Keep Living

Family

My feet hit the bottom floor as the kids walked in the door.

My son, Junior, was now 17 and had to pick up his sisters from school every day. Luckily, the school was next door since we lived in a small town, so they just walked over to his truck and waited for him.

"Mom! Can you tell Junior to please stop bickering at my friends? He almost punched Hudson in the face today for talking to me!" She whined.

"Carly, he was ogling you like crazy! He practically had drool coming from his mouth! You're lucky I didn't punch him square in the nose!" Junior replied.

"Oh, pah-leeze! You don't even know how to throw a proper punch, Junior! She can't help that all her friends are boys! Leave her alone." Jodie snickered.

"Jodie, you're only 13. I know what those boys are thinking! Carly is entering her transition years. Those boys will want only one thing!" Junior shouted.

"They are not! I can't have any friends because of you!" Carly stormed off.

Unfortunately, Junior was right. She was now 15, and her first shift would be on the full moon after her 16th birthday, which was a month from now. Male wolves could sense their mates earlier than females. They didn't have the full mate bond until 18, but they were drawn to their mate like a magnet. Sometimes, males can just sense a females transition and are little horny turds. But, those that can sense their mate usually end up friends before they form the bond.

Junior, on the other hand, already knew his mate was Natalie. He felt it when he first shifted. She was 2 years younger than him, but her brother was his best friend Cole. Cole would be the next Alpha of our pack, meaning Junior would be his next beta. Junior has yet to tell Cole, and for now, he just goes and hangs at her house. He doesn't feel romantic feelings towards her yet, but he always wants to be around her.

"You're just upset because Natalie is getting ready to shift soon, and she will have all kinds of guys on her like Carly. Are you ready for that? Sucks to be you!" Jodie snickered.

"Shut up, Jodie! You don't know what you're talking about!" Junior yelled, storming off and slamming his bedroom door shut.

"That was fun." Jodie clapped.

"Jodie, just because you don't have a wolf doesn't mean you can tease your siblings about their pains. You're going to be training with Aunt Tessie soon, and your power will get stronger. When they tease you for making something catch on fire, you can't be mad." Rolling her eyes, she conjured an apple in her hand and hopped off the stool.

Ah, Jodie. My little witchling. She got all the witch and none of the wolf. When she was a baby, she would make items float around the house when she was upset. My Aunt Tess came over and did a few magic tests on her, and we found out she was 100% witch. She told us it was rare for her not to have some wolf since her dad was full blood and I was half. But because she is pure witch she will be powerful and sought out by others. This itself scared me because she was my baby, and I didn't want people to try and hurt or kidnap her for her powers. Pushing that thought aside, I quickly made dinner, and soon all the kids were back in the dining room eating and telling stories. Looking across the table, my mate was laughing away at a story. Carly was telling him about a frog coming to life during science and jumping on Steven, her "bully." I looked at Jodie, and she just shrugged and acted innocent in it all. We all knew it was her doing, but I couldn't be mad. I was glad they stuck up for one another even if they were bickering at each other now and then.

After dinner, the kids retired to their room, and Glenn helped me do the dishes. We sat cuddling on the couch, and a few tv shows later, I told him I was tired. I had to go open the herb shop early for the Alphas mom. She needed some remedies for a bad cough she developed.

Owning my own business had its perks. Being half witch did, too. I was a respected member of the pack, and I was sought out by people who wanted natural remedies instead of going to doctors and hospitals. I had a little healing magic as well, but that was about where my powers ended.

Glenn came and helped at the shop every now and then, building and fixing things for me, but he was a general to the packs warriors. He didn't have an official title like Alpha, Beta, or Gama, but he was specially trained in different kinds of combat and training. He was called upon by our pack leaders often, but he always made time for our family.

As we were headed to bed, someone knocked at the door. Glenn growled and turned on his heels to go see who it was. I went on to my room and turned down the covers. Sitting on the bed, waiting for him to come back, I thought about changing into my new lingerie I bought a few weeks ago. Suddely, it's like an alarm was going off, and my head was splitting. My Magix anxiety started to come back again, but this time, I felt like I wanted to throw up. I knew something was very wrong, so I got up and ran down the stairs. When I got to the door, I crumpled from the pain that took over my body. I felt like my heart was being ripped from my chest. The next thing I knew, I saw stars and heard screaming as my vision went fuzzy, and I blacked out.