Chapter 1: First Day Jitters

Luci’s POV:

“Not again,” I groaned as my phone buzzed loudly against the books in my bag.

It was late enough in the morning that I wasn’t worried about waking up anyone in the surrounding apartments if I just let the noise continue, but I felt my stomach drop with each buzz that sounded against the hardcover texts.

It’d honestly be fine with me if my phone just disappeared on my walk to school.

Knowing my luck, he’d send a replacement to my apartment before I was back from classes.

My hand fumbled with the key as I tried to rush and lock my front door.

I’d spent the entire morning getting ready waiting for my father to call and start harping on me about grad school.

I was surprised that he hadn’t blown up my phone over the last few days.

At this point, I wasn’t sure whether hearing from him was worse than him not reaching out.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that my father was planning something. If that was the case, he wouldn’t bother telling me until he was sure I had no other option but to go with what he said.

It’s not like I could argue with him. There was no point.

Just as the lock turned and I twisted the key out, the buzzing started up once again.

“I know,” I mumbled to myself as I tossed the keys back into my bag while I ran down the sunlit stairs to the bottom floor of the building.

I wasn’t in a rush to grab the phone. This conversation could already be over as far as I was concerned.

It never mattered how much I told my father my feelings or opinions. There was no reasoning with the Alpha of our pack. He’d never consider anyone else’s take on something.

Especially mine.

He’d made that clear the last twenty-five years of my life. I doubt he’d ever change at this point.

Once I got to the sidewalk I dug through the black canvas bag, but even my hand seemed to want to avoid finding my phone.

Eventually, I pulled the phone out and looked at the contact info that flashed across the screen.

I sighed in relief as I accepted the call and held the phone to my ear.

“You know you scared the h*ll out of me? Why didn’t you just text?”

I could hear my best friend Carlos chuckle on the other end of the call.

“Well, I waited for you to call first, but when you didn’t, I thought your Dad was already laying into you about classes starting. My plan was to be your excuse to get you off the call.”

I smirked at his attempt at an escape plan. If only I had been on the phone by that point.

“That’s the weird thing. He hasn’t called yet,” I said as I looked around before crossing the street.

Other students were already headed toward campus. I needed to watch what I said. The last thing I wanted to do was say the wrong thing around a human.

“He’s probably dealing with Alpha stuff,” Carlos said in a low voice. Odds are he was doing the same as me.

“Hopefully. I just need him to leave me alone, but I doubt that will ever happen,” I muttered.

Being the daughter of the famed Alpha of the Lobos De La Luna pack was nothing short of frustrating.

Between the outdated rules our pack lived by, and the fact that I wasn’t a son, I felt like more of a doll for my father to show off to the other packs.

Simply put, I was his bargaining chip to build future relations with other wolf packs.

“I wish I could help more Luci,” Carlos said without the usual pep in his voice.

He knew better than anyone the hoops I’d had to jump through over the years to keep my father happy.

“You let me vent. You do more than anyone else in my life, besides Abuela. It’s a wonder she raised my father. They are like night and day.”

“Are you kidding? He was probably born barking orders at everyone, the Luna included.” Carlos whispered the last few words.

I pulled the phone away to check the time and rolled my eyes.

“Don’t you have class right now?” I asked as I reached the edge of campus.

“Possibly, yes. The professor is looking at me. I think I gotta go. Lunch?”

I shook my head and tried to keep the laughter out of my voice.

“Yes. Get off the phone before you bug the humans more.”

“Kay, bye, bye, bye,” Carlos hurried out as he ended the call.

At least I had something to look forward to once my first class was done.

The benefit of being in grad school was I only had two classes this quarter, but that left me with a long break in between.

Lunch with Carlos would be nice. It’s not like we didn’t see each other all the time, but he was the closest thing I had to a sibling, let alone someone like me in this college that only had a handful of shifter students.

The others weren’t bad or rude toward me. They were just from different packs. They tiptoed around me as it was no secret to them who I was.

Who would blame them? Being the Alpha’s daughter, especially of someone like my father, just brought a world of scrutinization that no one wanted to be a part of.

College had been lonely for me, that was, until Carlos had chosen a degree program at the same campus. He said it was a coincidence, but I was fairly certain he gave up other prospects to keep me company.

My classes were luckily in the same building, but the building itself was pretty far from my apartment. The entire campus took up two square miles and left plenty of space to roam around.

It’s not like the students had to worry about walking in the snow or anything. Just lots of heat and sunshine during the bulk of the year, and the occasional cloudy day in the winter.

I couldn’t help but wonder how long I could shirk my father and his ‘plan’ for my future.

Just as I went to put the phone back in my bag, I felt the familiar buzz against my fingers.

I felt my hand clench against the phone case.

“Maybe it’s just Carlos again,” I muttered to myself, but I knew deep down that wasn’t the case.

Sure enough, the contact info flashed the name I wanted to see least of all: Salvador Gallardo.

I looked around and noticed I was close to the campus flower garden.

The only ones that ever visited it were the botany students and couples that were somewhere in their ‘talking’ stage.

It was outside and easy to come across, but it would offer me some privacy while I dealt with my father.

I stepped under the ivy-covered arch and quickly found a bench.

No one was around, so at least there was that.

I clicked the green button on my phone and took a deep breath before answering.

“Hello?” I wanted to sound strong and confident, but my voice couldn’t help the crack in my speech as I spoke.

“Luciana, are you at school already?” His voice was clipped.

The fact he said my full name, I knew this was more of a call between Alpha and and a pack member rather than a parent and their child.

“Yes, Papa, I just got to campus a little bit ago.”

I heard a grumble on the other end of the line.

“How many degrees is this now?”

“Uh, two bachelors, and this will be my third graduate, Papa.”

“Mija, isn’t it time you wrap up this education pursuit and come home?”

It wasn’t often that my father called me by that nickname. When Abuela used it, the term was endearing, but I knew something was off about it when my father said it to me.

He wanted something.

“I’m almost finished, Papa. Just another year or two—”

“That’s the problem, Luciana!” he shouted through the phone. “You’ve been saying this since you got your first degrees. ‘Just a few more years.’ How long does your pack have to wait for you to accept responsibility?”

I could feel his anger radiate through the phone.

It’s not like it was a surprise. I knew this was coming. I practiced this conversation a dozen times in the mirror last night.

I could get through this call.

“All of my learning has been for the pack, Papa. I’ve built bridges with the wolves of other packs here and this final degree will help me in the future.”

“It’s not like you are getting a human job, Mija. You are going to be taking care of a pack once we get you settled down with an Alpha, but I can’t help you do that if you won’t take this seriously.”

I did have one line I was saving for a moment like this, but I knew I could only use it once in a conversation with my father.

If I used it more than once, he would either shut down for a moment or his anger would worsen.

“Papa, you know this is what Mama wanted for me. You know she wanted me to be a strong and knowledgeable Luna just like she was. I’m only following the wishes of your former Luna.”

Bringing up Mama was a low blow and one that I tried to avoid at all costs.

It’s not like I ever got to know her, but Abuela was quick to let me know the sort of person my Mama was.

“Luciana, I know, that’s what she wanted for you, better than anyone,” my father sighed heavily.

My words had thrown him off.

“I promise, Papa, just a few more years, and then I will do as you wish.”

My words were forced. I had no intention of following through on them, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be my fate.

Being the daughter of an Alpha was a curse. Coupled with the fact that there was no longer a Luna to guide him, my father was practically unstoppable.

“Luciana, can’t you do your schooling online? Some of the other young people in the pack are doing something like that.”

“You know I like to be in class, Papa. That’s how I learn better.”

I’m glad he couldn’t see my face or he’d know I was lying. I’d taken lots of courses online, but I never told him.

“What if I start to arrange meetings between you and the other packs while you’re still in school? I believe this is an acceptable compromise.”

Before I could answer him, I felt a breeze carry the scents of the flowers from the back end of the garden.

Roses, lavender, and marigolds wafted past, but there was something else in the air.

A scent that was different from the flowers danced past me and made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Vanilla and almond wrapped themselves around me and prickled my skin.

I could hear my father’s voice calling out to me on the other end of the line, but it faded as the smell enveloped me.

What the h*ll was that?