As a child, one of my favorite ways to pass time was to sit and observe people. Strange as it may have been, there was something fascinating about watching people go through their daily lives and seeing how they reacted when confronted with unforeseen situations. For some people, their go-to reaction was confusion. For others, it was anger or sadness. There was typically some kind of telltale sign of what their reaction would be: a soft switch in facial expressions, arms crossing over their chests, hands running through their hair—the list was endless. The more people I observed, the more I began to pick up on these small details which was how I managed to pick up on Everett's subtle surprised expression when I informed him I'd be staying in the pack for the foreseeable future.

"You're what?" The words fell from his mouth and his grey eyes met mine, silently questioning whether or not I was serious.

"I'm going to be staying in the pack," I repeated. "I don't know for how long yet. At least a month, but it could very well be longer."

Everett sighed. "That's what I thought you said." He shifted his weight and his foot lightly rhythmically tapped against the floor.

"What is it?" I inquired. "What have you upset?"

I was genuinely curious. When it came to friends in the pack, I didn't have many, but I considered Everett to be my closest one. He was also one of the few wolves who accompanied me on visits to other packs, so if there was anyone I trusted then it was him.

"I'm not upset, just concerned," he admitted. "Are you sure staying at the pack is a good idea after...everything?

It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was talking about.

"Theron won't be a problem."

"Are you sure? You haven't talked to him since—"

"Theron won't be a problem," I repeated more firmly.

"Alright," Everett raised his hands in defense. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. I worry about you, but I know that's a sore spot."

He was referring to the rejection and while he wasn't necessarily wrong about it being a sore spot, I was sure I could handle Theron. Yesterday had been a test of sorts for the both of us—he wanted to see just how serious I was about getting closer with the pack and I wanted to see how difficult it'd be to get in his good graces again. As it turned out, it wouldn't be challenging at all. A few more smiles and shifts at B&B's and I was sure I'd gain his trust.

I wasn't necessarily bothered about gaining Theron's trust at first; after all, it was his name I mostly needed, but I figured it'd save me trouble in the long run. Knowing that he held me in high regard would make it difficult for my siblings to try and get in his head.

"Have you heard from Alaric?" Everett asked, swiftly changing the subject once he noticed the change in my tone.

"No," I responded. "You know Alaric. He never leaves his house."

Alaric was the oldest of my siblings and by far the one I was least concerned about. He was by every means of the word a recluse. It was ironic given how werewolves were known to be pack-oriented creatures, but he was the exception. It wouldn't surprise me if he hadn't even heard of Dad's death, let alone the contest at hand.

"What does he do during the day?" Everett questioned.

I raised an eyebrow. "Who knows? Alaric's always kept to himself. Why are you so interested?"

"Am I not allowed to be curious?" His gaze shifted.

"Of course you are," I said, a hint of amusement in my voice. "It's just unusual for anyone to take an interest in Alaric."

He shrugged but said nothing—not that anything l needed to be said that I didn't already know.

"I need you to do something for me," I said to Everett, deciding not to address the elephant in the room. "Watch Nero for me for the time being."

"Nero? Why him?"

I shrugged. "Call it a brother's intuition, but I feel like he's going to start causing trouble soon. Just let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary about him."

Truthfully, I wanted Everett to watch Nero not because I was worried about him, but because I needed to gather intel about him. Nero was by far the easiest of my brothers to knock out of the competition. Given his reputation in the pack, I highly doubted that it would be difficult to convince the elders he was a bad choice and since I only had a month, I needed to knock him out fast.

Focusing on all my siblings at once would only lead to me spreading myself too thin and leaving holes in which they could attack me. The better option would be to focus on them individually and Nero would be my first target.

"I'll start today," Everett responded just as the door opened, revealing Sirius.

"Sirius, what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked my younger brother.

His hands were shoved in his pockets and his blond hair was sprawled messily. He glanced lazily at Everett for a moment and I nodded in his direction, letting him know it was okay to leave. Everett slipped out the door and Sirius took a seat on the edge of my table.

"You're still hanging out with him?" Sirius' nose scrunched up as he studied the closed door.

I rolled my eyes. "Leave Everett alone."

"He's so—"

"Sirius, I'm sure you didn't come all this way to insult my friends."

He smiled in an amused manner. "You're right. I wanted to ask you about this...competition."

Oh?

Though he spoke in a casual manner, I could tell it was just a facade. If I knew anything about Sirius, it was that he could change in a split second. He may have been calm right now, but he could lose his temper in the blink of an eye.

"About what?" I inquired.

"Nero," he bluntly responded. "I want to talk to you about a...partnership of sorts."

"What do you mean?"

"Cut the bullshit. You know what I mean." He leaned forward. "I'm proposing that you and I work together to take Nero out of the contest—for good."

Well, this just got interesting.

I wasn't naive enough to believe aligning myself with one sibling to take out another wouldn't come with consequences, but I had to admit, the idea was intriguing. Sirius plotting to take Nero out first didn't surprise me in the slightest, but I was surprised that he came to request my help. Sirius was always a "do it himself" kind of guy, so why the change now? I wasn't sure.

"Tell me, why do you suddenly want my help now? I'm sure you've already come up with possible ideas to handle the...issue at hand."

The corners of his lips raised slightly. "You're right, I have thought about it. However, the issue is while I know where everyone else stands, I don't know about you. Eden won't get in my way, Hera will watch from afar and only interfere if necessary, Hendrix won't like it, but he won't try and stop me. You? I don't know about you, Roman."

"You know I prefer to observe."

"I know you prefer to work in the shadows," he corrected sharply. "I'd rather have you as an ally than a foe."

"What makes you think I won't betray you?"

His gaze hardened, the lazy expression from before gone. "You can try."

I found myself grinning at his words. "If you truly believe Nero isn't expecting you to attack him in some manner then you're in for a rude awakening."

"Of course I know that. If you believe I wouldn't have considered counterattacks beforehand then you don't know me very well."

I rolled my eyes at that. As short-tempered as Sirius was, I had to give him credit, there was almost always some kind of method to his madness.

"Look," he continued, standing up from his spot. "What I'm proposing is a temporary alliance. We work together to get rid of Nero and then we go our separate ways and return to being competitors."

"How do I know you won't stab me in the back?"

He scoffed. "Only cowards resort to backstabbing."

"And yet, here you are, proposing a clandestine alliance," I pointed out. "Preparing to attack our other brother."

Not that I was any better.

He laughed, a low, humorless sound. "You said it yourself, he knows I'm coming. Is it really backstabbing if you're expecting it?"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. "Let's say I agree to this. What even is your plan?"

A dark smirk broke out on his face. "This competition is a popularity contest of sorts, no? Our reputations are our greatest advantage and weaknesses all at once. One wrong move and you're gone for good. I'm going to use Nero's personality against him and when I'm done—well, his name will be ruined."