Today's the day! Winter break trip here I come!

But why do I have to get up at 5 am for this trip.

Rolling out of my warm, comfortable bed I land on the floor. Cold, grumpy, and in a little bit of pain. But it must be done. Unless I want to be left behind for being late. I know it takes 7-8 hours to get to the Crystal Moon pack, but it's still way too early. At least we'll be there in time for the Winter Solstice celebrations. I can't wait to see what their pack does to celebrate the holiday (hopefully something involving lots of good food).

Rising from the floor and stretching out my limbs, I get started on operation "Field Trip Prep". Which consists of: showering, throwing on some warm winter clothes, brushing my teeth, double checking my suitcase and duffel bag for everything, and texting my crew that I'm ready to go.

With all of that done, I head down stairs for some type of breakfast before my ride arrives. Surprisingly enough, both mom and dad are waiting for me in the kitchen. Mom looking as tired as I am but still wearing a warm smile, and dad looking oddly chipper. "Hey mom. Hey dad. You guys are up early," I say as I start up the coffee maker. Try as it might, this cup won't keep me awake for too long. But it's worth a try.

"You didn't think that we would let you leave without a goodbye, did you?" mom says, while stifling a yawn.

"Your mother's right. This will be the first time that you leave pack territory for something other than a tournament. We just wanted to make sure that you have everything," dad says.

"Mom, I know that you're more of a night owl, so I appreciate you waking up early. And dad, I have everything packed and checked and re-checked and so on. Trust me, Beth made sure that we all had everything that we could possibly need. From suppressants, to extra socks and underwear," I say, chuckling at the memory of Beth going through our bags with a check list. Atlantis suggested that if we did forget something we could just buy it there, but Beth insisted that we save our money for souvenirs and food.

"Oh, is that so~. I guess I'll have to return this Winter Solstice present I got you. Since there's nothing that you're forgetting," mom says, pulling out a small gift bag out from behind her back.

"Now let's not be rash. Of course, I'll take this wonderful gift. Thank you!" I say, laughing as I take the bag from her. Usually, I wouldn't open any gifts until after pack festivities today, but no way am I going to resist opening this till we get up north. She chuckles as I open the bag and pull out a black leather bracelet with a glass locket at the center, styled in a watch like look. Inside the locket are three small, green pearl-looking beads.

"This is a really cool bracelet, but I'm guessing that these green pearls aren't just for decoration," I say holding up the accessory, before putting it on the same wrist as the other leather bracelet.

"You'd be correct. Those are healing enhancer pills. You swallow one of those and your healing capabilities become as good as a gamma. A pretty rare find if I do say so myself," dad says, looking proud of himself.

*Sigh* Please don't get excited over drugs.

I hate you

"The pill only last for one-heal use, so use it wisely. I'm hoping that you'll never have to use them, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared," mom says, wiping away tears forming in her eyes.

"Mom don't worry, it's just a fun school ski trip. We'll only be up north for two weeks, and we're allies with the pack. Nothing will happen to anyone as long as we're in their territory," I say pulling her into a hug.

She sighs wrapping her arms tightly around me, and scenting me for comfort. "I know, but something just doesn't sit right with me about all of this. Like, how even though there are restrictions on leaving pack territory this trip is still happening. Or how this trip was never a thing in previous years and then it suddenly came out of nowhere. Or how the Head Alpha was very insistent that all the high schoolers go. I know it's so you all can 'experience other pack's cultures' but for crying out loud you're leaving ON the day of the Winter Solstice! A sacred holiday for wolf kind," she says pulling back.

"Sofia, we've talked about this. If something was happening, they wouldn't be letting anyone leave or enter pack grounds. Not to mention the fact that Grayson and Conner are going too, which means it's fine. I think your over thinking this whole entire thing," dad says rubbing mom's shoulders.

She sighs again. "Fine. Fine. I'll try not to think about it too much. Just promise me you'll be safe out there Elijah," she says, placing a hand on my cheek.

"I promise that at the first sign of danger I'll run for the hills and get help," I say squeezing her hand.

"Good, because if you die out there, I'll kill you," she says, grinning as she quickly pinches my cheek.

"Mom, that doesn't even make sense," I say rolling my eyes and laughing as I turn to grab my forgotten coffee.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Anyways, I made you and your friends breakfast sandwiches full of everything I would like to make for you if you had the time to enjoy it," she says pointing to the plastic wrapped goodies in a bag, on the kitchen table.

"You're a life saver mom. I seriously would have died of starvation if I only had this coffee to survive off of," I say already drooling over the thought of those sandwiches as I pour coffee into a thermos to take with me. While twisting the top on I hear a chime come from my phone. Looks like Atlantis will be pulling up soon. I give mom and dad a final big hug (trying not to cry), grab my bags, and head for the front door.

"Let me walk you out son," dad says, following behind. We go out and wait on the front porch, and dad turns towards me with a smile that a car salesman would use to try and win customers over. I have a sinking feeling that I know what he's going to say next, but I still hope and pray that I'm wrong.

"Sooo... what are your plans for the trip?"

I raise an eyebrow at him. "I don't know, have fun? Eat food, hang out with my friends, go skiing. Stuff like that."

"You know, there's supposed to be an aurora borealis happening tonight up there. An amazing light show, that some say the Moon Goddess herself creates just for us."

"Cool."

"Would be a great chance for-"

"Dad, stop."

"What! I was just saying that it's a rare moment that you could share with-"

"Grayson," I say, staring at him dead panned.

"...Or someone in general," he says scratching the back of his head.

"Right, sure." There's a pause of awkward silence as we continue to wait. Come on Atlantis, where are you?

"...But Grayson would be a great choice to go with you."

"Dad!" I say throwing my hands up, trying to hold back the anger bubbling at the surface.

"I'm just saying! Maybe being at such a magical event might help you both with whatever issues you're having," he says raising his hands in defense.

"There's nothing that needs fixing, or help, or whatever! We're fine with the way things are right now, so please stop pushing this. It's not happening," I groan, drag my hands over my face.

"Have you even given him a chance though? He is your soulmate, not to mention the next Head Alpha-"

"No, dad! No. My life is crazy enough as it is, I don't need you or anyone else pressuring me into doing shit that I don't want to do! I get that you want the best for me, or whatever, but you pushing me into mating with Gray is an invasion of my privacy, and honestly creepy."

Finally, Atlantis's car pulls into the drive way so I sling my duffel bag onto my shoulder and grab my suit case. Huffing out a frustrated breath I turn to dad one last time. His face caught in a mixer of shock, confusion, and frustration. Looking like he wants to say something, but instead shakes his head, pats my shoulder, and goes back inside. And it... hurts. It hurts, because we both know that this is more about what he wants. Not what's best for me, or hell, even what I want.

Fuck it, whatever. I don't want to start this trip pissed off, because I'll only get angrier while being stuck on a bus full of loud highschoolers. So, I take a few deep breaths, relax my nerves, and push this drama down to deal with later. I throw my stuff in the backseat with Atlantis's, and climb into the passenger seat. Atlantis glances at me before taking the car out of park, and pulling out of the driveway.

"You good dude?" she says.

"Yeah, just some family drama. We'll talk about it later, but for now I just want to nap for the next ten minutes I have until we get to school," I say, throwing an arm over my eyes.

I know it's not good to bottle up my feelings, but it's early, and I'd rather talk things out when we're all together. Preferably someplace warm and with tea and blankets. We get to the school way to quickly for my liking, and haul our stuff out of the car to meet up with the others in the bus lot. I spot Beth waving us over with Milo standing (more like leaning) next to her, downing what I'm guessing is his third venti latte of the day.

"Hey guys! Are you guys excited or what!" Beth says, practically vibrating with energy.

"Yep, but my energy is buried under layers of sleep deprivation," I say, stifling a yawn.

"Oh, come on, am I the only one awake in this group? I've literally been acting as Milo's crutch for the past ten minutes," she says, nudging Milo off who only leans over onto Atlantis instead.

"Well, you are the only morning person in this group of misfits," Atlantis says, patting Milo on the head.

"Well, you don't look like you're about to fall asleep standing up, so you count too."

"Heh, okay sure."

"Not gonna lie, you do seem more energetic then usual; and that's saying something," I say.

"I don't know why, maybe it's the thrill of traveling to a new place? Even my wolf, Hamlet, is excited, and he hates school trips."

"Huh, cool. Milo, you still with us in the land of the living?" I say, poking his shoulder. He grumbles something before cuddling closer to Atlantis, who's trying to hold back her laughter.

"Awww, he's so clingy when he's tired," I say teasing him.

"Our resident smol boy is soooo cwanky without his cuddles," Beth chimes in.

"Fuck off you two. It's too early for me to be conscious," Milo grumbles.

FWEEEEET!

The shrill sound of a whistle fills the air, startling all of us, and drawing out a groan from Milo. "Alright everyone, line up in front of your assigned bus so we can start loading up. If any of your little friends aren't here, you better text them to hurry the fuck up," the chaperone with the whistle shouts. Usually, teachers or parents would chaperone school trips, but I guess since we're traveling far out of pack territory with a lot of students, we have pack soldiers and hunters chaperoning.

Thankfully since our last names are in the M-Z grouping, our group gets to ride on that senior bus. Yay! Also, Gray and his friends will be in their own private vehicle, so I don't have to worry about them. Yay! All in all, I we're ready to go!

*****

I shall save you from a 2 page long description of the road trip (also I don't want to write that), but hears the basic run down of what you're missing. The buses finally left at 7am. It took 7 hours to get to their destination. They arrived at 2pm. Lots of forest views. Lots of mountain views. Highschoolers are noisy on buses. The group enjoyed the breakfast sandwiches. Milo regrets drinking three lattes.

That's all. You are welcome. 😊

*****

"Aaaaahhh, I can finally feel my legs again!" I say stretching as we exit the bus. The sun, high in the sky, is practically blinding from above and below as is reflects off of the snow in the field we parked in. Everyone is groggy from sitting for so long, but the freezing mountain air is definitely a convincing wake up call. I wrap my winter jacket tightly around me, while poor Milo is quick to run off behind the buses to relieve himself. Coming back a few minutes later look content. Beth drowns his hands in sanitizer, before they huddle close to each other for warmth. Meanwhile stupid Atlantis seems unaffected by the cold, since all she has on is a regular waterproof jacket, her usual flannel shirt, jeans, and boots.

"How are you not freezing your balls off?" Milo says shivering.

"Eh, my training made me resilient to extreme weather," Atlantis says with a shrug.

"What kind of training did you do!" Beth says with wide eyes.

"The same stuff that most of our soldiers do? We have to be prepared for any kind of weather condition in case we need to travel for missions."

"Man, I don't know whether to envy you or not over that," I say, puffing hot air onto my hands. Really should have brought gloves.

As the rest of our classmates empty out of the buses, I take notice of three people walking towards us from the entrance to pack grounds. Grayson and his crew greet them, and from the looks of it, they seem to be the leaders of the Crystal Moon pack. Suddenly, someone presses up behind me, and I turn to see Beth mane of red curls.

"Um, Beth? Why are you trying to hide behind me?" I ask.

"We have a problem," she whispers so quietly that I could barely hear.

"What, why? Do you know them?"

"Are you on the run from them, or something?" Milo asks.

"What? No, I... I think... one of them is... my soulmate."

"What?!" we all say.

"Shhh! Shut up! They'll hear you!"

I take a closer look at the new people. One of them is a pretty old dude, who I can see already has a bite mark on his neck so it's not him. Which leaves the two younger people to decide between.

"Dude, that's like major news! I'm so happy for you!" Milo squeals out.

"Thanks, but I'm freaking the fuck out! Like, I feel all gross from being on a bus for a million years. I'm not even dressed that cutely. My hair's a mess. I'm totally not prepare! Oh goddess, what if they don't like me? What if I get rejected?!" Beth rambles out.

"Macbeth Myers!" Milo yells shaking her back and forth. "Get a grip girl! They will love you because you are the most kind, creative, funny, and motherly person in the world."

"Besides, If they reject you because of some stupid shit, then I'll kick their ass. Plain and simple. But that won't happen, because you're too amazing for that," I say.

"You got this," Atlantis says, patting her on the back.

Beth closes her eyes and takes a few deep breathes, before looking back at us. "Thank you, I needed that," she says wrapping us in a big hug. We all relish in the warmth of the hug until the sharp sound of a whistle draw our attention back towards the pack leaders.

"Hello everyone, My name is Jasper Stone, and I am the Ex- Head Alpha of the Crystal Moon Pack. Normally I would leave my son to do this by himself, but when I heard that the next Head Alpha of your pack would be joining the group, I just had to come and say hello," Mr. Stone says, chuckling at himself. Even in the biting cold, his smile seems to radiate warmth into the atmosphere. Guess the rumors about them having great hospitality despite being fearsome warriors, was true.

"Son, I won't hold them any longer. Have fun with the tour and I'll meet you back at the pack house," he says patting the tan, brunette behind him on the shoulder as he leaves.

His son steps forward, and my goddess is this dude ripped and covered in battle scars. Like, he's almost as big as Victor, and that's saying something considering how much of a unit Vic is. However, his possibly scary appearance is over shadowed by his huge grin and bouncing. Looking like he drank three energy drinks before meeting us.

"All right, is everyone excited or what! It's the fucking Winter Solstice day people!" he yells, rallying up some cheers and a few howls from our class. Well at least the buzz of energy for this trip is coming back for everyone now.

"That's what I like too here! My name is Malachite Stone, and I'm the current Head Alpha of the Crystal Moon pack. Right next to me is my right hand in command, Beryl Whitlock, and they will be your tour guide this afternoon," he says gesturing towards the person to his right with fair skin, shaggy black hair, and a ton of battle scars too. They do an exaggerative bow towards us and wink at a group of girls who start giggling instantly.

"Please follow me as I show you around our winter wonderland," Beryl says as they walk towards the entrance. We all start to follow, but Beth tugs on my coat and I pause. I motion for the others to go on head and turn towards Beth.

"I think I know which one it is," she whispers.

"Is it the flirty one? Because if so, you got some work cut out for you," I say with a chuckle.

"No... it's him," she says nodding towards Malachite whose chatting with Gray. Oh, shit.

"Smiley? I mean, Malachite? Are you sure?" I ask. If he really is her soulmate then... a lot of things are about to change. Mainly Beth moving packs, and call me selfish, but I don't want her to leave our group so soon. But she nods, and I swallow down my own selfish desires and give her a smile.

"Do you want me to be your wing man and walk up to him with you?"

"Can you? I don't want to force you to, especially since Gray's over there."

"Trust me, if I can wing man while Conner and Atlantis were meeting near Gray, I think I can handle this," I say trying to ignore the memories of that day as they pop up.

Beth takes a deep breath and fist-pumps the air. "Okay! Let's do this." And with that we make our way over to where the two alphas are chatting at the back of the tour group. We're only a few feet away when Malachite turns towards us sniffing the air. He locks eyes with Beth and she instantly freezes in place, with me almost running into her. Gray looks over to me and gives me a confused look. I just shrug in response. Malachite's quick to close the distance, and I side step out of the way not wanting to get in the cross fires. Sorry Beth, you got this!

Malachite breaths out, looking at her like she's his whole world.

"Mate." Beth whispers back, totally lost in his gaze.

Once their done with the starring contest I'm sure they'll be talking for hours. Looks like my work here is done! Even though I didn't do anything but provide emotional support, but still! I feel someone grab the back of my hood and drag me towards the tour group ahead, but I don't even have to look to know who it is.

"You know, if you wanted to walk with me, there are nicer ways of asking," I huff out, twisting out of Gray's grasp.

"Why are your gremlin friends suddenly becoming soulmates with people I know?" Gray ask, combing his gloved hand through his hair.

"Hey, it's not my fault. If me and Beth could switch, I'd gladly take muscles over there," I say with a smirk.

"...Don't joke like that," he says giving me a deadpan look, that I can't help but laugh at.

"Anyways, Beth's good people. All of my friends are, so don't be a dick. You don't hear me shit talking about your friends."

Gray raises an eyebrow towards me.