Together again

Amy's POV “Wake up Ams, we’re going to be late! Get your ass off the bed right this instant!” my best friend Greta shouted enthusiastically after brutally ripping off my duvet. “And I want you to drive us there in your sexy red monster.” She purred after opening the curtains to let the sun in. “I swear to the Goddess, one day I will drive over your body with my monster if you won’t leave me alone.” I groaned, hiding my head under the pillow. As much as I wanted to steal a few more minutes of precious sleep, I knew what her next step of torture would be, so I sat up abruptly and grabbed my pillow. Using my werewolf's strength, I threw it in the direction her voice had come from. The lack of an ‘oomph’ sound was a bit strange, but with my eyes still not fully open, I didn’t care. “For a werewolf, you have no aim, sweets. Are you sure you really are one?” She laughed, confusing me. Blinking a few times, I finally opened my eyes and looked around the room. I saw my pillow on the floor near the window and Greta standing at the opposite side of our room, leaning smugly against the wall beside our door. Yeah, I should probably work on my hearing more than aiming, because the pillow landed right on the spot where I thought she was standing. My facial expression made her laugh hard, bending over and clutching her stomach, which made me groan in frustration. Ignoring her presence, I hopped out of my warm bed, grabbed the cosmetics bag from my desk and walked out of the room with a huff. “By the way, some hottie named Jaden asked for your number at yesterday’s party.” She teased between laughs. I halted my steps and turned around to send her my best scrutinizing gaze, which caused her lips to form a mischievous smirk in response. Ignoring her comment, I proceeded toward my task, which was taking a well-needed shower before another ‘Med Bitches’ occupied the bathroom for hours. Shaking my head at the mention of Jaden, I turned left and entered the bathroom. After locking the door, I sighed, thinking of the man I had so desperately avoided for the last 6 months. Placing my bag on the counter beside the sink, I turned on the shower and looked at my reflection, waiting for the water to heat up. What I saw made me smile. I was not a little girl anymore. I was taller, toned, and had finally gained my sexy curves, making me look like a woman. My long strawberry-blond hair was shorter, reaching my shoulders instead of my waist. Not only had my appearance changed, but my personality had changed as well. I wasn’t the shy and timid girl who left her pack two years ago. I was more mature, more focused on what I wanted, and definitely a woman who knew her worth. And it had all happened thanks to my new best friend. I met Greta the first day I arrived on campus, a sad little girl with puffy eyes after crying my heart out during the whole trip. The moment I walked into my room and my eyes landed on the kissing couple occupying one of the beds, I was sure this wouldn’t work. How wrong I was. Her personality screamed fun from miles away. She was the life of the party, a free spirit and a huge flirt. I couldn’t even count the number of guys she bedded. Despite our differences, we bonded almost immediately over our common interests. Fast cars and medicine. We had the same goal: to become the best doctors for our packs and we both enjoyed riding in sexy, purring monsters. Two years of knowing this unpredictable girl and her motto had been engraved in my mind for the rest of my life. ‘Live while you can; regrets come later.’ And that’s what I did. I had lived, not as fully as Greta but almost. She was part Icelandic, part American and all her roots screamed fun. And at that point of my life, that was what I craved the most. To have some fun. Focused on learning non-stop, I would have become a nun in my social life, with no boyfriends, no dates, still a virgin. But one night, after agreeing to accompany her to a party, everything changed. I started to laugh more, flirt a little, and built my confidence to become who I was today. Today, I promised Greta to let loose. What better way to celebrate my graduation than being free and reckless for once? When hot steam filled the small room and the mirror got foggy, I quickly undressed and stepped in to take a quick shower. With at least eight more girls on our floor, the time here was limited. Oh, how I missed my room and my own bathroom in my pack. In just a few days, I could finally go home, bask in the glory of my uninterrupted baths and, most importantly, start my practice. After a shower, which was interrupted by loud banging and shouts to hurry up, I walked back to my room to start my preparations for the upcoming event. But, of course, my best friend wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t greet me with two large margaritas in her hands and a grin from ear to ear. “For the best doctor of the year and almost an adult, ready to meet her wolf and find her mate!” She toasted and handed me my glass. Wrapped up in the huge towel and slightly wet hair, I shook my head at her and took the glass, clicking it with hers. I smiled and downed the glass in only a few gulps. The sour taste with a hint of sweetness hit my taste buds and instantly my face contorted into a frown. The salt rim should balance the taste, but my best friend had one flaw. She couldn’t prepare a proper drink. It was always too strong, too sweet, or too salt and sour. When her words finally hit me and my expression turned to sadness, she hurriedly put our glasses down on the desk and grabbed my hands in a soothing way. “You’ll find him, and you’ll be happy, trust me.” She comforted me with a small smile and I nodded at her words. She knew everything about me. And I mean everything, even or maybe especially about my long-time crush on my new Beta and my futile attempts to forget about him. He was still the reason for my limits going forward with other guys. I promised myself that I would give all my ‘firsts’ to my mate. And deep down, I was hoping for him to be the one. After a moment of sadness, I rushed to finally dress up, remembering where I had to be in less than an hour. We both dressed in fifteen minutes and I let Greta do my makeup. She loved to play with cosmetics. Let’s face it, she was way better at that s**t than me. Besides basic mascara, eyeliner, and lipgloss, I had no idea how to use that stuff. Both ready, we stood in front of the mirror to admire her work. She went with natural makeup with a black eyeliner accent, making my eyes the center of attention. It was simple yet stunning. I had chosen a deep green A-framed dress with a straight wide-cut neckline, long sleeves, a fitting top, and a layered skirt that ended mid-thigh. With my hair loose and black stilettos, I looked elegant yet sexy. Greta had picked a red laser-cut short cocktail dress with a fitted sleeveless bodice, plunging v-neckline and spaghetti straps, leaving her back open with a flared and pleated skirt. It perfectly matched her long thick honey-blond hair and blue eyes. She finished her outfit with black strappy heels and light makeup, except for the glittery red lipstick that gave her a bold look. We both gasped at our reflections, twirling around to see the entire work of art. We looked good. More than good actually; we looked stunning. But with no time to waste, we had to cut the moment short and stick to the plan. “It’s time to ride our sexy asses in that sexy monster of yours!” Greta hollered, smacking my butt and walking out of our room with a sexy sway of her hips. Chuckling, I grabbed my car keys and joined her in the corridor. She was addicted to my ‘monster’, as she called it, and never missed the opportunity to ride shotgun. Monster was a birthday gift I received last year from my fathers. They had come here for a short trip and gave me the shining new red camaro that was the talk of the week on the entire campus. That was the first time I was noticed by the crowd. But nothing could beat the expression on Greta’s face when she saw my fathers. I think she actually fell in love with both of them. She was normally always so talkative and confident but the moment they came, she turned into a silent and shy girl for the entire day. She hadn't blushed so much during the whole two years as she did that day when they spoke to her from time to time. Reaching the parking lot in the front of our dorm, we climbed into my car and fastened the seatbelts before turning on the ignition. When the powerful roar of the engine resounded in the air, all eyes were focused on us. Slightly aroused, I stepped on the gas pedal and we drove off, leaving the cloud of smoke and dust behind us, screaming in excitement. Destination: The Grand Hall. Parking in the first available spot, we hurriedly got out of the car. Fixing our dresses, we walked quickly into the hall to take our place in the line of graduates preparing for the ceremony to start. It was a sunny, fresh, and warm spring day and it fit the backdrop for our celebration. The end of working hard hours in the library, study sessions in the dorms, and a new beginning to put our knowledge into work. It was the last time we would see each other. When the day was over, everyone would go their separate ways to be the doctor their pack needed. Looking around, I saw all the graduates of United Werewolves University of Medicine gathered with faculty, family and friends. And as much as I was proud of my colleagues, I felt a bit lonely and sad knowing no one would come here to see me receiving my diploma from one of the Council members' hands in person. Because my fathers were Betas, they had a tight schedule. They had both apologized beforehand that they couldn’t come. My best friend Luna was pregnant and couldn’t come due to her duties and her overprotective mate. Another bestie stood next to me in the line, searching the table to find our graduation flowers to clip onto our dresses. In our community, there were no robes, no hats, and no ugly looking fabrics to cover your outfit. We had our own traditions, and one of them was to not look alike during graduation. No, it was something to make you unique. It was about picking the flower that represents you and placing it on your outfit to show the whole world that we’re not the same. We’re different, and as much as we are all devoted to medicine, we don’t want to be announced as new doctors looking alike, all dressed in the same outfit. The tradition says, ‘Be yourself and be unique in your journey.’ I searched the entire table until I found the perfect flower that described me. Once I did, I put it on the left side of my dress with pride. The yellow color looked great in contrast to my green dress. I had always loved them, they were my favorite, so without a doubt I tossed away all the thousands of exotic options for simplicity. Sunflowers. That was my ultimate pick over any other flowers in the entire world. When all twenty graduates had finally picked their flowers, we walked into the hall and congregated on the right side. Everyone was waving to their families or friends who had lined up on the other sidewalk to cheer them on. As the only one with no relatives present, I felt like a loser among them. But I did my best not to show how it affected me. So, with a bright smile plastered on my face, I waited for my name to be announced. The time passed slowly in my mind and the moment I realized there were only three people before me, I started to sweat. The Council members changed randomly and you couldn’t predict which one would give you your diploma, but I was hoping that out of the Mighty Three, Uncle Deacon would be the one to shake my hand. The line went forward and my heartbeat increased with each graduate. Uncle Deacon was not stepping forward, so I had my hopes high. When the name before me was announced and the diploma was given by the Vampire for the third time in a row, I knew only two options were left for me: the Headmaster of the Council or Uncle Deacon as her second in command. In a prayer, I closed my eyes and asked for a blessing or, most importantly, an opportunity to not embarrass myself and take the damn paper with dignity and without gossip. But then I heard it, loud and clear. “The star of the university and an example of dedication and willingness to achieve impossible goals. She proved to all of us that age has no meaning, and dedication to the cause is a must. An ‘A’ student, she is a future influence on the next generations, majoring in human, werewolf, and vampire medicine departments. Miss Amy Collins-Owens, please step up to the stage!” Uncle Deacon announced, and on wobbly legs I walked up onto the stage. A smile plastered on my face when I saw him picking up my diploma from the table, but when I was a few steps away, he switched places with a person I was not ready to face at all. My steps haltered but not to the point of showing anyone I was affected. Once I reached the spot and grabbed the diploma, I was in heaven. “Congratulations Miss Owens, it was a pleasure to supervise your work.” She said in a sweet voice before putting the piece of paper into my hands. With a trained smile, she ended the ceremony. In a daze, I quickly stepped away from the platform, smiling like an idiot.The moment my feet touched the ground, I was enveloped in a strong embrace. I had been twirled and passed around like I weighed nothing before being sandwiched in between two strong bodies that smelled like home. Citrus grass and salt caramel combined with a fresh winter breeze. “Dads!”