The morning was even colder than the past few had been, the sky devoid of clouds. The sun should mean warmth, but not in winter. Clouds were her best friend. Lily set out her warmest knit sweater and her favourite pair of jeans on her bed to wear for the day, right next to her suitcase. The suitcase was mostly packed, but she had a few more things to stuff in there.

Lily's hair was a disaster, as always. She did her best to straighten it a bit before pulling on her clothes for the day. She had just gotten out of the shower, it shouldn't be hard to tame, right? And yet, it was, an unruly mop on the top of her head.

From her closet she pulled two more sweaters and another pair of jeans and added them to her suitcase. Then she added socks and underwear, and zipped the thing shut. She was ready for her trip. How was she supposed to make it through a whole day of school knowing that that evening she would be catching a plane to Montréal? Would the flight be smooth? Would Sam be there on time to pick her up? Would everyone like her? Her thoughts went in circles of panic at the very thought.

"Lily, you bus will be here soon!" mom called up the stairs.

"Be right down!"

Lily ran her fingers through her damp waves one more time before sweeping her textbooks off her desk and into her backpack. She rushed downstairs to throw on her boots and jacket. As she stuffed her foot into her boot, mom showed up with her lunchbox all packed up to go. Lily took it and thanked her. What was in there this time? She hoped it was a ham sandwich, that was her favourite.

The bus was about half full, as usual when she got on. School was only a few blocks away, but in the winter, Lily hated walking, so she took the bus. She folded into a seat by the fire escape and popped in her earbuds.

The trip was short and quiet. Lily's friends lived across town in another suburb, so they took a different bus. Lily didn't dislike the people she travelled with, but most of the time she kept to herself. Sometimes someone would ask her a question about their homework, or about a test coming up that day, but for the most part she was left alone, just how she wanted to be.

School was already bustling when she arrived. Her locker was on the second floor near her afternoon science class. She stuffed her bag and jacket inside, then stretched. Her shoulders and sternum popped a few times, and she groaned appreciatively.

"Oh, Lily, I'm screwed," Jen called without greeting from down the hall. She hurried over, blonde ponytail swinging behind her.

"Why, what's up?"

Jen dropped her bag to the floor beside Lily's binder. "I didn't finish our math homework from last night. I just couldn't get past 12a, and the rest of it made no sense. Did you finish?"

"Yeah, eventually. It was pretty tough."

"Can I copy off you? I'll owe you a million."

Lily chuckled and gestured to her binder. "Fine, go for it."

"Thank you!"

Jen sank to the floor and got to work transposing Lily's process and answers. As she did, Lily took out her phone to text their other friend, June, to see where she was. She got no response by the time the bell rang.

"No, no! I'm not done yet!" Jen cried.

"Come on, I don't want to be late."

Lily gathered her binder and textbook, along with her pencil case, and led the way downstairs. Their classroom was on the far side of the building, near the front office, far from where Lily's locker was. They cut it close every day by waiting for the bell to ring the first time.

Lily's seat was under the row of windows third from the back. There was a bunch of graffiti in sharpie along the left edge, none of which she was responsible for. She set out her binder and textbook on one corner, and her pencil case on the other, exactly as she did every day. The order was satisfying to her. Then she took out her favourite light blue pen and set it beside her binder. Still no teacher, so she turned in her seat to chat with Jen, who sat a few seats away.

Eventually, their teacher did arrive and got to their lesson right away. Lily turned in her seat to face forward and did her best to pay attention to the lesson. Math was not her strong suit by any means. She needed all the help she could get to do well. Her grade was remarkably average.

The lesson went about as well as she expected; in other words, poorly. She got lost about ten minutes into the lesson and was frantically skimming her textbook to catch up when a note landed on the edge of her desk, folded into a perfect square with the corner tucked in. Lily glanced around, expecting it to be from Jen, but her eyes were firmly fixed on the blackboard. Instead, Connor was grinning at her from a few rows away, green eyes bright. He gestured to the note.

Lily unfolded it carefully lest they be caught. Last time she got caught reading a note she had to stand up and read it for the class. It was one of the most mortifying moments of her life. This note was meticulously folded and contained a brief message carefully penned.

"Do you want to go to the dance with me this weekend?"

Lily's cheeks burned. No one had asked her to a dance before. Not only did she not want to go on principle, she didn't want to go with him. Connor was cool and all, but Lily wasn't into him. She wasn't into anyone, for that matter.

Considering her response took her valuable attention away from the lesson. She didn't want to be rude, but she didn't want to give him the wrong idea, either. Plus, she wasn't even available this weekend. She would be in Québec meeting others like her.

Eventually, she decided that was the best answer she could give and wrote back that she wasn't going to be around for the dance, but thanked him for asking anyway. Hopefully he wouldn't get the wrong idea and think she was interested in him. Lily waited until her teacher's back was turned and asked the person in the next aisle to pass the note back to him.

Classes were slow and boring, and Lily was anxious to get out of there. She couldn't stop thinking about her upcoming flight and what would come after. Her thoughts raced in circles through the same questions as before as though she might somehow come up with the answers herself.

When at last final bell rang, Lily nearly leaped from her seat. Jen, who sat next to her in their English class, frowned at her. She had definitely noticed Lily's frantic energy all day.

"What's got you so excited?"

"I'm catching a plane tonight, visiting ... family."

"Oh cool, where?"

"Montréal."

Jen nodded in surprise. "I've never been there. Send pics, okay?"

"I will. I have to run, my parents are picking me up. See you Monday!"

Lily all but sprinted from the room to her locker. She had already packed up her things during break, so all she had to do was add her English books to the pile and throw on her jacket. She was out the door in record time. Her parents were right there, waiting for her as they said they would be.

The warmth of the car was a pleasant change from the bitterness outside. Lily buckled in quickly and gazed out at the throng of students making their way for their cars, some being picked up, others having driven.

"How was your day, dear?" mom asked, turning in her seat.

"Good. I got an eighty-two on my English paper."

"That's great. What did you write about?"

"We had to write an essay about Lord of the Flies, I wrote mine about Piggy's death."

"I don't think I've read that book. They killed a pig?"

Lily shook her head. "No, Piggy was one of the kids on the island."

"That's terrible."

"Well, it's a terrible book. Well written, but boy is it dark."

They drove in silence for a few minutes, listening to the hum of the heater. The deafening silence was too much for Lily, she hated driving without the radio on. Being alone with her thoughts like that drove her crazy.

"So," dad said after a while. "Are you excited about your trip?"

"Yeah, it should be good. I'm nervous, though."

"How come?"

Lily shrugged. "I don't know these people, and it's going to be weird to learn more about my ... uh, new life."

It felt weird to talk about her being a werewolf with her parents. Sure, they knew, but talking about it felt wrong. She wasn't supposed to tell normal people, and yet they knew. She just couldn't reconcile it.

"They'll love you, it'll be great." The tension in dad's voice was too much for her.

"Yeah ..."

The rest of the trip to the airport was silent but for the heater and the wet rush of the tires on the highway. The airport was bustling with activity when they arrived. Lily's anxiety swelled at the sight. So many people, so many strangers.

"I'll call you when I land, okay? I love you."

"Love you too," her parents echoed.

"Be safe, and don't put your headphones in or you might miss your announcement."

"I will, and don't worry, I'll make it on the plane just fine."

Her parents seemed more nervous than she was about the trip. Lily had flown before, but never alone. This was a first for her. She just wanted to get it over with, nothing about this trip was exciting.

Lily took her suitcase and rolled it into the terminal. She checked her bag without issue, made it through security, and took her seat in the waiting area by her gate. While she waited, she read through a good chunk of her independent study book for her English class, Salem's Lot. She was surprised her teacher had allowed her to choose a Stephen King book for her ISU, but she sure was glad. It was a great read.

Eventually it was her turn to board the plane and she made her way back to her seat. She had the window, and her seat mate was an older woman with short curly hair, who pulled out a crochet project moments after settling in. They made idle chit chat from time to time, but mostly, Lily was left to her own devices.

Landing was none too soon. The flight was turbulent and uncomfortable. She tried to watch a movie but the selection was terrible, so she ended up continuing to work on her homework. It was snowing merrily in Montréal, big fat flakes that cascaded past the windows as she made her way through the terminal.

To her immense relief, Sam was right where she said she'd be. Ada was with her. The two beamed at her and waved as she drew near. Lily waved back with her free hand. She bit back her nerves as best she could.

"How was your flight?" Sam asked, and Ada reached for the suitcase.

"Turbulent."

"Well, you've made it. Just the drive left now."

"How long is the drive?"

"About an hour and a half," said Ada as she led the way out of the building.

Lily bit back a sigh. More travel. She just wanted a hot bath and a cozy bed to sleep in. She would get neither, most likely.

The drive was quiet, but mercifully, they drove with the radio on. Snow built up quickly on the highway. A couple of times they had to slow to a crawl as they followed a snow plough. Lily was exhausted and ready for bed. She even nodded off a few times in the back seat.

Eventually they pulled into a little town off a single-lane highway, festooned with Christmas lights on every streetlight. Rainbows danced on the snow. It really was beautiful. They wound through quiet streets that took them into more residential areas.

"Are you hungry?" Ada asked.

"Very."

"Diner?" she asked Sam, who nodded.

They made a few more turns and pulled up out front of a classic diner, brilliant in the darkness. The interior promised warmth and good food. Lily could have eaten an entire horse.

They took a booth near the back, and in moments a server was with them passing out menus. Lily ordered a coffee, which her parents would normally have put a stop to, but Ada and Sam didn't even bat an eye. She added enough sugar and cream to give her system a shock. She slipped happily and relished the dark aromas.

Their meals came quickly and Lily dug in at once, absolutely ravenous. The food on the plane was hideous, so she turned it down. She was absolutely starving. The food was pretty decent, too, her burger juicy but not greasy. There was even gravy for her fries, which she was stoked for. Her parents never made gravy.

"Are you looking forward to tomorrow?" Sam asked at one point as she speared a piece of meatloaf.

Lilly hummed, considering. "I guess. I'm pretty nervous."

"Don't be, they'll love you. Cain is so excited to see you."

"What's he like?"

Sam smiled. "He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. He's very relaxed, he's an amazing cook and baker, and he's a great listener."

"He sounds nice."

"You'll like him, I'm sure."

"Aidan will be there too, with Noah," Ada added. She was pushing broccoli around her plate with her fork.

"And Aidan is the ... alpha, right?"

"Yes. Noah is his brother."

"And then I'll have to decide which pack I want to go with?"

"Yes. I hope you'll choose ours."

"I probably will." Lily paused, considering. "What's it like, being in a pack?"

"It's like having a huge family. We're all quite close, and we'd do anything for each other."

She did like the sound of that. Her family was very tight knit, and they rarely saw their relatives. Lily wasn't sure why. Sure, she had met her aunts and uncles, a few cousins, but it was a rare occasion. No one came over for holidays, and they didn't travel anywhere either.

The rest of the meal was quiet, Sam and Ada exchanging small conversation, mostly. Lily just listened. Her nerves were getting to her. She finished her food and coffee, then stared out the window at the deserted street, at the pools of light from the streetlights on the snow.

Eventually, they paid and left, heading for their home. It was a small duplex, of which Sam and Ada lived in the left half. There was no driveway, just street parking and a short walkway up to the porch. The front door was painted a cheery blue around the frosted pane. Sam let them in. The floor was carpeted, plush and silver in colour. The walls were a cheery lilac, the accents crisp white. The living room took up most of the main floor, with a small section behind it featuring a desk and an easel, and the kitchen was through the doorway beyond. A flight of carpeted stairs led to the second floor.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'm sorry that I don't have a guest bedroom, you'll have to sleep on the couch. It's comfy, though." Sam gestured to the pastel blue couch, where blankets and a pillow sat waiting for her. "The washroom is upstairs, feel free to take a shower or a bath if you want. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

"Thank you."

"We're upstairs at the end of the hall, come get us if you need anything."

"I will."

The pair excused themselves then to get ready for bed. It was later than Lily thought when she checked her phone. She made her makeshift bed as she waited for them to finish up in the washroom. When it was free, she made her way upstairs for a hot bath before bed.

Fresh, clean, Lily made her way downstairs and curled up on the sofa beneath a thick quilt. Sam was right, the couch was comfortable. Her nerves returned in full force when she realised that there was nothing between her and meeting everyone but for a night's sleep. She quashed those feelings as best she could. She felt herself drifting off quickly, and in minutes, sleep took her.