"What time is Daddy coming?" Jared asked, running down the hallway of the house with a light blue party balloon. Jimmy was running right behind him but with a green balloon. Jody was not with them Jody was nowhere to be seen.

"Daddy's late, but he's coming," I lied, as I had been doing on that date for the past six years. "Where's Jody?" I asked them. "Where is your sister?" I questioned once again, distressed.

"In the backyard, Momma. She smelled blackberry," they replied in unison. I smiled falsely at them and discreetly ran to the backyard. We didn't live in a very safe place.

"Jody!" I yelled, reaching the backyard. She was not there. My racing heart alerted me to the danger. They were too young to change, too young to protect themselves. No, they were not going to be in danger with me. I couldn't fail, I had to prove that even with rejection, I could move on. It was only three lies. Casper would never find out.

I took a deep breath and looked around, finding Jody's bear, all dirty, and slightly torn. Jody wouldn't do that. I remembered what the children had said. Blackberry smell. The scent appeared, and my inner wolf could see the trail of the blackberry and Jody simultaneously. I sensed danger and prepared to run, but a loud noise in the house caught my attention.

"Kids!" I shouted as I hurriedly entered the house. First floor, no one. Second floor, no one. "Jimmy!" I shouted. "Jared!" I shouted. I got no response. I closed my eyes and concentrated. There was no smell, no scent of them. I ran outside, chasing Jody's tracks, but there was nothing else. The bear was also gone. I ran in the direction of before, where I still remembered part of the trail. Screaming for my children, I howled and growled loudly, trying to locate them, hoping they would run to me.

They didn't.

Chapter 01 - A Painful Encounter

The first week had been very complicated. It was seven days without news of my triplets. I missed their hair, their smell, and their mess. The police had done nothing useful. The few wolves I knew in the area knew nothing. I was alone.

I built up the courage. I needed to call Casper.

Despite Casper's rejection in the past, I still loved him. I knew that he was now an Alpha, and that meant that he had even more power than before. The corporate company he was part of had the public number, but I still knew the old one.

First ring… second ring… third ring…

"Bishop Corporation, how can I help you?". It was his voice. My heartbeat quickened. It had been six years since I had heard that voice so clearly. Sweet and heavy at the same time.

"Hello, Casper," I spoke, trying not to show the tremor in my voice, "Just think of your children.

"Naomi? Naomi Stanley?" he said, apparently confused. He had recognized me. After all this time, he recognized me.

"Can you meet me? It's urgent," I informed him. I hoped his power would be enough.

"I'd love to, Naomi," I heard him say, and then he paused dramatically. "But I'm committed now." Those words gave me a great shiver and an even greater squeeze in my heart. He had rejected me. I needed to hold my head up and focus on the children, my feelings didn't matter.

"Casper, we need to talk," I spoke, already showing the pain in my voice. "Tell me, Casper, tell me you will come to see me." The line went dead. I could hear his breathing through the line. The smell and the memories of Casper came flooding back. I remembered that night, the possible night he had given me the triplets.

"Naomi, I'm sorry, but I can't," he repeated. Even more pain. Casper didn't love me. What did I mean to him? In a desperate, helpless gesture, I was forced to confront him. I gathered what strength and tears I had.

"They kidnapped my children," I cried. A cup of hot tea accompanied me. "It's been a week and no one has found them, Casper. I can't trace them…," I blurted out, still crying. Saying all that out loud made my stomach clench. I would rather not think of the worst. Whoever it was, it was certain to be one of us.

"Children? I didn't know you…got married," I heard him say. The lower tone of his voice brought back even more memories, warm, sweet memories. Life was so much easier.

"I didn't get married, Casper," I spoke, firmly. Did he think that what, I felt, wasn't real? That I would move on like this? No, never. "They are six years old," I informed him. The shock of reality hit him. The connection was silent for a few seconds, but I heard his breathing.

"Six years? That means…". I didn't let him finish.

"Can we meet, Casper?" I asked again. I heard him say a resounding 'yes', without my needing to question him again.

The next day, I gathered my bag with what little I had of the police cases. I took a small toy from each of them and a photo album. I knew that at some point, Casper would find out about them, and I wanted to at least be able to make up the time with some memories. There was content from six years on that album.

A discreet coffee shop in Jenjen Village. The place was frequented by wolves, all the wolves in town. Of course, everyone was welcome, including humans.

I arrived first, sat down, and asked for nothing. I barely had enough money to maintain the house. I spent too much on the three of them. My debit balance was already in a worrying situation.

While I waited, I looked around, noticing who was a wolf and who was not. All the employees were. I turned down the waiter three times, saying I was expecting someone else, but he kept appearing. Suspicious, very suspicious.

"Excuse me, miss," I heard someone approach and say. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice the smell of who was coming. I didn't notice that it was different from before.

"I told you I don't want anything," I said rushing. When I turned around, I bumped into a tall, almost generously built, handsome young man, very handsome. He smelled excellent. Wolf, is not a beta, but he was as strong as one. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were the other guy," I apologized, trying to show that I wasn't rude. He laughed as if that kind of situation was normal. His name tag read 'Lancelot Pearson, Manager'. "My goodness, I am sorry for the inconvenience," I said again. He noticed my look and knew I had seen his name.

"Don't worry, Miss…?" he asked me, politely and still smiling. I said my name, still embarrassed. "Okay, Miss Naomi. Unfortunately, for the time you are here, we need you to consume something to keep yourself in place. Rules," he explained to me. It was true, there was a gigantic note on the order window saying about that. I had completely forgotten about it. However, I had no money to pay for anything. Lancelot looked at me fondly, receptively, and I almost felt like asking for something, only to see him smile at me for not leaving. I couldn't ask, I couldn't…

"I don't…," I tried to say, but the smell stopped me. Casper had passed through the door and was coming to meet me. Lancelot sensed the presence of an alpha entering and immediately directed his gaze to Casper.

"Two very bitter espressos. She likes it that way," Casper said, asking the manager. The young man promptly nodded, seriously. Conflicts? He looked at me, smiling, saying he would get it. My face expressed a smile back, it was irresistible. I watched him walk away to the back of the counter. Then Casper was standing in front of me. Exactly as I had remembered, the six years had in no way shaken him, except for a few scars, probably from his position as alpha. "Hello, Naomi," he said, with a wholly different tone than when he had arrived. My mind traveled to the past when we were in bed together, and he had woken me up with that exact tone of voice, and that very phrase. I didn't answer, I just watched him sit down in front of me, straightening his suit. He was a businessman, after all.

"I brought you an album to look at," I mentioned, already removing it from the bag, but with a little difficulty, due to its size. "Just a moment," I asked, clumsily, still trying to take the album out, now harder. Casper touched my hand; I didn't take it.

"Naomi, why didn't you say anything before? I would have…" he started to tell me. His touch was cozy, but it didn't get me past the trauma.

"Helped me? Helped the children? Would I have promised that, even though I lied about other things?" I questioned him, fighting the emotions again

"I didn't lie about anything, Naomi," Casper told me. An asshole, indeed. Sometimes you only know someone when you are on the other side. The pain was only coming from my side.

"You said you wanted me, that you loved me, Casper. Why did that change when I was meant for you?" I asked, swallowing the tears with hatred.

"Naomi…you were important to me, indeed, but you were not my mate, although you were meant for me, nothing had happened," he told me. A son of a bitch.

"Right, that's your excuse? And your mate, did he just happen to show up?" I confronted him. Tears began to flow, however, hatred. "Where is she?".

"Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about our children," he ordered me. A brazen man. Casper was unbelievably handsome and an imbecile.

"My children, Casper. You didn't raise them," I said angrily, "They're not ours."

"Maybe if you had told me of their existence, I would have raised them," he confronted me back. That would have been a good point if I didn't have a better one.

"And do you think that rejecting a woman, would make her come back to you for children? Do you think I would go after you for that? I loved you, you idiot. I went after you out of love, not interest," I almost screamed. Out of respect for those around me, I did not. Wolves had a very acute hearing, so ethics demanded that this be controlled. No decent wolf listened to other people's conversations and most respected that.

"You don't understand, Naomi. Anyway, I am entitled to see them, please give me the album," he ordered. This time I took the album out and handed it over. Maybe everything that was stuck in my throat was preventing me from taking it earlier.

He started to leaf through it slowly. The introduction was just some standard and cute text that came with the album itself. Finally, in the first picture, he stopped. The expression he made was reassuring. He smiled, and Casper smiled.

"Jimmy, Jared, and Jody," he said. "Two boys and a girl," he mentioned. "Beautiful." It was sincere, that expression was so sincere that it squeezed my heart once again. Possibly, I was wrong about not telling. Maybe it was my fault that they were missing.

"They are six years old now. They did a week ago when they disappeared," I commented. Casper's eyes widened. For fractions of a second, I saw the color change. He was an alpha, the least he should have, was control.

"You waited a week to let me know?" he asked, raising his voice, already angry.

"I was hoping it wouldn't be so serious. I only called you because I thought the police would sort it out," I replied, raising my tone. I wouldn't lower my head to him. When he rejected me, being submissive was never in the plans again.

He was angry, I could feel it. If I could feel it, surely other people were feeling it, but I didn't care. A mother protects her young.

"Let's find them. After that, I'll take care of them too," he said, lowering his tone quietly, returning to the album, flipping through it more quickly, but attentively. I watched him. He seemed happy to see the pictures. It had been six years and he had not had any children. I thought that if he had gotten me pregnant, maybe he had done it with others.

While he was leafing through the album, his cell phone rang. I could read the name on the screen: Willow Morrison. He left the album without closing it. He answered the call. I just watched, pretending not to care. Finally, he called her sweetheart, and eventually, love. They weren't such harsh words, and it made me face him more than usual. My heart ached and I felt like screaming.

"Here's your order, Naomi," I heard. It was Lancelot again. Why was the manager waiting tables? I thanked him, smiling. He kept smiling back, even though he had already left Casper's cup. The call ended a few seconds after the orders arrived. Casper thanked me rudely. The manager walked away, and my gaze followed him once again.

"Naomi. Meet me tomorrow at this address. We'll find them," he told me, handing me a card. Returning to the album, I saw him pull out three different photos, one of each son. "It's only fair that I at least get to see them now," he said. Walking away, he left the coffee shop, after drinking his coffee at an absurd speed.

I sighed, picking up the album again. Lancelot appeared once again.

"Your children?" he asked me. "I saw them," he said. My heart froze. "I heard the conversation and everything. They were here a few days ago with some people."

"Please tell me more. I need to know," I asked, without thinking. I had barely noticed that the cafeteria was almost empty.

"Of course, but I need to take your order first. Rules," he said, smiling again. Irresistible. I handed him my cup, and our fingers touched for a few seconds. His scent changed, became stronger, and his eyes turned yellow. I heard his breathing become thick and his expression changes a little.

"Lancelot, you…". I recognized those signs. I felt the color of my eyes changes to yellow.

"Yes," he said, still feeling some spasms.

Lancelot had had a Mate with me. And I felt a different sensation, it wasn't like Casper, but it was just as strong.

"You need to get out of here. You will change," I warned. I knew the feeling, I knew what was coming, I had had a Mate before.

He couldn't answer, he was already lying in front of me.

I got up from the chair and faced Lancelot's body on the floor. He tried to stand, but he had no balance. Nothing was worse for a wolf than to transform against his will. I lowered myself to the floor, making eye contact with him. I wanted to tell him that everything would be all right, but I didn't know that. At that moment, nothing was okay.

"The back…," he told me, with difficulty. His gaze was strong, not even Casper when he was a beta, had a gaze as penetrating as his. "Take me to the back," he ordered. The coffee shop was not empty, but we were in a spot that overlooked the other location. The counter was empty.

I concentrated my strength and helped Lancelot up. With difficulty, we managed to walk to the back of the counter, where there was a door to the kitchen. When we entered, immediately a waiter came to meet us. I didn't need any experience to know what was happening. Holding one hand and the waiter in the other, we led Lancelot to the back of the kitchen, where a door had been opened, revealing a curious and slightly messy space. Scuff and claw marks were everywhere. It was a transformation chamber. They were common when the species first emerged and had no control, eventually, we became more domestic and less wild. A chamber was a rare thing, no one had one without good reason.

"Come out," he ordered, as soon as we entered. The waiter, whose name I identified as Jerry, left immediately, without even questioning. I didn't. "Please, Naomi," he ordered, before screaming when a bone broke and bent his body. The excruciating pain of an unwanted change. "Wait for me, but outside," he ordered me. I felt like I was being too invasive, but I wanted to see, for some reason, I wanted to see. Blaming myself, I walked away. I closed the door, locking us in. I wasn't going to come out. Lancelot, who no longer displayed happy expressions, now showed pain and frustration. I was strong, I could watch a change happen. He sighed and continued to scream with each broken bone. I watched every corner of his body bend and gradually tear away his uniform. I thought about helping him to get rid of his clothes, to release the wolf more easily, but that sounded wrong, especially since I had just had a Mate with him. This was all my fault. Somehow, I always caused some kind of negative reaction to those around me. Why should I get a second chance? What was the moon goddess thinking?

The reason for having a transformation chamber in the cafeteria became apparent faster than I imagined. Lancelot was not only a wolf, he was a medium-sized wolf, which meant that he was larger than a normal wolf, i.e. easily identifiable as abnormal. Medium wolves were not easily seen and had a reputation for being forceful and, sometimes, too violent. This explained the aura of strength I felt from him, but this had never crossed my mind. Unfortunately, the reputation of these wolves was extremely negative, and I was pretty certain that it was a kind of crime that this kind of wolf could have the same rights as ordinary wolves like me. The chamber was to protect the others from himself. Even in wolf form, that place and the whole situation made me believe how good he was. Did I deserve a mate with him? It had to be a mistake. I still loved Casper, and I still wanted him for myself, but Lancelot, it was different….

A huge gray wolf stood in front of me. Thick fur, wild scent. The yellow tone was calmer now, and he wasn't trying to attack me. I could feel that he was trying to undo the change. It wasn't working, and honestly, I didn't want it to work. I moved closer to him and felt his fur. It had been a while since I had felt another similar one, at least not as a human. A shock went through me again, and my eyes beamed even more. I didn't feel an internal obligation to change, but I had a strong desire to do so.

I turned my back on Lancelot and began to undress calmly. There were many pheromones in the air, wild ones. I undressed and began the change. The pain was very less when we forced it. I changed. My fur was gray too, but he had more dark hues. He was, in fact, a bigger wolf.

Moving closer to me, he slowly sniffed me, and I did the same. Our snouts met, creating a connection. We smelled each other. He continued to smell me, and his scent became even stronger. Once again, the image of Casper had come to my mind, as the intensity of his scent, too, rose. I stepped back a little, shrugging my tail. He understood. Concerned, he stepped back, creating a space between us. Respectful. I would rather not give the wrong impression, didn't want him to think I was rejecting him. Although I wasn't accepting either. I stepped closer, and now he stepped back. His gaze met mine. Decidedly, I moved closer, nuzzling him once more. Now facing each other, with our muzzles and heads together, I closed my eyes, just feeling that animal contact, and the smell. I felt guilty for not looking for the children, but part of me knew that I deserved at least half of that moment. In a way, I was grateful for the second chance.

The scent changed, and I felt Lancelot's hair shedding. He was regressing, finally. The regression hardly hurt. Shortly, he was naked in front of me. His body had several scars. There were more scars than Casper's.

"I'm sorry about that," he said, embarrassed. "It wasn't supposed to be like this." He headed to a nearby closet, picking up new uniform pieces. I regrew my change and began to dress. Lancelot, in the background, was looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. Of course, he wanted something. Wolves were very sexual. I felt bad that I wanted it too.

Already dressed, Lancelot approached me, while I was still finishing dressing. I looked at a nearby trashcan, noticing many scraps of clothing. Perhaps he was in trouble.

"I didn't know that happened, I mean, the change," he said, already close to me.

"Didn't you know that a Mate causes a whirlwind of emotions capable of generating change? It's almost a rule, we're practically born knowing that," I said, confused. It was common on some occasions, especially wolf parties, for there to be unexpected transformations, precisely because a Mate happened.

"Well, not all of us had the chance to be raised correctly," he said. There was no humor in his voice. I remembered his wolf form. I knew nothing about him. "Anyway, I can help you with your children," he said, changing the subject. I nodded, positively. He walked away and picked up the torn uniform, throwing it in the trash. Pain, the smell of emotional pain. On an impulse, which I didn't know if it was mine or my inner she-wolf, I went to him. I touched his hands, in the form of support. Again, I wanted to say that everything was okay, but it would be a lie if I said so, so I did what was not a lie. I kissed him because I knew I wanted that.