The old woman looked up at her, "Are you quite alright, dear?"
Laurel winced, "... may have hit my head when I tripped."
"They're off defending the kingdom against the vampires, child. With your father, of course."
Laurel nodded and followed the older woman. The village had to be that of a small pack located on the border of the werewolf kingdom.
Laurel couldn't tell exactly which once, but she was sure she could figure it out a bit longer.
"Aren't you going to return home?"
She smiled, trying to think of an excuse before shaking her head, "No, I wanted to give you something. Could you come with me?"
The old woman smiled, "I do love a good gift. Of course, dear!"
She let out a little sigh of relief.
She wouldn't have to figure out a way to get information about her living situation without giving away the fact that she wasn't Laurel.
So far, so good. With any luck, the old woman would let slip all the other information she needed to know.
Who was her father? When would he come back? What about her mother?
Did Laurel have siblings? The old woman walked ahead of her until they neared a small wooden house. It wasn't luxurious, but it was homey, cozy in a way she never thought a house could be.
Though she was a bit wary about picking up the life Laurel had left behind, she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had escaped her wretched death and the goddess had given her a second chance.
She was going to start her new life here. The house was small, much smaller than the room she used to live in in the castle. Filled with a few odds and ends, Laurel had been a young woman living on the edge of poverty. Did she have no skills or was she simply in a pack that frowned upon female wolves doing much outside the house?
The old woman sat at the small table with a smile as Laurel looked around for something to give her.
She found a basket with a few fruits inside and offered it to the woman.
"As thanks."
The old woman shook her head, pushing the basket back towards her.
"You are too thin as it is! You should eat more."
Laurel smiled as her heart clenched with warmth. The old woman was strange, but she cared for Laurel.
The old woman shook her head and stood.
"Come for dinner sometimes, hm?" She said and stood.
"I should head back before I am missed."
Laurel walked her to the door, "Thank you. I will repay you someday."
The old woman waved her hand dismissively, "Don't be ridiculous, Laurel."
She left and Laurel closed the door behind her with a little chuckle.
She turned back to the small house and walked to the window looking to the backyard.
Flowers grew along the edge of the garden, fragrant blooms that filled the air with a gentle scent.
She smiled, amused at the laurel growing beside the small vegetable patch.
The house was neat and seemed to only house her and her father, yet it seemed he had not been home in quite some time.
She wondered when in time she had been returned and how long the war with the vampires had been going on this time. She shook her head.
The vampires, the war, and all the happenings of the court were no longer her concern.
She was Laurel, not Laura Hamiltion, the former luna. The thought comforted her as she crossed the small room to the
table to straighten the pile of papers. She didn't recognize the handwriting, but they were mostly from a Jack Miller.
Dearest Daughter...Laurel smiled and took the pages to the table to read. Jack Miller was her father's name, making her Laurel Miller.
There were at least twenty letters in the pile asking after Laurel's health and her daily life.
Her eyes burned at the warmth of his words.
I wish more than anything that I wasn't on the front lines. As soon as the vampires are subdued, I'll teach you how to hunt, just as I promise. In the meantime, l've asked Amanda to look after you.
Try not to cause her too much grief, my little mischief-maker.
Laurel figured the old woman was Amanda and she chuckled. She wondered what sort of mischief Laurel made.
His tone seemed teasing rather than scolding, so perhaps he was joking.
She really didn't know how to read it. Laura's father had been cold and distant since she manifested, but perhaps, she would learn more if she read the rest of the letters.
Be safe, my darling daughter. I pray every night for your safety. A young woman without her father must look after herself with great care. There is no telling what trouble could befall you.
Do not fear Lucas. You have my blessing to marry whomever you wish. Lucas may be the next alpha of the pack, but he is a coward and a deserter.
When I return, I will straighten him out for harassing you like this. Go stay with Amanda if you feel that he is a great threat to you.
Even he has some respect for the elderly.
She sniffled, touched and awed by Jack and his relationship with his daughter.
The guilt of knowing that his Laurel was gone from this world stung. Her parents had arranged her marriage for power and money regardless of Laura's happiness.
They did not need to marry her off in such a way except to sate their greed, but Jack, a man living on the very border of the kingdom seemingly with very little to his name, was allowing her to marry as she wished!
Her awe and envy warred within her before she set the letters aside. Jack's Laurel was dead, but she would be Laurel, take care of Jack in her stead, and enjoy the chance she had been given.
She folded the letters carefully and put them away before heading back into the forest to hunt.
The young woman who had died in the forest had not learned to hunt, but Laura had mastered hunting before she died. She ran through the forest with Alice, laughing as she ran through the forest as a brilliant white wolf and caught a few rabbits to cook and eat with some vegetables from the patch behind the house.
Sated and happy, she curled up in her little bed and thanked the goddess for her new life before slipping into a peaceful sleep.