"I still can't believe it took you guys so long to get here." I state, sitting, leaned against the short brick wall that lines the roof.

"Well we got to the shops but then dip-shit over here forgot the camera and we had to go back for it." Raymond says as he motions towards his brother who is taking pictures of the places Greyson and I scoped out.

"Woah woah. Let's not go placing the blame on one person here." Ruben defends himself.

I shake my head, "You had one job Ruben."

Leo laughs, "It's cool guys. At least the sun is still out and we can get these pictures taken."

"Aww how cute, we now have an optimist in the group!" I say happily and jump up to pinch Leo's cheeks. "You're adorable! Raymond and Ruben you guys could learn a little something from this fella!"

Leo's cheeks flush red and he swats my hands away from his face, "I am not adorable."

I giggle and go back to sitting against the short wall, "Yeah yeah, sure you aren't."

"Okay, I'm done!" Ruben cuts in.

"You finished already?" Greyson asks.

"Yup. I'm a pro at this point. I can get it all done pretty quickly." I roll my eyes. He is not a pro, but I will let him think what he wants.

"So does that mean we are heading home?" I ask hopeful.

"Yes ma'am." Raymond says as he approaches the ladder.

"Woah woah woah!" I shout, jumping to my feet. Raymond stops in his track and looks at me funny.

"What?" He says.

"Let me go down first." I say.

Raymond is confused for a moment but then he looks me over and I see a slight blush form on his cheeks and he covers his mouth with his hand and looks away. Jeez! I keep making everything awkward. Maybe things would have been better if I was just born a dude. Or you know... worn some shorts today...

"Oh yeah, sure... Go ahead." he says.

I sigh, I even made Raymond uncomfortable. That's pretty hard to do. As I start to go down the ladder I glance up and lock eyes with Greyson. He smirks at me, obviously reminiscing on our earlier encounter. I blush, remembering the fact that he saw up my shirt and I quickly stick my tongue out at him and continue down the ladder.

The rest of the boys make it down after me. I'm glad we are heading back home soon. After all this time I've grown tired and hungry. I wonder if Mom cooked for me tonight? She has been in such a good mood lately, and the benefits from that is her food. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

"Y'all ready?" I ask.

"Yes!" They answer.

I smile and walk toward my tree to change. "Lucia you better not run away from us again!" Ruben shouts.

I laugh and toss my hair over my shoulder, "We will see."

---

In the end, I out ran them all with Greyson close on my tail. Dang, it looks like he is going to be a tough competitor. Lucky for me, I love some good old competition. I quickly grab the clothes that I left in my hidden place. I slide my underwear on first and immediately I feel relieved. Who would have thought so much trouble would happen just because I only wore a t-shirt? Normally I'm fine, but we don't usually climb places after we shift back so I have never really been put in this predicament before.

I put on the rest of my clothes and run my fingers through my hair. I feel even more knots and I sigh in disappointment. There is never going to be a day where I shift back and my hair is tangle free, is there?

I step out from behind the tree and see the four boys already changed and talking with one another. I head over to their group and listen in on their conversation.

"-they even leave traps set up around the woods. Make sure you guys watch out, even if you are running your normal route." Raymond says.

"Seriously? I had no idea hunters were such a problem over here." Leo cuts in nervously.

Ah, so they are talking about the notorious hunters that live in the area. Those damn fools can never seem to leave us alone.

"What? Are you scarred of a few hunters?" I ask Leo, practically joking with him, yet still asking him seriously.

"No!" He retorts and blushes slightly.

"See! There you go again being adorable." I shout happily and reach out to pinch his cheeks. To my dismay, my hands are caught right before I reach his face and I turn to see the interceptor. "You always like to ruin my fun..." I pout at Greyson.

He rolls his eyes, "You should stop teasing Leo so much. No guy enjoys being called adorable." He releases my wrists.

"Well somebody is getting a little jealous. Are you saying you want me to pinch your cheeks too?" I say with a smug smile.

"No." He plainly adds, annoyed.

"Well then I guess you will never feel as special as Leo!" I say and quickly throw my arm over Leo's shoulder and give him a small nookie.

"Hey!" Leo shouts as he tries to swat me away from him. I laugh, these guys surprisingly make me feel completely at ease. The atmosphere they radiate just screams 'comfort'.

"Yo, Lucia. What do you want me to do with the pictures?" Ruben says and taps my head with the camera.

I laugh, "Obviously we need to get them to Derek, ASAP."

"I will take it to him!" Leo says quickly.

I turn his way and give him a strange look. Have I even introduced them to Derek yet? No I don't think I have.

"Do you even know who Derek is?" I ask him.

Leo rolls his eyes, "Of course I know who Derek is or else I wouldn't offer to bring him the camera." He snatches the camera from Ruben and adds, "He is the kid with red hair who is very into technological stuff. I met him in the bathroom before you made us food this evening. He told me to stop by and play some games with him."

"Sounds like a date..." Greyson cuts in.

Leo growls and looks at him, "Oh shut up Greyson. He said you can come along if you wanted to but you're more into sports than video games so I figured you wouldn't want to come."

"Well you got that one right." Greyson adds as he folds his arms over his chest.

"And I thought we fought a lot. You guys are worse than us twins!" Ruben says shocked. I laugh at his stupidity. This is the first time they have even argued a little bit, I have no idea where Ruben gets his logic from.

"Idiot, we fight way more then them." Raymond shouts at his brother.

"What? No we don't."

"Uh yes we do."

"Dude, shut up. No we really don't."

"Oh. My. God. Would you two imbeciles please shut the hell up!" I shout and cover my ears with my hands. "All of this fighting is giving me a headache"

The boys quiet down and look over at me. Leaving me as the center of attention. Well good, now I can get everyone back into the pack house and I can go to bed.

I point toward the kid with the camera, "Leo, you give that to Derek and the rest of us should head back to our sleeping quarters. We have an early day tomorrow. Make sure everyone is up by seven."

"Yes ma'am." Ruben and Raymond answer.

I glance over at Leo and Greyson. They sigh and say, "Yes..."

I smile happily and turn on my heels, briskly walking toward the pack house.

"Good, just the answer I was looking for."

We part ways once we get into the pack house. I make my way toward my suite. First things first, I need to shower. I must look so gross. I can't believe I let Greyson see me like this!

Woah woah woah. Hold on a second. Why the hell did I just think that? Why should I care what Greyson thinks? Especially since he clearly sees me as one of the boys.

Well actually... A blush forms on my cheeks as I think back to the ladder incident. He must have clearly saw the fact that I wasn't a dude back then. I think that is way more embarrassing than him seeing my hair gross. Oh good lord, what is happening to me? I'm acting like a female. This needs to stop.

I shake my head, disappointed in myself. I walk into my suite and head straight for the bathroom. I flick on the light and look in the mirror. A smile peeks onto my face and suddenly I find myself dying of laughter. My hair is pretty gross but it's just dirty. It honestly doesn't look that bad, but my face and hands are a complete different story. They are so dirty it is disgusting. The dirt is lodged under my nails and my face has brown dust all over it. I'm very tired but since I am so dirty I have to take my time cleaning myself.

I hop into the shower and scrub myself from head to toe with my loofah. I get all the dirt off of my body and drowning my hair with my vanilla shampoo and conditioner. After getting completely cleaned, I turn the water off and quickly dry myself. I toss my hair up in the towel and walk over to the sink. I wash my face and brush my teeth. After becoming fully satisfied with my hygiene, I wander out of the suite bathroom and go to my room.

After changing into my pajamas and drying my hair with the towel, I yawn and hop onto my bed. I nuzzle into my fluffy pillow and look over at the clock. Wow, its only eight o'clock. Should I be going to bed this early?

"Lucia! Come out here and eat dinner with me!" My mom shouts from the kitchen.

I sigh and nuzzle even deeper into my pillow. I'm so exhausted.

That's when my stomach growls loudly and I sigh even deeper. I guess my stomach knows what it wants though. No harm done if I go to bed after I eat. It's early anyway so I will get plenty of sleep.

I slowly make my way out of the bed. I drag myself out of my room and into the kitchen. When my mom sees me she smiles.

"Here you go." She says as she shoves a bowl of Mac and Cheese towards me.

I grab it and also grab a fork from the counter. It is the Mac and Cheese shapes. That's my favorite! I perk up a bit and follow my mom toward the couch and we sit down. She grabs the remote and turns on HGTV.

"So I heard the whole rogue matter was determined already." My mom says plainly.

"Is that so?" I take a bite of my food.

"Yes. A little birdie told me that some girl interrupted the Alpha on his judgment on the rogues." She adds, she still hasn't touched her meal.

Well I know where this is going.

"Really? Well damn, that girl must have some balls." I say with a shrug.

I hear a sigh, "Lucia, I know it was you."

I whip my head over to face my mom and feign being surprised, "Mother! What would possibly make you think that I would do something so reckless?"

"Lucia, enough with your attitude. You really need to start learning your place. I know that today surprisingly turned out okay, but that doesn't mean it will be the same next time. You can really get yourself into a pickle. Especially when it concerns the Alpha, his son, or even the Beta."

"Oh you mean my father? The man who stood there in the dungeon and didn't give me a single look? Some kind of man he is. He can't even speak to his own daughter."

"Do not speak about your father that way!"

"I can speak about him however I want! He abandoned us, but more importantly he left you! His mate!" I shout angrily.

"Lucia he found his true mate! There is nothing more important to a werewolf than their true mate."

"Not even his family that he cherished for years prior to meeting that bitch? He has to be the biggest asshole I know." I snap.

Mom grunts angrily and glares at me and for once in my life I feel bad about insulting the Beta. "Lucia Erikson, I've had enough of your bad mouthing. The things Emanuel has done for the both of us can't compare to anything. Honestly, if he wasn't such a great man, you and I might not even be in this pack anymore."

I freeze.

You know. She is right. The men in this pack don't care at all about the women. The fact that Mom and I are still around is a miracle.

"I'm sorry... I guess I never thought of it that way..."

"Your father is a good man. He still loves us, but he has to think about his true mate and her son first. We may not be his top priority, but he still loves us like family." She says. I can see slight tears lining her eyes. I know how much it hurts her to not be with him. I hate seeing her like this.

"I know. I'm sorry mom. I'm also sorry that you have to go through the burden of being the only one in the relationship still in love..."

She freezes and I can see the tears well even more in her eyes. I almost regret bringing it up, but I know it is about time she talks about her feelings.

"I really am glad he is happy Lucia..." She says, I hear her voice crack a bit, "I just... I just wish he was able to be that happy with me."

That's when the tears flow down her cheeks. I've never been good at comforting, but at least I know what to do. I grab my bowl and hers, leaving them on the coffee table in front of us. I scoot up nice and close, wrapping her in my arms. Mom leans her head on my shoulder and I can feel the tears soaking into my shirt. I gently stroke her hair as she continues to cry.

"Mom he does love you, like you said. But you both knew from the beginning that you weren't true mates but you both chose to take that risk. Just don't forget about all the good times you two had together, okay?" I add softly.

I feel her gently nod into my shoulder and I squeeze her tightly.

We sit like this for about thirty minutes before her tears begin to lighten up. After a little bit, I hear small sniffles and she begins to push away from me. I gently let her go. As she begins to compose herself, she runs a hand through her thick strawberry blonde hair and wipes her eyes.

After a minute, she turns to me with an apologetic smile, "Thank you Lucia. I apologize for that little outburst..." She sighs and turns toward the TV, "You are right about one thing. We both knew from the beginning that we weren't true mates. We were just so in love that it never really mattered to either of us..."

"How did you know." I cut in quickly, surprising both my mom and myself.

"How did I know what?"

She turns to me and I blush a bit, "You know... How did you know you were in love?"

I see Mom's eyes light up a bit, "You're interested in love?" she asks surprised.

I roll my eyes but I can feel the blush forming on my cheeks. "I wouldn't say I am interested, but rather, slightly intrigued..."

She smiles happily at me and dabs the last bit of tears remaining in her eyes, "Lucia, I am so glad we finally get to talk about these things. I was starting to worry that you would never get in touch with your feminine side!"

"Mom!" I shout embarrassed, "Don't make this awkward." I complain.

She giggles and tucks a stray hair behind her ear, "Okay fine." She sighs and leans back on the couch, "Well if you are asking about love, there must be a boy in the pack that you are interested in?"

An image of Greyson passes through my mind and I quickly shake it from my head. My cheeks flare red. "I don't know... I've never really thought of guys as anything more than a friend so I don't understand anything..." I add quietly and very embarrassed.

I hear a small squeal, "Oh Lucia this is amazing! Who is he?" She asks.

"Mom! That is none of your business! I don't even know if I like him or not. That's why I'm asking you for advice right now..."

She giggles, "Okay, okay. No need to get overly embarrassed." I roll my eyes at her comment. "Well, I can tell you when you know you're falling in love with someone."

"I wouldn't go that far and say I'm falling in love..." I add annoyed. 'Love' is just way too far out of the picture. I can't even grasp the concept of what it means to have those kinds of feelings for someone.

"Oh just listen Lucia."

I grunt, grabbing my Mac and cheese and leaning back on the couch to listen.

"I guess you could say the first sign is attraction. That may sound shallow, but there was something about your father that made it hard for me to look away. Don't get me wrong, he was very good looking, but so weren't most boys my age at that time. I guess the attraction between us wasn't just looks, but something else that is almost unexplainable."

Attraction, huh? I mean I guess I am kind of drawn to Greyson. His gorgeous green eyes. His soft dark brown hair. Don't even get me started on his chiseled body... Oh dammit! I need to stop thinking about him... I have known him for a day and my brain is already crazed with him. Ugh.

"The next thing I knew, is that we were just finding ourselves in situations that brought us closer together. Our personalities just clicked. We began to tease one another, and the next thing I knew, he kissed me."

"He kissed you?!" I ask surprised.

She laughs, "Well of course. When two people like each other they kiss."

But Damien kissed me... I don't think that he likes me very much.

"Can someone kiss you when they don't like you?" I cut in.

She sighs, "Well yes... but these types of kisses feel completely different. When you like someone, you want more, and the both of you share the feeling of want for one another. This causes passion to blossom and it creates a bond that becomes hard to break. On the other hand, when you kiss someone that you have no feelings for, typically the kiss has no passion and you either want it to end, or you are just doing it for the pleasures of kissing someone...."

Oh thank god. It is good to know that I have no feelings for Damien then. I really wanted that kiss to end. On the other hand, when Greyson got really close to me today on the ladder and I thought he was going to kiss me, I don't think I would have hated it. Actually my body seemed like it was anticipating the kiss from him the whole time.

"So I can tell if I like someone by kissing them?" I ask.

She laughs, "Yes and no. Even if you don't like someone right away when they kiss you, sometimes it is possible to develop feelings for the person. That is what happens in several marriages that start off as set ups. This happened to one of my friends when I was younger, and now the two are happily married and in love."

I ponder this for a moment and then add, "So love is a really strange thing, huh?"

She giggles, "Yes, it is. But if you think there is a possibility that you could like someone, you need to act on it."

"Act on it?"

She laughs, "Yes, act on it. If I never acted on you father, then he would have never noticed me as a suitor for a mate."

"How do you act on somthing like this?" I ask quietly. Jeez, I am learning so much, maybe I should take notes or something.

"Well first things first, you need to express your femininity."

I sigh, "Well that willl never happen with me. I am not wearing dresses, skirts or makeup any time soon."

Mom rolls her eyes and looks at me, "That isn't necesarrily what I mean. I'm talking about flirting."

"Flirting?" I mean I have heard of the term, don't get me wrong, but the idea of me flirting is bizzare. I could never get the confidence to flirt with anyone unless it was part of a mission. Actually, I don't know how to flirt with anyone...

"Yes, flirting. This means a bunch of arm touching, close proximities and temptations for them to kiss you."

My jaw drops open, "What?! I have no idea how to go about doing any of that."

"Hunny, it really isn't that hard. Trust me, it actually comes naturally with the right people."

I sigh and lean my head back against the back of the couch. "Let me just give up now please!"

"No way!" My mom shouts annoyed. I turn my head in her direction and I can see she is very worked up about this subject. "I am going to give you lessons starting now. There is no way I am going to let you go through life without a mate. I want grandchildren missy!" She adds annoyed.

"Grandchildren? A mate? Aren't we taking this a little too far... We were just tlaking about flirting..." I add nervously. What the hell did I just get myself into? Did she just say she was going to teach me how to flirt? Is that someting your mom is supposed to teach you?

"Nothing is taking it too far. You never know what might happen in the future, and sometimes good flirting with the right person can lead to you becoming mates. That is what happened to me, so don't doubt yourself! You can do this. Now, let's get started on your first lesson..."

Oh no. I am going to regret this in the morning, aren't I?