Becoming the Luna

I trudge to my bedroom with another tub, depressed, I was probably going to regret all this ice cream later but that was a problem for later, not now.

I don't expect Virgil to come over either, he's supposed to be the future Alpha of Crimson Pack, isn't he?

I curl into myself, desolate, even the cold sweetness of the ice cream couldn't improve my mood so I'd given it up a long time ago.

I wish I hadn't gotten up this morning…

Or maybe I'd wake up tomorrow and find out that it had all been nothing but a bad dream.

I hadn't taken their advances seriously at first but now my life seems incomplete without it, without them.

I doze off, uncomfortable so it's no surprise when I wake up much later with a full bladder, the results of swallowing tons of ice cream.

I flick open my eyes and startle when I see Virgil lying on the other side.

Of course… he'd come, it's Virgil and he probably just wants to comfort me.

I come down from my side and quietly make my way to the bathroom, washing my hands when I'm done, I stare at my reflection in the mirror, noting my puffy eyes and blotchy skin.

I don't rinse off my face, although I suppose I should but sleep is currently my only solace and I wasn't about to take even that away.

I trudge back to the bed as silently as I can manage, not wanting to wake him up.

I slid into the bed, curling up into myself again, facing his direction but I don't go across the bed like I want to, maybe that's why things have recently gotten so awkward...

I couldn't even remember the last time we had kissed, it was just like Virgil to look out for me by acting interested to check how serious Dale was, no wonder he got upset when...

"Ah, fuck this." I hear him curse and get up moving towards the door.

His actions are so shocking and sudden that I nearly fall off the bed trying to stand up. "V-Virgil? V! Where are you going?" I ask nervously, worried by his odd behavior.

He doesn't turn around but he stops. "I'm done taking advantage of your kindness." He says glumly and I frown.

"I'm sorry, what?"

He sighs, a hollow empty sound that wrings my heart. "It's fine Hay, we're still best friends."

I just blink, my brain refusing to cooperate and process his words. "I-I don't understand..."

"It's just that, a positive response from one you've pined over for so long is enough to make me turn a blind eye to the obvious flaws."

I fall quiet, Virgil is actually talking without so much as a prompting from me and... Is he... Is he talking about me?

"I'm a hard person to love, unlike Dale who's easy to love at first sight, I have to grow on you." He continues to say in a self deprecating way that has fear laced worry spiking through me.

"What was I thinking? It's always so awkward for you, so now..." He turns around at this point and gives me a sad smile. "We'll just be fr..."

I pop up in front of him, not recollecting when I even moved. "I-I loved you at first s-sight." I say bravely managing to get all the words out before I chickened out and ran back screaming to my bed.

Virgil's mouth drops open. "Wha..."

I'm sure I look more astounded than him and I dash back to the bed, hiding under my blanket in a flash.

I hear his footsteps come over and I peek out of my blanket to see him staring at me, Virgil isn't wrong about things being awkward but that's because he doesn't like me that way right?

I don't like the look on his face, like he doesn't believe me.

"You don't have to say it, it's fine." He crouches to ruffle my hair with a sickly sweet smile.

I swat his hands away, sitting up in frustration, why was I even trying? I wasn't a female Werewolf and I would just end up losing him too but what more did I have to lose?

"No, idiot." I grumbles, the tip of my ears tingling. "Why else do you think I dragged my mom to the park everyday? And went straight for you even though you didn't respond…"

"Wha…" He blinks, losing his balance and falling to the ground from his crouch.

"Let me finish…" I cut him off, sitting up to hover over him, my arms crossed over my chest. "Why do you think I insisted you married me? And made you sleep over all the time?" I wasn't going to tell him I've had a crush on him forever, I wasn't about to do that to myself.

"My God." I facepalm, I had no idea he was this dense.

"B-But I can obviously smell your sadness for Dale and you didn't want to kiss me." He splutters.

"Because I'm still sad about Dale." I explain carefully. "Haven't you ever liked more than one person at a time?"

He looks genuinely stumped, like he couldn't even imagine a scenario like that. "No, just you."

I ignore his words even though my cheeks are on fire. "And the kiss…" I say in a strangled voice, hiding in my blankets again. "I nearly died from embarrassment." I pout to him, my hands over my ears.

He goes silent briefly then bursts out laughing so carefree and so unlike him that I bring my head out of the blanket to look at him.

He snatches me from the bed at this and I squeal, scrambling for purchase.

I end up on him, staring down into his happy, blue eyes. 

"So let me get this straight, you love me?" He asks teasingly.

I glare at him. "You're really going to make me repeat myself?"

"I don't know." He shrugs, obviously having the time of his life. "We've misunderstood each other our entire lives…"

"Because you're locked up tighter than a treasure box." I accuse him, satisfied with the sheepish expression on his face --- not like I was any better with my painful shyness.

"Everyone pushed me away my whole life so I guess I got used to being ignored and didn't know how to respond to the adorable thing that brought snacks for me everyday and talked nonstop."

My heart twists at the emptiness in his tone but I'm as emotionally awkward as he is so all I say is. "I didn't talk that much." I pout.

He gives me an incredulous look, sitting up so that we're face to face, upright. "You think? You were literally holding conversations with yourself."

I make an affronted face. "Because you would ghost on me if you saw my mom so it was just me and you, what the hell was I supposed to do? I got bored."

We move to the bed and I feel my heart sink. "Virgil?" 

"Mmh?" He hums, arms in place around me.

"You're going to be the future Alpha, aren't you?" I ask in a shaky voice.

He stiffens and I look up from where I'd snuggled into his chest to see his eyes flashing gold. "Not a fucking chance, I…" he cuts himself off. "You don't have to worry about that, Hay, I'm not going anywhere."