..::SPOILER ALERT::..

I HOPE THE CAPS HAS GOTTEN YOUR ATTENTION!!!!

If you are reading Twisted Fate, you should probably wait to read this chapter. There is a spoiler in here. If you choose to read it, don't blab on the Twisted Fate chapters and ruin it for the others who are in for the surprise!

Thank you for reading this.... you may continue to read on now. :)

Eight months later…

Lexi's POV

I was nervous. So nervous that I had burned my hand because I was shaking numerous times when I was curling my hair before letting it rest in curlers. But he wasn't even coming alone. Mason, Grayson, Casey and Chris were coming with the group of recruits I had trained with. I was going to see everyone again and I couldn't have been more excited. My wolf was even excited. It was so much easier to cope once I had completely accepted my wolf. We were together now just like all the rest of the werewolves.

Mason hadn't visited in four weeks and hadn’t called in six days. It had been way too long. They were testing the recruits, seeing if they were good enough to be sent off to protect packs. I had done my absolute best to be respectful and not call him until he answered. He'd probably be so busy all he'd do was go right to sleep without even realizing how long it had been since he had called. According to him, rogues were starting to become a bit of a problem. But we didn't really talk about that kind of stuff while he was here.

I missed him when he was gone.

Mikko's babies helped keep me occupied. There were three of them. They had been expecting twins, but when the third one popped out, it surprised everyone. They were adorable and they kept me entertained.

The first few months, after I left the pack house, were rough. I wasn't connected to my wolf, so would've never been able to cope with everything. Aubrina changed that. She forced the connection between my wolf and me. At first, I hated her guts. I wanted to rip her face off.

That was the pent up rage from my wolf. They locked me in their basement for a few days until I could get a grip on what my wolf was feeling. It was so hard to define a line between what my wolf was feeling and what I was feeling. I never really found one. I suppose that's how it was supposed to be. It wasn't two different people trying to take possession of my body. My wolf and I were one. We had to cope together.

The pain came in waves. Sometimes I craved the connection to Roger that it would literally drive me crazy. Sometimes I was glad he was dead. I felt like I was an addict. I'd find myself gazing off, thinking about how I felt when I was connected to Roger.

Finn reassured me that it was all normal. The bond was so harshly manipulated that Finn suggested that I was actually doing good. I didn't agree.

When I had been here for a full eight months, I was actually excited to see Mason again. He was always so grumpy when he got to Finn's house because he was jet lagged and hungry. I had made sure to make food for him so when he walked into the house, he'd smell the food and come looking for it.

His grumpy face made me smile again. When he realized that I was excited to see him, he wasn't so grumpy anymore. All this time here with Finn's pack had really helped.

I felt healthy again. I had even started sparring with Philip. He was always around the house anyway, so I talked him into it. I warmed up to him really quick. Now that my wolf was fully connected with me, I was stronger and much faster. Philip based my training around my quickness. I couldn't beat up anyone, but I sure could run away!

A knock on my bedroom door made me squeak. Philip was coming in and he only knocked twice. I had just enough time to put on my robe before he made it into my bathroom. I didn't want him to catch me in my underwear. I could be modest even if I was okay walking around stark naked in the woods…alone.

"They just landed." He said rounding into the bathroom. His brows rose seeing me actually doing my hair. "What's the occasion?"

I glared at him. "I felt like it."

He grinned at me. "Trying to look special for your dear Mason?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Leave me alone."

He laughed, "He doesn't care if your hair is curly."

"But he likes it." I argued.

"He'd like you bald."

I huffed, pointing my curling at him like a weapon. "Stop teasing and go away."

"Just so you know, it's five." He said as he made his way out of my bedroom.

The gathering was supposed to start at seven. I knew the babies schedule so I knew Emily was going to have a hard time making the cut. I poked my head out. "Does Emily need help with the babies?"

He shrugged, "Call her."

I put the phone on speaker so I could keep at my hair.

"What?" She snapped. I heard a baby crying in the background.

"Want some help?"

She gasped in relief. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Mikko left thirty minutes ago!"

"I'll be there in 20."

"Alright." She hung up. She was giving the babies baths right now. They were a little over seven months old and hated bath time with a passion. I knew she couldn’t wait until they loved bath time. I finished putting my hair in the curlers before dousing them in hairspray and rushing off to help Emily.

I didn't make it back to Finn's until it was already almost seven. They would all be there already, probably ready to go. I still had curlers in my hair and I hadn't done my makeup yet.

I gave Benjamin and the two diaper bags to Philip and ran up to my room. I had to get ready! I ran into my bathroom and ripped the curlers out of hair. I didn’t want to be late to the gathering. I missed a lot of people and I wanted to spend as much time with them as I could.

The gathering wasn’t something I had to dress up for, but I at least wanted to look nice. It wasn’t much different from my normal attire; it was just the nicer stuff. I grabbed my dark jeans since they were the least ruined; it was hard to keep clothes undamaged in a werewolf house. I grabbed a brightly colored, loose top and threw some jewelry on. I was zipping up my ankle boots with an inch or two of heel when my door opened.

It didn’t burst open to scare me, it just opened. I was expecting Philip since he was always the one checking up on me, but when I looked over I was nicely surprised.

“Mason!”

He smiled. “You’re taking forever.”

I didn’t resist throwing myself into a hug and taking a deep breath. He smelled better than I remembered. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

“I thought you’d be outside with the rest of the guys.” They had all been out back when I handed off Benjamin to his uncle. I was already late, so I’d imagine that they’d all be talking about werewolf stuff.

“I was.” He put my feet back down on the ground. “I snuck off to come find you.”

“Missed me that much huh?” I joked and pushed him out of my room. I didn’t want to be rude and stay up in my room the whole time these people were here.

“You have no idea.” He hooked his arm around my shoulders and led me downstairs to the kitchen.

When we turned the corner, Casey was threatening Chris with a wooden spoon while holding Cassandra in her other arm. You can’t keep babies away from women too long. “Keep your paw off! I’m not going to tell you again!” When he rolled his eyes at her, she whacked him with the spoon, making him hiss. “Go outside and sell your guys.” He shot her a dirty look before walking to the back.

“I’d better go with him.” Mason unhooked from me and followed Chris to the backyard.

Casey’s eyes whipped to me and instantly softened. “There you are!” We met half way in a quick hug. “It feels like you’ve been gone forever!” Cassandra even decided to give me a hug.

I nodded, “It does. I’ve missed you guys.”

“We’ve all missed you too!” She smirked. “Of course Mason’s missed you the most.”

I blushed and looked away feeling a bit awkward. “Yeah, well…” I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t really been expecting to talk about Mason with her.

Her smirk changed into a smile. “I’m glad to see that you’re okay. I was really worried for you.”

I nodded, “I was too.”

Emily snorted, “You’re not the one who was around her.” She said to Casey. “I can’t wait to get rid of her.” She teased with a wink.

When I leave, she’d miss me and we both knew it. Having triplets was hard work, her situation with Mikko made it even harder. I don’t know how she could do it and still be such a happy person.

When Mikko opened the sliding glass door, Emily shot him a dirty look. At first it looked like pure fury, but under that was pain. Maybe she had tried to talk to him about being together again and knowing Mikko, he probably refused her…again. Mikko had done something to hurt her, which wasn’t very surprising. He froze then quickly retreated. Whatever he had wanted from the house now wasn’t important enough to get. Who would’ve thought that the pack’s most feared member would be afraid of one tiny human? If I were Emily I wouldn’t put up with any of it. But she had grown up surrounded by werewolves, so she didn’t normally think like I did.

She was probably just pissed that he had to leave again. She didn’t expect him back until the triplet’s first birthday, a little over 5 months from now.

When Mikko left she paled and brought the back of her hand up to her mouth. The triplets had a nasty bug a week ago; I wouldn’t be surprised if it was hitting her now. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

Casey eyed her carefully, “Are you okay?”

Emily nodded and confirmed my suspicions. “I’ve got what the babies had not too long ago.”

Casey cringed, “I hated when that happened. It would go through all the humans twice before it was gone in our house.”

She nodded, “I only have to deal once since we’re the only humans here.”

----

By the time I had made it outside the food had already been served and all the men were lounging around talking. By now, most of the recruits would know where they would be going. They would’ve worked out some deal with an alpha and would be leaving to go to their new permanent home.

Pack hopping wasn’t something very many wolves could do. The breaking and creating of pack bonds took a toll on a wolf.

I saw my friends from the compound. I hadn’t seen them in forever. At least that was what it felt like. I didn’t hesitate to go over to them. They were all standing around, drinking beer and chatting with wolves from other packs.

This was what Finn wanted. The friendships that the wolves made would lead to more peace and trust in the different packs. If everyone had a friend in another pack, then they would be more resistant to fight.

All the fighters of the pack stood together in a group, all the laid back members stood in another area, and the alphas stood in their own spots. They weren’t doing too much talking, but they were watching the other packs closely. Alphas were protective, so they were all watching out for their own. If a fight broke out, they’d be ready to react to it.

I hopped on Robbie’s back, taking him by surprise…for maybe a half a second. Frankie and Tommy both smiled at me. Robbie let me down without slamming me into the ground like he would’ve if we were training.

“I missed you guys!” I said after giving them all hugs.

The gathering was fun and gave everyone a chance to reconnect. By the time the darkness had descended everyone was relaxed and enjoying each other’s company. The guys were all inducted into their new packs at sunset, so they were getting to know their new pack members.

There were five bonfires set on Finn’s territory that night. If there were only one fire, everyone who wanted to join in couldn’t because there simply wasn’t enough room. I came out with supplies for smores and sat down near Mason.

When I ripped open the bag of marshmallows Mason scooted closer to me. “I knew I liked you for a reason.” He reached over and grabbed a metal skewer and loaded it with the marshmallows.

“You think you’re ready to come home yet?” Mason watched the fire turn the treat brown slowly.

 “I think so.” I shrugged. “I haven’t lashed out at Philip in a while.”

He chuckled, but otherwise kept his face calm and neutral. “That doesn’t have anything to do with being ready to come home or not.”

I looked down at the chocolate candy bar that was waiting to be eaten. “Are you ready for me to go back?”

He shrugged. “When you’re ready to come home, I’ll be waiting.”

He was being difficult to read. His face remained passive. His breathing stayed even. I couldn’t even read the answer he wanted in his eyes. I knew I was ready to go back, but I wasn’t sure if I was really supposed to go back there. Hadn’t they said that this pack was too dangerous for a female like me? After everything I had been through there, it didn’t really change how I felt about everyone there. “I think I am.”

I opened the bag of gram crackers and the chocolate since the marshmallows were looking ready.

He cracked a smile on that serious face of his. “Good.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. It felt amazing to be back around him. After not seeing him for so long, the closeness made it feel that much better to be around him. “Aren’t you worried that I’ll go crazy again?”

His smile widened. “Crazy I can deal with.”

A body flopped down beside me. “She’s been exceptionally crazy the past week.”

I rolled my eyes at the voice. It was Philip, the “mood ruiner”.

I elbowed him since he was close enough for it. “Aren’t you supposed to be pestering someone else?”

He laughed, “But bothering you is so much fun.” He grabbed a marshmallow from Mason’s skewer and hissed when it melted onto his fingers. “Plus you have the sugar.”

I groaned and shook my head, “There’s more in the kitchen.”

Philip scoffed. “Maybe I just wanted to hang out with you guys.” He was using his teasing voice and I didn’t appreciate it. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Mason too!”

I glared at him. “Go away!”

He popped a marshmallow in his mouth. “Make me.” It was a challenge and recently I’ve been taking him up on every single one, regardless of how stupid the fight was. He smiled with the marshmallow between his teeth.

I was about to, but an arm went around my shoulder, pulling be back against a hard chest. “He’s just riling you up.”

When I realized how close his face was to mine, it made me flush. Philip opened his mouth to tease me, but then he was picked up by his shirt.

It was Mikko. “Let’s go third wheel.”

I glared at Philip as he was dragged away by this brother. Mason pulled me between his legs so that my back rests on his chest. I rested my head on his shoulder once the initial surprise wore off.

I could get used to this. My wolf felt content.

It took a long time and a lot of work to get her this far. This was the first time where she hadn’t been on edge around Mason. Once we were connected to each other, it made it easier for her to cope knowing that Roger had been a very bad man.

Sitting here, enjoying his company was worth all the work. If I had stayed with him after everything had happened I wasn’t sure that I would’ve ever gotten to this point. Going back was going to be interesting.

I’d have both good and bad memories. I’d probably relive some of them when I visited certain places, but I was confident that I would be fine. I wasn’t alone anymore. I fell asleep in front of the fire leaning back on Mason.

***

Everything I owned was already gone. It was all loaded onto the plane. All I had left was a small carry-on. Mason wouldn't let me have any drugs to knock me out. He was making me a big girl and confront my fear.

I was so wound up that I hadn't spoken to anyone since we took the exit that said that the airport was near. Saying bye to everyone made me sad. Knowing that I wouldn't see the triplets for a while made me sad too. The next time I'd see them they'd be a lot bigger and remind me just how much I had missed.

When I stepped out onto the tarmac I froze. Mason had been pulling me through the airport with a smug smile on his face. I'm sure my expression looked much like a cat getting a bath. Mason tugged on my hand gently, trying to snap me out of my fear.

I shook my head. "I can't." I squeaked.

I felt everyone eyes on me. Grayson, Casey and Chris were coming back with Mason and me. It was probably because Mason had told them about my last trip on a plane. They were here for emotional support. That was nice and all, but I wanted nothing more than to hop in a car and drive all the way back to their home.

But Mason wouldn't let me. When I woke up this morning I hadn't known that we were going to be leaving. Mason had packed up all of my belongings while I slept because he knew that I would not be happy about it.

Mason tugged on my hand again. "Yeah you can. I have a prize waiting on the plane for you when you get on."

I still felt that anxiety. It prevented me from taking a step closer to that stupid little plane. How were we all supposed to fit into a private plane?

I shook my head, "I can't."

He took my carry on and tossed it at Chris. "You guys go ahead. I'll take care of her."

I took a step away from him, but his hand didn't let go of mine so I couldn't get very far. "You can't carry me onto that thing."

The other three were almost to the plane already. They made it look so easy. Didn't they know that airplanes barely have anything to them? The metal was so thin. I'd be willing to wager that werewolves could easily punch through it. Then it would crash and we would all die.

Mason stood in front of me, blocking the view of the plane. "You're going to regret it if you don't get on that plane."

I shot him an evil look, looking directly in his pretty green eyes. "You're going to regret being in that thing with me."

He smirked. "I think you'll be just fine. I've got a big bucket of ice-cold beer on that thing. So if you don't get on there soon they're all going to be gone."

"I don't care about beer right now Mason!" Any other situation I'd appreciate a beer, but not now. "I'm freaking out. You want me to get on that tin can with wings!"

"I will throw you over my shoulder, kicking and screaming if you don't get your cute little ass on that plane right now."

The need to argue overpowered my brain's ability to filter my mouth. "I do not have a cute little ass." I knew that was exactly what Mason had been counting on as soon as I finished my sentence.

I got about a foot back before he tugged me close and threw me over his shoulder. He rubbed his hand over my rear end as he made progress towards the plane. "Well I think you have a cute little ass."

"Don't you dare put me on that thing!" I said when I could see the shadow of the plane. I knew we were terrifyingly close.

He set me down on the stairs of the plane. I didn't feel as scared as I would've otherwise been. Mason was still holding my hand and gently rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. The gesture made me feel less freaked out. I was eye level with him now. I felt terror when I gripped onto the railing. I was trapped between the plane and Mason.

He took a step forward, so I took a step up the stairs. "You're mean." I whined.

"You shouldn't be surprised. You know how I am." He took another step closer. This last step put me inside the cabin of the plane. He smiled. "There, that wasn't so hard."

I felt panicked. I wanted to escape. I felt trapped and nowhere near safe. I wanted to hide in my bed, under a blanket, with my door locked so no one could bother me.

"You ready for your prize for being so brave?" He teased. All I could think was how mean he was to be making fun of me. The fact that I was on board without passing out or freaking out was already a success.

"You can't tease me when this is a real fear of mine. I've been afraid of planes since I was little."

He smirked. "You ready for it?"

At least I could get a prize out of it, right? "Sure. Lay it on me."

He took a step up and brought his face closer to mine. My instant reaction was to back up, he was probably just trying to get onto the plane and I was in the way. But his free hand caught my waist, stopping my retreat, and he kept coming.

When his lips met mine, I felt all my anxiety fall away. Lust took its place. I had been alone for so long and I liked Mason so much. My hand untangled from his and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. Mason lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Everything fell away from my reality and it was just Mason and me lip locked and I desperately wanted more.

I never wanted to let go and I never wanted this feeling to leave me.

Then he pulled away from me and my surroundings started to focus. At first I was confused, but then I realized that I was on this plane and I could hear the loud engine. Mason was beneath me, on a sofa like seat, staring at me. He was watching my reactions.

I peered out the window since it was right behind Mason's head. My jaw dropped. We were in the air! How could I have missed that?

He smirked at me. "We've been in the air for ten minutes."

I closed my mouth when I realized it was gaping at the window. "How'd I miss that?"

"I'm great at distracting you."

I felt the fear starting to build up again.

He brought his hands to my face and made me look at him. "You're okay. The plane isn't going to crash." He pecked my lips and the fear stopped growing. "Do I need to distract you the whole flight? The others won't appreciate me taking this any farther."

I gasped and quickly looked around. "Where are they? How embarrassing!" I hid my face in his neck when I didn't see anyone around. I had completely forgotten about the others.

He chuckled underneath me. "My occupying your attention is better than you hyperventilating."

"It's not funny."

I loved his smile. It made him so cute. It was better than his scowl, but I loved that too. "It's a little funny." He gave me a longer, but less intense kiss.

"So that was my prize?" He nodded. "I like it."

"I know you did." He winked and patted my bottom. "We should go take a seat with the others."

When we went to the front I expected some teasing remarks or something, but they never came. Everyone kept on doing what they were doing, not that it was hard, they all had their ears covered. Casey met my eyes for a second and winked at me before returning her gaze back to her magazine.

Mason tossed my carry on onto my lap. "We've got another hour or so."

I nodded and grabbed my phone and ear buds out. Now that I wasn't distracted by Mason, the sound of the engine was annoyingly loud.

I wasn't afraid anymore. I kept holding onto Mason's hand. He was my safety belt. He made me feel safe.

A/N::

The next book is called The Hunt. It is uploaded and complete now, so go check it out.

I hope you enjoyed reading my story! Make sure you vote for it if you do!

All the comments and support! You lift my spirits and I appreciate ever single one.

AND ONE MORE THING!!!!

Now that you know the secret of the babies, don't retell it on Twisted Fate!! A lot of those readers haven't read this story and have no idea that triplets is going to happen! So SHH!! BIG SECRET!