Broken Threads: Curse of Mates

Fifteen

Last night was long, and I spent most of it observing on the astral plane while Blake and Logan took Sera’s body to the morgue at Clevedon Rest Home. They didn’t want to take her to the pack morgue because they argued that her body wouldn’t be respected as much there as it would at the rest home. This thought made me smile, I didn’t know they knew she volunteered her time there, but somehow, they did. After placing her body on a hospital bed and speaking to the doctor on duty, Blake and Logan visited Sera’s parents to break the news to them. That was hard to watch. Luna appeared to her parents after the boys had left, and I think she is still with them, offering them comfort.

I put my uniform on and reluctantly drive my baby to school. Pretending that I don’t know why Sera isn’t here is difficult. People look at me as I walk past them, some giving me sad glances. They knew I was close to Sera, but none of them approached me.

“Hey!” I smile, walking up to Blake, Logan, Yvonne, and Jaymie, who sit at Sera’s table.

“Hi,” the boys reply glumly.

“Hi,” Jaymie and Yvonne both say.

“Is everything okay?” I have to ask.

“Have you seen Sera today?” Jaymie asks, looking at me.

“Ouch,” she then complains as Logan scowls at her. I watch as she rubs her leg and assume Logan kicked her.

“No. I was going to pick her up this morning, but I texted her that I was running late. Why?” I ask.

“Oh, no reason,” Jaymie says. I nod.

“How was your weekend?” I ask, trying to act like I don’t know anything.

“It was good. Where were you yesterday?” Yvonne offers.

“I went to visit my sister, Luna. We had this thing I was helping her with, and it needed some final touches,” I tell them.

“I didn’t know you had a sister,” Yvonne says.

“I come from a big family. Luna is one of my younger sisters,” I reply.

I look at Blake and Logan, who sits there quietly.

“Are you two all right?” I ask.

“Oh, yeah. Just in shock, something happened yesterday and…” Blake begins. I notice the other three give him a warning look, and Blake looks guilty.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. As long as you’re okay,” I say, putting my hand on Blake’s. I send him calming waves through our touch, trying to soothe him. The bell goes for the middle session, and I hear Jaymie and Yvonne audibly sigh in relief.

“Hi, Moira,” people greet me as I walk past them in the halls.

I walk into English and find my spot where I sit with Sera… well, where Sera used to sit. Catherine and Inaya walk in after me, giving me a side glance as they walk past.

We’re busy answering comprehension questions about Go Ask Alice on the board when I hear a hiss and feel a poke in my back.

“What?” I ask, turning to look at Inaya.

“Missing your friend?” Inaya grins. I realise Inaya is human and unaware of what happened to her classmate yesterday after school.

“I think she’s sick,” I murmur.

“Probably. She had a hard day yesterday,” Catherine acknowledges. I look at Catherine and lift an eyebrow.

“You think so?” I ask, realising at the last moment that my comment could be double-sided if Catherine knew I knew what happened to Sera.

“Yeah. She got into a fight with some people at the sports field. I guess she must still feel embarrassed,” Catherine explains.

“Oh yeah! I heard about that! Apparently, she liked a guy, and when he admitted he didn’t feel the same way, he rejected her in front of his friends or something?” Inaya asks.

“I heard it happened in front of a whole crowd!” Dani, another human sitting nearby, adds, leaning over. Inaya nods in agreement.

“Or something,” Catherine smiles, a smug look on her face.

“Wow. What made her think he would possibly like her back? That would have taken some guts!” Inaya comments.

“Humiliating,” Catherine adds.

“Yeah,” Inaya laughs. I roll my eyes, sick of this conversation.

“Hey,” Catherine says, poking me again in the back. I turn and look at her again.

“Want to come to sit with us at lunch?” Catherine asks. I decline her offer, making Inaya dramatically pout.

“How are you girls going?” Mrs Ranfurly asks, approaching us.

“Fine, Miss,” Catherine and Inaya both say.

“Fine,” I add.

“Fine,” Dani repeats, going back to her work.

I walk through the school grounds, quietly observing the werewolves around me. Although they don’t see it, I sense a loss among them. The loss of Sera significantly impacts them more than they realise. Losing a Luna, even a Luna-to-be, causes a pack to lose their sense of connectedness. I wonder what Sera’s parents have told the school, and their pack, regarding Sera’s whereabouts. Zach doesn’t seem to have noticed her death, too entwined with his relationship with Catherine.

My time in this world is ending, and although I could stay until the big finale, the smugness I see from Zach, Catherine and the other high-ranking wolves is pissing me off.

I stand there thinking about my options when Blake and Logan walk up to me, Logan nudging me when he walks past.

“Penny, for your thoughts?” Logan says.

“Just thinking,” I tell him.

“About what?”

“If those who inflict pain on others truly realise the effect words and actions have on people,” I say aloud.

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me,” Blake gruffs under his breath.

“I hate that quote. I like the version by Ruby Redfort… Stones and sticks break only skin, while words are ghosts that haunt me,” I say.

“I like that,” Blake replies. I just nod and kick the dirt on the ground with my feet. I feel awful for leaving Blake and Logan, especially when they are still grieving, but they’ll understand.

“See you tomorrow?” Logan asks as I turn to walk to my car.

“Maybe. Maybe not,” I say. Logan nods, and I head for my car. Those two dear, sweet wolves. I drive home and call Nancy, asking her to do another job for me.

I don’t return to school. Instead, I have Nancy employ movers to box my things and put everything into storage. Nancy has good taste, I’ll give her that, but I don’t need any of those things again in a hurry. It makes me think about some of the items she chose for me. I could sell them off for charity. They could do more with them than I ever could. Hmm. I’ll have to speak to Nancy about that. I plan to do that as I wander around the house, watching the movers pack everything up.

I watch from the astral plane when trucks leave the house a few days later. Blake and Logan have come by to see where I am, but no one has given them a decent reply. I feel bad for not telling them I was leaving, but they’ll see me soon. I’ll be back.

Days go by as I observe the students at West Clevedon Grammar School and the members of Clevedon Pack. No one talks about Sera’s passing, especially Sera’s parents. When asked by the school about Sera’s absences, Mr and Mrs Mayvic tell them that Sera has gone on an impromptu holiday, as suggested by Luna. No one knows that Sera is dead except Blake, Logan and her parents, who’ve kept it a secret.

There’s a flurry of excitement throughout the teen werewolves. Catherine has turned eighteen, and everyone is talking about Zach being her second-chance mate and how lucky he is. Catherine walks around with her head held high, beaming in joy with all the attention she receives, but I see a little sadness in her eyes as well. I know most she-wolves look forward to meeting their mates, the ones meant for them. I wonder if Catherine is still hoping to meet hers.

Clevedon House sits like an oasis in the middle of well-maintained grass with a forest behind it. This pack has money, but I glower as I walk up to the door of the main building with the werewolves. Alpha John has made an announcement, requesting all pack members attend a pack meeting, and I see them all walking from the carpark toward the house with me.

I follow the crowd as they walk towards the large meeting room. The meeting room is larger than a school hall, and chairs have been put out for members to sit at, but still, as I walk in, I see people standing. I scan the room and notice Sera’s family sitting at the edge of the hall, holding hands. I also see Blake, Logan, Yvonne and Jaymie sitting with their respective families.

At the front of the hall is a stage, just like a hall, with black theatre curtains hanging around the perimeter. A podium sits in the middle of the stage, with chairs directly behind them for the high-ranking wolves.

Everyone in the hall chats quietly amongst themselves, anticipating the purpose of the meeting, the rumour of Alpha Zach announcing his mate being the main topic of discussion. Guards are stationed around the perimeter, only fuelling the rumour that this meeting will reveal something important.

Beta Kurt, Alpha John’s second, appears on the stage, causing the hall to quieten. Beta Kurt smiles as he stands behind the podium, looking at the crowd.

“Good afternoon, Clevedon Pack, and thank you for coming today. As your Beta, I am proud of our pack and would like you to welcome our leaders, Alpha John and Luna Claire,” Beta Kurt announces. The crowd claps as their Alpha and Luna walk to the stage. Luna Claire kisses Alpha John on the cheek before returning to her seat. The crowd claps until Alpha John tells them to stop with a wave.

“Thank you, Clevedon Pack. Over the past fifty years, our pack has become one of the country’s strongest and wealthiest packs….” Alpha John begins, stopping to smile when his pack members cheer, “And a strong pack needs strong leadership. Which is why we are here today. My son, Zachary Maclary Lachlan, has a special announcement today!”

The crowd erupts in claps as Zach takes the stage with a massive smile.

“Thank you, thank you. As you know, I turned eighteen a little while ago…” Zach grins, “and I am fortunate to have found my mate, the one made for me, Catherine Heather Snell!”

Zach opens his arms, gesturing for Catherine to come up and join him. Everyone is talking excitedly as I watch from the astral plane. Catherine gets up from her seat at the front of the hall and walks up the stairs to her ‘mate.’

Catherine looks stunning in her dark brown snake-skin patterned dress. It hugs her curves and falls in an A-line to the floor. Her hair is fashionably styled, curled and sitting on her shoulders. Catherine’s appearance dramatically contrasts with the one I watched hours ago… crying as she tried to apply make-up to her flushed and puffy face.

I had gone to observe her, knowing what this day would bring, to give me an understanding of who Catherine was that I was dealing with.

Catherine had a large room; one I knew straight away it was one she hadn’t grown up in. It was painted lush pink, the furniture inside a glossy white. I observed the photos on her dresser as Catherine applied foundation to her face. Many were printed pictures of her with her high school friends, but only one was framed. It was of two little girls wearing swimming costumes, their light-coloured hair framing the huge smiles on their faces as they ate watermelon. This photo showed Catherine with her childhood best friend, Sera.

I look up at the pair before me and allow my form to become visible to others.

“Thank you...” Catherine begins.

“I object!” I state out loud.

~ Edited with Grammarly