The Moons Gift

Chapter 5: The Day

I wake up confused. Draken is beside me, sleeping soundly and I'm not sure why I didn't wake up when he walked in. There hasn't been a time where I didn't wake up to his cries or his footsteps. I hope he didn't suffer too much while I was gone but I know it's not my presence that comforts him — my scent is enough for him to fall back asleep.

When I look over to my alarm clock I see that the time is way later than I expect. Seven thirty is much too late for me to go on the jog I have been missing out on. We plan to leave around eight and I haven't even gotten up yet! I can't believe I'm late on the day of our trip!

I don't pay much attention to moving around my brother, I know he'll go back to sleep eventually, as I jump out of bed to get ready. My shower time must've been a record. At this point I know I'll have to wear my hair up or it'll drench my shirt; I can't blow dry my hair or it will poof out to the size of an afro no matter what I do. I brush it and quickly put it into a neat, loose bun and brush my teeth so I can get a move on.

When I've got my shoes on I basically fly down the stairs; I skip two at a time. My father is relaxing in his usual seat at the island and jumps when he hears me storm down the stairs.

"What's going on?" he immediately jumps up and is ready to take on anything.

"I woke up late," I exclaim and rush to the fridge.

I can hear his sigh of relief and he sits down while I grab a water bottle and reach into the island to grab a banana. My father absentmindedly reaches for my water as he starts to reread something from the alpha. Without a thought I hand him the bottle and take a seat next to him.

"When are we leaving?" I peel the banana from the bottom and take a small bite.

"Five minutes," he sits my now open bottle next to me, "I'm sure you're all packed."

"You know me too well."

Approximately five minutes later, after I've finished my banana and water and Dad has reread the paper enough times to memorise it, we stretch while we stand. I down the last bit of water and twist the bottle so it easily fits in our recycling bin. Alone, I am able to fill our recycling bag in three days due to how much water I consume. Before Dad makes his way to the door I make sure to grab a bottle for the road.

"You do know there's a cooler of water in the car for you, right?" Dad chuckles as he walks towards my bags behind our dark coloured couch. I've never been able to tell what colour it is exactly. Brown or black? This couch is from my childhood and I can't even distinguish between the colours.

"Stevie?"

I bring my myself from my frustrated state to look questioningly at my father. Oh, the cooler! "Yeah, I know," I chuckle. "Let me carry the bag."

"It's alright," he refuses while opening the door. "I may be old but I haven't grown weak."

Without hesitation I knock on our wooden door twice.

Dad rolls his eyes and begins the short journey to the alpha's house. "You and your superstitions."

"You'll thank me someday."

After a few moments of silence I suddenly ask, "are we bringing our females?"

"No, the alphas that will be there are not looking at the moment. This is sort of a meeting for the alphas and as a favour to Alpha Jacob they are bringing their females."

I only nod in response.

This will be quite the road trip. Ryan and I have rode separately from our fathers since he's been able to drive and I'm thankful for that. When we had to ride with them we never wanted to speak too loudly in fear of them getting annoyed somehow. Since it's just us, we listen to music and feel tranquil on our long journey. It's ironic how we wanted to drive separately so we could talk but we hardly do.

My absolute favourite thing is watching the scenery go by. The amount of unkempt fields and mountains I have seen are uncountable. That's something that has always calmed me, watching or being in nature. Deserts and canyons aren't things I enjoy even though they are technically nature. I prefer the abundant amount of life from the forests, the number of different plants and animals are unimaginable.

One thing Ryan will do for me when I'm having a bad day is drag me through our forest and to our specific spot. It's a small clearing of many species of wild flowers. He will sit there with me until the sadness will fade away into nothing. I am lucky to have him in my life, there is no telling what I would do without him.

My arm is nudged and I'm yanked from my memories to realise we're here. Ryan has taken my bags from Dad and is placing them in the car while we wait for Alpha Jacob.

"Are you still feeling off about this trip?" I look up at my father with my eyebrows drawn together.

"Extremely," he doesn't look down at me. "I know you will be safe, though, and that keeps my worries at bay." Dad looks directly at Ryan when we walks back over. "Don't let her out of your sight when I'm not around."

"I never do," Ryan replies with ease. They both watch over me like hawks but I have grown up with this; I'm used to it.

"Are you guys ready?" Alpha Jacob suddenly asks when he walks out from his large wooden door.

We nod and go our separate ways. Ryan places his hand on the small of my back to lead me to the shiny black car. It's nice to have Ryan so close to me; it's comforting.

He closes the door after I've stepped in and quickly goes to his side. Our journey to Florida will be long but in two days we will see if Ryan can find his mate.