"When were you going to tell me you met the goddess of fucking witchcraft?" Basil hisses in my ear as the four of us walk back to our cabin.

"I haven't seen you in weeks and I wasn't exactly in the position to be calling you up for a friendly chat!"

"I know, I know, it's just... a little unbelievable, right? We've been told stories about her since we were little. She's the reason we have the power we do and she's your mate's long-time family friend."

"I thought the same thing. Of course, Maddox didn't see what the big deal was," I roll my eyes and we both laugh. "How have things between you and August been going?"

I eye the backs of the two boys walking in front of us and smile. It feels so good walking with my brother again, talking about something not Aiden related for once. Things almost feel normal, at least for the moment.

"Amazing," he replies with a shy grin. "He's perfect, of course, and he fits right in with our family. You should see the way he and Willow bicker over everything. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say Elm and Ash were trying to take him from me. They're always asking him to do stuff, I never get alone time with him it seems. Your brothers are driving me fucking nuts!"

"Why are Ash and Elm my brothers when they're being annoying? You're older, you're supposed to be the one in charge of them!" I yell at him, smacking his arm playfully.

Ash and Elm may be older than me by a few minutes, and they may act like I'm their baby sister, but I've always felt a responsibility for my lovable, if not slightly moronic brothers.

"Nope, not my monkeys. You shared a womb with them, that makes them your responsibility. Use your psychic triplet power to get them off my back," he pleads.

"Why, so August can get you on it?" I wink back.

"I heard that!" August yells from a few feet in front of us.

I burst into laughter and Basil blushes bright red. It's comforting to know I'm not the only sibling that seems to have inherited that annoying habit.

"Ash just became my favorite sibling," he growled, mirroring my sentiment from earlier.

"Take it back!" I cry.

"You know, you two almost make me happy my brother and I aren't on speaking terms," Maddox jokes.

He turns his head slightly to look at me and winks.

Tell Basil and August they're sleeping in the car tonight, I'm taking your pants off as soon as we get back, he mind links me.

We're all part of the same pack, asshole, we can both hear you! August chimes in.

I know.

Despite Maddox's promise, he disappears with August when we get back to the cabin to go pick up some last minute trip supplies and no doubt devise a master plan. I wanted to have some alone time with Maddox- promises of sexual favors or not- to talk about all of this, to wrap my head around it. I wanted to be able to tell him that I'm not ready and that my magic isn't where it needs to be, but it seems like I missed my chance. As soon as they get back I know they'll want to hit the road.

"Don't wander off anywhere, keep this door locked, and don't let anyone in. If we're not back in an hour, call my dad," he instructs before kissing my forehead.

I roll my eyes, but do as he says and lock the door behind me. I can see the clouds sweeping in anyways, so it won't be hard to follow orders.

"Bad storm coming in," I murmur as I stare out through the small cabin window.

"We should go outside and do a little rain dance like we used to when we were little. Maybe one of us will be successful in bottling lightning this time," Basil suggests playfully.

He plops down on the couch and sprawls out, his limbs entirely too long for the loveseat, but he doesn't look uncomfortable.

"I think our mates would completely lose their heads. Besides, you can't disobey a direct order from your Alpha."

"Ahh, but he didn't directly order me, now did he? And since you're his mate, you don't have to listen to fuck all. Come on, Poppy! It's just the front yard!"

I narrow my eyes at Basil, completely disconcerted by his need to blatantly defy Maddox. I expect that kind of behavior from Ash and Elm-they're always looking for trouble. Hell, even Willow is know to ruffle some feathers every now and then, but not Basil. Basil has always been the quiet, thoughtful one. He's respectful to leadership and is never one to push boundaries.

"What's going on with you?"

I furrow my brows at him and lift his legs so I can sit on the other end of the couch before placing them in my lap.

"What do you mean?" He mumbles.

"This isn't you. Maybe Maddox didn't give you a direct order, but the intention was there. He's looking out for our safety."

"Ugh, I'm just sick of being told to 'stay put.' Listen, I respect Maddox and I guess normally I would agree, but I feel like a caged animal. That pack has been a prison since you guys left. No one in or out unless you're an ally Alpha or a guard. I just want to be normal. I want to be able to go on a real date with August, away from the pack. I want him to have more time to spend with me instead of being locked away in his office. I'm just sick of it."

I feel a pang of sympathy for my brother and I know exactly where he's coming from. I hated how much time Maddox spent in his office when we first mated, but I didn't know then how dangerous things had gotten.

"So... not so amazing then, huh?"

The lights in the cabin flicker a few times before going out completely just as thunder rattles the windows so hard I think they might shatter. Neither of us flinch, but it takes a moment for our eyes to adjust to the darkness.

We both get up wordlessly and start to rummage through all the cabinets and drawers for some old candles. After a few minutes of silence, Basil finally responds as he tries to get the fireplace going.

"August is amazing, it's just... I finally found my mate and I guess I just thought I'd be able to enjoy him a little more before everything around us went to shit."

Before I can respond, there's a knock on the door that I almost miss at first with all the noise outside, but it doesn't stop, only increases in intensity.

"There's no way Maddox and August are back yet," I murmur as we both look towards the front door.

"Maybe they turned back because of the storm?" He suggests.

I shake my head.

"They want to get this over with, rain isn't going to stop them."

"Hecate then? Maybe she needs something." Basil shrugs as he takes several large strides to peer through the peep hole.

The pit in my stomach tells me Hecate would find a much better way to reach us if she needed something.