"So how are you and Sophie?" I asked.

Back at the pack house Jack and I had hidden ourselves away in his parents private kitchen. With a few snack he'd pulled from the cabinets, we'd squeezed ourselves onto the love seat and were watching reruns of old television shows that his parents had on disc.

"I have no idea," he sighed, "we had our monthly tradition of sneaking off while she's in heat and now she's right back to ignoring me."

"Maybe I should talk to her?"

"I don't know if that's a good idea," he said, a smirk on his face. "You kind of stepped all over everything she's wanted, and while I'm grateful, she hates your guts."

"I feel awful," I said, "not that I'm with Caleb, but that I've put her in this position."

"Don't worry about it," Jack said, shoving a handful of gummy bears in his mouth. "Sophie is just dramatic. She'll get over it," he paused for a moment, "at least I hope so."

"Maybe you'll get lucky and have a second mate," I joked, holding my hand out for some candy.

"That's not funny," he scolded, dropping a few multicolored bears in my palm, "she's a bitch, but I happen to love her."

"I just wish you had someone who could see how great you are," I said.

"She does," he said, denial clear in his voice. "Besides, second mates don't happen. It's a myth. Back when our pack was mostly Aleut some of the wolves that already had mates ended up falling in love with humans. That was really taboo back then, the pack elders were offended by the thought of diluting our bloodlines. They didn't want to be looked down upon, so they said that they had a second mate. Most wolves are too territorial to share, so a lot of people ended up dead. Lesson learned, I guess," he shrugged, "there hasn't been talk of second mates for centuries."

"I thought wolves couldn't stand to be with anyone other than their mates?" I asked, recalling what Caleb had said in my room.

Jack shrugged, "That's just some wolves. Mates get rejected. Mate's die and the other wolf moves on with someone else. There's a lot of different circumstances." He was quiet for a moment before he spoke, "Sophie managed just fine."

"Are you not territorial then?" I asked, "How could you even stand Caleb and Sophie being together?"

"I couldn't stand it, that was the problem," he said, "she wouldn't reject me and I didn't want to reject her. I'd do anything to make her happy and I knew how much being the Luna meant to her..."

"Let's change the subject," I said, shifting through his family's collection of DVDs. "Ever watched Gilligan's Island?" I asked, holding up the case.

"That's so old," he cringed.

"I used to watch it with my dad all the time," I said. "Can we, please? I think you'll like it."

Jack shrugged, "Whatever you say."

I placed the DVD in the player and sat back in my seat next to Jack. I was reading the back of the case when a thought crossed my mind.

"What did you mean by that?" I asked, "'Whatever you say'?"

"It was a joke, but...well, the pack follows whatever Caleb says out of respect for the next Alpha. You, being his mate, are extended that same respect because you'll be the next Luna," he explained.

"Is that so?" I said, crossing my arms and raising a mischievous eyebrow.

"Don't go abusing your new found power," Jack laughed, "you may outrank me, but my father out ranks you and can take away the pack's respect as quickly as we gave it."

"Did everyone have to do what Sophie said, before?" I asked.

Jack shook his head, "No, Beta's daughters don't get that respect until they're married into the family." Looking at his phone he began to pack up the snacks. "The game with be over soon, we should get ready to leave."

I shut off the show and organized the DVDs, putting them away.

"I'm gonna go grab a jacket, do you need one?" Jack asked, standing in the doorway.

"I'll grab one from Caleb's room," I said, following him out into the hall.

Once upstairs, Jack had to lead me into the direction of Caleb's room, my memory failing me.

A familiar smell filled my senses as I walked in the room. I walked over to the dresser to find a sweater when I noticed that the picture frame, that was previously face down, was now gone. That filled me with a sense of comfort, like he was getting rid of the old to make room for the new.

Hoodie in hand, I left Caleb's room and leisured in the hallway. I could hear muffled voices from Jack's room, only noticing them after they grew louder. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but once I saw Sophie swing open the door I could only guess what the conversation was about.

She paused once she saw me, looking me up and down, noticing Caleb's sweatshirt that I was holding. Her ice blue eyes met mine for only a moment before she stalked down the hallway.

I didn't think before I spoke, a habit I had yet to break.

"Jack doesn't deserve how you've treated him," I said.

Sophie stopped in her tracks and whipped her head around to stare daggers at me. Walking towards me again, her hair fell behind her like a golden cape.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

I took a deep breath, building up all of the fake bravery I had in me.

"Like it or not, I'll be the next Luna," I said, watching her jaw tick. "So, I suggest you work things out with Jack," I took a threatening step towards her, "because Caleb is off the table."

"You little bitch-"

"Stop talking," I said. She may have hated me, but she was raised a respectable lady who followed pack law and would show respect to the next Luna. "Stop treating Jack like some toy and start treating him like your mate."

I could feel her inner struggle, most likely debating if it was worth it to spit in my face.

"You have no idea how hard I've worked to be where you are," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"I have some of an idea," I said, "and I'm sorry." She seemed genuinely surprised at my apology. "I didn't mean to come here and step all over your life. I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter." She watched me with careful eyes, waiting for my point. "And I'm sorry things didn't go your way, but you have someone who cares about you a lot-"

"Do you know what happens to the Beta's daughter after their prospective Alpha finds his mate? They're demoted from Luna to the next Beta's wife," she said, scoffing at my confusion. "And if the next Beta already has a mate I'll most likely be sold off the next time the pack needs to make a deal. Do you want to know why Arthur and Adeline had Molly at their age?" She asked, beginning to back me up against the wall. "Because they're going to need a bargaining chip after I'm gone. And once you're Luna, you're going to be expected to produce a male and a female. An Alpha and a chess piece."

I was trapped against the wall with no where to go expect past Sophie, and I had no chance.

"Being with Caleb was my best option, he's a good guy, you're lucky," she snatched his hoodie from my hands. "We all know Alison is going to be the next Beta and she's happily mated, so what's going to happen to me?" She was quiet for a moment and I found myself silently begging for Jack to come out of his room and save me. "I want to be with Jack. You have no idea how much I want to be with Jack," angry tears filled her eyes, "He thinks we can just run away together, but it's not that easy. After Arthur is gone and my dad has to step down, I'm the most important member of my family. So, go fuck yourself." She shoved Caleb's sweatshirt into my chest before walking away.

I stood there, against the wall, stunned. Sophie had already made it to the end of the hall and rounded the corner by the time Jack walked out of his room.

"You ready?" He asked, zipping up his jacket.

I cleared my throat. "Yeah," I said. I decided to not tell him about my confrontation with Sophie. I obviously didn't know the whole story. Sophie's speech did a number on me, leading me to mind my own business from now on.

The bonfire was crowded once we got there. I made the mistake of assuming that this was a school run event, when it was actually a bunch of teenagers getting drunk in a clearing deep in the forest.

"Do you want a drink?" Jack asked, waving a hand at Beau and Mason on the other side of the clearing.

"Sure," I said.

I awkwardly stood in the spot where he left me until he came back, red solo cup in hand.

Jack lazily put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me into his side, "I'm happy you're my sister," he said. "I can't talk to Caleb the way I can talk to you."

His sweet words made a warm feeling swell in my chest. I returned his gesture by hugging his side.

"I never had any siblings," I said, "it's nice."

"Birdie!"

I turned to see Amanda barreling towards me, Lucas and Liam trailed slowly behind her. I moved away from Jack to meet her when she ran into me, wrapping her arms around me tightly.

"I heard about your grandma," she pulled away to get a good look at me. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. In the back of my head I was estimating how many times I'd uttered that phrase in the past few months alone.

Lucas walked up to stand next to Amanda. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He asked.

"I don't think so," Jack said, setting a hand on my shoulder.

I gently moved his hand, "It's okay," I said. I walked past Amanda and followed Lucas to gain some privacy.

"So, you're dating Caleb's brother now?" He asked, sitting on a large rock. I scoffed, turning to walk away. "Wait," Lucas said, grabbing my wrist, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the other day in the parking lot, too. That's why I wanted to talk to you."

"Why do you hate them so much?" I asked, gently pulling my wrist from his grip.

Lucas shrugged. "I don't hate them," he said, running a hand through his white hair, "it's just old family drama. My parents have issues with their parents, my grandparents have issues with their grandparents-"

"Okay, but why do you have to cause trouble?" I said, "Why do you care so much if I'm around them?"

Lucas stood from the rock, "Because you're my friend, Birdie." He said, walking closer to me, "And, because I like you."

I rolled my eyes, "I'm sorry Lucas, I just don't feel that way about you. Which I thought I made clear."

"But-"

"I think you've said enough casanova," Jack said, coming up behind me. He stepped in front of me, blocking me from Lucas. "Let's go," he said, setting a hand on my back, between my shoulders to lead me back to the bonfire. "Don't tell Caleb I let you talk to him, he'll kill me."

I laughed, "I don't want to tell him I talked to him either-"

A blood curdling scream erupted from behind the tree line, sending everyone into a dead silence.

Jack grabbed my arm and dragged me away from the trees. "We have to get her out of here," he said. I looked over to see Marcus and Beau rushing towards us.

A second scream ripped through the air, followed by a single word that sent everyone in the clearing into a panic.

Wolf.

I was jerked forward by Jack, who had taken off into a dead sprint, my arm still in his grip. His commands to run faster were fallen on deaf ears for all I could focus on was the fear nuzzling deep in my stomach.

Jack made a hard right, pulling me off the trail and into the dense forest, away from the stampede of students. Branches scratched my face, uneven terrain twisted my ankles, and I feared that Jack was about to pull my shoulder out of it's socket.

It was dark, I couldn't see where I was going, so I had no choice other than to put all my trust in Jack to lead me to safety.

We began to slow our pace, Jack's attempt at letting me catch my breath. He didn't let us completely stop, he was still dragging me forward. I had gotten used to the pace when he stopped dead in his tracks, jerking me back by my arm when I almost walked past him. Slowly, he pushed me behind him. That's when I heard it. There was a low deep growl that rumbled the ground beneath us.

"Birdie," Jack's voice was low, "turn around and run until you reach the trail we came from. Follow that to the road."

"Jack-"

"Now!" He yelled, pushing me in the direction.

I was frozen in fear as I watched him shred his clothes, a large wolf taking his place. He charged forward.

I couldn't see anything, I could only hear the snapping of jaws and feel the vibrations of a battle under my feet.

My senses catching up with me, I took off in the direction Jack had pushed me. I held my hands out blindly in front of me, my only defense against the thick trees. The toe of my shoe caught on a root, sending me to the ground.

A hand fisted the back of my sweater, pulling me to my feet.

"Jack?"

I reached around to grab his arm and steady myself, but he grabbed a hand full of my hair and slammed my head into the nearest tree.

A tingle ran down my spine, confusion filled my head, and then everything went black.