Back again, to try and finish. Again. I know I keep repeating myself in the worst way, but I really do want to finish this story. I think I have things sorted out enough to really get myself pushing. Let's deliver this baby!

Okay, kinda grossed myself out with that one...

"Didn't you ever learn any fucking manners, bitch?" Chuck snarled.

I felt my anger rise, assisted by the booze. I felt my face harden and the hairs on the back of my neck prickle from the adrenaline.

Chuck sneered at me and nudged his compatriot standing to his left. The other wolf turned instantly, a bottle at his lips. He had light shaggy hair that was pushed out of his face by a pair of dark glasses resting on his head. He had a denim jacket and a red scarf tied around his left bicep. He seemed confused at first, until he followed his pack member's gaze down to me. I started growling under my breath.

"Is that the little kitty you were telling me about?" He drawled, lazily swigging from the bottle.

"Yeah," replied Chuck, "the crazy one."

I saw red. I was getting so tired of people calling me crazy or insane. I didn't ask to be kit-napped! My growl increased in volume and I lowered my chin a tiny bit, giving the unmistakable impression of protecting my throat. Chuck's eyes widened.

"She thinks she can take us!" He chuckled.

"Oh," I said, "I know I can. I've killed tougher than you in space."

The two wolves looked shocked for a moment before letting out huge guffaws of laughter. A few surrounding pack members turned to see what they were laughing at and watched with interest after they noticed me. I made sure to keep them all in my sight, but it wasn't too long before a small semi-circle enclosed us. Jackson's head peeked through a gap in the wolves.

"Sonny!" He called, shoving his way into the circle, carrying the two refilled pitchers of beer.

I barely acknowledged him, wanting to keep Chuck in my sight in case he tried to sneak in an attack when I was distracted. Jackson stood beside me.

"C'mon guys," he said, "We're just here to drink and enjoy the night. Go back to your football game."

Jackson's words were easy, but his tone was firm. The two wolves looked amused.

"Look Jackson, she started it."

"Sonia doesn't pick fights, she only defends herself, which she's had to do a lot since returning home. Cut her some slack and ease up a bit, would ya?" Jackson explained, I risked a quick glance over to him and could see that he was standing firm. At the edges of my peripheral, I saw Wes and Marcus edging in to see what the commotion was. At a look from Jackson, Wes relieved him of the pitchers and disappeared, presumably back to our table where they wouldn't be spilled in the potential kerfuffle.

"She threatened me," Chuck stated. He seemed to really want to fight, and I was more than happy to oblige. I had a lot of pent up frustration to let out and if he was going to be a willing target, I wasn't going to argue. However, I knew that Jackson would rather us just go back to the table and keep drinking; I was just so tired of talking about myself.

"Oh, I'm sure," Jackson drawled sarcastically.

I grinned wickedly. It was nice to know that he had my back if things got ugly; like I was hoping they would. I knew that Jackson wanted to avoid a fight and that it probably wouldn't look good to the Were community if the Iversen kids were seen brawling in a pub, but man, it would be so much fun.

Jackson shot me a look out of the corner of his eye that told me he was disappointed in my reaction to the brewing fight. I tried to look sheepish, but probably failed; my blood was racing. I could feel my claws trying to burst free from their fleshy fingered prisons.

Chuck obviously knew it, too. His eyes widened in a delight to match my own. Advancing with a step, Chuck braced himself for me to make the first move, not knowing that I wouldn't. I wasn't stupid.

Jackson put his hand on my shoulder, almost causing me to start. He caught my eye.

"Please."

It was only one word, barely whispered so only I could hear it, but I got a lot of meaning from it. He was asking nicely, not begging, but there was such a mournful tone to it that I felt my anger and frustration melt away. With a nod of my head I acquiesced. With one final look at Chuck, I turned and let Jackson lead me back towards our table.

The second I turned my back, I sensed the attack. Whether in the air, the sound or simply just a sixth sense of knowing, I am still not sure. In one fluid motion, I spun on my heel, my right arm poised and ready. I caught Chuck right in the throat and his eyes widened in surprise. My growl was loud and thunderous, and I felt my strength flowing through my body to focus in my arm like water rushing from the source. My fur burst forth from my skin and my claws sprouted, although I kept them from going too far into the wolf's neck. I didn't want to kill him, just shake him to his core.

I felt my fangs grind against each other as I manipulated the thickly built man towards the floor. Chuck's legs flailed uselessly as he hurtled backwards, caught by the sheer force of my blow. When he finally hit, the entire bar was silent enough to hear the whoosh of the air leaving his lungs and I released him from my clutches. He gaped like a fish, trying to force the air to return to him so he could normalize his breathing again.

Knowing I was half-shifted, I tried to focus my own breathing to calm myself and retain my fully human appearance. My fur, fangs and claws all retracted again and I took a cautionary look around the bar. I was met with mixed looks of surprise and fear. Knocking a wolf as thickly built as Chuck to the floor in one hit was enough to secure my status, but my uncontrolled partial shift confirmed it. They weren't quite sure what to make of me.

Again, I tried to turn back towards the rest of my family. Jackson and I walked, uncontested, back to our table where my mug was refilled and waiting invitingly.

By the time my brother and I reached our table, the low buzz of conversation had resumed, though not quite to the same fervor as before. I grasped my mug handle and drank deeply from the glass, relishing the cool brew. Jackson was watching me worriedly.

"I'm fine." I stated coolly. Forcing my face to remain neutral, I polished off the rest of the beer. Wes and Amber exchanged a look before refilling my empty glass. I ignored them, not wanting to meet their eyes and fall prey to their judgement and fear.

I stared morosely at my glass while Marcus tentatively tried to restart the conversation at the table, steering the topic away from me. They chatted about Wes and Amber's life out in California and I refused to let my thoughts turn back towards Kraglin. The bar fight was reminiscent of the fight I had with Bardil, defending myself against a bigger foe. I was proud of myself for not killing the wolf, but at the same time, I knew that the rules were different on Terra. While Yondu might not care that I slaughtered a problematic crew member, my clan would face serious repercussions if I had killed Chuck. I could see it on the horror in Jackson's face when he figured the fight was unavoidable. I had to behave by a set of regulations that I did not fully comprehend. Everything in space was much simpler for me and I longed to return. Shaking my head, I finally faced the rest of my party.

They were all staring at me expectantly.

I stared back blankly.

Marcus sighed, "Sonia," he began patiently, "What's going on?"

I continued my staring. After the scene I'd caused, they were worried about me? And my feelings?

"I…" I didn't know what was going on. I had no idea how to answer my cousin. Braving the reactions, I made eye contact with each person sitting at the table. The responses were a mixture of concern and surprise; but there was no fear. At least, not the kind I was used to seeing. If anything, they all seemed afraid for me, not of me. Clearing my throat, I found my voice.

"Thank you."

The rest of our time at Lunar Craze went much more smoothly. I ignored the wolves and they gave our table a wide berth, leaving us free to enjoy each others' company. I found myself able to relax and partake in the joshing that was apparently customary to my siblings. Jackson and Wes seemed to really miss each other and I questioned more into why the massive separation had happened to begin with. They exchanged a nervous look.

"It was me, wasn't it?" I asked, spirits falling slightly. The rift I'd left in my family after my disappearance had been evident since I arrived, but seeing the effect that it had on my brothers was different.

"Sonny, listen, we don't blame you at all," Jackson reassured, "It's just that… well...:"

"Dad." Wes supplemented. "He went… crazy after you left. Like a man possessed. I had planned on telling him about my plans to marry Amber right around that time, and he wouldn't hear any of it. Finally we just moved to get away from it all. I felt bad abandoning everyone like that, but I had to seize my chance at happiness and a normal life."

"He had already written me off before it happened," Jackson started, "Ever since I chose to leave the Academy, he knew I wouldn't amount to anything helpful for the family. Gunn was the final blow, though."

"I don't understand," I said, "What was it that Gunnar did that was so bad?"

Jackson shrugged, "He couldn't provide an heir. Look, things might be different out there in space, but here things can tend to be a bit more traditional."

"Especially," Amber cut in, "In a family where the title and business passes along the bloodline."

I nodded, finally getting the picture of what my dad had been facing. It was almost as if I had been the glue holding our family together and without me, everyone seemed to scatter and leave him in the dust. I felt pity wash over me as I understood everyone's unique perspective on the topic. We had all suffered, not just me.

"But you're back now!" Marcus clapped me on the back, causing me to spill a few drops of beer on the table. "Everything should be all good now."

I snorted, "Only if I sell myself to some guy to be his mate."

The chill that descended at my words overtook us all. As much as I wanted to forget my impending doom, I couldn't. One way or another, I was going to find a way out of this agreement. Angrily, I downed the rest of my mug.

Marcus offered this time to refill the pitchers and whisked off to the bar where he became instantly engrossed in a conversation with Vincent. They didn't exchange too many words before Marcus pulled his little cell-pad out of his pocket and put it to his ear. He hurried back, an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Jasper called here," Marcus began, "apparently, I missed a few phone calls since we've been here." He grinned sheepishly.

"Are the Fuentes there?" Jackson asked. I felt my blood start to pound at the mention of their name.

Marcus sighed, "Yeah, your father is ordering us all back to the compound, now."

I set my glass down a little too forcefully and the resulting noise made all heads turn to look at me. I ignored them and tried to control my fury.

Marcus paid our tab while he was at the bar and him, Jackson and Wes bickered over how to divide it and exchange their money amongst themselves the whole ride home. My anger had burned off the small buzz I'd been cultivating and I braced myself before walking through the doorway.

There were a few strangers in my kitchen, but the one that commanded the most attention was the woman talking to Desiré. Standing at average height, she was wearing an ivory blouse with black slacks. Her black hair was pulled away from a severe face into a tight bun. Diamonds hung from her ears and when she turned in my direction, her lips pursed disapprovingly. The matriarch of the Fuentes clan looked fiercer than I'd imagined.

"Sonia Iversen," she greeted, her voice lilting in a slight accent. "I've been reading your father's reports, and I must say, I'm not too impressed. Lies upon lies upon incompetence." I started to bristle. I'd show her 'incompetence'.

Noticing my reaction, the woman narrowed her green eyes and stepped towards me. She raised her hand and the two others in the room instantly moved to flank her. "Don't you raise your hackles at me, you kit."

I suppressed my instinct to growl but otherwise didn't move.

"Your Highness," Wes began, "Could you please explain what you find so incompetent about Sonia?"

The powerful woman turned her steely glare upon my brother. "Your family is so desperate to get back their standing that they alter her training scores and even go so far as to say she can partial shift, when everyone knows that is impossible."

I had started up a growl by now and one of the queen's guards came to put a hand on my shoulder in warning. I smacked his hand away. "Don't touch me." He glared at me in return, trying to subdue me with his look.

Jackson stepped to my side, opposite the guard. "Everything in that report is true." His insistence in its veracity was surprising, considering he'd arrived after the assessment had taken place.

"It's all rubbish," the Royal replied, "Boastful lies to cover up the truth; that she is a mentally-ill lunatic with a head full of delusions."

As her eyes leveled with mine, a snarl tugged at my lips and the guard's hand returned. "I said don't touch me," I turned my face towards him and hissed my shifted fangs at him, smelling his fear before reaching up to grab his wrist and squeezed until I heard bones snap. Continuing, I pulled the arm and sidestepped around the guard to bend it behind him awkwardly. I could feel my panther ears, angled backwards in anger. Dropping the scared, submitting guard, I took a threatening step towards the queen, showing her my clawed, furred hand. She only shrank back in fear slightly, eyes widening almost imperceptibly. Glancing to the side, I saw Amber, Wes, Marcus and Jackson. None of them shrank back as did the queen before me. They trusted me. I felt a surge of pride in myself and used it to find the self control to calm back down and return to a solidly human state.

I took one last deep breath before locking eyes again with the queen.

"You could never imagine what I've been through."

Walking over to the sliding glass door, I caught a look at my reflection. My eyes were still glowing yellow and my hair was rather disheveled. I still looked wild. "I need some air," I announced as I reached for the door handle.

Marcus shouted. "Sonia, wait!-" was all I heard before I slid open the door and was nearly bowled over by the scent that assaulted my nostrils.

There was a dusting of snow on the ground, with more quickly joining it, which should have eliminated most, if not all, of the smell of the area. But this one stood out to me like a beacon. Practically glowing electric blue, I instantly threw all caution to the wind and single mindedly pursued it. The rest of the world faded until the only thing that existed to me was the scent. The one I never thought I'd smell again.

Kraglin.

Man I wish I could add some orchestral accompaniment right here. Like, some soft violin that gets more intense and then a crash of cymbals and the pounding of drums to really get the blood pumping and the adrenaline moving.

So... add that in mentally.

~F2TM