Moonless

Chapter 47

AN; Wow! This story has 5950 reads and 866 votes!? I might get those 1,000 votes after all! New goal is 10,000 reads! Anyways, enjoy!-Sam
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Grayson picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

I smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Hi."

"Aurelia!? Thank the Moon Goddess! I wasn't sure if you would be able to call again. Are you alright?"

I peered out the car's window. The front of the dinner was made up of completely glass, just like Al's Dinner. Above its swinging doors, a neon sign flashed the name Babies. Through the glass, I could see Annie and Liam being sat down at a booth by a waitress in a Santa hat and a 50s uniform, which was a lot more conservative than the one I and Annie wore back in Pine Ridge. Every booth was packed tightly with people, despite the restaurant being in the middle of nowhere.

"Yeah, I'm alright? Are you okay?"

"I'm as okay as I can be not knowing where you are. I'm stuck at Black Lake. I tried to get a flight back home, but all the flights were all booked up because of the holidays."

"I'm..." I began to jiggle my leg, suddenly full of anxiety. I was remembering Liam's warning to me. "I'm not sure if I should tell you, I can't have you interfering. Not until I resolve some things."

Liam was now saying something to Annie that appeared to have caught her interests. Her blue eyes had gone wide and she was now leaning over the table.

"Please Aurelia, I'll help you with whatever you are doing. I just need to be with you. I need to keep you safe! There is no way that you are Liam's sister. All Luneras that are born at Red Crescent is sacrificed to the dark god, the enemy of the Moon Goddess."

I swallowed. "I want you to be here with me too. But that's the reason you can't, I'm the only one that survived the Dark One, this dark god, and I don't know why. Liam doesn't know why either, and that's what we are trying to figure out. Because something really bad is happening"

There was a long pause on the other side of the phone. "How do you know that he is telling you the truth? How do you know you are really the daughter of Alpha Nelson?"

"Liam brought me...somewhere that jogged my memories. I remember everything from my childhood now, except how I escaped."

"You mean he kidnapped you while I was away, so he could get you wrapped up in something so dangerous that you  can't tell me where you are or what exactly you are doing!?"

"Liam did not kidnap me. The alpha figured out we were mates, he came to kill me. And if Liam hadn't interfered, he would have succeeded."

"WHAT!?"

"He came to the attic with a picture of my mother, Alpha Nelson's mate, and tried to convince me to kill myself, but I fought back instead. And I was saved by the forest spirits and Liam's magic."

Grayson let out a loud snarl. "I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!!"

"Grayson..."

"No, I've had enough, this needs to be over! He can hurt me all he wants, he can't hurt you! I was ready to kill him when I saw him slam your head against that table. But I was a coward. I won't make that mistake again, he will not take you away from me!"

"He's a lot stronger than you! A lot stronger than anyone in the pack! You won't win, you'll just end up getting yourself killed!"

"Not if I claim my mate. So I'm going to ask again, where are you?"

"Grayson I can't tell you..."

"You know if you won't tell me where you are, I did find someone that could be my mate at Black Lake."

I felt like a dagger of ice had been stabbed through my heart.  "Glad you were able to find another mate..."

I jerked the phone away from my ear and hurriedly pressed the end button before he could say anything else to hurt me more.

Grayson's name immediately popped up on the screen and I shut off the phone and slipped it back inside my pocket.

Tears were beginning to slip down my face and I hurriedly swiped them away. I got out of the car and shuffled into the dinner.

Well, I had gotten my wish. Grayson had found another mate. It was probably better this way always.

The smell of cheeseburgers and fries filled my nose the second I stepped inside. I walked up to the booth where Liam and Annie sat.

They were so deep in conversation that they didn't notice me at first when I walked up to them.

"So she had amnesia for nine years and didn't remember you at all!?"

"Yep, and when I finally tracked her down, I realized she had been placed with a family in Pine Ridge."

I slid into the seat beside Liam. "So you tried to get in contact with her but coming to the dinner..." Annie's eyes shifted to me.

"Aurelia... I mean Everlee. Your life could literally be made into a Life Time movie! It's so wild all the things that happen to you! Do you mind telling me what the integration program is?"

I stiffened and shot a look at Liam.

What had he told her!? I just hope his explanation had not involved werewolves.

Liam frowned at me. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You look like you've been crying."

I locked eyes with Annie, now desperate to change the subject. "The people of Pine Ridge decide a long time ago to..isolate themselves from most of the outside world. But recently, they decided that it might be in their better interest if at least some of the members of Pine Ridge could act as a bridge between themselves and the outside world."

What I was saying was true. But we were the bridge because we wouldn't change into wolves. Which meant if we got upset, we didn't tear apart a human. And we could function rationally on a full moon. So the Luneras could be a sort of buffer.

"But why has Pine Ridge chosen to be so isolated? Is it for some reason like some religious reason..."

"No. And I wouldn't share anything that I just told you with anyone. Your brother may not be able to protect you if you do."

Annie made a noise of disgust. "Come on, when you say things like that to me and not want me to investigate!?"

I shook my head at her and let my eyes drift out the window.

My eyes land on a woman standing on the other side of the road, across from the dinner. Her dark brown hair fell way past her waist. She was dressed in a long flowing black dress. On her nose, a pair of cat-eyed sunglasses were perched. Black smoke wafted off her skin like her body had been on fire and someone had just extinguished it and spared her golden olive skin.

She lifted her hand and waved at me before evaporating into a cloud of black smoke.