The following week passed fairly slowly. Jack's condition was waning which meant that Catherine spent most of her time by his bedside. I didn't complain, of course. I know how much he means to her. That much has been evident in the short time I've been here.

Instead I spent my time getting down a few of the smaller wedding details. We would have 3 soups; chicken and dumpling, beef and noodle and clam chowder. Everyone was able to bring food to the party as it was only the after affair that they were invited to. We would never be able to fit so many people into the little church on Pickett Street. 

The church was my agreement with Mike. He was so against having it there that he even went so far as to threaten to lock me in the "interrogation room" if I didn't stop asking. 

I told him that I'd do whatever he wanted if he let me have this. It would mean so much to my Papa. That made him agree. Now I have to take self defense lessons with Nicole along with shopping with Holly to get an appropriate outfit to meet the arriving Alpha's this Sunday.

Today is the first of March and I'm getting my ass handed to me by a skinny blond girl.

"Get up."

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand while I sat on the floor of a training arena we had went to in town. Most of the others in here are wolves so they were naturally concerned when Nicole kicked me in the face. 

She tightened her ponytail while I brushed off my black leggings and old grey sweater, slightly stained with the blood that came from my spit now and the sweat that was continually coming off of me.

God, I hate this.

"You're supposed to be a Luna," she started to circle me," You need to be able to protect yourself or else someone will get you. If they get you, they get Mike. An Alpha without a Luna is nothing. A pack without an Alpha is less."

"I can't do this. You're faster than me and stronger. Go easy on me."

Her leg swung out and got me square in the gut. When I bent over in pain she grabbed my face and made me look at her.

"Do you think a rogue will go easy on you? They abide no rules. A vampire? They're faster and stronger. God forbid a Lycan ever finds you."

"What about a witch?"

"There are no witches."

"What?"

I stood up from the ground. No witches? Faye was the last one?

"We killed them all in a battle 2 years ago. They're extinct not that the redhead is gone. She was the only survivor."

"Why did you let her live?"

"Because," she swung out her leg again but this time I jumped away from it. It made her smile," She saved the young Sterling once. Good job, Luna."

"I'm not a Luna," I said. I shot out my fist, holding to clip her jaw. She grabbed my arm and twisted me around so she had me in a lock hold.

"You will be. It's time for you to start getting used to it. At the stroke of midnight on Beltane you and Mike will become the new Luna and Alpha of the Jade Forest pack."

"I can't be a Luna," I brought up my leg and kicked her knees to the side until she released me. Then I grabbed her arm and held it up in a position to break it if she made the wrong move with my foot square on the back of her spine.

"No matter what you say or how many times you tell me it's what I will be, I am no Luna. A Luna is a werewolf who is loved by her pack. If I was a Luna I'd be able to shift. If I was a Luna the pack guards wouldn't have simply let me through when I left with Zoey. If I was a Luna I wouldn't be having a wedding at all. If I was a Luna I wouldn't be trying to understand all of this all at the same time as I tried to get to know my mate.

"If I was a Luna it would just happen."

I let go of her arm and she rolled over on the mat before standing up. A smirk lit up her face before she started clapping slowly.

A few more hands joined in.

I turned around to see that there was half a dozen wolves surrounding us. They were watching our miniature fight. One of them came into the middle next to me and grabbed my arm before putting it up in the air.

"The Luna has won!"

I stared at him. He was tall and his skin was dark. I recognized him from somewhere, but I couldn't identify where.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Alec, Luna."

"Thank you."

"Not much of the pack likes you, you know?"

"I do."

"Then it will be helpful to know that I do."

"As do I."

"Me, too!"

"Oh, and me!"

A few wolves stood out of the crowd to identify that they themselves liked me. There was Alec, a tall man with black hair and 2 teenage girls who had matching braces. 

Is this my pack?

I think it might be just perfect. 

Nicole smiled from where she stood next to me before we both packed up and went out to the car waiting for us. 

"What were you doing in there, Lucy?"