Temperance

My eyes flutter open and feel singed against the bright light. I groan and pull my blanket over my head—the darkness is where I dwell the most anyways.

“Temperance, wake up,” my father’s voice coos.

I nestle myself deeper into my mattress. I know I’m hearing things, as my father is on a hunting trip until tomorrow. A large hand covers my forehead under my nest of blankets and pillows.

I jerk the solitude of my cover off and see my father’s concerned face. I immediately regretted the decision to come out of hiding—the brightness of my overhead light hurt.

I groan. “Did I really sleep for two days straight?”

“Not likely, my girl.” My father snickers as he sighs a breath of relief. “How are you feeling?”

“Like a truck ran me over repeatedly, then the driver hit me with a baseball bat—a metal one at that.” I squint my eyes at him. “Why are you home? You weren’t supposed to be until tomorrow, right?”

“My daughter is sick—a father’s duty is to look over his family’s health.” My dad gets up from sitting on the side of my bed. I feel myself sink even further into the soft mattress.

“Plus,” he adds, “your brother wouldn’t shut up about Serena.”

I give him a knowing look before standing up. The warmth of my bed is fleeting as I shiver. All last night, I was too hot, and now I’m too cold? Yep, I got something. A stomach bug maybe?

My entire body aches as my dad helps me into my fur robe and house slippers.

“What time is it, anyway?” I close one eye tightly as my dad leads me down the stairs and toward the much brighter lighting of the living room and its ever so annoying open curtains.

“Just after nine, sweetie,” my dad says over his shoulder. “Your brothers and mother are at the pack house getting things ready for tomorrow.”

“Ah, sounds about right.” I nod. “I feel bad. Serena and I were supposed to decorate her veil together.”

“She’s more concerned for your well-being than the veil, Temperance.”

I sit at the kitchen island as my dad pushes already made chicken noodle soup toward me. I can’t help but smile.

When I was younger, he would always make this meal for me whenever I felt bad. Werewolves don’t get sick most of the time. I don’t even think my brothers or father have ever been sick.

It was funny seeing my dad struggle while my mother tried to teach him how to care for a human child growing up. After twenty-two years, he’s perfected the craft in my eyes.

“How was work this week?” My father sits beside me and sips his large mug full of black dark roast coffee. His dark brown eyes swirl as he studies me for an answer.

“Nora was busy with the recent orders and the upcoming show to be of any help,” I complain between bites “The review process fell on no one else but me. We passed with flying colors according to Nora.”

“You’ve got your father’s work ethic.” My dad flicks his eyebrow up as the mug touches his lips again.

“Well, she wants to hold a dinner for all of us tomorrow after the ceremony.” I play with my spoon in my bowl. The noodles swirl around my utensil.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t go.” My father shrugs. “She wouldn’t have offered it if she hadn’t passed it by Xavier.”

Xavier is our Alpha’s first name. Only my dad; our Beta, Maddox; and our Luna, Holland, are allowed to call him by that.

Seeing as our families are about to be combined and my brother is to be future Alpha, it’s only natural the two men are closer now.

“So, you’re okay with it?” I lifted my head up. I had fully been prepared to tell Nora that we couldn’t make it when my father had said no.

“We gotta get that promotion of yours, right?” My father looks at me in his side view and smirks. “My daughter will be head of that sales department if it kills me.”

“Thank you, Papa.” I smile and lay my head on his shoulder. Receiving a kiss on the forehead, I can’t help but feel my heart ache at the fact that pretty soon, I’ll be on my own.

The day passes by pretty quickly. My headache and body aches get better throughout as I stretch and do my evening yoga ritual.

The yard to our home is large and has a large wooden fence that stretches the entire property. I can do my meditation in peace.

“Temperance!”

Or so I like to think…

“Chase.” I breathe out heavily. “How many times do I have to tell you not to interrupt my yoga? This is the first time in forever that I’ve been able to do this!”

My brother rolls his eyes. “I just came to see how you’re feeling. You looked pretty dead this morning.”

“Jeez, thanks.” I resume my previous pose and stick my headphones in, hoping my little brother will just leave.

“I bet your wolf is coming in.” Chase pokes his head underneath me and jerks my headphones out of my ears. “You’re showing all the symptoms a female would at an early age.”

“Very funny, Chase.” I take my headphones back. “We all know that I’m human. I don’t want a wolf.”

From a very young age, I’ve come to accept the fact of not having a wolf or the superhuman abilities of one.

My whole life is centered on the fact that I’m human. The apartment, my job… Hell, even my dating life. I haven’t dated wolf since middle school for the fact of mates and blah, blah, blah.

My middle school sweetheart was a guy by the name of Damien Fallen. My first love and first kiss.

His family disapproved of our little rendezvous, fearing I would become a problem for Damien’s future partner fated upon him by the Moon Goddess. My little romance ended just as soon as it had started.

Damien’s family moved to a different pack. So, I’ve sworn off wolves ever since.

Being the only human at my job makes things so much easier as well. While everyone is hyper focused on their mates and having three pups by my age, I’ve been thriving and developing my life to my standards.

“Tempy, Mom and Dad have been talking about it all day.”

Ugh! I hate that nickname! Him and Liam have called me that since our childhood, saying I get a temper whenever something doesn’t go my way.

“Don’t call me that, you brat!” I swat at my brother’s head and shove his ridiculous words away from my mind.

“Don’t you have to shave your neck or something? Serena wouldn’t want to bite into that garden you call facial hair. I know I wouldn’t.”

My much bigger and bulky brother growls and walks away.

He’s most likely going to shave that furry forest of a beard he’s had since he was like eleven. Male werewolves develop a massive amount of body hair from a very young age.

That stupid wolf! Him and Liam would always tease me about having a wolf growing up, or even make fun of me for not having one. The memories try to creep up on me, but I gather my thoughts before they become too wild.

I brush my baby hairs away from my face. It’s so cold that I can see my breath, but this heat radiating from my body is wild. I’m sweating while there’s melting snow on the ground.

“Temperance, come here, please,” my mother calls.

I roll my eyes and collect myself. Just when I got started again.

“Yes, Mama?” I wipe my sweat as I step inside. The snow has melted slightly from the heat of the sun today. It’s only a bit over 40 degrees Fahrenheit outside, but it didn’t bother me today.

“Do you have something you need to tell us?” my father asks, sitting with his arms crossed, as I enter the living room.

He and my mother sit on the couch. My mother has a nervous look on her face as we make eye contact.

Well, shit.

How did he find the magazines already? I thought I hid them. Wait, yep, they were under my mattress where he sat this morning.

“Papa, I can explain—”

“When were you going to tell us you were getting a sense of your wolf?”

What?

“What?” I vocalize this time.

My father’s stern expression turns soft with excitement. “Your wolf, sweetheart! The fever, headaches, and body aches all day.”

“Uh…”

I look to my mother for support, and she’s as clueless as I am. Her eyes are fixed on my father as he stands and hugs me.

I stand there, making eye contact with my mother—just two dumbstruck humans in the room.

“I thought he found the magazines!” I mouth to my mom.

“Me too!”

“This is great news!” My father laughs loudly. “Within the next few days, you’ll have your first shift!”

“Dad, I don’t think—”

“I had my doubts, but I knew it was true!” My father speaks over me. “You’ll start training as soon as possible!

“The body needs to be prepared for this type of thing. Especially since you’re so late in the process! I’m so happy, sweetheart!”

I give my father an empty smile as he hugs me once again. So much for a stomach bug.