Page 19 of Lavender Moon
There’s a knock at the door, and my mother answers it with a beaming fake smile, acting the perfect host to the stepson that meets her standards.
“Boys, so lovely to see you. Ian, what a beautiful suit.”
“Thank you, Margo,” my stepbrother says while looking at me. I can’t help but feel like he pities me sometimes with the wayward glances he gives me. It’s annoying, especially when I’ve started to look at him with anything but pity. It’s a little concerning how much I think about my stepbrother, possibly borderline pathetic.
Now I wish I had changed my clothes. He looks so good in his suit. Meanwhile, I look like a twenty-one-year-old that doesn’t have much going on for her. No pack, didn’t finish college, working a job that some would find unsavory.
I stop myself from that train of thought. I’m realizing that most of the negative thoughts that go through my head are with my mother’s voice, not mine.
Ezra and James follow as we all walk into the dinning room. God, they all smell so fucking good. Our parents sit at the heads of the table, with Ezra and James at the opposite side of me and Ian. I give them both a small smile. It feels like I have a secret with both of them, and I like it.
They haven’t even come to a family dinner for weeks, and I’m still pining over men who will never be mine. It just feels like we would be so perfect together, like no other pack will ever compare—how could I ever settle for less. I shouldn’t be this pining, overlooked Omega.
It should be the other way around. Alphas should be at my feet, begging to be with me. That’s what my job at Lavender Moon has given me. It’s time to stop fantasizing about something I shouldn’t want in order to find something that is actually obtainable.
Sitting at the table, I spiral my blonde hair between my fingers and glance down at my phone. I have a few hours before I need to get to work.
“Luna,” Ian says as he takes the strand into his own fingers and tugs slightly.
“Ouch, asshole.” He grins, even though I’m being rude. Something about Ian still wanting to be around me even when I’m being unreasonable excites me.
“I see your classes aren’t helping your manners.”
“I see you’re still a dick.” I don’t know why, but I love arguing with Ian. It’s like any attention I get from him is good attention.
“Hello, Luna, looking beautiful today,” Ezra tells me. Ian gives him a glare.
“Oh, Ezra, don’t lie to her. She should have been dressed more appropriately,” my mother responds. I glare at her, and Ezra ignores her comment.
“Thank you, not so bad yourself. How was your week?” I say, smiling at Ezra.
“Oh, same shite, different day. The lemur, Kenzie, is pregnant, so we have been keeping a watchful eye on her.” Yeah, the hot red-headed Alpha is an exotic animal veterinarian.
Stewart chimes in with a beaming smile. “Oh, that’s wonderful. I’ll have to plan a time to come to the zoo soon. It’s been too long, hasn’t it, Margo?” he asks my mother, who sticks her nose in the air and shakes her head in disagreement. “What about you, Son, how are all of your businesses doing?”
“They’re great, Dad,” Ian says, sipping his whiskey. “Luna, have you been going to your classes?”
Gulp.Nope.Does he know I’ve been skipping? “You know, about that, it just hasn’t been working out.”
He does that thing where he adjusts his suit jacket. Why is that so hot? “And why the fuck not?”
My stepfather looks a little embarrassed as he clears his throat. “Well, first of all, all they do is try to teach you what you can do for Alphas. Nothing about how to take care of myself or any educational material about being an Omega. Last week, she told the class we all needed to shavedown there,” I point to my crotch, “if we’re ever going to entice an Alpha to be generous enough to do anything besides grace us with their knot.”
Ezra nearly spits out his whiskey and laughs. “Sounds like ‘er information is a tad bit out of date.” James smiles and shakes his head, hiding a laugh.
“Luna, do not discuss such vulgar things at the table,” my mother scolds me.
Ian glances between my mother and me, taking a drink before he responds. Is that distaste I see in his eyes when he looks at my mother?
“It’s supposed to be the best program in the tri-state area. I’ve only heard good things,” Ian says, straightening his cufflinks.
“From whom? Your douchebag Alpha friends and their perfectly subservient Omegas?”
“Luna, if you can’t behave, you can leave the table,” my mother says.
Ian glares at me, and Stewart clears his throat and interjects himself into the conversation. “And James, how is the garden coming along?”
James gives Stewart a polite smile and answers, “I will have to bring you some tomatoes once they’re ripe.”
