Rory's pov :

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Holy shit! What the hell are you doing?"

"Does it seem like I fuckīng know?!"

Despite knowing my brother and his friends were downstairs, I had to lift my head from my pillow to ensure they weren't in my room. Their voices were so loud, I couldn't be sure of where they were without visual conformation. They weren't there, but that didn't make sleeping any easier with them screaming their lungs out downstairs.

I tried everything to fall back asleep, but even with my head baried beneath a pillow, I could hear the boys' voices. After ten minutes of me uselessly tossing and turning, I begrudgingly crawled out of my covers and went downstairs.

Not even ten seconds out of my bedroom, and I caught the smell of smoke coming from downstairs. Without a second thought, I darted downstairs and headed straight for the kitchen. If I didn't put out the fire, Darren would undoubtedly burn the house down.

"What the hėll?"

Waiting for me were three boys, including my brother, gathered around the stove trying to put out a fire on their pan, while another frantically sprayed febreeze throughout the room.

The boys' heads all immediately snapped to me, and Darren gave me a sheepish smile, "We, uh, we tried to make breakfast, and, uh, apparently food is now flammable."

I rolled my eyes at the idiots standing in front of me, three of whom I don't know, "So is febreze geniuses."

I chuckled as their eyes widened, "How about I make breakfast from now on."

The boys mumbled something, but left the stove and went to sit on the stools in front of the breakfast island. I opened the fridge and whipped up a batch of chocolate chip pancakes, while the boys watched in silence.

The boys dug into their pancake stacks as if they haven't eaten in years. "Holy shit." One of the boys moaned as he stuffed an entire pancake in his mouth.

"So sis..." Darren broke the silence that lingered over the kitchen for the past fifteen minutes as everyone devoured their pancakes.

"So bro..." My lips tugged up into a teasing grin.

"You're going to turn seventeen soon-"

I groaned and threw my head back, "Don't remind me."

The blonde boy, who was spraying febreze earlier, cocked his eyebrow at me, "Aren't children your age supposed to be excited for their birthdays?"

"My age? You're like two years older than me."

He scoffed, "That's one-fifth of a decade."

"Now that you mention it, I do see the gray hairs."

"Please Dylan Hithers doesn't gray." He sassily flipped his imaginary hair over his shoulder.

"But he does wrinkle." I sassed back.

"Yeah well- wait what's your name?"

I laughed, "Aurora, but call me Rory."

"Well, Rory sure does..." He awkwardly trailed off, causing me to laugh at his failed attempt at a comeback.

"Sup, Rory, I'm Grey," one of the boys who was near the stove said, once he was done laughing at Dylan.

"And I'm Kai," the last one introduced.

"Now that all of that is out of the way, whatever that was," Darren motioned to me and Dylan, "want to explain why turning seventeen is such a bad thing?"

"How could seventeen ever be good? It's a transition year, no one wants to be seventeen they just have to be so they can turn eighteen."

The boys rolled their eyes, but dropped the subject. I waited for a couple minutes for someone to say something, but then I realized all their eyes were clouded over, meaning they're using the pack mind link.

Despite technically being a member of the pack, I did not have access to the mind link, the downside of being human.

But what can I do? I'm the human that was adopted by wolves.

Jase's pov :

I darted through the trees in panic. My wolf was on a rampage, but at the same time worried about something. The trees whizzed past me at incredible speeds, and I headed towards the pack mansions.

I broke free of the maze of trees and my furry body headed straight for the beta manner.
I'm coming over. I mind linked my Beta and best friend, Darren.

Sure, it's not like I could possibly have anything going on. I mean how could I ever dream of having a life? Darren's sarcastic voice filled my head.

Whatever man, I'll be there in three.

Darren and I are practically brothers. We grew up together, it was always us and his little sister Auri, but she had left a couple years ago, and I haven't really seen her since. When we were young, Auri was innocent and had the pack wrapped around her finger. I wondered what Auri would be like now. If she was still the little girl who drove me crazy, the one that could of made me do anything if she had just asked. So even though I would never admit, little Auri had everyone, including me and Darren in the palm of her little hand.

I shifted slowly to give Darren the promised three minutes before I go barging into his house, but inside my wolf is fighting for control and urging me to the Beta Manor. I sit on a tree stump for about two and half minutes, and then finally head to Darren's door.

As usual the door is unlocked, so I push it open. That's when I smelt it. It was in that moment that I caught scent of my mate, my love, my one and only.

The hallways blurred past me, as I followed the scent, and then I saw her. An angel on earth, the water in hell, my mate. There she stood, wearing my Beta's shirt.

I'm going to kill Darren.