The wind bit at my neck as I trudged through the snow, and it wasn't until I was nearly five blocks away that I realized I'd left my scarf on his couch. I knew where I was going without even thinking about it. I didn't really know Nathan's older brothers, only that they were seniors when I was a freshman, which made them about twenty by now. They were triplets, and lived in their own house on Catherine street. They moved there when Nathan's parents died a couple years back, and although one of the brothers fought for guardianship, Nathan ended up living with his aunt and uncle anyway.

I'd only met this one brother once, when he picked us up after school one day, but even then it was only a few short words in greeting, and that was over a year ago. So why, you ask, am I rushing to their house at nearly ten o'clock at night? I have no idea. But I knew I had to talk to somebody. I had to tell somebody. I couldn't just let him stay in a house full of people that hated him. Because they did, Jared hated him, absolutely hated him, and suddenly they were sitting in his house together? Something just wasn't right.

I stopped short when I reached his brother's house. All the lights were on, but what would she say when they opened the door? Oh hi, your brother has new friends. That just sounded pathetic. No, I would warn them. Tell them something was wrong. Ask them to check it out. I had to.

When I knocked on the door, it swung open almost immediately. My body was covered in the bright lights from the house, and I had to blink few times to adjust. I'm not sure which of his brothers had answered, but he looked down on me with cold green eyes. I took a moment to take him all in. His hair was messy and wild, and hung in a dark wavy mess around his shoulders. Muscles erupted from his chest, stretching out the fabric of his deep green shirt, his jeans dragging on the floor. He didn't need to say anything, with one look at his face I could read his question loud and clear, 'who the hell are you?'

"A-are you Matt?" I ask, his brother's name shooting into my mind. Matt was the one who wanted to have guardianship of him, he was the one I met once. I realize this is a stupid question, and change my tactics. "It's about Nathan." I say, and this time his face changes. With narrowed eyes he surveys the lawn behind me and moves aside to let me inside. Without thinking, I pace into the house, warmth covering me and caressing me like a good friend.

"Matt!" The man yells into the house, but gets no response. Cursing, he grunts something about having a seat and charges up the stairs. Lingering for a moment, I find my way to the living room and perch myself on the edge of the couch. I think about unzipping my jacket and letting the warm air fill every inch of me, but instead I leave it. The room looks like it could be homey and comforting, but for some reason it's not. There were no pictures on the wall, no lamps or plants or art. But the walls were a nice blue color, and the couches were comfy. I look out the window to where the snow was starting to come down hard.

Just as I'm getting comfortable, the man from the door comes back into the room and I jump. Only, it's not the brother from the door, it's a different one. He wears nothing but a pair of long pajama pants, and my eyes find the muscles of his chest and arms as he enters the room, taking a big swig from the carton of orange juice he carries. Without paying any attention to me, he strolls over to the cough opposite me and flicks on the TV before flopping onto the couch. My eyes linger on the set of his jaw, the sharp pierce his eyes gave off as he watched the news, and before I had a chance to look away, his brilliant green eyes catch mine and he smirks. It's a knowing smirk, one that I imagine he gives a lot. It means I'm just like every other girl. It means he's caught me checking him out. It means he finds my blush humorous. His eyes trail down my body before coming back to meet mine.

"You must be Chase." He says, eyes twinkling. He doesn't offer to shake my hand, or give me his name, but he does hold out his orange juice. Shaking my head at his offer, I wonder just how often Nathan talked about me. Shrugging he took another swig of his juice, his eyes staying on me.

"Knock it off, Damien." Another man comes into the room. Matt. He recognizes me right away, and offers a small smile. "Nice to see you again." he says, but I can't tell if he's just being polite or not. My eyes shift to the man who opened the door, who now leaned in the doorway, surveying me, not wanting me here. I was unwelcome. I was being intrusive. I felt red cover my cheeks again and focused my eyes on Matt.

"Can I talk to you about Nathan?" I ask sheepishly, still trying to figure out what I'm going to say.

"What's wrong with him?" Panic bursts through both Matt and Damien's voices all at once. Damien even abandons his juice carton and sits up, leaning in towards me.

"Well, uh," I start, but I wasn't expecting this response. I wasn't expecting all this pressure. Coming here was a huge mistake. "I went to his house earlier, just now, I just came from there actually, and well, I was going to well that doesn't matter I guess but Sam was there and-" Matt cuts me off quickly, his eyes locking with mine in such a fierce way it scared me.

"Tyler." Matt's voice is a worried command, and without saying another word, the man who answered the door was flying out of it.

"Fuck." Damien seethes, his voice rising with anger, and I jump as his fist collides with the living room wall. What kind of gang war shit had I gotten into?

"I should take you home." Matt says, his eyes were on me but I could tell his mind was somewhere else, calculating a million things at once. Suddenly I felt surrounded by secrets. Without saying another word, he leads me out into his car, one arm wrapped protectively around my back. He didn't pull me in close, or share his warmth with me, but he seemed to be holding me for a different reason. As if he'd need to push me down at a moments notice. Damien strolled on the other side of me, looking relaxed but his eyes were scanning the surrounding trees. It wasn't until I was sitting in Matt's big SUV that I had a minute to breathe. What the hell had just happened?

We pulled up outside my house minutes later, and I hesitated before getting out of the car. We were covered in darkness and for some reason it didn't really feel very safe. When Damien yanked open the door and offered me his hand, I took it. Once outside, I felt the pressure lift from my shoulders. Like the intensity from the car was gone and now it was all peace. Damien rushed me to my door, but didn't glance at me once on the way. His eyes were trained on the trees next to my house. We hadn't had a problem with the woods for a while. But before I can tell him that we're standing on my porch.

I realize that I have questions, lots of them, for starters, what the hell was going on? But before I could answer them, Damien sends me a smile and for the first time I realize he'd come this whole way without his shirt. A blush covers my face again and he stuffs his hands in the pockets of his pants. "See you tomorrow kid." He says, and jogs back to his car. I watch them drive down the block and turn the corner before I open the door to my own house. My parents are away, and the dark, silence of his house scares me for. I flick on the lights and settle down onto the couch before Damien's words sink in.

See you tomorrow.

A/N~ Here's a hint guys! Nathan's brothers are NOT shape shifters/ wolves. BUT they ARE something else.