The Full Moon Effect

Chapter 11: Another Goodbye

Oh,

You have the tale twisted,

I am not what you thought.

You had me down as a damsel?

Darling, I'm the wolf.

-s.r.w.

**********

"Should I be worried?" I asked, leaning against the doorway of his office.

Jones looked up at me from his desk. "About what, little mate?"

"When Leyton became unhinged, he started spending a lot of time in his office."

He breathed a laugh. "Nothing to worry about then, unless it's in the privacy of our bedroom or the expansive forest."

"For you, it's only been mating or the office this week," I commented, cozying myself in the armchair in front of the window.

It was only a joke, but there was truth in it as well. While we were plowing our way through the houses for a week, Jones had been a hermit in his office. I knew he was busy trying to pick up the pieces of our packs that Leyton had left, but I couldn't help but miss him but he wasn't just gone physically. It was easy to tell he was having a difficult time turning his brain off, even in the middle of the night he would leave the bed, promising a quick return. But I'd followed him to the hallway window, which had easy access to the roof to find him sitting there, staring out at the trees as if Leyton would appear and he would have all the answers he'd been digging for. I'd gone back to sleep, allowing him his time to think, but was worried the hunt would begin to consume him.

"Would you like to combine those two, then?"

"Ha ha," I replied. "Maybe after we find Leyton and get everything in order. If I swiped all these papers off the desk right now I think you might literally take my heart as your trophy. Maybe when I'm done helping build the houses I can help you?"

Jones eyes raked over his desk and he hesitated in answering.

I tried not to let defensiveness rise up in me at his reluctance—I knew I had something to offer and there was some way I could help.

"Honestly, Tara, I don't have much of an update. Frazier and Anders and I have been communicating and reaching out to other packs, but no one's caught wind of Leyton. Even Advocate Cervantes hasn't been able to dig anything up around the time of Leyton's change or the attack on your pack. All the records look clean."

"I'm sure that'll just motivate her even more," I said encouragingly, rising from the chair as I felt Jones's distress.

"Maybe, but I hate waiting. This isn't a problem I can solve with action, not until I know which actions have already taken place and where it will be taking place in the future. It's like I'm...useless."

"Hey," I reprimanded, turning his swivel chair towards me and gripping his shoulders. "Just because you feel useless doesn't mean you are useless. You are not what you feel—take it from me. Feelings are fleeting, it'll pass, Jones. And if you don't want to feel useless and are tired of waiting," I pulled the hammer out of my belt and placed it down in his awaiting hand, "then I have just the task for you."

Over the course of the rest of the day, Jones slowly returned to normal. Working with his hands and interacting with his Betas had him smiling and covered in sweat by the the time sunset rolled around.

As everyone went home for dinner, I wrapped my arms around him. "Do you want to go for a run, big mate?"

Whether it was my teeth grazing his ear or the thrill of the chase as I propelled myself into the trees, he wasted no time in following.