Becoming the Luna

"How are you not nervous?" I ask Virgil, fussing over my hair, my shirt, my facial expressions…

"I'm worried because of how nervous you are." He tuts, hovering over me. "We don't have to go if you don't want to." He says in consideration.

"I know." I shake my head. "I want to but I'm just nervous."

It was almost time for the famed dinner and I'm an anxious mess, fussing over my clothes that are already fine, wringing and ruffling my hands and hair.

"Hey, baby?" He cups my face in his hands to calm me down.

"Hmm?" I hum absently, lost in thought with how the dinner would go.

"It'll be fine and we'll leave as soon as you feel uncomfortable, now please for heaven's sake put on pants."

"Wh-What?" I blink in confusion, looking down. "I'm n-not wearing… pants?" I groan, realizing that truly I had been so flustered and nervous that I forgot to put them on.

"I can't believe you!" I throw my hands up, I'd been pacing for a while now. "I've been fussing half naked all this time and you didn't think to tell me?" 

He just has a small smile on his face. "You were cute."

I yank my head out of my wardrobe to glare and point a finger at him. "Calling me cute doesn't let you off the hook."

He shrugs. "You're still fussing half naked." He points out.

I don't grace him with a reply, stiffly dressing up and marching right out with my nose high in the air.

I'm distracted for a sufficient time but as soon as we step on the hallway of the fourth floor, I start to panic again, my clammy hands holding tightly to Virgil.

He keeps glancing worriedly at me, a skeptical look on his face like he wouldn't hesitate to pick me up and make his way back to my room, canceling the dinner but I couldn't allow that.

I take a deep breath and try to get my nerves under control, I wanted to close the breach between Virgil and his dad, family was very important, especially if they still cared.

Virgil and the twins still lived with their dad in a huge master apartment I had never been inside of and the first time I would is for dinner - cue the anxiousness.

"Are you okay?" Virgil asks when we stop in front of the door. "You're breathing really loud."

"Just open the bloody door, V." I say, already at my wit's end.

He laughs silently but knocks before opening the door.

"I'm glad you could make… it." Alpha Everett starts to say only to falter when he sees Virgil smiling, no wonder the entire Pack is low key terrified of him.

"T-Thanks for inviting us to dinner." I stutter slightly when Virgil's smile fades and he just stares blankly at his dad who looks uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

"O-Of course." He smiles nervously, leading us through a sparsely decorated living room done in chrome furniture in varying shades of brown.

I'm grateful that he heads straight to the dining room because the only person that seems unbothered about this gathering is Virgil.

He links our hands together and I'm grateful for the thoughtful gesture since I'm the one being nervous for the both of us.

"You know, the news of Virgil's relationship was such a shocker." Alpha Everett says after we exchanged pleasantries, more like just me and him, Virgil and awkward social situations did not mix, I should remember that in the future.

"Really?" I prompt.

"He seemed too severe to bother about things like that, he'd always been like that actually." He takes a bite of his meal and I lean forward, eager to learn something new about him. "His nanny said it was just his nature but the rest of the Pack were worried because he's an Alpha." He looks slightly upset at this point and I glance at Virgil who has an expressionless face on, dutifully eating.

Turns out the reason he had sent Virgil off to live with a relative in the city was so that he could play around with kids his age because the rest of Pack wouldn't allow that, that's where he met Dale.

It's a lot different from Shana's version and I see the surprise in Virgil's face, he hadn't known either.

Alpha Everett probably didn't know how to say it straight up to Virgil or he didn't even know that was the issue.

"So, Virgil doesn't look like his mom?" I ask curiously, noting that I had never seen a picture of her.

Alpha Everett made a face. "No, not at all, I admit that looking at her pictures hurt so I had them all boxed up…"

"Not because you didn't want me to see them?" Virgil finally speaks.

His dad blinks, confused. "What? Why… no… why would you think that?"

Virgil shrugs. "That's what everyone said when I came back."

"Leon and Ian?" He asks angrily.

"No, not them."

Apparently, Alpha Everett is a bit of a recluse and had no idea of the rumors trailing around, damaging his already very delicate and strained relationship with his youngest son.

He didn't even know about the twins and Jaxon plotting to convince Virgil to be Alpha.

"Maybe I should leave you both to talk." I offer, already getting up.

Dinner was already more or less over even if it wasn't, I didn't see anyone working up an appetite.

Alpha Everett looked troubled as he tried to unweave the tangled ropes of half truths and skewered versions of events that happened while Virgil kept his blank expression.

I wander into the living room, strains of their mute conversation thrumming.

At least the dinner hadn't been a waste of time, my anger at Virgil's dad was second hand so it wasn't hard for it to dissolve when I started getting a clearer picture of what actually happened.

I sit gingerly on a mahogany sofa, tapping my feet gently as I wait, I look around the room, something catching my eye.

Before I can think too much about it, my legs are already moving.

It's behind a couple of pictures of the Everetts but it's facing down and I carefully reach it to pick it up.

A quiet gasp leaves me when I flip it over, Alpha Everett wasn't lying when he said Virgil looked nothing like his mom.

There's a pretty lady with black hair and smiling brown eyes, she's grinning at whoever it is that's taking the picture, in jeans and a lacy white top, her wavy hair in a ponytail.

Her grin is contagious and I find myself smiling softly as I place it back.

"Ready to go?" Virgil asks in a soft voice, he's behind me and he drops his jaw on my shoulder.

"Yeah."