Nature's Destiny (8 page)
good
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“I’m sorry your plans were changed.”
“Me too Lara, but it wasn’t your fault,” I said matter-of-factly. “Besides, I’ve surmised this is as much a new journey for me as travelling would have been.”
“That’s a great way of looking at it,” Faye smiled.
“This
is
a new journey, and we promise to make it fun for you!” said Lara.
“Let’s go tell the others dinner is ready, and I’ll show you upstairs,” said Lara.
We walked out of the kitchen, and turned left into the hallway towards the front door.
“This is Riley’s study. Most of the pack business is dealt with in here between Riley, Nick and Shane. Other members come and go when they have questions to ask, but big pack meetings are held in a separate building outside. We often use it for celebrations and such.”
“Riley mentioned a function room earlier,” I said.
“This door is always kept closed, Riley’s rules, and we always knock before going in.”
“Got it.”
I felt like I was at the headmaster’s door, like some naughty child. It was a little intimidating hearing about Riley in his Alpha capacity.
Lara knocked twice before entering. Riley and Nick were discussing something, and concern radiated off of them. That couldn’t be good.
“Dinner’s ready,” she said.
“Give us a minute. Shane’s upstairs with Roxy.” Lara nodded to Riley, his clipped sentences dripped with stress. Riley’s furrowed look worried me. What was the problem?
I couldn’t believe how attached I’d gotten to everyone already, and I’d realised if there was a problem with the pack it affected me too.
I tried to push my feelings aside, and concentrated on what Lara was showing me. We’d gone right at the top of the stairs, and I belatedly noticed all the doors we’d passed by.
“How many rooms are here?” I asked.
“We have seven guest rooms which all have en-suites. Faye and I have a room each with an en-suite, as will you, and there’s two main bathrooms up here. Riley, Nick, Shane and his mate Roxy have their own private suite so to speak.”
She took a breath before continuing.
“As Alpha and co-Beta’s their time is taken up a lot. When we designed this house Riley thought it was a good idea for them to have a bedroom, bathroom and living room each so that they could ‘hide away’ every now and again.”
Hiding away didn’t sound very professional, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I didn’t think she’d meant it the way it sounded.
“It was a way to make sure they have some downtime. Honestly, my brother doesn’t relax much. In fact, him being around you is the most downtime I’ve seen him take in months.”
“Wasn’t Riley doing his job when he came to get me?”
“Yes, but he didn’t have to follow you to the nightclub did he? I don’t even remember the last time he went out. He won’t admit it, but having to come find you hasn’t exactly been a ‘job’ to him,” she raised her fingers and quoted the air. “It’s given him the reprieve he really needed. I’m sure he’d prefer to do that than sit in the study and answer the phone all day. I know I would,” she snickered.
“So their rooms are a bit like hotel suites?” I asked to get back on topic.
“That’s a very good way of putting it. Did Riley not tell you about the house on your way here?” she asked.
“No, he wanted me to see it for myself. I can’t tell you how exceptional this place is. The whole property is massive!”
Lara laughed at my incredulity.
“I think you’ll get used to it quite quick. If you haven’t already, you’ll soon realise that ‘big’ is the word around here. Wolves need the space, and money isn’t an issue for us. What good can a wolf do stuck in a cage?”
I was beginning to understand how important land was to them. We slowed as we reached a wooden door at the end of the hall.
“Roxy, is eight months pregnant with her first child. She hasn’t been too bad, but she’s getting tired much easier than before. And Shane bless him, he won’t stop worrying over her.”
It was hard to think of Shane as a worrier when I’d seen him joking around with everyone, but then I’d had to remind myself that I didn’t really know anyone.
Shane answered the door, and agreed they wouldn’t be long.
“The other side of the hallway is quite identical to this,” she extended her arms, and gestured to the way we’d come.
“I’ll give you a quick rundown of the rooms from here to the other side. As you know this is Shane and Roxy’s room. Then we have four guest rooms, main bathroom, Nick’s room and of course this is the games room,” she pointed as we walked along the landing.
“It’s good to know that this is the centre of the hallway. Sometimes it’s hard to tell as the landing curves round, which is why we tried to have the staircase meet as much in the middle as possible.” I didn’t really know why that was important.
“Then there’s Faye’s room, my room, two guest rooms and main bathroom. This is your bedroom, another guest room and at the end here is Riley’s room.”
Phew! That was a lot to take in, but I was glad to know that most of the rooms were empty. I didn’t fancy stumbling into someone else’s by mistake.
“Is this room OK for you, or did you want to choose one yourself?” Lara asked.
“No, no this is fine. Thank you.”
My insides did a little dance as I realised how close I was to Riley’s room. There was something about him that drew me in, and it made me want to be with him all the time. I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. He sure did light a fire inside me.
Back in the kitchen Faye had set the table. My stomach growled at the sight of the food, and I hadn’t realised how hungry I really was. I was busy sorting out glasses for drinks when Shane and Roxy came in.
I was instantly captivated by Roxy’s fiery red hair. It was cut short into a bob, and she had a lovely full fringe. It was bright and brought out the green in her eyes.
Her belly was rounded and quite large as new life grew inside of her. Did Werewolves give birth the ‘normal’ human way?
She was extremely pretty with her freckles speckled about her face. There was no doubt in my mind as to how she captivated the interest and love of Shane. She was stunning.
“Luna, it’s lovely to meet you,” she kissed both of my cheeks as she introduced herself. “I apologise for not being ready when you arrived. It was rude of me, but this baby keeps making me sleepy!” She rolled her eyes as she patted the swell of her stomach, nurturing the critter that was causing her grief.
“Oh, please, it’s not a worry at all. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be waiting for me. I’m glad to meet you now,” I said, smiling back. “I love the colour of your hair! Is that natural?”
“Yeah. Hair dye doesn’t take on a wolf, so we have to make do with what we have!”
I was suddenly glad that I wasn’t the type to dye my hair either. I hated to think what it would have looked like after the change in my body had taken place. The pigments of colour could have metamorphosed into something horrible.
“Let’s go eat before this baby drives me insane with hunger.”*
“You didn’t need to wash up, Luna,” said Faye.
“I live here too now, right?”
“Right.”
“Then I have no problem with doing my share of the chores,” I said.
I wasn’t used to having other people clear up behind me after living on my own, and it didn’t seem right. In many ways I was still just a guest, and I didn’t want to alienate myself when I was going to be living with these people for a long time.
“The guys are going up to the games room to play Xbox. Do you want to go play too Luna, or stay down here?” Roxy asked.
“I’m cool with going upstairs. Do you three play much?”
“Lara does every now and again, but we usually just play pool or sit on the sofas and watch TV. It’s nice when we get to sit together in the same room when we’re not eating. It doesn’t happen often!” said Faye.
As I walked into the games room for the second time, I paid attention to my surroundings.
The pool table I’d seen before occupied the bottom half of the room by the windows. The top half had a big screen TV which was obviously equipped with an Xbox. I could also see a DVD player, and speakers lined the walls that connected to the surround sound.
The guys were sat in the cream sofas and chairs, but there was also a few recliners. The light attached to the centre of the ceiling was magical. It was extremely big and hung like a chandelier, and it had many crystals hanging like icicles around the bulbs. It was as breath-taking as the windows had been.
I walked towards the windows to take a look at the view. It was beautiful, and I couldn’t have picked a better time. The sun was setting, and it blasted red rays across the sky. It may have been raining earlier, but you wouldn’t have thought it seeing the sunset. It was mesmerising.
I turned around, and a gleaming, white, grand piano sat in the corner of the room tucked beside the pool table. It had been hidden from view by the wall before.
“Do you play, Luna?” Roxy asked.
“Yes. I have a piano at my parents’ house. Strangely enough, I played it for the first time in months yesterday. Do you play? Is it yours?” I asked her.
“Yes, I play, and I sing too. Shane bought it for me as a wedding present, and I insisted on keeping it in here.”
“It’s exquisite. Will you play for me sometime?”
“Of course I will.”
“Play it now, Roxy,” Faye enthused.
“No I’ll disturb the guys. Another time…”
“Oh, come on! We all know they love hearing you,” Faye interrupted. “Show Luna what you can do.”
“Go on, Rox!” Lara chimed in, cheerleader style.
“Alright. Do you have any preference in song?” she asked me.
“Gosh, no, please play whatever suits you best,” I said. She began to play, and her fingers glided smoothly across the keys.
The soothing tones of the piano coddled me like a blanket. She swayed to the music and opened her mouth to sing, and it was like an angel had appeared. Her voice was pitch-perfect, and it was entrancing as it caused goose bumps to raise on the back of my neck. I was captured by her beautiful melody.
I turned to look at Lara and Faye, when I’d noticed that the guys had stopped playing Xbox to watch Roxy too. I couldn’t blame them, Roxy was truly talented. Her voice could melt hearts, and I could listen to her sing every day.
I knew Roxy was passionate about her music. Her eyes sparkled with happiness as she played. She was endearing to watch.
The melody faded out as she came to the end of her song, and a big smile crept across my face. I was taken away with Roxy’s ability, she was such a gem.
I clapped my hands together and hugged her when she’d finished.
“That was wonderful, Roxy. I didn’t recognise it though, did you compose it?” I asked.
“I did. I’m not a great songwriter, but I love music,” she shrugged, smiling.
“You know, maybe we could work together and make a few songs. I can write and you can compose…” I trailed off not knowing what Roxy thought of the idea.
In my music-induced high, I’d lost all inhibitions and thought it was a good idea, but I was already chastising myself for opening my mouth. I didn’t like putting myself out there for rejection because it did nothing for my self-confidence.
“I think that’s a great idea, Luna. Can you sing too?” she asked.
“I sing in the car, and I sing in the shower, but that’s when I’m alone. I don’t have the guts to sing in public, it’s too embarrassing!” I said as I laughed.
“I’m sure you sing just fine, and if not, you won’t be the first person in this house who can’t carry a tune,” she said as she winked at everyone else.
They laughed with her, and returned to their game.
We sat and talked for a little while. They’d been interested to hear about
The Hybrid
, and they couldn’t contain their excitement when I’d mentioned I’d had a new camera. As far as I was concerned they could take as many photos as they wanted.
It was only ten o’clock, but with the day’s excitement I was beat. I yawned for the umpteenth time, and decided to call it a night.
“I’m going to go to bed. Today has been great, thank you.” I really was appreciative of how nice they’d been to me. I couldn’t have wished for a better first day.
“I hope you sleep well. Goodnight,” said Faye as she hugged me. Roxy and Lara followed suit and I waved goodbye to the guys, who just about managed to tear their eyes away from the game.
“Wait up a sec Luna, I’ll walk you to your bedroom,” said Riley.
I waited by the door as he finished the game, and watched as he killed Nick and Shane’s virtual men.
“Oh, man! Re-match! You definitely cheated!” Nick shouted, he was obviously a sore loser.
“You know I didn’t. Quit your whining!” Riley teased, relishing his victory.
“Why don’t you settle the argument outside? A real fight?” Shane taunted, he clearly didn’t mind losing if his smile was anything to go by.
“And whip his butt for real too? You know he can only take one arse-kicking a day, and oh, look! His quota’s been met,” Riley mocked, laughing wildly.
The girls joined in too, and I struggled to suppress a giggle myself. Nick was easy to wind up.
“I’d love to prove you wrong Mr High-and-Mighty, but I wouldn’t want to keep Luna waiting.”
“Oh, no, that’s fine. I’ll wait as long as I have to,” I smiled, raising my eyebrows.
“How kind of you Luna, but I wouldn’t want to damage his pretty face,” Nick answered sarcastically.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t,” I chimed in, feeling brave. Riley raised an eyebrow in question. I had no doubt over his abilities.
“Oh, really?” Nick goaded.
“Really,” I repeated.
“It seems she holds a lot of faith in you.”
“She can obviously sense a winner.” Riley beamed at me, and my stomach fluttered in response. Nick burst into laughter. “Come on, Luna. Let’s go.” Riley turned, and walked towards me.
“When you’ve finished tucking in our little princess, I’ll be ready,” Nick provoked.
In a rapid movement, Riley turned towards Nick and growled a deep warning. The bass rumbled throughout the room like an aftershock to an earthquake.
Everyone stayed silent, and the air suffocated me with its awkwardness. I walked out of the door, unsure as to what had happened.
Riley looked confused, his brows creased together. What on earth was going on?
“I hope today wasn’t too bad for you?” he asked, clearly ignoring the last five minutes.
“Everything was great. Thank you, Riley. You have an outstanding home,” I said.
“
We
do Luna, you’re part of this family too now,” he frowned before continuing. “My sisters really like you, and so does Roxy. That was a kind thing you did for her earlier, offering to make music together. She’s going to love that, she really does sing
all
the time.” I chuckled at Riley’s theatrics. “I hope you’ll feel like you’re at home soon. If you need anything, let me know.
“I have a lot to ask, but I need to gather my thoughts, sleep on them and work it all out. I feel like I’ve been on fast forward since I was bitten. I need to catch a breath first.”
“That’s understandable, Luna. I must admit, I’ve been quite impressed with the way you’re handling it. Don’t hesitate to ask anyone, we’re all willing to help you.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I have a few questions of my own, but they can wait for now. Get some rest and I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight Riley, and thanks for coming to find me. I think I’m going to really like it here.”
“I’m glad, Luna. Goodnight.”
I stared into his eyes and felt the fire in my stomach flare up. I wanted to kiss him, wrap my arms around his neck and pull his body close to mine. I wanted to feel his every muscle move against my torso.
I didn’t know how long I’d stood there, I’d been too enveloped in my thoughts. I cleared my throat and wished him goodnight again.
He smiled at me as he continued to stare, though he looked torn as if he was battling with his thoughts. I wished I knew what he was really thinking. Minutes flew by without either of us saying anything.
He’d obviously reached a conclusion, and he wished me goodnight, again, before walking away.
I was in a stupor, a big Riley-filled stupor. I gathered my wits about me and remembered I was going to bed. I opened the door and peered in. I didn’t have the energy to observe my new bedroom, and instead I took out my pyjamas from one of the suitcases and changed in the en-suite.
Unpacking could wait until tomorrow, but for now I needed to lay my head on a pillow and sleep. I settled into the double bed and pulled the duvet around me.
Luckily, sleep came fast.