Wolves of Alverton

Chapter 38

There was an eerie silence that fell over the Alverton pack as we pulled up to Jet's house. Our Alpha was downtrodden and everything felt different. Lilly had brought a lightness to our pack that we didn't realize was so essential to the overall mood. With our leader down for the count, we all figured it would be best to go our separate ways. We watched as Jet unpacked his belongings from the car and walked inside his house. He didn't look back, and he didn't say goodbye to the rest of us. The adults could tell almost instantly what had happened, and Elisa was waiting with Corbin to bring Lilly home. No one had texted her since we left Mars Brook, because Lilly told us that she had already told her mom she wanted to stay. I walked over to her and explained that Lilly made the decision to stay with Scott and Jethro in the wild pack. Her eyes welled-up with tears, but she smiled through her pain. We could all sense her depth of sadness, because wolfies can feel and sense emotions stronger than humans. The adult pack attempted to console Elisa by inviting her inside for some drinks, but she politely declined. She smiled at me and gave me a warm embrace before departing.

Austin and Jakob brought their belongings inside and offered me a ride home. I said my goodbyes to Samir and Serena, thanking her for spending some quality time with Lilly and I, and hopped in the car with Austin. As we pulled away from the cul de sac, my gaze shifted downward. I felt my eyes begin to tighten as a few warm tears rolled down my cheek. Austin didn't say a word, as he felt the same way. He fashioned a more stoic expression, as he did not wish to make me cry more. It was becoming more obvious that things would be quiet in the pack for a while. It seemed as though we all wanted it that way too. We needed time to mourn the loss of our packmate. It would be difficult to not allow our emotions to get the better of us when we went back to school. I hadn't even thought of how I would explain what had happened to Levi. He was very close to Lilly.

Austin pulled up to my house and helped me unload my belongings. Ryan greeted me at the front door and helped me carry my things inside. Austin waved goodbye and quietly drove off. I wiped off my tears before giving Ryan a hug and thanking him for helping me unpack. He chuckled and told me it was no problem before gingerly punching my shoulder. He learned to be more brotherly to me by beating up on me like a normal brother would. Usually I would dish it back, but I was in no mood to do so. He saw my sullen eyes and didn't ask what happened. He knew to leave me be when I was upset. Before leaving my room, he told me that Mom and Dad were out running some errands and that if I needed anything I could feel free to knock on his door. I thanked him for his gesture and closed the door behind him. I unpacked all my stuff and sat down by my window. I looked out over Alverton and watched the cars drive by below me.

Since Monday was a day off, the Davenports had scheduled my adoption court hearing for that day. They had informed me when they got home from errands the previous night, and I was ecstatic. I was a little surprised that they had managed to get a court hearing so fast, but my social worker had told me that adopting a teenager can often happen faster. While I was overjoyed to finally be adopted, I was still torn-up inside over Lilly. Not only would she not be here to celebrate my adoption once my court hearing was over, but she wasn't in Alverton at all.

Everyone woke up early Monday morning and dressed business casual. Ryan and Mark wore ties, and Kelly, Rae, and I wore dresses. When we arrived at the courthouse, everyone was smiling from ear to ear. All of my support team members were there, as well as the Davenport's attorney. The hearing was joyful, and once I verbally agreed to wanting to be adopted, the judge dropped the gavel and it was official. The court room filled with applause, and everyone was congratulating me and my new family. My adoption certificate had my new full name printed, 'Brooke Faith Davenport,' and the state seal was printed on the bottom. I was able to set aside my sadness from what had happened the previous day and enjoyed the adoption day. We went home as a complete family and spent the rest of the day celebrating with extended family. When nighttime rolled around, I was completely drained. I fell asleep almost instantly, with a small ache in my heart knowing I wouldn't get to share my exciting news with Lilly the next day.

School resumed on Tuesday, and there were few words exchanged by the pack during and between classes. The boys celebrated briefly with me when I announced that my adoption had been finalized, but none of us could manage to stay happy for long. Everything felt awry, and no one was talking to each other. When Levi approached me that morning, asking where my other half was, I had to come up with a lie on the spot. I hadn't given much thought to what I would tell him because I spent the end of the day prior being upset.

"It's not like Lilly to miss school," said Levi. He had concern in his eyes.

"You're right. She decided to go live with her father for a little while," I eventually muttered. I surprised myself in that moment. I couldn't think of a believable lie to tell Levi. No one in the pack knew how long she would be gone, so there really wasn't a lie I could tell him that would hold out long-term. Levi has known Lilly since they were kids. I was the girl who would come and go as we grew up. He knew that her dad had not been present in her life for a long time, and I know that Lilly told him when her dad showed up a few months ago. She did not divulge all the details to Levi, but she did tell him he had come back into her life. Lilly, however, did not tell Levi about Jethro, so I couldn't tell him the whole truth.

"Lilly did what?" he asked. He was quite visibly shocked, and I couldn't blame him.

"She went away to go live with him for a while. Believe me, I'm in shock too. No one saw this coming," I mumbled. Levi looked hurt. I'm sure he wished that Lilly would have texted him to let him know she wasn't coming back, or to at least say goodbye.

"How is she even able to do that? She's only 15. Her dad wasn't in her life until a few months ago. Where does he even live?" he persisted in a fluster. Levi was getting visibly worked up at this point. His breathing was getting heavier and his heart rate was increasing. I picked up on it and knew I had to help him relax.

"Her mom was okay with it. Her dad lives up North, in Bear Creek. She will be able to go to school there, and she promised to write. For now, we just have to be happy for her, because she's happy. I know it's hard, especially because she didn't say goodbye to you, but you have to realize that you aren't the only one suffering here," I said abruptly. I walked away before I ended up saying something that would ruin her whole cover. I found Jakob before lunch and he asked if I had seen Jet. I told him I had not seen him in first period, which was unusual, but that I assumed he might just be home. Jakob walked with me to lunch, and we ate together. Jakob and I were closest in age aside from Lilly, so we had a stronger connection than the others. We were relatively quiet at lunch, but we were still able to have normal conversations that didn't pertain to Lilly.

Jakob offered to walk me home, but I politely declined. I told him he should head back to the pack to check up on Jet. He nodded and ran off towards home. I walked home and had a nice evening with my family before heading upstairs. I was getting ready for bed when I got a text from the pack group chat. They said Jet wasn't doing well, but that he would be back at school tomorrow. I looked out my window and heard a heart-stopping noise. In the distance, there was a howl. It was a single howl, and was faint to human ears. I recognized it as Dyami's howl, but it was sad and long. He was out, alone in the night, crying in the silent desert. The group chat immediately flooded with messages. Everyone had heard his howls, and the adults weren't happy about it.

My blood ran cold as I heard a knock on my door. My mom slowly opened the door and asked if I was doing alright. She didn't mention the howl, and I didn't think anyone would, because we have coyotes in the desert. Although, Dyami's howl was very distinguishable from that of a coyote. I told my mom not to worry because I was doing better everyday. I had told my family about Lilly going to stay with her dad, and since then everyone has been checking up on me a lot. My mom was appeased with my answer, so she closed the door and I got into bed. Dyami's howls filled the cool, winter night. I fell asleep once the pack settled down. Tears streamed down my cheeks as Dyami's heart-breaking howls filled the somber night.