Leila Vy
Pain has a funny way of making itself known. It insists on being felt. —John Green
LEILA
After brunch with my mom and Albert, I climbed the stairs to my old bedroom on the first floor of the pack house. The familiar surroundings stirred up memories of my life here.
My room was small, with a twin bed tucked into the far corner. An end table and a desk sat against the opposite wall, where I used to do my homework. The walls were adorned with posters and my own artwork from my high school doodling days. My scent still hung in the air, though it was stale.
I tossed my duffle bag on the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, taking in the room. A wave of nostalgia washed over me. It was a bittersweet feeling to be back. My teenage years had been simpler, more carefree.
I took off my leather jacket and boots and headed to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, I saw my black hair falling in loose waves around my face. I rarely wore makeup, not liking the heavy feeling it left on my skin.
I wasn’t a perfect ten. I was five foot four, with breasts that some said were too big and wide hips that seemed to distort my figure. I splashed cold water on my face to wake myself up, then looked back at my reflection.
I wondered when Dad would be home tomorrow. I also wondered how our young alpha was doing. While I was away at college, my parents had told me that the alpha had found his mate. He’d marked her and introduced her to the pack as their Luna. But then tragedy struck.
The alpha wasn’t on pack territory when our Luna was killed. He was away at a meeting when she went for a run in the woods. She was resting by a river when rogues attacked her. They tore her body apart.
I remembered feeling a distant pain in my chest one day in class. It was so intense that I fell to the ground, clutching my chest. I knew it was our Luna because her connection to us broke. My classmates were worried, but they knew what had happened. They knew a leader in my pack had died.
Alpha Maximus had found his Luna when he was eighteen. Just a few weeks after announcing her as our Luna, she was attacked. Alpha Maximus took it hard. My mom told me he’d changed. He became distant, staying in his room and refusing to meet with the pack.
After a month of mourning and refusing to eat, he finally emerged. But he wasn’t the same. He wasn’t the happy person he’d been before the tragedy.
I couldn’t blame him. A mate was everything to a werewolf. They were our destined other half, the one person who made us stronger and understood us. The bond tied our souls together, making us one. If that bond broke or your mate died, it meant eternal suffering.
Some werewolves couldn’t bear the suffering and died along with their mate, either by suicide or simply refusing to go on with life. I couldn’t imagine the pain our alpha was going through. I was amazed at how he’d handled it over the five years since her death.
I was never close to the alpha. We were two years apart, and I was always a wallflower. I liked being unnoticed.
After settling into my old room, I went back downstairs to meet everyone. I was sure they were curious about me. I’d been such a wallflower back then that no one had noticed me.
When I got downstairs, some older pack members were talking to my mom. Some people my age were sitting in the common area. When they saw me, they stopped talking.
My mom walked up to me and turned me toward everyone. I forced a smile, even though their stares made me uncomfortable.
“Everyone, this is my daughter, Leila. Some of you might remember her from high school. She went to college to become our pack doctor. She’s back to visit before she finishes her degree. She’ll be done by the end of this month and will be coming back home to us,” my mom said, hugging me from behind.
A few of the older members nodded as they looked at me. A guy about my age walked up to me. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place his name.
“Welcome back, Leila. I’m Will.” He held out his hand for me to shake.
“Thank you. It’s good to be back. Brings back a lot of memories.” I smiled at him.
Will was tall. I guessed I came up to his chin. He was good-looking, with a youthful face. His blue eyes sparkled with mischief as he looked at me, which I found odd. I vaguely remembered having a class with him.
“If you need any tours or help around here, just ask. I’d be happy to show you around.” He winked.
“Thank you,” I said, a bit dryly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
I turned to my mom, who was grinning at our exchange. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what had her so amused. She just shrugged and squeezed my arm.
“I’d like to check out the hospital wing, if that’s okay. I want to familiarize myself with it and see what supplies we have,” I said.
“I can show you,” Will offered, a bit too eagerly. I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling a bit weirded out by his eagerness.
“That would be great,” I said, gesturing for him to lead the way. He led me down the right hallway in the pack house.
As we walked side by side, he talked about his life and asked me some personal questions. I was hesitant to answer, but I figured it was good to start making friends.
Every now and then, his body would brush against mine. But there was no spark.
“So, this is our medical wing. We’ve got five rooms for our pack members to rest in.” He gestured down the hallway, where I spotted five doors lining the wall.
“Over here is the path to our pack doctor’s office, and right next to it, we have the storage room,” he indicated to his left as he spoke.
The medical wing was compact—really compact—but that made sense. Werewolves didn’t get hurt often, and when they did, they healed pretty fast.
The wing was decked out with wooden floors and cream-colored dry walls. A small opening separated the patient rooms from the area that would soon be my office.
In that small opening, there were brown velvet sofas and couches, a cozy waiting area for family members.
“I like it,” I murmured. “It’s small, but it feels comforting. It’s a good space for anxious family members.”
Will looked around as I shared my thoughts, and he nodded, seeming to feel the same way.
He then turned to me, his face lighting up with a bright smile.
“You’re going to be a great pack doctor—and a beautiful one at that,” he winked and smirked at me.
“Thank you,” I responded, feeling a bit awkward. “I appreciate the tour. I’m going to take a look at the storage room. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He nodded, and as I headed towards the storage room, I could still feel his eyes on me.
Will didn’t give off a bad vibe, but I could tell he was attracted to me. It was puzzling, considering I didn’t see myself as attractive.
But hey, if he liked me, he liked me, I thought, stepping into the storage room.