Lunar Pack

Chapter 2

Rain sits up with a yawn and pushes the blanket off of him before remembering it hadn't been there the night before. There is also a scent that he wants to explore more. He picks the blanket up and holds it to his nose, taking a deep breath. It takes him a minute to place the scent but he suddenly remembers it. Its the scent of the alpha, a smell that had reminded Rain of springtime after a thunderstorm. Rain closes his eyes and smiles at the scent.

It suddenly occurs to Rain that he has no idea how long he slept. Usually, Rain wakes up early in the morning because his room is a small closet next to the kitchen. The servants come in early to bake bread and fix an elaborate breakfast for each member of the family. Rain doesn't own a watch or a phone, and the closet where he made his nest, doesn't let in sunlight. He just feels like it is late.

Rain quickly scrambles out of the nest and makes a marathon dash to the bathroom to wash his face and smooths down his hair. The family always demanded that he appear neat and clean no matter what. Any slip in hygiene, even if he were sick or exhausted, would earn Rain a punishment. He hesitates after washing up. He is still wearing the sweats and t-shirt the alpha gave him last night. He doesn't have anything to change into. Even the clothes he wore to the race are missing, taken by the alpha after Rain had changed. He doesn't even have a collar to put on. Rain has never gone collarless since he could remember. It's a little embarrassing, like walking around naked.

There isn't much choice, Rain sighs and goes downstairs. He is prepared to be reprimanded for his lack of decency and for being lazy, but the alpha only smiles at him and asks him if he is hungry. The human, beta Rain corrects himself, who is sitting at the table across from P'Phayu turns and also gives Rain a jolly smile. Rain realizes that it's the human that had first challenged Stop to race P'Pai last night.

"Rain, this is my twin, Saifah. You can call him P'Fah if you like." P'Phayu says. He goes to the kitchen and brings back a plate of food and a glass of juice. He motions Rain forward and indicates that he should sit at the table next to him.

Rain looks at P'Fah shyly, he has never eaten in front of anyone, not even the servants. At his old house Rain always took his meals alone in his room and had been required to wash his own things and put them away afterwards.

"Go ahead Rain, it's fine," P'Fah assures him, "We ate earlier. Yu and I were just discussing what to do with you."

What does he mean, what to do with him? Are they going to send him away? Of course, he can't expect them to give him a home forever, P'Phayu had said last night that they help shifters like him all the time and obviously none of them live here now. Rain just isn't sure he is ready to be with strangers. He doesn't examine the fact that he doesn't consider P'Phayu and P'Fah, or even P'Pai to be strangers even though he only met them the previous night.

"I would like you to stay here, Rain." P'Phayu says, surprising Rain. "Normally families in our network take in the alphas and omegas until they are ready to move on, we call it fostering. However, I just feel as if you are a special case," for some reason P'Fah snorts at this earning him a glare from P'Phayu, "I would feel more comfortable if you would be willing to stay here."

Rain considers this as he sits down. He drops his head and keeps his eyes on his plate. "I would like that," he says in a small voice.

He half expects P'Fah to be shocked at the first-person pronoun, but the man just says, "Good, we were hoping you would. I will see you both at the garage later. Eat, Rain, I am sure you are hungry, and my brother made this breakfast especially for you." P'Phayu gives a playful growl at this and P'Fah leaves the house laughing.

Rain examines his plate, he is starving. He hasn't eaten since breakfast yesterday morning. The old woman had him helping her hold her yarn all day yesterday and then Stop had taken him straight to the race. Rain is used to missing meals in this way.