TESSA’S POV
The next morning, the pack doctor allowed me to go home. He said that I could do home medication, prescribing me with some medicines I had to take religiously so that my wounds would heal within two weeks.
As my guardians and I walked inside the familiar living room of our home, my chest tightened right away. Trauma. That was the only thing I could feel at this point. Seeing the open kitchen where I was almost stabbed by a floating knife the last time I was here.
I found myself catching my breath, and before my anxiety got worse, my aunt already held my arms. “Breathe, Tessa. Inhale. Exhale.”
She breathed in, and breathed out afterward, and did that repeatedly. I did the same thing until my chest went normal again.
“Are you still anxious, sweetheart?” Aunt Alice cupped my cheek, looking at me like she was a mother tending to her scared daughter. “I assure you that we’ll not leave you alone anymore. We’ll protect you, so you have nothing to worry about.”
I nodded my head, offering her a thin smile. Things were still a lot easier to handle knowing that I had guardians that I could rely on whenever I was troubled. Aunt Alice and Uncle Harry were the coolest guardians. They had no responsibility over me, but they took me in and taught me what it was like to have a loving family.
“Thank you, Aunt Alice.”
“But of course, I will do everything for my niece.” She smiled and hugged me afterward.
I really hoped that whoever or whatever that creature was, it would not come back to target me again. I hoped it would not hurt this family I had. Aunt Alice and Uncle Harry were the only precious people in my life.
Days passed like a whoosh of wind. Before I even realized it, a week had already gone by. Thankfully, my bruises and wounds have healed over the last week. I stayed at home and took my medicines religiously as I did not want to be a burden to my guardians. Aunt Alice stayed with me all throughout my healing process, as just like me, she was also afraid that the mysterious creature would come back to harm me.
Over the last week, I’ve been visited by two famous werewolves at home. Atlas and Cohen… Both of them were trying their best to get to know me. During the short period of time, I had to say that I was able to observe them and found them different in so many ways.
One was that Cohen was a little perfectionist. He wanted everything to go his way and could easily be disappointed if things turned out differently. However, despite that little flaw, I could never deny the kindness he had. He knew how to remain patient, to say the right words, and definitely knew how to make me smile.
On the other hand, Atlas was the total opposite of the future Beta. I thought it may be because he had the Alpha blood, which molded him to have the aggression and ruthlessness in his voice. Well, he was calm and nice sometimes. But most of the time, he would snarl and growl at me, especially when I tended to become speechless as I watched him. He was short-tempered and impatient at those times, and my aunt told him to wait for me to be ready to face him. He was cold, grumpy, and could be arrogant. However, despite these imperfections in him, I would never deny that he was sincere towards me. True to his words, he was proving his worth.
“Are you sure you can study already?” Aunt Alice reluctantly looked at me.
She sent me to the university today as I wanted to attend classes again. I’ve had enough absences already. I couldn’t afford to miss a lot of lectures about werewolf things… and I didn’t want to bore myself to death at home either.
“I’ll be fine,” I replied, smiling at her. “You see, my head is okay now.” Then I pointed my finger to my forehead, which only had a little patch to cover the almost dried wound I had there. “This head can absorb new lectures now, so there’s no need for me to slump anymore.”
Aunt Alice sighed in defeat. “Okay. I will be lurking around here and stay alert just in case something happens. Remember what I told you?”
I nodded. “Yes. To scream your name in case I’m in trouble, and you will come right away.”
“Good girl.” She patted my shoulder and huffed. “Enjoy your day, sweetheart. I’ll be waiting for your classes to end.”
“Sure, Aunt Alice. Enjoy your day too!”
As usual, so many eyes looked my way as I entered the campus. I had already expected more attention from these shifters after what happened on the night of mating season. A wolf-less girl, humanized and orphaned, had two mates… not just ordinary mates, for they were the future Alpha and Beta of the pack.
I could hear the students talking behind me, saying that I was feeling entitled to the situation I had, yet I did not waste some time feeling bothered by what they said. After all, they didn’t know me personally.
“Tessa! I’m glad you’re back,” Mikhaela welcomed me with a wide smile, and then she embraced me as soon as I entered the classroom. “I’m sorry I was not able to visit you. So many things happened after the mating season, and I just got back from a trip with Ambrose.”
Ambrose. It was the name of Mikhaela’s mate. Cohen told me they had traveled abroad to meet his parents, who were actually living on another continent. I was glad that she had finally met her mate. I could remember how they mated on the Red Oak Mountain, and it was… okay, hot.
“I understand. Cohen told me, and I am happy to see that you look perfectly fine with your mate.” I smiled at her.
“Oh, thank you,” she said softly, her eyes radiating so much happiness that was brought by the mate bond. “I also hope you find it in your heart to choose between my brother and Atlas. Not to rush you though!”
We both laughed. Seconds later, she clapped her hand as if she remembered something and then tugged me to one of the desks where a girl was seated and seemed to be busy sketching something on her pad.
“Your return is just in time!” Mikhaela beamed at me, making the girl turn her gaze up on us. “I want you to meet Julie! I know I’ve mentioned her to you before. She just got back the day before mating season and the three of us are classmates in some of her subjects!”
I was surprised at what Mikhaela had said. Looking at Julie, I could not help but be mesmerized as she was like a living doll. She had a small face with super straight black hair with full bangs; her eyes were a bit chinky, little but pointed nose; and a thin red lip. She looked innocent and like a breath of fresh air.
“Hi!” she greeted me in her sweet, innocent voice.
“Hi, uhm… my name is Tessa.”
“And I am Julie.” Her lips curled in a smile, making her deep dimples visible. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Mikhaela.”
“Oh!” My cheeks flushed. “I hope she didn’t say a lot.”
“Hey! I told her how unique you were.” Mikhaela giggled and nudged Julie. “Right, Ju?”
Like, what exactly was that uniqueness she told Julie? Mikhaela then shook my arm and told me that I shouldn’t feel shy towards Julie. Even Julie assured me that Mikhaela didn’t say anything bad about me and only laughed in a graceful manner.
“Don’t be that stiff, Tessa. I want to be friends with you too.” Julie smiled at me. “I’d love to hear stories from you about humans. Mikhaela told me you came from the White Bridge.”
I nodded shyly. “Yes.”
“My grandmother used to tell me stories about humans too. But I think knowing how things are going on in their land at the present time will be so appealing to hear,” she continued.
Her statement surprised me. So, there is someone like her who didn’t mind hearing stories about humans? As far as I recall, most of the werewolves here despised humans… just as Luna despised me, believing that my entire thought process was human.
“I am sure Tessa can tell you more about the most interesting creatures that werewolves are considered as enemies.” Mikhaela said jokingly.
After class, we all three went to the cafeteria to have our lunch. The place was crowded as expected, but we luckily got a table where we could eat. Julie and I kept sharing stories about our hobbies and beliefs. She was like a long-lost sister to me as I found out that we had the same hobbies and principles in life. We only met for a few hours yet I really felt connected with her.
“So Mikha told me that Atlas and Cohen claim that you are their mate…” Julie mentioned as we ate our meals.
Mikhaela just nodded while I fell speechless. In the end, I confirmed her inquiry with a nod of the head.
“You look not happy about it. Are you conflicted?” she asked worriedly.
“I am,” I responded, kind of feeling the loss in my appetite.
“I want to claim that when the right time comes, you’re going to choose my brother. You see, he’s kinder compared to Atlas. He’s going to make you happy,” Mikhaela stated.
I wasn’t able to respond to the topic as I knew that a lot of werewolves could hear even the tiniest whisper that would come out of my mouth. I didn’t want to say anything and regret it afterward. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to make the right decision once I got to feel the mate bond pull, which I didn’t know when would happen.
“Excuse me, I’ll just go to the rest room,” I said and left them both as I felt the sudden growl in my stomach.
I rushed into the nearby building and was about to enter the restroom when I heard the loud sound of a jump behind me. I turned around and saw Atlas, who was wearing his boyish grin.
“You have to come with me, little wolf.”