Homecoming

Kai’s POV:

I started the car and checked the time on my wristwatch— 11:45 AM. I still had plenty of time; the engine vibrated softly as I turned the wheel, backing out of the driveway. 

A notification from the navigation app popped up on the dashboard, but I declined it with a quick swipe. 

I didn’t need an app to get around this city, I knew it like the back of my hand. This was my territory, even though we had been living halfway across the world, in Cape Town, until last week. 

My jaw clenched as I thought about our sudden move here. I would’ve stayed in Cape Town with Fynn and Mom, if it wasn’t for him… Alpha Griffin. 

My knuckles started to turn white as I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, trying to keep my focus on the road ahead.

My father, Alpha Griffin Maddox– the world knows him as the former Alpha of the pack. 

But we know him as the drunkard and philanderer he really is, because he was the reason we had left our Azuremist pack in the first place. 

Ten years ago, when Mom finally had enough of his drinking, cheating and gambling, she decided to move out of Camden Falls, taking me and my brother. With nothing but the hope to give us a better life, without the influence of a narcissistic father. 

After all, an Alpha status didn't mean shit when our dear dad couldn’t even keep his own house in order. And as it turned out, our mom had made the correct choice after all– because instead of using the last decade to fix himself, he had just made things worse.

He had used this as an excuse to sink deeper into his vices, and our whole pack was suffering for it. 

I shook my head, trying to breathe through the anger building up inside me. The pack administration had fallen to the wayside years ago, but in the last few months, the pack boundaries had been falling apart, rogue attacks were happening more often, and enemy packs were circling us like vultures. 

All this, because the great Alpha Griffin had happily neglected his duties. And now, he had taken to bed– sick and weak because of the toll that his lifestyle had taken on his aging body. 

If it wasn’t for Beta Nobu, the man who was practically like an uncle to me and  Fynn, I probably wouldn’t even be back to see him on his deathbed. 

But when Nobu called and said that the pack was on the brink of destruction, we couldn’t ignore the call of duty…

Just then, my phone rang, breaking through my thoughts. Fynn’s name flashed on the screen.  

“Hey, I’m almost there.” 

“And as expected, you didn’t wait for the driver, did you?” 

My brother's annoyed tone rang over the speakers, and I smirked with pleasure.

“Nope! I’m not one to wait around.”

“Or follow the plan!” 

Fynn added agitatedly, making my smile widen. 

“That too!”

He sighed. 

“Fine. Since you have already left, then I will join you in a few hours. I have some things to handle at the pack.”

“Okay, I'll see you there.” 

“Yeah." 

I cut the call, shaking my head. 

Fynn had always been the type to follow the rules; he preferred to do things the way they were supposed to be done. On the other hand, I have always believed that sometimes, rules needed bending– especially when they were holding you back.  

I pressed the accelerator, and my car obediently responded with a low growl, cruising smoothly down the road. 

I hadn’t thought about it much since we left Cape Town, but there was no doubt that life had been much easier and carefree over there. No one knew of our werewolf identity; and that was definitely a bonus, as well as something we had to be careful about. 

Both Fynn and I were free to choose our own paths; despite knowing that one day, we would have to return to Camden Falls. Mum had always taught us that we needed to take on the responsibility we were born to fulfill– but not like this, not so soon, and definitely not under these conditions!

But matter how much I tried, I couldn’t change the past. The need of the hour was for us to set things right, rebuild our family's reputation, and restore the pack to what it once used to be. 

Of course, managing the pack’s affairs while also having a full-time job as a professor was going to be tricky. But Fynn and I have always loved a good challenge!

I knew that our approaches may be different, and we might not see eye-to-eye on many things. But as long as I had my brother with me, we could face anything life threw at us. 

As I pulled into the parking lot of Northfield College, I found a good parking space near the back. I cut the engine and stepped out, locking the car behind me as I walked toward the main building.

I glanced at my watch– there were still five minutes to twelve, which means the break wouldn’t be over yet. It was my first lecture at this new college, and I wanted everything to go smoothly. 

I walked into the corridor, expecting the usual flow of students trickling back to their classes, but instead, I was met with a crowd. 

A lot of students had gathered there, huddled in clusters, lingering in the hallway like waiting for something to happen. 

Something was definitely up.

Before I could figure it out though, my gaze locked with a pair of brilliant green eyes. And at the moment, the owner of those eyes was marching towards me like she was going to battle.

I didn’t even have time to react before she was stopped directly in front of me, blocking my path. 

“Sorry.”

Sorry? For what? I was about to ask this wonderful question, when she grabbed me by my tie and pulled me down to her level. 

Her lips crashed against mine—soft, urgent, and completely unexpected, overwhelming me with a sweet, strawberry scent. 

What the—?

Just as abruptly as she had kissed me, she pulled away and turned, walking off without another word… disappearing into the crowd as if nothing had happened.

The sharp ring of the bell snapped me out of my thoughts, and that's when I realized– I had been standing there like an idiot, while students rushed past me to get to their classes.

What the hell just happened? 

Who was she? She didn’t even tell me her name, or anything about her…

That pair of eyes was all I had seen– set in a face that was almost too perfect, offset only by the hint of anger in her expression.

‘Kai, what are you thinking?’ I scolded myself. ‘She is a student, and kissing a student is very, very wrong. Hell, I can get my contract terminated for something like that!’

Not to mention, the pack couldn’t afford any more scandals. 

I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair. 

And in any case, I didn't want to be like my dad. I had to wait for my mate, at any cost.