Chapter 65

It took several days for me to recover from the attack. Luckily, my werewolf abilities weren’t affected, and my body was able to heal pretty quickly. However, my magic stayed dormant for several days, and a deep level of exhaustion filled my bones. Mark insisted we stay in town while I healed, not wanting to put me through a long car ride home in my condition. I didn’t argue with him. There was something on my mind, and staying in Asheville for a little longer gave me the time I needed to sort it out.

Rie and the three new arrivals ended up going back to the pack house first. Rie wanted to stick around, but Mark had been away for too long, and she wanted to check on the rest of the pack to make sure everyone was doing okay.

Scythe stayed in town while Mark and I were there. He stayed at Jori’s pack house with Percy while we were there. I wasn’t sure if Scythe had sat down and talked to Mark about his and Percy’s situation. I had spent most of the days lying in the bed in the hotel. I was in and out of sleep throughout the days, and almost every time I woke up, Mark was by my side.

The next time I woke up, I saw the sun peaking through the window. When I checked the time, I thought it would be best to actually get out of bed. My body was still tired, but mentally I was getting tired of staying in bed. When I looked around, Mark was nowhere to be seen. I sent him a quick text to let him know I was awake and then hopped into the shower.

It would be time to return home soon and start our lives, but the idea of returning to my job as a coffee shop manager felt so meaningless now. There seemed to be so many other priorities now. If I was going to be the luna of Mark’s pack, I would have to learn about what those responsibilities entailed. I didn’t know what all that entailed.

My mother was the luna of our pack, but she didn’t train me specifically. I would watch her go about her duties when I was a child. I came to a few meetings she had, but for the most part I was left at home. She said she would teach me more when I came of age, but since I wouldn’t be the luna of a pack anytime soon, she wanted me to enjoy my childhood. At the time, I didn’t argue. What teenager didn’t want to avoid responsibilities, especially when given the chance?

I regretted not pushing her more on the matter, because now I didn’t even know where to begin.

I was a quick learner, though, and with Mark’s help, I was sure I would be able to figure it out. Part of me wished I could reach out and ask my mother for help. It had been five years since I last spoke to her, and even though part of me was still hurt she didn’t stand up for me and she lied to me about who my father truly was, I still missed her.

I turned off the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. I left the bathroom in search of fresh clothes. I jumped when arms suddenly wrapped around me from behind.

Mark immediately started giggling. I turned around and playfully smacked him on the chest.

“Did you have to scare me like that?” I asked, exasperated.

Mark giggled a little more. “You look so cute when you’re scared though.”

I stuck my tongue out at him, and then I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself lean into him. “You’re evil.”

Mark slid his arms around my waist. “Maybe. But you’re the one who chose me.”

I rolled my eyes in response and then lifted up on my toes to give him a peck. “Apparently it’s because I like being tortured.”

Mark smirked. “Hmm, I like the way that sounds.” He kissed me again, this time letting it linger. “Are you feeling better?”

I nodded my head. “Much.”

“Good enough to…” His voice grew quiet, and he gave me a look that told me more than enough.

I smiled, tempted by his offer, but there were more important matters I needed to address. Otherwise, I knew we could get way too distracted by each other.

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” I said, pulling back just a little.

Mark tilted his head. “What’s on your mind?”

I bit my l*p, feeling nervous. I hoped Mark wouldn’t get mad at me for this. “Well, I was thinking about our future, and the future of your pack.”

“Our pack,” Mark corrected. “You’re going to be my luna after all.”

I smiled at his correction. It felt good knowing there was somewhere I could belong. “Our pack. I was also thinking about the situation with Percy and Scythe. And Daniel, and everyone else. I know why you left, and I know it wasn’t an easy decision. And things with Jori are not great. I don’t really want to be around him either.”

It took several days for me to recover from the attack. Luckily, my werewolf abilities weren’t affected, and my body was able to heal pretty quickly. However, my magic stayed dormant for several days, and a deep level of exhaustion filled my bones. Mark insisted we stay in town while I healed, not wanting to put me through a long car ride home in my condition. I didn’t argue with him. There was something on my mind, and staying in Asheville for a little longer gave me the time I needed to sort it out.

“Adira, you’re not breathing. Slow down and take a breath, and then just tell me what’s on your mind.” Mark gave me a reassuring smile.

I took a breath like he said. My nerves were definitely creeping up on me, and I hadn’ realized how much I was rambling. “I think we should move the pack back to Asheville. I know things will be complicated because of Jori’s pack, but I think it would be best for everyone. We wouldn’t have to keep the pack members separated.” I looked at the ground, afraid of what Mark’s face was saying right now.

“What about you?” Mark asked.

I looked up, surprised by his question. “What do you mean?”

“You moved so far away because of your family. Your hometown isn’t that far from here. You would run the risk of accidentally running into your family. Plus with how Jori treated you… Would you be okay if our packs had to interact and you ran into him?” Mark let go of my waist and cupped my cheeks. “I admire how much you care about our pack, and I know you want Scythe and Percy to be happy, but I don’t want this to cost you any happiness.”

My heart was vibrating. I was so worried that Mark would be upset that I suggested he move back to his enemy that I hadn’t thought about his concern for me.

“I’ve thought about all of that. While I don’t particularly want to see my family, I think I could hold my own if I were to run into them,” I said. “And as for Jori, as long as I have you by my side, I don’t care who else is around me. You’re the only one I want to be with, and I can handle being civil with him if necessary.”

Mark nodded along. “Okay. Then let’s do it.”

“Really?”

Mark smiled. “I think you’re right. Seeing everyone at Jori’s pack house reminded me how much I missed some of them, and I understand why they wouldn’t want to leave a stable pack house for something new. Not everyone knows the truth of what happened either, and that’s not something I ever wanted to force onto them. But those who chose to come with me left friends and family behind. If we can get Jori to agree to this, then I think you’re right. It’s time to come home.”

I smiled and pecked Mark on the cheek. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Mark laughed. “I don’t think I did anything that warrants the adjective ‘amazing.’”

“I disagree with that. You surprise me all of the time with how understanding you are. You actually listen to me and my ideas.” I shrugged, feeling a little emotional. “I guess I just feel lucky to have found you.”

Mark leaned down and kissed me. “I’m the one who is lucky. I’m excited to finally get our life started together, too.”

–

I felt nervous walking up to Jori’s pack house. Scythe and Percy were able to arrange the meeting with Jori after some convincing. Mark wanted to join me in the meeting, but I insisted he didn’t come. Jori and Mark didn’t get along as is. I didn’t want things to turn into a testosterone show off instead of having a productive conversation. I wasn’t even sure if I would be able to have a productive conversation after everything that went down with Jori and me.

I knocked on the door after a moment of convincing myself not to back down. As a future luna, I was sure this would be just one of the types of responsibilities. This meeting should be short, and then I would be back with Mark.

The door opened, and I was greeted by Percy and Scythe, standing hand in hand. I instantly felt better knowing they would be in the meeting with me. I knew Jori was more likely to keep it civil in front of others, especially one of his own pack members. The two of them led me to the meeting room where I first met Jori.

We were the first ones to arrive, and I felt a little strange sitting there. It hadn’t been that long since we were here, looking for answers, but so much had happened that it felt like a lifetime ago.

“He’ll be here soon,” Percy said. By the way his eyes had just glazed over, I knew Percy had just linked Jori. I missed that feeling. Since Mark and I hadn’t officially marked each other, we didn’t have that ability yet, but I was sure it would happen soon. We didn’t want to rush into it, especially when we were under threat.

The door opened, and a pain shot through my chest at the sight of Jori. It was less than it had been before, but being around him brought up the feeling of rejection from before. I wondered if he felt any pain like I did or if it was a one-sided pain.

Jori made eye contact with me, and I shuddered at his gaze. I could almost feel his hatred with a simple look. My nerves quickly began to grow, and I knew I had to start now before I quickly lost all of my nerves.

I stood up, trying to appear more confident than I felt. “Thank you for agreeing to meet me.”

Jori sat down in his chair, slouching back. He didn’t bother to say anything.

I swallowed hard and sat down as well. I continued, realizing Jori wasn’t going to say anything. “This is a courtesy meeting on behalf of Pack Aphelion.”

“Ah, you’re already speaking on behalf of his pack,” Jori said harshly. “Did he not even have the guts to face me himself?”

Instantly, I felt defensive from Jori’s words. I squeezed my fists together, trying to stay calm. Reacting to Jori’s rudeness would not get us anywhere. “I thought it best if I came by myself, given your history with Mark.”

Jori scoffed at me. “What makes you think you’re any better?”

I stood, my shoulders tense and my gaze pointed. “Jori, I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t want us to get on such negative terms, but you didn’t give me much of a choice. You didn’t respect me or what I wanted.” I took a deep breath, realizing my tone was getting out of hand. “Anyway, that’s not the point. I am merely here as a courtesy to let you know that Pack Aphelion will be moving to Asheville. It is in the best interest of our pack members to return.”

This got Jori’s attention, and he stood up as well. He looked down at me with rage coursing through him. “Are you trying to taunt me? Wave this betrayal pack in my face? Shove your love for Mark down my throat? I didn’t think you would go to such levels.”

I looked at the ground, feeling sad that Jori would jump to such conclusions. He truly never knew me as a person. He only wanted me because we were “soul mates”, but he didn’t want me for me. “No. That is not the reason. The reason is because Scythe and Percy are mates, which I’m sure you are fully aware of. It’s because our pack members are friends with yours, and we don’t want to keep them separated from each other any longer. We have no intention of starting anything with you. We don’t even have to associate with each other. I hope you believe me, but I don’t plan on trying to waste my energy on convincing you on this.”

I grabbed my things and started heading towards the door. I paused in the doorway and turned to face Jori. “I don’t want to hate you. Part of me still cares about you, too, but if this is how you plan on treating me, you better take a look in the mirror. How did you ever expect me to choose you with behavior like this?”

I didn’t give Jori a chance to respond before leaving. I said what I came to say, and I was eager to be back in Mark’s arms where I felt safe. I walked straight for the door, leaving Percy and Scythe behind as well. I rushed out the front door and went straight towards the car.

“Adira!”

I froze, hearing my name be called. Slowly, I turned around, seeing Jori standing on the porch. I didn’t say anything, knowing I had already said everything I needed to.

He walked towards me, but he stopped ten feet away from me. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I haven’t been treating you right. This hasn’t been easy on me.”

I blinked at him, still having nothing to say. An apology wouldn’t make up for everything.

He shifted on his feet. “I still need some space to get over everything that happened, but I hope maybe one day we can be friends. In case you don’t believe me, here.” He held out his hand. There was something small and covered in cloth on it.

I hesitated to grab it. Part of me wondered if he was being genuine or if this was some kind of trick. Finally, I closed the gap between us and grabbed the item from Jori’s hand. He nodded to me and then disappeared back into the pack house.

I looked at the item left in my hand. It was a silver medallion with a wolf etched in it. The detail in the silver was immaculate with little crescent moons surrounding the wolf. My heart swelled, looking at the item. I knew exactly what it was. It was Mark’s grandfather’s alpha medallion.

Hope filled me, knowing this was a big gesture. Maybe all of this would work out for us in the end, and we could live peacefully between the two packs.