Surprise by moonrise

Chapter 7 - Flowers

For the last hour I´ve been wandering around the campus without thinking where I´m going. It´s already dark and there is no one outside. I decide to lay down on a patch of grass and look up to the sky. The moon is almost full and as there are no lights nearby, the stars are very bright.

It is very peaceful out here. There is no noise except for some crickets that are softly chirping. I keep on staring at the stars and feel my eyelids slowly fall. The exhaustion takes over and I fall asleep right there on the ground.

A sound of footsteps on the grass wakes me up. I sit up and look in the direction of the sound.

“Luna, are you alright?” the person walking towards me asks. As he comes closer, I can see that it´s Andrew, one of our pack patrols.

“Yes Andrew, I´m alright, thank you.”

“Why are you here all alone at night? It´s not safe for you to be so close to the border. There were some rogues around our border just a few days ago,” he says. I can see the concern on his face.

I look around me and notice that the tree line is within just about a quarter mile. Another quarter mile into the trees is where our borders end and nobody´s land begins. I know that there are rogues out there, but no-one told me that they were spotted a few days ago. I should be more careful and pay more attention now that I´m the Luna. The title immediately put a big target on my back, and as I don´t have my wolf yet, there is only so much I can do to defend myself.

I sigh. “I´m sorry. I wasn´t aware of the rogue situation or that I was so close to the border.”

I stand up and pass my hands over the back side of my dress, taking of the dirt from lying down, and turn towards Andrew. When our eyes meet, he immediately bows his head as a sign of respect.

Andrew is an older wolf in our pack. He has saved us many times over against the rogues that once in a while try to get onto our territory. If I didn´t know any better, I´d think that he makes a living bodybuilding. He is huge and very intimidating because of it.

“I will go back immediately,” I tell him.

Andrew lets me pass and once I am with my back turned towards him, I hear him slowly walk behind me. He stays at a distance and doesn´t say anything. If it weren´t for the footsteps on the grass, I´d think I was walking alone.  

As the pack house comes into sight, I notice the distance between Andrew and me grow with each step and soon he disappears from my sight. I look back one more time to be sure I´m not being followed and notice the garden beautiful of the packhouse. Now that my quiet place in the meadow has been categorized as dangerous, I might as well find a new one in the garden.

I walk around the pack house and stop now and then to smell the beautiful flowers that are blooming. There is literally everything, from roses and chrysanthemums to tulips and sunflowers in a variety of colors.

I´m not paying attention to my surroundings and all of a sudden, the ground below my feet disappears and a pair of strong arms lift me up and away from the garden. I let out a scream, but a big hand is clamped over my mouth.

I start to trash around, trying to break free from my attacker. It is no use though; he is too strong and dodges every kick and punch I try to land.  

Soon I give up and give myself over to my captor. I feel his warm breath near my ear and hear him chuckle.

“You really give up that easy?” he says as he lets go of me.

I can´t believe what I just heard. I know that voice all to well.

“Uncle Jonathan?” I turn around and confirm my suspicions. The one who caught me off guard and “kidn*pped” me is my uncle.

“Why did you do that? You scared the hell out of me!” I almost yell at him.

“That´s what could have happened if Andrew hadn´t found you lying around near the border.”

I roll my eyes. Of course Andrew told my uncle that he found me.

The Alpha laughs at my reaction and I realize that my response is not very Luna-like. I bend my head down and look at my hands.

“Tomorrow you will start training with the pack warriors. I can´t have a Luna who can´t protect herself,” he says. “What were you doing out there anyway?”

I bite my lip. He might be my uncle, but I´m not quite sure I should elaborate on what happened. Instead I just respond more generically. “I needed to clear my head and fell asleep when looking up at the stars.”

“Your mother?” he asks.

I look up at him, my eyes wide of surprise. “H-h-how did you know?”

“Isa, I´ve been working with your mother for a long time. I know how she can be.” He winks at me. “Besides, Lewis told me what happened yesterday at the barbecue.”

“He did?”

“Of course. He is like a son to me. He tells me everything.”

A small smile starts to form on my face. I would never have thought Lewis and my uncle were that close.

“I felt so bad that my mother did that to him. He stayed calm and cordial though. I think he has learned that from you.”

Now my uncle is smiling too. He starts to walk into the garden and signals me to follow him.

I´m curious where we are going now. He doubles around the corner and stops, turning towards me.

“He feels really bad for causing trouble with your mother. I already told him he shouldn´t take it personally, but he won´t listen to me on this one.”

He signals with his head towards the garden and I can see a silhouette standing near the hyacinths.

“Go talk to him.” My uncle says softly and winks at me.

Without saying anything else, my uncle disappears back into the garden towards the packhouse. Did he really just set this up so I would talk to Lewis? He could have just asked me to do so.

I walk over to where Lewis is standing. When I am just a few steps away from him, he turns around. His eyes widen when he sees me and immediately bows his head.

“Miss Sanders,” he says.

I chuckle. “Do I have to tell you again to just call me Charissa or Isa?” I say playfully.

He looks up and smiles at me. “Charissa.”

“I saw your flowers and note yesterday, but wasn´t able to get back to you yet.”

Lewis looks me in the eye and I can see a glint of worry in his eyes.

“You didn´t have to apologize to me Lewis,” I continue. “I should be the one apologizing to you for my mother´s actions. It was unacceptable what she did. I can´t believe she was the beta female until yesterday. She should know better.”

It just all came out of my mouth without even thinking about it. I look at the ground and play with my nails.

I see Lewis coming closer and I feel his fingertips under my chin, putting a slight pressure upwards to lift up my chin.

“You don´t have to apologize to me. It wasn´t your fault either.”

He smiles at me. That is the first time I notice how handsome he actually is. His black chin-length curls are slightly pulled back, and his tan skin makes his green eyes pop. His broad smile really catches my eye and makes me smile in return.

“Are you still upset about the thing with your mother?” he asks.

“Well, of course I still feel bad, but I´m glad you don´t hate me over it.”

He chuckles. “I´ve never hated you, Isa. You are a very caring woman and I´m happy to have spent time with you yesterday.”

I smile back at him and feel my cheeks start to turn red. I hide my face with my hair, which are both about the same color by now, and turn slightly away from him.

“The flowers were beautiful by the way,” I say as I turn towards the hyacinths before us.

“Thank you. I´ve planted them myself and have seen them grow. Right now is the perfect time to put them on display,” he answers, keeping his eyes on me. I can just feel his stare on the side of my head.

My cheeks start to cool down and turn back to their original color now that I´ve distracted myself from his compliments. Then I look at my watch. It´s past one o´clock in the morning.

“I should get back home. It´s getting late and apparently I have to train with the warriors tomorrow,” I say, looking back at Lewis again. He nods.

“I understand. I´m going to turn in as well.”

I walk back a few steps and lift up my hand to wave at Lewis. He mirrors my actions and looks into my eyes one more time. I turn on my heels and walk back home.