From Rougue To Luna novel Chapter 56

"Lili..." Rhett's voice spoke softly in my ear, pulling me back to reality in an instant. My head whipped around to see him staring down at me over my shoulder, his hand stroking against my back.

"Sorry. I just..." I stammered, struggling to regain control of my thoughts.

"I know. We have a few more things to iron out and then I'm going to do a sweep before we head to train one last time. Why don't you get out of here? Get some air. Meet me at the training center in a hour for the run through." His eyes swirled dark with emotion as he gave me a gentle smile, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly.

I gave him a solemn nod, running a hand through my hair. "You're right. It'd do me some good. Clear my head. Ok, I'll be back in an hour."

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss on my forehead before I turned and walked out of the room. I caught a sympathetic smile from Asher before I turned the corner, shaking my head free from the thoughts I was drowning in. I needed space. I needed room to breathe.

I walked out of the pack house, moving my feet aimlessly as I let them guide me down the path with no particular direction in mind. I simply soaked up the sun, now high in the sky as I tried to move crisp clear air in and out of my lungs.

Before I knew it, I was winding through the tree line and down a familiar trail I hadn't walked in six years. I stopped short as I came to the little cabin, tucked quietly away just inside the woods away from the rest of the pack. My home.

I let out a short breath and eyed it warily. The shutters hung crookedly and the windows were covered in dust and cobwebs, but the porch still held the two idle rocking chairs that mom and I had spent countless afternoons in.

The memory of a day when I'd come home from school in tears popped into my mind. We'd spent the whole week learning about the mate bond, and what to expect once we'd shifted. I remember an awkward tension directed toward the back of the class, toward me. Everyone knew what the Oracle had said. They knew our laws.

I remembered thinking I may never get to talk with her this way again. She passed suddenly a week later.

I stepped onto the porch, hearing the wood creak beneath my feet until my hand floated to the door knob, shoving the now warped door open. Dust floated thick through the air as the sun shone through the coated windows. The bed was still there, exactly as I'd left it. The cover was even partially pulled back from not making it that day.

I shook my head as memories began to flood my mind. My mother's laugh floated through the room in my mind and I felt a warmth begin to wrap around me, calling to me as I walked over to sit onto the edge of the bed. I looked around the room, seeing my mother everywhere at once and a tear dropped down my cheek.

After several long moments, I collected myself and pushed my feet forward, walking out the door and stopping at a patch of gold wildflowers just in front of the cabin. I leaned down, plucking several into my hands and walked up to place them on the porch beneath mom's chair as tears began to sting my eyes.