Page 128 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
As they departed, I allowed myself a moment to breathe. The pack meeting had gone better than I could have hoped.
I pulled out my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen for a moment before I typed out a message to Zoey.
Me:Hey, how are you?
Three dots appeared as she typed. The seconds seemed to stretch on, and I found myself holding my breath in anticipation.
Finally, her reply came through, though woefully short.
Zoey:Fine, you?
I grinned. It was so very Zoey, always keeping her cards close to her chest.
Me:I’m good. Would love to see you. Are you free?
Zoey:Unfortunately not. My babysitters have been called to some boring pack meeting by an overbearing alpha ;)
I laughed out loud, the tension in my shoulders easing. If she was joking with me, it meant she was feeling more at ease, more like herself.
Me:When are you free?
The three dots appeared again. I waited, my heart racing.
Zoey:If I work hard on my homework with no interruptions, I could fit you in after the self-defense class tomorrow night?
I leaned back in my chair, my mind wandering to the first time I’d met Zoey, when she’d come into the gym to sign up for the self-defense course. She’d been so nervous, so unsure of herself. But now she was standing tall, her confidence growing with each passing day.
I thought back to the night she’d stood in my kitchen, her eyes shining with excitement because she’d been accepted into a computer programming course. It was hard to believe that had only been a few weeks ago. So much had happened, so much had changed.
I typed out my response, a smile playing at the corners of my mouth.
Noah:Work hard. See you tomorrow.
Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
35
ZOEY
Iheld Roland’s hand as we walked into the principal’s office at Oakwood Elementary. Students’ colorful artwork covered the walls, and the smell of freshly sharpened pencils filled the air. Roland squeezed my hand, his green eyes wide as he took everything in.
“Hello, you must be Ms. Lester and Roland,” the principal, a kind-faced woman in her fifties, greeted us with a warm smile. “I’m Mrs. Thompson. Welcome to Oakwood.”
“Mrs. Thompson, it’s nice to meet you.” I shook her outstretched hand. “We’re excited to get Roland enrolled and ready to start in the fall.”
“Of course, I have all the paperwork right here.” She handed me a stack of forms attached to a clipboard. “Why don’t you have a seat and fill these out. Then I’ll give you and Roland a tour of the school.”
As I began filling out the enrollment forms, I glanced over at Roland. He was flipping through a picture book about rockets. Starting at a new school after being homeschooled would be an adjustment, but Roland was resilient. After everything we’dbeen through, I just wanted to give him some stability and normalcy.
I would have preferred to wait until George was securely behind bars before enrolling Roland, but I hadn’t exactly kept up his schooling while we were dealing with the aftermath of our escape from his father’s compound. It wasn’t fair to keep putting his education on hold. George had firmly refused to allow Ro to be educated in a human school, an excuse I now realized was yet another method to keep me isolated and devoid of external support. He deserved a chance to be a regular kid who made friends and learned new things.
“All set,” I announced, handing the completed forms back to Mrs. Thompson.
“Wonderful. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you around.” She led us out of the office and down the bright hallway.
“This is the cafeteria, and those doors lead out to the playground.” Mrs. Thompson gestured as we walked. “The kindergarten through second-grade classrooms are down this way.”
She showed us the bright, welcoming classroom that would be Roland’s. Cubbies lined one wall, and tiny desks were arranged in clusters around a colorful rug for story time.
