FULL NOVELXO Chapter 18 - Picnic
I feel warm and fingertips trailing over my cheek, down the curve of my neck before a hand rests on my waist. I sigh in content before opening my eyes, greeted with the handsome sight of Kaden Reid this morning.
The curtains have been pulled back so there is light in the room, making me groan and roll over. I hear him laugh and pull on the blanket as I try and cover my head with it, mumbling at him to stop before I give up and place a pillow over my face.
I’m just about to fall into a deep sleep again when I feel the bed jostle and Kaden hovering over me, turning me so that I lay on my back with his legs on either side of me. I blindly reach out to grab the pillow that he has taken off me, huffing and opening my eyes when I don’t find it.
Kaden is grinning down at me cheekily and it only makes me frustrated when I remember that he likes to get up early instead of sleeping in like me. I close my eyes with a soft sigh before squealing when I feel him attacking me with kisses. He presses soft kisses to every inch of my face before I push him away with a laugh just as he’s about to kiss my lips.
I open my eyes to see him pouting which makes me giggle. He smiles before getting off me to stand by the bed, telling me that he’ll start on breakfast while I can take a shower if I want. Once he’s gone, I lie in the bed for some time before finally getting out.
My feet hit the cold hard wood and I shiver, walking over to my duffel bag in the corner and taking out the outfit I had packed. I grab my toiletries bag before making my way into the bathroom down the hall. I shower as quick as I can, washing my hair and body before stepping out and drying myself with a towel Kaden had left for me.
After changing into my blue denim boyfriend jeans, a grey top with a long, dark green cardigan, I put on my white converse before grabbing my things and exiting the bathroom. I walk back into the bedroom and place my things into my bag before tying half of my hair up so that it wasn’t in my face whilst it dried.
I make my way downstairs to the smell of food, seeing the table already set and Kaden bringing over a large bowl of baked beans. I thank him for making breakfast, grabbing orange juice from the fridge before joining him at the table. There’s baked beans, hash browns, eggs, toast and bacon which makes my stomach growl in hunger. Kaden chuckles and we dig in immediately, talking about what we were going to do today.
He tells me he needs to meet Rico at the twins’ place and we can go into town after if I want. I agree, telling him I need to pack my luggage for tomorrow anyways. We finish the rest of our breakfast over small chatter, before I wash up whilst he protests. I counter it with the fact that he washed the dishes this morning from last night’s dinner, so it should be me this time that cleans up.
After that I grab my things from upstairs whilst he changes before we get into his car and drive off towards the city. The scenery passes by as I gaze out the window, Kaden’s hand curled around my thigh as he drives. Heat emanates onto my skin and tingles dance in joy as he rubs his thumb across the denim material of my jeans.
Around forty-five minutes later, Kaden drops me at my place before driving away to Owen and Axel’s house, saying that he’ll come back for me around three in the afternoon. I get started on packing my suitcase with clothes, shoes and other essentials.
I make a mental note to take some time out when I’m back in Amsterdam to go Christmas shopping for everyone. Although I have bought some things for my parents and my brother from Berlin, I still have some other things on my list.
As I’m packing I form a plan. Since Kaden and I haven’t planned on what to do in town, I decide to have a picnic in the park. It’s surprisingly sunny for a winter day and everybody is out enjoying the weather so I don’t see why not.
Around one in the afternoon, I finally finish packing my suitcase and backpack for tomorrow’s flight. Grabbing my purse and a grocery bag, I cycle to the nearest supermarket so that I can buy some food for the picnic. It only takes me twenty minutes since I have a list and don’t wander anywhere else. In no time, I am back at the house and setting the grocery bag on the dining table.
I know Eva has a picnic basket somewhere because her aunt, that also lives in Berlin, forgot it when she came over to drop a few things. I quickly ask Eva if I can use it, bringing it to the kitchen when she agrees. I pack cutlery, plates and glasses that we can use.
I start on the food and make some sandwiches before wrapping them up and placing them in the basket along with a Tupperware box that has sliced fruit in it. Next, I put in two salads that I grabbed from the supermarket, soft cheese and crackers along with brownies for something sweet. I pack a bottle of lemonade and a water each for our drinks before finding a blanket that can work as our picnic blanket. The last thing that goes in are some snacks such as tiny pretzels and crisps before I close the basket.
I hear Eva hauling her luggage bag down the stairs and help her. Her taxi was right outside and Maddox has just rushed in through the doorway around two minutes ago to say goodbye. I hug her tight and Maddox does the same but ruffles her hair, making her whine about how he couldn’t let her have perfect hair for one day.
We promise to call each other over the break before helping her put her luggage in the car, watching her get in and wave before the taxi drives away. Maddox drapes his arm across my shoulders as we walk inside, perking up when he notices the picnic basket on the dining table.
I tell him about my idea and he agrees that it’s perfect, commenting on how many people he saw out and about in the city because of the sudden change in weather. We sit and talk for a while, chatting about what we are planning to get our family members for Christmas and what we loved about the dinner. I laugh when he reveals that he is going to prank his little sister by getting her something that she hates.
Around three, we hear the familiar sound of Kaden’s Mustang pulling up outside our house. Maddox tells me to have a good time before disappearing upstairs so that he can start on packing up a few things. I pull my hair up into a ponytail before grabbing the basket and blanket and heading out the front door.
Kaden rolls down the window with a confused expression which makes me smile as I open the door and sit, putting the two items by my feet before strapping myself in.
“What’s this?” He asks, driving out of the neighbourhood and turning left into the city.
“I thought we could have a picnic in the park since it’s so sunny.” I reply, watching as he grins and nods in reply.
It takes us around fifteen minutes before he parks the car on a street. We find a large park where there were not that many people yet, picking a spot away from the main field. Kaden unrolls the picnic blanket and places it down on the grass before I set the basket down.
“You packed a lot for a picnic.” He nods at the food I have taken out of the basket, taking the sandwich I hold out to him. “Thank you.”
I shrug, sitting with my legs crossed before opening the box that held the fruit. Popping a grape into my mouth, I take a bite out of the chicken sandwiches I had prepared. I look around the park, noticing people who had the same idea as me along with children playing football or a game of tag. It’s a good way to spend my time in Berlin before I fly out tomorrow.
Kaden pours us lemonade and I take it from him, chuckling when he swats away a fly. “Rico, Owen and Axel know that I have told you about us.”
“Wait, they’re werewolves too?!” I ask surprised, although I knew I should have seen it coming.
He nods with a smile, starting on his third sandwich. “All the gang is except for Chris but he knows that Leah and us are werewolves.”
“So, Leah and Natalie are Chris and Axel’s mates?” I question, hearing him hum in reply.
“Axel and Natalie are the Alpha and Luna around here.” He explains, making me frown in confusion when I hear my name.
“Luna?”
“An Alpha is the male leader who normally focuses on paperwork, training the warriors and generally making sure the pack runs smoothly. He makes sure his members are cared for and is the person they all look up to. A Luna is the mother of the pack; she has a stronger bond with each pack member. To us a Luna is the most important person, without her the Alpha can’t keep running the pack.”
“Oh…is that why you laughed at my name at the hospital.” I ask, narrowing my eyes playfully when he scratches the back of his neck in embarrassment.
“Yes, I’m sorry for that. I had realised that you were my mate when I saw you and when you said your name is Luna it was fitting…because you are my Luna.” He smiles, pulling me close so that my back rests against his chest.
“Are there any other titles in your world?” I ask, crying out in shock when he snatches the pretzel off me.
He kisses my nose when I turn to glare at him playfully, wrapping his arms around my waist. “The highest are the Council which are like the government that regulate rules in our world, they are the eldest supernatural creatures. Next are the Kings and Queens who are all Lycan purebloods. After that it is werewolves, so the Alpha, Luna, Beta and Beta Female.”
“Beta?”
“It’s a couple who are like right hand men and women for the Alphas and Lunas. Their job is to help the leaders with their duties and ease the workload, they can also take over and lead the pack if the leaders are unable to.” He explains and I listen to every word attentively.
“How are Lycans different to werewolves?” I ask, handing him the box of fruit.
“Lycans are born from pure lineages, they are descendants. They are much stronger, faster, agile and can see up to ten times better in the night than regular werewolves. Their healing abilities are faster and more controllable unlike us regular werewolves, that’s why I had to come in and get my wound disinfected when we first met.”
“Who did that to you by the way?” I frown, pressing a kiss to his hand that was intertwined with mine.
“Oh, it was one of Axel’s pack warriors. He thought I was a trespassing rogue and attacked me. I smell like an Alpha instead of a rogue and that makes people confused.” He pops a crisp into his mouth after he explains.
“Does that happen a lot?” I gasp, turning slightly so that I could look up at him properly.
He grimaces before nodding. “I just have to make sure that an Alpha has notified their pack members and warriors before entering a territory.”
I frown sadly, taking his arm that I tended to the night we met. I caressed the part where a scar should have been, remembering how deep it was and how it looked like it hurt. He sighs and chuckles, cupping my face with both hands so that I looked at him.
“I’m okay Luna, my wounds heal up in a day because of my abilities.” He murmurs, caressing my cheek.
“I don’t like the thought of people hurting you.” I mumble, wrapping my arms around his neck in a hug.
He doesn’t reply and instead rests his chin on my shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to the curve of my neck. It makes me shiver and I cuddle closer, feeling his arms tighten around me. He rubs my back soothingly until I feel okay to pull away.
“Come on, let’s continue our picnic yeah?” He tries to divert the topic by picking up a brownie.
I take a small bite when he holds it to my lips, my eyes widening when he pops the whole square into his mouth before starting on his another one. He notices my shocked gaze and laughs, finishing off his third brownie.
“Werewolves eat a lot; we have a fast metabolism.” He explains, causing me to nod in understanding.
We spend the rest of our evening chatting and talking about what we’re going to be doing over the next three weeks. Apparently, Kaden and the boys have a tradition to make fancy gingerbread houses. But the only thing is that they have never turned out right and they all make a right mess of it.
I tell him about the time when my parents would take my brother and I in the car around Amsterdam just to see the Christmas lights and trees at night. As we grew older it was just Nick and I that carried on the tradition whilst our parents slept.
"I would love for you to meet my family but -"
"It's too soon, I understand." He smiles, pecking my cheek. "Don't worry, I'll meet them eventually."
As the sky turns darker and the wind gets colder, we agree that it is time to leave. Packing up the basket, Kaden picks it up while I carry the picnic blanket. We make our way across the park, seeing other people leave also. I grab the basket off Kaden when we reach his black Mustang, getting in and placing both items by my feet.
He asks me where I want to sleep for the night, offering to drive me to the airport tomorrow. At first I said that I should probably sleep at my house, feeling like it would be too much of a bother to get him to drive me in the early hours of the morning. But he insists and eventually, after much convincing from Kaden, I give in and decide to grab my things from my house.
We arrive at my neighbourhood and Kaden follows me as I make my way into the house, finding Maddox in the sitting room watching a film. I tell him of my plans and he jumps up to help me move my things into the trunk of Kaden’s car. After that we hug each other and promise to call during the break, wishing each other a happy Christmas. Kaden says goodbye too, wishing him a safe trip back home and a great Christmas.
We leave the house and get into the car, waving at Maddox before driving out of the neighbourhood. It takes an hour and fifteen minutes to reach Kaden’s place because of heavy traffic and I am struggling to stay awake as we walk through the tree line and into his house.
After having a light dinner, we make our way upstairs and I change into his clothes that he gives me. Making my way back from the bathroom, I place my clothes on a chair before getting into bed with him. He has a comedy movie on and we watch that for a while until my eyelids start to drop.
I am teetering on the edge of sleep when Kaden drapes his arm across my shoulder, turning off the television before settling into bed. I feel him pull me closer until I’m pressed up against him, warmth emanating from his body.
Just when I slip into dreamland, I hear him mumble “goodnight” before feeling his lips against my temple and neck. A soft sigh escapes me and I welcome sleep with open arms.