Zari

Chapter 5 - Revelation

***Clint

“Are you serious? When are they going to do that?” asks Adam as we walk into the school.

“This evening. Mom thinks it would be wise to give some guidance on mates before our Prom tomorrow night. I am really not that worried about it. Dad will pretty much say, ‘Keep it in your pants, boys, unless she is your mate’, and my mom will tell the girls that finding your mate is pretty much a real life fairy tale and all princesses should wait for their prince - whether he is an alpha or not. They are having the public school seniors join in as well.” I chuckle, thinking about how very different my parents are.

“You know, I get it. Not everyone’s parents really handle the mate discussion well. I wonder who gives the children’s home kids that talk.” His curiosity gets me thinking. How do I not know these kinds of things? I can’t imagine having to learn mateship from anyone other than my own parents.

“You have that look again, Clint,” Adam states. “You’re feeling bad for Jaylie, aren’t you?”

“Actually, I was just thinking that it would really suck to have to learn about mateship from anyone other than my own parents, which goes for every kid at the children’s home. It kind of puts in perspective how important what my parents are doing really is. After all, they are, in a way, the mother and father of the pack.”

“Yeah, man. When you think of it like that, you have to wonder why it has never been done before now.” Adam says. I think for a second, then wonder if this would have happened if I hadn’t mentioned my concerns for Shaliece. Part of me doubts it would have. Would I have thought about it if I were Great Alpha? Considering the fact that my mother came up with the idea, I choose to believe my future luna might have helped me see the need. That being said, I really need to step up my game. I need to think of things like this without depending on my future luna to pick up where I fall short.

“Mr. Ralston, I am glad to see you here early. I need to have a word with you before training this morning. Let’s go to Warrior Mbugua’s office. He is setting up for the underclassmen’s training so it will give us some privacy,” Head Warrior Allen interrupts my thoughts, standing in the doorway as Adam and I approach. Wide-eyed, I nod and follow him through the school to one of the small offices near the indoor training arena that the females use, leaving Adam behind.

“Have a seat,” he says, motioning to the chair facing the desk. Rather than sitting in the office chair, he leans back against the desk, still standing, with his arms crossed in front of his chest and his ankles crossed. “It has come to my attention that Jaylie has surpassed every female in warrior training, even surpassing Warrior Hill. When Warrior Hill spoke with Great Alpha Ralston about this, he issued an order that Jaylie be trained with the males. Now, I will not go against his orders, but I had to figure a way to keep her safe, too. I would rather not stand by and watch some male grope her and claim that it was purely a battle move,” I see every vein in the man’s body pop out as he tenses every muscle in response to the thought. “Over the years, I have seen you protect Jaylie many times. You are the future Great Alpha, so I know you would never harm her or take advantage of her,” Head Warrior Allen continues, sounding as though he is trying to talk not just me but himself into something, “so I am going to have you train one-on-one with Jaylie after school each day. She will participate in meditation, agility, skills, and obstacles with the males, but for sparring, she will do that with you after school. Do you object?”

“No, sir. I totally get it. My only concern is that I don’t want to hurt her,” I reply honestly.

“Son, you should be more concerned that she would hurt you,” he blurts with a puff of air and a smirk. “Let’s go out to the training field. I will need to address everyone about the changes that will be made.”

True to his word, Jaylie is already sitting in the grass wearing short spandex shorts and a tank top. Good Goddess, I am going to have my hands on those thick, muscular thighs this afternoon. It will definitely be a cold shower day, both after morning training and after my afternoon with Jaylie. I sit down next to her and attempt to not creep her out.

“Soo...I hear you and I are going to be training buddies each afternoon,” I say, mentally kicking myself for being so lame.

“Yes. It seems being the best of the females isn’t good enough,” She replies, looking down at the grass.

“Don’t think of it like that,” I respond, “think of it as an opportunity to learn more than any of the other females in our class. You know I go to Alpha Training every summer, so I have skills that you probably haven’t been shown yet. We’re just going to add to your already extensive knowledge.”

“It’s still awkward.”

“I am personally hoping it will be fun - maybe even a way to grow our friendship,” I say, gently elbowing her arm and giving her a smile full of hope.

“Maybe,” she says, looking up at Head Warrior Allen.

He gives her the warmest smile I have ever seen on a warrior. If I were an innocent bystander, I’d have thought he was her father. “Do you want to stay in the grass or join me up here, Firefly? I can hear the rest of the group coming this way.”

“I’ll stay here,” she sighs. Just like he said, a herd of males begin exiting the doors and all stop short when they see Jaylie beside me in the grass.

“Gentlemen, please take a seat while I explain what is going on,” Head Warrior Allen starts. “As you can see, your training is no longer just for males. Miss Hawkschild has outperformed every female in the school, besting even Warrior Hill, so Great Alpha Ralston has ordered her to be trained alongside you gentlemen. She will participate in everything except sparring. That will be done after school one-on-one; however, I would like for each of you to up your efforts in sparring so that she might learn by observation. Depending on how things go in the coming months, she might participate in the class warrior tests in May. I will tell you now, if she does compete, it will not be an opportunity for you to get handsy with a female without immediate and painful repercussions,” he states forcefully, making stern eye contact with each male. Head Warrior Allen is not someone anyone wants to have to answer to. “Let’s begin.”

*

By the end of class, it was clear that Jaylie is as skilled as a warrior as she is in academics. Her obstacle course time, her tracking time, and her balance and agility runs surpassed every male in the class - myself included. Hell, even her meditation seemed better; she practically glowed while meditating and every wolf around her could feel the waves of tranquility roll out from her over each of us. It was unreal. The pride Head Warrior Allen had for her during each section of class today was unmatched. During sparring, I found myself putting forth more effort than I have in months, trying to perform each move to perfection. There is just something about having her eyes watching me that motivates me to be better. Head Warrior Allen dismissed Jaylie to the girls’ locker room before having us all shift back to our human forms to avoid her being surrounded by nude males. In a pack of werewolves, nudity is unavoidable, but in cases like this, it is just a matter of being respectful of Jaylie’s future mate as well as ours.

I enter the cafeteria seeing that the females are already present. I grab three plates, needing a little more than my usual two after putting forth more effort this morning. I sit at the table and bite into my bacon cheeseburger before saying a word. I feel my eyes roll back in my head in ecstasy.

Brian looks at me with a smirk, “Not surprised that you are starving. Dude, you nearly broke all of our bones today! Was it that you wanted to prove yourself as the rightful alpha of our group? Or was it having a pair of female eyes on you that got your wolf to flex his strength?” He joked.

I stop with my mouth wide open ready to take the next bite, my sandwich midair. I feel my entire face and neck heat, knowing that the shock of being called out has caused a very obvious blush. I know there is no way I can deny it, but I at least have to try. But before I can say anything, Shaliece screeches, “What female!?”

“Not important, Shaliece. I just want to get to the bottom of what has our future Great Alpha blushing,” Brian replies, bent half over in full body laughs. A few other guys at the table join him.

“Well, I would like to know what female slut thinks it is okay to be with my future mate during training!” Shaliece screeched again, this time with a growl mixed into her tone. I internally curse my wolf hearing.

“First of all,” I begin, ”she is there by Great Alpha’s orders, not because she chose to be, so accusing her of being a ‘slut’ is out of line. In fact, just because a female is around males does not make her a slut anyway. That term is crude and overused. Second, as I said, it is my father’s order, so if you think his decision is unjust or unwise, I suggest scheduling a meeting and taking it up with him. I feel all of us males would agree that we learned a lot today by watching her example and are maybe inspired to try harder in training after we all got our times bested by her.” I was careful to not use Jaylie’s name and to slip that bit about being inspired in there as a way to cover my tail for my previous blush.

Shaliece gritted her teeth and lowly growled out, “It was Jaylie, wasn’t it?” Everyone at the table just sat and stared, not answering. She was seething in rage. “Where is that fat little orphan anyway?”

I look up and around the room, realizing Jaylie never came to lunch.

“She’s not fat, Shaliece. She’s just got the body of a fine hunny,” Adam defends, calmly as always. I’ve got to say, he isn’t wrong. “Besides, as Clint pointed out, Great Alpha Ralston ordered it. Our job is to respect his orders.” This only adds to her displeasure. Shaliece folds her arms across her chest, slides down in her seat a little, and pouts silently in anger during the remainder of our lunch period. The rest of us ignored it and carried on talking about our meetings with my parents this evening and about prom.

Soon enough, the bell rang. I get up and grab two protein bars off the end of the buffet line and walk into our classroom, laying the bars on Jaylie’s desk. I slide into my seat and pull my homework out of my bag, ignoring the slapping sound of each of Shaliece’s notebooks and textbooks as she whips them onto her desk. Jaylie walks in last. Approaching her desk, she glances at the bars, then looks up to me and mouths “thank you”. I don’t know how she knew it was me - no one else even noticed me doing it - but she knew. The small interaction, though, pushes Shaliece over the edge. She stands up and stomps over to Jaylie, grabbing her shirt to turn her so that they are face to face. The force of the pull was more than Jaylie’s already strained buttons could take and they pop off of the blouse, landing on the floor with little tapping sounds. “What the hell do you think you are doing going to male training just to be close to my future mate, you little slut?”

“Ms. Greene, sit down at once!” Dr. Maddox interjects before Jaylie can defend herself. “You will adhere to the rules and protocols of not only this school, but also of this pack! If you cannot do so, you will be expelled regardless of your father’s rank!” He takes a deep breath. He steps forward and escorts Shaliece to her seat before continuing. “Clint, please drive Miss Hawkschild home to retrieve a new shirt. Neither of you will miss out on anything as we are reviewing what we discussed two days ago. Please return promptly so you will not miss the new material. I will put a call in to the Great Alpha to report this incident after class,” he says, shaking his head. Werewolves tend to be a little hot-headed at times, but outbursts and physical aggression like this are not common or allowed. Elite students are just better trained than this.

“I can walk, Dr. Maddox,” Jaylie protests, trying to hold her shirt closed with her shaking hands.

“No. I want you back as soon as possible so you can participate in civil discourse regarding today’s new material,” he responds.

I stand with my keys in my right hand, pressing my left hand gently on her lower back to guide her to the parking lot. I glance down at her out of the corner of my eye and see silent tears sliding down her cheeks, causing my chest to tighten and my stomach to turn. I feel like someone just knocked the wind out of me, and I really don’t know what to do. Should I try to comfort her? Talk her through it? Or should I leave her alone and let her work it out on her own? Why is knowing what the right thing to do so damn hard?

As we approach my car, I quicken my steps so I can open the door for her. I hear a mumbled “thank you” as she tucks herself into the front passenger seat. I run around the front of my car and slide into the driver’s side to find her on her right side with her back to me, her knees drawn up to her chest, but being thoughtful to keep her shoes off of my seat. I try to take a deep breath, just to make sure I am breathing.

“Jaylie.”

“Hmm?”

“What do you need me to do?” I figured asking what she needs was better than trying to decide what she needs. Assumptions do not always work out well.

“I just need to go to the home so I can grab my old shirt,” she replies.

“Your old shirt?” I ask. Does she not have multiple uniform shirts for school like everyone else?

“Yeah. From Freshman and Sophomore year. I got this one Junior year,” she states factually.

I start the car and drive, but not to the children’s home. I swing into the parking lot of our mall and step out of the vehicle. I walk into the uniforms store, describe Jaylie’s size to the cashier, purchase two new shirts and skirts, and return to the car. I hand her one of the shirts, choosing to stop by the pack’s seamstress in the packhouse tonight so I can have this shirt tailored to fit her small waist to full bust ratio a little better. I’ll just have the shirt and skirts delivered to her tomorrow. I don’t want her to feel like I have overstepped in any way.

“You can change your shirt in here. I will stay outside and give you your privacy,” I say, fully respecting her privacy. I keep watch to make sure no one is nearby who could violate that privacy. Once I am sure that she must be done, I c***k the door, keeping my back turned, and ask if she is dressed, which she confirms. I sit back in the driver’s seat, but can’t bring myself to start the car. I feel like I need to talk to her - really talk to her.

“Jaylie, I need to talk to you before we go back,” I start out gently. She nods, still facing out her window. “First, you know that great alphas usually find their mates in other areas, oftentimes in completely different countries in completely different territories?” She nods. “So the chance that Shaliece is my mate is slim to none. Besides, I think the Moon Goddess is too wise to make her anyone’s Luna.” I continue, seeing a small smirk in the corner of her lips appear. I guess she agrees with that assessment. “So, I guess what I am trying to say is that she was way out of line. No one else thinks you are in the male’s training just to be around half-dressed males. It was my father’s order, and she should have respected that after both Adam and I told her that it was his order. No one blames you.” What else should I say? I wait a few minutes, thankful that the mall is next to the school so we have this opportunity.

“I wasn’t sad that she tore my shirt,” Jaylie finally says, then goes silent again.

“What were you sad about?” I ask, genuinely wanting to know what is circling around in that impressive brain of hers.

“I just...sometimes, it just...I guess I just wish I could be normal,” she says before inhaling deeply. “It isn’t easy being the best at everything. I don’t really want to be, but to not be fully myself to my full potential would be the same as being ungrateful to the Moon Goddess.”

Man. She must feel torn constantly. I mean, to a small degree I get it. Being alpha-born automatically made me better at everything than all of my peers, minus Jaylie, but she would have technically been two years behind me in school had she not taken the test early. I am probably the only person in our school that has some inkling as to how she feels.

“You aren’t alone, Jaylie. I know we are different people, so I can’t actually feel what you feel, but I have similar feelings as a future Great Alpha,” I say, hoping it will help.

“People expect that of you, which puts pressure on you, but in the end, you are praised and rewarded for it. There is no surprise aspect to it. For me, I am treated like a freak; and exceptions have to be created just to provide the next level for me, which makes others hate me even more. Your strengths benefit the pack as their leader. No good has come from my gifts, Clint, only heartbreak,” she says, continuing with her stare out the window. She’s right. I was a fool to think I understood what she is going through and has gone through since starting pre-school.

I do the only thing I can think of to do to make her better. I turn on my car and drive to the next building, and order her a milkshake in the drive-through, getting one for myself as well, then park to talk a little more.

“Jaylie, I want to be a good friend to you. Just tell me how I can do that in ways that you need. Most of my friends are guys, so this is kind of new territory for me. I mean, I have two sisters, but they are still little.”

She seems to contemplate my question for a while. “Would you teach me to drive?” She asks, finally looking toward me. My heart breaks a little seeing her beautiful eyes pink from crying, thin white salt tracks dried on her cheeks below them. I sit in my seat bereft of speech. Then I realize what she had asked. Had no one taught her? I mean, I guess she did just turn 16 and driver’s ed is not provided at Elite, so who would?

“Absolutely. Do you want to start after we train in the afternoons?”

“Just as long as I can get to work by six,” she replies.

“Work?” I ask. Some of the pack teens at the public school have jobs, but with the harder work load of Elite, it is pretty much unheard of for a student to have a job.

“Yes. I work from six until ten every afternoon Monday through Friday, then eight in the morning until six on Saturdays.”

“So you won’t be able to go to my mom’s mateship tea this evening? What about Prom tomorrow?”

“The mateship tea is required, so I am attending it, but I am not going to Prom.” She responds factually.

“Because of a job?” I ask. Surely she could have requested that evening off with plenty of advanced notice.

She sighs. “For many reasons. First, I have a job because if I don’t get scholarships, I will have to pay my own way through college, then use my own money for housing and necessities. As it is, whatever I need outside of my one school uniform, bookbag, and one training suit that are provided by the pack, I buy on my own. Just like all of the older kids at the children’s home. Second, I do not want to waste my money on an expensive dress and shoes that will only be worn once. Trust me, I know those dresses are never worn again. Third, I have no need to go somewhere, dressed uncomfortably, just to sit around by myself watching other pack teens interacting with each other in groups. No one notices if I am there or not in any group function outside of our actual classroom. Even then, they’d only notice if no one else could answer a question and I wasn’t there to fill in the gap so we could move on to the next discussion.”

That was a lot more revealing than I think she meant it to be. First of all, our pack needs to do better by these kids that we have taken in to help. What is my dad thinking with this minimal provision? If nothing else, they should not have to worry about whether or not they can go to college. An education is irreplaceable. Second, does she really think that no one notices her? Have I been that much of an ass that I made her feel that way? Yes. Yes, I have been. Thinking back through the past four years, I cannot think of a single time I have said much more than a morning greeting to her. I certainly haven’t once sat with her at lunch, except for when I made her that plate the other day. What the hell is wrong with me? What kind of alpha am I?

“I’m sorry,” she says. She must feel my anger and thinks I am upset that she opened up to me. Damnit.

“You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. I do. We were so close when we were little, and I completely dropped the ball. I am such an ass, Jaylie. I don’t think I could ever apologize enough to make up for it. I guess I just got stuck in a rut of who I hung out with when we were in different grades that I didn’t realize that I had unintentionally turned my back on you, and I am truly sorry for that. That changes right now! I would like for you to come to Prom. You can hang out with me the entire time. Adam is already cool with you, so that is two people to start with. The others will come around quickly. If you want friends, you’ll need to be involved in social activities like this, even if they are awkward. I promise, it will be more fun than you think,” I smile at her. “Don’t worry about a dress. We have a ton of unused dresses around the packhouse that you can choose from and not have to pay anything for it. Not that I want to be nosy, but what are your measurements so I can at least pull together dresses that are your size?”

“38-30-41” she says, looking at her feet, obviously embarrassed.

“So...size perfect?” I ask, trying to show her that, unlike Shaliece, I think her hourglass is attractive.

“Uh. No. Clothes are not made to fit me. If it was perfect, clothes would be made shaped like I am shaped,” She replied blandly.

I smirk, planning on rebutting Socratically. “While I understand your logic, you forget that perfection itself is a rarity. Clothing is made to fit the average, not the perfect.” She fully blushes and looks back down at her shoes.

“What size shoes do you need for the dress?’ I ask, admiring the effect my words had on her.

“Size 9.”

“Done. We should head back. They’ll be starting the new lesson soon. Do me a favor, though. When you are at the mateship tea, please sit near my mother. Shaliece would never dream of acting like a fool so close to the Luna. Just stay close to her. I know you can defend yourself, but I would rather you not actually need to do so.” I say, hoping she will respect my request. “Also, don’t feel like you have to hide your gifts or view them as a burden. Real friends will only love you more because of them.”