The Perfect Luna

and we're back

A few weeks later, everything went back to normal. Or... not.

When we came back from our trip, everything was a mess. We were informed of multiple attacks made by unnatural rogues called Strays.

It was terrible, small and weaker packs have been destroyed and some have had considerable damage. As the strongest pack of the western territory, of course we had to investigate and send out most of our pack warriors.

I had a bad feeling about all of it, the Strays, could it be what the moon goddess was talking about? I knew I had to look into it.

Because of the attacks and the mysteries surrounding the Strays and because he took a few days off, Archer had been extremely busy.

When I woke up in the morning, he wasn't by my side anymore, but he always left me breakfast to eat before I headed out myself.

When lunch time came around, he would come and pick me up wherever I was and we'd spend an hour or two together. I tried to help him with what he had to do and that's when I saw how bad the problem was.

The death toll and destruction was on a level that we'd never seen before and I convinced him that I'd help him, but he said that I already had my hands full with learning about the pack activities and I had to agree.

But still, something about the Strays just didn't sit well with me, my heart would literally drop and I would shake when I see the destruction that they've done.

"We were planning to hold the Luna ceremony at the soonest, but the recent attacks make it hard to do so, I'm sorry Hazel." he tells me as when he put his cup down the table.

I peered at him and shook my head. Right, the Luna ceremony. It wasn't held yet and people may have been wondering why it was pushed back, but I was thankful that Archer pushed it back until he was sure that I was comfortable within the pack.

"It's fine, other packs matter more, I understand." I smile at him.

When it came close to dinner time, we would either eat together at home or in his pack office. Although the pack could easily prepare a meal for us and for us to eat with them, we liked to spend time together alone so I usually cooked for dinner and he would come home.

When the work was too demanding, I packed the food and brought it to him where he would take a break and we ate together while I continued to help him or he helped me with a task I had a hard time with.

The days passed by quickly as if they were racing against time itself and we tried our best to keep up. Amidst our busy schedules, Archer made sure to always make time for me and that alone made me happy because I could feel his sincerity and effort.

I had also come to notice that Jessica was rarely to be seen anywhere. I'm not sure how Archer talked to her, but I was sort of relieved that she stopped clinging on him and stopped antagonizing me. Although I also felt bad for her.

In a way, I think I understand how she feels. To be raised to be a perfect person for a position, I knew how that felt, the overwhelming pressure, the overbearing expectations, living vicariously.

I knew exactly how that felt and sometimes I couldn't help but wonder that maybe we could have been friends if some things weren't the way they were.

There was one time I met her when I was teaching some junior classes some self defence techniques and all she did was stare at me and then leave.

It looked like she wanted to talk to me, but chickened out in the end. I couldn't blame her though, we weren't exactly in the best of relationships to have deep talks with each other.