"Did you even get to talk to her, finally?" Alice enquired with pity.

I shook my head. She didn't even acknowledge me. I must have royally screwed up in order for this to happen.

I started reanalysing all my past life decisions regarding her. Let's keep a tab of what I've done in the past few weeks that could warrant such frostiness, shall we?

One? .....Nothing.
Two?? Umm.....nothing!
Three..?... surprise, surprise... Nothing!

I steeled up myself and marched back in the direction of her cabin, and yelled it through the door. Yes, everyone did stare at me like owls, but there are certain things that women want to see to make them happy everyday.

They get happy at small things, like if we call them immediately after we get a text. Or reply as soon as we get one.

But in my experience, they show exceptional yet particular enthusiasm if they are apologised to in a grand and emasculated fashion, especially if it utterly humiliates the apologiseè in front of their employees.

And so I did just that.

"Let him in, Dylan." She ordered erethreally.

I entered with a scowl.

"Tell me, Lanny. What do you want?" She asked whisking through a file of drawings, without even sparing me a glance.

"Mum, I'm going to be straight with you..."

I took a deep breath,

"....why are you so upset with me? What have I done? You didn't even-..."

She held up her finger to silence me. She put down her file and removed her glasses.

"Lanny. Lanny, my boy. Do you really want to go there? Let me see,"

"How often did you call me once you left?" She said while holding up a finger.

"I tried t-"

"How often did you dodge my calls? Okay, you could give some cheap excuses for that, I don't mind..."

I still held my breathe because I know her well enough to know that she will save the best for last.

After a long pause, she continued,"Do you remember Stefan?"

I was confused for a second. Stefan? Wasn't he my cousin who lived in America?

"Yeah I remember, wasn't he the guy who came to the Annual Moon Festival during the holidays and asked  if your boobs were real?"

She sputtered in disbelief and anger,"What?! No,no! That was the other one, G-Gerald, George, Jason or something,", she knows his name well, in fact, she snitched on him to his mother and he was grounded for a long time.

"Geoffrey, I think." I added trying to reign in my amusement.

"Anyway that is not my concern, why I have brought this up is because, their pack lost their Beta and Gamma just a few days ago."

"Yes, mother, I heard, it could have been an accident." It was in The Werewolf Herald.

"You would think right," she continued  as she took up the article on the phone and shoved it into my hand.

"Look there, what do you see?"

Um, alphabets? Constructed into sentences? I started reading aloud to avoid frustrating her further,

"The blast occurred right before the briefing ceremony of retirement for the older Gammas and Betas. The victim's families are devastated. The Beta-to-be is rumoured to have run off due to disgrace and grief,"

"Okay, that's enough," She declared grabbing the phone out of my arm.

"Did you see what was wrong with that?!"

I looked back at her face blankly.

I really felt sorry for my mother at that moment, I really did. She fought her urge to throttle me, and kept pacing the room muttering to herself, "I love my son, I will not kill him, I love my son, I will not kill him,"

Turning to me with gritted teeth,

"Lanny, darling, it's not a coincidence. Whenever the leaders die, more than one at once, we all know who is at play."

"Okay, Ma, don't you think it is a little too soon and far-fetched to assume something like that?"

If she voiced this concern to father or Davian and he looks into it, my life will become hell.

I loved it when my family didn't care one bit that they had wolves and adapted into human life. But this is the sort of thing that requires me to be given a position in the Guard or something, as precaution.

I groan internally.

"Mum, what if this is just one of your crazy conspiracy theories again. The Dominus No-"

"This is not an assumption Lanny, it is a warning."

"Why are you mad at me?" I asked. Why is she even telling me all this? Davian is the political figure... 

"I wanted to tell you all this last night, but you never came, instead you-"

"Okay Ma! I'm sorry, and I'm here now and I'm sorry." if she brings up the fact that I left with two girls, I will relive that trauma in front of my mother.

She smirks with satisfaction at my floundering."I've already alerted Davian about it. Today's meeting is going to be about that."

*******

"...Erland Rolf, you are promoted from honorary guard to Prison Guard..." my brother reads from his list of promotions, almost all of us are reappointed and Mr.Thorne has ordered training to be in effect  from tommorow.

My mother's enthusiastic input in last week's meeting had caused all this. 

The very thought of it is bone-harrowing. Two hours of continuous, running, sparring, obstacle course clearing, hell on earth. The worst part is until sundown, we have strenuous human training; and after we are utterly exhausted from it, then comes the wolf training.

Needless to say, thrill is not on the list of our  feelings about the entire situation.

Eventually, Davian explains all our roles in detail and dismisses us for training the next day.

After wishing every one, I left for the mansion in dejection.

The last time I had to train with the others, I lost both my tooth and my dignity. Someone even crushed my glasses to a grind with their paw. It is pretty unusual to be a werewolf and wear glasses, I was an anomaly. 

They found it the perfect thing to destroy, to assert their power over me.

'On the other hand, you could show them what you are made up now,'

'That isnt much, is it?'

He growled in anger. 'How dare you disrespect me like that!'

Not having come out in 6 months that was a trigger enough to enrage him. He forces me to shift in front of the building, tearing my clothes to shreds.

I run off in the direction of the house, hoping the shadows can hide more than just my wolf.

************

sup humans!

thanks for reading you guys!!

hope you enjoyed it!

what do you guys think about the character choice for Lanny??(in media)

i absolutely adore bulow wbu guys?

have a nice day<3

laters ppl!

xoxo