The two wolves approached him and slowed down when they were a few feet away. Alex wasn't intimidated by their large sizes, he had seen their wolf forms many times. Cole was a large light brown wolf, with darker patches. Archer's wolf was a deep chocolate brown. To a normal person, they would have seemed like giant, wild wolves, and any normal person would have run screaming from their intimidating stances, but Alex's heart didn't even speed up a beat.  

They stood side by side, and Archer growled softly at Alex. They suddenly changed out of their wolf forms and into their human ones. Suddenly there were two naked men standing in front of Alex and he then realised why Archer had growled, Alex was standing right next to the bags containing their clothes.

"Hello there little one, what a surprise," Archer smirked the moment he was in his human form, not even attempting to hide his nakedness.

From his angle, Alex could clearly see both of their bite marks that they had received when they turned. Cole's was on collarbone, a similar place to where his own was placed. Archer's though was right on his neck, the top of the scar would stand out even when he wore a shirt, but Alex guessed that he must cover it with some sort of make-up when he was at school, as he had never noticed it when he was there.

"Could you throw us our bags?" Cole requested, and Alex wasted no time throwing a bag at each of them. Archer caught it with one hand and took his time getting dressed, something that Alex did not enjoy.

Once they were both clothed in basic shirts and shorts, they walked up to Alex.

"You know, there aren't many people in these woods, but it's still not safe to just run around. There could be hunters or joggers," Alex told them and Archer only shrugged.

Cole spoke, "You don't need to worry for our safety, we are careful."

Before Alex could reply, Archer rolled his eyes and spoke to Cole, "Oh I don't think that little one here was as worried about the guns shooting us, as us ripping the heads off the poor, innocent, gun wielding hunters."

"Oh," Cole muttered.

Alex shrugged. "You know as well as I do that we can't always control what we do when we turn. Wolves are instinctual creatures."

"There's no need to worry, little one, I didn't murder anyone today." Alex winced at Archers over use of that nickname.

"Just be careful around these parts," Alex told them.

"We will be, thank-you Alex," Cole said, "and thank-you for agreeing to come with us, I know that having us here has been somewhat difficult for you, but you have done well adjusting and saying your goodbyes."

Alex nodded.

It was silent for a few moments until Cole's bag started ringing. He pulled a cell phone out of it and took a glance at the caller ID. "I''ll be back," he told them before ducking behind a tree to answer the phone call without them listening in.

Archer strolled up to Alex. "You were once friends with that Roxy girl, right?" His usual harsh tone was gone, and although his voice still had a hint of that sinister tone it always had, he seemed to speak quietly, and less sure of himself than he usually would.

"Yeah.." Alex trailed, confusion clear in his tone.

Archer took a glance back at the tree that Cole was standing behind, and then looked back at Alex once he seemed to be sure that they weren't being listening in on. "If you still care about her, make sure that she stays away from Cole."

"What? Why? What is he going to do?" Alex asked, slight panic in his words.

Archer spoke in a hushed tone, "Just take it from me alright, you might not trust me, but this benefits all of us."

Alex could have laughed. "So what? You're allowed to date Carter, yet Cole can't date Roxy while he is here? That seems like a double standard, maybe Cole would like to hear of this double standard," he pointed out, not hiding the threat his words held.

Archer took a threatening step forward and grabbed hold of Alex's upper arm in a tight grip. "I'm doing you a favour. One word to Cole and Carter will be bitten by tomorrow," he said the words harshly, but his eyes told him that he was telling the truth.

That was enough for the slight smirk to be wiped off of Alex's face. "Okay. Is Roxy in danger?" he asked somewhat hesitantly, afraid of the answer.

"I don't know, all I do know is that they have been spending almost every moment together since we got here. Cole may be level headed most of the time, but he can be unpredictable and he is still young. He can't control when he turns as much as you can, and I don't want any casualties if he gets mad one day." 

Alex nodded. Maybe Archer really was doing him a favour, or maybe not. He didn't trust a word that came out of his mouth, but it still rose suspicion in Alex that maybe he would have to look out for both Carter and Roxy until they left for Italy. He didn't trust either of them around his friends.

"I have to get going," Alex said before turning around and walking a few steps in the direction he was originally headed to.

"See you round, little one," Archer called out.

Alex gritted his teeth and kept walking. Once he was sure that he was well away from them he pulled his phone from his pocket, dialling a number he knew well.

He expected to hear his friend's voice, but all that he heard were muffled yells. "Mom! A little weed is not going to kill me!....Mom! Stop freaking out!"

The next muffled voice sounded like Jake's mom, "First you come home looking like you were attacked by a gang, and now your smoking pot! Your life is going downhill"

Then he heard a door slam.

"Hello?" a frustrated Jake finally answered the phone.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, a tad concerned.

"Dude, my mom found my weed drawer!" Jake almost yelled in frustration.

Alex tried to stifle a laugh and failed. "You have a weed drawer?"

"Stop laughing! That's not the point!"

Alex didn't stop laughing. "What is the point then? You can no longer get high in your house without your mom noticing, I am surprised you lasted this long. Knowing you, the drawer was probably labelled pot drawer."

Jake huffed in fond exasperation. "The point is that you are mean and that I am going to be grounded until I am forty-five." 

"Have fun with that." Alex laughed again.

"This is serious."

"So is why I called."

It seemed that it only now occurred to Jake that there was a reason to this phone call. "Oh, why did you call? What's up?"

"Could you do me a favour?"

Jake didn't hesitate in answering, "Of course, but if it involves me leaving the house you might have to wait another twenty-eight years..."

"It does not involve you leaving the house."

"Then your wish is my command, fine sir."

Alex was silent for a few seconds, second guessing himself, but he came to the conclusion that he trusted Archer about as far as he could throw him, and he definitely didn't trust Archer on a date with Carter, and on the night of the full moon, of all nights. All wolves self-control would be at their lowest points tonight, which was dangerous. "Where are Archer and Carter going for that date tonight?"

"I don't know, but I can absolutely find out for you."

"Thanks Jake."

"All good." Jake paused. 'You aren't going to show up and beat the crap out of Archer or something, are you?"

"No," Alex said, but he wasn't completely sure himself.

Jake breathed a mock sigh of relief. "Good, because if you were I would have had to sneak out of home to come help, and if my mom found out I would be grounded until I was an old man with no hair and a cane."

Alex laughed. "Rest assured, I won't do anything stupid."

Suddenly Alex could hear Jakes mom in the background again. "Who are you on the phone to? Huh? Your pot dealer?!"

"Mom! Calm down, it's just Alex."

"Alex is your pot dealer!"

"No mom! Would you please give it a rest!"

Jake then spoke into the phone, "I'll text you when I find out. I have an overreacting, hormonal mother to deal with."

"I heard that Jacob! You-"

The line went dead, and Alex had to laugh at his friend.

He looked around and could just see the road coming up ahead, he was almost home. He decided to run it, to let the fresh air whip against his skin one last time before he had to go to his house and face reality. His plan was to tell his mother that he was moving to Italy to be closer to his father, today. He knew that it would break her heart, but he didn't have any other choice. If he just picked up and left in a week then she would have probably sent the entire police force out looking for him. He was grateful that he had been kept back in one of his early years of school, so he was eighteen now, but being eighteen wouldn't stop his mother from freaking out.  

He stopped at his porch, taking a few moments to get his breathing under control. He could feel that something was off as he walked through the front door, but the second that he smelt his moms chocolate chip cookies those other thoughts were as good as gone. He walked to the kitchen, hoping to grab a few, but the kitchen was empty, of the cookies and of his family.

He turned around and saw that his mother was sitting at the dining room table, the plate of cookies in front of her.

"Come sit down," his mother beckoned him over, and Alex hesitated for a few seconds before doing what she asked.

"What's up?" he asked quietly as he sat down in a chair adjacent to his mothers.

His mother shrugged casually, but Alex could tell that there was nothing casual about what was going on here. "Nothing, I just wanted to talk with you, catch up."

This was the beginning of a slippery slope. Alex knew that. He knew that it would start small like this, little talks and time spent together, and sooner or later they would slip back into their old roles and he would tell her about his life and they would laugh and then one day something bad would happen, maybe it would be small or maybe it would be big, and he would lose his temper, and that was where he drew the line. That was where the danger started, that's where he lost control. That's when he could inadvertently expose his mother to the things that hide in the dark, and if she freaked out, if he couldn't control it, that that would be the moment where he ruined his life.

And it wasn't just that, it was the fact that he wasn't the same Alex anymore. He believed that he was a monster, he didn't think he deserved his mother's love. So, as much as he wanted to 'catch up' with his mom, he only shrugged and picked up a cookie.

"Can we do this later? I have homework to do."

He started to stand up but his mother's suddenly harsh voice stopped him. "No. Stay here because we are going to talk."

Alex was stunned into silence. His mother was a petite woman and she never lost her temper, not once. She preached kindness and tolerance, and for her to order him to do something, well, that just wasn't like her. Perhaps he should have expected his distance to break her somehow, any other mother would have probably given up by now, but not his mother.

"Alex, I know that you don't want to talk to me, but things can't keep going like this, alright?" Alex looked down at the cookie in his hand, no longer hungry. "Since you have come back from Italy, you have been so distant, so not yourself. You dress all in black, you don't hang out with the same people, and sometimes when I look at you, all I can think is that you are high. What's going on Alex?" she asked in a voice filled to the brim with worry for her son.

"Nothing Mom," he lied, nothing that I can tell you without putting you in more danger than you have to be in.

"Nothing?" she shook her head in disbelief. "Nothing? You are going to have to do better than that."

"What do you want me to say mom?"

His mother got tears in her eyes and she blinked them back as she spoke. "I want you to explain to me why you did what you did when you came home from Italy. Why did you break up with Carter? Why are you pulling away from everyone that cares about you?"

He broke in front of Carter, he couldn't break with his mother as well. It hurt, every bone in his body screamed at him to wrap his arms around mother until she stopped crying, until the whole in his heart stopped hurting so much. If she knew the truth, if she knew what he was, she wouldn't be begging to talk to him, she would be kicking him out of his home. He imagined her screaming at him, telling him to stay away, that he wasn't the same person anymore.

He stood up from the table, he couldn't handle this. "I'm moving to Italy, to live with dad and finish high school," he stated in an emotionless voice.

The pain filled gasp that left his mother's mouth caused tears to well in his eyes. "No! Alex, don't leave!" she pled, standing up as well. "You can't just go."

He didn't meet her eyes. "I'm eighteen now, I can leave if I want to."

He practically ran to his bedroom and threw the door closed. The door made an awfully loud noise as wood slammed against wood and it seemed to echo inside of his head as he collapsed on his bed, his back pushed up against the wall. He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, linking his fingers. Alex rested his face against his knees and tears dripped into the fabric of his pants.

Everything was falling apart, and it was all his fault. He believed that he was a monster.

It was then that his pocket vibrated and he read the text through tear blurred vision. It was the address of Archer and Carters date.