Chapter 2: THE PHONE CALL

Sera wakes up the next morning alone. She reaches for Damion but then the events from last night come crashing down. 

The gift. The good-bye sex. The romantic dinner.

Miriam. 

Sera rolls over and sees her packed luggage. 

Yup. It’s all true. Damion’s true love is coming home and giving Sera the boot. 

Damion didn’t come back to their bed last night, probably out of respect for her. It’s easier this way. She’ll just grab a cup of coffee, make some calls, and then be on her way. 

She sits down to make her first call. The mindcall links to her mom, Trulia.

Well, her adopted mom that is. They took her in when she was just a lone wolf-pup. They’ve always been the best parents to her; she’s never felt adopted or not wanted. However, being adopted makes her feel like she owes them a lot. She’s very grateful and she wants them to be proud of her. She wonders what her mom will think when she tells her the big news. 

“Sera, my darling. Lovely to hear from you. Is everything all right?” her mom asks. 

“I’m coming home, Mom,” Sera blurts out. No point in beating around the bush. There is a moment of silence before her mom says:

“What? Why? I thought you were happy there?”

Because he doesn’t want me. 

Sera fights back the tears as she confides in her Trulia. “He doesn’t love me. Miriam is coming back and he wants to be with her. I can’t stay here anymore.”

Sera can feel her mom’s anger, and she makes no effort to hide her annoyance. 

“You gave him THREE years of your life,” Trulia says. “You’re a beautiful, brilliant, talented wolf and you chose to stay with him for THREE years. Good years, too! Young years. You could have had wolf pups by now.”

Sera sighs. She can’t argue, Trulia is right. She’s been foolish. She never should have stayed so long, especially when it was clear he’d never love her.   

“And for what?” Trulia continues. “What do you have to show for it now?” 

“Five million dollars,” Sera states. Trulia is silent again, this time from shock. 

“He gave you five million?” Trulia finally asks. “Well, at least you’re not walking away with nothing.”

I don’t care about the money. I want him, Sera thinks to herself, careful to hide that thought from Trulia. 

“When will you be back?” Trulia asks. 

“Later today,” Sera says. “But please, don’t make a big deal about it. I’m not in the mood, okay?” Trulia doesn’t respond. “Mom. I know what you’re thinking. I can hear you. No welcome back party. No fancy dinner. Just – I don’t want any of that. Okay?”

“Ohhhhh…kaaay,” Trulia says. “I won’t. But Sera – I’m thrilled to have my baby back.” Sera ends the mindcall, knowing damned well that her mom has probably started planning something before the call even ended.  

Well, that’s one down. One more to go, Sera thinks, as she finishes up her coffee. 

She needs her job back, so next up, she mindcalls her previous supervisor, Merdock. She lets him know that she’s coming back to the Hydra Pack, effective immediately. 

“I’ve missed my work, Merdock,” Sera confides. “I miss helping people. Do you think-“

But Merdock cuts her off, his excitement reverberating through both their minds. “You’re coming back to the hospital? That’s fantastic. Really, kid. Best news ever! Send me your CV. I’ll send it right over to the Dean.”

Sera laughs. She’s missed Merdock. At least something good is coming out of this. She’d given up her job when she joined the Sandstone Pack. But she’s excited now to put on her scrubs and do what she does best. It’ll feel really good to work again.  

She sends off the email and can’t believe it when she gets a call back from the dean just fifteen minutes later. 

“I must say, Sera,” he says, “your CV is extraordinary. Field work. Pack experience. On-site surgery. I know wolves a lot older that don’t have nearly as much experience as you. And all this at the young age of 25? Is that correct? Excuse my disbelief, but it sounds too good to be true.”

“I’ve been very fortunate,” Sera explains. She knows how impressive her CV is. “Merdock took me under his wing when I was only 16. He let me accompany him whenever he visited other packs. I learned a lot on the job. He took me to the war field with him, too. I got to experience what it was like to work under pressure. I even helped him with human wars. He was so patient and kind to me. Really, he’s the reason I have so much experience. He taught me everything I know.”

She hears the Dean sigh. “It just seems so surreal to me. But, I trust Merdock. I still find it a little hard to believe that someone so young has so much experience and advanced skills, but I’ll take his word for it. We need help and you’re clearly capable. You’re hired. I’ll send over a letter of offer. I look forward to having you join our team.”

Sera feels better than she has since last night. Trulia is thrilled she’s coming home, she has five million dollars in her bank, and she has a job waiting for her at the pack hospital. Maybe everything happens for a reason? Maybe this is meant to be? Maybe, just maybe, it’s a good thing Miriam is coming back. At least Sera can move on now. She has no choice. Maybe she can find a wolf that will love her back. Maybe she’ll even find her fated match…

She hears Damion’s footsteps in the hallway – her love for him is so strong, she can sense him and recognize his sounds and scents anywhere. Her breath catches in her throat. She doesn’t want to see him again. It hurts too much. She was hoping she could just slip out the door before he came back. 

She stands up and grabs the handle of her suitcases. She’ll make this nice and quick. A simple good-bye and then she’ll be on her way. 

“You’re already packed?” Damion asks when he sees her suitcases. 

“Yes, I told you I’d leave today. Remember?”

His shirt is tight across his muscular shoulders. Damn, why does he have to be so sexy? Her mind turns to bedroom thoughts – the feel of his strong hands, the feel of his-

“You can’t leave today,” he says, shaking his head. “Change of plans.” 

“I, I can’t?” she asks, her eyes wide. Has he changed his mind? Does he want her stay? Maybe last night gave him clarity. Maybe he loves me after all. She slowly lets go of her luggage. “Why not?” she asks, holding her breath, waiting for his response. 

“My parents want to see us,” he shrugs. He walks past her to the counter. 

Sera lets out her breath. Oh. His parents.  

“What for?” she asks. 

“Don’t know. They didn’t say. But they wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Damion bites into his apple. “You can leave tomorrow,” he says, his mouth full. “They’re expecting us this afternoon. I’m just gonna go get changed and then we’ll get going. That okay?”

Well, not really. A trip to your parent’s house for a visit is kind of the last thing I had in mind. But, like usual, Sera doesn’t have the heart to refuse him. “Sure,” she nods. “Sounds great.” 

It will give me a chance to say good-bye to them, I guess.

And give me a few more hours with you…