Logan Chapter 72

-Emory-

All these people are here for me- specifically to get a look at me, the new human Luna. I’m not sure if I have the official title yet or if I’ll have some kind of formal ceremony after the full moon ceremony, but for all intents and purposes, I’m a human leading a shifter pack. Knowing they can smell my fear only makes the anxiety worse. I have nothing wise or profound to say to these people. I’m not anyone special. I just happened to get matched to their Alpha, and I’m still struggling with even that much.

I try to take deep breaths, counting like Logan showed me. I’ll just have to be honest with how out of my comfort zone I am. People appreciate honesty, right? Logan is reaching out to me, ready to help calm me down, but I wave him off. I have to figure this out on my own eventually. I’ll start now and hopefully get better at it as we go. I’ll be bravely honest about how nervous I am.

“I never liked public speaking. This feels like I’ll have to give thirty speeches today.” I confess to Logan. That wasn’t so bad. Honesty.

“Keep in mind that people rarely come in on their own. You’ll probably only have to talk and meet people fifteen times, max. On top of that, this is much more about listening than talking. These people are supposed to be coming here with intrapersonal issues- arguments for us to settle.” Logan comes over and rubs my back to comfort me. “I can make the decisions on those things. Your job today is just to meet people and listen so you can get a feel for how the dynamics of the pack work.”

I give him a short nod. “I can do that. Go ahead and get ready. I can meet the first group.” Logan kisses my forehead and sits back down.

After a second eyeing me, he pulls me onto his lap. “We need to get you a better chair to sit next to mine. It’s not supposed to be a throne, but you won’t want to stand this whole time and I won’t have you looking like an afterthought.” Louder, he says “come in!” I’m not sure how sitting on his lap will fix the optics, but I don’t say anything. The first couple is already walking through the door.

A very tall man- male?- walks in first. He has dark, curly hair that he’s left down, long and wild. The woman with him is willowy- tall and petite- with gorgeous strawberry blonde hair. I’ll have to ask what products she uses to get such volume when it’s clearly pin straight. They stare unabashedly at me while Logan does introductions.

“Emory, this is Dan and his chosen mate Erin. Dan and Erin, this is your new Luna Emory, my fated mate.” Both sets of eyebrows go up before they seem to remember themselves. They both turn their heads down and to the left in what looks like a kind of informal bow. I guess to expose their jugulars? Must be a holdover of more savage times.

As they perform the strange nod, both shifters murmur “well met, Luna” before their heads come back level. Logan brings my hand to his mouth and kisses the back of it, nodding at me to say something back.

“Nice to meet you two as well. What brings you here today?” Easy enough start. Everything will be fine.

Dan, after a short glance at Erin to see who wanted to speak first, decides to jump in. “Well, Luna, we were hoping to get a spot on this full moon to have our chosen mate ceremony. We didn’t realize you two would be having your ceremony or we wouldn’t have asked. We can wait for the next full moon.” They squeeze each others’ hands tighter, as if this will cost them.

Logan pauses, thoughtful. “I think that might be best. There hasn’t been a fated mate ceremony in a long time, and we’re not positive how it will go. Best to let Orson concentrate on the differences for ours without having to think of doing a chosen mate ceremony on top of it.” I really do try to stay quiet.

“Excuse me, I just need some clarification.” I can feel Logan’s surprise under me, though his expression doesn’t show it. “You two seem to believe this will be a sacrifice. Can you explain why this month would be so much better for you than next?” Dan and Erin seem surprised now, too. I’ve run into a wolf thing, again.

Erin smiles sweetly at me before she answers. Her voice is soft and musical, though she speaks frankly. “Luna, you might not be able to sense it without your own wolf, but ours are going crazy. There’s a momentum to mating that only picks up as time goes on. Once we realized we were compatible and our wolves decided the same, they’ve been antsy to make it official. Right now it feels like any bitch could try and take him from me. We both have jobs, and we’re struggling to let each other out of our sight. Does that make sense?”

I eye Logan before answering. “I think I have some experience with that, yes.” All three wolves in the room chuckle wryly. “I understand why Orson wouldn’t be able to do both ceremonies at the same time, but maybe theirs could come before ours, Logan? We could treat it like they’re opening up the night? Or would that not work at all?”

Logan tilts his head in a distinctly canine way, thinking. “Perhaps, yes. We’ve rarely had couples want to get mated on the same full moon, so this hasn’t really come up before. If we could keep everyone from running off after your ceremony, I don’t see why we couldn’t have ours right after. It would certainly build the… excitement.” He gives me a filthy grin, and I see Dan and Erin having a similar reaction in the background. There’s something about the full moon ceremony that I’m not getting. I thought it was a formal affair with a not-quite-orgy afterwards. Is that from compulsion rather than sentiment? Interesting. I try to smile back, but don’t quite manage. Logan looks back to Dan. “I’ll speak with Orson tonight and let you know tomorrow if he believes it to be possible. I’d like to try it.”

Erin squeaks in excitement, and both wolves thank us with another of those head nods before they leave. “Well,” I say to Logan, “that didn’t go too badly.”

He squeezes me tightly and hums his agreement. “Only twenty-eight more people to go. You did well, little rose.” He rewards me with a steaming hot kiss to my lips, then resettles me on his lap before calling out to the next people as I try to get myself back under control. “Come in!”