The Rising Moon Pack

Maria POV I opened my eyes and took in the blinding light from the rising sun. As my eyes focused, I could see the tiny specks of dust floating in the air, and I reached out to touch them, letting the light touch my skin. In the distance, I could hear our lead pack trainer Jamie shouting commands to the other warriors and I smiled to myself. I rolled over to check the time, then sat up at the edge of my bed. As soon as I sat up, I could smell that Mrs Davies the head omega was preparing breakfast downstairs, and from the scent that carried up the stairs and towards my room, I could tell that she has been making blueberry muffins, omelettes and cheesy bagels, 3 of my absolute favourite breakfast treats. "Maria Jade Johnson, you're going to be late for your last week of senior year if you don't march your butt down here right now!" My mother, our Luna Kate called. I sighed. Senior year was almost over, but I didn't care about that. My birthday was in a week, and I would finally be turning 18, and there was a chance I would meet my mate, fall in love, and live happily ever after. "MARIA!" My mother burst into my room, shocking me out of my daydream so abruptly I jumped off the edge off the bed and landed on the cold floor. "Alright Mom, I'm coming! Jeez." I muttered. "Don't you take that tone with me young lady," she scolded, "You're going to be late. Don't think that just because you're my daughter that I won't ask Jamie to add you in to a few morning training sessions!" I rolled my eyes at her and held my hands up in surrender. "Alright Mom, just let me get dressed and I'll be right down." "One more thing sweetheart!" she said, standing in the doorway. " I just want you to know how proud of you I am. I know this year hasn't been easy without Bella." Her words stopped me dead, and I sniffled. I looked up at my dresser, adorned in photographs of me and my best friend, Bella. She had been murdered at the start of senior year, and none of us could understand why. She was such a kind, beautiful gentle soul, and I honestly couldn't begin to imagine the kind of person who would do such a heinous thing. Without realizing, my sniffles had become full blown sobs and my mom shot across the room and pulled me into a tight hug. "I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to make you cry." she said, stroking my hair. "It's ok Mom, I'll be ok. It's just hard because she should be here right now, you know? We should be heading into our last week of school together, but we're not. Now, it's just me, and all that's left of Bella is a grave and a few photos. I didn't know missing someone could hurt this much." I looked up at my mother, and she wiped the tears away from my eyes before wiping her own. Bella was a pack member, but to us she was more than that. My dad and Bella's dad Harry were best friends, as were my Mom and Bella's mom Lacey. When we were 3, our pack was attacked and Bella's mom was killed in the fight, so from that moment on, Bella became a second daughter to my mom. Harry was our packs Beta, and my dad's right hand man, so it seemed only natural that Bella and I spent all our time together. But because of someone else's actions, she had been ripped away from us. I pulled out of my mom's hug and wiped my face. She took this as her cue to leave, so I quickly got dressed. I looked in the mirror, and for the first time in a while I stared intently at myself, taking every detail in. For the first time in my life, I loved my auburn curly locks, I loved my curvy body, I loved my emerald green eyes. Each freckle on my nose, the tiny scar on the underside of my chin. I was entering the last week of childhood, and by the full moon in 2 weeks time, I would be a grown woman. Down in the kitchen it was a bustle of activity. Mrs Davies was giving orders to all of the omegas and steaming hot plates filled with bacon, eggs and other foods were being carried from one room to another. Our pack was one of the largest in the country with over 700 members, yet Mrs Davies remembered every single pack members likes, dislikes and dietary needs. The woman was an absolute goddess-send and she fascinated me. I walked into the kitchen, put on my apron, and started chopping peppers for the omelettes. "Ah, beautiful girl, what are you doing! You need to eat. I have it all under control!" Mrs Davies said to me, smiling. I loved her smile, she was beautiful. "I am absolute fine, Ma'am. Please let me help you. You know I enjoy your company!" I said sweetly. She blushed, and laughed. "You are so kind, but you will be late for school if you don't go and eat your breakfast, and I can't have my favourite girl unable to concentrate in class because she is hungry, can I?" She winked at me, patting my hand. "Okay, fine." I said, " But I'm helping you with dinner!" I shouted, leaving the room. Mrs Davies laughed again, and I smiled to myself. She was like a Nana to me, and I honestly loved that little old lady dearly. I crossed the dining room to take my place at the table next to my mother and Father. My elder brother Jase, was sat already, enjoying what looked like a tower of bacon between two slices of bread. He looked up at me and smiled. "Maz, you still have your apron on." he grinned. "Ah s**t, I forgot. I'll take it to the kitchen after breakfast." I said. "Language!" My mother scolded after appearing from absolutely nowhere. "Sorry, Mom" I answered. "So, Maria, have you given any thought about which packs you would like to invite to your party?" my brother interrupted. "Um, no not really. I thought that would be something Mom and Dad did. Didn't they do that for your birthday last year?" I responded, slightly panicked at the thought of having to make such a big decision. "Sweetie, calm down. It is something that your father and I do decide on, but it's also your choice too. This could be your first chance to meet your mate, so it is definitely something you should have a say in." Mom said, buttering her toast. Just then, my father entered the room and a hush swept over the tables as we all turned to face the man whom we all loved and respected deeply. Alpha Benjamin Johnson was one of the most respected alphas in the country, and for good reason too. He was so kind-hearted, caring and fair. No member of our pack went without, and he made sure we were protected at all costs. He stood tall at over 6 and a half feet, flaming red hair, emerald eyes with crows feet and a red beard he kept trimmed. My dad was a handsome man, but you could see in his face that he also had a beautiful soul. "Good Morning, Rising Moon." he said. "Good morning, Alpha." the pack responded in unison. I turned back to the conversation with my mother, but as I did so, out of the corner of my eye, I saw our Beta Harry in the doorway of the dining hall. He was watching over all of the chatter going on at the tables, until his eyes lifted and he looked across the main table, where our families, along with Gamma Henry's family, sat. I saw his eyes look down the row of chairs, skimming over my mother, my father, Jase, Harry's empty seat, then finally stopping dead at Bella's empty chair. I saw the pain in his eyes, and my heart started to thud. Before I could say anything, Harry had turned and left the dining room. I grabbed a spare plate, and started piling the plate high with bacon, omelette, and fresh cherry tomatoes. My mother exchanged a glance with my father and looked at me. " Sweetheart, are you hungry? You know Mrs Davies can fix you up some leftovers to take with you to school if you need a snack." She said. "It's not for me, mom." I said " It's for Beta Harry. He needs to eat". My mom smiled at me gently. " Baby, I think Harry is capable of coming to get his own breakfast." "I need to do this. I can't watch him not eat any more. He is too important to our family and our pack to let him starve himself through his grief." I responded. I stood up and poured a glass of fresh orange juice before bending over to kiss my mother on the cheek. She smiled at me, and as I picked up the plate and walked away, she looked over at my father with pride and said "She's going to be an amazing Luna someday."