Ohhh, I was starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach. I was so sure that they weren't a threat, but is it possible I was only feeling their human side and not their supernatural side? It wasn't like they were actively trying to kill us; they came here for refuge. But this changes…everything. How do I tell people to welcome our guests and warn them of those guests being a potential danger at the same time?

If they were these super powerful werewolves, why were they here? I saw how effortlessly it killed that vampire; they could handle anything thrown at them. Something just wasn't adding up. I didn't want to just go tattle to my parents and have them handle it. No…a real Alpha figures these things out by herself, so I left the house to get some answers.

I can't even lie; I was practicing my confrontation the whole way there. Whoever I saw first was going to get an earful! The residual frustration from my argument with Reese was still hanging on me and I felt like this was fuel in the fire. Why couldn't I get a straight answer from anyone? Why did I feel like I've spent most of my time defending myself against something and someone I don't even know? Someone who won't even tell me who they are?

I always try to think about what my mom would do whenever I do anything. The pack loves to talk about how Mama was a ball buster; she never took shit from anyone. She still doesn't, but I think being head of the pack made her change her approach over the years. She wasn't a shoot now, ask questions later kind of person anymore except when it came to her kids.

Mom, when she was my age, would go at these people guns blazing. Mom, now, would analyze and act accordingly. There had to be some middle, right?

But, when I made it to the end of the road, all of my internal rant had flown out of my brain. Soft guitar music was playing somewhere outside the house. Travis was sitting at a little wooden table in a backwards baseball cap and a beat-up white tank top, huddled over something. He wiped his forehead with the back of his arm as he worked. "We'll get you some water so you're all better," he murmured.

Then his back tensed as if he felt himself being watched. He turned his head just a little in my direction. "Hey," I announced myself.

He stood up and faced me, smiling. "Howdy," he said.

I stifled a laugh, "Do country people actually say howdy?" I asked.

He chuckled as he shook his head, "Not as much as we'd like to. No need to feed stereotypes." Travis was just a little dirty, but he held the same confidence as he always did. He brushed his hands on the back of his jeans before waving me over. "Come look."

Sitting in a thick, black worker glove was a baby bird. It was chirping its little head off and looking around.

"I found her this morning. She fell out of her nest," he told me.

So carefully, Travis scooped up the baby bird in the glove and examined it closely. I stood just over his shoulder. "Is she hurt?"

"I don't think so," he answered. "I was checking for injuries when you walked up."

Any time I was around Travis, I could feel that he was the gentlest out of all of them. He was more optimistic. You could tell that if it was just Reese and Matthew, they would have destroyed each other a long time ago; Travis was their peace maker. I found myself studying him as he studied the baby bird. He wasn't dangerous. I just couldn't bring myself to believe that he was dangerous. But that was going against everything that I had experienced on that cliff and this brand-new information that Will found.

"Do you want to come in? I was about to make a little nest inside and get this little cutie some water." Travis said, moving toward the door. Reese's smug face from that video flashed through my mind and I immediately felt uneasy. He turned around when he realized I wasn't following him; he held the door open with one foot inside. "She's not here."

I bit my lip before nodding, cautiously walking inside the house. It was still pretty empty; there was a small futon pushed up against the wall and a lamp without a shade sitting on a tiny end table. Takeout containers covered a good portion of the kitchen counter. Chinese food and pizza. "Where is everyone?" I asked, looking around.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Matt was gone when I woke up this morning and Reese said she was going on a cigarette run, but who knows?"

He disappeared to the back of the house for just a minute before coming back with an armful of stuff. I found a cup and started to fill it with water. I had never taken care of an animal in my entire life; all of the animals I knew were people. But Travis seemed to know what he was doing. I could feel myself itching to ask, wanting some kind of confirmation to something that I already knew. I whirled around from the kitchen sink with a big huff. Travis looked up at me with concern, questions all across his face. "You gotta give me some answers."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I pursed my lips as I tapped my fingers on the sides of the cup. "You're one of the Children of the Moon, aren't you?"

His eyes widened and his face pale. "How—?"

"Call me nosy or…incredibly impatient maybe, but I kind of make it my job to know more things than I should. I know Reese is…are you? Is that the big secret? The three of you are Children of the Moon?"

He broke eye contract with me and stared at the ground. "How much will that change things for us here?"

"It won't change anything if you're honest with me."

I could tell that he was grappling with how to process and proceed. He swallowed hard, dropping down to the futon. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. I wasn't going to force him to tell me; that's not how you make an ally. "Do you promise?" he asked.

I nodded my head, "I promise."

Life is incredibly nuanced. That's something that I learned that day. Nothing is black and white and there's never a simple explanation for things. Listening to Travis talk about how everything he's been through in his life led up to this. He wanted, more than anything, to live with us quietly and peaceably. He told me that he begged Reese and Matthew to keep a low profile and try to control themselves as much as possible. "It's easier for me. I don't know how. I've always been able to control it better," he told me as he arranged his makeshift birds' nest outside.

I had so many questions and I didn't even know where to start. "So…you guys don't shapeshift every night," I recapped.

"No, that's a myth."

"What about during the full moon?" I asked.

He hesitated before nodding, "Yes, the full moon is the only time during the month where we can't control it. But you don't have anything to worry about. We have our own precautions to make sure no one gets hurt."

"But I heard that when you guys are wolves, you lose your consciousness. What do you guys do to keep people safe?"

"Believe me, Hadley. Children of the Moon have been around for hundreds of years; we know how to keep a secret and make ourselves secure. We only know survival," he said as he carefully picked up the baby bird and placed it in the nest. He stood up and placed the nest on a lower branch of the tree in the yard before coming back to sit next to me. He looked me in the eye and sighed, "Can you please just keep this a secret for now?"

"Why does it need to be a secret?" I asked.

"Because being what we are comes with too many questions and a lot of fear and uncertainty. All I want is to make friends, be normal, maybe go back to school. As long as we keep a low profile, then it shouldn't be an issue."

I cringed a little. "Well…see, that's the thing. I wouldn't be asking you about all of this if something hadn't happened."

He cursed under his breath, "Something happened?"

"Wyatt and I saw one of you on the cliffs the other night. There was a vampire trying to get to us from the water; it killed the vampire and then it started chasing us. And then it went away." I only waited a beat for him to respond before I said, "Look, I just need to make sure that my best friend is going to be safe around your sister. It's still my job to keep mortals safe around here."

"Reese is a lot of things, but she's not malicious. She wouldn't hang around someone if she thought she could potentially hurt them."

"Then that leaves you and Matthew. Which one of you was it?" I asked sternly.

Travis palmed his forehead as he let out a sigh. I could hear footsteps approaching behind us. Matthew walked up to the house, holding a few shopping bags with a serious look on his face. He ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair as he looked up. Matthew stopped dead in his tracks as he took in me and Travis sitting outside. Then he put on a smile. "Miss Hadley, what a surprise," he said.

I waved and gave him a small smile, "Hi Matthew."

"What brings you to our little house?" he asked.

Travis nudged me a little bit, silently telling me not to bring up the secret. I glanced at Travis before looking back at Matthew, "I just wanted to check on you guys. I'm making the rounds this morning."

"I, uh, I'll come pick up those books later, if that's cool, Hadley," Travis deflected, gently grabbing me by the elbow so we could both stand up. "Thanks for stopping by."

Travis hurried me off, walking me to the main road and then turning around to head back into the house. I was a little startled at how abruptly our conversation was halted. I still had so many questions and I felt like I wouldn't get another opportunity to ask them. Travis was so set on keeping this a secret; it was almost impossible to keep things a secret around here, but I would definitely try for him. As the door to the house started to close, I heard Matthew say, "Don't start spending too much time with that girl, Trav. You know better."

"It's not me you have to worry about," Travis said before I heard his footsteps retreat further into the house.

XXXXXXXXX

With every passing day, I could feel him approaching well before he could get to me. Wyatt's energy was burning hot and I didn't know why. Well…I did know why, but it was different. Nate's transition into impending wolfhood was more of a slow burn; Wyatt was steam rolling right into it.

I was meditating with one of Kaya's journals in front of me when he came in. The thing about working through your inner self is that you can almost always feel your outer self. You're still susceptible to energy; in my case, I always felt like Wyatt's energy was a little stronger around me. So when he walked into the house, up the stairs, and into my bedroom, it was almost like my body was tracking him while my spirit was somewhere else.

"Ace," he whispered. He tugged at a strand of my hair. "Hey…Hadley…"

Sometimes, it was hard to get the body and spirit to come back together. I wasn't dead or anything, but if I came back the wrong way, it hurt so bad. It's like coming down from a bad hangover; it's a monster headache.

I had been trying to make out this image for the past I don't even know how long. It was blurred way past comprehension, just green and brown blurs. Not only were they blurry but they were moving in super slow motion.

"Lee," Wyatt called again.

Shh…I said in my head. I knew he couldn't hear me, but I could already feel my spirit being pulled back to my body. The image blurred more as I was drifting further away from my spiritual place. Then something weird happened. I felt Wyatt place a gentle hand on my knee and things started getting clearer. Not by much, but enough for me to notice.

"Hadley," Wyatt said a little louder. His body heat was so close to my face, effectively pulling me out of my meditation. I gasped as I came back to myself only to see Wyatt pressing his nose against mine. My heart skipped as our eyes connected. He smiled big, his dimples poking. "Hey, there you are."

"I could have been doing something important," I fake scolded as I pushed him away.

"Were you?" He grabbed one of my pillows behind me and put it behind his head.

I sighed, thinking about what I was trying to see. Kaya had a couple more entries on the Children of the Moon. I don't know what I was thinking; like maybe I could absorb the information from her journal and it would lead me to some answer about what to do with this new information. "Jury's still out," I mumbled back to Wyatt. "What's up?"

He held out his phone. His screensaver was a photo of Nate, Cassie, me, and him in the ocean, me and Cass on the boys' backs. I love that picture. We didn't have a care in the world. Well…more like, we tried not to. "It's 6:00," he said casually.

I jumped up out of bed, "Oh shit!"

I was late for training. Every Monday at 6:00, I would join the pack to train. It started out like a fun thing to do, and then it turned into a whole neighborhood affair. People started coming just to watch us train like it was a high school football game or something.

As I was running around my room, trying to get ready, Wyatt was hanging out in my room, unbothered. I tossed my hair in a messy bun before turning to him, "Have you talked to Cass today?" I asked.

He shook his head. "You know the drill: if she's mad at you, she's definitely not talking to me either."

Cassie had stopped answering my texts. That hurt. When we argue, she cuts everyone off; she thinks everyone wants to talk sense into her. She'd rather pout.

"Well, that's just not going to work," I muttered, thinking about Reese and Travis. I watched for a second as he texted on his phone, lying on my bed. Jumping onto the bed, I straddled his waist and hovered over his face, swiping his phone from his hand. He looked shocked before his face settled into a smirk.

"Whatcha doing, Ace?" His hands landed on my hips as I just studied his face. "We're gonna be late."

I can't even lie; I was excited for Wyatt to phase. Nate too, but for a different reason. I was just so ready to have my friends understand that part of my life on another level. And maybe—just maybe—we could be together. "We're already late. I think I have like 15 seconds to spare," I said. I bit my lip before leaning down and kissing him. I could feel his smile as he kissed me back.

When I broke away from him, I could tell he was blushing and trying to hide it. "What was that for?" he asked.

I hadn't told him that I was a second away from saying yes, we can be together. He made everything feel so easy; of course, I wanted to be with him. I'd been thinking about what he said. When he phased, we'd be closer to the same playing field, but I would never force him to think about Bonding with me. I didn't want to take away his choice. Bonding was my fate, it didn't have to be his. "I'm just happy to see you," I told him, "and now I'm way past my 15 seconds. Mom's going to kill me."

Mom, Dad and the rest of the pack were huddled in a small circle when we got there. I handed Wyatt my bag before walking to the huddle. "We need to get you a watch, kiddo," Paul teased, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

I ducked my head and shrugged.

"Perfect timing, actually," Mom said, making eye contact with me. "How would you feel about us going out of town for a couple of weeks?"

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What's going on?"

"These goddamn vampire flare ups are a pain in the ass," Embry commented. Quil punched him in the arm for cursing in front of me. "What? She's old enough now. She knows."

I glanced at my dad, waiting for him to fill in the blanks. He sighed, "We have to go to Canada, sweetie," he told me. "There's a pack dealing with a pretty bad influx of vampires in the area. They asked us to help out."

It was pretty common for our pack to help out other shifters when there's a vampire problem. But it was never anything to be concerned about. It worried me that they said they'd be gone for a couple of weeks; usually, they were gone for a few days max. It could be alright though! That would give me some time to make sure that this whole Children of the Moon thing was under control. Like a real Alpha.

"Sam will be here, in case anything happens," Mom reminded me. "Do you think you can handle taking care of Will and Melody while we're gone?"

"Of course," I nodded. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning," Dad answered with soft eyes. "It'll be quick."

"Please, they won't even notice we're gone," Paul piped up jokingly. He clapped his hands once, loudly before breaking away from the huddle. "Alright, enough playing around. We got work to do."

So we always do two types of training: two leg and four leg. Mom and Dad always preach about the importance of being able to defend yourself in both forms. I kicked ass in both; I reserve those bragging rights. After kicking my uncle Embry's ass twice in one afternoon, you would think he would quit. But, no, he was ready for a round three.

"You sure you want to keep getting beat by a kid?" Quil joked from the side.

Embry crouched into a defensive stance and nodded at me, signaling his ready. I smirked as I threw myself into a reverse roundhouse kick aimed for his head. He blocked it effortlessly before swinging his arm toward me. I ducked before sweeping my leg under to knock him down. Embry jumped over my leg and backed up again to defend himself. It was the same ol' song and dance. Block. Duck. Parry. Block. Parry. Duck. Kick. Uncle Paul was a great teacher; he told me to always watch someone's eyes. They'll always tell you their next move by their eyes. And Uncle Embry? You could read him like a two-page book. He was so easy.

I loved the challenge. The older I got, the more they pushed me. "Yeah! Go Ace!" I heard Wyatt call from the side. If I just worked a little bit harder, moved a touch faster, I would overpower him in a second. But—don't tell anyone, ok?—sometimes I like to let him think he's winning. I grabbed him by the wrist to flip him over when I heard Cassie's twinkly laugh.

She, very casually, strolled by the practice grounds with Reese. Cass looked at me, pouted, then turned her nose up, defiantly. She sat so far away from everyone in an obvious attempt to stand her ground. It hurt my feelings that she was working this hard to not talk to me; it felt like she was only here to make sure that I knew that she wasn't talking to me. Over what? This girl she barely knows?

I got caught up in watching Cass that I didn't feel when Embry wrapped his hand around my wrist and flipped me right on my back. There was a resounding 'ooooh' from the crowd as I braced for the fall. My eyes squeezed shut as I made contact with the ground. "Ugh!" I groaned, squeezing my eyes shut to work through the ringing in my head.

"Ha!" Embry exclaimed, triumphantly. "I win! Fuck yeah!"

Mom rolled her eyes and snorted as she walked over to help me up. "Congrats, Em. You beat a 16-year-old girl," she said sarcastically. Mama held her hand out to me and pulled me to my feet.

"You must be so proud," Uncle Paul snickered. "I'd call it a draw. Little Lee is clearly distracted."

"What? No, I'm not," I said defensively. "I could go another round."

Uncle Embry shook his head, "Nah, I'm pretty tired from all of the winning," he bragged, flexing his muscles.

Dad chuckled, "Let's just call it a day."

Daddy called all of the kids onto the grounds to talk about the pack leaving again. Wyatt took his place next to me, sitting on the ground. Cass left Reese's side to join the circle, staying clear away from me.

Uncle Paul nudged me, "Ouch, was that a cold shoulder?" he asked, quietly. "Trouble in munchkin land?"

"It's just a small misunderstanding, that's all," I said unconvincingly.

"You and Cassie have been attached at the hip since you were in diapers. I've never seen you two fight."

"Stranger things have happened," I muttered, pouting a little as I checked behind me. Reese had that same smug look on her face like in the surveillance video. Every time I thought about it, I had more questions. Where was she coming from? What was she doing? Did she know what she was doing?

Would she do it again?

Paul playfully messed my hair as Dad continued his whole spiel about staying safe and what to do in case anything happens. "I'm sure you girls will work it out," Paul whispered. "Family over everything, right?"

I nodded silently as I turned back around to focus on Dad. For a long time, Dad was opposed to leaving the Rez to help other packs; he was too worried about vampires coming on our land and hurting one of us. Sometimes he would stay with us, sometimes Mom would. Sometimes they would just send the pack to handle it, sometimes they would ask Uncle Seth to stay with us. But now that I'm older and can more or less handle a rogue vampire situation by myself, they're more comfortable going to help and make allies with other packs. Because a pack is stronger with its Alpha present. Or something like that.

I waited until Dad was just about done before I slipped away from the group. I pocketed my phone and walked up to Reese who was still hanging out, waiting for Cassie. She was sitting on a tree stump with a book in her hand. And Then There Were None. Agatha Christie. She pretended that she couldn't hear or feel me coming until I was right in front of her. "We need to talk," I said, keeping my voice low.

She didn't lower her book from her face. "Do we?" she said sarcastically.

"Can you cut the 'too tough to care' bullshit, please?" I asked bluntly, feeling my irritation already rising. "I'm not going to fight you, I'm not here to argue. I just need to know some things."

Reese sighed dramatically before setting her book in her lap. "Fine, what is it?"

"Is Cassie safe with you?" I blurted.

Reese blinked in shock before her face rested in her usual scowl. "Excuse me?"

"You heard what I said. She may be mad at me over something stupid that wasn't even my fault, but that's still my family and I need to know. She's not a shifter like us. She doesn't know how dangerous it can be."

"I don't think I know what you're insinuating exactly, princess." Reese sat up a little straighter, her face stone. Her vibrations were harsh.

"Alright, let me put it another way," I sniped, pulling out my phone. "When the full moon comes around, how far away will you be from all of the humans that live on this reservation?"

"Watch yourself," she said, firmly.

I all but slammed my phone down on top of her book. She looked down right as she turned from wolf to human. I heard her swallow hard as her face paled a little. There was no denying it was her; the video was crystal clear. I pushed my hair away from my face and sighed, "Look, I'm not going to out you," I said in the quietest voice I could manage. "Let's just air some things out."

"Leave her alone, Hadley," Cass' voice cut through before Reese could answer. Reese turned my phone over quickly before looking up at me. Her expression was unreadable. Cassie stood with her arms crossed, half glaring at me, half silently begging me not to start another fight. Reese and I stared each other down for what felt like forever before Cassie said, "Please just go. We don't need any more drama around here."

It was strange to see Reese rattled. I just wish we were able to have a civil conversation; every time we were around each other, it was just so easy for her to get under my skin. But Cass was right; we didn't need any more drama. I nodded, standing down. Reese handed me my phone without another word. As I walked away, I looked over my shoulder; Reese's face was still pale, looking after me with wide eyes.

XXXXXXXXX

Melody couldn't stop crying when Mom and Dad left. She wrapped her tiny arms around my neck, tears streaming down her face. Mama reached over and brushed Melody's hair away from her face; she gave her a million kisses on her forehead. Her face was so conflicted. Leaving was never easy. Will stood on the other side of me, quietly. "Take care of each other," Mom said, cupping my face. She reached over and ruffled Will's hair.

"Will you call us when you get there?" Will asked.

"We'll try," Mom promised.

Dad came out of the front door with a big huff. "Alright, Lee, we gotta get going," he said to my mom. He went down the line and kissed all three of us on the head. Dad stopped back in front of me and gave me his serious face. "If anything happens…" he started.

"Project out, I know," I finished, nodding.

He shifted his weight, "Hadley, we're trusting you to keep a tight ship around here. If the boys start to phase while we're gone—"

"Jacob, I think she can handle it," Mom cut in, leaning over his shoulder. She gave him a loving look before saying, "We raised some smart kids. They'll be fine for a couple of weeks."

Melody was reduced to sniffles as she watched Mom and Dad start to back away from us. "Love you," I called out.

"We love you," they called back before they turned to jog to the woods.

I never let myself think that this time could be the last time I see them alive. I believe too much in their power and strength. However, there was always a twinge of sadness seeing them leave. As I ran my hand through Melody's hair though, I tried my best to make sure she didn't see me sad. Will followed closely behind, beelining for the kitchen so he could make breakfast for her. We knew what to do. I sat on the couch to turned on Moana while Will cut her pancakes into little pieces. I couldn't even count on my fingers and toes how many times we've watched this movie with her.

Melody was just fine an hour later, swinging her legs as I braided her hair. "I am Moanaaaaaaa," blared from the tv.

"They'll be ok, right?" Will asked casually, talking about Mom and Dad. He knew not to be visibly concerned about Mom and Dad for Melody's sake.

"Of course, they will," I reassured him. "They have to be."

It was a chill day. It felt good to not have to worry about everyone for like a moment. Sometimes, I get so busy running around, I forget how good it feels to just hang out with my brother and sister. The reservation was always so much quieter when the pack leaves. One day, they'd let me go with them on these missions, but, for now, I knew they needed me to be here to hold down the fort.

There was a honk outside in the driveway. The three of us turned to the door in confusion. "Who's here?" Will asked.

I shrugged, moving Melody to the couch before walking over to the door. In the driveway, Reese flicked her cigarette butt into the grass and blew out the rest of the smoke. She was leaning against the black pickup her, Travis, and Matthew came in. She nodded her head toward the truck. "Come on. Let's talk," was all she said before she climbed into the drivers' seat.

We were driving for a while; it made me nervous. What are your access points? I asked myself. My eyes drifted to the driver's side. The window lock was on. Reese's hand was resting on the emergency brake, her other one the steering wheel. I caught myself counting the miles as we drove. 19 miles so far.

Johnny Cash was playing low on the radio. 20 miles.

Reese's vibration was a lot less harsh than it was the day before. She sighed as she pulled into a gravel parking lot that led to a tiny diner. 21 miles from home. I could run that if I needed to. It was empty in the diner, save for the chef in the back and the waitress who looked about my mom's age. She waved for us to sit wherever we wanted, holding a phone to her ear. Reese wasted no time, walking straight to the booth in the back. We sat silently; I awkwardly massaged with back of my neck to try to relieve the tension I was feeling. Reese hummed to herself as she fiddled with a sugar packet.

Wendy, the waitress came over quickly to take our order. "How are you girls doing today? Are we ready to order?"

"We're doing just fine, darlin'," Reese's country accent came out stronger than ever. She threw a sickly-sweet smile at the waitress, making Wendy blush a little. "I would love a waffle and some scrambled eggs please."

"Absolutely! And what about you?" Wendy said, turning to me. She was trying hard not to look affected by Reese's charm.

"Just coffee for me, thank you," I said, pushing the menu away from me.

"Alright, I'll have that out in just a second, girls," Wendy finished writing in her little notepad and whirled on her heel back to the counter.

"Thanks so much, sweet pea," Reese called out to her. Wendy looked back with a red face before shaking her head and walking to the kitchen. Reese proceeded to check her out in front of me as she muttered a quiet 'nice.' I cleared my throat to remind her that I was here. Hello, she was supposed to be dating my best friend. Reese turned back around with a small smirk on her face. "So…where did you get that video?"

"I have my sources," I replied coyly.

"Who's seen it?"

"Just you and me." And my brother.

She blinked in surprise. "You're not going to show people?"

"Do I have a reason to?" I kept my face from moving to let her know I wasn't playing a game here. "I already said I wouldn't out you; I meant that."

She blew out a breath and nodded her head as she contemplated her next move. It was the most I'd seen her not one step ahead. "K, so what do you know?"

I waited as Wendy came back with my coffee and a water for Reese. When she walked away again, I leaned forward onto the table. "I talked to Travis the other day," I told her. "He confirmed that the three of you are Children of the Moon."

"Cool," she shrugged. "So now what?"

"Look, I spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about my friends and family. Before it was just because of vampires, but from everything I've seen and read, I need to know if I need to add you to my list of stressors," I explained bluntly. "I'm already stressed out. I would love to not worry about this."

Reese laughed mirthlessly. "I still struggling to believe that your life is that hard."

I pursed my lips and forced myself to take a deep breath. "You don't know anything about me," I responded.

"I know enough."

"Yeah? Like what?" I asked. "I've had a bounty on my head since the day I was born. Vampires come here just to see if they can kill me."

"And when they don't, you get to go home to a hot meal, a bed, and a hug from your mom," Reese retorted. The waitress dropped off Reese's food, prompting her to dive right in. "See, that's why I like to get under your skin, princess. You can't claim one extreme and not the other whenever you feel like it. We all know the legend of the Quileute Alpha kid, alright? Everyone knows who you are in the supernatural community; you were supposed to be this catalyst for the revolution against the blood suckers. Imagine my surprise when we get here and you're too busy hosting tea parties and selling this load of crap that everything is perfect in your little bubble."

I didn't even know what to say to that. The rumors got around to us; there's no way they couldn't. I don't know how it started that I was going to lead the charge against the vampires. I remember thinking that was kind of ridiculous, but also…maybe that would happen one day. I wasn't sure. Although, at that moment, I remembered that blurry image I was seeing during my meditation. "I never claimed we were perfect; I just said we were happy," I corrected her. "That doesn't mean my life is easy."

"You're absolutely right," Reese agreed, pulling out a pack of cigarettes out of her pocket. She cracked the window open next to us and lit up. "No one asks to be part of this life, you know? In some form or another, we all get forced into this. It's bullshit."

"What do you mean?" I asked, tracing the rim of my coffee cup with my finger.

"Well, I don't know about you, but if I had been given the chance, I wouldn't be what I am," she ran a hand through her hair as she spoke. She snorted, "As if being an orphan wasn't enough, Matthew had to turn us into the most hunted type of shifter in the world. It's like a sick joke."

I waited for her to keep talking. She was staring out the window with a blank expression, blowing out smoke. She stamped her cigarette out on her plate and pocketed the butt.

"My mom died before I could even form my own memory of what she looked like. Everything got lost in the fire. Everything. Matthew, Trav, and the system's all I know. Don't get me wrong, I love my brother, but…" she paused, "I always think about what life would be like if it didn't literally go up in flames."

"I'm sorry that happened to you," I said, sympathetically. I couldn't imagine living without my parents.

"It is what it is," she shrugged. "Growing up in Atlanta wasn't so bad. It was actually fun before everything got fucked up. They'd cart us from foster home to foster home; new school, new trouble. Our foster parents didn't give a shit about us. They just wanted to collect a check so we could do whatever we wanted. Travis was the angel of the two of us, of course. I got caught up in trying to have a good time and figure out what the hell I wanted out of life.

"Things just get complicated. Sneaking out and cutting class and going to parties is all good until you get busted. One day you're smoking weed on the football field and the next you're watching some Brad, Chad, or Thad do coke off of the middle console in his mom's Kia after he got his learners permit. The shitty part is when you realize that those kids' parents have enough money to make juvenile charges go away and you have to fend for yourself. I never asked for Matthew's help; he was just always there, lurking and asking questions."

"Why?"

Reese thought about it for a second. "I think he was always looking for a reason to change the two of us," she answered honestly. "Children of the Moon don't stay in packs; they're usually lone wolves—" she paused to chuckle at her pun, "—I think he got lonely and wanted to take care of us or for us to take care of him or whatever. He didn't want to keep existing alone. But his MO is borderline predatory; it's gross."

"Are you saying he changed you guys against your will?" I sat up a little.

"Me? No. Travis? Yes," she slid until her back was against the wall and she threw her feet up. "After my second strike, I wasn't doing great. I was high on pills, crashed a guy's car, and wound up in the hospital. I was handcuffed to the bed and the whole nine. Good ol' Matthew came to see me and was just selling me on this lie." Reese started to imitate Matthew's voice, "'I can make you strong, Reesie. I know you; you're better than this. Let me help you and you'll never have to suffer withdrawal ever again.'

"Duh, I was curious and I asked him what he meant. He told me that he could change me and I would be damn near invincible. I would be strong and fast and I could play by my own rules, if I just let him help me. I was 13…I didn't know any better."

"That's horrible…"

Reese studied my face for a bit. "I'm not trying to squash your trauma. I'm not blind; I see how much you're trying to make this work. And, believe me, I understand what it's like to have to survive day to day. Travis loves it here and I will do anything to make sure that he's happy. So, ask yourself, if we were truly dangerous, why would we have come here?"

I wasn't sure what it was, but I wasn't completely convinced by her words. I don't know if it was just weeks of her baiting me and talking down to me. Rolling her eyes at literally every single thing I say. Calling me princess…that bugged the shit out of me. I needed more. I needed to see that we were safe. Especially Cassie.

"It's alright. You don't have to believe me right now," Reese said as if she was reading my mind. "It's actually good instinct to be a little skeptical. So how 'bout we have a little understanding? Just between the two of us."

"What kind of…understanding?" I spoke slowly.

"We can both keep an open mind, right?" she prompted. "I don't mind telling you what you want to know. I'll spill all the beans, if you want. But you gotta be real. Stop trying to sell that you're this perfect Alpha's daughter. It's boring. Be real. Be yourself."

I didn't realize it at the time, but that was a bigger ask than I thought. It took me a while to understand that my role on the Rez and who I am as a person weren't necessarily tied together. I wanted what I wanted, but I also wanted to be what people needed. I found where people desired support and did whatever I could to be that for them. Even if it was at the sacrifice of myself.

But that's all in hindsight. Right then, I felt like she wasn't asking for much of anything. So, I just said, "Deal."

XXXXXXXXX

It happened in the middle of the night. I sat up in bed feeling this rush of anxious, scared, new wolf energy. But not just one wolf. Two. Nate and Wyatt. They phased.

My stomach flipped as their energy escalated by the second. I jumped out of my bed when I heard the double howl and then yelling. Right there in the middle of the road was a new wolf and Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily frantically trying to calm him down. "It's alright. Don't panic!" Sam yelled. Screaming at someone not to panic is probably the worst thing to do, don't you think?

Nate was almost purely black with a white spot around his right eye. He was crouched in defense, snapping his jowls at his parents. Emily cowered behind Sam with wide eyes. "Hadley, go back in the house, honey," she tried to tell me.

NO! Lee, don't go! Nate projected out.

Holy shit…holy shit! I could hear Wyatt whining as he tried to figure out what was happening, but he was nowhere near where I found Nate and his parents. Sam held his arms out to Nate, trying to get control of the situation. I watched for a second, frozen before running over to them. This is crazy. What the fuck, man?! Wyatt yelled. He was running, I knew that for sure.

What happened? I asked Nate, keeping my hands up so he would keep his cool.

"I've got it handled; go back to bed," Sam tried. Nate growled and snapped at him again, making Sam jump back.

I rushed to Nate's side, stroking behind his ears, hoping to calm him down. He held a low growl at the back of his throat and his teeth were bared. I knew he would keep his cool if I was close. He wouldn't hurt me. "Did they phase at the same time?" I asked Sam.

Yes, Nate answered.

"No," Sam said, contradicting his son. "Nate phased first. Only by a couple of seconds."

He's full of shit, Nate growled.

I nodded at Nate, letting him know that I understood. There wasn't any real reason for him to lie to me about something like this. It made me think of all of the times Mom let those memories slip of Sam only being out for himself. But what was he gaining from lying about this? "Nathaniel, calm down," Sam warned, sternly. Every single time Sam stepped toward him, Nate was gearing up to fight.

"Where's Wyatt?" I asked, looking around.

"He ran off into the woods before we could stop him," Emily said, tears welling up in her eyes. Get a grip. We all knew this would happen.

"If we can just get Nathaniel to relax, we can go find Wyatt," Sam suggested. There was something in me that couldn't trust what he was saying. Why would he have let Wyatt run off?

Well…I'll just have to find Wyatt myself. Are you alright here by yourself? I asked Nate.

He nodded once, blowing out a breath. Wyatt needs you, go.

I took off running into the woods, letting my instinct guide me. He was heading north. Stop running! I told him. His thoughts were all over the place; he was panicking hard. I pushed myself to run faster as he continued north before I gasped. I could feel it; he was so close to the treaty line, so close to the highway. Wyatt, listen! You gotta stop running!

He kept going, letting his fear overtake him. I didn't want to do it. I hated doing it. But he was risking exposure. Who knows who's driving on that road at night? He was getting too close. Only a few more yards and he wouldn't be on our territory anymore. Fuck. STOP! I felt the Alpha command rip through me.

When I found him, he was running around in circles, trying to understand this new body. He was a mere five feet from the treaty line, deep grooves in the dirt from him skidding to a halt. He just kept repeating What the fuck over and over again.

"It's ok…" I said quietly as I inched forward with my hands up. "Look at me. Right at me."

Wyatt spun around in circles, whining as he looked at his tail. His panicked steps shook the ground a little. As I reached out to touch him, he jumped back with wide eyes. What the hell, Lee? Oh my god! he projected.

"I know, it's weird. But you gotta relax or else it'll take longer for you to phase back," I told him, stroking behind his ear.

I feel like I just ripped out of my skin! Will it come back?!

I giggled, "Of course, it'll come back."

How do you know?!

"I've been doing this for a while, sweetie. You're just going to have to trust me. Will you trust me?"

I could hear the panic in his swirling thoughts. Not only that, but I could hear Nate's same panic on the other side of the reservation. Uncle Sam was trying to make sure he didn't act on impulse and come back to his human body. New wolves were like ticking time bombs. No one liked to talk about it, but soon after Sam phased, he accidentally scarred up the entire left side of Emily's body because he couldn't control his anger. No one ever wanted to acknowledge it or talk about it, but Sam let the memory slip one day when I was a kid.

I remember asking Mom and Dad about it and they sat me down and told me how important it was to keep control of our humanness. That second of giving into the animal could be someone's life on the line.

With that being said, it's also important to be on defense in front of a new wolf. Wyatt would never hurt me, but I couldn't help but notice his claws digging deeper into the earth, his wild eyes, and every single hair on his body standing at full attention. His hunched back and loud breathing told me that one wrong move would have me face down in the dirt. I continued to scratch behind his ear, sending him waves of calming energy.

I have a tail… Wyatt whimpered.

I tried not to laugh at his expense. Standing directly in front of him, I pressed my forehead to his, willing him to calm down. "You can't just run off like that," I lightly scolded him.

I have a fucking tail, Hadley! he yelled, baring his teeth a little. He huffed before backing away from me. Sam is talking nonsense one second and then all of a sudden, I'm a goddamn dog! I think that's grounds for freaking out!

"Well, if you don't calm down, you'll stay like that forever."

Forever?!

"Ok, that was a poor choice of words…" I cringed. Wyatt whined as he started to pace. I grabbed his face and made him look me in the eye. "I'm right here. Let me help you."

He let out a high pitched whine before lowering himself onto his belly. I sat down on the ground next to him, letting him lay his head into my lap. "Take a deep breath in…and out…" I started, trying to sound as zen as possible.

His eyes fluttered closed as he focused on his breathing. "Relax your body from the top of your head…down your neck…through your body…into your legs…and to the tip of your toes…"

I worked through it with him. This was my first time helping someone phase back, but it didn't feel that hard. I had always told Wyatt I would be there for him through his first phase; now that we were here, I knew it wouldn't help if we were both freaking out. Breathe through it. Visualize it. Channel your energy into it.

Here's the thing though: sometimes, things don't go as planned. And that's ok. Well…it's ok when you can come to terms with it on your own time. But, for a new wolf, it can be a little too much change for one night.

I opened my eyes and the woods around me seemed lighter…brighter. Almost dream like. I looked around, feeling this strange sense of serenity. I'm not sure what it was about your spirit being disconnected from your physical body, but it was always the most peaceful I'd ever felt. Is this how people felt when they died?

Right next to me, Wyatt sat straight up, looking confused as ever. His head whipped to make sure I was there before checking his body to make sure it was unharmed. "Are we…" he started, swallowing hard, "are we dead?"

"I don't think so…" I said slowly.

We both heard a light giggle from above, causing us to jump to our feet. Wyatt and I stood back to back almost instinctively to protect ourselves and each other. Wyatt reached down and linked our hands. "What was that?" he asked.

It sounded familiar. But I couldn't figure out where I had heard that voice before. "I'm not sure," I said honestly.

"Are you sure we're not dead?"

"You're not dead," the voice laughed. "Oh my gosh, you guys. So dramatic."

Then there was this big flash of light in the horizon. I held up a hand to shield my eyes from it. It was brilliant. In the distance, two figures started to approach us. I wanted to freak out, but I couldn't. We could only watch.

When they came into view, it all clicked for me. Kaya looked as beautiful as ever, a pure aura of yellow sunshine. And then Ephraim was standing next to her, so strong and fierce. He looked just like my dad. They both smiled as they approached. Kaya and Ephraim stopped right in front of us and there was this moment where the four of us just stared at each other.

Wyatt was the first to speak, "How is this happening?"

"We brought you here, Wyatt," Ephraim's voice was so deep, it almost vibrated in my eardrums.

"We've been waiting for this day for a while," Kaya added. She reached out and pulled both of us into a warm hug. "We have lots to discuss," she said, smiling wide.

XXXXXXXXX

Hi guys, I hope you're being safe out there :)