I groan at the annoying shrill cry of my alarm clock and slam my hand down hard on it. The noise stops only to replaced by another annoying sound, the ring tone I set for my mother.

"Ugh. What does she want?" I groan and squint my eyes to swipe my phone and answer her.

"Sweetheart!!!" She yells through the phone and I move the phone away from my ear until she stops.

"Hi mom" I say my voice sounding hoarse from having just woken up.

"Happy Birthday my beautiful boy I love you so much!!!" She cheers and I place the call on speaker so I can start getting ready for the day.

"Thank you mom. I'll see you later today for dinner alright?" I say as I begin brushing my teeth.

"Oh sweetheart I can't wait! Some of my friends have come to bring their daughters and they're absolutely dying to meet you. Now I know at your age finding a mate might seem a little too late but don't worry my dear!" She rambles on and on about the girls coming tonight and I roll my eyes annoyed with her.

I turned 23 today and she's acting like I'm 50, I didn't really mind not finding my mate. It just made me enjoy the years I could while I was still young. Why couldn't she understand that? I guess she just wants grandkids as soon as possible.

I rinse out my mouth and spit in the sink, she's still talking. I don't want to be rude, she's my mother and I love her but she has to stop with this mate business.

"Yeah.. alright mom I can't wait. I gotta go now okay? I love you!" I say and hang up as soon as she says her goodbyes.

I put on a pair of gray jeans and a dark blue shirt and pick up my phone again to call my friend Aaron to make sure he's still up for our own celebration tonight with our other friend Kevin. I say friends even though they're more like brothers to me.

His number rings for a few seconds but there's no answer. I try calling Kevin and it's the same thing with him.

"Party animals" I say to myself when I remember refusing their offer to go out last night.

I leave the house I got for myself when I turned 20, the mate business with my mom got so bad, a day didn't go by without her bringing it up, so Mark helped me out to find a house within the pack.

When I walk to Mark and Crystal's house, I can already tell by all the noise coming inside that she's set something up for me today. I sigh and smile, Crystal has always been so nice to me ever since I met her. I risked my life for her and earned these 3 scars across my chest and I'd do it all over again for her. That's the only thing I find exciting about getting a mate, to find someone just like Crystal. I take a deep breath and open the door and breath in the sweet smell of chocolate waffles mixed with her flowery scent.

And like two little trucks crashing into my legs, Crystal's sons latch onto my calves, I didn't even see them. Sneaky little devils. They growl playfully at me and I laugh and walk slowly lifting each one on my legs. They laugh like hyenas at my struggle. Jeremy's head pops out of the kitchen and he laughs at my situation.

"Happy Birthday kid" he says and embraces me for a moment while slapping my back.

"Come on guys off of him now" he says and tries pulling them off.

"But it's my birthday!" Matthew says on my left leg.

"No it's my birthday!" Michael says copying his brother.

"It's neither of your birthday's come on now get up" I hear Crystal's sweet voice say and I feel all excited when she comes into the room. She has a

white apron over a pink dress and her hair is up in a messy bun that I know if she undoes it, it'll flow beautifully past her shoulders as it always does. It's not right for me to think like this but I can't help it.

"Happy Birthday Isaac" she whispers in my ear and kisses my cheek before lifting Michael off the ground. Matthew had run back into the kitchen and comes back out being carried by Rebecca with a strawberry in his hand.

"He's really impatient. Happy birthday Isaac" She laughs and smiles at me as he sucks on it in his mouth.

"We made an amazing birthday breakfast for you. I would have asked Mark to give you the day off but he ran off this morning to take care of something in town. I'm sure he'll be back soon to wish you a happy birthday." Crystal says and rearranges Michael on her hip, motherhood never looked more beautiful on her.

We all go back into the kitchen and she wasn't lying when she described an amazing breakfast including all my favorites, I feel like she must have talked to my mother to know all this. We all dig in immediately except Crystal of course who makes her sons her top priority, keeping them clean and cutting up their food. It brings a smile to my face. Jeremy on the other hand is watching Rebecca carefully, she hardly eats. I assume that the pregnancy is being hard on her and she can barely stomach anything, I look down at her growing belly. It feels weird to think of Jeremy as a father, he always seems so serious.

After eating Crystal keeps me from helping her clean up and I'm forced to sit in the living room.

"We're supposed to be taking care of you ya know?" I yell loud enough for her to hear as Jeremy sits on the couch with me.

"Not on your birthday!" She yells back and I hear her and Rebecca laugh.

The laughter stops and I feel Mark's presence as he enters through the back door. Jeremy and I get up immediately and feel the somber feeling he brings into the room. His sons latch on him immediately and he smiles softly at them and pats their heads. He looks at Rebecca for a moment and her and Jeremy grab the two boys and leave the room.

"What's going on?" I ask him and he looks at Crystal for a moment and I already know he's told her before me.

"I'm sorry to bring such bad news on your birthday Isaac but you have to be the one to know." He says and I straighten myself thinking of all the horrible possibilities that could go wrong today.

"Is it my mom? I just spoke to her this morning." I say slightly panicked and he shakes his head.

"This morning I got a call from police department in the human town nearby. They found our packs card in the pockets of Aaron and Kevin. I had to go in to identify their bodies. I'm sorry Isaac. They're gone." He says and my jaw tightens and I close my eyes tight.

I've known them since we were kids, we've been through everything together. All those years ago I was just a child when rogues attacked killing Mark's family and my father. Kevin and Aaron were made into orphans that night and my mom raised all three of us, they were like my brothers. And now in just one night they're gone like nothing.

"What happened? Wolf hunters?" I ask feeling my blood boil.

"No. What they told me is that they were found with all the blood drained out their bodies. Nothing else. No trace of DNA from a fight or saliva around the bite marks. Nothing." Mark says and I'm pissed off, what the fuck could have done this? Just take my friends away like nothing.

"I want to go into town. I want to see where they were found. There has to be something." I say sounding completely livid.

"I already did Isaac. There was nothing. No scent. It's impossible I know but it's true. I would have found something and you know that." He says and I shake my head not wanting to believe him.

"I want to go. I don't care." I say sounding angry.

"Isaac. Please." Crystal's voice says sweetly and I know she feels my pain.

"Nevermind. What's done is done. I'll bury them with their families tomorrow." I say and Crystal forces a smile for me.

I don't know who the hell could have done this, but they won't get away with this. I'll look tonight with or without Mark knowing. They're my friends, I can't let their murderer get away.