Conflict

EVERETT

~Ugh.~

~I feel terrible.~

As Aurora falls asleep in my arms, I can’t stop my mind from spinning.

I know that there’s no way I could invite a horde of humans onto pack grounds without causing a riot.

But at the same time, I see how much it pains Aurora that her human friends can’t attend our mating ceremony.

It’s her special day, and I can’t fault her for wanting them to be there.

I just wish I could understand what the human world and the people in it offer her that I can’t…

With her by my side, I am entirely complete. But she clearly still feels drawn to this other sphere. I can’t help but feel like I’m always getting in the way of Aurora living her life on her own terms.

~“It’s because we need to protect her,”~ Chaos growls in my head.

~“It’s not that easy,”~ I say, trying to silence my wolf. ~“We’ll end up pushing her away if we try to keep her too close.”~

~“She belongs to us and only us,”~ Chaos replies.

~“No,”~ I respond. ~“Aurora belongs to no one.”~

I am constantly in this tug-of-war between wanting to possess her and wanting to set her free.

She’s immortal, so she’s in no real danger of dying. But I still feel a knot of anxiety in my chest whenever she leaves my sight for hours at a time to go to that school.

I know teenage boys…I was one once. Their minds are fixed on one thing and one thing only.

~“I’ll kill them all,”~ Chaos says.

~“Easy, boy,”~ I tell him. ~“We have to trust Aurora.”~

That’s what it all comes down to…~trust~.

I have to trust that she is doing what is best for her.

She just has three more weeks of school. After that, the rest of our lives will start.

I look down at my mate, who is now fast asleep in my lap.

The Goddess blessed me with this strange, klutzy, immortal beauty.

~She’s all I’ve ever wanted.~

~If I drive her away…~

~If I mess this up…~

~It will kill me.~

RORY

I arrive at school the next day deeply exhausted from a restless night of sleep.

I just couldn’t get Amber’s words—or her smug, judgmental face—out of my mind.

And when I finally fell asleep, I had dreams of arriving at my mating ceremony butt-naked.

When I’m tired, my clumsiness only increases. So as soon as I approach my locker, I instantly slip on the smooth tile floor.

I’m inches away from banging my head on the metal locker doors when Freya pulls me up by my backpack straps in the nick of time.

“Woah there, Rory,” she says as I turn around to face her.

“Thanks,” I mutter to myself.

“Wait…what’s the matter?” she suddenly asks, peering directly into my face.

“Nothing,” I say. “Why?”

“I’m your best friend,” she says. “I can always tell when something is wrong with you.”

“I’m just tired,” I say. “Didn’t get much sleep. And I didn’t have time to do my Spanish homework last night, so I had to cram it in this morning.”

“Well that’s ~no bueno~,” she says. “Here. Let me fix you up!”

She takes my hand and drags me into the girls' bathroom.

I stand idly next to the sink as Freya whips a small silver pouch out of her backpack.

“What’s that?” I ask her.

“An emergency kit, of course,” she says.

She pulls a tube of concealer out of the pouch and starts to dab the wand on different areas of my face.

“I’d like to see you get out of a ~real~ emergency by covering it up with concealer,” I say.

“Honey, have you seen your under eyes?” Freya says with a laugh. “This ~is~ a real emergency.”

When she’s done with concealer, she takes out a tube of lip gloss and slicks some on my lips.

It tastes delicious—like spearmint—and instantly revives me.

Moments like ~this~ are exactly why I want Freya at my mating ceremony. She always knows how to make me feel better, even when stress is threatening to consume me.

“Looking good, Rory,” she says.

I look at myself in the mirror and find that I really do appear fresher than before.

“Thank you,” I say.

“That’s what friends are for,” she says with a wink. “I have something else that will perk you up, too.”

She slips the silver pouch back into her backpack and pulls out a black jacket. She thrusts it into my hands.

“What is it?” I ask her, holding it up.

“It’s the jacket for our debate tournament,” she says.

I put it on and it fits like a glove. There are sleek, faux leather panels running down the sleeves, and our school name is emblazoned in red stitching on the back.

“This is sick!” I say. “So much cooler than our old, frumpy ones.”

“Isn’t it?” she says. “I designed it myself.”

“No wonder they’re dying to have you at F.I.T.”

I turn around and check myself out in the new uniform.

“This jacket might just be the boost of confidence our team needs,” I say.

She smiles and nods as she pulls her own jacket out of her backpack and slips it on.

“We’re going to be the first team in our school’s history to beat Chatsworth in the final debate,” she says. “I can just feel it!”

***

When the final school bell rings, I make my way over to the auditorium for debate practice, still rocking my new jacket.

The team is already assembled in a semi-circle around our team’s coach, Mr. Malone.

They’re all eating slices of pizza from the box on the floor. Sometimes I wonder if half these kids only join the debate club because of the free pizza.

But not me. I really love debating issues that I’m passionate about. And besides, I think it’s good leadership practice for when I’ve officially assumed my luna duties.

When I’ve taken my slice and my seat, Mr. Malone starts to speak.

“Alright everyone,” he says. “As you know, our big, final debate against Chatsworth is coming up.”

Just the name ~Chatsworth~ incites an eruption of boos from the team.

“So let’s break off into teams and do a quickfire practice round,” Mr. Malone says.

“Hold up!” Freya says, looking around the room. “Jax isn’t here yet! Shouldn’t we wait for him?”

“I actually have some bad news,” Mr. Malone says. “Jax just informed me that he was recruited for a very prestigious internship, so he won’t be able to participate in debate anymore.”

This announcement sparks yet another round of boos.

Jax is one of our most confident speakers.

~How will we be able to win in the finals without him?~

“Jax’s absence means that I will need ~full~ attendance from the rest of you at the Chatsworth debate,” Mr. Malone continues. “Otherwise we will be disqualified from the competition.”

Everyone nods in agreement.

Suddenly, I feel Mr. Malone’s gaze landing on me.

“Rory,” he says. “That means you, too.

“I know your family situation is complicated, and sometimes it’s difficult for you to show up to events that take place outside of school hours. But please don’t let us down on this one.”

Now ~everyone’s~ eyes are on me.

It’s true. I’ve had to miss competitions in the past because they have conflicted with pack events.

For years, I’ve lied to friends and teachers, telling them that my mother is irrationally strict and demanding, instead of revealing that I secretly live with werewolves.

Freya is staring at me expectantly. I think of all the hours she put in making this jacket for me and the rest of the team. And of all the practice we’ve put in over the past few months.

I’ve let them down in the past, but not this time. I won’t let it happen again.

“I’ll be there,” I say with confidence.

“Great,” Mr. Malone says.

I see Freya’s anxious expression transform into a bright smile.

“So everybody, don’t forget to bring your new jackets, your water bottles, and a calm, rested mind to the finals,” Mr. Malone says. “And don’t be late. I want to see your bright faces in this auditorium at 10 a.m. sharp on Saturday.”

“Wait…,” I say, my heart dropping into my stomach. “You mean ~next~ Saturday, right?”

“No,” Mr. Malone says. “The finals are this Saturday. The fifteenth. That’s not going to be a problem for you, is it?”

~Um…~

~Hell yeah, that’s a problem!~

~The final debate tournament is the same day as my mating ceremony!~

~What am I going to do?!~