Eleven

The whole drive back home,all I can think about is how stupid I've been. My pride was hurt and I made quick and irrational choices. Here I've been wallowing in my own self-pity when my mate has been back in Coral Springs, thinking I hate her and I'm gone forever.

She loves me. She really loves me. The sound of her voice saying those words echo in my head over and over. I need to hear her say it in person. I need to tell her the same thing to her face.

I love Marley. And I'm done being an idiot. I can't believe I'm actually going to turn down that internship, but my mate comes first. I just hope she"s still going to want me when I go back.

"Luci, sweetheart, is that you?" Mom calls as I step through the front door.

"Yeah," I answer back, finding her in the kitchen. "Smells amazing."

"Thanks." She shoots me a beaming smile over her shoulder. "I made your favorite. Thought it would cheer you up."

"Homemade lasagna," I groan as I peek over her shoulder to see the cheesy goodness. "Man, I've missed this. And your cooking. I love Uncle John, but he's not the best cook."

"He certainly is not." She laughs. "But he tries."

"Guess I should enjoy this while I can, seeing how my next meal made by you won't be until Thanksgiving. Any chance you would be willing to drive to Coral Springs sometime and bring me something? I'd love you forever if you did."

I kiss her on the cheek before taking a seat at the table.

"Coral Springs?" she asks as she turns around and leans back against the counter. "So, you've made your decision?" She gives me a soft, approving smile.

I nod. "My friends helped me see how stupid I was being." I sigh as she turns around and places a slice onto my plate. "I'm man enough to admit I overreacted."

"No you didn't, sweetie," she tells me, placing the plate in front of me. Steam rolls off the lasagna in waves, the smell hitting my nose, and making my stomach growl. "You had every right to be hurt by the things her friends said, as well as how she referred to your relationship. But, I do think you should have stayed and had a conversation with her. A lot of this could have been cleared up by being open and honest about things. I know you kids these days are too cool to show your feelings." She rolls her eyes and I grin. "But trust me, it's what needs to be done."

"I know that now," I tell her. "I listened to some voicemails I've been avoiding and well, yeah, pretty much confirmed if I just talked to her, things would be different right now."

"Have you called or texted her back yet?"

I shake my head. "No. What I want to say needs to be said in person. That is if she's even going to be willing to talk to me."

Fear that I've fucked everything up hits me.

"Then make her." Mom shrugs.

"Make her?" I raise a brow. "How?"

"Do what I did," my dad says as he enters the kitchen. His massive form fills up most of the room. I don't miss the adoring smile he gives Mom. That. That"s what I want. That"s what I think I felt with Marley. At least I know I could have that with her if we just tried.

"And what did you do?" I ask him.

He shoots me a boyish grin, one I don't think I've ever seen on him before. He's normally so serious.

"I didn't give her the chance to say no."

"What?"

"He stalked me." Mom giggles and I gape at her.

"I'm sorry, what?" I blink at them, shocked.

"It wasn't stalking," Dad huffs. "I was just very determined. I wore her down until she gave me a chance."

"He followed me everywhere. Even to the classes we didn't have together. It got to the point where I snapped at him, we talked and well, here we are."

"Anyways. Marley is your mate. You"re meant to be. Don't give up. You love her?" I nod my head slowly. "Then go get your girl, son. Just make sure you make it known you fucked up." He gives me a look.

I always thought my parents laid eyes on each other and had a love-at-first-sight kind of thing. I'll have to ask more about that another time.

We all sit down and eat. Mom tells me all about work and Dad can't keep his eyes off her.

When we're done, I head up to my room and send the email I'm not so happy to send. I know I'm making the right choice, but it doesn't make it any easier to do.

After I send the email, I call the school's admission office and officially give them my acceptance.

The next day, I'm packed and ready to head back to Coral Springs.

"You ready, baby!" Sawyer shouts as she hangs her head out the window. I smile and shake my head at the obnoxious big-ass yellow bus she's driving. Her uncle works for the high school driving buses, so I'm going to assume that"s how she got this.

Everything in Coral Springs is within walking distance, so we all chose to leave our cars behind. If I need to, I can always borrow my uncle"s truck.

"Bye, sweetheart," Mom says as we hug goodbye. "I'll see you soon."

"Bye, Mom." I kiss her cheeks. Pulling back, I hesitantly look at my dad. He gives me a small smile and opens up his arms. I blink a few times before taking a hug I don't often get from him.

"Go get your girl," he tells me.

I pull back and nod. Picking up my bags, I head toward the bus. "You all are nuts." I laugh as I see all my friends packed in here, boxes and bags stacked in the back.

The drive there is filled with bad singing and lots of laughs. Before we know it, we're pulling into the school parking lot.

We all pile out of the bus and stand next to it, the school before us, crowded with students. "This thing is such an eyesore," Hayes mutters, his Lycan form towering over me as he stretches. "I thought the idea was to try and blend in? Kind of hard with this ugly ass yellow thing."

"Oh, fuck off. It's only for today. And it was free. Did you want to pay to rent a truck to move all our stuff here?" Sawyer asks, raising a brow as she crosses her arms.

"No," he mutters.

"Then shut your trap." She rolls her eyes.

"What do we do now?" Dawson, his deep voice matching his gruff gargoyle form.

Sawyer looks down at the papers she has in her hands. "Well, it says here we have someone meeting us in the courtyard to show us around the school and to our dorms. So, I say we do that, then come back and deal with our things. I have a map," she says, holding it up. "Follow me."

She doesn"t give anyone a chance to protest, not that we would. Sawyer is the self-proclaimed leader of our group. And we've never argued with her about it. She's the most level-headed of us all and knows how to keep us all in line, for the most part. For some of us, there's no taming. We are monsters, after all.

"It says we're here." Sawyer lowers the map after we all stop. "See anyone who might be working for the school?"

We all look around, my eyes scanning the school grounds. All I see is palm trees, green grass, and a ton of people scattered on the lawns.

That is until my eyes land on her. My heart starts to pound in my chest as my hands grow sweaty. It's her. My mate. She's here, staring right at us with wide, surprised eyes. Her name leaves my lips in a soft whisper, "Marley."