7 - Rowan

7 -Rowan

This place hasn’t changed much in the last two years. I stop at the fence surrounding the grounds, taking in the building and realizing that I haven’t stepped foot near here since the rejection. Guilt immediately washes over me. These poor kids did nothing wrong and I let myself become so consumed with my own pain, I didn’t even think what leaving would do to them. When Hazel finally talked me into returning to visit, I was so ashamed at not being good enough to fulfill my job as Luna, I couldn’t face anyone.

It looks like Principal Severs was able to finish some of the expansion projects I started. The roof is new and the brick on the west side of the building is weathered a different color than the rest of the building telling me the new middle school section is complete. Nothing else has been touched though. We spent so much time and effort raising money to put into the school and I know that budget inside and out – because I wrote it. I was a part of the team in charge of allocating the funds. There is no way they used all of it, so what did they do with that money?

“Hey stranger!” My head snaps sideways. “I didn’t know you would be here.” Principal Severs strides over. All my walls immediately fly up. Most of Red River Pack ignores my presence. I haven’t had any contact with school personnel since I left. Everything happened so fast and when the dust settled, I didn’t want to be a distraction or bring undue attention from Declan or Carys. I will not admit that I am just a chickensh*t and avoid the school altogether. Copyright ©️ 2026 Miss L Writes and Ember Mantel Productions

Occasionally, I will get a head nod from a passerby if I do venture into the pack, but no one makes a point to have a conversation if they notice me. No one really knows what to do about the former Future Luna that can’t leave the pack. Severs and I had a great working relationship though and I did keep my distance from him on purpose to keep Carys and Declan from retaliating if they thought we were too close. Based on the unfinished projects at the school, it didn’t make a difference.

“Hello Principal Severs. How have you been?”

“Lu…Oh, Um…Rowan.” He clears his throat. “I have been good, You?”

I tilt my head, fighting an eyeroll that my students would be proud of. “I am moving forward.” 

“The place just hasn’t been the same without you, but we manage.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, stopping five feet from me and giving me a small smile. I can see his mind working. He started this conversation, now how does he finish it? The petty part of my brain appreciates his suffering and I wait for him to take the lead.  Finally, he takes a small breath and looks back at the building. “Do you want to see the new wing? That was your baby after all.”

“Oh! Uh, sure. Is that okay? I don’t want you to get into trouble for interacting with me. I have been informed of how the future Luna feels about that.” I try my best to make it sound lighthearted and not bitter, but I don’t think I succeed. That’s all this awkwardness between me and the pack has ever been, Carys not wanting me around in any capacity, but Decaln won’t release me from the pack..

“Come on,” He gestures, “It’s really not that bad anymore. The future Luna has mostly gotten past her jealousy of you.” He gives me his first real smile in two years.

“There really isn’t anything to be jealous of. I live in a human college town and teach human children; or at least I will as soon as I can get a placement in a school.” I leave out the part that this would all be easier if Declan would let me finish the rejection and release me from the pack bond completely.

The school is almost completely unchanged since I was last here. All our youngest kids are on the first floor, the rooms brightly colored with bold primary letters and numbers. This is almost identical to a human school. The pups learn to read and write, do math, history, science and all of those basics. The differences don’t start until the teen years where we teach about magic from different casters, vampires, other shifter types and our own history.

We head down the long, familiar hallway towards the new wing. “We completed the final phase of construction last year and it has been life-changing for these kids. They really do appreciate what you did for them.”

“It’s not what I did for them. There was a lot that went into the planning and fundraising. You all have done amazing with it.” The bright white walls could feel institutional, but the project display boards break it up adding color and life to the space. The hallway is long and narrow, but two stories tall with the second floor overlook and skylights rendering the fluorescents unnecessary today.

“Come on, you’ll appreciate what our science classes are up to.” Severs leads me to the end of the hall and into a room full of, at least twenty, twelve year old students. He’s right, I am going to love this. Every kid has goggles on their eyes and they are huddled around a table with a beaker in the center. The teacher is explaining the contents of the test tube in her hand. A woman I don’t recognize, but my wolf knows she is pack. They are doing chemical reactions, and the cause and effect mixed with unexpected outcomes are some of my favorite lessons.

I stayed far longer than I probably should have but the teacher, Mrs. Gray, indulged me as long as the class allowed. She is in her mid-fifties with dark brown, almost black hair and still as fit as can be. It’s not unusual for shifters to appear significantly younger than they are because we age slowly. But sometimes our jobs take their toll. Many warriors look old and grizzled while still strong and athletic because some injuries don’t heal properly. On the flip side, teachers can look soft because of the lack of regular exercise. Mrs. Gray is not a teacher I would mess with on my best day.

“You are welcome back anytime. I’ve never seen them so quick to show off for an adult before.” She laughs while packing up her supplies. “You obviously know them, or they know you.”

“I used to be around a lot more, but life chose a different path for me. When did you join the pack, I don’t recognize you from before I moved away.” I fidget with a beaker on a drying rack, doing my best to sound casual. Copyright ©️ 2026 Miss L Writes and Ember Mantel Productions

She gives me a smile. It’s one of those that tells you she hears and sees more than she will let on, but she is a kindred spirit. “My mate and I moved out here maybe eighteen months ago. He was training with your warriors and we liked it so much we asked to make it permanent.”

I wish the reverse was so easy.