The Prophesied Luna (completed)

Hiking with Dr. Why

Kayla’s POV

            “Mama, Mama, look at the hole in the tree!” Mirakel shouted excitedly as he pointed at the giant Sequoia tree in front of us. The trail wasn’t too crowded today so I let go of Mirakel’s hand to let him run towards the famed Tunnel Tree. Like a dutiful father, Finn already had his phone in camera mode and started snapping pictures of Mirakel as he marveled at the giant tree. It warmed my heart to see how they were interacting with each other and I realized sadly that this was the first time that I was seeing them around each other. Since my return, I had stuck strictly to our weekday and weekend routines, never relenting to spend time together as a family. 

            It’s not too late, Kayla, look at how happy our pup is! Like a little monkey, I hope the tree isn’t afraid. 

            I chuckled at Finn’s thought as he winked at me and I followed after my pup. It felt so good to be here, away from the pressures of daily life and just focusing on my family. The leaves rustled in the warm afternoon breeze and I heard the beautiful melody of the Sequoia in the air. It was a song of strength, a tribute to the endurance of nature and they meant it as a gift of encouragement to me. Thank you. I whispered in my heart as I closed my eyes and placed my hands on the Tunnel Tree. 

            Since coming home, I had rejected all calls from Aldrnari and her grandmother, not only because my sanity was already hanging by a thread, but more so because I couldn’t bring myself to face them. I didn’t want to know what part Aldrnari and Thiago truly played in my kidnapping and captivity, nor did I want to allow my mind to contemplate all the possibilities had her grandmother not banished my mother from their coven. Even after killing Martha and avenging my parents, there was still a small part of me that felt responsible for their deaths and a part of me would forever carry the guilt for being the reason that Leyton’s mother, my adoptive mother, also got dragged into this mess. I was even tempted to reject the part of me that was different, the part of me that I now finally understand and wasn’t sure if I wanted. 

            Never in our history had there been a hybrid and I don’t know why the Moon Goddess picked me but it was something that I had never asked for. I didn’t want this burden nor the powers. All I’d ever wanted was a simple life with a loving mate and a few pups, but my wolf had protested against my wishes to reject this part of me. She reminded me constantly that with our powers, we were strong and we could protect those we loved. For me, this was the only reason that was pushing me to not completely dismiss the other half of me and by association, the witches who claim to be my family. 

            “Mama! You sleeping?” Mirakel whispered curiously while tugging my cardigan. I smiled and opened my eyes to look at my little pup. “No, Baby, Mama was listening to the trees,” I explained softly. To my surprise, Mirakel clapped his hands happily and exclaimed, “I like song! Good song!” I looked up and exchanged a quick look with Finn. 

            Could this be possible?

            I don’t know, Finn, but the trees are singing.

            I guess we would have to wait to find out, but you know that Mirakel’s wolf is also white. Perhaps.. 

            Our thoughts drifted to the same things and I shuddered as the images of Martha flashed in my mind. A warm embrace engulfed me and for the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to lean in and melt into my mate’s arms, taking in deep breaths of his scent to calm myself down. Another pair of arms wrapped themselves around my leg and I looked down to see Mirakel hugging me. In that moment, a sense of peace filled my heart.

            Not too long after we had left the Tunnel Tree to continue on the trail, Mirakel had sat himself down on the ground and refused to budge. We’ve been walking for nearly two miles now so I wasn’t too surprised that Mirakel was tired. Before I could pick him up, Finn put our pup on his shoulders and a wide smile broke upon his face. “Yipee!! Papa faster!” Mirakel cheered. I laughed as I watched the both of them zigzagging on the trail in front of me, pretending that Mirakel was a flying bee. 

            “Look, Mama, look” Mirakel yelled as he let go of one of Finn’s hands to point at the giant Sequoia trees in front of us. “Mama, one tree? Two trees?” Mirakel asked, slightly confused by how the seemingly single tree trunk splits into two as our gaze went skywards. “Two trees, Baby but they’re like one because they share so much with each other,” I explained. 

            “They’re like Papa and Mama, buddy. They were two trees but grew together and became one, sharing everything,” Finn added, looking at me wistfully as he spoke. “Oh,” Mirakel nodded in understanding like a little old professor before asking curiously, “Where baby tree?” I laughed out loud as Finn struggled to explain that there was no baby tree. His half baked explanations only serve to fuel more questions from Mirakel and I refused to rescue him from the onslaught of our little Dr. Why. After all, he had dug his own grave with that Papa and Mama analogy. 

            Our Dr. Why continued his intellectual attack on his father until we were back at the Grove Arrival Area again and poor Finn was exhausted from the battle, as well as carrying Mirakel around for nearly five hours. When we were at the Mariposa Grove Cabin, I couldn’t bear seeing Finn being bombarded by our little Dr. Why while hiking the trail with our little Dr. Why on his shoulders. I tried to get Mirakel to walk on his own again or to carry him so that Finn could take a break, but both father and son were vehemently against my suggestions. For the first time, I was the wet blanket and Finn was the yes man, and I guess it helped me to understand slightly what Finn was going through in the past few months. Not that I could compare the way I spoiled Mirakel with this little episode, but it really made me realize that I needed to prioritize being a good mother above satisfying my little pup’s every wish. True happiness didn’t come from instant gratification and I shouldn’t let my past and my guilt towards my pup determine my parenting style. 

            Everything ok, Kayla?

            I looked up to see Finn giving me a concerned look as we walked towards the car. Surprising even myself, I took a step towards him and took out one of Mirakel’s washcloth from my backpack to wipe the sweat on Finn’s face and neck. As my fingertips accidentally brushed against his bare skin, the familiar sparks rushed through my veins and from the waves of contentment that I felt over our bond, I knew that Finn must have felt them too. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped. My eyes, my mind and my heart were focused on one thing and one thing only and I knew deep in my bones that those beautiful green eyes staring back at me were doing the same. 

Finn’s POV

            “Mama? I want Mama,” Mirakel whimpered as he stirred awake in my arms. He had fallen asleep towards the end of our hike and I sighed in my heart at the moment that my pup chose to wake up at. “I’m here, Baby,” Kayla said a little too breathlessly as she stretched out her arms towards us. Without hesitation, Mirakel reached for Kayla and I passed him over, resisting the urge to take both my mate and my pup into my arms. Not now, wild animal. I hissed at my wolf as he whined loudly in my head in protest. 

            For the first night, we had booked a hotel near our next destination and I drove towards our destination, intending to have dinner there as well. The Victorian era hotel was quaint and sat right in the middle of nature. “Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Ridgeton,” the receptionist greeted us as we checked ourselves in before going for dinner. I noticed Kayla’s cheeks turning slightly red and my heart swelled, seeing how she didn’t protest or get mad silently at how the receptionist addressed us. After checking in, we went for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and I was glad that despite such a long day, Mirakel was a good spot at dinner. As we had another long day ahead tomorrow, we decided to call it a night after dinner. 

            We went up to our room and to my delight, there was only a large king size bed in the room and there was definitely no space to add another single bed to the room. My wolf was practically drooling now and I had to use every single fibre in my body to ignore the suggestive images that he was sending to me. “Mama, Mama, look!” shouted Mirakel in excitement as he tried to jump onto the bed. I held his hand tightly to stop him while Kayla stood rooted to the ground, unable to tear her eyes away from the bed. 

            “Buddy, no outside clothes in bed, remember?” I said firmly and Mirakel finally stopped trying to run towards the bed. “Papa, we sleep together? Papa, Mama, Mirakel?” he asked while taking turns to stare at me and Kayla with his big round eyes. My heart was screaming YES but I didn’t want to disrespect Kayla. 

            It’s your call, Kayla. If you want to, I could ask if there’s another room available.

            I sent my thoughts to Kayla with 100% sincerity and 200% hope that she would say this is fine. After a heart stopping few minutes, Kayla let out a deep breath before smiling and looking down towards Mirakel, “Yes, Baby, we’re all going to sleep in the bed together. You can have Papa on one side and Mama on the other side. Would you like that?” Our little pup nodded enthusiastically and my wolf mirrored his actions while I tried my best to control the grin on my face. Mirakel and I were ready for bed in no time and we hopped into bed together, patiently waiting for Kayla. When Kayla finally came to bed, Mirakel was snuggling in my arms, eyelids drooping and barely awake. 

            “Goodnight, Baby,” Kayla whispered as she kissed our pup’s forehead gently and laid down beside him. 

            Goodnight, Finn, and thank you for planning this trip and packing within an hour.

            Kayla’s voice echoed in my head as her sky blue eyes sparkled in the night and I was lost for a minute before remembering to reply to her. 

            Anything for you and our pup, Kay. Anything to make you happy. Goodnight, Kay.