Intimacy | ✔️ {Wattys 2017}

June

Beautiful. The buildings are a traditional style, the bricks more than a century old, the windows long and narrow, and massive trees that shade the sidewalks. The entire university is beautiful to look at, the whole day spent touring as the weather is beautiful. If anything, I cannot wait for the next chapter of my life to begin here.

The next chapter as I set forth on my passions and dreams as Flynn is beside me, going to the same university. Only, there's a difference between us, how one is free to study what they want and have the respect of their parents. How one is tied down, knowing that their dreams will be short lived as soon they will have to face the reality that a parent wants them to face.

"Really excited for all of this," I mention, turning to Flynn as we stand at the top of the stairs to the university's most famous building that overlooks the fresh green grass and students still here for summer that pass by. "Two months away."

"Two months," Flynn agrees, a smile upon his face as his mother is at the end of the stairs, capturing pictures of the school as she's been sending them to her sisters all day, bragging about her son. "Amory?" Flynn paused, looking back to the building behind us as the sun begins to set. "What if I told you that I don't want to be Alpha. That I don't want to take my father's place and run the pack." To werewolves, this decision is more important than the decision to get married.

"I would respect you because it requires so much time and patience to make that choice. I know that if that is what you truly want, then don't let it weigh you down," I reply, taking ahold of his hands. "Do you want to be Alpha?"

Flynn smiles, trying to combat the emotions with the pearly white flash of teeth as my heart swells. "I've never wanted it."

"Then don't sell yourself a unhappy future. Act upon your beliefs."

Flynn looks to his mother below, his eyebrows furrowing together as he watches her snap another picture. "She loves my father still after everything that has happened. She loves him and I can not fathom how she does," he whispers, pulling me in for a tight hug as I can tell he is suffering. "I fear that moving away for college...I cannot protect her from him." He pauses. "But I've never had to protect her before. She's always stood up herself."

She's never left him.

"My mother puts our pack right after me. She would rather face my father's wrath than leave our pack." I nod, watching as Luna Willow waves to us, a smile plastered across her face. "She really likes you, you know," Flynn comments. "She thinks of you as a daughter more than anything." My heart clenches.

"Does she know you don't want to be the next Alpha?" I ask, taking Flynn's hand as we walk down the steps.

"I think that deep down she knows, she just doesn't want to come to terms with it." I understand where Luna Willow could be coming from, how she would rather ignore the truth until the time comes for her reality to be shaken. We walk down, greeting the Luna as she talks about the plans for the rest of the day. We have a twenty minute walk back to our rental car and a short drive after that back to the hotel. Tonight Luna Willie plans on us dining out and then getting some sleep as we have an early flight tomorrow. "Did you like it?" Flynn asks his mother, watching as her face lights up as she rants about how beautiful the campus is and how well of a fit it is as well. If anything, I wonder what life will be like without her son. She's already lost one of her children, and the second Flynn tells her he does not want to be Alpha, how will she feel?

Walking through the campus, Flynn is beside me the whole time, the two of us excited for what the next four years hold. As the city gets closer and so does our parking spot, I look back to the college, knowing many memories will soon be made.