Chapter 153: Balance

Chapter 153: Balance

Elena

I walked into the bistro and found Elizabeth sitting at the corner, she waved at me over to her. My relationship with her has gotten better as the days progressed. She stood up and hugged me but when she noticed my facial expressions, the smile slipped from her face.

"What is wrong?"

I tried to force a smile, I didn't want to bring his mother into the middle of all this. I don't want to turn my issues into hers as well.

"Nothing," I sat down and picked up the menu.

I don't have the appetite but I knew if I looked into her eyes, she would see right through me. Elizabeth sat down as well and placed her hand on top of mine. At first, I didn't look at her but then she gave me a gentle squeeze that made to stare into her eyes. I was sure that I had tears brimming in my eyes because I felt like I was hanging on by a thread.

"Oh, sweetheart." She gave me a look of sympathy.

A tear fell from my eyes and I let out a shaky breath, it was just my first official duty and I was already overwhelmed like this. I felt like I was failing, Bernard had been doing this a lot longer than I had and I knew that I had to play catch up on a lot of things. I brushed away the tears and tried to compose myself, I stared at her, feeling like a vulnerable little girl.

"What happened?"

"I don't want to get you involved with my issues with Bernard. It wouldn't be fair to you."

"Sweetheart, I am here to help you wherever I can, especially with issues like marriage. I have been married for over three decades now, I think I can be of help to you."

She is right, she is the closest I have as a mother figure in my life.

"Well, I thought I had been doing the right thing by saying yes to the new treatment that Liam wanted to try out on the integrators. They needed the treatment and of course, the machinery needed for the treatment is expensive. I thought seeing as this is about health, it was an easy yes."

"Let me guess, Bernard got angry with you for saying yes without consulting him?" I nodded.

"I don't understand it, honestly. I thought my job as Luna was to help the Pack, I thought what I did was the right thing. Why would he need to think it over if this is an issue that had to deal with the well-being of the Pack?" She sighed and placed her other hand on mine.

"I love the fact that your heart is so full of purpose and wanting to do the right thing but the problem is that the right things sometimes aren't always the best."

"What do you mean?"

"There is a lot that goes into the daily ins and outs of running a Pack. For example, food deliveries, medical supplies and even scheduling of guards at different places. Resources are allocated where they are needed most and money is managed. The Pack has a yearly budget to make sure that all the systems run smoothly." I remained silent, listening to her intently.

"There is a budget that allows for extra things that may need to come in but sometimes that budget isn't big enough. If the budget is mismanaged, that means other sectors in the Pack could begin to suffer." I think I understood where she was trying to go with this.

"So, I basically almost made the Pack bankrupt?"

"No, you didn't but Bernard would have needed to sign the check to get the machinery you wanted. The major point of what I am trying to say is that your heart was in the right place but when managing a Pack, especially a large one such as this, one needs more than just using their heart."

I pulled my hands away and placed them on my face, this is so frustrating. I had no training for this role but Bernard had been doing this basically all his life. How was I going to be an efficient enough Luna for this Pack and still be a good mate and wife?

"Elena, look at me."

I lifted my head from my hand and looked at her, she had a gentle smile on her face.

"You are doing your best and you will learn as time goes. You just need to breathe and remember that it is not the end of the world. This is your first official duty day after all."

"I know," I breathed.

"But I felt like Bernard and I are two polar opposites and we are just going to continue clashing."

"Just because you are mates doesn't mean that you are exempt from doing all the hard compromising that regular couples do. You still need to learn from each other, you will both find your balance and you will work through it because you two are mates."

I allowed her words to sink into me, I love Bernard and I knew he loves me as well. We were perfect for one another, we were fated and I knew that we would make it through whatever we needed to scale through. I would need to learn how to use both my head and my heart for this job. I am used to being driven by my heart so it would be a challenge now.

"You don't have much time, why don't we order and you can tell me more about your first day?"

I picked up the menu once again and scanned over it. Lunch with her was good, she calmed my racing heart and eased my nerves.

By the time we were done with lunch, I was motivated and ready to get back to work. As I left the bistro, I picked up my phone and dialed my husband's number, he answered at the first ring.

"Hey," he sounded calmer, which is a good thing. May this conversation go smoothly since both of us are calm now.

"How is your day going so far?"

"It is good, I miss you though." My heart warmed.

"I miss you too, Bern. I would give anything to hug you right now."

"Look to your left."

"What?" He chuckled.

"Look to your left, Elena."

I did as he instructed, standing a few feet away from me was my cutest husband with a goofy grin on his face. I didn't even waste any time, I ran towards him and he opened his arms to receive me. I circled my legs around his waist and pulled him tighter towards me, his hands went under my legs securing me in place.

"You are here?" I breathed in his scent, jealousy.

I love this man more than words could ever express, we had only been apart just for a few hours but it had felt like days to me. After our honeymoon and completing the mate bond, our pull is stronger than ever before.

"I miss you," he whispered into my hair.

He put me down after a while but didn't remove his arms around me. He kept me locked in place and I didn't mind at all, being away from him was torture enough.

"How was lunch?"

"Good," I smiled.

"Your mother helped me to feel a little better."

"Were you feeling upset before?"

My smile slipped from my face, I hadn't told him that his words had hurt my feelings. I knew it was a conversation that we would need to have but I had hoped we would do it at home.

"I was just having a hard time adapting to my new role. I just need to learn how to start using my head and my heart at the same time instead of using only my heart." His grip on me tightened.

"I am sorry about earlier, I was a little abrasive with you and that wasn't my intention. I know that you were only trying to help and you were doing your best. We will need to work out a new dynamic and I will need to learn to accommodate you instead of just demanding things and telling you things."

"It's okay, I just want us to work together as partners. I am your equal, not your enemy." I kissed his lips softly.

"I will consult you from now onwards."

We stood there, completely absorbed in one another. We smiled like two idiots but I didn't care. My day was made instantly better now that I had seen him. We heard a throat clearing behind us and our little bubble burst. I turned to see Alisha standing with her clipboard and an apologetic look on her face.

"Forgive me, Luna but we have a meeting with the heads of schools and we will be late if we don't leave now." I nodded.

I turned to my husband, lifted my toes, and captured my lips in his gentle kiss. Our lips melted together and I felt completely at ease. All my worries and fears melted away and all that remained was peace and love. My heart felt lighter by the time I pulled away and my spirit felt stronger.

"I love you," I leaned my head against his shoulder, and he kissed my head.

I love you more, now get going you still have things to do and I need to rush back to training. We will talk more at home."

Alisha ushered me to the awaiting car, I turned back to look at my husband who was watching with a small smile on his face. I got into the car and waved to him when he returned. I leaned into my seat feeling satisfied.

There were still many things to discuss but at least now I felt good about us being on the same page.