Page 15 of Fated Despite the Moon

She waited as they bounced down the road. When the vehicle slowed at the stop sign she held her breath. Her phone went crazy, and she smiled. There were dozens of texts from her friends asking if she was okay and when she was coming back. She read through them quickly and typed away as fast as she could to respond.

"Wow. That's a lot of texting," said Dakota.

"I didn't really get a chance to talk to my friends before I left. They aren't like us, so they don't get why I am here. They just want to know I'm okay, and when I'm coming back."

"So, they're human?"

She scanned the text responses. "Yup. Telling them I was forced into an arranged marriage would be as foreign to them as if I told them I had decided becoming a nun was my calling in life."

"And the father of your baby. Is he a human?"

"No. He's Bitten."

Dakota stayed silent for a minute. "So, you were forced into this mating with Caleb? You didn't want it?"

"Want it? I didn't even know about it until ten minutes before my mom shoved me in my brother's car and sent me to the airport."

"Wow." Dakota shook her head. "I had no idea. So… you don't want to be here?"

"Nope." Makayla replied to a text from Tiffany telling her Derek, the baby-daddy, had been asking about her. She said to tell Derek that since he hadn't stepped up to do the right thing, she was now in Wolf River with someone who would.

Dakota pulled into a parking space along the main street as Makayla continued to text. There was going to be a party at the Beverly Hills Hotel.Damn.Everyone was supposed to be there, and she was stuck in a cabin in the woods about to buy chicken feed.

"Are you ready?" asked Dakota.

Makayla nodded and got out while still texting. She stepped up on the curb and almost bumped into a burly man carrying several pieces of lumber. She stopped just before knocking into him.

"Sorry." She gave him a tight smile.

He looked her up and down like she was an alien.

"Hi Chester," said Dakota. "This is Makayla. She's new to town. She’s Simon Devamar’s daughter."

Chester's eyes widened, and he nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Makayla. We were all very sorry to hear about Simon's death. He was dearly loved here in Wolf River. Give your mother my best when you speak to her please. She's a wonderful woman." Chester nodded again and continued on down the street.

Makayla stared after him. What the hell? He knew her mom and dad? Yes, her parents had grown up in Wolf River, but they hadn't lived there in over thirty years.

"Come on," Dakota said. "Let's see what Arnold's has for supplies."

Dakota said hello to everyone they passed and spoke to them by name and introduced Makayla. Every person greeted her with a smile as soon as they found out she was Simon's daughter.

"I don't understand," Makayla finally said as they crossed the street. "My parents haven't lived here since before I was born. They were that memorable to people?"

"Your parents may not have lived here, but they’ve done a lot for Wolf River. Your dad and Jeremiah built everything here, and your dad came up for a weekend every six months to make sure Wolf River had everything it needed. See the school house?" She pointed to a small brick building at the end of the street. "Your dad built that. And the church, he paid for the roof when we couldn't raise the funds. Your mom paid to have the Wi-Fi pulled here to town and for the library to be filled with books."

"My parents did all that?" It wasn't hard for her to believe her dad would be so generous, but her mom… It was like a punch to the gut. She'd thought that she and her dad talked about everything. She wondered what else she didn’t know about her parents.

"Your dad was a great man, and your mom and Colt have continued to help."

Makayla swallowed hard. Her mom. The one who had sent her off in shame had helped this town to come out of the dark ages? Where had her mom been when she'd needed her?

"Come on," said Dakota. "Let's get the supplies and then head over to the diner for something to eat."

Makayla couldn't make her mouth work the entire trip to the store, and she didn't bother to look at her phone, either. She'd never known her mom to be generous to anyone.

They entered the diner and again Dakota said hello to everyone. They took a table near the window, and a waitress came over, greeting them with a smile.

"Hi Dakota, how are ya?" The short dark-haired waitress pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her wide cheekbones and almond shaped brown eyes held an exotic quality.

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