It had been a few days since Felix and Mercedes spent the night together. None of them have made a move toward each other since then. Mercedes had been busy dutifully tending to the people of the pack. As promised, she went with a gift for the kids at the orphanage. She asked Crystal to help her bake all different kinds of cookies for the kids to have, and she bought a lot of candy for them.
On the other hand, Felix was secretly working on the ceremony with both Jake and Crystal's help. Mercedes was the only one left in the dark. Felix went all out and wanted that day to be an unforgettable one for Mercedes. He was excited and couldn't wait for her to see it. But before that, he planned another surprise. He wanted his wolf Roland to spend some quality time with her wolf Reina. From the day she shifted for the first time, she never shifted again. He planned for them to go for a run in wolf form in the words and take her to his special place. He had it all planned out and all that was left to do was to ask her out.
The pack atmosphere was lively again because of her. He knew about everything she did, and he was proud of her. He never thought I could be this involved in pack matters even before being introduced formally. It looked not only to everyone else that was born to be Luna. She is wise and fair for her age. Everything she does with such incredible grace. Felix realized that he could not have asked for any other mate than her. She is innocent and pure. She is lively, optimistic, and compassionate. She loved having fun, and she didn't hold back. She never lets an injustice occur, and she makes an effort to make someone smile. A complete breath of fresh air.
Felix remembered his mother being the same way and knew that if she had met Mercedes, they would have gotten along well. The memory of his mother, which was beginning to fade, had been restored yet again. Through Mercedes, the beautiful memory of his mother would remain alive.
Anyone who knew his mother would wholeheartedly agree with that. There were no longer dark, gloomy days when she was around because she was the light that was missing for so many years. Felix's heart was filled with warmth and peace thinking about her. He missed her even if she was just a few feet away. When she is in front of him, he can't keep his eyes off her. He wondered if it was what people referred to as love. Not being able to imagine yourself without that person because he or she is the missing piece that completes you. Always breathless when they are away from you or wanting to selfishly keep them to yourself and not let anyone other than yourself gaze at them.
He was experiencing everything, all these different emotions at once and that made him fearful of the future. He didn't like to think of his mate as a weakness, but he felt that she was his weakness. After the death of his parents, he never felt fear because he didn't want to allow himself to be weak or vulnerable. He always faced anything that came his way head-on with full of great valor. He conquered many wars and always emerged victorious because he was always confident, and he didn't fear death, knowing he had nothing to lose.
Now he has someone close to his heart and everything has changed for him. All sorts of bad things were occupying his mind and tormenting him. He was imagining all the ways he could lose Mercedes, and it brought him great desperation. He was desperate to find an effective way to protect and save her from a formidable enemy who used dark magic to fight his battles. He was confident that he could stand his ground on the battlefield, but not with magic. He has never fought a being with magic before, and he is not sure if he would be able to now. Matters regarding magic were always handled by his guardian, Alexa, but now even she is afraid. Hope was the only thing he could hold on to now. He was not going to let his mate deal with it on her own.
Felix went out of his office in search of Mercedes. He asked Crystal to mind link him as soon as they returned to the packhouse. He thought of the dark in which he would mark Mercedes and be able to telepathically communicate with her and be able to feel her emotions. Although she is not a hard book to read, her emotions are always visible on her face.
Crystal told him that she was relaxing in the garden, and he headed straight there. He appeared behind her, sitting on a bench and staring at the sunset in deep thought. He stood there unnoticed and watched her for some time, appreciating her beauty with a small smile on his face. He never thanked the moon Goddess enough for gifting him such a wonderful mate. It is rightfully said that good things take time. He never understood what that meant until now.
He walked towards her and silently sat beside her. She noticed his presence and acknowledged him. " Felix! You are here," she said nervously as she was caught off guard. While everyone else calls him Alpha, it is her right as his equal to call him by his given name, and he made sure to remind her that she was insistent on referring to him by his title, as everyone does. But Felix was just as persistent and convinced her that she should call him by his name.
The progress in their relationship was satisfying because there was less awkwardness and more comfort and contentment in each other's presence.
" Yes, it's me. Crystal told me where you were, so I came to find you," he said to her, looking at the setting sun. " Is that so?" she replied, looking at his profile with a smile on her face. All she needed to know was that she was always in his thoughts like he was in hers. It gave her a sense of comfort and reassurance that everything that was happening was not just a beautiful dream that would end with a rude awakening to an alternate reality.
She discreetly pinched her arm but didn't make a sound when she felt the pain and nothing changed. The pain of a mere pinch was nothing to her compared to her happiness. At one point, she never thought happiness was in her destiny. She thought she would be on the run, running away from her horrible bitter past with no place to call home or anyone to support her and be with her in times of need. Many things seemed impossible to her, even having such a strong, caring, and handsome man whom she calls her own. Fate steered her to the right path, and she was more than grateful.
" I thought of joining you and hearing all about your day. I hear the people are falling in love with their young and thoughtful Luna," he said with a teasing smirk on his face. Mercedes's face turned a different kind of red, and she covered her mouth to hide her shy smile.
" Oh, it's nothing. It is nice to spend time with and to get to know the people around me better. I am aware of my role and responsibilities in this pack, so I wanted to meet with them and get to know how they live and what they need. I just want to serve them to the best of my best capabilities and assure them that I will be there when they need me and that they can rely on me as much as I will rely on them."
Felix just stared at her without saying anything. He was impressed by her compassionate and kind gesture towards the pack members. She was already acting like a true ideal Luna, not just a Luna who sits idly and enjoys being the Alphas' mate without contributing anything. There aren't many people like her anymore.
" That is good to hear. Thank you for being so thoughtful and generous. I am sure people are as grateful to have you as I am," he proclaimed and held her hand in his large one. Mercedes tensed but immediately relaxed as the touch no longer felt foreign.
" Not at all. I am grateful to be accepted into this pack and to be given a chance at happiness. I hope I never disappoint you or make you regret having me by your side," she replied with a little sadness in her tone as her insecurities kicked in. She always wondered why her parents treated her so poorly and never gave her the love and affection that parents are supposed to give to their children. She always asked herself what she lacked. That made her so undeserving of their love and care that they resorted to selling her off to save themselves. It pained her to this day that she never knew their love but only hatred. Subconsciously, she wondered if she meant to kill them as revenge for all the suffering they put her through and wanted to just give her away to strangers. Could she snap and go to the extent of purposefully killing those who gave her life? It was something she would never know because she was unaware of her actions and she didn't know what she was. But the guilt would always burden her heart.
She tolerated it a lot and never once complained, hoping that they would have a change of heart and finally recognize her as their daughter and care for her. But that hope diminished each time they laid their hands on her. The scars on her body were almost none existent, but every time she touched the fading scar, she is reminded of the pain she experienced. Felix saw that her face fell and she was sad. He placed his finger under her chin to make her look at him.
" Hey, look at me," he said in an authoritative tone. Mercedes hesitated to face him for a little bit but ended up looking at him. He looked a little bit disgruntled and it made her nervous. " Don't you ever think that way!" he admonished her sternly. " I would never in a million years regret having you as my mate. Never! If I did, then I would be a hypocrite because I am neither perfect nor am I always right. We are all flawed, and we tend to make mistakes here and there, but it does not make one less worthy of happiness. If you make a mistake, it would not be right for you to just cast yourself aside. All we have to do is address it and come up with an effective solution to prevent any such further mistakes from occurring. The same applies if I make a mistake. We talk it out like adults and move on. Okay?"
Mercedes smiled and nodded her head in understanding. She was satisfied and relieved that she did not need to walk around on eggshells in fear of displeasing him. They were both equals in their relationship. No one was above the other and was more than happy with that. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. The sun had completely gone, and the sky was welcoming darkness. Felix put his head lightly on hers and wrapped his arm around her, bringing her even closer to him. They spent the evening chatting about anything that came to mind and laughed at their poor attempts to make jokes. Crystal and Jake watched them from the window with wide smiles on their faces. They were happy that their child would be welcomed by both their Godfather and Godmother, who would share in their joy. Things were changing for the better in the White Claw pack, but for how long would it last?