CH.4

Daisy

"When are you going to that school?" My grandfather lowers his voice when the Class A wolves pass by.

"In a week." The timeline suddenly seems impossibly short now that I say it aloud.

"What? So fast?" His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "I thought you'd have at least a month to prepare."

"Yes, school starts next week. That's what they told us." I recall the administrator's instructions after announcing the results.

His clipped tone made it clear that this timeline wasn't negotiable.

"We need to catch up on lessons quickly. The regular students have already been there for orientation and we're joining mid-session. They said something about 'accelerated integration' for scholarship students."

Grandpa frowns slightly. Concern flickers across his features before he masks it with another smile. "Then go get ready at home." He gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "When your grandmother and I return home, we'll talk this through together. I'll help smooth things over."

"Yes, okay." I nod but dread pools in my stomach at the thought of that conversation. Grandma didn't speak to me for two days the last time I mentioned Lunar Crest Academy.

"Don't look so worried," he says after reading my expression with the ease of someone who's known me my entire life. "Your grandmother loves you more than anything in this world. Her fear comes from that love."

"I know," I admit even though it doesn't make the upcoming confrontation any easier to face.

"Now go start packing. I'll be home as soon as my shift ends." He glances back at the palace where another staff member is gesturing for him to return. "Duty calls."

I give him one last quick hug before turning to leave. "Thank you, Grandpa. For everything."

The walk home gives me plenty of time to worry about my grandmother's reaction. Our small house sits at the outskirts of the territory.

That is the farthest from the Alpha's palace as possible while still being within pack boundaries.

The path takes me through the less maintained areas of our community where the Class S wolves like us make their homes.

Children play in dusty yards. Their clothes are patched and faded but their laughter just as bright as any Class A child's. Elderly wolves sit on porches and watch the world go by with quiet dignity despite their circumstances.

I understand my grandmother's fears. I'm from a weak Class S and the students at Lunar Crest Academy are mostly elite Class A.

The stories of how they treat "scholarship cases" like me aren't exactly encouraging.

After losing my mother years ago, my grandmother's protectiveness has only intensified.

It has wrapped around me like an impenetrable shield.

But this is my one chance to change everything for us. Graduating from Lunar Crest means that doors will open in places we've never even dared to approach before.

By the time I reach our modest two-bedroom house, my determination has solidified again.

The peeling paint and sagging porch steps don't diminish the feeling of home but they remind me of why this opportunity matters so much.

I head straight to my tiny bedroom and begin sorting through my meager belongings after spreading them across my faded quilt.

"What does one pack for a prestigious academy?" I mutter to myself while holding up my best shirt. It was a hand-me-down that's only slightly faded. "I can't show up looking like this."

'You'll be fine,' Aru, reassures me. 'They chose you for your mind, not your wardrobe.'

"Easy for you to say," I reply aloud to the empty room. "You don't have to wear clothes."

I spend the next hour carefully selecting the items that look least worn. I fold them with precision as if that might somehow transform them into the kind of clothing the other students will wear.

One week isn't much time to prepare for a life-changing move but I'm determined to make the most of it.

Two hours pass while I'm organizing my backpack and trying to decide which books I can't bear to leave behind when the front door creaks open downstairs.

The sound freezes me in place and my heart jumps into my throat. They're home earlier than expected.

I take a deep breath to steady myself before descending the stairs to find my grandparents in the kitchen.

Grandmother is unpacking her usual bag of leftover food from the Alpha's table but her movements are stiff with what I recognize as barely contained anger.

The set of her shoulders and the tight line of her mouth tell me everything I need to know.

"Hi, you're not late this time," I attempt to break the ice with a casual greeting while hovering in the doorway like a visitor in my own home.

She doesn't look up from her task of transferring food from expensive containers to our chipped plates. "Come on, wash your hands and help me organize the table for dinner." Her tone is clipped and her eyes deliberately avoid mine as she arranges the leftovers to look like a proper meal rather than the Alpha's discards.

A chill runs down my spine. She knows. She somehow already knows about the scholarship.

I glance at my grandfather in an attempt to seek reassurance but he simply gives me a small nod from where he stands by the sink washing his hands.

Message received. Proceed with caution, but don't back down.

I silently help set the table and place our mismatched silverware beside each plate with careful precision. The tension in the room is thick enough to cut with a knife.

We finally sit down to eat but neither of them speaks. The only sounds are forks against plates and the occasional sip of water.

The food which was roasted chicken and vegetables that probably tasted magnificent when served at the Alpha's table hours ago now feels dry and tasteless in my mouth.

'What is this? When I don't want them to talk, they chatter like parrots, and when I need them to speak, they're completely silent!' I think in frustration.

'Try talking to them,' Aru encourages. 'Your grandfather agrees with you so focus on convincing your grandmother. You've faced harder challenges than this.'

'Don't you see how angry she is?' I argue back silently. 'I'll never be able to talk to her when she's like this. She looks ready to ground me until I'm thirty.'

'It won't kill you to try. And not speaking now might cause you to lose your chance entirely.'

"Hmmmm..." I clear my throat awkwardly.

The sound is unnaturally loud in the silent kitchen.

My grandmother's sharp glare makes me want to sink through the floor. Her dark eyes that resemble my mother's flash with a mixture of fear and anger that makes me shrink back instinctively.

She looks like she's ready to ground me for life or lock me in the house and throw away the key.

"What's wrong, my little one?" My grandfather prompts.

His eyes silently urge me to continue.

He sets down his fork and gives me his full attention like a silent ally across the battlefield of our dinner table.

How on earth did these two end up together? I wonder and not for the first time.

They're complete opposites with him being so gentle and encouraging but her so fierce and protective.

One embraces change while the other fears it. One pushes me forward while the other tries to hold me back. But that's a mystery for another day. Right now, I need to focus on the task at hand.

"Actually, I... have passed the... test," I begin in an inaudible voice. Then I gather my courage and rush through the rest. "And I will start studying at Lunar Crest Academy next week. I got the scholarship, Grandma. I'm one of only three students chosen from the entire territory."

My grandmother's eyes widen as if I've just announced that I'm running away to join a circus of rogue wolves.

The color drains from her face, and her fork clatters against her plate. For a moment, she seems too shocked to speak. Her mouth opens and closes without sound.