"He's afraid, Addy," Kaia said softly. 

"He didn't seem afraid, mom," Addy exploded, thrusting her arms into the air as she paced back and forth. 

Her mother sat on Addy's bed, watching her walk back and forth and back again, looking at her like she always did. Kaia always looked at the world with a strange hint of understanding in her eyes; Addy both felt comforted that her mother understood her and disillusioned because Addy had those same eyes but never understood anything at all. "He just seemed angry. And why?" 

"Because he wasn't ready for this," Kaia replied. 

"Well, neither was I. I wasn't ready to sprout fur and grow claws but here we are," Addy said, stopping mid-pace and staring at her mom. 

"We both know you were ready, Addy," Kaia said. A tiny smile pulled at her lips. 

Addy's shoulders dropped and she collapsed on the bed beside her mom. "Ok, I was. I was so ready. It's all I've thought about for years." 

Kaia chuckled and lay down beside her daughter, propping her head up on her hand so she could look down at Addy. "What you weren't ready for was for Kaleb to frown at you."

"He frowns at me all the time, but I didn't think being mated to Al would make him frown," Addy said. "He usually only frowns at stuff that doesn't matter." 

"And this does matter," Kaia agreed. 

Addy was quiet for a moment. She looked at her mom. "You knew, then."

Kaia nodded. "I'm psychic, remember?" 

Addy rolled onto her side, poking her mom's arm. "I hate you." 

Kaia laughed. "I'm kidding. I didn't use any mind powers on you or anything. You're just incredibly obvious." 

"Dad didn't know."

"Your dad is an idiot. That's why," Kaia said, scoffing. 

Addy smiled, but it dissolved quickly. Her mom could usually cheer her up. But this time, it would only go so far. "I have to talk to him again." 

Kaia sighed. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"You don't want me to talk to him?" Addy demanded, sitting up. Kaia followed suit. "I thought communication was a positive thing in your book." 

"Communication is a positive thing in most people's books, actually." 

"Mom!" 

"Sorry, sorry," Kaia said. "I know you're stressed out right now. I know this is a rough spot to be in, but you have to have faith that things will sort out in the end. And right now, there's nothing you can do." 

"Of course, there's something I can do," Addy insisted. The thought of being useless in this situation was incredibly frustrating, and Addy didn't want to accept it. She hadn't seen him go, but she'd heard about Al running off. She hadn't seen him since he'd talked to Kaleb. He hadn't said anything to her. He'd just vanished. Worse, he had either switched his phone off or was intentionally ignoring her. 

After what they'd gone through, she thought things would have changed. She wanted him to rely on her in this situation, because without him close, she couldn't rely on him, either. That was the worst part. She felt this strange, cold loneliness in the Mansion now. When she was apart from Al, the world felt weird and wrong. She hated it. 

"Addy, listen to me, ok?" Kaia said. Addy looked at her mom, waiting. "You're a hurricane. You can knock buildings down and tear trees up. If you put your mind to something, there isn't much you can't do, and I'm incredibly proud of you for it. But the thing is, no matter how hard you howl or rage, some things won't budge. Not for you. Not right now." 

Addy frowned. "You're comparing me to a natural disaster. How flattering."

Kaia smiled. "I'm saying that even though you're one of the strongest people I've ever known, you can't do anything right this moment. You need to try to be patient and wait for the idiots to figure themselves out. And they have to do it on their own." 

"The idiots," Addy repeated, mildly amused. Kaia was right. They were acting like idiots. 

"Kaleb will realize what he needs to do and so will Albert. It's just a matter of time, baby."

Addy sighed and leaned into her mother, closing her eyes. Kaia held her close. "I just want the hard part to be over." 

"Life is full of hard parts, Addy. If you skip them, you'll miss out on so much. It's not worth sparing yourself the pain just because you're scared or angry. Whether we like it or not, our pain is just as much a part of us as our joy." 

"What you just said sounded awfully wise. Are you that wise because of your weird psychic powers?" Addy joked. 

"Yeah, actually. I have a magic ball that I consult sometimes. It told me to say that just now." 

"Ha-ha," Addy said sarcastically. 

Kaia smiled and rubbed her daughter's arm. "It'll be ok, Addy. Watch." And somehow, that was all that Addy really needed to hear. She'd just needed some reassurance from her mom. 

♔

Kaia had told him once about a small coffee shop she used to go to all the time. She'd said that the place made her feel at peace, helped her think. That was what Al needed, so when he stepped out of the woods and laid eyes on the tiny town, he knew he'd made the right decision. 

It didn't take him long to find it. It was a relatively small town. He'd been there before, but never with such intention as he visited with now. Previously, he'd gone just to explore. He'd gone with Addy because she'd been curious. Now, he was going for himself. 

He remembered the look in Kaleb's eyes as he opened the door and the little bells jingled. There were a couple of other patrons in the shop that Al could see, but there was also a loft space above. The people there looked just as disinterested in the outside world as Al was. They all seemed consumed by their own immediate reality, even the employee behind the counter. 

Al didn't want to order anything, so he just walked past the counter and upstairs. The barista didn't say anything, so he didn't say anything, either. The second level was cozy. It was small, but enough light poured in from below and from the small windows that it didn't feel suffocating. Al sat at one of the small tables and rested his head on his hands. 

He was tired. He'd felt his exhaustion tenfold as soon as he'd sat down. It hadn't been much time since the transformation, so it made sense. But it was his mental exhaustion that really got to him. He'd allowed himself to hope. He'd begun to believe that he and Addy could be happy, that they had a new, better future together, that their love could be something great instead of painful. 

And then after one conversation with Kaleb, it was over. He hated himself for it, but he didn't want to disobey Kaleb. He couldn't. It was that part of him that longed for approval. He just wanted Kaleb to look at him with pride, but instead, he'd scowled and told Al he wasn't good enough. He didn't want to go through that again. 

His options boiled down to giving up and telling Kaleb he would refuse Addy and avoid their mate bond for the rest of their lives or telling Kaleb to go screw himself and choosing Addy instead. But both options seemed terrible. Either way, he didn't know where he would belong in the Pack. He knew that trying to ignore how he felt about Addy for years was basically impossible. Especially because Addy would do her very best every waking hour to tempt him and drag him out of his shell. 

The hair on the back of Al's neck stood up. At first, he thought it was in response to the grim thoughts he was having. But then he smelled something. It smelled vaguely like mold. Al looked up and saw a man standing in front of him. He had dark hair buzzed short and messy, unkempt facial hair. It looked like he'd rolled out of bed after a long night of drinking. There was even a strange stain on his white shirt. "Who are you?" Al asked. 

The man leaned against the railing casually. "Who are you?"

"I don't have the answer that."

"Neither do I, then." 

The smell was getting to Al now. It was eerily familiar, like a distant memory you can't quite grasp but you know you've felt before. Al had the floating sense that there was something right in front of his face that he was missing. 

"You're a lycanthrope," the man said, unfolding his muscular arms. It felt like he was trying to intimidate Al. 

"So are you, then?"

"Not according to your type," he replied. "You all'd rather sit on your high horses and spew insults at us before calling us lycanthrope." Something caught Al's eye. At first, he wasn't sure what it was. He'd spent time around guns before, but they were always safe in holsters back at the Mansion. This man's gun was tucked loosely into his belt. "You're a stuck up son of a bitch. Look at you. You look like a girl."

"Back off," Al said. He knew he shouldn't have even as he said it. "What Pack are you even from?"

The man laughed, but it was hollow and his face showed only pain. "Pack? You don't even know what I am! Your stupid little Pack has tried so hard to protect you from ever even seeing us. If they didn't hate us so much, you'd have known immediately what I am." 

Al clenched his jaw, slowly standing. He was putting it together. Now he knew why he recognized the smell. He knew his past, even if Lionel didn't like to talk about it. He knew where he'd come from. He'd smelt it before, even if he was too young to place it. Somewhere deep inside him, his lycanthrope instincts were warning him to leave. "You're a Rogue." 

"So you're not a fucking idiot after all," the man said, resting his hand on his gun. Al's heartbeat sped up. He knew he'd probably survive a gunshot. This man seemed like the kind of person who didn't care whether they were in a reputable coffee establishment surrounded by people. He was just unhinged enough to pull the trigger. And Al had to factor in that he might have somehow gotten his hands onto wolfsbane bullets. 

"I am, actually," Al said, realizing that it was true. He was standing here in front of a man with a gun. He could die any second. He'd been young when Lionel had taken him from the Rogue camp. He didn't remember it. He barely remembered the years when the Pack was constantly in turmoil. He barely even remembered London. This situation was strangely foreign to him. Normally, a lycanthrope would look down the barrel of a gun multiple times in his life. But because of Kaleb and Kaia, things had changed. 

He was worrying about things that didn't matter. Suddenly, everything seemed so small. Al smiled and looked at the Rogue. "Are you going to shoot me?" 

"Man, fuck you. Why the fuck are you smiling? You want to die?"

"No. Actually, I would really like to live. Forgive me, I just realized something important. Suppose I owe you for that," Al said. 

"What are you talking about?"

"I came here to sit and brood, but you seem to have solved something for me," Al continued. "And you should know, I don't think any less of Rogues. I was born in a Rogue camp. I'm not dumb. I know that most of the people there don't want to be."

The man dropped his hand from his gun. "You reek of Pack life." 

"I grew up with a Pack my whole life. That's why. My brother brought me there because he thought it would be a better life for me. He was the one that raised me, and he did a good job of making sure I never got a big head. Maybe too good, but that's not something you want to hear about." 

The man just stared at Al. For a long moment, neither said anything. Finally, the Rogue sighed. "You got out. Appreciate it." 

"I will," Al said as the Rogue turned to leave. Footsteps banged up the stairs as the Rogue reached them. He backed up, an expression of surprise on his face as a battering ram slammed him into the wall. 

"Don't touch him," Kaleb growled, smashing the Rogue against the wall again. 

"Kaleb, stop!" But the Alpha didn't listen. 

"He's just a kid," Kaleb said, fury on his face. 

"Fuck you, man!" the Rogue yelled, struggling against Kaleb. Al watched as the Rogue reached for the gun. Kaleb must not have seen it. It was mostly hidden. Al hadn't even seen it at first, and he hadn't been blinded by rage. 

Al stepped forward. "Hey, stop!" 

Kaleb still didn't listen. He was too angry. But the Rogue looked at Al. "He's just being dumb. He thought you were trying to hurt me, but you're not, right? We're ok." 

The Rogue frowned and nodded. He looked at Kaleb. "Get off me, man. We don't gotta fight."

Kaleb seemed to sober as he registered the lack of resistance. Slowly, he released the Rogue's shirt, looking confused. The Rogue slid past him and retreated down the stairs, muttering, "Crazy fuck." 

Al and Kaleb were left alone on the loft level, not saying anything. "You have to work on your anger issues," Al finally said. 

"I thought he was trying to kill you," Kaleb said. Al could tell he was ashamed. 

"He might've been initially, but I talked to him. I don't think Rogues deserve the hate we give them."

"'We'? Apparently, you don't give them hate," Kaleb said, meeting Al's eyes. "You handled that better than I did."

"I guess," Al said. "Let's go back to the Mansion. I need to talk to you."

Kaleb closed his eyes for a second and nodded. "Good. I have something to say, also."