Arise

“You okay?” Val held the door for me and we strode out of Johnson’s building. We walked down the steps and straight to the car. Val had promised me to meet up with her during lunch to just talk. I was fast to agree. It had been a while since we had hung out as friends.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” I pulled my purse over my shoulder and followed her to the car.

She stopped walking and turned around, giving me a look of disbelief.

“Fine. It’s been weird.” With Logan back in the house, I had made sure to be out of it for most of the time. “I wish I had moved my stuff earlier. It was so awkward going in and out of his room.” When I had left for the first time, I had dropped everything and stayed with Val and Caleb. Val had let me borrow her clothes, so it wasn’t a problem, but then his parents returned, and I decided to move back into the house. I had only moved a couple drawers of clothes out of Logan’s room and had went back and forth to retrieve any other essentials. Yesterday, I had realized there was far more clothes to move than I expected.

“Did he try talking to you?” Val reversed the car out of the lot and drove us to town for a late lunch.

I nodded. I had been avoiding Logan for the past couple days, ever since he arrived, but he sought me out yesterday morning. “He told me he found some of my clothes in his closet and asked me if I needed to move them back. I thought I would combust with embarrassment.”

Val tried to hide her smiled. “Why?”

I tucked my hair behind my ears. “Because I had to go back and forth between our rooms and it was just so awkward, and he was in his room the whole time just reading on his bed.”

“What book was it?”

“I don’t know. I was too busy with my own problems.” Val gave me another look and I muttered, “Percy Jackson.”

Val snickered as she made the turn to leave the territory. “Clearly, you still have feelings for him.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m trying to adjust with him there. On Monday, before I went to bed I almost kissed him goodnight!” I dropped my head against the window and groaned. Almost every night after Sam and Grace moved in, I would kiss their cheeks and hugged them before going to bed. In my process, I had almost done it to Logan but stopped myself short. It was awkward to say the least.

Val parked her car in front of Postcards and got out.

I blinked in confusion and opened the door. “Postcards?”

“We both need a drink, c’mon.” Val walked to the door, and without a question, I followed suit.

The two of us walked over the bar and sat ourselves down as the bartender approached us. “What will you ladies be having?”

“Water is fine, thanks.” I grabbed a napkin and folded its corners.

Val scoffed. “As if,” she looked over to the bartender. “Give us the hard stuff.” He nodded and left to make whatever it was we would be drinking.

I whipped my head to face her. “Okay, what is going on?”

“You need to loosen up.”

“It’s three in the afternoon.” I rested my arms against the bar and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“Somewhere in the world it’s midnight. Let’s drink to that!” She smiled as two shot glasses landed in front of us.

“What have you done to Luna?”

She laughed before downing the shot and winced at the burn in her throat. “Your turn, Beta.”

I rolled my eyes before grabbing the glass. Tilting my head back, I let the contents fall into my mouth and swallowed it with a groan. I coughed as whatever was in that glass burned my throat all the way down. I let out a breath and shook my head.

Alcohol was never my friend.

Val giggled as she got up and led me to a booth in the corner. “Now that we are comfortable, let’s talk.” Her eyes flashed vibrant before a wolfish smiled appeared on her lips.

I rested my head on my arms and smiled. “Okay.”

She frowned. “He told me what you said on the night of the full moon.”

I groaned and closed my eyes. Of course they were all on talking terms now.

“Why push him if he’s already down?”

I rolled my eyes. “I can’t reject him. This was the closest I could get.”

“You don’t want to be his mate?”

I eyed her, surprised by her defensive tone. “Am I allowed to answer that?”

She shrugged. “It’s an honest question.”

“Don’t judge my relationship when yours is so perfect.”

Her eyes dilated and she scrunched her face. “It’s not perfect.”

“Compared to my nonexistent one, it is. I think CeCe can attest to that. Where is she anyways?”

“Her parents are bringing the market back here in a couple weeks, so she's back there helping them.” She rested her elbows on the table and looked at me with a tilt in her head. “Maybe you should call a truce with Logan.”

The bartender came by with another round of glasses. I grabbed one immediately and downed it. I puckered my lips and inhaled.

She continued, “As Luna, I command you to be civil.”

I smirked. “I’m human; commands don’t work on me.”

“Worth a shot. Just give it try. Please, for me?” She bat her eyes and jut out her bottom lip, giving me her best puppy dog face yet.

I groaned. “If I do will you stop pestering me about it?”

She nodded vigorously, proving that alcohol did, in fact, have an effect on werewolves.

“Fine.”

With a squeal, she hugged me and laughed. Then she proceeded to order another round. . . and another, until she could no longer distinguish the time on the clock or the music around us. I had enough wits in me to stop Val from trying to order more. In her tipsy state of mind, she told me about what she was up to. There were disputes among pack members she had to deal with, which annoyed Caleb because he had other packs to negotiate with. She had fought with Caleb right before picking me up. It was no wonder why she brought me here of all places.

I hadn’t realized how much stress she was under as Luna, so I thought I would give her this time to let loose. By worrying about where my life would sit with Logan back, I had managed to ignore my best friend and her life.

“He talked about wanting kids,” she slurred.

My eyes widened, and I pulled the drink away from her hands. “That’s great, right?”

“It’s just not the time. A baby would complicate things.”

“Have you told him that?”

“How do you think the fight started?” She sighed and leaned back into the leather booth. “He just became Alpha a couple years ago. If I have a kid, the next step would be to raise him or her as an Alpha.”

I placed my hand on hers and squeezed it reassuringly. “It’s okay to not be ready yet. You’re young and want a life with him first. Don’t be afraid to admit it. If he only mentioned it briefly, chances are he’s not so sure himself, open to the idea. Nothing is set in stone yet, bud.”

Caleb and Logan found us three hours later, watching cat videos on Valerie’s cellphone.

One look at Caleb and she was melting into his arms seconds later. Logan grabbed my hands and pulled me off of the booth and out the door. Not a word was spoken from the ride back to the house, until he parked the vehicle.

He leaned his forehead against the wheel and took a deep breath. “Is she okay?”

I bit my lip and thought over what Val had suggested about my treatment of Logan. “She’s fine. Just a little shaken up after her fight with Caleb.”

“He told me.”

I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. “So, are you guys okay now?”

He lifted his head and stared out the window. “Working on it.”

I nodded, unsure of what else to say. There really wasn’t much to say. If I wasn’t going to be mean to him then I couldn’t cut his words or sneer at him. All that remained was an unending silence that I wished would just go away.

“CeCe and her parents are coming over for dinner in a couple of days.”

I just looked at him. My breath to shaky to speak. I swallowed. “Is she and Shaw. . .” If her parents had no idea about their relationship, then they would have to fake it. Something none of us supported. Even Shaw hated the idea of lying to her parents, but she wasn’t ready to admit the truth, whatever that may be.

“Yes,” he said with a clipped tone. He turned the ignition off and we both exited the car. I followed behind him into the house, but went straight to my room, shutting the door behind me.

It was getting harder to breathe now.

I had never seen so many people within the pack than I did at this very moment. People from all around the pack came to the Pack House to participate in the yearly Farmer’s Market brought by CeCe’s parents: Julia and Eddy. It took place in the open field behind the Pack House where they shifted every full moon. Even with the invite open to every pack member to shift as one on the full moon, the number of wolves who attended those paled in comparison to the number of wolves present today.

It was a perfect start to the beginning warmer temperatures.

I smiled at the sight in front of me. The wonderful smell of fresh produce hitting my nose and the sounds of excitement brought me a sense of joy. I hadn’t felt this sense of home in a long time and I was not ready to let it go.

I walked over to the stand run by Seb and Joann. They were helping Eddy’s workers sell the sweetest kinds of fruits. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a smoothie and a fruit kabob. My mouth drooled at the thought.

I pulled out five dollars and handed it to Joann. “Please give me the biggest cup of strawberry banana smoothie you can make, and I’ll love you forever.”

“Is that all it takes?” The voice behind me sent a shiver down my spine. “I’ll have what she’s having.” I didn’t turn to know it was Logan. I kept my back straight and waited for the smoothie to come in to my grasp. He didn’t need to see the blush rising on my face. Didn’t need to know that he still made my heart flutter just being near me.

The moment the smoothie was in my hands, I practically gulped most of it down blissfully.

I turned to look at him. He wore a plane red shirt with shorts, perspiration present on his face and locks of hair falling forward. Gray eyes wide and vibrant. He had just come from his morning run.

“Sorry, Logan. You’re going to have to wait until we can get some more milk.”

He pouted and stared at my cup. I rolled my eyes before giving it up to him. “Take the rest.”

His eyes brightened again, and the appearance of his dimple sent my heart soaring. He looked like a kid in a candy store. I smiled as we walked around each produce cart and watched people buying anything and everything.

Last night, Eddy and Julia had come over for dinner with Shaw and CeCe. I hadn’t believed CeCe when she had told me all those months ago that her parents believed she was in a happy relationship with Shaw. At dinner, they had shown more affection than I had ever thought was possible between them two. It was like we were in an alternate universe were those two were the happiest couple on earth. If I hadn’t known what they were truly like, I would’ve believed it too. It was unnerving.

When I had a moment with CeCe alone, she had broken down in silent tears. She hated lying to her parents. Hated that she couldn’t make it a reality. It broke my heart seeing her so heart broken.

Logan threw the cup in the garbage and folded his arms over his chest, watching CeCe and Shaw interact.

Her hair was black with pink ends now. Instead of her usually leather jacket and boots, CeCe had donned on a black halter top with boyfriend jeans and a pair of black slides. She was holding on to Shaw’s arm lovingly as he wore a dark blue flannel and black shorts.

I had expressed my concern for CeCe to Logan once they were gone. He had told me it was something they had maintained for so long it had become second nature.

I looked over to him, worry deep in my eyes. “What if something goes wrong?” I fiddled with the hem of my t-shirt, nervously.

He caught my fingers and squeezed them, sending tingles up my arm. “It’ll be okay. They’ve done this before.”

“But you didn’t see what I saw last night,” I said remember the exact moment Shaw’s demeanor changed. It was subtle, but I picked up on the change in his expression before he masked it again with a smile. He looked ready to give up. Ready to just drop the act and walk away, but he couldn’t.

Logan stepped in front of me, obstructing my view of the two of them. “If anything goes wrong, we can handle it.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards them. “We have a part to play as well.”

I frowned as we walked hand in hand to the four of them. CeCe had told her parents Logan found his mate, which meant we had to pretend everything was okay. And it was. It felt nice being like that with Logan, but in the back of my head I knew it was all just an act. I couldn’t make it true. Not after everything.

We neared them just when Caleb and Val met them with his parents.

Julia leaned into Eddy and smiled. “We are just glad to know CeCe has you as her mate. You two were made for each other.”

CeCe grinned and looked up at Shaw, biting her bottom lip.

I saw it coming before it even happened. It was the sudden curl of Shaw’s shoulders, causing me to look over to Val who held the same look of worry as me. She moved closer to Caleb and stared at me, waiting for me to move quickly before Shaw’s outburst.

He removed CeCe’s arm from his torso and stepped back. “I can’t do this. I can’t keep lying.”

All of us froze and the smile of CeCe’s face slowly receded. I knew he would confess it. Saw the words forming in his mind before speaking it out.

“I am so sick and tired of these lies.”

CeCe reached to grab his arm. “Shaw, what are you—”

“Tell them, CeCe. Tell them the damn truth. Tell them what I did!”

Her face paled. “Stop,” she mouthed.

This was not the time. This was not the place.

I turned to Logan and touched his face, bring his eyes to me. “You need to hold Caleb back. Now!” He looked at me confused. “He’s not going to like what Shaw is going to—”

“Tell them or I will.”

“That’s enough, Shaw!” I yelled as CeCe’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“Shut up, Rosie,” he sneered which brought a growl out of Logan’s lips as he stepped forward. “I’ll tell you.”

I said, “No, stop.” I stepped forward, nerves filling my stomach. This couldn’t come out like this. Not in front of the entire pack. Everyone was already staring at us.

Shaw looked at CeCe, hate clear in his eyes, anger clear in his voice. “Tell them how angry you made me. How miserable you were to be around me.”

“Caleb command him to stop.” But no one wanted to stop him. No one really knew what happened when she got that scar. They were going to find out and it wasn’t something they were ready to hear.

“Tell them how we got into that fight two years ago. How in my anger, I put a hand against my own mate.” He was shouting now. “How I gave you that damn scar that will never go away.” His chested moved up and down in heavy breaths.

The bustling of the market around us had ceased as the truth spilled from Shaw’s mouth.

A tear fell down CeCe’s cheek as she let out a weak breath. “Are you done,” she asked, barely audible.

He walked right up to CeCe. Stared her dead in the eyes and said, “I can’t even look at you. Because all I see is that scar.”

Before he could even finish his sentence, she slapped him across the face. “I hate you,” she slurred and walked away.

Luna Valerie whispered something into Caleb’s ear before trailing behind CeCe calling out her name. The sea of people parted as the two of them walked into the pack house, leaving everyone stunner. I turned my head to Logan and Caleb who were livid, baring their teeth at Shaw who was staring at the ground in submission, fire still in his eyes.

An angry Alpha was bad enough. But Logan’s anger egged it on. Val wasn’t here to calm Caleb down, but I could calm down Logan enough to stop Caleb before he ripped Shaw apart.

I slipped my hand around his bicep and tugged him. “Hey. Eyes on me Logan. Calm down.” He growled. “Come back to me Logan.” His eyes returned to their normal gray and his shoulders lifted. He pushed my arm off and stood next to Logan.

“This pack does not tolerate domestic violence. You have disrespected this pack, your family, her family, and CeCe herself. You are to stay within the pack territory. Walk off your anger and then report back to my office. We are not done discussing this.” Caleb headed back into the pack house just as Shaw dropped his shoulders in submission and walked into the forest.

Caleb and Logan’s parents appeared in front of us, taking CeCe’s parents away.

I tugged Logan’s arm, but his eyes remained on Shaw’s retreating figure. “I’m going to check on CeCe. Please, stay with Caleb and make sure Shaw doesn’t get hurt.”

He refused to look at me, probably angry once he realized I knew what Shaw had done. His jaw remained flexed and his fists clenched. I knew he heard me, so I rested my forehead against his arm and kissed it before letting go and running after Val and CeCe.