CHAPTER FOUR | AN ENDING AND A BEGINNING

Alaia POV

Two hours later, Jordyn and I were standing downstairs, taking pictures before we had to head out. Soon after, Aaron joined us, and before we knew it, all the graduates who lived in the packhouse had piled in on our impromptu photo shoot.

The parents were so proud, snapping tons of pictures; It was fun for a few minutes, but soon it became overwhelming. I grabbed Aaron and Jordyn and pulled them out the door to the car.

“It was becoming a madhouse in there,” I huffed before climbing in the passenger seat of Aaron’s car. Jordyn hopped in the back before Aaron got in and took off.

I sang along to the radio as I watched the scenery pass outside the window. This trip would be one of the last times I’d ever have to come back to this place, I thought to myself; this was awesome. As that thought ran through my mind, we arrived at the school, pulled into the parking lot, and then made our way to the football field, where the graduation ceremony was.

On our way, Alexi walked up to Aaron and began talking about the party, never once sparing Jordyn or me a glance. If he didn’t see me, then I wouldn’t see him. I grabbed Jordyn’s wrist and pulled her along so we could get away from the guys. She knew how I felt about Alexi and didn’t ask questions.

We finally made our way to the field and found our seats and passed the time chatting about a few things, mainly what we would be wearing to the party tomorrow, before Aaron and his friends joined.

They sat right in front of us, giving me a front-row view of Victoria trying to shove her tongue in Alexi’s ear while smirking back at me. Jordyn saw this and growled lowly at Victoria, which made her shrink back a bit before turning her head and staring straight ahead.

When Principal Barnsby walked to the podium and began to address the crowd, Alexi looked over his shoulder and shot me a wink, causing my heart to skip a beat. Of course, Jordyn saw this too and smirked. It took a bit of determination, but eventually, I was able to refocus my attention back on the stage. Forty-five minutes and countless boring speeches later, I finally heard my name.

“Ms. Alaia Miller, Summa Cum Laude.”

The crowd, which was filled to the brim with Opal Moon pack members, erupted into cheers. I stood up and walked to the stage, spotting my parents in the audience on the way. My mom was crying happy tears, and Dad’s eyes were full of nothing but pride when he saw me. Goddess, I loved them.

Once I approached the podium, Principal Barnaby reached out to shake my hand while passing me my diploma. “Congratulations, Ms. Miller, it’s been an honor having you as a student.”

Hearing this made me choke up a bit, so I just offered a small smile and nod, then said: “Thank you so much, sir.” He then turned and called the next student while I made my way off the stage.

After all the graduates had received their diplomas, we all wandered around the field for a bit longer, congratulating each other and speaking with some of our favorite teachers, before I finally decided to call it a night and head home.

It was a fun experience, but it was now over, and my bed and pajamas were calling my name.

***

As soon as I entered the packhouse, I made a beeline for the stairs and headed for my room. It had been an exhausting day, and tomorrow would be even worse. Sighing internally, I opened my door and took a few steps before I fell face-first onto my bed.

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps, then let out a loud “Oof” as Jordyn leaped through the air and landed on me.

“Sleepover, Bitch!” she yelled out, which caused me to groan loudly. She just laughed and slapped my ass.

“Get up and into your pajamas. Then we’re heading downstairs for movies and popcorn.”

Before I could protest, she closed herself off in the bathroom to change. By the time she came back out, I’d already changed into a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top and was ready to go.

“Come on, sexy mamma, let’s get this movie night started.”

I laughed and walked behind her down the stairs and into the theater room.

As one of the biggest packs in the country, Opal Moon had a considerable packhouse, which gave us the space to have a large and comfortable theatre room.  With the plush seats and snack bar, you’d never know that you weren’t in an actual movie theater. I headed for the good seats in the middle of the room and settled in.

A few minutes later, Jordyn came up and handed me a blanket, followed by a giant cherry slushie and a bucket of popcorn. Before I could ask, she said, “Extra butter,” with a smirk. I smiled as I thought of how amazing my best friend was.

“So, what are we watching?”

“I’m not sure,” she said as she settled in.

“The boys said they would pick the first movie of the night.”

By “the boys,” I knew she meant Aaron and Alexi.

My cheeks heated up when I thought of the wink he sent me at graduation, but I quickly came back to Earth when he walked in the room, followed by Aaron and a few other pack members. The guys took seats behind us as the lights started to dim, and The Fate of the Furious began to play on screen.

I turned my head to Jordyn and gave her my best side-eye.

She just smiled and whispered, “Just enjoy it, babe. We all deserve to have a little fun tonight.”

I knew she was right, so I turned back to the screen and began to watch the movie.

***

Two movies in, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. It was almost midnight, and I was secretly praying to the goddess that Jordyn would take pity on me and let this movie night end here.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aaron stand and stretch.

“That’s it for me, guys. My dad needs me in his office to go over some last-minute details for the welcoming of the Alphas tomorrow. Come on, Alexi, I’m sure there’s something a future Beta can help out with.”

The guys walked off, and I figured everyone else would start to head back to their rooms at their departure.

No such luck.

Jordyn jumped up and announced, “For the final movie of the night, we’ll be watching Wedding Crashers; you’re all welcome.” I so wanted to protest, but I loved Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson so...

Right around the point when Vince Vaughn is being jerked off under the dinner table, I started to feel a little off. My heart rate was becoming erratic, and my palms were sweaty. I looked down at my phone and saw the time; it was 12:17 AM. I was officially eighteen years old. I got a small throbbing headache, and at the same time, even though I was exhausted, I felt like I was just waking up. That was when I realized it was my wolf!  My wolf was waking up! I was so excited, and I tried to focus on that other side of myself.

Before I knew it, I heard a smooth voice in my head.

Hello gorgeous.

I would have been lying if I said it didn’t scare the shit out of me.

The voice then chuckled slightly. 

Don’t worry, my love, I’m Amethyst. The other part of your whole, we’re one and the same, and I’m happy to be able to speak with you finally.

By this point, I was smiling like a madwoman.

Oh my goddess, Amethyst, I can’t wait to see you. I wonder what your fur is like, do you have my same golden eyes?

Amethyst again laughed.

All in time. You’ll just have to wait for our first shift to get some of those answers, but until then, I’ll be right here with you.

At this, I gave a small nod, then realized that she couldn’t see me. 

Got it.

Amethyst seemed satisfied with this, and I felt her start to calm and relax. She was probably ready for bed just as much as I was. I leaned over to Jordyn and let her know that I was heading to bed before ducking down and leaving the theater. Once I reached my room, I snuggled into bed and quickly drifted off to sleep, finally looking forward to all that today would offer.