My phone stopped ringing for a few seconds and began ringing again. I slowly turned my head to look at Julia, she was still sound asleep despite the noise.
I picked up the call and tried to speak, but my voice wouldn't come out.
"Valerie? Are you there?" Caleb asked from the other end of the call.
I cleared my parched throat and gulped multiple times before speaking again. "Yes. Sorry, I was asleep."
"Oh, did I disturb you? Shall I call you tomorrow?"
Although my sleep had long vanished, I was not in the mood for a conversation. "Okay. I will talk to you tomorrow."
"Have a good night."
"Goodnight." I cut the call and turned to my side.
I closed my eyes again, hoping to fall asleep. However, even after tossing and turning for about an hour, sleep didn't come to me.
Every time I closed my eyes, the same nightmare would appear before my eyes. I remembered everything vividly, and I hated it. I hated the feeling of being alone in a bone-chilling place, being chased by countless wolves.
In the end, I got up from my bed and snuck into Julia's bed. I needed to feel her warmth, I needed to reassure myself that I wasn't cold and alone.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" Julia asked me sleepily.
I pulled her blanket and tucked myself in, snuggling up to her since the bed wasn't that wide. "I saw a nightmare and I couldn't fall asleep."
Without any hesitation, she hugged me like I was still a baby. She then mumbled while reassuringly patting my back, "Everything will be okay. Sleep now."
"Mmm…" I closed my eyes, hoping that I wouldn't be plagued by nightmares again.
The next day, I woke up to the sounds of utensils clanking in the kitchen. I wasn't feeling tired or drained, so I must have gotten a good sleep. With a smile on my face, I slipped out of the bed and went to the bathroom. After finishing my daily routine, I went to the kitchen to see that Julia had already finished preparing various dishes for breakfast.
"Did you sleep well?" she asked while plating the food.
"I did." I grinned like an idiot and teased Julia, "I think I should sleep with you every night."
Julia laughed and went along with me. "Then I should probably get my old bed back."
We took more than an hour to finish our food as we were chatting, laughing, and teasing each other throughout the breakfast. By the time we were done eating, I was so full that I felt like my tummy would burst if I poked it.
"Shall I show you around the town today?" Julia suggested after we finished doing the dishes.
"Okay. Let's go get changed." I ran to the bedroom like a child excited for an outing.
After changing, the two of us decided to take a walk instead of roaming around in the car. Julia showed me the nearby grocery stores and important landmarks.
I noticed how a lot of people knew Julia, they would smile or greet her. It looked like some people even recognized me because they would widen their eyes and then smile.
Although I wasn't extroverted in nature, I was happy to know that this was a friendly neighborhood. I would rather have people smiling at me or striking up conversations with me than getting judgmental glares or people gossiping behind my back.
"You must be tired. Let's head back for today," Julia suggested when she saw me panting.
"Yeah, let's go back." I happily agreed. It had already been 2-3 hours since we left home, and my legs were killing me.
"What do you wanna eat for lunch?" She asked as we neared the grocery store on our way back.
I hummed for a while and replied, "How about spaghetti?"
"Sounds great! Let's get the ingredients."
We both entered the store and grabbed a few items. I also grabbed a packet of sanitary pads. Julia wanted to pay, but I beat her to the counter this time and paid with the cash in my purse.
Upon reaching home, we began preparing the ingredients for our lunch. I was cutting an onion for the sauce when I got a call from Caleb.
"Hello, mate!" I greeted him.
"Mate? Looks like someone is in a good mood."
I looked at Julia and all the ingredients she was surrounded with. "Yes, you can say that. I'm about to prepare lunch with Julia."
"Oh! That's great. I just returned home after a training session."
"You trained the new batch of omegas that you were talking about?" I asked, recalling him mentioning something like that a few days ago.
"Yeah."
I heard the sound of water running from his end of the phone, making me wonder if he was about to take a bath. My thoughts instantly began to run wild–the images of Caleb taking off his shirt flashed in my head.
Thankfully, his voice brought me out of the trance. "Are you properly settled there?"
"Yes, I'm all settled."
"Good."
I heard splashing sounds again. Did he step into the tub? Probably. Stop! I knocked my head with my fist to control my thoughts from running wild again.
"Hello? Are you listening to me?"
"Huh? Oh… I'm sorry. I was lost in my thoughts."
Caleb chuckled and said, "I was saying, I will be busy tomorrow as well, so I can't meet up with you. I will see you on Monday at around 9:30. I will drive you to your new school."
"That's great. Thanks!"
"So, you're happy about not having to meet me tomorrow?"
"No! I didn't say that. I'm happy that you will be taking me to my new school. I won't have to run around cluelessly."
He laughed. "I know. I was just teasing you."
After talking with him for a while, I cut the call and focused on cutting the onion. I also minced the beef and after finishing that, I stood by Julia's side while she cooked.
The spaghetti turned out to be extremely delicious. I don't know if it was because Julia and I prepared it together or because I had burned too many calories after walking for so long. Either way, I enjoyed it.
Our Saturday passed on a happy note, and so did Sunday.
I was so happy after spending some quality time with Julia after months that I completely forgot I was attending a new school from Monday, until Monday arrived like a crashing wave, sweeping me along with it till I drowned in the sea of anxiety.
Julia left early for her work saying she had to attend an important meeting.
And I was there in the kitchen–all alone, munching on a buttered toast. I had to run to the bathroom three times after that because I was too nervous.
By the time Caleb honked the horn of his car, I looked like a tired office worker who had been continuously working overtime for the past few weeks. In short, I looked like a zombie.
I took a deep breath, grabbed my bag, and locked the door before rushing downstairs. Caleb was waiting inside the car for me. I got in and smiled, or at least I tried to.
"Good morning to you too," he said a bit sarcastically. He was probably offended because I didn't greet him as soon as I saw him. I didn't look excited either, so his reaction was understandable.
"Good morning." I apologetically looked down and mumbled, "Sorry, I'm a little nervous about today."
"You will be alright." He gently patted my cheek and pulled the seatbelt for me.
After exchanging a couple of words, we remained silent throughout the journey. I was silent because I was feeling nauseous and jittery. I don't know what was going on in his head.
We arrived at my new school in about 20 minutes. I stared at the name engraved on a huge stone by the gate–Little Wolves' School–and wondered who named it. Whoever named it must have done so without giving it a second thought.
Caleb was the first one to get out of the car. I immediately noticed how everyone, males and females alike, were looking at him with admiration. The looks of adoration from a couple of girls turned into soulful glances when I stepped outside and stood next to him. They were probably sad thinking that Caleb was now off the market.
Caleb looked over his shoulder and said while pointing to our left, "I will take you to the administration office first. Then someone will show you to your new class."
I simply nodded.
As I was following Caleb closely, my ears caught a few unpleasant words like "that bitch" and "an outsider". My gut instantly twisted and a sour sensation arose in my heart because I knew those words were directed at me.
I clenched my jaw and looked down, wondering if my remaining school life would be difficult. I definitely don't want to get bullied just because I got lucky in the mate department. I will do my best to stay away from the sight of all the jealous girls. Three months should fly by.
It seemed like Caleb had already looked after all the processes of my transfer. All he did was introduce me to the administrator, and the administrator welcomed me to the school with a pretentious grin.
Caleb gestured at that man and spoke to me, "He will show you to your class. I'm in a little hurry. So, I will leave you here."
"Okay. Thank you for the ride." I smiled, and looked at the administrator, waiting for him to guide me.
That man pointed at the door and smiled at me. "This way, Ms. Lane."
I waved my hand at Caleb and walked out with that man.
As I headed for my new class, I felt a sense of discomfort arising in my chest. I had already expected that I was going to be nervous today, but this was something different–something else felt wrong. For some reason, I felt empty, as if something was missing today.
"Valerie!"
I turned around the moment I heard Caleb shouting my name.
"I forgot to tell you something." He caught up with me and said, "The luna wanted me to invite you to the dinner tonight. I checked your schedule yesterday, your class ends at 5 pm. I will come pick you up at 7, so head straight for home after your classes are over and get changed."
I suddenly felt ten times more nervous after hearing that. The luna had been nothing but kind to me, so I couldn't possibly decline her invitation.
Was I regretting being too friendly with the luna and saying she was free to call me anytime? Yes, a little. That day, I was high on adrenaline after finding my mate and made promises that were unlike me. I wish I hadn't spoken too much that day, but it can't be helped now.
"Valerie? Are you listening?"
"Ah, I am." I tried my best to curve my lips upward. "I will wait for you then."
"Good." He suddenly pulled me and squeezed me into a side hug. He gave a quick peck on my temple and whispered, "I can't wait to come pick you up."
Just like that, the emptiness that I was feeling earlier vanished. In its place, a warm and fuzzy feeling poured into my heart. "See you tonight." I felt my smile reaching my eyes.