“Don’t mention it,” she chuckles. “Come, Valerie. You have to tell me how your parents are doing. My dad told me that he’s training the teens with your father?”
I’m in awe that she even knows that. Which means she also knows who I am. She knows who I am and doesn’t mind. Suddenly, all the tension and fear in me is gone, and I can just smile at her happily.
Marilou nudges Jazz. “This is Jazz, by the way. She’s normally not this shy.”
“Oh,” Luna Annalise beams. “I’ve heard about you. A little birdie told me you stood up to some bullies today! I wish I could have seen it,” she muses.
“Me too,” Ella grins. “But I bet it wasn’t as cool as when you threw that can of pineapple at a dude who harassed me and accidentally hit him in the face with it. He got a huge bruise from it and was so scared of you that he avoided us from then on. He didn’t want to admit that a girl hit him, so we got away with it, and he got detention.”
Beta Dante raises his brows. “Why am I only hearing about this now?”
Jazz suddenly wakes up from her daze and smiles broadly. “I’d love to hear more about this too.”
“Anything else you want to know about?” Beta Ella teases. “Now’s your chance.”
“No, we shouldn’t…” I stutter.
“You absolutely should,” Luna Annalise says in amusement. “I can see you’re all bursting with curiosity.”
“I always wondered how you and Alpha Liam met,” Marilou says shyly. “There are a lot of rumors, so…”
“Oh, and I heard you are friends with a human,” Jazz muses. “That sounds like an interesting story too.”
Ella looks at the Luna with amusement. “Now even Dave is famous.”
“The marriage proposal,” I hear myself say.
“Oh yes,” Marilou beams.
Luna Annalise happily answers all of our questions and even wants to know some things about us. She seems to be genuinely interested in what we do and what we have planned for the future. At one point, the Alpha himself comes to meet us—or steal some cake, as the Luna puts it. He really is an imposing guy, his alpha aura easily dominating the room. He looks a bit scary, but he’s nice to us. “We are just here for some cake,” his Beta Dante confirms our suspicion.
“Right,” Beta Ella retorts dryly. “For the cake. And here I thought you came because you wanted to see us.”
Beta Dante tilts his head. “That was a motivational factor,” he admits.
Alpha Liam slips an arm around his Luna’s waist and kisses the side of her head. Aw, they are so cute. My heart melts at seeing them. He’s such a huge, strong guy; scary, and with those fierce blue eyes. But he’s so sweet to the woman he loves.
One day, I want someone to look at me like he looks at her.
We continue to chat all afternoon until Luna Annalise suddenly falls silent. “Is everything alright?” Gamma Jun asks worriedly.
“I’m sorry, I’m not feeling so well,” she mutters. “Give me a moment. I’ll be back in a minute, girls.”
When Gamma Jun gets up to follow her, Beta Ella shakes her head. “I’ll go, she’s not feeling well recently. I’ll check on her, you stay with the girls.” She grins at us. “Don’t mess with him too much.”
We giggle, seeing the look of slight panic on his face.
The Black&White
*MARIUS*
Tosaythingsareawkward between my family and me would be an understatement, but I’m used to it by now. I have a talent for stirring up awkward situations. Unfortunately, Cyrus is still MIA, which isn’t a huge help either. At least this time I can feel his presence. He just doesn’t talk to me. I’m unsure if he’s not talking because he doesn’t want to, or because he can’t. The first option would be worrying because although he’s been pissed at me before, the rift between us was never this big. The second option, however, would be even more unsettling.
I feel another wave of dizziness overcome me, making me sit down at one of the benches. I hold my head between my hands. Why am I like this?
No one will ever love you.
The words ring in my mind, cold and cruel, making me wince. The memory feels fresh, as if it happened yesterday. Fuck it, I groan. It was so long ago! Get out of my mind!