The Chronicles of Moon

Full Moon

“WAKE UP!!!!”

Moon’s voice is echoing off the walls of the halls in the pack house, causing everyone to groan a bury their heads into their pillows.

“IF YOU DON’T GET UP, BEN, I’M MAKING BREAKFAST!” Moon yells again.

Beta Jake pokes his head in his son’s room and laughs. “Come on, son, you promised her.”

“I didn’t say the crack of dawn, though.” Ben grumps as he sits on the side of the bed and tries to clear the cobwebs out of his sleepy mind.

By the time Ben makes it down for breakfast, everyone is eating already. The Big Springs pack is so small the only families that live in the pack house are the Alpha and Beta families. Ben’s mom gives him a warm smile.

“There you are. I was worried Moon would have to make breakfast for you.” Kim giggles a little. Moon wiggles happily in her seat, eating her waffles and dripping syrup everywhere.

“I wanted to live through the day,” Ben says, eyeing the mess Moon is making and handing her a napkin before sitting down.

“I can cook. I just have to remember not to leave the room for too long.” Moon interjects

“Or mix up the salt and sugar.” Kim smiles at Moon, and Moon’s face turns bright red.

“Oh, that cake was bad, wasn’t it?” Moon covers her face spilling a little more syrup.

“It’s okay, Hun. We all mess up when we are learning.” Alpha Mark comes to Moon’s defense, smiling at her warmly. Moon wipes up some of the syrup, but in all actuality, she really just made it worse. Moon has never made it through a meal without spilling something, and anyone sitting near her must be on high alert. Moon once spilled an entire pitcher of lemonade on a visiting Alpha and his Beta.

Ben finishes eating and gets up to put his plate in the dishwasher. Moon follows him eagerly, tripping over the chair leg, and ben catches her before she falls.

“Don’t hurt yourself before we get to the party tonight. Also, happy birthday Moon.” Ben says, laughing a little.

“Thanks, I thought you forgot,” Moon says, following him to the kitchen.

“No, I didn’t forget. How could I with you yelling for me to get up? But we aren’t kids anymore, and this is really the last year for this silly tradition. Do you hear me, Moon?” Ben says, looking at the girl seriously as she licks the last of the syrup off her plate.

“What?” she replies.

“Oh, forget it; come on,” Ben says, rolling his eyes and heading to the back door that will head straight for the woods.

The pair take off, and soon, Moon pushes his shoulder and takes off running. Ben chases after finding himself smiling at Moon and her crazy antics. Yes, she’s a klutz and a pain, but she is funny and cares for people deeply. For every flaw, she has some wonderful redeeming qualities that others seem to miss. She is like a sister to him, and he hopes one-day others will see her for her heart and not the destruction she tends to bring with her.

Ben got his wolf over a month ago, and Moon was right; Emily is his mate. They are waiting to bring her to the pack house after graduation next week, and Ben can’t wait to spend the rest of forever with Emily, but today is the last day of a childhood tradition.

Moon runs faster threw the trees, and as the water comes into view, Moon stops running. She looks at the lake hidden in the trees and smiles; this has always been her favorite place and if you can’t find her, just look around Moon Lake, and you will find her. The lake was named for Alpha Marks’s great-grandpa and has been a pack secret for just as long.

Big Springs pack is far away and secluded from the prying eyes of humans and other wolf packs. They have a few allies, but Alpha Mark has always been leery of outsiders. He only trusts a few other Alphas. He doesn’t like how they all just seem power hungry and want to be the biggest and baddest pack around.

Alpha Mark has always cared more for the quality of life his pack has and enjoys than the size of it. There are less than 300 in the pack, and it is more of a family than any other Ben has seen when visiting a few other packs with his Dad.

Moon takes a big breath and grabs the rope hanging from the tree. Smiling at Ben. “Well, come on then one last time, Benny.”

“Don’t call me that Moon,” Ben grumbles as she laughs and grips the rope tight, swinging out over the water. She lets go squealing like a child and landing in the water. The drop-down to the water is only about five feet, nothing compared to the twenty-foot waterfall she pulled him over before. Ben pulls off his shirt and runs, grabbing the rope swinging out over the water.

He splashes down and comes up looking for Moon. She splashes him in the face, and the water fight is on. Both knowing this will be the last time they get to be children, and they are taking full advantage of that.

When they finally get out of the water, Moon is out of breath, looking off across the lake as she sits down.

“Ben. I think you should be Alpha.” Moon says suddenly. “ I can’t be. We both know I’m no Alpha and don’t want to be. I’ll just mess up. But Gramps is getting older, and the pack will need one, and I think it should be you.”

“Wow, Moon, better not let Alpha Mark hear you talk like that. You know how he feels; he wants you to take his place.” Ben says, feeling a little shocked that she would just say all that.

“I have told him Ben, and he says when I get my wolf and find my mate, I will be fine, but I know he’s wrong. I won’t get my wolf, tonight. I don’t even feel my wolf yet like I’m supposed to. I told Grandpa that I didn’t want a party, and he finally agreed to let me just find out on my own tonight if I have a wolf or not. I know there is a bet going around that I don’t have a wolf or that it will be a weak omega wolf or all kinds of stuff. No one will respect me as an Alpha, but I think they will except you, Ben. Just say you will think about it, okay. I don’t want the pack to suffer because of me.” Moon finishes, and Ben looks at her, still feeling shocked she had all that to say. Moon is generally so fun and innocent that it’s easy to forget she is smart and knows what everyone thinks of her.

“How about I go with you tonight, Moon,” Ben suggests.

“No, thank you. This is something I want to do on my own, please,” Moon says, smiling at him. “Come on, I bet Emily is waiting for you at the pack house, and I don’t need her mad at me.” Moon giggles getting up and brushing off her now mostly dry shorts and tank top.

Ben grabs his shirt and slips it on as they walk back. Emily knows that Moon is like a sister to him, and she knows about today’s tradition. She won’t be mad at anyone, but Ben does want to go and see Emily.

They make it back to the packhouse, and Moon is right. Emily is there waiting for Ben. Moon smiles as Emily throws herself into Ben’s arms.

“Guess what? I don’t have to wait ’til next week to move in. My parents said I can move in tonight.” Emily squeals happily. Moon is happy for them, but she doesn’t need to be here for the conversation. She slips away unnoticed. She plans to sit in her room and wait for the full moon to rise.

She plans on spending the day alone as much as she can. She knows her grandpa wants to spend her birthday celebrating, but that isn’t what Moon wants, and she convinced him just to let her have one birthday to herself.

***

Night is falling as Moon heads to the woods. She did have cake with grandpa, and he gave her a beautiful gold neckless with a full moon hanging on it. She feels the little moon hanging from the chain and smiles. She knows that he loves her no matter what happens tonight. Even if she doesn’t have a wolf, she is loved and will be cared for.

Moon walks further into the woods and finds a little clearing. She did bring a book and a flashlight. If she was going to sit in the woods, she was at least going to read. Moon sits by a tree and leans her back against it, just watching the sky turn shades of pink and orange.

As the sky shifts to indigo, Moon pulls her hoodie on and grabs her book and light. She can’t feel anything she is supposed to feel before a shift and knows that it won’t happen, but she thinks the least she can do is wait for the full moon to rise. The first shift is supposed to happen on the first full moon after your eighteenth birthday.

Moon sits reading for hours, looking up as the moon travels overhead slowly threw the trees. Moon is still the same as when she walked into the woods, wolfless and alone. The faint howls get her attention, and she runs and trips through the woods. She knows that wasn’t the howls of the patrol. It was the howl of a rogue attack.