The Mysteries That Follow You

Chapter 25

Marie is adjusting to her new life with the Woodins well. For the first time since her parent's death, she feels safe. The orphanages were nice but compared to living with her godparents it's not the same. The Woodins' home feels warm and loving everywhere you go. There are only three of them but Marie never feels lonely even when Oscar and Kiana aren't around.

Since leaving the hospital she picked up her training routine again easily. She jogs around the house and lifts weights in the home gym. The only difference to her exercise routine is that Mr. Oscar has been sparring with her. He started teaching her how to fight a couple of days after she was discharged. Marie loves it and it has become the favorite part of her day. Mrs. Kiana has taken over her lessons about werewolves and what to expect for her first shift. Luna Ciara comes over often and spends time with her. Alpha Tyrell has been busy with pack work but Luna Ciara tells her he asks about her. Marie feels more and more each day she is right where she belongs.

Kaden's birthday is in two days and Marie has just finished her gift for him. She is still on break from school. She doesn't get out much and hasn't explored the pack. She arranged to meet Millie at the orphanage today so she could give Kaden the gift for Marie. It is the first time she will see the girls since leaving the orphanage. Marie is currently working on some gifts she got the impulse to make for her godparents a couple of days ago. She does it while she waits for Millie to get out of school to pass the time. She is sitting outside on the stairs that lead out the back of the house. Oscar opens the back door and spots Marie on the steps.

"There you are sunshine. I was wondering where you were." He leans on the door frame waiting for Marie to turn around.

"Hello, Sir." Marie looks away from the item in her hand and up at her godfather. Lately, Marie has been wanting to call them something other than their names. It feels wrong to call them by their first names so she often refers to them by sir or ma'am. She is conflicted about calling them anything else. She is also afraid of what they would think if she asked them.

"Would you like to do some training?" Marie jumps up at the chance. She needs to waste time until school ends for the girls and what better way than to spar.

"Yes!" Marie says and then walks up the stairs. "I just need to change first." She changes into her sparring clothes and heads outside to the usual spot. Oscar is already there waiting for her at the clearing. They spar for an hour. Oscar pats Marie on the back, his eyes shining with pride. She is getting stronger as the days go by. She even managed to flip Oscar on his back. She fights like her father once did. They sit down for a while and talk after catching their breath. When it gets close to the end of school they walk back to the house.

Marie runs up to her room and grabs her clothes and a towel. She takes a quick shower and heads downstairs with Kaden's gift in hand. Kiana and her hop in the car and drive to the orphanage. Her godmother drops her off so she can spend a couple of hours with her friends. The girls catch up on what has been happening at school and they watch John Wick. They comment on how buff Marie has gotten but she chalks it up to the physical therapy. They switched topics to discuss what they plan to do during the school break starting this week. They made plans to hang out next week on Marie's birthday. They see each other less now that Marie has moved out and they miss her. Marie's friends are overjoyed when she tells them she will be back in school after the break. Marie entrusts Millie with Kaden's gift before she gets picked up and says goodbye to the girls.

~

It is the day before his birthday and Kaden along with Darius make their way to their third-period class. Malcolm and Dennis are already there goofing around in the back. Millie is sitting in her seat in the front with a bag on the table. Darius makes a beeline to her and his seat. Kaden begins to walk past them towards his seat in the back, after saying a quick hello to Mille. Millie grabs his arm before he can get any farther away. Darius lets out a low growl from the contact. Kaden rolls his eyes, how is he upset when she was the one who touched him?

'What's up Millie' Kaden signs to her instead of speaking. He decided to practice more to be fluent in ASL like Darius and Marie. He realized how much he lacked despite his best friend's sister who is like a sister to him being deaf. Millie lets go of his arm and Darius relaxes. She hands him the bag that was on her table. 'What's this?'

'Marie wanted me to give that to you. It's a birthday gift' Kaden breaks out in a huge s**t-eating smile. Before he can respond the teacher walks in and Kaden moves to get to his seat. That smile doesn't leave his face for the rest of the day. He can't wait until school ends so he can give Marie a call and thank her. He is bummed he couldn't receive the gift from her but he understands. Since she got out of the hospital and he got her new number they have spoken every day. They text throughout the day but his favorite thing is their nightly phone calls. Even though she has been out of school for weeks and he hasn't seen her in person they have gotten closer. He can't imagine her not being in his life anymore.

The next morning Kaden is awoken by the sound of his family walking in his room singing Happy Birthday. His mother is holding his favorite breakfast, chocolate chip pancakes with fresh fruit on top. His brother jumps on his bed and gives Kaden a smothering hug. He laughs and pushes Michael off the bed when he tries to put him in a headlock. After his parents finish singing his father smiles at him in pride.

"How do you feel son?" Kaden gives his father a large grin and sits up on his bed.

"Powerful" His mom chuckles and his dad nods in understanding. It has been a while since his sixteenth birthday but he remembers that day fondly.

"We will give you time to eat and get ready for the day." His mom leaves the pancakes on his nightstand and kisses him on his head. His family files out of his room and closes the door. Instead of digging into his breakfast he gets up and grabs the gift Marie got him. He has been itching to open it but wanted to wait until his actual birthday. They talked last night about it when he called her and all she told him was that she made it by hand. She wanted him to be surprised so she didn't give any hints. He peered inside the bag and there was a small wooden box.

Kaden pulls out the box and examines it. On the top, his name is carved in cursive lettering. He runs his finger over the letters. He then opens the box and pulls out a necklace. The chain is navy blue and made out of leather. It's attached to a circular pendant that is intricately carved with little designs. The front of the pendant depicts a scene in the woods. There are a dozen wolves following behind a larger wolf through a valley of trees. The larger wolf is sitting on its hind legs howling at a full moon in the distance with the pack of wolves behind it following suit. At the back of the pendant the word Delta is carved in the same font as the sign on the pack house. Below that in tiny letters are the initials 'M.H.' Kaden is shocked and confused by the gift. He quickly grabs his phone and calls Marie hoping she will pick up.

"Happy Birthday Kaden!" Marie's voice booms when the phone call connects. "I would have called you first if I knew you were awake."

Kaden instantly feels calm from hearing her angelic voice, but he braces himself before he speaks. "Thank you, Marie. I hoped you would be awake. I just opened your gift. I absolutely love it but I was wondering how you came up with the design," He says in a nervous voice that gets softer as he says "and the word on the back". 'She must somehow know I am a werewolf but how would she have found out?'

Marie takes a moment before answering "To be honest I don't know Kaden. When I carve I don't think about it beforehand. My knife has a mind of its own and when the project is finished I am surprised by what I made. Are you sure you like it?"

Kaden is even more confused but Marie hasn't shown signs that she suspects anything. He calms his heart down and says "Yes I am sure, this is the nicest gift I have received. I can see the care you put into it and I can tell this will be one of my favorite pieces of jewelry. Thank you."

"I am so glad you like it, Kaden. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and hopefully, when my recovery is done we can hang out together."

"I would love to hang out with you. We can celebrate each other's birthdays when you are up to it." Marie agrees then says goodbye and ends the call. Kaden admires the necklace again. He is amazed how she could get such detail on a small canvas. He takes a long look at the front and he is filled with a bittersweet feeling. Kaden puts the necklace back in the box and eats his pancakes. Once he is done he changes into a pair of basketball shorts and sandals. He heads downstairs puts the plate in the sink and goes out the back door where his father is waiting.

The reason Kaden told his dad he feels powerful is because he does. The energy and power coursing through him is exciting and new. Kaden has always been powerful, being an alpha's son has its perks. For example, having his wolf from an early age. However, turning sixteen means he fully unlocks his alpha genes. From now until his pops retires he will begin training to be the Alpha of Delta Blue Pack. But today he can focus on going on a run with his dad. A tradition passed down from previous alphas of this pack. A tradition Kaden has been excited about since he was told as a pup. Kaden shifts and even this is a new feeling for him. When he looks at his dad he can tell his wolf is bigger than before. That electric energy he felt earlier has picked up and he can't help but take off. His dad follows behind and they run and play through the woods near their house.

The day passes by quickly and it is now seven pm and Kaden is getting dressed for a party. Against his wishes, his parents planned a birthday party for him and invited all the teenagers in the pack. Kaden would rather just goof off with his friends than be the center of this party. His parents mean well so he is pushing his reservations aside and is now getting ready. He finishes getting dressed by putting on the necklace Marie gave him, runs his fingers through his curls, and heads to the pack house. The event hall where most parties are held is full of people dancing and eating. Kaden walks up to his friends and they dap him up and wish him Happy Birthday. Despite not wanting a party Kaden is enjoying himself. That is until Bianca shows up to the event. He can hear her before he sees her. He silently prays to the Moon Goddess she isn't his mate.

It seems like his prayers were answered. When she worms her way into the group of people Kaden is standing with he can instantly tell there is no connection. When she jumps into his arms and he reluctantly grabs her so they don't both fall, there are no sparks. He then breaks the news to her when she stares into his eyes hopeful. That doesn't deter her from still trying to find a connection. He spends the rest of the night dodging her. Every time she touched him in a not friendly way it felt like acid burning him and he felt an ache in his chest. It became too much for him to bear and he left the party early. He thanked his parents for the party when he got home and headed to his room. He checked his phone and saw a text from Marie. That made his heart soar and he felt a tug in his chest. He fell asleep thinking he had a great birthday and the only thing missing was Marie.