Page 5 of Luna
“You are a sweet girl, Mariana. Thank you.” His eyes never leave the photo, and I wrap my arm around him in a half-hug.
Christian freezes for a moment before turning and pulling me into his arms. He buries his head in my neck as he hugs me and sobs. His tears wet my neck, but I just hold him tighter. I say nothing, knowing this isn’t the time for words. He just needs someone to be here with him while he falls apart.
I can do that for him. I can be the person who holds him up as he falls apart.
I just hope he doesn’t hate me or himself later for what many men would view as a moment of weakness.
Mariana
Age Sixteen
“Congratulations, little moon!” Papa sweeps me into his arms, swinging me around like he used to when I was a little girl. “A high school graduate at just sixteen! You make your Papa so proud.”
I laugh as he sets me back on my feet, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Thank you, Papa.”
“I can’t believe my baby girl is a graduate.” Mama’s eyes fill with tears, and I hurry to hug her. She’s nearing her heat, and that always makes her more emotional.
“It’s okay, Mama. It’s not like I’m leaving you. I’ll be home all summer, and I’ll still be living at the house when I start classes in the fall.”
“I’m just glad I won’t have to spend another year of school with you here,” Matías mutters. “I’m so sick of the guys talking about my hot sister.”
I snicker, knocking my shoulder into his. “Whatever, Mat. I know you’ll miss me. Plus, next year, you’re going to have to deal with JC being at the same school as you again.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Matías snorts, ducking when JC takes a swing at him.
“Stop it,pendejo,” I hiss, glaring at my youngest brother. “You could’ve hit me.”
“And then I would’ve had to hit you since no one lays a hand on my girl.”
I squeal, spinning around to throw myself into Christian’s arms. “You made it!”
“As if your Papa would make me miss watching you graduate.” Christian kisses me, pulling back when I’d prefer to deepen the kiss.
“Papa knows we kiss. We’re engaged, Christian.” I roll my eyes, turning to glare at Papa. “This is your fault.”
Christian clears his throat. “I’m being respectful as my parents taught me.”
“Which is the only reason we allowed you to propose when Mariana is still so young,” Mama cuts in, but she’s smiling as she says it.
Both she and Papa love Christian and have been supportive of our relationship. We’ve been together for two years, and Mama was against it at first, but she finally understood that evenif I was physically young, mentally I was more mature than most twenty-year-olds.
Some people judge our age difference since I’m so young, but I love my alpha.
Yes, Christian designated as an alpha when he turned eighteen. We still don’t know what I will designate as, but both of my parents seem to think I’ll be an omega. Christian says he doesn’t care what my designation is—that he’ll love me whether I’m an omega, a beta, or an alpha.
“Mariana!”
My head snaps up, eyes widening as they land on the blonde beauty walking toward me.
“Aurora?” I grin, running to meet my friend. “What are you doing here?”
She scoffs. “Like I would miss my friend graduating high school.”
Over the years, Aurora and I have remained close. We might not be the best friends that I imagined when I was a child since we live so far from one another, but she’s the closest I’ve come to it before Christian.
We hug before she greets my family and Christian. “Where’s Fabian?”
Papa clears his throat. “He got caught up with something at work and couldn’t make it.”
