Chapter 43 Marigold

                                    

                                          
Early the next morning, I woke up to a knock on the door. I groaned and rolled over in bed, noticing that I was still alone. Finn had not come to bed last night and, from the looks of his side of the bed, he hadn't come to bed at all. Another knock.
"What?" I yelled in a groggy voice. 
"My apologies, ma'am." Zoey poked her head in the room.
"Come in." I grumbled, sitting up in bed. 
"Luna Genevieve is in your office. She's asked for you as soon as you're ready." Zoey explained, opening the curtains and letting in the dim sunlight. 
"What time is it?" I noticed that the sun was not fully in the sky yet. 
"6:15." Zoey replied. I cursed loudly and slammed my face in the pillow. 
"If it makes you feel any better, ma'am, the Luna has been in your office for two hours already before she requested you." Zoey's tone had a slight note of humor to it. 
"What has she been doing?" I asked, my face still smushed in the pillow. 
"I believe she's been redecorating." 
"Oh Goddess." I moaned. 
"It's rather warm today, ma'am, shall I pick out some clothes for you?" Zoey suppressed a giggle. 
"Please." I replied, flipping over and rubbing my eyes angrily. I rolled out of bed and hit the ground face first, 
"Ow." 
"Oh Luna! Are you okay?" Zoey ran out of the bathroom. 
"I'm fine. I don't function this early." I complained. 
"I can see that." Zoey replied plainly. I smirked at her humor and was thankful that she was finally loosening up. 
"Have you seen the Alpha today?" I asked, pulling myself from the ground. 
"I believe he's in his office. My mother delivered coffee there earlier." 
"He's been there all night?" I asked, following her back to the bathroom. 
"I'm not sure, ma'am." She answered. 
"Hm." I grunted, grabbing my toothbrush and toothpaste. 
After an hour, I was grudgingly ready for the day. My hair was braided down my back, courtesy of Zoey's handiwork. She dressed me in a navy blue, floral tea length dress with cap sleeves and a respectful V-length neckline. She helped me into a pair of tan, strappy sandals. I assumed I looked elegant enough for a meeting with the former Luna.
"Thank you, Zoey." I smiled at her as she began to gather my laundry and clean the room. I slipped out the door and found my way to the second floor offices. 
"Stone?" I eyed the Gamma curiously as he stood in front of the Luna's office door. 
"I'm here for the Luna's protection." Stone replied seriously. I raised an eyebrow at him, 
"Mine or hers?" I asked, pointing towards the office. 
"Both of you." He said.
"Since when?" 
"My job is to protect the Luna." Stone answered firmly. 
"Well I know that, but you're not usually this formal." I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. 
"The presence of two Lunas is bringing out the best in me." He whispered, leaning forward from his post. I laughed at him, playfully rolling my eyes. 
"Good luck in there." He said, opening the office door. 
Before I had time to ask him what he meant, my questions were answered. The entire office had been transformed. The dark, dated furniture that was covered in dust and tarps were now light, and modern. There was a large, L shaped desk in a soft, white design. Behind the desk, like in Finn's office, were built in bookshelves covering the entire wall. The bookshelves were newly painted a bright white. The rest of the walls were a blue that matched the ocean. 
End tables and a coffee table that matched the desk freshened up the sitting area. A new, plush couch and two chairs joined the tables. They were covered in a beachy pattern that matched the seafoam walls. There were table lamps on the desk and end tables, and a matching floor lamp in the corner. The drapes were the same fabric as the furniture, framing the large, white windows. 
Genny was grinning from the other side of the room. 
"Genny! Did you do all of this?" I gasped.
"Do you like it?" She asked eagerly. 
"I love it!" I gushed, admiring her work, 
"How did you get all of this done so quickly?" 
"I'll admit, I had some help. I apologize for keeping your mate away all night." She shrugged with absolutely no guilt apparent on her face. I smirked, 
"It's okay." I laughed. 
"I just thought that a Luna needs a real place to work and hold meetings, a place that is hers. This was my office for more than twenty years and it hadn't been touched since Fox took over for Conrad." Genny explained. 
"I really appreciate it, Genny." I walked over to the desk and sat down on the cushy navy blue chair she had picked out for me. 
"Fox picked the colors. He said you loved the ocean when you lived in California so we tried to draw inspiration from that." Genny explained. 
"It's perfect, it really is." I motioned for Genny to sit in one of the two blue chairs facing my desk. 
"Should I assume you have some ideas from the Luna ceremony already?" I asked. 
"Oh, I do." Genny grinned and I got the feeling that I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into.