Chapter Five: Getting Settled In

She answered my questions, saying, “Yes, my sweet Claire. Everything that you see or find in your space belongs to you. Nothing is ‘gently used’ or handed down by anyone else. You are my daughter, and you should be able to represent that lineage when you are among the other pack members. You are a princess by birth, and you will be treated as such from this day forward,” She answered matter-of-factly. 

We entered the dining hall, and everyone else seemed to have been waiting for us to arrive. “Oh, thank the Goddess, you finally grace us with your presence, Your Highness,’ Kathy sneered as we entered the room. Anthony snickered at Kathy’s welcoming statement, but before anyone could make any further underhanded comments, Luna Ashley allowed her Luna Authority Aura to roll through the room. The only person who submitted to it entirely was Kathy. She was on the floor in a complete yoga “child’s pose” with her knees tucked under her, her body bowed to the floor with her arms straight out in front of her. Anthony did submit partially by bowing his head towards the Luna. But his eyes were on Kathy. They seemed to hold a hint of fear. That is until he looked at me, catching my eye and maintaining eye contact. I saw complete and utter disgust and anger when I looked at him. The contempt he seemed to hold for me was immeasurable and confusing; I had never met him until today. What could I have possibly done to cause this kind of disdain? 

Before I could voice my concerns, Luna Ashley pulled back her aura, allowing Kathy to rise off the floor. She brushed her dress off, smoothing imaginary wrinkles out of the skirt, and reached over to pull her chair out. But before she could retake her seat, Luna Ashley stopped her. “I want what I am about to say to be taken as seriously as you would take your mate bond. No one, not in this pack house or outside of it, will show anything but the utmost respect for Claire. There will not be any underhanded, sly remarks made to or about her by anyone. She is our family, my daughter and your twin sister Anthony. I would think that you wouldn’t want anyone to make her feel bad, regardless of who it is,” she says as she glares at Kathy. 

Kathy hung her head in mock shame while she pulled her seat out again to sit back down but was stopped again stopped by Luna Ashley. Kathy, please take the chair on the other side of the table from Anthony. As you should be aware, the seating at any table, whether in the private dining area or at the communal dining facility, is by rank. This chair,” Luna Ashley says as she gently pulls it out and nods her head at me to sit, “is for the Royal Princess. And while you are now and will always be our daughter, it is not by birth, and therefore you are not the Royal Princess.” 

I was frozen in my spot like a marble statue, with shock and bewilderment running rampant in my mind. My eyes darted between Kathy, Luna Ashley, Alpha Marlon, and Anthony so quickly that I felt dizzy. “Yes, Luna,” Kathy responded as she made her way to the other side of the table. As she sat down, she gave me a look that if she could have willed my death at that moment, they would be calling the pack coroner rather than sitting down for dinner. 

The rest of the dinner went on without further incident. When the serving staff offered dessert, I politely declined and explained that the last 24 hours had been an emotional rollercoaster; hence, I would like to return to my suite and get some much-needed rest.

“Of course, sweetheart. That is an excellent idea. I will walk you back to your room,” Luna Ashley stated as she stood from her seat. She daintily wiped the corners of her mouth to remove the invisible crumbs that may have gathered there. As we made our way to the exit, I turned around and nodded at each of the remaining family members, showing them the respect they deserved before saying, “I know this is an adjustment for everyone and not necessarily an easy one, but I am willing to try and make this work if you would each try to find it in your hearts to do the same. I hope you all rest well,” I said softly before exiting the room. 

“It is good that you are turning in early. Tomorrow will be a big day for you, so you need your rest,” Luna Ashley stated as she made the first turn in the hallway maze. I know that I need to commit the floor plan to memory. Still, I was too mentally and emotionally drained to do more than follow the Luna as she escorted me back to my suite.

“Why? What is happening tomorrow?” I inquired. Oh, we are going to get you enrolled in the Royal Moon Academy,” she responded without further details. Once again, I was awestricken for the umpteenth time just this afternoon. The Royal Moon Academy was an Honors Institution. No Omega has even felt the marble of the hallways under their feet, much less attended as a student. I was too exhausted to have even the most minor conversations about that little bombshell. 

As we neared my suite entrance, I began to say my “goodnight,” unlocking the door and walking in. The Luna followed me in and walked over to an antique Secretary’s Desk in the corner of the room that I did not remember being there earlier. She opened the top drawer and pulled out two cards, each with a protective cover. 

She handed them to me individually, explaining what they were, “This card is your access card to get to this floor. We recently upgraded our alpha-numeric keypad to a card-swipe entry system. It is more secure and logs anytime a specific card is used by timestamping and dating the use,” she explained. 

She then handed me the other card, in a leather protective cover, “This card is your personal Black card. Do you know what this is?” She asked me, and I shook my head no. “I don’t know what it is specifically for, but I do know that it is a credit card only the people deemed as having the highest net worth are allowed to have.”

“Yes. that is true. Also, no one can apply for this card. One has to be personally invited by the credit card company to get one. Each of our children has an account set up in their name and drawn off your father’s and my personal accounts. This is your personal card. We can talk more about what you can use it for later, but for now, get some rest. I will be here to retrieve you in the morning at 5:30, so please be awake and ready to leave. We will stop and grab something for breakfast on the way.”  

She reached over and put her hand on my cheek softly, “I am glad you are here, and I hope that you sincerely meant what you said to the others in the dining room,” she said softly. She then leaned over and placed a motherly kiss on my forehead before breathing in my scent briefly and backing away. “Goodnight, my princess,” she said as she quietly left the room and closed the doors behind her.

After completing my nightly ritual before bed, I climbed on the cloud that was being labeled as my bed. Before I could finish my nightly prayer to the Moon Goddess, I succumbed to a dreamless sleep. 

The following day, the Luna was as punctual as she expected me to be. However, when she arrived at my door, I was still brushing my teeth and polling on my Dock Martins, trying to multitask getting myself dressed. 

“I’m so sorry, Luna,” I yelled to her as I spit out the toothpaste and rinsed my mouth, “I was asleep before I even registered that I needed to set my alarm!” I huffed out as I made my way to her, grabbing my purse and throwing my phone and a couple of pens in it. 

“It’s fine. Something told me that you may be running a bit behind. You need to make many adjustments, so no worries, I will help you get acclimated.” I thanked her profusely as I locked my door and tossed the lone key into the bottom of my purse.

As we got on the elevator, she handed me something that smelled delectable, wrapped in a paper towel. I looked at her with my left eyebrow raised slightly in question, to which she replied, “It would have taken you less time to open it up than to ask what it was,” she giggled. I rolled my eyes and proceeded to unwrap the item.

My eyes bulged out at what I was holding. “How did you know?” I asked incredulously while taking a huge bite. She smiled with love shining in her eyes and said, “I didn’t, exactly. I guessed. That is my favorite “go-to” breakfast sandwich when I don’t have time to sit and eat a full meal. It’s easy, quick, not too messy, and delicious.” 

I agreed with her wordlessly as I stuffed the last bite of my breakfast sandwich made from blueberry pancakes with the syrup cooked in, 2 pieces of mild pork sausage, and a slice of cheese on each side of the sausage. This is like heaven in your mouth. “Oh, my Goddess!” I moaned, “I think I just had my first foodgasm!”. 

The Luna began laughing so hard that she had tears streaming down her face, “Yes, my dear, that is exactly how I feel every time I get the opportunity to indulge in one of these. Now, let’s head off to your new adventure!”

We got into the back of a smaller hybrid SUV, being driven by one of her warriors, headed towards Royal Moon Academy. It was less than a 30-minute drive, and we sat in comfortable silence. The closer we got, however, the more butterflies I felt in my stomach, my hands began to tremor, and I could feel sweat droplets rolling down my back. Suddenly, it dawned on me, “I am having a full-blown panic attack!”