Me and Emma were currently sitting in a restaurant, talking about school and some guy she was interested in, which was nothing new. She sighed, sipping on her glass of water, “How do I make him come to me, I don’t want to seem clingy but, I want to know if he likes me.”

I looked at her, I knew she was asking me this because I was like a guy, I acted like one anyway. I shrugged, “Make him text you first, and don’t text back right away, it’ll drive him crazy if he really wants to talk to you. Flirt, let him know you’re interested, just don’t seem creepy about it.”

She tilted her head, “Seem creepy?”

I laughed, “Like clingy.”

We continued to eat, and I felt some sense of uneasiness at the table, but I figured it was because she wanted to know what I had been doing last night. I didn’t know what to tell her, I didn’t know if I should tell her I was adopted, what would she do?

I mean I trusted Emma, with everything in me, but that was a really big secret, and was she going to be there for me? Or was she going to know, like everyone else? 

She studied me further, asking, “You ok?”

I nodded, “Yea, just thinking.”

“Something’s been off with you lately,” she peered at me from the other side of the table, and I knew she was right. 

I just didn’t know how to tell her. 

I scratched my head and shrugged, “There has been.”

This seemed to worry her, and her face changed slightly at my response. She leaned in, “You wanna talk about it?”

I nodded, “I don’t know how to say this, but… I just found out. Emma, I’m adopted.”

She squinted in confusion, “Adopted? Are you fucking with me right now, Kate?”

I shook my head, twirling my fork in my pasta, “No, I asked my parents about it and they told me. I mean, I don’t love them any less, it’s just… it’s been on my mind.”

I wasn’t lying, I mean, it had been on my mind, but there was so much more to it that I couldn’t tell her. She was human, and I couldn’t reveal the entire truth to her, she spoke, “Wow, well, do you know who your real parents are?”

I shook my head, “I was left on a doorstep when I was a baby, according to my parents.”

She sat back in the booth, just staring at me with shock, “Wow, I’m sorry you just found out, I’m here for you if you need.”

I smiled, “I know Emma,” I looked at my watch, seeing that I really needed to get going, I was well over an hour late. I pushed, “I don’t mean to be rude but I have somewhere to be, I’ll text you tonight ok?”

She nodded, “Yea of course, thanks for lunch.”

I smiled, “You know it’s no problem.”

I paid, leaving in my car and heading to Dean and Michelle’s house, wondering what was going to be in store for us. I had a ton of questions, I just didn’t know where exactly to start if he asked me. I  guess I could start with the basics, full moon and what not. 

And how this Alpha shit worked. 

I pulled up slowly on the gravel road, seeing the cabin come into view. I pulled up, and it seemed like no one was home, but when I exited the car I was soon surrounded by Michelle and the rest of them. She spoke, “Dean’s around back, glad you could make it Kate.”

I smiled warily, wondering why everyone welcomed me with such open arms. None of these people knew me, and I guessed since Michelle knew my parents and Dean, she thought she knew me. 

I walked around the cabin, seeing a lake come into view and sawed tree trunks, a wood pile and a fire pit. A grill stood off to the side of a back porch, where a swing was swinging gently in the wind. I saw Dean on the edge of the pond, fishing apparently, and I made my way over to him. 

He looked at me, smiling warmly, “Glad you could make it, didn’t think you were gonna show.”

I studied his angular face, his dark tousled hair looking damp from the sweat of the heat. His eyes sort of resembled mine, now that I looked closely, and things about him related to me. I spoke, “I don’t even know where to start asking questions, there’s so much I want to know.”

He sighed, reeling the cast back in and setting it down on the ground, “How about we start with photo albums.”

I looked up at him and he made his way to the cabin and I followed willingly, knowing it should give me answers. We made our way into the kitchen, Michelle was cooking chicken and it smelt pretty good, but for once I was actually to full to eat. 

We made our way upstairs and he pointed to a room, “If you ever need a place to stay, you could always come back, you have a room waiting.”

I peered into the room, and I knew I would always be welcome here, and then he led me into what I guessed to be him and Michelle’s room. He opened a chest, pulling out a thick photo album and sitting on top of the chest, inviting me to join him. 

He opened it, “This picture was taken when me and your dad were teenagers, he was older than me by a couple of years.”

I was looking at the picture, I recognized Dean and saw who was supposedly my real father standing next to him. His arm was around Dean’s broad shoulders, they both had dark hair and light eyes, except my dad was a little bit bigger and taller than Dean.

Dean spoke again, “So when our dad passed away he became the Alpha male. Our mom stepped down when he found your mom, and she became the Alpha female. It works almost like how the Kings and Queens are chosen, by family line. When David and Rachel died, me and Michelle were the only ones that made it, so we were the new Alphas.”

He knew there was a question on my mind then, he just didn’t know if I was going to ask it. I was though, I needed answers, “So what am I?”

He looked at me long and hard, not really knowing how to answer, “You’re a Beta.”

I squinted, it didn’t make sense, if my parent’s were both Alpha’s then I should be the Female Alpha, since I was werewolf by blood, like Dean. I spoke, “But shouldn’t I be-”

“You are the true Alpha Female, yes,  but you’re to young, you just got introduced to this life. There’s no way you can take on all the responsibilities yet, Kate.”

So I was the true Alpha, like I had feared, but knowing that I was important somewhere made me have hope. It felt good to hear I was important, but when I thought about my real parents, the ones sitting in this scrap book, it pained me to know they were gone. 

Dean flipped to another picture, this one held him, Michelle, my mom, Rachel, and my dad, David, all smiling in front of the camera. I touched the picture, my mom had the same hair as me, wavy blonde, and my dad had my eyes, I spoke, “What did they name me?”

He smiled, flipping to a picture that held a baby, her hazel eyes and blonde hair taking me in. This was a picture of me, “Your name was Rachelle Early, they named you after your mother because you looked so much like her.”

There was another picture with me and my parent’s, both looking happier than could be. It pained me, seeing that happiness in their eyes, my mom was holding me on her knee, facing the camera. Even when I was a baby I looked nearly the same, my parent’s were laughing, and pain flooded through my heart. This was a lot, seeing them happy as they held me. 

I spoke, “Do you miss them?”

He sighed, I could hear the pain in it, which gave me my answer, but he answered anyway, “Every day, but he fought protecting us, and you. His last order to me was to find you a safe home, a human home, to keep you away from this life. He didn’t want me to reveal it to you, but circumstances change… and we needed you.”

“What does everyone mean by that?”

He looked at me, “You’re the true Alpha Female, you make the pack stronger with just your presence here, Kate. And with all the murders around town, we needed all the help we could get.”

“Does Michelle plan on stepping down?”

He nodded, “When you’re ready of course.”

I spoke, feeling all the curiousness explode inside me, “What happens to us on the Full Moon?”

“We’re a lot stronger, as the month progresses more towards the Full Moon our strength begins to increase.  The night of the Full Moon is when we are our strongest, and when it’s a New Moon we are at our weakest state.”

I nodded, “Are we rabid on the night of the Full Moon?”

He sucked in air through his teeth, and he tilted his head, “Just depends, some more then others. You do get a little blood  thirsty, I usually bring the pack out to hunt the mountain lions, let’s them blow off some steam.”

I smiled, he was so smart, I just couldn’t get over the fact. Then I remembered last night when he had been butt naked, and the look on his face let me know he knew what I was thinking about. I saw a tiny blush on his face, “To explain last night to you… I can’t. I’ll have to show you.”

I stared at him, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to see yet, but he led me outside and I followed. He took off his shirt, and pulling his pants down he exposed boxers, making me flinch at the sight. I spoke, “Why are you stripping?”

He laughed, “Just watch Kate, I know it’s weird.”

I forced my eyes back to him, his muscles bulging almost out of his skin as he began shifting. He growled loudly, I could see his canine’s grow right before my eyes, those glowing green eyes piercing my fear. I stepped back as his body convulsed and began to grow, and he let out a loud growl, this one holding more anger than the other. 

Then his vertebrae cracked, shifting him onto all fours, hair and paws growing rapidly as he stood above me. His dark chocolate coat covering his now wolf-like body, it was truly magnificent witnessing this. He was like a giant wolf…

Like the one in my dream I had awhile back.

He growled, unable to speak in a human voice now. I walked around him, he was as big as a horse, and his tail extended above his back. Then someone walked up on the side of me, it was Collin, “It’s amazing isn’t it, if only we could all do it.”

I sighed, “Not everyone can?”

He shrugged, “I’m sure, but you have to have a lot of control and strength, usually only Alpha’s get it.”

Dean growled loudly, apparently telling Collin something because he sighed, “You might want to look away for a bit, unless you want to see your Uncle’s junk.”

I turned quickly, “Nope, I don’t mind turning.”

I heard a loud shift and cracking behind me, and then Dean’s familiar masculine voice, “Oh and Collin’s right, he doesn’t have enough self control to accomplish Full Transformation.”

I looked at Collin who was frowning at Dean, even though Dean was the Alpha, Collin was still pretty big, they were almost the same size. I knew Collin was younger because he was my age, but he still looked up to Dean mentally and emotionally.

I looked at my watch, realizing I had been here for quite some time, and Collin spoke, “Are you staying for dinner? We’re actually about to do study hall, Alpha’s orders.”

I looked at Dean who shrugged, “I don’t want stupid Beta’s.”

I laughed aloud and shrugged, “I guess I could go grab my booksack out my car?”

He clapped his hands, “Cool, see you inside.”

I looked at Dean, wondering why I was enjoying being here so much, he smiled, “Family isn’t always blood you know.”

And with that he left, walking inside the cabin and leaving me to retrieve my books. I joined Collin, Stiles, and Tess at a large round table, books were laid out everywhere as everyone was attempting to complete their homework. 

I started on Calculus because that was the only homework I had, but the conversation never stopped at the table. I felt completely at home, even though I had just met these people a couple of days ago. They were so cool and down to Earth, and how they completely accepted me. Collin nudged me lightly, realizing I was working on Calculus, “Miss Riley’s pretty hot, huh?”

I smiled, but I felt a little protective over her, but I couldn’t blame him for being a guy. I nodded, “She really is.”

He sighed, “So are you really, you know, gay?”

I rolled my eyes, every guy I met I swear asked me this same question, “Yes Collin, I am a lesbian.”

He nodded cooly, “That’s so cool.”

I had never gotten that response, but it was nice hearing. I completed my homework, knowing I would shock Miss Riley tomorrow if she checked it. Hopefully she would because I really needed the grade. 

We all talked then, all six of us at that table, sharing story after story. I didn’t want to leave, I wanted to stay, and the hours went by like minutes, and soon I was staying over for dinner. I didn’t understand how strangers could make me feel like I had a real family .

I was putting away my dishes in the sink, picking up my booksack and grabbing my keys, “Well, I’m gonna be heading home.”

They all looked at me, nodding, “Drive safe.”

Collin stood, “Mind giving me a lift home?”

I shook my head, “No problem, bye guys!”

We hopped in my car and sped down the dark gravel road, Collin directing me through the familiar streets. He spoke, “Kate, how do you feel about Miss Riley?”

I looked at him, completely shocked that he had asked me that, “What do you mean?”

He looked at me, “I know you feel something for her, I knew the first time I was with you at the mention of her name.”

I was caught, I forgot he could hear my heartbeat, I should’ve known better. I sighed, “She’s… different. She’s older, more mature, and she’s interesting.”

He nodded, “I couldn’t agree more, but as much as I would encourage you to get involved… don’t.”

I pulled up to his house, “Why?”

It’s not like I was planning on it, I just wanted to know why he had brought this up, and why his tone was malicious. He spoke, “Because, if They find out you’re involved with a human, They will hurt her, and They will do it to weaken you.”

Who the hell was They? I spoke, “Who’s They, Collin?”

His eyes weakened, and he grabbed his booksack, opening the door to my car and responding quickly before heading into the house.

“The people that killed your real parents.”