"Hello, Floyd. Good to see you again."

Azura flashed an innocent smile at the brown wolf before her. She still felt on edge and it seemed like her skin was crawling; like it had when she had first met Nora, but she dismissed it and pulled up a facade to hide her nerves. Behind Floyd, the smaller gray wolf quickly disappeared into the forest.

Floyd was a shade darker than Nora used to be, his eyes rimmed with a fine white line, and around his snout, the hair almost seemed black. He had trained hard these past years as he seemed more muscular than when she last saw him. He sized her up as if he were making up his mind if she truly was the same person who had left years back.

She didn’t approach him, instead waiting for him to move. Floyd moved his huge head towards Lucas and seemed to observe him for a while. He sniffed the air and licked his lips. He was judging Lucas's scent. She knew it was different from hers even though they were both werecats and was unsure how he would react. Most likely not in a good way since Lucas was with her. He’d probably never smelled it before since Floyd hadn’t been attending Greenwood college like Nora and herself and he had not been around when Lucas had been on campus. The moment seemed to last forever and she noticed the normal bustling forest around them had grown quiet.

Finally, Floyd slowly stepped closer. Azura was glad Lucas had been paying attention to her lessons and he stood his ground while not looking away. Slowly, Floyd walked all around Lucas, observing and sniffing. Lucas remained quiet and still and seemed pretty unfazed by the giant wolf that sometimes bumped into him softly. Suddenly Floyd let out a low growl and jumped away from Lucas staring at him intently. He bared his teeth and let out a snarl while pushing his ears flat against his head.

"Stop with the bullshit already, Floyd!" Azura barked at him and walked towards Lucas. She positioned herself so she stood between them with her back against Lucas. She felt how tense he was and hoped he would keep it together a little bit longer.

"What's your problem? You knew we were coming."

"Floyd thinks he smells weird. He smells…off..." Behind the large brown wolf, a young bulky boy walked out of the forest wearing only a pair of pants. He didn't look any older than twenty yet. Like most of the pack, his skin was dark and he had dark brown eyes like Nora used to have. His hair was cut short; almost military style. Azura blinked a few times and started smiling when she recognized the boy.

"Kaenan? Look at you! You have changed! You look good, mature." He flashed Azura a smile back and turned his attention to Floyd. For a while, they remained quiet and Lucas took the opportunity to snake his hand around her waist and pull her against him. He softly whispered in her ear.

"Are they actually communicating right now?"

Azura looked up over her shoulder and nodded.

"Yep. Probably talking about ways to kill you." She tried to lighten his mood a little. "Maybe we should just tell them already you're a snow leopard. I'm guessing that's one of the details you never told Andreas right?"

"Yeah... One of the details, alright. Also, the fact you can set things on fire and can produce some pretty big wings." Lucas gave her hand a quick squeeze as Floyd’s and Kaenan's attention turned back to them.

"Floyd, Kaenan, Lucas here smells off because he's a werecat like me. He's from a different region and thus his scent is not the same as mine. It's not a smell you guys know. That doesn't mean he's a bad guy. So please calm down, Floyd."

Azura stepped forward towards the big wolf and Kaenan. Floyd started snarling again, showing her his teeth.

"Still don't like me either, do you." She sighed and shook her head. "Does it help to tell you that I was killed by the Phoenix as well and not just Nora?" Her voice softened as she mentioned her friend.

"I know you miss her, Floyd. I do too."

Her words hit a target as a hint of confusion filled his eyes momentarily. Floyd licked his lips and tossed his head around, still on guard. As quickly as she saw the confusion, it was gone again and he started snarling again.

"I can’t say that! Mum-" Kaenan suddenly stopped speaking and lowered his head to the ground while mouthing an apology. He was silent for a bit, his brows furrowing together as he stared at the ground. Eventually, the boy looked up again, his feet twisting nervously on the ground. “Floyd wants me to translate literally. You want the rough version or the nice one?”

"Give me the rough version.” Azura had to hide a smile seeing Kaenan struggle with whatever Floyd was mind-linking him. She couldn’t help but wonder if he knew about the strained relationship she had with his older brother as the boy had just been a young teen when they met. “No need to play nice. I can handle it."

"Alright, Floyd says he doesn't trust either of you. That it was a mistake that you came back here and you should have stayed away. He said,” Kaenan shot a glance at the big wolf next to him and his voice faltered, “you should have died instead of Nora and that you're a lying piece of shit for saying that you died because you're here and obviously very much alive."

Kaenan paused and looked around scanning through the trees. He looked even more uncomfortable if that was even possible. His fingers hooked around the belt loops of his pants and started tugging at them. When he spoke again his voice was barely audible as if he was scared someone was listening in on them.

"Andreas is on his way. Floyd says that you both better behave because he will be watching your every move and won't hesitate to kill either of you if needed. He knows the consequences that will have with Andreas, and he actually is willing to go that far."

Kaenan seemed to pale more and more as he finished translating for Floyd. He shuffled his feet and stared at the ground once more. Azura almost felt sorry for him. He clearly had never been in such a situation before and was obviously torn between his own feelings and what Floyd was forcing him to say. Deciding it was nothing she could change now, she turned her attention back to Floyd. Flames unfurled themselves within her.

"Careful who you call a lying piece of shit." Azura stepped closer to him while maintaining eye contact with him. She clenched her fists and made herself stand as tall as possible. The fire within her roared higher and she tapped into the power.

"I don't like being threatened, Floyd." She came even closer and Floyd started snarling at her. He lowered his ears against the rear of his head again and curled his lips back. Drool slowly started to drip from between his teeth and hit the ground.

"I was kind of hoping you would have moved on by now. Hoped that you had let go of this grudge against me. Clearly, you haven't. If you try to do anything, know that I won't hesitate either."

With that Azura jumped towards him and grabbed the fur on either side of his neck. His jaws opened and slammed shut just inches away from her face but he yelped the moment she dug her nails into his skin and let the heat flow through her hands.

"Let's get one thing straight, Floyd. I am stronger than you and quite done with your little act here. Stop pissing me off." She hissed in his ear before she let him go.

Floyd hopped back, shaking his head furiously from side to side. Confusion, anger, and embarrassment all showed in his face. Azura turned around and walked back to Lucas who now looked as pale as a sheet exactly like Kaenan. Floyd’s younger brother looked like he was about to pass out. Azura kept observing Lucas though. His expression would tell her what would happen. He looked scared the moment she came back but she saw his mouth opening and eyes widen in fear trying to issue a warning to her. She heard the heavy thuds of Floyd's paws on the ground, his heavy breathing as he came straight for her. He was blinded by rage and had missed one crucial detail Azura was more than aware of. She spun around and looked past the charging werewolf to a tall man who had placed his hand on Kaenan's shoulder.

"Andreas!" She smiled and called out to him as if there was no werewolf coming straight for her.

As the name fell, so did Floyd. His ears perked up and he immediately stopped his charge, sliding forward until he almost touched Azura. His head snapped back to Andreas and he whined shortly before getting back up onto all fours and trodding back to Kaenan and Andreas with his tail hung low. Andreas whispered something to Kaenan and the young man nodded. He seemed all too happy to leave as Andreas kept his eye on Floyd who stopped next to him.

As Kaenan disappeared between the trees, Andreas turned back to Azura and Lucas. All the tension was gone from his face and a heartwarming smile sprawled across it. Azura smiled back at the light-brown-skinned man. He showed more grey hair than Azura remembered and his beard had turned a shade lighter, going on white. The wrinkles on his face had become more prominent and there seemed to be a permanent frown on his forehead now. His amber eyes still held that same lively sparkle though.

"Quit gawking at me, young lady. I know I’ve aged a little, but I didn’t know it was that bad." Andreas enveloped her in a tight hug and Azura let out a deep breath she had been holding in for too long. She hugged him back as he held onto her like a long-lost daughter.

"You look amazing, Azura. It's been too long but I'm glad you're here."

Andreas let go of her and turned to Lucas who extended his hand to Andreas. Andreas took it with a firm handshake and pulled Lucas in for a quick hug startling him a little and making Azura chuckle softly.

"Lucas. Good to finally meet you face to face. I’m glad to see Azura actually got to meet with another werecat and thank you for giving her a place to stay while keeping those of us back here in the loop. We owe you for that."

Andreas slapped Lucas's shoulder in approval. Azura frowned as Andreas seemed aware of Lucas being a werecat. Either Kaenan or Floyd must have shared that with him since she told them.

"So why on earth did you stop here? You're not just regular visitors we need to pick up, you're part of our pack. You should have driven down to the packhouse straight away." Andreas glanced at their car.

"I stopped because Floyd was tailing us." Azura shrugged her shoulders and fidgeted with her fingers. "I didn't want to anger him so I thought it was best to stop here to show off good intentions from our side. I was afraid it would rub him the wrong way if we were to come to the packhouse straight away. It's not in the protocol to do that."

Floyd had perked up his ears when she mentioned his name. He was listening in but kept in the same place and made no attempt to either shift back or come over. Andreas turned to the brown werewolf and after a short nod of his head, Floyd got up and ran off into the forest. Probably not out of his own free will. Andreas watched him go and Azura felt a bit more relieved now that he was gone.

The alpha had joined them again after making sure Floyd was truly gone.

"A solid way of thinking except you're forgetting that Floyd was always held back by Nora. She had a calming effect on him, making sure he wouldn’t do anything stupid and she's no longer here. He will stay quiet on the pack grounds but out here, he'll keep challenging you. I feel you can handle him but don't become too confident around him, Azura." She just nodded in understanding.

"That doesn't explain why he got so angry at me though." Lucas put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the hood of the car.

"Floyd hates anything and anyone that's not a werewolf or from around here. Like Azura, you’re both of them so he simply dislikes you. I promise you both he won't be a problem during your stay here. Now, ready to go? I'll join you for the ride there if you don't mind."

Azura started the car as soon as they were all seated and backed away from the parking area. Soon they were on the main road again. Andreas sat next to her and Lucas had moved to the backseat of the car. Now that the adrenaline in their bodies had died down it became clear that the trip had taken its toll on them. Lucas leaned back and closed his eyes while Azura and Andreas casually chit-chatted as if she had never left.

After ten minutes Lucas opened his eyes again at the moment Azura slowed down and turned right. It was a small gravel path and Lucas raised an eyebrow as he stared at the road they were taking. Azura could only guess what he was thinking but it was clear the road had not been what he had expected it to be. After a few more minutes, the way widened so there was enough space for three cars next to each other and the loose gravel became flatter and more solid so it almost felt as if they were driving on an old tarmac road. It was another ten minutes on it before the big house appeared through the trees.

It stood in the middle of the woods and looked like a small palace. Three stories high with white painted walls, big windows everywhere which you would only see in drawings, and topped with a dark-colored roof. A large flower garden took up the front of the house, no fence there to contain it, while the corners and sides of the building had creeping vines climbing it’s walls. There were more plants decorating its sides, including the wisteria plant. When it was blooming the whole building became a surreal image but it fit perfectly into its surroundings.

The first time Azura had seen it, she had laughed so hard Nora had to pat her on the back until she calmed down. The house could have come straight from a fairytale and Azura had not done anything to hide her surprise.

She didn’t pull over in front of what seemed to be the main entrance, instead, she drove a little past the red double-doors and stopped next to a smaller side entrance with just one door. Andreas got out of the car and opened the back of the pickup to take a bag with him. Azura and Lucas got out as well and both took the remaining bags with them. Lucas looked back at the main entrance and then at the door they were now facing.

"The packhouse has a double function." Andreas interrupted his thinking. "The big doors back there are for everyone to use to get to the communal area. It's where we gather and meet up from time to time. It's also the place to relax and a general meeting point for the pack. Most of the house is actually for that purpose. This area here is just for the Alpha and Betas if they want. I live here on my own right now as the three Beta's have decided to keep their own home. I'll show you around."

Andreas headed to the door and opened it. Azura let Lucas go second and she followed after. She knew the layout of the house by heart already. On the ground floor were the spacious living room, dining area, and kitchen. Andreas guided them upstairs to the second floor and pointed to two rooms opposite each other.

"These are your rooms. At the end of the hall is the bathroom for you guys to use. I sleep one floor up."

"Two rooms?" Azura looked at both doors and then back at Andreas. "One will be just fine. We'll take the left one. It has a better view." She took her bag and opened the door to the room she mentioned. Lucas took his bag and walked inside. Azura chuckled softly at Andreas as a youthful grin spread on his face.

"How could I have missed that?" Andreas shook his head and mumbled to himself as Lucas soon came back out.

"That's not the only thing you did not know about, Andreas. I might have held back on a few details because I wasn't sure how much I could tell you without Azura knowing about it and some things really are up to her to tell you."