A Happy reunion.

Gavin sat there in the loveseat unmoved. It took a long minute for the last words spoken by Principal Shepard to register in his mind. "Sir?" Gavin inquired quietly.

Principal Shepard's eyes danced with mirth as he sat across from Gavin. "I said, you look just like my son, who died about eighteen years ago. According to your file, that's about how old you are now," he said softly. He kept his movements slow and steady so not to startle the boy any more than the bombshell he had just dropped did.

Principal Shepard's eyes began to glow a bright shade of red as he talked. "Werewolf shifters are incredibly rare, Gavin. So, if you don't mind, I'd like you to explain how a werewolf shifter came to live with a human family," Principal Shepard's voice was soft, but drooped to a lower octave as he made his demand. Gavin was no fool. He had a feeling he could not refuse to have this conversation with the old man.

So Gavin told the principal his tale. Or what he knew of it. How he was raised all his life thinking he was a normal human. Then discovering the night of the attack that he was something more. Something powerful and terrifying. He went on to explain what his parents told him the next day in the hospital. How his foster parents found him hidden in the aftermath of a slaughter in the forest below the northern mountains. He explained how his girl, Erza, was a werecat and their friends helped teach him how to control his shifter abilities.

When he was finished with his long tale, they both sat there in silence. "My, oh my. That is a long story, young Gavin. I think you will find it interesting that I was once a leader of a clan of werewolf shifters that resided in that very same area once upon a time. Then, when I decided it was a good time to step down and do some traveling in the world, my son, Drogo Lykos, was chosen as the next clan leader. Together with his wife Luna, they made an extremely formidable pair," Principal Shepard said softly. His vibrant red eyes had dimmed slightly as they filled with misty tears.

Gavin wasn't sure exactly what the principal was telling him. But by his scent and red eyes, Gavin assumed at least the part about him being a werewolf was true.

"Was Luna.... was she a beautiful brunette that loved to sing. With a voice that could comfort anyone that heard?" Gavin asked him quietly. His voice was a whisper in the quiet room.

Principal Shepard leaned back in shock. "How, how do you know these things?" He stammered out his words, his eyes glowing bright red once more.

Gavin felt the energy shift in the room. Gone was the kind old principal from moments ago. Now something lethal and attentive sat in front of him. Gavin's inner wolf recognized the signs of possible aggression and yearned to be let loose. Gavin fought back that particular brand of stupidity.

"I don't know. Not exactly. Ever since I first shifted, I've had these dreams, or nightmares, or visions that plague me in my sleep. I've seen horrible images and events and I don't know what's causing it," Gavin quickly tried to explain as he held his hands up in front of him in a placating and defensive gesture. It galled him to submit to anyone, but he knew without a doubt, old or not, that he was no match for Principal Shepard.

A raised eyebrow from Principal Shepard met Gavin's answer. He gestured for Gavin to continue.

Gavin reached out for the pitcher on the coffee table and poured himself a glass of the iced water. "I've had two different kinds of dreams. The first one involved finding my mate, Erza, and our friends hanging from the ceiling by chains. Tortured and beaten bloody. By the time I found them, I was restrained and watched as a man with a scar over his left eye executed each one with a gunshot to the head," Gavin informed him slowly as he relived that horrible nightmare. "No matter what I tried doing differently, shifting immediately. Casting spells. Grabbing a guard's firearm. Nothing changes," Gavin said as he hung his head low over the horror. He didn't care what Erza said, this felt so much more than a simple dream or nightmare.

Principal Shepard rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "And the second set of dreams?" He inquired from the boy.

"The second involves walking around a beautiful forest. Green shrubs and foliage as far as the eye can see. I feel lost and unbearably alone until I hear a woman singing. Her beautiful melodic voice draws me. It guides me towards a camp site of a bunch of people. I find her, the most beautiful brunette I've ever seen, sitting near a fire with a baby in her arms. She sings the most amazing songs and I feel like I'm home. I sit next to them for a long time. In this one, for whatever reason, they can't see me or hear me. But I see and hear them," Gavin said with a soft sad smile forming on his lips as he remembered all the emotions that set of dreams invokes in him.

"Why?" He asked suddenly. "Why am I seeing these dreams or nightmares?" His voice quivered from the raw emotion he felt during these nightmares. He was tired of being plagued by these horrible scenes in his dreams. The constant wear and tear on his mental state was enough to drive a man mad. 

Principal Shepard stroked his cheek thoughtfully. "If you are my grandchild, as I suspect you are. Born from the love and union of Drogo and Luna Lykos, then I have some information that might explain things for you," Principal Shepard said softly as the pressure and energy that was emitting from him lessened and Gavin found it easier to breathe. 

Gavin leaned forward and nodded towards the principal to continue. "You are an alpha shifter. That much is plainly obvious. But as a child of the Lykos bloodline, you are a member of a royal Lykan lineage. The original clan leaders of the alpha species had so much power and such an understanding of the magical ways that they had bounded certain traits and abilities to be passed down via the bloodline to ensure their lineage survived turbulent times. One of these abilities was divination or prophecy," Principal Shepard informed Gavin. 

"The gift of prophecy and Divination enabled the clan leaders to view events of the past, and probable events of the future. Nothing about the future was one hundred percent set in stone. It changes and fluctuates all the time from the daily choices everyone, everywhere makes. But the most likely outcomes. These are the future events that you might get visions of. Good or bad, they can haunt your dreams until you are able to control that particular ability." Principal Shepard dropped that nugget of information on Gavin and noticed his head snapped to attention and a fire seemed to ignite behind his eyes at a truth he seemed to suspect about the dreams. 

"Once the ability is trained, it can become a powerful tool in your arsenal to protect your clan and kin. It will never be one hundred percent accurate, but it can become very dependable with time and experience," Principal Gavin told him. 

"Sir, if that's the case, and my parents had access to this ability," Gavin started asking, his thoughts racing in his mind. "Why did my parents still die that day?" Gavin finally brought himself to ask. Based on everything that was mentioned, the dreams, the information from the principal, the way things lined up, Gavin was inclined to believe that the principal really was his biological grandfather. He was filled with so many conflicting emotions. He accepted that he'd never get to know his birth family after what he found out about his foster family found him hidden. 

Principal Shepard sighed and wiped his eyes, brushing the tears from them away. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and emotions over the bombshells that dropped. He couldn't believe it. His grandson, who he was so excited to meet so long ago, was sitting there in front of him now, a grown young man. He still remembered when he received the phone call from his son about their expected pregnancy. He was delayed back then from returning to the encampment. He hadn't arrived until about a week or so after the slaughter. 

At the moment he found the charred bodies and remains of his beloved clan, he went mad with grief. He was aware of the True Lord's Army and their twisted, demented beliefs. He spent the next decade going on a warpath, hunting down every cell of their organization and slaughtering them. After a decade of bloodshed and violence, Principal Shepard realized that nothing would fill the void and anger that filled his heart over the loss of his family. So he ceased his hunting and sought out a life as a teacher. Maybe, if he was a teacher at a magical academy, he might encounter other werewolf shifters and be able to guide and protect them. He never would have guessed that would lead him to a grandson he thought long perished. 

"My son, as strong and proud as he was, never cared about certain abilities and traits. He didn't think he needed to master every little thing with his strength. On top of that, he was distracted to insanity by the pregnancy and your upcoming birth, so he definitely wouldn't have thought about using it much back then." Principal Shepard finally responded as he took a very shaky breath. 

"So, you really are, my grandfather?" Gavin asked hesitantly. He wanted clear and irrevocable confirmation of everything that happened. He walked up here, thinking he was going to be expelled for the three fights with Bradley. Instead, he found family, a mentor, and a sense of peace. 

"Yes, my boy. I believe I am." Principal Shepard said softly as a broad smile lit up his face. Tears flowed freely as he could no longer hold his emotions back. The immediate love and gratitude he felt in his heart overwhelmed the older wolf. He had a piece of his son back with him. He was reunited with his grandson he thought was long dead. The love and tenderness in his heart was immense. 

 "So, what does this mean for me going forward?" Gavin asked, his voice laced with apprehension.

Principal Shepard thought for a long moment before he answered honestly. "I'm not sure exactly. I will do what I can to help teach you the ways of a werewolf and to share our history and lore with you while you attend this academy. We can take our new relationship day by day until we both get comfortable with the idea and each other."

Gavin nodded as he considered the options. "I think, I'd like that," Gavin swallowed the lump in his throat before he continued, "Grandpa."