Six Years Ago
"Julie! Time to get up! You'll be late for school, again!" Her mother yelled at her, disturbing her sleep.
"Be down in 15 minutes, mom!" She answered back. Julie rolled herself out of bed with a groan. She quickly hopped into the shower and dressed just as quickly. Julie was not the type to obsess over her appearance. Jean's and a tee were her staple wardrobe. Add in sneakers and she was all set. She didn't bother with makeup, because she didn't have to. She had perfect skin, unusual in a fifteen year old, but she would enjoy it while it lasted...
She grabbed her bookbag and went downstairs. Her mother was standing by the stove flipping pancakes.
"Mom! What did Dr Feinman tell you about being on your feet too long??" She scolded her mother.
"I've been on my feet for a total of two minutes, grandma!" Her mother retorted good-naturedly. "Now here, eat your breakfast and get your butt off to school, before I get another phone call about your tardiness! Then, once I know you're safely ensconced in juvenile detention, I can go back to bed and rest til the afternoon. Okay???"
Julie looked at her mom, she had lost some weight since her mate, Julie's dad, Roger, had been killed in the last rogue attack. Two months ago. Two months since their world had been shattered. Usually, when one mate dies, the other mate dies soon after, but Julie's mother was pregnant with her sixth child. This gave her the strength to carry on. She had had six pregnancies, but Julie was the only one to survive so far. The doctor said if all went well, she would deliver a healthy pup in 8 - 10 weeks. Loretta, Julie's mom, was quite stressed at this point because two of her other pregnancies had ended in stillbirths at this point. So she was trying to do everything prescribed by the doctor.
She took early maternity leave from her job in the pack, so she could rest up as much as possible. The alpha, alpha Pierre, had been completely understanding and had told her to take as much time as she needed. Her job would be waiting for her when she was ready to come back. Loretta worked in the Laundry Hall. She was an omega wolf and so was assigned a menial job.
Selene's Warrior's pack was not like other packs though. They did have Omegas, and placed them in lower, menial service jobs, but unlike other packs, they weren't mistreated and they could apply to be considered for other roles in the pack. The goddess had told all packs that everyone had a value to contribute to a pack. Selene's Warrior's seemed to be the only pack to remember this. The Alphas recognised that the warriors wouldn't be much use if they weren't well fed. And the omegas wouldn't be able to survive an attack of rogues without the strength of the warriors. It was a finely balanced system. One couldn't survive without the other. Also, they realised that each class of wolf had their advantages and disadvantages.
With warriors, they were strong and good for fighting, but they were bulky and slow and could be caught and cornered if up against more than one opponent. With Omega wolves, they were small, weak, not really suited to fighting. But they were also incredibly quick and could outrun most wolves and so escape if being chased. Gamma and Delta Wolves were often a mixture of the two types, but they had an extra skill, they were smart. They could be strategic planners in battle. They were often placed as doctors or teachers. Alphas and Betas had all the advantages and none of the disadvantages. They were strong, but quick. They also had excellent strategical ability. Each part, each person had a role to play in contributing to the success of the pack.
***
Julie finished her breakfast and grabbed her bag. She kisses her mom and heads for the door. "See you later mom, please promise me that you'll get some rest, right??"
"I promise sweetie, have a good day at prison!"
Julie stepped out her door and went next door to her best friend's house, Sarah. Sarah's mom was a nurse in the infirmary and her dad was a warrior, like Julie's had been. Sarah met her at the door and they walked together to Sarah's car.
They pulled up to the school and headed inside, they got to their lockers and sorted their books for their morning classes.
"I'll see you at math class later, 'kay?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, see you later" replied Julie heading off to her first class.
As she got to her seat in Accounting class, she was met by Stefan, he was the alpha's son.
"Where have you been, Miss Tardy?" He teased her. "Second bell is about to ring".
"Eh, last time I checked, I'm not late until after the second bell rings! Mr Smartypants!" She replied.
Just then, the second bell rang and Mr O'Brien, their teacher entered. "Alright, you lot, settle down. We'll be learning to properly balance our Balance Sheets and our Profit and Loss Statements this week. You all failed terribly at the pop quiz last week, except for three students. Well done to Stefan, Andrew and Julie. A special word to Julie, top marks!" He turned to the blackboard and started writing.
Stefan whispered to Julie, "Well done, but I'm taking that first place spot from you before the end of the year" He teased her good-naturedly. They got along quite well, their rivalry between each other being put to good use to improve each other rather than tearing each other down.
They had three classes together, Accounting, Math and English. Sarah joined them in Math and the three became the ones to beat. They formed a solid, if unusual friendship, what with each one trying to get the best scores, yet each helping the others out when they needed it.
Others would look at their little clique and wonder how they managed to be friends, they didn't expect the son of the alpha to hang with two daughters of common wolves, much less that he would be academically bested by them.
The three walked together from Math class to the cafeteria, all the while arguing and joking.
"Hey Sally-Jo!" Stefan teased. "I heard things in your house have been getting steamy since your big bro came back from his F.Q!." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively to Sarah, questioning whether the pack gossip had been right this time.
"Oh, Fanny-Pack! You. Have. No. Idea!" She groaned. "Since Daniel came home with his mate, they have been acting like rabbits every chance they get. Mom even caught them in our garage! That was the last straw for her, she told them to apply for pack housing immediately. I mean, no one wants or needs to see their son mating on the hood of their car! Gross!"
Stefan chuckled while Julie gagged. "Please!" Julie begged. "Too. Much. Information! We are about to go eat, I don't need those kinds of images floating in my brain."
"Still, Daniel's Finding Quest has to be one of the quickest on record!" Stefan stated. "It only took him five days to find his mate! And in Russia! What are the odds of someone finding their mate so quickly? Usually Russia is the last stop we make on our F.Q. Why did he do it first?" He asked.
Sarah just shrugged her shoulders. "He always planned on Russia first, he said he felt pulled there. He went to Crystal Woods pack and 'poof', he finds Vicka. She was waiting at the perimeter of their packland. Her wolf hadn't shut up all day, telling her to go there."
"That's so romantic" Julie sighed. "I hope my wolf will help me like that to find my mate!" She said dreamily.
Now, it was Stefans turn to gag. "Puh-lease! Lay off the smoochie faces, girls. I have to eat!"
The two girls looked over at him in annoyance. "Seriously, Stef, aren't you even a little excited to find your mate?" Sarah asked him. "You've just turned 16 a month ago, you got your wolf, hasn't he said anything about it?"
"Not really" Stefan answered. "He says I should stay away from certain girls, and actually growls and howls in my head if I get 'busy' with some of them. But for the most part, he doesn't say anything ".
"Have you actually ever asked him though?" Julie asked.
They grabbed their food and had made their way to an empty table. They were about to continue the conversation when they were interrupted by Tony Schneider, a member of the football team. "Yo, Sanders," he addressed Stefan, "Coach wants to see you in his office before the end of lunch, something about the game lineup next Tuesday."
"Shit!" Stefan exclaimed. "I was supposed to meet him yesterday! He's gonna bench me now!" He quickly got up from his seat. "I'll talk to you guys tomorrow, I have game practice after school, bye!"
"Seriously, I don't know how he does so much! Training in the morning before school, football practice after school, and I hear that the Alpha has already started preparing him for pack work on the weekend. Where does he get his energy?" Sarah asked.
"I think his wolf gives him a lot of help, it's supposed to give you more energy and you need less time to recover and rest." Julie replied.
"Yeah, but that's precisely my point, Jools. He needs actual rest too. Doesn't look like he's getting any. I think he's taking too much on his plate. If he's not careful, he'll crash and burn."
Julie looked at her friend and thought about what she said. Stefan did look tired, and he did work hard, but didn't all alpha's? Wasn't he just preparing for when he took over the pack? "I dunno Sarah," she said. "Maybe we can talk to him about it tomorrow?" They finished their lunch and went to the rest of their classes.
The final bell rang signalling the end of the day and Julie swore she could hear everyone in the building heave a sigh of relief as she collected her things and made her way to her locker. She sorted which books she needed to bring home with her and made her way outside to meet Sarah at her car.
"OMG!" Sarah squealed at her when she saw her. "Get in quick! I have so much to tell you! You'll never guess what I found out in Art class!"
Art class was basically a cop out class. It was run by Miss McConahey, she was born in the wrong decade. She was a flower child at heart and would tell her students to 'follow their heart' when choosing their assignments. It meant that they could doodle or finger paint something, anything, and as long as they gave a 'heartfelt' explanation on presentation of said project, they were pretty much guaranteed an 'A'.
One time, this guy had completely forgotten to do his assignment, so he takes a macaroni art that his baby sister had made the day before in kindergarten. His presentation is all about how to embrace the inner child to release inner trauma. He was given an A! Therefore most students used the time to gossip and spread whatever juicy scandal was floating around the pack at the time. Since Julie was neither artistic nor eloquent when it came to expressing herself, she decided to take Home Economics class instead.
Julie climbed into the car and waited for her friend to start to tell her. Sarah pulled the car out of the school and began the drive home.
"OK, so remember, at lunch when Stef was talking about getting 'busy' with certain girls?"
Julie looked at her friend and nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"
"Weellll" Sarah dragged out. "I overheard Courteney Smith was telling Tina Curtis that Stephanie Connolly said that she totally 'made out' with him in his truck last Friday!"
"No way!"
"Yep!"
"No. Freakin. Way!!!"
"Yuuuupppp!"
The two girls giggled at each other. "Seriously though" Julie asked. "How true do you think that is?"
"Well, I think there's some truth to it, I mean, he did tell us earlier today himself."
"Yeah, but how far do you think they went? Like, did they 'make out' make out or just kissing?" Julie made air quotes while saying that and looked at her friend questioningly.
"I dunno, he is a guy, and an alpha wolf, at that. I know how much flak Jeff gave me when we were dating. Jerk!"
Jeff was Sarah's ex. He had been pressuring her for sex, while she had wanted to wait for her mate. So, Jeff, being six moths older, had told her he could sense they were mates, and when she had turned 16 and realised they weren't mates, that he had lied, she dumped him.
Julie looked at her friend. She could feel the waves of sadness and anger coming from her. She knew how much that lie had hurt Sarah and tried to help her through the break-up.
Meanwhile, Jeff, prince that he was, (note the sarcasm) had told the his group of friends that she was an easy lay and that she had begged him for it, which then of course, made its way around school and the pack. Stefan, however, knowing the truth, told his father, the alpha, and Jeff was punished by being made to take over Laundry duty every evening and all day at weekends for the next six months.
"You know what gets me!" Sarah said suddenly. "How people just make excuses for the guys. 'Oh, they're just sowing their wild oats' or 'Well, their wolf is hard to control'. But they have no problem laying blame at the she-wolfs feet. Oh no! They'll slut shame the girl! We don't have hormones to deal with! We get all the blame and the shame and all the judgement that comes with it. I'm sick of it!" She fumed.
"Wow!" Julie drawled. "You quite finished with your monologue there?"
Sarah sighed. "Sorry, I guess I'm just jealous seeing Danny and Vicka. I don't know how my mate will deal with the fact that I was with someone before him. What if he rejects me because of it?"
"You can't know that for sure, Sarah. Trust that the Moon Goddess matched you with the right one. It'll turn out right. What does Sarai say?"
"She was so disappointed in me at first, but she understood that I was tricked by jerkface and she says I should trust the goddess too."
"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding! Wow! Did I call it or what!" Julie exclaimed. "Now, stop worrying about it. Thanks for the lift home, I'll text you later."
Julie jumped out of the car and made her way to her house. She let herself in as quietly as she could, in case her mother was resting. She didn't hear any sounds and her mother wasn't in the kitchen or family room, so Julie knew she was sleeping in her room. She began to prepare a meal for both of them. She decided on pasta as that would require only one pot and was easy enough to make. Thirty minutes later Julie made her way upstairs to tell her mom that dinner was ready. She knocked on the bedroom door but getting no answer, she opened the door and what she saw took her breath away.
Her mother was laying on the floor unconscious, there was a pool of blood around her and a trail of blood leading from the bed to where she lay.
"Mom!" She screamed as she ran to her mother. Loretta only stirred slightly and slumped in her arms. Julie picked up the phone and rang the pack hospital. She explained what happened and begged them to come quickly. The doctor on the phone helped Julie to put her mother into recovery position and talked with her on tracking her mother's pulse. It was thready and faint.
Three minutes later the paramedics arrived. It was the longest three minutes of Julie's life. She kept trying to talk to her mother, to get her to stir and waken but nothing worked. She looked at how pale and weak her mother looked in that moment.
Finally, the paramedics were loading her into the ambulance when Sarah came running over. "What's wrong?" She asked. Julie gave a quick response to Sarah and told her she was travelling with her mom in the ambulance to the pack hospital.
In the ambulance, she watched as the paramedics began to hook up an I.V. to her mom and started connecting several heart monitors to her.
One was to monitor Loretta's heartbeat and the other was to monitor the baby's heartbeat.
"Man, this doesn't sound too good." One said to the other.
"We can keep them going" the other answered. "We just need to get them to Feinman."
Feinman? Dr. Feinman? Is that who they were talking about? The second guy who spoke seemed more confident that they would get through this. Just then, they stopped and the doors were opened.
"Okay, we gotta move fast here people! Get her inside NOW!" It was Dr Feinman.
"Dr Feinman! Is she gonna be okay? Tell me she's gonna be okay, right?" Julie pleaded.
"Julie, time is of the essence right now, I need to get your mom to the O.R. as soon as possible. I'm sorry but I can't talk right now. Nurse! Come stay with Julie please. She's a minor." He ran off down the hall where they had wheeled her mom.
Just then, Sarah came running in, she had followed them in her car. She took one look at Julie, her clothes covered in her mother's blood, looking dazed, and she threw her arms around her best friend. Julie just burst into tears and let herself be held.
Sarah mindlinked her own mother, who was on duty in the pediatric unit, to come down and help her get some fresh clothes for Julie. She came down and gave her some scrubs to change into.
"Do you know how long it's going to take?" Julie asked Annie, Sarah's mom. "Can you find out for me? I've been asking for the past hour and nobody will tell me anything."
"There's not much that they can tell you, sweetie" Annie replied. "There's a lot of factors involved. How much blood she lost, how the baby is doing, how quickly they got her here."
That last one stabbed Julie right in her heart, she was already blaming herself for not checking on her mom when she got home. Would it have made much of a difference in getting her mom here thirty minutes earlier?
She started to cry. "I didn't check on her! I left her for 30 minutes upstairs on the floor! I didn't know!"
"Shhh, sweetie. It's okay. You couldn't have known what was happening. You were letting her sleep, which is a good thing!" Annie tried to console her.
They waited another hour when they saw Dr Feinman walking towards them. He had a grim look on his face. They stood to greet him as he approached them.
"How is she?" Julie asked, her voice trembling.
"I'm sorry, we tried all efforts to save both your mother and your brother, but despite all attempts to save them they passed away." His voice had weariness to it that surpassed physical tiredness. This was a weariness of the soul. The weariness of someone who had seen too much death.
"Oh, okay. Can I go talk to her now?" Julie asked. "Is, is she awake?"
"Julie, look at me." Dr Feinman asked. He placed both his hands on each of her arms. "She died. Your mother died. She is gone to the Moon Goddess. Do you understand?"
At that moment, Alpha Pierre stepped into the pack hospital. As alpha, he had felt the break in the pack link when Loretta died. He didn't know who it was that died and so mindlinked Dr Feinman to find out who it had been.
"I am so sorry for your loss child." He spoke to Julie. "I pray that the Goddess gives you strength to get through this."
She felt like she had been sucker punched. All the air was taken from her. At the same time, she felt nothing. A strange numbness descended on her. She looked around her. She saw all the hospital staff going about their business, she saw the two women beside her weep. She watched as the alpha made preparations with Dr Feinman for the collection of the bodies. She was detached. An observer to life. She felt that she may as well have died with them.
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