To Midnight Moon
My anxiety takes the best of me.
To control it, I decided to hang out in the cafeteria a bit longer, focusing on my food. Arriving at my Luna, all stuttering and sweating is not really my plan, I have to get a good hold on myself. I don’t know what it will cost me to convince her that my pack needs her and leave with me immediately. I really can’t stay back waiting patiently for that stupid Glary to get her when he’s done chasing Mercedes.
To my horror, I realized I did not ask the waitress for a name. If she could give such a detailed description of my Luna, then at least she must have picked up a name during the conversation between the two visitors. She seems pretty meddlesome, I wouldn’t be surprised if she also knows what the Beta and my Luna were discussing.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.
I look around for her so I can still find the information I need, but she’s gone. Hopefully, not to serve one of her customers the deal of the day.
I finish my meal and prepare to leave. Before I walk out, I toss some bills on the table. It’s another hour and a half to Midnight Moon if I drive at the same speed.
Happily singing, I start the ride. According to the map, I must go through a human town to reach the pack. And when I enter it, I think of buying some gifts to take to my Luna. Arriving empty-handed doesn’t really make a good impression. But then I realize I’m unaware of her likes and dislikes to be able to choose the right presents. The waitress was quite specific about her appearance but not about her personality.
I check in my bag and luckily, I still have the credit card Glary gave me years ago. Glary handed it to me to shop at the nearby mall when I was supposed to join him at his father’s grand birthday celebration. He didn’t want to take it back later, and I don’t know exactly how much money was on it.
I drive to the largest mall in this city, park and make my way through the crowds toward an entrance. This is what I hate most about this city, it’s always crowded with people who don’t really know where they are going. Just wander in circles, mostly doing window shopping if I can believe the entrepreneurs complaining about low sales. When I finally reach the hallway, I look around, not knowing where to find a suitable present. Most units sell branded clothing, footwear, children’s toys, and jewelry. None of these wares are appropriate to surprise the Luna.
But then I remembered that the waitress stated she was a warrior.
The warriors in my pack are crazy about leather gear, sharp materials and all kinds of modern combat gadgets. So, I guess I’ll have to look for a specialty store. I check the map of the mall that is mounted against a wall. After some time, I find the unit where I think to succeed and walk in that direction. When I’m inside, I look around, startled. There is so much choice, I stare open-mouthed at the wide range.
Can I help you with anything, my lady?” asks a saleswoman, amused. “It’s a lot, huh?! Making a choice is not easy here.”
I nod and stare at her in surprise. I’m probably not the first customer to get lost here. Unnoticed I sniff a few times and yes, she’s a werewolf too, so I relax.
“I’m looking for a decent gift for my Luna”, I whisper to her. “She’s a warrior,” I add proudly. The woman shakes her head in understanding.
“I know exactly what you need. You can’t go wrong with this one, she has to like it. We also have it at different qualities and prices”.
I follow her to a corner where sets of daggers are displayed.
“A dagger? Are you sure? Is that what warriors want?” I ask hesitantly. She smiles again and takes a set of ten from the rack.
“This one is the most popular. It’s costly, I don’t know how big your budget is,” she answers doubtfully. I pull out the credit card and hand it to her.
“I don’t know how much money is on it, if I can afford this gift. Maybe you can check it for me?” I request. She walks to the register, does a few things with the card, then turns back to me.
“Miss, you can buy at least ten of these sets. Your card is loaded”, she states, emphasizing the last word.
The saleswoman wraps the set in decorative paper and reminds me to keep the receipt. If my Luna was unsatisfied with the gift, she could always exchange it for something else in the unit. I thank the kind woman and leave with my present in hand.
Another half-hour drive and then I’ll be at Midnight Moon, I can’t wait.
As I enter the dirt road to the Midnight Moon border, I know I have to be prepared for inspection. The border patrol probably already spotted me on the CCTV cameras. I drive to the gate at a snail’s pace to avoid making them suspicious of me. And as I expected, a guard was already waiting for me. I stop a few meters before the gate, get out and walk to him. I sense he is a high-ranking and not an ordinary guard.
“Pretty lady, what brings you to Midnight Moon without an appointment? Are you lost?” asks the warrior politely. I smile, damn sure he knows I could never have accidentally come to this pack.
“Hi, tough warrior”, I tease him back “No, I’m not lost. To be honest, I’m looking for someone and maybe you’ll help me with that.” He frowns, placing his hands on his hips.
“Okay, give it a try.”
“I’m Saphira from Silver Moon and looking for my Luna. She is a strong warrior in your pack. I would like to speak to her and invite her to my pack”, I answer him. This time he looks at me amused, barely holding back his laughter.
“Your Luna is in Midnight Moon? What’s her name then? We have a lot of strong she-wolves in here”. His attitude kills my confidence, although he has no threatening attitude, I know my request is a bit unusual. I step over to him and tell him the story. Only the detail that Glary will likely reject her I leave out.
“Hmmm, that’s a very unusual situation you indicate there, lady”, he states when my story is finished. “Your Alpha should make an official request to mine to visit his mate here. But since the mate of my Alpha is also in your pack, I think we can omit those formalities. Wait, I’ll get Beta Jace in, he knows better how to handle matters like this.”
His eyes go blurry as he enters the pack’s mind link. After a minute, he’s with me again.
“The Beta will be here in a minute. He’s the best man to know how to handle this. Come in, our packs are allies, I can’t leave you just standing here, my Luna will scold me for that,” he states. I follow him inside and we sit around a table. We chat for several minutes when I hear footsteps behind me.
When I turn around, my eyes clash with those in the most handsome face I’ve ever seen.
I stiffen, my heart is beating like mad. My wolf Estrella jumps up.
‘Saphira, MATE! MATE! He found us, at last,’ she yells.
But it’s the words of that semi-God before me that make me tremble like a leaf on a tree.
“MINE! Finally!” exclaims the Beta.
And then it gets dark for me, my knees feel like gum. I only feel two strong hands catch me, the sparks lit where we touch.
Darkness! …