The Phoenix Wolf and his Luna

Lunch

Fallon's POV

Cillian mind linked Broadway explaining our plans for the day. DJ was very excited to have a new cousin to play with and when we made our way to the backyard, he threw good bye over his shoulder before chasing after his cousin. Cillian helped me in the truck, before getting in the passenger seat. He looked around the territory we left the grounds. It was very pretty, if you enjoyed the mountains. There was one spot that I would miss. A place I hadn’t been to in many years.

I found an underground cave with natural hot springs when I was around ten years old, and whenever I pushed myself too hard, I would go there and spend hours relaxing in the steam. When Sam and I started dating, I took him there, of course, being a seventeen-year-old male wolf, he tried very hard to get me to have s*x with him. Thankfully, I was stronger than him and we worked it out, my virginity intact. The first time. It was right on the border of pack grounds, so I wasn’t allowed to go to my favorite spot anymore.

We pulled into the small town that was just fifteen minutes from the packhouse. It was mostly empty since the humans had gone, but there were some wolves who lived there, Vlad and Raelynn, Noe and her pups, and me. I first went to the diner. I knew it would be closed, but I had a feeling Vlad would be cooking up a storm. I was right, the door was open, Raelynn was sitting in the same booth as Gwen and Harvey had dinner every night with a book open. The whole place smelled of home.

“Hey, Bitty.” I said, sliding opposite of her.

She looked up; her eyes still red from crying. She had no memories of her home. She was found at six, and Gwen just fell in love with her.

“You smell weird.” She joked. For many years we questioned whether she was a wolf or not, but when she shifted on her sixteenth birthday, all doubts were erased. Though even more strange, she shifted so early. One thing we did find about her is she had stronger senses than those of even Alpha James.

“I think she smells like raspberries and vanilla. What does she smell like to you?” Cillian asked.

“Pineapples.” She looked Cillian square in his face, not a hint of fear.

I burst out laughing. I could tell Cillian wasn’t used to anyone, especially not a child, making such eye contact with him. It could be construed as disrespectful, but he wasn’t like most Alphas. He wouldn’t hurt her.

He cracked a smile, “My name is Ian.”

“Raelynn.” She said back, looking back at me, “Hear that, Fallon? Not ‘Bitty’. I’m not a child anymore.”

I leaned over the table to ruffle her short pixie cut. She would always be Bitty to me. I went to the kitchen to see if Vlad needed help. I wasn’t as good in the kitchen as Vlad, but I wasn’t completely useless. As he saw me, a small smile formed on his face and he handed me a spatula, pointing to the stir-fry he had got. He was making beef and chicken with asparagus, bell peppers and mushrooms. He went to the large industrial oven to pull the homemade cheesecake to cool, and there was his orgasmic homemade sea salted caramel drizzle. This was Harvey’s favorite meal.

“Will Noe be joining us?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. There is no way he could have known!

I shrugged, “Maybe. She was at the packhouse with Ian’s brother and the kids.”

“You should have invited her, Fallon. You know Molly will be disappointed not to have the whole family here for this announcement.” He handed me the cordless phone that should have been thrown away many years ago.

I sighed and dialed her number. It was a very awkward exchange, but she promised she would be there in thirty minutes. Vlad rolled his eyes with a smug smile on his face. I wasn’t sure how he knew things, but he always seemed to be in the loop of everything. He radiated a calmness that made most problems disappear and most days I enjoyed that. Not today.

Today I didn’t want everything to go back to the way things were. They never could. I kissed her and again was rejected. It wasn’t as if she cut my face and threw me from my home, but it still hurt. I knew Noe was straight. It didn’t change my feelings for her. I knew that she would be given a second chance mate. She was too kind not to have a perfect love story and have a bunch of pups running around. It didn’t keep the fantasies out of my mind. Now I have got to live with my actions. Vlad squeezed my shoulder in comfort.

I looked out the kitchen window, seeing that Bitty and Ian were having a conversation, no doubt about business. Bitty had a dream of being the most powerful businesswoman, and with how smart she was, I could see it being a possibility.

Vlad and I finished plating the food just in time for Noe and the kids to come in, followed by Broadway and DJ. We put the lunch on the food on the tables we had eaten at for many years getting drinks and things passed around. Friendly introductions were made though Ian kept his eyes on Vlad.

“Don’t worry, I am not a wolf, nor do I want one. No offence to my beautiful sisters.” Vlad joked. He kept to himself. No hook ups, no women, or men. He was very introverted, and we never questioned him about it.

“Braydon, if you ask me if I’m okay one more f*****g time, I’m going to rip your d**k off! Gods! I can get out of a car by myself!” Molly screeched.

Now the party was here. Molly burst through the door, followed by a very concerned-looking Braydon. He had gotten bigger, if possible. Muscles were everywhere. He probably couldn’t touch his shoulders anymore. Molly’s eyes roamed over the room a smile on her face, before stopping at Broadway and it fell.

“Broadway?” She whispered.

“Molly?” He called back. “What the f**k? Where have you been?”

She ran to him; his arms encircled her, picking her up and spinning her around.

“Why are you here? Not that I’m not glad to see you. What could a Donahue have to do in shitty Mercury?”

“My brother just bought it. Molly, you remember my brother, Ian.”

Molly looked Ian up and down before smiling, “I remember him, but I very seriously doubt he remembers me.”

Braydon wrapped his arms around Molly, pulling her into his chest. I could tell he wanted to growl, but it was impossible to ignore the power that rolled off Ian.

“No, sorry. I don’t. Did I do something terrible?” Ian said, shaking her hand.

Broadway and Molly burst into a fit of laughter. Ian looked back at me and shrugged. He told me that after he had to kill his father and brother he went into a state of depression and had spent many nights drunk. It wasn’t like I didn’t know he had hooked up with women when he had a six-year-old son.

“If you call vomiting on my bed after breaking down my door, terrible. Then yes.” Molly gasped out, wiping away her tears from laughing.

Ian’s eyes went wide, and a slight flush came across his face, “f**k. I do apologize.”

“Daddy, why did you break her door down?! That’s very mean. And I really hope you got her a new bed!” DJ scolded his father before going back to eating.

Ian shook his head and shoved food in his mouth. Our lunch was filled with laughter and old stories. Even the occasional story from DJ. After we finished dessert and the dishes were done and put away, Molly told us that she was pregnant. We hung around the diner for most of the afternoon, until the kids all started getting tired, Molly too. Ian kissed DJ’s sleepy head, giving him to Broadway.

“Daddy is Momma gonna come home with us” He asked in a barely there mumble.

Ian just laughed, “I’ll see you in a bit, little man. Go get in your jams and I’ll tell you a story tonight.”

Ian, Vlad, and I went to my apartment. Vlad really had packed my things. He knew I wouldn’t want to take any of the furniture. Since we had spent more time at the diner than initially planned, Vlad would be sending my truck back. He helped Ian get my bags into the SUV before giving me a big hug.

“Good luck, Malen’kiy volk. We will visit soon.”

“Thank you. Vladmir. Really. It means so much.” I smiled at him.

He helped me into the SUV and Ian, and I made our way back to the packhouse. I saw no point in taking more than a bag inside, since we were leaving in the morning.

“I need to speak to my brother and James, if you don’t mind. I’ll be in in just a bit.”

“Ian, where did you sleep last night?”

He smiled, “In the chair. Not that I slept much anyway. I wanted to watch over you. The ritual can cause some nasty side effects. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I nodded and decided to go shower. When I got into the room, Noe was sitting on the bed looking out the same window I had seen them playing with the pups that morning. She was wearing Broadway’s shirt with her ‘thinking’ socks.

“Noe…”

“No, Fallon. I’m here to apologize.” She patted the bed next to me.

I sat on it, and she laid her head on my lap. We were going to have a deep talk. This was her go to move.

“I knew how you felt about me. I’ve known it for years.”

I looked down at her and started playing with her thick curls. I knew she didn’t need a response. What could I say? It’s not like I could deny it.

“I… I was curious, before you went to law school, just too afraid to actually do anything. What if we didn’t work out and I lost my best friend? Or what if I fell in love with you and then our mates came? I didn’t know if I would get one, but I knew the Gods couldn’t be so cruel as to keep one from you.” She sighed. “But maybe the attraction we felt for each other was simply because we were meant to always be sisters.”

I kissed her forehead. I would always love her. Whether it was romantically, as my sister, or simply my best friend. She was my family and there was nothing I wanted more than to keep her in my life.

“Noe, I can see how happy Broadway makes you. And he’s great with the kids. You deserve your happy ending.”

She scoffed, “I’m not sure about that but I’m glad I got one.”

I rolled my eyes. We talked for a little longer before she went back to her own room. Thankfully, Raelynn had offered to take the kids for the night so she could spend time with Broadway. I got my things ready to take a shower. I noticed the bathrooms were shared, so before I turned on the light or shower, I made sure to close and lock the door to DJ’s room. The bathroom was large, bigger than my bedroom at the apartment. A large clawfoot tub sat next to a stand in shower with an overhead rainfall showerhead. My shower was quick, just quick enough to rinse the day off. While I waited for the tub to fill, I quickly shaved my legs and washed them again. I found oils and bath salts, putting them in the hot water, before slipping in. I let my thoughts drift to the future.

I fell asleep feeling at peace for the first time.