Dead Luna
Chapter 22

Amelia's

POV

I can see the difference right away that money makes in a pack as we pull up to the Iron Peak pack house. The pack members homes look newer, if not larger. The pack house itself was a 4 story building more than three times the size of the one in Silver Falls, in a sort of french chateau style with an elegant fountain placed in the middle of the circular driveway in front. Almost like a miniature Versailles.

I thank Jimmy for driving us as he hands our luggage to Leo, give him a quick hug, and he speeds off back to Silver Falls almost an hour and a half drive away. I wonder if he's intimidated by the obviously wealthier pack?

Alpha Zachary Blake is waiting to greet me at the top of the steps, where he grabs my hand and brings it to his lips for a kiss, while he looks deep into my eyes with what I assume is his practiced "sexy" smile on his face. Very smooth indeed. Moon goddess had warned me he was a "ladies man", so I was expecting behavior of this nature, and wasn't about to let him sway me into bed like so many others before me.

He introduced me straight away to his officers. Beta Dillon Jamison and Gamma Devon Wheeler I recall from the diner as well as having seen them at Green Mountain. Delta Charlie Pringle is a new acquaintance, though. As the only officer with a mate (and expecting a baby in a few weeks), he had opted to be left in charge while the others attended the alpha meeting. Also there to greet me were his 2 younger brothers Travis and Shawn, his sister Allison and her mate Geoffrey, and his parents the former Alpha Christopher and Luna Veronica. Neither of whom seem overly impressed with me at first glance, or the state of the vehicle that dropped me off.

Leo and I are shown to some guest quarters on the second floor to refresh ourselves before we get a tour of the pack. It's a nice, but plain guest suite with en-suite bathroom. Apparently the Luna suite is currently in use by Alpha Zachary's mother. Half an hour later Leo and I are being led around on a tour of the pack by Beta Dillon and Gamma Devon. When I ask why Zachary doesn't show us around, I'm told he's "busy".

Everything about this pack is similar in many ways to Silver Falls, just on a grander scale, except for the gardens. Iron peak only grows enough fruits and vegetables for pack use, and very few flowers except for decorative purposes. They make most lot of their money from leased rental properties, security work, and several of the pack members work as lawyers, software engineers, and electricians.

I'm told the pack has nearly 1200 members, which includes about 190 school age children, as well as 86 unmated adult members of which 40 are male and 46 are female between the ages of 18 and 34.

At least Alpha Zachary manages to join his family, Leo and I for luncheon in the private family dining room. It's a very elegant room with a mahogany table that easily seats up to 16 people and a huge crystal chandelier, in a room decorated in pale blue and cream. Luna Veronica asks me why I didn't dress nicer for luncheon, and when I say I didn't really bring many clothes, she immediately started planning an outing for this afternoon to shop for a more appropriate wardrobe. "We Lunas have an image to uphold!" "Mother, I don't care how she dresses. She could eat lunch naked and I'd be perfectly fine with that!" Zachary says in a pretend affronted tone.

"I'll sure you would," she replied with acid in her tone. I kinda agreed.

We dine on cold potato and leek soup, our choice of quiche Lorraine or steak frites with broccolini, a plate of assorted cheeses, and tarte tatin. I'm starting to sense a theme here. When I ask about it, I'm told it's because Luna Veronica's family is French. Ooh la la! More like la dee dah, Ambrosia mutters in my head and I nearly choke on my tarte tatin.

I'm sitting next to Zachary, who flirts with me constantly. But I have to wonder if he flirts because he actually likes me, or is that just his way? I kinda suspect he flirts with any halfway decent looking female, and I doubt he's particular about species. "So gorgeous, what will we be doing all week?"Zachary asks with a suggestive wiggle of his eye brows.

So cheesy! I could literally feel Ambrosia roll her eyes in my head. But maybe I need to give him a chance to show me what else he can be besides a ladies man. He's gotta be deeper than that, right? He could actually be a decent guy deep down. Really deep down, Ambrosia adds.

So I give Alpha Zachary a run down of what I had done the previous week in Silver Lake, and that I'd probably do a similar thing, spending time with him as well as with unmated pack members as part of my task from the moon goddess. He was welcome to plan special outings or dates in an effort to either win my heart, or show me what sort of Alpha he is.

After lunch, Luna Veronica takes me in hand for an afternoon shopping spree. She basically insists on purchasing several smart dresses, plus accessories like shoes, handbags, and some "essential" makeup. Then we go to the Luna suite where we are met with a sort of team of stylists. The bathroom of the Luna suite is set up like a mini spa, where pack members Miranda and Grace get to work waxing, plucking, filing, polishing, straightening, lightening, daubing, and powdering to nearly every inch of my body. It was kinda nice to be pampered, I suppose, but seems a bit overkill for everyday. Luna Veronica seems pleased with the results, though, who claims to anyone even halfway interested that she had "transformed" me.

I personally didn't think there was much wrong with me before.