Luna Rising by Sloane Murphy
Chapter Twenty-Two
The two weeks I’ve spent in San Francisco have been amazing, but the time has also proven to me that I am very much not made for city life. It’s been amazing, and I’ve done so much stuff. I even met some really cool people, but like… there are way too many people here for me to be truly comfortable. I’ve also eventually run out of shit to do, and I’m not sure what is next.
Which is exactly how I find myself packing my shit up and heading back out in the Comet. My poor car has been in the parking garage basically the entire time I’ve been here since my favorite thing about San Francisco might just be the trams… I mean, it took me a hot minute to work out how the fuck that whole system worked, but I’m a fan. I took one for the first time down to Pier 39 with exactly zero clue of what I was doing, and I made a whole-ass idiot of myself trying to work out how the fuck I paid for riding.
Thankfully, my tram conductor was one of the nice ones. Alternatively, I’ve witnessed some road rage like no other on the trams. Someone sat on their horn for literally five minutes because a tourist was in the way of a tram during traffic. I panicked, and I wasn’t even in the damn car.
The next best thing about the city is definitely the food. I’ve also eaten some of the best seafood I’ve ever had here. I didn’t even know I liked it that much. But clam chowder in a bread bowl? Game changer.
I finish packing up all my shit and pull my phone from my pocket.
Me: Leaving San Fran today. No real idea where I’m going, but I’ll let you know when I get there.
Nova: Hope you’re living your best life, bish. You’re not missing much here. Except me. I miss you too.
Me: I miss you too!
The bond has definitely calmed down with distance, but all it takes is one errant thought about Jackson and that prickly bitch picks right the fuck back up and strangles me in a choke hold. So I’m pretty sure I haven’t found the answers to healing just yet.
If there even are any answers.
The time I’ve spent here hasn’t been entirely recreational. I’ve spent a good chunk of my time here going through the online archive Remy made Roman create a few years back about Lycan history. The closest thing I’ve found to a rejected bond is someone losing their mate. It’s not the same, but I think it’s as good as I’m going to get all things considered. The outlook is pretty damn bleak.
Most people end up living life alone. Several of them end up as rogues if they don’t have a decent support system in place to keep them grounded.
It sounds freaking awesome. Not.
I refuse to give up hope. Though I might have to reconsider my plans for going home if I don’t find a livable solution.
That is absolutely a future me problem though. For now, I’ve learned a lot about myself, even just in two weeks, and I know I have a hell of a lot left to learn.
I grab my bag and head down to the car, ready to get out of here. I’m not sure where I’m going, but I want it to be somewhere with fewer people. Summer is starting to wind down, so maybe I can find somewhere steeped in nature, near some water, and with far fewer people.
I can’t think of anything better.
I decide to head inland as I climb into my car and pull up my maps. Maneuvering out of the city is about as much fun as pulling teeth, but once I hit the I-80, I relax and crank up the playlist I put together while I was eating breakfast this morning.
There’s nothing quite like an open road, and the possibilities the road holds to put a smile on this girl’s face.
* * *
I pull into South Lake Tahoe, smiling. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I live the day’s vibe. It’s going to be a good one. I swing into the McDonald’s parking lot and pull out my phone to look for hotels.
I should have known better than to think there would be a good room available in the summer, even if it is drawing to an end, but dammit, this is where I want to be. Tahoe is definitely quieter than San Francisco while still ticking all of my boxes. I frown and start to pull up my maps to find places nearby when the sound of a dog barking pulls my attention up. That little fucker must be my guardian angel because when I glance up, I notice a motel across the road with vacancies.
Win.
I start the car and pull across the main road and into the motel. Once I park, I grab my bags and head inside. I smile at the guy behind the check in counter.
“Checking in?” he asks before I even open my mouth, frowning at me like I’m the biggest inconvenience of his day.
“I don’t have a reservation, but yes, I’d like to check in. The nicest room you have available please.”
He rolls his eyes at me, but as long as I get a room that doesn’t have crappy sheets or bed bugs, I’m happy. He taps away on his screen, grumbling under his breath as he does so, but I work hard to keep a pleasant smile on my face. He isn’t going to fuck with my good vibes today. I worked way too hard the last few weeks to reach this level of zen.
“We have the honeymoon suite,” he snaps, startling me.
I pull my purse from my bag and widen my smile, determined as hell that this grump won’t steal my happy. “That’s fine.” I hand over the credit card, which he snatches away from me. I swear I nearly fucking growl at him. Manners do not cost one goddamn cent.
He hands the card back along with a room key. “Top of the stairs to the left. Room 103.”
“Thank you.” I grab my bag from the floor and lope out of the main office, wanting as much distance between me and that creep as I can get. I head upstairs, preparing to find my zen and wrestle that bitch right back into place again. I open the door but pause on the threshold and burst out laughing.
I know he said honeymoon suite, but this room is nothing less than a porn suite. I mean, I can’t really complain, I guess. It’s huge with a ton of natural light, but there isn’t a bathroom, just a cupboard with a toilet and a shower that’s open to the room. On the left, there’s a hot tub that’s sunk into the floor with an entire wall of mirrors in front of it. Opposite the wall of mirrors and hot tub is the giant bed.
Oh my god, this is literally a porn suite.
I laugh as I drop down onto the bed. At least the sheets are nice and the bed is comfy. Silver linings or whatever. I can live with this, at least for a little while. I open the curtains and grin. The main view from my room is the McDonald’s across the street, but I can make out the lake on the horizon, and my wolf sings her contentment.
Getting out on the water is at the top of my list for things to do once I’ve scouted out the area. I didn’t smell any supes as I drove in, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t miss something. The last thing I want is to stumble across rogues or trespass on Dracul lands. Despite the Faction Accords, I should still technically give notice to factions in the area.
I worry my lip because the last thing I want to do is get fucked up by accident. I pick up my phone and struggle over the decision of whether or not to make the call, but I eventually decide to play it safe. I dial Remy, hoping like fuck Maddox isn’t anywhere nearby. I miss my best friend, but I’m still very much happy on my own out here.
“Hey, sweet cheeks! How you doing?” I can't help but laugh at her—the woman is always full of so much joy. Then again, if I’d suffered through as much as she has, I’d probably be happy by default too.
“I’m good, can you talk?” I ask, biting the inside of my cheek. I’ve never just called Remy out of the blue before, and while it shouldn’t have me all kinds of nervous, it totally does.
I hear doors closing in the background; and when she starts speaking again, her voice echoes. “I hid from the chaos in the bathroom. What’s up?”
“So, uhm, I’m in South Lake Tahoe… I had no plans of coming here or anything…”
“But you remembered there’s Dracul territory inland?”
“Pretty much.” I swear I want to face palm for being so stupid and not thinking it through before I got here.
“You’re good. I’ll have Kain make a call for you.”
“Discreetly please?” I ask, as the butterflies in my stomach rampage.
She chuckles across the line, and I feel my cheeks heat. “Of course, sweetie. I get it. My son doesn’t give up easily; he got that from his father.”
“Thank you. And thank you for understanding.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about here, kid. I’ve lived long enough to understand that some things don’t go the way we want no matter how hard we want it. Everything happens for a reason, though. I do believe that. Be safe, okay? And like I said before, if you need an ear, or a sword, or even just a whisper in an Alpha’s ear, I got you.”
“Thanks, Remy.”
“We’ll talk soon, sweets.” She hangs up, and I let out a sigh of relief. That could have been bad. Really bad. A lone Lycan on Dracul territory without permission could have gotten me killed without any questions asked. While things have come along the last few decades, that doesn’t mean tensions don’t run high… and because I’m Alpha born? Yeah, it could have started a war.
Now for phase two of the day.
Scouting.
* * *
After a meeting with a Dracul general, followed by a few days of watersports, my sadness washes over me like a depressive blanket.
Here I was thinking I’d finally wrested control over my bond and all it’s crazy... and then THWACK. Down I go.
What’s worse is that I don’t even know what triggered it this time. It’s almost like my bond was trying to reach out to him, and when it didn’t get the response it was looking for, it was reminded of the rejection all over again. The urge to run home, just to see his face, is fucking unreal.
I basically had to tie myself to the bed to make sure that I didn’t run home, tail tucked between my legs and searching for my mate. By tying myself to the bed, I definitely mean that I laid on the floor of the shower sobbing and then climbed into the jacuzzi and turned the TV on. Can’t run home butt-ass naked.
After pulling myself out of the shower, I eventually managed to crawl into bed with a pint of ice cream. I haven’t left since. It’s now three in the afternoon, and my bond is still making itself known like a fussy toddler having a tantrum. It’s full on rioting in my chest, the racket so intense that I could barely sleep last night.
I’m fucking exhausted and absolutely numb.
My phone buzzes on the pillow beside me, and though I half want to ignore it, I know I shouldn’t. Just in case it’s important.
Nova: I don’t know what’s going on, but Jackson lost his shit in training last night. I know you don’t really want to know, but it took four Lycans to get him down.
Me: That’s crazy. Is everyone okay?
Nova: Not sure, your dad had to lock him in the cells overnight because he was losing his shit. I was on patrol and saw it all. Then it occurred to me that something might have happened to you, and he felt it through the bond, even if he rejected it.
Me: I’m fine, just having a pity party.
The small lie won’t hurt anyone. Besides, I hate seeming so weak about this goddamn bond.
Nova: I get that. I hope you find some peace. I’m always here for you.
Me: Same
Nova: I’ve got to get back, but I’ll let you know if anything else crazy happens. Other than that, it’s quiet town over here.
Me: Be thankful for the quiet. Too much noise is never fun
Nova: True dat
I drop my phone back onto the bed, mind scrambling to figure out if Jackson losing his shit is why my bond broke me… But if he didn’t lose it till last night, I broke first. What does that even mean?
Ugh. Fuck knows.
All I do know is that this stupid bond sucks, and I really wish it would fuck off already. I mean, obviously, I would have preferred him not rejecting me, but this is the hand I’ve been dealt. I’m pretty sure there aren’t any take backs, despite my bond not having accepted the rejection yet. So this? This is what I need to learn to live with.
I really wish I was one of those people who can compartmentalize their emotions and trauma, but I’ve never been very good at it. If I could, maybe I wouldn’t feel so fucking useless and empty right now.
My phone buzzes again, and I groan but check it anyway.
Maddox: No matter how hard it gets, no matter what happens. I got you. Always.
Me: Is reading minds one of your weird hybrid powers?
Maddox: No I was just thinking about you, and I’ve been reading up on Lycan bonds to try and find a way to help you. It’s not exactly been a great research project, but I wanted to let you know that even if wankstain can’t deal with his shit, that you are still loved.
I bark out a laugh and shake my head. Maddox definitely has a way with words. He did make me smile for the first time in over twenty-four hours, though, so I suppose I can’t be opposed to it.
Me: Thank you
Maddox: You ready for company on your trip yet?
Me: Not yet
Maddox: So... soon?
Me: Maddox…
Maddox: Fine, I’ll stop. I’m going to go back to the books, but I hope you have a good day wherever you are. Paris? Rome? Athens?
I groan at my phone and put it down. He’s such a turd sometimes. But I love him, so I’ll forgive it. Just that small hit of sunshine from him gives me enough energy to climb from bed and shower properly. Maybe I’ll venture back out into the actual sunshine again and see if that can’t help burn some of the sorrow from my veins.
