Finn

Chapter Twelve

By the time I'd napped, showered, and changed into a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, my excitement about meeting the pack had worn off. My stomach was a bundle of nerves as Cillian led me away from the safety of his room. He had told me the pack would traditionally do a more formal dinner to introduce the new Luna, but he knew I would have hated that. So instead we were doing  dinner in the living room, which sounded much better.

I heard the chatter of people talking and laughing as soon as we neared the stairs. Cillian wrapped an arm around my waist once we hit the top, effortlessly lifting my feet a couple inches off of the ground. He flashed down the stairs, making my head spin for a moment.

"Finley!"

I heard the chatter in the room die down as Cillian set me down and I regained my balance. Rory appeared in front of me, attacking me in a hug. I laughed at her boundless energy and gratefully accepted the gesture.

"Hi Rory," I grinned at her as I pulled away, gesturing to my new outfit, "thank you for all the clothes. They're great."

"Oh I'm so glad you liked them!" Rory exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Cillian had dropped my hand to greet some other pack members who arrived, so she took the opportunity to pull me away from him. She hooked her arm through mine, leaning me in close to her as she whispered, "I also have some special bedroom outfits for you for later."

"Rory, leave her alone." Cillian snapped as he appeared at my side, his dark eyes glaring down at the female wolf. He had no doubt hearing the words Rory whispered in my ear, which only made my blush deepen. Rory cackled, winking at me as disappeared into the crowd of werewolves.

I glared at her as she left, but couldn't help but smile. I hadn't really had a friend I could openly joke with since I was a kid. I realized I appreciated Rory's presence here more than she knew.

"Come on, let's go find our seat." Cillian told her, grabbing her hand to lead her through the crowd in the living room. It had seemed like such a large room when she'd been in there before, but now that it was packed full of wolves it felt small.

I let Cillian lead the way, having absolutely no idea where we were supposed to go. I watched pack members chat and catch up with each other as we walked, noting how none of them made eye contact with me as I passed. They were all friendly enough, offering a small smile or moving out of the way as we passed, but didn't offer any conversation. I guessed they were being respectful, and made sure to keep a smile on my face as we walked.

When we finally reached the far end of the room, I noticed the dining room table that was tucked in the corner of the room was empty. People had occupied every couch and surface in the room, but no one sat at the table. They hovered around it, talking in little groups, but they dispersed when they saw Cillian. Turin and Rory stayed at the head of the table with a man I hadn't met, and their faces lit up when they saw us approach.

"Finn!" Turin greeted, a grin spreading across his face. He moved towards us and pulled me into a hug, his arms wrapping around me and lifting me in the air slightly. I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck to keep from falling. Cillian kept his hand firmly within mine, refusing to remove it as I hugged Turin.

"Oh lighten up." Turin rolled his eyes when Cillian let out a low warning growl. But he gently placed me back on the ground, taking a couple of steps back to give us space. Cillian pulled me closer to his side, his arm moving around my shoulder. I would've protested if it hadn't taken weight off of my foot and made the pain subside, so I settled for an eye roll.

"Finley, I'd like you to meet my mate, and the pack Gamma. This is Nolan." Rory gave me a proud smile as she locked arms with the man standing next to her. He was tall like Turin and Cillian, but not nearly as muscular. He had curly brown hair that was cut close to head and a lopsided smile that instantly made me feel relaxed.