#2 When the Moon Turns Red

Evie

Sawyer led me to the elevator and down to the main floor. He told me about all the amenities that the pack had access to there. He said that the packhouse was always bustling with activity in the evenings and all weekend long.

Sawyer first took me to the library, explaining that this was the least crowded place so it was a good one to start with. Plus, he assumed that the library was ‘my kind of place’. He wasn’t wrong. It was huge with floor to ceiling bookshelves and cushiony places to sit. It was a library straight out of Beauty and the Beast.

There was a young girl sitting at one of the tables with papers spread out in front of her. She looked to be somewhere around high school age. She looked up when she heard Sawyer and I enter the room, immediately standing.

“Oh, hello, Luna.” She blushed deeply, avoiding eye contact with me. I smiled at her,

“It’s Evie. What’s your name?” I asked, approaching the table.

“I’m Lily, ma’am.” She mumbled.

“Please, just call me Evie.” I told her again, looking over the papers scattered on the table.

“What are you working on?” I asked her.

“Studying.” She sighed, sitting back down.

“You look overwhelmed.” I observed, sitting down beside her. I was aware of Sawyer still hovering behind me.

“It’s not a big deal, really.” She said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

“Advanced Government.” I ignored her and read off the title of her study packet. She sighed again,

“They aren’t kidding when they say advanced.”

“No, they usually are not. The vocab is the worst part, honestly.” I shrugged. Lily looked up at me surprised,

“You’ve taken advanced government?” I laughed a little at her,

“I have a degree in it.” Her eyes got even wider,

“That’s what I want to do!” She said excitedly.

“What year are you, Lily?” I asked.

“I’m a junior in high school.”

“You’re doing a great job then, taking advanced government in your third year. That’s going to look very good for college applications. Can I offer you some advice?” I encouraged her.

“Yes, please!” She replied eagerly.

“Take Latin and join the debate team.” She looked at me with her head cocked to the side,

“Okay?” She said with a puzzled voice.

“Most of these terms are rooted in Latin. Once you understand that, understanding the vocabulary is easy. And, all the top Political Science schools will look at your extracurricular activities, and the debate club will look very impressive to them.” I suggested.

“Thank you, Lu…Evie!” I was thrilled when she used my given name.

“If you need any help, Lily, you know where to find me.” I smiled, standing up from the table.

“Are you staying here now?” She asked, looking up at me.

“Yes.” The word was out of my mouth before I knew what I was saying. She clapped giddily,

“Yay! That’s so exciting, Luna!” I waved at the young she-wolf with short brown hair and eager brown eyes. She waved back and then focused on her paperwork again as Sawyer led me out of the library.

“Already making friends.” Sawyer smirked at me.

“Shut up.” I groaned as he led me through the twisting halls of the packhouse. Oh, I was so going to get lost here.

Next, he showed me the indoor pool where kids were splashing around under the supervision of a lifeguard, and the greenhouse that was located on the other side. We moved on to the Wellness Center. It was home to a large pack hospital and clinic, a therapist’s office, and a spa that included hair stylists, barbers, nail technicians, massages, and a sunnah. There was also a fully stocked gym with weights, equipment, and a full sized basketball court with a walking path around it.

“This place is like its own little resort.” I said in awe, looking around the center.

“The original idea of the packhouse was for it to be completely self-sufficient from the human world. Our founding Alphas didn’t want our people to have to mingle with humans for any reason, we even had a school on the grounds.” Sawyer explained,

“Had a school?” I asked.

“Noah’s grandmother, the Luna at the time, thought that our people needed to learn how to interact with the humans in order to live successful lives. She started encouraging kids to go to human schools, for families to go to human restaurants, and for the adults to get human jobs. It was received very well, now over three quarters of the pack is somehow integrated into the human world. We don’t allow them to stay on the pack for school anymore.” Sawyer said.

“Hm.” I said, surprised.

“Why so speechless?” Sawyer chuckled as we walked through the gym.

“Noah told me a little bit about his father and I just have a hard time imagining his grandfather being so different.” I answered honestly.

“Oh, his grandfather wasn’t different at all. Noah’s father, Toby, and his grandfather, Henry, were exactly the same. The only difference was, Henry was able to keep his destined mate because she was the daughter of an Alpha. Henry could have cared less about being involved in the human world, but he did care about his Luna.” I nodded as Sawyer spoke, but stayed silent.

We left the gym and started walking through the beauty services. There were three she-wolves sitting around in various chairs, one was getting her hair done, another her nails, and the third was getting her eyebrows waxed. They all had different colored hair and eyes, but their faces were equally fake and their outfits pristine. I felt Sawyer stiffen up beside me and I knew they were bad news.

“Oooh, what do we have here?” The blonde getting her nails done sneered. The brunette getting her hair done laughed,

“It’s the human.” She said the word like it was dirty.

“Shut up, Rachel.” Sawyer rolled his eyes at the burnette.

“What’s your problem, Gamma?” The blonde asked.

“My problem, Lauren, is the tone you’re using with your Luna.” Sawyer snapped.

“You’re both pathetic.” The other burnette who had been getting her eyebrows waxed, jumped off her chair and started walking towards us.

“Watch your mouth, Madison.” Sawyer warned her.

“Not you two, those two.” She rolled her eyes, pointing towards the other girls who glared at her.

“Right, because you feel such loyalty towards the Luna.” Sawyer scoffed. I stood still and silent beside Sawyer, watching the exchange.

“Of course I do, that’s what I’m supposed to feel, isn’t it?” Madison asked. Even I could tell her words were as fake as her eyelashes.

“Just back off, okay? The three of you are already on thin ice.” Sawyer put his hand on my back and pushed me forward. I felt the girls’ eyes on me as we left the Wellness Center.

“What the hell was that about?” I asked Sawyer.

“Three of Noah’s biggest regrets.” Sawyer sighed and I quickly tensed up, remembering Noah and I’s conversation at the bar the other night.

“They were just one night stands, Evie. Noah was always clear about that, the entire pack knew he was waiting for his mate to be serious. Bubble brains back there thought they would be the exception, that they could convince Noah to choose one of them instead of waiting for his destined mate.” Sawyer sounded disgusted as he shook his head.

“So, I shouldn’t count on them to be my friends?” I laughed nervously. Sawyer looked sideways at me,

“Just avoid them. If they cause you any trouble, you tell me or Noah right away and we’ll handle it.” Sawyer replied seriously.

“You got it, boss.” I laughed at him,

“Where are we going now?” I asked.

Sawyer led me through the game room which had several TV’s hanging on the wall displaying different sports games and TV shows, along with pool tables, foosball, darts, and tables available to play board games. There was a section available for playing video games as well. There was a sitting area and a small snack bar. On the other side of the game room was a small movie theater with comfy chairs and a large screen.

We were back at the front of the packhouse now. On one side was a set of double doors that led to a huge dining room and attached gourmet kitchen. On the other side was a large parlor room that had several couches, chairs, and a big TV.

Sawyer led me into the crowded parlor room to meet some of the pack members. I was overwhelmed by the excited greetings from everyone in the room, both men and women, adults and children.

“Hi, Luna!” A young child came bouncing up to me. He had dirty blonde hair and big blue eyes. A woman followed behind him with the same hair and eyes.

“Hello, Luna.” She smiled, grabbing her son’s hand and pulling him away from me.

“Hi,” I said to her and then knelt down to face the boy,

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Liam, Luna!” He answered excitedly.

“Liam, my name is Evie.” I told him. He jumped up and down excitedly, looking up at his mother and then back to me.

“Can I hug you?” He asked, already throwing his chunky arms around my shoulders.

“Liam!” His mother gasped behind him but I shook my head at her, hugging Liam back.

“It’s okay.” I laughed.

“I hugged the Luna! I hugged the Luna!” He sang, running around the room. Everyone was laughing at him and cheering him on.

“You just made his entire year, Luna.” His mother chuckled, extending her hand,

“I’m Ruth.”

“He’s sweet, I’m happy to do it.” I smiled, shaking her hand in greeting.

“What’s this I hear about you hugging other men?” A husky voice chuckled behind me as a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist. I snuggled into the warm body of my mate.

“Sorry, Noah, he’s cuter than you.” I teased as the room roared with laughter. Noah turned me around in his arms,

“As long as I’m the only one who can do this.” He looked at me mischievously before crashing his lips to mine. When we broke away, I was breathless and bright red; embarrassed at the PDA. The room hooped and hollered at us.

“Can I steal you away?” Noah whispered in my ear and I nodded quickly. He grabbed my hand and led me out of the room.