Liam has been staying in our room for the past week and a half. I always feel awkward whenever I walk into the room and see him lying there in the middle of mine and Erik's bed, but my wolf spirit always seems to be happy around him. He has been healing nicely, and his once broken bones are almost completely healed.

I am on my way to a pack meeting, but I peek my head in my room really quick to see how Liam is doing. He is still sleeping, and I can see his sisters in their cribs taking their afternoon nap. Quietly, I close the door before making my way downstairs. The main room is packed, which means the meeting is about to start.

"Everybody, quiet down," my dad says with his booming Alpha voice. "I have been talking to the elders for the past few days about the upcoming mating ceremony. We have decided that it is too much of a risk to wait three weeks for the next ceremony. For that reason, the mating ceremony has been moved to tonight."

I turn to look at Erik. He seems to be as surprised as I am feeling. We did not want to participate in the upcoming mating ceremony, and now it has been moved even closer. Our parents have been pestering us for months to participate in the tri-annual ceremony, but we had managed to get out of it the last two times. Now, it seems as if we have no choice.

All the other teenagers seem to be as surprised and upset as we are. Every single one of them is talking, and the noise level is so high my ears are beginning to hurt.

"I don't care if you are not happy with my decision. It is final, and it will not be changed. Meeting over," my father says, walking off the stage as people continue to argue. The volume in the room is getting steadily louder as people become more upset. Parents seem to be trying to placate their irritated children but are having no luck. Well, nobody likes to be forced into doing something.

I walked over to Erik. "Can you believe him? Is he honestly making us participate in the stupid mating ceremony?" I ask my brother. Running my hands through my curls, I look up into his familiar green eyes.

"Well, he seems determined. I don't think anything we say to him will change his mind," Erik replies, as he starts to walk towards the stairs. His own blonde curls are in disarray, proving that he been running his hands through his hair. Even though he is trying to appear calm on the outside, I know he is holding back the anger boiling inside him.

"If he thinks he can force us into this than he can go fu-" I stop talking as I see Liam and his sisters standing at the bottom of the stairs. The pajama pants we had put on him a few days ago are rumpled from sleep and practically falling off his hips, his dark hair just as rumpled.

He looks around the room with a confused look on his face, and as soon as his blue eyes land on us, they seem to widen. Quickly, he lowers his eyes and starts to shuffle away from us, towards the stairs.

*****

I wake up in a bed that is not mine. Blinking my eyes against the bright sunlight, I look around the room I am in. It is definitely bigger than my own, and the bed is a king instead of a full. My sisters' cribs are in here, though. I continue to look around the room until I hear one of my sisters waking up.

My body stiff from sleep, I stumble over to Grace's crib. "Hi, sweets," I say while picking her up out of her crib. As soon as she hears my voice, she starts babbling away. I smile at her and walk over to her twin's crib, since Olive seems to be waking up, too.

Grabbing her out of her crib, I set both of the girls down before continuing to examine the room. Something sparks in my memory, I know I have been in this room before. In fact, it looks like the Alpha twins.

Oh shit...

Thoughts are jumbled in my mind as I try to figure out why I am in their room while also trying to shake the last tendrils of sleep from my mind. Confused, I walk out of the room while holding Olive's and Grace's hands. Voices float up from the downstairs, so I start walking towards the noise. As I make my way to the bottom of the stairs, I realize there must be a pack meeting going on. Standing there, I fully register what the Alpha is saying, and my eyes widen.

The mating ceremony is going to be tonight? Just then, I notice Ethan and Erik staring at me. Thinking they are going to harass me for some reason, I back away from them, trying to make my way to the stairs.

"Liam, wait..." My eyes widen as I realize Erik just said my real name, instead of calling me Omega.

Before I can respond, Luna is stepping in front of me, a smile on her face.

"Liam! How are you feeling? You have been sleeping and healing for about a week. I was beginning to think you would never wake up," she says jokingly. Her eyes run along the length of my body, making sure that I am properly healed.

"I'm feeling alright," I respond with a smile of my own.

Luna grabs my hand and starts to walk up the stairs, the Alpha twins trailing behind. She drags me and my sisters into her sons' room and sits me on the bed. The girls wander off, babbling to themselves as they play with some of the toys placed on the shag rug lying in the middle of the room.

"Why are we in Erik and Ethan's room?" I ask, turning my eyes away from my sisters in order to meet Luna's gaze.

"Well, you have been staying here for the last week. You needed to be taken care of while your body was healing. The twins, here, volunteered, and I agreed with them."

Shocked, I turn my gaze over to them. They are both staring at me with intent looks on their faces. I don't know what to say, I am so confused about all of this. This is the first time that I can remember them being silent around me, used to Ethan's taunts and Erik's stoic presence.

"Now, we have to get you ready for the mating ceremony. It will be starting in only a few short hours, and you will want to look your best," Luna says while dragging me into one of the large recliners sitting in the room, next to the window. I look over at the twins. They are each holding one of my sisters, and seem to be listening intently to their endless baby chatter. Smiling, I turn towards Luna, and she notices my expression. She doesn't say anything as she starts to work on my hair, putting it into some kind of quiff.

It takes her about a half an hour to finally be satisfied with my hair. Nodding, she drags me out of Erik's and Ethan's room, and into mine.

"Okay, Liam, we need to find an outfit that will make you look amazing. You look best in blue, it brings out your eyes," she says, digging through one of the cardboard boxes of clothes I had sitting at the end of my bed. Without missing a beat, she hands me a light blue shirt and a pair of skinny, dark wash jeans. Luna pushed me into the bathroom with a quick, "Don't mess up your hair!"

I change and look at myself in the mirror. My hair is perfectly styled, and my blue eyes seem to sparkle. While I am surprised about the Alpha changing the date of the ceremony, I am still very excited. I will finally get to meet my other half. Giving myself a quick smile, I open the door.

Luna is standing there with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Liam, you look so handsome!"

I hope so, I think to myself.

When we return to the room, Ethan and Erik are gone, and my baby sisters are playing with some toys in the center of the room. I walk over to them and give them a small kiss on each of their cheeks, turning to Luna when I am done.

"I know it is a lot to ask, but could you please watch over them while I attend the ceremony?"

"Oh honey, you know I have no problem watching over the girls for you," she tells me, coming over to stand in front of me. Her hands find their way to my hair, quickly fixing any wayward strands.

Once she is satisfied, I give her a thankful nod and a small smile. "Do you think I will find my mate? Do you think he will like me?"

"Of course you will find your mate! And, why wouldn't he like you? You are so handsome and sweet. You will be the perfect mate," she says while giving me a gentle hug. "Now, it is time to go. They are holding the ceremony in the main courtyard. All of the families will stay indoors, so you don't have to worry about anyone trying to spy on all of you."

She notices my brief frown. "Your father cannot hurt you anymore, Liam. I won't let him. I am already talking to my mate about kicking him off pack lands, and I know this time he will listen to me. I promise everything will be alright."

I give her one last hug before leaving the room and making my way to the crowded courtyard.

By the end of tonight, I will have found my mate.

*****

The picture at the top or on the side is of Olive