Chapter 54: Part 2: Chapter 26 Layla

I would miss all my friends here. Mount Mckinley had been my home for seven years. My mother died when I was young and my father sent my sister, Artemus, and I there. My brother, Shawn, called and told us our father had died and we would be coming home. We were all set to fly home tomorrow.

My name is Layla Henderson. I was seventeen and I liked all things punk. I would be a senior this year. I was looking forward to reconnecting with all my old friends and going to the pack school again.

My brother found his mate last year. And now I have a nephew, EJ. I was told he is growing really fast. He is seven months old but looks fourteen now. I couldn’t wait to meet him. Shawn says I would need to look out for him at school. I knew he would have lots of guards there as well. My brother is very overprotective. I love him anyway.

I met up with Artemus and our friends for a goodbye dinner and party. Artemus of course had to wear a fabulous dress. It was royal blue and shimmery. I just wore my usual jeans and t-shirt. She and I were total opposites. The party was pretty good considering it was our last one there. We had chicken piccata for dinner. There was music and dancing. We cried a lot.

Afterwards, we finished packing and went to bed.

The next morning, we gathered our luggage and headed for the airport. My car was to be shipped back to Boston. The in-flight movie was Top Gun: Maverick. Otherwise, the flight was pretty boring by my standards.

I really couldn’t wait to see Kat. I heard she shifted. We used to be so close but grew apart when I was sent to boarding school. I knew she was having a hard time lately, with everything that had happened to her and her other friends. But I knew I could cheer her up. It would be great to get the old group back together, we used to have so much fun.

We arrived in Boston. Kyle picked us up from the airport. He apologized for my brother’s absence. Apparently my new sister-in-law was having a panic attack or something. Shawn had told me about everything that had happened over the last year. I felt bad for Strix. She was having a really hard time. I would be too, if I had just lost half of my family. But now she has us. As her new family, I would see to it that she has fun everyday. It’s really important to have fun. It’s a way to relax and not be so serious all the time.

When we arrived at the pack house, I rushed to go meet everyone. I was surprised when I walked in the door. I think the whole pack was there to welcome us home. They threw us a party. I was not expecting that. I looked for my brother. I found him standing next to a young girl about my age and a teenage boy a little younger than me. That must be Strix and EJ. I ran to them and gave them all hugs. Strix seemed to be fine, so I guess Kyle’s excuse for my brother’s absence at the airport was just a ruse. But this was a good surprise. I have always wanted a surprise party.

I said my hellos and thank yous, then went looking for my old friends. Chances are that they are hiding somewhere away from prying eyes ready to surprise me a second time. I checked the library, the garden, the gym, the kitchen, the banquet room, then went upstairs. I checked the family library, the study, the conservatory that overlooked the garden, the other conservatory, and then went to my room. I opened my door and a bucket of glitter was dumped on my head. They all yelled surprise. We had a long group hug. I made sure to get glitter on every single one of them. It was the most amazing feeling, being home and with my friends once again.

I asked them to help me bring my luggage up, I was sure Kyle had gotten it out of the trunk by now. So we went down and grabbed my stuff. We had to squeeze passed people to get it upstairs. Once upstairs, we threw everything on my bed. The guys then left to go help Artemus with her bags. Kat and Jane helped me unpack my stuff. We put it all away quickly and rejoined the party downstairs.

I had no doubt that Artemus would have the guys unpack her stuff and put it all away for her. She considered herself a princess and acted very much like one. She complained on the flight that the seats weren’t very comfortable, the movie was boring, and the food wasn’t fit for a dog. I kind of enjoyed the movie. I mean I fell asleep about half way through, but that was just because it was an early flight and I was still tired from the night before.

When we got back downstairs, I asked EJ to join us in the library. We brought some snacks with us and some cards. We played games, joked around, and laughed. It was just like old times. EJ was surprisingly smart and funny considering he’s only been alive for seven months-ish. After a while, Artemus, Trevor and the guys came in and joined us. We played more card games. We were having fun just like we used to.

When things started winding down, we went out and joined the main party. We laughed and joked with other guests. I got to know Strix a little more and found she and I had a lot in common. I was so glad, even though she was a vampire, that she was my brother’s mate. This was turning out way better than I had expected.