Saving Maximus

LEILA

“Yes, Mom,” I replied in a bored voice, as I picked up the medical textbooks on my desk that consisted of werewolf anatomy and human medicine. I stuffed them into my backpack.

“Make sure you come home tomorrow on time!” My mother repeated for the third time today. This was the fifth time she had called.

I had been going to werewolf medical school to become a pack doctor. Now I was only a few weeks away from getting my pack doctor degree.

After completing it, I would be required to return home and be announced as my pack’s pack doctor.

Pack doctors were hard to keep in a pack. There were so few of us.

Many didn’t have the patience or the ambition to learn medicine, which made us highly valuable.

My returning home had to do with my alpha wanting to make sure, after all his years of support, I didn’t decide on leaving them.

“Honey, I am so proud of you. You have gone and finished your degree as a pack doctor.” My mom’s voice shook a little when she spoke, and I could tell she was going to cry.

“Mom, please, don’t cry. It’s not like I am going away. I am coming home tomorrow,” I rushed to assure her, because if my mom started crying, I was pretty sure it would be a while before I could get her off the phone, and her crying only made me feel bad.

I swung my backpack over my shoulder and headed out of the large library that we had.

I nodded and waved goodbye to Mrs. Larson, who was the librarian at the college I was attending, before heading out to my black motorcycle parked in the school parking lot.

I ride a bike because it’s easier to drive around.

“Listen, Mom, I got to go. I will call you as soon as I arrive. I’m going to go home and pack, and probably finish up some assignments tonight. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Yeah, okay,” my mom muttered, not happy that I had to leave the conversation so soon.

“I love you, Mom. See you tomorrow,” I replied.

“Love you too, sweetheart. Drive safe.”

Some people find silence distasteful, but I find it sweet and calming.

After many hours working on my assignments in my bed, my eyelids were aching and stinging from my attempts to keep myself awake.

I rubbed my eyes a couple of times before I finally gave in and closed my heavy eyes, letting myself succumb to sleep.

I was sitting on a rock near a lake when I heard a faint rustling noise behind me.

I whipped around to see who the intruder was, but my werewolf sights weren’t that great in my dream, or it could have just been me not seeing what I wanted to see. I squinted, but could only make out a tall, black form.

“Who’s there? Show yourself,” I ordered.

The tall form slowly disappeared, but a light appeared in front of it. I tilted my head slightly, debating if I should touch it or avoid it, but it sent out beautiful warmth to me that I couldn’t resist.

I reached out and touched it, and a tingling sensation erupted from the touch. I gasped, pulling my hands back slightly before touching it again. The electrical current spread at my fingertips.

“What is this?” I whispered.

As if the light had heard me, it quickly faded away—leaving me feeling utterly alone and wanting the vibrant white light to come back. I whimpered quietly—looking at my surroundings.

The man was gone and so was the light. What the hell was going on?

I woke up when my alarm clock on my cell phone beeped annoyingly.

I growled as I picked it up to shut it off, but my phone wouldn’t allow me the pleasure of putting it on snooze. It was now asking me to enter the pattern in order to unlock my phone and hit the snooze button.

“I’m awake!” I shouted at it, and then turned it off.

I looked at the clock, and I had exactly an hour to get ready and head out on my bike back to my home.

I quickly showered and threw on a pair of dark denim jeans, black leather boots, a loose dark gray T-shirt, and my black leather jacket, leaving my damp hair to dry while driving back home.

Walking out of my bedroom, I grabbed my keys and duffle bag, heading out the door.

I hopped down the spiral staircase and out the main doors to the parking lot where my bike was parked.

I threw my duffle bag behind me, tying it down with strings before getting on, starting my bike, and pulling out of the driveway.

I drove for several hours before I arrived at the dirt road that led up to my pack. I turned onto it and drove for another thirty minutes before pulling up in front of the pack house.

People stopped to stare at me as I turned off my bike and got off. I didn’t recognize anybody, because I had been gone for a while now.

People probably thought I was a rogue, by the curious looks they were sending my way.

The front door of the pack house swung open and my mom came running outside toward me.

“Mom.” I smiled and met her halfway, hugging her tightly.

“Sweetheart, you’re finally home,” she kissed me on the cheek and then cradled my cheeks. “You have changed so much.”

I didn’t think I had. My hair was still black and wavy. I had grown a couple of inches. Sure, I was curvier now, but I didn’t think I had changed that much.

“I have?” I asked.

“Yes, you have grown to be a beautiful woman,” her eyes became teary. I sighed and brought her back into my arms.

Pack members were now surrounding us closer as they realized I was not a rogue, but in fact my mom’s child.

“Terri, is this your daughter?” A familiar, aged man walked up to my mom.

“Yes, this is Leila. Don’t you remember her? She used to steal candies from your pocket when she was little,” my mom smiled brightly as she reminded him.

I remembered this man now. His name was Albert. He would always hide candies in his pocket for me. He looked at me quietly before breaking into a smile.

“Little Leila,” he smiled softly as he walked over to me.

“Albert,” I grinned and hugged him—slipping my hand into his shirt pocket for a piece of candy. He laughed at my attempt.

“You are still the same,” he teased.

“And you too, Albert,” I laughed, as I was able to grab a lollipop. Albert was like an uncle I never had. He adored me and pampered me constantly with candy.

“Where’s Dad?” I asked, looking around.

“He went away with the alpha to another pack for a meeting. They will be back tomorrow,” she answered. “He wanted to be here today for you, but because pack business comes first, he will see you tomorrow.”

“All right, I’m hungry. Did you guys cook me anything? I haven’t had a good home-cooked meal in forever,” I laughed as my mom took me inside the pack house.