"Let's take a trip," I said over breakfast, my voice more cheery than it had been the last couple of days.

Bay quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. Roman shot a glance at Osckar, who was sitting opposite me like he was waiting for that resounding no. It was just us this morning for breakfast, my family, and it was just the way I'd wanted it. I'd grown sick of having everyone constantly around and loathed having to fake my smile just to make it through the day without questions. This morning though, I was content, which was strange to me now. It was only a wisp of content that I decided to hold on to for dear life, like a breath of fresh air after being underwater for a long time. I didn't want to sink back into the darkness, so I concocted a plan. Whether Osckar agreed to it or not. I was an alpha now, too. His equal, but in many other ways, I was more. This suggestion was an invitation, a courtesy of sorts, so if I wasn't seen on pack grounds all day, they'd know where to find me.

"Woo! Where are we going?" Jamie said enthusiastically as he stabbed his fork into the pancake in front of him. His eyes gleamed with a quiet desperation that I felt myself. I knew he'd been angry with himself for not being able to help us. To be a part of the fight against the age-old witches who had a vendetta against me for what I was. Who I would be.

Jamie had become relentless, almost obsessed with training. Waking up at the crack of dawn to do his training and watching every move his brothers made.

The corner of my lips lifted into a small smile as I paused for dramatic effect, "Sun Valley Centre!"

I did not get the response I was hoping for, but silence was also expected. Jamie's fork slipped out of his hand and the bit of pancake he had on it went tumbling off the table.

Sun Valley Centre was right in the middle of a human settlement, filled with games, cinema and shopping. It's exactly what I needed. A little fun and a huge distraction from my reality.

"You want to be around humans?" Roman sounded perplexed. "Why would you want to do that?"

I shrugged. "I think it'll be fun. There are games, movies and shopping."

The last part was directed at Bay. I was hoping to get some good retail therapy with her by my side.

"I don't think that's wise," Osckar said slowly and I could see his dark eyes swimming with worry.

"Well, you can come with us or stay here. I'm going." My tone came out a little childish to my ears, but I didn't care. "Today will be great. Trust me."

Osckars eyes narrowed, and I continued to chew, waiting for the no that was about to come.

"Fine." he conceded. My heart skipped a beat in shock and excitement, "We'll go. You can have the first pick of activities."

I grinned wildly, my plate forgotten as I sprung from my seat and bolted back to my bedroom to get changed. Today would be a day free of wolf duties, I promised myself.

An hour later, we'd pulled into the jam-packed car park of the centre and made a beeline for the arcade that was promoted from the moment we walked into the centre. The arcade was something out of a dream. In a dimmed room with neon lights and signs lay machine games, a dance mat and a mini bowling alley. It was more than I'd expected to find here and deemed it to be my favourite place. There were so many games to play that there'd be no way to complete them all in one visit. Osckar himself even cracked an excited smile as we saw lazer tag advertised on a display board near the back of the room.

"Let's do that first." I grabbed Osckar's hand in excitement, turning to give him my best smile.

I had no doubt that he came here with a plan to slink into the darkest corner and watch the humans with disdain while I indulged myself. In this game, though, he'd be able to use his skills, and be as nimble and tactful as he could in his human form.

As we walked to the lazer tag stand, I noticed as women and other teen girls stared at both Osckar and Roman. They couldn't look away at the muscled boys, who walked with confidence and assurance. I felt a sense of pride in showing my family to the world. Osckar wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to him as we walked. I wondered if he'd detected the stares he was getting, but I didn't comment. That wasn't what today would be about. I didn't really care. They'd never understand or be a part of our complicated world.

"Five tickets please," I said to the woman at the lazer tag till still clasping Osckar's hand tightly.

The woman's gaze scanned us all, her eyes finally dropping on Jamie. "He might be too young to participate," she said. "How old is he?"

I felt the grumble in Osckars' chest begin to rise at the question. It seemed absurd they'd even deny Osckar or me two alphas of anything. Age didn't matter for a game like this. Jamie was probably more skilled than any of the humans here. I understood that they played by different rules and that we needed to oblige.

I quickly scanned the poster behind her, hoping to spot a minimum age of sixteen. Jamie was just fourteen. When we'd first met I'd assumed he was my age so I wasn't quite sure what she saw. Or maybe it was me seeing things.

"He's sixteen," I said, interjecting before Osckar could say anything.

The woman nodded and typed at her computer. I'd assumed everything was fine because she printed out five wrist bands and handed us a pamphlet each.

"Those are your rules. Please abide by them or we'll kick you out." she drawled, completely uninterested in what we did, then pointed to some chairs. "Please wait over there for your session to begin."

I practically dragged Osckar away from the woman to the section she'd pointed out.

"Relax, she doesn't know."

He grunted but relaxed into me as I rested my chin on his shoulder. I felt his hands roam on around my back in a gently caress and I wrapped my arms around him. My heart ached, and I pressed that feeling down. Not today.

"Group six." a man yelled.

I pulled away from Osckar, but I could feel his eyes on me, assessing.

"Come on, we got a game to play."

Once we'd all been equipped with our lazer guns and vests, we learned we were playing against another group. Osckar snorted when he saw who we'd be up against. Five young adults chatted excitedly, their eyes darting towards us, no doubt in assessment too. They looked very unassuming and delicate in my eyes, even if the three men who'd obviously spent a lot of time in the gym.

"I'm not sure they're going to have much fun," Bay drawled as she sidled up next to me.

I shrugged, "Keep it friendly."

That comment was mostly directed towards Osckar and Roman, who'd started to talk strategy. Jamie intently listened to his brother, chiming in agreement wherever he could.

The instructor called for attention, "You know the rules, no physical contact should be made with any opponents and only aim for the chest and back. Any other shots taken will not be accounted for. First round five minutes long or if your whole team gets taken out." He paused to look each of us in the eye, "you may enter the left side and you can enter through the right."

We ducked through the left entrance, only to be engulfed in a dark room with low lighting dotted around. There were pillars scattered around the room to add obstacles in the way. A dash of movement caught my eye and I immediately saw where the group of adults entered and sighed. I'd almost forgotten my eyesight would be a problem. Osckar saw the expression on my face and stifled a laugh.

"Just enjoy the hunt," I whispered.

We spread out, our formation synchronised with practice as we surrounded the adults. Our steps were quiet and purposeful. I crouched by a pillar, waiting as the human man shuffled forward clumsily with his toy gun raised. Lifting mine, I aimed for his chest and shot twice. The light on his vest beeped, and he jumped in surprise, spinning around, trying his hardest to spot me. I already began moving to my next target. The shortest woman turned wildly in one spot, her eyes darting frantically as she searched behind each pillar she passed. I shot her once, and the vest beeped wildly.

The low lights brightened, exposing us all to where we stood or crouched.

"Round 2."

For the next three rounds, we took out the adult team with ease. I laughed at their frustrated yells and reckless abandon as they clicked their guns in any direction they heard a sound. By the fourth round, I was bored. It was all too easy.

The game ended, and the adults whispered among themselves, grumbling about being beaten by some kids.

"They must spend all their time here." One said in hopes of lifting their spirits.

While I loved taunting them with our skills, I wasn't fulfilled by it. They weren't really competition. I needed a new challenge, something that didn't require me to physically compete against humans.

Osckar was still scowling at the game, "Is that what you wanted? To just obliterate these humans like wheat ripe for harvest?"

I shrugged, "In all honesty, I thought it'd be more fun than that. I guess now we know not to try and play against them anymore." I scanned the arcade, my eyes did a double take as I saw a large blue and pink machine with a dance mat calling my name, "Why don't we play Just Dance?"

Before he could grumble his disagreement, I dragged him forward when a lavender scent mixed with a hint of cider hit me like a freight train. Osckar paused in tandem with me, smelling the same thing. Another wolf, and not anyone from our pack.

I turned in place, scanning the faces of each person that milled around. I took a deep breath, trying to put a person to the scent.

"Stay here," Osckar grumbled quietly, his eyes fixated on a tall beefy man wearing all black, his back turned on us.

I held onto his arm, "We don't have to engage, we're just here for fun."

Osckar's eyes flashed, "I'm just going to ask which pack he's from."

I thought about it for a moment, if he was from a rival pack Osckar wouldn't want it known that it was just immediate family hanging around a mall. We'd become vulnerable very quickly. There was no bounty on my head anymore but it was probably safer to know who we were dealing with.

I let go of his arm.

"I'm coming too," I walked ahead of him. "I want to hear what he has to say,"