Mother of the Moon - Chapter 187 - Late Night Snack
Lunaya.
Alyse and I were huddled in the corner booth, stuffing our faces with bread and lukewarm stew. Alyse had her legs draped over mine so that she was nearly in my lap. I had a piece of bread hanging between my teeth as I waved it in front of Alyse’s mouth. She chuckled and snapped her teeth at the bread, pulling it from my mouth. I laughed and grabbed either side of her face, I pulled her to me and pressed my lips to her cheek. The kitchen door flew open and in walked Gunner with Zelena in his arms. She had her arms and legs wrapped around him like a koala. Alyse and I went silent as we watched them enter. Gunner paused and flicked his eyes to mine. He quickly looked to Alyse and then down at the bowls in front of us, before continuing on into the kitchen. I sat up straight, expecting that he would put Zelena down so I could see her. But instead, he kept one arm under her backside and carried her with him to the fridge. Zelena had her head nuzzled into the crook of his neck, hiding her face.
A whirlwind of questions flooded my mind, I wanted to ask if she was healed, how was she feeling, is she holding up okay after the battle, so much I wanted to ask but I swallowed them all down. Alyse and I watched silently as he prepared a bowl of stew, a large plate of steaks and some bread and butter. After he had finished heating it up and getting it ready, he made his way to the booth where Alyse and I were sat watching. Gunner deposited Zelena onto the booth bench and then slid in beside her. Zelena finally noticed our presence, and she jerked back with wide eyes before she offered a small smile.
“Oh hi, I didn’t realise anyone else was in here” she said quietly, while smoothing down the wild strands of hair at the back of her head. Her eyes were sunk in and surrounded by dark circles. The whites of her eyes were stained with red, indicating she had been crying. She looked tired, more than tired actually, she looked weathered. I smiled back and nodded to the plate in front of her,
“Looks like we both had the same idea” I chuckled. Zelena looked down at the plate of steaks in front of her and her eyes darkened. She snapped up a whole steak with her hand and shovelled it into her mouth near whole. The amount of meat in her mouth meant she couldn’t close her lips as she chewed. She grumbled and moaned as the steak juices dribbled down her chin. The way she ate was like a wild animal. Was this because of her upbringing with the hunter? I know he treated her badly, is this the aftermath of that? Eating what you can, when you can, as fast as you can? It was odd behaviour in the least. Alyse and I, even Gunner, all stared at her wide eyed as she shoved another steak into her mouth. Alyse’s hand found my thigh and she squeezed, pressing her fingernails into my skin. After a few moments, Zelena’s rabid eating slowed and she looked at each of us shyly. She wiped the steak residue from her chin and chuckled awkwardly.
“Sorry, I was uh… starving” she mumbled as her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. Gunner wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to her temple.
“No I get it, sometimes you just can’t chew fast enough” Alyse mused with a sly smile. She flicked her eyes between both Gunner and Zelena, the smile staying on her face.
“Eat” Gunner grumbled and handed her another steak. She blushed and eyed us both hesitantly before she took the steak and bit into it. Taking a much smaller mouthful this time round. We all ate in silence, none of us sure who should talk first or how to break the quiet.
“I’m glad you made it home safely, Goddess” Alyse finally spoke up,
“Thank you, and please, will you call me Zelena” she smiled kindly back at Alyse,
“As you wish Zelena. I just have to say, I was so unbelievably sorry to hear about Cole. I had only met him a few times, but I could tell he was a special Were” Alyse said as she reached across the table and gently placed her hand over Zelena’s. Gunner’s eyes snapped down to where their hands met, and he glared at them. After a moment he shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times, then he lifted his gaze to me. I was frozen in place by what I saw in his eyes. Bright blue orbs with whisps of black dancing around within them, stared me down and had me shifting in my seat. The darkness had its claws buried into him deep. It’s going to be hard, really bloody hard, to get him to let it go.
“That’s kind of you” Zelena choked out with a sniffle, catching Gunner’s attention once more. Without saying a word, he ran his hand down the length of her arm. He lifted her from the booth and placed her carefully in his lap. Zelena sighed and leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. His hand moved in slow soothing circles on her back, as she drew aimless patterns on his chest.
“Thank you for your assistance here Alyse, I know my mother would have been lost without you” Gunner said in a deep gruff voice, a voice that sounded tired and overworked. Like he too had been crying a lot recently.
“Oh stop, it’s the least I could do, especially as I could not fight” she cooed back.
“You can’t fight? But from what everyone has told me, Luna Eclipse she-wolves are fierce terrifying warriors. Aren’t you as well?” Zelena said as she lifted her head and looked to Alyse. Alyse chuckled and leaned back in her seat.
“You’ve been told right, Luna-Eclipse are the fiercest warriors you will ever come across. However I, we, are not from Luna Eclipse” Alyse said with confidence. It wasn’t a secret anymore. I had already confessed this to Gunner. But I don’t know if I’m ready for where this conversation is leading. I want to tell Zelena the truth, and I have every intention of doing so. But I had hope to have a little time to practice what I would say to her first.
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