Luna Rising: The Prophecy

Chapter 8: Wildflowers

Aeliana

I walked back to the Blue Moon packhouse, already in need of a new outfit. Helping out at the dining hall was a success, in the end. Since I was woefully unhelpful in the kitchen, I was relegated to helping fill pack members' plates along the serving line. This, however, turned out to be a good fit for me, since it allowed me to greet the Blue Moon pack members, learning the names of those that weren't familiar to me and catching up with those that were.

The only true mishap happened near the very end of breakfast, when a little pup ran between his father's legs and bumped the table holding a large tureen of sausage gravy. Luckily, it didn't overturn entirely, but it did splatter several large glops down my front, as well as slopping a bit of a puddle on the table. But still, the way it played out gave me pause.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Aeliana!" The father, a patrol guard named Harold, exclaimed hurriedly. "James, settle down, look what happened to our guest! Please apologize."

"I 'pologize," little James said solemnly, looking up at me with fearful eyes.

I scraped a glob of gravy off my dress onto my finger. "Thank you, James. I accept your apology." Then I leaned down and wiped the gravy on his nose. "There, now we're even."

James laughed. "Look, daddy, I got gravied, too!"

Harold smiled fondly at his son, but his face was still tight. "Thank you for being understanding," he addressed me gratefully.

"It's only a dress, nothing to get upset over," I said with an easy smile.

He looked relieved. "Thank you, again. We're so very glad you're going to be one of our own soon." Harold had continued down the serving line with young James, sneaking glances at me as if to see whether or not I was truly okay or just masking my anger. I smiled whenever I caught him looking, and helped clean up the rest of the mess on the table. Afterwards, I excused myself to change my clothes, my heart warm from connecting with my almost pack members.

When I got back to my room, I rang the bell pull. I could change myself, but I wasn't sure where to take the soiled dress to have it washed, and I didn't want the stain to set.

I was just doing up the last button on a fresh pale pink gown when another omega knocked and let herself in. "You rang, miss?"

"Yes, could you please take this dress for washing? It got some gravy splattered on it," I explained, folding the dress carefully so the dirty areas wouldn't spread.

"Yes, of course, miss," the omega said, curtsying and lifting the dress from my arms. She looked to be only a few years older than me, with mousy brown hair and a kind expression.

"Can I ask your name?" I stopped her on her way out.

"Mary, miss," she said, seeming surprised that I would think to ask.

"May I call you Mary from now on?"

"Of course, whatever you want, miss!"

"Well, how would you prefer I address you?"

"Mary is just fine with me, miss," she said, her eyes lighting up.

"Mary, do you know an omega named Violet?"

Her smile dropped just a little. "Yes I do, miss."

"You may call me Aeliana," I said, encouraging her to drop formalities.

She shook her head vigorously. "Oh, no, I couldn't!"

"Miss Aeliana, then?"

She hesitated, then nodded. "Alright."

"Do you happen to know where Violet is working right now?" I asked Mary, thinking I would stop by and check on her since she still seemed rattled when she left my room earlier. Perhaps she had a chance to calm down and see things more rationally. If not, hopefully I could soothe her nerves and help her put it all behind her.

"Today is one of her bi-monthly half-days off, miss Aeliana. She's probably at home," Mary explained.

"Bi-monthly?" I asked incredulously. "As in, twice a month?"

"No, every other month."

My jaw dropped. "That's horrible! I had no idea your working conditions were that strenuous." At Howling Rivers, omegas got one day off per week, and rotating vacation days.

Mary, however, just shrugged her shoulders. "It used to be a whole day once a month, but the more we lose, the less people we have to cover for time off."

I frowned. It didn't seem right. I knew I didn't have the experience the Blue Moon had with hardship, but if it were me, I'd let some creature comforts go if it meant giving my pack members a little more time to rest.

"Does Violet live in the same area as the other omegas?" I asked.

"Yes, the last hut to the left."

Hut?

I thanked Mary and she left, promising to have my dress cleaned and pressed and returned before midday. I was beginning to see a pattern that I found a little alarming. Pack members here seemed a little too surprised when I treated them with kindness. Had someone told them something bad about me? I'd been here in previous years, but this was the first time traveling without my mother. Because of that, I hadn't paid as much attention as I ought to the inner workings of the pack or what the omegas that served in the packhouse thought of me. Perhaps I'd inadvertently garnered a reputation as being standoffish?

If so, I would have to do my best to fix it. Starting with Violet.

I checked on Stella again, but she was still sleeping, so I set out by myself once again. I remembered where the omega housing was located from Derek's tour yesterday even though we never made it there, and decided to take a circuitous route to the path, one that would take me through some open hilly fields.

It was early summer, and wildflowers dotted the field with specks of yellow, white, and red. Everything smelled fresh and green, and I let it fill my senses as I walked through the field, running my fingers over the riotous growth.

I wished I was a child again. If I were, nothing would have stopped me from rolling around in the sweet-smelling grass, laughing and playing. My siblings and I used to chase each other and play hide and seek back home. But now, there was nobody to hide from, nobody to seek, and I knew it wouldn't be a good idea to show up in front of the pack members with bits of grass in my hair and clothes. Some other time, perhaps, when Derek and I had children of our own, I could do those same things again.

Getting an idea, I started picking the fullest blossoms until I had a small bouquet in my hand. I would take them to Violet to cheer her up if she was still upset over the morning's incident. As a final touch, I pulled the pink ribbon from my hair and tied it around the stems.

Finally satisfied with my token gift, I started walking east, until I found the path from the day before that Derek said went to the omega housing. Once again, I was reminded of how bad the condition of the lane was, and my resolution to fix it. In light of Mary's information this morning, though, I wasn't sure how anybody would have enough time to make improvements. Maybe, after the prophecy was fulfilled, it could be part of a larger rebuilding initiative.

The idea gave me heart. The prophecy had loomed over me for my entire life. It was always something getting closer and closer, slowly blocking my view of anything else. But the idea of making real change here gave me something to look forward to beyond it.

I twisted my ankle a little going around the turn in the path. "Ow," I muttered, shaking my foot out. Luckily, it wasn't too serious, and I looked up to get my bearings.

"This can't be right," I murmured, looking around in askance. I expected another set of cottages or perhaps a large building with living units in it. Instead, I was met with a row of tiny, dilapidated hovels that looked so run down it was hard to believe anyone lived there.

This is the place, Aeliana, my wolf said. I can sense all the omega auras.

Still, as I looked around, there were obvious signs of life. There were a few people walking along on their way from one place to another, and I could smell fires for cooking and laundry. Mary's calling them huts made a lot of sense now.

I turned left, walking down the entire row until I reached the very last one. This one was as run-down as the rest of them, but I could tell that it was kept clean and tidy. The walls were freshly scrubbed, some rudimentary repairs had been made to the roof, and there was a small flower box of petunias nailed under the window sill.

Tentatively, I stepped forward and knocked on the door. "Hello?" I called out.

There were murmurs from within, then the scraping sound of a chair being pushed back. Then the door opened with a slight squeak of hinges, and my jaw dropped open.

"What are you doing here?"