While Luna was stretching her legs, Darcy checked her phone.

The trio group chat was filled with concerned messages from Melody and Reece. Reece was threatening to call Darcy’s mother if she didn’t reply in the next fifteen minutes and let them know she was safe.

Darcy: You guys are so dramatic

Melody: You could be dead in a ditch for all we know!!! >:|

Darcy: That’s right, I’m texting you from beyond the grave

Darcy: Boo.

Reece: We didn’t see you walk to the pack buses and you didn’t answer our messages about meeting up tonight for a movie.

Melody: We thought you’d been kidnapped!!!

Reece: Are you at home?

Darcy: No, I’m just out. Not sure what time I’ll be back, but we can hang out tomorrow.

Melody: With who???

Darcy: How is that your business lol

Reece: Her mate, then…

Darcy’s fingers froze. She hadn’t said a word to them about Luna being her mate. Darcy intended to take that knowledge with her to the grave.

Darcy: What are you talking about?

Melody: I can’t believe you didn’t tell us, Darce. Not cool.

Darcy: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Reece: Luna told us.

Darcy: Luna is only 17

Melody: But MYSTIKA told her early

Darcy: MYSTIKA is a crazy old bat covered in sequins, you can’t trust a word she says

Reece: You already turned 18, Darcy. And Luna thinks your 18^th birthday is in August. Why lie to her?

Darcy: To get her off my back because it’s not true. When I tried telling her that she wouldn’t believe me. After her birthday she will realise.

Melody: Wow. Of all the people to lie to.

Darcy: I’m not lying to my soul-mate.

Reece: She meant us, Darcy.

Before Darcy could come up with anything decent to write back, a great ball of fur bounded back through the trees. Darcy forced her friends from her mind. That dumpster fire could be dealt with later.

Luna skidded to a halt in front of her and bounced on her paws, almost stomping on her legs. Darcy’s body stiffened up like doll with rusty joints. She had never had natural instincts for wolf behaviour.  The wolf was watching her. Whatever she wanted to tell her, she wasn’t getting it. Darcy watched her back nervously.

Luna tilted her head in a harsh jerk that flopped her ears to the side cutely. Darcy shrugged back. She crept forward a little more and tilted her head to the other side.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I don’t understand.”

She stepped over her lap, front legs over one side and back legs over the other. Darcy scooted back, clearing the space she was trying to take. Luna followed her with deliberate side-steps.

“Where do you want me to go?” Darcy asked exasperatedly. She could just nod with her nose if she wanted her to move. She made a huffing sound and Darcy made one back. Babies learnt their behaviour through mimicry, maybe she could do the same.

She pressed in close again and flopped onto Darcy’s legs before she could shuffle her butt back again. She was heavy, but had made sure to land her limbs either side of her.

“Oh,” she whispered.

A low grumbling sound came from the wolf, as though she were saying ‘finally!’. She dropped her head onto the blanket beneath them.

It took at least a full minute before Darcy could move. Not because of the weight, but out of fear of a wrong action. Darcy had never interacted with another wolf in this way. And yet, her mate seemed more than at home. Luna lounged in her lap as though she belonged there.

Darcy peeled her hands from either side of her hips and hesitantly laid them over Luna’s side. The golden fur was soft and ever so slightly wavy, A woven blanket of ochre. The blanket huffed and Darcy snatched her hands back. Luna glanced over her shoulder at her and wiggled her head a little. Darcy couldn’t tell if she was encouraging her or warning her she was about to get bit.

“Are you going to bite me?” she asked quietly.

Luna shook her head with the limited space she had pressed into the ground. Darcy could only assume that head shake directions were the same in human and wolf code. That meant no, she wouldn’t eat any of her fingers. Unless she was lying.

This time Darcy slid her fingers through the fur of her neck. She held unnaturally still and Darcy felt as though she were winding up a jack-in-the-box. She was waiting for her moment to spring and scare her for a prank. Darcy stroked at the golden fluff, anticipating a jump scare at any moment. Luna’s breaths deepened.

Darcy allowed the tips of her fingers to skim up to the base of her skull and watched her eyes flutter shut. A soft groan rumbled over her legs.

When Darcy allowed her own breaths to slow and lengthen, she was overwhelmed with how intense her mate’s scent had become. It had infected near enough every inch of her own skin, but having Luna laid across her lap in wolf form was engulfing her in it. Straight from the source, the distinct smell wafted from her with her body heat. Claiming everything it pressed in on. Darcy being the main target.

Darcy continued to stroke at her, alternating between her palms and her fingertips. Tracing shapes onto her as she relaxed, under the sun and over her mate. Eventually, Darcy was able to relax, too.

They received a message to Darcy’s phone from the reserve that their time-slot was almost up; it was time to head back. Luna grumbled as she pulled herself up. Darcy silently agreed with the sentiment, she wished the day could last forever. Darcy missed the weight of her already. Although her scent would stick to her omega skin for a good while yet. It gave her at least a minor comfort.

She trotted away, shaking her fur and nabbing her clothes from the ground with her mouth. Once she had dressed (of course, Darcy made sure to only accidentally peek one time while she packed up the picnic remains) they dawdled back to the entrance.

When Luna dropped her off outside her pack grounds, she grazed a kiss across her forehead as she stepped out of the car.

Darcy walked the mile-long driveway into her pack’s land in a trance-like state. The scent of her mate lingered with her every step of the way.