The Defiant Luna
Chapter 64

Nathan POV

He was watching the weather close in, had the radar of the weather channel up on the screen in his Alpha’s office. was not looking good for the Luna Ceremony which was to be held tomorrow. The national weather service was forecasting 17 inches of snow fall. Right this minute it was freezing cold outside but the sun was shining, for now, it was going to be obliterated by 3 in the afternoon when that storm front reached them

His whole unit were sitting around him, they were all watching the weather channel, “It’s not going to blow over.” He sighed, he’d been hoping it would die off but no such luck.

“Back up plan it is.” Stephen commented.

“Yes, let’s get on that.” Nathan nodded, hed had a contingency plan in place for her Luna Ceremony. It was always a good idea in the colder months to have a full back-up plan, for every event, that was held here in the pack during winter, in case of just this thing. A full white-out, mother nature was not always on the same page as the people that lived on her planet.

“Jackson, make sure those flowers get here today and as soon as possible, there is no need for extra humans to be stuck inside the pack.”

“On it.” Jackson replied, pulled out his phone to make the calls necessary, they had several Norists all working together to get the required amount of flowers and arrangements organised and delivered. It would be a full truck load, maybe two, depending on how they were stored and packed.

Likely they were already prepared and stored for the day, due to the sheer amount of them, or he was hoping so. The biggest issue he thought was going to be getting them set up. Each florist had her own team to make sure the arrangements they’d designed were set up here inside the pack. It wasn’t just a drop off and go, it was a full set up.

Flowers on all the tables, flowers in giant urns by the doors, a full flower arborer outside the ballroom had to be decorated and covered with flowers. Smaller urns of flowers lining where she walked, not just outside but the ones that would line the pack-house for her to walk by, as she made her way from the elevator through to the ballroom.

There were medium sized urns along all the ballroom walls by the tall windows as she passed through it, to the outside. The ones along the raised platform, not to mention the ones that would just be littered about outside to make the area beautiful for her.

There was a lot to do today instead of tomorrow now. He knew Jackson would make the necessary arrangements and offer monetary compensation if necessary to help with getting that staff that would have been hired for tomorrow here today.

“Ethan, get the pack photograph to contact the human photographer and get them here today, or they won’t make it” he was having their wedding photographed and published in the human world papers. It would officially close out her human life, also make Lauren and Tony happy, something they wanted

“On it” Ethan nodded and headed out of the room.

Tony and Lauren were here in the pack, had arrived this morning. Though they had asked him if they would see their wedding photos splashed in the newspaper or magazines, a week ago. Apparently, they were very unhappy with Timothy, and his very quick wedding announcement. They had not seen him be with anyone else.

It had shocked them that not only did he announce his engagement. The statement that had gone with it had been about how he and Grace had been dating for many years, were very happy and very much in love. That he was happy to be tying the knot to such a lovely young and refined lady. Who he’d known all his life. Was the daughter of one of his fathers’ closest friends and they’d always been in each other’s lives.

He’d not known that, gone off and read the article, frown at it himself. Asked Stephen about that conversation Jay-la had had with Tim, didn’t want to bother her with his questions, and he knew Stephen had been there. They’d not actually gotten around to discussing it, he’d let it go completely.

Stephen had relayed the gist of the conversation to him, and Nathan had stood staring right at him, nearly speechless, the man had used Jay-la for rough hardcore s*x by the sound of it. Nothing more, nothing less, Jay-la herself had not know this either, had come as a bit of a shock to her as well

It now seemed that Tony and Lauren were not so happy with the man himself, were socialites themselves and likely to run in the same circles. Wanted from what he could see, his and Jay-la’s wedding photo’s splashed all over the papers and in magazines for that man to see.

It seemed Lauren had a real spiteful side to her, when someone wronged her loved ones, had sent him the names of a few really good photographers. Stated “any of these will do justice.”

That man was currently in a hotel in Rochester, not due on pack territory till tomorrow lunch time, but by the look of the storm cell, he wouldn’t make it, needed to be here today or the packs photographer would be all they had. She was a gem, really good at her job but not recognised out there in the human world. Didn’t want to be, was a bit on the shy side when not behind her camera.

“Boss?” Stephen looked at him.

“You and I, Stephen. Are off to talk to the omega’s get. everything brought inside, into the ballroom. Not everyone is going to fit in there. So, I also need you to sort out and set up a live streaming of the Ceremony to all pack homes and throughout the pack-house itself. Just in case some with little ones want to stay warm indoors in their own homes. I’ll offer that to them as well.”

“Got it,” Stephen nodded.

“Once that is done you and I are going to help move all the tables inside and lay out the ballroom, Jay-la will need a clear isle to walk down with her father. I’ll snag mother and Vera to help with the planning.” His calm relaxing day before her Ceremony was now going to be busy till really late at night.

They were off to the ballroom, where he mind-linked to the omega’s setting up for the ceremony and both their mothers to come to him, told them there had to be a change of plan with a storm predicted for tomorrow.

Hed vetoed Jay-la and Margaret from helping with any actual physical assistance, due to the two of them being with pup. His mother was another kettle of fish, she would not be left out of anything, as the Luna handing over, to the new Luna. She not only wanted to be involved, had told him unless he wanted a ticked off, hormonal Luna, beating him one. He had better include her in everything.

He’d known better than to argue with her at all, so she was mind-linked and informed of everything that had to be done, knew she too was pregnant, likely have his father trail her to make him move anything she wanted. Had seen his father just walk along next to her and tow the line, with everything for this ceremony over the past few days. It was very unusual for an Alpha male. Though he knew his father was all about making his Mate happy.

Didn’t actually seem to mind at all, Nathan had seen him flex his Alpha muscles for his Mate on more than one occasion and grin at her, wink at her and heard his mother giggle like a schoolgirl at his display of strength. It seems his father had turned his given chores, into a way to flirt with his Mate. Shouldn’t surprise him all that much.

Everyone turned up inside the ballroom and he laid it out for them, the storm the amount of snow predicted, how cold it was going to be, that everything had to be moved indoors, and set up here in the ballroom.

His mother had taken over after that statement, put him and Stephen to work as well as his father who had come into the room with her, as he expected, to do any heavy lifting. It was not a small project to carry out, they had been setting up outside for the entire pack to be there.

Now, here in the ballroom, only a third of them would fit, a quarter if they wanted to set up the dining tables as well, ready for the meal to come afterwards. He was standing looking at the entrance to the ballroom, where Jay-la would enter the room. The plan had “updated by jobnib.com”always been for her to walk through here to the outside, down the four steps to a carpeted runway and over to the raised platform. That was outside, set up right this minute.

But the walk through the ballroom could still be done, though having her move to the side of the raised platform in here to walk up the stairs didn’t agree with him. He wanted her front and centre. Was going to need stairs up to the platform right in the middle so everyone could see her.

Had the assembled stairs outside brought in and set up right in the middle, the platform outside was slight higher and that last step was shorter than it should be. Stood looking at it, wondered if he had time for a whole new set to be made.

Was still standing there contemplating it when he felt her hand slip into his, those lovely tingles of her touch on his skin and smiled right at her “Working hard I see.” She smiled up at him.

“Hm, the stairs are an issue. That step is 100 low. I don’t want you tripping up onto the platform if you don’t step high enough.”

“Let’s walk it and find out its only out by a little bit.” She tugged him towards it

Walked her up there the way he expected her father would be doing, with her hand linked through his arm and curled around his arm. “Will you be wearing your stiletto’s?” he asked

“Yes, I will be.” she smiled right up at him, “your mother found a blinged out pair that matches my dress.”

He chuckled himself, she’d been wearing stilettos nearly everyday this week. He could hear her heels clicking on the pack-house polished stone flooring wherever she walked, had come to realise, she had more than one walk, her casual stroll, her I’m in a hurry walk and the I’m annoyed stalking away from you. He could gauge her mood before she entered a room just by the sound of her heels clicking on the floor.

That was going to come in handy a lot. He walked her up the stairs. She was mindful of the last step and stepped up with ease, there was a two inch difference, but that could make anybody trip easily. A mere centimetre difference in a step could see anyone trip up or down them.

“It’s fine.” She smiled at him.

“Hm, perhaps you should go put your shoes on and bring Jodi down here, walk it with him like you will tomorrow. If there is an issue, I’ll have a set made over night to fil perfectly.”

“It will be fine.” She smiled up at him.

“Please for my own piece of mind.” He asked her and saw her shake her head but state “okay.”

Walked her back down the stairs. Going down was a bit. more difficult; when you naturally stepped down to something lower than expected, there was that moment of imbalance, she grabbed onto him tighter for a moment.

“Nope. I’ll have a new set made.” He stated without hesitation, he did not want her falling up or down the stairs. Two inches out was a hazard to her as far as he was concerned and she was going to be wearing stilettos at that. So, even more unsteady on her feet coming down.

“Nathan, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is.” He stated firmly “I will not have you tripping up or falling down the stairs. I’ll have the pack builder get on it right now.” Saw her walk off to go to get her father and put her shoes on, to come back and walk the stairs with a shake of her head, also caught that roll of her eyes, right before she turned away.

Sent a mind-link to Danny the pack builder and told him of the problem. Got chuckled at in return, “Stay there I’m on my way.”

He didn’t see what was so funny about it, not until that man turned up and showed him there was an inbuilt set of stairs right into the ballroom floor, that when lifted up and came out, with a simple fick of a switch by the entrance way to the ballroom. Led right up to the main platform, right in the middle

He’d never actually seen them used, frowned at the man. “I don’t recall these ever being here?”

“Been here many years. I and my maintenance team, keep them in good condition. Your parents, however, like things to be celebrated outdoors. So that is what has happened your whole life. But your grandmother and her Mate celebrated indoors, so there was a need for them. They were built to be invisible, match the ballroom flooring exactly.”

That they were, he’d been standing right here and not even seen them, “Is there a railing?”

“There is an attachable one, if you want it” Danny nodded.

Nathan was looking at the stairs, walked up and down on them, stomped up and down them to Danny’s amusement, asked him to walk them with him. “They’ll take the weight of the Luna and her father.” He chuckled softly. “Are up to speck I assure you.”

Nathan didn’t have an issue with the stairs with no railing for support, there were only 6 steps, and they were quite wide could see three people walking them abreast without issue. “I don’t think a railing would be necessary. Thank you, Danny, I had no idea about them.”

“You’re welcome, Alpha. Anything else I can do while I’m here?”

“I don’t think so, wait yes, that flower harborer, I would like that to be moved inside across the ballroom doorway. For Jay la to walk under.”

“Sure, no problem it’s an interlocking wooden structure, take me an hour to move it, I’ll get on that with my boys.”

“Thank you” he nodded

Jackson strolled into the room to help. “Flowers are on their way, though the fowers Jay-la would be carrying are not arranged, the florist said she was going to put them all together tomorrow right before bringing them out here, to help keep them fresh looking. I told her to make them now, we’ll deal with it tomorrow if they wilt.”

Nathan nodded “I doubt they’ll wilt overnight. Likely be in cold storage anyway till then.”

He spent the rest of the afternoon and evening helping to set up the ballroom, his mother and Vera were there to assist with the flowers that were delivered. New placement for all the ones that were outside, now being brought inside.

Jay-la, Rae-Rae, Lauren, Margaret and Suzy, Maya and Elena all got in and helped with the setting of the tables.

Elena put her girls to work, stated, “Many hands make light work, and hiccups happen even to the best laid plans.” she could now see the amount of flowers they purchased for pack events, see that doing business with him would be good for her.

They all stopped for dinner and then went right back to work, took till nearly 11pm for everything to be set up the way he and his mother wanted. He did see Jay-la looking at him a few times. A smile on her face. She liked it when he got in and got his hands dirty, didn’t have everyone do everything for him. This was her day and her opinion was taken into consideration on everything. She’d chuckled about seeing and hearing about the inbuilt stairs herself.

Told him hed worried about nothing

He walked her all the way to the Luna Suite and leaned on the door frame, she was going to be in there tonight, with Vera, Lauren and Rae Rae. He would only be down across the hall just one room away in their suite with the triplets, by himself for the night. They’d promised to be on their best behaviour for him.

He had his doubts as those three had smiled all adorably up at him, “Just give them ice-cream when they ask.” Jay-la chuckled up at him. “Ice-cream solves everything for them. I even put a new tub of Hokey Pokey in the freezer for you.”

“I’ll miss you.” he sighed and tugged her over to him, saw that door open.

Heard Lauren laugh “Now, now, you can wait one night.” Pulled Jay-la from his arms and ushered her into the Luna suite. Smiled right at him and waved him off. Shed come to like him as had Rae-Rae finally. Her wedding was still being planned for in three months’ time when the weather warmed up.

Lauren and Grampa Hill had some very lavish thoughts on it. They would get what they wanted. Tony, had played the father of the Bride card, stated he would be paying for the wedding and Father of the groom pays for the alcohol.

Been a bit of back and forth already with Tony and his dad,but they were working it out. That wedding was going to be in L.A. At the Hill estate

He could only smile himself, at Lauren, she did act just like mum. Got on really well with Vera, which was a blessing, didn’t seem to be any motherly competition there. They both loved her and he knew Vera was happy that Jay-la had someone to lean on and take care of her. Vera truly appreciated that.

He strolled back to his suite to find all three children staring up at him, he smiled and before they could even go there, stated “How about ice cream?”

Got squealed at by both girls as they ran off to the kitchen, saw Nate smiling up at him and follow his sisters, “I’m leaming.” He told his son, who just chuckled.