~ELLIE~

"Thank you, Principal Carter. I'll be there shortly."

I put the phone in my pocket and pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. By the moon goddess, this boy was going to be my death. I had just received a call from Eric's school, and it wasn't a good one. My little brother had once again gotten into a fight. The only problem this time was that he managed to cause his opponent severe and gruesome injuries. As much as I knew my brother had a short fuse sometimes, I couldn't help but wonder why his aggressors were so boneheaded. Eric was one of the few werewolves that attended that school among the multitude of humans. His bullies, if I guessed right, happened to be humans. Obviously, it was going to be a mismatch if either of them was stupid enough to cause a fight. Eric might be an omega werewolf, but a fight between him and a regular human would be a piece of cake to him. I don't care how agile or physical that person may be. As long as he was human, Eric would make mince meat out of him. Figuratively speaking, of course. To top it off, Eric was a member of the school's football team and had the physique to match, thanks to his genes.

I groaned aloud and pulled the apron off. This was the third time this month that I was getting calls because of Eric's brashness. He had been warned the first two times, and this time I was afraid they wouldn't go easy. It was hard enough for me with the job at the restaurant that was meant to keep us afloat. Now my hot head of a brother was just about to add to my troubles.

Beside me, Daisy, my coworker, spared me a concerned glance.

"Eric?" she asked.

I nodded. Daisy and I were waitresses in the restaurant, and we had a sister-like friendship. She was always ready to lend a listening ear to many of my troubles and offer the best solutions for me. She was always a bubble of joy and the perfect cure for the constant troubles life sent my way. Her long, curly hair always bounced on her shoulders when she laughed or talked in excitement, and her deep blue eyes shone when she had an idea. She was a bit shorter than me and had a slenderer build than I did. To make our friendship more dynamic, she was a human. Just like most of the staff in the restaurant. She never knew who I was. But even if she did, I doubt she would freak out. Well, she might, but I had a feeling it would wash over. I wasn't going to take the risk, though. I had more pressing concerns in life than my werewolf identity.

"So what's going to happen now?" She placed her hands on her hips and gave me a concerned stare.

"I don't know." I tucked one strand of my dark hair behind my ear. "But I would have to make it to his school. My prayer is that he doesn't get a suspension."

I leaned against the table and muttered under my breath, "The one time he is finally doing well in his academics, he wants to mess the whole thing up. Honestly, I wonder if his brain is sometimes made up of molten larva."

Daisy giggled and steadied herself at the table. "Come on, go easy on him. He's still a kid. I'm sure he will get through this phase soon."

"At the age of seventeen?" I raised an eyebrow. "What the hell am I even saying? He will be eighteen in a month. An official adult. He's supposed to keep his emotions in check."

My gaze softened a bit, and I stared at the ground. Maybe I was being harsh. It could be that the stress was starting to get to me. Eric was never like this. He was always a sweet and gentle boy. Until that fateful day a few years ago. The day that news was brought to our house. I could never forget the look of pure shock in his eyes, followed by sadness. From then on, it seemed like his wolf took control, and he became a completely different person.

I shook my head back to the present. Now was not the time to reminisce. Daisy was still staring curiously at me. The chicken soup by the gas was bubbling, and I knew it would be a matter of time before I would be called to action to serve the customers.

"I have to go to his school," I finally said.

She turned her head sideways and gave me a pitiable look. I understood what that meant. I would have to see the owner and get permission first. Mr. George was the head chef and owner of the restaurant I worked at and was known to be one of the most irritating cheapskates I've ever seen or met. The character 'Mr. Krabs' from the cartoon Spongebob Squarepants would bow in adoration if he ever met this man. He found an excuse to cut costs and underpay for the silliest of reasons.

"I have no choice." I gave Daisy a pat and headed out of the kitchen. Fortunately, the customers were not many, and Daisy wouldn't have a tough time till I got back. I walked out into a small hallway and made my way to the door with the word 'MANAGER' inscribed in silver at the top. Taking a deep breath, I knocked.

"W..what?" I heard his gruff voice stutter. "Come in."

I opened the door and walked in. Mr. George, a portly and balding middle-aged man with brown hair streaked with grey, was counting his money behind his desk. I held on to the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yes, Miss Cortex," he said. "What do you need?"

"I need to take a leave for a few moments. It's an emergency," I replied.

"And what kind of emergency is that?" His face was marred with a huge frown.

"Family," I said. "My brother's school called, and they need my presence."

"Again?" he exclaimed. "This is getting out of hand. What exactly is wrong with your brother?"

How the fuck was I supposed to answer that?

"Anyway, never mind." He thankfully spared me the hassle. "This is the third time, and it's interfering with my business. Your impromptu leaves are affecting me here. I don't know how you want to sort this out, but you have to. This time again, I'll allow you to go."

"Thank you," I said, sighing in relief. At least he still had a heart in there.

"But this time, you have to be back within thirty minutes." He looked at the wall clock. "If you're as much as a minute later than that, I'll deduct from your pay."

Scratch that; he was still a fat asshole. I gaped in disbelief. How the hell was I supposed to do that? Even if I drove the fastest car in the world, there was still the issue of finding out and sorting out the issue in school.

'We should tear this fat fool into pieces," my wolf, Celine, growled from within. 'Such a waste of meat.'

'No, we can't do that,' I snapped. 'Are you trying to get me into bigger trouble? It's bad enough that my brother is giving me enough worry. Plus, you and I know that we don't even eat humans!'

'Speak for yourself.'

'Celine!'

Celine growled again but went quiet. My wolf and I were polar opposites, and she had this tendency to mess with my head and almost get me into trouble sometimes. One thing we had in common was the fact that we both disliked my manager. That should count for something.

"Alright," I said to the manager. "I'll try to make it."

"You can go." He dismissed me without sparing me a glance and went back to counting his money. I rolled my eyes and left his office.