"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.

Lancelot did not know the term 'calm'. Our kiss was too fast, too intense, and the strong scent of wolf was present. Possibly, the best kissing experience I had ever had on a first time with someone. His eyes sparkled and I heard his heartbeat.

"I think we'd better go," he said, pulling away. It was the best decision anyway, because if this continued, it might end in unplanned ways.

As we left the chamber, he said goodbye to the staff. None of them seemed bothered, maybe this was all commonplace. Anyway, they were all wolves, so it would be one less problem, not having to hide your identity. Some wolves had to mate with humans, and that was a punishment. It almost always ended in rejection, and not everyone was given a second chance. Again I felt guilty for getting one, I didn't think I deserved it.

We left Jenjen Village on foot. It was a quiet neighborhood, and when you were a wolf, you felt even less fear of life. We were not afraid of humans.

Lancelot avoided looking me in the eye. "When your children came to the café, they were with four other wolves," he said, looking ahead. "They had no scent."

"That, exactly," I mentioned. I told him about the day of the disappearance and how I hadn't smelled anything. "I had never heard about that," I mentioned. In fact, masking the smell completely was unreal. We could disguise it with other smells and types of camouflage, but not eliminate it.

"Naomi, what do you know about wolves like me? What do you know about average wolves?" he asked me, seriously. The street was almost empty, but there were a few humans chatting around the village. Several businesses were operating as well.

"Not much, actually," I commented. In fact, I didn't know much about them. In fact, it had been a while since I had seen any.

Looking at me, Lancelot said something interesting. "Smell me," he ordered. I looked at him intently, trying not to focus on the image of his naked body minutes before. I had no smell at all. Lancelot had no smell at all. "You're not getting it, are you? We can do this," he said.

"They are like you," I asked. He agreed, and then I smelled him again. "That's why I didn't smell anything. But why didn't my children smell too?". He looked at me and stopped. Curious, I stopped too, looking at him. Then Lancelot took my right hand and squeezed it gently.

"Feel, it is shareable. By touching me, if I want, I can remove your scent. When you are in the majority, you don't need the touch. That's the reason your children don't smell at the time. It was probably the four who kidnapped them. I thought it was strange that they didn't smell, but I had no idea about the kidnapping. I'm sorry," he said. My heart was beating faster.

"You had no way of knowing. Anyway, that was very helpful information, thank you for that," I thanked him. That would be a great help. I had no idea why a rare wolf species would be interested in children. "Well, I have to go. I need to rest for tomorrow…you know," I said goodbye, moving on, having a lot to take in.

"Naomi," he called out to me. I looked back, watching him, standing still. "You saw it, didn't you?" he asked me. We shared the images. Wolves could communicate in different ways. The dumpster. He showed me the dumpster. I turned completely around and walked back to him.

"You're a wolf with transformation issues. Yes, I saw it," I commented. There was no reason to lie, he wasn't trying to hide it himself.

"You had a Mate with Casper, didn't you? I had never had a Mate, in fact, I didn't know it was possible to have one being who I am," he blurted out. "Thank you for being my Luna." He sounded different from before. He was being too sincere, too nice. "Anyway, can I walk with you?" he asked. I nodded.

We walked in silence for most of the way. It was comfortable to be relaxing with him. His pleasant smell was too comforting. The smell of the wolf was surreal.

We arrived at my house. It was ordinary, large, with a second floor. There was a path to the door and a backyard at the end. At the end was a forest, where I had run to look for Jody.

"Naomi," he called to me, as soon as we stopped. "I know this isn't the best time for this, but when you're free, would you like to run with me?" he gave me the invitation. It was common for wolves to run together. The town was big enough to hold forests, and there were many of us. There were many wolves in the city.

"Sure, it would be my pleasure," I accepted, smiling. He smiled too, the same way he had done in the coffee shop. "Would you like to come in?" I asked, but he denied it, said he had something to do. I would like him to come in. Being alone, without the children, was distressing.

"See you later Naomi, it's been a pleasure," he smiled again. I wanted to run up to him and ask him to stay, but I didn't. I watched him walk and went his way; I entered the house.

The darkness of the hallways took over my vision. An empty house, with only memories and keepsakes. Six years of much love, now gone. I sat down on the sofa, prepared to wait for sleep for another day. I closed my eyes, still sitting up, not wanting to lie down. I thought about the children. It had been a full day. I was exhausted. A few minutes later, I heard a strange noise. Attentive, I stood up. I followed the sound. My keenest sense was my sense of smell, but there was no smell. I felt no fear, so I continued to follow the sound.

Finally, I heard a growl behind me, and I was attacked by a black wolf. There was no scent, and it was a medium wolf. Fearless, I fought back, using some of my human strength. Not belonging to a pack didn't make me so weak. The wolf came up again, and I ran, trying to limit the available rooms between us. It was risky to turn in the middle of a confrontation, any move could be fatal. Unfortunately, I was already disadvantaged.

Worried about the advancing attacks and lacking the time and space to transform, I tried to create an advantage. At least on the defensive, I could protect myself. Although I was not that weak, our size differences were large and my human form was fairly fragile, so I needed to think smart.

The wolf was a female and was still attacking me, still without scent. I didn't know its objectives for sure. Suddenly, I heard a not-so-distant howl and within moments, there was another massive wolf in my living room.

"Lancelot," I said, recognizing him. His wolf was already digging its claws into the intruder, making her bleed.