To the Wolves

Chapter 37

Olivia and Ethan sat at their spot on the rooftop after sunset. The sound of crickets was prominent, as was the silence that persisted between the two.

Ethan held the vial in his hand and looked at it. She watched him for a few seconds before asking, "are you gonna use it?"

Without looking at her he said, "I'm not sure."

"Why not?" she asked. "You have waited for this for such a long time."

"That is precisely why I hesitate," he said looking at her. "This has been my purpose for so long that I don't know what I would be without it.

"I know what you would be. You would still be a wonderful and caring person who is sometimes mean," she laughed. "You can always find a new purpose. I know it wouldn't be easy but you will have something to look forward to. And if you do this then you'll have a family and a pack. Isn't that what you always wanted?"

"Yeah, I have," he said before letting out a suppressed chuckle. "I have wanted a lot of other things too, but I'm doing just fine without them."
"Like what?"

"I always pictured myself as an Alpha, as you might know," he said.

Olivia smiled.

"Elliot was never the talkative type but I did not understand that when I was young, so I would bug him until he answered my questions. I would ask him about my parents and he'd tell me how strong my dad was and how brilliant he was as an Alpha; and my mom- charismatic, kind, and the type of woman people looked up to. Somewhere along the lines, I had started wishing to be like them, and to have my own pack that I could build someday. And now," he scoffed, "my father is not my real father, which means I have no claim to be an Alpha. But I am fine with that. I realized how pathetic it was to want those things based solely on my birthright."

"You don't need somebody's blood or genes to have it in you," Olivia said. "Remember Dominic? He inherited his position of the Alpha but he ended up getting overthrown by his own people. And Victor, the same thing happened to him. So it does not matter if you inherit it or rise up to the level as long as you are competent. I am just trying to lay down all the facts," she said looking at the vial, "but it's always going to be your decision whether to use it or not. Just know that I will support you no matter what decision you make."

He nodded, suddenly having a warm, fuzzy feeling.

"On a side note," Ethan said smilingly, "I would love to meet my mother."

"I want to meet her too!" Olivia said as her smile reached her eyes. "If you do end up using it then can I come with you?"

"Ahh, I don't know about that. I was thinking of asking Victor to come with me," he said teasingly.

"Oh, that's okay. If you want to go with him I'm okay with that," she said monotonously. "I mean I do feel hurt and betrayed but I'll swallow my sadness if it means for you to be happy."

Ethan laughed. "You can leave the drama club but the drama club can never leave you, can it?"

"Actually, we got fired from the club," she stated. "Well, there's a first for everything."

"Whoa. That's hard to believe," Ethan said, feigning hurt. "To think that someone would fire such competent people like us is beyond my comprehension."

"I'm sure it was a very tough decision for Will, given how much he likes you."

"Jealous?" Ethan smirked.


***

The next day, Lillian sat alone at the same spot where she ate lunch. She could still here the faint noise from the building but she felt like everything was too quiet. This repeated for a few days. Joe had not been attending school.

'But what's it to me?' Lillian thought. 'It's good that he isn't here. I get to eat my lunch in peace.'

She picked up the book that she had issued from the library- 'Kafka on the Shore' and started reading from the first page. She had barely read half a page when, on the third day, Joe showed up and sat at his spot near her with his tray of food.

"What are you reading?" he asked.

She gave no response.

"Lillian," he said again, questioningly. "I know you can hear me."

"Can't you see I am trying to read?" she said without looking at him.

Joe smiled and did not say anything further. He ate his lunch while admiring the surprisingly clear sky.

Lillian continued reading, and read the same page over and over again before she gave up. She kept the book aside and took a sip from her water bottle.
"Why didn't you show up for the past few days?" she asked.

He pursed his lips.

"Death of a close relative. We had to attend the funeral held in a faraway town," he said.

"Oh..." Lillian said, looking at him, "I am...sorry. I am sorry to hear that."

Joe laughed to lighten the tension.

"It's okay. She was old and came to her natural and peaceful death," he said. "I did not know her so well but my mother did."

Silence had once again befallen them. Lillian chewed away at her lunch while he simply watched her eat.

"What are you planning to do for your final project?" he asked.

"I don't know. Do I have to do something?" She said casually.

"Ugh, yes, you have to."

"I guess I'll find some ideas from the internet and piece something together."


Joe's eyes widened after hearing her.

"And you think you will get a good grade based on that? The teacher will be able to see your laziness," he said as a matter of fact.

"I don't care about that. As long as I get an easy way out of these trivial tasks it does not really matter," she said.

"Yes, they might be trivial at times but these projects can be fun, and there is no other feeling that can replace the one you get after completing a project that you worked your ass off on. We have full freedom to choose whatever topic and work on it. There must be something you are passionate about. Maybe you can think about this instead of being so stubborn," he said. "I gotta leave. I have to make up for the time I took off. See you later," and he left without waiting to hear a reply from her.



***


The next day, Olivia got ready early to complete her tasks of the day. She left her room and was walking down the hallway when she saw Lillian working on her laptop through the open door. Olivia stopped to look when she heard Lillian laugh. She entered the room.

"What's so funny?" Olivia asked cheerfully.

Lillian looked at her and excitedly said, "I have this project where I have decided to design a quiz on an app. I came up with a prank quiz where you find out which famous Chris you most likely are- Pratt, Hemsworth, Pine, Evans, or Nolan, but no matter what options you pick the answer is always going to be Christopher Columbus. Some girls are going to be super pissed. I have never worked so hard on a project before." She finished with a big smile on her face.

Olivia stared at her, not knowing how to react.

"Whatever makes you happy, kiddo. I'm gonna let you go back to it," she said in a flat voice.

"Where are you going?" Lillian asked before Olivia could leave.

"To my old house," she said.


***