Sleeping was difficult when I felt Fallon's presence next door. Apollo was whining in my head, begging me to march next store and cuddle our mate.
I finally got out of bed after a restless night, attempting to get ready for school. It was the last day before break began, so I had to make an effort to at least attend. I threw on a black shirt and flannel with ripped black jeans that made my butt look good. For some reason, I felt more self conscious around Lyle now. Honestly, I don't think I couldn't fall in love with Lyle, but Fallon has already stolen mine and Apollo's heart.
I took one last glance in the mirror before walking downstairs. I smelled the entire family in the kitchen, including breakfast. I sauntered in, my pack pack resting on my right shoulder in preparation to leave if things got too awkward. A duffle bag was on the floor by the door, which I instantly recognized as Lyle's. I glanced at them as I sat next to Alpha, not realizing that Luna was lecturing Lyle as I walked in.
"You can't just be a slut and sneak out at night to make out with some random person!" That was probably the most aggressive statement I've ever heard out of Luna's mouth. Confusion flooded my mind until my eyes fell on Lyle's neck. The purple marks that Apollo left were vibrant and visible to all. Lyle was blushing, not looking at any of us. I wondered if he even knew I had done them, or rather my wolf did.
Luna started aggressively piling food onto plates for us. "You're going to be an Alpha once you find your mate. You need to set an example! If you keep this up, you are going to scare him away!" Lyle straightened his back, glaring at her.
Alpha surprised me by placing his papers onto the table. "Him?" Everyone stared at Luna for an explanation. Maybe she knew we were mates...
Luna simply placed her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "No females are strong enough to leave bruises like these on an Alpha male. It only lasts a few minutes on your father." Lyle and my's faces scrunched up, not enjoying our mother's confession. Lyle didn't argue with her, just plopped down in his seat. Alpha was studying him wearily, but Lyle's eyes were focused on scowling at me. My face, as always, was blank and expressionless.
Luna plopped the plates on the table carelessly. "Geez, as if living with three males wasn't enough! The moon goddess had to make my two sons gay!" Now it was my turn to glare at her, not sure how she came up with an assumption about my sexuality.
Alpha turned to me with raised eyebrows. "You too?" I composed myself enough to shrug, but Lyle scoffed at that.
"Blaze has been sleeping with Alex for months," he sneered, shoving food in his mouth. Alpha now looked uncomfortable, and I simply shrugged again.
As if on cue, Alex walked in. We all froze, but he didn't seem to realize as he happily bounced in, sipping on coffee. It took him a moment to realize the tension in the room. "Did I walk in on family drama?" Alex stared at me, hoping he could read my face. My normally stoic face was now blushed red with embarrassment as Alpha glanced between Alex and me.
"At least he has good choice in men," Alpha commented before looking back at his papers. Luna seemed to glow at the drama she just stirred up, but Lyle was already planning out which retirement home she's going to in his mind.
Lyle abruptly stood, grabbing his bag. "We are leaving now. We will be back on Luna's day," he announced, pushing Alex out the door. I did some quick mental math, realizing why Fallon had said he's going to reject me. He won't be here to tell me his decision, which only meant one thing. My face fell at the realization. I looked down at my food, but I felt Lyle staring at me for his last few moments in the kitchen.
As soon as they left, I felt the sudden urge to tell Luna about my departure. I couldn't wait until lunch. We ate in silence for a few minutes before I got up the nerve to finally pull out the picture of my family from my back pocket.
"Luna, I wanted to have lunch today to talk to you about something important..." I glanced at Alpha for some emotional support, which he gladly supplied with a small smile of encouragement. "But I feel like I shouldn't wait any longer." Luna's face flashed with multiple emotions: fear, nervousness, and happiness.
I placed the picture in front of the pair, now allowing Alpha in on more important details. It only took Alpha seconds to put some of the missing pieces together, but Luna still looked confused. "That's me, Xander, and our parents the day we were attacked by rogues." Luna picked up the picture carefully, caressing the sides. "My father was killed by rogues, but my mother managed to survive long enough to bring my brother to safety before dying. I, on the other hand, was taken and held hostage for months before the leader, Vance, thought he killed me. Xander is the soon to be Alpha of Black Hearts. He's my twin, we share a wolf, and we have a brotherly bond between us." It was a lot to take in, even for Alpha, who already knew most of the story. Luna covered her mouth, staring intensely at the picture. She finally looked up at me with teary eyes.
"You finally found them. Your family?" I nodded, not trusting me words. "And they love you? They welcomed you?" I nodded again. Luna was already crying.
"I have a cousin, Lilith. Mom, she has my same snarky attitude. And my Uncle Zach has the same expressionless face as me. Xander and I have identical laughs, and we love the same foods and the same movies and sports." I paused, trying to find the right words as I watched Luna silently cry. "They've missed me mom. Xander is the same little brother I grew up with. He accepted me with open arms, and I trust him with my life." Luna choked on a sob as she grabbed my hand tightly.
"I love you, Blaze, and it hurts to see you move on even though we all prayed to the goddess this day would come. But you need to be with your true family. Your true pack." I was surprised at her words considering I didn't mention moving to her yet.
"Xander had an apartment in their pack house decorated for me already," I admitted, squeezing her hand tighter. She actually smiled and laughed at my comment, settling down for a moment. She handed me back the picture.
"On a happier note, I got accepted into North Wilson College's exercise science program," I announced, causing Luna to instantly jump from her chair, releasing my hand.
She stood there frozen, as if she was analyzing to see if I was lying. "No. Way. Why didn't you tell me you applied?! This is amazing!!!" She squealed, jumping up and down. Alpha rolled his eyes as he watched her jump for joy. I could tell from both of their expressions; they were proud of me. A part of my wishes I could stay and be with them, but I also knew that I had to move on, and they understood that.
After the excitement settled and Luna's rambling about what my college experience was going to be like, I finally told them I had to go to school. It felt like a weight was lifted off my chest as I walked out the door listening to the happy banter of my parents in the background.
Today was going to be a good day whether Lyle wanted it to be for me or not.
...
School consisted of mostly Weston and Ace talking about Xander's coronation which was set to occur the day before Luna's Day. Xander also informed me that he wanted to announce my official return to the pack at the coronation. This would involve him biting me to restore the full connection to the rest of the pack, and breaking my connection with my current pack. I made sure to text Alpha about this, so he knew not to worry once my connection was gone.
I had made a point to give my parents a detailed itinerary of my departure. Lilith and Xander were coming tomorrow to help me pack and bring stuff over to my new apartment. I promised them I'd stay the weekend and have dinner with them tomorrow. Luna started planning something with Weston's family, like a goodbye party. Weston still hasn't told his parents about his mate yet, so that will definitely get interesting.
When I got home with Weston trailing behind me, we walked in to see pretty much all my thing packed and already in the living room. Some of the stuff I was convinced wasn't even mine. Actually most of the stuff didn't appear to be mine. Luna was wobbling down the stairs with more stuff. I quickly took some items out of her hands so she could safely walk down.
"Oh thanks, honey! I was just packing up your stuff, and since you'll be in your own apartment, I had to make sure you had everything you needed!" She wiped her hands on her shirt and took a second to pull her hair back into a ponytail.
"I'd be eager to get rid of Blaze, too," Weston commented, dropping his school bag on one of the empty chairs.
"Mom, this feels like a lot..." Luna dismissed me by waving her hands absentmindedly.
"My baby is moving out. I needed to make sure everything was prepared so you can survive on your own!" Without another word, she marched over and began organizing the things she just brought down.
Weston and I climbed the stairs and entered my bare room. The only thing that served as a reminder of my old room was my faded red comforter that stretched across the bed. I was glad I had nothing to hide in the room or else the fact Luna just took everything out would've scarred me.
"So how do I tell my parents?" My thoughts were disrupted by Weston's question.
"About Oliver?" He nodded. "Just sit them down and say you met your mate and say he's from the Black Hearts pack. I doubt they'd be anything but happy for you. Especially since Oliver is a beta and your kids would be betas." Weston gave me a look of disgust for a moment.
"No kids talk, please," he begged, ears burning bright red, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
I rolled my eyes at his reaction, but didn't comment further. He'd be the one getting pregnant, so I'm sure he wasn't too pleased at the thought. Only the subordinate in the relationship could get pregnant. "If you tell them tonight, then you can bring Oliver to my goodbye dinner tomorrow, and I'll have Xander come," I suggested, instantly winning over Weston.
"Brilliant! And that's why you are an alpha!" I cringed at his words, considering I wasn't really an alpha, but I didn't say anything.
After a few hours of convincing, Weston finally got up the nerve to go back home to tell his parents about Oliver. Oliver's family has already met and welcomed Weston with open arms, so this was the last step.
I laid in bed, feeling overwhelmed yet comfortable about how my life was turning out. At only 6pm, I drifted off into a much needed slumber.