We returned to the pack house with more than enough sunlight left. Alpha Alexander left me at the kitchen entry, disappearing down the hall. I wandered inside the kitchen, looking for Julie, or some other familiar face.

I found a few pack members my age digging through the cabinets. I silently sat at the breakfast bar until one of them noticed me. He offered me a bag of Doritos, a huge grin on his face. "Want one?"

"It's like you read my mind." I took a handful of chips and smiled back at him. "Thanks."

"Anything for the Alpha." He winked at me. "Name's Kellan."

I took his hand. "Phoebe."

He gave my hand a firm shake then released it, digging into the bag of chips and chewing on them. He watched me thoughtfully. "How you holding up?"

I blinked, unsure what to say. "Honestly," I sighed, "I've been better."

He nodded as though he understood. "You'll get used to the routine around here. I remember when Julie was trying to adapt to everything. I'd never laughed so hard in my life, watching her try and stand up to Seth. She's a little spitfire."

"A compliment, thanks." Julie slid into the stool next to me. She bumped shoulders with me playfully. "I heard about what happened today."

I swallowed the mouthful of chips and shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Actually," another voice entered the room. "It is."

I looked over my shoulder at Jason as he glided into the room. He leaned against the counter, and I was taken back to this morning, a sense of déjà vu washing over me. "Seriously. It's not. They're jerks," I grunted.

"We all heard you, milady."

I stiffened. "What did you hear?"

"Some humans saying some petty stuff, but most importantly, we heard a certain human speaking up for us meager wolves." He was more sarcastic than anyone I'd ever met, including myself, but his eyes were serious, trying to convey how heavy what I said to my ex-best friends really was.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal," I muttered, chomping on another chip.

Jason sighed, giving a sideways glance to Kellan. "She's so ignorant, it's almost adorable." He pinned his gaze back on me. "You barely know us, milady, and yet you stood against your friends to defend us. You could have easily blamed everyone but yourself and begged them to forgive you, to still be friends with you, but . . . you didn't," he said carefully. "Loyalty is the most treasured quality for a wolf to have—we're born with it—and you showed it without a second thought."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, not too harshly, I hoped.

"Because, milady. Normally, humans take months, even years, to convert to the dark side. But you did it in a day—you defended people you don't even know, nearly ripped your oh-so-sweet bestie's head off. Your desire to defend others is a trait that every Alpha wolf has—that means a lot."

"Oh." I gulped loudly. Well, that was a little too heavy for me. I slid off the stool and smiled uneasily at Kellan and Jason. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys around."

I started to leave the kitchen, Julie right behind me, but Jason called out my name. I turned at the door to see what he wanted. His smile widened. "Tomorrow, I'm driving."

I frowned. "What do you—Oh. No, thank you. I'll be driving myself."

"Alpha's orders."

"We'll see about that," I sneered.

Julie had brought my assignments from my afternoon classes home with her, so we sat together at the dining table and finished some homework. After a few hours had passed, several other pack members had joined us, turning the study session into a social gathering. The female wolves gossiped with me and Julie while the males played music from a bluetooth speaker and joked around.

It was almost . . . normal. The only thing that wasn't normal was the fact that this many kids shouldn't live in one house unless they were on some reality TV show. I laughed as Kellan told some stupid story about a party they tried to throw a couple years back. Apparently, Alpha Alexander was away for a week. Even without the humans, the wolves had a good time. Several guys joined in on the story, telling their point of views, or mentioning a small, hilarious detail Kellan had missed.

Julie was pestering Jason to tell her more about Seth pre-mating, because he had mentioned something wild that he and Seth did together, when dinner was finally ready. I followed the group of teenagers to the kitchen. A small line trailed out into the hallway, and we hung in the back. I was waiting with Julie, assuring her that Seth probably wasn't as wild before he met her as Jason tried to paint him, when a hand wrapped around my shoulder and shoved me forward.

"Excuse me, coming through. Alpha Female here. Move!" Kellan's voice boomed.

My eyes widened, my heels digging into the tile to no avail. "No, it's fine. Really, I can wait in line."

"Nonsense, milady. The Alpha Female should get the first plate." Jason grinned at me, and then I realized their play.

"You are not cutting all these people!" I scolded lowly as Kellan pulled me to the front of the line.

"We are just making sure you get some food, milady."

"Yeah, right." A plate was thrusted into my hands. Kellan and Jason slid into line behind me. Most of the people in line were my age or younger. I flushed scarlet when I noticed them staring at me, eagerly waiting for me to take some food and get the line going so they could eat as well. I hurriedly took a small portion of everything: barbecued chicken, mash potatoes, sautéed green beans, and a slice of peach cobbler.

I took a seat in the dining room. Kellan and Jason took posts on either side of me, sharing grins of triumph. I rolled my eyes. "You're like little boys."

"I resent that comment," Jason said.

"I resent your face," Kellan chuckled.

"Yep, just like little boys." I laughed.

People filed into the dining room, grabbing chairs and eating in silence. Julie finally came in, taking a seat on the other side of Kellan. "How's the royal treatment?" she asked.

"A royal pain in the ass," I muttered.

"Hey, look! It's an Alpha Female with a sense of humor!" Kellan joked.

I wasn't amused. "Can you guys stop calling me that?"

"What, milady?" Jason asked, raising an eyebrow in deliberate smugness.

"Alpha Female, or milady. It makes me uncomfortable." I shifted in my seat, shoving a forkful of green beans into my mouth. "Really uncomfortable."

"You have to get used to it, Phoebe," Julie spoke up. "They refused to call me anything but Beta Princess for a solid month. They'll stop eventually."

"Oh, that's right!" Kellan brighten. "Why did we ever stop, Jase?"

"I don't know, but let's pick it back up again."

Julie narrowed her eyes, annoyed. "I'll sic my mate on the pair of you."

"Ooh, I'm terrified," Kellan chuckled.

"Shaking in my boots," Jason added.

"You should be," a booming voice came from behind us. I glanced over my shoulder to find Seth standing over Julie's chair. He pulled the chair out, picked Julie up, sat down and set her on his lap almost in one fluid movement. He pecked her cheek, rubbing his hand along her back. She fed him mash potatoes, licking the spoon when he didn't take it. It was so casual, no sexual tensions underlying their actions. Together, they looked . . . sweet. In the back of my mind, I wondered if Alpha Alexander would be that sweet to me.

I blinked at the thought, glueing my eyes to my plate and finishing what little food I had left. I stood and brought my plate back to the kitchen, setting it down in the sink. I sighed, rubbing my face. This is so strange to me. I was sitting at a table with werewolves, laughing and joking with them like they were my childhood friends. When the wolves first came out, I was terrified of them. I found out several kids in my class were werewolves, and I immediately wanted to be pulled out of school. My parents refused, telling me that while it was natural to fear them, the werewolves' spokesperson assured the humans that no harm would come to us. I practically grew up fearing this species, but now that I was surrounded by them, I found myself warming to their open personalities and genuine friendliness. I was comfortable, much more comfortable than I ever thought I would be in a house full of werewolves.

Suck it, McKinley, I thought bitterly.

I turned on the sink and rinsed my plate. Julie walked in with Seth, setting her plate down in the sink and pushing me aside. "Alphas don't do dishes."

"I'm not an Alpha."

"Not yet," she sang.

I rolled my eyes and glanced at Seth, who was staring at me curiously. I cleared my throat. "So, uh. Where's Alpha Alexander?"

"I believe he's on the phone," Seth answered carefully.

"Oh, well . . ." I trailed off trying to spit out what I wanted to say. "Do you know if he, um, if he ate yet?"

Seth's face softened. "He normally waits until everyone else has had dinner. He heats up a plate left for him in the fridge." He pointed at the refrigerator.

Opening it, I found a plate labeled, "Alpha." I noticed it had double the portions of everyone else. I took it out and put it in the microwave, heating it up for sixty seconds. I glanced at Seth, whose curious expression was fixed on me. "Um, thanks," I said awkwardly.

"Anytime." He smiled kindly at me, and I was taken back to last night, when Julie told me that when she first met him, he was demanding and controlling. Looking at him now, though, I couldn't really see it. Either he's a fantastic actor, or Julie seriously whipped him into shape. I settled on the latter when Julie finished with the dishes and spun around to her mate, commanding, "Take me to ice cream, lover."

He took her hand and led her out of the kitchen. Before they disappeared around the corner, he glanced back at me. "His office is down the hall, third door on the right."

I smiled. "Thanks."

He gave me a nod before being dragged down the hall by his demanding mate. As they left the house, I heard Julie's voice drift back into the kitchen, "BASKIN-ROBBINS IS ABOUT TO CLOSE! We have to go now!"