Today is the day I've been waiting for, after months of being apart Jana is finally coming home. She's only visiting, but still, I can't wait. She left for the city at the end of last summer. And Shannon got into Oxford two years early, she's living in a small flat – paid for by segolia – with Tom, he's taking a gap year before he decides what he wants to do next, all he knows is he wants to play football. Maddy's parents moved out of their house and went back to Canada, they loved it there. Maddy and Rhydian have been given the jobs that Sweeney wanted Jana and me to take before she moved to a bigger office in London. They're pretty much in charge of the whole county when it comes to wild Wolfbloods on our territory, which has become a pretty big job now that the secret's out. They live in Maddy's house. Everyone's off doing their own thing. Except for me.

I still live at home with my family, which I love. Sometimes I go out on a job with Maddy and Rhydian, but I'm not cut out for that every day. Since I finished my exams most of my time is spent working part-time at the Kafe. Katrina opened a new branch in the city, so even the K's are off getting on with their lives.

Okay, I'm beating around the bush. Jana lives with Katrina and works at the Kafe with her. I haven't spoken to her in a few weeks. Now that the secret's out I can't get through to her phone. I see her on TV all the time, interviews and all that kind of stuff.

When the video came out, I was furious, we all were. And then she and her friends walked into a press conference in wolf form and transformed back right in front of the cameras. It was all over the news. I've always been quite traditional when it comes to keeping the secret, I just think it's safer for us. But Jana's always been the kind that wants us to live side by side with humans in peace, no lies, no secrets. Don't get me wrong, I hate lying more than anyone, but when it comes to this... I don't know, it's just different.

Most of the people in the village quickly figured out that we're Wolfbloods too, but no one seems to be that bothered about it anymore. At first, everyone would scream and run when they saw us, but as time went on, it became normal to have a Wolfblood sitting next to you at the bus stop or serving your coffee. We still get weird looks sometimes. Some people have been really interested in us, almost in awe. Like we're celebrities. I'm embarrassed to say I've actually signed a few autographs.

But anyway, back to Jana. A lot happened between us last summer

Bryn came home from Segolia a few days after we got back from the wild, and none of us really went back to school for sixth form. I didn't have a choice because I did terribly on my exams, which is why I retook them. The others got in, but Shannon was off to uni, Tom wanted his gap year and Maddy and Rhydian just didn't want to go. As for Jana, she had received a letter from Sweeney, requesting her help. She started visiting this man, an old man. He was a Wolfblood, and something wasn't right with him. She helped him with what he needed, and then they offered her a full-time job. She came back to Stoneybridge after the old man died, and then she started to miss the city.

She'd befriended a few people too, a boy called TJ whose mother was the new head of security at Segolia after Sweeney, another boy called Matei and his little sister Emilia, and Selina, the beautiful taekwondo queen who TJ has the hots for. When Jana realised how useful she was to Segolia, and it gave her a sense of purpose that she didn't have here, she couldn't turn it down. We promised we would stay in touch, and we did. Mostly.

She told me all about her new friends and her new life, and all the adventures they'd had. Then the texts and phone calls slowed down until they stopped. If it weren't for that video, we'd probably still be in touch. She tried to call me, but I was too angry, and then we saw the press conference on TV. The K's were there, they knew everything, and Jana didn't tell me. I was completely blindsided.

I'd had a feeling for months, a horrible feeling that she'd been keeping something from me, that's why everything slowed down. When we did talk, she didn't sound like herself. I asked, but she always said everything was fine and then she'd change the subject. I felt like I couldn't trust her anymore. So, when the video came out, I stopped picking up when called, but then she stopped calling altogether.

After about a month, once I'd cooled off, I tried calling. The line was busy, but I kept trying, but I could never get through. Then last week when I was working a shift in the Kafe, she called me. She told me she was coming back for a visit, she begged me not to hang up on her, she said she could explain everything, now that the 'Wolfblood Mania' has died down.

As I wipe down the last of my tables for the day, I catch a whiff of her scent, it's so refreshing. I grab my payslip from Mrs McKenzie, and I leg it. I am excited to see her, of course, but I don't know what we are anymore. We never officially broke up. I've seen the TV interviews though, she keeps cosying up to that boy, her 'friend' Matei. Regardless, I follow her scent back to my house as fast as I can.

Her auburn hair flows down her back in an intricate braid as she walks up the steps to the front door. She stops, and I stop, and she turns around. I don't know whether to smile or scream or run. She stands still for a moment and her face lights up. At the same time, we both break into a run and collide in each other's arms. Neither of us says anything yet, we just bask in the joy of getting to hold each other again. My arms wrap around her waist in a tight squeeze. Her hands squeeze the back of my neck, and I get goosebumps. We pull slightly apart, both taking a moment to take each other in. Her hair, her skin, her eyes, everything about her feels like home.

Her gaze meets mine, "Carys." Even her voice makes me feel complete again. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," I hug her again. "Come inside," I take her hand and start walking to the house, but she pulls me back.

"Maybe we could go for a walk instead?" She drops my hand.

"Um, yeah, yeah okay."

We stroll silently for a while, until we find ourselves in the woods, sitting down against a tree next to the river.

"I need to be honest with you," she says, not looking at me.

"About time," I mutter under my breath.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well you've obviously been hiding something from me," I toss stones into the river, redirecting my frustration.

"What makes you say that?"

"Okay, stop, just tell me what you want to tell me."

"Fine," she sighs, "Nothing's happened yet, and I'm just trying to figure out what I want," she starts rambling away, "Whether I want it to happen or not because you mean a lot to me but so does-"

"Matei?" I manage not to sound too bitter.

"How did-"

"I've seen the interviews," I cut her off, "You know there are fanfictions about you two all over the internet. Look, I get it if you want to be with him. I want you to be happy, and if he makes you happy then that's okay."

"Slow down. As I said, nothing's happened. I have no idea how I feel, I've had next to no time for personal feelings since moving to the city. Matei was just... there."

"And I wasn't," I begin to understand. "Well, even if you don't have feelings for him, he definitely has feelings for you."

"We're not talking about what he feels, okay? We're talking about us."

"Maybe you just need time to figure it out, away from both of us."

"But, there's one thing I'm sure of, one thing I know." I look up at her, she's looking at me now. "I don't want to be away from you anymore." I smile, but I'm confused. "I just don't know if I want it the way it used to be." My smile fades. "Come back with me, to the city, just to see how it goes."

"Me? In the city?" I laugh, "I don't know..."

"I said that, and now look at me," she does seem happy, maybe even happier than when she was here. "Come on, you can come back whenever you want."

"But what about the Kafe, I can't let Mrs McKenzie down, she doesn't have any other staff."

"She'll find someone! Come on, you can work with me and Katrina!" She begs.

"This is all a bit sudden, I thought you just wanted us to talk."

"And we have, come on, you said you want me to be happy, this would make me happy! Please Carys!"

"Okay fine, I'll give it 2 weeks, a test run," I give in.

"Whatever you want!" She leans in to kiss me but stops herself, "Sorry."

"Force of habit? It's okay," I smile at her and she smiles back.