Chapter 7 - Acceptance and Relocation

“I still don’t understand why you have to leave.” Kevin’s tears soaked my T-shirt and it felt like someone was squeezing my insides. The day had come. I had done as I promised and stayed until school was over. My grades were good and now my bags were packed.

“I’ve explained it to you kid, it’s a wolf thing. And it’s not like I’m disappearing forever. When I’m settled you can come to visit me as much as you want, but you have a good life here Kevin, safe and comfortable with friends and a strong pack that will look out for you.” I pushed him harder against my chest before releasing him and taking a step back.

“You have the phone I gave you right? I’ve programmed my number, I’m just a call or text away, okay?” He wiped his nose and eyes and nodded.

“A car will take you into town, if you want to take a bus or train later, it’s up to you, I’ve made sure you have money so you can decide for yourself.” The Alpha held out his hand and I took it for the shake, judge my surprise when he pulled me to him and gave me a hard, fatherly hug.

“You’re always welcome here James, never doubt that.” The Luna sobbed and hugged me too.

“Behave and stay out of trouble and if you’re missing something or there’s anything we can help you with, let me know right away, understood?” I nodded and hugged her back. I smiled at them all before turning and starting to walk towards the waiting car.

“James!..wait, James!” I turned back around just in time for Cathy to throw herself around my neck. Damn, I was hoping to avoid this parting...be strong James I told myself as Argus whined in my head. I inhaled deeply to keep her scent but I didn’t wrap my arms around her, the skin on her bare arms burned against my own, the sparks were there but I was the only one who felt them.

“James, I’m sorry, I don’t like the way things have been between us lately, I want us to part as friends, can we do that James?” She looked at me with teary red eyes and I couldn’t help but wipe away a tear that rolled down her cheek. I looked past her and could see that Mike was waiting some distance away, a mocking smile playing on his lips. I wasn’t going to do it at first, I had weighed the pros and cons for the past few weeks and decided not to, but when I saw that smug bastard like that, waiting for what was supposed to be mine I couldn’t stop myself.

“Cathy…look at me.” She responded to my calm friendly voice and had an expectant expression on her face, maybe she thought I was going to say that we were friends again, that what happened between us doesn’t matter anymore. Her teary red eyes drew me in, as they always did, her lower lip swollen from biting it and still trembling a little. Fuck… how cute she was and how I wish the future could look different. But this is how it had to be. Cathy and I...if the Goddess ever made a mistake, we were one. A pairing that should never have happened, hopefully, we’ll both get a second chance, otherwise maybe we can find something that can at least bring us some happiness, but it will have to be on our own. I licked my lips and cleared my throat, swallowed a few times to moisten it, and then I took a deep breath and did what I never thought I would do.

”I James Barrett, son of the late Alpha Barrett of the Sunset pack, heir to the same accept your rejection and also reject you Cathy Wright, Daughter of Alpha Wright of the Great Falls pack.” I might as well have punched her in the stomach, I could hear the air go out of her and I could see the pain and confusion in her eyes. Sure, her wolf wasn’t developed yet, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. I turned and jumped into the car, in the rearview mirror I could see her fall to the ground and Mike rushed over to comfort her.

The alpha couple weren’t kidding when they said they made sure I had money. They had given me a checking account with associated credit cards and deposited a considerable amount of money, enough so that I could pay the deposit for a small apartment in a quiet area and still have food on the table while I looked for a job.

I chose to settle in a town about four hours by car from Great Falls. It was far enough away that I wouldn’t run into anyone from the pack, but close enough that Kevin could catch a bus if he wanted to see me. It was harder than I thought to leave him, some might think it was a relief to be free of their clingy little brother, but not me, not Argus either. He had always been my responsibility, I had always looked out for him, ever since he was big enough to take the blows of our father...my father.

I wasn’t sorry he was dead, if the bloodsuckers hadn’t killed him I probably would have done it myself eventually. On the other hand, I missed my mother and the rest of the pack. My friends, were the ones who would one day take over with me. I and the guys used to fantasize about how it would be, how we would train and become a stronger pack, a warrior pack exactly like Great Falls. I would have a strong Luna, one appointed by the Goddess. I would never take a chosen mate like my father did.

“Do you know how hard it is to find one true mate? It’s like one in a million.” One of my buddies, Andy, rolled his eyes at my fantasies.

“So, then I’ll just make sure to meet a million girls, and make sure to have fun in the process.” I wiggled my eyebrows and we laughed. Andy was the son of my father’s beta and the one I’d chosen to be my beta when the day came. Not just because he had it in his blood, no, he was loyal to both me and pack members. He was fair, warm-hearted, good at all subjects in school and almost as strong as me, but only almost. I had missed him during training in Great Falls, they had a completely different way of training, it was close combat and brute strength while we worked more on agility and sneak attacks. Not that it helped when it really mattered. My father had become lax about training, rarely participating himself and dragging the other ranking members down with him. I had seen it but probably didn’t fully understand it as young as I was. Some glints had come from those in the pack who were in their late teens. “Are you going to follow in Dad’s footsteps and choose the bottle before the pack or are you going to make sure you do something with your legacy?” It didn’t get any worse than that, they were too cautious, too scared. An Alpha, even a bad one, is still an Alpha with the power and strength to destroy you.

The training was held by the warriors and they had no experience in such a thing, nor did they have the authority to engage the pack either. I squeezed my eyes shut to try to stop the bloody images I knew would pop into my mind. Memories of the night our pack fell victim to the vampires. Argus grumbled a bit in my head before taking it upon himself to try to cheer me up. Pictures of quiet forests, the feeling of moss under your paws. “So, you fancy a run? " A happy howl was the answer I got. "I promise, we’ll go out and check out the area as soon as we get settled, we don’t want to become targets for the bloodsuckers, not for the hunters either for that matter.” The hunters, I had never encountered any and neither our old pack nor Great Falls seemed to have a problem with them. But they were out there. People with knowledge of our existence, people sworn to exterminate us. Luckily, it was hard to find us unless we were caught in the act when we were wolves. We could pass as ordinary people but not as ordinary wolves. We were more than twice the size.

I put down the bags with my last purchases for the apartment. I had never directly decorated anything before and apart from the things you must have, bed, sofa, TV and kitchen furniture, I had tried to pick up a couple of rugs, curtains and a couple of green potted plants. So, tonight’s project is to make the apartment echo less.