Filed To Story: In the Shadow of the Past Luna (Lily & James)
I think at this point, it is important that I stand on my own two feet for a while. I need to take some time to sort through my feelings and to discover who I am, what I love, and what makes me “me.”
Please do not worry about me. I do not know what the dangers are exactly, but I know how to be cautious. And I have Rose with me.
I am sure our paths will cross again soon, and I will look forward to it. In the meantime, please tell everyone how grateful I am, and how much I already miss them.
With love,
(Sheila POV) I am so angry that I could scream. First, James abandons me in Hawaii with Aiden and Joey. Then, when I come back to the pack, I find out that he has not come home yet. Where the hell is he? Now, I am stuck in my bedroom waiting for stu pid test results. URRRRRRRRGGHH. James had better not be out looking for that little b&tch Lily. She is a worthless piece of cr ap. The only thing she was ever good at was stress relief and laying in a d&mn box. I smile at the memory. Whatever. It is not like she is going to want to come back here anyway. I made sure of that. Still. Where the f&&k is James? I am running out of time. I need him to make me his Luna as soon as possible. I have worked far too hard and for way too long to let that dream go. I throw myself on my bed in frustration. Just then, my phone goes off. At first, I think it is the timer, but it turns out to be a text message. Great. Just what I need to deal with right now. As though today could not get any worse. Bubbles: “Hey, Girl.”
Me: “Hey.”
Bubbles: “How is James doing?”
Me: Hot as ever.”
Bubbles: “Has he been made Alpha yet?”
Me: “No, his dad wants him to find a luna first.”
Bubbles: “Oh. It has been a long time. I better make it back your way soon.”
Oh, no you don’t. Not yet. Me: [rolling eyes emoji] “How is Jackson?”
Bubbles: “Growing like a weed. Driving me crazy most of the time.”
Me: “Kids do th “Kids do that. Still can’t believe you have one.”
Bubbles: “Me either. Thank Goddess that Antonio does most of the parenting. I do not have patience for that kid most of the time.”
Me: “You are still with Antonio? I thought you would have gotten bored of him by now. You were or only supposed to be gone for a couple of years.”
? Bubbles: “Sex is too good. Every time I say it is the last time, he does something to up the ante. Last night he invited a male friend of his to join us. Oh, my Goddess that was fun.”
Me: [rolling eyes emoji] I bet James is better. Bubbles: [angry emoiji] “Girl, you know you cannot talk that way.”
Me: “Sure I can. You aren’t here. Besides, you have your s**y Spainard Antonio.”
Bubbles: “Do not get too comfortable. I will come back soon.”
Me: “You have been saying that for a long time. It never happens.”
Please do not come back. Please do not come back. Please do not come back. Bubbles: “This time, I mean it. I want to see everything up close and personal anyway. Me: “Will you bring Antonio and Jackson with you?”
Bubbles. “Girl, you know that would only cause problems.”
Yes, I know. That is why I want you to bring them. Me: “Have more faith than that. James is a forgiving guy. Plus, you know your parents will want to meet Jackson.”
Bubbles: “Girl, you are nothing but problems.”
Yes, that is my goal. Me: “Whatever. You will want to wait for James to get back anyway.”
Bubbles: “? Where is he?”
Me: “Some alpha training out of state. He probably will not be back for another six months or so.”
Please believe me. Please. I need more time. Bubbles: “Six months? Why so long? That’s crazy.”
Me: “You know how depressed he has been. He needed to get away.”
Bubbles: “But what if he meets someone else while he is gone?”
Me: “Relax, Girlie. Not going to happen.”
Bubbles: “How can you be sure?”
Think, Sheila. Think. Me: “Because it is an all-male conference. Alpha heirs only. They wanted to keep females away so there are no distractions. Bubbles: “Oh. Well, that makes sense.”
Me: “Don’t worry. I am your only competition for his heart now.”
Bubbles: “That sh&t isn’t funny, Sheila.”
Me: [rolling eyes emoji] Bubbles: “I am serious, Sheila. Hands off.”
Me: “Whatever. If you are serious about coming back, what about doing it as a surprise? Maybe we can plan a party around it?”
Bubbles: “Oooooh! I love parties! That is a great idea.”
Oh, thank Goddess that worked. I need to keep her occupied while I work things out here. Me: “Okay, when should we plan it?”
Bubbles. “Definitely after James gets back. Let me think about dates and I will get back to you.”
Me: “Sounds good, Girlie. Love you.”
Bubbles: “Love you, too. Byeeeeeeeeee.”
I throw my phone to the ground. That conversation was a waste of my time. At least I probably bought. myself a little space. And I can check the test results now; my timer went off in the middle of our texting. I get up and go to the bathroom./I pick up the first test, and sure enough, there are two pink lines. I pick up the second test; same thing., F&&k. Sh&t. F&&k. What am I going to do? How did I let this happen? Think, Sheila. Think. There has to be a way around this. I pace around my room for twenty minutes. Finally, an idea comes to me and I smile. If my plan works, it It is time to talk to Margie.
(Sheila POV) I put the two pregnancy tests in my purse and headed over to the packhouse. I knew that I probably only had one chance to make my plan work, and that plan centered on Margie being fully on board. No one said anything to me as I made my way to the beta suite. I was a regular there, and that came with its benefits. Margie greeted me happily at the door before I even knocked. “Well, hello, dear. I did not know that you were coming by today.”
“Good morning, Margie. I am so sorry to bother you, but I was thinking about Stephanie and feeling down. I thought it might make me feel better to come and talk to you about her. You know her birthday is coming up.”
Margie frowned. “Yes, I have been thinking about her birthday as well. Why don’t you come in and we can talk about her for a while. I will make you some tea.”
I smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Margie. I was hoping that you would say that.”
I walked with Margie into her kitchen and sat down on one of the bar stools. Margie fiddled around in her cabinets for a few minutes, brewed some hot water, and then handed me a cup. She then sat down on a stool next to me. I smelled the cup of tea. “Peppermint tea. Stephanie’s favorite.”
Margie smiled. “Yes. I used to hate peppermint, but Stephanie loved peppermint so much that I have. been trying to incorporate it into my diet more and more since she died. Six years later, and I am still struggling with it, but I can at least enjoy it in the tea.”
I gave Margie a sad smile. “Stephanie did not care what the peppermint was in. Peppermint candy. peppermint cookies, peppermint tea, peppermint ice cream. She loved it all.”
Margie reached over and gently grabbed my hand. “Stephanie was so lucky to have a friend like you. So many people in this pack have wanted to move on and forget her, but you never have. You have always done what you can to keep her memory alive.”
“Of course. How could I not? She was my best friend. She was like a sister to me.”
“And you were like a sister to her, too, Sheila. In fact, you were more like a sister to her than her own flesh and blood.”
I nodded. We chatted for a while longer, talking about various things that Stephanie used to like and do. Finally, I decided I needed to make my move. I looked down at my hands. “Margie, I hate to bring this up, but…”
“What is wrong dear?”
“Oh, Margie. Nevermind. I do not want to trouble you with it.”
“Sheila, you could never trouble me with anything. As long as you always make sure to honor Stephanie and her memory, you will always have a special place in my heart.”
“I know, but…. It has to do with James.”
“Oh, I understand now. Jane told me that he abandoned you in Hawaii. I was so upset with Jane about him doing that to you. You showed me the text messages that Stephanie sent you before she died; she wanted you to be with James if she could not be. And James clearly likes you; I do not know why he is being so stubborn.”
I pretended to hold back tears. “Well, it is not entirely his fault. Something happened in Hawaii.”
Margie wrinkled her eye-brows. “Sheila, what happened? Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
“Are you sure? It is sort-of embarrassing, but I really do not have anyone else to talk to now that Stephanie is gone.”
“Oh, honey, of course. You can tell me anything. And I will help you however I can.”
I took a deep breath and pretended to compose myself. I pulled the pregnancy tests out of my purse and showed them to Margie. “I found out that I was pregnant just before we left for Hawaii.”
Margie’s eyes got bigger. “What?”
I nodded and forced myself to cry a little bit. “I wanted to tell James while we were in Hawaii. I thought that he would be happy and want to celebrate. But he reacted really badly. He told me that he did not want to have a pup with anyone other than Stephanie.”
I paused to sniffle a few times, and I thought of every sad thing I could until tears started to fall. “And… and Margie… he even accused me of getting pregnant with som
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?