"Who you are tomorrow begins with what you do today." - Tim Fargo

As planned, all the Alphas and their Betas gathered at the Academy the next morning to discuss what went down at the Lycans.

"But don't you think it is even more suspicious how they did absolutely nothing at all?"

"We don't know for sure, Tyler. It could either be a clever tactic or we could just be overthinking everything." Alpha Lennon answered back his son.

"Whatever it may be," Josh interjected, "I don't trust them one bit, especially considering their past history with our type."

Alpha Carlos straightened himself, "Did anyone else notice the tension between Alpha Braden and Randy?"

I nodded, "You weren't the only one; there is definitely something there. I asked him about it but he successfully managed to dismiss the subject."

"Um guys," Josh muttered, all eyes falling on him, "Didn't Braden say that he had a sister?"

We all nodded, confused as to where he was heading with that information.

"Considering the fact he is an Alpha, does that not mean she is also an Alpha-blooded female wolf... just like Vivian?"

Fuck.

How did we miss that?

Does that mean-

"Technically, she is not an Alpha blooded wolf," another voice interrupted our talks. Turning around, this time our gaze fell on Aiden. "She is Alpha Braden's second cousin. After losing her parents, Braden adopted her as his sister,"

"How do you know this?" Alpha Lennon inquired.

"I managed to befriend his Beta during the event. When Braden mentioned his sister, I was lucky enough to be standing next to him. I asked about her and he was more than happy to indulge me with the information."

"Good work, Aiden." I praised, and the others nodded in acknowledgement.

He smiled, a faint blush spreading on his cheek. The smile turned into a full blown grin when he noticed that Ethan had also nodded in praise.

"Is there any other issue that needs to be discussed?" Alpha Carlos questioned.

"There is," Alpha Lennon hesitated, his eyes connecting with Tyler's briefly, "My son found his mate."

"That's great news!"

Happy cheers and congratulations filled the room.

Alpha Lennon raised his hand to stop the commotion, "It is Leia."

The said cheers died down.

"Leia as in Randy's neice? Are you sure?"

"What sort of a question is that, Dad?" Josh rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, you're right. Uh - I am just shocked." He glanced at Tyler, "Did you both get a chance to talk? Does Randy know?"

"Well... that's the problem," Tyler scratched the back of his head, "She doesn't know about us. Apparently, Lycans recognize their mates through touch."

Empty silence filled the room, nobody knew what to say or do next.

"What should we do then?" Alpha Carlos crossed his arms and leaned forward.

"I think she has the right to know," I put in my two cents, "We already know the consequences of what happens when two mates are kept apart."

"I agree," Ethan seconded. "The quicker she finds out, the better."

"Is that why you invited Leia to our pack?" He questioned back and I nodded.

"Yes. We don't know when or if we'll ever meet her, and I couldn't bear to see Tyler like that."

From across the table, my eyes connected with Tyler who gave me a single nod of appreciation.

"Then I guess all we can do is to wait until she responds or visits because we don't even know where they live."

When Tyler and Leia's issue was talked over thoroughly, we moved towards Zack's murder investigation which still had no leads at all. The trackers were unable to find anything that could lead us closer to the culprits.

We were at a dead end, but it didn't matter. I made a promise that I won't rest until I catch the culprits and punish them for their crimes.

After the meeting was over and everyone made their way out of the room, I walked towards Tyler and Josh to invite them to the birthday celebration.

"We're holding a pack celebration in honor of Zack's birthday tomorrow afternoon and I would love it if you guys could come."

Josh crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, "Even if you hadn't invited me, I would've found a way to come anyway so you can count me in."

"Me too," Tyler seconded.

"That's great; I'll see you guys then." After greeting them good-bye, I turned around to walk towards Ethan who was waiting for me near his chair but stopped when Tyler called my name out.

"Thanks for your help with Leia, Vivian. It means a lot to me. And I am also sorry for being such an asshole to you."

The corners of my mouth turned up; the old Tyler was returning, "There is no need to apologize or thank me, Tyler. I only did what you both always did for me."

After giving both of them quick hugs, I headed towards Ethan. Upon seeing me walk towards him, he immediately dismissed Aiden who raised his eyebrows suggestively at me and then left us alone inside.

Before I could even speak, Ethan firmly grabbed the back of my neck with one of his hands and pulled me towards himself to kiss me.

"I've been waiting to do this since you entered the room." His lips connected with mine once again, "Everything okay?"

Still a little dazed after the unexpected kiss, I pulled myself together and answered him back, "Uh- um yeah; just wanted to... um invite you to a celebration we are holding in lieu of Zack's birthday party tomorrow afternoon."

The corner of his lips lifted, "Couldn't even last a day without me, could you?"

"Ha-ha, very funny," I crossed my arms defensively, "I don't recall myself inviting you to a date."

His eyebrows furrowed, "To a what?"

"A date," I clarified.

"I mean, if you want," An unbothered shrug, "Sure, it's a date."

Oh, this infuriating bastard!

"You've got something on your shirt," I put my index finger on his shirt. Confused, he looked down to where my finger was and I used the opportunity to flick his nose - with as much strength as I could muster.

"Ow!" He massaged his nose, causing me to laugh.

Hah! Serves you right.

"See you tomorrow, Alpha Ethan."

---

The rest of the day passed in my office where Beta Jonathan and I looked for solutions regarding some minor pack problems. We were so busy in our work that we didn't hear the door knock the first time.

"Come in," I called out.

Ashlee walked in, her hands holding a beautiful bouquet of black roses, "Delivery for an 'Alpha Freddie Mercury'. Unless he has risen from the grave, I think these are meant for you."

Ethan.

I felt the corners of my mouth twitching.

She moved forwards and placed the bouquet on my desk. On closer inspection, I noticed there was another card placed between the roses.

If I could have a rose for every time I thought of you, the world would be empty of them. So here are 24 roses for every hour that passed since we had our first date.

E.S.

I could feel two pairs of eyes staring at me with piqued interest. As soon as I looked up, Beta Jonathan busied himself with the paperwork and Ashlee began to whistle and look around the room to avoid my gaze.

"If that's all, Ashlee, you can go." I answered and saw her frown, clearly upset that I didn't share the contents of the note with her. When she left, Beta Jonathan and I continued with our pack work.

I finished my work earlier than Beta Jonathan so I used the time to write out two notes.

The first one was for Ethan.

Cute. Got the line off of Pinterest or what? And roses? If you want to guess my favourite flower, you have to try a little bit harder than that, Ethan.

Vivian

The second one was for Chris. Ever since I came back, I completely forget to communicate with the family which took care of me during a time I had no one to turn towards.

The letter was brief, addressing how my brother passed away and I had to move back to take over the family business and that I'd try my best to visit them whenever I get the time.

I tried to keep the letter as close to the truth and as acceptable for a human as possible. However, there was one problem at hand - how to deliver it?

"Beta Jonathan?" He raised his head, 'Can we deliver a letter to the human territory?"

He looked at me with concerned eyes, "Are you sure you want to take the risk, Alpha?"

"It is for the family who took care of me. I told them I'd contact them once everything settles down," I toyed with the corner of the note, "It has been too long now, they must be worried."

"Alright Alpha, if you say so. Give me the letter; I'll make sure it is delivered safely."

"Thanks, Uncle Jon. It means a lot." He gave me a warm smile in return.

---

The next morning, the first thing I did was to go and get my mother. Last night before going to sleep, I told her about the celebration and she decided that she wanted to join me in helping our pack members prepare for it.

When the bulk of the decorations were done, mother went back to father. After finishing my duties, I rushed towards my house to whip up a quick breakfast for myself and then headed back outside again to visit Zack.

"You thought I'd forget, huh?" Placing the breakfast tray down, I sat on the grass next to his grave.

A smile took over my face when I saw a plethora of fresh, colourful flowers sitting there which meant that the pack members visited him as well.

"As per tradition - a very happy birthday to you, loser." Taking the knife, I cut his favourite blueberry pancakes and slowly hummed the birthday song under my breath.

For a while, I just sat there silently, eating my breakfast and enjoying the weather and sweet sound of the nature. The birds chirping, lush green leaves swaying in the wind, the grass wet beneath my fingertips - it was a beautiful day.

"We're celebrating you tonight; it was Kal's idea. You would've liked it, Zack. And guess what? Ethan and I had our very first date. Surprisingly, we had a lot of fun." I laid down on the ground and placed my hand over the hard, stone slab under which he was resting, "I miss you, Zack... I know you're out there, looking out for us but still... I wish you were here."

Feeling someone mind-link me, I opened up the barrier I had put on, "Alpha, I need your signature on some papers."

It was Beta Jonathan.

"Duty calls, brother." Grabbing the tray, I got up into a standing position, "Happy birthday, Zack. Wherever you are, know that I love and miss you."

After returning to the office and signing the forms, I set out for my room to get ready. Super casual was going to be the dress code for today so I opted for light, washed, ripped denim jeans, an orange, cropped fit cardigan and paired it with white converse.

The pack had done an incredible job at converting the grassy fields of our pack to a carnival in a span of one day. There were food and small ride stalls lined up as far as the eye could see. I stood nearby; watching the ones where most of the screams and laughter came from. The smells of the delicious fare wafted throughout the area, prompting my stomach to rumble with hunger.

"Alpha, come play with us!" I felt tiny, little hands grabbing my arms and pulling me towards the center to play a game of Blind man's Buff.

"Guess the pups found their next victim." Ron tilted his head in greeting and passed me a small tube. "You know what to do, Alpha."

The tube contained an ointment which the wolves could use to weaken their ability to smell temporarily. Since I was an Alpha, I could easily win the game with the help of my strong sense of smell. Therefore, the application of the ointment was essential to keep the game fair.

Opening the cap, I applied a generous amount under my nose. It only took a few seconds for it to work its wonder, the strong stench making it difficult for me to smell anything at all.

Turning around, I let Ron wrap a blindfold around my eyes, "Good luck, Alpha." He spun me around several times causing me to lose my sense of direction.

Thank Goddess, my sense of hearing was still strong, allowing me to hear the tiny giggles from all around me.

With my hands outstretched, I carefully moved towards the noises. I could've finished the game instantly by fully concentrating on the noises their tiny feet were making but I decided to give them a fair chance and not use my other Alpha senses.

Feeling a small push from behind me, I turned around quickly and pulled my arms together but managed to only grab thin air. Loud noises of the children laughing filled the area.

"Oh, I'm going to get you all!" Bending down, I tried my best to catch one of the kids but failed miserably when I found out that some of the pups had disguised their voices to distract and mislead me.

"You guys think you're clever, huh?" I pretended to walk forward but at the last minute turned around to grab the kid walking behind me. As my hands grazed his shoulders, a scream left his body but he quickly managed to get out of my grasp.

Damn it, I almost had him.

I could now hear the pack members cheering for the children, fueling their excitement.

"I am here, Alpha!"

"No, here!"

Excited voices called out to me.

"Just wait till I get my hands on you!"

I felt a tiny crunch from besides me and immediately jumped to grab the victim, "Got youuu!" But in a hurry to not lose grip of the pup this time, I almost fell if not for their hands that wrapped around my waist.

But how could someone that tiny hold someone as big as me?

Taking my blindfold off, my brown eyes connected with his grey ones.

"Didn't think you'd fall into my arms so soon." With the back of his hand, Ethan brushed the hair on my face aside, a playful smirk etched on his face.

I could feel everyone's curious gaze upon us causing heat to sear through my skin. His gaze also raked over me, those full lips quirking on one side.

His wide palm spread against the small of my back, the solid tips of his fingers settling into the dip along my spine. I could see the hard lines of his face perfectly, his jaw taut, and those intense eyes boring down into mine.

"We won!" The loud cheering noises of the children brought me back to reality. They were easily distracted by Ron who offered them their winning prizes and made them search for the next 'it'.

I took a step back and allowed some space between us. When I turned around, all of the pack members averted their gaze, pretending as if they weren't staring at us. From my peripheral vision, I saw Josh and Tyler walking towards us.

"Do you guys always come together or what," Ethan muttered loud enough for us to hear, annoyed at their intrusion.

"Friends tend to come together, you'd know if you had one." Tyler responded, narrowing his eyes at him.

"You both need to move on," Josh rolled his eyes, "Vivian is your mate, and Tyler here has found his mate so there is no need to get territorial." Turning towards me, he leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek, "Afternoon, Vivian. You look as radiant as the sun itself."

His compliment made me blush.

"So where is the good stuff you promised me?"

Eager to leave the testosterone filled air, I wrapped my arm around the hand Josh was offering, "I'll take you."

"I'd like to see too," Ethan jumped, grabbing my other arm possessively.

Josh looked down at his hand and then scoffed, "Alphas."

I chuckled. As if he wasn't going to become one.

Tyler followed us close behind as I led them forward and showed them around the area. It took me a while because Josh wanted to stop at every single stall and try out every single thing.

Half-way through, I left them the three to each other so I could meet my pack members and spend some time with them. Maybe some time together would do them good as well.

Twenty minutes later, I was busy chatting with Ashlee and her friends when Josh came over. He greeted, scratch that, flirted with all the girls in pure Josh manner before turning towards me.

"Up for a challenge, Alpha?" Taking me by the arm, he guided me towards the game stalls where Tyler, Ethan and about twelve children stood. "I play for the girls and you for the boys?"

My eyes fell on the little pups who had heard him and were now standing in a circle around us, their eyes lit up.

"Please Alpha!"

"You'll win easily, Alpha!"

How could I say no to them?

"Alright, Josh. Let's do this."

"I call dibs on Team Vivian." Tyler announced which annoyed Ethan because that meant he had to side with Josh to make the teams even.

"You're stuck with me, loverboy," Josh poked Ethan's chest to grab his attention which was fixated on Tyler, "Come here and cheer pretty for Joshy."

Ethan turned his glare towards Josh.

"Alright, fine stay over here and continue brooding."

Grabbing my arm once again, he pulled me towards the stalls.

There will be three rounds played by Josh and I, the first round being the ring toss where both of us will alternative turns to toss rings and try to get them to fall on the bottles. Whoever tosses five rings first, wins.

The second round would be basketball free throw where each of us will be given twenty seconds to score as many baskets as we can. The last round would be dart balloons where each of us will be given five darts to pop as many balloons as we can.

"Rules clear to everybody?" Anthony, a pack member who was behind the stalls, asked.

Josh and I gave each other a competitive look and then nodded at our match referee.

"Round 1 - Ring Toss, Alpha Vivian you go first."

Taking a deep breath, I tossed the first ring which landed right on the bottle. The crowd began to cheer, shouting their approval and encouraging me.

"Nice throw, Alpha." Josh praised, and then threw his ring which also landed on the bottle.

We successfully tossed three rings on their target. When it was time for the fourth toss, I almost got a little heart attack when my ring spun dangerously on the edge of the bottle's mouth. It felt like it would fall right off but thankfully gravity was on my side today and the ring settled right where it belonged.

Josh frowned when he discerned that the ring didn't fall off. Some of his anger translated in his next turn because he ended up throwing his ring a little too aggressively causing it to land a few inches away from its target.

The little boys began to cheer loudly at his miss causing me to grin widely. One right toss and I win this round.

Let's do this, Vivian.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I adjusted my stance and then tossed the ring... right on the target!

"Let's go, Vivian!" Tyler cheered loudly. All the kids on my team rushed to hug me.