Chapter Twenty-One

Dylan

I hit ignore on yet another call from my mom and slip my phone into my pocket before dropping a box full of my stuff into the trunk of Dean's Escalade. She's been calling me at least twice a day since Christmas but I always send her straight to voicemail, there's nothing to discuss. I'm just not in the right frame of mind to hash things out with her, not with everything going on.

Work has been crazy busy since Reed up and left the same day I threatened him. He didn't put in his two weeks or leave a letter of resignation. One of our coworkers he was close to ended up going by his place and came back to tell us his house was like a ghost town. He knocked and knocked but it was no use, Reed was just gone.

It's plenty satisfying to know my job isn't in jeopardy anymore but I didn't count on how much work would I would have to do to pick up the slack. Lydia won't come right out and accuse me of being the reason he left but I see it in her eyes every morning when she gives me not only my call list but Reed's as well. I'm bogged down until his replacement arrives. I hope it's a fûcking girl this time. So not only am I dealing with work drama but I decided to move in with Dean.

When we pulled into the long drive of the pack house I lost the ability to breathe. Thoughts about whether I'm doing the right thing flooded my mind and my heart thundered rapidly in my chest. Instead of stopping at the top of the gravel driveway, past the pack house and almost to the assembly building, we took a dirt path to the left and stopped in front of the cutest cabin I've ever seen. In fact it's the only cabin I've seen but it's still most definitely the cutest.

It's completely made of bright light brown wood and has a green roof. From outside it looks like it's two stories, and there's a beautiful wrap around porch already decorated with patio furniture for cook outs in the summer. I can see it in my mind, Dean on the stainless steel grill making burgers and me laying out with Andrea and her flavor of the month sipping margaritas while we wait.

"Are you done having 'make believe' time yet?" Dre asks, breezing past me with a box full of my belongings.

"Stay out of my thoughts bịtch," I snap back, causing her to laugh. I growl as I grab a box from the trunk. I hate it when she goes poking around in my head without my permission, it freaks me out.

Her comeback is cut short when a group of attractive men come barreling out of the house. They're all dressed relatively the same in white tanks, black cargo shorts. And black and white Nike running shoes. A few of them look alike but there's a good mix of races and heritages in the bunch.

"Please," a tall man with chocolate skin and milk chocolate eyes approaches me with his hands outstretched, "let us carry your things inside Luna. It would be our pleasure."

My eyes widen to the size of half dollars as I stand stock still not really sure of what to do or say in response.

He smiles and takes the box in my hands before going to the back of the Escalade and piling another two on top.

With one look over to Andrea I see she's in heaven. She's batting her eyelashes and moving like the seductive little vixen she is, her prior wariness of unfamiliar werewolves clearly gone the second she saw muscles.

"Whỏre," I joke mentally, knowing she's probably still in tune with me.

"Fûck off and go find your ball and chain," she sneers back, making me laugh out loud.

I decide to leave her to it and look for Dean like she said. The second we got out of the car he left, telling me he'd be right back but I haven't seen him since.

Walking around the parameter of the house I take in the surrounding woods. Off to the right there's a beautiful pond. The water is so clear I can see straight through to the different types of fish inside. I squat down beside it and touch my fingertips to the water, watching the ripple effect.

"It's basically an aquarium," Dean says from behind me.

Startled, a shiver goes up my spine but I don't turn around. "Is that so? Is it safe for all of the different types to be in there together?"

I feel his arms wrap around my waist and lean into his touch.

He sniffs my hair before answering, "Yeah. It's a lot like our world really. Many of them are natural enemies and yet with a little effort they all get along fine."

My eyebrows raise but I don't say anything. I'm wondering where he went and just as I'm about to ask he speaks.

"Let's head into the house. I want to show you around."

Our hands find each other and our fingers intertwine as we walk towards the stairs of the porch.

*

By the end of the tour my feet hurt. The five bedroom four and a half bathroom house is immaculate. Although it may look like a cabin outside, the interior is completely modern. Most of the walls were white aside from the occasional accent wall of maroon and the floors are a dark brown wood throughout the house. When you walk through the doors you're faced with a grand staircase that matches the wood of the floor. A half bathroom is off to the left and Dean's office is off to the right. Past the stairwell you're faced with the decision to walk down a few steps to the sunken living area and plop down on the huge black leather sectional, or go to the left and enter into the open chrome covered kitchen, or right and enter the modern dining area. Each room is spacious and has a walk in closet, the master bedroom having two, one for me and one for Dean. I don't even have enough clothes to fill it.

The huge windows in front of me leading to the sunroom on the deck show the beautiful dark blue night sky. It's so clear out, no stars, just the moon illuminating the dark. I groan as I kick off my Jordan tennis shoes, sinking back into the plushness of the sectional and the quiet of the empty house. Andrea is out grabbing clothes so she can stay the night and Dean is driving the guys who helped us back to the pack grounds per my request. They're training for warrior positions in the pack so Dean wanted to make them run home. It didn't take much from me to get him to change his mind. They may be wolves but I know a tired person when I see one. Their thankful smiles were enough to let me know I was right.

It was odd having them all call me Luna even after I told them they could address me by my name. Not only did they call me by the term but all day there have been members of the pack stopping by with gifts or food dishes for their new Luna. I'm so tired of hearing the word I'm going to puke if I even think of it again.

What does it even mean anyway? To be their - you know what? I hope they don't expect me to stop everything in my life to deal with all of this wolfy stuff because I barely understand any of it as it is.

Walking into the kitchen I glance at the food covering the white granite countertops. There are enough meals here to feed a small country. Well maybe not that many but there's way too much food for our fridge.

Our, I let the word sink in fully. I'm officially moved in with a man I only met a few months ago. Before all of this I would've thought I was insane for doing something so impulsive but when he asked my answer slipped off of my lips before I could stop it. Realistically I had no chance of saying no to him anyway with his hair tousled in that sexy way it gets when he hasn't cut it in a while and he's been running his fingers through it all day. His eyes sparkled against the night when I said yes, I knew I had made the right decision then. But even though I'm sure I'm doing the right thing I can't help but hear that little voice of doubt.

"Hey Angel," Dean greets, kissing the side of my head before washing his hands to help me put food away.

"Aren't you supposed to be up at the training grounds with the recruits?" I ask, not that I mind him being home.

"I'm going back in a bit," he replies then looks around, "Where's Andrea?"

I close the fridge and stack the remaining food containers on top of each other for Dean to take with him.

"She's getting clothes so she can stay tonight, she'll be back any minute."

He nods but I see the sadness in his expression. "I feel like crap I can't stay with you."

I smile and cross over to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. "It's alright, really. You'll be here every other night it's not a big deal."

"It's our first night in our home together. Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?" he asks, placing his forehead against mine.

My heart flutters at his words but I don't answer. Instead I kiss him softly, pulling him into me as if to say I've waited a long time for this as well. All of my life I've wanted this level of comfort, of love, surrounding me in a home of my own with a man of my own and now I have it. It's surreal and wonderful to finally be in the place I've dreamed of so many times.

Our kissing quickly turns from innocent pecks to passionate tongue twirling as he lifts me up onto the center island for better access to my mouth. The cold of the granite heighten my senses and the hairs on my body stand up on end only to remain there because of Dean's electrifying touch. His hands find their way into the waistband of my sweats and his fingers slip over my nub quickly.

Panting breaths and racing heartbeats later I'm coming down off of the high only he can give me. I open my eyes quickly enough to see him pop his fingers into his mouth and suck them clean, eliciting a new wave of arousal in me. Dean closes his eyes and inhales deeply.

"You'd better get down from there unless you want me to be very late getting back to the pack grounds," he growls out, eyes darkening.

Blood roars loudly in my ears and I slip down quickly, my feet becoming best friends with the floor.

"Do you want me to bag this food up for you?" I ask, trying to distract him while the tent in his basketball shorts distracts me.

"What am I going to do with it?" he asks, walking over to the stacked containers and out of my view, "Why don't you just put it in the fridge?"

"If I put any more in there we won't have room for groceries Dean," I reply, a hand on my hip, "Besides I don't really want our refrigerator filled with food and we just moved in. I'd rather cook for us."

He smiles but keeps his distance, "I like the sound of that. We're really doing this huh?"

"Yeah...I guess we are," I reply after a few seconds of silence.

Dean's about to respond when the front doors literally burst open and a gust of wind flies through. In a flash he's in front of me, back hunched, claws extended, ready to protect me.

"Down boy." I hear Andrea say and he visibly relaxes, moving out of the way so I can see.

"Good boy White Chocolate," she directs at Dean then turns to me, "Give 'em a scratch behind the ears or something for me will ya' D-Rose."

I have to grab Dean's arm and physically pull him back from confronting her. My hysterical laughing probably didn't help.

*

Our bellies full and nails and toes painted Dre and I lie back on the bed in my room and stare at the ceiling. Call us weird but it's what we always do while we let our nails dry. It feels like my mind is freer and more open and we normally end up having pretty good talks.

"So I've been doing some research," I say suddenly, trying to hide the grin on my face.

"Have you now?" Dre replies, probably already knowing what I have to say.

"Yes and I have a few questions," when she doesn't respond I continue, "Are you The Supreme? And if you are, is there a new Supreme coming up? Because I really can't handle you dying right now!" I'm in hysterics once I finish rambling. I didn't really realize how scared the idea of losing her made me. Sure we bicker but she's my sister from another mister, my road dog, my ace boon coon. I couldn't imagine my life without Andrea in it.

Her loud obnoxious laughter brings me back and makes me regret every nice thing I just thought.

"Your research," she laughs again, stopping to catch her breath, "Was fûcking American Horror Story? Girl!"

I sit up, glaring at her and fold my arms across my chest until she stops laughing. It's not like I was raised knowing any of this shịt exists. American Horror Story is the only source that was direct with information.

"Okay I'm sorry," she replies to my thoughts, "I guess to put it in AHS terms I am the Supreme."

My heart races at the idea of my best friend having that much power inside of her.

"I am pretty damned powerful if I do say so myself but it's not because of some title I have to give up to the next bịtch in line," she explains, "It's because my entire coven is dead. See a witch coven is a lot like a werewolf pack except we're linked together through our power. Together, we're stronger, apart we're strong."

I sit intrigued by Andrea opening up to me, fully, for the first time. She never talks about her parents or her past. Before I thought it was just too difficult but now I know the real reason.

She snaps her fingers in front of my face, "Pay attention would you?"

I smile, embarrassed she read my thoughts again. "Sorry."

"Now where was I?" she asks herself then nods, "Right. So a lot like the show, my coven dates all the way back to Salem, then on to New Orleans. When my parents were teenagers a fire broke out in the estate the witches lived in, my mom and dad were on a date and when they came back our entire coven was dead. The second they stepped onto the grounds the power from the lost witches entered their bodies and let them know the fire wasn't an accident through a series of visions. The doors were boarded and blocked and the mansion burned to the ground with them trapped inside."

Her expression is far away, almost like she's reliving the entire wicked night.

"They knew what they had to do at that point and packed up to leave for good. A couple of years later, they had me and raised me up knowing exactly who and what I am. It was drilled into my head from a young age that me and any siblings I would have were the only hope for our coven to regain it's numbers. Of course, they never got around to making any more babies so once my parents died my powers were activated and I absorbed theirs and that of the other witches that were once in our coven, making me The Supreme as you say."

I'm completely astonished and my expression shows it. We both sit together but mentally we're continents away.

"So," I start after a while of silence, "just to be clear. You aren't going to start shriveling up into some old ninny because some new Supreme is sucking your life force right? 'Cause I don't think they'd give you AARP benefits at twenty-three no matter how old you look."

The smile that comes over her face and replaces the sadness is exactly what I was looking for. She pulls me into one of those comforting hugs only your best friend can give you and I hug her right back, trying to take away all of her bad memories and hold onto them even if it's just for a little while.

"I love ya' D-Rose," she whispers into my ear. I can hear the tears in her voice.

"Ditto Dre," I whisper back, holding her tighter.

We spend the rest of the night talking about her powers and having her show them off to me. It's one of the first times I think I've ever seen Dre be completely and totally herself and it makes me smile.

*

Karter

The recruits are finally gone, camped out in the woods behind the pack grounds to see if they can rough it. In about an hour or so a group of us are going to go out and try to scare the pịss out of them like we do the recruits every year. No joke one year a guy actually peed his pants, needless to say he didn't make the cut.

"How's the little lady liking the new place?" Grey asks, plopping down beside me on the couch.

I smile, thinking of my Angel back at our house. She's probably up watching one of those dḁmned shows with the sorry excuses for werewolves on the CW with Andrea.

"She hasn't said much but she seems to like it. You know her, she's not much of a gusher until she doesn't like something," I laugh, scratching the stubble on my chin.

Grey chuckles, "That sounds about right."

We sit making small talk for a while about Denise's fast approaching due date until Connor and Owen come barreling out of my office.

"We know where they are," Owen states proudly.

My heart races. I know exactly who he's talking about. "The exact location?"

"Trackers just found it a few seconds ago," Connor replies, "They want to know if they should engage."

I shake my head, adrenaline pumping through my veins. "No. Have them stay as far away as possible and do recon. I want to know everything, down to every time someone has to take a shịt, understand?"

He nods and then relays the message to our trackers.

My skin prickles with excitement but also a bit of nervousness. We've finally got eyes on them but that could easily mean they have eyes on us too, specifically Rose.

I start to get up and rush home but stop myself as I'm reminded of who she's there with. Andrea is absolutely without a doubt the most powerful witch I've seen in my lifetime. If anyone can protect Rose, she can, and I know she would, with her life it need be. As different as they are their friendship works and they love each other fiercely.

I'm instantly put at ease, even more so knowing that Rose has her wolf now. Regardless of her lack of formal training and disconnection with her wolf, animal instinct would take over in a time of crisis. Even if she couldn't fully protect herself she could at least defend herself enough for me to get there and save the day.

"Hey man," Grey nudges my shoulder, "You alright?"

I nod and smile, feeling totally calm now that I've assured myself of my Angel's safety.

"Alright then," he rubs his hands together, "let's go scare some recruits."

*********************

Hello my good people!!!

This update is early because yall are amazing and have gotten Awake to over 5,000 READS!!!! I hope yall enjoyed the chapter! There are only a few more, left in the story! I already have the next three written and will be editing them once I finish with my schoolwork. I want you guys to get a double update on Saturday for all of you lonely souls like me on VDay lol There will also be something else I upload that's pretty special to me and different to my page but I hope yall will still give it a chance (:

On to business....

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