59
Lucy
I studied hard for the next few days. I didn’t come out of the room. I didn’t even let anyone come see me, no matter how many times Yvonne allowed me to make that choice.
The beta was outside the door this time. I stepped out and met his gaze.
“I am not your luna,” I said. “Please stop coming to talk to me about it.”
He winced, but he nodded and turned away.
Yvonne grinned. “I think all this practice is giving you some oomph.”
I smiled and slumped forward. “All I feel right now… is drained.”
She laughed. “That makes sense.”
We ate lunch at her little table, and another knock came. This time it was Matt. I went stiff, watching him warily. He cleared his throat and lifted his head.
“I’m here to talk about the luncheon tomorrow,” Matt said. “The Liaison said we have to… make sure you’re getting time to socialize outside of the pack, so we’re taking you to a human luncheon.”
I swallowed and nodded. “Okay.”
“Great. We’re going shopping—”
“I don’t want to,” I said, meeting his gaze.
He went still. “But… what are you going to wear?”
“You bought a lot of clothes already. I’m sure there’s something in there.”
“There’s nothing in there that we want to see you in.”
“I’m choosing what I’m wearing,” I said.
“But—” He growled. “You’re being difficult for no reason about this. You don’t even know what kind of luncheon it is.”
“Then, you should tell me,” I said. My heart was racing. I had never talked to anyone like this. “You can’t… socialize me the way you’re supposed to if I don’t know anything.”
His eye twitched, and he glanced at Yvonne. He huffed and turned. “Fine, we’ll talk about it in the morning.”
He left, grumbling, and I sagged back onto the couch as the door closed.
Yvonne let out a slow whistle. “You handled that like a champ, Lucy. How do you feel?”
I put a hand on my chest. “Scared, but… okay otherwise, I think.”
She chuckled. “I’ll go up and grab whatever you want.”
I worried my lip and looked at her. “Could you… come with me instead?”
“Now?”
I nodded.
Yvonne shrugged. “I’m up for an adventure, but… before that… did you like any of the clothes they bought?”
I swallowed, and my face heated. “I didn’t pay attention to any of it, really…”
Yvonne chuckled. “Well, let’s go take a look.”
I left her chambers for the first time in what felt like months and walked down the hall. It felt different than before. The house didn’t feel so small around me, or maybe I just felt freer because I knew I would be leaving soon.
Matt and Tony were lingering in the hallway. They looked like they were arguing. Then, they turned and looked at me. Tony was still leaning to one side. I guess he was still injured.
Tony looked between the two of us. “I’m not allowing the doctor into the luna’s chambers.”
I lifted my chin and turned around. “Never mind, Yvonne. I’m sure I can pick out something tomorrow.”
Tony growled, and I felt his hand around my arm before I heard him gasp. I turned my head and saw Yvonne pointing the pointed end of her dagger at his throat.
“Let her go,” she said softly. “Or you’re not going to make it to that little luncheon.”
His eyes flashed red, but he let me go.
“Go on,” Yvonne said, nudging me down the hall. “I’ll be right behind you.”
“Lucy,” his voice rumbled. It sounded deeper than usual. “We need to talk.”
“I… don’t want you to touch me,” I said, turning to him. My heart started pounding in my chest again as his eyes widened. “You can talk to me without touching me.”
He growled. “We’re going to pick out your outfit because you don’t know what’s appropriate.”
“I’m sure I can figure it out if you tell me what the….” I frowned, searching for the word. “Dress code is.”
Yvonne stepped back and lowered the dagger with a soft chuckle.
“You won’t know what that means.”
“I could find out.”
“Or you could just let us pick it out.”
“I don’t want to,” I said. “I want to choose my own clothing, and I have the right to.”
Tony’s jaw ticked. “Fine. It’s smart casual.”
“Thank you,” I said stiffly. “Yvonne… could you help me with a section of the material when you’re done brewing?”
She chuckled. “Sure thing. Let’s go.”
I spent the night looking at pictures of what smart casual looked like. The next morning, I decided that I would walk to the luna’s chambers on my own. It was early enough that there weren’t many people around. I showered before I headed upstairs and into the luna’s chambers. I went to the closet and went looking for something to wear. The longer I looked, the more hopeless I felt until I found the only pair of pants in the entire closet. I pulled them off the hanger and grabbed a random shirt with a collar before grabbing a pair of sandals.
Then, I turned around and saw Tony and Matt standing in the room. I thought back to that moment in the room when they bought me when I knew that there wasn’t anything I could really do against them, but it was different.
I took a deep breath. They had to take those oaths, and those oaths would make sure that they had to listen to me.
“Good Morning.”
Tony eyed the clothes in my hands. “You’re not wearing that.”
“Yes, I am,” I said. “This is what I want to wear. I-It’s smart casual enough.”
I turned toward the bathroom door, but Tony stepped in front of me. I pulled back, clutching the clothes closer to me.
“Don’t touch me,” I said. “P-Please move.”
“Lucy,” he said softly. “Do you… really think this is the best thing? We’re mates.”
“We’re not,” I said, remembering information from the slideshows. “Th-The marks don’t stay because we’re not.”
“No,” he said. “They don’t stay because that witch has done something to you.”
I shook my head. I stepped back and heard Matt across the room. I turned to look at him as he picked up a bottle. Before I could speak, he was back beside me and spritzing me with it. It smelled floral. I didn’t like it. I sneezed, trying to get it out of my nose.
“I like this one,” he said. “You smell so good with it on.”
He reached for my shoulder. “You should listen to Tony—"
“I don’t want to be touched,” I said stiffly, darting away from him. “And I didn’t want to wear perfume.”
He pouted. “But you have to.”
“No, I don’t,” I said. “And I can dress myself.”
“What you have isn’t appropriate.”
“According to an official style guide, it is.”
“It’s not appropriate for a luna to wear pants,” Tony said.
“I’m not your luna,” I said again. I darted around him. “Don’t you need to get dressed, too?”
I didn’t wait for them to say anything. I retreated into the bathroom, closing the door and locking it with a deep sigh.
The perfume Matt had sprayed me with still tingled my nose, but I didn’t bother trying to wash it off. Instead, I focused on getting dressed, ignoring the grumbling sounds from outside. I heard them leave and let out a deep sigh of relief.
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