Now this was a quick update. Let's get right to it.

Enjoy!

Alvin met Brittany two days ago, and he hadn't seen her since. Alvin believed that being without her for two entire days was far too long. He actually walked through the streets by himself quite a few times in hopes of running into Brittany and maybe going on another walk with her. Sadly, his attempts had been futile.

So now, eating lunch in an almost empty diner with his pack, Alvin was trying his best to not seem upset. He plastered a fake smile on his face and laughed as best as he could at the jokes being tossed around.

"Isn't it weird that we're the only people here besides the waiter?" Frances asked.

"It is kind of strange," Alvin responded.

Allison looked at them confused, "Don't you see all of them? Everyone's gathered at the town entrance."

They all gazed out the window. Not too far away, they caught sight of an ecstatic crowd cheering around a group of people.

Andrew, bringing a glass of water for Alex, overheard them and said, "They're all getting excited because the hunters are back."

"The hunters?" asked Alvin.

"You know, the ones I told you about a while ago. There's no animals in the area, so we have groups of hunters that bring back meat for the town."

Alvin opened his mouth to ask a follow-up question, but Andrew groaned and said, "Ask me later. I'm busy."

Alvin and his pack looked puzzled because the entire diner was completely empty.

Andrew stomped away. They all saw him pick up a book and hide behind the bar to read.

Alvin mumbled, "Lazy."

His pack began laughing which turned their conversation into even happier things. A few talked about leaving the town, while others talked about some really nice people from Shroudsville. Steven discussed the possibility of picking up a girl here, which caused everyone to laugh very hard.

A jingling sound rang through the diner, which signaled the entrance of a new person into the diner.

Alvin, who was enthralled by a story being told by an older member of the pack, felt someone nudge him. He looked to the side and was met with a smirking Steven. Steven gestured toward the front door of the diner. Alvin turned his head. At the sight of her, his eyes widened, and he quickly stood to his feet, loudly bumping into the table as he did so.

Brittany, who had just entered the diner, looked away from a small object held in her hands and turned her gaze to Alvin. A large smile overtook her face and she said, "Alvin!"

Alvin smiled at her in a greeting. He hardly noticed her stuff the item that had been held in her hands into her pocket. She made her way over to him.

"Where've you been lately?" Alvin asked her.

Brittany shrugged, smiling, "I've been hanging out in the woods. The leaves are just really pretty right now because it's fall, so I didn't want to miss them before winter comes."

Alvin chuckled lightly. He heard someone clear their throat. Alvin looked toward the noise, and he saw that the entire pack was watching Brittany. Steven was looking at Alvin expectantly.

Alvin's eyes widened a bit in realization. He, without thinking, placed a hand on the small of Brittany's back and gently pushed her towards the group of tables his pack occupied. "Everyone," he said, "this is Brittany Miller."

Everyone stared at her.

Brittany smiled at them politely, "It's nice to finally meet all of you. I've heard so much about each of you from other people living here."

No one responded.

Alvin looked at her, "Do you want to join us for lunch?"

Brittany smiled, "Sure."

Alvin guided Brittany to a chair. As soon as she sat down, Alvin took the seat next to her.

Brittany, a smile apparent on her face, asked the group, "So, have you been enjoying your stay? I mean, besides everyone not being so welcoming…"

Allison, instead of answering Brittany's question, was staring in awe at Brittany. Allison commented, her eyes lighting up, "You're really pretty."

A few of the others who had been staring at Brittany, quickly agreed. Brittany smiled brightly, a smile that Alvin felt was familiar but he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before. She smiled at everyone and said, "Well, thank you."

After that, everyone quickly became comfortable with Brittany. She had this air about her that sent calming waves through them each time she smiled. She fit in well with the pack. Brittany made jokes they would typically make and laughed at many of the things they laughed at.

Alvin watched her the entire time in admiration. He smiled at her every time they caught each other's gaze. She would occasionally bump her knee into his leg to grab his attention, and he would do the same to her.

Alvin glanced around at all of the pack members. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, except Alex. Alex, who was usually emotionless, was staring at Brittany. He looked utterly shocked with his wide eyes and mouth agape. Alvin, feeling strangely protective over Brittany, lightly kicked Alex's leg under the table so he would look away from her. Alex looked down at his plate. His forehead crinkled slightly as an expression of intense thought crossed his face. Alvin took note of Alex's expression and turned his attention back to Brittany.

Brittany gasped in realization after a moment, "Hey, did you guys hear about the hunters coming back today?"

They all nodded.

She smiled, "Well, since the town has a large supply of meat again, my mom is making a huge dinner tonight for my family. Do you guys want to come eat with us? She's a really great cook."

Brittany looked straight at Alvin as she invited them to dinner. Alvin slowly looked at everyone else. Their gazes were all turned to him, telling him to decide.

Alvin, after a moment of thought, met Brittany's icy blue gaze with a smile, "Sure, we'll be there."

Brittany quickly stood to her feet. She grinned at Alvin, "You guys will love it. I have to go tell my mom and help her get dinner ready now. I'll see you later, though."

Alvin nodded. She told them an address and established the time they should arrive. Once Brittany made sure they knew those details, she said her goodbyes. They all said bye to Brittany as she left the diner, the sound of a bell jingling behind her.

As soon as Brittany left, a quiet air overtook the Seville pack. They ate their lunch in silence, each with a disappointed face. Brittany had taken all the light and cheer with her when she left, and now all they could do was wait for dinner to slowly come.

After deciding that they should stop eating lunch in order to save room for a meat-filled dinner, the Seville pack returned to their hotel to wait for the hours to tick by.

They all made their way into Alvin's dull gray room. Alvin locked the door behind them, which sounded off with a loud click. Alvin immediately turned his attention to Alex. Glaring, he said, "Why were you looking at Brittany like that?"

The surrounding group of people seemed shocked by Alvin's question. Alvin didn't usually become angry over people not included in his pack.

"I…she…she looks a lot like this one person who almost led the wolves against the vampires in the war as queen. That wolf didn't like your mother very much," Alex stuttered out.

Alvin, thinking back on Brittany's smile from earlier, suddenly came to a realization. He took quick strides over to his backpack. Snatching it off of the ground, he dug his hand into it until he found what he was searching for. Alvin dropped his backpack to the floor.

Making his way back over to Alex, Alvin gazed down at the photo he stole from the mayor's house. A smile erupted on Alvin's face. He looked at Alex joyfully, "I had suspicions, but I'm sure now. The little girl in this photo is Brittany as a child. It has to be. But that's not my point. Brittany's mom looks a little different from her. Does the woman look more like Brittany or her mom?"

Alex took the photo from Alvin. Alex stared at the woman in the photo. Tears showed in the corners of his eyes. Alvin managed to hear Alex whisper, "Bridget…"

Alvin watched him expectantly. Alex slowly tore his eyes away from the photo and looked at Alvin. Alex gulped back apparent tears and said, "That's Bridget."

Steven walked over, chuckling, "Alex, Bridget died in the war."

Alex, appearing as though he had been reminded of something very painful, murmured, "Oh yeah. I forgot."

"What's so important about Bridget anyway?" asked Alvin.

Steven smirked and couldn't stop himself from laughing, "Are we about to have the mating talk?"

Alvin's eyes widened, "Wait, what?"

Steven chuckled and responded, "Bridget was Alex's engraved mate. And before you even ask what that is, an engraved mate is the wolf you're supposed to be with. It's engraved upon your soul that you're meant to be with that someone. Your hearts call out to each other and such, and that's supposed to be the love of your life."

Alvin froze for a moment. He was confused. "But, what about my mom?"

"Your mom was Alex's marked mate, which is the wolf you end up with. It's the one that you give a physical mark to claim as yours. That's the one you have kids with, but you're not actually supposed to spend your life with them," Steven responded.

Everyone by now had turned their attention to Alex, Steven, and Alvin. They stared with expressionless faces.

Steven continued, becoming much less cheerful and sighing, "Alvin, a mate isn't always both engraved and marked. It's either one or both. Your mother, sadly, was only Alex's marked mate. Bridget, on the other hand, was his engraved mate."

Alvin quietly asked, "Why'd he mate with my mom if he had someone like Bridget?"

Alex cut into the discussion, frowning, "When the war was going on, any type of mating had to be approved by a group of alphas to ensure the strongest children possible were produced for the war effort. They didn't approve of Bridget and me. Instead, they chose your mother to be my mate. And I went along with it. Bridget and your mother hated each other and butted heads all the time because Bridget had been the other candidate for queen of the wolves, but the wolves chose your mom instead. And before I knew it, Bridget was killed during the last battle of the war. That was that."

Alvin mumbled, "It kind of stinks to find out your mom and dad didn't love each other."

Alex looked at Alvin and frowned, "Alvin, I loved your mom. I just didn't love her as much as someone else could have, and she didn't love me as much as Bridget probably could have. Your mom and I did eventually fall in love. That's why I've been mourning her all this time."

Alvin quietly nodded, gazing down at the photo.

"Did Bridget ever take up another mate?" Allison asked in a tiny voice.

Alex sighed, looking relieved, "Not that I know of. She was more occupied with the war. Before the alphas said we couldn't be together, Bridget had even told me she didn't want to take me up as her mate until the war ended, so we wouldn't have that dangerous bond mates share."

Steven smiled at Allison, "Bridget was a very nice woman, but she was scary on the battlefield. I sensed that something was familiar about Brittany, but now that Alex brought up Bridget, I can definitely see the similarities."

Simon, who had been listening silently during the entire conversation, cut in, "Did Bridget have any siblings?"

Alex chuckled lightly, his sadness dispersing slowly, "Yes. She was the youngest child and only daughter of nineteen children in her family."

Simon looked smug, "Eighteen older brothers? Her brothers must have had a large number of children."

Alex nodded, "I'm pretty sure the majority of them had mates and children during the time of the war."

Simon looked to Alvin, a triumphantly smug look on his face. He stated, "I figured it out."

Alvin, immediately leaving behind his disappointment, couldn't help but grin. He questioned, "What is it then?"

Simon returned the grin, "I think the best time to announce it is at dinner tonight, don't you think? So that way the mayor and Callisto can confirm it themselves."

In an instant, Alvin had his hands on Simon's shoulders. He smirked directly at Simon and breathed out, "Yes. I want to see the look on Callisto's face when he hears his town's inner secrets being spilled from the mouths of outsiders."

OH MY GOSH! I've literally been waiting so long for Simon to finally know everything.

Also, I hope you liked that little bit of background information on wolves. Remember it! This information is going to be important later!

This chapter is the beginning to the real thing. I'm really pumped to write this section of this story. Relationships are going to be built, realities will be destroyed, and blood will spilled. Things are going to get exciting. (I've already started the next chapter, so it shouldn't be too long before my next update!)

Also, I apologize for the length of this chapter. I'm just really ecstatic over what's about to happen, so I wanted to get this part out of the way as quickly as I could without making it feel too rushed.

Please R&R!