Skaydal - Runaway Luna

⁂3

⁂Grayson

“Alpha?” I looked up to see Jack and Irene standing patiently at my office door and I smiled.

“Come on in,” I said as I leaned back in my seat. The paperwork as well as the spreadsheet that was open on my laptop could wait. “Everything alright?” I then asked curiously. Jack and Irene were the owners of Skaydal’s only motel.

“Everything is as it should be,” Irene pointed out as she eyed Jack. I frowned at that. I knew these two rather well and clearly, Irene wanted Jack to inform me of whatever problem there may be.

“Well, last night we had a drop-in,” Jack stated.

“And?” I urged him to continue. It wasn’t unusual for the motel to have drop in’s, Skaydal was one of the smaller towns before you got to the city. Many people stopped by overnight before moving on.

“Well, I don’t think she is going anywhere any time soon,” he added.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“She’s booked in for five days,” Irene said, just as I spotted Samantha standing behind them.

“Welcome Samantha,” I said as I waved them all into my office. “What is going on here?” I then asked.

“The young girl’s name is Janet Roberts,” Samantha informed me, and I nodded. I was still trying to wrap my head around what the possible problem could be. “I offered her a job,” she then said, and I frowned.

“Why?”

“The girl looks like she needs a bit of help,” she said, and I saw Jack nodding in agreement.

“Did she accept the job?” I asked and Samantha nodded as she pulled out a folded piece of paper from her uniform pocket. She handed the paper to me and I saw that it was May’s Diner employment form. I scanned the written information but I didn’t see anything unusual. “I mean she is a bit young, is she on her own?”

“Not quite, she has a pet dog named Zoey,” Jack informed.

“Any idea where she is from or what she is doing here?” I asked curiously.

“Well, Felicia managed to find out that she comes from the north somewhere and that she probably had problems at home,” I nodded at the information Samantha provided.

“She will be staying…at least for a while,” Irene then pointed out.

“How long has she booked the room for?” I asked.

“Five days,” Jack offered, and I nodded.

“And when does she start working?”

“In the morning,”

“Alright,” I said as I stood up. “Keep an eye on her…if she books more days…” my voice trailed off as I saw Samantha shift on her feet. “What is it?”

“Felicia is cleaning up the apartment above the diner,” she said softly, and I rolled my eyes. Those two sisters always liked to meddle. I couldn’t blame them because at the end of the day they were merely trying to be helpful. “She is going to offer the small apartment to her in the morning,”

“Keep me updated, if she accepts the apartment then I will stop by and take a look at Janet myself,” I assured them that they had nothing to worry about and when they all finally left my office, I sat back down and breathed in and out. “Zack!” I then called out for my Beta.

“Yeah?” Zack entered the office and I smiled at my best friend. “What’s up?” he asked as he made himself comfortable in the seat across from my desk.

“Do me a favor would you… a newcomer is staying at the motel…keep an eye on her for me?”

“What newcomer?” he asked curiously.

“I’m not sure, but apparently she’s booked into the motel for a few days but Samantha has offered her a job at the diner and Felicia is going to offer her the apartment upstairs,” Zack frowned as I told him all about the newcomer.

“Why would they offer her a job and the apartment?” he asked.

“Apparently the young girl looked as though she needed a helping hand,” I explained, while Zack rolled his eyes.

“Those two,” he muttered as he stood up. “Any idea what her name is?”

“Janet Roberts,”

“Sounds like an oldie…alright, anything else?” he asked as he ran his fingers through his light brown hair. His light green eyes held a hint of mischief and I chuckled as I shook my head.

“No…go on,” I said. I already knew that he was probably going to hook up with the young cashier that worked at the supermarket.

“Ok,” Zack said before he slipped out of the office. The small town of Skaydal was my responsibility and if the members of this town needed me to check up on the newcomer, then I would do so. In the meantime, I had other more pressing issues to manage. I turned my attention back to my laptop and I quickly lost myself as I went over the expenses. It wasn’t until much later that I realized how late it was already. My stomach rumbled and I shook my head as I switched off the laptop and stood up.

“Grayson?” I looked up to see my father standing in the doorway and I smiled.

“Hey pops,”

“Late night?” he asked as he looked around the office that had once belonged to him.

“Yes…but I’m done for the evening,” I said before I made sure my desk was tidy.

“Good, your mother is insisting you join us for dinner,” I nodded at that and followed him out of the packhouse to their cottage, which was nearby. My father, Gary, had gotten smaller over the past five years. He was no longer as tall as me nor was he as fit as me. His brown hair now had gray streaks and although his skin was still clear of wrinkles, I could see the tiredness in his eyes. We walked along in silence and I breathed in the evening air as I looked around. Although the whole town of Skaydal was considered to be our pack, this part was strictly for the packhouse and my parent's cottage. A few other cottages were scattered around but most of the pack members lived in the town. “Did you hear about the newcomer?” my father then asked and I rolled my eyes.

“Of course, I did,” I said lightly.

“Any idea why she would consider stopping here?” he then asked as he pushed open the door. I followed him inside and the smell that hit me made my mouth water.

“Who knows,” I said distractedly as I made my way into the kitchen. “Hey, mama,”

“Grayson!” she turned around to greet me and I quickly kissed her cheek.

“What are you making?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. My mother, Martha, was slightly younger than my father, although she had always been rather small and dainty. She looked good despite the deep lines in her forehead. She must be worried about something. Or someone.

“Pork roast with potatoes and seasonal veggies,” she said with a smile. Her greying hair had been swept up in a tight bun and her plain blue dress hugged her curvaceous figure.

“Looking good mama,” I said as I sat down at the kitchen table. My father sat down on the other side while my mother finished up with dinner.

“I should hope so,” I heard her mutter, and I glanced over at my father -who seemed to be more interested in the kitchen ceiling.

“Everything alright here?” I asked curiously.

“Of course,” my father hurried to answer, but I didn’t miss the way my mother tensed up.

“Mama?”

“Oh honey, everything is alright,” she said, and I relaxed. My parents had their moments just like any couple but it was a relief to hear that everything was all right. Whatever it was, they would sort it out sooner or later.

“So, Janet Roberts will start working at the diner in the morning and Felicia is going to offer her the apartment upstairs,”

“Who is this girl though?” my father asked and I shrugged.

“I have no idea, pops…all I know is that the sisters want to help her out…Zack is going to keep an eye out for me,” I explained.

“How long do you think she will stay for? Or do you think she may settle down?”

“I don’t know mama, I haven’t met her yet and it is far too soon for me to be questioning the girl,” I pointed out. My mother nodded as she moved around the kitchen getting everything ready before she set the table. She made sure to dish up for all of us before she sat down.

“Dig in,” she urged, and we all fell into a comfortable silence as we ate.

“Delicious as always,” I said, and I saw my mother glance at my father. I nudged his foot with mine under the table and he looked up.

“More than delicious…it is perfect…thank you, Martha,” my father said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. My mother blossomed under his praise and I smiled.

“Anyway, I’ll give it a week or so and see if this girl is going to stay or leave,”

“She may just be passing through,” my father pointed out, and although I nodded, I had a feeling that wasn’t the case. I highly doubted Samantha and Felicia would go through so much trouble for someone who was simply passing through. I helped my mother clean up the kitchen after we had finished eating, while my father got comfortable in his favorite armchair in front of the TV.

“Is everything alright?” I softly questioned my mother while she washed and I dried.

“He takes me for granted,” she pointed out, and I sighed. This was something that they would always fight about. “It doesn’t matter what I do, he always complains about the little things that I don’t do,”

“He is a man, mama,” I said as I packed away the last of the plates. “We men always take things for granted,”

“Hmm, well I was thinking about going to visit my sister for a few days,” I paused at that and faced her. “I mean, it would do your father some good to be alone and…”

“And do those things for himself?”

“Exactly,”

“And somehow that is going to make him appreciate you more?” I asked. This was something my mother did every few years. Granted, it did both of them some good to be apart, but they were getting older now and this kind of thing wasn’t good for either of them.

“Honey…I need a break,” she said as she let the water out of the sink. “We both do,”

“Mama, I know that you two are in each other’s faces every day…all day…but do you think it is such a good idea to travel?” I didn’t want to offend her but she wasn’t as young as she used to be and was suffering from back and hip problems.

“I don’t think so…but what else can I do? We really do need a break,”

“Why don’t you find something to do in town?” I suggested. “I mean, I could certainly rope pops into helping me with something,”

“Maybe…I’ll think about it,” she said as she waved her hand, dismissing further discussion. “I think you should check out this Janet Roberts,” she then added, and I nodded.

“I will make sure she isn’t a threat to Skaydal,” I promised.

“And when are you going to make me a grandmother?” her question was so out of the blue that I gasped in surprise. “What? You are already over thirty,”

“Thirty-two,” I mumbled.

“I’d like to be a grandmother while I can still move around without worrying about my hip or back,” she warned, and I chuckled softly. Trust my mother to make sure I knew that the clock was ticking. “Who knows, maybe you should consider taking Samantha as your mate,” I shuddered at the thought. Not because of Samantha, only because she wasn’t my destined mate and I desperately wanted to be with my destined mate, not just anyone.

“I’ll think about it,” I lied. My mother patted my cheek before she continued cleaning up the kitchen.