Bloodroot

Chapter Two - Jamie

The sun shining on my face awakened me from a deep sleep. It felt as if I had just fallen asleep – the restless nights were beginning to take their toll. Glancing over at my clock, the bright, green numbers glaring back at me read six-thirty. Groaning, I rolled out of bed and dropped to the floor to begin my morning routine – 100 push-ups, followed by 100 sit-ups. Marcos liked to hassle me about being in a rut. However, he understood better than most, the discipline of maintaining such routines was instrumental in coping with the death of my parents. Jumping up, I grabbed a towel to wipe my sweat. Shower or food? Food.... definitely. Wrapping the towel around my neck, I went downstairs to the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, I pulled out the milk then grabbed a box of cereal from the pantry. I poured a generous bowl and began eating while standing at the breakfast bar. The front door opened just as I took my first bite, and I heard Zoey's footsteps as her combat boots met the wooden floor.

"You're up early," Zoey observed, standing in the doorway.

"Yeah, I know," I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.

Zoey is my Beta. Both of our parents died as we were returning home from the Summer during my fifteenth year – Zoey was only in her fourteenth year. The weight of leadership responsibilities was tough for both of us, but more so for Zoey. Her older brother Zack had been first in line; as such, he had received all of the Beta training. However, he too fell during the battle, leaving her an orphan with no siblings. Regardless, she had thrown herself into her duties, and I couldn't imagine carrying the weight without her by my side. I would have preferred for Zoey to move in with me and my mentor, Elder Terry; however, Zoey preferred to stay in her family home with her mentor, and I didn't have the heart to force the issue. With her raven black hair, cut short, and her large violet eyes, she looked as delicate as a fairy. But, looks were deceiving; she had a black belt in martial arts, and she was as tough as any of my male warriors.

She was the sister I had never had, and I loved her – we had become each other's closest family. I watched as she helped herself to a bowl of cereal.

"You know you can move in," I told her. "You're here enough to call it 'home.'"

"Yeah, I know, but you know I am just now used to living on my own since my mentor moved out in June. Plus, when you find your mate, she probably wouldn't like having another female in your house," she smiled. "Besides, I am not getting stuck cleaning your dirty socks."

I rolled my eyes at her and began fishing for cereal flakes in the sea of milk.

"So, are you sticking to your plan to be more sociable at school this year," she asked casually, taking a bite of her cereal.

"I am."

"Does that include Amara?" she asked, holding back a smile.

"You know it does, Zoey. I have already explained that it is important for me to rebuild my relationships with my peers, for one day, we will be working together to protect the packs. I have been careless in my duties by letting those relationships fall to the wayside the past few years."

"Give yourself a break," she replied. "Everyone understands the pressure you were under when you were thrust into leadership at such a young age."

"Yeah. Well, you managed to keep those relationships, and you were also thrust into leadership."

She waved her hand, dismissively. "We both know it was different for me. Sure, I had to learn the Beta duties, but I was not responsible for leading the pack. Plus, I relied on our friends to help me through my grief. You chose to close yourself off and deal with your grief alone. Which was fine – we each grieve in our own way. So, stop beating yourself up over decisions made during such a difficult time."