The Prophesied Luna (completed)

Family Vacation

Kayla’s POV

            After dinner, we went for a walk in the forest and on the way back, Mirakel was so tired his eyes were closed while walking. Finn and I both chuckled in amusement before Finn picked up our pup and carried him all the way back. Being in the forest together as a family gave my heart an overwhelming sense of peace and I couldn’t help but feel that this is how things should be. I stole a glance at Finn and saw him deep in thought as he walked beside me but he made no attempts to hold my hand. For that, I was grateful. Since I didn’t reject him, I could still feel all of his emotions through our bond and even when my mind was clouded with anger, I could feel each and every one of his emotions as clearly as they were my own. I knew how difficult it was for him to hold himself back and give me the space that I wanted. I knew how his heart shattered, each time I lashed out at him, not because of how I was treating him, but because of how responsible he felt for our current situation. I knew behind every smile and brave front that he put on, was a tired and battered man. As an Alpha, he was supposed to allow no challenge to his authority, yet before me, he laid down his pride again and again. 

            The gentle evening breeze made his scent even more intoxicating and reminded me of the many beautiful memories that we shared in this forest. Under the cover of the dark, I allowed my thoughts to wonder and I smiled as I remembered how our wolves chased each other right here under the moonlight. I remembered our first date in the forest after the first time we had mated and Finn had marked me. “Penny for your thoughts?” Finn’s gentle voice brought me back and I looked at him awkwardly, like a child caught with her hand in a cookie jar. I didn’t want to admit to him that I was reminiscing about our past, about the good parts. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. Yeah right. I dismissed my wolf’s snarky remarks and made up an excuse. 

            “I was just thinking about next week, and how I should ask for the entire week off. I really need this job but.. there’s nothing that can be more important than Mirakel,” I said pensively. A warm hand took mine and gave me a reassuring squeeze. I turned to look at Finn, half expecting him to say that the Pack hospital would always have a place for me or that he could take care of us. To my surprise, he didn’t. “I have to share the blame for the way things turned out. I should have said something when I noticed the changes in Mirakel’s behavior but I didn’t because I was afraid.. afraid that you’d hate me even more if I suggested therapy, especially after the last time.. we dismissed the attack that you said happened in the library’s toilet and insisted on sending you to therapy, and the attack turned out to be real, not something you’ve imagined. I’m sorry, Kayla. I swear that I’d never ever doubt anything you say ever again, and I’d support any decisions that you make. If you need my help, say the word and I’m there. If you want to give it a go on your own, then don’t doubt that I’m behind you every step of the world. Talk to your boss tomorrow, and if there’s anything you want me to do to help, just say the word and it’s done.”

            I was glad for the cover of darkness and quickly blinked away the tears in my eyes. Hoping that my voice didn’t betray my emotions, I mumbled a quick thank you and we spent the rest of the walk home in silence. After tucking Mirakel into bed, Finn turned to leave and I did something that surprised myself. “Stay, Finn, if it’s ok for you,” I said with uncertainty, “I think it’d be nice for Mirakel to wake up to both of us. I don’t want to confuse him but I think he needs this and it’s going to take time to help him understand that we will always be there for him regardless of what happens between us.” 

            Finn’s eyes were wide with shock and then quickly, his eyes were filled with joy, excitement, hope, a tinge of sadness and a whole lot of determination. “Are you sure?” he asked, his voice quivering slightly. I gave him my most convincing smile and nodded, before going to my room to grab a pillow and blanket for myself. “You can sleep in my room, I’ll crash on the couch,” I said as I pulled out the couch to turn it into a bed. Finn helped and soon the sofa bed had clean sheets on it. I let Finn wash up first and then went to get myself ready for bed. While I was brushing my teeth, I kept pep-talking myself in my head and even though I was nervous, I knew that this had to be done. 

            When I came out of the bathroom, only the dim night light in the halfway was still on and I could see in the dim light a silhouette on the sofa bed. “Finn?” I whispered. “Go to bed, Kayla. I’m fine on the couch. May I remind you that I’ve slept in much worse conditions during training school?” Finn whispered back in the dark. I beamed as I thought about one time when I had a fight with Leyton and had crashed at Finn’s for a night. He had given me his bed and slept on the couch, using the same reason to convince me of the arrangement. 

Finn’s POV

            The smell of bacon and eggs woke me up and I couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear at being woken up this way. It has been so long since I’ve been woken up this way. For too long, the nights blended into days and the days into nights, with a monotony and loneliness that drowned out any semblances of life. The two-bedroom house felt cold without Kayla and every spot in our house seemed to be mocking me with happy memories of our lives together. Even in my wildest dream, when I had allowed myself to hope after the return of my pup, I had never imagined that I would wake up to the delicious smell of my favorite breakfast being made in the kitchen by my mate and an adorable pup in the next bedroom to wake up. 

            “Morning, Finn,” Kayla said in amusement, her lips pressed together like she was holding back a laugh. My wolf was rolling onto his back coyly and purring like a little pup at our mate’s reaction and instead of being embarrassed about my morning hair, I was overjoyed that for once, my untamed golden locks served a purpose. “Good morning, Kay,” I said chirpily, trying hard to contain my job. “Erm I’m going to wash up and then I’ll wake Mirakel up.” 

            “Yup, sounds good. And we can talk about next week after breakfast? I called the practice before starting on breakfast. My boss agreed to give me the weekend and the following week off,” Kayla said with a radiant smile. I tried to nod as normally as I possibly could, without looking like an ecstatic bobble-head doll while my wolf jumped around in excitement, giving me a slight headache but knowing how much we both needed this, I didn’t have the heart to stop him. 

            After washing up and making my hair more presentable, I went to Mirakel’s bedroom to wake him up. Our little pup was sprawled out on the bed and snoring softly like a little piglet. I sat down gently beside him and gave him a little peck on the check before whispering, “Buddy, it’s time for breakfast. Mama made your favorite bacon and,” Before I could finish my sentence, Mirakel’s eyes snapped open and he gulped before whispering, “Bacon? Papa said no Bacon?”

            I chuckled in amusement but I was proud of my pup for remembering my words. He was still too young and I didn’t want him to be eating too much salty or processed food, but of course Kayla was having none of it. If it made Mirakel happy, then anything in moderation was ok for her. Perhaps I was too strict, but I hope that with the agreement to co-parent our pup together, Kayla would meet me halfway. “Well, if Mirakel gets up now and gets ready for the day, half a piece of bacon is ok. How about that?” I asked. Without hesitation, my little pup jumped out of bed and went to the bathroom with me trailing behind. 

            The spring sun streamed in through the windows as we sat down at the dining table to have breakfast together. It was a scene that I could have only dreamed of a few months ago and I silently thanked the Moon Goddess for returning my family to me. There was no fake cordialness or awkward silences. We talked about preschool activities, new friends and our favorite breakfast foods like any normal family. As sounds of laughter filled the air, my resolve to win back my mate and give our pup a complete home strengthened. I could give Kayla as much time and space as she needed, but nothing was ever going to stop me from trying to make my family whole again.

            “Mama, can I have some bacon, please?” Mirakel asked with his big round eyes and for a moment, my heart froze, afraid that Kayla would get carried away with it and we’d end up disagreeing again in front of our pup. “Sure, baby, but just a small piece ok? Remember what Papa said? Bacon is not good for little pups,” Kayla said gently as she broke a strip of bacon into half and gave Mirakel one half of it. 

            Don’t even try raising your eyebrows at me, Finn.

            I nearly choked holding back a laugh as Kayla sent me her thoughts before I could react to her newfound resolve in front of our pup. 

            Hey, you’re the doctor. You know this better than I do.

            Don’t play the doctor card, Mister! You know I can’t say no when I see those eyes but I’m trying now.

            Those eyes? You mean my eyes?

            Kayla rolled her eyes at me before laughing as I tried to copy the big round eyes face that Mirakel makes when he wants something. 

            “Papa is silly,” giggled Mirakel as he pointed at me. “Is today Papa day?” he asked, his tone suddenly becoming tinged with disappointment. 

            “Oh wow, buddy, Papa didn’t know Papa day is a sad day,” I sighed, pretending to be hurt. “No, Papa. I like Papa day,” Mirakel looked down at his plate and whispered. “And like Mama day.” 

            Seeing my pup’s crestfallen face, I suddenly felt bad for teasing him and after exchanging a look with Kayla, I picked him up to sit on my lap while Kayla walked over and crouched down beside me. “Today is Mirakel’s day, baby,” Kayla said gently as she stroked our pup’s face. “We’re going to spend the weekend and next week together, baby. No work for Papa and Mama; no school for you and we’re going to do something fun. Would like that?” 

            Mirakel’s face lit up like a Christmas tree and a tinge of guilt pricked my heart but I refused to let anything rain on our parade today. We’ve lost time together and I was determined to change that, and dwelling on the past wasn’t going to change that. “Do you want to finish up your breakfast, buddy? And then you can help Papa with the dishwasher? After that you can have your daily 30 minutes of TV time.” The rest of breakfast was uneventful and after breakfast, Mirakel helped to turn on the dishwasher after I’d loaded it while Kayla freshened up. When we were all done, I put on Paw Patrol for Mirakel and set up a timer for 30 minutes. 

            Kayla laughed when she noticed what I was doing. “I never thought you would be such a meticulous father,” she teased. “Well, people change,” I said sincerely, “and sometimes it’s for the better. You know I’d do anything to be a better person for you and our pup.” 

            “Anyway, where do you think we should go for a short getaway? I was thinking something close to nature and suitable for kids. I heard from Reena that Mirakel had already shifted once and I wanted to see if I could teach him how to control it. I remember my first shift when I was five now, after what happened at the Council,” Kayla said quickly, keen to change the subject. Undeterred by her avoidance, I nodded in agreement and suggested, “How about camping and hiking at Yosemite? It’s about an hour’s drive from here and there are enough secluded areas in the surroundings for us to shift and explore.” 

            Kayla thought for a short moment and said, “Let’s do it then. I’ll start packing for myself and Mirakel. Why don’t you go home and pack too? Could you take care of the camping gear too? I know we bought some back then. We could meet at the foyer of the pack house in an hour?” My heart fluttered at the thought of spending an entire week with my family and I had to suppress the dirty thoughts that my wolf was feeding me but I had to agree that the thought of sleeping in the same tent had my blood pumping. Not wanting to give Kayla a chance to change her mind, I nodded quickly and rushed back to our house to pack after giving Mirakel a quick goodbye kiss.