a grand archway and into a sitting area. A few couches and armchairs, a coffee table, and a plush rug occupied the space. Kota swiftly shoved the table to the side and offered me a seat on the couch. I declined, too anxious to sit.

It didn't take very long before they started coming in and actually forming a line to meet me. Goodness, I thought to myself, I'm not that special!

Kota waved the first couple forward.

"This is so great!" The woman said, her smile reaching her ears, "it's about time we found our new Luna!"

I returned the smile and let her shake my hand, wondering just how long Kota had been searching for me. He was only eighteen for Goddess's sake!

"Oh, come on," Kota chided light-heartedly. "It hasn't been that long. Almost three years is nothing compared to some packs!"

She ducks her head, but doesn't drop the smile. "Right, of course. We are lucky." Her husband — er, mate — shook my hand quickly before they retreated away and Kota called up the next.

This time it was a little girl, no more than three or four years old. Her dark hair was pulled into pigtails and she was wearing a bright yellow sundress, looking very summery for November. Without any hesitation, she bounced right up to me and wrapped her arms and legs around me, clinging like a monkey. She didn't even utter a word, she just hung there. I shifted my eyes to Kota's, but he only laughed and shrugged, looking as perplexed as I felt.

"Cassidy!" A woman scolded as she rushed to us and attempted to pry the child off of me. "I am so sorry, Luna, she's just a little excited!"

Kota chuckled, and I shrugged to imply it was no big deal. I waved to Cassidy as she was hauled away by her mother and she grinned giddily.

"Are you okay?" Kota asked, brushing my hand with a finger. The contact sent a hot shiver down my spine and I nodded, curious if he could feel the effect he had on me. I also briefly wondered if he knew his sisters did the same thing to me when I first got here, but with enough force to knock me down.

The next person to introduce themselves I already knew. I smiled as Vanessa pulled me into an unexpected hug. Two months ago, that would have made me very uncomfortable and I liked the progress I had made with that.

"Luna, didn't see you in the woods today!"

I didn't know how to respond to that, but thankfully Kota jumped in. "Taking a break to celebrate the progress. And because today is Thanksgiving."

She grinned, "makes sense. Well, next time you're running the course, hit me up and I'll race ya!" She gave me a fist bump and then headed off to who knows where. I giggled as she walked away; I enjoyed the spirit she had in her!

After that was another couple, then a family, then an enforcer I remembered meeting this week. Unfortunately, I did not hold to my commitment of keeping track of the names, but I knew I'd recognize faces if I ever talked with any of these people again. I guess as Luna, I probably would.

So many people came through the line that by the end, my evening was all jumbled together in a list of random names and occurrences. Many of the pack shook my hand, but some hugged me; kids like Cassidy leaped into my arms or clung to me until they were peeled away by their mothers. By the time the last person in line came up to us, I was so exhausted and just about ready to collapse.

"I welcome you to the pack, Luna." The old woman rasped as she gave a little bow. I smiled and clutched her hand, wanting her to know how much that meant to me. Only a few had said they welcomed me, most were too excited to form words! I sighed in relief as she walked away down the hall, mentally drained as I knew I would be after all that.

Kota chuckled and wrapped an arm around my waist, leading me slowly out of the foyer. "That was Elder Shina. She was the first Luna to run this pack, and frankly I'm not sure how she's still alive and walking!" I snorted, but quickly covered my mouth with my hand, making Kota and I laugh harder. "Sorry," he choked, "we shouldn't poke fun at her, she's been guiding this pack since the beginning." I gave him a look that said still! and we erupted into another fit. I blamed the weariness of the dragging evening.

"C'mon," he whispered, kissing my head, "I heard they've started serving the pie!" I grinned and let him lead me back to our seats.

A part of me wished I had relished in that moment, and in the moments after as we sat surrounded by this new family of mine eating our desserts and enjoying each other's company. Because the next morning, my world was stomped on by a simple knock on the door.