11. Call

Zev's pov

I love Grace and Ethan, but they can be a bit overbearing sometimes. And she is just as intuitive as Raiden, always knowing when I’m not feeling well.

But I actually didn’t mind calling her this time. I had enough ammunition to get her to focus on her son, if I needed to.

Raiden called his mom to videocall, and she immediately picked up. “First of all, it’s really good to see you guys. Secondly, why don’t you text back?”

“We’re kind of busy, mom... It's not like we're just sitting around doing nothing.” Raiden replied. I didn’t realize we both weren’t texting her back as frequently as we normally do.

“Busy sleeping with every girl there?” Grace replied, raising her eyebrow at me.

“Well, actually.” I teased Raiden. “He just cancelled a date to call you.”

“Then there really must be something wrong.” Grace said, giving me a knowing wink.

He rolled my eyes at me, “and he’s seeing someone.”

“I’m not!” Maybe I protested a bit too much, because Grace giggled at the two of us.

“Who is the lucky lady?” She asked with a big smile on her face.

“She’s called Atalanta.” Raiden started.

I shook my head, “but Raiden calls her our little mouse.”

“Our, you say?” Our Luna teased. “So that’s why you’re so busy. Tell me all about her.”

“Well, Raiden has been buying her meals. He thinks she’s too skinny.” I said. If he’s going to throw me under the bus, I’ll gladly return the favor.

“And Zev has been tutoring her and saving her from me. She's really easy to rile up.” Raiden added. “And I heard him saying her name in his sleep.”

“Did not!” What the hell!

Raiden had a smirk on his face, letting me know he had lied on purpose. Dickhead.

Grace giggled. “Goddess, I miss you boys. Joy isn’t much of a joy lately. Don’t tell your sister, but I preferred it when you two were teenagers. Not that you’re not teenagers anymore, at least for a few months. But you know what I mean. She’s crying. She wants to stay in bed all day. She got her period yesterday, and it’s been hell to pay for everyone near her.”

“Did not need to know that.” Raiden said, sighing heavily.

“It’s natural.” Grace rolled her eyes at the screen. “Your mate will have them too, and she will need your understanding and patience. And chocolate. Lots of chocolates.”

“I’ll remember that.” Raiden said. “Is that all? Or did something else happen?” That’s why he’s the Alpha heir, always making sure the pack is running smoothly even when he’s not there.

Grace sighed, “just some unrest. Nothing you have to worry about yet. But it makes me miss you two. I’m glad you’re in Ardale; at least I don’t have to worry about you there.”

“Yet you still do.” I said. I knew Grace would always worry about her kids, and that included me.

“Yet I do, sweet boy. Now, I won’t keep you any longer, but promise me you’ll text back once in a while and call? For your old mother’s sanity.”

Ethan snuck his arms around Grace, “you’re not that old... Hi boys.” His face was buried in her neck.

"Okay, on that note, we’re hanging up!” Raiden quickly said, his finger hovering over the “end call” button.

“O, and if you ever want to take Atalanta back here during a break, -“ He hung up before she could say more, because his dad was starting to kiss his mom’s neck. Nope, that’s too much for the both of us.

“They’re so gross.” Raiden sighed.

“That could have been you if you didn’t cancel your date with Lisa. You could have just asked her to wait. That call barely took fifteen minutes.”

“I wasn’t in the mood.” Raiden said. “She talks too much.”

“O, you like them quiet now? Like a mouse?” I teased. He thought he was so good at annoying me, but two can play his stupid game.

Raiden plopped down on his bed, “no, I like them loud in the sack and very vocal. Dirty talk is awesome, Zev. If only you knew... But she asks too many questions. I just wanted to eat in peace.”

“Sure….” There is a lot of nonsense coming out of Raiden’s mouth right now.

“Just say it, Zev.” Raiden said, looking at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. Was he angry?

Should I tell him what I really think? We’ve always been honest with each other. But what if he actually agreed with me? Alphas don’t share; we all know that.

She isn't mine anyway, and she will never be. I have a plan, and I'm sticking to it. 

“I think you would rather have Atalanta in your bed than Lisa.” 

Raiden scoffed, “that skinny mouse? No, way.”

“Whatever you say, Rai.”

Raiden got up and grabbed his phone, “okay, then I’ll just proof it to you. You’d better start packing for the library, because Lisa is coming over.”

Who was he proving something to? Me? Because I didn’t really care either way. It wasn’t like I liked Atalanta. I barely knew her. I had helped her study once. It wouldn’t hurt me if he did like Atalanta or simply wanted to sleep with her.

I think.

Ugh, I don’t know. Maybe a tiny bit.

I grabbed my stuff, dressed in my sweatpants and shirt, and headed to the library. At least I would be able to finish my homework; the time I had spent helping Atalanta meant time that I couldn’t spend on my own stuff.

If she knew that, she’d probably never let me help again.

As soon as I walked in, I spotted a note at the same spot where the first note was. Did she give my letter back anyway?

“Hi, I have been having a few tough days as well. I hope you’re feeling better. My mother and I aren’t close, but it sounds like you and your mother had a very special relationship. Well, this is probably goodbye. So goodbye.”

I chuckled at the last line. It wasn’t necessary to leave another note. My note could have been the end of our conversation through notes. But the person sounded sad, and since they wanted to help me, I guess I felt like I should help them too.

“Hi, kind stranger. I’m sorry you’re having a rough time here. Are you a new student? If so, let me reassure you; things will get easier. The first few weeks are always hard. If you’re not a new student, then ignore my previous advice. Apparently, in some cases, it just stays hard.

My tough days come and go. When I feel like the darkness is clouding my mind, I try to focus on the fact that it never lasts. Nothing lasts forever; everything is temporary, including pain, sadness, and whatever else you're feeling. My mom taught me that, actually. 

Can I ask why you and your mother don’t get along? If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine. There are some things I don't talk about with anyone, not even my best friend.

Well, this note became a bit longer than I intended. But letter writing has always helped me when I feel down. So maybe it will do the same for you.”

Was it too much? Maybe. But that’s the nice thing about being anonymous. They can ignore my letter and never write back, or they can choose to write me back. It’s up to them.

It was actually nice to write something and get a reply back. All my letters to my mom will always be one-way conversations. I’ll never get to hear what she has to say or what she thinks.

It’s one of the things I miss most about her, actually. Her voice.

And her scent. She loved eating tangerines, and there would always be a few in the house. She’d peel them with her hands, and her hands would smell like fruit all day.

Dad would always bring tangerines home for her, knowing how much she loved them. While clementines are sweeter, mom liked that they were a bit tard.

I smiled, thinking of mom handing me a piece, “here, meri jaan [my life] eat.” She always wanted me to be healthy and eat lots of vitamins, even if we, as werewolves, hardly get sick.

She’d also force me to wear sunscreen, even though I’m brown.

“Beta, you might not burn like Raiden, but you still need to protect yourself.” She would say and slather the sunscreen on my skin.

It was her way of showing she loved me. Feeding me and making sure I was healthy and safe. She wouldn’t tell me she loved me as much as Grace does, but she had her own way of showing it.

The last time she did tell me she loved me...

No. I’m not going there right now. I am not going to ruin this day and probably my night by thinking of my mom’s death. That will only lead to nightmares.

I buried my head in the books, hoping Raiden would text me that it was safe to come back soon.

After I finished most of my homework, I finally got Raiden’s text, and I quickly grabbed everything and walked back to our room to see Lisa leave looking sleepy with wobbly legs.

“Hi, Zep.”

“Zev.”

“O, yeah. Well, good night, Zev.” She said, looking drunk. Apparently, really good sex can make you feel drunk, because it’s not the first woman who has come out of our room walking funny with a flushed face and a dreamy look in her eyes.

Maybe once the whole rejection of my mate was over, I’d ask Raiden for some pointers. If he kept the personal details to a minimum and just stuck to the dos and don'ts.

When I entered the room, Raiden lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling. This was usually when he would tell me everything that happened, and I would tell him to shut up and let me sleep.

“Goodnight, Zev.” Was all he said, and he turned his back to me and turned the light off on his side.

"Goodnight, Raiden."