A Christmas Wish

CHAPTER 5: NEW HOME

I pointed to the cabin that I had chosen. Next door but one to the occupied cabin. I didn’t want her to be weirded out by me choosing the one right next door. Besides, we might not get on, so a little distance would be good, just in case. Luke handed me the key and said that he would have linens and other essentials sent down to me, now that he knew which cabin I was going to be in. I opened my mouth to thank him, but he had shifted and ran off before I could. I watched as his big, chocolate brown wolf Cal disappeared into the distance. I began to unload the cases from my car. As I unlocked the creaky wooden door, I noticed the curtain of the occupied cabin twitch. I considered giving a wave, but the light went out. I pushed open the door and headed inside. The cabin may not be a grand, beautiful place like the Alpha and Luna quarters at the Blood Moon pack had been, but it was my home now, and I was determined to make the best of it.

By the time that I had cleaned the place up and unpacked, I was starting to feel good about my new home. There was a fireplace to curl up in front of and a cosy feel to it. My stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I wondered if the pack house kitchen would mind me making myself something to eat. I would need to stock up the small kitchen in the cabin. That way, I wouldn’t need to rely on the pack house for all my meals. I had some money that I had put away in my old account that I'd had before going to the Blood Moon pack to be with Michael. Right now, I felt relieved that I hadn’t touched it during my marriage. At least I wasn’t completely penniless. Under pack laws, Michael wouldn’t have to give me a penny when we divorced. It would be considered no fault due to him finding his true mate, and that was the reason that we were splitting up. Besides, I had chosen to leave the pack of my own free will.

I decided to walk to the pack house rather than drive. It had been years since I had wandered through the Blue Moon pack grounds. I had forgotten how peaceful it was here. I gazed at the still waters of the lake as I passed it, remembering with sadness the many hours that I spent sitting on its banks praying to the Moon Goddess that she would send my mate to save me from the loneliness that was my life. When I met Michael and fell so completely in love, I thought that she had answered those prayers. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way that I was very wrong. Now, here I was again, back to being unwanted and alone. I continued walking slowly and silently, seemingly unnoticed the rest of the way to the pack house. Considering that I had grown up here, a member of the Alpha family, no one seemed particularly interested in my return or happy to see me. Well, other than Charlie, that is.

I reached the pack house and paused to take a moment before going in. "Hey there," I heard a voice behind me. Looking around, I was pleased to see Charlie standing there grinning. I smiled at him. It was so good to see a friendly face. "What are you doing just standing here? Forgotten your way around?" he joked. I shook my head, smiling. "I'm just taking a moment to prepare myself to go inside," I explained. I didn't need to give a more detailed explanation. Charlie had been my best friend, my only friend, really. He had seen what I had gone through growing up here. The bullying from David, the indifference from my parents. Daisy hadn't been cruel, but we had never been close. Charlie had been all that I had. He opened his mouth to respond, but my stomach growled loudly again, interrupting whatever he had been about to say. "I've just finished my shift on the gate. Do you want to grab a late dinner and catch up a little?" he asked. I nodded gratefully. I would feel a lot less nervous walking in there with Charlie by my side.

A few people glanced our way as we made our way to the dining hall, but no one said anything. Charlie told me to grab a table while he got us some food. I was so grateful for him right now. I hadn't been looking forward to doing this alone. It had been so long since I had felt like this. My life at the Blood Moon pack had been so wonderful. I had felt nothing but love and respect from its members. I had thought that I had found the place where I truly belonged. my heart was aching just thinking about it. My eyes stang as I remembered how those same pack members hadn't seemed to care as I was being traded in for Ally in the end. Perhaps they had only loved and respected me because Michael had, and once he stopped, so had they.

Before I could sink any deeper into my painful thoughts, Charlie set a plate in front of me and sat down. The smell of the food wafted up my nostril, and I breathed it in hungrily. "Mmmmmmmm," I murmmered. "Good, you still like pepperoni pizza, I see," He grinned, taking a mouthful of his own. It had been a while since I had eaten pizza. Michael preferred healthy eating. He was really strict about it. The sight of the melted cheese was making my mouth water. I picked up a slice and took a bite. As the warm food slid down my throat, I felt a moment of happiness. I looked over at Charlie and saw that he was watching me. He looked amused. "What?" I asked. He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't think I have ever seen someone enjoy pizza as much as you," he said. I stuck out my tongue and took another bite. Maybe things would be okay here, I thought. Comfort food and good company were exactly what I needed to get through today. Tomorrow was another problem.