The man heading their way reminded Emma of Fenrir. He wasn't quite as tall as Fenrir but certainly had the bulk, and all of his features were darker. She decided that he looked to be the Spanish version of Fenrir, as he wore that same expression – thick brows knit together as though he were cross. However, his dark hair was cut short, and his scars were concentrated near his chin, coming up in thick, rough lines clipping through his beard.

He stopped directly in front of Emma, and she held his gaze for a moment before looking away nervously. What was she supposed to do? Hold his gaze? Not hold his gaze? Did she even have a status? This was none of the information Fenrir gave her. She knew that there were different designations, different roles, but Emma had no idea if she had one.

The man sniffed the air curiously as he took a look at her. His eyes trailed over the scars on her face, pausing at the split on her lip and then finding the ring on her finger. He started to circle her with a thoughtful hum, and Emma tried to keep herself from tensing up further.

"You're Fenrir's," he said, bending closer to her to sniff her hair. It didn't sound like a question, which Emma felt was a good sign. At least she didn't have to explain that much. He returned to her front, crossing his arms. "Well?" he asked, his tone demanding.

"Y-yes," Emma choked out. She swore she was going to kill Fenrir for this one. The bastard literally threw her to the wolves.

Emma lifted her gaze when there was near raucous laughter coming from the rest of the group. They were listening, far too curious about what was about to happen. Well, that was rather aggravating that they were laughing at her expense. The only ones not laughing were the woman and one of the men with light-brown hair who's brow furrowed as he looked at her.

A stunned smile crossed the face of the man in front of her, and he glanced over his shoulder at the others. Emma wasn't sure what they found so amusing. Was it because she didn't know what she was doing? Or was it something else?

"Holy shit," he said, giving Emma another good look, his eyes raking over her from top to bottom, his smile widening. "You're Fenrir's mate, aren't you?" Emma managed a weak nod in response, not wanting to agree to that bit of information, but it was all she had. She really didn't want to agree when they were laughing at her. "Holy shit, we've got the little half-wolf in our presence. She actually exists."

"You're taking the piss," shouted one of the others, a younger-looking man with dark brown hair. "That's Fenrir's mate? He's going to break her in half. Is he mental?"

"She's Lupin's cub, though," said another one of the men – a redhead. "You know Fen wouldn't dare pass up the opportunity to get ahold of her just from that alone. You know Remus was his favorite."

"Ah, yes, the pup who got away," said another, one of the blondes. "Wonder if Fen'll let me have a go with her."

Emma felt her face grow hot, and her head snapped up to find the werewolf that just spoke. The female werewolf immediately punched him hard in the chest, a look of disgust on her face. She turned to the brown-haired man.

"That makes her yer responsibility, Raoul," said the woman, her accent thick. "I doubt Fen would be amused to hear what Fergus and Killian had to say about his mate. Small or not, he's obviously taken a likin' to her, especially since she knocked him on his arse." The woman turned to the man she had hit. "You know Fen doesn't share; he certainly didn't share his last mate, and even if he did, I doubt he's going to share her. If yeh quit being a slimy bastard, yeh could find yerself a decent bitch."

"I'd take my chances with a bitch like you," he replied, waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh, shove it up yer arse, Fergus," the woman said. "Yeh can go and feck yerself."

The brown-haired man, Raoul, frowned at the woman before standing up and stepping up beside the man still in front of Emma. The two passed a silent look to each other, and the first man stepped away to rejoin the others.

"Fenrir better have a good reason for sending you over here," Raoul said, crossing his arms.

"You're Raoul?" Emma asked, trying to tamp down her nerves. When he nodded, Emma reached into her bag to pull out the heavy pouch Fenrir gave her. "Good, I didn't exactly have to ask for you. He said for me to give this to you, and you'd know what to do."

"Oh, shitting hell," Raoul muttered, taking the pouch from Emma. "He already…" Raoul sighed, rubbing his forehead. "On who?"

"Said Ireland," Emma shrugged. "Beyond that, I know nothing."

Raoul sighed again. "Well, I'm sure Fenrir will be pleased that you came around. It would have been nice to know that you were going to be here at all, but I suppose with how things have been with the pack…"

Emma understood what Raoul was trying to say, and she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. This was all too weird, and the silence was awkward.

"I'm Fenrir's second in command, which I suppose means I'll be yours as well," Raoul said to break up the quiet. "He already sent me along with his bet for the match, but I suppose this particular little pouch is meant for you." He gave the pouch a shake before tucking it into the front pocket of his trousers.

"For me?" Emma questioned, finally looking up at Raoul. He was a little shorter than Sirius with blue eyes with no scars on his face. It appeared that most of his scars were on his arms. He was the least scarred up werewolf besides Elara she had ever seen, but then again, all of Elara's scars were underneath her clothes.

"You're Fenrir's mate, which means he'll take care of you," Raoul said. "Do you mind? I just want to double-check," he said, automatically reaching for Emma's left hand. She flinched back out of instinct and immediately regretted it as Raoul's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Good going, Lupin.

Emma's reaction seemed to catch the attention of the female as she got up to join Raoul. The woman was around the same height as Raoul, and Emma found herself a little jealous. She woman stared hard at Emma, studying every inch of her closely with her sharp blue eyes. Emma desperately wanted to curl in on herself with the scrutinization. She tried to keep herself still when the woman lifted her hand to touch where Jude had slapped her, but her reaction was the same.

"Who hit yeh?" the woman asked with a slight growl to her voice. Emma could only shake her head, feeling incredibly embarrassed. "Yer one of us, yeh can tell us yeh know," the woman said, moving much slower as she pressed her hand to Emma's cheek. Emma nearly leaned her face into the woman's touch, grateful for how soothing her hand felt on her still stinging cheek. "We might all be different packs, but we're all a family. Well, yeh can ignore the shite ones, o' course, but we're not all terrible. Which do you prefer – Soleil or Emma?"

"Emma."

"So who hit yeh then, Emma?"

"It's complicated," Emma said quietly.

"Fenrir said she's a quiet one," Raoul said. "Not too sure you'll get much out of her Eirwyn."

"Eh, it's because yer all a nasty bunch," Eirwyn said, looking over at Raoul. She gently moved her hand to run her thumb against the split in Emma's lip, tutting softly. "Not too sure I can blame her with yeh lot around. Have yeh been around many other werewolves before, Emma?"

"No," Emma muttered. "Just a few others, and certainly not this many in one time."

"Well, this isn't how I would have yeh meet the other Alphas, but I suppose it's one way of doin' it. Better ta get it all done in one shot, yeh know?"

"Are you one, as well?" Emma asked curiously.

"Aye, little petal," Eirwyn said with a slight smile. "All of us here except for the wee one are Alphas. An' yeh'll be one too when everythin' is said and done. It's about time we had another female in our ranks. Gets a bit borin' dealin' with these blokes. Turns into a pissin' contest real quick." Eirwyn took another look at Emma. "How old are yeh? Yer smaller than I thought yeh would be."

"I'll be fifteen in two weeks," Emma replied, looking at Eirwyn with an awe-struck wonder. She had no idea why she never considered the idea that there was a female pack leader after everything she had learned. The woman in front of her was suddenly one of the most fascinating people she had ever come across, and Emma didn't want her to be.

"Oh, yeh poor little petal, they're goin' ta eat yeh alive if yer not exposed to more of yer kind," tutted Eirwyn, dropping her hand back to her side. "Explains why Fen would send her over, aye?" she said to Raoul.

"Doesn't explain why someone who's still a pup is flinching so much," Raoul said in response, an eyebrow arching. Raoul looked past Emma at the others, his eyes narrowing.

"Aye, it doesn't," Eirwyn said. "Yeh know it wouldn't take us much to figure it out if yeh don't tell us, Petal. Yer safe with us. Fen would eat us alive if we let anything happen to yeh. He's very protective of yeh."

Emma frowned slightly at that. She still wasn't sure how she felt about other werewolves knowing about her.

"Do we need to ask yer little friends over there? Something tells me that they know."

"I would rather you not," Emma said. "It's complicated because I don't know what to call him."

Emma's words struck a chord with Raoul, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. He looked over her shoulder at Persephone and Draco, then back at Emma, a displeased look crossing his face.

"Tell them to leave," Raoul said. "You're not going back until the match begins."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Emma said, startled at the very thought. She wasn't sure that she liked the idea of being in the company of so many werewolves. Then again, she didn't want to go back with Persephone or Draco either. The werewolves honestly seemed like a better idea.

"You're not going back," Raoul said firmly. "They have no interest in coming over here, and Fenrir won't want you near Jude any longer than you need to be."

Oh.

"Do yeh know where yer tent is? We can bring yeh back just before the match," Eirwyn said. "Or we can bring yeh to yer box if yeh have yer ticket with yeh," she added at Raoul's look.

"I have it with me," Emma said quietly.

"Good, then go tell them to leave," Raoul said. "I'm sure it won't be a problem."

There was something about the tone that Raoul took that led Emma to believe that he knew the situation and knew it well. If this was Fenrir's second, she wasn't surprised, and she gave him a slight nod. Emma made her way back to the others, ignoring their looks of alarm.

"Emma, we're not leaving you alone," Persephone hissed.

"They're werewolves," Draco said, looking over her shoulder at the group.

"So?" Emma asked, crossing her arms. It was one thing for her to comment about werewolves when she was already half-way there, but it annoyed her coming from Draco.

"They're…well, you know."

"I don't know," Emma said sharply. "Draco, you spent an entire year with a werewolf and had no idea. If you're going to start on the same shit as everyone else, then you might as well go back to mummy and daddy. Just go."

"But Emma –" Persephone started.

"No, I don't want to hear it," Emma said. "I already said I wasn't going back to the tent. I'll sleep outside if I have to; I don't bloody care. I'm not going anywhere Jude is."

"He'll be in the box with us," Persephone said, her tone almost pleading.

"Well, then someone's just going to have to make sure he's nowhere near me, then," Emma said, starting to walk backward. "I'm not going back. He hurt me on Saturday and did it again today. What if tonight's the night he decides he wants to kill me? I'm not stupid. I'd say I'll take my chances, but something tells me I'm a lot safer here than with you lot."

Before Persephone could protest again, Emma turned back around and made her way over to Raoul and Eirwyn. She was much less nervous than before, but it was still odd. Remus would never let her be around other werewolves like this, and she was almost afraid to tell him. There was no doubt that this was all a part of Fenrir's plan, and she hated him for it, but she would never get this experience otherwise. She wanted to know what this side of things was like before making a decision.

Raoul led Emma to the camp chair he had been sitting in and motioned for her to take it as he found another. She sat down slowly, trying to ignore the fact that she was surrounded by werewolves. The first man she talked to was now sitting to her left, eying her curiously, and Eirwyn to her right.

They were all looking at her, and Emma tried to pretend it didn't worry her. They were all wary of her, and she didn't blame them; she knew of their distrust of wizards. She didn't blame them for that either, as she was starting to understand that as well. However, Emma wasn't ignorant enough to pretend that the situation she was in good go south fast. The only reason she was safe at all was because she was Fenrir's, though they weren't sure whether to believe that or not. Hopefully, they would realize she was telling the truth.

"Oi, Olcan, can yeh get some Dittany for the lass?" Eirwyn asked, looking over at a dark-skinned man near one of the other tents. "She has a wee cut."

"Oh, no, it's fine," Emma tried to say, but Eirwyn lifted a hand.

"We take care of each other," she said simply.

"So," said the redhead, leaning towards Emma with a wolfish grin on his face. "You're Fenrir's mate? Didn't even think you existed. How do we know you're who you say you are?"

"Mate, you can smell Fen all over her," said one of the younger men. "Don't be stupid, Rendell."

"Listen, Aiden, I'm just trying to make sure," Rendell said with a shrug.

"Oi, Balin, is that Fen's?" asked one the other blonde, pointing at Emma's hand.

The man next to her turned to look at her hand. He held his hand out, and Emma very slowly deposited her hand in his. His hands were nowhere near as calloused as Fenrir's and Emma was slightly startled.

"Well, shit," the man, Balin, said, finally letting go of Emma's hand after his very thorough inspection of the ring on her finger. "It's really her."

"Yeh lot are stupid, 'specially you Liekos. If yeh smelled Fen, then yeh should've known," Eirwyn scoffed, thanking Olcan for the bottle of Dittany he handed her. "Look at me, Petal," she said softly.

Emma couldn't help but stop her embarrassed flush as Eirwyn applied the Dittany to her lip with a bit of cotton. "Thank you," she muttered. Too bad it wouldn't ever heal properly, but at least there wouldn't be an infection. She nearly shuddered – Fenrir would have been inclined to lick it to heal.

"It's nothin'," Eirwyn said, and then silence fell again.

Everyone was staring at her except for the small boy crouched down next to the fire, happily throwing twigs and leaves into the flames. He seemed to pick up on the curious mood and looked at Emma, his head tilting to the side. With a sudden burst of energy, he was back on his feet and practically launched himself onto Emma's lap.

The boy that climbed onto Emma's lap couldn't have been any older than six. He had a mop of curly, dirty-blonde hair and deep brown eyes with a smattering of freckles across his tiny nose. When he smiled at her, he had two massive front teeth like a bunny. He was positively the cutest thing Emma had ever seen. The other werewolves watched her even closer now; it would take her time to earn their trust.

"You're really pretty," he said shyly, making Emma laugh. He ran one of his tiny fingers down the long scar across her face, and Emma didn't mind.

"You're pretty handsome yourself," Emma said, smiling as the boy suddenly leaned into her to hide his face with shy giggles. "What's your name?"

"I'm Caddock, but everyone calls me Ducky," he said.

Emma's breath hitched, and tears sprung in her eyes. Nonononono. This boy couldn't be real, even though Boris had talked about him at length with such an affectionate tone that she had fallen in love with the boy. He had told her that Ducky was small, but Merlin, she had no idea just how small the boy would be. Ducky looked up at her, a small pout on his tiny little mouth.

"Why are your eyes raining?" he asked.

Emma couldn't stop another laugh and hugged the boy tight to her. Somehow this small little werewolf boy still maintained his innocence, and Emma was grateful for it. It was far more innocence than Emma ever got to have at his age.

"I'm happy to meet you finally," Emma said. She thought for a moment she lied about that, but she was telling the truth. "You know, Boris has told me a lot about you."

That seemed to appease Ducky as he threw his arms around her neck, his smile back. The other werewolves seemed to relax fractionally.

"I know Boris!" he said happily. "You know Boris, too?"

"Yes, I know Boris," Emma said as Ducky leaned back to look at her. "We're…" Emma trailed off for what felt like the millionth time that day. She looked up at the other Alpha's and Raoul, their gazes expectant, waiting for the answer that they weren't sure she'd give. Emma looked back down at Ducky, smoothing back his hair and smiling as his curls bounced back into shape beneath her fingers. "I know Boris," she concluded. It was the only answer she could give.

Ducky seemed more than content with that answer and turned himself back around, leaning back against Emma. There were murmurings from the other Alphas, but Emma knew she couldn't give an answer – not yet. He shoved his thumb in his mouth, and it was more than Emma could handle. If this was Fenrir's way of convincing her to say yes to joining the pack, then damn it, it was effective. She had fallen in love with this little boy faster than she ever would have expected. Emma was in so much trouble.

"Boris is here, you know," Raoul said. "Fenrir allowed the teenagers to come out for the match. Felt they needed a bit of fun."

"Boris is here?" Emma asked, unable to stop her smile.

Ducky flipped his head up to look at Emma, his arms stretching up so that he could clasp her face with his hands. He pulled her face down to look at him with his bright little smile. "Do you want me to get Boris? I'll go wake him up!"

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Emma laughed.

"I'm going to wake him up!" Ducky proclaimed, leaping off her lap and running off again.

"He's a cute one," Killian said. "Reminds me a bit of myself at his age."

A collective groan echoed throughout the group.

"Don't start, Kils," said Aiden. "We've got…shit, what do you go by? Fen can't seem to pick a bloody name for you."

"That's why we decided she didn't exist, remember?" said Olcan sagely. "She was three people and then one all in one sentence that one day."

"He has his names for me based on his mood," Emma said with a sheepish grin. "Emma is more than fine."

"Emma!" said several men all at once.

"Fen's little princess finally has a bloody name!" said Fergus. "Heard you knocked him on his arse real good with your wand. Been real curious about that. Said you didn't even say a word, and he flew across the room. Can't imagine that's possible with a big brute like him."

"I could show you," Emma said, raising her eyebrows in challenge. "If you don't believe me, of course, though it seems silly that you would doubt Fenrir's claim."

"Oh ho ho," Rendell said, walking over to Fergus and nudging him. "She's got you there, mate."

"Don' listen ta them," Eirwyn said, rolling her eyes. "Like I said, it's a pissin' contest. Yeh don't have to go through the trouble."

"No, let her give it a go," Fergus said, standing up from his seat. "Bet she can't even knock me to the next tent over. Give it a try, princess."

Emma looked back at Raoul, unsure if she needed permission, and he gave a small shrug.

"I confess I'm curious too," he said. "He's asking for it, so if he's willing…"

That was all the permission Emma needed. She pulled her wand out, giving it a slight twirl in her hands. "Are you sure that you want me to do this?" Emma asked. "I can probably knock you three tents over."

"Just do it already. I'm a werewolf, love, you're not going to do –"

Fergus didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence before Emma had her wand out, and he was launched at least four tents down, landing hard on his bottom. Everyone looked between Emma and Fergus in surprise before bursting out into laughter.

"Holy shit, Fen's got a strong little bitch!" Balin said, clapping Emma hard on the shoulder. If Emma wasn't aware of the term used for females, she might have been offended. "You're going to be fucking fun to be around."

"Whoa," said a very familiar voice close by.

Emma turned her head to see Boris staring at Fergus slowly getting back up, and she smiled. Ducky was holding onto his hand, bouncing up and down excitedly.

"I brought Boris for you!" Ducky shouted gleefully.

"Emma?" Boris asked in surprise. Emma didn't even get a chance to get up from her chair before Boris ran up to her, pulling her up into a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Bit of a long story," Emma said when Boris finally let her go. She blushed when she realized that everyone was once again staring.

"Well, I'm glad that you're here," Boris said excitedly. "I wasn't sure when I would see you again!"

Emma could only manage a small nod, holding herself close with the uncertainty of not knowing what to do again. Boris was beaming at her, seemingly oblivious to Emma's confusion, and once again, Emma was reminded of a Labrador. He would be so much fun to have at Hogwarts, and he had a great time learning to cast spells with her wand. She wondered if she could convince Fenrir to let him join her.

"Perhaps it's time to start waking up the others," Liekos said. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I would like to get some more sleep."

"Yeh shouldn't need any sleep after that Wolfsbane Fen made us all buy off of him."

Emma frowned slightly and glanced over at Eirwyn. There was absolutely no way that Fenrir had sold the Wolfsbane to this specific set of werewolves.

"I need a bloody kip after Fen's bitch knocked me clean off my arse," Fergus said, rubbing his back. "He wasn't bloody kidding."

"He warned you that she was powerful," Raoul said.

"That was you that did that?" Boris asked Emma in pure awe.

"Uhm, yeah," Emma said. She looked over at Eirwyn curiously. "Fenrir sold you all Wolfsbane?"

"Yeah," Aiden said. "Wasn't bloody cheap either. Insisted it was the best he's ever had and that it would be better for us to have."

"Except that one day when we had other shit because the usual supply didn't come in," Liekos said. "Wonder what happened with that."

Emma sat back down slowly in her chair, listening to them all talk. She didn't think to ask Fenrir about who he was actually selling to. Did he know that they would bring it up with her around? It was clear they didn't know who made it. She wasn't going to lie and say that it didn't fill her with some sort of pride if it was her brew as they mentioned feeling better than usual. Could she be a potioneer and sell the potion at cost in the future? Even better, could she find a way to get it given out for free? If she was stuck with Fenrir, would he even let her?

Fenrir was absolutely adamant against the potion except in select instances. He wasn't wrong when he said it was a poison – the entire potion was a dedicated poison meant to target the wolf. He didn't like the idea of suppressing the wolf and had mentioned several times that morning he was glad that he didn't need to retake it for a long while. Fenrir was beyond ready to run free and hunt again with no issues. Of course, he made sure to compliment her on the difference in quality, but this was different. These were other werewolves, and she didn't kill them on accident. They didn't even know it was her that made it, and she felt overjoyed.

"And what do you do during the full, Emma?" Killian suddenly asked her, and Emma felt her face heat up. "You don't transform yet, so what do you do?"

"Well, I still have to take the potion to ease the symptoms," Emma said, scratching her head. "The full's pretty bad for me since I don't transform and I'm essentially stuck in my own body, so I sleep. There's not much else I can do."

"Well, that's shit," Aiden said. "Why doesn't Fen turn you, then?"

"Fenrir has his reasons," Raoul said sharply. "You know better than to question his decisions. Don't pester her about it."

Emma had a feeling that Raoul knew Fenrir's reasons, and she gave him a grateful smile. He gave her a small nod in return.

The camp was slowly coming alive, people finally coming out of tents, and Emma found herself nervous again. Once again, she was fully aware that she was a stranger, but she felt somewhat welcome. She felt strange just sitting there, but it was easier for her to listen and Boris seemed more than content to join them. Ducky had returned to Emma's lap, and Boris picked at the plates of bacon sitting nearby.

"Did anyone offer Fen's little princess anything?" Fergus suddenly asked.

"I don't need anything," Emma said. "But if you call me princess one more time, I'll try and launch you even further."

"I swear, if Fen doesn't want her, I want her," Killian said as they all laughed. "She's bloody brilliant."

"We should probably start setting up the kitchen for everyone else," Rendell sighed as he stood, stretching out. "A lot of mouths to feed today."

"Oh," Emma said. "Did you want help?"

She had no idea why she asked, but she received several looks of surprise. Emma thought she had done the wrong thing and started to sink back in her chair.

"Well, well," Liekos said, giving Emma an approving look. "Powerful, and Fen's found a bitch for himself that isn't lazy. She's already better than the last one." He gave Emma one final look before walking off with Killian and Olcan.

"You're a guest," Raoul said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do a thing. But in the future, if you'd like to help…"

Emma nodded, feeling a little better about things.

"Can you even cook?" Boris asked Emma curiously.

"Not at all," Emma said with a nervous giggle.

"It's all right," Ducky said, pulling his fingers out of his mouth. "I can't cook either, but I make really good mud pies!"

"I bet you do," Emma said.

"Maybe I'll show you sometime!" Ducky said excitedly, giving her his sweet little smile again.

"Maybe…"

The more time she spent with the rest of the werewolves, the less awkward it became. As hard as Emma tried, she couldn't make herself completely comfortable, but Raoul tried his best to check up on her. She wasn't sure if it was because she was new or if it was because she was Fenrir's, but he was very attentive. Emma had a feeling that anything she wanted, he would figure out how to get ahold of.

"Do you all call Fenrir by just Fen?" Emma asked during a lull in the conversation.

"Yes," said Killian slowly. "Don't you?"

"I, er…I've never thought about it, actually," Emma admitted.

"Yeh should," Eirwyn said gently. "Bit easier than calling him Fenrir the entire time."

"Yeah, maybe he'll let you call him Love Muffin," Rendell said with a hearty laugh.

"No, no, Fen would be a Stud Muffin," Balin said. "Get it straight."

There were more suggestions of what Emma could call Fenrir, and she had to laugh. It was genuinely funny to hear their recommendations, and she said she would keep them in mind. The conversation shifted to them explaining how their full moon went. Emma was fascinated to find that they had traveled far out for their transformations just so they could stay at the campground. There were around 50 other werewolves in the camp, a mix of men, women, and children between the packs. The Alphas took the Wolfsbane to make sure that the rest of the wolves were kept in line. They wanted to attend the World Cup, and they weren't looking to hunt. The fewer issues they had, the better. It made Emma a little ill when they discussed previous human hunting trips, but it was the reality of things. It didn't make Emma feel any less uneasy knowing that she would most likely have the same desire one day.

Nothing made you question your humanity more than that realization.

Boris stuck close to Emma, and she was grateful for it, especially when Raoul suggested introducing her to some of the other werewolves. She was glad that Raoul mentioned that all of them would most likely smell her because it startled her the first time. Boris did most of the initial introductions, she would be sniffed, and most times, Emma would receive a welcoming smile. The only real issue that came up was meeting the other teenagers of Fenrir's pack. Emma didn't think she would have a decent go of making friends with any of them.

The two females, Phalen and Marcelina, seemed less than thrilled to see Emma, but the boys were more responsive. Coinin, Lowe, Harvey, Caleb, and Leidolf seemed more than happy to welcome Emma into the group.

"Just ignore those two," Boris said, waving off Emma's quietly voiced concerns as they made their way back to the Alpha's tent. "They're just jealous of you."

"Of me? I haven't even done anything," Emma muttered. She had no idea why the two girls were at all jealous of her when they were gorgeous. Phalen had long dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, and Marcelina was a tall blonde with light brown eyes. If they were so interested in Fenrir, Emma couldn't understand why Fenrir was fascinated with her instead.

"You're the Alpha's mate," Raoul said. "It's the height of honor to be the Alpha's mate, especially Fenrir's. He hasn't taken a mate in years, and most were under the impression you weren't real. They feel slighted now that they know they don't have a chance."

"It wasn't as though I asked for it," Emma said pointedly. "And why is it more honorable to be Fenrir's mate?"

"Because he rules over all of the packs," Boris said with wide eyes. "Did you not know that?"

"I must have forgotten," Emma lied. "It's been a trying few weeks." She had no idea that was even a thing and clearly had so much more to learn.

Emma adored the children more than anything, and they seemed to like her a lot, too. The moment they returned to the Alpha's tent, the children swarmed on her – eight in all. All boys except for one lone little girl. They all asked her curious questions, and the more questions they asked, the more serious Emma realized things were. If she joined Fenrir's pack, there was an extraordinary amount of power there already for her, and it scared her.

These small children already had expectations of her, wanting to learn from her. She was special, Fenrir said. She was different. It was weird for her to hear the children telling her things about herself like she mattered to them. Perhaps, in a way, she did. Emma feared that Fenrir had gratefully inflated her accomplishments.

She couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between the shy little girl and Killian. He saw Emma's curious look and walked over, grabbing the girl into his arms and holding her upside down to make her giggle. He held her there until her little face turned red with her laughter.

"This quiet little one is my daughter Belinda," Killian explained, flipping the girl right side up and holding her against his hip to tickle her sides and neck. "She's my pride and joy. Say hello to Emma." Belinda immediately hid her face in Killian's chest but gave a small wave to Emma anyway. Killian hummed softly, kissing the top of Belinda's head.

"I know most people don't understand it," he said, stepping up next to Emma and trying to convince Belinda to show her face. "When I was turned, it was terrifying. Single dad," he explained, looking over at Emma. "I was trying to start my acting career out in London. It was a complete accident when it happened, and I was terrified for us both. I turned her myself because I couldn't stand the idea of not having her with me. It was a risk because she was so young, but I lost everything, and I wasn't losing her, too."

Killian sighed, holding Belinda closer and burying his face in her hair for a moment, breathing in deeply. "We know that it has to be hard for you to be away from your father," he said. "I can't imagine how he's dealing with it all."

"It's hard," Emma admitted, taking a steadying breath. "He's my best friend, even if he's an idiot."

"I hope she feels the same about me when she's your age," Killian chuckled, rubbing his nose against Belinda's when she looked at him. "It's not all bad since we have each other. Some months are harder than others, but…you know. I'll leave you be. I think it's about time this little one has a kip, and quite honestly, I need one. If I don't see you, it really was nice to see that you're actually real. Fen gets a little overzealous sometimes. He's an excellent leader, but sometimes I think he likes to hear himself talk."

Emma grinned at that. She had almost no doubt that Fenrir liked to hear himself talk sometimes. It was rare, but he could sometimes talk more than her, and Emma called him out on it every time. He didn't like it, but she was more than happy to point out he was a hypocrite every time he complained about her talking too much.

Time moved very quickly with the werewolves to the point she had gotten through dinner without realizing it, and it was time to head to the stadium. She had no idea how time had passed so seamlessly to the point she was having a lot of fun. That scared her more than anything.

"Come on," Raoul said. "I'll walk with you. Fenrir would be angry with me if I let you go off on your own."

"I'll come with yeh," Eirwyn said. "Real curious to meet this Jude bloke."

"He's a cunt, is what he is," Emma muttered much to Eirwyn's amusement.

"From what I've heard from Fenrir, he's a piece of work," Raoul said as they walked. "I didn't mean to listen in earlier, but you said he hurt you on Saturday?"

"He, uhm…the Cruciatus," Emma answered. Eirwyn's eyes flashed with rage, and Emma grimaced. "He used to use it on me when I was smaller. I was, er…distracted."

"What were you doing? Fenrir said that your father taught you how to duel."

Emma cringed slightly. "I was er…working in the potion's lab," Emma said slowly, hoping that they didn't make the connection. She apparently wasn't so lucky.

"Petal, what potion were you makin'?" Eirwyn asked.

"A very…er, specific potion," Emma said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Jesus Christ, yer the one who made the potion, wasn' it?" Eirwyn asked, slapping Raoul's arm in delight. "No feckin' wonder yeh got all shifty when we were talkin' about it."

Emma felt herself blush, and she rubbed her cheeks in a horrid attempt at hiding the pink creeping up her face. "I didn't know who Fenrir was selling it to," Emma said quickly. "He just had me bottle it up, and I just did it. He brought me back high-quality ingredients, so who was I to question his decision? I was just delighted that I could make a better potion for Dad."

"Oh, it was brilliant, don' be embarrassed," Eirwyn said, pulling Emma into her side. "I think we can keep yer little secret, eh Raoul?" She nudged Raoul with her elbow, and he shook his head with a huffed out laugh. "Listen, here's a bit of advice for yeh, Petal. Yeh've got ta get Fenrir by the bollocks if yeh wan' any hopes of keeping him in line." Emma's eyes grew wide, and Eirwyn grinned. "Both figuratively and literally, Petal.

"We females need to stick together. The males are all the same, especially werewolf men – they think with their cocks. If yer goin' to survive, yeh need to learn tha' fast," Eirwyn said, giving Emma a sweet smile. "I think yeh'll do all right. The more time yeh spend with yer kind, the more yeh'll understand."

"I'll be sure to not tell Fenrir that you just told his mate to grab him by the balls to keep him in line," Raoul said dryly. "I'm sure that would go over well."

"Ah, she's a wee one. He's smitten with her. She'll be fine."

The closer they got to the stadium, the louder things became, and Emma couldn't help but wonder how Eirwyn and Raoul were handling it.

"Carefully applied charms," Raoul said, seemingly reading Emma's mind. "Very carefully applied. Do you have any spending money? You should pick up some souvenirs. It's your first World Cup, after all."

The fact Raoul made it sound like she would get to attend multiples was a surprisingly hopeful prospect. She felt funny using the money Fenrir gave her, but she wasn't about to pass up the opportunity. Raoul and Eirwyn didn't seem to mind following Emma as she spotted carts she wanted to stop at. She kept apologizing every single time, and at one point, Eirwyn gave Emma a funny look.

"My God," she said. "Please tell me that Fen's become smitten with a little Hufflepuff." Emma gave a small grin in response, and Eirwyn burst into laughter. "Oh, the dog!" she said, slapping her knee. "How brilliant! He made her sound like a little Gryffindor, but he's gone and found himself a wee badger! No wonder everyone loves her."

Emma wanted to mention that not everyone loved her if the two girls were of any indication, but she wasn't going to bring it up. She had enjoyed herself after leaving the Malfoy tent, and she wanted to keep her good mood going for as long as possible. With an Ireland t-shirt, a walking miniature figure of Moran, and a pair of Omnioculars purchased, they finally made their way to the closest entrance to where Emma was supposed to be.

Persephone was waiting anxiously, tapping her foot impatiently. Emma sighed as Persephone spotted them walking up, and she ran over.

"Where have you been?" Persephone asked. "You were supposed to be back for dinner."

"Oh, well," Emma shrugged.

"Jude's pissed that you didn't show up."

"Oh, why? So he could hit me again?" Emma scoffed. "It's not like his required weekend was meant to extend out into today."

"Because you embarrassed him in front of everyone."

"I embarrassed him? Really? Did you not listen to what he was saying? He didn't have to hit me back!"

"I mean, you could've approached things differently."

Emma was about to open her mouth to make a retort, but Raoul put a hand on her shoulder. "We'll come up with you," he said. "This isn't your fight, Emma."

"But he's –"

"Fenrir plans to take care of the problem," Raoul said simply.

Up they walked, higher and higher into the stands. Emma was getting dizzy with how high they were going until they finally reached the top box. The view when they stepped through the door was extraordinary, and Emma was so focused on taking in the view that she didn't even notice Jude. He was on his feet in an instant, storming over to them and drawing attention from the occupants of the box. Emma flinched back instinctively but Raoul and Eirwyn stepped in front of her. That was a new one for her.

"You must be Jude," Raoul said pleasantly. He grabbed hard onto Jude's shoulder in the way that Jude usually held onto her. "I think my friend and I need to have a little chat with you." Eirwyn acted as a buffer to keep Jude from getting anywhere near Emma, and she gave Emma a wink. Maybe the whole pack thing wasn't such a bad idea, after all…

"Emma!"

Oh, no.

"Oh, no," Persephone said quietly, echoing Emma's unspoken thoughts as she looked over at Emma. She looked disturbed by what had just happened with Jude, but she looked equally alarmed that George Weasley had just gotten up out of his seat.

George pulled Emma into a tight hug, and Emma couldn't stop herself from melting into it. Everything could be fine, right? It wasn't like they had to get married, and Emma felt so at ease in George's arms.

"I didn't know you were going to be here!" George said happily. "Why did it take you so long to get here?"

"It's, er, a bit of a long story," Emma said sheepishly.

"Come on, come say hi to everyone!"

George immediately swept Emma further into the box to her embarrassment. Lucius Malfoy was eying her with even more disdain than before, but Emma didn't care. She was passed between each Weasley and wound up receiving two delighted hugs from Arthur to make up for Ron's awkward hug. She was amazed to meet both Bill and Charlie. Bill was tall and the very definition of cool, and Charlie seemed just as fun. They all complimented her on her hair, gently ruffling it to fluff up the waves until Emma was sure her hair was frizzy. Hermione's hug was gentle, and Emma couldn't help but appreciate the gesture that she remembered the full moon had just passed. That left Harry for last, and the two just stared at each other for a long moment.

"Come here, you idiot," Emma said, pulling Harry into a hug. "I'm glad to finally see you," she said, genuinely meaning it. She still wasn't sure about the idea of Harry eventually living with them, but she was definitely happy to see him. Emma gave Harry a quick peck on the cheek. "I didn't get to tell you, but Pads said he missed you. Not sure if he's written lately."

Harry gave Emma a sad smile and shook his head. "No, he hasn't, not since the beginning of the month. Was he –?"

"For a little while, yeah," Emma said.

"You look…different. Like your dad."

Emma gave a small nod. "You have no idea," she said with a sigh. Emma gave a slight start as someone touched her shoulder, and she found Raoul right behind her.

"Jude shouldn't be a problem for the rest of the night," he said with a polite smile.

"If yeh have any trouble, yeh know where to find us," Eirwyn said from just behind Raoul. She took a look around at the other patrons of the box and jerked her head towards the exit.

"We'll keep an eye out for you," Raoul promised. "But anything at all – you let us know."

"T-thanks," Emma managed to stutter out. "Really, thank you." She watched Raoul and Eirwyn make their hasty retreat, and Emma noticed the curious looks. She looked at Harry and the others and cleared her throat. "I should, er…probably go sit down now."

Emma took a seat at the end of the row with Persephone to her right. Fred and George sat just in front of her and were cracking delighted jokes. She wanted to make a quick exit if she had to, feeling slightly on edge, but Emma noticed that Jude didn't return by the time match started. Ellis had finally taken notice and left himself, and Emma finally relaxed.

It was probably one of the best nights Emma had in a while, and she had no idea that professional Quidditch would be so fun to watch. The Weasleys' commentary was phenomenal, and she wasn't sure if she was listening to them more or the official announcements. Even Hermione, who wasn't fond of Quidditch, seemed fascinated, shrieking each time a perilous play was made. Caspian and Elijah sounded like they were having the times of their lives, and Persephone kept grabbing onto Emma's arm excitedly.

She had forgotten what it was like to be completely and blissfully happy. The entire summer had felt like a blur of one bad thing after another, but she had wound up enjoying almost the whole day. Emma was still overwhelmed by her time with the werewolves, but she was bubbling with joy. She had a lot to think about, but for the moment, she didn't have a care in the world.

By the time the match was over, a surprising win on Ireland's part, Emma's face hurt from smiling. She had no idea that she would finally have a moment where nothing else mattered except for the people surrounding her and having fun. Why couldn't have the entire summer have been this way, with smiles and laughter, dancing and singing? Nothing was ever going to be better than the night she was having – absolutely nothing.

Emma's happiness had a slight damper when it came time to finally leave the stadium.

"Em, er, are you coming back with us?" Persephone asked as she started to make her way over to join the Malfoys.

"I don't…" Emma frowned slightly. "I don't think so…"

"Well, then where are you staying?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking at Emma curiously. "Do you not have anywhere to stay for tonight?"

"I do…sort of," Emma said with a grimace. "But not really."

"Well," Mr. Weasley said slowly, looking at his entire group, "why don't you come bunk with us? I don't think the girls would mind, would you?"

"Oh, I don't know," Emma said quietly.

"Please," Mr. Weasley said, giving Emma a soft smile. "Come join us."

And so, Emma went. She was acutely aware that eyes were following her the entire way, and she sincerely hoped that it was one of the other werewolves. Neither Jude nor Ellis ever returned to the box, and Emma had no idea what that meant. Emma wasn't sure that she wanted to know, but she had a feeling that she would need to rely on Fenrir a little more than usual. It was only for one more week, and that week was broken up by a three-day weekend with her father. She could handle it.

Spending time with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione was exactly where Emma needed to be. For the second time that day, she felt as though she was somewhere she belonged. The tent was much more to her style, homey and considerably less extravagant. Fred and George did everything they possibly could to keep her laughing, gladly teasing Ron whenever they could. Charlie even told her stories of the dragons he worked with, and Emma grew even more fascinated by the stories Bill told of his work. She happily joined in the spirited conversation about the match, nursing her hot cocoa and leaning into George. How could she ever think she could ever want anything less than exactly this?

When Mr. Weasley decided they should all head to bed, Emma went smiling with Ginny and Hermione to the other tent. Mr. Weasley popped in to transfigure a third cot for her, and Emma was very appreciative of the gesture. Perhaps it was the luck of the Irish in the air that night, but Emma felt lucky.

She was in the middle of a particularly delightful dream involving Quidditch when they were all woken up by Mr. Weasley.

"Girls, get up!" he said urgently. "No time to explain. Get your jackets out and get outside!"

It was hard to tell exactly what was wrong, but the noises outside the tent didn't seem normal. Emma quickly pulled herself out of bed, throwing her jeans on over her sleep shorts and then pulling on a jumper. She had gotten used to having to change around Fenrir early in the summer, and the skill was very much needed. Emma was suddenly happy that Fenrir insisted that she take his coat with her after making fun of him for his insistence. Apparently, it would get its use, and she slung it on, holding tight to her bag as she joined the others outside.

Emma let out a sharp gasp as she followed Ron's disgusted gaze. "Are those –"

"Muggles," Ron replied with a frown.

Emma let out a small noise of disgust as she tried to figure out what was happening. She took in what looked to be a massive parade marching through, laughing at what was happening. Her stomach knotted as she noticed what looked to be a small child spinning round and round in the air.

"Get into the woods and stick together!" Mr. Weasley shouted at them. "I'll come and fetch you when we've sorted this out."

Fred grabbed onto Ginny's hand, and then they were off, looking back over their shoulders to watch what was happening. Everything was chaotic, panicked shouts screaming out over each other, children crying. Emma struggled to keep up as she was the smallest, and she was pushed around by people she couldn't recognize or focus on. There was a sudden great shout from Ron, and Emma slammed right into Harry's back as he stopped where he was.

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "Ron, where are you? Oh, this is stupid – lumos!"

Emma quickly pulled her wand out of her bag. That was probably a brilliant idea, and she lit hers as well.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to."

Draco. Emma whirled around to look at Draco, who look unaffected by what was going on. "What's your problem, Draco?" Emma snapped, glancing over at Ron as he swore at Draco.

Draco shot Emma a look before turning back to the others. "Language, Weasley," he drawled. "Hadn't you better be hurrying along now? You wouldn't like her spotted, would you?" he said, nodding at Hermione. There was a sudden blast that came from the direction of the campsite, and a flash of green light lit up the trees.

"Where's George?" Emma asked suddenly.

"No idea," Harry said, taking a look around.

Emma groaned, bouncing on the balls of her feet, her boots heavy on her feet. "I'm going to see if I can find him. I'll see you lot in a bit."

It was much easier to navigate the woods when she only had to worry about herself. She navigated the wide groups of people with relative ease, looking for a sign of red hair and freckles. The noises coming from the campsite sounded terrible, but Emma continued on, further and further into the woods. She continued on the main pathway and let out an aggravated shout when she couldn't find anyone she should be looking for. Even if she couldn't find the rest of the Weasleys, she hoped that she would have found one of the werewolves.

With a slight growl, Emma turned a different direction and down a different path. She quickly realized that she was going the wrong way when she found no one around. The noises from the camp had dwindled down to nothing, and everything was relatively silent.

"Oh, good job, Emma," she muttered to herself. "Getting lost in the bloody woods by yourself like an idiot."

Emma wanted to scream out into the empty woods in frustration. She wasn't sure if she was angry with herself for falling or angrier that they all kept going without her. There was no way that at least one of them didn't notice. She extinguished her wand and closed her eyes for a few moments to try and give herself a chance to adjust to the darkness. Emma hated the dark more than anything, but the moon was still bright overhead.

When she opened her eyes again, she tried to focus. Emma slowly started to walk in the direction she thought she came from, but then she heard a cracking noise and the rustling of bushes. She tried to scan the area as best as possible and crept towards where she heard the noise. It reminded her too much of Fenrir trailing her and Persephone in the woods, but Emma felt incredibly uneasy. Her heart was beating hard, and Emma held tight to her wand, prepared to attack if she needed.

She started to take another step, but then she was suddenly barreled into and thrown forward. Emma would have made a noise if she could, but too much happened at once. A hand was clamped hard over her mouth to keep her quiet, and her fall was buffered by strong arms holding her close. Panic flooded her system, and she twisted her head to look at who had a hold of her. The last person she ever expected was Fenrir, and his lips were pulled back into a snarl.

"Stay quiet," he growled in her ear, releasing his hold on her mouth. Emma didn't dare disobey, and she took a look around to see that they weren't alone, and the other werewolves were around. They were also laying low, and if the looks on some of their faces were of any indication, one of them had to have said something to Fenrir. It made Emma's stomach do a funny little flip that he had most likely come out for her, but she could feel his anger in the way he held her. She pressed her forehead to the ground – this was a nightmare.

There were great shouts and the sound of more running as Ministry wizards ran along the path, and Emma understood why they stayed low. They didn't want to be caught. When whatever threat they perceived had passed, they slowly rose one by one, and Fenrir hauled her up by the back of his coat. Fenrir's growl was deadly, and Emma squeaked. He was beyond angry with her.

"What would possess you to go off on your own?" Fenrir growled, stalking forward as Emma scrambled back. Her back slammed into a tree and his hand wrapped around her throat, squeezing just enough to keep her where she was. It was a warning, more possessive than anything, but still left a bitter tang in Emma's mouth. He didn't want to hurt her, but it didn't matter. This was the Fenrir that scared her, and she hated that it brought tears to her eyes. She knew this version of him lurked underneath the surface, but she thought that she would be safe from it.

"Are you aware of what could have happened if one of the Alphas wasn't looking out for you?" he growled at her, his face coming close to hers. "Are you aware that I was in the middle of doing something and had to come out just to find you?"

"I'm s-sorry!" Emma stammered out, meeting Fenrir's angry stare for one brief moment before looking away.

"Fen, leave her be," Eirwyn said. "She's had a rough go of it."

"She could have died because of her stupidity!"

"She's still a pup, Fen," said someone else – Liekos, she was pretty sure.

"Fenrir, ordinarily I wouldn't go against your judgment, but I agree with Eirwyn," Raoul said. "There was an incident earlier today, and Emma's lapse in judgment shouldn't be held against her."

"An incident?" Fenrir ground out, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Raoul.

"With Jude."

That was enough for Fenrir to release his hold, and Emma took a shuddering breath, rubbing her neck anxiously. Fenrir shot Emma a look and stalked over to Raoul to hear what he had to say. There was a long moment where no one did anything, but then Fenrir returned to her, the muscle in his jaw jumping. His touch was much gentler as he lifted her chin to inspect her face.

"Fucker," Fenrir muttered. "You stupid girl," he said, pressing a tender kiss to Emma's forehead. "You never go off on your own. I taught you that years ago!"

Fenrir was about to continue with his lecture when one of the other werewolves called out his name with a – "Look!"

Time seemed to stand still as Emma watched Fenrir look up at the sky until finally, Emma dared to turn and look herself.

It took her a moment to understand what they were all looking at, and then it hit her. Up high in the sky, reflected against the waning moon, was a skull with a massive serpent protruding from its mouth. Emma knew what it was, had heard the stories from Remus and seen the photos she showed her, but she couldn't believe it. Never in her life did she ever think she would ever witness seeing the Dark Mark in person, and she didn't want to know what that meant.

Emma took a look around at the other werewolves. Some looked nervous, one or two looked excited. And slowly, Emma turned her head to look at Fenrir, and his expression was grave. He looked down at her and pulled her into his side. It was like he had flipped a switch again, his hold on her protective more than possessive.

"The world's changing like I told you, Rabbit," he said quietly to her. "You're not going to want to be on the wrong side of the fight when it begins."

If only Emma had any idea of what she would be fighting for.

to all of my late night readers, good night!

werewolves. so many werewolves. also come join us on discord. When everyone comes on to bash Jude it's fun.

Lu - I have been WAITING to write about a different side of the World Cup! I didn't want to write the entire match, but I hope this is good enough! :D Still have two more chapters I want to get out before the new year, so be on the look out! :3 BUT if I somehow don't get them done - thank you, and happy new year!