A Luna's Escape

A Daring Escape

Sophie's POV

It had been a month since I left the Red Moon Pack. It was a four day drive to my new home. I knew Cole would track the SUV I was driving. It didn't belong to me anyway. I wasn't sure if he would report it stolen or not, so before my escape I stopped by a dealership and purchased a new SUV. Almost exactly like the one Cole had given me. I parked the old SUV in a grocery store parking lot right next to my new car I had left there days prior, tucked the keys under the passenger seat and texted Cole's best friend and Beta, Lucas. I told him exactly where to find the car before I hopped in my new one and beat it out of town.

I knew the pack would know I was gone by now, so I figured it couldn't hurt telling Lucas where to find the car. I had a two hour start on them anyway. I had purchased a new phone the day before I left, knowing as soon as everyone found out I was gone, they would blow up the phone. Not to mention, Cole and I were on the same plan, and he could track the phone, which meant he could track my location. I transfered everything over to my new phone and tucked the old one under the seat with the keys after I texted Lucas. I didn't really have friends in that pack anyway, so I wasn't going to miss any important calls.

I met with the realtor the moment I got into town. I had made a full cash offer on the cute little cottage I had seen before I left the day of the interview. It was accepted. Because it was a cash offer, the sale went through quickly and in a week I had the keys to my new home. The first month had gone by quickly. I began my job on Monday, which only gave me four days to settle in. Two of those days were spent on cleaning the house from top to bottom. Cleaning had definitely taken longer than I thought it would. The more I cleaned, the more dirt seemed to crawl up out of the woodwork. But I finally got it clean enough that I could move in. I had purchased a cot to sleep on and a camp chair and TV tray to eat off of for now. I was going to fix the rooms up one by one, purchasing furniture as I went.

I was starting with my bedroom. I pulled the dirty carpet out of the room and gave the walls a fresh coat of paint. I replaced the light switches and bought a new ceiling fan and carpet to install. I had no clue how to install any of it, but found that the internet was a great place to learn. I climbed the ladder, removing the old, worn ceiling fan before installing the new one.

"See Sophie, easier than it looked. You got this." I gave myself a pep talk as I climbed off the ladder, admiring my handiwork.

"Let's test this bad boy out." I said as I flipped the switch. My excitement fell as I looked up at the unmoving fan. No light emitted from the bulbs, cosily tucked into their frosted sconces.

"Really?" I pouted. "But I did everything exactly as the video said. I even turned off the power…" my eyes lit up as I realized I hadn't turned the power to the room back on.

I sprinted to the garage and flipped the breaker back on before returning to my room. I jumped up and down excitedly when I saw light trickling out from the doorway. I stood inside the room, watching the fan spin quick circles above my head. I clapped my hands together, admiring my work one last time before I turned to the carpet roll on the floor next to the wall. I quickly watched the instruction video before rolling out the thick foam padding.

"I need those spike strip things." I said, realizing I hadn't purchased everything I needed. I finished watching the video, before sliding my back down the wall and plopping down onto the floor. A single tear streamed down my face. I wasn't going to be able to install this carpet myself.

"Cole could do it for me." I said as I looked at the cream carpet, half unrolled and leaning on the wall across from me.

The last month had been harder on me than I thought it would. I had never lived alone before. I lived with my parents before I moved into my dorm room, which I shared with my roommates. From there I met Cole and moved in with him while I finished my schooling. This was the first time I had been alone. The silence was definitely beginning to get to me. I tried to keep myself busy between work and fixing up my new house, but my mind still wandered back to Cole. I often caught myself wondering how he was doing, if he missed me or not. I wondered if he was happy I was gone, and if he had made Maggie Luna yet. I leaned my head against the wall, staring at the ceiling I had spent hours scraping off white popcorn stuff from. I was amazed that you couldn't really tell I re-textured and painted it. It looked amazing. The ceiling gave me renewed strength and I got to my feet.

"Nope, don't do that to yourself Soph." I got my keys and decided to head to the hardware store for my missing tools.

I wandered the rows of the hardware store as I searched for all of the things I needed. I was so lost and tried hard to hide it. I noticed an employee approaching me from the other end of the aisle. I quickly looked down at my list I had scribbled out before entering the store.

"Finding everything alright, miss?" The man asked. His voice was like velvet and I couldn't help but look up at him. His hair was shaggy, with the ends falling over his ocean blue eyes. He was tall and fit, muscles protruding from the olive green shirt he wore under his bright orange apron.

"Yes, Thank you." I said as I looked down at my list again.

"Alright." He smiled and continued down the aisle.

"Wait!" I called out after him. He turned around, the widest grin I had ever seen plastered across his face. "I'm not. I have no clue what I'm doing." I admitted.

"What are you looking for?" He reached out for my list, which I handed to him. "Are you trying to install carpet yourself?" He chuckled as he looked at me.

"Yes." I glared at him. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't do it."

"I never said you couldn't." He took my list and headed further down the aisle. "Here are your 'spike strips'." He used air quotes as he pulled the strips off the shelf, placing them in my cart. "For future reference, they're called tack strips." I blushed as he smiled at me.

I followed him around the store as he helped me get everything I needed to install the carpet. I don't know why I thought I could do it with just the carpet, like it would stick to the floor with nothing holding it in place.

"I know you said you could do this yourself, but I'm free in about two hours, if you would like some help." The man said as he walked me to the registers.

"Actually, that would be nice." I sighed, admitting I might be in over my head a little with this carpet install.

"I'm Ryker." He extended his hand.

"Sophie." His skin was soft and his handshake firm. I could get lost in his smile. His tanned skin and bright white teeth, and those eyes. It was enough to make a girl swoon.

"Okay Sophie." His silky voice said. "Where do you live?"

"The old cottage off Butterfield road."

"Oh, you bought that. I wondered who had moved in there. That place sure needs a lot of work." He said.

"Yeah, I'm discovering that." I sighed.

"Well, I'll be over as soon as my shift ends. It'll be a couple of hours."

"Okay. Thank you." I said, giving him my best desperate but thankful look. I knew I could do this on my own, but Ryker could get it done correctly, where mine would be iffy at best. Plus, the extra hands would be nice.

—------

"You didn't have to provide dinner." Ryker said as he bit into the burger.

"I know, but I didn't want you working on an empty stomach." I said. We stood in my bedroom, staring at the flooring as we ate our meal. "Sorry I don't have a table, or chairs, or any other furniture for that matter.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not here to sit anyway."

"Well, I fully intend to pay you for your help too, so be thinking about what you're going to charge me." I insisted.

Ryker got right to work on the floor after wolfing down his meal. Incredibly, he had it fully installed in two hours. After laying the carpet, he replaced the blinds I had purchased, fixed the French doors that led from my bedroom to the back yard, and even tore out the fixtures and cabinets in the bathroom. I had purchased all new cabinets, a new toilet, shower and sink and tub. I was smart enough to pay for the delivery and install of the new shower and tub, but I was going to do everything else myself.

"I'll be back tomorrow to put in the new cabinets and get your bathroom finished." Ryker said as he washed his hands in the kitchen sink.

"You don't have to. I'm sure I can get it." I told him.

"Well, I'm not working until tomorrow afternoon, and I'd rather help than know you're here doing this all alone. I'd hate to hear that you injured yourself because you didn't have help."

"Well, if you insist." I didn't put up too much of a fight. I needed the help. "What do I owe you for tonight? You were here for what, like 5 hours?"

"Yes, but Sophie, don't worry about it." He shook his hands, grabbing the doorknob.

"I can't. I fully intend to compensate you."

"Okay then." His blue eyes twinkled as a mischievous grin crossed his face. "How about dinner with me?"

"Um…" I hesitated. He was incredibly attractive, but it had only been just over a month since I left Cole. I had no intentions of getting into another relationship. But it was just one dinner. Maybe he didn't want a relationship, maybe he just wanted a friend. We could be friends.

"Okay." I smiled as his face lit up to my answer.

"Perfect." He said as he left the house. "I'll be back tomorrow morning. We'll discuss time and place then." I waved as I watched him get into his truck.