We get to a clearing just outside of the city before we see Syms' car. We pull over and get out. We can see Sym standing through the trees, but Trinidee and Jaxon are nowhere to be found. As we approach, I can hear the soft swishing of tails and the padding of them pacing anxiously against the dirt. She had them shift? That's a bit much... I guess that's trained defense for you.

"Is it really necessary to bring animals into this? Also, where did the other two go? I'm assuming they're with the canines." Drew sighs. Could he hear them? I could barely hear them even with my enhanced hearing.

"Something like that. You want to tell me how you knew about my people that are over 200 yards away?" Symali crosses her arms suspiciously.

"That's a lie. They're 130 yards, and I can feel them. The wolves are rather large so it's not hard. They are not meant to be kept as pets, you know." Andrews eyes narrow dangerously.

"Well there's something we can agree on." Sym crouches, leaning a bit to one side so she doesn't touch her tattoo.

"Now are you going to tell me who the hell did this to Dove?"

"You need to tell me what you are first, because you're definitely not human." She counters and he sighs, obviously frustrated.

"Why should I? Why should I tell you anything? I have yet to be able to understand anything about you or your friends. You don't believe wolves should be kept as pets, yet you've got two on a leash and one on the way. You all produce crazy body heat, Dove somehow survived her throat being torn apart, you all communicate without even looking at each other, and you had to take me into the woods because I asked a simple question. Not to mention the smell. I don't believe I owe you any answers until I start getting some." Andrew goes off and I realize he's got a point.

"Dove, go join Jaxon, my dad'll be here soon, he'll explain everything." Symali orders and for the first time I could see the alphas blood running through her. I nod once before turning to join everyone. Andrew grabs my hand, a worried expression flooding his features. I gave him a smile and rub the area in between his eyebrows.

"I'll be okay." I mouth and he loosens his grip on my hand. I slip away and go to join Jaxon and Trinidee. When I get there Trinidee nuzzles me with her head. I put my head to hers before starting to take off my clothes, and they both give me my privacy by turning back towards Sym, Andrew, and Daniel, who looks ready to jump in between them at any point. I shift and join my friends in pacing and watching. It's not long before Alpha Jerome shows up. He comes bounding through before shifting in the forest. He walks out and we all start padding our feet anxiously. That's not just Symalis dad, he's like a father to all of us, and though I trust Andrew, I can't help but feel a little bit of worry.

They talk quietly for what seems like forever, but they're just quiet enough that unfortunately we cant hear anything but the hums of their voices. Jaxon lies down, a slight whine escaping him before he stands back up a second later. I bump him with my shoulder.

"I don't like that we can't hear them either." I link in an effort to comfort him but I just get a look from Trinidee.

"Hush you two, he's looking this way." She warns and I go on high alert, looking back towards the clearing where everyone is facing us.

"Come, show yourselves. It's okay." The Alpha beckons us, just loud enough for us to hear and we slowly start coming closer. Whether it was being in my shifted form after so long, or the tangled emotions that today has brought, I found myself picking up speed. I hadn't realized until I was running through the wood, Jaxon and Trinidee at my heels. We've reached the clearing before long and I stutter to come to a sliding stop at Jeromes' feet, who just chuckles in response. I catch Andrews eyes, and he looks at me with confusion. I walk up to him and rub my side against his torso.

"Uh, good dog?" He praises, going to pet me.

"Hey, watch it." Symali warns at use of the word 'dog'. I nip at the back of his calf lightly through his jeans and he jumps.

"Hey! Your dog is out of control, it just bit me! This is part of the reason why wolves shouldnt be kept as pets! Now, what we're you going to show me that would 'explain everything'?" Andrew sounds irritated.

"You really shouldn't talk to her like that, she'll kick your ass six ways to Sunday, boy." The Alpha laughs as I drag my tail across Andrews face, still circling him, "Alright. That's enough, shift back." I look back to make sure I heard him right, and Jerome nods, tossing me some clothes. I go behind Andrew, nipping him when he tries to turn. I shift back, throwing on a sundress quickly.

"The fuck was that noi- what the hell?" Andrew shouts as he turns and sees me. I stand, brushing my knees off before flicking his nose.

"You shouldn't call me a dog." I tease.

"She says not to call her a dog." Daniel translates, covering his face to muffle his laughter.

"What? So Dove's a shapeshifter?"

"Kind of. We cant freeform shape, we can only shift into our wolf form." The Alpha responds, a smirk playing at his lips. He's finding so much amusement in this.

"We?"

"Yes. We're all werewolves."

"If I hadn't seen it for myself, Id be convinced you're joking." Andrew shakes his head in disbelief, staring at the ground.

"It's why I had her show you, also because I have a feeling if it was anyone other than Dove, you'd think we were playing a trick on you. As I have said before, Dove has joined our family, or pack, under special circumstances, and that's why it wasn't easy for us to tell you what happened to her, because her safety is my top priority. And although you know our secret now, whether or not she tells you what happened is entirely up to her. I may have all the authority, but that is her decision to make." Jerome stands tall and Andrews gaze shifts to my face. How am I supposed to tell him? Its all a bit too long for the board.

"Is no one going to fill us in, by the way? Why are we telling him what we are and why does he smell different?" Trinidee asks, her arms crossed in an irritated fashion. She's got a point. We just told a human, a total stranger no less, about the existence of werewolves when most people aren't even allowed to tell their mates until they're either engaged or pregnant, the only exception being if you get the Alphas permission.

"Would you like to explain, Reader?" Jerome asks and Andrew nods. What's with the nickname?

"I'm what I have coined as a 'Reader', what that means is I can feel things better than most humans. I'm very aware of others emotions and feelings, and I can feel vibrations better, that's how I knew you had canines. I could hear their tails, smell their scent, feel the padding of their feet, etcetera. I also have the ability to relive someone's memories through their hands if the other being is consenting. I can't do anything if they refuse."

"Sooo.. You're a hypersensitive psychic?" Trinidee rolls her eyes skeptically, and Andrew cringes.

"I enjoy being called a psychic about as much as wolves like being called mutts." Andrew explains and Trinidee puts her hands up in mock surrender.

"That's fair, but why? That's what you are." She pushes and Drews teeth clench.

"Because I'm not fake. 99% of the time 'fortune tellers' or 'psychics' are bullshit. Even the ones who actually have the ability aren't going to tell you the truth, they're going to tell you what you want to hear, otherwise they don't get paid. Besides, I can't see the future, just the past." He explains, his teeth still clenched. That's so cool though! Andrew looks back down at me and it hadn't occurred to me until now how much taller than me he is. I have to crane my neck up to look him in the eyes.

"Dove, may I see what happened to you?" He asks, and I hesitate. I look to Daniel to translate for me.

"She wants to know if youre sure. It's pretty fucked up." Symali speaks for me, having read my look.

"If it means learning what happened, then yes. I need to know who could do such a monstrous thing to my friend." Andrew declares, his resolve rock-solid. I swallow quietly before putting my hand in his. He goes rim-rod straight, his pupils dialating as he stares at me. After a few minutes of quiet, Alpha Jerome leaves to go back to the house. Another minute or two passes before I start wondering how long I'm supposed to stay like this. Just when I was about to pull my hand away, Andrew comes back to reality and in the same movement pulls me into a tight hug.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry Dove." Andrew apologizes, pulling away and grabbing my face gently. I give him a reassuring smile and hold onto his face as well. I mouth 'I'm okay' again, and suddenly Andrews eyes snap to Symali.

"Tell me Leo is dead."

"God no, of course not. I wanted him to be but its not his fault." Sym chuckles in response.

"Not his fault? He did it!"

"It's a bit more complicated than that Drew." Daniel cuts in and confusion crosses Andrews face, "You've got a lot to learn about this world you just stepped into man."

"It seems I do. I heard and felt a lot of things I still dont understand."

"What do you mean felt?" Jaxon asks curiously.

"I live through memories as if they were my own. I can feel, see, hear, even taste everything Dove could. And from what I saw, why the hell are you here? You made her life hell for no reason." Andrews glare is deadly and Jaxon shrinks. I tap on Drews chest, kind of irritated with how he was speaking to Jaxon. I put my hand back in his and gesture to it.

"She wants you to go back and see her memories with Jaxon, and also presumably us." Daniel says for me and I give him a grateful smile. Andrew sighs before going back in. He's still for a much shorter time this time, only a minute or so.

"Sorry, I guess? I dont know, you're lucky she's so forgiving. What you did was completely unacceptable, but I would be an idiot to ignore that you have a hand in her happiness now. Also, if I may say, Daniel you need to stop being such a confusing bastard. Sometimes you're sweet, other times you're mad. Give the poor girl's heart a bre-" Andrew doesnt get to finish his sentence before I've got him tackled to the ground, my hand over his mouth. I hear laughter around me.

"I dont think I need to translate that." Symali doubles over, wiping tears from her eyes. I look over to Daniel apologetically and Im sure my face is just as red as his. I look back down at Andrew and he's got his hands up in surrender, but I can feel him smiling under my hand. I let go of his mouth and clamber off of him so he can get up.

"Now that everythings explained, who's hungry?" Andrew asks, wiping the dirt off his clothes.

"I could go for some food." Daniel shrugs and Sym shakes her head.

"I'd usually never say no to food but but I have to go train the rookies soon."

"No worries, we'll have plenty of other chances." Andrew smiles genuinely for the first time since the tattoo parlor. The sight of it makes me happy, so I start smiling. We leave to go to a fast food joint, just me, Daniel, and Andrew. Trinidee wasn't hungry and Jaxon figured he should give Andrew some time to warm up to him first. We pull through once we get to town and order, Daniel and Andrew up front. We go through fine until we get to the pay window. The girl at the register starts flirting rather openly but Andrew ignores her. But hey on the bright side she seemed happy and gave us our drinks free.

"Well! She was super into you. Why didn't you flirt back?" Daniel asks and Andrew lets out a loud, bellyful laugh.

"Seriously, man? She wasn't looking at me. She had a crush on you, blockhead." Daniel turns a light pink and scratches the back of his head. I roll my eyes, a flash of irritation coming over me.

"Oop, sorry Dove. Didn't mean to make you jealous." Andrew grins at me through the rearview mirror. I wish I could protest that I'm not jealous, but I can't while he's driving, so I just take an aggressive bite of my burger.

"She's not jealous. How many times do we have to say that we're just friends?" Daniel asks, obviously embarrassed and exasperated. Andrew laughs again and swallows his bite of fries before answering.

"Well how about I pursue her then?" Andrew challenges and I choke on my burger, my surprised coughing filling the tense silence he just caused. Daniel pauses for a long time before saying anything.

"Go for it man, I can't stop you from trying. So, if she wants you too, then go for it." He says, his response extremely quiet. Andrew hums while chewing his food before patting Daniels head.

"I may have a lot to learn about your world, but you have a lot to learn too dude. Don't give her up just because a challenger comes along. Be serious about it, or don't play with her heart at all. She deserves better than someone who just rolls over because they don't trust in themselves and their ability." Andrews demeanor suddenly changes from light hearted to deadly serious mid-rant and the quiet returns. I can feel the awkward tension building. "Anyway, so what all do I need to know about hanging out with werewolves? Was that guy earlier your leader or something?"

Daniel goes on to explain everything. Alpha's and their team of right hands, about our pack and the in depth explanation about what happened between me and Blake. He also explains mind link and the wolves that live within us that give us our "Supernatural abilities". Is it considered supernatural even if it's your normal? I dunno. The explanation takes well over an hour, and Andrew just sits quietly the whole time and nodding on occasion. About halfway through, I get bored and start scrolling through my phone. I check the time as the conversation comes to a close. 11:36. I hear Andrew and Daniel talking about how we're gonna get home.

~*~Ah shit she fell asleep~*~

I wake up in my bed, presumably the next day, and rub my eye as I try to remember when the hell I fell asleep.

You have a habit of not remembering how you got home.

Shut up Lisa, even though you're right. I think Andrew drove us home?

Well done Sherlock, you cracked the case! I thought you just hitchhiked home and got lucky that you didn't get murdered and they were kind enough to tuck you in.

Haha. Thanks for the sarcasm, Captain Asshole.

Make a dumb statement. Get a dumb response. Of course he drove you home. Speaking of which, wanna explain to me why he was in here?

I didn't see a problem with it?

Well at least warn a girl first! I feel very.. vulnerable.

Sorry, I figured you were paying attention.

As cute as I find Daniel, I got bored and zoned out.

Of course you did.

I sit up and stretch when there's a knock at my door.

"Come in." I link. No response. I get up, irritated because now there's no going back to sleep. I wish people would listen when I link them. I throw open the door to find Andrew, who was about to knock again. Oops.

"Bad time?" He asks and I shake my head. I walk back towards my bed to grab my phone.

"Sorry. I had been saying to come in and thought you were one of the housemates who deafens themselves to mind link, so I was irritated I wasn't getting a response." I type out, yawning as he reads it. When I'm sure he's done, I start crawling back into bed.

"Still sleepy as always, huh?" He teases and I flip him the bird. He laughs before sitting on the edge of my bed.

"I came to apologize. I was so excited to see you again that I didn't think about how long it's been or how much you'd probably grown. I threatened your friends and put you into an uncomfortable position because I didn't stop to think before I acted. I've already apologized to everyone else, but I owe you the biggest apology of all. I was completely out of line, and I'm sorry." He apologizes sincerely and I scramble to open my text to speech app.

"Andrew, if half the people I've ever known were mature enough to do what you just did, I would live in a very different world. Thank you, apology accepted." The robotic voice says for me and he smiles, at first it's happy but then it becomes very sad.

"I'm sorry about what happened to you."

"I'm not." My sudden response seems to shock him.

"What? Why not?"

"Because, when it happened I got the courage to finally say enough was enough. If it hadn't have happened, I never would've run away and met all of these wonderful people in my life. I would still be a scared punching bag who's mate forces other people to treat her like shit. I wouldn't be so loved. Sure, I lost a huge part of me, but look at everything I've gained. So, I'm not sorry. Besides, now I'm The Little Mermaid." Andrew bursts out laughing.

"The Little Mermaid?" He asks, eyebrow cocked.

"You know. Little red head who lost her voice because of some guy." I toss my hair around and he laughs more, wiping tears from his eyes.

"I will never understand how you can put such a bright spin on everything, when everyone knows you've more than earned some angry cynicism."

"Oh don't worry. I'm chock full of that too."

"Jokes too apparently."

"Apparently."

"Don't let her fool you. She's funnier than she gives herself credit for." Mason speaks up from the doorway before coming and flopping onto my bed with us. "Hey man. I'm Mason. You must be the 'Reader' that's stirring shit up around here." I fall onto Masons chest comfortably as Mason tests Andrews vibe.

"That's me. Name's Andrew, good to meet you."

"Likewise. Anyway, don't get too comfortable Dove. The Luna wants you for your check up." Mason starts pushing me off of him and I huff through my nose. I just wanted to sleep in for once.

"The Luna? Isn't that the leaders wife? Why does she wanna see you Dove? What did you do." I roll my eyes playfully at Andrews question as we all start getting up.

"Looks like Danny-boy only explained the basic stuff, but didn't explain our pack specifically. Our Luna is also our doctor. And though yes, you're technically correct, I'd say the Alpha is her husband, rather than vice versa. Absolutely incredible woman. Got her doctorate in 3 years while raising 2 hellions for kids, and is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. The Alpha got lucky to have her as his mate. He's not a bad leader, don't get me wrong, that man could aspire an entire army to go straight into sudden death with one of his motivational speeches, but he's kind of a dreamer. Head in the clouds type. Symali is definitely more like her dad while Sam, her brother, is definitely more like his mom. Anyway, I talked too long, we gotta go like, 5 minutes ago." Mason explains, checking his watch before promptly throwing me over his shoulder. Too tired to try fighting back, all I can do is just wave bye to Drew as Mason carries me swiftly out of the room.

"I was going, you big brute." I complain and Mason laughs.

"No, you would've sat there talking to poster boy all day long if I let you."

"You were the one talking to him. Also, poster boy?" I roll my eyes, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yeah, because he's good looking? He belongs on a poster."

"Mase, 'poster boy' is not a compliment." I fight laughter.