The Teacher's Mate

Part 4

"So how was school?" James asked his daughter as she walked into the shop, setting her backpack down on the office chair as she passed the old desk before putting Led Zeppelin's first self-titled album in.

Audrey shrugged. "It was fine," she pulled out her homework folder and set it down on the shop's desk.

James began wiping his hands off on a nearby rag and walked over to look over her shoulder. "Calculus?"

"Yeah, I'll get it done tonight after dinner. What do we have today?" Audrey asked.

"I've got an oil change to finish if you want to top off all the fluids while I do so. Then I need your help dropping a transmission."

"Ok. just let me get out of my school clothes." She slid the folder back in her bag and headed to the house.

She hurried back to the shop she spent most of her childhood in and grabbed a clean rag to hang out of her pocket before checking the wiper fluid. The truck was a rather large Dodge so she had to get the stool to stand on in order to reach everything.

"How's Missy doing?" James asked from under the truck where he was changing out the oil filter.

"She seemed fine this morning when I picked her up, her parents must have still been asleep." Audrey stated.

"I worry about that girl."

"Me too. I know she knows how to get around them but I still worry."

James grumbled something indistinct about no-good parents sprinkled with a few choice words as he slid underneath the Dodge.

Audrey just ignored him.

James grumbling softened slightly as it became more audible, "Well, the girl spends so much time over here anyway, why doesn't she just stay here? We can turn the spare room into a bedroom for her."

"We could." Audrey adopted a thoughtful expression. "It would be good to have someone to cook consistently for us, it would get her out of that awful house, and she could finish school without having to worry about a roof over her head. And Christmas break would give us enough time to get her moved and settled in without her work schedule being to interrupted."

"Sounds like you've got this all figured out." James told his daughter. "Just let me know when you take off with the truck."

Father and daughter worked in silence until a car pulled into the driveway to the house. "That is probably the pizza," James said, wiping his hands on his jeans.

When he returned with the food Audrey had already washed her hands and was sitting on the same stool she had been standing on earlier. James washed his hands in the small bathroom at the back of the shop and when he returned they dug into the meat-covered goodness called pizza.

"Dad."

"Yes."

"Did you know that a new pack moved into town?"

So this is what was on her mind today. He knew something was up when she didn't immediately turn the music on when she got home. "Yes, I have a meeting with Alpha Richard tomorrow while you are in school."

Audrey just nodded as she chewed.

"I was thinking about having us join them." That got her attention.

Audrey sat up and turned those intense eyes on him, "Why? It's not like my blood is pure enough to be one of them."

James flinched, that was the reason they had to move when his wife died. Mary had been a werewolf and packs are very much against "diluting the blood". No one would kill a half-born, but they had no hope of high status. That hadn't mattered to his Mary though when she found him, and who were they to get in between the mate bond, or any creature who loved another? "I've heard reports that this new Alpha pair is rather lenient. The Luna herself is a half-born." That surprised Audey even more, as it should. "And besides, it's better to go ahead and tell them you live here in town rather than them find out later."

Audrey thought about it for a second. "You're probably right."

James let her finish her food in silence. He could see her mulling over the information in her head.

"So any boys I should clean my gun for?" James asked, he might as well continue to tease her since she was already off balance.

Audrey paused. "No dad, no boys to scare off, all the boys around here are dumbasses."

"But cute right?"

Audrey didn't blush, but she didn't meet his eyes in their typical challenge. "So there is a cute boy here," he teased.

Audrey shrugged, and got up to dispose of the pizza box.

"It's about damn time." James chuckled, then he stood up and brushed his hands on his pants, "Well, it's time to drop that transmission."