Beonnie

They stayed for quite a while that night. Jack had thousands of questions regarding my father, and I tried to explain as much as possible. And he explained all he could.

I now understood that when my father was gone all the time, he was away to check on his younger sister to make sure she was doing alright. His paranoia about me and his overprotective nature was because he was haunted by the same reason that had made Jack move his children to a completely different continent. After all, he wanted to protect his kin. Me.

As much as Jack was saddened by the realization that his eldest son was dead, he was happier to have rekindled with two of his kin.

Yes, so Hild was my aunt, and I was her niece. I had lost a lot, but I had now also gained a family.

After another long but pleasant family dinner, Hild poured some coffee first to Vidar, then Jack, and then herself. She sat down.

"Perhaps, Jack, you can now do the grandfatherly thing and get your grandchild registered into high school. We have an appointment tomorrow, but I also have my first workday. It is time.." she gave him a stern look. "..that you took some responsibility here."

He laughed.

"Of course!" he grinned towards me. "Do I need to wear grandpa clothes and have a crutch?"

Heh.

"No, you can be a cool grandpa, thank you very much," I replied, not without being a little worried. Hild would understand better what was cringe and what not to do as an older relative in a high school environment. I wasn't sure Jack had even attended high school.

"It is settled then," Hild clasped her hands and smiled towards us.

I leaned back into the sofa and nodded toward the map hanging on the wall.

"How come we found you? I mean, the probability of us just randomly landing in your town is very low. How did that happen?"

Jack nodded, stretched his long arms, and clasped his hands behind his head, leaning back on the sofa too.

"Yeah, well. I knew you would come, well I didn't know you would come, but I knew I would bump into Hild sooner or later. Even if I tried to do everything I could to avoid it. We naturally gravitate toward each other. You'll see what I mean at some point."

"But then, Hild's brother – won't he do that too eventually?"

Jack got a more solemn expression on his face, gravel in his voice.

"Yes, it should be so, but we have not... followed him the same way as Hild. Perhaps our paths crossed and we didn't know," he said and smiled meekly, pain flashing by in his eyes.

I went to bed early that night. I wasn't starting school tomorrow, at least I hoped I didn't, but it still felt like the first day of school altogether. I also had some things gnawing on me. Apparently, the necklaces were of some significance to our kind. We hadn't mentioned them since that night when Vidar *sigh* had fished mine out from under my top, but I had seen that he also carried one. Therefore I was pretty sure that the two necklaces in my father's leather pouch belonged to the twins. One was Hild's, and one was the twin brother's. Only, I had given it away to Zac. And now I realized that it never was mine to give away in the first place.

The following day both Hild and I were nervous. Clothes were tried, discarded, tried again, and make-up was put on, and well, there was a lot of fidgeting. Hild left first, and after she was gone, I ransacked her wardrobe to see if there was something I could borrow. There wasn't. I ended up going with white jeans and a black tube top, showing off my shoulders but nothing else. I had a small scar on my shoulder after the waterfall incident, but it seemed that no matter what I wore, at least one scar would be on display anyway. The sunglasses to top it off, and then I went downstairs to give Harry his breakfast and take him for a walk.

I had just turned back into our street with Harry in tow when I noticed a dark SUV parked in front of Patty's. As I approached, Jack jumped out from the passenger seat and Vidar from the driver's seat. Jack turned towards me and extended his arms.

"There you are! Come here you..!"

A little surprised by his big display of affection, I hesitantly moved forward only to be passed by Harry, who jumped into Jack's arms with a happy yelp. They nuzzled and played and petted, Jack did, and licked, Harry did, each other like they were best friends. They only stopped for a brief moment when Vidar walked around the car, and Harry, as per protocol, showed him the teeth along with a low growl. Seeing who it was, he stopped.

"Garm, my big boy, it is good to see you. How long has it been? 32 years right?"

"His name is Harry," I said it.. but did I really believe it was at this point?

Harry huffed as being called Harry was the most ridiculous thing one could think of. One last lick on Jack's face, and he went around the corner, jumped over the fence, and went to his house to get a well-deserved nap. He had, after all, just been on a walk. A dog can only take so much action this early in the morning.

Jack waved dismissively at my statement.

"Yeah, well, we can cross that bridge later. Now let's get you to school. Cool car, huh?"

I had told him that we really could've just walked there, but he had insisted on us driving there and "arriving in style". And with us driving there, he actually meant Vidar driving there and us just being passengers. It felt like I had two bodyguards when I jumped out of the car in the school parking lot a couple of minutes later. Vidar stayed behind, probably making some hearts flutter among the female students who passed him. Wearing black jeans, a black T-shirt, and sunglasses, he indeed received some appreciating glances as he stood, leaning towards the car showcasing some bulging muscles under all that ink on his arms.

"Alright now, enough of that ogling," Jack huffed, put his arm around my shoulders, and ushered me towards the entrance. He had made an effort too, looking very smart in black jeans and a black shirt, but taking off his sunglasses as we entered the main hall. So far, so good.

I got some curious glances from the students as they passed us, rushing from lockers to classrooms. Could be it was not as much me as Jack, who, with his impressive height, towered over everyone by far. Now that I knew he was a softie, I couldn't see it, but I did remember the air of menace I had felt surrounding him on the first day I saw him. Perhaps the students felt the same.

I smelled both humans and werewolves, but even though I examined everyone we met, I didn't recognize anyone from the group I had met last week when... Harry/Garm/Whatever.. had gone nuts. Phew. Though I didn't expect to recognize anyone but the girl with brown hair and, of course, tall, dark, pharmacy stranger, a.k.a Henry Johnson.

We found the principal's office and the secretary and started the whole registration process. A few minutes later and one charmed secretary later, yes, Jack really put on his best behavior, one Molly Harryson was registered for senior year. Since there still was a couple of weeks left until summer break, the secretary had wanted me to start today to not miss anything, but Jack had made such a show about how my aunt and I had gone through such a trauma and needed to acclimatize to our new life here first. Since the secretary actually had met Hild and seen her bruises, she thoughtfully agreed.

"Of course, my dear child," she handed me the papers. "Now, let me show you around a bit before you leave."

She got up from her chair and walked out into the main hall again. A male student rushed past her, and she almost shouted at him.

"Mr. Kane, no running in the hallways, please. You know this."

He turned around and flashed a smile towards us, shrugging at the same time.

"Sorry, Ms. Treaple. It will happen again."

She smiled.

"Oh, you scoundrel. Now hurry along to class."

Then she turned to us.

"So, where were we, Molly, my dear? Right, Gym is this way..."

Henry

Mr. Stevens had just started showcasing something about something to do with chemistry when Tate flung the door open. Everyone looked up from their desk, and he cast an apologetic smile towards Mr. Stevens.

"Sorry, sir. I was.. hum.. dentist?"

He scurried along the row of desks and flung himself down on the chair next to me, leaning over with a grin.

"Ok. I call dibs on the new girl."

Mr. Stevens gave us a stern look and hushed. I turned towards Tate and lowered my voice.

"What new girl?"

He obediently opened his notebook to seemingly pay attention to Mr. Stevens but turned towards me.

"Remember the blonde girl from last week? The one with the dog? She is currently taking a tour with her.. very big.. father or something so she knows where to find me when she attends school here next semester."

Hum. But not a werewolf. So, breezing.

"But she is human?" it probably sounded like I said it with disdain, but it was more of a question.

"Who cares, bro? She is pretty! Sometimes you are such a.. snob," he punched me in the side, earning another stern look from Mr. Stevens.

True. Who cares? Well, my father, for one. And since I was just breezing and not caring at all, it really didn't matter what she was, did it? Hmm, it did feel like I needed a bathroom break, didn't it? Not an overwhelming feeling, but still, it would probably be better if I went, just in case. I raised my hand.

"Yes, Mr. Johnson?" Mr. Stevens almost sighed it out. Heads turned towards me. Being the alpha's son and perhaps, kind of good-looking, according to others, my movements were followed with interest. Even my bathroom breaks.

"Bathroom break?"

He nodded, and I hurried out of the room faster than I should've. The hall was empty, and I half-ran around the corner into the main hall, towards the bathrooms. But it was empty. Deciding that maybe I needed some fresh air too, uhm, oh heck, I gave up trying to give myself an alibi against myself and walked through the doors towards the parking lot. In one of the guest spots, a black SUV was parked, and the blonde guy from last week leaned toward it. Her boyfriend? I walked towards him.

"Hey!"

He turned towards me with a questioning look on his face.

"Hey?"

I stopped and raised my hand in greeting.

"We met the other day with the dog. My name is Henry Johnson. The girl that you were with the other day. Who is she?"

He didn't take my hand, but instead, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Why do you want to know?"

Uhm. Because?

"I just do," I tried some alpha pressure in my voice. Humans unconsciously submitted to it.

He snickered.

"Aw, little puppy, that won't work on me. I bend to no one."

I could now detect a faint werewolf scent and frowned in confusion. I hadn't noticed it before. And even so, I was alpha blood; he should submit anyway. A low growl escaped my lips.

"Who do you think y - "

He interrupted me.

"Why do you want to know about the girl?" he let his arms fall and stood with his legs a bit apart as if ready to lunge if he needed to.

I would usually do the same to assert power, but realizing this could escalate quickly, I tried another tactic.

"I met her last week but never got her name," I said casually as if we had met at a party. The guy in front of me couldn't have known her then anyway.

He started pacing a bit in front of me. I had to give it to him; he could probably be seen as intimidating. I didn't like it. Not at all.

"You met her last week?"

I nodded.

"Mhm."

"You sure?"

Of course, I'm sure, you idiot.

He continued.

"Wasn't it less of a meeting and more like a.. chase?"

Uhm.

"The only people that met her last week were either chasing her or being beaten up by her, and you, my dear Henry, you don't look like you have all that many bruises on that pretty face of yours."

He stopped right in front of me.

"Or do you deny that you were chasing her?"

An alpha never lies to cover his actions, as an alpha's actions are always justified. I could hear my father's words in my head as I tried to figure out what to answer.

"What is going on here?"

A male voice was booming behind me, and as I turned around, I stood face to face with a tall, dark-eyed, dark-haired man giving me, and the blonde guy, a stern look.

The blonde guy snorted.

"Oh, Mr. Henry Johnson here was just about to explain why he chased our girl through the woods for.. what was it – three days?"

Dark eyes were now fixated on me, at least that was my guess because behind him was.. she, and I sort of lost focus on everything else. She had sunglasses on, but as she peeked over the man's shoulder, she took them off. She looked first at the blonde guy, and then, her eyes turned towards me. She was as beautiful as I had imagined she would be. Blue eyes, full lips, blonde hair that my fingers ached to touch. I wasn't breezing right now.

"You were saying something, Mr. Johnson?" the dark-haired man looked expectantly at me.

I wanted to say everything from "I did it to protect her" to "I want to touch her hair", but all that came out was..

"I had to protect your hair."

Ok. What the?

The blonde guy made a lame effort to hide his laughter; the dark-haired man first frowned, and then he gave me a compassionate gaze while the blonde girl furrowed her brows.

"Come again?" she tilted her head, keeping her eyes fixed on mine.

Obviously, I had a hard time focusing while her eyes were on me, so I averted my gaze and stared to the right of her, onto nothing.

"You were trespassing pack territory, and we have the right to capture and interrogate any who we deem to be a threat to our packs," I said as a matter of fact, but it was more of an echo of my father than words I actually meant.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You were going to capture and interrogate me?!"

No.

"It was the plan," not my plan, but my father's plan. "You all are actually right now, trespassing the border area of our territory, and thus you could all be considered threats and could subsequently be subjected to capture and interrogation."

Two low growls were bad, but worse was the loathing in her eyes. This conversation had not gone the way I planned from the beginning, and all that I could retreat to was the position of power I had. So, I raised my chin at their growling, testing the waters to see what they would do. They did nothing.

"Well, well. Let us not do anything we may regret later here. That goes especially for you, Vidar," the dark-haired man exclaimed, and the blonde guy, Vidar, gave him an annoyed look back. Clearly wanting to do something that someone would regret later. "Mr. Johnson, I would have you know that we are actually since a very short time a pack and should not be considered rogues."

"A pack?" I gave him an uncertain look. "Where is your territory?"

He smiled politely.

"Yes, well, we have a meeting with Alpha King Prospect coming up, and then territories will be discussed."

"I see."

Ok. So the rules changed again. Finding my options emptied and some of my pride restored by the dark man's politeness, I offered my hand to the dark man. He took it, and we shook hands.

"Well, it was good meeting you, Mr..?" the oldest trick in the book, but it worked.

"My friends call me Jack. This is Vidar..," he indicated the blonde guy who still was sporting an annoyed look. ".. and this is.. my granddaughter."

"And this is for chasing me, you asshole," she took two long steps towards me, trembling with fury, and slapped me over the cheek.

I think all four of us were equally surprised.

Then Vidar looked proud, Jack looked worried, the girl looked mortified, and judging from my feelings, I probably still looked very surprised. Collecting myself, I stared down at her, noticing the dark gray and green spots that mixed with the blue in her eyes now widened in terror. Long lashes framed them, and her face was framed by the hair whirling in the wind as if luring me to reach out and tuck it behind her ears. I composed myself.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you," I said with as much calm and collectedness as I could muster. I mean, really, it was just a girl, and I was an alpha to be. I had to have control of this.

Gone was the terror in her eyes, and back was the fury.

"I wouldn't chase me again if I were you."

And with that, she put on her sunglasses again and jumped into the car. I wanted to smack Vidar's face when he grinned, gave me a mock bow, and jumped in the driver's seat. Jack shook his head, gave me a nod, and jumped into the passenger seat. The car drove off. I just stood there for a moment, realizing that the slap had brought a whiff of vanilla scent with it.

"Henry! Are you ok? What just happened?"

I turned around to see Tate come running towards me over the parking lot. I wondered how much of the encounter he had seen. He immediately gave me the answer to my silent question.

"Did she slap you?"

I huffed.

"Well, you know girls. They make a move on you, and when you don't want them, they get angry. Let's not waste our time on her anymore."

I had more significant problems now. The formation of a pack so close to our borders would get my father's attention, and depending on their location, the Alpha King Prospect could decide on the annexation of some of our lands. This would mean telling my father about this encounter and the girl, and then it would be out of my hands.