His Blue Moon Princess
Chapter 65

The meeting actually takes longer than I expected. Though Damian's orders are clear and some of the lieutenants left right away, a lot of them stayed to ask him about some border issues, the rogues, or how they should handle business deals. I'm able to follow what they are talking about, but it's not my place to talk. I notice a few of the lieutenants still look at me from time to time. I go to sit aside with Liam and Bobo, leaving Nate and Damian to handle the Clan issues. But to my surprise, five people walk up to us. I recognize the woman who spoke earlier, and Sean, the teenager with a large hoodie. Three other guys are with them. One is wearing a completely black suit and glasses, like an office worker. The one next to him has a completely different look, with a leather jacket and tattoos all over his arms. I'm pretty sure this one is a biker. The last guy looks pretty normal though, with a casual outfit and a beard, except for the large burn scar on half of his neck.

"Hello, miss Nora. I hope we are not bothering you, we just wanted to pay our respects to the future Luna," says the woman, Vane.

Bothering me? I'm just sitting next to the wall, doing nothing! I get up to salute them. What am I supposed to say? This is a bit awkward, but they act really polite and respectfully, so I do my best.

"Oh, thanks. It's nice to meet you all, I'm Nora Bluemoon."

"That's a really pretty name, young lady. Nice to meet you, I'm Joshua Hale, in charge of the Fifth Avenue and North highways," says the biker guy. He gives me a handshake with his gigantic paw, and a big smile.

Next to him, the teen just nods, his hands not moving from his hoodie's pocket. "Sean Pierce. I'm in charge of Rock Park and all the dark alleys a lady like you shouldn't go."

"Hello, miss Nora. I'm Thadeus Cooper, in charge of the Financial district and M. Black's accounting assistant," says the guy with the office worker look, bowing in a really polite manner.

Those three have literally nothing in common, except for their Alpha rank.

The last man gives me his hand, too, and a gentle smile. "Isaac Graves. We have met before, but I was in my wolf form, at your fight against the Jade Moon Alpha. A beautiful fight, by the way."

"So, you're Nathaniel's Beta, right?" I ask, suddenly remembering where I heard his name before.

He smiles and nods. "That's right, I'm honored you know who I am."

"And I'm Vanessa Brookes, in charge of South Main Street and the south border. You can call me Vane, everyone does."

I shake hands with the woman. I feel like I've heard her name before. Her face reminds me of someone, too, but I can't remember who. She is tall, with brown hair, probably about thirty, and is one of the only people in the room to not wear only black, but a red leather jacket. She gives me a warm smile. "We are happy you're here, miss Nora. The Boss has been looking everywhere for you, you know, so we were curious. It's good to finally see you in person."

"You guys know about this, too?" I ask, surprised.

The biker guy, Joshua, laughs really loudly. "Everyone here knows! The Boss gave orders a few years ago. Find a teenage girl, blue eyes, black hair, a scar on her left eye. And here you are!"

"Thank god. If the Boss really married that King, I would have killed that w***e," grumbles Sean.

"Well, you won't need to get things that far, seems like the Boss will take of things after all," says Isaac.

"I was surprised, earlier. Are you guys all against that woman? I mean, this alliance with the Gold Moon Clan should be full of advantages..." I ask.

They look at me with surprised eyes. Sean rolls his eyes, but Vane gives him a slap behind the head right away, telling him to watch his attitude.

It's actually Thadeus who clears his throat before answering. "Putting the financial benefits aside, miss Nora, the Gold Moon Clan is certainly not a popular choice for the Clan. Their wealth is mostly due to a long history in Silver City, not smart business decisions. If I may say so, their wealth went up naturally, but their banking establishment is barely fairly managed. The Alpha is..."

"...A nutjob who just got lucky," mumbles Sean.

"Well, you may put it that way," says Thadeus.

"It's as the guys said, miss Nora. The Gold Moon Clan may be rich, but that's it. They are not good fighters, and certainly not smart either. They just act like they are. Same goes for Alexandra King, she acts like she owns every place she goes, but she can only talk as long as she got her purse in hand. If anything, she is the queen of disrespect and nobody here likes that."

I nod to Vane's words. So, this is why everyone was so happy about Damian's announcement concerning the engagement's cancellation.

Joshua smiles to me once again. "We may have submitted to the Boss, miss Nora, but we are not ready to accept anyone as the Luna. But you look like a fine young lady, and if the Moon Goddess chose you as the Boss's pair, I'm all for that." "That's right. And we already know you're a decent fighter, too. A lot of us heard about that fight, even if we didn't go. I would like a Luna who's not a wimp."

This time, it's Joshua's turn to slap him behind the head. "Watch your words when talking to the future Luna, punk!"

"Don't touch me! You want to fight, fatso?" Growls Sean.

The two of them start growling at each other, but Vane grabs them by the collars and pushes the two guys away like kids.

"Okay, enough you two. If you want to fight, take it outside. Sorry, miss Nora, those guys tend to get overexcited quickly. We will leave you now, but if you need anything, don't hesitate; you can count on us."

She takes the two guys, still bickering at each other, away, trying to separate them, and Isaac and Thadeus follow closely behind them after telling me goodbye. I feel Liam coming up to me, and he gives me a quick smile while watching them leave. "They're good guys. And super loyal to my brother, too."

"They all look very different."

"Well, Damian gathered a lot of people from different places. Isaac and Vanessa's families used to belong to our father's Clan, but they sided with us as soon as we rebelled. Joshua is a former rogue, but he is a good guy, so my brother allowed him in the Clan. Thadeus is a weird guy. Formerly of the Gold Moon Clan, actually, but he left them after a big fight, from what I heard. He hates them now."

"What about the young guy? Sean?" I ask.

Liam shrugs, still looking in their direction. Apparently, Joshua went to discuss with other people, and Sean is sitting against the wall next to Vane, his hood hiding his eyes.

"Sad story. He grew up in the streets, as an orphan. No one knows where he came from, but he's a real little punk. A really good fighter, too. He tried to take my brother down a couple of times," says Liam. "What, you mean he really fought with Damian?"

"Yup, real duels. Of course, my brother kicked his a*s each time, but that didn't keep him from coming back. I think he looks up to Damian a lot. He is the only one Sean listen to, with a couple of other people." "Like Vane?"

"Yeah, she's like the big sister of the group. She was one of our first lieutenants, so..."

It's interesting, getting to know the dynamics of Damian's Clan. So many people are counting on him now. I understand more how the whole Blood Moon Clan works. A lot of them are either people who turned against the former Alpha, or outsiders, strays. Werewolves the other Clans wouldn't have wanted. Especially Alphas.

The natural reaction for any alpha werewolf is to consider other Alphas as their rival and push them off. It's a common situation in huge packs- they would try to chase off any potential threat.

However, Damian didn't do that. Instead, he let those Alphas lead smaller groups, and gathered them around him. It wouldn't have been possible if he wasn't strong and charismatic enough himself. Would I have been able to do this?

While I'm still thinking, a few more of them come to salute me. I try to remember the names and areas they are in charge off, but before I get any rest, more than twenty lieutenants have come and gone, and I'm a bit lost. I hope I will be able to remember most of them, though. I share my worries with Liam, but he laughs at me.

"Don't worry, Nora, you will have plenty of time to get closer to them! Plus, even I don't know everyone here, there are too many faces! Just do it like me, and if you're unsure, ask my brothers with the mind-link."

Oh, right, there is this solution, too. I never thought of that before. I may not be part of this pack yet, but I can still talk telepathically to any Alpha I've met at will. How convenient. "Nora?"

Damian is back, and he takes me in his arms right away. "Sorry that took so long. Are you tired?"

"Now that you mention it..."

It's true. I don't know what time it is, but it's definitely late, maybe past midnight, even. I look around and realize almost everyone left, aside from a few groups of people talking here and there. Nate arrives behind Damian, looking exhausted, too. "I'm going home, guys, I'm dead tired."

"Home? You're actually on your own again tonight?" Asks Liam with a smirk.

But to my surprise, Nathaniel glares at him, looking very annoyed at his brother. Judging by his reaction, I would guess Elena is still avoiding him.... Without saying a word, he turns around and leaves the scene.

Damian frowns and talks to Liam. "What's wrong with him?"

But the youngest brother shrugs. "Don't ask me, he is the one with relationship issues..."

Damian frowns, but I act like I don't know about it. After all, this is Nathaniel's business, not mine. I just hope everything would settle down with Elena, but unfortunately, that's not my place to interfere. "Can we go, Damian?" I ask, trying to change the subject.

Thankfully, my mate nods and takes my hand. Bobo, Neal, and Liam follow behind us when we walk back to the elevator. I'm feeling so tired, I'm almost sleeping against Damian's chest already. The elevator stops and the Mura brothers exit first a few floors below Damian's place. Does Neal live here, too? That wouldn't be too surprising. To my surprise, Liam follows us when we go to Damian's apartment, but I'm way too tired to wonder about it.

"All right, I'm going to bed. Good night, guys!" He says, leaving towards what is probably a guest room.

As soon as he exits the room, Damian carries me like a princess, taking me to his room until he lands me on the bed. I yawn irresistibly, and he laughs.

"You're so cute when you are tired. I should make you stay up more often."

"No way, I need to go to work tomorrow..."

Gosh, work. Can I go back to work after what happened? Damian doesn't discuss it, and I wonder if he actually heard me. He exits the room for a minute, and I head to his huge wardrobe. I quickly replace a sleeveless shirt, big enough for me to wear to sleep. I put it on, thinking I understand why Elena loves wearing oversized clothes so much. This is so comfy! When Damian comes back, only wearing pajama pants, I'm already in bed, and drowsy. He smiles and joins me. He puts his arm around me, holding me close against his bare chest. "How do you feel?"

"Just tired..."

"You're getting stronger. I thought you would be more shaken up by all that happened today."

I know. It's been a long day. The witch's letter, King barging to my workplace, the attack at my apartment, the Blood Moon Clan's gathering... I sigh. "I won't get used to it, but... It's not like I can sit in a corner and cry, either. I promised myself to get stronger," I whisper.

I feel his lips pressing against my forehead. "You're doing great, Nora. I'm really proud of you, my Love. Next time, I want to introduce you properly. As my Luna."

I wonder what next time he is thinking about, but before I can ask, I'm already far away, lost in my sleep.