☽Ⓛ❈Ⓒ☾

It's almost ten o'clock in the morning when Asper and I stand on the welcome mat outside Mel's house, waiting for her to answer the doorbell.

I feel a little nervous at the prospect of meeting my mate's sister. Asper doesn't have any close family to speak of and neither of my mates have living parents. Mel is all I have in terms of family to impress.

I asked Asper last night why everyone seems to be an orphan in Arcis. My mother being gone makes me half an orphan. He explained that it is a series of actions that culminated in a series of consequences.

Thirty years ago, all of our parents were of a similar age and chose to start families at similar times. They hadn't been able to have children earlier, when they were younger, because there were a lot more hunters around back then. The elders of packs across the world enforced a push on culling hunters, making it safer for everyone. My mother was killed by a hunter taking revenge.

There are plenty of pack members with full sets of parents, it just so happens that myself, my mates, and Mare are not so lucky. I guess it means we have to be each other's families.

The door swings open, and a woman answers it. Without knowing she was Altus' sister; I would have guessed the relation anyway. They look strikingly similar, although Mel's skin tone is a little darker than his. She has cropped hair, full lips, and large, dark eyes.

"Asper! Oh, how lovely to see you again," she says gleefully and pulls my mate into her arms.

I hover awkwardly on the doorstep as they embrace. Her eyes slide over to me and she smiles widely.

"And who is this?" She enquires warmly and I feel myself relaxing.

"I'm Felicity, it's nice to meet you."

"Hi, Felicity," she greets me and then looks suspiciously between myself and Asper. "How do you two know each other, then?"

Asper turns to me and gives a half-smile. "Well, it's kind of a long story. Please could we come in? We need to talk to you."

Ten minutes later, Asper has explained our entire situation to Mel. We're sitting on armchairs gathered around a coffee table and silence descends as the weight of the information sinks in.

"So...let me get this straight...all three of you are mated together?" Mel asks.

I nod, as does Asper. Her eyebrows raise and she blows out a breath.

"Wow, that's not something you come across often. I can understand why my brother isn't taking it well, our parents would have had a fit if they were still alive."

"That is exactly why we have come to you," Asper tells her. "We were wondering if you could help us bring Altus round. He won't listen to either of us."

She looks at us both, a sympathetic expression on her face. I start to feel nervous when she purses her lips, but her nod relieves me.

"Okay, I'll try and talk to him."

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆✥⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

Asper and I don't want to come on too strong, so we leave shortly after. He drives me back to my aunt's house and I invite him in for a drink. We sit on the bench out back, sipping lemonade and discussing how fucked up everything is at the moment.

"Do you think she has a shot?"

"If anyone does, it's his sister. It's better than nothing, eh? We have to try everything."

I can't understand this incessant need for me to keep trying with Altus. He has made his feelings towards Asper and I perfectly clear, but my heart won't let me give up on him. I know, deep down, this isn't what he truly wants. He wants to be with us, I just know it.

Asper's phone rings in his pocket and he quickly answers it. With my new and improved hearing, I can hear the conversation as clearly as if I were the one answering the phone.

It's Satura, calling to tell him that Mare has accepted the position as the next Scout. She's currently driving over to see Altus where she is going to help Mare broach the subject. Together, they're going to inform him that they are breaking the agreement. Mare will not mate with Altus.

Asper hangs up and looks at me with a hopeful smile. "The first part of the plan worked. We've got Mare sorted. She's actually going to break the agreement; I can't believe she has changed her mind."

"It's not just the right thing for us, it's the right choice for her mate, too. She will be happier for it."

"Tell me if it's a bad idea, but I think we should go over to Altus' house," Asper says.

I consider it for a moment, trying to picture how it might go down in my mind.

Will he feel ganged up on because we're all there?

Will he be angry to see us? Grateful that we're there?

"What? Now? Won't he feel ganged up on if all four of us are there?"

He shakes his head. "No, perhaps give it half an hour. We could arrive after Satura, and Mare have left."

"Don't you think he might need some time to process?"

"We could always gauge how he is doing and leave if need be."

We agree to wait half an hour before driving back over. It's a good thing this town is small, because all we seem to do is drive across it multiple times every day. I've gone from never being in a car to practically spending all of my time in one, and it's not even mine!

Asper pulls up outside Altus' house. Only his car is on the drive. It doesn't look like Mare or Satura are there. I watch him get out of the car before I hesitantly follow him. Asper knocks on the door. A few moments later, we both hear the back door open, and slam shut.

"He's gone out back," Asper states the obvious and walks round to the side of the house.

Unsure of what to do, I follow him down the side passage to the back garden. Altus is pacing back and forth, raking his hands through his l, and muttering under his breath. He looks up when we approach him and I stop immediately, alarmed by the wild look in his eyes.

"You!" He roars. "You ruined everything!"

Asper stops, too and we stand next to each other, both wearing the same wary and guilty expressions.

"You went behind my back, and you turned Mare against me!" He shouts. "You got into her head and convinced her to end things. Do you understand what you have done?"

I feel like the question is a rhetorical one, but Asper replies anyway.

"We've allowed you the chance to be with your true mates."

Altus' eyes flick back and forth between us, desperation, and panic on his face. He looks utterly conflicted, and it pains me to see him so torn up.

"You don't get it, do you? It's not as simple as making a choice! It isn't right..." he mutters, shaking his head and stepping away from us. "It can't be real, it isn't right..."

He suddenly shifts, surprising us both as the loud tearing of fabric rings through the garden. An anthracite-coloured wolf, perhaps a third larger than my wolf's size, appears before us. Altus' clothes lay in shreds on the grass. He throws his head back and howls loudly. I wince and cover my ears with my hands, Asper does the same.

He takes off into the forest and Asper bolts after him. As someone a lot more familiar with shifting than myself, he shifts mid-air, lands in wolf form, and takes off after Altus into the trees. I, however, cannot do that. I shrug out of my jacket and hurriedly shimmy out of my clothes. Despite the severity of the situation, I refuse to shred my clothes like they have, I have a limited supply with me.

It takes a lot longer for me to shift. I have to close my eyes and picture the wolf in my mind again. This time, I can picture myself instead of Asper's wolf. The pain is still present, but only at a minuscule amount compared to my first turn.

When I have fully shifted, I run after them, desperate to catch up.

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆✥⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

I'm panting open-mouthed as I sprint after Altus. He has always been fast. As children, we used to chase each other on two feet. As teenagers, it was on four paws. There was never a decided winner, we beat each other equal times on different days.

Today, I am determined to catch up to him. I manage to in the open space we conduct ceremonies in. The irony that this is the space that Altus and Mare would have bonded and been named alphas of the pack isn't lost on me.

Altus turns to face me and shifts. I do the same and we stand before each other, our chests rising and falling. His body is a work of art and bulkier than I remember. He has become broader and increased his muscle tone. We're both naked, but our eyes remain on each other's face.

"You know the Moon Goddess would not bond us if it was not right in her eyes," I tell him firmly. "We are fated, Altus. You cannot keep denying us."

He glares at me, and I wait with great anticipation for his next move.

⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆✥⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆