Luna’s Soul

A Deal

Lily sat at the head of the ornate, light-wood dining table in Gabriel’s dining room, pushing a salad around on her plate.

It looked good, and she had genuinely been hungry. But her thoughts had wandered while she showered, and as she sat here now, she couldn’t help the tears brimming over onto her cheeks as she silently cried.

It wasn’t anything Fawn had done. She’d let her shower, and then showed her to her closet in Gabriel’s room— which was a giant walk in closet with an island in the middle, with dozens of drawers full of clothes and undergarments she could never in her life imagine affording. The closet had been full of racks of beautiful clothes— mostly dresses, which didn’t bother her. She did wonder when and how he’d had time to stock it with everything exactly in her size, and the thought creeped her out a little. It also made her want to cry, because she’d never worn clothes that expensive. She’d tried to pick out the simplest thing she could find to wear, which ended up being a white sundress with thin straps that somehow fit her perfectly around the bust and flowed out comfortably at the bottom to her mid thigh. It had an open back with a bow tied across it.

She felt overdressed as she sat at the table now, and even though Fawn assured her that it was common for a Luna to be dressed well, she couldn’t help reminding Fawn that she was not a Luna. And she didn’t want to be.

She dropped her fork down on her plate, pushing her half-wet hair back over her shoulder. It didn’t matter how much they tried to dress her up.. the tears on her cheeks and the bags under her eyes weren’t going anywhere.

“You need to eat,” Fawn pleaded. “Werewolf drugs are hard on humans. You need nutrients.”

Lily looked up at where Fawn was seated on her left. “I feel fine.”

Fawn sighed. “You don’t look fine. You need food.”

The sound of the front door closing shut made Lily jump, and her heart hammer in her chest. She wasn’t sure why her hands were shaking, but they trembled as she gripped the bottom of her dress, because her body already knew who had just gotten back.

Fawn didn’t seem phased at all, though, as his footsteps approached the dining room. “Come on, just try to eat. A few bites, at least. Do you want something different? I can heat up some soup.”

Lily noticed Gabriel then. He propped himself up against the doorway to the dining room, his liquid brown eyes carefully examining every detail of her face— as if he were worried something had changed in the time he was gone. His brow furrowed as he noted her wet, flushed cheeks and tired eyes.

Fawn turned her attention to Gabriel then. “Welcome back.”

Gabriel nodded, but his worried eyes never left Lily’s face. “Thank you for keeping her company, Fawn.”

She sighed audibly, her chair squeaking as she got up.

She turned back to Lily, her face sincere. “If you need a friend, I can always listen,” she patted Lily’s hand. “I’ll come back and see you soon.”

Lily turned her hand up to grab Fawn’s, suddenly desperate for the woman not to leave. She didn’t know what might be expected of her when she’s alone with Gabriel— and having a warm face around made her feel safer. She squeezed her hand once before releasing it.

Gabriel looked at their hands questioningly, but didn’t say anything. Fawn gave her a gentle smile before making her exit.

And then it was just her and Gabriel.

He didn’t speak at first, he just made his way over to the table and sat down in the chair Fawn was using. Lily looked down at her hands, trying to woll herself to not start dry heaving from the flips her stomach was doing.

His voice was incredibly gentle when he spoke. “You aren’t eating.”

Lily knew he wasn’t going to go anywhere until she answered him, so she gulped and tried to speak. “I don’t feel well.”

He shifted in his seat, as if her words made him anxious. “Maybe I should call the pack doctor. Have him look you over.”

“I’ll be fine.”

He sighed, and Lily looked up at him. She had to admit that he had the most perfect face she’d ever seen. She watched as his defined jawline flexed, and he rubbed the scruff on his chin worriedly. He leaned towards her.

“I know you don’t know me, and I’m trying to be patient, but I can’t let you starve yourself, either. If you don’t eat, I’m calling our pack doctor. So please eat.”

“I can’t make myself eat anymore than you can make me.” Lily sat back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her stomach definitely wasn’t settled enough for her to eat, but she had to admit to herself that now she was just being defiant out of principal. Who was he to blackmail her with doctors?

A low growl sounded in his chest, and Lily could tell he didn’t like being told no. And because he didn’t like it, she wanted to keep doing it.

They sat there for a long moment, both with a rebellious tilt to their jaw, staring at each other.

“Are you always this stubborn?” Gabriel snapped.

“Typically, when people kidnap me from my house and try to force me to be some kind of wolf queen, I can be.”

“You mean Luna?” Lily could tell he was a little surprised at her new information.

“Look, my stomach really does just feel off.” Lily Lily was tired of the back and forth. “I’m afraid if I eat right now, I’ll get sick.”

Gabriel sat back, examining her as if he were trying to decide if it was the truth. Finally, his face grew worried and just a tad bit curious.

“Alright. We can wait a little longer,” he paused, rubbing his jaw stubble. “Do you have any family that may be looking for you?”

Lily noticed how creepy that sounded, but she was suddenly very inquisitive as to why he was asking. But his question also reminded her of something more painful.

She flinched, turning her head to the side and away from him. “I don’t have any family. I grew up in foster care.”

That hollowness in her chest that had always existed seemed even more empty to her in that moment. She felt the tears brimming again, and the beginnings of a migraine coming on.

“That couldn’t have been easy on you.”

Her eyes peeked up at his face, shook by the compassion in his voice. He was frowning, and his brown eyes seemed sad.

Seeing that Lily wasn’t going to respond, he poked further for answers. “What about your foster parents? Are you close with them?”

Lily snorted. “They only got into fostering because they couldn’t afford to adopt, and they were hoping to foster to adopt a baby. I was only with them a year until I turned eighteen, and they weren’t happy I was there.”

His eyes examined Lily’s, trying to decide if her indifference was genuine. “And before them? Where were you before?”

She shrugged. “The longest I was in one home was four years, and that was from eleven to fifteen years old. They were nice, but I lived with seven other kids, so they stayed pretty busy. They were decent people, and in it for the right reasons.. but three kids, three toddlers and two infants is a lot for one couple.”

Gabriel’s brown furrowed, and he tapped his fist on the table, as if he were trying to figure her out. He glanced at Lily’s plate of food and back up at her.

“And you don’t know anything about your birth parents at all?”

Lily shook her head. “Very little. From what my case worker told me, I was dropped off at a fire station when I was two weeks old by my mother. My father wasn’t with her. I don’t know much, but I know she was really young. Sixteen or so.”

Lily could see the pity on his face as it twisted up into a pained expression, as if he were genuinely hurting for her. The look of him so uncomfortable made a knot twist in her stomach and made her feel sick, though she wasn’t sure why, and she found herself wanting to comfort him.

But she shook off the feeling, and decided to use this pity to her advantage. Maybe if he felt bad enough, he’d let her call Andy and explain that she wouldn’t be at work this week. Lily didn’t want to send out ‘Morse code’ like he’d suspected earlier.. she wouldn’t endanger Andy or anyone else, but she did want to give him time to cover her shifts. He’d taken good care of her since she’d been put out of the system, giving her all the hours she wanted and even fighting for more money per hour for her.

“So..” She started, drawing in a deep and shaky breath. “It’s just been me my whole life. I was the only person in the world fighting for me, until I met Andy.”

A dark expression took over his face, and Lily was worried she’d said something wrong. “Who is Andy?” He growled.

Oh, she thought. He’s jealous.

She held up her hands, like one would to a spooked horse. “It’s nothing like that. Andy is my boss at the restaurant. He gave me a chance when I needed it and was put out on my own, and he really looked out for me. If it wasn’t for him, I would’ve been homeless,” she paused, biting down hard on her lip. “I was really hoping you might.. change your mind and let me call him. I was supposed to work tomorrow morning. I promise I won’t say anything out of the way. I really just want to give him time to fill my shifts. He’s treated me with respect and kindness— he deserves at least that from me. And if you care about me like you say you do, you’d think he deserves that too. Because without him, I’m not sure where I’d be.”

Gabriel sat back in his chair, eyeing her while deep in thought. He looked like he desperately wished to give her what she wanted, but his silence didn’t have her too convinced. He tapped the armrest and continued rubbing his chin, and Lily wondered if this was something he did often when he was thinking.

When she found herself wondering what that scruff felt like, she looked down at her hands.

“I’ll make you a deal,” he grunted. “If you eat something, and let me take you somewhere and promise to be on your best behavior, I’ll let you call him tonight.”

Joy filled Lily’s heart as a huge smile bursted across her face. She pulled up on her hands, bouncing happily in her seat. “Thank you. I mean it.”

He pursed his lips, his eyes happily watching her smile, but his expression told her there was more.

“But I have a few conditions,” he told her.

She nodded instantly. “Okay. What?”

“You will keep him on speaker so I can hear, and you will tell him you are resigning. What else you tell him as to why is up to you, as long as you keep your situation here discreet,” he told her. “Also, when I take where I need to take you, you’ll behave.”

“Where are we going?”

Gabriel shook his head. “Do we have a deal, or not?”

Lily nodded. “You have a deal. Can I call him now?”

Gabriel sighed. “Food, and then we’re going somewhere. You can call him this evening.”

Lily felt a twinge of disappointment, but she didn’t fight him on it. She wanted to take her small win and let it be a win.

Lily looked down at the salad on her plate and started eating.