Flight 118: A Woman’s Future

Jonah and I didn’t get to talk about my revelation after that. At least, not immediately.

The next few hours were emotionally and physically draining; spent answering question after question then helping injured people. Jonah had tried to push it off a few hours, insisting I was tired, injured, and needing to rest.

After Eric insisted on me debriefing them, reminding us how important it was to know who, why, and what to protect the territory, I agreed. Convincing Jonah was a bit harder until I suggested we could eat while there. That way when we were done we could go straight upstairs and not have to come back down for food.

When I agreed, though, I did not expect it to take so long. Maybe they could feel I wasn’t giving them the whole story. But, despite everything that happened, I didn’t necessarily want the women caught. I didn’t think they’d hurt them. But, the shifter had chosen to give herself a mission in life. Even if I didn’t agree with how she was doing it, I did recognize how important it was. I didn’t want her to be stopped. At least, not because of me.

With Clarisse, well after how we parted I knew forcing her back here would just make things worse. For everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted her to come back. Hopefully, though, wherever she was she was safe and would come to realize she had been wrong. The packs weren’t trying to force people to stay or do anything against their will. When we first came, they were our saviors; rescuing us from the plane crash and potentially worst situations. Those of us who left should have realized how lucky we were.

The world we now lived in was one none of us knew how to navigate. Yet, Clarisse had lucked out with not having to really experience any of the outside dangers. She didn’t understand how we needed a place to keep us safe and teach us how to live in the world before we were thrust into it. Between those reasons and the reality that they could possibly never have wives or mates if they didn’t meet with us; well it wasn’t a super big deal when they asked us to stay until they saw if there were other mates amongst our numbers. They did promise no one would be forced to do anything, even if they were a mate. I mean, while we were waiting to meet all these new shifters we were given places to stay, food, and now training on things like growing crops or self-defense. I genuinely could not see why Clarisse had such an issue with it. But that didn’t mean I wanted to be the reason why she was forced back here. Convincing her to come back, if we could find her, would be one thing. But after all that happened recently, I doubted she could be convinced any time soon.

So, yes, I exempted some things when I was telling them what had happened. I told them what Clarisse had done and how I came to be knocked out, and subsequently kidnapped. Even if I didn’t consider what had happened was a kidnapping. I mean, I woke up in the same woods I had been knocked out in and let go soon after.

I told them vague information about how the woman was indeed the person traveling around the place, rescuing women from men who bought them from The Gathering. “In fact, that’s how Clarisse got her to try and take me. Even if I was a shifter’s mate, she’s made it her goal to rescue those who were taken against their will. Clarisse just didn’t tell her I didn’t need or want rescuing.”

We once more sat in Eric’s office for the conversation. Jonah kept me on his lap, refusing to let me go. While I felt both like rolling my eyes and smiling happily at the fact, it was useful to calm him each time he growled in anger at parts of my story. He was so loving that between holding me to him and his growls reverberating up my body, he would raise a sandwich to my lips each time I wasn’t talking.

Eric did try to get more out of me. I wasn’t really withholding information. I was just choosing my words carefully. Like, I wasn’t coming straight out and saying the woman was a shifter. But I was addressing her mannerisms when I woke up and what she said. I also didn’t tell them about how I thought this mission was a personal one. It was not necessary to tell them what happened.

“See, I don’t think we have anything to worry about from her. Anymore.” I corrected myself when the rumblings filled the room. “This was all because of Clarisse...and even she regretted how things went down. She told me when she left.”

“The thing is, Luna, we have no guarantee this won’t happen again. What if Clarisse can’t let go of her anger towards us and starts something again? Or this woman...what happens when a shifter next finds his mate at The Gathering and has to buy her to avoid all-out war? Will she try and take more mates?”

I sighed at Eric’s understandable statement, even if it wasn’t what I wanted them to start thinking about. I quickly chewed and swallowed the bite of food in my mouth, at Jonah’s insistence, before objecting.

“I really don’t think that will happen. I mean, she let me go when I told her I wasn’t being held against my will. Besides, I understand what she’s trying to do. She’s not trying to hurt people or take people away from loving relationships. Only those who are in need of help.”

“And we understand that. We personally can agree with that. But as leaders who have to keep some semblance of control and agreement with the humans, we can’t keep Gatherers out of the surrounding area by our clear abhorrence of kidnapping, then not do anything when someone else is kidnapping women.”

My mouth opened in objection. It was not the same thing.

Eric shook his head and finished speaking, stopping any objection I had. “Even if we agree with what she’s doing. It’s politics. A thin line is what we walk to keep the peace between shifters and humans. No exceptions can be made.”

My breath came out in a huff of annoyance, but I understood what he was saying. “She’s not the one who did all this, though. Clarisse started all of this. And that was all my fault-”

Jonah’s snarl cut through my sentence. “No. It. Wasn’t. This happened at no fault of yours, Mine. I told you that before. She may have not had ill intentions for you all, but she chose her path.”

“But I was her friend! I was supposed to be there for her after I realized she wasn’t happy here. Before that, even. If I had just paid attention to her more, I could have stopped all of this.”

The man who responded to me was one of the plane crash survivors. I had seen him before at times, but I had never talked to him before. He must be that O’Connor person Jonah had mentioned before. The one who helped them when I was gone.

He was attractive in a dark and dangerous kind of way. He screamed deadly. His eyes were dark, sharp, and calculating. Things I could see associated with a soldier based on books I had read.

“You and I both know that would have done nothing. She’s 18, an adult in age. But her mentality is one of a rebellious teen who wants things her way. One who thinks she’s an adult and thinks she knows everything but sees things in shades of only black and white. She doesn’t understand all that goes on. Only sees what she wants to. Nothing you or anyone could have said or done would have helped this. This is something that teens have done since...forever. The only way this gets fixed is for her to grow up, mentally. And the only way that’ll happen is for it to be forced upon her or her to change herself.”

I winced a little. He was right. Now that he had said it, I could see the similarities between her and just about every rebellious teen I had ever read about, watched on TV, or encountered in life.

My voice came out small. “That doesn’t mean we should just let her be forced into situations that will make her grow up. And that’s what will happen if she’s out there on her own.”

Jonah agreed. “We’ll try and track her down. Bring her back.”

I started shaking my head before he was done. “No, no. That would just make things worse. He’s right…” I nodded my head towards O’Connor. “If she doesn’t decide to come back on her own, it’ll just make things worse.”

O’Connor nodded. “I’ll track her down. I can try and keep her safe if or until she decides to come back.”

“Really? You’d do that? How are you going to track her down?”

There was a glint in his eyes I couldn’t tell the meaning of. “She’s just a kid and she’s one of us. Of course, I’d do that. Besides, tracking’s kind of my thing.”

After more talking, more questions, and more being fed by Jonah we were done. The relief and exhaustion which hit me were almost instantaneous. I couldn’t wait to get back to our room to take a bath, clean my many wounds, and sleep. Not necessarily in that order.

Jonah lifted me in his arms and we left to stop just as fast. There were quite a few people who were still injured and needing help. Most looked like humans who were ones from the town.

Even though I barely had any energy and was injured myself, I made Jonah put me in a chair. Whether they were our attackers or not, they had injuries worse than mine. I couldn’t in good conscience go upstairs to relax and sleep while they were still hurting.

Jonah wasn’t happy with it. Not because he didn’t care about them but because he cared about me more. In the end, he hovered around me while I sat and helped others, waiting for the moment I was done to whisk me away hours later.

The next morning came with me groaning and blinking groggily at the bright light streaming through the window. Everything hurt; my body, my head, even my eyes. A thick arm pulled me closer to a warm body, bringing a gentle smile to my face.

Not wanting to attempt moving just yet I ran my fingers along his arm, tracing veins and light brown arm hair. Even in his sleep, he was happy with me touching him because there were soft, yet deep noises coming from him. If I didn’t know any better I would think it was a purr. A grin tugged at the corners of my lips at the thought. If he had heard that I just know he would have something to say about it.

My exploration of his arm must have woke him up because the next thing I knew his nose was nuzzling into my neck. I giggled and flinched away.

“Stop, that tickles.”

His breath blew across the side of my neck as he chuckled and continued to nuzzle me. When he spoke my entire body vibrated from his chest. “Come now, Mine. You know you like it.”

I laughed and jerked away, groaning from the soreness in my body and laughing from the ticklish feeling he kept giving me both at the same time. My neck was one of the biggest ticklish spots of my body.

“No! No, please. Stop!” I kept squirming and laughing.

He chuckled and finally stopped, kissing me on the neck he had just been tickling and then pulling me back to his body. This time, though, I was on my back and able to see him.

“You know you love that, baby. Love me.” He said it teasingly but there was a soft look in his eyes.

My smile softened as I looked up at him. Raising my hand to his face I nodded. “Yes, I do. I love you.”

The happiness that spread across his face was breathtaking. He leaned down to kiss my lips once, and then twice. Pulling back he smiled down at me. “I love you too.”

I grinned cheekily, “I know.”

He laughed, throwing his head back. “Of course you do! I’ve never made it a secret. But I won’t ever stop letting you know.”

I laughed softly with him and then shook my head. “I know. But you show me and tell me every day, in everything you do. I don’t know how I got so lucky. And I don’t know why I fought it so long. I’m sorry for that. I feel like I wasted so much time.”

The furrow between his brow wiped away his smile as he shook his head. Then he grabbed my face to make sure I met his eyes. “Listen to me, Emilia. I’m the lucky one here. And if you insist on it, I could be persuaded to say we are both lucky. But it won’t really make a difference. You gave me a chance to live. A chance I never would have gotten before.”

His face softened and he leaned down to give me an Eskimo kiss, brushing his nose against mine. Then he continued. “And there’s nothing you need to be sorry for, Mine. You needed time to adjust to...everything. I always knew that. I understand that. Don’t ever feel sorry about anything, my Luna. Let alone that.”

“Yes, but after everything that happened yesterday...being attacked and not knowing if I’d ever see you again, even for a brief moment, was horrible. I didn’t want to have wasted our time or never be able to tell you how I felt. I don’t want to go through life not knowing what it’s like to truly be with the love of my life.”

He pulled away to look at me, a serious look on his face. His eyes kept moving fast between mine, looking for something. “Do y- are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

I nodded, my eyes cutting to the side and then back shyly. Licking my lips, I prayed for some more courage. After taking a deep breath I nodded again, looking up at him with a pink tint to my cheeks. “Yes, I am.”

“But...I thought you wanted to wait longer. Until we know each other better; until we go home.”

I shook my head. I had given a lot of thought to this, going back and forth. Making sure I wasn’t just making a decision based on fear. But I knew it wasn’t like that. I had been waiting for someone like him my entire life and didn’t realize it. I wasn’t going to wait any longer.

“I don’t want to wait any longer. We’ve waited long enough and yesterday just helped me realize. I don’t want to spend another moment not being your mate. In more than just name, that is.”

At his silence I began to get nervous, trying to read his face. Did I make a mistake? Did he want to wait? But he ended my panic quickly, as he smiled and brushed my hair back.

“You’re sure? Really sure?”

I nodded. “I am...are you? I can wait-”

His kiss cut me off. Pulling back after a few moments he gave a mischievous look. “I hope you’re not hungry. I may act like a gentleman but I’ve been holding back. It hasn’t been easy waiting. Now that I have you we aren’t leaving this room until you’re completely mine.”

I blushed but nodded. Leaning up, I kissed his lips then kept kissing up the length of his jawline to his ears. Then I whispered, “Then make me yours quickly, Mate. You know how much I enjoy my food.”

He growled playfully and lunged at me, rolling on top of my body and nibbling my lips. “Don’t worry...you won’t be thinking of food for a while, Mine.”

I laughed and as we kissed I knew he was right. I didn’t care about anything but beginning our future...finally.