Page 31 of Violet Moon
“I’m going for a walk.Are you headed back to the house?”
Sera nodded.
“Sleep well,azizam,” Parisa said, tone soft.
Sera turned to look at her Alpha, dressed again in a somehow perfectly pristine, long-sleeved dress with a bright white collar.She smiled, chest blooming with warmth.“Sweet dreams, Pari.”
ten
“There’snobreadagaintoday?”a customer asked, disappointed.
Sera shook her head.“Our bread maker couldn’t bake it today,” she replied, making it sound like Parisa was on some sort of impromptu vacation.In reality, Sera had no idea where Parisa was.She hadn’t seen much of her since the night they sparred.That night had been the last somewhat normal evening and Sera wished she had savored it more.
“But if you’re in the mood for something buttery and delicious, one of our extra-big, ‘wolf-sized’ croissants might hit the spot.”
Sera helped the front of the house staff get through another rush before retreating back into the office where a pile of everything that was slipping through the cracks with Parisa gone was waiting for her.She wouldn't have survived the past few days without Wilma.
It wasn’t like Parisa to disappear.
Worry weighed on Sera’s shoulders and she slumped, sighing and leaning back in her chair.She tipped her head back, staring at the ceiling.As Beta, she could help run the pack in her Alpha’s absence, but should she have been doing more?
Hours later, and several customer rushes behind her, Sera left the bakery and returned home, walking directly to Parisa’s office.She knocked, even though she knew she probably wasn’t there.“Pari?”she called out.When no reply came, she tested the door to see if it was locked.
It opened.Sera stood there for a moment, hand frozen on the door, before she pushed it open and shut it behind her.She waited for permission to enter or sit down that would never come.
The violets she’d brought for Parisa earlier were still in the vase, and the daisies from the day before had been moved to another vase on the bookshelf behind Parisa’s chair.There were signs that Parisa had been home, but she clearly hadn’t done much while she was here.
Sera circled the desk, skimming her fingertips across the surface.Parisa’s planner was open, but it was turned to the wrong week.She flipped through the pages and stopped on the current week.It was empty.Dipping her head, she pulled open the top drawer.There was nothing there but pens and office supplies, all neatly arranged.She sat in Parisa’s chair and pulled the other drawers open to find organized file folders and a surprise snack drawer that had more chips in it than Sera would have expected from Parisa.
Nothing was out of place.Nothing was out of the ordinary.Nothing provided any clues as to where Parisa had gone or why she wasn’t at the pack house.
Sera turned to look at the door to Parisa’s bedroom.Chewing her bottom lip, she stood and crossed the room in a few steps.She quietly asked for forgiveness as she opened the door to her Alpha’s room.Like her office, everything was tidy and clean.The bed looked slept in, though, and that made Sera’s shoulders relax.
She put one foot in past the doorway, but quickly pulled it back.There were some lines she wasn’t willing to cross and sneaking into Parisa’s room was one of them.Her cheeks and the tips of her ears bloomed red the longer she stood there looking at Parisa’s things, and she rushed to close the door.
Leaving Parisa’s office, she gave one last look around the room, wishing something would stick out as abnormal, but it was the same as ever.
At least Parisa had come home at some point.Sera closed the door, face set with determination.She was going to stay awake until Parisa was back.
Sera placed a plate with two tartlets from the bakery on the side table next to the sofa and took her seat in the pack’s living room.The fire fought the late-night autumn chill, the coffee was fresh, and she’d just finished steeping a pot of tea for Parisa.
As long as Parisa came home that night and they chatted by the fire, everything would be alright.
Sera read and waited.She made it through twenty, forty, then sixty pages of the book.Packmates came and went and Sera chatted with each of them.Time dragged on.Still there was no sign of Parisa.
She read the same paragraph for a third time before sighing and closing her book.Worry gnawed at her stomach — a selfish disappointment did, too.
“Beta Seraphine!”Jo sauntered into the room with a big smile.“What are you still doing up?It’s nearly dawn.Is it because you’re reading?Is it good?”They plopped down on the sofa right next to Sera.
Sera faked a smile.Her emotions were already in overdrive.She didn’t need Jo here on top of her worry for Parisa, but the instant Jo sat down, memories were already slipping out of the locked box where she kept them.
“It’s decent.Not one of the best I’ve read recently, but I’m still reading, so it can’t be that bad.”
“Is it one of Edgar’s books?”
Sera nodded.
Jo sat back with a huff, crossing their arms.“He says I’m too young to borrow any.I’m twenty-nine!”
