Welcome home

Xyra's viewpoint

Stepping back into my pack was something I had dreamt of for years. Of course, I didn't remember when I left, I was just two weeks old when I was taken to the castle. I'd never been in the pack, or another and indeed I had dreamt about how it would be like.

Lulana was asleep on my back as I walked closer to the park territory, the place I would soon call home. She made small moans as she stir on my back. I bounced her up gently, though because I was nervous. Zephyr meet up with us after warning us, and from the smell of blood and rotten flesh, the fear hanging in the air and the sweats, I could tell the battle was already over and my pack was safe.

"You ready?" Moira asked softly. I looked at her nervously and gulped. "There is nothing to be afraid of, they would love you,"

"What if they judge me? What if they feel like I'm a threat? What if they don't want me?"

"Then they can go ahead and fuck an electric eel, because they are stuck with you. Xy, you are the alpha female of this pack, so they better deal with it." Zephyr said cheekily. I smiled thankfully at them.

"And we would be here for you the whole way. Not just because we don't have where to stay, but because we are not going anywhere without you." April added.

"Group hug," Zeph chirped.

"You'll wake her," I chuckled. I stopped chuckling as I saw the boundary of Cresent Pack. I inhaled deeply to calm my nerve. Moira placed her hand on my shoulder and squeezed it assuredly while Zeph squeezed my left palm.

"You'll be fine, Xy, trust me." April whispered.

"I hope so,"

"I know so,"

"Thanks, girls. Let's go."

‘Oh, for Pete's sake, get this shit over with already,' meet Majesty, my wolf whom I had never seen but had to deal with. Majesty claimed her name; she lived by her name. She's proud, conceited, self-centred and a drama queen. Majesty is always right, never wrong and hate challenges. She nags at everything she thinks doesn't befit a queen like herself, throw a tantrum over anything she doesn't like or understand, and never agrees to any other logic other than hers. She can argue and have never lost one to me either. I let her because I get to suffer a migraine after one or two of her tantrums and drama.

It's not easy living with trouble in your head.

I saw her face sometimes, but again, it felt like I didn't. When she paced in my head, she was nothing but the shadow living in my mind. In order to escape, I forced myself to shift. The girls said they saw majesty and she was magnificent, but wouldn't tell me how. They said it would be a surprise when I shift with consciousness. I had both a bad and good feeling about it.

Until then.

I mentally inhaled or maybe that was Majesty. We made our way into the pack, following Zeph since she was there before us. We were all exhausted and just needed to rest, like sleep for forty eight hours and then eat everything in sight. Though I doubt April would join the eating party.

We walked over dead rogues, injured ones trying to escape which Zeph killed, but luckily, none from my pack. We finally came to the open part of the pack, where all the houses were located. Eyes were on us as we walked pass, me especially. They could feel it, they could tell I was an alpha, their alpha. We kept walking until we got to the front of the alpha house. There was an elderly man and some nurses tending to the injured warriors, while their relative stood by to support their injured family. I held my breath when I saw mum helping a child's mother clean her wound while a girl of probably eleven or twelve held her kit for her.

Mum was a doctor, head doctor of the pack. At least, she was the last time I checked. The eleven years old looked a lot like mum, and the signature brown hair and grey eyes couldn't be more obvious.

"There, all done. Moses, is there any more injured?" Lula sneezed, dragging their attention to us. I was surprise they hadn't even notice us. Immediately mum saw me, the needle in her hand fell as she gasped. I gave her a nervous smile.

"Hi, mum?"

"Xyra? Xyra, is this… Oh my God…" She rushed over to me and yanked me into a tight hug, embracing Lula at the same time. Mum burst into tears as soon as we were in her arms, causing Lula to wake up.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, baby, it's me, you are home… Xyra, I thought you were dead, they told us you died,"

"Uhm," I didn't know how to react, I didn't know what to say. I was confused between relaxing in her embrace or crying along with her or doing both. I don't cry in public, so that was where the confusion was coming from. "And I thought you guys abandoned me there," mum pulled away from me with a gasp.

"We would never. We came to get you when you turned twelve, but then they told us you died in your sleep, that the moon goddess took you back from us. I didn't know what to do, I didn't. I thought I was going to return with you, to complete our family but I was wrong. Xyra, your father and I would never abandon you, ever—"

"I know that now. Can you take Lula inside? She is as exhausted as we are. We've been walking for a week now."

"Of course," she carefully took Lula off me. I avoided looking at anyone else as I searched for me father. "Mum, where's dad?"

"Xyra! My princess!" My eyes cloud up as I heard his voice. Before I could turn around, I was lifted off my feet and thrown in the air. I screamed with fear and delight, before I fell into his thick arms and was snuggled in. "You're alive! You are back! I thought that flying girl was crazy when she said you still breathe air. When I get my hands on those thieves, I'd make sure they wish they never mess with me…"

"Dad, I need to breathe," I gasp.

"Oh, sorry," he released me from his tight embrace and patted my back. I sniff to hold back my tears before looking up at the only man I love, the one I missed most. "You are so thin, what have they been feeding you there,"

‘Vegetables, stupid vegetables.’ Majesty grumbled.

"Come inside first, you all need to rest—"

"And eat, before I pass out. And my name is Zephyr, not flying girl. Repeat after me, Zep-hyr, or Zeph, anyone you like as long as you can pronounce it—"

"Zeph, be quiet," April whispered harshly.

"Can I eat now? April is starting to look like dancing broccoli again," Moira sighed.

"Hey! Why do I always have to be vegetables? I control plants doesn't mean I am one,"

"Pretty much sure that is what you are, broccoli," and they never know when to stop.

__________

"Xyra, Xyra, wake up," someone whispered. I groaned.

"Ten more hours,"

"Xyra, you have been sleeping for three days, it's time you wake up," the person insisted.

"Just ten more hours," I pleaded. I threw the covers over my head, only to have it yanked away. "Oh, let me sleep," I whined.

"Xyra, darling, you have to eat at some point,"

"Must I eat? I want to sleep," I murmured. Another person chuckled.

"Finally found someone who took over from you," dad, that was dad's voice.

"Just wake her up already, she has to eat. Look at how thin she is. My wolf won't stop nagging me to get more flesh into her pup, wake her up." The first person was mom. I opened my eyes, raised my head and looked at them over my shoulder. Mum sat at the side of the bed, the comforter in her hands, while dad stood close to her.

"Good morning, beautiful, rise and shine?" I threw my head back on the pillow with a puff. Dad chuckled again. "Come on, princess, wake up, your sisters want to see you,"

"And your friends miss you," mum added. I snorted.

"Zephyr is still pretty much dead on her bed, same as Moira. The only one up would be April," I said as a matter of fact. Dad laughed while mum growled, or rather, her wolf.

"Xyra, stand up so I can feed you!" I turned on my back and whined.

"I don't want to be fed, I want to sleep,"

"Yup, definitely like you, Eleanor,"

"Stop encouraging her," mum snapped, "now get her up," I sat up before dad did whatever he wanted. "Better. Now wash up. I left some of my old clothes for you in the wardrobe, get into one. Later when I see some improvement in your weight, you can go shopping with your friends. Now stand up,"

"Then I can sleep?" It was the first time in my entire life I was allowed to sleep for straight 72 hours. I need more but no, mum won't let me.

"No, you already slept enough," mum snapped.

"Says the woman who sleeps for six days without shaking," dad murmured. Mum glared at him.

"Don't encourage her or you are grounded,"

"You can't ground me, I'm your husband, not your kid," mum gave him a bored look, "yes, ma, I'll go back to work immediately. Bye, princess," dad waved at me before scurrying out. Mum turned her bored look to me. If she could ground dad, then who am I to disobey?

"Fine, I'm coming, just give me a minute." She smirked before standing up. Still the boss, I see.

Once she was out, I stood up, ran to the door and locked it. I threw myself back on my bed with a joyful sigh. Who needs food when you got a soft bed? My stomach answered me with a growl.

"Fine, stomach, you win. I also need to wake Zephyr anyways,"

I stood up from the bed and went about the room to get ready. In less than twenty minutes, I was done bathing and all dressed up. I went over to the room Zephyr and Moira shared. April and I got our own room because we called it first. Zephyr was sleeping on top of Moira, don't even know how that happened.

"Zephyr, the king of Atlantis is here to ask for your hand in marriage," she flew up from Moira with a squeal, changing her position to a sitting one.

"I do! I will! I will marry him!" I broke into laughter as I fell back on the chair in the room. She looked around in confusion. "Where's my king?"

"I can't believe this still works on you," I laughed. Moira groaned and pushed her off.

"Good gracious, who is that mosquito singing? Get away, I'm almost at the best part," she complained.

"Moira, there's a spider on your head," Moira screamed with flight, throwing herself off the bed by rolling over while hitting her head to kill the spider that wasn't there. She kept rolling and screaming as she continued to hit herself, transferring the hit to her body.

"Get it off! Get it off!"

"Oh, goodie," Zeph giggled mischievously. She got off the bed, stood over Moira's rolling body and cracked her knuckles evilly. "Moira, the spider is on your face, I'll get it," Zeph bent down and gave her a divine wakening slap. She threw herself on the bed as she joined me in laughing. The slap snapped Moira into a perplex state. She sat down and watched us laughing, as she trying to register what happened.

"You guys did that thing to Moira again," April sighed as she lean her body on the doorframe. Moira's eyes darkened, she was starting to know what was happening. I quietly stood up and slipped out. I pushed April in and slammed the door shut.

"Hey! Why are you locking me in here!"

"You devils! You lied about the spider!" Moira screamed.

"I didn't do anything, it was Xyra, I swear," April said panickingly. I jumped when Zeph appeared beside me still laughing. I started laughing too.

"I'll kill you!"

"Wait, wait, it wasn't me… Help!" Zeph and I ran away still laughing after we heard the mighty thud. Moira used her powers to make April weigh two thousands pounds and slammed her on the floor. I think the floor broke and she fell below. We ran over to the lower floor to check if she fell. There was a giant hole in the floor. Zeph and I looked down. April fell through and through.

"Oops, sorry, April," I laughed.

"Hey! Who burst a hole in my kitchen!"

Uh oh.