Chapter 324

My mom was out of the house before I even closed the door. She walked straight to me and into my arms. She was vibrating for some reason. Anger was my best guess, and she was trying to calm down.

“Where have you been?” She pulled back and cupped my cheeks.

“I went for a run.” I smiled. “Toya came to help me bring everything else home.” I pointed to her, and she waved from the other side of the trunk.

“Hi.” She walked to the tailgate and pulled it down. “Where should I put this stuff?”

My mother looked between the two of us, and I saw understanding bloom in her eyes. “Let me show you.” She let me go after another squeeze and walked down to grab a few bags. I followed and grabbed the rest of the stuff and closed the tailgate as Toya followed my mother inside. “How are you, dear? Did you do well in your course?”

“I did.” Toya smiled. “I was top of my class. Not as good as Amy, though.”

My mother scoffed. “Apples to oranges, my dear. Different courses, different scores.” My mother was always like that, never comparing between two people. “Everyone is only measured against themselves, never anyone else, because they did not have to go through what you went through.” My mom stopped in front of my door. “Did you do better than you did the semester before?”

Toya thought about it for a second before she nodded. “Yeah, I think I did.” My mom nodded.

“Then be proud.” She peeked over Toya’s shoulder to find me watching them. “Are you going to open the door, babe? Or do you want to move into the hallway?” Toya burst out laughing as I dropped the bags in my hands and walked over, unlocking the door and removing the magic.

“There.” I swung the door inwards and went to grab the bags I left, letting the two in first. I dropped my bags next to my closet as my mother closed the door behind me. I took a deep breath as I looked around my old room.

“Is it weird?” My mom clicked the lock on the door before joining Toya on my bed. “Being back here?”

I looked around the room and was hit with a wave of nostalgia. “A little. I’ve gotten so used to being alone in my own place that being back here with everyone will be an adjustment.”

My mom nodded. “Shannon cried when she came back.”

I lifted my lip. “I’m sure she did.”

Toya scoffed. “She didn’t have the best time at school.”

My mom shifted against the headboard. She pointed at me and then twirled her finger around the room. I smiled as I sealed the sounds inside. No one would overhear what we were speaking about now. “Now, what do you mean Shannon didn’t have the best time?”

“She was in business, so we didn’t really see much of her.” Toya started, so I turned to my closet and put stuff away. “Amy was obviously in the tech building and I was in the teaching wing. But Shannon…” Toya looked to me as I came out.

“Shannon tried the same crap at school that she does here and got put in her place by every ranked wolf in her course. Brandon was the only reason she survived the first year until she learned to stop throwing her nonexistent status around.” I grabbed another bag and turned back to the closet. I walked past my usual racks and started placing things in the far back.

Toya took back over. “She eventually made friends, but she was upset that Amy had more power than her. She threw a couple of tantrums.” Toya called, as I was hanging up the last bit of clothes, “Amy?”

“Yeah?” I turned, but something caught my eye.

“Do you remember when Shannon freaked out when the training started?” I laughed as I pushed clothes out of the way. Toya’s voice grew softer, like she was leaning in with a secret. “The king had the teachers implement mandatory training. She was not happy. She stomped over during our session and demanded Amy call the king that minute. She said she was too important to reach him personally and that Amy should do it for her, like she was her secretary.” I stepped deeper into the closet, pushing past the first rack of clothes to my out-of-season stuff. “Amy did it. She called Rowan. Shannon took the phone from her and started talking, but the king was like, who the fuck is this? It was hilarious.” Toya laughed and my mother joined her.

“Amy, come here.” My mother called for me, but I was almost to the back of my closet and the edge that caught my eye. “Amy?” I pushed past the last rack of clothes, and I ended up against the far wall, staring at a random door I didn’t even know was here. “Amy?” My mother’s voice was closer, but there was a drumbeat in my ears.

This was important, and I didn’t know why. I grabbed the knob and, with a deep breath, I pulled the door open.