Within ten minutes, we arrive back at the pack house. It appears to be relatively quiet, with no one else around. Ryker and I ascend the stairs and head to my room to put away the new clothes.
After putting away the shopping, Ryker makes himself comfortable and lies down on my bed. He closes his eyes, seemingly at ease. I walk over to the bed, leaning against one of the posts, subconsciously admiring his handsome face for a moment. Eventually, I find myself climbing into bed and lying beside him.
'Astrid?' Ryker's voice is soft and gentle.
I turn to face him and respond, 'Yes, Ryker?'
'I think it would be a good idea if you meet my wolf tonight,' he suggests. 'I want to help you not be so afraid of... us.'
I stare at him with a mixture of uncertainty and curiosity. 'Only if it's your wolf,' I say cautiously. 'But if I'm too scared and tell you to shift back, will you?'
Ryker nods with a reassuring smile, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on my forehead. 'Yes, straight away,' he promises.
'Okay,' I reply, nervous but curious about his wolf's appearance.
Ryker's smile warms my heart. 'Would you like to watch a movie with me?' He offers.
I return his smile, feeling a sense of comfort with him. 'Can we have popcorn too?' I ask.
'Sure, I'll make it while you pick out a movie,' he says.
Together, we descend the stairs and enter the cozy lounge room. Ryker turns on the television and passes me the remote. I start flicking through the list of movies, but I cannot decide. In frustration, I close my eyes and press play on a random movie.
Ryker settles down beside me, holding a large bowl of freshly made popcorn. 'What movie are we watching?' He asks.
I shrug. 'I'm not sure. I couldn't decide, so I closed my eyes and picked one randomly,' I explain, flashing Ryker a sheepish smile.
He chuckles softly. 'That's cute,' he remarks.
The movie begins, and to my dismay, it turns out to be a horror movie. As the suspense builds and the scares intensify, I find myself clinging tightly to Ryker's arm, my face buried in his shoulder.
He teases, 'You can hold my hand if you're too scared, Astrid.'
I smirk. 'You wish,' I retort. But just as I reply, another terrifying scene appears on the screen, and I can't help but grab Ryker’s hand in a moment of fear.
We share a shy smile, and I try to regain my composure. However, when a particularly frightening moment occurs, and a swamp monster emerges from the water to capture and kill a helpless human, I scream in fright.
'Awe, Astrid, did the monster scare you?' Ryker teases, gently lifting my legs over his lap and cuddling me like a baby. In response, I playfully push his chest, laughing before resting my head against his chest.
Watching the movie while being held in Ryker's arms feels incredibly comforting. We're nearing the movie's end when Seth, Mia, Kane, and Hayley return. They enter the room, whispering excitedly and sharing knowing smiles upon seeing me on Ryker's lap, contently watching a movie with him.
Feeling guilt for my earlier actions, I gently remove myself from Ryker's embrace and approach them. 'I'm sorry about running away this morning, guys. I didn't mean to upset anyone,' I apologize sincerely.
Hayley steps forward with a warm smile. 'It's fine, Luna. We're sorry, too. We didn't realize how new you were to all this. Seth and Mia filled us in. We felt so bad for upsetting you, Luna,' she says.
'Ryker and I are going to watch another movie. You should all join us?' I suggest wanting to mend any tension from earlier.
'Sure!' Hayley responds eagerly.
'Sounds good!' Mia adds with a smile.
Kane and Seth nod in agreement and follow their mates to the other couches, making themselves comfortable. Ryker smiles at me and pats his lap. I realise I can't refuse the offer, even if I wanted to.
As Hayley and Mia struggle to settle on a movie, I take the remote from Mia and decide to end their indecisiveness. Closing my eyes, I casually flick through the list of options and then confidently press play.
'Hey, that works,' Hayley smiles.
Mia playfully elbows Hayley. 'If only we had thought of doing that sooner. Think of all the hours we've sat here bickering over what to watch,' she laughs.
However, my triumph quickly fades as I realise the movie I've selected is another horror flick. The guys, including Ryker, seem thrilled by my choice, while we girls collectively cringe at the prospect of another night of scares. The lounge room is filled with screams, jumps, and flinches throughout the movie as we're repeatedly startled and frightened. The only silver lining is that we all have our mates to cuddle into, providing some much-needed comfort.
As the movie finally concludes, Mia checks her watch. 'Ooh, it's just about time for dinner,' she announces.
Ryker takes my hand, and we all make our way into the dining room, still buzzing from the adrenaline and excitement of the horror movie. The conversation revolves around the film we just watched, with occasional nervous laughter. However, our chatter ends as Alice enters the room, pushing a food trolley towards the table, her face contorting into a scowl. It's clear that no one in the room is comfortable in her presence.
To avoid unnecessary interaction, I divert my gaze to the window, where the darkening sky reveals the moon as clouds gradually drift away. Alice proceeds to place plates filled with steak and vegetables before us before storming off. However, just as I return my attention to the table, I catch Alice casting a malicious glance in my direction.
I inspect the steak and vegetables, and Ryker notices. He smiles, leans in, and offers reassurance. 'Alice is known to be rough and abrupt, but she does have a good side to her. Although Alice is angry with me because you are here, she'd never poison anyone. She will come around and accept you as my mate and as her Luna. Just give it some time,' he assures me.
Feeling somewhat relieved by Ryker's words, I eat and consume about half of my meal.
After everyone finishes their meal, Ryker takes my hand. 'I want to take you out and show you the garden. It's magnificent under the moonlight,' he says.