"Della, there has to be another way," Jared watched his sister pack the last box of things she would take with her, tears flowing down his cheeks. "What am I going to do without you?"
"You are going to lead this pack and be the best Alpha the werewolf world has ever known," Della told him, fighting back her own tears. It had been a month since she had been cruelly rejected, and it was now obvious that she was carrying a pup. She hadn't left the Pack House in weeks, and only then to see Trish, in the middle of the night. Now, she would leave her home behind, sneaking into the night like a criminal. She wasn't taking much with her, she would be able to buy whatever she needed once she got to her destination. Her family's fortune went back many generations, and Della was grateful she would be starting her new life in the human world with the comfort of wealth.
"Della, we both know you are the strong one. You should have been Alpha, not me. You are brave, fearless, and I am going to miss you so much." Jared hugged her, and she hugged him back, letting a few tears escape. She hated it, but she knew she had to do this. To protect her family and her pup.
"It's not goodbye forever, silly. You can come visit, and maybe some day, I can come back to visit too. Maybe I will fall madly in love with a human, who knows?" Della laughed, the look on Jared's face, he looked as though she had suggested she might fall in love with a walrus!
"A human? Please, Della, don't fall in love with one of them. They are so, well, they just.." Jared tried to think of a polite way to say what was on his mind.
"They are pretty clueless," Della said, "I know. I've seen their newscasts, the way they govern themselves- yes, they are clueless. But they do make some great movies, and books! They can't all be bad." She would be living in an exclusive community in what was considered the entertainment mecca of humanity, among Americans. The house was beautiful, with views of the ocean, something she had never seen in real life. Her house backed to acres of forest, where Mila would be able to run without fear, where her pup would learn to run one day. She was running away to what most would consider paradise.
The knowledge that she would be forever alone, without a fated mate to share it with, tainted it with a sadness that she could only hope would fade with the passage of time.
"At least you will have Cori, and Sherry to keep you company," Jared said, seeing the sad expression darkening his sister's pretty face. A smile formed on her lips.
"Well, someone will have to help me with this pup, I'm sure he will be a handful." Cori was Della's best friend, and she had insisted on coming with Della. Della had not been able to keep her secret from Cori, who had been by her side since they were still in diapers.
She had spent much of her life at the Pack House. Cori had always been different, and her parents clearly favored her sister, who behaved more as a "good she-wolf" should behave. When Cori had told them she wanted her mate to be another she-wolf, they had disowned her. The Dravens had welcomed her with open arms, praying that the Moon Goddess would bless her with a fated mate. Love was love, and while rare, it wasn't unheard of for a werewolf to find a fated mate of the same sex.
"I'm glad Sherry agreed to come along. I wouldn't want to bring this little guy in to the world without a healer, and I don't know if a human hospital would be able to deal with a werewolf pup." Sherry was a healer, like Trish, who didn't mind leaving the pack to start a new life. She wanted to study human medicine, and had enrolled at a university near their home. Della and her pup would be in good hands.
"Well, we better get the rest of these boxes to the car," Jared sighed, grabbing the last stack and heading down the stairs, to the back door, where a large SUV was waiting.
"I'll be down in a minute," Della said, taking a look at the room she had grown up in. She and her parents had already said their goodbyes, an emotional and heart wrenching scene she didn't want to repeat. She hoped they had listened to her when she told them to go to bed, that she would call them every day. They would be able to visit her, and meet their Grand-pup. She hoped they would look at him the way she would, that they would love him without hesitation. Her father had been furious when he found out what had happened.
"We have to find out who did this to you!" Her father had punched a hole in yet another wall, already furious with the way that self righteous Alpha had treated his little girl only moments before.
"Dad, don't you see that I would rather not know? That would make him a part of my pup's life. I want him to be MY pup, my little miracle. He deserves that. And what if the rotten asshole who did this to me tried to stake a claim to him, to be part of his life? I would have to kill him." Della had pleaded with her father to let it go.
"Some smug piece of shit from the party that night thinks he got away with it," her father had been inconsolable until his Luna had reached out and gently grabbed his arm before he could punch another hole in the wall.
"John, you know that the Moon Goddess will bring the truth to light when the time comes," she had said, "but for now, Della is right. She has chosen to bring her pup into the world, and it is best for her, for the pup, and for our family that the truth remain hidden. The Moon Goddess will make sure our Della sees justice. You know that, don't you?"
Della had loved her mother so much in that moment, she truly had understood. Her mother's words had calmed her father's anger and set Della's broken heart on the path to healing.
"Spoken like a true Luna," Della had said, and from that moment forward they had worked as a team, planning Della's departure and securing her future. She wouldn't be the only werewolf to live among humans, there were enough that it was not considered rare or taboo. The pack would be told she was going to study acting, which was believable given her love of movies.
They all believed she had left two weeks ago, when her pregnancy became too difficult to conceal with the scent maskers. The little pup was growing fast.
Della took one last look at her bedroom, and made her way to the stairs. She chucked at the way she felt like she was sneaking out, the way she and Jared had done as pups, and her wolf, Mila, shared her amusement. I know you can't shift until our pup is born, but you remember your promise to let me run, as soon as you can, Mila told her. Of course, Mila, I will not forget. You would never let me, even if I tried! Mila huffed, settling back in to the naps she was fond of taking. Pregnancy was making both of them sleepier than usual. Hungrier, too. Della hoped there were snacks in the vehicle. If not, they would have to stop once they were a safe distance away.
She slipped out the back door, sparing one last glance at the forest she knew so well. Jared gave her one last hug before she got into the back seat, "I love you, Della, and I am proud of you." He gently poked her stomach. "And you get here safe and sound, Uncle Jared can't wait to spoil you rotten!"
He and Della both jumped, as the pup kicked for the first time! Della burst into laughter. "He's already planning to kick your ass, just like his mama," she told her brother, jumping in to the vehicle and leaving him with a big grin on his face.
"Are you ready?" Cori asked, unable to contain her excitement.
"Let's go," Della said, grinning back at her BFF. Sherry gave Della a mock salute.
"Aye aye, captain," She said. The SUV crept slowly out of the drive, taking the back roads out of the Pack Lands. The Moonlight kissed them from above, as though blessing their journey. Goddess knew, they would need all the blessings they could get.
"Watch out, humans, here we come!" Della exclaimed, and the pup gave one more kick, as they headed towards the future.