Their Silver Moon

Alice Black

I hadn’t been late, not in years, not for anything, not since I was a teenager. So here I sat in the bathroom, I’ve never noticed the cool heat that radiated from the tiles and the porcelain throne where I sat, but the minute of waiting was taking forever. I’d brought my knees up to my chest and sat my chin on them, hugging myself, cursing our blasé approaches to safe sex and contraceptives.

It had been years, and yet his words echoed through my head. I myself had been frank and truthful telling him that I wasn’t sure that I would ever want children, the idea of being pregnant and giving birth sent chills down my spine – but having to raise a child. Specifically the next Alpha of the Moon Pack, that was another thing in itself.

And yet, there was a part of me, a part of me that couldn’t bring myself to the idea of removing any part of Nate from the world. These thoughts filled my head, drowning me and I snapped back to reality as my phone vibrated on the bathroom vanity, next to the stick of plastic.

Picking it up, I looked at the little window to see what it told me.

’Alice,’ Jamie said, his voice echoing through my head so suddenly that I nearly dropped the stick.

Needlessly, I cleared my throat. ’Yeah? What’s up?’

’It’s Nate, I can’t find him.’

’What do you mean you can’t find him? Like he’s not answering his phone, can’t find him? Or you have no idea where he is, can’t find him?’ I said getting up off the toilet and leaving the pregnancy test on the sink.

’Like, he walked off and he’s just vanished.’

’You can’t just vanish Jamie, what do you mean?’ I said, exasperated and brining my hand to pinch the bridge of my nose as I paced in the bathroom.

I wasn’t sure if his voice sounded more desperate, irritated or exhausted, ’I don’t know, he walked off to – go look at something. I turned around and I couldn’t hear him, so I walked off after him and his tracks just stopped. I can’t see him, I can’t smell him, I can’t hear him. I can’t contact him; I don’t know where he went.’

I felt the drop in my stomach, and I placed my hand on my chest where my heart had begun to pound relentlessly, ’Nate,’ I said down the mind link to my mate, leaving Jamie with nothing but silence. ’Nate, you better fucking reply,’ I said, slamming my eyes closed and trying to push against the cold wall that I met inside my mind.

Continuing to scream his name into the mind link, my heart raced as my mind struggled to keep track of all of the scenarios that raced through my mind.

’Alice?’ Jamie said, his voice now more collected and calming.

’Please tell me you found him?’ I asked, fighting against the tears that threated to ruin my makeup.

’What do you want us to do?’ he asked, answering my question in the most painful way.

’I don’t know,’ I said softly, this wasn’t my thing, I didn’t hunt people down. I didn’t run a pack. This was Nate and Jamie’s area, and I suddenly realised, that in their absences, I was in charge, in this moment, I was the top of the ladder – in charge of the lives of thousands of werewolves.

’I’m so sorry, Alice.’

‘Don’t start a panic, make sure the general public dosen’t know. Especially if he just reappears. Border Patrol, Guards and Betas are to know, but no one else is to hear a whisper,’ I suddenly found myself saying, and I was shocked at the authority that laced in my voice.

‘I’ll stay up here and look for him,’ Jamie said firmly.

I shook my head as I slid down the side of the bathtub, once again clutching my arm around my chest and cradling myself for comfort – when did I become so dependent on physical touch? ’No, I need you to come back, I need you here,’ I replied.

’Don’t you want me looking for him?’ he asked, his words fragmented as he relayed my orders to those around him.

‘I need you here,’ I said softly, looking up at the ceiling and the white light that steamed through the window and plants.

’Are you okay?’ Jamie asked, and I could hear the panic within his mind, ’are you hurt? What’s wrong?’

’I’m pregnant.’