"Strength is all in the mind," his grandfather told him. "It doesn't matter how you look at the end of the day, or who you are. Strength comes from within."

"How will I know that I am strong then?" he asked him. His grandfather was so much taller than him. He never felt like he was growing at all with his grandfather standing next to him.

"You will know you are strong when you must use that strength," he said. "And it is only then that you will be able to realize just how much of that strength you have."

"Shiro, are you even listening to me?!" Tammy snapped him out of his thoughts. They were at lunch at the time.

"You were talking about how worried you were about your finals tomorrow," Shiro said. He had been distracted quite a lot lately. But he would not let his mind grow stagnant like it wanted to. He had to stay sharp.

"No, Shiro," Tammy pointed at him. "I'm worried about you and your tests tomorrow."

"It would be best that you worry about yourself, Tammy," Shiro shook his head. "I'll be fine."

They had all been worried about him after last night. Jin made sure that he brought him home right afterwards. It definitely soured the evening. But that was to be expected. Every time Shiro celebrated his birthday it never stayed fun for long. He learned early on to enjoy the moment while it was there, and to remember the good memories above the bad. For the bad would just weigh you down.

The curse had affected him this morning as well. He woke up feeling as if he was burning. His sheets were drenched in sweat. Nikita spared no time getting an ice bath ready for him. He asked no questions as he helped him in it. He was a good servant; a faithful one.

Nothing could take up his strength as much as this at the moment. It was difficult hiding the bond in which the Spirit of the Moon showed him just a few short days ago. He didn't know just how long he could keep it up before his mate found out. He couldn't even think his name, for it alone had enough power to inflict pain on him.

It could be worse. His sister had been through some horrible spells because of the curse. Trying to keep things like this hidden was not easy. The longer that you go without your mate, the worse the curse gets. That was the punishment that the Spirit of the Moon had given them many, many years ago.

"Were you even able to get any sleep?" Tammy asked. She could always see past his calm demeanor. Her and Geo were the only two that could.

"Some," he answered truthfully. "I should do well on my final exams, though. I'm not worried in the slightest."

"Eh," Geo shrugged. "My classes are the easiest."

"How can you say that when we all have calculous?!" Tammy whined. "I've been studying for the past two weeks and I still feel like I'm going to fail."

"Tammy, you do this every time we have tests," Geo rolled his eyes at her. "You always wind up passing with an A anyway."

"One test I remember I got a B in," Tammy buried her face in her arms. "My parents yelled at me for a century for that."

"Your graduation present should be moving out of that hellhole, then," Geo popped some more food in his mouth. He was always hungry. "Your eighteen, you technically could."

"I don't know where I would go," Tammy sighed. "I'm just going to have to work for it a little harder."

Shiro listened silently to his friends. Then his eyes started to drift off into the crowds of people that were all walking by. Their lives all seemed so much simpler. Even if they were having issues with their home or a person that they were dating. Sometimes he longed to simply have those problems. But that would be selfish of him to wish of such a thing. He had plenty of nice things in life. There were plenty of friends that eased his mind, and plenty of activities to keep him company. He should never complain about such a thing.

But sometimes he would let himself wish that. On days where he would find himself in a grim mood, he would let himself think about things like this. It was best to look for happiness in times when you needed it the most.

Like those orange eyes that caught his. The same boy that he had saved from the warriors by the lockers walked by. It had just been a day ago, yet it felt like a week. Time was moving at a snail's pace recently.

Those eyes were nothing like his mate's. They were innocent, and happy. He wondered what Wiatt was to him. They must have been related. He even came to pick him up the day before.

Wiatt must have noticed him staring at him. The young boy met his gaze and shyly waved at him. Shiro smiled and nodded his head in return. Then he looked away. As much as he was trying to distract himself from his ailment, he couldn't be rude and stare at people. That would catch too much attention.

He left at that, excusing himself from the table. He knew that his friends would want to follow him, so he simply told them that he was going to the restroom. He would have to apologize for misinforming them later. But he needed some fresh air away from all the scents that the school had.

The school, like many things in that city, was right next to the forest. Shiro had spent many days staring off into it, looking at the large, black trunks that the fog always hovered around. It was already getting humid with summer on the way. The first day of summer should be when he is announced as the leader of his pack. If his father will accept him, that was. He had until then to try and stay in control.

"H-hey, Shiro?" he looked to see Wiatt coming up to him. He must have seen him walk off after he watched him. That was his mistake. He had let himself get carried away by dreams that could very well not happen.

"Yes?" he asked. He watched as the boy stood next to him. He looked nervous and awkward, and his face was tinted a little red.

As much as it seemed like it could easily be him working himself up, Shiro worried that the boy had gotten into another fight. There were too many growing warriors that went to this school that just didn't know how to release their anger in a healthy way.

"W-well," Wiatt started. "I just wanted to s-say thanks again for your help yesterday."

"There really is no need," Shiro put up a hand. "I hope that you told your Alpha what had happened, though. It's best to solve problems like this through the packs rather than the schools."

He was lucky that Ava was only dealing with humans. All it took was him walking her to class in the morning and the ones who were cornering her disappeared.

"I did," Wiatt nodded. His hair looked fluffier than the Alpha of the Valor Pack. It was shorter, and bounced when he talked. But it was still just as dark and curly as his. "That's another thing that I wanted to t-talk to you about."

"What is it?" he asked.

"W-well," he stuttered again. He wondered if he had a speech problem, but he also looked like the type to get nervous quite a lot. "You see, my family wanted to talk to you about it. To get your perspective on what had happened."

Ah, he understood. He was the only other person who had witnessed Wiatt getting hurt. Thankfully he had saved him in time before he was injured too badly. The boy healed from them before school was even over. As convenient as that was, it left no true evidence for any adults to see.

"Will they be here after school?" Shiro asked. That seemed like the best time to talk to them.

"They're-um-" Wiatt fidgeted with something in his hands. "That's the thing. They're kinda already h-here."

"Are they in the office?" Shiro stood. He didn't have too much time before his next class, but he would do what he could to help him.

"N-no," Wiatt shook his head. "They're in the forest right now. They said that it was the best place to talk to you."

Shiro looked into the forest again. Those dark trunks held thousands of years of secrets in them, only to be told to the ones they thought worthy. Shiro had spent many years meditating near them in hopes that they would share at least some of their secrets. They had told him quite a lot over the years due to his discipline. One thing he had learned from them was when to see a trap.

"Your Alpha's in there," Shiro said. "Isn't he?"

Since Shiro was going to be the next leader of his pack, he could tell when people were lying. But Wiatt seemed to be a smart omega. He hadn't said parents, he said family.

At least now he knew that he wasn't the son of the Alpha.

"Y-yes," Wiatt answered. He was a smart boy for being honest with him. "He said that he wanted to talk to you about it, though."

He couldn't decline a request to talk to one of the leaders of their neighboring packs. Not while he was still merely a warrior. If this was in their territory, he would have to ask his father for permission. But while they were in the city it wasn't the case. If he declined, it would be seen as a sign of disrespect, and it could tarnish the name of their pack.

"You should get ready for your next class, then," Shiro told Wiatt. "I'll talk to him alone, if that's alright with him."

As much as it would be nice to have someone there with them, he wasn't sure just how much he could control himself when he saw him again. He could already feel those eyes boring into him from the shadows of the trees.

"A-are you sure?" Wiatt asked. He looked a little relieved at his answer. "H-he said it was optional whether you want me to come with or not."

"I trust your Alpha not to harm me," Shiro said. The bell to end lunch rang just after he spoke. "It's best if you go to study for your finals."

Wiatt nodded and slowly started to walk away. When he had disappeared in the crowd, Shiro looked back into the forest. He could feel that he was being watched, but he could not pinpoint it. He slowly started walking into the shadows that the trees provided. On a heated day, the shade provided much comfort. Shiro enjoyed the cool breeze that came from the forest.

He walked in one direction. He could feel the pull of the man he had been trying so desperately to avoid. It brought him deeper and deeper into the fog. Even when the city had heated up, the fog never disappeared from the forest.

"Stop," he heard that low voice say. It took all that he had in him to keep everything inside at that moment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to ground himself. When he opened them, he saw those orange eyes that he had been thinking about that entire morning.

"It's an honor to see you again, Alpha," Shiro bowed. "I'm sorry I did not talk to you yesterday about this issue."

"Alpha?" the man asked. Shiro was surprised to find that he wasn't wearing anything but shorts. He must have traveled there through his wolf form.

"You are the Alpha of the Valor Pack," Shiro answered. "It would be disrespectful to call you anything but."

"That's not what you had called me before," he said, walking closer to him. His scent was strong. It overwhelmed his senses. "What's my name, Shiro?"

Shiro took another deep breath. He could do this. He could keep their bond hidden. It would just be a little longer and then he would see what the man thought of having him as a mate. He could make it through this.

"Alpha Jett," Shiro bowed again. The word stinging his heart. "My apologies. I didn't know that I was disrespecting you."

"Apology accepted," Jett smiled. His tanned skin made him look like a shadow with the trees. But Shiro could see every detail of him. Every muscle was defined, and he was surprisingly hairless on his chest. Shiro thought that his pack was the only one who had that as a common trait. Usually, werewolves were hairy in their human forms too.

It suited him well.

"You wished to speak to me about the incident with Wiatt?" Shiro asked. He had to control himself more now than ever before. Alpha Jett seemed like he was enjoying this a little too much at the moment.

"No," Jett said. "I already know what happened with Wiatt. And the Noble Pack has already received word of it as well."

Shiro kept his gaze down. If that was the case, then this truly was a trap. He had no clue what the man's intentions were. Shiro used his knowledge of the forest to think about an escape route in case he needed one.

"What is the purpose of requesting me then, Alpha Jett?" he asked.

"I think you already know what my purpose is, Shiro," he said.

Did he know? Did he fail at his task already? It was only the third day. If that was the case, then Shiro wasn't as strong as he thought he had been.

He didn't answer him. Instead, he kept his head down. He did not wish to meet the gaze of those demanding eyes. He had to focus.

"When we said our farewells at the meeting," Jett's voice filled the silence. "You shook everyones hand except for mine."

He was observant. Shiro was hoping that he wouldn't have paid attention to the other two alphas that day. He was relying on the fact that he had bowed so often to them that it wouldn't be seen as such an issue.

"My apologies," Shiro bowed. "Bowing is seen as a sign of respect in my pack. Since I had not met you, I thought it more respectful than a simple hand shake."

"You bow all the time, though," Jett said.

"I've learned that it is best to give respect to all those above you," he answered. "Especially our allies."

"Well, in our pack, it's more respectful to shake hands," Jett put out his hand in front of him. "Isn't it a respectful thing to follow the culture of the ones you are talking with?"

Shiro looked at the hand. If he did this, there was no going back. A touch said it all with a bond. He got lucky that the first touch they had was just a few seconds. It allowed him to hide it easier. But this was a trap in which he could not get out of. Not unless he wanted to dishonor his pack. And that was something he just couldn't do.

The hand was bigger than his own. He attempted to be quick about it. But the grip shocked him. It held onto his, allowing the electricity that was their bond pulse through his blood.

Shiro met his eyes again, finding understanding in them. It was too late to try and pull back. He had failed in his mission to hide this from him. It was plain to see from those pupils going wide and that grip getting stronger.

What he didn't expect was the flurry of what happened next. He thought that the man would reject him. After all, they were two alphas from different packs.

He wasn't expecting to be kissed.

Jett wrapped his arms around him, using all his strength as Shiro squirmed. All it took was those lips meeting his own for him to melt like butter. The feeling was too intense. He met them with his own force, too weak to hold back anymore.

Everything broke free at that moment. All the feelings that he had pushed deep inside of him came out as Jett held him. He easily wrapped his arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Their tongues both fought for dominance over each other.

"Mine," Jett growled. Shiro couldn't help but lean into him. His scent was enough to send him over the edge. And his body pressed up against him didn't help either. He could barely catch his breath after their heated kiss.

"Jett," he could barely get the word out. The man easily pushed him against a tree, making his legs wrap around him. His hands worked on going under his shirt, while his lips were now scattering kisses all over his neck.

And all Shiro could do was weave his hand through his curls and lean into every kiss those lips made. All of it was absolute ecstasy.

"How you could hide such an amazing scent like yours is baffling," Jett said. His voice was lower than before. It almost seemed feral.

Shiro couldn't say anything. All of it was overloading his senses. It didn't help that the man was starting to cause a friction that he had never known before. He had never known just how good this could feel. The heat of it all was driving him mad as he let himself lose control to the one that he had been hiding from.

Those kisses on his neck started to feel like their own sparks of ecstasy. He melted into each and every one of them, clinging onto him for dear life.

It wasn't until he felt something sharp graze his neck that he realized what the man was doing.

Using his own strength as an act of surprise, he pushed the man off from him. He used enough force to not hurt him, but give himself enough space to catch his breath. Jett looked at him in surprise as he attempted to catch his breath as well.

They both stared at each other. Shiro held onto his neck to make sure there was no puncture wounds. He couldn't believe he had just done that. He had just let himself be held and kissed by him. That could ruin his whole reputation.

"Shiro," Jett broke the silence after a time. His face looked just as shocked. "Shiro, I'm -"

He didn't let him finish that sentence. With the sound of his clothes tearing, he changed into his wolf form and ran. The Valor Pack might be the strongest compared to them, but they were the fastest. There was no way he would be able to catch up to him.

The farther he got from him, the more the pain started to grow. It was okay, though. He had dealt with pain his whole life.

But he hadn't felt his heart break before.