Hay Creek

chapter 35.

A week had passed, and it felt good to be home again. It was astonishing how quickly everything returned to normal, as if 'the fight' had never happened. No one spoke of it—not because they didn't want to, but because no one dared to. Kai wasn't quite himself; he spent long hours hiding away and going on solitary runs. I worried about him, and although he insisted he was fine, I knew better.

I sat in Kai's office behind his desk, using his computer to finish my English homework. Yes, school still demanded my attention, and I had a lot of catching up to do. We had to write a paper on historical leaders, and I had chosen Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States and the first African American to hold the office. I was still struggling with the introduction, having rewritten it twice already.

A knock on the door broke my concentration. I didn't need to say 'come in'—he let himself in.

"Kaikai... alpha—" Greyson began, then stopped when he realized it was me. "I'm sorry, I thought Kai was in here."

"It's—" I started, but someone cut me off.

"I am now." Kai strolled in casually, his shirt soaked with sweat and droplets glistening on his forehead. He had finally returned from his morning run, having left at 10 AM and been gone for six hours. It had been worse before; he'd once been gone for almost an entire day.

"Hey you," I greeted him, and he flashed me a smile.

"Kai, Alpha Omesius has agreed to meet with you. He'll be here in a day. Alpha Dashawn and Alpha Gabriel are waiting for you in the meeting room. They've been—" Greyson started, but Kai interrupted.

"I know. I lost track of time again," he said wearily.

"They understand. But, as your best friend, I'm here for you. You have an amazing Luna who is here for you too. Please, stop pushing us away," Greyson urged, his voice tinged with sadness.

"I'm fine. I will be," Kai insisted as he kicked off his sneakers. "Can you let Alpha Dashawn and Gabriel know I'll meet them in five minutes?"

Greyson nodded and left the room.

Kai walked to his sitting area and began changing. He had clean clothes waiting for him on the couch. He tossed his damp shirt to the floor before slipping into fresh dark blue jeans and a white T-shirt. The sight of his black boxers matching his black socks made me smile; I hadn't seen him much lately, and I couldn't help but watch him like a lost puppy.

"Are you joining me?" he asked, pulling on his old-school black-and-white Vans.

He hadn't invited me to join him for anything in a while, so I felt a flutter of happiness. "Sure," I replied.

Once the meeting was done, Kai, Alpha Dashawn, Alpha Gabriel, and I headed to the living room to meet the others. It felt good to see everyone together again. Kai and I settled onto the couch with Graham and Arden, who was playing with baby Nova. She was growing so fast.

"So, you're finally joining us?" Graham asked Kai, glancing my way as if gauging his response.

Kai shrugged. "I have to start somewhere."

"I'm glad," Graham replied.

"So are we," Archer chimed in, settling between Kai and me. I laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Does that mean you won't be going on those long runs anymore?" Arabella asked from across the room.

"It better mean that!" Marley added.

Kai chuckled. "I guess it means that."

"Now we can finally start working on our 'fake normal,'" Stella said, flicking her hair back dramatically.

"No kidding. I didn't realize I was faking it," Greyson replied sarcastically.

"Oh, whatever," Stella retorted, waving him off.

"It's time for me to accept what happened and move on," Kai declared.

We all knew it weighed heavily on him. That day haunted us all—Kai had ripped Calen's heart out with his bare hands. Well, technically, his wolf had. Kai had been barely himself since then, trapped in his own body while his wolf took control. It was rare for a wolf to dominate completely; Carter had told me it could only happen when a person lost control or was close to death and in need of saving.

"We're all moving on. Together," Ezra affirmed.

"Together!" Quinn echoed.

"Together as one pack!" Lachlan added enthusiastically.

"Yes," Kai said, a smile breaking through. "Yes, we are."

"Avery," Arden called, "do you want to hold her?"

"I do!" I replied, eagerly accepting baby Nova from Arden. "Hey, cutie," I cooed, smiling at her as she blinked up at me. Someday, when Kai and I were ready, I hoped for a child just as sweet as Nova. Despite all the chaos, she was a joy that gave us something to look forward to—the next generation.

Kai placed a hand on my back, drawing my attention. "Will you run with me tonight?"

Tonight was a full moon, which meant a pack run. I usually joined these in my human form since I hadn't shifted yet. But now I understood what he was asking, and I could see the excitement in his eyes. Honestly, I was excited too.

"Yes, Kai. I would love to."

His eyes sparkled with brilliant silver as his lips broke into a wide smile.