HELLHOUND (Book Two of the Wisteria Chronicles)

CHAPTER 8~Gentle~

Phoebe

     Titus carried my bags and held my hand. I couldn’t calm the unease in the pit of my stomach. Titus squeezed my hand, “We can start off small ok? You’ll meet my ranked members first. If that goes well, we will eat in the dining hall and you can meet whoever is there.” I just bobbed my head. 

  Titus chuckled, “Lets warp to my bedroom. I promise everything will be fine.” I nodded again and warped. Titus squeezed my hand before letting it go. He walked around his massive bedroom and opened up a few doors. He disappeared in the closet and came back out fully dressed.

   “You can arrange your stuff later. Whenever you’re feeling up to it, we will go shopping for the rest.” he said. “The rest?” I asked dumbly, my mind unable to keep up with him. “Yes, the rest of your stuff. You have an entire closet now. You no longer need to live out of a bag.” “Oh, right.” I murmured.

   I knew what he was saying made sense, but it was a weird notion. When I was younger all I did was shop till I dropped. But since I’ve changed, I've been forced to only carry essentials and possessed a small amount of clothes. I should be happy, but instead I felt anxious.

   “I just linked my Beta and Gamma. They will be here soon.” Titus announced.  The pit in my stomach grew, my nerves on high alert. “What if they don’t accept me?” I asked quietly, refusing to look him in the eye. He marched over to me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. “Don't you ever doubt yourself in front of me. You're too beautiful and strong to feel insecure.”

    His brown gazed was dark, his face serious. “Did I make myself clear?” he demanded.  I took a deep breath trying to believe his words. “Yes.” I murmured. He bent down and gave me a kiss, my body relaxing in his hold. There was a knock at the door, making Titus pull back. He studied me for a few more moments before going to answer it.

   Titus cracked the door open, whispering furiously with whoever was on the other side. I walked over to the little sitting area and mentally prepared myself. I fluffed my afro and smoothed my dress. My palms were sweating and I felt faint. I hope they accept me.  

Titus

    I popped my head out the door and saw Leo and Oliver waiting. “Hey man. Where did you go? No one has seen you since yesterday.” Oliver asked, his eyebrows set in a frown. I shrugged, “I had some business to take care of.” Leo crossed his arms, “No you didn’t. There was nothing planned for last night or this morning.”

  Well, s**t. “I found my mate.” I stated bluntly. They gaped at me then exploded with questions. “Who is she?!” “Where is she at?” “When can we meet her?” “When is she coming home?” I shushed them, trying to keep our voices low. 

  “Her name is Phoebe and she’s already here.” I told them. “Where?” Leo asked. “She’s in our room.” Leo and Oliver looked at each other before they both tried to push their way inside the door. We struggled for a few moments before I growled in my Alpha tone. “Stop!”

  The guys ceased their attempts to get past me. “Why can’t we meet her?!” Oliver asked indignantly. “You can but I need you guys to be gentle.” I said. Leo frowned, “Why?” I sighed, “I’ll fill you in later, but she’s been through a lot, she is very weary of people and she’s nervous. She’s worried you won't like her.”

    Oliver tsked, “Why wouldn’t we like her?!” I shrugged again. I honestly had no idea why she was so self-conscious; she was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. “Just be gentle, ok?” They nodded as I slowly opened up the door. I gave them a stern look before I led the way to the small couch where Phoebe was waiting with a nervous smile on her face.

   Leo brushed past me and lifted Phoebe up, completely startling both of us. She let out a yelp as he twirled her around. “Put her down!” I yelled, trying to step forward. Oliver blocked my way, reaching them before me. He tapped on Leo's shoulder and held out his arms. 

    Leo grinned and passed Phoebe over to him. Oliver then had his turn twirling her around. Phoebe looked confused and scared the whole time. I tried to hide my panic, maybe she was afraid of heights. “That’s enough.” I growled. Oliver rolled his eyes and set Phoebe on her feet. I pulled her close, trying to steady her as she wobbled.  She was shaking and clung to my shirt as she buried her face into my chest. 

   I glared up at Leo and Oliver. I shouted, “That was you being gentle? She’s terrified!”  They both looked down, ashamed. I tried to exam Phoebe. “Baby, are you ok?” She was still trembling, her voice muffled. I bent my head down, “Baby I can’t hear you.” She lifted her head up and had tears in her eyes. Great, now I had to kill my best friends.

   “I said I wasn’t expecting that.” She started to laugh loudly, her smile lighting up her eyes. My tense body relaxed, her tears were from joy and her body was shaking with laughter. I never heard her laugh so full heartedly before. It was beautiful. My vision zeroed in on her, everything else faded out. All I could see and hear was her. What was this feeling? Love. Onyx said. 

   Phoebe was asking me something but I couldn’t seem to understand. “Huh?” She rolled her eyes, “Are you gonna introduce us?” Her question took a second to set in, finally breaking me out of my trance. I cleared my throat and pointed to my friends. “These two idiots are my Beta and Gamma. This is Leo and that’s Oliver.”

  She smiled at them, “Hi, I’m Phoebe.” Leo smirked as he reached out and ruffled her hair. “Hey, Bee. We’ve been waiting a long time to finally meet you.” She giggled as I slapped his hand away. Oliver hunched down and got in her face. “Whoa! Your piercings are so dope! Did they hurt?” Phoebe continued to giggle, shaking her head no. 

    “I’ve never seen eyes like yours before.” Leo commented. “You have tiny ears!” Oliver chimed in. I gave an exasperated sigh, “Guys, seriously, stop.” Leo brushed me off and grabbed her hand. “Come on, I want you to meet my mate.” he said, tugging her away. She shot me a panicked look. Before I could pull her back, Oliver grabbed her other arm and helped Leo drag her out the door.  

       I followed them, keeping a sharp eye on her. Phoebe was able to keep up with their long strides, but I was still worried about her hurting herself. I didn’t want these fools to tire her out.

Phoebe

   Leo and Oliver rushed me out of the door, leading me to the second floor. They showed me their offices and gestured towards their bedrooms. We stopped in front of a door that was at the end of the hall. Leo smiled down at me as he pushed his way inside. I could hear women laughing as well as a baby cooing. 

   I could make out a woman in red and another woman in blue. I tried to get a better look around Leo’s tall frame but he kept blocking me. “Love, guess what?” Leo asked. “What?” said the woman in blue. “Titus found his mate!” Oliver blurted out from behind me. 

  The women erupted with squeals and excitement. “When do we get to meet her?” the one in red asked. “Now.” Oliver stated, pushing me in front of Leo. Uh-oh. I wasn’t mentally prepared for this yet! Females tended to be crueler and more judgmental than males. I really liked Leo and Oliver; I hoped their mates would like me too.

  The woman in blue ran to us, pushing the pup she held into Leo’s hands. She reached out, pulling me into a hug. “Oh, my goddess! I’m Everlee, your Beta female and this is our pup, Josiah.” She said sweetly, grabbing her pup back from Leo. She then passed him over to me with carefree abandon. 

   I awkwardly held Josiah, his drooly toddler hands smearing spit across my cheeks. I smiled at him and he cooed back. His big blue eyes were wide and innocent. My stomach did a flip; this was my first time holding a baby. Josiah smelled like dirt and cookies; he was absolutely precious. 

   The woman in red waddled over while Everlee took her pup back. “Welcome home. I’m Samantha, your Gamma female.” She held her hands out and squished me in another hug, her heavily pregnant stomach poked at me. I introduced myself to them, earning more squeals and a hundred questions. Titus was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed, a smug look on his face.

   “All right ladies, let her breathe.” he said, quickly calming Everlee and Samantha. “Let’s head down and eat.” Titus said, pushing off the door and grabbed my hand. He waited until everyone filed out of the room, slowly making his exit. He set a leisurely pace. “This isn’t too fast for you, is it?” he asked quietly.

    I smiled up at him, thankful that he was being so considerate. “I’m ok.” He nodded, leading me down to the first floor and into the enormous dining hall. Some pack members were present and shot curious glances, some pointing at our intertwined hands. 

   We sat at the head table as an elderly woman sauntered towards us. “Alpha, please tell me this is who I think it is.” she said, her warm gaze on me. Titus lifted my hand up and kissed. “It sure is Babs. This is Phoebe, your Luna.” The woman gasped, clutching at her chest. The rest of the hall went silent. 

   The elderly woman bent down and hugged me. “Welcome! I’m Barbara, the pack head cook. Please let me know what you love to eat!” She gushed over me and held me close. I’m getting a lot of hugs today. Titus laughed and shooed her away by asking for some food. Barbara quickly rushed to the kitchens. She promptly returned with stacks of food. She served us then retreated, reminding me to call her if I had a special request.

  The rest of the hall became loud, their cheers and congratulations were thunderous. Many members approached the table as the meal went on. I thanked several members and tried my best to keep up with Everlee and Samantha. My past as a royal had taught me how to handle being in front of large crowds. But now my heart pounded, their sounds deafening. Titus pulled me close, murmuring encouraging words in my ear. 

   I was completely exhausted by the end of dinner. Titus had excused us, towing me behind him. Once inside his room, no, our room, I let out a small sigh of relief and collapsed on the bed. Titus had disappeared into the closet again, bringing out one of his shirts. He stripped down to his boxers and got into the bed. I changed out of my dress and put his shirt on. I snuggled up to him and sighed as he held me. 

   “You did so good today, baby. The pack can’t wait for your Luna Ceremony.” He said, placing small kisses on my forehead. I just nodded my head, listening until his breathing grew slow and even. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I was restless and anxious. Everyone I met today was so accepting of me. I’m scared; this was starting to feel like a real home. What if I failed at being a Luna like how I failed at protecting my kingdom? 

  I felt inadequate. Sure, they were nice now, but how will they act when they learn who I am? How will they treat me when Titus isn’t around? Will they really accept a chubby hybrid as there Luna? The knot in my stomach continued to grow. I had too little faith in others and my guilt was starting to grow. This didn’t feel right.