Driving through the night seemed to have grown to be Amoura's pleasure as she whizzed past the endless trees of woods and she could feel the moon beaming down at her. Although she knew that Max wouldn't be at the pack when she arrived, the mere notion that she was headed home was comforting to her and she admittedly couldn't wait and figured that whatever came as consequence to her presence in the pack would be worth it.
When she rode through the beginning of the rather large town an entire day later, she couldn't help the little feeling of disappointment when she realised that although the place had been her home, it still didn't jog her memory. It didn't help that despite the fact that she had finally arrived back home, the tug remained, and she found it hard to understand why, even if it wasn't as apparent as it had been a few days ago.
It was sunrise as she rode by, and she could see a few people opening up their stores, and just as she was about to ride passed, she saw an open café and figured that she might as well finally get something to eat, considering that her last meal had been two to three days ago. Rolling into a parking lot, the few people that were around gave her curious stares rather than the apprehensive kind she had received in the other town.
With her bag pack over her shoulder, she walked through the front door, half of her expecting a bell to chime as she opened the door, however there was none, and she merely shrugged and walked toward the counter. Despite the fact that the sun was still awakening from its slumber, there were people that had woken up even before it, as a good few sat around the café tables.
"Good morning, and what can I get for you?" the young woman behind the counter greeted with question, her enthusiasm hard to miss and Amoura couldn't help but cringeat her lively tone, she thought it way too early for a person to be so happy, yet as the woman beamed at her from behind the counter, it seemed like that kind of person did actually exist. Chuckling at Amoura's expression, barely offended she questioned
"Too chirpy for such an early morning huh?" to which Amoura nodded
"Yea, uhmm, is there a menu I can look at maybe?' she questioned when she saw no board with a menu hanging anywhere.
"Sure, here" the young woman handed it over, Amoura's eyes landed on her name tag and it read Lucy, and she couldn't help but find it fitting, she seemed sweet and like the happy kind and to her the name sounded like the very epitome of that description.
"Thanks" she said and walked toward an unoccupied tall table with equally tall chairs, and she wondered who needs to sit so high?Her eyes scanned the menu, mentally noting what she'd like, before leaving her bag on the ground and walking toward the counter, seeing that it was early she barely saw any waitresses and waiters and figured that they were yet to arrive.
"I would have come to you you know?' said Lucy at the woman before her, who merely shrugged and said
"Just saving you the trouble. Can I have a medium hot chocolate, three vanilla cupcakes, two glazed doughnuts of your choice, some large fries and the first option of the English breakfast" she concluded, and when Lucy merely gawked at her she added
"Please?" which snapped the young woman out of her slight surprise only to chuckle
"You sure like to eat huh, or do you have company coming?' she questioned. Amoura couldn't help her light laugh and said
"Nope, just me, I'm starved so…" she trailed off.
"Well then, a whole breakfast buffet coming up" Lucy assured with a smile, intrigued by the human before her. Her pack wasn't as afraid of associating with humans as other packs seemed to be, perhaps because their Alpha had taught them to not be as discriminating, or afraid, after all, the law simply existed against the mating of werewolves and humans, not the befriending of one. It also helped that they would be protected by their Alpha, they had that much faith in, not only that but they knew how to protect themselves, taught from a young age, whether male or female trained, and whether you choose to be a warrior or something else didn't matter, you still had the knowledge and capability to look after yourself.
Hence most of the werewolves around barely bat an eye at the human that sat on her own by the table slowly perusing the outside through the window, and some merely looked upon her with interest, she did stick out like a sore thumb after all. Amoura didn't have to wait long at all as she watched customers come and go and employees appear out of nowhere behind the counter, when she saw Lucy walk her way with her breakfast, followed by a young man that held the food Lucy obviously couldn't carry all by herself.
Keith, as his name tag read, merely shot a tight-lipped smile toward Amoura as he placed the food on her table before walking away. Amoura realised she needed to clean her hands before she could eat. Looking around only to decide that none
of the people around would dare approach her things, she walked toward the small hallway she hoped held the bathroom, and was glad when she saw the female sign on the door.She noticed that the bathroom was clean as she squirted some soap on her hands before washing them, and then splashed some on her face to fully wake her up even though she had been riding for the past hours. she returned to find everything as she had left it, and started on the warm enticing beacon and eggs with buttered toast and two sausages, reaching for the extra garlic bread in the basket.
"Okay, so I can't help it any longer, are you here visiting someone or you're just passing through?" Lucy huffed as she sat down through her words, and threw the question Amoura's way, whose cheeks were full of fries as she chewed slowly. She
found that she was a slow eater, she loved taking her time riding through the different flavours food could have. Looking at the girl that looked at her with expectation and an oddly excited smile, she swallowed in one gulp, stretching her hand down to ruffle through her bag, she pulled out a bottle of water she hadn't drunk only to cleanse her mouth before replying
"I'm visiting someone" she said carefully, contemplating on just how much she wanted to share with the bubbly woman that seemed like would be without a problem being talkative
"Oh really? Who, I might know who it is, I practically know everyone here in Mooncrest" said Lucy. Amoura wondered if it would be too weird if she told the young woman that she was here to meet her Alpha, surely such occasions were rare, in which a human claimed they came to visit an Alpha. Clearing her throat, she was about to speak when an authoritative voice saved her
"Lucy, need I remind you that you're here to work and not interrogate our customers?" the man said, and Amoura had almost forgotten about werewolf hearing, when she realised the man had probably heard Lucy question her. She figured he was the manager of the place as he wasn't clad in the black and gold uniform the employees seemed to be wearing. He stood beside her table, sternly looking at Lucy who had a pout on her face and defended
"But we're not even busy Jeremy" her tone almost whiny
"Back to work, now please" Jeremy ordered, obviously not having it. The fact that he wasn't angry told Amoura that they were closer than a mere employer and employee relationship, perhaps they were friends, or perhaps family, she shrugged the thought off and kept on munching on her fries, only to stop mid chew yet again when she realised the young man was still standing near her table. Flitting her eyes up at him, her silver pools clashed with his greenish and blue ones, and she could see a sense of recognition pass through his face.
"Uhm, sorry, I thought I recognised you but I just realised that there is no way you could be, I mean, what are the chances that you happen to have the same hair colour, same eyes, same skin tone as my childhood best friend right? mere coincidence" he
rambled off shrugging and shaking his head, when he realised she had been staring at him expectantly. At his words, Amoura took a full look at him, and when nothing stillcame to mind, she risked out
"Well, since we're calculating the odds here, what are the odds that she was named Amoura?" just as she asked, she heard the mug he had held in his hand collide with the floor and shattered into pieces, and the shocked look on his face said it all for Amoura, apparently she had had a best friend shehappened to have forgotten as well.
"You're Amoura?" he questioned disbelievingly
"Yup, I guess I might as well prepare myself for more reactions like this, right?" she chuckled
"What is going on Jer, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?' Lucy questioned as she made work to clean up the mess her manger had unintentionally caused.
"I'm sorry, I need a minute" he said walking away from the confused Lucy and a clearly awkward Amoura. Lucy rambled on under her breath as she wiped away the spill, about how she didn't know what had gotten into Jeremy to have him acting as he had and something about Amoura that Amoura couldn't catch. "I mean, the only Amoura he has ever known disappeared years ago" as if realising her own words, Lucy herself paused and glanced back at Amoura who busied herself with the fries she was yet to finish. She grumbled at the fact that she hadn't even gotten the chance to eat her sweet delights before she was interrupted and now she felt full from the drama.
"Wait, if you're also named Amoura, does that make you thee Amoura, as in Alpha Max's Amoura, the one he used to call little red just because she had dressed up as little red riding hood and he was apparently the big bad wolf?" it seemed that Amoura would discover a whole lot more that she had forgotten, and as she heard Lucy's question, she couldn't help but wonder who little red riding hood was.
"I wouldn't know, since I lost all my memory of then, before I disappeared that is" Amoura explained.
"Oh my gosh, we have to go, like right now" it was Jeremy that spoke up, dragging Amoura from her chair by her hand. Using her free hand to reach for her back pack, she tried to catch up with Jeremy's hurried steps for the door.
"Look after things for me Lucy!" he let out as they exited,
"I take it that that's yours?' he asked pointing to the parked beast of machinery, appearing more calm that he had been a few minutes ago. Amoura merely nodded with a hum, and he said
"Cool, we'll come back for it" he said as he continued to pull her toward his navy coloured car that Amoura had no idea what it was called, just that it seemed new. Getting into the passenger seat, not at all worried about the young man possibly kidnapping her, because for some reason she felt like she could trust him, she simply rested against the seat and asked
"Uh, where are you taking me?" as Jeremy started the car, he gave her a fleeting glance before looking at his rear-view mirror preparing to pull out of the parking lot.
"It's a surprise now, considering" he said without any further explanation, which prompted Amoura to shoot him a questioning look with her perfectly trimmed eyebrow quirked up.
"Considering?" she dragged the question out her tone one of curiosity
"Well considering that you have lost your memory, I heard when you told Lucy, which makes this impromptu visit a surprise for you"
"It's a pity Alpha Max isn't here, bet he's gonna be bummed that everyone got to see you before him" he said, adding "sucker" as he chuckled.
"Right" Amoura muttered as she looked out the window, her heart gave a little squeeze in disappointment that she would have to wait a while before she could finally meet Maximus.
"Wait, there's one thing I don't understand though, if you have zero memory of us, which I'm totally offended by, by the way, that you forgot your only best friend, anyways, how did you remember that this used to be your home?" through the dramatics displayed by Jeremy, only to land on the damned question, she didn't feel like explaining herself all over again
"I guess minute I got on the road I just automatically knew where to go, it's hard to explain actually" she said, and before he could ask more questions she said "Can we not talk about it right now, it's bad enough that I couldn't finish my breakfast before you dragged me out"
"Yeah, sorry about that, tell you what, you can order anything you want for the whole months without charge, take it as a 'welcome back gift'" he offered with a smile, to which Amoura chuckled and said
"Deal"
"Gosh, I still honestly can't believe you really here, in my car"
"Please don't freak out again, you are driving after all" Amoura cautioned
"Okay, okay, I Am Calm and In Control" she couldn't help but find Jeremy to be quite a character as he took a few breaths in only to loudly let them out. When she looked out the window, she realised they had left the town behind, she wondered if it could even be called a town, perhaps a city would be more fitting, shrugging off the thought, they now drove passed more woods, only to take a turn into a road pathway between the intimidatingly tall and vast woods. they hadn't been driving
for long when Amoura spotted a crème two story bricked mansion. She found it to be enchantingly beautiful as in was cocooned between the trees of the woods.
Beside the now bricked driveway were a line of well-groomed bush trees, as they pulled up in front of the tall lengthy house that had the glass doors in the middle, only to have three windows on either side on both floors, with two more windows above the doors just on the second floor, it had a sense of history and character to it. She didn't get more time to admire the luscious green grass that was largely laid out in front of the structure, nor the two angel statues that flanked the stairs behind what seemed to be a fountain, because the two glass doors opened.
She turned back toward the doors as she stood against Jeremy's car. There stood a middle aged woman with ashy blonde hair and striking sky blue eyes and she couldn't help but wonder just who she was. She looked impeccably well put together with the scotched baby pink two piece that consisted of a pencil skirt that stopped above her knees, and a blazer that was cropped at the sleeves, underneath she had on a white blouse.
"I demand that from today, you love me forever Mama Rivers" Jeremy said as he walked with his arms wide open in grand gesture as he walked around the car to stand next to Amoura.
"And why would you demand such a thing dear Jeremy?" the woman questioned, her tone full of laughter, probably used to Jeremy's antics. Looping his arm with Amoura's and walking up the stairs to the woman who remained by the open doors, he said
"Well, because of who I, me myself and I have brought to your very steps, before anyone else could" he said "See, I've finally found a gem that I'm sure will have you fawning over" he continued.
"Oh quit with the dramatics and get to the point Jeremy, oh, and just who might you be dear?' she questioned, her gaze finally landing on Amoura, who stood stock still near Jeremy as they had stopped before the woman.
"Well then, do allow me to introduce, our long lost queen, the apple of Max's eye, the very jewel that had been stolen from us by bloody scally wags, for she has finally returned, I now pronounce you Mama in law and daughter in law" Jeremy dramaticallyannounced and Amoura couldn't help but wonder if whether he was an actor or perhaps into theatre for he was full of endless theatrics. Mama Rivers only stood more confused than she had been before and looked at Jeremy blankly
"Come on, you can't tell me that you don't recognise the beautifully tanned skin, the startling silver eyes, the bloody silver hair?" he tried to give a hint to the woman, whose gaze fell back on Amoura to fully take her in. the human stood nervously before her, and she thought the look didn't suite her fierce attire, the long black hooded coat, the combat boots, the black skinny jeans and tank top, as her eyes trailed up, she could see a faint scar curling through from behind her neck as it peeked through to the front.
She tried to search through her memory, it was clear Jeremy implied that she had known the human before, the only one she could remember was a little girl that had disappearedwith all their hearts, her hair had been more white than the silvery whitish strands of the human's before her. It seemed her mind refused to believe what her eyes were trying to convey to her, her eyes flitted back to Jeremy, who held a smile and nodded
"Amoura, meet Mama Rivers, Maximus' mother, and Mama Rivers meet Amoura, our lost treasure" the middle aged woman couldn't help but gasp at Jeremy's words, and Amoura couldn't help but think 'here we go again'.
"You mean…you mean my little Amy?" her eyes shone with tears and Amoura couldn't help the sting in her own eyes for the woman seemed to have genuinely cared for her, if
her reaction was anything to go by. Yet she was unprepared for the arms that wrapped around her in a bone crushing hug as the woman let out sobs. Amoura slowly let her hands rest on the woman's back, taking comfort in the sweet rosy scent that surrounded her. She felt warm and although she didn't like people touching her, she found that she didn't mind being in Mama River's motherly embrace.
"I can't believe it, it's actually you" the woman laughed through her tears as shedetached herself from the young woman to get a look at her. The woman sniffed
"Okay, let's get inside and I'll make us some tea, what do you say?' she offered as she wiped at her tears, and motioned for the door.
"Don't mind if I do, I've been dying to get some of those cinnamon ginger cookies of yours, wait till you have them Ams, they're magic" Jeremy said walking through the doors, only to try and inconspicuously wipe a few salty drops that had escaped from his eye. The inside of the house turned out to be just as beautiful as the outside in all its Victorian glory. Amoura found herself seated on the island counter that had grey swirly designs on the marble, and Mama Rivers busied herself with the pot kettle on the stove.
"Arrgh, emotions make me hungry, may I?" Jeremy said his hand outstretched over the cookies he had been raving about.
"Go ahead" Mama Rivers said through a smile. Making to grab china cups from her white cupboard that hung on the grey painted wall fitting well with the white and grey theme of the kitchen. Amoura took a cookie to only to moan after just one bite
"These are really delicious" she complemented as she proceeded to shove the whole cookie into her mouth, officially bloating up her cheeks. The middle aged woman couldn't help but laugh, she felt truly happy that her Amoura had returned, for she had fallen in love with her minute she had seen her snoring away in her adopted son's arms. It had been a pain to find out that she had no ability to bear her own children after her and her mate had tried for years.
Only for the moon goddess to bless them with Maximus, they loved him as their own, for he truly was a gift, only to bring home another gift that was Amoura, their family was then complete and couldn't have been happier, but of course with such a world they lived in, a sense of tragedy had to happen and it had come in the form of taking their Amoura away. It had left more than them, devastated, they had searched high and low without a trace, only to be forced to accept that she was gone forever.
Hence she found it hard to truly grasp the fact that their little Amy was before her, and she had grown beautifully, yet the scar she had seen that was now hidden behind the hood of the coat, spoke of what she must have gone through, and that very thought made her want to bawl out in tears
all over again.
"You can take your time eating dear, they aren't going anywhere" she reassured, and Amoura couldn't help a blush that creeped onto her cheeks when she realised just how unladylike she was behaving. After swallowing she explained,
"Well I'm hungry and you have this meanie to thank for it" she couldn't help her pout, the aura around the woman made Amoura feel so comfortable that she couldn't help but act the way she was
"Okay, what did you do?" the middle aged woman looked sternly at the young man who had a sheepish look on his face as he defended
"I just got too excited okay, so I might have pulled her away from her breakfast, but come on who eats that much so early in the morning anyways" he threw the rhetorical question Amoura's way when he saw the middle aged woman's look of disapproval.
"I hadn't eaten in two days so I was hungry okay, so quit judging" it was Amoura's turnto defend which elicited gasps from both the figures
"Two days!? Now I feel bad" he groaned.
"Well it seems mere cookies won't do them, mhmm?" Mama Rivers said as she made work to grab her apron and Amoura knew that she was about to cook, which she protested against not wanting to trouble her
"It's okay really, I ate a whole English breakfast, and these cookies are enough truly"
"No matter, it's decided, I shall cook all your favourite meals" the woman offered as she took out the shiny pots and disappeared into the pantry.
"I had favourite meals?" she questioned more to herself than anyone and the woman seemed to have heard when she walked out, looking at Amoura questionably she asked
"You don't remember?" to which she shook her head no
"Apparently all memory of us is gone, capuche" Jeremy explained
"Oh my, I guess that explains your lack of recognition then, I mean I've grown old, but not that much to the point I'm unrecognisable" she said, to which Amoura lightly laughed
"You don't look old at all Ma" she blurted out. Mama Rivers could only walk back into the pantry trying to conceal her sniffs, and Amoura wondered if she had said something wrong, I mean, when had complementing a woman become offensive? she mentally questioned.
"Rub that worried face off Ams, she's just being extra emotional because you addressed her the way you used to" Jeremy explained as he rolled his eyes and smiled walking over to the boiling pot kettle. Amoura scrunched her brows in confusion, she hadn't meant to address her as such, the word had simply come naturally to her. That very discovery had hope blooming within her heart that perhaps with time spent in Mooncrest she would come to remember all the memories that had left her mind, she hoped they would miss home and come back for a permanent visit.
She was glad that the day breezed by with her watching Mama Rivers cook, only to help where she could despite her lacking cooking skills, Jeremy regaling her on the gossip she had missed in the past sixteen years insisting he had to catch her up on everything. It was laughter with ginger cookies, delicious smelling aromas and light chatter, she was also glad that they had not inquired once of what had happened to her, for the day was turning out to be the best she had ever had and she didn't want unpleasant past memories to ruin it all. Not yet at least