The Chosen Luna

2- Unheard Pleas

LAMAR

My nose is what leads me into the kitchen this morning. I walk in to see Ms. Corina putting in top effort with breakfast. She turns to me and smiles as I walk in, then focuses back on the eggs she is currently cooking. My grandmother is sitting at the table reading through her tablet. My father sits next to her with his leg crossed, probably sending off an email on his phone. It’s the typical setting in the mornings around here.

I walk up to my grandmother and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Hmph.” Is the only response I get for my action.

“Morning, father,” I greet, as I take my seat across from the both of them.

“Good morning, son.” My dad says without looking up from his phone.

My dad is a domineering looking man with tan brown skin. He is adamant about keeping the short wavy hair on top of his head black with regular appointments to the barbershop, but allows his grey to show on the sides of his temple and all along the medium length beard he keeps trimmed to perfection. He has one of those faces that rests in intimidation. Most of the time he doesn’t rely on pushing out his Alpha aura when he is giving a command. He merely gives a look and everyone cowers in his presence.

“Are you done with your tantrum?” My grandmother directs her question at me without looking up from her screen.

“Have you considered what I asked?” I retort, and earn her eye contact.

“I don’t need to think about it. I have already given you my answer.”

My dad may have the look of Alpha, but my grandmother is the true authoritarian. What she lacks in dictating appearance, she more than makes up for in her demeanor. It makes sense since she has had to hold the role of Luna when my grandfather was Alpha and again when my mother left. My grandma has tan brown skin similar to my father’s but slightly darker. Her white hair is straightened often and kept at shoulder length. Her appearance can come off as somewhat fragile with her average height and small frame, but she is anything but.

“If you won’t forgo the Choosing Social, the least you could do is let Regina be put in for consideration.”

“No,” She says pointedly.

“Well, if you two are going to go back and forth again I’m going to go into the office early.” My dad says with a sigh before rising from the table and placing his phone in his pocket. He walks across the room to the kitchen island where he has his suit jacket draped neatly over the back of one of the chairs. “Make sure you are sharp and ready for the Sylvester meeting.” My dad says as he buttons up his double breasted pinstripe suit jacket.

“I can be half sleep and still be sharp enough for that meeting.” I tell him confidently. He scoffs at my statement with a smirk, smooths out his clothes to make sure he is presentable, and waves to us by simply putting his palm out in our direction before walking out the kitchen. “Grandmother.” I say with a pleading tone, turning my attention back to her.

“Is he still whining?” My cousin, Henson’s, voice sounds through the kitchen. I look over my shoulder and roll my eyes instantly when I see him walking in with a sly grin on his face. “Good morning, Grandmother,” He says, giving her a kiss on the cheek and taking the seat my father was just occupying. He lets his arm drape over our grandma’s shoulder, shooting me the same sly look he has had since walking into the kitchen.

Henson is my uncle, August’s, only child. Growing up it was always me, Henson, and my sisters. Of course we had the rest of the pack, and we each had our own set of friends, but as the former Alphas only grandchildren, we shared a special bond.

“Grandmother, I will be honored when it is my turn to have a Choosing Social.” My cousin says with his eyes locked on mine. “Maybe Lamar will be more happy choosing his own mate and stepping down from the role of Alpha.” He says, and I let out a low growl at him.

“You two, stop it.” Our grandma says, throwing Henson’s arm off her shoulder and shifting a pointed look between the two of us. “I’m not canceling the Choosing Social and I’m not naming a new Alpha.”

“How about just renaming the old Alpha lineage.” My grandmother shoots Henson a glare that he answers with a grin that always smooths her over. Before we were all born, my grandfather was set to pass the Alpha role down to my uncle, but at the last minute decided to give it to my father. The two had a hard time with that decision at first, but eventually got over it. Henson felt slighted when we learned that information, and has since been sneaking in his desire to be Alpha whenever he can.

“Can I even have my breakfast before you two start annoying me.”

“You haven’t had breakfast? Corina, how dare you not feed our lovely grandmother.” Henson says jokingly.

“Miss wanted to wait until everyone was at the table to eat.” Corina informs him.

“Our grandmother is so special. Isn’t she special, Lamar?” Henson's kiss ass ways are in top form. “She could have eaten already, but she chose to wait for her family.”

My cousin is no i***t. He knew he had struck a nerve with my grandmother when he suggested she name him as Alpha. It wasn’t new behavior coming from him, but she was obviously not in the mood today. So, Henson was putting in extra work to smooth her over.

“Morning, everyone.” My sister, Nadine, chimes as she walks into the kitchen. She is followed by our youngest sister, Hazel, and Henson’s mom, Dawn. They all take their seats at the table with Nadine sitting next to me and Hazel leaving two seats open between her and our sister. My Aunt Dawn takes the seat on the other side of her son.

“Regina has been my girlfriend for the last five years,” I continue the conversation that me and my grandma were originally having. “I can’t just throw all that time to the wind.”

“You knew what you were getting into. I warned you years ago about your relationship getting too serious.

“How about we just wait two more years until Regina turns thirty.” I suggest, trying to find a middle ground. We wolves are able to realize our mates once we turn eighteen. If we haven’t found them by the time we are thirty, that usually means the moon goddess did not fate us to a destined mate. In my family’s case, that is always definite. Thanks to a curse from the moon goddess.

“No, I want you to assume the role of Alpha before then, and I want you to have your Luna before you take up the position.” I open my mouth to say something else, but am stopped by my grandma’s fist slamming the table. “Enough! Lamar, this is nothing new. We have been doing this for generations. You are not the first to protest and you won’t be the last. This is the way it is, and that is the end of it.” She gives me a stern look to let me know the conversation is over.

The moon goddess's curse has been on our family for generations, ever since one of my great grandfathers rejected his goddess given mate. The goddess took the situation offensively and told my grandfather that, because of his actions, his bloodline would never be fated with a mate again. He eventually took a chosen mate, and all of their kids were born under a dark moon that he assumed to be coincidence. Once the kids turned eighteen and were of mating age, he started to realize the gravity of his actions. Year after year their mates were never realized. He tried to apologize, but the goddess wouldn’t hear his pleas. It took another two generations until a council of elders were formed to help those of mating age choose their mates. In hopes of not angering the goddess more, the council doesn't start considering new prospects until we turn thirty. Even then, chosen prospects must be at least thirty themselves, and never mated to be considered. For generations the council has been in charge of determining our mates, a choice that I would rather make for myself.

Corina starts placing plates in front of everyone just as my uncle, August, walks in and takes the seat next to his mate. Nadine’s mate, Jonathan is the last to make it to the table with their son in his arms. He places him in the seat next to Nadine and sits down next to him. Everyone sits and eats in silence for a long while.

“Hey grandmother.” My sister, Hazel, interrupts the quiet. “I just want to remind you that when you start planning my social, there should be she-wolves only.”

“Get in line, little cousin,” Henson chuckles. “Since Nadine decided to do things non traditionally, I’m next in line. You can have my leftovers.”

“I’m pretty sure you will have a few of my leftovers at your social.” Hazel punctuates her sentence with a wink and an involuntary whistle towards Henson. “Yes! Perfect timing!” She says with a hand clap when her tick works in her favor.

The rest of breakfast goes on in its usual silence. We are not the typical family to engage in a lot of table talk, so it’s not out of the ordinary for our conversations to not go much deeper than cordial chit chat. After breakfast, everyone separates and goes about their days. I go up to my room and grab my jacket before meeting Henson to drive into work.

“You are so adamant on choosing your own mate.” Henson says as we sit in the car driving to the company building.

“It’s ridiculous. Obviously the moon goddess did us a huge favor by allowing us to choose our mates. Delegating that task to a group of our family members seems insane to me.”

“You are fighting a losing battle.” Henson sighs out.

“So you don’t care? You are okay giving up your choice in this situation?” I glance over at my cousin for a second before focusing my attention back on the road.

“Dude, I don’t give a good damn. It would be the same situation if the moon goddess hadn’t cursed us. The choice wouldn’t be ours, so what does it matter now?”

“I plan on doing something about this whole situation when I’m Alpha.”

“If you become Alpha. Your constant whining and complaining is setting me up perfectly to come and take what’s rightfully mine.” I roll my eyes at Henson’s statement. He never wasted a moment to tell me that he was coming for my position in the pack.

“Grandmother already told you she is not giving you the role.”

“I’m not waiting for her to give it to me. I’m not waiting for anyone to give me s**t. I’m going to take it from you.”

“Simple as that?”

“Simple as that.”

“I’ll be sure to watch my back then.”

“That’s where you’ve got it messed up, cousin. You never have to watch your back concerning me. I won’t sneak up on you. If I’m coming for you, I’m coming head up.”

I nod at his boldness with a scoff of a chuckle. I could easily take his words as a threat, and I have no doubt that he has been working on some plan to get the results he wants, but truly I trust Henson. One thing about him is he is always up front about his plans. He’s right. He’s not the type to sneak behind my back. Whatever he cooks up, he would deliver it face to face.