"I like that one," Melody said, pointing at the nail polish bottle across the table.

I grabbed the pretty red color. "This one?" I asked. She nodded with a smile. "I like this one too. It's very grown up."

It's been about 6 months since we confronted the Volturi. The quiet was a little unsettling at first, but after very, very thorough patrols for the first month and a half, I think we'd all decided that we were wasting too much time on waiting for them to possibly retaliate. And then by the two month mark, we all kind of collectively unclenched.

All was good on the Rez. There was peace. It was almost brand new, in a way. Because it wasn't just us existing by ourselves anymore; we'd made allies along the way. We'd made friends. Shifters from all over were welcome to stop by at any time. Sometimes it was to have a safe space to rest, sometimes it was just to say hi before they moved on. It's exactly how I always thought it should be. What we always talked about. We got to exist in the world and for each other.

I was painting Melody's nails on the living room floor in my and Wyatt's house. She was telling me about how excited she was to be going into 7th grade in a couple of months. Not her 12th birthday coming up, but 7th grade. Middle school. Long gone were the days where she was watching Doc McStuffins in my lap before pack meetings. She was almost a teenager. And she was absolutely beautiful. Her voluminous hair fell in tight waves, and she had Mama's hazel eyes like Will. She was tall too, I guess that's just good genes.

Anyway, my point is that my little baby sister is blossoming into her own person and it's been so beautiful to watch. She still never phased and I honestly am so happy about that. Melody was able to have a normal life; she had two very best friends named Delaney and Lennox, she loved to draw and paint, and she danced when she walked. Every time I looked at her, I thanked the ancestors for sending me back. So I could watch her grow up. I want to see who she becomes. Because who she is right now is perfect and I know that she will always be that.

The door swung open. A rowdy and sweaty Wyatt and August came through the door, practically buzzing from a good training session. "You almost caught up to me this time," Wyatt said, an impressive lilt in his voice.

"You already know I'll be faster than you soon, old man," August joked as he made his way to the refrigerator. He pulled out a water bottle and downed it in seconds. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before smiling bright at me and Melody. "Look at these two angels on earth."

Wyatt rolled his eyes at his brother as he walked over to us. "We'll stay out of your hair," he promised. He kissed me quickly on the lips before placing a kiss on top of Melody's head. I looked at my sister and her face was reddened like never before.

"How was training?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from Melody.

"I'm getting too good for him," August said, smug.

"You're only good because you learned from the best," Wyatt shot back, shoving his brother playfully. Melody and I laughed at their antics as August tried to get Wyatt to wrestle with him. "You staying the night tonight, little song?"

"Yeah, I was thinking about it, if that's alright," Melody said, her voice small.

"Oh shit, why don't we do movie night like we used to?" August suggested, sitting on the floor between me and Melody. He picked up her hand casually, looking at the color before dropping it back on the table. "That's a pretty color, songbird. We can get everyone over here in a quick second."

"That actually does sound like fun," I said. "What do you think, Grey?"

He shrugged. "I could be down for that. You gotta get everyone here though, Aug."

"Done and done, big bro," August said, shooting to his feet. He rustled Melody's hair and winked at me before running out of the front door.

Wyatt chuckled and shook his head. "He's got too much energy for his own good," he commented. "I'm going to jump in the shower. Do you guys need anything?"

"No, we're good, babe," I assured him. Melody had grown so quiet and was still beat red, even after Wyatt left the room. "What is with you?" I laughed.

Her eyes widened. "Nothing!"

I studied her face and her body language. The fact that she was holding her hands in a certain way and shifting uncomfortably. "Mel," I sang. "Do you have a little crush on August?"

She froze. I could hear her heart start to beat a little fast. And her face flushed again. "No," she decided. My eyebrow raised in challenge. She pursed her lips as if she was willing herself not to say anything else. "Is that stupid? I know he's, like, too old and stuff. And he's Wyatt's brother, you know? You and Wyatt are practically married so I feel like that would be weird. And he's Will's best friend. So everything about it is a no. But he's just so…"

I nodded with a small smile on my face. "It's not stupid, sweetie. It's a crush; everyone gets crushes," I told her. "There's definitely something about those Cameron boys, that's for sure…"

XXXXXXXXX

"Well, look what the wind blew in," I called, holding my hand out to block the sun from my eyes. I had heard their car come up the drive and the familiar purr of the engine made me bolt to my feet. Standing on the front porch, I watched as Travis, Reese, and Cassie climbed out of the little blue Camry. Cassie and Reese had been splitting their time between here and Meridian for the past 6 months. They were wildly happy. And they were together. They'd found an incredible harmony within each other, it was amazing to see.

Cassie ran up the porch and our bodies collided as she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. "I have been waiting for this hug for two weeks," she said. She let me go. "August called and said something about movie night?"

"Melody and Wyatt are making snacks right now," I told her as Travis and Reese came up the steps. I gave a hug to both of them. "It'll be just like old times," I grinned.

"Weren't your boys fightin' and wrestlin' the whole movie last time?" Reese asked, an easy smirk on her face. "I seem to remember not finishing The Matrix."

"Funny how you remember that," Travis commented. "I remember you being quite distracted that night."

Reese rolled her eyes as Cass tried not to smile. Cassie kissed her cheek gently. "It was a perfect night," she said to Reese. Then she turned to me. "Do you need help with anything?"

I shook my head. "Go and make yourselves comfortable," I told her, hugging her one more time. Cassie and Reese went inside, hand in hand. And Travis stopped right in front of me. "It's good to see you, doctor," I poked at his side.

He chuckled. "I have a long ways from being a doctor, darlin'."

"In my head, you've already won the Nobel Prize," I shrugged. "How's everything on your side?"

"All good," he reported. "Nomad sightings are down to a rare few a month. Usually, by the time I get wind of it, a group has already run it off to god knows where. We've got a very effective little system goin'."

So, after we got back to Volterra, the boys and I had a big sit down to figure out what was next. We were all aware of the altering ramifications of if Travis and I were to exist in the same space for too long. There was a reason why we were born on opposite sides of the country; it could have been opposite sides of the world. We got lucky. We were meant to be working together in some capacity.

We worked out a system. We split the shifters down the middle; Travis and Reese handled the east and Wyatt, Nate, and I handled the west. We checked in with each other every single week. And we still saw each other every couple of months. It was about as perfect as I could have imagined. "Well, let's enjoy the quiet while we have it," I said with a small sigh. Then I peeked up. "Actually, you wanna take a walk with me? I have something for you."

"Let's do it."

I ran inside to grab something really quick in the keys plate next to the front door. Next to the picture of me and Wyatt at the twins' bonfire birthday.

We walked all the way to the main road of the reservation. He was telling me about this girl he met in his animal psychology class; he had this dreamy look in his eyes and he kept bashfully running his hands through his hair. "You are so smitten," I gasped. We made our way down to the end of the road. "What's her name?"

"Lauren," he answered.

"You gonna ask her out on a date?"

He sighed. "I…shouldn't. I have so much to do. Between shifter stuff and school and everything else, I just don't know…"

"Hey," I stopped him. He was looking at the ground. I put a supportive hand on his arm. "You can't pour from an empty cup, Trav. And you can't give everyone else their chance to be happy if you aren't giving that to yourself. Ask her out. It's not her hand in marriage, it's just dinner or a movie or whatever you want. Ok?"

He thought about it for a second, not saying anything.

"Just think about it," I said. We stopped in front of the shed at the house the Holts used to live in all those years ago. "Ok, close your eyes for a second."

Travis looked at me like I was crazy. But he did it anyway. "What are you up to?"

"Here's what I want you to do," I said, opening the shed doors. "Imagine picking up the girl of your dreams in this." I yanked the tarp off of the little red Mustang that he'd left behind all those years ago. He opened his eyes and laughed triumphantly. "It took a little longer to get her up and running than I wanted, but she's absolutely beautiful, if I do say so myself."

The Mustang was freshly washed, and I'd finally finished the engine maybe 3 months ago. I even had Dad come out to do the inspection. He was very impressed, to say the least. "This is insane, Hadley. You did this?" Travis ran a hand over the red paint. "Does it run?"

"Of course, it does," I said, faking offense. I held up the keys before tossing them to him. "These are for you."

"I can't believe you really finished it," he breathed. He looked a little teary eyed. "It looks just like my dad's."

He sat in the driver's side and patted the bucket seat so I could sit next to him. He put the key in the ignition and grinned when it turned over with ease. We sat in the car quietly, feeling the gentle vibrations of the engine running. "Thank you," he whispered.

I shrugged. "It was fun."

"No, I mean…for everything," he said. "Knowing you has been nothing short of a roller coaster, but I can't imagine it any other way." He looked at me with soft eyes. "You changed my life, Hadley."

"You changed mine," I agreed. "I used to wonder if we'd find a way to each other without my nosy ancestors stepping in. And I think we would have one way or another. It may have taken a little longer without them, but I just…I think, taking away all of the supernatural things, we were meant to be friends."

"Family," he corrected, bumping my shoulder. "We were meant to be family."

I leaned over and hugged him, pressing our cheeks together. He smelled woodsy. He hugged me back, letting the electrical currents pass through us. "I love you, Trav."

"I love you too."

I blinked away the little tears in my eyes as I pulled away. "Come on, we better get back. We wouldn't want to be late for movie night."

When we got back to the house, everyone was there. Wyatt and his brothers were grilling some food, Nate and his brother Alex were playing video games on the couch while Montana talked to Cass and Reese. I could hear Cameron and Gabriel in the back with my brother and sister. "Trav," Reese called, waving him over.

The energy in the room was the lightest it had been since before the boys started phasing. My heart was practically bursting out of my chest, in the best ways. Watching everyone laughing and enjoying our time together was something that could never be replicated. All I could do was stand there and take it all in.

"How does the sun feel on your skin these days?" I heard Cass ask behind me. She wrapped her arms around my torso and rested her

chin on my shoulder.

"Like heaven," I told her, relaxing into the embrace.

So we all found space on the couch and on the blanket covered floor for a timeless tradition we all loved. "Wait, what are we watching?" Cass asked as she plopped down next to Reese in a big leather chair.

"Suicide Squaaaad," Hunter whooped.

"Yo, no fighting in the house or you're pulling extra patrols for a month," Wyatt warned, draping an arm around me as he sat down. He put a bag of sour patch kids in my lap and reached in to grab two blue ones. Travis sat on the other side of me, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. And on the other side of Wyatt was Nate and Montana, already cuddled up. "Before we start though, just one quick thing. Look over here at me."

Everyone stopped what they were doing to turn to me, Wyatt, and Nate. I let Wyatt speak first. "So some things are going to be a little different after this week," he started.

"This will actually be the last movie night we have before the Bond," Nate announced. I caught my brother's eye from the floor; Will looked proud.

"Obviously, we tried it before and it didn't work," I said, "but a lot has changed and I think we're all in a great space to take this step. This also means that Mom and Dad will be stepping down as soon as it's over."

Nate jumped in, "We don't want this to change anything. We're not trying to be Big Bad Alphas or anything like that."

"We want to go into this new phase of the pack with honesty and trust," Wyatt declared.

"We've all come a long way from being just a little junior pack. We're stronger together, let's keep it that way," I finished.

I could tell they had questions but they were mostly just excited that we were about to take over for real this time. Tomorrow morning, the three of us would go our separate ways to fast and reflect and prepare for what's to come. But that is tomorrow's problem. Right now, our job is to be with our family and be present.

XXXXXXXXX

Wyatt dropped my duffel bag and Melody's backpack by the front door of my childhood home that next morning with a big sigh. Melody gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, Wyatt," she said, opening the front door.

"It's no problem, Mel," he winked. She grabbed her backpack and ran inside.

Wyatt wrapped both of his big, strong arms around me. "I wish you could stay," I pouted.

"Me too, baby," he said, ducking down to kiss me. His lips were soft and warm like pillows. "After today, we can spend a whole week in bed, just the two of us."

"That sounds perfect," I grinned up at him. His dimples showed as he smiled back at me. "I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

"Before the break of dawn," he confirmed. "I'll be butt naked and praying I won't get struck by lightning…again."

"Third time's the charm," I giggled. I rested my head on his chest and just listened to his heart beat for a minute.

He rubbed my back. "Alright, baby, I have to go."

I shook my head. "One more minute."

I wanted to remember us just like this. Before this supernatural shift changed things. I wanted to remember Hadley and Wyatt exactly as they were, just two kids who fell in love. Two friends who always knew there was something more. Two mates. Two humans.

He pressed his nose into my hair. He let out a deep breath. "We did it, Ace," he said. "We made it."

"Finally."

Wyatt kissed my forehead then my nose then my lips. "Tomorrow's the first day of the rest of our lives. Are you ready?"

"More than anything."

XXXXXXXXX

On the morning of the Bond, I sat on the floor between my mother's legs once again as she braided my hair into two braids. Only this time, I was feeling a very quiet confidence that I couldn't even fake the first time around. Mama was humming this old Quileute song as she worked. "Are you sure you're ready for this, lovebug?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I said. "I'm actually excited."

"Yeah?" She tied the end off with a rubber band before starting on the other side.

"It's almost like…if we can make it through everything that happened last year, we can do anything, you know? Since I've been back, I just feel so much more comfortable in my own skin than I ever have." I paused. "I'm not afraid anymore."

I could hear the smile in her voice as she said, "You were born fearless, little one." She finished the other braid and then joined me on the floor. She took my hand in hers and I could tell she was feeling a little emotional. "I think all of that fear came from me."

My brows furrowed. "What do you mean, Mama?"

"Oh, my sweet girl," she sighed. "When you were born, you didn't cry. That was terrifying for me and your father. And, because you've always been able to feel what we feel, you started to cry when you felt us panic about something being wrong. So we always tried to be careful that you weren't taking on too much of our fear as parents. Because that's not your burden to bear. But I think, over the years, I just wasn't as good at hiding it. Especially after you started coming into your own as a wolf. And now…all of my fears have already come true."

I didn't say anything. I knew exactly what she meant. Losing a child is probably the worst thing a parent can experience.

"There was nothing I could have done to save you that day and I understand that now. Having you back has been the most wonderful gift they could have given us. Now you're about to step into a brand new challenge for yourself. Bonding is hard. But letting go all of that fear—yours, mine, and the world's—is even harder." she said before repeating, "You were born fearless. Don't ever forget that."

I nodded as I processed her words. Then I met her gaze and asked, "If you could do it all over again, would you change anything?"

The corners of her mouth turned up. "No," she stood firm. The same answer as before. "Would you?"

"No." I didn't even hesitate. She beamed at me, her hazel eyes twinkling and teary. She hugged me tight, our hearts beating in sync.

So I hiked to the tallest cliff with my mother and father by my side. Dad was holding my hand as we walked. When we reached the top, Wyatt was waiting with Uncle Jared, both standing proud and tall. And Nate was waiting with Sam. I met Sam's eye and he nodded to me, a silent acknowledgment. His feelings are more important than my legacy, he projected only to me. You were absolutely right.

Grandma Sue and Grandpa Billy were waiting patiently, dressed in Native garb, holding our sacred texts to their bodies. Without a spoken word, the three of us undressed completely and stood in a drawn circle in the dirt. Strip completely of worldly material and stand within the elements.

We all took a deep breath as Grandma and Grandpa started to chant in native Quileute tongue. The language was dying; these chants were practically all we had left. Dad came into the circle with the dagger clenched in his left hand.

"Wait! Hold on," we heard from above. Wyatt, Nate, and I looked up to find the familiar voice. Like two angels, Kaya and Ephraim appeared before us in their garb, holding hands. They were glowing. "I told you we'd make it in good time," she boasted to Ephraim.

"You were the one taking forever to get dressed, angel, not me," Ephraim chuckled.

Kaya rolled her eyes before looking at the three of us. Then at everyone else. "We wanted to see all of you before you step into your new roles," she smiled. "Another generation of Bonded Alphas is about to emerge. We couldn't miss that."

"Let us continue," Ephraim said, "before we lose time."

Grandpa Billy looked at us. "Are we ready?" he asked.

I glanced to my left at Nate. He had a triumphant smirk on his face, holding his chin high. Then to my right at Wyatt. He had that mischievous glint in his eye. "You ready for this?" I asked them.

"Pfft, this is light work," Nate remarked.

"Three Alphas for one pack? It's legendary," Wyatt shrugged.

"Revolutionary," I agreed. I turned my head to my grandparents. "We're ready."

Dad came into the circle with the dagger clenched in his left hand. He grabbed Nate's right hand and cut carefully down the middle of his palm. He did the same thing with my left hand, then my right into my scar, Wyatt's left in his scar, then right, then Nate's left hand. We all held our palms upward as they bled. Dad stepped out of the dirt circle. "Please join hands," Mama's voice was full of authority and full of support.

Our family—my parents, Wyatt and Nate's fathers, my grandparents, and our ancestors—began to chant as the sun peaked over the horizon. This is their legacy. We are their legacy. And one day, if we're lucky, we'll get to do this for our legacy and so on and so on until forever. We were history.

And as light emitted from our hands and up into the sky, we all felt almost giddy in knowing that we would be…

Bonded for life.