When The Moon Calls You Home

My legs dangled off the edge of the seat, swinging nervously as the car bumped along the road. The leather smelled strange, too clean, and the world outside the window blurred past in streaks of dark trees and moonlight. I hugged my little backpack close to my chest—it was the only piece of home I had left. Somewhere up ahead, beyond the winding road, stood the packhouse. They said the Alpha and Luna were waiting for me there, ready to take me in. I wasn’t sure what they would look like, or if they would even want me. All I knew was that my parents weren’t coming back, and nothing in my world felt the same. My stomach twisted as the headlights caught the first glimpse of a huge shadow in the distance—the packhouse. My new beginning. My new family… maybe. No 6 year old should have to go through what I’ve been through, but here I was. Starting my life over in a new pack with new people. I didn’t know what to expect or even if these people were going to be nice to me. As soon as the car stopped, the driver got out and walked around to open my door for me. I climbed out of the car with my bag and I slowly walked up the stairs where the Alpha and Luna were waiting. The Luna instantly knelt down so she was the same height as me. “Hello Sage. I’m Luna Elsie and this is Alpha Joseph.” She said. “Hello.” I answered. “Do you know why you’ve come to live with us?” She asked. “They told me that you were friends with my mother.” I answered. “That’s right. I went to school with your mother. We were very good friends.” She said, touching the side of my face in a motherly sort of way. She was looking at me with a soft and warm smile on her face. She wasn’t mean, she wasn’t going to hurt me. She was welcoming me into her house. “Come. You must be hungry after that long trip.” She said holding my hand and she led me inside. When we went inside I saw two boys in the living room. I knew that they were brothers, but they didn’t look too similar. The Luna, my mother’s old friend, was actually the Alpha’s second mate. His first mate left him when she found her fated mate. Or something like that. I wasn’t too sure. But I knew that they didn’t have the same mother. And it instantly showed how they were different. Not just their looks, but their personalities as well. “Hi Sage. I’m Jax.” The 8 year old said, walking over to me and hugging me. “Hello.” I said, nervously. “I am really glad that you’re here to live with us. Elsie said that you needed somewhere to stay and that she was best friends with your mother. I’m glad that we could help.” Jax said and I smiled at him. He was nice. Really sweet and his smile reflected that of his stepmothers. It was warm and welcoming. But the other one. Not so much. He wasn’t much like his mother at all. “I don’t care what the hell happened to her parents. I don’t want her here.” 6-year-old Jesse yelled, throwing his toy on the ground and stomping his feet. “Jesse. We’ve been through this.” Alpha Joseph warned. “I don’t care. I don’t want her here. I don’t want some stinky girl living here.” Jesse yelled. “Jesse. That’s enough.” Luna Elsie said. I grabbed my bag and hugged it tightly to my chest while Jesse was throwing his temper tantrum. He wouldn’t stop screaming and throwing things so Luna Elsie and Alpha Joseph had to try and calm him down and stop the behavior that he was exhibiting. I felt something on my back so I turned to look and Jax was standing next to me with his arm around me, trying to calm me down as we watched his brother behaving like a lunatic. “Don’t worry about him. He’s a spoiled brat. His mother and dad are always treating him like he deserves everything.” Jax whispered in my ear. “Why?” I asked. “Because he does this. Whenever he starts throwing things they give in to him. If I did that then I’d get belted and sent to my room.” Jax said. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you or him to hate me.” I said. “I don’t hate you. Jesse hates everyone.” He said. And I nodded my head. Jax seemed to be really intelligent and very perspective for an 8 year old. But then again, he is the heir to the pack. So I guess he did need to grow up faster than most kids his age. I knew that we were going to get along straight away. “Get her out of my house.” Jesse screamed starting to run towards me, but Jax stood in front of me. As Jesse tried to grab at me Jax pushed him backwards and Jesse fell on his butt on the ground and started screaming and crying about Jax hitting him. “Don’t ever try to hit her again. She needs our help and that’s why she’s here. Leave her alone.” Jax yelled at Jesse. “Jax pushed me.” Jesse cried, tears starting to fall from his face. “Jax. Why don’t you take Sage upstairs.” Alpha Joseph said. So Jax nodded his head. He turned to look at me and he took my hand gently and started taking me up the four flights of stairs to the Alpha floor. I was surprised that I would be staying on the same floor as the rest of the Alpha family because I wasn’t one of them. But they had already made up a room for me that was massive. Jax opened the doors for me and it had a fireplace in it with a walk-in-wardrobe and my own bathroom. It was so much more than I could have ever imagined. “It’s so big.” I said, looking around the room. “Elsie said that you don’t come from an Alpha family so you’re not going to understand living in a packhouse straight away.” Jax said. “No. My family doesn't come from Alpha’s.” I said. “That’s alright. Now you get to live in a packhouse. And you don’t have to worry about anything.” He said. “Except your brother.” I said. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll keep throwing temper tantrums but you’ll learn to ignore them pretty soon.” He said. “I hope so.” I said. “Elsie didn’t know what colors you liked, so she went with purple and blue. I hope that’s alright.” Jax said. “I like them. I don’t like pink very much.” I said. “Good. She was afraid of that. That’s why she didn’t go for pink.” He smiled. His smile was so inviting that I couldn’t help but smile back at him. This is my room. My room. Jax showed it to me, and he smiled the whole time, like he wanted me to like it. He’s really nice. Different. Softer than his brother… kinder. I can tell. I think he’s special. Maybe he’ll be my friend. I hope so. I hope I can really like it here. I don’t want to move again. I don’t want to feel alone anymore. I’m only six, but… this family feels strong. Safe. The Alpha and Luna look like they’ll take care of me. Maybe I can belong here. Maybe this can be home.