Page 5 of His White Moonlight
Which was why I wanted to leave for college…a school they hadn’t agreed to.
I didn’t belong in Alpine Run.They knew it as much as I did.I wasn’t one of them.I was normal.Human.And I never forgot that, no matter how much they treated me like a pampered pack princess.
The private boarding school that had been my home for the past four years had almost killed me.Like here, I hadn’t belonged.I didn’t care about nine-thousand-dollar purses or gem-encrusted heels.No, not true.I did care about heels, but in a loathing, “they could burn in hell” kind of way.
I didn’t want to be dressed up like a pretty girl, only valued for how she looked or what she wore.I wanted to be a wickedly smart woman who didn’t take crap from anyone.The boarding school had helped with the “take no crap” part.A lot.The wickedly smart part, too, honestly.I’d already completed an array of college-level classes because of that school.
For my next life phase, though, I just wanted a regular education.Normal friends.Normal interactions.
My phone buzzed.
Mom: I’m so happy you’re home and can’t wait to see you!And what do you mean you won’t be there long?We already have a job lined up for you.No refusing until you give it a try.
With a groan, I flopped onto my back again.
Mom was a master life manager.As the pack Luna, she needed to be.But after a lifetime of her gentle handling, I knew her tricks.First, she’d pull me into a pack-arranged job with pay too good to turn down.Then, she’d talk me into enrolling in one of the private colleges in the city so I could be close to home.Once I graduated, she’d probably start arranging dates that wouldn’t be called dates, but probably meetings or even family dinners, where some guy would “happen to pass by.”
Her tricks to pull me into the life she had planned for me wouldn’t work this time, though.After seven years of obediently doing as I was told, I had developed my own life management plan.
I popped up from my bed and looked around the room for my laptop, which had been among the things I’d shipped ahead.It was sitting on one of the bookshelves.I grabbed it, closed my door, and returned to the bed to log into my University account for a state school five hours away from home—close enough to drive to but far enough away to avoid daily family visits.
Thanks to my excellent grades, I’d been accepted without a problem, and thanks to the bags and shoes I’d managed to sell in the last four months at disappointingly low prices, I had enough money in my secret account to cover tuition for the first year and a half.
Was I nervous about having a roommate after seven years of having a private room?Yes, but probably not for the reason most people would be.I’d already had plenty of mean-girl experiences and desperately wanted a friendly one for a change.
Sophia and I had been chatting on and off for weeks, and she seemed genuinely nice.And normal.I wanted normal so badly.
After checking my school email, I logged out and sent Sophia a message that I was finally home and could meet up with her in person before move-in day.We’d both discovered we lived in different suburbs surrounding Motan.Thankfully, she’d never heard of Alpine Run.
I put my laptop away and considered my options.Wait at home like I was expected to, which would set a precedent I didn’t want, or go out?
The answer was easy.
I left my bedroom and jogged down the stairs.Everything was quiet as I hurried through the kitchen and out to the garage.The keys to the cars were kept in the same lockbox as before.Grinning, I entered the code I remembered and almost squealed when it still worked.
Randomly grabbing a set of keys, I hit the unlock button and watched the lights on a Lexus flash.I ran for it and quickly got in.
Would I get into trouble for taking a car without permission?Not really.I’d get a lecture about safety and talking to them before making plans, but nothing more serious than that.But if I were caught before I left, they’d find a million reasons I shouldn’t go.
The garage door rose with a touch of a button as the engine purred to life.I pulled out of the garage and down the long, winding driveway.
My phone rang before I reached the road, but I didn’t stop to answer it.Everyone in the family got an alert whenever their tracking app detected I was moving locations.After all these years, I had grown so accustomed to it that it no longer bothered me.It was fun, actually.Like playing “Guess what Wrenly is up to now.”They had no idea how many times I’d left my phone behind to do things I didn’t want them to know about.
As I rounded the last bend in the road leading out of Alpine Run, I saw the closed gate and guard waiting outside the guardhouse.Slowing to a stop, I rolled down my window since I didn’t have super hearing like he probably did.
“Just heading out for the afternoon,” I said with a friendly smile.
“I’m afraid not.Mr.Wulf called ahead and said you’re not permitted to leave.You’ll need to turn around, Miss Belak.”
“That’s odd.”I glanced at my phone and wallet.“I didn’t forget anything, did I?”
“He didn’t say.”
“All right.I’ll go back and find out.”
I smiled, waved as I rolled up the window, then executed a fairly crappy Y-turn because no one ever let me practice.
A minor setback, I told myself.Nothing you can't overcome.
