Freya let out a small groan as she rolled out of bed, her hand slamming down onto the alarm clock that was going off on her bedside table. She looked at the time and frowned deeply as she saw that it was six o'clock, meaning she had three hours before she needed to be at the campus for classes. The girl glanced out of the window as the wind blew, sending a slightly chilled gust of wind into her room as she opened the window. It was Freya's first time back in Chapel Hill since she left to travel, spending most of her time the last few months with her ex-boyfriend in Greece as they stayed in his family's villa before they relocated to his apartment in New York City. Chapel Hill, being a town nuzzled in Upstate New York, was making her miss the warm atmosphere in Greece as she shivered, crossing her arms as her eyes hunted for a cardigan when a knock came to her door.
"Freya?" The door to her room opened, revealing her two younger siblings as they looked up at her. She turned and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow as she watched Laurel and Julian pushing into her room. "Freya, are you bringing us to school?" Laurel asked, looking up at her sister as she tilted her head. Freya leaned down towards her sister, fixing the jacket that was around her shoulders.
"Did mom and dad leave already?" The twins nodded and Freya sighed, straightening before she grabbed a cardigan from the floor. Her fingers reached for her keys, snatching them up before she lifted her bag and herded her siblings out of the room. "Did you guys eat already?" A chorus of 'yes' and 'hurry' was thrown at her, the twins grabbing for their things as they rushed out the door and to Freya's car.
"Freyfrey, are you happy now that you are out of school?" Julian asked, crossing his arms as he looked out of the window.
"She's not out of school, idiot. She's in college." Laurel muttered, glaring at her brother before she shook her head. Freya frowned, glancing at the twins in the rear-view mirror.
"Laurel, Jules is not an idiot. You shouldn't be mean to your brother." She scolded, only to be met with an eye roll from her sister.
"It's okay, Freya. Laurel has been moody since mom and dad took her tablet away." Julian murmured as he watched his oldest sister stare at Laurel, hugging his bag as she pulled out of the driveway before turning towards Wicker Street, leading them towards the heart of town. The girl in the front seat let out a small sigh as she stopped at the stop sign, looking both ways when she saw a tall wolf standing on the side of the road, the wind making it's deep brown hair sway as a cold chill spread through Freya's body before she shifted her gaze away from it. She pressed her foot down on the accelerator and frowned as she gripped the steering wheel tightly.
"Wasn't that Kol?" Laurel whispered to her brother, her head turned to see that the wolf was gone.
"I thought it was-"
Freya tried to ignore the twins as they talked about Kol and the pack, sitting silently in the front when she pulled into the parking lot of Chapel Hill Middle School. She pulled up in the line of cars that were made up of parents dropping off their kids before turning in her seat, smiling at the twins gently as she watched them get their things. "Have a good day, call if you need anything. I'm just going to the campus, it's-"
"Right around the corner, we know Frey." Julian chuckled, opening his door before he and Laurel slid out onto the sidewalk. They closed the door and waved at their sister, walking to the front of the school as she pulled away from her spot before making her way back to the house. As she got out of the car she heard a howl rip through the air, making her shake her head as she closed the car door before marching inside.
"Psychopath, watching me drive them to school." She muttered as she kicked off her shoes in her room, closing the blinds before she stripped out of her clothes. She was pulling on her black skinny jeans when her phone rang through the air, the caller ID showing it was Alec, her ex-boyfriend, who was calling. She pulled on a shirt as she let the phone go to voicemail, not wanting to talk to him after the last fight they had been in since she decided to go to the college in her hometown. Alec didn't like small towns, insisting that they gave him the creeps and that everyone in these places were weird. Things he would say about people in the towns he had been to would annoy her, her mind thinking to the people she knew since she was in diapers. These were her people, she knew every single person in the town. The only reason anyone would find them strange is if the person was an outsider. That is what she told him the last time he told her he didn't want to visit her in a town full of freaks, before she packed her things and drove herself home from their apartment in the city.
Freya was brushing her teeth and continued to get ready, the silence of her house and the town making it hard to focus as she tried to remember what she needed. After living with Alec in the city for a long time, the silence was loud and she found it unsettling. After finishing her makeup Freya grabbed her bag, putting things in it that she needed for her classes when a knock came to the front door. With furrowed brows Freya looked down at the driveway from the window in the hallway before she turned, bolting down the stairs and flinging the door open before wrapping her arms around her best friend.
"Well, I missed you too!" Adrian laughed, wrapping his arms around Freya as she squeezed him tightly. "I have come to make you my famous "welcome home" pancakes before we head to hell." He announced, smiling widely as he held her out at an arm's distance, looking over her as he whistled. "Wow! Greece really made you look hot." Freya rolled her eyes, turning as she walked into the house before leading the way to the kitchen as Adrian followed, closing the door before bouncing behind her. "Well, you've always been hot but that tan."
"You should have seen me before we got to the city." Freya watched as Adrian sauntered into the kitchen, walking straight to her fridge. "This town is going to leech the remaining tan out of me, so don't get used to it." She muttered, walking to the coffee machine she had stolen from the apartment she shared with Alec, seeing as she bought it and he didn't drink coffee. "Want some?" She asked her friend as he raided the fridge, looking for ingredients for their breakfast as he nodded. She turned on the machine to grind the espresso beans before she began making the shots.
"Add milk please." Adrian murmured as he walked behind her, grabbing the bowls from the cupboard, grinning as she rolled her eyes while frothing milk for her friend. Freya walked to the freezer and scooped some ice into her glass, setting down the glass before pouring in the espresso. She watched as it cascaded over the ice cubes before she poured water into the glass, opening the drawer to grab a straw as she kicked the fridge closed gently. "Are you excited for classes?" Adrian asked as he began to pour pancake mix into the pan that he had heated, glancing at his friend as she sipped on her ice americano.
"I guess, but I'm not thrilled with the fact that it means I am going back to school." She muttered as she finished his coffee, hesitating slightly as she looked over at him. "So, how have things been in the pack?" She asked as she held it out to him, pursing her lips as he looked at her, taking the cup as he raised an eyebrow. He watched how she leaned against the counter as he sipped the drink, her hand reaching for the necklace that hung around her neck as she looked at the sizzling pan.
"You mean how are things with Kol?"
"No, I mean the pack, Adrian." She retorted, sipping her coffee as he started shaking his head while he took the pancake out of the pan. Freya walked to the fridge, pulling out the maple syrup and butter. "When I was gone dad didn't tell me anything about it. I want to know what I'm walking into when I start doing to stuff for the pack."
"I get that. Your father and the Alpha ordered me not to talk to you about it, Freya. They want to talk to you themselves." Adrian held the pancakes out to Freya, watching her as she frowned deeply, pouring maple syrup onto the pancakes. "To be honest, I'm glad you're back. I missed having you around." He sighed, scooping bacon out of the pan and onto her plate as she stuffed her face with the pancakes. "How's Alec, by the way. Is he coming to Chapel Hill? If he is you need to tell the Al-"
"We broke up before I came home." Freya muttered, cutting off her friend as she chewed on some bacon. Adrian nodded, letting out a sigh before he sat down beside his friend, eating his food as he scrolled through his phone. The pair sat there in silence, enjoying each other's company as they ate the food Adrian had cooked. "What are you doing in University?" She asked, standing as she brought her plate to the sink when she finished. Turning on the water, Freya began to clean the plate as she waited for him to answer.
"I switched my major to art, this way I can do something I like while my father is forcing me to go." Freya laughed as she took the pan off the stove, cleaning it as Adrian finished eating the last of the bacon and pancakes. She cleaned his dishes and turned when she finished, drying her hands as he crossed his arms. "You studying psychology, you little fucked up fiend?" He asked, an amused look on his face as he nodded towards the books he saw in Freya's open bag.
"You know it, you freakishly tall brat." Freya ruffled his hair, chuckling as he swatted her hands away before they grabbed their bags. "I'd ride with you, but I need to pick the kids up after my classes. Their soccer practice ends after my last class so I'm going there after." Adrian opened the door for his friend, following her out as he shook his head.
"Nope! I'm driving you to the campus, I'll come with you to get them after too. I missed hanging out with you." Adrian slung his arm over Freya's shoulders, walking her towards his grey jeep that was parked behind her car, giving her a squeeze as they walked past it. "Plus, the twins love me. I think little Laurel has a crush on me." He sighed, opening the door for her.
"Yeah, sure thing Adrian. Just like the old librarian when she'd yell at you, right?" Adrian scoffed, shaking his head before he walked to the driver side.
"Mrs. Blooming loved me, Princess. I was the reason she got up in the morning." He muttered, buckling his seat belt as he winked at Freya.
"Yeah, sure thing, Casanova. Now get going, I need to figure out where the hell my classes are." He saluted her before pulling out of the driveway, frowning slightly as he saw the large wolf lurking in the dark behind her house that had been there the entire time he had been inside.