"Why was he following us?" Geo mind linked with him.

"I'll explain later," he told his beta. He didn't know the full reason why he had been tailing him so far away from their territory. He just had a hunch that he'd rather not focus on at the moment.

All it would take is one slip of the mind and he could catch onto their bond. Shiro couldn't have that. That would only cause more problems. Problems that could potentially ruin his future. While the Spirit of the Moon might be mad at him for going against nature at the moment, he could take her punishments for it. It wouldn't be for too much longer.

And he had been training his whole life for this.

He was glad that Geo didn't try to press him. He must have known that something had happened yesterday. Shiro would thank him for his patience later. Right now, they brought his car back to the pack house. They never took his car where they were going.

"This place is always so beautiful," Tammy looked out the car window at their home. "I wish I could live here."

"You don't want to," Geo told her. "It's way too cramped."

"More extensions are being built," Shiro reminded him. He got out of his car and walked around to open the door for Tammy. There were always eyes watching his every move when he was home. He was their next leader after all. He had started to act like it at a young age.

Tammy got out and immediately took her place hooked to his arm. The pack seemed to like her. She had befriended plenty of them during her many visits there. Many thought of them to be the perfect couple.

It was best they thought that.

They had no idea the true reason why she had visited their land so much.

"Jin's right over there!" Tammy pointed over to the tall man with a dark brown ponytail. He was right next to his truck, waving over to all of them.

Jin was his gamma, and the oldest one out of the council that he had chosen for when he rose to power. His kind face and rational arguments helped balance out the rest of them. And when they needed to be diplomatic, he was the best at strengthening relations among the packs.

"Alpha," he bowed his head respectively. Shiro bowed back before they both came back up. This was the way that everyone greeted him when he came to them. It was a sign of respect to greet your superiors in such a way.

The one thing that they all loved about Jin's truck was the dark tint that the windows had. The front windshield wasn't tinted too darkly, so as to keep in line with the law. But the side windows were too dark to see anyone inside the cab.

Shiro opened the door for Tammy to get in. Geo would get in the other side as he took the passenger's seat. Jin was the driver this time. It always went this way whenever they all hung out. Routine made everyone comfortable and safe.

It also kept them from getting too curious.

"Miki!" Tammy jumped on the girl as soon as she saw her in the middle seat. She immediately grabbed Tammy and kissed her passionately.

"I missed you so much," Miki held onto her tightly. She was Shiro's Delta in his council. The tanned woman was strong with her hair pinned in a small bun. Her green eyes looked so happy to have her mate in her arms again.

"I missed you more," Tammy murmured in between kisses.

"I missed you most."

"Get a room!" Geo whined, squishing himself to the edge of his seat, by the door. They had been making out in the middle seat in the back since Jin started driving.

"You know," Tammy glared at him. "Just about every other guy would actually be enjoying this."

"Not when I've seen her throw her own diapers as a kid," Geo smirked.

"Why do you always have to bring that stupid thing up?" Miki rolled her eyes. "Out of all the embarrassing things we've done when we were all kids, that's the one that you have to bring up every time we do this?"

Miki was a year older than them, and had graduated from school the year before. But that didn't mean that they weren't all great friends. Jin was fun to hang around with as well, even with their age gap.

"You've got nothing on me, Miki," Geo said.

"Oh really?" Miki smirked. "What about when you were so busy drooling over that crush of yours when you were just an itty bitty freshman that you literally stumbled and fell flat on your face?"

"That didn't happen," Geo shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Oh, I remember that!" Tammy chimed in. She was still sitting on Miki's lap, completely content with being held by the vice grip of her lover's. "He was that senior from the Dynamic Pack. The Beta warrior, I believe?"

"Stop!"

"Wait," Jin scrunched up his nose. "Do you mean Justin? The hard head? The one that would talk about nothing other than himself and how hot he looked?"

"Shut up!" Geo whined.

"The very same," Tammy giggled. "That guy should have been mated to a mirror with how much he loved himself."

"Eww," Jin shook his head. "I don't go that way, but you have some weird taste in men, Geo."

"It was just a little crush!" Geo complained. "I was a freshman! What do you all expect of me?!"

"You were so adorable back then," Tammy sighed. "I wonder what the hell happened."

"Me?" he argued. "You're the one who's the stand-in girlfriend!"

"I am not!"

"I bet you Miki just loves the idea that she has to share you with Shiro."

Miki growled and barred her teeth at Geo. Her hold on Tammy got stronger as she pulled her close.

"Enough," Shiro stopped them. As much as he enjoyed the banter that his friends had. Geo liked to take it too far when he was losing the battle. "There is no sharing. She's Miki's mate, not mine."

"You know you're the only one for me, Miki," Tammy soothed her by wrapping her arms around her neck and kissing her everywhere she could. "I'm only yours. I even dressed up in your favorite outfit to see you."

Miki was a ball of fire when she was angry. Her and Geo used to fight tooth and nail almost every day. While it made for good practice for the two of them, it was destructive. Shiro had to break them up plenty of times.

But Tammy always knew how to calm Miki. They had only been together since November of last year, but they already acted like they had been together for their whole lives. Miki absolutely worshipped her every time they were able to be like this.

He wished life could be as simple as this car ride. He wished that his friends could be together like this for as long as they wanted, without anyone hating them or punishing them for it. Perhaps neither Miki nor Geo would be so angry all the time if they didn't have to hide a part of themselves. He knew that Tammy would be much happier as well.

He would help them find peace soon enough. For now, he had to bear the weight of keeping their secrets, along with his own.

"So," Jin broke the silence that they were under. "You excited for your birthday party?"

"I don't have birthday parties," Shiro shook his head.

"This is going to be a party, Shiro!" Tammy yelled at him. "You are celebrating your birthday today: not graduation, not a pack celebration – your birthday!"

Shiro couldn't help but smile a bit at her antics. As the only human out of their friend group, she had to be the bossiest out of everyone. That was definitely her charm. She also had a gift for being able to spot him out from a crowd better than anyone else could. She had somehow done that in grade school when she first asked if they could be friends.

"What did you plan?" he asked.

"That's a surprise," she folded her arms. "And before you even think about using the werewolf gossip link on Miki and forcing an answer out of her, I haven't even told her!"

"Werewolf gossip link?" Shiro laughed. "Where did you come up with that?"

"After years of dealing with you two never telling me anything," she pouted. "Which I still hate you for, by the way."

"Oh, relax," Geo rolled his eyes. "Once Miki marks you, you'll be able to mind link with her. Quit being a drama queen."

"If I can mark her," Miki sighed. Her green eyes looked so pained. Shiro hated seeing her like that.

"No, Miki. Not if," Shiro held her gaze. "When." That was another reason why him becoming Alpha was so important. For he heard the cries of his people as they hid themselves from each other out of fear.

"Never lead out of fear, Shiro," his grandfather told him. They walked through the many trees that had parted to show a pathway. "For a Leader who their people fear only think of themselves. A Leader that rules with respect will be forever honored amongst his people. And that leader will never die."

He missed his grandfather. Pain filled his chest every time he heard that voice in his head. Every memory with him was bittersweet. But he still remembered them. He still sought to listen to those words of wisdom. For none were as wise as his grandfather.

He wished his grandfather was still alive. He could use some advice for his own situation. As much as running away from it didn't seem like a good plan, it was the only one he had for the meantime.

"Okay," Jin pulled into the parking space to a small Inn. "We're here."

"My dad's Inn?" Miki looked at Tammy curiously. "That's where you planned this?"

"Well, I knew that he wouldn't think to ask your dad," Tammy giggled. She seemed all too happy to outsmart him. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he could have figured it out by asking Jin where he was driving to.

The Inn was right next to the forest. Miki's father had gotten it built a long time ago on that spot so that he could appeal to tourists. The Inn was a great tourist attraction with how close to nature it was.

"It's about time you guys get here!" Miki's father smiled as soon as he saw them come in. It seemed as if the place was deserted. It made sense for a Monday evening, though. The busiest times are the weekends.

"Hi Mr. Ling!" Tammy waved over to him. The man smiled as soon as he saw her.

"Good evening Tammy," he hugged her as soon as she ran over to him. "You look gorgeous today."

"Thanks!"

Mr. Ling was the official Delta for the pack at the moment. He was the nicest out of the council and always tried to go for a peaceful solution for most problems.

He was also another member that kept their secret. For he loved his daughter too much to judge her for who she was. Miki helped her father in the Inn while she awaited to take her role in the council. Everything she knew about leadership and fighting she learned from her father. She was his only child.

"Happy Birthday, Shiro," Mr. Ling's face shined with joy. "Your grandfather would be so happy to see that his grandson had grown to be such a great man."

"Thank you," he smiled at him.

The rest of the evening flew by. Mr. Ling had gotten him a cake, designed to look like a starry night. He loved watching the sky when it was clear at night. It was such a rare occurrence at BlackCreek.

Shiro was glad that it was just a small group. If his father caught word of this, he'd be angry that Shiro wasn't doing the best with the time that he had. There was always so much to do at home that there was very little time to rest. He had learned the best way to manage his time throughout the years, though. And he knew that there wasn't any work that couldn't wait another day.

"By the way," Tammy held out a present to him. "This doesn't count as a graduation gift. You're going to accept more presents if it's the last thing I do."

"You're going to be graduating too, Tammy," Shiro told her. "Usually, that means that you don't give any presents."

"Well, you're getting one from me!" she pouted. "Because you never get presents and you deserve to."

Shiro just shook his head. Tammy knew the most about what went on in their pack, but she still didn't understand how they worked. He wasn't sure if anyone would. It was rather complicated. He was sure that it would be a headache simply trying to explain it to someone else.

They had each gotten him a present. Tammy's was a necklace tied with leather. Miki's was new gear to practice fighting with. Mr. Ling had gotten him a blank journal that looked as if the leather bound to it was completely done by hand. Jin had gotten him a book that he had been contemplating getting for a long time. Geo got him a charm.

"It's for good luck with your mate," Geo told him. "Whenever you find him, that is."

Shiro eyed the present. Geo knew how lucky the alphas of the pack had been getting with finding their mates as soon as they turned eighteen. He wished he could have told him sooner about what had happened at that meeting. All this seemed to do was worry him more.

He thanked all of them and put the charm onto the necklace that Tammy had gotten for him. He hoped that it would bring him luck. He was going to need as much of it as possible with all the things that weighed on his shoulders.

"That reminds me," Tammy said. "You still haven't told me why you and Jimmy broke up."

"You guys broke up?" Jin looked shocked at him. "When did this happen? What else did I miss?"

"About two weeks ago," Geo sighed. "I didn't exactly want everyone and their mother knowing."

"We're not everyone, though," Tammy rolled her eyes. It was funny watching the two of them bicker. "Now what happened?"

It was a good thing Mr. Ling had left to check up on some rooms that he had rented out. Knowing Geo, he would have been too shy to say it in front of him.

"I mean, nothing really," Geo rubbed the back of his neck. "He just wanted me to do something that I didn't really want to do."

"You two were such a cute couple, though!" Miki said. "I bet you it wasn't even that bad."

"No," Geo's face fell. "It was bad."

"What did he want you to do?" Jin asked. He hadn't told anyone but Shiro the full story. Now all of their friends were looking at him with interest.

"He wanted me to mark him," Geo said. His shoulders could break boulders with how tense they were.

"What?" Miki asked. "Like, when you both turn eighteen?"

"No," Geo shook his head. "He wanted me to mark him right there and then. Consequences be damned."

"Ooo," Jin breathed in through his teeth. "That's pretty bad."

"Yeah, I know!" Geo groaned.

"And you couldn't tell him to wait until you were at least sure that you two were each other's mates?" Miki asked. They all seemed shocked at hearing this. They all know the problems that can arise from doing something like that. Marking someone as yours without knowing that you're truly mates can cause too many issues. It's even caused wars before.

"He said that he didn't care," Geo told her. "He wanted us to just run away together and travel the world. No matter how many times I told him that I had a duty here, he wouldn't listen to me."

"I can understand why he would want to run away," Tammy sighed. "I still wish I could run away sometimes."

"Yeah, but he didn't even want to finish high school," Geo said. "He was talking about it for months, until he finally gave me the ultimatum that I either do it and run away with him or we were through."

"So, he broke up with you?" Miki raised a brow at him.

"I mean, I said the words," Geo explained. "I think it was more on both of our ends."

Shiro knew that Jimmy regretted it. He could see it every time he saw the omega watch him in the halls. He had ruined a good relationship because he was trying to be too forceful. He wouldn't even meet Shiro's eyes if they ever found him before Geo.

He hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with a situation like that. But Jett didn't seem like the type of person to give him an ultimatum like that. He had barely known the man, but it seemed like he wouldn't push him to abandon his career. He was an Alpha himself, after all. He knew what that meant.

Thinking about him was a mistake that night. He had been trying to keep even his name out of his thoughts for the day. Thinking about him only made him want to see him again. He wanted to hear his voice. He wanted those intense orange eyes to bore into him again, so that he could learn all of their secrets. He longed to be with him, as any mate would.

But he couldn't.

"Hey, Shiro," Jin looked over to him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he stood up and excused himself. Then he tried to walk as calmly as he could to the bathroom that was connected to the room.

The pain in his chest was starting to grow and spread throughout his whole body. He barely made it to the bathroom before collapsing onto the ground. It was nothing like he had ever felt. It was as if he was being boiled alive. The pain had turned into heat. And from the heat, a desire. All of it was so intense, he had no means of controlling it. All he could do was keep it inside as it raged on in his body.

"Shiro!" he heard voices very vaguely. His vision too blurry to see anything other than light and darkness. Someone had picked him up from the ground. It made him light headed.

"What's going on?" Miki's voice came through his thoughts. "What's happening to him?"

"I don't know!" Geo sounded scared. He didn't wish to scare anyone. He knew that this would come for him soon. It always did. "Shiro! Talk to me!"

"I'm okay," he comforted his friend. His voice sounded so small compared to the others. "I'll be alright."

"What's happening?"

Shiro took a deep breath. The air was the only cool thing that he had at the moment. He welcomed it gratefully.

"Thirty days, and thirty nights," he started. "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."

"The curse of BlackCreek," Jin said. He still couldn't see all that well at the moment. "Call Hiroko!"

He really wished that the pain would stop. He had prepared for this moment his whole life. He knew it would pass. But it would come in waves. The pain would get worse and worse as time went on. Until you finally listened to the Spirit of the Moon's wish and marked the mate that she chose for you.

"Hello?" he heard the familiar voice of his sister through the phone. He hadn't seen her in a long time now. But she had promised that she would come for his graduation.

"Hiroko," Jin said. "Shiro's gotten the curse."

"What are his symptoms?"

"The same as yours."

"Get him in an ice bath," Hiroko said. He wished to talk to his sister. It wasn't very often that they spoke. She was always gone on trips, to fight off the curse that had been afflicted onto her. The further she stayed away from her mate, the more tolerable the curse became.

"I don't get it," Miki said. "I have the curse, but it's nothing like this!"

"Everyone reacts differently to the curse," Hiroko explained. "It depends on how much you try and fight the mate bond."

He had been fighting that bond. He had fought it so much that he was sure not even Jett knew what it was. But he wasn't doing it because he wanted to deny or reject his mate. He just needed time.

And time was the one thing he was running out of.

His vision cleared only when he was submerged in the below freezing water. Jin and Geo were standing there. They must have told the girls to stay out while they were undressing him. Jin was putting an ice pack to his forehead while Geo was trying to keep the water as cold as can be.