A Rebellious Moon

Chapter Forty-Two

The rest of the semester passed in a blur. Although Amanda was still wary of Devon or the witches appearing, her final exams and thesis paper kept her distracted. The hunter never appeared again. Chase theorized that he was more of a mercenary and when his client lost interest, he found another, more lucrative endeavor.

Farah did a little digging on the witch trio in her spare time. She discovered that they were from a coven up in New England. Their leader had dated Devon in college for quite a while, until he promptly broke up with her when they graduated. Her holier-than-thou attitude came from her grandmother though. Apparently, she was fairly high up in the witch hierarchy in the Northeast region.

"I was raised to be humble and gracious as one advanced up in position, but maybe that's just my family," said Farah.

Amanda just shook her head and sighed. "Well, hopefully the spoiled girl got what she came for and won't bother us peons anymore."

Meanwhile, Richard Melion was pissed. "What do you mean you just let three witches kidnap one of my wolves?" he said in a cold, soft tone.

Amanda and Nina sat in Chase's office as he notified Amanda's father of the events from the duel. He had put the phone on speaker dial, so that Amanda could fill in some of the details. As Richard spoke, Amanda felt a chill run down her spine.

Jumping into the conversation, Amanda said, "Look, Dad, I don't know what we could have done differently. They set our house on fire and were threatening me. Devon's just been a problem for everyone recently and she didn't seem like she was going to hurt him...much. So, it's kind of a win-win, right?"

Richard sighed. "Yes, honey. Technically, you're right. Devon has been causing problems left and right. I do believe his trip down there was some misguided attempt to become the alpha here. He thought if he could bring you back as his mate, I would have to make him my successor. It never occurred to him that I don't choose someone, I recognize potential. But still, I have known his parents almost my entire life. What am I supposed to tell them?"

"I know, Dad, I know. I don't know what to say. Maybe he's called them by now. I don't think she took him to eat him, so he should be fine," Amanda answered.

"I should be the one to call his parents," Chase cut in. "If you will just give me their phone number, I will notify them."

"No, no. I will do it. It will be better coming from me than someone they've never met. I should threaten you with consequences, but honestly, I don't even know right now." Richard sighed again. "Anyway, I will see you within the month. We can work things out then. I will speak to his parents and Eleanor and we will figure out something."

The phone call ended with a click. Nina, Chase, and Amanda continued to stare at the desk. Then a wide smile spread across Chase's face.

"You said 'our'" he said, his grin turning smug.

"What?" Amanda asked, her brow furrowing.

"'Our house.' You called it 'our house' to your father," he explained.

Nina nodded, a smile breaking out on her face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Amanda muttered. She rose quickly from her seat and strode out of the office.

Before she knew it, Amanda was walking across the stage to accept her diploma. Despite the craziness of her senior year, she had still managed to complete her thesis on time and graduate with honors. Her mother and father sat in the crowd, cheering her on. Surprisingly, Aaron had shown up as well. They learned he had been staying a small town in Missouri working as a handyman.

Amanda's happiness soon became overshadowed by anxiety. Her parents had made reservations for an upscale dinner in Georgetown for the four of them. They had spent the salad course grilling Aaron on his new town and job. The entrée course conversation was mainly about pack business back in Ohio. Amanda thought she was in the clear. Then, it happened.

During dessert her mother decided to ask the loaded question, "So where are you planning on working now?"

Aaron and her father both turned their heads to look at her. Amanda felt the room around her go silent. Her family's gazes burned into her.

"Um, well, about that," she said. "I applied for a job in DC and interviewed. I'm still waiting to hear back, but I'm pretty positive about it. Catherine got a job at the State Department and Farah will be interning at the Smithsonian, so we're thinking about staying together in our apartment potentially. Catherine and I are planning to study together for the foreign service exam, so living together will be quite convenient."

Her parents nodded in unison.

A mischievous grin spread on Aaron's face. "You're not going to stay with Chase?"

Amanda sucked in air and felt her cheeks heat up. "Well, I mean, I..."

"Aaron, don't tease your sister," Eleanor said returning to her tiramisu.

The Melions finished their dessert with the conversation tipping into more frivolous topics. They were staying at the pack house, so Amanda continued to live there until they returned home.

After Amanda had helped load their luggage in their taxi and waved goodbye to her parents, she turned and headed back into the house. She planned to pack up her own belongings to return them to the apartment.

Chase stopped her outside her bedroom. "You know you don't have to," he said.

"I know. I'm just not ready for the whole nine yards," she answered.

"Will you still come on Saturday for sparring?" he asked.

"On Friday for movie night and Sunday for brunch as well," she teased.

Chase smiled. "You're always welcome for as much as you want."

"I'll get there. We'll get there. I think of this pack as mine now, more than I think I thought of the pack back in Vermillion," Amanda said.

"I'm glad. Do you need any help?"

"No, I think I got it, but thanks." Amanda opened the door to her bedroom.

Chase stepped back and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Chase," she said, stopping him. He turned and looked at her again. "I love you."

She scuttled into the room and closed the door. Just before it shut, she saw a wide grin spread across Chase's face. She heaved a deep breath and leaned back against the door. The suitcase would feel a little light on the way out. There was no reason to take everything out just to bring it all back again, anyway. With a broad smile of her own, Amanda opened her suitcase and started filling it.

Author's Note:

We made it!!! I hoped you enjoyed the ride! This was the first novel I have ever written to completion. There have always been a lot of stories floating in my head, so I'm proud that I was able to commit this one to paper and share it with you.

Did you find the ending satisfying?

What was your favorite part of the story?

Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Please vote and comment! Also, stay tuned for my next story!!