Wyatt and I were running through the woods, giggling our little heads off. It was just after dawn, and you could see the gorgeous blues and purples and oranges of the sky as the sun was reaching the horizon. We were due to meet Grandpa Billy, Uncle Embry, and Dad for fishing; they wanted to get a head start on the morning. But, while they were getting everything loaded up, Wyatt and I wandered into the woods to keep ourselves entertained. "Race you to the top," Wyatt had grinned at me.

"You sure you want to start that challenge?" I'd asked, already feeling amped up to run. We loved to run to the top of the highest cliff and then race as fast as we could down to the bottom, letting gravity pull us.

He bounced on the balls of his feet. "Let's do it!" he called before giving himself a head start. I snickered under my breath, giving him a good amount of a head start. I leapt into a slow jog and caught up with him quick easily. He was pushing breath out of his mouth harsh as he pushed himself to run faster.

Soon, we were just sprinting and laughing. Racing to the top of the world. At least, at 10 years old, it felt like the highest cliff was the top of the world. The wind was cool as it blew through us. I let him lead by just a few feet; I knew I could smoke him, I just wanted to give him a fair shot.

"Come on, don't let me win!" Wyatt panted. I waited until he was few yards in front of me before I started to push myself up the hill a little faster.

The trees were zooming by as we kept going. We reached the top on record time; Wyatt collapsed dramatically on the ground, breathing heavily. I sat next to him as I felt the adrenaline pumping through me as it always did after a run. "What a rush," I grinned. I looked back at him as he laid sprawled out in the dirt. "You alright?"

"Just…need…a second," he said as he caught his breath. He sat up and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Man, I can't wait to be a wolf so we can race for real."

I scrunched my nose in apprehension. Wiping the dust from my hands, I sighed as I looked out to the water. "Don't rush it," I told him. "Sometimes it's really hard."

Wyatt playfully punched me in the arm. "You're like the strongest wolf in the world. That's so cool."

I picked up a rock and flipped it over in my hand as I looked at it. We would always throw them to see how far they would go until we couldn't see it anymore. I launched the rock out into the world; it almost looked like it was going straight for the sun. And then I watched it start to aim toward the water. "Do you think you'll like being a wolf?" I asked him.

"Heck yeah. I wanna be strong like my dad and Uncle Jake," he flexed his arms as if he had muscles. Then he dropped his arm and turned to face me. "Do you think I'll be a good wolf?"

I nodded solemnly.

"What's wrong, Lee?" Wyatt asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know…I kinda don't want things to change. This summer was so much fun, and we get to go fishing and swimming and everything. And I don't know, I just don't want to get older and then we can't have fun anymore."

He snorted a laugh. "What?"

I pushed his shoulder, "Don't laugh, punk." Then I felt a small smile on my face from hearing his laughter. "You know how sometimes I can see my parents think about how things were before?" He nodded. "It seemed like everything changed when everyone started phasing. Some of them stopped being friends. There was like two packs for a bit because they kept fighting. I don't want that to happen to us."

"It won't though," he told me. "We're family."

I shifted my body until I was facing Wyatt. "Promise me we'll be best friends, no matter what."

"Is that something I even have to promise?" he rolled his eyes in amusement.

"Only if you want t—," I wanted us to pinky promise, but as I drug my hand across the rock of the cliff a little too quickly, I ended up cutting my palm. I hissed, "Ouch!"

Looking at the inside of my right hand, there was a large gash in the middle. I could still be a little clumsy sometimes. Like tripping over my own two feet. I thought being a wolf meant I would be graceful all the time. Wyatt gently took my hand in his to check the damage. It was already starting to heal as he examined it. "Whoa…" he whispered as he watched. It was a slower heal, but noticeable. Then he met my eye. "I promise we'll always be best friends. Nothing could ever make us not friends, ya punk."

When I held out my pinky with my other hand, he looked at it for a second before shaking his head. Then he looked behind him and picked something up. It happened quickly. He made a little cut in the middle of his left palm and clasped my right hand in his. My eyes widened as I exclaimed, "Wyatt!"

"What? What's the big deal?" he asked, shrugging. "It didn't even hurt."

We had seen it in a movie once. Two witches made a promise that they would never lose each other by cutting their hands and joining them together. I don't remember how that movie ended, but I remember seeing that scene and asking if people really do that. My mom and Aunt Bebe scoffed indignantly and said, "No," at the same time. "That kind of stuff only happens in books and movies," Bebe had told us.

I looked at our conjoined hands in shock. It only took a second before it felt like electricity was racing from my fingertips up into my arm and through my whole body. The world darkened around us as the wind picked up. The fallen leaves were swirling us like we were caught up in a small tornado. Then, in the distance, you could hear a distant wolf's howl. Wyatt and I looked up right as these projected images of wolves ran above our heads. Thunder rumbled as the scene of the Third Wife played out over us. We watched Ephraim and his pack gather bravely in front of the Cullen vampires…and as my parents took their place as Alphas, right as lightning struck down. The volt went straight for our joined hands, throwing us backward away from each other.

Everything went black. All I could hear from the bottom of the cliff was, "Hadley! Wyatt! Come on, guys! It's time to go!"

XXXXXXXXX

My eyes fluttered open right as Wyatt sat up in bed. I rolled over and moved myself upward until I could rest my head on his shoulder. I tugged the sheet to cover my naked body and yawned. He turned to kiss me on the forehead. "Did you…?" he trailed off. I nodded. We had just had the same dream. Or I guess the same memory.

"I don't remember that at all," I murmured as I rubbed my eyes.

"Me either," he agreed. His eyebrows were drawn together tight as he worked through what we had just seen. Wyatt was still getting used to the idea that the ancestors could really place whatever they wanted into our minds when they felt it was necessary. I reached around him and opened his left hand to see the crescent scar in his palm. Placing my own open palm next to his, you could see they were perfectly matching. Wyatt chuckled a little, "I guess Nate was right."

"Struck by lightning," I giggled. "Maybe we should listen to him more."

Wyatt kissed my palm, right where my scar was. I knew what he was thinking. And he was wrong. He was thinking that maybe that day was why we wanted to be together. Why there was always that pull we had toward each other. But that's not true. The truth was that it had always been there, even before that day on the cliff. Kim used to say that we had always been attached at the hip and that only grew truer as we got older. There were countless photos of us holding hands, sitting in laundry baskets together, sharing snacks. Even before we knew what it meant to be a pair, we were always a pair. "Lee, I—"

I shushed him quietly before turning his face to bring his lips to mine. "Don't even go there," I told him. "When we get back, we'll get answers. For now…just be with me."

"You're not mad?" he asked. "I may have accidentally Bonded us. That doesn't upset you?"

"Why would it upset me?" I asked. I moved to straddle him, dipping my head, and placing open mouth kisses on his neck.

"What if I…" his voice shook a little. It felt good. His hands moved to my hips, and they gripped them tight as I kept going. "What if I just took away your choice? What if…?"

I smirked into his neck, "You sound like me," I commented, thinking about every single conversation we've ever had about our relationship. I wanted for him to choose what he wanted. I didn't want to make it complicated with a Bond if he was meant to imprint. I always worried that there was someone somewhere that was better suited for him, and I was getting in the way of that.

But sitting in what ifs wouldn't get us anywhere. Sure, there were missing pieces that we were still unlocking; who cares? We could figure that out together. I was still feeling like I was floating on cloud 9 after last night. Have the past few days been an absolute roller coaster? Yes. But that's alright. "Hadley…" Wyatt said, trying to force his serious tone. I lifted my head so I could meet his eye. He gazed at me for a second, brushing my bedhead away from my face. Wyatt shifted under me, so his sizeable hardness was making less contact with me. The only thing that was separating us was his boxers and my panties. We both knew when to stop. It was hard (no pun intended), but it was necessary. "Do you know why I call you Ace?"

I thought about it for a second before shaking my head. I don't think I ever asked. It was always so cute when he called me that, but I never knew why.

"Because I always knew you'd be the best Alpha we'd ever have," he said honestly. "And, if it's not too early to be honest—"

"I don't even know what time it is," I added, yawning again. It was really early; I knew that much.

"—when the Elders asked me or Nate to step in, I volunteered because I wanted us to be on the same level, finally."

I took in his words and pursed my lips. "What does that mean for you?" I asked, sincerely.

He sighed, "I don't even know anymore. It used to mean hopefully being as strong and as fast as you've always been. Now, I just want to be a good leader. I want to prove that I can lead our pack. I don't know…maybe I wanted us to be the next Jacob and Leah."

"We're not Jacob and Leah though," I said. "We're Hadley and Wyatt. And that means something. We need to make our own way, you know? Trying to be Jacob and Leah or Kaya and Ephraim will only fail us."

Wyatt nodded in agreement, "You're right, hun."

I scratched at the rapidly growing beard hair on his cheeks. "Wyatt," I said quietly. "I'm not worried about being an Alpha couple. For now, let's just be…a couple. And we can figure out that Alpha part later. Is that ok?"

His shoulders deflated in relief as all the stress melted off of his face. "I'd love that, actually."

I grinned before leaning in to kiss him. "Good," I said against his lips. "Because we should really be taking advantage of all of this alone time."

He smirked as he kissed me back. He said, "You're absolutely right," before flipping me on my back and pulling the sheet over our heads. Wyatt tickled my sides, causing me to squirm under him and laugh. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as he kissed my neck. "You know you smell like roses?" he asked as his hands trailed up the sides of my body.

I hummed as butterflies fluttered in my stomach. "Do I?" I said breathlessly. His mouth was distracting. So were his hands, his scent, his warmth. Everything about him made me dizzy. He was the only person that threw me off my game, no matter how much time we spent together.

Wyatt just nodded. "You've always smelled like roses," he confirmed. "Every. Single. Inch of you." He said as he scaled himself down my body. I gasped as the tip of his nose brushed against the inside of my thighs. His fingers hooked onto my panties and slowed pulled them down. I won't get into it. Not yet at least. Just know, it was fucking amazing.

XXXXXXXXX

Our friends clocked it the second they saw us. Wyatt had the idea to invite the boys and Cassie to ride on the cruiser since we had it for the rest of the day. We drove back to the dock where everyone was gathered, and I was so happy it felt like old times.

Cam stepped on the boat, smirking as his eyes darted between the both of us. Nate just shook his head as he chuckled. Hunter was the boldest as he guffawed out loud and said, "Yikes, y'all." The other boys were at least kind enough to ignore it. Wyatt held out a hand to help Cassie step up. She took one look at me, and her eyes widened. "Oh my god, you guys hooked up!" she yelled.

I bit my lip as the guys bust out laughing. Cassie started jumping in excitement, asking over and over again if we had sex last night. "Whoa, everyone, chill," I told them, suppressing a smile. "We didn't hook up."

"Sure smells like it," Nate joked. "Sex and Febreze. Real nice, guys."

"I told you the Lysol would have been better," Wyatt muttered to me.

Cam snickered, "No, it wouldn't have." He looked around the boat and whistled impressively. "Charlie has some nice digs here. Are him and Sue alright with you guys defiling it?" he joked.

Cassie elbowed her twin, "Cam, quit," she tried not to giggle. "I think it's sweet that you guys are finally together. It's been a long time coming."

Wyatt slid in next to me and draped an arm around my shoulders. As I leaned into him, I couldn't help but smile. Nate agreed with Cass, "Now all is right with the world." I met his eye and he had almost like a proud look on his face. Like he was a father watching his child walk for the first time. He shook his head a little before clapping his hands. "Let's get this baby on the water."

"Hell yeah," I grinned. I figured once we got off the dock, the boys would forget all about the idea of me and Wyatt having sex. We threw on some music and we'd all swim and relax. When was the last time we actually got to do anything fun not under the watchful eye of our parents?

Cam had swiped some of the leftover food from the party and created a spread on the little table inside the cabin. While Wyatt drove, Hunter and Jace wasted no time going through all the cabinets and stuff just because they're nosy and can't help themselves. "Do you think Charlie keeps an extra gun on his boat?" I heard Hunter ask. I rolled my eyes at them as I walked over to find Nate, who was dangling his feet over the water.

"Hey," I said, sitting next to him. "Did you bring it?"

"Yup." Nate reached into his backpack and pulled out one of the many books that were kept in the old Alpha house. When Wyatt and I managed to finally get out of bed, I called Nate to come to the dock so we all could talk. Wyatt had the great idea to bring everyone along; he wanted to keep the morale up after the Matthew fiasco. The brown leather on the book was wearing, soft in my hands. I flipped through it quickly before thanking Nate for making the trip. "So…how was it?" he asked.

"We didn't have sex," I insisted.

"I meant the night as a whole," he backtracked, amused. "The more you deny it though, the less true it sounds, you know that?"

I felt my face get hot as I bumped his shoulder. Hearing him laugh made me relax a little. The misting water as we drove cooled my blushing face as the night before replayed. Thank god for mind walls. "I kind of hate that we wasted so much time," I admitted, "but it felt so good to finally tell him I love him. And hearing him say it…was unreal."

"Worth it?" he prompted.

"More than worth it," I answered. "I don't know how you put up with us for so long."

"Me either," Nate said, pulling on my ponytail a little bit, teasingly. The boat slowed to a stop right before you could hear the buzzing of the anchor being lowered. "So what's the book for, Lee? You guys thinking about Bonding or something."

The guys started flooding out of the cabin. I checked behind me, not wanting them to hear. Casually slipping the book back into Nate's backpack, I said, "Eh…it's something closer to trying to see if we already have."

"What?" he exclaimed, his eyes wide. I shushed him urgently, waving my hand to get him to relax. "What are you talking about?" Nate asked in a hushed tone.

"To be fair," I started, "I don't think it happened. Wyatt's having some doubts; I just want to ease his anxiety."

"How could you have Bonded by accident?" he asked as quietly as he could.

I raised my eyebrows, remembering who my parents are. My parents told me the story as PG as possible when they were giving me 'the talk.' It went something like Dad going, "Honey, you know if you have sex, you'll be Bonded way too soon, right? We don't want that. I know you and the others are experiencing some changes right now. That's perfectly normal; however, your circumstance is a little bit different. So, unless you want to sit in front of your grandma and grandpa and tell them that you accidentally Mate Bonded with someone before you were ready, let's just try to eliminate that possibility altogether right now. I had to do that. It was really awkward." And then Mom rolling her eyes and saying, "Just…wrap it up, please."

"It was like 7 or 8 years ago," I told Nate as I opened up my wall to project to him our dream from last night. "Which is why I don't think that it happened. We would have known…or we should have known by now."

Nate's eyes flickered back and forth as he watched the scene in his mind. He rubbed his forehead in disbelief. "Jesus," he sighed. "Alright, so what now?"

"Everything about Bonding is in that book," I pointed to his backpack. "And I know you've read it already, so, while everyone is distracted, we need to go through it as closely as we can." Then I hit him right in his sweet spot. "And we'll need your expertise, because you, Nathaniel Uley, are just sooo much smarter than all of us."

The smirk on his face creeped up before he tried to press his lips together. "Don't try to flatter me," he said, standing up.

"It worked though," I called as he walked away.

We waited until the pack decided to go swimming to dive into the text. Cassie and August were hanging out on the deck, Cass suntanning and Aug playing on his Nintendo Switch. Wyatt slid into the seat across from me and Nate, trying to hide the concern in his face. "They can't hear us, right?" he asked.

"Are you kidding?" I commented. "Between the music and them trying to yell over each other, this is as good as being alone."

"What about Cass?"

"I wouldn't poke that bear while she's sunbathing," I advised. I grabbed the book out of Nate's backpack once again, feeling a tingling of excitement in my fingertips. See, there were the official texts and then there were Kaya's journals and then there were the personal accounts from all the Alphas' past. You know how witches have grimoires? It's kind of like that. There were personal account texts on Bonding, imprinting, first phases, and everything that we are allowed to know about life after death. The Bond was only as recent as Kaya's first phase as the first ever female shapeshifter in our history. They wanted to make our packs stronger, so the gods made the Bond to create a deeper connection within the pack. Ephraim decided that he wanted to write everything he knew about the Bond as he learned. Kaya added to it. Then there are small notes from Sam as he learned, but clearly never experienced it. And then my mom as the first female shapeshifter to go through a Mating Bond. And my dad as the first descendant of a Bonded Alpha.

I drummed my fingers on the top of it before sliding it over to Wyatt. He looked up at me confused. "Do you want to do the honors?" I asked.

"Why me?" he questioned.

"You are sitting Alpha, sweetie," I reminded him. "You should take the lead on this."

Relinquishing control was something I really wanted to learn for several reasons. A lot of them were because I knew being trapped in that bunker was a result of me not wanting to bother anyone with what I felt were small issues. I thought it was something I could have handled on my own and then filled everyone else in later. I knew I needed to stop making the jump and trust my friends and family to help me find what I need. The other reasons were all centered around wanting Wyatt to feel comfortable in his Alphahood. I knew why he thought I would be upset; for years, Alphahood was everything to me because I thought I had something to prove. But, as I've been learning, we had all been trying to fit into a box that our families had built. Those boxes worked for them, but we were figuring out fast that they weren't working for us.

Wyatt cautiously flipped open the cover. He was second guessing himself. I sent him a wave of love and encouragement. He took a deep breath and started shuffling through the pages. Nate nudged me and asked, "Can you show me again what happened?"

I grabbed Nate's hand to strengthen the connection as I dissipated my wall so he could see the scene from my dream. We ran through it countless times. Frontwards, backwards, in slow motion. We figured out the exact minute of the time of day, how long it took, the angle that the lightning struck us. "When I asked if you guys were struck by lightning, I was only kidding," Nate commented before rubbing his temples, "So…Wyatt, bro, I have to ask. What made you think a blood promise was the way to go?"

Wyatt let out a loud sigh as he shook his head, "I don't know, man. A lot of shit has changed in 7 years. We were mad reckless back then. It was a stunt. Shock value. A step above a spit swear, you know?"

"We were 10. We were all a little too rowdy back then," I shrugged. I held my hand up right as Nate opened his mouth. "Except for you, of course," I added before he could. "What does the text say, Wyatt?"

He held the book with one hand while he scratched his beard with the other. "Alright, here goes…" he said before launching into reading.

"A Bond should only be between the descendent(s) of an Alpha and/or a sitting Alpha, male or female. With teamwork, our guides have created this blood ritual to enrich the growth of our pack while providing strength and protection for any wolves that may come after us.

On the eve of the Bonding of two wolves, each wolf must abstain from food or water for 24 hours. This is meant to be a deepening of spiritual strength and a declaration of self-control and mastery. Fasting provides the Bonding parts a sense of clarity in a time of uncertainty. With any uncertainty, the Bond is sure to fail.

At the first daybreak, the Bonding parts and Elders must hike to the highest cliff, closest to our spirit guides. Each part must strip completely of worldly materials and stand within the elements. You will cut your palms with a dagger and join hands, mixing the blood of the intended Alphas together. The Elders must speak the ancient chant below until the sun reaches its peak. Only then will the ritual be done.

For our future wolves, please be cautious performing this Bond. If any part of this ritual is done incorrectly, it can lead to dangerous complications. And any hesitation at all, you will have to begin all over again on a different day. Our pack survives off of the strength of its leaders. Make us proud.

Ephraim Black, Alpha"

Wyatt touched the page, fascinated by Ephraim's handwriting. Even before he was a guide, he was still guiding us. Even before we were even thought to be part of the world, he was ready to lead us. Kaya too. They both took in everything so that we could have a future.

Nate was the first to speak. "Well, there you go. There's no Bond; the ritual wasn't performed correctly."

"But how would all of that happen if I was human?" Wyatt asked.

"I would guess that since my wolf genes have always been ultra-active, that was enough to maybe connect with your dormant gene," I threw out there. "But it seems like it was just a simple mistake. I'll check in with Mom and Dad just to make sure, but I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"I agree," Nate said. Wyatt still looked a little weary. "Hey, man, it can't be your fault if there's nothing wrong."

Wyatt was chewing on his bottom lip, anxiously. He flipped back and forth through the pages. "Keep reading," I encouraged him, quietly.

I could recognize Kaya's cursive anywhere.

"The first few times we attempted this Bond idea, it was a miserable failure. I will admit that I was a bit to blame for that. I didn't believe the Elders when they told me that my heart had to be 100% in it for it to work. There was no way my heart could be in it while I was still healing from it being broken.

We were meant to be clear in mind, body, and soul; that's why E and I didn't tell the Elders we had been fighting the night before. We didn't even really believe that this thing could work. It was the doubt and that anger that made the Bond fail. Leading with a pure, clear heart will ensure the success of any future Bonds for our future Alphas.

When our blood joined, the sky lost its light almost instantly. The ground begun to shake so violently, we were afraid it might collapse under us. The winds became unbearable. And then E and I watched as the lightning came directly for us, shooting between our conjoined hands. The blast threw us all backward and I feared it would kill us, but it didn't. When Eph stood up, brushed himself off, and said, 'Let's try again tomorrow,' I nearly ripped his throat out for being so nonchalant. I mean, really, if we knew how big of a risk this would have been, I would have never agreed to this. All of that 'for the betterment of our people' felt like bullshit. The gods were very clearly telling us that we weren't ready.

The same thing happened the next day and then for three more days until I finally said, 'Enough.' After fighting about what we should do, Eph and I decided that we needed to regroup. We retreated for three days in the woods. No contact with our families or even our pack members. We hunted and talked and centered ourselves for the sake of us and no one else. We released all animosity we had toward each other. We listened. We bonded.

Yes, we had to bond before we could Bond. So, for my future wolves, do not come to this decision with haste. Think it through, visualize it, meditate through it. And connect in human and in wolf before attempting to Bond. You will be better off for it.

All my love,

K"

Wyatt looked up with relief flooding his face. It was a failed Bond, that's all. No harm, no foul. Well…minimal harm. All of the stress was melting off of him by the second. "Who knew all of this was so complicated?" he mumbled under his breath.

Nate and I glanced at each other, knowingly. It's things like this that made us work better as a group of three. Wyatt kept up the morale; he took things as they came. He was never afraid of the task when it presented himself which sometimes meant that he had a hard time grasping the severity of things until there are complications.

Nate was the complete opposite. He liked to analyze all the factors before making a decision. He was never one to just jump; he always needed to check to how deep the water was first. Since phasing, he buried himself in every single text we had available. He wanted to know everything about everything when it came to our history. It was admirable.

And then there was me. I don't really know what there is to say about me. The way I've always lived is to do now and ask questions later. As you can see, it's a strength and a weakness. Sometimes it produces the best results and the worst. They made me better though, Nate and Wyatt. "Can I see the book really quickly?" I asked, reaching for it. Wyatt slid it over to me. I flipped back until I found Ephraim's entry. A Bond should only be between the descendent(s) of an Alpha and/or a sitting Alpha, male or female. Huh…interesting.

"So we're not Bonded," Wyatt concluded.

"Thank god," Nate commented.

"What happens now?" Wyatt asked. "What does all of this mean now?"

"You guys need to make that choice, not have it be an accident."

"And it means the power is back in our hands," I said with a coy smile. I closed the book, feeling an idea forming in my head.

XXXXXXXXX

When we all got home, I was still riding the perfect high. Riding with windows down, music loud, watching the trees blur as we drove. Wyatt parked Dad's truck near the shed after dropping off Cassie and August, Nate and I riding passenger. We trotted up to the door, Nate a few paces ahead of us, when Wyatt pulled me by my belt loop and spun me around to face him. He looked at me with those mischievous eyes before ducking down to kiss me. Before we go in there, he projected to me, I just want to say I love you.

And I love you, I said back, leaning into his body. I placed a little kiss on his nose before stepping away from him. Being super affectionate in front of the pack is like an invitation to get roasted.

"Ew, gross!" Uncle Embry called out. Wyatt and I turned to see him and Uncle Paul walking up to the house. They looked amused.

"Yo, I saw that!" I heard Paul shout. "Get in the house, lovebirds!"

The two of us shuffled in the house quickly before they could say anything else. But regardless of how much we tried to escape the embarrassment, sensitive ears hear everything. I caught Mama's eye first; she smirked as she glanced between Wyatt and me. "Did you guys have a good time?" she asked, carrying a laundry basket to the living room.

"It was fine," I answered, shrugging before correcting myself, "Fun—it was…it was fun."

Mom nodded, "Good, I'm glad you guys enjoyed yourselves," she said. She started to walk away when she added, "Make sure you use protection."

"Mom!" I was so embarrassed.

To make matters worse, Uncle Paul and Uncle Embry came in right behind us to tattle. "Lee! They're out here making out on the porch!" Paul said, casually putting Wyatt in a chokehold.

Dad was coming down the stairs. As if this conversation needed to involve more people. "Who's making out?" he asked. He was still in his work clothes like he'd just gotten home.

"Hadley and Wyatt," Embry chuckled. He grabbed two beers from the fridge, tossing one to Paul.

Dad's eyebrows furrowed as he stopped at the end of the steps. He shook his finger at me. "You remember what I told you about sex, Hadley Sarah—"

"We're not having sex!" I exclaimed, my face flushing. I could barely stop myself from thinking about last night; our limbs entangled all night. I was trying so hard not to think about Wyatt's face between my legs this morning. It was delicious…scandalous, even. Stop it, Hadley. Please.

"She's blushing," Paul teased.

"Leave them alone, you guys," Mama laughed, interjecting finally. "All of you were much worse at their age, remember?"

Paul scoffed before saying sarcastically, "I don't know about these jokers, but I waited until marriage."

"Ok, even I know that's not true," Nate called from the couch. Wyatt managed to slip away to sit next to him while I tried to escape the amusingly accusing eyes of our family.

I managed to get everyone to calm down enough to converge in the living room. My goal for 17 was to be as honest as I could with my family. Because, as much as I didn't want to admit it, they always knew what to do when I didn't.

I also took a second to appreciate Paul and Embry for not mentioning what happened with Matthew or treating me any different because I got actually kidnapped a couple days ago. They knew I wouldn't want them to dote on me. The same way they didn't dote on my dad when he got kidnapped that one time. Hmm…that's a coincidence, right? What are the actual chances that two people in the same family would get kidnapped?

Probably about the same chances that two shapeshifters are able to have a baby.

Anyway, I sat everyone down and, in the spirit of transparency, told them what we had discovered. Everything about Wyatt and I having the same dream, what happened in the dream, and reading about Kaya and Ephraim's failed Bond attempts. "I think, when Wyatt phased and we were both in the spiritual common, Kaya was trying to tell us that our blood is already connected, even though we're not Bonded," I told them. "But I don't have any way to prove it."

"How do you mean, sweetie?" Mom asked, shifting in Grandpa Harry's old recliner chair.

I held up one finger. "The psionic projection only worked when we were holding hands." A second finger. "A few months ago, I was meditating, and I started to see this vision and it only started to clear up when Wyatt was touching me." Another. "We successfully merged ourselves or whatever when I was in the bunker on the first try." And one more. "And last night, another vision started in my head while we were holding hands and it went away when we stopped holding hands."

"That's why we thought we Bonded," Wyatt added. "It just feels like one too many coincidences."

"But the text was crystal clear that they couldn't be Bonded without the ritual being completed properly," Nate said.

Mom took a second to take in all of this new information. "That definitely is strange," she muttered.

"Even more than that," I kept going, "Kaya told me that she brought Travis and his family here for a reason. She didn't tell me why, but I promised Travis that I would help him get some answers."

"Yeah, and didn't he say his birthday was yesterday too? Same as yours." Wyatt asked.

I nodded, reaching for his hand and lacing our fingers together. And no I didn't miss every single pair of eyes in the room look down at the gesture. But I ignored it before anyone could tease us for it. "Things are starting to piece together, but it still feels like there are these giant holes that none of us can fill."

Dad sighed as he leaned back in his seat. "Well…I guess we can make contact with the ancestors and see if they can give us some answers."

"Actually, Daddy," I cut in, "I was thinking something a little more radical."

We waited until nightfall to go to the old Alpha house. Me, Wyatt, Mom and Dad, and Nate. At first, Mom and Dad wanted to keep it just us and Wyatt since he's the sitting Alpha for the new pack, but I had insisted that Nate come along. Like firmly insisted that Nate come along. Because he knew the texts so well, of course.

Mom always kept the meditation room upstairs completely closed off. Kaya had always talked about keeping the space as clean as possible. Clean of harsh energy, dirt, general unpleasantness. She had only been in this room maybe once since Kaya left 18 years ago. Mama reached for the key at the top of the door frame. "Alright, guys, shoes off," she said.

"Are we sure this is going to work?" Nate asked.

"Hey," Mom scolded, "keep your skepticism out of the meditation room."

Nate held his hands up in surrender. "Sorry," he mumbled before kicking off his shoes.

"Hadley, honey, do you have the supplies?" Dad asked. I nodded, holding up a small duffle bag. I set it outside the door, just in case. When we walked inside the room, it was eerily chilly in there. Kind of like the way a hospital is cold. The room was almost sterile.

Dad helped Mom set up the area, pressing play on the quiet spa music. Mama used a lighter to burn some sage and she waved it around kind of aimlessly. I grabbed some pillows from the corner and set them up in a circle. Wyatt, Nate, and I took our place on the ground. "Everyone, take a deep breath," Mom said in her gentlest voice. There was this very serene presence that kind of covered all of us. Mom and Dad sat with us in the circle. "We are setting intentions and raising our own awareness."

I let my eyes close and each of my hands clasp in the boys'. This is all very routine. When you meditate, you have to understand that every breath, every movement is meant to be in that moment. It's about accepting everything you can hear, taste, smell so that you can bring in whatever you are intending to do.

We waited through the insane surge of rain, the loud thunderclaps, the strong winds. Nothing. I was trying to stay positive; it was admittedly a little discouraging. "I'm feeling an energy shift," Dad warned quietly. "Keep it light, guys."

"Trying," I said, my eyebrows drawing together. "Nothing's happening."

"Nothing's going to happen with that attitude," Wyatt teased lightly. The thunder cracked again, and we watched as the room illuminated once from the lightning.

We waited for another five minutes before I sighed, frustrated. I broke the circle by removing my hand from Nate and Wyatt's. "I can't even feel her in the room," I said.

"That's ok," Mom said, reassuringly. "If we can't feel her, she must be doing something important."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

Mom opened her eyes as she thought about it. "We try again tomorrow, with more positive energy and more patience," she said pointedly at me. She stood up with ease. "Jacob, take the kids downstairs. Make them some hot chocolate or something while I get the space cleansed."

I was disappointed. I really wanted this to work and, even with the manpower of three Alphas and two descendants, we still came up emptyhanded. All we had to show for it was the insane downpour outside that tended to happen when we wanted to involve the ancestors in anything.

I grabbed my duffle bag from outside the meditation room and brought it downstairs with me. Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders as we walked into the kitchen. "It's alright, kid. Don't be so hard on yourself."

"Why didn't it work?" I asked, leaning against the kitchen counter as I watched my dad pour milk into a small pot and lighting the stove.

He shrugged. "It could have been a number of things blocking the meditation, Hadley bug. You can't be so hard on yourself. It's a learning process. A long one."

"Maybe it would work if it was just you three," Wyatt suggested. "Maybe Nate and I were distracting."

"Or maybe I didn't leave all of my skepticism at the door," Nate worried. "I thought I did."

"Guys, relax," Dad chuckled. He poured the hot milk into five little coffee mugs and stirred in our favorite hot cocoa powder and topped it with a little bit of cinnamon. "It's not the end of the world."

Mama came downstairs to join us. She popped a kiss on top of my head before going to stand next to my dad. "None of those things should have been that much of a detriment, don't worry," she said with an easy smile. "Sometimes, this is just how it goes."

"What can we do until then, Aunt Leah?" Nate asked.

"Get some rest," she told us. "Relax a little bit. You guys worry way too much."

We sat together, drinking hot chocolate, and waiting for the storm to fizzle out. It was really coming down out there. If all else fails, we could always sleep there, but Mama and Daddy wanted to get Wyatt and Nate home before it was too late in the night. "I do not want to hear Sam's mouth about it," Mama mumbled. "Or Kim's. She'd tear this place apart if she thought something happened to Wyatt."

There was a knock at the door. Dad smirked. "What if you just summoned a worried Kim Cameron at this hour," he joked, crossing over to open the door. When he swung it open, the smirk fell from his face in an instant.

Soaked and naked, from head to toe, was Kaya Hadley in the flesh. She pushed the hair away from her face and tried to cover her body at the same time. Dad called to me to grab the towel out of my duffle bag, quickly. Wide eyed and flustered, I rushed over to hand Kaya a towel and a fresh sundress, per my mother's suggestion. Kaya thanked me as she dried herself off and dressed herself. "Oh, that's much better," she said, squeezing the water out of her hair. She dropped the towel on the porch before stepping into the house. Kaya looked at all of us with twinkling eyes and a bright smile. She tucked her hair behind her ears before folding her hands in front of her. "Hi, little wolves. I'm back."

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Did I just realize that I named one of the twins Cameron when there's a whole Cameron family? Yup…