Verdant II

Five

Grace's POV

Explaining to my parents why a human had yelled at me after class was awkward. Luckily daddy seemed really touched by my compassion for Silas, and while he scolded me for not talking to them or Silas before making a hands-off rule, he seemed happy that I cared about the humans around me. Dad seemed glad that I was using my authority for good, and tried to convince me to take a more active role in the next meeting with the elder. He reminded me that it was only three weeks until my 18th birthday.

Dad wanted me to take over the pack after he retired, but I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted. Daddy wanted me to follow my dreams, no matter what. The problem was that I wasn't sure what my dream was. The idea of leading the pack filled me with a lot of anxiety and I wasn't sure if I was the right person for the job.

It also depended on what my mate wanted. If Silas was my mate, which seemed unlikely, I would have to tell him I was a werewolf. He would be the next luna of the pack. That would not go over well with the elders. If it was another pack member or another wolf, they would probably pressure me into taking over for my dad. 

Luckily both my parents agreed not to push me into taking the alpha role right away when I turned 18, like in some other packs. They maintained that a slow transfer of power was what was best for the pack, and me. It would also give me time to go to college or get some practical experience in life before running the pack. Or as my dad would say, time to grow up. 

My phone kept ringing, but I ignored it. I had no idea what to tell people. Stella wanted to punish Silas for being rude to me in front of everyone, and was looking up petty revenge ideas on Reddit. I shot her down immediately.

The next morning I considered spending the day hiding under my blankets, but Sky knocked on my door and asked for my help with some homework, and nobody could say no to him. So I got up, ate breakfast and explained a math concept to Sky while I walked him to school.

When I made it to my high school, it was still early. I went into my English classroom to wait for the bell, and the only other person in there was Silas. He ignored me completely, just kept his gaze on his book. I didn't try to talk to him.

This continued for a few the rest of the week. And weirdly enough, I missed talking to him more than I thought I would. I wanted to see him smile and hear his laugh. 

But watching Silas and not talking to him made me realize I didn't know anything about him or his life. Crap, he had been right to call me out like that.

A lot of pack members were angry that I hadn't put Silas in his place, and so they ignored him in school. Which just made me feel worse. When I saw him in the hallways he always kept his head down and his gaze on the floor, shoulders drawn together and tense. 

All in all, I had a crappy week. I spent my free time helping Aunt Kassidy at the hospital so I wouldn't have to spend time with my friends who couldn't stop talking about my birthday. At home, I helped Sky with his homework, helped dad make dinner and avoid talking about my feelings.

Over the weekend I decided that if I wanted things to change, I had to make changes. So on Monday, I got to class early to talk to Silas. Even if he wouldn't talk to me, I would make him listen. I got the package from my backpack and put it down on his desk.

"You're right, we aren't friends. But I want us to be. So I got you this." I smiled at him. Silas looked up confused. "I don't know much about you, but I thought you might like this book - it's one of my favourites."

Silas seemed stunned for a minute. "Thank you. I can't... I don't remember the last time someone gave me something."

My heart broke for him.

He read the synopsis of the book I had given him. "Ooh, this looks interesting. Thank you so much." Silas smiled and my breath caught in my throat. "And I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have yelled at you."

"All is forgiven" I promised him. We talked about books until class started. Maggie and Stella seemed surprised when they came in and noticed me talking to Silas, but they didn't say anything in front of him.

At lunch, Lizzie asked me about Silas, and I made sure to tell her that I wasn't mad at him and that we were still friends. "But he disrespected you! Our future alpha!" She fumed.

"He's not a member of the pack," I reminded her. "He doesn't understand why everyone is giving him the cold shoulder, and frankly I think it's unnecessary. I can handle people being rude to me. I appreciate you guys standing up for me, but Silas Montgomery is not a threat"

"Whatever you say, Princess Grace" Knox answered, and then he made a joke about lightbulbs and werewolves. The tension broke, and things went back to normal. Sorta.