The Summer Moon
Chapter 42 -

Malia

The next couple of days were quiet. I continued to go out around town and work at the bakery but Ty seemed to be listening and keeping his distance. I'm not sure what time he left my door that night, but when I had woken up for a moment at near 4am his shadow was still sitting outside the door. I felt guilty for ignoring him, but I was afraid to talk to him after that night. He was so angry with me. I'd never been that afraid before. Only, I wasn't sure if I was afraid of him, of what had happened, or maybe what really terrified me, was the idea that he might hate me for being stupid enough to put myself in danger.

Thankfully, there hadn't been anymore wolves howling at night, or at least not that I'd heard. Emily had called to check on me after the last attack, probably because Ty had asked her to, but I didn't mind. I was grateful to have someone to talk

to.

I hadn't seen Ty around town at all, which was really surprising to me. He'd also only called me once, which I had been in the shower during, so I hadn't answered. And he texted me twice, just asking me to call him and apologizing again. I would call him eventually, but not until I was ready, not until I actually knew what to say to him.

My dad continued to try and make small talk with me at family dinners every day, but I kept my answers short. I was still angry at him for lying to me for so long, and I wasn't ready to talk to him yet either. He just let me be annoyed and keep to myself, I think he was afraid that if he tried to talk to me about it, it would only make things worse.

This morning, my dad left for the airport. He said he was travelling for business. Which now, thanks to Ty, I know that he actually means he has werewolf duties. While I'm not sure why that requires flying, I was grateful to have some more space to myself. I just wanted to go back to the normal summer I wanted to have here.

Savanah and the kids were also going away for the week, visiting her parents out of town. She invited me to come with them but I was way too anxious about everything else going on to meet even more werewolves this week. So instead, I'd have the house to myself, and I'd already made plans to FaceTime Alana and catch up tonight. It felt like it had been forever since we last caught up.

"Oh girl, after only 2 days of dating, that's awful! Be grateful you found out he's an ass now though, before you were really attached," Alana reacted to me telling her all about Ty. Of course, I didn't tell her that he was a werewolf, but I told her he kept a secret from me and that really hurt me. I sighed, I already was really attached to Ty though. I didn't understand how this could hurt any worse.

"I hate that you're hurting like this over him! Maybe you should just come home? I'm sure your dad would buy you a ticket at the airport and then you can spend the rest of summer with me," Alana immediately got excited at the thought and I smiled back at her. I missed her a ton and I couldn't wait to see her again.

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about just going home, but it felt wrong to just leave without closure. Although I had to make a decision soon, was this a life I could live in?

All of a sudden, there was a loud crash outside and I felt the ground shake a little beneath me. "What was that?" Alana shouted, obviously having heard it too. My mind was only focused on one thing though; the wolves.

"Alana, I have to go," I quickly muttered, then closed my computer screen. I slowly walked over to the door and peered through the curtain, only to see it raining hard outside and a large tree had fallen into our yard. A chill ran through me as I noticed the clouds coming in from the west, a nasty storm was surely coming.

As the sky got darker I began to panic, realizing I had no one around if something went wrong. I quickly pulled my phone out of my pocket, scrolling through my contacts, wondering who I could call. My eyes stopped over Ty's name, and I found myself arguing in my own head about whether or not I could call him. On one hand, he had asked me to call him when I was ready. On the other hand, I'm not sure I am ready to talk. However, I was ready to get the hell out of this house before a tree crushed it.

I quickly dialled the number without thinking anymore and was disappointed when it immediately went to voicemail. I groaned and paced around my room, hoping he would call back. 5 minutes passed. 10 minutes passed. 15, and still nothing. I couldn't hold myself back any longer as I found my feet running towards Ty's house. I was terrified of being alone, and while part of me was scared of him, part of me also knew that it was only in his arms that I would feel safe again. The sun was setting behind me, darkness washing over the sky and my heart began to beat faster. There's no howling, there are no wolves. I repeated over and over again to myself, but in the back of my mind the final word lingered. Yet.

I found myself standing at the metal gates at the front of the house, pacing back and forth in the driveway debating whether or not to ring the bell. Would Ty even want to see me? I hadn't seen him since he stopped that attack. Maybe he was moving on, maybe this was all over. But why would he have called me yesterday? I groaned, once again regretting missing that call.

With a deep breath and another loud crack of lightning in the sky, I finally worked up the confidence and pushed the ring button, then wrapped my arms tightly around myself. It's going to be okay. Ty would want me to come here. I squeezed my eyes shut as the rain poured down, replaceing myself begging for him to be home.

Suddenly, the beep sounded, the gates opened, and I ran down the driveway. When I reached the front door, it flew open and an older woman with curly brown hair and hazel eyes opened the door. I instantly recognized her from the last time I was here. "Malia honey!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around me. I froze, my arms glued to my sides. How did she know my name?

The woman pulled back and held my shoulders, looking me over. "Come inside, hurry. You're soaked," I blushed, running my fingers through my wet hair that was now matted to my face. I followed the woman into the house, leading me to sit on a large sofa in the living room.

"Oh sorry honey, I should introduce myself. It just already feels like you're part of the family. You can call me Diana, I'm Ty's mother," the woman grinned at me and my eyes went wide. How much had Ty told her about me?

"Is everything alright? You seem a little tense, and what are you doing out in this weather? I'm sure Ty would've come to pick you up. You know I've done my best to teach him good manners, but sometimes these boys, I swear" she rolled her eyes and I couldn't help but giggle a little bit. I folded my arms over my chest, feeling a little nervous.

"Um actually Diana, I was just wondering if Ty is home? I couldn't reach him," I asked, and she turned to give me a strange look.

"Well," she started slowly, "he's not home right now, but you're more than welcome to stay and wait. His flight landed a little while ago, I'm sure he will be home soon," Diana explained. Flight? Where had Ty gone? Suddenly I felt guilty for the impatience I had been feeling. Maybe he actually was really busy. Maybe I shouldn't have come here. Although I had assumed he would have told me if he were going away anywhere, and by the look on Diana's face I bet she also thought it was strange that I didn't know. I began to wonder if she knew what happened between Ty and I.

"Would you like some tea or something?" Diana asked, leading me into a large kitchen next with white cupboards and a gorgeous marble countertop. I nodded my head, tea sounded great. Even just having someone else around, I was starting to feel a little calmer.

Diana handed me a cup of tea and I smiled gratefully. "You look tired, why don't you go lay down in Ty's room. He'll be home shortly, you try and get some rest," she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and squeezed gently as she led me to the stairs.

I went up to Ty's room alone, grateful that I didn't have to have any further awkward conversations with his mother. Especially since I'm sure I looked like a total disaster after running in the rain. As I walked into the room, his scent hit me instantly and I breathed it in, realizing how much I missed him. I walked over to his unmade bed and immediately picked up the duvet and wrapped it around me, feeling instantly calmer.

I wandered around Ty's room, noticing how messy it was. He must've been in a hurry when he left, his room was so clean last time I was here. His desk was covered in papers, most of which looked like legal documents that I couldn't understand. He had books sprawled out across his nightstands, and a sweater and t-shirt on the floor beside his bed. I walked over to his nightstand, noticing a familiar photo in a glass picture frame. The photo Ty and I had taken on our first date.

I felt my heart melt as I stared at the photo. We looked so happy here, Ty looked so happy, smiling that gorgeous winning smile, and the way I had just fit into his chest so well. I sighed and set the photo back down, suddenly craving Ty's touch again. I couldn't wait for him to get home. I sat on the sofa and turned on a movie, trying to distract myself. My heart beat faster, nervously awaiting Ty's arrival and anxious to know where he'd been.