"What is wrong with you!"

Vane rounded on Fury as soon as Bride walked out of their kitchen and in to the back yard, Fury looked up shocked by the sudden outburst and a piece of turkey fell from his mouth as he sputtered indignantly.

"What the hell have I done?" he shot back immediately and was instantly on his feet, readying for a fight.

"You've been pissy all day!" Vane closed his eyes as if praying for patience then fixed Fury with a gimlet stare. "Why aren't you with your mate?"

"What are you my fucking mother?" Fury growled back belligerently, Vane come back at once.

"No that bitch is on an island somewhere kicking the shit out of your father. I'm your older fucking brother and I asked you a question!"

Fury's lips twitched but he refused to even smile. "Why don't you go and join them since your so keen to be nanny to someone!"

Before Vane could come back with something else, Fang strolled in whistling; it was surprising to see Fang in human form but Vane was glad of the interruption. Fury was the family wise guy and when getting into sparring matches with him Vane usually came out on the losing end.

Fang paused with his head in the fridge and looked back at Fury. "Why aren't you with your mate?"

Throwing up his hands Fury cried out, "Someone hold him down I'm going to force feed him chocolate!"

Fang looked bemused, "is he okay?"

Vane shrugged and sat back down on his bar stool and stared out the window at his wife, his gaze misted over and Fury not liking that his thoughts turned immediately to Charisma, curled his lip in disgust.

Bride came back inside and moved around Fury and towards the fridge giving Fang a gentle shove out the way.

"You want me to cook you something, Fang?"

"I'll be your slave if you do." Bride laughed and suddenly in the middle of pulling containers from the fridge she froze and turned to Fury.

"I thought you were going to invite Charisma to lunch with us?"

Fury rubbed his hands over his face, pressing his fingertips hard into his eyes until he could see dark colour swirling under his lids. He missed Charisma so much it was like having a constant tooth ache, he wasn't even angry at her anymore, in fact he had sought her out preparing to beg forgiveness on bended knee (not, he reminded himself he had anything to feel bad about). Then he had found a note in her apartment that wasn't addressed to him but he was sure it was meant for him either way.

'I've gone to stay with my sister. I'll be back soon.'

It had been like a knife to the gut. Had he lost her? Did she hate him? Did he always have to act first and think later? And what of Dare, had he found her yet? Was Star in league with him? So many thoughts in his mind that he had a permanent headache, he hadn't slept for fear and worry for her; if only he could just see her, just touch her. Then things would be alright.

The doorbell rang and Fury muttered that he would get it.

"Don't bother," Bride said, her expression concerned and she raised her voice to call to the guest, "doors open!"

Fury was preparing to use the sudden uninvited guest as an excuse to make his leave but as he edged towards the door leading out into the hallway, it was filled by a pretty young woman. Fury outwardly froze, the only reaction he displayed was a hardening to his jaw, inside however disbelief and astonishment rushed through him, almost making him sway.

She had grown up in the centuries they had been apart, her hair that as a youth had always been cut boyishly short now fell to the centre of her back, she had pulled the front back and secured it with delicate jewelled combs. She had Vane's colour hair, taking after the darker paternal side of their family, while Fury and his deceased sister Anya had taken after their mother with fair hair. Her eyes were a reflection of his own, a piercing blue that seemed quite unnatural because they were so beautiful, Star's eyes at that moment were wide with hope and happiness at seeing her brother again, she was standing in the presence of two brothers she had never met before yet her eyes could not move past them until Fury gave his consent to her being there, and at that moment he wasn't saying a word.

"Do you - do you remember me?" she asked tentatively, her voice full with her heart, she moved a cautious step closer, her jeans were loose and baggy with rough tears in the knee; the hem of them dragging across Bride's tiled kitchen floor, so long they only exposed the toe of her sneakers. Her black tank top was stretched tight over generous bumps that hadn't been there when Fury had known her and in spite of himself a mixture of brotherly bashfulness and a need to protect her from male eyes swirled inside him.

Fury wasn't sure how long he stood there, silent and staring, still Star's eyes had not left his, she had swept into the house bringing with her the smell of fresh pine and the wild, it turned his thoughts to Charisma.

Gods, he was a fool! She hadn't betrayed him, she had given him back one of the only people in his life he had loved purely and completely, without expecting anything back. Fury moved forward swiftly and he saw Star tense as if she expected an attack and she was right. Fury yanked her forward into his arms and crushed her to him, she immediately yielded to his embrace and snuggled closer, burrowing her face into his shirt and soaking it with her tears.

"How - why - why are you here?" he managed to get out while trying to console her, he dropped a kiss atop her head and rocked her in his arms, the way he had done as a little boy. She didn't answer only sobbed harder and gripped the back of his shirt tighter, her body shook with her intense weeping. He hadn't seen her cry like this since he and Dare had hidden in the dark outside her room and scared her so badly she couldn't sleep, he had spent all night calming her down and promising himself he'd never do it again.

"shush now," he crooned soothingly to her as if she were four again, "hey now, stop crying or you'll make yourself sick. Hey now, come on, its alright, its okay."

Finally she began to quieten and she drew her head up from out of his arms, her own still clamped around his waist.

"I'm sorry, Fury," she snivelled, "I never knew! I swear, they kept me away from court and Dare and mother and grandfather told me you'd been captured and killed by Katagaria!"

"How did you find out it wasn't true?" Fury asked, guiding her to a stool and sitting her down, Bride handed him a clean kitchen towel and wiped his sister's tears.

"so that's his mate?" Fang whispered almost to himself, Vane turned to give him an exasperated look before turning back to watch his brother and, he realised with a jolt of surprise, his sister.

"There was this wolf that Dare wanted me to sleep with ," she explained bitterly, Fury growled dangerously. "When mother left' - Vane shifted guiltily - 'he took charge and he wanted me to mate with one of the most prominent wolf families to see if we could keep producing the Aristos. This wolf, he calls himself Wrath, he was so mean and horrible! I hated him! And I rejected him in front of the pack when he tried to come on to me, I embarrassed him - I know now it was stupid - but I hated him, Fury!"

Fury ran a placating hand down her hair, "you did good, little wolf chickie. Now tell me what happened, did he hurt you?"

The danger in Fury's eyes made Star shake her head furiously, her eyes wide in earnest and to all looking on it made her look like a little girl. "No. I left the hall and was walking in the gardens when he came out and cornered me… I bit him so hard his face was bleeding' - Fury smirked approvingly - 'and I told him that if you, my brother Fury had been there you would have ripped him apart for even looking at me. And he laughed and told me what you were," Star paused. "What you are. And what mother and Dare did to you."

Fury nodded, rage coursing through him at the treatment of his sister, even as a child Dare had been malicious but he would never have supposed he would have treated his own sister like that. Star wiped her tears away and tilted her head back to stare up at him, for the first time since she had stepped into the house, she smiled. Fury ruffled her hair like she was a little boy, "so now you know I'm Katagaria and not Arcadian, does it bother you?"

Star laughed, a musical carefree laugh and shook her head. "My mate is Katagaria."

Fury sputtered, this he hadn't been prepared for. "Your mated!" he was almost indignant. Star raised an amused eyebrow and jerked a shoulder, she blushed prettily. "I met him after I ran away from home, he's so wonderful, Fury. I swear you will love him!"

Fury grumbled that he doubted it but then remembered the rest of his family behind him, he tugged Star gently from her seat and led her closer to Vane, the oldest and therefore the leader of the litter. Fang stood like a second in command at his shoulder and both looked on her with strange expressions, hard to make out, something between sadness and joy and curiosity. Fury felt Star shift closer to him and he squeezed her hand in encouragement.

"Star, this is our brother, Vane," he introduced them, "he's the oldest of our litter and this is Fang, he's second youngest."

Both nodded their heads to her and shifted uncomfortably, Star tilted her head to the side studying them both. She let go of Fury's hand and approached them slowly, first moving to stand in front of Vane, her hand came up with care and gently brushed at his hair, a smile inching across her mouth.

"Now I know where I get mine from," she said kindly as though she were trying to relieve him of his nerves, Fury felt pride for her swell in his chest, she had grown in to a terrific woman; now all he had to do was check out her mate ….

Vane smiled and stood up, towering her but she didn't retreat, Star craned her head to look up at him. Vane bent and kissed her lightly on each cheek and reached behind him to take Bride's hand, who had tears in her eyes.

"Welcome, little sister," he said, "this is my mate, Bride."

The women shook hands and Star turned her eyes to Fang, Fury watched her closely and saw her register just how very much Fang resembled Dare, instead of being afraid she moved closer.

She grinned. "Hello Fang. Don't worry I don't bite."

And placing a hand on each of his shoulders she pushed herself up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek, Fang cleared his throat and almost blushing, grinned back at her.

"I'm very happy to have met my brothers," Star's voice was barely more then a whisper, she turned back to Fury and exhaled slowly.

"I've missed you so much, Fury."

"I missed you too, little one."

Fury caught a glimpse of Vane and Fang's faces, they were shadowed and in pain and he knew they were thinking of Anya, the sister they had known and grown up with, the one Fury had never had the chance to know before she was killed.

"So where's your mate?" Star asked looking around, once her eyes were not so damp, Fury shifted uncomfortably.

"We argued," he murmured, not sure why, when he hadn't even told Vane; Star turned her eyes on him and he cringed.

"How could you argue with her? She's so nice and …" the word eluded her. "Special."

Fury shrugged sullenly. "Don't look at me like that! Jeez, what is it with females that they give you that look!"

Star pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. "Well, since yours isn't here, I'll go get mine."

Fury was instantly alert, "yes, you do that," he said menacingly, so dangerously so that it gave Star pause.

"You'll be nice won't you?" She bit her bottom lip worriedly.

Before Fury could say anything Vane placed a hand on his arm. "Don't worry, we'll keep him in line, your mate is safe."

"Please, like you three pups could do anything to me!" A mocking growl came through the open door way and Fury, Fang and Vane looked up and snarled in unison.

"Ah shit!" cried Vane.

"Not this asshole!" Fang growled.

"We've got to claim this mangy piece of fur as family?" Fury barked with disgust.

Sasha swaggered through the doorway and snaked an arm around Star's waist from behind, he had a evil grin on his face as he stared at each of the affronted brothers. Sasha like all were-hunters was beautiful, he had blond hair so fair that it was almost white, falling past his shoulders and electric blue eyes that matched that of his mate. His body was as muscular and defined as any of the Kattalakis brothers, the planes of his face was chiselled and hard, he was captivating and was made all the more alluring by the slight curl to his lips as he grinned his amusement.

Wolves were by nature very territorial animals and when two males meet there is an instant struggle for dominance, Sasha who didn't belong to any pack that Fury knew of always liked to push the limits of Fury's temper when they were in each others presence.

"Happy to see me I see fellers!" he dropped a kiss on Star's neck and hugged her tighter to him, at the appearance of her mate Star practically glowed, Fury was happy for his sister but why fates, why oh why oh why did she have to mate with him?

"Yeah, about as happy as I am to have a my tail caught in a bear trap!" Fang sneered and flopped on to one of the stools to brood miserably.

"You sound like a psychotic dark-hunter I used to know," Sasha said airily, it was plain to see he was enjoying their misery.

"So what happened, Scooby?" Fury asked, his thumb stuck into his front pockets of his jeans, his stance casual as he surveyed the other wolf. "Velma and Shaggy ditch you to make out in the mystery van?"

"Don't insult Scooby like that, Fury!" Vane said then laughed wickedly, "this one's more like Scrappy!"

The brothers laughed, and Sasha chuckled sarcastically before replying. "I can see you pups are suffering from some serious Droopy envy, so I'm not going to embarrass you by kicking all your ass's in front of your mate and sister."

"Aww, the pup thinks he can bark," Fang cooed and Vane laughed giving Fury a sly look.

"Maybe we should kick his ass. I mean he deserves one for sniffing around my sister," Fury growled and as one the Kattalakis brother's advanced on Sasha who snarled.

"Stop right now!" Star barked, she sounded so wolf like that everyone stopped and laughed, Sasha bent down to whisper something in her ear and she gave him a quick elbow to the stomach, he rubbed the offended spot but looked pleased with himself.

"You can all grow up and stop baiting each other!" Bride chirped in swatting her own mate on the arm, Vane merely grinned at her and Sasha couldn't resist.

"Hi Bride," he said politely, "remember me?"

Even Fury had to admit that it was fun watching Vane's face pale and hear him elicit a feral growl. Star giggled.

"I take it you all met before?"

Bride's lips twitched before she answered. "Yes we met at the Peltier's thanksgiving dinner a few years ago, didn't we Vane?" she added pointedly and Vane's face cleared at once now he knew where his wife would remember Sasha from. Bride shook her head.

"Nice to see you again, Sasha," she said sweetly and was then pulled on to Vane's lap, Star and Bride exchanged purely female looks; possessiveness was wonderful in small doses.

The day moved on and Fury watched with interest the interaction and by-play between the mated couples(he decided maybe Sasha wasn't so bad), and the unmistakable feeling of loneliness swept over him and the delight of finding his sister was suddenly drowned out by his need for his mate.

Fury walked back to his pack that night and the lone wolf that he was sat alone beneath the stars, needing her desperately.

Come back, love. That was the message he howled to the moon hoping that wherever she was she would hear his heart calling for hers.

Faraway in a place Fury couldn't possibly reach, Charisma turned abruptly from speaking to Pride, her heart pounding wildly. He was calling for her ...