~Tia~
As badly as I need a shower, I don’t want to return to the packhouse to take one. Luckily for me, Lynn and her family don’t live in
the packhouse. I head over there, and after promising to tell her everything, Lynn lets me take a shower and gives me clothes to
wear.
The shower is refreshing and allows me a lot of time to think. My situation isn’t going to get any better, so I need to be proactive.
I need to put everyone in their places, so they understand that I’m not one to play with. I just don’t know how to go about doing
that. My mom was right; I have always just run and avoided. That is the wrong strategy here. I’m not a kid anymore, and this will
impact more than just me. The pack needs a Luna and the Moon Goddess meant for her to be me. I have to step up to the plate
and do what I have to do.
Once I finish showering, I put on the clothes Lynn gave me and head downstairs to find her. She is sitting at the table with her
brother. Lynn and Mark are my best friends since we were little. I still have no idea how it happened, but I have appreciated it
ever since.
I peer into the room and take a look at my besties. They are messing with each other like they always do. Lynn has a tan skin
tone with super thick and curly hair. Mark has a bit of a darker skin tone with a shaved head. They both have light green eyes,
which they get from their mother. Lynn and Mark have always been popular with the opposite s*x since they are light-skinned. I
always said it was the eye color, but they swear they are just average.
“Finally! I though you’d never get out of the shower.” I walk over to Lynn and sit next to her, facing Mark.
“How are things, Mark? Anything new to tell me?” Before Mark can respond, Lynn chimes in.
“Oh no, b***h! You owe me some information, asap. That was the deal for you to be able to avoid your mates and come here.” I
sigh and shake my head.
“Come on sis. Give her a minute, she just sat down.” Lynn puts her hand up in protest.
“No Mark. We had a deal.”
“FINE! You are so damn impatient.” I proceed to fill them in on everything that has been going on. The more I tell, the bigger
Lynn’s eyes get, and the more Mark hangs his head. When I’m done, they look at each other and then back at me.
“F**k me! That is a lot of s**t!” I give a dry chuckle.
“What are you going to do, Tia?”
“I don’t know, Mark. Well, I take that back. I know what I need to do. I need to put everyone in their places and get them to
understand that I’mnot going to be pushed over. The only problem is…..I don’t know where to start.” Mark nods and starts to
chew on his lip in thought.
“Just challenge them all to a fight and shut them up that way.” I start to laugh. How absurd. “What? Tia, you know damn well you
can beat them all. Just do what you need to do.”
“I want to resolve this without getting physical if possible.”
“As crazy as my sister sounds, she may be right. This may all be best resolved with a challenge. It’s definitely something to think
about.” Mark and Lynn are probably right, but I don’t want to think about fighting right now. I just don’t have it in me to take it that
far.
Mark’s eyes glaze over. When his eyes adjust, he starts to stand. “Your mates have called me for an unofficial meeting. I guess
it’s time to get serious about taking over. Need me to give them a message.” I look at Mark and roll my eyes. He laughs as he
heads to the door. “I’ll take that as a ‘no.’ See you guys later.” Marks walks out, and I’m left with Lynn.
Lynn and I spend some time reminiscing about growing up and the things we used to do. There isn’t a whole lot to discuss since
I have always been so isolated. Lynn, Mark, and I made some good memories over the years, but I did very little in comparison
to others. We laugh and talk, allowing a silent moment to pass between us. Lynn looks at me and places her hand on mine.
“You know, you finding your mate or mates is a great thing. Your mates being the future Alphas is really great, but all of this other
mess just sucks.”
“I know and I’ve been thinking about that. I was close to packing up and leaving.”
“Uh, hello no! You can’t just leave. I know you don’t like dealing with mess, but this is your fate. You are meant to be the Luna of
this pack. Don’t let anyone run you away from that.”
“I know. Mom shocked me when I went to talk to her. She told me that I always run away, but I needed to stop doing that. Can
you believe that?” The silence makes me look at Lynn, who is looking everywhere else. “Is there something you want to say?”
“Well…….she isn’t wrong. You have always ran away from all problems. You have never been one to confront anyone or
anything. I never said anything before because you are my bestie and I want to support you always. You have to take a stand at
some point in your life and I can’t think of a better time than now.” If she wasn’t right, I’d be pissed with Lynn right now. She is
right, and so was my mom. I have to take a stand, and there is no better time than now.
“I’m hungry,” I say, standing from the table.
“Let’s go to our spot. We haven’t been together in a while.” I nod and follow Lynn out to her car.