It's another new Monday. I woke up and took my shower. Today I did some orange and strawberry thing... I wasn't really paying attention and just grabbed at random bottles. I think the fact that I checked which was shampoo and which was body wash was in itself commendable, especially since I could barely open my eyes.
Last night, after stumbling into Dad's hidden tunnel, Dad showed us his "retirement plan."
Most people saved up for a relaxing retirement. My dad dug tunnels to go for the most epic adventure ever! I wished he'd take me, but somebody had to be Alpha. Dad did his time; now it's my turn to protect our pack.
It was a good thing he wasn't about to retire anytime soon, though. I wasn't ready to live without my mum and dad around. My mouth turned down just at the thought.
I was not going to take it well when the day came. I can promise you that much.
I don't care if I'm a hundred years old! I wouldn't be ready to not have Mum and Dad around ever again.
Mate decided to use the rest of the dream time visiting his parents. He had argued with his dad on the phone earlier, and from how Killion said it, it sounded like that was a regular thing for them. But maybe hearing about my parents leaving one day reminded him that his parents might not always be around either.
He was going to run over, but Dad offered him my car. I guess since Rebel was my Luna, my car was his car? I hoped whatever he argued with Alpha James about could be resolved with the visit.
By the time I got out of the shower, the lights in the room were on and Savy and Lizzy were outside.
I got dressed in my uniform and looked out the window. The moon was still full. Mate was still dreaming.
Outside, I could hear the noises of clinking cutlery and conversation. Even with the room door closed, I could smell smoked sausages, eggs, and toast. Killion was doing his magic in the kitchen.
Admittedly, I still hadn't gotten used to the coziness of the penthouse.
Mum and Dad were snuggled on one of the living room couches, with coffee and breakfast on the coffee table. It didn't look like they realized their date last night was over, nor did it look like anyone had the heart to break it to them.
Killion was popping in and out of the kitchen. He put my plate out next to where Lizzy and Savy sat over their warm plates and juice.
Our doorbell rang, and Killion immediately got to it. "The Luna is here," he announced.
{Mate! Mate came back!}
"Good morning, Luna. May I get you breakfast?" Killion intoned politely.
Rebel gave him a strange look. "You're cooking?"
He handed the keys back to the Beta, then nodded. "Yes, thanks."
Killion was back a moment later with a plate, which I suspected was his. He put it down with a cup of black coffee in front of the seat next to me and went back into the kitchen to cook another plate. I smelled butter on the pan and heard the sausages go in.
Rebel sat down next to me.
"So, Luna," Lizzy started to make conversation, "do you play music?"
Rebel nodded a very little bit. "Yes."
Killion returned with his own plate of hot food. He took a seat with us. "Luna can play every band instrument. We even had a band, Rebel Society."
"OMG, that was the band that won the high school Battle of the Bands eight years in a row," Lizzy said.
"You heard of us then?" Killion asked. "But it was like a lifetime ago, though." He shook his head as if to forget it.
"What about sports?" Lizzy asked.
"Luna was the martial arts club captain in high school," Killion said.
"Can Luna cook too?" Lizzy asked.
"Yes," Killion said. "We learned under the same master."
"Okay, is there anything our Luna cannot do?" Lizzy asked.
"So many things... where should I start?" Killion teased.
Rebel was focused at the contents on his plate and hadn't reacted at the conversation at all.
"Is there anything you're bad at, Luna?" Lizzy prodded more directly.
Rebel shrugged. "Yes."
Lizzy asked, "What?"
Rebel looked up with a gleam in his eye. "Guess."
Lizzy thought about it and then looked at me. "Do you know what Luna is bad at?"
How should I know? I grinned. "No. Love is blind like that."
Savy managed to muffle her cackle behind her hand.
"Just tell us, Luna!" Lizzy demanded.
"I'm very bad at being bad at anything," Rebel answered with a crooked smile.
Lizzy laughed out loud at that. "So in other words, our Luna is good at everything!"
"You said it, not me," Rebel answered coolly.
"Wow, he even has a sense of humor," Lizzy said. "Sorry, Ki, you lose."
Killion smiled arrogantly at that. "Perhaps, but I will always win in three points."
He held up one finger. "I'm always single and available."
He held up two fingers. "I actually know how to smile."
As if to demonstrate, Killion beamed beautifully at us.
Then he held up three fingers. "And I can legally do R-21 things."
Lizzy laughed even harder at that. Savy needed two hands over her mouth. She should just let it go and cackle already, but I couldn't tell her since I was busy choking on the sausage I was chewing. Hahaha. I looked quickly at where Mum and Dad were sitting. They had looked over to our table.
Rebel was laughing, though, the deep rumbling sound pleasing my Wolfie very much. "He just wants to make it sound cool, but he just means he can supervise a learner driver."
I heard Dad's deep chuckle joining our laughter.
"Cool," I said. "Killion can teach me to drive!"
"Princess, the last time you drove, we ended up planting a truck in a tree," Rebel reminded me.
"Well, maybe if she had my supervision, that wouldn't have happened," Killion suggested.
I crossed my arms. If Rebel was going to be a dumbbell and say I'm not allowed to drive, I was going to chew his head off.
Rebel simply soothed down the ribbons of hair that had flared up. "I have to wake up now."
He let a lock of my hair slide through his grasp, then lifted its end to his lips and kissed it. "Until next time, princess."
And he was gone.
Lizzy didn't even pretend not to stare.
It was also time I left for school.
I got up to go too. I grabbed my bag and stuff and left the penthouse with a quick bye. I made my way downstairs to the porch and onto the bus.
"In a hurry today, Alpha?" the bus driver asked as he started the bus.
I shook my head. No. I was just... running away. What was I running away from? I was running away from my feelings. The happiness of waking up and finding Mate still around, and the other blur of less-than-happy feelings that he left behind upon his departure.
Next time, I'm doing the dream traveling! Then I won't be the one left behind and sleep-deprived. That's it. I was just sleep-deprived. Yeah. That's all.