Under the Blood Moon

A Journey

A journey…

Stefan

Anne seems to have expected the invite to come back with me to the family compound and organises time of work and school for her and Andy in minutes, she had a moment of tension and fear before Scarlet calms her and makes a quick plan which Anne is happy to follow, heading out to collect Andy from school.

I reassure my gorgeous mate that all will be well, wrapping my arms around her and kissing her deeply. I wonder out loud how much time we have as the s****l tension begins to peak around us once more. She quickly tells me not enough before taking my hand and heading off to pack.

I sit on her bed watching her move busily around her room, her round ass bouncing in her jeans as she jumps to gather clothes from the top of her closet. A low growl builds in my throat and I stalk over to her ready to catch and devour her when I hear the front door open and two voices enter the hallway.

Anne calls for me to join her as she instructs Andy about what to pack.

I sigh as I relinquish my prey and head out to chat with Anne, a little nervous about what she will ask. Walking into the kitchen I spy Anne sat with a very serious look on her face, she motions for me to sit opposite her at the table.

Gathering her thoughts for a moment she faces me, “I need to know that things have changed there before we continue down this route Stefan.”

I pause a moment wondering just what this woman went through at the hands of my own pack. “Anne, I cannot comment on what you went through, but I can tell you that my home is a tolerant and accepting place, I have a Vampire Uncle, my best friend is about to marry his boyfriend and we have a number of mixed witch and Lycan families.” I pause, my face settled into a calm and serious expression. “My mum has told me a little about what happened before you left, and I have to admit to being disgusted that it ever happened in my pack.”

She smiles, accepting my words but the glimmer of distrust still remains. I will do everything I can to remove that doubt.

Scarlet

The journey is incredibly long, our little farm is on the west coast of Scotland, Stefan’s estate is on the Southwest coast of England. The drive would take around 12 hours in total, thankfully Stefan’s car is big and comfortable, and Stefan is a confident driver.

I am more than a little worried though, I know just how little sleep Stefan has had in the last 2 nights. As we approach the border between England and Scotland, I realise we have been on the road for a little over 3 hours and my eyes are starting to slip as I watch the road. Stefan is still sitting upright, calmly driving as he answers my brother’s unending questions, there is no sign of fatigue on his face.

“Shall we find somewhere to eat?” I ask suddenly, “It’s nearly 1 after all” the entire car agrees immediately, and I pull out my phone to find somewhere to stop nearby.

We find a little café in a small town and pull into the car, the interruption in the driving has reignited a group conversation about favourite foods. Andy has bonded immediately to Stefan, and they are chatting like brothers as they jump out of the car stretching their long legs. I hang back to walk with mum as I grin ear to ear at the site of my mate and my brother nudging each other and laughing over something we can’t quite hear.

“I get the feeling that those two might eat this café dry” mum chuckles as she watches them bound into the small dining room.

After we decide on food, mum insists on paying, Andy heads up to the counter with her to order. I turn immediately to Stefan, my face serious “Is this too far to go in one journey?” I ask. “I’ve driven further” he shrugs. “Yeah, but have you driven further with little to no sleep?” I am insistent. I don’t want to argue with him, but my entire world is in this car, and I don’t want to take any risks.

“Hmm” he murmurs looking at me as though he’s reading my mind “Well maybe an overnight stop halfway wouldn’t be the end of the world” he grins at me, his hand slipping up my thigh under the table. My eyes close against the pleasure that immediately burns through me at his touch.

His fingers are dancing against my inner thigh, causing me to gasp, he leans in catching the gasp with his lips, pressing a soft kiss against my lips. Releasing the kiss he whispers “I can’t wait to have you to myself again”.

He straightens in his chair, moving his hand back to the table top as mum and Andy return with a wooden spoon painted with the number 14. They sit down dropping the spoon into a tall vase. I take a moment to breathe hoping that my face is not a flushed as it feels.

We chat about mundane things as we wait for the food, Andy tells Stefan about the sports he plays at school, which exams he’s going to be studying for in the coming school year and the bands he enjoys listening to. They have a fair amount in common, both being sporty and interested in farming and food.

Mum interjects a few times with information about the small farm we run and the restaurant, I simply sit there enjoying having everyone around me chatting comfortably. A cold shadow falls over me as the thought that this would possibly be the last trip we would take together crosses my mind.

The food arrives piping hot and delicious moments later, dispelling the dread.

True to form the boys clear their plates in minutes and start scanning the dessert menu. Mum nudges my elbow as they start discussing whether ice cream or custard is best and we both chuckle.

We spend around 90 minutes eating and talking before heading back to the car. As we settle down to drive, Stefan announces that he feels we should stop off before dark and continue the journey fresh in the morning, we will arrive in the early afternoon rather than in the early hours of the morning that way.

Mum and Andy quickly agree, and I give Stefan an appreciative smile, my hand stroking his knee as a nestle my head against his shoulder.

Stefan

I couldn’t be happier with scarlet’s suggestion that we stop to eat. My stomach has been growling for a little while now, thankfully not so loud that anyone else has heard. I am lucky enough to need very little sleep after years of training to take over from my father, but food I’m not so hot at missing out on.

I need to raise the potential of us stopping over night at my Aunt’s Bed and Breakfast which sits at the halfway mark between home and the Scottish borders.

The small café that we find is ideal, good home cooked food in huge portions. It’s here in the café that I start to see Andy’s burgeoning transformation as he inhales almost as much food as I do. I’ll see if we can get him involved in some of the lessons and group activities for the local teens while we’re at home. He needs to have the knowledge and experience with fellow pups, I am truly amazed that Scarlet survived her first shift alone, and that she has managed two whole years without hurting herself or anyone around her.

The boy is very personable and laid back, we share some of the same interests and have chatted in the car about the sports I enjoyed at school and college and the one’s he is currently enjoying. He’s a rugby player which makes sense for a young pup with huge amounts of energy and unusual strength.

I am a little shocked to hear that Scarlet never had any interest or aptitude for sport, having seen her in wolf form I would have thought her a natural.

The conversation moves seamlessly between this and how the family keep their little farm running, they all seem to have a natural aptitude for the soil and keeping their animals safe and healthy. I wonder if this is their innate magic coming through and promise myself that I will discuss this with Anne later. It is vital that this new awakening for the family extends into both sides of their nature. In fact I’ll ask mum if there’s anyone at home who can help to supplement their education.

A few times during the meal Scarlet becomes very still and sad, whenever I ask her if everything is ok, she shakes briefly and smiles reassuring me that all is ok. The meal finishes pleasantly and, on our way, back to the car I suggest that we stop off overnight rather than driving through the night. Everyone seems relieved at the idea and we climb in for the remainder of today’s driving.