Finding the Wolf Within

Chapter 12

With the morning came plenty of sunshine. It was the perfect day for football, not that I really knew what to expect at the game. I had woken up later than usual, which wasn’t surprising considering my state of mind last night. After a quick shower, I threw on a hoodie and jeans and went downstairs to scrounge up some breakfast. My dad was in the kitchen making coffee when I came in.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?,” he asked.

“I’m fine. I can’t say I got the best sleep last night, but I’ll be okay. I think I just need some time to get used to everything that’s happened.”

“I know your mom and I may not be the first people you want to go to to talk, but remember that we’re here for you.”

“I know, dad. Thanks.”

“I talked to the Alpha last night and he said to stop by tomorrow afternoon, okay." 

“Uhh…sure.”

I didn’t want to tell the Alpha without first letting Eddie know. It felt wrong somehow, to keep secrets from him. He was already a friend, and he was quickly becoming more important to me than that. Besides, he had a right to know what his mate was capable of, what danger she would likely drag him into. While the possibility was high that nothing bad would come of Lindy’s and my abilities, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Perhaps it wasn’t anything, perhaps I was just overreacting following Lindy’s and my parents’ reactions, but if I ever felt the desperate need to trust my instincts, this was it. It was almost as if the past week, all of the revelations and worries, the anxiety and happenings, was just the lead up to a major shift in the path of my life. Maybe not tomorrow or even next week or next month, but I could feel something stirring in the air, and it wasn’t good.

But I didn’t let my parents in on my concerns. My mom joined us in the kitchen and we continued to make small talk for a while. It was nice, normal, peaceful and I didn’t want to ruin the moment with something that could likely end up being nothing. I felt truly alone for the first time in my life at that moment. I could feel the weight of all of my secrets, all of my unease, growing heavier and heavier but I couldn’t, wouldn’t burden others with it. Not yet. Not when the here and now was as close to perfect as it could be.

So I spent the rest of the morning getting my homework for Monday done. Kind of sad I know, but I figured I would do it early in case something came up tomorrow after meeting with the Alpha. Which, considering how my life was going right now, wouldn’t be all that surprising.

Matt and Lindy came to pick me up at noon and we ended up having a good time at lunch. I could almost believe that everything was normal, that this week hadn’t happened, that I was still a carefree teenager. But of course, every so often I would catch Lindy looking at me worriedly and I was immediately brought back to my current reality.

“Matt, I have to tell you a secret and you have to promise not to tell anyone else, okay?”

“Duh, Ceci. You know I would never do that.”

“I know, I know,” I replied. “So I found out that I have a gift.”

“Seriously?!”

“Yea – it’s actually the same ability as Lindy’s.”

“Whoa, really? That’s weird. I didn’t think it was possible to have two weres from the same pack with the same gift.” He paused and added, “But it’s still cool! Although I have a feeling I’ll get annoyed when the two of you start having conversations with random animals. I already feel left out when Lindy does it.”

“Haha – I’m looking forward to that. But yea, it was a huge shock to me. I definitely freaked out when I first heard voices while I was in the woods. Since I have yet to go on a run with your guys, I didn’t even have Lindy’s experience to guide me.”