Page 30 of Losing My Siren Luna
"Please don't call me alpha, Lira. You are my wife," he says, making me furrow my brows. He wouldn't let me call him anything but alpha before. “How about assisting me on visiting the village tomorrow?” he asks. “I overheard Cherum saying he would show you around the castle. Let me show you around the town. We can make it our first official date.”
“I would be assisting you with a date?” I ask, confused by his wording.
“You would be assisting me with visiting the village and our people, so everyone can see the face of their new Luna; then we can go on a date.”
I quirk my brows, not sure how to respond. After a few nervous seconds, I mutter, “I’ve never been on a date before, and these seem far too fancy to wear on a simple date.”
“There will be nothing simple about it,” he smirks, “Trust me.”
I don’t. I don’t trust him at all. I know he can see that on my face because his smile falters.
He runs his hand repeatedly through his hair as he seems to think. “You accompanying me would free Niomi to move her room from the bunkhouse to one in the castle so she can be closer to you.” He then says, “If you are here, she will need to be trailing you all day, catering to your needs. If I take you out, it will free up her time. I could have Nilo assign a few warriors to help her move as well.”
Mimi does have a bad room in the bunkhouse....Well, if it was for Mimi, I guess I could go with him.
“I still don’t think wearing this jewelry is appropriate, though,” I say softly, running my fingers over them again. They are exceptionally beautiful, but not practical for a trip to town or the orphanage. “Your pack has suffered greatly from war. We could sell these and provide for widows or the children orphaned from losing their parents on the battlefield.”
A radiant smile graces his face, and a breathless chuckle leaves him, making my heart flutter momentarily. “You are going to be such a loving Luna, Lira,” he runs his knuckles down my cheek, making Val purr and my muscles contract in a weird way from the bond. Tingles travel down my neck, making me shiver and I know he doesn’t miss the action. His eyes dance like he is elated by my reaction to him.
“I provide for the widows, Lira. They receive their spouse’s retirement wages and we have housing specifically for them that is guarded and watched over by our top war-retired warriors. As for the orphans,” he purses his lips, thinking for a few seconds, “Would you like to see them tomorrow? We have facilities throughout the territory, but the one in the village we can visit. The children would enjoy meeting you.”
I cock my head to the side, more to get away from his touch so I can think again. Val is now a panting mess in my head and I’m feeling foggy and confused. Not just by his kindness, but by the way his kindness makes me feel.
I never knew he took care of the widows and orphans like that. Is this different too from my previous life, or was I just ignorant of the happenings of his pack before? I had never tried to get to know his territory or ventured into the village before. I really didn’t leave the castle at all except to do my laundry up the river in the deeper part of the wilderness.
I really do want to see the village in this life if I can.
“We can go,” I whisper hesitantly, “But I still wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing these.” I close the lid on the velvet box and hand it back to Lachlan.
He purses his lips, nodding and staring down at the box. If I didn’t already know him, I would think the action was quite attractive, making his facial muscles tighten and contort his rugged face.
I know not to go down that road again, though. Not just yet anyway. I’m not convinced yet that the Lachlan in front of me is different from the one I experienced before.
“I’ll have to find an occasion for you to wear them, then,” he smirks, looking up at me with hooded eyes and a crooked smile.
He sets the box on the table with the many other gifts, then stretches his arms dramatically, making me want to chuckle. Even the yawn he produces seems forced. “Well, I’m tired. How about you? Do you want to open up the rest of these tomorrow while I am away at training?”
I am tired. Exhausted, really. I was getting ready to mentally and physically endure the pains of betrayal before he showed up with all these gifts, but it seems as though I will not have to worry about that. At least tonight.
I bite my lip and nod, , looking from him to the bed, wondering what his plans were exactly.
He holds his hand out to me, a soft, reassuring smile on his face that stretches wide when I take his hand.
He leads me over to the bed, encouraging me to sit with a wave of his free hand. He then kneels down at my feet and pulls my slippers from my feet.
“Thank you,” I murmur. .
“You are welcome, my wife,” he smiles, lifting one of my feet and kissing the top of it, making me gasp. The sparks from his touch travel up my leg, and combined with his heated, mesmerizing stare, I’m left not knowing what to do.
“He feels the bond! He has to!”Val practically screams in my head.
“He said wife. Not mate, but wife,”I tell her, “He would have called us mate if he felt the bond.”
“But he is different,”she argues, “He seems to care for us now.”
“We will see,”I tell her, “We have two years. That is enough time to tell if he is different or if this is just some momentary fluke. We have until our twentieth birthday. That is plenty of time to see if he really does care for us.”
“But that’s so long,”she whines.
