Stray Echo

Be Excited

POV: Echo

Waiting for a hit that never comes, a shudder runs through me as I’m filled with a different apprehension altogether when the hall becomes deathly quiet instead. Mind whirling, I lower my head, slowly opening my eyes to watch my hands fidget in my lap. I can just see Atlas, Travis, and James through my lashes.

Travis was pale and staring at me with a pained expression, his hand still hanging in the air. James wore a look of concern and grim acceptance, which piqued my interest a bit. I was far too scared to inquire about it at that moment, though. Next, I peeked at Atlas, and he was slowly looking between me and Travis with a thoughtful expression. When no one says anything after a moment, I slowly raise my head just enough that I can glance around the room to see why it’s so quiet.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to prepare myself before raising my eyes to peek at the warriors sitting at the other table, I find the courage to look. The warriors who saw Red Stone, who witnessed how Brady treated me, were looking over at me with concern and compassion. The warriors who hadn’t been there looked shocked and worried, staring at the four of us as they tried to figure out what exactly happened and what was going to happen now.

I dropped my head back down and stared at my hands as I nervously tapped the tips of each finger against the tip of my thumb, pinkie to index, index to pinkie, rinse, and repeat. The action slows my racing heart, and I realize I’ve fallen into my reflexes from the years of men raising their hands solely to smack or punch me, and I’d never felt a genuinely gentle hand. That was no longer the case, but it appeared some part of me was still waiting for it to happen.

Nervous, I peek at Atlas again and he is simply watching my hands fidget, and I am almost certain he is giving me time to process. I raise my head just enough to see him properly, and still my hands. He raises his eyes to mine and smiles kindly at me.

His smile makes my heart flutter, and warmth spreads throughout my body, allowing me to straighten up, keeping my eyes on him while he assesses each little move I make. Once I am sitting up fully again, I briefly close my eyes and take a deep breath before opening them again and turning towards Travis.

“I-I’m sorry, Beta Travis, I am not sure what came over me!” I said weakly and gave him a small smile to let him know it had nothing to do with him. In front of my eyes, he visibly relaxed, hand dropping to his side, and he gave me a small smile in return.

“Think nothing of it, Luna Echo. We can’t control our reflexes!” He says, returning to his usual self quickly. I nod at him and look towards James, who smiles and nods at me, looking proud. I return his smile as the buzz of conversation picks back up.

Atlas shifts his seat so that he can wrap his arm around the back of my chair as he presses a soft kiss on my temple. I looked up at him and leaned on his body, relieved that the awkward situation was over. Atlas smiled down at me, and I couldn’t help but admire just how handsome he was.

“Are you done with breakfast, Little Mate?” Leaning down, he whispered directly against my ear. I giggled slightly as the sensation sent shivers down my spine and tickled my ear at the same time. He grins when I give him a tiny nod and he turns to James and Travis.

“James, Travis,” he begins, looking at each of them, “Please excuse us!” he states, standing up and moving to help me up. They nod and smile, sharing a look of victory. I accept his help and nod at them as well before allowing Atlas to guide me away from them.

“What about our trays?” A sense of guilt hit me for not having tidied up after myself, imagining some poor she-wolf left to tidy up on her own like I had for all those years. Atlas smiles and slides his arm around my waist, holding my hand with his opposite hand.

“Travis and James are going to take them with theirs. Do not worry, Little Mate, even if the kitchen help had to collect them, they would not mind. We pay all our workers fair living wages, and slavery is illegal in Blood Moon.” He comforted me, and I relaxed into his guiding arms.

I felt nervous when Atlas led me to the door. I was finding hobbling around in an air boot was a bit more tiring than expected, and I wasn’t up to going on a walk. Thankfully, he merely guided us to one of the more private patio sets on the wrap-around porch that he had set up with matching cushions and tablecloth, a full lemonade pitcher, and a fruit and berry tray.

“Oh, my gosh! Did you do this for me?!” I couldn’t help the giddy feeling that overflowed, causing my voice to become extremely high-pitched when I asked. My hands covered my mouth as I stared at the adorable setup.

Shocked, my jaw dropped as I blinked hard, forcing my body into a more contained position, and blushing hard when I realized I sounded exactly like some of the irritating young she-wolves I used to roll my eyes at in Red Stone. Atlas’s deep laugh made me smile as I lowered my hands and smiled back in embarrassment, trying to force the remaining excitement deep within.

“You are allowed to be excited about something, Little Warrior,” he murmured sweetly, tightening his arm around me a touch to let me know he understood.

I looked at him closely for a moment, seeing nothing but love, acceptance, and understanding, before allowing myself to truly feel the overwhelming sensation flowing through my body. I can’t remember the last time I’d felt this kind of excitement toward anything or felt this kind of happiness.

Smiling like a madwoman, I tentatively stepped toward the setup. Atlas released his grip on me, allowing me to approach it on my own. Brushing my fingertips along the soft fabric of the tablecloth, wiping drops of condensation off the side of a pre-poured glass of cold lemonade, I felt a couple of tears streak down my face. Turning around, I see Atlas hasn’t moved and has been watching me with an almost uncertain apprehension. I moved towards him and pulled him into a hug.

“Thank you so much! I love it! I have been responsible for setting things like this up in the pack house, but I have never experienced enjoying something like this myself before.” His arms wound around me and pulled me against his chest as he kissed the top of my head.

“Then I guess we had better go and enjoy it!” He said and led me to the table, helping me sit comfortably on my seat before passing me the cool glass beside me.

I thanked him and looked at the spectacular view of the pack house garden in front of us. Red Stone had nothing like this in their packlands. Brady thought focusing on the lawns and gardens that weren’t growing food for the pack was of no use.

Looking around, listening to the hum of insects and forest creatures, leaves rustling in the breeze, and children laughing and playing in the distance, I couldn’t disagree with the idea more. This here was what peace and love in a pack sounded like.