Aidan awoke early in the morning to the sweet and enticing smell of pancakes. It was the only thing that could potentially lure him out from under the warm covers in one of the bedrooms of the safe house. After what felt like ages, his body and mind finally felt refreshed, turbocharged and ready to go. The much-needed sleep had done him good, especially after the whirlwind events of the past few nights.

He lazily stretched in bed before slowly getting up and heading to the bathroom to wash up and get ready. Just as he finished changing, he heard a knock on the door. Gavin called anxiously, "Aidan?"

After his little misadventure with the vampires three days ago, Gavin was adamant about not letting Aidan out of his sight, not even for one second. As much as he appreciated his brother's protectiveness, it bordered on the point of absurdity when, on the first night, he had to chase his brother out of the bathroom for some much-needed privacy.

"No one's gonna kidnap me off the toilet bowl!" Aidan had yelled through the locked door, to which Gavin replied, "With your crappy luck, how can you be so sure?"

On the second night, when Gavin had come into his room, he'd sat his big brother down on the dressing table stool, firmly telling him that he would be sleeping alone in his room from now on. Gavin had not been a happy camper.

Third day in and still forced to deal with the overprotective werewolf standing outside his bedroom, Aidan sighed before calling out, "I'm almost ready. I'll be out in a sec."

He found Gavin in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. Hailey and Tyler were seated at the little breakfast table in the kitchen, already munching on pancakes. Hailey was dressed in simple jeans and a long-sleeved blouse, her long black hair pulled into a braid. Looking at her plate, Aidan bit his lip to hide a knowing smile. It didn't escape his notice that Hailey's stack of pancakes was the only one that came with sliced strawberries and a large dollop of whipped cream.

Tyler, in his usual sweatpants and matching sweatshirt, was engrossed in drowning his pancake in maple syrup. "Gross," Hailey said, making a face. Tyler smirked and added another large dollop of the golden liquid to his plate in response.

Aidan liked Tyler Smith. The man's nickname was the Gentle Giant, and he perfectly embodied its meaning, always playing the peacemaker amongst the various members of his clan, likewise being the first to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.

Aidan had made it a point to personally thank Tyler for what he'd done back at the cottage, but the big man had merely brushed it off, saying, "Unnecessary fighting benefits no one, right?" Aidan was glad at least someone other than him thought that way too.

Gavin brought another tall stack of freshly made pancakes to the table for his brother. 'No strawberries or whipped cream. Damn, Gavin! I now know where I stand in your priorities list!', Aidan thought with sly humour.

"This reminds me of old times," he remarked, earning a chuckle from Gavin. When they were younger, his brother always made the best weekend breakfasts. It was his way of getting the younger boy out of bed early. But as he grew older, Aidan realised that the incredible breakfasts always preceded being assigned mundane chores around the house.

Gavin joined Aidan at the table, opting for chocolate sauce over maple syrup for his topping. While munching, he asked his younger brother, "Have you packed?"

"Yeah, it's not like I have much to pack to begin with."

Gavin nodded before looking at Hailey. She rolled her eyes and answered before he could ask, "Yeah, yeah, I've packed my ridiculously small number of belongings already. How long did you think it'd take to throw my toothbrush into a bag?"

In return, Gavin gave her a sheepish smile, "Right, so we'll leave once I've packed my stuff."

Tyler indignantly said, "I reminded you to pack last night!"

"Procrastination is my middle name."

"Can you be a little more specific about our destination? Europe is a huge place, you know?" Hailey tried once more to wheedle the information out of Tyler, with no luck. "You'll know when you're there," he replied with a quirky smile, which Hailey returned with a magnificent eye roll.

Aidan frowned at the three of them. "I still don't think Hailey should be dragged into all this." Seated across from him, his friend reached out to hold his hand. "We've been through this already, Aidan. I'll be safer with you guys than on my own, considering the shifters and vampires are clamouring to get their claws into me, no pun intended. Oh, and let's not forget Robert's people too." Hailey didn't hide her excitement as a slow smile lifted the corners of her lips, "Plus, I get to visit a castle!"

Funnily enough, Hailey was the only one who seemed excited about their trip to another continent. Gavin didn't bother hiding his apathy, while the ordinarily jovial Tyler seemed tense and on edge at having to go home, which Aidan thought was extremely odd considering the big werewolf had been confined in prison for nearly five months by Robert. Aidan was tempted to ask but decided at the last moment not to be nosy. If Tyler ever wanted to, he could always tell them himself.

It was about an hour after breakfast when a group of thirty-odd people in multiple vehicles headed to the local airport. Other werewolves, many of them captives of Robert, were finally travelling home after their gruelling imprisonment.

In what could only be the tensest car ride he'd ever been forced to endure, Aidan, along with Gavin and Hailey, were grouped with Andy, Charlie and Brandon in one of the SUVs. Andy drove, Gavin alongside in the front passenger seat, staring intensely out the window. Aidan and Hailey were in the middle row, while Charlie and Brandon chose the back row seats. Five minutes went by in pin-drop silence before Charlie cleared his throat in preparation to speak, his lips already parting.

"Shut up, Charlie," Gavin's voice carried over from the front.

"I didn't say anything!"

"You were going to."

"You don't know that." Charlie's tone was defensive.

Gavin snorted loudly; his cynicism apparent. "Unfortunately, I do. Now shut up".

Charlie was all geared up to sulk at how he was being treated, and feeling retaliatory, brashly announced, "Well, you can't stop me from talking. My mouth is my own, and I'll say what I want."

Under normal circumstances, Gavin was a laid-back kind of guy who wouldn't bother with the provocations of others. He was more likely to roll his eyes or make a joke rather than pick a fight. These days, however, the presence of any one of these three werewolves in the vicinity seemed to be the catalyst that brought out the worst in him.

And right at that moment, he was stuck with all three of them in the small confines of a vehicle. Gavin could feel the rising figurative heat from Charlie's unintentional attempt at making his blood boil. He barked out, "Charlie, don't make me come over there and punch your teeth out."

Andy, who had until that moment, decided not to interfere, felt that it had gone too far and proceeded to admonish Gavin authoritatively. "Don't talk to him like that."

Too bad Gavin wasn't in the mood to back down. "Or what?"

In the back row, Brandon could see the direction the conversation was about to take and tried, rather poorly, to steer it into calmer waters. "Guys, there's no need to argue. I mean, we're still two hours away from the airport."

Gavin threw up his hands in building frustration, "Then why the hell did you choose to ride in the same car?! This was bound to happen!"

Andy said, "I wanted to talk—"

"And I've made it crystal clear that I don't want anything to do with all of you!" By now, Gavin's voice had risen a few decibels, unable to deal with the idiocy of the three wolves.

Seated in the middle, Hailey and Aidan were seemingly forgotten by the four werewolves, silent observers of a very private argument. Judging from Hailey's frantic foot-tapping, Aidan wasn't the only one feeling trapped by the tension in the air.

Charlie tried to say, "Gavin, we're sorry for making you suffer through the change—"

"You don't get to say sorry! I won't forgive you! Never!" Gavin yelled loudly, no longer trying to maintain the shred of composure he'd been holding on to for his brother and Hailey's sakes. Aidan felt his own emotions begin to twist about like an out-of-control rollercoaster ride. His brother looked so vulnerable and so hurt, something Aidan had never seen before. Gavin had always been the strong one, always smiling, while he'd been the emotional baby of the family.

After hearing Gavin's words, Andy looked crushed, as if someone had told him the world was about to end. In a pleading, scratchy voice filled with remorse, he tried to tell Gavin, "It's my fault. I was the one who made the decision to talk to the Clan Head, so you shouldn't hold it against Charlie and Bran—"

"They were right there with you!" Gavin wouldn't be letting the other two off so easily.

"It was a mistake," Brandon admitted with open regret.

"Damn right it was!"

Watching his brother argue with the three men he once would have risked his life for, Aidan could feel an odd discomfort build up slowly in his chest, almost akin to a rubber band being pulled in opposing directions. It added another layer of unease in addition to his rolling emotions.

Charlie cried, "Please, we still care for you. We would never hurt you for real! We didn't even know the change would be so painful. It wasn't that way at all for the other halfling—"

"It doesn't matter anymore. I'm just, I can't accept anything you say."

Brandon tried to persuade, "We just want to make things right—"

"I can't...." Gavin's voice wavered. Gone was the anger. He was slouched on the front seat, rubbing a hand over his eyes. The band in Aidan's chest had dilated, stretched almost to breaking point. His own anger had grown in place of Gavin's diminishing one. He just wanted to hug his brother, to be his shield, but instead he was stuck in his seat behind Gavin.

Seated beside the hunched werewolf, Andy kept shooting concerned glances at Gavin while simultaneously trying to keep his eyes on the road. He said, "I regret making that decision, and I hate that I hurt you. Please, if you could just—"

Snap.

"ENOUGH!" Aidan roared with such ferocity that Hailey jerked upwards in fright, smashing her head on the soft padding of the car roof. Never before had she witnessed Aidan yell at anyone. Everyone but Gavin, who stared blankly out the front windscreen, turned to look at him in stunned silence. Even Andy was watching him through the rear-view mirror.

Aidan thundered on, "You're all so selfish! You wanted to make him one of you for your own benefit, but now you feel guilty about it, and it's eating you up, so what do you do? You hound your victim and try and weasel forgiveness out of him. Once again, it's all about you! All of you don't care how much hurt you've caused!"

Aidan paused to suck in some much-needed air, "Do you even understand why he can't forgive you? Do you understand what it is you've broken?"

Neither one of the three spoke up, at a loss for words. Aidan wanted to scream. 'How were these idiots so dense? How?' Instead, it was Gavin who said softly, "You keep thinking that I'm angry at you for causing physical pain. Yeah, the change from human to wolf hurt like hell, but that's not what hurts the most. The three of you trusted me with your secret, and in return, I placed all my trust in you. I was certain you guys would never harm me because, to me, it didn't matter if you were human or wolf. You were pretty much like family."

Gavin shook his head miserably. "I was so wrong. You broke my trust and took away my choice to decide what I wanted, whether to stay human or become like you. The betrayal is... it's just unbearable. I don't think words can express how deep the cut goes. But the scar's out there for all to see."

Charlie stared at the back of Gavin's head; his face scrunched up in confusion. "But you seemed to like everything about us being wolves. You even said you wished you were like us."

There was a soft sigh from the front. "That doesn't mean you don't need consent. You took away my right to choose. I had to leave everything behind, including my brother, because you didn't give me a chance to make any arrangements. My whole life was upended overnight!"

Gavin still felt the bitter sting of their selfish decision. "You guys were supposed to be on my side. You were supposed to be the ones to catch me if I fall, not the ones doing the shoving." He fell silent.

Aidan made sure to pour all his anger into his words as he said, "I think it's time you three learn to live with your regrets and leave my brother alone."

When the convoy finally disembarked at the small regional airport, Aidan and Hailey flanked Gavin in a show of solidarity as he walked away from the vehicle, leaving the three quiet wolves to deal with all their physical and metaphorical baggage.

Tyler fell in step with them. "Judging from all the sour faces, I take it the drive wasn't pleasant." Gavin half-heartedly glared at the tall wolf, "Asshole. Why'd you let them drive us here?"

"They wouldn't take no for an answer, plus you've been avoiding them for too long. I think you needed to reveal why you hate them, and they needed to accept the painful truth." Tyler drolly asked, "Was I wrong?"

Gavin sighed tiredly, agreeing begrudgingly with Tyler and hating him for being right. "I hate your twisted form of mediation."

They passed through airport checkpoints without a hitch, much to Aidan's relief, since he and Hailey were using fake identification papers provided by Tyler. Next, the group headed to a hangar, where two private jets were being readied for take-off.

"Why are there two planes?" Hailey asked curiously.

"Not everyone's going to clan headquarters," Tyler explained, "Most of the wolves are taking a short three-hour flight to the nearest clan stronghold, where one of the clan heads resides. He's in charge of more than half the real estate there."

"Oh, is it something like the safe house?"

"No, the safe house and a pretty large portion of the town is part of clan lands, but a clan stronghold is much, much bigger."

Aidan's curiosity piqued, "How much bigger?"

"Like, a city of eight million big."

The humans' mouths fell open. "Are you serious?!" Hailey's eyes were like round globes as she stared at Gavin in awe. "The wolves have money and power, like all other supernatural beings," he answered with a shrug. "New York is one of only two large cities under their absolute power, the other being Denver. The witches only have a single stronghold, which is San Francisco. Overall, the vampires control most of the lands here in the Americas, but where we're going, the wolves and the witches hold immense power."

"What about those shifters?"

"Their stronghold is in Asia, although there are groups scattered all over the world."

Hailey's mouth formed a little o-shape in surprise. "Grandma Fumiko used to tell me stories about animal spirits when I was a kid. Who knew it'd turn out to be real?"

The cabin of the private jet was far more luxurious than anything Aidan had ever experienced. For one thing, it was more spacious than he'd imagined possible, with sofa-style seating interspersed between oversized recliner-style chairs, each complete with its own side tables.

He snuggled into one of the recliners, sinking into the soft leather with an appreciative sigh of comfort. Gavin and Hailey chose the seats opposite him. Two others entered the cabin carrying all their hand-carry luggage, storing it away. Tyler was the last to enter, the tall wolf making a beeline for and occupying the seat adjacent to Aidan.

"Is it just the six of us going to HQ?" Gavin asked Tyler, who confirmed it. "I'm surprised they aren't coming along," Gavin said with a sneer, not hiding his animosity towards Andy, Charlie and Brandon. "The clan head needed them back at the stronghold, or else they'd probably have followed you," Tyler answered wryly.

Not long after, they were airborne and on their journey. Out of nowhere, Aidan suddenly felt exhausted. His mini anger blowout had been a first for him. He couldn't recall a time when he had ever felt such a building pressure of anger before. Now that he had time to cool down, he was astounded by his bravery and secretly proud of himself for standing up for Gavin. He gave himself a mental pat on the back before stifling a yawn.

Within minutes, he was struggling to keep his eyes open. All the emotional anger had zapped his energy levels down to near zero, and he quickly dozed off in his comfortable seat.

Tyler had gone to chat with the other two wolves several rows down. Gavin stood up from his seat and went in search of his hand carry, a sturdy black and green traveller's backpack he'd had since his college days. It had cost him a pretty penny back then but had withstood years of being trashed with barely a scratch. He returned to his seat and unzipped it, only to let out a curse.

Hailey looked from him to the bag. "What's up?"

"This isn't my bag." Gavin leaned his head back against the headrest, grumbling, "Andy and I have the same bag. We bought one each back in college. It must have gotten switched when they unloaded the car."

"Oh really?" Immediately, Hailey latched onto the bag, dragging it out of Gavin's lap and into her own.

"Hailey, for crying out loud, what do you think you're doing?"

"It's Andy's bag, and Andy's not here," she replied mischievously, the biggest smirk on her face. "I'm curious to know what Mr I'm In Charge carries in his backpack. Aren't you?" Gavin let out a soft laugh despite himself. Hailey had a way of cheering him up, even if it involved a small amount of invasion of privacy.

Hailey took his laugh as a go-ahead and began rummaging through the bag, pulling out items. There was nothing unusual in its contents; A wallet, wireless earbuds, a pack of mints, and a spare set of clothes. Then she pulled out a small photobook, the cover plain and uninspiring.

Bursting with curiosity, she flipped it open and paused. Smiling back at her in the first photo were four friends in a college dorm room, trying hard to squeeze themselves into the frame for their group selfie. Young and carefree, the poster boys of college student life.

"I can't believe he carries this around. That was taken in second year at our dorm. Andy and I shared a room. Charlie and Bran were across the hallway." Gavin leaned in for a closer look while Hailey continued looking through the photos of the four men as they documented and preserved their college years through a lens. Her eyes discreetly sought Gavin, paying attention to the shadow of a genuine smile and the flicker of hidden emotion that made itself visible in his eyes, although only for an almost imaginary second. It was replaced quickly by a mocking smile.

"You still feel something for them," she said gently. It was a statement, not a question.

Caught off guard, not expecting Hailey to see right through his act, he stared at her blankly for a moment, internally debating whether to rubbish her words. She returned the gaze without a trace of judgement in her open expression. It made him not want to lie to her.

"I try not to," he truthfully replied, "but sometimes, when I remember the good times, I miss what we had and it's hard to hold on to the anger."

She carefully placed a hand over Gavin's own to try and comfort him. "It's okay not to be angry forever, if it helps you heal."

Gavin nearly forgot his train of thought when he felt Hailey's warm fingers over his own. When she subconsciously began drawing circles with her thumb, his eyes almost fluttered closed. Forcing himself to focus on the conversation, he replied, "If I don't, I'll probably go soft on them, and that is always a bad thing." He sighed dramatically, "Who knows what other stupid plans they might involve me in."

"Yeah, they do deserve the cold shoulder for a little longer," she said, "although I think they've learnt their lesson. I highly doubt they won't have the common courtesy to ask before throwing someone off a cliff the next time."

He blinked in a stupor before grinning at her, "Did anyone ever tell you—"

"—That I have a painfully knife-bleeding sharp sense of humour?" She childishly stuck out her tongue at him, "Yeah, which also explains my intimately small number of friends."

"Luckily for you, I'm kind of loving your sense of humour."

A sudden rush of heat flooded her cheeks up to the tips of her ears. Looking down into her lap, she quietly replied. "Oh. That's...really great."

When Aidan awoke a few hours later, it was to the sight of Gavin and Hailey fast asleep, their heads nestled together. His heart warmed at the peaceful sight. He was right about them being a perfect match for each other. Hopefully, things would work out between them, even with all the craziness going on around them.

Out of the corner of his eye, a slight movement had Aidan glancing to the side. Seated beside him, Tyler was wide awake and seemingly very jittery. He kept running his fingers through his braids, a faraway look in his gaze.

"Hey man, you okay?" Aidan asked. Tyler snapped out of his daze before giving Aidan a quick smile. "I'm good." Aidan wasn't truly convinced but said nothing more.

The flight went on uneventfully, with the pilot announcing their descent after a few more hours had passed. Aidan gazed out from the confines of the tiny aeroplane window with rapt fascination as they descended below the cottony white clouds, catching his first glimpse of the new scenery below.

Lush farmland, forming asymmetrical squares in shades of green, blanketed the land below like a quilt, occasionally interspersed here and there with hedges of tall, dark trees and intersecting roads of grey. As they descended lower, he could make out white specs dotting the green. 'Sheep!', he realised. "So... Where are we?"

Tyler joined Aidan in staring out the window. "Welcome to Wales, the country of castles."