December's Moon

11| LUCA

| LUCA |

That evening, when seven pm rolled around, Luca stood on the patio outside the front doors of the building waiting for his father. The dread in the pit of his stomach grew with each minute that passed. A dense mist had settled in—cool and thick—cutting off the academy from the outside world even more than it already was. Above, yellow light leaked out of the windows of Stowe and Tame Hall, glowing in the fog and making it look like it was on fire.

Other than the babble of the small fountain in the center of the patio, the night was silent. The stone wolf frozen at its center was supposed to spit water into the air like flames, but the pressure was so low from years of corrosion in the pipes that instead, it looked like it was drooling. Black algae grew over its lips and chin like a beard.

Luca brushed off a spot on the edge of the fountain and took a seat, careful not to get his clothes dirty. He'd made sure his beige slacks had no stains and his light blue polo was wrinkle-free. Over the top, he'd worn his dark grey sports jacket, half because he didn't want to be under dressed, and half because it was cold out. Hopefully, Avi Wakelin wasn't expecting him to wear a full suit.

He kept his eyes trained on the drive leading up to the academy. Finally, like the eyes of a monster creeping out of the fog, a pair of headlights cut through the mist, and his father's Jaguar 420 G rumbled up to the front of the building.

When he pulled up in front of Luca, he didn't shut off the car. The window rolled down, and Avi Wakelin's dark eyes stared out, his face drawn into a stern frown. "Get in, Luca."

Luca nodded and jogged around the car to the passenger's side. As soon as he sat and closed the door, the wheels screeched, and they speed off down the drive, through the black, wrought iron gates, and into the night.

As they drove, Luca studied his father's outfit—a black jacket over a white button-down shirt, no tie, and a pair of dark grey slacks. At least Luca wasn't too far off with how he chose to dress.

"Where are we going?" Luca asked.

"We have reservations at Vito's," Avi Wakelin said. He stretched his fingers as they zoomed down a straight section of the road. His knuckles cracked when he gripped the wheel again, taking a tight turn through the rising stone cliffs and tall pines.

"Vito's again?" Luca groaned. He bit his tongue when his father gave him a stern glance.

"I mean, meatballs with diablo sauce, my favorite."

Vito's was the only Pack owned restaurant within a fifteen-minute drive of Cypress Pass Academy, and the food was not much better there than in the cafeteria. The only hope Luca had for this dinner was to at least escape the prison for a few hours and get some good food. So much for that. At least he wouldn't have to eat Frito crusted chicken or curry worry pork or whatever other atrocity the dinner of the day was back at school.

"I'm meeting two of my colleagues on the board for this dinner," Avi said as they maneuvered down the winding road. "I would have met you after, but I think it is time you get exposure to some of the business side of things. You'll be involved in it more and more once you win the tournament and gain your title." He glanced at Luca out of the corners of his eyes.

Luca swallowed a lump in his throat. The Cypress Pass Pack board was the group of the elites among the Pack, most of them having longstanding connections or family ties with the Alpha and Elders. The board members were one step below the Elders, who served essentially as advisors to the Alpha. They held a strong say in what the Pack did and were all either retired Alphas or past board members. The members of the board also advised, but their job involved the dirty grunt and field work as well.