Coming Home

Remington’s POV

After nine years, I never imagined the job I would take after college would be in my hometown. Yet here I am, just sitting in my midnight blue Hyundai Sonata in front of the Moonlight Bayou welcome sign. Don’t get me wrong—I love all the people here, except William Carter, who picked on me throughout school for being the only human in a werewolf community.

Did I make the right decision coming back here after all this time? Maybe he’s completely forgotten about me, and he’ll leave me alone. I just want to feel safe again walking out my front door, without having to worry about being shot at like I did in Chicago.

After several minutes of sitting there wondering, I finally drifted back onto the road. Once I passed through the boundary line of our pack, I felt like I was home. I never thought I’d feel that way crossing the line—maybe that’s a good sign.

Within a few minutes, I reached the town and noticed some changes. The stores and even the pack house looked different. It seems like the community is really thriving—there must be a new Alpha in charge. That thought made me wonder who could have taken over.

Soon, the familiar gray brick house I grew up in came into view. Surprisingly, my parents’ vehicles were the only ones in the driveway. As I pulled in, I noticed motion out of the corner of my eye near the woods by our house. I looked over and saw an enormous brown wolf with green eyes watching me. I’d never seen this wolf before, but the way it stared at me felt… familiar. Just as quickly as I noticed it, it took off—almost like I imagined seeing it. Shaking my head, I got out and grabbed some of my luggage to head inside.

As I approached the door, my father opened it, scowling at me. He’s 6 feet tall with an athletic build, brown hair, and blue eyes.

“Sass, here—let me help you with your luggage after that long drive home,” he said, grabbing my bags and heading upstairs toward my old room. “Sass” is the family nickname they gave me when I was little—and you can probably imagine why.

Once I walked through the door, I could smell that Mom had made her famous chocolate chip cookies. I followed the scent to the kitchen and found her laying some out to cool. Mom, on the other hand, is slender with a petite frame, curly blonde hair, and blue eyes. Growing up, everyone said I looked just like her—though I’m a bit more curvy. She turned, smiled, and came over to give me a hug.

“Sass, it’s so good to have you home,” she said.

I smiled back. “I’m glad to be back after all this time. There’ve been a lot of changes to the town while I was gone.”

Her expression shifted to a worried look, which meant what she was about to say wasn’t good. She waited until Dad returned before speaking.

“Speaking of that, we have some news to tell you,” she said.

I nodded for them to continue, and my father spoke up. “William Carter from school took over as Alpha two years ago and has made positive changes to the town. Sass, I know how you two were in school, but you’ll have to try to get along—for the pack’s sake.”

I looked between the two of them, trying to process what they had just told me. I knew they were right. William and I would have to try to get along—for the sake of the pack.

“It’s been years since we’ve seen each other. Maybe we can put it behind us and get along now. It’s been a long drive, and I need to go to the hospital tomorrow for paperwork.”

We said goodnight, and I went upstairs to my old room. It was still decorated the same—gray walls and wood-carved furniture I grew up with. I changed into my leopard-print pajamas and lay down, wondering if coming back was truly a good idea. With William now Alpha, and given our history, I can’t help but wonder… will we ever be able to get along?