HOMECOMING

Chapter 2

“But how can I keep you a secret? Surely everyone with a wolf will be able to sense you.” In my mind, I can see Jade looking at me.

She is beautiful, pure black with jade green eyes and a jade green crescent moon in the middle of her forehead. Suddenly, she has a green glowing light around her.

“I am a special wolf sent by the Moon Goddess. I can block everyone’s ability to sense me. So, say nothing, and we will talk later today. You will need to be strong. But with me, you can handle anything.” With that, Jade receded to the back of my mind, tucked her nose into her tail, and went to sleep.

Just then I heard Fiona holler “Happy birthday, Squirt” as she rushed to hug me. “Squirt?” I laughed. “Just because I am shorter than you now, doesn’t mean I won’t get taller. 5” 6” is not that short. And I’m only 14, I have lots of time to grow.” I grin at Fiona as we both head into the kitchen.

Mom has prepared all my favorite breakfast foods. Bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, waffles, and hashbrowns. A good thing werewolves burn a lot of calories and eat a lot because the kitchen table is practically groaning with the amount of food.

She does this for each of us on our birthdays. She is the best Mom. I really couldn’t ask for anyone better. She and Dad gave me a big hug while wishing me a happy birthday. We then all take our place at the table to enjoy the feast.

As we eat, we chat about our plans for the day. The first thing we must do is go to the high school to pick up my diploma and transcript marks. Then we returned to our pack house to attend the specially arranged graduation ceremony.

Ian McGrath, Alpha’s oldest son, is also graduating early, so, of course, this makes it a pack event, and kind of a big deal. I am glad all the attention will be on Ian. I hate being in the spotlight.

Ian will be leaving for the Wolfen Council Alpha training facility in the New Year. He will be gone for 2 years, only coming back to the pack every 6 months for a week at a time. Once back for good, hopefully, he will find his fated mate, and then take over as Alpha. My parents, and Fiona, hope that she is his fated mate. It would make sense, as she is the Beta’s daughter, as well as a very strong she-wolf.

They would have strong alpha pups, which is what every pack wants and needs. And they do get along well as they have been friends since birth and have dated for the last year. They were never far apart. Always hanging out together with the other 3 wolves that will make up the Alpha Unit once Ian takes over.

Suddenly, I hear Mom snapping her fingers in my face. “Earth to Ellie. Come back to earth girl.” She laughs as she gets my attention.

“Sorry Mom, just thinking about today.” I smiled as I responded. “Well go finish getting ready. We leave for school in 20 minutes. You don’t want to be late for your big day”, she says as she shoos me out of the kitchen. I ran back to my ensuite to brush my teeth, then grabbed my backpack. I need to clean out my locker, then return textbooks. I also have ‘thank you’ gifts for my teachers. They have worked as hard as I have, to get me to this point academically.

I hurried downstairs and out to the car where Mom, Dad, and Fiona were waiting for me. Getting into the back seat beside Fiona, I couldn’t help but reach across and squeeze her hand. For some reason, I was more nervous than excited. Fiona chuckled and said, “buckle up buttercup, you are in for a ride”.

My parents exchanged nervous glances, as they both hissed “Fiona”. She just laughed and said “What? Today is going to be emotional for Ellie. She is leaving one part of her life behind and starting a new chapter in her life story. She needs to be prepared for the day! I’m just giving her some big sister encouragement.” I glanced at Fiona and caught her winking at me.

We were silent for the rest of the 30-minute drive to school. I watched the passing scenery and thought about what Fiona had said. I had the feeling that Fiona was referring to more than just my school life, but shook it off as we parked and headed into the school.

Our first stop was the principal’s office. We were met by a smiling Principal Merrithew. She proceeded to tell us we had to head to the auditorium for a student assembly. She directed Mom, Dad, and Fiona to seats in the front row beside Ian’s parents, Alpha Conrad and Luna Maria, then steered me onto the stage with her. She also invited Ian McGrath to join us on the stage.

Principal Merrithew stood in front of a microphone and addressed the assembled students and teachers.

“Good morning students and faculty. I know it’s unusual to have an assembly on the last day of school before the Christmas break. But today is a very special day for our school. We have two students graduating early. The first is Ian McGrath. He was able to achieve early graduation as he had carried a heavier course load over the past two years.

This has enabled him to complete all necessary credits for graduation. In the new year, Ian will be heading to a Business Training Academy (werewolf jargon for our Wolfen Alpha Training Academy) for a two-year program. We wish him the best in his future endeavors. Ian, please come forward and accept your diploma.

With a grin on his face, Ian walked up to Principal Merrithew, shook her hand, and accepted his diploma. He then turned to the cheering student body and faculty and thanked them all before bowing slightly at the waist and leaving the stage to sit with his parents. Ian was a popular student as he was involved in sports, as well as being a top student. He was always kind and considerate to everyone. Of course, being the future Alpha helped too.

Principal Merrithew spoke again. “Most of you know Ellie Grant, as you have attended classes with her. For those of you who don’t know Ellie, let me introduce her to you. Ellie is 14 as of today. While most 14-year-olds are in grade 9, Ellie has the distinction of graduating today. She has successfully completed the grade 12 Advanced placement curriculum and will be heading to university in January.

She is the first student in the history of our school to accomplish this feat. Though I knew she planned on just picking up her diploma and transcript of marks then making a quiet exit, I couldn’t allow her to leave without having the student body congratulate her and wish her well in her future endeavors. We are honored to claim Ellie as one of our alumni. Ellie, could you please come forward to accept your diploma?”

Blushing with embarrassment, I stepped up to Principal Merrithew. I reached out to shake her hand and accept my diploma when she pulled me into a hug. “We are so proud of you Ellie. It has been a joy to have you as a student. I know your future holds great things for you. Would you like to say a few words to the students and faculty?”

I was uncomfortable with being in the spotlight, but couldn’t be rude and say no. I looked out over the gathered people and focused on the ones who meant the most to me, my family. “Ahh, this is a bit awkward” I said with a wry smile. “I didn’t expect this. Principal Merrithew is right. I really was hoping to come in, pick up my documents, then head home. But I guess I need to get used to dealing with awkward situations.” Taking a deep breath, I continued.”

Believe it or not, but each student here has either directly or indirectly helped me achieve my diploma. We have a small student population, and during my time in this school I have been in a class with most of you. Many of you know me as a quiet, nerdy girl”, I chuckle. “A few of you know me as you asked for my assistance with homework. And some of you know me from our science labs. And no, I was not the one responsible for the small explosion in the chemistry lab”. This gets a laugh from the students, especially as they follow my gaze to the real culprit, Ian McGrath, our future Alpha.

Taking a deep breath, I continued. “I want to thank each student for being kind to this quiet, nerdy girl. You made it easy for me to do what I love to do. Study and learn. I truly want to thank each teacher. You all worked as hard, if not harder, than I did. Your knowledge and counsel have been invaluable. You will forever be in my heart as the great leaders you are. Thank you!” With that, I excused myself and left the stage to hug my family.

Principal Merrithew thanked everyone for coming, wished them a happy holiday season, and then dismissed the assembly. A few of the students approached me to offer congratulations, then soon left to head home for the 2-week break. At that point, my teachers gathered around me to give me their best wishes and encouragement. I asked them to wait for a moment while I reached into my backpack and retrieved the gifts I had handcrafted for each of them. Fiona and I both work part-time at the pack’s jewelry business, designing and making jewelry. The design team asked me to work with them as they wanted a young teens perspective when designing for that age group. It has worked out well as my designs have been well received and very successful.

Most of my teachers were women, so I had made each of them a necklace using an 18 kt. gold chain and their birthstone. For the 2 male teachers, I had crafted 18 kt gold tie clips with their birthstone. I handed them each their gift. I had included a personal note with each gift expressing my gratitude while detailing how I felt each of them had positively impacted my life. I asked them not to open it until later as I didn’t want them to get emotional in front of a lot of people. The last gift was for my favorite teacher, Ms. Rankin. She, like Principal Merrithew, is a she-wolf from our pack, and one of the best people I know.

The teachers, and Principal Merrithew drifted away while talking to my parents, as well as Alpha Conrad and Luna Maria. That left me and Ms. Rankin alone to chat. I asked her to wait until after the pack celebration to open her gift. Her birthday is also in December, and I chose to use a green turquoise stone as the color matches her eyes. The stone is centered in a very fine gold Celtic knot designed pendant.

The Celtic knot is considered to signify the three forces of nature: water, fire, and earth. The single line is said to signify the oneness of the spirit, and the spirals represent growth. The gaps in the spirals symbolize the stages of life: life, death, and rebirth. Since we are wolves, the connection to nature is important to us. And since we are of Scottish descent, the Celtic knot design really spoke to me. I hope she likes it.

What she won’t know until later is that I have a smaller pendant exactly like hers. For some reason, I feel a connection to Ms. Rankin that I don’t feel with anyone else. She has been close to my family since I was born and has had a big influence on me. She is best friends with my mom, and I spend a lot of time with her too. I often laugh about having two moms. She is a wonderful person, a very strong supernatural hybrid, and valued by our pack.

After chatting with Ms. Rankin for a few minutes, she gave me a hug and said she would see me later. I headed over to my family. I let them know I was headed to my locker to clean it out, then I would go to the office to hand in my textbooks. That would only take about 15 minutes, so I told them I would meet them in the car.

Fiona and Ian, who were holding hands, decided to tag along with me.

They had been dating for a year and are hoping they are fated mates. But they were both a couple of weeks shy of their 18th birthday, so they wouldn’t know until then.

I always felt kind of weird when I was around them, as I knew they were hooking up on a regular basis. Fiona and I had even discussed the fact she was using birth control pills. She didn’t want to chance to get pregnant, especially with someone who may not end up being her fated mate.

Personally, I think wolves should save themselves for their fated mate, and have discussed this with Fiona. But as I told her, ‘Not my circus, not my monkeys’. So, we agreed to disagree on this subject.

I admit, I used to have a little crush on Ian, but that disappeared once he and Fiona became intimate. Now I just see him as Fiona’s boyfriend and our future Alpha.

When we reached my locker, they helped me clear it out. I stuffed all my personal items into my backpack and stacked the textbooks on the floor. I went to pick up the books, but Ian beat me to it.