A/N: Wow guys! I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I uploaded anything! Well, here's a little update and look for more to come! Hope you enjoy it!


Roxas grit his teeth in annoyance as he wandered through the store. He was about thirty seconds away from throttling a certain red-head; for someone who said he didn't care how Roxas renovated the mansion the werewolf sure had a lot of objections. Finally, though, they had come up with a blueprint that they had both managed to agree on and they'd moved on to picking out furniture, wall paint, flooring and all the other necessities involved in renovations. At the moment, Zexion was out at the mansion showing a contractor what walls they were looking to knock down and Roxas was keeping his fingers crossed that they'd be given the go-ahead. The blond really didn't think he'd survive another revision session with Axel. He sighed and double-checked his list as the red-head dumped various paintbrushes into the cart.

"Are we ever going to discuss a color scheme?" Axel asked as he eyed color swatches.

"You don't get a say on colors," Roxas told him as he dumped a handful of sledgehammers into the cart. The blond wasn't even remotely kidding either. If the red-head had his way the mansion would look like some gothic haunted house. While Roxas showed a preference for darker colors he also realized that there was a right and wrong way to use them when decorating. Axel had not yet come to this conclusion.

"It's my house, too." Axel told him, lips quirking into a grin. Roxas hummed in acknowledgment.

"You wanted to paint the entryway black. Don't argue," the smaller man shot back. "Go pick out a sink for the second kitchen." Axel rolled his eyes but did as his mate ordered. Roxas sighed as he thought about all the work the house needed.

The common areas had managed to stay in fairly decent shape and the blond expected to have those in somewhat decent shape within the next few days. The rest of the house would definitely need work. Most of the flooring would need to be replaced, as would most of the drywall. Thank goodness for werewolf strength. And thank goodness for Pence, he thought as he watched the price on the register climbing higher and higher. With a single phone call, every store employee knew who he was and to give him a very good discount. Truth be told, it made Roxas' head spin a bit. Still, he mused as he watched red-hair bob back into view, he'd rather have complete strangers recognizing him and treating him like royalty than pay full price for a sledgehammer.

"The sink is on back-order. They'll call when it comes in," Axel announced as he sidled back up to Roxas. The blond hummed in agreement as he watched the teenager punch in the discount. Roxas quickly did the math in his head to make sure he was getting the full discount before handing over the credit card that Axel had given him two weeks ago. He was becoming more acclimated to using the small piece of plastic but that didn't mean that he wasn't keeping a running tally of every cent that he put on the card. He fully intended to pay back everything when he had the chance. And with Demyx and Zexion working in the store, it didn't seem like it would be too long before he could pay Axel back.

With Demyx's personable ways mixed with Zexion's business sense, the store had been bringing in more customers than ever. Demyx, completely excited about having a job for the first time in years, was planning to completely revamp the store. The last Roxas had heard, Demyx was still trying to decide between Midnight Series and Wolf's Bane Books – neither of which impressed Zexion. Roxas merely wondered when he had lost so much control over his life. Shoving his purchased goods into the trunk of his beat up old vehicle, the blond shoved the thought out of his mind and thought about what to make for dinner.

Roxas was surprised at how everything was coming together. The new recruits were fitting in nicely, the house was nearly finished – the common areas still needed a little work and Roxas and Axel had yet to come to an agreement on the wall color for their room ("No black, Axel. NO!") - but it seemed like life was finally settling down. It wasn't until Sora and Riku's next check-in visit that everything would go to hell in a hand-basket.

Roxas had been minding his own business, just reviewing paint samples and pondering on the utterly ridiculous names – hugs & kisses? Seriously? - when his cell rang. If he had known then what it would be a harbinger of, he never would have answered it. As it was, he merely saw his beloved baby brother's name flash across the caller id and had answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Hey, Rox! How's everything going?" Sora asked eagerly.

"Hi, Sora. Everything is going well. Namine is mentoring the newer wolves on how to control their abilities while Axel and Lexaeus train the wolves in hand-to-hand and...uh, paw-to-paw combat," Roxas joked. Sora snickered at the pun. "Anyway," the blond continued, "you should stop by and check it out sometime. The house is really coming along well."

"Actually, that was part of the reason I was calling. We wanted to stop by and check up on everyone. Is next weekend too soon?" Sora asked. Roxas quickly ran through his mental checklist. There was nothing pressing with the house (thank goodness for werewolf strength) and with Demyx and Zexion pretty much having taken over the store, there was nothing for Roxas to worry about.

"Nope. See you then! Oh, wait! What was your other reason for calling?" Roxas asked.

"I'll tell you when I see you!" Sora promised. "See you next weekend!" he called cheerfully. Roxas rolled his eyes but hung up his cellphone with a smile.

"You're awfully happy," Axel murmursed as he nuzzled into the blond's neck from behind. Roxas merely chuckled when the werewolf grumbled at the fact that his mate hadn't jumped in shock at his sudden appearance. The red-head had sulked for days when he first figured out that he could no longer take Roxas by surprise but he had gotten over it...mostly.

"Sora and Riku are coming for a visit," Roxas shared. "They're gonna check in next weekend to see how everyone is doing with the change." The blond turned in his mate's arms and gave him a hug.

"You really missed your brother, huh?" Axel asked softly. Roxas nodded silently before adding,

"I thought he was dead... That hurt so much. And then to find out he was alive the entire time – it was like someone socked me in the gut. I couldn't breath, it hurt, it...it was like the biggest betrayal ever." Roxas confessed. Feeling the red-head stiffen in his arms, the smaller man peered up at his mate.

"So you're saying that families deserve the right to know when their loved ones are alive, even if they're monsters?" Axel asked softly.

"Monsters wouldn't worry about saving humanity from psychotic werewolves," Roxas shot back.

"But you are saying that I should let my family know I'm alive," Axel clarified. Roxas slipped from his mate's embrace and gave him a shrug.

"I'm saying it's your decision," he stated as he turned back to his paint samples. Now, spirit whisper or bath salts?

"Hey Roxas?" The blond hummed but didn't look up from his book. "Rooooooxas." The man grunted but continued reading. He was relatively certain that they were being plagued by a Nargun but he was still researching. "Roxas!"

"What, Demyx?" The blond sighed before letting the book drop to the table with a 'thud'. Demyx paused his incessant fiddling before turning away.

"Nothing," he muttered. Roxas breathed deeply through his nose, hog-tying his anger before returning to his book. Patience was required when dealing with wolves. They were so freaking moody. But he had a more pressing issue – how the hell was he going to help Axel fight a beast that was able to take any weapon directed against it and turn it back on its owner? Roxas sighed and continued reading.

"Roxas?" Demyx asked again. The smaller blond set his book back down and looked at his friend. "Do you ever wonder if wolves break their imprints?" he questioned. The query caught the blond off-guard.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he pushed the book aside. Demyx turned and faced the younger man.

"I'm asking if it's possible for a werewolf to incorrectly imprint." Demyx stated. Roxas felt himself go cold at the mere thought. What if he wasn't really Axel's mate?

"Uh," Roxas cleared his throat. "Um, what makes you think that?" Demyx sighed as he flopped into the chair next to his friend before smacking his head against the table with a groan. Deciding that this was the only answer he'd be receiving, Roxas did his best to answer Demyx's question. "Well, from everything that I read, it doesn't seem likely. It is possible for them to find another mate and, if the new bond is stronger, they'll break the bond with their first mate."

"What happens then?" Demyx asked tiredly, his voice muffled by the table. Roxas shrugged, not wanting to tell the blond that if Zexion had found a mate with a stronger bond it would most likely cost Demyx his life – werewolves didn't believe in divorce.

"I don't think you have to worry about it. Zexion is crazy about you," Roxas assured.

"We got lazy," Demyx muttered. "You can't get lazy in love," he sighed before standing and leaving the library. Roxas watched him leave without a word, his heart sinking into his stomach.

After the musician left, Roxas tried to focus on his Nargun research but it was no use. All he could concentrate on was the look of utter despair and defeat on his friend's face. With a groan, he pushed away his book of Gunai folklore and went in search of Zexion.

What the hell was going on?

~Review~