《Becoming the Luna》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1

    "Mom," I say hesitating.

    "Yes darling," she turns to look at me expectantly.

    "Um...I found this baby kitten in the back gardens, it looked so cold and hungry and it''s mother wasn''t anywhere close by and I simply couldn''t leave it." Now that I''d started, I couldn''t stop.

    "Your heart is simply too big for you," she tells me quietly, retrieving the toast from the toaster. "Well you can keep it, because even if I say no you''ll spend half your life with the cat anyway."

    I''m so happy and already on my way upstairs to freshen up ande down for breakfast. "Why can''t you want a puppy like every other boy your age?" She mutters to herself halting me.

    I can''t be sure if she is being rhetorical or not, not that I could answer her. I just pretend not hear and dart upstairs, gently cradling the shivering kitten against my oversized pyjama shirt. It''s actually not oversized but my Aunt Candy doesn''t know this, she just bought the average size for a seventeen year old boy and that''s where the problem is --- I''m not average sized!

    I''m tiny. I sigh dejectedly into my bathroom mirror. My new pet, Apple is fast asleep in an aesthetic bamboo basket filled with cushy nkets and cushions, there''s not much I can do for her until school is over but I did leave a giant bowl of milk that she can''t miss. It''ll have to do.

    I clean up quickly so that I''ll have enough time to blow dry my annoying hair, which is curly and below my ears and just too thick, I got sick of cutting it because it just regrew almost overnight, at least it isn''t down to my neck or shoulders. So yeah, I''m blow drying it instead of using a towel like every other sane person but it''s either that or I end up with wet shoulders. It isn''t optional really.

    "Hayden!" My mom yells from the kitchen and I cringe at her inordinately loud voice, she sure has no idea what an indoor voice is.

    "I''ll be down in a minute." I throw back at her, already infy jeans and a loose sweat shirt, I run a brush through my hair and grab my backpack, I check on Apple before going out, not wanting to touch her soft, downy, white fur in case I wake her up.

    "About time, do you want to bete for school?" She asks, guiding me to my seat then proceeds to watch me as I take a bite of bacon.

    I ignore her questioning stare for two full minutes until she finally cracks.

    "Well?" She prompts, leaning towards me, watching intently as I pick at the small feast in front of me.

    "Well what?" I feign confusion.

    She''s not even distracted by my very bad acting. "How''s the food love?" She asks intensely, staring at me with soulful grey eyes I inherited from her.

    "Why can''t I just eat cereal?" I ask suddenly, evading her question.

    "Oh! I knew it was horrible." She wails dramatically, flinging herself on a chair.

    "I never said that mom." I say quietly, wondering how to keep her happy and at the same time not lie. But honestly, the bacon tastes like recycled stic and the crusty toast looks like it could give me a nose bleed if it bumps my head.

    "So it''s not bad?" She sniffles wiping her nose with her overpriced nightwear.

    I keep quiet. "No." Her bright face makes me hold in myughter. "But it''s not good either." I finally admit.

    She sighs apathetically then gets up. "Good thing I have all day to practice then." She giggles running to her room.

    I groan with true frustration. "You say that every day mom."

    "You can eat cereals baby." She ignores me.

    "At least it''s edible." I mutter to myself, sighing at my single, childish parent as I start to prepare my meal.

    I don''t have a dad, not because he''s dead or anything gruesome but my mom simply didn''t marry him. They were high school heart throbs whichsted until he got her pregnant, it didn''t really affect any of them but her lover decided that he wasn''t quite ready to get settled down yet and she decided she wasn''t interested in romantic love anymore, preferring instead to shower every bit of it on me.

    She''s a trust fund baby whose parents dote on but are simply too busy to care the right way so she has ess to a whole lot of money and has way too much time on her hands which equals one thing --- disaster!

    Renee LeBaron is the personification of disaster, an aromantic one though but that doesn''t lessen her danger, at least it kept people from getting emotionally hurt by her.

    "Are we getting your boyfriend?" She asked casually,ing down the stairs in a humongous pale pink shirt and shin length furry boots, her dark brown hair in a messy knot. Right now, she doesn''t look like my mom. Hell! She doesn''t look like anyone''s mom.

    "Why are you dressed like my older sister?" I narrow my eyes at her, following her to her car a BMW 8series. Yes. She''s a big sucker for pricey, powerful cars.

    "And I don''t have a boyfriend." I dead pan, getting in quickly so she doesn''t see the high blush on my cheeks.

    She ruffles my tousled hair and puts the car in reverse. "I look cute." She pouts. "You neverpliment me anymore plus you''re right Virgil isn''t your boyfriend, he married you." She says matter of factly.

    "Mom!" Iin, now the perfect color of an overripe tomato. "We were just five."

    "And I was the priest, while he wore his best jacket and draped you in my whitece robe, which you kept tripping on." She reminded with traces of an ancient anger. "Ruining the expensive thing but you were both adorable so I forgive you."

    "And that''s why you had the picture erged to practically life sized, framed and put up in the living room." Iin for what must be the thousandth time.

    "I deserve that for putting up with you two." She snorts. "He asked for a bloody cake that was as tall as you."

    "Which you tried to make and ended up nearly burning down the house." I fire at her. This was a really old argument.

    "It was just that one time..."

    I cut her off with a re. "Firemen call to check up on us if we don''t have at least two emergencies a week, thank goodness it''s always when I''m in school."

    "It''s that stupid smoke detector." She grumbles under her breath. "I light a fucking candle and it starts screaming."

    I roll my eyes. "Said candle is probably as big as me, you''re low key a pyromaniac mom."

    She sighs soulfully as she pulls up to Virgil''s big house. "I finally get apliment but it''s about me being mentally unstable. Alright go call him." She tells me.

    I don''t wait a second, already hurrying up to the front porch, the white awning protecting me from the morning sun. The door opens before I can touch it and Virgil''s older brother, Ian is staring at me like I''m a five course meal.

    "Oy! Princess, your friend is here!" He calls out, the signature Everett piercing blue eyes still staring at me.

    I gulp, usually his brothers are out, usually he''s outside waiting for me, usually he drives me to school... Let''s just say I rarelye in contact with his intimidating older twin brothers.

    If I was ufortable before now I''m full on panicking when Ian''s twin joins him at the open door.

    "Fuckface what you doin... Oh it''s Princess''s friend." He interrupts himself, matching golden blond hair brushing, standing beside each other.

    "Idiot we have the same face." Ian eye rolls but quietens down quickly so they can resume staring at me.

    I feel like dying under their scrutiny, it might have been better if there was hatred behind those unnerving blue eyes but there''s none, just quiet appraisal. I try to look at my mom from the side of my eyes, terrified of turning my back to the twins but I see her furiously sshing paint on a in drawing sheet. I mentally face palm, thank goodness I use a backpack or my books would have been useless.

    "Um... I-I ca-can go i-if V-Virgil''s n-not in." I stutter out, my entire body is red now and I''m grateful for my long sleeves.

    "What the hell are..." Virgil''s angry voice yells out. "Oh! Hayden." His voice softens when he sees it''s me, shaking and shivering like a leaf under his twin brother''s res.

    He pushes past them and pulls me into a hug, I hadn''t seen him all weekend which didn''t happen very often, we were usually inseparable. He kisses my forehead and what little shred of self control I have left snaps, tears gather at the edges of my eyes, my head is hurting from how hard I''m trying to keep the tears in. The kiss isn''t new but the audience definitely is and now I pretty sure I''m having a panic attack, Why can''t I just pass out? I wail mentally but nooo! I''m fully awake and fully aware of everything.

    "What the hell did you do to him?" Virgil demands as I bury my face in his chest, unable to move. He''s more than a foot taller than me so it''s not very hard to do this.

    "Nothing Princess." Leon''s lower voice speaks up.

    "We were off to school anyway, try not to die or maybe do." Ian chuckles brushing past us. "I don''t care either way." He shrugs, walking with his twin to their SUV.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2

    "Are you okay?" He whispers to me.

    And I start to nod before I remember that he is the cause of my emotional breakdown.

    "Of course not, crazy person! You kissed me in front of your brothers!" I explode ring at him, my anger at him taking care of my irregr breathing. "Plus you didn''t call or text for two whole days, didn''t reply my text or calls either. Do you want me to go into fucking cardiac arrest? Bloody idiot." I mutter darkly losing steam. "Making me worry."

    "Missed you too Hayden." He smirks down at me and I see red.

    "I didn''t miss you! Not at all! You annoying, piece of shit bastard..." I don''tplete my raging cursing because he picks me up bridal style and makes for the car.

    I let out a short high scream, grabbing onto his neck quickly as my bnce abruptly tilts. "What the hell!" I beat tiny fists at his annoying chest. "Are you nuts?"

    It doesn''t even faze him and I''m carefully deposited in the back seat, him sliding in beside me. I just sit there, arms crossed, red faced, fuming and plotting deaths because heads. will. roll.

    "Hey Renee." He greets my mom cheerily, she insists he calls her by her first name.

    "Hi Virgil." She grins cheerily, starting up the car.

    I''m momentarily distracted from my presently annoyed state, I nce at her straight teeth, once, twice... "Mom! Did you eat your paint?" I demand in half disbelief, half exasperation. Half because I know she can actually do something like this.

    She looks away from the mirror guiltily. "No."

    "Your painting then?" I inquire, ignoring Virgil who''s nearly choking fromughter.

    "No?" She actually looked scandalized which was a rare for the child that birthed me. "It''s a vegetable." she mumbles.

    I level her a look, just about done with everything. "Then why does your mouth look like you French kissed a rainbow, a sick one?" I inquire calmly, with patience I am definitely not feeling.

    "I ate the scented crayons." She finally admits, eyes down like a two year old.

    "Mom!" I exim. This is even worse.

    "It was only one," she defends quickly, pulling up to the school''s parking lot, we were early. "Only the pink one, it smelled like strawberries."

    I throw her another look as she parks the car.

    "Okay maybe not one but it''s all the crayons fault." She says with all conviction.

    "Mom, please promise that you''ll drive to the hospital right now." I beg her. "Crayons aren''t supposed to be inside you, no matter how nice they smell." I tag on, knowing it''s useless anyway. She nods.

    Virgil and I get out and wave to her.

    "Byeee!" She drags it out, waving. "Take care of my baby okay?" She calls out to Virgil.

    "Of course Renee, anything for you." He replies smoothly, throwing an arm around me and we both watch her drive off.

    "She''s going to eat the rest on her way to the hospital, isn''t she?" Virgil chuckles.

    "Most likely." I sigh before realizing I''m nearly hugging the enemy. "Don''t touch me!" I snap, shrugging off his arm. "I''m still mad at you." I re at him.

    He manages to hold it in for ten seconds - yes, I counted, no it''s not the longest time he held off - Before he bursts outughing, pinching my cheeks in amusement.

    I p his hands away, feeling as frustrated as I always do when this happens. It happens every other time.

    "You''re so fucking adorable when you''re mad." He gasps.

    "How am I supposed to be properly angry at you if youugh at me every single time?" I ask in a desert dry voice.

    "Hayden! Virgil!" Shana screams running towards us like a human rocket, her pink hair waving madly.

    Virgil and I share terrified looks, it''s toote to run.

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3

    Hayden! Virgil!" Shana screams running towards us like a human rocket, her pink hair waving madly.

    Virgil and I share terrified looks, it''s toote to run.

    "I missed you guys so much." She screeches, crashing into us, her cotton candy pink hair getting everywhere, in my eyes, my mouth, every where.

    "Take your tasteless cotton candy far from me." Imand, annoyed at having to hug them. "None of you picked up my calls this weekend, you don''t deserve my hugs." I grumble, my 4"11 form practically buried by my taller friends but I don''t make a move to get free.

    Shana pouts. "We''re sorry, it won''t happen again." She promises.

    I''m really not angry, I''m very relieved to see that their fine, I know they go to some obscure cabin to spend family time together some weekends and crazily enough they aren''t even rted but they''re are close enough to be.

    "Fine." I eye roll, "Now get off me before you rub your hideously smelling perfumes all over me." I push them away and we walk into school.

    "You know, you''re a mean person who shouldn''t have friends." Shana mutters.

    I sigh. "And after I''ve forgiven you too."

    She freezes. "Fine you''re not mean." She bites out.

    Virgil just has a smile on his face as he watches us banter.

    "Wait a sec." I suddenly say, closing up my locker. The hallways were still scanty, we liked toe earlier so we could hang out together before sses. "Virgil, what''s that?" I ask suspiciously, walking closer to them, their lockers were directly beside each other but mine was a little far down.

    "What''s what?" He asks, not meeting my eyes.

    "You got your ear pierced!" I half shriek when I get close enough to recognize the single ck stud in his left ear.

    "W-What?" Shana mumbles absently, staring up from her locker. "What''s wrong?"

    "Virgil got his ears pierced." I tell her, expecting her to go batshit like I''m about to.

    We were all crazily close and it is the weirdest thing because people like Shana and Virgil should have never noticed someone like me in the first ce, they were elite material but instead they preferred to hang out with me. Not that I''mining, I''ve known them practically forever.

    But all she does is widen her eyes a bit and she let''s out a weak noise of surprise. She''s usually not a bad liar but I caught her off guard.

    "You knew!" I use, hurt. "That''s it. I''m breaking up with you guys." I throw my hands up and start making for our hangout spot on the roof.

    This part of it is abandoned, some teacher or student tried making a garden here once and now the nts just ran wild, giving it a hanging indoor garden kind of look.

    I''m barely settled on a bench when they''reing up, surprise written on their faces.

    I forget about the unknown piercing for a short while. "Did something happen?" I can''t help asking.

    "ine just told me that there are new studentsing today." Shana says as they getfortable in their favorite spots.

    I frown. "New students? The term is nearly halfway done."

    "They''re transfer students and in our year, I hope they''re cute." She fawns,

    "But next year is our final year, why would anyone change schools?" Virgil asks.

    "Who gives a damn why they did?" Shana says blissfully. "

    "Maybe they moved." I tell Virgil, then throw a flower at Shana. "You might not want to calling dibs yet, they might turn out to be scarily ugly."

    She blinks, like she had never considered that. "That''s impossible, every book and movie ever will tell you that the new mysterious kid that gets transferred is always edible." She argues.

    I roll my eyes, really not interested in arguing with her and over a boy. "I don''t care Shana, it''s not like I''m going to be a possible date candidate. I''m a boy remember, I''m not fan-girling with you."

    "I''ll fan girl with you." Virgil offers, his blue eyes twinkling.

    "You have no idea what it means do you?" She asks dryly.

    "Nope."

    "When did you pierce your ear?" I ask quietly, studying his blindingly handsome face.

    "Over the weekend." He says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I couldn''t tell you because..."

    "Oh yeah," I cut in. "Because, none of you picked up my calls."

    "So how do I look?"

    "Like a beagle." I say shortly not even looking at him.

    Silence greets my retort and after an ufortable while I''m looking up to see them shaking in silentughter. The bell rings.

    I give them a frustrated look but still wait for them to get over their hysterics, if I were a nicotine addict, I would have puffed through a couple packets of cigarettes by now.

    "I ask myself everyday, why I keep up with you two morons?" I shake my head.

    "Because you hate everyone else." Shana says, slinging a hand over my shoulders as we make our way to ss.

    "It''s called social anxiety Shana." Virgil say, struggling with her over who would get to ce their arm on me.

    "Cut it out." I whisper yell, as we arrive at a crowded hallway. "I''m not your bloody arm holder and people are staring."

    "Sorry." Virgil whispers even though he knows we always attract attention.

    "Why are we stage whispering?" Shana asks, winning the battle of who gets to ce their arm on me.

    I just roll my eyes, they might be my close friends --- scratch that, only friends but I''ve had enough social interaction for the next couple hours, thank goodness I have different sses without them till lunch break. I''m not socially anxious, I''m just a very concentrated introvert who might swallow his tongue if he''s the center of attention.

    I''m escorted to my ss by my two bodyguards as usual, I can''t exactly remember when it started, we live in a small town anyway so we''ve always been at the same schools and they''ve always hovered around me. It''s rare to see just one of us alone, it''s always Virgil, Shana and Hayden, we we''re inseparable.

    "You don''t have to walk me to my ss." I tell them softly as we walk down the halls, Virgil''s the school heartthrob so every girl has their eyes on us. "I''m pretty sure I''ll be less noticeable all on my own." It''s sad but true, no one would even bother to look at me the second time if I were all alone.

    "And risk Tyrone getting his hands on you again, not a chance." Virgil scoffs.

    "It was just that one time..." I start toin, my palms getting sweaty from all the eyes on me, too many people overwhelm me and the only reason I''m not home schooled is because my mom might mistakenly murder me that and Virgil constant need to watch over me.

    "And you had bruises all down your sides that you tried to hide from us." Shana says darkly, the little bubblegum of happiness terrifying me. "And really Hayden, one time?" She asks, old hurt and unforgiven anger shing in her hazel eyes.

    I don''t reply, the truth is Tyrone and his gang bullied me for a month straight and threatened that if I told on them they would hurt my friends, I managed to get away with it for that long which was a huge surprise as we had sleepovers, swims and lots of other things that guaranteed my bruises would be found out.

    Well, long story cut short, Virgil found out and I''d never seen him so angry before, he even gave me a new bruise on my arm which darkened immediately and took a really long time to clear up. I wasn''t mad or scared of him even though he apologized furiously with tears in his eyes when he found out he''d hurt me. I didn''t see Tyrone for a whole week and when I did he had bruises and bandages all over and kept ring covertly at me. So I understand their paranoia but that doesn''t change the fact that my heart is beating at thrice it''s usual amount.

    "See we''re here." Shana says cheerily, all traces of her previous anger totally gone. "You didn''t die, did you?" She asks sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

    Virgil doesn''t say anything, his electric blue eyes dark and dangerous, his face a cold mask.

    I sigh as we halt just outside the door of my first ss, I know what it means when he gets like this. "I''ll be fine Virgil, that happened months ago, we''ll meet up at lunch." I say.

    Shana grins at me then tugs on his arm to pull him to their first ss.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4

    I walk in quietly, hurrying to my chair by the window, it''s just a couple steps but I manage to trip on a nonexistent obstacle and bump into desks and chair.

    By the time I copse in my seat, tears are in my eyes again.

    I''m usually left alone and I finally calm down when I get to stare out the window at a huge apple tree that is mypanion during sses, that''s why I named my pet Apple.

    I rx and let the bustling of the ss roll over me, I''m content with people watching, at least teachers are used to me and never call me up for anything.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The bell for lunch rings and I remain in my seat waiting for the ss to clear out before I move, it quickly does and I get up and out.

    I have to put my things in my locker before I go to the cafeteria, Virgil and Shana should be already waiting for me.

    I get to my locker without event, needing to go to the restroom, I stop thinking about my anxiety, lost in thoughts as I push open the bathroom door.

    I''m done and washing my hands at the sink, the bathrooms are mercifully empty and I take my first deep breath since I got to school.

    I wash my hands and have a mini internal debate if I want to rinse off my face or not. It''ll only get my hair and sleeves wet but it''ll also lessen the puffiness of my saucer like eyes...

    "Well look who we''ve got here."

    A slimy voice interrupts my heated argument with myself and my heart stops, my eyes widening as I see Tyrone lean against a wall his over eager cronies smirking from behind him.

    I''m frozen like prey, my wet hands shaking so hard I can barely switch the tap off, I watch hypnotized as he takes unrealisticrge steps towards me.

    I''m grabbed and mmed against a wall, still shorter than a fuming Tyrone with a tilted nose even though my shoes are dangling inches in the air.

    He res down at me, his dark eyes full of hatred. "You think you can get away with that huh Curls? Getting your boyfriend to break my nose and put Brian in a fucking hospital?" He demands and I can''t raise my head, fear paralysing me.

    I had no idea anyone was that badly hurt enough to be put in a hospital but I can''t say this because my voice box is cowering somewhere in my stomach behind a swarm of butterflies.

    I want to tell them that it''s probably not in their best interests to hurt me again, considering that thest time one of them was hospitalized.

    "That pink haired bitch broke my arm." Brian speaks up, face cruel.

    Internally, I feel my jaw drop. Fragile Shana broke someone''s arm! Crap! These guys are really going hurt me, I think desperately, tears gathering in my eyes.

    "I-I''m s-so-sorry." I gasp out, already hyperventting. "I-I did-didn''t tell an-anyo-anyone, I-I p-promise."

    "Of course you didn''t." Tyrone pats my cheek sympathetically with the other hand not holding me up by the the neck of my sweatshirt.

    An unhealthy pause --- then he whips me by the side of my face with his open palm, so hard that I hear buzzing in my ears and blood pools in my mouth from an idental cut.

    "Then how the fuck did he find out?" He demands, striking me on the other side.

    I''m too stunned to do anything more than breath and blink through the tears streaming down my burning face.

    "Did any of you guys tell?" He asks the people around him mockingly, like some sort of judge and jury.

    The four of them denies, waiting patiently for the go ahead to bruise and break me.

    I''m mmed hard against the wall again, my head knocking painfully against the tile and he let''s go of me.

    I fall to the ground, a tiny part of me hoping that they found me too pathetic and decided to leave me alone.

    I hoped too hard because a vicious kick is directed against my side as I crouched on the ground clutching my face. I bite down a scream, whimpering as my vision goes momentarily dark from the pain.

    He grabs me again by my hair and holds me up, a hand wrapped around my neck, the pain is excruciating and I''m begging and crying for mercy. Doesn''t faze him though but he drops me for his gang to get their turn, as they corner me with sadistic smiles, I wonder how I''m going to live through it and manage to hide my bruises from my mom and friends.

    The first rounds of kicks has started when the door swings open, they pause momentarily to look at the intruder, I look up as well and see an unfamiliar face, hazy through my tears so I can barely make out his features.

    I try as hard as possible tomunicate with my eyes that he should get out before they turn on him as well.

    "Just ignore and do whatever you want to do." Tyrone threatens gruffly.

    The person that opened the doors walks closer. "Why should I listen to you?" He asks coldly.

    Tyrone meets him halfway, getting all up in his face, his huge 6 feet form ring at the neer who''s roughly his height but much slimmer than the buff bully.

    "Lemme give you some advice newbie, clearly you don''t know who I am so I''ll let this slide. Fuck. Off." He bites out, poking the neer in the chest. He snaps a finger and the kicking continues.

    My entire body feels like it''s on fire and I hope one of the new kids that found themselves in a wrong ce at a wrong time doesn''t get hurt because of me.

    "What kind of school is this? That bullies drag a girl into the boys restroom and beat her up!" New kid says darkly, poking Tyrone in the chest.

    Whelp! He has a death sentence and did he--- did he just call me a girl?!?!

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5

    Whelp! He has a death sentence and did he--- did he just call me a girl? I remained curled up, trying to protect myself.

    "I gave you your chance." Tyrone tilts his head, chuckling at the opportunity to pummel somebody with his meaty fists.

    The kicking stops as more quality entertainment is found and I drag myself to a wall, still shivering, my long hair obscuring my vision. I wonder if I''ll be able to make it out fast enough to get help.

    Tyrone swings but the other guy quickly dodges and swings at him, Tyrone staggers clutching his jaw gingerly like it''s broken, maybe I underestimated my savior.

    "Get ''im Tyrone!"

    "Yeah, break his fucking bones."

    Cheers go up to support their leader but he''s still not recovering from the blow, he falls to his knees, garbled swearing escaping him.

    "The little fucker broke my jaw." He shouts out, at least I think that''s what he said, it sounded so skewered.

    Ufortable silence envelopes us and I squirm around trying to find a position that doesn''t hurt to breathe.

    "Well what is you all waiting for huh, beat him up." He ordered them, still crouched on the ground and wincing in pain.

    They hesitate for a split second before bing encouraged by their advantage in numbers, they charge at him and I see Tyrone cut his eyes at me.

    I swallow my heart, the tears that had dried uping back again with a vengeance.

    Before he can make his mind toe at me again, his gang are all groaning and rolling on the ground. He pulls his hand off his face, his bloody lower jaw giving him a ridiculous expression.

    They all scramble out when they recover enough to, leaving a steaming Tyrone with red eyes. "You''ll pay for this newbie, I swear it." He says ominously, going out.

    The new kid pinches his nose like he''s trying to rein in his anger, deep breaths lifting and dropping his shoulders.

    "Hey, are you okay? Shit! Of course you aren''t." He corrects himself, still wary of moving close to me, I think it''s because I''m still shivering like a cat pulled out of a frozenke.

    "I''m Dale and I promise I won''t hurt you." He creeps closer. "What''s your name?"

    I remain curled into myself, letting my tangled hair partially cover my face. I coax my voice box toe out long enough to piece sybles of my name. "H-Hayden." I whisper, my jaw hurting from the vicious ps earlier.

    He''s crouching directly in front of me now, and I can get a clear look at his face and wow! Guess Shana wasn''t lying when she said new kids were always edible.

    Dale had inky ck hair which he left short at the back and longer in front, I''ve never thought much about undercuts but right now it''s the only thing I can see, leaf green eyes staring at me with concern and barely suppressed anger.

    His face is straight of a pricey magazine and I feel a little self conscious, I know I look like I just climbed out a trash bin while Dale looks like he just ended a photoshoot.

    He starts talking, at least I think he is because I can''t hear anything, I''m lost to the movement of his pink lips.

    "Huh?" I shake myself.

    "I said, can you walk? We need to get you to the nurse." He repeated, concern increasing at my delirious state.

    It takes a while for my sloshed brain to process what he''s saying then I remember Virgil and Shana and fear spikes in me.

    "No! No!" I refuse in a panic, trying to get up. "I can''t go to the nurse, I can''t let Virgil... Ow!" I crumple back to the ground in pain as my entire body burns.

    "Who''s Virgil? Why can''t you go to the nurse?" He asks worriedly. "Is it that bastard who just left?" His hands are sped together like he''s not sure whether to touch me and I remember he still thinks I''m a girl.

    "N-No that w-was T-Ty-Tyrone." I gasp out, my stuttering back. "V-Virgil is m-my f-f-friend a-and I-I h-have to go h-home n-not the c-clinic." I''m full on sobbing now, the pain in my sides robbing me of speech.

    Dale looks confused for a moment before setting his face. "I''m taking you to the nurse, you''re bleeding and some ribs might be broken." He says tightly, reaching forward.

    An arm goes around me and another one under my knees, lifting me up gingerly.

    Still doesn''t stop the high pitch screams that leave me when I''m moved.

    "Shh, it''s okay, I''m sorry." Dale apologizes stiffly like he''s not used to it.

    I feel bad because he''s probably doing all this because he still thinks I''m a girl, I don''t feel right for continuing to deceive him, he takes a step and I whimper in pain, my body feels like it was put through a grinder, curse Tyrone''s gang and their steel tipped boots.

    "I-I''m n-no-not..." I stammered hard as we make our way out the bathroom, me clinging to his broad chest like a baby ko.

    "You don''t have to talk. There''s no way I''m letting you go home like this, I''ll exin everything to this Virgil person." He says quickly.

    I nearlyugh at this but that''s just what it was, a nearly performed action. A mad Virgil doesn''t see reason, especially when ites to me, that''s why I just want to escape home, call my mom to take me to the hospital and lie to Virgil that I fell ill, it''s either that or he burns down the entire school looking for Tyrone.

    The bathroom door is just a few steps away and I panic, I want to tell Dale the truth before we step out so if he abandons me, I can scrap the ragged pieces of what is left of my self dignity together in the privacy of the boys restroom.

    "N-no its not t-that." My desperation calms my stuttering down somewhat. "I-It''s just that I-I not a g-girl." I say sheepishly, my eyes down.

    Dale freezes, genuine astonishment enveloping his painfully handsome face as he stares at me with wide eyes. "I''m sorry, what?" He mumbles like a kid who just found out that the moon doesn''t follow you.

    "I-I''m a boy." I whisper with little traces of fear.

    At least he''s not recoiling in terror yet from the act of holding a boy so intimately.

    "You''re lying." He deadpans and I''m stunned.

    "W-What?" I mumble out, very confused.

    "Boys don''t look like this, let me see your face?" He asks urgently, peering intensely down at me.

    I gulp, avoiding the hypnotizing light green stare, self consciously I push back the curly hair from my pale face.

    His eyes widens again and he''s just staring, I try to imagine what could be going on in his head, my tangled hair probably looked like two mother birds fought over who would nest in it then abandoned it, my saucer like eyes even puffier now and definitely red rimmed. Luckily I wiped all the tears and snot away but I must be very red with visible bruises on my cheeks. Yup, I look a hot mess.

    He frowns, color fluttering across his cheek bones. "Stop trying to get me to leave you alone Hayden." My name in his silky voice makes my breath hitch but that''s ridiculous, I''m not gay. "I''m still taking you to the nurse to get you checked out, then I''ll go find those bastards that decided to beat up a girl and break their necks."

    He starts moving again with determination and I''m just there trying not to die. What the effing hell! He thinks I''m lying about being a boy, I don''t know if I should find that offensive orplimentary.

    And of course, the person that would decide to help me would be just like Virgil. I just hang on for the ride, too tired to talk anymore, besides I have a feeling that nothing I say would convince him.

    "Hayden!" Virgil''s voice interrupts us, rage bleeding through his voice and I die a little more.

    "O-Oh n-no! It''s V-Vi-Virgil." I whisper desperately, trying to hide inside Dale.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6

    "O-Oh n-no! It''s V-Vi-Virgil." I whisper desperately, trying to hide inside Dale.

    Hurried footsteps and a hand grabs Dale, effectively stopping us. He turns around, looking very unimpressed with Virgil''s anger.

    "What the fuck did you do?" Virgil demands his eyes dark, Shana looks very strained and worried beside him, cing a hand on his tightly clenched fist. The only reason Dale doesn''t have a ck eye yet is because he''s still carrying me.

    I intervene quickly before Virgil changes his mind and decides tond the punch. "V-Vi-Virgil." I stutter out desperately, reaching for him. "I-It wasn''t D-Dale, h-he d-didn''t d-do any-anything."

    "What sort of boyfriend are you, letting your girlfriend get beat up by dudes in the boys bathroom?" Dale uses, snatching me back and ending my efforts to reach for Virgil, his leaf green eyes nearly glowing.

    Shana is momentarily stunned, "Girlfriend?" She mouths to me, I close my eyes in embarrassment, this was one of those days I wanted to start over.

    Virgil isn''t even fazed by the obvious confusion. "Thanks." He bites out coldly, the appreciation has the same energy as ''go jump off a cliff. "Now give me back my girlfriend."

    "No. Now get away from me, you''re in my way." Dale deadpans, making a move to continue his journey.

    "I won''t ask you again." Virgil says in a deadly voice, stepping in front of us, electric blue eyes nearly jumping from his face with how hard he is ring.

    "Hayden sounds terrified of you so no, I''m not giving her back. Now get the fuck out of my way." He says, his quiet voice ringing volumes, the entire hallway is silent now, the entire school watching the school''s heartthrob go against the hot new kid... and over me! - I wail mentally, wishing I was a bird, a pebble, anything but Hayden LeBaron right now.

    "P-Please stop f-fi-fightin..." I start to say but a sound cut me off, are they--- are they growling at each other? The deep sound reverbrates around me, making terror echo painfully in my chest, I don''t know why but the sound of it makes me want to cry.

    My frozen state of panic eventually cracks when I start to choke and cough, hacking up blood. My vision goes hazy as Virgil start to panic, blood keeps spilling from my mouth and I hear their agitated voices like it''s through a pool of water.

    "She might have hit her head, don''t let her ck out." Dale says, his voice and face swimming in and out of my consciousness.

    "Hayden! Hayden!" Virgiltches on to my hand. "Stay with me okay, you''ll be fine. Give her to me." He demands again and I want to punch him for insisting on referring to me as a girl.

    "Not a fucking chance, get out of my way." Dale refuses.

    "Will you two block heads stop fucking fighting for one fucking minute." Shana interrupts, looking and sounding very furious. "Hayden is really hurt and all you care about are your bloated egos." She sassed and they both blink at her harsh words.

    Dale shoulders Virgil out of the way and tears at a dead run towards the nurse''s office, how he know where it is? Is still a mystery to me.

    Virgil is directly beside him a heartbeat and they start to argue again but I can''t keep up anymore because I''m suddenly so tired, I can''t keep my eyes open anymore. Blinking bes harder and harder to do each time, I think Virgil is talking to me but I can''t hear him. I let my eyes close for thest time.

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7

    I''m awake before I can open my eyes, I feel stiff all over and my eyes seems glued to my face.

    Panic starts to tickle me as I struggle to remember where I am, I finally pry my eyes open to meet a in white ceiling that isn''t the one in my bedroom, there''s something lying on my left hand so I tilt my head to take a look.

    My mom is holding on to my left hand, her head lying beside our joined hands, she''s fast asleep, her dark brown hair in a silky curtain around her face.

    I try to sit up but a sharp pain stops me, I look around, I''m in a hospital. How did I get... Oh! Tyrone.

    Virgil and Shana! I think desperately and Dale, I hope they don''tmit murder.

    "Mom?" I try calling out but my voice doesn''t work, I get a vague thought of knocking against my throat like it''s a faulty remote.

    I clear my throat before trying again. "Mom?"

    She moves, groggily raising her head up. She''s still holding my hand and it makes tears gather in my eyes.

    "Hayden! You''re awake. Oh! My baby!" She gushes when she sights my open eyes, engulfing me in a gentle hug. "I was so scared." She hangs onto me like she expects I''ll ck out again.

    I gulp, my throat is scratchy and dry. "W-What h-happened mom?" I ask, I know I got beat up by Tyrone but the hospital bit is still not really clear.

    Tears gather in her grey eyes which was a bit wierd because I don''t think I''ve ever seen my mother cry. "You had a few bruised organs and a slight concussion." She whispers.

    My eyes widens, somehow I expected it to be either worse or not that bad, guess I got off lucky.

    "Are you thirsty baby?" She asks suddenly, already reaching for the bottle of water, before I can even refuse she''s gingerly lifting me up and cing the bottle at my mouth.

    A few drops spills in and I suddenly realize I''m very parched. "Whoa! Maybe I should hire a couple goons to beat you up so you''ll drink more water." She says drily when I empty the entire bottle and I smile at the attitude I''m used to.

    It was supposed to be a grin but my cheeks feel numb so I tell my mom.

    She chokes back augh. "You don''t want to know what you look like baby."

    I grimace at her. "Where''s Virgil and Shana?" I can''t help asking because I know that''s exactly the question she''s waiting for me to ask.

    She throws me a sly grin and suddenly I''m very worried.

    "Mom?" I warn.

    "Oh you''re no fun." She waves me off. "I need to call the doctors so they can check you up, I really want to take you home." She diverts, making a move to get up.

    "No." I stop her. "No doctors until you tell me what''s going on.

    "Fine, at least let me call Shana, she went to get snacks." She eye rolls whipping out her phone.

    "...yes he''s awake and..." She quickly moves the t device away from her ear as a high pitched screech tears through. When it doesn''t stop after several secondster, she''s hangs up.

    "She''s definitely on her way, probably running while screaming." She grins at me and I sprawl on the bed, my mom and friends all share one brain cell.

    "My baby is awake!" Shana barges in and I groan, knowing what ising next.

    I''m smoldered by hugs and kisses until we''re both breathless.

    "I''m not a puppy Shana." Iin, trying fruitlessly to push her away.

    She finally calms down and just grins at me, her eyes ssy. She had been crying.

    I suddenly feel bad for pushing her away and try to sit up through the pain in my sides to reach for her and hug her which she happily returns, her pink frothy hair nearly blinding me from how hard she''s osciting with happiness.

    She gently pushes me back and I let out a big sigh at the relief. "Where''s Virgil?" I ask suspiciously, throwing looks at both of them.

    They share gleeful looks that had me nearly panicking. "Virgil asked me not to press charges against Tyrone and his gang." My mom sighs, dramatically. "I agreed."

    "You what?" I exim. "Why the hell would you do that?"

    "Don''t yell baby, it''ll strain you." Shana pets and I want to cry.

    "The punishment that the school will give to Tyrone will be ten times better than what Virgil will do." I exin frustratedly.

    "That''s one of the reasons why I epted." She shrugs, grinning wickedly. "No one touches my baby. That and Virgil always gets what he wants."

    I close my eyes in exasperation, knowing that she''s telling the truth. No one got in Virgil''s way when he wanted something, the psychopath.

    "What about Dale?" I try to ask as nonchntly as I can manage, opening my eyes.

    "Your knight in shining armor?" Shana grins at me, her hazel eyes twinkling. "The hot stuff that kept on butting heads with Virgil over his pretty girl friend?" She teases cruelly and I''m grateful that my face is all shades of purple so I can hide the scalding blush that consumes my face.

    "Girlfriend?" My mom repeats, confused. "Dale thinks you''re Virgil''s girlfriend? Well that''s a new one."

    I ignore most of her sentence, "You know Dale?"

    "Yes, he insisted oning along to the hospital then he went with Virgil to give Tyrone a warning."

    This time around I sit up, totally forgetting all about my pain. "They both went after Tyrone?" I exim. "Shit! This is the worst."

    "Hey." My mom pouts. "Two cute guys want to avenge you and you think it''s the worst? I''m starting to think I''m a bad mother."

    I roll my eyes at her dramatics, turning on Shana instead. "Why didn''t you stop them?" I half wail. "I don''t want them to go to prison."

    "No one is going to go to prison." Sheughs cheerfully before her eyes turn cold. "And the only reason I''m right here is because I wasn''t allowed to tag along. Dale says it''s because I''m a girl." She scoffs.

    "You didn''t tell him you broke Brian''s armst time?" My mom asks nonchntly and I choke.

    "You knew about that?"

    "Of course." My mom says proudly, "I bought her a whole load of ice cream for that but what I''m not knowing is why Dale thinks you''re ''a'' girlfriend." She turns to me.

    "Aw his ears are red." Shana coos like I''m a clumsy puppy who managed to roll over.

    I p my hands over my ears. "Stop tormenting me, you guys." I whine. "Dale thought I was a girl and no matter how hard I tried to convince him, he wouldn''t believe."

    They burst intoughter at this, insisting that I tell them exactly what happened, word for word.

    "What happened when you showed him your face?" Shana asks eagerly, interrupting me.

    "He said that I should stop trying to get him to leave me alone and he was taking me to the nurse whether I liked it or not."

    "Ooh! Controlling." My momments, nodding importantly as she and Shana share a look.

    "Cut it out, this is not some Yaoi novel for you to fawn over. I should be worried with how hard my mom wants me to be gay." I sigh out loud.

    She grins unrepentantly. "I don''t mind which you chose to be, my love but you will let me enjoy this budding triangle." She demands seriously and Shana nods sagely.

    "Never heard truer words." She says solemnly and I''m just done with the both of them.

    "You know what?" I ask throwing up my hands. "You two should head on home, I''m staying at the hospital."

    "No can do baby." My mom disagrees, smiling at me. "I''ll go get the doctor." She says quickly before I make up my mind about staying, going out the door.

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8

    Shana scoots closer to me, gently holding my hands.

    I lie down back on the bed, my heart thumping ufortably. "You''re going to tell me to stay away from Dale aren''t you?" I ask quietly.

    Virgil has always been like that, controlling and that involved people around me, the only reason my mom can ess me is because she''s my mom and Shana is a crazy buffalo who doesn''t give any fucks about Virgil''s opinion, well, most times.

    So I''d never dated or even had my first kiss yet but I''m really notining, maybe I''m asexual - it might be hereditary.

    "Nope." She smirks, popping the ''p''

    "W-What?" I''m stunned. "Why?"

    "Because Dale''s the first person I''ve ever seen who''s almost as bad as Virgil, let him get a taste of his own medicine." She giggles viinously.

    "This is all about that time he wouldn''t let you y with me, isn''t it?" I close my eyes.

    She audibly pouts, patting my hand gently. "That was eons ago."

    I sigh as she pushes her hand through my hair, gently untangling it. "And you kept on insisting to y with his pretty doll."

    "In my defense, you looked like a pretty doll, so tiny and cute and he kept on carrying you around. Selfish bastard."

    "How diplomatic of you." I snort.

    "The doctor is here." My mom says cheerily,ing in with a harassed doctor.

    I struggle not to face palm, knowing I was going home this evening even if my mom had to move an entire hospital wing to our house overnight.

    The doctor quickly checks me over, something like terror in his gentle brown eyes, pushing his sses upwards constantly, like he was terrified my mom would make real her threat - whatever it was, if he wasn''t done fast enough.

    "He should be fine, there''s nosting damages from the internal injuries. All he needs now is lot''s of healthy food and bed rest. Most likely, you will have to keep him out of school for a..." We don''t hear the rest of his advice because my mom has already shoved him out.

    "Let''s go home baby." She cheers happily. "I can''t tell Virgil you''ve woken up yet or we''ll get thrown out of the hospital, again so you''ll see him at home."

    I sit up again and throw off the sheets and look down, I''m in a hospital robe. "Y''all better have clothes for me or I''m jumping off the top floor." I threaten.

    "Of course we brought clothes for you." My mom says bringing out cutoffs and a suspicious looking piece of cloth.

    I narrow my eyes at her, gingerly getting up. "Why does that look like your see through silk blouse?" I step off the bed.

    "Why would I give you that beauty, you wouldn''t know style even if it asked you on a date." She denies with sass.

    "Sounds like a lie but okay." I agree, collecting the clothes. "Now turn around, let me get changed." I order pettishly.

    My mom scoffs but obliges. "Like there''s nothing I haven''t seen before." She mutters behind closed eyes. Shana falls face down on the hospital bed.

    I quickly get dressed, wincing at the ghastly shade of my soft tummy, it''s all ck bruises with shades of purple. I sigh, slipping the suspicious shirt on, at least Virgil would have already confronted Tyrone before seeing the damage.

    "Mom!" I yell in outrage when I get a good look at the shirt, "It''s your stupid, see through shirt." I wail.

    They turn around with knowing smiles on their faces. "I told you it would be perfect." Shana rolls on the bed, resting on her elbow and side.

    "There''s a bathroom here,e see yourself." My mom says excitedly, sometimes I really believe that she wanted a baby girl but when I confronted her about it, I got nothing but this. - "Ew! Why would I want a baby girl" - So that confirmed that she really did want me.

    Sorta.

    My shoulders are grabbed and I''m steered to the tiny bathroom. I peek in the mirror and I''m devastated.

    "Mom! I look straight out of one of those ''littles'' website." Iin, tugging on it, the cloth went down one shoulder and left nothing to the imagination. "And it''s pink! That''s it, I''m jumping off the top floor."

    "You aren''t jumping anywhere." She swings an arm around me, her eyes momentarily clouding over as she sees the bruises around my neck. "I was in a hurry, in my defense and you look better than I ever would in that shirt."

    I peek at myself in the mirror again and frown. "I''m not seeing whatever you are both seeing, all I see is me drowning in your oversized shirt." Iin, raising a hand up, the sleeves totally envelopes my tiny fingers.

    "You look adorable." Shana gushes like she wants to put a leash around my neck and show me off.

    "Just don''t go ''uwu'' on me and we''ll be fine." I say walking out of the cramped bathroom.

    "Let''s go before Virgil decides toe check on you." My mom says, leaving the room.

    I roll my eyes and start to follow behind her when she pauses. "Hold my bag Shana." She says suddenly.

    "Sure thing Renee." She agrees, ted at having to carry my mom''s fancy bag.

    "Mom, what are you..." I let out a yelp as she picks me up like a child.

    "Throw your arms around my neck, I''ll carry you to the car." She offers.

    I can''t even refuse because she''s already moving, she has me in her arms, tucking mefortably against her. I hide my face in her neck as everyone on the hallways stops to stare at us.

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9

    I can''t even refuse because she''s already moving, she has me in her arms, tucking mefortably against her. I hide my face in her neck as everyone on the hallways stop to stare at us.

    "Mom!" I whine, "I''m not a baby anymore," I sniffle, secretly enjoying the free ride. "Besides, aren''t I heavy?" I ask shyly, wrapping my legs around her waist.

    "No." She says firmly and I know she''s not trying to make me happy, I truly weigh like a feather, Shana takes advantage of this and my small size to randomly pick me up like a child.

    I''m lulled to sleep by her rhythmic movement and I''m in a light doze by the time we reach the car.

    I''m switched over to Shana''s arms who gingerly gets in the back, cradling me like her baby sister. I''m really not that small and tiny, Shana is a beast, I mean she broke a guy''s arm.

    "Wake up baby, we''re home." My mom taps me, when the car stops and I blink blearily.

    It was early evening and the sun looked like it would set any moment now.

    I yawn and close my eyes again, wondering why I was woken up, they would carry me in anyway.

    "What''s wrong with him?" Virgil''s voice floats over to me as we walk in the front door, Shana still carrying me like I weigh nothing - it really sends a hit to my ego.

    "Why does he look so sick? Did you check him out too early, Renee?" He asks, hovering over me, his shadow blocking out the light, I still keep my eyes shut, ignoring his ranting.

    "Good afternoon, Miss LeBaron." A silky voice greets and my eyes fly open in a panic to meet Virgil''s pissed off electric blue eyes and my breath hitches - again.

    I really just want to be left alone, I don''t want hot as hell teenage boys hovering around me, making me question my bloody sexuality.

    "I think you opened your eyes for the wrong voice." Shana whispers to me adjusting me in her arms. I just try to hide from Virgil''s melting re.

    "Oops! I might have forgotten to add that Dale will be here." My mom says in a fake ass voice, moving to the hangout room - just a spare room we converted for all the endless nights my friends sleep over.

    "We''ll all have a mini sleep over." She announces like she''s still our age but I know she just wants to study Dale some more for her scrapbook.

    I choke at this, curling into myself when I''m dropped onto a very fluffy cushion.

    Virgil crouches in front of me and I gulp, this is the part where he gets mad.

    "Dale, why don''t you help me set up snacks so we''ll watch some TV?" She invites. "Shana, get Virgil a stress ball."

    "I don''t need a stress ball, Renee." He says convincingly.

    My mom scoffs. "Last time someone made Hayden cry, you broke my Louboutins."

    "It''s not my fault they just happened to be there beside me, it was either that or the ss table." He defended and I sneak a peak at Dale''s reaction to the craziness I''m surrounded by, he''s just smiling softly, obviously enjoying our interaction.

    "Then who left them out?" She demands, a hand on her waist. "Was it you Hayden?" She narrows her eyes at me.

    "What?" I exim, "How did you even remotely think it might be my fault?"

    "Well as girlfriends, who''s to say you didn''t y dress up with my shoe collection." She continues smugly and I''m disappointed, I really thought she was going to let this one slide.

    "Mom, go get your snacks." I say dryly.

    She giggles, going out with Dale and Shana.

    "He still thinks I''m a girl?" I whisper in horror to Virgil, who''s smirking at me.

    "I don''t know," he shrugs indifferently. "I didn''t try changing his mind."

    I level him a look, unsurprised when he picks me up and sets me gingerly on my feet. "You didn''t kill Tyrone did you?" I can''t help asking, peering up at him.

    He ces both hands on my shoulders and pulls me into a gentle hug, his jaw finding it''s home on my curls. "Did you want me to?" He rumbles, breathing deeply like he''s finally calming down when he''s seen me safe and with him.

    "W-What?" I get all flustered. "N-No, o-of course not." I grumble.

    "Then no." He rubs my back. "I didn''t kill him, I can''t say the same about Dale though." He says coldly, approving Dale''s attitude but still not liking the guy.

    "Can I see what they did?" He asks quietly with that tone that tells me I can say no whenever I want to but I won''t say no, I never say no because it''s Virgil.

    Plus I really need to show him if I want to heal emotionally from it as well, I''m just terrified of his reaction.

    "I''m scared, you''ll be mad." I say in a tiny voice, feeling each and every ache and stiff joint.

    "I can''t promise I won''t be Hay but I''ll try to be calm about it." He says seriously, like it''s a life or death matter and I want tough but I don''t, because it is a life or death matter to Virgil.

    "Just promise me you won''t do anything to Tyrone and his gang anymore, no matter what."

    "Of course I won''t, I promise." He epts quickly, too quickly.

    "Dale too." I add, watching his eyes darken.

    "Fine." He bites out, after a tense pause. "Now, let me see."

    I step back a bit and grab the ends of the ridiculous thing I have on, I feel a little self conscious which is ridiculous because Virgil still helps me scrub my back whenever I take a bath and he''s around, I bite my lip and yank it up to reveal my belly.

    Hees forward carefully like he doesn''t want to terrify me, pushing my shaking hands away to map out every bruise on my body.

    His hands grow colder as he trails higher, pushing the shirt off one arm to check out the vicious bruise that sprouted from where Tyrone grabbed me, it really doesn''t help my case that I bruise way too easily.

    My shirt is nearly half off when he gets to the strangle marks around my neck and that''s when he loses it, tearing out of the room in a rage.

    I''m stunned, standing and shivering there in his wake before I realize that he''s probably going to go find Tyrone and put him six feet under, efficiently putting himself in prison.

    "Virgil!" I exim in a panic, dashing after him so harried that I forget to readjust my clothes. I rush out to see Shana holding on to a furious looking Virgil.

    "Hayden what did you say to..." She cuts herself off as she takes a good look at the bruises littering my body. "What the fuck did that bastard do?"

    "Y-You are a boy?" Dale asks, his voice trailing off as his eyes remain fixed on my exposed chest.

    I blush down to my bare toes, grateful for my bruises for the second time today. "Umm... I-I t-told you, Y-You j-ju-just w-won''t believe m-me." I stutter, holding onto my ears.

    Virgil pauses his mission to go after Tyrone, momentarily to snicker at Dale''s obvious difort. "Not going to ask for that date again because he''s a boy, Dale?" He asks cruelly.

    Dale trails his heated bright green eyes down my body then cuts a re at Virgil. "Who said I was changing my mind?" He snorts and Virgil looks like he swallowed his tongue, my mom and Shana look like they''re about to die from excitement.

    "As soon as Hayden is recovered enough, I''m still taking him out on a date." He re-affirms, bringing his burning eyes back to me. "If he''ll go with me?"

    Everyone turns to me, my mom and Shana with supportive expressions, Dale with hope in his eyes while Virgil looks like he''s about to pop a blood vessel.

    "U-Um --- o-okay." I stutter in a tiny voice.

    Virgil walks over to me as if to rub in Dale''s face that... ''He''s mine''. He pulls me into a hug and starts to arrange my clothing.

    His blue eyes start to glow again as he remembers my bruises and he pauses. "I''m going to dismember Tyrone the next time Iy my eyes on him." He growls lowly, still continuing his journey out.

    "V-Virgil?" I whisper out.

    He pauses. "I promised Hay." He says darkly without sparing me a nce before going out.

    Dale walks closer, still staring at me like he expects I''ll pull off a suit and shout surprise that I''m actually really a girl.

    "You''re really a boy aren''t you?" He sighs when he''s close enough to confirm that --- Oops! No boobs.

    "Yeah." I say thickly struggling to straighten my oversized shirt.

    His eyes darken as well when he takes stock of my bruises, it''s actually not that bad, it''s nothing that a couple of hot soaks won''t ease but I''m just too sensitive so I look like I was spray painted with dark colors by street artists.

    His hand reach out to trace the dark hand shaped bruise around my slender neck and I freeze, my eyes going wide.

    He mutters a slew of colorful swear words underneath his breath which makes my ears bleed, he snatches his hand back like I''d burned him, veins straining in his neck.

    I''m worried now and reaching for him but he quickly steps back, muttering a vague excuse me and stumbling out.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10

    His hand reach out to trace the dark hand shaped bruise around my slender neck and I freeze, my eyes going wide.

    He mutters a slew of colorful swear words underneath his breath which makes my ears bleed, he snatches his hand back like I''d burned him, veins straining in his neck.

    I''m worried now and reaching for him but he quickly steps back, muttering a vague excuse me and stumbling out. #(excerpt from previous chapter#

    Shana is ring suspiciously at him and I wonder why, I don''t think about it too much though, I''m suddenly bone tired.

    "If you two are done fan-girling, can you help me get a soak before those two crazy people find their way back?" I ask.

    "I''ve already set a bath for you baby,e on." My mom says sweetly, motioning me over.

    "I''ll just set up the snacks." Shana says walking away.

    My mom is silent beside me as she washes my thick hair, my head tilted back so that the shampoo doesn''t get in my eyes. I breathe a sigh of relief as I slip into the almost too hot water, feeling it soothe my aches immediately.

    Well today was horrible.

    I mean I''ve done worse - like the time I was sent to bring extra equipment for chemistry ss and ended up tripping in front of the jocks and cheerleaders with an armful of ss.

    Maybe it might not have been so horrible if I wasn''t slowly bleeding to death on the ground in front of them with ss shards embedded in my skin, so yeah, I''ve definitely done worse but it''s still way off what I expected.

    My sexuality has never been something to worry about, cause my mom is asexual and very supportive of every other type so it wasn''t about being epted.

    I guess I just really didn''t think about it - I''m pretty sure the only reason I''ve never dated or kissed anyone is because I never had a crush - Except Virgil of course and I''d rather eat a bowl of hair than let him know.

    Now Dale is here and I''m just confused - whoa! See me acting like some love struck main character of a paper back novel, besides, I know he''s only asking me on a date to piss Virgil off, their open rivalry is well --- very open. You know what I really don''t need all this right now and... Apple!

    "Mom!" I call suddenly, jerking up, finally remembering my baby cat.

    "Oy! You don''t want van scented shampoo in your eyes right? Then stay put." She applies pressure on my shoulder des.

    I ignore her but squeeze my eyes shut. "Mom! Where''s Apple?"

    "Huh?" I can almost imagine her look of confusion. "You want an Apple?"

    Oh crap! - I didn''t tell her I named my cat. "No! No! My kitten, I named her Apple." I say quickly, panicking now.

    "Aww, that''s adorable. Calm down baby." She stops me when I''m about to jump out of the tub, van scented shampoo be damned.

    "B-But..."

    "Don''t worry your Apple is fine, she slept almost through the day and went through the huge te of milk." She sighs at this point. "If only you ate that much."

    I throw her a look. "Says the one who likes me mini sized."

    "I love you no matter what you look like." She says seriously, cupping my wet jaw.

    I blow out a breath, flustered by her frank adoration. "Thanks." I mutter almost inaudibly going silent again.

    "So you''re finally going on a date." She tries to say nonchntly as she rinsed off my hair but it just came out like she was choking on a coconut.

    It really hit me then what I had epted. "My first date." I mumble.

    "Is a boy!" She exims and I just roll my eyes, not so easy to do when you''re taking a bath.

    "I might be pansexual mom besides you''re the one who keeps on campaigning for the LGBTQ+ Movement."

    "Yes, yes whatever." She says dismissively, "I am so going to be the one to dress you up on that day."

    "Not happening." I say shortly, drying myself up as I walk out the bathroom with her in tow. "It isn''t even up for discussion." I wrap a towel around my waist, another one around my dripping hair.

    "I remember you tying your towel around your chest when you were younger." She sighs nostalgically and I wonder if I''m too old for a foster home.

    "That''s because you decided to buy only extrarge sized towels." I fire at her, going straight to my room. "It was either that or they trailed on the ground." I pause to look at her. "Why are you following me?" I demand.

    She averts her face, at least having the decency to look guilty. "My baby is hurt, I just want to take care of you." She says with puppy eyes.

    I roll my eyes at her. "Fine but close your eyes, let me get dressed first." I walk up to my closet.

    She gives me a look of disbelief. "I just literally bathed you."

    "Doesn''t mean you have to dress me up." I say stubbornly. "Besides if you''re going to stay, you''ll have to follow my rules."

    "Ugh! Fine." She agrees, closing her eyes as I put on lose shorts.

    "I''m done now, you can do the rest." I say cheerily, eyeing my sleeping kitten.

    She quickly rifles through my closet, bringing out one of her old sweaters that I might have stolen - in my defense - it''sfy, swallows me up and smells like mommy.

    She walks over and helps me inside the sweater. I quickly snatch up Apple before she can carry me to a chair to blow dry my hair.

    "Let that poor thing sleep." She reprimands me, gingerly running her hands through my hair. I''m grateful she doesn''t decide tob it, my scalp is still tender from Tyrone earlier.

    "She sleeping just fine on myp." I say seriously, caught up in petting her soft fur.

    "Do you like Dale?" She asks quietly and I''m just there struggling not to choke on air or at least choke quietly.

    I think over it carefully. "I don''t know mom." I say with same quiet tone. "I mean I just met him today."

    "And yet you are going on a date with him." She gets started in my hair with the hair dryer.

    "Mom!" Iin, cringing, I really didn''t like to talk about mushy things. "It''s just a way of saying thank you for saving me, its not like I could tell him no after he went up against Tyrone and his gang and Virgil too just for me." My hands go up to my ears again.

    She just kisses my now dry curls. "Put Apple back in bed. Your two crazy people are back."

    I put Apple back in herfy makeshift bed and a ray of moonlight sshes on her, it''s so aesthetic that I want to take a picture but my mom beats me to it.

    "Definitely my wallpaper." She coos.

    I pout, walking out of my room. "I''m not your wallpaper anymore?"

    "You''ve been Virgil''s and Shana''s wallpaper ever since they met you, it isn''t cute hogging all the attention." She whispers to me, steering me in the direction of the noisy room.

    "You guys better not be eating all the snacks!" I announce as I''m pushed into the room.

    Dale and Shana are discussing heatedly while Virgil is fiddling with the remote.

    "So what are we watching?" Shana squeals, hopping on Virgil''sp.

    "Ugh! Get off." He tries shoving her away but she doesn''t budge. "You weigh like a hippo." Heins, still trying to push her off with no luck.

    "Like you would know what a hippo weighs." She says absently, gettingfortable in hisp.

    My mom sits on a cushion a little ways from them, her hand quickly finding the chips bowl.

    "Renee, please help me." Virgil begs, dramatically wheezing.

    "You''re on your own, my love." She pats his cheek. "Come and sit on mommy''sp." She invites me, patting herp, Dale takes the cushion next to her.

    I grab my ears at thepromising and embarrassing situation, knowing that if I don''t obey my mom she''ll end up spilling some mortifying secret that isn''t necessarily true. "I don''t like you sometimes." I mumble under my breath, but get on herp as she requested.

    Virgil had stoppedining and let Shana stay on him, it was usually like this most nights with me in my mom''s arms and Shana bothering Virgil or, me in Shana''s arms and my mom bothering Virgil or me in Virgil''s arms and my mom and Shana gossiping together.

    Strangely enough Dale''s presence doesn''t make things awkward as we quietly rewatch The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

    We manage to make it to the scene when they get crowned Kings and Queens before Shana starts to mumble.

    She sleep talks whenever she falls asleep in an ufortable position.

    Virgil res down at her. "It''s good to know, you find me lumpy." He grumbles and we allugh.

    "It''s getting prettyte now." My mom yawns. "I best be getting to my room. "Virgil please move Shana to the air-beds." She adds, getting up and depositing me on Dale''sp like I''m nothing but a pillow - I grab my ears.

    Virgil grinds his teeth but obeys my mom,ing back very quickly to pick me up from Dale''s hold.

    "I can walk." I try to resist but my voice onlyes out as a tiny squeak which he ignores.

    "Come on Dale." My Mom steers him towards the joined air-beds. "Virgil, sleep beside Hayden so Shana doesn''t climb over him in the night, he''s still injured."

    She pushes Dale to the edge of the bed, there are two pushed against the wall so there''s enough space for everyone with Shana sleeping close to the wall, Virgil then me. "Dale you''ll stay here so Hayden doesn''t fall off." She says effectively putting me in between them.

    "Goodnight now." She greets cheerily, dimming the lights, the door clicking shut behind her.

    I gulp, gettingfortable in all the many nkets sprawled on the bed. I''m a big cuddler so I know when I''m deep in sleep I''m going to end up wrapped around somebody - I hope it''s Virgil, I don''t think I can risk aggravating him anymore.

    The room is quiet and I start to slowly rx when the room is silent for a considerable while, I drag my nket higher.

    The night wasn''t particrly cold but I''ve always slept with nkets for as long as I can remember, I don''t think I could fall asleep without one. Even though I''ll end up losing the nket and using someone else as cover.

    I''m very tired, everything that happened today starts to hit me hard and even though I''m ufortable sleeping in between Virgil and Dale, I soon fall asleep.

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11

    Hushed giggles and camera shutter sounds are what rouses me the next day, I blink open my eyes, momentarily groggy with sleep only to get a face full of a red Shana and my mom, struggling to keep excited squeals in.

    I roll my eyes, wondering what they were on about now. I want to move but I can''t and I try to take stock of my position.

    I''m wrapped around Virgil who equally returns the favor already used to my nightly cuddles, one of my hands are buried in his hair as his head finds it''s home on my chest.

    We''re lying side ways and I''m already coloring up from thispromising position, what if Dale sees us like this?

    I try to move my other hand that''s thrown backwards but it just gets tangled in ---

    Hair?

    Shit!

    My other hand is buried deep in Dale''s hair, his face buried in the crook of my neck as he spoons me from behind.

    Now I''m a horrible shade of purple, I''m so embarrassed. I throw a re at my mom and best friend who look like they are about to start sobbing from happiness.

    I''m caught between pretending to go back to sleep or wake them up and suffer the consequences.

    None is a better choice! Because just now I''m starting to get very conscious about the muscled bodies wrapped around me.

    There''s no way I could even escape without waking them up - I really should have been serious about workouts - but they just make me feel like death, plus no matter how much I try to exercise nothing ever changes.

    So I''m stuck in their middle, unable to move them and wondering just why the hell I woke up yesterday. If I hadn''t woken up yesterday, I wouldn''t be here right now being cuddled to death by very hot guys.

    I close my eyes in frustration. Yes! I know exactly what to do. I''ll hold my breath and try to kill myself before any of them wakes up and I die from embarrassment - because, honestly suicide sounds way better.

    I hold my breath, a little difficult to do without pinching my nose and mping down my mouth but I''m desperate enough.

    "What are you doing?" Virgil rumbles against my chest, amusement in his husky, morning voice.

    I choke and start gasping. "Y-You''re a-aw-awake!"

    He nuzzles against me. "Yeah." He murmurs in his scratchy voice that makes tingles run down my spine. "For a while now." He adds, his hands slipping under my sweater to ce them on my bare skin to pull me closer. "Are you ufortable?"

    "W-What? No. I-I m-mean y-yes. W-Wait! N-no." I stutter hard, panicking.

    He squeezes tighter and I gasp in slight pain but I''m distracted now so I forget to hyperventte, Dale buries his face deeper in the crook of my neck, his hands also finding a spot on my exposed skin and I just want to die.

    "Calm down Hay." Virgil says soothingly, sighing against me, then he goes quiet like he''d fallen asleep once again.

    I try not to squirm, discarding my borate ns of killing myself before I manage to wake Dale up this time around trying tomit suicide.

    I try not to move, I really do but Dale and Virgil keep on squirming, so much that I know they aren''t asleep anymore but I''m not sure I want to test it. Moving parts of their body subtly, they keep on finding new reasons to rub on me.

    I''m so red that it would take a really long while of sitting under a cool shower to get myself back to the normal temperature.

    "Alright!" Shana voice slices through the room, I hadn''t even noticed when they left earlier - probably to have aplex conversation on where our ''budding love triangle'' was at now.

    "Get up you two assholes!" She yells, whacking the air mattress with a palm.

    I cringe into myself harder when they just ignore her, content to keep on cuddling me to an early death.

    "Virgil! Dale! Don''t make me repeat myself, she threatens and I can imagine her dangerous expression. "We need to get ready for school and you''ll kill Hayden if you don''t let him go right now."

    "Go away Shana." Virgil grumbles, unhappy with the interruption.

    "It''s rude to interrupt a person''s sleep." Dale tags on, the two idiots are agreeing for the first time since they met and it''s over torturing me.

    "What''s taking so long?" My mom wonders,ing in. "Why aren''t you up... What the hell!" She exims, definitely sighting us.

    "I have a hose that I''m not afraid to use." She threatens and they grudgingly separate from me, I''m still curled up into myself, eyes tightly shut, face red.

    "That''s more like it." She hums going out.

    "See you after school." Shana chirps cheerily going out after Dale, probably heading home.

    She''ll definitely be back with Virgil, I wonder if Dale wille too. I sit up, nning to stumble to my bed to continue my interrupted sleep. My whole body still hurts and I just want to sleep the entire day away.

    My leg barely touches the floor when Virgil appears beside me, picking me up without warning. "Eek!" I squeal, fisting his shirt in both hands as I''m lifted from the ground.

    "I-I thought y-you h-had already left." I stutter, my face red as he absently carries me to my room, like it''s reflex for him to want to pick a guy up and take them to their room.

    "I''m going now." He replies, setting me on the bed, the usual kiss to my fore head then he''s gone.

    I flop on my bed, emotionally exhausted from the rollercoaster I went on yesterday, maybe I should run away.

    Do I even think I could manage to do that?

    Nope. I don''t even need to think, I know I couldn''t. Other than the obvious fact that I wouldn''t know where to go, I don''t think I''ve ever left the house alone - the backyard doesn''t count.

    I think I fell asleep because when I open my eyes again, bright sunshine is streaming in.

    I feel marginally better than yesterday but I still get up gingerly, the sharp pain in my abdomen had faded to a dull throb but I wasn''t about to throw some acrobatics around and get it started up again.

    "Mom! Mom!" I call out, making my way slowly down the stairs.

    "In the kitchen baby!" Her voice floats over to me and I recalibrate my direction.

    "Mom? What are you doing?" I ask her, moving closer, she notices my gentle movements and frowns, rushing over to me.

    "Are you in pain? Shit I forgot to give you your pain medicationsst night, I''m so sorry, I shoul..." Her hands are patting me down and she''s constantly kissing my curls.

    "Hey, hey mom." I hold her face. "Calm down, I''m okay, better actually and you know I hate pain meds they make me feel groggy and nauseous." I exin to her.

    "Are you sure?"

    "Yes, besides if I was in pain you''d know."

    She grins at this. "Actually I would and Virgil would have fed you pain meds till you were numb all over."

    I unconsciously shudder. "So what were you doing?" I ask, trying to look around her.

    "Just making a little something." She shrugs, a tell tale excitement on her face that has me biting my lips in worry.

    "You were cooking?" I widen my eyes. "Julia didn''te over today?" Julia is our Portuguese cook cum nanny cum cleaner.

    Without her I''m pretty sure my mom would have done something fatal, shees in thrice a week to clean, cook and boss my mom around like her youngest daughter and she loves Virgil, would probably murder for him.

    "Actually she just left, didn''t want to wake you up and she also made a ginormous pot of chicken soup for you but I also wanted to do something for you." She adds sheepishly and I smile.

    "And what''s that?"

    "Fruit sd!" She announces, going to bring a huge ss bowl of cut up fruits, thoroughly buried in cream.

    "Thank you so much mom but I need to clean up first." I turn around as she puts it in the fridge. "Where''s Apple?" I look around for that white fluffy ball.

    "I''m not sure, she was keeping mepany a while ago, Julia nearly burst into tears at the sight of her and I had to rescue the poor kitten before she drowned her in cream."

    We both walk into the sitting room to see Apple making concentrated efforts to get on a pillow that had fallen to the ground.

    We stand for a while just watching her struggle, caught up in her cuteness.(The Author just really loves cats... Incase you hadn''t noticed)

    "Should we help?" I find myself asking, feeling a little cruel watching the kitten struggle helplessly.

    "We should." My mom agrees but stops me as soon as I make a move. "Just not now, she''s too adorable to pass up on."

    I roll my eyes, stepping forward to help Apple up on the pillow were she promptly curls up at the fluffy center and falls asleep after nuzzling into my palm.

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21

    "Hayden!" My mom''s voice interrupts my thoughts and I shake myself, quickly finishing up with brushing my hair.

    I had woken up really early this morning with a slight feeling of confusion, like I was forgetting something. But even though I was up early, I seem to have lost track of time, well either that or my mom is reading the microwave again instead of the clock.

    "I''ming!" I yell back, picking up my backpack from where it says beside my study table.

    The weather is warmer today so I wear a very thin sweatshirt, I''ll soon have to go back to short handed tops and shirts if this keeps on - it isn''t my favorite kind of outfit because I feel like my arms are too skinny.

    I pick up Apple from her basket on my way down, she yawns a little and winks open one eye to check who''s lifting her, once she confirms who it is, she promptly falls back asleep in my arms.

    She''s getting bigger but she''s still a kitten and even though I know she can get up to my room all by herself, I''d made it a routine to always take her down with me whenever I''m going down to breakfast.

    I sit at the table, raising an eyebrow as my mom ces a bowl of cereal in front of me. "None of your spectacr failures today?" I ask, already digging in.

    She makes a face as she quickly ced a bowl of milk on the table for Apple - she did it quickly because the first time I brought the kitten to breakfast, she dunked her entire head in my cereal bowl trying to get to milk.

    "Youin when I cook for you and you alsoin when I don''t." She pouts. "Try making up your mind, would you?"

    I look at her in amazement. "When have you ever taken my feedback?" I ask her. "All you do is listen to what I say then let it hit your face and fall to the ground." I sass.

    "Ouch! That''s a horrible thing to say to your mother." She ces a hand over her heart.

    "What can I say?" I shrug with a mouthful of food. "The truth stings."

    She just levels me a look then slips off her apron. "I need to get my keys so I''ll drive you to school, your friends say that they''ll meet you there." She informs me, already walking away.

    I continue my meal, absently watching Applep up her milk with tiny kitten licks, I''m not the biggest fan of cat food and neither is my mom but we might need to buy some soon so that she isn''t underfed.

    I hope I''ll see Virgil and Dale today, Dale hadn''t been in school for the past two days, he didn''te over either so I''m a little worried.

    Virgil was around but I barely saw him, we have lots of free periods on Wednesdays so I''m looking forward to seeing him, nevermind that the free periods are after gym.

    I mentally die a little, I''m pretty sure ites off as no surprise that I hate sports. It''s not my fault really, trust me, it''s very hard to like something that you''re terrible at.

    My momes back out in a skirt and my worry mounts, my mom never wears skirts. She says she feels like she''s in a stic tube and if she makes a wrong move, she''ll trip and fall, sprawling on the ground. First she gives me cereal straight up without attempting to cook and now she''s in a skirt, what''s going toe next? The bloody apocalypse?

    "Mom?" I call her as we start for the car, Apple is fast asleep again and I had dropped her on a pillow.

    "Hmm?" She hums, opening the car.

    "Should I be worried?" I ask, getting in the front beside her.

    "Huh? About?" She looks at me, pausing in her action to slip the key in.

    "Well let''s see." I tap my chin in a yful manner, like I''m thinking deeply. "First you give me cereal and now you''re in a skirt? Like an honest to God full skirt, not even a mini one, like you''re a secretary in a convent. Is something wrong?"

    She looks in my direction at my outburst, then she bursts outughing. "You''re just precious!" She gasps, putting the car in gear.

    "Well." She shrugs. "Virgil has been blowing up my phone because he made some stupid bet with Dale that both of them can''te to your house until they do something or the other so I figured that the faster I get you to school, the sooner I''ll get some peace. He''s killed my phone twice now."

    I gape at her exnation, that was the furthest thing from my mind. "They did that?" I mumble, still trying to wrap my head around it.

    Here I was, getting worried and worked up when the real reason I haven''t seen them is because of a  bet??!

    "But that doesn''t exin why you''re in a skirt." I look at the dull, ck pencil skirt she had on.

    "I honestly don''t remember putting this on." She says matter of factly and I''m lost.

    "Excuse me, what?"

    "Pretty much what you heard me say, I don''t even remember buying this skirt." She gestures down with a hand and I simply give up.

    "Take care okay?" She says to me when we arrive at Pine Creek High, kissing my forehead.

    "Yes Mom." I reply cheerily, slipping on my backpack. My mood has improved now that I know that all my friends are fine.

    "Burn that skirt." I advise her, already making my way out.

    She pouts at this. "I actually like it."

    I give her an affronted look but start off across the parking lot when the bell rings, a particrly loud ''bye baby!'' from her has me cringing but I quickly forget about that as I join the throng of students milling in.

    I keep my head down, not wanting to attract attention to myself, news of what happened between Tyrone and I was still in the air. That''s why I wasn''t even extremely devastated that Virgil and Dale kept their distance for the past two days that I resumed, because the publicity would have killed me for sure.

    Whispers start up and I''m tempted to lift my head up but my anxiety spikes when I think that they might be talking about me.

    "Elise and her crew"

    "Have you heard the news"

    "Dance

    "The new guy"

    Whispers reach my ears but I can hardly understand what they''re saying but at least I don''t think I''m the centre of attraction.

    I sidle up to my locker and start to put in thebination, if the hallway is in an uproar like this, Virgil would have been surrounded so most likely he was on the roof with Shana.

    It''s still pretty early but the school is already full, I''m curious about what is going on but I can''t bring myself to look up from my feet. It''s a good thing I know the way to the roof like the back of my palm because there''s nothing in my line of sight except legs and shoes.

    As I start up the stairs a malicious voice cuts through the noise.

    "Get out of my way loser! Have anyone seen Virgil?"

    I don''t wait to hear the replies if there are any, already hurrying up to the roof.

    I get there with my heart in my throat, only to get snatched from my feet and pulled into someone''s arms.

    I let out a short scream, closing my eyes in terror."Oh my god!" I gasp, panting.

    "Calm down Hay, it''s just me." Virgil''s soothing voice pierces through my haze and I blink open an eye.

    "Virgil?" I open my eyes wide. "Why did you grab me like that?" I use, still recovering from the shock. He''s hugging me so hard that my sneakers leave the ground, looking at me intensely.

    "Fine, you win." Dale''s irritated voicees from behind Virgil. "You can put him down now."

    "Hard pass." Virgil scoffed. "Don''t be a sore loser, Dal."

    I just roll my eyes, trust them toe up with something like this. "I can''t believe you betted on who would hug me first." I say, stepping out of Virgil''s hug to go sit beside Shana on a bench. The roof is still beautiful, flowers in full bloom because it''s the end of spring and most of winter''s effects were gone.

    "I would have won too if Idiot there hadn''t tripped me." Dale grouched, quickly sitting beside me to Virgil''s dismay.

    "Hey that''s my line!" Shana protests and I smile at her antics.

    "Did something happen in school today?" I can''t help asking.

    The three of them look at me with fond looks.

    Shana facepalms. "How did you not see it? Flyers are everywhere. It''s on the school board and posters are in every corner of the school."

    "Hey!" I protest. "Just answer my question." I pout, I''m definitely not telling them I never looked up once after I got to school except when I was at my locker.

    "The Spring Dance ising up."

 Chapter 76

    Chapter 76

    Shana''sughter wakes me up the next morning and I grumble as Dale helps me out of the nkets, apparently, Virgil had gotten up after I had finally fallen asleep - I had spent nearly an hour yelling at him, while he just closes his eyes and pretended not to hear me - he had gotten up to open up the curtains and put the air-conditioning on high-cool.

    I kick off the rest of the nkets and walk around the bed to kick Virgil who''s grinning widely.

    "That''s it! I''m sleeping alone for the rest of the summer!" I announce, throwing my hands up fiercely, I throw it so hard that I get whacked in the face by sweater paws.

    This throws Shana into another loud bout ofughter and I just stomp off in a rage, I pause after a while of walking down the hall to see that they''re not following me, it''s strange because someone is always following me.

    I get a sudden inspiration to cook breakfast since everyone keeps saying I can''t cook, I ce both hands on my waist and ''hmph'' - I''ll show them.

    I don''t bother going to my room again, I just take off one of the sweaters and throw it on a couch in the living room on my way to the kitchen.

    The sweater I have on is dark blue and slipping down a shoulder and it''s long enough to nearly hide the shirts I have on.

    I''ll have to hurry if I don''t want to get interrupted by any of them, most likely they''ll get holed up in Virgil''s room talking or Shana will be trying to ckmail them into sneaking out of today''s activities, knowing Shana it''s most likely thetter.

    I roll my sleeves up and it ends up bunching above my elbows, time to get to work.

    The kitchen is very spacious and I throw on an apron just to feel like a professional, the apron actually makes me feel better like I actually know what I''m doing.

    "Okay," I mutter to myself, opening the freezer to peek in on tippy toes. I n to make a traditional breakfast of toast, bacon, and eggs, anything more and I''ll end up burning down the kitchen just like my mom.

    I get out the eggs and bacon and throw the bread in the toaster.

    Frying the eggs and bacon actually requires more skill than I had thought, no wonder my mom''s always lighting them on fire. Midway, the toaster dings, and I nearly fry my fingers trying to get to it in time.

    Somehow, I manage to prepare breakfast and just stand there panting while waiting for the water to heat up.

    Arms slip around me and I nearly whack my head on the cab in shock, I rx slightly when I see that it''s just Virgil.

    "I think my eyes aren''t working anymore." Shana announces, sweeping into the room. "Or did the Cooking Fairy visit us this morning?"

    "You''re wee, Shana," I say dryly, still conscious of Virgil who still has his arms wrapped around me. "You can just say thank you, Virgil, no need to go all ko bear on me." I say in a muffled voice, my breath hitching when he nuzzles my neck.

    Shana walks past and whacks his head. "Use your words, moron."

    "What am I hearing about Hayden cooking?" Dale strides into the room. "Who''s letting him cook? What if he got hurt?" Heins, pulling Virgil away from me to hug me.

    "I just cooked you guys." I say with a red face. "It''s nothing special.

    "When you were brought up by someone like Renee, I beg to differ." Shana deadpans, preparing tea for herself and coffee for Dale and Virgil.

    "That''s my mom." Iin, stepping out of Dale''s arms to get a carton of milk from the fridge.

    Shana gives me a weird look. "What are you doing?"

    I wave the carton of milk. "What does it look like?"

    "You want to drink just milk?"

    I pause in the act of pouring it in a ss. "Why are you saying it like there''s something wrong with that?"

    "Because" She drawls. "It''s so cute." She ps her hands over her face, making cooing sounds.

    I shoo her away with my hands. "Go away, crazy person."

    "So." Shana begins with a suggestive smile.

    "No." I say quickly.

    "Hard pass." Virgil murmurs around a sip of coffee.

    "It sounds like a bad idea." Dale adds, around a mouthful of egg.

    "Really, you guys?" Shana says with a betrayed expression. "You didn''t even let meplete what I had to say."

    "We didn''t have to, you''ve been convincing us to tie Hayden up so you wouldn''t have to go in the rollercoaster." Virgil rats her out without batting an eyelid.

    I swerve my head around to give her a look. "Really, Shana?" I mimic her.

    She just ces a hand on her face. "I''m just saying, we could always go get tattoos instead." She suggests excitedly.

    I just give her a nk look. "So, somehow, getting a tattoo is less scary than roller coasters? How??"

    She looks away. "Well, when I was young, I had this nightmare that after I had gotten on the rollercoaster, it woulde loose and start rolling around like a wheel."

    We all just stare frozen at Shana when shepletes her narration.

    "You still remember the dreams you had when you were younger?" I demand in shock.

    "You had weird dreams." Dale frowns.

    "That''s all you people got?" She throws her hands up.

    Virgil just takes an unbothered sip of his coffee. "Shana just made that up, she never has dreams."

    "You''re officially in my ck book, Virgil." She growls to him, getting up from the table. "Thanks for breakfast Hayden, I''m driving today!" She announces running up the stairs.

    "No! You''re not!" I exim, running after her.

    "Hey! Why not?" She paused at the top of the stairs to pout down at me.

    "Because I don''t trust you to not drive the car over a cliff." I sh a hand.

    She pauses for a short while then bursts outughing, pping her thighs for effect. "I''m sorry, it''s hard to take you seriously when you have sweater paws."

    I just walk up to her and smack her across the face with a sweater paw. "You''re not driving, not today at least." I poke a covered finger at her and continue on my way to my room.

 Chapter 77

    Chapter 77

    I can''t believe that we''re justing to the beach over a week after." I say, helping to spread out the nkets and set up the umbres. "Considering it''s the only thing you could talk about when we were back in Pine Creek."

    "Well, Maggie wanted me over a lot for preparations of my birthday ball." Shana says sheepishly. "And I wanted us to go together, at least for the first time."

    Ever since the amusement park where Shana kept screaming throughout the entire rollercoaster ride, that''s not strange I know but she didn''t stop screaming till a full five minutester even though we were all on solid ground.

    She has also not been around often because of the ball that is being thrown in her honor, which meant I''ve been trapped in the house with Virgil and Dale.

    "It''s in two days right?" I ask hopefully, I wanted Shana back to dispel the tense atmosphere constantly hovering around Virgil and Dale.

    "Yep and we''re all going over tomorrow and we''ll stay over till the next morning after the ball." She says giddily and I can''t help but share her excitement.

    "Where''s Virgil and Dale?" I stand up from my crouched position to look around when I don''t see them.

    All I see is other people with their nkets and umbres, ready for a long day at the beach.

    "They stepped out for a bit, something about Dale showing Virgil something."

    I just shrug, not really interested because most likely their outing would involve meeting other people.

    Shana carefully sits on the nket she had spent so much time smoothening out and hands me a lotion. "Could you pretty please help me apply this on my back?" She asks politely.

    I take the bottle and quickly scan it. "Tanning lotion?" I ask making a face.

    "Yep!" She grins widely at me. "What''s a summer vacation without getting a tan?"

    I raise an eyebrow at this. "You said that about tattoos too." I point out sarcastically.

    "The sun is wasting, Hay." She begs.

    "Fine, toast in the sun if that''s what you want." I say with a slight shudder, not understanding the thrill of getting sun baked.

    I''m wearing shorts and a beach shirt and I quickly crawl under my umbre with a novel that I had brought solely for the sake of ignoring the world.

    "Isn''t it weird to bring a book to the beach?" Shana says with her eyes closed, she''s fully under the sun, flexing her finger slightly.

    "Isn''t it weird to be doing all that?" I fire back at her, adding an extrayer of sunscreen on my body.

    "Of course not, I''m about to doze off, tell Virgil and Dale that if they get sand on me I''ll bury them alive."

    "Roger that." I reply, already done with the conversation too.

    I prop my head on some spare nkets and get ready to dive into the world of fiction.

    I''m not sure how much time pass like this but a girly voice coyly calling Virgil''s name makes me look up from my book and slowly look around to see where the offending noise ising from.

    I throw my head back in shock when I see the crime scene, two girls are with Virgil and Dale, the one hovering around Virgil is giggling happily and throwing herself on him like her legs aren''t working anymore even though Virgil is obviously not saying anything but the darker haired one with Dale is quietly holding a serious conversation with him and I don''t know which one bothers me more.

    I pretend not to see them and go back to hiding behind my book even though they are very obviously headed this way.

    Shana slowly opens one eye and frowns. "Where the fuck is that horrible sounding from?" She asks unhappily, she had probably heard the girl with lighter hair that''s all over Virgil call his name.

    I try to shrug nonchntly but I''m pretty sure my tight face gives me away. "I don''t know."

    "Is this where your nkets are? You guys should totallye over to our spot, it has a way better view and all the cool kids hangout there." The girl hanging off Virgil starts to chatter nonstop and Virgil just watches her patiently.

    "We don''t want your spot, thank you very much." Shana bites out and it''s obvious that they hadn''t gotten off to a very good start. "Virgil, could you help me apply some lotion on my back?" She asks sweetly, batting her eyelids at him even though I had just done the exact same thing barely fifteen minutes ago.

    Virgil doesn''t even bat an eyelid at this, taking the bottle that Shana hands to him, he separates himself from the girl hanging off him and steps forward to help Shana out.

    I just keep my face hidden behind my book, my ultimate n right now is hiding behind my book till the girls either go away or we do.

    "I''m sorry I haven''t introduced you." Virgil apologizes ndly when the girl makes it obvious that she expected to be introduced.

    "This is Julia, Julia meet Shana, my"

    "Cousin." Shana interrupts tartly, gleaming from the excessive tanning lotion smeared all over her body.

    A muscle ticks in Virgil''s jaw but other than that he keeps a straight face. "Meet my cousin, Shana and Hayden"

    "His best friend." Shana tags on smugly and I cringe a little dropping the book briefly to sy my fingers open in a little wave.

    Julia just ignores us as soon as she finds out that we aren''t a possible threat. "So as I was saying, let''s go over to my spo" Virgil just plops down on his nket which is right beside me and I curse under my breath.

    "Actually, I like here just fine." He says, smiling up at her.

    Turns out that''s all it took for Julia to forget all about her cool spot that had all the best things and plop right beside Virgil, practically sitting on hisp.

    I cut them a sharp re my page crushed in my palm.

    "That" Shana mutters darkly under her breath and I grateful she didn''t decide toplete her statement.

    But I can''t helpplete it mentally when Julia trails a hand down Virgil''s body, could she be any more obvious?

 Chapter 78

    Chapter 78

    I try my hardest to ignore them but it''s like trying to ignore a bright shlight pointed right in my eyes, it''s not possible.

    After reading the same line for the tenth time, I just give up and just stare up at the the inside of my umbre, my fist unconsciously clenching and unclenching - whose decision was it again toe to the beach?

    Oh right, mine! Because I thought I was tired of having Virgil''s and Dale''s attention all to myself but I take it back.

    Dale eventually makes his way over, he had been talking a short distance away from where our nkets are with the darker haired girl.

    His jaw is tight when makes his way over and his expression shuttered and I perk up at this, wondering what''s wrong? If it''s the dark haired girl? Decorum be damned, I''m tossing a handful of sand in her face.

    "You look grumpy." Dale moves forward to crouch and whisper in my ear, sneaking a kiss on my forehead as he does this and I forget to be worried about him, going red in the face.

    I feel like Virgil is watching our short exchange but when I whip my head around to look at him, I get a faceful of Julia trying to crawl into him, does she have any idea of the meaning of personal space?

    "You look unhappy." I tell Dale, deciding to ignore Virgil since he''s practically doing the same thing.

    "I''m fine." He whispers to me, shing me his goofy smile before getting back up. "Guys, meet Nicole, she''s a"

    "Ex, I''m his ex." She provides quickly, stretching out a hand, Shana stares at her outstretched hand like it''s a living animal and then shes a hand covered in tanning lotion in her face.

    "Nice to meet you Nicole but I don''t think you''d want tanning lotion on you." She says nkly.

    This leaves just me to shake her hand, which I manage to do without causing any world level catastrophe like dragging her towards me so that I can ram my knee into her smug face.

    "Uh, yeah" Dale trails off without heat. "Nicole, meet my friends, Hayden and Shana."

    There''s an awkward silence after the introductions areplete but it goes over Dale''s head who''s smoothening his nket which are on the other side of Shana, most likely getting ready to sit down. "Hey, Hayden?" He calls to me, breaking me out of my thoughts that were well, about him.

    "Yeah?" I look up, Nicole is still hovering around like she''s expecting something or maybe she''s just waiting for her friend.

    "Do you want a drink?" He asks absently.

    And I start to say no before Nicole''s smug expression ms into me. "I don''t mind." I shrug, picking my book up again.

    "Do you mind if I tag along? Julia isn''t ready to leave yet anyway." She asks.

    "Sure." Dale agrees enthusiastically and they walk off.

    "The beach is officially off our to-do list for the rest of summer." Shana says tightly and I can''t help but agree, Nicole is no Elise but I can''t help but feel like she and Julia might be a little bit of trouble.

    "So did you hear about the birthday ball that the Mrs. LeBaron is hosting?" Julia asks when we''re halfway done with our drinks, somehow we all end up sitting in a big circle and I want to throw my cup of cold punch at someone, preferably Julia. "We got invited." She says smugly.

    I have to physically stop myself from telling her that I''m a LeBaron but Shana isn''t that humble.

    "Maggie is a really close family friend so she''s throwing the birthday ball for me, I had no idea it had be so popr." She says with fake sweetness.

    I see Julia''s dark eyes harden at Shana''s words. "I had no idea Mrs. LeBaron did charity." She takes a jab at Shana and Nicole snickers.

    I see red at this and my words leave my mouth before I can process. "My grandmother doesn''t but if you need some help I could ask her for you." I say with syrupy sweetness.

    Julia bites back her words and I see her eyes widen imperceptibly at this, she looks like she wants to suck up to me but she had already ruined her image so there was no reason to even try.

    "I thought you were a myth." Nicole says in a kind voice.

    "I''m obviously real." I say in a much subdued voice, much calmer now that there''s no one threatening any of my friends.

    Dale''s phone rings and he gets up to pick it up, Virgil gets distracted by Julia again so only Shana and I get to see the real person behind the nice facade that Nicole puts up.

    "I don''t care if your grandparents own half of the entire fucking City, stay away from Dale, he isn''t gay and he doesn''t need or want you."

    I flinch back at this like I''ve been pped and it really feels like I''ve been pped, why do I always get med?

    Shana moves forward unconsciously and I have to hold her back before she punches Nicole''s face in. "Hayden, just let me just give her a little piece of my mind." Shana growls intensely, staring at Nicole so hard that she scrambles a couple of steps back.

    "He''s not even one of us and you''re taking his side?" Nicole snarls at Shana and this time I can''t stop her fast enough.

    She tackles Nicole to the nkets and Virgil startles at this.

    "What''s going on?" He frowns and Nicole quickly separates from Shana who looks bloodthirsty.

    "Oh nothing important." Shana waves away, calmly returning to her nket.

    Julia quickly drags Virgil away and I want to tackle her to the ground.

    "Say that again and I won''t miss." Shana threatens and I nce at where the brief tussle had happened to see a small part of the nket in shreds and I blink in confusion, wondering what could have caused it.

    Dale picks this moment toe back and Julia and Virgiles behind him.

    "Virgil has agreed to be my date to the ball!" Julia announces happily like he had proposed to her, Virgil just keeps a nk expression and I want to smack it off his face.

    How dare he act so unbothered?

    "You should be my date to the ball, Dale, it''ll be like old times." Nicole says sweetly hanging off Dale''s arm.

    Dale just stares at me like he''s confused or asking permission and I clench my teeth at the way she cups his face to turn his gaze away from me.

    "Hmm? Hmm? What do you say?" She asks brightly, not giving him a chance to think.

    "Um, sure?" Dale says in a unsure voice.

    "Hayden can go with Shana then." Julia says with something akin to disgust in her voice.

    I can''t help but feel something off about the entire thing but my anger at Virgil''s nonchnce overshadows everything else.

 Chapter 79

    Chapter 79

    "Oh hi, darling." My mom greets me at the door to my Grammy''s house. "Shana, Maggie is waiting for you in the second receiving room, where''s Virgil and Dale?" She frowns.

    I clench my teeth at her question. "They said they''ll be byter." I say nonchntly even though there''s a bruise on my heart.

    Nicole and Julia had shown up this morning that they were all going on a double date, it was while we were eating breakfast and I didn''t even wait a moment to see Virgil''s nk expression or Dale''s guilty eyes, I just made my way up the stairs to cry to Apple.

    "Okay, see you allter." Shana waves, making her way across the room.

    "Hayden? Are you okay?" My mom asks in worry and even though I want to tell her, I decide to not tell her.

    Shana had said really hurtful things to them this morning and even though I''m also mad at them it hurt too, knowing my mom she''ll definitely do worse.

    "Yeah, I''m fine." I murmur, clutching Apple. I couldn''t leave her back at the beach house because we would be gone for a couple days at least.

    "I almost forgot, Mrs Nn is here, she''s helping Maggie out with the preparations for Shana''s birthday ball."

    "Oh that''s nice." I hum distractedly, I had met Mrs Nn a lot of times but that was when I was way younger, the beautiful woman had an ent that always made it fun to listen to her talk.

    "She brought Yanis too." She adds with a smirk and I startle.

    "What! I thought he was in Greece!" I exim.

    "We''ll he''s back for the long summer break and is so excited to see you again."

    My eyes go wide at this, Yanis is Mrs. Nn only child and I saw him a lot when his mother came over but that was years ago, he got sent to a fancy boarding school in Greece to attend high school.

    "Where is he?" I ask with barely contained excitement, we were really close because we would end up spending the days I woulde over to visit my Grammy together and he would carefully teach me French that I would forget right after.

    "Calm down, baby." My mom shakes her head. "He has been pacing around in your old yroom, want me to hold on to Apple for you?"

    "Yes please." I say quickly, handing her to my mom before hurrying in the direction of my old yroom.

    I hadn''t been there ever since he left, there was no need to anyway, I would just end up missing him.

    As I hurry, I wonder how he would look like now after nearly five years of his absence, thest time I had seen him, he still had his ridiculous thick sses and his bowl style haircut.

    He was always so nervous and shied away from people so we fit right in together, while he preferred to readrge books on philosophy that no doubt worsened his vision, I would lie curled up with my head on his legs reading my paperback novels.

    He was the only who neverined if I didn''t want to talk unlike the other children I had y dates with, it also helped that his mom and my Grammy are really close so we got to spend a lot of time together.

    I fling open the door when I get to my old yroom and see him standing with his back to me, no doubt staring out the window and thinking up on theories.

    He''s way taller now but then everyone got taller, except me. He''s wearing skinny, ck jeans and a stylish top which is weird because usually favored cks and shirts that he would tuck in severely.

    "Yanis!!" I squeal in excitement, running all out to meet him.

    He whips around at the sound of my voice. "Mon minou!" He says, catching me in time.

    I grin wider at this, my eyes shut in happiness. "I can''t believe you still remember that." I shake my head at the pet name and then... Wow!

    I open my eyes to look at him, I''m way shorter than him so he''s lifting me up with his arms so that we''re face to face and... Wow! Did I say that before?

    "W-What happened to you?" I ask in shock, he is - pardon my French, I don''t speak it - hot. "Where are your sses? What happened to your hair?"

    He just grins at me, still holding me off the ground and I blink furiously in realization. "When did you get stronger?" I demand, thest time we had met, I could sit on him and he wouldn''t be able to get up and now he''s holding me off the ground so effortlessly.

    "It''s the air in Greece." He teases, eyeing me up and down. "Plus, contacts are way convenient and my hair cut was ludicrous."

    "I thought you didn''t care about that because it''s too, what''s the word? Trifling?"

    "Well I grew up." He says, carefully cing me on the ground. He crouches a bit after this and squints at me. "Is it me, Hay? Or did you grow taller?"

    "Ha ha, very funny." I roll my eyes, smacking him on the head, I try to keep a serious face but I can''t help the grin that keeps forming.

    "I''ve missed you, you just disappeared without warning and the next thing I hear is that you''ve been shipped to Greece." Iin pettishly.

    He rubs his neck nervously, this new haircut makes how good looking he is impossible to ignore and the contacts give apelling glow to his olive eyes.

    "I didn''t know about it either, there I was looking forward to our next y date and the next thing I know, I''m on a private jet to an ind in Greece." He leans forward. "And I did miss you too, there was no one to listen to my wild theories."

    I give him a look. "So that was the only reason why? Ouch."

    He pulls me into another hug again and unsurprisingly my feet don''t touch the ground. "You know that''s not true, so what did I miss?"

 Chapter 80

    Chapter 80

    I spend most of the next hour filling Yanis in on what had happened ever since he left and he quietly listens, looking genuinely interested. It''s always so easy talking to him so its no surprise I end up spilling all about Virgil and Dale.

    He grinds his jaw when my narration gets to Nicole and Julia, I had left out the bit about what happened at the Spring Dance for two reasons, one I didn''t want to talk about it and two I didn''t want that as abel.

    I''d made up my mind that none of it was my fault and I wouldn''t let it control my life or how people viewed me.

    "Who is this Dale guy and I''m going to punch Virgil when I see him."

    "No, don''t." I say quickly.

    "Don''t worry, Minou, I''m not doing it for you, I''m doing it for myself." He mutters darkly, a slight trace of his French enting through, it only did when he got angry.

    He had only met Virgil once and they didn''t exactly be friends but they tolerated each other for my sake, Yanis just wants to punch him.

    I shake my head at his reply. "You said you wanted to hear what has been happening with me, what about you? How''s schooling in Greece?"

    "It''s actually not half bad, we''d sneak out during weekends and spend the time in the town."

    I blink owlishly at this. "What??"

    A knock interrupts our conversation. "Hayden?" Shana''s voice floats over. "Are you there? Maggie said toe get you and bowl head." She yells from the other side of the door.

    I snicker at this, she hadn''t seen Yanis yet and I couldn''t wait to see her reaction.

    "That''s most likely my mom wanting to see you, shall we?" He asks, smoothly getting up from the sofa that we had gravitated to.

    "Sure." I take his hand and let him help me up. "Luckily, Greece is also teaching you to be a gentleman, among other things." I mutter, leading the way to the door.

    "I''ll bet you''re still ticklish." He mock threatens.

    I cringe away from him. "Don''t get any funny ideas." I warn flinging open the door to see Shana staring at me impatiently.

    "Well,e on." She prompts, turning around and leading the way.

    "Hello to you too, Shana." Yanis says with barely contained amusement.

    Shana whips her head around. "Back at you bowl c-cu-cu.. What the fuck! Who the heck is that?" She whips her head around like she expects someone else to hop out.

    I raise an eyebrow at her, pretending not to notice what she''s seeing. "Yanis? Are you drunk?"

    "You''re lying to me." She says nkly, still staring wide eyed at him. "This has to be some elder brother I''ve not heard about, Yanis isn''t hot."

    He just shakes his head at her reaction, his sleek dark hair waving slightly. "I''m an only child and thanks for the insult, I see you are still into dyeing your hair in ridiculous shades."

    She res at him. "That red color was my natural shade idiot, now I remember why you''re so annoying."

    I justugh at their exchange, bracing myself to meet Mrs Nn.

    "Mon Cherie!" She exims excitedly when I step into the room. "So petite, so adorable." She squishes my cheeks when I get to her. "Can I keep him, Maggie?"

    "No thank you, Adeline, Renee would have my head." My Grammy says with a slight shudder, a long slip of paper that no doubt includes the necessities for the ball situated on herp. "I trust that you and Yanis have caught up with each other?'' She asks kindly and I use this opportunity to escape from Mrs Nn who''s kissing my cheeks like they''re made of candy.

    "Yes Grammy."

    "Maggie, darling." She corrects absently.

    "You know he''ll never remember." My Aunt Candy walks in the room. "Is that Yanis? What are they feeding you over there?" She exims in surprise.

    "Hi, Auntie." Yanis greets sheepishly. "Mother, don''t eat him." He scolds his mother, saving me from her.

    Aunt Candy makes a face. "I feel like you''re doing that on purpose." Then she startles. "Oh! I came here for something, mom, Renee is going to make the party nner jump off the roof." She tattles.

    My Grammy startles at this. "You left Renee all alone with her? Oh dear! Adeline, I''ll need your help." She gets up in a hurry. "Getting a nner like Miss Park on such short notice is sheer luck."

    "I thought you hired her months ago." Aunt Candy frowns.

    "Exactly so if she resigns now I''ll never be able to find anyone else in time because they''ll be too busy nning summer parties and bashes." My Grammy says in a harried voice going out.

    They all rush out leaving Yanis, Shana and I, Yanis is still holding my hand from the time he pulled me from his mom and he doesn''t look like he remembers that he''s still holding my it.

    Shana''s phone rings and she quickly picks it and listens intently to whatever, whoever saying on the other side.

    A dangerous expression settles on her face and her grip on the phone gets tighter. "I see, thank you."

    "Who was that?" I ask in concern.

    "Virgil and Dale." She says in a dark voice.

    Yanis perks up at this. "Really?" He asks, cracking the knuckles of the hand that isn''t holding mine.

    "And they came along with Nicole and Julia, the nerve of them." She continues darkly, rubbing her hands together.

    "This just gets better and better."

    Shana nces at him, strangely not surprised that he knows of them. "I have a wonderful idea, why don''t we go roll out the wee mat."

    I just keep quiet at this, I just want Virgil to exin to me why he''s acting like that, like he doesn''t care while Dale keeps acting like he wants me to save him.

    I blink at this, if Dale actually feels anything for me then he wouldn''t have run right back to his ex at the first chance he got. "I hope this doesn''t get me killed." I murmur under my breath, letting Yanis pull me along, I''m not thrilled about having to see any of them, especially when they''re together.

 Chapter 81

    Chapter 81

    "Wait, who called you?" I ask Shana suspiciously, not seeing either Virgil or Dale calling her.

    "Isabelle." She says smugly. "I need to remain informed." She''s referring to a maid who had taken a liking to her and really liked to gossip.

    "Uh huh." I say nkly, Yanis is leading the way and I''m dreading every second that brings me closer to seeing them.

    They''re in the living room and I can hear raised voices, like a mini argument is going on.

    Yanis barges into the room, visibly upset, I prefer to remain hidden behind him.

    Excited screams start up at this.

    "Oh my God!!! It''s Yanis Nn!" Julia squeals and I frown.

    Shanaes up behind me with a simr expression on her face. "Bowl head is popr?"

    "Yanis." Virgil says darkly, ignoring Nicole and Julia who look like they are about to evaporate from happiness.

    "Hello, Virgil, I hear I owe you a punch."

    "You two know each other?" Julia asks, looking morbidly pleased with the idea.

    "You''re supposed to be leaving." Virgil tells her nkly, ignoring her question.

    Julia just ignores him and hurries over to Yanis with Nicole in tow, a phone gripped presumptuously in her hand.

    Yanis just pulls me out of my hiding spot behind him and the girls flinch when they see me, I sigh wearily - I really didn''t like to be mean.

    "You look like you''ve seen a ghost." Iment dryly. "You barge into my house apparently uninvited and you''re shocked to see me? Really?"

    The freeze at this, blinking in confusion like they hadn''t considered this, I just hear Shana evilly chuckling from behind and I''m grateful she decided not to make a scene.

    "B-But." Julia stutters looking flustered for the first time. "We would just like to take a picture with you, Yanis." She says ignoring me.

    Yanis doesn''t like this though so he pulls me closer, instead of stepping away like they obviously expected him to. "Mon Minou, doesn''t like the spotlight, I''m afraid you have to leave." He says coldly and I see their eyes widen in fear.

    Dale blinks and shakes his head like he''s waking up from a doze and I frown. "Who are you? What''s going on?"

    I try to stop Yanis but he''s on a mission, he moves forward, brushing past Nicole and Julia like they aren''t there and their shocked gasps elicit another wickedughter from Shana - she''s really enjoying this.

    "Yanis, honestly I''m not pleased to meet you." He says coldly, crushing Dale''s hand in a fierce handshake.

    I ignore Virgil and Dale even though they looked like they swallowed something bitter, let them get a taste of their own medicine a little.

    "I hear you''re wondering who my Kitty''s date is?" He turns around to address Nicole and Julia who are still stunned, I smile a little at their wrecked expressions, this is not half bad, it''s a little surprising that he''s using the trantion of my pet name, he almost never does.

    They gulp at this, their eyes are darting at the corners trying to get Dale and Virgil''s attention but those two aren''t even seeing them anymore - actually this is really fun!

    "Can you guess?" He leans forward menacingly, letting his French ent roll off his tongue - he''s pissed.

    Nicole and Julia shake their head desperately, looking like they want to make a break for it.

    Yanis clicks his tongue, looking genuinely disappointed. "Too bad, I had high hopes for you." He turns away at this, carefully leading me along. "Come along, mon Minou, I guess they''ll have to wait and see won''t they?"

    "He''s so terrifying." I hear Julia mutter as we make our way out.

    As much as I want to turn around to check on Virgil and Dale, I force myself not to, two could y at that game.

    To Yanis, I lean up to ruffle his hair. "You didn''t have to go that far, those poor girls will have nightmares for a long time."

    "Good." He smiles in self aplishment.

    "I can''t believe you can even still call them poor girls." Shana shakes her head in disbelief. "See, this is why I''m invaluable, you need me to break the noses of anyone who tries to mess with you." She says fiercely, pping an open palm over her fist.

    I wince at this. "You''re scary."

    "I''m a scary ball of sunshine!" She exims happily,ing over to hug me but Yanis pushes her away.

    "No touching, you''re also on probation, I leave for a short while ande back to find out that you''re all breaking mon Minou''s heart." He says with faux seriousness and I burst outughing at the expression on his face.

    "Hey!" Shana exims in outrage. "I didn''t do anything."

    "You did this to his hair." He uses, sying out the edges of my hair that I had forgotten about, the lighter shade is actually really good looking on me but I wasn''t telling Shana that.

    "But it looks good." Shana says with a wobbly lip, looking affronted. "I''m going to tell on you, Maggie!" She calls pettishly, running in the opposite direction.

    "Do you think she''ll really tell?" I ask with an amused expression, suddenly tired with how much of a roller coaster my day has been.

    "Nope, she''s just looking for a reason to be in the middle of all the preparations."

    I hum distractedly, the edges of my vision blurring a bit.

    "You''re yawning, Minou." Yanis points out, stopping our journey back to the yroom.

    "I am?" I ask on another yawn, rubbing my eyes.

    He just shakes his head fondly. "Want me to carry you up to your room?"

    I blink at this, pouting slightly. "I can walk."

    "You''re walking right into a wall." He says nkly and I pause, blinking owlishly at the space in front of me and I must be seeing things because there is a wall in front of me.

    "Oh wow, how did that get there?" I ask seriously, shaking my head to dispel the drowsiness.

    "You''re like a human sized cat." He shakes his head picking me up before I can try to run away and end up cracking my skull on a marble statue.

    "Did I tell you I had a pet cat?" I ask sleepily, pawing at his face.

    Yanis looks down at me briefly. "Yes, you did, a kitten, Apple." He says simply, not breaking his stride.

    "I wan'' to show her to you I miss your sses." I hum in a distracted voice, still pawing at his face.

    "I can''t see if you keep doing that." He scolds. "Plus I still wear my sses sometimes.

    I hear him from a distance, his voice sounds unreal like it''sing from the other side of a waterfall.

    I''m not surprised I feel so sleepy and my hands fall from the sides of Yanis'' face to fall by my side. "That''s so nice." I mumble in disorientation.

    "How can thoses two idiots be so stupid?" He mutters darkly when he thinks I''m asleep. "I should run away with you to Greece but things aren''t so simple."

    I let slip a small sad smile at his words which painted the situation so clearly, things weren''t simple anymore.

 Chapter 82

    Chapter 82

    I end up sleeping the entire afternoon away and when I wake up the sun has already gone down so naturally, Yanis is gone too.

    I roll off the unfamiliar bed, beelining to the bathroom, there''s no doubt about it, I''m taking a shower. I get the craving to wear Virgil''s shirt but I suck it up and wear a random top and sweatpants.

    I''m not particrly hungry but I''m peckish so I find my way to the kitchen to get a fruit, preferably an apple. I hear a faint and familiar voice from a room that I''d passed by so naturally I take a couple steps back.

    "How can you not see it?" Virgil''s voice says in frustration. "Shit! Why the fuck am I doing this again?"

    "You''re getting it all wrong V, Nicole isn''t like that, she nearly hurt herself when Jade went missing and it got even worse when she was found dead." Dale says, totally believing his words.

    "You''re just letting her manipte the guilt you feel."

    "I''m not doing anything." He denies vehemently and I slip away not wanting to hear anymore.

    What was that all about?

    "Oh hey, Hayden?" I bump into Aunty Candy on my way to the kitchen. "I didn''t expect to see you up sote, do you need something?"

    "Yeah." I say sheepishly, still flustered over what I had heard just a moment ago. "I um, wanted an apple."

    She blinks at this then realization dawns on her face. "Oh, you didn''t make it to dinner, Shana said something like you were exhausted and we shouldn''t disturb you."

    She makes her way to the kitchens and I follow suit.

    "Oh yeah." I mumble indistinctly, secretly thanking Shana for her foresight, I don''t think I could have sat down at the same table with Virgil and Dale while trying to keep up a brave face in front of the rest of my family.

    "Are you sure an apple would be enough for you?" She asks in worry, already going to bring out an entire bowl of green and red apples. "Just take this up to your room and snack on it, it''s not like anyone else is going to want to eat then anyway." She tags on when it looks like I''m about to protest.

    There''s no way to convince my Aunt to let me just take one as I had originally nned to do I just take the bowl from her and mumble a quiet thanks. "Thanks Auntie."

    I remember Yanis as I say this, because I would always add the Auntie to her name, he had taken to calling her ''Auntie'' which exasperated my Aunt to no end.

    As I make my way back I smile softly, Yanis had politely asked me to be his date to Shana''s ball and she was at the background whisper yelling ''say yes'' while waving streamers around.

    I had been half asleep so I didn''t have to think too much, when I get to the hallway where I had heard Virgil and Dale''s voices I be cautious, I know ignoring the issue won''t make it go away but that didn''t mean I was ready to face them.

    Luckily, I make it unscathed to my room and sit cross legged on the bed with the bowl of apple ced at the center of my legs, there''s a tv on the far end of bed that I rarely ever use.

    On a spur of the moment, I lurch off the bed to grab the remote and settle in to watch some reality TV show, the perfect distraction.

    I don''t know when I fall asleep but I wake up to worried voices murmuring above me.

    I wink open an eye to see Yanis leaning over me with a worried expression in his pale gold eyes, his sses are on his face again and I smile goofily at them.

    "Are you okay, minou?" He asks in worry, wringing his arms like he doesn''t know what to do with them.

    I blink slowly, my brain still feels sluggish and apparently it seems like it''s just Yanis so those other voices had been a figment of my imagination.

    "Yani?" I drawl sleepily, flexing my fingers a bit, I still can''t feel the rest of my body. "You''re here early."

    He rubs his neck at this. "It''s not that early actually, it''s past ten and Renee said I shoulde wake you up."

    I blink again, even more slowly this time. "It''s already ten?" I mumble drowsily. "Why are you so red, Yani?" I look up at him again.

    He averts his face at my question and fiddles with his tie, adjusting his sses even as his face gets redder. He''s already dressed for the ball and he looks edible in his crisp white shirt and ck pants.

    "N-Nothing!" He exims quickly and my suspicions increase.

    "Why can''t you look at me then?" I ask distractedly, stretching a bit.

    Wait! I blink in realization, did I really fall asleep with the bowl of apples?

    I slowly turn my head to the side ande face to face with an apple, there''s a half eaten one just a little far behind.

    "I''m covered in apples, aren''t I?" I ask dryly but Yanis still won''t look at me. "That doesn''t exin why you won''t look at me, I''ve woken up covered in a lot of things before."

    "Your um, your shirt?" He mumbles, eyes still averted, nervous hands twiddling with his tie.

    I nce down and see that my shirt is bunched up around my neck and shoulders, leaving the rest of my upper body bare.

    I nce up at him again. "What''s wrong with my shirt?" I ask, my eyes twinkling.

    He chokes a bit and fiddles with his tie again like enough air isn''t getting in. "It''s it''s nevermind." He gulps.

    I smirk slightly, it''s nice to know that you can still affect people even though it''s poor Yanis who looks like he''s about to pass out.

    I stretch again, very unnecessarily and peer up at him from beneath myshes. "Could you help me up then, I can''t feel my legs." I really can''t, I don''t know how long I spent watching ridiculous shows and munching on apples with my legs crossed but all of that acrobatics ising back to bite me in the butt.

    Yanis looks like he''s about to pass out but he helps me up anyway, breathing easier when my shirt drops, and a wicked idea hits me.

    I wrap my arms and legs around him like a ko and stare down at him. "Yani, could you help me out with something?" I ask sweetly, smiling wider when he gulps.

    "Yes, but I feel like I''m going to regret it."

 Chapter 83

    Chapter 83

    I clean up with a lighter heart, things aren''t better with Virgil or Dale but I wasn''t sitting down and just letting them do as they wished.

    A maid had brought my outfit and I dressed up in conservative dress pants and a crisp white shirt, the color of the day is ck and white and unsurprisingly, pink but that had to be swapped for blue.

    My Grammy says it''s Shana''s fault for dyeing her hair blue and there was no way they were putting her in a pink dress, I hadn''t seen her much but I knew she was having the time of her life.

    It''s hard enough to feel like you''re actually important enough when you''re just one in the midst of many, Shana had a big family and I realized that was why she dyed her hair in ridiculous colors, she wanted to stand out, be different, I could understand that.

    There''s a suit jacket which I slip on and suddenly feel ustrophobic, what can I say? I''m not a big fan of suits.

    I take the jacket off again and just sling it over a shoulder, my tie is blue and so is my pocket kerchief. I pack my hair up in a man bun, little tendrils peeking out and I dere myself ready.

    Almost like he had heard me, a knock resounds on the door. I already know who it is so I don''t bother to ask.

    "Come in."

    "We''ll bete, Hayden." Yanis says in worry.

    I roll my eyes at his antics. "You just came in." I remind him. "Plus, shouldn''t you be fashionablyte, you know being the celebrity that you are." I tease.

    He just throws himself face up on my bed, his sleek, dark hair fanning around. "I''m not, at least the paparazzi left me alone when I was younger."

    "Hmm?" I hum thoughtfully. "I wonder why."

    He shoots me a re but pushes a hand through his styled hair. "Mother made me go for that ridiculous party when I came back from Greece and now I can''t step out peacefully, this morning there was a bunch of girls waiting by the path I usually take while on a run, I have no idea how they got in the estate."

    I walk over to him to pat his cheekfortingly, I have to lean over to do this and it''s no surprise that I lose my bnce and fall right over him.

    The door chooses this moment to get knocked and swing open, I whip my head around and smile internally at the view of Virgil standing frozen with fury in his cold blue eyes.

    "Can I help you with something?" I ask politely, getting off Yanis just to sit beside him and silently ask his help on doing up my cufflinks - only demons can do them all by themselves, I mean it''s hard enough doing it with two hands but with one hand, it''s just impossible.

    "I-I, uh, I mean, Renee said I shoulde find you." He stutters slightly.

    I smile widely at him but it doesn''t reach my eyes. "I''m almost done, tell her I''ll be down soon." I say, sitting unnecessarily close to Yanis.

    "You''re a piece of work, you know that." Yanis shakes his head when the door closes shut. "If you had just let me punch some sense into him, I wouldn''t have to be going through all these."

    I scoot even closer to him at this, sitting on his legs. "Maybe I want to get back at you too for disappearing on me with no letters or emails, plus this is way more efficient than punching and what if Virgil decides to punch back? I''m not getting you physically hurt because of some petty revenge." I pat his chest, Yanis knew about my crush of Virgil and he had seriously listened to me and epted me anyway.

    "But getting me hurt any other way is fine?" He asks dryly.

    I grin so wide that my eyes turn to slits, poking my tongue out yfully and bouncing a bit. "It''s not my fault that you came back weird, you''ve never minded body contact or shirtlessness before." I boop his nose, getting off.

    "We better get going if we don''t want to bete." I murmur, walking over to the vanity to check if I had ruined anything.

    "Toote, we already are."

    I hum at this absently, tugging on my shirtsleeves and adjusting my tie.

    "It''s not fair." Yanis suddenly wails and I turn around to see him lying on the bed again, one hand thrown over his eyes."

    "What isn''t, Yani?" I ask, walking back.

    "You." He takes his hand off face to stare up at me with dark eyes.

    I blink, confused. "I''m sorry? I''m not following."

    He just copses back on the bed in frustration. "I think that''s what makes it worse, the fact that you genuinely don''t know."

    I frown this time, moving closer. "Don''t know what? Stop leaving me in the dark, Yani or I''ll kick your shins." I threaten lightly.

    He sits up at this and pulls me closer, keeping his legs open so I can get really close. "When I wasing back, I expected you to look different." He starts saying and I smile, he had a habit of beating around the bush when he had something really important to say.

    "Says the one that came back with a new haircut and no sses." I fire back.

    "But you don''t just look different." He continues, ignoring my weak attempt at distracting him. "You''re gorgeous and I don''t know how that bastard doesn''t see it." He cups my face, a serious expression on his handsome face.

    I get all flustered, darting my eyes around the room.

    "And if you just let me hit some sense into them." He shakes his head at this point. "Two brains and they''re both not working."

    Iugh at this. "Come on, we''re alreadyte." I take his hands off my face to pull him up.

    "Can you tell that I''m stalling?" He asks dryly, holding me down so that I can''t pull him up.

    "Why would you do that?" I ask in confusion.

    "Your n is terrifying."

    I pout. "It''s just you pretending to be my boyfriend, how hard can that be?"

    He gets up in a sh, throwing an arm around my waist so that I can''t step back. "What can I say? You''re distracting."

 Chapter 84

    Chapter 84

    I had thought it extravagant that my grandparents owned a ballroom but when I see the crowd that had gathered, I backtrack on my conclusions.

    Maids direct us to the other side of the ballroom, where the red carpet is set out and paparazzi are twinkling like stars on the other side of the ribbon.

    "Why can we follow the back door?" I frown in unhappiness, Yanis looks upset as well.

    "It''s protocol." He says formally.

    I sh him a look, mentally preparing myself for when we would have to walk on the carpet. "Who died and made you the adult?"

    "You''re just a couple weeks older than me, minou, that doesn''t mean anything."

    "It''s a full month." I deadpan.

    "Three weeks and three days." He fires back.

    I just give him a nk look and his pale gold eyes darkens. "What are you thinking?" I ask, narrowing my eyes suspiciously.

    "Nothing illegal, Mr Kitty." He drawls patronizingly, pulling me closer to him and stepping on the red carpet.

    The cameras and reporters immediately swivel over to us, like they could sense that someone really important had stepped up.

    I hide a gasp and try to hide my face. "What the fuck are you doing?" I whisper furiously, it didn''t really matter who I was seen with, no one knew me but not Yanis.

    "What does it look like?" He asks, smiling slightly for the cameras who ate up his presence, practically ignoring every other person on the red carpet.

    "You''re going to ruin your reputation, you''re not gay." I say in worry, trying to hurry him along.

    "I''m not but I''m in the mood to create a little scandal." He grins mischievously, taking his time. "Plus, I really like that look." He inclines his head and I look up in that direction to see Virgil ring darkly at us from the interior of the ball.

    I shake my head in amusement. "I thought you didn''t like my n."

    He pauses to lean towards me, pulling me even closer at this action. "I still don''t, now let''s go in, I''m not petty but I would really love to see what cocktail looks like on Nicole''s dress." He whispers in my ears.

    I snicker at this, grateful to leave the red carpet, My eyes go wide at the ball, it''s like a dream and I see Shana afar off in a silver dress, that had a high slit up one leg, the shimmery dressed hugged her figure and her hair was borately styled.

    "Shana looks like she''s having the time of her life." Yanis notes, brushing past Virgil who''s with a drooling Julia.

    "That''s because she is." I smile, ignoring Virgil.

    "Hayden!" She squeals from a distance, hopping up and down in delicate heels and I wince, dressing her up in fancy clothes and making her the Queen of a ball didn''t change her one bit, I''m happy it didn''t.

    "Happy birthday, crazy person!" I raise my voice to catch her attention as she makes her way towards us.

    "Oof!" I expel a breath when she hugs me so tight.

    "Thank you, Hayden, and you''rete." She shoves her face in mine.

    "Happy birthday, Rouge." Yanis says to her and she hugs him as well.

    "Thank you, Bowl head." She says sweetly, lights in her eyes.

    "You look happy." I point out, with a smaller version of the megawatt smile painting her face.b

    "I am happy but I''m starting to get tired of all these morons, they all don''t like each and are just pretending, most don''t even care about me but the Hors d''oeuvres are mind blowing." She grins, dipping her hands into a passing tray and shoving the appetizer into her mouth.

    "It''ll soon be over." I reassure her, hugging her.

    "Oh Shay-nay!" A gaudily dressed girl crashes into our conversation and I choke onughter as Shana makes a face. "I''ve been looking for you everywhere, Paris just got her poodle and she really wants to show you."

    "That sounds wonderful, ir." Shana says through gritted teeth.

    The girl called ir finally notices us and I sigh in relief when her gaze passes over me and settles on Yanis. "Oh my fucking God! It''s Yanis!! I had no idea you knew Yanis!" She whisper yells to Shana who just has a nk expression on her pretty face.

    "I don''t." Shana says coldly, already pulling the jittery teenage girl away, her pale pink dress billowing behind her. "Bye Hay, bye Bowl head." She throws over her shoulder.

    ir refuses to be controlled though. "It sounds like you do, is that his date? Is he gay? His date is so adorable"

    I watch Shana effortlessly pull the bumbling blonde away and I burst outughing.

    "You seem to be having fun." Nicole''s voice shoots an icicle through my heart and I sober up, my jaw hardening.

    "Hi, Hayden." Dale greets in a subdued voice, his eyes look dull and he looks even more distracted than the day before.

    Something wasn''t right

    "Hey" I start to say but Nicole is already pulling him away.

    "Just because you''re the Yanis Nn''s date doesn''t mean to get to so much as look at Dale." She whispers to me then grins at Yanis. "So you''re his date, I wouldn''t have guessed." She says with a serpentine like grin.

    Yanis eyes darkens and I flinch back in shock.

    <em>The audacity of this bitch.</em>

    "You must not understand how Ex-es work." I tell her coldly, slipping away from Yanis tight hold to give Dale a brief hug. "Hey, Dale." I smile up at him.

    His dull eyes brighten up briefly and the listlessness I''m his eyes clears up a bit and he starts to hug me back but Nicole steps in between us.

    "I''m thirsty, Dale." She whines to him, stepping in front of me.

    Yanis quickly pulls me to his side and we both watch them walk off or more like Nicole pulls him away. "I don''t like the feeling that Nicole gives me." He mutters darkly, watching her closely.

    I shiver slightly. "Same here."

 Chapter 85

    Chapter 85

    Shana is urate about the party, no one seems to genuinely like each other and I could see envy shing in the eyes of the people that sucked up to Yanis.

    "Mon cherie?" Mrs Nn hurries up to us. "You do not mind if I am to borrow Yanis for a while, there''s someone he has to meet."

    Yanis narrows his eyes at her. "It better not be Lord Lumiere, I don''t want his bloody castle."

    "Yanis." His mom tries to cajole him. "We''re distant family, we should try to help when they''re in need, nowe along."

    Yanis pulls me into a hug, still grumbling in unhappiness.

    "A castle can''t be half bad" I pat his back.

    "Yeah, until you''re expected to live in it two weeks out of a year." Heins, striding after his mom. "I''ll be right back."

    I hum under my breath even though there is no way he can hear my affirmation, we were standing at one far end of the ball uninterested in socializing so it wasn''t hard for me to move back a couple steps to lean against the wall.

    I watch the ball with disinterest, bringing out my phone to check the time, a pout forms on my lips when I see that it''s just a few minutes past three, the party wouldn''t end till the sun went down.

    There''s a floor length drape beside me and in the split second that I notice movements behind it I get pulled inside.

    "What the fuck!" I exim, the drink in my hand sshing to the ground with a crash, the delicate ss no doubt breaking.

    It''s dark in here but I can clearly make someone out.

    Nicole

    I roll my eyes. "What do you want?" I start to ask coldly then stop myself. "Wait, don''t answer that, I don''t care."

    She''s standing in front of the drapes so there''s no way I can leave without going past her, something gleams in her hands and I stumble backwards.

    I hit a wall, the drape had just been covering a nook in the wall, it''s not very wide but it''s not small enough for all these to be happening without anyone noticing.

    She remains quiet and a sinking feeling envelops me, slowly I take out my phone and put on the shlight and I recoil at the murderous look on her face.

    I direct the light lower and I jump at what she''s holding She''s holding a knife.

    "W-What a-ar-are y-you d-doing?" I stutter hard, my eyes going wide.

    "If you try making a call, this knife would go through your heart so fast you won''t even get the chance to blink." She says steadily and my palms get sweaty, she meant every word she just said.

    I needed proof! It just hit me hard then and discreetly, I start up the recording button.

    "You''re just so annoying, I take Dale away, I even get Julia to be all over the other cold idiot but he. just. won''t. stop. talking. about. you." Each word is punctuated by a vicious stab on the wall to the side and I flinch.

    She stabs the wall so hard that there are wide gapes in the wall. I gulp, this girl is crazier than Elise.

    I try to step back but I just hit a wall and I know that there''s no way out, even if I try to scream no one would hear me because of the noise going on outside, it would be a perfect crime.

    "Have you ever fallen in love?" She asks in a creepy voice, crouching down to draw figures on the ground with the tip of her knife.

    I just stare at her, frozen, my phone is still gripped in my hands so it illuminates the ce but I don''t have anything to defend myself with.

    "No, you haven''t." She continues, obviously not expecting a reply, not that I nned to give her one. "You can''t have felt this all consuming feeling, this burning need"

    I keep swivelling my head around, brain calcting fast for a way to get out. I also want to tell Nicole that she had left the love territory and is now deep in obsessed psychopath territory but I''m not sure that''s what she wants to hear.

    "Looking for this?" She flips a switch that''s beside her and the entire space gets illuminated, I had hoped that if I could somehow brighten the entire ce up it might be noticed from the outside but the drapes are just too thick.

    I gulp and keep my eyes fixed on her, I can see everything clearly now and I slowly put off my shlight and slip it in my breast pocket.

    I don''t know how this keeps happening, all I want is a quiet peaceful life but crazies keeping after me.

    The space is hopeless, there is no crook that I can''t try to hide in and it''s totally bare except for the high lights on the ceiling.

    "I want to chain him up in my room." She starts to pace, getting closer to me. "You know what?" She pauses, staring at me with a mad expression in her eyes. "I''ll do just that."

    <em>What?</em> I blink, I needed to get out of here and save Dale too.

    "Everything just went south, that bitch of a little sister that he had ratted out on me just because I told her what I really felt."

    "What did you feel?" I ask slowly, not giving a rat ass about what she felt but I had to keep her talking till I found a way out that didn''t involve a knife ending up in me.

    She nces up at me briefly, then crouches down again. "That Dale should be all mine, she was taking too much of his attention that should have been mine."

    My eyes widen in horror at the implications of her words. "So you found a way to make her disappear?" I prod, Dale wouldn''t want to hear this but if Nicole is the cause of Jade''s death I was going to make sure she paid for it.

    Nicole just shrugs, looking unaffected. "It was bad enough that the little bitch kept taking his attention but then some Zeke guy made him go away altogether and no matter how many times I asked, he wouldn''t tell me when he wasing back." Her grip tightens around the knife and a magical smile paints her face.

 Chapter 86

    Chapter 86

    "But somehow, that little bitch could convince him to not only tell her when he would being back but also toe back earlier than he had nned." She continues her monologue, shrugging.

    "There was only one thing to be done."

    I stare at her in horror. "What did you do?"

    She stares at me weirdly and I know that I''m going to end up just like Jade if I don''t get out but I needed more incriminating information.

    She looks oddly happy, telling me her borate ns and if that was what it took then I was ready to take the risk.

    "I needed him back, it had been nearly a week and I hadn''t seen or touched him, I was going mad." She starts to narrate peacefully like she''s telling a bedtime story. "I had to get him back somehow and the little bitch was the perfect weapon, all I had to do was tell her I saw a puppy in the dangerous parts of the park, I even put a puppy there to keep her in long enough."

    I slowly crouch to the ground, tears winking at the corners of my eyes. She ruined his life just to keep him close? That couldn''t be love.

    "I just rigged a trap so she would be trapped in a pit for a couple days, too bad that the rumors of wild animals were true." She pauses her narration to stab the knife in the wall again. "But everything went to shit!" She says in a raw voice.

    I get up to my feet again, I didn''t have much time left.

    "When he first came back, he was around me all the time, all I had to do was act like I was beyond broken about the little bitch''s death." She yanks the knife out and res at me. "It came without warning, he was so cold, broke up with me and then said he was leaving? And when I meet him again I find that somehow you''ve achieved what I''ve craved ever since I met him when we were kids."

    I step back at this, what have I achieved?

    "It''s just so annoying." She growls lowly, the veins in her neck standing out in stark relief. "You''re so how did he fall in love with you?" She asks cruelly and I gasp softly, that had to be a lie right. "He won''t love you again when there''s a knife through your heart, will he?" She asks rhetorically, giggling psychotically at her own private joke.

    She steps forward and my blood turns to ice in my veins, my heart thudding painfully, I can''t defend myself against a knife without getting stabbed.

    She takes a jab and I dart to the side, barely making it in time.

    She just yanks it out of the wall with ease even though the knife had gone through the hard wall like a knife through butter, a rxed smile is on her face - she''s enjoying this - I think in horror.

    There''s no way to get past her without earning a knife to my side and I wasn''t ready to die yet, I still needed to hit Virgil for breaking my heart.

    She lunges at me again and I realize that I''ve cornered myself by trying to escape again, the knife shes in front of my eyes and time seems to slow down as it arcs towards my neck.

    "Nicole!" Dale yells and we both freeze, she has her hand in my hair and the knife still stays in it''s lifted position, ready to be buried in my neck. "W-What is going on?"

    I dart my eyes to the side and see Virgil holding Dale by the neck of his shirt, cold fury in his eyes.

    "Shit!" He swears letting go of Dale who suddenly stumbles, a stunned expression on his face. "You made that dumb female distract me for far too long, step away from him and maybe I''ll think about leaving you alive." He states matter of factly.

    Dale just looks pale, staring frozen at the unfolding scene in disbelief.

    "I knew there was something off about you." Nicole says, the knife inching even closer on steady hands. "Take one step forward and you''ll see how fast I can stab." She threatens him coldly.

    Virgil pauses, his eyes fixed on her in a predatory manner. The heavy drapes had fallen again, hiding what was happening from the rest of the ball.

    "You knew all along didn''t you?" She asks, peering at him with wide eyes, obviously impressed.

    "That you were a bitch, yes but unfortunately I didn''t realize you were also psycho, I''d have called you out immediately."

    "So instead you pretended to be on our side so we wouldn''t think of you as a threat." She says, shaking her head in disbelief. "Born Alphas are such a threat." She tightens her grip on my hair and a pained gasp leaves me. "But you''re toote." She winks, bringing the knife down with unbelievable speed.

    I close my eyes in horror, expecting to be impaled on the sharp knife but when a couple seconds pass and I don''t feel any searing pain in my neck, I slowly blink my eyes open.

    "Virgil!" I gasp out when I take in the scene.

    Virgil had intercepted the de with his bare hands and blood was dripping from his hand down my neck and to the front of my white shirt.

    Nicole''s eyes widen in disbelief. "W-What"

    Virgil doesn''t even allow her to speak, he uses his other hand to grab her neck and m her against the wall, this knocks her out and I practically fall on him, shivering hard.

    "O-Oh m-my Go-God." I shiver harder, taking his hand that is still gripping the bloody knife, tears pouring down my face.

    "Y-You''re hu-hurt." I cry harder, my vision blurring from the tears that just won''t keep falling.

    He tries to hug me again but I don''t let him, the knife cut him too deep and I had to stop the bleeding, fast.

    Blood smears all over me but I don''t care, thinking fast I yank off my tie and quickly wrap his hand, my hands shaking so bad that I can barely manage it.

    "I''m fine, Hay." He says in a kind voice and I wipe my eyes to look up at him, he looks relieved.

    I don''t think twice before throwing myself in his arms. "I-I''m so-sorry." I gasp, clutching his shirt. "But it''s all your fault for not telling me you were going undercover."

    Heughs gently at this, holding me close.

    I turn my head to the side, worried about Dale, he''s leaning against the wall and staring at a knocked out Nicole with vacant eyes.

    The curtains swing open again and Yanis bursts in holding Julia by her hair, Shanaes in quickly behind them, hurrying to Dale who leans into her.

    "What the fuck going on here?" Yanis demands, throwing her to the ground. "This thing osted me and" he trails off, his French ent heavy.

    "Let''s get out of here first, I''ll exin everything." Virgil says and I step away from him.

    It happens faster than anyone can react too, one moment Nicole is lying on the ground unconscious and the next she''s lunging at me with a smaller dagger which goes right through me.

    ATTENTION!!!

    Um, hey everyone! I had to put this up in the case that no one had seen the earlier announcements, a Discord server has been created for Bing the Luna where discussions can be held and you can talk to me!

    *inserts the link*

    https://discord.gg/qYk2ka7fc7

    PS: I apologise for the cliffhanger...Thanks for reading!!!

 Chapter 87

    Chapter 87

    "Hayden!!!!"

    Someone screams my name, actually a lot of people are screaming my name wait why?

    It hits me then Nicole!

    The pain hits immediately as well, my head is swimming and my vision is dark, someone is clutching me close with shaky hands, that had to be Virgil.

    "Don''t try to pull it out, Shana!" Yanis growls. "Are you crazy?"

    Shana''s voice is a mess. "But it''s killing me that it''s in him."

    "We need an ambnce." Dale says authoritatively. "Let''s get him out of here now!"

    Virgil just remains quiet but there''s a low constant sound of pain pouring into the crook of my neck.

    Something is wrong

    I''m still frozen in my body from the terror of getting stabbed but the darkness inking my vision is starting to clear up some.

    "W-Wait!" I struggle to say when the rest are about to cause chaos, I don''t even remember what was done to Nicole.

    My vision finally clears I look up to see everyone frozen, Yanis has Nicole up a wall, her face pressed into the hard surface while her hands are drawn to the back and held in a punishing grip, Shana is hovering over me, tears falling down her face to mine while Dale is at the mouth of the curtain about to step out, no doubt to go get help.

    Virgil has me in his arms and the burning pain I see in his eyes is enough to make me try and sit up.

    "No, don''t move, you''ll only make it worse." He holds me down and I roll my eyes at how strong he is.

    "Y-You d-don''t understand." I try to exin, trying to sit up again, adrenaline and panic is still warring in my body so my voice and body is shaking but this doesn''t stop me.

    "It didn''t cut me." I finally gasp out, stopping Dale who''s already a step out of the crevice.

    As a matter of fact, my words make everyone stop in their tracks even Nicole who''s trying to escape.

    "W-What?" Virgil splutters, his ssy eyes wide.

    I sit up with a wince and this time he doesn''t try to stop me, even though the knife hadn''t made contact, the force was enough to give me a couple bruises.

    They hadn''t noticed theck of blood because of their panic and Virgil''s blood that was already all over me before, I take the tip of my breast pocket that''s already in shreds and rip it all the way off so that I can bring out my phone that I had put there without thinking.

    "Oh my God!" Shana gasps, relief heavy in her breaking voice, Dale leans against the wall like his legs can''t hold him up anymore.

    "I should have aimed for your fucking neck!" Nicole rages with crazy eyes.

    Yanis just coolly appraises her. "Just because you''re a girl doesn''t mean I won''t hit you, stop struggling or I''ll break a couple ribs for fun." He threatens coldly and Julia whimpers, she''s curled up around herself to one side.

    The knife had sunk into the very edge of the phone, it was sheer luck that had protected me or I would have had steel in my heart at the moment.

    With shaky hands that had drying blood crusted all over, I try to put on the phone, not even bothering to pull the knife out.

    "What are you doing?" Virgil asks curiously.

    I barely spare him a nce. "I was recording Nicole"

    "That''s not important, we all saw her." Dale says coldly, staring at her with dead eyes.

    "No!" She screams on a sob, struggling wildly. "Don''t hate me"

    "Not for me." I mumble, pressing down on the power button.

    The phone flickers to life and it shows that it was still recording, thank goodness!

    I quickly stop and save it, sending a copy to Virgil and Shana quickly, In the case my phone crashes.

    I look up at Dale who has realization soaking into his terrorized face.

    I hug Virgil tight and get up and out of his arms, pressing y on the recording and handing my mutted phone to him.

    <strong><em>|| "You''re just so annoying, I take Dale away, I even get Julia to be all over the other cold idiot but he. just. won''t. stop. talking. about. you." ||</em></strong>

    Nicole''s cruel voice pours into the room and Dale''s eyes widen.

    "W-What?"

    I''m walking slowly towards him, he''s about to break.

    He nces at me and there''s tears in his leaf green eyes, his lower lip wobbly and my vision starts to go blurry.

    "No, don''t listen to them Dale, you don''t want me to end up like Jade, do you?" Nicole says in a sickly sweet voice, tears in her eyes. "They''re framing me because they don''t want us to be together."

    <em><strong>|| "Have you ever fallen in love?" ||</strong></em>

    <em><strong>||No, you haven''t, you can''t have felt this all consuming feeling, this burning desire" ||</strong></em>

    "See, Dale, I love you and that boy is just trying to take you away from me." She insists, looking at Dale with pleading eyes.

    I''m standing in front of Dale, not making a move, he has to be the one to forgive himself for his sister''s death so that Nicole can''t stop using that to control him.

    He takes a step towards me, the tears in his eyes nearly overflowing.

    "Dale! Jade was like a little sister to me and even though I got wed down my back while searching for her, I never stopped searching you left." She breaks off, sobbing.

    I frown at the confusion and guilt warring on Dale''s face, he feels responsible and Nicole - the bitch - is taking advantage of that.

    Julia frowns. "You''ve had that scar ever since we were kids."

    Nicole whips her head to her. "Shut the fuck up! Stupid slut! You had one fucking job and you fucked up!"

    <em><strong>|| "I want to chain him up in my room, you know what, I''ll do just that." ||</strong></em>

    Dale looks shocked at this and Nicoleughs nervously. "You''re just precious to me that''s all."

    The fact that she''s still lying through her teeth makes me clench my fists in anger but I''m more focused on Dale so I don''t say what''s on my mind.

    He looks down at me and pulls me into a hug. "I can''t seem to protect you either, maybe you should just pick Virgil." He says in a breaking voice hugging me tight.

    <em>W-What! </em>

    Before I can reply, Nicole''s voice is filling the enclosed space again.

    <strong><em>|| "Everything just went south, that bitch of a little sister that he had ratted out on me just because I told her what I really felt." ||</em></strong>

    Dale''s arms tightened around me. "Jade wasn''t lying?" He asks in vulnerable surprise and my heart breaks. "We argued because of that, myst memory of my little sister was yelling at her to stop telling lies just because she didn''t like my girlfriend?"

    <strong><em>|| "What did you feel?" ||</em></strong>

    I hear myself ask shakily.

    <em><strong>|| "That Dale should be all mine, she was taking too much of his attention that should have been mine." ||</strong></em>

    Everywhere goes quiet at this, Dale hugs me tighter and Shana reties a scarf around Virgil''s wounded hand.

    <em><strong>|| "So you found a way to make her go into the woods?" ||</strong></em>

    Dale drags his eyes to me at this and I just let my weight rest on him, now that I''m safe it hits really hard that I was interrogating a killer who had a knife pointed at my face.

    <em><strong>|| "It was bad enough that the little bitch kept taking his attention but then some Zeke made him go away altogether and no matter how many times I asked, he wouldn''t tell me when he wasing back." ||</strong></em>

    |<em><strong>| "But somehow, that little bitch could convince him to not only tell her when he would being back but also toe back earlier than he had nned." ||</strong></em>

    <em><strong>|| "There was only one thing to be done" ||</strong></em>

    <em><strong>|| "What did you do?"||</strong></em>

    I hear myself ask in horror

    <em><strong>|| "I needed him back, it had been nearly a week and I hadn''t seen or touched him, I was going mad.</strong></em>

    <em><strong>I had to get him back somehow and the little bitch was the perfect weapon, all I had to do was tell her I saw a puppy in the dangerous parts of the park, I even put a puppy there to keep her in long enough." </strong></em>

    <em><strong>"I just rigged a trap so she would be trapped in a pit for a couple days, too bad that the rumors of wild animals were true." ||</strong></em>

    A sound of pain let''s rip from Dale and he clutches me tighter like I''m the only thing holding him together.

    <em><strong>|| "But everything went to shit!!! When he first came back, he was around me all the time, all I had to do was act like I was beyond broken about the little bitch''s death." ||</strong></em>

    Dale''s knees buckle and I end up being the one holding his weight up, he buries his face in my chest and I can feel the searing heat of his tears.

    I want to protect him from this but he had to know the truth.

    "Make it stop!" He begs raggedly.

    Virgil doesn''t hesitate, hitting the pause button and a heavy silence falls over everyone.

    "I''m so sorry." I say softly to Dale, petting his hair.

    He keeps his face buried against me and I let him for however long he needs to.

    "No!" Nicole starts to scream, her voice morphing to something inhumane and I flinch. "Noooo!!!! I''m not going to lose you again!!!"

    "What the fuck?" I hear Yanis say a confused tone and I want to see what''s going on.

    Dale lifts his head again and his face is clear of tears, his eyes hard if a little ssy. "I need you to go to Virgil, okay?"

    He sounds different and a shiver crawls down my spine but I nod anyway, staring up at him with teary eyes.

    "Thanks, Doll." He murmurs, giving me onest hug.

    I turn around toe face to face with Virgil who immediately pulls me into his arms, Nicole is growling sporadically now and I really want to see what''s going on but I can''t.

    Yanis is pressed against the wall, a look of horror on his face but there''s no way to escape Virgil''s arms and I''m mentally and physically exhausted anyway so I don''t push.

 Chapter 88

    Chapter 88

    Nicole keeps growling Dale''s name and then there''s a sound of scuffling and another louder, deeper and bone chilling growl fills the room.

    I close my eyes tightly shut, the sound is terrifying.

    <em>What the hell is happening?</em>

    Nicole immediately quiets down, a terrified whimper that''s no doubting from her filling my ears.

    A dense silence fills the space and slowly I peel my eyes open.

    "Virgil, take Hayden with you, clean up and get some rest." Dale finally breaks it. "Yanis will help me get the both of them down to the police station and Shana should go tell Renee what happened." Dale orders calmly.

    Virgil finally lets me look and I whip my head around to see a bizarrely calm Nicole whose eyes are blown wide open in terror, Dale has a firm grip on her upper arm but she doesn''t look like she''s about to go anywhere.

    Shana has a tight look on her face and she''s holding Julia who has her hands on her face and looks like she''s about to make a run for it, Yanis has a darker expression on his face but he''s still pressed against the wall, his fingers in his sses like he''s deep in thought.

    "W-Wait! No! Why am I getting arrested too? I didn''t do anything!" Julia says in a sob, shaking her head violently.

    No one even spares her a nce, Dale looks colder and distant and I want to reach for him but he''s already marching out of the crevice with Nicole in tow, there are rips on the shoulders of his suit jacket that wasn''t there before.

    Yanis takes my stabbed phone from Shana and Julia as well, she looks like she''s about to protest but Yanis yanks her closer with a dangerous re on his face and her protests die in her throat.

    Shana gives us an air salute and slips out of the curtains as well, this leaves just Virgil and I and I can''t seem to look him in the eye.

    He slowly takes off his suit jacket and my mouth drops open.

    "W-What a-are you d-doing?" I stutter in a panic.

    He raises a brow at me, amusement twinkling in his eyes. "Giving you my jacket?" He replies in confusion. "Your shirt is all bloody."

    "Oh." I whisper silently, blushing violently. "Thank you." I say in a squeaky voice when he hands me the warm jacket.

    I slip it on and nearly get buried in it but at least it hides my blood stains, I slowly reach for Virgil''s injured hand which is a little difficult as my hands are buried in the jacket sleeves but I manage it.

    Shana had wrapped it properly but I still needed to disinfect it. "Come to my room!" I pull at his uninjured hand, not thinking through my words.

    He doesn''t move and I look up to see him with that same expression of amusement in his face and the implications of my words hit me.

    "N-No, n-no-not li-like t-tha" I stutter hard, flustered. "Ugh! Juste let me fix your hand!" I finally exim in frustration.

    "Sure." Virgil replies quietly with a small smile, watching me intently.

    My hair had long since fallen out of the man bun I had wrapped it up in this morning so my no doubt tangled and bloody hair is all around me, obscuring my vision slightly.

    The ball is in full swing so luckily, no one notices us cutting right through the heart of the ball, looking like roadkill.

    Luckily, we don''t run into any maids on the way to my room and I try not to react when Virgil locks the door.

    <em>I-It''s fine right? It''s absolutely normal for him to lock the door, isn''t it?</em>

    I quickly rush to my bathroom, shedding the suit jacket and my bloody shirt without thinking, stretching upwards. I get the first aid box out of the overhead cupboards and start back into the room.

    Virgil is sitting in the bed with his back to me and I hurry to him, sitting on the bed beside him.

    I blink myopically when I get a good look at him, his tie is gone and a couple of buttons are undone to reveal the tan skin inside but I grind my teeth, Virgil is hurt, I shouldn''t be getting distracted.

    I''m sitting on my knees on the bed and I take his arm and gently ce his bound hand on my leg, carefully loosening the knot that Shana had made.

    "I don''t know what you were thinking." I start toin, terror climbing up my throat again at what he had done for me. "Next time, try catching the knife at the handle or something." I keepining, wincing at the shredded skin of his palm, the cut is really deep and I hope no muscle has been affected.

    "There won''t be a next time." He says seriously and I scoff.

    "I''m not talking about me getting in danger." I rify, gently dabbing the tender skin with cotton dipped in a disinfectant. "I''m talking about you getting hurt."

    He doesn''t make a sound during the cleaning even though it must hurt so bad, because I keep wincing and flinching for him.

    "How can you see when you''re blinking so much?" Hements and I throw a re at him, wincing when I have to wipe a particrly deep cut.

    "I''m not blinking and shhh, you''re distracting me." I scold gently, carefully wrapping a bandage around his hand so that it didn''t turn out too tight or ufortable.

    "Make a fist." I tell him absently, raising his hand up to my eye level, he does this and I''m satisfied with the ease of movement. "There, now try not to get that wet." I start to advise, packing up the first aid box. "We should definitely go see a doctor, I''m sure Doctor Rizha wouldn''t mind"

    "You worry too much." He stops my flurried movements and takes the first aid box from my hands, cing it on the ground beside my feet without breaking eye contact. "Plus you''re hurt too." He notices.

    "W-What" I start to say but I forget the rest when he pushes me backwards against the bed and it hits me then that I''m shirtless.

    <em>Oh no!</em>

    He moves back a bit and his uninjured hand flutters over my body, tracing a sore spot.

    I look down to see that it''s the spot that Nicole had tried to stab me, the force had given me a bruise and once again, I''m grateful for the square of metal and ss that had saved not just my life but also gave Dale the truth.

    "We should give my phone a medal." I mutter softly and Virgil''s eyes sh from the bruise up to my face.

    He keeps eye contact with me and slowly inched his head downwards towards the bruise and I forget how to breathe.

    "W-What a-are y-you d-doing?" I stutter hard, my hands flying up to my red ears.

    He looks up at me and I remind myself to not swallow my tongue. "You bandaged my hand." He points out logically. "I''m just returning the favor." He grins at me, the sharpened edges of his canines peeking out.

    "H-How?" I stutter harder when he gets even closer to my bare body, the bruise is too close to my left nipple forfort and I dread his next words.

    "To kiss it better."

 Chapter 89

    Chapter 89

    I try to roll off the bed, knowing what ising but Virgil effortlessly stops me with a hand.

    "Where do you think you''re going?" He murmurs in my ear making me shiver.

    "I''m not five, kissing it better doesn''t work." I try to reason, anticipation thrumming at my fingertips.

    "Judge after I''m done." He says seriously, arms wrapped tight around me like he can predict I''m about to make a break for it.

    I try my hardest to not flinch when his soft lips make contact but the anticipation burns too high so it''s inevitable, it tingles immediately, the sore feeling fading into the background.

    It might actually be feeling better but I don''t think this is what was had in mind when people wanted to kiss hurts better.

    I worry at my lip while he takes his time, kissing the bruise better, it''s almost ridiculous but I can''tugh because it doesn''t feel funny.

    He finally moves up so that he''s face to face with me and I mock re at him.

    "How does it feel now?" He asks with a self assured smile.

    I re harder at him. "I still don''t believe in kissing hu ah! Virgil!" I bury my hand in his hair to quickly drag him away from my body, he had shed down and taken a nipple in his mouth which leaves with a plop.

    "How about now?" He asks again.

    "That''s not fair." Iin, still shaken, still very shaken.

    He gives me an innocent look. "What isn''t? There was a bruise there."

    I sober up, looking up at him.

    "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you." He says seriously, moving me so that I''m nowfortable on the bed.

    "I don''t like you." I pout, overreacting but I was too hurt. "Why wouldn''t you tell me something as important as that?"

    "Because that''s the entire point of going undercover, plus you''re a terrible actor." He snickers.

    "I managed to get you pissed off though even with my ''terrible acting''" I make air quotes at this, we''re lying on the bed, facing each other.

    His eyes darken at this. "I should skin Yanis." He hums thoughtfully, like he''s really considering it.

    "Well, why didn''t you tell Shana or Dale either? They aren''t ''terrible actors''" I scoff, still making the air quotes.

    "You''re angry I called you a terrible actor, aren''t you?" He asks dryly.

    I just shrug. "Can''t you tell I''m acting, after all I''m just a ''terrible actor''" I say huffily and he cracks up at this,ughing hard.

    "Well, I didn''t tell Shana because she would go all out with metal bats and saucepans, and Dale would have confronted Nicole because of how much he trusts her which means I''d be found out." He pulls me closer at this, sobering up. "It was horrible, seeing the pain in your eyes and unable to do anything."

    I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes, his words to Dale in the hallway that night floating to me.

    ''<em>why am I doing this again?...''</em>

    "I''m d you decided to help Dale, plus if you hadn''t thought this far we wouldn''t have found out till she had a knife on my back." I say logically.

    Virgil''s arms get tighter around me and I look up to see his eyes tightly shut like he''s trying to block out the image. "You''re so brave." He murmurs in my hair.

    I close my eyes when his expression bes peaceful, sighing deeply.

    I hadn''t thought that I had done anything special, if anything I should have trusted Virgil, I''ve practically known him all my life.

    "You''re not sad that I" I trail off not knowing how to phrase it

    Virgil looks down at me, a tiny smile on his otherwise serious expression. "Why would I be? I''m not a terrible actor so I expected to have you fooled, that''s the whole point." He quips and my worried expression morphs into a re.

    "Really, just when I was starting to forget about it too." I mutter, shaking my head.

    A knock on the doors cuts off hisughing and we share a nce. "Five dors that it''s your mom?" Virgil makes a bet.

    "Nope! It''s definitely Shana." I say with conviction when the knocks be erratic and louder, the ruckus is apanied by asional jiggling of the door knob.

    "It''s a bet and you might want to put a shirt on." He says to me, getting up to go answer the person on the other side of the door. "You have a hickey." He throws over his shoulder.

    "W-What?" I startle, looking down in confusion which changes to a look of dismay, there''s a clear red circle around my left nipple.

    Groaning, I hurry off the bed and go to quickly throw a loose shirt on my body, I needed a shower too because there''s still flecks of blood on my hands and my pants.

    Virgil barely opens the door before my mom is barging in.

    Virgil has a look of smugness on his face and he makes a move to go out after giving me finger guns but he doesn''t get that far, my mom drags him and pulls him into a hug.

    "My baby is fine, thank you Virgil, thank you so much." She says with teary eyes. "Don''t leave because of me, I just needed to see with my eyes that he''s okay, I''ll soon be on my way." She pats him when he hugs her in return.

    Then she slowly makes her way over to me, her pale and shaky hands clutched in front of her. She slowly and carefully pats me down like she''s convincing herself I''m real before pulling me into a tight hug.

    "You''re going to make my hair fall out with how much you keep making me worry." She says fondly, tears in her soulful grey eyes.

    "I''m pretty just you''d look just as beautiful even with a bald head." I say in a muffled voice and she bursts outughing, the tears winking in her eyes overflowing and falling out the sides of her eyes from the force of herughter.

    "It wouldn''t hurt you to just give me a inpliment, would it? Shements dryly.

    "But, that''s no fun." I pout yfully.

    "I better get going, Candy had rushed down to the station with Mrs. Nn, and Maggie and Shana are trying to end the ball early, I should go help them out." She informs us, hugging me onest time before stepping out.

    Virgil leans against the closed door, his white gold hair in a disarray. "You owe me five dors." He says with a wicked smirk.

 Chapter 90

    Chapter 90

    I wring my hands constantly as I make my way to Dale''s room, it''s already evening and he had refused toe out of his room ever since he got back from the station, Nicole was going to be charged with second degree murder and attempted murder, ording to Aunt Candy but I didn''t want to think about that.

    Even though I take my time, Dale''s door appears sooner than I had budgeted for and too soon I find myself in front of his door, lifting a shaky hand to knock.

    There''s no reply but I''m not surprised, everyone has been trying to get him toe out but he wasn''t budging.

    I lift my hand to knock quietly again, it was still early so he couldn''t have fallen asleep.

    "Dale?" I call out tentatively, pressing my palm t on the door, it''s still summer so I''m back in one of Virgil''s shirts andfortable shorts.

    I reach out to knock again but I don''t get that far, before my knuckles can make contact with the door, it swings open and Dale pulls me in.

    The door ms close almost immediately and he presses me against the wall, his much taller form blocking out the rest of the room.

    I gasp at the suddenness of his actions, the dim room not giving away his expression. "Um, hi." I say cheerily, my palms are t against him and when I butterfly my fingers, I note that he''s half naked.

    "Doll." He says on a breathy whisper and before I can regain my bnce he ims my lips fiercely and my eyes go wide.

    ''<em>wait what??''</em>

    Fireworks start up in my brain and my eyes slip shut as I let him lead the kiss.

    <em>What did this mean?</em>

    He breaks off to stare intently at me and my mouth remains parted with the need to get more air in.

    "It means..." He says like he can read my mind.

    ''<em>Did I say that out loud?''</em> I think in horror.

    "That I''ve decided to not let you go." He says seriously and I blink.

    <em>What?</em>

    He sobers up. "I listened to the rest of the tape." He says quietly and my mind immediately goes to the part where Nicole was saying that he loved me.

    I look up at him expectantly.

    "Will you let me carry you?" He asks in a vulnerable voice and I blink in surprise, remembering when he said that he liked to carry Jade that way.

    "S-Sure." I stutter, letting him lead the way to the bed which he quickly settles on and pulls me down, cradling me.

    "She''s right, I do." He whispers into the crook of my neck and I stiffen in surprise.

    The room is still dim with the lowest lights on but my eyes are starting to adjust and I can clearly see his burning bright green eyes, peering down at me.

    I can''t seem to look away even though panicked excitement is crawling up my chest, drowning in those intense orbs.

    I know exactly what he means but I''m scared of him putting it in words, how do I reply?

    I couldn''t just say I loved Dale right to his face, that meant I had picked right?

    Some of my panic must have shown on my face because he pulls me closer. "You don''t have to say it back." He says gruffly and I feel upset.

    A soothing silence falls on us but I''m still a little bit ufortable with how he sounds.

    "Thank you." He says, after a while.

    "For what?" I ask reflexively, looking up to him.

    "Everything, I would have never escaped Nicole myself, she had the perfect leverage over me." He starts to say. "I let the guilt I felt consume me and I was willing to let Nicole do as she wished because it sort of eased that guilt but I was just looking for a way to lessen my burden." He says and I catch a whiff of self loathing in his voice.

    I quickly cup his face with both of my hands. "You shouldn''t have to bear any burden, you''re the victim here, you''ve always been and I don''t think Jade would want you to carry on like this."

    "I know that." He sighs, leaning into my touch. "It''s just really easy to forget and lose myself to the darkness and guilt again but that''s why you''ll be here to remind me, right?" He says teasingly.

    "I-I, um, o-of co-course!" I agree readily.

    "Good, because I know exactly what''s going to be the perfect reminder." He nods importantly and I narrow my eyes in suspicion, it seems like they''re always looking for new ways to torture me.

    "What''s that?" I ask nervously.

    "A kiss." He says seriously.

    I have to remind myself to breathe and our close proximity finally hits me, I remember him saying that the next time if I didn''t agree, he wouldn''t kiss me, well just a couple moments ago was a kiss right.

    "O-Okay." I agree in a tiny voice.

    He grins down at me. "I''m waiting."

    I blink at this, <em>waiting</em> <em>for</em> <em>what?</em> Oh no!

    I think in realization, he expects me to kiss him!

    I decide to get it over with before I lose my moxie and chicken out, my hands are still cupping his face so I lean up a bit with the n of making it a light touch of lips and cringing back into my shell.

    But did I really think Dale would let me?

    He chases after my lips and the kiss that follows makes me realize that the one earlier couldn''t be referred to as one.

    I break off first, panting like my head was dunked under water, my hands are fisted in his shirt and I finally remember the main reason I had wanted to check up on him.

    "Y-You ha-haven''t eaten a-all d-day." I stutter in stilted gasps, my chest heaving.

    He drags his eyes from my mouth to look at me with amusement dancing in his eyes, a tiny side smile on his handsome face. "I must be terrible if you''re thinking of that right now. I should try to improve." He mutters, leaning forward again.

    My eyes widen at this. "Wait, whahmph!"

 Chapter 91

    Chapter 91

    I wake up enveloped in Dale''s arms, I had managed to get him to eat a little then he had practically kidnapped me and made his way to his room, mumbling something about being unable to sleep well.

    I squirm a little but he doesn''t budge, still very fast asleep with his head on my chest. He looks so peaceful like this, with his darkshes fanning his rxed face, pink lips slightly parted.

    I don''t want to wake him up but my dder isn''t having it, I needed to get up.

    Somehow I manage to get free of his arms which are rxed in sleep and I slip off the bed, at least I think I do.

    "Oof!" I huff out a breath when he effortlessly catches me with an arm around my middle.

    "Where are you escaping to?" He asks sleepily, his raspy voice doing funny things to my insides.

    "Ah!" I gasp slightly when he moves his hand a little, it applied pressure in my dder. "D-Don''t do that, I need to pee." I scold him breathlessly.

    He slowly let''s go, eyes still heavy with sleep. He slowly falls back asleep when he''s satisfied that I''m not leaving him.

    I quickly relieve myself and rinse my face off , peering at my reflection in the mirror. I look happy, well if the hickies littering my neck are any indication.

    <em>Crap!</em>

    Virgil and Yanis are going to throw a fit when I eventually leave Dale''s room, which I should probably do before he wakes up and decides that he wants to spend the rest of the day cuddling.

    I''d heard that Dale''s parents hade over all the way from Pine Creek and I was really curious to know what had gone down but Dale seems happier even though he refuses to talk about it.

    I tip toe back into the dim room, expecting to see Dale watching me with dark eyes but instead he''s fast asleep, clutching a pillow, most likely thinking it''s me.

    He was obviously losing sleep while he was with Nicole, no wonder he always looked distracted and his eyes were dull not to talk about the constant dark eyebags under his eyes.

    I''m so relieved he''s actually getting quality rest, we''re all going back to the beach house today and I really needed the privacy, having my Grammy and Aunt Candy around with the servants and a lot of other visitors were beginning to tell on me.

    I decide to sneak out of Dale''s room to try to clean up and eat some before he wakes up and realizes I''m gone but I had to do it quietly or I ran the risk of getting found out.

    I barely step out of the door before someone grabs me and carefully pins me against the wall, I really needed to stop meeting people like this.

    "Morning, Virgil." I say in relief when I realize that it''s him, like I had been expecting anyone different.

    I watch his dark eyes with apprehension, I didn''t want him to see toote!

    His eyes darken when they move down from my face down to my exposed neck, before I can string words together he throws me over a shoulder.

    "Virgil!" I exim in shock, beating at his back. "Put me down, right now!"

    He stops and does as I say and I blink in surprise, freezing for a split second.

    "Why do you looked so shocked?" He asks with amusement. "You wanted me to put you down, right?"

    "W-Well yes, but since when do you do as I say?" I ask in disbelief, scoffing at the look of mock hurt on his face.

    It''s still pretty early but I keep eyeing the hallway behind Virgil, expecting Dale toe charging out at any moment.

    "I need to get to my room." I mumble, half to myself but Virgil takes that as a go ahead and throws me over his shoulder again.

    "Ah! W-Why?" I gasp, stunned the second time still.

    He just strides quickly through the hallways. "You said you needed to get to your room?" He reminds innocently and I blink.

    "I can walk." I argue.

    "I never said you couldn''t." He says logically.

    I just roll my eyes, feeling the blood rush to my head. "At least you could carry mefortably." Iin.

    He stops abruptly again and fits his hands around my waist to bring me face to face with him, just staring at me.

    I cross my hands huffily, upset that he can effortlessly hold me off the ground and even more unhappy about the face that my socked feet are barely brushing the ground. "What''s wrong now?"

    "Hmm?" He hums thoughtfully, looking up briefly. "I don''t know, you left saying you''ll be back in a short while and I don''t see you till the next morning, you tell me what''s wrong?"

    I uncross my arms to tug nervously at my hair. "Something came up"

    I start to say but he cuts me off. "Wrap your legs around me, is this morefortable?" He asks.

    I just remain quiet, just done with Virgil this morning, he''s most likely upset.

    "Sharing is horrible." He says to the crook of my neck and I snicker. "So I don''t like to share."

    I justugh some more, I could understand stand why he''s all antsy and edgy.

    It''s been just the both of us for nearly forever and then boom! Dalees from no where and upsets his bnce, even Yanis isn''t wee.

    "You''re just a selfish piece of work." I pat his shoulder when he drops me at the edge of the bed.

    He gives me a small smirk. "Nope, I''ve been ying nice."

    He gets up to go check for his phone in a drawer, the bed is ruffled and looks slept in. "Shana says we''re leaving after breakfast." He informs me and I stop mid way with a foot of my socks off.

    "Why is she in a hurry?" I ask, amused, she was the one that couldn''t wait toe here for the ball.

    Virgil just shrugs and moves closer to help me take the socks off. "Maybe because she and Yanis keep getting into arguments."

    "Yanis is here?" I perk up, I hadn''t seen him ever since we had parted ways at the ball where he had helped Dale take the girls down to the station.

    Virgil hums and moves up to my shirt.

    "W-Wait!" I stutter, my hands flying up to hold his own. "W-What a-are you d-doing?" I stutter with wide eyes.

    "I thought you wanted to clean up?" His eyes fly up to me, and I notice for the first time that the edges of his hair is slightly wet which means he''s had already had a shower.

    "W-Well, I don''t need your help for that!" I say, affronted, holding onto my shirt in the case he decides to do as he wished and take it off anyway.

    Heughs but drops his hand and stares and me, he''s crouched in front of me to make this easier.

    I gulp, maybe it''s because they nearly saw me killed I don''t know but they''ve been ridiculously touchy-feely and I didn''t know how to react.

    Virgil looks like he''s about to kiss me and I''m surprised when he instead steps back and gives me a smile, getting on the bed behind me.

    He props on a pillow with his hands behind him in a rxed position.

    "What are you doing n-now?" I ask in surprise.

    "Waiting for you." He says with a toothy grin.

 Chapter 92

    Chapter 92

    Having Virgil around while I''m trying to clean up is even more devastating than getting kissed and I almost wished he had just kissed me and made his way out.

    I manage to survive and I blow dry my hair and fingerb it, giving the normally wavy look a curly look.

    "Now that you''re done eyeing me can we go eat?" I ask sarcastically.

    "Huh? What did I do?" He blinks and I want to throw something at him - scratch that I actually do but he catches the powder puff effortlessly.

    "Nothing." I say with a faint blush dusting my cheeks. "Let''s go eat, we should probably wake Dale up first." I say already moving towards the door.

    I don''t get far, again - I eyeroll - there''s more of that wall mming, his hands caging me on both sides.

    "You all can just call my name like sane people." Iin, looking up at him, my eyes widen at the dark look in his eyes.

    "No, no." I wave a finger in his face. "You''re not going to stop me from going to Dale." I say even though I know it''s not the wisest thing to do.

    "I never said that." Virgil says with an innocent smile. "I just want to open the door for you plus, I''ll escort you to Dale''s room." He says with a serious expression.

    The thing with Virgil is that he''s ridiculously unpredictable, I mean I''ve known him all my live and yet I keep seeing new actions and behaviors that stun me.

    Dale might be a little intense but it''s something I''m getting used too but Virgil was just too random.

    As soon as we step into the dining room Yanis walks up to me, Dale hadn''t taken it lightly to waking up and finding me gone from his side and instead standing with Virgil over his bed but he''s going to have to suck it up.

    Yanis pulls me into a hug, a shuttered expression on his face. "How are you?" He asks softly, hands on my shoulders.

    I give him a wide smile. "Just fine." I had chosen a shirt that hid almost all of the hickies, I wasn''t about to give endless exnations about something so mortifying.

    "Yanis says he wants toe and spend the rest of the holidays with you." My mom says when breakfast is over and we''re all just floating around in the living room.

    "What?" We all exim but strangely only mine has excitementced through it.

    "We''ve been together all day and you didn''t say anything." I use him, we truly have, he''s been holding my hand ever since breakfast like he thinks that if he let''s go someone is going to jump out of thin air and try to stab me.

    <em>Paranoid much?</em>

    Okay, I have to admit I was scarily getting used to terrifying situations but that meant I''m more likely to survive them.

    "I didn''t think it was that important." He mumurs and I let it slide, too excited to think too much about that.

    "Really?" I prompt my mom.

    "Yup!" She says happily. "Mrs. Nn says he deserves a break plus she knows the both of you would love to spend some time together before he goes back to Greece for the winter semester."

    I sadden slightly at the thought of not seeing him for an indefinite amount of time but theing weeks that he would spend with me should suffice.

    The car ride is a little tense but I''m too upied with chatting happily to Yanis to pay it much mind.

    "I almost forgot." Yanis says when we''re almost at the beach house. "I bought some novels for you." He says and I smile blissfully.

    The beach house feels distant like we had left it a month ago, as opposed to the couple days that we actually spent away from it, it''s blissfully quiet and I just collect the books Yanis had bought me with ns of reading for the rest of the day.

    Dale had said that he had to meet his parents today, Virgil said he had some things to do too which left just Shana and Yanis.

    Apple had been left back at my Grammy''s ce because my Grammy fell in love with the baby cat and it''s also much better for her to remain there so she wouldn''t run the risk of getting neglected, my mom would bring her back home.

    I take a quick shower when I get up to my room, it''s the middle of summer and still very hot.

    I don''t want to wear shorts but still I don''t want to lie around without them, it''s too much of a risk to take with everyone around.

    I search through the wardrobe that Shana had helped me set up and somehow I''m not surprised to find my thigh high socks at the back of the wardrobe.

    I drop it like it''s hot and just decide to wear the shorts anyway, I would have to look for something morefortable and smaller but what?

    I''m in the mood for something cold so I bundle out and down the stairs to get some fruit juice or something.

    "I don''t want Hayden anywhere any of what do I even refer to you as?" I hear Yanis saying with something like disgust in his voice and I halt my steps.

    <em>What''s going on?</em>

    "We would never willing put him in danger, you know that, Bowl head." I hear Shana saying in a strangely subdued voice.

    "But how long can you do that?"

    "Is something wrong?" I step into the living room and narrow my eyes when they flinch and immediately hide their expressions.

    "Everything is fine." Shana says in a tight voice. "Do you need something?"

    "I, um, just wanted to get some juice, do you want any?" I ask absently, engrossed in watching Yanis turn his eyes guiltily away from mine.

    He''s hiding something.

    "None for me, thanks." Shana says quickly.

    "What about you, Yani?" I ask lightly, my eyes watching his every move.

    He gulps inaudibly, mussing his dark hair. "I''m good."

    I don''t like to eavesdrop even though it hurts a little that they''re not telling me whatever is happening, I might have not minded because they were allowed to keep secrets but I had heard my name so it had to do with me, right?"

    They remain quiet even after I get my juice and walk back, the TV is on and Yanis is watching some random movie while Shana is tapping on her phone.

    I shrug and make my way up the stairs, maybe Yanis is ming them for what Nicole tried to do, if that was what''s wrong, then I would need to have a talk with him.

 Chapter 93

    Chapter 93

    I don''t get the chance to corner Yanis until it''s evening, Dale is already back and he''s making dinner while Shana and Virgil are helping him out. At least I hoped that was what they were doing.

    "What is it?" Yanis asks nervously when I drag him into my room.

    I push him on the bed and scrutinize him a bit, while he just adjusts his ss nervously.

    I''m not exactly sure how to phrase my question withouting off like I had eavesdropped on their conversation, so I just try to be as vague as possible.

    "What are you hiding from me?" I ask him quietly, keeping a straight face, making sure to keep my eyes close to him so that he''s extra ufortable.

    "Err, I-I don''t know what you mean." He stammers lightly, refusing to make eye contact.

    <em>He''s lying</em>

    I fake a hurt gasp, pressing a hand to my chest - is that where my heart is? Is it the left or the right side again? - well, it didn''t matter.

    "I can''t believe you''re lying to me." I say in a believably hurt voice and the heavy guilt on his face nearly makes me break out of character.

    "I-I" he starts to say but I don''t let him finish, jumping right in.

    "Y-You''re ming my friends for Nicole''s actions, aren''t you?" I say quietly, looking down at my feet so I don''t see his expression.

    "W-What I-I mean yes! That''s exactly what happened!" He exims.

    "What?" I murmur, looking up in surprise.

    "But I understand now." He sobers up and adjusts his sses one more time. "There''s no way they could have predicted it, I guess I was terrified and needed something to project my feelings to."

    I throw myself on him, grinning happily in relief at the fact that all my friends were at peace again, no wonder the car ride was so tense before.

    "Hey?" I murmur, after a while of our prolonged hugging that is slowly turning into a cuddle session.

    Yanis is just an oversized teddy bear no matter how he tried toe off as cold and aloof, his true self still seeped out in moments like this.

    "Will you sleep with me?" I ask seriously.

    It didn''t have to do with anything other than the fact that I was terrified of sleeping with any of the others and there was a high chance that a stowaway would end up in my bed if I made the mistake of sleeping alone.

    Shana was a scary sleeper, she would either kick my face in, roll all over me or get her blue hair in my mouth while Dale would probably give me hickies that I couldn''t cover up. Those two weren''t even as scary as Virgil, I couldn''t even predict what he would do so just to be on the safe side...

    Yanis chokes at my request and goes red in the face.

    "You need a girlfriend, Yani." I tell him seriously, amusement dancing in my eyes at his reactions to little things I said or did that weren''t particrly provoking.

    "Stop torturing me, minou." He ruffles my hair.

    "Fine, fine." I agree, separating from him. "So you''ll be in my bed tonight, won''t yo...oof!" I get a pillow to the face and I just rub my smarting cheeks. "And you wonder why you don''t have a girlfriend yet." I mutter darkly.

    He crosses his arms in a peeve, a tell tale redness on his face. "Who says I don''t?"

    I just level him a nk look. "You''re freaking out because I asked you to spend the night with me oof! Stop throwing me bloody pillows!" Iin in an outrage.

    "Well you make it sound so weird." He fires back at me, even redder now.

    I shake my head at this. "And here I thought you snuck out at weekends, what were you going to do? Get your nails painted?" I tease savagely,ughing hard.

    I barely dodge the next pillow in time and at this point I had enough, I pick up one of the pillowsying at my feet and aim it at him, it smacks him in the face and somehow it turns into a full on pillow fight.

    "Dale says that oof!" Virgil gets a pillow to the face when he swings open the door and we both freeze with pillows in our hands, currently smacking each other around with it, the room is a mess and we''re both red and sweaty.

    "Dinner is ready." Virgil finally breaks the silence, closing the door carefully.

    Yanis and I slowly drop our pillows then we burst outughing, I throw myself on him and gasp, trying to catch my breath.

    "So" I start again, a mischievous twinkle in my eyes. I throw myself around his neck and press in close. "You still haven''t given your answer, you''ll" he doesn''t even let meplete my sentence before I''m getting a fluffy pillow in the face.

    "Totally worth it." I pant to him, enjoying the color y on his face.

    "Well, it''s time for dinner." He reminds me, searching around for his sses that he had taken off in a hurry so it wouldn''t run the risk of breaking or hurting anyone. "And fine, scaredy cat, I''ll sleepover with you." He agrees, finding said sses and wiping it with the edges of his shirt.

    "First we have to rinse off!" I exim, pulling him into my bathroom.

    We manage to cool down and clean up without any further incidents and I end up packing up my hair because the edges are wet now and there''s no time for a blow dryer.

    I cup my small hands around his face before we start out. "I''ll miss you when you go." I say solemnly, very sad.

    "Hey now, don''t cry, I''m not gone yet." He says nervously and I remember that he''s never been able to handle crying well.

    This makes me burst outughing. "I know." I agree. "Let''s go eat." I say simply, letting him lead the way.

    I wanted to ask when he would being back again but somehow I felt like knowing would just make me sadder, besides I liked surprises.

 Chapter 94

    Chapter 94

    "I thought you were cooking!" I exim when Yanis and I make our way to the dining room and find them settling down to take out.

    "I was, till Shana and Virgil showed up." Daleins, looking unhappy.

    "Shana blew up the microwave." Virgil tattles.

    "You traitor!" She turns on him.

    "Wait, you know what?" I shake my head, settling down. "I don''t even want to know what she did this time, I''ll probably call my mom to send someone down toe pick it up for repairs."

    "How does the microwave blowing up affect dinner?" Yanis asks in confusion.

    "Well, Shana decided that I was cooking the spaghetti too slowly and decided to microwave it."

    "You said decided twice." Shana points out in disgust.

    "Wait what?" Yanis splutters in shock.

    "Trust me when I say you do not want to know, just back out now that you still have the chance to." I convince Yanis.

    "I''d already ordered Chinese when Dale said he would be cooking." Virgil says nkly. "Because I knew that it was going to turn out horrible."

    "I will stab your eye out with these chopsticks, no questions asked." Dale threatens lightly.

    Dinner is lively and we all make our way to the living room when we are done and have cleared up the ce.

    Shana drags a cushion all the way from the lounge area to the living room, I throw myself on a couch and the rest pretty much do the same.

    "So." Shana breaks the silence as we all stare at the remote sitting on the centre table. "Who''s picking what we''re watching?"

    "Not Hayden, that''s for sure." Yanis scoffs and I turn to him in surprise.

    "Why?"

    "If any of you puts a reality show on I''m yeeting them through the tv." He threatens

    "Well, if Yanis is picking we''re going to be stuck watching some documentary about an extinct civilization." I rat out on him.

    "That has more quality than reality TV." He huffs disdainfully.

    The rest just watches us go back and forth.

    "Shana shouldn''t get to pick because she''ll be fast asleep before the first scene is even over." Dale says and he gets a pillow to his head.

    "That leaves Virgil and Dale." Yanis muses and Shana and I groan.

    "We''ll be better off watching documentaries honestly." She says and I nod in support.

    "Huh?" Yanis tilts his head in confusion. "Why?"

    He hadn''t witnessed any of theirpetitiveness yet.

    "Because of that." I point out and he looks to see them struggling to get the remote first.

    Dale manages to break out of their scuffle but he doesn''t get far, Virgil pulls him back with a hand to his face and grabs the remote instead which gets kicked out of his hand.

    Yanis just watches on, stunned. "What the actual fuck?" He mutters in horror watching the fight get more intense.

    Shana yawns and rubs her eyes. "This is actually more entertaining than reality TV."

    I level her a nk. "Ha ha!" I mumble in mockughter, flinching in horror when the poor remote sails across the room andnds on my legs. "Ah!"

    Shana perks up at this. "Run." She mouths one word to me and before my brain can process what''s going on, I''m grabbing the remote and making a break for it.

    "Why the hell would you do that?" Yanis yells to me, waving a fist as I fly to the other side of the room.

    Virgil and Dale''s eyes immediately track me and I''m screaming bloody terror when theye after me and without thinking I throw it at Shana, it smacks her head and falls on her legs too.

    "Aaaaaaargh!!!" She shrieks with wide eyes, gripping the remote briefly in frozen shock before she''s getting off her cushion and darting around the room, she''s better at evading them than I was and I stay very far away from Shana because she has that look in her eyes like she wants to give it back to me.

    Yanis ends up holding the portable, rectangr piece of stic and the panic on his face is enough to send me into a fit of giggles, rolling around inughter.

    I''m so caught up happily enjoying his misery that I don''t notice when the remote falls to me, Virgil is the closest to me and I get tackled to the ground.

    The running around pauses when I''m caught and I just remain sprawled on the ground, trying to catch my breath.

    "Virgil, get off me." Iin in a muffled voice when he looks like he''s starting to getfortable.

    "Does anyone still want to watch TV?" Shana asks bluntly, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Because I''m beat."

    Everyone is sprawled on something, Shana is lying with her torso on the ground and her legs resting on the couch, while Dale is hanging off the backrest of a different couch and Yanis had settled on the cushion some time ago.

    "No." We all agree unanimously.

    "Whose n was it again to run around like psychopaths when the temperature is running at forty-five degrees?" Yanisins.

    We''re all too exhausted to give any logical reply but I''m smiling even though I feel like I took a dip in a volcano.

    "Shana? Shana?" Dale calls after a short while of silence filled with heavy breaths.

    Silence greets his reply. "Oy! Shana you better not fall asleep because I''m not taking you up the stairs again." Heins.

    "Aw! You guys are horrible but everyone keeps struggling to be the one to carry Hay." She pouts.

    "Maybe because he doesn''t weigh like a hippo." Dale replies without thinking and he barely finishes his sentence when Shana jumps up and whacks his head with a particrly hard pillow.

    "Who are you calling a hippo?" She demands in an outrage.

    "No." Yanis says in an exhausted but firm voice. "Just no, you''re not going to start another aimless battle." He stops Dale''s retaliation. "Sleep, now." He orders and everyone slowly starts to make their way up the stairs.

    "Where are you going?" I ask suspiciously when Yanis walks past my room.

    He looks alert and nervous all of a sudden. "Going to shower?"

    I give him a threatening eye smile. "There''s a shower in my room." I say bluntly.

    He gulps but acquiesces. "Keep that up and I''ll throw you out the window."

    I smile at him when hees inside and I lock the door. "Why?" I pout. "Don''t you want to sleep oof!" I get a pillow to the face, unsurprisingly and I burst outughing which he joins in after a short while.

 Chapter 95

    Chapter 95

    I wake up to the sun streaming in my room, the bright rays sshes over my face and disrupts my sleep.

    I just yawn and stretch a bit, looking around to see that I''m all alone, it''s a little surpring but

    Dale has been caught up in Nicole''s hearing, I didn''t want to testify plus my family didn''t need that kind of publicity so it was easily made that I didn''t have to testify, my phone held enough evidence anyway.

    While, Virgil has had a gloomy mood around him for the past week now and he''s always making long calls and I wonder if it''s his parents that want him back.

    It''s fine though, I was already tired of the city, I wanted to go back to Pine Creek where it was quiet and I could wander around the edges of the woods or just spend time in my room reading.

    Yanis had left the day before and my eyes tear up when I remember it now, he had dyed for as long as possible but I knew the time would eventuallye when he would have to go.

    We had only today left to spend anyway so hopefully I''ll feel less sad when I get back home, I missed my mom too, I had barely seen her because we had spend most of the time lounging around in the house, going out once in a while to shop or sightsee.

    We''re going back earlier for reasons I''m not sure of but I don''t mind, much to eager to start going already. Autumn is already close anyway, it was starting to get cooler.

    I sit up and rub my eyes, holding out the edges of my hair in my line of sight, the pink is already fading away but it''ll still be noticable for a while, even Virgil''s and Dale''s hair still have their edges dyed, souvenirs of our time here in the city.

    I throw my legs off the bed,ughing a little. Thank goodness Shana hasn''t been able to corner us in a tattoo parlour, I''m not ready for tats just yet.

    Cleaning up is a breeze, the warm water wee to my groggy state that came with waking up.

    I put on shorts and a loose, thin shirt, my hair always gets in my eyes so I''ve taken to packing it up in the house, maybe I should cut off a few inches.

    I walk down the stairs, unsurprised to find out that they''re all asleep, they had spent ate night yesterday while I had just dragged Yanis up the stairs that I was feeling sleepy.

    It might seem like I''ve been avoiding Virgil and Dale and maybe I have but in my defense they''ve also been so busy, I rub a hand down my face.

    It''s just so frustrating andplicated, and even though I keep putting it off I can''t help but feel like the time when I would have to choose is just around the corner.

    I just bring out a bowl from the cupboard to prepare cereal, we would go down to the private beach today.

    We hadn''t done that ever since the incident with Nicole and I''m a bit eager to get going.

    The rest make their way down soon and Shana''s hair is standing on end, I can''t help but be curious even though I know I should probably just ignore.

    "Hi guys! Shana what''s up with your hair?"

    She blinks in confusion at this. "What do you mean?"

    "Um, have you see your hair?" I ask again while Virgil and Dale and trying hard to hide theirughter in the background.

    She turns around with fury burning in her eyes. "What are you snickering at?"

    They both straighten quickly. "Nothing!"

    She moves closer to a metal tray and uses the faint reflection to check out her hair and a short high pitch scream leave her, as she carefully touches the stiff locks.

    By this time Dale is almost rolling on the ground fromughter and Virgil is chuckling right along.

    I''m already done eating so I get up to check out what''s going with her hair and I immediately retract my hand from the stickiness.

    "Is this hair gel?" I mumble in confusion but Shana isn''t listening anymore, snatching a pan she tears after Dale and Virgil who already had a head start.

    "I know it''s all your fault, Dale and I''m never letting you morons sleep in my room again!" She yells, running after them.

    "Ow!" Dale goes down when she yeets the pan at his back and I jump up in shock and worry.

    "Shana!" Iin, hurrying to him.

    She grabs me first though. "No fraternizing with the enemy." She says darkly. "Plus I need your help washing out the gel, pretty please." She begs with puppy eyes and I reluctantly agree.

    "Virgil! Please help me check if Dale''s okay." I call to him when Shana pulls me towards her room.

    It was just a typical day at the beach house

    "I don''t understand why Virgil and I are the ones carrying everything." Dale points out when we make our way to the beachter that morning.

    "Because you idiots finished an entire jar of hair gel on my head which took hell to wash out, plus I''m carrying Hayden." She says importantly.

    Virgil just gives her a nk look. "You''re just holding his hand." He points out, armed with the pic baskets and nkets while Dale effortlessly carries the umbres.

    "Exactly my point." She nods, then turns to me. "Hey, Hay! Let''s go find seashells while the boys set up the umbres." She invites me excitedly and I perk up, I wouldn''t have been able to find if we had gone to the main beach.

    "Wait what??" Dale exims but I''m already dragging Shana away in excitement.

    I end up using my beach shirt to haul the shells because somehow Shana is a shell ma and I kept hoarding the ones we found.

    "Why the fuck is it so many?" Dale asks in surprise when we find out way back.

    "So we can make you into a mermaid!" I blurt out and Shana is already getting into the program.

    "Wait!" But he''s toote because Shana is already taking off his shirt and tackling him to the ground.

    I drop the shells and go get Virgil too. "We have enough shells for two." I point out and Shana nods furiously.

    "Take off his shirt, Hay." She throws over a shoulder at me already burying a squirming Dale.

    My eyes widen at the implications of the and Virgil has that familiar look of amusement dancing on his face.

    "O-Okay!" I agree, reaching for his shirt. "Come on squat a bit!" Iin to him when I have to stretch a bit to get to his top button.

    He just ces his hand over mine to help me and I mentally close my eyes while taking his shirt off, I''m already hot enough from the sun, if I got any horror I was definitely getting a heat stroke.

    We end up digging a little before rolling them in and burying them properly, decorating them with the shells we had found.

    At the end of it, I''m sweaty and the sand itches and I''m definitely sure that there''s flecks of sand in my eyes but I''mughing so hard, especially when Shana starts taking pictures and Dale poses for her.

    We had added water to the sand so that they wouldn''t be able to make it out by themselves, at least that was what was supposed to happen.

    "Let''s leave them here, Hay." Shana suggests evily but before I can give my positive reply they simultaneously throw out a leg.

    We let out simultaneously screams of genuine horror before we''re tearing away from them, feet pattering against the sand.

    Virgiles after me while Dale chases Shana, my legs are just short so it doesn''t take long before Virgil catches up and I m into him as he picks me up without breaking stride and turns around to make his way to the ocean.

    He''sughing and the sand on his body is prickly, while I''m squealing, Shana is no better. Dale had throw her over a shoulder unfazed by her struggles.

    The cool water ms into me like a wall and I''mughing so hard that the salty water gets in my mouth which I struggle to spit out still clutching onto Virgil''s shoulders.

    Shana doesn''t get off so easy, Dale had yeeted her into the water, a wide aplished grin on his face and Shana doesn''te back up.

    Just when we''re starting to get worried, Dale goes down, she had swam underneath to tackle him and now she sshes out of the water with her hand up in the air triumphantly, shaking the water out of her long hair.

    Dale does the same to Virgil who''s still holding me and we go down together, ourughter evaporating in the afternoon sun.

 Chapter 96

    Chapter 96

    "Hay? Hurry or we''ll bete!" I hear Shana''s voice outside my room and I shake my head, she''s probably running down the hallways.

    There''s no reason for her to be in such a rush considering that it''s Dale who''s driving us back but I''ve already made up my mind that Shana is always this hyper when she''s excited about something, it''s a little ironic that with how extroverted shees off as she still prefers the countryside to the city.

    But I still hurry anyway because I''m as excited as she is, my mom had already gone back two days ago, ''to prepare the house'', she said but I know she just wanted to escape from the house before my grandfather came home.

    Virgil''s car would beingter this week and his excitement is palpable, I had already packed the day before and Rodriguez would stille over for our things and the new things we had managed to umte over the months we had spent here.

    I step into the first pair of jeans I''ve worn ever since the first day I got here and it feels a little odd covering my legs but it wasn''t a bad feeling, I pack up my hair again, I really need to cut it.

    We finally pile in the car, after Shana nearly screams our head off. She says she''s riding shotgun because she knows that Dale is going to fall asleep.

    Everyone humors her because we know how she gets when she''s nervous, Mae is back and the rest pretty much exins itself.

    I''m in the backseat again with Virgil and his presence is calming even though it feels like he''s always insting me and I only get a faint glimpse of his true self when he''s angry orughing in abandon which rarely happens but I''m used to his quiet nature so I don''t really mind.

    He''s the perfect pillow to read on anyway and the journey begins quietly enough, Shana is apparently too tense to start up arguments about crashing the car with Dale and the quiet of the car plus the low rumbling is enough to get me sleepy.

    My head is on Virgil''s legs and I''m lying vertically in the car with my knees bent, engrossed in a historical romance novel.

    He takes out the scrunchie in my hair andzily pushes his hand throught the silky bruised gold locks and it''s soothing enough to lull me to sleep, I turn to the side, facing the backrest.

    It doesn''t take much for me to fall into a light doze, contentment sitting heavily in my heart even though I should probably feel apprehensive about school that''s about to begin in a couple weeks but I can''t bring myself to worry when one of Virgil''s hand in my hair and the other is lightly tracing my features.

    He might not tell me to my face that he loved me but he wasn''t going anywhere either and that''s fine with me.

    Music softly ys in the background but still I can''t still seem to fall fully asleep, the excitement of going back preventing me.

    "I still don''t approve of your decision." Dale''s voice filters through and I can feel Virgil stiffen under me.

    "Don''t over step your boundaries, Dal." Virgil''s cold voice replies him. "There''s a lot of things I allow because Hayden doesn''t seem to mind but fuck up and I''ll cut you down, fast."

    "Guys, Hayden is asleep." Shana tries to cate, her voice slightly shaky.

    The car goes silent after this and now the sleepiness is my eyes is gone, what is Dale and Virgil talking about?

    It''s probably some ridiculous rivalry again, I think, rolling my eyes behind my eyelids.

    I want to sit up and continue my novel but I know that I''ll never know about these things unless they think I''m asleep and I didn''t want to lose that advantage so I remain prone for a couple more minutes.

    Turns out that I actually fell asleep because when I wake up a couple hourster we''re already entering Pine Creek.

    "Huh? We''re here already?" I sit up in a rush, rubbing thest vestiges of sleep away from my eyes.

    "Yup!" Shana answers cheerily. "And you were out like a light."

    I lean out the window to see the car pass by the mall and then the park, is it my eyes or does it seem deserted than usual.

    It''s most likely because it''s still the summer break which is a little weird because most people preferred to stay in Pine Creek but still if we decided to take a vacay who''s to say other people didn''t have the same idea.

    But it gets worse when we get closer to the living areas.

    "Um, where''s everyone?" I ask casually, turning away from the window briefly.

    The air in the car gets tense and my curiousity spikes.

    "Probably on vacation or at the pool it''s summer anyway." Shana shrugs.

    "Or maybe they''re just inside." Dale adds, Virgil doesn''t say a word.

    They''re excuses seem a little bitme actually no, veryme but I don''t point it out, I just shrug and settle back in my seat.

    Contradicting them would only make them try to hide whatever they were hiding harder and they would be on their guard then, I''d have to move carefully if I wanted to find out.

    I''d get dropped off first then everyone would go home, they would probably be back by evening or tomorrow though so I wasn''t worried.

    Although it''ll be a little weird to not have them constantly around me.

    We pull up the driveway and my mom flings open the door at the sound of the car''s engine, Apple happily meowing in circles around her legs.

    "Wee back!" She squeals happily, waiting for us toe out and over to her.

    We all get pulled in a bear hug and there''s tears at the sides of my mom''s eyes. "I''m so so happy to see you all again!" She says happily, ignoring our muffled groans of difort.

    "Bye, Hay!" Shana waves, running back to jump into the front seat before Virgil can beat her to it.

    Virgil hugs me with his routine forehead kiss and I smile. "Bye, see you guyster."

    Dale keeps his distance but then again there''s no way he could have gotten closer.

    "Oh and Virgil?" My mom calls just when Dale starts up the car.

    "Yeah, Renee?" He pokes his head out the window of the backseat.

    "Happy summer, my love." She grins at him.

    Virgil''s eyes widen at this. "No way! It''s here?"

    "What do you think?" Sheughs, clutching me closer. "We should all go on a ride soon." She suggests and we wave them away.

    The lights in Virgil''s eyes is enough to keep the smile on my face.

    "He''s really excited about his car, isn''t he?" I murmur to my mom who pulls me into a warm hug.

    She hums a reply and Apple''s meowing gets louder like she''s saying don''t ignore me.

    Iugh at this and bend down to pick her up. "Hi, baby." I bring her up to my face, her ws are showing and she''s meowing up a storm. "Missed me?"

    "So, baby." My mom presses her hands together. "I made lunch,e try it out."

    I look up and towards the kitchen to see ck smoke seeping out. "That lunch?" I ask dryly, unsurprised when the fire detector starts screaming.

    "Aaaaaaargh!" She screams running towards the kitchen.

    I look down at Apple with a fond smile.

    It''s just like I never left...

 Chapter 97

    Chapter 97

    I wake up cradled against my mom and I smile softly at her, we had spent the night talking, more like I had been doing the talking while she listened.

    And somehow we ended up on her bed where we must have both slept off after a long while, I slowly separated from her, careful to not bother her.

    Luckily, she''s a peaceful sleeper and it''s the holidays too so her rm isn''t going to kick in anytime soon which was a good thing because she really needed her sleep.

    I get up and trudge to my room, leaving Apple who was sleeping at the edge of the bed. The kitten had also taken part in the midnight conversations.

    It''s already 9am, it''s muchter than I had thought, my mom would probably not be asleep for long.

    I rush up to my room to brush my teeth and check my phone while I''m at it, there''s a couple missed calls from Shana and texts from everyone.

    They say that they won''t be around till evening, Shana is going on a date with Mae, while Virgil has some things to do with his family, Dale offered the same excuse.

    I''m not surprised, I would have even encouraged them to spend some time with their families, after all they''ve been practically gone all summer.

    I quickly brush my teeth and wash my face, I would bathe after breakfast, I also had the n of making a short trip to the woods.

    I''d missed the pine trees and the solitude, plus there was nothing to do now that they wouldn''t all be by till evening when we would most likely go for a ride.

    I skip happily down the stairs, about to surprise my mom with breakfast. Julia wouldn''t be by till tomorrow and I''m starting to think that just maybe I should pick up cooking before my mom ends up hurting herself for real.

    Cooking is actually something that gets better with practice and I had enough of it at the beach house so it wasn''t hard to prepare a quick breakfast of toast and bacon and eggs, I had the coffee maker going for my mom even though I still preferred to drink my milk.

    My mom floats down the stairs in her night robe, a blissful look on her face.

    "Hay? I just had the most awesome dream where oh my God!" She cuts herself shut, pping a hand over her open mouth. "It wasn''t a dream!"

    She''s standing in front of the kitchen''s entrance and her stunned expression tickles me.

    "What isn''t a dream?"

    "There''s actual, edible food." She murmurs in a dazeing in slowly to stare at the food I had arranged on the dining table. "Did you make this?"

    I grin at her, waving a spat around. "Yup!"

    "Really?" She asks with excitement in her wide eyes.

    "Of course." I say, dropping the equipment in my hand on the counter. "Why don''t youe and have a taste so you can review my food?" I invite her,ing around to pull out a chair for her.

    "With pleasure." She agrees, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

    I want to hover over her but I force myself to take my seat as well and wait for her opinion.

    She gingerly takes a bite of bacon and eggs and then gives me an incredulous look. "How did you make it so good?"

    I grin widely at this and shrug. "I don''t know, I just did I guess." I reply, going to get her a cup of coffee.

    "Well, howe it never works when I just do?" She pouts, blowing on her hot cup of coffee after adding in the milk and sugar.

    "For starters, try not to get distracted." I tell her indulgently.

    She grumbles at this. "Even if I don''t it still ends up horrific."

    I justugh at this, settling in to eat.

    "I''m going to take a walk in the woods today." I say absently, concentrating on my te as I try to get bacon and egg on my fork at the same time.

    The strange silence from my mom at my announcement makes me nce up at her to see her looking pale.

    "Is something wrong?" I ask.

    "No, no." She''s quick to refuse. "But do you have to take a walk? We could go to the park or something." She offers.

    I shake my head goodnaturedly, uninterested in seeing people. "My friends aren''ting over till evening, plus I promise I won''t go far and I''ll carry a backpack of food and water if you want me too, although it isn''t necessary." I quickly reassure her, knowing that she''s probably still worried about thest time I had gone into the woods all by myself.

    "If you take food and water, you''re just saying that you''ll stay long." She sulks, looking very unhappy with the whole deal.

    But, I really want to take that walk so I justugh and agree. "Sure, fine, I should be back in ten to fifteen minutes." I tell her. "There''s no need to carry a backpack then."

    She grumpily agrees which is a little strange because she had never minded before even when I chose to go all the way to the creek all by myself, but I pay it no mind.

    I could still take my walk anyway so there was no need to push it.

    I offer to clear up the table and do the dishes after breakfast but my mom shoos me away and I acquiesce, hurrying up the stairs.

    I nned to make my walk before the sun got too hot so I quickly clean up and wear a thin shirt and shorts, hiking boots on my feet.

    I find my mom pacing in the living room with her phone against her ears, a panicked expression on her face.

    "Mom?" I call out to her.

    "Ah!" She squeals, jumping. "Don''t scare me like that." She says on a sigh, pressing the hand that held the phone against her chest.

    "Sorry?" I say, confused. "What are you doing?"

    "Nothing!" She exims, hiding her phone behind her.

    "Okay?" I agree hesitantly. "Well, I''m off to take my walk." I inform her, going out the front door.

    I had my new phone in my pocket, just incase, I was still torn if I wanted to listen to music or enjoy the scenery.

    Or maybe I could try to do both?

    I stop halfway past thewn, I had forgotten my earphones!

    I quickly turn around to hurry back inside, thank goodness I hadn''t gotten far.

    I burst inside the house to catch the tail ends of my mom''s call.

    "...get Virgil or I''m" She sounds harried.

    I have to pass by the living room to get up the stairs but when she catches a sight of me she freezes, swallowing her words.

    "B-Baby? What are you doing?" She asks nervously, with a hand over the phone.

    Her weird actions make me forget what I had been there to pick and I take a hasty step back, curious and confused eyes fixed on her. "No-Nothing, I''m going now." I say, hurrying back out.

    Well now, what was that all about?

    I think to myself, bringing out my phone to check the time, it''s just a couple minutes shy of 10:30am, I should be back long before it''s 11am.

 Chapter 98

    Chapter 98

    ATTENTION!!

    Hi everyone!!! The repeated chapter has been edited... Thanks for reading!!!

    I''m distracted as I start down the street which ended up in a path trail to the woods, why was my mom acting weird? And... Virgil?

    Who was she talking to on the phone?

    I had gotten so little of the conversation that I couldn''t make head or tail or it.

    I had too many questions that everyone kept ignoring, that was it! As soon as I got back home, I was getting answers from my mom, the secrecy was starting to piss me off.

    With this, I make up my mind to enjoy the walk, the trees are almost weing as I start up the well trodden trail.

    The sun is streaming in through the spaces in between the tall pines trees and it looks serenely beautiful, the woods seems quieter than usual which is a little odd for summer but I pay it no mind, the chirping birds could get annoying anyway and the squirrels running around made me nervous like I was being followed because of all the crunching leaves.

    It''s so soothing and rxing to just be a part of nature, just existing with nothing demanded of me. The walk is helping me to clear my head and breathe easier even though I''m still slightly upset at the fact that my mom is obviously hiding something.

    I get to the end of the trail way too fast that I can''t help but check the time. It had already been 10 minutes but it didn''t even feel like it, plus I wasn''t even breathless or sporting aching legs, maybe the summer vacation was good for me.

    I''m tempted to keep walking, it''s not like I would get missing, I knew the generaly out of the woods, besides it only got darker and denser on the other side of the creek and I''ve never been to that part before, I didn''t even n on reaching the creek but the solitude was too good to end so quickly so I decided to walk on for a couple minutes more before making my way back home.

    I step off the trail and continue my journey, the dry leaves crunching under the force of my boots, it wasn''t autumn yet so the leaves weren''t everywhere yet but there was enough on the ground to make a thin carpet of dry crunchy leaves.

    The best part about the Pine trees was that they were evergreen which made them pretty to see in winter.

    I remind myself not to go too far, I did tell my mom that I would be back soon.

    After a while of crunching through the leaves I pause and clearly hear the sounds of faint crunching behind me, I just shake my head, turns out the squirrels were still around.

    Then I feel it, the prickly feeling of someone watching me, my blood runs cold at this, who else would be in the woods? Other hikers?

    The uneasy feeling of being watched is enough for me to make a full turn, beelining for the trail, I had already overstayed my wee anyway and I wasn''t about to wait to find out who or what was watching me.

    The crunching gets louder and so does the sound of my heart beat, I pause again could someone be ying pranks or something?

    The crunching gets even louder when I stop moving and I can hear the tell tale thudding sounds of something big moving, my eyes widen in a panic as I get a quick memory of the wolf that hade after me when Virgil and I went to the creek.

    The sounds stop abruptly and my brows furrowing in confusion, is it a prank? If it is then I am going to give the person a piece of my mind.

    I turn around, ready to open my mouth to call out but I don''t get that far.

    Someone ps a hand around my open mouth and pulls me flush against a harder and much bigger body, my eyes widen in panic as the implications of getting kidnapped or worse hits me.

    My bnce tilts a little as I get spun around and the next thing I know we''re hiding behind a cluster of shrubs, the entire length of my back is pressed against the person and I start to struggle but the arm wrapped around my middle doesn''t even seem affected.

    I start to swing my legs, trying to get traction or a foothold so that I can break from the tight grip the person has on me but the person just effortlessly subdues my legs with theirs and that ends my kicking.

    My panic mounts when the person still says nothing, content to let me practically lie on them, without the ability to move.

    I start to tire of struggling but that doesn''t mean I had given up, I manage to carefully get one of their fingers in my mouth and I bite down, hard.

    The person keeping me hostage doesn''t even flinch or let go as I had expected, instead all they do is make a brief indrawn breath against the skin of my neck.

    "Your teeth are ridiculously sharp for their size." A voice murmurs beside my ear and my eyes nearly roll back in my head in relief.

    <em>Leon</em>

    It''s just Leon, one of Virgil''s older twin brothers, but what was he doing here in the woods? And most importantly why did he grab me?

    He goes quiet again, and I stop struggling, knowing that he wasn''t about to hurt me but I still needed answers.

    "I''m about to take my hand away now." He exins in a low voice and I blink rapidly but nod in understanding. "Don''t say a word or my hand ising right back." He adds and my eyes widen.

    How would I ask all my questions if I couldn''t talk?

    He takes his hand off carefully and I wince at the teeth marks on his middle finger.

    "I-I''m so-sorry a-about t-tha" I start to stutter but his handse back over my mouth quick as lightning, his middle finger is in my mouth like he''s provoking me to bite on it again and I choke, remembering the one word Virgil had used to describe him.

    <em>psychopath</em>

    Just as I prepare to bite down on the finger assaulting my mouth, something moves in my peripheral vision and I stiffen, my mouth falls ck and Leon''s finger sinks even deeper.

    <em>There''s a wolf.</em>

    It''s huge as fuck and looks positively feral with burning red eyes, that must have been what was following me around and if Leon hadn''t grabbed me in time, I''d have been wolf food.

    I shiver from the realization, slipping my eyes shut and praying that the wild animal didn''t find us.

    The finger in my mouth massages my tongue and my eyes fly open, stiffening when the movement doesn''t stop and the arm wrapped flush against my middle moves subtly.

    My shirt is hiked and Leon starts to rub slow circles into the bare skin on my side and I try not to freak out, he seems to be doing both movements absently like he''s lost in thought and I try to ignore the motions, there was no way to tell him to stop anyway and if I made any sound the wolf would find us.

    The wolf sniffs around for a while like it''s wondering where it''s prey had gone and another shiver ripples through me, I would have been that prey.

    I slip my eyes close again, trying to breathe through the finger getting closer to my throat.

    He applies pressure on both sides at once and I jerk, gasping and choking which gets muffled by the hand around my mouth.

    "It''s gone." He whispers to me, letting me go.

    I had never gotten away from a person so fast, I scramble across the dirt until I''m a safe distance from him before I turn to see him staring at me with hooded eyes, the tattoos on his arm moving subtly with the muscles when he pushes a hand through his disheveled hair.

    I gulp at this, staring at him with a wide deer in the headlights look.

    "You shouldn''t be in the woods at this time of the year." He says in a low voice that almostes out as a growl. "Didn''t your mommy tell you that?"

    My eyes widen at the implications of his words.

    <em>''W-What?''</em>

    "W-What??" I stutter lightly, gently rubbing the sensitive skin in my side that is no doubt reddened from the attention it had gotten.

    "We should go." He says abruptly, getting up.

    I take the hand he offers me, squealing when he pulls me against his body, my breath gets slightly knocked out of me when I fall against him.

    I''m just about toin and use him of harassing me when a particrlyrge cone falls directly on the spot I had been standing on, which meant that it would have smacked me on the head.

    "Oh." I murmur, softly, on a sigh. "T-Thanks."

    He just gives me a tiny smile. "Let''s get you home."

 Chapter 99

    Chapter 99

    "Um, L-Leon?" I call tentatively to him, confused.

    I had expected that he would just walk me back when he offered to take me home, I didn''t see thising.

    "Yeah?" He answers absently.

    "I can walk?" I point out to him, he had swept me off my feet and started out of the forest.

    It had taken me a really long while to wrap my head around his actions.

    "I know." He says shortly, not making a move to put me down if anything he sped up.

    I wring my hands, unsure of where to keep them, there was no way I was putting my hands on Leon - yet again I hadn''t seen thising, it would seem that he wanted me to ask a direct question to get the answer I wanted and that is exactly what I''m about to do.

    "Why are you carrying me then?" I finally blurt out, looking everywhere but his dark blue eyes which nce down at me.

    "Because your feet are loud, the wolf couldn''t have gone far." He finally exins and I blink, listening to his footsteps for the first time, there are dried leaves on the ground but his footsteps are almost soundless.

    "Oh." I murmur, going silent and praying for the walk to end, it didn''t feel this long when I was walking all by myself.

    The spaces in between the trees get wider to indicate that we were about to leave the woods and Leon just marches right out and up the street.

    Just when I''m about to tell him to put me down I hear my mom''s voice.

    "Hayden?"

    I nce to the side to see her standing on thewn, Virgil and Dale are there too.

    Leon doesn''t even look bothered by the crowd, carrying me right in.

    "Is he hurt?" My mom asks desperately, hurrying over.

    Virgil just walks up to his older brother and collects me.

    "I told you to stay away from him." He near growls at Leon who just gives him azy smile.

    "He came to me this time and keep him away from me." He replies smoothly, walking away and going in the direction of the woods.

    Ie down from Virgil''s hands in a hurry and he let me.

    "No, no! There''s a wolf" But Leon had already disappeared into the woods, his gold hair thest to disappear.

    Dale stands a little distance away, his arms crossed in front of him, expression dark and I frown.

    "What''s going on?" I ask darkly, slowly getting upset.

    "Nothing." My mom says but the guilt in her eyes is all too clear to see.

    "Wait, you knew about the wolves?" I use my mom, stepping away when Virgil tries toe closer. "Don''t tell me nothing like I''m a child, if Leon hadn''t been in the woods I could be dead by now."

    My mom makes a strangled sound and Dale staggers a bit.

    "Hayden" Virgil tries to reach for me but I step back.

    "I can''t believe you all knew and no one thought to tell me, I really don''t see the big deal there" I trail off, my eyes widening in realization "I can''t fucking believe it!" I exim, storming inside the house.

    <em>It</em> <em>was</em> <em>all</em> <em>Virgil''s</em> <em>doing</em>!

    That''s why my mom couldn''t tell me that there were wild animals in the woods.

    "Oh my God, that self-centered bastard." I mutter under my breath, the entire picture getting clearer now.

    It was exactly just like Virgil to keep something like that from me, Dale was obviously not in on it but he also kept quiet about it so he wasn''t in the clear yet.

    I shake my head and let out a bitterugh as I storm up the stairs, it''s almost ridiculous how much power Virgil wields over every fucking person.

    He says don''t talk and the lot of them keep their mouths shut, I was livid, I knew this, and I wanted to keep away from everyone else before I said something that I would regret muchter.

    I storm into my room and lock the door, I didn''t care that Virgil could still get in if he wanted to, the thought behind locking it was enough for me.

    Grinding my teeth, I bend down to yank my boots off and strip, I needed to cool down.

    It didn''t make any sense, not telling me that the woods were unsafe was a simple thing to do but he simply didn''t, at this point, his overprotectiveness was bordering on psycho.

    I put on a fresh shirt and shorts and flop on the bed, exhausted, the cool shower had washed away my anger.

    I didn''t have it in me to remain mad at them for long, I knew Virgil had my best interest at heart and it was probably killing him right now that because of him I had nearly gotten hurt.

    Sighing deeply, I roll off my bed and get on my feet.

    It was unlike them not toe to check on me, I must have been too harsh on them.

    I''ve never lost my temper like that and I had to admit I didn''t like it, it wasn''t my mom''s fault really, Virgil was like a force of nature, same thing with Dale who acquiesced even though it must have killed him to, Shana was definitely in on it as well but I didn''t even have the energy to work up even a little bit of anger.

    I pack up my wet hair, I would have to change the sheets now, in my anger I had just flopped on the bed with my wet hair and now the bed had wet patches here and there.

    I groan, rubbing my face and feeling weird, I really didn''t like to get angry.

    I sigh deeply again, staring at my door, I couldn''t stay hidden in here, I would have to confront them sooner orter but the worry eating at me that I could have hurt them propels me towards the door, I couldn''t bear to think that.

    That only meant one thing, I had to go out to see what was going on, with my mind made up, I start towards the door, unlocking it with shaky hands.

    I slowly inch it open and take a step out, the sight I see makes tears prick at the corners of my eyes.

    Virgil is sitting on the ground outside my room, his head propped up on his arms which rests on his bent knees.

 Chapter 100

    Chapter 100

    He raises his head when I step out and our eyes meet, the pain in his eyes is enough to make the rest of my anger fade away like it''s nothing and I blink rapidly to dispel the tears gathering in my eyes.

    I know I''m the one that''s going to have to make the move this time, Virgil was likely to not forgive himself for a long time, I had to stop that while it was still early enough.

    I walk closer to him and stand in front of him, he breaks eye contact with me and looks down, remorse evident in his sparkling blue eyes.

    I don''t hesitate before I go down to his height, settling on my knees in front of him. He parts his legs for me to get in close but he''s still not looking at me.

    "Virgil?" I call softly, searching for his eyes.

    Before I can blink he pulls me in close, wrapping his arms around me and I fall forward over him, his headying on my chest.

    "I''m so sorry"

    "Hey, hey" I cut off his sincere apologies. "It''s fine, why don''t youe inside?" I invite, my knees were getting bruised on the hard floor plus I didn''t want to think of how long he must have spent sitting out here on the hard floor.

    He moves me back a bit so that he can stare at me and I bite my lip with the effort of not shying away from the intense look in his blue eyes, and his hand move to my mouth to free my lower lip that''s caught in my teeth.

    "W-Where is my mom and Dale?" I ask, getting up.

    I put out a hand and he takes it, although he stands all by himself I don''t say a word, it''s not like I would have been able to pull him up anyway.

    "They went on a drive." He replies absently, awed eyes on me.

    "Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask shyly, pushing a stray wisp of hair behind my ear.

    "You''re not mad at me." He mumbles in surprise.

    I pull him inside my room and close the door, pushing him to sit on the bed. "Yeah, well I was" I start to say but I don''t get far, he tugs me down and I fall forward, bracing my arms on his shoulders.

    "Renee wouldn''t tell me where you went." He hums, cing his cheek on my stomach. "She kept yelling at me, I don''t think I''ve ever seen her so angry then you came and" He trails off like it hurt to remember. "I just wanted to keep you safe."

    My heart twists the way he says it like there was a knife running through his heart.

    He pulls me down on him and I go easily. "I know, I just don''t like you lying to me."

    He gives me a small smile. "Technically we just weren''t telling you the truth."

    I give him a look. "Isn''t that the same thing?"

    He shuffles deeper into the bed before answering me. "Not when I do it." He shrugs nuzzling into my neck. "Did Leon do anything to you?" He asks out of the blue.

    I blink, slightly shaken by the turn of conversation then I remember what had happened back in the woods and I avert my eyes, a deep flush climbing up my neck to paint my cheeks.

    <em>What am I supposed to say?</em>

    There''s no way to exin what Leon had done so I don''t even try, my hand unconsciously going to my side where a faint bruise was sitting.

    My reaction is enough of an answer for Virgil and his eyes darken, going stormy. "Stay away from him, okay." He tells me softly and I drop my hand from my side before his eyes catch on to what I''m doing and then I would have to exin how I got the bruise.

    He didn''t need to tell me twice, I nned to stay very far away from his older twin brothers. "Sure." I murmur, resting my head on his chest.

    I''m sitting on the bed and my upper body is lying on Virgil, his arms right around me.

    I lift my eyes to him to see him staring down at me with an indecipherable look in his startling blue eyes and I swallow. "Don''t lie to me again." I murmur, looking away, again - why is it so hard to look at him?

    "Even if it''s for your safety?" He asks seriously, looking straight at me.

    I nce at him, traces of exasperation on my face. "Yes, even if it is." I exin slowly, Virgil had a way of bending rules to suit him.

    "Fine." He smiles softly and I narrow my eyes at him - he agreed too quickly.

    "What is it?" He asks in amusement.

    I spin around and crawl up his body so that we''re staying face to face. "You agreed too quickly." I use, pushing my face forward intimidatingly. "So that was a fucking lie?"

    He bursts outughing at my theatrics. "You''re overthinking it." He murmurs to me, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

    I immediately go on high alert but that didn''t prepare me for his next move, he pulls me closer so that I''m straddling him and I''m coloring up at thispromising situation.

    "I''m not." I mumble distractedly, trying not to think of where I''m sitting on or his hands which are wrapped around my waist.

    His reply is a kiss and my eyes widen briefly before slowly fluttering close, Virgil''s kisses are rare and just as addictive that I don''t even notice the slight lifting of my shirt until a firm thumb is rubbing slow, tight circles around the reddened spot.

    The pressure elicits a small gasp from me and his other handes up to my hair to pull my head backward, his tongue slips in and another gasp spills out.

    I break away first, falling forward breathlessly, he doesn''t get distracted, pushing me so that I''m lying on my back on the bed. I p a hand over my mouth to hide the embarrassing sound that escapes me when he gently bites my neck but that doesn''t seem to be his destination, yet

    He slides down my body and I hup, choking slightly, he heads straight for the bruise on my side that clearly shows Leon''s fingerprints and for a brief second his eyes shes gold and I nce around for an open window but I don''t find any.

    His eyes darken and I feel like I can see his teeth peek out slightly but it''s gone as soon as ites and he bites over the faint bruise.

    I jolt at the electric feeling that streaks through me, a loud gasp leaving me.

    I can''t help but feel like Virgil is trying to distract me from something but as he crawls up again<em>, I really don''t</em> <em>mind</em>...

 Chapter 101

    Chapter 101

    I end up in Virgil''s shirt, for some reason that is still unknown to me and I''m trying to not freak out at how it keeps slipping over one shoulder and showing off the hickies on my neck.

    "Can''t I just wear a different shirt, since you don''t like the one I had on befo" My eyes widen when he ims my lips again and I narrow my eyes, not responding to the kiss.

    He''s been doing that an awful lot to derail my questioning as a matter of fact he didn''t even tell me anything about the unnaturally huge wolf I had seen in the woods, asking about that just keep turning into make-out sessions.

    I break off, hearing a distinct sound from down the stairs. "They''re back."

    He looks at me with cool calcting eyes but I''m just as determined to find out the truth, he had worn a new shirt from one of his stashes in my wardrobe and I grab on his arm to pull him outside my room.

    If he kept escaping my question with kisses then I would ask someone who couldn''t kiss me.

    I burst into the room to see my mom and Dale obviously back from their drive and Shana and Mae as well.

    "Hi, Mae!" I greet cheerfully, releasing Virgil''s had to go give her a hug.

    "Oh, Hayden! I''ve missed you." She hugs me in return, grinning wide.

    I turn around to see the rest sporting guilty expressions.

    Good.

    They should feel guilty for lying to me.

    "Do you all have anything to say to me?" I ask quietly, crossing my arms in front of me.

    It''s easier to feel in control of the situation when I''m far away from Virgil who keeps muddling my head and no one is towering over me.

    They''re all sitting down on sofas, except Mae who sits to the side on a high stool, an amused smile on her face as she watches me scold everyone.

    Dale looks mad at himself while Shana and my mom look downright guilty and Virgil

    Maybe I should have still remained mad at him some more, he''s looking at me appreciatively and I remember that I''m in his oversized shirt with hickies littering my neck - I did not think this through.

    But I don''t let it bother me, it''s not the first time anyway even Shana gave me hickies while ying - my friends are an odd bunch that liked to bite - I realize.

    "Well." I prompt.

    "There is a new wave of wild wolves in the woods, although they mostly keep to the other side of the creek."

    Mae blinks in surprise. "He didn''t know about the wolves."

    "I didn''t!" I throw my hands up in exasperation. "I know, it doesn''t make any fucking sense, as a matter of fact, I''m mad at everyone again." I pout, going over to Mae.

    "Do you mind telling me everything?" I ask her, throwing a very obvious look at Virgil who is just coolly watching me, Shana starts to sweat and my mom looks like she''s about to say something.

    Mae grins and takes my hand. "Of course!" She agrees happily and I note that she doesn''t even spare Virgil a nce like my mom and Shana who have been acting like they''re asking for approval, it''s ridiculous.

    "Why don''t youe up to my room?" I invite her, ignoring the horrified looks that paint across everybody''s face - just like I thought, they were still hiding something.

    "Sure." She agrees and we both make our way up the stairs.

    "We''re still going on a drive, right guys?" I throw back at them and their muffled replies are enough of a confirmation.

    I usher Mae inside the door, ncing around surreptitiously like I expect someone will snipe her from the shadows so she can''t tell me what''s going on.

    "I don''t think that necessary." Mae dryly says when I lock the door behind us. "And you shouldn''t be mad at them, you''ve kept secrets from them before." She says calmly, gliding across my floor to sit gently in the bed.

    She''s in ck jeans and a fuzzy peach top, her full hair in a bun.

    I freeze in my steps, remembering when I had hidden my bruises because I was scared that Tyrone would stay true to his words and try to hurt them too.

    "I suppose I have." I murmur softly, wondering how she knew, Shana wouldn''t have told her.

    "Come and sit." She pats the bed beside me. "Your lovebites are distracting me."

    I blush at her words ande to settle down beside her, Mae has always been a bit of an entric so I don''t find her actions weird.

    "Mind if I make your hair again?" She asks politely.

    "N-Not at all." I agree, gettingfortable on the bed and cing my head on her legs as she directs.

    I''m not exactly sure what she does but it''s always soothing and it leaves my hair softer.

    "Nobody knows why yet, but there has been an influx of wild wolves in the woods." She starts to say and I settle in to listen, who knew when next I would get an opportunity like this.

    "We came back early from our vacation to Africa so I saw it happen, as usual people started toin that they wanted to cut the trees in the woods down to make room for infrastructural development does it hurt?" She pauses her narration to ask and I start to shake my head but I stop myself in time not wanting to ruin whatever she was doing.

    "No, not at all, plus why would people want to cut down the pines?" I ask in horror. "It''s practically what gave the town its name."

    She makes a shrugging move. "My parents and I weren''t in support either, people started going into the woods to hunt down the wolves which was ridiculous. Mr. Everett told them that as long as they stayed from the woods they''ll be fine and the wolves would soon leave."

    I twitch my toes, intrigued by the direction the story is taking, all I would have done was stay away from the woods, it didn''t make any logical sense why they would hide it from me.

 Chapter 102

    Chapter 102

    "But as usual they didn''t listen to him and then people started to go missing and the wolves got bolder, crossing the creek to hang around the deeper parts of the creek."

    I wince at this, Virgil''s father was a very important figure in Pine Creek but I still couldn''t remember exactly what his position was. "Are they going to cut down the pines?" I ask in a small voice, depressed at the thought but if it kept people from dying then that would be the best option to take.

    "No." Mae says shortly and I can hear the tightness in her voice. "The pine trees are staying but people started to move out, the people left stayed away from the woods and no one has gone missing anymore."

    "Oh!" I exim. "That''s why everywhere seemed so empty while we wereing back, do you think they''lle back?" I ask in worry, I didn''t want Pine Creek to be a ghost town.

    "Of course!" She replies enthusiastically. "Just watch, before Christmas, the entire town will be bustling again." She says with so much confidence that I find myself believing her.

    I go quiet to digest what she had told me, there were wild animals, just a couple miles away from my house, and practically half of the poption of Pine Creek or maybe, even more, had moved out.

    Our street was thoroughly empty now, just Mae and I living on it and it''s not really surprising, considering that we live the closest to the woods but I can''t help but worry that no one will want to move into a tiny town that has a wild animal problem and then Pine Creek would slowly start to die out

    "This is exactly why he didn''t want to tell you." Mae cuts short my mental monologue. "Among other things." She mutters quietly under her breath.

    "What?" I perk up, turning my head up to look at her.

    "Come on, stay still." She says gently. "And I''m saying that this is probably why Virgil didn''t want to tell you, you''re worrying so loud that I can practically hear you." She tsks fondly, shaking her head.

    I bite my lip nervously which turns out to be a bad idea because I can remember the imprint of Virgil''s lips on mine.

    I feel a faint thrumming under me and faint crackling but I don''t move my head so that I wouldn''t bother Mae.

    "Hayden." She says in an eerie voice and I hide a shiver. "You should walk towards the light." She says in that disturbing tone and I whip my head around to look up at her.

    "What?"

    "Oy! You''ll make me pull out your hair if you keep doing that." Sheins to me, looking like she hadn''t just said a couple of strange words. "Stay put now, I''m almost done."

    "What did you say?" I ask, unsure if I had really heard her or my crazy mind had just made it up, us the thrumming and the faint crackling sound was gone like it never existed.

    "I''m almost done?" She repeats in confusion, her nimble hands threading through my hair.

    "No, no, before that." I insist, clenching my fists with the effort it takes to stay still instead of looking at her face like I really want to.

    "I''ll pull out your hair?" She mumbles in a nk tone sounding even more confused. "There I''m done." She ruffles my hair, helping me up.

    I furrow my brow in confusion, Mae looks genuinely unaware and I decide to let it go, maybe she was just thinking out loud because her words hadn''t made any sense.

    I need to change out of Virgil''s shirt before I go downstairs, preferably into something that hides the obvious faint marks of sharp teeth and reddened skin.

    "What are you doing?" Mae asks, sprawling on my bed.

    I continue my journey to my wardrobe after throwing her a nce. "To change out of this shirt?"

    "Someone isn''t going to like that." She mutters under her breath - at least I think that''s what she says.

    "So do you think it''s safe enough to stay here, we''re pretty close to the woods?" I find myself asking the rest when we make our way down again.

    "Yeah." Dale replies to me this time. "The wolves are moving back to the other side of the creek because no one is trying to hunt them anymore, the one you met today must have been a straggler."

    "Oh, I see." I hum, going to meet my mom who holds her arms out for me.

    She mumbles an apology in my ear, hugging me on herp.

    I hug her in return, I''m not mad anymore and I didn''t like the air of guilt and unhappiness swirling around her. "It''s fine." I rub her back.

    "As long you stay away from the woods." Dale continues, his bright green eyes on me.

    I crawl out of my mom''s hold to hug Shana who looks like she''s a step away from crying.

    It''s almost hrious how I''m the oneforting them all when I was the one that was lied to.

    "That sounds like an order but okay." I sit beside Dale. "Although I can''t believe you lied to me too."

    He rubs his face at this, a wry smile on his face. "I wouldn''t have if I knew you would just walk right in." He teases.

    "Hey! How was I supposed to know that the woods were off bounds." I pout.

    "Well, how were we supposed to know that you''d go for the one in a thousand probability of taking a walk, you hate physical activities." He fires back and I color up.

    I really was, but I wasn''t about to tell them that I had missed the tall silent trees.

    "Well, things happen." I provide vaguely, throwing my arms around him. "And I forgive you even though you didn''t say sorry."

    He gives me a slow smile and ces his hands on the small of my back. "You didn''t give me the chance." He murmurs, staring intently at me.

    "I''m hungry, Renee." Virgil suddenly blurts out and I nce away from Dale who looks downright murderous.

    At Virgil''s words, I realize howte it actually is and I haven''t eaten lunch, my stomach rumbles and I hup, blushing slightly in mortification.

    "Julia has already been here, she wasn''t happy that she didn''t get to see you so she left in a peeve." My mom says sheepishly. "We should go eat."

    I try toe down from the chair, eager to eat Julia''s food again after months of not doing just that but Dale tugs me lightly and I lose my bnce, falling on him.

    "Oof!" I huff as my breath gets whacked out of me, rolling my eyes when Virgil gets up toe help me up and away from Dale - not this subtle fighting again! - but right now I''m too hungry to pay them any mind, I just move away from them, leading the way to the dining room.

 Chapter 103

    Chapter 103

    We had gone for a fun filled drive but I kept on getting distracted by how scanty the entire ce was, Virgil was ecstatic about his new car, a silver-grey GMC Acadia, which was perfect for a ce like Pine Creek.

    They all left to go back to their homes which was a little surprising but it made sense a little, at least with Dale.

    With a new avenue to pour in their anger and pain at the death of their only daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Aston''s rtionship with their son had gotten a lot better.

    I hadn''t gone to any of the hearings so I still haven''t seen either of his parents but I wasn''t exactly eager to.

    That''s why I''m all alone today, Mae and Shana had gone for another date? I think, that didn''t seem likely but I wasn''t about to ask why she wasn''t going toe over for all of the next day.

    Dale also had some things to do, as well as Virgil and that''s why I''m sitting on the sofa and staring out the window into the sun filled woods with a dozing Appleying on myp, an abandoned paperback to the side.

    I''ve been trying to read the novel all morning, it was some billionaire type romance but I keep getting distracted, it''ste afternoon now and I haven''t gone ten pages in.

    I wasn''t lonely or at least that was what I tried to tell myself, my mom was upstairs in her room, most likely taking a nap.

    Somehow my grandparents had heard about the wolf problem that Pine Creek had and my Grammy had freaked out.

    My mom has been on the phone all day, exining and yelling if she had to but my Grammy obviously wasn''t budging, she had eventually given up and thrown her phone away, making sure to put it on silent. It still kept on ringing though.

    So her nap was very much expected, she was most likely mentally exhausted and knowing my Grammy she would just keep calling until my mom cracked or if she didn''t, she woulde down here herself to try and convince her.

    I sigh at this, hoping that the wolves would go very soon.

    Idly, I wondered if it was the same kind of wild wolves that had hung around the forest reserve in the city and had attacked Jade, I shiver at this thought. It''s no wonder Dale was seriously shaken and made me promise him never to go in the woods at least until all this was over.

    He didn''t need to tell me that for sure, I wasn''t about to encounter either the wolf or Leon, I''m not sure which is worse. Although I''m still a little bit worried that he went back into the woods even though a wolf was obviously there.

    He seemed like the type to be able to take care of himself though, besides yesterday, calls kepting in Virgil''s phone and I''d heard the name Leon a couple times so he''s definitely still alive.

    I tear my eyes away from the window after talking myself into seeing a wolf run past my eyes, it was ridiculous because the wolves nevere so close to the town, I couldn''t even hear their howls at night so that was one thing that couldn''t be possible.

    I pick up my novel again, Apple had bothered me all day by pawing at me and climbing up me to lick my face with her bumpy tongue, it got even worse when she discovered my hair. She had climbed up the backrest of the chair and just stayed there wing at my hair.

    It hurt and I kept pushing her down but it seemed like she had a mind of her own, it was so relieving when she finally fell asleep.

    Thest thing I remember is lifting up my book to continue my reading but I must have dozed off because I wake up muchter to the subtle sounds of camera shutters, I wink open an eye slowly to see my mom giggling and taking pictures.

    I smile slowly at her, happy to see her back to her bubbly self, she had a dark cloud hanging over her all day so this was really pleasing to see.

    Turns out that I had fallen asleep as well, my novel thrown to the side, a hand underneath my head for support.

    Apple had snuggled into the side of my neck, settling the rest of her body on my arm and the crook that had been created while I curled around her.

    "Why don''t you go take a shower." My mom prompts me and I carefully get up, making sure to not wake Apple with hurried movements. "I''ll heat up dinner." She offers, flouncing up to her room first to no doubt go through the photos before she would begin the heating.

    I take my time going up the stairs, a tired yawn leaving me as I stretch out the stiffness in my body.

    The time for school to resume session was drawing close and I couldn''t say I was excited for it, I hadn''t exactly left under the best of circumstances but now I had four friends to help me live through it, besides it''s our final year and I''ll be eighteen soon.

    Again, I still hadn''t thought much about college, it''s apparently worse than high school so it wasn''t exactly high on my list of things to do.

    There were no colleges in Pine Creek so that was out of the question, plus knowing my grandmother she would probably take me to some obscure, snotty rich, private school where I wouldn''t be allowed to leave except at Christmas or something.

    I slowly twist the knob of my room''s door, apprehension blooming low in my stomach, it''s ridiculous, there was nothing in my room.

    I fling open the door and heave a sigh of relief at the sight I see, a well made bed, and an almost too well arranged room.

    I shake my head, going in the quiet and very empty room, it is unlike me to spook myself so my reaction is a bit surprising.

 Chapter 104

    Chapter 104

    I get out of the thin shirt I have on, it was still warm during the day so I dressed ordingly but it''s getting cooler at nights so I wear the clothes in my cupboard that don''t belong to me.

    It''s a little weird that I liked to wear the clothes of people close to me but I get what I get, my mom''s sweaters are out of the question if I didn''t want to die of heatstroke at night but Virgil''s shirts were the perfect options.

    Vaguely, as I get ready to take a quick shower, I wonder if he didn''t notice all of his clothes that keep disappearing or he was just being nice and pretending to not notice.

    I''m toozy to wash my hair and I''m not about to have wet tips brushing my neck during dinner so I wrap a shower cap over my head, might as well go all the way if I wanted to keep it from getting wet.

    I wipe off the condensation on the mirror, my towel held up high around my middle, I resist the urge to lift it higher and lean forward into the mirror.

    Puberty must have jumped over me, I''m almost eighteen and my voice still hasn''t broken, I wasn''t a big fan of pimples but at least having one was a symptom of puberty but nada, not even one.

    My face still had the baby fat of childhood and I wondered when it was going to go, I hope it''s soon, maybe then I''d stop getting confused for a girl.

    I skip out, in a better mood now that I had cleaned up, I slip into Virgil''s shirt and loosefortable shorts.

    My hair isfortably dry when I take the cap off and I just leave it down, hurrying down the stairs before we would have to take apulsory drive because my mom got the smoke detector started again.

    "Mom?" I call when silence greets me. "Mom?" I call again, hurrying to the kitchen.

    "Oh." I sigh, pressing a hand to my chest.

    She had earphones on and was dancing gently as she set up the table.

    "Oh, Hayden?" She calls to me in surprise, taking out an earbud. "I was just about toe get you."

    We settled down to eat, talking about everything and nothing at once.

    "Your Grammy wants us toe back to the city." She finally says and my eyes go wide in shock.

    My mom is among the slew of people who keeps things like these hidden from me because they wanted to protect me and I am grateful she finally decided to let me in, it made me feel like she didn''t see me as a child anymore.

    "She knows about the wolves?" I ask even though I already know she does.

    "Yes." My mom says tightly, gripping her fork.

    "The city is just as dangerous as Pine Creek, after all there could also be a wave of wild wolves in the forest reserve in the city so it''s basically the same thing."

    My mom''s eyes go wide at this, shocked surprise painting her face. "Oh, wow, that''s just wow." She shakes her head in wonder. "I''ve never thought about it that way."

    I give her a reassuring smile. "You could always talk to me if you need to."

    The rest of the meal goes smoothly and I can see my mom''s shoulder straighten a bit, like a weight has been taken off her shoulders.

    I bound up the stairs when the meal is over, happy to be of help to my mom even though she hadn''t started to talk to me about important things until I had nearly been eaten by a wolf.

    I jump on my bed, ready to finish up the novel so I could get started on a new one the next day.

    My mom passes by my room to tell me goodnight a couple hourster and I''ve already gone really far in the book, I''d taken a nap all afternoon so I wasn''t feeling sleepy at all.

    I''m so engrossed in the beautiful ending of the book that ends with a wedding that it''s a surprise I even notice the sh of white, something catches my attention.

    Slowly I put down my book and roll off my bed, I hadn''t imagined the sh of white, had I?

    I move slowly to the window, the moon is almost full in the sky and I clearly see it in between the trees.

    I peek down and a gasp leaves me at what I see, there''s a big white form, lying on thewn.

    The moon reflects off it, making it seem like it''s giving off light.

    It wasn''t moving and my curiosity spikes, I open the window for a better view, I really wanted to go down to check what it was but it''s night and there''s a literal forest filled with wolves just beside my house. I wasn''t about to act a horror movie.

    But the big, white thingy lying lifeless on mywn calls to me and before I can overthink it I''m slipping my slippers on and darting quietly down the stairs.

    I have to be careful to not wake my mom up or I would get an earful but I''ve already started the journey, I couldn''t go back now.

    Quietly, I unlock the door, making sure to close it carefully behind me and another quiet gasp leaves me.

    It was huge, like a small car.

    It had looked much smaller from my room''s window but now that I''m a couple steps away the size hits me but the animal? Is still not moving.

    <em>Was it hurt?</em>

    <em>Or even dead?</em>

    My feet stay frozen on the front porch, the gravity of what I was ying at hitting me.

    What if it was a wild animal?

    I would just get myself hurt simply because I was curious.

    As I stay there debating, Mae''s weirdly spoken words float into my head.

    <em><strong>''...you should walk towards the light''</strong></em>

    I shake my head, the pure white coat of the animal lying on mywn does look like light but Mae hadn''t even remembered she had said those words, what if I was just making them up to give myself a reason to go closer?

    My feet are already moving with assured steps even though my mind is in a turmoil, bringing me closer to the giant ball of white light.

    I stop when I get to it, pping a hand over my mouth to hide the surprised sounds that are about to escape, my eyes blown wide.

    <em>It''s a wolf.</em>

    A fucking huge wolf!

    It''s like three or four times my size and the white fur is so pretty wait! I shake my head <em>it''s a fucking wolf!!!</em>

    I remind myself, ready to turn around and make my way back into my room and on my bed.

    The wolf''s eyes are closed and it''s lying on its stomach, it''s head resting on its gigantic paws.

    It''s still motionless and I wasn''t about to wait for it to wake up, the wolf I had seen in the woods yesterday looks like a stuffed toy inparison to the wolf in front of me.

    I take a step back and the wolf moves a bit and a horrified gasps leaves me.

    <em>It''s hurt</em>

    Oh my God! It''s bleeding really bad, what could have hurt it?

    My eyes remain fixed on therge smear of bright red blood, my legs freezing in ce, without realizing it I''m crouching slowly, a hand stretched out to touch it''s pure white fur.

    As soon as my hand makes contact, the wolf''s eyes fly open, it''s eyes settling on me.

    I stare back, captivated by the deep blue of the wolf''s eyes, nostalgia ms through me as my brain scrambles around to ce where I had seen those exact shade of blue.

    <em>Virgil</em>

    His name floats around in my head but I push it away, it was ridiculous and I just realize that I have my hand on a wolf who is wide awake and staring at me.

    <em>I gulp</em>

    <strong>I''m dead.</strong>

    I''m expecting a lot of things to happen next like the wolf attacking and biting my head off but what does happen doesn''t evene close, a bright light shes, temporarily blinding me.

    It''s a miracle I don''t scream or scramble back, it wasn''t like I could even move, I was frozen with shock.

    The light dies down and a strangled sound escapes me, the wolf in front of me had shrunk and lost all it''s hair, smooth bare skin under my palm.

    "V-Virgil?"

 Chapter 105

    Chapter 105

    This time I stumble back, falling on my backside as I stare at him in shock and terror.

    "Shit." He curses lowly and strangely it sounds like him but that''s not possible right? I''m still on my bed, right? Having a ridiculously realistic dream.

    I pinch myself but the apparition of Virgil lying half naked on mywn refuses to go away, I rub my eyes, inching backwards slowly.

    "T-This ha-has to be a n-nightmare, r-ri-right''?" I stutter in a mumble, unable to tear my eyes away from his ssy blue orbs that are staring right back at me.

    He lets out a slew of colorful curses again, he''s lying on his side facing away from me but his face is angled in my direction.

    cing dew wetted hands on my face, I gulp and try to process what had just happened, there was a wolf, like I''m a hundred and one percent sure there was a wolf then boom! shy lights! And then there''s Virgil?

    ...<em>I</em> <em>think</em> <em>I''m</em> <em>going</em> <em>crazy</em>

    I track my gaze down the rest of his body, he has his arms wrapped around him and I remember seeing blood on the wolf, if Virgil is the wolf wait, hold up, this is a little too much for my brain to process.

    "Hayden." My name gets rasped out of Virgil''s? Mouth and I nce at him again.

    He rolls over and a short high scream leaves me.

    There are huge, ugly w gashes right across his torso and he''s bleeding into the grass.

    "Oh m-my G-God, y-you''re bl-bleeding." I scramble forward, terror on my face.

    He rolls away from my hand. "You should go inside where it''s safe."

    I flinch back like he had pped me. "Are you stupid!" Ish out at him. "You''re bleeding into the fucking ground and you''re telling me to go up to my room like I''m five."

    "Hayden" He groans out, pain zing his eyes.

    A loud howl interrupts his words and the blood curdling howl makes my toes curl but I wasn''t leaving the idiot out here even though I almost want to.

    "I''m not leaving you, period." I grit my teeth, moving to help him up. "Now shut up and let me help you."

    He closes his eyes in exhaustion and uses my help to get up, a loud movement in the woods makes me look in that direction and I curse mentally when I see a lot of glowing, sickly, pale yellow eyes staring back at us.

    We needed to hurry, hopefully they would stay out of the house, unless they knew how to handle door knobs or turned human like Virgil - my heart skips a couple beats at the thought, was I really believing that? - well unless they could do any of that we would be safe inside.

    The trip to the door seems ridiculously long now that I have to pick my steps carefully with Virgil leaning almost all of his weight on me but I''m determined.

    He had a whole lot of exining to do and I was going to get my answers, I wince at the blood smearing all over me, the idiot was bleeding really bad.

    Those shes had been deep and they look like... wolf ws? Ugh! I didn''t even know what to think anymore.

    I carefully lock the door behind us, now that we were safe from the wolves, I had to figure out a way to get Virgil up to my room without waking up my mom.

    I needed to clean up his wounds at least and get them to stop bleeding or he was going to get really hurt.

    I remain quiet for the rest of our journey, Virgil wasn''t even one forpany, he could barely keep his eyes open and terror for his well being sits in my chest right with the confusion of the situation and my anger at him.

    My brain is working at almost ten times it''s usual rate but I can''t still seem to make head or tail of what is currently happening, half of me hopes that when I wake up tomorrow I''ll find out that it was just a crazy dream and Virgil wille over tomorrow looking as perfect and immovable as he has always been.

    By some stroke of luck, even with all the stumbling we did, my mom doesn''t wake up and I don''t think twice about locking up my door.

    I put him to lie down on his back at the centre of my bed and I run to the bathroom to get my first aid box, a bowl of water, and a small hand towel.

    My hands are shaking badly but somehow I manage to make it back quickly without spilling water, I immediately get the towel wet and scramble on the bed.

    My eyes get teary at the sight that greets me, in the brightness of my room and with him lying on his back I can see the injury quite clearly and I bite back a sound of pain.

    He flinches when I ce the warm towel on him but his eyes remain close, his face looking pale and sweaty.

    I quickly get started on wiping him down, swallowing asionally at the amount of blood I keep squeezing out of the towel, he doesn''t even look better when I wipe all the blood away, it just goes to show how bad he''s really hurt.

    "W-What w-were yo-you d-doing t-tha" a swallow cuts off my words.

    I can''t believe he''s always so ridiculously over protective of me yet he is dumb enough to get himself hurt so bad.

    "Don''t cry." He says quietly and I realize that my tears are dropping on his skin.

    I wipe my eyes angrily but they don''t stop and I just ignore them, cing thergest pad of gauze I could find , thank goodness my mom is always extravagant so with a couple gauze pads I''m able to cover up most of the injury.

    "I''ll be fine." He says again and I shake my head at the fact that he''sforting me even though he''s the one lying on the bed with his stomach wed out.

    I bandage him up pausing halfway when I notice something strange, I lean forward and my eyes widen in horror.

    His His s-skin is knitting up right in f-front of my eyes.

    I nce up at him briefly to see that he''s eyes are still closed and I look down at the edge of a deep scratch to check again, it was knitting up perfectly, there wouldn''t even be a scar.

    <em>What the actual effing hell?</em>

    I flinch backwards slightly at this, feeling a little light headed, this is just a dream Hayden, okay? It''s just a dream.

    I convince myself, forcing myself to finish up the bandaging even though it''s supposed to be just a dream, even if I was dreaming I would still make sure Virgil was okay.

    I finish up and sit back, stepping down from the bed to take the bowl and the first aid box back to the bathroom.

    "Now" I mutter when I get back, looking up at Virgil again, his eyes are open now and I stumble backwards, reeling from shock.

    His eyes are zing gold and I''m not imagining it now, his canines are much longer and are peeking out of the sides of his mouth.

    That did it, I had taken in too many shocking events all at once, the rooms spins around and my vision goes dark, thest thing I hear is Virgil calling to me and then I''m going over, it feels like I''m falling forever because I don''t hit the ground but I can''t open my eyes to check.

 Chapter 106

    Chapter 106

    I wake up to the sound of hushed voices and... snarling? Sunlight is streaming on my face and I slowly blink open my eyes man I had a wild dreamst night.

    I remember it vividly which is a little odd as I rarely ever remember my dreams much less in such detail, I shake my head and open my eyes, gasping at the sight in front of me.

    Someone has their arms wrapped around me and my legs are tangled up with theirs Virgil?

    Anyway that constant snarling sound ising from the person behind me and everyone else is standing on the other side of my bed, huddled behind Dale who looks... pissed off?

    "What the hell is going on here?" I ask in confusion, trying to sit up but Virgil doesn''t let me.

    "Virgil, let me go." I say coldly and he does, I scramble away from him turning around to look at him.

    "Oh no!" I moan, wrapping a hand around my middle.

    Virgil is lying on my bed with the same bandages I remember wrapping around him in my crazy dream, his eyes are a mellow gold now but his fangs - fangs??!! Sharp teeth are pressing down on his lower lip.

    "I-It wa-was r-real?" I mumble in shock.

    He closes his eyes briefly, something akin to pain shing in his gold eyes, he just stares at me quietly and that''s enough of an answer for me.

    I whip my head around to the others, my mom, Shana and Mae are huddled behind Dale who has an identical gold shade zing in his eyes.

    I go lightheaded again, the room spinning around me.

    Was Dale the same thing? And everyone knew??!!

    "He''s going over!" My mom yells and Virgil reaches out to grab me but I shake my head to dispel the fogginess and jump off the bed.

    "Don''t touch me." I warn him darkly and he flinches backwards, dropping his head in his hands.

    I''m sitting on the ground with my hands t on the ground behind me supporting my weight, my heart thumping hard.

    "You''re a wolf person too?" I ask Dale shakily and a collective gaspes from the people standing beside him.

    His eyes light up again, his canines growing longer. "He saw you?! I should fucking kill you." He growls to Virgil but Shana and Mae hold on to him before he can take a step forward.

    I move back a bit. "Oh wow." I mutter nkly. "My whole life has been a lie." I continue in that nd tone.

    "Hayden" Dale takes a step towards me but I scramble backwards all the way to the other side of the room, grabbing my hair dryer as a weapon.

    "Stay away from me." I say, my voice breaking.

    "Baby." My mom steps forward but I just wave the hair dryer threateningly. "S-Stay aw-away" I choke on tears, my vision blurring.

    "Oh my God." I gasp, pping a hand over my open mouth, I feel like throwing up. "I-I ca-can''t b-believe" I trail off again, not knowing what to say.

    What was there to say? That everyone I love has been lying to me for what? Five years, ten years? My whole life?

    "Hayden" My mom tries to say but I don''t even nce at her, I need to get away, I look around the room for an escape route but there''s no way I can get past all of them, they''re closer to the door so I''d get caught if I tried to make a run for it.

    I still need to get away, I think desperately, my eyes darting around, my hands shaking so hard that I nearly drop the hair dryer on my toes.

    I look behind me and I move quickly, darting inside the bathroom and locking up the door.

    I copse against the closed door, the hair dryer slipping out of my hand.

    I slide down, clutching my chest, it''s getting so hard to breathe and my eyes are blurring up again.

    There''s screaming in my head or is iting from me? The guilt in everyone''s eyes is branded into the inside of my eyelids and I see it just as clearly as I see the truth.

    A sob rips painfully out my mouth and I wrap my arms around myself.

    <em>...my world is falling apart...</em>

    <strong><em>...I''m falling apart...</em></strong>

    Was that all I was to Virgil? A pet? To keep in a gilded cage? He couldn''t possibly love me, no wonder he never put it in words, I''ve just been the stupid one all along and I wasn''t about to listen to any bullshit about protecting me.

    Dale''s case is even worse, he could tell me he loved me but he didn''t think to tell me the truth, the sobs even out now, low sounds filled with pain, betrayal and sadness

    Everyone else knows too, even Mae that just moved in, it goes to show how little they think of me.

    I didn''t even want to think what they were, I didn''t care actually, they could be supernatural creatures for all I cared but that didn''t matter, it didn''t change who they were or what they were to me but deceiving me like this, lying so tantly, that was what hurt.

    "Virgil, get the fuck away from that door." Dale''s voice rings out and I scramble away from the door, going to hide in the shower stall.

    Virgil sounds like he''s being ripped to shreds. "I can''t just stand here and listen to him crying, it''s killing me."

    I ce both of my hands over my ears, not wanting to listen to them again.

    I know I would have to confront them soon but now I just want to stay in my mental bubble where it is safe and there are no lies.

    The pain hits again and I crumble to the ground, pulling my knees closer to myself so I could hide my face and the tears start afresh, I don''t stop them.

    Maybe if I cry hard enough, the aching pain deep in my heart would go away or I could cry hard enough to lose all feeling.

 Chapter 107

    Chapter 107

    I wake up with a feeling of confusion, I sit upright to see that I''m on my bed and the drapes are drawn so I can''t tell what time it is.

    Something is bugging me, ticking at the back of my mind but I can''t seem to ce my finger on it.

    I whip my head to the side, finally remembering that I had a clock sitting on the drawer beside my bed, it says<em> 2:58</em> pm.

    I frown, that can''t be right oh wait

    I remember in a sh and I sink back into the bed with a sound of pain, how I had found a wolf which turned out to be Virgil and then found out that I had been left out of a very important secret my entire life.

    Thest thing I remember is sitting on the cold floor of the shower, how did I get here?

    I sit up again to look in the direction of the bathroom and I groan, it''s hanging loosely off its hinges, definitely Virgil.

    I must have cried so much that I slept off, they must have been worried enough to break down the door but then again it didn''t really take much for Virgil to get worried.

    I feel sore all over and a lot of things are starting to fall in ce, their family weekend trips, their ridiculous strength and code words

    I hide my face behind my hands, maybe I overreacted a bit because now I wasn''t sure I wanted to know all these, that my friends are Werewolves

    They didn''t exist right?

    I hop off the bed to go rinse my face and mouth off in the bathroom, I needed to do some research.

    I grab my phone and get on the bed, quickly tapping on the search icon.

    What would I search on?

    I wasn''t a huge paranormal or fantasy fan but I had watched enough movies to figure that out at least, was Shana also one?

    What about Mae?

    Did other creatures exist then if Werewolves are real?

    I had so many questions and I have a feeling that the inte isn''t going to provide the answers I needed but it wouldn''t hurt to check anyway.

    I type in the words, feeling foolish, if the FBI truly checked on people then the agent assigned to me would probably be confused as hell.

    The page loads and I startle at the scary picture that pops up, a huge wolf standing on its hind legs with blood sttered all over it''s sharp fangs and ws, a maliciously evil look on its face.

    I quickly scroll up, Virgil had looked nothing like that.

    I end up scrolling through endless articles of lycanthropes, their origin from an old folklore and so on.

    There was still no certainty that they were real, even though there are some acimed sightings of said Werewolves.

    After spending a lot of time scrolling through a lot of contradictory information that has me getting a headache, some said that they only turned into wolves during the full moon and others say only at night.

    I fall back on the bed with a groan, the only way to find out what I needed to know was to ask, now that I know there''s no way they would keep the rest of the information from me.

    Maybe, just maybe, I could understand why they would keep it a secret, I mean Virgil had turned up hurt on my front porch at midnight so it was obviously dangerous but still I pout, feeling petty.

    I needed to go downstairs, I sigh it''s alreadyte and I''ve put everyone else in an ufortable condition, not to mention that I''m hungry.

    I had just woken up in a mood earlier this morning but now that I think about it with a clearer head, it''s not all their fault.

    I take my bath and dress up in pajama bottoms and a loose top, I didn''t n on going anywhere and after I had gotten my answers I would grab Apple ande and hide out in my room again.

    It was just like me to be unable to stay mad at them for long, I would start to feel guilty because I know that if they were mad at me I would be miserable but that didn''t mean I wouldn''t give them all the silent treatment.

    I was going to get back at them either way, whether I was angry or not and in this case, I''m not anymore.

    I slowly open the door, peeking out first, I don''t think I want to see either Virgil or Dale yet actually mostly Virgil, just Virgil.

    Dale and I haven''t known each other for so long so I wouldn''t me him for not telling me, I mean if I were one I don''t think I''d go around telling everyone about it, it definitely wouldn''t be safe.

    But Virgil!

    I think darkly, we knew each other practically forever even before Shana came along so maybe I''m still a little bit mad at him.

    There''s no one sitting outside my door and I heave a sigh of relief, I''d rather startle them by just showing up out of nowhere than bumping into them.

    The house is strangely quiet and I wonder if they''re all out, well there''s only one way to find out.

    Straightening my back, I make my way down the stairs, slowing down when I get to the end.

    I peek around the corner and see my mom, Mae and Shana sitting quietly in the living room, they look so gloomy that I feel a shard of guilt for making them like this.

    "Hi." I greet softly, stepping into the room. There''s no sign of Virgil or Dale and I absently wonder where they could have gone.

    Everyone startles at the sound of my voice and even though my mom''s eyes look ssy, I go to sit on a separate chair.

    "Hayden?" My name gets called simultaneously in surprise but I just coolly settle into my seat, crossing my legsfortably.

    They watch me warily but I can''t help but act differently, it would take some time to get ustomed to the fact that I''ve been living with so grand a lie but it wasn''t bad enough that things wouldn''t go back to normal that I was sure of but right now, I''m really curious.

 Chapter 108

    Chapter 108

    "Where''s Virgil and Dale?" I ask politely, pretending to not see their stunned expressions, Apple meows from the floor beside me and I don''t hesitate to lean down and pick her up.

    Mae and Shana are sitting close together like Mae is offering herfort and I smile inwardly at that, maybe I would act up for a couple days until it seemed like they had learned their lesson then I would let them know that - hey! I''m not mad anymore but lie to me again and I''m going to choke m each of you to the fucking floor - I definitely couldn''t do that but it was the thought that counted, right?

    "Um, t-they were called by t-the Alpha, that''s Virgil''s dad for a meeting I think." Shana replies shakily and my eyes widen fractionally, it was the truth - it''s a little weird but also refreshing to be told the truth.

    "Oh." I murmur quietly, musing over her words.

    That''s what Virgil''s dad was huh? Wait that meant that a lot of Werewolves lived in Pine Creek?

    That is mind-blowing, they didn''t seem as dangerous as the articles made them out to be.

    "Hay B-Baby?" My mom stutters softly, leaning forward earnestly and I turn my head in her direction, expectant.

    "Are you okay?" She whispers in a choked voice, her eyes ssy like she had cried a bit and would soon begin again.

    I nod in affirmation. "Of course." I reassure her coolly, biting back the sarcastic reply I wanted to add to that, they looked miserable enough already, it would be cruel of me to rub it in.

    "Are you one of them too?" I eagerly ask Shana, unable to hide my curiosity even though I try hard to.

    She gulps, looking slightly terrified. "Yeah."

    "A Werewolf?" I ask again, managing to keep my excitement under wraps, I needed to act serious enough anyway or they might take me for granted not that they did but I wanted to feel like I had the upper hand for once.

    They all wince at this but Shana nods. "Pretty much." She shrugs.

    I blink, stunned - maybe I had been expecting her to deny it, to tell me that I was just hallucinating and Werewolves didn''t exist but I guess not, the truth wasn''t a soft cushion after all, it always hit hard.

    "Even Mae?" I can''t help asking, I didn''t see the need to ask my mom because there''s no way I could be a Werewolf too right? I mean, then it wouldn''t make sense that she didn''t tell me.

    "Erm" Mae chuckles nervously, rubbing her arm. "I''m more part Werewolf, part witch." She says with a nervous smile. "My dad''s a Were and my mom''s a witch."

    I flinch back in shock. "What! Is that even possible?"

    She shrugs again and I just stare at her with my mouth parted in surprise. "It''s notmon, because Werewolves like to keep to themselves but it happens often enough."

    I whip my head around to my mom who doesn''t even look surprised at this bit of information, she just looks anxiously worried. "How long have you known, mom?" I ask curiously without any hint of anger or spite in my voice and she must have heard it too because her shoulders sag in a silent sigh.

    "A pretty long time." She says nervously, ying with her fingers. "Your Aunt Candy is one."

    I reel back from the shock, my head spinning slightly. "Oh? Wow. Just wow." I mutter nkly, holding my head in my hands.

    "I know this is a lot to take in but we kept it secret just to"

    "Protect me, I know." I interrupt my mom''s earnest excuses, she sobers again at my cool words and I put myself together again.

    I understood the whys of it but that didn''t dampen the fact that they had been lying to me.

    Oh wow! Even my Aunt Candy??!!!

    Who else was one then? It''s so ridiculous that I hadn''t even caught on to the popr secret.

    "Does Grammy know?" I ask, it seemed it would be just me that didn''t know.

    "Yes, my mom knows."

    "Oh wow." I whisper in a nk voice, holding Apple closer.

    "Are there other supernatural creatures, like I don''t know Vampires? If Werewolves and Witches exist then they probably should too right?"

    Shana shakes her head, "They''re just myths."

    I blink in shock at her reply, bold of her to say that. "Really?"

    "Yes, Vampires aren''t real." Mae replies to me this time. "Werewolves have always existed long as humans and they easily stay hidden within the human poption while Witches are more or less humans born with unnatural power that runs in the bloodline."

    "So can someone be a Werewolf?"

    "Nope, you have to be born one."

    I nod, scratching off the possibility of getting bitten or scratched, that was a good thing or else the rest of the world would have already found out about them and knowing humans, they would have all been killed off.

    I get up quietly to go make myself a sandwich while trying to process all the answers I''ve been getting, it makes me happy to know the truth even if the truth is so scary.

    That meant Virgil''s older brother''s were Werewolves too, no wonder Leon could bravely stroll back into the woods even though there was still a wolf in there.

    How many of them were in Pine Creek then? There had to be a lot if there was an Alpha, an Alpha was the head of a pack, right?

    Turns out that my little research dide in handy.

    "How many are in Pine Creek? Are there a lot of you guys?" I ask when I get back, carefully settling down again.

    "Um, don''t freak out." Shana says quickly. "But currently, you and your mom are thest humans left in Pine Creek, the rest moved out slowly over the years."

    I freeze in shock, choking on the bite of sandwich in my wait. "Wait, what??" I cough, whipping my head around to look at my mom who gives me a little wave. "Everyone else is a Werewolf?" I demand in disbelief.

    "Yeah." Shana answers.

    I take a while to let this sink in, it was just stunning but it would make sense because Werewolves apparently liked nature which exins why the forest is still intact even though a lot ofpanies wanted to invest in the town as it was easily essible from the city.

    Something clicks into ce in my head and I snap out of my thinking to ask a question. "Wait, the wolves in the woods are Werewolves too right?" I ask, biting into my sandwich.

    They had been huge, okay, Virgil was bigger but that wolf had been unnaturallyrge, a normal wolf couldn''t be that size."

    "Yes." Shana says gravely, her hand tightening over Mae''s own. "They are, although they''re different, they''re what we call Rogue Werewolves."

 Chapter 109

    Chapter 109

    I frown, confused. "What are those?"

    "It''s a little hard to exin." She says vaguely. "When a Werewolf goes rogue, they give in to their instincts and basically be wild animals, losing their abilities to shift and all consciousness."

    "Was that why Virgil got hurt?" I blurt out, the truth is, I''ve been looking for a reason to ask about him but I wasn''t about to break out of character.

    "Yes, he was um" Shana trails of looking around to Mae and my mom for assistance.

    "He was patrolling around your house, the Werewolves have been doing that ever since the first rogue Weres made their appearance."

    "That doesn''t sound very safe, do you go on patrols too?" I ask in worry, biting my lower lip.

    "Nah, it''s just the guys, the grown-up ones at least."

    I heave a sigh of relief at this. "Will Virgil be okay?" I try to ask as nonchntly as I can but it justes out pinched and drenched in worry.

    Shana and Mae share a nce. "You should ask him that yourself." Mae finally says and I roll my eyes, having no intention of seeing Virgil anytime soon.

    I had gotten answers and even though there was still a lot I didn''t know yet, I wasn''t overly eager to find out.

    "Will it be safe to stay here?" I ask, unable to get those dangerous-looking Werewolves'' eyes out of my head.

    They share another nce again like they''re not sure how much to tell me.

    "Unbelievable!" I throw my hands up, getting up in a fit.

    "We will be." My mom says bravely, calming down the oing rant that was about to break free.

    "Oh." I dete. "T-That''s good news I guess, thanks for the info, I''m going up to my room." I say nkly, darting out towards the stairs before they recover.

    What did I think? That because I knew what they were now there wouldn''t be any more secrets?

    Strangely enough, I totally understand why they would keep things from me and it''s probably - actually scratch that definitely the wisest thing to do - but I keep getting ticked off, which is ridiculous because I''ve always been aware that there were things kept hidden from me and I didn''t mind but recently

    Recently I''ve been blowing up, like with the case of the town being deserted and the wolves which are now apparently rogue Werewolves.

    I had gotten really upset about that too even though now I''m not going to sleep well anymore because I''m anxious and I keep worrying about the town''s poption.

    It''s a little bit strange to be so upset, I rarely got angry because there wasn''t any need to be so my frequent episodes were starting to bother me.

    I flop on the bed with my arms and legs stretched out like I''m making a snow angel, I''m exhausted even though I just woke up from a nap.

    How was Virgil? Was he okay? Would he get in trouble because I found out? I mean that is also a possibility.

    I sit upright in shock, my worry mounting.

    My mom had probably known because My Aunt Candy is also one but what if there was some penalty to revealing their secret then that would make me really selfish.

    I fall back on the bed rolling over to my side to wrap my arms and legs around a pillow, thoughts like these are tiring.

    A knock sounds on the door and I immediately go on high alert, raising my head up slightly.

    "Hayden? Can Ie in?" Dale asks from the other side of the door and I heave a sigh of relief - wait!!! What if Virgil was with him??

    I couldn''t ask and I also couldn''t leave Dale standing outside, I wasn''t really angry at him and now that I think about it, I wasn''t even angry with Virgil anymore, now nothing but worry tickles at the forefront of my mind.

    I get off the bed and pad over to the door to unlock it another new habit that I was going to stop, I never locked my door because that meant I trusted everyone.

    The door slowly slides open and my heart gets lodged in my throat as I wait patiently to find out if he was all alone.

    "You look disappointed to see me." Dale says with a twinkle in his eyes, he leans against the door jamb and I have to crane my head up to talk to him.

    "N-No" I stutter, my hands unconsciously moving up to hide my ears. "I-I''m n-not." I mutter, turning my face away with a sh with how intensely he''s staring at me.

    "I know." He smiles, stepping in when I move out of the way, inviting him in. "Renee said I shoulde check up on you that you''re not eating or talking" He tilts his head slightly to the side, asking for confirmation even though there''s expressive worry in his eyes.

    I groan and throw a hand over my face, it''s just exactly like my mom to overreact. "That''s not true." I murmur in mortification, standing awkwardly in front of Dale.

    "Well, it''s toote now, there''s a feast waiting downstairs in the kitchen and I''m supposed toe get you." He says good-naturedly.

    I blink up at him in surprise, I couldn''t possibly eat right now, not when all I can see are bloody ws all over Virgil.

    "I''ll pass." I gulp, feeling a little green.

    "Are you okay?" He asks, stepping closer. "You look a little bit pasty."

    I swallow down my nausea. "Yeah, I''m fine." I whisper in a tiny voice, going to sit slowly on the bed. "She didn''t need to bother herself. I would have definitelye down for dinner."

    He shrugs, sitting beside me and I''m relieved that I hadn''t scared him away enough that he would need to ask before doing that, my mom and Shana probably would now, and it wasn''t fun to see them so unsure.

    "That''s good to hear, I''ll tell that to Renee."

    We go quiet for a while and I wonder why Virgil isn''t here yet? Was he that badly hurt?

    "He''ll be here soon." Dale says quietly like he can read my mind and I have a brief moment of internal panic before I realize that there''s no way Werewolves could read minds at least not that of humans.

    "Huh?" I blink, still surprised that he had guessed exactly what I was thinking.

    "He''s the Alpha''s son after all, he just can''t walk out of important meetings."

    I frown, remembering that Shana had said the same thing. "But isn''t he hurt?" Iin unhappily.

    "Nah, he''s fine, Werewolves heal fast but that idiot''s ability to patch himself up is almost scary."

    I rest my elbows on my knees at this series of events and missing information clicking into ce, Dale''s knuckles, the knife cut on Virgil''s palm, Shana cutting her knee open back at the beach house how did all these not seem weird before?

    "Do you have your own pack?" I blurt out of the blue, peeking up at him. "I-I mean, since y-you moved here recently, so...so you do have another"

    "It''s fine Hay and I don''t think Virgil''s in trouble because you found out, honestly, everyone is shocked how he managed to keep it hidden from you long enough."

    "What?" I sit up straighter.

    "Although you should probably hear this from him and yes, I did have a pack, my dad was the Pack Alpha of the Werewolves in the city but city Werewolves tend to stay all by themselves in an effort to blend in so he was more a figurehead than anything else." He sobers up and my radar starts beeping, the rest of the story definitely has to do with Jade.

    "But we left." He says simply.

    I frown, the Alpha was very important so "Didn''t it affect your pack?" I ask, very interested in his story.

    "It must have but they didn''t feel it as hard as they would have if we were as close-knitted as the Werewolves in Pine Creek."

    "Will you go back?" I ask in a small voice.

    "I don''t think so, the city isn''t safe for Werewolves anymore, there''s really nothing to go back to."

    His words make me sad and I give him a hug which he returns with a cheeky grin. "The country is way cooler though." His canines get slightly longer at this. "Because you can get away with lots of things."

    I flinch back. "You better not be thinking of biting me." I warn him suspiciously.

    "I''m still too young to get into a death fight and that''s what is going to happen if I do, I guess it''s just me rxing around you, do you find us weird?" He asks seriously.

    I don''t even need to think about my answer, leaning forward to poke his teeth - and wow! They''re sharp. "Nope, you guys are still the same people I''ve always known."

 Chapter 110

    Chapter 110

    Dale drags me down to the dining room and it''s not like I could have said no, Mae wasn''t around anymore, she had most likely gone home already which wasn''t surprising as it was already prettyte.

    I end up stuffing down way more than isfortable and I''m not surprised to find out that sweet Julia is also a Werewolf, it''s like for the most part of my life I''ve never heard the term being used in a sentence, and then boom! It''s the most used word in my vocabry.

    There''s still no sign of Virgil when Dale kisses my cheeks and says that he''s going out to patrol and I expressly tell him that if he gets hurt then I would shave all his hair and delete all his dog pictures Let''s just say he looked really shaken when he left.

    Still no Virgil even when it starts to gette and my mom and Shana have gotten satisfied with the amount of body contact they''ve made with me.

    It seems to reassure them though so I don''tin about the intense cuddling session I get because they look less gloomy and smile wider.

    I still don''t see Virgil even when it getste enough that we have to turn in, Shana is sleeping over but she''s taking the third bedroom, I didn''t mind at all, I wasn''t sure I wantedpany anyway.

    I just roll on the bed, too exhausted to take a shower, I had already taken one only a couple of hours ago besides I''m already in my pajamas so it wasn''t like I even budgeted for a shower.

    I put off the lights and justy on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I had spent most of the day sleeping so it was bound to bite me in the butt sometime plus I''m too worried about Virgil to fall asleep that I would probably still be awake even if I hadn''t been sleeping all day.

    I don''t know how much time passes like this and I''m scared to check my clock so I don''t, letting my mind wander off.

    I didn''t have any guarantee that Virgil would show up because everyone refused to tell me until I asked them directly and I wasn''t about to do that, I still had my bashful pride.

    I throw my hands over my head and they bounce on my pillow, my shirt riding up, I had the unshakeable belief that Virgil woulde, he had to.

    So I''m not surprised when a long timeter my door creaks open and I congratte myself for keeping the door unlocked, I quickly slip my eyes shut, Werewolves could see clearly in the night and somehow I didn''t want Virgil to know that I had stayed up for him toe back.

    The door clicks shut and all movements stop again, I can''t help myself from discreetly winking open an eye to check up on him.

    My eyes had adjusted to the dark from hours of staring at it so I can clearly see Virgil''s silhouette leaning against the door and that''s enough to satisfy my curiosity so I close my eyes gently again and just wait.

    Not long after, the bed dips beside and I hear a faint familiar sigh.

    Without thinking about it, I roll over to him, throwing my arms and legs around him, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

    He''s lying on his back so I just glue myself to his side.

    "Hayden?" He says in a surprised rush, turning towards me to gather me in his arms.

    "Hi." I mumble into his neck, throwing my arms around his neck at the new position, I''m ridiculously happy.

    "Hey." He murmurs huskily into my hair.

    He hadn''t made any sound of pain yet even though I wrapped so tight around him like I''m scared he''ll slip away so I guess Dale wasn''t exaggerating but I ask anyway.

    "Are you okay?" I ask softly.

    "Yeah." We''re whispering "Although I should be asking you that."

    "I''m fine, now."

    We go silent for a while and I''m content to listen to our heartbeats thump in rhythmic tandem.

    Virgil wasn''t a huge talker but I didn''t need words to understand him most times.

    "I thought you would be horrified when you found out, I mean that''s why you didn''t want to see my face anymore." He says slowly like it''s taking a lot out of him to talk.

    My eyes fly open in shock and I lean back to look him in the face even though I know I can''t see his expression. "What?" I splutter genuinely confused. "I thought you didn''t tell me because you were protecting me or something?"

    He lifts a hand to cup my face. "Well, that and wait, you don''t mind?"

    I barely stop myself from facepalming. "No, Virgil, no I don''t." I say clearly in a dry voice, not mincing my words.

    He makes a sound of happiness and nuzzles into my neck and I burst outughing at the ticklish feeling.

    "I-I can''t believe you were worried about that, why would that even be an issue?" I ask in disbelief. "I mean I spent an entire year believing I was an alien and you pretended to believe too, bullying everyone who said otherwise."

    Virgil chuckles at this. "Who said I didn''t believe you?"

    I just give him a look that I know he can see in the dark. "Because you sweet-talked my mom into ying along."

    "You were adorable." He finally admits. "I had to make your alien phasest for as long as possible."

    "We were both six." I make a face.

    His reply is a kiss on my forehead. "It''s reallyte, you shouldn''t have stayed up."

    "Says the one that snuck in at midnight." I roll my eyes. "And while you''re hurt too I can''t believe...mmph." He cuts me off with a kiss and the familiarity of it has me smiling against his lips, everything was fine again.

 Chapter 111

    Chapter 111

    I wake up alone and although it''ste summer and I''m tucked in I can''t help but feel cold.

    I drag myself out of bed although it''s pretty early, I couldn''t fall asleep again and I check my phone out of reflex.

    I didn''t have many friends and that was fine but it gave me something to do other than miss Virgil, there''s a text from him saying that he might be gone all day but he''ll be by for dinner, most likely a result of my mom chewing him out.

    Dale says he''lle by this morning and I perk up, going to brush my teeth and wash my face before hurrying to go bother Shana.

    Her room is quiet which is unsurprising, there''s no way she would be up this early and I''m feeling particrly happy this morning which by the way has no connection to making up with Virgil, or so I tell myself.

    I quietly push open her door after giggling to myself in front of the closed door, I would hop on her then push her off the bed.

    I''m the perfect rm clock.

    I take a step in and my smile grows wider when I see her lying under her nkets, only her bright blue hair sticking out wildly.

    I snicker again, taking another step in, I have to be quiet or I would run the risk of waking Shana up before I could aplish my mission.

    I beeline for the bed, not bothering to look around the room.

    A loud roares from my side, startling a loud scream from me which only gets louder when a huge wolf jumps on me, pinning me to the ground with huge fluffy paws.

    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" I keep screaming closing my eyes with my hands held out protectively in front of me.

    The wolf doesn''t do anything else and when I finally notice this I carefully take my hands away, peeking over my hands.

    The wolf just sits beside me, watching me with something that looks like curiosity, it''s a beautiful shade of red that reminds me so much of someone I know.

    "S-Shana?" I call shakily, my heart thumping madly.

    The wolf no, Werewolf, actually wait Shana gives me a wide smile, her tongue rolling out and I try hard to not look at her long fangs.

    I scramble up and push her slightly. "Hey, that was mean of you." I pout, folding my arms.

    She just goes over on her back, twisting around like she''sughing and I pout harder, marveling at how easy it is to get used to this side of her.

    It''s really not that hard, Shana in her wolf form is still Shana, just bigger and furrier. She''s still considerably smaller than Virgil''s wolf but she is huge.

    She springs up and I startle a little. "Eek!" I exim, trying to scramble away when she licks me, her big tongue covering me in slobber.

    I''m terrified of big animals but it helps that Shana still has her human consciousness so I didn''t even remember to be scared.

    I try to roll away from her wet tongue but she just scrambles after me, knocking things over with her size.

    We both freeze at the sound of things crashing to the ground and the terrified look on her wolf''s face makes me burst intoughter,ughing so hard that tears run down my face and my stomach hurts.

    She just huffs a breath out of her nose, sitting with her face angled away from me. Like she''s saying, why are youughing? We''d be dead if Renee found me out.

    And this just tickles me more until she gives me a sneaky look and bounds after me, her wet tongue hanging out.

    "Ah! No!" I scream, picking myself off the ground to run away but she''s much faster, and somehow she manages to move around the room without knocking anything over, well it helps that no one really uses the room so it''s very scanty which means more space to move around.

    The first lick from her tongue brings me down and I''mughing hard, my now wet shirt sticking to my body as she licks over my exposed tummy.

    A knock sounds on the door and Shana freezes again mid lick, her eyes widening dramatically and I p a hand over my mouth.

    "Is everything okay?" My mom''s sleepy voice calls from the other side. "And I''m looking for Hayden, is he here?"

    "Yes mom, I am and everything is okay!" I call back to her. "We''re just having a pillow fight."

    "Oh." She mumbles. "Have fun." She yawns out, her pattering footsteps fading away.

    Shana detes to the ground when she''s gone, rolling to her back with her eyes closed and her tongue lolling out.

    It''s fascinating how easy it is to read her expressions while inner wolf form, like right now she''s really relieved that my mom hadn''t caught her.

    "Ugh! Shana? I''m all wet." I whine, pulling my sticky shirt away from my body.

    She sits up at this and gives me a wolfy grin, a smug expression on her face.

    I just roll my eyes, picking myself up from the ground, she turns around and there''s that sh of bright light and then Shana is staring at me with a ginormous smile, her hands on her waist.

    She''s wearing a small piece of nightdress, the satiny white material riding up as she puffs up. "I''ve always wanted to do that."

    I take my shirt off and roll my eyes again, it was getting grosser as it started to get cold. "Scare me to death and then lick me wet?" I prompt with an eyebrow, ncing at the bed. "And what''s on the bed anyway?"

    She skips over to the bed and yanks the covers away to reveal a mannequin and a furry blue shawl, arranged to look like her hair.

    "Aaaaaaargh!" I scream shortly, stumbling back. "Why the fuck would you use a mannequin?" I ask in horror, expecting to see artistically arranged pillows.

    She pouts looking affronted. "To sell my disguise."

    I just give her a strange look. "Where did you even find a mannequin?"

    "Your mom has a lot in her attic." She shrugs, looking unbothered by this disturbing fact.

    I didn''t like the attic, it gave me the creeps so I stayed away from it and I didn''t even want to know what she used the mannequins for.

    Shana just rolls the mannequin under the bed and looks up at me. "You should go shower."

    Arge spitball drops from my hair and plops to the ground. "You think?" I ask sarcastically, an eyebrow up at her.

    She rubs her neck sheepishly, her canines peeking out of the sides of her mouth. "Sorry, I got carried away."

    I just shake my head fondly. "I''ll meet you in the kitchen in ten."

    "Okay!" She agrees, already walking towards the bathroom.

    I sludge my way back to my room, feeling sticky and realizing how hard it must have been on them to keep their natures hidden from me, Shana looked so free and happy this morning and it was a look I wanted to see often.

 Chapter 112

    Chapter 112

    Well, it turns out that getting Werewolf slobber out of your hair is pretty hard and my scalp feels so tender when I''m finally done. I''m going to get back at Shana.

    Ie out of the bathroom in a peeve so distracted because I''m upset that I wrap the huge towel around my chest.

    A choking sound makes me look up and I see Dale sitting on my bed and staring at me with wide eyes, and I wonder what''s wrong.

    "Dale? Are you okay?" I ask him, totally forgetting that I''m wearing nothing but a towel.

    He drags his eyes to my face, red growing across his cheekbones. "Um" a little bit of throat clearing. "Yes, I''m perfectly fine, Shana just said toe and check if you''ve drowned in the shower and" He trails off, looking at me with wide eyes again.

    "Okay?"

    "I''ll just wait for you outside." He suddenly blurts out, hopping off the bed and rushing out.

    I just watch him with a confused expression, my eyes following him out.

    I shrug when the door clicks shut, wondering what that was all about but I don''t think too long because my aching scalp distracts me again and I walk over to the mirror to check if I had actually hurt myself with all the scrubbing.

    "Oh no." I mumble in dismay when I step in front of the mirror and register that I''m wearing nothing but a towel that is wrapped around my chest too.

    No wonder Dale had freaked out. "Ugh!" I groan, dressing up quickly.

    I''m too angry with Shana to have a mental breakdown over what Dale saw, he would have to suck it up, after all, he''s the only one left who hadn''t seen me this anyway, I really tried to remember to tie the towel right but I guess old habits are hard to break.

    Ie out of my door to see Dale staring into the distance and he doesn''t notice me until I wave my fingers in front of his face.

    He blinks and looks at my hand, a smileing into his face that I wasn''t sure I liked but before I could snatch my hand away he grabs onto it, taking a brief moment to study the size difference.

    A ttering noise from the kitchen makes us share a nce and hurry in that direction, the worstbination of people that could be in a ce like the kitchen is my mom and Shana and Dale must have realized this as well because he grabs my hand and pulls me down the corridor, picking me off my feet when we get to the stairs.

    "Ah! What" I exim in surprise, grabbing onto his shoulders for stability.

    "Can''t have you tripping." He cuts off my question, making his way to the living room.

    We''ve already left the stairs now but he still makes no move to put me down and even worse the crashing sound from the kitchen gets louder.

    "Is everyone okay?" I ask in worry when we step into the kitchen, tapping Dale to put me down.

    My mouth drops open when I get a good look at what is going on.

    My mom and Shana are frozen in their incriminating positions, they''re covered in flour and the entire kitchen is no better like snow fell but just in my kitchen.

    "What the actual fuck?" Dale exims looking just as stunned. "You both said you would handle the pancakes and Ie back to find you both looking like cocaine thieves." He scolds them.

    They really do and I would beughing really hard if I wasn''t so shocked, they''re both holding bowls of flour like they had a brief disagreement on who would mix the flour but we''re talking about my mom and Shana here so that brief disagreement turned into this.

    "Just tell me you''re both okay." I prompt them, when they slowly drop the bowls of flour on the ground, keeping their heads down guiltily.

    "We are." My mom says in a tiny voice.

    "But the kitchen isn''t." Dale scolds and they huddle into themselves.

    "Why don''t we eat out!" I suggest, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "Honey has the best pancakes." I say, referring to a quaint restaurant in Pine Creek."

    "The only pancakes you mean." Dale corrects and I just shrug. "Fine." He agrees, rubbing his face when my mom and Shana give him puppy eyes which look ridiculous when they''re covered in fur. "You can tag along too, clean up before you get flour in your eyes."

    "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Shana starts squealing, cing her hands over her face and jumping around.

    "Toote." I mutter dryly.

    Somehow we all pile in the car in one piece, Shana is much subdued now, still traumatized over getting flour in her eyes and whacking her head on the ground after slipping on flour.

    I was really worried about her although I knew she would be fine, my mom has been asionally sneezing up flour and I''m really worried that she might have snorted some - definitely on purpose because seriously we''re talking about my mom here.

    Dale is just upset and disappointed with them while I keep trying tofort them and I wonder if we wouldn''t have to take my mom to the hospital every time she sneezes up a light storm of flour.

    I''m riding in the front with Dale but I frequently look back to check on them. Dale has finally run out of things to scold them on and also peeks at the rearview mirror to check on them asionally and I smile slightly looking out my side of the window.

    A moving truck passes by us and I stare with wide eyes, which goes wider when another one drives by again.

    "Whoa! People are moving in!" I exim excitedly before frowning. "But won''t they just leave again because of the wolves?"

    Dale just shrugs, watching with wide eyes when another passes by his side of the car. "That''s the least of our problems, it''ll be better for them to just leave than cause issues."

    Honey isn''t bustling which isn''t surprising, most people in the countryside prefer to make their own breakfast themselves, we get directed to a table and a waitress bounds to our table.

    My eyes widen when I see who it is, it''s Nina from school.

    "Hi, Nina." I greet her warmly when her eyes widen in a panic as she sees us.

    "H-Hi." She mumbles back, nearly dropping the menus in her hands, asionally pushing her huge sses up on her face.

    "I had no idea you worked here." I say as a way to make small talk because she keeps looking like she''s about to bolt.

    "Um m-my mom owns the ce." She says in her soft voice, looking at me with grateful eyes.

    "That''s so nice, are those for us?" I ask, reaching for the menus that keep looking like they''re about to slip out of her hold to the floor.

    She hands them to me gratefully and I hand them out, grateful that the rest pretended to not see her, she was obviously really shy, and knowing how extroverted the rest could be, they would probably make her burst into tears.

 Chapter 113

    Chapter 113

    She hurries away after this, casting terrified nces at Dale who keeps his eyes on me and I wonder what''s wrong.

    "I''m going for the Pancake Pile." My mom announces looking proud and the rest of us slowly raise our heads from our menus to look at her.

    "I don''t understand." I frown. "For all of us?"

    She has a surprised look on her face. "You all want Pancake Piles too?"

    "What? No!" Shana exims. "We all wouldn''t even be able to finish one."

    My mom just has a confused expression on her face. "Why?"

    We all look at her in awe. "Because it''s like nearly fifty pancakes all at once, that''s why it''s called a pancake pile." I exin to her. "How don''t you know this?"

    She looks down at her menu with an odd expression. "I do." She mumbles quietly.

    We all go quiet and just stare at her.

    I''m the most surprised because I had no idea my mom liked pancakes that much. "Mom, you can''t finish fifty pancakes at once."

    She huddles into herself, her wide necked knitted top making her look adorable. "Because I haven''t tried." She mutters, still avoiding eye contact.

    "Then get yourself a Pancake Pile." Dale says nicely. "We can always take the rest back if you can''t finish it."

    Shana and I whip our heads around to give Dale incredulous looks. "What?" I mouth to him in horror.

    He gives me a reassuring smile which doesn''t ease my apprehension while my mom is on cloud nine staring at Dale with awe filled eyes.

    "Toote." Shana mutters when my mom waves Nina over.

    I look down at my menu again, I wanted to eat pancakes too but knowing my mom she would hound hers like a mother hen so I''ll just order a serving and some fruit, can I ask for milk as a drink?

    There was no option for it but I''m sure

    "H-Hi again." Nina says cheerfully, clutching her hands in front of her and sticking close to me.

    We all give her our orders and then wait for the food to arrive. I had asked for a ss of milk, ignoring Shana''s snickers.

    Nina had stared at me with wide eyes, the pretty blue orbs starry and said that she could handle that and that she also preferred to drink milk over tea or coffee.

    A different waiter brings the Pancake Pile for my mom and I was relieved because I''ve been worrying how tiny Nina would manage to carry all that all to our table.

    Our mealse not long after and my mouth drops open in surprise, Nina might just be shy around our table but that didn''t mean she wasn''t a skilled waitress.

    Somehow, she bnces three trays on her hands and effortlessly slides down to our table, so gracefully it almost looked like she was dancing.

    She carefully ces Shana''s food in front of her and she smiles out an excited thank you, digging into her food.

    "Thank you, Nina." I say nicely when she drops my order and she smiles happily, going around to give Dale his.

    A choked scream makes me look up quickly to see Nine shivering and clutching the tray so hard that it had to be digging into her skin.

    "Nina" I start to say in concern but then Dale gets up to rescue the tray from her but he freezes when he steps into her personal space and a whimpering sound starts up from Nina.

    I get up slightly looking over at Shana. "What''s going on? Dale?" I whip my head back to him but he doesn''t even act like he heard me, crowding Nine.

    "Shit! Shit! Shit!" Shana swears, standing up so fast that she knocks her chair back, my mom too looks worried.

    "Shana? What''s going on?" I ask, wanting to take a step closer to Dale but the terrifying growl that starts up makes me think twice.

    A couple waiters hurry over and try to get close to Dale but he snaps at them and they hurry back to the other side of the table where Shana rounds on them. "Why the fuck would you let her wait tables this close to her heat?"

    They all look guilty and the tray crashes to the ground, dragging out attention back to Dale and Nina. "Would someone do something and stop staring, Nina sounds terrified." I yell at them, I wasn''t sure what heats meant for Werewolves but if it did mean what I think then this wasn''t a fun situation.

    Shana just ces her hands on her head. "I''m thinking Hayden, only an Alpha or a much stronger Beta would be able to distract him long enough for us to get Nina out of there."

    I try to not get confused by the terms she throws out, luckily the waiters seem to understand too because this was very much a Werewolf thing.

    The remaining people in the restaurant just quietly kept on eating so I was so grateful that we weren''t scarring anybody with this.

    Then she whips her head around to look at me, a spark going off behind her eyes. "W-What are you"

    "How did I not realize this earlier?" She asks herself incredulously and my eyes narrow at her.

    "Realize what"

    She pulls me the rest of the way out of my seat and ces her hands on my face, bringing me closer to her.

    "Hayden, don''t freak out but I want you to walk up to Dale and kiss him." She tells me urgently.

    My mouth just slowly drops as I stare at her with dead eyes, how the fuck am I supposed to not freak out. "What the hell! How does that solve anything?"

    "Listen to me." She shakes me slightly. "If we waste anymore time, he''s going to take her somewhere else and then there''s no fixing things but if any of us tries to get even with a couple meters close, we''re going to get fangs in our throats not to mention that waves of his dominance are all around, it would be suicide if anyone else tries to get close."

 Chapter 114

    Chapter 114

    I don''t make sense of half of what Shana is rambling on about but the worrying sounds from Nina makes me nod my head and agree to do it.

    A take a step in their direction and my heart thumps in tandem - what the fuck have I gotten gotten myself into? - I think in horror as I take another step forward.

    My mom looks horrified and is whispering something frantically to Shana who''s trying to reassure her, I gulp at that but keep my gaze forward, going around the table so I woulde from the side.

    I look up from the ground when I get to eye level with them and I nearly stumble at what I see, Dale had blocked everything out so we didn''t know what was going on but wow! I''m supposed to step in between that, and kiss Dale? Wow!

    Dale has Nina pulled flush against him, so tight her back curves, they had stepped away from the spilled tray and Nina tilts her head so far to the side that I''m worried for the state of her neck while Dale sniffs at her neck?

    Well, well, Hayden I mutter to myself mentally. You wanted to know everything huh? And now you''re going to kiss a Werewolf who looks like he''s about to eat someone else.

    Well it couldn''t possibly get any worse, unless he takes her and makes away so I had to stop them before that happens.

    I take in a deep breath and clench my fists, my kiss better be distracting enough or I would end up being eaten or worse.

    Although I get a boost when Dale doesn''t notice me or snap at me when I move closer, the growling sound is still constant and I get close enough for his face toe into focus.

    His eyes are zing gold and his fangs are freaking long! I want to re at Shana but I''m scared of looking away, I didn''t want to be put at a disadvantage.

    I step even closer and either Dale is ying pretend or he''s too engrossed in whatever he''s doing because he still doesn''t notice.

    Slowly, I lift my hands which are trembling so hard I doubt they''ll do what I need them to and then I just do it, I grab his face from Nina''s neck and gently join our lips, I try to not think of his fangs that could rip into my lips at any moment.

    I feel quick movements around me, most likely the rest pulling Nina away from him and taking her away, I heave a sigh of relief at this.

    I wasn''t the biggest fan of PDA so I was more than a little ufortable at my current situation, I break off first when I''m sure that Nina is safe.

    My eyes widen in surprise that I actually got it done and a smile of relief paints my face when I turn around to give my mom and Shana a thumbs up, I don''t get my fingers all the way up because Dale snatches me off the ground and makes his way out of the restaurant.

    A strangled sound leaves me at this and I hear my mom scream shortly, the pattering of their feet following behind us.

    Dale just opens the door of the backseat and slips in, settling me on his legs so he can bury his face in my neck and I remind myself to breathe.

    "Are you okay baby?" My mom asks breathlessly from the driver''s seat.

    "Y-Yeah? I think." I mutter to her, Dale obviously still hadn''t gotten himself back.

    He throws his arms tight around me and I can feel him trembling? Slowly I bring my hand up to his hair to offerfort and his trembling calms down a bit. What exactly is going on?

    My mom sighs heavily and closes her door and I wonder where Shana is, then she opens her side of the door and carefully gets in.

    I can''t see behind me because of my position but I hear soft words of appreciation from a much olderdy, most likely Nina''s mom and then the sweet aroma of food fills the car, apparently they had packed up our orders to go and handed it to us for free for helping out and as an apology.

    "I''m dead." Shana says in a nk voice, her voice muffled no doubt by her hands which are over her face. "If Dale doesn''t kill me when he gets himself back then Virgil will when he finds out." She groans miserably.

    I want to ask a lot of questions but I didn''t want to disturb the tranquility that currently surrounded Dale, his growling had long ceased and I couldn''t feel his sharp teeth against my neck so that was gone as well.

    "If Virgil doesn''t kill you, I''ll hang you upside down out my room''s window." My mom threatens in a subdued voice, driving the car out of the restaurant.

    Shana just makes more miserable sounds. "But it was the only option at that point." She tries to argue.

    "I know." My mom says in a muffled voice. "But try exining that to either of them, all they''re going to hear is that you put Hayden in danger." She mumbles around a mouthful of something, most likely pancakes.

    Shana groans again and there''s a thumping sound like she whacking her head against the dashboard and my mom sneezes, I just smile softly, shaking my head.

    I still couldn''t lift my head up so I just rx into Dale''s cuddling, resting my head on his shoulder to give more room for him around my neck.

    I close my eyes and just listen to his breathing slowing down, the trembling fading out of his arms.

    My mom and Shana bicker in the front seats, Shana is asking for her credit card so that she can run away from the country while she still could but my mom is telling her to eat pancakes, and forget about her worries.

    I''m just d that no one turned out hurt and even though I''m still a lot confused right now, I''m not bothered because I knew I was going to get answers.

 Chapter 115

    Chapter 115

    I had thought that Dale had fallen asleep on the way back home but as soon as the car slides to a stop he gets out, he''s still strangely quiet and I''m not sure how to ask him if he''s okay.

    We end up in my room, Shana and my mom following closely with worry evident in their eyes.

    Dale just gently ces me on the bed and gets on as well, curling around me like he''s in pain, his heavy eyelids slipping close.

    "Is he going to be okay?" I ask Shana who''s hovering around in worry.

    "Yeah." She says nervously. "He just needs to sleep it off, do you think you cane down?"

    "From the bed?" I look up from Dale who cradles one of my hands in both of his, curling around it.

    "Yup." She says bravely.

    Dale is somehow already fast asleep like he had been holding back.

    "Oh, sure?" I reply, confused, while she clutches her hands in front of her face like she expects an explosion to go off.

    Carefully I retract my hand from him and carefullye down from the other side, his hair flops in his eyes and I push it away gently and the creases on his forehead ease, his lips parting slightly in sleep.

    "Was something supposed to happen?" I whisper to Shana.

    "Let''s go downstairs." She says and we all file out, leaving Dale to sleep.

    We end up pushing the center table to the edge so we could have a mini breakfast pic because the kitchen is currently a danger zone, that reminded me

    "We need to clean up the kitchen."

    Shana flops backwards on the ground. "I know."

    "After we eat." My mom says sternly, spreading out the food on a small rectangr nket which we sit around.

    "Mind telling me what exactly happened back at Honey''s?" I ask, eating my much cooler pancake.

    "Well" Shana murmurs, looking at everywhere but my face even my mom looks curious and it''s nice to know that I''m not the only ignorant one this time.

    "There are rankings in every Werewolf pack like actual wolves, well we''re technically part wolf."

    "Like the Alpha?" I prompt.

    "Yes but it''s slightly different from what I''m talking about, rankings aside there are also Castes that each Werewolf is born into, there are just three of them actually." She takes a sip of her tea. "You''re either born as an Alpha, Beta or an Omega, a born Alpha isn''t always the leader of the pack but there''s a higher chance of them leading packs because if their dominant streak."

    I forget to take another bite of fluffy pancake, absorbed in her exnation, my mom is no better but somehow she manages to wolf down slice after slice of pancake, all the while listening intently.

    "It makes sense now." My mom hums. "The Alpha and born Alphas sound so simr that it''s easy to get confused."

    "Which one are you Shana?" I ask curiously.

    "A Beta, most Weres are Betas actually, call it selective evolution, Alphas and Omegas are much rarer, maybe because they''re heavily influenced by their wolves, that''s a dangerous trait to have when you''re trying to blend in with the human society."

    "I see" I trail off. "That still doesn''t exin what happened."

    "I''m getting there, Nina is an Omega and Omegas go into heats, it was most likely her first or she wouldn''t have been walking around, it''s pretty dangerous because every Werewolf react to an Omega''s heat on some levels, it''s a hundred times worse for Alphas though."

    My eyes widen at this. "Dale is an Alpha?"

    "Isn''t that pretty obvious?" My mom huffs.

    "Yep and we''re lucky that Nina''s heat hadn''t even begun yet, it would have been utter chaos otherwise." She finishes up her breakfast and gives me her full attention. "That''s exactly why there are fewer Alphas, although Betas also react to the pheromones given off by Omegas in heat, it''s still harder on the male Betas, definitely a mating thing."

    I watch Shana exin in detail with amazement, I mean sure she was a Werewolf but I''m human and I definitely do not know that much about our bodily functions. "Whoa! You really know a lot about this."

    She shrugs and gives me a crooked smile. "Of course, I''m going to be Nurse remember, just to Werewolves though but I still need a degree in human science for a number of reasons."

    "Now back to our discussion, it''s not just Omegas that have issues like heats, oh, and by the way, heats happen monthly."

    "Are Omegas only females?" I ask curiously, my mom had long left the discussion, too engrossed in stuffing down pancakes.

    "Mostly, male Omegas are so rare that they''re almost non-existent which is unsurprising as it''s a very submissive Caste, currently in my Pack, there''s just one Alpha and three Omegas, all females."

    I gape in suprise at these. "What? They''re so few."

    "Exactly what I''m saying, why don''t we move this to the kitchen, I don''t think Renee would be able to join us either way."

    I nce at my mom at Shana''s words. "Mom!" I exim in horrified surprise, she lying on her side and iszily stuffing a pancake in her mouth. "How many have you eaten?"

    "W-Wha..?" She mumbles around a mouthful, swallowing after chewing briefly. "I don''t know, I lost count at twenty-seven."

    "Oh my god! Don''t stuff another one in mom!" I scold, scrambling around the mat to stop her but she mps her lips shut and moves backwards still clutching onest pancake.

    Shana bursts outughing at her bulging cheeks and guilty eyes but I''m too worried to find it funny.

    "Mom, give me that pancake, you''re going to get sick." I stretch out a hand expectantly.

    She whips the pancake behind her and starts to chew the one in her mouth, shaking her head furiously.

    "Mom?" I warn, giving her a serious expression, moving closer to her.

    She jumps to her feet at this and darts to the far end of the room, I''m so shocked that it takes a couple seconds for me to get on my feet and go after her.

    "Mom, don''t run around"

    "I''m honestly surprised she can still move." Shana quips from the mat and I throw her a re.

    Eventually I manage to pry the pancake from her hand. "That''s it, no more pancakes, at least not now or today in general as a matter of fact." I emphasize, cing my hands on her back so I can push her up the stairs to her own room.

    "But I had already gone halfway" She whines, too full to resist.

    "Which is more than enough, now you''re going to sleep off all of those pancakes, what am I saying?" I shake my head, pushing open her door. "You''re going to need to run around the park a lot of times to get those pancakes out if your system."

    She just yawns when I push her to sit on the bed. "Unless, were ying tag, I''m not going to run around aimlessly." She pouts, her eyes heavy.

    I smile at her and help her lie down so I can take off her socks. "Sure mom, we''ll y tag." I reply to her only to look up and see her fast asleep, are arm tucked under her head.

    I watch her sleep peacefully for a while, grateful to her for everything, she was my mom, my dad and even my baby sister sometimes and it was just right.

 Chapter 116

    Chapter 116

    Ie down the stairs to see that Shana had cleared up the living room and the center table was now back in it''s spot.

    "Is Renee okay?" She asks when she sees me.

    "I hope so." I mutter.

    "It''s time to deal with the mess in the kitchen but let''s get out of these clothes first." She says, starting up the stairs.

    I follow after her, slightly confused. "Why?"

    "You don''t want flour all over those clothes, do you?" She asks, heading for the third room.

    "Oh." I mumble in realization, looking at the closed door to my room when we pass by it and wondering how Dale is doing.

    She goes straight to the cupboard and pulls out old t-shirts and shorts, handing a set to me which I take and make for the bathroom.

    I pack up my hair too as a precaution, I was going to get flour on it either way but I wasn''t about to get more that was necessary.

    Ie out to Shana doing the same to her hair in front of the mirror and I ce my carefully folded clothes on the bed beside hers which is shabbily folded anyway so I do the nice thing and help her refold it.

    "Why bother, I''m going to wear it again anyway." She says when she turns away from the mirror and sees me.

    I nce up at her, patting down my work. "It''s going to get wrinkled, wait is that my room''s key?" I ask, moving closer to the side dresser where a key is sitting on. "What''s it doing here?"

    "I brought it." Shana shrugs. "I locked Dale in."

    I whip my head around to her. "You did what?"

    "Calm down, let''s go down to the kitchen so I''llplete my exnation, he''s still fast asleep plus he has his phone with him if he wants toe out he can just give either of us a call."

    "Oh." I calm down, following her out.

    "Let''s dust down the countertops and table tops and basically everything else first before we vacuum." Shana suggests.

    "Then we can wipe down the residue, thank goodness you both didn''t get the kitchen wet too."

    "I''m sorry for giving you so much trouble." She apologizes, scratching her head. "And thank for helping out."

    "Yeah sure, but do something like this again and I''ll ground you." I say seriously, going to bring out dusters from a cupboard at the far end of the kitchen, were cleaning supplies were kept.

    "Yes sir." She agrees enthusiastically, bouncing around when I give her the duster. "Clean up! Clean up! Everybody everywhere! Clean up! Clean up! Everybody do your share!" She squeals out, spinning happily with a big goofy smile on her face.

    "Yah! Stop jumping about, Shana." I scold her, reaching for her. "You''ll slip."

    She stops immediately. "Oh that''s true."

    "And did you just sing a line from a children show?"

    She just shrugs. "I''m still am child, am I not?"

    I give her a look. "Actually, no, you''re not anymore, now tell me me why you locked Dale in his room."

    "Oh yeah, that''s because an Omega in heat can force an Alpha to go into their ruts."

    "Ruts?" I frown, it sounded familiar but I wasn''t exactly sure of what it meant.

    "Yeah, it''s basically like an Alpha equivalent of heats." She says happily, carefully dusting flour off surfaces.

    "Oh I see."

    "Yep, there''s a lot I have to tell you and you''re such a nice listener too, no one is this mindblown when I start talking about Werewolf''s structures and behaviors."

    I give her a warm smile. "I like listening to you too, you make things so easy to understand." I try to reach for a bowl that has been discarded on a high ce but my fingers barely brush it even tho I''m standing up my tip toes, I eventually grab onto it but I get rewarded with a bowl sized rain of flour on my head.

    "So." I ask Shana slowly, dusting the flour from my hair and face. "That''s why you locked Dale in?"

    "Oh my goodness, Hay, I''m so sorry." She hurrys over to me and helps me wipe my face.

    "It''s fine."

    "Yeah, it''s unlikely that he''ll go into a rut because we got him away in time and Nina''s heat hadn''t even hit yet but we can never be too careful, I''ve never seen an Alpha in rut but stories of it aren''t pretty."

    "Oh?"

    "Ruts don''t happen often though, they''re quite unpredictable too which make them even worse."

    "Wait." I pause, looking at my flour covered feet. "Dale isn''t in your pack right?" I ask in realization, she had said her pack had one Alpha.

    "Well, yeah." Shana turns around to look at me, were on opposite sides of the kitchen. "His dad is still the Alpha of their pack, there''s no way they could fit in into ours, it''s mostly because Virgil''s dad and Dale''s dad are good friends that''s why they get along, most Pack leaders keep their distance from one another."

    "So who''s the Alpha? Virgil''s dad?"

    Shana gives me a curious look then turns around to resume dusting. "Nope, the Alpha of our Pack is a born Beta, Virgil is the Alpha."

    I make a face. "Oh wow, that''s cool?"

    "Dale''s dad is an Alpha too though but his mom is a Beta, honestly I wonder how she manages to live in that house with the both of them."

    "What, why?" I ask in confusion.

    "Born Alphas are a pain in the ass, but it''s their nature''s anyway, it''s not like they can help it, they''re possessive, ridiculously over protective, dominant to a fault and rarely see reason but everyone has their faults too."

    "Oh." I say again, not sure how to respond.

    Sure, Dale and Virgil could be exasperating with basically the same attributes Shana had just mentioned but it was still hard rting them with Alphas, it might take a while.

    I was just d to hear that Dale would be alright, hopefully. "What''s going to happen to Nina?"

    "I''m not sure." Shana says, rubbing a flour covered hand on her jaw in thought and I mp my mouth shut on theughter that almost bubbles out at this absent action. "Heats are a very delicate matter and she''s still too young to get pregnant which is what would be the most likely action if someone services her during her heat."

    My eyes go wide. "Servi...ces oh." I gulp in realization.

    Shana is already talking again, mostly to herself. "She''ll most likely be put on repressants or it might already be toote for that so she''ll most likely be knocked out by a sleeping drug."

    I gasp in slight horror. "Is it that bad?"

    "Very." Shana nods gravely. "Beta males wouldn''t be able toe within a couple hundred feet of her, Alphas are even more sensitive which means they would have to keep their distance."

    "Even Beta females can get affect too but maturity is usually reached at the age of eighteen so a younger Werewolf would be the best option to take care of her."

    "What about other Omegas? Do they get affected too?"

    "Yes, just as bad as Alphas." Shana exins. "They get forced into their heats too so you can imagine if there were more Alphas and Omegas."

    "It would be utter chaos."

    "Yeah but I didn''t mean for it to sound so bad, it''s actually not so bad, I just don''t want you surprised ufortably."

    "It''s fine." I reassure her, going to get the vacuums. "I appreciate the sentiment and now it''s vacuum time!"

 Chapter 117

    Chapter 117

    I wake up early today which is a little surprising considering I stayed upte reading, it''s been two days since the heat incident with Dale and after he leftter that day I haven''t seen him since.

    Although he looked just fine when he left if a little pale and ufortable so I''m still worried, even worse is that I haven''t seen Shana or Virgil either.

    Sure, we all still text but it''s really weird to not see them for so long, I could understand that they were probably busy with Werewolf business.

    The rogue Werewolves seem to be getting worse because I see people patrolling close to the woods when it gets quitete plus the howling gets louder each night like the wild wolves are moving closer.

    I was itching to get more information about what was going on, and Mae would be the perfect solution.

    She always seemed to know what was going on, well she is a Werewolf too, right?

    It''s almost noon when Ie down the stairs, Mae had texted that she was on her way and I didn''t want her to wait too much.

    Staying outside the house wasn''t very safe so it''s basically like being on house arrest but it''s not something I''m not used to, considering I never go anywhere.

    The pink had almost faded from the edges of my hair and I am d to have my hair color back.

    Autumn is almost here and so is school, it''s just over a week till school begins and I couldn''t wait to be done with it.

    The knock I''m expecting rattles against the front door and I hurry to open the front door, looking around furtively.

    Mae just huffs out a lightugh and shakes her head. "They won''te out this far, Hay, it''s daylight." She saysing in.

    I click the door shut. "I know but you can never be too careful."

    "The others say hi, I met them at a meeting yesterday." She says as we settle down on the couches, her curly hair is in a braid today, a bright yellow ribbon at the tip.

    "Oh, okay." I murmur, wringing my hands. "Are they okay? How can youe to visit me? Won''t you get in trouble?"

    "Take a breath, Hayden." She hallts my rapid questioning. "They''re okay, a lot of things is just going on right now and I cane visit you because I''m not exactly a member of either Packs"

    "Either Packs?" I interrupt her without realizing it, a frown on my face. "There''s more than one Werewolf Pack in Pine Creek?"

    "Oh yeah, although it''s a pretty recent development, you know that new people keep moving in right?"

    "Well, yeah but are they that many enough to make a new Pack and why don''t they join the Pack already here?"

    "Yes they are many enough, our street is currently on surveince that''s why a lot of them have been advised to not live here until they deal with the rogue Weres problem." She exins, lying on her stomach with her head on the arm rest so that she can face me. "Plus they can''t join the current Pack which Mr. Everett is the Alpha because they''re from Dale''s old Pack."

    "Wait, what?"

    "Exactly what I said, Virgil''s and Shana''s Pack is called Crimson by the way, Crimson Pack."

    "Oh and Dale''s?" I ask, curious.

    "Dark Moon Pack, apparently there''s a simr wave of rogue Werewolves in the city and they''re seem to be majorly attacking other Werewolves who can''t fight back because of the exposure." She tugs on her braid. "Not to mention that theirck of an Alpha is greatly affecting them as well so they followed their Alpha''s footsteps and tracked him all the way here."

    "Whoa." I murmur, staring at her with wide eyes, I liked listening to stories revolving around Werewolves and I was looking into getting into fantasy books just because of that.

    "Pine Creek is big enough for both Packs to live in peacefully, not to mention quite concealed from the rest of the world so it''s like a paradise especially to the city Werewolves."

    "There''s still the problem of the rogue Werewolves though." I think out. "Does anyone know who they were before they went rogue? I don''t think they''re from either Packs."

    "You''re right, they aren''t but no one knows where they came from or who they were before they went rogue and to make things worse, they keep increasing." Mae sits up at this. "It''s unnatural and downright creepy for so many Werewolves to go rogue at once, it doesn''t even happen often."

    "Want some juice?" I ask, getting up.

    "Sure, where''s Renee?" She asks, looking from side to side.

    I worry at my lower lip, it was relieving to here that it wasn''t any member of Virgil''s or Dale''s Pack that were going rogue but some people were so there was that, vaguely I wonder what they did with the rogue Werewolves.

    "Oh, my mom said she had a meeting with Virgil''s dad, probably something to do with how close we are to the woods." I inform her, settling the tray on the center table so I can pour a ss of orange juice for her and myself. "It''s so nice for the Alpha to worry about us even though we aren''t in his Pack."

    "You might as well be now." Mae shrugs. "I mean, you know about them and you''re thest humans left so it''s only natural."

    "Hey, Mae?" I call after a short spell of silence. "What happens to the rogue Werewolves?"

    "Hmm?" She nces at me. "Well, it''splicated, usually if there was just one or a couple, they would capture it with as little harm to the Werewolf as possible and send it to a correction centre made specifically for rogues but that was only if the rogue posed a threat."

    She takes a small sip of her drink. "Most rogues are actually quite gentle, preferring to remain deep in the woods in their wolf forms for the rest of their lives."

    "Oh." I mumble, unable to contribute much to the discussion not that I needed to.

    "But now, if the danger of the rogue Weres increase they might have to be killed off, which might actually be much better for them, considering that their human forms are trapped."

    I go quiet at the implications of Mae''s words. I didn''t want anyone in Pine Creek to be killed but the thought of killing other people who didn''t choose to go rogue doesn''t sit well with me either.

    "School is in a week." Mae says after a long while of nothing but silence and fruit juice.

    I carefully drop my cup on aside table before sprawling on the sofa with a groan. "Ugh! I know."

    "I''m not a big fan of school either." Mae shrugs. "But since it''s my final year, I might as well plus it shouldn''t be so bad now that I have friends." She gives me a wide smile which is bigger on one side.

    "I know right, same thing I thought." I agree enthusiastically. "What are your ns for college?"

    "Non-existent!" She exims happily.

    Iugh at this. "Really?" I ask in half awe, half disbelief.

    "Of course, I''m a witch, do you think they have witchery courses in college?"

    I choke slightly on another tinyugh. "No, I don''t think so." I lie down again, slowly this time and stare into the distance. "I don''t want to go to college either but I know that Virgil, Shana and Dale will, it''s so sad." I mumble to myself thinking of when they would all have to leave.

    "Well, you would have your unicorn right here to y with!" Mae exims in excitement, making a pose with her hand in a fist and her forefinger and middle finger out.

    I just smile softly at this, humming in agreement.

 Chapter 118

    Chapter 118

    Mae doesn''t stay as long as I would have liked because her mom had given her a phone call, apparently their services were needed by the Pack.

    I wasn''t exactly sure what that meant but I couldn''t ask because she was in too much of a hurry.

    I wander around the house for most of the next twenty minutes, Apple was fast asleep and whenever I tried to get her to keep mepany, I just get a scolding meow and her back to me.

    She was much bigger now, no longer the baby cat that I had found and her attitude grew along with the rest of her.

    I pout and stomp up the stairs to my room, I could try the fantasy genre since no one is at home to keep mepany anyway but I didn''t have any paperback novels on Werewolves or fantasy in general.

    Well there''s always the option of ebooks, I didn''t fancy them because they didn''t have that book scent or the feel of smooth paper under your fingertips but it would have to do until I could buy some.

    I hop on the bed and getfortable with my phone in my hand.

    The front door is locked so I''m not scared of a rogue Were finding their way in, plus my mom and friends had spare keys so they could let themselves in.

    I put on my phone and go on the hunt for good Werewolf books, I stumble on an app, Fantasy Reader and I don''t hesistate before downloading it.

    After signing up and following the necessary procedures, the front page pops up and my eyes go wide.

    There was everything on fantasy you could ever think of but I''m not ready to go so deep in the genre so I narrow down my search to Werewolf books.

    I tap on the first book I see, I didn''t know what I would like yet so I wasn''t picky.

    The front page is pretty tamepared to the ones I had seen on the rest, and here I was thinking that romantic books had most steamy covers.

    "<em>The Alpha''s blind Mate."</em>

    I mouth out the title to myself, snuggling in with my arms and legs around a pillow for maximumfort.

    The first page is shockingly really good and I find myself hurrying to turn the pages, why have I not tried doing this before?

    Amy was a Werewolf born with a defect, in a pack where perfection is held in high regard so she was usually treated unfairly and ignored by the rest of the Pack.

    I disliked most of the Pack members but there was one character I wouldn''t mind turning into a pin cushion, the Alpha''s second wife, apparently the Luna and died and the Alpha had to remarry for bnce.

    The new Luna was a bitch and I wanted to smack her through the screen of my phone at the way she kept treating Amy, Amy lived alone in the Pack House because her dad was dead and her mom ran away to escape the stigma of giving birth to a child with a defect.

    I couldn''t help but admire Amy, who despite her inability to see was still the best version of herself that she could be, her Grandma too was really sweet and over protective of her granddaughter.

    Then the Alpha''s son came back, apparently he had gone of to college and also to spend some time working with big shotpanies so he could learn experience.

    Their love story was captivating but the Luna wouldn''t have it because she wanted her sister''s friend to be the new Luna so she would still have control over the pack through her.

    Tears fill my eyes at the trials that Amy had to endure just because Jason loved her, my fingers and toes going icy with excitement.

    The author was really cruel, taking me, a poor reader on an emotional rollercoaster and I feel like kicking my feet in excitement when they finally get together and the evil Luna gets thrown out of the Pack.

    Then it was time for the mating ritual that turns out so borate and detailed that I suspect the author of being a Werewolf themselves or at least knowing about them, it didn''t feel like someone could make this up.

    After the mating ceremony oh.

    My mouth goes dry, my cheeks heating up.

    "What are you doing?" Shana whispers behind my ear.

    "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" I scream in horror, falling off the bed from my jolt of fear. "Oh my God!" I gasp, holding my heart and curling around myself on the ground as I try to convince my heart to not pump out of my chest.

    "What''s wrong?" Virgil hurries in,ing over to me. "Hayden? Are you okay?" He squats beside me but I just close my eyes shut.

    "What did you do this time, Shana?" Dale''s voice speaks next and curl tighter into myself, they were all here!

    "Nothing." Shana says, an audible pout in her voice. "Renee said we shoulde get him for dinner and that''s what I did."

    I breathe easier when I realize that I was still clutching my phone and I quickly and sneakily leave the app and wipe the history so they won''t see that it was thest ce I had been.

    <em>That was really close.</em>

    "Hayden?" Virgil''s hand rests on my back and I take a deep breath, preparing myself to face them.

    "I''m f-fine." I stutter nervously, sitting up. "Shana just startled me a little."

    "See, I told you I didn''t do anything." Shana huffs.

    "You sneaked up on him on purpose." Dale uses her nkly.

    "Well that''s because he had this goofy smile on his face which was really red while looking at his phone." She shrugs. "I got curious."

    I squeak at this, losing my footing while trying to get up and going down again.

    They all turn to look at me with curious stares and unsurprisingly, my cheeks burn up again.

    "I was simply reading a really good book." I mumble, letting Virgil help me up this time.

    "On your phone?" Shana asks with an eyebrow up. "So why did you get all those?" She asks, waving her hand in the other direction of my bed that held a bookshelf with lots and lots of novels.

    "Stop bugging him, Shana." Virgil says and I sigh gratefully.

    "Wait, my mom said you shoulde call me for dinner?" I blink in realization. "Howte is it?" I ask rhetorically, peeking down in my phone.

    "Whoa! It''s already past seven! Why did she say out so long?" I ask no one in particr.

    Virgil shrugs. "You''d have to ask her, she got back before us and we''re justing in."

    "I see you didn''t miss us at all." Shana crosses her arms, throwing her head to the side. "You didn''t see us for two days and you look just fine."

    "You seem disappointed that I''m not unhappy." I say, still jittery from being almost caught reading something sketchy, Werewolf books were unsafe for reading in public.

    She winks open an eye to look at me and when she catches me looking at her she lets out another ''<em>hmph</em>'' and closes her eyes again, turning her head to the side.

    "But I did miss you guys." I add slowly, giving her a look, unsurprisingly she starts to open her eyes again.

    I dash towards her and throw myself on her, she catches me effortlessly, a happyugh bubbling from her throat.

    "I believe you now." She grins at me.

    I get down with a happy smile on my face. "Next time tell me how long you''re all going to be away or when you''ll be away or I''m going to start cracking skulls." I threaten, going out of the room.

    "Is that a fancy way of saying you missed us?" Dale asks as we all file out.

    "If that''s how you feel after I invest in metal bats then sure, whatever you want." I agree dryly.

 Chapter 119

    Chapter 119

    "Mom!" I exim excitedly, hurrying over to her when we all make our way to the kitchen. "Why did you spend so long?"

    "Well, we had a lot to talk about." My mom says, ruffling my hair after giving me a warm hug. "Come on, settle down all of you, let''s eat."

    We all do as she says. "What did he want to talk about anyway?"

    "Mr. Everett wants us toe stay at the Pack House, untill the wave of rogue Werewolves calm down." My mom calmly exins, settling down on her seat at the dining table.

    I whip my head around so fast, it''s a wonder I didn''t break it. "The what?!?"

    "The Pack House." She repeats.

    "There''s a Pack House?" I ask in surprise, I remembered that there was something like that in the book I had been reading but the fact that there is actually something like that is just mind-blowing.

    "How do you know what it is?" Shana asks curiously, studying me with sharp eyes.

    "Oh, I don''t!" I say a little too quickly, there was no way I was letting her know that I knew just more than the presence of Pack Houses. "I just figured" I trail off.

    "Well, Werewolves really like intimacy so Pack Houses are built to relieve some of the tension of the distance that their human forms force on them." My mom exins, saving me from Shana''s prodding. "It''s not a must to live in the Pack House and mated couples prefer to have their own houses."

    "But the Alpha, Head Beta, Delta, and other positions of leadership are mostly required to stay in the Pack House." Virgil adds. "Although my dad hasn''t been in the Pack House ever since I was born."

    "Oh." I mutter, understanding what that meant. Virgil''s mom must have died in the Pack House or at least while they still lived there.

    "So did you say yes?" I prod my mom eagerly, not exactly sure if I wanted to leave myfy and not to mention private home to go live in the middle of total strangers.

    "I said no." My mom says shortly. "Or would you have liked to go?"

    "No." Virgil and Dale answer for me and I whip my head around to them.

    "What! Why?"

    "We''ve moved back to the Pack House, there''s no way I''m leaving you in the same building as Leon or Ian." Virgil exins shortly, his voice dark.

    I just shrug, not really minding either way, as long as we were safe here.

    Apparently, neither Virgil or Dale have patrols today and it''s a little strange that they would both get free days at the same time.

    "They choose to have the same day off because they weren''t let each other end up staying alone with you." Shana blurts out in her blunt way and I blush down to the roots of my light brown hair.

    We all decide to crash in the hangout room, it has been a while anyway and I miss my cuddle partners.

    We all move to the living room and findfortable positions on the sofas, it was still too early to think about moving to the hangout room.

    I had just eaten and I knew that if I came within a couple feet of any bed I was going to fall fast asleep.

    I end up sitting crosslegged in between Virgil and Dale, it''s not really surprising considering they''ve been sticking as close as socially eptable to me.

    My mom and Shana bicker over what to put on for a while and somehow we end up watching a fashion show but it''s majorly Shana and my mom that are engrossed in the show.

    Virgil had taken one of my hands and Dale holds the other, if that isn''t enough to make me forget that I''m supposed to be looking at the television not through it then I don''t know what else is.

    Virgil''s hand is warm around mine and I try not to think too much of how my hand disappears in his, Dale isn''t so nice and I bite my lip when he brushes a thumb over the middle of my palm and pick out each finger just to push them back again, asionally covering my hand with both of his just for the fun of it.

    Well this is going to be a very long night, I think to myself sighing deeply and dropping my head against the backrest of the sofa.

    I drift away unconsciously, dosing off without actually sleeping but losing concentration long enough to slide down and rest against Virgil.

    "Are you sleepy?" Virgil whispers to me.

    I wink open an eye, shaking my head, Dale had moved closer with the movement of my hand and he''s also staring at me with interest. "No" I yawn. "I''m not."

    "You''re yawning." Dale points out steadily.

    "I''m not" I start to refuse but all my words doesn''t get out before there''s a loud sound of shattering ss and then loud growling fills the house.

    I jerk in shock, a sound of surprise leaving me, I look towards the origin of the sound and see a Werewolf with red eyes and bloody fangs ring at us through the shattered window.

    The ss had been reinforced with metal but the Werewolf had broken through it effortlessly and was now a short leap away from getting into the living room.

    Short high screamse from Shana and my mom who huddle closer to each other at the sights and sounds of what seems like a very huge rogue Werewolf ring at us from a window.

    Everyone freezes in shock at the suddenness of the moment as the Werewolf tracks it''s blood red eyes slowly around the room like it hade here for a reason.

    After itpletes a thorough sweep of the room, it''s unnerving eyes settles on me and baring it''s teeth with a hair raising growl, it charges at me.

 Chapter 120

    Chapter 120

    A scream builds up at the back of my throat in horror but in that split second that the Werewolf makes its decision, Dale snatches me out of the Werewolf''s line of sight, cradling me on his legs protectively.

    At the same time, a blinding sh of white light surrounds the room briefly then Virgil''s magnificent white wolf is attacking the rogue Werewolf poking it''s head in my living room.

    Dale holds me really tight but when Virgil goes out through that window filled with jagged ss around the edges at a rogue Werewolf that looks like a monster in the nighttime, I don''t know when I wrench myself so hard from his hold that I end up on my hands and knees on the floor screaming Virgil''s name.

    Dale is quick to catch me before I run up to the window that''s most likely surrounded by broken ss with my bare feet.

    Dale is saying something but I''m too caught up in the horror of the moment, was this what they did on their patrols? Was this what happened when Virgil turned up badly hurt on my frontwn?

    A sh of the image of that day has me opening my eyes wide in terror only to see Dale trying to get my attention. "He''s fine, he''ll be fine okay." Dale reassures me.

    I nod furiously, my ears still ringing from my loud scream earlier. My mom and Shana had gotten up to go clear up the pile of broken ss, we would have to board up the window tonight so more Werewolves wouldn''t get in.

    There''s nothing but silence from outside the house and my terror and worry mounts. "Why aren''t you outside helping him?" I ask frantically, unable to calm down.

    "Because he''s going to rip my head off too, I''m not about to test the limits of my rapid healing." Dale says, still keeping a tight hold on me which is probably a really good idea because there is the highest chance that I would hop out the window at the first chance I get.

    I blink in confusion. "W-What? W-Why would h-he do that?"

    "It''s a littleplicated." Dale murmurs sinctly. "Stay with Renee and Shana while I board up the windows."

    I look around to see my mom and Shana hovering over me, they had finished cleaning up the ss shards and I didn''t even notice but I wasn''t getting distracted.

    "I don''t think he would do that." I exin earnestly to Dale, cupping his face in my bid to get him to believe me. I''m straddling Dale with my knees on both side of him but I''m too wrung up to notice or remember to freak out.

    "You''re right, he''ll w out my heart as well and chew off my legs." Dale says with a straight face that I get blindsided again, cing his hands over mine on his face. "Please keep a tight hold on him, I wouldn''t want to lose my temper when Virgil starts screaming heads off because we put Hay in danger." He adds, letting my mom pull me off his legs and into her arms.

    I''m just lost so I let let my mom hug me but even her warm hug isn''t enough to dispell the terror beating a tattoo on my heart.

    "He''ll be fine okay." My mom says, settling on a sofa and pulling me down with her while Shana sits beside us worry in her eyes.

    I wanted to scream at them, that they shouldn''t worry about me but for the idiot that just jumped through a ss window at a literal monster.

    Virgil''s the one in real danger here, yet they seem to be more worried about me which is ridiculous but I didn''t have the presence of mind to scold them.

    The front door swings open and how I manage to hear it over the pounding of Dale''s hammer is a miracle but I do and faster than either my mom or Shana can react I''m jumping out of their middle and dashing for the door.

    "Virgil!" I call out in worry, ignoring the rest that are calling my name behind me.

    He stands quietly in front of the closed door with his head down, he''s drenched in blood and I''m so jittery that some of the blood might be his.

    I slow down when I get closer to him, the rest keeping a far distance from him and I don''t me them, he might be in his human form but he''s still menacing enough.

    "V-Virgil?" I call out hesitantly, taking a step forward.

    He raises his head up to look at me, his eyes shing a zing gold, the enchanting eyes unfocused.

    "Virgil?" I call out in a more softer tone, taking another brave step forward.

    His eyes snap into focus, electric blue recing zing gold. "Hayden? Are you okay?" He asks automatically, moving forward in concern.

    I heave a sigh of relief, throwing myself at him. "I can''t believe you''re asking that."

    He tries to step back. "I''m messy, you''ll get blood all over you."

    I shrug off hisints and take his hand, he''s shirtless and his pants are tattered but that''s no big deal even though most of his body is covered in so much blood that I can only see bits of bare skin.

    "It''s just blood." I say bravely even though I''m starting to feel a little light-headed, there is just so much blood. "You need to clean up so I can check if you''re hurt." I exin to him impatiently, tugging his hand as I walk past the rest who are slightly gaping at me.

    "Virgil will clean up in my room." I tell them since no one seems to be up to doing any speaking. "We''ll meet you guys at the hangout room."

    I assist Virgil up the stairs after this, keeping a firm grip on his hand even though it''s slippery with blood.

    Virgil is oddly quiet but I just shrug it off to the fact that he had just fought a huge ass rogue Werewolf.

    I find Virgil''s silence a little disconcerting even though he''s not exactly the talkative type, maybe it''s because I keep catching him looking at me with something like awe in his wide starry eyes but I''m not going to think too much about that now, I need to make sure that Virgil is okay so that my heart can return to it''s regr rhythm.

 Chapter 121

    Chapter 121

    I pace restlessly as the shower runs, I would need a shower too because just like Virgil said I''m equally messy but that isn''t important because I''m still going to patch him up when he gets out.

    The door finally slides open and Virgil walks out wearing nothing but a loose pair of shorts and I breathe easier when I see that there''s no grave injury.

    I take his hand and help him sit down so that I can inspect his body and

    "You didn''t get hurt?" I pause with my hands on his body, my eyes wide.

    He looks up at me with piercing eyes. "Oh I did."

    "Then where"

    "But it''s gone now." He adds, wrapping a hand around my wrist.

    "What? Ah!" I squeal when he tugs me down, I fall against him and we end up on the bed. "Virgil, I still have blood on me, you''ll"

    "It''s just blood." He gives my words back to me, wrapping his arms snugly around me to keep me on him.

    "And you just cleaned up." I struggle slightly, wanting to get off. "Plus, you''re still I dunno." I trail off, huffing out a breath.

    "I''m fine." He says quietly, pushing a hand through my hair.

    There''s a shuffling sound from behind the door and muffled cursing which makes me whip my head around. "Wha"

    "I didn''t eat him." Virgil calls out and the door swings open, my mom and friends falling in.

    I scramble up from Virgil''s body and he lets me up and I stare at them trying to get up from the ground with a frown. "Why would he eat me?" I ask in confusion, the tips of my ears tingling.

    They still remain at the door like they were wary ofing in.

    "Remember what I said about Alphas?" Shana says nervously, her eyes flicking over Virgil who stays quiet on the bed, throwing a hand over his face.

    I pull my eyes from him to look back at Shana, trying to remember what she had said. "Yeah?"

    "Well, their wolves are much more vtile so there was the chance that even though he had shifted, it was still his wolf that was in control."

    My eyes go wide in realization, remembering his unfocused gold eyes and how different he felt. "Oh." I simply say. "He''s not hurt." I blurt out in disbelief, my wordsing out like a question.

    "I would have been surprised if he was." Dale mutters.

    "Alright, we''ve checked on them, now we have a lot to do down at the hangout room." My mom cuts in, grabbing onto Dale and Shana''s clothes.

    "Renee"

    "Wait don''t"

    Theyin but she doesn''t listen to them, giving me a warm, wide smile while dragging them out and closing the door.

    I blink in surprise but shrug, I need to take a shower too, I think absently, pulling my sticky shirt from my body.

    The blood is starting to dry up, getting sticky and I feel nausea climb up my throat.

    "Are you okay?" I turn to see Virgil lying very still, his legs are hanging off the bed and his arm is still over his face.

    He hums a reply and I want to go over to check on him but I do a double take, there''s a high chance that''ll I''ll end up on him again, I should probably clean up first.

    I pick up fresh clothes from the wardrobe and make my way to the bathroom, Virgil didn''t look like he nned on wearing a shirt anytime soon, not that I wasining.

    I couldn''t still see faint lines of healing scratches which means he did get hurt but it wasn''t so bad.

    I clean up thoroughly, my skin crawling when it hits me that it''s an actual person''s blood I''m washing off my skin but Mae was right about them being trapped in their Wolf bodies because the rogue Werewolf''s red eyes had been filled with a helpless rampage when it red at me.

    I was just too shaken up at that point to realize it.

    I dry up in the bathroom and slip my shorts on, before I can wear the slightly oversized shirt a thumping sound from my room alerts me.

    And I hurry out with my shirt clutched in front of me, the tips of my curly hair dripping wet.

    I step out of the bathroom and click the door shut. "Vir" I trail off when I see him standing motionless in front of me, his head down so that his hair falls over his eyes.

    "Virgil?" I call in confusion, clutching my shirt tighter. "Are you oka oof!" I huff out a breath when I get mmed into door, my shirt slipping from my hands to the ground at the sudden movement.

    My mouth goes dry when he raises his head up to look at me, his eyes are zing gold again and there''s a different aura about him. "V-Virgil?" I stutter lightly, my voice soft as I search his face for a tiny bit of the person I know.

    A low rumbling sound replies me, the gentle growling cutting through me and a gasp leaves me when my wrists get grabbed and pinned against the door above my head.

    Shana''s words y in my head, the eyes staring back at me are someone else''s. My eyes go wide in realization, I''m not going to get eaten, am I?

    That is Virgil''s wolf staring back at me and I gulp, nervous, even the first time I had seen his wolf form wasn''t this terrifying but then his eyes were their familiar blue.

    Strangely I''m not scared, maybe I should think about seeing a therapist but honestly this is Virgil, why would I be scared?

    He doesn''t do anything but stand there staring at me, fangs peeking out of the sides of his mouth, this is really not fair. He looks almost feral like this but yet he manages to look even more attractive.

    "H-Hi." I say in a shaky voice, twiddling my fingers that are still caught in a deadly grip.

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122

    His eyes drop to my mouth and my face suddenly feels hotter which gets worse when his eyes drop lower and I remember that I''m equally shirtless, he leans closer and at the same time a ridiculous sneeze pops out.

    He freezes like he''s confused, tilting his head to the side in a way that''s very unnatural for Virgil to do.

    I giggle nervously. "M'' so-sorry a-about t-that." I mumble under my breath, feeling my nose get ticklish again. "I''m j-jus cold." I say, tucking my head low on my chest.

    I really am, my hair is still dripping asionally down my body and I had been in a hurry toe out so I didn''t dry myself up properly, not to mention that I didn''t get to finish up dressing myself.

    I sneeze again and Virgil pulls me in for a hug, his hand releasing my wrists from their prison. I had been shivering slightly without even knowing it at least until I get enveloped by his warm body and my shivering gets worse.

    "You know what this means right?" Virgil murmurs into the crook of my neck.

    I groan. "Please no, not that, anything but that." Knowing Virgil I''m going to end up wrapped in as many nkets as he can get his hands on then the heater will be turned up to high.

    "Well, there is an alternative." He says sneakily, blue eyes sparkling at me and I''m narrowing my eyes in suspicion, Virgil never sounds sneaky, Shana always does, Dale does sometimes but Virgil is annoyingly straightforward.

    "And what''s that?"

    "I''ll just heat you up myself." He rasps in my ear and an involuntary shiver ripples through my body.

    That sounds infinitely worse and better at the same time, not to mention that I''m still wary of how his eyes keep melting to that burning gold.

    "H-How?" The word spills out of my mouth without any approval from my brain and Virgil raises his head to look at me, rms re in my head when I see that his eyes are gold again, what''s with his wolf today?

    "I''ll show you." He rasps in a lower voice lowering his head again to ce an open mouthed kiss on my shoulder.

    Well, that''s apparently a faster way to heat me up because my entire body goes red, my temperature inching higher, it also doesn''t help that Virgil''s unnaturally warm skin is pressed flush against mine.

    I bite back an embarrassing sound when he moves closer to my neck with the open mouthed kisses but I obviously wasn''t silent enough.

    "Virgil? Hayden?" Shana''s intrusive voice calls from behind the closed door but Virgil ignores her presence moving to the other side of my neck.

    I can''t ignore her well and I get even redder that I''m sure I''m already well on my way to overheating, pping a hand over my mouth to smother anymore incriminating sounds.

    "Virgil, I swear if you eat him" she starts to threaten.

    "Shana what the fuck are you doing here?" Dale''s voice interrupts her rant. "And stop saying that, Virgil isn''t going to eat anybody, see, I''ll show you."

    I close my eyes tight, thinking how wrong Dale is when Virgil carefully nibbles around the soft skin of my neck and face, sharp teeth skimming over my corbones, I''m practically being eaten but then the rest of his words sink in and my eyes fly open in a panic.

    <em>They wereing in??!!</em>

    Virgil isn''t the PDA kind too so I expect him to step away so that we can at least be decent but instead he backs me harder into the wall that my body arches to amodate this new position.

    "That''s not how to open a bloody door, Shana." Dale scolds.

    "Excuse me, what? What do you think? That I don''t know how to open a simple door? That I''m stupid? Are you calling me stupid, Dale?" She rounds on him and I''ve never been happier about their ability to get into rows because Virgil slides a hand around the back of my thigh, lifting it slightly so that I''m forced to throw my arms around him to keep my bnce.

    "I never said that." Dale replies nkly.

    "Oh now you''re calling me a liar too." Shana fires back and I wonder why Dale humors her.

    "There." Virgil says with a smug smile, raising his head up to look at me and I see that his eyes are back to their captivating blue. "How do you feel now?"

    I cover my face with my hands, my breathsing out in harsh pants. "Like you even have to ask that." I pout, leaning against the door now that Virgil has let go of me, although he still holds on to my leg keeping me reliant on his support, a hand around my bare waist.

    "I told you he was eating him." Shana''s voice cuts through the room and I hide my face deeper in my hand - if that''s even possible - I would have to sit in the shower for a couple hours to get all the redness out of my skin.

    "Shana, please never use that word again, especially not when I''m seeing all this." Daleins unhappily. "Peel yourself off Hay, V." He says to Virgil. "We need to clean up the mess you made outside the house."

    "Who''s we?" Virgil asks dryly, looking over his shoulder at Dale, although he''s still not letting me go.

    Dale res at him. "First of all, I boarded up the windows"

    "Yeah, that''s way harder than fighting a rogue Were." Virgil quips sarcastically.

    Dale just ignores him and continues. "Secondly, what the fuck is wrong with you?" He demands with something like horror in his voice. "Cutting through a major vein or severing its head was enough but no! I find guts hanging off the ceiling." Dale rants.

    I cringe, making an ufortable sound at the graphic description.

    "Language." Virgil says curtly, finally letting go of my leg so that he can gather me in his arms like he''s trying to protect me from what he did. "And the rogue was looking at Hayden weird." He mumbles under his breath, sounding strangely childish.

    "Unbelievable!" Dale exims, throwing his hands up. "I honestly don''t care about your reasons, just remind me to never get on your bad side"

    "Unfortunately, you always do." Virgil quips, shielding my body which is no doubt pockmarked with very visible red marks and teeth marks too, while picking up my discarded shirt so he can help me in.

    Dale sounds done with Virgil. "Just haul your ass out so we can go clear up the exterior of the house, it looks like a horror movie stage out there and there''s no way I''m cleaning up your mess, at least not alone."

    "Fine, shut up for a sec okay." Virgil throws at him and I give Virgil a look which he licks off my face, like the idiot literally leans forward and licks a wide wet strip across my face.

    "Ew." I eye him, wiping my face with the back of my hand.

    "Stay here with Shana, okay? Or I''ll lick you again." He threatens lightly.

    "Ugh! Fine." I bat my small hands at him which doesn''t do any damage. "Just get your tongue away from me."

    "I''ll be back soon." He kisses my forehead before stepping away.

    "Put a shirt on moron." Dale groans when Virgil turns around to face him.

    "I don''t mind." Shanaments, winking at Dale.

    "Of course you don''t." Dale says nkly, hurrying out, he was obviously done with the both of them and I can''t help but chuckle at the scene.

    Virgil follows after him and the door clicks shut, I just walk blindly to the bed on weak legs and copse on it, face first.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123

    "Well someone looks like they had fun." Shana croons to me, jumping on the bed beside me.

    I just groan and throw a pillow over my head. "Go away, Shana." I mumble, my voice muffled under the pillow.

    "Is that a handprint on your thigh?" Shana demands in disbelief. "What the fuck were you two doing?"

    "Shana." I warn, throwing the pillow off my head to re at her.

    "Oh wow." She mutters nkly, her wide eyes fixated on my neck. "I mean I know I kept saying it but, just wow." She points a hand at my exposed neck. "He really did try to eat you."

    "Shana." I whine, ufortable with the topic.

    "Sorry but I''m also traumatized here, two of my best friends making out, yeah well, that''s pretty traumatic." She says, pushing a hand through my slightly damp hair.

    "We''re best friends too." I mumble under my breath, red sshing across my cheeks.

    "You and Virgil?" She asks in disbelief, scoffing. "Please, you''ve never even been friends, you''re just selectively blind."

    "What?" I sit up in a rush, staring at Shana in shock. "What do you mean?"

    "What I mean is" She starts to say, pulling me down to rest my head on herp so she can get a morefortable position to keep tangling up my hair. "Ever since the first day I met you guys, he''s always acted like he''s mated to you." She says blunty.

    My cheeks get ufortably red again and I give up on the possibility of them returning to their original color this night. "That''s stretching it a bit." I mumble, trying to process what Shana is saying. "He never said anything plus there''s the obvious fact that he''s straight."

    Shana groans in frustration. "If your naivety wasn''t so cute it''d be annoying, I''m actually tuning things down, he literally just ripped apart an entire wolf because, and I quote ''it was looking at Hayden weird.''" Her hands trail down the side of my face, cupping my cheeks. "Plus really? That''s the card you''re ying? For your information, Virgil doesn''t have a sexual orientation"

    My eyes fly open in surprise, my mouth parting slightly.

    "Wait, scratch that, he does, his sexual orientation is you."

    I huff out augh. "That''s impossible."

    She gives me a nk look. "Really? Virgil dislikes most people, yet you manage to get away with everything, if you didn''t exist he would be an aromantic and asexual psychopath."

    "That''sying it on a little thick."

    Shana just shakes her head in exasperation. "Sure believe whatever helps you sleep better at night, best friends definitely leave hickies on each other''s necks and fingerprints on thighs."

    "You''re never going to let me live this down, are you?" I say in a muffled voice, hiding my face behind my hands.

    "I won''t need to." Shana replies. "There''s going to be more."

    "Hayden?" Shana asks after a short spell of silence.

    "Yeah?" I take my hands off my face at her serious tone.

    "Who would you pick?" She asks seriously, her hazel eyes staring down at me.

    I go quiet at her question, I keep running from the question, I know but I''m not iming to be the emotionally strong one.

    "I mean, Virgil only allowed it this long because you took a shine to Dale and he was hoping that Dale was just messing around." She shrugs. "But now"

    "Now what?" I prompt her curiously.

    "Well, Dale hasn''t given up yet so that should give you a pretty good idea of what I''m talking about."

    I roll off her legs to lie on my stomach. "I don''t know, Shana." I say softly. "I" The door swings open and I mp my mouth tightly shut.

    Virgil and Dale walk in looking worried and we both sit up to look at them.

    "What''s doing?" Shana asks.

    "We met Leon, he was on patrol." Dale says shortly, a slight frown on his face.

    "And what? He said he was sleeping over?" Shana prompts when no one says anything again.

    Virgil makes a disgusted face. "What the fuck! No."

    I just shake my head, totally expecting that reply.

    "He said he had been tracking a rogue that had been hanging around the fringes of the forest, that was the same rogue Werewolf that had attacked us."

    My eyes go wide at this, was this going to be amon thing? What would we do if the rogue Werewolves started to move into town?

    "Apparently, it had followed Hayden''s scent all the way here." Dale says darkly and my eyes go wide.

    "Wait, what?"

    "That same rogue Werewolf you had bumped into in the woods had memorized your scent and had been tracking you for days." Virgil exins tightly, walking over to the wardrobe to pick out a shirt.

    His hair tips are wet again and he''s wearing a different pair of shorts, same thing with Dale who leans against the door with his hands stuffed in his front pockets.

    "If we hadn''t been around today or if the rogue had found the house tomorrow" Dale trails off looking slightly pale and green.

    Shana shuffles closer to me, wrapping slightly trembling arms around me.

    "Oh my God" She whispers in horror.

    "Let''s move to the hangout room, Renee is waiting for us." Dale says pushing himself up from the door.

    My eyes trail over to his bare arm and remain fixated on one spot. "Dale? Are you hurt?" I ask in worry, already making a move to get off the bed.

    He quickly tugs his sleeve down, covering up the slight gash on his arm. "It''s fine, it''s just a tiny cut." He says reassuringly. "There''s not much time or opportunity to run around in my wolf form back in the city so I''m still adjusting."

    Virgil just gives him a nk look. "Sure, let''s go."

    We all file out and I try toe to terms with all that has happened tonight.

    My mom is waiting for us, she hadid out popcorn so we would binge watch movies but now the mood was gone.

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124

    "Are you all okay?" My mom asks in worry when we make our way in.

    We all affirm that we''re fine, although I keep wondering how Dale had gotten hurt but he hadn''t been lying when he said he was fine because I can barely catch a glimpse of it after a couple minutes.

    "So" My mom trails off, ying with my hair, she insists I sit near her. "I''ll call Mr. Everett tomorrow." She says decisively.

    "That''s the only option." Shana says seriously. "I''ll move into the Pack House too so I can keep youpany, Virgil and Dale would most likely get even busier after this."

    I smile gratefully at her, edgy about having to move into a new ce filled with people I didn''t know.

    We all settle on the couch, a heavy silence hanging in the cool air until a shrill sound from Shana''s phone breaks the silence.

    It''s prettyte already so we all nce at her, surprised that she''s getting a call, she looks equally surprised too until she nces at her phone to see who is calling. "Oh, it''s Mae." She murmurs with a faint smile on her face, quickly picking up the call.

    My mom just brings the popcorn close and the cooling, buttery snack is the perfect thing for my damp mood.

    "Yeah, I''m at Hayden''s house, why?" Shana asks into her phone, there''s a short spell of silence. "Y...yes, we''re all here oh okay I''ll put it on loudspeaker then." Her interaction with Mae has all of us turning our head to look in her direction.

    She takes the phone from her ear and taps the screen and Mae''s voice fills the room.

    "Hey, guys!" Mae says cheerily and we all mumble our replies.

    "I''m at the Pack Clinic, right now."

    "Is something wrong? Is someone hurt?" Shana asks quickly, worry furrowing her brows.

    "No, babe that''s not why my mom was called here." She says reassuringly and I watch Shana''s cheeks flush with interest at the name calling.

    Mae''s mom was strangely a licensed doctor, it was a little weird and not weird at the same time.

    "I have something really cool to tell you guys, although Virgil''s and Dale''s dad''s should call them real soon."

    "What?" I prompt.

    "The rogue Werewolves are being made to go rogue, artificially."

    ''<em>Wait what??!''</em>

    I scream mentally as we all fall quiet, simr expressions of ''what the fuck?!'' on everyone''s faces.

    "Oh wow." My mom murmurs.

    "What do you mean?" Dale asks earnestly.

    "My mom found a strain of something strange in the bloodstream of a rogue Werewolf that had been captured, she just managed to get a sufficient amount not long ago to be tested at thebs to see what it is so I''m not sure myself" her voice goes dim for a while and then shees back on. "I''m sorry about that, my mom is calling me right now, I''lle over tomorrow but right now I need to help her go make magic handcuffs!..." She says quickly the line going dead.

    "Did I hear thatst part wrong?" Shana mutters with a frown.

    "I don''t think so." I say nkly, trying to process another major event happening one after another. "Who would be so cruel?" I finally blurt out, clenching my fists in outrage.

    Sure, I didn''t want to get hurt or want any of the people I loved to get hurt but these are poor innocent people who definitely had people who loved them being made into mindless killing machines.

    "I have no idea." Virgil frowned.

    "Well, we''ll find out more tomorrow." My mom says, getting up. "It''s prettyte and we all have early days tomorrow."

    "I''ll text Mae that we''ll be at the Pack House tomorrow, she''s moving too, this street is much too dangerous now." Shana says while my mom shoos us to the air beds.

    I flop on the bouncy beds, my mind filled to the brim with whirling thoughts.

    "Will you be safe in your room?" I ask quickly, shooting to a sitting position when she picks up the popcorn bucket and starts to make her way out.

    "Yeah." She replies. "I''ll make sure to keep the doors locked and the windows are too high for any rogue Werewolf to break in."

    "Unless it''s Leon that''s doing the breaking in." Dale mutters darkly.

    "You seem to want a matching gash on your other arm." Virgil quipped, gettingfortable in between Shana and I.

    "A what now?" I ask in confusion.

    "I''ll be fine, goodnight kids." My mom says cheerily, shing us warm smiles.

    "Why would Leon want to break in?" Shana asks the question on my mind and I whip my head to the side to see Dale looking up at the ceiling, his eyes shing gold.

    "He just allowed the idiot to get under his skin." Virgil drawled, uninterested.

    "Says the one that broke down a tree." Dale scoffs.

    I just blink in shock, blindsided. "What?"

    "At least I wasn''t dumb enough to try to take him on, the idiot is the youngest ever to be ranked a warrior."

    "Which he said he wasn''t interested in because he thought they wereme." Shana chirps in while I just listen with interest. "And that he didn''t like their matching tattoos."

    I snicker at this, it seemed like exactly something that Leon would do.

    It is prettyte, almost midnight so we start to doze off, no doubt the others had a stressful day ahead of them, I wanted to help too but I wasn''t exactly sure how to.

    Sighing heavily, I tuck the covers closer and slip my eyes shut, there was hope now because if it was someone that was behind it then they could be stopped and the rogue Werewolves could be fixed, hopefully.

    I don''t even flinch when they both roll over to me and curl into my side, I''d been expecting it even. Virgil and Dale are obviously both fast asleep and I had a feeling they wouldn''t be here when I wake up but that was fine because they would alwayse back.

    But what would I do when the time came for me to choose? They always made it pretty obvious that I had to and I just keep stalling, choosing meant I was going to lose one and I''m a little bit selfish.

    Choosing was going to hurt...

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125

    I wake up to find myself tucked in my own bed and I don''t even flinch, I had expected it.

    I sit up and rub my eyes, yesterday seems like a bad dream but my momes in with empty luggages and reality hits hard.

    "Oh? Baby, you''re up!" My mom says pleasantly when she notices that I''m up,ing over to ce a kiss on my face.

    "Morning, mom." I greet her drowsily, watching as she goes over to the cupboard and start to throw clothes in.

    "Sleep well?" She asks cordially and I hum a nonmittal sound, shrugging. "I''ve already talked to Mr. Everett this morning, he called and said that Ian woulde over to pick us up in a couple hours so you might want to get cleaned up."

    "Oh." I mumble under my breath, wishing that summer stayed forever. "Sure."

    "I''ll just put out fresh clothes for you on the bed." My mom calls after me when I walk slowly into the toilet. "I''ll pack long sleeved shirts because it gets cold early."

    I go into the bathroom and try to catch my breath, it seemed just like yesterday when we were doing nothing but having fun at the beach house, well there was the case with Nicole but other than that it was still way better than rogue Werewolves and Pack Houses.

    As a matter of fact, a sadistic, teenage girl seems pale inparison with the rollercoaster I''m on right now.

    I brush my teethzily, in no rush to leave my lovely room or my quiet house, I wonder what would happen to it.

    I make my way out to see my mom closing up a second luggage box, a question on the tip of my tongue. "Will the house be okay?" I ask with worry.

    "Of course, Alpha Everett said he would send over a couple people to help us board up, plus rogue Werewolves will stay out because there''s no one in here." She exins and I note the ease with which she uses Virgil''s dad''s title.

    "Oh, I see." I mumble in relief, at least the house would always be there.

    "Now baby,e over and choose the books you''d like to take along, I''ll go get a separate bag to pack them up."

    "No, no." I stop her quickly, I don''t know why but taking my books as well made it seem like we wouldn''t be able toe back home for a long time and that''s scary.

    "I''ll just read ebooks while we''re there, plus school starts next week so it''s not like I''ll have all the time to read that much." I exin logically.

    My mom stops and stares at me with wide eyes. "School starts in a week??! Summer is already over??! How??!" She looks really devastated.

    "I don''t know mom." I say with a wry smile. "We''ll get another summer next year and then I won''t have to go back to school."

    Shees over to pick up the luggage she had already packed. "You aren''t going to college, baby?" She asks, refusing to meet my eyes.

    I smile a little, she wants me to stay with her and yet she doesn''t want to influence my decision, my mom is adorable. "I haven''t made up my mind yet but I don''t think I''ll go, I don''t need college to open up a cute store now do I?"

    My mom looks devastated again. "You want to open a store??!" She exims in horror. "And actually work?"

    I blink at her. "Well, yes, that''s why people open stores, isn''t it?"

    "Not my mom that''s for sure." She mutters, pulling the luggages out the door. "Well, I''ll leave you to clean up,e down for breakfast when you''re done okay."

    "Yes, mom." I reply, sighing when the door clicks shut.

    I had sort of expected her reply, it''ll even be worse when my Grammy finds out that I want to open a store and work in it.

    It''s not the money to open it, far from it but the fact that they won''t let me work or do anything simr to that.

    I sigh again, undressing to go take a shower, today would be busy with settling down at the Pack House.

    Breakfast is really quick and soon enough Ian is driving up in Virgil''s car, my mom said that she woulde backter to get her car if she saw the need to.

    The boarded up window in the living room sticks out like a sore thumb and I wonder vaguely what the exterior of the house looked like.

    I get in the back seat with Apple in my arms, she had burrowed herself under my bed after the scare with the rogue Werewolf which was the smartest thing to do, I was just relieved she hadn''t tried to run away in the middle of all the ruckus.

    My mom sits in the front seat beside Ian who is friendlier and less scary than his twin, I just tune them out staring at the deserted houses on my street.

    I don''t bother noting the roads that are taken because I''m horrible with directions, it''s not like I would try to go back home all alone anyway.

    We don''t go in the direction of the center of the town as I had expected, because we lived at the very edge so I figured that everything else would be in the opposite direction.

    Instead the car moves in an almost parallel direction, I know the forest stretches out the entire length of Pine Creek but I didn''t imagine that people lived close to it too.

    The forest on the side seems even denser and I can''t help but worry if it''s safer, we actually branch out of town for a couple miles and I can''t help but marvel at the asphalt that is in top condition in between high trees and then I see it.

    "Whoa!" I mutter under my breath when we pull into a wide parking lot that has a lot of cars already parked there.

    I can totally see why this wasn''t built in the town, firstly there would be the space issue, also it would seem weird because it''s not a hotel, just a huge sprawling building where certain people lived in for free.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126

    "Is it safe to be this close to the woods?" My mom asks the question on my mind.

    "It is." Ian replies, carefully parking the car, close enough so that it''ll be easy to move the luggages out of the car.

    I expect him to say more but he doesn''t, my mom and I share a look, and shrug.

    It definitely had to be, there were a lot of Werewolves at the Pack House at the moment, they would be able to keep us safe.

    Settling in was actually easier that I had expected, the Pack House is practically made up of much smaller houses, apartments more like but you get the picture.

    There were one bedrooms'', two and even three. The Alpha''s rooms are on the highest level, which is the fourth story and apparently only the Head Beta and the Delta live there as well with their family.

    Usually, they stayed in the top story all by themselves but now that the Pack House is fuller than it has been in a really long time, the empty rooms in the top level would have to be given out as well.

    I was grateful that we didn''t have to stay at the top level though because Elise stayed there, plus the twins also stayed there too.

    Julia stayed just down the hallway and she was so excited to see us move in, she hade over to help with the moving in and that made things move a lot more smoother.

    Apparently she stayed with her grandson, who turned out to be Luke from the pet store but he was in a hurry to go for training? So he couldn''t stay long either but it was nice enough to know that someone nice that I sort of knew, lived just down the hallway.

    I hole up in my room while Julia and my mom talked in the living room. The new apartment is a lot morepact than the house but it''s actually pretty cool.

    Apple had immediately gone off to explore the new space as soon as I set her down and I knew she was currently purring around Julia, who always made her the best fish delicacies.

    I lie down on the unfamiliar bed and plug in my ear phones, quiet music streaming in my ears.

    There''s a tall window that I can see out of, we''re in the third storey so all I see are the tips of the pine trees and the bright blue sky.

    A knock raps on my door and I take my earphones out, sitting up slightly.

    Shana and Mae bound in happily, their cheeks heated from no doubt running up the flights of stairs.

    The only one thing I didn''t fancy about the Pack House was the stairs, there were just too many and I didn''t see myself leaving the apartment willy nilly.

    "Hayden!" Shana exims,ing in first while Mae closes the door gently behind her. "I thought Chloe was messing with me when she said that Ian brought you." She skips over and bounces on the bed.

    I grin at them, happy to see familiar faces. "Hi, we really just got here."

    "Yeah I know, we spoke to Renee." Mae gets on the bed as well and I scoot a bit to make room for her.

    "Where do you stay, Mae?" I ask curiously.

    "On the first floor, the Pack Clinic takes up a good space down there and my mom needs to stay close for her research." She replies.

    "I''m going to move in with Mae and her mom today." Shana informs me with barely suppressed excitement.

    I blink in surprise. "Oh wow! Really?"

    "Yeah." Mae smiles gently. "Apparently, Shana is invaluable to my mom''s research because shees up with the craziest ideas."

    I gape slightly at this, very surprised. Mae''s dad had gone on some business trip or the other, I''d never seen him actually. "I thought you wanted to be a nurse?" I tease her.

    She smirks. "I just might decide to be a scientist, it''s way more fun."

    "Because you don''t know what you''re doing?" Mae says dryly.

    Shana pouts, crossing her arms. "I totally do."

    "Yeah right." Mae rolls her eyes. "You don''t understand half the terms my mom uses."

    "Well, neither do you!" Shana fires back.

    "I''m not the one who wants to be a scientist."

    "It''s better than being a witch." Shana grumbles under her breath.

    Mae gasps dramatically. "I can''t believe you just said that." She says in a betrayed voice, turning her head to the side.

    I just watch them with amusement, they are really cute together.

    Shana throws her arms around her. "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I didn''t mean that." She apologizes quickly.

    "Try again after I curse all of your hair off." Mae grouches.

    I burst outughing at this point, wrapping a hand around my middle.

    "So tell me more about the research." I ask curiously when I can breathe again.

    "Oh it''s horrible, Hay!" Shana gushes, grabbing my shoulders in a fit of emotion. "I can''t believe that someone would actually make that."

    "You think it was made?" I ask with a frown, staring at her with wide eyes.

    "It has to be made, it obviously gically altered because it''s simr to the rabies virus and yet so very different."

    "You''re just repeating my mom''s words." Mae pouts, still upset with Shana''s previous words.

    Shana nces at her, a mischievous lighting into her eyes and the next moment she''s tackling Mae to the bed and tickling her.

    Mae bursts outughing and tries to roll away but Shana doesn''t let her, catching her effortlessly and tickling her even harder.

    Maeughs so hard that tears run down her face and her eyes start to glow, I frown at this, reaching forward.

    "Shana, I don''t think"

    Mae''s eyes start up with a silver glow and darken to purple and the next moment, Shana is getting thrown across the room by a burst of energy.

    I p a hand over my mouth when she hits the wall hard, Mae looks equally traumatized.

    "Oh my God, Shay I''m so sorry." She gushes.

    Shana just raises a hand up, giving us a thumbs up. "I''m okay, I sorta deserved that."

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127

    Shana and Mae had hung around for some time before having to go down to the first floor to continue to help out, they had invited me but apparently there were a lot of staff there currently because the affected Werewolves that had moved from the city pitched in to help so I didn''t need a lot of encouragement to pass up on their offer.

    I didn''t understand much of the technical terms that were used but apparently someone artificially mutated the familiar rabies virus and it was making Werewolves go rabid.

    <em>Rabid</em>

    That was even worse than rogue Werewolves, whose defects were caused by emotional trauma.

    They were keeping the news of it possibly being a virus from the rest of the Packs which was a good idea as it would cause nothing but panic, luckily it wasn''t even contagious by bite because Werewolf saliva apparently had very high healing capabilities so the weakened virus had no effect.

    This was why no one had gotten infected yet although they had been battling the rabid Werewolves.

    Julia had invited herself over for dinner which was ironic as she was the one that cooked the meal, Luke came over as well with his grandmother.

    The meal was really fun, it was nice to get to know Julia and I found out that she was a lovelydy who took care of her grandson whose parents died in a ne crash when he was really little so he had always known just his grandmother.

    They had always lived in the Pack House and I wondered how long the Pack House had been around, if I hadn''t found out about Werewolves, I''m pretty sure I would have never even realized that there was a huge building just at the mouth of the woods.

    Julia had originally invited us to eat with the rest of the Pack on the second floor but my mom and I had graciously declined but I realized then what was wrong with the apartment, there was no kitchen.

    I hadn''t seen thating and apparently we would have to eat meals with the rest of the Pack, it''s an absolute disaster.

    Julia on the other hand had been ted at the idea, apparently that was how things had always been but then people started to blend in with human society and abandoned their old traditions.

    She had felt sad that it took a crisis to bring the Werewolves of Crimson Pack together.

    Luke had invited me over to y games after dinner while Julia and my mom went down the stairs to help out at the kitchens.

    I was still taking my precious time trying toe to terms with the new life I''m living, it''s like having a huge extended family.

    "I have a dog." Luke freezes in front of his door with his eyes wide in horror. "We can do something else"

    "No, no." I refuse quickly, going pale. "I-It''s fine, it''s just one right?" I ask shakily for confirmation.

    "Yeah, Carmen, he''s a quiet and gentle dog, just don''t freak out when hees over for pets."

    I nod, gulping. "Sure." I mutter under my breath.

    True to his words Carmen is really gentle and that''s the only reason I haven''t run screaming down the hallway back to my apartment, because he''s huge and I''m thinking it''s a Werewolf thing to like huge dogs.

    Petting Carmen is a terrifying experience but I manage to get through without cking out, although I did get dizzy a couple times.

    We settle down in his room and he sets up the game, handing me a game pad, Carmen just settles down quietly on the bed, his huge form dwarfing the bed.

    "Your grandma said that you went for training." I say as a way to start polite conversation, I keep dying in the game anyway so what''s the use?

    "Oh yeah, it''s the first time we''ve had to do anything like this." He says absently, fingers flying over his pad.

    "I mean there''s the races and asional spars but this is intense training and teaching of fighting tactics."

    I just nod with wide eyes, humming.

    I hoped they found the cure soon and caught whoever it was that''s doing this to them.

    Luke is actually fun to be around, apparently he had graduated high school a couple years ago and didn''t want to leave his grandma for college so at the moment he just took a job, he preferred to sit around withputers anyway and considered getting a degree inputer science.

    When I get back to the apartment, my mom still isn''t back but I don''t think much of it, she''s obviously having a good time, it must get hard on her to spend all her time alone.

    I mean we did keep herpany but still were way younger than her so I just pet Apple briefly like she wants and let her jump out of my hands.

    I wondered where Virgil and Dale were, I hadn''t seen them all day.

    I had even been asionally texting Shana, Mae had been added to the group so it was just the three of us, mostly filled with them bickering and me feeling like a third wheel.

    It''s so much fun anyway that I don''t mind.

    Pine Creek was officially turning into a Werewolf town, I was just grateful that the authorities yet hadn''t started to show interest in the sightings of wild ridiculously huge wolves.

    It helped that the Werewolves in the city had moved to Pine Creek so the chaos in the city had moved along with them.

    Another Pack House would be built at the other end of town, my house is at one end, Crimson Pack House is at the middle, and Dark Moon Pack would be at the other end.

    Pine Creek is apparently big enough for both Packs to live infortably and it''s probably safer that way too because then they would have double resources to help fight the virus and keep everyone safe.

    Luke had said that it was thergest gathering of Werewolves in one ce for nearly three decades, with the encroachment of industrialization, a lot of woond had been lost.

    Invariably, Werewolves hid their natures as a way to adapt to the new way of life, Packs dissolved and the bond between Pack members weakened.

    Their mind link became a joke and most didn''t shift for a really long time.

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128

    I take a shower, it has started to get colder now with fall almost here so I slip on a loose sweater and shorts.

    When winteres and it starts to get unbearably cold then I''ll pull out my stash of thick, woolen socks and sweaters and pants well let''s just say that my mom had a knitting hobby once.

    I tuck myself in, although I can clearly hear the sounds of eating and drinking from the second storey, I''m not in the least bit interested in going down.

    I''ll have to eat breakfast down there anyway so I wasn''t in a hurry to be in the middle of a lot of people.

    I plug my earphones in and open up Fantasy Reader, I had finished ''The Alpha''s Blind Mate'' and was about to get started on a new one.

    It doesn''t take long to finish the next one or so I think, I check the time and see that it''s already midnight.

    "Oh wow." I mutter under my breath, wondering how I managed to lose track of time but it wouldn''t be the first time, it was easy to forget the passage of time when I entered into the world of words.

    My mom had probably thought I was already asleep and didn''t want to bother me, that was fine with me.

    I want to get started in another one immediately but I would probably need to get up early tomorrow.

    I groan in misery, eyeing up another book that is just begging to be read when the door swings open.

    I whip my eyes to the door in shock, who would being to my room at midnight.

    "Hi, honey, I''m home." A voice drawls cockily.

    "Dale?" I say in surprise,ughing slightly at his quirky phrase.

    "Hi, Hay." Hees over to kiss my cheek.

    I just stare at him with wide eyes, pleasantly surprised. "Done with your shift?" I ask curiously.

    "Yeah, decided toe keeppany, you don''t mind do you?" He asks nervously.

    I prop myself on the headboard and shrug. "Nope, do you stay at the Pack House?" I can''t help but ask.

    He looks worn out but that doesn''t dim the glow in his eyes. "No, but I''m over so often that I practically do."

    "Oh." I mumble, watching him go over to the wardrobe and pull out sweatpants that are definitely not mine. "Wait, why are your clothes in my wardrobe?" I splutter.

    "Huh?" Dale turns to look at me. "Renee put them there, wait I need to clean up." He says quickly, slipping inside the bathroom.

    I just watch him go with my mouth wide open. <em>What. The. Actual. Fuck?</em>

    I don''t put it past my mom to actually do that though but why would Dale want his clothes in my wardrobe, he didn''t n on making this routine, did he? Would Virgil even allow that?

    I flop back on the bed and puff air out my mouth, well this isn''t surprising, Shana did say that they weren''t messing around.

    "Ugh!" I groan silently behind my palms, why do my romantic life have to be soplicated?

    I put my phone and earphones away, patiently waiting for Dale to finish up.

    Hees out shirtless and I bite my lip to stop myself from asking if my mom didn''t stack up shirts for him too, I wasn''t encouraging more of his stuff in my room, it''s already bad enough.

    It wasn''t that I hated his stuff on my ce, I''m pretty sure that half of my friends'' things are back at my house, they spent so much time over that it''s not surprising.

    I keep finding different clothes ending up in my wardrobe and again I didn''t mind but if more of Dale''s things end up in here it means that I would also see him often and the thought of that is devastating.

    It''s really surprising to find Dale here, Luke had said that both Packs trained separately and even had different areas to cover during their patrols which means that instead of going home after his shift, he came all the way there - I ignore the fuzzy ball that dances in my stomach at this.

    "How did your day go?" He asks politely,ing over to the bed.

    I scoot to make space for him, looking at the ceiling briefly. "Moving in took up most of it, Shana and Mae paid me a visit though."

    "Those two crackheads." He mutters under his breath.

    I smile at a memory at his words. "Oh, and Luke invited me over to y games with him, I met his dog, Carmen." I grin. "He''s so quiet and gentle, I even got to pat him" I trail off when I get a good look at Dale''s face, he looks mad?

    "Dale? Dale?" He nces at me like he was lost in thought. "Are you okay?"

    He smiles brightly but it doesn''t reach his eyes, if anything, the smiles looks more menacing than his previously angry face. "Of course, so are you going to see Luke again?" He asks a tad too sweetly.

    I give him a skeptical look but push it out of my mind. "Maybe." I shrug. "I mean, I''m pretty sure he still works at the pet store but it''s nice to know he lives just down the hall and is a really nice guy" I trail off again, lying on my side now so that I can see Dale''s expression. "So how did your day go?" I ask in return, really curious about the training.

    His reply is to pull me closer and I swallow a squeal when I make contact with his bare skin. "Boring." Heins, tucking me in close. "There are too many rules, now that they''ve figured out that it''s an infection going around but I think what''s even worse is the fact that they give us partners to patrol with."

    I look up at him. "Isn''t that safer?"

    He just rolls his eyes. "Maybe, if they could keep up."

    I huff augh. "What?"

    He spins around so he''s hovering over me and myughter dies in my throat. "I never met the other Pack members back in the city, the adults only had monthly meetings with the Alpha so they''re like a bunch of strangers to me." He says conversationally, looking incredibly rxed even though I keep getting redder under him.

    "We patrol in wolf form and they partner us by age so I keep getting stuck with some kid who doesn''t know how to move his paws." Heins, burying his face in my neck.

    Iugh at this, getting very vivid images from his words, myughter dies in my throat for a second time tonight when I feel the weight of his body on mine.

    It''s oddly not ufortable and he must know this because this seems to be his favorite position to sleep in.

    "Goodnight, Hay." He murmurs sleepily.

    I hup, slowly lifting a hand to bury in his slightly damp hair. "Night, Dale."

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129

    I open my eyes to sunlight streaming in from the tall window, somehow at night we had swapped positions and now I''m on him.

    Dale is still fast asleep, the poor thing probably had a hectic day, I just prop my jaw on my arms and settle in to stare at him.

    His ck hair is tousled and partially obscuring his hard angr face, I resist the urge to push his hair from his face or trail my fingertips across his jaw.

    I trail my eyes lower and remember that he''s shirtless, that would exin why I can feel his abs through my light sweater.

    I snap my head up again, ready to go back to staring at him. Dale embodies the phrase, tall, dark and handsome but yet he had so much brightnessing from him.

    When my eyes meet up with his face, I see his bright green eyes staring down at mezily and my heart thumps - <em>oops!</em> I''ve been caught

    "Morning, Hay." He drawls in his gravelly voice that has me melting.

    "Hi." I greet shyly, hiding my face in his chest so my voicees out muffled.

    He spins us around so that I''m trapped underneath him instead and he takes both my hands, holding them above my head.

    "Sleep well?" He asks cordially, pushing a hand up my sweater.

    I barely restrain the urge to roll my eyes, Dale seems to fancy holding conversations when I''m in the most embarrassing positions. "Yeah, I d" I start to say but I don''t get my words out.

    "Morning, baby!" My mom bounces in with all the excitement of a four year old and then screams when she gets a good look at what''s going on, on my bed.

    I can imagine what she''s seeing, a shirtless Dale hovering over me who has my arms trapped above my head and is trying to undress me - he actually isn''t but there''s no way my mom could have known that.

    "I-I''ll j-juste b-backter, have fun!" She tosses at us, dashing out with all of the energy she used to barge in.

    "Just great." I mumble. "We''ve scarred my mom."

    Dale chuckles at this, pulling me up so he can hug my upper body. "Nah, I don''t think so." He replies, getting off the bed and helping me off too. "She''ll just knock more often."

    "Where are we going?" I ask, when he settles behind me and carefully starts to push me forward.

    "The bathroom, we''re showering together." He says calmly.

    I choke at his words. "W-What??!"

    "I''m kidding, Hay, we''re going to brush our teeth."

    "Why do I have toe along with you?" Iin, still wanting to roll around on the warm bed a little more.

    "Because I''ll soon go, and I want to keep staring at you."

    I don''t know if to blush my cheeks off or be surprised so I go with the two. "You''re going?" I ask in unhappy surprise, tucking my ming cheeks closer to my chest.

    He throws his arms around me and makes a miserable sound. "Yeah, there''s this important meeting I can''t miss."

    I smile at his childish pouting. "Sounds like fun."

    I figured that nothing could shock me after finding out that Dale''s clothes are in my wardrobe but hell no! Apparently his toothbrush is also here, he side steps my question concerning that and we end up having a mini water ssh battle at the sink.

    Which I admit I started but his priceless face when the first handful of water hit is worth having my entire face dunked in the sink full of water.

    We fall on the ground,ughing and panting from exertion.

    "You''re going to have to pay rent if you n to room with me." I tell him, leaning against the tiled wall.

    He crawls over to me with hooded eyes and I sit up a little stiffer. "Of course." He agrees, sliding closer to me. "I get to choose the method of payment too, don''t I?"

    I blink in surprise, my brain refusing to process his words. "W-What?"

    "Oh really?" He says in faux happiness, totally ignoring my confusion. "I can choose? Thank you, Hay." He grins at me, the tip of his fangs peeking out.

    Before I can string a meaningful question together in a sentence, he slips a hand in my wet hair and angles my face for a kiss.

    My eyes slip shut as well as my cognitive abilities, the kiss tastes like mint and cool water, and I don''t think twice about slipping my hands around his neck.

    I hear my name in the distance but I don''t think twice about it, ignoring the faint sound, at least until the door swings open.

    "Hay" My mom starts to call in worry until she peeks inside. "Oh my God! I''m sorry! I''m sorry!" She apologizes profusely and I hear her feet dashing across the room, I''ll probably have to go check on her to make sure that she doesn''t jump out the window.

    Dale and I freeze at this and stare at each other for a while, then we both burst outughing.

    "Renee isn''t going to let mee around anymore." He muttered with worried eyes.

    I pick myself from the cool ground and walk out. "Yeah, you might want to make yourself scarce." I pause and look at him and see that he''s really worried. "Aw,e on I was messing with you, my mom isn''t going to chase you out of the house."

    He still doesn''t look convinced but I have to change out of the soaking wet sweater I''m in before I catch a cold so I go out anyway.

    "Dale!" I call after I change out of my sweater and his phone rings for what must be the third time. "You might want to hurry up, I think you''rete for your meeting!"

    "I''ming!" He calls back but his voicees out muffled.

    I just carefully dry my hair, uninterested in getting my entire body wet when it''s so cold and early, I''d shower after breakfast.

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130

    Dale leaves in a hurry, dressed in all ck and I wave him out, rushing to go check up on my mom.

    I haven''t seen her since the time in the bathroom and I''m more than a little worried.

    "Mom?" I call quietly, knocking on her door.

    She doesn''t reply and I wonder if she isn''t in but where else could she be?

    "Mom?" I try again, worry prompting me to push open the door when I don''t hear anything either.

    She''s sitting with her legs tucked in on the bed, her nket over her head.

    "Mom?" I slowly move closer. "Are you okay?"

    I move close enough to see that she''s clutching a picture of me as a baby and I shake my head wryly.

    "Mom?" She looks up at me this time and I get on the bed with her, throwing off the nket and taking the picture from her.

    Her wide eyes are filled with terror, like she had never entertained the thought of me growing older. "Hay?" She calls back in a whisper.

    "I''m not going anywhere, mom." I tell her bluntly. "I don''t even have a boyfriend yet."

    She blinks at this, staring at me with wide grey eyes. "You don''t?"

    "No." I tell her because it''s the truth, sure Virgil and Dale flirted around a lot but we hadn''t made anymitments yet.

    "But you will." She says bleakly, peak devastation on her face.

    "Isn''t that what you wanted?"

    She pouts, her cheeks puffing out, her dark brown hair in a messy knot on the crown of her head. "Maybe."

    "How about we eat breakfast first then we''ll discuss more about this?" I say reasonably.

    My mom just looks horrified. "No thanks, I don''t want to talk about your rtionships."

    I just facepalm, remembering that I''m the adult here. "Sure, mom, let''s just go eat."

    "That reminds me, I''ll go down to the store today and stock up, so that we won''t always have to go down to the kitchens okay." She says to me as I make my way out.

    "Sure." I throw back to her, going to my room.

    Shana and Mae had texted to say that they woulde by to escort me to the kitchens.

    It seemed like a lot of work to me, considering that they stayed on the first floor while I''m on the third and the kitchens are on the second.

    As expected, they crash in through the front door, immediately swarming around my mom.

    I shake my head as I pull on jeans but then the living room goes quiet, too quiet.

    I frown, what is going on down there? Then it hits me.

    <em>Oh my God!</em>

    My mom is telling them about Dale.

    I hurry out. "What''s going on here?" I call loudly, enjoying the way they all fall off the chair they were huddled on.

    "Ow!"

    "Ouch!"

    "Eek!"

    Their simultaneous sounds of pain makes me smile smugly. "I thought as much, let''s go eat."

    The flight of stairs down to the second level isn''t as bad as the memory I had ofing up but it''s still no fun so early in the morning.

    The kitchen is shockingly not as crowded as I expected, it''s not like dinner where everyone sat to eat at the same time.

    Apparently, unless there was an important asion, everyone usually made breakfast themselves, the kitchen was stocked up enough to feed the whole town and it practically did.

    It had me wondering exactly how rich Virgil''s dad is.

    I opt for cereal while the rest bicker around, baking pancakes. I just watch them, quietly eating my cereal on a counter that''s far away from their chaos.

    "Hey." A familiar voice greets as someone settles in near me.

    I look to the side, slightly startled and see that it''s Luke. "Oh, hi, Luke." I greet politely.

    "You''re with them huh?" He asks dryly, inclining his head in my mom and friends'' direction.

    I look at them and wince, they''re currently pping each other around with wet dough and I wonder how no one hasined yet but no one seems to mind.

    "Them? Nope." I deny them with a nk face.

    Heughs at this and I get up to rinse off my cereal bowl and return it to the rack. "Are you going to the pet store today?" I ask politely, deciding to wait a bit so I could keep my eye on them.

    He looks down into his bowl and shrugs. "No, Suzy said that since the animals there aren''t much except for the puppies you met thest time you came, although they''re much bigger now, she''ll keep them at home that way it''s much safer for them than having to transport them everyday." He finishes up as well and cleans up his bowl.

    "Oh." I nod. "That makes sense."

    "So, want toe over and y games then?" He invited nervously, scratching his dark brown hair.

    "Sure, anything to stay away from them." I agree. "Mom! Luke and I are going to y games!" I call to her when we pass by but I don''t think she even heard me.

    We make our way down the hallway, Luke is surprisingly funny and I''m introverted enough to not irritate his quiet nature.

    We make it to the third floor without event, well at least I haven''t passed out yet.

    "You look fit, why are you panting like you just ran up a hill, while dragging a car?" Luke asks incredulously when I hang off the banister, trying to catch my breath.

    "J-Just give me a sec, I''m full of milk." I try to defend myself.

    "I ate cereal too." Luke says nkly,ughter in his brown eyes.

    "W-Well you''re older than me." I pout, finally able to process all of the air that I''d been gulping in.

    "That doesn''t even make any sense, you''re supposed to be fitter since you''re younger."

    "Let''s just go y games so you can ruthlessly kill off my avatar." I say grumpily, starting down the hallway.

    "You''re just horrible at ying." He replies, easily catching up with his much longer legs.

    It''s really horrible being short because I have to look up at everyone while they''re talking and it also means that my vision is limited to their torso down unless I lift my head up.

    I''m so concentrated on huffing and puffing my way to Luke''s apartment that I don''t notice my path, I bump into something or someone that''s really hard.

    "Ow!" I exim, rebounding off the person''s torso where I had whacked my head, the person obviously has really quick reflexes because big hands wrap around my arms to stop me from plopping down to the hard floor.

    Luke freezes and takes a couple steps back and I wonder why, I look up and see Leon staring down at me with striking blue eyes that are simr to Virgil''s yet very different. "I''m sorry about that, Leon, I wasn''t looking at where I was going." I apologize nervously.

    "It''s fine, Hayden." He replies in his unnaturally low voice. "Try to not bump into me again, Virgil can be a pain in the ass." He says sinctly, continuing his journey.

    I just watch him go with wide eyes, remembering Virgil expressive orders to stay away from Leon and I wonder why, he''s not so bad really.

    Until I look up at Luke and see him watching me with something like awe and horror in his wide brown eyes. "What''s wrong?"

    "You know Leon?" He asks in shock.

    "Something like that, he''s my friend''s older brother."

    "And he just let you go?" He demands, stepping back a little more.

    "Yeah?" I reply in confusion. "Wasn''t he supposed to?"

    Luke just ces a hand over his eyes. "You obviously don''t know him then, he even knew your name." He monologues under his breath.

    I just stand there, not knowing what''s going on.

    "What did Virgil tell you about him?" He asks me carefully, finally moving closer.

    "That I should stay away from hi" I trail off looking behind me again.

    "You should." Luke says tightly, grabbing my hand and hurrying to his apartment. "He''s bad news."

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131

    I spend way more time than I budgeted for with Luke, they had been separated into squadrons to patrol but he didn''t have to go in till it got dark.

    He didn''t have to show up at work today as well and I really didn''t have any ns so we end up ying games well into the afternoon.

    My mom called to check up on me a couple times, asking if I wasn''t hungry yet, I told her I was fine.

    Luke had ordered pizza which he went down to get and when he came back he found me on the wardrobe with no recollection of how I got up there, Carmen woofing happily up at me and pawing at the wardrobe.

    "Call that huge monster away." I say unhappily when he finally came back.

    This seems to break him out of his shock and he helps me down.

    "How did you even get up there?" He asks incredulously. "It''s like twice your height."

    "Don''t push it Luke." I warn him darkly, still upset.

    "Sorry." He apologizes nervously.

    I end up eating way more pizza than I''d ever thought possible and that''s how I walk down the hallway to my apartment, feeling like I swallowed a basketball.

    Luke had insisted on escorting me because he was still paranoid about Leon which seemed ludicrous to me but Luke seems genuinely terrified so I humor him.

    We exchange our byes and I push open the door, wanting nothing more than to shower and fall dead asleep on my bed.

    The acrobatics I had performed to get away from Carmen was starting to tell on me.

    It''s a whole lot shocking that I can actually spend an entire day with someone that I just got to really know a day before but it was actually really nice.

    "Oh, Hayden? You''re back, I was just about toe get you." My mom says happily as soon as I step in, she''s sitting on the couch with Apple sleeping beside her while she watches some show on the TV.

    "Hi, mom, sorry for staying out so long." I apologize drowsily.

    "Oh no, it''s fine, if you wanted to stay over, you''re free to." She says sweetly.

    "Thanks, but no thanks, he has a dog." I tell her shortly, like it exins everything, it kind of does, well that and the fact that I''ll have a lot to exin to my friends, I wasn''t interested in that much stress.

    "Baby? Aren''t you eating dinner?" She calls to me.

    "No, thanks mom."

    I trudge my way to my room, it''s almost time for dinner but I''m going to have to pass on it. There''s no space in my tummy for anything more anyway.

    Izily fling open my door only to freeze, my fingers going cold.

    Virgil is lying on my bed, still in his jacket, he''s propped against the headboard with his hands behind his head but it''s his expression that makes me gulp, he looks furious, his eyes a burning gold.

    "Where have you been, Hayden?" He asks coldly and I blink in surprise.

    Virgil is actually really terrifying but I''ve never been on the receiving side so it hits hard.

    My sigh of relief that it''s just Virgil gets overshadowed by his obvious upset state. "Um, at Luke''s, we were ying games?" I exin shortly, my mind working double time to figure out how Virgil got in here.

    My mom would definitely have told me if she knew and I eye the window, he wouldn''t do that right?

    "Oh." He murmured in an odd tone but when I nce at him, he''s just staring quietly at me, blue eyes and serene smile in ce.

    "How was your day?" I ask politely, still on my n of showering and falling asleep.

    If Dale and Virgil wanted to sleep over, they were free to but it wouldn''t hurt to give me a heads up.

    "Not bad, I missed you." He says easily like it was something he said every other day.

    I''m on my way to a fresh change of clothes from my wardrobe so that I could go shower but at his words I trip, spreading my arms out for bnce quickly before turning around to look at him with surprise.

    "Err.. I um I missed you too." Which is the truth because now it hits that I haven''t seen him since that night at my house when the Werewolf attacked.

    I cut off my journey to the wardrobe and turn around to walk up to him instead. "You know, you could have given me a heads up, I nearly bit my tongue off." I tell him, making him sit up so I can help him out of his jacket - I don''t know why I do it, it''s just something that Virgil himself would have done for me so it doesn''t seem out of ce.

    "But that would have ruined the surprise." He whines a little, moving around a little to make it easier for me to pull his jacket off .

    I hang his jacket ande back to him with a smile on my face. "Sure, were you waiting long?" I didn''t bother to ask how he got in, it would be like asking my mom how she got into the house --- weird

    He throws his legs off the bed so that he''s facing me and he pulls me close so that he can rest his head on me. "Not really." He shrugs slightly, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.

    I note that while Dale had given me a detailed exnation of how his day had gone, Virgil instead just says the perfunctory phrase and it''s just like him because he feels like he''s supposed to protect me from everything.

    That''s why at moments like this, when he actually lets his guard down and relies on me even though it''s so inconsequential, I gulp it down like a parched soul starved for water.

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132

    I gently massage his scalp with my hands an old memory passing through my thoughts, we were just five and my mom had taken me to the park for the sixth time in a row because I kept insisting that I wanted to see V - I couldn''t pronounce his name so I always called him that, I never do anymore now and I wonder why.

    Usually Virgil would be sitting all by himself on a marble bench, my mom was worried about him because apparently he snuck out of his house and came to the park all by himself.

    I was the one that did most of the talking and the hugging, and the sharing but he gave me his full attention so I didn''t get bothered at all by his quiet nature, forward people mostly terrified me.

    But that day he was standing and swerving his head around like he was looking for someone, that was until he saw my mom and I.

    I wanted to run over, ted to see my only friend but my mom held on tight to my hand because I was a lot more clumsy then and she cried harder than me whenever I got hurt --- which was a lot.

    Virgil always sat down stiffly, a cold expression on his adorable face that was too severe for a child, he never replied to my questions or reacted to my storytelling. It was like talking to a teddy bear.

    This time though when he saw us, he dashed across the space between us so fast that I was stunned for a few precious seconds.

    That was the first time he said my name, plus the first time he touched me first --- Virgil always denies now that he cried but I clearly remember him with tears in his eyes.

    I get sad whenever I think about it but I know he hates the pity so I try to not think about it, I don''t pity him, I''m just sad.

    I wonder what could be bothering him now, the first time he hade forfort, turned out that everyone kept saying he killed his mom.

    My mom had been livid and yelled for hours on the phone at Virgil''s dad, and then boom! Virgil starts basically living over at my ce which I didn''t mind at all.

    It had just turned out to be his brothers bullying him I still didn''t like to think about it because Virgil didn''t like me to.

    "I need to shower." I say casually when he leans back, knowing that mentioning his actions would only make him retreat deeper into his shell. "You''re staying the night, aren''t you?" I ask hopefully, walking over to the wardrobe again.

    "Yeah." He says simply, falling back on the bed with his legs hanging off, a peaceful expression on his face.

    I step into the bathroom with my clothes bundled under an arm, the warm water feels blissful on my sore muscles --- why did I risk my life by hanging around Luke and his dog again?

    Plus there''s the case of Virgil and Dale acting suspicious whenever I mention him, maybe I should stop, Luke already seems terrified of Leon, I wasn''t about to set the two of them on him as well.

    I study my reflection in the steamed up mirror, I''m fully dressed in one of my mom''s sweaters this time andfy shorts.

    <em>I can''t help but feel like I''m out of time</em>

    "You took a lot of time in there, is something wrong?" Virgil asks in worry when I step out.

    I perk up at this, quick to hide my worry for him --- he''s just built that way, he''s allowed to worry about every single thing about me but I couldn''t.

    "No, I''m fine, I brushed my teeth." I add, showing him my teeth.

    "Did you floss?" He asks seriously, getting up.

    I make a face, pausing my motion to slither under the covers to nce at him. "I brushed my teeth, anything more is just asking for blood." I tell him seriously.

    "But if you don''t, there''ll be germs which can make you fall sick" He starts to argue in earnest.

    "Go take your shower, Virgil." I tell him nkly.

    "Fine but we are not done with this argument." He says sternly, going over to the wardrobe to pull out a pair of ck sweatpants that are very different from the gray pair that Dale had unearthed the day before.

    I sit up in a sh, frowning. "Why are your clothes in my wardrobe?" I ask, <em>again</em>.

    "Where else would they be?" He asks incredulously like I''m retarded for asking the question.

    I just watch him go to the bathroom with a nk expression, noting that the idiot didn''t carry a shirt either.

    I make a face of exasperation, wondering if they had nned this --- wait, nope.

    I shake my head, I couldn''t see that ever happening but they were so simr sometimes it was downright creepy, maybe it''s the Alpha in them.

    I''ve learnt my lesson from the time Dale was over and I keep my back turned to the bathroom even when I hear it swing open.

    I wait patiently for Virgil to get on the bed first before I''d turn around to face him but when a couple minutes pass and still no Virgil, curiosity wins over and I spin around to check.

    I let out a strangled sound, I should have stayed put.

    Virgil is leaning against the wall with his hands down the front pockets of his sweatpants which makes the flimsy material just ride lower on his hard body.

    "Are youing to sleep or you prefer standing over there like you''re in an ad for a body spray or something?" I ask grumpily.

    He nces at me like he had been lost in thought. "I thought you were asleep." He says sheepishly, making his way over.

    "It nearly happened trust me." I tell him sleepily, my eyes slipping shut.

    "Well you should go to sleep." He encourages, pulling me closer so that my head rests on his chest, his skin is cool to the touch and it only encourages the rapidly approaching sleep.

    "Virgil?" I say drowsily, my eyes closed.

    He hums, his arms wrapped protectively around me.

    "Will you be here when I wake up?" I ask hopefully.

    "Sure, now goodnight." He agrees.

    I want to respond but I''m not sure if I do or I just fall fast asleep.

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133

    I wake up in a panic, unnecessarily terrified that Virgil has left again until I feel his arms around me and I''m quick to rx, heaving a sigh of relief that didn''tst very long.

    I slowly take in my current position, my face steadily heating up, somehow we both moved into a spooning position which I''m pretty sure it''s all me and Virgil most likely adjusted to make me morefortable.

    Our legs are tangled together and his muchrger body dwarfs mine, his arms are wrapped so high and tight around me that he nearly pushes my sweater off with how far in his arms are, his face buried in my neck.

    It couldn''t possibly get worse, or so I think because as if on cue my mom swings open the door, I really need to start giving her a heads up when ever Virgil or Dale is around.

    "Oh no! Why do I keep doing this to myself." She groans in misery and I wince, hearing her rush out again.

    Virgil just tucks me in closer and I''m here burning up brain cells trying to figure out if he''s awake or not, after a while I just give it up, deciding to get up anyway.

    I start by testing how much give his hold has but it just makes the fairly tight hold get even tighter. "Where are you going?" He asks huskily, his face still tucked in my neck.

    "Not outside that''s for sure." I mutter, wondering how to exin to my mom that I don''t have multiple boyfriends, she''s probably back under the nket again.

    Virgil pulls back so that just his hands are wrapped around me, I''m already moving when he takes his arms away but I had rxed too soon because he just holds onto me with his hands, rubbing his hands up and down my body.

    His fingers make goosebumps erupt all over my sensitive skin, the pads of his fingers brushing over my nipples which makes my breath hitch and my back arch a bit.

    "Goo'' morning." He mumbles into my neck.

    "M-Morning." I stutter slightly, catching his hands, effectively stopping that steady movement which is slowly driving me crazy. "I''m surprised you stayed." I say absently, managing to get out of his hold --- I needed to pee --- which he reluctantly allows.

    He just quietly watches me try to mber over him without offering any help even though my movements are clumsier from sleep. "I said I would." He says simply watching me with a fond smile when I finally make my way over.

    I trudge to the bathroom and relieve my dder, wanting nothing more than to go back and curl up beside Virgil, I had major ns to sleep half the day away.

    I decide to brush my teeth before going back, disliking the sour taste in my mouth.

    The door swings open and I jump, nearly spilling sticky toothpaste all over my hair.

    "Oh it''s just you." I sigh when I see that it''s Virgil.

    "Who else would it be?" He asks incredulously.

    I lean over to fluff up his already tousled hair. "The Boogeyman?" I shrug.

    "He''s not real." Virgil says nkly, casually reaching up into the cupboard above our heads to get out his toothbrush.

    I decide to not worry about how their things seem to just show up, finding out how wouldn''t make it stop anyway.

    I start to rinse off my face but pause when I see Virgil taking Dale''s toothbrush out of the canister before recing it with his.

    "Um, what are you doing?" I ask, slightly confused with my hands against my face.

    "What does it look like?" He asks patronizingly, yanking open the cupboard and tossing Dale''s toothbrush unceremoniously in.

    "A child throwing a tantrum?" I say in a muffled voice behind my palms, there''s no way I can reach the toothbrush and Virgil wouldn''t bring it down himself whelp! It would have to wait till Dale came over again.

    Which I can''t help but feel like would happen soon, I''m starting to see a pattern that I''m not sure how to feel about.

    "I don''t share." He says in a miffed voice, putting paste on his toothbrush.

    "It''s just toothbrush space." I prod, wiping my face with a towel.

    "You wouldn''t mind if I shuck his clothes out the window then?" He asks hopefully.

    I blink briefly in horror. "What? Of course I would." I say sternly.

    "Exactly." He mumbles, concentrating on his teeth.

    I just shake my head and walk out, beelining to the bed. Shana knew what she was talking about when she said that the only reason Dale was still around was because of me.

    I flop on the bed, rolling around a little to find the warmest spot so I could curl around it.

    I wonder if Virgil would decide to get going now because call me selfish but it''s cold and I need to cuddle.

    I smile softly when the bed dips beside me, rolling over to him.

    Sleeping with Virgil is as familiar as sleeping with a sibling but there''s nothing brotherly about the way he slips his hand up my sweater.

    His other hand sinks into my hair to angle my head slightly so that his face can find its home in the crook of my neck, his legs tangle up with mine and I''m too busy sinking into the warmth of his body to remember how to use a nket.

    I feel him mouth over the spot where my face meets my neck and I vaguely note that the resulting hickey would be too high up to cover up, strangely that doesn''t even bother me, it''s Virgil anyway.

    I fall asleep easily, nothing on my mind but how easy it is to fall asleep in his arms, the sky could be falling down outside and I would still fall asleep if Virgil just wrapped his arms around me and told me to go to sleep.

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134

    I wake up alone --- scratch that, I''m not alone and I nearly scream my head off when I find Shana and Mae standing over my bed and watching me with curious eyes.

    "Oh my goodness!" I gasp, rolling over on my face so that I don''t have to look in their question filled eyes. "Why?"

    They just hop on the bed, if the bed dipping on both sides is any indication.

    "Well, Renee called and was freaking out so hard something about her baby getting pregnant and leaving her." Shana starts to say.

    "Well, we couldn''t miss out on that." Mae tags on,ughter in her voice.

    I just groan loudly and try to hide inside the bed. "I can''t believe my mom did that."

    "Don''t worry, I do." Shana says. "You needed to see her expression." She tags on, gasping from the effort it took to keep herughter in.

    Mae isn''t that nice though and sheughs so hard that her body shakes from the effort. "This is the most fun I''ve had in days, we really shoulde over more often."

    "Just tell us what happened." Shana finally prompts. "We couldn''t get anything out of Renee, she was that badly freaked out so we just directed her todies that help babysit the Pack''s kids." She shrugs. "Maybe being around babies would help calm her down."

    "Is what I''d like to know." I say sitting up to re at them, the covers slipping down. "Virgil and Dale keep finding their way in my room without my mom seeing them, plus their clothes are in my wardrobe and their toothbrush are in the bathroom so which of you two is helping out?" I demand.

    They just stare speechlessly at me, their mouth hanging open and their eyes

    "Hey, my face is up here." I wave a hand in front of my face, watching as their eyes simultaneously snap up.

    "Sorry." They apologize sheepishly.

    "What are you looking at?" I ask suspiciously.

    "You might want to see for yourself." Shana says gravely and I''m already freaking out, wondering what could be on my neck that they seem so stunned by.

    I let them lead me to the bathroom, the sun is shining bright enough for me to figure that it''s almost noon.

    "It couldn''t have hurt to just tell me instead of oh my fucking god!" I exim, pping my hands over my face in horror. "What the hell is that?"

    "A hickey, I would presume." Mae pronounces gravely like it''s a dangerous disease and not just an unnaturallyrge bite mark high on my neck.

    "Let me guess, it''s Virgil." Shana says nkly.

    "How am I supposed to walk around with this?" I wail in horror. "Oh no, my mom is going to pass out for real this time."

    "Nah, you''ll be fine." Mae says nonchntly.

    "Renee is fine too, she went to the store." Shana says in the same careless tone.

    I just stare at them open mouthed, my hand slipping down from my neck. "You said she was with kids." I remind her nkly.

    "Why would I leave your mom with kids?" She asks incredulously. "No offense."

    "None taken." I mumble. "But why did you say she was?"

    "We needed a reason foring over." Mae says simply and I frown at them.

    "Since when do you need a reason?" I ask bewildered.

    "Since Virgil said we weren''t allowed to influence your decision." Shana pouts, crossing her arms.

    I just wander back to the bed, trying to process her words. "Come again? Decision? What decisio oh my God!'' I exim, staring into space before snapping out of it and whipping my head from smug teenage girl to smug teenage girl.

    "That''s what they''re doing?!" I ask rhetorically.

    Shana answers anyway. "Yup!" She says, hopping on the bed. "They''re what''s that word again, Mae? It has something to do with a Court?"

    "Woo, Shana, its woo." Mae says nkly in exasperation. "And it''s courting, it has nothing to do with a Court."

    "But you figured out what I was saying anyway so that''s all that matters."

    I''m already sinking deeper into the bed in mortification, horror sshed across my face.

    "As I was saying, they''re trying to woo you."

    I let out a sound of misery at Shana''s words.

    "Why do you look so horrified?" Mae pouts. "I came up with that idea."

    "I''m sorry, it''s just really weird." I mumble out.

    "See, I told you" Shana starts to say smugly.

    Mae just throws an evil look her way. "You must really like the feel of the couch." She threatens darkly and Shana doesn''t think twice about swallowing back her words.

    To me she says earnestly. "I didn''t ever imagine that they would put so much work in, they must really care about you."

    Color paints my cheeks at her words but it still doesn''t lessen my mortification.

    "Sure they do." Shana agrees. "...but have you met those two? They''re bloodypetitive at everything."

    "It''s still way better than your idea, at least this way Hayden gets to choose." Mae says nicely.

    Shana just gives her a sour look. "Are you telling me that you aren''t even a little bit curious of who would have won? I mean Virgil is toozy to get goaded into a spar"

    "Don''t you mean disinterested?" Mae interrupts her.

    "Same girl, different dress." She waves dismissively. "And Dale keeps whooping everybody''s ass so we''ve got no way to measure."

    I just listen in on the two way conversation in slight confusion. "I don''t understand."

    "She wanted them to spar."

    I flinch at this, giving Shana the evil eye.

    "For the record I''m not the only person who''s curious, do you know how rare it is to get Alphas that are literally the same age?"

    "Just ask politely and maybe they''ll think about it." Mae says.

    Shana just falls on the bed in deep frustration. "It''s hopeless, Virgil is disinterested and Dale knows it''ll make Hayden unhappy, unless" She sits up and gives me a devious look.

    "No, I''m not getting Virgil and Dale to fight so that you can bet on them." I say bluntly.

    "Fine, I''ll refrain from betting." She says seriously. "Scouts honor."

    "You really think that''s the issue here?" I ask incredulously.

    "I don''t think there''s any issue but sure whatever you say."

    I just roll my eyes, Shana is like a moving boulder when she wants something.

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135

    "How''s the researching along?" I ask curiously when we make our way downstairs, they had waited for me to shower while they continued their argument on whose idea was better.

    "Really good." Shana says happily. "Making a cure is next to impossible but the vine is almost ready and there''s apparently a lead on the person that made the mutated virus."

    "That''s good news." I say, it meant I wouldn''t have to stay at the Pack House much longer, that was relieving but I would definitely miss Dale and Virgil sneaking into my room.

    "It''s about time for lunch, it''s the weekend so there might be more people than usual but we''ll just take the second dining room." Shana says.

    It''s unsurprising that it''s already thatte, I did n to sleep in after all.

    "Sure." I murmur, I wasn''t worried, it was much like lunch break at school and I went to school every other day.

    "Oh I almost forgot, my older brother is back." Shana says grudgingly like she would rather not but I''m ted by the news.

    "Jaxie is back?!" I ask for confirmation, my eyes lighting up.

    Shana and her older brother were always at loggerheads, unexinably too but unlike Virgil whose older brothers'' kept their distance, Jaxon hung around with us sometimes, until he had to go off to college.

    "I just said so didn''t I?" She replies sourly.

    "Don''t mind Shana." Mae cuts in. "He seemed like a really nice person to me"

    "That''s because you haven''t gotten to know him yet." Shana cuts in grumpily. "He''s just as bad as Leon."

    Again, I find myself wondering what Leon did.

    "He just does it with a smile." She adds darkly.

    Mae just res nkly at her and continues with what she was saying. "...and he was happy to hear that you were staying at the Pack House, we might even bump into him at the dining room."

    We''ve gotten to the second floor now and I can hear the quiet humming from the kitchens area, we follow a different entrance that leads directly to what has to be the second dining room.

    There''s actually more people than I''d expected, although they''re sitting at one end, converging in on the people sitting at the head.

    Shana and Mae just deposit me at the other end which is deserted, saying that I should wait while they go get the food.

    I wasn''tining because that would save me from the horde of people definitely moving around.

    I pull out my phone so I would look busy, it''s actually to save me from making eye contact with anyone and it works well enough.

    I can almost swear that I hear Elise''s high and cold voice but I convince myself otherwise.

    "Hayden, what''s up?" Luke greets happily, sliding in the seat beside me.

    I raise my head up from my phone with a smile, relieved to see someone that I knew. "I''m good, Shana and Mae just went to get lunch." I wave my hand in the general direction of his tray.

    "Oh that sounds" he pauses sharply, his eyes dropping from my face.

    "What''s wrong?" I ask, studying his narrow eyes.

    "Sorry." He apologizes in a mumble, biting into his sandwich. "It''s none of my business."

    My curiousity spikes with his reply and I lean forward. "Well it''s mine."

    "It''s just" He trails off, dropping his sandwich with more force than I had been expecting. "I thought you were with Dale but I guess not." He shrugs, color sshing across his face.

    I blink, thoroughly confused. He thought I was in a rtionship with Dale? Oh wow, I had no idea people took note of things like that.

    "And you''re sitting there with a hickey on your neck that''s from Virgil." He says in a voice dripping with disappointment and I reel back in shock.

    There''s a lot of things that I want to say but I go quiet to arrange my response. "Oh, I see" I mumble, lifting a hand to the tender skin high on my neck. "First, I''m not with Dale and how did you know it wasn''t from him? Or that it''s from Virgil for that matter?" I ask, keeping my tone neutral.

    Luke is friends with Dale and I could understand his reaction if he thought that Dale and I were together but there was still something I couldn''t get my head around and that was how he knew,e to think about it, Shana had guessed pretty urately too.

    "Oh! You''re not?" Luke asks with wide eyes. "I feel stupid now." He mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. "I''m sorry for jumping into conclusions."

    "No, it''s fine, it was a honest mistake."

    "And, Virgil''s scent is all over you, that''s how I knew." He resumes his sandwich like he had just said the most natural thing, while I''m here blinking myopically in his direction and trying to make sense of his words.

    "Excuse me, what?" I ask bluntly.

    "You don''t know" He starts intensely then breaks off, facepalmimg. "Shit, I forget you''re not a Werewolf most times."

    I just smile a little at this, I would have to question Shana more about the scent thing.

    "We''re back, Hay!" Shana''s voice flows in and I turn around to see hering in with two trays bnced effortlessly on both hands. "I hope we didn''t make you wait long, plus we ran into stowaways."

    I get up to help her but she side steps me. "Don''t worry, I''ve got this, hi Luke."

    He nods to her.

    "Don''t call them stowaways, Shana." Mae rolls her eyesing in after her and I can see Dale behind her with a wide grin on his face, Virgiling in behind him with his usual solemn expression.

    My eyes light up at this, not expecting them. Shana takes the seat beside me, arranging the tray piled with sandwiches, chicken sd, soup and milk?

    "Why would you think I''d want milk with thisbo?" I ask incredulously, waving my hand in the general direction of the tray. "I knew I should havee along." I groan.

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136

    "I told you so." Mae shakes her head, settling in beside Shana.

    Shana looks lost. "B-But I thought you liked milk?"

    "Yeah but not with sandwiches and soup." I reply.

    Luke looks like he''s choking on his food, cheeks extended inughter.

    "Hi, Dale, Virgil! I wasn''t expecting you guys." I greet them, putting my phone in a pocket.

    "It was ast minute decision." Virgil says, sitting at an angle that puts him in my line of sight even though this distances him from the rest a bit.

    Dale ces his tray at the spot beside Luke and walks back in my direction. "You walked right out of a fucking important meeting." Dale uses him.

    "Says the one that followed me." He mumbles, getting started on his sd.

    Dale just walks behind my chair and leans over me to ce a quick upside down kiss on my lips, going back to his seat with a really casual air that''s at odds with his recent action.

    I p my hands over my ears, looking up to see Virgil staring right at me with an unreadable expression.

    "I came along to bring you back." Dale shrugs, sliding gracefully into his seat.

    "No kidding, how did that work out for you?" Virgil asks with heavy doses of sarcasm.

    Dale just keeps his gaze down, refusing to be goaded.

    "What was the important meeting about?" Shana asks impatiently, obviously done with their spat.

    "The base of the person making the virus was found but he had info and fled before the forces could get there, they''re calling him Alexis." Dale starts to say without preamble.

    "Is that his name?" Mae asks curiously.

    "They''re not sure, they tried matching his name with a profile but came up nk so that''s most likely not his real name."

    "Or we''re looking in the wrong ce." Virgil cuts in, dragging everyone''s back to him.

    "What?"

    Virgil just shrugs. "I mean, from the facts we have down, he has a deep seated hatred of Werewolves because of something that happened in his past, his abandoned notes told us that much so maybe the reason we couldn''t find a match is because he''s registered dead."

    The entire group goes quiet watching Virgil incredulously, Dale has his mouth hanging slightly, shocked awe on his face. "Well, why didn''t you say anything at the meeting."

    "Didn''t care to." Virgil shrugs.

    Dale''s bright eyes dim slightly before he jumps right back into his narrative. "I''ll call my dadter, they also found Werewolves kept captive at his base, an abandoned log house located on the fringes of the city. They had been used as test subjects and we''re traced to a small Pack in Cone"

    "Should I be here?" Luke interrupts worriedly.

    "I don''t see any reason why not." Shana tells him. "Cone is practically on the other side of town, could that have been his next location?"

    "I doubt, that would be too obvious." I mumble, already over my initial mortification.

    "But to think that he knew so much about Werewolves" Mae shakes her head. "Cone is really far away, why would he go all the way there to get Werewolves?"

    "Pine Creek is hidden." Virgil says. "He probably found out about Werewolves from the city, my guess is that a rogue Werewolf probably attacked his home, they live far away from civilization for that to be a possibility." He pushes a hand through his hair like he''s just thinking it up as he''s saying the words. "Finding a Werewolf in the city is like searching for a needle in a haystack, they keep their secrets well and if he didn''t know that Pine Creek basically had one of thergest poption of Werewolves where would be his next option?"

    "Cone." Mae says in a half whisper.

    "I see why they really wanted you back at the meeting." Dale says darkly.

    "But instead you tagged along with me."

    "Convincing you is hopeless, have you met yourself?"

    "Please let''s get back to the discussion." Shana cuts in, again.

    I just quietly process everything, I knew that Virgil''s rtionship with the rest of his family was very shaky but the realization that it extended to the rest of the Pack is a bit upsetting.

    "That means, Alexis could be anywhere." Mae says in a trembling voice.

    "But at least hisb was confiscated so it''ll take a long while for him to make another batch of the virus, we would hopefully have found him by then." Dale surmises.

    "That''s good news, I can''t believe that one person could manage to cause so much chaos and deaths." Shana shakes her head.

    "Revenge is a really efficient partner." Virgil mumbles.

    The air gets tense a bit and I get a whiff of a story I don''t know and I frown briefly, wondering what it could be.

    The doors on the other end swings open and three people stride in, the entire hall goes quiet and I don''t miss Luke tensing up beside me.

    Leones up in the middle in a fitted short sleeved shirt that shows off the tattoos wrapped around his arm, a leather jacket slung over one shoulder, Ian walks by his left side with a pad in his hand, attention on the t device and then there''s Jaxon

    They beeline straight to us and Shana has a done look on her face.

    Jaxon looks very different, he had grown way taller, almost at Leon''s height, filled out and his bright red hair had darkened with age making him fit right in with the shy twins that were too good-looking for their own good.

    Even though he looks very different physically, his familiar kind smile is in ce and my face mellows into a matching expression.

    "Oh look it''s my favorite person!" He exims,ing around to grab me in a bear hug that pulls me right of out my chair and leaves my legs dangling in the air.

    I chuckle happily. "Nice to see you, Jaxie!" I hug him in return, remembering when he would piggyback me and run around yelling that he was a rocket.

    "Back at you, Hay." He grins, putting me down carefully. His eyes darken when he notes the mark on my neck and I''m starting to wish I had decided to throw a scarf around my neck.

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137

    He doesn''t say anything about it though and I settle in my seat.

    "What do y''all want?" Shana asks unhappily, Luke is a tense mess beside me and I furrow my brow in worry.

    "Little sis!" Jaxon exims with childish excitement, ruffling her hair with a hand which she ps away. "Heard you got yourself a girlfriend, this her?" He inclines his head at Mae who gives him a nervous smile.

    "Fuck off." She bites out to him. "All of you."

    "Calm down." Leon says smoothly, settling into the chair beside Mae, Jaxon perches on the edge of the table while Ian just stands by himself, engrossed in tapping and sliding on his pad.

    "We were sent to babysit." He says bluntly, pushing a hand through his gold locks. "Dad and Alpha Ascott said to bring you two back, really I know I have my moments but walking out of a fucking important meeting, toe eat lunch?" He drawls in disbelief, pinning each of them a hard look.

    Dale grimaces, having the courtesy to look guilty, while Virgil just bites into his sandwich and gives his brother dead eyes. "I was bored and got hungry." He shrugs and I note Shana, and Mae struggling to hold in theirughter.

    "Got distracted." Dale offers up, already getting up from his spot on the table.

    I just watch on intently, this is a really new scene for me, I''d barely ever seen Virgil interact with other people even his older brothers, he mostly ignored them.

    "Aren''t youing?" Ian finally speaks up when Virgil still makes no move, I peek to the other side of the dining table and see that everyone''s attention is on our table - just great.

    "I''ll pass." He says without batting an eyelid.

    They all looked like they had expected this and the tension that settles over this part of the table is enough to make me mindlessly snatch up my ss of milk to take a sip.

    I nce up and nearly choke on the creamy liquid, the three of them have their eyes on me like they expect me to do something.

    "H-He''s not going to get in trouble if he doesn''t go right?" I don''t know when the words leave my mouth.

    "Hell n" Shana starts to say.

    "He will, the Alpha of the Pack from Cone is here as well not to mention the team investigating the virus." Jaxon says seriously and I bite my lip in worry, throwing a look at Virgil.

    He looks back at me, hanging around a person for most of your life meant that you could understand them without needing words.

    "Fine." I agree after a series of wordless looks while everyone else stares in wonder, if I wasn''t so worried about him getting in major trouble I''d be disconcerted.

    He gets up fluidly. "I''ll go." He agrees, already moving.

    "Bye, Hay." He waves to me and I wave back self-consciously.

    Jaxon thanks me and Dale greets me good-bye animatedly.

    "Virgil isn''t going to get in trouble." Shana insists darkly when they''re gone. "Jax just lied."

    We''re already done eating so we clear up and decide to move somewhere else, the people at the other end of the table are staring at us so hard that trying to eat anymore would just be dangerous.

    "What did you agree to?" Shana asks curiously.

    "I don''t know yet." I shrug, the kitchen is deserted, most probably eating. "He said he''ll tell meter."

    "You guys are creepy." Shana shudders.

    "Why?" I ask absently, preparing the dishes to go in the dishwasher. "You and Mae do it all the time."

    They nce at each other at this, eyes wide in surprise.

    "No, we don''t." They say simultaneously.

    "And that too." I toss at them, turning around to Luke who looks traumatized. "Are you okay?"

    "I think so." He finally speaks, staring at me in wonder. "It''s just, that''s the first time I''ve seen the Alpha''s so I mean Virgil string so many words together."

    "Oh?" I blink in surprise. "Really?"

    "Yeah, he doesn''t talk much." He mumbles, eyes distant. "I think it''s about time for my patrol shift, it was nice eating lunch with you guys." Luke excuses quickly, making his way out of the kitchens.

    "What''s his deal?" I ask when we make our way back to my apartment.

    "Well, it''s hard to convince Virgil to do what he doesn''t want to so the fact that you effortlessly made him change his mind definitely blew his mind." Shana exins. "Hell, I see you do it every other day and it still shocks me."

    I just blink, surprised to learn this new part of Virgil, well I know he''s pretty determined and hard to shake but I had no idea it was this bad.

    "Will he be okay?" I ask in worry, pushing open the door.

    "I''m more worried about everyone else." Shana mumbles.

    "Mom!" I exim happily when I see her walk out of the tiny kitchte that''s partitioned off by a wall, I hadn''t seen her all day.

    "Hi, baby." She greets in return, humoring me when I throw my arms around her. "What did you tell him?" She asks Shana and Mae suspiciously.

    "That you jumped out your window." Shana teases.

    I just pout at the implications of her words. "Can''t I miss you anymore?"

    "Sure you can!" She ruffles my hair. "I wanted to talk to you about something important, so it''s a good thing you walked in before I forgot."

    "What is it?" I ask curiously, settling on a couch and smiling when Apple hops up my leg like she had been waiting all day to do it.

    "Alpha Everett suggested that we spend the rest of the year here because of how delicate a position our house is at." She says sinctly.

    My eyes grow rounded at this, Mae and Shana squealing excitedly beside me, their arms wrapped around each other. "Oh, that''s um, n-nice of him?" I stutter slightly.

    "I know right." My mom says, her voice warm. "So we''ll make a trip to the house tomorrow to get more of our stuff."

    "Sure." I agree absently, petting Apple''s fur and basking in the low purring sounds she makes, living in the Pack House wasn''t on my bucket list but it shouldn''t turn out so bad.

    <em>Hopefully</em>

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140

    The journey down the stairs is mostly quiet until I''m asking my mom how we nned to make the trip to the house.

    "I forgot to say but I went and brought my car yesterday before shopping so it''s just outside."

    "Oh, okay."

    I settlefortably in the front seat, I''d missed the ridiculously shy car, the leather seats soft.

    "What''s going to happen to your job when we have to move back?" I ask inzy curiousity.

    My mom just sighs. "It''s temporary, j just wanted to try out at a job."

    "That is nice of you to want to do." I tell her bluntly. "You''re always wee to work at my antique shop, you know." I tell her seriously.

    She just gives me a look like I''d said I''d start wearing skirts. "Sure." She says drily, sarcasm heavy on that simple word.

    I just give her the evil eye, uninterested in dragging out the matter with her.

    The streets are even quieter, most of the upants either at the Pack House or on the other side of the Town that''s a distance away from the forest for their own safety.

    It''s fine by me, especially now that I know that everything would soon return back to it''s normal state.

    Our street is even more quiet, the entire ce deserted and even I know that trying to live here at the moment wouldn''t be the smartest idea.

    I keep my attention out the window as the car moves surely but steadily to the end of the street and I get my fill of staring at other houses.

    A slight movement in the house directly beside ours catches my attention but I brush it off as a trick of the light when I don''t see anything anymore.

    The house makes me nostalgic which is ridiculous because I haven''t even been gone a week.

    We make our way into the house, the house is truly boarded up which makes it look asleep, at least from the exterior.

    "You would want to go up to your room right, I''lle up with bags to put your stuff in, just go get the things you would like to take ready so we can leave soon." She says, beelining to her room.

    I do the same as well, even though I knew that there were patrols going on and that the rabid Werewolves kept their distance during the day time, I can''t help the sense of urgency thrumming through me.

    I guess it''ll take some time for me to get over the Werewolf attack, I just haven''t felt the brunt of it because we moved right after.

    I fling open the doors of my wardrobe, quick to pull out clothes for winter.

    I upturn the cupboard of woolen socks on the bed, my mom would still rearrange my clothes even if I tried so there was really no use.

    I would just shove everything in when she brings the bags up and then we''d sort it out when we got back home - to the apartment at the Pack House I mean.

    "Hayden?" My mom calls,ing in with bags in her hands.

    "Yeah?" I say, getting up from my crouching position.

    "Here are the bags, just shuck everything inside okay, I''ll deal with themter." She exins, dropping the bags at my feet. "Oh, and, I need to run down to town really quick." She adds and I whip my head in her direction with wide eyes.

    "Why?" I ask, not really bothered, there was still a lot to keep me busy.

    "Alpha Everett just called, he wants me to pick something up for him, it should take just ten to fifteen minutes tops." She exins nervously like she expects me to throw a tantrum,plete with the bawling and the rolling around.

    "Sure mom." I tell her dryly, dragging the bags closer to the bed so that I could get started.

    I''d also need to pack up my books, mostly the ones I hadn''t gotten to read yet and the ones that I really wanted to re-read, it was easy to get stuck in bed, when it started snowing anyway.

    "Y-You don''t mind?" She confirms in half disbelief, half apprehension.

    I make a slight movement with my shoulders. "Nope, why would I be? Come on, you might want to get to work, mom." I reassure her.

    Her eyes twinkle at this and she sweeps me into a hug before hurrying out with determination, I just smile a little shaking her head.

    I was happy for her that she actually decided all by herself that she wanted to do something to keep herself busy, sure she had her hands full with raising me and I guess, Virgil too, Shana was another stowaway that ended up at my house more often than not but now we were all grown so it was good that she decided to find something else to give her attention to.

    Even though it''s a little weird to find out that your single mom is your bestfriend/crush''s single dad''s PA.

    Piling the clothes into the bags don''t require much brainwork so soon enough, I''m done with the clothes.

    A faint crashing sound stops me in my tracks on my way to my bookshelf and I frown, was my mom back?

    No --- I shake my head, it was too soon.

    Unless she forgot to properly close the door in her haste to get going and most likely a couple squirrels got in.

    I sigh long sufferingly, changing directions. I wouldn''t be able to do much if it truly were squirrels that made their way in but at least I''d be able to close the door before more came in and I''d feel better if I knew the source of the crash.

    Unsurprisingly, I hear another one and this makes me quicken my steps down the stairs.

    I want to call out but something makes me stop myself in time, calling out would just make me feel dumb, especially when I find out that it was nothing but squirrels causing the sounds.

    Vaguely, I wonder how long it had been going on before I finally noticed, and I hoped that they hadn''t caused any serious damage.

    I pause when Ie within sight of the door and see that it''s closed properly, frowning when I hear a creaking sound and that familiar crash.

    Walking slowly, I make my way to the living room, the sound ising from the broken window that was boarded up.

    The front windows have been boarded up too so I couldn''t see anything through them, there''s a strip of light at the center.

    I gasp, stumbling back a bit, someone was currently on the other side, slowly but steadily ripping off the boards, no doubt toe in.

    I take more steps back, could it be a rabid Werewolf? No, no. I could see a person''s hands.

    A face peeks in through the space made and I barely duck to the side in time, I see an unfamiliar face with shaggy ck hair and thick, ck rimmed sses, evil ck eyes peeking out of a pale face.

    I p my hands over my mouth to drive back the whimper that nearly escapes, I don''t know how I figured it out.

    Maybe it''s the current terror that I''m feeling that''s making my brain work so fast

    He was here

    Mae had pointed out the possibility of him being anywhere but of course, the smart serial killer woulde to the very ce they were least likely to look for him.

    <em>Alexis...</em>

 Chapter 175

    Chapter 175

    "Hurry up baby!" My mom calls across the hallway.

    "I''m almost done!"

    We were going on a visit to my Grammy, the constant snowing had let up for a couple days so it was the perfect time to make the trip to the city to pay her a Christmas visit before the roads got blocked off by snow.

    The dinner was in two days and I''ve been too busy to remember to be nervous, I had gone shopping with my mom for decorations and to get gifts for my Grammy and Aunt.

    I hurry out, my mom''s impatience nearly palpable, we would spend a night at my Grammy''s ce and I hoped we didn''t get snowed in, I had to be back in Pine Creek really soon.

    My mom wraps a knitted scarf around my neck when Ie down to the living room and ces a loud smacking kiss on my cold nose which I rub because it tickles, scrunching up my face.

    "Ready, baby?" She asks, grabbing the suitcases and bags which are ridiculously plenty considering we would being backter tomorrow. "Did you carry your gifts?"

    "Yes." I reply, going out the open door. "Oh hi, Virgil!" I greet happily when I see himing down the stairs. We had said goodbye earlier this morning so seeing him again was a pleasant surprise.

    He ces a kiss on my cheek. "Need help with that?" He offers.

    "Thanks darling." My mom says in relief when he effortlessly moves all of her unnecessary luggage.

    "My pleasure, Renee, bye, baby." He hugs me onest time and waves as my mom drives out.

    The journey to the city is smooth which is a really wee change because sometimes it snows so hard that the drive is nothing but a pain and we end up spending hours on the road.

    It''s a family tradition that we wouldn''t opt out of but neither my mom or I are particrlyfortable in riding in a helicopter so bracing the roads it is.

    We started out early and we made it into the city in the early afternoon, my Grammy hurrying us into the living room close to the electric firece so we can get warm.

    Which is just her being fussy because the heater was on in the car so it''s just the short walk to the house from the car that would have gotten us cold.

    "The snow wouldn''t let up," My Aunt Candy says,ing in with a tray of steaming hot chocte. "I was almost thinking we would have to forfeit this year''s Christmas dinner."

    My Aunt practically spent the holidays with my Grammy so she wouldn''t feel lonely, my grandad wouldn''t be back in time for the holidays, no surprise there.

    "We might have to leave first thing tomorrow morning though." My mom says, taking a sip of her steaming drink. "So we won''t get caught in a nasty snowstorm."

    My Grammy just ces an arm around me, obviously very pleased to see me if her constant ruffling of my hair and chafing at my cold hands to get them warm is any indication. "Of course, I''m just d you were able to make it."

    The next couple hours are spent catching up, my Aunt Candy it''s thinking of opening her ownw firm, something she could have done easily if she wanted to but she liked to earn her own money which didn''t bother my grandparents in the slightest.

    They had already epted that their children were an odd bunch so instead choose to use ridiculously extravagant gifts to console themselves.

    After lunch we lounged on sofas ying cards when my Aunt finally spoke up, ever shy when it came to emotional things.

    "So" she trails off, her funny tone of voice alerting everyone.

    "So?" My mom prompts, impatient when her older sister doesn''t say anything else.

    "Don''t rush her, Rennie." My Grammy tsks.

    "Fine, sorry, take your time, Andy." She teases.

    Aunt Candy just res at her sister but gulps, looking nervous about whatever she wants to say. "So I, um" she twiddles her fingers, avoiding eye contact.

    "I can''t believe it!" My mom exims with wide eyes, her cards dropping to the ground. "You''re seeing someone!"

    My Grammy blinks, confused. "What?"

    I''m on the same page as my grandmother too, staring at them with a bewildered expression. "How did you know?"

    "Well, yes." Aunt Candy finally admits. "Ren is right."

    "Really!" My Grammy cries out, happy. "I need to take up knitting sses, I want the very best for my grandbaby or I could travel out, solely for the baby''s shopping you know because that''s very important, you would have to quit your job, for the baby''s sake you know" She starts to mutter, brows furrowed in concentration.

    "Mom!" My Aunt whines, "I just met them a couple weeks ago." Sheins.

    "Congrattions, Auntie." I smile at her, while my Grammy falls into another monologue of nning.

    My mom is stunned, like her brain short circuited after my Aunt''s confirmation of her guess. "I was right?!" She asks with something akin to horror. "You''re seeing someone?! I thought you were fucking aromantic."

    "That''s you, Ren, I''m just really picky."

    My Grammy insisted we drank champagne to celebrate the asion then proceeded to fuss over my Aunt about drinking alcohol even though my Aunt kept saying she wasn''t pregnant.

    Dinner was a colorful affair and I ended up choking more than a couple times at my mom''s and Aunt''s sibling rivalry while my Grammy just watched on fondly.

    After dinner we retired to the living room for the tradition of exchanging gifts. Somehow I wasn''t surprised about my mom''s gifts to everyone knitted sweaters!

    My Grammy ooh'' ed and aah'' ed over them, saying that they should have knitting dates for the new baby.

    My poor Aunt kept getting flustered at the mention of babies that she was a bumbling wreck at the end of the night.

    I had given my Grammy mittens because she alwaysined about freezing hands in the winter but never bought something to help and to my Aunt I gave a cutesy little keychain with a chibi wolf and bow ties made from fangs.

    My Aunt had made charm bracelets for everyone with our initials on it, there was a lot of detailing and I could tell that she had spent a lot of time on it.

    My Grammy started her gift giving by saying she wired half a million dors into our ounts and we all just smiled at her, knowing that there was no way to convince her otherwise.

    Then she hurried inside the house and came back with little framed pictures of herself and us, each picture was different.

    I was really small in mine, my chubby hands reaching for her to pick me up with childish giggles on my face.

    We retiredte to our rooms and I found that I couldn''t sleep, my heart too full to sleep, staring out the windows where the lights of the city twinkled.

 Chapter 183

    Chapter 183

    The sun streams into the little bakery shop, it''s still pretty early in the morning but it''s already so bright, Dia ascribes it to one of the things thate with living in the city.

    It''s so busy out, cars driving by in a hurry and people moving around in even more of a hurry, no one seems to have the time to sit at thefortable tables to savor the warm pastries, the few that do all but gobbling them down just to be on their way again.

    It''s business as usual for the curvy Werewolf as most of the peopleing in her bakery took their orders to go.

    "Mom, we''re running out of the blueberry muffins." A youngdy with dark brown hair in a pale pink apron with a diamond embroidered over it says, standing behind the counter and trying to get her mother''s attention.

    Dia turned around to her only daughter, she hade to check on something and then got lost in thought staring out the windows of the bakery. "We are?" She blinks in surprise, she had just made a couple of fresh batches less than an hour ago.

    "Yeah, and Dream is busy with the cupcakes... hello, what''s your order please." She cuts herself off to attend to the customer in front of her, unsurprisingly the person bought a couple of the blueberry muffins and she was relieved to see her mom head into the kitchen.

    Deidre was worried about her mom, she kept getting increasingly distracted and she knew it was because her dad had gone on one of his nameless trips again.

    In her opinion, her mom should have left the annoying man but she knew that her mom loved him even though it was no secret that he cheated on her.

    Deidre just brushes her wispy hair away from her face, her bright blue eyes concerned as she attends to the next customer.

    Dia hurried in the kitchen to see her youngest son retrieving delicious smelling cupcakes from the oven, all her children worked so hard and helped her out, it made her so sad that they had to go through all the trouble.

    "Done with the cupcakes?" She asks, even though she already knows, washing her hand at the sink.

    Dream turns around with the tter of steaming little cakes and ces them on the counter to cool. "Yes, mom." He smiles wearily at her, reaching around himself to undo the ties of his apron. "You wanted me to take some muffins to Miss Jacobs"

    Dia was barely listening, getting lost in thought again, she knew living in the busy city with so many humans wore on her youngest son the most.

    Blending in wasn''t too difficult for Beta wolves but Alpha and Omegas had it harder, it was also made moreplicated because he was male. A male Omega was even worse.

    "Mom? Mom? Are you okay?" Dream asks in worry, moving closer to her, she had been staring at a spot without blinking for a while.

    "What?" Dia breaks out of her thoughts to see her son staring up at her with concern in his beautiful blue-grey eyes.

    "I was talking about the muffins? For Mrs. Jacob?" He repeats himself, not bothering to undo his blonde hair packed in a messy ponytail, he was just going across then down the street and when he came back, he would continue baking.

    "Oh, yes, sorry dear, let me just grab it." Dia apologizes, moving around the kitchen to get a small white box. "Be careful when you''re crossing the road, Dream" She starts to advise,ing over with the confectionery box.

    Dream pouts. "I''m not five"

    "No, you''re twenty-one yet you manage to get distracted by practically everything." Dia scolds him.

    Dream just keeps quiet, knowing she''s not wrong. "Fine, I''ll be careful"

    "Did you use your scent suppressants?" Dia interrupts him again, moving the box far away from his outstretched hands as she proceeds to sniff him. "I can barely catch anything over the scents in the bakery."

    "O-Of c-course mom!" Dream says, flustered and affronted. "Just give me the muffins, let me be on my way." He sighs.

    He didn''t like the scent suppressants because they made him feel nd and colorless if that even was a thing but they were a necessary evil.

    "Or maybe, Deidre could take it to her, I don''t like you going out all by yourself." Dia frowns.

    Dream''s face fell, he had been looking forward to taking the short walk through the colorful city because most of his time was either spent in the house or the bakery''s kitchen, it got monotonous.

    "Then who would handle the orders." He points out calmly, knowing that if he sounded too excited, his mom would definitely call off his trip. "Besides I go there every day, what''s different today?"

    "Or Darian could go." Dia continues musing, ignoring her son.

    "Mom!" Dream whines.

    "Alright, fine, you can go but don''t get distracted by kittens or puppies or babies or"

    "I understand, mom." He says dryly, taking the box of muffins from her. "I''m off now!"

    "Be careful, Dream." She calls after him, watching him bound out the door and unsurprised when most of the people seated instantly looked in his direction.

    She really wanted to protect him but hisck of a danger radar was proving really inconvenient, maybe she shouldn''t have named him ''<em>Dream</em>'' because he seemed to live like life was a dream and the whole world was his dream world.

    That was dangerous because the world wasn''t all cream and roses on a spring morning but Dream didn''t know that.

    "He''ll be fine." Deidre''s voice interrupts her thinking. "And you''ve been getting lost in your thoughts way too often mom, sure you''re okay?" She asks in worried concern, backing the bakery as she looked into the kitchen from the window in the wall that was used to pass orders, it had a sliding door that was currently wide open.

    "Yes, Deidre I''m just fine." Dia huffs out, upset at herself for letting her inner turmoil show, today was theirst day in the city - maybe that''s why it was so busy - and she couldn''t help but feel like it wasn''t the best thing to do.

    "Of course," Deidre answers with obvious sarcasm, parting her messy bun. "Aren''t you supposed to be doing something?"

    Dia blinks, looks down at her hands, and up at her daughter, blinking again. "I am?"

    "Yes." Deidre rolls her eyes in exasperation. "The muffins, mom, the muffins."

    "Oh." Dia mumbles, realization hitting her. "Go back to work." She grumbles at the smug look on her daughter''s face, sliding the window shut.

 Chapter 188

    Chapter 188

    Hayden chickens out for the third time and flops on the couch, his mom wasn''t in because she had a shift at the Pack House, he was pretty sure that they were looking after her as much as the pups.

    Maybe when she came back they would both go together, he had baked chocte chip cookies, leaving the bookstore earlier than usual as it was a Saturday.

    It''s a bit of a surprise for people to move into their street, most of the new Werewolves moving in preferred to stay at the Pack House.

    Mae''s mom was now a permanent fixture at the Crimson Pack House, although she was more or less the main doctor of both Packs.

    Mae preferred her own space and stayed at their house which was just fine with her, although she was a better healer when it came to magical ailments.

    Those didn''t happen often so she could just as easily do it from her house, fixing appointments there.

    A intive meow brings his attention to his cat who is currently struggling with a huge ball of yarn, she has her small teeth in the bright yellow yarn and is slowly dragging it to her nest.

    "Good work, girl." Hayden ps for her, encouraging her.

    Apple just gives him a dark look, expecting him to help her pick it up and transport her favorite toy to where she needed it.

    A knock on the door startles the both of them and Apple loses her grip on the yarn, mistakenly pushing it in the opposite direction from where she needs it to go.

    Hayden winces at the upset screech she lets out, hurrying to the door nervously when the knock raps again.

    He''s dressed infortable jeans and a thin, pale yellow sweater that shows a strip of his stomach, he really wasn''t expecting guests at least not the type that knocked.

    Who could it be? Jaxie always called beforeing over and Mae definitely wouldn''t knock.

    "Who is it?" He calls out reflexively when he gets to the door.

    "Your new neighbors, we just came to say hi." A sweet feminine voice replies to him and Hayden panics but tampers his nerves quick enough to smoothly open the door.

    "H-Hi." He greets shyly with a smile that crinkles his eyes into slits, opening the door wider.

    Dream''s eyes widen when he takes in his new neighbor who''s just a couple inches taller than him and looks around his age, and is human.

    Deidre obviously doesn''t have his inhibitions. "Hello! I''m Deidre and this is my baby brother, Dream, we just moved in with our mom and older brother."

    Hayden''s eyes widen when he takes in the guy''s name, he does look dreamy with big nted, blue-grey eyes that look slightly worried.

    "Why don''t youe in?" He invites cordially, stepping back to let them in. "I live here with my mom, it''s surprising to get new neighbors."

    "We moved here from another state, we needed a change of pace from the city." Deidre exins, sitting down when she''s directed to.

    Their new neighbor is cute but he''s obviously younger than her, most likely Dream''s age, maybe they could be good friends.

    They certainly had simr statures which was a little umon for a human male but she didn''t care or mind.

    "Oh, that exins it." Hayden smiled, still nervous. "Um, d-do you m-mind cookies? I-I just baked them y-you see so" He stutters nervously.

    "No, we don''t mind at all." Deidre cuts off his anxious rambling, smiling wider when he stumbles in his haste to get to the kitchen. "He''s so adorable." She sighs when he goes out of sight.

    "And he''s human!" Dream whisper yells, shing a hand to add emphasis on his words. "We need to get out of here before he finds out."

    "No we don''t, that''s exactly what''s so intriguing about him, he''s human and has obviously lived here for a really long time." She looks at Dream hopefully. "There are humans who know about us you know and he looks to be around your age, you could both be good friends."

    Dream looks torn, the expression falling off his face when he catches a glimpse of Apple finally pulling the yarn back to where she had been.

    "Cat!" Dream squeals, immediatelying down from the couch and going on all fours to properly study the white cat. "It''s so pretty." He coos making heart eyes.

    Apple just eyes the weird human blocking her light and path, unhappiness in her eye when he makes no move to get up.

    Hayden makes his way out at this point with tes of cookies and sses of milk on a tray,ing out to see Dream cowering in a corner while Apple was hissing at him, he had tried to pet her.

    Deidre wasughing, leaning against the arm of the chair, herughter only increases when she sees Haydening in with the tray, thebination was just so adorable and his horrified expression at Dream who''s nearly in tears from the cat that''s refusing to back down is just so hrious than she rolls to the floor inughter, arms around her.

    "Oh my God." Hayden mutters in horror. "Apple, stop that!" He scolds sharply, hurrying around to help his guest up.

    Apple just stares up at him with watery eyes, already bored, and goes back to pulling on her ball of yarn.

    Dream didn''t think too much about hugging Hayden, traumatized from his encounter with the cat.

    If Hayden was surprised with the touchiness he doesn''t let it show, knowing he would need a hug if he had been terrified like that. "I''m sorry about Apple, she doesn''t take to strangers very well, are you okay?" He asks in concern, if they were the same age it was really nice to have someone his height, although Deidre was easily taller than the both of them.

    Dream just raises shaky hands to his face, tears shining in his eyes. "I think so." He mumbles, letting Hayden lead his back to his seat. "I''m sorry about that." He apologizes contritely when he calms down, mortified at his show.

    Deidre had gotten over herughing fit, sitting with red cheeks as she struggled to not burst outughing at the serving of cookies and milk.

    Dream doesn''t have such inhibitions though, scare forgotten when he gets a good look at the table. "Cookies and milk!" He says with unrestrained excitement, a wide smile on his previously terrified face as he reaches a small chubby hand to pick up a cookie.

    Hayden just sits down slowly, a little stunned by how quickly his guest recovered.

    "Have you stayed in Pine Creek for long?" Deidre asks curiously, staring at him with dark blue eyes.

    "Um, y-yes." He blinks, rubbing his neck, he had been so lost in watching Dream stuff his mouth with an entire cookie after dunking it in the milk.

    "This is so good." Dream says with puffy cheeks, his wordsing out muffled.

    "Th-Thank y-you." Hayden blushes slightly at thepliment, taking a small bite out of his.

    "I''ve practically lived here all my life." He adds to Deidre, whose eyes go wide at this.

    "Really?" She demands with wide eyes. "That''s strange for a human." Shements.

    Dream chokes at this slip not knowing that his sister had done it intentionally to find out how much Hayden knew.

 Chapter 189

    Chapter 189

    Hayden blinks at the odd word usage, it took a while for new Werewolves to adapt to the fact that he and his mom as humans knew about their secret.

    He shrugs, now that he knew that they were Werewolves there wouldn''t be any harm in letting them know what he did but he was still cautious. "It''s my home plus the people of the town are really nice once you get to know them b-better." He says firmly.

    Deidre wasn''t sure if to be in awe or exasperated of his willingness to protect their secret even. "So you''ve been to the Pack House?" She asks bluntly, already done with the back and forth.

    Dream chokes again and gulps down a sip of milk, ring at his sister in disbelief, what if their neighbor had no idea that Werewolves existed? They could get in really big trouble. "DD?" He calls sharply.

    Hayden smiles easily. "Of course, my mom helps babysit pups sometimes."

    Dream whips his head around, eyes rounded in excitement. "Really?! You know about Werewolves?!" He asks happily.

    "Nice going, Dream, very tactful." Deidre scoffs, making Dream color up.

    "I-It''s fine, most people are really cautious of us, I''m surprised you didn''t want to live at either of the Pack House''s, most families for that." He notes, picking up the now empty tray, Dream had polished off his sister''s share. "Do you want more?''

    "Yes please."

    "I guess we just want our space." Deidre says, noticing the silver ring on his wedding finger, a little strange to put an essory there, unless "Your ring is beautiful."

    Hayden nces down at his finger at her words, surprise etched on his face. "O-Oh, thank you."

    Dream delves in the second helping of cookies and milk, red staining his cheeks.

    "You seem to enjoy them a lot, I don''t have a lot of people trying them out."

    "Their loss." Dream shrugs. "They''re really so good, you have to show me how you make them sometime."

    "I''d love that."

    "We should probably be on our way, we''re much exhausted from the journey and moving in." Deidre says with a smile. "You''re most likely Dream''s age and I hope you''ll be good friends." She adds on with a megawatt smile, ignoring Dream who stomps on her.

    "Oh, really, how old is he?" Hayden asks curiously, expecting him to be more than a couple years younger.

    "Twenty-one." Dream mutters in a muffled voice.

    "Whoa! Really, we''re the same age."

    "Even better!" Deidre agrees, getting up fluidly. "You''re free to visit, you know what I might send Dream over to invite you and your mom for dinner, do you think you could make it?"

    "I don''t see why not, thank you foring." He gets up as well, Dream getting up more slowly,pletely stuffed.

    "Our pleasure, you''re too kind." Deidre says politely.

    "Thanks for the cookies, Hay." Dream murmurs, eyes sleepy.

    Hayden smiles at this and waves them out, his neighbors were even better than he had hoped and he hurried up to his room giddily to share the news with Mae.

    Renee was driving back home just around this time, as she makes the turn to her street, she sees thest of moving trucks drive out of the house next to hers.

    Rubbing a fading bite in the hand ced on the wheel, her initial disgruntled state changes when she sees that they most likely have new which is more than a little odd if they were Werewolves and even weirder if they were humans.

    A young man passes by her car with headphones over his ears and hand in the pockets of his jackets, she freezes momentarily in shock but gets over it just as fast, continuing her journey home.

    "Baby! I''m home, I smell chocte chip cookies! Did you bake some?"

    "Wee back, mom, how was work?" Haydenes down from his room at his mother''s voice, moving to hug her.

    "Jaxie threatened to throw me off the top floor and Alyssa cried again but other than that it was just fine." She tells him.

    "Why did Jaxie want to do that? And I''ve told you to stop tickling Miss. Alyssa." He scolds her, helping her take off her jacket.

    "I bit Xander." She says proudly, puffing her chest out.

    "You did what?!" Hayden demands in horror, cing his hands on his face.

    Xander was a 2-year-old kid that was at the Pack House''s daycare and the image kept getting worse the more he thought about it.

    "He bites me a lot every other day and I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine." Renee says without a hint of remorse, taking out the scrunchie from her hair to scratch her scalp. "Where are the cookies?" She asks in disbelief, staring at the empty tray like she expects them to poof out of thin air."

    "Oh dear, I''m sorry, I almost forgot, our neighbors came over to pay us a visit." Hayden exins.

    Renee just stares nkly at him, expecting him to continue when he doesn''t, she makes a face. "And how does that exin where the cookies disappeared off to?"

    "I''ll bake more, the youngest son and his older sister came over, he really liked the cookies." Hayden tried to pacify her.

    Renee just looks stumped. "He ate them all?" She demands with wide eyes.

    Hayden blinks, just realizing it. "He did." He affirms slowly, tugging on his shirt as he thought about it, how did the petite and slender man finish his entire batch of cookies?

    "Is he fat?" Renee asks, giving up on the empty tray and making his way to her room. "What''s his name by the way?"

    "No, he''s not, he''s a couple inches shorter than me"

    "Really?" Renee cuts in. "I thought you said he was a man."

    Hayden just gives her the evil eye. "We''re the same age."

    "Oh." Renee winces. "I love you."

    Hayden just waves her away. "His name is Dream"

    "Dream?" Renee interrupts again, going to prepare water for a shower. "That''s such a beautiful and strange name."

    "I know right." Hayden agrees. "His older sister''s name is Deidre and we might get invited over for dinner today." He tags on quickly, going out so that his mom could get undressed and clean up.

 Chapter 190

    Chapter 190

    "Dinner you say?" Renee says when she walks into the kitchen to find Hayden baking up another batch of cookies, an apron around his slender body.

    "Yes, mom." He affirms, swatting her hand away when she dips a finger in the chocte mix. "I was thinking we could gift them more cookies"

    "I''m sorry what?" Renee cuts him off. "I thought it was for me." She whines on a pout.

    "You''ll get sick if you eat them all, besides you can always have as much as you want to eat, now could you please answer the door." He says when a knock alerts his attention.

    "Fine." Renee agrees unhappily in a loose top and jean shorts, wet hair packed up in azy bun.

    She opens the door to see a cute young man staring up at her, mesmerizing blue-gray eyes fixed on her in surprise.

    "Hello, you must be Hayden''s mom, I''m Dream, your new neighbor." He exins cheerily, a smile on his face.

    Renee blinks in surprise, Dream in person is actually adorably beautiful and slender? How the hell did he fit all those cookies inside of him?

    "Yes, I am." She responds with a smile. "I just came back and it''s nice to have new neighbors, do you want toe in?" She asks when he doesn''t make anymore toe in even though she gestures him to. "I''m Renee by the way."

    Dream just smiles, happy that Hayden''s mom wasn''t some stuck up and colddy but seeing how her son turned out it''s hard to imagine her as that. "Oh no, thank you, Mrs. Renee"

    "Just Renee please." She cuts him off with a wink, stopping herself from cooing when he blinks in confusion."

    "Oh? Alright, I just came to ask if you would still be able to make it to dinner."

    "But of course, what time?"

    "7 pm, thank you." He gives her a wide smile, tongue sticking out a bit.

    Renee doesn''t think twice about taking a picture of the wholesome smile, blowing him a kiss when he gets stunned by her actions. "See you by 7 pm Dream, say hi to your mom for me."

    "Sure?" Dream mutters, still slightly shaken - had had Renee just taken a picture of him? - he thinks to himself as he makes his way back to his house.

    "Baby! I''ve got a new screensaver." Renee hurries to the living room to see Hayden sitting.

    "I''m sorry, what?" He asks, confused. "Who was at the door?"

    "Dream"

    "You took a picture of him?!" Hayden demands, mortified for his mom.

    "Yes" she replies uncertainly. "Is that illegal?" She asks fearfully.

    "No." Hayden sighs heavily. "What time is dinner?"

    "7 pm"

    Sun sets soon and then they''re leaving the house.

    "Apple should be okay." Hayden mutters to himself. "We''ll only be gone a couple hours, mom?" He calls out when hees out of the kitchen with the cookies. "Aren''t you ready yet? It''s already time."

    "I''m sorry." Renee pants slightly with exertion, hercy top swirling around her. "I couldn''t find my left shoe." She huffs, blowing a stray wisp of hair out of her face.

    Hayden holds his breath almost scared to look down, he groans and rubs a hand through his short curls, she is still missing a leg. "Let me guess, you didn''t find it?" Hr asks dryly.

    "Yes! How did you know? I''ve searched everywhere, I just can''t imagine where it would have gone." Renee says unhappily, still searching around the living room.

    Hayden takes in deep breaths, reminding himself that he loved his mom. "I''ll be right back, don''t go anywhere, and don''t lose the second leg." He says to her, making his way to her room which is on the ground floor.

    He wasn''t about to tell his mom because he knew she would only find a way to lose the extra pairs too, it was her favorite pair of ts to wear so naturally they got missing just as often.

    He had bought identical pairs just for situations like this so he just picks a left shoe out of his hidden stash and makes his way out again.

    "How do you find them so fast?" She asks in awe, shaking her head when he hands the shoe to her. "Thank you, baby." She smiles gently at him, leaning over to wear her shoe.

    "You''re wee, mom, now let''s get going, we''re alreadyte." He hurries her out the door, making sure it was locked behind them so they wouldn''t get a mini-battle between Apple and any number of roons that wandered in.

    A prettydy answers the door to Renee''s knock and beams at them.

    "You must be our neighbors, pleasee in, I''m Mrs. Micall but please call me, Dia, the children are already seated in the dining room."

    "Hi, Dia, I''m Renee, and thank you for inviting us over for dinner."

    "And you must be Hayden, my kids told me a lot about you."

    "Hello, Mrs. Micall." Hayden greets quietly, clutching his package of cookies protectively in his hands.

    "It''s notmon to find humans who know about us and I''m"

    "Cookies!!!" Dream''s squeal carries from a different room in the house followed by the quiet pattering of feet as he follows his Kern sense of smell to the living room. "Oh? Hay! You brought cookies? Hi, Renee!" He greets excitedly, beelining for Hayden without as much as a nce at his mom''s stern expression.

    He just pulls him into a hug and tugs him to hurry up, most likely heading for the dining room so he could steal some cookies before his mom put a stop to desert before meals.

    "Don''t eat any cookies, Dream!" Dia scolds sternly. "At least not before dinner."

    A loud whine apanies her request. "Yes, mom." His pouty voice replies hers.

    "I''m sorry about Dream, he can be really impulsive"

    Renee had just been watching the adorable Werewolf with a fond smile. "He''s fine, he''s adorable really, I don''t mind."

    Dia sighs audibly, happy to make a friend that seems close to her age.

 Chapter 191

    Chapter 191

    Shana watches Dale mope around the house unhappily, he has been this way ever since he couldn''t find the strange guy that he bumped into, he was calling him Jasmine now because he had figured out the scent of the kind of flower, it sounded ridiculous to Shana because honey was the moremon scent but there was no changing Dale''s mind.

    He still read for his final papers but all the time was spent lying around or stalking the pet shop and the bakery he found out Jasmine worked at, it had been shut down already and Shana was just as miserable as her cousin.

    "Dale, baby? Are you okay?" she asks in worry, walking closer to the couch he had been lying on.

    A muffled murmur replies her and shees close enough to see him lying halfway off the bed, he had a scruffy beard and dark bags under his eyes, and the only reason he remembered to shower was because of Shana.

    "Come on, Dale, get up." She walks around the couch to look at him properly, she had found out about his frivolous life from Virgil, she knew he had been trying to forget Hayden, and while she didn''t approve of his lifestyle that was still way better than the depressed, couch potato he was bing.

    "Why don''t youe along with me to a bar, it could cheer you up." She suggests cheerily, staring at him hopefully.

    Dale just groans again and averts his face from her bright expression. "If I have to kiss another girl, I''m going to puke."

    Shana freezes up not sure she heard him right, horror painting her face when she finally processes his words. "Virgil? V! Get yourzy ass out here!"

    Virgil strolls in from another room. "Why are you yelling? It''ste." He asks her in a cid voice.

    But Shana is too panicked to be calmed by that. "It''s just 6 pm and you made Dale gay?" She demands in horror, staring usatory at him. "How are we going to exin that to his mom? I mean the codfish was happy when she heard he was sleeping around with girls."

    "How is it my fault? He bumps into Jasmine who uses whatever voodoo on him and now it''s my fault?" Virgilins.

    Shana just perches at the edge of the sofa, cradling her head in her hands. "This is a disaster, how am I going to exin all these to Luna na?"

    Virgil just shrugs, settling on a beanbag. "I wasn''t the one charged to take care of him, plus I don''t give a fuck about what his mom says, I just want that to go on record." He says casually.

    Shana just ignores him, wheels turning in her brain, during their first year of college, Dale had been moping around over Hayden, he wasn''t gay but he wasn''t straight either, it wasplicated.

    Then sometime around the middle of the second year, Virgil called her toin, she was worried about him but she hoped that it was just a phase because she knew he beat himself up over trying to please his parents, his mom especially who took advantage of that.

    Things went on like that for a while but he was straight again which made it tolerable to himself and his annoying mother but now he bumps into this strange person that almost nobody knows about and they drop back to stage one after Hayden? What kind of sorcery is that?

    "You only met Jasmine for a couple minutes at most, besides you keep iming he''s an Omega which everyone denies and that''s believable because they almost don''t exist so maybe you''re just embellishing the memory and that''s why you can''t get over it." She tells him softly, patting his wild ck hair.

    "Sure." Dale agrees nkly. "I''m still not going to any bar."

    Shana just sighs in exasperation knowing he would agree to anything she said just to get her to leave him alone. "Fine then, we''re all going out for a haircut, both of you too."

    "What? I''m not the one looking like a caveman." Virgil protests.

    "No, you look like a priest, which is even more terrifying, we''re going back the day after tomorrow, you''re noting with me looking like train wrecks."

    "Why did you make Dale shave and make us put on fancy clothes?" Virgil asks when they settle in the car, confused.

    Shana nces over at him, her starting the car while Dale is lying down in the backseat. "Because I have a reputation to protect and since you two idiots have no self-pride, I''ll have enough for the three of us, now drive."

    Shana keeps her head out the window, the sun just set less than half an hour ago but the city was alive, stores bustling. Something catches her eye and an idea hits her.

    "Hey, Dale? Why don''t you get a tattoo, it might help lift your mood." She suggests casually.

    "Sure." He agrees nkly again.

    "I feel like you could tell him we''re driving off a cliff and he''d say ''sure''" Virgil mimics him savagely, earning a hard swat from Shana.

    "After we get our hair cut, we''ll go down to a tattoo parlor, I think I want another piercing, don''t you want one, V?"

    "I''ll pass, I already have a piercing that you sneaked up on me in the night to make." He reminds her.

    "Because you look hotter with it and I was honestly expecting you to wake up and throw Zni and me off." She admits honestly. "You slept like a log."

    "Because that bitch made her dad give me extraps because I told her to stop calling me."

    "Twops made you wonk out like that?" Shana asks in disbelief.

    "Add a zero." He mutters tightly.

    "That bitch." Shana mutters under her breath, eyes melting to silver. She almost wished that they hadn''t thrown her out just so she could make Elise''s life miserable but she knew it was better for everyone that she was.

 Chapter 192

    Chapter 192

    Shana wasn''t sure if to be proud or mortified of her best friends, they were immune to flirting, well Virgil was but Dale didn''t even notice and that was the start of a disaster.

    It made her happy to put his mom''s nose out of joint but she didn''t like what it was doing to Dale, the situation made worse when they got sleek haircuts that made the workers at the hair salon nearly break out into sobs because nothing short of stripping looked like it would grab their attention.

    Shana just hurries them out after they paid before they got kidnapped or worse by adoring fans.

    Dale just settles in the back seat, eyes trained on the city through the windows, a lock of ck hair falling over his bright green eyes.

    The journey to the tattoo parlor is quiet and ufortably so, Shana is so used to them taking jabs at each other.

    Dale''s quietness is upsetting because he''s the cheery one but now, his lips are turned down at the sides and his eyes have lost their light.

    Shana knows suggesting a tattoo is simr to cing a band-aid over a bullet wound but it''s all she can do.

    "So what would you like to get?" A tattooist asks, eyeing up Dale appreciatively.

    He just slouches, pushing a hand through his newly cut hair. "A jasmine." He says nkly eliciting a gasp from Shana and a wide eyed expression from Virgil who''s leaning against the wall.

    The girl that asks the question just frowns, surprised at his choice. "A-Are you sure?" She asks hesitantly.

    "Yeah, a Pink Jasmine, right over my sternum." He exins shortly, he could still feel the small hand of the guy he had bumped into, pressed right against the spot he wanted the tattoo.

    Maybe karma had finally gotten him for breaking way too many hearts.

    Shana was immune to them going shirtless but not the poor workers if them going pale and immediately getting flustered is any indication.

    She just levels the dude piercing her ear a dark look. "Please don''t drill a hole through my head." She tells him unhappily when she finds him staring at Dale for the umpteenth time.

    "Sorry." He mumbles getting back to work.

    Dale wanted something that he could get in one sitting, although he could probably get an entire sleeve tattoo at once with his quick healing abilities but that would only creep out the tattooist.

    He made up in detail for the rtively small size of the beautiful flowers, insisting on inking them immediately although the tattooist suggested otherwise.

    They don''t make their way back home tillte and no one says anything about the pretty obvious tattoo, hoping it''ll help him get over the strange man he had bumped into.

    Dale immediately beelines to his room, no doubt to take a shower and fall asleep.

    Shana pours herself some wine and settles down in the living room beside him, he has exams the next day so she doesn''t offer him any, taking in his grave expression.

    "Think he''ll be okay?" She asks in worry, taking a sip of her drink, a new silver stud at the tip of her left ear.

    "I can only hope he''ll be." Virgil rubs his face in frustration.

    "You still feel guilty, don''t you?" She asks after a short spell of silence, staring down into the pale yellow contents of her wine ss.

    "Can''t help it." He shrugs. "Dale''s the kind of person who''s so open that you can never tell how he''s really feeling half the time, I mean it took me so long to realize how serious he was with Hayden until he went head to head against his mom" he trails off.

    "Who, as expected used Jade to emotionally ckmail him, I can''t wait for her to step down from power." Shana growls.

    "Then again when we got to college and he slept around, I don''t know which is worse, all that or the fact that it just made him feel worse."

    "Now, there''s Jasmine who has wrecked the entire situation." Shanapletes again.

    "You should get to bed." Shana says after another short pause filled with a heavy silence. "You''ve got exams tomorrow."

    "Yeah, I do." He agrees, getting up. "Try to not get drunk okay, you don''t have a speech filter when you do."

    "Sure, whatever." Shana waves him away with the bottle, pouring herself another cup.

    Virgil just makes his way to his room, lost in thought, while Werewolves couldn''t get any venereal disease and Dale was extra careful, he didn''t approve of it but it could have been worse, it could have been drugs and a drinking problem plus there''s also the fact that he had been cured by Jasmine.

    On an average day, Dale would have collected the numbers from the tattooist and then some at the hair salon but he didn''t.

    It made him troubled so he couldn''t even fall asleep after taking a shower and rolling around on the bed for a while, it was toote to call but Hayden usually texted him, he had been so lost in thought he almost forgot.

    The soft smile that paints his face while reading it is quite expected, he knew about their new neighbors and how well they were all getting along.

    He quickly types up a lengthy text, editing out the part of Dale''s mood swings and Shana''s presence, and the fact that they would being back in a couple of days.

    He''s not even surprised when he doesn''t get a text back, his boyfriend was most likely fast asleep or he had forgotten that he had a phone.

    He switches off the t device and tosses it on the side table, breathing deep.

    Shana goes to bed not long after Virgil leaves, putting away the wine that tastes sour in her mouth.

    She makes sure to check on both of them before turning in, Virgil is tapping his phone, most likely texting Hayden if the peaceful smile on his face is anything to go by.

    She checks on Dale next and is somehow not surprised to find him wide awake and staring out the window, a longing expression on his face.

    She remembers the smile on Virgil''s face and hopes that Dale would get that too, <em>soon</em>...

 Chapter 193

    Chapter 193

    Dream makes sure that the rest of his family are long gone before hopping down from his bed and pulling on jeans, he has only been at Pine Creek for a couple days and has been itching to take a run in the woods that are just a stone throw from his house.

    Everyone has been too busy to run with him and he''s not allowed to run all by himself for his own safety, the same reason he''s not going to the Pack House with the rest of his family.

    Male Omegas are coveted because there''s an old belief that they only birth Alphas, there are so few of them that it''s difficult to prove it wrong or right but it was enough to put a restriction on Dream''s movements.

    He ties up his hair with a bandanna, it''s cool out so a sweatshirt would be the perfect clothing.

    He nned to take a short run through the woods, his wolf itching toe out and roll around in the grass but he had to be careful because scent suppressants faded away whenever he shifted and he couldn''t risk being scented out.

    He was in luck though because Werewolves kept away from this part of the woods do it was mostly quiet, plus they were the only people living on the street which made it even more isted, the perfect stage for Dream.

    He bounds out of the house, blue-grey eyes alight with happiness, he makes sure to hide the keys properly.

    He couldn''t take it with him because it would easily get lost but he hoped to get back before the rest of his family did it he would have a lot of exining to do.

    It''ste on a Sunday morning and his neighbor''s house looks quiet, he had gotten closer to Hayden and Renee who keeps sneaking up on him and grabbing him in bear hugs - literal bear hugs - because she would wear a bear suit to do it, the first couple times it happened he had screamed his head off and even now he still hadn''t gotten used to it.

    He just hurries past, beelining for the cover of the woods, he wouldn''t put it past his mom to tell Renee that he wasn''t allowed in the woods.

    He only slows down when he gets deep enough to be hidden from view, taking in deep breaths with a wide smile on his face.

    Shifting was still a mystery to him as much as any other Werewolf, he had watched documentaries where they depicted Werewolves shifting as their wolves literally tearing out of their skin, it looked like it hurt.

    Those videos had given him nightmares and he couldn''t imagine wanting to shift if that was how it actually happens, it was more like swapping forms, like a shapeshifter.

    Sure he lost his clothes as expected but every Werewolf could shift back into human form with a minuscule piece of clothing, something to do with their inherent magic.

    It was optional and they could shift back to their human forms naked but they had be so attuned to their human natures that it was just awkward so pants and shifts it was.

    He takes off his sweatshirt, not wanting to have to walk back to his house half-naked, and carefully hangs it on a shrub.

    He stretches a bit, it didn''t exactly offer any help but it had been a while he shifted he didn''t want to mess it up.

    Shifting is fluid and painless, the soothing white light that envelopes him making him feel calm and peaceful.

    When it''s all over he finds himself sitting on the leafy ground, paws down in front of him.

    His familiar blonde fur sshed with blue-grey staring back at him, he sniffs the air, smelling easier.

    He already knows about the creek, being able to smell it even in his human form but now he can clearly hear it rushing and his paws tingle, wanting to get to the creek.

    He jolts to his feet stumbling a little and starts to move, something niggles at one of his ears and he wiggles the appendage, trying to get rid of it.

    This doesn''t work and soon he''s adding more energy in trying to get off what''s on his ears, spinning around and twisting his head.

    He rolls over to his back and proceeds to use his paws to clumsily get it off, when it doesn''t work he rights himself up and sniffs self importantly, choosing to ignore it instead.

    It doesn''t take long before he takes off in the direction of the creek again, paws thudding against the ground as he increases the pace and is soon all-out running.

    He easily leaps over roots and small bushes, making the first, second, and third leaps effortlessly and fluidly, thest time he leaps though he doesn''t look at where he''s going andnds heavily on a pine cone.

    <em>''Fuck!''</em>

    He curses whiches out as an outraged whine, he cradles the paw to himself and licks it tenderly, all the while ring at the evil pine cone.

    As much as he wants to let his wolf take over and frolic around, Dream knows he''s on a time limit, and instead of settling down to gnaw on the pine cone like he really wants to, he just kicks it away with one of his hind legs and continues his journey.

    He yips happily when he gets to the creek, hurrying over to peek in.

    Pale yellow eyes stare back at him, image wavy from the constant movement of the water and he leans forward to check his ears and snorts impatiently when he sees what it is.

    <em>His bandanna</em>

    The blue and white strip of clothes was tied around one of his ears, the bow facing forward and making him look ridiculous.

    The water is really fascinating and it doesn''t take long for him to curiously dip a paw in, snatching it back just as fast.

    <em>The water is cold!</em>

    He licks his paws haughtily only to lose his bnce and go over, face-first into the streaming water.

 Chapter 194

    Chapter 194

    "Do we really have to go to the Pack House?" Diedreins, a hand under her jaw as she stares unhappily out the window of the backseat.

    "Yes, we do." Dia replies, brows furrowed as she thinks about the fact that Dream was all alone at home, she would have preferred that Diedre stay behind to keep an eye on him but they were required to alle, making excuses for just Dream wouldn''t be so hard but for two of them would be pushing it.

    "We''ve put it off for too long that the secretaries of both Packs have sent me emails."

    "It''s strange that two packs would stay in the same town." Darian notes, driving. "Think they''ll expect us to choose one?"

    "Yes, they will but there''s also the option to pick none, as long as we don''t cause troubles for the town they would leave us be." Dia exins.

    "But you want us to pick one?" Deidre asks with something akin to disgust.

    Dia sighs imperceptibly. "Yes, DD, I do, being in a Pack is very important, what with your dad on his business trips all the time."

    "You mean he keeps ghosting on us to have quality time with his girlfriends." Deidre mutters darkly.

    "DD!" Dia scolds wearily. "Not today, please."

    "Fine." Deidre agrees, swallowing her scathing remarks about her never present father and returning her sulky gaze out the window.

    Dia just sighs, noting Darian''s tight jaw and his increased grip on the steering wheel. They didn''t understand that she couldn''t leave their father because of them, she didn''t want them to not have a father figure in their lives and she was too busy with the bakery to think about remarrying.

    While she had gotten mated pretty early, she was surprised to find out that she was still more than a couple years older than Renee, which meant the single mother also had her son quite early, not like she could judge when she was the same.

    "Oh wow, you choose not to live there?" Deidre pipes up when both Pack Housese into view, the two impressive buildings sitting side by side.

    "Who side are you on?" Darian res at her.

    "My side." She scoffs haughtily.

    "No fighting when we go in okay?" Dia scolds her children, picking up her purse when Darian parks the car in the garage of the first Pack House.

    The siblings grumble but acquiesce anyway, unable to disobey their mom.

    "Good, we have our first appointment with the Alpha of Dark Moon Pack then the second one, be polite and don''t talk smack about people, especially you Darian" She debriefs them while they get out of the car and walk to the entrance of the building.

    "Leave the talking to me, please, and don''t talk unless you''re addressed"

    "There are more rules than an Ancient Chinese Sect, can''t I just sit this one out in the car?" Deidre interrupts unhappily.

    "No, you will stay put, keep quiet, and like it." Dia warns her darkly, shutting up theint that was about to bubble out.

    The rest of the journey goes just as smoothly, they were headed to the top floor and every one of the Werewolves she had met was quite nice.

    "Hi, I''m Erin." A slender brte intercepts them when they climb up the final flight of stairs. "You must be the Micalls?"

    "Yes, I''m Dia Micall and these are my children, Darian and Deidre."

    Erin frowns, her eyes a constant silver, Deidre guesses it must be one of the perks of living with Werewolves, you didn''t have to bother about things like that.

    "I believe you have three children and your husband who is away on a business trip?" She inquires, consulting her filed like the facts were getting mixed up in her pretty head.

    "Yes, my youngest son, Dream, he''s a little under the weather so you''ll have to pardon his absence." Dia says firmly, keeping eye contact with the secretary who epts.

    "Fine, pleasee this way." She leads them down the hallway and knocks on the door. "Alpha Aston?" She calls out, her voice slightly shaky.

    "Yes, Erin." A booming voice replies her from within and Deidre doesn''t me the poor beta for trembling.

    "The Micalls are h-here?"

    "Splendid, let them in, and please fetch the Luna."

    "O-Of course, Alpha, right away." She agrees, bowing slightly although the door is closed.

    "You may go in." She turns around to face the family she had left there, a megawatt smile on her face as she opens the door slightly and steps away, no doubt to go get the Luna if the fast tap-tapping of her pumps against the carpeted floor is any indication.

    Dia isn''t sure what to expect but somehow isn''t surprised by the formal decor of the room, they all settle on their assigned seats tentatively.

    Alphas of Packs aren''t necessarily born Alphas but the man sitting imposingly on the other side of the executive table is clearly a born Alpha, dark green eyes alternating between their usual green and an upsetting gold as he appraises them.

    Introductions are done and Dia makes the usual excuse for Dream, if she thought she was intimidated by Alpha Aston, it didn''t prepare her for his Luna.

    A sleek woman in a fitted ck suit and lots of red lipstick, Deidre couldn''t remember taking a proper breath ever since thedy walked in and leveled her a look with herser-like eyes.

    Darian just stares coldly at them, leaning back casually in his seat as the Alpha appraises him.

    "Let''s not do that again, please." Deidre mutters to them when the meeting was finally over, it had just been them doing a background check and exining the workings of their Packs, Deidre didn''t need much more to tell her that she wasn''t interested.

    Erin, the pretty secretary, leads them to the other Pack House through a hallway that connects the top floor of the Dark Moon''s Pack House to the other one.

    It was the smartest thing to do because interaction between the two Pack Houses would involve going down all the flights of stairs then climbing up another, it also served as a protective exit.

 Chapter 195

    Chapter 195

    There''s an obvious difference between both Pack House''s which Deidre notices as soon as they step in.

    "Hey, Erin, what a surprise to find you here." A young man walks out of a connecting hallway, well-built body rippling under his shirt as he swipes across an iPad in his hands.

    Erin just gives him the evil eye, touching a stray lock of hair that had wandered into her face and tugging on her blouse, her cheeks red.

    "I texted you to say I was bringing the new residents over?" She reminds sarcastically.

    He looks up at this point, blond locks falling in his bright blue eyes as he levels are a stare through his sses. "You did? I knew I was supposed to be here but I couldn''t remember why" He muses to himself. "Well thanks, Hello, you must be the new residents, I''m Ian, the secretary of the Crimson Pack, pleasee along with me." He tells them nkly, dismissing Erin without a second thought.

    Deidre winces at the horrified expression on Erin''s face, it was obvious she had a thing for the other secretary and was horrible at hiding it.

    She appraises him as they make their way down the hallway, she could understand why Erin would get all flustered.

    "The Alpha is a bit of a recluse so if you don''t mind the Head Beta will take care of your meeting." He exins absently and Darian wonders what the guy is constantly typing into the pad.

    "I don''t mind at all." Dia replies politely, a little out of sorts with theid back air around the ce, a 180-degree turnaround from the previous Pack House.

    They stop their journey in front of a double door.

    "Get off my table, Leon." A voice scolds someone from the inside.

    The response of whoever had been scolded is muffled and Darian shares a look with his sister who shrugs, Dia just bites her lip nervously, ufortable with the unprofessionalism.

    Ian just pushes open the door to reveal a red-haired man trying to push someone off his table, the person in question had blond hair with dark highlights azy look on his face as he refuses to budge.

    "Ian, thank fuck you''re here, please get your twin off my table, why is he even in here? I thought I specifically stated that he shouldn''t be allowed in while I''m worki oh no." Jaxon trails off in horror, finally looking up to see Ian standing at the door of his office with the new residents.

    "Hello?" Dia greets nervously into the pin-drop silence.

    "I think I like this ce." Diedre grins, earning a dark look from her mom.

    Soon, they all settle down at another part of the room that has cozy couches and a weing air.

    Ian brings them tea and cute little cupcakes that Dia thinks is nice but could have been better.

    She''s definitely surprised, not expecting the good-looking young man with the jarring Ted hair that looks like he doesn''t get enough sleep to be the Head Beta, he must be really good to have gotten that position so young.

    Darian just keeps his eyes on the redhead, watching him push his tousled red hair behind one ear as he listens intently to his mom exin where they lived before and why they moved.

    He didn''t even bat an eyelid at Dream''s absence, telling them that whatever was convenient for them was fine.

    "You don''t have to live at the Pack Just because you choose to join this Pack" He was saying nicely, giving stern looks to the secretary''s twin who kept staring at him like he wanted to take a bit out of him.

    "You don''t have to do anything really, you can opt out of Pack runs and meetings, you''re free to choose." He exins kindly.

    Dia sighs in relief at this, her major worry was how to exin Dream''s constant absence and the Dark Moon Pack seemed like they would make all the things Jaxon had just mentioned mandatory.

    "But I would like to contribute to the Pack, just not through the conventional ways." She says.

    Jaxon thinks this over a bit, ignoring Leon who''s ying with his hair with a tattooed hand, keeping up with the Werewolf was a chore but only Jaxon seemed to have any semnce of control over him so he was stuck with him more often than he liked.

    He studies the new residents, they''re a nice family and if he thinks their mom looks too young for them, he keeps this to himself.

    He looks at the firstborn, Darian who has a menacing look in his dark blue eyes as he coolly takes everything in and an idea hits him.

    "Well, some people offer to babysit the pups sometimes during their free days or join the Warriors"

    "Warriors?" Darian speaks up for the first time. "Isn''t that a little archaic?"

    Jaxon just smiles, noting that Leon stiffens, his dad had taxed him to be the leader of the Warriors as the previous leader was retiring and even though Leon seemed to act embarrassed about it, he was awfully protective of them.

    "Maybe but we have our reasons for reviving them plus it''s purely optional, it''s not like you''re expected to fight actual battles..."

    "You are." Leon cuts Jaxon off, a dangerous glint in his eyes which is a stark opposite to hiszy expression on his face. "This puts most people off so you might be better babysitting pups." He tags on casually.

    Darian''s already dark look darkens and a vein ticks on his jaw. "Fine, I might be interested, I just hope there isn''t a uniform or some shit." He mutters.

    Leon smirks slightly, he just might not mind the Werewolf. "No, we have matching tats." He grins without humor.

    An expressive look of distaste settles on Darian''s face. "I''ll pass."

    "I''m sorry, Leon is just messing with you and I appreciate your help." Jaxon speaks up. "I believe that''ll be all, you can meet with Leon, Darian, he''s the leader of the warriors."

    Darian was getting lost listen to Jaxon talk again until the rest of his words hit him and he turned to see the annoying Werewolf give him a smug look. "Why am I not surprised?" He mutters darkly.

 Chapter 196

    Chapter 196

    Dream wastes precious time getting dry and has very little time to do any exploring whatsoever but even that was cut shut when he pokes his nose into the wrong tree.

    A sweet scent grabs his attention and without thinking much about it, he bounds in that direction only to howl lowly when he bumps into a beehive.

    Without thinking, again, he turns around and darts away, the bees hot on his tail.

    Dream doesn''t think he has ever run this fast but the terror of the bees getting him is enough of an incentive and soon the mouth of the woods ising into view.

    The bees don''t let up and he scrambles out of the woods still in his wolf form, he realizes just when he sights Hayden watering his nts that there''s no way he can fit through the door in wolf form.

    Hayden justnguidly waters his nts, he had foregone the music this time which was lucky because he hears the thudding sounds as soon as Dreames close enough followed by a nearly deafening buzzing sound.

    He turns in time to see a beautiful wolf sshed with several colors running his way, a swarm of bees? Behind them, oh no! Bees!

    The watering can drops from his hands as he panics, he hasn''t seen the Werewolf before he figures that has to be Dream''s wolf.

    The wolf easily scales the picket fence and runs straight for Hayden only to shift when he gets close enough then grabs Hayden''s hand and pulls him in the direction of the house where they scramble in and m the door shut, crumbling to the ground right there behind the door and hugging each other in fright.

    "Are the windows shut?" Dream asks, adrenaline still rushing through his body.

    "Y-Yes, I m-mean no but there ares over the windows." Hayden exins with pants.

    The buzzing disperses for a bit, no doubt the bees going around the house to look for an opening when they don''t find one they return to the door and just remain there.

    "Did you try to steal their honey?" Hayden asks after they calm down.

    "What?"

    "You smell like honey." He adds absently.

    Dream stiffens, while he had upset their give identally, he hadn''t gotten honey on his body so Hayden wasn''t supposed to smell him but then again he had loved his entire life amongst Werewolves so maybe that exined his ability to pick out scents.

    "Oh." Was all he said, uninterested in answering the question. "I''m sorry about this." He adds in a quiet voice.

    "It''s fine, I''m just d you''re okay." Hayden gives him a smile, getting up. "Come on, I can lend you one of my shirts." He offers.

    Dream frowns only to look down and remember that he''s shirtless. "Eek!" He squeals in mortification, throwing his arms around himself in an attempt at modesty. "Thank you." He says in a subdued voice, hair down his face as he had lost his bandanna while shifting again.

    "My pleasure." Hayden says, thinking of how to call his mom and or Mae to note home for a while so they didn''t bump into the swarm of angry bees outside.

    It wasn''t the first time Dream was over so he just directs him to the right wardrobe and makes his way down again to get his phone.

    He makes a quick call to his mom who had gone to visit his Aunt Candy who''s currently heavily pregnant and confirms that she''ll be there a while, Hayden speaks to his Aunt who still has a couple more months to go, and spends precious time convincing his mom that assassins weren''t after him.

    He''s finally able to call Mae who picks on the second ring.

    "Hi, Hay, I was just about toe over" Mae starts to say in a cheery voice as soon as she picks.

    Hayden panics. "No! I-I mean, wait!"

    "Hayden?" Mae says with a frown. "What''s wrong?"

    "Bees, there''s a whole swarm of bees just outside the house." He finally exins.

    Mae blinks. Bees? "I''m sorry what?"

    "Yes, Bees, it''splicated but you can''te over at the moment, wait a while." He tells her earnestly.

    "I''m a witch remember, just give me a couple minutes let me grab some things, I''ll be by soon." She says lightly, hanging up.

    Hayden just stares at the device in his hands uncertainly then shrugs, making his way up the stairs to check up on Dream.

    The Werewolf is sitting at the edge of his bed, one of Hayden''s thin sweaters on his body.

    "I couldn''t find anything that wasn''t fancy." Dream mutters when Hayden walks in, he couldn''t believe that people had that much designer clothing and weren''t celebrities.

    Hayden scratches his head nervously, easily forgetting how expensive the contents of his wardrobe is. "It''s fine, y-you can keep it if you''d like, it''s my grandma, she keeps spoiling me."

    Dream looks at him after he says this, the uneasiness in his face fading away. "That''s nice, I don''t see my grandparents often, they live so far away."

    "I''d love to introduce you to my Grammy then, I''m sure she would love to meet you."

    They make their way downstairs and Hayden exins to Dream that his friend ising over, noting that Mae had never actually met Dream.

    "Will she be okay?" Dream asks worriedly. "The bees are still outside."

    "She will, she''s half-witch so I''m pretty sure she should be able to handle herself." Hayden reassures him.

    Dream actually has bigger worries than that, his scent suppressants were totally gone so if another Werewolf came within ten feet of his they would smell him and figure out his status, even a part Werewolf.

    A loud whooshing sound alerts them to Mae''s presence even before she knocks.

    Hayden carefully opens the door to see Mae standing proudly on the front porch that is gratefully without bees.

    Dream doesn''t hesitate, as soon as the way is clear, he dashes out, throwing greetings to Mae and goodbyes to Hayden.

    Mae goes rigid when he passes by her, her nose twitching, that can''t be right, Hayden''s new neighbor and friend is a male Omega?

 Chapter 197

    Chapter 197

    Hayden lounges on a couch, a novel discarded on the table beside him, he''s at the bookstore and utterly bored, and simultaneously restless.

    So much that even his favoritette and a couple of Dream''s cupcakes doesn''t lift his mood, the bookstore has been unusually empty today.

    Mae unable to make it and Dream who usually snuck around to keep himpany was also absent as well, he had even gone over to the ''Diamond Bakery'' that was just opposite his bookstore but his friend was nowhere to be found and his mom had said that Dream couldn''te in that day.

    So he bought cupcakes anyway and wandered back into his bookstore, arranging and rearranging the books on the shelf or just in pacing around.

    Apple is already past done with him, unable to stand his constant fidgeting and restlessness, she had hidden in the backroom to get a proper nap that didn''t keep on getting interrupted by her owner.

    It was just 2 pm but Hayden felt tired of his own skin and the bookstore as well, he lurches up from the couch with determination.

    He would close up early for the day and take a hot bath or something, anything to distract himself. He could even make the trip to the Pack House, Jaxie had been begging for a visit anyway.

    He just had to leave the bookstore before he jumped out of his own skin, with his mind made up, he grabs the book he had been reading, deciding to take it home with him and possibly finish it.

    Today seems like one of those days, he muses to himself absently twisting his silver-grey ring gently when he gets behind the counter, those days when missing Virgil feels like a physical ache.

    Pushing a hand through his short hair, he tugs down his shirt and starts to pack up, there wasn''t much to pack, he had finished up the cupcakes, rare for him who didn''t eat too much and the extrarge cup oftte.

    The book goes in the satchel and he starts to straighten out the counter, his mom was currently at the Pack House and if Mae wasn''t here by noon, it meant she wasn''ting so he would just text his mom to let her know that he closed up early, it would probably make her happy.

    Because although Hayden did absolutely nothing at the bookstore, it still felt like hard work to Renee and she was worried that he was overworking himself.

    One of Apple''s stic toys that had been littered around the entire bookstore rolls off the counter to the ground and Hayden immediately goes down after it because if it rolled into a corner somewhere it was as good as gone and he didn''t want to have to deal with a grumpy Apple.

    He backs the counter as he does this, reaching for the colorful, squeaky mouse-shaped stic.

    The bell dings when he does and he stiffens briefly in surprise, the chiming sound resonating in slow motion as time seems to slow down.

    <em>What are the odds that he would get a customer just when he''s about to leave?</em>

    He snatches up the toy and gets up to his feet slowly turning around.

    Virgil feels the impatience thrumming under his skin as he pushes open the door to his boyfriend''s bookstore, Shana had gone to Mae''s ce while Dale had driven home, saying they would all meet up the next day.

    When he gets in, he doesn''t see the usual goldish brown, fluffy curls of Hayden''s hair and starts to panic, throwing his eyes around the store until rustling movements drag his attention back to the counter where said fluffy curls slowly make their appearance.

    He just stands right there in the middle of the store and smiles so wide that his cheeks hurt when Hayden turns around in surprise with a stic mouse clutched in a small hand.

    Hayden frowns slightly as he turns around, wheels whirring around in his brain as he tries to figure out who it could be, he looks up and the first thing he sees is a familiar gummy smile on an unfamiliar body, who was this huge stranger taking up most of the space in his bookstore?

    "Hey, baby."

    His eyes widenically at that familiar voice, mouse dropping from his hands in shock as he starts around the counter. "V-Virgil?" He asks tentatively, wondering if it was just a hallucination from missing his boyfriend too much but Virgil still stands there just staring at him with happiness in his bright blue eyes, he breaks out of his skin.

    "V!" He squeals happily, dashing for him and throwing himself on Virgil.

    This turn of events is very unexpected but Virgil effortlessly catches the lithe body thrown on him, supporting him with his hands under his thighs.

    Hayden just throws his hands around Virgil, trembling slightly from the excitement which keeps overflowing as he proceeds to hug the very life out of him.

    "Hay, you''re cutting off my airflow." Virgilins.

    Hayden just leans back to re at him which isn''t very effective with the tears that keep spilling out of his eyes. "I-Idiot, h-how can y-you ju-just show up u-unannounced? D-Do you wa-want my h-heart to stop b-beating?" He demands in a shaky voice, wiping at his eyes which just makes the tears spill faster.

    "I missed you." Virgil says in a choked voice, burying his face in Hayden''s neck and taking deep calming breaths.

    Hayden wants to say those words back but his words get drowned in tears.

    "Stop crying, love, don''t cry." Virgil says starting to get nervous with the constant water flow.

    Hayden just pries off one of his hands from Virgil''s neck and slowly reaches down toce their ring hands together, cing their foreheads together. "I-I" sniff. "I love you."

    Virgil just props him up against the counter, his boyfriend''s legs crossed behind his waist, keeping him close, Virgil didn''t mind, he didn''t n on going anywhere anyway.

    "I love you too, so so much." Virgil breathes in return, lifting his finger hand to kiss it and sprinkling featherlight kisses all over his wet face.

 Chapter 198

    Chapter 198

    Hayden huffs out a shakyugh, slipping his hands into Virgil''s hair, slender body pressed flush up against his muscr one, he almost didn''t recognize him.

    He looks up into those familiar piercing blue eyes, the words he wants to say getting clogged in his throat again, Virgil seems to be having the same difficulties but they''re content with just having to stare at each other.

    Hayden knows that Virgil isn''t supposed to be back for a couple more months but he''s notining not in the least bit, this is the best surprise ever.

    Virgil''s handse up to cradle his face and his eyes slip shut, hiding away from those eyes that melts to a burning gold.

    <em>He''s missed this</em>

    Hayden decides when Virgil ims his lips, melding their bodies even closer, he let him lead the kiss, a hand slipping from his hair to trail down Virgil''s neck and over his chest.

    It''s easy to fall into the kiss, the rest of the world falling away as all is right again.

    <strong><em>~</em></strong>

    Dale sits in the car and watches Virgil hurry in the book store, a gnawing nk space where his heart is supposed to be.

    He had agreed to go so why is he still sitting here, parked in front of Hayden''s bookstore like some stalker?

    He''s not sure what he''s waiting for but he knows it when he hears it, Hayden''s voice, screaming someone else''s name.

    Dale rubs his face and puts the car in reverse, Hayden''s cute, small car sitting in the driveway as he backs away.

    Thoughts jumbled in his head as he frantically tries to make a run for it, he couldn''t let Hayden see him just yet, he knows Shana and Virgil wouldn''t tell Hayden about his pastimes but those big grey orbs staring up at him would make his guilt consume him.

    So call him a wimp but he would put that off for as long as possible, he curses when his hands get jittery, barely able to steer right. Maybe he should pick up smoking, seeing that Jasmine had switched off his dick, he chuckles in self disdain, pushing his dark hair out of his face.

    A sparkly building catches his attention, a bakery and on a whim, he stops the car and gets out, crossing the road to the bakery.

    What can he say? He was still experiencing withdrawals fromck of the heady mixture of honey and jasmines and the bakery was associated with the scent so naturally, he decided to check it out.

    The delicious aroma of pastries and candied fruits assaults his senses as soon as he steps in.

    Some people were seated at the tables, munching down but he just swept his gaze over them, their features not registering.

    Although he clearly feels their eyes on him, he can''t see their eyes or faces and that was fine by him.

    He walks up to the counter and stares down at thedy behind the counter, something niggling at the back of his mind.

    Slightly terrified dark blue eyes stare up at him and it''s so different from the delicate blue-grey that''s imprinted on his psyche that he shakes himself out of his trance and mumbles out an apology, it must not be fun to have an Alpha re down at you so menacingly.

    He ends up buying blueberry muffins and making his way out with his package, still slightly lost until he gets in his car and starts the drive to the Pack House.

    Why the fuck had he walked right into a bakery and bought muffins?

    <strong><em>~</em></strong>

    Virgil licks into his boyfriend''s soft wet mouth like it''s air and he''s breathless, hands slipping under his shirt to rub over the warm silken skin.

    "V-Virgil" Hayden halts him, panicking when it seems like Virgil is about to take off his shirt.

    It''s hard to breathe, much more think when Virgil is tonguing at the crook of his neck like that and nibbling gently but the horror of someone walking in and finding them tangled around each is enough to make him break away, panting slightly.

    Virgil looks unbothered, his pale blond hair tousled from Hayden''s constant tugging as he eyes up his boyfriend looking like he wants to pick up from where he left off.

    "L-let''s cl-close up the st-store first." He ces his hands on the other man''s shoulders to keep him away.

    "Fine." Virgil agrees unhappily, blue eyes narrowing.

    "Ah!" Hayden yelps when Virgil slips his hands under him and picks him off from the counter, making like he wants to just leave.

    "W-Wait, I-I" He trails off when Virgil pauses and stares down at him with an eyebrow up, he realizes there''s nothing he actually needs to take with him except his cat. "A-Apple!" He stutters, the cat was probably still fast asleep in the back room. "I h-have to get her."

    Virgil just smiles subtly, noting that his flustered stuttering was still there and it was so very easy to get him flustered. "She''s wrapped around my legs."

    Hayden blinks at Virgil''s words and a intive meow rings clearly, followed by a ridiculously loud purring. "Let''s go then." He smiles wryly, expecting Virgil to drop him.

    Instead, he just grabs the keys off the counter and makes his way out of the store with Hayden still wrapped around him and Apple following obediently.

    Hayden just buries his face in Virgil''s shoulders, half-dead from embarrassment as Virgil proudly makes his way to his car, eyes tightly shut.

    He only opens them when he is safely situated in the passenger seat, Apple gently ced on his legs, the white cat just spins around when Virgil deposits her on her owner''s legs, paws against the window when the door gets closed like she wants to get back out to Virgil.

    She spins just as fast as Hayden does when he gets into the driver''s seat, beelining for his jean-d legs to continue purring around them.

    Hayden just res down at his shameless cat. "Please step on her." He mutters darkly to Virgil who settles in with a smile on his face. "I don''t know, she looks like she''ll probably like that." He replies in amusement, leaning over to kiss off the disgruntled look on Hayden''s face, the flustered one that reces it much better.

 Chapter 199

    Chapter 199

    Hayden wakes up alone on his bed, arousal pooling low in his belly, his dream should be rated PG 21, good thing he was twenty-one.

    He rolls over to his front, the nket tangling around his body as he does this but tucking his knees under himself and sticking his rear in the air soothed the ache somewhat so he stays like this for a long while, uninterested in touching himself when his boyfriend is around to do it for him.

    His phone rings and he blearily reaches out an arm to check it only to see that it''s well past 9 am, he''s already veryte for work, not to mention that his friends areing over.

    Virgil had barely been able to spend a couple hours until his duties pulled him back to the Pack House and Hayden was definitely not pleased with this.

    Said hours had been spent making out and bringing each other up to date with their lives

    Which is exactly why Hayden thinks to himself as he hurries to the bathroom, ignoring his throbbing lower area which is not difficult when he gets a clear look at his upper body.

    Virgil had gone to town with the hickies and it looked like pale red tattoos all over his upper body.

    He throws a robe on to go down and check on his mom, Renee had been excited to see Virgil the day before, she said she had run in Dale at the Pack House beforeing home.

    "Morning, baby." Renee greets her son, wearing simr clothing of a nightgown and an outer robe.

    "Morning, mom." He rubs an eye sleepily, he hadn''t slept well which is ironic because he had been sleeping just fine all alone till Virgil came back.

    "You''re not going to the bookstore today, are you?"

    "I am." He murmurs, turning around to climb the first stair. "I just wanted to check up on you."

    "Isn''t itte, plus you look really tired." Renee frowns, Hayden had gone to bed early the night before so she''s rightfully worried about how tired he looks.

    Hayden colors up and hurries up the stairs. "I-I''m fine, mom, don''t you have to go in to the Pack House today?"

    Renee sighs miserably, easily distracted by this question. "I do."

    Hayden just smiles, knowing that even though sheined at every chance she got, his mom loved babysitting. "Have fun."

    He cleans up and dresses up quickly, the cool shower doing lots to help things down south.

    He''s not ashamed of the love bites littered across his skin but he''s not interested in advertising to the test of the world just how much they were so he wears a simple sweater, that doesn''t do much for the ones on his neck but it was fine

    He couldn''t wait to meet Shana and Dale, it feels like so long yet it feels like not much time has passed

    "Apple? Apple?" He calls, searching around for his cat after grabbing his car keys, a small work bag in hand. "Mom? Have you seen Apple?" He calls to his mom who''s most likely holed up in her room taking a hot soak just so that she can light up candles.

    "Yep! She''s up here." She calls back cheerily making Hayden panic.

    "W-What?! Why?! Don''t let her burn her paw again." He stutters, hurrying to his mom''s room.

    "Calm down, baby, I locked her out of the bathroom." Renee exins just as Hayden bursts in to find his cat sprawledzily on his mom''s bed.

    He sighs audibly walking up to her. "Don''t you want toe along to the bookstore?" He invited, leaning forward with a hand out.

    Apple bats his hand away with a paw and a stern meow repositioning herself on the bed.

    "Apple? Come on, I don''t like to leave you all alone in the house" He tries again only to get a firm rebuttal and more of that stern meowing.

    Hayden gives her a look. "Virgil will be there."

    Apple goes on high alert at this, raising her head quickly to give Hayden a look like she senses he''s messing with her.

    "I''m serious, nowe on let''s go." He sweeps out, unsurprised when the cat hops off the bed and tags along, maybe he should put her up for adoption considering she had disowned him.

    "I''m off to work, mom!" He informs his mother, the calming scents of butterscotch wafting out.

    "Sure, bye, Hayden."

    The trip to the bookstore is short and after a drive that doesn''tst up to five minutes considering how carefully Hayden always drives, he gets there and opens up.

    The Micall''s bakery is already in full swing and he wonders if Dream is in now, he would love to introduce him to his friends.

    He notes that he had barely seen the blonde ever since the bee incident, he hoped that Dream wasn''t still feeling embarrassed about it.

    He picks up Apple so she doesn''t go wandering off and locks up the car, making for the front door of the bookstore.

    He goes around opening up the windows and putting out the open sign, a quick trip to the cafe and the bakery gets him his daily routine of atte and cupcakes that are currently not avable so he goes for scones instead.

    Apparently, Dream didn''t stille in and although his mom assures him that his friend is just fine, he can''t help but worry, nning a visit.

    He doesn''t spend long alone in the bookstore before Maees in, her hair in a ponytail and the widest smile he had ever seen on her face.

    "Well, isn''t someone excited today?" He teases when she twirls into his bookstore in short shorts and an oversized shirt.

    Mae just skips over and pulls him into a hug,rge books forgotten today. "Damn straight I am." She grins, whistling at the hickies on his neck.

    Hayden just swats her away, face red as he walks around the counter to pretend to busy himself. "Where''s your girlfriend?"

    "She''sing." Mae huffs out, gettingfortable on her usual couch. "She spent the night over at my ce and had to go over to her family house this morning." She exins, munching on a scone that she had swiped from Hayden. "She''s going to move in."

 Chapter 200

    Chapter 200

    Hayden looks up at this, pleasant surprise on his face. "Really?"

    "Yeah."

    "That''s good but I thought she wanted to work at the Pack Clinic." Hayden hums.

    "She still will but she says she wants her space as well, just like me so she''ll show up for her shifts ande back home to me." Mae exins, looking out the window for the first time no doubt trying to catch a glimpse of Shana.

    Hayden just sighs, d that they sorted things out and he wonders how it would go with Virgil and the issue of where they''d stay.

    "I see her!" Mae exims after a while of an uninterrupted period of staring out the door window, Hayden had been going through the bookshelves taking note of which books would have to be restocked.

    "W-What?... Ow!" He yelps, holding his smarting head. He had been squatting by the lower shelves only to get up too fast and smack his head.

    "Hay?" He hears Shana call him, her voice sounding strange and familiar at the same time.

    He peeks out of the shelf and his mouth drops open when he gets a good look at her before rushing into her embrace. "W-What happened to you?" He asks in disbelief, cupping her face and studying her new haircut.

    Shana justughs happily, kissing his cheeks and squishing them simultaneously. "The same thing that happened to yours." She replies wittily, sying out his shirt hair.

    "It got in the way and I missed you, I can''t believe the three of you got together to trick us." He pouts.

    "Mae nearly killed me." She rolls her eyes, settling her jaw on my head.

    Mae gets flustered, touching her hair. "I was taking a nap and you sneaked up on me."

    "It''s called a surprise, babe." Shana says dryly.

    To me, she leans back and squishes my cheeks again. "Someone grew taller." She notes, ruffling my hair.

    I bat her hand away and cross my arms. "You sound surprised."

    "No, no, I''m not." She refutes quickly. "I guess I expected you to finally hit your growth spurt and shock me but you only grew a couple inches."

    Hayden just levels her a nk look and walks away. "Why was I missing you again?"

    "HayHay" She whines, giving him puppy eyes.

    He pauses and nces at her. "Acknowledge my height and maybe I''ll hug you again." He bargains.

    Mae ps a hand over her mouth to hide herughter when Shana cringes.

    "Lying is bad, Hay." She says seriously and Hayden just rolls his eyes with a smile.

    "Why did you decide to cut your hair anyway?" He asks curiously, taking up thest of the boxes to the backroom.

    Shana shrugs. "Just because, besides" She trails off giving her girlfriend a knowing look.

    "I love it!" Mae says in a giddy voice sidling closer to her.

    "Of course she does." Hayden mutters, more to himself as he steps back out and nearly trips at the sight in front of him.

    "What the hell?" Heins, pping a hand over his eyes. "Lick your girlfriend''s throat somewhere else." He scolds them.

    Shana bursts outughing at this. "Don''t be a sore third wheel." She teases.

    "Who''s third-wheeling?" Virgil sweeps in, ncing absently into his phone which immediately starts ringing but he just ignores it and slips it in his trouser pocket,ing around to meet Hayden.

    "Me." Hayden immediately replies, walking straight into his boyfriend''s arms. "And Shana called me short."

    Virgil justzily kisses hisints away, a hand sliding well past his lower back.

    Hayden can hear Shana clearing her throat loudly and muttering "Hypocrite." But he ignores her, reaching his hands up to cup Virgil''s face.

    "Where''s Dale?" Shana asks impatiently when he still doesn''t make an arrival after several more minutes.

    "Most likely on his way." Virgil responds, taking his constantly vibrating phone out of his pockets and tossing it on a random table.

    "Isn''t that important?" Hayden asks on a gasp, he had kept the closed sign out because he currently wasn''t in the right state to attend to any customers.

    "Most likely Ian spamming me." Virgil waves dismissively, settling his hands around Hayden''s waist.

    Hayden doesn''t understand why he can''t sit on the sofa like everyone else but he''s really notining, anticipation thrumming under his skin as they bide their time till Dale makes an appearance.

    Dale knows he''s stalling and that he''s also overthinking this, these are his friends and although it isn''t easy to admit, it was fine to be not okay.

    He keeps telling himself all this in repeat in his head but still, it takes a lot to convince him to make the drive from the Pack House, his mom had been happy to see him as expected but her wee felt fleeting like she only wanted him back just so he could get mated and give her a grandson.

    She even already set up a date with some girl from the Pack that he doesn''t even remember meeting and it''s taking lots out of him to just live.

    The bookstore still sits quietly the way it did the day before, nothing out of ce, it''s not like he expected the sky to fall out of the sky just because there were a couple of bumps in his life.

    He pushes open the door slowly, not sure what to expect, it''s definitely not Hayden screaming his name and jumping on him.

    "Dale!"

    His breath gets kicked out of him when the slender body ms into his, a wide smile on his face.

    "Doll?" He mutters in a shaky voice, still confused.

    "What took you so long? I thought you wereing anymore." Hayden pouts, legs casually thrown around him like someone else wasn''t holding up all of his weight.

    Dale tries to piece words together but they don''te and he just stares at those kind grey eyes, staring up at him with a true and deep happiness.

    "You look so grumpy too." Hayden notes, a cute furrow in between his brows as he leans forward to better inspect Dale. "And are those eye bags? Are you not sleeping well?"

    He uses, ring down at him in usation.

 Chapter 201

    Chapter 201

    Dale just smiles, ites easy, the curving of one''s lips to show happiness. "I just had my final papers a couple days ago, the eye bags will go." He reassures him, carefully helping him down to his feet to hug him properly.

    "You look good." Dalements, trying to not make it awkward.

    Hayden just grins, his eyes crinkling and turning into slits at the action, in his opinion, his friends look even way better - probably something to do with Werewolf genes and had also changed drastically over the years while he looked pretty much the same just with shorter hair.

    "You cut your hair." He notes, carefully touching it.

    Hayden looks down self-consciously, he hadn''t expected them to notice that much.

    "I thought you ran yourself over with your car." Shana quips when they all settle down.

    Dale finds it ufortable to share a couch with either couple so he just pulls up a chair and settles down.

    "That''s physically impossible, Shay." Dale mutters dryly, reaching down to let Apple who purrs a brief wee around his legs before returning to Virgil.

    Hayden just leans back with the echo of a smile on his face, a hand held lovingly in his boyfriend''s hand as he let the familiar banter of his childhood friends wash over him.

    Their bubble of happy conversation doesn''tst for long as Shana gets called in to the Pack House and Mae decides to tag along, wanting to pay a visit to her mom anyway.

    Dale takes his leave not long after this after he picks a call that sounds really urgent so that leaves Hayden and Virgil again.

    "Ready to move in with me?" Virgil back hugs him after he had told Dale his goodbyes and the door slips shut.

    Hayden blinks in surprise and turns his head to the side to get a look at Virgil''s face, he had been expecting them to discuss that and this was a little impromptu, not that he minded.

    "Now?" He asks for rification.

    "Mn." Virgil hums, dropping his face in the crook of the shorter man''s neck. "My dad is leaving town, to go find himself or something so I''ll be stuck at the Pack House more often than not."

    Hayden spins around, which involves lots of shuffling and maneuvering but he manages it eventually and looks up to see uncertainty in his boyfriend''s eyes.

    "Sure." He agrees with a sweet smile, patting the Alpha''s cheek and stepping away. "We might have to sneak out though because my mom is likely to throw a fit."

    Virgil smiles at this, a clear scene building in his mind''s eye. He leans against the wall and watches as Hayden smoothly locks up,fortable in his own skin as he moves around the space.

    A subtle purring drags his attention to his legs and he looks down to see Apple meowing up at him, he bends down to pick her up and the white cat instantly burrows in his arms, tucking herself into a ball of constant purring.

    "I see you got her." Haydenments when he''s done,ing with his work bag which Virgil takes out of his hands, he let him.

    "More like she got me." He drawls, noting that trying to drop her would only earn him ws buried in his midsection.

    "Good to see she likes you, she can barely stand Mae." Hayden says when they make their way over to the car.

    "So she''s definitely not getting the job of a familiar."

    Haydenughs at this. "I don''t think so."

    The drive home was Virgil exining to him what was going on, apparently, Jaxie had been the one handling most of the workload - that would exin the poor Werewolf''s constant dark circles and pale skin.

    Alpha Everett had fully reclused and barely left his apartment anymore, the twins had moved out and Jaxie stayed at the top floor, including the Delta, a much older Werewolf who usually spent most of his time around Paper district to make sure mistakes weren''t happening to reveal their secrets, the Delta of Dark Moon Pack was also assigned with this job so they barely spent time around the Pack Houses.

    Hayden felt giddy, excitement jumping out of his skin at the thought of him and Virgil moving in together, it held the promise of something more, something much moresting but he was in no hurry.

    Virgil was definitely not kidding about his ns to take him to the Pack House right then because less than an hourter, he found himself emptying his wardrobe into suitcases while Virgil watches from his spot on his bed.

    His eyes darting around like he was ufortable on the bed while Hayden was hard at work although he had told the taller man to sit still while he sorted his things out.

    "All this isn''t going to fit in my car." Hayden huffs, slightly out of breath and itchy with sweat.

    "I know." Virgil replies, fluidly getting up. "Someone will be by to pick them up."

    "Why don''t I take them downstairs while you get ready." He adds with a light kiss on Hayden''s lips.

    Hayden stands still for a couple precious seconds before his legs decide to get with the program, it was tempting to take a shower now but what better way to break in his new apartment than to do that there instead, maybe they could break in the bed as well.

    He slips in the bathroom, sshing water over his flushed cheeks as he tries to cool down, of course, he''s thought about having sex with his boyfriend.

    He''s a young man with a healthy sex-drive but that didn''t mean he wasn''t nervous it shh about the mere thought of it if his cheeks heating up is any indication.

    He was supposed to try and cool down but here he was worsening the situation by having dirty thoughts, he sighs, sshing another handful of water on his hopelessly red cheeks, he would have to change out of this shirt now, it was soaked through.

 Chapter 202

    Chapter 202

    "You okay, babe?" Shana asks in concern, she''s tapping her phone while Mae is driving the car but her sharp eyes don''t miss how often her girlfriend gets distracted.

    Mae blinks at this, her eyes ncing briefly at the redhead before returning her dark brown eyes to the road. "Yeah."

    She was actually, she had just been lost in thought about Dream who had turned out to be an extremely rare male Omega, the next time she had bumped into him, she hadn''t been able to catch any whiff of his scent, most likely as a result of scent suppressants.

    She could understand why he would want to keep that a secret and even though it itched her to say something to someone, she kept her mouth shut about it.

    "Is Dale okay?" She asks to fill up the space of the car, she knew about his rocky college life and although she wasn''t pumped to get on the train of hiding things from Hayden she knew that it was best Dale admitted it to their human friend himself.

    "I don''t even know." Shana sighs, ruffling her pixie cut, a new habit.

    Today she had only studs in all her piercings, dangling earrings weren''t exactly safe for work.

    "I didn''t tell you yet but he bumped into someone before we left Brenwich."

    "Who?" Mae asks curiously.

    Shana shrugs. "No one knows, he didn''t get the guy''s name, and apparently the guy left town soon after."

    Mae whips her head around to face Shana. "Guy? I thought he was straight."

    "Well if that isn''t the anthem of that issue." She huffs.

    "What''s so special about the guy then?"

    "I''ll be damned if I know but hebed through the entire city looking for him before we left and even got a tattoo for him."

    "Whoa!" Mae gasps with wide eyes. "That''s not just something you do for someone you just bumped into, did you get a name at least?" She asks, pulling up to the Pack House.

    "He calls him Jasmine."

    Mae cracks up at this. "I''m sorry, what?"

    "Something to do with his scent." Shana says absently, hurrying in the direction of the Pack''s Clinic.

    Mae had grabbed a potion from the backseat for one of her patients. "I''ve got to take something up to your brother, I''lle check up on you first before I head home okay." She quickly informs Shana, giving her a quick kiss on her cheeks before hurrying up the stairs.

    It doesn''t take much for Mae to forget about what she deems another quirky story about her friends, more interested to see if her newest creation would work.

    Jaxie was suffering from acute insomnia as well as little time to even fall asleep and it was starting to tell on him.

    Short of injecting him with tranquilizers, drugs didn''t work as they had found out when Mrs. Parcell tried prescribing some for him.

    So she decided toe up with some sleep-inducing natural herbs infused with magic, getting it right was really tricky.

    She wasn''t sure about how she felt about her mom leaving now that Shana was here to take over the running of the Pack Clinic but she knows her mom misses her dad and only stayed this long because her services were needed, mostly for gruesome injuries that didn''t heal as fast as scratches and childbirth which was a very delicate affair.

    "Hey, Ian." She greets one of the twins who was headed somewhere, as distant as he seemed from the rest of the world, he was actually very good with organizing and tech.

    He reduced Jaxon''s paperwork by a meaningful amount but Jaxon still managed to get a mountain load of it, it wasn''t easy not only running a ce as big as this but technically half the town.

    "Hi, Mae." The blond man flicks blue eyes up at her, infortable jeans and a quirky shirt. "Jaxie is waiting for you in his office."

    "Of course." She nods at him. "Thank you." She mutters as she makes her way down the hallway.

    As a witch most people expect her to show up in flowy skirts and ridiculous make-up so it whished them when she showed up dressed in jeans and a crop top, hair in a ponytail or braid.

    She knocks on the double doors, although Jaxon insists that she doesn''t need to, she feels it is polite.

    A ruckus is currently going on inside and Mae decides to just go in, seeing as her knocks are going unanswered.

    Jaxon was ring down at Leon who just smiled calmly up at him.

    "Get the fuck out of my chair, Leo, don''t you have patrols or something?"

    Leon looks quite unbothered, in an actual shirt today, most of the times Mae came over the Werewolf preferred to hang around half-naked, tattoos inked on his muscr body.

    "You''ve beenining that the chair hurts your back so I solved it." He announces magnanimously.

    Jaxon blinks at this, confused. "How?" He asks cautiously.

    Leon ces both hands behind his head and man-spreads. "Sit on me." He says in a low voice.

    <em>Okay!</em>

    Mae thinks nervously, clearing her throat. "Am I um interrupting something?" She asks in the most casual voice she could manage.

    Jaxon turns around at this. "Mae, I had no idea you were here, I''m sorry for all this"

    His words get cut off as someone else walks in and Mae bites her lip to stop herself from whistling out loud.

    She had no idea how the Head Beta did it but sizzling hot men always seemed to surround him.

    The person in question had dark brown hair with dark blue eyes and looked oddly familiar like she had bumped into him before.

    He walks in holding cushions and some files.

    "I um brought these for your back and found the file you were looking oh?" He pauses when he gets a good look at the crowd staring at him. "What''s going on?"

    Mae decides to do the exining because Jaxon looks just as lost.

    "Hello, I''m Mae, half-witch who''s also Jaxon''s private healer of sorts and you''re"

    "Darian, Micall, I know you, you live on the other side of the street." The neer says, a dark brown up.

    "Aha, I knew it, you''re my new neighbor yes? I just need to steal Jax away for a couple minutes." She replies brightly, motioning for Jaxon to follow her to the other side of the office that had the couches andfortable rig, making sure to close the connecting door.

    Jaxon just looks sheepish, skin as pale as ever, dark circles present.

 Chapter 203

    Chapter 203

    "How''s Shana?" He asks politely, settling on the couch at my silent ordering.

    "She''s fine, she''ll probablye up here after her shift to scold you on not sleeping." Mae tells him bluntly, noting how he winces.

    She checks him over, using magic as well in the case that she misses anything.

    "You need to take walks in the sun more often." She scolds him. "And actually try to sleep, it doesn''t count if you just close your eyes for a couple of minutes and get back up."

    He only chuckles nervously at this. "Yes ma''am."

    Mae res at him, unimpressed. "That was what you saidst time, I made a potion of sorts but it''s not a cure which means it''ll just help you sleep but you have to actually try as well." She gets up at this. "Honestly with how little you care for yourself if you weren''t a Werewolf you would have crashed since."

    A loud thumping sound alerts their attention to the office they had just left, Mae shares a look with Jaxon.

    "Is everything oka"

    Another thump, louder than the first shakes the room again and they go to check on it only to see Leon and Darian smacking each other around.

    Mae just ignores them, she had seen enough of that with Virgil and Dale. "Leon, please make sure Jax takes a teaspoon of the potion I gave to him before bed and I''m pretty sure Darian''s cushions are way more efficient than your body Leon." She summarizes before going out.

    Jaxon doesn''t even look surprised, leaning over the table to go through the files that Darian had brought.

    "Nah, they''ll be fine." She mutters under her breath when they go back to whatever they were doing, Darian trying to get Leon out of Jaxon''s chair and failing.

    It would exin why she didn''t see him often anymore if he was now staying at the Pack House, it''s not totally surprising why he would.

    She hadn''t seen Dream for a while, it must be a little difficult to live with an unmated Omega, besides he was obviously easily older than Leon or Jaxon, there was nothing wrong with choosing to live alone.

    <strong><em>~</em></strong>

    Dream settled in the steaming hot water unhappily, his stomach cramping up viciously if he so much as breathed the wrong way.

    This didn''t happen often so he learnt to put up with it, as an Omega once he hit eighteen years of age, heats were inevitable and dangerous in a ce like the city where you had no idea who was a Werewolf or not.

    So the next best options were heat suppressants, life isn''t really fun with having to suppress everything, his scent, his heats, he could see the worry in his mother''s eyes and knows that it''s all for his safety.

    The heat suppressants worked perfectly well, he didn''t feel like a mindless baby carrier begging for someone to fill him up with pups but there was a but.

    Suppressing his heats wasn''t following the natural order of things so once in a while at the periods he''s supposed to be getting his heats, he would have these painful cramps instead.

    They usually subside after a couple days and painkillers helped but it was still very ufortable not to mention that his scent went wild and wonky on him like he was in heat, scent suppressants useless against it so he was trapped in the house, hoping no one came too close.

    He was relieved that at least Darian didn''t have to suffer from the effects of his heats although because he couldn''t go to the Pack House as often as he would have liked, it meant that he would barely see his older brother.

    He would kill for a muffin just then but that was a no-no with how delicate his stomach currently was unless he really fancied spending the next couple hours throwing up.

    His mom had wanted someone to stay home with him but he hadn''t seen the need, it would only make Diedre ufortable with how potent his scent was.

    Besides, they were needed at the bakery, they had only been in Pine Creek for a little over a week but the bakery was already doing really well and it also helped that teenagers from the Pack House got part-time jobs working there, although most of the baking was left to his mom and that''s why he wanted to hurry up and get better so he could help her.

    He made sure that all the windows were tightly locked, spraying an air freshener with a dense scent to dull the intensity of his before settling in for a warm bath.

    He actually missed Hayden, his first real friend and the sentiment was reciprocated because the other man had texted him to check up on him and his mom tells him every day that his sweet friend asked after him.

    Maybe he could pay him a visit when he got better, he could already feel the sharp pains dulling as he settled deeper in the water, then they would get together and maybe bake cookies.

    He barely thought about the Alpha he had bumped into or maybe it was just easier to convince himself that he didn''t but they were countries apart now and the stranger probably forgot him instantly, he wasn''t that remarkable.

    <em><strong>~</strong></em>

    Dale ces a hand over his tattoo, an unconscious act that is quickly bing a habit as he listens to his mother ramble on about the girl she had set up as his date the next day.

    He notices how jittery and impatient she is about the matter, not to mention how quick she was to make his father call him back to Pack House when she knew he was spending time with Hayden.

    He had only one exnation for it, his mom was terrified of the adorable Teddy bear that was terrified of puppies, it was hrious.

    He knows she feels like he''s still in love with Hayden even though Hayden clearly belongs to the other Alpha, he wasn''t correcting that because he wasn''t sure either.

 Chapter 204

    Chapter 204

    Hayden didn''t get to take his coveted shower until it was alreadyte, bumping into his mom had taken most of his time, exining to her that he wasn''t moving out of the entire fucking continent wasn''t something he wanted to repeat.

    Then dinner, he hadn''t fancied the crowd but he couldn''t easily see their excitement to have their Alpha at the dining room even if it''s the newly appointed one.

    Virgil had some things to take care of so that left him alone in the apartment that feels too big and quiet when it''s just him in it.

    Apparently, it was the apartment that Virgil would have lived in if his mom was still alive, it had undergone major renovation though.

    He beelined straight for their shared bedroom, impatient to get out of his clothes and clean up.

    The bedroom is done in soothing shades of blue and gray and he keeps the lights dim, peeling his clothes off his body and tossing them in the clothes bin.

    He had spent some of the afternoon actually moving in and was already so acquainted with the apartment it felt like he had been living there for a considerable while already although he''s pretty sure it''s just because it''s Virgil.

    The warm water is wee on his sticky skin and he takes his time washing out his hair and cleaning up thoroughly, now that the nagging sensation of wanting to be clean is settled, nervous anticipation settles under his heated skin.

    He makes his way barefoot out of the shower and throws a towel around himself, absently rubbing it over his wet skin as he makes his way to the bedroom.

    Although he instinctively remembers that he''s now sharing the space with someone else, it''s also easy to forget that when he slips the door shut gently only to look up and panic, wrapping the towel higher on his body in a show of modesty.

    Virgil is sitting at the edge of the bed, facing his direction with his elbows settled on his thighs, and very shirtless.

    A surprised gasp makes its way out of Hayden''s mouth before his boyfriend''s presence registers and he heaves a sigh of relief, frozen in ce.

    "Hi." He breathes, slightly out of breath. "A-Are you done with what you had to do?" He asks to make conversation, unsure of what to do next, getting dressed in Virgil''s presence was going to be a new kind of experience that he was hoping he''d love through.

    His breath catches in his throat when Virgil doesn''t reply but fluidly and quickly gets up andes in his direction, crowding him against the wall.

    Hayden startles at this, nearly losing his death grip on the edges of his towel, the soft cotton whispered against his thighs and was held close just over his chest as he looks up expectantly at Virgil who casually states down withzy blue eyes.

    "Mn." Virgil hums, leaning down to tuck his face in the crook of the shorter man''s neck, inhaling the soft scent ofvender and wet skin.

    Hayden shivers when a warm tongue licks its way up his neck, his eyes fluttering shut when it morphs to an open warm over the prominent vein of his neck.

    They don''t stay shut for long, going wide when big warm hands slide up the skin of his thighs, going under the tower to brush around his waist and settle on the globes of the bare skin of his ass.

    One hand releases their grip on the edges of the towel and he ces the hand on Virgil''s bare chest, caressing the silken skin stretched taut over firm muscles.

    He feels a hand up and over his barely covered body to wrap a hand around his nape and angle his head backward.

    "I miss your hair." Virgil murmurs against his lips, his other hand digging lightly I''m the plus skin of his thigh.

    Hayden remembers once when he said he would cut it and Virgil said he liked the length, he had thought that his friend was just trying to lift his mood but not now.

    Not now when his tongue is buried in Hayden''s mouth, pulling and pushing against his tongue as his hand gently finds a grip on his almost too short hair.

    It doesn''t take long to give up on the towel and throw his arms around Virgil''s neck, body arched and stretched on his tiptoes so he can angle his head into the kiss.

    The only thing keeping up his towel now is where it''s caught in between their bodies, a jean-d leg slips in between his thighs, eliciting a soft moan which gets drowned in the heated kiss.

    Virgil decides that he wants to hear more of that sound so he thrusts again making Hayden break away from the kiss as his breath catches in his throat, a strangled moan leaving red and kiss bitten lips.

    "A-ah!" He gasps softly, head thrown back when there''s more of that subtle grinding.

    Virgil doesn''t break his stride easily kissing down his neck as the hand on Hayden''s thigh lifts the limb high to drape it around his waist.

    Hayden''s slender body easily moves with the adjustment, arching backward as the kiss trail over his corbones, towel dropping

    "Achoo!" Hayden sneezes cutely and violently which makes him jerk and move against Virgil, the sneeze ending on a moan.

    Virgil freezes with his head over a dusky nipple and looks up to stare at the love of his life with concerned eyes.

    Hayden colors to a violent red at this but it doesn''t stop the next sneeze from popping out, the quiet sound deafening to his mortified ears.

    He doesn''t think he''s ever seen a heated scene get diffused so fast, filling cock growingid when Virgil immediately bundles him up in one of his sweaters and shorts which were because of his protests or he would have been stuck with woolen pants and simr socks.

    He let Virgil tuck him in with unhappiness, nothing was changing his mind even though Hayden insisted that he was just fine.

    "I''ll make hot chocte for you, okay." Virgil says seriously, brushing a hand over his cheek

    Hayden just let his stare drop to the tent in his jeans, unabashedly staring at it although Virgil looks like he might like to hit himself over the head for exposing his fragile boyfriend to the cold air.

    He just sprawls on the bed when Virgil bustles out to their kitchen, no doubt to prepare the promised drink, seriously considering if he could live without his nose.

 Chapter 205

    Chapter 205

    Hayden prepared for work in a frustrated peeve, Virgil kept treating him like he would break and it was exasperating.

    He had been cuddled to an early death the night before and while he didn''t mind his boyfriend being sweet he wanted something entirely different.

    The tingling strumming through his veins was enough to push him out of bed early, he padded to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

    He couldn''t keep sufficing his breakfast with muffins and cupcakes so a proper breakfast it was.

    He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he nearly jumped when arms slipped around him.

    "Oh, H-Hi, V, sleep well?" He asks shakily, leaning his head to the side slightly so that the taller man could nuzzle into his neck.

    Virgil hums. "You shouldn''t have bothered to cook, not till you feel better."

    Hayden just barely stops himself from rolling his eyes knowing that Virgil means well. "And as I said nearly a hundred timesst night, I''m fine, it was just a couple sneezes."

    He can feel Virgil''s frown against his shoulder as he grabs the maple syrup for the pancakes.

    "You''re going to work then?"

    Hayden spins around slightly and nces up at him then leans forward to kiss his cheek before slipping away to move the tray of pancakes to the ind.

    "Of course." He affirms, keeping silent when Virgil insists on arranging the rest of the food on the counter.

    The sun streams into the kitchen, soft conversation floating around, Hayden eats little and this makes Virgil frown although the brte is more interested in getting another piece of bacon in Virgil''s mouth and he couldn''t say no to Hayden, not when he''s being asked directly.

    It''s much easier to sidestep or ignore his silent questioning but he would eat an entire Pancake Pile if Hayden keeps telling him to open his mouth for another bite in that soft voice.

    Virgil leaves first with a kiss that makes his legs turn to jelly and he trudges to the bedroom to get ready for work, he''s still upset and slightly sexually frustrated but it''s hard to not feel better after a kiss like that.

    The enthusiastic way that the other members of the Pack he bumped into greeted him makes him wish there was a back door, he notes some people biting back the ''Luna'' title and he settles in his car seat with a different kind of weight on his lower belly.

    Maybe he''s just out of breath from the flights of stairs, his mom would bring Apple over today to give him time to settle in.

    He starts the car and makes his way out of the parking lot, there would be no cupcakes for him, at least not this morning.

    He decides to go with a mocha voredtte wanting a reminder of the hot chocte of the night before, he can admit a weakness for the sweet caffeinated drinks but he usually sticks to just one a day so that was fine, right?

    Dream should be back at the bakery that morning but he didn''t get the chance to go over because for some crazy reason, the bookstore had a steady stream of customers not to mention the people seated to read and it wasn''t even the weekend yet.

    His mom had been by earlier on her way to the Pack House with Apple and the cat was currently settled on the counter, appreciating the attention the people who came in gave her.

    He didn''t even notice the time go, too busy rmending books and actually selling them, he hadn''t ever thought he might need help but then he never thought he would get this busy.

    Things calmed down when the afternoon came, the only people left were a group of teenagers who upied the couches close to the windows, they hade in not long ago, most likely after school and maybe had a project or the other to work on.

    There was also anotherdy, she didn''t seem familiar so it was most likely that she was either from Paper District or in Dark Moon Pack, she was a housewife whose twins had started school and she was looking for a past time.

    She found one alright and was currently binging on steaming hot romance novels.

    The doorbell rings and Hayden raises his head, expecting another customer only to see Dream with a bright smile on his face, a package in his other hand.

    "Hay!" He exims happily, practically floating over to the counter.

    Hayden makes his way around to hug his friend and pull him inside the other side of the counter, there was enough seating for the both of them.

    "How do you feel?" Hayden asks in concern, looking him over like he could possibly decipher what had been wrong by staring intensely at him.

    "Much better." Dream waves away. "I brought you cupcakes."

    "Oh." Hayden murmurs, flustered. "Sh-shouldn''t I p-pay for it?"

    "Of course not!" Dream insists. "I made them myself, I don''t pay for your cookies do I?"

    Hayden couldn''t argue with that logic and he only realized how hungry he was when he bit into the whipped cream covered confectionery.

    "Is it me or there''s a lot of people here today?" Dream asks absently, divided between petting Apple and eating one of the cupcakes he brought.

    "It''s not just you, trust me, it''s been like this all day" He barely got all his words out before the doorbell dinged again.

    They both look up to see a youngdy gingerly walk in, her dark brown hair in two ponytails on her head but her hair is short so it''s more like two fluffy buns.

    "Another one." Dream pipes up, his voice muffled from his mouth full of cake.

    "I see that too." Hayden says quickly, shuffling Dream, the cupcakes, and Apple to the other end of the counter so he could attend to the neer.

    "Hello, wee to Hayden''s Bookstore." He greets cheerfully when she stops in front of his counter, with wide brown eyes behind ck-rimmed sses and a purple top.

    "I''m Hayden, how may I help you?"

    "Hey." She starts nervously, looking like she might be around Hayden''s age or slightly younger. "I''m Jennie and I wanted to find out if you were hiring."

 Chapter 215

    Chapter 215

    "Mom!" Hayden calls as he let himself into the house, he had told her he woulde to visit today plus she never left the house without locking up. "Mom? I brought cookies!"

    "I''m out back, baby, just give me a couple minutes!"

    He heaves a sigh of relief at her confirmation, Grammy and Aunt Candy have been moring to see him ever since they heard the news and as a heavily pregnant Aunt Candy couldn''t make the drive down, he would go over instead.

    He didn''t mind, it had been a while anyway. Hayden isn''t sure what to expect when his mom makes her way in, he hopes she''s not covered in twigs and leaves or something simr.

    "I had almost forgotten to water the nts." She bustles in, looking spick and span.

    Hayden frowns, he hadn''t seen her doing any watering when he came in. "Watering? What nts?"

    "I nted some more at the back, you shoulde see them some time but now we had better be on our way if we don''t want to sleepover."

    Hayden chooses to drive them there while Renee digs into the cookies, Aunt Candy can''t have them, and neither can Grammy.

    "You didn''t open up the bookstore today?"

    "No, although Jennie kept pouting about it." He lets his mom put a piece in his mouth.

    He wasn''t exaggerating about his work partner, she loved the store even more than he did and that''s saying a lot.

    "You should have let her." Renee says with a mouthful.

    "She should get a life outside of the bookstore, I appreciate her dedication but it''s been a full week and Ie in the mornings to find her either at the bakery or cafe, waiting for me."

    "You sound like an upset parent." Renee teases. "And if you just gave her a spare key."

    "Then knowing her she''d spend her nights there, reading." Hayden rolls his eyes, tapping his ringed finger against the steering wheel.

    "That sounds like a healthy past time." Renee shrugs.

    "Mom!"

    "Alright, fine, I know." She waves his look of disbelief away. "Try getting her engaged somewhere else, like the Pack House."

    Hayden hums thoughtfully. "That could work, she adores Apple and any other pet that walks into the store, maybe I could get her to volunteer at Suzie''s ce."

    "See that''s a settled now, Aunt Candy doesn''t want to miss your wedding." His mom sighs.

    Hayden nces briefly at her. "I know, that should work out fine because things are all up in the air back at the Pack House."

    "That deal about those Realtors?"

    "Yeah, everyone''s so busy there''s barely any time to n a wedding, I wouldn''t want her on the road so close to her term or immediately after she gives birth." He reaches back to push his hair out of his eyes. "Virgil doesn''t mind, in his opinion, we''re already married."

    "Mmh." Renee simply hums.

    "Don''t eat up all the cookies, you''ll get sick." Hayden scolds when he nces down to see that she had almost gone through them all.

    Renee looks betrayed. "Why give them all to me if I can''t eat them all?"

    "Just keep the rest forter or you''ll spend the rest of the trip with your head down a paper bag."

    <em><strong>~</strong></em>

    <em></em>

    <em></em>"Why am I not the one driving?" Erinins.

    "You''ll drive on the way back." Ian says simply, concentrating on the road again.

    She res at the back of his head for a while, conceding with difficulty. "Fine." She bites out. "But why did you make me stay in the backseat when the passenger seat is perfectly empty?"

    "It''s easier to ignore you."

    Erin clenches her jaw, ring harder, the only reason she had agreed to this team-up was because Dale had asked personally.

    She huffs and looks out the window with her arms crossed, two could y that game, she would make him sit in the backseat too when it was her turn to drive.

    The car lurches violently and although she had her seatbelt on she was still thrown slightly to the side.

    "What the fuck? Don''t you know how to drive?" She sasses him.

    "Shh." He hushes her, more of that violent lurching.

    "Okay, stop the fucking car, I''d rather hitch a ride than sit here in this deathtrap with you."

    "You know, you curse a lot." Ian notes, bncing out the car with ease.

    Erin gapes at him, the nerve of this geek but she refuses to let him ruffle her feathers, it was just a simple trip to the city.

    They had the address of Old man Mason, they just had to check the ce out and approach him with their case, report back to the Alphas, and then she could put this ugly road trip behind her.

    "Aren''t you supposed to be ignoring me?" She scoffs, crossing her arms again - she was usually a very nice person but the annoying Werewolf just made all that fly out the window.

    "Shh." He hushes her again and Erin sends a death re his way, this was one of those days that her earphones woulde in downright handy but she had chosen to leave them in her office, as a work ethic and now, she was really regretting that choice.

    The rest of the journey is spent in silence, Erin refusing to look anywhere but out the window side although if you asked for the life of her she couldn''t recollect what she had been staring at, maybe trees, a couple houses, some people.

    As annoying as Ian was, he had a lead foot because in no time they''re pulling up into the fancy beach house street.

    Erin isn''t sure what to expect but it''s definitely not a fancy fence that doesn''t protect or give the huge house behind it any privacy, even worse when Ian parks the car a little way ahead so it doesn''t get in the way, the gate isn''t locked.

    "Should this be happening?" She asks in concern, worrying at her bottom lip with how easy it was to ess Old man Mason.

    Ian just shrugs, unperturbed. "Don''t think so but it''s to our advantage."

    Erin is even more doubtful now but isn''t one to chicken out especially when Ian is striding up the walkway packed with beautiful white pebbles like he owns the fucking ce.

    So she hurries on after him, grateful that she had gone for ts today even if it made the other secretary tower over her, thest thing she needed was her heels sinking into the holes in the ground and slowing her down.

    "Strange, it doesn''t look lived in." Ian murmurs when Erin finally catches up to him and she looks around the house, wondering how he came to that conclusion.

    "How..." She starts to ask but someone else beats her to it.

    "Elo!" A man in a wide-brimmed straw hat greets them cordially, bushy mustache streaked grey and jovial dark eyes smile out at them from a weather-beaten face. "Looking for someone?"

    Erin flinches, they looked out of ce in their formal attire and she just wants to tell Ian that they would probably be better off ignoring the nosy Gardener and ringing the bell.

    "Yeah, we''re looking for Old man Mason." Ian calls back without hesitation and Erin panics.

    While what they were doing certainly wasn''t illegal, it wasn''t totally allowed either.

    "Really, old acquaintances of his eh?" The gardener clucks sympathetically. "You might be a couple of months toote then, he passed a while ago." He says without pompadour, taking off his straw hat to show his respects.

    Erin gapes slightly at the thick braids of shiny dark brown hair that falls down his shoulders at the action.

    "You young pups are far from the wolf town, if he was that important to you, I can tell you one thing." He ces his hat back on his head and ces a well-shorn stick back in his mouth.

    "Most people think the Old man didn''t have any family but some foreigners dide here not long after he died, they looked French and looked awfully heartbroken about his death, might be his distant rtions." He shrugs, turning around, no doubt to get back to work. "You won''t be getting any answers from him anymore that''s for sure."

    Erin stayed quiet throughout the entire narration while Ian looked brooding.

    "Let''s get back." He finally says, leading the way back.

    Erin had tons of questions but decides to keep her yap shut, things were about to get moreplicated if Old man Mason was dead but the gardener had mentioned something about foreignersing over so there was a good chance that his properties didn''t get turned over to the government.

    Erin was so lost in thought she didn''t remember getting in the back seat until the car was already well on its way out of the street.

    They had more pressing issues at hand than who would drive the car back to Pine Creek so she didn''tin, bringing out her pad to take down some important tidbits so she wouldn''t forget them.

    She also had to go through tons of celebrity pages, there was a lot of information freely given on those sites that one couldn''t simply find on the.

 Chapter 231

    Chapter 231

    After Dream finishes up his tale, Virgil''s eyes widen as everything clicks in ce. Dream is Jasmine.

    He pushes a hand through his hair, remembering how affected Dale had been by just bumping into Dream just once.

    Everything added up, his reaction to Dream, the familiar scent, things were about to get a lot moreplicated.

    "Is something wrong?" Hayden asks him, instantly noticing his change of mood.

    Virgil smiles up at the concern in his eyes. "No, I''m fine." He replies to him, turning his attention back to the room.

    "I doubt Alpha Ascott has heard of this." He starts to say.

    Jaxon shrugs. "He has more or less step aside, the only person that can address this is actually Dale."

    "Or Luna na." Hayden adds darkly.

    "Doubt she would." Jaxon shrugs.

    "Then she shouldn''tin if her Pack members turn up looking less than glossy because I won''t hesitate to defend the members of my Pack, does she even see what this could do to both Packs?" Virgil grinds out.

    Dream''s brows furrow at this, he didn''t want a Pack war just because of his status.

    "This is a delicate issue that has to be handled carefully." Jaxon muses. "Hopefully it''ll blow over and until then we''ll make sure you don''t walk around alone, it might be dangerous." He adds to Dream.

    Dream''s expression darkens at this, he still didn''t have his freedom. "And keep Dale away from me."

    "Yes, that too." Jaxon agrees immediately.

    Virgil winces at this, that would be particrly difficult to do, the drama would just be beginning if they thought that would be possible.

    "I almost forgot..." Hayden mutters to himself, separating Virgil''s hands from his so he could get off his legs and go make a call. "I''ll be right back." He throws over a shoulder, stepping out a connecting door.

    In this bustle of everything that had been happening he had almostpletely forgotten to ring up Jennie, it waste enough and he was unsurprised to see texts from her.

    "Hi, Jennie." He says into his phone when she picks up.

    "Hey, boss, is Dream okay?" She asks immediately, concern coloring her voice.

    Hayden smiles a little, unsurprised that she already knew what was going on. "Yes, he''s with me, do you mind handling the store for the rest of today?"

    "Of course not!" She epts cheerily, eager to help.

    "You can close early, I don''t want you overworking yourself." He says sternly.

    Jennie says something to someone off the phone beforeing back with a relievedugh. "I won''t, I''m just giving novel rmendations nothing much, now go, um sure you have a lot on your hands."

    Hayden smiles again, this time easier, he could always count on the bubbly brte. "Thank you, Jen."

    "Anytime, say hi to Dream for me, and don''t worry, they''re staying out of the store." She reassures him, hanging up.

    Hayden makes his way back, the conversation had gone on without him.

    "I''ve tried his cell, multiple times." Jaxon was saying with something like frustration. "He''s going out of town, who puts off their phone when they''re going out of town."

    Virgil shrugs, looking up immediately Hayden steps back in and makes right for him. "I don''t know, I see him doing that."

    ~

    Dale takes a drink from his bottled water, already exhausted, usually, these meetings gave him relief and a sense of satisfaction especially when they were going well, much like this one was.

    But his mind has been in a constant state of unrest ever since Dream had stormed away, if the other Werewolf had been mad at him, he could handle that but no, Dream had been disappointed, hurt even.

    He was basically done here but he was tempted to hang around just to dy having to return to town, the bags under his eyes weren''t even a surprise.

    He decides to check his phone on a whim and curses at the number of notifications that pour in, his mom''s endless calling was expected even if this was like triple her usual amount, no... The notifications that made him worried were the one from Crimson''s Pack House, Jaxon''s personal line too, what the hell was going on?

    He lurches to his feet and sweeps out the room, no one bats an eyelid at him, he could guess he wasn''t their favor at the moment, he was basically stopping them from building their dream project in Pine Creek, a prime spot.

    He wasn''t obligated to stick around though so he hurries to his car while dialing up Jaxon, it barely rings before the other picks up.

    "Finally, where the hell did you keep your phone?" Jaxon immediately scolds.

    "Sorry, what''s going on?" He asks immediately, putting the cat in gear.

    "Put it on loudspeaker." He hears Virgil''s voice say faintly - well looked like the entire team was there.

    He does the same with his device to give him the freedom to use both hands.

    "Where are you?" Virgil demands impatiently, he sounds pissed.

    Like Dale knew the other Alpha wasn''t the bestpany but he was just cold and gruff, this time however he was full-on pissed.

    Dale narrows his eyes, unhappy with being in the dark. "On my way back, look is someone going to tell me what''s going on?"

    "Have you spoken to your mom?" Jaxon asks.

    Dale clenches his teeth. "No."

    "Well, I don''t know what you did but every female in your Pack wants to murder my Pack member." Virgil says crisply.

    Dale''s frown intensifies. "That doesn''t make any sense."

    "Tell me about it!" Dream quips without thinking, throwing his hands up in frustration.

    Dale nearly crashes into another car, choking. "Dream? Is that Dream? Why is he there?" He asks immediately, grateful that he had left the city and the road was free now or he would have rammed someone else''s car by now.

    "Yeah and he''s somehow the most wanted..."

    His mom starts calling at this point and he nces down in exasperation, hanging up on her without even thinking.

    "Because they think he''s going to steal you away or something, what the hell is that all about?" Virgil snaps.

    Everything clicks into ce like an ugly puzzle piece and Dale speeds up. "Shit." He curses reflexively.

    "Shit is right." Virgil says coldly. "Get your ass back here, you''ve got some exining to do."

    Dale winces when Virgil hangs up, he had never seen Virgil this mad, especially not at him but he could understand the Alpha''s anger.

    He would feel the same if a member of his Pack was threatened, especially one that was really close to the Alpha''s mate.

    He curses again under his breath... Amy, it had to be the irritating Werewolf.

    He had immediately distanced himself from her after Dream had left, after apologizing to her sincerely, he even offered to drive her home which she agreed although her shameless flirting all through the way back made him regret his offer.

    She had seemed fine when he dropped her off but was obviously still mad at Dream, thinking he was the reason that not only the Alpha had stood her up but he also canceled their date.

    He doesn''t know how she managed to spread the news so fast, like were they all on a group chat or something?

    His heart was in his throat as he drove as fast as was legal, it wouldn''t help his case if he was given a ticket or pulled over.

    Dream''s secret was out and it was all his fault, well fuck... Wasn''t this wonderful? He thinks sarcastically.

    ~

    Dream sobers up after the phone call, he hadn''t meant to speak up, Dale''s reaction to his voice had been hrious and if he wasn''t a hairsbreadth away from rage he might have found it humorous.

    Jaxon had spent the past couple minutes exining to Dream that it couldn''t have been Dale who caused it, at least not directly.

    Dream didn''t say much, petting Apple whose purrs were calming, he was just a little overwhelmed, going back to his usual way of life now was close to impossible.

    Right now he wanted his room but he wasn''t even sure that was safe because of the batty girls that were persecuting him for something he didn''t even do.

    Why were they all so insecure anyway? He thinks to himself, rolling his eyes.

    He had moved to the sofa while Ian had gone out to get snacks, Virgil and Jaxon discussing about some Pack matter or the other.

    "You okay?"

    He looks up in slight shock, he had been so lost in thought he didn''t even hear Haydene over.

    "Not really." He says honestly.

    Hayden saddens at this, Dale was his really good friend but he had never wanted to hit him as much as he currently did.

    Hayden settles on the couch beside him, legs crossed and tucked underneath him as he throws his arms around his friend''s shoulders.

    "It''ll all turn out okay." He reassures the other.

    Dream pushes his long blonde hair behind his ear, sighing depressively. "I hope so."

 Chapter 262

    Chapter 262

    Dream makes a face. "Yeah, that''s right, you are... But, Hayden? A part Werewolf? A male Omega?" He points out, disbelief coloring his tone. "Really?"

    Mae could understand that, she could see a little hope dancing behind the blue-grey depths of Dream''s eyes, how he needed someone like him to understand him so badly that he was scared to hope.

    She immediately dials back, if this was nothing but a nasty prank it would really break Dream.

    "You know what, you might have a point." Mae let''s go of him and leans back into the chair. "But there''s still the undisputed issue surrounding your strangely matching birthmarks."

    Dream covers his face with both hands and shrugs. "I don''t know, I''ve never met another male Omega, people have birthmarks all the time, it would be strange to discuss that with everyone you met."

    "Yeah." Mae sighs, doing up calctions in her brain.

    The door dings at this point startling them with how tense they were.

    Dream knows who it is before even turning around to look, closing his eyes briefly as he prays for strength to get through this while worried silly about Hayden.

    "Dale?" Mae exims in surprise when he immediately beelines for their table, visible circles under his eyes. "What happened to you?"

    Dale pulls up a chair and practically copses on it. "I didn''t get a wink of sleepst night." He mutters wearily.

    Mae''s and Dream''s eyes grow round at this.

    "You don''t mean..."

    "Yes, exactly that."

    "No way!" Dream whisper yells, eyes ssy, just when he thought Hayden couldn''t be more perfect.

    "Shana kept rambling on about how you didn''t believe her..."

    "With good reason too." Mae shrugs slightly. "Oh and are you going back to her?" She tags on. "I need you to help me tell her something..."

    "She''s already on her way back." Dale cuts her off. "You can tell her yourself."

    "Oh." Mae mutters. "You didn''t juste here to tell us that did you?" She asks knowingly.

    "Maybe."

    Dale''s sketchy reply was enough for her. "Whoops! Look at the time, I need to get home before Shana does..." She suddenly pipes up, sending an apologetic nce at Dream''s betrayed expression as she pulls him into a quick hug.

    It wasn''t like they would be able to meet with Hayden, not for a couple days at least.

    "Ruby, it''s time to go, say bye to Honey and Alpha Dale." She coos to her daughter who easily ys along, bless the sweetheart.

    Mae quickly bundles herself and her daughter away from the table, remembering to say goodbye to Jennie before they left.

    An awkward silence falls over the table when the two girls leave, Dale ditching the extra seat he was upying to sit across from Dream.

    "You don''t look so good, are you okay?" Dale asks in concern.

    "That''s a little bolding from you." Dream scoffs.

    "Hayden is a sweetheart most of the time but he can be pretty much exasperating when he wants to be." Dale exins.

    Dream shrugs. "What can I say, I woke up and chose to be miserable." He says tightly.

    "Dream..."

    But he was already making a move to get up. "You should get some sleep Dale..."

    "Dream..." Dale says again, wrapping a gentle fist around his wrist.

    A sh of desperation lights up Dream''s soulful eyes before he relents, settling back on his couch.

    "I won''t be able to fall asleep." Dale says, eyes down. "I should know, I''ve been trying all morning..."

    "Then you should get a prescription for insomnia or even better pay Mae a visit, she''ll put you right to sleep without any of the side effects."

    "I know why I can''t fall asleep, Dream." Dale continues gently, unruffled by the Omega''s unusual chattiness.

    Dream goes into a mini panic, eyes darting around as he looks for a way to get out of the oing conversation but nothing short of running t out of the bookstore would save him.

    And knowing Dale, the Alpha would chase right after him and Dream would die of mortification from the drama that would ensue.

    He logs back into the conversation to Dale apologizing for the biting situation.

    "You don''t have to apologize." Dream stops him mid sentence, knowing that Dale didn''t owe him an apology, he bit him harder anyway. "It... It''s fine." He waves away. "I wasn''t mad at you."

    Dale mps his mouth shut, stunned. "You weren''t?" He asks.

    "No." Dream sighs.

    "Oh." Dale leans back. "Then... what happened?" He asked curiously, fiddling with his hands.

    Dream tries toe up with a usible excuse, gives up and decides to go for the truth, this entire situation had more power over him than he would have liked anyway.

    "I... I was more upset with myself honestly, at my reaction to your bite... no! no..." He puts out a hand. "Don''t apologize." He says with a weak smile. "It''s fine." He reassures Dale who still looks highly skeptical.

    The entire situation just got worse while he had been having a sleepless night because he thought that Dale would see him less or an easy prey from his reaction, only to find out that the bumbling idiot thought he did something wrong.

    "You should get that sleep now, we''re good." He smiles easily at Dale, the weight off his shoulders as well after being honest.

    "You still look dull, let me buy you coffee." Dale suggests with tampered excitement, dark green eyes brighter than they were when he first wandered in.

    Dream gives him an incredulous look. "I don''t think that''s a good choice before you sleep."

    "No, not for me." Dale is quick to refute. "I''ll just watch you..."

    Dream''s eyes widen marginally at this.

    Dale face palms. "Shit, that came out wrong, I... I meant..."

    "It''s fine, Dale." Heughs lightly. "You don''t have to try so hard and yes, I could really go for a shot of caffeine right about now."

    "You''re saying yes?" Dale asks in shock, like he couldn''t believe his own good fortune.

    "Mmhmm." Dream nods, watching Dale already bright expression dial up a couple notches that he was pretty sure if the Alpha was in wolf form his giant tall would be swinging furiously.

    A unbidden image of Dale''s threatening wolf doing that made Dream choke onughter.

    Dale seemed to have read this reaction wrong as Dream cruelly toying with him and Dream had never seen the light go out of someone''s eyes so fast.

    Without stopping to exin, he reaches across the table to grab Dale''s hand, ignoring his sounds of surprise and the attention from the rest of the bookstore as he tugs him right out the door.

    "Alright! You offered me coffee." Dream announces when they got outside. "So fess up."

    Realization hits Dale and he beams. "With pleasure."

    Dream nearly keels over when Dale gives him a genuine smile that slowly fades to a soft smirk showing off one of his fangs.

    "Come on, let''s get going." Dale grabs his hand this time, the cafe was a couple buildings down.

    Dream let himself be pulled along, ignoring the very obvious eyes ogling them.

    His best friend was a male Omega like him, he was alsoing to terms with and starting to slowly ept how Dale made him feel, all was right with the world.

    ~

    Yanis lets out a steady stream of curses under his breath, the flight was barely halfway done and yet he was about ready to shatter the window beside him and jump off the ne.

    His every movement was being monitored closely by the media and he couldn''t risk bringing that kind of spotlight to Pine Creek so instead of having an easy stress free journey in his private jet straight to Reef City which would be a lot faster.

    Here he was in first ss, making the one way trip to California, where he would board another flight down to Reef.

    He didn''t mind going through the trouble for Hayden but that didn''t mean he couldn''t bitch about it, besides the surprise on Hayden''s face would be totally worth all the stress.

    His mom was down in Ennd and he was grateful for that because she would straight up have an aneurysm if she found out about the way he decided to travel.

    He pushes a hand through his wavy, inky ck hair, adjusting his neck pillow.

    Gratefully, the person seated beside him was a generic business man who had spent most of the trip with his head down an endless stream of self help books.

    Yanis could probably give him a couple tips on what he was doing wrong but the snotty suited man didn''t seem like he was up for a conversation.

    Well, that''s was fine with him, he sighs, putting his headphones over his ears again.

    He had decided on sses instead of contacts to help with his disguise, dressed as differently as possible in guady, oversized designer clothing that made it look fake.

    He couldn''t wait for the journey to be over, he sinks into his reclining seats, eyes closed.

 Chapter 263

    Chapter 263

    "Thank you for the coffee." Dream says kindly to Dale, getting up to return back to the bakery.

    "My pleasure." Dale gets up after him, eye fixed on him. "Let me walk you to the bakery?" He offers.

    Thises as a surprise to Dream so he agrees instinctively. "Sure, why not."

    They cross the slightly busy street silently, having coffee with Dale although he had been the only one actually getting coffee wasn''t as awkward as he had picture.

    He could tell that Dale was actually trying very hard and he could appreciate the effort if anything.

    "Thanks, Dale." Dream says dryly when they get to the bakery, fiddling with the sleeves of his sweatshirt as he waits for Dale to take his leave which the Alpha obviously wasn''t interested in doing. "See you around." He waves, pushing open the door to the bakery.

    Dream nearly trips over his feet when he realizes that Dale is following right after him, spinning around quickly to look up at the taller man - he couldn''t possibly mean to follow Dream everywhere.

    "W-What are you doing?" He splutters, eyes widen.

    Dale on the other hands keeps a very calm expression on his face like he wasn''t doing anything suspicious. "Buying myself muffins, Honey, is something wrong?" He asks with faux innocence.

    Dream nearly swallows his tongue at this unexpected reply especially where they were, smackdab at the center of the bakery where the girls that had tried to hurt him because of the other were seated, definitely watching.

    "Don''t call me that." Dream snaps, unsettled at the little flip his stomach did when Dale called him that.

    "Fine..."

    "And I thought you were going to bed?" He prompts with an eyebrow up to show that he could see right through Dale''s ruse.

    "They''re for Jaxie." Dale bullshits, voice steady.

    This makes Dream exasperated with himself because he has no idea why he''s making such a big deal about this, what exactly did he want? for Dale to admit that he wanted to spend more time with him, was that what he wanted?

    "Is everything okay?" Dia walks over at this moment, throwing suspicious looks in Dale''s direction.

    Dream is already speaking... "no, mom it''s ju..."

    At the same moment Dale says. "Hello, Mrs. Micall, i was just asking Dream to rmend the best pastry to try."

    Dia''s face brightens up at this, always willing to show up her precious masterpieces. "Really?" She sps her hands together. "Come along with me so I can show you, the blueberry muffin is my..."

    Dale walks off with her, fully listening to her ramble on about her baking, he turns around to give Dream ones look, winking at him.

    Dream is quick to stick his tongue out at the Alpha, he had no idea how or why but Dale seemed to push all his buttons, he wasn''t sure if that was a good thing or not.

    He stomps to the kitchen, thoughts muddied and it was all because of one particrly annoying Alpha with fluffy, ck and green eyes that reminded Dream of a blooming forest and spring, smile so warm, it heated you up from the inside... ugh! This is exactly what he was talking about.

    "Dream?" Heather, one of the bakers drifted over to him, flour on her hair.

    "Hmm?" He turns absently to face her, fiddling with an apron.

    "Are you okay?" She asks with concern written over her pretty features.

    "Yeah." He mutters, still distracted.

    "Well for one, you look ufortably red and you''re putting on the apron wrong." She points out, reaching out to touch his forehead. "I hope you''re not running a fever."

    Dream smiles reassuringly to hide the slow building anger thrumming under his skin, this was all Dale''s fault!

    "I''m just fine, Heather, I''m a little out of it though so maybe I''ll call it a day."

    Heather was a very recent addition to the bakery and he could see how much her presence made things better for his mom, he didn''t know much about the Werewolf other than she also just moved in to Pine Creek recently and was newly divorced, she was also around his mom''s age and was a baking whiz, she was the perfectpanion.

    "Alright, that reassures me." she smiles, thick auburn hair in a bun. "Don''t worry about Dia, I''ll tell her you''re gone."

    Dream could almost hug the olderdy who was starting to feel like a second mother or a beloved Aunt to him and Deidre, he immediately ditches the apron and makes his way to the back.

    Thest thing he wanted was to bump into Dale again, he decided that he had had enough of the Alpha for one day.

    He bumps into Deidre in the backroom, jumpingslightly in surprise.

    "Running somewhere?" Deidre asks knowingly, arms crossed.

    Dream ces a hand over his chest with a relieved sigh. "What the hell, DD? You startled me."

    Since the bakery was doing so well, Dia didn''t have to rely on her children anymore, giving them the freedom to do whatever else they wanted to do.

    "And I''m not running.." Dream counters defensively, "I''m just going home."

    "Through the backdoor, sure." Deidre drawls.

    Dream cuts her an icy look. "Don''t you have any other thing to do?"

    She just shrugszily, "Not particrly."

    "Fine but I do, see ya, DD." He waves her away, brushing past her to get to the door.

    He knew that his sister was considering moving into the Pack House, she wanted to work with kids which seemed like something she would definitely go for.

    He wasn''t sure what he wanted to do, he could always easily move into the Pack House but then what would he do?

    He''s so distracted with his thoughts that he pays no attention to his surroundings until he nearly walks into Dale, he curses sharply, flinching away.

    "What the fuck, Dale?! Were you waiting out here for me?" He uses, eyes narrowing in a peeve.

 Chapter 264

    Chapter 264

    Dale watches Dream with open honesty. "Actually, no, I was on my way out when I saw you, I have no idea why you curved sharply in my direction." He exins. "I tried calling your name but you didn''t answer at least not till you nearly ran me down."

    Dream was mortified, he couldn''t believe he had been so out of it that he actually did all that. "I''m sorry, I was a little bit distracted."

    "It''s fine, actually, mind if I drive you home?" He offers.

    Dream blinks. "Oh, but don''t you have to get some sleep?"

    "I''ll be fine but I''ll sleep better if I know you''re home safely and not walking absently into a car or something."

    Dream cuts him a cold re but acquiesces. "Fine, what have I got to lose anyway?" He epts.

    ~

    "Nana? I wanna hold the pic basket." Ruby protests, tugging her hand from Mae''s hold to get closer to Shana.

    She had been ted to see her Nana back home so early and she could tell that something really big was happening from how excitedly both her mom''s had been discussing when her Nana came back.

    She wasn''t really interested in what she termed as old people problems, more upied with thinking over how their pic would could, she had also been promised a run if she behaved well enough.

    "No, Ru." Shana lifted the basket out of her reach. "It''s too heavy for youto carry." She exins but Ruby was having none of it.

    "I''m a very strong girl, mom." She says solemnly, unaware at what she had unconsciously called Shana.

    Shana and Mae don''t miss it though, nearly choking.

    Shana colors up at this, her face a bright red. "How about we both hold it together?" She offers with a smile full of love.

    "Okay!" Ruby agrees, happy and content to just hold the handle of the basket although she wasn''t really carrying anything substantial, her other hand back in Mae''s hold.

    "Where are we going?" She pipes up again, noting that her parents were strangely quiet than usual but she couldn''t pinpoint why.

    "The creek, baby." Mae says.

    "Water? Big Water?" She immediately asks, eyes wide as saucers.

    The tense air immediately dissolves as Shana bursts outughing, Mae struggling to hold hers in.

    "Well, you''re not wrong." Mae smiles brightly at her.

    The journey continues, bird chirping quietly as a cool breeze flows through the tall trees, the trees providing cover from the bright sun.

    "Dream wasn''t open to the possibility of male Omegas having a crescent birthmark." Shana pipes up after Ruby''s barrage of curious questions that mostly consisted of ''what''s that?''s slow down.

    "They''re literally going against nature by existing but he finds matching birthmarks weird?"

    Mae shrugs. "I doubt it even matters, this is like an urrence of a couple lifetimes to not only see one male Omega but two and around the same age, it''s unbelievable."

    "You''ll see Hayden tomorrow at least or the day after that." Shanaments dryly, knowing that her skeptical girlfriend would still have doubts till she saw Hayden with both eyes. "You know for a witch you really get stuck up on physical proofs."

    Mae throws her a dark look. "Let''s keep this discussion aside, we''re almost to the creek, it''s a family day out and no talk of work or otherwise is allowed."

    "Yes, ma''am." Shana pipes up.

    "You know, for my girlfriend, you make me want to curse you at least five times a day and we don''t even spend all the time together..."

    "Yes, Mama!" Ruby mimics her mom, her twinkling and all the irritation fades away from Mae.

    A subtle smile recing her frown even though she tried hard to keep her face stern to re at Shana.

    "Come on, baby." She urges Ruby, tugging her away. "Can you hear the water?" She asks with a bright smile, her hair down, the curly dark brown hair was down to her back, Ruby was rightfully fascinated with it.

    Ruby pauses dramatically, straining her ears. "Yes, Mama! I hear it!" She exims, bouncing a little.

    The both hurry on up while Shana takes her time so as not to jostle the basket and the food in it.

    Good thing they thought to bring a change of clothes, she thinks to herself when she rounds thest line of trees to see Mae and Ruby already sshing about in the water.

    "Don''t get soaked yet!" She calls to them, plopping the basket down on the cleared opening, the rich soil soft beneath her feet.

    "We''re eating lunch first before our run!" She tags on but she might as well have been talking to herself, they easily ignore her,ughing and sshing.

    Shana shakes her head fondly, leaning down to take out the nket from the basket to ready the pic, this was expected after all.

    It was nice to see Mae loosen up like this, she looked striking with the sun in her face and her cute little yellow top which was now stered to her skin from the wetness.

    Her loose shorts were no better, she knew Mae hated to get her hair wet because it got all frizzy but here she was, hair down with Ruby who also has her beautiful long hair down, dancing in the water.

    Shana very much loved these two girls in her lives but at this rate, the squirrels were going to get to their sandwiches first.

    "Mae?! Ruby! Enough of that for now, you can ssh inter! Come eat! Right now!"

    "Yes ma''am!" Mae calls back to her, words coated inughter as she picks up a very wet Ruby.

    "Yes, Nana!" Rubyughs as well, hands gribbing her mother''s neck tight as they made their way over to the pic nket.

    "I hope you''re willing to stand and eat because you''re not getting my nket we..."

    Her words get cut off by a ssh of water, probably one of Mae''s spells and even though she tried to be offended, watching Mae and Ruby crack up was enough to make herugh too.

 Chapter 265

    Chapter 265

    Dream choses to ride shot gun this time, letting Dale open the door for him, it was his car after all.

    "You''re going home pretty early." Dale notices, putting the car in gear.

    Dream nces at him, blonde hair swishing. "Yeah." He expels on a breath, shoulders drooping. "The ce is doing so well, my mom doesn''t need us anymore."

    Dale taps the wheel lightly. "Or maybe she just wants to give you your choice, I''m pretty sure if you told her you wanted to keep working at the bakery she wouldn''t mind."

    Dream sighs again, sinking into the seat. "I know, it''s just..." He trails off at this point, trying to organize his thoughts.

    It kind of made him feel awful because his mom didn''t need him anymore, not that he didn''t want the best for her and the bakery but it was just nice to be needed.

    There was also the fact that he didn''t know what next to do, he had always imagined he would always have to help out at the bakery.

    "...I don''t know what to do." He finally says, tugging slightly on the tips of his hair.

    Dale looks at him briefly, internally pleased that Dream was willing to share something so important with him.

    "You don''t have to decide now, give it some time, it''lle to you."

    Dream swivels his head around to stare at Dale''s head. "Look at you, being all inspirational." He teases, keeping to himself the fact that he didn''t have time anymore, he just didn''t fit in anymore.

    His mom was moving on with her life, Deidre too, Darian had already done that, it was just him now.

    "Talking about thingsing to you, want to be my secretary?" Dale blurts out, teeth out in a grin.

    Dream blinks slowly, stunned. "What? What happened to Erin?" He frowns.

    "Going to visit her parents who live out of the state, I have no idea how long she''ll be gone."

    "And you''re asking me? Why?" Dream exims.

    "Why not? I was worrying over who would take her ce and when you said all that, I figured it wouldn''t hurt to ask, it''s your choice, plus it''s temporary and you can always walk away anytime you like." Dale butters up his offer, truly Erin would be traveling soon but he had just resigned himself to doing all the extra work or hiring a guy because letting any female in his Pack be his secretary would be a recipe for disaster.

    "Oh." Dream mutters, leaning backwards as he stared into space.

    He was actually considering Dale''s offer and that made him really question his sanity.

    "Plus, you don''t have to agree now, you can think about it..."

    "How long will Erin be around for?" He cuts off the Alpha''s rambling, making mental calctions.

    "In less than a week, why?"

    "Wanted to see how much time I had to make up my mind, I''ll think about it then, thank you." He says politely.

    Having Dale as his boss was far from desired but maybe this could give him an insight on what he wanted to do.

    Dale on the other hand, was a couple personal pep talks away from outright whooping, he knew he shouldn''t hope too much because Dream was quite unpredictable but the bonuses of getting to share the same space with him for long periods of time was tempting.

    He drives down Dream''s street in a ridiculously good mood, it was noon and the day definitely looked brighter, the sky bluer and even the birds didn''t sound annoying.

    He parks the car and peeks into Renee''s house, everything looked okay from the exterior, not like he was expecting a mass murderer to set up camp in her empty house.

    He walks quietly beside Dream, across thewn and all the way to the front door, waiting anxiously for the moment he would say goodbye and Dale would have to leave.

    When that still doesn''t happen as Dream is opening up the door, Dale''s anxiety gets turned to it''s highest settings, eyes darting around.

    He''s not sure if to look at Dream or the door so he settles for the tips of his shoes, he''s very onboard with whatever is happening here but he also didn''t want toe off as pushy.

    The door gets unlocked and Dream pushes the door open, Dale''s feet remains rooted to the ground although he knows he should probably say bye and turn around.

    Dream takes a step forward and turns back to look at him a miniscule smile that if you squint hard enough you would see it, dancing at the edges of his lips.

    "Want toe in?"

    A inaudible sigh gets puffed out of Dale''s lips, he thought Dream wouldn''t ask, swallowing copiously he replies. "Yes." Knowing that his voice definitely came out croaky.

    Inviting Dale inside shouldn''t be this tense, it wasn''t like they just got back from a really nice date and it waste and Dream lived all alone...

    No, it was broad daylight and all Dream wanted at that moment was a ss of juice, a shower and a nap, not necessarily in that order.

    He offers Dale a seat when they get to the living room, continuing on. "Would you like something to drink? It''s a little warm out."

    "I''ll have whatever you''re having." He immediately says.

    Dream gives him a queer look but shrugs, yawning slightly as he turns around. "Sure, whatever rocks your boat."

    Hees back shortly with two gigantic sses of orange juice and plops one down in front of Dale. "Drink up." He orders him, walking away with his own cup, "I''ll be back soon."

    Dale immediately reaches for the ss, if Dream said he should drink then he would even though a couple squirrels would probably clean up well with the amount of sunflower-colored drink.

    He gulps it down in swigs, the tangy, sweet taste filling his mouth, it was cold but not cold enough to make it impossible to drink down quickly.

    Faster than he expects, the cup is empty and he settles it down with a soft clink against the ss table, rxing into the soft support of the couch.

    His body seems to register the that he hadn''t had a wink of sleep the night before and his sleeping had been sketchy to begin with.

    And his eyes and limbs be heavy, sleep dancing on the fringes of his vision.

    He struggles to stay awake though, wondering where Dream had gone to, it was a losing battle though, his belly full of cold, sweet juice not helping the situation.

    After a few minutes of intense dozing and struggling with sleep, he''s out like light.

    Dream considers taking a quick shower so he''ll go back, say bye to Dale and go to bed.

    He changes his mindst minute and walks back out, deciding to say goodbye first.

    "Dale?" He calls out, a faint frown in his voice. "Dale!" He calls louder when he finds him slumped backwards, lips slightly parted, fast asleep.

    "Just great." Dream mutters under his breath.

    Now there was no way to get Dale out of the house unless he let nature take its course.

    Dale wasn''t going to be able to drive himself home until he got the sleep out of his system.

    Dream rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue, the things he put up with, he immediately went back up to grab spare nkets and pillows.

    It wasn''t particrly cold out but it wouldn''t hurt to have some.

    After multiple adjustments he finally gets Dale in a position that''s most tolerable, he had no idea why the Alpha had to be so tall and big, not to mention that although Dream had definitely not been careful, Dale didn''t rouse even once.

    Either he was a dead sleeper or he hadn''t been having proper sleep, Dream would scold him for that.

    He decides to himself, returning back to his bedroom in a huff, the idiot had to learn that you didn''t just go to people''s houses and pass the fuck out on their couch, it was dangerous.

    How fast Dale has fallen asleep was ridiculous, almost like Dream had given him a drug.

    He takes his shower now and change intofortable clothes, a tank top and a thin pair of shorts.

    He was sleepy as well, the orange juice was properly serving it''s purpose but he found he couldn''t sleep, his thoughts filled with a lot of things.

    He was really considering Dale''s offer and that slightly terrified him because the only reason he wanted to take it was simply because it was Dale, he hoped it wouldn''t turn out to be a bad decision.

    But he was also pumped for it, it would be the first time in his life he would be living independently, while he''s never thought much about it before, now it''s the only thing he can think of.

 Chapter 266

    Chapter 266

    Dream rouses slightly not more than ten minutes after he finally falls asleep when he senses someone hovering over him.

    He blinks open an eye sleepily only to see Dale clutching his pillow with a petnt expression, a particrly vivid sense of deja vu hits him and he throws a hand over his face with a tired groan.

    "Dale, It''s not raining and there''s no thunder..." He starts to say.

    "Actually..." Dale cuts him off, puppy eyes out. "It''s raining, Dream."

    Dream takes his hand off his face to peer blearily up at him. "It''s raining?" He listens intently and makes out the unmistakable pattering of raindrops. "Oh?" He mutters.

    "Wait!" He narrows his eyes up at Dale. "You''re scared of the rain too?" He demands in disbelief.

    "No." Dale admits sheepishly, tucking his head into the pillow clutched in his arms, his nket trailing behind him. "I got lonely." He half whispers.

    Dream is still half asleep and not mentally awake to discuss something so ridiculous so he turns away to the other side and waves Dale over, knowing the Alpha wouldn''t give up anyway and he was too sleepy to argue.

    A surprised sound leaves him when he feels Dale slide under his nket and snuggle up against him.

    "Dale?" He warns darkly, "This wasn''t what I agreed to."

    "Hmm?" Dale hums, practically wrapping his body around Dream. "It''s cold."

    Dream just sighs in exasperation, he was going to me his sleepiness for this when he woke up but for now... this wasn''t so bad.

    "Ngh! Dale!" Dreamins when Dale nuzzles his neck. "If you don''t stop that, I''ll kick you off the goddamned bed." He threatens him, breathing easier when the Alpha retreats a bit.

    How the fuck was he expected to fall asleep when he could feel the entire length of Dale''s body pressed against his back? It was like a waking nightmare, his sleep fast disappearing while Dale seemed to be having the time of his life.

    He should have known this would turn out to be a horrible decision, why were Dale''s arms sofortable? Why was he feeling sleepy and safe now that he had managed to rx a bit?

    He couldn''t let himself get used to this but also this couldn''t hurt right? Being on the receiving end of tender attention like this was addictive, he was starving for a little of it.

    Dale feels his heart rate speed up when Dream starts to rx in his arms, his heart beat nearly loud enough to drown out the rain, at least to him when he feels the tenseness flow out of those slender limbs, Dream''s body easily curving to get closer to him.

    He has to physically restrain himself from tightening his arms where they were thrown over and under Dream''s waist, he stays as still as possible for Dream''s breathing to deepen.

    He closes his eyes, forcing himself to fall asleep, unconsciously leaning closer to Dream, sensitive nose chasing after his intoxicating scent.

    It doesn''t help his self restraint when Dream arches his neck with a soft sigh, clearly asleep, this isn''t right because Dream said no so he settles for resting his head against his exposed shoulder, a cool wave of Dream''s scent washes over him, calming him down immediately.

    It was almost like Dream had sensed his dissent and unconsciously tried to fix it, it made Dale feel all warm and tingly inside.

    The windows showed the grey skies outside, curtains billowing gently as the rain steadily fell, trailing down the ss windows.

    Dale wanted all this, he couldn''t put a name on it, as usual he had chased down what caught his eye, Dream wasn''t an exception.

    He never imagined he would fall in love again, with Hayden, it was gradual like it was meant to happen yet he had been so quick to give him up.

    Maybe because he knew there was someone else to clean up his mess, Hayden deserved much better than him anyway, Virgil wasn''t without his ws but at least he wasn''t terrified ofmitment.

    He opens his eyes and sits up to look at Dream who was sleeping peacefully, full lips in a soft pout as his eyelids fluttered ever so slightly like he could sense he was being watched.

    Dream was going to kill him if he broke his heart and he also knew that that was one thing the Omega was terrified of, and Dale, as the fucking idiot he was, was also terrified of that same thing yet here his was, fighting his way into Dream''s life and bed...

    <em>He was a real grade A asshole alright....</em>

    ~

    "Mom? When are we going on our run?" Ruby asks for the umpteenth time.

    Ruby, whenever she wanted to refer to the both of them used ''mom'' and it was a little weird to see her slowly fill up her vocabry even her childish affectations were starting to wane.

    Shana and Mae realized that they didn''t mind, they loved every bit of their daughter, it wasn''t her adorable naivety that made them want her anyway.

    Mae nces over to her girlfriend, she was going to sit this one out, she decides, letting Shana handle it.

    "Baby, you''ve barely touched your sandwich." Shana points out unhappily and if there was one thing Ruby hated, it was her Nana getting sad.

    "I''m sorry, Nana... It has been so long since Ruby got to run." She says honestly, reverting back to her old way of speaking.

    Mae is quick to notice this. "It''s fine, love, we understand, how about this, if you finish that slice, we''ll go run right now and then you can finish up your mealter."

    Ruby would always be their baby even when she grew up, that singr fact wasn''t going to change.

    The little girl beams at this, nodding vigorously. "Deal, Ma! Deal!" She agrees vigorously, munching down.

    The wind picks up at this point, the sky quickly darkening and Shana looks up in a panic.

    "Oh no, it''s about to rain."

 Chapter 267

    Chapter 267

    "Oh dear!" Mae exims, jumping up to her feet first. "How do you feel about running all the way back home?" She grins to her daughter, already packing up the pic basket in a hurry.

    "What are you saying? We''ll not make it in time!" Shana hops to her feet to assist her girlfriend with the packing.

    "Who says we want to?" Mae responds with a sneaky smile, folding up the nket.

    Ruby easily catches on and stars light up in her eyes, silky hair blowing around in the wind that was picking up. "Yes! I''ll race Ma and Nana all the way home!" She squeals, doing a little spinning dance. "I''m so fast, I hope you can keep up." She teases them, looking particrly smug.

    Shana smiles at this, easily getting swayed by Ruby''s excitement, she had been worried that her daughter would be devastated with the rain ruining their long awaited run but she easily saw the positive side of things - that was a lot to do, considering what she had been though.

    The wind picks up as well, the smell of damp earth and wet winds blowing through the trees, the creek steadily flowed, quiet and slow although the rest of the world was in its own little circle of chaos.

    Leaves got blown off their perch on waving trees, pine cones dropping with the lethality of flung rocks, the clouds a swirling mass of darkened puffs.

    The basket is ready to go in no time and Shana shifts first, Ruby squealing and pping at how pretty her Nana''s fur is, she allows Mae to carefully ce the handle of the basket in between her jaws, not missing the chance to lick her first and Ruby who had drifted close to hug Shana.

    Mae goes next, wanting Ruby to befortable with shifting, knowing that therewas a possibility that seeing a human in her wolf form might trigger her, well she hoped it wouldn''t but with the oing rain they didn''t have the luxury of time anymore to check like they wanted to.

    Mae shifting is met with the same enthusiasm from Ruby as Shana, her dark brown fur almost ck in the darkened light of the day.

    She slowly walks over to Ruby to nudge her lightly, sneezing happily when Ruby grabs her snout in a hug and steps back slightly to shift.

    There were still spections on the shade of Ruby''s fur, the old couple that had rescued her hadn''t really seen her wolf, most of the workers back at the clinic had easily gone with ck like the shade of her hair.

    Shana didn''t care what color it would turn out to be, she already knew that her daughter would be a beautiful wolf.

    Ruby shifts as well and after the soft white glow fades away, if Mae could gasp she would have done that instead she settles for letting her lower jaw hang open to portray her shock.

    Shana was also currently experiencing the same emotions, her silver eyes wide open as she looks down at their beautiful daughter who was sitting on the ground staring up at them.

    Her furry tailing swinging vigorously behind her, tongue hanging out in a happy expression, her fur was an absolutely beautiful shade like white sand, the edges trailing off to the desert brown of her eyes, eyes which were now a glowing silver to show her Beta status.

    <em>''How do I look mom?''</em>Ruby asks mentally, expression expectant.

    <em>''So, so pretty!''</em>Mae gushes, clearly short of words.

    A light drizzle starts off almost immediately.

    <em>''I''m pretty sure your Nana feels the same way but now we have to get going.''</em> She says, walking over to nudge a much smaller Ruby to her feet.<em>''Stay between us, okay? If you trip I won''t hesitate to pick you up...''</em>

    <em>''Make it if I fall twice, Ma.''</em>She bargains with her mom, shaking her head ever so slightly.

    <em>''Ruby...''</em>Mae starts to say.

    <em>''Nana..''</em>Ruby nudges one of Shana''s front legs, giving her puppy eyes.

    Shana nces over to Mae.<em>''One more chance won''t hurt, babe.''</em>

    <em>''Yes Ma.'' </em>Ruby quickly backs up.

    Mae''s sigh floated through their heads, the rain was starting to pick up, they didn''t have the time for this discussion.<em>''Fine.''</em>She agrees, inclining her head to call Ruby over to her side.

    They start off running in the direction that they hade from, keeping their strides slow and small to amodate Ruby''s shorter gait, the rain falling down now, the cool drops easily kept from their skin by their coats of thick fur.

    That didn''t mean they wouldn''t get wet, if they ran around in the rain long enough or the rain increased, they would definitely get soaked through, Mae wanted to avoid that.

    She had to hand it to her daughter, she was trying her hardest to keep up and manage to not fall at the same time, it was so adorable and Shana had her eyes fixed on Ruby most of the time, worried with how often Ruby kept stumbling over tree roots and rocks.

    But what was most important was that Ruby was clearly having the time of her life and Mae had never been happier that Pine Creek was a Werewolf dominated town because no one would bat an eyelid when three wolvese charging out of the woods, one holding a pic basket between its jaws and all dripping wet.

    They hurried down the street, howling quietly in happiness and relief that they were almost home.

    Shifting back to human form was done as quickly as possible, all rushing inside, dripping wet and shivering, good thing the basket was water proof.

    "We''re all showering together, no one is catching a cold on my watch!" Mae announces importantly as they hurry up the stairs, trailing water everywhere but that would be a problem for ater time.

    Shana is quick to set up the shower while Mae helps Ruby out of what little clothes she still had on, the poor baby too cold to move.

    They all bundle into the steaming bathroom, cleaning up in record time, the hot water recing the cold rain water.

    They tumble out of the bathroom after drying up and Mae is quick to wear Ruby one of her sweaters, Shana helping with pants. They all cuddle up on the bed, under the nkets, rain still falling.

 Chapter 268

    Chapter 268

    The rain falls steadily for hours, the soft thrum a cushion to hide the world out.

    Sometime during his sleep, Dream had spun around so his head was against Dale''s chest.

    It''s no surprise that they sleep for so long being sleep deprived and also in veryfortable positions, the day going by so fast.

    Byte afternoon, the rain had slowed down to mere droplets, Dia and Deidre deciding to drive home as the rain had put an end to the day''s businesses.

    Heather had been thest to leave, most of the other workers slowly trickling out after they had called various people toe pick them up.

    The customers had been quick to leave when the weather started to go sour so it wasn''t like there was anyone to attend to, Dia didn''t mind, waiting patiently until everyone had gotten home safely although she had her car just in the general parking lot at the start of the street.

    Heather too had her own means of transportation but chose to stay with her till thest of the other workers had gone and Dia was grateful.

    It was nice to have a friend who understood how it felt to be in a shitty marriage where you were always the one putting in the work.

    "Is that Alpha Dale''s car?" Deidre is the first to notice,ing down with an umbre to unlock the gate.

    Dia flinches back in surprise when she recognizes it, meeting up with Deidre inside the house.

    "What is his car doing outside?" She whisper yells to her daughter who was closing up her umbre to rest against the wall.

    "I have no idea but what''s more important is how long has it been here." Deidre whispers back.

    They make their way sneakily into the living room, no sure what to expect but half expecting Dale and Dream to be sitting, maybe talking.

    Although it was a little hard for Deidre to picture her grumpy brother hold a polite, social conversation with anyone that wasn''t Hayden.

    They share a surprised nce when they peek from the hallway to the living room and find it empty, not one thing out of ce.

    "You don''t think Dream murdered him, do you?" Deidre stage whispers.

    Dia gives her a nk look, more worried about other things. "Let''s search everywhere then we''ll meet up upstairs to check his room together."

    Deidre groans a little. "Why don''t we just go straight to his room? I''m dying of curiosity."

    "Deidre." Dia warns seriously and she can see the fear dancing in her mom''s eyes.

    "Fine." She agrees, taking the rooms downstairs while her mom heads up the kitchen.

    True to Deidre''s prediction, they find nothing and are gathered in front of Dream''s room in no time.

    "Maybe we''re just overthinking this and Dream is fast asleep while Dale is probably on a run or doing some Alpha business someone else." Deidre says decisively, knocking a little so they wouldn''t interrupt Dream''s sleep but also to notify him if he was awake.

    After a couple knocks and there''s no response, Deidre pushes the door open and the strangled sound she hears her mom make behind her is the audio representation of how she currently felt.

    "What the fuck?" She splutters as they both stand frozen in the doorway, staring down at Dream who wasfortably fast asleep with Dale.

    Of all the things she had expected,it definitely wasn''t... all this!

    Dia is the first to recover, blinking rapidly as she sees Dream squirm a little. "We''ve got to go!" She panics, grabbing Deidre''s wrist to tug her outside.

    Deidre clicks the door shut when they were safely outside. "Are you okay mom?" She asks in worry when she nces up to see her mom''s eyes glowing an angry silver.

    "Yeah." Dia shakes her head, her eyes reverting back to their usual.

    Sure, she had walked into Darian and she didn''t particrly mind but she had no idea why Dream''s was making her so antsy.

    "I''ll be in my room." She says quickly, making herself scarce.

    Deidre was more upied with what exactly had gone down between her brother and the Alpha or what was going on, friends and acquaintances didn''t sleep together that way, to bother about her mom''s existential crisis.

    It was no secret that Dia babied herst child, practically spoiling him because her husband didn''t approve of his status.

    Deidre was d he was gone and she couldn''t wait for him toe back from whatever non-existent business trip he went on toe see that his ignored child was mated to the Alpha of a Pack, that would mix well with his gigantic ego.

    She made her way to her room, intrigued by the drama that was sure to go down and it had to happen just when she was about to leave the house.

    <em>Just her luck.</em>

    ~

    Dream dances on the edge of wakefulness, unable to pinpoint where his body parts were but was toofortable to care, at least, until he feels something wet against his face.

    His eyes flies open in surprise, the realization that he wasn''t sleeping alone hitting hard.

    He tries to flinch back when his vision clears and he sees Dale right in his personal space, their noses brushing but he''s caged in by Dale''s arms.

    His hands are up against the other''s chest and he''s painfully aware of how slender his bare arms arepared to Dale''s.

    "Did you just lick my face?" He uses in disbelief, ring right at him.

    "Why would I do that?" Dale asks calmly, just the faintest wisps of amusement dancing on his face.

    A frown overtakes his previously disgruntled expression, rolling his eyes which are more blue than grey fresh out of sleep. "I don''t know what goes on in your head, how would I know that?"

    Dale shrugs slightly and goes quiet, making Dream stare at him weirdly.

    "What''s wrong?" He nces down at him.

    "Oh, I don''t know." Dream snaps sarcastically. "Maybe it''s because you''re practically caging me in with your arms and legs."

    Dale nces down briefly and drops his head on the pillow again, expression not changing. "Oh."

    "Oh." Dream mimics savagely. "Oh? That''s all you''re going to say?"

    "What else do you want me to say?" Dale asks seriously.

    "I expected you to let me go." Dream replies, watching him skeptically, he would have red up but the genuine confusion on Dale''s face stops him plus the window catches his attention.

    He crawls out of bed, noting that the rain was all but done, which was splendid news, Dale could get out of here before his mom and sister came home.

    He couldn''t pinpoint the time because it was still generally grey outside so instead he reaches for his phone and nearly drops it when he sees the time.

    "It''s prettyte Dale, you should get going." He tosses over a shoulder, going to rifle through his wardrobe for a sweater.

    "That''s an awfully cold way to send me off." Dale drawls, lying on his side with his head propped up on his elbows.

    Dream pulls his head out of the wardrobe to re at him. "Don''t push it, idiot." He grouches, finding what he''s looking for.

    Dale gets up and stretches a bit, brushing down his clothes.

    "Wait, let me go first." Dream says quickly when Dale makes a move to leave.

    Dale shutters his expression and gestures for him to go.

    The house was in the clear or so, Dream thinks meanwhile Dia and Deidre were just in their rooms on either sides of the hallway.

    He gives Dale the go ahead and the make their way out the house, he notices that the Alpha is unnaturally quiet but he''s going to ignore it and pretend it isn''t happening because there''s nothing more to this.

    <em>hopefully, if he tells himself that often enough, it''ll be the truth.</em>

    He waves Dale bye and then scurries back in without knowing that his mom''s car was in the garage, he decides to down a couple cups of cocoa and hopefully try to fall back asleep, anything to forget about Dale for a couple more precious hours.

    He''s opening the door to the kitchen when he bumps into Deidre who is leaning against the counter with her arms crossed, a knowing look on her face.

    "Fuck! DD! You startled me." Heins, continuing his journey to the counter before it hits. "Wait, you''re back! Where''s mom? Is she back too?"

    Deidre just gives him a devious smile. "Mom, is fast asleep in her room, where did you go?"

    Dream freezes in the motion of grabbing his favourite mug from the rack. "W-where? Th... that''s an odd question, I''ve been in my room."

    "Uh huh, that''s why the front door was open when I passed by the living room." She says, skepticism high in her voice.

    "I um... had a friend over." Dream says defensively.

    "I never asked that Dream." She taunts, walking close to him to get a drink of water from the tap. "So you sleep with your friends too, that''s new." She smiles at him, walking out.

    Dream half groans, half curses, DD wasn''t going to let him hear the end of this.

 Chapter 269

    Chapter 269

    Hayden isn''t sure what the time is, hell, he''d be hard pressed to figure out what day it was.

    He was sure it had rained sometime today or was that the day before?

    He could still smell the wetness, adjusting to his new abilities hadn''t been much of a task considering that it had just been him and Virgil.

    Talking about his mate who''s rut had finally broken and refusing to let Hayden cook, had made his way downstairs to grab some kind ofte lunch.

    It was still too early to eat dinner but it was fine.

    He rolls over to his stomach, drowning in one of Virgil''s sweaters, legs bare.

    He was all cleaned up and surprisingly not as sore as he had been expecting, considering how hard and often Virgil had gone but the moment that stuck the most of of the blur of the past couple days was giving Virgil a matching mating bite.

    He felt strangely empty which was a new feeling that he was going to me on the side effects of getting turned into a supernatural creature, at the moment though, he was nothing but a bubble of soft warmth waiting for his doting mate toe back with food.

    He had wanted to order something greasy but Virgil was having none of that, going on about how Hayden needed to eat healthy to rece lost calories.

    It hadn''t even been a couple hours since the haze of Virgil''s rut had receded and he was already back to being his overprotective self, he wouldn''t say he didn''t miss the reckless side of his mate.

    it just hit him that he hadn''t spoken to his mom yet and a lot of important things had gone down, he was also sure that no one would call up his mom until after he did which should be right about now.

    He couldn''t wait to hear her reaction, he also wanted to find out as much as possible about his dad, although he was willing to bury that knowledge because it obviously caused his mom pain to remember about him.

    He wouldn''t exactly say pain, more like his mom had erased his dad from her life and Hayden had made his peace with that but with something like this happening, they couldn''t just pretended like his dad never existed.

    He crawls out of bed and gingerly tries his legs which are a bit wobbly but they hold his weight and he slowly makes his way to the living room where his cellphone should be, hopefully.

    He had a long list of people he needed to talk to but his mom easily topped the list, he calls her number, surprised when it just rings and she doesn''t pick.

    He tries the second and third time and hopes that she perhaps forgot her phone in one of the numerous rooms or is fast asleep and the device is on silent.

    He restrains himself from calling his Grammy or his Aunt, if this waited for almost two days, it could definitely wait for another.

    As he had suspected, it was already Tuesday and the get together had been on Sunday so two days had easily gone by so fast.

    The notificationsing in nearly crashes his phone and he half groans, uninterested in dealing with so much demanding for his attention at that moment.

    He just wanted, maybe pizza and a movie, something to ease him back to reality.

    The door opens at this point and he sees Virgile in with a covered tray, a smile on his face.

    "Hey, baby, you''re out of bed." He notes.

    Hayden hums, following his lead to the kitchen. "I tried calling my mom, she''s not picking."

    Virgil nces at him, the top buttons on his shirt undone to proudly show off his mating mark. "Maybe she''s not with it at the moment or asleep, she''ll call you back."

    "Yeah." He murmurs distractedly, pushing his hair out of his face. "Or I could go down to town tomorrow, it''ll be better if I tell her to her face."

    The spoon in Virgil''s hand nearly slips to the ground but he catches it in time. "Oh, really?" He mutters, eyes unfocused.

    Hayden doesn''t see this, upied with helping Virgil out with the food. "Yes, wait is this all for me?" He asks with a frown, noting that there was just one serving of everything. "Or we are eating together."

    "I''ll grab something for myself, this is all for you, you should make sure you finish it." Virgil says seriously.

    Hayden makes a face. "Why are there so many vegetables?"

    "It''s good for you." Virgil says simply, helping him in his seat.

    "You sound like my grandfather." Hayden grouches.

    The Alpha gives him a warning look which goes over Hayden''s head, fork easily bypassing the sd to the chicken. "Hay?"

    Hayden waves away Virgil''s warning. "I''ll eat it, okay."

    "Better." Virgil sighs. "I''lle with you tomorrow.

    Hayden stops eating, a furrow between his brows. "You''re going to be busy, aren''t you? You already have enough work piled up for you, adding another day to that will just stress you out."

    Virgil ignores his mate''s worries, leaning over to kiss Hayden''s forehead. "That''s not for you to worry about, baby, I''ll be fine."

    Hayden watches him leave with a frown, knowing that his annoying mate was about to go work himself to the bone.

    He throws his fork down on the tray, it was ridiculous, all he would do was quickly go to town, talk to his mom ande back before evening.

    There was no reason for Virgil toe along if it would just add to his workload, he was just driving down to town for heaven''s sake.

    He was more worried than upset because he knows that there''s no changing of Virgil''s mind, with a faint sigh he picks his fork back up again.

    Here he was thinking that things would change if he became a Werewolf but it just seemed to get worse, at least before he found out he was one of them, he was pretty sure Virgil would let him go alone even if he had to send Leon to tag along.

    It was exasperating even if it seemed like he had a nack for attracting trouble but considering that for the four years that Virgil and Dale had gone to college, nothing out of ordinary had happened.

    He could factually deduce that he wasn''t the ma pulling all the trouble and drama in.

    His previously bubbly mood dissipates so fast he teeters on the edge of tears.

    ~

    Virgil''s inner turmoil is visible on his hard face as he strides down the hallways, it was just past five o''clock and although the day was almost over, Jaxon should currently be in his office, waiting with his report.

    He had to admit, it was so easy to get used to keeping Hayden in the house all the time, at least then he knew he was safe and happy.

    Nothing to pop his bubble by finding out that his mate not only nned to leave the house but the entire goddamned town as well.

    He could understand Hayden''s urgency but it didn''t make enough reasonability for his protective instincts to calm down.

    Contrary to popr opinion where people thought Hayden was the perfect sweetheart, he also knew how strong his mate was and how stubborn he could be, if he said he was doing something, there was no changing his mind.

    Now he wishes Renee had picked, if to spare him of this heartache, he already knew the value around male Omegas, considering that Werewolf civilizations were starting toe alive now, their value would go up.

    Things weren''t always calm and peaceful in most Packs as they were in his and Dale''s, and for something as little as the current Alpha of the Pack not siring a child of Alpha status, they could fall from power.

    Hayden was in more danger than he had ever been.

    He pushes open the door to his office and stalks in, sitting aggressively in a manner that portrayed just how upset he was.

    Jaxon was sitting across from him, Leon on the chair beside him and Ian on his usual spot on the couch.

    Jaxon clutches the files in his hand protectively over his chest, eyes wide. He was used to seeing a Virgil who''s emotions were constantly kept in check.

    For an Alpha it was quite unique, considering that they were naturally aggressive with a penchant for being spontaneous.

    But Virgil''s emotions always seemed diluted, like his happiest would be a small, almost non-existent smile and his anger nothing but a furrow of his brows or a slight downturn of his lips, his expression usually neutral.

    Especially after finding out that his fiance was a Werewolf, he had expected Virgil to at least be a little happy, Werewolves had longer life expectancies so he was definitely going to outlive Hayden but not anymore.

    What made Virgil''s upset state even more bothersome was that it was quite visible, a vein ticking in his jaw, jaw clenched and eyebrows drawn down, his eyes were a dark shade of gold.

 Chapter 270

    Chapter 270

    "What do we have?" Virgil asks, gruffly, going through his drawers to prepare for work.

    "Um..." Jaxon starts, clearing his throat slightly, he''s not sure what''s pushing him to say this but it''s best they get it over with early.

    "Alpha," he tries again, visibly nervous. "If you don''t mind..."

    "Just get it out with." Virgil grouches when his Head Beta seems to be struggling with words.

    "It''s just that since your ma... mate... um, the Luna can now... I mean..."

    "Jax, for fuck''s sake..." Virgil starts to bitch.

    "What he''s saying is that, seeing as Ian and myself aren''t inclined to starting a family anytime soon, we''re freed from the obligation of continuing the bloodline right?" Leon interjects.

    Confusion washes away the upset on Virgil''s face, his brain refusing topute. "What? What the fuck does Hayden have to do with that?"

    The other three in the room share a skeptical nce, Jaxon visibly worried.

    "Virgil." Jaxon starts slow when it seems like the twins weren''t about to say anything else. "You''re aware that Hayden should be able to birth a pup now, right?" He asks carefully, wondering if he should move backwards just for safety.

    The way the expression on Virgil''s face falls is almost painful to watch, he looks heartbroken like he had made a very grave mistake.

    "A-alpha?" Jaxon tries to reach out only to flinch back when Virgil raises his head to reveal gleaming, gold irises, pure wrath on his face, fangs out.

    "Leave!!!" Virgil growls at them, dominancecing the simple order.

    Jaxon looks momentarily confused while the twins go on high alert. "V?..."

    "Get the fuck out right fucking now!!!" He snarls, half rising from his seat, the papers and files all around the room and the shelves behind him iling around from the force of his emotions.

    Leon quickly snags Jaxon arm who looks like he''s about to go after the Alpha again and practically half carries him out, Ian following closely behind.

    "What?" Jaxon blinks in confusion when he finds himself outside. "Leo, let me go." He tries struggling.

    "Cherry, stop." Leon shakes him slightly. "That''s different from his rut, right now Virgil won''t think twice about ripping your neck out, so we''re going to give him space, he''lle to terms with it eventually." He trails off at the end staring at the closed door where hell seemed to be going on down behind it.

    Virgil was in a world of his own, terror and rage at himself escting into a tornado that threatened to make him implode.

    Here he was going on about the safety of the love of his life when he had already done the most, with a sweep of an arm, the items on his wide desk go tumbling down, a couple things getting broken.

    He stops himself from throwing his chair at the far wall, something was bound to break but it seemed like he did first.

    He crouches to the ground with a pain filled howl, he had knotted Hayden too many times to count that there was the highest chance that his mate was currently pregnant.

    <em>it was a literal nightmare...</em>

    <em></em>

    ~

    Yanis had the cab drop him at the LeBaron mansion, grateful that he had managed to evade the paparazzi, he was a little bit worried though, Renee wasn''t picking his calls but that was nothing to be bothered about much.

    He nned to stay the night and be on his merry way to Pine Creek in the morning and Renee already knew of this.

    He had been the one to tell her to not send Rodriguez toe pick him up, he needed to avoid the spotlight and the LeBarons Butlering to pick him up from the airport was as bright a spotlight as any.

    He was just surprised that Renee wasn''t picking now, when they had spoken just a little over a couple hours ago.

    He was easily let in, the servants already ustomed to his presence and he''s quick to ask about Renee.

    He''s startled to find out that they''re inside but Aunt Candy was currently inbor which would exin why Renee wasn''t picking up.

    He hurries inside, his luggage being taken to his room, only to bump into Grandpa LeBaron in the first drawing room he walks into.

    He was a fit man for his age, hair a shock of white which makes his grey eyes look even more jarring.

    "Yanis, Ren said you expect you." He greets cheerfully, waving away Yanis''s attempts at bowing respectfully.

    "Is Aunt Candy okay?" He can''t help but ask, standing still by the wall while Hayden''s grandfather paces the entire length of the room.

    "Most definitely, a feisty one, she always was." He says reassuringly, his grey eyes clouding over for only a moment.

    While Yanis just feels the general anxiety that''s felt while a loved one is about to give birth to another life, Grant LeBaron is well aware of the increased risks associated with Werewolf births but he''s not letting that break his spirit.

    His not so little girl would make it, there was simply no other way.

    It made him remember many years ago with Renee and while he knew they would grow up, had to admit that this risk wasn''t a gamble he liked to take so often.

    Good thing his precious grandson wouldn''t be in this position and he couldn''t wait to get another grandchild to dote on, he didn''t like his absence in Hayden''s life but it was a necessary evil to make sure that they would all befortable and not have to even work or worry about money even when he was gone.

    He couldn''t be around much for Hayden who was all grown now but he would be for Candy and her precious child about to be born into the world and also Hayden''s adopted child - perhaps - when the time came.

    The waiting wasn''t fun but they wouldn''t have to sit tight for however long this might take, if it was this much of a task on him he couldn''t imagine how Candy would be faring or the others surrounding her bedside.

 Chapter 271

    Chapter 271

    "Mom, yo... you should take a break." Candy huffs, blowing out her cheeks as Renee constantly wipes down her sweaty brows with a damp cloth.

    Maggie shakes her head fondly, worry etched into the lines on her face. "Candy, you should worry more about yourself, I''m not that old that standing for a couple hours would hurt me."

    Renee wasn''t sure what was wrong, the memory was vague now but giving birth to Hayden hadn''t been this difficult.

    ording to the doctor constantly running around and prodding Candy''s heaving stomach, Werewolf babies had no control over their wolves which was expected.

    They remained in human form however during the course of the pregnancy but the shock of birth could make them shift instinctively to protect themselves and if this happened during the birth could be fatal to the mother so everything had to be done with utmost care.

    Cole, Candy''s mate just crouches stoically beside her, gently cradling one of her hands, lips drawn in a thin line.

    "I really want to see my baby." She pants to the doctor, giving him an impatient look.

    She had been told to let the contractionse naturally so as to ease the baby out as gently as possible, this meant the birth would take quite a really long time, machines beeping all around the room that had been converted into a delivery room a long time ago.

    Candy wasn''t taking it lightly that she couldn''t push, the need to hold her pup in her arms was starting to turn to a physical ache.

    After hours of passive contractions there was finally movement and the baby head pops out, the rest of the birth goes easily enough but there''s no wailing.

    Candy starts to panic, unconsciously pushing out the rest of her baby''s body.

    "Wh...why aren''t they crying?" She gasps, trying to sit up to see.

    Cole easily calms her down so she doesn''t rip something. "Calm down, sweets, nothing is going to happen to our baby, okay?" He hums to her, kissing her wet forehead.

    The doctors on the other hand were in a flurry, cleaning up the baby and clearing out the fluid from the baby''s nose and mouth, the baby looked unharmed and seemed to be breathing properly but still wasn''t crying.

    After wrapping the baby up they decide to bring her over.

    "I''ve never seen a case like this." The doctor was saying, gently cing the baby in her mother''s arms. "Pups are usually the loudest when they''re born but this darling is so quiet, try feeding her."

    Candy slowly takes the bundle of life from Doctor Freida, an elderly Werewolf who had delivered her share of pups.

    She gently takes one of the baby''s fist,ughing with tears in her eyes when the baby firmly grasps her pinky, feeding goes without any hitches, the babytching on to the provided nipple with a healthy suckling.

    "We''ll give you some space now." Doctor Freida bows slighty, emptying out the room with the other nurses.

    "Thank you so much..." Maggie was saying, leading the Doctors out and also to go get her husband.

    "Renee." Candy says fondly, resting against her husband''s arms who looks down on his new family with warm joy. "Staring at the baby so intensely isn''t going to tell you their gender."

    Renee half pouts. "Well, I''m dying of curiosity here, it''s not everyday I get to be an Aunt."

    "Want to do the honors, my love?" She asks Cole softly, giving him a sweet but tired smile.

    Cole quietly opens up the swaddling nkets, nearly getting kicked in his face by his daughter when he disturbs her feeding...

    He cups Candy''s face with a serene smile. "We have the prettiest baby girl..."

    Soft crackers go off from Renee''s direction and they both look over to her to see multicolored confetti slowly floating to the ground.

    Maggie and Grant chose this moment to make their appearance, Yanis keeping his distance behind them.

    "Is it a boy or girl?" Maggie hurries in, Renee''s gender neutral confetti giving nothing away.

    "She''s a girl, mom." Candy says tiredly.

    "Perfect! I have already ced an appointment to go shopping tomorrow..."

    Grant just kisses his wife''s cheek and walks over to his daughter''s bedside. "A lot of stuff is going to be given to charity, Andy, don''t stress it, you know your mom will keep buying to express her happiness."

    He leans down to kiss her forehead and give her a hug. "I love you and tiny you as well."

    Reneeughs at this, tears in her eyes.

    "Um, congrattions Auntie." Yanis says awkwardly, after disentangling himself from Renee''s estatic hugs.

    "Yanis!" Candy exims happily. "Come over here, let me introduce you to your little cousin." She inclines her head at him, her smile so bright that it overshadows the tired lines around her eyes.

    Yanis stares wide eyes at the little girl, her soft downy hair already a honey blond just like her mom''s, eyes tightly shut as her rosebud lips suckle energetically.

    "We''ll name her Pixie, isn''t she such a sweet little thing?" Candy already starts to show off her baby girl.

    "So well behaved, the direct opposite of you Andy." Maggie says with a wet smile, letting her husband support her weight.

    "Mom has a point, she didn''t even make a fuss when she was born." Renee tags on.

    "I''ll me that trait on Cole." Candy says, lifting Pixie up a little so Yanis can touch her.

    As soon as his finger makes contact with her soft, warm skin, Pixie let''s a loud scream rip, wailing so loud her mom flinches.

    Just as abruptly as she started crying, she stops again, returning to her suckling.

    A pin drop silence follows this and then everyone bursts outughing even Cole who had been reserved the whole time.

    Yanis has a disgruntled look on his face. "And here I was thinking to give you a Castle for your first birthday."

    Laughter starts up again, a new life bringing joy and happiness with her and most importantly... Love...

 Chapter 272

    Chapter 272

    Virgil had half the mind to give up on doing anything meaningful for the test of the night but he wasn''t the type to lose his head so easily so he straightens up his table like nothing happened and sits down again.

    He would just simply refuse to believe that Hayden was pregnant, the chances weren''t high anyway due to the fact that he had newly turned but then even the slightest possibility was enough to cause a whirlpool of terror caging in his heart.

    He couldn''t even say it to Hayden, at least not till he was sure because while he knew his mate wanted children, there had never been the talk of him getting pregnant.

    His rubs a hand over his face, shoulders slumped, he was an adult and so was Hayden, he would just have to handle this in a way that there would be no risks involved.

    If only Hayden hadn''t wanted to help him out during his rut but then, Heaven knows when he would have worked up the courage to actually mark his mate and then where would they be?

    After taking a couple minutes to regain hisposure, he reaches for thendline to call up Jaxon, there was still work to be done.

    This time around only Jaxon makes his way back and Virgil raises in brow in question.

    "Where are the twins?"

    "Out." Is all Jax says and Virgil doesn''t push, having them around was most likely to upset his precarious emotional bnce, it was best they weren''t here.

    "Oh." He mutters, rubbing the back of his neck, a little awkward. "I''m sorry about earlier." Virgil apologizes gruffly.

    Jaxon carefully sits across him in his usual position, bodynguage a little withdrawn. "It''s fine, Alpha." He says shortly. "I''ll begin my reports..."

    "You called me Alpha." Virgil notes nervously, he hadn''t minded Jaxon even when he learnt that they would work closely together but now he could easily say the smart Beta was one of his favorite people.

    Jaxon just waves away his worries. "Really, V, it''s fine, I''m just worried about you."

    Virgil heaves an inaudible sigh of relief before locking up his emotions tight again. "I''ll be fine, Jax, you don''t have to worry."

    Jaxon mps his lips shut, hands itching like they might like to smack the Alpha on the upside of his head, while he could understand that Virgil''s past wasn''t full of roses and orchids, Virgil himself wasn''t helping matters by locking everyone out that cared, pushing anyone away that tried to reach out.

    Probably thinking he could handle it all himself or some mixture of Alpha pride and the intense dislike of vulnerability, Jaxon couldn''t tell.

    Honestly, it shocked the Head Beta everyday that the Alpha was even mated.

    "Sure." Jaxon says dryly, uninterested in opening the can of worms that was Virgil''s emotional state, that would be for another day and hopefully another person better equipped to handle him. "Now, back to the reports..."

    ~

    Renee finally takes a break when Doctor Frieda gave orders to give the new family some space, there had been noplications during the birth so Candy was healing up quite nicely.

    Doctor Frieda discharged the happy mother and her baby, saying that a family cuddle would be the best at the moment for little Pixie.

    Cole insisted on carrying them both although their room was just down the hallway, it was the best ce for the makeshift delivery room to be fixed in so getting Candy there wouldn''t be a hassle.

    Dinner wouldn''t be eaten together for the first time since she came down here to be there for her sister, most likely, her parents would eat dinner together, Yanis would figure himself out and so would she.

    It''s been quite a while now since she had been here, almost a month now but it seemed like she had only left Pine Creek a couple days before.

    So much had happened, her dad was back now without any business trips in sight, Candy''s delivery went without any hitches and now there was the most adorable, little addition to their family.

    Although she knew that Andy wouldn''t be here long, when Pixie was out of the red she would immediately move back to her house with her husband.

    But there was the ''now'', Renee would enjoy the now.

    She decides to order up a huge dinner, seeing as she had missed out on lunch as well.

    She and Candy had just been getting ready to go eat lunch when Candy''s water broke, good thing she was close.

    There was an unspoken rule that someone would always be around her at all times, they weren''t about to take any risks, even their dad pitching in and looking through baby catalogues with his daughter.

    She trudged tiredly to her room, waving away enthusiastically called greetings of congrattions from the well meaning servants.

    If she was feeling this exhausted without really doing much, she couldn''t imagine how much worse it would be for Candy.

    The shower does so much for her that she''s hard pressed to just stay inside the steamed walls of ss, letting the warm water wash away her aches of the day, right down the drain.

    But there were things to be done, her baby needed to know that he had a cousin now, well the age difference was a little bit wild but it was fine.

    She makes for her phone after quickly drying up with a towel, a botched job that leaves her with parts of her skin still wet, causing her to shiver under the air conditioning.

    Good thing she had thought to throw on a sweater and an old pair of jogging pants, finding her phone now would be a hassle, she couldn''t for the life of her remembered where she had dropped it.

    She waddles around the room in her fluffy slippers, going through the drawers and cupboards, and naturally, not finding what she''s looking for.

    In exasperation, she flops on the bed only to squeal when she feels something hard and sharp jab into her side.

 Chapter 273

    Chapter 273

    <em>Oh! There it was!</em>

    She exims to her self mentally when the device she had been looking for in a flurry for like the past five minutes had just beenying on the bed... most likelyughing at her.

    Shezily rolls over to her side to blindly reach behind her for her phone, bringing it up to her face to peer into it.

    All her rolling around was causing the loosely tied towel on her head toe apart but she couldn''t even be bothered by that when she finds out that she had a couple missed calls from no one but her baby himself.

    Almost like he knew that she nned to call him as well, it had only been an hour ago when he called and she was most likely beside Renee''s bed when that happened.

    There was no texts or anything else to show that it had been an emergency, which made her wild imagination calm down.

    Her son could call her just to greet her, nothing bad had to have happened.

    She redials his number and stares up at her familiar ceiling as it starts to ring, the fairy lights that she had put up while she was sixteen, were still winking back at her, barely visible from the reflections of the other bulbs put on in the room.

    It was no secret that her mom changed the lights every year, managing to find a simr design each time. Maggie thought her youngest daughter didn''t know, Renee wasn''t going to tell her mom that she knew.

    Hayden picks on the fourth ring and she could tell he was worried by the rapid fire questions he throws her way.

    "Mom? Hello? Are you okay? Is everything fine? You weren''t picking and I was worried."

    Reneeughs softly at his eagerness. "I''m fine, baby, something did happen though..."

    She could hear his gasp loudly through the speaker. "Oh my..."

    Reneeughs again. "Calm down, love, something happening doesn''t always mean something bad."

    Her words make Hayden fall silent, his worry for his mom easily pushing aside the mind blowing news he had to share and now trying to decipher what could have happened was taking a longer time than usual to click.

    "Is it Aunt Candy?" He asks with bated breath, unsure.

    "Of course, it is!" Renee cries out, sitting up in excitement. "You have the cutest little cousin, a little vixen named Pixie..."

    Hayden was already in the clouds on the other side of the phone, barely staying still to listen to the rest of his mother''s speech.

    "Your Grandpa is back and I''m so sorry I haven''t called in the past couple days but you didn''t either and I figured that you were equally as busy as I was..."

    Hayden blushes a violent red at his mom''s choice of words. "Yeah..." He mutters shakily. "I''ve been a little busy but I''lle over first thing tomorrow, send all my love to Auntie for me, you sound a little tired, I should let you get some sleep now."

    "That is true." Renee sighs tiredly. "It''ll be better if I tell you everything in person anyway, I won''t tell anyone you''reing over, especially Grand-daddy, let him get a little surprise."

    Hayden justughs at his mom''s scheming, he could also see how important it was to exin everything to his mom in person.

    "Goodnight, baby."

    "Goodnight, mom."

    He had been nning on changing his mind about going to town the next day seeing how visibly upset Virgil was over it and just telling his mom over the phone whenever she called.

    But now that she had called with news of his Aunt''s birth and his Grandfather''s presence, there was no opting out of the journey.

    He would make Virgile along with him if it would ease his mate and that''s about all he could do about the matter.

    All that however, couldn''t dampen his bliss about his Aunt birthing her baby safely, he understood the risks of Werewolf pregnancies and was beyond relieved because his Aunt was quite old for her first child.

    He trudged to the kitchen to grab himself a cool drink, a hand absently going to his t stomach to unconsciously pet it as he remembers his Aunt being so energetic even while being heavily pregnant.

    Werewolf pregnancies alsosted slightly longer than human ones, the difference wasn''t that much though so it just seemed like the baby came out a littlete.

    He settles for juice, wondering if he should have gone for milk so he would fall asleep faster because heavens knew when Virgil woulde back from his office.

    He could always go keep himpany though, Hayden thinks to himself, he''s been sleeping all day anyway that emptying the carton of milk wouldn''t do much but strain his dder.

    His mind is easily made up, hurrying back to the room to grab pants which he pulls over his bare legs that still had hickies littered over them, his neck wasn''t any better but wearing anything high necked was pure torture.

    Because the material would keep rubbing against his still tender mating mark that he might have encouraged Virgil to bite over more than he probably should have... still, he regrets nothing.

    There was the littlest chance of bumping into someone anyway and hickies were a whole lot better than having a noticeable limp.

    He locks up and dangles the keys from a finger as he makes his way down the hall, he had good news to share with his mate plus, if he was able to be of help then Virgil woulde to bed early.

    There was no bad conclusion because even if he couldn''t help out, he would still get to spend time with Virgil, it was a win-win for him.

    He hums distractedly under his breath to keep himselfpany as he walked down the empty hallways, it wasn''t reallyte but the fourth floor didn''t house a lot of people to begin with so it was expected.

    A hand drifts to his stomach again without him realizing it, he couldn''t wait to see his mom''s reaction to finding out that he was now part wolf.

 Chapter 274

    Chapter 274

    Hayden politely knocks on the door to Virgil''s office, half wondering if he should have just stayed behind at the house.

    It was a little tote to go get Apple from Julia who was pet sitting the cat and her litter but he could surely find something else to keep him upied until he falls asleep, right?

    Toote though because he can clearly hear Virgil telling him toe in, he shrugs away his doubts, he had his phone with him, he could always curl up on the couch and read e-books if it came to that.

    Timidly, he pushes open the door and peeks inside, not sure what to expect.

    "Hayden!" Jaxon exims happily as soon as he sees the other. "I wasn''t expecting to see you."

    "Yeah." Hayden chuckles nervously, stepping in and closing the door behind him. "It was sort of a spontaneous decision." He mumbles, unconsciously gravitating in Virgil''s direction.

    Virgil pushes his chair backwards to make room for Hayden toe close, his sour mood sweetening when he gets a whiff of the now familiar scent of vani and roses, draining out the aggression thrumming in his veins.

    "I hope I''m not interrupting." Hayden gulps, going with Virgil who wastes no time settling his mate on hisp, his nose going straight for the other''s scent nd.

    "Not at all, if anything a wee and pleasant interruption." Jaxon waves the Luna''s concern away.

    He had a lot of things to discuss with Hayden, he had been more or less excused from his duty as Luna because of his human status but now, so many things would have to change.

    But that was a task for another day, at the moment, he was just relieved that Hayden had showed up.

    He could tell that Virgil''s hold on his control was quite fragile and could snap anytime, and so, although the Alpha had apologized, Jaxon was still walking around on pins and needles while dealing with him.

    He pretends to go through already resolved files while the couple sitting across the table from him converse in soft murmurs, Virgil cupping Hayden''s face with his palms and Hayden burying his hands in Virgil''s hair.

    It almost made him long for a love like that but it wasn''t for him, not at the moment anyway, he still had a civilization to build.

    He keeps himself busy with studying their bodynguage, Virgil''s shoulders stiffening and goingx again while Hayden''s scent spikes while he talks about some animatedly, obvious excitement on his face.

    What catches Jaxon''s eye however is how often Hayden''s palm drifts to his stomach, he nces at Virgil to see if the Alpha caught that but Virgil is too upied staring into his mate''s eyes so Jaxon decides to keep it to himself.

    If the Luna was pregnant anyway, they would find out eventually, no need to poke a hos nest by starting up things now.

    ~

    Hayden ends up falling asleep in Virgil''s arms, head propped against his chest as he sits facing the Alpha.

    Jaxon was long gone, the night getting darker outside as Virgil works out the cricks in his neck.

    He rxes against his chair, taking a short break to ease the tension in his shoulders and cuddle his sleeping mate a little.

    He had been watching Hayden with a hawk''s eye, watchfully picking out every odd action or scent.

    Although the change in Hayden''s scent would instantly tell him if his mate was pregnant, there were chances that the change in scent would dy and the need to know for sure was driving him mad, he doesn''t think he has felt so much fear before.

    Not even when crazy bitch Nicole was trying to stab him with a knife, at least then, he was sure in his abilities to protect Hayden even if it meant taking the knife in his own throat.

    But not for something like this, Virgil couldn''t save Hayden from the risks of getting pregnant, it wasn''t a highschool bully he could beat up or a mass murderer he could fight or even a rogue wolf he could kill... This was something beyond him...

    His arms tightens around Hayden, nose buried in his hair and he listens quietly to his mate''s gentle breathing.

    Without Hayden, his life would lose meaning, he would go back to who he was before he met the bubble of warmth, a clumsy and stuttering, bubble of warmth though but Hayden was his and that was all there was to it.

    He was relieved that they had gotten to talk things out and although he still couldn''t bring himself to tell Hayden the gravity of the situation, he was sure to exin how dangerous it was for male Omegas.

    It had killed him to see the light go out of Hayden''s eyes and he wondered if his lover regrets bing a Werewolf.

    There was one topic he didn''t go near though and that was the topic of his ability to now get pregnant.

    Virgil told himself he could do it but when he looked down into Hayden''s soothing grey eyes, his resolve broke.

    He knows for a fact that if Hayden found out - which he most definitely will - his mate would want a child and where would that leave him?

    Living out his darkest nightmare...

    So he kept that information away from Hayden, preferring instead to listen to him ramble on about Aunt Candy and the new baby and the presence of his grandfather.

    Listening to Hayden always eased Virgil so he worked faster and easier while listening to Hayden''s idle chatter, his adorable little mate talking himself right to sleep.

    He buries a hand in Hayden''s hair, which was curling wildly the longer it grew, the delicate golden-brown locks curling over his warm cheeks.

    His other hand settling around his mate''s waist, slipping under the bulky sweater he had on to get to the soft, warm skin underneath.

    He was content with this, he wasn''t bothered if his mate wanted to adopt an entire houseful of pups or babies but what made him want to curl up and start bawling his eyes out was the thought of losing his precious mate, he would tear down the world first before that would happen.

 Chapter 275

    Chapter 275

    "Baby? V? Wake up!" Hayden tugs on his husband''s arm, getting nowhere when Virgil still remains fast asleep.

    He couldn''t even remember when he had gotten to bed, most likely, he had fallen asleep back in Virgil''s office and then his mate stayed up sote working.

    "Virgil??!!" He tries harder, losing his bnce and tumbling back on the bed.

    "Ugh!" He groans in frustration, he knew Virgil wouldn''t want to spend the night there but unless they didn''t want to have to make a night journey back, they would have to leave early.

    He crawls across the bed and right over Virgil, legs on both sides of the Alpha''s torso...

    His sensitive senses hit him asionally like waking up from a daydream, it was like having a blocked up ear or a clogged nose and finally getting rid of it.

    At first, the awareness of how clearer and louder everything was stuck with you, how easy it was to breathe, constantly on your mind but then you start to get used to it, only asionally remembering.

    He''s tempted to lick Virgil''s face but that''s a weird urge, he has taken to ming his recent asional weird urges on the fact that he''s now a Werewolf but he goes with it this time, bncing his weight with his hand on Virgil''s shoulders.

    He leans forward and licks one of his closed eye first, giggling quietly to himself when hees away with a tangy-salty taste.

    He makes a face but isn''t disgusted, metal grey irises melding to a soft amber glow as he leans forward for another wet lick.

    He pushes his hair out of his face with a hand, getting invested in his mission when Virgil squirms a bit, a soft furrow forming between his brows.

    Holding his hair out of his face with a hand, Hayden leans forward again, a sneaky smile on his face, fangs sharp.

    He doesn''t expect Virgil to make a move though, nearly losing his bnce when Virgil''s electric blue eyes get revealed, staring directly up at him with a smug smile as he leans up to im Hayden''s lips.

    His hand covering Hayden''s own on his hair as he deepens the kiss, licking into his mate''s mouth.

    Hayden is startled at first but easily gives in to the searing kiss, body melding with Virgil.

    "You know," Virgil muses when Haydenes up for air. "You''re better than any rm clock."

    Hayden just swats him on the shoulder good naturedly, making a move to crawl off his husband''s body. "Come on, we have a journey ahead of us today."

    Virgil easily captures him by the waist, preventing him from leaving the bed, making Hayden gasp in shock.

    "V..."

    "Shower with me?" Virgil mumbles, eyes half closed, still hugging his mate close.

    Hayden weighs this option, knowing that showering together would definitely cause a dy, Virgil didn''t even have to make love to him for that to happen.

    "Fine." He acquiesces. "But you''ll get out of bed right now." He bargains.

    "Deal." Virgil epts without hesitation, making a move to leave the bed and carrying his mate along with him.

    Haydenughs a little. "I can walk, you know."

    Virgil''s response is a vague hum and Hayden can tell that he''s still really sleepy but he doesn''t mind one bit even though he has to help his sleepy lover get undressed, the soft sleepy smile on Virgil''s face was enough of a plus.

    Showering together is actually faster than Hayden had anticipated considering the amount of time that his pleasured cries had reverberated inside the ss walls.

    "Your phone is ringing, baby!" Virgil calls from somewhere in the bedroom while Hayden tries to whip up a quick breakfast and for a brief moment Hayden imagines what life would have been like if they were both humans, worked nine to five jobs and had normal concerns like who would be the next to go grocery shopping.

    "Who is it?" He calls back, going for a simple breakfast of cereal and fruit sd but he also needed to pack up sandwiches for the ride or they could visit a drive thru.

    "Renee!"

    "Well, pick it, she''s probably calling to check if I''m already on my way!" He replies, moving swiftly around the kitchen.

    They had both decided to leave Apple at Julia''s for one more day, they wouldn''t be around today anyway, it was for the best.

    "Virgil! Come eat breakfast!" He calls to his mate, packing up a couple sandwiches, knowing Virgil, they would still have to stop for more food.

    "Your phone is ringing again!" Is Virgil''s response.

    Hayden frowns. "Is it my mom again? What did you tell her?"

    "No, it''s not, it''s Shana... and she sent a voicemail."

    "What does it say?" Hayden asks in amusement at the tangible exasperation in Virgil tone.

    "She''s checking to see if you''re still alive, I''m going to tell her no." He hears Virgil decide and shakes his head fondly.

    "Whatever, juste eat."

    ~

    Hayden is sure to not forget his present for his Aunt, a beautiful quilt he had bought at a thrift store in Paper Town on one of those days that Mae or his mom had convinced him to go there.

    His mom ringing non-stop to check up on him was also distracting and Virgil had to calm him down with a hug... a couple times.

    His phone rings onest time just as they make it to thest floor and he sees it''s Dream and he feels a little pang of guilt, he would call him back on the journey there.

    It also wasn''t helping that this was the first time he was leaving the fourth floor in days, his scent out on disy.

    He wasn''t sure which hit harder, the expressive looks of shocks or the enthusiastic greetings that had them calling him Luna, straight to his face, that rarely happened before.

    Virgil puts the bags in the backseat and pulls in his mate for a sweet, little kiss, uncaring that they were in the parking lot at the busiest time of the day.

    Hayden doesn mind though, his raving heart calming down when he gets covered in a wave of Virgil''s scent aimed at soothing his nerves, it worked perfectly.

 Chapter 281

    Chapter 281

    Dream gets to work settling in, Erin was nice enough to not leave any work piled up for him so instead he tries to get familiar with the ce, he''ll be spending a lot of hours in it for theing months anyway.

    The office is done in shades of grey, the wall paper symmetrical andcking depth even the curtains were that same hideous shade of gray that reminded him of sack robes.

    He knows he shouldn''t let it bother him but he knows that if he''s expected to exist here then those horrendous curtains have to definitely go.

    Erin texts him soon after to say that theptop she had previously been using was hers but a new one already set up would be brought up for him... That was fine.

    Her second text though is what makes him raise a brow, he could basically sense how nervous Erin was while reading her text.

    The Beta was asking a favour of Dream to remind Dale to eat, saying that the Alpha barely left his office and she doubted she had ever seen him cook.

    Dream is thrown back by this piece of information, well Dale hired him, the Alpha was going get the full package.

    He just texts a quick affirmation to Erin and gets up from his table, there were no immediate files to attend to and theptop was still on its way, which meant he had some free time.

    Well, the previous secretary always reminded the Alpha to eat, it was only right that he did the same.

    Well, that and also the fact that Dale not eating well enough upsetted him a great deal but he wasn''t poking too deeply into that fact.

    He raps on the door and pushes it open without waiting for a confirmation from Dale, his steps faltering a bit when he takes in Dale.

    His previous coiffed hair is now fingerbed, the inky ck, curly locks dangling in his eyes, his formal clothing was no where to be found an easy smile on his handsome face.

    Dale looks expectantly up at Dream, wondering what the other could want.

    "Eaten breakfast yet?" Dream asks bluntly, blue-grey stare level.

    Dale frowns slightly, the question catching him off guard. "Um... no?" He responds, confused at the odd question.

    "Okay." Is all Dream says before, sweeping back out.

    Dale stares into the distance for a while, still stunned. What was that all about?

    A ringing from his work phone distracts him and he picks it only for it to be one of their top shareholders, cing aint.

    He might have to go down to the boutique in question but there was still a lot of bills and documents to attend to, he should really consider appointing a new Head Beta, before things imploded on him.

    He tries to calm the person in the other line down, reassuring him that he would be there in half an hour and to please not do anything drastic.

    Owning the town along with Crimson Pack hadn''t been done singlehandedly, there were members of the Pack who held shares, while the Pack heldrge amounts of these, there were also notable Pack members that did the same.

    And so stores were mostly given out for free to Pack members, requiring them to only pay a stipend yearly and other uses which were stated in a mutually agreed upon contract.

    He groans and tangles up his hair, whatever was going down at the boutique wouldn''t be a pretty sight and he just knew it.

    Dream on the other hand, makes his way down to the kitchens, the design of Dark Moon Pack was simr to that of Crimson Pack - at least one thing was done right.

    So he could easily pinpoint where the kitchens would be.

    It''s alreadyte in the morning so the kitchens were deserted, this was just fine for Dream, he wasn''t interested in socializing.

    He would have to whip up something quick for Dale and he made a face, couldn''t he just carry a packet of cereal and a carton of milk up, then Dale could have a field day, he would even put it on a tray.

    He was nicer than that though so he makes a couple ham sandwiches, fires up the coffee maker and grabs some apples as well.

    Just as he''s readying up the tray someone walks in.

    Dream barely spares her a nce, catching artificial blonde hair and a pretty face.

    "Who are you?" The neer asks a tad rudely, stepping in front of Dream''s path.

    Dream hides a small smile. "Why? Are you the police or something?" He asks her casually, unimpressed.

    Fake Blondie''s eyes narrow threateningly. "You know what, I don''t care who you are, you should stay away from this Pack."

    Dream just rolls his eyes, starting to get irritated of holding the tray for so long. "That gets so old, go look for some better insults, ones better than whatever shitty hair dye you use." He tosses at her, brushing past her and stomping back up the stairs.

    He was a peaceful person by nature but that didn''t mean he wouldn''t wee trouble, if someone introduced trouble to him, he would give them a couple tutorials on how to properly go about it.

    He had been half expecting Fake Blondie to flip his tray, then he''d bash her in with the delicate tray - having to prepare more food would be annoying but it wouldn''t beat the satisfaction he would get from breaking the tray on Troublemaker''s head.

    He hums a little to himself as he makes his way to Dale''s office, if Dale never went down to eat with his Pack it would mean he didn''t particrly eat healthy.

    He could put two and two together to figure out that the reason Dale didn''t go down to the kitchens to eat was because of the group of crazy females who were spurred on and made to feel special by his mom, he shook his head.

    It wasn''t his cup of tea, this wasn''t even his Pack, there was no need to go the extra mile and he wouldn''t but anyone who interfered with his job was going to get it.

 Chapter 286

    Chapter 286

    Dream makes his way up the stairs, distracted, he couldn''t believe that so much had happened in just one day, he now not only had a full time job but also had to move in to the Pack House immediately.

    He definitely didn''t see all thising when he woke up this morning, he couldn''t say it was all bad though.

    The flights of stairs were one thing though, they were way too much, he was burning calories by just standing on them, he doesn''t want to imagine how much is being lost by climbing up the stairs.

    He gets to the third floor without any unlikely meeting of anyone, steps getting slower without even realizing it, it doesn''t save him from losing his bnce though.

    The stairs were big enough for multiple people to use at once so he doesn''t pay attention to the people passing by him until the fake blonde from earlier discretely puts out a leg to trip him.

    Losing his bnce is easy considering that he hadn''t been paying attention in the first ce and he starts to topple over the banister which would make him end up all the way down on the first floor, most likely face first.

    Keiran grabs his arm in time though, helping him regain his bnce, sharp eyes watching the Pack member that had obviously tripped the secretary.

    Keiran preferred to stay away from the Pack and everyone else seemed to liked that, he couldn''t me them for getting antsy because of his presence though, he was a descendant of the previous ruling family anyway before the Astons.

    He held no grudges and had no willingness to take back on the strain of running a Pack, especially one as big as theirs had gotten.

    Well, he was also not expecting the previous Head Beta to personally call him to ask a favor, he couldn''t say no to the Old man, old family friend and all that jazz.

    And just as he''d always thought, the Pack was full of assholes, he was surprised about the secretary though, when he had done his research, he found out that the secretary was Erin Baker and that was very recent news, did she get fired likeToday?

    "Thank you." Dream says a little breathless, clutching the tablet in a death grip. "Again"

    Keiran had already put distance between them. "Sure." He mutters, eyes distant. "You''re going to break that device." He adds.

    Dream shakes his head, breaking out of his daze to nce down at his arms and see that Keiran was right. "Oh." He mutters, continuing his journey.

    The gravity of the situation was finally sinking in, if Keiran hadn''t somehow caught him in time, he would have been badly hurt or worse and it was just his first day.

    Why was he hated so much? He had never done anything to them! He didn''t even know them.

    "Are you okay?" Keiran asks just as they get to the fourth floor and Dream remembers that the other is still here.

    "Yeah." Dream whispers absently, keeping his eyes down. "Wait," he nces up sharply, the information just clicking. "You''re on the fourth floor, do you want to see Dale?"

    Keiran inhales sharply at this, the Omega couldn''t be a Pack member, it would exin why the rest of the Pack were trying to get rid of him.

    What gave it away though was how Dream referred to the Alpha so casually, were they a thing? Was that why he was almost pushed off the stairs?

    "Yeah." He responds.

    "Oh." Dream exims, a little flustered. "I-I I''ll take you to his office then." It was perfect, he needed some time alone to put himself together anyway.

    "Here, just knock on the door." Dream directs, making himself scarce immediately.

    Keiran faces the door and knocks on it, startling Dale inside, who was just about to call up Dream again even though he knew the other wouldn''t appreciate it.

    He expects the door to be pushed open and Dream to walk in but when that doesn''t happen he invites the visitor with a frown on his face.

    "Good afternoon, Alpha Aston." Keiran says smoothly,ing in and closing the door on his way in. "Did Ie at a bad time?" He notes with a slightly raises brow.

    Dale quickly buries his disappointment under a mask of professionalism. "Not at all Mr. Banes, please have a seat."

    "You don''t seem too pleased to see me." Keiran notes with a tilt of his head, expression neutral.

    Dale grinds his teeth, cing both arms on his table. "Maybe I just don''t understand why you would agree to this." He says bluntly.

    Keiran leans back at this, nk expression in ce. "I have no desire to take the leadership from you." He exins simply. "I''m just doing a favor for an old friend and as soon as I''m not needed it''ll be like I was never here."

    Dale falls silent at this, trying to make sense of the situation.

    Keiran would be the perfect candidate for Head Beta, he was shrewd, had an eye for business and his people skills were top notch but he also happened to be a direct descendant of the previous Alpha family.

    "Besides I''m just a lowly Beta, I don''t see the Pack picking that over you."

    Keiran wondered while he was still pushing, this was exactly what he had hoped for, the Alpha getting put off by his lineage and giving him a loophole out of this unwanted situation.

    He was fine with his predictable life, the numerous digits of money he got on a daily, his mansion, a little ways in the woods, far away from civilization.

    He didn''t need anything like a fascinating male Omega who was in the middle of a situation straight out of a telenov, or the unspoken tension that would always be present between him and the Alpha but for some inane reason, he wanted to be the Head Beta.

 Chapter 295

    Chapter 295

    Dream just stares at him in disbelief. "Why not? Then who would take care of your annoying self and remind you to eat." He snaps, harsher than he had intended.

    Considering the drama and trauma he had to go through to get his way, even he was surprised that he came back.

    Dale just blinks myopically at Dream trying to figure out if it was really Dream or it was just an apparition of his addled mind.

    He wouldn''t be surprised if Dream as a figment of his imagination was as mean as the real Dream usually was, his prickly attitude was part of the adorable Omega''s charm.

    Dream just rolls his eyes. "I see I have to do everything,e on, you need to wash up, you look horrible, have you been sitting in front of that desk since I left? Haven''t you ever heard of breaks?..." Dream starts to scold him, taking him by the wrist and leading him to the in-built bathroom in his office.

    Dale lets himself be pulled along, a peaceful smile on his face, even his mom had never been this worried for his health and the annoying dates he had been ckmailed on were so pretentious it made his eyes bleed.

    "So you''re not leaving?" Dale prompts, seeking reassurance, he didn''t particrly care that at the moment he sounded like a needy child.

    Dream nces briefly at Dale from where he had guided him to the sink. "If I didn''t know better I would say you were trying to get rid of me." Dream narrows his eyes at the glum looking Alpha.

    This sends Dale into panic mode. "No, no"

    "Good." Dream cuts him off. "Because I''m not leaving, now please wash up, Hayden invited us for dinner, we don''t want to bete."

    Dream leaves him all alone at this wondering what was wrong with him, he was hired to be the secretary and somehow he had managed to be not only a caretaker but also a babysitter to the Alpha, no wonder Erin had run away.

    He chuckles dryly at this, knowing there was no way Erin would be this way around Dale, maybe he needed someone to lean on every now and then, for an Alpha everyone would expect him to be strong all the time.

    It wasn''t like Dream was offering a shoulder or interested in the position, he could say he and Dale were friends of sorts, he could be nice sometimes too.

    He walks back to the office to find out that Dale had left hisptop running, filesying haphazardly.

    Dream helps him put off the device and reorganize the files, his sry better be worth all these or he was leaving after the first month.

    Dalees out looking way better than he had first met the Alpha when he came in, freshly washed face gleaming under the fluorescent lights.

    "Great!" Dream exims when he sees him. "You''re ready to leave."

    "Yeah." Dale mutters, tugging on hisfortable shirt, feeling sleepy which was a huge shock considering that he has been battling with insomnia and all it took was Dream telling him to wash his face to get him stumbling around sleepily.

    "Thank you." He adds, voice dripping with sincerity.

    Dream looks up at him and an unbidden, soft smile stretches his full lips. "Sure, now let''s go."

    The dinner is already in full swing by the time they get there and Hayden is quick to wee them, ever the gracious host.

    At first nce the dining table looks like any lively gathering of old friends eating together but when you look closer that image just falls apart.

    Other than the twins, everyone else was a tense mess.

    Virgil seemed to be at the center of most of it, Yanis and Jaxon sending him death res while Hayden outright ignored him, Dream wasn''t left out of this.

    There was also the triangle that was Dream, Dale and his older brother who was watching each and every of his interaction with the sleepy Alpha with a hawk''s eye.

    Somehow the meal is eaten without any explosion or catastrophe and Dream is grateful for this, in his opinion, the only person ignorant of what was going on was a sleepy Dale.

    It had taken him a good long while to even notice Yani''s presence.

    Dream could practically feel his brother''s eyes bore into the back of his head each time he assisted Dale with something that shouldn''t necessarily need his assistance if the Alpha wasn''t so drunk on sleep.

    Everyone seems to dash away from the table as soon as the meal is over, Hayden insisting on escorting Yanis to his apartment, although the man could clearly make his way around already.

    Virgil doesn''t say a word, he doesn''t even make any indication that he was aware of what was going on and Dream might have believed that if he didn''t see how the Alpha''s hand shook every now and then.

    The entire situation was quiteplex and just sad and all he wanted that night was to take a shower and retire to his new ce.

    This time around he could sleep peacefully in his new apartment because he had earned it and it wasn''t from a friend''s graciousness, appreciative as he was of his friends, he didn''t like them doing extreme favours for him, he felt ultimately better about things when he did them himself.

    Perhaps it was a trait of his mom rubbing off on him, he wouldn''t say it was bad.

    He ignores his brother''s very loud stares as he slips his hand in Dale''s hold, saying goodbye to the rest before making quick his escape, perhaps when the sun came up, things would look better.

    He also hoped that Hayden and Virgil would be able to talk things through, he absolutely adored their rtionship and even if Alpha Virgil got on his nerves most times, he also knew how broken they would be without each other.

 Chapter 303

    Chapter 303

    Hayden drove down to the Pack House in a peculiar state of mind, he was nervous and disappointed in himself, sure he liked children but it wasn''t an obsession?

    He paid careful attention to the road, he had left a good hour earlier, he did promise his mate lunch anyway and he was sure they would need the energy before their run.

    Hayden was quite sure he would fail hopelessly, athletics had never been his strong suit but he didn''t want to embarrass Virgil.

    He parked safely and hurried out of his car and into the building that was now home to him, although it had been just a couple months, it felt like he had lived there all his life.

    Interacting with the excited Pack didn''t help his current disoriented state but he bore it well enough, he just made his way to their apartment.

    He didn''t have the mental fortitude to confront Jaxie, good thing Jennie was keeping Yanispany, he really needed some time alone some time alone with his mate.

    He gotfortable, checking up on Apple first, the cat seemed highlyfortable to just lie around for her babies to crawl all over her and seek nutrition.

    Hayden spends some time just watching her after patting her, he misses telling her all of his problems, she was an awfully good listener and he could unburden his mind.

    He wants to talk to her again like old times but things are different now, he has a mate now.

    He stares a moment longer at Apple who is now a lot calmer and gentler, devoting her entire time to her brood.

    Was he ready for the responsibility that came with having a child?

    He sighs heavily, making his way to the kitchen to get lunch underway, something light, if they were going to be running afterwards.

    He gets so lost in his preparations that he doesn''t even notice Virgiling in until he feels familiar arms wrapped around him.

    He rxes his tense muscles for the first time all day, letting his head drop back against Virgil''s chest.

    "You okay?" Virgil hums to him and Hayden smiles, nodding in response.

    They eat quietly, studying each other''s bodynguage, Hayden couldn''t ever remember the being this tense around each other like they were walking on eggshells, not since the early days of their rtionship anyway.

    Everything else just seemed to fall into ce, perhaps a disagreement or an issue was long due but Hayden didn''t like being on bad terms with his Virgil.

    It made his tummy sour and put a damper on his mood.

    "We need to talk." Hayden suggests shyly, nibbling on his food.

    "When we get to the woods?" Virgil suggests, expression open.

    Hayden nods again and they quickly finish up their meal.

    Although, it would be better if they were to run in the woods around to the Pack House, seeing as that was where the run would be happening well the woods were muchrger but still

    But Virgil also knew that Hayden would be morefortable in the woods around his house, the familiar pine trees and the creek held so many memories for them both.

    It would be the perfect background to try and fix their rocky rtionship.

    What was most important though was that they were both willing to put in work.

    "Want to hold hands?" Hayden suggests with a flitting smile.

    They both swung their hands between them casually as they waved to the Pack members they came across, not exactly up for small talk.

    "Where are we going?" Hayden asks when Virgil starts the car, fixing up his seatbelt.

    Virgil smiles at this, Hayden always liked him making little decisions for him, moments like these made his heart swell with happiness.

    "The woods beside your house." He said softly, looking for approval from his mate.

    Hayden beams at this, grey eyes shining. "I''ve always wondered what it would be like to run down beside the creek as a wolf." He muses more to himself, eyes misty.

    "So we''ll do just that." Virgil promises resolutely.

    The car ride is silent as well, Virgil putting on soft strains of music to fill up the quiet space without overwhelming it while they just sat, enjoying the car ride and basking in each other''s presence.

    There was nothing else filling the space, not the Pack or friends, or his recent change or the discussion of a child, just the both of them, it was soothing.

    "Want a piggyback ride?" Virgil asks with just the faintest traces of a tease in his low voice when the car was parked and they were at the mouth of the fading hiking trail.

    Hayden nces at him, seeming to consider the offer. "No." He half pouts, puffing out his chest. "I can walk, it''s not like we are going all the way to the creek right?" He questions somewhat nervously.

    Virgil bites back hisughter at this. "Yes, baby, we are just going deep enough to get out of eyesight."

    "V?" Hayden calls softly after they had already started their journey, fallen and dried leaves crunching wetly under their feet.

    "Hmm?" Virgil responds, they still held hands carefully and were swinging it between them in an upbeat manner.

    "Will I be able to shift?" He asks in a small voice.

    Virgil pauses a bit before replying, it was unheard of that a Werewolf, part wolf or true blood couldn''t shift but then again part Werewolves getting the status of an Omega was unheard of he didn''t like to consider that possibility.

    It would break Hayden if that were to happen, he couldn''t allow that.

    "Of course, all Werewolves can shift, ites as natural as breathing." He soothes his troubled mate, whose scent was starting to go slightly sour.

    "Okay." Hayden epts this response, spirit lifted. "We still have to talk before then though." He reminds, ncing up against the rays of sunlight peeking in through the closely standing trees.

 Chapter 319

    Chapter 319

    As far as he knew, she was a new customer, unless she was older than he had been here and went away for a while.

    "Hi, wee to Hayden''s bookstore, how may I help you?" He greets politely, trying to not stare - it was a little toote though.

    "Hey, thank you..." Her voice was husky, like she smoked a lot but looking at her bright face, Yanis couldn''t see that happening.

    "I''d like to rent a book please, I just moved into town." She says with a polite smile. "I hope I''m not toote."

    "Nah, you''re good." He waves her away, already getting into the details of the procedures to rent a book.

    "You can browse through the rent section and when you find a book you want, juste and fill this in." Yanis exins.

    "Thank you." She nods to him, moving in the direction he showed her to.

    Yanis already starts packing up to leave, he hadn''t seen Hayden all day, he should check on his friend, after he had spent the night before running around with giant wolves, he might be slightly worried.

    Thedy wanders around a bit, sneaking nces at him in the most suspicious way but he pays her no mind, clearing up the counter in preparation to leave.

    Soon enough she makes her way back with some random book on war and poetry - what kind of creepybination was that? - he makes noment about it though, taking down the book''s name and ID.

    "Just fill in your name here and the duration of time you''ll rent it for." he spins the book in her direction, handing her his pen. "Oh and yeah, there''s a fine to be paid if you''re like say a weekte."

    She looks slightly surprised at this. "I''ll be on time, that''s for sure."

    He peeks at her name when she gives him back the record book, Catherine with a K.

    "Come again, Katherine." He tells her nicely.

    "Thank you, um, if you don''t mind can I get a name?"

    Yanis sensors go on red alert at this, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his sses. "I''m Jed." He introduces, reaching out a hand, his numerous ents came in quite handy in situations like this. "Nice to meet you Katherine."

    "Please" She smiles nervously. "Call me Kathy bye Jed!" She waves, going out the door.

    "That''s suspicious," Yanis mutters to himself, snatching up the satchel where the money of the day was moved to, usually Jennie handled it but since she wasn''t around, he would take it with him and give it to her tomorrow.

    It would be the weekend soon, maybe he could get Hayden to sightsee with him, they barely spent any quality time together but he didn''t mind, Hayden was busy and he seemed to be able to attract drama all by himself.

    He wouldn''t be surprised if ''Kathy'' didn''t show up again, she gave him the vibes of a person working for the press, maybe the paparazzi were following even the faintest leads, he could imagine how panicked they would have gotten when he just seemed to fall off the face of the Earth.

    He didn''t know what was going on outside Pine Creek, he didn''t care enough to check, besides he was on a vacation, he wasn''t obliged to.

    He makes quick work of closing up, heading to Hayden''s car to make his way back to the Pack House.

    He should call his mom, knowing her she would demand for an old fashioned letter filled with proid picture of his visit and other aesthetics, no matter how many time he told her that her mail was being monitored, she didn''t seem to find this an issue,

    Yanis shakes his head fondly as he makes his way up, the Pack House was still a little quiet, the calm before the storm associated with preparing and eating dinner.

    He makes his way to his room without bumping into anyone, which is slightly odd, he either bumps into one of the twins or Dream''s older brother, maybe he had passed the vibe check, because he couldn''t help but feel like they always had their eyes on him.

    He heads straight to his apartment for a shower, hopefully they wouldn''t have to go down to the main dining room, he couldn''t deal with that much attention two nights in a row.

    He opens up his apartment, it was cool and dark and very empty, just how he liked - unbidden, Kathy goes past his mind, maybe he had been a little unfair with throwing her under the bus like that but he has had some pretty nasty situations with the press in the past.

    His intuition had never been wrong about these things, he would be gone soon enough anyway, he shouldn''t be bothered about this.

    He takes his time with showering, humming off-key in the humid bathroom.

    He would spend the summer here as well, seeing as it was just about the end of spring, if Hayden didn''t have the wedding early, he would just have to fly down again whenever it would happen, preferably with a gun in his belt in the case Virgil lost all his brain cells, though, he couldn''t see that happening.

    He pulled on sweatpants, the sun was about to set, he could keep his friendpany until his VIrgil came or it was time for dinner.

    A thin sweater goes over his head, he grabs his phone and makes his way out, feelingfy and clean.

    He taps on his phone as he makes the turn that would take him to Hayden''s apartment, the distance between them was aesthetically pleasing to him, it was close enough to drop in on Hayden whenever he wanted but also far enough to keep away from Virgil.

    He knocks on the door and waits for a response, ncing down at his phone, Jennie was texting that she had just gotten home, he sends a quick reply, reaching out to knock again.

 Chapter 320

    Chapter 320

    <em><strong>Bonus Chapter</strong></em>

    <em>(This scene takes ce the night before, during the Pack run,I apologize for the trouble)</em>

    <em><strong>{for Demelios}</strong></em>

    Hayden internally sighs in relief when his body responds to him and he feels his body form shifting. the shes of light going off in the forest a softer reflection of the moon''s glow.

    He looks up when he feels the familiar weight of his paws on the ground, to see Virgil looking down expectantly at him, his white fur almost glowing in the moonlight.

    Virgil reaches down to nudge him with his nose and he mock snaps at him, knowing that he was going to topple from the gentle force of it, falling over in front of the Pack - although it wouldn''t be his fault - wasn''t high on his list at the moment.

    Virgil moves back, a yful twinkle in his light gold eyes, shaking his head like he wanted toe in for another yful nudge, Hayden bats him away with a paw.

    <em>''Aren''t you supposed to be doing some leading ''Alpha''? Did you hear the mental finger quotes''.</em>

    He sasses his mate, waving his tail slowly.

    Virgil snorts, stomping a paw to alert the others that he was about to make a move.

    <em>''Think you can keep up?''</em>

    He drawls to his mate who is leaning forward on his front paws, butt up in the air and shaking, a habit he notices Hayden does when he is getting ready to get down to business - it was so adorable it almost hurt.

    <em>''I should be asking you that.''</em>

    Hayden taunts, stretching out cutely.

    Virgil''s response is a powerful howl, the kind that makes Hayden''s fur stand on end and want to roll over to show submission.

    The rest of the Pack instinctively drop their heads down slightly and just as abruptly as it starts it stops, Virgil taking off.

    The next half hour is just filled with running and howling, happy feet bounding through the wide expanse of forest.

    Contrary to Virgil''s taunt, he sets afortable pace so that even the pups can keep up, the adults letting them run in front, some, their steps are still a little unsteady but there''s always an older werewolf around to nudge them softly back to their feet.

    The Warriors didn''t run with the Pack exactly, they were spread out at the edges, sharp eyes on the lookout for potential dangers, there was rarely any, it was more a tradition now, the act of having Werewolves on the lookout on Pack runs ingrained into their psyches so there would always be lookout even when there were no dangers, like a ceremony.

    When Virgil stops, the rest all do and Hayden sees that they''re at a clearing of sorts, nothing but soft grass underfoot, he had never been to this part of the forest, which is no surprise.

    Virgil lifts his face up to the moon and lets out a howl, just as powerful and loud as the one that had started off the run, the entire Pack gives responding howls, all snouts pointed at the moon.

    This part feels just as important to Hayden as the run had been, when that rounds off too, the Pack seems to disperse, Virgil catches him off guard and nudges him in the side, Hayden yelping when he loses his bnce and goes over, falling to his side on the soft, damp grass.

    The rest of the Pack was paying them little attention, they had broken up into groups, only families with little pups seemed to remain at the clearing, the rest wandering away.

    Hayden doesn''t care about this though, bouncing to his feet in a rage and going after Virgil who easily evades him, although the Alpha is easily twice his size, the doesn''t deter Hayden though and soon he''s chasing his mate across the expanse, Dream''sughter floating into his head,

    Virgil stops without warning and turns around, Hayden hadn''t expected this so he yelps in surprise as he goes skidding into Virgil''s side, falling to the ground again and trying to roll away when Virgil tries to lick him.

    The rest of the Pack watches with happiness, they don''t think they''ve ever seen their Alpha move around so much, usually after the running and the howling he would just disappear on them, going on a solo run so far and fast that no one could even keep up but they approved of this.

    Shana and Mae make their way over, a proud Ruby walking in front of them, this gives Hayden a chance to escape from Virgil,ing over to say hello to his friends.

    Shana steps forward and walks slowly around Hayden, sharp silver eyes appraising him. Until she''s jumping on him and they''re rolling on the ground together.

    Dream walks over as well, Mae gently bumping him with her nose to greet him and Ruby danced around him, tail wagging rapidly as she chanted his name happily.

    ''<em>Honey! Honey! Ma! Ma! Look, it''s Honey!''</em>

    Dream justughs at her excitement, she must have missed him, there was no one to sneak her cupcakes anymore, he really should go down to visit the bakery soon.

    Virgil steps forward after a while of watching Shana and Hayden y without any inhibitions, gently closing his teeth around one of his mate''s paws, he drags Hayden back with him, his disgruntlement clear on his face.

    Shana just shakes her head at this, walking forward to join her girlfriend and Dream, Ruby hurrying over to the Luna to ask for her beloved Yanis, she hadn''t been able toe down to the bookstore because her moms had been insistent on her getting a long nap so she could stay up for the run at night.

    She does this with gusto, bowing her head to the Alpha before dragging Hayden elsewhere, Shana rolls over to the ground inughter at the lost expression on Virgil''s face, he had just gotten his mate back and from the way, the rest of the pups of the Pack hurry over to Hayden he wasn''t getting him back in a while.

    <em>''How long do you think it will be before he snaps?''</em>

    Dream asks, watching Virgil re covertly at the children with amusement.

    <em>''A couple minutes tops.''</em>

    Mae says in a dry voice, settling on the grass as she kept a discrete eye on her daughter, she couldn''t have the active pup wandering off into the night.

 Chapter 321

    Chapter 321

    Dream wandered back to his room, the day had been a half one, he hadn''t bumped into anyone early in the morning when he came in but he was pretty sure both pack runs ended at roughly the same times.

    He is surprised though when he sees Keiran, in casual clothing and bed hair when he decides to go in early to work.

    "Um hey, did you sleep in the parking lot?" He asks the Head Beta with a straight face - it wasn''t easy to.

    Kieran just stares nkly at him. "I want to quit." He says without effort.

    Dream cackles at him, following him as the Head Beta trudged to his office.

    "So what happened to you?" He asks curiously.

    Kieran nces at him. "Somehow pups aren''t scared of big bad wolves any more." He mutters, pushing open the door to his office.

    "There was this one kid that refused to leave till he fell asleep and shifted, I had to babysit till the run was over then go find his parents."

    Dream tries hard to keep a straight face and keeps failing, an image of Kieran running away from pups and trying to snarl at them to get them to leave him but they just mimic him and charge after him faster, ying through his mind.

    "I''m surprised you chose to sleep here, damn, I''m shocked you even joined the Pack run."

    Kieran rolled his eyes, pushing a hand through his tousled hair - Dream thinks he looks better this way, than the up-tight coiffed way he usually did.

    "Your boyfriend pulled a fast one on me." He scoffs.

    Dream splutters at this, forgetting to be amused at Keiran''s situation. "He''s not my boyfriend."

    "Sure." he replies dryly, getting ready to work. "It''s the weekend anyway, I''ll leave when it''s time ande back in on monday.

    A knock interrupts Dream''s response, making him perk up, the only other person that woulde in, had to be Dale.

    "I finally got that story arc figured out." Bryan hurries in, eyes bright with bags under his eyes.

    Dream freezes up at this, trying to ce the other''s face.

    "I told you to go and sleep." Kieran says coldly without ncing up from his openedptop.

    Bryan visibly flinches at this, the lights in his eyes fizzling out. "Oh, okay." He mumbles, cringing into himself as he hurries out again.

    Dream ces him at thest minute, Kieran had exined his situation to him.

    He reaches forward a hand to the Head Beta''s desk to grab a particrlyrge file, holding it in both hands even as Kieran continues to be engrossed in whatever was going on, on his device''s screen.

    "Dream, you should get going, I don''t think." He doesn''t get all his words out before Dream is thwacking him over the head with the file.

    "Why did you dismiss him like that." Dream is already talking over Keiran''s exmation of pain. "He looked really excited to share his news with you and." Another thwack! "And if you call Dale my boyfriend again, I''m going to start carrying my frying pan in a satchel." He threatens with a serious expression.

    Keiran just tosses him a dark look. "You know, I don''t remember inviting you into my office.

    "Alright, fine, I''m going." Dream returns the file before leaving.

    *~*

    When he still doesn''t get any response, Yanis decides to try the door, he doesn''t think Hayden would go anywhere considering the hectic day his friend had yesterday, knowing him, he was probably fast asleep but then again, maybe he should have called beforeing.

    The door opens, which means that someone is in, he knows for sure that Virgil is at his office so did Hayden fall asleep?

    "Hayden!" He calls lightly, it would be a little strange for him to still be asleep by this time but Yanis didn''t want to wake him up rudely.

    His searches only provide him with a purring Apple who is smacking her kittens around with a paw to stop them from chewing on her tail.

    So he tries the room, knocking gently. He hears a soft invitation inside and all his sensors go on red alert.

    "Hayden?" He calls out in worry, flinging open the door.

    Just as he suspected, Hayden doesn''t look so good, the temperature of the room affected by him, he looks ufortably hot, his hair sticking to his skin, sprawled weakly across the bed like he was trying to reach for his phone.

    "Oh my God!" He hurries across the room, reaching for him.

    Hayden curls into himself as soon as Yanis makes body contact like it hurts to be even touched, Yanis also retrieves his hand sharply at his unrealistic high temperature.

    He hadn''t been expecting Hayden to almost burn him, the human body shouldn''t get so hot, this was very bad news.

    "We need to get you down to the clinic, hell, we need a fucking specialist, let me just make a few calls." He rambles on. "Wait, i s-should try to get your temperature down right I didn''t even ask, a-are you in pain does anywhere hurt."

    "Shhh." is all Hayden manages to say, eyes hazy. "C-call Dream." he adds in a soft voice, reaching out.

    Yanis freezes at this, eyes wide. "What? What does Dream have to do with this? I need to call Virgil, we need to get you to the hospita."

    "No." Hayden cuts him off sharply. "You can''t call Virgil."

    This only serves to shake Yanis up harder. "W-what, why not?"

    "Just don''t, please, c-call Dream" he curls up again, the clothes on his body soaked through.

    Yanis is at a loss, all his protective instincts on edge but he figures out that this is some wolf business and he should listen to Hayden, although that''s the veryst thing he wants to do.

    He was polishing Virgil''s eye a pretty dark color whenever he got close to him, it was his fault Hayden was now a wolf person anyway.

    "But."

    "Yani, p-please" Hayden rolls over to his stomach, his legs tucked underneath him.

    "Ugh, fine, maybe Dream will get you to see reason." He mutters resolutely, picking up Hayden''s phone, unsurprised to find Dream''s contact on speed dial.

    Dream is just packing up for the day when his phone rings, he hadn''t seen Dale all day, which was a little weird but he wasn''t going to the Alpha''s office when they could send emails and make phone calls.

    It''s the weekend, his first weekend so he''s expecting it to be his mom, it would be no surprise if it were, he was surprised that she hasn''t evene to pay him a visit yet, restricting herself to a single phone call per day - he was proud of her.

    He''s surprised to pick up his phone and see that it''s Hayden, he remembers his friend ying endlessly with the Pack pups the night before and he still wonders how Hayden had that much energy to keep up with the baby Werewolves with enough energy to match that of chipmunks on caffeine.

    "Hel."

    "Dream!" Yanis cuts him off, voice distraught.

    "Yanis, what''s wrong? Where''s Hayden?" He''s quick to ask, gripping his phone right.

    "He''s here and listen, he doesn''t look okay right but he doesn''t want me to call Virgil or let me take him to the hospital."

    "W-What do you mean he''s not okay?" Dream''s blood pressure shoots out of the roof. "Werewolves can''t get sick."

    "Werewolves can get what???" Yanis repeats, mouth wide open.

    "How''s his temperature?" Dream asks worriedly.

    "Definitely going to break a thermometer" Yanis replies without hesitation.

    "Fuck." Dream curses, already heading for the door of his office. "Give Hayden the phone."

    Hayden doesn''t look in any shape to even hold the phone so Yanis holds it for him.

    "Hay?" Dream calls in a soft voice, worries at the weak response he gets. His friend''s heat must just be starting if he is still lucid.

    "You know what this is right?"

    "Yes."

    "And you don''t want Virgil to know."

    "Y-yes."

    That was a brave statement, because Dream had just experienced phantom heats and he knew how bad those could get.

    Well it exined his baby cravings a couple days ago, although it came without warning of Virgil hadn''t even noticed until it hit.

    It could also be a side effect of being a part Werewolf, his scent didn''t change to show that his heat was oing or Virgil would have been the first to catch a whiff of it.

    "I''ming right now okay"

    "No, Dream, don''t, you''ll get it too." Hayden says with a surge of energy.

    "I''ll be fine, I''m on suppressants." He is quick to reassure his friend.

    <em>He hoped that would keep him safe...</em>

    He threw open the door and hurried down the hallway, Virgil wouldn''t be happy about this, knowing how overprotective he was of his mate.

    But there was also Virgil''s obvious aversion to his mate getting pregnant because of how dangerous it could be so this would be a bit of a dilemma but now Dream just wanted to get to his friend to make sure he was okay, they would have to clear out the fourth floor too because pheromones would be swarming around soon.

    Wasn''t this just dandy.

 Chapter 322

    Chapter 322

    Dream tries the door to Hayden''s apartment when he gets there, slipping in when he finds it open.

    He frowns as soon as he is in, noting that although his friend should be a couple hours away from his heat, he can smell absolutely nothing different.

    This could be dangerous because it meant his heat would creep up on him unawares, especially in public ces where that would be unideal.

    He hurries to the direction of the room where he could here Yanis'' low and worried voice trying tofort Hayden, hopefully this side effect of being a part wolf and also a male Omega would mean that his heats didn''t have the ripple effect all heats did - that felt like a long shot.

    "Hi, Hay" Dreames in quietly, careful to not make a lot of noise, moving closer.

    "You shouldn''t be here, Dream." Hayden is quick to say, upset.

    "He''s right, if this is contagious, what is it? Some kind of flu? Either way you shouldn''t be here." Yanis supports. "I just need you to convince him to let me take him to the hospital and I''ll handle the rest."

    Dream makes a face, exining this to Yanis was going to be a little bit hard but that wasn''t what was important at the moment, he needed to get Hayden''s temperature down, hopefully that would slow down his heat and give Dream more time to prepare.

    Yanis would have been the best person to tend to Hayden because he was human but he would rather not incite murder in Virgil if he could help it.

    Plus he doesn''t think Yanis would want to be in that situation, it''ll be ufortable for everyone involved.

    But Dream is taking a huge risk by being here, if he''s not careful, Hayden''s heat could start his off, suppressants wouldn''t be able to help.

    He gets to work first trying to get his friend''s temperature down, Yanis yelling in horror when he tries to take Hayden''s clothes off, nearly spinning off the bed in his haste to retreat.

    Dream rolls his eyes at this, Hayden was getting incoherent by the minute.

    "Fine, make yourself useful and get in some water here in a cooler from the kitchen, grab as many energy bars as you can find and some easy to invest and digest foods or fruits,e on off you go." He shoos the other away, getting back to work.

    The sheets needed to be changed but he doubted he could get Hayden out of bed long enough for him to do that, besides it would only get worse when the slick fest started.

    He manages to get Hayden''s temperature under control, relieved when his friend falls asleep, the cramps wracking through him must hurt like hell, he deserved whatever rest his body could get.

    <em>This was going to be one long ass weekend</em>

    Hees back to find that Yanis has dropped off what he asked for and disappeared again, that was good enough.

    Hayden''s temperature is low enough tofortably touch him now but his skin was still an ufortable red, goosebumps going off each time Dream even got close enough.

    His upper half was bare, short shorts doing little to retain modesty, that would be gone as soon as the half Omega woke up though, heats and clothes just didn''t mix, he was surprised at theck of a nest though, what if this was just preheat period?

    That would mean the main heat would be a horror show, Hayden wouldn''t be able to get through it without his Alpha.

    Was it this intense because he was a male Omega? But he was part so it should be diluted if anything, it made Dream almost terrified to have his heat, although he knew it was inevitable.

    He leaves the room when Hayden''s skin is cool to the touch and his friend is fast asleep, finding Yanis pacing in the living room.

    "Do you want to stay here and keep and eye on him, he''s asleep now or you want to follow me over to Virgil''s." Dream asks.

    Yanis is torn, this is the perfect opportunity to confront Virgil but he''s also worried about his friend. "He''s asleep? Are you sure?" He prompts with wide worried eyes.

    Dream''s expression softens at this. "Yeah, you can check if you want."

    Yanis immediately remembers the state Hayden was in before he left, he wasn''t about to go back in there so soon, the sickness was suspicious and Dream didn''t seem too eager to exin to him - he was almost scared to find out what exactly was going on.

    "No, I''ll pass, we''ll be back soon right?" He inquires, for reassurance.

    "Of course, I have to keep an eye on Hayden." Dream says.

    ~

    "Darian and Leon took the day off?" Virgil asks in surprise. "Why? Are they fighting out in the woods?" He tags on, he didn''t mind them taking the day off, they did more than they had to anyway, it was just weird that they would both choose the same day.

    Jaxon shrugs, at a loss just like the Alpha. They are both seated in Virgil''s office, Ian on his spot on the couch, replying to Pack emails and the spam emails that seem to constantlye in.

    "Maybe but the only reason they''ve not taken a day off yet is because they can''t stand leaving one person behind to be here all day." Ian lifts his head from his tablet to say, fixing knowing eyes on Jaxon, as usual, this innuendo goes over the Head Beta''s head.

    "They probably decided on a day to go off together."

    Virgil nods. "Makes sense." You should take the weekend off too Ian, you all should." He tags on, pinning Jaxon a knowing stare. "When was thest time you went over to the family house or paid your niece a visit?"

    This stumps Jaxon, unable toe up with a date.

    "That''s it, all of you, get the fuck out of my office and go have fun." Virgil orders.

    A knock follows this announcement and they all perk up.

    "That''s probably Leo or Dar giving up first." Ian mutters to himself.

    Just as Virgil is about to invite the person on the other side in, Dream pushes open the door, Yanis following in behind him.

    This sets all of Virgil sensors ring, it was weird enough Dreaming to see him but with Yanis in tow and both looking like they had just seen a puppy get run over was downright terrifying.

    "Where''s Hayden?" He asks immediately the door slips shut, his eyes lighting to a pale gold.

    "Your mate is fine." Dream is quick to reassure him, suddenly feeling bone tired. "His heat ising on but he doesn''t want you to go to him."

    This freezes up Virgil who is already halfway out of his seat. "W-What?" He stutters looking lost. "Why?"

    Dream settles on a chair beside Jaxon. "I''m pretty sure you already know the answer to that."

    Virgil sits down at this, his mind faraway.

    "Did you check on him?" Jaxon leans forward in worry. "That''s dangerous, Dream."

    "I know." Dream says quietly, his words encouraging no further discussion on the matter.

    "Can someone tell me exactly what''s going on, humans don''t have heats, male humans for that matter." Yanisins, looking upset.

    "He''s a wolf person now, remember." Dream says catingly. "I''m sorry but it''ll be better if you leave for a while, we will all have to leave eventually."

    "Dream is right, you might be human but I''m pretty sure you would want to be on this floor in the next couple hours." Jaxon supports. "Hayden will be fine, don''t worry." He is quick to reassure when Yanis looks like he''s about to raise hell. "This is very normal for a Werewolf okay?"

    "Fine." Yanis grumbles, knowing that he''s way out of his league here besides he didn''t want to be the one to hold them back. "How long do I have to stay away?"

    "Three days tops." Jaxon says with a thin smile, expecting an explosion.

    Yanis shocks him however by swallowing back his words. "Fine, I''ll call up Rouge, Ruby will be happy to see me." He tries to say nonchntly but the twinkle in his eyes are quite bright.

    "I should also be heading out." Ian picks himself out of the couch. "Don''t worry, I''ll tell Leon and Darian to stay away too." He tags on, his talk form leaving through the door that Yanis had just gone out from.

    "I guess my weekend off is nowpulsory, I''ll be just a phone call away." Jaxie smiles nervously to Dream, ncing briefly at his Alpha who still had his head in his hands, deep in thought. "But you''ll be fine won''t you?" He asks the Omega again, worried.

    "Yes, thank you." Dream returns a weary smile, he would have to leave soon as well, although leaving Hayden all alone to face his heat that he was no doubt unprepared for made his worry spike.

    He would be useless though if his heat started up as well, while helping.

    The choice was all up to Virgil now, there was no doubt that this time that the Luna would get knocked up, he could see from how hard Virgil''s hands trembled that it would be a very tough decision to make.

 Chapter 323

    Chapter 323

    "I''m going to check up on Hayden." Dream stands up with a huff after a while of watching Virgil lose his shit, it was starting to lose its charm.

    "No." Virgil stops him as he goes to stand up, raising his head to reveal serene blue eyes. "Come on kid, head back to your apartment, thank you." He says in an oddly soft voice, reaching out to ruffle Dream''s hair.

    Dream ps his hand away and gets up to his feet, moving his chair closer to Virgil, the Alpha just watches in confusion as Dream bends over to take off his shoes.

    A small gummy smile starts up when he sees Dream get on the chair and be roughly his height so he could reach up and ruffle his hair.

    He knows that Dream is just doing it to get back at him but he leans into the touch, weing thefort and noting how Dream flinches slightly before getting invested in the hair ruffling.

    "You''ll be fine okay, nowe on, shoo." He chases the Alpha away. "I don''t want Hayden to wake up and not see you."

    "Sure." Virgil sighs heavily, his mind had already been made up immediately he heard that Hayden had gone into heat but it took a while for his body to get with the program, both prospects were scary, leaving Hayden to face his heat alone and getting him pregnant.

    He had promised to try though and he would, plus the option of leaving Hayden all alone to face his heat hadn''t even crossed his mind, it hurt in a good way that his sweet little mate had thought of him even in a situation like this but he was done being emotionally spoon fed by Hayden, he would man up and face his fears.

    Dream makes his way out at this, choosing to go down the floors and around to the Dark Moon Pack, he really needed to get far away from the fourth floor and Hayden.

    He should probably see about lighting a candle tonight to keep his heat away or maybe go chug down his entire bottle of suppressant pills.

    It was already dark outside, the sun setting a while ago and Dream remembered that he hadn''t eaten dinner yet, also Kieran would be gone for the weekend by now, if he wanted to visit his mom tomorrow then he should better turn in early.

    He might just have something light like a sd for dinner - he makes a face, Hayden was starting to rub off on him, he would make himself a ham sandwich, take a shower and sleep away whatever heat pheromones he might have caught.

    He could see the steel in Virgil''s eyes and knew that Hayden was in good hands, the Alpha would take care of his mate, not that he had ever been worried about that, the one thing Virgil couldn''t do was intentionally hurt Hayden.

    *~*

    Virgil wastes no time locking up his office and hurrying down the hallways to his apartment and his mate, worried at how he had not noticed that his mate was on the brink of his heat.

    All the signs had been there even if there wasn''t any noticeable change in his scent, Hayden had only casually talked about maybe adopting like he was still considering the idea then all of a sudden it''s a craving his sweet little mate is rage crying and throwing tantrums -e to think of it, what did he think that had been?

    He pushes open the door and freezes up, whatever had been acting as a scent block had gone away and his mate''s richer and heady scent of blooming roses and warm vani hits him like a brick wall, his body easily responding instantly.

    He carefully locks up the door, whatever they would need over the duration of theing days were inside the apartment, besides there was a very high chance that he would rip off someone''s head off if they were dumb enough toe pay a visit.

    He''s already taking off his sweatshirt before he''s halfway around the room, his skin heating up in response to his mate, dim lighting reflecting the hard edges of his body.

    Virgil makes his way to the bedroom to find Hayden still asleep, he would leave him to sleep, his mate needed as much rest as he could get because when his heat started it would prevent him from getting rest until his body got what it needed.

    He decided to take a shower while he waited for Hayden to wake up, with how often the other was squirming, tossing and turning on the bed, it wouldn''t be very long.

    He''s not wrong because he barely done with rinsing off when hears Hayden softly crying, he had never gotten out of the fucking shower so fast, nearly slipping on the tiles and cracking open his head.

    Hayden looks up as his head tracks the scent of his mate, the fire burning low in him ring up, which makes him curls over, his eyes unable to focus.

    "V-virgil, why are you here?" He gasps when Virgil makes his way over to the bed in nothing but a towel wrapped low on his waist.

    Virgil makes a face at this, scrunching up his nose. "Why else?" He teases lightly, getting on the bed. "To read you a bedtime story."

    Hayden huffs out the shadow of augh, kicking out a leg weakly in the general direction of Virgil, his mate catching his ankle and tugging him close.

    "I know you''re not ready for me to be pregnant yet" Hayden is saying solemnly, looking up into Virgil''s familiar blue eyes.

    "How are you still even lucid?" Virgil asks in disbelief, he was already going hazy from the ripple effect, yet here was Hayden talking philosophy.

    "I''m not aaahh" Hayden ends on a moan, clutching Virgil''s bare shoulders.

    "There it is." Virgil murmurs, pulling Hayden''s writhing form into his arms, leaning forward to im his mate''s lips.

 Chapter 324

    Chapter 324

    Dream feels exhausted, he''s going to me it on the fact that he just came down three flights of stairs and he''s about to go up three more, he just might skip dinner, shower and go straight to bed.

    He''s so tired that his appetite is long gone, worry for his friend taking over. Although he knows Hayden will be fine, he has somehow managed to live through Virgil''s rut, in his human form - he should be more worried for the Alpha.

    Maybe he was just worried about himself, he didn''t feel any different but he can help but feel like something was going to go terribly wrong, it''s been over four years that he''s been using suppressants, his body would crack pretty soon, he hoped it wouldn''t be tonight.

    He showers and pads to the kitchen in a bathrobe, feeling parched and a little warm, without realizing it, he downs the entire carton of fruit juice only realizing it''s empty when there''s no more pouring into his cup.

    "This definitely means go to bed." He mutters to himself, he hadn''t told his mom he would being the next day he had wanted to surprise her.

    Hopefully she wouldn''t have simr ideas but knowing his mom, she would definitely call up beforeing over, besides the bakery was at its busiest on friday''s, he wouldn''t approve of his mom paying him a visit then.

    He goes back to bed, thoughts scattered everywhere, where was Dale? He hoped the Alpha woulde to ask to sleepover because he was scared of the rain

    <em>Wait</em> that was the rain right? He thinks drowsily, stumbling to the window to look out and see that it was a clear, quiet night, a little on the cool side but there was no rain falling.

    Where was that thundering happening then? In his head? Yeah, he should definitely fall asleep.

    He ns to wear pmas but that n is scrapped when his wobbly feet take him to the bed, and he''s falling asleep as soon as his head touches the pillow.

    Dale had spent the entirety of the day in his office, he nned to ask Dream out on a date the next day, a real date, without any tricks or shady business, he needed to know that if the Omega didn''t have to for some silly reason Dale made up, would he still agree to a date.

    He was nervous and tried to calm his nerves by immersing himself in work, it also meant that he would give himself more free time over the weekend.

    He doesn''t finish up until it''s well past nine, only realizing howte it is when he gets a text from Jaxie saying he shouldn''te over to the Alpha floor for a number of days.

    He frowns at this, apparently Hayden had gone into his heat, it was like the entire universe wanted for them to have pups.

    He wondered if anyone had told Yanis what was going on yet, he imagined the human would be horrified when he found out.

    He makes his way to his quiet apartment, deciding not to bother Dream, he wanted to make the best impression for tomorrow - although it might be a little toote.

    He makes instant noodles to eat in the dim space, too strung up to settle down to make anything else. He was impatient to get to sleeping so that tomorrow woulde, his excitement palpable.

    He showers on autopilot, noting that it got windy outside, what would he do if it rained the next day? He realizes in a panic, hastily making backup ns that involved staying indoors, he would get knocked out multiple times then because there was no way he was sharing the same space with Dream for so long and manage to keep his hands to himself.

    The creates the perfect backdrop and atmosphere to fall asleep to, mentally creating scenarios of how tomorrow would go, it didn''t matter if the rain fell or not, it didn''t matter if they got to going anywhere fun or spent the day in either apartment running around in their pajamas - as long as he spent it with Dream, it would be perfect.

    Look at him, getting all cheesy, if Dream didn''t mind he would be the cheesiest bastard ever.

    Sleepes slowly, offeringfort and just as his consciousness is about to switch off, he hears a telltale sound from the living room, this makes him sit upright in a rush, the sleep clearing out of his eyes.

    It sounded like someone was moving around or was it just his imagination, no one ever came up here, Kieran was already gone for the weekend and even in his sketchy dreams, Dream never came to his apartment, unless it was to ambush him in his sleep.

    The sound fades away and he brushes it out of his mind, his front door was locked, no one was sneaking in unless they broke in, he would definitely hear that happening so he rolled over to his side, tucking himself in and slipping his eyes shut.

    Dream freezes up when he bumps into a side table, wondering what the fuck he was doing, he had woken up with a terrible fever, vision hazy and yet his brain and body both connived together that the best chioce of action was to go to Dale.

    They weren''t even putting the decision up for discussion because thest thing he remembers is waking up drenched in sweat, the shoulders of the bathrobe he had slept in, down by his arms, the belt around his waist barely holding the thin cotton robe together.

    <em>And now</em> and now he''s in Dale''s living room, that doesn''t make any logical sense, if he''s telling the Alpha to take a hike from the fourth floor because his heat is already knocking, it would be better to do this over the phone right?... <em>right</em>?

    This reasoning doesn''t stop him though from making his way carefully over to Dale''s bed, maybe if the Alpha leaves the floor, his body would stop working on autopilot.

 Chapter 325

    Chapter 325

    Yanis drives down carefully to Hayden''s old street, remembering that he hadn''t eaten dinner.

    He had gone back and made a call to Shana who was happy to have him over and insisted that he brought enough clothes for a week away.

    That had stunned him, he would ask them when he got over, seeing as no one was about to tell him here.

    Perhaps instinctively, he had a hunch of what was going on but he desperately needed someone to tell him otherwise, he had just known Hayden''s friends were weird when they were dealing with Dale''s crazy ex and they both had weird eye colors in a split second and really long, really sharp teeth that couldn''t be normal while they were growling at each other.

    If he hadn''t been with a lot of witnesses who also apparently saw the same thing, he might have thought that maybe he was hallucinating.

    Surprisingly, Shana had been quick to tell him everything as long as he wouldn''t tell Hayden, honestly he was surprised they still kept him in the dark.

    He drives up to Shana''s and Mae''s house,ing down with his bag in hand, it should be fun living with them for a while.

    The door opens as he makes his way up the front stairs, Mae beaming up at him from the door.

    "Hi Yanis, I hope you don''t mind having to stay with us for a while?" She greets, inviting him inside.

    "I should be asking you that." He murmurs, making his way in and already looking around for the energetic bundle of joy that was their daughter.

    Mae easily interpretes his not so subtle actions. "She''s upstairs with Shana who finally got her to take a shower." She is quick to say leading him to the room he would stay at. "After hearing you wereing over, she refused to leave the front door."

    Yanis could definitely picture that happening, letting himself in the room that was given to him, Mae telling him toe down to dinner when he was done settling in.

    He dropped his bag and took in the homey and warm room, the decor very different from his apartment back at the Pack house.

    Settling in didn''t take very long, arranging what few clothes he brought in the wardrobe because Mae seemed like the type to help him do it if he didn''t, not that he minded, he just didn''t want to be a lousy guest.

    Vaguely, he wondered how she figured out that he hadn''t eaten dinner yet, he didn''t remember telling her that little bit of information, although, it wasn''t thatte so she could have easily predicted that he hadn''t.

    He makes his way out again when he''s ready and can easily hear Ruby''s high pitched voice asking for him and the lower one of an exasperated Mae telling her that he was settling in.

    She notices him the instant he walks in the room, dashing from where she was standing beside Mae to rocket herself in his arms. "Yani!!!"

    "Hey Ruby." He greets with a small smile, unsurprised when Ruby refuses toe down again after he picks her up, when the timees to leave, it would be devastating.

    "Ru, let Yanis eat dinner, you''ve already eaten." Mae says sternly.

    Ruby listens to her mother, crawling down from Yanis'' body a little reluctantly to go over to Shan who easily lets her get on her legs.

    They had all eaten dinner already but chose to keep Yanispany, he didn''t think it was necessary but they insisted and theirpany was very wee

    Well, the conversation revolved around Ruby throwing rapid fire questions at him, like how long he would stay, would he stay forever, and why did hee?

    Mae cuts short her questions each time with a disgruntled expression.

    "Nana said it was because Luna Hay Hay is going to get babies!" She pipes up with all the excitement a ten year old could muster.

    Yanis chokes on his rice at this, coughing violently as he tries to stop himself from being done in by a nt.

    "Shana!" Mae rounds on her mate, quick to offer Yanis water to drink.

    "What? She kept asking, I couldn''t lie to her."

    Shana''s confirmation of Ruby''s exmation doesn''t go over Yanis'' head and the poor man is choking again on the water that is supposed to relieve him, snorting out the cold liquid as he tries not to die.

    "Oh my God." Mae panics, offering Yanis a napkin while Ruby hurries over tofortingly rub his back and Shana fans him with a tray.

    When his choking fit dies down, he looks up at them with red, watery eyes and Mae smiles nervously.

    "It''s not toote to try somewhere else."

    Yanis just shakes his head at this in wry humor, letting Ruby feed him, although Mae kept scolding her and Shana kept directing her on the perfect way to properly feed someone else.

    It was chaos but Yanis basked it in, enjoying the loved weaved in every silly action and every soft spoken word.

    Dinner rounds up eventually and since it was the weekend, Ruby''s moms let her stay upte, quickly retiring to their room while he kept Rubypany.

    The little girl is quick to introduce him to all of her favorite cartoons and soon he''s invested in it, he can''t wrap his head around half of what is going on because for goodness sake, why did cartoons have to be so illogical? but he could definitely see the charm in them.

    So he sat still and watched cartoons with Ruby, letting her chatter to her heart''s content about her favourite characters until she slowly dozed off.

    When she''s fast asleep, he picks her up and heads up the stairs before realizing that he has no idea where her room is or if she even sleeps with her parents.

    Luckily, Mae makes an appearance at this point, already in her night dress and surprised to see him.

    "Juste along with me." She whispers softly to him, walking down the hallway a bit. "Her room is just the one next to ours." She informs him, helping him to hold open the door so he could put her to bed and tuck her in.

    "I hope she wasn''t much of a bother?" Mae inquires with a kind smile while they make their way back.

    "Not at all."

    "Great, there are snacks in the kitchen if you''re going to stay up and you get snackish, Goodnight Yanis." She waves him off, talking in a quiet voice as she disappears back in her room.

    Again, Yanis wondered as he made his way down the stairs to pick off where he left off in his cartoon watching, how she knew he nned to stay up.

 Chapter 326

    Chapter 326

    <em><strong>Mature Content</strong></em>

    Hayden arches deeply, burying his face in Virgil''s side as his mate is well on his way to milking yet another orgasm from his prostate, toes curled, sharp pleasure mixing with the constant burning heat low in his belly.

    "V-virgil ah!" He moans, upset that Virgil kept up with teasing him, which was doing nothing to ease his ache.

    Virgil just humsfortingly, his grip on Hayden''s waist firm so he doesn''t squirm off hisp, he needed to tire Hayden out first, it was still only the first day and his mini rut is yet to kick in, he wasn''t about to get worn out so soon.

    Casually he curls his fingers deep in Hayden, keeping his thrusts gentle, knowing that with how sensitive he had to be and how many times he had made hime this way, Hayden would be pretty overstimted, if his constant squirming and soft crying into his side was any indication.

    Slick coats his hand, Hayden''s lower body, and easily soaks through the sheets, the mind numbing sweet smell enveloping them in a haze.

    He wasn''t cruel though, carefully picking Hayden up by the waist while he''s on the brink of his orgasm to slowly sit him on his hard dick that''s already chafed red by a squirming Omega lying in his.

    He leans forward to lick into Hayden''s parted lips, muffling his cry of relief and offering no assistance as his mate bounces a little unsteadily on him, only offering support to steady him.

    He busies himself instead with running his hands up and down Hayden''s slick and silken body, feeling slick drip down, mixed with his mate''s cum.

    Hayden easily moves himself up and down Virgil''s hard dick that is buried deeply in him, little sounds escaping him with every downward movement even as he bares his neck to Virgil''s wandering lips.

    He tires easily though, whimpering and tugging on Virgil''s hair when he can''t get what he wants, Virgil catches on quickly, gripping Hayden''s thighs in both hands and fucking up into his mate, his wolf purring proudly when the makes Hayden go boneless as his sweetspot is hit with every deep thrust from the Alpha, his moans pitching higher.

    The room is steamy, although the windows are open, the scent of heat and lovemaking, getting blown away by the wind that keeps picking up, recing the scent with the one of fresh pine and moist earth, at least to the people down below.

    ~

    Dream knows he''s still lucid, although the heat that had settled down low in his belly kept amping by the minute and pinpricks of pleasure was crawling up his cock - this was probably not the time to go snooping around someone else''s apartment.

    Why had Erin given him the masterkey anyway? What could he possibly need it for, he was going to me her for this entire crazy situation.

    He''s surprised that he doesn''t manage to wake Dale up till he''s on the bed, just watching the Alpha sleep peacefully... <em>uhh... now, what does he do?</em>

    Dream panics a little, his remaining functioning brain cells that hadn''t been killed off by his high temperature promptly going offline as soon as they had deposited him in Dale''s bed, he would like to ce aint with his motherboard.

    Dale turns in his sleep, his handing in contact with warm, bare skin.

    This makes him frown, that wasn''t right, he keeps his hand in ce though squeezing lightly.

    This makes Dream yelp, Dale''s eyes flying open at the familiar voice to see Dream sitting on his knees on his bed, in nothing but a flimsy bathrobe that leaves nothing to the imagination, eyes hooded and his cheeks inmed a warm pink.

    Dale jumps out of his bed in horror, his eyes wide as he backs away from Dream in a panic, rubbing his eyes vigorously to confirm if he was still dreaming because Dream couldn''t be in his bed, looking like that.

    "Dream?" He blinks in confusion.

    "Yeah" Dream mutters to himself, shyly clutching his hands in the middle of his bent knees. "This is going to be a little hard to exin."

    Dale isn''t even concentrating enough to listen to Dream''s words, the part of his brain that controls his functionality fried, his eyes fixed on Dream''s tousled blonde hair that looks darker in the dim lighting, the damp strands creating a pretty halo around his face.

    His pupils are dted, making his eyes look dark against the warm skin of his face, full lips parted like he can''t get enough oxygen and Dale shifts a bit from leg to leg, when did it get so hot in his bedroom?

    Just as he''s about to ask what the Omega was doing in his bedroom, Dream curls forward with a sharp gasp, bending over like he''s in pain.

    Dale starts to hurry forward only to freeze up as Dream''s scent hit him hard, backing up against the wall.

    "Dream?" He gulps, eyes wide in a panic. "You can''t be here right now..."

    Dream raises a finger to shut him off, lifting his head slightly to make eye contact with Dale through the curtain fall of his hair. "Well, now that I am, what are you going to do about that?" he taunts.

    Dale''s panic intensifies as he eyes the door desperately knowing that when ites to Dream, his self control and restraint was nonexistent, if Dream asks him directly he is going to be a goner but he also knows that Dream isn''t in his right mind.

    His heat is obviously the only reason he''s right here and Dale should try to be the sensible one and get the fuck out of here before he broke both his and Dream''s hearts.

    "Stop eyeing the door like a prude and get over here." Dream rolls his eyes, he''s going to me this on his heatter, although right now he''s very lucid and capable of making a proper decision, he still wants Dale.

    When did he stop fighting that truth and started sumbing? Was it when he made the wild decision to move in? Or when Dale cked out on him?

    He''s not sure but he''s damn sure about this.

 Chapter 327

    Chapter 327

    Dream''s words hit him like a bucket of ice cold water, if he''s leaving it better be now, Dream has always been particrly abrasive towards him so the only exnation to whatever was going on here was that it had to be a result of his heat.

    "Dream, I know you''re not thinking right now, I''m not going to do something that we are both going to regret." He exins in a level voice, already charting out his escape.

    The pillow that smacks into the side of his head nearly makes him topple over, did Dream shove a pan down the pillow when he wasn''t looking?

    "Not thinking right? Really? You''re going to use that excuse, I was thinking right enough though to make my way over to your apartment at midnight." He throws himself on the bed, rolling from end to end and purring softly before he could catch himself.

    "W-what?" Dale splutters, eyes wide as he watches Dream roll around on his bed, his bathrobe hiking.

    "It''s a choice, Alpha." Dream sits up to say in a silky smooth voice. "I don''t have a gun to your head now, do I?" He asks coyly, tucking a lock of hair behind an ear.

    Dale gulps, Dream might as well have him tied up in a basement, blindfolded with a gun and a couple knives raised at him.

    <em>Yeah no.</em>

    Dale turns tail around and dashes out, making Dream flop back on the bed with a groan, why was it so hard to convince Dale? How hard was it to get someone you cared about to take care of you during your heat? Frustrated, he throws another pillow at the door.

    Well, that didn''t mean he nned to leave Dale''s bedroom, if the Alpha was going to be chicken then he would just get to making a nest, Dale should definitely go find somewhere else to live for the next couple days, he decides, getting up to stomp over to Dale''s wardrobe.

    The first thing he does is yank off the bathrobe he has on, searching for what item of clothing had the most of Dale''s scent on it,ing up with a ck t-shirt.

    Wearing it brings its length to somewhere around mid thigh <em>perfect</em>.

    Reaching into the wardrobe again, he pulls out an armful of clothes and waddles over to the bed to plop down down on the bed,

    He does it again and again until the bed is positively overflowing with clothes, he spends precious time, carefully pawing at it to arrange it in no specific order, instincts guiding him.

    Dale paces just outside his bedroom, worried and curious at the sounds he was hearing from within, what was going on in his bedroom?

    Although he had been quick to turn Dream down and back away, Dale knew he couldn''t leave Dream all alone to face his heat, not only because of how gruesome it was but also that anyone coulde wandering up he feels a growl starting up at the back of his throat and he''s quick to cease to pursue that line of thought.

    So he was invariably trapped, he couldn''t leave and yet if he stayed it was only a matter of time before Dream''s heat got to him, well if this isn''t a fun situation to wake up to.

    <strong>~</strong>

    Dale spends the next several minutes in an intense argument with himself, all conclusions to the argument seemed to favor him getting back in his bedroom to Dream, he groans in exasperation, this wasn''t the time for his brain to be ying devil''s advocate.

    Don''t get him wrong, there''s nothing he wants more than to go to Dream but thest thing he also wants is to take advantage of the one he loved.

    His bedroom has been quiet for a while so he decides to take a sneak peek, you know, just to check how his honey is doing only to be stunned speechless.

    <em>W-were those his clothes? Was Dream wearing his shirt?</em>

    He had almost forgotten that Omegas in heat nested but they usually did that with the clothes of their mates

    His eyes go wide at this, a sharp gasp leaving him even as he makes his way over to the bed, watching Dream sleep on his bed, looking quite ufortable.

    The first difference he notices is how Dream''s nose twitches, no doubt catching a whiff of his scent, turning to face Dale''s direction even in his sleep.

    His cheeks are now flushed a deep pink, short shorts out in the open as Dale''s t-shirt hikes up all the way to his chest to reveal a soft tummy, that same provocating shade of pink.

    Just as Dale''s is about to convince himself to leave again, Dream''s eyes fly open to reveal soft amber eyes which are fixed on him, pupils dted.

    "Dale?" He calls out softly, recognition in his hooded eyes.

    Dream''s scent blooms, the scent of honey and jasmine''s thickening, getting warm and heavy and Dale''s scent spikes in response to this.

    Dream clearly recognizing him even in the haze of his heat that was clearly beginning tips the decision to a positive one, Dale steps forward, heart settled.

    "Hi, honey, I''m home." He says in a gentle voice,ing over to the bed.

    This makes Dream fall on his back on the bed, giggling sweetly. "What took you so long?"

    Dale nearly freezes up again at this, his brain short circuiting, if anyone told him that Dream could be sweet he would have prescribed bed rest for them but the again stranger things have happened.

    "I''m sorry I''mte." he says, meaning his words as he pushes all of his clothes down from the bed to make room for himself, the original source was here anyway.

    Dream also doesn''t seem to mind that he was basically tearing apart his carefully made nest so that was another point, the Omega sitting up to wee him to bed.

    He''s still cautious, it would cause irreparable damage to him if this made him lose Dream for good, but this wasn''t even negotiable, if Dream hadn''t managed to convince him, he would have gone down to the clinic to get something to knock him out and then settle in to take care of him.

    It would be a hellish situation but he wouldn''t be making any grave mistakes.

 Chapter 328

    Chapter 328

    <em><strong>Mature content</strong></em>

    <em></em>

    <em></em>

    <em></em>

    <em></em>As soon as he gets on the bed, Dream crawls up his legs, familiar blue-grey eyes staring up at him as swift fingers deftly undos the buttons on his pajama top.

    Dale let''s him, reaching up to reverently cradle his face, he really was about to kiss Dream, unless this was a prank and Dream was going to be pulling out a pan from under the bed.

    But Dream just smiles at him, dark eyes twinkling as he pushes back the cotton shirt, Dale''s tattoo catches his attention and his open expression darkens a bit, his hands pausing when they were about to touch the Alpha''s bare body, toned muscles visible even in the dim space.

    "Who''s the tattoo for?" He asks carefully, a trace of vulnerability in his otherwise steady voice.

    Dale doesn''t take his hands from Dream''s face, keeping eye contact. "Don''t hit me but it''s for you."

    Dream knows he''s sincere so he doesn''t even question the why''s and how''s of it, there would be time for thatter so he leans up and forward pressing his lips up to Dale''s.

    Dale easily takes the lead, slipping his hands down from Dream''s face to cup his thighs which are ced on either side of the Alpha''s legs, gently pressing his fingers into the warm and soft flesh, pulling Dream closer.

    Dream buries his hands in Dale''s hair, gasping when he feels firm grips on his bare thighs, the skin there sensitive.

    His eyelids that had slipped shut when Dale reciprocated the kiss flew open when at his gasp Dale nted his head and licked into his mouth, his grip of Dale''s ck hair the only thing keeping him upright as his limbs turn to jelly - why hadn''t he done this a long time ago?

    A soft moan slips past his lips as one of Dale''s hands slipped up his body, pushing up his shirt to brush over a taut nipple.

    Due to his heat, his nerve endings were extra sensitive so that small action makes him give a full body shudder, the heat low in his belly expanding to a full blown inferno that threatened to swallow him up, slick drenching his shorts.

    He breaks away from the kiss first, already breathless but that doesn''t slow him down, moving backwards so he could tug Dale''s pants as low as he could, small chubby hands reaching for the Alpha''s dick.

    "Fuck." Dale groans lowly, stunned when Dream goes down up him, kiss bruised full lips stretched around his girth, Dream peering up at him from underneath hisshes - yeah he was definitely saving that image forter.

    He swears the Omega winked at him before giving him one of the best blow jobs of his life, although it''s sloppy and unsteady like it was his first wait he couldn''t possibly be Dream''s first right? Why did that make him so happy?

    He stops Dream''s movements with a gentle grip on his hair, as tempting as it was to cum this way, he wouldn''t do much to help Dream.

    He pulls him up to eye level for another kiss, tasting warm honey and decides that he could kiss Dream for the rest of the night and it still wouldn''t be enough, he spins the over so that he''s hovering over Dream, making quick work of his pajamas and tugging off Dream''s shorts.

    He litters kisses across his heated skin, it felt too good to be true like he would wake up from this dream and find out that he didn''t have Dream in his arms or in his bed - that would hurt.

    But Dream''s warm skin under his lips feels real enough, the soft pants against his bare skin, the smell of honey and jasmines, his soft noises they were all real and so is Dream''s arch against him when he closes his mouth around a nipple, sucking harshly.

    "Ah fuck! I need" Dream moans, writhing underneath Dale''s hands and mouth, choking on his words.

    Dale knew exactly what he needed, noting that Dream was slowly going incoherent from his heat, he stopped peppering his body with kisses, going down so that his face was level with Dream''s lower body, the scent of his slick intoxicating, he wanted to get that on his tongue so he does.

    Dream gasps when he realizes this, his heat haze clearing momentarily as Dale kisses up his thighs, meticulously marking up the soft skin, nibbling lightly and leaving wet open mouthed kisses.

    He muffles his cry with his hands, eyes rolling back on his head when he feels Dale licks over his hole, fine tremors whispering over his heated skin.

    He tugs on his hair when Dale goes to town, the pleasure too intense to even cry out, with his excess slick that keeps pouring out and Dale''s ministrations, he barely feels it when a finger gets pushed into him, the different cadences of pleasure merging into one endless inferno.

    One finger turns to two, Dale licking into him, taking his time with preparing him until Dream is clutching at his bare shoulder to urge him on, his fingers leaving behind red streaks.

    Dale gives him reprieve at this, moving up to making another hickey over Dream''s scent nd, his hands moving lower to push his thighs up.

    He makes eye contact with the writhing Omega in his arms after he does this, a question in his dark green eyes.

    Dream looks up at him as well, fire burning in his warm amber eyes. "Yeah, I want you, I want this." He says in a steady voice, reaching up to pull Dale down for another kiss.

    He meant each and every of his words, this wasn''t the heat talking, although he would have to agree that it nudged him in this direction, he wanted Dale and not just for the sex or aspany during his heats

    He wanted the entire package, Dale waking him up in the night because he was scared of the rain, cooking for the Alpha who never remembered to eat, going on silly dates and chasing each other down in the woods, he wanted it all <em>he wanted his love reciprocated.</em>

    Lightning streaked through the sky, the damp smell of the rain permeating the air, the first raindrops fell just as Dale pushed into Dream, the rain picking up as if to mark the beautiful moment.

 Chapter 329

    Chapter 329

    "Baby, you need to eat something." Virgil stops Hayden who is already reaching for his half hard dick although they just had sex a couple minutes ago.

    Hayden blinks up myopically at him, his eyes a soft grey. "Sure." He beams guilelessly, leaning forward to wrap his kiss bruised lips around the red and throbbing tip of Virgil''s dick.

    "No, actual food." Virgil stops him again, the lightest or blushes fluttering across the tips of his cheekbones.

    If he didn''t remember how insatiable he had been during his rut, he might have been a little scared of his mate.

    He didn''t seem to need sleep or food and getting him to eat was a bit of a chore, sleep was another matter entirely.

    He wasn''tining, he knew exactly what he signed up for but he also signed up to take care of Hayden, which he would do.

    "The puppy eyes routine went stale after the first couple times, pouting doesn''t work too, baby"

    "But I don''t want to eat anything here." Hayden grumbles, his heat was fading away now with help from his mate over the past three days, his need however was still going on strong.

    "If you would just let me cook something for you"

    Hayden flinches at this, visible shock on his face. "You want to what now?" He asks in disbelief, absently letting go of Virgil''s dick.

    Virgil gives him a mock re which tickles Hayden.

    "Fine." Hayden says with softughter, grabbing the nket that had been thrown to the ground during their early morning session to cover himself up. "Let''s clean up first." He suggests with an innocent enough voice.

    Virgil keeps a nk expression, pleasure shooting through his nerve endings, it always got like this when it was time to eat or sleep and Virgil never said he wasn''t a weak man especially for his sweet, little mate.

    ~

    Dream wakes up first, the sun streaming through the windows, his haze clearing up for the first time, what day was it now?

    Perhaps because he had suppressed all his heats, there was some sort of whish because when his heat had kicked off properly, it was all a haze of slick, joining bodies, need constantly burning hot in his middle.

    He nces down at Dale who is still fast asleep underneath him and he doesn''t me the Alpha, he should be d that he hadn''t even managed to kill him off.

    A soft smile stretches his lips as he takes in Dale''s wild hair - courtesy of his fingers - the random hickies sshed on his face like lipstick, lower lip bruised from Dream''s bites.

    He rolls down carefully to the side to continue his interrupted view of a sleeping Dale, he has to say this is one of the best ways to start a morning, he should know, he''s been here before.

    The memories of the past view days are still a blur but Dream isn''t in a hurry to unearth the memories, his heart full, he nned to make more of those though.

    He''s about to get out of bed to relieve himself and maybe clean up beforeing back to snuggle up against his Alpha when something catches his eyes.

    A mark, darker than the rest a mating bite???

    With a gasp the memories m into him, when Dale had knotted him for the first time, desperately whispering frenzied words of his overwhelming love.

    His heart started to soar but something was wrong, a wing was broken.

    Slowly, he lifts a hand up to his neck, his heart dropping like a block of ice.

    <em>He hadn''t been marked.</em>

    He turns around in a hurry, nearly tripping as he races to the bathroom to curl up on the cold ground.

    No wonder Dale hadn''t been overtly eager from the start, what did he think? That he was somehow different from the other slew of Omegas he had at his beck and call?

    How did he go from feeling so full of warmth and love to bing so cold and bitter, it hurt, his neck felt empty, just like his heart.

    This one was all his fault, he blindly fell into the heartbreak, he chuckled bitterly, silently.

    He couldn''t stay here, he shot up to his feet with that sudden thought, he couldn''t face Dale right now, maybe not ever with how open he had been with his feelings and heart over the past days, he wanted to disappear from the Alpha''s life.

    Maybe he would, it would be a couple days or at most a week to be sure if he was pregnant

    "Oh God!" Dream covers his mouth with both hands, what had he been thinking? Like the stupid Omega he swore he would never be?

    He really needs to get out of here, his heat would still linger around for a while but he would take care of himself, like he should have done from the start.

    Luckily he found his bathrobe hanging off a hook in the bathroom and hastily put it on, dashing out of the bedroom at top speed.

    When he got to the door, against his better judgement he turned around to take onest look at the Alpha sleeping on the bed, that hadn''t taken his physical deration of love as something important enough to be given back and he wasn''t angry <em>he was just sad</em> <em>sad and broken.</em>

    Gathering up the folds of his bathrobe, his body still deliciously sore, he practically ran out of Dale''s apartment, uncaring that his feet were bare.

    Luckily the rest of the floor was empty because Dream was barely holding it together, if he saw someone, the dam would break.

    Hopefully, the news hadn''t spread like wildfire and at least he could still gather up what was left of his dignity, seeing as his heart was broken in so many pieces that he couldn''t even pick the pieces back up.

    He dashes into his apartment, locking up his door with shaky hands, trembling so badly that he barely gets it done.

    He rips the bathrobe off with ns to light it up on fire, if he could he would burn the pages upon pages of now bittersweet memories imprinted in his mind of the two of them of what they could have been

    He needed to scrub away everyst bit of Dale away from his skin, the hickies littered across his skin now seemed more like scars, scars to show his broken heart he wished he could scrub them away too.

    His legs finally give out under him when he gets to the tub, the scalding hot water doing very little to ease the iciness settling inyers over his heart.

    He remembers why he doesn''t do this now, it was very easy to get hurt when you opened up.

    He sinks deeper into the steaming water, wishing the tub were endless so he could disappear into the depths, tears tracking down his cheeks to fall into the water he was immersed in.

    <em>Shit</em> when was thest time he cried?

    He couldn''t remember.

    Growing up, crying had been very easy, it made his pain ease and his worry lighter but his father had been quick to trample on that, calling him weak for crying.

    His mom had been livid when she found out and it just made them spiral into another of their endless bouts of yelling, crying didn''t solve anything.

    But that doesn''t stop his eyes from clouding up and his nose reddening, his lips turn downwards.

    ~

    Dale wakes up to an awful feeling, terror sitting somewhere at the back of his mind as he blindly searches around the bed for the now familiar form that was Dream.

    His eyes flick open with a frown when he doesn''t find him, looking around the room in a slight panic.

    Had his heat broken? He thinks with a flutter of excitement, he had been waiting for that to ask for permission to mark Dream.

    They hadn''t discussed it beforehand, he had treasured the fact that Dream willingly mated him but then doubt had reared its ugly head, he was in heat after all

    But now now he couldn''t even find Dream.

    Hurrying out of bed, he snatched up his sweatpants that had been thrown haphazardly somewhere on the floor, clothes hadn''t exactly been a priority.

    "Honey!" He calls into the seeming emptiness of the bedroom, making his way to the bathroom, was Dream taking a shower?

    A quick search of the bathroom proves nothing, just that Dream wasn''t there either, he throws open the bedroom door expecting to find Dream in his kitchen, cooking but the kitchen is empty the warmly painted space is cold and bare.

    He finds the front door thrown open and his paranoia hits new heights, without bothering to grab a shirt he hurries out, his minding up with the worst case scenarios.

    Only to bump into Erin who had a small carry-on bag in hand and looking surprised to see him, her eyes blown wide, cheeks instantly coloring up.

    "A-alpha D-dale?" She stuttered.

    Dale barely spares her a nce, all of his attention taken up by the absence of Dream and his need to find his love.

    He just changes direction, nning to take a different hallway to get to Dream''s apartment.

    "Alpha! Wait!" Erin yells after him, surprised that her rather quick return hadn''t elicited ament from him, plus was that a mating mark on his neck and oh God she trails off mentally, choosing to cut off that line of thought.

    "Your mom is back!" She adds when he doesn''t even slow down, watching as he instantly freezes to a stop, turning around in horror.

    "What?"

 Chapter 330

    Chapter 330

    "Your mom is back!" Erin adds when he doesn''t even slow down, watching as he instantly freezes to a stop, turning around in horror.

    "What?"

    Erin is a little thrown aback by his suddenly frosty expression.

    "Sure" he mutters, dismissing the entire situation and turning around to go after Dream again.

    Erin just stands there speechless, wondering how to tell him that his mom was already on the top floor and she literally lost her shit at the faint sweet scent of an Omega''s heat lingering around.

    <em>Well wasn''t this a colorful mess.</em>

    ~

    Dream is half dozing off in the now warm water, the sun streaming on his wet body and reflecting off the water, his long hair is wet and stered to his face so he doesn''t hear someone fiddle with the front door.

    Luna na on the other hand is a bubble of excitement, thinking that her son has finally settled down with an Omega of the Pack.

    It''s a little weird that she''s in a different apartment and not his but that''s not important now.

    She had juste to pay a visit, simply because she missed her son, yes that was it it wasn''t toe snoop on him or anything S her husband kept insisting.

    Who cared that she had only been gone a little over a month? She could always visit, no? It was still her Pack.

    The door opens easily - she has a master key - and she slides in, the wet scent of sadness enveloping her.

    She''s already building up a fine size of anger, tosh out at Dale for breaking her heart when something doesn''t smell right.

    ''<em>That scent</em>'', she thinks to herself, ''<em>smells awfully familiar.''</em>

    Dale rushes in just as she''s about to make her way to the hallway, horror on his face.

    "Mom!!" He whispers furiously, dragging her attention to him.

    "Oh!" na''s mouth goes wide with shock as she takes in her son''s bare upper body - was that a mating mark?

    "What the hell are you doing snooping in someone else''s room?" He queried her, hurrying over to grab her arm, she was his mom, there was no telling when she would dash into the bedroom and find Dream, that wouldn''t end well.

    He has to find a way to distract her but he also needs to find Dream and talk to him, to find out what the fuck went wrong

    "You serviced an Omega in her heat, did you not?" Her shrill voice rises a couple octaves and Dale panics, ncing at the hallway, he really hopes Dream doesn''t have to listen to this. "And I can smell tears, what did you do?"

    "Nothing, mom, why are you even here? You''re supposed to be out of the states, did you make Erin leave her vacation too?" He uses her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her out before she did something drastic or Dream came out.

    He wasn''t letting his crazy mother get anywhere near Dream, at least not until he had made him his, or he would just be giving his mom the leverage to hurt Dream - that sure as fuck wasn''t going to happen.

    "I did not." na refutes, looking disgruntled. "Her parents choose toe back with her, they want to be a part of the Pack or something but that''s not important, what is important is that"

    "You''re leaving." Dale cuts her off with a tight smile, practically pulling her out and ignoring her betrayed expression.

    "Dale is that a mating mark, can you please tell me what is going on here?"

    Dale doesn''t let up, tugging her away until they''re far from Dream''s apartment. "It''s my life, mom, when I''m ready to tell you, I will, now you came to visit me so let me get dressed so we can go eat out." He says in a tight voice, a heavy lump sitting in his throat and obstructing his airway.

    This was a nasty decision to have to make, he had to pick between going to Dream and protecting Dream from his mom, it wasn''t an easy situation.

    But knowing his mother, she would find a way to escte the situation before he even found out what was going on.

    Dale''s words stun his mother into silence and she docilely follows him to his apartment, noting that it smelled heavily of the same Omega''s heat and sex and her brain keeps working overtime, trying to ce the scent, why was it so hard to?

    She was immensely curious about the Omega though, Dale never showed any interest in any of the ones she had thrown at him before and now to go to such lengths to keep her hidden from na, it spiked her curiosity up so high.

    She paces across the living room, information slotting in her brain, there was only one Omega that her son had ever shown the slightest interest in

    A sharp gasp let rip out of her throat as she nced at the door of her son''s apartment and again at the hallway Dale had one through, it would only exin why he didn''t want na to meet the Omega.

    The scent matches perfectly now, honey blonde hair, blue-grey eyes <em>the male Omega</em>.

    ~

    Dale rushes through the motions of cleaning up, his mom was vtile and he probably had only a few minutes before she figured out who the Omega was, he needed to get them out of the fourth floor before that happened.

    Knowing her, she would risk his anger just to confront Dream and put him down, Dale couldn''t let that happen.

    He''s loathe to scrub off the scent of Dream so soon, although the sweet scent of honey and jasmines still longer, it''s not as prominent as he would like.

    He also makes sure to wear a low necked shirt, the Pack needed to start knowing that he was mated

    Why did his mom choose today of all fucking days goe pay a bloody visit? Because he knew what he would have been doing if he didn''t have to babysit her, fixing his rtionship, that''s what and marking his mate first before that, any other thing coulde after.

 Chapter 331

    Chapter 331

    He makes sure to ring up Kieran, it was a Tuesday and the Head Beta has been working from home.

    He needed someone to watch over Dream for him, there was no telling if he woulde back and find the Omega gone, Dream could definitely do that.

    He also didn''t want to call anyone else, anyone else would skin him alive before he even had a chance to exin or fix things.

    He could sense Keiran going chilly on the other end of the call and he''s starting to wonder if he hadn''t miscalcted because Kieran was starting toe off like he might just skin him alive too.

    It was hard enough exining things to Shana when he woke up after Dream had knocked him out, he hadn''t even considered calling her or Mae, they were scary.

    He had no time to exin things to Kieran and that''s not just because he''s on a time limit with his bothersome parent but also because he has no fucking idea what went wrong, he just woke up to no Dream and it had been that way ever since.

    For him who had been within touching distance with Dream for more than three days straight, it was starting to tell on him.

    Hees back to find his mom at the door with a guilty expression on her face.

    He raised a questioning brow at her weird actions but she''s quick to cover up, her expression souring at the way he boldly exposed his mating mark.

    So, she had figured it out huh? Well, that was good for her because after brunch with her, he was putting her in a cab to the city, he had too much on his te to be worried about her disappointment.

    ''<em>He had too much to lose on the line''</em>

    He thinks absently, guiding his mom out of his apartment so they could go downstairs.

    ''<em>He stood to lose Dream''</em>

    ~

    Kieran red at his phone as he drove down to the Pack House in a hurry, one hand on the steering wheel.

    He had immediately started for his car after he had gotten past pleasantries to the Alpha and he had requested a special favor.

    He was barely listening to the rest of Dale''s nervous rambling, cold rage burning slowly in his stomach, was there a penalty for punching the Alpha? Cause he was about to get several sentences.

    He got to the Pack in record time, unsurprised to find Dale''s car gone, he understood the Alpha''s need to get his mother far away from Dream but what he didn''t understand is the rest of the information he had received, it only went to prove that something was wrong with Dream.

    He hurries up the stairs, his phone clutched in his hand, breezing past the mostly empty Pack House, most were at work or in school.

    He hadn''t misheard when Dale said that Dream was in his own apartment and not the Alpha''s right? He thinks to himself when he gets to the top floor, pausing momentarily to decide.

    He decides to go to Dream''s apartment first, bad news first only to bump into who has to be Erin looking harried and a lot confused.

    "Oh!" She jumped when she saw him. "G-good morning H-head B-beta s-sir." She stuttered nervously, bowing slightly.

    Kieran just pauses to give her a weird look, who the fuck was she calling sir? "Sup Erin, it''s Kieran by the way." He says shortly to her, brushing past her to Dream''s apartment.

    Erin is left gaping and speechless again, maybe maybe she should just head to her office and get some work done.

    Kieran frowns when he tries Dream''s door and finds it unlocked, walking in.

    "Dream?" He calls in a soft voice, no need to startle the other if he was asleep.

    He gets no response and panic bleeds through his mind, without stopping to try to figure out what, he dashes to Dream''s bedroom straight, finding no one in the well lit space.

    The bathroom catches his attention and he hurries there, cautiously, no need to earn himself a bucket to the head or soap to his face this morning.

    It''s quiet, the bathtub filled and lightly covered with bubbles, that was weird, the shower was empty too so where could Dream be? Or he wasn''t here and instead, probably in Dale''s apartment.

    Bubbling from the bathtub alerts him however before he could leave and he rushes over, dipping his hands inside to pull out a pale and shivering Dream

    Someone was going to get hurt for this

    Apparently he had fallen asleep in the tub and slid underwater just as Kieran came in so he hadn''t started to drown or anything, he was just shaken and Kieran was beyond livid.

    He covers up the shivering Omega who for the first time looks as small as he actually is, small, fragile, very breakable

    He picks out a sweater and sweatpants for him before going to prepare sweet tea, he sits quietly on a chair while Dream is wrapped in nkets on the bed.

    Kieran is so jittery that he needs a smoke but he''s not going to do that and risk hot, sweet tea to his face, although with how down and colorless Dream looks, he doubts the feisty Omega would be able to work up enough energy to even do that.

    He''s curious but he chooses to not ask, he doesn''t know Dale''s part so he wouldn''t be able to offer any help even if he asked but he was definitely doing whatever Dream asked for.

    "Kieran?" Dream asks in a small voice, damp hair starting to curl up around his sickly pale face, eyes big on his porcin face.

    "Yeah?" Kieran responds, voice gritty.

    "Co-could could you do me a favor?" He asks in a shaky voice.

    Kieran swallows back the response that he would easily kill anyone Dream wanted him to, instead giving a much more subtle response. "Sure anything."

    "I need to stay away from everyone for a while, could you help me with that?" He asks earnestly, tea mug clutched desperately in small hands.

    Kieran reads right through Dream''s carefully put words... <em>he wanted to hide away from Dale</em>.

    "Fuck yes."

 Chapter 332

    Chapter 332

    Dale maybe hates his mom at the moment, he had ignored her constant nagging all through the drive to Paper District then he had had enough.

    He stopped the car, right at the side of the street, called a cab and practically threw her in.

    "Dale, what''s the meaning of all this"

    "Bye mom." He cut off her self righteous disgruntlement. "You''re not invited to the wedding and say hi to dad for me." He said effectively cstunning her speechless.

    That was enough to send her cab on his way and race to his car, he knew that no one else would have been able to get rid of her but that was like half an hour of time he didn''t have to spare wasted.

    He was livid, managing to not get gged down as he easily broke the speed limit to get back to the Pack House, a car passed by him seeming awfully familiar just as he got to the Pack House but he paid it no mind, moving with a one track mind to the top floor.

    The door to Dream''s apartment is closed and he wonders if he should knock, he quickly scraps that thought, for whatever reason, Dream would just throw him out, he had a better chance just going in and trying to figure out what went wrong first.

    The apartment is strangely quiet when he steps in, sun streaming in through the curtains.

    "Dream? Dream! Kieran?" he calls out, quickly making his way over to the bedroom, his heart drops like a rock to his stomach when he takes in the widely opened doors of the wardrobe, clothes hastily taken out and strewn all over the bed and the ground.

    "That fucker." He curses underneath his breath at Kieran, it was his car that he had seen out of the corner of his eye.

    He had no idea what Dream had to his Head Beta but he needed to see Dream, right now.

    He whipped out his phone as he spun on his heels and hurried back out of the apartment, if the Pack members were surprised by their visibly upset Alpha running around with a mating mark that they hadn''t seen before. They made noment about it, wisely staying out of his way.

    His dark gold eyes were on full disy and that was one loud red sign to anyone that it concerned.

    He tries Dream''s phone number, unsurprised when he doesn''t even get a hold of him, he would be lucky if all he got was his number in his cklist.

    He keeps racking his brain anding up nk, what could have gone wrong? What exactly the fuck happened for Dream to run out on him and refuse to see him? Had he said anything wrong over the past few days or his heart thumped unhealthily

    Had Dreame back to his senses and regretted everything?

    He pushed that ugly and terrifying thought out of his mind, terror coating his bones like ice, that couldn''t be it right? It... just couldn''t.

    This time he tries Kieran''s phone and it rings

    "S''up Alpha." the Head Beta drawls from the other end of the call, his seeming light tone barely concealing the steel in his voice.

    "Where is Dream?" Dale asks without preamble, already at his car ready to drive over to Kieran''s house.

    "He doesn''t want to see you." Is all Kieran says before hanging up.

    Dale res daggers at his phone, the temptation to hurl it out to the asphalt outside was great but he swallows back the urge, he would need it.

    Swerving wildly, he drove to Kieran''s house, good thing he was a jealous, curious person because that meant he knew where Kieran lived it was an information he had dug up in the case of necessity, who knew he would actually need to use it?

    ~

    Kieran stares at his quiet phone onest time before shoving it in his pocket, Dreaming out of the bedroom of the cute little cottage-like house that Kieran had bought because his mom liked the aesthetic she wasn''t alive anymore though

    "Who was that?" Dream asks curiously,ing out with his sweater sleeves rucked up, a dotted kerchief holding up his long hair.

    The cottage had been well kept but he knew Dream needed something to distract him so he made noment at the Omega''s bustling.

    "No one important." He says dismissively, sharp hazel eyes watching Dream, the Omega hadn''t told him yet what happened and he wasn''t about to push but Dale sounded truly at a loss.

    "I''ll be right back." He tags on, there was a very huge possibility that Dale knew exactly where his house was, he didn''t want the Alpha toe and not find him there.

    "Sure." Dream gives him a shaky smile. "Thanks, Kieran." He adds in a soft voice.

    Kieranes over to offer a slightly awkward hug, a lump growing in his throat when Dream rxes into his hold. "That''s what friends are for, nowe on, get some rest, I''lle back with supplies."

    Dream steps back first, nodding firmly. He had to make a ton of phone calls to somehow exin to everyone why he wasn''t at the Pack House anymore.

    His breath catches when he imagines how many people knew about his heat

    "No one." Kieran cuts off his train of thought, easily guessing what would make him go pale so suddenly. "Just Dale and I." He adds for reassurance.

    Hayden''s heat had provided the perfect cover for Dream''s.

    Dream''s sigh gets punched out of him as he nods again, waving Kieran goodbye.

    Kieran makes quick work of leaving, hurrying to his car. The cottage Dream was staying at was only a few kilometres from his, he wanted to be able to keep an eye on the Omega.

    He drives up, parks his car and goes in to make himself a quick drink - with what was happening, he definitely needed it.

    He''s not surprised at the aggressive pounding on his door when he''s halfway through his second ss, wandering casually to the door to unlock it.

    Dale just shoulders him to the side and Kieran stands to the side to watch the Alpha wander around, most likely trying to catch a whiff of Dream''s scent which wasn''t going to happen because Dream hadn''t been in his house.

    Dale''s nose tracks back to Kieran who smells tantly like Dream and he ms the Beta against the wall, icy rage evident on the snarl on his face.

    "I''ll ask onest time, where''s Dream?"

    Kieran looks unperturbed at this turn of events, he had expected it even, watching his drink slosh over the side of his ss and drip on his hand with a faint frown. "That''s not information I can share." He shrugs, taking a sip from his drink like there wasn''t a threatening hand wrapped around his neck. "You should try asking him yourself."

    Dale staggers back at this, hopelessness on his face, swerving to the side as he punches a fist on the wall, the paint chipping. "Did he look okay?" He finally asks, knowing Kieran, he would be better off interrogating a boulder, the Beta would keep his secrets until Dream said otherwise.

    Kieran takes another big sip of his rapidly emptying cup. "No." He says honestly. "But if you keep pushing so hard, you might lose him, give him some time, he''lle around." Kieran mutters.

    "Yeah." Is all Dale mutters, his still gold eyes going unfocused.

    "What did you do anyway?" Kieran asks, lighting up.

    "I have no fucking clue." Dale mutters.

    "Figured." Kieran scoffs, he could tell from how traumatized Dale was and how fast he had gotten rid of his mom that perhaps no one was at fault. "He probably misunderstood, give him some time." He adds.

    "Sure." Dale mutters again, wishing he could go home, fall asleep and get woken up only when Dream was ready to talk to him.

    He doesn''t think anything hurt more than how he feels at this moment, walking to his car, distracted and worried.

    There was no doubt that Kieran knew where Dream was so it meant he was in good hands, he slumps in his car and drops his head on the steering wheel <em>this fucking hurt...</em>

    Kieran watches through the window, more than ever he wanted to tell Dale where Dream was so that everything would hopefully get fixed but it didn''t work that way.

    He could only hope to try to change Dream''s mind, he didn''t want to risk his and Dream''s rtionship that way, besides it would help none of them if Dream decides to run away again.

    With how independent he liked to be, there was no telling when that would happen if Kieran so much as proved himself untrustworthy.

    He turns around only when Dale drives off, he would head back to the Pack Houseter today, if to make sure he didn''t swallow lead or throw himself out the window of his office but first he had to get supplies to Dream.

    He was in the dark as much as either of them so he would do his part and try to stop their rtionship from crumbling entirely because as much as he didn''t really like to admit it, they were both his friends...

 Chapter 333

    Chapter 333

    Hayden lets Virgil carry him to the kitchen, watching with amusement when he''s ced on the counter.

    "How am I supposed to cook from here?" He asks patronizingly, bright eyes fixed on Virgil''s that''s furrowed in concentration.

    "I told you I would cook so just rx for me okay?" Virgil says distractedly, searching through cupboards.

    Hayden wants toin but the open earnestness on Virgil''s face makes him stop, they''re probably going to end up getting food from the kitchen''s downstairs because there''s no way he''s standing for that long for at least the next couple days.

    "Baby, the pans are in that cupboard not the cutlery shelf" He finally says after watching Virgil fruitlessly search all the wrong ces.

    He manages to get a pan out after a couple more fails, looking as in control of the situation as only Virgil can be when he was obviously way out of his league.

    "That''s a butcher''s knife, V." He winces when Virgil choses to make an omelette - of all simpler choices. "You''ll just end up smashing the vegetables."

    He had to hand it to Virgil, his mate dutifully epted his correction, his expression far too serious for a simple task such as cooking, it made Hayden want to melt in the buttery sweet feeling swirling around in his middle.

    Ten minutester, it''s utter chaos, the empty pan was sizzling wildly on the cooker while Virgil was halfway to a full on crying episode from cutting up onions and Hayden is about to go into a mini panic.

    Hopping down from the counter, he quickly put off the stove before the kitchen went up in mes and led Virgil over to the sink to rinse out his eyes.

    As soon as Virgil can see again he picks Hayden up with an almost pouty look to ce him gently on the counter again, he stops hisints with a deep kiss, a hand twisting in the soft, light brown locks of Hayden''s hair that looks almost bronze in the light of the morning sun.

    Tongue dancing gently, until Hayden forgets that he wants to tell Virgil to stop his catastrophe of a cooking experiment before something drastic happens and he''s momentarily slipping his hands up and around Virgil''s neck to return the kiss, his eyes fluttering shut.

    Virgil is the first to break away, "I''ll handle it." He insists and Hayden just watches speechlessly, slightly out of breath and unable toe up with a rebuttal.

    Well, half an hourter, Hayden doesn''t think it''s going so bad, the toast didn''t get burnt - too badly, Virgil somehow forgot that spices were supposed to go in the omelette and now it tastes like edible foam, the tea is the only the salvageable because its just dipping a tea bag in hot water - even that would be jard to fuck up.

    Virgil hadn''t allowed him to take coffee and Hayden just giggled at his sternness, it would take at least a week for them to be sure about conception, curiously, now that his heat was fading, he wasn''t even nervous. It didn''t matter what the oue would be because he would be content and happy eitherways - he had his loving mate anyway.

    Who was now taking a bite out of his gourmet cooking and somehow managing to still keep a straight face. "Yeah, I''ll make sandwiches, what filling do you want?"

    "Whatever you choose is fine with me." Hayden says, gingerlying down from the counter again, he just remembered that he needed to call Dream.

    Thest time he had heard from Dream was just as his heat was beginning, he needed to know if Dream was put at risk just because of him.

    "Where are you going?" Virgil asks with narrowed eyes, immediately he notices his mate sneaking away.

    "Off to call Dream, I''ll be right back." He tosses over a shoulder, hurrying out of the kitchen on bare feet in a flurry of Virgil''s sweater and short shorts.

    Virgil wastes a couple of precious minutes staring at the door where Hayden had left from before shaking himself out a mini appreciation moment to prepare something that they can actually eat, they were definitely going to need a big lunch after this.

    "Why does cooking have to be so fuckingplicated." He mutters under his breath, returning to his cooking.

    ~

    Dream picks up his phone to call his mom, first, his braining up with a quick tale to tell, it wouldn''t be hard to convince her or Deidre, Darian was the one he had to look out for.

    But she calls him first

    "Good morning, mom." Dream greets a tad sheepishly after picking up the call.

    "Hi, Dream, darling how are you?" She asks with gusto, voice airy and bright.

    It instantly eases up Dream''s worries.

    "I''m good, I''m sorry I didn''te to visit over the weekend" He starts to apologize.

    "Oh it''s fine, I understand you would want to settle in during the weekend, you know, take a break after a particrly hectic week." She quickly waved away his worries.

    "Oh." Is all he manages to get in.

    "So how''s the new job?" Dia asks enthusiastically.

    "Over." Dream is quick to say with a dry chuckle.

    He literally hears his mom pretend to be devastated and his smile turns bitter, he knew his mom hadn''t approved of his job over at the Dark Moon Pack or Dale and maybe <em>maybe she hadn''t been wrong.</em>

    <em>Maybe he should have listened to her.</em>

    Then he would be in a cottage in the woods, heart broken and possibly pregnant

    "So are youing back home?" Dia asks immediately, not even bothering to pretend like that wasn''t what she had always wanted.

    "No." Dream says with a level voice.

    "Oh." Dia mutters, her voice falling. "I understand but where are you staying now, over at the Pack House?" She asks curiously.

    "No, I got an apartment in town, needed a break from both Pack Houses for a while." He excuses vaguely. "How are things down at the bakery? How is Heather?" He asks, settling on the bed to listen to her ramble about what happened over the past week.

    Apparently, her and Heather had dinner every night and Dream was just happy that she was happy.

    Soon enough though, something calls for attention, no doubt from the bakery and she hurries off the call with a request for him toe visit soon.

    He hung up with a small smile, his first genuine one of the day, he would text Deidre and avoid Darian for as long as possible or his older brother would try to wring out where he now lived out of him. He couldn''t let anyone but Kieran see him right now, at least not until he knew his fate, then at least, maybe he would be able to face Dale

    He winced at the mention of the Alpha''s name, sighing in relief when his phone rang again and he reached for it, grateful for the distraction whichsts until a momentary panic when he picks without checking the caller ID.

    It''s just Hayden

    "Hi!" Hayden greets cheerily.

    "Hey." Dream greets in return, trying hard to match Hayden''s energy and he pats himself on the back for putting up such an impressive front, he underestimated Hayden though because

    "Dream?" Hayden calls immediately, a frown in his now worried tone. "Are you okay? What''s wrong?"

    Dream is stunned by his perception, floundering around momentarily as he hadn''t expected Hayden to see right through his ruse.

    "N-nothing I''m fine"

    "You don''t sound it, where are you? Can Ie see you?" Hayden counters, sounding so flustered.

    Dream is stunned again, at a loss for words before remembering that he''s not at the Pack House again, he didn''t want Hayden to find out so soon.

    "I am, really and you shouldn''t be moving around so soon, your heat is barely over." He cautions, his panic making his wordse out slightly sharper than he intended.

    Hayden calms down at this. "Fine then but you won''t tell me what''s really wrong?"

    "I''m fine, Hay." Dream insists, tugging on a tangled lock of his hair, although he didn''t rte to those words - his skin was still that sickly pale shade and his eyes were puffy and red from spontaneous bursts of tears and perhaps Hayden could sense it because he refused to ept it.

    Even though Dream says he''s just stressed out with the new job and everything, he can''t seem to convince Hayden.

    He''s finally saved by who has to be Virgil, calling his friend toe eat and Hayden has to quickly end the call with a promise to call again.

    He flops on the bed when the call ends, just great, he has to somehow convince Hayden to not pull down both Pack Houses just to make sure that Dream was okay.

    He curls up into himself, he doesn''t have the emotional stability at the moment to deal with anything, he just wants to curl up on the bed with the shades drawn and stare at the ceiling of his dim room <em>maybe</em> maybe, he would do just that.

 Chapter 334

    Chapter 334

    Yanis wakes up for the fourth day in a row to Ruby jumping enthusiastically on him and he''s starting to reconsider giving her a small ind for her next birthday.

    "Ruby, for goodness sake, stop doing that!" Mae is quick to reprimand her, hurrying into Yanis'' room to pick up the squirming wolf-child from his body.

    "I''m so sorry about this, Yani." She apologizes nervously, hoisting up Ruby in her arms who was yipping happily, beautiful brown ears flopping.

    Yanis just lies on his back on the bed, feeling ttened. "It''s fine, Mae." He replies in a pinched voice, vividly remembering the first time it had happened.

    It was after the first night he had spent over, on a Saturday, he slept in a bit because he didn''t have to be at the bookstore till noon when a weird yipping sound startled him out of sleep to a confused wakefulness and next thing there''s a wolf jumping on him and licking his face enthusiastically and Yanis was screaming bloody murder while Ruby seemed to be having the time of her life rolling all over him and ttening him to the bed.

    Shana had been the one chasing after Ruby but when she came in to see Ruby assaulting him she broke out into cackles,ughing so hard that she dropped to the ground.

    Mae was the one toe save him, attracted by the sounds of chaos, she had been quick to pull Ruby off him, scolding both her daughter and girlfriend simultaneously as she dragged them out.

    So now, Yanis was more or less used to waking up to a heavy weight rocketing herself to his stomach and being drenched in wolf spit, it almost had it''s charm but he was definitely not marrying a wolf-person if he was ever going to get married he did not need to be woken up like this every morning of his life.

    He eventually peeled himself out of bed to go clean up, he could go back to the Pack House today and he already missed his trusty rm clock

    He would drive down this morning, he had spoken to Hayden over the phone and although his friend sounded okay enough, he wouldn''t rest till he had seen him.

    Ruby wore a solemn expression all through breakfast and Yanis had to promise to take her with him to the Pack and back to the bookstore where Mae would pick her up.

    Mae had been quick to protest but Yanis didn''t mind, Shana didn''t have a day shift so they could do whatever they wanted that morning while Yanis took their daughter off their hands.

    It should be a fun drive or so he thinks

    An hourter he''s in the middle of trying to maneuver the car right and at the same time somehow manage to keep Ruby in the car, she had shifted and was hanging her head out the window, tongue out, happy dog style.

    How did he ever predict this to be a fun drive? He half prays that any human who saw Ruby hanging out the window of Hayden''s car window like that would think she was just a spectacr looking, huge dog.

    He had never been happier to see the two huge buildings that signaled the Pack Houses, quickly parking so he could somehow coax Ruby into shifting back, she seemed to be the mostfortable while she was in wolf form - he noticed - because she spontaneously shifted now, quite often too and her moms said she did that a lot around people she was mostfortable.

    He parks without bashing Hayden''s car or anyone else''s only to turn around and see Ruby grinning up at him, jacket and shoes gone and he thinks he remembers those items of clothing flying out the window when she changed.

    Now she''s in a frilly, sunny yellow dress, beaming up at him with unnaturally sharp teeth, eerie silver eyes staring up at him with stars in them and he has to shake off the feeling that envelopes him like he fell into some magical world.

    He reaches a hand forward to push her unruly ck hair behind her ear. "Next time, give me a heads up." He scolds her lightly, watching her nod enthusiastically, reaching out a hand to open the door.

    Yanis stops her in time, helping her open the door and cautioning her to wait seeing as she was barefoot but really, it''s Ruby.

    As soon as Yanis turns to his side of the door to open it ande out, Ruby dashes out of the car with a squeal, making Yanis smack his head on the roof of the car in his haste to get out, he manages to lock up both doors in time to go after Ruby before she got lost in the Pack House.

    "Ruby!" He calls in a panic, dashing after her and praying that she didn''t end up shifting or worse, tripping or something equally drastic because damn, she was moving fast.

    She dashes into the Pack House after a deliberate giggle at him, and Yanis mutters a curse under his breath, apologizing to the flustered people that Ruby runs into which only serves to slow him down all the more.

    The chase ends with them on a hallway on the second floor that he doesn''t think he''s ever been to before and watches Ruby dash into a big, open , airy room.

    He sighs in relief, slowing down now that the chase hade to an end.

    "Pardon me for the intrusi" He starts to say, following in after her only to stop short, utterly speechless. "What the fuck?" He mutters in disbelief, pressed against the wall as a lot of much smaller wolf-children run around, yipping and mock-biting each other.

    Ruby was lost in the midst of the horde and ady noticed how distraught he was, walking over to him.

    "Um, hey, got lost?" Deidre asks, staring at the weird human who looks more stunned to see so many werewolves than the actual fact that they were in wolf forms.

    Yanis drags his searching gaze from the wolf-children to stare up at someone he hadn''t seen before but her dark brown hair and dark blue eyes seemed awfully familiar, a questioning look on her pretty face. "More like I lost someone." He mutters.

    Deidre makes a face like this. "Oh?" She prompts for more information, eyeing up the human that casual clothes couldn''t hide his fluid sophistication.

    "Yeah." Yanis rubs his neck nervously, still keeping an eye out in the case that Ruby decided she was done with the daycare and took off again. "I sort of lost, a wolf-child, she ran in here and shifted." He exins, very nervous now with the way thedy was eyeing him up like he was some kind of kidnapper.

    "Wolf-child?" Deidre repeats in disbelief, blinking up at him.

    "Yes." Yanis nods enthusiastically, sping his hands earnestly in front of him, obviously seeing nothing wrong with the way he had described the werewolves. "Her name is Ruby, she''s a beautiful brown wolf-child and please could you help me find her before she jumps out of the window, her moms would kill me." He panics.

    Deidre knows who he''s talking about and easily picks out Ruby who''s hiding behind a fluffy cushion that''s a simr color with her fur.

    She keeps her face stern though, the human man was adorable when he''s harried.

    "I know Ruby and Shana and Mae yet strangely I don''t know you, what''s your name?" She asks with narrowed eyes.

    "Yanis, a friend of theirs." He says quickly, getting more harried by the minute.

    Deidre finally takes pity on him and walks over to where Ruby is hiding to hoist the werewolf out, talking to her softly,

    When she shifts back, she leads her back to Yanis who looks so relieved to see her, instantly picking her up.

    "Thank you"

    "Deidre" Deidre starts to say but Ruby cuts her short, piping out an excited.

    "DD!"

    "Thank you, Deidre." Yanis repeats again, bowing his head slightly as he takes Ruby and practically dashes out of the room.

    Deidre watches him leave with a faint smile, returning back to the yroom. "M! Don''t eat Reuben''s paw, it''s not food!" She scolds, smiling to Jazz, another one of the nannies who just put a sleepy child in one of the many cots lined up against the wall.

    "What did he want?"

    "Nothing important." She waves her coworker away, getting back to work.

    Yanis on the other hand is scolding Ruby who is apologizing contritely and asking to be put down because she''s a big girl who can walk but Yanis is having none of that.

    Not only did she not have shoes on but he wasn''t interested in getting caught up in the middle of another wild goose chase.

    "Stay put, Ru." He says to stop her squirming. "Or I''ll throw you over the stairs." He threatens lightly, understanding now why Mae had been worried for him when he suggested taking Ruby with him while Shana had been ted - she was a real piece of work.

    Ruby gasps dramatically. "But that''s mean." She immediately contradicts.

    "And so is you running off." He reminds, still in a bit of a peeve.

    "But I said I was sorry." She half whines.

    "I''d say sorry too after throwing you over." Yanis argues, making Ruby let out a drawn out whine.

    "Mean."

 Chapter 335

    Chapter 335

    "I told you I was fine." Hayden repeats to his friend who is still shooting him skeptical looks. "Ruby don''t eat the kittens, Apple will scratch at you." He scolds with soft sternness, Yanis marvelling at the way Ruby quickly and easilyplies.

    "I know." He mutters with a relieved smile, getting to his feet. "So you don''t mind watching over Ruby while I get a couple things done?" He asks hopefully, sneakily ncing over to where Ruby was generously sharing out pats to the cats

    "Not at all." Hayden waves dismissively, standing up to walk Yanis out. "Go do what you want to do."

    "Wait, where are her shoes?" Hayden asks curiously just as Yanis is about to make a run for it.

    "It''s a long story." Yanis mutters sheepishly.

    "O...kay." Hayden nods, waving him off.

    "Ruby? Wanna bake with me?" He invited her with enthusiasm, he had spent the day before just cuddling around with Virgil and now he''s already bored with sitting inside all alone.

    He knows though that staying indoors is the best option for now but the most that wouldst would be a week.

    He was really worried about Dream

    "Yes!" Ruby pumps a fist in the air excitedly, hurrying over.

    ~

    Yanis is just thinking how to go back to get the bundle of energy that was Ruby when Hayden calls.

    "Hey," he greeted expectantly.

    "Yani? I''ve called Shana and Mae, you don''t mind if Ruby spends the rest of the day with me, do you? We started baking and" Hayden trails off ncing over at the flour covered little girl. "Let''s just say we might be here a while."

    Yanis blinks at this. "Nope, I do not mind at all."

    "Great, Shana says she''lle with Mae toe pick her upter." He put the phone down for a bit to call Ruby over. "Rubye over and say bye to Yanis."

    There''s a slight tapping sound as Ruby bounds over to squeal a ''...bye YaYa!''

    "YaYa?" Hayden repeats with a suppressed chuckle when he gets the phone back from Ruby.

    "We''ve spent quite a lot of time together over the past days." Yanis mutters.

    "I see, well bye, have fun." Hayden says cheerily, hanging up.

    "Well, that takes care of that." He breathes with a sigh, checking his texts, nJennie was probably wondering where he had gone, he should be getting over to the bookstore.

    Without having to keep an eye on Ruby, he gets there quickly, remembering to get their usualttes although it''s way past midmorning.

    "I thought you drove Hay''s car into a ditch." Jennie is already saying as soon as the door dings open and she sees that it''s him. "What took you so long?" she asks impatiently already gratefully taking her cup of coffee that was offered to her, although she had already had a cup when she came in earlier.

    "Ruby happened." Yanis mutters in disgruntlement, going around the counter to join Jennie.

    "What?" Jennie blinks up at him, her ck hair packed up in two buns. "Where is she?" She asks in mock horror, making a show of searching around. " Did you knock her out and throw her body in the woods?"

    "What? No!" Yanis makes a face of disgust, sipping from his coffee. "Hay took her off my hands."

    Jennie nods understandingly. "Ohh I definitely see that happening."

    "Gotten anyone in yet?" He asks after a short silence filled with just them drinking theirttes.

    "Yeah, quite a lot actually but no one seemed to be in the mood to stay and read, mostly buying or borrowing, weird right?"

    Yanis nods absently. "Yeah, maybe it''s a mid-week thing."

    "Well, look at you, I thought you didn''t believe in the supernatural and all that jazz."

    "I''m talking to a literal wolf-person, I think that theory has been put to rest."

    "Please, Yanis, I''m begging you, stop calling it wolf-person." Jennie groans, walking out to dispose of her now empty cup.

    "But I''m right, am I not?"

    "Well, yes but it sounds so wrong." She makes a face, going into the backroom.

    The doorbell dings and Yanis looks up to see someone vaguely familiar.

    "Hi. Jed." Thedy says as soon as she gets close enough to the counter, signature pleated skirt on, ck rimmed sses framing her pretty face.

    <em>Oh, suspicious Cathy with a ''K''</em>

    "Hey." Yanis greets with zero of her enthusiasm. "Back already?"

    "Yeah" She mutters nervously. "I''m a fast reader." She exins, digging into her satchel to bring out the book.

    "Sure." He nods politely, taking the book from her to sign it as returned.

    "So do you read too?" She asks conversationally.

    Yanis raises a brown at this, pushing his sses higher on his face. "Yeah do you n to borrow or buy something else?" He asks pointedly.

    "Um, yes." Kathy perks up, hiking her satchel higher up on her shoulders. "I can stay here and read yes?" She asks nicely.

    Yanis dials back his frostiness, no need to chase away customers just because he suspected they were paparazzi, giving her a small side smile. "Yeah you can, just browse through the shelves for what you want and call if you need any help."

    "Sure, thanks." she beams at him, following his directions.

    "Who''s the weird chick?" Jennie asks immediately shees out and sights Kathy leaving.

    "Kathy, with a K."

    "Uh huh" Jennie mutters, already writing her off. "She gives me journalist vibes, what''s she looking for in a small town like Pine Creek.

    Yanis'' brows furrow at this then he shrugs. "I dunno, taking a vacation?"

    Jennie makes a face of apparent disbelief. "Sure."

    Yanis ms his hand on the counter at this. "Okay, maybe not, i feel like she''s onto me." He pulls Jennie closer to whisper in her ear.

    Jennie''s green eyes go wide at this. "What?" She whispers furiously back at him. "Why the fuck" She starts to say then she remembers exactly who Yanis'' is and apprehension clouds her face. "Shit."

    "I told her my name is Jed because I was suspicious so call me that while she''s here."

    "Sure"

    "Jed? Jed?" Kathy interrupts, waving over with a way too bright smile. "Could you spare me a couple minutes?"

    "Jed?" Jennie pats his shoulderfortingly. "You''re up, break a leg." She shot him finger guns, staying to man the counter as the doorbell dings to usher in more customers.

    Yanis res at her but walks over to Kathy. "Yeah, what''s wrong?"

    "I''m sorry but i can''t seem to find the historical section."

    "It''s fine." Yanis waves away, directing her. "It''s just after that aisle."

    "Oh, thanks, you found that fast, worked here long?"

    Yanis gives her a weird look at this odd line of questioning. "Sure." He mutters vaguely, walking over to Jennie who was just waving off the customer that hade in.

    "Yeah, she''s definitely paparazzi."

    *~*

    Dream had spent his days just like he predicted but instead of moping on his bed, miserable, he found a couple potted nts behind the cottage and brought them in to take care of them, keeping busy everyday.

    He knows that it probably isn''t healthy to push Dale into an unvisited part of his mind like this and lock it up, throwing away the key but his current peaceful state is one he would pick any day over the heartache and the painful missing of Dale''s presence.

    The only sore spot was Hayden, he called everyday to check up on Dream, worrying every time, although Dream had exined to him about Erin''s return and the fact that he wasn''t needed over there anymore.

    Maybe Dale had told him what happened? It didn''t seem likely, Hayden seemed to be working with a gut instinct because other than worrying about the littlest things he could pick up from the inflection of Dream''s voice, he hadn''t been forting with anything else.

    So Dream had learnt to speak carefully to hide whatever Hayden seemed to be hearing in his voice while they spoke on the phone.

    Kieran visited each day, it was already nearing the end of the week and after the first couple days the Head Beta had quickly picked up on the fact that Dream didn''t want to hear about what was going on with Dale so he respected that.

    Although Dale was the exact opposite,ing over to camp out in Keiran''s office eager for every scrap of information about Dream.

    Dream puts a kettle of water on the stove before going over to water his nts that he had named Emerald and Teal, not very creative but he liked the names anyway.

    It waste afternoon on a friday, Hayden should be calling pretty soon just as he is done watering the nts, his phone rings.

    Already expecting it, he goes over to pick up his ringing phone, making his way over to the kitchen to make sweet tea for himself.

    His heat had long faded away and each day he woke up with apprehension, a sick feeling constantly sitting in his lower tummy.

    One day he would wake up and find out his fate, he wasn''t sure which he wanted to be, if he was pregnant or not, it would hurt equally.

    "Hi, Hay." Dream greets with a measured tone, keeping his voice bright but not too bright that it seemed forced.

    "Dream! Hello!" Hayden responds with his usual excitement, it makes Dream''s heart ache, seeing something he couldn''t have.

    "You sound really excited, something happen?" He asks immediately, shifting the spotlight from himself.

    "Well, Ruby came over to visit again and this time we made apple pie, I can''t wait till either of us cane visiting again." He sighs.

    "Yeah." Dream mumbles absently, the only reason Hayden hadn''t been able to convince him toe visit was because he had been quick to point out Hyaden''s lingering heat.

    "So, I already talked to Virgil so mind going shopping next week? You know to get me out of this house and spend some time with you, although I don''t see why I just can''t visit you"

    "Hay, I''ll go" Dream cut him off, his voice soft and fond.

    "Really? Great! We''ll discuss the detailster but now tell me how your day went."

 Chapter 336

    Chapter 336

    "Ren? I can''t find Pixie''s favourite pacifier." Candy calls from the living room, sounding harried.

    "What? Favourite? She chews through them faster than anything, I always end up ordering a new batch every week." Renee replies.

    "What?" Candy sputters in shock, ncing down at Pixie who was peacefully sleeping in the baby carrier she had strapped to her front.

    After weeks upon weeks of stalling and getting held back by both her parents, Candy finally decided to move back home.

    Cole had already gone back to their house to get it ready for Pixie''s presence and to also get back to work.

    Renee came to the living room, bags of toys in hand which servants were taking to the cars outside. "You didn''t even notice?" She stares at her older sister in disbelief.

    Candy blinks, "Of course not, how could I? They all looked the same." She whispers furiously, throwing her hands up.

    Renee makes a face at this. "Yet somehow you always find one when you''re looking for it and although Pixie has dangerously sharp bunny teeth, you never wonder how the pacifier still looks brand new."

    "Okay, you''ve made your point, can I get one of the pacifiers, I need her to keep sleeping like this so I don''t get a migraine when I finally make it home."

    "Or you could have just left all the moving to me." Reneeins pettishly.

    "You went to buy diapers for Pixie and somehow came back with bags full of mannequin heads." Candy reminds with a wince, she had been the one to find out about the heads, it hadn''t been a pretty discovery.

    "Oops." Renee chuckles nervously, zipping open the bags to pick out a disinfected pacifier that was encased in stic to keep it germ free, handing it over to her sister.

    "I think that''s all of it." Candy was talking about the luggages after Pixie had dutifully started suckling on the soft toy.

    "I have no idea why you''re worried about her waking up when we literally all stayed up all night just to keep her awake, she''ll be out like a light for a couple hours more." Renee says to her sister when she notices her check up on her baby for the umpteenth time.

    "Yeah, you''re right." Candy sighs wearily.

    Renee is quick to strut over and give her a gentle side hug. "You''ll be fine, okay, now let''s get going before mom and dade back from whatever function they went to and manage to convince you to stay another day.

    Candy is quick to perk up at this, already an old prey to their parents devious scheming, it helped that now that their father was back to stay after a long while of endless business trips, the elites were taking advantage of his presence to throw parties and functions, mostly charity functions.

    "So when will you be heading back to Pine Creek?"Candy asks when they were settled in the car less down an hourter.

    "Tomorrow." Renee says easily, she had already thought it through. "I didn''t tell Hayden, I n to surprise him."

    "Sure." Candy says with a benign smile, unsurprised that she would be leaving so soon, she had expected exactly just that, Renee really had an unexinable love for Pine Creek.

    Maybe it was because the small, picturesque town was her safe ce at a very fragile point in her life, Candy would never know but she was happy enough that her sister was happy.

    The next couple hours is a flurry of luggages and a few maids moving things around, Cole wasn''t going to be back tillte in the afternoon so Renee hung around, ready to give them privacy as soon as Andy''s husband woulde home.

    "Ren! Pixie has woken up and I''m tied up in her bedroom could you help me attend to her for a while? I''ll be there soon." Candy called after a while of them slowly but surely putting the house in order, Candy had wanted to do it all by herself to make it feel more special and Renee hadn''t questioned this, doing whatever Candy asked of to make her work easier.

    Renee had just finished organizing Pixie''s array of bottles when her sister''s voice called over.

    "Sure!" She replies, making her way over to Candy''s room where Pixie had been put to sleep on her parents'' bed.

    She had been stunned that a baby of a mere six weeks, already had her four front teeth, it made her look like an adorable bunny whenever she smiled and something terrifying when she was screaming her head off like right now.

    Renee walks inside thevish bedroom to go pick up her niece who is boxed in by the fluffiest pillows, her small fists waving around in a rage as she kicks and cries.

    Candy had said it was absolutely normal for Werewolf babies to grow out their teeth so early as an influence on their human bodies from their wolves.

    It was a defensive measure so teeth it was, although that meant it usually took them longer than usual to walk even though they were pros at crawling.

    She walks in and picks up her wailing niece who quietens substantially when she recognizes the scent of her aunt, it''s sufficient enough to calm her down totally so Renee paces around with her a bit, Pixie''s small form cradled gently in her arms.

    She tries to remember how it was with Hayden, he was a quiet baby, barely stressing her that she didn''t even feel much of the strain of being a single parent.

    Knowing him, he would probably adopt really soon, it would be weird being a grandmother, she was barely forty.

    She nces down at the baby that was staring up at her with puffed cheeks, her face red, she had her mother''s honey blonde hair and the soft brown eyes of her father.

    "How''s that, huh Pixie?" Renee coos down to her, voice soft. "You''d be a fun cousin I''m sure" She monologues, Pixie falling silent like she was listening to the words her aunt was saying.

    "Or maybe Hay will adopt someone just like your mom" Renee shivers slightly at this. "I just might take my vacation around the world if that happened."

    Candy made her way over to her bedroom when she was done with arranging Pixie''s clothes to find Renee seated on a rocking chair, casually talking to her baby like she was a grown up.

    Renee smiles up at her sister when she notices her, "Look who it is Pixie!" She introduces grandly as Candy walks in closer. "Can you guess huh? It''s mommy!" She rounds off with theatrics as she hands a giggling Pixie over to Candy.

    "You should get going, Ren." Candy says kindly while she reces her in the rocking chair, lifting her loose top to breastfeed Pixie. "Cole called to say he''s almost home."

    Renee beams at this. "Well, that''s my cue to leave." She agrees getting to her feet from where she had perched on the bed toe give Pixie a kiss on her forehead.

    "Byebye, Pixie." She says in a soft voice , her tone sad - she would miss the little spitfire. "When are youing to pay us a visit? Hmm?" she directed at her gurgling niece who beams up at her with her tiny, milky teeth shing.

    "As soon as Hay sends the wedding invitation, we''ll alle spend some time among the others, it''ll be good for Pixie to get to know her kind."

    Goodbyes are shared quickly, Pixie already getting upset that her meal was interrupted and Renee hurries out in softughter when she hears the soft yelp of Candy, Pixie had probably kicked her in the face in a mini tantrum.

    Making her way out of the house, she got into one of the cars that had been left behind for her, she basically had the rest of the day to kill, it wasn''t very much, just a couple of hours till sundown.

    She didn''t want to go home yet though, it would mean spending time with her parents who after all these years felt she was still heartbroken over Alex - she scoffed to herself in her car - <em>ridiculous</em>.

    She perked up after this, changing her direction to the shoppingplex, she could buy gifts for her baby and Dream, yes Dream, he was adorable too so he would get gifts.

    And what was that she heard about Shana and Mae adopting a little girl?

    Look at her moping that there wasn''t anything to be done when she could be out buying things for the people she loved, she could probably squeeze in a gift or two for her son-inw.

    She just had to be careful to not swap the bags with something upsetting like mannequin heads or worse.

    She would call Hayden when she was done with shopping just to impress on him that she wouldn''t being back anytime soon, she had to make her surprise entrance grand.

    Even better, she would being in on a Saturday, the weekend which meant everyone would be there It was perfect timing.

 Chapter 337

    Chapter 337

    "Virgil, where are you going?" Hayden murmurs sleepily when his mate tries to leave the bed. "It''s the weekend, sleep in for once, hmm, baby?" He hums, cuddling tighter around him, his head buried in Virgil''s chest.

    A smile breaks out on Virgil''s face at this, tucking Hayden closer. "We already slept in, you said that a couple hours ago."

    Hayden shoots up to a sitting position in surprise. "I did?" He blinks in surprise. " That wasn''t a dream?"

    Virgil tugs him back down to rest his fluff covered head on his chest. Humming low in his throat. "You dream of me huh?"

    Hayden curls up, flustered. "Maybe."

    Virgil''s next words are cut off by the sound of the door bell which makes them perk up and share a confused nce.

    As odd as it was for anyone toe looking for them so early in the morning on a weekend, no one ever used the doorbell.

    It rings again and Virgil sits up. "Stay, I''ll go check who it is."

    Hayden just nods, already unbothered about it, Virgil would handle it. He tucks himself in and lets his eyes slip close briefly while Virgil pads out of the room, shirtless.

    He didn''t look like he was interested in covering up, the person on the other side needed to know that showing up unannounced wasn''t He flings open the door, his jaw dropping when he takes in who is on the other side.

    "Renee?"

    "V!!! Hi, baby"

    Hayden blinks open his eyes when a familiar voice filters into his ears, making him roll off the bed and tiptoe out of the room was that

    He freezes up when he steps into the living room, Renee trying to climb up Virgil with how vigorously she was hugging him, Leon and Darian standing behind her, looking traumatized with loads of bags dwarving them.

    "Mom?" He calls out in confusion, suddenly self conscious when everyone turns their attention to him, maybe he should have thrown on a bathrobe because Virgil''s t-shirt that barely whispered against his thighs wasn''t exactly modest.

    "Baby!" Renee is the first to break out of the spell that Hayden''s appearance seemed to cast on them, dashing across the room to engulf Hayden in a simr hug as the one she had given Virgil.

    "I''m sorry about this." Virgil mutters sheepishly to Leon and Darian who look done with their entire morning.

    They wave it off, quickly taking off before Renee sighted them again.

    Virgil nces over his shoulder to see Renee fussing over her only son, what was Hayden saying aboutzing around in bed some more.

    "Hay, darling! I''ve missed you so much!" Renee squishes her son''s cheeks, pulling him in for the umpteenth hug.

    Hayden is still stunned. "Mom, I-I didn''t know you wereing back."

    "I know, nice surprise right?" She spread out her arms.

    "Renee why are there so many bags full of jam?" Virgil asks after bringing the bags in, slightly scared that Renee had decided toe live with them, he wouldn''t put it past her.

    But there were also tons of shopping bags so he quickly scrapped that idea, it was more believable that she had gone and bought out an entire store as a gift to her son,

    "Oh yes! Because I ran out of things to buy and I thought, ''wouldn''t it be nice if you both never ran out of jam?''"

    Hayden and Virgil give her weird looks.

    "What are we going to do when it expires or start to go bad?" Hayden asks seriously, staring up at his mom who still had her hands on his shoulders.

    "W-what?" Renee splutters like she hadn''t calcted this in. "Jam goes bad?"

    "Yes?" Virgil says calmly, watching the identical panic flutter through mother and son''s faces. "It''s fine though, we''ll just put it in the Kitchens downstairs, I''m pretty sure we can run through all of the jam in time."

    "I hope there aren''t any more perishable and way too much stuff in the rest of the bag?" Hayden asks suspiciously.

    "Of course not." Renee waves away self assuredly, leading Hayden to a couch. "Come on, tell me what''s going on with you, what have I missed?"

    Virgil flinches at this, his eyes already eyeing the exit, this was one conversation he didn''t want to be a part of, now how to excuse himself withouting off like he was literally running away.

    His eyes fall on the bags of jam and he sighs inaudibly. "I''ll just take these bags of jam down." He mutters vaguely, excusing himself as he moves all the bags out so he wouldn''t have toe in for a while.

    There was an advantage to Reneeing back though because although Hayden tried to hide it from him, he could tell that his mate was nervous about his possible pregnancy but he wouldn''t open up to Virgil, maybe he would to Renee.

    Absently, he makes his way down the stairs, bags in hand, hopefully the kitchen would be empty and he could take his precious time arranging the ss jars in one of the endless shelves, he should also make sure to keep some in the pantry so they didn''t fill up all the space,

    As he takes out the first jar, something feels out of ce, something feels wrong

    A shriek momentarily distracts him and he nces behind him to see a Pack member - a young girl - with her hands over her face, cheeks red like they were scalded and it''s not till she turned around and dashed out did Virgil''s brain go into gear

    <em>He was half naked!</em>

    Well, that wasn''t ideal he just shrugs it off and goes back to his jam stacking.

    ~

    "How''s little Pixie?" Hayden asks with enthusiasm, eager to hear more about his baby cousin.

    Reneeunches into a detailed exnation of Pixie''s daily activities, which wasn''t hard as she spent everyday with that dramatic child.

    Hayden listens intently with a soft smile on his face which falls off when he feels his throat closing up, an overwhelming feeling of nausea suddenly overwhelming him.

    It distracts him, making him swallow often, visibly ufortable.

    But Renee is too far gone in her description to notice that Hayden is slightly pale, goosebumps breaking across his skin, not till he jumps to his feet in a hurry, retching a bit as he dashes to the bathroom in his bedroom.

    Renee hops to her feet as well, consternation on her face as she watches confused.

    She follows carefully after Hayden, retching sounds getting to her as she steps in the bedroom which makes her panic and hurry up to check up on him.

    "Hay? Baby? Dear God" She panics as shees into the bathroom to find him bent over the toilet seat, she helps him lift his hair up, rubbing her other palm over his backfortingly and she murmurs soft words of encouragement to him.

    "I''m so sorry, darling." She murmurs to him when the retching dies down, leading him to the sink to wash his face with worry etched on hers.

    "Are you better now?" Renee asks, pulling Hayden who is still slightly shivering from the force of his nauseous episode.

    Hayden nods softly, something bubbling up in his middle as well as the nausea that seems to be gearing up for round two he was <em>was he pregnant?</em>

    "Thank goodness." Renee sighs, keeping him in her arms. "Did you eat something bad? Stomach flu? Should we go down to the clinic?"

    Hayden shakes his head negatively to each of his mom''s questions, his voice hidden underneath all the tumultuous emotions running through him.

    He was pregnant, there was a little life growing inside of him. Absently, he lifts a hand to his t tummy, tearing up a little.

    "Hay"

    A retch cut off Renee''s concerned questioning, Hayden flying over to the toilet seat again, this piques Renee''s horror, bringing out her phone to call Virgil.

    Hopefully, her son''s husband had his phone on him because they needed to get Hayden down to the clinic as fast as possible.

    She pulls out her phone from her pocket, hurrying over to lift up Hayden''s long hair again.

    "Hi, Ren" Virgil picks up casually, he is now in the pantry, taking his time putting out the jam.

    "Virgil!" Renee cuts him off, making Virgil perk up immediately, already making his way out of the pantry.

    "What''s wrong?" He asks with his heart in his throat, heartbeat slowing down with dread.

    "It''s Hay" Renee''s voice fades a bit, her voice too muffled for Virgil to pick out and in the background he hears curious sounds. "I don''t know he''s"

    That''s enough to make Virgil break out into a t out run, panic turning his blood to ice.

    "Mo-mom!" Hayden coughs, reaching for the phone while his mom was intent on wiping him down with a wet napkin and picking out a pair of sweatpants for him so that they could make it downstairs.

    "Let me talk to Virgil." He asks for the phone when she settles him gently on the bed, watching him with hawk eyes for the slightest sign of another throwing up fit.

    "Okay, let me grab you something to wear."

    "V?" He says into the phone, Virgil immediately picking up, sounding a little bit out of breath as he makes his way to the top floor.

    "Baby? Oh my fuck! Are you okay? What''s going on?"

    "V I-I think...I think, I''m pregnant."

 Chapter 338

    Chapter 338

    Virgil skids to a halt, his heart doing the same. "W-What?..." The sound of retching cuts off the call again and that spurs him into action, his powerful legs swiftly carrying him down the hallway.

    "M-mom!" Hayden gasps, "...don''t bother about " a gag cuts him off.

    "Why not?" Renee responds, near tears.

    Hayden gulps, this would be a bit of a pinch. "I-I don''t have a stomach flu or anything, I m-might need to go to the clinic but not for what you think."

    Renee slowly walks over slowly, her panic state calmed slightly by Hayden''s words. "What''s wrong then?"

    "I''m pregnantI think? I don''t know" Hayden hurries on to say when all the color washes out of his mother''s face, his panic intensifying when she starts weaving on her feet.

    Virgil pauses outside the door for the briefest moment, he was having a hard timeing to terms with the broken information that his mate had given him.

    It wasn''t that he wasn''t excited or happy but that dread shared an equal space in his heart with that emotion he could lose Hayden.

    His hands grow cold and mmy with sweat and he weaves on his feat a bit with the shock of it but the terrifying sounds of Hayden retching so harshly jolts him into action, the knob slippery in his sweaty palms.

    He bursts into the bedroom at the same time that Hayden is reaching for his mom who looks like she''s really about to go over.

    Virgil hurried over to catch her in time, gently dropping her on the bed, her hand felt cold in his and he nced at Hayden questioningly.

    Hayden winces. "I told her."

    Virgil hurries over to his mate, worry visibly written over him, he almost looked like he was beating himself up over Hayden''s current state.

    Hayden threw himself on his mate, his damp hair sticking to his face, skin slightly pale, the nausea waves had taken a break for a while or was it Virgil''s scent, either way having Virgil close was doing a lot to suit him.

    Virgil watches Hayden snuggle into him, taking in gulps of his scent like he couldn''t breathe with Virgil away then it hits him.

    He frowns when it does, he could barely tell from Hayden''s scent that he was pregnant, it was there but it was so faint and it was because he was this close to him and already well acquainted to his scent that he could tell the subtle difference - was it as a result of him being a part Werewolf?

    "What''s wrong?" Hayden asks, voice weary when he immediately notices how Virgil stiffens.

    "Your scent" Virgil trails off, tucking Hayden in closer, ncing at Renee from time to time as well, she looked like she wasing to.

    Hayden panics slightly, already terrified for the tiny spark of life he can swear he feels growing. "W-what? What happened to it?"

    "Calm down." Virgil is quick to say in a soothing voice, pressiya gentle kiss to Hayden''s damp curls, a hand soothingly rubbing over the Omega''s back. "I''m just surprised that your scent is so subtle, usually it would be painfully obvious" Virgil trails off in his exnation in favour of nosing at Hayden''s neck, scenting him.

    Because it didn''t sit right with him that Hayden smelled as usual, no difference to show he was possibly pregnant, or he panics internally, carefully to not show it to Hayden.

    What if, his mate was not pregnant and it was just something he ate that wasn''t sitting right with him

    ''That would be disastrous'', he panics, unconsciously pulling Hayden even closer.

    It would devastate his mate, he couldn''t let that happen.

    "V?" Hayden says softly. "Is it bad that my scent is going wonky, it won''t affect the baby will it?" He asks earnestly, his soft grey eyes wide in expectancy.

    <em>''Shit!''</em> Virgil curses mentally unable to tear his gaze away from Hayden''s, he nces over at Renee who is still taking her precious time waking up - like she didn''t want toe back to reality only to find out that her son was pregnant.

    <em>''He needed to call Shana, hell! Mae, the witch could fix things if anything was wrong, he didn''t even want Hayden to know that''</em>

    It could affect him if so early in his hopeful pregnancy, he was already going through so much trauma, it made Virgil upset again and low-key pissed - he couldn''t punch anything to make things better for Hayden.

    He literally had no control over what was going on right now and he hated it, it was terrifying but he couldn''t let that show.

    "I don''t think so baby." He leans down to smother Hayden with kisses, trying to distract him. "You''re a special kind of Werewolf, remember, I''ll call Shana toe check you up okay, just breathe for me so you don''t get stressed"

    <em>Virgil was fucking stressed and his mate hadn''t even been pregnant for a day</em>

    ~

    Dream wakes up earlier than he had expected for a weekend day, feeling out of sorts.

    His middle felt weird and he found himself twisting on the bed to try and get the feeling to ease off, maybe he slept wrong

    When the feeling persists, he rolls out of bed with a groan, twisting his waist from this side to the other but he still doesn''t find relief.

    Sighing, he trudges to the bathroom, his sleep ruined, maybe he should try taking a walk this morning or going on a run with his wolf, heaven knows he has been cooped up in the cottage for long enough, it was probably starting to tell on him.

    He brushes his teeth and washes his face, the difort in his middle fading away as he walks around a bit - he decides to water his nts before going out on what would be a simple scenic walk or a fun run.

    In the first days that he was here, the possibility of being pregnant was all he thought about, keeping careful watch over the change in his scent and anything odd happening but now it was easier to not be worried all the time,, thoughts of his future flitting across his mind - maybe he should leave Pine Creek.

    He hums a song under his breath - all thoughts of Dale managing to remain in that dark unvisited part of his mind - as he prepared the cutesy watering can.

    The queasy feelinges again when he gets close enough to catch a whiff of the nts scent and all blocks slid into ce even as he pped a hand over his mouth, the watering can dropping to the ground, managing to not spill

    <em>No! No! No this couldn''t be happening...</em>

 Chapter 339

    Chapter 339

    Dale wakes up in the worst way ever, a phone call from his mom.

    "What?" He sleepily groans when she speaks into the phone, barely hiding the irritation out of his voice.

    "Were you asleep, Dale, I''m sorry, I didn''t know." She says in a gloating voice and Dale can easily tell that she''s lying through her teeth.

    "Mom. what do you want?" He asks impatiently, his sleep ruined.

    "Don''t sound so upset, Dale, I just called to say hi." She continues in that sly tone. "You didn''t even call to ask if I got back alright and it''s nearly been a week."

    Dale just listens to her ramble, knowing that she called this early on a Saturday just to try and figure out if there was anyone in his bed.

    "You sound okay enough, besides I called dad Is there any other reason you disturbed my sleep?"

    Her offended gasp makes him roll his eyes, her trying to y the victim was an old act and right now all he had to offer her was irritation and anger.

    "I see there''s none." He adds when the line goes silent, hanging up and tossing his phone on the bed, the device bouncing a little before rolling to a stop.

    He mutters a curse under his breath, pushing himself out of bed, of course, trusting his mom - although she was so far away - to ruin his sleep.

    Sleeping had been a bit of a challenge ever since Dream left and after staying up more than half the night, sleep blissfully came only for the annoying Werewolf that gave birth to him toe ruin it.

    He sits at the edge of the bed, elbows settled against his thighs, his head buried in his hands

    <em>Dream</em>

    His thought process seemed to revolve around one person, thest thing he wanted was for Dream to find out if he was pregnant or not and be all alone - he was just worried as hell about the Omega.

    He knows Dream is strong enough to take care of himself, although his independent streak also meant it could be hard to get him to see things from a different angle.

    Dale just wishes he knows what went wrong

    He was constantly pestering Kieran though and from the Head Beta''s exasperated expressions, he was starting to give in.

    Dale just needed one, just a chance to talk to Dream, whatever happened there at least he would know why he was losing Dream having absolutely no idea what went wrong was killing him almost as much as losing Dream did.

    Did Dream feel like Dale took advantage of him while he was vulnerable? Should Dale have walked away?

    He tore at his hair in palpable frustration, his skin suddenly feeling too tight, he needed an outlet for all of these tumultuous emotions he needed a run.

    Hopefully, he would run hard and fast enough to tire himself out, he couldn''t even sleep to escape the absence of Dream, perhaps in his dreams he could find sce.

    That makes his mind up for him, pushing himself up from the bed to get ready for his run.

    In no time, he''s striding down the hallways in sweatpants and a loose top, his mating mark was starting to fade and that made it hurt like he had a hot knife stabbed down his throat.

    He almost didn''t want to go down through his Pack House, the quiet questions in their eyes were weighing down on him, crushing his heart.

    Last minute, he swerves, changing direction to the hallway that connected both Pack Houses, it was a Saturday morning so hopefully everyone would be inside their apartments and no one would see him hurrying down the hallway like a junkie that ran out of his choice of poison.

    Thest person he wanted to see was Hayden it would be a literal disaster.

    It was easy to opt out of having to visit Hayden by saying he just had his heat and all that but he knows that soon enough, that excuse wouldn''t be able to stop him but that was a worry for another day.

    He takes care to follow a different hallway so he wouldn''t have to pass by Hayden''s and Virgil''s apartment and just when he thinks he''s in the clear, he bumps into Shana and Mae hurrying up the stairs, apprehension and excitement on their faces.

    "Mae? Ana?" He freezes up when he notices them, they do the say, their eyes wide as they take him in. "What''s going on?" He asks in worry, Shana had some medical equipment with her and it made his heart race almost painfully.

    Shana breaks out of the shock of their meeting first. "We should be asking you that, did you buy a vampire bat as a pet?" She asks, referring to his mating mark, how pale he looks and the prominent eye bags under his eyes.

    "I asked first." Dale says, almost in a grouchy tone.

    "Um Hayden has been throwing up all morning, he''s probably pregnant."

    Dale reels forward at this like he had been sucker punched in the gut, his thoughts immediately going to Dream who was all alone, what if he was in the same situation with no one to take care of him.

    "Dale" Shana reaches out to him, worry in her hazel-brown eyes as she watches what little color left on his fallpletely fade away, his eyes dark and wide in palpable terror. "Are you"

    "I''ve gotta go." He immediately cuts Shana off, brushing past them as he runs down the stairs.

    "What''s wrong with him?" Mae asks in concern, wincing at how fast he was going down the stairs.

    Shana shrugs, equally worried. "Slow down, moron!" She yelled down at him. "You''re ugly enough, no one''s gonna marry you if you smash your face in."

    Dale has a ghost of a smile on his face at Shana''s words but it stabilizes him a bit, his legs steadier, gaining strength even as he dashed across hallways and down stairs.

    He didn''t have the time to go back for his keys, besides, he was easily as fast as his car anyway while in wolf form.

    He was heading to Kieran''s house and not leaving until he was satisfied that Dream was okay <em>This was punishment for breaking so many hearts in college, wasn''t it?</em>

 Chapter 340

    Chapter 340

    For some reason, Dream''sfort nts turn against him, their scents instantly triggering his gag reflex and making him dash back into his bedroom, all ns for a run scrapped up when he leans over the toilet bowl for the first.

    It cements his earlier fears, it was set in stone now he was pregnant

    And for no other person than the Alpha of the next door Pack Darian was going to lose his shit, if he didn''t make his mom go into cardiac arrest first.

    When the initial wave of nausea and dread fades away, Dream finds himself absently rubbing a palm over his stomach ever so gently, cradling the budding life in him.

    A bittersweet smile paints across his face, this was thest thing he ever wanted, he didn''t want his child to face the exact same things he did while growing up.

    Pressing his lips tightly against each other, he makes up his mind, if fate willed it and he birthed a male Omega, he would teach him to kick ass.

    A drop of tears falls on his right cheek and he lifts a hand curiously to wipe at it,ing away with the salty liquid that smelled like dew with undertones of jasmines why the fuck was he crying?

    Angrily he swiped at it, bloody pregnancy hormones, making him fucking emotional.

    With an eye roll he stomped across the room, reaching for his phone.

    Kieran would scold his ear off if he didn''t tell him immediately he found out about his conception.

    "Fucking annoying, Head Beta." He grumbled, putting on the device with a baseless anger rolling around in his small frame. "Tainting my cottage with cigarette smoke." He kept onining, uncaring that Kieran''s phone was already ringing and the Head Beta could pick anytime and listen in on his monologue.

    "Hi, Dream." Kieran picks immediately, rustling sounding from his end. "I was just about to starting down, need anything?"

    Dream takes a deep breath, the change in his scent very obvious now but he still had to do the practical thing and check. "Yeah, a pregnancy test kit" He says bluntly, casually enjoying the way Kieran chokes on what he had been drinking.

    "Kie? Is that alcohol?" Hetches on immediately, frowning.

    Kieran instinctively hides his ss of vodka behind his back like Dream could reach through the phone and snatch it out of his hands. "You''re not my mom." He grumbles.

    "It''s fucking nine am in the goddamned morning Kieran, you don''t wake up and start your day off with vodka"

    Kieran expels out a puff of smoke, vodka quickly discarded, he didn''t understand why he couldn''t go against Dream. "I didn''t"

    "Is that a cigarette?" Dream cuts him off and Kieran silently panics.

    How the fuck did the Omega know that he had been smoking

    "How did you" he starts to ask.

    "Put it away" Dream is already saying.

    Kieran blinks, his brain finally booting long enough to remember Dream''s request. "Wait, Dream, you wanted a pregnancy test kit?" He asks in mild horror that was rapidly escting.

    Dream mellows down at this, unexinably shy. "Well, yeah, I know it''s not something you''d have at home but"

    "Yeah I got one." Kieran cuts him off, putting out his cigarette in an ashtray and dropping his half empty cup of vodka in the sink as he goes to grab the seeming useless pregnancy kit he had stocked up.

    Well, when one didn''t have to worry about money, it was easy to have a lot of things that seemed unnecessary till they became very important.

    "Oh" Dream mumbles, deting, anxiety thrumming in his veins.

    "Sit tight, I''ll be there in a bit." Kieran says to him, waiting for Dream to hang up before hurrying out of the house.

    Hopefully, he would be able to get Dream to listen to him or at least listen to Dale with the pregnancy on the line, it could actually open up a pathway to save their rtionship.

    ~

    By the time Shana and Mae made it to the bedroom, Renee was just rousing but Virgil and Hayden and worked themselves up into a fine panic.

    "Good lord, Virgil, can you and Renee go get crackers and make some ginger tea? Might want to have some too, you both don''t look so hot." Shana is quick to say as soon as she gets in and takes in the situation.

    First, they had to verify that Hayden was pregnant Shana and Mae twitch their noses at the same time, they could tell the change in scent but why was it so subtle.

    It was supposed to be strong enough to alert others that said Werewolf was pregnant but it was so vague, Shana shares a knowing nce with her girlfriend.

    This was expected but they didn''t know much about part male Omega Werewolves so they were taking it slowly, step by step, taking in each new development in stride.

    Mae is quick to soothe Hayden who looks lost at Virgil''s absence and Shana is quick to exin to him how to use the test kit, letting him have his privacy in the bathroom.

    Virgil and Renee are still gone and in less than a couple minutes they hear the sound of hurling again which makes the girls rush into the bathroom.

    "I got the t-test done" Hayden manages to say, gagging a little he felt ufortable in his skin, where was his mate?

    "Just as I figured." Shana said hurrying over to help him up from the toilet bowl, knees too weak to hold him up. "You''re going to need Virgil around, Mae please help me get him"

    Mae blinks in confusion, Hayden equally experiencing the same difficulty. "Huh?"

    Shana smiles a little, exining carefully even as she waited for the test to be ready, she could already say what the result would be anyway.

    "Did you throw up after Virgil came in?" She asks.

    Hayden''s eyes went wide in realization, he had been so worried about whether or not he was pregnant or something was seeing to remember that. "No"

    "Exactly, his scent helps keep the nausea down but the crackers and tea are still advised because you look awfully pale right now."

    Mae goes off to get Virgil after this, Hayden deciding to wait for his mate''s arrival before getting the news.

 Chapter 341

    Chapter 341

    Hayden notices that as soon as Virgil hurries back in the bedroom without Mae who no doubt had a lot to deal with in the kitchen -e to think about it, had Shana really asked the two worst cooks ever to prepare something?

    He notices that as soon as Virgil''s scent of rich, ripe strawberries and dark chocte hits him, his nausea waves immediately calm down - guess what his new craving is?

    "Ready for the results?" Shana walks in from the bathroom, her expression level.

    She doesn''t even flinch when shees in to find Hayden straddling Virgil, his head resting tiredly on his mate''s chest, the Omega was definitely spending the rest of the day in bed, most likely with his mate.

    "Yeah." Virgil gulps, trying to keep his heartbeat steady and his scent from spiking in his nervousness.

    There was no need to stress Hayden more than he had had to endure all day.

    "Good, cause I''m telling you anyway and I''ve got to say, anyday y''all need a babysitter, just call me, I''d make time for Hayden''s baby"

    Virgil and Hayden try to make sense of Shana''s endless rambling, Hayden''s eyes going wide and shing a soft amber.

    "I''m pregnant." He beams up at Virgil and the quiet joy the Alpha sees on his mate''s face is enough to put his mental demons to rest, for now.

    Virgil reaches forward to cup Hayden''s face in his hands, a reverent expression on his face as he leans forward, leaning his head slightly to the side to im Hayden''s lips.

    A hand slips behind and upwards into Hayden''s hair to tilt his head backwards slightly to have proper ess to his mate''s sweet mouth. The remaining tendrils of fear at the news they had just gotten dissipating in the slowly burning up kiss.

    "Of course, forget I''m in the room." Shana throws her hands up as the kiss rapidly esctes, Virgil''s hands starting to wander.

    Hayden is mortified, a bright red blush crawling up to his face, the strip of skin showing off his middle from Virgil putting his hands up his oversized shirt was the same shade of red as well.

    He squeaks at the reaction of Shana, easily forgetting that she had been in the room with them, hiding his burning face in Virgil''s chest.

    Virgil doesn''t give any fucks though, mouthing at Hayden''s mating mark, making goosebumps pop out on his skin, his small hands pressed against the bare skin of Virgil''s shoulders.

    "You can choose to go for tests if you want, it''s a little early to do more than detect the pregnancy." Shana starts to say, ignoring Virgil who seems to be hell bent on making Hayden fall apart in his arms.

    "And I doubt anything is wrong, morning sickness is a sign of a healthy pregnancy so I''ll just yeah I''ll fucking get going." She ends in an exasperated tone, ring pointedly at Virgil.

    "Thanks, Shay." Virgil calls to her without taking his eyes off Hayden.

    "I''ll tell Mae and we''ll leave, doubt Renee is going anywhere though I''m so happy for you Hay." She pauses at the door to say, a wide smile enveloping his face. "This is the best news I''ve heard in a while, goodluck telling Yanis." She tosses over her shoulder with a cackle, leaving.

    Hayden winces at this, rxing into Virgil''s hold, his eyes slipping shut, breaking the news to Yanis would be a different set of theatrics that he wasn''t sure he was ready to deal with yet.

    Right now what he wanted was a long ass bath, and a huge bowl of juicy strawberries covered in chocte

    Reneees in at this moment, an adorably serious expression as shees in with the tray of crackers and ginger tea. "Mae and S hana helped me make this so just eat a little so" She had been walking closer as she spoke, her intensity excessive for such a simple task as carrying a tray.

    Hayden ps a hand over his mouth as the scent of the ginger tea wafts over, his gag reflex acting up as he jumps down from Virgil''s legs to make his way to the bathroom in a hurry.

    Renee just stands in ce, visibly confused. "W-what?"

    "I don''t think he likes the crackers." Virgil says in a desert dry voice, already getting up to go check up on Hayden.

    Renee makes a face. "No kidding, V." She scoffs, taking the tray out. "Mind asking him what he wants, all that throwing up without eating anything isn''t healthy."

    "Yes, mom." He murmurs without putting too much thought into it but Renee swerves around at this, nearly spilling her tea.

    Her grey eyes were wide, dark brown hair in some borate chignon then she beamed, the smile lighting up her beautiful face. "Want anything?"

    Virgil looks skeptical. "You''re going to cook?"

    "What? No, I actually want you to eat something, I''ll go down to the kitchens don''t worry about it."

    "I''ll eat whatever Hayden will have." Virgil says, disappearing into the bathroom.

    Renee narrows her eyes at this, her lips parted in shock, for some reason, she remembered the weird cravings she had while she was pregnant with Hayden.

    <em>Olives.</em>

    She had the weirdest cravings for olives, worst still, she hadn''t even liked olives to begin with but boom after she found out she was pregnant, they suddenly became her most eaten edible - it was ridiculous,

    She turned around with the now cooling tray of tea and crackers, going to ce it in the kitchens so she coulde take their others, her mom would be so excited.

    Renee had a feeling that she wouldn''t even be stunned about the fact that Hayden was the one giving her a great-grandchild, she would handle that information better than Renee even did.

    It still felt a little weird, sure she had managed toe to terms that her son was part wolf but this this would take a little more time to get used to.

 Chapter 342

    Chapter 342

    Dale tries hard to ignore the pounding in his heart as he jogged right into the woods, ignoring the questioning gazes of other Werewolves, his loose grey shirt easily goes off before he''s even well in the woods, ignoring the reaction it garners behind him and he breaks out into an all out run under the cover of the trees, shifting on a leap.

    There was a shortcut through the woods, it would be faster to get to Kieran''s house that way than driving his car.

    He runs with a one track mind, panic thrumming at the same time with hisrge paws, he couldn''t even call Kieran because he didn''t have his phone on him - he was truly miserable.

    The trees and shrubs all blend into one endless blur of green, the woods shing by at an incredible speed.

    Something catches his attention from the corner of his eyes, making him nce in that direction to see a weird looking cottage that he hadn''t noticed before but then again he didn''t reallye around this part of the woods, it was too close to the edge of the woods.

    He slows down slightly, the panic burning through his mind not allowing him do much that give it a cursory nce too worried about Dream''s wellbeing to give it any attention,

    It looks mostly abandoned to him and as soon as that thought crosses his mind, he picks up the pace again, speeding up.

    Dream stands frozen at the window, unmoving, his heart in his throat as he senses painfully familiar dark green eyes stare into his soul and his heart stops for a couple precious beats, his hands gripping the loose shirt he has on.

    <em>Dale</em>

    That single word brings back tumultuous emotions rolling into him, emotions that he thought were long gone, emotions which he hadn''t done much but try to keep them at bay.

    But, they didn''t stay away, they never even went far from his mind, Dale never left his thoughts, he just got better at lying to himself and the people around him.

    He silently watches the huge form of the pitch ck wolf move stealthily through the woods, It''s speed almost unrealistic for Its size, realizing that Dale hadn''t seen him.

    "If I''m guessing correctly, the Luna of Crimson Pack is also pregnant, he''s probably going over to my ce to drag information out of me."

    Dream''s gasps hit twice as hard

    <em>Hayden was also pregnant</em>

    <em>Dale really still cared about him and it wasn''t just Kieran trying to convince Dream toe back</em>

    He stares up at Kiera who is standing behind him with a strained expression.

    "Fine." Dream agrees to the unspoken question in Kieran''s eyes, a request long hanging silently between the two of them. "I''ll see Dale" He trails off looking outside the window again,

    Dale was long gone, now that he had a life growing inside of him, he couldn''t just up and leave anymore, he owed it to the people that loved him to stay, also to Dale who was the sire of the new life.

    His shoulders sags with the weight of his worries, a hand absently going to rub his belly. "Don''t tell him yet." He is quick to say to Kieran who is already whipping out his phone to make a call to Dale - although thinking about it, the Alpha couldn''t even have his phone on him if he had just run past in wolf form.

    "W-what?" Kieran pauses, scared that Dream is already having seconds thoughts.

    This makes Dreamugh out loud. "Don''t look at me like that Kie, I''m not changing my mind, I would just like some time to get myself together." He walks away from the window. "Hayden and I will be going shopping in a couple days, I''lle over to the Pack House after that." He exins.

    Kieran easily agrees to this. "No take backs." He says immediately, this was better than nothing, he knew that they would definitely resolve whatever was going on between them.

    "I hear ya, for now I''m going to pay my mom a visit." Dream turns around to walk into his bedroom.

    "Really?" Kieran swerves to follow his movement, worrying in his voice. "Is that safe?"He asks in a soft voice, Dream''s pregnant state was pretty obvious now, anyone that came up close would easily tell.

    "Yes." Dream pauses to say, nodding with a smile. "I still have my scent suppressants, I''ll be fine." He exins. "You should get going, thanks Kieran."

    Kieran shrugs. "You feed me, I''d say it''s a fair deal." He mutters, averting his ming face at Dream''s kind expression.

    "Whatever rocks your both." Dream chuckles going in his bedroom.

    "I''ll be back for dinner!" Kieran calls, Dream''s response is a little muffled but it''s enough for Kieran.

    Good thing he had packed his car on the other side of the cottage, he had to hurry home before Dale broke into his house, he wouldn''t put it past the Alpha to do just that.

    Dream searches through his wardrobe for something decent to wear, sure his mom had invited all of her children for lunch - the ''with Heather'' was silent, Dream didn''t mind the prettydy.

    So although it''s way too early, Dream was already getting ready to leave, he needed to get there early enough, atleast to talk to his mom with Darian''s interference.

    He pulled out a sweatshirt, a little on the loose side, it would be a bit of a pinch when his tummy started to grow but that was an issue for another day, he had too much on his te at the moment.

    Wearing sweatpants would just make him look tacky so he goes for jeans instead although his body protests, unhappy with the tight sleeve of the jean pants.

    He frowns as he nces down at his stomach, wasn''t it a little too early for his baby to start dictating things like that?

    He facepalms, what was he saying? Emerald and Teal were currently on the back porch now because the little daydream growing inside him didn''t like them apparently making him hurl each time he so much as got the faintest whiff of them.

    He couldn''t even take them out and had to wait for Kieran to do it.

 Chapter 343

    Chapter 343

    Dream locks up the cottage before leaving, Kieran had his keys to the cottage if he wanted to get or bring anything over, not to mention that food was in his cottage, all Kieran had stocked up in his big ass house was nothing but vodka and cigarettes, he still had no idea how the Head Beta wasn''t dead yet.

    Although he had made up his mind to see Dale, that didn''t mean he was ready to face the Alpha just then so it''s with his heart in his throat that he hurries out to the hidden garage on the side away from the deep part of the woods.

    Kieran had gotten him a motorcycle, it was nothing like the cute one he had back in his old city, while that one had been painted a soft shade of blue, a cutesy basket strapped to the front.

    This one was all sharp edges and sleek lines, a shiny ck that seemed to illuminate even in the dim garage, the garage is partially hidden, done in a way that it blends with the forest, unless one knew it was there, all they would see would be the cottage that looked straight out of a fairytale, morning dews and daisies growing plentifully around like there used to be a garden and somehow those two were the only nts that survived theck of a caretaker.

    Dream had been curious about who used to live in the cottage because he definitely didn''t see Kieraning to live in a ce like this, he wasn''t a big fan of people but that didn''t mean he was a nature junkie either.

    He had seen an old portrait of a beautifuldy, in the first days he hade to live in the cottage and was stricken with the inexplicable urge to rearrange the entire cottage and had pointed out to Kieran who hade in for dinner.

    Kieran had been quick to swipe and hide the portrait, refusing to talk about her although Dream had asked, he guessed she was Kieran''s mom but he wasn''t going to push for information.

    The motorcycle responded beautifully under his hands, the engine purring smoothly like a well fed cat, Dream would haveined about the extravagancy of the bike considering the fact that Kieran had told him to take it, the Head Beta saying that he hadn''t ridden a bike in years but the look in Kieran''s eyes told him that he would be better off epting it.

    He got on the bike, a little rusty, it had been months now since he had ridden a bike but when he got used to the sensation of it, it was easy enough.

    He tore out of the forest, careful to pop out on the road at a point where if anyone sighted him, they wouldn''t be able to trace it back to the cottage.

    Kieran had insisted on a helmet and safety gear and Dream had almost thrown his cup of water on the Head Beta''s face, finally they had settled on him using a helmet, Kieran still looked skeptical.

    Dream ignored his worrying, he had gotten enough of that just by being an Omega, of course it would double now that he was pregnant, he would just have to prove twice as hard that he could take care of himself.

    He sped in the direction of his mom''s house, it had been barely a week that he had been at the cottage but even before then he barely left the Pack House, even if he did it was to go into them main part of town to the quiet side that was filled with neighbors who were as close as family.

    It was a Saturday so he''s not surprised to see most of the shops around the bakery, including his mom''s bakery all closed. As it was a small town, most preferred to spend the weekend with their family.

    The only parts of the town that would be bustling as usual would be Paper District, that neighborhood never went to sleep.

    He tries to keep his blood pressure and heart rate steady, thest thing he needed was throwing up in front of his mom, he would just have to be careful at lunch with his family and to tell his mom that his stomach was a little upset to they wouldn''t look at him weird when he turned down certain foods or suddenly excused himself while looking pale.

    He finally turns to his street, the woods in the distance looking familiar, almost as familiar as his mom''s car sitting on thewn, he drives up, walking his bike through the gate.

    He just ces his bike by the side of the house, leaning the ck motorcycle under some shade, he wasn''t worried about losing the bike, there was a higher chance of squirrels scratching it up than it being stolen.

    He walks up to the front door, absently wondering if Heather was in as well, he didn''t tag his mom as one to swing the other way, not that he minded, he would just like to be prepared.

    He makes sure to put on another couple sprays of his scent suppressants, knocking just out of propriety.

    The door swings open just before he could though, his mom standing on the other side with a beaming smile on her bright face, "Dream!" She threw her arms out in wee.

    Dream doesn''t need any more encouragement to hurry into his mother''s arms that always smell like cinnamon and warm buns, letting his limbs gox even as she pulls him in.

    "Oh dear, why do you look so thin" She starts off, making sure to check each and every bit of him, if she notices that he has his scent suppressors back on again, she says nothing about it.

    "Mom, I''m not th...." Dream starts to protest but Dia was hearing none of it.

    "Come, we''ll talk while you eat." She says decisively, already leading him to a kitchen where she was already cooking up a small feast for lunch.

 Chapter 344

    Chapter 344

    Virgil chooses to bid his time by changing the sheets while Renee went down the stairs to prepare Hayden''s order, she hadn''t seemed the slightest bit surprised when he asked for strawberries and chocte.

    He was worried about leaving Hayden alone for too long and had offered to shower with him but Hayden had said no to that.

    That was fine with Virgil, he''s just starting to think that maybe the shower had been running for too long.

    His heart picks up the pace and he abandons the sheet corner he had been ever so carefully folding, sweeping into the bathroom to check on his mate.

    The shower door is closed and fogged up so Virgil can barely see what''s going on inside of it and that''s enough to Spike his worry.

    Slowly he opens the sliding ss door, steam pouring out in a rush as he sees Hayden sitting under the hot droplets of water, curled up into himself, his face hidden in his knees.

    Virgil thinks he cks out for a split second before grabbing arge fluffy towel and putting off the showerhead, he wraps up Hayden in it and easily picks him up in his arms.

    "Baby, are you okay?" He asks only after they''re already on the way to the bed.

    Hayden blinks, like he hadn''t stille to terms with the change of scene, his eyes were a little swollen and pink.

    Virgil flinches back in horror at this, reaching out to tenderly cup Hayden''s face. "Sweetheart, were you crying?"

    Hayden tucks himself deeper into the towel wrapped around him, his face still wet, water dripping from his wet hair down his face.

    "I don''t like to be a bother to you." Hayden sniffs - <em>pregnancy brain</em> - wiping the water off his face. "I''ve had you and Mom worrying all morning and you can even leave for a couple minutes before I start throwing up" he trails off into another sob and Virgil is stunned.

    <em>How the fuck is he supposed to deal with this?</em> He looks around, <em>oops!</em> It''s just him

    He pulls Hayden into his arms, making his mate sit on him, uncaring of how wet the other was.

    "Don''t be silly Hay, you''re not a bother and I''m proud you need me so much." Virgil says in a soft voice, touching his nose to Hayden''s which makes him giggle wetly and scrunch up his nose.

    Virgil sighs in relief at the change of mood, worrying how long it wouldst maybe he shouldn''t have thought about that because Hayden''s bottom lip is wobbling again, tears gathering in his big amber eyes.

    He''s hard pressed to figure out what could possibly be wrong again when Hayden''s stomach rumbles making Virgil perk up.

    "Hungry, baby?" He asks, breathing easier at Hayden''s aggressive nods - this was basically the first day, maybe he should take a vacation because his mate was going to need all the attention he could get and who was Virgil to not give it to him.

    "Well, Renee ising back with what you asked for, okay so why don''t you get dressed before shees back?"

    "I''ll do it!" Hayden is already hopping off the bed, towel still wrapped around his drying body as he flings open the wardrobes and goes for Virgil''s side of it.

    He searches through purposefully and Virgil gets up to tuck in thest edges of the freshly changed sheets only to look up and find his mate curled on the ground again.

    Panic is his first emotion as he hurries over only to find Hayden pouting and near tears.

    "Baby, what''s wrong?" He decides to ask directly.

    "I-I can''t find the s-shirt I''m looking f-fo...for!" He ces both hands on his face at this. "Oh my God, why am I crying?''

    Virgil hides a small smile, good thing Hayden had been the one campaigning for babies so he wouldn''t be the one to me for all this.

    "It''s fine, you''re okay." Virgil consoles him, helping him sit up. "It''s fine to cry too, just tell me what you want and I''ll get it, how''s that?" He tugs Hayden up to his feet so that his shorter mate could hug him while he waddled over to the wardrobe to find the particr item of clothing that Hayden wanted.

    "I-I wan that pretty blue one that I got for you" Hayden starts to exin, his face hidden in Virgil''s bare chest, his Alpha''s scent doing a lot to calm him down.

    He holds on tightly to the edges of the towel still wrapped around him, smiling just a little when he feels Virgil rests his jaw on his head.

    "Want your favourite pajama bottoms?" Virgil guesses, knowing that that was the clothing his mate went for when he neededfort.

    Hayden nods, taking the pajama bottoms from Virgil and stepping back to wrap the towel around his chest so he could pull them up.

    He tugs the towel off after this and raises his hands up for Virgil to help him out on the shirt.

    Virgil tries his hardest to keep a serious expression simr to the one Hayden was wearing because there was no telling if heughed that his cute, little, pregnant mate wouldn''t burst into tears again.

    Renee makes an appearance just as they both get settled on the bed again, apprehension on her face.

    She settled the tray which had a big ss bowl of cut up strawberries with chocte just like Hayden had asked for on the bed, Hayden watching it with wide eyes as he scooted over to dig in.

    Renee tugged Virgil to the side to whisper to him. "Um, apparently someone put Yanis on the Pack list of emails." She exined to Virgil, ncing over at Hayden who was getting ready to dig in.

    "I''m betting it''s your adorable husband over there but now he''s asking questions because an announcement was put out so I''ll have to deal with him before he goes into cardiac arrest, take care of my baby, I''ll be back in a couple hours." She said in a rush, tugging down Virgil''s messy hair to kiss his forehead and pat his hair.

    "Oh and you might have to refrigerate the rest of that big bowl of" She trails off as they both turned to Hayden, she had been about to say that she was pretty sure her son wouldn''t be able to even make a dent in the bowl.

    Hayden was sitting crossed legged in front of the tray, absorbed in his meal so much that he discarded the cutleries brought for him and was digging in with his hands, already halfway through, chocte smeared across his face.

    "Or on second thoughts, I''ll have Jaxie bring up another bowl." Renee corrects herself.

 Chapter 345

    Chapter 345

    Dale pushes himself off the wall that he had been leaning on when he sees Kieraning, his dark green eyes lighting up.

    Kieran wastes no time, already knowing what the Alpha wanted.

    "Yes." Is all he says and the y of emotions on Dale''s face almost makes him rat out to Dale about the fact that he would get to see Dream in just a couple days.

    Dale rests against the wall again like his knees were too weak to support his weight, his head hanging forward.

    "I need to see him." Dale says suddenly with a fiery intensity that matches the sunshine in his eyes.

    Kieran pushes a hand through his hair, reflexively taking out a stick of cigarette that he had kept hidden from Dream.

    Dale could tell that was a clear sign that the Head Beta was stressed and he couldn''t me him, Dale could definitely rte.

    "My hands are tied but I can say you will, soon enough, just keep your fingers crossed."

    The almost inaudible sound of pain that leaves Dale makes him shove his unlit cigarette back in his pocket, nothing like romantic tragedy to ruin a smoking mood.

    He offers a hand to Dale for a hug, expecting the Alpha to brush his gesture away, hell! He wanted to p himself on the upside of his head for it but Dale fakes thefort offered.

    Giving Kieran a grateful nce which he tries to avert his face to avoid - he just didn''t like them being miserable around him, that was why he chose to help.

    "Thanks man." Dale nods to him, turning around to walk into the forest.

    Kieran just watches him go quietly, making noment although that route would take him directly right past the cottage.

    <em>Who said Cupid couldn''t be a washed out, middle age man with an addiction to nicotine?</em>

    ~

    "Darian and DD have been so busy, none of you remembers toe visit your sweet mother anymore." Diains dramatically as she piles more food on Dream''s te.

    Dream blinks at this, he hadn''t expected that but it would also exin why his older brother wasn''t breathing down his neck at the moment.

    "Well, I''m pretty sure they won''t miss out on lunch." Dream reassures her.

    Dia tries her hands on a flower patterned hand towel. "They better not or I''m driving down to the Pack House to drag them over here by their ears." She says with immense seriousness.

    "You''re going to move into the Pack House now won''t you?" Dia asks hopefully if Dream should pick a mate, she would like it if it was from their Pack because the Werewolves there were all beautiful people.

    Dream considers this, it was actually a very high possibility, he couldn''t imagine living in Dale''s Pack after all that happened but maybe he would get to keep Haydenpany that would make his condition seem less horrifying.

    "Most likely, mom."

    The doorbell rings and Dream hops to his feet. "I''ll get it!" He offers, quick to desert the food because he has already eaten so much and lunch was just a little over an hour or two away where his mom would pile up more food for him.

    He falters when he gets to the door because he had been expecting his siblings but now that he''s at the door he''s starting to think that maybe it could be Heather.

    He swings open the door anyway because there''s no backing out now only to look up into the grinning faces of his two older siblings.

    "Dream!" DD is the first to exim, pulling her younger brother into a hug and messing up his hair.

    "I''m surprised you two came so early, toozy to cook breakfast on a weekend?" He taunts them, Deidre pinching him slightly which makes him yelp.

    "Don''t pick on your younger brother." Diaes out to say, a happy but stern Express on her face as she weed the rest of her kids happily.

    "Darian, don''t look so grumpy, aren''t you happy to see me." Dia manhandles him into a hug, practically pushing them into the kitchen.

    "Just like I said with Dream, you''re all not eating well anymore, that''s it we''re making Saturday lunches a tradition!" Dia announces, guiding them all to sit while she makes to serve them food.

    "Mom" Deidre starts toin about the size of food she was getting, Dream snickering evilly at her.

    "But what if we have dates?" Darian grouches.

    The entire table freezes up at this, everyone giving Darian a pointed look.

    "I''m serious." He mutters, taking a bite out of his food.

    "Then you bring them here." Dia beams, leaning over to kiss Darian''s cheek.

    Darian burns up at this which makes his younger siblings snicker, earning death res from him.

    No one mentions their father and that was fine with them, there was no need to ruin a perfectly fine meal.

    Heather makes her appearance just after noon, dressed in Sunny yellow dungarees which made her already bright presence even more so.

    The children all noticed the change in their mom as soon as the otherdy showed up, she was constantly fussing with her hair and patting down her dress although she had an apron over it.

    They make noment about it, prefering to observe so they didn''t scare their mom out of a fulfilling rtionship.

    They moved to the living room for a while and Dia brought out some board games that they could y, she always yed with them but their father couldn''t be bothered to, he was barely around for that anyway.

    But with Heather it''s different and she''s soon facing off against Darian and Dream in cards while DD and their mom cheer from the sidelines, their happyughter resounding in the bright house.

    Dia leans back a little to watch the happiness being shared easily, it was hard to get Darian to talk to anyone outside of the family and a select few but here he was arguing intensely about the validity of a card that Heather had yed to give her an advantage.

    It made her wonder, that happiness was so easy, just within her grasp but she chose to be the adult, well she was done being that, as soon as her so called husband came back, she was filing for a divorce.

 Chapter 346

    Chapter 346

    "Baby?" Virgil watches with apprehension as Hayden tucks in the third bowl. "You''re going to get sick if you eat too much." He says hesitantly, unsure of how Hayden would take it.

    "Hmm?" Hayden hums with his cheeks bulging out, ncing up at Virgil like he forgot his mate was even in the room,

    "There''s no more strawberries." He says inly, voice stern.

    Hayden looks scandalized like he hadn''t just finished a garden full amount of the fruit. "T-there''s no more?" He blinks, freezing up in his motion of licking the strawberry juice and chocte stained fingers.

    Virgil grits his teeth, unable to lie to Hayden. "Well, not exactly but they will if you keep eating them this way."

    "Okay." Hayden agrees, getting up with the tray to go keep it in the kitchen sink, Virgil watching quietly in shock.

    He had expected a bit of a tantrum so he''s still surprised even when Haydenes back with his hands washed, his stomach a little rounded from the amount of strawberries he had put away but the sight of it is enough to upturn Virgil''s world.

    He weaves slightly on his feet going pale as he watches Hayden waddle over to the bed, raising his shirt to pat his bare stomach.

    "Aren''t youing to nap?" Hayden asks him curiously, he was sitting on his knees, his legs tucked under him and this makes his tummy literally pop.

    <em>How did it get so hot all of a sudden?</em>

    Virgil wipes at his brows, reminding himself that this was literally what would be happening in a couple months but he can''t help his reaction to it, it makes it feel so real.

    "I need to shower first." He finally gets out, heading to the bathroom.

    Then after that, cuddle his mate to sleep, then go on a run - maybe expending energy in the quiet serenity of the woods would help hime to terms with everything.

    It doesn''t take long for Hayden to fall asleep, the overfed Omega already dozing before Virgil is done with cleaning up.

    All Virgil has to do is get on the bed and Hayden falls fast asleep, not rousing even when Virgil dislodges both of his hands from the Alpha''s neck, tucking a pillow in between Hayden''s arms for him to hold onto.

    He tucks Hayden in, knowing that he would definitely be fast asleep for a good long while

    ~

    Dream is careful to keep tabs on his scent, making sure to spray more of his scent suppressants every two hours, they usually could easilyst the whole day but he''s pregnant now, he''s not taking any chances.

    It was gettingte now and Deidre was napping on a couch while his mom and Heather were quietly discussing on another, Darian sat beside him engrossed in his phone while Dream watched the tv.

    The sun was still far from setting though so they were stillid back, just enjoying the peaceful air that surrounded the house, the weak sunlight filtering in.

    This peaceful scene is shattered when there''s a knock on the door, everyone but DD who is fast asleep perking up at this.

    "Expecting anyone?" Darian asks his mom because technically she''s the only one still living there.

    Dia frowns, getting up to go check who it is. "No idea, no one everes to see me at home but you four."

    Darian makes a face like this, already by his mom''s side in a split second. "Sit mom." He tells her gently with firm hands on her shoulders, dark blue eyes darkening protectively as the knockes through again. "I''ll check."

    Everyone watches expectantly as Darian checks who it is, a dark cloud hovering over him when he reluctantly opens the door. "Darian, son." Mr. Micall beams at his son, suitcase piled on the stairs.

    Darian easily sidesteps his hug, his face utterly nk, doing well to hide his disgust as he retraces his steps to go crowd the wall, looking imposing although his father is easily taller than him.

    Dia and Dream visibly freezes up at his presence, Heather instantly noticing their difort.

    "Aren''t you going to even wee me." He steps in, taking off his leather jacket and tossing it on the arm of the couch Deidre was sleeping on, he sneers at her. "Always sleeping." he mutters under his breath.

    He had a long standing argument with Dia over Deidre, saying she was too fat and it made Dia livid, her brows nting when she heard hisment.

    "Why didn''t you tell me you wereing?" Dia asks coldly, making him startle.

    His wife was always scrambling to make himfortable but that wasn''t happening at the moment and that made him puff out his chest aggressively.

    "I wanted it to be a surprise, darling but you don''t even look pleased to see me, none of you do." He notes, looking around Dia to stare at Dream who had easily kept his distance from his father.

    He couldn''t trust himself to not gag and throw up if he got too close to the asshole.

    Dia keeps quiet at his usation, willing herself to keep quiet instead of scrambling to appeal to his ego like she would have done usually, everyone else uninterested in conversing with him.

    So he rounds on the person most vulnerable to him, tantly ignoring Heather''s presence.

    Dream flinches, his scent spiking a little, he knows what his dad is going to go for good thing he already left the house.

    "Still growing your hair out like a sissy huh?" He mutters in disapproval. "It''s your mom that keeps allowing all"

    Dream gets up halfway through hisint, either their father was dense or he especially seemed to enjoy it when they were all ufortable.

    Being the judgemental asshole he was to them while he literally reeked of human perfume and had hickies on his neck.

    "It''s gettingte mom, I should be going if I want to make it home in time." Dream cuts him off, going to his mom who pulls him into a warm hug, kissing his wavy locks lovingly.

    "Of course, remember, same time next week?" She beams at him, tuning out her husband - well, soon to be ex.

    "Of course." Dream agrees. "I wouldn''t miss it for the world, bye Heather." He goes over to hug her as well, her soft smile lighting up the room as easily as his father had darkened it.

    He says goodbye to his siblings as well, Darian already going to pick up his sleeping sister, nodding goodbye to Heather and letting his mom ruffle his hair.

    Dia watches her children go out, her shoulders squaring in determination, it was time to end this.

    She notices the stunned look on her husband''s face, he had never dared to hit her at least not after Darian grew up, scared of what his son would do so instead he settled for maniption and emotional ckmail.

    "Heather dear, would you like to stay or?" She leaves the offer open, noting the worry on the older woman''s face.

    "She''ll do none of the sort, Diamond, you trying to throw me out of my own house?"

    "It''s for the Pack, darling." She waves him away. "Plus there are lots of spare rooms, you didn''t possibly think that I''d share a room with you, really?" She faces him off, cing a hand on her ample hips. "There''s food in the kitchen, I need to say goodbye to Heather." She says to him in the most words she had ever used unless they were arguing.

    "Oh and hey, yes." She turns around when she gets to the door with Heather, her husband moving out of the way in surprise. "First thing on Monday we''re going to the Pack House and yeah, I''m divorcing you as well so if you could just clear your apparently busy schedule that would be nice too."

    "You coulde sleep over at my ce." Heather says into Dia''s hair when they were outside on thewn, in front of Heather''s car.

    The sun was setting behind them, Heather''s lighter shade of hair tangling with Dia''s ck hair, she knew how much it took out of Dia to stand up to her asshole of a husband.

    "No, I need to do this, for me." Dia smiles up to her, cing a hand on her face, her presence gave Dia stability something she had always craved.

    "Call me when you get home." Dia chirps to her, hurrying up the stairs after stealing a kiss from Heather, uncaring if her husband was watching - she was now a free woman.

    Heather watches her go, a bright smile on her face to rival the sunset and she ces her hand on her cheek where Dia''s soft lips had been.

    Dia''s husband had looked like a proper asshole who would give the sweet woman trouble, maybe it was time for Heather to get her tire wrench out...

 Chapter 347

    Chapter 347

    Dream isn''t surprised when he wakes up first thing monday morning to Hayden''s phone call.

    "Dream! Hi! Did I wake you?!" He asks with so much excitement that Dream could literally taste it, he hopes Virgil was already awake or he''d be doing so right now.

    "It''s just sunrise but go off I guess." He says dryly, unable to help the fondness in his tone, it was near impossible to get mad at Hayden, he had a lot of witnesses to prove that fact.

    "Awesome! You''lle over won''t you" He hears the pout in Hayden''s voice at this point and he already knows what''sing. "...since you won''t tell me where you live."

    "I told you that I''lle live at the Pack House soon, besides you''ll be the one to drive me back home, won''t you?"

    This instantly puts Hayden right in a bubbly mood again. "Expecting you in an hour!" He says into the phone, mumbling something about hanging up so that Dream could start getting ready.

    Dream smiles at his phone at this, he had been worried that with Hayden being his usual intuitive self, he would be able to figure out that Dream was pregnant but not if he remained this bubbly and distracted for the rest of their day together.

    He just might be able to keep his secret hidden for a couple weeks more, at least until he was mentally ready to face everyone.

    He pushes himself out of bed, his thoughts going back to his mom, they had all been worried for her but it turns out that Heather and Darian had shown up the next morning, hanging around like dangerous creatures, tantly ignoring their father and just being generally imposing.

    That sounded like a fun scene but he didn''t want his baby anywhere near that sociopath.

    He knows that Hayden wasn''t joking about the time limit being one hour, he could bet on his long hair that he was going to braid for this outing - screw his dad - that in exactly one hour''s time Hayden would start blowing up his phone.

    He doesn''t like getting Hayden upset so he goes to clean up, not bothering to eat because his stomach got really picky in the mornings, besides Hayden would most likely take him to Honey''s and stuff him full of food, it would be better to prepare for that.

    Darian had been so curious about his bike but Dream wasn'' telling him anything or heavens knew he would wake up to find Darian knocking on his door.

    He goes for a loose shirt and casual jeans. There''s no tummy bulge yet but he wasn''t taking any chances, besides, oversized shirts werefy and fashionable plus they were perfect for hiding a bat.

    He grabs a fancy bag, lots of things going in, his phone, his keys, scent suppressants, whole ass box of kleenex, mints - he wasn''t going to try and decipher his sudden love for the anti-sweets, and lots more.

    He''s ready to go in no time, straddling the bike, he had told Kieran about his absence for the day but the Head Beta kept on inquiring about Dream''s promise - like he was going to chicken out - the Omega scoffs, gripping the handles of the bike to steady his trembling hands.

    Of course he wanted to fucking chicken out! Because he knew that no matter what Dale said as long as the Alpha wanted him back, he was as good as gone.

    And if that didn''t make him want to carry his bat out to the woods and beat up big ass trees to stumps, something to let his frustration out.

    He drives down to the Pack House with his heart in his mouth, he couldn''t run into Dale right now but he had chosen toe here because he didn''t want it to seem like he was avoiding Dale.

    That would spike up a lot of questions that he wasn''t ready to deal with.

    Hopefully, Dale would be cooped up in his office like he always was absently, he worried that the Alpha wasn''t eating well enough, Kieran was a bird of the same feather as Dale, eating little and sleeping less, and Erin was too chicken to tell them otherwise.

    He sighs heavily as he quickly parks his bike and makes his way into his Pack House, apparently his parents would being hereter, he''d be far from the Pack House then.

    Hayden is already waiting for him in the foyer, his Alpha, the Head Warrior and Dream''s older brother hovering protectively over him, like they expected goons to jump out of dark corners and try to take the Luna away.

    Dream hesitates, he hopes they weren''t all tagging along or he was ditching Hayden on this one, no questions asked, thest thing he needed was Virgil''s sensitive nose around him for too long.

    Hayden catches sight of him and waves him over excitedly, hurrying forward, although Virgil immediately tries to reach for him, Hayden darting forward in a frilly pink shirt that was probably worth all of Dream''s wardrobe, white, silk pants topping up the soft look.

    Dream chuckles at Virgil''s scandalized look when Hayden easily slips past his reaching hands to throw himself at Dream.

    "I was starting to think you canceled on me." Hayden half pouts, squishing Dream''s cheeks.

    Dream let himself be hugged and patted. "It''s barely been an hour since you called, Hay." He reminds, throwing an arm around his friend to whisper in his ear. "I hope they aren''t tagging along." He inqiures pointedly.

    "It took a lot to convince Virgil." Hayden winces, leaning into Dream, their heights are simr so it wasn''t ufortable to. "So he''s noting along."

    Dream nces at Hayden. "Leon and Darian?"

    "Tailing us but it''ll be like they''re not even there." Hayden says sheepishly.

    Dream rolls his eyes at this. "Fine." He agrees. "V, Your mate and I are getting matching tattoos." He calls over to Virgil, grabbing Hayden''s hand and pulling him out before Virgil can get over his initial shock.

 Chapter 348

    Chapter 348

    Dream snickers at Virgil''s sound of exasperation, Haydenughing beside him.

    "Think we can lose Leon and my brother?" He asks sneakily, Hayden''s grey eyes twinkling at this.

    "It''s worth a try." Hayden is quick to agree, knowing that they''ll be easy to find as soon as Ian got his hands on the GPS tracker.

    He wanted to get back at Virgil a bit for keeping him cooped up in the apartment for so long.

    ''"You''ll drive." Hayden says quickly, tossing the keys to Dream because he knows how carefully he drove, no way they were losing Darian and Leon with that. "We''ll take my husband''s car." Hayden chuckles evilly, darting into the passenger seat while Dream takes the driver''s side, both throwing their bags into the backseat as Dream hits reverse, tearing out of the parking lot.

    Their happyughter fills the car, Dream double checking that Hayden did up his seat belt, driving carefully because they''re barely back on the main road when he sees Leon and Darianing up quickly behind them.

    He slows down when their car speeds up to cut them off in front, both warriors apparently not caring that they were causing a ruckus in the middle of the road.

    Dream stops the car, sharing a worried nce in Hayden''s direction. "We might be in a little bit of trouble."

    "Are you both okay?" Darian is asking as soon as hees around, throwing a reproving re at his younger brother.

    Dream rolls his eyes at this question, noting how they were both staring them down like they expected to find both Omega''s badly injured and bleeding. "We''re not made of ss."

    Hayden nudges him at this, Dream mping his mouth shut reluctantly. "We''re fine, thank you, we''re sorry for worrying you." Hayden says politely.

    Both warriors rx visibly at this, still looking skeptical at Dream being the one behind the wheel.

    "It''s fine." Darian mumbles. "We''ll keep our distance."

    "So stuck up." Dream mutters when they could drive off again. "I have no idea how you stand it."

    Hayden shrugs. "It''s not half bad really, it just got worse now that I''m pregnant, plus I know they''re just worried for my safety."

    Dream nces at him, good thing they didn''t know he was pregnant as well then or they would be forced to ride in the backseat with Leon and Darian, probably a couple other Warriors tailing then, he wouldn''t put any of thatst his older brother.

    "So, how''s it like being pregnant?" He asks casually.

    Hayden leans backwards into the seat with a sigh. "Honestly, I''d say I''m getting used to it, there''s still the crying jags and the throwing up but what I''m having a hard time getting the hang of is how I''m always so hungry"

    Dream watches with wide eyes as Hayden reaches into his bag to bring out a cutesy covered bowl of strawberries with chocte topping, unwrapping a fork.

    "Hay aren''t we going to Honey''s?" He asks skeptically, watching Hayden that he knows, barely eats enough in Dream''s opinion, easily scarfing down the fruits.

    "Oh, yeah, we are." Hayden responds with his mouth full, careful to not get chocte on his top. "Want some?" He asks, offering some to Dream who keeps his eyes on the road.

    There was no reason to briefly lose control of the wheels because that would mean either Leon or Darian would drive them around for the rest of the day.

    The berry impaled on the tings of the fork gets close enough to Dream''s face and then his stomach says no, lurching violently that he has to avert his head to hide a gulp. "I''ll probably order some at Honey''s, finish up this one yeah?" He says to hide his revulsion.

    ''<em>Way to go, Daydream.</em>'' He nces down at his tummy, rubbing it a little.

    It would be a little bit hard exining his way out of a situation like having to park the car to throw up on the side of the road hangover? <em>Please</em>

    Hayden notices this, wondering if Dream was hungry but maybe he didn''t want to eat while driving - <em>silly him</em> - He shouldn''t have even offered.

    By the time they get to Honey''s, Hayden has already put his now empty bowl of strawberries away, he couldn''t catch Dream''s familiar scent of honey and some night flower but he doesn''t ask about it, if his friend felt morefortable with hiding his scent, that was just fine.

    He was practically doing the same anyway, Shana had said that his pregnancy pheromones would be hidden for a couple months more, nothing bad, just his physiology acting up. It was special enough that he could even conceive and Hayden didn''t worry much about that, as long as it wouldn''t cause any harm to the baby.

    So any average Werewolf that ran into them wouldn''t even be able to tell that he was pregnant.

    "Told your grandparents yet?" Dream asks while they wait for their orders, he already knows about basically everything else and while he listens to Hayden ramble on about his current situation, he wishes he could share too.

    Hopefully, he will be able to soon.

    "Well, Aunt Candy knows about it but we nned to wait till my grandparents came over to visit to surprise them."

    Dream looks pleasantly surprised at this. "That''s going to be one hell of a surprise." He says, his right hand going to his stomach again - it had easily be a habit.

    Hayden''s sharp eyes picked this up again, he had chosen to not push Dream about his well being, although he could easily tell that his friend was keeping a lot from him.

    Knowing Dream, he would open up when he was ready and not before, he could be patient.

    Hayden still makes noment about that, their fooding, he watches Dream basically pick his food, his nose twitching every now and then like he was cautiously checking the food''spatibility with his stomach.

    Hayden found himself doing that often too and he knows it''s a wild guess but he blurts it out anyways.

    "Dream?" He starts in a quiet voice, getting the other''s attention who is lifting his ss of orange juice to his lips. "A-are you pregnant?" He asks nervously, ying with his sunny side up eggs.

    Dream chokes on his juice at this, coughing as he stares at Hayden with wide eyes, tears in the blue-grey orbs.

    Hyaden panics at this, worried for his friend as he half rises from his seat with a napkin. "O-oh my G-God! Dream, I''m so sorry, I-I shouldn''t have said something like"

    A gag from Dream cuts him off, both staring at each other with wide eyes, realization sinking in on both sides.

    Dream hups, snatching the napkin from Hyaden''s outstretched hand before dashing away from their table, very clearly headed for the rest room.

 Chapter 349

    Chapter 349

    Hayden plops back on his chair in frozen shock for a couple seconds, realization settling in hard.

    It would only mean one thing, that Dream''s heat had started off right after his and <em>Dale</em>! He figures with a sharp gasp.

    But right now, he shouldn''t be worried about that, he thinks to himself, getting up in a hurry as he grabs more napkins from the table to follow after Dream who was most likely throwing up,

    Before being apprehensive about the entire situation, he was excited, he had someone who he could share with and who would understand him.

    "Dream?" He calls worriedly, stepping into the restroom which was gratefully empty to find his friend hunched over the sink looking pale.

    Hayden is quick to move into action, wiping Dream''s face although the other Omega weakly protests, pulling him into a hug when he''s done.

    He''s not surprised at the soft sniffles that escape Dream, rubbing his back and shouldersfortingly.

    "It''s fine, Dream, I''m so happy for you." He says with immense sincerity, choosing to not bombard his friend with questions.

    Dream leans back to look at him with grateful eyes, taking more napkins to dry his eyes and blow his nose. "Thank you." He sniffs.

    "Yeah" Hayden says absently, scrunching up his nose, whatever synthetic scented perfume they used in the ce was triggering him. "We should maybe get back to our seats, I''m not vibing with this fake citrus scent." Hayden murmurs, a hand over his throat as he gulps.

    This makes Dream crack up,ughing out loud with teary eyes. "Sure, I bet if Leon or Darian peek in and don''t find us, there would be chaos."

    *~*

    "So, you''re a lesbian now, huh, Dia?" Mr. Micall rounds up on his wife. "Or you''re just trying to get back at me."

    Dia makes a face of disgust at this, sipping her sweet tea quietly. "Firstly, why do you keep saying lesbian like you expected me to get offended and I don''t care about you anymore, not for more than a decade, I wouldn''t even buy earrings because of you, much less fall in love, now are you done?" She continues calmly. "We have an appointment, remember?"

    He''s stunned silent by her words, gritting his teeth as he picks up his leather jacket. "I''m ready, I''ll definitely be better off without you anyway."

    "Sure." Dia smiles patronizingly, going to keep her now empty cup in the kitchen. "Whatever helps you sleep better at night, Al."

    They both get in Dia''s car, Heather was the one taking care of the bakery for the morning, Dia wasn''t even worried, it was Heather.

    "I''ll be moving into the Pack House as soon as I can arrange it." Al says rudely, eyes fixed on his phone. "Don''te running back."

    "I''ll try my best." Dia replies, giving him a tight smile, she had barely been in the car with him for a couple minutes but she already wanted to throw him out of her car.

    ~

    "What do you mean we''re out of strawberries?" Renee asks Jaxon who had inadvertently gotten the mantle of cooking for the fourth floor upants now that Hayden wasn''t the one doing it - Yes, Renee had moved in.

    It wasn''t as chaotic as Virgil feared, yet.

    "Hay eats through them so fast." Jaxon panics, knowing that a throwing-up fit would follow if there were no strawberries for the Luna.

    "As his main meals?" Renee asks, she had been busy with moving for the past couple days so she hadn''t been around much.

    She also didn''t think it was healthy for her son to eat only strawberries.

    Jaxon winces. "No, as snacks, I think, he just eats them Renee!" The Head Beta half wails, pping both hands on his face.

    "Okay, calm down Jaxie, I''ll go get more." She quickly acquiesces, still confused as to how the literal truckload of strawberries she had ordered as soon as she found out about his craving was finished.

    She was going to have to do something about all this strawberry eating who was she kidding? All Hayden had to do was ask for more and she would buy a couple farms full of the stuff.

    They were probably not the right people to watch over a pregnant Hayden but she would give a lot to the person who could say no to Hayden.

    She stopped by her apartment, which was beside Yanis'' to pick up her bag, she would have to buy some from the market then ce another order.

    At least Yanis had handled the news of Hayden''s pregnancy quite well so that was one less person to worry about, although Renee couldn''t help but feel like he was still in shock.

    Her phone rings just as she got to the foyer so she slows down to pick up, a coupleing in just at that same time, making her nce up, a smile on her face as she notices Dia.

    "Oh, Dia, hi and" She turns to the man standing beside her friend, her heart stopping as a heavy sense of <em>deja vu</em>'' hits her.

    "Alex?"

    The man flinches backwards at this, Dia stepping back to watch the drama unfold in front of her.

    "I-I''m sorry, who are you?" Alex tries to cover up.

    Renee just hangs up on the call, she could deal with thatter - who would think that she would find him right here, in Pine Creek <em>Hayden''s father</em>

    She studies him, he hadn''t changed too much, still the cocky bastard he always was just older, his previously shiny blond hair that he was so proud of now flecked with grey, dark blue eyes now lined, although being a werewolf, it meant that he was definitely way older than he said he was when they first met.

    <em>While she was barely an adult</em>

    She ignores his apparent tries to cover up, something else hitting her.

    "Wait, Dia, you said your husband was back?"

    Dia steps forward at this, standing protectively beside Renee. "Yeah, I did, although he doesn''t seem to need to be introduced." She says pointedly, ring at him. "Alex, this is my friend, Renee, Ren, that Alex, my asshole of a husband."

 Chapter 350

    Chapter 350

    Renee flinches back at this, making calctions in her head. "Still need more information to jog your faulty memory, Alex?" She asks him sarcastically. "Sierra High? Sorority party?... and oh I don''t know, four months of dating? Dumping me when you found out I was pregnant, that seems like a lot to easily forget Alex."

    Dia''s eyes go wide. "You missed the birth of yourst child to ruin a teenage girl''s life? Wow, Alex, I always knew you were at rock bottom, I just didn''t know you had long started to dig."

    Virgiles in at this point, he had caught the tail ends of both thedies'' words and the weight of his dominance is what catches the others'' attention.

    He sidled protectively between them and some sketchy looking man who was darting his eyes around like a cornered animal.

    "Ren, Dia, is something wrong? Who the fuck is this?"

    "Alpha Virgil, what a surprise to find you out here, I more like my husband and I have an appointment with you right now." Dia is quick to say, Renee cing a hand on Virgil''s arm who looks like he''s about to check out what his knuckle print would look like on Alex''s face.

    "The Alpha, good, finally, someone I can talk to around here." Alex finds his voice. "This strange human woman, walks up to me with bullshit usations and my wife" He wraps a cruel hand around Dia''s arm and pulls her viciously in his direction. "Who is pissed at me, decided to y along, why the hell are humans even allowed in the Pack House anyway?"

    Renee leans back at this, taking her hand off Virgil and stepping back, the mouthy idiot had iting.

    Virgil''s eyes sh gold, his anger that he was usually really good at keeping under wraps bubbling up so hot that he was pretty sure they could both smell it.

    "That''s my mom." He says coldly to Alex who rapidly goes pale, stepping backwards even as Virgil takes a step forward, intimidatingly cracking his knuckles. "So I think the question here, trashmouth, is why you''re here."

    Alex backs away even more at this, Renee pulling Dia so they could hide behind Virgil''s back, Alex''s stuttering getting worse.

    "Y-your m-mom b-but t-t...that''s impossible."

    Renee realizes that Alex thought that Virgil was his son with her and she chooses to not correct this mistake, Virgil looked like he had everything all under control anyway.

    "Oh, and yeah, I married your son." Virgil adds to the older man, coldcocking him one good on his jaw.

    Renee nudges Dia, a sneaky smile on her face as Alex slumps against the wall, out cold.

    "Want to drag him up the stairs?" She asks.

    An evil light plops into Dia''s dark brown eyes at this. "We''ll hold his legs, don''t worry, he has a dense skull, he''ll be fine."

    ~

    "I''m so sorry." Hayden says softly when Dream is done exining what happened right after he left Hayden - well, a lot was glossed over but, basically everything there was to know, except maybe his falling out with Dale.

    Dream wanted to talk to Dale first before anyone else

    "What? Why?" Dream stares across the table in surprise, they were long done with their breakfast but had been so engrossed in their discussion.

    "It was because you had toe check up on me, that''s why you got your heat." Hayden murmurs, taking a sip of cool water.

    Dream snorts, waving his friend''s worries away. "Please, it was going to happen anyway, best if I was expecting it."

    "Is that why you left Dale''s Pack House?" Hayden asks carefully.

    Dream averts his face. "Yeah oh dear! Look at the time, we better get to shopping."

    Hayden beams at this, Dream obviously didn''t want to talk about it but if the other Omega was willing toe stay in their Pack House, it meant all hope wasn''t lost.

    He would find out when Dream was ready to open up.

    "Mmhmm." Hayden nods, getting up and paying before Dream could bring out his wallet.

    "Uh uh." He shakes his head sternly. "I invited you, Dream, so I''ll pay." He says seriously, mming a palm on the table.

    Dream flinches at this, shocked at his intensity. "O...kay?"

    "Awesome." Hayden grins his eyes turning to slits with how widely he was smiling, like he wasn''t just spitting fire a couple seconds ago.

    "So how is it?" Hayden asks when they''re settled in the car.

    "Hmm?" Dream nces at him, distracted.

    "Being pregnant." Hayden shrugs, he''s the one driving this time.

    "Pretty much the same as yours, it''s weird being picky with my food, I''m usually down with everything, now it''s trial and error with food." He smiles fondly at this point. "Poor Kieran, he''s slightly emetophobic so he''s always on his guard while we''re eating."

    He leans down to ruffle through his satchel, taking out a mint when it feels like his stomach is unsettled. "By the way, I just learnt that word and I''ve been dying to use it with someone else other than Kieran."

    Haydenughs at this, noticing the mint in his friend''s hand. "You like mints now?"

    "Strangely." Dream makes a face. "I hate that I do."

    Anotherugh bubbles out of Hayden. "Mine is worse, I can''t seem to be able to get enough of strawberries"

    "With melted chocte topping." Dream adds in a muffled voice. "I saw." He chuckles - Hayden had ordered those at Honey''s, the waiter''s expression was priceless.

    Even worse, it was his Luna and the poor thing looked like he really wanted to make a good impression.

    "Wait isn''t that your mate''s scent?" Dream realizes with wide eyes.

    "Oh my God!"

    They both burst outughing, Dream reaching for another month only to freeze up, sharing a wide eyed look with Hayden.

    "No way!" Dream whispers.

    "Yes way." Haydenughs at him.

    "That doesn''t make any logical sense, we''re too simr to be just a male Omega thing." Dream notes offhandedly.

 Chapter 351

    Chapter 351

    "Did the both of you murder him?" Jaxon asks in apprehension when he bumps into Dia and Reneeing up the third floor.

    "I wish." Dia mutters.

    "Not yet, Virgil knocked him out." Renee offers with a bright eye smile, helping Dia pull Alex up thest step.

    "Jaxie, meet Hayden''s father, Alex." She introduces brightly.

    "And also my husband." Dia tags on.

    Jaxon''s eyes go wide at this, the files in his hand clutched close to his chest as he realizes the implications of this. "Oh wow." He looks around desperately. "Where''s Virgil?"

    "He''sing up, do you have any rope?" Renee asks seriously, tugging on Alex''s right leg. "He looks like he''s waking up and he gets really aggressive when things don''t go his way."

    "W-what?" Jaxon splutters, clutching his files tighter.

    "Toote, Ren." Dia mumbles with hard eyes, kicking Alex hard on the side of his head when his eyes fluttered open.

    Renee doesn''t hesitate to join in, Jaxon, lending them a hand by whacking the downed man with his files.

    Ian walks in on this and freezes up, surprise in his eyes. "What the fuck?" He mutters under his breath.

    Thedies and Jaxon also freeze up, halting up their attacks.

    "Aww, Ian, why are you such a spoilsport." Virgiles up the rest of the stairs. "I was enjoying the show."

    "And I''m the schizophrenic one okay so who''s the guy?" He nods down at Alex who is out cold again, his shirt shifting at the motion.

    "Is that a hickey?" Jaxon narrows his eyes suspiciously.

    "Are you telling me who it is?" Ian repeats, his empty expression not shifting.

    "He''s Dia''s husband who''s also Hayden''s father." Jaxon finally says, his eyes still narrowed.

    "Why don''t we move this to my office?" Virgil invites, leading the way.

    "I''ll call up Hayden." Renee says, already bringing out her phone. "He''s out with Dream, his half brother wait! This means I''m their step mom!"

    "Renee, I don''t think it works that way." Jaxon frowns, Ian had been the one to cart Alex to Virgil''s office and he was now seated at his usual spot on the couch while Alex was ced in a seat, his head flopping.

    "Nonsense, Jaxie." She waves him away. "They''re Hayden''s half siblings so they''re my kids too, ooh I need to call Maggie and daddy, and"

    "Hayden?" Jaxon reminds her dryly, Dia chuckling at her excitement.

    "Oh yes! One sec" she smiles, dialing him up.

    ~

    Hayden and Dream strolled hand in hand, bags slung over their shoulders as they bypassed other shops and went straight for Starry Outfitters, although Dream protested.

    He already had enough of the store and he had only gone there once but he had told Hayden about it, once.

    "I can''t believe you still even remember." Dream half groans, letting himself be dragged into the shy ce that didn''t sit well with him.

    "I just want to be the mean, rich friend for once, please Dream, I promise we''ll go anywhere else you want, I can even convince Leon and Darian to let us go to Paper District."

    Dream makes a face at this, remembering that Leon and Darian had literally called to ask what store they were going to first so they could check the ce out.

    "Yeah... no, I wouldn''t bet on that." He nces at Hayden who is looking at him with hopeful eyes. "But I really want to see you be mean, this might just be worth it, let''s go." He agrees.

    And that''s why they''re currently at the front doors of Starry Outfitters, a look of disgust on Dream''s face at the pink doors.

    The doors open automatically and they both stride in, Dream immediately recognizing Sharon, the snotty clothes attendant that he he bumped into the first time he came here - was this really the ce he met Kieran for the first time?

    Dream is in front and without recognizing him, she has that ever present look of scorn on her face as she appraises him by his dress choice - it makes him want to just wake up in the morning, dress shabbily ande here to upset her.

    "I''m sorry, the thrift store is that way..."

    Hayden steps forward at this, anger on his face. "Is this how you treat your customer?" He sasses her and Dream can see the way Sharon''s eyes widen, his tiny brain no doubt calcting the amount of Hayden''s outfit.

    He steps back and watches Hayden tear her down, he has to say, a mad Hayden wasn''t bad at all.

    "N-no sir, I-I mean..."

    "Where''s your boss? I''d like to have a couple words with her." Hayden bulldozes tight over her.

    "I had no idea he was with you, your assistant perhaps?" She tries to suck up to Hayden.

    He flinches at this, sharing a stunned look with Dream. "The nerve of this bitch..." He curses under his breath, swinging his satchel at her, catching her easily on the side of her face.

    "Hay..." Dream quickly holds back his friend, uncaring about Sharon who was currently wailing loudly, trying to garner attention, more worried about a pregnant Hayden working himself up.

    No one else but Nikka hurries out, looking like she was ready to throw hell, at least until she catches sight of a livid Hayden who looks like he might like to go after Sharon again, the salesgirl, hurrying behind her employer.

    At least Nikka has a working head on her shoulders.

    "What''s going on here..." She starts to rage, recognizing Hayden only to choke and splutter.

    "Miss. y, these two men came in here and assaulted me..."

    Nikka doesn''t even let her finish, grabbing her hair to yank her closer. "What the fuck did you do?" She uses her worker, her eyes wide in a panic.

    "W-what... I don''t u-understand..." Sharon splutters looking lost.

    "Those two men as you rashly described, one of them is the Luna of Crimson Pack, the pregnant Luna, tell me Sharon, do you want to lose your life? Or worse still shut down my fucking store?"

    With that she pushes Sharon to the side and hurries forward, terror in her eyes. "I sincerely apologise for whatever my employee did..." Nikka starts to bow furiously, appealing to Dream who was still more or less holding back and angry Hayden.

    "I want her to apologize to my younger brother." Hayden bites out at Sharon.

    Nikka is quick to get with the program, pulling Sharon over who goes through the apology and bowing routine.

    "You know what, Hay, this isn''t so bad." Dream smiles.

    "Thank you." Nikka bows some more. "You can shop free, whatever you buy, it''s on the house."

 Chapter 352

    Chapter 352

    Just as they were directed into a private dressing room, Hayden phone rings, he brings it out of his bag, hoping he hadn''t smashed it when he went after Sharon with the bag.

    Dream walks around the room a bit, mirrors and discreetly ced lights everywhere, as well as a lot of mobile wardrobes <em>this should be fun.</em>

    Renee had paced outside to make the call, she hadn''t been sure exactly how to break it to Hayden.

    It wasn''t everyday your mother walked up to you and said that your father who you have never met was right in your Pack House right then.

    Plus, she didn''t want to ruin Hayden''s and his half brother''s outing.

    "Hi, mom." Hayden picks up, greeting with a smile on his face as he watches Dream throw a mink coat over his shoulders and some ridiculous sombrero.

    "Hayden, baby, I''ve got a bit of shocking news." She starts bluntly. "But I don''t want to ruin your outing with your half brother." She blunders.

    "What?" Hayden exims, his eyes fixed on Dream who keeps disappearing behind rows of clothes - h-his half "mom, what are you talking about?"

    "Oops! I just found out that Dia''s husband is Alex, isn''t this splendid news, you have three siblings now." Renee starts to ramble, much of her excitement spilling out.

    "Oh m-my oh wow" Hayden trails off, his excitement cut short when he sees hands pull Dream behind a mobile wardrobe, horror sinking in.

    "Dream!" He yells, reaching forward only to have a big, calloused hand ced firmly over his mouth, his phone ttering to the ground in the struggle that ensues.

    "Hay! Baby! What''s wrong?" Renee stares at her phone, listening intently, all her red gs were up in mes but she could get nothing but hushed rustling then a loud creaking sound like someone was stepping on the phone, then the line went dead.

    Without hesitation, she turned around and hightailed it back to Virgil''s office where the others were seated bursting in.

    This attracts everyone''s attention, everyone staring up at Renee who is clutching her phone to herself, horror on her face.

    "Renee?" Virgil is the first to get up,ing closer. "What''s wrong?"

    Renee blinks at this, tears gathering in her eyes rapidly. "I-I don''t know, I-I w-was t-a...ta-talking t-to H-Hay on t...the ph-phone right and then and then he''s y-yelling Dream''s na oh my s-something is wrong with my babies, s-so...something is" she chokes at this point, Dia hurrying forward to pull her into a hug.

    "Breathe for me okay, they''ll be fine, Darian and Leon are watching over then." Dia says in a soft voice, rubbing a handfortingly over Renee''s back who is already breaking down in tears.

    Virgil yanks his phone out savagely, dialing up Leon.

    "Ye"

    "Where are they?" He asks immediately, not giving a chance to Leon to speak.

    Leon goes on full alert at this, his eyes fixed on the store''s entrance. "At some fancy store, Darian and I scoped the interior"

    "Get them out of there, right fucking now, I''m on my way." He growls into his phone, already reaching for his keys before he remembers that Hayden took it.

    Virgil goes over to Renee and Dia, his eyes a muted gold. "I''ll get them back, I promise." He says, sweeping out of the office, leaving the others stunned.

    He takes out his phone one more time to call up Dale, good thing Renee had been talking to Hayden when whatever happened or they wouldn''t have noticed for hours.

    "Hey"

    "Where are you?"

    Dale sits up on his desk at the ice in Virgil''s tone, it had been a while since he had heard it, something was up.

    "In my office, what''s up?" He asks, already getting up.

    "Something is up with Hay and Dream, get your ass down with your car keys, they took mine."

    That''s all Dale needs to hurry out with his keys, Kieran would know to take over for him when he came to find his office empty.

    ~

    Leon had never gotten out of a car so fast after the phone call from Virgil, the phone had been on speakerphone so Darian was currently doing the same.

    <em>''fuck, they should have seperated, one of them watching the backdoors''</em> but they hadn''t wanted to crowd Hayden and Dream, knowing how ufortable it must be for them.

    He shares a nce with Darian, their thoughts on simr tracks as usual.

    Darian takes the back and Leon goes in front, the intruders were definitely still in the building.

    Leon feels a familiar heat burning through his veins, someone was going to end up dead.

    He cautiously sneaks in through the front, the entire store was in a flurry of activity, no one noticing his entrance for a while.

    They had called to ask which dressing room they were at so Leon knew where to head to.

    He keeps an eye out for any suspicious activity and theck of it makes him even more surprised at least until he steps into the hallway that leads to their dressing room and sees Sharon, some hairbrained attendant that had approached him when he first came in, tied up.

    He hurries past her, ignoring her muffled pleas for help, firstly, if she was in that situation it meant that Hayden and Dream were in worse plus he didn''t care.

    Talking telepathically while in human form was starting to get forgotten, seeing as it was only needed when they were in wolf forms but it didn''t mean they couldn''t use it.

    ''<em>bad news, D.''</em> he sends to the other Warrior. <em>''I found a worker tied up on the way to their dressing room D? D?''</em> he calls a tad frantically when he gets no response.

    <em>''chill for a sec, dick face.''</em> Darian finally responds, his words sounding halting. <em>''I</em> <em>figured that would be the case, I''m already at the dressing room and''</em> he breaks off a bit, Leon standing behind the closed door in apprehension, trying to listen in.

    <em>''fuck! Just get your ass in here.''</em>

 Chapter 353

    Chapter 353

    Leon does as asked only to burst in and see Darian facing off against a couple armed Werewolves, some already down, no doubt Darian''s handiwork.

    Leon helps to disarm the others, driving his foot a little harder than necessary into the face of the goon closest to him on the ground, feeling the satisfying crunch of his nose break under his shoe.

    Soon it''s just them left in the dressing room, their pants harsh in the small space, the ce was utterly trashed - another thing to add to the charges that wasing for the owner of the ce.

    "What the fuck is going on? Where''s Hayden and Dream?" Leon demands, following Darian out the backdoor, there was no way they had left through the front.

    "Damned if I know." Darian curses, he is bleeding from a jagged cut on his cheek and a couple other shes that has the Head Warrior ncing over him asionally.

    "Stop staring at me like I''m gonna faint." Darian mumbles, pressing his back against the wall of the hallway they were on, to scout the corner they were about to take.

    Leon averts his face at this, his phone feeling like a heavy weight in his pocket, he had to call up some Warriors to not only give them back up but to also get out Hayden''s and Dream''s things which were still in the dressing room amongst other people...

    They make their way out to the sound of squealing tires, a series of tinted ck cats driving off.

    Without breaking their stride, they both went for their car, Darian taking the wheel while Leon was already calling up Virgil to tell him the change of ns.

    The cars were fast and they couldn''t even tell which one had their Luna and Darian''s younger brother, it was a shitshow.

    "Who the fuck are these guys?" Darian asks in a barely suppressed rage as they followed after them, barely keeping up.

    "V, they took them, make a U-turn because I think they''re headed for the interstate, we have them in our sight." Leon called Virgil to say, hanging up instantly to contact his Warriors telepathically and give them orders.

    "I don''t know, Darian but they nned this" his words are barely out when Darian loses control of the wheels, the car careening off the road.

    Good thing they are already past the busy West Avenue and back in the town proper, the roads mostly empty.

    It''s with a struggle that he manages to stop the car before they crashed into a building, both jumping out to investigate.

    "Fuckers, they punctured the fucking tires." Darian curses, his rage an icy storm.

    Leon is already scouting the area, he knew he was onto something when he said this was nned, this wasn''t just some <em>''oh shit! Male Omegas, let''s swipe them''</em>

    No this was weeks, maybe months of nning, it means they had been tailed the whole day and Leon and Darian didn''t even notice.

    "D, we''re shifting." Leon says in a low voice, taking off his shit and locking up his phone in the car.

    Darian automatically does the same, the start of a question in his eyes but the thought of his younger brother and their pregnant Luna in the hands of some slimy bastards was enough to shut him up.

    They start down the ominously empty road, Jaxon no doubt had done his bit by alerting the Pack members that lived in the town, it would exin why the road was ominously close - you had to love the Werewolf.

    <em>''Reef, the city is walled in by the ocean, the only way to get out of it would be through air.''</em> Leon starts to analyze mentally, although they were still in human form, running over the bright asphalt.

    ''<em>If they did their research well, they would know that there''s no way they would make it out in time''</em> He transforms mid run at this, not breaking his stride, magnificent white wolf that was a couple shades darker than Virgil''s running through the town.

    Darian does the same, his dark wolf a nice contrast to Leon''s lighter colored wolf, matching silver eyes glinting in the sunlight.

    ''<em>so they headed for the interstate instead.''</em> Darian finishes up the analysis, if they got far enough, it would be hard to tell which town they went into on the other side of the pines.

    They get to the edge of town in no time, keeping to their speed as they made it to the cover of trees, if any human saw them then that was a traumatic experience they would get to live with for the rest of their lives.

    They would take a short cut to the interstate, to cut off the Intruders, some.other Warriors should be meeting up with them right about here.

    ~

    Both Alphas remained deadly silent, Dale immediately swerving when he got the info from Leon and in no time could see the cars in the distance.

    It took a lot to sit still in the car and dash out in their wolf forms.

    But those were no ordinary cars because Dale was currently burning down his speedometer and they could barely keep up.

    Chasing after them in their wolf forms would just make them lose the Intruders.

    Virgil couldn''t possibly imagine who it could be and what they would want with his mate and his mate''s half brother, it had to be because of their status because Leon had said that they were definitely Werewolves.

    <em>Fucking bastards!</em> What was this? The fucking dark ages? What the fuck did they need Alpha Werewolves for anymore? The hierarchy of Werewolves was more or less copsing

    He was so livid that keeping his wolf at bay was a difficult enough task, ncing at Dale was enough to tell him that the other Alpha was in a simr situation

    <em>''Alpha, we''re in position.''</em>

    Leon links with him and Virgil grins, his smile all teeth and cold murder.

    ''<em>good, they''ll be there in a bit, give them a warm wee, honors of Pine Creek.''</em>

 Chapter 354

    Chapter 354

    Leon and Darian had led the Warriors to the edge where the interstate divided the forest, they were all primed and ready to fight, although they had easily run a lot of miles.

    The person he still had an eye on was Darian, the Werewolf was always the cool level headed one but Virgil had linked with him and Leon had never seen him this much on the brink of losing control.

    It was interesting and a little bit worrying, the Warrior could get himself badly hurt.

    <em>''stop burning holes through my fur.''</em> Darianined in a gruff voice, sharp silver eyes fixed on the road.

    <em>''I see them''</em> Tim, the Werewolf on the lookout linked to the others and they all fell into position.

    Powerful muscles moving under heavy and fluffy coats of fur.

    Leon was in the lead but as soon as the first car came into sight, Darian rushed at it, uncaring of its speed as he nted himself paw first in front, his front paws going through the windscreen.

    The yell of the driver and the other Werewolves inside was what spurred the others into action, using the size and power of their wolves to crash the cars.

    Darian bent his head to peek in and when he saw that neither of his younger brothers were in there, he dragged out the driver in a rage.

    Using his sharp fangs to mp around the man''s shoulders, not even giving him a chance to shift as he mmed him against the asphalt.

    He easily dragged the rest out as well, going after one that tried to escape, ripping his head clean off.

    Leon as well was on a roll, Dale''s car in the distance, good thing the interstate was usually deserted, it was about to get really bloody.

    The enemy Werewolves were getting the hang of the fight, shifting as well.

    Although the difference was clear that while the Warriors had months of training under their belt, the bad guys usually went with guns and weapons, effects of living in a human dominated world.

    So although their numbers were impressive, they easily fell to the onught of both Packs might.

    Dale barely stops the car before Virgil is leaping out, fully shifting before his legs even hit the ground, racing directly into the battlefield.

    Dale was more bothered about other things, most of the cars had been broken or dented by the Warriors but there was a car in particr that was still intact and the enemy Werewolves were doing a lot to protect.

    "Jackpot." He mutters to himself, getting his ass out, shifting as well.

    Apparently, Virgil had a simr idea and while the Warriors concentrated their efforts on letting no one escape.

    In their haze of rage, it wasn''t very difficult to tear apart the Werewolves in the way, some trying to run away from the rage of both Alphas only to end up in the ws of the Warriors, literally.

    Leon had just ripped out a front paws of one of the enemy Werewolves, his pained howl adding to the cacophony of fight noises, warm blood drenching his fur.

    He just spat out the heavy appendage when something caught his eye, a human who looked like he had fallen into hell while he was still alive was fumbling with a gun, his hands shaking so badly he could barely hold the metal weapon.

    Leon was still a far distance from him so he starts for the guy that obviously got hired to be a hitman by the wrong people when the human''s hand steadies and he aims.

    Leon wastes precious seconds looking at who the gun was aimed for, his heart stopping when he sees it''s Darian.

    The bullet wouldn''t hurt badly if the second inmand was hit but there was the very huge risk that he could get hit in the head or the throat, that could be ghastly.

    He starts for the human again with a roar, if anyone was going to kill the pain in the ass, it would be Leon, not some lowlife dirtbag.

    He doesn''t make it in time though, the gunshot sounding far too loud, it made time slow and his ears ring.

    Luke was beside Darian when the shot went off, the other Warrior was incurrently grappling with another Werewolf on the ground.

    And from the trajectory of the bullet, it was aimed at his throat, without thinking Luke threw himself in front of the bullet, the hot metal embedding itself in his shoulder.

    He dropped to the ground, feeling the pain radiate through his entire body.

    This puts movement back in Leon''s limbs tearing the gun out of the human''s hands before he could fire another shot.

    He might have ripped the gun away with more than a couple fingers but no one was looking, he takes his time dismembering the human, engrossed in his task until a familiar voice filters in his head.

    ''<em>Leo, he''s dead.''</em> Darian says dryly, hovering over Like who was still in wolf form to minimize the damage on his body.

    Leon goes over to Darian at this, most of the enemy Werewolves were dead or unconscious.

    <em>''You good, Luke.''</em>

    ''<em>Yeah</em>.'' Luke winces. ''<em>Hurts like a bitch though.''</em>

    <em>''I''ll get a wagon out, you''re good.''</em>

    Virgil and Dale shift back in sync when thest intact car is finally cleared of all the enemy Werewolves protecting them, most likely Hayden and Dream had been knocked unconscious.

    They carefully open both doors at the same time, the rest of the Warriors turning in their direction expectant.

    Virgil is the first to notice that something is wrong, ripping out the car-door in a rage, he yanks out the mannequin seated on his side, Dale doing the same with him.

    "It was a fucking decoy!" He growled, driving a fist into the side of the car.

    "Fuck!" Dale raged, ripping the mannequin in his hand apart.

    It meant that both Omegas were long gone, fuck knew where they were even taken to.

 Chapter 355

    Chapter 355

    They all regrouped back in the Crimson Pack House, Luke had been taken to the clinic with the rest of the injured warriors while the Alphas of both Pack as well as Leon and Darian who refused to be treated went up to the Alpha''s floor.

    The rest were seated tensely waiting for the news, Dia and Renee sat hugging each other while Jaxie paced, Ian furiously checking his tablet.

    "The cars going to the interstate were a fucking decoy." Virgil says tightly when they are all settled in the adjoining room of Virgil''s office.

    A heavy silence falls on the room, grave expressions all around.

    "Do we have any idea who they could be?" Dia asks, her hands in fists.

    "I don''t think it''s rted to the LeBarons" Renee started to say, doubt on her face "Oh my God, I have to inform my parents" she sighs heavily, her eyes puffy.

    "Ian is currently checking all the flights right now, none of them match the description."

    "Figured, if this was well nned I doubt they''ll try to escape through ways we can predict." Dale mutters, his eyes staring holes into the far wall.

    "A private jet perhaps"

    "That would be too obvious." Leon cut his twin off.

    "I''ll be right back." Renee mumbles, making her way out.

    They all watch her go, hopelessness settling like a heavy stone in their middle.

    Virgil barely restrains himself from punching the wall, this was all his fault now his pregnant mate was gone

    "We can''t just sit around here doing nothing, let''s get to interrogating the captives." Virgil orders calmly, his expression icy. "If they were taken for the reasons we fear then" he trails off, his voice choked up.

    Dia looks like she might cry. "Hay is pregnant." She whispers, covering her mouth with both hands.

    Dale grits his teeth at this, his wolf raving mad that he could barely hold it in. "Not just Hayden" he drops the bomb.

    The rooms goes deathly silent at this, realization dawning on everyone.

    In the split second that follows, Darian throws himself at Dale, mming the Alpha against the wall.

    This doesn''t sit well with Dale who is already in a rage, he growls in Darian''s face, fangs snapping, eyes shing.

    Renee choses this moment toe back in, the relief on her face dropping when she takes in the scene in front of her.

    "W-what''s going on?" She stutters slightly, her phone still clutched in her hand.

    Dia gets up, finally breaking from her initial shock to clutch Renee''s arms. "Dream might be pregnant too." She says in ghastly terror, going pale.

    Renee''s mouth drops open. "Oh my God. Good thing I called daddy first, he said he put a tracker in all of his children when their born" she turns to the side to mutter to herself. "I had no fucking idea by the way" she turns back to them with a shaky but reassuring smile. "So he has his people on it and will send us their location soon."

    This is enough to separate even Darian and Dale who look like they want to tear out each other''s necks.

    Virgil sinks into his seat, Dale doing the same against the wall, sliding down on it.

    "That''s a relief but we can''t rest yet, the major problem of where they are is out of the way but we still have to get them back." Jaxon surmises when it seems neither of the Alphas are in the shape to speak.

    "Most of the Warriors need to rest up." Leon steps forward to say.

    "I''m sure that won''t be an issue, getting men to go get them back."

    "Yeah but it''s a pride thing with them." Leon works out the cricks in his neck. "They''re not going to be happy if outsiders are the one to get their Lunas..." He gives a pointed look to Dale at this. "...back for them... so..."

    "A lot of research is going to go into getting them back." Dale speaks up in a level voice, "we''ll need Intel on the ce, what kind of crappy Pack it is and their manpower."

    "I''m still interrogating someone." Virgil says stubbornly, the initial despair that enveloped him turning to anticipation. "I have an idea of who it might be." He mutters darkly, his thoughts going back to when he and Hayden went to the city.

    Those weird guys in the tinted car that had been watching him weirdly, the other Alpha in particr, then Virgil had thought the Alpha was staring at him, he hadn''t known then that it wasn''t him but his mate.

    "There''s a lot for you to interrogate, although from the looks of things they are just the hired help, it''ll marvel you how many Werewolves live among humans." Darian spoke up for the first time since he pried himself off Dale, he had gone to the far end of the wall to stand unnaturally still. "I doubt they would know shit about the Pack or the ns."

    "But it''ll help pass the time." Leon offered, an upsetting twinkle in his eye.

    "What are we going to do about Mr. Micall?" Jaxie asked tentatively, the man was still tied up in his office - he had been moved there so Darian or Virgil didn''t bash his head in on a whim.

    "Throw him out the window, I''m taking Ren to go make us some tea." Dia said without a second thought, tugging her friend up, they would both need as muchfort as they could offer each other.

    "W-what?" Jaxon splutters. "I-I can''t do that."

    "I''ll help you." Darian steps forward immediately to offer, his usually stern face softening slightly.

    "That''s not better."

    "We''ll still monitor him, it''s quite a coincidence that just when hees back, the Male Omegas in my Pack gets taken." Virgil says darkly. "I just might add him to my interrogation list."

    Dale makes a face at this. "Sure..."

    "He was an asshole to Dream." Darian mutters.

    Dale does a double take at this. "On second thoughts, count me in, we could be good cop, bad cop."

    Dia shrugs, "I really don''t care." She waves, sweeping out with a distracted Renee in tow.

 Chapter 356

    Chapter 356

    Shana was beyond worried about Hayden and Dream''s disappearance, she only knew because the Warriors that came in had to inform her.

    They had decided to keep it a secret from the rest of the Pack at least for how long they could because with Warriors being taken to the clinic, it would soon be obvious that something was incredibly wrong.

    It was better than the Pack outright panicking.

    She would love to go up to the fourth floor and get information for herself but she was too tied down here, busy stitching up the guys so that their bodies healed faster.

    Parents and loved ones of the Warriors were already trooping in so she''s not surprised to find Deidre.

    "Hi DD." She waves to her on her way to get more bandages from the store, their injuries weren''t severe except maybe Luke with his gunshot wound but there were a lot of them with the asional sh visibly from another Werewolf''s ws.

    "Hey." She says in a dry voice, rubbing her hands nervously together. "I heard that the Warriors were being taken to the clinic."

    Shana nces at her and winces. "You might have to go to the Alpha floor for your brother, Darian is not here." She tries to tell her as happily as she could but it justes out as a grimace - she wouldn''t be surprised if the other Werewolf''s phone rang now.

    A jingling sound startles them both, cutting short Deidre''s response. She nces down at it to see that it''s her mom calling. "I''m sorry, I need to take this."

    "It''s fine" Shana waves away to her, worry back on the nurse''s, she couldn''t handle theck of information, as soon as she was done here she would find her way up the stairs.

    ~

    Renee watches Dia step away to talk to her daughter, they are currently in Renee''s apartment.

    she needed to call Yanis.

    It would hurt him if he were to hear the news from some other source, she would have preferred to tell him while she could see him so she could physically restrain him if he tries to blow his cover to go after Hayden, she wouldn''t put it past him.

    "Hi, Yanis." She says solemnly into the phone.

    As usual Yanis'' radar picks up all sorts of signals. "Renee? What''s wrong? Where''s Hayden?"

    Renee winces at this, remembering again why she wanted to tell him this face to face. It was just like his thoughts to go straight to his friend.

    "He''s" Renee starts to say then she shakes her head, she didn''t want to lie. "Let''s just say a lot happened since you left for the bookstore this morning, can youe back?" She asks carefully.

    Yanis starts off like he wants to say something then he changes his mind and hums. "Sure, I''ll be there in a while." He mutters.

    Dia wanders back at this point, her eyes bleak.

    "How did she take it?"

    Dia''s response is a big sigh. "I don''t know, she went quiet after I told her, only saying that she would take the rest of the day off." Dia said, getting up to go to the kitchen. "She''ll be here in a little while."

    "Yanis too" Renee says wearily, her phone ringing.

    She looks down and sees that the notification is about the strawberries she ordered and tears well up in her eyes, she really hoped they were both okay.

    "They will be." Dia says in a firm voice and Renee realized that she had said her worries out loud.

    She responds to her older sister''s texts, Candy was currently discussing with Jaxie.

    Virgil and Dale hadn''t wanted the involvement of the authorities and Candy had agreed with that but she was trying to arrange for thew to do a clean up so there wouldn''t be a repeat of what had happened.

    Deidre shows up first, Renee offering her arms to the young girl who looks a little lost.

    "Where''s my mom?" Deidre asks when she sits beside Renee, resting her head on Renee''s shoulders.

    "Here." Dia is quick to say,ing out from the kitchen with a steaming tray. "I changed my mind about the tea, Ren." She says in a soft voice, carefully cing the tray on the table. "Chocte would do better tofort us."

    They quietly sip their drinks, a clock ticking in the background, hearts heavy.

    It doesn''t take long for Yanis to show up, looking horrified. "What the fuck?" He mutters to himself as he''s let in into Renee''s apartment like he was still trying to make sense of things.

    "Meet anyone?" Renee is quick to ask him, walking into his open arms that he had reflexively put out.

    "Just Jaxon, Virgil''s office was empty, Jaxon told me where they went" He says quietly, offeringfort to Renee.

    Renee, who is just relieved that Yanis hadn''t blown his top off and was actually handling things a whole lot calmer than she had been expecting.

    It perhaps helped that they already had the promise of their location or it wasn''t just that and Yanis would be level headed in chaotic situations like this.

    "I need to go help out Jaxie." He says after a while, a vein ticking on his jaw.

    Renee nods. "Is Alex still there?"

    "No." Yanis mutters, leaning forward to kiss Renee''s forehead and bow as politely as he could to Dia and Deidre before making his way out.

    Deidre blinks in realization. "Dad?"

    "Oh yeah" Deidre says I''m a quiet voice. "In the hubbub of everything I almost forgot, your dad is Hayden''s father"

    Deidre''s sharp gasp cut her off. "T-that means oh my"

    "Yes, you''re half siblings."

    Yanis nods to Renee after this, stepping out stiffly.

    She hoped he would be okay, knowing him, he would probably insist to tag along when they went to get Hayden and Dream back.

    "Come on, Ren." Dia invites her back to the seat from her spot by the door. "They''ll be fine."

    "I hope so"

 Chapter 357

    Chapter 357

    Hayden wakes up first, he was disoriented, his mind foggy as he tries to make sense of where he was, the bed felt all wrong, this wasn''t his and Virgil''s bed.

    How did he get here?

    The questions bouncing around in his head makes him squeeze his eyes shut, not like he could see with them open.

    Wherever he was was immensely dark, his mouth felt like it was full of cotton wool, his head felt light like he might faint faint? Was that what happened?

    Something hits him like a bucket of cold water

    <em>His baby!!</em>

    That was enough to have the memoriese tumbling back, thest thing he remembers is talking to his mom and seeing Dream get snatched by someone he couldn''t see, the same thing happening to him as well.

    <em>What had happened? Who were those guys? What did they want with him and Dream? Where was Dream?</em> He starts to panic, a door swinging open at one end.

    He freezes up at this, a switch getting flicked, the lights thate on aren''t as bright as he was expecting, at least it doesn''t hurt his eyes which he had hastily closed hoping that whoever it was would leave thinking he was still out of it.

    So it''s with all of his self restraint that he uses to stop himself from outright screaming when he feels a hand on his face.

    "I know you''re awake, little one." He hears an unfamiliar voice say and that''s all he needs to force his eyes open, scrambling backwards on the bed from the Werewolf hovering over him with greediness in his eyes.

    Hayden res up at the Alpha in front of him with anger, this only makes the twinkling in his gold eyes get brighter.

    "Yeah, it''s you." The strange Alpha mutters more to himself, following after Hayden whose back hits the headboard making him gulp in terror.

    "Aren''t you going to ask any questions?" The Alpha tilts his head to the side, dark hair falling forward.

    Hayden is too scared to look away from the strange Alpha, was he dense or just in stupid? Fine, making the mistake of not knowing that Hayden was pregnant was expected but was he blind that he could not see his mating mark.

    So he says absolutely nothing, gathering his limbs closer, only then does it dawn on him that he was wearing something different from what he had been kidnapped in.

    "No?" The Alpha prompts, crowding Hayden. "What''s your name, Omega?" He asks casually like he had all the time in the world - maybe he did, what was the time now?

    The dominance in his tone makes Hayden flinch but he keeps his mouth shut, uninterested in socializing with the enemy.

    This time two hands find their way to his face, sliding lower to his neck, the Alpha pauses slightly when he gets to Hayden''s very visible mating mark, going over his arms, pushing down the flimsy cover their original clothing had been reced with.

    A slight movement from the far side of the bed barely catches Hayden''s attention before Dream is bashing a vase into the side of the Alpha''s head, so hard that the ceramic shatters and he''s knocked out cold, blood dripping down his nose.

    "Dream!" Hayden throws himself at his half brother, slightly shaken up but no worse for the wear. "Think he''s dead?" He asks tentatively, peering over at the downed Alpha.

    Dream''s calctive eyes are already taking in the dim room. "I don''t know, look for something and make sure he is, I''ll check out the room."

    Hayden nods seriously, disentangling himself from Dream, it seemed like the Alpha hade in alone which was an apparent blunder on his part.

    They both go around the room, barefoot and

    "Ugh! What''s this god awful smell?" Dream gags as he checks behind all the curtains - there was a shit ton of them did they make a harem down for this? Were they dunces?

    Hayden already has a hand over his nose as he heads for the firece -why the hell was there a firece? What happened to conditioning?

    "I have no clue, it smells horrifying." He responds, picking up the fire iron.

    It had taken a while for the fog in his head to clear up, nothing like Dream knocking an Alpha unconscious to clear up his head.

    He should maybe be slightly worried at how he doesn''t hesitate to make sure the Alpha doesn''t get up again, maybe his Omega is pissed at being taken from their Alpha, whatever, these slime bags nned to make them baby-making machines anyway.

    Hayden suppressed a shudder as he brought down the fire iron hard again on the downed Alpha in front of him.

    "You done?" Dream asks when he finds a door that opens, peeking carefully in to make sure it was empty on the other side and didn''t lead to a sex dungeon or something.

    "Yeah, I''m pretty sure he''s dead" Hayden says sheepishly, clutching the bloody fire iron to himself.

    "Let''s get the hell out of here then." He invites his friend over.

    Hayden doesn''t need anymore encouragement to toss the fire iron aside and makes his way over to Dream who takes his hand tightly.

    Hayden remembers that Dream doesn''t know what he does so when they''re out of the creepy, harem style room, he tugs on Dream''s hold, the other Omega looking at him expectantly.

    "What''s wrong, Hay?" Dream asks immediately, worry coating his sharp eyes.

    "Ah I" Hayden averts his face in embarrassment. "I was talking to my mom before um all these happened and she said that my dad was back in Pine Creek"

    Dream does a double take at this, his blue-grey eyes going wide. "What?"

    "Yeah" Hayden rubs his cheek, a little nervous. "Turns out it''s your dad."

    Dream gapes at this "no way!" He whisper-yells. "No fucking way, that two bit bastard"

    A noise from within the room they had just left alerts their attention and they both freeze up in horror. The door a little ways behind them creaking open.

    "Run!" Dream whispers, dragging his half brother behind him as they tear down the hallway.

 Chapter 358

    Chapter 358

    They dash down the hallway, the entire wing of the Pack House cleared out because of them and it was currently to their advantage because the Alpha that hade in earlier had been dumb enough to the leave the door open, probably thinking they wouldn''t be able to get the upper hand.

    Luckily, they were on the ground floor so the trick was to find a door that led outside without gettimg caught, it sounded a lot easier that it actually was.

    Their bare feet were silent against the padded floor as the darted around a corner that lead to a staircase.

    "Stairs always mean a way out, let''s go!" Dream encouraged, the chaos happening in the room they just exited dragging attention from them, absently he wondered how long it would take for the sleaze bags to realize their absence.

    Also he hoped that the grimy guy that had his hands all over Hayden was their Alpha or something equally as important.

    They hurry down the stairs and Hayden wonders for how long their luck wouldst, maybe he should have held onto the tire iron a little longer, just as he thinks of this, some men show up and the end of the stairs and with surprised gasps they turn around and dash up again.

    They swerve aroundst minute when they see more peopleing from where they just left off from, taking a different turn, a different direction which leads them to the kitchen.

    Surprised gasps of some female Werewolves greet them but they pay them no mind.

    "Dream, grab a pan." Hayden advises already snatching a rolling pin out of ady''s hands, it was coated in dough but he didn''t mind.

    Firstly they had to get the fuck out of here, then they would deal with how to get back home.

    They open the door out of the kitchen to two men who were quickly put out ofmission by their weapons of choice.

    "Hey,dy with the mittens!" Dream turns around while Hayden makes sure the men stays down, flour coating them each time hended a hit. "Is there a backdoor around here?" Dream asks, waving his own frying pan threateningly.

    The women seemed stunned about the whole thing - most likely they had no idea - especially when the so called leaders of their Pack had gone through such lengths to keep their presence hidden.

    "Um t-that way?" Thedy he addresses points in a different direction, her hand trembling.

    "Thanks." Dream beams, snatching up Hayden''s wrist. "Nice Pack House." He tags on as they took off in the direction pointed out to them.

    His scent suppressants was rapidly fading away, if the slimebags who grabbed them weren''t sure about his status, they were about to find out, among other things like how he was pregnant.

    They burst out into a wide back porch, a single pale yellow bulb illuminating the serene ce.

    "Oh my fucking God!" Dream starts offining when they take in the rest of their surroundings. "It''s already night?"

    "No time for that now, Dream let''s go!" Hayden pulls him, they were still holding onto their weapons, they''d never know when they would need them.

    They race off the porch, unsurprised to note that the Pack House was situated deep in the woods even for a ce like Pine Creek which was mostly Werewolf dominated, it was just to be on the safe side.

    "Ow! My feet hurt." Dreamins as they put distance between them and the Pack House.

    Hayden winces at the jagged stones and pebbles under his bare feet. "I know, sorry but we can''t slow down now." He encourages, noticing for the first time what they had on.

    "The fuck is this?" Dream asks what''s on his mind, equally noticing what they had on. "Some kind of ritual dress? Those stupid bastards put me in a fucking dress"

    "D-Dream, I-I don''t think it''s wise to take it off." Hayden panics, pulling Dream along - they weren''t particrly decent underneath.

    Dream mumbles angrily under his breath at this, increasing his pace because yells were already starting up in the distance.

    Because thest thing they needed just then was for the people that napped them to shift and hunt them down.

    "We need to get out of the woods." Hayden says decisively when they had put sufficient distance between them and the Pack House.

    They slow down just beside a couple rock to try and figure out where they were.

    "If we want to get the fuck out of wherever this ce is, we need to get to a town and borrow someone''s phone because I don''t see them putting pockets in these hideous"

    "That way!" Hayden blurts out of the blue, halting Dream''s personal rant about the dresses they had on.

    It was sheer, a bluish tint to them, the neck was too wide to befortable for any gender and the sleeves were too long.

    At least who ever was the psychotic individual that came up with them thought to put high slits on both sides or they would be tripping on the skirts of their dresses.

    "W-what? Why?" Dream breaks out of his monologue to ask.

    Hayden shrugs sheepishly. "It''s just a wild guess but the trees are sparser in that direction so" He trails off.

    "So, we''re taking it." Dream grabs his wrist and they start off running again.

    The moon is a crescent but the clouds hang heavy and dark so it doesn''t really help to light the way, they can''t really tell howte it was but but at least the grass under their feet is soft enough to cushion their bare feet.

    The noise behind them get louder but the trees also get fewer so that was a start, it gave them hope to keep running at least until a howl sounded really close to them.

    Making their blood run cold, an Alpha was pissed and it wasn''t either of theirs.

    They skid to a halt when a couple Werewolves with hateful silver eyes cut off their path.

 Chapter 359

    Chapter 359

    Dream unconsciously pushed Hayden behind him even as they stepped backwards right into someone else.

    They scream bloody terror in fear when their free hands get snatched up, the Werewolf that had grabbed them starting toughing evily.

    He doesn''t get far when Dream vengefully smacks him on his face with his pan, anger on his face even as his eyes sh a deep amber.

    Hayden joins in instantly, going for the Werewolf''s legs and soon they had him on the ground, beating the shit out of him.

    At least until they feel their arms get dragged behind their back, pulling the both of them away from the Werewolf in the ground who looks half fainted away.

    Dream manages tond in a couplest minute kicks, struggling against the person that held him.

    Unfortunately, it was the Alpha of the Pack who readies himself to hit Dream until his scent wafts into his nose, he goes rigid in shock, easily suppressing the fiesty Omega who was ring daggers up at him.

    "You''re pregnant?"

    "Surprise, surprise motherfucker." Dream snarls at him,nding a clear kick to his groin which make the Alpha double over and a couple snickers start up from the rest of his Pack members who hand now shifted back and were standing in azy circle, in the case either Omega decided to take off again.

    This time the Alpha doesn''t hesitate, reaching out to smack a still captive Dream.

    Hayden breaks away from the person holding him at this point, the Werewolf thinking that he wouldn''t pose much off a fight.

    Running tond a flying kick on the exact same spot Dream had aimed for.

    The Alpha crumbles down to his knees at this, his hold on Dream goingx.

    "Oh for fuck''s sake" he curses under his breath, growling aggressively when another bout of chuckles start up at his expense, his Pack members instantly shutting their yap.

    "Somebody get Bob off the ground." He ordered, referring to the Werewolf Dream and Hayden had both ambushed who was still lying prone on the ground, more than a little bloody.

    He looked up to the male Omegas who had scrambled back away from him, still crouched on the ground.

    One looked worried, the one they had nned to snatch from the very start while the other male Omega, the pregnant one looked mad.

    "You know for male Omegas, one pregnant"

    "That''s both." Dream mumbles under his breath, pissed.

    The Alpha blinks in shock, easily rising to his feet again. "What?"

    "We didn''t kick your head, I said, that''s both we''re both pregnant and for Alphas of Packs too, don''t you think this was stupid of you to do?"

    "Bold wordsing from an unmated, pregnant Omega." The Alpha taunted cruelly,cing his fingers together.

    Dream flinches back like he had been pped, all of the color draining from his face, this makes Hayden tuck him closer in his arms, the worried look on his face transforming to anger.

    It was the way he was, anger was truly a foreign emotion to him but not when it came to the people he loved, then he could easily bash someone''s head in or go after someone obviously way powerful than he was, fighting for the people he loved, gave him strength.

    "This is but an unforeseen circumstance, I''ll adopt the children of course, it''s only rightful for me to do so" the Alpha continued magnanimously, Hayden measuring his head for a rolling pin target.

    "For your information, there is no way they''ll find you all the way out here, in a town lots of states away so you might want to be getting settled into your new lives." He leans forward at this, hovering over them ominously, gold Alpha eyes out on disy, dominance pouring out so violently it makes Dream and Hayden shiver involuntarily.

    "And if you pull another shit like you did this night, you''re getting the consequences, pregnant or not." He straightens to his full height at this, visibly calmer now that he feels that he had cowered both Omegas.

    "They''re not my pups anyway, I couldn''t care less if you lost them." He adds to himself.

    "You son of a" Hayden is already raging, Dream stopping him midsentence, they couldn''t risk it.

    The Alpha narrows his eyes at this, seeming satisfied with theirck of a response. "Good, take them back" he half yawns, turning around. "This is going to fuck up my sleep cycle." Heins pettishly even as the Werewolves in front of him part for him to pass through.

    "Come on, get to your feet." A quiet looking Werewolf walked up to then to say, he exuded authority and was either the Head Beta or something simr.

    "Don''t touch me." Dream snaps at him, getting to his feet and helping Hayden up. "Who was the two bit imbecile that put me in this dress?" He suddenly asks out of the blue.

    Hayden smiles a little at this, thinking that Dream''s spirit had been broken.

    The quiet Werewolf does a double take at this, color shing briefly across his cheekbones as he steadily looks away from them.

    "Um the Alpha ordered to." He clears his throat to say.

    Dream''s eyes narrow menacingly at this, the Werewolf in front of them gulping from the intensity of his stare - he was going to bash that bastard''s head in, he just needed to get his hand on a trusty bat.

    "I see." Is all Dream says, walking arm in arm alongside Hayden in the direction they were directed to.

    Hayden on the other hand was quietly calcting, he knows his mom most likely forgot but he had been told, once that there was a tracker on him, all the LeBarons had one and he had hoped he wouldn''t ever be in need of his.

    Frankly, he doesn''t even know where it''s located and it''s such a distant memory that it''s justing to him now.

    It wasn''t repeated because the whole point of a tracker was to keep it a secret, it wouldn''t do if they kept talking about it.

    But he remembers and he knows now that they just had to hold out for a bit, he would tell Dreamter when they got some privacy <em>good</em>. He wanted these sleazy Werewolves to get was wasing to them, especially their Alpha.

 Chapter 360

    Chapter 360

    "You should try to get some sleep." Renee wanders out to say sometime before dawn.

    Virgil stops his pacing to cast her a worried nce. "You can''t have gotten any sleep either if you keeping out every half hour to check up on us."

    Renee winces at this. "I hoped you wouldn''t notice, besides I can always get some shut eye on the jet ride." She tries to bluster her way out, she was the only one with them, Dia and her daughter choosing to remain in her apartment, intimidated by the presence of both Alphas, Renee couldn''t understand how, she felt like a big sister to them.

    Dale scoffs from his position on a couch, wild, dark hair resting in his palms. "That''s an obvious lie, Ren, you''re not going to be able to sleep a wink."

    "Well, I don''t want to be left behind." She says sheepishly, knowing that they had all been against her tagging along because of how dangerous it was definitely going to be.

    "We won''t leave you behind, Ren." Virgil says with the patience of a long-suffering older sibling. "Or you''re going to end up falling asleep just moments before and missing out on everything." He half threatens her.

    Renee half panics at this, her worry for them still shining through. "But what about you two?"

    "We''ll be fine Renee." Dale is quick to reassure her, giving her a brief smile, it was best if Renee rested a bit so she didn''t make herself sick with worrying so hard - they would do that for her.

    "If you say so." She mutters reluctantly, knowing that she won''t be getting any proper sleep, not till her babies are back home.

    It hadn''t even registered to either Alpha that they should have gotten some rest, Dale''s sleep schedule was already screwed to shit after Dream left, sleep hadn''t even crossed his mind.

    Virgil was on another ne of existence, his soft and bubbly mate was somewhere dangerous and he was trapped in the confines of these four walls unable to do a thing.

    Jaxie, Ian and Yanis had chased them both out of the Alpha''s office, traumatized with how agitated they both constantly were, Virgil hadn''t stopped pacing and Dale kept brooding so hard, hovering over them.

    Their barely banked aggression was stirring up the other werewolves in the room too so there was that so had spent the rest of the night in the living room of Virgil''s apartment, Reneeing to check up on them every now and then no matter how hard theyined.

    "You know you''re going to get your ass handed to you when we get them back right?" Virgil mutters, settling on a couch opposite Dale so he didn''t wear out their carpet with his constant pacing.

    Dale slowly lifts his head up to re at Virgil. "You got something to say to me, V? Then say it directly." He says coldly.

    Virgil doesn''t even flinch or back down at his abrasive tone, well maybe he shouldn''t pick at Dale when they were both in shitty moods but other than needing a distraction, most importantly he was worried about the other Alpha.

    He had seen very little of him the past week but he hadn''t really noticed anything off with him at least until the shitshow went down.

    It had been so easy to get used to a truly happy Dale not the bubbly shell of a person he had be, hiding his aches behind a bright smile and a lively attitude but now, Virgil sees they''re back to square one, hell even worse than while they were still at college.

    Whatever had happened with Dream to make him leave Dale''s Pack in such a hurry had to be behind it and now that the Omega turned out to be pregnant, well, the origin story wasn''t so hard to put together.

    "Yeah" Virgil straightens up to pin the dark haired Alpha a steady look. "What did you do to Dream?"

    Dale surprisingly doesn''t go off on Virgil, falling backwards against the couch, all of the lights going out of his eyes. "I don''t know."

    Virgil does a double take at this, his eyes going wide, Dale wouldn''t mess around with something as important as this. "Fuck." He curses under his breath, his brain working double time.

    He nces at Dale, once, twice then it hits, it''s still there but it''s faint a mating mark.

    He thinks back to the brief moments he had seen Dream for this morning and it clicks.

    "Don''t you think it has something to do with that fancy hickey you keep showing off?" He asks out of the blue, Dale looking more than a little lost.

    "What?" Dale stares up at him, visibly confused.

    "Your mating mark, I''m betting Dream did that." Virgil decides to exin it slowly, knowing Dale, it would go over his dense as fuck skull and Virgil would have to exin it again.

    Dale''s hand reflexively go up to touch the mark that was fast fading, sure it would leave a visible silver scar but he liked the dark-reddish hue it had to it, it lit him up from the inside, it took the cold and dark away, warming up his cold heart.

    "Yeah?"

    "Well, I''m pretty sure I didn''t see Dream sporting a matching one"

    "Yeah, because I didn''t want to mark him while he was still in his heat"

    Virgil looks thoughtful at this. "What happened, you know, after?"

    "Woke up and he was gone and my mom showed up, ruined my life."

    Virgil winces at this. "What the hell was she looking for in Pine Creek?"

    "I couldn''t care less." Dale shrugs forlornly.

    Out of the blue, Virgil grabs a throw pillow and yeets it at Dale smacking him straight up on the face, the other Alpha squawking in shock.

    "Yo, V? What the fuck"

    He barely gets all of his words out before Virgil is throwing another pillow which goes the same way as the first one did.

    "Dream mated you willfully didn''t he?" Virgil asks with a nk expression.

    Dale shrinks back a bit, expecting Virgil to throw another pillow at him, his friend had a really good throwing arm. "Yeah?" He repeats against, barely registering orprehending what Virgil was trying to do.

    Virgil gets up this time, armed with a couple pillows. "What kind of consent gets louder than that??!" He yells in a rare show of extra emotion, whacking Dale around with the pillows. "Do you have cotton wads for a brain??!"

    "What? No I don''t"

    Virgil doesn''t relent, smacking him harder, Dale studiously trying to escape from the onught

    "Do. You. Have. Any. Fucking, Idea. How. Much. That. Would. Hurt. Him?" Virgil asks, punctuating each word with a hit.

    "Ow! Ow! Ow! How the hell does hitting me solve anything?" Daleins, breaking away.

    Virgil makes sure to add in a couple more hits before Dale gets away. "Who said it was to help?" He asks sarcastically, calming returning to his previous position. "Yeah by the way, the fee will be $19,99.99,e again" He''s saying but Dale isn''t listening anymore, he''s curled up against the far wall, most like;y having an existential crisis.

    A knock raps on this door at this point, Yanis peeking his head in. "We have just a couple minutes to daylight, we''ve located them, get your asses up"

    That''s all the two Alpha''s need to go on high alert, Virgil readying to ask rapid fire questions which his Head Beta had already anticipated.

    "Jaxie said to tell you that yes, the Warriors are all aware of this new development and are getting ready to move, Leon and Darian keeping an eye on them."

    They both absorb the information in a stride.

    "Dale, could you get Renee?"

    Yanis pauses his motion of leaving at this. "What? Get her? Why the fuck... don''t tell me she''s tagging along?"

    "Yeah, let''s get going..." Virgil ces a heavy hand on Yanis'' shoulder, practically pushing him out.

    "She''s just going to stay on the jet or we''ll lock her in or are you interested in dealing with her when she finds out we left her behind?" He asks with a faux smile.

    Yanis expression goes from livid to grim, "I''ll pass."

    "This shouldn''t be hard..." Dale mutters to himself, still in the apartment. "I mean, I''ve woken Renee up before, this isn''t any different."

    He hurries down the hallway, knocking quietly out of propriety and pushing open the door when he gets no response.

    Only to scream when he does, opening the door to Renee hovering menacingly at the door, shower head in hand.

    He finally quietens down when she does nothing but re at him suspiciously, her hair wild.

    "Um..." Dale finally finds his voice, looking at Renee from her head to her toe. "I have a lot of questions." He says shakily, still pressed against the wall. "But the most important one is... what the fuck??"

 Chapter 361

    Chapter 361

    "I was waiting to see if you would decide to leave me behind." She mutters darkly, still giving him the evil eye.

    "You could have just I don''t know, walked out." He makes a face, realizing that she hadn''t slept a wink. "Why then are you holding a shower head? How the fuck did you even get it?"

    "That''s not important," Renee says sharply, throwing the shower head to the side, it hits the ground with a dull ng. "We are leaving now aren''t we?"

    "Um yeah."

    "Okay, go on without me, I meet you up at the designated spot." Renee says.

    "Sure." Dale agrees without a moment''s thought, distracted, his phone ringing which he picks up as he goes out.

    Renee grins sneakily at this, bringing out her phone while looking around surreptitiously. "Hi, Dia, it''s time." She says into the phone looking smug, they hadn''t been allowed to tag along so she was doing the logical thing, sneaking them in.

    ~

    "I lowkey saw this happening." Virgil says nkly when he sees Dia and DDe out from a cabin behind Renee who looks damn proud of herself.

    The private jet was already in motion, the sun washing over the sky in breathtaking colors, getting two private jets out to Pine Creek wasn''t a difficult task, not with the kind of money Renee and Yanis came from.

    The Warriors had gotten settled in the other one, the Alphas, Jaxie, Leon, Darian, Ian and Yanis in the second, well, adding Renee, Dia and DD.

    "You''re both staying in the jet." Darian says sternly to his mom and younger sister when hees in with Leon to see them, he did a double take at first but recovered fast.

    "Of course we know that." Renee scoffs, waving away their stern expressions as she settled on an exotic looking leather couch, the tasteful cream colored furniture incrediblyfortable.

    The rest of the cabin is designed this way,rge arched windows to give a beautiful scenery of golden hued clouds and a blue sky, which equally lit up the borately designed ce.

    A wet bar was at the far end a big ass TV and tastefully arranged couches and cushions.

    "We''ll do nothing but get in your way." Dia agrees, sitting down as well, DD wandering off to explore the jet.

    Silence falls after this, tension easily recing conversation, because they were using a much faster mode of transportation, they would get there in roughly half an hour it seemed like an eternity.

    Jaxie, Ian and Yanis were talking softly over a coupleptops and gadgets, no doubt keeping track of Hayden''s position.

    They would just have to hope to hope that they were both kept in the same ce, getting them out if the enemy Pack was the first and most important priority.

    ~

    Dream woke up first, feeling like crap, his head felt heavy and the god awful taste in his mouth was something he wanted to get rid of, rather quickly too.

    It just hit him then that they hadn''t eaten a bite since they were swiped, it would exin why neither of them had thrown up yet though.

    He looks down at a sleeping Hayden who was curled up close to him, a furrow in his brows.

    Hayden had told him yesterday about the tracker so he knew that they would be out of this hellhole soon, what worried him more was the drama waiting for him back at home.

    Well, he had just gotten kidnapped by some weird fucks, they should better cut him some ck.

    Carefully, he disentangles himself from Hayden, having an ''aww'' moment when his half brother''s brows furrow, his hands opening and closing like he was making grabby hands.

    Dream sits at the edge of the bed a while to gather his thoughts, well that and also the massive head rush that had hit him when he sat up was making him feel dizzy.

    He wasn''t even all that surprised that Hayden was his half sibling, knowing his shitty father, he probably had way too many of them scattered around for miles.

    But it was special with Hayden, he was beyond happy about his father''s failings for once.

    Not that if they weren''t rted by blood it would change anything, it just felt good, you know, all legal and by the book.

    They had to now get napped when so much drama was going down Dream winces at this point.

    Everyoneing to save them was definitely going to find out that he was pregnant, that''s if they didn''t already know.

    He knows Kieran would definitely keep his secret but not when it affected him so.

    Thinking about all that drags his thought to Dale and he winces again, reaching a hand up to absently search for a mating mark that wasn''t there, that same hand dropping to his stomach to find sce.

    He wondered if Dale woulde, he might because of Hayden

    He pushes himself up from the bed with the same energy he uses to push thoughts of Dale out of his head.

    He had promised to talk to the Alpha so he would, which was a good thing, all these second guessing was really tiring.

    He knows there''s a bathroom in this awful smelling, harem-wannabe room, because the first time they had tried to break out, he had checked out the room.

    So he makes his way in, relieved that it was at least decent enough before proceeding to make himself clean.

    Searching through the wardrobe proved that there was truly nothing provided for them to wear other than these ursed ritual dresses, all in equally ridiculous shades.

    It made Dream want tough and cry and rage at the same time - was it somew in their Pack that Omegas couldn''t wear pants?

    Or they just hadn''t met a male Omega before because if they did, they would know that just the dresses alone was making Dream want to go on a homicidal rage.

 Chapter 362

    Chapter 362

    He has no other option but to put another of the flimsy dresses on, cruising as he hikes the flowyyered skirt dramatically to give his legs room to breathe.

    He was suddenly craving mints and if that didn''t sour his mood faster than anything else.

    He wonders if the crazy people that grabbed them nned to starve them, not that he was keen on eating whatever they had to offer, he''s just worried for the health of his and Hayden''s babies.

    Just as the thought passes his mind, a soft knock on the door attracts his attention, he goes on high alert as the door starts to creak open, searching around for something to use as a weapon.

    Instead of the sly Alpha he had been expecting, a smalldy patters in, a tray on her hands filled with breakfast.

    "Oh! Hi" he greets nervously but she just remains quiet, giving him a pointed look.

    "Make sure to eat." Is all she says before pattering back out.

    Dream mentally backtracks on how old he thought she was, she was probably double that, he could hear her age in her voice.

    He nced at the covered tray, hoping to hope that strawberries or some chocte filled or covered meal was there, he couldn''t have Hayden going into a vomiting fit this morning.

    Thinking about that, he needed to wake his brother up to clean.

    "Hay?" He calls softly, leaning across the bed to push his hair away from his face.

    They had woken up from whatever had been used to knock them out quitete so that Dream was pretty sure he only got a couple hours sleep before sunrise.

    But they had slept for most of yesterday so it''s not long before Hayden is opening his eyes with a grown, instantly pping a hand over his mouth even as he makes a face behind it.

    "Morning, Dream." He mumbles, still a little bit out of it. "Ugh! I feel horrible."

    "Trust me, you''ll feel better after you brush your teeth and clean up." Dreamforts him, patting his fluffy, wild hair. "Breakfast is here, I don''t think your mate would appreciate it if you threw up all over him while he''s trying to rescue you."

    Hayden sobers up at this, his eyes suddenly seeming older than his face, he doesn''t say anything about Dream''s obvious omission though. "Sure."

    He agrees, dragging himself off the bed, they had been thrown into bed when they were returned and didn''t think it wise to go wandering around for somewhere to clean up their dusty feet or soiled clothes, especially not when a couple Werewolves were watching over them.

    Thankfully, they had all left sometimeter when it was evident that neither Omega was making a move anytime but Hayden was pretty sure they were outside.

    He wasn''t about to encounter any of them, especially not with the way he felt this morning.

    He also makes a sound of surprise at the sight of the cupboard.

    "Ah, I see you''ve seen it too." Dream says patronisingly from across the big room where he was recing the sheets. "At least they were nice enough to put in boxer shorts" he peeks down at the flimsy, silk shirts by lifting his skirt. "If you could call them that."

    Hayden was already raging. "I want to put the Alpha in one of these and beat him bloody"

    Dream cheering from the sidelines. "Yes!!! I absolutely, one hundred fucking percent approve!"

    If the Alpha was trying to emascte them by putting them in dresses, then he had another thinging for him because Dream didn''t hate dresses but at least they could have had a little bit of taste with it.

    First of all, what is with the fucking neckline and oh fuck! Don''t even get him started on how sheer it was

    Hayden waddles back, looking so done with everything. "I want chocte." He states grimly, marching forward to the tray. "I swear to fucking god if there is no chocte in oh chocte filled croissants!" He cuts himself off instantly reaching for the chocte filled bread with grubby hands.

    "Oh my! They''re so good, you have to try one Dream"

    Dreamughs at his instant mood change. "Slow down, Hay, or you''ll end up throwing everything up."

    Hayden forces himself to slow down, watching Dream pick at the food, gorging on the croissants before joining Dream to pick at the food.

    "Dream, you should eat more." He nags at the other Omega, encouraging him to try more of the waffle.

    Which he does, the honey that was poured all over the food making it worthwhile, although the whipping cream spritzed on the top of it gets yeeted to the tray.

    They eat as much as they could without triggering their gag reflex, covering the tray politely and retiring to the bed.

    "How long do you think it''ll take them to get here." Dream asks in a low voice, no nning on tipping the enemy off.

    "I have no clue." Hayden shrugs, hoping it was soon enough, heavens knew when else the Alpha would stumble in.

    They had been quite lucky ever since they got taken, that might notst for very long.

    "Hopefully it wouldn''t take too long." Hayden tags on, a little uneasy.

    "Yeah" Dream mutters absently, distracted.

    "It usually doesn''t." Hayden continues, memories reopening.

    This grabs Dream''s attention. "What?" He prompts, sitting up and clutching his knees closer to himself, the skirt of the robe he had on falling away, his bare legs peeking through the slits.

    "What?" Hayden nces at him, slightly confused.

    "You said, it usually doesn''t so this has happened before?"

    Hayden winces. "Quite a lot of times, shockingly, it''s apparently a side package of dating people like Virgil and Dale"

    Dream chokes at this, his eyes going wide. "You know what? While we''re waiting, mind telling me how it was growing up?"

    "Oh? Sure!" Hayden beams. "Doubt it would be interesting though but here goes"

 Chapter 363

    Chapter 363

    "That wasn''t interesting??" Dream asks with wide eyes, staring in absolute shock at Hayden who has color on his cheeks.

    The door gets thrown open after this, making them startle.

    The Alpha hurries in as well as the authoritative Werewolf from the night before.

    "I keep telling you to give this up, Jake." The authoritative and much older werewolf was saying it. "This had always been a bad idea."

    "Shut the fuck up Drew, you''re the fucking Head Beta so you''ll do what I fucking say." Jake rounded up on the other werewolf, a manic in his eyes.

    This makes Drew swallow back his words, unease on his face even as he watched the young Alpha direct a couple of their Warriors into the room to snatch up the male Omegas huddled on the bed.

    Drew might have turned a blind eye to Jake''s madness if the Omegas had both been unmated and most importantly not pregnant but all this all this was a disaster.

    He should have known when none of the men set as decoy came back and in less than twenty fours hours, their Pack shows up on their front doors and in private jets too, just who the fuck were these Omegas?

    So he remained quiet, following dutifully when the Warriors tried to get the blonde haired Omega off the bed, Drew knew their names but Jake, the low-key psychopath wanted to rename them like they were people just like him.

    Drew knows who is to me for all this but that Alpha was long dead

    The first Warrior that tries to touch Dream gets a kick to the face and Drew might be smiling if they didn''t have their Pack fighting just a couple hallways to get to them.

    What they should be doing is letting the Omegas go before the entirety of their Warriors get wiped out but instead, Jake wanted to hide them and call bluff, using the other Pack of attacking without provocation.

    It sounded like fancy bullshit to him but he followed along when a secret pathway was used to hide them in the basement, said basement also led outside the Pack House so it was a back up n as well.

    The Warriors were kept with both Omegas while Jake dragged Drew with him to address the ''visiting'' Pack - this was definitely going to go to shit.

    *~*

    There had to be quick change in ns when they burst in through the front doors of the Pack that had swiped Hayden and Dream and they realized that this wasn''t some crime syndicate where they sold male Omegas in a ck market or something but a homely Pack with a lot of frightened and innocent Pack members.

    Dale had told Yanis to put his weapons away when a toddler had burst into tears at the foyer, her mother gathering her close with shaky hands.

    Then the screams had started, the werewolves scattering even as others who had to be their Warriors hurried down and in the space of a couple seconds, it had broken out into chaos.

    Darian was able to easily handle it though, taking control of the Warriors while Leon got Jaxie and Yanis to a safe ce.

    Virgil and Dale would need their direction to get them to Hayden and Dream, the Head Beta''s information was west and it didn''t take long to get away from the fight which quickly moved outside and the Warriors on either side shifted.

    They ran up the steps, danger in their aura which terrified away every Pack member in their Pack, they didn''t pay this any mind, a fixed goal in mind.

    <em>Their pregnant mates</em>

    They go through a wide sunny kitchen, paying no attention to the startled screams their swift presences elicits.

    <em>''V, Dale, they''re moving.''</em>

    Jaxon links with them, the panic evident in his voice.

    <em>''Calm down, Jax.''</em>

    Virgil is quick to say, his voice steady.

    <em>''Just direct us through where they were before.''</em>

    <em>''Okay.''</em>

    They hadn''t slowed down all through this interaction and in no time got to the room where Hayden and Dream had been kept in.

    "What is this god awful smell." Dale makes a face of disgust the instant they get in.

    "Try to ignore that and you can pick out their scents, they were most definitely here." Virgil says, already moving past the awful smell even as they seperated to search the room.

    <em>''Jaxie? We found the room they were kept in and you''re right, they''re not here anymore.''</em>

    Dale is the one to say this time, checking behind all the curtains for an exit, what the hell was with this ce, there were so many bright and contrasting loud colors, it must hurt to wake up to it.

    <em>''Alright, tell me, what floor are you guys on?''</em>

    Jaxon asks a little shakily, leaning closer to theptop to make sure his eyes weren''t ying games with him, Leon had aforting hand buried in his hair and it steadied Jaxon more than he would like to admit.

    <em>''Ground floor?''</em>

    Virgil says, slightly confused at the question, they had found a couple exits but they needed to know which direction they would go.

    <em>''Well, they...they stopped moving but now they''re somewhere lower than where i directed you to.''</em>

    <em>''The basement?''</em>

    Dale chipped in.

    <em>''Yes!''</em>

    Jax quickly cut in, that had to be it, he quickly gave them additional directions, going back to keeping an eye on the twinkling blue dot.

    Yanis had pulled a couple strings to get the building n of the Pack House and Jaxon was still having a hard time figuring just how he had done it.

    Virgil and Dale quickly change directions, swinging open the door that was quite hidden, they hadn''t even seen it during their first search so it had to be the right one.

    Jake and Drew were justing out of the basement at this same time so there''s a split second of shock then Virgil who had been in the lead is snarling and drawing a hand back to punch Jake''s face in.

    He would have liked to rip out the bastard''s throat who was obviously the Alpha and had both Hayden and Dream''s scents all over him but the tunnel that the door had opened to was too narrow.

    The Werewolf behind the Alpha however moved faster, dragging his Alpha backward and out of harm''s way.

    "Oh for fuck''s sake!" The Werewolf that had protected the Alpha suddenly cursed, pulling open a crevice in the wall that neither Alphas had noticed before, it turned out to be a handle of a sliding door, fire irons falling out, directly on them.

 Chapter 364

    Chapter 364

    Virgil and Dale easily step back to avoid the shower of metal, Drew using this opportunity to drag a bitching Jake to safety, the reason the Head Beta had cursed earlier was because as soon as both Alphas made their appearance, Jake had ordered the Warriors to take the Omegas out to the woods.

    It was like the idiot was hellbent on having himself ripped to shreds.

    Jaxon''s voice filters in to Dale and Virgil at this very moment, distracting them further from chasing after Jake and Drew.

    <em>''Dale! Virgil! They''re moving again!''</em>

    Jaxon all but screams into their heads, making them wince.

    <em>''Sure, we might have an idea of where they went, keep us updated though.''</em>

    Virgil replies, leaping over the pile of fire irons, Dale following quickly behind him as they dashed down the hallway in pursuit of the other Werewolves.

    In no time they get to the basement where Dream and Hayden had been in before and by now both Alphas'' frustration are almost palpable.

    Jaxon however directs them to the backdoor and they burst out into the woods, a sh of clothing in the distance, they don''t need Jaxon''s go ahead this time to shift mid run, chasing them down.

    Hayden is the first to notice them in the distance, pretending to trip and stay down, Dream catching on and kicking anyone who tries to touch Hayden, pretending to make a fuss over him on the ground.

    Jake was about to w out his eyes at this, the feeling of hopelessness drowning his out, rendering him unable to make a decision.

    Drew easily takes the reins, calcting the best course of action with the least casualties and by that it meant keeping the Alpha alive, because if anyone was going to get ripped to shreds for messing with another Alpha''s mate, it was going to be him.

    "Alpha Jake," He says solemnly, using the other''s title, something he rarely did. "The best course of action is to go on the offense, the Warriors should have taken care of the rest by now." He appealed to his Alpha''s pride which wasn''t a difficult task, Jake had a shit ton of it.

    Jake''s eyes clear up at this, shifting to a luminescent gold. "Fine, Braun, stay here, the rest of youe with me." He ordered in his Alpha voice, shifting to an impressive looking wolf, the others doing the same even as they ran out to face off with Virgil and Dale.

    Dream looks worried at this.

    ''<em>Think they''ll be okay?''</em>

    He asks Hayden still crouched on the ground beside the other, the Warrior left behind to watch over them ring at them sternly from behind dark sunsses.

    <em>''Yeah, we need to find a way to get rid of that guy.''</em>

    Dream gives a wicked smile, "I have an idea." He whispers down to Hayden, getting to his feet.

    Hayden looks slightly worried at the look on Dream''s face, sitting up slightly as he watches Dream make his way closer to the Werewolf charged to watch over them.

    "Um hello?" Dream starts

    "Uh oh." Hayden mutters under his breath, he had never heard Dream use that breathy, soft tone with anyone, this werewolf was probably going to end up dead, he slowly got to his feet anyway, he needed to be ready to back up his brother.

    "What?" The Werewolf referred to as Braun says coldly, nose twisted like it had been broken a couple times, it reminded him of what Tyrone, Hayden''s bully would look like if he could picture him.

    "There''s a thorn in my knee." He says with a small pout, lifting said knee upwards, the slit in the hideous dress they were put in giving him the advantage to bare the body part.

    Braun''s eyes widen momentarily at this, appearing to have a mini argument in his head but whatever his argument had been gets overridden when Dream bats hisshes at him.

    Dream watches with sharp eyes as the moronic Warrior leans forward, bringing his face into the perfect distance for Dream to attack him.

    This he does without hesitation, driving his knee up so hard into Braun''s face that he''s pretty sure he broke the guy''s nose again - <em>good</em>.

    "Fuck." Braun curses, staggering backwards a bit even as he bends over, clutching his face in pain.

    Dream sends a kick to the side of his face, having no business with waiting for him to recover sufficiently enough toe after them.

    Hayden had his eyes on a sturdy branch which he had leaped up to pick up the moment that Dream had sent his knee into Braun''s face, smashing him on the side of the head when Dream''s shockingly powerful kick had sent him careening in Hayden''s direction.

    "Ugh! Careful Hay!" Dream scolds his brother, "You got blood on me."

    "Oops!" Hayden chuckles in a shaky voice, bringing down the branch a couple more times although the first time he did it was enough to knock the Werewolf out.

    He tosses the branch to the side when he''s done, hurrying over to Dream who is still furiously wiping the long gone ssh of blood on his cheek.

    "You okay?"

    "No." Dream responds in a tight voice. "And I know this isn''t the right time but I don''t think I vibe with the smell of blood right now"

    "What?" Hayden half panics, the sound of the mini fight happening a little distance away filtering in.

    "Okay, look at me, deep breaths, okay" Hayden grabs Dream''s hand pulling him closer, he needed to get the smell of blood out of Dream''s skin because they didn''t particrly have mints anywhere nearby and Dale was a little upied at the moment so throwing up was a definite no-no.

    Instinctively, he tugged a gasping Dream into his arms, scenting him.

    "There, how do you feel?" He leans back to ask, worrying on his face as he takes in Dream''s slightly paleplexion.

    "Like I can hold it in." Dream says without mincing his words, nodding encouragingly at Hayden.

    "Good." He nods in return, grasping Dream''s hand tightly. "Let''s go."

 Chapter 365

    Chapter 365

    The sight of the enemy Pack charging at them even though they obviously outnumbered Dale and Virgil five to one didn''t daunt them.

    They had been itching for a proper fight anyway, having to leave the fight back in the Pack House early toe look for their mates.

    The fight was determined in just a few minutes, Jake''s Warriors dwindling down to nothing in no time, leaving just him and Drew.

    It was obvious however who both lethal Alphas had their eye on and Jake felt his strength fail him, not like he would have been able to take on both Alphas if it hadn''t, hell, he wouldn''t even be able to take one on even if he had Drew to back him up.

    The way his Warriors had been disposed off would break any leader''s spirit but his pride wouldn''t let him surrender even as he and Drew get circled in by the prowling Alphas.

    Braun was a smart Warrior, he would know to take the Omegas awaye to think of it, how had the Alphas found them, linking had a distance limit and the other party had to be sensitive to your call.

    Drew on the other hand was calcting the path of escape with the least risk, his hands had been tied while he watched Jake''s father ruin his childhood, he wasn''t going to let the bastard be the reason he lost the rest of his life as well.

    He could see the bloodlust in these Alphas eyes though, there was no negotiating with them, Drew and Jake were standing in their way to their mates and that was all there was.

    He waited for the perfect moment when they would both strike, their movements were faster than he had anticipated and he could only save the both of them if for once in his life, Jake listened to him.

    ''<em>Shift!!!''</em>

    He linked hard with Jake just as he felt sharp teeth embed themselves in his wolf''s shoulders, the instant differences in their forms would give them a little more than a couple seconds to make their escape.

    Twin glows of light go off at about the same time Virgil and Dale had gone for their enemies neck.

    Drew takes advantage of the brief confusion that follows, grabbing his Alpha and rolling away, dashing to hide behind a tree in the distance.

    It would have been their death sentence in any other situation but just as he had counted on, the two Omegas came running towards them from the otherside of the forest.

    Drew''s heart still thudded painfully, blood flowing down his left hand even as he clutched Jake to himself with his good right arm, too distracted by trying to figure out if the Alphas would stille after them which was highly unlikely to notice that Jake was curled up on his leg.

    The Alpha''s wounds were more severe than Drew''s, Virgil had really been aiming to kill him with a single attack, it was by sheer luck that he hadn''t gotten Virgil''s teeth to his neck or he would be well on his way to dying by then, blood streaming through his fingers from a nasty scratch on his side as well.

    Drew makes noment when Jake tucks his face into the older man''s shoulder, shaking with muffled sobs - his chances of surviving his dire injuries which were made worse by the fact that he had shifted back to his human form dropping with each moment that passed.

    ~

    Virgil and Dale had easily tracked the overwhelming smell of blood to where the two Werewolves had escaped to but just as they started to slink in that direction, a blur of motion caught their attention.

    They turn around in time to see Hayden and Dream hurtling hand in and in their direction.

    Choosing who to go after wasn''t even a decision to make, both rerouting swiftly which brought them to Hayden and Dream faster.

    They shifted back just as they got close enough, Virgil standing still as Hayden threw himself into his arms.

    Virgil took his first real breath in nearly a day, gathering Hayden up so close and tight, taking in a deep breath of his favorite scent ever.

    "Virgil? Baby? Too tight!" Hayden is quick toin when his breath gets cut off.

    Virgil''s panic at this is so familiar and although Hayden feels more than a little light-headed, his knees weak from the onught of his mate''s scent that he had been practically starved of, a bright smile makes his way to Hayden''s face.

    The barrage of questions that instantly follow is also not surprising, Hayden lets his mate do as he wishes, inspecting every bit of Hayden''s body even as he snarls unhappily at the outfit and his bare feet, looking over his shoulder like he might like to finish something off.

    Dream had slowed down too, only that Dream also did the same, the fact that he didn''te hurtling into his arms was expected but that didn''t take away the sting of it.

    He watches hesitation and a myriad of emotions sweep across Dream''s pale face.

    Dale doesn''t let himself think, closing the distance between them as he sweeps Dream into his arms.

    "I might have to cuff you to my bed to make sure you don''t run away again." Dale murmurs into Dream''s neck, his voice heavy with emotion.

    Dream makes a strangled sound at this, clutching at Dale''s upper body even as he takes in gulpfuls of his scent, his gag reflex instantly settling.

    "I thought you wouldn''te." He says quietly, voice filled with longing.

    "Where else would I be?" Dale leans forward to nuzzle his neck again - how does Dream manage to smell better each time he sees him? "I owe you something, remember?" He tags on, nipping Dream''s throat just a little bit.

    This elicits a soft gasp out of Dream, pleasure and promise swirling like a heady tonic in his middle.

    ''<em>Well!!!''</em>

    Jaxie practically screams in their heads.

    ''<em>What''s so fun about keeping me in the dark, do you have them or not??''</em>

    This brings identical smirks to both Alphas who have their mates cradled in their arms.

    <em>''Yeah we do.''</em>

 Chapter 366

    Chapter 366

    With the advantage of a surprise attack on their part and precise orders, the casualties of the Warriors from Crimson Pack and Dark Moon Pack were very low, a couple medics had been in their jet for that very reason and as soon as the battle had been decided they retreated to it, already starting the journey back to Pine Creek.

    Leon, Yanis and Jaxon had already returned to their private jet at this point, everyone gathered in front of theptop even as they waited for feedback from either Alpha.

    Hayden''s tracker was stationary again, silence heavy in the cabin.

    The others knew better than to offer help, it was better to just stay out of the Alphas way but the suspense wasn''t good for the heart.

    <em>''Well!!!''</em>

    Jaxie practically screams in their heads, when he''s finally had enough.

    <em>''What''s so fun about keeping me in the dark, do you have them or not??''</em>

    A brief silence, then

    <em>''Yeah we do''</em>

    Virgil''s voice floats in his head and Jaxon doesn''t think he''s ever been happy to hear those words before.

    "They got them." He says to the others, copsing backwards on the couch and everyone equally experienced a deep sense of relief.

    Dia pulls Renee into a hug then DD.

    "Think they''ll need anything? Food?" ''<em>a sharp gasp</em>'' "What if they''re hurt?" Renee starts to panic.

    "I think they''re fine or Virgil would have said so, let''s just try to not overwhelm the" Jaxon starts to exin seriously but his words blow over their heads even as they all hurry to the door when they hear a familiar whoosh of the jet''s doors going open.

    "Yeah, I don''t think they''re listening." Yanis says dryly, happy squeals floating over to where they were. "There''s never a dull moment with you Werewolves, is there?"

    Jaxon chuckled at this, "We try."

    Ian had fought with the Warriors and had a couple scratches but he Jaxon doesn''t think he''s ever seen Leon get so unruffled, crowding his twin and insisting he go on the Warrior ne although Ianined that he wanted to see Hayden and Dream, Leon was hearing none of it.

    Leon now who was currently seated at the wet bar, casually watching the rest of the room while Darian stood against the wall, expression stoic like he couldn''t literally hear his brother''s voice but Jaxon could see his eyes were the softest blue he had ever seen them be.

    While thedies had gotten to the doorway just as Virgil wasing in, Hayden and Dream were both barefoot so they were carried snugly in their Alphas arms, not that Virgil and Dale needed that excuse.

    Reluctantly, Virgil hands Hayden over to his mom who goes into full mother hen mode, clucking and fussing over Hayden, switching to Dream and handing Hayden over to Dia like they had shared custody of them.

    DD just hung back and watched the happy scene with a soft smile on her face, she had taken out her phone to take a picture of Dream in the ridiculous dress he had on that literally made her eyes bleed, giggling when he throws her a death re,ing forward to ruffle his hair fondly and kiss his cheek.

    Renee has no qualms picking up her son like he''s a child and making her way to the cabin where the others were waiting but Dream was having none of that, backing away from their mom and ring threateningly at her when she tried to carry him as well.

    "But you let Dale carry you." Dia pouts.

    "Yes, because there were thorns and stones outside." Dream crosses his arms pettishly.

    Dale''s lips tilt to the side a bit at this, stepping forward in Dream''s direction who doesn''t move a limb and lets himself be picked up.

    "Unbelievable!" Dia throws her hands up, trying to make an upset face and failing.

    They all gravitate to the main cabin, Hayden and Dream separated from their mates in no time, Virgil and Dale hanging back to let them all get acquainted.

    Dream''s scent is out of full disy and Dale can''t help his smug smile although Darian keeps pinning lethal res at his head,

    Dream notices that everyone is cautious about bringing up the fact that he was pregnant, although it was very obvious they wanted to, the issue sitting like a fat ass elephant on theirps.

    He doesn''t offer them any relief, interested in other things. "Who were those guys?"

    Jaxon is the one to answer his question. "We did a little investigation and well, Pine Creek is quite popr in the Werewolf world because, it''s a literal town of werewolves not to mention the fact that two different Packs are living in it side by side."

    "They probably sent a couple people down to investigate, because the possibility that a Werewolf dwelling thisrge would have at least one male Omega was too high a chance to pass up on."

    "We must have crossed them on the road while they were headed there, I didn''t see the person driving but the Alpha that had been staring into our car was definitely the same guy we met, the Alpha of the Pack." Virgil adds.

    The situation he had been talking about was when they had been driving down to the city to pay baby Pixie a visit.

    Hayden just gaped at this, he hadn''t even noticed the exchange.

    "Um mom?" DD calls after a while ofpanionable silence. "Dream is looking a little pale"

    She barely gets all her words out before Dream is gagging, throwing a hand over his mouth as he hurries to his feet.

    "Third door down the hallway." Renee immediately calls to him, a proud ass smile on her face.

    "I should go check up on him." Hayden gets up immediately as well.

    All eyes swing to Dale when both Omegas are gone, Dale looks absolutely unfazed by this, leaning against the counter.

    "Who knew he got airsick"

 Chapter 367

    Chapter 367

    No one stops Darian this time when he goes after Dale.

    "He had thating." Renee mutters.

    It was obvious that although there was a lot of controversy around Dream''s pregnancy because, Dale has Dream''s mating mark but Dream''s neck is painfully bare that they had resolved things now so everyone was willing to sweep things under the carpet until either of them was willing to open up.

    But for Darian, it was just a natural response to want to murder the idiot that got his brother pregnant, it didn''t matter if they had gotten mated first or hell! Did a whole ass wedding, he would still feel like ripping their necks out, he would just control himself better.

    Not in this situation though

    Hayden and Dream make their way back to a scene that was so neutrally chaotic, it was almost hrious.

    While Darian had Dale in a choke hold on the ground, the rest were in a lively conversation, discussing how a risk of this happening again was almost nonexistent, because information got around and no one would want a repeat of what happened at Crescent Pack to happen to theirs.

    Dream hung back, still looking pale while Hayden hurried over to Darian.

    "As fun as this must be, I need to borrow Dale." He says politely.

    "Dream? Baby? Are you okay?" Renee is the first to notice him weaving, hurrying to her feet in worry.

    Dream just steps back still looking green.

    "Mom, you might want to keep your distance, unless you have mints on you."

    "What?" Renee splutters in confusion, freezing up.

    DD easily catches on though. " Why would we need mints when we have Dale, Darian, stop hugging your brother''s mate and let him go." She immediately takes control of the situation, Darian flinching at her choice of words, seperating from Dale so fast.

    Dale just picks himself up from the ground and heads for Dream, picking him up again.

    "If you''ll excuse us." He says magnanimously, sweeping out.

    "Yeah, I''m gonna kill him." Darian mutters in a dark voice.

    "No, there''ll be none of that." Dia scolds lightly, "At least he''s falling in love, when you bring someone home then you''d get that privilege."

    "Mom, don''t bait him." DD mutters.

    "I''ll take anything I can get at this point." Dia whispers under her breath.

    "Oh?" Renee makes a U-turn, beelining to Darian, unfazed by his threatening aura as she reaches up on her tiptoes to pinch his cheeks. "Did I hear that you need a matchmaker?"

    Everyone holds back theirughter at how ufortable Darian looks with Renee pestering him, literally hanging off him as she tries to find out who his type is so that she could set up a date for him.

    Hayden is curled up on his mate''s legs, his head resting on Virgil''s bare torso. He''s already dozing off when his tummy rumbles, making his cheeks flush, they hadn''t eaten a lot at breakfast so it''s a little expected.

    Virgil nces down at this. "Hungry huh? I could go"

    "No, it''s fine." Hayden is quick to wave away, knowing that the chances of there being strawberries on the jet would be next to nonexistent and that was pretty much what he wanted just then.

    Jaxon''s eyes go wide in realization, his signature wild-haired look and eyebags in ce, knitted sweater on. "Renee? Please tell me you got around to ordering the strawberries."

    "What?" Renee turned around, she was seated on the ground beside Darian who she had forced to do the same, the big Warrior backed up against the wall, clutching himself and trying to look small while Renee chatted his ears off, braiding his hair - technically tangling it.

    "Strawberries? For Hay?" Jaxon repeats.

    "Oh, yes, of course." Renee beams up at him, giving Darian her full attention once again.

    Comfortable silence fell on them, after all of the anxiety and worry bled away, they were all just exhausted, easily dozing on the couches in ridiculous positions as the jet cut through the sky.

    *~*

    Dream was in a simr state, he was exhausted and not just from the crazy adventure they just had, he was tired of holding up all of the responsibility, of keeping everything away from the people he loved, of bottling up his feelings why did he ever think that all that was a good idea?

    He lets his eyes slip shut, listening to the calming thudding of Dale''s heartbeat even as he strode down a hallway.

    Dream had no idea where they were going but that didn''t even bother him, Dale was with him, wasn''t he? That was enough

    Or maybe it''s because he''s pregnant and in a dress that''s why he''s feeling so soft and emotional.

    Dale''s scent is endlessly better than mints and he just stays there, in a cloud of it, slowly falling asleep.

    He''s jolted awake when Dale''s movement changes and they have stopped moving, opening his eyes to a state of the art master bedroom.

    "How do you feel?" Dale asks softly, pushing Dream''s hair out of his face to get a better look.

    Dream''s response is a muffled mumble, remaining in Dale''s arms although they''re on a bed now. "Better."

    Dale leans forward to ce a kiss on his forehead, scenting him just because.

    "Why did you run away?" He finally asks the question that has been burning at the tip of his tongue for almost a full week. He has a vague idea of the answer but it wouldn''t hurt to hear it.

    Dream hides his face deeper. "You didn''t mate me I-I thought"

    "Oh, honey, of course I wouldn''t, I needed to ask you first." Dale is quick to say, cupping Dream''s face tenderly in both of his hands to lead him to sit upright, facing him. "I''m a wreck of a romantic but I wanted to make it special" He punctuates it with a kiss on Dream''s nose, the sleepy Omega batting him away, "But then there''s you dashing away in the morning like Cindere."

    "First of all, neverpare me to a disney princess"

    Dale just stares at him with stars in his dark green eyes. "Even though you''re wearing a dress"

    Dream''s re cut him off. "You know what will make it special, cook me brunch when we get home and I might even tell you I love you." He says, bright eyes dropping to the proud jasmine flower sitting over Dale''s heart.

    Dale''s heart swells to bursting, his hands dropping from Dream''s face to encircle his waist, burying his face in Dream''s neck. "Sure, when we get home"

 Chapter 368

    Chapter 368

    Kieran makes his way across the both Packs for what has to be the hundredth time that morning, he has no idea how Jaxon keeps up with the Pack because they''re alway ringing up for the littlest bit of trouble or information.

    Like, it''s not like Jaxon is the friendly neighborhood spiderman but they would call him for something as mundane as getting a cat out of a tree or the ceiling or the weird sound in their bathroom - how was the Head Beta even still alive?

    Why did he agree to stay behind anyway? But someone had to hold the fort

    Erin was quite fine with handling things back at their Pack House but she seemed to want validation or his signature on every single thing, hence the journeys.

    Now he was padding down the hallway of the Crimson Pack fourth floor - he had already gotten the information that Dream and Hayden were found and safe and they were currently making their way back. Good. he was about done.

    The calls to the Head Beta of the Crimson Pack had been temporarily rerouted to his office and thest call he had gotten had him worried that either his Pack was full of weirdos or Crimson Pack had the crazy people.

    Because the call had been an elderlydy panicking about strawberries, he hadn''t thought too much about it, maybe she or someone else had tried microwaving strawberries or some strawberry voured item.

    He wouldn''t be surprised, seeing the kind ofints he had been getting all day.

    It would have been much much better if that was the case

    Kieran just barely stops himself from cursing when he gets to the west wing of the third floor, just standing in shock at the end of the hallway while a couple adorable olddies pattered up to him.

    He couldn''t even smoke because after the first couple calls, instinctively he had brought out a stick and well he''s just going to say that he''s definitely going to consider giving smoking up because honestly, there was just too much work involved.

    If it wasn''t Dream or Bryan trying to get him to quit, it was a group of tittering, scolding and or worrying olddies pestering him to do the same.

    So now, here he is, standing and staring at the chaos before him and trying to make sense of how he got to this point, it''s definitely all of the old Head Beta''s fault.

    "How does an entire hallway get flooded with strawberries?" He tries to ask as calmly as he could manage when a couple men walk up as well. "Who the f" He cuts himself short at the sharp gasps of the olddies crowding around him.

    "Kieran, there are children here." Agnes, a particrly feisty werewolf says.

    "My apologies." He mutters, trying hard to ignore their appreciative croons of

    "...such gentlemanly manners"

    "...he would be perfect for my suzy"

    "...or me"

    He still had to deal with whatever the fuck was going on down here.

    "Who ordered so many strawberries?" He asks with patience he had forgotten how to feel.

    Someone hands him a clipboard, "Yeah, a Renee LeBaron made the order for about fifty boxes of the stuff, her directions said to keep them here we can''t be faulted that huge dogs you might want to do something about that too, brought down the pile we had neatly stocked, causing that." The guy exins, jabbing a finger behind him.

    It was obvious from his mannerisms that the human wanted to get the fuck out of this madhouse, Kieran could rte.

    "So, I''ll need you to sign here, everyone else we talk to refuses to do it and this is causing a dy."

    Kieran has no other option than to sign it so the delivery men could be on their way, a lot of things had gone wrong for them to get to this point, firstly, Renee obviously made a mistake on the floor and who for fuck''s sake let pups run around in their wolf forms.

    He nces around, at least someone had been nice enough to take the pups away, thest thing they needed just then wa them shifting in front of the delivery men, that would be a hard one to exin but there was always the option of knocking them out and throwing them in the woods so that when they woke up, they would think it was some nasty dream - wouldn''t be the first time.

    Then there was the task of somehow carting the mountain pile of fruits up to thest floor or shouldn''t they remain in the kitchens?

    "If it''s not a bother, do you know where I can get spare boxes?" He asks the olddies on a whim and their eyes go bright even as they nod their heads enthusiastically, telling him to wait right there that they''ll be right back.

    While he was waiting, a dark haireddy walked up to him, with a couple others but she was in the lead and the one who approached him while the others looked awfully shy a little distance away.

    "Hi, I''m Jazz." The neer says in a husky voice, waving her ck tipped fingers with a bunch of silver rings adorning them. "You must be the new Head Beta of the other Pack"

    Kieran shrugs at this, unsurprised that she knew him, one thing he hade to learn was that news went around fast amongst both houses, especially when it was concerning top floors upants. "I''m not exactly new" He starts to decline.

    "Sure." Jazz mutters dryly. "Well, we came to offer our help as a way to apologize for losing sight of the pups." She states matter of factly, a quality Kieran particrly liked.

    He nces over at the pile of strawberries again. "That is definitely appreciated."

    This has them gathering up strawberries up with their hands in a little while, well there were gloves and aprons provided by the helpful olddies who hung around to keep an eye on them - as they said.

    It went fine till the suspects broke out again from their daycare and had their fun pummelling the adults with strawberries, at least until the olddies were kind enough to cart them away, following after them to make sure that they remained where they were supposed to.

    Jazz swallows back herughter as she picks a couple pieces of strawberry out of the taller Head Beta''s hair, he had been holding up a box of freshly gathered strawberries so was caught unawares and vulnerable by the pups. "I''m sorry about that."

    Kieran''s expression remains nk, wondering how they kept up with the pups, he would be found hanging them out the windows more often than not good thing he wasn''t getting any, the ones affiliated with him was responsibilty enough.

    ~

    The Pack members had been unaware of the kidnapping of their male Omegas but it is surprising to see so many peopleing in cars right after the Warriors had.

    Well, Crimson Pack is more than a little used to seeing their Alpha dote on his Luna so it''s no surprise to see Hayden being carried up the stairs, although the dress is a very new addition.

    Dale''s Pack is in for a surprise though, most people just relieved to see him, Dale barely ever left his office which worsened after Dream left.

    Excitement thrummed through them though, their Alpha was practically carrying a pregnant Omega up to his home, that was pretty obvious.

    Without na to fuel the fantasy around Dale, most of his diehard fans had started to get over him, especially when it was painfully obvious that he wanted nothing to do with them.

    "You know, I kind of like this." Dream says when they get to the third floor.

    "What?"

    "You carrying me around, I never thought it''d be this fun." He grins cheekily, wiggling his bare feet. "Carry me more often?"

    Dale lets out a smile at this. "Sure, whatever you want"

    "So you''d let me get a weapons cache?"

    Dale makes a face at this. "What do you need that for?" He asks, narrowing his eyes at the look that twinkles in Dream''s eyes.

    "Stuff." Dream says, dragging out the words.

    "Why do I feel you''d end up using it to wake me up or shoot bugs?"

    "There''ll be other things too, like a bat, very important."

    Dale''s suspicious expression gets even more intense. "Why do I feel like I''m going to regret this?"

    "You''re not"

    "Wee back" Kieran cuts off his ploy to convince Dale. "Dream." He specifies in a tight voice, eyes dark.

    Dream is already shooting upright, a bright smile on his face only to take in a grin Kieran. "Y-you''re mad?"

    "You can tell?" Dale asks.

    "I shouldn''t be? You were obviously too busy to eat dinner with me." Kieran says seriously, expression stern although his words belies him.

    Dream leans back at this, stunned. "I was literally kidnapped"

    "Can we have this conversation some other time?" Dale blurts in, looking unhappy.

    Erin makes her debut at this point, all happy smiles and endless questions.

    "I''ll get you your weapons cache if we can leave right now." Dale whispers into Dream''s ears who was getting into a heated argument with Kieran, Erin getting dragged in for no reason.

    "Deal, baby," he''s quick to agree. "Alright get the fuck away from me, I''ll cook dinner tonight!" He throws to Kieran, waving at a confused Bryan who had shown up at the start of his tirade.

 Chapter 369

    Chapter 369

    Kieran res unabashedly at the entire table before leaning to the side to whisper to Dream. "This isn''t what I had in mind when you said you''d cook dinner."

    Dream gives him a patronizing smile. "I cooked it still." He reminds the Head Beta, he and Hayden had actually been the ones to cook which in itself was a miracle in itself even though Dia had been the one to do practically everything.

    Dale and Virgil kept hanging around, silently worrying they ended up doing basically everything for Dia while he and Hayden chilled by the counter, drinking smoothies while their Alphas were literal wrecks.

    Dream''s all time favorite moment was when Dia had given them a bunch of onions to chop, she didn''t really need that many but she needed to keep their huge imposing bodies out of her way.

    So there was Dale and Virgil literally sobbing their eyes out while trying to not chop off their fingers at the same time while he and Hayden were having the time of their lives Renee had been kicked out at the very start - no surprise there.

    They were in the private dining room in Crimson Pack and Dream was relieved that his mom hadn''t decided to start staying over at the Pack House, it wasn''t that he didn''t love her presence, he would just rather pass on that.

    Besides, she had her bakery to think and of course, Heather.

    So she had chosen to stay the night to leave early the next day, Dream hadn''t particrly cared what happened to his mom''s ex husband but it was nice to hear that he had been kicked out of the town.

    He finally got his wish didn''t he, they were no longer his responsibility - scoff - like they had ever been.

    The table was upied by the usual people except for his mom, his sister, Erin and Kieran.

    Erin could have easily joined her parents for dinner - because they now lived in the Pack House but Kieran had dragged her along, forpany, he had said and Dream was happy that they were getting along quite well.

    Erin didn''t seem to be having fun though, because she had ended up sitting beside Ian and Dream wondered how she could see her food from how she kept hiding her face with the curtain fall of her hair.

    Conversation flowed easily even the twins contributed to the discussion but not Hayden who was preupied with other important things, like stuffing his face.

    When the pups were out of his brother there was going to be a shit ton of dieting and exercise so he would be able to touch his toes at least.

    Not that Dream minded, he was tucking in enough food to feed a small army too and, personal opinion but he had always felt like Hayden could use a little more flesh on him.

    Dinneres to an end and everyone disperses, Kieran just realizing that he didn''t usually spend the night at the Pack House, it had just been so natural to be around Dream that he didn''t realize.

    "I don;t understand while you''re making such a fuss about, there''s a lot of spare rooms, one which should technically belong to you." Dream was saying as they all walked back.

    "You could sleepover at my ce if you don''t want to be alone." Erin offers.

    Dream''s response is a scoff, his hand held in Dale''s. "As if, the crazy man lives in a mansion in the woods all by himself."

    "Thanks for the offer, Erin." Kieran says, shooting Dream a nd look. "But I''ll pass, it''s not toote to make the journey back, goodnight everyone."

    They all part ways at this, Erin choosing to go down to check up on her parents, leaving the top floor all to Dream and Dale.

    "You know what, this isn''t half bad." He whispers sultrily when Dale picks him up.

    His mom had chosen to stay over at Renee''s apartment in the Crimson Pack House, DD returning back to hers on the second floor.

    Dream was already used to him and Dale having the entire floor to themselves so this was the best case scenario.

    Dale had actually cooked brunch for him, he was surprised that the Alpha hadn''t managed to blow up the kitchen like he had been expecting.

    Dale was actually a pretty decent cook, he just didn''t get much practice at it, after that Dream had been out like a light, fast asleep till sundown.

    "Hmm? You think?" Dale hums, reflexively tucking his head briefly in Dream''s neck to nuzzle at him because why not?

    He was just so happy and rxed, it almost felt like a lucid dream, seemed too good to be true.

    But not when he''s falling asleep to a sleeping Dream tucked in his arms and waking up to Dream smiling down at him, he was definitely a dream worth not waking up from.

    He''s already leaning forward to im Dream''s lips before they''re in their apartment - he liked the sound of that - not that it mattered, they were the only ones on the floor anyway.

    Dream wastes no time leaning up to meet him halfway, hands thrown around his Alpha''s neck even as he melts into the kiss.

    No matter how stoic he tries to remain, how Dale keeps treating him so tenderly like he might break was enough to melt him and it wasn''t just because he was pregnant now.

    Though his memories are hazy, he still remembers Dale being this attentive even during his heat when a mini rut must have clouded his mind.

    He gets carefully ced on the bed, moving backwards even as Dale follows along, his shirt going off.

    It all seemed so natural like they had always been together, like they were meant for each other.

    He had worn one of Dale''s shirts to dinner, the item of clothing feeling and smelling like home? Yeah, home.

    Dale''s arms, his heated lips against Dream''s feverish skin, legs tangling that was home.

 Chapter 370

    Chapter 370

    <em><strong>mature content</strong></em>

    <em><strong>(Mostly DreamxDale because they didn''t get enough attention)</strong></em>

    Hayden can practically feel Virgil''s worry and possession lurking beneath the depths of his icy blue eyes, the weight of his stare constantly on him all through the meal.

    So he''s not caught off guard when as soon as they get in their apartment and the door is safely locked - everything had to be his mom-proofed - Virgil is pouncing on him.

    His Alpha''s sharp teeth are grazing his ever sensitive mating mark, hard length pressed against his lower back.

    Hayden wees the onught, arching his neck to the side to give Virgil better ess to his neck.

    Virgil spins him around, picking him up with both hands braced under his thighs, Hayden holding onto his shoulders for bnce even as he mouths at Virgil''s jaw.

    Fingers digging into Hayden''s thigh through his soft sweatpants, he gently ces him at the edge of the bed.

    "I love you so much." Virgil whispers to him, crouching directly in front of him, his hands disappearing up Hayden''s shirt.

    "Love you too." Hayden beams sweetly at him. "So you''ll let me suck you off?"

    Virgil literally chokes, eyes watering in shock. "What?"

    "Oh really? Yes? Thank you." He says in a rush.

    "But" Virgil starts toin, thest thing he wanted was to be the cause of Hayden''s throwing up fit.

    "I won''t take you all in." Hayden is quick to bargain like Virgil would have been able to tell him no.

    Virgil should have scented out the bullshit though but all his coherent thoughts tline when his mate takes him down in one smooth move after slicking him up a bit.

    Virgil throws his head back against the headboard, cursing on a groan as he feels his mate swallow around him

    ~

    Dale took his time with marking up his mate, it was very important that everyone knew who he belonged to.

    Going slow onlysts for so long then Dream is lifting up his head and kissing him so hard he tastes blood.

    Snapping isn''t an option at this point, Dale surging forward even as he takes hold of Dream''s wandering hands to hold them up above his head, returning the favor.

    Dream breaks away first with a gasp, shying away from his piercing gaze.

    His eyes widen in surprise when Dale spins them around so that Dream is sitting on him, realizing that throughout his heat Dale was always on top.

    He nces up into familiar forest green eyes which are always fixed on him, there''s so much love in the dark green depths, Dream wonders how he had never noticed it before.

    Dale''s eyes were alight from within and Dream is pretty sure there are matching stars in his eyes yeah, he could definitely see what the fuss was all about mates.

    In the next couple minutes it''s a flurry of movement, Dream barely able to concentrate enough to jerk off Dale''s dick with how aggressively the Alpha''s goes for his already marked up throat, deft hands plucking at his reddened nipples.

    "No prep?" Dale drawls into his ears, voice dark and hoarse when Dream starts to squirm impatiently.

    Dream stiffens, a fine coating of blush spreads all over his heated skin, small hands going ck on the Alpha''s dick. "I-I thought" He trails off, averting his face, he had expected that Dale would be the one to do it.

    "I want to watch you." Dale starts of with a bright smile which falls away to a dark look, fanngs peeking out. "Turn around."

    Dream''s eyes grow wide, feeling like prey under the sharp stare of Dale''s gold eyes, he agrees with a gulp, slowly turning around and leaning forward, ass in the air, cheeks red.

    There''s no need for lube because he''s already wet enough, more slick gushing out at the heavy weight of Dale''s stare on his puckered hole.

    A shaky hand reaches behind him, unexinably shy, he buries his face in the sheets, knees spread on either side of Dale''s thighs, shaky chubby fingers inching closer.

    He gasps audibly when his fingers make contact, skin over sensitive as he carefully rubs a hand over his hole, slick drenching his hands, his other hand clutching the sheets tightly when he slips two fingers in, the slide easy.

    He fucks into himself, scissoring his index and middle fingers, thighs spreading from how weak his knees were bing, the slide is too easy that in no time, two fingers be three, three fingers turning to four.

    Desperate little sounds spilling from his mouth with each thrust, back arching prettily, something about Dale just sitting there and watching him intensely without making a move to touch him does more than enough to drive Dream crazy.

    A cry slips from his lips when Dale finally touches him, grabbing his upper thighs, his grip fierce.

    This makes him slow down, earning a yful nip on a butt cheek, Dale follows this up with a spank, soothing over the reddened skin.

    "Didn''t say you could stop." He says, his hands moving higher, tantly ignoring Dream''s weeping hole.

    Dream pushes a couple of his fingers into his mouth to ground himself, overwhelmed even as he resumes thrusting into himself.

    Dale takes his fingers out this time, wrapping steady hands around Dream''s sweat slicked waist, easily bringing him to sit upright, his back to Dale''s torso.

    He wastes no time pushing into Dream''s soft wet heat, the slide silken and smooth, gathering his Omega''s shuddering body gingerly into his arms, holding him upright to guide his lithe body up and down his hard length.

    Lavishing wet, open mouthed kisses all over his neck and corbones, Dale''s mating mark tingles in anticipation.

    He leans over to lick over Dream''s scent nd, Dream''s head thrown back to provide easy ess.

    Mating bites were deep so it could easily hurt unless it was done right

    He keeps Dream steady with one hand, his hips thrusting upwards, brushing silken walls and a sensitive spot deep in him, Dream''s mouth falling open.

    Dale lifts Dream one more time, thrusting upwards one more time even as he ms him down, sinking in his teeth at the same time.

    Dream cums hard, mouth open in a silent scream, spasming wildly around Dale who follows after.

    "You didn''t have to bite that hard." Dream pouts drowsily after they bothe down from their high.

    Dale splutters, already about to apologize when Dream spins around, still seated on his half hard dick.

    "So you''ll have to try again." Dream grins unrepentantly at him, a twinkle in his amber eyes.

 Chapter 371

    Chapter 371

    <em><strong>8 monthster.</strong></em>

    "I don''t want to wear pants." Hayden pouts, scooting backwards when Candy takes his wedding clothes out of the closet.

    "What?" Candy spins around in surprise to see her nephew getting off from the bed to waddle across the room. "But you agreed to" she starts to remind him, keeping an eye on Pixie who is already learning to walk, using a table to hoist herself up on chubby legs.

    "Well, I''ve changed my mind now." Hayden insists, making his way - not very quickly - to the door, dressed in one of Virgil''s shirts, the grey colored outfit big enough to easily look like a short dress on him, loose pajama bottoms encasing his legs.

    Renee shows up at the door, looking harried. "What''s going on?" Shees in looking particrly harried. "Hayden, why aren''t you dressed yet?"

    "Because..," Candy starts to exin, chasing after Hayden who darts behind his mom, running to the other side of the room, his serious expression making Candyugh so hard she can''t keep up. "...that." She points at Hayden who had waddled to the other end of the room, looking very out of breath.

    "Well you look like you have things under control." Renee mutters absently, already moved on from the crazy scene before her - it wasn''t like it was her first one anyway.

    "I-I need to go help Dia find the cakes'' She mumbles already spinning around to leave.

    Hayden and Candy pause their running around at this, surprise on their faces.

    "Um Ren? What happened to the cakes?"

    "We can''t find it." Renee blurts out, tugging on her hair. "One moment they were in the fridge and the next... poof! No cake." She exins.

    Her sister and son just stare nkly at her, unable toprehend her little speech.

    "What?" Candy is the one to find her voice.

    "Yeah, so Dia is in panic mode right now trying to bake another."

    "It''s just a couple hours to the wedding, how is she going to manage that" Candy starts to ask, cutting herself off halfway when she notices Pixie trying to ride Apple. "Pixie! Stop that, Apple will oof!" She winces when Apple hops away and smacks her daughter on the face with a sheathed paw.

    "Apple!" Hayden starts to scold, already heading for his pet to pick her up and away, he doesn''t get that close though.

    Pixie lets out a loud shriek that is pure rage, shifting into a pup and going after Apple who darts away with a yelp, Pixie barrelling after her.

    Together they knock down a couple vases an a side table before dashing outside, Candy following after her daughter at full speed.

    Hayden looks at the door to see Jennie standing at the doorway with a wide eyed expression which she easily shrugs off, one got used to the entricity that always surrounded them. "I hope I''m not toote." She gives him a bright smile.

    "Jennie!" Hayden exims in happiness, waddling across the room, tummy big enough to slow him down. "I had no idea you would even be able to make it."

    Jennie meets him halfway, hugging her friend and boss. "I wouldn''t miss your wedding for the world."

    "It''s so nice to see you Jennie." Renee greets her with a smile. "Hay was worrying over bothering you toe."

    "Mom?" Hayden starts toin.

    "Uhh, Renee, I think Dia was looking for you at the kitchens." Jennie says. "Something about missing cakes?" She frowns.

    "Oh my God! The cakes!" Renee mutters to herself, dashing out.

    "Quite a party you got going." Jennie notes, guiding him to sit on the bed. She had finally caved in to Hayden''s suggestions and gone to pay a visit to her parents, timing it so that she would have toe back for his wedding and oops! Out of her suffocating parents house.

    Hayden rubs his back absently, they had wanted the birth of the baby to be a real surprise so other than knowing that the baby was healthy and well, he didn''t know much else, well except that his baby kicked a lot, there was that.

    It was ridiculous when Dream brought up the idea of getting married before their due date but the more his brother talked about it, the more it seemed like a really cool idea.

    Nothing like getting married with big baby bumps, it would definitely make for a perfect wedding picture.

    It was autumn so the woods was a beautiful mix of the evergreen pines and the golden hue of the other forestry.

    It was to be an open wedding, not like it would have happened anywhere else, Hayden would rather shave all of his hair than get married anywhere that wasn''t Pine Creek.

    There was nothing better than getting wedded in the midst of so much love, absently he wondered how Dream was faring, most likely better than him.

    He had no idea how everything went haywire just this morning, everyone had insisted on doing everything themselves which was just perfect in Hayden''s opinion and everything had been going so well, weeks of fun preparation cumting to a bright and sunny Saturday morning.

    But perhaps some creature of mischief had flown into both Pack Houses the night before and just sprinkled glittery, chaos dust all over then because this morning could only be described with one word, chaos.

    He doesn''t know where his mom and Shana had dragged Virgil off to earlier saying that seeing the groom before was badluck which was ridculous to Hayden but he bare through the scented bath but as soon as his mom and Shana had got called away, he immediately dived into Virgil''s clothes and snuggled into bed before his Aunt showed uo to try and coax him into dressing up.

    "You have no idea." Hayden mutters to Jennie.

    Jennie gives him a bright smile, realizing that she was still holding the item of clothing that Candy had ced into her hands while she was dashing out after who had to be baby Pixie. "I''m guessing this is for you?" She asks, holding up the tailored pants, it was beautiful, quite in but the texture so silky smooth and soft, the color a dark white with a shimmering golden glow.

    Hayden makes a face. "Yeah, no, I''m wearing this to my wedding." He says proudly gesturing at the oversized shirt and equally baggy pajamas.

 Chapter 372

    Chapter 372

    Renee hurries down the hallway, her phone ringing as she does so. "Yes, mom?" She answers warily as she picks, her gut telling her that it couldn''t possibly be good news.

    "Renee?" Maggie calls, sounding petnt and Renee braces herself for what was toe.

    "I''ve only been here for less than half an hour and I want to beat everyone here with my wig" She starts toin.

    Renee stops her journey, knowing that with how distracted she was, she was more than likely to run into a wall. "Mom, you''re not wearing a wig"

    But Maggie had already moved past that. "The venue isn''t shy, no shimmering, no shining"

    "Mom, it''s supposed to be a quiet woodside wedding." Renee cuts off her mother''s ranting.

    This was exactly why she had surprised them with the date because her mother, ever the party nning enthusiast, would have taken over the entire wedding without giving the opportunity for a refusal.

    And if Maggie took over the wedding nning, it would turn into this monster of a party, not only putting the Werewolves'' identities at risk but also ruining the ns that the actual people getting married had wanted.

    "But"

    "Gotta run , mom." She says cheerily into the phone, hearing her mom curse before she hangs up.

    It made her grimace and chuckle, Maggie never cursed, she was probably beyond frustrated, especially with the people that were in charge of the decoration.

    The Colts, Shana and her older brother, her girlfriend and Darian tagging along, it must be real fun outside.

    But she had bigger issues like how two matching tiered cakes disappeared overnight without a trace.

    She walks back in the kitchen to see the Pack members that had offered to help, from both Packs, cowering in a corner, the entire kitchen covered in flour.

    Dia is sitting on the ground full on sobbing and Heather is panicking over her, trying to console her mate.

    A part of Renee wants to step back out, find an empty bed on the fourth floor and sleep till the wedding begins but Dia catches sight of her and gets up, hurrying in her direction.

    "Oh my God, Ren, I''m so d you''re here"

    Renee let the olderdy throw herself into her arms, Heather wringing her hands behind her.

    "What happened?" She asks in surprise, when she had left to check up on Hayden, they had been in the middle of looking for the cakes, Dia nning on making a brand new one, she didn''t understand how they got from that point to this.

    "Baking disaster" Heather starts to exin.

    Dia cuts in, sprinkling a fine dusting of flour all over Renee. "Can you imagine that?" She sobs, sniffling, eyes red, hair wild. "On my sons'' weddings is the very day I have a baking disaster, how am I supposed to make brand new cakes in time"

    Heather looks increasingly bothered at Dia''s breakdown, murmuring to Renee, how "I''ve never seen her get like this." She rubs over Dia''s back who leaves Renee''s arms to hug her mate, still sobbing.

    "I''m so sorry, Dia," Renee consoles her friend, equally worried about Dia, although it could just be pre-wedding jitters. "We could always try to get new ones" Dia''s crying gets louder at this, Renee and Heather wincing.

    "I can check if I can order a couple that looks like the ones you baked."

    Dia''s crying gets even louder, Heather giving her a pointed look which is the signal to shut her yap.

    Renee could not understand how cakes would just go ghost the night before the wedding, she knows she has had her what the fuck moments but this all this

    She takes a look at the mess of a kitchen, cleaning it up right now would take out of the time that they didn''t particrly have.

    The best course of action would be to take all the ingredients they needed to the Dark Moon Pack''s kitchen while some people stayed back to clean here up.

    Then they would bake as fast as they could, she was certain that Dia could do it, she just needed to be convinced.

    "Alright! Enough crying! We haven''t worked so hard for weeks just to give up now." She starts sternly, the people that had moved to the end of the kitchen, moved closer.

    She exined the n with as many details as she could, expression stern, voice authoritative

    Everyone gathered around even Dia stopped crying and was sniffing as she listened intently.

    Heather caught on quickly, already directing the people avable to help with ease and precision.

    Renee grins when she''s done with motivating everyone, stepping backwards with a smug smile which fades away to a goofy one when a loud ominous crack resounds from under her feet.

    "I hope there are more eggs..." She mutters sheepishly, stepping away to reveal a broken packet of eggs, white slipping through the opening of the white stic.

    Everyone had frozen in their steps at the sound of the eggs breaking.

    "Yes." Heather finally says, swallowing backughter at the stricken expression on Renee''s face when she thought it was thest one.

    "Plus there''s always spare eggs in the pantry and at the Dark Moon Pack House,e on, help me with this" Dia reassures her, inviting her over.

    Renee''s phone rings and she stops to pick it without even looking at the Caller ID, she already knows who it would be.

    "Mom, no, no redecorating"

    Her father''s coolughter greets her outburst.

    "Daddy! Have you both gotten to the airport yet?"

    Her dad and Yanis had gone to pick up Mrs Nn, the only person invited that didn''t live in Pine Creek.

    "Almost, just called to check up on you, I see that Maggie is quite a handful." He notes, his voice soothing to Renee. "If you had just let me take her along"

    "You know she wouldn''t have agreed to that."

    "Maybe, bye now, Ren, we''ll be back in no time."

    "Bye dad." She responds, hanging up.

    "Let''s go bake cake." She beams at Dia who gives her a returning smile through red rimmed eyes and puffy lids.

 Chapter 373

    Chapter 373

    "Dream! Get out of the bathroom, Mints is trying to eat me!!" Deidre calls to her younger brother, standing at the head of the bed and batting away at the big dog with a pillow.

    Mints doesn''t get on the bed but he''s big enough to try and hungrilyp at Deidre''s ankles which makes her hurry from one side of the bed to the other.

    "Mints is a vegetarian, besides if he ever wanted to eat meat, it wouldn''t be you." Dream''s scathing voice floats back to her.

    Diedre levels a dark look at the closed door. "Howforting." She throws back to him with biting sarcasm, going back to trying to keep the dog away.

    The door swings open at this point, Erining in distractedly. "Luna Dream"

    "Stop calling me that, Eri!" Dream immediately cuts her off without waiting for her to finish.

    "Oops!" Erin mutters sheepishly, she always seemed to forget. "Well, Kie" she looks up at this point only to freeze, her mouth mping shut in surprise at the sight of Deidre and the Alpha and Luna''s pet.

    "Help me." Deidre mouths to her.

    "Mints!" Erin clicks her tongue at the dog who immediately swivels his massive head in her direction, bright eyes fixed on her, big tongue lolling out even as his tail starts to wag furiously.

    Erin grabs one of his chew toys, a soft red ball and waves it in the air. "Want to y fetch, Mints?" She asks the dog, watching him bounce in ce and spin around in his excitement.

    "Huh? Huh? Wanna y fetch? Good boy Mints, wanna catch the red ball"

    "Just throw the goddamned ball already!!" Deidre groans, already beyond exasperated like she was the one fetching the ball.

    Erin obliges with augh. "Fetch, Mints!" She orders the furry dog. "Go y with Kieran." She adds, throwing the ball out to the living room and listening to Mints carefully go after it.

    For such a huge dog, he was very careful with his size, which was a godsend with how yful he was or the apartment would be in a constant state of disarray.

    "Sorry about that." She apologizes to Deidre, stepping forward to help the other Werewolf down from the bed before she loses her bnce. "Mints is harmless really" she adds on.

    Deidre scoffs. "That''s what you all say about a dog that is as big as a small car"

    "He''s vegetarian too." Erin continues with stars in her eyes, obviously heads over heels for therge furry canine.

    "Uh huh." Deidre mutters nkly. "I see he has gotten to you too."

    "Dream!!" She yells to her brother again. "Get out of that bathroom or I''m mowing down the door"

    Dream walks out at this, hair dryer in hand. "I can''t even dry my hair without you dying or worse." Heins.

    "What''s your hair made out of? Sateen?"

    "Is that edible?" Dream asks with a frown, cing the hand dryer on a vanity table. "Did you need something, Eri?" He asks the secretary who flounders a bit, shucking closer the edges of the expensive silk night robe and pants he had on.

    There were tremendous perks to having three moms, especially when one of them was Renee.

    "Yes, Luna Dre I-I mean n-no, sorry, Dream."

    "Deep breaths."

    Erin does as directed, coloring back to her pale cheeks as she beams a shaky smile at her Luna. "ErrWell, Kieran said to give this to you." She finally gets out, handing a phone over to Dream.

    Dream takes it with a furrow on his brow. "Why is he giving me Dale''s phone?"

    "B-because the Alpha''s mom keeps calling and Kieran says he has run out of pencils to break so"

    Dream chuckles at this image. "Sure, I''ll" he starts to say he''ll hold on to it when the phone starts ringing again and ncing at the screen shows that it''s no other but na herself.

    Dream supresses a groan, Deidre giving him a thumbs up from where she was ransacking through his wardrobe.

    "Oh and" Erin quickly adds before Dream can pick up the phone. "Kieran can''t find the rings." She says in a rush, the words blurring together. "If you''ll excuse me, Luna Dream." She immediately says nervously, already hurrying out.

    Dream doesn''tprehend her words immediately, distracted with the incessant ringing of the device in his hand.

    "Wait what??! Stop right there, Eri!" He yells at her, Erin freezing up.

    He picks the phone at this, pissed. "Who is this?" He demands, too upied by the thought of their rings going missing on the morning of their wedding to remember that it was na or maybe he did but couldn''t be bothered to care.

    na splutters indignantly on the other end and Dream''s mood improves slightly at this.

    "Who is this?" She mimics. "I should be asking you that, who are you?" She fires back without giving herself a chance to breathe or Dream the chance to speak.

    "How dare you? What are you doing with my son''s phone anyway? I told that sockhead of a Head Beta that I wanted to speak to my son but"

    Dream just inspects his fingers as he let her rant on, tuning her out, his nails were looking really fancy, as they should, he had paid way too much money for the manicure for them anyway, although Renee has pretended that the price wasjust fine, Dream had wanted to sock thedy with the stic smile at the beauty salon on the face.

    He had gone for ck paint and he''s imagining how fabulous they would look while he was bitch pping someone, preferably the insufferable woman on the other end of the call.

    Dale had refused to speak to her ever since thest time she came and Dream saw no issues with this, his father wasid-back and cool and was probably on his way to the wedding.

    It was unbelievable how she couldn''t even recognize Dream''s voice but it wasn''t like he had given her the chance to, ever since she heard that Dream had gotten pregnant, she had been trying to get all chummy with him.

    He wonders if she''s just in dumb or incredibly dense, why the hell would Dream want someone like that anywhere near his child?

    "Don''t be so selfish, na" He finally cuts her off, already having enough of her self absorbed rant. "It''s my wedding, you don''t get to fill it up with your woes of how you were a failure as a mom." He says with a fake polite voice. "If Dale is too nice to block you, well, guess why he''s marrying me? So I can do it for him." Dreamughs into the phone like he''s chatting up an old friend, immediately hanging up and blocking her number, tossing the phone on the bed.

    "Now what were you saying about missing rings?" He stalks over to Erin menacingly to tower over her, although the secretary is easily taller than him.

 Chapter 374

    Chapter 374

    "It''s all Kieran''s fault!" Erin immediately blurts out, hiding her face in both hands.

    Dream rears back at this. "Kieran''s fault? Why is it his fault? What''s he doing with the rings anyway? Isn''t Dale supposed to be the one holding onto them?" He narrows his eyes suspiciously.

    "It''s time to get dressed." Deidrees over to get him. "You can always get married with those beautiful matching charm bracelets you both got"

    "That''s not the issue here." Dream massages his temples. "I told Dale to let me keep the rings because I know that something just like this was going to happen but he said he was going to handle it where''s my phone?" He starts to search around, his mom hade in earlier that morning to drag Dale away with some bullshit reason Dream can''t seem to remember.

    Erin winces as she watches Dream search furiously for his phone, knowing that the Alpha''s phone was sitting in the bed where her Luna had tossed it only a few minutes ago, this was going to get ugly soon.

    She makes a move to point this out to Dream but Deidre catches her gaze and makes furous hand gestures for her not to.

    "I''m going to call him and he''s going to exin aha! There you are." He finally finds his phone, speed dialing his mate.

    A soft ringing sound starts from the bed and Dream slowly turns around in a cold rage, his phone still held to his ear as he figures out what is going on.

    "That''s it, I''m using my knife collection on him."

    "D-Dream, no the Alpha gave it to Kieran so he wouldn''t lose it, Kieran kept it in his drawer but Mints somehow got to it and now we have to idea where the ring box has gone." Erin exins nervously, wringing her hands.

    Dream gives her an intense look with narrow eyes, sweeps to the far wall where there''s a special cupboard hung on the wall.

    "One, two, three good, I have more than enough knives for all of you." Dream notes calmly.

    Erin goes pale at this, bowing. "We''ll get to finding it right away." She says with sincerity, dashing out.

    "Would you let me dress you up for goodness sake?" Deidre blurts out, already tired of holding out her younger brother''s outfit.

    "Sorry." His wedding clothes, one couldn''t exactly refer to it as a suit, because it consisted of just a flowy loose shirt - his baby bump needed to breathe - and tailored silk pants.

    Much like the one that Hayden would also wear, just that Dream''s own had a silver hue to it.

    Dream had a feeling that both Pack Houses were a physical representation of the word chaos and he also knows that after getting dressed, Deidre wouldn''t allow him to leave the bedroom till it was time.

    Even now while he was still undressed and he really wanted to talk to Hayden, he needed someone to rant to.

    So a phone call it would be, he decides, getting his phone to ring up his best friend and half brother, DD getting started on his hair.

    <em><strong>~</strong></em>

    <em>''I don''t vibe with any of this.''</em>

    Virgilins as they run through the woods, paws hitting the soft soil and cover of grass and leaves with soft thuds.

    Dale snorts, his wolf and Virgil''s running in tandem.

    <em>''you don''t vibe with anything that''s not Hayden.''</em>

    <em>''as all things should be.''</em>

    Virgil agrees sagely.

    Shana had gotten them to go on this wild goose chase to get Columbines which grew in swathes in a deep part of the woods.

    She was probably just trying to get them far away from the Pack House, it was working.

    ''<em>so''</em>

    Dale drawls by way of conversation.

    ''<em>what?''</em>

    Virgil bites back at him, impatient.

    Dale isn''t surprised, Virgil was like a hedgehog, all prickly and dangerous on the outside, and soft inside, you had to be Hayden to get at his soft side though.

    ''<em>have any idea what Columbines look like?''</em>

    Dale finally blurts out what has been bothering him for the past couple miles.

    Virgil slides to a stop, throwing his Bing head around to the side to stare at Dale who had equally stopped beside him.

    ''<em>what?''</em>

    <em>''the flowers Shana told us to go get, do you know what it looks like?''</em>

    <em>''we''re getting flowers?''</em>

    Virgil asks with an audible frown in his voice.

    Dale pads over to a three and ms his head on the trunk, a couple birds chirping and flying away.

    ''<em>what did you think we were doing?''</em>

    He asks in disbelief, throwing an incredulous look at Virgil.

    He watches the other white wolf make a vague gesture like he was shrugging and sit down on the grassy floor.

    ''<em>I don''t know, I was just following you''</em>

    ''<em>you weren''t listening to Shana?''</em>

    <em>''no.''</em>

    An angry thump of a huge fluffy tail.

    ''<em>she was annoying so I tuned her out.''</em>

    Dale chooses to ignore the pout in his friend''s voice.

    ''<em>sure''</em>

    He mutters dryly.

    ''<em>do you at least know what a Columbine looks like''</em>

    At Virgil silence, Dale forges on.

    ''<em>because, if you don''t you''re the one linking to Shana to ask, I''d rather not get sassed by''</em>

    <em>''shut the fuck up for one minute, I''m trying to remember something.''</em>

    Virgil disses him, thinking hard.

    He remembers that Hayden once had a stuffie, some colorful flower with a smiley face that he had named Captain Columbine why the fuck was Virgil remembering all this now?

    It was so long ago, right when they were still kids.

    He remembers the stuffie but the image of it refuses to form in his mind''s eye <em>until</em>

    ''<em>yeah, I know what it looks like, let''s go.''</em>

    Dale gives Virgil a skeptical look but follows along, he could not help but feel like something was going to go terribly wrong

    They were probably going to end up picking up some weedy or itchy nt and Shana would beat them with it before sending them back but in a way that was slightly better than getting yelled at, at least then he wouldn''t be in it all alone.

    <em><strong>~</strong></em>

    "Hi, Dream" Hayden greets cheerily after picking his brother''s call, Jennie had finally convinced him to wear his clothes and was now currently struggling with the sp of his pants and failing to get it done.

    Hayden pays her no mind, it wasn''t like he could reach it anyway plus he really wanted to wear Virgil''s clothes to their wedding.

    "Hay! You wouldn''t believe what just happened this morning" He immediately dives into it.

    "The rings are missing." Hayden easily guesses.

    "Yes!" Dream half yells, making Deidre scold him. "I told you this would happen, didn''t I?"

    "Yes, yes you did" Hayden half chuckles, holding up Virgil''s t-shirt that he still had on with his free hand so that Jennie could figure out his pants, she was crouched in front of him, making frustrated sounds.

    "It was exactly why I wanted to hold on to them but he said he wanted them to be a surprise, well I''m waiting for him behind the door of our bedroom with a bat, how''s that for a surprise?" Dream rages.

    Haydenughs harder at this. "I don''t think you''re going to get to see him till we''re walking down the aisle." He reminds him.

    "Fine, I''ll hide my bat in this wedding dress of a shirt and beat him with it when we get to the makeshift altar"

    "Don''t call it that, Dream." Hayden scolds, constantlyughing ever since he started talking to the other.

    "But that''s what it is, no? Shana is the minister, we might as well be getting married in the living room"

    "Come on, don''t be mean, she really wants to do this, she even got legally ordained to"

    "Yeah, so she can use weird words instead" Dream is quick to add.

    He didn''t mind, he was the first to support it but he liked messing with her because no one else could.

    "So what''s going on with the rings?" Hayden asks in concern. "I''m surprised Dale hasn''t told you yet."

    "Probably because he doesn''t know." Dream sighs insufferably, reaching up to rub his eyes only for Deidre to smack his hands away, reminding him to not smear his makeup.

    Dream just nods, knowing that he would rub his eyes as soon as he got the chance to.

    "What?"

    "Yeah, he gave them to Kieran to hold onto them for him and somehow Kie let Mints get to them"

    "Oh no" Hayden mutters, eyes going wide. "You don''t think Mints ate the box, do you?"

    Dream''s eyes go wide at this, a sound of misery leaving him why was he marrying the moron again?

    Yeah he remembers, it''s because he loved him to death

    "I have a feeling the box is bone shaped" Dream blurts out, tone forlorn

    Hayden blinks furiously, wondering if there was something wrong with his phone''s reception because there was no way he could have heard that right. "What?"

    "It''s just a hunch, he buys me tons of bone shaped trinkets, because I said once that I liked some bone shaped pillow, I''m just happy that he''s buying me gifts but the crazy person probably thinks I''m obsessed with it.

    "Well, it would exin why Mints snatched it." Hayden points out logically.

    Dream just let out another drawn out groan. "That''s it, I''m gonna kill him"

    "You say that everyday, Dream"

 Chapter 375

    Chapter 375

    "I need more eggs" Dia blurts out, heading to the pantry.

    They were already settled in the Dark Moon Pack''s kitchen, ingredients out and being readied for the start of a new cake.

    There was a spare fridge in the pantry,rge and rarely probed unless the main one was to be restocked.

    That was where Dia headed for the eggs, she threw open the door hastily, impatient to get started on baking new cakes when a shocking sight greeted her.

    Her scream carried to the kitchen, Heather immediately taking off in that direction, Renee hot on her tail.

    "Darling, what" Heather starts to inquire but doesn''t get far.

    "I''m an absolute dunce!!!" Dia was yelling, gesticting wildly at the contents of the fridge.

    "W-what"

    Dia was already intensely scolding herself, facepalming over and over again.

    Renee had enough of not understanding, pushing past Heather who was trying to calm Dia down to check the fridge for herself.

    "Dia? Why are the cakes here?" She asks nkly, staring into the open fridge, the contents of it had been pushed to both sides to give space for the matching sliver and gold cakes sitting side by side.

    "What? The cakes are there?" Heather repeats, also stepping forward to check.

    "Yes! I can''t believe I forgot!" Dia exims.

    "Wait, you put them there?" Renee asks for confirmation.

    Dia looks sheepish at this, tucking her head in between her shoulders. "Maybe."

    "Unbelievable!" Heather exims, done with her overreacting mate.

    "Why?" Renee asks in confusion. "What was wrong with our Pack House?"

    "The twins." Dia finally says with a heavy sigh. "They kept gobbling up all the smaller cakes I made, I was paranoid that they would do the same to this too."

    "Leon and Ian?" Heather asks for confirmation because Dia couldn''t be talking about who she was thinking about. "The Alpha''s older brothers?"

    "Yes, them."

    "For some insane reason they''re obsessed with Dia''s baking." Renee adds on. "But I don''t think they would eat the wedding cakes" she trails off at a knowing look from Dia. "Okay, yeah, they definitely would." Renee quickly corrects.

    "It was smart of you to actually hide it then but how did you forget that you did?" Heather asks.

    Dia just lets out a nervous chuckle. "Oops!"

    Heather rolls her eyes fondly. "We better tell this to the others so we can get to finishing up the other preparations."

    ~

    "What is it?" Dream demands darkly when Kieran and Erines to find him, even a usually stoic Kieran is looking pretty sheepish.

    "Um, we found the ring box." Erin is the one to speak up.

    "Thank fuck." Dream mutters under his breath, making his way from where he had been standing at the hallway to the living room, dipping a hand in a bowl of mints to take one of the horrendous anti-sweets he can''t do without.

    "Well, where is it?" He asks impatiently when he gets to them and no one was handing him anything, he was already fully dressed, the wedding was in less than half an hour, there was no time to waste.

    "Mints has it." Kieran says simply.

    "What?" Dream blinks, upset with how severe the hairdo that Deidre had done for him was, it stretched the skin of his face in all the wrong ways but it was pretty so he would stand it.

    "He thinks it''s a toy." Erin winces.

    Dream reaches up to rub his face in frustration but hold back when he remembers how much of his life was wasted on it.

    "And you can''t get it back?" He asks the most obvious question.

    Identical nods get given to him which is no surprise, Mints was a sweetheart but if he didn''t want to give you something, that was the end of it.

    He starts angrily cursing under his breath even as he angrily made his way to the door, Kieran and Erin duitfully following him like he wasn''t a five feet, two inches pregnant Omega.

    The journey took them to the end of a hallway where Mints was sitting, carefully hoarding a bunch of toy bones, the ring box hidden amongst them.

    He perks up when he catches familiar scents, spinning around to face them and wagging his tail in excitement.

    "So, which is it?" Dream asks, gesturing vaguely at Mints bone pile.

    "The one with the ck bow." Erin is quick to say, stepping forward slightly which earns a loud growl from Mints, the dog going back to wagging his tail and and lolling his tongue happily when she steps back.

    "That''s what he does whenever we try to get it." Kieran exins, stepping forward as well, another ferocious snarl leaving the dog before he goes back to being all goofy and excited when Kieran steps back.

    Dream sighs, wondering how he doesn''t have white hairs yet.

    He simply steps forward, Mints excitement increasing at this as he spins in a small circle and whips his tail around at an inhuman speed.

    Dream pets the dog when he asks for it by nudging his owner''s side, bending over with obvious difficulty to search for his ring box, mentally convincing himself to not murder his husband after their wedding.

    He finally grabs the ring box and gets back up with a groan. "Fuck, I think I pulled a muscle." Heins under his breath, waddling back to his apartment.

    Only to find his parents waiting for him, Dia and Heather looking bright eyed and excited.

    He narrows his eyes at them. "What happened? Actually wait I don''t think I want to hear it."

    "Why are you ying with Mints toy?" Heather is the first to notice the big bone held in his hand.

    "It''s my ring box, I''m marrying a child." Dream informs them with a straight face.

    Chirping silence surrounds the women at this, DD snickering behind them.

    "Is no one going topliment my work?" She pouts, fishing forpliments from her mom''s.

    "You did so well, DD." Heather is the first to quicklyply. "You made Dream look stunning, Dale won''t be able to keep his eyes off him"

    "I''d like to rify that I always look stunning and if Dale is looking elsewhere, it better be because he''s trying to get me food." Dream corrects.

 Chapter 376

    Chapter 376

    The wedding venue is absolutely stunning, they had gone for a bright decor which went perfectly well with the exterior, wreaths of pale baby breaths wrap around the big arch set up in front.

    Rows of seats were prepared, it was to be a big wedding after all.

    Sun filters in, the trees around providing shade, plus the sun was more of a beauty than a nuisance, soft, excited chatter filling the air.

    Renee starts up piano, everyone had been surprised when she offered to y it, Hayden hadn''t really been, other than her sister and parents and maybe a couple old friends, Hayden was the only other person who had ever heard her y.

    It was so long ago, back at his grandparents house when he was still a toddler.

    Everyone held their breaths at the first note, because honestly, it''s Renee, there''s no telling how it would go.

    Hayden and Dream were waiting in the cover of the Pack House, ream had insisted on walking Hayden down the aisle and there was no changing his mind, a hyperactive Pixie with them, Candy going out of her mind trying to settle her daughter.

    A collective gasp resounds through the guests when Renee starts ying proper, beautiful trilling sounds filling the space.

    Mr. and Mrs. LeBaron were seated in the front chairs as well as the others closly rted to them, Dale''s and Virgil''s dad both made it to their sons'' weddings.

    Mrs. Nn had gone as pale as a ghost when she saw Hayden, Yanis remembering that he might have forgotten to prepare his mom for a heavily pregnant Hayden.

    Adeline had gotten over her initial surprise though, fawning over then and alreadyying the im of godmother over the yet to be born babies.

    Candy holds onto her daughter''s wrist, Hayden and Dream would go out first then when it was time to exchange rings, she would patter out.

    At least Candy hopes that was what her willfull daughter would do, there was a high chance that she would take the ring boxes to her father or start for her grandparents, her one saving grace was that she couldn''t walk very well yet so at least Candy could try to direct her.

    Virgil and Dale were standing at the ''makeshift altar'' as Dream referred to it as, Shana standing on it to, wearing a hot pink, priest robe, matching pink wig, a smug expression on her face.

    Virgil hadn''t been surprised to see her dressed that way, he had expected it even, a faint smile on his face as he watched the excitement on her face as Mae took endless pictures of her.

    She had put her daughter, Ruby into a matching outfit, Rubyughing freely as she took pictures with her mom.

    Ruby who was currently sitting among the audience with Mae, asionally waving at and giving her mother, up thumbs.

    The soft chattering washed over him, his dad presence had actually been something he realized he wanted after he showed up, looking softer than the icy facade he used to keep on all the time or maybe he was just getting old.

    Renee soft piano sounds made a quiet hush fall over the ce, his heart stopping as he waited for the only reason he had agreed to all of this.

    Shana had made him and Dale hold on to the bouqet of Columbines, the colorful flowers a needed grip for his shaking hands and from how nervous Dale was looking from across him, he could definitely see now why Shana made them hol the flowers instead.

    The beautiful flowers contrasting aesthetically with their all ck ensemble.

    His heart restarts again when he sees Hayden at the end of the aisle, the sunlight picking out his smiling face as he walks hand in hand with Dream.

    They moved slowly but his hands refused to stop shaking, Hayden still wasn''t looking at him, his head was turned to the side where he was saying something to Dream, smiling again.

    Then Hayden is facing forward, beautiful grey eyes settling on him and his hard face breaks out into his gummiest smile, a muted gasp going through the crowd, where most had never even seen his lips curve upwards.

    Dream isughing brightly as well, his eyes fixed on Dale ever since he stepped on the aisle, he had caught Virgil''s reaction which made himugh.

    When he looks back to Dale who equally had been staring back at him like he was stunned speechless, Dream was pretty sure he hadn''t seen his mate even blink once, he would have to remind him to blink when he got to the ''makeshift altar''.

    On a whim, Dream winks at Dale, watching with happy eyes at the smirk that breaks out on Dale''s face, his mate winking back

    They separated when they got to where their Alphas'' were waiting for them, Renee''s piece cresting before finally fading away with halting notes.

    Stepping up to their mates who immediately offers them their arms which they take, sniffling starts off from somewhere on the front row, the venue quiet enough for it to be clearly heard.

    Shana clears her throat when they were waiting for her to proceed.

    "This is going to be a disaster." Darian whispers.

    "Nah, Shana is tight." Leon supports.

    "Dearly beloved..." Shana begins in a booming voice, really getting into her character.

    "See, I told you..." Leon was already saying.

    "...wolf people." She ends her greeting.

    "Alright, I take it back." He quickly mutters. "The goddess help us."

    "We''re gathered here on this wonderful day in this wolf town to join the leaders of the wolf people..."

    "Is she going to add wolf to everything?" Diedre asks nervously.

    "Let''s hope that''s all she says." Jaxon says in a tight voice.

    Ruby on the other hand was having the time of her life, spontaneously bursting into apuse at the end of every sentence.

    "...in holy matrimony to their stunning wolf mates..."

    "We might as well buckle in for the ride..."

    <em><strong>AUTHOR''S NOTE:</strong></em>

    <em></em>

    <em><strong>Um, hi everyone, I''d like to make a very important announcement...</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Bing the Luna is sadlying to an end pretty soon and I just wanted to thank each and every one of you that have stayed with me, I''m so happy and yet so sad at the same time.</strong></em>

    <em></em>

    <em><strong>Of course, the side stories will still happen and I''ll make sure to give out information on it.</strong></em>

    <em><strong>Thanks for reading!!! ()</strong></em>

 Chapter 377

    Chapter 377

    "I can''t believe you still remembered" Hayden murmurs shyly, hiding his face in Virgil''s neck, they were settled in their bed for the night and he was referring to the wedding earlier today.

    "Not really." Virgil says honestly, hands thrown over Hayden''s bulky form, it''s been months and his terror hadn''t abated one bit, he had hope that the time before the birth would give him enough time to mentally prepare but that was big clown energy.

    "Renee took a video of it" Virgil says.

    It was the first time they had gotten married, in his mom''s silk robe, he might have burst into tears when he recognized the familiar words - he''s going to me that on baby hormones.

    There was an obvious difference between the original one which had been simple and sincere but it still invoked the same feeling of being utterly and irrevocably in love.

    "I had no idea she still had that." He perks up in surprise, ncing up.

    "She thought she did, I found it when she dragged me toe help her pack up, wanted to surprise you." Virgil says contently, pressing a slow kiss to Hayden fluffy curls.

    "You definitely did" Hayden agrees easily, wide smile on his face.

    If he had to pick which of their weddings was his favourite, he probably wouldn''t be able to make a choice both were just as important and as special to him as the other, none more important or more meaningful than the other.

    The wedding had been beautiful, full ofughter and sunshine, of smiles and love, it made the aches he got in his back and feet worth it just to get to enjoy the day with others.

    One of his highlights had been when Pixie stunned everyone by tugging her hand from her mom who had been acting as a support to waddle and stumble into Hayden''s arms, giggling happily as she waved both ring boxes in her chubby fists.

    Getting the bone shaped ring box from her had been a bit of a hassle, the adorable child thinking it was a toy, Shana''c color outfit easily distracted her though so she was stuck with the hyperactive baby for the rest of the ceremony.

    The entire day had been fun but exhausting, arge mini party had been pretty much held outside as well, Dream had gotten grumpy about halfway through it, sticking to his husband''s side like a leech.

    His pouty grumbles had faded away to bright, childlike wonder when the gifts started rolling in

    Hayden hides a groan, there was a boat load of gifts thrown into a spare room which they would have to tackle pretty quickly so that they could begin to prepare for the baby

    He snuggles in closer, epting the kiss that his mate ims his lips with, a content hum spilling from him.

    A matching expression of content is on Virgil''s face even as he gazes down at his entire world with stars in his eyes and he''s so fucking happy that Hayden walked up him when they were kids and most importantly he stayed.

    "Baby?" Hayden calls softly into the darkness and quiet of the room.

    "Hmm?" Virgil hums his response.

    "Tell me the vow again?" He prompts sleepily, he didn''t care that it sounded cheesy, he wouldn''t ever get tired of hearing Virgil say them.

    "Sure."

    <em>"...I know how to smile, because of you</em>

    <em>...I know who to live for, because of you</em>

    <em>...I know what love is, because of you"</em>

    *~*

    "You''ll throw out your back if you keep constantly carrying me." Dreamins half heartedly when Dale picks him up and makes his way across the room to the bed.

    "Are you calling me old?" Dale teases, they had just showered and very few things made him happier than seeing Dream drowning in his clothes.

    "No, I''m calling you fat." Dream says without mincing his words, knowing that although Dale was fit, he would get all pouty to humor him.

    It was ironic that he would call his mate that when he was the fat one, literally, but he was going to me it all on Dale.

    It was all his Alpha''s fault that he had gotten so fat, he kept improving on his cooking because Dream hadplimented him once and now there was no denying what Dale cooked for him, not because he didn''t want to hurt his mate''s feelings but he couldn''t resist.

    And Dale, ever the perfect, doting mate, always made sure food was constantly avable.

    At this rate they were going to have to sew curtains or sheets together just to keep him clothed.

    Dale gently ces him on the bed, fluffling up his pillows and tucking him in.

    Dream has a sappy smile on his face. "You don''t have to keep doing this"

    Dale leans over to cut him off with a petal soft kiss. "When you stop worrying about it...I''ll be free to smother you then." Dale says decisively, pushing his mate''s soft blonde locks out of his face to reveal a flushed face beneath.

    He needed Dream to understand that he didn''t take care of him because he was pregnant or because he had been trying to woo him but simply because he loved him, it was taking his fiesty mate a good while to ept that simple reason.

    With time, Dream woulde to understand because Dale was still doing all the little things he always did even though they were already married, he would keep at it even when he wasn''t pregnant anymore, even when their child or kids were all grown up and they grow old together, he would keep at it till Dream understood that he loved him.

    "Come on, time for bed." Dream bosses him around like Dale hadn''t just literally tucked him in.

    "One sec, the sky is so beautiful, the perfect background to fall asleep to" He rambles.

    Dream just listens to him patiently, he loved how Dale got so into things that he loved, losing himself in earnest words as he tried hard to portray just how much he loved said thing

    He doesn''t mind Dale throwing open the curtains, it was dark out so it wasn''t like it would upset the ambiennce of the room but he has to agree that the sky is pretty.

    He''s too sleepy to appreciate it though, cuddling up close to his husband when the Alpha finally gets in bed.

    "Come on, Honey, star gaze with me a bit" Dale asks sweetly.

    There''s no way Dream is saying no to that but "There are no stars out."

    "Then, cloud gaze with me." Dale quick switches up, his grin bright in the dim room.

    "Sure, love." Dream easily agrees, resting his head on Dale''s chest as he looks out into the sky outside.

    The swirling clouds were soothing and they were high up enough that the lights from the lower floor didn''t obscure the wide strip of dark colors, he gets lost in watching the sky, thinking of how lucky he was to have all these when

    "Why are you staring at me?" Dream blurts out when he nces at Dale to see his husband''s dark eyes staring at him.

    Dale doesn''t flinch, steady and calm eyes staring directly into Dream''s eyes, it made him color up from the intensity,

    "Well, the sky outside is blue-grey but it''s no match to your eyes, I would rather watch them instead."

 Chapter 378

    Chapter 378

    <em><strong>A couple yearster</strong></em>

    ***"Virgil? V?" Ian''s slightly worried voice floats in and out. "Who keeps letting him back in the delivery room?"

    A harried nurse was frantically checking him over. "N-no one, he wakes up each time he passes out and barrels back in, there''s no trying to stop him."

    Ian grimaces, he could imagine and just like his younger brother was summoned, he shot upright, his expression distorted in tangible terror like he was being yed alive and Ian found himself pointing the Alpha in the direction of his mate.

    "Let''s hope the worst he gets from constantly passing out is a mild concussion" Ian mutters to the nurse, watching Virgil take off in the direction of Hayden***

    "Baby? Stop watching that video, you have been doing that nonstop all day." Haydenins,ing in with a ripped stuffy. " Lake and Lily are at it again." He reports to his husband about their twin kids. "And if I try to stop them, they listen until I''m out of the room and just go right back to fighting."

    Virgil gets off the bed, the frustration in Hayden''s voice ticking him off, he didn''t like it when his mate was unhappy. "Sure." He quickly agrees, getting up to ce a quick kiss on his forehead, sweeping out of the room.

    Hayden sighs in relief at this, finally taking a breather all day as he gingerly sits on the bed, picking up the tablet that Virgil had abandoned to curiously check out the video.

    It seemed like it was just yesterday he was panicking at being unable to save one of his babies, now they were almost two and as much as he loved his children, a short vacation wouldn''t hurt.

    But that wasn''t possible with his Alpha twin kids, if he so much as left their immediate environment, they went into a rage, he only hopes they''ll grow out of it soon so he can move around with having to cart around hyperactive and constantly fighting kids.

    He moved the video ying forward a bit to after the birth, he preferred to dwell on the happy things.

    He and Dream had been put in the same room, Dream miserable with the screaming of his daughter who didn''t properly calm down till Dale showed up after discussing with the doctors.

    Then there he was, Virgil still squeamish beside him, the twins with their tightly clenched fists and soft faces like they were ready to throw punches at each other, at least it exined why there was so much kicking going on.

    The door opens just as the video gets to the part where he was convincing Virgil to carry his kids, scenting was very important.

    He pauses the video and looks up just as Virgil walks in, expression nk as he holds up both of his hands which had both of their children hanging off his sides, sharp ws digging into his sweater even as they snarled at each other.

    "Why did we think it was a good idea for me to go deal with them?" He asks quietly, wincing because the ws had to be digging into his sides.

    Hayden darts up in horror, hurrying over. "Lily! Lake! Get down right now!" He says sternly, visibly upset with them which rarely happened.

    This has them letting go of Virgil, going over to Hayden, wrapping their furry bodies around his legs, whining pitifully, they hated getting their papa mad.

    Hayden remains unruffled, arms crossed sternly, it was barely nine in the morning and they had already worn him out.

    "Come on, back to people with you." He orders them and they obediently shift back, both of them standing beside each of his legs, hugging the appendage and giving him puppy eyes. "You''re both spending the rest of the day at the daycare." He pronounces gravely, clenching his fists so he doesn''t change his mind at the way their face falls and they go into full pouting mode.

    "Dad?" Lily whines. "Don''t let papa do this to us." She implores him, her wild blonde hair stopping just beneath her ears, the fluffy hair framing her chubby face, blue eyes staring out.

    Virgil hides his amusement at their three year old children severe faces like they were all discussing sending them off to the war front and not just the daycare a couple floors down.

    "You need to make friends your age" Virgil reminds them. "You can''t hang around your papa all time."

    Lily makes a disgusted face at his suggestion, sharing a look with her twin brother.

    "But we don''t want to." Lake says simply.

    "Yes, Papa" Lily tugs on Hayden''s sweater. "Can we stay with you? Pretty please, we promise we''ll be good."

    Lake nods furiously to support his sister''s words, he was the quieter of the two, tawny hair just as wild and fluffy as his sister''s although his hair was slightly longer, matching bright blue eyes on his face.

    Hayden gives them a done look, if anyone else was just walking in, they would think he was a strict parent, meanwhile they''ve already had a couple of this exact same scenario just this morning, he wasn''t budging.

    "It''s not up for discussion, sweethearts." He tells them, tone still serious. "Come on, let''s get you ready." He grabs their wrists and makes his way to their rooms to get them dressed.

    "No running away." He tells them seriously as he brushes their hair, trust me, I will find out if you go to Grandma"

    Lily has an exaggerated pout on her face, Lake looking a little nervous and Hayden is thinking that maybe he should have not pampered them so much and put them in the daycare earlier because it was obvious they hated social situations or maybe it''s just their parents rubbing off on them.

    Hayden wanted to try anyway, if they didn''t thrive then he was homeschooling them and that was the end of it.

    His heart aches at their immensely sad expressions but he doesn''t budge, knowing it was for their benefit, didn''t mean it was fun.

    "Come on, don''t have that look on your faces like I''m going to throw you out the window."

    "That might actually be better." Lily grumbles.

    Hayden mps his mouth shut at this. "Aunt DD will be there." He tries to encourage them but it doesn''t elicit the required response, their expressions still as grave and gloomy as ever.

    At the hallway that led to the daycare, they bump into Dream who is crouching beside his bright eyed daughter, adjusting the yellow bowtie in her hair. She had Dream''s beautiful blonde hair and forest green eyes.

    "Sunshine!" Lily is the first to belt out when she sees their bestfriend, tugging her hand from her papa''s hold to run over to her, easily picking her up in a tight hug.

 Chapter 379

    Chapter 379

    Lake is also more shy so he goes slowly, hanging back until Sunshine throws herself on him, happy to see him.

    "Well, there goes that punishment." Hayden mutters, they had grounded their kids from seeing each other when they yed minigolf with the eggs in the kitchen, it was the only punishment that seemed to have any effect on them.

    It was supposed to be a week long and yet, here they were two days after, the kids catching up and chattering away happily like they hadn''t seen each other in forever.

    Dream just shrugs, blonde hair cut short. "Yesterday, Sunshine had been in a bad mood, pissed that she couldn''t talk to her bestfriends. I took her to our Pack''s daycare but somehow she snuck out to get Mints and used him to terrorize everyone." He tries to hide his proud expression and fails. "I don''t think we''re going to be allowed back there so I brought her here, she can''t stand being cooped up on the fourth floor, wasn''t expecting to find you here."

    Hayden pushes a hand through his long wavy locks, looking exhausted. "Yeah, me neither, let''s go down to mom''s bakery and eat cake." Hayden suggests with a happy smile.

    "Think they''ll be fine?" Dream gestures at their children who were huddled around each other like they were nning a coup.

    Hayden bites his lip in worry and gives his brother a wobbly smile. "Yep."

    Dream just shrugs, going over to Sunshine who gives him her attention.

    Hayden watches open mouthed, holding his children''s bags as Dream brings out a mini bat, a bright yellow color and tells Sunshine a couple things to which she listens intently, smiling with her dangerously sharp teeth as she watches her papa slip the bat in her backpack.

    Lily and Lakee over to get their bags from him.

    "Uncle Dream and Sunshine scares me." He mutters up to Hayden who chuckles nervously, waving them off.

    Sunshine grabs their wrists, staying in the middle of the twins who were easily taller than her although they were all born on the same date, it had to be Sunshine''s Omega genesing through.

    She marches forward with them, fearlessly brave, her sundress standing out in the middle of their jeans and sweatshirts.

    "I can''t wait till they start school." Dream grins evilly.

    "I don''t know, Lake and Lily don''t sound like they like that idea much, I was thinking I would have to homeschool them."

    Dream looks surprised at this but hums supportively. "I don''t think you would need to, trust me so now about that cake." He winks at Hayden as they start down the hallway. "I was thinking we could also go window shopping at Paper District, we haven''t done anything fun together alone in a while."

    "But what about the kids?" Hayden asks in worry.

    "They''ll be fine, we''re not their only parents, Dale and Virgil will survive, now let''s go."

    This has them in Dream''s car momentster, Dream seizing Hayden''s phone, putting it off and throwing it in the backseat.

    His younger brother had been constantly checking his phone like he expected to be called from the daycare, he couldn''t have that distracting their day out.

    Their Alpha mates knew where they went, if the situation was drastic enough, they woulde get them, other than that, they better be prepared to handle it themselves.

    They decide to check up on Hayden''s bookstore first, he was barely around anymore, it was even worse now that he was a full time parent.

    Jennie didn''t mind, thriving in the bookstore, Mae choosing to work there as well because she struck a deal with Hayden to let her stock up on her witchcraft, magic and spellbooks, and also hold sses at the bookstore.

    Yanis was long gone,ing over to visit asionally, he was too busy to hang around the small town, although Hayden wasn''t surprised when his friend said he was really considering retiring early so he coulde and live at Pine Creek.

    The town was that way, it invited you in and gave you a home.

    His mom would most likely be at the bakery, she was going on her travel around the world pretty soon, Dia and Heather tagging along.

    Hayden was just happy she had friends now, she didn''t do much at the bakery except hang around and pester Dia, it was no secret that her presence brightened up the ce.

    She also snuck cupcakes and muffins for her three grandkids.

    "What a surprise!" Jennie exims happily when she looks up at the dining of the door bell to see Hayden and Dream walking in. "Where are my babies?" She asks, looking around furtively for the tiny humans that always apanied both Omega''s around.

    "In school." Dream says shortly.

    Jennie gasps. "The twins agreed to go to school??"

    "The twins are in school?" Mae walks out of the back room, holding a cardboard box full of books, shock on her face.

    "No." Hayden corrects quickly, throwing Dream a dark look. "At the daycare."

    "That''s even worse."

    "The goddess save us." Jennie mutters.

    "I knew that was a bad idea" Hayden starts to panic.

    Dream shuts him up by spanking his but. "Come on, everyone here is a pessimist, let''s go eat cake, cake always makes everything better."

    "Sure, until you''re getting called that your babies set fire to the building." Mae says bluntly.

    Dream is already hurrying a panicking Hayden out. "Well, that was a bad idea" He mutters, taking Hayden''s wrist and going to the other side of the street where the bakery was.

    Cake did make them feel better and they hurried out of the bakery after a hurried goodbye to their moms, because knowing them, they would get a rapid fire questioning about their grandchildren.

    Dream didn''t think Hayden could handle that without cracking and rushing back to the Pack House to check on his babies.

    So he bundles the other into the car and once again they were off, this time, headed to Paper District, things couldn''t possibly go so wrong back at the Pack House, right?

 Chapter 380

    Chapter 380

    <em><strong>Final Chapter ?</strong></em>

    Lake crouches at one end of the big bright room, quietly ying with a toy truck, he hadn''t been able to keep up with his twin and cousin who were currently drifting through the room, seeming to have the time of their lives.

    Most of the nannies had gone on a break, the one left had her earphones and was distracted by their phones, sounds like disaster brewing.

    When a couple kids walk up to him, the middle kid looks way too big for his age.

    "That''s mine." He says gruffly, dark eyes in little slits that glittered with trouble.

    Lake was confused, Aunt DD had given him the toy truck, it couldn''t belong to the kid iming it was so he ignored them, quietly driving the truck around.

    The big kid steps forward, bending down to snatch up Lake''s toy.

    He gets up in surprise, his confusion intensifying when the middle kid shoves him so hard he bounced off the wall with a cry, falling to the ground and clutching his arm.

    Lily hears his voice from across the room, her head swivelling like a beacon had been sent out, she catches sight of her twin on the ground, some people gathered around him, one kid had his leg up like he wanted to kick him and she had seen enough.

    With an outraged yell she dashes across the room, Sunshine looking up from where she had been absorbed in showing Lily a doll which she had been assembling.

    She didn''t even stop to think, taking off after Lily.

    Lily was faster though, getting to the spot where Lake in no time, the big kid had alreadynded the kick and was going for another when Lilyunched himself at him tackling him to the ground with a yell, her eyes shing gold.

    The big kid - he was technically their age - was just bigger than his age without advantages, he threw Lily off him, she hit the ground hard but got up with the rebound - she fought harder with her twin anyway.

    Lake didn''t like to incite trouble but hitting his sister in his opinion was one of the few things that made him do just that, he charged at the big kid and in no time, it was an all out brawl which ended as expected, Lily and Lake smacking around the big kid.

    A small crowd had gathered to watch, the single nanny still oblivious.

    Sunshine hade up and hung back, they didn''t need her help.

    They were the Alpha''s children so it was no surprise that the other kids had been trying to establish dominance, she had to deal with that when she first got to the daycare at her Pack House.

    They hadn''t been outrightly physical with her but they had made her pretty miserable, well until she told her Papa, then came the bat and she''s going to say that nobody bothered her after that.

    The other kids, seeing that their leader was down, froze up but the number difference encouraged them to go after the twins.

    This was the perfect situation

    Sunshine had been itching to use her bat on someone, she hurried to the shelves where her backpack was and made her way back.

    "Get. Off. My. Best. Friends!" She snarls, swinging her bat with hidden strength.

    It was made out of packed foam so it was harmless really but the little girl made it into a lethal weapon so it stung with each hit, making the attackers shie away with whiny cries.

    The rest of the nannies return to this chaotic scene, it had easily turned to a fight of Lily, Lake and Sunshine against the rest of the daycare, only few refused to participate, preferring instead to watch from the sidelines.

    Deidre nearly drops the bag in her head when she walks in. "Oh my God" she mutters in horror, quickly bringing her phone out to call up their parents.

    The rest of the nannies to toe and stop the fight going on by holding back the twins and Sunshine but they weren''t having it, Sunshine sinks her teeth into the arm of thedy holding her, dropping on the ground with a roll and going after the kids again who scatter at her presence, running away.

    Lily and Lake easily wiggle free and do the same.

    She had gotten the text from Dream to call the Alpha''s if anything went wrong so she called Dale up first.

    Dale picks immediately, patting Mints big head which was resting on his leg. "Hey, DD"

    "Hi, yeah I''m going to need you toe down to my Pack House''s daycare" She tells him shortly.

    Dale quickly catches on, already hopping to his feet, cursing under his breath. "Yeah, I''ll be right there."

    She does the same with Virgil who winces but also makes his way down.

    They bump into each other in the hallway.

    "I''m almost terrified to get there." Dale mutters.

    "Double that for me." Virgil adds.

    They get in to see the entire daycare in chaos, the majority of the pups there were running around screaming bloody murder while their children were chasing after them

    Dale squints, was was his daughter holding a bat?

    <em>Dream</em>

    The nannies were also going after them so it was one big circle.

    "Thank goodness you''re here." Deidre hurries to them, waving her hand in the general direction of the room.

    Both Alphas step inside, the nannies screeching to a halt as well as the children, only their kids didn''t slow down.

    Dale immediately scoops up Sunshine before she could smack someone with her bat, her eyes going wide when she recognizes her daddy.

    "Hi!" She beams at him, chubby fists still tightly holding her bat even as she heaved, breathing heavily.

    Virgil snatches up his kids as well and they''re quick to apologize, carting them away.

    "What have your Papa and I told you about fighting?" Virgil was already scolding them as they made their way up the stairs, he easily carried them.

    Lily crosses her arms in anger, Lake looking worried about her as usual.

    "But dad, it''s not our fault." Lake blurts out. "I didn''t do anything and that kid grabbed the truck Aunt DD gave me and pushed me"

    "He also kicked him." Lily adds, still a concentrated bottle of unchanneled rage.

    Virgil listens, he''s surprised to hear Lake piece so many words together at once, he rarely did that.

    "Well that only means one thing." Virgil starts, his stern tone not changing.

    "Ice cream." He announces when they get inside the apartment, Apple sashaying out.

    "What?" They both say in surprise.

    "Why?" Lily adds, narrowing her eyes up at her dad.

    "Why not? Just the three of you beat up the kids in the daycare, that deserves ice cream." He says, cing them down.

    "You''re not mad at us?" Lake frowns, sharing a skeptical look with his sister as they follow their dad to the kitchen where he gets bowls out of them.

    "Well, fighting is still very wrong but it was in self defense so it''s legal." Virgil shrugs, piling their bowls high with the sweet condiment. "I''m not arguing with thew."

    ~

    "I don''t know why I feel like shit has already gone down." Dream mutters when they get back in the car.

    They hadn''t spent very long sight seeing before they both talked themselves into heading back, it wasn''t because they were worried about their children but the realization that their happiness was where their kids and mates were.

    Hayden had been surprised when Dream had told him that he and Dale were nning on having another baby, Hayden couldn''t rte but he was excited for Dream.

    "Because it most likely has." Hayden replies, getting in the car as well.

    They say their goodbyes at the parking lot, Hayden going into his Pack House and Dream doing the same, the Werewolves milling around quickly to exchange pleasantries with their Luna''s

    Dream walks in to find Dale sitting in the living room, Sunshine fast asleep in his arms.

    "Wee home, Honey." He whispers with bright eyes.

    Dreames over to kiss his forehead and his daughter''s wincing when he sees her clutching the bat that his mate doesn''t know about.

    "You bought our daughter a bat?" Dale exims as soon as pleasantries are out of the way.

    "I can exin" Dream starts to say, slightly nervous.

    "That''s so cool!" Dale tags on, his fangs shing as he grins. "You needed to see her smacking kids twice her size around"

    Dream rxes visibly at this, smiling softly as Dale starts to rambleSome things would never change

    "Come on, let''s put her to bed"

    The sun was just setting so most likely she would be up at midnight again, dashing through the house with Mints.

    ~

    Hayden gingerly let''s himself into his home, wondering what he woulde to meet, he''s surprised to see them seated on the couch and having an intense and colorful conversation with their dad, Lake saying the most.

    He''s also the first to catch his Papa''s scent, his head swivelling around in that direction.

    He hops off the couch immediately, dashing for Hayden with yells of ''Papa!'' his twin sister follows suit.

    Virgil gives his mate a gummy smile, watching as their children nearly topple him to the ground in their enthusiasm.

    The sun was setting, the sky going dark but there was enough love to keep the room lighted, there was enough love everywhere, you just had to open up your heart to it, open up your heart and then you would find love in the little things.

    AUTHOR''S NOTE:

    I feel so sad and yet my eyes are dry, maybe it hasn''t sunk in yet, I wish I could keep this book forever ongoing, it''s going to be weird going through a day without writing a chapter about my lovely characters.

    Now, enough about me, if you''ve got to this point... Thank you.

    I almost quit writing but you guys made me believe in myself again. (wipes eyes... Aish, herees the waterworks)

    I love you all, I really do and I''m proud that I was able to get to this point, with the story and with all of you.

    Thank you so so much (^^)

    I''ll also miss you guys (ugly crying) thements and the overall support, it''s absolutely priceless.

    Additional Information.

    Yes, about the side stories, there has been a little bit of change in ns, I initially wanted to make a new volume and just keep going but due to a couple things that I have no power over, sadly that has to change.

    The first side story to be written will bepleted first before I''ll put it out, it wouldn''t be as long as the main story sopleting it shouldn''t take very long.

    It will most likely be put on a different app though, I hope that wouldn''t put you at a disadvantage.

    When the book isplete and uploaded on the new tform, I''ll post a chapter with a sneak peak of the new book so keep an eye out.

    This is definitely not thest goodbye although I will be taking a break from Webnovel for a while... Dear goodness me, this has turned to a monster of an Author''s note, whoever will read this?

    Bai Bai everyone

    Lots of love.

    Aryna

 Chapter 381

    Chapter 381

    The sun was already up, sunshine streaming in through the slightly parted curtains but Hayden wasn''t ready to wake up yet, hiding his face in his mate''s neck.

    Virgil smiled softly at this unconscious action, wrapping his arms tighter around him, he knew that this peaceful and quiet moment they had would soon be shattered, it was only a matter of time.

    He shouldn''t have thought about that because he jinxed it, the door swinging open.

    He could feel Hayden''s lips curl up in a smile against his neck at the sound of the door getting thrown open, quiet pattering of feet making their way across the room.

    They were both awake but pretended to still be asleep, it was more fun for what wasing anyway.

    "They''re still sleeping." Lake whispered sneakily to his twin sister.

    Lily nodded in a very secret agent kind of way, cing a finger to her lip exaggeratedly.

    They were both taller now, able to jump on the high bed in one move, Lily still insisted on keeping her hair cut short,ining that it always got in her eyes.

    Lake didn''t mind, his Papa left his hair long so he would have a child to y hairdresser on seeing as Lily was averse to it.

    They were five now and no less a menace.

    "We''ll jump in five okay." Lily whispered to her brother, a sneaky smile on her face. "Let''s aim for dad''s head, he made us sleep earlyst night."

    "But that was because we have to go on a trip today." Lake excused for his father.

    Lily rolled her eyes in frustration. "Don''t be such a daddy''s boy, Lakey"

    "Don''t call me that!" He snapped at her, eyes shing.

    "It''s not a lie right?" She teased savagely.

    Lake didn''t take a moment to breathe, as much as he would definitely kill someone for his sister, she also had the wless ability to burn down his self-control.

    He tackled her, they bounced on the bed at this, ruining their nned sneak attack.

    Virgil had seen thising from their escting argument and quickly moved his mate out of the way, cradling Hayden in his arms as they both lifted their heads to watch their children roll around on the other end of the bed.

    "You know we could always dump them at their grandparents'' house and spend the weekend at your beach house." Virgil suggested, a tad too seriously.

    "What? No!" Hayden smacked his chest, looking scandalised. "We should make memories with our children, it''s not like you''ll give me more."

    Virgil''s face instantly hardened at the suggestion. "Well, we''re done with that conversation and we should probably stop them before they hurt themselves." He reminded.

    Hayden nced at the bed, Lily had her twin brother trapped under her, his arms drawn behind his back.

    "Kiss me good morning first." He requested, leaning forward and puckering his lips.

    Virgil wasn''t about to say no to that, he moved his head upwards to im his mate''s lips.

    Lily was the first to catch sight of them. "Ew!" She eximed, her eyes went wide in horror.

    Her shock made her lose her bnce and topple over the edge of the bed, dragging Lake down with her.

    Mumbles of ''ouchs'' drifted up and Hayden smiled against Virgil''s lips.

    "This also works." He grinned, pulling away from Virgil to check on their children.

    Hayden leaned over the edge of the bed, a smile on his face, tawny hair wild. "Good morning to you too."

    "Good morning, Papa." They mumbled in sheepish voices, huddled against the side of the bed, in matching pj''s.

    "Come on, give Papa a kiss, did you sleep well?" He tried to restore their happy spirits, helping them on the bed.

    This somehow esctes into a tickle fight which starts off with Hayden tickling his children and progresses into Lily and Virgil turning against the two most ticklish people.

    Hayden snagged his son''s hand and he and Lake took off, trying to escape from Virgil and Lily who are brutal with their tickling.

    They all end up chasing each other around the house, a now old Apple watching them from a pillow she was perched on the couch, looking unimpressed with her owners'' life choices.

    ~~

    "Eek! Baby, your nose is cold, stop rubbing me with it." Dream half sleepy voice scolded his husband as he rolled to the far end of the bed, taking all the nkets to wrap himself like a croissant.

    Dale sat up unhappily with an expressive pout on his face. "But I like you, don''t you like me?" He grumbled, inching closer to wrap his arms around his padded mate.

    "We have a big day ahead of us, let me catch a few more minutes of sleep, I can''t do that with your cold nose on me." Heined, refusing to budge.

    Dale pouted but was about to acquiesce when Dream shot upright, his eyes wide in panic.

    "Honey, what''s wrong?" He asked in confusion, framing Dream''s face with his hands so that he could softly kiss his nose.

    Dream looked up at his husband, their faces barely inches from each other and he felt a familiar heat start-up within but they didn''t have time for that.

    "Sunshine is carrying her brother, I can feel it." He said in a grave voice.

    He was referring to their second child, Jade, the male Omega was two and his older sister acted like her sole purpose in life was to dote on him, Sunshine herself could barely carry her brother but that didn''t stop her.

    When he was born, she would sneak into his cradle and chatter to him for hours until she fell asleep, when she started to get too big for it, she took to stealing him out of his cradle to sleep in her bed.

    There was that one time, they had woken up to an empty cradle and panicked, searching for their son for almost an hour, noting that Sunshine was missing too and going batshit, dragging their friends into the panic only to find Sunshine hiding in her closet with a sleeping Jade.

    They share a look of pure love and extreme exasperation.

    "Let''s go." Dale took Dream''s hand, helping his mate off the bed. "Hopefully we''ll catch her before she can get to him."

    "Hopefully." Dream mimicked under his breath.

    As usual, they made their way first to Sunshine''s room and what do you know? She was nowhere to be found.

    Dream threw his weight on his husband, Dale easily catching him by the waist to support him.

    "I can''t handle all this on a morning like this." He groaned.

    "That''s why you have me." Dale reminded, sweeping his husband off his feet and heading for their son''s room. "Hopefully, she''s there."

    "Hopefully huh?" Dream cut the Alpha a re from where he was cradled up against him.

    Dale hid a smile, dark green eyes twinkling as he looked down asionally to take in his mate in his arms.

    Dream was dressed in one of his shirts and loose shorts, he started growing out his hair again after Jade''s birth.

    As much as they loved the beautiful blonde locks, it wouldn''t have mattered if his love decided to go bald.

    "Dale, as much as I love being the centre of your attention, if you don''t look forward, we''re going to smack into a wall." He pointed out, making Dale colour up slightly and pick up the pace.

    They opened the door to another empty room, Jade''s bed empty and the room looking much the same.

    "We need to set up cameras in this room." Dream said, cing a hand on his face.

    Dale stepped closer to encircle his arms around Dream from behind, tilting his head to the side to nibble against his scent nds.

    "That is starting to seem like a wonderful idea with each morning that we wake up to missing children."

    "Let''s get Mints, he''ll be able to find them." Dream suggested, taking his husband''s hand this time as they went to go free the dog from his room.

    Mints was also one of Jade''s loyal followers so a room had to be arranged for him so he wouldn''t constantly wander into their youngest son''s room and slobber all over him.

    They ended up being down the hallway, on the balcony, Sunshine showing her baby brother the sunrise.

    Jade had midnight ck hair and smoky grey-green eyes, Sunshine was giving him a piggyback ride and pointing at the rising sun, Jade giggling at something she said.

    Dale and Dream stopped to watch them, holding back Mints who bounced around impatiently, eager to get to his best friends.

    A click went off behind them and they both turned around to Erin nodding appreciatively at the camera in her hand, in their surprise, Dale lost hold on Mints who charged forward, alerting their children to their presence.

    "Morning, Alpha, Luna." She greeted them with a grin, turning around and heading back in the direction she came.

    "Dad! Papa!" Sunshine eximed happily, running in their direction.

    Dream''s eyes widened in a panic at this, she still had Jade in a piggyback and Mints was bouncing excitedly around them, it was the perfect scene for a nasty fall.

    Dale swept forward before that would happen though, easily picking up both of his children while Dream smiled from where he stood, holding onto Mints so that they could all make their way back inside the house, where it was warmer.

    Another click went off as they started the journey off the balcony.

    "Erin!" Dream called in a warning tone.

    "Sorry! I couldn''t help myself." The secretary called back sheepishly, the evident pattering of her feet ringing out as she hurried back to her apartment.

 Chapter 386

    Chapter 386

    Hi everyone, firstly, I''m sorry for taking so long because I promised to start up the side stories soon but here we are.

    I know some of us are wondering why I can''t just put the side stories on Webnovel but I once again apologise for the inconvenience but its due to some reasons I can''t disclose.

    However, the Side stories are here!!! Finally!

    At first I thought I would be able toplete it then find a suitable site to put it up on but apparently, I need you guys encouragements to write xD

    This time it wouldn''t be on any writing apps so the payments would be made as flexible as possible, the author''s gotta eat but I assure you that the prices are very debatable and its all on me.

    I''m the sole decison maker so that makes things easier for us all.

    I could have announced the start up of the first side story a while ago but I had a difficult time with writing apps so I decided to try something new.

    Also there was the issue of some readersining about exorbitant prices which I understand because I don''t have a lot of money either and it would hurt if I couldn''t read my favourite books.

    The writing site I chose is Subscribestar and I don''t know if any of you have heard of it.

    Four chapters are already up and I''ll need all of your support to help me try to upload daily at the very most.

    /aryna-stan

    The link might only be essible on the Webnovel site but it will also be posted on the server as well as this announcement so if you are on the Discord server, you can also ess it there.

    Thank you all so much for your patience and all of your support, I honestly don''t deserve it but I appreciate and love you all for it.

    <em><strong>sneakpeak on the first chapter.</strong></em>

    <em></em>

    <em></em>Cherry

    Jaxon stumbled absently out of bed, he had barely slept a wink all night.

    He winced as he rubbed the back of his neck, he had woken up exhausted, as always, maybe he should call up Mae, the Pack witch, for a fresh supply of sleeping potions.

    He had stopped wondering why he could never sleep well, he had always been one to stay upte and easily wake up early the next day but keeping up with studies in college had worsened his insomnia and now he spent most of his nights tracing the pattern on the ceiling or watching the night sky from an open window.

    He was up with the sun again, dark eyebags staring back at him in the mirror from behind a curtain of wild, dark red hair

    He needed to get in to work for today, he had gotten ate night call that a couple bathrooms on the second floor had their heaters stop working and so he needed to fix that as well as a hundred other things that sprouted up every minute.

    He bathedzily, his eyes moving out of focus asionally, thoughts everywhere.

    He was toozy to go about making coffee for himself so early in the morning and he didn''t want to go down to the third floor, where the kitchens were at, that would take up more time than he could spare.

    So he waddled out of his apartment in a loosely knitted sweater and for the first time in weeks, jeans, and that was only because it was the first thing he grabbed when he reached his hand in his closet.

    Mae had strictly warned him against bringing his work home although his apartment was just a hallway or so away from his office but he had to admit, it did help him work out better sleep patterns well, slightly better.

    Absently he wondered who was on patrol today, either Leon or Darian, they usually walked him to his office, loitering around for a while like they expected fully armed men to break into his office.

    He didn''t have the time to keepining about their presences so he let them be, like he always did.

    He had only taken a few paces past his door when a taller presence framed him, heated breaths tickling his nape as he heard the familiar raspy voice of Leon.

    "Morning, Cherry, how did you sleep?" Leon asked, wrapping an arm around him, electric blue eyes fixed on him.

    "Good, you?" Jaxon said in reflex, eyes down on his phone as he scrolled through emails that had popped up over the night, most from corporations or the like that the Pack had dealt with.

    A vein ticked irritably on Leon''s jaw, his eyes taking in Jaxon''s wild red hair that he forgot tob - again and the very evident bags under the shorter man''s hazel-green eyes but he knew that Jaxon hadn''t said that to lie to him, he was just distracted.

    He was always fucking distracted

    Leon wanted the entirety of his attention on him!

    "Meh." Leon shrugged, slipping his hand lower over Jaxon''s hip, he leaned forward to whisper directly in his ear. "I could sleep better in your bed."

    "Nope, you kick." Jaxon mumbled, his eyes still fixed on the screen of his phone. "Not going to happen."

    "Yeah, you have a point." Leon let it go, his electric blue eyes fixed on Jaxon''s face.

    Frustration mounting even as they got closer to the Head Beta''s office, Leon still could not believe how dense Jaxie was, if he weren''t on the receiving end of it, he might have even found it humorous.

    "You''re frowning." He noted, ncing away from Jaxon''s face for the first time ever since they started down the hallway. "Why?" He asked casually.

    The ''I''ll murder who did it in a heartbeat'' was silent and not because he was worried about Jaxie reading deeply into it, that wouldn''t happen with how dense the adorable Head Beta was.

    <em></em>

 Chapter 387

    Chapter 387

    Hi, everyone, me again.

    I''m really truly sorry for what is seeming like a false rm, I was so eager to share the new story with you guys that I didn''t even realize that my page had to be approved before you all could ess it.

    Well, turns out my country can''t use Subscribestar so I''m deciding to go for Patreon like I should have from the start.

    My page has already been approved no worries and I''ve already updated the chapters there, I couldn''t really write more because I''ve been so worried about setting things up so you all can ess the side stories.

    Here''s the /arynastan

    Once again, it''s advisable to check it through the site.

    And of course...

    The entire Chapter One of the first story because you all deserve it.

    PS: I would appreciate feedback a lot, tell me if you''re all able to ess my page on Patreon, love you lots.

    ~~

    Jaxon stumbled absently out of bed, he had barely slept a wink all night.

    He winced as he rubbed the back of his neck, he had woken up exhausted, as always, maybe he should call up Mae, the Pack witch, for a fresh supply of sleeping potions.

    He had stopped wondering why he could never sleep well, he had always been one to stay upte and easily wake up early the next day but keeping up with studies in college had worsened his insomnia and now he spent most of his nights tracing the pattern on the ceiling or watching the night sky from an open window.

    He was up with the sun again, dark eyebags staring back at him in the mirror from behind a curtain of wild, dark red hair

    He needed to get in to work for today, he had gotten ate night call that a couple bathrooms on the second floor had their heaters stop working and so he needed to fix that as well as a hundred other things that sprouted up every minute.

    He bathedzily, his eyes moving out of focus asionally, thoughts everywhere.

    He was toozy to go about making coffee for himself so early in the morning and he didn''t want to go down to the third floor, where the kitchens were at, that would take up more time than he could spare.

    So he waddled out of his apartment in a loosely knitted sweater and for the first time in weeks, jeans, and that was only because it was the first thing he grabbed when he reached his hand in his closet.

    Mae had strictly warned him against bringing his work home although his apartment was just a hallway or so away from his office but he had to admit, it did help him work out better sleep patterns well, slightly better.

    Absently he wondered who was on patrol today, either Leon or Darian, they usually walked him to his office, loitering around for a while like they expected fully armed men to break into his office.

    He didn''t have the time to keepining about their presences so he let them be, like he always did.

    He had only taken a few paces past his door when a taller presence framed him, heated breaths tickling his nape as he heard the familiar raspy voice of Leon.

    "Morning, Cherry, how did you sleep?" Leon asked, wrapping an arm around him, electric blue eyes fixed on him.

    "Good, you?" Jaxon said in reflex, eyes down on his phone as he scrolled through emails that had popped up over the night, most from corporations or the like that the Pack had dealt with.

    A vein ticked irritably on Leon''s jaw, his eyes taking in Jaxon''s wild red hair that he forgot tob - again and the very evident bags under the shorter man''s hazel-green eyes but he knew that Jaxon hadn''t said that to lie to him, he was just distracted.

    He was always fucking distracted

    Leon wanted the entirety of his attention on him!

    "Meh." Leon shrugged, slipping his hand lower over Jaxon''s hip, he leaned forward to whisper directly in his ear. "I could sleep better in your bed."

    "Nope, you kick." Jaxon mumbled, his eyes still fixed on the screen of his phone. "Not going to happen."

    "Yeah, you have a point." Leon let it go, his electric blue eyes fixed on Jaxon''s face.

    Frustration mounting even as they got closer to the Head Beta''s office, Leon still could not believe how dense Jaxie was, if he weren''t on the receiving end of it, he might have even found it humorous.

    "You''re frowning." He noted, ncing away from Jaxon''s face for the first time ever since they started down the hallway. "Why?" He asked casually.

    The ''I''ll murder who did it in a heartbeat'' was silent and not because he was worried about Jaxie reading deeply into it, that wouldn''t happen with how dense the adorable Head Beta was.

    Jaxon looked up at this, catching a sh of silver piercings. "A couple heaters in the bathrooms on the second floor stopped workingst night and the plumbers say they don''t have anyone free toe in today."

    Leon held his gaze, expecting Jaxon to ask him to help, did he know how to fix spoilt heaters? That was not important, he wanted Jaxon to need his help was all that mattered.

    Jaxon nced away, giving his phone one more worried look. "I''ll probably have to find a way to manage the issue till a plumber is avable."

    Leon bit his lip, trying to swallow back the words bubbling up. What was it about Jaxie that made him want to do anything just to ease him? Because here he was about to offer to fix the heaters when he didn''t know shit about plumbing.

    "I could take a look at it if you want." He offered casually, opening the door of Jaxie''s office so he could go in.

    Jaxon threw a bewildered look over his shoulder. "You don''t know how to fix things?" He reminded in a voice that held no me, it just served to rile up Leon the more.

    The ease at which Jaxie riled and calmed him down in split seconds should have made him keep his distance but Leon didn''t im to be as smart as his twin.

    "It''s just a broken heater, Cherry." He answered in a dry voice, vein ticking.

    Jaxon gave him a look. "And you are the Head Warrior, I don''t think that''s a part of your job description, I''ll handle it." He waved away the other''s offer, settling on his chair and immediately firing up his system.

    Leon slid into a chair, lounging gracefully. He had been expecting Jaxie''s reply because the Werewolf was so independent, he preferred to do everything himself and it wasn''t that Leon was worried about his inability to handle it, it was that Jaxon was overworked but he still refused to freely receive help.

    Most of the things he helped the other do was just him going ahead to do it and when Jaxoined, he ignored till he wore him down.

    So yeah, he probably shouldn''t but he would go ahead and try to fix the heaters, because he was a stupid sap like that.

    "Virgil mentioned something about the Luna going shopping with his half brother today." Jaxon spoke up after a few moments of silence that had been filled up with quiet clicking of keys and paper shuffling.

    Leon didn''t mind, he liked watching Jaxie work because he was too distracted to notice Leon staring unabashedly at him.

    "Dale is tagging along with them instead." Leon replied, licking over the side of his lip that his lip ring should have been at if he wore it, he had decided to skip on it, wearing just his eyebrow piercing instead and numerous earrings.

    The two Lunas'' of their Pack and their sister Pack had gotten kidnapped before so against his better wishes, he was now aware whenever either of them were leaving their Pack Houses so he would either tag along to protect them or remain on standby.

    "Okay." Jaxon hummed, he did not bother to try and get Leon to leave and perhaps get something else done than just hanging around his office because nothing he did made the Head Warrior go away not till he was ready to.

    "Eaten breakfast yet?" Leon asked curiously, sharp, ice-blue eyes fixed on Jaxie''s face.

    Jaxon gulped, he might be the only one that Leon was rtively nice to but he also got mad too, over things like this, it wasn''t fun.

    "You uh you could say that." Jaxon stuttered slightly, avoiding eye contact.

    Leon was distracted with his ns of sneaking in to fix the broken heaters to notice this very obvious lie. "Sure." He muttered absently, getting up to go around the desk to Jaxie.

    He put his hand in the pocket of his ripped jeans and pulled out a scrunchie. He had taken to carrying them because Jaxie hadined once about his hair getting in his way while working.

    Leaning over Jaxon''s chair, he gently gathered up his dark red hair, smoothing out the wild and tangled hair as much as he could with his fingers before gathering them up and holding them in ce with the scrunchie.

    Jaxon heaved a sigh of relief when Leon waved him and slipped out his office, it took all of his brain cells to concentrate when either of them were around, talking about either, he knew that Darian would being back from leading the morning patrol soon and as usual, his destination would be Jaxon''s office,

    It made no sense, Darian could barely stand to be around people yet the second inmand to the Head Warrior spent as much time as possible just hanging around his office, he had to admit that the huge, quiet Warrior was a lot of help.

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