Theo smirked at me.

I cracked my knuckles.

Jax in between.

Maddox was passed out on the couch.

I don't blame him because it's Sunday night-well, technically Monday morning at 2 AM in the dorms and we were in the kitchen. Because Theo told me he was a better cook than me.

Of course, I had to challenge him to cook off. To see how much better I was than my best friend. The dorm kitchen has a small table in the middle, and one large counter that had a stove top, microwave and an extended island that Jax was sitting on, watching us as there were ingredients such as spaghetti, chicken and broccoli laid out for us to use. He bought pots and pans from his own dorm that he uses for temporary use.

The thing was, neither Theo or I really did cook much. We got by with cafeteria food most of our lives, or personal chefs from our packs. It made both of us uncomfortable about the privilege we had- which made me think back at my mate- but how hard was cooking anyways? We both thought we could best the other.

"Let's get started Chef West," Jax chuckled.

"Has a nice ring to it," I said, looking at Theo. "Unlike someone."

"Let's have at it," Theo clapped his hands.

Jax hopped out off the counter. "Okay, so I'm going to go with something very simple. I think it won't be too much for you guys, so I want a pasta dish."

"Aighty," Theo nodded.

Taking the pot I was going to boil my pasta in, I added my linguini and decided that I should boil the brocolli in the same water so I can conserve water.

"What is that?" Jax asked me. "Are you really boiling both of them? At the same time?"

"I'm full of innovations."

"More like crap," Theo taunted me, and as soon as he touched the pasta water, smoke and flames went on, and the fire alarm sounded.

"THEO!" Jax yelled out as the sprinkler system went on, and the fire alarms were blaring, too much to handle for us werewolves. "HOW CAN YOU BURN PASTA WATER?"

"It just happened," Theo rubbed his forehead. I turned off everything from the stove, and went to wake up Maddox to evacuate. Maddox was in his sleepy state- he didn't even notice the fire alarm blaring.

The four of us exited the dorm with a bunch of confused wolves wondering how there was a fire at 2 AM.

"All I wanted to do was sleep!" one wolf whined.

Jax and I gave each other wry smiles. "Shut it," Theo growled at Jax and I.

"Didn't even think about saying anything," Jax raised both his hands. "Although, I think West wins this one."

Maddox signed to us,

Sometimes Theo and I don't make the best of decisions like having a cook off at 2 AM, getting the fire department involved because of the fire alarm, and sleeping at 5 AM and waking up an hour and a half later because we forgot we had soccer practice bright Monday morning.

"Can I just quit?" Theo grumbled as we entered the soccer field.

"You didn't even start," I said, yawning.

"Why are we doing this?"

"You did this because I did it." We joined our other teammates who were still stretching.

"Yeah why are you doing this again?" Theo asked, stretching his foot.

"Trying something new," I half lied.

"The girls so love soccer players," Theo commented. "But they also love football players- which you could've been too."

"Too good I don't care about that," I said, smiling a little. Just one particular person. There were some wolves running around the field, so Theo and I joined them.

"At least this is better than my dad's training regime," Theo muttered.

"Anything is better than your dad's training regime," I shuddered thinking about Alpha Grayson's discipline and drive to get up at 5 AM in the morning to train. He made Theo and I do it whenever I spent the weekend over and we hated our lives then. My own dad wasn't better with the intense training either except when my friends visited, Mom gave us leeway to not train and just have fun. Alpha Grayson is on another level of intense.

Theo laughed, "Remember that one time he made us patrol around the pack and we accidentally went to another pack's territory? And he hired those pack people to fight us?"

"Your dad is crazy sometimes," I nodded remembering Alpha Grayson hired five wolves to "train" fight us and we got our butts beaten at the age of 15. Then Alpha Grayson came out of nowhere after we were bloody and bruised and told us this is why we needed to train. Our lesson was learned.

Our Coach made us do some drills like dribbling the ball through one post and seeing who was a good at kicking the ball inside the net. "We'll do some more drills to see where your abilities lie if you're a striker, midfielder or defender. I'll see you on Wednesday."

Theo looked at the time and saw that he had at least 30 minutes to take a nap at Coach's couch, and I was headed to the library.

Once inside the building, I passed through the art gallery hall, but stopped short once I saw Wyatt holding a canvas and ready to hang it up, only a few steps in front of me. Wyatt's eyes met mine and I was about to turn to leave the other direction, not bothering to say anything to him like I always do. Like I always tried to do because I don't want my mood ruined.

I wasn't going to say anything, but the look in his eyes made me ask, "What?"

A moment passed. I was about to turn around and leave, but his voice stopped me.

"You think you're perfect," Wyatt answered me. Insulted me. These were his true feelings. My own twin saying that has all my anxiety come flooding through me like a dam. The challenge in his eyes, in knowing Wyatt all my life- he's expecting me to hit him. He wants me to, just to meet his low expectations of me. He wants to start a fight with me.

I had to get out of here. Out of his vicinity. I needed him to get out of of my face.

It felt suffocating. I felt confined, trying to breathe, but my throat felt clogged up, and I burst past the double doors outside trying to get some air. It wasn't working. My hand made its way to my chest, and I squeezed grasping for something. Anything.

The grey clouds swarmed me and thunder cracked, echoing my desperation for breath.

I can't breathe. I collapse on my knees because there was no strength left in me to stand. Why was it so hard to breathe?

"West!"

Her warm hands cup my cheeks and her strong voice snapped me out of the terror rising in my chest. "West, please- breathe."

Then it was easy.

The sweet scent of vanilla and a fragrant flower fill up my senses, my entire being, all wholly of that of my mate's. Inhaling her scent calmed me down and put me at ease that just moments ago I didn't know I could experience.

I closed my eyes. This was a dream if my mate was here. Had to be.

When I opened it, her dark worried eyes met mine. Her gaze was focused on my breathing, concern etched into her deep brown eyes. For me. I could stare at them and find myself falling in them forever. Her face is close, and I smell her alluring scent that calms my inner, crazy wolf into complete serenity. I couldn't control him, I knew my wolf was about to break and then that would be a huge problem for everyone. He would go berserk.

Edith went through the inhaling and exhaling movements with me, and I closed my eyes again, following her words, taking in the moment of how soft her hands are against my skin. How close she is to me willingly, so I lean in a little and our foreheads touch. I take in a shaky breath as Edith doesn't move, and allows her thumb to caress my face like I wasn't calm yet, but I was back in reality. She pulled me back.

Right here, I felt the most serene I've ever experienced. A peace I could only be at with my mate.

We stay like that for a few minutes. The rain starts to pour now, and I open my eyes to see she had them closed. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry at how mesmerizing she looked in this moment, the rain making her perfect short hair stick on her face. The rain drops that stayed on her kissable lips.

The urge to tuck the strand of hair sticking on her face was too great, so I lifted my hand and slid her fallen hair back. She opened her eyes then, staring at me in an expression I can't fathom. Usually I could because it was always with disdain and annoyance.

"Are you alright?" she asked me, her voice sounding a little throatier, like she was scared. It was because of her that I was alright. If it was anyone else other than her, it might have gone differently. I don't think I could've gotten calm by any other way besides my mate.

What if I told her I wasn't alright? That I didn't want her to leave me?

I managed to nod at her the rain getting heavier, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." We didn't move. Her hands were still on my face, and the moment I felt them slip away, I grasped them with my own hands. "Thank you." I gave her hands a squeeze before she let me go entirely, ready to get up and out the rain. Our clothes were wet and muddy. I watched her look down at her gray sweatpants in a frown.

I wanted to apologize, to tell her she didn't have to do that for me, but our eyes meet, her eyes look at me with intense emotion, and I'm left feeling out of my element. I would usually have said some wise-cracking joke. Would have said something funny. Would have danced around in the rain. I'd definitely would like to dance in the rain with my mate one day. But her stare is making me lose my balance while keeping me grounded, like if she says something- anything wrong it would make me completely shatter.

Almost knocking me off my feet, she smiled at me briefly, her dimples popping out looking so breathtaking -man, I loved those dimples-before looked up at the sky carefree for a moment and said, "I love the rain."

Yup, I am definitely going to dance in the rain with my mate one day.