Chasing His Kickass Luna Back novel Chapter 387

Abby

After a while of walking to town through the thin blanket of snow that has settled over the landscape from last night, I arrive at the food drive, wearing my disguise—a baseball hat, sunglasses, and a blue surgical mask.

Actually, it’s more so that the sound of the food and clothing drive reaches me before I actually reach it; it’s clear to me that the community center is bustling with people, and I can hear the sounds of voices, music, and vehicles.

Up ahead, there are two lines: one filled with cars, which are pulling up to a station where workers are handing bags of clothes and boxes of food through the windows, and one where the patrons are lined up on foot.

I adjust my mask on my face and stand up on my tiptoes to see if I can spot Karl, but that’s easier said than done.

Despite Karl’s height, the parking lot is filled to the brim and I can barely make out the bright orange shirts of the workers. Honestly, it’s surprising. I didn’t expect there to be this many people here.

“Hey,” a voice says, causing me to turn. “You here for the drive, or are you here to work?”

I spin around to see a young man, maybe in his late teens, looking at me. He’s got one of the orange t-shirts that say “staff” on the front worn on his thin frame, and he’s holding a clipboard in his hands.

“I’m here to work, actually,” I say.

The boy nods and hands me my own orange t-shirt from a box that he’s got next to his feet. “Just find a spot wherever,” he says. “Job’s simple: everyone gets one box of food and one box of clothes. The clothes are labeled ‘kids’ and ‘adults’, so as long as you can read, you’ll be fine.”

I offer him a smile as I take the t-shirt and slip it on over my head. It’s about three sizes too big for me, so it goes on easily over my disguise.

As I make my way through the crowd, I finally spot Karl. He’s in the thick of it, working tirelessly to help those in need.

My heart warms at the sight of him, so different from the man I used to know, the Alpha who once claimed that volunteering was ‘below his pay grade.’

Suddenly, I realize that I can’t stay mad at him as I watch him interact with an elderly woman. He’s got a warm smile on his face, and she’s laughing at something he’s saying. The woman then walks away, and Karl turns away to sort through a box.

I come up behind him and tap him on the shoulder. He turns, and after squinting his eyes at me for a moment, his expression changes to a mixture of surprise and excitement when he realizes that it’s me.

“Abby,” he says, a hint of disbelief in his voice. “I thought you weren’t gonna come.”

I tilt my head and give him a playful grin even though he can’t see it. “Changed my mind,” I reply, my voice muffled by the mask.

Karl chuckles and shakes his head. “You really are something, you know that?”

I lower my sunglasses just enough for him to see my raised eyebrow. “Is that a compliment or an insult?”

He laughs again. “Definitely a compliment,” he says. “But Abby, if you help me here, people might start thinking you’re the Luna again, and it could be a hassle, just like you said.”

He looks at me, a hint of shock in his eyes. “Oh? Have I?”

I nod. “Yeah, you have. You never would’ve done something like this in the past. And you’ve got a way with people, I’ll give you that.”

He smiles, a genuine warmth in his expression. “Well, I guess I’ve learned a thing or two from someone,” he says.

His words made me blush, but there’s no time to dwell on it; there’s another wave of people coming, and the day is almost over. We don’t want to be sending people away at closing time, so we decide to move faster.

Before I know it, another hour has passed. My back and my feet are sore and there’s a light layer of sweat under my clothes, and I’m dying to rip this damn disguise off, but it still feels good. It’s a reminder of what it was like when I was a Luna, and in a strange way, I guess I do miss it just a little bit—minus the publicity.

As the day draws to a close, however, I look over to see that Karl is gone. Frowning, I look around, but don’t see him. Did he go home? Did something happen?

“Care to join me, Jane?”

The sound of his voice snaps me out of my reverie, and I whirl around to see Karl standing behind me.

He’s got a cheeky grin on his face and two cups of something hot in each of his hands. I can see the tendrils of steam curling out of each cup, and judging from the smell, I can guess what it is.

Hot apple cider; my favorite.