-Oliver-
Early in the Saturday morning, I woke up feeling happy and excited – something I hadn't felt in a while. I was also nervous whenever the evaluation crossed my mind, but I forced myself to not think about it. The caretakers came in to wake up the kids, and I waited in my bed for them to leave the bathroom before I went to take a shower alone. After that, I joined everyone else for breakfast.
I couldn't help thinking about the apartment Natalie and Mike showed me yesterday. I also couldn't help picturing myself living there. I was still scared it was too good to be true, but I still couldn't stop myself from dreaming...
A home...
I tried to focus on the noise around the tables in the dining room. These kids had been my family for a long, long time now. I'd miss them all terribly. Gecko was sitting next to me, chatting away cheerily. I was sad since the bond we used to have wasn't as strong anymore, but maybe that was for the best. In the past month, three of the kids had gotten new homes, and Gecko would have his soon as well.
I took a better look at each of them. The kids that used to be here when I moved in were all long gone now, happy with their new families, or so I hoped. None of them had stayed in here even half as long as I had, and hopefully these kids would leave soon, too. They all would forget about me soon.
Now I knew why I never got a home of my own, but it didn't make things any less sad. On the contrary... Now I knew there had been a home waiting for me this entire time, but the shadows had taken that opportunity from me.
'Careful now..." Cedric muttered inside me. 'The Echo is getting tickled.'
Tickled...? I nearly laughed at his words, but somehow managed to keep myself neutral. Goddamn Cedric was getting me in trouble just before the evaluation! If I randomly started laughing now, I'd get marked down as a lunatic.
'Sorry,' the spirit chuckled. 'Just making sure you're not letting the Echo get a hold on you.'
He was right. There was no reason to wallow in the past, anyway. I'd had a good life in this place. I'd had people watching over me, making sure I was all right. People who had secretly cared about me.
And if I nailed that evaluation... All I had to do was to not be crazy.
'Might not want to tell them about Hades, then.'
I suffocated another laugh.
An hour later, I was standing outside in the snow, eagerly waiting for Natalie. She had a day off and had promised to take me with her to see my werewolves. She was going to help out with the infestation the Thorns were still suffering from and go through the wards in their lands. Which meant I got to spend the day in their territory!
I really needed that.
She arrived shortly after, and I sat down next to her with a happy smile on my face.
"Here," she said and gave me a pile of papers. "Is there anything you'd like?"
I looked down at the first paper. It was a copy of an advertisement. Of a bed.
"What is this?" I asked slowly as she continued driving.
"I was supposed to wait for next week, but I got too excited – you need stuff in your room, but I figured I should ask you if there's something you'd really like," she told me, sounding excited.
I continued staring at the picture, feeling...
"I... I don't think I can do this now, if I'm honest," I said quietly, looking away from the papers.
"Oh, it's fine! You can check them out once we get back home," she chirped.
"Please don't do this..." I begged, my good mood gone now.
"Honey...?"
"I don't want to get too excited," I told her. "It's still not... They may still say no."
"Oh, honey... I get it. I'm sorry... I should've waited," she spoke, her mood dropping too.
"Sorry..." I mumbled, feeling bad.
"Hey," she said, and I looked at her. She was smiling. "It is your room, no matter what happens on Monday."
I couldn't stop a smile from appearing on my lips. What was two more years? I'd probably get the permission to visit them every now and then, even if they wouldn't be my official foster parents. I didn't dare to look at the papers yet, so I put them away, but I was feeling better anyway.
And when we reached the road that led to Blue Moon territory, it was like my mood had never dropped.
The guards at the gates greeted us with smiles and let us pass. I watched the forest and the new buildings on both sides of the road as we continued our way deeper. The allied packs were building their new homes fast, and it was fascinating to see. They were building their homes by hand, lifting massive logs on their shoulders and carrying them around like they weighted nothing. Even the snow didn't stop them.
Soon, we arrived at the main street, and Natalie parked her car. When I got out, I immediately felt my wolves close by, running towards me.
I smiled and turned around, and a short moment later, I saw the big wolves approaching us.
And then my smile faded.
"No, no, no, no! Wait! Wait!" I yelped and turned into a spirit before they could run me over. They stopped to a screeching halt and turned around, barking at me, waving their tails. I laughed and turned back to human. "You're twice the size you used to be," I scolded them.
They showed me no remorse. Arch stood back when Tilly and Jaden tried to fight for the rights to get petted first, and it took only a second or two before I fell on my butt because they were pushing me so hard. I wasn't sure if they even noticed it since they were too busy barking at each other.
"Guys...!" I laughed, trying to get up again. "Watch out for the human!"
It was just a cloud of fur for me. Mostly black and white, but I saw glimpses of brown tufts every now and then. And my face got wet from all the wolf kisses. I was lying on my back at that point, giggling as I tried to protect myself from the attack.
Suddenly I felt human lips on mine and opened my eyes. Jaden was hovering over me, his green eyes sparkling at the sight of me. I smiled back at him, wrapping my arm around his shoulders to pull him into a bigger kiss. Tilly and Arch let out complaining whines and barks because of the lack of attention, but neither Jaden nor I were in a hurry.
I felt so small under him... Small and protected. His scent, weight and warm skin on me felt right. More than right. His spirits were in a happy turmoil, making me feel the same. For a moment, there was nothing else but me and him.
"Bleh..."
I chuckled when I heard human Tilly's scoff and Jaden finally pushed himself off me and helped me up on my feet.
"Are you all right?" Jaden asked, swiping snow off my jacket.
"Now I am," I said quietly, leaning against his side.
He smiled at me and put his arm around my shoulder. "Ezra promised to teach us archery today – he even found a bow for you if you want to try it out."
"Well... I can try... But my aim sucks," I said.
"We'll see about that," Jaden chuckled.
"Just be careful, all right?" Natalie said with a smile, but still looking a bit worried.
"I won't let anything happen to him," Jaden promised. "It might get handy if he knows how to shoot, too."
She did look like she had her doubts, but Jaden was right. We needed to know how to fight, and she knew that.
"Just be very careful, okay?" she said.
"I will," promised.
"Ezra is in a meeting, but it shouldn't take long, and he promised to come find us after he's free to go," Jaden said. "Come – we'll give you a tour around the town while we wait."
My excitement multiplied by his words. I turned to look at the shopping street. I was dying to explore their home. I'd seen glimpses of it already, but never really had any time to take a good look around.
Jaden chuckled at my expression and started leading us down the street.
The shops in the street had always been closed when I'd been there, making the place look so much different. Many of them had small tables outside, under the colorful awnings. The shops themselves offered all kinds of things from food to clothes, and I stopped to peer inside each and every one of them. Everything seemed handmade, but there was one electronics store as well, which really stood out from the crowd.
"We need electronics too," Tilly explained when I mentioned how absurd it looked. "The owner's kid buys old stuff from humans and brings it here for us."
I stepped next to the window and peered in. The store wasn't big, but it was filled to the brim with all kinds of gadgets, but mostly with parts, wires, tools and such.
The store really felt absurd when I peered through the window of the shop next to it. This was a bigger store, selling wooden everything from spoons to chairs.
And I kind of wanted to step inside to have a look.
"You want to go inside?" Jaden asked, reading my mind – or soul in this case.
"Yeah?" I said carefully.
I mean... If I had my own room now...
"Sure," he smiled and opened the door.
I stepped inside with the rest of them following me and stopped to try to stare at everything at once. There was pretty much everything anyone could possibly need to refurnish their entire home.
"Well, well, well, look who it is," I heard an older woman's voice and a second later, a short, round lady stepped into our view, squinting her eyes at us. "Disasters of nature one, two and three."
Jaden, Tilly and Arch chuckled in amusement, and after a short moment, the woman smiled too.
"Look how much you've grown," she said. "Real Alpha and his Betas now, huh? I'm not sure if this world is ready for you just yet."
"Good to see you too, Layla," Tilly went to hug her. "It's been a wild ride."
"It sure has," Layla said, turning to look at me. "Imagine living so long you'll get to see an actual Spirit Walker in your store! They say you're the boss disaster, hmm?"
"B-Boss...?" I stammered.
"That he is," Jaden chuckled, pulling me next to his side.
"And the new Luna," Layla continued, taking a closer look at me. "Interesting times we live."
"We're showing Oliver the town now that we're not completely in danger," Jaden continued.
"Of course! Browse all you want, and let me know if you find anything interesting," Layla said, gesturing for us to step forward.
I listened with one ear while the four of them started chatting, making my way slowly deeper into the shop. There was so much to see... The first shelf I stopped next to was filled with small quantities of bathroom items: soap holders, cute little cups, handheld mirrors, towel racks, sponges, brushes, combs, stands for toilet paper... Everything was made of either wood or clay, and all of them were unique. The wooden handles and frames of the mirrors were beautifully carved with natural themes, and the clay cups and soap holders were painted with similar pictures of forests and animals.
Everything in the shop was the same, and I spent a good while going through them all. Desks, chairs, bookshelves, kitchenware, decorations, boxes, trash bins, flowerpots... There really was everything for everyone.
There was one desk that really caught my eye. The legs were carved to look like tree trunks, and the surface was amazing! It was made of two slices of natural wood, and the rough edges of the desk still had bark left.
But the space between the slices...! There was a big gap that was filled with clear resin, making the surface smooth, but the bottom of the gap was dyed green and decorated with flowers and leaves, making it look like a tiny river.
It was so gorgeous...!
I spent a moment staring at it, but then forced myself to continue my tour. If that desk still was here the next time I visited the store...
I stopped to take a look at a small selection of office supplies. They had notebooks with wooden covers, and wooden pencil cases with either carvings or pictures of animals that were burned on them. I browsed through the notebooks and stopped to smile at one with a wolf on it. There was a pencil case with a wolf too.
"You like them?" Layla came to ask me.
"I do," I said, touching the pencil case.
"My mate makes them," she explained. "He's very good with his hands."
"They're beautiful," I said, scolding myself for not taking my wallet with me.
"Take them," Layla said, and I turned to look at her. "It's a gift from us."
"But I–"
"Your father gave his life for us. I refuse to take money from his son," she said quietly, taking the notebook and the pencil case from me, and walked to the register to find a bag for them.
"Thank you so much," I told her when she gave it to me. I didn't dare to object again since I wasn't sure what was considered offensive around here, and I could also see her spirit – she wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I'd try to pay for them.
"They were made of the woods of this land – the land your kind gave us. I'm always happy to have an opportunity to pay you back," she said with a smile, slipping something else into the paper bag before giving it to me.
"Thank you," I said again, feeling emotional all of a sudden.
"If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask," she said, leading us to the door. "Go have fun in the town – while this peace lasts."
"Take care," Jaden told her, placing his arm around my shoulders again as we stepped outside.
"This was so nice of her," I said quietly, fishing up the third item from my back. It was a white pouch, but there was something inside. Something thin. I opened it carefully and saw a big pen made of a fluffy, white feather. "This is so pretty," I gasped.
"Layla always gave us toys and other stuff when we visited her," Tilly told me. "She's really nice to everyone. And a fierce fighter."
I turned to look over my shoulder. Layla was still standing by the door, waving at us. I waved back at her, knowing I'd definitely come to her store once I'd be able to move in with Natalie and Mike.
"There's something I need to get," Arch suddenly said, getting our attention.
He was pointing at a small bakery, and I didn't need to be a werewolf to smell the wonderful scent that was coming from there. I'd eaten a big breakfast, but I was suddenly hungry again.
"Cookies?" Jaden smirked at him.
"You know it," Arch smirked back.
"He loves cookies. Maybe even more than chocolate," Jaden told me.
"That's me," Arch said cheerfully, but I could see his soul. The cookies were not for himself.
We stepped into the bakery, and Arch went to get his cookies. In the meantime, Tilly leaned closer to one of the showcases. I started drooling when I looked at the cupcakes inside it.
"Want some?" Jaden asked me.
"I don't have money with me," I told him shyly.
"You're my mate," he murmured. "Consider this a date."
I felt a light blush creeping up on my lips when Jaden turned to talk to the woman behind the register. I watched him closely as he ordered cupcakes for all of us. Mate, huh... That word suddenly weighed so much more than before... Boyfriend in human terms. I thought about the kiss I'd received only half an hour ago, and my blush grew deeper.
When he had paid for the treats, he placed his arm back on my shoulders and started leading me towards a small corner with a couple of tables and seats. His body against mine was so warm... And maybe it was just my imagination, but I fit perfectly under his arm, like our bodies were made to belong together...
"Hmm," Jaden uttered, giving me a soft smile.
"Uh-huh," I replied.
He knew what I was thinking.
"I actually need to go drop these off – I'll come find you later," Arch said, holding the bag of cookies in his hand as he turned towards the door.
"Huh? Where are you taking them?" Jaden asked.
"I'll be back soon!"
Arch left the shop before any of us could say a word.
"Has he ever bought anyone cookies before?" Tilly frowned.
"Not that I know of, but I have a pretty good idea where he's taking them," Jaden said, looking at the door with a hint of worry in his eyes.
Tilly looked at him, then at the door. "You mean Jack?"
"Uh-huh."
"He has a good feeling about it," I told them, greedily eyeing at the chocolate cupcake as we sat down. "I'm sure everything is going well between them."
"I hope so," Jaden said, moving the plate around in front of me, clearly teasing me. "Want one?"
"Yes, please," I chuckled.
"That'll be one kiss," he said, leaning closer to me.
I pecked his lips and laughed lightly. He placed the plate down between us, and I grabbed mine. It smelled so good...
When I took the first bite – and died at how good it tasted – I peered at Tilly, who didn't look as enthusiastic about hers. There was chocolate right under her nose, and she wasn't interested in it.
She was still sad because of Ben, and it was clearly getting worse.