Hiyeeeeeeee

.....

Byeeeeeeeee

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Nova's POV

Three days of nonstop driving will really get to you. Well, unless you have a road trip partner like Blake. 

He had been on a non stop high of energy drinks since we left and had taken us several hundred miles. I could tell he was exhausted, but we were closing in on pack territory. 

His parents had laid out everything for him, made him a list of where to go, who to ask for. Our first destination was the Runetotem pack where we planned to get information, sleep, freshen up and leave early in the morning to hopefully reach the next pack by nightfall. 

I was slightly terrified as I had far less experience with this than Blake did. I was far more out of touch with my fur side than Blake had ever been and I was afraid that I would not fit into a pack  or that my own parents wouldn't even recognize me. 

Blake did all he could to reassure me. It did nothing for me, but everything more to excite her. 

Throughout the trip so far, when I wasn't sleeping, Blake and I were talking about anything and everything. At one point we went from talking about our parents to talking about crème brûlée torches in a matter of minutes. It was crazy with a capital K. 

We stopped to get gas once more before driving into a dense forest with the remnants of an old road. It was riddled with holes and old chunks of chipped, grey asphalt from years past. This wannabe road led us to an abandoned clearing where there was a fork of three paths, all of which were outlines by tall, dense trees on either side of each path.

Blake pulls out his yellowing sheet of paper to find the way to the pack. I could have told him that it was the most rugged looking one to the far left. He folds it back up and makes the turn which immediately makes both of us bounce, me more so than him. Even with my seat belt, my butt was coming off the seat making it feel like riding a jet ski in the ocean. 

After about a mile and a half or so, the road evened out drastically and began to show signs of civilization. Wooden signs with peeling white paint directed us until we reached a place to park. According to Blake, it was common courtesy to walk to the border. It showed good intention and humility somehow. I took a bag with a change of clothes and some other necessities with me and we walked another half mile or so to the border where watch towers lay beyond. Even before we reached the border, there was an eerie sense of someone watching us. It was not unlike the feeling a rabbit gets when it knows a fox is waiting to kill it. 

I took a second to dawdle at the border out of anxiety. There was no going back now. Wolfie can't want to get over, so I take a deep breath and allow her to take the first step for me. Everything beyond that is cake. 

Before long, two massive male wolves make their way to us. I wasn't surprised, just intimidated. 

We don't exactly look like threats, so they aren't terribly harsh to us. 

"State your names and reason for coming to us," one of them transmits to us. 

"I'm Blake Wilson, and this is Nova Collins. We are looking for my birth parents, possibly hers too. We were told we could get information here," Blake says boldly. 

The red one comes closer to him and sniffs him fiercely, and jumps on him, tail wagging. 

"Jake Lennox! It's been forever!" Blake laughs and plays with this Jake figure who seemed to be a close friend. 

He gets up and smiles at me. I raise an eyebrow and he goes, "oh. Nova, this is Jake. We were raised together," he chuckles and I simply nod at his friend still in wolf form. If I wasn't prompted to speak, I didn't plan to. As far as I knew, I had no connections here. I was here for Blake. The Alpha might know something, but we were not there yet. 

Jake and the other wold start to walk further into pack territory into the view of more lurking males serving as guards. I don't know what or why they were needed for, the pack seemed isolated enough to not need so much protection.

The land was fairly developed, new housing was further in, there were updated watch towers, small shops, cafes, diners, etc. Of course, it was a small pack so there was not a lot, but we eventually reached a large building, the biggest one yet. This must be the commons. 

The minute we walk in, the room goes silent, all eyes go to us, the strangers.

We walk down a long hallway in a large room with tables everywhere, all with food on them which reminded me how hungry I was. 

Upon further walking and going up a flight of stairs, we get away from the voices that whispered behind us to a door. "Alpha Lucas" is inscribed upon it in bold letters. 

The two wolves from before change before getting to the door and knock. 

"Enter," says a loud voice.

"Good afternoon Alpha Lucas. We have visitors. Blake Wilson and Nova Collins," Jake's counterpart says and steps aside so that the Alpha can get a good look at us. 

His office is small, but windows make it seem large. He sits at a mahogany desk and stands up to be about 6'3, coming around his desk to greet us. He is a broad, muscly man; older with a defined jawline, a grey tinge to his long, black hair, red, Indian skin and gentle hazel eyes. 

He outreaches a hand to Blake and then to me which we both shake, "welcome, we are glad to have you. I'll have Noah here set you guys up with a place to stay," he gestures for Noah and Jake to leave and close the door behind them. He asks us to sit down which we do.

"Blake, your parents told me you would be here when the time was right. Unfortunately, I haven't seen them in years. I can only tell you where they were headed when they left." He starts to write something down and slides the paper to him. "The Blue Moon pack will likely have more information than I do."

"Thank you, sir." Blake smiles and folds the paper, tucking it somewhere safe.

"How long do you intend to stay?" He asks and looks at Blake for an answer.

"Just until the morning. We would hate to overstay our welcome."

"It really is not any trouble. But if you do insist on staying just the night, you can park your truck at the gas station down the street. It will be safer there." The Alpha offers kindly. 

I wonder what his connection was to Blake's parents. He was a lot more friendly than I thought he would be. 

"Thank you, Alpha Lucas." Blake says as he gets up and shakes his hand again as we turn to leave. 

"It is my pleasure, please travel safely." He looks at both of us and Blake assures him that we will as he opens the door, letting me out first. 

We walk back through the dining area and find a place to sit and eat something besides gas station junk for the first time in three days.

The warm food feels delightful as it warms my whole body and gives me some of the only comfort I've felt since I was in Taylor's arms last. 

That pain has faded but still throbs and swells in my conflicted heart. 

I zone out as I eat only interrupted by Blake who tells me that he is going with Jake to move his truck into town and something about staying here until he returns, blah blah. I nod and zone back out again until I feel a single pair of eyes on me. The room is mostly empty except for a few people sitting in clusters and an old, frail looking man that approaches. 

"Nova Collins," he says when he gets closer. "The only daughter of Alaric and Lily Collins," he sits across from me, leaning his cane on the table. 

"That's right.." I say softly and look at him. For such an old looking man, he had fierce, stone cold grey eyes that he softened in his approach to me. The flecks of silver in them matched the color of his hair.

"How do you know who I am?" I ask just as soft as before.

"You have your mother's eyes and your father's Lycan spirit in you, my dear," he brings a palm to my forehead and closes his eyes. 

"You wish to find them, you seek answers. But alas, you are very conflicted, very conflicted indeed. You travel with another lost soul, a kindred spirit." He.. knows me. He knows my parents. As strange as this was, maybe he could help me. It was not unheard of for a pack to have a seer or something like it.

"Find them, you will but not without much pain and sorrow on your path," that didn't sound good.. not at all.

"But alas, this pain will lead you to your destiny," he removes his hand and opens his eyes. 

Pain leading to destiny? What?

"Can you tell me where to find them?" I finally ask, unable to say anything else.

"I am afraid I cannot answer that, child. I can only tell you this," he puts both hands on mine, glaring at me intently. "Your path is not an easy one Nova, in fact it will challenge you and leave you utterly shattered; but I see good, well deserved happiness that will come at your darkest hour. You must never let your spirit be extinguished." 

He pauses before one more thought, "be careful who you trust, your instinct will never betray you."

He draws his fingers over my eyelids, closing them and utters something in Latin. His words are burned into my head, they say "ad astra per aspera, dum tibi respirare spero ut te," and I have no idea what they mean, but they refuse to leave my head. 

When I open my eyes, he is gone and I am left thoroughly confused.

Dictionary. I need a dictionary. 

I scramble up and ask the nearest person where the library is and am directed to a heavy, rounded oak door with runes inscribed in the door. Inside is a lonesome old lady with long grey hair in a braid pulled to her side. 

She looks up at me, "none of the youngins come around here.. can I help you?" 

"Yes ma'am," I return her kind smile, "can you direct me to a Latin dictionary?" I know it's a weird request, but this was a weird day altogether. 

I get a funny look from her. She probably expected me to ask for the manga or young adult section. Nope, not me.

"I'd be happy to," she smiles and walks ever so slowly around her desk. She stands at about 4'11" and she is probably much older than she looks. Wolves age slower than normal humans; much slower. 

As we walk, I notice just how vast this library is. The oak door opens into a vast room with high ceilings. The walls are adorned with books that can only be reached by old, wrought iron spiral staircases. For the most part, I see older, collectible looking versions of ancient books that were not made for collecting purposes, but that have likely been passed down for generations. The ceiling has glorious crown moldings with that fade into separate panes of window or baroque-esque painting. 

Don't even get me started on the smell. 'Old Books' should be a bottled fragrance. 

"Here you are, girl," she hands me a thick, falling-apart-at-the-binding book. 

"Thank you," I smile at her as she hobbles on over back to her desk and sits down, picking up the book she was reading before I walked in. 

I find a spot to sit near a window and dust off the cover and open it, accidentally inhaling a puff of dust. Nice. 

Ad astra per aspera, dum tibi respirare spero ut te... start looking.

**************

After looking at every word individually, writing them down, I think I have the phrase roughly translated. Mystery man blessed me.

The phrase translates to something along the lines of, "to the stars through difficulty, while you breathe, may you have hope."

This sounds like it would be good especially given the rather foreboding future he laid out for me.

For what it was worth, it was a unique experience I guess. Was it true? I was not sure. I plan to just tell myself that everything will be okay and maybe get by with everything going well.

In the quiet atmosphere, a loud door opening tears open the silence making me jump. 

"I've been looking high and low for you," Blake smiles and comes to sit across from me. "What brought you here?"

"Oh.. just boredom," I chuckle and get up with the paper in my hand, going to take the book back. I tuck my findings into my bra as I put the book back where the librarian pulled it out.

I nod goodbye to the librarian and head out to find Taylor and Noah, ready to lead us back to where we would be sleeping. 

The first thing I notice is the bathroom and its tiled shower just calling my name. I intended to find Alpha Lucas again and ask him who I met, and maybe get a run in before we left but at the moment, I could only think of warm water and a bed.

As the boys talk, I fade away with a change of clothes and a fluffy towel and lock the door, losing my reflection as the room fogs up with hot steam.

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A bit cliche, yeah yeah I know. BUT I HAD FUN WRITING IT OKAY? 
It'll get a hell of a lot better. You guys are never gonna guess what's gonna happen next.