Chapter Four

Rose

After my breakfast with Alaric and Heather, I left them arguing in front of the diner.  Alaric would annoy her, and eventually, she would pull herself away from his trap.  Whenever she did, Alaric was kind enough to look after my little library until I was done with my meeting with my favorite witches.

A gentle breeze drifted through the streets of the pack.  Bleeding hearts, blackeyed Susans, dogwood, and bluebells harmonized with various other wildflowers.

Spring had always been one of my favorite seasons.  My mother's garden had come alive and was the most beautiful during that time of year.

Things were a little different now.  My mom had a garden at her new home, but it wasn't the same.  She would tend and pour her love into the soil.  In a year or two, it would be just as breathtaking as her garden had been in Silver Crescent.

"Good morning, Luna."  A little child with the sweetest honey eyes called out to me.  Her brown curls were tied up in a pair of pigtails.

"Well, good morning to you too, Lyra."  I waved to her mom as I crouched down beside my small friend so I could be on her level.  "Are you excited for your momma to have your baby brother?"

"Yes, Luna!  I can't wait!"  Lyra threw her arms out to the side and spun in a circle.

"I'm sure you are going to be the best big sister ever!"  I grinned at Lyra as she twirled.  I wish I had her energy.  "Can you make me a promise?"

Lyra stopped spinning and glanced up at me with her big eyes.  Her curls bounced as she cocked her head to the side as Lyra looked at me.  "What kind of promise?"

"Can you promise me that you will be the biggest help to your momma?"  I held out my pinky to Lyra as a cheek-splitting smile overtook her face.

"Of course!  That's what big sisters are for!"  Lyra locked her pinky around mine before going back to spinning in a circle.

"You are so good with her." Lyra's mom, Nova, beamed at me as she rested her hands on top of her very pregnant belly.  Nova had the most beautiful caramel skin on a regular day. Still, something about the pregnancy glow just made her even more pulchritudinous.  "When do you think you and the Alpha will start having pups of your own?"   

I hated that question.  I was starting to get it a lot more frequently.  My stomach churned at the thought.

I knew the pack members meant well, but we still needed to track down Mister Clay.  I wasn't ready for that responsibility.  I don't think anyone could really hold it against me.  I knew they wanted a pup to show that there was a future leader of the pack, but they could wait a little bit longer.

I plastered on my best fake smile and tried to add an extra tablespoon of sweetness to my tone.  "Ha, no plans quite yet.  If I could get a guaranteed angel like Lyra, I would be more inclined to have one sooner rather than later."  I stood back up to look Nova in the eyes as she spoke.

"Don't let those cute curls fool you, Luna.  I caught her trying to flush my good tea towels down the toilet."

"Oh no!"  I sucked through my teeth.  I definitely wasn't ready for someone trying to flush my belongings.  Poor Nova didn't realize how much she was making me not want a kid right now.

"I know; she better be glad she is so stinking cute."  Nova caught her daughter's hand and grinned at her.  "It was nice to see you, Luna!  We have to go pick up a couple things for the baby."

"It was nice to see you as well.  Make sure to get some rest!  Be good for your momma, Lyra!"  I waved after them as they started to walk away down the sidewalk towards the shops.

"Bye, Luna!"  Lyra turned to walk backward as she waved to me.  Her lilac dress danced around her as she twirled back to walking forward and latching hands with her mom.

I had a soft spot for the youth of Black Moon; I wanted to do better for them than my Alpha had done for me as a child.  I think Harriet, Heather, and Matt felt the same way.  We all made the effort that our previous leaders never did.

I made my way through the village, snaking through the streets until I reached a dirt path that cut into the forest.  I always liked coming to Pru and Matt's house.  Just the walk there felt utterly magical.

Orion had offered them an assortment of houses in the central area.  Some of those houses were ones that plenty of pack members would have done anything short of killing for.  Pru respectfully declined, and Matt supported his mate.

After seeing where she lived, I understood why she didn't want to live so close to everyone.  During the premonition about her being kidnapped, if there wasn't a kidnapping being taken place, I would have admired her little nook in the world.  The bustle of the town wasn't appealing to her, and it never would be.

Before, she lived hidden in the woods where the world rarely reached her.  She had tranquility and peace.  The thought of people constantly walking by her home must have wholly freaked her out.

Pru and Matt's home is still technically in the village but off the beaten path, literally.  Ivy, honeysuckle, and wisteria dripped from the trees that lined the route.  The trail was just wide enough for Matt's truck to fit down, but he rarely drove it anyways.

Just walking through the forest, it felt as if magic was rushing through my veins.  I guess you could say that magic already did run in my veins, but this was different.

After a ten-minute walk, I finally made my way into the clearing where Pru and Matt's little cottage sat.  I walked through the rows of herbs and flowers that lined the path to the front door.

Every time I came here, it amazed me that they had done all of this in the past year.  However, the natural beauty was all Pru.  Her affinity may lie in the shadows, but she had a gift to coax plants to grow like they had lived there for years.

According to Pru, it was just a cheap party trick, and if any decent witch was in touch with nature, they could do it too.  I didn't believe her.  I verified with Brigid, and of course, that was not the case.  Witches could pick up a skill from another affinity but rarely one as advanced as growing plants at will.

Matt and Pru's cottage was made from large logs of oak with a thatched roof.  It radiated coziness, love, and magic.  It was all Pru, but you would randomly catch snippets of Matt thrown in.

My fingers curled around the heavy brass knocker and drummed it against the door twice.  A moment later, Pru opened the door for me.  Her brown hair was braided down her back.  She wore a simple black dress with no shoes.

"Good morning.  Come on in."  Pru smiled as she ushered me into her home.  The smell of dried herbs greeted me as I stepped into the cottage.

"Morning, child,"  Brigid called to me from across the room.  She was tucked in a chair at the table with a coffee cup in hand.  Her wispy hair was falling out of her french twist, which meant she didn't sleep well.  Brigid was getting older, and that terrified me.

"Morning, ladies."  I immediately went behind Brigid's chair and unclasped her hair.  A cascade of white hair fell onto her shoulders.

"You don't have to do that."  Brigid fussed at me and tried to swat away my hands.

"Just because I don't have to doesn't mean I don't want to.  Now hold still."  I pushed her hands away and began to run my fingers through her hair.  I quickly twisted her hair back into her regular hairstyle and fastened it with her clip.  "Now, was that so bad?"

Brigid grumbled a begrudging "Thank you"  before taking a long swig of her coffee.

I smiled and shook my head as I sat down beside her.

"Do you want some coffee?"  Pru called from her tiny kitchen, her hand resting on a dainty teacup hanging from the wall.

"No, thank you, but if you have some of your lavender lemonade made, I would love a glass."  I beamed.  Pru always had some delicious treats tucked away in her home, but her lavender lemonade was my favorite.

"Of course, I always make it if I know you are coming over."  Pru pulled the pitcher of purple heaven out of her fridge and filled a tall glass for me.

"Why don't I get special treats?"  Matt appeared in the doorway.  The unpleasant odor of man sweat threatened to gag me.

"When you are the Luna of the pack, I'll make you whatever you want."  Pru placed the glass in front of me before walking over to Matt to place a peck on his cheek.

"Hey, is being the Gamma not enough for you?"  Matt snuck his arm around Pru's waist, keeping her close.  Poor Pru for having to put up with that. She probably didn't mind the smell since she didn't have the sense of smell that werewolves did.

"It's not enough for me."  Brigid innocently glanced up at Matt before taking another sip of her coffee.

"Damn, and that is what I was going for."  Matt grinned at Brigid before kissing Pru on the lips.  "I'm going to go shower.  Have a good meeting, ladies."

With that, Matt disappeared up the small flight of stairs.  Pru tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before sitting down in the chair beside me.

"So, Mister Clay?"  I questioned as Pru pulled a stack of papers and a book from the center of the table towards her.

"As you know, the last place we could find him was down in Texas, but we don't think he is anywhere close to there now."  Pru opened the book to a page with black spirals doodled over a quick sketch of the country.

"Where do you think he is then?"  I sighed as I brought my glass to my lips and took a small sip.

"North,"  Brigid spoke up.

"North?"

"We haven't been able to find a tangible lead on him yet."  Pru splayed her fingers across her face as she rubbed her temples.

"Then why North?"  I leaned onto my elbows and glanced at the spirals, trying to make sense of what in the world they meant.

"You know how sometimes you will get a word or a quick image of a premonition?"

"Yeah?"

"It was like I got a quick flash of his shadow.  I couldn't track him, but I tried to dive in, and he was blocking me.  I only was able to get a grainy shadow that slipped out of my fingers like sand.  Every time I tried to reach out, his shadow became smaller and smaller until it disappeared altogether."  Pru looked up at the ceiling.  I could see the disappointment etched in her furrowed brows.

"What about you?"  I turned to Brigid; just seeing her face, I knew she didn't have any answers either.

"The shadows don't like me as much as they like Pru."  Brigid offered a smile that was meant from Pru.  "They play with me from time to time, but they still hold a grudge."

"Well, what do the grainy shadows have to do with North?"  I gnawed on my lip.

"That's where the trail was leading when it disappeared."  Pru stood up from the table, her chair scraped against the floor as she made her way to the window.  Pru peered out into the woods like she was searching for some type of answer that no one else could comprehend.  "I'm sorry I keep letting you down."

I immediately jumped to my feet and almost climbed over Brigid to get to Pru.  "You have never let me down.  Don't say that.  You never had to do any of this.  I'm sorry if we made you feel like you had to do any of this."  I grasped her hand in mine.  "This is my fault for pressuring you."

"No, I want to help.  I just have never had this type of blockage before."  Pru squeezed my hand.

"You know, my mother was particularly blessed with concealment magic. Once she ran away from the pack, she hid us for years.  Well, until the shadows convinced me to ruin it. I wonder if Mister Clay has found his own Greta."  Brigid looked down into her mug of coffee.  Her knuckles turned white until the cup shattered in her hands.  "Oh, I am so sorry, Pru!"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Brigid."  Pru grabbed a towel and began to sop up the coffee.

"The old bird is still strong.  Don't let her fool you."  Matt descended the steps with a towel hanging over his shirtless shoulders.

"Who are you calling an old bird?"