Chapter 43: Chapter 43

EVIE

“Hey, you two.” I casually draped my arm around Elijah and Molly, who were cozied up on a bench on our back patio.

Molly greeted me with a warm smile, her irritation with me seemingly nonexistent.

Elijah, however, was a different story.

“What do you want, sis?” he grumbled, clearly not in the mood for my antics.

“Be nice!” Molly quickly reprimanded him.

“You two are just adorable.” I couldn’t help but grin as I moved to sit on a chair behind them.

“I was just curious about what you guys have planned, considering Elijah is due to leave tomorrow,” I asked, trying to sound casual.

“Why do you care?” Elijah shot back, his mood not improving.

“Because she’s the luna, that’s why,” Molly defended me, shooting a glare at my brother.

“She’s not my boss,” Elijah retorted, sulking like a child.

“She will be if you plan on being part of this pack,” Molly countered.

“What’s this now?” My ears perked up at that.

“We were just discussing our long-term plans.” Molly shrugged, trying to downplay the conversation.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked again, my curiosity piqued.

“I need to sort some things out back home first, with our parents and my job. But after that, I was thinking about asking you and Noah if I could stay here indefinitely. I’ve already started looking into jobs and apartments here,” Elijah explained, matching Molly’s nonchalant tone.

I couldn’t contain my excitement.

“Eli! That’s fantastic!” I squealed, throwing my arms around him in a tight hug.

He chuckled, standing up to return the hug.

“I guess that’s a yes from the luna,” he teased, poking fun at my title.

“That’s a hell yes from me and the alpha!” I giggled.

“I think I’ll ask him personally,” Elijah said as we broke apart.

I waved my hand dismissively.

“You don’t need to do that,” I assured him.

Molly snorted.

“Spoken like a true luna.”

“Are you going to Hawaii with him?” I asked Molly, changing the subject.

Her eyes widened as she glanced between me and Elijah.

“Oh, um…we haven’t discussed that,” she stammered.

Elijah shrugged, looking at her.

“You could…if you want,” he suggested shyly.

“I think it’s a good idea. Mom and Dad will be on their best behavior if you’re there,” I added.

“That’s true,” Elijah agreed.

“They’ll be over the moon that you’ve found a girl you like enough to bring home,” I told Elijah.

“Yeah, but convincing them that I’m moving to New Orleans for a girl I just met might be a challenge,” Eli added.

“You can always blame me if you want,” I offered.

“Oh yeah, so I can bear the brunt of their anger toward you and me? No thanks,” Elijah scoffed.

I shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

We shared a laugh before Elijah turned his attention back to Molly.

“So, what do you say?” he asked her.

“Do you want me to come?” She blushed.

“I do, if you want to come.” Elijah’s blush mirrored hers.

“For Heaven’s sake, just go,” I groaned at their back-and-forth.

“Okay,” Molly finally agreed.

“Okay,” Elijah echoed, smiling.

I shook my head at the two of them. “Go help your mate pack, Eli.” I nudged Elijah toward Molly and shooed them away.

“All in a day’s work,” I grinned at Noah, who was just exiting the pack house.

“What did you do?” He looked at me suspiciously.

“Molly’s going to Hawaii with Elijah for a bit while he sorts things out. Then he’s moving here. He’ll stay with us until he finds a place,” I informed Noah.

“That’s great. I’m happy for them.” Noah smiled, taking my hand.

I knew he wouldn’t mind Elijah staying with us temporarily.

“I’ve had another epiphany,” I told him.

“Is that so?” Noah looked skeptical.

I grabbed both his hands, pulling him toward me and wrapping my arms around him.

“I thought about offering my apartment to Elijah when he comes back,” I suggested.

It took Noah a moment to process what I was saying.

“So, you’re thinking about making this official?” he asked, his excitement barely concealed.

“Let’s be real, I practically moved in weeks ago.” I chuckled. “It’s pointless to deny it any longer. Paying rent for a place I don’t even live in is absurd. So, if you’re cool with it, I’d like to officially move in.”

Noah pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I’m more than cool with it,” he murmured, his warm breath tickling my neck.

“I’ll talk to Elijah about it when I see him next. We can shift the rest of my stuff over while he’s away,” I proposed.

Noah cupped my face and planted a passionate kiss on my lips.

“That’s the best plan I’ve heard,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.

***

The following day, we drove Molly and Elijah to the airport, bidding them farewell for the next few weeks.

We had no idea how long they’d be away. It all hinged on how my parents reacted to the news. Elijah was all in with Molly. He made it clear that if our parents didn’t approve, he’d leave at once and bring Molly back. He wouldn’t let her stay around two people who didn’t accept her.

I was incredibly proud of him for honoring the mate bond so fiercely.

I hoped my parents would accept her and be understanding. Their reaction to Molly and Elijah would give me a good idea of how they’d react to my news.

I braced myself for the inevitable phone call after Elijah spilled the beans, and I resolved to be honest with them. If Elijah could do it, so could I. I was done hiding my relationship with Noah.

Fortunately for Molly, her trip to Hawaii coincided perfectly with our fall break at school. We had a two-week break. If Molly needed to stay longer, she’d take a leave of absence from school.

I won’t lie, I was considering doing the same until I got more accustomed to pack life and my role as luna.

Noah would never ask me to quit school, and I had no plans to, but I wanted to give my all to everything I did.

At the moment, my school and personal life were too chaotic to fully commit to either, and that bothered me.

It was something I needed to think about during the break.

“I can’t wait to have you all to myself for the next two weeks,” Noah murmured as we settled back into the pack house.

“You might get sick of me,” I teased as his lips traced my neck.

“Impossible. There’s always something new to discover.” His voice deepened as his hands slipped under my shirt.

“Noah!” I giggled, pushing him away.

We were in the kitchen, just out of sight of the staff.

“Let’s get out of here.” He groaned, hoisting me over his shoulder.

“Hey!” I protested as he carried me into the elevator.

“Can’t help it, babe.” He smacked my butt, and I squealed in surprise.

Noah dropped me onto his bed and crawled over me, but I had a surprise for my alpha.

I wriggled out of his hold and flipped us over, straddling his waist.

“Time for me to take the reins, Alpha,” I purred, watching as Noah’s eyes swirled with desire; Remi was just beneath the surface.

“I’m all yours, little luna.” His voice was barely above a whisper as desire took over.

“That’s right, you are,” I grinned.