Theo and his girlfriend Val took me under their wings.

Teaching me how to fight and learning how to lead the pack by watching their examples. They were my mentors and they were great leaders.

They left at the end of my Freshman year. I hated watching them go but they left me with some parting words.

"Jed's an alright leader but if this all goes to shit, take that alpha position, you'd be a better leader than any of them, remember that Cypress." Theo says as he hugs me and I watch them leave.

Josie and Penelope started dating a couple months into freshman year and they were good for each other. Always keeping each other on their toes and being each other's equilibrium.

So to say the least, we didn't hang out as much, and now with Theo and Val gone I went to Emma.

She of course said that I should reach out, but I already heard it before so I got up and walked out.

I knock on Dr. Saltzman's office door and I ask if I can go wolf out. "Yeah sure, but be careful Hope's also out there."

There must be something big on his mind because he never lets me go out when Hope is also out, but I don't care enough to give it a second thought.

I know the basics of Hope Mikaelson because we were kept in a loop with the pack. My family respected Hayley as a leader even if we were across the world, and we were crushed when we heard about her passing. Then Klaus, my parents couldn't imagine a child in the pack growing up parentless.

It hurt them and in turn it hurt me, but I head towards the woods anyways.

When I get to the Old Mill I go to the second floor and strip, leaving my clothes folded there for when I return. I shift letting all the pain out and a reddish-gray coat takes over my body.

I take off running.

Wolfing out helps clear my mind. Simple thoughts only state of mind, none with the complexity of how alone I have been feeling.

Every thought I have clears when I start tracking something. I remember what Dr. Salzman said but I can't bring myself to care.

That is until I am side tackled by a white blur.

I am tumbling down a hill with another wolf who is pinning me down wherever she can fit. A white coat is really all I can see up to this point.

I feel my wolf wanting to fight back but I am smarter than that, this is a dominance act and I know who this is and just how powerful they are.

I know Hope only triggered her curse last year but being a tribrid comes with some special feeling of intimidation.

When I stop rolling my back is on the forest floor and I am pinned with a snarling white wolf before me.

I immediately submit.

I am in no position to fight, and in another world she would have been my alpha, but maybe also because if she wanted to she has a clear shot to rip out my throat.

After laying beneath her she seemed to come to a decision.

She gets off of me and I stay put while she goes behind a tree and comes back fully clothed. I walk back to the Old Mill intending to change back as well.

When I walk down the stairs I see her lounging on the old couch. She seems confused but I also see a sprig of hope in those blue eyes of hers.

She pats the seat beside her and I sit down.

"I didn't know I wasn't the only one who didn't need a full moon to change."

"We usually change on different schedules."

"Dr. Saltzman is probably behind that huh?"

"Not wanting the two redheads to be friends, it's practically a criminal offense."

She smiles at that, like a genuine smile that I haven't seen her wear before.

We hang out for a few weeks and people start to think we're related. Just because we both have red tints to our hair does not mean that we look similar.

Just as we are getting comfortable with each other the question comes.

"What pack are you from?"

"Crescent." Her face falls almost in slow motion, I try to make it better.

"Your mom was a great leader for the pack." Wrong thing to say.

"Get out."

From then on Hope kept her distance, not just from me, from everyone. Then Landon came to school and she started opening up again.

I didn't like him much but at least Hope was making bounds in the positive direction.

I was with Jed when Raf came in and took over the pack.

I love Jed but it's not like he didn't deserve it, he needed to be humbled. Raf was an angry kid but I gave him a chance, just like everyone else, to show what he could do as a leader.

He did fine but didn't care enough, sometimes Jed cared too much though, so it was a much needed refreshment to the pack.

I let it happen.

After Josie and Pen broke up I spent more time with her.

Pen was different from when I first met her. Not in a bad way but at our old school, Pen was smaller than everyone else, and kids being cruel they picked on her for it. I used to practically be her guard dog, and I was adamant on not letting anyone say anything to her that could make my best friend cry.

She ended up using that to her advantage, she was a menace at the Salvator School.

She started mastering the spells she could and the tables turned. People now wouldn't say anything to me because they knew they would have to deal with whatever the 5'3 witch herself could come up with.

The only people she wasn't ruthless towards was Josie, me and Hope, but that's only because Pen knows she'd get her ass kicked if she ever said anything out of line to the tribrid.

Pen and I used to talk about Josie a lot.

Now I don't think Pen was wrong with what she said about the twins relationship but I think she executed her plan poorly, taking it out on Lizzie was undeserved, seeing it was a two way street, and would only hurt the both of them.

I pitched the idea but I was turned down.

A couple of weeks later, I saw just how much of a toll it took on Penelope.