#3 By the Light of the Silver Moon

Chapter 20: Marigold

Finn spent another three days in the hospital before he was ready to be discharged. I had a feeling that I was the only reason he listened to the doctor for as long as he did. By day three he was chomping at the bit to get out of there.

Finn was shameless with his body, stripping off his hospital gown right in front of me. I gasped and closed my eyes, blushing deeply at Finn’s naked body. Finn chuckled at me,

“I’m offended, little mate, you don’t like what you see?” I covered my face with my hands and turned away,

“I didn’t see anything.” I grumbled which only caused Finn to laugh harder.

“Now I’m really offended.” I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

“Relax, baby, I’m just kidding.” Finn’s hands wrapped around my wrists and started tugging them away from my face,

“I have pants on.” He sighed. I loosened my grip on my face and allowed Finn to pull my hands away.

I blinked sheepishly, weary of Finn’s appearance. He was telling the truth, he had on a pair of low hanging jeans that showed off his hips and deep V. But, he lacked a shirt. I couldn't help but stare at his perfectly toned body, my blush deepening. He had chiseled abs, a strong chest, and a defined collar bone. I didn't even know a collar bone could be so sexy.

He had dark, elegant tattoos covering his body. I wasn’t sure what most of them meant, some of them looked tribal while others were pictures of things I couldn't interpret.

“Now this is much better.” Finn’s voice brought me back to reality. I shook my head and met his gaze. Finn was grinning with his devilishly crooked smirk and mischief in his eyes.

“I was looking at your tattoos.” I answered too quickly. Finn laughed at me again,

“Like what you see?” He asked.

“What do they all mean?” I asked, trying to defuse the tension in the room.

“Oh lots of different things. We'll have plenty of time for you to admire them later.” Finn picked up his shirt and tugged it over his head. I resisted the urge to pout in disapproval.

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the packhouse. I’m guessing you haven’t seen anything but the hospital?” Finn reached out his hand for mine.

“I don’t even remember what the front door looks like.” I said, thinking back to when I first arrived. I took Finn’s hand and interlocked our fingers.

“That’s what I thought.” Finn pulled me out of the hospital room and down the hall.

We came to the end of a long white hallway where another set of double doors were. He pushed his way through the doors and the packhouse came to life before me.

The hospital was a white, sterile wing of the packhouse that didn’t do the rest of the house justice. The walls of the rest of the house were a deep maroon and the floors a dark, wood plank. There were golden light fixtures and gothic detailing.

“The first floor is the commons. We have a moving theater, gym, spa, game room, cafeteria, gourmet kitchen, a library, classrooms, and lounge rooms where the pups like to have sleepovers. The second floor is for visiting pack members to stay, the conference room and offices are there, too. The third floor is for the Beta and Gamma, and their families. The fourth floor is for the Alpha and Luna.” Finn explained.

The packhouse was set up like a fancy hotel but it had an extremely homey feel with dark, neutral colors and soft fabrics. The lounge areas were covered in blankets and cushions with kids and teenagers sprawled out playing games. Everywhere we went, we drew attention. The pack members were staring at us, or should I see, me.

“Stop fidgeting.” Finn mumbled as we walked past the dining hall,

“Why are you so nervous?” He asked.

“There are so many people looking at me.” I grumbled.

“They just want to see you and get to know you. I’m afraid I didn’t do a great job at stopping the rumor mill.” Finn sighed.

“What?” I didn’t understand the reference.

“I didn’t tell anyone other than my family about you. But, when you came to save me, Stone told the guards that you were the Luna and the guards, well, they told everyone else.” Finn explained.

“I’m not.” I said to myself.

“You will be, one day.” Finn smiled down at me.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that, Finn.” I said.

“Shhh. We can talk about it later.” Finn gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before pressing the elevator button.

“There’s an elevator?” I gasped.

“Of course, there are four floors.” Finn chuckled just as the elevator doors opened up.

“Can I see your office?” I asked carefully.

“You can see anything you want, my love,” Finn shrugged,

“This is your home now.” Finn hit the number 2 button and the elevator jerked upwards.

“Although I sense that you’re just avoiding something.” Finn said as the doors opened up and we walked down the hall, hand in hand.

“I don’t know what you mean.” I replied sheepishly. I studied the hall. There were doors on either side, bedrooms and bathrooms, I assumed. At the end of the hall there was a set of double doors.

“That’s the conference room.” Finn explained, ignoring my earlier statement,

“Over there is the Luna’s office,” He pointed to the door on the left,

“And this is my office.” He opened the door on the right.

His office was navy blue with matching curtains and rug on the dark wooden floor. All the furniture was dark oak. A masculine desk was against the back wall which was lined with built in bookshelves. A velvet couch and two matching chairs sat in the center of the room with side tables and a coffee table.

“I think you’re avoiding going to our floor.” Finn said while my back was to him.

“Why would you think?” I asked, unable to face him. The truth was, I knew exactly why he would think that because it was true.

“Because you're not sure what you want.” Finn’s voice was husky as I felt him step closer to me. His hands gripped my upper arms, sending goosebumps over my entire body.

“Marigold, baby, look at me.” Finn whispered, turning me around in his arms,

“The floor is set up with two quarters, one for the Luna and one for the Alpha. I understand if you’re not ready to stay with me, yet.” Finn said softly.

“Thank you.” I mouthed, barely any sound coming out.

“Come on, let’s go up.” Finn shook his head at me and pulled me back towards the elevator. He pressed the number four button and we lurched towards the top floor.

“Finn?” I spoke against the hum of the elevator.

“Yes, love?” Finn looked sideways at me.

“Why does the Luna need an office?” I asked. Finn’s eyes pinched together like he was confused,

“To do her duties, the official work of the Luna.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” I sighed, frustrated at my own ignorance,

“I thought the Luna was just supposed to take care of the house and the children.”

“Oh, baby,” Finn sighed sadly as the doors opened. He led us into the hallway and stopped, staring down at me.

“I know you don’t understand because you were made to believe the same vile things that boys like Alpha Torrin believe. The Luna is a valued and utilized member of the pack who has so many other duties then bearing the heir. You have as many, or as few, responsibilities as you want, and you’ll be included in any pack affairs that you want. You’re my equal, Marigold, not a servant or a slave.” Finn pinched my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes so I could see his sincerity.

“This is a lot, Finn.” I mumbled.

“I know, love. Come on, let’s go look at your room.” Finn grinned, changing the subject.

He led me to the first door on the left and turned the handle. I peeked my head inside the room and gasped. It was larger than the entire servant quarters at Alpha Torrin’s packhouse, even larger than my childhood room in the palace; not that I was given a room near as grand as my prince brothers.

There was a four poster bed in the middle with an end table on either side. A sitting room was arranged on the far side of the room with a large TV. A set up double doors leading out to a balcony were there as well. To the left was a door that, I assumed, led to a bathroom.

“After you.” Finn waved his hand, motioning for me to enter the room. I stepped inside and froze on the spot, not sure what to do next. Finn chuckled at my awkwardness and walked towards the door on the left.

“Here’s the bathroom.” He said, pushing open the door. I followed him into the white, marble bathroom.

“It’s fully stocked. You can let your housemaid know what you like and she’ll pick it up for you. This is the closest.” On the far side of the overly large bathroom was another set of double doors. Inside that was a small room that Finn called the ‘closest’.

“Who has this many clothes?” I asked, gapping at the walls of built in storage. Finn eyed me curiously,

“Some princess you are.” He laughed.

“Yeah, I didn’t live much better as a princess than I did as Alpha Torrin’s servant.” I said in a snippy tone. Finn shocked me by growling,

“Let’s not talk about him, okay?” Finn advised between his clenched jaw,

"A name so vile shouldn't be allowed to touch that beautiful mouth of yours."

I was stunned silent by Finn's words and his temper. But, at the risk of Finn’s wolf losing its cool, I decided to change the subject. I dropped my backpack down on the floor,

“This is all I have. It looks rather sad compared to all the space in here.” I said, looking around the large room.

“Have you met my sister? She’ll teach you the meaning of shop till you drop.” Finn teased, eyeing my backpack.

“Where do you sleep?” I asked shyly. Finn nodded his head towards the door and led the way back to the hallway. I left my discarded backpack in the wardrobe.

Finn walked down the hallway a little further to another door and opened it. His room looked exactly like mine, only black in color instead of maroon. Not to mention the mess.

“Oh my.” I said pointedly, scanning the room.

“Yeah, I only let the maids in here like once a week.” He shrugged.

“Never heard of picking up after yourself?” I raised an eyebrow at him. For the first time since I met Finn, he actually looked embarrassed.

“You’re right.” He said, ducking his head.

“I suppose you’re very busy, though.” I decided to cut him some slack. He has been through a lot recently.

“It’s still no excuse, I’ll be better, I promise.” Finn said, looking at me through his dark eyelashes with his large puppy dog eyes.

“Oh, stop it.” I laughed at him, playfully pushing on his arm. Finn’s face broke out into a breathtaking grin. He wrapped his arm around my waist and dipped me backwards before giving me a deep, passionate kiss.