"How did you get so good at video games? I thought old people were supposed to not know how to use electronics." Leif laughed at Dalia who shrugged in response, her eyes alight with love as she watched him play Mario Kart.

We had a tournament, it was all fun in games until I lost against Leif. Third place wasn't bad though, was it?

"C'mon, rematch." Leif said, picking Rainbow Road as a track.

She groaned. "That's what you said an hour ago! And did you really just call me old!?" She glared at him, her blue eyes firing up with lust. "I'm so good because I've had since the invention of the first video game to learn how to play them. You're just mad you can't win."

Sampson laughed. "You just got schooled by your girl."

Leif slapped Sam's shoulder and then turned to Arlis. "But Arlis is terrible at them!" Leif pointed out and Arlis rolled his eyes, smiling anyways.

"Only because I already knew it would end up being you two playing. It's always you two in the finals." Arlis scoffed, pulling me closer to his side on the couch.

Becker and Constance came in suddenly through the front door, holding bags upon bags. Becker was holding all of them, however, because Constance was still injured.

"Why are you making me CARRY ALL OF THESE!?" Becker yelled, gasping for breath as he set all 6 bags on the counter, rubbing the red rings that started to form on his arms. "I need to exercise, last time I actually did any physical activity was 1999 when I bowled."

I cracked a smiled, watching him wander around the kitchen.

"OH MY GOOOOD! YES! BROWNIES!" He ripped open the box and grabbed two, walking over to us. He had already opened one cosmic brownie and was shoveling it into his mouth. "Is that Mario kart?" He asked with his mouth full.

"Who are you?" Leif asked, pausing the game and sitting defensively next to Dalia.

Becker held up his hands and set the brownies on the table. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and swallowed dramatically. "Becker. Becker Reinheart. But you can me Beck."

Leif shot a look to Arlis and Arlis smiled. "Leif, this is Becker, as he just said. Beck, this is Leif. And the twit on the love seat is Sam."

Becker smiled a great big dimpled smile. "You didn't tell me DALIA HAD A MATE!" He turned and glared at Arlis. "I am disappointed. You are a shame, Arlis."

Arlis scoffed. "No, their not mates yet."

"But we will be... tomorrow." Leif turned to Dalia.

Becker "awed" and picked up his brownies again. "You two are cute. Wait, your 20th birthday is tomorrow?"

Leif nodded. "Yup. December 7th. Probably changing early in the morning, considering I was born at like 9am."

Becker looked down between me and Arlis. "Constance gave me beer." He whispered and then laughed really loudly. "But shhh... nobody is supposed to know I'm a light weight."

Constance smacked her forehead and sat down in the love-seat next to Sam who scooted further away from her. "Beck, I didn't let you drink. And I certainly didn't give you beer. You literally said, "I'm thirsty" and then evaporated in mid air. You came back thirty minutes later, drunk with an Irish girl under your arm."

Beck laughed even harder. "She was a nut job. She said she teleported to America. Isn't she hilarious. America isn't a real place." He giggled and then stumbled forward after giving me a confused look. "Woah woah... I ALMOST FELL!" He glared at the ground. "Ignisma!" He yelled and threw his hand down.

The floor at his feet burst into flames and I jumped back, standing on the couch away from the fire.

Becker cursed multiple times and then started crying. "Deflammo!" He cried out and the fire went away. He faced me with another confused look and I shuffled under his gaze.

He wiped his eyes and faced up. "You're dead." He questioned me, and everyone gave him a weird look. "I think... I think I'm going to... go to Uh... ad ital—"

Arlis covered Becker's mouth. "GET THE DUCK TAPE!" Arlis yelled.

Constance rushed off the couch and ran to the kitchen, getting underneath the sink, and coming back with a role of duck tape. "Sorry not sorry, Beck." She rolled the duck tape around his mouth.

Becker nodded.

"Let's get you to bed, yeah?" Constance asked, and started leading him up the stairs, wobbly.

I sat back down on the couch, looking at the burnt carpet. Magic was real. One hundred percent. But that wasn't nearly as confusing as the fact that he called me dead.

I've never died. Not a single time.

"Becker Reinheart is an idiot? Is he always like that?" Sam looked to Arlis who shrugged.

"He's drunk now, but yeah... like that but more controlled normally." He sat back down on the couch, ignoring the burn on his carpet. "We don't let him drink because if he gets too drunk... he boldly does magic. He once teleported me to Mexico. Now that was an adventure. I didn't speak Spanish back then, and I was pissed by the time Becker came and got me."

I chuckled, thinking about him in Mexico, not knowin a single lick of Spanish. "How long were you there?" Becker was just drunk. He's done stupider things than call people dead. I was just... just over reacting.

"Four days." He responded, nodding his head. "So... we keep his mouth closed so he can't cast spells. Of course, Kasparov Dawn finds it hilarious. So stupid if you ask me; he'll get him drunk and laugh at him."

How could he do that to someone like Becker? "Kasp is his dad, right?" I mouthed.

Arlis nodded quickly, sadly. "Anyways, back to the earlier conversation. Are you ready, Leif?"

Leif nodded unconvincingly. "Sort of. I'm just worried."

"I'm sure Dalia is your—"

"No not about that, I have no doubts about that." He looked back to her and smiled. "I'm just... Dad said our lineage of wolf changes have been painful. He was saying that his hurt so bad he cried."

Arlis pursed his lips. "I can have Becker make it less—"

"No! No... because no matter what I'm still going to have to feel the pain sooner or later. Eventually I'll feel it for the first time. Plus... that's really frowned upon." Leif clenched his fists together and then stretched them. "I'll get over it. I'll be fine."

Arlis nodded and set his hand on Leif's shoulder. "You're going to be a strong wolf, you have to be."

"I have to be?" Leif asked.

Arlis nodded. "Yup. You'll be training my pack one day, you have to be. Plus you'll be protecting my sis when I can't. And taking her beatings."

Leif's face flushed red as he faced back to the screen, pressing play to continue the game.

But the thought that Becker called me dead came back.

***

"Same room?" I asked as Arlis opened his bedroom and led me inside.

He nodded. "I don't trust Becker when he's drunk. Plus Leif, Dalia, Sam, and Constance are spending the night. So unless you want to share a bed with Constance... you have to sleep with me."

Leif and Dalia shared a bed. They weren't even mates yet. And I was scared to sleep with Arlis? And he... he's never not respected me.

I turned to the guest room as laughter exploded from behind the closed doors.

"What about the couch." I asked.

"No." Arlis said sternly, not just teasing me. He was set on that answer. "Because I can't sleep down there and I'm not letting you sleep down there alone. It's just not happening. If Konrad is somehow resurrected in the middle of the night, and he sees my mate alone downstairs... no... no I'm sleeping in the same room as you.

"So make Sam and Becker share a bed in your roo—"

"Why are you so against sleeping in the same bed as me?" He asked, a look of pain behind his eyes. "My wolf has had better luck sleeping next to you than I have. Do you think that low of me? That I'd do something to you in your sleep?"

I closed my eyes. "Of course not. It's just... I've never slept in the same bed with a guy overnight." I said awkwardly.

He growled lowly. "Over night? Have you slept with a— scratch that— are you a virgin?" He has a disgusted look on his face.

"Oh what, like you're a Virgin?" I hissed.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "When? How? With who? Where"

"When, junior year. How? I'm not answering that. With who? A boy who now means nothing. Where? At Jen Mally's seventeenth birthday party." I was breathing heavy when I was done talking. Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes but I didn't actually cry. I wasn't that much of a cry baby.

The guest room was silent.

"I hate that I can't even be mad because I lost mine at 22, but really? You're not..."

I sighed and shook my head. "I was fitting in back then."

He nodded solemnly. "Whatever. Sleep downstairs."

He opened his door and I grabbed his arm. He could've pulled away, I wouldn't have had the strength to stop him, but he didn't. "Don't talk to me like that," I defended. "I didn't know about all of this."

"I'm sorry," he said, looking down. "I am just..." he trailed off, stress showing his hair.

I brushed past him and into his bedroom, amazed at the niceness of his room.

His bed was a King size, a large four poster one. In front of it was a black shoe shelf. A black chandelier hung from his ceiling, softly illuminating his room.

A green carpet sat on the hardwood flooring. A tall bachelor's dresser was in the room, a computer desk next to it.

A nicely painted picture was hung up of him, Becker, and Constance. They weren't smiling, but it was a nice painting.

A potted plant sat in the corner.

He had all greens, black, Browns, and whites. Earthy tones.

I walked to his bed, finding the most perfect white rose in a vase on one of the two nights stands.

I peeled off my jeans and walked to the tall dresser. I opened up his drawers until I found a plain grey shirt.

Arlis came in and leaned against his dresser, his eyes watching my every move.

I stripped off my shirt and I heard the hitch in his throat as I put his shirt on. He kicked his door shut and I tried relentlessly to calm my nerves.

It was a losing battle.

I licked my lips and turned away from him walking to his bed. I crawled in and he walked to end of the bed, just watching me.

"Are you... is this a sign that I need to go to the couch?" He asked suspiciously. "Because I won—"

"No. You're fine. We're fine." I said, gulping. "Normal couple thing is to lay down."

He shook his head, smiling and chuckling. "What am I going to do with you?" He asked himself and then walked to the door, turning off his light.

I heard him strip off his pants and I closed my eyes, realizing that his bed was really comfortable.

And then he laid down and suddenly the bed was too big, there was too much room. Suddenly I was uncomfortable and I wanted off. I wanted... I wanted...

"You," He whispered into my ear. "Are not leaving my arms." He kissed my head as he wrapped me up into his arms.

And then it was comfortable again. And then there was just enough room, and that was no room.

***
When I woke up, it was because Arlis unwrapped his arms from me. People were laughing and screaming downstairs, I could hear them all the way up here.

"But he's going to be a WOLF!" Someone yelled and I opened my eyes as Arlis groaned, flipping onto his back and throwing his arm over his eyes, flexing his torso.

I just shared a bed with that. Oh how the Greek gods must both despise us and want to be us. Him for his looks and me for my apparent good fortune of being with him.

Someone knocked on the door and walked in, a guy who I had never seen before. "Alpha Barr—"

"Get the fuck out, I'm sleeping." He growled lowly, and I felt my bones tremble.

The guy, who looked to be around 26 but I could be wrong on so many levels, widened his eyes and then turned to me. "Luna Barron, can—"

"She's sleeping too. Get out." He wrapped his arms around me, burying his head into my stomach as he shut his eyes. "And TURN OFF THE SUN! Or shut my curtains, either one."

I looked up to the guy who had a distressed look on his face. "Leif started... he's at the battle ground. Beta Queens wanted me to tell you."

Arlis peeked his eyes open. "Ugh. Why couldn't he have been born at like eight at night. Okay thank you, you're dismissed."

"Thank you!" I yelled out as the guy left.

I got out of bed, walking quickly to the extra guest room and putting on a pair of jeans. The bottom had piles of blankets on it, and I chuckled to myself. This house had never seemed more like a home than it did today.

I found a package of hair ties and grabbed one to tie Arlis's shirt back. I'm bringing this fashion trend back for the day.

"Oh bringing that back, are you?" I jumped and turned to see Constance laying on the top bunk, her head peeked over the railing.

Becker threw the pile of blankets off of him and sat up. I hadn't realized he was under all of the blankets on the bed beneath her.

"Uhh..." I blushed and nodded slowly. "Yeah umm... sorry I Uh... yeah."

Constance laughed at me. "Tell Arlis me and Beck are staying here. I'm too "hurt" meaning, lazy, to go, and Beck has a hangover."

As if on cue, Becker groaned.

I laughed as I turned towards the hallway. Arlis was already changed and waiting for me, his hand held out. "Ready?" He asked.

I walked into the hallway and nodded. I slipped my hand into his and let him lead us downstairs.

***

When we showed up, everyone looked relieved. Only a few people were there. Who I assumed to be his parents, Dalia, Seymour, Iris and Anthony, and Sam.

Of course, there was also Leif who was clutching his stomach as he doubled over. He fell to the ground, crying softly, and I gasped. "It's so hot. It's so hot." He muttered over and over. "Dammit I got the hot shift."

Dalia came and sat next to him, running his hands through his hair. "It's okay, it's okay." She cooed, making sure he was okay.

I felt bad for her. She'd have to watch her mate go through all this pain. From experience, it isn't a good feeling.

"Dalia, come here. Don't get close to him." Iris ordered and Dalia backed away, her eyes watering as Iris hugged her. "He'll be fine, sweetie."

She nodded. "I can feel it." She said. "He's... He's my mate." She laughed as she cried, wiping her eyes. "He's so close."

Arlis smiled excitedly at me. "Your birthday is close, huh?" He asked.

Too close, I thought to myself as Leif started screaming into the dirt. "January 1st." I replied, wincing as Leif's bones cracked and pulled. "Pretty close."

I dug my head into Arlis's chest and he pulled me in front of him, turning me away from the scene.

"She should watch." Seymour said, apparently standing next to us.

"Why?" Arlis asked.

"Because, she'll know what's coming. If her birthday is so close... she should see at least one change." Seymour's voice was lower than usual, deeper.

Arlis pulled me back slightly and looked at my face. "Do you want to?" I felt more trusting in him after last night. Something about sharing a bed with someone brought you closer to them.

I turned around as my answer and Arlis wrapped his arms around me as I watched the painful transition from human to wolf.

"Hold Dalia back, babe!" Anthony yelled from the other side of the large circle around Leif, and Iris nodded.

We were in a medium clearing, about the size of a high-school classroom. Pine trees surrounded us on every side.

Dalia looked like she was going to lose her self. Her eyes were glossed over and her body was shaking.

"Is she okay?" I asked.

Arlis shook his head. "No. She found her mate. She wants to be with him right now. And well... she can't. So she'll probably be fighting whoever she can to get to Leif." Arlis widened his eyes. "And so will Leif. GET HER OUT!" Arlis yelled. "It could kill him, he'll turn too fast. His wolf wants to mark her. Get her out!"   He yelled, suddenly worried.

Too fast? You can turn too fast? He can die.

"Why—"

"Because it's making his brain go haywire! Get her out!" Arlis yelled and Dalia whined.

"No. No don't!" Her bones broke too fast, I couldn't follow her shift.

She pounced towards Leif as he screamed, his bones growing. Fur was sprouting from his body and his eyes jaw was snapping, breaking.

A calico wolf threw her down, and I turned to  find that Arlis had completely disappeared. Wait... no no he was here all right. He was here separating his sister from Leif as a wolf.

But he was hurt. He was still on crutches.

He couldn't fight her off.

"Sey—" I turned but Seymour was gone. People were watching in fear, doing nothing.

Finally, a silver wolf broke into the clearing and bit hard into Dalia's neck. She whined out, but snapped back.

Arlis was walking on three paws, and I wanted to step in, pull him out, save him, but honestly, what could I do?

Seymour and Arlis growled low at her, and she growled back.

Meanwhile, Leif was screaming and crying, his face a wolf muzzle, but the rest of his body still breaking.

This place could no go one event without drama breaking out, could it?

I looked back to the wolf fight and saw Dalia take steps back, growling, as the bigger two wolves stayed their positions.

She was maybe fifteen feet away from them when she started running towards them, barreling like a blonde streak in the night.

The two wolves both lunged, but neither of them saw her plan.

She jumped clear over them, and landed on all four in a sprint to Leif.

Arlis and Seymour tried to follow after her, but they weren't fast enough. I think I actually yelled out "No!" But it was useless, she wouldn't listen to me.

Apparently she didn't need to though. She got to Leif and jumped over him, continuing to run off into the night.

What the— I heard a sharp whine and I picked it out from Leif's cry.

I turned and saw Arlis's on the ground, Seymour's jaw clenched around Arlis's broken leg..

Screw it. I ran to the dog fight and did the first thing my human brain could think of. I punched Seymour's wolf in the muzzle.