Chapter 2- Grateful

                　　I heave the backpack onto my side and roll both bags to the elevator of the packhouse.

On the first floor, an Omega runs over to me and takes my bags.

“Is my car ready?”, I asked him.

“Yes Erica, shining like a diamond, fully loaded with snacks and blankets”, he grinned. Liza made sure you won’t starve on your way."

“The Beta organized a full tank and a maintenance checkup for the entire car. All good”, he assured me.

                Once again, I feel the love for my pack. I’m so proud of our legacy.

 All wolves here are treated with respect regardless of their rank.

                Omegas are supposed to be the weakest of a werewolf pack.

                In most packs they’re treated badly, being abused and enslaved. But my strong Alpha-dad ensured the safety of everyone here. No one is discriminated against or abused in this pack because we function as a big family where each member holds value. We are a chain that keeps this pack running, guarantees our safety.

Discrimination is being punished severely, my Alpha made sure of that by law. Also, all kinds of sexual orientation is welcome at the Moonlight pack. Not that you’ll find a lot of gays or transgenders over here, but it is widely known within the werewolf community that they are accepted with open arms at Moonlight Pack.

 All well, so now stand here in the hallway, knocking on the office door of Alpha Florian.

                                “Enter!!”, the impressive voice of my Alpha sounded.

He already knew that it was me knocking. Of course, he’d sensed my presence. Werewolves have an advanced smelling ability and each one of us has a distinct scent.

“Alpha, the time has come for me to leave”, I voice out, excited.

A low growl can be heard from the desk in front of me. No, the Alpha is also supportive but yet not very happy with me traveling on my own. We have discussed this several times. I’m a highly experienced and well-trained warrior.

After the Alpha and Luna adopted me at the age of ten, they immediately began training me. Surprisingly, I appeared to be very talented and now I’m a prof in martial arts. Even the Beta has a hard time getting me down. Only the Alpha himself is a match for me.

 Alpha still struggles with the idea of me traveling alone without guards. But given how protective he is of me, I’m pretty sure he’ll send some warriors to secretly keep an eye on me. After lengthy deliberations earlier, we were able to come to an agreement whereby Alpha would consistently track my location and whereabouts.

‘Guess I’ll never grow up’, I mentally noted.     

“Erica, don’t forget the conditions we agreed upon for your leaving”, Alpha started his lecture.

I bow my head and roll my eyes. Here he goes again.

I’m twenty-four, for God’s sake.

“Contact me or your mother every five hours, no stopping for whatever or whoever along the way, don't converse with strangers, keep your car locked at all times and have GPS on," he summarizes while peering above his reading glasses. Impatiently, I fiddle with my fingers. We’ve been over this several times before.

                My Luna-mom, Adel, senses my mood and tries to soften the tone of her mate.

“Sweetie, we deeply care about you. We want to make sure not a single hair on your beautiful head is harmed”, she soothed.

                “Please, take our feelings into consideration. What will we explain to the pack if they ask us about your doings and we can’t update them? I may lose my position at once”, the Alpha asserted.

 That does it!!

 I jumped out of my seat and ran to my Alpha. Luna stood up and joined us in a loving family hug. Tears kept running from my eyes as I wrapped my arms around the two most wonderful persons on earth, who saved me when I needed them the most.

                No tricky stepmom here.

 The Luna loves me like her own pup, she has always been there for me.

The Alpha filled the fatherly role in my life perfectly. He led by example, both as an Alpha and mate to the Luna. Never one word of disappointment or judgment, always there with good advice. Two strong personalities that contributed to who I am today, the woman that I became.

 I’m so blessed.

“Thank you both for what you’ve done for me”, I acknowledged them through tears. "I am forever indebted to you, and I will never forget you. When I find my mate, I promise that we will come back to visit”, I promised.

"No, my child. No," Alpha hurried to assure me. "We did what everyone would have done. You're so easy to love and never give us a moment of regret. There are no debts here." Luna aggressively nodded, emphasizing her mate's words.

“You’re always welcome here, whether you find him or not. We want you to keep that in mind”, Luna urged. “Your room will always be tidy, waiting for you, whenever you want to use it or not”.

 Thank you, Moon Goddess, for placing me in the arms of these two wonderful people. They embody the true meaning of love. 

                 Still with our arms wrapped around each other’s waist, with me in the middle, we start walking toward the entrance of the packhouse.

                My eyes snapped wide open when we arrived at the porch.

 There is a small crowd standing there, many pack members have walked out to send me off.

I’m a crying mess right now. What have I done to deserve so much love!

 This pack is beyond awesome. They are waving to me, throwing kisses my way and sending good wishes. The Alpha and Luna escort me to the car where Ezra and Richel are waiting. The redness of my friend's eyes suggests that she has cried her heart out but tries to manage a smile despite my tears.

"Erica, will I ever see you again?" she stammered. "Will you forget about me and our friendship?"

Richel holds his mate in his arms, trying to console her.

“Babe, don’t stress yourself. The friendship of you and Erica is sealed in heaven. If she doesn’t come, we’ll go meet her”, he promised her. I cast him a grateful nod. Then I took out the necklace my parents gifted me on my first birthday. I know Ezra has one too.

"Ezra, this necklace will be the symbol of our bond of friendship," I pleaded with her. "We were born on the same day, at the exact same time, in the very same delivery room. We are inseparable." As soon as she heard these words and saw my sincerity reflected in my eyes, a big smile lit up her face.

“ERICA”, she yelled and yanked me into a bear hug. “Here is mine. I wanted to do the same thing. Goddess! What a coincidence!” She placed her necklace on me as I put mine on her. We fell onto our knees, hugging each other.

                Moon Goddess, I’ll never stop thanking you for all the blessings you showered upon me.    

The Alpha and Luna helped us back on our feet again, leading me to the waiting car.

 And when we neared the vehicle, my eyes widened like saucers...