Chapter 3

The next two weeks passed by in a blur. I was doted on when I went home. My brothers and Oliver did not want to leave my side and I constantly had two female warriors shadowing me. It took a week for me to convince my family that I was going to be okay and that they could stop hovering.

On the second day that I was released, I convinced my father to allow me to train with Michael for his Alpha training. Not so I could be the next Alpha, so that I could learn better self-defense. I never want to be in that position again. I never want to feel so helpless or feel so used. So, every day, I went to regular pack training. I spent three hours training with Michael and my father, and I also attended the Beta training with Oliver. Then, every day, after all my training, I attend therapy with the pack therapist for an hour a day. This became my pattern. This was my life.

It is now one day before my birthday and I can honestly say that while I am not completely happy, I am content. I am not always depressed and sad. However, for the past day and a half, my head has been pounding and nothing I do can take away the pain. It is like a dull throb inside my head that is constant.

I walked to my dad’s office in the packhouse, he told me that he had wanted to see me before training started. Before I get the chance to knock on the door, it opens and my dad steps aside to allow me to enter.

“Kataleya, how are you doing? I just wanted to check up on you and see how you were coping.”

“I am doing as well as I can, dad. I am putting all my effort into training, so that I can learn to better protect myself. However, I have been having this dull throb in my head, like a migraine, that I can’t seem to get rid of.”

“Have you seen the pack doctor for the pain?” I shook my head no. I don’t really want to go to the park hospital. Every time I go near there, I think about the last time that I stepped foot in the pack hospital, and I get lost in the flashbacks.

“Make sure you go and get it checked out. The reason I called you here was because we recently had a family transfer into the pack, and I know that typically I have you and Michael, the new kids around the pack and introduce them to others around. However, I do not know if you will be up to it. There are three children in the family. Justin is the oldest and he is 17. He is training to be a pack warrior. Once he hits 18, he will officially become a warrior for our pack. Then, Jessica is his younger sister, and she is 12. Lastly, there is Makayla, and she is 7. I know that you have been avoiding the pack males for the last couple of weeks, so I wasn’t sure if you would be comfortable with showing Justin around. I can always have Michael do it if you are too uncomfortable.”

I look at my father and contemplate what he is asking me to do. I really don’t want to show Justin around, but I think I will be fine with the other two siblings. “I’m fine with the younger two, but I don’t think I am ready to face anyone else of the opposite sex. Can Michael or Elijah help Justin acclimate to the pack?”

“Sure, sweetie. I will let Michael know that instead of training for the day, he will be showing Justin and his parents around.”

I turned to leave the opposite side and go to the front of the packhouse, where I imagined Oliver was already waiting for me. I spot Oliver heading to the pack dining hall and he waves me over.

“Hey! I can’t stay long. I have to meet with some new members of the pack and show them around.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“Nah, I think I will be fine. Plus, don’t you have training with your father?”

“I guess. Will you at least come to have dinner with me before you go?”

We continued to walk to the pack hall and get in line for our food. The pack hall is this huge room that is used for dining. It isn’t a requirement to eat meals at the pack hall, but a lot of the members eat dinner here. I usually eat at home with my family unless I come to the pack hall with Oliver. We go through the line and get our food and go take a seat at one of the long tables. After thirty minutes, I told Ollie goodbye and headed to the front of the pack house, so that I could meet the new family.

As I reach the entrance, I am hit by a big wave of pain and nausea. I fell to my knees and gripped my head. Beta Malcolm sees me on the ground and comes rushing over. As he picks me up off the ground and starts to head to the pack hospital, I feel as if something is trying to break through my head. It feels as if there is something there, but it is having a hard time reaching me. I groaned and turned my head onto the Beta’s neck. The throbbing slows down to a steady throb as we reach the pack hospital.

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Several hours have past and I am still at the pack hospital. Michael had gone ahead and shown Justin and his siblings around the pack for me. My father showed up shortly after the Beta took me to the packhouse. Now, the doctor is in the room with us, and she is explaining to my father the results of the tests and labs that they had run.

“Alpha, we can’t see anything that is majorly wrong with Kataleya. The symptoms that she is showing are as if her wolf is trying to break free.”

“But how can that be possible? There are no records of any adolescent receiving their wolf before the age of 16. Kataleya hasn’t even turned 14 yet.”

“I know it is strange, Alpha, but that is the only plausible explanation. I think her wolf is trying to break free because of the recent trauma that Kataleya has experienced. I have heard of only a few instances that aren’t widely known in the supernatural community, where wolves have come before the child’s 16th birthday due to some type of trauma that the child has experienced.”

My father isn’t wrong. Wolves don’t shift until their 16th birthday and then on their 17th birthday they are able to sniff their mates. I used to be excited about meeting my mate and finding something like the love that I see between my parents, but now I realize that I do not need a man. I am my own person and I refuse to let a mate define me. Plus, I am still weary of men after what happened a few weeks ago. Most men make me cringe, so far, I have only been able to stomach my family and Oliver and his family. Those are the only males that I have allowed to come near me, and I don’t think that is going to change anytime soon.

The pain comes back full throttle and I grip my head again. I just want to lay down and rest. I looked at the doctor and my father asked them if there is any way that I can stay here tonight, so that I can try to get some rest. Both agree and proceed to leave my room, with the door cracked. I laid down and began to toss and turn as I tried to get comfortable, but it seemed that nothing was working. I finally get comfortable, and I feel myself drifting off into a peaceful oblivion.