New Day, New Turmoil

ARI

For a cruel day, the weather is perfect.

The cold air hit my skin and I exhale, feeling the weight of my circumstances heavy on my shoulders. I have never considered this to be my home, but the view on my balcony of my bedroom is so beautiful. The vast green rolling fields before a forest line breaks it is so perfect.

I sigh when I scent the pancakes that mother is making me for my eighteenth birthday. Every wolf looks forward to this day, the mark day when they will meet their mate.

I hear my mother coming in and I slip in my bedroom, jumping in bed and pretending to be still asleep. I am determined to avoid any confrontation today if I can and being absent until I am off to the new school.

The thought of the new school makes me nervous but I will myself to be calm when I hear my mom turning the knob to my room.

“Honey, wake up. It’s a new beautiful day,” she goes straight to the window and draws the curtain and comes to sit beside me.

“I know you are awake, so stop hiding from me,” she cajoles gently and I groan and propping myself up on the pillows.

“There is nothing beautiful about this day mom, I just want to sleep in and make it go away.”

She chuckles, tucking my blond hair behind my ear. “You are on the cusp of meeting lin again, and then your mate. It’s something to be happy about.”

“We both know lin is not coming again, she disappeared. And my mate died,” I whisper, feeling tears prickling at the back of my eyes.

I shifted when I was nine, very early for any wolf to shift. Then tragedy hit and lin, my wolf, disappeared. Everywhere we go for help, they say it’s because of the pain I went through. That the only person who can make lin come back again is me. I feel less and less every day when lin is not around, and today is especially hard.

“Oh Ari, no,” my mom takes my arm. “Your wolf, lin might have manifested when you were so young but that’s because you are an alpha female. It’s not that she won’t come back, she will. We were told she will,” my mom’s comforting voice and optimism makes me feel a little better.

She partly feels responsible and I want to assure her that it’s not her fault but I don’t know how to. Speaking about the painful past now seems like opening a wound that has already healed.

“It’s fine, I have heard of many wolfless werewolves. It’s not a big anomaly. What I will do is be positive, because I don’t want you to be sad about my problems,” I speak in a cheery tone and she sighs.

“You don’t have to be so brave and strong for my sake; you are my child. You can tell me how you truly feel.”

No I can’t.

If there is one thing I have come to make sure is not make my mom sad or hurt. It doesn’t matter how, but I have always made sure to make her happy and see that things will be okay. That’s why I am so happy that Mr. Parker is with her and keeps her happy and loved, especially when I am not around.

“I made you birthday pancakes, so when you shower, come downstairs.”

I nod and smile at her as she leaves my room.

When she leaves, I plop on the bed again, staring at the ceiling, nervous about the second thing in the list of problems today. I am attending a new school in my senior year and I am more nervous than anything because the king of that school, is Mr Parker’s son, Zade.

The prince of Bloodhound pack and future king alpha. Everyone knows who he is, and even though my mother is a second chance mate to his father, we have never met nor fraternized. It is not a secret that he hates my mother and i.

Its going to take a lot for me to adjust in the school, because getting in the last year in a school that the students have all grown up together will be hard to be accepted. I just need to be a wallflower, stay lowlekey and not attract any attention to me, until I am done then I can leave this pack.

And most importantly, stay away from Zade Parker.

My mom and Mr. Parker are all seated at the dining table when I get downstairs, the two servants who serve us food standing patiently at the side for us to have breakfast.

My chair is drawn and when I sit down, I inhale the pancakes that are leaded with strawberry and cream infront of me.

“Yum! You made it look like cake mom,” I laugh and Mr.Parker laughs holding my mom’s hand.

“Well, I know you are a fan of cake but since you didn’t want one, I had to improvise,” her smile crinkles the sides of her eyes. “Do you like it?”

I take a small bite in my fork and the sugary taste explodes in my mouth,” it’s so good, thank you mom,” I tabk her smiling.

She nods her head, and looks at me as I eat. She is the most beautiful woman in the whole world, and I know Mr.Parker thinks so too because of how he never seems to be able to keep his eyes off her.

“We will take you to school, see you off and spend  a little more time together,” my mom holds my hand across the table.

“I could go alone, it’s not a problem, I don’t want to inconvenient you or Mr. Parker. He is already so generous for enrolling me in the school.”

“It’s not an inconvenient, and you are my family, Ari. You don’t have to formally address me,” Mr. Parker says with a kind smile.

The king alpha, Mr. parker has been more than generous towards me and my mother and even though I will never tell my mom, I never touch the money he has set in my account, or any of the perks of having a king alpha as your mother’s mate.

Ever since my mom and I became part of his family, he has been like a father to me. He has schooled me and ensured that I am comfortable, and a legacy like he is. He has made my mom his Luna and his queen, of the whole of west continent.

He is basically the royalty and we were officially made royalty into the new world. He rules over strong powerful packs that his name is known all over the world, because of how fierce and a powerful alpha king he is. His son is following his footsteps by establishing his name and power all over as the future king alpha.

“So, are you ready for the new school? Everyone there is from well-known packs, top students and the legacies study there too. You will fit in so perfectly with your top grades, your impeccable skills and if anything goes wrong, let me know and I will smooth it over. I want you to have a good time and live a happy life,” Mr. Parker tells me.

The legacies are the five original families of werewolf race who are considered the royalty. Each family has branched of and has its own packs, all over the world, like a family tree. To say they make me uncomfortable is an understatement.

Nodding, I force a smile and take a drink.

“I will do my best, I won’t let you both down. But I don’t want to raise your hopes in terms of a mate, because the school already knows I am wolfless, I don’t think anyone can accept me with that defect.”

“I am the alpha king, and whoever dares call you wolfless or try to touch hair on your head, I will deal with them. And you are not wolfless as you will still continue getting the help you need; we will be with you and support you all the time,” Mr. Parker affirms me so fiercely that I feel a flicker of emotion. I remember of my own father and that makes me get a little teary.

He sees it and so does my mom, who leans on him in comfort.

“Aw my baby, I will never let you go through anything alone. We have Jacob with us now. We are safe.”

I nod, allowing Mr.Parker see the gratitude in my eyes and he nods.

Time to go to the new school and see what awaits me.