Midnight Moon's new Luna

CHAPTER 10 - Roses

Vera

Mom got out of the wheelchair to walk up the stairs to the front door, and it broke my heart to see how winded just a few steps made her.

When we got inside, a large, dark man looked up from a book. He smiled when he saw us, put the book down on the table next to him and stood up from the armchair. This foyer had comfortable furniture, it seemed. The dark blue carpet was thick and soft enough.

“Finally, you're back. And you brought guests.”

“Vera, Mrs. Jones, this is my Gamma, Benjamin Sharp. Ben, this is Vera Jones and her mother, Mrs Rowena Jones. I expect Jacob has already told you everything.”

“Yeah, I'm up to date,” he said. “Let’s show these lovely ladies to their rooms.” He had a soft, smooth voice, like dark honey. His curly black hair was cut short, and he had the kindest smile I’d ever seen.

Mom’s room was on the first floor. There was an elevator, so the stairs wouldn't have been an issue. But it would be easier for her to get around. The room wasn’t very large, but still bigger than the hospital room had been. It was also much cozier, and she would have way more privacy, even if it was just for tonight. The colors in the room were soft and inviting. The bed was roomy and there was a bathroom to the left.

“It’s nice to get a break from the hospital environment,” she said.

“Vera,” Caleb said, “Let me show you to your living quarters.”

I nodded, but before leaving I turned to mom. “I’ll come back later, alright?”

“Sure, sweetheart. No rush.” She said with an encouraging smile.

One elevator ride later, we were on the top floor. Ben had gotten off on the second floor where he lived with his wife and daughters, so it was just me and Caleb now.

“Your quarters are this way,” he said. He led me down a wide hallway to a dark wooden door and held it open for me.

“This is an apartment!” I stepped inside and looked around. The first room was a small living room, with a couch and a pair of armchairs around a low table. They all stood on a large purple carpet in the center of the dark wooden floor. In fact, the whole room had a color scheme of purple and dark wood, with silver detail and inlays to contrast. There was a fireplace against one wall, wood already placed and ready to be lit. In one corner of the room stood a desk, with a lamp and a laptop. It looked like a good place to read or something. I’d only ever used computers in school or for work, but I supposed you could play a game or something.

I walked over to the double glass doors on the other side of the room, unlocked them from the inside and stepped out. The air was chilly now that the sun was gone. It was dark outside, but I thought the balcony might face a garden.

Do you smell that? Nadja asked. The forest isn’t far away. Let’s go for a run soon.

“I’ll ask,” I thought at her. “But remember that this pack is essentially at war. It might not be such a good idea.” I could feel her annoyance and frustration.

He said one of the reasons we should come here was so that I could run.

“Good point.”

“Come inside, before you catch a cold,” Caleb said. “You can see the garden in the sunlight tomorrow. For now, tell me if these rooms will suffice.”

I went back inside and into the next room, the bedroom. The bed was on a raised platform by one wall, and there were two doors leading from the room.

“Bathroom,” Caleb said, pointing at first one of the doors, then the other. “Walk-in-closet.”

Since I had about two changes of clothes with me, the closet didn’t interest me much, but I wanted to see the bathroom.

The dark blue and gray decor, and soft lighting made it very cozy. And I had to try that large tub later on.

There was also a shower, separate from the tub, in another corner.

“I hope you like heated floors,” Caleb said.

I reached down and felt the tiled floor. It was warm. I straightened back up, turned to face him and smiled.

“This will do nicely,” I said. In truth, these quarters were way better than the small house I shared with my mom.

“Good. I leave you to get settled.” He closed the door softly behind him as he left.

I put my bag on the bed to unpack, but that only took a minute. It wasn't like I had a lot of stuff with me.

That done, I left my new accommodations to see mom.

I knocked at her door, and at her reply I entered. “Hey,” I said.

“Hello, sweetheart.”

“Are you doing alright?”

“I'm doing fine,” she assured me. “Are you doing well? This is a big change for you.”

“It is.”

I sat down on the bed next to her, leaning back against the headboard.

“I don't really know him at all. But he showed up when I needed him during my shift. And if he is willing to give this relationship a try, then I'm willing to take a chance too.”

“He seems like a good man. Be careful though. Don't get involved with this pack war before you know you are willing to commit to this pack. And don't accept the matebond until you know he is worth the risk of a broken heart.”

We sat in silence for a while. My relationship with her was not that of a normal mother-daughter relationship. I had been her caretaker for so long. I’d always worried about burdening her if I came to her with any trouble I might have, so I learned to keep it to myself, and rely only on myself.

But the fact that we were here now was so weird, and I felt so out of place. I found myself longing for my mother's support. I allowed myself to rest my head on her shoulder. It was bony and sharp, but it still felt good.

“Mom?” I asked carefully. “What happened to dad?”

“You know what happened to him.”

“Tell me again.”

“Your father was born as the second son of an Alpha. So even though he wasn't fated to be Alpha himself, his parents expected him to marry well and keep their bloodline strong. But, it turned out, he was fated to a lowly omega from a different pack.”

“But he chose to be with you, rather than to have a good relationship with his family,” I said. I knew this story.

“We -you and me- became his family.” She placed her hand on top of mine and gave it a squeeze. “When you were three years old, his brother, Jason, was going to come for a visit. Jason had already been Alpha of Blue Moon for about five years at that point.

“That morning, when Jason was supposed to arrive, I woke up, because I felt our matebond break. I looked everywhere for him, but he was nowhere to be found. No one had seen him leave either. He was just gone.”

When I thought about my father, all I could remember was a smiling face and a kind voice. When I was little I used to spend long hours looking out the window and hoping for him to come back. But as time passed, I had to confront the fact that he wasn’t going to.

Mom was always sure that he would never have left us if he had a choice, and she kept looking for him until she got too sick. Just like mom, I wholeheartedly believe that he would have returned to us by now, if he could. So in time, I accepted that he must be dead. But I'd like to think that whatever happened to him, he’d be proud of me for working so hard and trying to take care of mom.

When my father never reappeared, some people said he must’ve left us. That he was a deadbeat dad and mate. But mom had never accepted that, and instilled in me that he would never have abandoned us.

“You felt the matebond break,” I whispered.

“Yes. Your father must be with the Goddess.” She’d said that he might have broken the matebond if he thought it would protect us, but the simplest explanation was that he had died that night. It had taken time for my mother to accept it, but in time hope was simply not enough to keep him alive in her mind. He had vanished, the matebond had broken, and he was never seen again.

Part of me had always wondered if my uncle, or my grandparents, had had anything to do with his disappearance. It seemed odd to me that Jason would show up on the same day my father went missing on top of already having a strained relationship with his family. I didn’t know any of them, so I couldn’t speak for their characters. But there had never been any evidence that they had anything to do with it.

Mom and I kept talking for a long time, until we were both yawning and rubbing our eyes. Eventually, I kissed her on the forehead and said goodnight. We hadn’t talked like that, relaxed and openly, for a long time, and it felt good to reconnect with her again.

I returned to my room. It was dark, and I had to feel my way into the bedroom, where I found the light switch. As the light turned on, I saw a bouquet of roses sitting on the nightstand. And there was a card.

“Dear Vera. I hope you’ll feel welcome here.

- Caleb.”