Chapter 12

AMY “And this is the kitchen,” Akira mumbled as we entered the large room which housed a dinette at its center but I wasn’t really interested in this house tour. I wondered why Logan’s mother had flared up at that painting earlier before. She had left the room after and since then I hadn’t seen her around. “Akira,” I called, cutting her midway from whatever explanations she was giving. “Yes Luna,” she answered while I pulled one of the wooden chairs to sit. “That painting,” I mumbled and her body stiffened immediately. “Where did you put it?” “Mrs. Wilson directed me to put it in the drawing room.” “The drawing room? You didn’t show me that room.” I sported a quizzical look and her gaze fell to the marble floor. “That’s because that room is off limits for everybody except the Alpha. He doesn’t like other people going there.” “Why?” Her lips parted but then she hesitated. “Akira,” “I’m sorry, Luna, but you’ll have to ask the Alpha yourself. This is beyond me.” “How about the painting, do you know who she is?” I inquired and she heaved a sigh. “That, also, is beyond my jurisdiction to tell.” “Hey.” I smiled at her. “I’m not going to tell. I promise.” She peered at me. “Where’s our Luna?!” a lady suddenly blared from the living room causing Akira to clear her throat. “It seems you have a visitor, Luna.” I nodded before we both headed to the living room. “Good morning, Sarah.” Akira flashed a smile at the lady by the couches. She was slim and curvy; her emerald green eyes were so full of life and her curly red hair complemented her red long sleeved shirt tucked in stylishly in her white skirt. She was probably in her late twenties and she had the looks enough to sweep a man off his feet. “My goodness!” Sarah gasped as she quickly came to meet us, staring at me like she had just seen fireworks for the first time. “Hi,” I mumbled nervously and she bowed courteously. “Please don’t.” Her smile deepened. “After all these years, the moon goddess blessed us with the perfect Luna.” She praised me and my anxiety only peaked. I didn’t even know how to react, all I did was maintain my smile facade. “It’s an honor to finally meet you in person. I’ve been dying to meet you since last night,” she said. “I’m Sarah, Oliver’s mate.” “Oh my!” I gasped. “I must say you look really stunning.” She chuckled. “I could say the same for you Luna!” “Please, Amy is just fine.” “I’m not sure Logan would like that.” We both chuckled. “Luna, might I have you know that Sarah is the head of the tourism department in the pack,” Akira mentioned. “I guess I have a lot to catch up on in the various sectors in the pack.” “We understand, after all you’re new here,” Sarah said. “I do hope you’re enjoying your stay here?” “It’s certainly thrilling here.” “Have you been to the lakeside? Trust me, you’ll be stunned!” “Now I’m really curious!” “Then let me do you the honors, Amy,” she mumbled and I gave my dress a quick look. I was wearing a ribbed long sleeve black v-neck top tucked in a cream pair of high waist trousers and a black ankle boot. Yeah I was good to go. “I’m quite nervous though,” I mumbled once we eased out of the compound. “It’s okay to feel that way,” she responded with a tiny smile as we walked along the tarred road. The pack house was positioned in a close street and it was the only building standing there. “I was just like you or perhaps worse when I first came to the Pack as Oliver’s mate. My pack is a small one and I feared I might not do so well in a pack this big. But over time, I blended in.” “How long have you been here?” I asked. “Eleven years and counting,” she chuckled and I sighed. “Amy, you don’t need to worry. The people here are the most warm hearted I know.” “I know, everyone’s been telling me that but there are other things that kind of bother me.” I stared at the birds tweeting in the trees we walked by. “Things like?” I glanced at her wondering if I could trust her. “Logan has been mateless for quite an unusually long time and I just can’t help but fear that there’s another lady in the picture.” I pursed my lips. “Last night, I saw a lady’s dress in his wardrobe. There's her painting in our bedroom and apparently no one wants to tell me about her. Not even his mother.” She exhaled deeply. “I understand you, Amy, but I assure you that there’s no lady in the picture. Logan likes to paint, he probably saw her somewhere from one of his travels and decided to paint her.” “And the dress?” My left eyebrow lifted. “Between you and me, Oliver and Logan can be serial flirts. When I got mated to Oliver, I despised him because of this very nature but over time, I tamed him. I won’t lie to you, Logan has a lot of women in his life.” “So it’s left to me to tame my mate,” I mumbled and she smiled. “How are you two bonding so far?” “I don’t know.” I exhaled deeply. “I’m not sure I know how to.” “Don’t worry, with time I’m sure the two of you will match quite well,” she assured me but deep down, love wasn’t what was in my books for now. “Isn’t that the Luna?” I heard someone say as we got close. “Are you the Luna?!” a lady queried excitedly as she approached us and my anxiety made me lose my tongue. “Yes, Kira. Meet Amy Lockwood,” Sarah butted in calmly. “It’s really her!” Kira screamed and before I knew it, the passersby surrounded me, heaping their praises. “She’s really a beauty to behold!” Thanks to Sarah, I would have probably died from overwhelming anxiety. “Please make way, make way!” Sarah kept saying as she shielded me. “I should have picked some escort along,” she chuckled while I just kept waving and exchanging handshakes with the few I could. A wolf suddenly howled up front, dragging our attention. “Serena!!” I heard Logan yell. I had to stretch just to get a view. There he was, he and three other guards, running after a brown furred wolf, heading towards us. The crowd quickly dispersed and I got a clearer view as Logan caught up to her. He pounced on her and grabbed her tightly in his arms. We all watched in silence as the Alpha calmed Serena till she reverted to her human form, naked and unconscious. She was probably the same age as me. “Blanket!” Logan yelled and one of the guards quickly handed him one. Logan briskly wrapped it around her. “Serena again,” some of the pack members said. “What’s wrong with her?” I asked Sarah. “She has a problem with transforming. She can’t control her wolf,” she answered. “Logan is the only one who’s managed to help her slowly.” I stared at Logan who was busy helping Serena. I wondered how he would feel when he found out I had a similar problem—I couldn’t transform.