The Chosen Luna

3 - Trust the process

SASHA

I place my phone down on my bedside table and force myself to roll out of bed. The plan was to sleep in for the day. It would have been my first opportunity to do so. The last two weeks I have been busy working odd end jobs to stay active and keep the funds coming in. For the most part, I have been working with India as a floater in the daycare. I pretty much bounce from class to class and cover lunch breaks or sick days. On weekends, I cover a few bar shifts at one of the clubs I worked at while in college. They need the extra help, and I appreciate the tips. I’m not hurting for cash, yet, but I want to make sure I am set so that I don’t have to go running to my uncle for help.

This morning, Uncle Darren interrupted my sleep to request my presence at his house. He sounded pretty determined, so I figure it is best to go to him, instead of him coming to bang down my door. I get up from the bed and make my way to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. It’s mid-morning, so the bathroom isn’t too hectic. After waiting a minute or two, a sink frees up and I am able to start my routine, and twenty minutes later, I am walking back into my room. I throw on a T-shirt and some leggings before grabbing my jacket ready to walk out the door. I pause just before I head out and look at myself in the full-length mirror that hangs on the back of my door.

“Trust the process. What’s for me will find me. Trust the process.” I repeat with deep breaths.

“You always do those stupid mantras,” Lola says with an eye roll. “Trust the process.” She mocks.

“My mantras keep me sane enough to deal with your ass.”

“What are you talking about? I’m a gem to work with.”

“Ha! You’re hilarious. Between you and Uncle Darren, I don’t know how I haven’t ran my head into a wall.”

“Uncle Darren is definitely a piece of work. I guess keep up with your chants or whatever.” Lola gives me an eye roll before retreating to the back of my mind. Her banter is a thankful distraction to the anxiousness that was starting to stir inside, and now I feel ready to face whatever my uncle wants to throw my way.

My aunt and uncle’s house sits on the back end of the pack grounds. Shadow Claw pack is a medium-sized pack that sits on the west side of the Rocky Mountains. Many of the wolves live on the pack grounds with only a small handful choosing to live in the nearby towns. The housing area forms a U shape around the pack house that sits in the center of the grounds. Narrow, two-story row houses sit side by side with every two houses separated by a small grassy area. There are similar houses further into the woods, but they are one-story and more scattered throughout the area.

I walk into the house after giving the door a quick knock. I still have a key and am always told that I’m welcome anytime, but I can’t help the feeling of not belonging sometimes. The house opens to a small entryway with the stairs leading to the upstairs rooms on the left and the open kitchen and dining area on the right. The living room sits in the back of the house walled away from the other rooms with a doorless entryway.

The house is quiet except for the sound of the TV coming from the living room. I walk up to the doorway to see my uncle standing in the middle of the room watching the screen. He keeps it on the finance news channel, pretty much, 24/7. If he is not watching it here, he’s listening to a podcast, discussing the same information.

“Hey.” I say, leaning against the wall, and getting my uncle to give me his attention.

“Shay. Hey! Have you eaten?”

“Uh, no. I was sleep still until you called. I just washed my face and came over.”

“Your aunt made a breakfast tart before she left this morning.” He says, leading us to the kitchen. Once we get into the kitchen, he goes over to the stove and grabs a pie pan, placing it on the breakfast bar. I grab a seat while he gets a plate and hands it to me after cutting a slice of tart.

“I love Aunt Franny’s tarts.” I say after taking a bite of my piece.

“You want coffee or juice?”

“Coffee.” He fiddles with the coffee maker and places the drink in front of me in no time. There is a comfortable silence for a moment while I eat and he leans against the counter sipping his own drink. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I ask. Hopefully, I can get this over with and get back to my bed.

“Well, your birthday is coming up.”

“Yes. I remember.” I say sarcastically.

“And last I checked, you haven’t found your mate.”

“Right.” I let the word come out slowly. This is definitely not the direction I thought our conversation would go.

“Have you heard about the Lexies?”

“Lexies?”

“Of Oak Ridge pack. Their family hasn't received a fated mate for generations and every time one of them is of mating age, a formal of some sort is hosted in their honor to select a chosen mate. Since you seem to be without one, I thought….”

“You thought? Thought what?” I freeze with the fork full of tart inches away from my mouth, worried about what he’s getting at.

“It’s unlikely that you are going to find your mate this close to your birthday.”

“Thanks,” I reply sarcastically, putting the fork down and crossing my arms.

“It’s not a bad thing. You can always take a chosen mate.”

“Right…What is it you are trying to get at, Uncle Darren? You’re beating around the bush and that’s not like you.

“I would like for you to accept the invitation to go to the formal.”

“The formal? That chooses a mate for this Lexi family?” I confirm.

“Well, not just a mate. It would be for the role of future Luna. The future Alpha is the one turning thirty.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Shay. You didn’t even give it a thought.”

“I don’t need to,” I reply with a scoff. “If in a few weeks I find out that the moon goddess doesn’t have a mate for me, I am in the clear. I don’t need to bring anyone down with my life.”

“There is nothing wrong with your life,” my uncle says sternly. I reply by giving him a look with my lips pierced together. “Okay, it’s not what we expected, but this could be an opportunity to turn all that around.” There is a hopefulness behind his words.

“Uncle Darren, this is going to be the only time I admit this to you, but I am barely holding my life together by a thin thread. I have no right to go up, to even be considered of becoming someone’s Luna.”

“Shay, I know things aren’t going your way, but that doesn’t take away from how amazing you are,” He says somewhat apologetically. I drop my eyes from his hopeful ones and focus on my half eaten tart as I pick at it. We sit in silence for a few minutes before I hear him sigh heavily. “I would appreciate you doing this for me at least.” I look up, quizzically at my uncle. “I have been trying to do business with the Lexies for years, and haven’t been able to get so much of an automatic email in reply.”

“And how would this change that for you?”

“Just agree to go to the social. I will escort you and be able to brush elbows with the many business giants that are sure to be there.”

I give my uncle a studying look. He has always gotten excited when he was able to network with other wolves who have taken to the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Due to our active nature, most wolves enjoyed heavy labored jobs or jobs where they have to be extremely active. Positions where you were required to sit behind a desk were a rare desire for our species. Because of this, my uncle always jumped at the opportunity to do business with other wolves.

“Shay,” My uncle calls my name, interrupting my thought process. “After everything we have been through, could you do this for me?” I roll my eyes at his question.

There it is. The guilt trip I was expecting. He may not use it often, but will definitely resort to it when he really wants to get his way.

“Fine.” I sigh out.

“Fine? Really?” He asks excitedly. I chuckle at his reaction and shake my head, hoping I haven’t just agreed to something that will seal my fate.