CLAIR

I fidgeted with my fingers as I stood beside my truck, the one Uncle Theodore gave me. It was an old rusty-colored beat-up Wrangler truck, and I had been driving it since I was sixteen.

Aaron volunteered to pick me up from the nearest train station, but I refused to leave my truck. I could have driven myself to the territory if I only knew the way to get there. But with the territory being surrounded by massive forests and mountains, the GPS was not working perfectly in that area, so that left me with no other option but to have Aaron pick me up and follow his car.

To say that I was nervous was an understatement. I think I was scared. And I had no idea why. It must have been the realization that, after five years, I was finally coming back.

Five years, five long years. I had been around humans for so long that it seemed I had forgotten how it was to live within the pack.

How will they react once they see me? Will they accept me? Does anybody care at all?

I let out a sarcastic snort. Why would I care? This pack abandoned me when I needed them the most. I reminded myself again that I was just here because I needed to be. I’ll be gone after I shifted, and I doubt I’ll ever step into this territory again.

"Clair!" I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard my name and turned in the direction where the voice came from to see my handsome brother with a wide welcoming smile on his face.

If there was anyone I was eager to see, it would be Aaron. For the last five years, he has never failed to call me and try to convince me to go back. He atoned for his abandonment by making sure I received gifts and cards on all special days.

He would visit once in a while until it became scarce when he stepped up to his Gamma position. He was also the one that kept reminding me about my shift and threatened to kidnap me if I failed to show up days before the full moon.

Aaron opened his arms, and before I knew it, I was already running toward him and letting him envelop me in a warm hug. As much as I didn’t want to be here, I couldn’t deny that I missed my brother.

"Aaron!" I cried softly as I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his scent. It had been so long that I almost forgot how he smelled, and how this smell used to irritate me whenever he gave bear hugs. But I can’t get enough of it now. "I missed you!" I continued to hold onto him tightly as I mumbled.

"Clair, my sweet little Clairy, I miss you too, sweetie!" Aaron responded as he squeezed me.

I faked a gag when I heard him call me sweetie. I slapped his chest lightly before pulling away. "Stop calling me sweetie, it doesn’t sound right. I’m too old for that!"

He let out a hearty laugh before he pulled me into another hug. "You know, you would always be my Clairy? Even after we have grown old and can’t stand anymore."

I pulled away and placed my hands on my hips. My brow arched playfully. "Stop being mushy, Gamma! It doesn’t suit you. Now take me home, I’m starving!"

He placed his hand on his heart before he bowed in front of me. "At your service, princess. Now get your ass in my car, and Matteo can drive your truck home." He turned around and signaled for the other guy to take over my car. It was only then that I realized that we were not entirely alone.

"Nice to meet you, Matteo. I’m Clair! Take care of my baby!" I called out and waved at him before he could close the car door.

I heard him open the car door again before he chuckled and said, "Nice to see you again, Clair!"

I looked at Aaron, confused, as we made our way into his car.

"I don’t expect you to remember everyone before you left. You were only twelve." He let me into the passenger seat before heading towards the other side of the car. "But for them, they do remember you. That little girl who always ran away after stealing her mom’s pastries. Everybody needed to look for you, otherwise, she wouldn’t give us anything." He chuckled as he sat in the driver’s seat and memories of Mom flooded my thoughts.

"I miss Mom," I spoke up while fastening my seatbelt, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Yeah, me too." I heard him reply in an almost inaudible voice as he roared the engine to life and started driving.

I hated this topic. I’ve been trying to deny all the emotions that came with losing Mom, so I diverted the conversation somewhere else. "So Gamma, huh? How was it? Tell me what I missed. " I turned my body on him to show enthusiasm as I waited for his reply.

He smiled and cocked his head before filling me in with all the details. We talked mostly about him and Dad, and how until now he had not found his mate. And that, as soon as he turned eighteen, he was thrust into the Gamma position, alongside Beta Gavin. That was two years ago.

The previous Beta and Gamma stepped down when Alpha Jake turned twenty, and his chosen Beta and Gamma had turned eighteen and had already shifted into their wolves.

Wolves normally shift on the last full moon before they turn eighteen, but Alpha Jake was different. He shifted on the last full moon before he turned fourteen. The Alpha lineage usually shifts when they turn fifteen or sixteen. For some unknown reason, he shifted early, strengthening his grandfather’s decision to leave the pack under his care instead of his wayward father.

"And Jake? How is he? Is he a good Alpha?" I asked.

My brother narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "Alpha. It’s Alpha Jake. You don’t want to embarrass yourself if you start calling him Jake. We usually call him Jake when it’s just us, but around the pack, it’s Alpha Jake or Alpha Jacob. He can be mean if he feels he is being disrespected. And the last thing I want is for him to embarrass you in front of the pack."

I sighed before letting out a reply, "So he has changed."

"People change, Clair. You can’t expect him to be the same boy that he was at seventeen when you left. He has seen and carried so much on his shoulders without a father to guide him." He continued to explain.

"Just like me, no father to guide me."

Aaron didn’t expect that reply based on the sigh that he let out. "I’m sorry, Clair. I am really sorry. I wasn’t man enough to stop Dad from sending you away. I wish I had."

I heard the sincerity in his tone that I could not make him feel bad about this whole ordeal. I placed my hand over his hand holding the car gear and flashed him a warm smile. "We’ve talked about this before. It wasn’t your fault, Aaron. You were only fifteen. What do you know about raising a 12-year-old girl? And besides, I didn’t turn out bad, did I?"

"Overall, maybe not." A sarcastic smile was printed on his face.

I slapped his arm before letting out a hearty laugh. "How could you? What’s wrong with me?"

"Ha! Nothing!" He smiled awkwardly before scratching his hair. "I just heard many things from Uncle Theo. Nothing that you want to hear as a brother and nothing that..."

I put my hands to cover my ears and drowned out whatever Aaron was saying with my own voice. "Cut it off, Aaron! Don’t believe Uncle Theo. He’s too strict. I didn’t even have a boyfriend! I dated, but that’s it!" I tried to defend myself.

He laughed while reaching out his arm, pulling me into a side hug, "Regardless of what he said, Clairy, I still love you."

I narrowed my eyes on him, my arms folded over my chest. "How could you believe such a thing? You know how mom always tells me to respect the mate bond."

Aaron raised a brow before he threw a quick glance at me, "Saving it for your mate, huh?"

I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment. This topic was something you didn’t want to share with your brother.

"I’m not like you. Man whore!" I replied before a peal of soft laughter came out of my throat. He laughed but refused to say anything more about the topic.

And then his playful mood just suddenly shifted into a serious tone. "We are almost here. Get yourself ready."

CLAIR

"We are almost here. Get yourself ready."

"What do you mean?" I looked at the view in front of us as we approached. Confusion was written all over my face. I turned to Aaron with a raised eyebrow. "This is not home as I remember. This is the packhouse, right? You and Dad live here now?"

Aaron shook his head as he put the car to a full halt and unbuckled his seatbelt. "No. I stay here, but Dad lives alone in our house. But I will stay at home with you and Dad for a few days until you turn 18. I assumed I needed to teach you the basics of pack life first. But for now, hop off — we’re meeting Alpha Jake. He is expecting us." He said it nonchalantly as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

He walked out of the car even before I could berate him for not telling me about this stopover. I sighed and slumped my back onto the seat before unbuckling my belt. Although there was nothing wrong with meeting the Alpha, I suddenly developed a sickening feeling in my stomach. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to meet Jake.

But I guess I have no choice now.

I let out another sigh and let my gaze wander up at the entrance of the packhouse, and there he was.

Alpha Jake in all his god-like glory.

My heart started beating erratically at the sight of him. He didn’t look like this when I left. I felt my mouth water at the sight of him. I slapped my thoughts and tried to compose myself.

Cut it out, Clair! He’s like your brother, so why are you drooling at the sight of him? I reminded myself.

I snickered at my own thoughts. Who was I kidding? I was already starting to have a crush on him before I left, so this justifies why I was still a little attracted to him.

Yeah, just a little.

But then I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. He had surely grown muscles in all the right places.

Oh, Goddess! Those biceps! I wondered how it felt to be wrapped around them.

"Shit!" My throat started to dry up, so I looked for my bottled water only to remember that this was not my car. I shifted around, looking for something to help me out.

Facing Jake with bad breath was not really sexy. Not that I care. He was used to seeing me with all the mess and dirt from playing, so it shouldn’t matter. I tried to convince myself, but then I knew it mattered. It matters now!

I sent a silent thank you to the Goddess upon seeing the bubble gum on Aaron’s dashboard. As much as I hated the idea of chewing gum, I grabbed it and popped it in my mouth, and started chewing. Anything to help with the dryness and nervousness.

I let out a big sigh before I slipped out of my seat and stepped out of Aaron’s car. I fixed my gaze directly at the Alpha as I made my way in front of him and tried my best to act anything but nervous.

I discreetly roamed my eyes over his body again, soaking in all of his assets.

He surely looked different from the skinny 17-year-old Alpha that I remembered.

He kept his black hair longer than necessary, and the little stubble of hair on his face just added to his intimidating look. His perfectly sculpted nose and lips made me bite my lower lip.

He had a light blue shirt on that perfectly fitted his toned body, accentuating his biceps and chest. Aaron and Beta Gavin were both muscled up and stunning, but nothing compared to the god-like aura this man exuded.

I didn’t notice that I raised a brow and bit my lower lip again when my eyes then darted down to his perfectly fitted black pants. Naughty thoughts were running through my mind as I wondered what was hiding in his pants and if his ass was as perfect as the bulge I saw in his front.

Oh Goddess, could I jump on him now?

My cheeks were already burning from my own thoughts. I had to stop myself from thinking further than I already had or I might end up making myself look like a hormonal teenager eyeing her crush.

¤¤¤¤¤

JAKE

They were about to approach the packhouse when Aaron, my Gamma, sent a mindlink. I rose swiftly from my seat and left my office. As expected, Beta Gavin was already standing and waiting for their arrival.

I saw Aaron’s car was already pulling up a few meters away from the steps, and I watched as he descended from it. I gave him a curt nod as I acknowledged his greeting before my gaze turned to the passenger side of his car, my eyes squinting, wanting to get a view of her.

The sun shredded shadows on the car so that it was impossible to see if someone was inside, but I expected her to get out any moment, skipping and running for a hug like she always does.

But the moment she stepped out of the car, my whole body froze. I wasn’t expecting a full-grown woman to come out of the passenger seat.

'What the fuck?!' I exclaimed to my wolf, Echo, while he was running around like he had gone mad in my mind. Did she really grow up in just a few years?

She’s 17 and turning into a full woman soon. Why was I expecting a 12-year-old girl to get out of the car?

Her long, slightly wavy hair bounced perfectly as she made her way toward us. I assumed she was around 5’3 inches, but it didn’t come as a surprise since she was short even way back then, but I couldn’t deny the fact that she turned out perfect with her curves in all the right places.

I stopped myself from swallowing when my gaze left her face to wander over her body — a perfectly sized breast that I believed my hand could handle. I was fucking sure I wouldn’t get enough of it. And those hips that swayed seductively. I was almost certain she was not doing it on purpose. It was just the way her body moved and just by looking at her, something twitched inside my pants.

I snapped my thoughts away from it and masked my emotions. If her look mesmerized me, I didn’t let it show. But I was in constant battle with my wolf, trying to tame him down. An annoyed look took over my expression, and before I realized it, Clair was already standing in front of me.

"Alpha Jake." Her sweet voice brought me back to the present.

Was she chewing gum? Seriously? I stayed away from women chewing gum. They reminded me of the ladies who tried to get into my pants whenever we drove around. She might have noticed the scowl on my face because she started talking sarcastically.

"Are we just going to stand here for eternity or can I go home now? If you have no idea, Jake, I drove through three states to get here." She huffed before letting out an annoyed sigh.

"It’s Alpha Jake, Clair!" Aaron scolded her before turning his face on me. "My apologies, Alpha. Clair is just tired, and if it suits you, we can come back tomorrow when she is fully rested and in her right mind."

I saw her roll her eyes at her brother before crossing her arms over her chest. She’s wearing a nicely fitted white shirt, and her action just emphasized her breasts more.

"You don’t need to jump up and defend me, Aaron. I’m not twelve anymore." She sighed before she continued. "My apologies, Alpha. I’m just tired and have no idea why I’m here right now and you’re not saying anything. I just want to lie down and rest. " Her eyes avoided mine as she spoke, but I could still sense her annoyance.

I turned my head to my Gamma, frowning. "You didn’t tell her why she needed to see me?"

Aaron scratched his head, looking at me apologetically. "It slipped my mind, Alpha. I was busy catching up with her, and before I knew it, we were in front of the packhouse."

Aaron then tilted his head to the left in submission.

I nodded in acknowledgment before turning my back on them. "Very well then, follow me to my office, Clair."

I walked away without looking back to see if she was following. I heard Aaron tell her that he would wait for her outside before I heard tiny, steady footsteps behind me. I walked up to the end of the hallway and opened the door, leaving it open as I sat on my chair and waited for her to step in.

She closed the door behind her as I pointed to the seat in front of my desk. She sat down, but nobody said a word. We stayed in silence for a while before she broke it.

"So... why am I here?" She asked with a raised brow.

Clair was the same old Clair. She couldn’t keep silent to save her life.

CLAIR

I followed him to his office after making sure Aaron would stay and wait for me outside. I threw the gum discreetly into the waste bin along the way. It didn’t escape my eyes that Jake scowled at the sight of me chewing gum. Not that I care. It’s just that it’s better to throw it away, and maybe he would stop scowling and be more welcoming.

Jake’s scent enveloped me as soon as I stepped into his office. It’s calming but doesn’t stop me from being annoyed with his silence.

I was at least expecting him to be a little enthusiastic upon seeing me back. I set myself up for failure. The boy, no, the man in front of me, was stoic as stone. No emotions at all. But I should have expected it from him, like what Aaron said, he changed. He was no longer the lovable Jake I adored as a kid.

"So... why am I here again?" I broke the silence that was killing me while I sat in front of him. My fingers reached for the pen laying down on the table and started twiddling with it.

It took him a few seconds before he started to speak. "Did you by any chance reject the pack five years ago when you left? Or maybe within the last few years?"

I felt his gaze on me. I lifted mine to look at him and just found myself getting lost in his eyes. I had forgotten how beautiful they were, but I was only twelve when I left. And although I already felt an admiration for him at that time, I never really took the time to appreciate his features. But the dark blue eyes that stared at me right now were nothing short of beautiful. They were hypnotizing, if I may say.

I heard him clear his throat before speaking again, which took me out of my trance. "Clair, did you hear me?"

I blinked twice and nodded my head a little too fast. My cheeks were burning with embarrassment. And I was sure I was already blushing. If he noticed, he didn't show any sign that he had.

"So you did denounce it?" He asked again, his brows furrowing.

"What? Denounce what? No. What were you asking again?" I stuttered as my cheeks continued to burn.

He shook his head before letting out a smile, which he took back after a split second and replaced with a serious look again.

"Did you do anything to cut off your connection with the pack? Reject me as your Alpha? Can you mindlink?"

"No. I don’t think so. Can I do that, reject you as my Alpha?"

He simply nodded and stared at me again. He looked relaxed now as he settled his back on his chair. "Good to know that you didn’t. Then we don’t need the formality of the ceremony to accept you back into my pack."

I nodded and tucked some of my hair behind my ear, still looking at him but avoiding his gaze. "Okay. Nice to know then."

I waited for him to say something more but he just continued to stare at me in silence.

His gaze made me uncomfortable. I could feel my body heating up just with his gaze, and if I stayed here longer, I felt like I would start to burn.

"Can you not stare at me? It’s rude." I broke the silence again.

He cocked his head without taking his attention away from me. His stoic expression was not changing. "Is it making you uncomfortable? You used to ask me to look at you all the time, whether you were dancing, singing, or simply wanting my attention. Now I am giving it to you and it seems rude?"

"Stop it, Jake. I’m not a kid anymore." I glared at him, trying to hide the embarrassment I felt from his statement.

He started to run his eyes from my face to my chest before looking into my eyes again. "I am very much aware of that."

I had no idea what was going through his head, but this conversation had gone horribly wrong.

I was pretty sure he was fully aware that I was gawking at him earlier, and he made it a point to embarrass me more. I stood up from where I was sitting, not able to stand his stare.

"Do you really need to bring me here just for one question? You could have saved your precious time if you just asked me there outside."

I was about to turn around when he asked something. "Why can’t I reach you through the mind link?"

I looked at him confused. "I don’t know. I don’t even know how it works." I replied.

"You should be able to do it once you turn fifteen." He leaned his arms on the table and entwined his fingers, still looking at me.

I rolled my eyes and slumped back in the chair. "I said I don’t know. In case you were not aware of where I’ve been for the last five years, let me inform you. I live with the humans. We don’t mind links. We talked with our mouths." I couldn’t stop the annoyance from rolling my tongue.

And he just stared at me. Not once did his gaze move away from mine.

"Maybe if you tell me how to do it then I can practice. But you know what, it doesn’t matter, I won’t be needing it. In a few days, I’ll be out of here."

He raised his eyebrows, confused by my response.

"Explain." His tone suddenly changed from passive to angry. I felt his Alpha aura rolling over me that I couldn’t find my voice to speak again.

"Explain." His tone softened, and I straightened up in my seat and tried to answer confidently.

"I mean, I don’t need it when I return to live with the humans."

"You’re not staying?" His voice came out so low that if I wasn’t looking at his face void of emotions, I would think that my answer made him sad.

I nodded. "Yup, not staying. I’m only here to shift, and Aaron convinced me that I needed assistance to do so. So here I am."

Silence.

"Uhm, anything more you need to know, Alpha?" I asked, breaking the silence once more.

Silence.

I raised an eyebrow and waited for more. After what felt like an eternity, I slapped my hands on my thighs in frustration and stood up. "Okay, I’m done. Thank you for the warm welcome, Alpha!"

I faced his desk and bowed sarcastically before turning on my heel. I was already by the door when I heard him speak up.

"Open your mindlink."

I stopped in my tracks. My hand grasped the door handle but did not turn it.

"No," I replied, not looking back. "I don’t know how."

"Clear your mind and think that you want to communicate with me."

My heart fluttered with the thought of communicating with him through a mind link. A smile curved on my lips, but I stopped myself from turning around so as not to show him how the idea affected me. I closed my eyes and tried to focus on communicating with him, but nothing snapped into my mind.

I let out a sigh and my shoulders slumped, "It’s not working..."

'Clair?' My ears perked up and I felt my skin shiver from the tone he used.

Why did it sound so sexy?

"Yes, Alpha?" I stayed rooted in place because the idea of looking at him right now would surely make my knees buckle, and I didn’t want to fall on my ass in his presence.

'Turn around. Training tomorrow at six in the morning. Don’t be late.'

"What?!" I gasped and let go of the door handle to turn around and face him. "I don’t need to train. I’m not aiming to be a warrior."

'Try talking to me with your mind.'

My jaws dropped open when the realization hit me that he did not open his mouth to speak with me. In the blink of an eye, I forgot about the training and a wide smile made its way onto my lips.

'Hey! It’s me, Clair!' I answered enthusiastically, and my body jerked up in excitement as my mind linked with the Alpha.

And then I saw it. A smile crept across his face, but it was gone before I could confirm that it was an actual smile. Instead, he looked down at his hands.

'I know it’s you, Clair. So tomorrow at six in the morning? You need to train. Your human body might not handle your shifting well if you don’t train. You only have four days from tomorrow until the full moon. You can’t be weak. Some don’t make it out alive if they are too weak.'

My eyes grew bigger with the thought of dying in the middle of shifting. The thought eventually scared me, and I nodded in agreement. 'Okay. Six then.'

I waited for anything he wanted to say more and hoped he would look at me again. But there was just silence.

"Umm Alpha, can I go now?"

He nodded without throwing me a glance.

I huffed in frustration. "Thank you, Alpha."