Page 6 of His Sunshine Baby (The Silver City #2)

I stay there a long time, thinking about it. I don’t know why I’m getting my hopes up all of a sudden, but I just can’t. I have enough trouble in my life as it is.

My eyes linger on the horizon, looking for answers. Where did I come from? I was about three years old when Reagan brought me before Clark Hamilton, the new Alpha of the White Moon. He saw me, a strange child who turned out to be an obvious alpha she-wolf, with amber eyes and cream fur. I learned later that it was an unusual combination, something that reminded others of the royal families of the past. The ones no one had seen in a very, very long time. But my fur wasn’t completely white like the legends, and I didn’t have blue eyes. Mine were amber. Yet, my strange appearance and alpha disposition raised suspicions. I couldn’t be raised among normal wolves. So, Clark found a young alpha couple to raise me. My adoptive father, Samuel Whitewood, was the younger brother of Xavier Whitewood, the leader of the Opal Moon, a branch of the White Moon that had just been created. My mother, Ivy Whitewood, was young and pretty but had not been able to conceive children. She was the one who approached Clark, asking the Alpha to let her take me in. He agreed, and the whole pack accepted me as their child.

However, no matter how well the pack treated me, I always felt I was different from my peers.

I was stronger than the kids my age. I was faster. I shape-shifted for the first time when I was five. No one had ever seen shape-shifting at such a young age. I was the best hunter, the best fighter among all the pups of the pack. With my alpha blood and Reagan training me, there was no way anyone else could keep up. Sadly, that also meant I was naturally ostracized by the other pups.

I didn’t really mind, though. The others couldn’t pick on me, as I was strong and an alpha’s daughter. I had Daniel too, the only other kid that didn’t blend in.

“ Hey, look who’s here. ”

I turn around, surprised to see another wolf here. The dark gray male joins me, playfully pushing my side with his nose.

“ Hi, Levi. ”

“ Long time no see, beautiful. What are you doing here? ”

“ I needed some fresh air. What about you? ”

“ Patrol duty. Where’s my little brother? ”

“ He’s at home. ”

“ Did he tell you? Our mom wants to see you at brunch. ”

“ Oh right. Yeah, sure, I’ll come. I miss her cooking. ”

“ You’d better! ”

We chit-chat for a few minutes. Levi is the oldest of Daniel’s siblings, and I consider him my brother too. He’s a few years older than me, and one of the only people in the pack strong enough for me to really train with.

“ Levi? ”

“ Hm? ”

“ Have you heard about the Blood Moon coming for a visit? ”

Among the Lewis children, Levi was the only one born with a Beta Aura, which is unusual for a pup born of two regular werewolves. It suits his big brother attitude and personality though. Hence, he became a close aide to the White Moon Beta and might even be a candidate to take over her position someday.

He agitates his ears, looking for something unusual far away. I already know it’s not a threat but a couple of deer. After a few seconds, he growls.

“ Yeah. A big guy came yesterday to talk to Clark. They say they just want to visit. Sounds fishy, but our Alpha probably won’t refuse. We can’t anger them. ”

“ I heard they are looking for someone. ”

He turns to me, surprised.

“ Huh? How do you know that? ”

“ I met the guy last night, at Pepe’s. He said the King is looking for someone. I don’t think they mean trouble. ”

“ Interesting. ”

“ What did Clark say? ”

Levi shakes his head.

“ You know him. He said he’ll think about it. He never makes rash decisions, but Xavier is pushing him to accept. ”

No surprise there. For some reason, my uncle is always willing to find new allies for our clan, though I doubt that’s what the Blood Moon is really after.

“ I heard you met with Old Reagan. ”

“ How do you know? ”

“ She made a fuss with Xavier last night. About your dad. That granny is scary when she’s mad. Xavier couldn’t even talk back to her. I don’t see him getting reprimanded like that often. It was funny. ”

“ Well, she’s a stray, so she doesn’t really care about the Alpha hierarchy I guess. ”

I never thought my uncle Xavier was very imposing to begin with. I can barely feel his Alpha Aura. Compared to a regular alpha like my dad, he is weaker. The only reason Clark chose him to be the Alpha of the Opal Moon instead of my father was that he is the oldest brother. No wonder he always had an inferiority complex.

“ Levi, how far north have you gone? ”

Flustered by my question, he gazes in that direction, sighing.

“ About twenty miles, I’d say. We never crossed the river, even when hunting. Clark won’t allow it, and it’s too far from our territory. Besides, it’s only snow most of the time, nothing much to hunt. ”

I just nod. His answer is as I expected. I’ve never been past the river, either. In winter, the snow progresses past it and the cold freezes the river enough for someone to cross it, but as Levi said, there probably isn’t much life past that border.

“ Still thinking about it, huh? ”

As always, Levi knows what I’m thinking about. He gives me a gentle push with his head against my shoulder.

“ Don’t worry, beautiful. One day you’ll find your answers. Reagan is just one stubborn old lady. Want to come with me? We could run to the river, see if, well, we find anything. ”

“ Thanks, Levi, but we already did that about ten times, and never found anything. I don’t think it’s worth the trouble. I just… Reagan is the only one who knows what I should look for. As long as she isn’t willing to talk, I have no answers. ”

I sigh, a bit depressed by that thought, but it’s the truth. No matter how many times Daniel, his siblings, and I ran through that forest, we never found a single clue about my past. We didn’t have any, to begin with. The only thing we ever learned from Reagan was that I came from the North and that was it.

Levi sighs too, next to me.

“ I’m sure she’s got her reasons, Elena. Reagan is a smart kickass oldie. She’ll tell you when the time is right. And anyway, you’ve got us, okay? ”

I nod. I’m so grateful to Daniel’s family. Ever since I was young, they treated me like family, all his siblings, and his parents. After my parent’s accident, they supported me all the way, even if I was an emotional mess.

Levi pushes me playfully, and I growl back, playing along. We play fight for a few minutes, then we both start running and chasing each other. Our race takes us to another group of patrollers from our pack, and I end up spending the rest of my morning with them, catching up with those I haven’t seen in a while, playing tag, or patrolling with them.

When we get back to the White Moon territory, I follow Levi to the main house. It’s an old building, sitting on a high hill in the Hispanic neighborhood. The colors on the building have faded away, leaving a reddish clay appearance, though one of the regular punishments for the young ones is to paint the shutters, leaving them always perfectly white. It’s a nice contrast and makes the house really visible from anywhere around. When Levi and I step in, back to our human appearances after we fetched our clothes, a teenager is busy painting them again with a grumpy face.

We walk in casually and get a warm welcome from everyone in the room.

“Elena , mi amor, it’s been a while! You’re so pretty, mi carina !”

“Look at her! Que hermosa eres! Come here, say hi to this old uncle!”

I hug and say hi to everyone there, mostly adults who saw me grow up, friends or family to the Alpha. I feel a bit guilty for not coming more often, but this warm atmosphere reminds me a lot of my parents, and I feel a bit uncomfortable with it. Thankfully, Levi never leaves my side, even putting an arm casually around my shoulders to take me to the kitchen. There, we come across Ben, another one of the Lewis siblings.

“Hey, Levi, how was patrol? Anything new? Hi, Elena! You coming for brunch?”

“Hi, Ben. Yes, I am! Where is your other half?”

He smiles at me.

“Bonnie’s helping mom cook. They are both super excited since Rachel’s back. What about Danny?”

“He will probably join us there…”

I hope he does. It would be super awkward to have to explain to his mom and all five of his siblings he’s missing their traditional family brunch because of his love interest! But Benjamin doesn’t notice my hesitation and starts talking to his brother about his patrol. Meanwhile, I decide to mind-link Daniel, since it’s almost noon now.

“ Danny? What about the brunch? ”

“ I’m coming, babe. ”

“ Are you okay? ”

His inner voice seems a bit weaker than usual. Like he’s sad or something. But he brushes my question away.

“ I’m fine. See you there. ”

He doesn’t sound fine; I know my Danny. Did something happen with Bobo? Everything seemed alright when I left this morning.

“Elena?”

Ben and Levi noticed my expression, and the two redheads are staring at me with worried faces. I try not to give too much away and smile.

“Daniel said he’s on his way.”

“Oh, yeah! The whole fam in the house!” says Ben, overexcited.

He runs past us to leave the Alpha’s house, headed for their home. He shape-shifts as he exits the house, ruining his clothes in the process. Levi growls after the red wolf.

“Seriously, Ben? Mom’s going to be mad!”

But his younger brother is already gone. I help him gather the scraps of clothes. Out of the four Lewis boys, Ben is the mischievous one. While Bonnie, his twin sister, is shy and quiet, he’s the exact opposite, a real tornado. Levi is grumbling about his brother’s carelessness when I suddenly hear someone calling me.

“Look who’s here!”

I turn around. Clark! The Alpha himself, smiling at me with his arms wide open. I can’t resist and run to him, giving him a big hug. I haven’t seen him in days! He laughs and hugs me back, with his arms almost crushing me until he lets go to look at me.

“There she is! How come you never stop by to see your godfather, huh?”

“Sorry.”

Here’s another reason why Xavier doesn’t like me: I’m one of the Alpha’s three godchildren, and in our world, that also means I’m a potential successor to be the White Moon clan’s leader. Clark’s wife died before she could give him any children, and hence, no one can predict who will succeed him.

“Elena, I need you here next Friday.”

“Next Friday?”

What is this? Clark never asks me to attend the meetings, I usually just come when I want to or not. I realize one second too late what this is about.

“You may have heard; The Blood Moon’s Black brothers will be coming. I want you to be there.”

Oh, crap.

“Is there a problem?”

Clark is frowning because of my shocked expression. He can ask me anything but that! Being in the same room as Nate again, I have no idea how I would handle that. But I can’t tell him the reason!

“Elena?”

“Sorry, it’s… I mean, why do you want me there?”

“Come on, I always take you to important events for the pack, and meeting the Blood Moon, the King’s brothers, is one of them. I want them to know the faces of my potential successors.”

Moon Goddess, if Clark knew I had sex with one of the King’s brothers, I don’t know if he would kill me or Nate first! I try to think for a second, but really, I can’t tell him any valid reason for me to not be there! I find myself nodding to him.

“Alright, Clark, I’ll be there.”

“Good!”

And with that, he plants a quick kiss on my forehead and walks away. Gosh, what did I just agree to? I must be going crazy!

“Elena, let’s go.”

Levi joins me, and I nod before following him out. He puts an arm around my shoulders and starts talking to me, but my mind is elsewhere. I can’t believe this. I just freaking agreed to be in the same room as Nathaniel. Again. Next week. Damn it.

This is ridiculous. I should be very composed about this; it’s just a meeting and nothing will happen because this is what we agreed on. Right? You’re an adult, Elena, you can stay in the same room as him and be chill about it! And it will be with lots of people, absolutely nothing will happen. Nathaniel and his brother will discuss their business with Clark, I’ll probably be around somewhere, and that should be it. Let’s not dwell on any other thoughts until then.

To try and change the pace, I discuss with Levi all the way to his parents’ house. I basically grew up with the Lewis siblings, with their mom inviting me to brunch almost every Sunday. When we arrive, I can already smell apple pie.

“Mom, I brought Elena.”

“Oh, welcome, honey! How are you?”

Abigail Lewis hugs me warmly, despite being a head shorter than me. She’s a petite, plump, and bright woman. The twins take after her, with their straight ginger hair and freckles, while Danny has her blue eyes. Wearing her usual blue apron, she takes me by the hand and guides me to the salon.

“We’ve missed you, honey, you should come by more often! You and Danny both! Darling, look who is here!”

When I walk into the main room, four pairs of the same green eyes turn to me: Rachel, Bonnie, and Micah, the rest of Daniel’s siblings. Of course, Joseph Lewis, their father, is there too, and the first one to smile at me.

“Elena!”

I feel a big wave of warmth welcoming me. Ahead of his children, Joseph walks up to me, putting his big hands on my shoulders, and giving me a kiss on my forehead.

“Glad to see you, Elena. Abbie is right, you should come over more often, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, Joe.”

He gives me a warm smile in return. Joseph was the one who helped me after my parents’ accident. He filled out all the paperwork, waited hours with me at the hospital, and made sure I was never alone. He even helped me pay some of the medical bills and insisted on having me stay at their house for a few days, which turned into weeks, so I wouldn’t be alone.

He’s my father’s best friend and is always there when I really need him. I love the entire Lewis family, but Joseph’s endless support is something I’ll never forget. No doubt Daniel takes after him a lot.

He steps aside to let his children welcome me, but winks at me before heading to the kitchen. The first one is Rachel, the energetic eldest sister, then the quiet Bonnie, Ben’s twin, and finally Micah, the youngest of the six siblings.

As usual, Micah caresses my face with his fingers instead of hugging me. I guide him to my cheeks, smiling so he can feel it.

“Hi, Elena. You seem happy,” he says.

“I am. How are you, Micah?”

“Happy that all of the family is here. And I missed your voice, you know.”

Micah lost almost all of his sight to a genetic disease when he was only six. He is seventeen now and got used to it. He has a strange, surprising personality, but not in a bad way. He just acts much more mature than his age at times.

“Is something bothering you?” he suddenly asks.

“Nothing important, Micah.”

Sometimes I wish he wasn’t so good at reading emotions! I gently grab his fingers to hold his hand instead, and Bonnie takes the other one.

“Is that so? Well, mom’s cooking will probably make you feel better.”

“Elena! Tell me what you thought of the dress!” suddenly asks Rachel.

Damn, I forgot about that dress and Rachel’s enthusiasm. I answer her endless questions while Levi starts talking with his dad, Micah, and the twins while helping their mom in the kitchen. Catching up with Rachel is nice, but she’s such a chatterbox! Within half an hour, I already know all her new friends’ names, everything she did last week, her entire plan for next year’s collection, the latest gossip in the pack, and even her idea for her third store event! At some point, I just let her talk and look across the room to watch Joseph and Levi chatting.

Those two really look alike, well, Levi took almost everything after his dad. They are both a bit darker-skinned than the rest of the family, and very tall with broad shoulders and lean muscles. But Levi, like Danny, has his mother’s blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, making a beautiful contrast.

“ Don’t tell me you still have a crush on my brother? ”

“Danny!”

My best friend just walked in, wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of jeans, his hair messy as usual. At least, he shaved before coming. I take this opportunity to escape Rachel’s babbling and walk to him. I only meant to welcome him, but he suddenly hugs me like he needed it. I pat his back as I feel his face hidden in my shoulder.

“ Talk later? ”

“ Yes. Please. ”

“ Okay. ”

I know my Danny. If he’s like this, he won’t want questions in front of his family. Indeed, he lets me go like nothing happened and shows his usual smile to his dad and siblings.

“There he is! Son, you should come more often!”

“Danny, you’re late, we’re starving! And mom made mashed potatoes!” Ben says.

“Benjamin, stop complaining and go wash your hands! Bonnie, Micah, you too!”

Abigail sends her three youngest away and comes to hug Danny. She pinches his cheek without warning, and Levi and I have to repress a laugh watching his helpless grimace.

“What’s this? Daniel Lewis, how come you are so thin? You bookworm, do you even eat at all? Thank Moon Goddess Elena is living with you, or I would come every day to feed you myself, I swear!”

“Mom, that hurts! And yes, I eat! Lots! Ask Elena!”

But she just sighs. Abigail is the typical wolf mom that always finds her children too thin no matter what. Hence, she keeps complaining about Daniel’s lifestyle until we are seated all together for brunch.

As per usual, the table is full of homemade dishes Abigail and Bonnie made. I really missed their cooking. Most of it is meat, as one would expect from a werewolf family, but the Lewis mother also made every one of her children’s favorite dishes, even my cinnamon rolls. I grab one as everyone starts eating loudly. As usual, Rachel and Ben are leading most of the conversation, but I notice that, next to me, Daniel is unusually quiet. I give him a gentle push with my elbow, but he ignores me and just takes more coffee. He is barely eating, too! I wish we could talk already.

“Dad, did you hear about the Blood Moon brothers coming?” Levi asks suddenly.

Everyone stops talking to look at Joseph, except for Daniel, who turns to me, suspicious.

“ You knew? ”

“ I just learned about it! ”

“Yes, Xavier is quite ecstatic about it.”

“Why?” Ben asks. “It’s not like it will be any better for him.”

“I think he wants to try and introduce Iris to one of them,” sighs his mother. “Poor girl. She’s so nice but her dad is a bit...”

“Oh please, Mom, this is the twenty-first century,” says Rachel, rolling her eyes. “She can meet and date whoever the hell she wants. She’s twenty already, and smarter than that!”

Next to Rachel, Bonnie nods, looking very serious.

“Please, not the feminist speech now.”Ben mumbles.

“What? Do you think women–” Rachel starts, but her father interrupts her.

“Not now, honey, we get it. And I think your mother’s right, Xavier hopes we can form some sort of alliance with the Black brothers.”

While they keep talking, I can feel Daniel’s eyes piercing me.

“ Tell me you’re not going. Tell me you’re not even thinking about it, Elena. ”

“ Danny, I already agreed to it. ”

“Are you kidding me?!”

Everyone jumps at Daniel’s sudden yelling. That idiot, can’t he control his mind-link and actual tongue! The whole family is staring at us now! I grab his arm, trying to get him to sit down again, but instead, he grabs my hand and turns to his parents.

“Sorry, Elena and I need a minute to talk in private.”

“Alright, honey.”

And with that, Daniel pulls me all the way to his father’s study upstairs. How can he make us leave the table like that? And without a proper reason too! Moreover, why is he so angry?

He closes the door behind him, and turns around, glaring like a mom about to scold her pup.

“Are you fucking kidding me, Elena?”

“Don’t growl at me, I didn’t have a choice! Clark asked, you know I can’t refuse him! How would I have explained it?”

“Yeah, I guess he wouldn’t like you bedding one of them!”

I roll my eyes. Why are we even having this argument?

“Danny, I get it, it’s bad, okay? I did it once, and I’m not going to do it again! I can’t say 'no' to the Alpha, but I can just be there and do nothing!”

“Girl, you better not do anything and be as cold as ice to him! I know this kind of guy, Elena, he’ll just use you and throw you out the window when he’s bored. You don’t need that kind of shit!”

“For the last time, Danny, I get it! Okay?”

He’s still glaring at me, and I get why he’s so anxious and annoyed about all this, but still! I put a hand on my waist, trying to change subjects instead.

“Where is Bobo?”

His face suddenly shifts from anger to surprise. This time, he crosses his arms and avoids my eyes, looking a bit unsure.

“He went back.”

“But you’ll see him again, won’t you?”

“No.”

What? Is he kidding me?

“Danny!”

“He belongs to the Blood Moon, Elena! And he’s a beta, too! And guess what? He’s not even gay to begin with!”

“Wait… What?”

Well, that’s new. I stare at Daniel, waiting for more. But my best friend is obviously very uncomfortable with the subject, looking everywhere but my direction. This time I’m the one doing the questioning, for a change.

“Danny, what do you mean?”

“He told me this morning. He had never been with a man before. He only dated girls. You know how those kinds of things end, Elena.”

“He is bisexual, so what? This won’t necessarily end like you think, Danny. Bobo looked like he was very into you. I don’t think this was just a test, or that he’ll change his mind like that.”

“It’s not even a question of sexuality, Elena! This kind of guy ends up with a girl, two or three kids, and a pretty house with a white fence!”

What the heck with the white fence? He’s being stupidly stubborn right now! Bobo looked like the perfect gentleman, and super in love with him too!

“Stop being such a chicken, Danny! I know you’ve had your bad experiences, okay? But this is no reason to give up on a guy like Bobo!”

“Elena, he’s not even in the right pack, to begin with! It’s the freakin’ Blood Moon we’re talking about! And he’s a beta, too! It’s not like he can drop everything to come and cuddle with a nobody from the Opal Moon like me!”

“You know what, I’m done with your excuses! He is the cutest, nicest guy you’ve met so far. You are just finding excuses not to try it out with him! You don’t want me with Black because the guy is not serious. I’ve got my emotional baggage and all, I get that! But you are a moron for not giving Boyan a chance, I tell you!”

“Stop dreaming, Elena! This is the Blood Moon we’re talking about, what more do you need to know? The King’s closest people!”

But before he can finish his sentence, Levi suddenly opens the door. Oh, crap, did he hear us? Daniel’s older brother looks at both of us with an angry face.

“If you don’t want Mom to hear about your passionate sex lives, I would strongly suggest you tone it down. Then you can explain to me what the hell is wrong with you two!”