Support System

      Moving across the country to a new pack is difficult for a wolf. They have to uproot their entire lives and cut ties with the other members of their previous pack, something that can be a painful process. Luck for Jadie, it wasn't necessary to break the connection with her born pack if she had plans to return.

    Jadie made the decision on her nineteenth birthday to contemplate chasing her dreams and go to college in Michigan, thousands of miles away from her home in Northern California where her mother, father, and two older brothers reside. Now that she's twenty-one, she finally decided to follow through.

    Schooling is a rarity for werewolves; their positions are already given within their packs the moment they are born. Jadie's father, Gerald, is the former beta of their pack, which meant her oldest brother Jack was destined to become the new Beta when he, along with the Alpha's only son Brody, became of age.

    Jeremy, Jadie's second eldest brother, because the head of training within the pack when Brody's mother was told she couldn't have any more children. Jadie, however, had no role. Being the youngest child, and a daughter no less, was rare for wolves of power. Sons were common, and they usually stuck to two children for hierarchy purposes. Once Jack found his mate Rosa, Jadie lost any remainder responsibilities she had mustered up. This included helping Brody's mate with event planning and hospitality towards visitors to the territory. With nothing left to do, Jadie made the decision to make something of herself. All she needed was to tell her family.

    "What do you mean you're leaving?" Jack growled, stumbling out of his seat next to their father. They were all gathered in the main living room of their house, located adjacent to the pack house. They lived alone as the beta family, but close enough to the main house where the Alpha family stayed in case of pack emergencies.

    "I just think it's time for me to figure out who I am." Jadie persuaded. She frumped over in her chair with a defeated sigh.

    Jeremy scoffed and threw his hands in the air with exasperation. "Why can't you find yourself here? I don't see why you need to move so far away for that." Their mother, Kristine, let out a chuckle from her husband Gerald's side.

    Jadie's brothers were protective over her and were her best friends, although sometimes they could go overboard. Their filters had very large holes in them, and if Jack weren't Beta he probably would have gotten in a lot of trouble a long time ago.

    "Boys, please. Your sister is grown now and deserves to spread her wings. Even if it means leaving us for a little while."

    Jadie loved her mother. She was always supportive of her children, even when Jeremy wanted to live in the human world for a while and teach at their local high school. That dream was over quickly when a young male decided to challenge his authority and he couldn't react the way he normally would. He returned home days later, ready to take up his position as head of training.

    "Where are you going to stay while you're there?" Gerald asked as he held his mate's hand close to his side. Jadie grinned shyly at her father. She was actually hoping that her father would help her out with that. Being the former beta, he knew all the territories across the country and the Alphas that ran them.

    "I...was hoping you could tell me." Gerald let out a humorous chuckle. He knew his daughter all too well.

    "I will talk to one of the Alphas out in Michigan. He is close to Jack's age, but he is very mature and good at his job. I'm sure he will let you stay for a while." He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket and searched through his contacts before dialing a number.

    A deep, intense voice answered the other line. After a hushed conversation, her father hung up with a satisfied look.

    "Alpha Lincoln has agreed to let you stay with him while you are in school. He will have a room set up for you when you arrive." Jadie squealed and leapt forward out of her chair to wrap her arms around him.

    "Thank you dad. You have no idea what this means to me." He smiled and squeezed her tightly to him.

    "Of course baby girl. Anything for you." Jadie pulled away and blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. It was just starting to hit her that she wouldn't be around her family everyday.

    She wouldn't be here to make fun of Jack when he goes into Beta mode around the warriors and visiting packs, or when Jeremy whips the new recruits into shape, making the goofy grin that only she can see from across the field as his opponent's face is buried into the dirt.

    She won't wake up to her mother's cooking or her father's booming voice over her brothers' bickering at the table, earning each of them a slap on the back of the head for misbehaving even though they were fully grown.

    "You have one week until he is expecting you. You will leave for the airport Saturday morning." A sad silence washed over the room. They all had to come to terms with Jadie leaving, and fast.

    Kristine looked around at her family and knew she had to cheer them up somehow. There was no way she was going to let her only daughter's last week with them be so gloomy.

    "Okay." She clapped her hands to gain their attention and lifted herself from her seat. "I'm going to make dinner. Who is up to help?" It was a family tradition for everyone to help out in the kitchen. Kristine saw it as a way to keep her children close, even if they were busy throughout the day.

    Everyone but Jadie stood and followed their mother to the kitchen. Instead, Jadie sat with her face in her hands on the couch. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.

    The day Jadie was meant to leave came sooner than everyone had hoped. Her brothers took time out of their busy schedules to help her pack her belongings and ship them to her new home. Rosa, one of the friendliest people she had ever met, stayed each night with her instead of Jack to get in some of her last sister-in-law time for a while.

    When it was time for Jadie to head to the airport, her brothers insisted on dropping her off on their own. Gerald and Kristine stood in the doorway of their house, trying to stay strong for the family.

    "We're going to miss you so much." Kristine pulled her daughter tightly into an embrace, taking in her scent to remember it until they saw each other again. Jadie pulled back reluctantly with a sad smile.

    "I'm going to miss you all so much." She quickly wiped away a stray tear that escaped down her cheek. "This is just something I have to do. I hope you understand." Gerald watched her with pride.

    "Of course. You're growing up." His lips stretched into a smile. "Just make sure you call us as much as possible." He squeezed her shoulder for comfort. "We will miss you more than anything."

    Jeremy scoffed. "Really? So you're saying if I were to leave, you wouldn't miss me as much as Jay?" Gerald rolled his eyes.

    "You already left. Then came back. We can't get rid of you." He joked, chuckling at his younger son's crossed arms and raised eyebrow.

    Jack smiled and elbowed his brother. "Hey, I've been trying to get rid of him since we were young." Jeremy shoved him back with a beaming smile.

    "Whatever. You all love me and you know it." Jadie smiled as she watched her family tease and banter. Her heart clenched as she loaded the last of her bags that she was bringing with her on the plane.

    She hadn't noticed her brothers move until they were squeezing the air out of her lungs from between their chests.

    "You ready?" Jack asked with a low voice as they pulled away. Jadie was afraid of her voice breaking, so she simply nodded. "Let's get going." She looked back at her parents one last time, blowing them a kiss from the car side.

    "We love you dear!" Her mother called. "Make sure to call us when you get there! And give Alpha Lincoln our love." Kristine squeezed her chest with her clenched hands as her children loaded into the car and started to pull out of the drive.

    Jadie watched out the window as the familiar trees passed by in a blur. The airport was only a half hour away, so she didn't have much time to be lost in thought before they arrived at the entrance.

    Before she could grab the handle, her brothers turned around and looked at her from over the center console.

    "Uh..." She began, slowly retracting her hand back from the handle and into her lap. "Wha-" Jack cut her off.

    "We need to have a serious conversation." Jeremy nodded next to him with a stern look on his face. "Before you say anything, I need to know that you will be smart." He gave her a pointed look.

    "And safe." Jeremy added.

    "Yeah. Smart and safe." Jack continued. "And if you find your mate, you need to tell us immediately." Jadie scoffed.

    "And why would I do that?" Her mind raced at all the things that could go wrong by telling her brothers she found her mate. There was no way they wouldn't allow her to move away from home permanently. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of even finding her other half until they mentioned it.

    "We just need you to. Can you do that for us?" They both stared her down until she sighed and agreed. This seemed to make them relax as they sat back and gave her a warm smile. "We're gonna miss having you around." Jack's voice grew quiet.

    "Yeah." Jeremy continued. "Make sure not to stay away too long." They both glanced at each other before looking at the clock on the dashboard. " You better get going. We will see you soon. Don't worry." Jadie looked at her older brothers in admiration. She would miss them most of all. They were always there to look after her whenever she was in trouble or needed a friend. Now she had to start over in a new territory filled with strangers.

    "I love you guys." She reached forward and grabbed one of each of their hands. They squeezed them tight in their grips.

    "We love you too, Jay." Jack struggled to let go of his baby sister's hand, but he knew this was something she needed to do. "Just stay safe."

    Jeremy nodded. "Call us if you need anything."

    Her brothers watched as she climbed out of the back seat and grabbed her bags from the trunk. They didn't pull away until she was safely inside the airport and filing through security.

    It was pretty easy to find the gate where she was supposed to board. She clutched her carry-on tightly to her chest as she took a deep breath and stepped onto the plane, ready to start her new life far from everything and everyone she knew.