The Moon's Legacy

Sanctuary

Willow POV

The town was slowly coming to life around me. A man in a reflective vest unlocked the door to what looked like a hardware store, while farther down the street someone rolled up the metal grate over a bakery window. The smell of fresh bread drifted through the air, mixing with the faint bite of the early morning cold. A woman walked past me with a golden retriever on a leash; the dog trotted beside her, tail wagging happily. There were no patrol wolves, no watchful pack members. Just ordinary people starting an ordinary day.

The lights turned on inside the cute little bookstore as I passed by. The front window was filled with a cozy chair and a table full of books that screamed, "Curl up and read the day away." I smiled as I realized the name of the bookstore was just that—Curl Up and Read.

I kept walking, head down, as I debated my next steps. My best option would be to find a bus or train, something that would help me put more distance between me and Keith. I looked around for a bus station when I noticed a twenty-four-hour diner a block away. My stomach took the opportunity to remind me I hadn't eaten since dinner the night before.

'What do you think, Ivy? Do we have time to stop for breakfast?'

'Yes.' She was unusually curt, but I shrugged it off. It had been a long, rough night, and she'd taken the brunt of it in her form.

The bitter scent of coffee hit me as I entered the diner, followed closely by the delicious smell of bacon. My mouth started watering, and my stomach grumbled again.

I slid into a corner booth along the wall. It was perfectly positioned for me to keep an eye on the door and the other patrons, though there weren't many this early. I'd barely gotten settled when an older woman with an apron tied around her waist and a nametag that read "Sally" came over to my table. Her eyes were kind, with laugh lines at the edges, and a quiet blue. She looked me over, and something told me she saw more than she was letting on.

"Good morning, dear! Menu's on the table for you. What can I get you to drink while you look it over?" She paused for just a moment, her gaze lingering on my face. “You look like you've been traveling all night,” she added gently.

I forced a small smile. “Something like that. Could I get coffee, please?”

“Coffee will definitely fix the worst of it,” she said with an easy shrug and a wink before heading back toward the counter.

The menu was a simple laminated page, slightly sticky on one side that was probably syrup from some other traveler's meal. "Sally's Diner" was in big, bold letters along the top, and I flicked my eyes up at the woman pouring coffee behind the counter for a moment. When I looked back at the menu, I caught the name of the town. Maple Glen, West Virginia. That couldn't be right. Stonefang Pack was in upstate New York. We hadn't run four hundred miles. That wasn't possible.

'Ivy? Just how far did you run last night?'

'Far enough. The Goddess aided our flight.'

I stared down at the menu, the words blurring together. The Goddess. Even knowing she had allowed us to be reborn—to have this second chance—I still wasn't prepared for Ivy's casual mention of her direct aid. It made me breathless. It was extremely rare for her to choose to intervene in the lives of wolves, and this made twice for us. “You’re telling me the Moon Goddess carried us four hundred miles in one night?” I murmured under my breath. I sank back into the cushion of the booth, numb. No wonder Ivy was sure stopping for breakfast wouldn't be an issue. The click of the coffee cup being set down on the table brought me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see Sally looking at me, her brow quirked as she smiled. "Know what you want, dear?"

"Bacon and eggs, please. Scrambled."

"Coming right up!"

Once again, she ducked behind the counter. I took a sip of the coffee in front of me. It was the first warm thing I'd had since leaving the pack. Before I knew it, she slid a plate full of steaming food in front of me, then disappeared again. I grabbed my fork and dug in.

I paid my bill with some of the cash I'd brought, then stepped outside and looked up and down Main Street. Four hundred miles meant I could breathe. Even if Keith realized immediately that I’d run, even if he sent trackers after me, my scent trail would have vanished long before they crossed half that distance. Pack patrols didn’t wander this far from their territories, and rogues rarely traveled this deep into human towns. For the first time since waking up in my father’s house, the tight knot of fear in my chest loosened just a little.

The distance meant I could consider settling in this town, or one near it, without having to figure out how to change my name right away. I would need to eventually, as Keith wasn't stupid, and he wasn't likely to let me go easily. But being so far away right now gave me time.

I looked up and something in the window of the general store caught my eye. I slowed my steps, staring at the small handwritten sign taped to the glass.

Studio Apartment for Rent—Inquire Inside.

I could keep running. That had been the plan from the moment I crossed the border of Stonefang territory. To keep moving, keep hiding. To never stop long enough for Keith to catch up. But four hundred miles was a long way from home.

I hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open.

A small brass bell chimed above my head as I stepped inside. The shop smelled faintly of pine cleaner and old wood; the shelves were lined with everything from canned soup to laundry detergent. A rack of postcards stood near the counter, each one showing a different view of Maple Glen—rolling hills, a covered bridge, a creek that glittered under summer sunlight.

It was the kind of place that had probably been here for decades.

A man behind the counter looked up from a newspaper. His gray hair stuck up in uneven tufts, and reading glasses rested low on his nose. “Morning,” he said easily. “Can I help you find something?”

My gaze flicked to the sign in the window again before settling on him. “I saw the apartment sign outside.”

“Oh, that?” He folded the newspaper and leaned back in his chair. “It's a studio over the shop, one room with a small kitchen area and a bathroom. Nothing fancy, but it’s clean. Been empty a couple months.”

My pulse fluttered with nerves I hadn’t expected. “Is it…available right away?”

He gave me an assessing look, curiosity in his gaze as he took in the pack on my shoulder and my wrinkled shirt. “Sure is.”

Something in my chest loosened.

Maybe—just maybe—I’d found somewhere I could breathe. Maybe—just for a little while—I could stop running.

I'd pause here for a month or two, see how things shook out, and figure out my next steps beyond just getting away. And I'd do it in this sleepy, comfortable little town that already felt a little like home.