"Aden!"

I jolted upright, still not fully coherent as River raced into the room and practically tackled me.

"I got an interview. They asked me to go. I might have a mate." The golden wolf hugged me tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much." His eyes grew wide when he noticed the black werewolf lying next me with a scowl on his face. "I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean to. Sorry, I'll go." He clambered off the bed and darted out of the room.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I turned to Titus. "That was unexpected."

Titus rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head. "Go find him before he has a panic attack."

"He wouldn't be if you didn't look so pissed off." I slapped his arm and climbed out of bed.

"It's too early."

"Don't you have morning hunting duty." Grabbing my shirt, I pulled it over my head. "If you dad finds out you skipped again, he's going to be pissed."

"I don't want to hear it from someone who sleeps in until noon." He adjusted the pillow under his head. "He gave me the day off because I had western border patrol yesterday. I ran up and down those mountains because of some stupid rogue who left our territory before we could even catch him."

I pulled on my pants to the sound of light footsteps. "It's alright River." I went to the curtains and parted them. "You can come in. Titus is just in a mood."

A pillow hit me in the back of the head.

"Ow!" I snapped.

The large lump in the bed didn't move. The poor werewolf was exhausted. Between serving out his punishment and his dad forcing new leadership responsibility on him, Titus was running on fumes. Over the last couple weeks, he had even been too tired for sex and that was a pretty big deal.

River stood fiddling with his tail, his hands shaking. "I didn't mean to. I was just so excited, and alpha said to go tell you." He lowered his head. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

The red and black werewolf appeared down the hallway, walking toward us.

"And look who's coming to wake him up," I said softly. Glancing back, I sighed. "Titus, your dad's here."

He groaned and rose up on his elbows.

"Good morning," said Xavier in a surprisingly cheerful manner.

I nodded. "I heard the good news. River has a date." I put my arm around his shoulders and rocked from side to side.

"That's why I'm here." He poked his head into the room. "Titus."

"What!" He rubbed his muzzle.

The cheerful demeanor was gone as the alpha narrowed his eyes. "We're leaving in thirty minutes. Pack a bag, and be ready to go. Nice clothes. I have some, but bring some extras."

He gave his face a confused expression. "Where? What's happening?" He scratched his head.

"They called last night. River has an interview." He patted the boy's head. "I want to bring Aden as well to help get him ready."

"'kay. Go for it." He collapsed in the bed.

"It's in Midfield."

Titus leaped up. "How long are we staying?"

"Pack for a week. Thirty minutes." He held up a clawed finger to all of us. "River wait with Aden. I have to tell Darius he's having a trial run as alpha while I'm gone." The alpha started down the hallway.

I pulled River close. "I'm glad we're leaving if Darius is in charge."

He smiled but quickly stopped when he spotted my frantic mate running around. I went to help him and pointed to an armchair for River to sit down in.

"Why are you so worried about me going to Midfield?" After changing into something nicer, I folded a few shirts and put them in the bag. "It's fine if you want me to go alone," I baited.

Titus let out a scoff. "Domestic," he muttered. "They have no sense of boundaries when it comes to other people's mates. They do whatever the hell they want. If it's the main house, there are a couple gay men living there, and I'm not leaving you alone with them."

I raised a brow while putting on shoes. "You're being ridiculous."

"Look," his eyes met mine. "I've had you back for a little over three weeks. Like hell am I going to let you be molested by some domestic. Your dad would march up here, yelling about how I didn't protect you and takes you away again. My life is pretty close to hell at the moment and that would just push it over the edge."

Shaking my head, I tried not to smile. "And they call me the pack princess."

His muzzle fell open before it turned into a pout. "I slept like three hours. Leave me alone."

Laughing to myself, I finished packing what I needed. "Come on, River. Let's go."

He walked behind us to the main chamber. Titus still had a cranky look on his face that was sending the lower ranks running. We waited by the exit for the alpha. River was fidgeting, sneaking quick glances at my mate.

I grabbed his hand. "You're scaring people."

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. The tension in his face lessened, but he still looked pissed.

Xavier arrived, wheeling a suitcase behind him. "Alright," he handed a small bag to River. "Darius and Jericho will take care of things here. While you and I, have a trial run of our own. Carry this, would you?" He gave Titus a huge duffle bag and put his arm around his son's shoulders. He led Titus outside while explaining the alpha and beta dynamic.

I held in my laughter. This was going to be a long ride for him. I motioned for River to follow, and we started down the path to the ATVs. The alpha drove, but continued to lecture his son all the way to the garage. Titus was drifting in and out of consciousness through it all.

Arriving, Xavier slammed on the brakes hard enough to jolt his son upright. Titus rubbed his eyes as his father went to pull out one of the cars while River and I unloaded the bags. Titus crawled out of the ATV.

"You okay?" I clasped his hand and gave it a squeeze.

Titus groaned and leaned down to put his head on my shoulder. "I just want to sleep."

"You can take a nap on the way."

"Yeah, right," he muttered.

One of the doors opened, and the alpha backed up a black BMW. It was the newest addition to the pack's collection. He popped the trunk, and we loaded in our things.

"Wait." Stepping out of the car, he took a bag from me.

"Everyone shift first."

"You gotta be kidding me." Titus cracked his neck but did so.

The alpha handed out the clothes. He dropped some shoes at my mate's feet.

"We're going all out," I chuckled, noticing the underwear in the stack.

"Domestic." Titus spat as he pulled them on. "It's finally starting to cool down, and I have to wear clothes. It's perfect fur weather." He shook his head and yanked his shirt over his head.

River just stood there, clinging to his stack as the other two finished dressing.

"River," said the alpha. "Go on. If you're going to live with domestics, you need to get used to wearing them."

Nodding, he shifted and do so. We climbed into the car. Titus sat in the passenger's seat with his dad driving. As we started down the road, I noticed River occasionally tugging on his clothes, especially his shirt.

"Everything alright?"

He stopped and clutched his knees. "Sorry. I'm just not used to it."

"Well, it would help if it was on right," I said with a smile, tugging on the tag. "This goes in the back."

"Oh." He slid out his arms and maneuvered it around. "That feels better."

"Don't worry," I said lightly, "if this works out, you'll have a lot of practice."

***

It was well passed midnight when we arrived. Even after sleeping through most of it, Titus looked haggard. I didn't feel so great myself. I never could sleep very well in a car. We dragged ourselves out of the vehicle and gathered the bags. Three men in a suit hurried out of the building, wheeling a chart.

Xavier handed over the keys to one of them.

"Wow." I spun a circle. "This place is nice."

Even in the dark, it was impressive. It was three stories with a circle drive around a fountain. From what I could see from the outside lights, the landscaping was top of the line. Every bush was perfectly shaped without a single leaf out of place.

"This place is sweet." I nudged River. "Better than a cave, right?"

The boy looked terrified and shook his head. "This is it?" He turned to the alpha.

Xavier patted his shoulder. "Come on, let's get to bed."

I pulled Titus along to the front door.

A woman opened it for us. "Welcome to Midfield. Northern Ridge, correct?"

Xavier nodded.

"Excellent. You're the last to arrive. Follow me, and I'll show you to your rooms."

We walked up the main staircase that went to a landing before branching off in either direction. Along the back wall, all the way to the ceiling, were photos of different men and a few women.

"Who are they?"

"Passed alphas," said Xavier. He pointed to the largest photo in the center. "That is the reigning one at the moment."

It showed a very strong featured man with solid black hair. From his photo alone, he appeared quite intimidating.

"It's like in one of those olden day movies," I exclaimed. "Mansions and nobles." I glanced at Titus, but he didn't seem as excited about the place as me.

But it wasn't every day, I walked into a home with a crystal chandelier that stretched across the entire ceiling, which was covered in werewolf themed murals. Even the tile has been laid in an intricate pattern. The place even smelled expensive, from the leather furniture to the rich scent of the wood used for the railing.

The woman opened a door and waved us inside. "If you need anything, just ask. The room next door is also yours."

"Thank you," Xavier said with a nod.

With a smile, she went back to her duties.

I ran to the king size bed and flopped down on it. It was like lying on a cloud. River shuffled to the corner, looking rather pale.

"Well, I'm ready for bed." Titus stretched his arms overhead.

"Who's River going with?" I asked.

He tensed at the comment and bowed his head.

Xavier rubbed his forehead. "River?"

"Yes, Alpha?" he said quietly.

"Would you like to stay with Aden?"

He swallowed hard and glanced at Titus. It was obvious he did, but that would mean Titus would have to share a room with his father.

Xavier and I both eyed my mate.

"Oh, come on," he groaned.

"We're here for him," said the alpha firmly. "If he's up all night stressed out, then he's not going to make a good impression. Not to mention, this is a pack I would like to impress. Being the birth pack of a higher up's mate would also be beneficial to your future."

Titus ran his hand down his face. "Enough with the future talk. I get it. You want to retire one day, and not have to worry about Darius and me leading the pack straight into a takeover. We won't. I promise."

"One night won't be that big of a deal," I added, "and River is more comfortable with me than either of you."

With a groan, Titus shuffled into the hall. "Fine. Do whatever, I just want to go to sleep."

Xavier grabbed the handle. "Goodnight, boys."

"Goodnight," I replied. "I love you, Titus."

I received a grunt as a reply. The door closed, and I fell onto the bed.

"Get the light, River. I just want to go to bed too."

He flipped it off. I took off my shirt and pants and climbed under the covers. River tiptoed around the room. Taking off his clothes, he shifted and slipped into the blankets.

"Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"Nervous," he replied. "This place is really different. I don't know if I'll like it here."

"Have you ever been away from the cave."

He shook his head. "I didn't go to school either. That's where everyone else learns about humans. Today was the first time I got to ride in a car. It made my stomach feel weird."

"It'll be fine once you get used to it."

"I don't know, though." His eyes darted around the room. "The smell is even off."

"But it would be worth having a mate, right?"

He fell silent.

"Would you give say no, if someone asked you, just because they're civil?"

Taking a deep breath, River shook his head. "I'd give it a try." He smiled. "If it meant, I could have a mate, I'd do my best."