A Rebellious Moon

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The pack exited the front door to find Chase standing proudly in front of a large van parked in the driveway. With a large smile, he gestured for everyone to hop in, before taking the driver's seat for himself. Chatter stayed at a minimum once the passengers realized that their destination was a surprise. Amanda, along with the rest, stared out the windows attempting to discern where they were going. Chase turned on the radio to a classical station filling the small space with the sounds of lilting violins, blaring trumpets, and rolling drums. Darkness had fallen long ago and the glare off the windows from the street lights and passing vehicles gave the feeling of a hazy dream.

A short fifteen-minute drive later, the pack found themselves just over the Potomac in Virginia. The pack exited the van silently, standing huddled together in the twilight. Chase popped out from the driver's side, shut the door, and clicked the lock button with a beep. He faced the group with the self-satisfied smile still present on his face. Amanda thought that to an outsider they would look like a tour group with Chase as their guide, the only catch is what they were doing out at this hour.

Amanda had recognized their route and knew they had crossed the Potomac next to the Kennedy Center, but she wasn't as familiar with the Rosslyn neighborhood. They were in a long, narrow parking lot next to the river surrounded by large trees. Every so often, a car would whiz by along the parkway running next to the parking lot. A tree line in between obscured the view of passerbys, effectively hiding both the van and its occupants. The dim lighting in the parking lot assisted as well.

Chase, still holding the attention of the pack, pulled out his new collar and placed it loosely around his neck. Once in place, he pushed the small button turning on the light. The light shone a bit brighter than advertised and Amanda raised her hands to block her face from the sudden onslaught.

"Wow, this thing is great! Thanks again, Amanda," said Chase. His voice sounded giddy, like a little boy meeting Santa for the first time.

"You're welcome, but, um, could you maybe turn it off while you're telling us what we're doing here?" asked Amanda with her hands still up and face downcast.

"Oops, sorry!" Chase turned the light on the collar off and plunged them all into the darkness.

Amanda blinked a few times to reaccustom her eyes to the dimness. The cold air stung at her skin and face causing her eyes to tear as well. She crossed her arms over her chest and huddled into Brooke standing next to her.

"What are we doing here?" Melanie spoke up, asking the question that was on everybody's lips.

Chase's smile resumed. "If you haven't figured it out yet, we are at Theodore Roosevelt Island. I know this is a popular jogging spot, but after some investigation I found that the cold and dark has deterred most people at night and patrol is limited after 10 p.m. This seemed like a wonderful opportunity for us. As city dwellers, going on a full pack run in our territory can be difficult, but I think this will be perfect."

Amanda felt her mouth drop in awe. She had only spent time in her wolf form in the garden at the pack house. Having resigned herself to minimal time in her wolf form at the beginning of the school year, the thought had never occurred to her that the rest of the pack also was limited in the opportunities to spend time in wolf form. She remembered her enjoyment over the summer of running through the woods and fields with various pack members, hunting rabbits, deer, and mice. Maybe living in Ohio did have its perks.

The pack seemed to be reverberating with excitement; this was clearly a luxury to them. Amanda tried to muster up excitement for them and tried to hide the sympathy she was feeling. Melanie glanced around with a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes when she saw Brooke clapping her hands together.