Chase the Moon (On Hold)

Fifteen

The golden light of morning pierced through the windows of my room and shone against my eyelids. I groggily cursed myself for forgetting to close the curtains all the way last night, but as I peeled my eyes open, I knew there was nothing I could do about it now.

A quick glance at the alarm clock beside me told me there was about an hour until the pack meeting. I sat up slowly and ran my hands over my face in attempt to rub the sleep away.

After blinking a few times, I swung my feet over the bed and stood. I had decided that if I was going to meet my mate today, it would be best to do it not smelling like I'd just traveled through the woods for weeks. I stumbled into the adjoined bathroom and turned on the shower.

I felt my stomach flip at the thought that today might be the day I met the love of my life. Sure, it was unlikely I'd find her here, being as she had the whole world to hide in, but there was a difference between improbable and impossible. There was a chance, no matter how small, that my mate was here.

I stepped into the shower and let the warm water soothe my sore muscles. My feet ached the worst, being as I'd traveled all this way in human form. I was thankful, at least, that my werewolf healing took care of the blisters.

I stepped out of the shower shortly after that and threw on my cleaner clothes.

As I entered the bedroom again, I stopped for a moment to assess myself in the mirror. I wore a light blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows, a dark pair of jeans, and my sturdy black hiking boots. There was a slight crease in the shirt, as it had been in my back pack all this time, but other than that, it wasn't too bad.

I fixed my collar self-consciously and ran my fingers through my hair. Once I was satisfied, I stuffed my other clothes back into my bag.

While I was knelt beside it, I decided to reach into the smallest zipper pocket and pull out the small stone Jesse had given me.

I ran my thumb over the engraved symbol, feeling a small sense of pride as I thought of my pack. I hadn't been gone long, but I already missed them. All of them.

Sighing, I slipped the silky smooth stone into my pocket and followed my nose out the door and down to the kitchen.

Somebody was cooking pancakes and they smelled almost as divine as Ruth's. Keyword here being almost.

"You must be the Yellow Moon boy," an older woman's voice interrupted my bliss. I opened my eyes to see her standing next to the oven with a spatula in her hand. She was like Ruth in a lot of ways. A little stocky, but with motherly tones and features. Her greyish white hair was pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, just like Ruth often fashioned hers, and I could clearly see the creases of laugh lines around her eyes and mouth.

"Marcus Young," I held out my hand for her in greeting.

"Penelope Greene," she responded with a surprisingly strong handshake, "though most people around here call me Nana. You hungry?"

"Famished," I said honestly just as my stomach let out a loud grumble.

"Then you better grab a plate before the others get down here."

I didn't hesitate filling up a plate of those delicious smelling pancakes.

^^^°^^^

I stayed in the meeting area for a few hours after the meeting had ended. Nearly all the pack members had come, but none of them really stood out to me. Not in the way Teddy described it.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed that she wasn't here. I knew that wasn't fair of me to think, but even though I had yet to meet her, I could feel my soul yearning to be beside her.

All I wanted to do was hold her close, but it seemed like the whole world was between us.

Sighing, I stood and made my way back to my room. I figured I would throw in a load of laundry and then get out of Little Valley's hair.

I didn't want to overstay my visit, and besides, every minute I spent here was another minute I lost for finding my mate. The sooner I left, the better.

Once I got to my room, I gathered up my dirty clothes and carried them down to the laundry room. Once they were clean, I would head east again.

I would find my mate.