The Full Moon Ritual

Chapter 4. Running away

"You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry, And be sure to smell the flowers along the way."
-Walter Hagen

Chapter 4. Running away

Michael arrived at his home after which he discarded his clothes and put on some fresh ones to get rid of the smell of different scents which his clothes had absorbed from the celebration. He put them in the laundry thinking that his maid would just dry clean them off. He blamed the Moon Goddess for his mate not being punctual and on time. Some part of his wolf nagged him to go back or to check if his mate is alright but he shut him off. He had the finest investigators in the country, if he wanted to he could have just went out to search for her but, his ego blinded him too much. He powered on his laptop and checked his email before setting of for work, his fingers gracefully flying on the keyboard.

Hazel, on the other hand, was drowning herself in a tub of ice cream and bawling her eyes out. She was scared, scared of the future, scared of tomorrow. She was after all twenty one years old and afraid of banishment. Scarlet looked at her friend with her eyes filled with remorse as she ran her hand on her back in a circular motion, attempting to calm her. Even Gavin pitied Hazel and shared worried looks with Scarlet.

"What am I going to do?" Hazel sobbed out, putting her head in her hands.

"Well, you could try talking to the Alpha." Scarlet suggested.

"Not going to work. Three people tried that last year, didn't work." Gavin said, nonchalantly.

Scarlet glared at him and continued soothing Hazel.

"I don't want to be a rogue! No one will accept me in then and I will have that disgusting scent all over me." Hazel whined, still sobbing.

"We'll think of something." Scarlet assured.

"You can try running away from here." Gavin shrugged.

Both the girls looked at him with wide eyes "What?"

"Think about it. Leave the place. Then you won't have to be a part of the banishment ceremony which means that you'll still be a member of the Water Pack. Leave, go find a nice and decent apartment. Me and Scarlet will fill your bank account till you're financially stable." He said and  Hazel stared at him in disbelief yet his idea intrigued her.

"What about my mom? And my brother?" Hazel asked.

"We'll tell them. And they're our family too, we'll take care of them for you." Gavin said. Scarlet thought of Hazel's mom as her own so they went along well.

"You would really do that for me?" Hazel whispered.

"Anything. It'll be our little secret." Gavin winked and smiled at her while Scarlet seemed unfazed by the suggestion.

"No, you can't leave. This is your home and I need you." Scarlet said, her eyes brimming with tears.

"It's the only option I have." Hazel said and hugged her friend.

"I just want you to think it through. If it's a good idea then you should." Scarlet mumbled.

"I should." Hazel smiled weakly at her friend.

She changed out of her dress and opened her bun, letting her brown hair cascade down her shoulders. She used her make-up remover to remove the smears of dried mascara off her face and changed into a simple shirt with blue jeans and wore sneakers. Even her wolf was sad; they sure have made a lot of memories here. Scarlet lent her a duffel bag, fit for the essentials and Hazel started shoving stuff inside. She looked at the clock which said 10:32. She would not leave for another hour and a half. She went out to see that they have warmed up leftovers of a large chicken pizza with coke which all of them ate in silence. Hazel did the dishes and roamed her eyes across the cottage which she and Scarlet owned.

It wasn't a very big place, just enough to fit two to four people. There was their bedroom which had a double bed with an almost worn out mattress and a side table with a lamp and an alarm clock on it. The drawer consisted of books and magazines which Hazel would read when alone or bored. A dressing table was a must to have and a full sized mirror hung beside it. Another door led to the washroom which had their favorite scented shampoos and conditioners. She had made sure to put those in her bag too. There was a cupboard which had their clothes and other essentials. There was a small kitchen with a stove, a fridge and some cabinets. The lounge had two couches on it and a television. She sure will miss this place.

She checked her bag again with the help of her two friends to see if she had missed something which she hadn't, all was in there- shirts, jeans, some pairs of shoes, tin canned food, water bottles, socks, hairbrush and a few ponies and pins. She stuffed her mobile phone in one pocket and many dollar bills in the other one. Gavin confirmed her account number and told her strictly to use it properly. Hazel chuckled and assured her that she would. She was grateful that she had friends like them.

It was about 11:50 and all of them were in their room, Scarlet clinging onto Hazel like her life depended on it. "Promise me you'll stay in contact." She mumbled.

Hazel smiled at her friend "I promise."

"I know all about your promises." Scarlet rolled her eyes "I will exercise tomorrow, I promise or I will do the laundry, I promise or I won't punch Gavin in the face using my fist, I promise" Scarlet mimicked her friend.

"Hey, I love punching Gavin." Hazel giggled and formed her hand into a fist before kissing each one of her knuckles. Gavin looked at both the girls' childish behavior and his lips twisted into an amused smirk.

"But this time, I do promise." Hazel said, her face nothing but serious now.

"Pinky promise?" Scarlet said, putting her pinky out.

"Pinky promise." Hazel assured and the clock struck twelve. She felt like Cinderella now, running away as soon as the clock struck twelve.

Both the girls were at their front door now, hugging and sobbing in each other's arms. They took this moment to embrace the times they shared. After hugging her, she shook hands with Gavin who ruffled her hair and gave her a short awkward hug with a pat on her back.

"Take care." Scarlet mumbled.

"You too." Hazel said before giving her friend another hug and turned on her back before she disappeared into the dark forest. Her wolf got restless and high on alert, braving the dangers outside the pack borders.

BOOM! SHE LEFT. WHO ELSE IS HAPPY FOR HER NOW?- or isn't idk ahem. Anyways, please let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comment section and don't forget to vote and follow!

Question:

Books 📖 or Movies 🎬 ?