Trevor

A couple of days had passed since the dinner at Patty's. Annie and Skylar had pointedly ignored me whenever possible, and I was getting a bit tired of their antics. So, instead of joining the usual gang for a bonfire thing down at the beach, I found myself in the kitchen, keeping my sister Diana company as we cleaned up after dinner.

"You not going out tonight, Trev?" she handed me a plate, and I dried it faithfully before putting it back in the cabinet.

"Nah, I don't feel like it," I slumped down on a chair by the kitchen table.

"Everything alright?" she gave me a concerned look as she got her coffee cup and sat down opposite me. "You always hang with Henry."

"Yeah, well, his girlfriend is, I don't know – angry at me or something."

"Trev," she gave me a stern look, warning in her voice. "What did you do?"

I scoffed.

"Why do you assume I did something?"

"I don't, actually. I just have a hard time picturing anyone being angry with you. You have always been the easiest part of my life," she gave me a compassionate and sad smile. "The best."

"Ok, well, before you get all mushy, I'll tell you what happened. We were at Patty's, and Annie didn't like the waitress for some reason, something about a dog and the waitress hitting on Henry or something, and she was going to tip a glass of soda on her, but I pulled her away in the last minute. Choosing the wrong side, so to speak."

"Ah, old-fashioned jealousy. How refreshing. Was the waitress cute by any chance?" she gave me a curious wink.

I frowned.

"I don't know, actually. I didn't really think about it. Uhm, I suppose she was," I frantically tried to remember what she looked like. "Perhaps she was more of Henry's type? But she was kind of cool, and I met her friend too. He was also.. cool. They are fighting at the Gathering."

"Really? Oh, they are part of that new pack I have heard about? With all the blonde people? They are enemies, Trev. You have to be careful."

"I thought they were nice. Better than Annie," I murmured defiantly. Not knowing why I felt the need to defend them. "But don't worry, Sis. I have only bumped into them once, and I reckon it will be a long time before I bump into them again."

As I said it, I felt a pang of disappointment, and I think Diana caught up on it as she gave me a thoughtful look.

"Well, I mean, if you want to bump into them again, maybe just go to Patty's more often or for a run or something. You said they had a dog? They should be out and about with it often.."

I smiled. Diana certainly was the easiest part of my life too.

"Maybe I will go for a run," I got up, and a couple of minutes later I found myself jogging out of pack territory toward the high school and the forest behind it.

When I approached the path turning right into the street where Patty's was located, I hesitated, not really knowing where to go. I decided to run left into the forest instead and ran towards the beach. On the other side of the high school, on the opposite side of the lake, I could see the bonfire where my friends were, but I ran along the beach in the other direction. It felt good. I felt liberated somehow. For the first time, I was doing something that had nothing to do with Henry. He was my oldest and best friend and the future alpha, and thus, everything navigated around him, including his friends. He was the natural center of gravitation for all of us. I could live with that. I couldn't live with Annie in the midst of it, though, and I couldn't understand why Henry bothered with her. It was apparent he didn't like her.

I ran faster. Harder.

I saw an orange light in front of me and figured that another group of teens had another bonfire thing at another beach. It didn't concern me. Our circle had an elevated status at school, and another group would not be a problem.

Too late I realized my mistake as the group of people sitting around the small bonfire in front of me was not the usual teenagers. But rather a group of tall, muscular, blonde men whose gaze immediately snapped up towards the idiot daring to trespass on their beach. I slowed my pace to buy time to decide whether I should run past them or just turn around. This was neutral territory, after all. Not that they smelled like werewolves... but given their looks, I knew that they must be the pack forming at our borders. It was strange - I couldn't smell their wolves. At all.

I gave them what I hoped was a polite nod as I got closer, some of them half-raising themselves as I passed. Eyes followed every move I took, but seemingly more out of curiosity rather than menacing. I was just going to pick up the pace when a movement caught my attention. One of them got up just as I had run past them, and the sudden movement made me turn my head toward him.

"Hey... Trevor?"

Vile took a few tentative steps toward me, and I stopped.

"Hi, Vile," I smiled and nodded towards the others. "What's up?"

"You out for a run at this hour?" he turned towards his friends. "This is the guy I told you about, the one from the restaurant."

I heard some approving murmurs from the group around the fire, and they gestured for me to join them.

"Ok, so this is Toke, Arvid, Halvar, Vidar and B, you know."

The girl crawled up from one of the blonde guy's laps, the one from the dog incident, and hugged me.

"Good to see you, Trevor!"

As her arms slung around my body, I noticed that Vidar's eyes followed my every movement. I stared back and, with an unmistakable gesture, carefully patted her lightly on her back. He nodded and let his eyes drift somewhere else.

"I was just about to walk B home. Wanna join us?" Vile stretched his arms over his head and stifled a yawn.

"Sure."

We started to walk back along the beach, light banter ensuing, and I had fun. We dropped B off at Patty's and walked back towards the path leading in our different directions.

"So, you want to come train with us tomorrow? We could use some new tricks.." Vile sounded almost shy. "Not me, of course, but B. She needs some new tricks," he added cockily.

"Tsk tsk. Blaming the girl," I grinned. "I'll be here to show you some new tricks."

"I'm counting on it," he gave me a mischievous smile and started walking back to his territory.

Diana

Trevor came back with a satisfied look on his face. Running is evidently good for you.

"Feeling better?" I put down the book I was reading and patted the seat next to me on the sofa. "Come tell your sister why you look so content all of a sudden."

"I bumped into Vile.. and B. And some guys from the other pack. I'll be going there again tomorrow.." he said hesitantly, almost inquisitively as if he needed my permission.

"Alright, Trev. You don't need my permission, but just be mindful. We don't know these werewolves at all. How did they seem?"

"Well, I came running, and they had a bonfire and kind of just invited me to join them. It wasn't dramatic," he smiled. "Not like this pack."

I scoffed and smiled.

"Let's hope not," I reached for the coffee cup with a groan.

Trevor gave me a concerned look.

"You feeling alright there?"

"Yes, just sore from fight practice today. Alpha is pushing us far over the limit now. It's tough."

I almost didn't want to admit it, but it was tough. Too tough, actually. I was pretty sure I would not make the cut but unsure how to deal with that. I would miss the Gathering, and be forced to stay at the territory to guard. Again.

Trevor gave me a gauging look.

"You know you don't have to do it, right?

"I know, I just don't know what else to do if I don't do that."

Hild

Life had slowly started to become something of a routine thing. I woke up, had breakfast, got ready for the day, and went to work. It was routine. It was the same thing every day. I loved it.

No one argued. No one drank until late in the evening. No one played loud music. No one came home drunk and grabbed me. No one touched me. I love, love, loved it. As it turned out, my teenage niece was the perfect roommate. Having tended to herself for so long, she automatically did all the household things in the morning, and then she went to "the guys" as we called them, to train for this tournament thing. I didn't like that she would fight, but Jack, the devil, convinced me most efficiently – by using my own words against me.

"Well, didn't you say that women can fend for themselves? That you didn't need a man in your life? That women can fight as well as men if they needed to? Didn't you say, specifically, that except for peeing standing up, there was nothing a man could do that a woman couldn't?

I had said that and meant it. And since I not only had said it but also believed it, B would fight in this stupid tournament. I had no arguments that would lead to anything other than admitting that women weren't as strong as men, and since I believed they were, I would never agree to that. Of course, not all women were as strong as all men, but I had a gnawing feeling that B would be at the higher end of the normal distribution and would actually be able to kick the ass out of some men too.

It had been a week since I had heard from Zac, and I felt bad for not reaching out to him sooner after the last conversation we had. I did tell B that he probably was her uncle, and she was overjoyed. I also told her that we needed to give him some time as he already had a family and a brother and possibly needed some adjustment. But it was due time to call and ask how he was, so I picked up the phone and dialed his number.

Someone answered almost immediately.

"Yes? This is Zac."

"Oh, heh, I was expecting Connor to answer your phone. It's Hild."

"Connor?"

"Yes.. your secretary?"

"Oh right! Yes, Connor. Uhm, he has a day off today?"

"You sure?"

He laughed.

"I am sure."

"So, how have you been?"

He had been fine apparently but also busy with preparations for the Gathering and all that came with it. I hadn't understood that it was such a big deal, but I realized that it actually was from talking to Jack. I had still not decided to join this new part of me yet, but B was so excited and had made me promise to come to watch the games at least. I wasn't looking forward to seeing her fight, but admittedly, she did well the last time I saw her do it.

"Right," I said, unsure of how to continue. "So, I wanted to talk to you about some things or rather ask you some or one thing. Jack and the guys, the pack that is, is celebrating the summer solstice on Friday next week, and I know he really wants you to come. Apparently, it is a big, big celebration for them, and they are also going to be holding some sort of initiation of the pack ritual."

"Uhum."

I could hear the hesitation in his voice and paused for a second to gather the courage to move on. This was, after all, not only about him; it was also about me. About me finding my twin and the need I had to meet him.

"So.. uhm, I was thinking that if you wanted to, perhaps we could meet for dinner before that? Just you and me? And B if you want to of course. We can do it somewhere else than here, so it will be neutral territory."

"You are in neutral territory," he said with a suspicious tone.

Right. Werewolves.

"I meant neutral territory in the human sense. Where none of us sort of has an advantage. I don't know why I said that; it's only a dinner. But if you don't want to, it is fine of c-"

"I think I would like that."

We decided to meet already the next day, and Zac suggested a place somewhere halfway between us.

I  declined Vidar's offer to drive me and come pick me up later and borrowed one of Jack's cars. I wanted to do this alone. B did, uncharacteristically for her, actually, pout a bit about it but understood.

So, now I found myself sitting at a table by the window in the restaurant he had suggested. I was nervous. I had taken forever to decide what to wear with B as an eager help. What do you wear when you meet your family for the first time? I had gone for black jeans and a black shirt and my hair in a messy bun.

A black SUV turned into the parking lot and parked in one of the free lots a couple of cars away from where I had parked Jack's car. A tall, blonde man jumped out of the passenger seat and leaned back in to say something to the driver. I couldn't know for sure that it was my brother, of course, but I suppressed a giggle when I noticed his black jeans, black shirt, and messy blonde curls scrambled into a bun on his head. As he crossed the parking lot, I had to admit that I wouldn't be surprised if I had some more nieces somewhere if this guy was my brother. He looked good.

He entered the restaurant and scanned it for, well, for me. As our eyes met, he stopped for a second, then he smiled widely, and moved towards me. I got up from my seat, and seconds later, I was engulfed in the warmest embrace I had ever felt. Usually, I didn't like people touching me. But Zac's embrace felt like Jack's. Home.

We stood like that for a long time with me crying silent tears into his shirt. They were both tears of joy for finding him and tears of sorrow for all the years I could have known him but hadn't. Finally, we separated and sat down on opposite sides of the table, with me still holding onto one of his hands.

He smiled and looked at me.

"Hi. I am Zac; please tell me you are Hild."

I laughed. He had such a friendly face.

"I am. It is good to finally meet you."

"Phew," he joked. "Could have been an awkward conversation otherwise."

"What? You don't console crying women for a living?"

He grinned.

"You know what? Lately, it has felt like part of the job description actually. Blonde women are appearing from all over the place, crying and throwing themselves at me."

"B," I smiled. "I will make sure to tell her that you said 'woman' and not 'girl'."

Now he laughed.

"Please do," then he gave me a thoughtful look and fidgeted with my hand. "Life, huh? It sure gives you both lemons and lemonade at the same time."

I looked at our joint hands and smiled.

"It sure does."

He squeezed my hand and looked up.

"So, tell me about my sister."

"Well, I live in a small town not that far away from here with my niece, the troublemaker B. But also the best niece one could have. Kind of badass, actually. I have a father who lives close by; he has a foul mouth but a big heart. All his emotions on his sleeves. A bit rash sometimes. I work as an assistant to an accountant in my town. Live on top of a restaurant. I am... happy. Oh, right. And a werewolf," I grinned.

"Huh, not bad," he gave me a compassionate smile. "And before you were this happy..?"

I dropped my gaze toward the table and our hands.

"Well, before that.. not so happy. I left one of my many foster families when I was 18, and since then, I have been living.." I sighed. "..living a life on the run, I guess. I moved a lot. B followed our respective trajectories, and apparently, I was deemed to come here at one point or another in life; B only escalated it."

I sighed again, but he only looked at me and patiently waited for me to continue.

"I have been drinking a lot, never drugs, though. And I financed my education by working as a stripper," he didn't flinch. I continued. "When B found me, I was being raped by the three men who just hours before had killed my... boyfriend is stretching it, but the man I was living with. Also he, not being shy of using his knuckles now and then."

Now he flinched and clenched his fist, turning his knuckles all white. I could see how he struggled with replying to all that information and realized that I had been unfair in my need to share everything about me at once. I had wanted him to know everything about me as soon as possible, but I, of course, had not taken his feelings into account by doing that.

I took his hand and unclenched his fist.

"I am sorry, Zac. It was selfish of me to blurt it all out like that. It is in the past, and I don't feel anything about it."

"I just wish I could have been there for you. Could have been there to prevent all this from happening to you."

"Well, you are here now. That is all that matters."

We sat there in silence until a waitress came over and took our orders, obviously aware of the sensitive situation at the table. She left, and I turned to Zac and tilted my head.

"So, tell me about my brother."

He smiled and looked out the window for a second only to turn his gaze back to me. He smiled and shrugged.

"There isn't much to say."

"Not much to say? According to B, being the beta in a Prospect pack almost gives you celebrity status."

He chuckled.

"Normally, yes, but we keep to ourselves," he stretched his long arms over his head and yawned. "Well, the short story is that I have been brought up in a great family, and have never felt like I didn't belong. My Mom and Dad died perhaps 15 years ago, and my older brother took over the pack. And I have been his beta ever since."

"Wait," I furrowed my brows. "Does that mean that the Alpha Prospect or whatever he is called, is your brother?"

He nodded slowly.

"The very one, yes."

I leaned back. I hadn't seen that one coming. He took my hand.

"I know you think he is an asshole, and sometimes he is. But most of the time, he is not. He has just.. well, life has not treated him fairly all the time. Our parents died young, and he had to take over early and then not finding his mate and how that affects the pack. It has been rough. And now there is a power struggle going on in the Prospect and well, I mean.." he gave me a determined look. "..normally, we don't chase young rogues like that. Normally, we ignore them or treat them worse."

I flinched.

"Worse?"

He nodded.

"Yes, had she been anyone else, she probably would have had a harder time. But a young girl can't do that much harm. Had it not been for your neighbor Neron Johnson, we wouldn't have bothered with her."

He chuckled.

"This judgment comes from before she beat up three men, slapped Henry Johnson, and seems to be responsible for the formation of a new pack in our territory, though."

He nodded towards the car parked outside. "Ben is amazed at how she managed to cause all this trouble in what, a month?"

I looked at the car, suddenly a bit worried.

"Ben?"

"Alpha King Prospect Ben Connors."

I glanced at the car again as if it suddenly posed a significant threat.

"He is here?"

"Yes. He didn't want me to go alone if it was a trap or something," Zac shrugged. "So he drove me here to make sure you wouldn't attack me or something."

"That was.." I frowned. It was thoughtful. "But shouldn't we invite him to come in here then? I mean, he is just sitting there?"

Zac waved dismissively.

"No, I mean, I did suggest it, but he said that this meeting was too important and sensitive, and he didn't want to impose himself on us or... you. And he is probably sleeping anyway. We rarely leave the territory, and there is always someone who wants something from him, so this is a welcome relief for him."

I was confused. It actually sounded like a.. thoughtful and protective person. Not so much of an asshole. Hmm.

"Ok, well, if he is fine with it, then I can't say that I find it in me to convince you otherwise."

He offered a sad smile.

"You will like him, I promise."

"Really?"

He chuckled.

"Just don't mention B."

"Oh, I had just started to forget about him being an asshole, and here you bring it up again. What was the deal with him again, by the way? He never found a wife? Is that because he is not good enough for women or the other way around?"

He laughed dryly.

"Women throw themselves at him; I have a hard time naming any woman in our Prospect that wouldn't delight in being his partner. And.." he raised a warning finger. "..before you get the wrong idea, it is not that women are not good enough for him either. He has just been quite adamant that he wanted to find his true mate. Not only for him but also for the pack, the true mate would make both him and the rest of us much more powerful."

I nodded thoughtfully.

"But he never found her.."

Zac nodded sadly.

"He never found her. We went everywhere, to all the meetings and gatherings and whatnot and yearly too just in case they were not of age yet but.. nothing. And then, after a while, I think he just thought that she would be too young if he found her now, and I think he just didn't like that idea at all. He.. gave up."

He glanced out the window again.

"Slowly, he became this empty person, constantly worried about the pack, and I also think ashamed because he couldn't give them a strong Luna, or any Luna for that matter. He became different. But," he smiled at the thought. "he actually seems better. Stronger, like a spring coming after a long winter if you allow me to be poetic about it."

I looked out at the sad car. I felt the weight the man in the car carried: the impossible responsibility and the sadness of not being able to pull through. I didn't know much about responsibility until recently, but I knew enough about disappointment.

"Well, I hope... I hope he finds happiness in some way. Tell him I am ever grateful for him taking care of you," my eyes welled up. I really was grateful that Zac had this wonderful family and brother who protected him for all these years. "You know what?"

Zac sat up and gave me a confused look as I called the waitress again. She came over with a worried face.

"Everything is fine, but could I order a burger and fries to go and have you deliver it to the man in that car over there?" I pointed at Zac's car, and she smiled and hurried away.

A couple of minutes later, I saw her come out of the kitchen with a takeaway bag that she promptly delivered to the car. And another couple of seconds later, Zac's phone beeped. He looked at the text message, turned the phone over to me, and smiled.

"No way this was you, so tell your sister thanks. You still in one piece?"

I chuckled and frowned.

"Why wouldn't you be in one piece?"

"Oh, heh, never mind that," he gave me an embarrassed smile. "It's just a reference to you not being a push-over, sort of."

I laughed. I could live with that.

The rest of the evening was spent laughing and talking and worrying about the time Mr. Alpha King Prospect Ben Connors had to spend in that car.