Chapter 54

Alex waved and smiled as we got out of the Mustang.

I hurried to his side, put my arms around his neck, and kissed him on his cheek. Was it my imagination, or did he look more frail today than before?

But his voice was still strong. “I came outside to get some air. William, it’s good to see you. Cook will have dinner ready in about an hour. Why don’t you stay and eat?”

“I’d love that, sir,” William said. It had been a few hours since we had the steak tartare, and I was sure William would be able to eat again.

“Good. Let’s go into the house and get comfortable,” Alex said and started inside. “We’ll get Benson to serve us a cold drink in the living room.”

I took Alex’s arm, and the three of us made our way to the living room. We got comfortable on the plush furniture, and

Benson brought us glasses of cold sparkling grape juice.

“So, how was the movie, you two?” Alex asked.

I knew Alex enjoyed history. There were many books in the library near my room from different periods of the past.

“I enjoyed it very much,” I replied.

“Yes, it was good,” William agreed. “ The actors did a fantastic job of reenacting the battle in front of the cameras.”

“I thought they did a great job with the events that led up to the battle,” I added.

“It’s going to start streaming next week.” Alex put down his glass. “I think I’ll make time to watch it.”

I still had my phone in my hand, but Victor had not texted me again, so I placed it on the coffee table next to my half-full glass of juice.

I was curious as to why he wanted to know if I was home, but it would be rude to spend my time staring at my phone screen with William sitting next to me on the couch.

Leaving the phone on the table, I stood. “I’ll be right back,” I told Alex and Victor and went to the bathroom across the hall from the living room.

I thought I heard my phone ring while I was washing my hands. But I knew I couldn’t get to it before the voicemail picked up.

So I finished washing my hands before checking my reflection in the mirror.

When I returned to the living room, William was putting my phone back on the coffee table. Had he answered the phone call?

“Did my phone ring?” I asked.

“Yes. It was Victor,” William said. “He said to tell you to remind Jennifer the practice Moon Goddess ceremony is tomorrow night.”

I picked up my phone and looked at the screen. “Is that all he said?”

It wasn't like Victor. He liked William. Why didn’t he talk to him longer, and why didn’t he ask to speak to me?

“Yeah,” William replied. “He wasn’t on the phone long. Maybe he was in a hurry or something. He sounded funny. I hope he wasn’t mad because I answered your phone.”

“I’m sure he had something else on his mind,” Alex said. “Perhaps some disaster could have happened at his business or something.”

“I’ll text him to make sure everything is okay,” I said and began typing the message.

In the text, I asked him why he didn’t wait a little longer for me to come to the phone. I heard it ring, but I was in the bathroom. I told him he hung up so fast it made me wonder if everything was okay.

Victor replied to my text within a few minutes. I read it out loud. “I couldn’t wait all day for you to get done checking your makeup and primping in the mirror. I’m sure you already look beautiful.”

“Well, that’s not true,” I said, trying to hide the fact that I was feeling a little indignant by his reply. It was a silly thing to get upset over.

I had only checked my reflection in the mirror for a few seconds, and he knew I didn’t wear much makeup.

“Do you mean you weren’t checking your makeup?” Alex teased.

“I don’t wear makeup,” I objected. “Well, not much, anyhow.”

We all chuckled, and Alex rang for Benson to bring us more grape juice.

When Benson walked into the room, he refilled our glasses and told us dinner would be served in five minutes. So we took our drinks and walked to the dining room.

Dinner was an exquisite rack of lamb with asparagus drizzled with a champagne vinaigrette. It was delicious.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover the cook had prepared my favorite chocolate soufflé for dessert. But I lost my appetite when Alex brought up the subject of the Moon Goddess ceremony.

“Are you looking forward to the ceremony?” he asked. “I can’t believe you’re going to be eighteen already. It feels like yesterday when I saw you lying in your mother’s arms.”

“Yea. I’m looking forward to it.” I replied.

“You seem a little pale,” Alex said as he examined my face. “The ceremony is nothing to be afraid of, darling.”

I was afraid, but I was also excited. Every werewolf is at this time.

During the ceremony, I would shift for the first time, and my werewolf persona, who lived silently inside me, would reveal herself to me.

It was odd to think of another soul living inside my body alongside mine. Has she been aware of everything that’s happened in my life?

After I shifted, I would also be able to sense my mate bond. I hope I was lucky enough to find my fated mate one day, but it also made me nervous. Who could it be?

When Alex spoke of the mate bond between himself and my mother, he made it sound incredible. To feel that close to another person who filled your days with joy would be an excellent way to live.

William was right when he said at the restaurant that I had much to look forward to in the coming days. An Alpha’s eighteenth birthday was filled with wonderful first-time experiences.

I was both anxious and excited for my life as an adult to begin.

I finished my soufflé and excused myself. “I hope you’ll forgive me, William, but I must go upstairs and meet with Jennifer about the preparations for tomorrow night.”

“Of course, Daisy,” William replied. “Best of luck, and I’ll see you at the ball.”

Jennifer was waiting for me in my room. I wasn’t sure what was involved in these mysterious preparations, but I was about to discover some of them.

“There you are, Miss,” Jennifer said as I entered the bedroom. She had something dark purple neatly folded in her hand.

“What is that?” I asked. It was a beautiful color, but the material appeared thick and coarse.

“This is a Moon Goddess ceremonial robe,” Jennifer replied. “This one belonged to your mother. Your father thought you would want to wear it for your ceremony.

“Let me see it,” I said. How wonderful to have something of my mother’s with me at the most crucial time of my life.

With the flick of her wrists, Jennifer unfolded the robe and held it up in front of me. “It’s the right length, exactly like Mr. Wilson thought it would be.”

I ran my hands over the material. As I held it against my body, I imagined my mother wearing it, and it felt like she was in the room with me.