Luna of Rogues - Chapter 22: Chapter 22

Skye's turning eighteen and finally able to recognise her mate. All of you know who it is by now? Because if you don't you should really be paying more attention. Suggest that you listen to a romantic song while reading this.
I didn't enjoy parties, not when they were full of sweaty strangers. Being crowded into small spaces and getting wasted with random people didn't really appeal to me. But when it involved my family, I was just another party animal.
Three hundred rogues sounded like fun, when I knew all of their names. Last Haven lived together - one huge family. Parties were a blast, especially thanks to our live-and-let-rip attitudes to life in general. No one stood around awkwardly, afraid to go near the food table. No, we all stuffed our faces and went back for seconds.
By sunset everything was ready. Imagine a ruined castle on top of a hill, glowing against the night sky with the light of a hundred lanterns. The courtyard had been lined with tables from the canteen and plastered in dishes of food, both shop-bought and homemade. There were chairs under the eaves so you could sit down between dances. It may look like a refined paradise, but I had no doubts that the night would end with a rave.
In one corner, Kevin had set up a stereo. He was playing DJ for the evening, having taken our promise that he could pick the music one step further. And last but by no means least, all the alcohol was in a commercial-sized cooler by the gates. This wasn't officially a party where everyone would get hammered. There were going to be children present. But once they had gone to bed...
With the preparations complete, I went to my sleeping quarters to get changed. Our alcove was separated from the eaves by a curtain of plastic sheeting, so it was private enough for me. Fion and I took it in turns to stand watch while the other dressed. As none of us had a wide variety of clothes (they were either stolen or bought dirt-cheap) and dresses or suits were rare, nobody was expected to dress up.
Personally, I just threw on a clean pair of jeans and wore one of my smarter shirts under a dark jacket. Fion had managed to find a skirt - something I wouldn't be seen dead in. But, oddly, she discarded it for a less revealing pair of jeggings. When I asked why, she nervously reeled off some story about a rash. I didn't buy it.
As I turned to leave, I saw Rhys's empty bed, covers still crumpled and creased from the last time he slept there, four night ago. Four nights, and as many days. So much had happened, it felt like weeks. Some small, desperate part of me had hoped he would make it back in time for the party, but my common sense knew that New Dawn Pack wouldn't let him slip away so easily. It was still hard not to be disappointed.
I was pulled out of my thoughts by Fion's rueful smile. She had noticed what I was looking at and slipped an arm around my shoulder. "He'll be back. Rhodric, too. They're Llewellyns - I don't why you bother worrying. That family have more lives than cats."
Our family, I felt like saying. But I knew Fion had never considered herself a Llewellyn as much as I had. She had been older when she came here, and she still remembered her birth parents. And maybe, if she liked Rhys the way I suspected, she didn't want to be 'related' to him.
Kevin's music eventually dragged us out. He was playing Fallout Boy, which never failed to bring a smile to my face. Although 'The Kids Aren't Alright' was a little too appropriate for my liking.
I edged out from the shadows of the eaves and filched a bottle of beer from the cooler. The edge of my penknife took the lid off easily enough, but I could see rust gathering on the blade. Enough to dull the blade. It might take me the best part of a morning to clean and sharpen the knife. Dammit.
I resolved to get around to it (eventually) and poured the beer into a cup of apple juice to dilute it. That way, I could drink for longer without consuming too much alcohol. Getting drunk was fun, but I preferred to save those sorts of activities for the cabin.
People were streaming into the courtyard, filling it easily. There was room to move about, just about. At a squeeze, we could fit the entire population of Last Haven in here, but not everyone was attending. After all, someone had to keep watch.
Someone slumped into the seat beside me and I looked up lazily to see Leo, in his usual faded t-shirt and dark jeans. He grinned at me but stayed silent as Fion, Tally, Kyle and even Sophie claimed the chairs around us. I resisted the urge to interrogate him about the town. It was his business, I reminded myself. I just wished he wouldn't be so damn cryptic about it.
Ollie was still working his ass off, until I physically dragged him to our friends and guilt-tripped him into asking Fion to dance. She hunched her shoulders and wordlessly shook her head. I couldn't help wondering if it had something to do with Brandon. She was still skittish around males, but it was getting better all the time.
Once we got to chatting, dancing and eating, the hours flowed like water. With alcohol and good company, time really did fly. It was half-past eleven before I knew I needed some air. The atmosphere had long since calmed, so most people were either slow dancing in the centre of the courtyard or talking in small groups. I wandered up one of the towers to take a breather with a view of the woods.
From the top of the western tower, I could see all the lighting around the fringes of the forest and the floating lanterns on the slow-moving river. A few diligent children had taken it upon themselves to retrieve them by camp and return them upstream. Infinite amusement for them, and a beautiful view for me.
But what I liked most about my high vantage point was the seemingly endless trees, stretching as far as the eye could see, and the ghostly silhouettes of mountains on the horizon. I knew that range well - the Silverstones, we called them. A pale, almost full moon looked down over the world from its seat on a bed of clouds.
I heard footsteps echoing on the stone stairs and tensed, one hand already darting to my pocket knife. However, it was Leo who appeared by the stairwell and I could relax and sit down on a stone ledge which jutted out where part of the parapet had collapsed.
"Alright there, Skye?" he asked, sitting down on the parapet next to me.
"Yeah," I replied automatically.
Leo gave me an unconvinced look. "I'm not sure that in all the time I've known you, you've ever answered that question honestly."
"Of course I have," I scoffed.
"And was that honest?"
"No," I admitted. "But I'm the one that needs to be alright, or how can I help everyone else?"
He leant back in his seat and surveyed me in concern. "By being honest with them."
Oh. Was that what most people did? Mushy-mushy, soul-bearing honesty? I wasn't sure, but it seemed likely, so I decided to give it a try. "You really want to know how I'm feeling, huh?"
"That's all I've ever wanted," Leo replied without missing a beat. "For you to trust me."
"Okay then. I'm angry with myself for making mistakes, some of which got my friends killed. I'm miserable because I'm missing my family. Rhodric hasn't always been here, but Rhys? We haven't spent a day apart since we met." Normally I would have stopped a long time ago. Normally I wouldn't have opened my mouth in the first place. But now I had started speaking, I couldn't stop. Every hurt, every misery of the last few days came pouring out. "I'm worried sick because he's at the mercy of an Alpha. And most of all, I'm confused."
"About Rhodric?" I could have hugged him for that. For just listening, rather than trying to fix all of my problems, as most men tend to do. I didn't need a solution, I just needed a sympathetic ear.
"Partly. But also about you." I jabbed his chest. "What the hell are you hiding?"
Leo grimaced. "I think you know."
"I think I don't." Liar, my wolf said in a smug, sing-song tone. Damned animal. Screw her. Just because she knew didn't mean I did. We shared a brain, not a consciousness.
"Really?" he sounded doubtful. "Well, you'll find out soon enough. In the meantime, I hope you know that I wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Now stop beating yourself up and enjoy the party. You've earnt it."
Something had just occurred to me, though. He was always looking out for me, but I couldn't say I had done the same for him. Maybe he needed someone to talk to as much as I did. I hadn't really seen him with other Last Haven wolves, and certainly not any females.
"Are you okay, Leo?" I asked.
"Yup - fine." I didn't believe it any more than he had.
"I thought we'd just agreed to be honest with each other."
A smile flitted on his lips for a second. "So we did. Alright then. I'm relieved that my mate's safe from Brandon, but worried that she will find another way to get herself killed before she comes of age. She's just reckless like that. I miss my family as well, I suppose. Well, most of them, anyway."
"You never told me about your family," I realised out loud.
"They're far more boring and mainstream than yours, I'm afraid. I've got a bunch of grown-up siblings scattered around. Most of them have mates and families of their own by now. And my parents" -he winced at the thought of them, for some reason- "retired to live a quiet life in a pack."
This whole conversation felt weird because I hadn't even known of their existence before now. He seemed to know everything about me, while I was clueless about him. And that reminded me - time was running out. It was nearly midnight. "Leo ... everything you've told me about your mate, is it all true?"
"Every word," he said with that damned smile.
Now I was curious again, and curiosity never led to good places. "You said that Rhys was looking in the wrong places. What exactly did you mean by that? Is she dead?"
It had been one of my last remaining theories about his odd behaviour, short of, well ... the other one. The unspoken one that I hardly dared think about.
"Nice idea, and I thought so at one point. But no - very much alive and kicking."
Oh well. Easy explanation out of the window. "Okay, so let's try again. How about a direct question? What's her name?"
He looked affronted. "Now, I can't tell you that. You might be some sort of stalker."
I had to stand up to get close enough to punch him. "Jackass. I want a name."
"Lauren."
Urgh. It was unhelpful even if it wasn't made up. I was sure I didn't know any Laurens.
We weren't leaving the tower until I had an answer, I decided. And according to my mental clock, that would only be another minute, whether I got it out of him or not. So I may as well go for broke. "Were you going to help us before we promised to protect her? Or were you actually Team Brandon?"
It was a slightly sly attempt to make him reveal more than he realised. And it made me sound like I was clueless, which seemed to be the only way to lower his guard.
"Of course I would have helped you. Just to escape, not to attack him, though. That would have really endangered you. And her. Both of you." The last few words came out in a tangled mess, and I took careful note of the slip-up. "I guess I hadn't realised that she might want to look out for herself before then. It's basic instinct to protect your mate."
Even if what he said didn't completely confirm my suspicions, I would know soon enough. The seconds were ticking down, but I had never been a very patient person. I didn't want to wait until midnight.
Still on my feet, I turned away from the view to face him completely. I was stood between his legs, my knees touching his. Until Leo rose to join me. We were so close that there was scarcely room to breathe, which was fine, because what I wanted didn't really involve that. Our eyes met -- stormy grey and calm, dark pools. We were just gazing at each other, watching and waiting.
I took his hands, acting on base instinct alone. Without even thinking through what I was about to do, I leant forwards and pressed my lips to his. It didn't even cross my mind that I had never kissed anyone before, or that I might be wrong about his mate. All that mattered was the sensation of my mouth moving against Leo's.
The result? I'm not going to say fireworks or sparks, because anyone who hasn't felt the mate bond won't understand how you can feel fireworks when you kiss someone. It's an analogical sensation anyway.
But for all you poor, mateless humans, the closest you will get to understanding is the taste of your favourite food, the thrill of falling, and the satisfaction of winning the lottery. In short - pure rightness. I was made for him and he was made for me. You don't get much more perfect than that.
Leo was shocked at first - he froze. But after his initial hesitation, he kissed me back softly. It wasn't rough or desperate or hungry, just gentle, somehow conveying all the heartache of the last few days. That was exactly what I needed. There was enough passion and fire and danger in my normal life - I didn't need it in my soulmate too. Quite the opposite, actually.
Everything I could have ever wanted in a mate, I had in Leo, it had just taken me far too long to realise it. When we broke apart, I turned and laid my head on his shoulder and he put his arms around me. I felt safe, warm and like I was finally where I belonged.
So who the hell was this Lauren bitch? She had better be made up, for Leo's sake, or we'd start our relationship with one hell of an argument...
"Why didn't you just tell me?" I spoke so quietly it was almost a whisper. "Why didn't you just tell me when we first met in that cave?"
"I wanted to see if you could like me for who I am, not because the Moon Goddess says you should." Leo smiled again, but it was almost painful.
"I've never believed in the Moon Goddess anyway. I mean, females complain of inequality, but our entire 'religion' is based on female superiority. If our so-called creator really is female, why would she make us weaker than males? I just don't buy it." I realised too late that it was entirely the wrong time to be talking about religious beliefs.
Leo didn't seem to mind, though. He laughed quietly at my rant. "You're one in a million."
"Actually, I'm one in seven billion, but I'm not that fussed on the technicalities," I replied.
A loud bang echoed behind me, and for a split second I thought we were under attack. Then I took in an explosion of colour in the sky and realised it was just the midnight fireworks. One of Fion's better ideas, as it also meant that I'd just turned eighteen.
And if I had any doubts about Leo being my soulmate (which I didn't), they would have vanished completely when I felt the draw of the mate bond for the first time. And I wondered how he had been able to resist it this long: the pull was so strong. I didn't think I would be able to stop touching him if I tried.
There was a tug deep in my gut, nudging me towards him. So no matter how far apart we were, I would be able to find him again. My wolf felt an even deeper connection, direct to his wolf. She was freaking out in my head as she bonded with her mate. It was a little distracting to be honest, but I couldn't help smiling at her happiness.
"I've got a little something for you," Leo said and a present was pressed into my hand. Oh, was I finally going to find out what the fuss at the village had been about?
I didn't know to react to that. We didn't really do birthday presents, at least, we didn't buy anything. But I ripped at the paper to reveal a switchblade with a handle in the shape of a wolf. The blade was a bright, shiny steel, patterned with ornate etchings. The crossguard was carved out of rosewood with chrome decorations. The whole thing was small enough the hide in a pocket but big enough to do serious damage to any enemies.
And I can safely say that the knife saw more than its fair share of use in my lifetime.
"I didn't think you were much of a jewellery girl and you're always using that old rusty knife, so..." Leo was as close to shy as I had ever seen him.
I hugged him (making sure I kept the knife well out of the way). I didn't think I had ever worn jewellery in my life, and I didn't think I ever would. Thank the Goddess he hadn't bought the obvious gift. "Thank you."
We kept birthdays quiet here usually. No one had much money for presents, so they were usually homemade or my particular favourite - stolen. I wasn't sure where Leo had found the money for this, but it was the most practical and beautiful present I had ever been given.
"Happy Birthday, Skye," Leo whispered as I turned to kissed him again, the fireworks behind us utterly forgotten.