Chapter 14 - Sage
With my heat finally on the back burner, I was beginning to adjust to my new back and my new life. While I wasn't quite thriving, it was still something.
I tried not to feel bitter that no one from my old pack had come looking for me, but there was no point in dwelling on it. I thought the Brokenclaw pack was modernized enough not to be okay with one of their women being kidnapped, but apparently, I was wrong.
After 'catching' me the first time and discovering that I was just shopping, Noah let me freely roam his territory without much oversight. He also gave me a credit card attached to his account, so I didn't have to worry about money.
I was shocked at the freedom, but Noah had been true to his word, and he'd changed his ways by apologizing and keeping his hands to himself after easing my pain.
I couldn't decide how I felt about that, even a few days after the fact.
The more time I spent with Noah, the easier it was to remember why we had been friends in the first place. But after the night of my heat, he'd been more distant, consumed with pack duties and seemingly reluctant to share space with me.
There were two reasons why he might have been avoiding me: he regretted getting me off the other night, or he liked it so much that it was difficult to be around me and not repeat what we'd shared, and more.
For my own sanity, I convinced myself it was the second one. I'd much rather be irresistible than regrettable.
Noah had been right. As much as I'd wanted him to knot me that night, waiting had been the right choice. I wouldn't have been upset with him if we'd had sex, but I would have been extremely unhappy with myself.
Okay...I would have been a little annoyed with him, too. But mostly myself.
Thankfully, he knew the right thing to do even when I was out of my mind with lust. That didn't stop me from fantasizing about what might have happened if we took things further, though.
Since Noah was avoiding me, I found myself getting out of the house more and more.
The Silvervine pack was big on farming and nature, and I found myself drawn to the community garden near the center of town.
It was a sprawling area that had been designated for gardening and growing the community's produce.
There were also several community buildings and a few food stalls.
Noah was right about the place having a charm all its own. It was a little worn down and rundown, but it was filled with smiling faces, laughter, and the signs of a pack that had its problems, but was still strong.
By my third trip to town, I was no longer a novelty.
There was still some fascination, considering I was the only magic user in the pack, but being the Luna meant I garnered a certain amount of reverence.
The respect they had for Noah carried over, and while some of them appeared to be reluctant to give it to me, there wasn't much they could do.
I was their Luna, even if I was a reluctant one.
It was a pleasant surprise. In the beginning, I was sure I'd wake up one day with the entire pack protesting outside of Noah's house, demanding that his new pet witch be sent packing. Instead, there was begrudging acceptance. Maybe, in time, it would come easier...for them and for me.
With Noah spending so much time working, I needed either a job or a hobby.
The local shops didn't turn their noses up at serving their witchy Luna, but none of them were chomping at the bit to hire me, either.
I tried to get a job with the pack healers, but they insisted that all of the positions were full.
I didn't quite believe them, but there wasn't much I could do about it.
Finally, an option presented itself: the community garden. I signed up for an empty plot, determined to make it my own. It was fall, the wrong time of the year to start planting, but there were still a few things I could grow.
I also had magic to help me along, but I wouldn't mention that outright.
It took some time to find the right pack member to ask about getting a plot, and they hesitantly showed me to the shed that held the tools and seeds.
The shed itself was run down, and the supplies were lacking, but that didn't matter.
There was enough for me to work with, and it would give me something to keep my mind busy since no one else in town seemed to want me around.
A few hours later, I was elbow-deep in the earth, a pile of seeds next to me and a row of tilled soil before me, when a shadow fell across my body.
"Isn't there enough space for you to do that at the Alpha's house, witch?"
I'd had a lot of practice in keeping my composure, so I didn't flinch or give the person the satisfaction of knowing that they'd caught me off guard. I stood, the knees of my pants muddy and damp, and dusted my hands off before looking at the newcomer.
It was an older man, and he was looking at me with a heavy dose of ire.
"Yes," I answered, not willing to engage with him any further. "But I wanted to put some plants down here. So that's what I'm doing."
"It's bad enough that you're here, and you're using our resources." His upper lip curled in disgust.
"I hardly consider a hand trowel and some mismatched seeds to be resources, but I promise anything extra I go will be donated, just like everyone else's extras. This is a community garden, isn't it?"
The man was glaring at me, but he couldn't argue with my point. "Yes, but—" "Hey, Sage!" A familiar voice cut in.
The man and I both turned to see Summer, Noah's cousin, approaching. She was all smiles, and when she reached the two of us, she looped her arm through mine.
"Enjoying the weather?"
I was so relieved by her presence that I leaned into her and sighed. "It's been great. Perfect for working with the soil. Are you going to plant today?"
Summer was still grinning at the man who'd accosted me, but her eyes were cold. "I am. I'm just taking a break right now. Do you want to go look at the herb garden with me?"
"Absolutely," I said, not needing any more encouragement than that.
As Summer pulled me away, I looked back at the man. He was still scowling at us, but he didn't try to stop us or say anything else.
"Sorry, was he bothering you?" Summer asked, not sounding sorry at all. "A bit," I admitted. "He just didn't want me to use any of the seeds." "You're the Luna, you're allowed to use all the seeds you want."
"But I'm a guest. Maybe I was too enthusiastic..."
"They're not his, either." Summer snorted.
"But it's a communal garden. Use what you need, donate when you can.
Just because he thinks the Alpha shouldn't have taken you as a mate doesn't mean he can tell you what to do.
" She paused, looking at me with twinkling eyes, "Actually, let's ditch the garden.
Noah mentioned showing you around the pack territory if I had the availability, so no better time like the present! "
"What?" Summer leapt from subject to subject so fast that it was hard to keep up. "You don't have to do that."
"Aw, but it will be so much fun! Besides, I'd like to know the person who's living in my Alpha's house, you know?"
I wasn't sure about that, but I wasn't about to say no. Summer was kind, and she had the best interests of her pack at heart. If she was willing to take time out of her day to spend time with me, I wasn't about to pass that up.
"If you're sure, then yes. Please."
She grinned and clapped her hands together. "Let's go."
Despite the fact that I'd explored the town quite a bit, Summer was still a good tour guide. She knew all the secret places, and he humor was the perfect match for mine. I was having fun, which surprised me.
Summer's presence also helped people relax around me. No one could stay annoyed or haughty when Summer was there. Having Summer next to me helped me absorb some of the affection the pack had for her, just like being with Noah made me more respected.
The pack itself had changed, too. When I had left five years ago, Noah was one of the only people to know that I was a witch, but I'd still been around long enough to see how terribly magic users were treated. While that had changed under Noah's rule, old habits still died hard.
Summer pointed out the places that she'd grown up, her favorite store, and where she spent her time when she wasn't working. What I really wanted to know, though, was how she dealt with being asshole Richard's caretaker, but I didn't want to be too forward. So I skirted around the subject, instead.
"How long have you been a nurse?"
"Oh, it's my passion, so it feels like I've always known I'd be a nurse," Summer said, looking happy at the question. "I'm lucky, though, because I work directly for the pack. Richard isn't always an easy patient, but it's not as awful as you might think."
I somehow doubted that, but I didn't push. I also didn't tell her that I would have run screaming if I'd been tasked with caring for the asshole former Alpha, but apparently Summer was stronger in that regard.
She also wasn't a witch, so she likely avoided the worst parts of Richard's hatred.
I began to see why Noah wanted me to spend time with her after a few hours.
Summer would pepper questions about Noah into our conversation, carefully trying to assess how I was feeling about the Alpha and if I'd warmed up to him any.
There was no way I was going to reveal just how close we'd gotten the other night, but she wasn't easily distracted from the subject.
"Have you and Noah talked about anything? Anything important, I mean." I couldn't hide the blush on my face. "What do you mean?"
"About your future. About the fact that you're going to have to have children someday."
I almost choked. "Oh, that's not happening anytime soon. If ever."
"But...he's an Alpha. He needs an heir, preferably a lot of them!" "So what? We can have children later," I said, feeling defensive.
Summer cocked her head to the side, "Do you not want children?"