When Keifer walked into the pack cafeteria, he had a broad grin on his face. He was extremely smug for someone so young. But he had just finished school for the day, and couldn't wait to see Opal so he could tell her what he learned.

He was ecstatic. He moved through the crowded cafeteria, the lunch rush was in full swing. He dodged people and tables until he reached his target.

Finally, Keifer stopped, sitting down in front of the shyest girl in the pack. The young werewolf girl had her nose stuck in a book. Even though she was only 11, she had a remarkable love for the things. Countless pages and words and lessons all wrapped in a spine and sometimes covered in dust, one was always in her hand.

Her friend Keifer sat impatiently for a few moments, tapping his foot as he waited for her to acknowledge his presence. Little did he know that Opal was well aware of the little lycan, in fact she smiled fondly behind her book as she finished the page.

Eventually, after a few excruciatingly long minutes, she folded it up and placed it on the table, flicking her eyes up to his.

Keifer forgot what exactly it was that he was so excited to tell her. She was just that beautiful, she could make the best person forget everything else in the world with one small glance. Keifer was sure that she was the most beautiful girl the universe had ever seen.

"What is it? You sure got here in a hurry." She mused, poking at her lunch with a spork while he continued watching her with utter amazement.

The moment was fleeting, but he'd remember it forever. He had just learned everything there was to know about mates. The feelings, the love, the signs. He only just now realized that's what Opal was to him.

His mate.

Embarrassed, and flushed, Keifer cleared his throat, but he dare not look away from her out of fear that she would disappear.

"I learned a lot of things today." He stammered, but didn't want to give himself away, so he decided to talk about what he learned at home instead. Opal would never know.

"I learned that one day I'll shift, like my Papa. I'll get really big. Bigger than you! Even in my human form. One day, I'll be a lot taller than you, even in my human form." He bragged, but Opal just lifted an eyebrow.

Of course she knew that Keifer would shift one day, and he'd change in many ways, but it was hard to picture. Opal was tall for her age, she towered over most pups in the pack, including Keifer. She couldn't imagine a world where she didn't have a few inches on the little kid.

So, she took the opportunity as always to tease him.

"Nah, I think you're going to stay small forever." She said, grinning at him when his eyes widened.

"But, but that's what my Dad told me! And he never lies. He said I could get as big as him even."

Opal knew quite a bit about lycans being raised by one, but the thought of Keifer growing to 6'9" terrified her.

How could this little, rambunctious kid turn into an enormous, muscle-bound god? It was confusing, and almost heartbreaking. She didn't want her friend to change. But it would happen eventually, whether she liked it or not.

"Yeah. I'll believe it when I see it." Opal settled on saying, too afraid to expose her true feelings.

"One day you'll see, Opal. I'll be taller than you and then I can be the one to put things where you can't get them." Keifer growled, and Opal tried to contain her laughter.

One of her favorite things to do as far as teasing Keifer went was holding things high in the air so he couldn't get to them. And there was always the highest shelf that he couldn't reach. It was all fun and games, but it was clear that Keifer was counting on getting some payback. It was amusing and endearing.

The thing was, Opal hated thinking about it because she couldn't imagine a world where Keifer didn't need her protection, but one day, he wouldn't need her to watch out for him. He would grow, his power would triple, and he would be able to do anything. He wouldn't need her anymore.

She swallowed, sobered up, and put on a fake smile.

"What else did you learn?" She said, changing the subject to something she could stand to hear while she shoved a mouthful of pasta past her lips.

Keifer turned his head away as his face flushed.

"I learned about, um, I learned about mates."

Opal choked on her noodles, coughing and hacking to clear her windpipe.

"Maybe we should change the subject."

Present day

Keifer POV

I knock on the door of a house I'm all too familiar with, gulping as I tug at the ends of my hair.

I'm like a pot boiling over with all my nerves. I didn't expect to end up here, but here I am nevertheless. The wind rages around me, swirling snowflakes into my face and rustling the bare tree branches against each other.

I keep telling myself that this is the last stop to get to Opal, so whatever may happen, as awkward and uncomfortable as it may be, it's necessary. I hear the footsteps stomping towards the door before it swings open.

There's no time to blink before a fist is connecting with my face.

I rear back, clutching a hand to my nose as my legs automatically distance myself from my attacker.

"Hey, Ace." I manage through the dripping of my blood that slides down and into my mouth and off my chin from my nostrils.

"Hey, asshole." He says lightly, crossing his arms over his chest and narrowing his green eyes at me.

The usually playful lycan looks mad enough to kill, and all of the anger is aimed straight at me. I can't even blame him. I deserve this. It's his daughter I'm after.

"I'm going to find Opal, and I want you to come with me." I force the words out as my nose heals. I wipe the remainder of my blood off of my face as the blood stops flowing.

Ace takes a threatening step towards me, but I hold my ground. I'm bigger than him, I could take him, but I wouldn't fight him. He needs to get his revenge after everything. This will only bring peace between us. At least, I hope it will.

"And why are you only coming back now? When she's run away? You knew she was your mate, you knew that she was waiting here for you. You're a damn coward, Keifer. You should be ashamed of yourself. Sack of shit." He spits, his playful tone completely gone.

I nod, because I agree with him. I deserve any critique and hatred that comes my way. I feel like the lowest of the low, the scum of the earth.

My mate is out there. She's alone in a world she knows nothing about. It's cold and unforgiving out there, and I'm not there to protect her. If her Dad knew, if my Parents knew, they could've prevented this. We could've found a way around it before she decided her last hope was to come find me.

I just don't understand why she would do this. Why couldn't she just keep waiting? What happened that made her think running away would be a good idea?

"If you're asking for an explanation, I'm not going to give you one. There's no excuse for hiding our relationship." I admit, swallowing my pride and telling the truth. Ace stares at me like he doesn't believe what I'm saying.

I sigh, tired of standing around, tired of this charade. This is all just a waste of time.

"Listen, do you want to come with me or not? You know her better than anyone, and I know you want to help. I know I'm a sack of shit, but saying it over and over again in different words doesn't help her, and at the end of the day, that's all I want. Can we please just put our differences aside and find her. Please?"

It's quiet for a while, so quiet I might go insane. I feel like every second that passes is getting closer to a disaster.

Ace nods once, the fierce expression never leaving his face.

"Now there's something we agree on."

"And what is that?"

Ace grins. His cheeky smile familiar.

"That you're a sack of shit." He sobers. "And, that finding her is all that matters."

I nod, relief flooding me. I'm one step closer to finding her.

"Go pack a bag. I'm leaving in 10 minutes, with or without you." I say firmly, vying for control over the situation, and to reign back my emotions.

Ace takes a step backwards, and without looking he grabs a duffel bag that was sitting on the floor by the front door.

"I'm packed. I was about to leave before your sorry ass showed up." Ace explains sharply, lifting it with one hand and slamming the door shut behind him.

"You should know by now that I'm always a step ahead of you."

I nod, even if I disagree. Now isn't the time to explain that.

"Noted."

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If you're reading this, you are brave :)

Hey there :) it's been awhile

Double chapters, read on ✌🏼