"Okay," Bree said. "The last people we need to ask is Manny and his wife."

"Can we please just figure this out already?" Jett hit his head against the dash of the car. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with all of this. He just wanted to call the number and get it over with already.

"I mean," Blake said from the back seat. "We already know they're going to want to go. Both of them love parties!"

"We need to know for sure," Bree argued. "This is the first party we've ever gotten invited to from the Reverence Pack, and I'm not going to mess this up!"

"Oh, come on, Bree," Alex rolled his eyes. "You know Jett was the only one invited. They're just trying to be polite and tell him that he could bring us along."

"Can't we just give them a rough estimate and leave it at that?" Jett asked.

"You are so cute when you pout," Bree ruffled his hair. It reminded him of when they were both just siblings rather than leaders. "Look Jett, I know you so desperately want to talk to him again, but this is the last place."

He groaned. His sister always had to make things more complicated than it needed to be. He was sure that the Reverence Pack wouldn't care if they told them a higher number and less actually showed up. Hell, the whole pack would be coming if they asked everyone. No one had really seen much of that territory, or their pack house. Jett was only thinking about a few key people, but Bree always had to think of more.

Manny, the Gamma of the pack, was the only one of them that lived in the city. Him and his wife, Sophia ran a local bar in town. It was the best place for a drink and one of the best tourist attractions for a night out on the town. And Sophia, or 'Sophie' as most called her, was the best barista that they could have ever asked for. The omega woman ran that bar with the iron fist that she had gotten from her mother.

"Hey guys!" Sophie waved at them as they came in. The bar wasn't open just yet, but she seemed to be getting ready for it. Her dark hair was tied up in a bun as she worked her way through the room, getting everything ready.

"Sophie!" Bree ran up to hug her. "I have so much to tell you!"

"As long as it doesn't have anything to do with reunions," Sophie sighed. "I've been dealing with so many problems with plane tickets lately."

"You mean for your family reunion?" Jett asked. Sophia was from one of the largest omega families. They're all a talkative bunch that love to keep in contact with everyone. Since it's difficult for everyone to see each other all the time, they plan a reunion for all of them every few years. It helped the Valor Pack stay on good terms with her old pack at least. He was happy to befriend a pack from so far away. It helped their reputation and growth.

"Didn't you already order plane tickets for that?" Blake asked. "I thought you did that last year or something."

"I did," she shook her head. "But now they canceled them on me due to some kind of mix-up in their system and I've been fighting tooth and nail to get them to actually fix it for me again."

"If anything, I'll drive you all the way up there, Sophie," Jett smiled. "It's about time I visit that old alpha of yours anyway."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Sophia smiled. "Alpha Leo retired from his position about a year ago."

"Wait, what?!" Alex looked shocked. "I thought they were waiting on his son to find his mate or something dumb like that."

Man was Jett glad that their pack wasn't that way. If that were the case he would have never been allowed to lead.

"Why do you think I had to make two vacations last year?" Sophie asked.

"Because your brother got mauled by a rogue or something?"

"Well, yes," her face fell and she shivered when Alex mentioned that. "Don't remind me of that. But it was also to attend a wedding between Max and his mate."

"Hey guys!" Manny came in carrying boxes. They were the oldest in the council. Him and his wife had a bunch of kids, but they always had time for each other and their business. "What are you guys all doing here right now?"

"Hold on," Alex stopped him. "Before we get onto the real reason we came here," he turned back to Sophie, "Please tell me that his mate was a guy."

"How did you know?" Sophie raised her eyebrows up at him.

"Knew it!" Alex cheered. "Blake! You owe me money!"

"This is the last time I make a damn bet with you," Blake muttered as he pulled out his wallet.

"You guys bet on Max being gay?" Sophia laughed. "Oh, I'm going to have to tell Nick about this! He's going to laugh his butt off."

"How did you guys not notice it?" Alex asked. "The dude never looked in any chick's direction. And I swear I caught him checking out at least five guys when he was showing us around town that one time."

"I liked to think that he was simply looking around," Blake rolled his eyes. "Besides, Alex, you think that everyone is gay."

"Look, I have one of the best gaydars," Alex smirked. "And there was no doubt in my mind that he was."

"I bet you his grandfather didn't like that," Jett shook his head. "That guy was always a bit more traditional."

"I think he actually likes him," Sophie said. "He's been a pretty good Luna so far, from what Nick's told me. Also, he's absolutely adorable!"

"Aww!" Bree put her hand to her chest. "I was hoping that Jett would wind up with the cute one."

"Hey!" Jett said. "He is cute!" He may be an alpha, but the way that Shiro looked when he was relaxed was cute. He had this calm, happy expression when he relaxed, and Jett wished that he could see it more.

It would be better than seeing those fearful eyes that he had seen last.

"Wait," Manny's mouth dropped. "You found your mate?!"

Jett quickly told the couple what had happened the past two days. Manny was the only one of them that hadn't fought with Shiro when the hunters came. He was their best guard and Jett needed him for keeping the innocent protected. But he saw Shiro when they had all gotten the bodies to the burial site to count them.

"His friend's cuter," Alex smirked again. Everyone in the room groaned at hearing him.

"Here he goes again," Blake rolled his eyes. "As much as I hate to say it, I wish you finally found your mate, Alex. It would be nice to hear you talk about just one person rather than the three different ones a week that you spend your nights with."

"Oh man," Manny shook his head. "I hope the guy isn't possessive. That's not going to go well with all of his exes."

"This isn't about Alex," Bree huffed. "The whole point of this was to see if you two would be willing to go to a party with the Reverence Pack this Saturday."

"We also need Manny to help us distract Shiro's friends," Blake said. "So that they can talk alone."

"The guy honestly sounds a bit thrown off about all of this, from what you guys are telling me," Sophie said. Then she looked at Jett. "Why don't you just try taking things slow? It's common for mates to get a little overwhelmed with emotions when they find each other. If he feels more comfortable with his friends around, maybe you should try that first."

"Sophie, I would love to take it slow," Jett told her. "I'd do anything just to get him to talk to me at this point. But we kind of have a deadline with the curse and all."

"The curse?" Sophie looked at him confused. "What curse?"

They all stayed silent. Sophie was an outsider to their territories. It wasn't like they told every stranger that they spoke to about the ailment that they all went through. But she had also been in this city, in their pack, for quite a while now.

So, of course, all eyes go to the guilty looking Manny who was hoping not to be seen at the moment.

"You didn't tell her?!" Jett looked at him, absolutely baffled.

"Tell me what?" now Sophie was looking at her husband.

"Well," Manny chuckled nervously and put a hand behind his head. "I didn't really think it was that important. I mean, we already marked each other, so it's not like we were going to be affected by it or anything."

"And your kids?" Bree put her hands on her hips. "What about when they become age to find their mates? Were you planning on telling her then?"

"Welp," Blake got up and started walking behind the counter. "I'm going to get some beer for this."

"What are you all talking about?" Sophie asked. Then she looked accusingly at her husband. "And you better tell me if this involves our kids!"

"Someone's going to be in the doghouse for quite a long time," Blake opened up a bottle of beer and took a sip. Jett always admired how calm the guy was about everything. He knew that there would be an exception though. He had three daughters at the moment and they were all daddy's girls.

"Jett," Bree looked at him. "You're the best at explaining this."

Jett sighed. He hated telling this story.

"The curse of BlackCreek," he started. "First happened long ago, during our ancestor's reign. All four packs around that time were brutal, and caused nothing but chaos in their packs. The Moon Goddess wished to create balance in each pack through mating her strong children with weaker. To her, love has always been love no matter the gender, race, or species.'

"But the four packs of BlackCreek didn't believe that to be true. They wished to keep the strong with the strong, and the weak with the weak. They believed that love could only be defined one way. And because of this, they punished the members who wished to be with the mates that were chosen by the Moon Goddess rather than the ones that they had chosen themselves."

"In other words," Blake said. "Our ancestors were extremely homophobic and believed in arranged marriage to strengthen the gene pool."

"Keep drinking your beer and shut up, Blake," Bree rolled her eyes. "Continue, Jett."

"The Moon Goddess saw this, and heard the cries of those who stayed devoted to her. Their pain was so deep that it traveled to the Goddess herself. And she, in feeling this pain, became outraged that the leaders would not listen to her. For she was the one who made them strong," Jett paused to take in a deep breath. "So, she cursed the packs of BlackCreek to feel the pain that the ones who had perished had felt if they didn't accept their mates. It's a rhyme that we are all taught as kids: Thirty days, and thirty nights, until the very second strikes. That is when you will learn to love the one that was given to you. If you don't accept your mate, you will suffer a worsening fate."

"But what does that mean?" Sophie looked terrified at them. "Could you die if you don't accept them?"

"Well, no," Blake said. "You just wind up in a lot of pain."

"What happens on the thirtieth night then?" She asked. Then she looked back to Manny. "And why didn't you ever tell me?!"

"It wasn't that important, honey!" Manny tried to explain. "It hasn't even affected this pack in three generations!"

"It hasn't?"

"As long as you accept your mate and mark them, you won't be affected," Bree said. "The Moon Goddess also said that the only way to break the curse was if all four packs accepted all their mates for five generations."

He hated that it had to be all four of them. It took forever for all the leaders to come to an agreement to work together in trying to lift the curse. Valor had been the first to be successful in not being affected by it for as long as they had. But five generations was a long time. And all it took was one mess up by someone in their neighbor packs for them to have to start from the very beginning.

But they had all placed their laws with the agreement so that if anyone was caught punishing certain members for their mates they would get their just rewards. He was glad that all the packs were working hard at keeping to this pact that they had made a long time ago.

"On the thirtieth night," Jett answered. "If the couple has still not fully accepted each other, and made their mark to prove it, then they both become almost feral."

"Feral?"

"They get in heat," Alex said.

"Can we not call it that?" Bree shook her head. "That makes us sound like cats or something."

"That's basically what it is, though!" Alex laughed. "One starts leaving off a scent that calls for their mate, they both go sex crazy, and they get overwhelmed with a need to mark each other. Then they do and it's Happily Ever After!"

"So, basically," Sophie looked at him, still confused by all of this. "The curse forces you to mark your mate?"

"Yup."

"Well, that doesn't seem too bad," she said. "Why are you guys talking like it's some deadly disease?"

"Because," Jett sighed. "There's some people that try to last longer than thirty days. And if they are successful in it, not only does it come back every month like a cycle, the couple will go through immense pain until they are officially marked."

"Does it affect the mates from other packs?" Sophie asked. "Would I have gotten this curse if Manny and I had waited?"

"No, honey," Bree put a hand on her shoulder. "It only affects the ones in BlackCreek."

"Man," Blake smiled. "It would have been hilarious seeing Manny go crazy, though."

"Her mom would hate me more than she already does," Manny said. He tried to go over to his wife to comfort her, but she gave him the death glare.

"I'm still mad at you for not telling me all of this."

"But, Sophie!"

"How long have we been married?!"

"Uhh," they all watched as the Gamma looked everywhere but his wife at the moment. "A very long time?"

"You don't remember how long it's been?!"

Blake just about spat out his beer at that.

"Oh, shit," he coughed. "I think we're witnessing the end of a marriage, boys."

"They'll make up," Jett said. "You act like she hasn't gone off on him plenty of times before."

"She should be glad that he even remembers the date of their anniversary," Alex laughed. "This is like a damn soap opera!"

"Look, baby," Manny tried. "There's so much to try and remember throughout the day. I mean there's all the kids, what time they get off school, what new event they're doing, then there's the business and all the stuff that goes into that. I can't remember this right off the top of my head anymore!"

"He's so whipped," Alex said. "It's not even funny."

"Wait until you find your mate," Blake said. "I bet you he's going to tame you so fast we could call you a poodle."

"Yeah right," Alex laughed. "Like that's ever going to happen."

As much as Jett liked talking and messing around with all of his friends and family, he was still eager to get his answer from the two of them. And he didn't exactly want Manny to be distracted with marital problems while he was trying to be diplomatic to the Reverence Pack.

"Sophie," Jett got her attention. "Look, it wasn't right for Manny to not tell you about this, but can you really blame him? It's not something that anyone really talks about much at all unless a situation like mine pops up."

"Does this mean that you have the curse, then?" her expression changed from angry to worried in a matter of seconds.

"Not entirely," he shook his head. "I've accepted that he's my mate. It just means that I have a little less than thirty days to get him to accept it and for us to mark each other."

Sophie collapsed onto one of the barstools.

"This is so confusing."

"That's another reason why we don't talk about it to everyone," Jett told her. "It's too much of a hassle to explain for something that most people don't have to worry about anymore."

"This is just why we're trying to speed things up a bit," Bree explained. "And this party could help with that quite a lot."

"You said the guy who gave you that invitation was Jin?" Manny asked. He had gone into work mode, thankfully.

"Yeah," Jett said. "He was a tall, lanky guy with brown hair."

"I've seen him around," Manny told him. "He has like a thousand different jobs. I swear the guy doesn't stop working. But he's a talker when he wants to be."

"Huh," Jett said. "I wonder who he is to Shiro."

"I want to say he's the next Gamma for the Reverence Pack," Manny said. "I remember him coming in with the current Gamma one time to check our place out. That dude's a lot stiffer and more prudish than his son."

"Shiro's a breath of fresh air compared to his father," Jett said. "Even before realizing that he was my mate, I was just excited that there was going to be someone who actually seemed like they wanted to be friendly with us rather than how Sakdah always is."

"It's going to be nice to finally meet him," Bree said. "There's so much planning to do, and I have so many questions for him."

"You aren't getting his clothing size until after I've talked to him about all of this," Jett said.

"We still have to figure out that girlfriend situation," Blake said. "That can turn into a real disaster if it's not approached cautiously."

"Oh boy," Sophie shook her head. "This is going to be one hell of a party."

"So, are you two going to come?" Jett asked. "Because that was kind of the whole point of coming here to see you right now."

"I'll have to find someone to watch the kids for the night," Sophie said. "But I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to help you. Omegas are the best at socializing anyway."

"It would be nice to actually see that pack house they always keep so hidden from everyone," Manny said. "I'm in."

"Good," Jett sighed. Then he looked at Bree. "Now please tell me that you didn't magically think of anyone else to ask before I made this phone call?"

"Hmmmmm," she put her hand to her chin and looked up to feign just how hard she was thinking. "I don't know....Maybe we should ask Dad and Mom."

"No!" Jett yelled at her. "Jeez, Bree! You've already embarrassed me enough!"

"Alright, alright!" Bree laughed. "We'll stop with Manny and Sophie. I should probably get home before it's more than just the babies that get cranky."

"Ah, yes," Alex teased. "It's about time to get back home to the house husband."

"Oh, stop it!" Bree laughed. "You try being Luna and taking care of all of those kids! It's not my fault he keeps knocking me up!"

"There's this magical thing that mankind created," Alex moved his hands in the shape of a rainbow. "It's called a condom. And it has this magical ability to-Oww!" He held his arm after Bree smacked it.

"Come on dickweed," she walked in front of them all. "Before I start pulling you by your ear."

Jett shook his head. This pack was a weird one. He wasn't sure just how he was able to deal with all of them half the time.

"Hey Jett," Manny put an arm around him as the rest went ahead of him. "Thanks for saving my ass back there."

"I can't believe you didn't even tell her after your first kid," Jett shook his head.

"I wasn't thinking about it man!" Manny said. "Seriously!"

"Whatever, Manny," Jett blew it off. "You owe me, though."

"I'll be at the party," he said. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Alright, I should get going," he shook the man off him. "I got a phone call to make finally."

"Good luck."

Jett let out a deep breath.

Yeah, luck.

He was going to need that.