It was a beautiful, calm night as we drove up the M6. I offered to help with the driving, but Lucien assured me it was not necessary as wolf shifters had greater stamina and better vision, especially at night, than humans. 

Show off!

But I had to admit it was nice to just sit there and chat with him. My mind was full of questions I wanted to ask about my family, the pack, life in Scotland.

It warmed my heart when Lucien was telling me how in love my mother and my father were- just like my mum and dad- and how when I was born, my father was over the moon to have a little girl. The silver hair and the odd birthmark were, apparently, quite unusual for a wolf shifter, but my father used to call me his "special princess" because of them. I wish I had the chance to know them, or any of my family. Sadly, my grandmother had passed away shortly after my brother had become alpha five years ago, and my grandfather followed a year later. On the bright side, my mother's sister lived near Manchester with her mate and my cousins, so Lucien promised to get us to meet one day.

I was also starting to understand better what he meant whenever he was referring to the pack. Lucien told me it was like one giant family, with all the pack members swearing their lives to protect the Alpha, Luna and the rest of the pack. There was also some crazy hierarchy that he was trying to explain to me, but it sounded more like he was reciting the Greek alphabet.

"So, let me get this straight- we have bears, foxes, wolves and dragons around our pack?" I exclaimed, finding it hard to believe what I was about to encounter.

"Well, there are other shifter packs too, but these are the ones we deal with the most. The Windcrest Pack, the Fire Dragons Clan, the Highland Sleuth and the Red Tails Skulk. Windcrest and Blackwood are two of the oldest packs in the country, so we have a lot of power and influence in the shifter world. That's why mum's progressive ideas were such a threat to some shifter leaders. Alpha Macalister, the Windcrest Alpha, was one of the main opposers of the cooperation between different shifter kinds, and he is a pain in my arse to this day. We don't exactly get along, but we have to at least keep up appearances, given our packs' reputations."

"I'm amazed that our mother was able to deal with all these close-minded men. She must have been an amazing, strong woman." The more I was discovering about her, the more I admired who she was. I often wondered where I got my bold personality from and now I finally knew. It felt like I had found one of the lost pieces of the giant puzzle that was Aurelie Boswell. 

Wait, should I be introducing myself as Aurelie Moreau now?

"She was! And our dad was her rock and her number one supporter, not just as her mate, but also as her Beta. Listen, we still have five more hours until we get there- why don't you get some sleep? It's going to be a pretty exhausting day for you when we get there, so get as much rest as you can."

"I think you might be right," I agree, my eyelids suddenly too heavy to remain open, so I let out a quiet yawn as I slowly started drifting off to sleep.

"I'm thrilled you decided to come with me, Riley." was the last thing I heard before I was completely out.

Next thing I knew, the sun was rising, and we were driving through the beautiful Scottish countryside. It was so green and free in contrast to the constraints of the cities. No wonder shifters lived here.

It left me completely speechless how stunning everything around us was as we drove through Trossachs National Park. The water of Loch Lomond made me want to dive right in- it was so clear that it almost looked shallow. I felt like I was still dreaming, but I knew it was all real. 

The lake was full of small islands that seemed to offer a perfect escape for anyone wishing to escape from the rest of the world. Everywhere I looked around it, I could see magnificent wooded hills. It sounded crazy, but I felt like my lungs were ready to burst with excitement for the fresh air they were finally going to feast on. I wanted nothing more than to get out of the car and run freely in the woods. It was funny, really- I had lost my wolf a long time ago, but being here made me feel like I was more in touch with the animal side that I never knew I had. 

By now, I was very much a Londoner, through and through, yet nature had always had a special place in my heart, so the idea of spending the next few weeks here re-energised my body and my mind more than a good espresso would have done at this moment. 

I was so in awe of my surroundings that I nearly would have missed the sensation that slowly creeped inside my mind and my heart- that feeling that of being home after a long trip away. It was comforting, exciting, and yet somewhat frightening to feel this way. 

What if the pack didn't want me in the end? What if I really became an outsider here? What if I no longer had a home? I pushed the thoughts aside, as I tried to focus on the natural beauty around me.

It wasn't long until we entered Luss, the quaint little village that was home to the Blackwood pack. I already knew from Lucien that the pack members lived in and around the village, and that the packhouse where Lucien, Ana, and some of his closest people lived was a short drive outside of Luss. But I was not prepared just how quickly I would fall in love with this seemingly sleepy, charming village. The main street was full of 18th- and 19th-century sandstone and slate cottages garlanded in rambling rose and I couldn't help but feel like I had travelled back in time. It was so magical that I had no doubts I was already under its spell.

Lucien's words brought me back to reality. "I just received a text from Ana. She's having trouble sleeping, so she asked me to get her favourite ice-cream from the store. I don't know what's with her lately- she just seems moody and emotional. But I love her, so would you mind if we stop at the little night shop in town?"

"Not at all. I would love to stretch my legs a bit before we get to the packhouse, anyway."

We parked the car just off the main street and while Lucien made his way to the shop; I decided to explore a bit. The architecture was simply fascinating, and I kept on turning my head left and right, afraid that I would miss some beautiful detail as I walked down the street, until I hit what felt like a wall in front of me. Except this wall had broad shoulders and a muscular back.

"Oh, I am so-".

Before I could finish, the unsuspecting person I had nearly run over turned around and in front of me stood a gorgeous tall man with soft brown hair I felt the urge to run my hands through and beautiful blue eyes that were now fixated on me. As if his handsome face was not enough to give me butterflies just by looking at him, I realised he was also shirtless, walking around town just in his low cut jeans.

Perhaps I would have been freaked out by his bizarre dressing style if it wasn't for the fact that I was too busy ogling his chiselled body, fighting the urge to stretch out my hand and run it up and down his perfect abs. Damn, he was like a Greek god! One that I wanted to lick up and down to discover every inch of his body. 

Ugh- stupid hormones, messing with my brain like that.

Then there were also the intricate tattoos across his right shoulder and both of his arms, which further added to his mysterious, yet dominant presence. No matter what I thought, I couldn't help but feel immensely attracted to him. Scarlett might have been onto something about the sexy men around my brother, I thought to myself for a second. I just hoped that there were not many more hotties like him around or I was going to be in serious trouble.

He clearly caught what was going on through my head because he smirked and finished my sentence for me. "-Sorry?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't see you."

"Well, that's interesting because you don't seem to be able to take your eyes off me now." 

What? Was he implying that I was checking him out? Because I was certainly not doing that. I was just appreciating his... tattoos. That's right, his tattoos are what caught my attention. That was all.

"Well, I am sorry for being a bit taken aback by the fact that you are walking around shirtless in the middle of the village." I tried to scold him, but he must have seen right through me because this only seemed to make him laugh wholeheartedly. I couldn't help but feel like he was strong and fierce, yet that underneath the exterior there was a giant cuddly bear that I just wanted to wrap my arms around.

"You are not from here, are you?" He scrunched up his nose and leaned in closer, sniffing me. Like that's going to answer his question. "Yeah, you definitely aren't from here."

How fucking rude.

"Listen to me, whatever your name is, I don't know if you have been around the block a few too many times and have sniffed every girl in the area, but next time you try something like this with me again, I might have to make sure that one of your eyes matches your eye colour. It's bloody weird to sniff someone and tell them they are not from around here."

And yet, the asshole just kept on laughing. Was he deprived of a brain when he was created? Perhaps this was the tradeoff - brain for good looks. All men had flaws, after all.

"I just meant that I would have remembered a beautiful face like yours, " he said with a smug face, but I was surprised that there was also something genuine in his eyes. "But now I hope you are staying for a while as I wouldn't mind you bumping into me more often."

Arrogant prick. "Not that it's any of your business, yet I am staying with Lucien Moreau for some time, so next time you are in Luss, try not to get in my way." At the mention of my brother's name, I saw something flicker in his eyes, but it was so quick that I didn't even have time to figure out what it was.

"Well then, see you soon, gorgeous. I look forward to our next collision. And send Alpha Moreau my regards, please." He walked away before I could come up with a snappy response. 

Wait, did he say Alpha Moreau?