CHAPTER 2
1766 Words
When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is sunlight spilling across the floor. For a few seconds, I forget where I am. The big soft bed, the bright curtains, the clean smell of soap — it’s all strange. Then I remember.
The car.
The strangers.
The deal.
The Moonfire Pack.
My chest feels heavy again. I sit up and clutch my teddy close. He’s the only thing that still feels like mine.
There’s a knock at the door. Before I can answer, the door opens and Luna Elsie steps inside. Her brown hair is tied up, and she smiles when she sees me awake.
“Good morning, Sage.” She says kindly. “How did you sleep?”
I shrug. “Okay.” I whisper. It’s not true. I cried until I fell asleep.
“Well.” She says, “Breakfast is ready. Come downstairs when you’re ready, sweetheart.”
She leaves the door open, and I hear the house waking up — footsteps, voices, dishes clattering. I slip on my socks and pick up my teddy. I don’t want to leave him behind.
Downstairs, the smell of eggs, toast, and something sweet hits me. My stomach growls, but nerves twist inside it too.
The kitchen is huge, with big windows and a long wooden table. Two boys sit there. One is older, maybe eight, with messy brown hair and a kind face. The other, about my age, has sharp gold eyes like Alpha Joseph’s and already looks like he dislikes me.
Luna Elsie smiles. “Sage, these are my sons. The older one is Jax, and the little one is Jesse.”
Jax grins. “Hi, Sage! Sit next to me if you want.” I nod and sit quietly.
Jesse doesn’t smile. He leans back, eyes me up and down. “She’s the one from last night.” He says. “The one Dad mentioned.”
“Jesse.” Elsie warns gently.
He ignores her. “Why is she even here? We don’t need her.”
My face burns. I stare at my plate.
“Because she’s our guest.” Elsie says firmly. “And guests deserve kindness.”
“She’s not a guest.” Jesse mutters. “She’s just some contract pup.”
Jax turns to him, frowning. “Hey, stop it.”
“What? Dad said she’s not staying. She’s not part of the pack!”
“Doesn’t matter.” Jax says. “You’re being mean.”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
Before I can blink, Jax shoves Jesse, and Jesse shoves back harder. They’re yelling and hitting each other. Chairs scrape the floor, and my wolf jumps inside me, startled.
“Enough!” Luna Elsie’s voice cuts through the noise. She steps forward and pulls them apart effortlessly. Jax looks guilty, Jesse furious.
“Jesse.” She says firmly, “You will not speak to Sage that way. She is a guest here.”
“She’s not a guest.” Jesse snaps.
“Do you understand me?” She interrupts.
Jesse’s mouth snaps shut. “Yes, mom.”
“Good. Now apologize.” He mumbles “sorry.”
Elsie sighs. “Jax, thank you, but no more fighting in the kitchen.
“Yes, Mom.” Jax says, still glaring at his brother.
“Go wash up, both of you.” Elsie says. “Sage and I will finish breakfast.”
Jax gives me a quick smile before he leaves. Jesse glares at me once more, then stomps after him.
When they’re gone, I stare at my plate. “I’m sorry.” I whisper. “They fought because of me.”
Elsie shakes her head and kneels beside me. “No, sweetheart. They fought because they’re brothers. It happens. Don’t you worry about it.”
She stands and smooths her apron. “Come on. Let’s make breakfast together.”
“Me?” I blink. “I don’t know how.”
“That’s alright. You’ll learn.” She smiles kindly. “It’s a woman’s job to feed the family. You might as well start practicing.”
I nod, even though my stomach twists again. I follow her to the counter, where there are bowls, flour, eggs, and a jug of milk.
“Here.” She says, handing me an egg. “Tap it gently on the side of the bowl. Then pull it apart.”
I do as she says. The egg breaks open, and yellow spills into the bowl. Some shell falls in too. My cheeks heat up.
Elsie laughs softly. “That’s okay. Everyone drops a little shell the first time.”
She shows me how to mix flour and milk and sugar. Her hands move quickly, sure and practiced. I try to copy her, but my arms ache.
“You’re doing fine.” She says. “Cooking teaches patience.”
I nod. She hums while she works — a soft tune that sounds familiar. I think my mother used to sing something like it when she brushed my hair. My throat gets tight.
“Do you miss home?” She asks gently.
I nod again. “Yes.”
She doesn’t say anything for a moment. Then she murmurs, “Home isn’t always where we start, Sage. Sometimes it’s where we grow.”
I don’t know what that means, but I like how soft her voice sounds when she says it.
After a while, she says, “Go ahead and stir this for me.”
The batter is thick and sticky. My arm hurts, but I don’t stop. I want to do it right.
While I stir, I hear quiet voices from the hall. Luna Elsie’s and Alpha Joseph’s. They don’t know I can hear them.
“She’s just a pup, Elsie.” Joseph says. His voice is deep and calm, but not kind. “Don’t get attached.”
“I’m not getting attached.” Elsie whispers. “I’m making sure she’s prepared.”
“For what? She’ll go back to her pack when she’s eighteen. You know the deal.”
“I know.” She says. “But you also know what that means. They won’t treat her kindly if she doesn’t know how to behave, or how to work. I’m not sending her back to be punished for every mistake. She needs skills.”
There’s silence for a moment.
Joseph sighs. “You can teach her if you must. But don’t forget — she’s not ours.”
“I know.” Elsie says quietly. “But she’s still a child.”
Their footsteps fade down the hall.
My chest feels tight again. I keep stirring the batter even though my arms are tired. Skills, I think. So they don’t beat me. I don’t understand why anyone would hurt me, but maybe that’s what the deal means. Maybe that’s what the strangers meant when they said “obligations.”
Luna Elsie comes back into the kitchen like nothing happened. She checks the bowl and smiles. “Good job, sweetheart. You’ve got a strong arm.”
I nod, but I don’t say anything.
She pours the batter into a pan, and the smell of pancakes fills the room. It’s warm and sweet, but my stomach feels strange again.
When the boys come back down, Jax smiles at me. Jesse looks away.
“Can I help, Mom?” Jax asks.
“You can set the table.” Elsie says.
He nods and starts laying out plates and forks. I hand him napkins when he asks. Jesse sits down with his arms crossed, glaring at me every few seconds.
When Elsie serves breakfast, she puts the first plate in front of me. “For our guest.” She says softly.
Jesse rolls his eyes. “She’s not—”
“Jesse.” Elsie warns again.
He shuts his mouth.
We eat quietly. The pancakes are soft and sweet. They taste like something from a dream.
Jax asks me what I like to do. I shrug. “I used to play outside.” I say. “With the other pups.”
“What sort of games?” Jax asked.
“Hide and seek. Catch the leader. Bullrush.” I said, quietly.
“Well, we can still play those games here. I love playing games.” Jax said, getting a little excited.
“Jax.” Joseph says from behind his newspaper, “Eat your food.”
Jax’s smile fades a little, and he goes quiet. The Alpha’s voice doesn’t sound angry, just final.
After breakfast, Elsie tells the boys to go play outside. Then she turns to me. “You can help me clean up, if you’d like.”
I nod. She hands me a towel and shows me how to dry the dishes while she washes them. My fingers are small, and sometimes I drop a plate, but she never yells. She just smiles and says, “Try again.”
While we work, she talks softly. “I know this isn’t easy, Sage. You didn’t choose to come here. But I want you to know something.”
I look up at her.
“I know about the deal. About the contract.” She says. “You’ll go back to your pack one day, and I can’t change that. But I can make sure you’re ready. You’ll learn to cook, clean, read, write, and hold your head high. You’ll never be helpless, not while I’m here.”
Her words are strong, like a promise. I don’t know what to say. My eyes sting again. She’s talking about a contract that I don’t even know about.
“What contract?” I asked, softly. She turned to look at me with wide eyes, finally catching on that I didn’t know anything about it.
She smiles softly. “It’s not important right now. We’ll start small. Tomorrow, you’ll help me bake bread. Alright?”
I nod. “Okay.”
She ruffles my hair gently. “Good girl.”
When she leaves the kitchen, I stay by the sink and look out the window. I can see Jax and Jesse in the yard. Jax is laughing, chasing a ball. Jesse throws it too hard on purpose. Jax laughs anyway.
I touch my teddy’s worn paw in my pocket.
Skills, I think again. Be ready. Be strong.
My little wolf stirs inside me. She’s scared, but she listens.
“We’ll learn.” I whisper. “We’ll be ready.”
Outside, the wind moves through the trees, and for a moment, I think I hear my mother’s voice in it — soft, sad, and proud.
- Writer
