Vivian sat in her kitchen a week after the get-together. Her mother was half-hidden inside the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. It was a rare night in, considering that both were usually out and about with running the bed-and-breakfast or their respective significant others or simply avoiding the final bits of unpacking. Vivian had been spending a lot of time at Gabriel's to get away from putting her own house in order. Her room was unpacked and that's all she needed. However, the downside was that the kitchen remained in complete disarray and left little option for food.

"Babe, I don't think there's anything in here," Esmé's voice could be heard.

"When is there anything edible in there?"

"Hey, I cook." Esmé pulled her head out of the fridge and pretended to look affronted.

They looked at each other.

"You want to head to town for something?" Vivian suggested.

"Nah, it's too far and I don't really feel like heading out," her mother shook her head. "I'll cook something. Irina gave me some really cool-sounding recipes that I want to try."

Vivian smiled as she went to help her mother make dinner. It was definitely a good idea to go to that party. Not only had Esmé hit it off with Irina right away but she knew that boys from the Five certainly approved as well. Willem had been hanging around with the female from the party, Bianca, and of course, she had friends. Vivian noticed that the Five were spending less and less time harassing her at home and were more likely to be found at Matteo's. Though this was a relief from when they used to dog her every step, she found that she missed them at times. However, most of the females, especially Ulf's new interest, Ursula, were friendly and it was nice to have other females her own age to socialize with.

"Sounds like you and Irina are getting to be pretty close," she commented once they were sitting down to eat.

Esmé shrugged. "Yeah. We're just a couple of old broads surrounded by all you cubs," she smirked at Vivian.

Vivian stuck her tongue out playfully.

"I noticed that you and that Sylvie seemed to get along, too. What's she like?"

"She's really nice."

"You seemed to have a lot in common. You were off together for most of the night," Esmé commented.

"Yeah," Vivian agreed quietly.

What she didn't tell her mother was exactly what she and Sylvie had in common. Sylvie loved meat-boys. She understood Vivian's love for Aiden and her desire to reveal her true form to him better than anyone.

"What's with the look?"

"What look?"

"That pensive look you got for a second," Esmé said, pointing at Vivian with her fork. "Something wrong?"

"No."

Esmé didn't look convinced but changed the subject. "So where's Gabriel tonight?"

"With Matteo. I think they're checking out the Green Mountain National Forest or something."

Her mother seemed satisfied to continue the light dinner small talk. Vivian sighed inwardly. Esmé was too perceptive when she wanted to be and Vivian wasn't sure how well she would handle talking about Aiden. Talking with Sylvie about him had reopened old wounds that she had believed to be long healed. Yes, she had loved him and yes, she had cared enough to say goodbye to him before she moved, though it had been by letter. She couldn't bring herself to see him in person.

And now, talking about him again stirred old feelings in her. In retrospect, they weren't properly dealt with, considering the circumstances. Vivian reminded herself that she had truly changed his life and not for the better. The poor boy was probably scarred for life, the trauma of the experience transforming the slightest of shadows into menacing monsters forever. There was absolutely no chance of any kind of affection between them. She knew that. Besides, she loved Gabriel. She loved him completely…didn't she?

"That was amazing," Gabriel said, tucking his arm behind his head and stretched out languidly.

He and Vivian were in his bed later that night. Vivian pulled the sheet up over them and covered herself. She leaned over and kissed him deeply.

"Good," she quipped, settling on her back beside him and crossed her arms over her breasts.

"That was better than good," Gabriel commented, a satisfied smirk on his face. He rolled over onto his side, propping his head on his hand.

Vivian turned her head to look at him and rolled her eyes.

"Look at that shit-eating grin of your face," she sighed dramatically.

"What? You put it there."

"Shut up." Vivian playfully smacking his chest. He caught her hand and kissed it. He studied her face intently over her hand.

"What?" she asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "Nothing really. Is everything all right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Not that I'm complaining but you seemed more…I don't know…adventurous tonight."

"And that's a problem?" Vivian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. Just different."

"Well, maybe I just really missed you tonight," she said, her voice becoming husky.

"That's what I'm hoping but I'm not sure."

"Not sure about what?"

"It's just that the last time you were like this, you had written a letter to that meat-boy and were feeling a little guilty."

Vivian felt a tiny tinge of panic. It wasn't that she had feelings for Aiden anymore; she just happened to be thinking of him more than usual and that was because of Sylvie.

"Vivian," Gabriel's voice was soft and reassuring. "You can talk to me if something's up. You know that."

"Nothing's up. I promise," she replied, grabbing his head and bringing his lips to hers in a fervent kiss. Gabriel growled deep into his throat and deepened the kiss. His arm crept around his waist, pulling her against him and rolled onto his back, bringing her with him.

Vivian giggled as she found herself mostly on top of him, flush against his broad chest.

"Maybe I've been distracted because you've been spending so much time with Matteo. I was starting to get a little jealous," she said teasingly. She giggled again at the face Gabriel made.

"Oh, is that it? I'll show you that you have nothing to worry about concerning Matteo," Gabriel growled.

He kissed her lips lightly before moving to her neck. In moments, her giggled had subsided into sensual moans.

After last night, Vivian was sure she could put her worries to rest. She loved Gabriel and she understood what he had been saying from the beginning. It wasn't possible for their kind to love humans. Not entirely; not in the way that two loup-garoux could love each other. Love, true love, substantial love, unconditional love, resided within the packs. She understood that now. It was so clear.

She smiled at little, looking in the mirror, at the love marks on her neck and along her collarbone. Evidently, Gabriel's feelings were clear, too. She sighed, knowing that there wasn't much that could be done to hide them so she settled for a regular T-shirt and left her thick hair down. She wasn't embarrassed by the marks but she didn't need the whole world to be privy to her love life.

She glanced outside her window. The sky was beginning to pinken faintly, the sun beginning its descent towards the horizon. It wasn't going to be a full moon tonight; almost, but not quite. She was itching for it, knowing that she and Gabriel would be taking full advantage of it in their wolf forms and smiled to herself at the thought.

'When did I get so horny?' she thought to herself as she left her room and headed downstairs.

Her mother wasn't home, presumably with Tomas so Vivian left a short note on the kitchen table saying she'd be with Sylvie and would be home later.

She glanced at her car parked alongside the house but decided to walk. Matteo's house was a little over a mile away – a distance she could cover easily. Besides, the weather was simply too nice to pass up a stroll outdoors.

When she arrived at Matteo's house, an unfamiliar female with pin-straight chestnut brown hair had invited her in. This female had the most unusual eyes: her left eye was a startling sky blue while her right eye was brown. She didn't say much, just showed Vivian into the living room and disappeared, presumably to get Sylvie.

From the outside, Matteo's old farmhouse looked big but 'big' was an understatement when it came to the interior. The foyer had a high vaulted ceiling and beautiful hardwood floors. Vivian only glimpsed the other cavernous rooms as she walked from the foyer into the living room. She sat on a large maroon recliner and surveyed the room, noticing that it had the look and feel of a college common room, which was probably explained by the fact that he pack was mostly in their twenties. The large room housed a thoroughly broken-in living room furniture set, an adequate entertainment system and a pool table tucked neatly in the far corner of the room.

A slender female with chestnut hair walked into the living room again and looked a bit startled when she saw Vivian sitting there.

"Oh, hello," she said, smiling broadly.

"Hi," Vivian said warily. 'Didn't I just see her a few minutes ago?'

"Waiting for Sylvie?"

"Yeah." Vivian noticed that the female's eyes were different. Her left eye was brown while her right eye was blue.

"Does she know you're here?"

"Of course she does. I just told her," came a voice from behind Vivian. She turned to see the mirror image of the girl in front of her, and presumably, the one who let her in.

'This is too weird,' Vivian thought, looking between the two.

"So you're –"

"Twins," the two girls said at the same time.

"Right," Vivian said. 'Definitely weird.'

"I'm Gabrielle," said the first female.

"And I'm Giselle," said the others.

"And we're leaving," came a voice from stairs. Vivian was relieved to see Sylvie floating down the stairs. "You can stop spying on Vivian now."

The twins looked a little uncomfortable and Vivian suspected that if they were in their wolf forms, they would have had their tails between their legs. They left the living room and Sylvie rolled her emerald eyes.

"Ophelia's henchmen. And dumb as anything."

Vivian smiled.

"They're really little more than glorified tape recorders. It's as if they share a brain and there isn't enough for one."

"At least there's that as consolation," Vivian offered.

Sylvie shrugged. "You'd think so but they're just smart enough to follow me and make my life miserable. I feel like I live under a microscope here."

Vivian was silent. She could relate on some level, being the only female of her age mates made her the object of scrutiny among the Five. However, she had a feeling that this was only a fraction of what Sylvie experienced.

Vivian and Sylvie didn't feel like heading into town. They knew that the others from their packs would be there but it just wasn't worth the effort. Instead, they opted to walk around the expansive property behind Matteo's house. The night was warm and the moon welcoming; it was just too nice a night to pass up.

They walked across the moonlit fields, completely alone except for the occasional rustling of a nocturnal animal skittering away from them through the undergrowth. A light breeze whispered across the field, lifting Vivian's hair gently. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of the moonlight on her skin. She was itching to change into her werewolf from, longing to soak up the night. She glanced at Sylvie and saw that the other girl had no intention of indulging in the pleasures of the moon.

In fact, the more Vivian studied her from, the more Sylvie looked…well, human. She seemed to prefer her human form to her wolf one. Watching the wind dance in and amongst Sylvie's curls, Vivian was again struck with the notion that she must be a beautiful werewolf, given how beautiful she was in her human form. So why would she appear to resent that form, her gift from the moon?

"It's not that I don't like being werewolf," Sylvie replied when Vivian asked. "I don't even prefer my human form over it. Sometimes, I just find it easier being this way."

"What do you mean, easier?" Vivian asked, thinking of how hard it was for her to keep her other form a secret from Aiden.

Sylvie shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it. It's just…easier."

Vivian shook her head. "I don't get it. You can't possibly find love with a human the way you would with one of our kind."

The other girl looked at her with a wry, knowing look and Vivian suddenly realized how much she sounded like Esmé and the others when she was seeing Aiden. She smiled guiltily.

"Wow. I sounded like my mother just then. Guess I'm seeing both sides now."

Sylvie nodded but said nothing else.

"When I showed Aiden my other form," Vivian's voice broke off as she recalled the horror in his eyes, the unadulterated fear in his body, how he cowered away from her. "It was awful."

She shook her head, willing the image out of her mind.

"I've revealed my wolf form to a human before," Sylvie said quietly.

Vivian turned sharply to look at her. "Really? What happened?"

There was a hollow look in those emerald eyes. Vivian sensed she was approaching the root of Sylvie's sadness.

"He wanted to become one of us."

Vivian's eyes widened. Questions raced through her mind – What happened? How did he accept her? Did the transformation work? Where was he now?

Sylvie's entire form seemed to crumple from within, making Vivian feel a little uncomfortable. The other girl's vulnerability seemed too intimate to be privy to. She wasn't quite sure what to say.

"His name was Lucas…" Sylvie began, her voice dull to force out the pain. She told Vivian about this boy, this Lucas, who loved a girl so completely that he accepted her wolf form. She felt her heart twinge as she listened to the commitment, how Lucas lost his life after she had bitten him.

"His body couldn't take it. His bones…they shattered. They couldn't reform like ours…"

The source of the sadness in Sylvie's eyes became immediately apparent to Vivian. She had experienced an unconditional love and had it snatched cruelly away from her by her own wolf jaws.

"I can love in both forms but they cannot," Sylvie said solemnly. "Humans do not easily become wolf. That's why it's easier for me to be human."