I wish you all a Happy New Year. Best wishes, your always grateful author.

*****

The ride back to the villa is tense, everyone is on edge. The enclosed tiny space of the car isn't the best place to share with Nate right now but none of us dares to say anything about the alpha who is losing his shi-

'Language young lady.'

-losing control over his wolf beside us. His eyes keep changing, his muscles are tense under his skin, his canines elongate more and more by the minute and his whole body is shaking while he keeps growling.

I'm not the only one who wanted to offer we all walk back on our own. I mean he would only be able to scratch me if he happened to turn and attacked but I'd rather avoid the pain. Leila keeps sending worried glances in the rear view mirror, her jaw tense while Noriko frantically plays with the handle of the car door, ready to flea at any given time. I tried to play it cool and laid-back for the first fives minutes but it seemed to aggravate Nate even further so I made myself as invisible as possible.

I really don't mind walking home.

'I'm not sure they would come out of it as unscathed as you would if things went wrong.' My wolf reminds me for the tenth time.

Fine, fine. I'll just play dead.

'This is all your fault.'

For the hundredth time no it's not. I am not responsible every time someone is going through a life crisis.

'I'm still blaming you.'

And I'm blaming the fish I ate last night. Probably was a cousin of Marie's, smelt fishy...

I can vividly see my wolf roll its eyes in my mind.

No one understands me.

'I don't care if you end up alone, misunderstood by all humanity for the rest of your life but you have to fix this. I don't care what you do but you better make him go back to how he was before.'

Harsh. And what am I supposed to do ? I mean did you see him ? He's a mess !

The car hasn't fully stopped before we all jump out of it and each flee in a different direction. I follow Nate to the beach down the path from the villa, making sure to stay a good yard behind. The creak is deserted which is a good thing right now.

'Might have been a good idea to hang on to the trident a little longer.'

Don't need it to be awesome.

I get rid of my shoes because I hate to have sand in my socks. The ground is hot under my feet and the sun blaring over the water making it difficult to see what's in front of me.

'Stop finding excuses and go talk to him.'

With a long sigh I walk to him. He jumps back when he notices me and holds his hands high to stop me.

"Stay back !" He orders. "I'm having a hard enough time as it is I really don't need you to make things worse."

Did you spread the word and decided to all be mean to me today ?

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." I grumble.

"Stop talking." He grits his teeth, shutting his eyes and trying to ignore me.

Something I dare say is impossible.

'How big is your ego ?'

As big as yours.

"Why don't you try to explain what's going on ? Maybe I can help you."

"No you can't."

"What are you going to do then ?"

"I don't know dammit."

"Do you want me to knock you out ?" I offer and he glares back at me.

"Not funny."

"Not trying to be. I just think if you can't control your wolf things could get dangerous, you might hurt innocent bystanders. Who knows, maybe a good night sleep would calm it down."

"I'll be fine." He mumbles.

"Sure." I roll my eyes.

"Then what do you want me to do ?"

"I don't know, why is your wolf so restless ? Did you two have a fight ?"

"No."

Man, at this pace we'll still be here next week.

"Maybe he wants to run for a bit, there's a small forest not far from here." I offer.

"I don't think that's it."

"Can you be anymore cryptic ?" I ask annoyed.

"It doesn't really want to transform." Nate tries to explain. "It's more like my wolf is undecided, it feels unbalanced, and I can't use my strength correctly."

"That's not good."

"Glad you think so too." He rolls his eyes and they shine yellow.

I have a feeling that they still think the same in some ways. At least regarding their opinion of me.

"It must mean it's uncomfortable about something. Can't you hear what it's worried about ?"

"You." He whispers ashamed.

'Ah...so it has come to this. I had a feeling you'd ruin everything someday.'

Here we go again.

"Then, can I talk to it ?"

"It doesn't trust you."

"No kidding." I sigh running my hands in my hair. "Look," I start sitting down on the sand, "I'll just sit like that, I promise I won't move." I offer in a weaker position, his wolf should feel less threatened that way.

Nate nods and takes off his shorts and I choke. I forgot about that part. He discards his shirt in the same way but keeps his boxer on looking away.

'Awww he's being shy...' My wolf coos.

Shush.

He transforms even faster than the night before and I am once again face to face with the white wolf of the legends, though this time I'm sitting and the beast is looking down on me on its guard.

I look at the ground and show him the back of my neck in surrender even though this goes against every fiber of my being. My skin burns right now from the act as if the Sun is punishing me for it.

Great, now I'll get burned day and night.

'I never told you to go that far.' My wolf barks. 'Get up, RIGHT NOW.'

Still I don't move, I wait patiently for Nate's wolf to make the first move, I'm letting him decide. My wolf is growling in my ears and the sun is hot on my skin but I wait.

I sense the wolf getting closer and after a while I feel it sit too in front of me. Slowly, carefully, I look up at it. It's observing me once more.

"I'm not here to harm you, or your pack." I start and it blinks. "I really want to help you." I explain. "That's why I came on this trip, that's why I did I all of this."

It nods in understanding but its proud posture seems to say something else. It feels like it's waiting for an apology or something.

"I won't apologize." I rebuke him and its snout curls up. "You may not like it but I'm not sorry for what I did. I won't do it again because I think you understood what I was trying to say. And I believe that from now on you'll be more careful. I'm not saying you're not strong and I'm not saying that you can't be proud but you have to remember that you can always find stronger than you and being too proud can kill you."

The wolf brings its muzzle a few inches from my face and huffs in disapproval making strands of my hair fly around.

"Also, in my opinion your little sidekick is being a little too familiar with women, I expected better of an alpha." I add on a whim.

I'm surprised when the wolf starts to laugh and nod and sits down more comfortably. Its eyes glow green for an instant and Nate glares at me but it doesn't last long.

"You should be more strict with him." I go on amused, it seems to listen intently to me in agreement.

We stay like that for a while, listening to the waves, watching birds fly over it, around small fishing boats. I am lost in my thoughts, already planning the following weeks, the training sessions well have to organize, the different groups we'll have to coordinate, the headache of so many alpha hormones in the same room.

When I focus back on the movements beside me I find Nate shuffling around to get dressed in a hurry.

"I can't believe this." He mumbles. "You're both making fun of me."

"We're not making fun of you, we're stating facts." I roll my eyes.

"Yeah right."

He starts walking back to the house without waiting for me.

"Don't make a tantrum." I chide him.

"And don't start with me." He orders.

"Come on, you have to agree that sometimes you behave like a chauvinistic caveman."

He turns around to face me as we walk through the bay windows and into the living room.

"Anything else you want to throw at me ?"

"You're a womanizer, a pup in heat." I shrug.

"And you're a pain in my ass."

"You asked." I roll my eyes.

I listen intently but don't hear heartbeats other than both of ours. The girls probably decided to eat out tonight to avoid any outburst.

And they didn't invite me !

'The nerve !'

I walk to the fridge and make myself a scarce diner with what I can find.

"You're a smart ass." He continues.

"I don't recall asking for your opinion." I say biting hard on some bread.

"You always want to be right."

"It's a fact that I, the Almighty Me, is always right."

"You're full of yourself."

"I am a Queen, that's a given." I answer honestly and he rolls his eyes.

"You're whimsical."

"Are you listing my qualities ?"

"See ?! Do you see what you're doing right now ?! I never know what you'll do next !" He whinges.

I put down my fork and look at him sternly.

"Can you guess what I'm about to do now ?" I question and he shakes his head.

Without waiting for him to react I extend my hand to the back of his neck and lift myself on the tip of my toes to close the distance between us, pushing my lips against his. He instantly starts to kiss me back and my skin starts to buzz all over, my ears ringing, my heart beating in delight. It's been far too long since the last time we were this close. I step a few inches away to take a breath.

"I didn't see that coming." He breathes out.

"Oh really ?" I smirk.

I don't have the time to say any other witty comment before he crushes his mouths back on mine. His fingers sneak in my hair bringing me ever closer. My body is a hot mess, craving to be touched more, as if I've been thirsty for weeks and someone finally gave me some water. With strong powerful arms Nate lifts me to sit onto the counter in front of him making us level with each other. His movements are greedy as his hands wander anywhere they can, gliding along my forearm sending burning sensations in their path, resting on my thighs, gripping at my hips to keep me in place. My fingers roam over his abs and chest and I can feel the strong beats of his heart as much as I can hear it. His lips leave mine to wander down my neck, sucking and licking everywhere they go. I let myself loose and the world becomes red. I hear him growl and when I look down his eyes are a bright yellow, so bright it's almost white. He claims my lips again and again and I can't seem to have enough of it.

"Dear lord !" I hear a small gasp behind me and jump out of my skin.

Leila and Noriko are standing in the entryway with takeouts in their hands looking amused at the scene.

I look down at myself to find that my shirt is higher than I remembered it to be and my hair is a mess, I'm also pretty sure my lips are swollen by now and my pupils dilated as much as Nate's are. He's having a hard time calming down, his chest heaving strongly with each breath he takes.

"I'm sorry. We didn't know there was something going on." Leila apologize with a smirk so big I'm afraid it'll start to hurt.

'Of course she had to come back now.' My wolf grumbles.

"I think I'm just going to go." Nate clears his throat awkwardly abandoning me to the wolves. Well in this case to a coyote and a kitsune.

Same thing really.

I get down from the counter as gracefully as I can manage and rearrange my top to appear more decent than I feel right now.

"Sorry again." She says a second time while Noriko smile to herself.

"No worries." I wave her off still somehow out of breath. "Is there any takeout left for me ?"

"There's enough for five people." Noriko answers.

"Just enough for me."

"Just enough for Hope." Leila and I say at the same time.

"You know me so well !" I beam. "So what were you two doing out for so long ?" I inquire as I start to gulp down the food.

"I got you three plane tickets for tomorrow morning." Leila informs me trying to change the subject somehow.

"Oh," I say surprised, "so you're not coming with us."

I feel like pouting, I kind of got used to having her around again, her shiny moods...

'What are you talking about ? She's a pain.'

I know you like her too.

'A-bsolutely not. Good riddance.'

Leila starts to smirk at me.

"Do you mean to say you'll miss me ?"

"Of course not." I deny.

"I just need a week or two to clear things up at the hospital, make sure my patients are taken care of. I'll come join you after that."

"Okay then."

I finish my food, all of it.

No wasted food on my watch !

I look at my fingers trying to think of an excuse to flee the room.

"I'll see you all tomorrow morning before you guys leave then." She offers me a way out.

"Sure. And I'll wait for you in two weeks."

"Sounds good." She nods.

I go to my room as fast as I can and stay there for the remainder of the night, getting a good night sleep.

I try not to look back at the villa when we leave and get in the car. I know I'll come back someday so it doesn't hurt as much as before and I guess it's a good thing. I even packed a few photos of Liam last night when I was doing my bags. I also readied a few souvenirs for the kids that I was able to gather during the trip. I can't wait to see Jared's face when he'll see his. All in all I have three enormous suitcases full which earned me a few concerned looks from Noriko and a weird smile from Nate. It's actually getting on my nerves. I managed to stay quiet for almost half an hour but I'm at my wits ends here.

"What ?" I bite out more angrily than I intended.

"Nothing." He smiles further looking away.

"Come on, out with it. I don't like that smug smile of yours."

"Do you intend to move in or something ?" He finally asks.

'YES !'

"No." I answer immediately without pause and his face falls, his smile disappearing faster than it appeared.

'Take that back right now !'

"I just packed clothes for my next trip when all this is over. I heard there are some races scheduled in Atlanta in the next months." I shrug and see his jaw clench. "And a few weapons of my own."

"How do you expect them to get through customs."

"Nothing a few bucks can't handle."

We finally reach Paris' airport by lunch, the private flight that brought us there was fast and nice.

"Cool we're all on the same row and I have the window seat." Noriko announces as we walk to the waiting area.

"What ?" I ask frowning looking down at my ticket in detail for the first time since Leila handed it over last night.

That little...

'There's no way we're flying economic in this day and age. There's bound to be babies whaling, old men snoring, women with a runny nose because of the air conditioning and people down the row forcing you to get up every five seconds because they keep wanting to go to the toilets.'

Don't forget the ones who spend ten minutes deciding what to choose between a sweet and a salty cookie.

'And there's no champagne. No lobster !'

You're right we can't have that.

"Excuse me for a moment." I apologize to Nate and Noriko and leave them waiting in front of the waiting space for our flight.

I send a quick message to Leila explaining her how she'll pay for this once she gets down to California. I make my way to the desks and am met with a young woman in her early thirties irritatingly chewing on some gum. I smile as sweetly as I can this early in the morning.

"I would like to exchange my ticket please." I tell her, handing her my ticket which indicates I have the seat in the middle.

The worst.

"Sure thing ma'am. What flight are you on ?"

"The one heading to Los Angeles at two thirty." I reply eagerly.

She types on her computer for a while before answering me with a professional-five-stars smile.

"I'm sorry, this plane seems to be full. Maybe if you wait for the next one."

"I don't really have the time for that. Are you sure you don't have anymore First class seats available ?" I sigh defeated and she looks at me worriedly.

"Ma'am, I won't be able to offer you any discount, I'm afraid the prices aren't on the same scale."

"Don't worry about that." I wave her off.

"Alright then." She nods and starts typing away once again.

I finish the paper work quickly and pay a fortune but it's worth it. With another forty minutes to spare I go back to the others and we wait patiently.

"Where were you ?" Noriko inquires.

"Just looking for last minute souvenirs I might have forgotten." I shrug.

"I can't wait to be there. I've never been to America before."

"Well, California is always hot and sunny. At least that's what people say."

"And we're going to Los Angeles." She smiles excitedly. "That's where all the famous people live."

"We won't really have the time for sightseeing though." Nate informs her and she deflates instantly.

Suddenly she turns to me unsure.

"Do you think they won't mind me being there ?"

"They are not that bad. One or two of them maybe but the rest is okay. And if push comes to shove just electrocute them, that'll put them in their place. Actually, theres this guy-"

"Hope !" Nate stops me from elaborating further.

"What ?" I ask innocently. "One electric shock or two might be good for them."

"May I ask who they might be ?"

"Well, there's Gabe," I start counting on my fingers, "actually never mind, I already took care of him before I left."

"You what ?" Nate chokes on his breath.

"Then there's Cory obviously." I continue sending him a reproaching look.

"Hope, what did you do to Gabe ?" He repeats. "And how come I never heard of it before now."

"Who's Cory " Noriko asks at the same moment and I chose to answer her rather than our alpha friend.

"She's Nate's mate." I state matter-of-factly.

"No she's not." He denies instantly.

"Right, I heard about that. Wolves have mates." Noriko nods.

"She's not my mate." He insists.

"Do you have one then, a mate I mean ?" She asks me.

"No I don't." I reply and look away to avoid anymore inquiry.

"Fishy." She smiles. "Alright so there's Gabe, Cory whom we don't know why but you don't like."

"She threatened me with a knife." I remember the incident.

"And she's still alive ?" She whistles impressed. "I'm surprised you didn't fry her on the spot." She jokes.

"Fry ?" Nate asks indignantly and I send glares at Noriko for her slip of the tongue.

"Anyway, other than these two."

'And half the females there.'

"I guess they are a pretty decent bunch."

"Of course, that's my pack we're talking about." Nate says proudly.

"Ah. I think they are starting to let us in." I point at the queue forming in front of two stewards and stand to wait in line.

'There was a time people let you walk first.' My wolf sighs in despair.