Artemis was quiet the whole two hours that it took for Sol to drive them back to their home, the isolated cabin in the woods. He had thought she was asleep at first, but when she sighed and started fidgeting in her seat, he knew otherwise.

"What are we supposed to do until the elders get back to us?"

He thought about her question for a moment. "I'm not too sure," he admitted. "I guess we have no choice but to sit around and just wait for them to get in touch with us."

"How long do you think it'll take?"

"I'm not too sure," he shrugged as he pulled into the driveway of their cabin that they had just arrived at. Putting the gears into park and switching off the engine, he sighed and turned towards her. "It should be a few days."

She nodded and leaned back in her seat, sliding down slightly, making no move to leave the car. "Are you scared?" She asked, her voice quiet and timid.

"I am," he admitted honestly not wanting to lie to her. "I'm not sure where this whole thing is going but I'm positive that we'll both come out fine in the end." He attempted to assure her. Reaching across the console, he placed his hand on top of hers and have it a comforting squeeze. The corner of his lips turned up slightly as she squeezed back.

"We should probably head inside." She sighed before giving his hand one more squeeze and releasing it. He followed her and once they had both exited the car and grabbed all their bags from the boot, he locked the car and they headed into the cabin.

They may only have been away for a day but it felt good to be home. Sadly, that didn't last long as Sol received a call from his boss for the part-time job he had at the local garage in time. Sighing, he rubbed his hands over his face as he walked back into the living room.

Artemis looked over the back of the sofa at him. "What's wrong?" She asked when she noticed the dejected look on his face.

A frown sat permanently on his face as he walked over and dropped himself down on the sofa next to her, rolling his head on the back of the sofa. "They need me to head into the garage."

"Now?"

He nodded. "Do you want to come with me?"

She shook her head, not even having to think about the question. She was tired, both mentally and physically and as much as she enjoyed spending time with Sol, a trip into town hanging out with the guys in the garage was not something she felt up to doing that evening.

"You sure?" He asked but he was already stood up and heading upstairs to get changed quickly.

She hummed her answer as she turned back to the book she was reading. Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Sol had gotten it for from the book store as a random present when he noticed her linger on it when they were in town last. She was only about halfway into the book but she absolutely adored it and just knew that she would be picking up the next three books in the series as soon as she was finished with the first one.

She shipped Patch and Nora. Hard.

A few minutes past as she sat engrossed in her book before Sol came down the stairs, slipping his jacket over his shoulders. Dropping a kiss on her head, she smiled up at him and kissed his jaw. "When do you think you'll be back?" She mumbled against his skin as she looped her arms over his neck despite having to go.

Sol chuckled against the top of her head as he leaned down to press his lips against her neck. "It should only be a few hours." His warm breath fanned against her skin, raising goose bumps as she shivered. "I can pick up dinner if you want."

"I'll cook dinner tonight," she hummed as she hugged him to her.

"I'll see you in a bit," he promised her as he pressed his lips against her temple before heading out the door. In usual Solomon fashion, he made sure the front door was shut completely behind him before he got into his car and drove into town, driving a little over the speed limit since Artemis wasn't there to chastise him for it.

Snuggling into the blanket that Sol grabbed for her from upstairs on his way down, she allowed herself to indulge in Patch and Nora's compelling love story for a little longer before her stomach started rumbling, indicated that it was about time to start getting started on dinner.

Artemis wasn't too sure when Sol was going to return, but she planned to just place his food in the microwave so he could heat it up later if he didn't return by the time she was finished cooking.

Allowing herself to indulge on a ginger cookie, she dusted off the crumbs from her blanket before she finally stood up and placed the book down on the coffee table after having folded the corner of the page that she had stopped on. She was looking forward to continuing it later on but for now, food was on the agenda.

She wasn't much of a cook seeing as Sol normally cooked for them both but she did know how to make a cheesy pasta bake because she had helped Sol out with it one time. Now, that was also the time when she said that she would take it out of the oven while he showered, which as expected, she forgot to do so they had to eat it a little burnt, but she was determined to do better this time.

Plus, the kitchen had all the ingredients stocked for it.

In under an hour, Artemis had managed to place the pasta dish in the oven and intended to get back to her book but first, she had to finish washing everything

She was sure that Sol would implode if he were to return home to this mess. In her opinion, it wasn't too bad. Just a pot and a pan along with various utensils that she used, and then there was the issue of the messy counter which now needed a thorough scrub down but Sol did seem to overreact when it came to messes. Or perhaps she wasn't as much as a neat freak as he was however, either way she needed to clean up before he returned.

Getting started with the utensils in the sink, she started humming to herself, her mind lingering on the pasta in the oven. She hoped that she hadn't gone overboard with the spices and flavouring but knew that the only way to find out was to actually eat it and there was still a little time until that was going to happen.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Artemis stilled as a chill ran down her spine.

Her humming ceased too and her ears perked up, listening out for the sound again.

In all her time that she had lived with Sol ever since he had found her abandoned and injured in the forest, there had never been any person to knock on the front door of their cabin, or even anyone to linger nearby as it was a secluded area, one where someone would only find if they had either stumbled upon it by accident or knew exactly what they were looking for.

It was sort of rustling sound that could very well be an animal that was on the hunt for some food, but it would be the first time since she had lived with Sol that she had ever experienced an animal coming to hunt for some food so close to their cabin. She had always assumed that they could feel the power they resonated having been werewolves, especially with Sol being an Alpha and stayed away. When she was met with silence after having remained silent for a good minute, she shrugged and got back to dealing with the dishes.

It was strange, but not strange enough to mention to Sol when he walked through the door about ten minutes later.

Perfect timing, she thought to herself as she dried her hands on a dish cloth.

"You're home early."

"Try to contain your excitement," he mumbled sarcastically as he pulled off his jacket and left it to sit on the back of the sofa as he walked into the kitchen where he was. Brushing past her, his hand lingered on her waist as he headed to the sink for a glass of water.

Artemis rolled her eyes and leaned with her back against the counter as she watched him. "I cooked dinner." Her lips turned up into a bright smile, feeling proud despite it only being a small accomplishment. "I used your pasta bake recipe."

He hummed as he knelt on the ground to peer into the oven, assessing it. "It looks like it could do with another five minutes." He noted aloud, seemingly impressed with the way it looked. "I grabbed a bread roll from the deli in town. We could have some of that with the pasta." He told as he walked over to her, trapping her against the counter as he leaned forward and placed his arms on either side of her, leaving very little room for her to move let alone escape.

"How was work?" She asked him, her voice low as she played with one of the buttons his shirt.

Swooping down, her gathered her in his arms before lifting her up onto the counter. Her legs dangled into the air as he stood between her legs and buried his face in the crook of her neck, his arms slithering around her waist as he leaned into her lazily. Sol offered her a lopsided smile. "Work was work. The owner of the Hummer that I was working on came by to pick up his car though."

"Was he happy?"

He hummed against her skin, sending vibrations down her whole body. "Even left a nice tip. Boss let me keep it." He told her proudly, his lips stretching out into a smile.

Brushing her hand through his hair, she exhaled in contentment. "I'm proud of you." She pushed him back slightly so she could look into his eyes. When he didn't reply straight away, she pulled gently on the hair at the nape of his neck. "I really am." She assured him, watching as his eyes lit up, happy to receive the complement from her.

"I'm proud of you too," he replied his thanks before leaning down for another hug. However, this one didn't last long as the timer on the oven sounded, indicating that their dinner was ready.

Sol pulled back from her, unwinding his arms from around her waist. "I'll plate the pasta once it cools down a little. Why don't you cut us some bread?"

Artemis nodded as she jumped down from the counter and got to work, deciding to throw together a mini salad so that she could at least trick herself into thinking that she was being healthy.

Dinner was a quiet affair as they enjoyed their pasta and bread in front of the television, watching the Kardashions prance around their million-dollar mansions as they sat back in their sweats and baggy t-shirts.

When they felt like they had, had enough reality TV for one night, even if they didn't manage to finish an episode, they headed up to bed. Artemis lay in bed, already half asleep by the time Sol exited the shower, only dressed in a pair of flannel pj-bottoms. His hair was still damp from the shower and she could feel a few droplets soaking the back of her neck as he spooned her from behind, but she didn't mind.

The cuddling was just too good to complain.

"I know the last two days have been difficult for you." He mumbled against the back of her neck, tightening his arms around her waist as he pulled her closer to him. "But I really am proud of you."

She snorted unattractively not that either of them cared. "You're just easy to please." She protested with a chuckle.

"No," he chuckled, his chest vibrating against her back. "I really mean it." He pressed his lips against the back of her neck, lingering there for longer than necessary. "I can only imagine how difficult it is to constantly be thinking about the memories of your past you couldn't even remember a few days ago, let alone explain them to a room of strangers."

Artemis hummed in response so he took that as a cue to continue.

"I don't know how I would react if I was in your place, if I had to talk about the nightmares of my past." He admitted honestly, his voice dropping a few octaves towards the end. "But you've really handled it all so well. I really am proud of you." He repeated, really meaning everything that he had just said.

Turning over in his arms so she was now facing him, she snuggled into his naked chest as she threw an arm over his waist.

"I used to be happy before." He sounded aloud, not too sure himself where he was going or why he had even started speaking in the first place. They were both tired and she appeared to be halfway to dreamland already, but the overwhelming need to spill his guts was too powerful to either control or ignore.

She asked after a brief pause. "You're not happy now?"

"I am." He smiled against the top of her head. "I'm happy here, with you. But before I found you that day in the woods, I hadn't been happy for a long time."

"Since your parents died?" Her voice was quiet and gentle, soft enough for him to pretend he didn't hear her if he wished to not speak any longer. The last thing Artemis wanted to do was pry on his past and force him to talk about the demons that he wasn't either prepared to or willing to indulge in at the current moment, so this was her way of giving him an out even if he was the one to bring up the topic.

"Yeah," he confirmed with a sigh. "I really miss them. They loved me so much."

"They still love you." She assured him.

"They're gone now." He whispered into her ear sadly, a tear slowly slipping down his face. He didn't brush it away.

"They're still watching over you."

"I know, but it's just not the same of having them with me all the time like it used to be." He exhaled the words in one breath, almost afraid that he would start sobbing if he were to linger on the words for too long.

Artemis sensed that Sol needed to talk, to rant. Even though her eyes were drooping with sleep, she wasn't about to fall asleep on him as he suffered through a hurricane of emotions and feelings that would most likely keep him up all night if he didn't get the chance to talk over with someone. There was also the fact that Sol had never expressed any desire or wish to talk freely about his past and especially not about his parents or pack so she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity just because she was a little sleepy.

Sol needed her and she was determined to be there for him, just like how he had been there for her every step of the way since he had found her.

He was her saviour. She just hoped that she could make him feel a little better, even if it was by just a fraction.

"What were they like?" She asked in hopes of cheering him up with the past memories of his parents regardless of how they may have exited this world.

"My parents?"

She hummed her agreeance against his broad, muscular chest.

"They were so in love," he began, his voice quiet and gentle. "My parents absolutely adored each other. Sure, they argued occasionally like every other couple, but they were the best parents I could have ever asked for."

"My dad was born an Alpha and he used to always tell me, that he knew my mum would be his Luna as soon as he saw her. Love at first sight, he used to always tell me. My dad loved my mum long before she even knew he knew of her existence."

"It sounds like they were perfect for each other."

"They really were," he chuckled sadly, another tear running down his face. Artemis reached up and brushed it away with the pad of his thumb. "They were also great pack leaders."

She nodded and tightened her arm around him, rubbing her hand down his back in a soothing manner. "What was your pack like?"

"It wasn't a huge pack but it was definitely bigger in size than your average pack." He muttered proudly. "As far as I know, everyone loved my parents as leaders. They honestly did have the pack's best interests at heart."

"They sound absolutely great," she hummed.

"When I was a kid, I didn't want to be Alpha just because I saw how much work it was. I thought that I would be happy living a normal life as a human and ignoring everything supernatural about me but I couldn't have been more wrong. I would do pretty much anything now to have a pack of my own and to have my parents watch me lead with as much grace and devotion as they did.

When she only hummed that she was still listening, a smile graced his face. He knew that she was more than half asleep but he didn't mind in the least. "I would make you my Luna."

A light snore escaped her lips as she finally drifted off to sleep. Sol pulled back slightly and chuckled as he noted that she had finally drifted off to sleep. It was adorable, her falling asleep on him as he tried to pour his heart out, exactly something that he expected from Artemis. But it didn't matter whether she was awake or asleep, either way he soothed her and he thanked the moon Goddess every morning for bringing her into his life.

Artemis was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He knew that he didn't deserve her but he wasn't about to let her go any time soon. She was the light in the darkness that was his bleak, desolate bed of life that he had created for himself.

"My parents would have loved you," he whispered against the crown of her head as his lips lingered there. "But not nearly as much as I do." He confessed to her before letting sleep overcome him too.

-

You can wait for the next chapter which will be uploaded on 20/02/2020

OR

You can read the rest of the book, including bonus chapters, for free on Inkitt! Just search 'Solomon [COMPLETE]' or use this link: https://inkitt.app.link/RA__illuminating_

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Layla Knight 

19.09.18