###>>>
Chapter 1

I walked over the grass, carrying a pile of wool blankets. We were setting up for tonight's full moon celebrations. I love these monthly gatherings of the pack. We eat, laugh, tell stories of the pack's history and of the gods`. Then those that can shift will run in the woods. The rest of us, we stay behind and pretend we aren’t envious of the others. For eighteen years I have been part of the group who is left by the fire to watch the pups and make sure the fire stays in the firepit. It was getting old, I wanted my wolf to come to me, I wanted to prove I wasn’t a dud. 
“Hi, pumpkin.” I turned toward the sound of my father and smiled. He had been out checking the woods together with the Alpha and Gamma in preparation for the night. 
“Hi, dad,” I called as I placed the blankets down on a log and then took some of them and placed on other logs we used to sit on around the fire. They were more for coziness than for warmth, all werewolves ran hot. Even those like me who didn’t have a wolf. Yet, I added. 
“Looking forward to tomorrow?” the Alpha Mark asked as he, Gamma Jonas and my father walked up to me. 
“Kind of,” I said. 
“What do you mean, kind of, green bean?” Gamma Jonas asked. He, my father and the Alpha were best friends, had been all of their lives. No one had been surprised when Alpha Mark had named my father his Beta and Jonas his Gamma as he took over the running of the pack from his father. That had been years before me and my brother were born. We grew up with the Alpha and Gamma families as an extension of our own. My brother, Elder, was best friends with James, the Alpha’s son. Everyone expected me to be best friends with Cindy, Gamma Jonas’ daughter. But we didn’t get along at all. We just remained on friendly terms because of our families. 
“I think my pumpkin is nervous. Turning eighteen is a big step,” dad said, placing his arm around me and pulling me to his side. 
“That’s right. She will be able to sense her mate and he will be able to identify her if they both are over eighteen,” the Alpha said with a big smile. 
“She’s too young for that kind of thing,” my dad scowled and both of his friends burst out laughing. My dad and Alpha Mark were partly right. I was nervous about being able to sense my mate. But there was more. My wolf still hadn’t come to me, I had never been able to shift and for each full moon that came and went I looked weaker in the eyes of other werewolves. You started to be able to shift between the age of sixteen and twenty-five. Everyone knew the younger you were when your wolf came, the stronger it, and therefore you, would be. James had shifted for the first time a month after turning sixteen, my brother seven months after his sixteenth birthday. Cindy had been a little over seventeen when she shifted. I was almost eighteen and I hadn’t even felt a slight tingle during a full moon. I was afraid that if I found my mate, he would think I was too weak. 
“You're not still worried about your wolf, are you, little one?” the Alpha asked. I nodded. We had had this conversation many times in the last two years. “Armeria Rose Winstone, two years is nothing. She will come to you,” he said. I flinched as he used my full name. My mother has a thing for all things growing and has named her only two children after her favorite plants. My father didn’t object because he loves her too much to not let her have her way. 
“I know, Alpha,” I said. 
“You are perfect, just the way you are, pumpkin,” my father said and kissed the top of my head. 
“You have to say that, you’re my father,” I pointed out. 
“And if some boy tells you anything else, you tell us and we will beat his ass.”
“Thank you uncle Jonas,” I said.
“Any time,” he told me and ruffled my hair. I objected and tried to get away, but my father laughed and kept me in place. I hated when people messed with my hair. It was hard to keep under control with its red curls at the best of times, but mess with it and it just became one big poof of tangles and frizz. 
“Okay, enough lazing around. Move your asses. I will see you later tonight, little one, and after midnight we will celebrate your big day,” the Alpha told us. 
“Fine, we’re coming,” my father sighed with pretend annoyance. Sometimes I think the three of them are stuck in a permanent teenager mode, and it scares me a little to think of them running the pack. But they are good at it. Our pack is one of the strongest and most highly thought of packs in the world. It’s a pride to all of us. As my father and his two friends continued their inspection, I got back to my tasks for the evening. Usually I would help my mother as she and some other women prepared the food. But I had been put on other duties and I’m guessing, and hoping, it’s because they are working on a surprise cake for my birthday. As I walked over to Sally, Jonas’ mate, to get information about which games she has been planning for the pups, I tried to remember that I’m lucky. I have a good family, I have good friends and a good pack. So what if I don’t have a wolf? Three out of four isn’t a bad thing, right? And if I found my mate and he loves me as mates do, then I will have four out of five. That would be fantastic. Unless he rejects you because you don’t have a wolf, a small voice in my head kept saying. It’s like the voice is a broken record, playing over and over again in my head. 
Hours later, I was sitting in front of the fire, laughing along with the others as Nick, one of the oldest warriors in the pack, was telling the story about how he had defeated a swarm of vampires. The number of vampires went up for each full moon. But we all loved listening to him telling the story. Most of the pack members were running in their wolf form in the surrounding forest. I still hadn’t felt the need to shift, so as usual I volunteered to watch the pups and keep an eye on the teenagers. It was just after midnight when the pack started to return. In groups or pairs they came walking out of the woods, they were all smiling and looked relaxed. I wondered why they were heading back so early when my mother and Luna Joy came walking with a birthday cake between them. I could feel my eyes grow big as I looked at the amazing creation that was put down in front of me. It was three tiers tall with white frosting and covered in sugar flowers, it looked like a flower meadow. On top two candles burned, a one and an eight. 
“Happy birthday, sweetie,” my mother said. 
“Thank you, mom.” My mother hugged me, and then Luna Joy drew me into a tight hug as well.
“I hope you will find your mate soon and that he is everything you hope for and deserve,” Luna whispered to me.
“Thank you, Luna,” I said. 
“Time to blow out the candles and make a wish, pumpkin,” my dad said as he joined us. 
“Not yet. Elder isn’t here yet,” my mother pointed out. 
“He is off with James and Cindy,” Luna Joy said as she snuggled up to the Alpha. 
“I can wait,” I offered, which earned me a smile from the Alpha pair.
“Honestly, the whole pack is here and we are waiting on our son,” my mother said and I could hear the impatience in her voice. I heard my brother and our friends before I saw them. My brother came half running out of the forest, closely followed by James while Cindy took her time. 
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t realise how deep into the forest we had run. You didn’t blow out the candles yet, did you?” Elder asked.
“No, she has been waiting,” our mother told him, giving him a look that told everyone she wasn’t happy.
“Sorry,” he said again. Me? I wasn’t paying any attention to what my brother was saying. My full attention was on the scent of sandalwood and pineapple. Even without my wolf, I knew it was the scent of my mate. I turned towards it as I saw James standing at the edge of the forest, looking back at me with just as much surprise as I felt. James, the Alpha’s son, was my mate? 

###>>>
Chapter 2

“Armeria,” James said. He said it in a low, wistful voice. 
“James,” I answered. I hardly noticed how everyone around us cleared the space, giving us a clear view of each other. It was important to give a newly mated pair space as the protectiveness was at an all time high until they had claimed each other. I faintly heard my father and the Alpha laughing as they congratulated each other. I saw a shadow pass over James’ face and I knew him well enough that my heart and stomach sank.
“Amie,” James said, using the nickname the pack used. His voice was sad and I tried to brace for what I knew was coming. He took a few steps towards me, but I couldn’t move, I couldn’t look away from his eyes. They told me what he was going to say before he let the words fly. “I’m sorry, Amie, but I can’t. You know I can’t,” he said. I knew it was coming, but still, each word felt like a physical punch. The pack had gone deadly silent, everyone was listening and for a moment, I wished James’ words had been physical punches. Then I would have a chance to pass out, or die. Anything but stand in the middle of the pack being rejected by the one person who should love me above all others. “I will become Alpha one day, I need a strong Luna,” James continued, as if he didn’t know he was tearing my heart from my body. “Amie, you don’t have a wolf, even if you get one, we all know it will be weak. I love you, you know I do. But my duty is to the pack, and this pack deserves a strong Luna,” he finished. There was only silence for a long while. I tried to find my words. My first instinct was to plead, to tell James I could be anything he wanted me to be. I could change. But the part of me that made my mother sigh in despair and complain about how stubborn her daughter was, held me back. 
“Son,” the Alpha gently said. “You don’t need to do this now.”
“It would be cruel to give her hope. I won’t do that to her,” James said. 
“You need to think this through, son. This is not the place or the time.” There was a warning in the Alpha’s voice. 
“I won’t change my mind,” James insisted. I felt my father and mother walk up to flank me. My mother put her arm around my waist. 
“James, think about what you are doing, you are mates. The gods have decided you complete each other,” my father said. 
“I’m sorry,” was all James said. 
“You won’t be able to join the games.” My father’s voice was cold and a murmur in the pack followed his words. The games were how the packs determined influence and the amount of votes they would get at the yearly pack summit. The games were held every tenth year, and each pack sent the five most promising pack members and a support staff to enter. It was not just physical challenges they would face. Everything was tested, from strength to endurance to intelligence and cunning. My pack always ended up in the top ten, the last fifty years we had been in the top five. To be one of the five pack members sent to the games, you had to be over eighteen and in full physical and mental health. What my father had pointed out was that the break of a mate bond was considered to be a mental wound. The council would demand at least three months to heal from it before they deemed someone to be in full health. The games were in a month's time. James looked like he reconsidered his decision, and my hope flared. I knew how much he and my brother had been looking forward to entering the games. We had all trained hard, even me, and the Alpha would be announcing the selected representatives any day. 
“So be it, I will sit this year’s games out and join the next ones,” he then said, the determination clear on his face. The last ember of hope was extinguished in my chest. I vaguely heard Luna Joy saying something, but I had stopped listening. My hands had been clenched by my sides until now. But I reached for my mother and took a hold of her arm.
‘I can’t be here anymore,’ I mindlinked her. I heard the soft whimper that came from her as she pulled me into a hug, placing herself between me and James and leading me away. The pack gave us way as we walked towards our house. I was numb from the pain that radiated in me. I saw the looks the other pack members were giving me, but I tried not to register them. It was bad enough to be pitied for not having a wolf. Now they would pity me for being rejected by the future Alpha as well. Some of them reached out and gently ran their hands over my arms as we passed. It was a sign of comfort and support. But it didn’t help. I remembered the promise uncle Jonas had given only hours before. That he and his friends would beat any male that thought me weak. I guess that didn’t apply when the male was your best friend’s son and the future Alpha. I felt the bitterness of my own thoughts and it was what made the first broken sob escape me. To my relief, my mother and I were almost at our home and we had long since left the pack behind us. My mother tightened her hold on me and made soft cooing sounds that reminded me of my childhood, when I used to fall and bruise my knees. 
“Let's sit on the couch for a while,” my mother suggested. I just shook my head. I wanted to crawl into my bed and never get out of it again. “Okay, sweetie,” she agreed without me having to say a word. She just took me upstairs, helped me out of my clothes and into my sleep shirt before tucking me into bed. I curled into a ball, my knees tight to my chest and my arms hugging them. My back was to my mother as she sat down on the bed and stroked my hair and gently hummed the old lullabies she used to sing for me and Elder. My tears finally came and once the first one rolled down my cheek, the rest followed. I was quietly crying while my body trembled from the power of the raw emotions rolling through me. I heard the door open and close downstairs and I felt the scent of my father. I may not have a wolf, but my smell, eyesight and hearing was still better than a human's. But nowhere near a werewolf’s. My father walked into my room and sat down next to my mother on my bed. No one spoke, but I felt his heavy hand on my leg. I don’t know how long we stayed like that. It could have been hours, or minutes. Somewhere along the way, I stopped crying and my body settled down. The pain still remained, no less than before. My mind started to move again even though I suspected my parents thought I was asleep. I noticed the absence of my brother. It hurt almost as much as my mate’s rejection. He had chosen James over me. I had a hard time believing it. It was true he was best friends with the future Alpha. But he and I had always been close, at least I had thought so. There was a knock on the front door and my father left. Being raised werewolf meant learning not to eavesdrop on conversations despite being able to. But I felt like I had a right to listen in now, it most likely was something regarding me anyway. 
“How is she doing?” It was the Alpha, it seemed my father had taken him into his study, as far away as they could go from my bedroom. 
“How do you think she is doing?” I was shocked by the anger and disrespect in my father’s voice. I had never heard him talk to anyone like that, especially not his best friend and Alpha. “She hasn’t spoken, not after what James did to her.”
“I’m sorry, Ron.” The Alpha sounded honest. 
“His mind is made up?” my father asked. 
“It is.”
“What will you do?” 
“What do you mean, Ron?” the Alpha asked.
“Do you expect my daughter to live in the same pack as the male that ripped her heart out and stomped on it in front of the entire pack? You know as well as I do what our rules are if someone breaks the mate bond without a good reason.” My fathers voice was low, full of tension.
“Ron! You can’t think I would ever make James, my only son, go live in another pack. Banish him from the pack he was born to lead?”
“Why not? No one is above the law. The law is in place to protect the innocent victim. Amie is the victim here,” my father insisted. 
“What James did, he didn’t handle it correctly. But Ron, he had a good reason to do what he did.” I almost drew in a sharp breath, but caught myself in time. I didn’t want my mother knowing I was listening to the conversation.
“What the fuck are you saying?” my father spit out.
“She will have a weak wolf, if she gets a wolf at all. James had a good reason to reject her,” the Alpha said.
“That is my baby girl you are talking about,” my father growled. 
“You know I love her like a daughter, but we can’t hide from the truth.”
“The truth being that her wolf will come when it’s ready, and she is perfect just the way she is. Because that is what you have been telling her for the past two years, Mark,” my father told his friend. 
“Precisely. That doesn’t mean she is suitable to be Luna. You know the kind of responsibilities that come with that position.” I didn't hear my father’s reply as there was a knock on my bedroom door.

###>>>
Chapter 3

 My mother got up to answer. 
“Melissa, I made some tea. How is she doing?” Luna Joy asked.
“Thank you, but I’m fine. She is holding on and being strong,” my mother said. There was a tone of dismissal in her voice. She was telling Luna she wasn’t welcome. 
“I was hoping to sit with her for a while. To see if I can’t be of some help or comfort,” Luna Joy said. 
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Armeria needs her family at the moment.”
“Melissa,” Luna gasped. “I would like to think of myself as family. We have always been close since we mated Mark and Ron.”
“I would have said the same yesterday. But after what Ja…” There was a pause, as if my mother needed time to compose herself. “After what your son did to my baby, I think we need to rethink certain things. I need to protect Armeria and put her first. We both know how this will affect her. We both know the pack won’t give her the same protection they would give someone rejected by a wolf who isn’t the future Alpha, would get. The least I can do is make sure she is around the right people.”
“I love her like a daughter,” Luna objected.
“But not enough to fight for her right to become your daughter by mating. Joy, you are my Luna and I will respect and obey you in all but this. My daughter is out of bounds for anyone in your family from this day,” my mother said and the door to my room closed. I felt the bed dip as my mother sat down and continued to stroke my hair. In the middle of all my pain, I felt the love from my parents and it soothed some of it. At least two people in this world loved me. But it also made me sad. Because of me, they were now at odds with their closest friends, their Alpha pair. This wouldn’t just affect our two families. If the Alpha and Beta couple were in conflict, that would have an impact on the whole pack. And even though my brother had chosen James, I wanted to pretend he had struggled with the decision before making it. It seemed like I was making everyone’s lives more complicated. As I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want my mother to think I was awake, I spent the rest of the night thinking. By the time my brother arrived back home after the sun had risen, I had reached a decision. During the early morning hours, I relaxed a little and let go of my knees. I heard my brother get home, walk upstairs and open the door to my room. My knees drew up to my chest again. 
“How is she?” Elder asked our mother. 
“Enduring. Your father needs to speak with you. We need to find a way to protect your sister,” she said. 
“I’ll go and talk to him. After I can sit with her so you can rest,” he offered. I didn’t want him to sit with me. I knew my brother’s betrayal wasn’t big in the grand scheme of things. But at the moment my heart and soul were raw, like they both had got a sunburn that meant even a tiny speck of sand felt like agony when rubbing against it. 
“I’m fine. I will stay with her until she wakes up,” mother said. I was eternally grateful to her. I heard my brother go downstairs, and I heard enough of his conversation with our father to know they were discussing if sending me away to another pack would be a good solution. After a while, I stopped listening. The conversation only confirmed what I already knew. I was causing problems for my family. I didn’t have a wolf and therefore I had become a burden. It was up to me to solve all the problems I had created. I turned around and looked at my mother. She smiled down at me and let her hand caress my cheek. I didn’t have it in me to smile back, but I turned into her hand. 
“My brave and strong daughter, we will get you through this and you will dazzle the world,” she told me, and kissed my forehead. If I could have smiled, I would have. My mother was amazing and my insides burned with the guilt that I was causing so much problems for her. I just nodded. “Are you hungry?” she asked, but I shook my head. Instead, I reached out my arms towards her, like I had done when I was little. She gave me a sad smile and drew me into a long hug. Then I lay back down, this time facing the door. My mother continued to sit with me. It didn’t take long for the door to open and my father to come inside. He looked so tired it almost made me cry all over again. 
“Hey, pumpkin, your mom told me you were up. Want me to make you some of my famous spaghetti?” he asked as he kneeled by my bed so he could look me in the eyes. My father’s famous spaghetti was just boiled noodles with cut up hotdogs and lots of ketchup. My dad couldn’t cook to save his life, but on days my mom needed a break from cooking or was away, he made us his spaghetti. Both me and Elder loved it as it was something my mother would never let us eat. It became our comfort food in a way. I just shook my head. “Okay, baby girl. It will all be okay. I will make it okay,” he said and kissed me on my head. A single tear ran down my cheek. I knew he meant it. He would stop at nothing to make sure I was happy again. It was up to me to make sure he didn’t have to. Elder came into my room as well. The look he gave me told me how sorry he was for me. 
“I can sit with her for a while,” he offered again. I saw my mother start to object, but I put my hand on hers and nodded. 
“Are you sure? I don't mind staying,” she said. I just nodded. 
“Okay, pumpkin. I will make sure your mother gets some rest. But we will be back in two hours and we will bring food. I’m expecting you to eat. Okay?” my father asked. I nodded. “Good girl.” I got a kiss from both of them on my head before they left. Elder took my mother’s place on the bed. 
“I don’t know what to do,” he said. I looked up at him and saw the swirl of emotions in his eyes. He must feel so torn and like being pulled in all directions. His love for me, his loyalty to family, his best friend, the future he had envisaged and trained for, the loyalty to the pack and to his alpha. They were all tugging at him. I took his hand and squeezed it. Tears ran down his face. “Look at me, here I am supposed to comfort you and I’m the one bawling my eyes out and you are the one comforting me,” he sniffed. I sat up and kissed his cheek. He was a good brother, even if he had his flaws. “I wish I could change his mind, that I could make him see what an idiot he is. The Gods know I have tried, but it’s like he is obsessed with strength. I can’t even get him to see there are different strengths. That you possess so many of them, even if you don’t possess the physical kind,” he told me. I understood then where he had been all night. He hadn’t forsaken me for James. It was the first time since the rejection I felt a small piece of warmth. I hugged him and we sat like that until I noticed the subtle change in his body and looked at him. He was mindlinking with someone and I could guess who. When they were done I nudged him to get up. “No, Amie, I’m staying,” he objected. I just shook my head and pushed him harder. “Okay, okay. I’ll go. I’ll just wake dad,” he said. 
‘No. Let him sleep, he is tired. I’m just going to go back to sleep anyway. I’ll be fine,’ I mindlinked him. 
‘Are you sure?’ he answered me.
‘I am. Thank you for staying with me.’ He gave me a hug and then left. As soon as I heard his footsteps leave the garden, I listened to make sure my parents were asleep. I got up and took out a backpack. I filled it with some clothes, some things that were most precious to me, and sneaked down into the kitchen to ransack the pantry, stuffing it into a separate bag. I put the two bags into my car and went back to the house, trying to be as quiet as I could. It was my speciality. Even without a wolf, I was good at sneaking around. I took the blanket my mother had knitted me and sat down to write a note. I starred on the blank page forever. There was so much I wanted to write, things that should be said in person and not written down on paper. But I knew if I waited for my parents to awake, they would never let me leave. 
*‘Dear mom, dad and Elder.
I love you all so much and I know you love me. That is why I need to leave. I can’t let you destroy your friendships and standing in the pack for me. Know that I see how much you love me by your actions and know that I will always carry that knowledge in my heart and honour it. 
Please don’t be angry with the Alpha family, please don’t destroy something that is so important to all of you. I will leave so I can find a new life and so you can live yours as it was intended. Please don’t try to find me, you have raised me well and I will be fine. I love you always.
With Love.
//A’*
I left the note on my bed with my set of house keys. Then I made my way downstairs and took a storm kitchen and a tent out of our storage. Making sure everything I needed was in the glove department in the car, I took a last look at the house that had been my home for eighteen years and I drove off. 

###>>>
Chapter 4

I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw how exhausted and sad I looked. I tried to brighten up as I got close to the pack border. The wolves manning the booth knew my car by sight and just gave me a little wave as I drove by. No doubt they had seen or heard what had happened, I thought. Usually when I left the pack territory I got a feeling of longing. It was a physical reaction that let you know you were leaving your pack. This time, I felt lighter as the miles between me and the pack steadily increased. I headed into the closest town that had everything I needed. First stop was the bank. I was eighteen now and I withdrew all my savings I had earned from working in the pack’s sawmill, all the birthday money I had saved over the years and, with a heavy heart, the savings account my parents had started when I was born. All in all it gave me a good sum of money. Enough to let me stay on the road for as long as I had planned and still have some over for a clean start somewhere else. The next stop was the car dealership. The car I had was a gift from my parents when I got my driver licence. It was a little over a year old and had rarely been driven. But it was an electric car, not ideal for long, cross country road trips. I traded it in for a Volvo that was a little older, but looked to be in good condition. I transferred all my belongings into my new car and got back on the road. I wasn’t trying to hide, or to disappear, but on the other hand I wasn’t going to announce to the world where I was going either. That could be because I had no clue. My plan was to get as far away from Verginia as I could. 
I had been driving for most of the day and I felt the exhaustion in my bones. I hadn’t slept since the previous night and I knew I would soon be a danger to myself and others on the road. I found a small gravel road leading into a dead end in the middle of a dense forest. I stopped there, warmed a can of soup and forced myself to eat it even though I had no appetite. I then shut myself in the car, made myself as comfortable as I possibly could with my blanket wrapped around me. My family would have found the note hours ago, and I wondered what they were doing. I cried myself to sleep. 
The days were all the same. I drove as far as I could. I stopped to get gas, food and use the bathroom. Once in a while, I slept in cheap motels so I could shower. But most of the time, I slept in my car or outside under the stars. The only thing changing in my routine was the landscape outside the car. From lush forests to grasslands, to desserts and finally I found myself on the other side of the country. I parked my car by the side of the road and stepped out, ending up in the middle of a grass field of flowers. On the other end of the field there was a dense forest, and far in the distance tall mountains stretched up towards a summer blue sky. I drew in a deep breath and some of the tension I had carried with me for almost two weeks left me. Somewhere along the way, I had come up with a goal: Oregon. There was only one pack in the state and they had their territory on the border to Nevada. If I stayed in the northern parts of the state, I would most likely never run into a werewolf. I was going lone wolf. It was the best thing for someone like me, I had decided. Since I didn’t have a wolf, I had no urge to shift. I could blend into the human society without too much trouble. That would also minimise the risk of running into other wolves. They tended to keep away from humans if at all possible. I needed to find a job and some place to live, preferably before winter. But that gave me at least two months. I could do it. It would get my mind off the throbbing ache in my chest. It wasn’t as sharp of a pain as it had been the first couple of days, but it didn’t go away. It was just a constant reminder of what I had lost and why I now needed to prepare for a life as a lone wolf. A lone wolf was not the same as a rogue. The werewolf society had shunned a rouge. Often because of a crime they had committed. A rogue could be killed by anyone, anytime. A lone wolf was a werewolf who had decided not to live in a pack. They still lived by the laws of the werewolf world and if they came across other wolves, they respected the built in hierarchy. It was just as bad to kill a lone wolf without cause as a member of a pack. But finding someone who cared enough to call someone out for doing it, on the other hand, would be difficult. A lone wolf could also re-enter the pack life without permissions from anyone other than the pack that accepted them in. A rogue could only become a member of a pack if they had the permission from the council or from the pack that made them rogue. I took out my new phone, I had sent my old phone back to my parents as it was on their plan. Now I had a new, cheaper one with a prepaid SIM-card. I pulled up a map of the state and started scrolling over it. I decided to head north-west and see where it would take me. 
Two days later it took me into a sleepy little town. It looked to be the backdrop for one of those Hallmark-movies my mother loved. The main street was lined with two-story buildings with shops on the bottom floor. The town was located where the plains met the forest and had the towering mountains in the background. The air was clear and the town seemed filled with happiness and joy. This was a place where I could heal, I thought. As if faith and the gods agreed with me, I saw a sign for help wanted in the window of the local diner. I walked inside and could smell the mouthwatering combination of the different traditional diner meals. 
“Hey miss, can I get you something?” an older lady asked me as I got close to the counter. 
“Hi, yes, I saw the sign in the window and wondered if you are still looking for someone?” I asked. The woman stopped what she was doing and looked at me.
“Are you over eighteen?” 
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Run away from home?”
“No ma’am,” I lied.
“Graduated high school?” she asked. This wasn’t going the way I had hoped.
“No, ma’am. But not far off. There was this thing that happened and my family…,” I stopped talking and looked down at my hands. 
“I’m sorry dear,” she said with a heavy sigh, and I realised she had got the wrong impression. But I didn’t correct her. “I’ll give you a trial period of a month. If it works out, I’ll give you permanent employment. But, if you work here I want you to study for a GED. That’s not negotiable,” she said. 
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you. I will make sure to work and study hard,” I told her. She chuckled. 
“That’s good dear. Call me Mrs Jones, everyone around here does. What is your name?” she asked.
“I’m Amie Sage, nice to meet you,” I said, using my nickname and my mother’s maiden name. 
“Well Amie, if you are planning on sticking around, do you have a place to live?” she asked. 
“Not yet. I saw a motel on the outskirts of the town. I was thinking of staying there until I found something.”
“Don’t do that. It’s not in the best condition. Tell you what. My sister owns the bakery a couple of houses down. She owns the apartment on top of it as well. Her last tenant just moved out because she got married and my sister hasn’t been able to find anyone new to rent to yet. How about the two of us walk over and I’ll introduce the two of you,” Mrs Jones said. 
“Thank you. That is so nice of you,” I said. This was turning out better than I expected. 
Two days later, I was moving into the apartment. It didn’t have much in the ways of furniture. But Mrs Andresen, Mrs Jones’ sister, gave me a tip on two good second hand stores in the area. I had started my job as a waitress in the diner the day before. Everyone has been so nice to me. It almost felt like being part of a new pack. The diner mostly had local guests, patrons that came in regularly to order the same food and to exchange gossip. Mrs Jones explained they got tourists during peak season. It was everything I had dreamed of and needed. 

###>>>
Chapter 5

**Four years later.**
I walked into the backdoor of the bakery, put down the two bags of flour and got a kiss on the cheek from Mrs Andersen. 
“Thank you, Amie. I don’t know what I would do without you,” she happily told me. 
“I’m happy to help,” I said, and it was the truth. The two sisters had been good to me these past four years. They had helped me feel at home in the small town, introduced me to all the right people, according to them, and made sure I got out of my apartment for other things than my work. In return, I gladly offered them a hand with some of the heavier work. The sisters were getting older, and I felt bad for them working so hard. My strength was nowhere near that of a full werewolf, but I was stronger than the average human. I had made peace with being a latent wolf; a werewolf who didn’t have a wolf, or where the wolf was so weak, it didn’t manifest. It made it easier for me to live amongst humans. 
“I have a treat for you on the counter over there,” Mrs Anderson told me.
“You didn’t have to, thank you,” I said before I sank my teeth into a still lukewarm danish and sighed with joy.
“Seeing you eat my pastries is a delight,” the older woman said with a warm smile. We did this every morning. I would bring her the flour from the storage, she would give me a treat and some of her amazing coffee and I insisted she didn’t need to, and she insisted she did. 
“I have the lunch shift so I’ll be back before it gets dark,” I told her as I left, holding the to-go cup of coffee. 
“Have a nice day dear, and maybe say yes if Jessie asks you out again?” I heard before the door shut behind me. Jessie was the town’s most desirable bachelor, not that it said much in this town. But he had been the highschool football star. He was good looking, hardworking, owned his own farm that actually made a profit and was, overall, a decent guy. Jessie had tried hitting on me since I arrived four years ago, but unlike the local women, I turned him down. Not just the first time, but every time since. It had become a running joke in town, and I knew people were placing bets on when I would finally give in. The thing with Jessie was that he never took offense at me turning him down. He joked about it just as much as anyone else and over the years, we had become good friends. As I walked into the diner, I was greeted by Rich, the cook, and Mrs Jones. I emptied the last coffee from my cup, careful not to spill anything on my mint-green uniform. 
“CeCe is marrying the ketchups. Could you start with the napkins?” Mrs Jones asked. 
“Sure thing,” I said as I walked out into the front part of the diner to greet my other friend. Yes, during my time in this town, I had only made two real friends. But that was two more than I had expected. CeCe was a year older than me and more upbeat than I had ever been. Usually there was only one waitress needed at the time in the diner. But it was tourist season, which meant we would be two. It also meant we had to take in a third, temporary, waitress as CeCe and I couldn’t cover all shifts. It sucked as this year we were stuck with Dara. Dara wasn’t a bad kid, she was just clumsy, unfocused and lived more in her own head than out in the real world. To be honest, she usually caused more work than she helped. But Mrs Jones said Dara needed to get out of the house and into the real world. She had a thing for rescuing people, like some old women rescued stray cats, Mrs Jones rescued stray people. I couldn’t object as she had rescued me. She had rescued CeCe as well, but in a different kind of way. We were both loyal to the old woman, so we didn’t object to having Dara in the diner. 
“Am I happy to see you,” CeCe said as I walked up to her. We hugged and got back to work. 
“How was your trip?” she asked as we got going. 
“It was fine,” I said. It had been my day off yesterday and I had told everyone I was going to go away for the day, sightseeing and relaxing. What I was really doing was driving as far away as I could possibly get and still make it back home to my shift today. It was my mother’s birthday in a couple of days and that meant I sent a postcard to her. I usually just said I was doing well and I hoped she had a good birthday. I did the same for my father’s and brother’s birthdays, as well as for the end of the lunar cycle. It’s like Christmas and new years all wrapped into one for werewolves. I drove to remote towns so the postage couldn’t be traced back to where I lived. I didn’t know if I was being kind or cruel by sending the four postcards every year. I just wanted them to know I was okay. They didn’t need to worry. And I was okay. Life was maybe not perfect, but it was okay. The dull ache was still there in the pit of my stomach, but it had stopped hurting. Or maybe I had got used to the pain. Either way, it didn’t bother me as much now as it had in the beginning. It was a reminder that I was alive, I was a survivor and a fighter. I had built my life from scratch and I was proud of what I had, even if it wasn’t much. 
“Have you seen the hunk who just sat down at your table?” CeCe asked me. We were in the middle of the lunch rush and the diner was full of both locals and tourists. I glanced over at the table I knew she had to be referring to, as it had been the only free one in my section. My body froze as I saw him. He was a werewolf, all my senses told me that much, and to add insult to injury, he was an Alpha. My mouth got dry and my legs refused to move. 
“CeCe, could you do me the favour and take that table for me? I can take two, or three of yours in return. I’ll even trade you the one with the four children,” I asked. I heard the desperation in my voice. 
“Are you sure, Amie? Have you seen him? Yummy,” she said.
“All yours,” I said. She wasn’t wrong. The Alpha looked like most Alphas, big strong, self-confident. Pair it with blond hair that looked to have a will of its own in a playful way and deep blue eyes and you had yummy. But Alphas were trouble, especially for me. He was the first wolf I had run into since leaving the pack and I didn’t want to bring any more attention to myself than necessary. I knew he already knew what I was. If I could detect him in a room full of humans. He, with his fully developed Alpha senses, would have no problem noticing me. CeCe walked over to him and took his order. I saw her flirt with him and he smiled politely back at her. I tried my best to ignore him and keep my distance. It was hard since he sat in my section of the diner, but I think I did a good job. When he paid and left, I felt relieved, he hadn’t tried to speak to me. 
“You missed out on that one. Handsome, nice without being creepy and a great tipper,” CeCe said. “Want me to split the tip?” she then asked. I shook my head. She had earned it and even if the family with four children hadn’t left a huge tip, they hadn’t been skimpy either. I would gladly sacrifice the tip to avoid him. The rest of the day, I was on high alert. I was jumpy and kept checking to make sure the unknown Alpha wasn’t anywhere near me. 
“Are you okay, dear?” Mrs Jones asked as I was getting ready to leave. 
“I’m fine, but thank you for checking,” I told her. 
“You seem a little… I don’t know,” she said.
“Skittish,” Rich helped. 
“Yes, that is the right word,” she agreed. 
“I’m fine, just didn’t get enough sleep last night. I was going to go home and take a nap. I’m sure that will make it better,” I lied. It gave me an excuse for staying home.
“Oh, poor dear. You do that. Do you want me to send Dara over with some dinner?” Mrs Jones asked. She really was a wonderful woman.
“No thank you, Mrs Jones. I appreciate it, but I was looking forward to the dinner I was planning to cook,” I told her. So many lies in one day, I would get a stomach ache if I continued like this. 
“Well then, run along and call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Mrs Jones,” I said and gave her a hug. I hurried home and closed the door behind me. No Alpha. I was safe and he would leave town and everything would go back to normal. 

###>>>
Chapter 6

Normal quickly went out the window as the Alpha came back the next day for breakfast. He sat down at one of my tables again, but not the same as at lunch the day before. I had to take almost all of Dara’s tables to make her take his table. I worked my ass off and tried to keep an eye on him at the same time. I groaned when Dara tripped and spilled most of the coffee pot in his lap. Mrs Jones came out and apologised and I prayed to all the gods I knew she wouldn’t make me take over the table. One of the gods apparently heard my plea, Mrs Jones took his table personally. 
“Poor man, getting hot coffee all over his privates,” she told me later, after the Alpha had left. 
“Yes,” was all I could say.
“And such a handsome and nice man. Not even a little angry or offended. He even gave a generous tip at the end.”
“Probably because you charmed him,” I said. 
“Oh stop it,” Mrs Jones said, blushing. Rich was chuckling. “Maybe hiring Dara wasn’t the best decision,” she added.
“Maybe not. But we won’t find anyone else now. I’m sure we can survive the season,” I told her.
“You’re right. Let’s just keep an eye on when she goes for the coffee pot.” We all agreed. Dara didn’t seem to realise what a commotion she had caused. She was happy she hadn’t needed to tend to as many tables as she usually did. Thankfully, Dara didn’t work the lunch shift. CeCe came in and together we set the diner in order and CeCe told me the latest gossip. If it weren’t for her and Mrs Andersen, I wouldn’t have a clue what happened in town. In the middle of the lunch rush, the Alpha came back and again sat in my section, but again at a different table. 
“Please CeCe, can’t you just take that table?” I pleaded. 
“Why? I won’t take it unless you tell me why you are so hellbent on not serving him,” she told me. 
“I don’t know. I just don’t like his vibe,” I said.
“His vibe? Come on, Amie, there has to be something else,” she insisted.
“I don’t know, I just have a bad feeling about it. Can you take him? Pleeeease.” I tried my best at puppy dog eyes. 
“Fine! But I’m only doing it because we don’t get men like him that often and he’s a good tipper. And god knows he deserves some decent service after what happened this morning,” she relented. 
“Thank you. I’ll be forever grateful.”
“If you really want to thank me, could you take care of Jessie?” she asked. I looked and saw that Jessie had sat down at one of her tables. 
“Sure. Something wrong?” I asked. I knew CeCe and Jessie had a thing in highschool. A month of flirting leading to a one-night stand that fizzled out into nothing. But neither of them had held a grudge and had been friends.
“Oh, ehm. Well, I might have done something I shouldn’t have the other night,” CeCe said. 
“You slept with Jessie?” I asked. 
“Well, yes. I didn’t mean to. It just sort of happened.”
“Yeah, sure. You just stumbled, undid both of your pants and accidentally speared yourself on his meat sausage,” I said, nodding. 
“Shut up! And who says meat sausage?” CeCe giggled. 
“I’ll take Jessie and you take my table and everyone is happy,” I said. 
“Deal.” I walked over to Jessie and saw him looking towards CeCe. 
“Hi, Jessie,” I said.
“Hi, Amie. Looking good today,” he told me, but his usual line sounded flat. 
“Thank you. Don’t worry. She’s a little freaked out at the moment, but give her a day to digest it and everything will be fine. Then you can ask her out for real,” I told him. He looked at me like I was speaking martian. 
“What?”
“I’m talking about CeCe. Don’t pretend with me, Jessie. If you don’t stop pretending and start acting like the adult you are, I’m going to have to kick your ass,” I told him.
“Right,” he said, a small blush on his cheeks. “So, a couple of days?”
“Yes, no more than two. Come in with a nice bouquet of flowers and be sweet to her.”
“I can do that,” he said with a nod. 
“Of course you can. Do you want your usual, or are you ready to try something new?” I asked. 
“No, I’ll have what I always have. Thank you, Amie,” he said. 
“No problem.” I handed the order to the kitchen and made sure my tables had what they needed and kept an eye on the Alpha. I needed to think of a strategy for dealing with him. It didn’t seem like he would give up, but at the same time, he hadn’t approached me. So I had no clue what he wanted. Again he left the diner without so much as a glance in my direction. Maybe I was overthinking things? Maybe he was just a tourist? I didn’t even know if my lack of wolf and all the years living with humans had masked my wolf scent. To be on the safe side, I went straight home after work and stayed inside until just after lunch the next day. I had the late shift and was happy to see CeCe talking to Mrs Jones. 
“There she is,” Mrs Jones brightly said.
“Hey guys, what’s up?” I asked.
“CeCe has just been filling me in on your dark, mysterious hunk of a man,” Mrs Jones told me.
“Who?” I don’t think I fooled anyone. 
“Mr hot coffee pot in the knee,” Mrs Jones reminded me.
“Oh right, him. What about him?”
“He was here for breakfast, and lunch, seemed disappointed not to see you here,” CeCe told me.
“Oh please. He doesn't know I exist,” I said.
“I don’t know. I think you have a new suitor,” Mrs Jones said, sounding giddy. I just shook my head and got on with work. If the Alpha had come in twice again today, I could scratch the idea that it was just a coincidence. What did he want with me? Did he think I was a rogue? There were no packs in the area, so he couldn’t be worried I was going to poach on his pack’s territory. My thoughts occupied me all through the dinner service. The Alpha hadn’t come in. Maybe he didn’t do dinner service. Could I talk to Mrs Jones and be put on the late shift everyday for a couple of weeks? I was just trying to figure out a good reason to ask when the door opened and the Alpha stepped inside. There went my new plan out the window. As usual, he sat down in my section. 
“CeCe,” I started, but before I could say anything else, she held up a hand. 
“No, Amie. It’s time to put on your big girl panties and deal with him. He is obviously trying to get you to wait on him. He is always sitting in your section, each time choosing a table he has seen you serve. Now, put on a smile and go over there and see what that hunk of a man wants,” CeCe said.
“I don’t want to,” I objected.
“Too bad. Now shoo, I have my own tables to handle. I’m only doing this because I love you,” she told me. Okay, so I needed to do this. It would be alright, I was in the middle of the diner and nothing could happen to me here. The worst he could do was to talk to me. I took a deep breath and walked over to his table. 
“Hi, I’m Amie and I’ll be your waitress today. What can I get for you?” I said in my cheerful work voice.
“Hello, Amie. I’m Finlay and you are one hard waitress to get hold of,” he said in a rich and soothing voice. 
“Excuse me?” I said. He chuckled.
“Nothing. I’ll have the pork chops,” he told me.
“Sure thing, and to drink?”
“A Coke please.”
“Coming right up,” I said, grabbing his menu and disappearing to hand his order to the kitchen. I gave him his Coke and then his food. We were polite to each other, but he didn’t try to start a conversation. I felt relieved, I had overreacted. Nothing was going to happen. That was until I brought him his check. The dinner rush had been over for a while and the diner was almost empty except for a couple of locals sitting around, drinking coffee. I walked up to his table and put down the check. I was just about to leave.
“Amie, wait a moment,” he mumbled, low enough not to be overheard, but loud enough for me to hear. I froze and turned back towards him. “I think we need to talk,” he told me.
“I don’t think we do,” I said, using the same low voice as him. A smile appeared on his lips. It didn’t make him look even sexier. Not even a little. 
“I don’t mean you harm, little wolf. I just want to talk,” he said. I scoffed. Little wolf, my ass. 
“So talk,” I dared him.
“Not here. Too many interested ears. Someplace, private.” 
“Yeah, I don’t meet strange men, especially strange wolves, alone. I don’t have a death wish.”
“I promise you are safe with me,” he told me.
“Said no predator ever,” I remarked. It made him chuckle again.
“I guess you are right. Is there a public place we can talk then?” he asked. I sighed. I didn’t want to talk to him, but on the other hand, I had a feeling he wouldn’t leave me alone until I did. I could tell the sheriff that Finlay was stalking me, or I could tell Jessie. Either way, I knew they would try to run him out of town. The operative word was try. There wasn’t much they could do against an Alpha. 
“Fine. Behind the library there is a trail leading to the lake. There are some picnic tables there. No one uses them before noon,” I told him. He nodded. 
“When can I meet you?” 
“I have tomorrow off. Meet me at ten in the morning.”
“I’ll be waiting for you, Amie,” he told me. 
“Okay, that isn’t creepy at all,” I said and walked away. I could hear him chuckling. He left shortly after, leaving a good tip. I sighed. It felt like I had sealed my fate. 

###>>>
Chapter 7

I walked down the street of the small town. The plan had been to stop at the diner to have lunch on the road back from a meeting to arrange a new alliance. That was almost four days ago, and I was still here. The reason was waiting for me as I turned towards the lake. She stood waiting where she told me we would meet. There was a paper bag on the table that smelled delicious. 
“You’re here,” I said as I stopped in front of her, just a little too close. Just to see how she reacted. 
“Said I would be,” she told me and looked up at me. Whoever this woman was, she had a good upbringing. She had mastered the art of looking up at me without meeting my eyes. Locking eyes with an Alpha was seen as a challenge if you weren’t his mate or a close friend. 
“So you did. I thought I might need to eat a couple more meals in the diner to persuade you. You seem to have a stubborn streak,” I pointed out. Point in question, she hadn’t moved back despite me being in her space. Most wolves would have backed up the second an Alpha moved into their space. Unless they themselves were one. And if it was one thing I knew about this intriguing little wolf, she was no Alpha. I had scented her as a wolf the moment I stepped into the diner. That had been a surprise. I kept a close eye on any rogues and migrating wolves close to my pack. Yet this woman had never pinged on our radar. 
“Getting tired of Rich’s cooking?” she asked. I chuckled. She was funny. 
“Not at all. I’m considering staying until I have tried everything on the menu. That would take me a week or two, I think,” I said. She huffed. 
“Well, no need as I’m here. So why am I here?” she asked. 
“I want to get to know you,” I said, deciding to go with the truth. She looked surprised, then her wall came back up and I couldn’t read her. It was part of what made her frustrating, and a curiosity. 
“Well, I could refuse. But you would just use your Alpha sniffer and find me and keep dropping by my work. So let’s do this,” she said. For the first time since I had walked up to her, she averted her gaze and looked at the paper bag. She took it and climbed up and sat down on the table, resting her feet on the seat. “Coffee, black,” she told me as she fished a travel cup out of the bag. I sat down next to her, offering her the comfort of adding as much space between us as possible. 
“You remembered,” I told her and smiled. 
“It’s hardly the most complicated way to have your coffee.” She fished out another cup and placed it next to her. Next thing that came out of the magical bag was pecan buns and I had to swallow a couple of extra times not to drool. It’s important to keep a small amount of dignity when you are an Alpha. “Here, my landlady made them this morning. I need breakfast to get me through this conversation.” 
“Thank you,” I told her and took one of the mouth watering pastries from her. 
“What do you want to know?” she asked and took a sip of her coffee. 
“You’re not a rogue?” I asked, and just as soon as the words left me, I could have kicked myself. The raised eyebrow on her face showed she thought it was an idiotic question. She didn’t have the slightly sweet, sickening scent that all rogues had to them. The smell of decay. 
“No, I’m not. I’m a lone wolf,” she confirmed and took a bite of her breakfast. I hummed, feeling a little foolish after the question. 
“Were you born one?” I asked. Most werewolves stayed in packs. It was an ingrained need in us. But there were those that ventured outside the system. Either from being dissatisfied with the system, from a need to be alone, or feeling it was the only way. Sometimes wolves like that had mates and reproduced, their pups then didn’t get an automatic membership into a pack and ended up being lone wolves as well. There were even the odd occurrences of rogues having pups. The pups didn’t becomeroguess like their mother, they became lone wolves. 
“No, I left my pack…” There was a pause as she seemed to count. “Four years back,” she said. It surprised me. She looked so young. 
“You left when you were around fifteen?” I asked. She laughed.
“Eighteen,” she corrected me, and I got another surprise. I had not expected her to be twenty-two years old. Only two years younger than me. She had been raised in a pack, she had lived in one most of her life. I wanted to know why she chose a life isolated, surrounded by humans instead of by her own kind. 
“Why did you leave?” I asked. She glanced up at me. 
“You are asking a lot of personal questions, Alpha, offering no information in return,” she pointed out. Her accusation was fair. She had been more than gracious with answering my questions. But now she didn’t want to expose herself further without getting something back. I had to respect that. 
“What do you want to know? I asked.
“Why are you here?” she asked. 
“I was on my way home from a meeting with two Alphas from other packs. I just stopped to get some lunch,” I said. 
“And your pack is close by?” she asked. It showed she had been raised in a pack that took pride in teaching their young the right manners. She knew not to outright ask where my pack’s territory was. That was considered a challenge. 
“Yes, it’s about half a day’s drive from here,” I said.
“There shouldn’t be any packs out here,” she told me. I smiled. She had done her research. 
“If you would have told me that two years ago, I would have said you were right. We are a new pack. We established ourselves out here just because the packs are far enough apart that we didn’t feel squashed and they didn’t feel threatened by us,” I told her. She nodded, then took a deep breath and looked at me, as if to find an answer to a question she had. I couldn’t help but to study her. She was a beautiful wolf. The way her deep green eyes shifted with her emotions was fascinating. 
“I’m latent,” she said and took a deep drink from her coffee. It appeared every word out of her would surprise me, I thought. 
“As in you don’t have a wolf?” I asked. 
“Yeah, like I don’t have a wolf,” she said. There was an undertone I couldn’t pinpoint. Bitterness? Hurt? Both would be understandable. 
“You smell of wolf,” I said. She smiled a sad smile.
“That may be the case. But I’m twenty-two and I haven’t shifted.” I wanted to tell her that there was still time. It wouldn’t be a lie. But shifting this late would be highly unlikely, and I didn’t want to give her false hope when she clearly had accepted her faith. 
“Is that why you left your pack?” I asked.
“It was the root of all the reasons I left,” she answered. 
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I didn’t know what else to say. 
“Are you going to tell me why we are doing this?” 
“I told you, I want to get to know you,” I told her. 
“Yes, you did. You just didn’t tell me why.” I hadn’t, and I wondered if now was the right time to tell her. She was skittish, and I had a feeling she would bolt if I moved too quickly. But she had asked a straight to the point question. She deserved an answer. 
“I want to invite you to join my pack,” I told her. She looked at me like I was insane. 
“You did hear the part about me being latent, right?” she asked. 
“I did. There is no issue with my hearing,” I said. 
“Maybe not your hearing, but you obviously have some issues,” she said, then her eyes grew bigger when she realized she had said it out loud. I threw my head back and laughed. 
“You are not the first one to tell me this,” I admitted. 
“Listen, I don’t know why you want me in your pack. But I’m doing fine on my own. I have made myself a new life that I like.”
“Don’t you miss the pack life? Being around your own, not having to hide who and what you are? Don’t you miss the full moon celebrations?” I asked her, and I saw longing in her eyes before she looked away. She stared out over the lake. 
“Maybe, but that life is not for me,” she said. There was something deeply sad in the way she said it. The Alpha in me wanted to pull her into my pack, to give her the comfort I knew only a pack could offer. I instinctively knew she needed it. 
“Before you turn me down, why don’t you come for a visit? Take a couple of days off work and come to the pack. It’s a new pack, but it’s a good one. If you give it a chance, I promise I will never step foot in this town if you turn my offer down. I will even make it out of bounds for the rest of the pack,” I offered. 
“I don’t know,” she hesitated. 
“The moon will be full in three days. Come and celebrate it with us.” She looked at me with those deep green eyes and I knew she stood on the very edge of accepting my offer. 

###>>>
Chapter 8

I couldn’t believe I was sitting in the truck of an Alpha I hardly knew heading towards an unknown pack. I must be losing my mind to have accepted his crazy offer. He must have been even more insane to make the offer in the first place. What Alpha offered someone without a wolf a place in their pack? An insane one, that’s who. And I, as the idiot that I am, then agreed to get into a truck with said insane Alpha. I had suggested I could take my car. That way I could drive myself back if, no, when I turned his offer down. But Finlay had insisted it made more sense to drive together. That way, we could keep getting to know each other. 
“If your pack has only been around for two years, you haven’t ranked yet?” I asked. 
“No. We didn’t leave our old pack until just about two years after the latest games,” he told me. 
“That sucks,” I said.
“It does,” he agreed. There was a pause in the conversation where I watched the forest outside the window roll by. “Since I have got you to come with me and you don’t really have a choice, maybe I should tell you about our history. It’s bound to come up, so it’s better you are prepared,” Finlay told me in a cheery voice. I tensed up. That didn’t sound ominous at all. 
“Sure,” I agreed. 
“Have you heard of the Ocean shore pack?” he asked and I snorted.
“Have I heard of the pack that has ranked in the top three for the last hundred years? Yes, I have,” I told him. He gave me a little smile, but it wasn’t his usual relaxed one. 
“Alpha Johannes was my father,” Finlay said, and I was in shock. One of the most powerful Alphas in modern times was Finlay’s father? He had belonged to the Ocean shore pack and left? My curiosity peaked. “My father was a great and powerful Alpha. But he had a cruel streak, something he knew and kept at bay. He only let it out when he was dealing with rogues or in times of war,” he explained. I nodded. It wasn’t unusual for Alphas and Betas to have more flexible consciences. “He passed away a little over two years ago. It was a rogue attack that ended badly. He was injured while rescuing some pups gone astray.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. It didn’t feel like enough, but I had nothing else to offer. 
“Thank you. It was a hard time. My brother, Jason, became the new Alpha as he was the oldest. I didn’t mind, I had always known that would be the case. Jason had the same cruel streak as my father, but he didn’t control it like my father did. Instead, he let it take over. I didn’t want to see it at first, but in the end I couldn’t turn a blind eye. My instinct was to challenge him for the role of Alpha. But my mother begged me not to. She had just lost her mate and didn’t want to see one of her sons killing the other. I had to obey my mother’s wishes, so I asked the council for permission to form my own pack. It was granted and when I told my brother, he lost his temper. He declared me a traitor of the pack and forbade me from entering the pack land again. Before I left, I offered every pack member the chance to join me. Almost half of the pack left with me,” he told me.
“I’m impressed. That took a lot of courage,” I said. I got one of his genuine smiles in return. 
“I don’t know about that. If I would have known what I was getting myself into, maybe I wouldn’t have even thought about doing it. Do you know how much paperwork there is when running a pack? I mean, there are droves of it,” he joked. I laughed as I understood the need not to linger on subjects that left you exposed for too long. 
“Not as much fun as you had thought?”
“Not even a little. And then there is the constant need to listen to the pack’s concerns. ‘Alpha, his apartment in the pack house is two square inches bigger than mine’, ‘Alpha, why doesn’t he love me?’, ‘Alpha, why is the sun brighter than the moon?’. I tell you, there is an endless stream of questions and opinions,” he told me. I laughed as I could tell he didn’t hate it half as much as he let on. 
“Has the pack been able to settle down?” I asked.
“Yes, we pooled our resources and could buy a good amount of land. It took some time to get the houses built and to establish a good relationship with the local authorities. But now we are finally seeing the rewards of the hard work,” he said. 
“And do they know you are bringing a stray home?” He laughed at my question. 
“I told my Beta, Martin, and my Gamma, Sam. I asked them to inform the pack we will have a guest stay. If I know my pack, they will all be excited about the prospect of getting to know you,” he said. “How do you feel about it?”
“To be honest, I’m nervous. It’s been a long while since I've been in a pack,” I admitted. 
“Don’t worry, it will be like riding a bike. I can tell you have a good, solid upbringing on how to be a wolf. I wouldn’t have brought you back if I thought you wouldn’t be a good fit,” he told me. I nodded. 
We continued to drive for miles until the afternoon. The mountains that had been a backdrop in the town I lived in, were now right in front of us and the thick forests spread out like a carpet all around them. Finlay turned off from the main road and we headed out into the forest. After a mile or so a checkpoint appeared, the man and woman manning it greeted the truck and let it pass. 
“Welcome to Blue mountain pack,” Finlay said. 
“Thank you,” I responded. I hadn’t expected to feel anything when we drove onto the pack land. It wasn’t my pack. I had no connections to this land. But there was a slight vibration running through me. A faint reminder of how it felt to drive on to the pack land back home. 
“This is us. Most of the pack live in, or close to the village,” Finlay told me as I saw the trees thin and open up in a large clearing. In the clearing, there was a village. The focal point was a large timber house, three stories tall, and in front of it was a square opening where people moved back and forth. There looked to be one main road leading through the village, it was lined with shops. The rest of the village was made up of different types of small houses, all of them with gardens. Running behind the pack house and along that side of the village was a creek. It looked idyllic. “That’s the pack house, if you didn’t already guess it. Most of the single wolves of age live in the pack house. We provide a small apartment to all pack members who need it, free of charge. The first two months the food is included, then we expect members to either buy their food and cook for themselves, or contribute their part to the communal food budget,” Finlay explained. 
“That’s generous of you,” I told him. He shrugged as he drove to the parking lot next to the pack house.
“It gives pack members a chance to save up to build a house of their own. It’s a good thing for the pack.” We got out of the truck and at once there were happy greetings being called out towards Finlay. He smiled and returned them and waved at some. “Grab your bag and follow me. There should be a guest room made up for you. I just need to find my Beta to know which one,” he told me. I nodded and grabbed the bag I had packed last night and followed him. Curious eyes were following me as I walked next to Finlay, but I felt no hostility. 
“Alpha, welcome back,” a deep voice called. 
“Martin, just the man I’m looking for. I see you haven’t managed to burn the place to the ground when I was away,” Finlay laughed. 
“I’m twice the Alpha you are, Alpha,” Martin laughed and then he looked at me. 
“Martin, this is Amie, the guest I was telling you about. Amie, this is Martin, the pack’s Beta,” Finlay introduced us. 
“Beta,” I said and bent my head how it was expected when greeting someone of higher rank. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it was pure muscle memory. 
“Nice to meet you, Amie. Hey, man, I thought you said she was a lone wolf,” Martin said. 
“Even us lone wolves can have manners,” I said. Martin looked at me with surprise and then he laughed. 
“I think I like you, Amie. I had the guest room on the second floor overlooking the creek made up,” he said. 
“Thanks, man. I’ll just get Amie settled and then I’ll come find you,” Finlay said. He took me up to a homey room. It smelled clean and had an airy feel to it, with white and beige decor and large windows letting the sunlight in. “I’m sorry to just leave you. But I need to check in with Martin and Sam,” he apologised to me. 
“It’s okay. I could do with a moment to freshen up and get used to the feeling of being surrounded by wolves again,” I told him. It was true. Even though I didn’t belong to this pack and therefore didn’t have the pack bond, I could still feel the faint buzzing of the pack’s connection to each other and the pack land. The once familiar feeling now felt uncomfortable and highly noticeable.
“You have your own bathroom through that door. I’ll be back as soon as I can and show you around. It shouldn’t be more than thirty minutes,” Finlay told me.
“It’s fine, take your time,” I told him. With a final look and a nod, he left me alone in the room and I sank down on the bed and let out a breath and relaxed. 

###>>>
Chapter 9

I couldn’t believe I was in a pack house again. I had told myself I should stay away from the werewolf community. But something about Finlay had made me give in. Maybe I finally had met someone as stubborn as myself. I reminded myself this was just a way to make him leave me alone. I would stay for a few days, then turn his offer down and continue living my own life. In the little town where no one knew who or what I was and that was how I wanted it. Right? I got up and made my way into the bathroom. A hot shower would be nice after the long ride, and it couldn’t hurt to look at least a little presentable when meeting the pack. Not that I wanted to impress anyone, it was just ingrained into me since childhood that when meeting a new pack, you showed the best version of yourself. It was about politeness. At least that is what I told myself as I was getting ready. I had enough time to shower and get dressed. Then I watched the amazing view of the creek with the wildflowers growing along it. I sat by the large windows for ten minutes before there was a knock on the door. I opened it and let Finlay in.
“Ready to check out the pack land and say hi to some pack members?” he asked. 
“Sure, that’s why I’m here,” I told him.
“Do you mind if Martin and Sam join us? They are curious about you and it’s rare we get new wolves,” he said. 
“No, that’s fine by me,” I told him and did my best to mask my nerves. It was uncomfortable to be around strange wolves, and I wondered how much Finlay had told them about me. Did they all know that I had no wolf? I followed Finlay downstairs, where Martin waited with another man. This new wolf had hair almost as red as my own. He was pale with freckles and had a look more suited for a rascal than a Gamma. I was introduced to him and I had guessed correctly, he was the pack’s Gamma.
“Finlay, someone else with red hair!” he happily exclaimed. “Medow, my mate will love you,” he added. I couldn’t help but laugh and I decided I liked Gamma Sam from the start. The three men took me on a short tour around the pack house. Making sure I knew where the important things were. Then they took me outside and started introducing me to other wolves. All while joking and taking puns out of each other. I found myself relaxing in their company and it made me remember growing up and the friend group I had belonged to. Until one of them broke my heart. I unconsciously rubbed my chest, like I always did when thinking of James. The pain wasn’t as sharp as it had been. But I would have hoped it would have gone away by now. Maybe the moon goddess would be kind enough to give me a second chance mate. But it didn’t look like that was in my cards. 
“Are you okay?” Finlay asked. He looked worried. 
“I’m fine,” I told him and let my smile slip into place. I was used to hiding the hurt by now. It was my second nature. He looked at me a little longer and then nodded. We had walked through the centre of the village. Everything looked well kept and the pack felt happy and content. As far as I could see, this was a good pack. It had the same vibe as I picked up from Finley. Relaxed, caring and strong. It showed how much influence an Alpha had on his pack. 
“I suggest we head for the communal kitchen and end our tour with a pack dinner,” Finlay suggested. 
“Yes please. Medow has kitchen duty and I have been away from her for too long,” Sam exclaimed. 
“Newly mated wolves,” his two friends said as one and rolled their eyes. I had to laugh. In the kitchen, we found a small woman with brown hair in a pixie cut that made her look adorable. 
“Medow, honey,” Sam called out. The woman turned around and gave him a brilliant smile. 
“Babe!” she called and gave him a wave before returning to cooking. 
“Come, I’ll introduce you,” Sam told me and took my hand to tow me through the kitchen. 
“Honey, Finlay brought a guest home with him. She is thinking of joining the pack,” Sam said as we walked up behind his mate. Medow twirled around and her mouth fell open as she stared at us. 
“The two of you could be twins,” she said with a smile. “Hello, I’m Medow,” she added and held out her hand towards her. I shook it and introduced myself. “So the boys have been showing you around?” she then asked.
“Yes.”
“Poor thing, you must be in need of some decent company. You can leave her with me, babe. I’ll take it from here,” she told her mate. 
“But, honey, the Alpha wanted her to eat with us,” Sam tried to object.
“Do you think I will hog tie our guest in the walk-in freezer? Of course she will eat with us. But the food won’t be ready for at least thirty minutes. So scoot, go do something useful and I’ll take care of Amie.”
“Is it okay with you?” Sam asked. I could see he wanted to please his mate, but at the same time obey his Alpha and respect me as a guest. Poor thing didn’t know what to do. 
“I think it sounds like an amazing idea,” I told him. He relaxed and smiled at his mate. They kissed, two times, and then Medow shooed him away. 
“He is sweet and I love him to death. But he is a tad bit clingy,” she confided in me. I laughed.
“Tell me a mated wolf that isn’t when it comes to his mate,” I joked and felt the pang in my chest. Medow laughed with me. 
“Come, I’ll introduce you to the matriarch of the pack. We don’t have a Luna, since Finlay isn’t mated, but his aunt is the one female everyone looks up to. She’ll like you,” Medow told me and we walked deeper into the kitchen. “Matilda,” Medow called out. An older woman appeared from a door and smiled at them. There was a likeness to her nephew. They had the same kind eyes, I decided. 
“Yes?” Matilda asked and looked at me. 
“This is Amie, she is a guest of Finlay,” Medow introduced me.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Matilda. Finlay is my sister’s son,” the woman said, and we shook hands. “Is my nephew trying to recruit you to the pack?” she then asked. I was a little taken aback by her straightforwardness, but I liked it. 
“He is,” I told her. 
“Well then. Let’s get to know each other. Can you cook?” I smiled at her. As the Beta’s daughter, I had been expected to help out with all the different communal tasks in the pack before I left. I may not be a master chef, but I did manage to cook good, edible food. 
“I can,” I therefore said. 
“Excellent.” She pointed to a workstation filled with vegetables that would become a garden salad. I nodded and picked up the knife and started working. Medow started mixing ingredients for a dressing and Matilda was frying patties as we all talked and got to know each other. Half an hour later, the food was done, and the kitchen was filled with pack members helping to carry the food to the tables. Medow and Matilda guided me to a table where Finlay, Sam and Martin sat. We joined them and Finlay smiled at me. 
“I hope my aunt didn’t push you too hard?” he asked. Both Matilda and I snorted at the same time, which made Medow laugh. 
“Please, I don’t overwork guests,” Matilda objected. 
“I’m not as fragile as I seem,” I objected. 
“Amie was kind enough to help while we got to know each other,” Matilda told him.
“It was nice and relaxing,” I said. 
“I stand corrected. I’m happy to hear it went well,” Finlay told us. Dinner was great. It had been a while since I sat down and ate with a pack. I forgot how nice it was not having to eat alone. It wasn’t like I always ate alone in the town either. Sometimes I invited CeCe over, or we sat down and ate at dinner. But it wasn’t the same. After dinner, the group took me to the game room. We played pool, and it was just a lot of fun. After I tried to hide my second yawn, Finlay offered to escort me back to my room. I said good night to everyone, and we left.
“It looks like you are having a good time,” Finlay pointed out as we were walking.
“I am. It has been nice to be amongst a pack again,” I confessed. He smiled again.
“Told you.”
“Fine, you might have been right,” I admitted. “It doesn’t change who I am.”
“It doesn’t,” he agreed. “But I don’t see why it would matter. You like it here, the pack likes you. When aunt Matilda likes someone, I know they are a good person. She never holds back if she thinks someone isn’t good enough for the pack. And she has high standards,” he told me. 
“That’s sweet of her. I like her too. I just don’t know.”
“No need to make a decision tonight. It’s been a long day with a lot of new things. All I ask is that you keep your mind open and let the pack get to know you. Tomorrow is the full moon celebration. You and I can have a talk the day after that and figure out what you will do,” he told me. 
“I can do that,” I said as we got to my room.
“Good. Sleep tight and I will see you for breakfast. Should I come and get you?” he asked. 
“No. I can find my way. Eight o’clock?”
“That’s right. See you then. Good night.”
“Good night, Finlay.” 

###>>>
Chapter 10

I walked into my room and got ready for bed. Even though I was tired, my mind wasn’t ready to go to sleep. I sat down in the chair by the window and looked out over the creek. The moon hung over the treetops and made the water glisten. It was a beautiful view. I thought about the day, how nice it had been to be surrounded by a pack again. Even if it wasn’t my pack. There were a lot of things I missed about being in a pack. I just never let myself think about it. It would be too painful. But now, I have to think about it. And truth be told. I had seventeen years and three hundred and sixty-four days of mostly good memories of being in a pack. And one day of bad memories, of feeling out of place and as a burden. Why had I let that one day taint all the others? I knew the answer. Because that one day had shown me the rest had been a lie to some extent. The pack had promised I was loved, safe and would have a place with them as long as I contributed to the pack and didn’t break any of the rules. But in one swoop, all of that had proved to be untrue. I had been threatened to be shipped off to another pack. Pack members that were as close to me as my family had turned their back to me. All because I wasn’t like them. It had made me see my time in the pack as a deceit and I was too fragile to go through it all again. I was barely over the first betrayal. Did I have it in me to put the pieces back together if it happened again? But this time it was different, I told myself. This time Finlay would know what I was, that I wasn’t strong. If the pack accepted me, they would do so while knowing everything. No, not everything. I had kept things back from Finlay. Because when we had our talk by the lake, I never thought I would seriously consider his offer. If I were to consider his offer, I needed to tell him everything. There would be no mate to reject me in this pack. If I was accepted here for who I am, then I could stay. The thought of belonging to a pack again made my head spin. I hadn’t known how strongly I wanted it. How much I needed the pack bond and to be part of something bigger. I decided I would ask to talk to Finlay the next day and if he didn’t turn me away for being less than completely honest. I would seriously consider becoming a part of this pack. 
As I walked down to breakfast the following morning, a couple of pack members recognised me and greeted me. It felt nice. Some of them even introduced me to others. When I reached the table where Martin and Finlay sat, I had gained a shadow in the form of a six-year-old pup named Cadence. 
“Good morning,” I said as I took a seat at the table.
“Morning,” they both greeted me. 
“Hello there, Cadence,” Finlay said.
“Hi, Alpha,” the boy said with a smile. 
“Do you want to join us?” I asked. Cadence looked like he wanted to say yes, but then he looked at Finlay and then back towards his parents. 
“No thank you, I need to eat with my family. Maybe you can join us some day?” he asked. 
“Maybe,” I said. He waved and ran back to sit next to his mother. 
“Gathering fans already?” Finlay asked. I laughed. We were soon joined by Matilda. Sam and Medow were the last to sit down. The conversation was just as nice as the day before. While Finlay, Martin and Sam talked pack business, Medow and Matilda let me know all the things they thought I needed to know about who was dating who in the pack and other gossip. As we had eaten and were getting ready to get up, I found the courage to ask Finlay if he had time during the day for a talk. He looked at me for a moment and nodded.
“How about a walk and I can show you where the celebrations will take place while we talk?” he asked. I nodded, and we said goodbye to the rest of the group. Finlay took me along a gravelled path that led into the forest. Even though it was early, pack members were walking back and forth on the path, carrying things. Everyone was getting ready for the full moon. “This is where we celebrate most of our big events,” Finlay told me. We had reached a big clearing. On one side of it, the creek ran. In the middle there was a large fire pit and around it there were logs and wooden benches to sit on. Pack members were setting up foldable tables at one end of the clearing and others were chopping wood and piling it by the firepit. “Let’s go this way, it’s less busy,” he told me and I followed him along a dirt track into the forest. When we had left everyone behind us, I took a deep breath and savoured the forest scents. 
“I haven’t been completely honest with you,” I started.
“No?”
“No. I didn’t think it would matter, because I never thought I would accept your offer.”
“But that has changed?” he asked, trying to hide a smile. 
“Maybe. I won’t know unless I tell you everything,” I said. We had come to a viewpoint. We were standing on a piece of raised land, looking out over a slope that led down to a river. On the other side there was more rich forest and then the mountain. It was a beautiful spot. “The reason I left my old pack was not only because of my latency,” I told him. He was quiet, but when I glanced his way, I saw all his attention was on me. “I was the daughter of the Beta. I grew up with the son of the Alpha, the daughter of the Gamma and my older brother. We were as close as you can get. We were the future of the pack. The Alpha and Gamma were like my uncles. I grew up knowing they would protect me, just like my father would. When my wolf didn’t come to me, they all assured me it didn’t matter, that I was good enough as I was. And I mostly believed them.” I paused and took a deep breath. We were heading into painful territory and I needed to brace myself. “I turned eighteen the day after a full moon. The pack was gathered to celebrate the moon and my mother and the Luna brought out a surprise birthday cake for me at the stroke of midnight. And I found my mate, the son of the Alpha, James.” His name came out as a whisper. I hadn’t spoken it out loud in four years and it twisted the dagger in my heart. 
“You found your mate?” I looked up at Finlay and I could see he hadn’t meant the question to be spoken out loud. 
“I did, and in the next heartbeat he was rejecting me. I wasn’t strong enough to be his Luna,” I said, and I could hear the bitter notes in my voice. Finlay drew in a sharp breath and looked at me like he had a hard time believing in me. “After that, things changed. I overheard my father talk to the Alpha. The man that had been like a second father to me told my father it would be best if I was sent away from the pack. To spare both me and his son the pain when James would choose a new mate. I heard my mother and the Luna being at odds with each other and how much hurt was in my brother’s voice. The pack that I thought would always have my back, that would protect me, turned their back on me. My parents and brother were paying the price.”
“So you left,” he said in a soft voice. I had been looking at the river, but now I turned to face him. 
“I did. To protect myself and my family. They could heal once I was gone, and hopefully save their relationship with their pack and friends.”
“Do you keep in contact with them?”
“No. My father would come for me if he knew where I was. I send them birthday cards every year. But I drive to another state to send them. Hiding my tracks as best I can.” I had never told anyone this before. 

###>>>
Chapter 11

“I’m sorry,” he said. I shrugged, as if it wasn’t a big deal. But it was. A single tear rolled down my cheek and I rubbed it away. “I have no words for how your mate treated you. You are not weak, Amie. You survived a rejection from your true mate, you survived leaving your pack and you built a life for yourself. You are strong. And if he couldn’t see it, then he is a fool and his pack will be weaker because of it. If you join my pack, we will be there when you need us. We have been through what you have. We chose to leave our old pack to seek a better life. This pack has a strong bond, we care for our own and physical strength isn’t the measurement we use to value a pack member. I was right when I felt like you would be a good fit for us. If you have been raised in a Beta household, you must have learnt things. None of the top ranks, including me, have had formal training for our roles. We could use someone like you. But I won’t make you choose now. Let’s stick to the plan to take the day as it comes and we’ll have another talk tomorrow. Okay?” I looked up at Finlay. 
“You’re not going to ask me to leave?” I asked. He chuckled.
“Because you didn't tell me everything? You had known me for less than thirty minutes. I don’t expect that kind of loyalty. I’m honoured that you shared it with me now,” he told me. I nodded. 
“Then I would like to stick to the plan,” I said. 
“I’m happy to hear it, Amie.”
“Armeria,” I said, and it sounded foreign. He looked at me. “It’s my full name.” He smiled and nodded.
“Armeria,” he said, and it sounded nice coming from him. “Matilda has been insisting she get to show you around today. Is that okay?” he asked. 
“It is. I like her,” I told him as we turned around to head back. 
“She can be intimidating, but she is an amazing wolf. We are lucky that she joined us,” he said. 
Hours later, we were all sitting by a roaring fire. Pups were running around playing and elderly wolves were telling tales about past glory. It amused me how much it was the same as it had been in my former pack. I fell back into my old habits as I helped hand out blankets to those that needed and I offered to look after the pups when everyone was going to shift. Matilda frowned at me.
“Why aren’t you joining in the fun?” she asked. I realised no one had told them about me. 
“I’m latent,” I said. Matilda burst out laughing, the last response I had expected. Then she stopped and looked at me. 
“You are serious?” she asked. 
“Aunt, careful,” Finlay said as a warning. She waved him off. 
“I am,” I said.
“Dear, why on earth would you think that? I can feel your wolf,” she asked.
“I think you are feeling my nature, not my wolf. I’m twenty-two and my wolf has yet to show herself. If I have a wolf, she is probably too weak to break through,” I said.
“Now, this is just nonsense. Why would you have a weak wolf?”
“Everyone knows that a strong wolf will come to you early. I’m almost at the point when all hope is lost.” I didn’t expect to have to defend why I had a weak wolf. 
“Most strong wolves tend to come early,” she agreed. “But there are strong wolves that bide their time. No one knows why. Maybe they are waiting on something or maybe the conditions aren’t right. I have spent the day with you, Amie. There is nothing weak about you. Not in your person, not in your wolf. Mark my word, it will come,” Matilda said with confidence. 
“That is enough, aunt,” Finlay said. He looked at me with worry. I understood he didn’t want to give me false hope, and I appreciated it. It had been hard to accept my fate and there wasn’t room for false hope. 
“Very well,” she said with a nod. The topic was changed but during the next hour or so, many of the parents accepted my offer to watch over the pups. Cadence was thrilled. I promised him I would tell him some of the old stories my mother had told me when I was little and we could have snacks while we waited for the rest of the pack to return. It wasn’t long before Finlay stood up. The surrounding conversations stopped. 
“It’s the full moon. Let’s head for the forest and run,” Finlay said and there were cheering and people started walking into the forest. “Will you be okay?” he asked me.
“Of course she will be,” Matilda huffed. “I’ll keep her company and help her keep an eye on the savages,” she added. Finlay looked at me and I gave him a smile and a nod. He headed for the forest, but stopped at the edge to look back before disappearing into the darkness. I held up my promise to Cadence and he and the other pups got to choose snacks, and sat down all around me and Matilda as I started to tell the old tales. After two stories, the younger pups had snuggled into blankets and were sleeping. The older ones were running around, enacting the battle scenes. “You have a good hand with pups,” Matilda said.
“I have had a lot of training. As I don’s shift, I stayed behind with the pups in my old pack,” I told her. I was starting to get warm. Maybe I was sitting too close to the fire?
“How old were you when you left your own pack?”Matilda asked. 
“Eighteen.” I looked around, making sure none of the pups were close by. “I was rejected by my mate,” I said. She looked as shocked as Finlay had. 
“And you doubt your strength? You will find your way and I’m sure the moon will give you a more deserving mate,” she told me and patted my leg. I gave her a smile. She was really sweet. 
“Is the fire hot?” I asked, pulling my sweater over my head, leaving me in a tank top. 
“Do you feel hot?” she asked.
“Yeah. And a little funky. Maybe I ate too many snacks with the pups?”
“How long have you been feeling like this?” she asked. I had to pause and think. 
“I have been feeling a little restless all day, like I should remember something, but I have forgotten what. But the heat has only come the last thirty minutes or so,” I told her. She studied me and nodded.
“It will be fine. Just relax and don’t fight against it,” she said. 
“Fight against what?” I asked as Finlay stepped out of the tree line. He was only wearing shorts, and I was confused by why he was back in his human form this early. He walked up to me and kneeled down in front of me, and placed a hand on my forehead. 
“You are burning up,” he said and looked at his aunt. She nodded. What was that all about? “The others are coming as well,” he told me.
“Why?” I asked. Then there was a cramp in my stomach which took my breath away. 
“You are turning, Armeria. And a pack should surround you when you have your first turn. It helps,” he said. I just stared at him like he had spoken Martian. 
“Turning?” I asked.
“Your wolf is coming,” Matilda softly told me. More and more of the pack were walking out of the forest, all half dressed. Some of them gathered up the pups, others just gathered around us. 
“Amie, do you remember what your parents told you about your first shift?” Finlay asked me. My focus returned to him. No one had ever talked to me about my first shift. That was not how it was done in my old pack. When someone showed the first signs of shifting, they were taken by their parents or close relatives into the woods and then the next morning they were back. I shook my head.
“No one has told me anything,” I said as another cramp hit me. I didn’t miss the looks being exchanged between Finlay and his aunt. 

###>>>
Chapter 12

How am I supposed to help Amie through her first shift when no one has told her what to expect? It’s upon her and I don’t know if we have time to explain it all. I feel my anger rise at how unfair it is to her. Hasn't she suffered enough? When she told me the real reason why she had left her old pack, it almost broke my heart. I had known her for a couple of days and I already know she is an amazing wolf. How someone who has grown up with her can’t see it, I will never know. Her story had also pained me in a whole other way, a way that wasn’t the least logical. She had found her mate, it meant she wasn’t my mate. Which I knew. If she had been, I would have known as soon as I saw her in the diner. But somehow, a small part held out hope. Maybe because she didn’t have her wolf, it hadn’t clicked into place. It was stupid; I knew it didn’t work like that. But a part of me had held out hope, growing a little stronger with each new thing I learned about her. It didn’t make sense to be bitter at the moon goddess because she had paired Amie with someone so unworthy of her, instead of pairing her with me. But now was not the time to sulk over it. Amie needed me. She needed the pack. She may not be one of us, but I had hoped she would become one. And no matter what she decided, the first shift was hard and confusing. It was better to have a pack around you. I took her hand and she looked at me. 
“Come, let’s go into the woods and I will tell you,” I said. She nodded and got up on shaky legs. Aunt Matilda walked on her other side and the two of us made sure she was steady. Around us, the pack walked. The ones that had got to know her, walked closest to us. I saw Medow holding a blanket and smiled. They would be there for Amie. 
“Let’s stop in the clearing ahead,” my aunt said. I nodded. It was large enough and the forest floor was covered in soft moss. It was a good place. 
“Amie, look at me,” I said, and she lifted her forest green eyes to me. “The first shift is not comfortable. Your body temperature will go up to speed up the changes to your body. There will be cramping in your muscles as they start to change. You will feel the bones breaking and rearranging. It isn’t fun, but it’s usually quick once it starts. Once the first time is over, it will never feel like that again. The next time you will hardly feel it,” I explained and saw her eyes grow big with fear. 
“It will be fine, child. You are not alone. We will be with you,” my aunt said and guided Amie to sit down. I sat down next to her on the forest floor. She was looking around and her eyes stopped on Cadence. 
“Even the pups?” she asked. 
“Yes, they need to see and understand so they can be prepared when it’s their turn.” She nodded and closed her eyes as a tremor wrecked through her body. I felt helpless as I could do nothing for her. I had guided several of our younger pack members through their first change. But I had never felt like this before. Maybe it was because she was so unprepared, or maybe because I felt like life had handed her a bad hand until now. I don’t know why, but I struggled with keeping calm. The only thing stopping me from acting out was the knowledge that Amie needed my calm. 
“Time to get out of your clothes, dear. Trust me, you don’t want to tear through them and end up walking back to the pack house wrapped in a blanket. Been there, done that, not worth it,” Matilda said. There were soft chuckles from the pack. Most wolves would rip through their clothes one time or another. Nudity wasn’t as big of a deal in werewolf society. But we still avoided going around naked if it could be avoided. Matilda and Medow had helped Amie to stand and were helping her undress. The pack was looking away out of respect and even I lowered my eyes to give her some privacy. When she sank down to the ground next to me, she was wrapped in the blanket Medow had brought. 
“Do you have any questions?” I asked her. She looked at me and shook her head. I could see the fear and confusion. “It will be okay. Unless you count that this means my aunt was right and that is a small catastrophe. She is far too used to being right all the time,” I tried to joke and got a smile from her. When a new set of cramps rolled through her, she grabbed my hand. “It’s okay. Lay down and try to relax. Don’t fight it.” I told her and she lied down. The pack drew closer and we all watched her as she did her best to relax. It didn’t take long for the shimmer to appear around her. It was close now. Her body shook and a low whimper escaped her as the first sound of snapping bones could be heard. As I watched on with worry, her body changed and her porcelain skin began to disappear under thick fur. Before I knew it, the woman had been replaced by a wolf. The only thing visible was its head which was sticking out from the blanket. She was beautiful. The fur around her nose and eyes were a light strawberry blond and got darker the further away from the face it got. I could hardly wait to see the rest of her. “Amie, can you try to sit up?” I asked, knowing it was confusing to be in your other body the first time. She blinked at me with the same green eyes as always and sat up. She swayed a little, but soon became steady. The blanket pooled around her and we all got our first look at what hopefully would be our new pack member. Her body was covered in dark red fur, the tip of her tail and her paws were the same light colour as her face. 
“She is so cute!” Cadence exclaimed and everyone chuckled. I could see the twinkle in Amie’s eyes and knew she didn’t take offence. But when the pup rushed forward to pet her, I stood up and blocked his path. I caught him and took him into my arms. Together, we looked down at Amie. When I stood, she almost reached my chest, sitting down. She wasn’t a small wolf. 
“Cadence, we have to respect each other. We don’t touch someone without asking, especially if they are in wolf form and we can’t mindlink with them. Amie is in a very vulnerable place and we need to respect that. She has honoured us by shifting in our presence for the first time,” I told the pup. He looked up at me and then down at Amie, who looked back at him.
“Yes, Alpha. Sorry, Amie,” he said. I smiled and ruffled his hair before letting him down. 
“Good boy,” I told him and watched him make his way back to his father. I looked at Amie. “Ready to stand?” I asked. She focused and got her back legs underneath her. She swayed a little and she took a step to the side, her tail balanced the body automatically, but she wasn’t used to the feeling and swirled around, trying to get a look at it. I couldn’t help but to chuckle. She got steadier by the minute. Amie made her way over to where Cadence was standing and she nudged his hand with her nose. He looked at me and I nodded with a smile. With a reverent look in his eyes, he ran his hand over her fur and he squealed. 
“She’s so soft,” he told everyone. I felt a moment of jealousy, but pushed it aside. The pack started to shift one by one. They gently walked up to Amie, careful not to overwhelm her, and let their wolves greet her. I stayed in my human form until she had been greeted by the pack. 
“Would you like to test those new legs?” I asked her. She yapped happily, and I laughed. I shifted into my dusty blond wolf. It was larger than Amie’s but not by much. Standing, her wolf was almost as tall as both Martin’s and Sam’s. I walked up to her and nudged her to start moving. It was strange to not be able to talk to her. But she got my meaning and started walking. She did well for it being her first time. Matilda had shifted and started walking on the other side of Amie. I let the pack know in the mind link we would take Amie for her first run and they could resume the celebrations. After a while of walking, I urged Amie into a slow trot. My aunt soon got tired and mind linked me she would go back to look after the pups. I told Martin, Sam and Medow to join us. Soon, all five of us were running through the woods. I made sure to keep close to Amie, to make sure she didn’t tire or lose her footing. But she was a natural. Her wolf seemed built for speed and when we sped over the soft forest floor, her eyes glowed with joy. After a while longer, I told the others they could go back to their planned evening. I knew Medow and Sam would need some time alone as a mated pair, and Martin usually had a date set up. I herded Amie to the same viewpoint we had stood on that morning. The moon hung over the river and the stars sparkled. It was as perfect of a night as you could hope for. I raised my head and howled at the moon. As a thank you for everything she gave us. Others joined in and I looked at Amie, who just stood beside me, looking at me. I stopped howling and locked eyes with her and let out another howl. She took a deep breath and then she joined me. The first notes were uncertain, but as her confidence grew, so did her howl. 

###>>>
Chapter 13

Howling. I was howling. I was in my wolf form, standing on a hill looking out over the most spectacular view I had ever seen and I’m howling at the moon. There are so many things to unpack in that sentence making me dizzy. But in a good way. The howling died out and I tried to get a look at myself. I was much steadier on my paws and I twisted and turned in an attempt to get a look at my body. I heard a huffing sound and looked over at Finlay’s wolf, and I swear he was laughing. His sand-coloured wolf is just as mouth watering handsome as his human form. I’m grateful he has been with me through the night. He is a good Alpha. He stood up and trotted over to me and swung his head in a gesture I thought meant he wanted me to follow him. I nodded and he took a small path leading down towards the river. He walked up to the bank and looked down. Curious, I followed and looked down. The water was almost completely still and the dark night sky made it into a mirror. I could see myself and I was surprised. Not even my mother, who I had inherited my red hair from, had a wolf who looked like mine. The same red colour as my hair, covers most of my fur. But my face, paws and the end of my tail fade into a cream colour. My green eyes look the same. I’m big, but I had already figured that out, standing almost as tall as Finlay. I had to do some jumps just to articulate the joy I felt at that moment. Again, I could swear Finlay was laughing at me. But it’s okay. I was in my wolf form and I was just brimming with joy and amazement. After a moment, Finlay pointed his nose up along the trail they had come. I understood it was time to head back and nodded. I was happy to calmly walk beside him through the forest. The night might have been short, but I still needed to figure out how to get into my human body. We got to the place where I changed and Finley changed back to his human form and put on shorts. He smiled down at me and lifted the blanket that was still on the ground. I got the message and let him cover my body. I looked up at him, I had no idea what to do now. He seemed to understand.
“To change back, you just need to focus on your human self, on the feeling of being human,” he told me. He made it sound easy, so I tried to focus on my human side. I felt the same tingles I felt when I took on my wolf form, but this time there was no pain. And then I was lying on my stomach under the blanket, completely naked. “There you go. I knew you would be a natural,” Finlay said with a smile. 
“Thank you. That was…” I started to say, but I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. 
“Yeah, that's how it feels the first time,” Finlay agreed as he handed me my clothes and, like a gentleman, turned around to let me dress. I was a little wobbly on my legs, but I found my balance. When I was dressed I walked up to Finlay and tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around with a smile. 
“Thank you,” I said. “Thank you for guiding me through this and not abandoning me.”
“It was my honour,” he told me and I could tell he meant it. We talked as we walked back towards the fire. I found the world slightly different. My senses were sharper than they had been. Matilda was sitting in her spot and the pups had quieted down and were either sleeping on spread out blankets or sitting, playing. When Cadence saw us coming, he ran over to us. 
“Amie! How was it? Was it as fun as you thought it would be? What did you do? Did you run? Did you hunt? You were so big, I bet you would be awesome at hunting. My dad always kills rabbits for my mom and he will teach me how to when I shift the first time.” He fired off his questions in a rapid sequence and I had to laugh. 
“Calm down, little one. Let Amie get a word in,” Finlay said while chuckling. 
“Sorry, Alpha,” the pup said. But he was still looking up at me with bright eyes. 
“How about we sit down and I will tell you all about it,” I told him and he looked so happy it made me smile as big as him. “Thank you again. I’m all shifted out for tonight, so go and have fun. I’ll rest by the fire,” I told Finlay. He hesitated and looked like he wanted to object. 
“Go on, I’ll keep an eye on her,” Matilda said before he had a chance. 
“Okay,” he agreed and then he was heading towards the forest again. I sat down with Cadence and started to tell him about my first shift. I was still in awe that I had a wolf. I could feel her inside me now. Like a shadow with emotions. Matilda walked over to the table with leftover food and came back with a plate piled high and handed it to me. I had not realised how hungry I was. After I had answered most of Cadence’s questions, I went to town on the food. 
“This is amazing, thank you,” I told Matilda between bites. She laughed.
“Shifting always makes you hungry and ten times as much when it’s the first time,” she explained to me. Cadence had joined his friends, and I could hear him tell them what I had told him. 
“You are very open about shifting with the young,” I said. She nodded.
“I have deduced it wasn’t the case in your old pack?” she asked. 
“No, it was held as a secret. I have never questioned it, but now I don’t understand why. It would have been nice to know what to expect,” I told her. She hummed. 
“Some packs like to make things more complicated than they are. We’re not like that. A pack takes after their Alpha and Finlay is straightforward and doesn’t like secrets if they don’t serve a purpose. It’s why I followed him here. I always thought the gods mixed him and his brother up when it came to birth order. In my humble opinion, it was always clear that Finlay was the natural Alpha. When his brother took over our old pack and Finlay chose not to fight, it was an easy decision. It was the same for most of us. I don’t know what my sister was thinking, staying behind. I can understand loving your sons equally, but it shouldn’t blind you to see the truth,” Matilda said. 
“I’m impressed by all of you. It takes courage to do what you did,” I said. Matilda shrugged.
“Almost as much as it takes to leave your pack behind and create a new life for yourself,” she retorted. I smiled at her. 
“I only had myself to think of. You have pups and families and vulnerable people among you,” I pointed out. 
“We had, that is what makes up a pack. It takes all of us to create a balanced pack. Jason, Finley’s brother, didn’t see it like that. He wanted a pack with strong warriors,” Matilda told me.
“Let’s see how he likes it when all the strong warriors need to figure out who is going to clean the toilets or cook dinner,” I said. Matilda laughed. 
“You get it.” She sounded pleased. 
“My dad always said the most important tasks in the pack were the ones that no one thinks about until no one does them. Cleaning, cooking, ordering supplies and so on,” I told her. It had been a long time since I talked about my father and it stung my heart. 
“He sounds like a good man.”
“He was, the best Beta. At least he seemed like it to me.” 
“Finlay has told us not to pressure you, and I won’t. But I will say that this pack needs wolves like you. Seeing you wolf, knowing you have grown up in a Beta family, I can now, with absolute confidence, tell you that you are a strong wolf. You belong in the top tier of the pack, and you have the experience. We need that. That is all I’m going to say,” she told me. I smiled at her. 
“Thank you for saying it.” We fell into silence. It was comfortable sitting and looking into the flames, hearing the sounds from the forest, from the pack that celebrated the full moon. I knew me shifting changed things. It had been lonely living without a pack before. But it had been doable. But now. I could already feel my wolf’s restlessness in being alone. She took solace in being surrounded by a pack that I could feel she trusted. But she still was restless about not being part of it. I had been almost convinced I should stay in the pack before. But now, now I didn’t see any other option. I wasn’t the least sorry about it. Sure, I would need to say goodbye to my friends, but I had already started making new ones in the pack. And here I could shift and run in the woods without having to look over my shoulder. Then there was Finlay. I had to admit I might have a little crush on him. But could someone fault me for that? Who wouldn’t crush on a tall, yummy Alpha who was as sweet as he was strong? I knew nothing would happen between us. He hadn’t found his true mate, and I had. But he was still a good Alpha, I knew I wouldn’t have any issues joining his pack. 

###>>>
Chapter 14

The breakfast was served later the day after the full moon. Everyone needed a sleep-in, and I didn’t object. The conversation around the table when we did sit down to eat was focused on me and my shift. Everyone wanted to know how it felt and tell me I had looked fierce. It was a little embarrassing, but I did my best to listen to them. When we were done, Finlay asked me if I was ready for our talk. I didn’t see the point of postponing it; I had decided the night before. 
“Let’s head for my office in my house. It will give us some privacy,” he said, casting a meaningful look at the rest of the people around the table. They all looked like they had no idea what he was talking about. Finlay’s house was next to the pack house. It was a good size two-story house with dark shingles and stone corners. It had a small porch looking out over the driveway of the pack house. He showed me inside and I tried not to be too obvious about trying to look at everything. The inside was cosy, but it didn’t have any of the mementos I was expecting. I was reminded of my mother making jokes about how my father’s apartment had been practically barren before he met her. I followed Finlay into an office. It looked much more personal than the living room had. I guessed he spent more time in his office than the rest of the house. It had bookshelves on two of the walls, a desk in front of windows showing his garden and the stream beyond it. There was a table with six chairs around it and a whiteboard on the wall. In the corner, two armchairs stood. Finlay gestured to them and I took a seat in one of them. It was amazingly comfortable, and I sank into it. 
“So?” he said as he had sat down in the other.
“You want my decision?” I asked, teasing him. He smiled.
“I do.” I nodded and turned serious. 
“I will happily accept your offer,” I told him. His smile turned up and grew brighter.
“I know you would. I’m happy that you did.”
“But I need to be of use to the pack. I’m used to working and I don’t do well at not having things to do,” I added. He nodded.
“Everyone contributes to the pack,” he told me. “If it’s by having a job outside the pack or helping with joint chores, it’s all appreciated.” I nodded. “I think I have another task in mind for you, if you think you are up to it.” 
“That piqued my curiosity,” I said. He chuckled. 
“I would like you to join the pack’s leadership and work with us to improve the pack.” I was stunned.
“But there are no openings,” I pointed out. “You have your Beta and Gamma.”
“I do, and I’m not about to replace them. But I have a feeling you have had a lot more training in taking on such roles than the rest of us. To tell you the truth, in our old pack, those that weren’t groomed to take on a role in the top rank, weren’t allowed to take part in any of those activities. We have been winging it so far with the help of relying on what feels right and my aunt’s advice. I’m going to offer you the role as pack advisor. What do you think?” What did I think? It was true I had spent a lot of time with my father and my uncles while they did their work. And I had listened to my brother and James when they had talked about their training. My Uncle Jonas and my father had given me tasks, as I enjoyed figuring out schedules and putting plans together. 
“I can give it a try. We can see if my knowledge can help you and the pack,” I told him. He nodded. “And I will need someone to drive me back to town so I can give my notice and pack my things.” he frowned but nodded. 
“We can head back today. I’ll help you pack and if you don’t have room in your car, we can put the rest of your things in mine,” he suggested. 
“I appreciate it. My holiday is over tomorrow and I can’t just leave. CeCe and Mrs Jones deserve more than that. I need to hand in my resignation and work until Mrs Jones finds a replacement,” I told him. I could see he didn’t like it. He thought about it for a while.
“Okay, I can understand you have obligations you can’t just abandon. You are loyal, it’s a good quality. I’ll get you back there today and then you will give me a call when you have talked to your boss and we will arrange when you can come back home.”
“I can make the drive back here on my own. I don’t own that much and my car is more than capable of holding it all,” I said. He shook his head.
“You will call me and I will send someone,” he insisted.
“Yes, Alpha,” I said. Finlay looked at me as I used his title as my Alpha for the first time. Then a grin appeared on his face and he nodded. 
“Good. That takes us to your bloodening. Do you want to wait for the next full moon?” he asked. The bloodening was the ceremony you went through to become part of a pack you hadn’t been born into. 
“Could we do it sooner? My wolf feels restless without a pack, and I’m guessing it will get worse when I go back to town. I don’t want to extend her suffering any more than necessary,” I told him honestly. 
“We can do it as soon as you come back. Do you think that will be enough? We can do it before you leave as well,” he offered. 
“I think it would be worse to make her part of the pack and then make her leave. But as soon as I’m back sounds good.”
“Let me know if it gets out of hand when you are away. Even before the ceremony, I am your Alpha, I want you to know that you can always rely on me.”
“Thank you, I will.”
“Good. Now, on to the next topic. Living arrangements. Are you looking to build a house? There is plenty of room in the village,” he told me. I hadn’t thought about that. And it wasn’t a decision I wanted to make on a whim. 
“I’m happy to take a room in the pack house for now,” I said. He nodded. 
“Do you like the room you’re in?” he asked.
“It’s an amazing room,” I said. 
“Then we decide it will be yours,” he decided. 
“Thank you, Alpha.” 
“I think that is all for now. If you don’t have any questions?”
“No, no questions at the moment.”
“Good. If any pop up, call me or send me a text. How about we head over to the pack house and tell everyone you are staying? Then we should get on the road,” he told me.
“It sounds good.” We walked back to the pack house. Martin, Sam, Medow and Matilda were waiting for us in the entrance hall. 
“So?” Medow asked.
“So what?” Finlay teased. The three younger wolves groaned, but Matilda smiled. 
“I’m staying,” I confessed. There was a loud cheering, and I found myself in the middle of a group hug. 
“I knew you would. This will be so amazing,” Medow told me. 
“Did you ask her about the thing?” Sam asked. Finlay laughed.
“I did, and she accepted the position as advisor,” he told the group. Both Martin and Sam looked pleased. 
“What are we waiting for? We’ll loot the freezer and have an ice cream party to celebrate,” Sam suggested. I smiled at him. 
“I need to head back to town for a while. I need to get my affairs in order and pack my things,” I explained.
“I’ll give her a ride there and come right back,” Finlay explained.
“We are sending her out there all alone?” Martin asked.
“Hey, you make it sound like you are sending me into an enemy camp. It’s a sleepy small town where I have lived for four years and where I have friends. It will be alright,” I promised. 
“But what about your wolf? She needs to run,” Medow pointed out.
“I’m sure Amie will be back long before the need gets urgent,” Matilda told everyone. 
“Goddess, yes,” I agreed. 
“I’ll make sure the pack knows,” Martin offered. 
“And if I know my mate and your aunt, they will plan some kind of homecoming party already,” Sam said, kissing Medow on her cheek. 
“I’m looking forward to it,” I told them, and found that it was the truth. “I’ll just run up to the room and grab the keys to my apartment,” I told Finlay. He nodded. 
Before I knew, we were heading back to the town I had spent four years trying to build a life in. It was odd that I felt like the pack land was more home after three days, than the town ever had. 
“Are you going to be alright?” Finlay asked me as we got closer. We had spent most of the drive in a comfortable silence. “I know we, myself included, get over enthusiastic when we think of you joining the pack. We forget you have a life outside the pack and you need to say goodbye to it.”
“It’s okay. I have made some amazing friends. But it can’t compare to being in a pack. I hadn't realised it until thinking of going back. But it feels like these four years have been a standby period in my life. It has been okay, but I was waiting for something else.”
“You were waiting for us,” he said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Maybe it was. As the town came into view, it looked different. Smaller and lonelier. Finley drove me almost to the point his truck scraped the stairs to my apartment. 
“Thank you for the ride,” I told him. 
“You're not even going to invite me in for coffee?” he joked. I laughed and punched his arm. 
“You need to get back to the pack. I have taken up too much time already.”
“Fine. But you better keep in touch, Red. We’ll be back to make sure you get home safe,” he said. The new nickname surprised me, but I didn’t hate it. 
“Yes, Alpha. And it goes both ways. Let me know you get home safe.”
“Scared I’ll get hurt?” he asked.
“More like I have standards. I need to know if someone else is taking over the pack and if I can stand them as my Alpha.” 
“Ouch, I feel a little hurt.”
“You’ll survive. Drive safe, Finlay. And thank you for insisting that I come and visit,” I said and opened my door.
“Best four dinners and breakfast I ever spent money on, Red,” he told me before driving away. Watching him leave made me feel strangely empty. Then I shrugged it off and headed into my apartment to list things I needed to do before I could leave. 

###>>>
Chapter 15

Finlay called me when he got home, even though I had said a text would do. We talked for an hour as I walked around my apartment and packed my things in a random order. Nothing I would need to stay in town for a week or two. He asked me how I was feeling. My first instinct was to tell him I was okay. But I remembered him telling me to be honest, so I was. I told him it felt off being back, like a part of me was missing and my wolf was anxious and on high alert. Like the sweetheart he is, he offered to send Sam and Medow to keep me company. But I turned down the offer. I had done this before, and I knew it was temporary this time. I just needed my wolf to understand it as well. 
The next morning, I got ready and headed down to the bakery. I had thought about how I should tell the sisters about leaving. After years of knowing them, I knew that once I told one, the other would know within two minutes. 
“Amie! I have missed seeing that lovely face,” Mrs Andersen said as I came downstairs. 
“Hello, it’s nice to see the place still standing,” I told her. She laughed. 
“Nothing changes in this town, and if it does, it takes a lot longer than three days. Here, I have fixed you some coffee and blueberry scones for you.” 
“You’re an angel. I’m heading over to the diner.”
“Don’t tell me that slave driver of a sister of mine is making you work the early shift?” Mrs Andersen huffed. 
“No ma’am. I just need to get some gossip from CeCe,” I told her and walked away before she could ask more questions and punch more holes in my weak lie. As I walked into the diner, the cook greeted me and when they heard him, Mrs Jones and CeCe came rushing back to give me a hug and say welcome home. It felt bitter sweet. “Mrs Jones, do you have a minute or two to talk?” I asked. 
“Alway, honey. Let me just place Frank’s breakfast order and then we can sit down,” she told me. I nodded and grabbed a table in the corner. She soon joined me with a cup of coffee in her hand. I sipped on the coffee her sister had made me and gathered my thoughts. 
“Mrs Jones, I don’t know if I have ever told you how grateful I am that you took a chance on me the day when I arrived here. I was lost, and you gave me a way to earn money and a place to stay. It really means a lot to me,” I started. 
“I’m happy I did. Workers like you are scarce. Why am I getting the feeling you’re trying to say goodbye?” She was as insightful as ever. 
“My vacation,” I started.
“The first and only vacation you have taken in four years and that just coincided with a hot man stubbornly courting you?” Mrs Jones asked. 
“Yes, that one.” She laughed. “I got an offer for a new position. It’s a good opportunity and at first I was going to turn it down, but now I have accepted. I need to hand in my notice. I’m sorry, but I can stay and work until you find someone to replace me,” I told her. She nodded. 
“There is no one to replace you. But I think I can persuade Laura to come work here. I would be grateful if you could stay a week from her starting, to help train her. “
“Of course. It’s the least I can do,” I agreed. 
“Good, I appreciate it. So, this man of yours. Does he treat you right?” she asked. 
“It’s nothing romantic between Finlay and me. But he treats me good,” I told her. She smiled and nodded. 
“I won’t say I won’t be sorry to see you go. You are my best employee and a damned good girl. But I think you are doing the right thing. You were never meant to end up here permanently. You are too good for a place like this. I always knew you were passing by. But I’m happy we got four years at least.”
“I’m happy as well,” I told her. Even if the town seemed to gnaw on all my sore spots at the moment. I knew I would look back on my time here as positive and a turning point in me finding and accepting myself. 
“Let’s not make this old woman cry. I will talk to Laura and let you know when she can start. And I’m sending CeCe over. I’m guessing you want to talk to her as well?”
“Yes, thank you Mrs Jones.” CeCe came skipping over, filled with exciting news of what had been going on for the last three days. I happily let her talk and soaked up her overflowing positivity. As soon as I told CeCe I was leaving, her cheery mood vanished and she looked at me with puppy dog eyes. I felt like I had kicked a puppy. 
“You're leaving? Why?” she asked.
“It’s just my time. The job Finlay offered was just too good to turn down,” I said. 
“Finlay, that’s that hot guy who didn’t give up until you agreed to meet him, right?” CeCe asked.
“Right.”
“I see, well than I approve, kind of.” I rolled my eyes as she did something on her phone.
“It’s not like that,” I told her.
“Aha, sure it’s not.” 
“No, seriously, it’s not. He belongs to someone else.” It wasn’t a lie. Even if Finlay was single, he had a mate out there somewhere waiting. 
“What? He’s not single? What the fuck was he flirting with you for then?” CeCe said, clearly outraged on my behalf. 
“He wasn’t flirting. It’s a little complicated to explain. But he has a connection to my family and recognised me. He wanted to offer me a job, that’s all.” It was as close to the truth as I could go, and CeCe looked at me for a long time before nodding. The door to the diner opened, and Jessi stormed in and headed straight to our table. Now I knew what CeCe had been doing on her phone. 
“You’re leaving?” he asked as he stood next to me and stared down. 
“I am,” I told him.
“I don’t like it,” he said and sank down on a chair.
“Why not?” I asked.
“There are a lot of weirdos out there, Amie. If you leave, I can’t keep an eye on you,” he said. I had to smile at him. 
“That is sweet in a chauvinistic kind of way. But I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself. I’m more worried about you. Have you two sorted things out?” I asked to distract them. The way they both turned bright red told me they hadn’t. “Yeah, I thought so. Look, it’s easy. Jessie, you like CeCe, like a lot. But you’re worried your reputation as the town flirt will deter her. CeCe, you have had a crush on Jessi since forever. But you are afraid he doesn’t take you seriously, but as just another hook up. You are good together, you respect each other and I’m not going to tell you what to do. But in my opinion you need to sit down and talk about it. Otherwise, life will pass you by and you will both end up old and with a lot of what-if questions.” I felt quite happy about my little speech. It had the desired effect of drawing the focus away from me leaving and all the questions they could have about it. We spent a couple of moments in silence as CeCe and Jessie tried not to look at each other, and then ended up smiling each time they caught the other one doing so. I felt like a third wheel but was rescued when Mrs Jones walked over to us. She gave the two lovebirds a questioning look and then rolled her eyes at me. I smiled.
“I talked to Laura, she can start on Monday. Does that work?” she asked me. It would mean I needed to stay in town for a week and a half. That was not as bad as I had feared. 
“Sounds good to me,” I confirmed. After that, I just sat around and people watched. There was nothing wrong with the rumour mill in the town. Soon everyone of the locals knew I was leaving, and they walked over to my table to exchange a few words, telling me it was sad to se me go. It was a nice feeling. Even Mrs Andersen stopped by. 
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this morning. I wanted your sister to be the first one to know,” I told her.
“Oh, that’s okay, my dear. Am I right in guessing that sexy piece of man that dropped you off yesterday is the reason for all of this?” she asked and wiggled her eyebrows. It was a little unnerving to hear that coming from her, but I smiled.
“To some extent. But not in an eyebrow wiggling way. He offered me a job,” I told her. 
“Sure, sure. My sister told me as much. But we aren’t blind, you know. We see things.” I just smiled and shook my head. I changed for my shift in the bathroom and was almost feeling nostalgic about knowing I had a limited amount of days left to put on the mint green uniform. When I ended my shift, I walked home and sent a text to Finlay, letting him know when my last day was. It took him two minutes and then he called.
“I’ll be collecting you on the Saturday after next,” he said.
“You know, you can send someone else. I don’t have much stuff, most of my furniture I can donate as the room in the pack house has everything I need,” I said. 
“Don’t even try. I know the way, so it will be easier for me.”
“Sure, or there are these things called GPS nowadays,” I teased him.
“Are you trying to get rid of me, Red?” he asked. 
“Never. But I would think an Alpha would have better things to spend their time on than collecting me and my boxes,” I told him.
“Nice try. I’m not giving you an out until I have blooded you,” he joked. We ended up talking for almost three hours. It was nice to have his company, even if it wasn’t in person. It helped with the anxiety my wolf felt being away from what she clearly saw as her pack. 

###>>>
Chapter 16

The week and a half both passed by quickly and seemed to stretch out for an eternity. Laura turned out to be a natural at waiting tables and she soaked in what I had to teach her in no time. It eased my guilty conscience a little, as I knew I wouldn’t be ditching Mrs Jones and CeCe with a heavier workload. My last shift in the diner was an evening shift and as soon as the last paying customer had eaten their dinner, Mrs Jones announced the diner was closed. To my surprise, most of the town then flooded in as CeCe announced it was my goodbye party. It was a wonderful evening and I even got a little teary-eyed a couple of times. CeCe and Jessie insisted they would come over to help me pack my car the following morning, even though I told them I would get help. In the end, I ran out of excuses and agreed they could come over. I don’t think I could have kept them away even if I had said no. It was their way of trying to assess if they felt I was safe with Finlay or not. It was sweet. I had a hard time sleeping, my stomach was filled with nervous butterflies and my wolf was giddy with excitement. 
My alarm went off at seven a.m and I got up. I packed the bedding in a box I had saved for it and then headed down to the bakery. Mrs Andresen had promised to make me breakfast so I wouldn’t have to dirty any of my kitchen things my last morning. I carried in the two sacks of flour I always helped her with and she offered me several freshly made muffins and some delicious coffee. As I was enjoying it and chit chatting with Mrs Andersen, I heard a car arrive, but it didn’t sound like Finlay’s truck. I headed out back to investigate. To my surprise, it wasn’t just Finlay that had arrived. He was leaning against an unknown truck with Sam and Medow. Medow squealed when she saw me and ran to give me a tight hug. I laughed and hugged her back.
“I have missed you,” Medow said.
“I have missed you too. But I didn’t expect you to come here,” I replied. 
“I know, but when Finlay said he would get you, we thought…” Medow began but got interrupted by Sam clearing his throat. “Okay, okay, I thought, it would be a nice thing if we came as well,” she finished. 
“I’m not objecting. But four people to move me seems a little much.” At that moment, CeCe and Jessie came walking. I introduced everyone to each other and watched as Finlay and Jessie gave each other a measured look. I rolled my eyes and both CeCe and Medow giggled. 
“Okay, let’s get me packed,” I told everyone before it all turned into a dick measuring contest. With six people and my very limited amount of boxes, it took less than half an hour to stow everything away in the Volvo and the truck. 
“I’ll be driving,” Finlay told me and held out his hand for the key to my car. I hesitated.
“I usually don’t let anyone else drive her,” I told him.
“Her?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, Aime has an unhealthy attachment to that car,” CeCe giggled.
“Hey, me and Beula have been through a lot,” I objected.
“Beula?” Medow asked.
“It suits her,” I said and patted the sand-coloured roof. Everyone laughed.
“Are you going to tell me I can’t drive your car?” Finlay asked. The tone he used made it clear to me he was asking as my Alpha. Technically, he wasn’t my Alpha yet. But it wouldn’t be a good way to start life in his pack by pointing out technicalities like that. 
“Of course not,” I said, tossing the keys to him. 
“I have packed doughnuts for everyone, and coffee,” Mrs Andersen said. She was walking to us holding two large bags and balancing four large to-go cups. Sam and Finlay hurried to help her. “Thank you, that’s sweet of you,” she said. 
“I have packed some burgers for you to eat on the way. No fries, as they will just get soggy. But plenty of stuffed potatoes,” Mrs Jones announced as she came walking with two bags full of food. 
“Thank you,” I said to both of the sisters. And they knew I wasn’t just thanking them for the food.
“It has been a pleasure, Amie,” Mrs Jones said. As she handed the food over to Finlay, she gave me a hug and her sister did the same.
“Don’t forget about us. You keep in touch,” Jessie said, giving me a hug. 
“I will. And get your shit together and ask her out before I have to send someone to mess you up,” I told him. He grinned at me. Then it was CeCe’s turn. We hugged for a long while and promised to keep in touch and she promised to look out for Jessie. I handed my apartment key back to Mrs Andersen and got into the passenger seat of the Volvo. Finlay was already sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Are you okay?” he asked. 
“I will be,” I told him.
“Ready to go home?”
“More than ready,” I agreed. It was the truth. Even though it was bittersweet to say goodbye to my old life, I was excited to start my new one. I waved to my friends as we drove off. The car smelled of fried food and coffee. There were the worst scents to be surrounded by. We drove in silence for a while. I think Finlay let me take in the moment and I appreciated it.
“Want a doughnut?” I finally asked. 
“I never turn down deep fried baked goods,” he said. I smiled and fished one out of the bag and handed it to him. “Medow and aunt Matilda have been busy planning your bloodening ceremony. They will talk you through it this afternoon. If you feel it’s too much or you don’t like something, just tell them. They won’t be offended,” he told me. I smiled as I munched on my own doughnut. 
“I’m sure I will like it. When is it planned for?”
“Tomorrow.” He watched me from the corner of his eye as if he was afraid I was going to object. 
“Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it.” He relaxed and smiled.
“So is the pack, you should hear how hyped up Cadence is,” Finlay told me with a laugh. It felt nice to know the pack was looking forward to taking me in.
“No objections from anyone or suspicions?” I asked. 
“No. You made a superb impression on everyone,” he said. He took a swipe out of his coffee and sighed happily. I had missed him, even if we had talked over the phone every day. But I had missed his calming aura and clean, pine scent. I knew I needed to be careful. I couldn’t let myself or my wolf didn’t get too attached. Finlay would find his mate, and when that happened, I needed to be able to accept her as my Luna. I would just make sure we kept things on a friendly level. Around the halfway mark, Finlay announced he had mind linked with Sam and it was time to eat. We parked at some picnic tables by the side of the road and took out the burgers and stuffed potatoes. 
“I understand why you spent four days eating at that diner if this is the food they are serving,” Sam told Finlay. We all laughed. I felt my wolf settling down. She recognised her new pack members, and she enjoyed the opportunity to reestablish the social connection we both had built during our three days at the pack. I noticed Finlay looking very pleased about something. 
“I can drive,” I offered as we got back in the cars. 
“Not happening,” Finlay told me. 
“What are you so pleased about?” I asked after we had been driving for a while. 
“I like it when a plan comes together. I’m getting a new pack member, a strong one. You will help us build a stronger pack and I enjoy your company. I think I have every right to feel pleased,” he told me. I laughed at his honesty. 
“If you put it like that, I would say you are right,” I agreed and relaxed back.
“You look pleased as well,” he remarked. 
“I have got a wolf. I’m about to have a pack and a new exciting job. And I think I’m becoming friends with my Alpha. I say I have just as much to be pleased about,” I told him. He chuckled. 
“True. It’s a good day,” he agreed. We arrived at the pack house a couple of hours later. Finlay and I had spent the time talking and joking. So when I got out of the car, my legs felt a little stiff, but I was relaxed. I took a moment to scent my surroundings and was so occupied with taking in the moment that I missed the projectile that came flying at me. 

###>>>
Chapter 17

Cadence came flying out of nowhere and jumped up on me to give me a hug. The sheer force of the pup had me stumbling back before I found my balance. 
“Cadence!” Finlay barked. “You can’t just tackle people.”
“I’m sorry, Alpha. I was just happy to see her,” Cadence said. He looked at me with his big, sad puppy eyes. 
“It’s okay. I missed you too,” I told him and gave him a hug before placing him on the ground. “What have you been doing while I was away?” I asked and then I listened to him telling me about everything he had been doing. Finlay also listened patiently. “Wow, that was a lot of things,” I said when Cadence had listed everything. 
“Are you going to stay this time?” the pup asked. 
“I am. I just need to get all my things into my room,” I told him.
“I can help,” he offered. Finlay smiled and reached into the car and pulled out a small bag. 
“Here you go. Be careful with it,” he told Cadence. He grabbed a stack of boxes of his own and I took one. Medow and Sam took a couple more and Martin came walking and joined in as well. Before I knew it all pack members in the area had grabbed a box and with the limited amount of boxes, everyone had to make one trip and then I was moved in.
“Thank you, everyone,” I said as they left the boxes in neat stacks in the corner of my room. 
“I’ll see you later, Amie,” Cadence called out and waved as he left.
“He likes you,” Finlay pointed out. 
“He’s a sweetheart,” I said. 
“My aunt and Medow will stop by in a while. I asked them to give you at least an hour to settle in. But they are excited, so don’t expect much more time than that,” Finlay told me.
“I’m looking forward to it. And thank you for all the help.”
“Don’t mention it. Let me know if you need something. I’ll see you at dinner.” When Finlay left, I was alone and took a moment to look out the windows. I loved the view of the brook. I took a deep breath. I’m home. I found the boxes labelled ‘clothes’ and started unpacking. Finlay was right. Almost an hour on the dot after he left, Medow and Marta knocked on my door. 
“Do you have a moment to sit down and go over tomorrow's ceremony?” Marta asked. 
“It sounds like fun. Why don’t you come in? It’s a little bit of a mess at the moment. But we can sit at the table by the windows,” I suggested.
“We were hoping you would offer, so we brought snacks,” Medow said and showed me a basket. As I let them inside, she unpacked it on the table. There were cookies, fudge, cupcakes, fresh fruit and sodas. 
“Tomorrow is the big day!” Medow exclaimed. Marta smiled at the younger wolf. 
“You will have to forgive her, she is young and full of excitement,” Marta said.
“How could I not be? Do you know how long it’s been since we had a bloodening?” I laughed. 
“I take it that not many seek out the pack to become members?” I asked. Both women shrugged. 
“We haven’t ranked, which puts us at the bottom. Not many know about us and those who do know the risk of joining a low ranking pack,” Marta told me. I nodded. As a low ranking pack there was a real threat from other packs and rogues. Finlay and the pack had bought their land when they needed new pack land. Because that was who Finlay, and therefore the pack, was. But there were other ways to get pack land. If you were a new pack or a pack in need of more land, you could get it by attacking another one. You could, theoretically, attack any pack. But you would be insane to try and do so with one of the top ranked packs. Not only had they proven to be stronger than all other packs, they also had more allies than anyone else. So, your best bet was to go after the lower ranked packs. 
“I get that,” I said. 
“Last to join was Gordon, but he didn’t need a bloodening as he mated Alica. He chose to join us rather then her joining his old pack,” Medow said. 
“But it’s always a joyful thing to have a bloodening. It will do the pack good to celebrate,” Marta added. 
“You haven’t planned anything big, have you?” I asked, feeling a bit worried.
“No, no,” Medow said, waving her hand. I looked at Marta.
“It’s a big occasion,” Marta told me. Then they walked me through the plans. If I had planned it, I may have scaled it down a bit. But I didn’t mind their way either, they did have a point that it was something worth celebrating. “How open do you want to be about your past?” Marta asked. I understood the underlying question. Did I want people to know about my rejection?
“I want to be open,” I told her. I may not be latent, but I wanted my new pack to know me, know how I came to be one of them. Medow looked between me and Marta.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” she said. 
“The reason I left my old pack was because my mate rejected me because my wolf hadn’t come to me,” I told her. The dull ache was hardly noticeable as I spoke the words. 
“No!” Medow gasped and she put her hand over her heart as if to protect it. Tears welled in her eyes. “How could they do something like that?” she whispered. I smiled at her genuine reaction. She had such a kind heart. 
“It’s okay, Medow. I think it was for the best, that’s how I ended up here,” I told her. Before she could say something, there was a hard knock on my door.
“Medow?!” Sam called. I smiled. He must have felt her distress and came running. 
“It’s okay, let him in,” I told her, and Marta gave me a knowing look. Medow went to the door and she and Sam had a quiet conversation. They shared a kiss and when Medow came back, she looked happier and wiped her eyes to get rid of the tears. 
“He must have been an idiot. It’s lucky you got rid of him. I don’t want you to end up with an idiot. We will find someone that deserve you,” Medow told me with a fierce look in her eyes. I smiled at her. 
“Thank you,” I said and gave her a long hug. She just nodded. 
We ended up talking all the way to dinner. We walked down to the dining room together. Finlay, Sam and Martin were already there. Sam hurried over to Medow, I could see he was still worried. It felt nice seeing their bond. I sat down at the table next to Finlay. 
“Are you okay? Sam said you wanted to be open about what happened to you?” he whispered to me. I smiled at him and nodded.
“It feels better that way,” I answered in the same low voice. He nodded. 
“And did you have a chance to go through tomorrow?” He then asked in his normal voice.
“We did. They have done an amazing job. I feel honoured,” I said truthfully. 
“Not too much?” 
“No. I think it will be perfect,” I said. 
“Of course it will be,” Marta huffed. 
“And then we can sit down and talk. I have something I want to ask you,” Martin said. 
“I will do my best to answer any questions,” I promised. Dinner was relaxed. Several members of the pack came by to welcome me and to say they were looking forward to the bloodening. I found myself enjoying being social, something I hadn’t enjoyed in years. 
“Do you want to go for a run?” Finlay asked as dinner was over. 
“You mean as a wolf?” I asked, feeling my excitement build. He chuckled. 
“Yes, it’s not common for us to go running in human form. I know we will have a pack run tomorrow after the bloodening, but you haven’t shifted in a couple of weeks,” he told me.
“I would love to,” I told him.
“Can we come as well?” Medow asked. 
“Of course,” Finlay said. Martin and Sam wanted to join as well. 
“Marta?” I asked. She shook her head.
“My time for running wild in the forest is behind me. I will stay here and keep an eye on things.” Finlay led the group into the woods. We stopped in an area with trees that had branches closer to the ground that let us place our clothes on them. Everyone started shifting and I took a breath. I had never changed into my wolf on command before. But when I shifted to my human form, Finlay had told me to focus on being human. I did the opposite now, and felt the shift to wolf. It was fast and painless. Finlay was still in his human form and I knew he had been waiting to see if I needed help. I yipped at him. He chuckled.
“Never doubt you, Red,” he told me and shifted into his wolf. It was annoying to not be able to communicate with the others in my wolf form. But after tomorrow we would be able to mindlink. I took the opportunity to enjoy the still new feeling of running as a wolf. The moon was almost not visible at all, a stark contrast to last time. But the ground was soft and pleasant to run on. The forest was full of interesting scents and the air was warm. Finlay guided us on a long run through forest, along the river and then back into the forest. Several times I scented game and my instinct was to track it, hunt it, kill it. But each time, Finlay guided me away from the track. Apparently, I wasn’t ready to hunt yet. We finally ended up back where we had begun. I shifted back and got dressed.
“You’re a natural,” Martin told me.
“Thank you.”
“And damned are you fast! I can usually keep up with the boys, but when you gave it all over that open glade, you left me in the dust,” Medow side and laughed.
“That was so much fun. But that wasn’t my all. That was just stretching out,” I told her. It made her laugh even more. 
“I’m hungry,” Sam declared as we headed back to the pack house. 
“I’m sure we have leftovers, and ice cream,” Medow said. We all ended the night with an impromptu feast in the kitchen. 

###>>>
Chapter 18

The next day felt like all I did was to wait for the bloodening ceremony to begin. It would take place after dinner, so I had the whole day to pass. I spent most of it unpacking and then walking around the village and the surrounding area. I was walking along the creek when I heard footsteps and scented Medow. I stopped walking and waited for her to catch up.
“You are one hard cookie to find. I had to track you down with my sniffer,” she said as she saw me. I smiled.
“Sorry. Trying to get to know the area,” I explained. 
“I get it. It’s a beautiful pack land, we were lucky to get it,” she said. 
“Were you with the pack when it split from the Ocean Shore pack?” I asked her.
“No, that was before I met Sam. After they split from their old pack, the group temporarily got shelter with the Coyote Hill pack. My old pack were allies with that pack and we assisted with additional tents and supplies. That’s how I met Sam,” she told me.
“And you chose to go to his pack even though they didn’t have a home?”
“Well, yes. In my old pack I was just an ordinary pack member. I liked it there and I had my family there. But Finlay and the pack needed Sam. He was their Gamma and there had already been so many changes for them that I knew they didn’t need to lose their Gamma as well. So it wasn’t a hard decision to make. And then Finlay found this land and I have never been happier.”
“It is beautiful here,” I agreed. “So why did you look for me?”
“It’s almost time to get ready for the ceremony. It’s best to do it before dinner as we head over to the clearing right after,” she said. “I was hoping we could get ready together.” Her voice sounded more uncertain. “It’s not that I don’t have any friends here. I do. Everyone has been amazing. But I’m part of the top tier of the pack, it creates a distance to the rest of the pack. And since neither Martin or Finley has found their mates, it’s a bit lonely being the only female, except for Matilda, on the top.”
“I get it,” I told her. “That’s one of the reasons my brother and I grew so close to the Alpha and Gamma children in my old pack. It’s nice to have friends that know what responsibilities you live with,” I said. “And I would love to get ready with you.” She smiled at me and we hooked arms and walked back to the pack house. Along the way Medow pointed out some of her favourite spots and as we were almost at the pack house, she pointed out her and Sam’s house. It was a nice two story house a bit away from the pack house. “My place or your?” I asked her. 
“I have already put my things outside your room,” Medow said. “What are you going to wear?” she asked as we got into my room and she started unpacking her small bag. 
“I was hoping I could get away with something simple? I really haven’t had the occasion to dress up in the last few years,” I told her. she frowned at me.
“It’s your bloodening ceremony. It should be special. I would lend you something. But you’re as tall as a freaking tree. All my dresses would look ridiculous on you. Can I have a look in your closet?” she asked. 
“Be my guest,” I said and made a hand movement towards where my clothes were. She dived right in and I smiled at her enthusiasm. I heard her make disapproving sounds. 
“Oh. I think I have found something,” she told me. She reemerged holding a summer dress in teal with big cream-coloured flowers. It was full length, flowing and CeCe had made me buy it for a party we ended up never attending. 
“I don’t know,” I said hesitantly.
“Well I do. This is it,” she insisted. I folded and we spent an hour getting ready while talking. We found we had a lot in common, but were also different in many ways. “I know the boys are looking forward to picking your brain. They need someone with formal training. But so do I. So please leave some of your energy for me,” she told me. 
“I think you all are worrying too much about formal training. Look at this pack. It’s a good pack, a balanced pack and you seem to be doing well. Whatever you are doing is obviously working,” I told her as I pushed my free flowing hair back. 
“That is sweet of you. But I think we all will feel better when we can confirm we are doing things the right way,” she insisted and pulled my hair back so it fell over my shoulder. 
“Don’t put too much credit into the old ways. Sometimes it’s healthy to find new ways. Stagnancy is never good,” I said and resisted the urge to push my hair back. I wasn’t used to having it hang loose. 
“See. This is the kind of wisdom we need. Ready to head down?” Medow asked. 
“Ready as I will be. Thank you for getting ready with me,” I said. She hooked her arm in mine.
“No problem, it was a lot of fun. We even compliment each other,” she giggled. I looked down on our dresses. Her, a powder pink with small white flowers. 
“We do,” I agreed. We made our way down to the dining hall and found it almost full to the brim with wolves dressed up. Even the pups looked ready for a party. The dining room had been decorated with green birch branches and red flowers. “Wow,” was all I could say. 
“Wow indeed.” I turned around and saw Finlay looking at me with a grin. Sam walked up to us and drew Medow into a kiss. I walked over to Finlay to let the mated pair have a moment. “You clean up nicely, red,” he told me. 
“Thank you, Alpha,” I said. there was a glint in his eyes when I said it. But it was gone before I could identify it. 
“It’s Finlay as long as we’re not doing something formal,” he told me. I gave him a smile. “Don’t tell me you are nervous, red,” he said. 
“Me? Not at all. I’m just going to stand up, in a dress, in front of the whole pack and swear an oath and cut my hand open. I can’t even count the number of ways I can screw this up,” I honestly told him. 
“Hey, hey. I know you will do fine. Some butterflies are normal. But you got this,” he told me. He reached for my hand and gently squeezed it. It took a deep breach and nodded. I tried not to notice how calming his touch was. He was my Alpha and my friend, that’s all. 
“Amie, you look amazing. I have to have the broom ready to keep all the single wolves in this pack away. That’s unless you don’t want me to keep them away,” Matilda said as she walked up to us. I laughed and gave her a hug.
“Please keep the broom ready and hand me one as well,” I told her. We all sat down and ate, the spirit was high and the dining room was filled with laughter. I took a moment and enjoyed it. Martin smiled at me.
“Are you having fun?” he asked. 
“I am. I didn’t think I missed pack life this much,” I told him. He nodded.
“I can’t imagine living as long as you did without a pack. I don’t know if I’m impressed, or if I should worry about your mental health,” he said. I laughed.
“I think it’s about fifty, fifty, to be honest.” He joined in my laughter. 
“Are you ready to do this?” Finlay asked a moment later. I looked around the room at the pack and it had been a long time since I had been as sure about anything in my life.
“I’m ready,” I told him. He gave me a smile and stood up. 
“Let’s all go to the clearing, it’s time for the bloodening,” he called out. There was a cheer and everyone got up and moved towards the woods. I find myself walking in the middle of the pack flanked by Finley and Matilda. The bonfire was lit and as darkness fell around us, I felt the world shrink until everything that existed was the clearing and the pack. 

###>>>
Chapter 19

The pack formed a circle around Amie and me. A bloodening was always a special occasion. A wolf swearing loyalty to me and the pack was a big thing. This ceremony was one thing I loved about being the Alpha. But standing in the circle facing Amie felt special in a different way. She looked stunning in her dress, with her hair let down and her green eyes sparkling in the light of the fire. My feeling of puzzle pieces coming together as she joined the pack was stronger than ever.
“We are here tonight to open our pack and welcome a new member into our fold. Armeria Rose Sage, Amie, you have come to us to join our pack. Do you come to us with good intentions, ready to join our pack and strive for a better life for each and every pack member?” I asked her. She looked me in the eyes, something that was rare for me as an Alpha, but appropriate for the moment. 
“I do,” she answered in a clear voice and I could see how serious she was. 
“Blue Mountain pack, does anyone raise their voice with an objection to why Armeria Rose Sage should not be allowed to join us?” I asked the pack. I let the seconds tick pass in silence. I could feel the pack through our bond and I knew not one of them had any hesitation about Amie joining us. But it was part of the ritual and I enjoyed the dense silence. When I was satisfied that we had given it enough time I smiled at Amie and handed her the ceremonial knife. It was carved from the antler of a deer. The first kill I had made after we had established our pack land. The deer horn was embedded with a row of sharp flint. Amie took the knife and without hesitating she cut a line from her right elbow to her palm.
“I, Armeria Rose Sage, ask to join the Blue Mountain pack,” she said and reached out both her cut arm and the knife. I took the knife and cut my right arm just as she had.
“I, Finlay Nero Cadwick, Alpha of the Blue Mountain pack, accept you as a member of our pack,” I said and grabbed her right arm just under her elbow. Our wounds lined up and she grabbed my arm. As hers was shorter than mine, she didn’t reach all the way to my elbow. I could feel her blood mixing with mine. Our eyes locked as we stood and let the magic happen. 
“Do you swear your loyalty to me and my pack?” I asked her.
“I swear my loyalty to you and the pack,” she said. I felt the pack bond snap into place with her words. We released each other’s arms and I watched hers to make sure her wound healed. 
“Let’s welcome our newest pack member!” I called out to the pack. There was a loud cheer and the circle of pack members crumbled as they all walked forward to greet Amie. I stood and watched how Cadence hugged her and then stood by her side as the rest of the pack hugged her, or shook her hand. Aunt Matilda joined me after a while. 
“Good job,” she said. 
“It’s not my first bloodening.” She rolled her eyes. 
“I wasn’t complimenting your ceremony skills,” she told me. “Good job with getting her to join our pack, silly.”
“Oh. Right. Thank you.” She shook her head and kissed my cheek. “Time for a pack run!” I told everyone. The pups, teens, and the older wolves headed back to the pack house. The rest of the pack stripped and shifted. I led them in a shorter run. I wanted everyone to be able to join the entire run. We paused at the outcrop over the river. I pulled my head back and howled. The rest of the pack joined in and among the wolves I recognised Amie’s howl. We set off towards the clearing. I had let the pack members run alongside our newest member during the first part of the run. Now I could join her and trot alongside her for the final part without feeling I blocked the others' access to her. 
‘How does it feel?’ I asked her in a mindlink, enjoying the fact I could now communicate with her in wolf form. She looked at me and I could see the joy in her eyes. 
‘Amazing. I had almost forgotten what it feels like to be part of a pack. The bond and the constant connection,’ she told me. We got to the bonfire and everyone headed for their pile of clothing. Amie sat down and didn’t seem to be in any hurry to shift back. She sat in her wolf form, her tongue slightly hanging out and watched everyone around her. 
‘Tired?’ I asked, feeling worried I had overdone it with the run. It was easy to forget that she was new to shifting and hadn’t had time to develop her stamina yet.
‘Not at all. I could go for another run. I’m just taking in the moment,’ she told me before shifting and slipping on her dress. I chuckled as I made sure everyone was accounted for and ready to head for the pack house. Martin, Sam and Medow joined Amie and me as we headed for the dining room. I knew the pack had prepared a feast during the day that the ones who didn’t run with us would have put out. I was starving, as always after shifting and I was looking forward to the food. I smile as Medow hooks her arm in Amie’s. The two have become close already, and I join in with Martin as he teases Sam.
“Looks like you have been traded in for a newer model. Your mate seems to have a thing for redheads,” Martin told Sam. 
“Maybe she is collecting you,” I added. We both laughed at the hint of jealousy that flashed in Sam’s eyes before he quickened his steps and walked up to Medow’s other side and took her hand. 
“Don’t tease him,” Medow scolded us. “I just had to have a matching pair. But Sam will always be my mate,” she added, giving him a kiss. We all laughed, even Sam. As we got to the dining hall in the pack house, a buffet with heaps of food had been set up. As Alpha, I was to take my portion first. I took a plate and loaded it with food. The pack then waited for Amie. She looked a little unsure at first, but gave in and took a plate of her own. After that, it was a free for all and the tables filled with food were soon surrounded by hungry pack members. Instead of sitting down to eat, everyone walked around and talked, rubbed shoulders with each other, and made sure the pack bond was strong. Amie had Cadence as a shadow when she moved around. I watched as she made sure he was included in the conversations and took time to give him attention. Cadence's father had made sure with both me and Amie that she didn’t mind having him around. But Amie liked the pup and I just found the whole thing adorable. 
It was a little after midnight and the party was winding down. I had gone outside to the back porch of the pack house to get some air while the last members of the pack remained. I heard Amies footsteps, it was easy to know it was her now that we had the pack link, even if her footsteps were almost silent. 
“Am I disturbing you?” she asked.
“Not at all,” I said and gestured to the other deck chair next to the one I was sitting on. She sat down. “What’s up?” I asked. 
“It’s my brother’s birthday in a couple of weeks,” she said. I remember her telling me about her tradition.
“You want to continue posting your cards?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Don’t you think they would respect that you have settled down into a new pack?” I asked.
“Probably. But for now I’m not ready to take the chance,” she said. I nodded. 
“Just let me know what day and where you’re heading. If you don’t want to do it by yourself, you have options to bring someone along now,” I told her. 
“Thank you. But I don’t think I would be good company. I will do it on my own,” she insisted. I nodded.
“Just make sure to check in regularly so we know you are safe.”
“I will. Thank you.” There was a long stretch of comfortable silence. The new moon was approaching and the brook was lit only by the stars. 
“Time to head to bed, Red. I expect you to be in the conference room directly after breakfast tomorrow. Time to start your new job,” I finally told her. She laughed. 
“Yes, Alpha,” she said and got up. The way she used my title always did something to me. I did my best not to let it show. “Sleep tight, Finlay,” she added. 
“You too, Red. Welcome to the pack. I’m happy you’re one of us.”
“So am I.”

###>>>
Chapter 20

After my alarm woke me in the morning, I just lay in bed for a while, getting used to the pack bond again. It wasn’t as if you always felt every individual in the pack and what they were feeling. It was more like a soft humming in the back of your mind. My last pack bond hadn’t been severed, as I had run away, the distance had made it fell less and less the further away I got. But even during my first months in my new home, I had felt it. But a pack bond that wasn’t maintained and if you didn’t return to the pack land at least a couple of times a year, it faded. The bond was a living thing and needed to be nourished and feed. But now a new pack bond had taken its place, as well as a connection to the pack land. I loved the familiar, yet new, feeling of it. I eventually got up and got ready before heading down for breakfast. Cadence’s family invited me to sit with them, and I did. It was nice getting to know his parents and older sister. When he asked me if I wanted to go to the river with him and his sister, I had to decline. I had to start my new work today. 
“Where have you been?” Medow asked as we met outside the conference room.
“I had breakfast with Cadence and his family,” I told her and Sam.
“Is he trying to court you?” she asked and we laughed as we joined Finlay and Martin in the room dedicated for the meeting of the top rank.
“What are you doing?” Finlay asked me as I took a chair that stood along the wall and moved the other chairs around the table to make room for it. 
“I’m getting a chair so I can sit down,” I told him. 
“And why do you need a new chair?” he asked, confused. I looked at the table. Finlay was sitting at the head of it, Martin to his right, with an empty chair next to him, opposite him where Sam and Medow sat next to her mate. The chair opposite Finlay was also empty.
“I’m not sitting in the Luna’s or the Beta female’s chairs,” I told him. He sighed, rolled his eyes, and signed for Martin to scoot his chair closer to Finlay. I moved the Beta female’s chair after Martin and put my own at the corner between the two empty chairs. 
“Happy?” he asked me as I took my seat.
“Yes,” I said. The others laughed.
“Now that we got the important matter of the chairs out of the way,” Finlay said, looking pointedly at me. “We can start by welcoming Amie to our group. I think we are all looking forward to her advice,” he continued. The three others eagerly nodded. 
“Thank you. But as I told Medow yesterday; I think you are doing a far better job than you give yourself credit for. The pack is thriving and is harmonious. I don’t know what I can contribute with,” I honestly told them.
“The pack is a good pack, and I agree with you. We mostly got those things under control. Well, Finlay does most of it, and he is a natural Alpha,” Martin agreed.
“But what we worry about is the outside threats and how we can prepare the pack to face them,” Sam continued. All four of them nodded in agreement. 
“We are a low ranking pack. But we are low ranking since you couldn’t participate in the last games. I would think packs and rogues that are after land would go after one of the confirmed weak packs,” I said. Finlay and Martin both shook their heads.
“We have chased away wolves that have been close to our borders. It has only been one or two at the time so far, but we think they are scouts,” Martin told me.
“Pack or rogues?”
“Both,” he said.
“We think it’s due to the fact confirmed weak packs have already been targeted and all good land has been taken. Most of those packs are living on barren land or in the cities,” Finlay told me. I shuddered at the thought. 
“And then there is us, and all this amazing land. Okay, I can see why they are willing to chance it,” I said. “So we need to prepare. Even if we are a strong pack, not everyone can fight or defend themselves. What is the plan if we get attacked?” I asked. Finlay got up and got a map from a locked drawer and spread it out over the table. It showed the pack land and someone had drawn symbols on it. They all explained what plans they had put in place to keep the pack safe. They had hideouts in two places in the village and then seven more scattered across the land. Most were natural caves they had fortified and made sure to keep food and blankets in. 
“It looks good. It’s a good start,” I said. “But we should add some general pack training that everyone participates in. Something that teaches everyone to find shelter if they get caught by surprise.”
“Everyone? Even the pups?” Martin asked.
“Especially the pups. We all know they have a tendency to go exploring either on their own or with a friend or two. They need to know what to do if we are attacked,” I said.
“Should we maybe just make sure they stay close to an adult?” Sam suggested. Finlay, Medow and I all shook our heads. 
“Exploration is necessary. It gives them confidence and nourishes their natural curiosity,” Finlay said. 
“I agree. It’s better that we teach them to hide, contact an adult and wait for help,” I said. 
“Okay. But how do you train pups? I know how to train adults, but even I know that won’t work with pups,” Sam said. I giggled. I had seen him train the warriors when I visited and he was right. His training style was to yell at the warriors and shout profanities when they didn’t do as he wanted.
“No, we won’t do it that way. I would say that we should turn it into a game,” I suggested.
“Oh, yeah. Like a hide and seek tournament,” Medow said enthusiastically. I nodded.
“Not a bad idea. We could have different classes. One for pups, one for regular pack members and one for warriors,” Finlay thought out loud. 
“We can arrange some fun prizes and us five will be the judges and trackers,” Martin said. 
“If we do it two or three times a year, everyone will have a good understanding on what to do in a sharp situation.” They all looked at me and nodded. We agreed to plan the first tournament as soon as possible. “So how are we doing with training for the games? If we do well there, this won’t be an issue,” I said. 
“You know the training schedule,” Sam told me, sounding confused. 
“You use the same one as for the warriors? That seems excessive since the games are almost six years away,” I said. Four wolves looked at me as if I was stupid. “What?”
“Do you expect us to have separate trainings for the games? We just combine it with the regular trainings,” Sam asked.
“Oh, okay, you are planning to only send warriors?” I asked, as I understood why we misunderstood each other. 
“Yes. In our old pack that’s how we did it. Should we send others?” Martin asked, sounding unsure. 
“No, no. I guess that’s fine,” I said.
“Amie, we asked you to be the advisor so you would advise us. How was it done in your old pack?” Finlay asked in his usual calm voice. 
“We held training a couple of times a year for all pack members between certain ages. You know the games test on not just strength and brute force. There are elements of cunning and strategical thinking. Speed and agility. They all matter. I’m not saying the warriors can’t be good at all of that. But you don’t need to be a warrior to be strategic or cunning. So we tested everyone that would be of a suitable age during the games. When we found the ones with the best skills, we trained them,” I explained.
“But all the participants have to participate in all challenges,” Finlay said. I nodded.
“But then, let's say Medow is the most cunning wolf in our pack. And forgive me for this baby, but she isn’t the fastest or strongest wolf. How is she going to keep up during the more physical challenges?” Sam asked. Then he peppered Medow’s hand and neck with kisses. 
“It’s okay, honey. I know my limitations,” Medow giggled. 
“I guess it’s a numbers game,” I said. “What we know is that each challenge holds a maximum of ten points during the games. There are ten challenges, so the top score is one hundred points. No one knows the score until all challenges are done,” I continued, and everyone nodded. “So let’s say that we send physically strong warriors, some with okay abilities in the more mental challenges. There are two, or three challenges that focus on physical strength, as many that focus on mental and the rest is a combination. We will do well on the physical parts, and average on the combination parts, but below average on the mental parts.”
“Sure. But if we send wolves with strong mental abilities but poor physical skills, won’t the numbers tilt?” Martin asked.
“They will, if we don’t train everyone. But let me ask you; do you think it’s harder to train someone’s ability to be strategic and cunning or someone’s ability to run fast?” I asked them. There was a moment of silence when the others looked like fishes on land. Then Finlay laughed, and the others followed. 
“That’s why it’s important that we identify them as early as possible,” he said. I nodded. 
“Give Sam five years and he will have the most lazy wolf in shape,” I said. 
“Fuck yeah!” Sam exclaimed, and Medow rolled her eyes and then she laughed and kissed her mate. 
“I guess we need to hold trainings for the pack to see what talents we have,” Finlay said, and a smirk appeared on his face. “I knew you would be worth the effort it took to recruit you,” he told me. 
“Oh please. I made it easy for you. I barely put up a fight,” I objected.