The Alpha Academy

chapter 37 - part 1

"On your journey, don't forget to smell the flowers. Take time out to notice that you're alive. You can only live in one day." - Ray Fearon

{A/N: IMPORTANT: this is a double update! don't forget to read the next chapter!}

37.

"… And that concludes pretty much everything that happened on our trip, Mom."

"It all sounds very suspicious, Vivian… why would someone like Randy extend a friendship hand towards us?" Mother answered, gently massaging my head which was placed on her lap, “Something definitely does not add up.”

Hearing the worry in her voice, I nestled myself against her stomach and wrapped my arms around her, basking in the much needed comfort and warmth.

After my talk with Ethan, I returned to my pack and headed immediately towards my office where Beta Jonathan alerted me with the latest updates regarding the pack.

As predicted, everything ran smoothly while we were away; nothing extraordinary or out of the blue happened. Neither were there any leads which could help us regarding Zack’s murder investigation. There was no activity at all.

Well, except for one.

Elliot had decided to leave our pack while we were at the Lycans, offering the excuse that he had overstayed his welcome. He also gave an address in case we ever wanted to reach out to him if we needed information related to the murder investigation.

It kind of bothered me how he left without saying goodbye but another part of me, given the current circumstances, was relieved. Ethan would now most likely be visiting our pack often and Elliot’s constant presence here would definitely be a cause of worry; especially because his wolf had now returned and who knew what his beast would do if Elliot was in the same room as him.

"Whatever it may be, I'm just glad that I'm away from that place, Mom."

There was a comfortable silence that followed my answer. I tightened my grip around my mother’s waist and snuggled right into her; allowing the tension of the day to release from my body.

"And what about Ethan? How are you both doing?"

At the mention of his name, my mind began to envision the celebratory dance I caught him doing which caused an automatic smile to grace my face. Even though I tried my best to hide it, I knew mother had caught me by the way her lips tilted upwards.

"We're in a good place, Mom. I am happy and… I think he is too."

She hummed in response, lightly placing a kiss on the top of my head as her soft fingers now massaged my hair. Her action caused my limbs and eyelids to grow heavier with sleep. My heart slowed down to a more peaceful beat as I fell asleep in the safety of my mother’s arms.

----

I woke up to an empty bed and the shrilling sound of my phone’s alarm. An annoyed groan left my mouth before I rolled over and pulled a pillow above my head. After convincing myself to wake up, I sat up slowly and began to wriggle and stretch my limbs. Deep down, I debated lying down on the bed again, my eyes still heavy from sleep.

After turning off the alarm, I noticed three text message notifications on my phone – all from Josh. Since we couldn’t mind link each other, and I wanted an update on Tyler’s situation, the only viable option of conversing was through the phone.