"Are you being serious?" Dad's brow furrowed, and he slid it out of her hands. "Either way, let's see what it has to say." He held it out to me. "Do you want to do the honors?"
"Uh... yeah." Something inside me stirred, but I had no clue what the hell it was.
He handed the letter back to me and I took a deep breath. With shaky fingers, I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contents. As I unfolded the paper, the first sentence rocked the very foundation on which I stood.
Dear Mia,
Congratulations. We are honored to offer you a spot at Wolf Moon Academy.
I stopped there. "How is this possible?" My eyes flicked upward to Mom's face. "I didn't even apply."
"Holy shit!" Max once again grabbed the paper from my hands. "You fucking got in and didn't even apply."
I wasn't quite sure if his tone was filled with surprise, hurt, or disgust. "Maybe there is a mix-up."
"It doesn't matter. We can't afford it." Mom shook her head.
"Not only did she get in." My brother blinked a few times, and a frown filled his face. "She's got a full ride. They are offering her a scholarship that covers classes, all materials, and food, plus a dorm room." He lowered the paper, and hurt reflected in his eyes. "You had to have applied."
Great, now he thought I was lying. "No, I didn't. I swear." He was looking at me as if I’d betrayed him, which killed me inside.
"Then how did you get in?" His voice rang in my ears, and he growled.
"Max." Dad placed his hands on his hips, causing his polo shirt to conform more to his athletic build. "You don't talk to your sister that way. You should be happy for her."
"Like hell I am." Max shook his head and wrinkled his nose. "Is that why you've been acting weird all week? You knew you'd be getting that letter?"
"What? No." He and I had our share of spats growing up, but nothing like this. "I didn't lie."
"See, it's already causing this family to tear apart." Mom frowned and shook her head. "It's best if you go to KSU with your brother next year."
Even though I hadn't applied, now that I had been accepted, I wanted to go. Though, not at the cost of hurting my family.
"This isn't the time for a decision like that." Dad pointed at the round maple stained table that was big enough for just the four of us. "Let's eat and talk about everyone’s day."
"Fine." Max spun on his heel and sat in his usual chair.
This was going to be fun.
I couldn't sleep. No matter what I did, I tossed and turned. Thoughts of Wolf Moon and Liam were circling my head. If I went there, I'd eventually see him again. I couldn't tell if that excited me or pissed me off more.
It didn’t help that here I was pretending I might actually go. I couldn't do that to my brother. It had always been his hope and dream growing up. He made sure to play sports and make an impact. He volunteered to help other packs out with various projects. He even made straight A’s in school. I hadn't tried even one day in my life to do any of that.
Sure, I'd love to go to school there. They had a top of the line education that could only be found at Wolf Moon. Despite all of that, I wasn't willing to sacrifice my relationship with my brother. And let's be real; if Liam and his followers were going to be there, that probably wouldn't be a good thing. Hell, they probably wouldn't even remember me, but I saw his face every time I closed my damn eyes.
This wasn't working. I flung the covers off and stood. Maybe a run would help me clear my head.
I slowly opened the door and tiptoed down the stairs, cautious not to wake my parents. As soon as I reached the backdoor, I unlocked it and removed my clothes. The last thing I wanted was to ruin my favorite pajamas.
As I stepped onto the back porch, I looked up to see the moon was high in the sky. A slight breeze picked up, and I welcomed the shift. My body slowly transformed, and soon I was on all fours. I dug my paws into the ground and ran in the direction of my favorite spot in the world.
It took mere seconds to reach the tree line and enter the woods that surrounded our neighborhood. Since the moon wasn't full, not many pack members would be running around, so some peace and solitude was a possibility.
The scent of summer was upon us, which was one of my favorite smells. It wasn't overly sweet like spring or bitter like winter. The only way I knew how to describe it was that it smelled like promise. A promise of more sunlight and animals scurrying around. Sometimes during the winter, I almost felt as if I was the only animal in the woods. That wasn’t something I experienced in summer; the nights came alive.
It wasn't long before I approached a small spring where I liked to sit and relax. Right when I was about to break free from the woods, my brother's piney scent caught my nose. He must already be there. In wolf form, we could mind link with other pack members, so I connected with him. Max?
Hey, Mia.
It surprised me that his tone wasn't angry but rather resigned. I took a deep breath. Mind if I join you? I hated that I had to ask. We'd always been close and rarely fought with one another, so being at odds wasn't something common for me.
Yeah, I needed to come out here and clear my head, too. The sound of his paws hitting the ground grew louder as he moved in my direction. His light brown wolf appeared right in front of me. I'm glad you're here. I was afraid you were asleep, so I came out here to think.
Well, we're here together now. I rubbed my head against his neck before trotting out to the clearing and sat in front of the spring.
This place always brought me peace. I wasn't sure why.
Look, I'm really sorry about earlier. My brother followed me and sat next to me. I … I was jealous.
We were both watching the water and listening to the sounds of it trickling.
It's okay. You were upset. I know that’s where you wanted to go. He had his heart set on it. Dad was one of the stronger alphas reporting to our regional north alpha. There were three regional alphas in our district that reported to the council members. Most of the students who attended Wolf Moon were the stronger alphas, which followed their bloodline. However, over the past ten years, Dad had noticed that he seemed to be weakening and his alpha strength had slowly depleted. Though he had no clue why. That was the only justification we could come up with for why Max didn't make it in.
No, it's not okay. I acted like a selfish asshole. He whined a little next to me. I should be ecstatic that you're going there.
Who said I was going? From what Bree had said, it didn't sound like a very fun school, and her brother pretty much validated her point. Even though the thought of seeing him again pulled at me.
You've got to go. He shook his wolf head and rolled his eyes. You got a full scholarship, for goodness sakes.
Max, I never applied. That's what was so bizarre. It has to be some fluke or accident. Seriously, it didn't make sense at all.
Even if it was a mistake, they wouldn't admit it. Max huffed, and there was amusement in his eyes. You'd be crazy to turn it down. Think about all the opportunities it might open for you and the difference you could make for our pack.
Mom isn't thrilled with the idea. That's what shocked me most of all. I figured she would be like Dad and encourage me to go.