*Daphne*
Lucian shuffled around the house with his new backpack. I had just picked it out for him and his upcoming first day of middle school.
“Lucian, do you like your new backpack?” I hoped he did. He had begged for that very backpack a few weeks ago.
Hopefully, he hadn’t changed his mind already.
He sighed. “Yeah, I like the backpack.”
“What’s wrong, then?” I went around the couch and put my arm around Lucian’s shoulders.
His eyes were so heavy and sunken.
“Is Dad going to be back in ti for my first day of school tomorrow?”
“Oh.” I ran my hand through his hair. “Lucian, your dad got called away to deal with sothing in a neighboring pack. You know he wants to be there, but he might not get back in ti.”
Lucian nodded and bowed his head. “Thanks for the backpack, Mom.”
He shuffled upstairs and I heard his bedroom door closed.
My heart sank, and I went back to the kitchen to fix lunches for the kids tomorrow. It was their first day of school after sumr break, and I knew Lucian was nervous about going to a new school where he didn’t know anyone.
I finished the lunches and went upstairs to talk to him.
“Lucian, can I co in?” I knocked on the door.
“Yeah, sure.”
He was sitting on his bed, still looking miserable. I joined him on the bed and put my arm around his shoulders.
“You know, so of your friends from elentary school will be there.”
“Yeah, but it won’t be the sa.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do!” Lucian stood up and threw his hands in the air. “I’m the son of the Alpha! Do you know how hard it is to make friends? People don’t want around because they think my dad will bust them up if they do anything wrong.”
I frowned. “Is that really what you think?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” he grumbled, crossing his arms. “But if I show up to school with my mom, that’s not going to win many points.”
“I’m sorry, honey. I can call your dad tonight and see if he thinks he’ll be back,” I suggested.
“No, it’s fine.”
I headed downstairs, where the girls and Aster and Tarik were having an afternoon snack. The four of them spent the afternoon with Eva, learning more magic.
“Is everything okay, Mom?” Ayla asked when she saw .
“Oh... it’s fine.” I glanced up the stairs. “Lucian is in a mood.”
“About school?” Aster asked.
I creased my brow. “Why would you say that?”
Aster shrugged. “Just a feeling. I rember what it was like to start middle school.”
“Hey, we could walk him to school tomorrow, if you want. We know the way,” Tarik offered, grinning.
“I bet Lucian would like that since Rion won’t be back in ti.”
***
The next morning, Aster and Tarik showed up early.
I packed up the kids’ lunches and got Lucian his backpack.
“Your cousins are going to walk you to school. How’s that?”
Lucian brightened up as I handed him orange juice. “I’d like that a lot.”
“Co on everyone, make sure you have everything you need,” I instructed as the kids moved around the kitchen and living room, packing their bags, and finishing breakfast.
They all headed to the front door.
“Wait. Do you have your dampening charms?”
The kids all stopped at the door and turned around. They held out their wrists and showed the dampening charms.
During the sumr, while training with Eva, they could take the charms off and use their magic. In school, we all agreed it was safer for them to keep the charms on so they wouldn’t cast unintended magic.
“Alright, it looks like you’re all good to go. Lucian, can I pick you up after school at least? I’d like to know how the day goes.”
“Yeah, that’s okay.”
“Don’t worry, Auntie, we’ll take good care of Lucian.” Aster flung his arm around Lucian and gave him a side hug.
I watched the boys together and couldn’t believe how close they were and how much alike they looked. They acted more like brothers than cousins. I was always grateful that Eva and Jasper decided to stay close so our kids could grow up together.
Ayla and Serena left first. They caught a ride with a friend. The boys hung around in the front yard a little longer.
I stood by the kitchen window and listened to them.
“You have nothing to worry about, Lucian. We’re basically royalty at the school. Stick with us and you’ll fit right in,” Aster assured.
“But you guys are older and in different classes. Your friends won’t like .”
“So what? As soon as they see you with us, you’ll be in the club,” Tarik added.
“Just think, soday you’ll be Alpha. You might not think it, but that carries a lot of weight and status as we get older. Maybe not when we’re younger, but you’ll see how things are different even now,” Aster continued.
“Really?” Lucian perked up. “I never thought of that.”
“Of course. By the ti you hit high school, all the girls will want to be your friend.”
The boys laughed together and headed off the porch to walk to school.
I smiled and watched them out the window as they retreated down the street. My son was so grown up, and he seed to be in a lot better spirits now that Aster and Tarik had his back.
The last words I heard Aster speak before they got too far away brought tears to my eyes.
“Just rember to stay true to yourself, no matter what anyone else says or if they try to bully you. You’re our cousin, our friend, and our future Alpha. We’ve got your back.”
I was so proud of the boys and as soon as they were out of sight, I ran to the phone to call Eva.
“You’ll never guess what your sons just did for Lucian.”
She laughed. “What?”
I told her about the secret heart-to-heart they had with Lucian on the porch and how much it helped Lucian.
“Oh, my boys are so great.”
“I know. They’ve really co a long way, Eva. You’ve raised them right.”
“Thanks.” She chuckled on the other end of the phone line. “I’m very proud of my boys.”
I was anxious to hear about Lucian’s day. All day, I cleaned the house maniacally. The silverware was polished, the sink bleached, all the corners dusted, and the beds were made and completely wrinkle free by the ti I had to leave and get Lucian.
His talk with Aster and Tarik really helped, but I hoped the rest of his day went well. I didn’t want him to have a bad first day and ruin his whole school experience.
I parked down the block a little from the school and waited for Lucian to find . I had a feeling that he wouldn’t want to wait for him right at the front door.
Lots of kids ran around, so going to their parents’ cars and others joining in small groups to walk ho together.
Lucian ca down the front steps alone. I put a hand on my heart and felt my stomach sink. That wasn’t good.
Suddenly three boys ran down the steps behind him. Two of them grabbed him and shook him.
I seethed. No way was I going to let my boy get bullied. I grabbed the door handle and paused.
Lucian had a big grin plastered across his face, and he playfully punched back at the boys who accosted him.
All of them were smiling and laughing. They nudged each other, and all my nerves disappeared. Lucian looked really happy, and he seed to have made a few friends.
It took Lucian a few minutes to say goodbye to his friends and co find my car. He was still smiling when he got into the back seat.
“How was your first day?” I moved the rearview mirror so I could see his face.
“It wasn’t bad.”
“I saw you with so new friends. It looks like it wasn’t as bad as you thought.”
He shrugged.
I pulled away from the curb and began driving ho.
“Aster and Tarik introduced to so people. They were cool.”
“That’s great honey, isn’t it?” I flicked my eyes to the mirror to see his face.
He was still smiling. “Yeah. They invited to play touch football at lunch, and I t a lot of people. So of them think I should try out for the actual football team.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Your dad will be ho before tryouts, and you can talk to him about it if you want.”
“Yeah, I think I will.”
We drove quietly and I kept checking on him in the rearview mirror. He looked perfectly relaxed and at ease.
I was so pleased that Aster and Tarik had taken Lucian under their wing and helped him get settled and feel comfortable. I made a ntal note to send Eva another thank you note for the boys. They really went above and beyond.
“So, how are you feeling about school, now?”
“It won’t be so bad. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Aster and Tarik gave so advice on what activities to join, and there are even people in my grade who want to hang out with .”
I laughed. “They were right then, weren’t they? You just need to stick with them.”
“I’m really glad I’m at school with my cousins.”
Lucian sotis struggled fitting in, but having examples like his cousins to follow would make him an incredible Alpha and leader. I hoped that he took their compassion and internalized it as part of his personality.
He was in a very volatile state where he was becoming the man he’d be as Alpha. A good Alpha needed that compassion, and I knew it would get him far in life.
When we got ho, Rion was already there. Lucian grabbed his new backpack and ran out of the car. He excitedly hugged Rion and started talking to him about his day.
I was happy to see him so animated and excited. As difficult as it was to see Lucian only want to talk to Rion about these things, I knew it was part of a young boy becoming a young man.
That night, I finally had a mont alone with Rion as we got ready for bed.
“Lucian had a great first day of school. I was worried about him. He seed glum when I left,” Rion said, fluffing the pillows as I brushed my hair.
“Aster and Tarik really helped, but I know he’ll be fine. He’s growing up so fast.”
Rion smirked. “Yeah, he is. Does it make you nostalgic for babies?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Um, now that you ntion it....”
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