We made it back to Sydney's house in a hurry. Trinity drove, which means speed limit wasn't even thought of. Tyler was outside when we arrived, holding Ashley. Trinity parked the car,  and Kiera and I jumped out. Thank the heavens we made it alive.

"I heard the news!" Tyler said. He jogged over and helped Sydney. "Have you guys called Nate yet?"

"Yeah. They said they'll be here soon," Kiera said. She didn't sound too happy about it. Neither did I. We both didn't want our mates back after what happened. But with the Adelyn and Taylor situation, we needed all the help we could get.

We grabbed our things out of the trunk of the car and brought them inside. Sydney stayed downstairs while the three of us went to take showers. I walked to the guest room I was staying in and shut the door behind me. I was tempted to sit on the floor, but I was covered in sand and I smelled like salt water. I walked to my closet and grabbed a white shirt with a little heart in the pocket corner and ripped jean shorts. I closed the door to the bathroom and turned the water on. I turned to look at myself in the mirror.

My hair was frizzy from swimming and I could see that my nose was a little sunburnt. I pulled my cover off to reveal my shoulders. They looked tan with no redness. That was good.

Once the water was hot enough, I took my swimsuit off and hopped in. I didn't realize it, but I just stood there, letting the water hit my back and fall back down to the drain. I eventually sat down, staring at the tub floor. Why? Why has everything become so hard? My whole childhood was a mess, until I found a family that would accept me. A family that cared for me more than anyone else could. And now, that family has begun to become torn like a family photo. Torn in two. I wondered if this is what Adelyn and Taylor's family felt. They're whole life was perfect, great, wonderful. And for four years, they had been missing a part of their family. How can they live with that?

The water eventually started to get cold, so I quickly washed myself and got out. I wrapped a towel around me and looked in the mirror again. I was wet, but I looked better. But on the inside, I still felt horrible.

I dressed myself and brushed my hair. I tied it back in a braid so the wet hair wouldn't stick to my neck. I walked out of the bathroom and quickly made my way down the stairs. Nate and the rest of the pack weren't here yet so I collapsed on the couch in exhaustion.

"Bales!" Trinity sat down next to me. She had on a grey and white striped tank top with white jeans. "What took you so long?"

"Oh. I lost track of time."

"Sweetie, I love you, but you need to work on our lying."

I sighed. "Fine. I've just been frustrated."

"We all have. Everything that has been happening so far has been a roller coaster, but we gotta keep our head up and keep going."

I nodded. "I know. It's just a lot to take in."

Trinity gave me a side hug. "I know. But we made it this far. We can make it to the end of this one."

I smiled. She was right about that.

"I'm hungry. I had this awesome sandwich that I've been dying to eat and I'm not putting it to waste."

I laughed. "Me too! I am hungry."

We both sat up and walked to the kitchen. The food bag that we brought to the beach sat on the island. We rummaged through and found the food we had been so eager to eat.

As we ate our lunch, Kiera came running down the stairs. She had on a white shirt with cati on it. She wore a light purple jean skirt as well with mismatch socks. "Kiera! What's the rush?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she ran towards the front door and opened it wide. Trinity and I looked at each other in confusion. I put my sandwich down and followed my friend. Trinity came trailing behind.

I walked out the door barefoot and stood on the porch steps. Kiera stood outside on the dirt ground. She looked around in the trees. What was she expecting to find?

Suddenly, a flash of fur burst out of the wood. I yelped, jumping back. Trinity came out of behind me and ran down towards Kiera. I recognized the wolves. It was Nate, Dr. Stone, Evelyn, and Collin. All four standing there in wolf form. Tyler came running out the door carrying a change of clothes for our guests. He tossed them towards the wolves. Evelyn ran off behind the house to shift and change. The boys found some trees to change. Nate came out first wearing a pair of jeans. Collin had on some golfing shorts. Dr. Stone was the only guy to have a shirt included with his shorts. Evelyn came back out from the side of the house. She wore a long grey dress.

"Sorry for scaring you Baleigh," Dr. Stone said. "We got here as fast as we could."

"It's okay," I said, my voice a little shaky. I stepped down from the steps and walked over, giving Evelyn a hug.

"We're glad you guys made it," Tyler said. "We we're hoping to head over to the beach and meet up with the girls' family."

"Perfect," Nate said. I saw him catch a glance at Kiera. She quickly looked away. "We can leave first thing in the morning."

"Sounds like a plan," Tyler replied.

"What about Paisley?" Kiera asked.

"She's with my sister," Evelyn said. "Over at the Silver Moon Pack."

Kiera nodded. I had met Evelyn's old pack a few months ago for a New Year's party. I'm never going back there again for another social event.

We all made it inside the house, walking to the kitchen and we stood around the island. Trinity and I went back to eating our sandwiches. I couldn't help but shoot glances at Collin. Why does he look so good without a shirt on? I felt kind of embarrassed thinking that.

Trinity's phone suddenly rang. She pulled it out and her eyes widened. "It's Blake."

"You should take that," I said.

She nodded and sat up. She disappeared in the living room and took the call. "Hey, what's up?"

I finished my sandwich, the room silent with only Trinity talking in the background. Sydney came downstairs, finally, with Ashley.

"Oh my! You're all here!" Sydney smiled. She put Ashley down and let her walk around. "Did you travel safe?"

"Yes, we ran here. Thought it would be easier." Nate sounded professional as he talked. A little too professional.

"Well that's good," Sydney replied. "Anyone hungry?" She opened up the fridge. "I can make you guys something to eat!"

"Yes," Dr. Stone said. "That would be very kind of you."

Sydney began pulling out ingredients to make sandwiches. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Collin looking at me. I turned in my seat to face him.

"Can I help you?" I asked him.

He looked startled. "Well, uh, I-I,"

"Spit it out," I snapped.

"Um, can we talk?"

I stared at him. He wanted to talk now? After we all just found out a family had been missing two of their family members for four years!

"I'm sorry, but next time you wanna talk, don't do it when there's lives at stake." I spun around in the seat and ran off.