Raven (Book One of the Dark Lycans Series)
Chapter Sixteen- Getting Ready

"You do realize that the pack hates me, right?"

"The pack doesn't hate you" He looked at me in surprise. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Yes it does, you saw their reaction to me. What makes you think they will respect me as their Luna?" I replied angrily. I got out of Blake's lap and stormed out of our room. And of course, he followed me.

"If they don't respect you, then they don't deserve to be in this pack." He stated firmly. I stopped walking and turned around, staring at him in shock.

"What?" I whispered. He walked up to me and his hand carressed my cheek.

"You are worthy of my respect, therefore, you are worthy of theirs. And if they believe otherwise, then they do not belong in my pack. In our pack." My eyes almost started to tear up at his words. Almost. I threw my arms around him, and he wrapped his around me.

"Thank you." I whispered, barely able to speak. His words were so pure, and full of truth. I believed him, I couldn't help it. I pulled back from him and smiled.

"When will I meet them formally?" He smiled at me, happy that I agreed.

"Tomorrow is the next full moon so, we will hold it then." I nodded, suddenly excited. I would be Luna, just like the mother I never knew.

"Can Jinx come?"

"Of course, anything for my mate." He said, rather dramatically too. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Thanks baby," I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. He grinned at me and pulled me after him. We walked down to the dining room, and he ordered Italian from the chefs. He said it was because of Jinx and I's time in Italy.

I told him all about my races, and what it felt like to be in one. He listened the entire time, never once interrupting me. I loved talking to him, mostly because he would actually listen. After dessert we finished our conversation in our room. We were lying on the bed watching TV when Blake suddenly turned to me.

"How are you so strong after everything that you have been through?" The question had caught me off guard. I was debating on whether or not to tell him, when he spoke again.

"Just tell me the truth, I will find out eventually anyway." He had a point.

"Well, ever since I can remember, I have been abused, and hurt, until I became stronger. I was whipped, burned, tattooed, and many other tortures. They said they would make me stronger, and they did. But they also made me heartless, I lost my compassion for others." My voice broke at the end, I felt empty inside. It broke my heart that I couldn't feel anything for anyone, except my mate.

"Baby, I am so sorry that you had to experience that. How did you deal with it?" His eyes were full of sympathy and pain, as he pulled me against his chest. I rested my head his shoulder and let my hand rest on his chest.

"I didn't really. I had no choice but to learn to ignore the pain. I figured out a way to no linger feel it, and that is why I have such a high tolerance for it. But the scars are still there."

"What scars?"

"I am covered in them, you just didn't see because most of them are on my back. Along with my angel wing tattoo, it covers my back. Here, I'll show you." I sat up and pulled off my shirt, revealing my back to him. I turned my head to see him stare at my back. His hand came up and traced along the lines of the wings, carved into my back.

"Why do you have this tattoo?" My body tensed at the memory, but Blake's touch instantly calmed me.

"When I was 13, they said they wanted me to remember that pain is always the result of everything. So they gave me an angels wings, but I had to endure the pain that came with it." I looked at Blake again, and his eyes were full of sorrow and anger.

"I'm am so sorry, that happened to you. We will give them, what they gave you, pain." He gave me a peck on the lips. I smiled at his promise.

"Thank you. And if you want to do what they did to me? Well, that is a long list. It starts with attempted drowning, whipping, stabbing, choking, beating, and the list continues." I listed off some of my past experiences on my fingers. Blake looked like he was going to lose it. I places my hand on his shoulder, when he didn't calm down.

"Don't let it get to you. I almost am happy they did it though, it made me stronger than everyone. It also taught me to endure anything and everything." I sighed. What they did was wrong, but what I said was true. If it weren't for their cruelty, I would have died a million times by now.

I allowed Blake to lead me back to our room. He picked me up at sat me on the raised bed. My head was still shorter than his, but I was taller than when I stood up. He stood in front of me, and hugged me to him. My head rested on his chest as my eyes filled up with unshed tears.

I have never cried in front of anyone before, even when I was tortured, I quickly learned that crying was a weakness. If I cried, they tortured me more and worse than before. But in Blake's arms, I felt safe, so I let them fall.

He whispered comforting words in my ears, and hugged me impossibly closer to him. I cried silently, the tears fell but nothing else. I had seen others cry, their faces wet and red. Their eyes bloodshot, and they made horrible noises. I was thankful, I could cry and maintain my dignity.

I pulled away from Blake and went into the bathroom. I didn't bother shutting the door, just stripped, and opened the glass door to the shower. I turned the water on, and took a hot shower. The water burned my skin, but I didn't care. I was lost in memories, and the past I couldn't forget.

Blake walked into the bathroom and turned off the shower for me. He pulled me out of the shower by my hand, and wrapped a fluffy white towel around me. His face was in front of mine, and he kissed my lips. I leaned into the kiss, allowing it to take me away from my past. When he pulled away, I felt relieved. I was brought back into the present, and able to think again.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"For what?" He asked me.

"You are the only thing that can save me from my past. You bring me to the present, and take me away from the memories and nightmares of my childhood." I smiled sadly at him. It was true, but it was sad that he even had to save me at all. He deserved a mate that didn't have such a broken soul, or a heart-wrenching past. He deserved a mate better than me.

"I will do whatever I can to take the pain away, that you can count on." I followed him back into the bedroom, and got dressed in a bra and underwear. I put on one of his T-shirts, and climbed into bed. Blake pulled to him, and snuggled into him, loving the security I felt. He kissed the crown of my head.

"Good night baby." I smiled against his chest.

"Good night."

I woke up to find that Blake was gone. There was a note on my nightstand. It read in neat cursive

Hey sweetheart, sorry I am not there when you wake up. I had to start getting things ready for later. Aspen will be coming over at 11:00 to help you get ready. I already called Jinx and she will come around 11:00 as well. See you tonight!

-Blake

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. I saw that the clock read 10:30. That meant I had 30 minutes before they got here. I took a quick shower, and changed into a pair of white, highwaisted shorts, and a pink crop top. It tied at the front in a cute knot, and had short sleeves. I was pulled my hair up into a messy bun, when the dorrbell rang. It was a lovely sound that echoed through the house.

"Hang on a minute!!" I yelled, running down the steps to the front door. I swung open the double doors, to find Aspen standing there. I heard an engine being turned off, and looked outside to see Jinx getting off her ducati.

"Hey! Come on in." I waved to her and let Aspen inside. Jinx walked over and stared at the house.

"Holy shit, this is a fucking palace!" I laughed at her face. She was staring wide eyed, her mouth agape. I grabbed her arm and dragged her inside.

"I know, I haven't even seen half of it yet." We walked upstairs, and she ran her hand over the walls, still staring in shock.

"I dated a millionaire once, but this house makes his seem like an old warehouse." Of course she has dated a millionaire, she can get anyone she wants. She is gorgeous, and is a famous motorcycle racer. What is hotter than a bitch on a ducati? Nothing. I walked into my room to see Aspen already there.

"Well, what first?" I asked her. She smiled and walked over to my closet.

"We make you look like a goddess. And that is going to be a lot easier than I thought." She said looking me up and down.

"Well then, we better get started. Now, what will I wear?" Aspen grinned and dug around the closet for a while. She came back out with a dress. It was cream colored and covered in beads. It had a a silver design in beads running up the front. The straps were thin with a low neckline.

She gestured for me to undress. I complied, and she helped me into it. She zipped it up, and I stood in front of the mirror. It fit perfectly, following all of my curves, and showing off the perfect amount of cleavage. I saw Jinx smirk in approval.

"Wow, you look like a rich bitch alright. Nice choice Aspen." I laughed at her choice of words. Aspen thanked her, looking quite uncomfortable. It was actually really funny, I couldn't tell if it was Jinx that made her squirm, or the attention.

"Thank you, both of you. What next?" Aspen pulled my hair out of its knot. And braided it into a stylish bun in the back of my head. Jinx did my makeup, while Aspen worked with my hair. Aspen handed me a pair of earrings, which I put on and looked into the mirror. I gasped at my reflection. I was beautiful, but in a professional way. I looked like an important person. I heard someone squeal behind me.

"You look gorgeous Raven. I still wouldn't want to mess with you though." She added after some thought. Aspen's eyes were full of honesty, and it made me like her even more.

"Yah, I learned that lesson the hard way." We all laughed, as Jinx told the story of when I tried to kill her for touching my bike. She managed to get away with just a broken arm, but we became friends soon after. She thought I was strong, and I thought she was too. We stuck together and have known each other for a year now.

I checked the clock to see it was 3:00, and I realized that I hadn't eaten anything.

"Come on, let's get some food. I think you will like it Jinx, we have personal chefs that can cook anything." Her eyes lit up in excitement.

"Well then why are we up here? Come on, let's get our asses down there." She dragged us out of the room, and I led her to the dining room. Jinx got a lasagna, Aspen a pasta of some kind, and I got a sauteed tilapia with lemon butter sauce. It was one of my favorites.

We were talking and eating when Blake came in. He sat into the empty seat next to me.

"Hey babe, you look amazing. And so does that," he said pointing to my fish. He took his fork, and stole some off my plate.

"Hey!" He laughed and put the food in his mouth.

"Wow, this is really good. You have a great taste in food." I gave him a 'duh' look.

"Well of course I have great taste, I have a grat taste in everything. Including mates," I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Well come on, we need to go, the ceremony starts in 15 minutes." I nodded and quickly finished my food.

I ran upstairs with Jinx and Aspen at my heels. Aspen quickly flew past me and back into the closet. She came out holding a pair of nude stilettos. I took them from her and slipped them on. They matched my dress, which ended just above my knees. The heels were comfortable, and made me about six inches taller. I reached Jinx's height, at about 5'11.

"Thanks." I told her and walked back downstairs. I walked carefully down the stairs. I was great at walking in tall heels, but you never know. Blake was waiting for me. I realized he was wearing a white dress shirt, and black pants. He smiled when he saw me.

"Ready?" He asked, wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Yes." I answered confidently. This pack would accept me as Luna, of get to see me when I'm angry. And probably Blake too. A pair of angry mates, is never good.

I just hope they are smart enough to realize, that not accepting me, would most likely result in their death. And I was completely okay with that.

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