The Unclaimed Human Luna
Chapter 85

El POV

Cordi was here with Collin and his father, who she’d met before but just knew him as Mr Chatswood, was now known to her as Alpha Cole. She was near bursting at the seams as she stood at the front of the packhouse, on the stairs with Conner and his Unit. Logan and her mother, along with his Beta Jared, were standing on the top step, and she and Conner were standing down at the bottom with her Grandma Sloan next to them.

Apparently, the Alpha of the pack always stood at the top, and any Heirs were to stand at the bottom, something to do with displaying the hierarchy of the Pack. She didn’t really care Cordi was finally here. And she could hardly contain her excitement to see her best friend. That she was going to be allowed to visit her inside their pack and Cordi would be able to come here.

Conner had stopped her from running off down to the gate, had laughed at her and told her he knew she was excited, but to wait here, they had to display their pack leaders and Heirs correctly. It was a pack tradition that all wolfen packs did.

It was the longest 10 minutes of her life and even Petal was annoyed at being held onto by Conner. She wanted to aid El in running at top speed to get down there to see Cordi. Had wanted to meet them at the Gate. Knowing their estimated time of arrival, but she’d been asked to wait. El could barely stand still and she could hear Petal talking a mile a minute, at Atlas to have Conner let them go so they could shift and run to greet Cordi.

Petal had never met Cordi, but she was, it seemed, as excited about this meeting as El was. They’d talked to Cordi on the phone many times, a couple of times from Italy and every day since they had gotten back.

Conner would come back from training, and she was usually on the phone when he did. He always smiled right at her when she looked up at him, he’d also always holler “Morning Cordi.” Before he snatched a k**s from her and headed to the ensuite to shower and get dressed for the day. Sometimes he’d sit on the bed in just his towel and hit the speaker phone so that he could listen easily and chat to Collin, who was usually doing the same, just getting back from his training.

She liked that Conner got along with her friends. He was, she’d found out when he wasn’t being such a surly a*s to her, before she’d run away, as he called it. She called it gaining her freedom, there was still a slight difference of opinion on that one. But he wasn’t an a*****e anymore and she now saw the real side of him and that the entire pack actually really liked him.

They had gone with Sage and his unit down to hang out with the gypsys that morning before Cordi and Collin arrived. Her Grandma was right. They were easy going and super relaxed all the time. Though Conner had been a little displeased by the greenhouse they had built, apparently took it upon themselves to do that, they had not asked permission. He’d steered El away from it and shook his head “Nope, you’ll not be doing that.”

El had laughed at him. “Why not? I’ve tried it before.” She’d shrugged, she had just once.

He’d leaned right down to her ear and murmured as he’d slid his hand across her belly, rubbed it gently, “Just in case there is something in here huh.” It had only been a week since her heat “If you’re not, you can, I won’t stop you. But Atlas and I don’t do that. Been there done that, not for us.”

El had chuckled “It might mellow Petal out.” She’d smiled up at him. “Lessen her constant chatter.”

He’d dropped a little k**s on her lips. “I’ve gotten used to Petal, and Atlas loves the open line and constant chatter, thinks it’s cute all the things she thinks are weird.”

Not even Petal could get Atlas to make Conner let go as they stood waiting for Cordi to arrive. He too, was of the opinion as the future of this pack they needed to present themselves to their new arrivals, as it should be, formally. Not even Petal pouting at her Mate and whining a little to get his attention had worked, he’d just chuffed at her and call her his adorable little flower, then stated simply stay please.

Petal didn’t really like being told what to do, but she did love Atlas and she liked how big and strong he was, enjoyed being able to stand directly underneath him too. She wasn’t the only one to like that, so did Atlas himself.

Finally, the cars drove up the road and she took a step only to be pulled back to Conners’ side, with a chuckle on his part. She even heard her grandma laugh softly, state “You’ll only be able to hold Petal for so long, son.” But Conner knew it wasn’t Petal, it was El. And she already knew that he was much stronger than she was. When Petal didn’t help, that was.

Cordi was out of the car the moment it stopped, and grinning right at her, Conner let go finally and she was off to run over and hug her friend, got hugged right back all tight and then they were laughing. She saw Collin get out behind Cordi and smiled up at him. He hugged the two of them together as he greeted Conner.

Cordi knew what she was, she’d told her, it was up to her as to who she told from now on, and being her best friend, she didn’t see a problem with it, had told her before they had come home from Italy. She’d been more than shocked, but then had just laughed and told her “Your dad was prepping you your whole life in case of this. I recall bedtime stories of Kitsune’s.”

“It’s been so long, I missed you a lot.” El told them both as Collin let go.

“We missed you too, El.” Cordi smiled right at her. “Better get to the introductions.”

She turned her head and looked at Collin’s father, as he got out with Collin’s older brother, Russel, or, as she knew him, Russ, she smiled at both of them and said hello.

They both greeted her, and she moved back to Conner when he held his hand out to her, “Come El, proper introductions, then you and Cordi may run off, take Sage with you for talking.” It had already been discussed, and Sage was standing with Adam not that far away. She was only too happy to help with connecting both her and Cordi so they could talk while shifted or privately without the boys hearing.

She stood next to him and Sloan greeted Alpha Cole and did the introductions, “I see your granddaughter has finally got a shift.”

“She did.” Sloan smiled at him.

Cole and Russel shook hands with Conner and El, then headed up the stairs with Sloan to Logan and her Mother for more introductions. Although he already knew her mother, she was more than surprised to know he was an Alpha Wolf. Collin and Cordi followed up as well, and were introduced to Logan. Both knew her mother too.

She heard Alpha Cole state to Logan “Going to have your hands full, I see.”

Logan just nodded “How about we get to that alliance meeting right away, so you, your boys and Cordelia may roam about freely.”

“I will want to see El’s shifter first.”

She felt Petal huff, but she’d been told it was the protocol from the Lake Valley Pack, not one of theirs, also knew it was coming and, even though Petal only ever shifted when she wanted to, she was going to have to do so for this alliance, and seeing, as El wanted that, Petal was going to do it for her.

Cole’s eyes turned to her, and he said, “Anytime you like Eliza.” With a warm smile.

She was only wearing a simple dress, because she knew she was going to have to shift and present Petal to him. Petal had yet to actually even present herself to Logan officially. He’d seen her, but she’d not shifted just for him to look at, wasn’t actually going to at all EL didn’t think.

Petal still found him overbearing, and so had yet to let him initiate her into the pack either. Stalked El’s body off away from him every time the man told her it had to happen, pushed herself forward to look right at him and then snorted before taking herself away from him.

Conner didn’t push her, and Eliza got the distinct impression Petal was waiting for Logan to ask her politely, not tell her what to do. Though she also knew that Petal was not going to tell him that either, he had to learn and figure it out on his own apparently. Atlas and Conner knew, had laughed when they’d figured it out.

She was trying to make him grow as a person, it seemed, to learn that a please and thank you went a long way. Something they never heard him say. He only ever made demands of his pack members, never asked them to do things, told them too. Petal didn’t like that, wanted it to change.

Her eyes moved to Conners. He knew she still wasn’t overly comfortable being naked on the shift back. He smiled down at her, “You can go to the mud room to shift back, but then right back to father’s office for the Alliance meeting, okay.”

She nodded and Petal ripped out of her and stood at the bottom of the packhouse stairs, saw her grandma make that same hand gesture her aunt Juliana had, and Petal sat with her tails all about her, lifted them up and the tips all dropped down a little. Heard Atlas right away all growly inside her mind ‘My beautiful flower.’ He’d never seen her like that either.

Petal looked right at her Mate, and he was on the surface, purring quite loudly at her. Petal’s tails all shot up in the air and then closed them in like a flower closed up of a nighttime. Many laughed as a deep growl came from Atlas. Even she heard it, he wanted to mate Petal. It was all in the sound he was making.

‘Petal don’t incite him.’

Got huffed at and dropped all her tails to stand up, Conner was back on the surface a moment later and he was smiling right at them. Her attention was drawn to Cordi who was right in front of her. “Oh my god, just look at you.” she laughed and reached out a hand, “Can I?” she asked, and before she could, Petal pounced right on her, knocking her to the ground, sat on her and looked right down at her.

Cordi killed herself laughing, “Oh you and Poppy are going to get along so well. She’s always sitting on Collin’s wolf, Rush.’

Petal hopped off of Cordi and looked at the Alpha’s, looking at her, as she stood next to Cordi. Felt Petal curl a tail around her friend, and smiled, she had amazing control over each and every one of those tails, walked off and pulled Cordi with her, who just laughed and called out “We’ll be back I guess.”

Petal had hold of her the whole way around the packhouse, came to a halt at the sight of Marlo and all his friends, Willah included. Snapped her teeth at that girl, they recalled what Conner had told her about what Willah had tried to do. Petal was not so happy about it. Watched her try to step behind Marlo himself.

Only to have him grab her by the arm and shove her towards Petal, and stated “I’d suggest, Willah, you apologise to El for your error. Conner is still looking to punish you, that’s why you wear that cuff still.”

Cordi sighed “What did I miss?”

She saw Willah bow her head. “My apologies Luna, I did not know what you were.”

Petal huffed at her, then walked off, was not particularly happy with that apology, what you were. Did that mean her behaviour was to be excused if El had not been Mated to Conner? Let it go, she was still wearing a silver cuff, had been for months now. Apparently, that hurt them and cut them off from their wolf.

She shifted back once inside the mudroom. Smiled at the clothes already hanging there and shook her head. “Conner.” She sighed as she touched them.

“He treats you right.” Cordi chuckled “He was so stubborn where you were concerned. Tried to resist you.” she laughed as El pulled on the jeans and dark green sweater.

“Atlas was not having a bar of it, from my understanding. Put Conner at my door himself when the man wouldn’t go. Rubbed Conners body all over my door against Conner’s will at one point I heard.” She chuckled.

“I think Atlas is a good Wolf, loved you from the moment he thought you were going to be his Mate.”

“Mm, that is what Conner says.”

They headed through the packhouse to Logan’s door. It stood open and everyone was inside. She knocked on the door. Still recalled the rule, though Conner and her mother never knocked and if she was with them, they just walked in without knocking, she however would always knock. A reminder to Logan that she recalled his rules.

He waved her in, but said nothing about her standing out there waiting for permission. She saw that Ashley was here with her mother and smiled at her little sister. She was the cutest little baby, had her father’s eyes, were just like Conners as well; deep dark blue. Her hair was white, going to be blonde like her mother, she supposed.

“What?” Cordi gasped. “You didn’t say.”

“I didn’t.” El chuckled.

“May I?” she asked right away, and El saw her mother smile. She had known Cordi as long as El had.

“Of course.” Her mother smiled at her, everyone in the room stopped at Logan’s growl as Cordi reached out to take her, turned and stared at him. Cordi snatched her hands back.

“Enough Hale,” It was her mother.

“Not affiliated.” His wolf snarled.

El watched as her mother turned and looked right at him, “I have known Cordi since she was 5. Back off or I’ll leave and go to our suite. You can stay here. Sleep here.” She grated out.

That was the first time she had seen her mother raise her voice in the whole time she had seen them be together, felt a hand curl around her waist and she was tugged back a little, knew it was Conner.

Then, her mother turned back to Cordi. “It’s alright Cordi, I, as the Luna, give permission for you to hold little Ashley. I trust you completely.” She walked over and put little Ashley in Cordi’s arms. “How’s your mother and father doing, your brother?”

“They are all good, a little annoyed I’m living with Collin and want to get married but adjusting. My brother,” she laughed, “Deferred his degree for a year to go travel with his friends in Europe, they are not at all happy with him. She’s adorable Luna.”

“She is going to be beautiful, just like my other daughter.”

El snorted “A right handful, I imagine.”

“You were only a handful when here, El. Always a good girl back in California, that was my fault. I know this. I’m sorry sweetheart.”

El nodded “Forgiven.”

“When everyone is ready, perhaps we can sign some alliance documents so my wolf can stop having issues with his daughter in the hands of an unallied pack member.”

She sat with Conner as the terms of the agreement were laid out, and didn’t really understand half of it, something about war assistance. She’d heard Cordi mention that Conner had threatened war against them if El was there and not handed over. Did not understand that, was going to have to ask. They talked about Mating Balls, didn’t know what they were, but Conner told her he would explain it to her later. They discussed if their human world businesses were related and could be aligned to help each other out.

Then there was a conversation about visiting between packs just for weekends away to let El, Cordi, Collin and Xavier hang out. There was only one stipulation on that: Conner was to be present at all times. She knew why he was still somewhat jealous of Xavier, it seemed. She didn’t really understand that. Conner knew she’d never been with anyone but him.

Conner and El had to sign the document. She’d gone to sign her name, as always Eliza Kit Hunt, and he’d stilled her hand “Would you mind signing Greystone?”

She stared up at him, hadn’t even thought about that, but felt Petal was happy with this, they were his Mate and it felt right to her, signed her name Eliza Kit Greystone. Saw him smile right at her, realised it was something he really wanted, it made him happy to see her choose to take his name. Put the pen down and just hugged him. “I like it. Petal likes it.” she told him and felt him hug her back.

Alpha Cole and his son and Heir Russel signed as well and then the co-signing of the document was done by Logan and Jared as well as Collin and Cordi. There were handshakes all around and smiles now from Logan. Seems just that one signing of everyone’s name to that document settled his wolf Hale, and even Collin got to hold little Ashley, told Cordi “Ours will be just as cute.”

“Going to be mated to El’s little one when she has it.”

“What?” El frowned and she heard all of them chuckle. “It doesn’t work that way.” She did know that much.

“No, it doesn’t, but you can always hope for that connection.” Conner told her with a smile. ‘I don’t think we’re pregnant either El,’ he mind-linked right to her ‘Petal would not shift and risk her Kit, just to shift and present herself for an allied meeting. I think you just have a very naughty Petal who wanted to mate Atlas like crazy.’

Actually, heard Petal chortle inside her mind and knew he was right, shook her head at Petal, but didn’t really mind it had been a really good few days, looked up at him and wondered how often Petal would do that to them? Just to have a good time with Atlas.