In the Land of Gods and Monsters

Chapter Eight

"Poppy, wake up this instant!"

I groaned, rolling over in my bed. My mom and I had specifically agreed that my last two days at home I could relax and take time off from the restaurant. Why did she think it was okay to wake me up?

"What?" I said groggily, my head shoved into my pillow.

"There is a boy downstairs who wants to see you," she said urgently, shaking me.

"What?"

"I said, there is a boy downstairs who wants to see you! He's been waiting for almost twenty minutes! And he's handsome!"

Of course my mom would say Ezra was handsome.

"What time is it?" I asked, rolling over to face her.

"Nine-thirty!" she cried, throwing a pair of pants and a tee-shirt at me from the floor. I sniffed them to make sure they were clean and began to change.

"Hurry Poppy, the cute ones don't wait forever!" she cried, bustling out of the room. I snorted to myself and put a brush through my hair before retreating to the bathroom to wash my face. Feeling slightly refreshed, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen.

"Good morning," said Ezra, giving me a cheeky grin. I gave him a small grimace back and I could feel my mom's disapproving eyes on my back.

"Are you sure you don't want breakfast? I have orange juice, I could make pancakes, whatever you want!" my mom said.

"Actually, I have a day planned for Poppy and I so we'll have to be leaving. I really do appreciate the coffee though, thank you for your hospitality," Ezra said. I could have sworn I saw my mom swoon.

"Of course dear, come by anytime!" my mom cried as Ezra led me out the door and to his car. The sun was bright and I had to squint against the light. Ezra opened the passenger door for me and proceeded to climb in on his side.

"What in god's name are you doing at my house so early?" I asked as he pulled out fo the driveway.

"We have things to do today, no time to waste," he said matter-of-factly. I rolled my eyes.

"What things do we have to do today? I have to pack and get ready to leave," I reminded him. He deflated a little at this.

"Well, today we are going to my back to my pack so I can properly introduce you to everyone and show you around the grounds. If you are to be my Luna, you need to be educated in all matters of the pack."

"Do I even want to know what a 'Luna' is?" I asked. He smirked over at me.

"Think of it as similar to the role of a queen in human terms. Although there is much less absolute power involved and the pack as a rightful say in most matters."

"A queen? Really? Is there a tiara?" I asked excitedly. Ezra laughed.

"No, no, there's no tiara or crown. Although if you wanted a flower crown, I'm sure one of the children would be happy to make one for you."

I smiled slightly to myself. A life as a queen with a flower crown didn't sound so terrible. Ezra caught me and I saw him light up just a little bit himself.

"I was supposed to see Gwen and Scarlett today. They're going to think you kidnapped me."

"I don't think they'll think anything of the sort. Gwen and Scarlett actually stayed over on the pack lands last night."
"What?!" I cried.