Barbie placed the last box from her tiny one-room furnished flat. She’d finished the last of her studies. Graduated with honours in Graphic Design. She’d even scored a job that let her work remotely.

Now, though, was time to go home. She’d spent her time at school. Enjoying it. Secretly she’d spent most of her time avoiding the other wolf in the University. Darek Lorne. He was popular. Darek also loved being the life of the party. One thing he loved to do was tease the hell out of her.

Barbie’s blood boiled at the thought. She wasn’t popular, but she wasn’t unpopular either. Barbie didn’t have any close friends because she’s a wolf and everyone else didn’t need to know. She was here to learn not to party like him.

“You ready to go? I want out of the city before nightfall, Barbie.”

“This is the last box. One last look. I just want to make sure I have everything, Dad.” Barbie ran back inside the old, converted warehouse. Past the diner and convenience store. The elevator took the longest time.

Once inside. It took her moments to realize, evidence of her life boiled down to a spot on the hardwood parquet.

Downstairs again she poked her head in the diner where she’d eaten most of her meals the last four years of her life. Waving it Heidi the server in goodbye. Barbie left for the last time. Her adult life starting, and home was just a drive away.

“I have coffees in the truck. Get in sweetie and we’ll go home.”

“Happily. I won’t miss this place or certain people.” Barbie looked across the street was the apartment building where Darek lived in his party pad. That’s how people described it to her. She’d avoided most party invitations the first few years until they died up. All but Darek’s.

He seemed to think it was his mission to drag her into one embarrassing situation after another of his creation. No, she’s happy, never needing to see his face again. High school and then University was too much Darek Lorne.

“So what is your plan for a job when you get home?”

“Dad, I told you already. I have a job. I can work anywhere in the world. My office isn’t a physical space like it used to be in your day. I’ll be fine.”

“Well, until you can prove that you can survive on your own. Your room is there for you.”

“Thanks, it’ll only be until I find a place on pack land. I’m sure Mom’s talked to the Luna about that.” If nothing else. Her mom made things happen. She just knew the right channels. “I promise I won’t starve and pay my rent.”

“Have you given any thought to the Summer Fete this year?”

Barbie sighed. She pushed her brunette bangs off her head and looked at her father. He’d gone grey around his ears since she’d last seen him. What was going on? He’d always respected her choice of starting a career. Barbie evaded the mating complication and their input into her life choices. She was young and her career was just starting. “I don’t know. Maybe next year. I want to settle in first with a home and my job. Feel out the pack again.”

“You should go this year. Your mate might not wait for you.”

“Well, that’s sad and his problem, not mine. My life won’t revolve around a male. Mom may have chosen that, and it’s her right. She found her happiness there. I won’t. If I mate it’s because it’s mutually agreed upon. We’ll be partners. I won’t be a second-class citizen.”

“Where is this coming from? Do you think I treat your mother like that?”

“No, she got lucky with you. I’m just hedging my bets and making sure I get a mate who wants me for who I am and doesn’t expect me to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.”

“You realize I would have accepted your mother’s job or no job. If she’d wanted to work, we would’ve made it work.” She’d hurt his feelings. Now she felt bad about her words.

“Dad, I know. Mom found a good one. I want to know he’ll be there for me. Like you. If he can’t wait a year or two for me to be ready. Or insist on my aspirations are nothing. Then it’s his loss.”

Her dad grumbled as he drove, and they fell into silence once they’d left the city. The drive passed pleasantly. The hours went by with music playing to fill in the silence.

“What’s the first you’ll do when you get home?”

“Go for a run. Clear my head once we store the boxes. You sure you can store them in the garage?”

“I cleaned it out just to ensure there was space.”

“Mark this day on the calendar. Mom must be over the moon it’s finally clean.”

“If she didn’t put everything, she didn’t want in the garage. It wouldn’t have gotten so bad.”

“Really Dad. Don’t tell me that. What happened to the golf clubs? You used them twice. What, ten years ago? I know they’re there when I left. Oh, and did you ever install the koi pond? I know it was all in there.”

“The koi pond installation is in the backyard and if I wasn’t picking you up, I’d be installing it now.”

Barbie smiled at her father, knowing full well he wouldn’t unless her mother overseen it. “Sure Dad. We’ll go with that.”

They approached the entrance of the Blue Lightening Pack lands. As they approached, the guards stepped forward and investigated the truck. “Hey! Barbie doll! Welcome back!” Alwin was a friend of her father’s and thought he was being cute, calling her that.

“Thanks, Alwin. But please, I’m not a pup anymore. Please stop with the doll part. I’m far from a child and not a doll.”

“Of course baby doll.” Barbie rolled her eyes, knowing it was useless to argue about this. It was a useless battle. She was home, and she’d have to deal with it.

They drove through the entrance. The men waved them on through. What worried Barbie was the number of men on the inside of the entrance. They kept out of sight from the road. What was going on? Why did they need so many guards?