The Luna

Twenty-Two

I barely slept at all last night, and I blame Austin. His words kept replaying in my mind and when sleep did finally find me, I dreamt of wolves everywhere, blood matting their fur as they crashed into each other, all fangs and claws. Screams of pain and heartache filled the air and I stood in the middle of all the chaos, helpless as I watched one wolf after another fall to the ground limp and lifeless.  Caspian had appeared in front of me, a smirk on his lips as he stalked toward me.

It had all been so vivid that I woke with a gasp, heart beating wildly in my chest as I looked around the room. Sweat clings to my skin as my hands run through my hair and I can't help but cringe.

No amount of scrubbing with the soap in the shower will get the dream off of me. I can still feel the terror that seized me as the wolves fought. Caspian's hand wrapping around my neck as I stare at the bodies lining the ground, him whispering that it all could have been avoided.

I take my time drying off, avoiding the mirror at all cost. The last thing I need is to see the effects of the nightmare on my face. If I see the dark circles or hollow look, I may very well crawl back into bed and ignore the world. I dress in record time, pulling on the borrowed yoga pants, sports bra, and the short sleeve Nike shirt. 

"Morning," I jump at Emily standing by my bed, with the comforter in her hands, "I was bored waiting for you so I was gonna make your bed," she flicks her wrist, causing the blanket to fly in the air and settle on top of the sheets. 

"I'm sorry," I move into the bathroom and hang the towel up, grabbing the comb to get some tangles out quickly, "I was going to make the bed after the shower,"

"No big, I was bored waiting but thought you'd like to get breakfast with me," Emily leans against the door jam watching me tie my hair into a messy bun. 

"I'm sorry," I rush back into the room to find my shoes. 

I wasn't expecting her to be here but I can't lie and say that I'm not grateful to have her company. I know that I don't need it, that I am free to go through the house as I please. Last night was an example of that. I went and got water and only saw Austin -who then gave me a nightmare but that's beside the point.

This is different. This is going alone, in the day time, where there will probably be a lot more people hanging around. They'll all notice the new person too and the idea of all those eyes watching me was giving me anxiety. 

"Why are you apologizing? I should be apologizing for just inviting myself in while you were in the shower," 

The only response she gets from me is a shrug, not wanting to dive into why the intrusion doesn't bother me as much as it probably should, before gesturing that I'm ready.

It seems impossible, but the house is even more alive now than it was yesterday. I can hear the chatter from the living room before we are even fully down the stairs.

People are everywhere, all lounging around with plates and bowls filled with food. Some of them glance at us, offering us smiles or nods before getting back to their conversations.

"Good Morning ladies," alpha Jaxon greets us with a smile when we enter the kitchen and he was leaving, "Mia, I'll be done with the warriors around one this afternoon. I can meet you at the training field?

"Yes please, Alpha," I bow my head and notice him shake his head but he doesn't say anything as he walks away, "Where is the field?"

"I'll show you. I was thinking we could talk outside anyway," Emily says grabbing some food, "learning the histories and everything can be kind of heavy and I think being outside in the fresh air might help,"