Chapter 7

The drive to the Clearwater pack took a couple of hours. During which, I found myself dozing in and out of sleep. It's hard to believe that it's only been a day since I woke up in the hospital. This has to be the longest twenty-four hours of my life. At one point, I'm pretty sure I fell asleep on Luke's shoulder because of the sparks that erupted on my cheek from our touch. It's the crunching of the gravel drive under the car that wakes me up. The beginning rays of sunlight are starting to spill across the yards and gardens. Overall, everything seems peaceful here as Nathan skillfully drives up the drive and parks in front of a white garage, near a flight of small white marble steps that lead to a glass door front door. Luke opens the door and scoots out of the backseat then reaches down to help her out as well.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, I look around and take in my surroundings. The way the cool breeze is tugging at the ends of my hair, the scent of sea salt and seaweed that's carried up from the nearby ocean, the fresh flowers scattered amongst the front gardens. I scan my eyes over this new place, it's really like a modern-day castle, my new home. I silently mentally snap and save this picture-perfect moment in my mind for later.

"Welcome to the Clearwater Packhouse," Luke says as he takes my hand in his and smiles down at me.

"This is the pack house?" I ask incredulously.

"It's magnificent!" Lisa says in awe.

"We made some upgrades the last few years to bring it more into this century as far as style and amenities, but kept the same structure that it was originally built as," Luke says as he shuffles his feet awkwardly.

"I can't wait to see the res,." I tell him with a smile on my face. This seems to relax him a bit because he beams a smile that reaches his eyes.

"Great!" He exclaimed. "Doc, our pack hospital is actually now connected by a glass hallway around the back. So, essentially you get to choose if you'd like to stay here in the pack house, or if you and Lisa would like your own place next to the hospital." He explains to William.

"Alpha Luke, I'm much too old to be building a house," William says as he scratches behind his ear. "Lisa, are you alright staying in the pack house?" He asks his wife.

"Of course!" She claps her hands. "As long as there's enough room for us?" She asks Luke who just chuckles.

"Trust me, there's plenty of room." He gestures for us to follow him up the marble steps and through the glass door.

The front foyer opens up to an oversized living room with multiple sectional sofas in pearly white color and big comfy chairs with neutral tone pillows. A seventy-five-inch flat screen television sits modestly on a stand against the wall facing the couches. The dark hardwood floors give some rich color to the space. I look further around the corner and see the hardwood floors continue to the massive open-concept kitchen and dining room. The dining room table looks like it seats at least twenty individuals comfortably.

"Oh, Luke, it's beautiful in her,." I tell him in part awe and shock.

"My sister, Jessica, did all the designing. She has a pretty good eye for this kind of thing." He says with pride in his voice.

"You have a sister?" I ask him excitedly. I've always wanted a sister.

"Sure do, she's literally dramatically dying to meet you. My mom too." He rolls his eyes, but I catch the humor in his voice.

I can't help but giggle with excitement and nerves at the thought of meeting his mom and sister. William, Lisa, and I continue following Luke throughout the house as he proceeds to give us the grand tour. Lisa is especially excited to see the large marble fireplace on the far side of the dining room under bay view windows that provide a grand view of the forest and ocean in the distance. Off of the dining room is the kitchen which is grand and state of the art. My eyes practically bug out of my face when I see the trio of double ovens and three refrigerators. Luke patiently lets us wander the main floor, exploring and asking questions. I notice to the left of the front door is an oak rail staircase with marble steps that lead up to the floors above.

"What's up that way?" I ask him.

"That's where the living quarters are. Down the stairs is where you'll find an upgraded gym and the indoor all seasons lap pool." He replies with a grin.

"Everyone gets to use those?" William shockingly asks.

"Of course. In this pack, we take care of each other. Everyone here is treated like family until they break a law." He says simply with another shrug.

"I'm impressed," William says.

Luke gestures once more for us to follow him, this time up the staircase. I try to remember all of it, what's on what floor, and which ways are what. To anyone who hasn't lived here all of their lives, it can be easy to get lost. I listen to Luke explain how each door off the main hallways is like the front doors to miniature apartment-style housing for each member that lives in the pack house. Each area has a minimum of two to three bedrooms and one to two full-size bathrooms. Every closet is walk-in, upon his sister's request of course. Every occupant has the freedom to paint and decorate as they please as long as they keep the main footprint of the structure. At the end of the third hallway, Luke gestures to a solid white oak door that doesn't have any sign of occupancy.

"This door leads to your quarters." He says to Lisa and William.

"I don't know how to thank you Alpha." Lisa wipes a few tears away.

"It's really not a problem." Luke scratches the back of his head a little awkwardly.

"I think it's best if I get her inside to lie down for a bit," William tells us. Luke hands him a key that he uses to unlock the door. I watch as William guides Lisa inside and gently closes the door behind them.

I let Luke lead me up a fourth staircase. I look around and see that there's only one door on this floor and that it's a solid white oak door with intricate designs and a chrome knob with a single key lock. It feels like a dream as I watch him unlock the door and hold it open for me. I feel like I'm floating on air as I walk past him inside the room. Luke flicks a light switch and the sight before it causes me to catch my breath. The hardwood floors in this area are of grayish color instead of the dark rich color of the rest of the house. I let my eyes wander over to the giant king-size bed against the wall. The headboard is as grand as the bed itself with the earth tones running through fabric-covered wood. There's a pile of plump cream-colored pillows to accent the white and silver duvet.

Against the far wall is almost entirely one-way glass with floor-to-ceiling elegant blackout curtains. Overall, the room décor was spars and simplistic with only a single abstract painting of gold, blue, silver, and white colors slashed across a canvas in a dramatic fashion. An overly large flat-screen television hangs mounted on the wall across from the bed. Typical of a single guy. It takes me a minute to wander further into the room and explore the walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom. I feel an array of excitement shiver up my spine as I marvel at the glass shower and marble claw foot tub.

"Do you like it?" Luke asks from behind me. Honestly, I've briefly forgotten about him.

"Luke, this room is exquisite. I've never stayed anywhere or lived like this before this." I tell him with wide eyes. He lets out a breath it seems he's been holding.

"That's good because this is our room." He grins wide. "It's the Alpha and Luna quarters." He explains with his arms out wide, gesturing to the room in its entirety.

"Oh my," Is all I can say as I let it sink in. My mouth ultimately twitches into a smile when I realize that this entire castle was our home. A home where Luke and I can raise a family. I mentally kick myself for getting ahead of myself. We just met and I'm already thinking of a future. I suppose that's the mate bond. I muse to myself.

"I wonder if you'd like to get a bite to eat?" Luke clears his throat and asks me.

"Like go out to eat?" I turn and ask him with enthusiasm.

"Yes, out, maybe like a date?" He asks a little awkwardly and shuffles his feet.

"I'd love that," I tell him.

I cautiously walk over to him and wrap my arms around him for a hug. It's only a split second before he catches up and wraps his arms around me. We stand like that for a few moments, both of us taking a moment to calm down. Luke clears his throat.

"Would you like to unpack first?" He asks me.

"I don't really have much to unpack," I mumble into his chest. "We can go get food now." I look up at him and tell him.

I let him lead me back down the flights of stairs towards the front door. He opens the door and motions for me to go ahead of him. I can sense Shanna practically swooning in the back of my mind. Luke pulls out a set of keys and unlocks a sporty-looking car on the far side of the drive. I raise my eyebrows at him and he gives me a devilish boyish grin back. He opens the car door for me as well and helps me climb in before closing the door softly. The car has a fresh leather scent to it and is so clean there's not even a speck of dirt on the floor. Luke gets in and turns the car over before backing out of the driveway to head down the highway.

The sight of the scenery unfolding in front of me does nothing short but mesmerize me. I know what the ocean is supposed to look like based on pictures and books I've read, but seeing the ocean up close like this was nothing like I could have ever imagined. The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks can be heard through the open windows. Now that the morning is upon us, the smells of different cafes and sounds of human activity start to overwhelm me a bit. Luke seems to notice this because he reaches over and holds my hand tight, the sparks immediately acting as a balm to soothe my anxiety.

"Lizzie, is there anything specific you want to eat?" He asks me.

"Um, I don't really know what there is to eat other than the meals I cooked at the Packhouse," I tell him, my embarrassment clearly showing in my words.

"What's your favorite kind of food?" He asks as he rubs circles on the inside of my wrist, again soothing my nerves.

"I don't know, honestly, I've never eaten much, to begin with," I explain.

"Didn't the pack house ever order out?" He asks. I shrug my shoulder.

"There were nights where I didn't need to cook, but those were nights I was confined to my room and not allowed to eat," I tell him honestly. Thankfully it's just him and I for this conversation.

"Alright, let's go for something simple for now." He says. I can tell he's trying to keep his voice light, but I don't miss how his eyes turn black and his knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. I gulp down my anxiety.

"Do you know what French toast is?" He asks in a lighter tone.

"Yes, that I know." I smile at him.

"Great. I know a place." He says with a tight smile.

I just smile and give him a nod. I'm really up for trying anything as long as he's by my side. After a few moments of driving in silence, he pulls up to this small reddish brown colored building that has a large lit-up sign with the words 24 Hour Dinner spelled out. Luke parks and quickly shuffles around the car to open the door for me. I climb out and feel my mouth start watering at the mixture of breakfast food scents. Together, we make our way inside and get seated at a booth by a glass window facing the highway. A pudgy-looking woman comes over to us wearing a white apron and a friendly smile.

"Well good morning Luke, what can I get the pair of you?" She asks cheerily with her pencil and notepad at the ready. I immediately start to panic and look at Luke. He doesn't miss a beat though.

"Hi, Ms. Mary. Can we get a double order of your famous French toast and a couple of orders of bacon and scrambled eggs?" He asks her with a pearly white smile.

"Of course my dear boy." She scribbles on her notepad. "Anything to drink my dear?" She asks me with a kind smile.

"Um.." I rack my brain for an answer. "Do you have orange juice?" I ask her hesitantly. Luke gives me an encouraging grin.

"Sure do. I'll bring you out a glass with Luke's coffee." She says as she scribbles it down and leaves us.

"She knows how you like your coffee?" I ask curiously with a small hint of jealousy in my voice.

"Love, I've been coming here for years. It's not uncommon for a waitress to remember a coffee order when it's the same every single time." He explains with a shrug. "There's no need to be jealous." He reaches across the table to hold my hand.

"Oh, alright." That is all I manage to get out as I get lost in his eyes. I don't realize he's asking me questions until he breaks our eye contact.

"Sorry, what?" I ask with embarrassment.

"I was asking you about some of your favorite things like color, movies, music." He says with a slightly cocky grin. He knows exactly why I got distracted just then.

"Well, my favorite color is teal and I suppose I don't really have any favorite movies or music. I haven't been allowed those since I was brought to the Blood River Pack." I mumble the last part. I watch as he closes his eyes and takes a few calming breaths. He opens his eyes and I can see they are back to being a cold black color, but he keeps his voice light.

"I guess that just means we have plenty of date nights ahead of us." He says with a little bit of forced humor. I'm not sure what he means by a "date night", but I don't want to upset him by asking for clarification.

It's only been about a couple of minutes before Ms. Mary brings us our drinks and our food a few minutes after that. My first taste of orange juice in over ten years explodes in my taste buds. It's exactly as I remember it from my childhood. Ms. Mary sets down her tray that's holding multiple plates of food and starts placing the filled plates between Luke and I. My eyes almost jump out of my head as I take in the large amounts.

"Luke, this is a lot of food!" I tell him.

"It's really great food though." He says as he hands me a fork. "Here, try this." He says as he stabs at a piece of French toast and places it on the plate in front of me. I cut a small piece off and plop it in my mouth. It's the best delicious blend of sugar and cinnamon and the batter-dipped bread is perfectly sautéed brown.

"You like?" He asks. I nod enthusiastically.

We both dig our way through the pile of French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon. I don't even notice that Ms. Mary refills my orange juice a few times without me having to ask. After we emptied the plates of food, I feel like my stomach is about to burst. I've never eaten so much in one sitting before. I probably ate more in this one meal than I had the last few months combined. My stomach is actually starting to hurt a little. Once Luke pays for our meal we decide to head back to the pack. Luke plays some music on low and I contentedly lean my head against the back of the seat and watch the trees and glimpses of ocean fly past us as we head back to our home.

"We have a home now," I tell Shanna.

"We have so much more now." She tells me as she settles down just as contentedly as I am.

For the first time in years, the concept of a home doesn't feel so daunting or scary. In fact, it actually brings me a bit of true happiness. Something I haven't felt in such a long time.