October 26th

The morning came only after another relentless sleepless night. Leo arrived in the pack house kitchen as I was forcing small mouthfuls of cereal down, my hair a bird's nest and my pyjamas rolled up my legs into pantaloons.

"You look exhausted," he said, after examining me closely.

He didn't exactly look refreshed and rejuvenated either. His eyes were slightly puffy, his eyebrows sloped and his skin washed out – not strikingly noticeable but noticeable to me.

"I didn't sleep," I said, "... I'm worried about my mother."

Leo paused for a split second as he pressed his lips together, "Your mother?"

I nodded, "She isn't answering her phone which isn't unusual but... I just have this feeling."

Some of the confidence seem to drain from Leo's face, "Why do you care all of a sudden? She's had no part in your life for years?"

I looked him dead in the eye, "She is my mother, Leo."

He nodded as he swallowed, taking a seat beside me at the table, "She will get back to you as soon as she can."

"But I have this hunch she's in danger."

I didn't take my eyes off his face for a second. His eye twitched a little, the way it always did when he lied to me.

"I'm sure she is fine."

I puckered my forehead, "How could you be sure of that?"

"Because she has been for years. Why would that suddenly change?"

I shrugged, "For the same reason everything has suddenly changed... you. I haven't heard from her since she came here."

He cocked his head to the side, taking a sip of my orange juice.

"What are you suggesting? That I have done something to your mother?"

I stared at him blankly, "You hit the nail on the head. Yes. That's exactly what I think. To be more precise, I think she is in your prison being tortured by General Raven."

He stared back just as blankly.

"That is absurd," he said, "You think that a) Raven would torture his own aunt and b) I would let him?"

"There is nothing absurd about it. You are both somehow colder than ice and would torture a baby if you needed to."

"Then why would we need to torture Liliana?" he asked as he leant closer to me, "What could we possibly want from her? What could she know?"

I swallowed, dropping my spoon into my bowl.

"Is Elora planting these ridiculous ideas in your mind?" he continued, "Because I will send her straight back to the prison if she is messing with your head."

Biting the inside of my cheek, I darted my eyes from him.

"Don't do that," I said.

"I don't want to hear anything more about this. Drop it, okay?"

He took another gulp of my orange juice before setting the empty glass on the table.

"You're such a dick," I muttered.

"I'm also incredibly busy," he said, "I'll see you tomorrow."

He kissed my head before sauntering out of the kitchen.

I threw my head down onto the table with a thud before letting out a silent scream.

I hated him so fucking much and yet his kiss still left a warm patch on my head.

After Leo had left, my day got considerably better. Elora distracted my racing mind with some more training in the courtyard, much to the dismay of all the soldiers there. Their shocked and slightly disgusted faces only made me grin, sweat and work harder.

By nightfall, I was exhausted.

"Is it a full moon tonight?" I asked Elora as we got ready for bed.

"Mhm," she said.

"... What do you guys do on a full moon here?"

She smiled and joined me as I gazed out the window at the bright white moon.

"We love to shift. It's so much better on a full moon. It's exhilarating."

As I let the moon's light fall on my face, I shut my eyes and let it soak through my skin.

"I can imagine," I said, taking a deep slow breath.

"Unfortunately, tonight we'll have to give it a miss," she said, "Something tells me Olivier isn't going to let us stray out into the forest."

As Elora climbed into bed and shut her eyes, I made myself comfortable on the window sill, mesmerised by the moon. It had never looked as beautiful as it did tonight and the more I stared at it, the more energy built up inside me.

Eventually, I crept past Elora, avoiding the squeaky floorboards and slipped out into the hallway.

"Olivier," I whispered, shutting the door gently behind me to not make a sound.

"Luna, you shouldn't be awake," the guard said with a gruff voice.

"I can't sleep so I'm going for a walk outside," I said, "I'll be back in half an hour."

"I can't allow that, Luna," he replied, "For obvious reasons."

I folded my arms over my body as the cold crept through my skin.

"Please," I said, "I won't tell Alpha Thorn."

"I will not go behind the Alpha's back."

I rolled my eyes, leaning on the wall, "Of course, you won't... what if you come with me?"

"I am under strict instruction to not let you out of the pack house," he said, "And I will not-"

"Disobey the Alpha yada yada. Yeah whatever," I grumbled, "Good night."

With an exaggerated defeated sigh, I went back into the bedroom, still taking care not to wake Elora. I crept back past her to the window before slowly, inch by inch turning the latch. To my great surprise, it was unlocked and I could push the window open only with a faint squeak.

I gritted my teeth and paused, glancing over at the door that Olivier stood on the other side of.

No movement.

Holding my breath, I slipped from the room through the window. My bare feet clasped the cold window ledge as the breeze blew my hair. But unfiltered by the window, the moon dazzled my eyes and brought a grin to my lips.