Luminescent: Crescent Wolves

by Cate Maroon

  The distant howls of my family made me relax, and I drew comfort from the knowledge they were out as a pack, a seamless unit working as one to find out if there actually was another wolf around. Even though I would not find out if they had found anything before tomorrow, I still kept my phone on, flipping to vibrate only in case they needed to get in touch with me.

  Things would be so much simpler if Kayla stayed with us. She would be safe at our house. There was strength in numbers, and that, coupled with the fact we knew our land well, made us a force to be reckoned with. Whereas, at her house, we were sitting ducks. I was not sure of the land and could easily be outnumbered and unable to protect Kayla. If anything happened to her, I would never forgive myself for being so reckless.

  The rest of the night flew by in relative silence. As soon as the sun started to rise, I returned to the bed, hoping to get at least four hours so I would be able to function correctly. I let sleep take me.

  Chapter Eight

  Jackson

  When I finally woke up, the bed was empty, and I listened closely to Kayla moving around in the kitchen. I got out of bed and jumped in the shower; I threw on my clean t-shirt and made my way downstairs, anxious to get out of here. I needed to go home and find out what my family had discovered.

  I was glad Kayla was already dressed and ready to go.

  “Did you sleep well?”

  “Yeah,” I lied, “did you?”

  “Like the dead,” she laughed.

  “Do you want me to make you some toast? I've just finished mine.”

  “No, I'll grab something at home.”

  “I'm ready when you are.”

  “I'll get dressed, then I am ready.”

  I came downstairs, and Kayla was sat on the sofa waiting for me. She stood as soon as I reached the bottom stair, put her phone into her purse, and headed out.

  After dropping Kayla off at the store and promising to be back to fetch her in an hour, I drove to my house.

  As soon as I pulled up and noticed my dad's facial expression as he stood on the porch, waiting for me, I realized something was wrong. We walked inside together in silence, making our way to the dining table where my brothers already sat waiting for me to arrive. They had maps and documents laid out across the full length. I sat next to Hunter, with my dad taking the seat at the head of the table, which was how we usually had a family meeting.

  “You're exhausted,” Hunter whispered under his breath, so he didn't interrupt my dad as he prepared to speak.

  “I didn't sleep well,” I whispered back, and he nodded once in response.

  “Well, Jackson, unfortunately, you're right.”

  “Did you find him?”

  “No, we didn't, but we didn't catch scent any other wolves, not even you. Which means he has no pack, and therefore he has no claim to the land.”

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Well, this is the map of town; the area marked in green?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, this is our land, and the red dot is where you sensed the other wolf.”

  “But that's on our property,” I said.

  “Which is why we need to find the wolf and move him along.”

  “And if we can't find him?” I asked.

  “We will. Josh managed to latch on to his human scent.”

  “What if he doesn't want to move on?” Hunter asked.

  “Then we will make him,” my father roared in anger. He was our alpha, and when it came to his territory, he became enraged.

  “Sounds like a plan,” I shrugged.

  “Now this is the part you won't like.”

  I braced myself for what was coming.

  “Until this whole mess is sorted out, you and Kayla need to stay here.”

  “She isn't going to agree to that.”

  “I'm afraid she doesn't have a choice.”

  “We can't protect her at her house.”

  “Dad's right, she is safer here.”

  “I understand, but she was adamant she wanted to stay at her house.”

  “I thought she would be; she is stubborn, just like your mom was.”

  “So how do you suggest I persuade her to come and stay with us?”

  “Well, I am already on that; I'm going to call her parents.”

  “You don't know her parents.”

  “I know them a lot better than you think.”

  “Do you have their number?”

  “No, and that is where you come into the plan.”

  “Okay,” I frowned.

  “You are going to find their numbers in Kayla's phone and text them to me, but you need to act surprised when they call.”

  “I can do that.”

  “You better go then. The sooner you send me the number, the quicker we can move to phase two.”

  I did not hang around. Once my dad gave an order, it was best to follow it straight away. Not that he was a bad man. He was quite the opposite but just liked to follow a plan to the letter.

  I was taking Hunter's truck again because Kayla would want to bring things from her house to mine, and I am sure she would like to bring all the food she was out buying now. If it were her money, I would have stopped her purchasing a bunch of food, knowing she would not need it. But seeing as it was her parents' money and they treated her like dirt, I kind of wanted her to buy more. I pulled up in the parking lot and text Kayla to find out if she was finished.

  Are you almost finished?

  Nearly have you finished fixing the fence?

  Yeah, I'm parked outside waiting for you.

  Well, you can come in and help with the packing.

  Okay.

  I locked the truck as I walked across the small car park to the store, then heading down the middle of the aisles, scanning them as I searched for Kayla. I eventually found her in the cereal aisle, her trolley bulging with food, drinks, and household products.

  “You sure you have enough?” I laughed as I approached.

  “You are so not funny. In fact, for that, you can push the trolley because my arms ache.”

  I took the handle from her and did as I was told, following her around the last few aisles in the store, as she put more items inside. She was a woman on a mission, crossing off each item on her list until she had everything that was written. The best thing about coming this early was the lack of queues. We made our way carefully to the checkout; one wrong move and the contents of the trolley would collapse all over the floor.

  Kayla worked at one end loading the food on to the conveyer belt, while I stood behind the cashier, packing the shopping into bags. Another worker at the store brought me another trolley so I could put the bags inside. Obviously, the items would not go back into the cart they came out of.

  We finally finished. Kayla pushed one trolley while I pushed the other as we walked side by side. The car park was empty, so we had a clear path to the car. Everything she bought filled Hunter's trunk and the back seats. I let Kayla sit in the truck while I returned the trolleys to the front of the supermarket.

  “How was everything at the farm?” she asked, her tone concerned, which made me regret lying to her despite having no other option.

  “Everything was fine, all the animals are safe, and the fence is fixed.” I chose my words carefully in a way that was not technically lying.

  We unloaded the truck and put the shopping away together. It took us over half an hour to put everything out, and I was dreading the fact we would have to re-pack it later to take to my house. I folded the bags and put them in a drawer so we can reuse them later.

  “I'm beat,” Kayla sighed.

  “Yeah, who knew shopping would be so strenuous.”

  She rubbed at her shoulders, which obviously ached from pushing the heavy trolley. I took over massaging her shoulders, sensing an opportunity to find her parents' numbers for my dad.

  “Why don't you go take a hot bath? It will help with your aching muscles.”

  “That sounds like heave
n.”

  “I'll go run the bath for you, while you make a drink to take up with you.”

  “Thank you, you're the best.”

  I kiss the top of her head and go upstairs to run her a bath. When she comes up, the tub is almost full, and I take my cue to leave.

  I head back downstairs and sit on the sofa, waiting until I think she is in the bath and will not be down for a while. When I am sure I will not be disturbed, I get up and quietly search for her phone. My eyes settle to where it lays on the kitchen counter. I go into the kitchen to fetch a glass and the juice from the fridge, in case she is quicker than I think. I unlock her phone, grateful to have saved the password to my phone when I answered the phone for her the other day.

  I copied both of her parents' numbers into a text message for my dad. He replied instantly to let me know he had got them. I deleted both messages to be safe and backed out of the contact list on Kayla's phone. Just as I heard her getting out of the bath, I put her phone down, poured myself a glass of juice, and sat back on the sofa, acting like nothing strange was going on.

  As the day drew on and night approached, I was on edge, I hadn't heard from my dad, and Kayla's parents had not called yet. I was starting to worry that she would want to stay until morning if they called any later.

  We were in the kitchen, making dinner when her phone eventually rang. I motioned for her to sit down while I finished making the food, as though I knew nothing. I listened in on what sounded like a very heated conversation.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked, pretending I had not been listening.

  “Everything.”

  “Need to talk about it?”

  “Actually, I need a place to stay.”

  “What? Why? Has something happened?”

  “Turns out, my parents are going to be away a lot longer than they thought and want me to go and stay with a friend. They do not know me at all. If they did, they would understand I don't have any friends.”

  “You have my brothers and me.”

  “So, you wouldn't mind me staying with you?”

  “No, I already told you that my dad asked you to come to stay with us. Why don't we eat this and then we can go and pack your things.”

  “You want to leave tonight?”

  “Well, no time like the present.”

  “What about all the food I brought today?”

  “Bring it with you.”

  “Do you think your dad has room for all this?”

  “There are five men in the house; we always need more food!”

  “Can you pack the food up? While I go and grab some things from my room.”

  “Sure.” She walked up the stairs with a defeated gait. “Kayla, everything will be alright. It's not like it will be forever, and at least now, you aren't alone.”

  “I know, but this is strange and so out of character, even for my parents,” she said, forcing a smile.

  I got to work packing the food into the bags I saved earlier and started to load them in the truck. There was no way we would fit everything into Hunter's truck, so I decided to text my brother. I needed him to bring my car here and take his truck back to our place. He messaged me back a few minutes later to tell me it was not a problem, and he was on his way. I carried on loading the truck, checking upstairs if there was anything ready that I might be able to squeeze into the truck before Hunter arrived.

  I grabbed the pillows and comforters that she piled on top of a couple of suitcases and carried them downstairs. Kayla probably realized we had pillows and blankets but assumed she wanted her own, for familiarity.

  “Will this all fit?” Kayla called out as I walked downstairs.

  “Don't worry about it, Hunter's on his way with my hummer. I will load up what I can in the truck, and we can take the rest.”

  “I'm sorry.”

  “For what?”

  “Being an inconvenience.”

  “You're not.”

  “I'm sure your brothers don't feel the same.”

  “They do, you need to stop worrying.”

  “I'll try.”

  I was loading a few bags of toiletries into the car when Hunter pulled up beside his truck.

  “How is she?”

  “Confused, stressed out, like a burden and rejected, and who can blame her, when her parents never wanted her.”

  “We both know it's not true. She is a part of our family now.”

  “We understand that, but I think it will take Kayla a while to adjust and realize she is a part of our family.”

  “I'll go check on her.”

  “Thanks bro.”

  Chapter Nine

  Kayla

  I was shocked to find the footsteps coming up the stairs were not Jackson’s. Hunter grabbed me in a bear hug, lifting me off my feet. I was not used to so much close contact, and while it unnerved me, it also made me feel safe.

  “Thanks for coming to help.”

  “That’s what family is for,” he nodded and grabbed some more bags of my things. “I’ll see you at home and make sure Jackson carries those cases, they look heavy.”

  “I will.”

  I carried on packing my wardrobe. My parents had given me no idea how long they would be gone for or if they were even coming back. It seemed very final on the phone. As much as I was used to my parents being away and even when they were here, they were never really there for me. This still hurt. I knew that I would move out eventually but I had not planned on leaving before going to college. I heard Hunter’s truck pull off, followed by the sound of Jackson coming up the stairs. He sat on the edge of my bed and patted the spot next to him, so that I would join him.

  “I know this is hard right now but this really is for the best.”

  I just nodded, not able to answer him right now in case I fell to pieces. I was only just hanging on as it was.

  “Now, where do you need me?”

  “If you could pack up my desk that would be a big help.”

  “Do you have any boxes?”

  “Not that I know of. But there are probably some more cases in my parents’ room.”

  “Okay.”

  Jackson left me to carry on packing my clothes, while he went to get the cases. I packed quickly, grabbing hangers of clothes from the closet, folding them in half and placing them inside the cases. There was no point taking them off the hangers, and packing them properly; it wasn’t like they were going to get creased on the short journey to Jackson’s house. I hoped there was room for it all. If not, I would have to find somewhere to store it. Jackson came back with a case in each hand: he left one by the door and placed the other open on the bed. It was a few hours later by the time we had finished packing and loading the truck. I was satisfied that I had everything I needed. The last things I grabbed were my phone charger, purse and phone, which I placed in my school bag. I was shocked when we arrived at his house, as all of the Taylors were outside waiting for us.

  “You go inside Kayla, there’s a warm drink on the dining table for you.”

  “Are you sure? I can help?”

  “It’s fine, we got this Kayla,” the twins announced certainly.

  I sat at the dining table and watched for the next half an hour as they filed in and out of the house, carrying my things to a room upstairs. When they had finished, they all joined me at the table.

  “We put some of your things away but we thought you would like to put your clothes away by yourself.”

  “Thank you, I don’t know how I could have done this on my own.”

  “We take care of our family Kayla; you will see that for yourself soon enough,” Max stated with certainty.

  It was the second time tonight that the Taylors had called me family. I did not know how to respond to it but I liked the way it felt to be accepted. It was good to be a part of something that was more than the relationship I had with my own parents.

  “Would you mind if I went up to unpack? It’s getting kind of late and I won’t feel settled surrounded by
cases.”

  “Not at all, Jackson can show you to your room. I hope you like it.”

  “I’m sure I will. Thank you again, all of you, for everything!”

  “You don’t need to thank us. This is your home now.”

  I followed Jackson upstairs to the room next to his. I was shocked at the difference in the two rooms. While his was very modern with sleek furniture and dark gray walls, this room was very feminine. The walls were a subtle shade of mauve, with a four-poster bed and a separate bathroom, which was complete with a roll top bath and huge walk-in shower. It was a beautiful room and suited my tastes more than my room at home.

  “Do you like it?” Jackson asked as he sat in the large chair by the window.

  “I love it.”

  “Are you sure? Because we can change anything you don’t like.”

  “It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

  I went into the large walk-in closet next to the bathroom and got to work emptying my cases. Jackson took the full ones to me and carried the empty ones out to the hallway. It did not take long to unpack because everything was already on hangers. I did not worry about organizing it properly, as I could do that tomorrow. I was too exhausted to even think about it tonight. When I had finished, I grabbed my pjs and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed, leaving Jackson in my room.

  “Do you think the others would mind if I went to bed?”

  “No, in fact, I think they would like it if you treated the place as your home and did whatever you wanted.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “One hundred percent.”

  “Do you want me to go, so that you can sleep?”

  “Actually, I would like it if you stayed, at least until I fell asleep, if that’s okay?”

  Jackson nodded and lay down next to me on the bed. We did not talk, I could not. I was not only exhausted but also ready to break mentally. I could not believe that my parents had done this to me. Not only were they not telling me anything about my grandparents, but now they had abandoned me, not knowing where I would be staying: they did not even seem interested. If this were what the next year living with them would be like, I was better off out of there anyway. But it still hurt!