Moonless

Chapter 11

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Grayson's face remained expressionless while we stared at each other from across the room. He was leaning against the fireplace, while Marmee and Theodore attempted to light the logs in the hearth with a lighter and some newspaper. The red-headed women from the night before, as well as Alpha Christopher and Alpha Damien, stood in a circle around him. Conner crossed the room and joined the group.

The group looked out of place in standing next to Marmee and Theodore. All their clothes and boots looked brand new. They certainly weren't threadbare like the clothes we wore.

"The rest of the house should be coming back in about an hour. I usually light a fire right before they get here. In the winter, a nice fire helps keep this big old house warm."

A fire finally sprung to life within the old blacken stones under her fingers. The dark, cramped room was immediately glowing with dancing flames.

My mouth popped open in shock. "What are you doing here?" I asked before my mind and my mouth could catch up to each other. My heart sank the second those words came out of my mouth.

Marmee turned to me. A tight smile stretched across her face, while the light from the fire glinted in her eyes.

"Aurelia," her voice was ice cold. "He can come to this house whenever he wants. The Alpha owns it, not us. Apologize please for your rudeness."

"No, it's fine," Grayson waved his hand in dismissal. "I was startled when I found her in my home. But to answer your question, my duty to give our Alpha's a tour of Pine Ridge, and this was one of our stops."

Alpha Christopher snorted and ran his fingers through his long red beard , "My son wouldn't have taken us to the Lunera kiddy house. Everyone would have been ordering their third beer at our pub by now."

Grayson began to drum his fingers along the mantle of the fireplace, while his eyes drifted around the room. "You're part of the Alpha's integration program?"

"I am," I replied.

"Where are the rest of the students? Why aren't you at school?"

"It's winter break, we have off for two weeks, I go back soon. But the rest of the students are out doing their chores. We all have lessons in the afternoon."

"And what were you doing all morning?"

Grayson's voice came out loud and clear within my head"Just direct your thoughts at me and I will be able to hear them and vice versa., but no one else"

"Why are you here and why are asking me these questions!? Is this about last night? No way the Alpha would have wanted you to take the other Alpha's to the Lunera house!"

Grayson's voice rang loud and clear inside my head, " We are going to talk about last night, but that's not why I'm here. I had to know you were safe, but I also had to give these two assholes a tour of Pine Ridge so here we are."

"Why didn't you think I was safe?"

"Because I got a feeling this morning that something bad was about to happen to you..twice. Now answer my question. What happened, and answer it out loud. I'll have to punish you if you refuse to answer."

I forced a smile onto my face. "I've been helping in the kitchen mostly..."

"And..."

"But I went out and checked out our moon box. It's where we get the children after their parents leave them. After there parents decide that they can find meaning in their cursed lives, by serving Alpha Luka," I replied, saying the line that every Lunera was taught to say from a young age.