Fallon
My books seemed to grow heavier and heavier the further I walked through campus. I shouldn’t be struggling so much but my wolf was pouting and refusing to lend me any of her strength while I adjusted the straps of my bag on my shoulder, trying not to drop my stack of textbooks in the process.
Please Lenora, I silently begged. Just help me get to the dorm and I promise we will run tonight.
I felt my wolf guff in my chest but she stopped blocking herself from my mind and I felt the strength returning to my exhausted muscles. Completing dual medical degrees as a regular human would probably be impossible in a single lifetime, let alone before the age of thirty but I was only a year away from graduating as both a traditional MD and a Veterinary MD. Graduating meant starting a new life free from my former pack and the endless wars that had plagued the area for as long as I could remember.
I wasn’t a particularly good fighter, though I could hold my own if needed. I was much better at healing, at compassion and understanding. After my parents were killed during a battle with a rival pack when I was fifteen, my former alpha had hidden me in this small human town. He helped me find a family who knew about my situation to take me in and had been secretly helping me get through school ever since. I owed it to him and my parents to do well so their sacrifices were not in vain.
As if he knew I was thinking of him, my phone buzzed in my pocket and I shifted my books from one hand to another so I could answer Alpha Simon’s call.
“Alpha, how are you?” I said. I couldn’t help my small smile at the sound of his voice on the other end of the call. I did not get to speak to him often which made me appreciate the time he was able to get away from his beta all the more valuable.
“I am well, Fallon. How were your finals?” he said.
Ever the concerned parent, my wolf said though not unkindly. She missed being a part of the pack and the companionship that came with it. Living as a lone wolf was much harder than I thought it would be. Being a member of a pack meant a level of emotional support that I did not realize I would lose when Alpha Simon took me away.
“They’ve been good so far,” I said. I had aced them all of course but I didn’t want to boast too much. “I have one more tomorrow afternoon then I get a break for a couple of weeks before the summer semester starts.”
“That is excellent to hear!” Alpha Simon said. “And how is your wolf doing? Are you able to run regularly?”
I hesitated. It had been a little more than two months since I let Lenora shift and run through the woods but between studying for my final exams and the uptick in violence among the packs, I hadn’t really been nurturing my wolf side. Hence, Lenora’s petty mood.
“It’s been a few weeks, but I was planning to shift tonight,” I said finally.
“Good…good.” Alpha Simon said. “Make sure you stick to the southern territory. Kaden told me there has been movement from one of the other packs around the lakes.”
My stomach turned at the sound of Alpha Simon’s beta’s name. Kaden was Simon’s son and therefore next in line to take over the pack when Simon decided he was ready to hand him the Alpha title. Kaden was the real reason Simon had hidden me with humans. Kaden was the reason I wanted to get far away from this world. Someday I would find a new pack far, far away from here but until then, I couldn’t let my guard down for a minute.
“I will, I promise.” I assured Alpha Simon. “I will call you after my exam tomorrow. Maybe we can visit together while I’m on break.”
“I will try Fallon.” Alpha Simon said with a sigh. “I would like to see my bonus daughter before she runs off to save all of were-kind.”
I laughed slightly. My father had been Alpha Simon’s beta and best friend. He had always been a part of my life and I loved him dearly. My heart wrenched at the thought of never seeing him again but that was what finding a new pack might require. I hated what that choice meant. Saving myself but at the cost of losing the only person who was still family to me.
“You sound tired,” I said. “Are you sure everything is alright?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Alpha Simon said. “I’m getting too old for these endless wars but it’s nothing a good night's sleep can’t fix. Get some rest Fallon and let your wolf out for a run tonight. I will make sure my patrols stay far away from your school so you have nothing to worry about.”
I bit my lip to keep from arguing with Alpha Simon further. He was not being fully honest with me. He sounded more than tired. He must be completely exhausted and stressed which meant that Kaden would be taking over soon while his father joined the council of elders. I just needed him to hold on one more year while I finished school. Then I could take him to the elders and they would assign me a pack. Everything would be okay. It had to be.
“You get some rest too,” I told him. “Unless you want me to come up there with a sedative.” It was an empty threat and I knew he knew that but it was enough to get a chuckle from him.
“Alright, alright. I promise to take it easy. I’ll talk to you tomorrow kiddo.” He hung up and I shoved my phone back into my pocket.
Even Alpha wants us to run Lenora said.
I know, I know. I made you a promise and I don’t plan to back out on that.
I checked my watch as I continued toward my dorm. I still had a few hours before it would be dark enough to go for a run. Plenty of time to review my anatomy notes before tomorrow’s exam and maybe even allow myself a short nap.
Thank goodness my exam wasn’t until two o’clock tomorrow, so I didn’t have to worry about not being rested enough.
