Alex let himself out and carefully shut the door to his suite so as not to disturb his sleeping mate. It was far past midday, and there were still matters pertaining to the pack that needed to be resolved. Although he desperately wanted to neglect his responsibilities and instead lie in bed all day while Rosalie screamed in delight, he could not do so. Duty called to him, reminding him of the importance of his role as alpha.
As is customary, his betas kept watch at his front door. When they saw him, they showed their reverence for their Alpha by bowing their heads at him.
Tylor congratulated Alpha Alex on his mating, saying, "Congratulations, Alpha Alex, on your mating."
Troy continued, "May the Goddess Luna bless your coming together and bring you fruit."
Alex expressed his gratitude to his betas and gladly acknowledged their congratulations. In the mansion, there was an unusual quietness. Alex found this to be a little perplexing because his single wolves would typically roam around noisily either downstairs in the common area or down in the basement fitness room. The mansion was rather quiet, considering how rowdy everyone was.
"Where are the pups?" Alex inquired while raising an eyebrow. "It has never been this silent at the mansion before; the atmosphere is a little unsettling."
"James thought it would be better to keep them outside of the mansion for the time being. He thinks Madam Luna will require some time and rest in order to adjust." Troy gave a hushed response.
"He is a wise guy," Alex muttered under his breath, enjoying the situation.
He wasn't sure what his wolf would do if Rosalie was around other guys. During the court case, he was reminded of how much he wanted to rip Chris up. He took the time to look at himself and figure out how his wolf was feeling during the day. It amazed him to see his wolf curled up on its side, happy and comfortable, ready to let his human side take over for now. He felt different. He had lost that sharp anger that had been building up inside him for years after that tragedy. Mating had cooled down his angry animal.
As he made his way downstairs, he gave the following instructions: "Let's move forward with the meeting and tell the kitchen staff to send some food to my apartment, but tell them not to disturb their Luna." Alex's thoughts had already moved on to matters pertaining to the pack.
********
Rosalie awoke from a deep sleep to the sound of a door closing. Then she heard hushed laughter and the soft tinkling of silverware. She purposefully kept her eyes closed, familiarising herself with her surroundings. Her mind was filled with images of the events that had taken place previously. She carefully managed her breathing in order to conceal the fact that she was awake from the other people in the room. She followed their movements closely by listening carefully to what they were doing.
A young woman's voice could be heard murmuring, "She has red hair."
"Katherine, that's enough!" hushed an older woman's voice. "See to the bathroom and make sure everything is tidied up over there. We do not want to give a poor impression to our Madam Luna. Go on; I will clean up here. And be quiet. Our Luna needs her rest," she said in a quiet voice.
"Yes, mother," the girl answered in a cowed tone. "I am simply curious about what she looks like. Everyone in will ask me once we leave the bedroom."
"They will see her soon enough. They just have to wait for the formal presentation like the rest of the pack."
"She was in the kitchen earlier. Gabby was saying, She is very beautiful."
"I'm sure she is, but it's important to show respect and patience," the mother replied sternly. "Let's focus on our duties for now."
Rosalie smiled in amusement. At least they were not curious enough to look under the sheet. That would be so humiliating. Rosalie was still naked. She waited with growing impatience for the two women to finish cleaning and exit the room. Finally, she heard the sound of the door opening and closing. She cautiously opened one eye, looking around the room to see whether there was anyone else. She jumped out of bed as soon as she was sure that she was the only person in the room and began searching for her clothes. She wrapped herself in the sheet as she went to the closet door.
The 'little' room Alex had said about their clothes was indeed a joke. The room was a big walk-in closet. It was divided into two. A section for his clothes and another section for her. She went towards her section. It was already full of several dresses for her. All of them are brand new. 'When did he have the time to buy all this?' She wondered.
Rosalie reached into her closet and pulled out a slinky dinner dress, then gently stroked the smooth fabric.
'I can just imagine how thrilled Melissa would be to hear about my very own dress collection. And my mother would spend countless hours playing dress-up with me!' Rosalie had a warm and fuzzy feeling.
And the shoes, of course! There was an entire section dedicated to the hundreds of different shoes. There were countless rows of shelves that were all white and spotless, and they were crammed with shoes of every imaginable brand, colour, and design. There were sandals, high heels, and athletic shoes—absolutely everything a lady could ever want in a shoe collection. She opened a few of the drawers and let out a gasp as she saw they were filled with exquisite jewellery. There were necklaces, earrings, bangles, and tiaras made of diamonds, along with luxurious watches and bangles. Alex was completely smothering her by presenting her with a personal mini-mart as a gift.
In a hurry, Rosalie changed into a pair of cosy trousers and a loose-fitting blue shirt. As she turned to head towards the bedroom, she noticed the women had positioned a tray of food on one table in the sitting room. Her belly rumbled as the odour teased her nose and tickled her gut. She clenched her fists over her rumbling tummy.
There was a delicious smelling omelette loaded with ham, cheese, onions, and tomato, and a crusty croissant with butter on a plate. A large bowl of various cut fruits was on one side of the tray. A tall glass of juice and a steaming cup of coffee waited on the side, along with several fruit tartlets. An elaborate arrangement of pink tulips and roses was in a vase by the tray.
She thought to herself, somewhat whimsically, "I could get used to such service."
She sat down and ate while continuing to listen carefully for the sound of footsteps approaching the door from the hallway. In a short amount of time, she had already eaten most of the food and was rounding out her meal with a cup of coffee. The amount of food she had consumed surprised her. She concluded she needed to go outside and become accustomed to her new surroundings; in addition, Lunas needed to present themselves appropriately to the pack, which was now her pack. Since the mating, she had completely lost track of the fact that she had become a Luna, just like Grace. She vowed to herself that she would be a good, well-behaved Luna who looked out for her pack and did everything she could to help them.
She cautiously made her way down the incredibly long corridor once she emerged from her room. The other members of the pack that passed her showed her respect by bowing their heads to her, and she nodded her head to acknowledge them. As she became more used to her new surroundings, she knew the Greyson Estate was significantly larger than the Silver Moon Manor.
Alex had explained to her during the journey that Greyson's estate had a sprawling, thick forest filled with abundant game and the occasional mountain lion and bear. A variety of food choices! She thought. The estate also owned a strip of beach. This was something she was looking forward to.
"Good day, Madam Luna," greeted a friendly voice. Rosalie looked up and saw two girls of her age bowing their heads in respect.