Hidden Fox

Seven

"A!" Amythest called excitedly as I made my way to sit across from her at the dining table. It had been over a day since my parents and siblings left to drive back to Utah, and Emerald's daughter seemed to finally be warming up to me. She reminded me — almost painfully — of May.

The farewells had been emotional, with the most dramatic of them all coming from my sister. I said goodbye to May last, knowing it might end like that. The second I let go of August, she flung herself at me, securing her thin legs and arms around me in an attempt to stay with me as long as possible. I had to physically untangle her with my hands before I could crouch down and properly hug her goodbye. Seeing her cry over me was the most heartbreaking thing I had ever had to endure, and when I pictured it now, I nearly choked up again.

Pushing it down with a hard swallow, I acknowledged the four year old with as bright of a smile that I could muster. "Hey kid, you miss me?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, standing on her chair with her hands on the table to lean herself forward. "Cook's making your favorite: waffles!"

I chuckled, surprised she remembered when I had mentioned it a few days back. Taking my seat, I folded my napkin across my lap. Across from me, Ames was tugged down by her waist to sit on her booster seat. River, sitting next to her, sternly reminded her she needed to stay sitting when we were at the table. She pouted, but didn't protest.

Within moments, several omegas appeared with our plates, placing them in front of us. My mouth started watering the second the plate was in view and the steam could billow up to my face.

"You nervous?" Emerald asked me from the left of River. I could tell she was trying not to eye me when she started eating, but she failed miserably as her eyes darted to all my anxious habits.

I shrugged, "I guess a little."

She smiled knowingly, "It'll be great, you'll see." I finally took a bite of my waffle, my jittering nerves giving me less of an appetite but not enough to resist the smell of my favorite breakfast in front of me. "There are several packs that attend the university."

"I thought most wolves didn't pursue education farther than high school or a GED?"

River shrugged, not really looking at me while he was occupied offering a bite of cut-up waffle to his daughter. "It depends on the wolf, and sometimes even on the pack. The majority of wolves you meet will be studying to become pack doctors, but you'd be surprised how many just want to have a degree."

I think that was the most words he had spoken to me. I could never read him, and sometimes I almost felt I wasn't as welcome here as Emerald had been making me feel. But maybe he was just quiet, a trait not seen in many wolves with his status.

"Interesting." Was the only response I could think of to the information he had shared. I forced another forkful of food into my mouth, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach screaming for me to stop it. It was just anxiety about a first day in a new place, and it didn't help that I had taken off over a year after high school.

"Do you need a ride or anything?" Emerald asked.

"Or you could borrow one of the cars from the garage." Her mate offered.

I raised my eyebrows, not expecting to have this much trust here already from him to feel like he could let me drive one of his pack's vehicles.

Thinking about it for a moment, I decided not to take him up on that yet. "Thank you both, but I think I could walk. At least while it stays warm; it will give me time to think before I arrive." I supposed that could have sounded strange, but I wanted to mentally prepare before the inevitability of running into wolves I didn't know. And humans too.