When they arrive, things are in full swing. The large expanse of the backyard which leads into the woods is full of life. The children are running around and playing. Some of the older men are gathered around the grills with a beer in hand. Small groups are formed here and there but for the most part, everyone seems to be trying to mingle.

Amara can't help feeling just a tad awkward at first. Elsie comes up behind her and leads them towards where my Ulrik is. He seems to be laughing it up with the pack trainer and a few others who she doesn't recognize.

He spots them coming towards him and waves. Amara gives him a quick kiss and offers greetings. “I'm going to grab a drink” she lets them know so she can slip away. Trying to join in on a conversation between your parents and their friends sounds more awkward than hanging out by herself for a bit until she can find Sina or Lyam.

On her way to the drink station, she takes her time observing the surroundings. Lanterns hang from the trees and are scattered throughout the yard along with torches. A large bonfire to the side helps illuminate the night casting a warm glow over the smiling guests.

The sounds of excited chatter and jovial laughs ring through the air and seem to fill the open space. Somehow all of this makes Amara feel calmer. There is a welcoming spirit in the air that could put anyone at ease. The group of cubs she had played with before run into her path, playing and laughing and teasing.

There are sparklers in their hands and the sheer innocence of it brings a small smile to Amara’s face. Finally, she reaches the drink station. Several glass drink dispensers are set side by side and clearly labeled. She grabs a disposable cup and debates between sweet tea and punch before finally settling on sweet tea.

Drink in hand, Amara distractedly turns around and nearly crashes straight into someone. It feels like Deja Vu and for a split second, she wonders when she became so clumsy or absentminded. It turns out the person she nearly steamrolled is Sina with her smooth red locks up in a high ponytail and wearing a pretty indigo sundress with a small flower pattern under a denim jacket.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I swear it's like all I’ve been doing lately is running straight into people” she jokes and makes sure none of her sweet tea ended up on Sina.

"It's totally fine, I was standing kind of close. I was actually coming over to say hi. What do you think?” Sina asks, hands circling around the packed yard full of people.

“Everything looks fantastic. I’ll admit, it’s kind of a lot. I was sort of being a loner until I could spot someone I at least vaguely recognize” Amara admits sheepishly.

"Well, then it's a good thing you met me. Now we can hang out and be loners together. You can be sure I'll be around to bug you all the time. That's the best part of having friends, there's always someone there. Sometimes, even when you don't want them to be." She flashes a big smile and Amara laughs softly. She really will have to thank Maddox someday for introducing her to Sina the day they arrived. She can't help be drawn to the redhead's genuinely cheerful and kind personality.

"Somehow that doesn't sound so bad" Amara replies with a mock salute, tipping her red plastic cup. A gesture that Sina reciprocates with a raised pinky. They can’t resist laughing, imagining how silly they must look t anybody watching.

Giggling, they drag themselves over to the large wooden picnic tables with fairy lights placed in bottles, illuminating the center and adding to the magical feel of the area. They find a mostly empty table and sit off to the end.

Before they can start up a conversation, their attention is drawn to the sound of clinking against glass. Alpha Maddox is standing beside Min who is holding the glass in hand. Everyone grows quiet and looks to them, waiting for their Alpha to speak.

There's something so captivating about Maddox. There is no doubt he was born to be an Alpha. The fact that everyone is looking at him means Amara doesn't have to feel weird about taking the opportunity to study him a little. He looks relaxed in a fitted three-quarter sleeve henley and dark wash jeans. She almost wishes he were in a t-shirt so she could see the tattoos running down his arms more clearly.

"It really is unfair to look that good in a shirt and some jeans" Sina whispers conspiratorially and Amara looks at her to see Sina wiggling her brows at her. She stifles a laugh at the redhead's antics and shakes her head. She directs her attention away from her to the front again but has to admit, Sina is definitely not wrong.

Maddox and Amara’s eyes seem to meet for a fraction of a second. Her first instinct is to look away but she resists. His gaze continues on looking over the crowd before speaking. "Good evening, everyone! I'm glad to see the pack enjoying themselves and coming together. We want to thank all of you who helped set this evening up and worked hard so we could have a good time. With that being said, I think we all know the food is why we're really here so come grab some and dig in."

Maddox’s last statement is met with laughs and then a quick round of applause as a line is formed by the food station. There is meat galore from ribs and steaks to chicken, burgers, and hot sausages. The usual picnic side dishes are also present. Large trays full of potato salad, Mac and cheese, collard greens, and cornbread are set up along a large table.

Once the line has diminished Amara and Sina go grab some food. It is a gamble with how much shifters eat, even with the copious amounts of food she can guarantee it will all be eaten tonight. They still preferred to take their chances and avoid the first chaotic rush.

While they wait she gets lost in thought simply pondering over the eventful day she had. At some point, without realizing it, she started humming. Amara is not even entirely sure what the tune is which is going to bug her until she can figure it out.

Looking around to see if anyone was close enough to notice, she once again lock eyes with Maddox. This time though, it's not a passing glance. He was looking straight at her. With a little bit of a smirk, he tips his head in her direction and her face heats up. Could he have heard her humming?

That's impossible, even with their heightened senses. He is clear on the other side of the lawn leaning by the drinks. It's not unusual to hear something from that distance but considering how low her humming was and how many people are talking, laughing, and generally making noise it shouldn't be possible. And yet, his small smirk means that somehow, despite all that, he heard her awkward little tune.

In response, she gives a small smile and heads back to the table with Sina who had nudged her when she stayed standing there too long. Amara resolutely ignores the little knowing look the redhead gave her. For some strange reason, the small nearly nonexistent interaction with Maddox made her feel happy.

It didn't hold any particular meaning. It was a simple momentary connection from across the room without any words. There's something sort of cute about that. Maybe that's just the inner little girl in her that long ago stopped watching Rom-Coms and fantasizing about the perfect meet-cute. Hadn’t she decided to ignore these feelings? You’re pretty shit at that she thinks to herself.

Eating her burger and macaroni Amara ponders on the strange parking lot incident. She’s still not sure what even happened which is why she didn't bother telling her mom. How insane would that sound? Mom, I kinda blacked out but not really and there was a vision man calling me Mila and it was creepy but I think it was all in my head. Yeah, no thanks.

“What do the numbers mean?” Amara asks, seeing a bracelet on Sina’s wrist with numbers on it.

The redhead brightens and holds her hand out for her to inspect closer. “It’s an aperture ring from an old camera. Bailey, a friend from another pack, made it for me. Their grandad had a bunch of old parts in a box and they found them.”

“They’ve got skills! Seriously, it looks so good. So are you into photography or something?” she curiously asks.

“I-” Sina hesitates for a moment, “I love photography. I wake up before dawn sometimes to go out with my camera and take pictures. It’s like...I can see the whole world differently through a lens, you know? Anyways, I take online classes between my pack duties. I’ll be graduating in the fall” she explains with a blush on her cheeks but light in her eyes.

“Guess that means being a caretaker is temporary?” Amara asks without judgment. If caretaking is what the redhead wants then she is all for it but it is obvious that her passion lies elsewhere and she will not let her new friend squander that.

“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I love it! But...Okay, my ultimate dream is to be a nature photographer. I want to travel the world, see all kinds of things! Photograph it all and just...find my voice. Find myself” she ends softly, tucking her hair behind her ear and clamming up like she is expecting me to criticize her dream.

“You’re amazing” is Amara’s sincere reply.

“What?” the redhead asks, obviously caught off guard, and Amara smiles. “You know what you want and are taking step towards it. That takes guts! I honestly have no idea what I want to do or who I am. I’m a little jealous, to be honest. So, I think you’re amazing. How about this, when you finish up with school we will book a one-way trip. We will backpack all over the world. You can shoot and I’ll eat tons of food and we will both find ourselves.”

The suggestion is spur of the moment but genuine. The two share a slightly glassy-eyed look then laugh at their emotional conversation in the middle of what is essentially a pack barbecue. Sina leans in and gives Amara a side hug and lifts her cup “To finding ourselves” she toasts with a grin full of hope and joy. What else can Amara do but lift her own cup “Yeah, to finding ourselves.”

Sina jumps into talking about where she wants to go first and what kind of information we should learn before just jumping to countries with different cultures they know nothing about. They pull their phones out and take notes while eating and joking. Is the whole thing crazy? Yeah. But there was also something freeing about saying out loud something she had not wanted to admit to herself even in her thoughts.

Amara’s plate wasn't very big so she finishes partway through their conversation. Sina gets called away by someone so the girls hug with promises to talk about a movie outing soon. After gathering her cup and plate she walks away to throw them in the trash.