" James. Is something bothering you?"

   We had both finished eating breakfast, and I was currently washing our dishes while James sat at the kitchen island going through emails on his phone. It was nice to have breakfast with James, but the whole time we ate he seemed distracted, and it was obvious by the crinkle between his eyebrows that something was troubling him.

   James looked up from his phone, putting a smile on for me," What do you mean, love?" He asks sweetly.

   " You seem distracted...I was just wondering if you had something on your mind," I reply, drying my hands off on a towel before turning towards James with a worried gaze.

   " I'm fine Noah. Don't worry." He says as he walks over to me, planting a kiss on my cheek," Shall we going now?"

   I let the topic slide for now and happily nod my head, grabbing a hold of my mate's hand as he leads me out of the pack house. The sun's light greets me once we are outside, momentarily blinding me. Once my eyes adjusted to my new surroundings, a smile crawls onto my face when I see pack members going about their daily lives: children running around playing in both human and wolf form, mothers either watching over their kids or chatting with other parents, men play wrestling with each other or simply talking to one another.

   James chuckles at my awe-struck expression and leads me through the pack grounds. Fellow pack members smile and greet us as we walk, which I return happily; is this what being in a pack really like? The Waking Moon was a very...traditional pack. They followed many of the old traditions of our ancestors, such as how the pack ran. The pack women were never allowed to leave their houses since they were 'little house-wives' to their mates. The men either trained or drank till they were unable to stand. Young girls learned how to cook and clean while boys learned how to fight. But if you were like me, an omega, you were treated as a slave. Since my parents were head warriors, they were able to protect me from my alpha's cruel rules, until they died that is. After my alpha treated as the slave I was supposed to be.   

   " You alright love?" James suddenly asks, bringing me out of my depressing thoughts.

   " Huh? I-I'm fine. Just spaced off, that's all..." I reply, a light blush covering my face.

   James smiled, lifting my hand -that was currently intertwined with his- to his lips and placing a kiss on my knuckles. I felt my blush burn brighter," Well I wanted to tell you that we're here."

   I finally take notice of the building in front of me; it was a small, rectangular shaped building with a colorful sign that said 'Daycare' in the front. On the side of the building there was a cute little playground with swings and a jungle gym, you know, all that stuff.

   I feel excitement build up within me as I tugged on James' hand," Come on James! Let's go inside!" I exclaim, causing James to chuckle as I pulled him into the daycare center.

   Immiedetly I am greeted by the sound of laughter, shouts, and screams. The smile on my face grows wider as I see all the pups running around the room, some playing with toys while others chased each other," Alpha James! Good to see you." A feminine voice greets as an older brunette she-wolf comes walking over to us," What brings you by?"

   " I wanted to drop my mate off here for a bit while I work; I had heard that the pups are very fond of Noah," James replies, smiling proudly at me.

   " Oh my! Luna Noah!" The she-wolf exclaimed, catching the attention of a few other wolves who worked at the daycare as she grabbed ahold of my free hand," It's an honor to meet you!"

   I felt my cheeks burn bright red," N-Nice to meet you too..." 

   " My name is Skyler by the way," Skyler says, giving me a friendly smile as she shook my hand," but you can call me Sky. That's what my friends call me."

   I return her smile," I'm Noah, b-but you can call me whatever you like I guess..." I reply, blushing ever-so-slightly.

   Sky squealed loudly," Goddess you are so cute!!!" She exclaimed, squishing my cheeks together," So innocent and pure!"

   " Hey hey! Hands of my mate Sky." James scolded, prying Skyler's hand from my face.

   " Whaaat? His face is made to be squished!" Skyler protest, reaching over to pinch my cheek, but her hand was slapped away by James," Fine! Fine...I'll keep my hands off."

   I giggled; She reminded me of Roxy with her hyper personality, just older," So it's fine if Noah stays for a while and helps with the kids?"

   " Of course! The pups will be thrilled to have Noah here." Skyler replies, smiling happily at the two of us," Some of these kids won't stop talking about their future Luna."

   I feel my smile grow wider on my face," Well I believe you are in good hands. I'll be heading off now Noah," James leans down, stealing a kiss from me before turning his back to me," I'll pick you up later love."

   " Bye James!"

   " Don't worry! Your mate is in good hands!"

   James chuckles, looking over his shoulder at me with a smile before exiting the daycare," Now that your overprotective mate is gone," I laugh when Skyler calls James 'overprotective'," Let's go introduce you to the pups! They are going to die when they see you!"

   Skyler drags me by my arm towards a classroom-like area; there was a whiteboard on the wall with tons and tons of colorful magnets on it, and a bright foam matt on the floor. There were little bookshelves and a cubby area for the children to put their stuff as well and tiny tables with papers and crayons on it," Hey! Gather all the kids here. I want to introduce them to someone." Skyler stated to one of her co-workers, who complied to her demand. I nervously rubbed my hands together as I waited for all the pups to arrive," Now don't be nervous Sweetpea; the pups will be a bit of a hand full, but I know, for a FACT, that they will love you."

   " W-What? Who said I was nervous?" I say, receiving a 'really?' look from Skyler," Alright! I was...thanks."

   She places her hand gently on my shoulder, smiling encouragingly at me as everyone -pups and caretakers- fills the room. The children sit on the foam matt, exchanging whispers to one another as the daycare workers stand around the group looking at me with curious eyes.

   " Alright!" Skyler claps her hands excitedly," Everyone, I would like to introduce you to someone very special...your future Luna, Noah! He'll be helping out her today."

   About half of the kids bolt up from their seats to greet me, while the other half stays on the floor with a curious expression on their little faces.

   " Luna!!!" The pups that surrounded me cheered, hugging my legs.

   " We missed you Luna Noah!~"

   " We tried visiting you."

   " But Alpha James wouldn't let us see you..!"

   " He's a meanie!"

   A laugh escapes me as I stare down at the children huddled around my legs," Missed you guys too." I say, patting the pups on her head. I turn my gaze towards the other half of kids and smile kindly at them," Hey there, I'm Noah."

   Most of the kids wave towards me with a huge smile in response. But from the corner of my eye, I spotted a child off in the distance all by himself. His blonde hair fell in front of his face as he played around with an old-looking rabbit plushie. He looked lonely...

   I had wanted to go and introduce myself to him, but the children quickly dragged me in the opposite direction before I even got a chance to.

-----

   " I think you did well for your first day Sweetpea," Skyler states, sitting down beside me at the small kids' table. She pats me on my back gently as I continued to stare out at all of the sleeping children on the floor; after hours of playing with the pups, nap time finally came. The once energetic puppies were all now sleeping on the floor, fast asleep.

   " Thanks; they really are a handful," I reply, chuckling to myself," How can you do this every day without blowing a fuse?"

   Skyler laughs at my question," Truthfully, I don't know. But these kids are my life, and I couldn't live without them." she answers honestly, making me smile," So Sweetpea, tell me about yourself?"

   " U-Umm...what would you like to know?"

   We spend the next ten to fifteen minutes talking about ourselves; from what I've observed, Skyler is a motherly figure with a hyper personality, similar to those cliche crazy moms you find in Wattpad stories. But she's so kind to me, and it makes me feel at home.

   Just then, a single scream breaks through the silence of the daycare, followed loud sobs. I jump up and immediately race towards where the noise came from. Upon arrival, I find the blonde child from earlier, tears caressing his little cheeks as he hugs his stuffed rabbit close to his chest.

   My heart clenched painfully tight in my chest as I slowly kneeled down in front of the crying child. I make a cooing sound in the back of my throat, a motherly sound to hopefully calm the crying pup. 

   The child's head snaps up at the noise I make, and sniffling before crawling his way towards me. I pulled the blonde pup onto my lap, his head buried into my chest as I rocked us back and forth, rubbing the child's back to help soothe him.

   Skyler comes running up to us from behind, opening her mouth to say something till she noticed the child crying in my arms," Do you think you can handle this..?" Skyler asked through our mind link, shock clearly written all over her face.

   I nod my head, keeping my attention on the pup in my arms. Skyler nods and decides to give us some privacy and leaves.

   The poor pup's sobs are now merely whimpers as he clings to me, his rabbit plushie squashed between us," Now now," I cooe, running my hand through his soft blonde hair," What's got you so worked up?"

   The child raised his head, staring up at me with watery eyes," N-Nightmare..." he sniffled, stray tears caressing his cheeks. 

   I give the pup a comforting smile before laying my head on top of his," It's alright now, you're fine." I state, rocking our bodies back and forth. The pup shakes his head, but remains cuddled against my chest. 

   After a minute or two, I adjust my position to where the blonde boy is straddling my hips," What's your name?" I ask in a hushed voice, staring into the pup's warm brown eyes.

   Wiping away the snot from his nose with his shirt, the boy hugs his toy close to him before answering," F-Finn." He answers, a spark of curiosity flickering in his eyes," Y-You're the new Luna, right?"

   A small giggle escapes me at how cute the pup is," Soon-to-be Luna." I answer, smiling down at Finn," But you can call me Noah."

   His cheeks turn pink suddenly as he turns away from my gaze, holding his rabbit close to his face," M-Mr. Bun Bun thinks you have pretty eyes." He states shyly.

   A wide smile crawls onto my lips as I tilt my head a bit," Who's Mr. Bun Bun?" 

   Finn gestures to his rabbit toy, shyly looking back at me," H-He likes you."

   I gently grab one of Mr. Bun Bun's front paws and shake it," Why thank you, Mr. Bun Bun. I think you look rather dashing yourself." I reply in a fancy accent, causing a smile to paint Finn's lips," And might I add that your friend here is awfully handsome as well."

   Finn giggles in response, causing my heart to squeeze in my chest by how cute he is.

   " Now Finn, I think you should try going back to sleep," I state, watching as the blonde boy groans in response.

   " I don't want to..!" He whines, looking up at me with big puppy eyes.

   " Oh no you don't!" I immediately look away, knowing that I would cave in if I even glanced at the child's adorable face," I refuse to fall for your evil ways!"

   Finn giggles once more," You're silly Luna Noah~"

   I return Finn's bright smile before placing him back onto the sleeping matt. Draping the small blanket over Finn's small body, I place a small kiss on his forehead. I was about to get up and leave when I felt Finn's small hand grab a hold of my arm," What is it, Finn?" I ask, kneeling back down beside the pup.

   " I-I don't think I can fall asleep..." He admits, hugging Mr. Bun Bun close to his chest.

   I smile down at the blonde boy before fully sitting down beside Finn, intertwining my fingers with his," Do you know what I do when I had a nightmare?" I asked, watching as Finn shook his head in response," I sing a lullaby my mother would sing me. It helps me fall asleep."

   " W-Will you sing it for me..?" Finn asks sheepishly, hiding his face behind Mr. Bun Bun.

   I hesitate, feeling nervous about singing to someone other than myself," Sure...but don't be mad if my voice sounds like a dying bird." I reply, earning a cute little giggle from Finn in response.

   I take a deep breath, trying to shake off my nerves before I begin to quietly sing to Finn.

   Edelweiss Edelweiss

   Every morning you greet me

   Small and white

   Clean and bright

   You look happy to meet me

   Blossom of snow may you bloom and grow

   Bloom and grow forever

   Edelweiss Edelweiss

   Bless my homeland forever

   I look back down at Finn to find him dosing off to sleep, holding my hand in a loose grip. I smile, waiting till I knew he was fast asleep before removing my hand from his grasp. I use said hand to brush his stray blonde hairs back before leaning down and placing a kiss on his head.

   I then stand up and head back to where Skyler and I had been sitting, sparing one last glance at Finn before making my way back to Sky. 

   When I arrive back at the small kid's table, Skyler is sitting there with a distant look in her eyes," Skyler?" I ask, bringing the older women back from her thoughts.

   " Noah! Sweetpea, you're simply amazing!" She squealed quietly to me, running up and embracing me in a tight hug," I haven't seen him like that in a long time. You are a gift from the Moon Goddess herself!"

   " W-What are you talking about..?" I question, pulling myself away from Sky's tight embrace," I-I just helped Finn fall back asleep, anyone of your caretakers could do it."

   " Noah! That's the thing: no one has ever been able to talk to him." Skyler stated, the look of shock overcoming my features.

   " W-What..?"

   Skyler leads me over to the kid's table, sitting me down on a chair before sitting herself beside me," Noah, my dear, Alpha James has informed about...why are pack moved, correct?" She asked timidly with me nodding in response," Well, Finn and his family were one of many pack members that suffered in the rogue attacks. Finn...lost his sister during the last attack."

   I gasped in shock, covering my mouth with my hands. My heart clenched painfully in my chest, and my wolf whimpered at the thought of the poor pup going through such a terrible thing. At the same time, I understood the pain Finn was going through, for I had also lost my parents in a rogue attack.

   Skyler sighed sadly as a few stray tears fall down my cheeks," He carries his sister's rabbit toy around now, and rarely speaks to anyone besides his parents."

   I wipe my small tears away," T-That's just...aweful..."

   Skyler nodded her head in agreement," He has nightmares about the attack, and usually doesn't allow people near him after; we have to call his parents to pick him up when that happens." She states before looking over at me with a smile," You're the first person who's ever been able to calm Finn down after a nightmare. And you were able to get him to open up to you!"

   I was left speechless, not knowing what to say.

   " And it's not just Finn, most of these pups suffered during the rogue attacks, and you were able to make them smile and open up to you. I don't think you understand what affect you have on people." Skyler tells me, placing a hand gently on my shoulder," I really do hope you come back and help here again; it makes me so happy when I see these kids smiling."

   I overlap Skyler's hand with my own, giving her a comforting smile in return," I would love to."

   Skyler squealed to herself happily, jumping up and down in her seat," Oh~! I'm so happy!"

   A laugh escaped me as I watched Skyler squeal in joy.

   -----

  A small bell rung throughout the daycare, signaling the end of the day. I watched with Skyler by my side as kids rushed outside to where all the parents waited. 

   " Bye bye Luna!"

   " I hope you come back soon!"

   I giggled and waved the pups goodbye. A smile painted my lips as I watched mothers and fathers scoop their children into their arms, showering them in love and kisses.

   " So~" Skyler begins, looking at me with a mischevious glint in her eyes," Are you and James planning on having kids soon?"

   I felt my face flare red, my heart going thump thump in my chest," W-What?!" I question, looking at the older lady in disbelief.

   " I saw the way you were looking at those kids, it's obvious you want to have some of your own," Skyler states matter-of-factly.

   " I-I umm...m-maybe after graduation..." I answer shyly, keeping my gaze away from Skyler," W-We haven't talked about...having kids yet.

   " Oh that's fine that's fine!" She replies happily, seeming as giddy as a school girl," As long as you name one after me."

   I playfully nudge Skyler, laughing at her hyper personality. But what she said was true: both me and my wolf yearned to have the same happiness as those parents out there, but I knew I still wasn't ready to do...that.

   Skyler's gaze shifts from me to outside, a smirk now dancing upon her lips," Overprotective mate alert~" She chimed in my ear, gesturing outside the daycare building.

   My head snaps in the direction Skyler pointed to, my eyes quickly landing on James' handsome figure as he stood amongst the crowd of parents and kids searching for me. When his eyes found mine, a wide smile spread across his lips as he opened his arms to me. 

 " James!!" I cheered happily, running up and flinging myself into my mate's warm embrace. A chuckled escaped James as he hugged me, laying his head on mine. I pull away from our embrace for a moment, standing up on my tippy toes and placing a kiss on James slightly chapped lips," I missed you..." I say as we pull away, laying my head back on James' chest.

   I feel James' arms snake down to where they are now wrapped around my waist, pulling my flushed against him," I missed you too my love." He replies, kissing the top of my head lovingly.

   A small giggle escapes me from the affection I'm receiving from my mate as I lay my chin on his chest, looking up at James with a smile," How was your day?" 

   " It was fine." He answers, giving me a smile that made my heart flutter," I heard from a little birdy that you were amazing with the kids today."

   I knew immediately he was referring to.

   A blush spread across my face as I glared playfully over my shoulder, seeing Skyler give me two thumbs up," I-I didn't do anything special." I reply sheepishly.

   James opened his mouth the protest, but a small tug on the back of my shirt turned my attention away from my mate.   

   Turning around, I found Finn standing there with Mr. Bun Bun in hand and a small folded up piece of paper," Hi there Finn." I greet, smiling down at the child before kneeling in front of him," What's up?"

   I noticed that his cheeks were dusted red as he bashfully shoved the piece of paper at me," M-Mr. Bun Bun wanted me to give you this." He states shyly as I take the paper from his hands," I-I made it in arts and crafts,"

   I smile brightly at Finn before looking down at the rabbit plushie in his arms," Thank you, Mr. Bun Bun." I say, patting the head of the stuffed animal. I unfolded the paper and gasp in surprise at the cute drawing in my hands; it was a simple scribble drawing, hardly could tell what it was, but I managed to make out what he had drawn," It's wonderful Finn. Thank you very much." I ruffle the blonde hair on top of Finn's head, earning a giggle from the pup in response.

   " W-Will you come back to the daycare soon?" 

   I nod my head happily," Of course! How else am I suppose to visit you and Mr. Bun Bun?" I reply, earning a bright smile from Finn in return.

   " Finn! Come on, time to go home!" A woman who shared a striking resemblance to Finn called out.

   " M-My mama is calling me," Finn states, looking over his shoulder at his parents who stood waiting for him before looking back at me. He smiles before lunging at me, hugging me tightly," see you soon Luna!"

   With one last smile, Finn rushes off to his parents. I watch as Finn's father scoops the pup up, tossing him up in the air before setting him back down. His mother lovingly pets the top of Finn's head before they begin walking in an unknown direction.

   A large hand is placed on my shoulder, causing me to look up and see James smiling down at me. I push myself off the floor and turn to James, and immediately I am pulled into an affectionate kiss. I quickly melt into it, wrapping my arms around James' neck while his hands are placed on my hips, holding me close to him.

   " Hey! There are children here! No PDA!" Skyler playfully scolded from afar, causing me to pull away from James and I's loving kiss with a flushed face. Embarrassed, I bury my head in James' chest, feeling it rumble as he laughs at my reaction.

   " Let's get going, love," James states, intertwining his fingers with my own before he begins to lead me away from the daycare.

   I turn back towards the colorful building and wave to Skyler," Goodbye Skyler!" I shout, bidding farewell to my new friend.

   " Take care Sweetpea!" She replies, smiling as she waves me goodbye.

   I turn back around and start walking alongside James, our fingers intertwined with each other. I leaned against James' arm as we walked, occasionally looking down at Finn's picture with a smile.

   " What did he draw you?" James asks, looking over at my picture.

   " It's just me singing to him and Mr. Bun Bun," I replied, folding the paper back up before slipping it into the back pocket of my jeans.

   " Mr. who?" James questioned, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

   " Mr. Bun Bun. It's the rabbit plushie he carries around." I state, James nodding in response," So are we doing anything today?"

   I feel James tense a bit as he replies to my question," Actually...we do. We're going to be having dinner with a pack elder, who just so happens to be my grandmother."

   " Really?" I ask, feeling slightly nervous.

   " Yes," He looks back down at me and smiles warmly, squeezing my hand in reassurance," but don't worry. She's a very kind woman, and I'm sure she'll adore you."

   I nod my head, feeling calmer by James reassurance. My doubts about the dinner seem to vanish being in the presence of my mate, and I knew as long as I had James with me, nothing could go wrong.