Page 30 of His Sunshine Baby

“Shut it!”

He ignores me and walks very awkwardly to the available stool next to me. Once again, I must repress a laugh. Danny's gait is quite telling; I'm surprised I wasn't alerted to Bobo's being here with how thin the walls are. I can’t resist teasing him, and my best friend has to ignore my intense suspicious staring to address Bobo.

“Um. What are you making?”

“Crepes. Here.”

He hands a plate to Daniel. His plate is nicely stacked with a little pile of crepes, and he even has a strawberry on top! Moon Goddess, how can he be so adorably cute and obvious! He’s even looking at Daniel with those ravishing green eyes. I can see my best friend’s ears blushing, while I’m struggling not to gush!

“Thank you.”

Daniel’s voice is as tiny as a mouse. I finally have some pity for him and hand him the cup of black coffee. Meanwhile, I turn to Bobo with a smile.

“I’ll go get changed. Thank you for the crepes, Bobo, loved them!”

“You’re welcome. There’s more if you want it.”

I give him a wink and finally leave them alone, heading for the bathroom. Now that I don’t have Daniel’s silly embarrassed face to entertain me, I’m suddenly left alone with the news. Nate is coming to our territory. How am I supposed to react to that?

I let the cold water wash away the last effects of alcohol and my thoughts. I shouldn’t think about this. Even if we had a great time together, that’s it. I shouldn’t hope for more. Move on, Elena, don’t start making the same mistakes again!

I won’t go. I won’t be at the meeting, or near the main house. Let’s not create occasions, it would only create more confusion, right? I need to be reasonable. Remember what Reagan always taught you: the first thing you need to strengthen is your mind. Don’t be stupid, Elena, don’t fall for it. Don’t make another mistake over feelings.

I walk to my room to change and hear Danny and Bobo casually chatting in the living room. I hope this pair works somehow. I suddenly remember Bobo is from the Blood Moon. Shit, Daniel probably doesn’t know either. This will definitely be an issue later, but for now, I want him to enjoy this a bit longer.

I find a pair of shorts and a tank top. I don’t intend to wear them long anyway; I need a good run, in my wolf form. I quickly say goodbye to the guys, and leave the apartment. Sunday mornings are usually quiet in our neighborhood. Those who aren’t sleeping are enjoying a family breakfast or are at church. I walk down a few empty streets, enjoying the early sunshine. What time is it anyway? Around 9:00 a.m. probably. I regret not taking more of Bobo’s crepes; the sweet smells of the Monteiro Bakery wake my wolf’s appetite.

I keep walking until I reach the border, where the White Moon territory stops, and the North Forest begins. A vast, dense forest reaching farther than the eye can see. I’ve always loved running in the forest, running as far as I can.

I take a few steps past the tree line, and take off my clothes, putting them in between a couple of tree branches. Stretching a bit, I shape-shift into my wolf form. An intense feeling of satisfaction runs through my body as I get on all fours. I love being a werewolf.

I start running casually, just heading north as usual. Why am I always so attracted to the North? It’s an odd feeling, like something’s there, something waiting for me. Something I’ve forgotten, maybe. I keep running, chasing a few rabbits for play, and climbing and jumping rocks for fun. I come across a couple of wolves, probably lovebirds who spent the night out. Are they hiding their idyll from their packs? I don’t recognize them, but they stay away from me anyway. I just keep running my own way.

The feuds between the packs make it so hard to interact nowadays. Silver City is only a few centuries old, but some packs have fought so many times, they just can’t see eye-to-eye. So, bonding or marriage between wolves of different packs is always a complicated topic. Sometimes, the lovers are lucky enough that both clans tolerate each other, and one of the two can change their allegiance to join their mate’s pack. But I’ve only heard about this, I’ve never witnessed it myself.

Having sex with Nate was totally forbidden. If my Alpha heard about it… I don’t even want to think about it. Nathaniel is his own Alpha, so he probably would have a different kind of pressure about that. I slow down, I’m on a cliff, with a splendid view of the forest below.

If only we were… No, stop, Elena. No ifs. Just face the reality.

This is never happening again.

Chapter 5

I stay there a long time, thinking about it. I don’t know why I’m getting my hopes up all of a sudden, but I just can’t. I have enough trouble in my life as it is.

My eyes linger on the horizon, looking for answers. Where did I come from? I was about three years old when Reagan brought me before Clark Hamilton, the new Alpha of the White Moon. He saw me, a strange child who turned out to be an obvious alpha she-wolf, with amber eyes and cream fur. I learned later that it was an unusual combination, something that reminded others of the royal families of the past. The ones no one had seen in a very, very long time. But my fur wasn’t completely white like the legends, and I didn’t have blue eyes. Mine were amber. Yet, my strange appearance and alpha disposition raised suspicions. I couldn’t be raised among normal wolves. So, Clark found a young alpha couple to raise me. My adoptive father, Samuel Whitewood, was the younger brother of Xavier Whitewood, the leader of the Opal Moon, a branch of the White Moon that had just been created. My mother, Ivy Whitewood, was young and pretty but had not been able to conceive children. She was the one who approached Clark, asking the Alpha to let her take me in. He agreed, and the whole pack accepted me as their child.

However, no matter how well the pack treated me, I always felt I was different from my peers.

I was stronger than the kids my age. I was faster. I shape-shifted for the first time when I was five. No one had ever seen shape-shifting at such a young age. I was the best hunter, the best fighter among all the pups of the pack. With my alpha blood and Reagan training me, there was no way anyone else could keep up. Sadly, that also meant I was naturally ostracized by the other pups.

I didn’t really mind, though. The others couldn’t pick on me, as I was strong and an alpha’s daughter. I had Daniel too, the only other kid that didn’t blend in.

“Hey, look who’s here.”

I turn around, surprised to see another wolf here. The dark gray male joins me, playfully pushing my side with his nose.

“Hi, Levi.”

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