Lavender

Hot Springs

Episode 5

Hot Springs

"What... are you talking about? You sound like a crazy person! Wolves, packs, Lunas and Alphas, attacks. What is this? Some kind of joke?" I'm shaking with so much laughter spilling out.

"Princess, I don't know how to convince you other than to show you. You're just going to have to come with me and see for yourself tomorrow. You can't turn for about another month, on your birthday, but I'm sure you've noticed you can feel what other people do, right?"

"My birthday is in two months, May 28th. But yes, I can feel other people's emotions and sense their auras, I always know the truth of their intentions, but you're silent to me. Like there's a wall I can't get around when I try to read you."

"Your birthday is April 15th, little one. I've had it memorized my whole life." He chuckles at my expression. "I can show you in the pack book when we get home to prove it. You can't read me because I'm an Alpha and I haven't marked you, but the reason you feel other people so strongly is because you're a Luna. All Luna's have a mother-bond, they are very empathetic to those around them so they can help their people. It's going to get a lot stronger once you're accepted into the pack." He pauses, thinking about something far off. I've stopped laughing but I no longer have an appetite. At least I've eaten most of it. "I wonder why Gideon gave you a false birthday. It must have been so that we would struggle to find you. School records were the first place I checked."

"I'm really struggling with all of this, Dean. I don't understand why my uncle would steal me, or believe that this entire new world even exists, or understand what I'm supposed to be, whatever a Luna is. This is all just too crazy. I'm used to worrying about how I'm going to get enrolled in school, what I'm going to wrangle up for dinner, where I'm going to sleep when my dad or uncle goes to a new digging site." I shake my head and then place it in my hands, my palms digging into my eye sockets.

Dean pulls my hand gently away from my face and holds it in both of his. That spark of electricity is buzzing incessantly. He comes around the table and kneels in front of me. "I don't know what to tell you right now. But I promise you, we will figure this all out together. I'm never leaving your side again, baby girl. I'm so sorry to have to spring all of this on you now, but what I do know is that it will be okay, I'm sure of that." He kisses the top of my hand and I move my palm to hold his cheek. He is so caring. I don't know what I ever did to deserve this treatment from him, but I'm grateful for his patience and understanding.

I don't know what's happening to me right now, but I have the indistinct feeling that he and I can work through anything. He gives me a drive and a will to live that I've never had before. I've never had anyone care for me, never had anyone want me. I'm so tired of trying to be an adult, tired of trying to work out issues on my own, tired of stressing over things that shouldn't plague a 17-year-old. I realize I don't care where we're going or what's going to happen, as long as I'm with Dean. Tears spring to my eyes, but I quickly blink them away.

I offer him a small smile before I pull my hand away. I'm packing up the food and stuffing it back into the bag. "Okay, well let's get going then. We've wasted a lot of daylight today already and, if what you say is true, we've got people waiting." The grin he gives me in return is full of hope and pride. He stands up and starts packing up all of our stuff while I throw our trash away. Soon, we're walking back out towards the motorcycle. He leaves me there to put my helmet on while he checks in the room and returns the key. I climb on the bike behind him, and we're back on the road. I love the freedom this motorcycle provides me.

---

We've stopped at a Hot Springs in Wyoming. I've never seen anything like it. He says we can swim here, but I don't have a suit, and I'm hesitant to just get naked in front of people. He finds a secluded area and waggles those famous brows at me again. I can't help but laugh at him. He turns around and blocks anyone from seeing me while I strip completely naked. I only own one bra and I have just one pair of clean panties left. I can't use them now, not knowing when I'll have the opportunity to buy more or wash these. I carefully step into the pool, the warm water immediately relaxes me. I don't remember the last time I was able to soak in a tub. This is a real treat.

A few moments later, he's joining me in the water. I open my eyes to see him just a few feet away and a quick look behind me confirms my suspicions that he's naked as well. My cheeks get hot, but not from the water. I let my mind roam to thoughts of how his skin would feel on mine, how his calloused hands would feel roaming over my back, how his lips would feel against my own... Then I realize he's been carefully watching me this whole time, a small smile playing on his lips. He must know where my mind has been. It takes all my self-control not to go to him now. It's too soon for any physical aspect between us, but damn, if I don't want it.

We relax for a while, talking about random things, what books we like to read, what movies we like to watch. He spends a lot of time training, hand to hand with his soon-to-be Beta and Gamma (apparently those are the wolves closest to an Alpha), and also a lot of time in the gym. When he's not training, he likes to run, he reads philosophical books and listens to podcasts. And apparently, most of the time in his most recent years was spent looking for me. He explained how he tracked us from the crappy little blue house with the picket fence in California, to the horrible motel we lived at in New Mexico, to the country house we stayed at in Texas, then up to where he found me in Oklahoma. And those were just the most recent ones. My dad/uncle has been moving me from place to place since I was 6, and Dean was 14. I'll have to ask later how he was able to track us. And I'm also dismayed to think about how Gideon acted relieved when Dean found us, especially since all the moving must have been just so he could keep me hidden better. Those are thoughts for another time, I don't want to spoil this moment.

Soon enough, the sun is starting to set, and it's time for us to move. Dean turns the other way again, I climb out of the pool and get dressed. "Your turn", I call to him. He stands up before I can turn away, and I'm blessed with a sight I will never forget. I let out a small gasp and quickly turn around. I hear his deep voice chuckling behind me. I have to smirk myself, I know he did that on purpose, and the heat returns to my cheeks, and between my thighs, nonetheless.