Kane was early. There were no cars parked outside of Tyler's house, that was the first clue. The second was that when he knocked on the door, Tyler opened it without a shirt on, holding a bowl in one hand and a wooden spoon wedged between his fingers. Tyler's white hair was a mess on top of his head. Kane was early, but he didn't know why.

"You told me to come at six, right?" Kane asked. He peered over Tyler's shoulder and sure enough, the house was empty. He had half expected to see their friends all hanging out in the living room but instead it was just Tyler's dog, a yellow lab, lounging on the sofa. "I must have gotten the time wrong," he muttered, his eyes still on the happily lounging dog.

"You're right on time," Tyler said, much to Kane's surprise.

Tyler ushered him into the kitchen, where it seemed that five things were all cooking at once in different places. There were pots on the stove, steam coming out of two of them. The kitchen was warm, due to the oven that looked to be full, although Kane couldn't make out through the dark glass exactly what goodies were baking. Tyler pushed him into one of the stools and then stood on the opposite side of the kitchen counter, stirring away.

Kane folded his arms across the benchtop. "Are you going to explain why I'm the only one here and you're definitely not dressed for company?"

Tyler's eyes were still on whatever he was stirring vigorously. "Everyone else is coming at seven," Tyler explained. "I asked you to come early."

Kane looked at him with eyes that asked the question, but Tyler was too busy to notice. Realising his eyes weren't speaking loud enough, Kane spoke the words. "Why exactly?"

Tyler's hand paused. "Oh," he muttered. "I have a thousand questions for you, that's why."

"What's number one?"

"What happened Saturday night?" Tyler asked pointedly. He pushed the bowl away from him and lent with his elbows on the counter. His eyes didn't waver from Kane's stare. "Last I hear, you're an emotional wreck and you don't want anything to do with your mate, and then suddenly word gets around that you introduced Nora to your parents yesterday and you're leaving soon to meet her pack. You can understand why, as your friend, I am wondering what the heck is going on."

"Oh," Kane said, as if that answered all of his friend's questions.

"Oh?" Tyler smiled. "That's all you have to say?"

Kane explained the situation, from his realisations in the shower to the awkward breakfast with Adam and then to the parental introductions and even to the small talk they had made the night before, in Kane's bed. His first night with a girl in his bed. It had felt weird, looking over at her and suddenly expecting to see Wyatt there. Kane didn't tell any of that to Tyler, however. It would be too weird. He thought of what Heath had said, mates fall in the love the second they see each other, that's the deal. What did it mean that he was still thinking about Wyatt?

After the story was over, Tyler took a moment to absorb it all. Before he had time to comment, however, the oven chimed and he then spent the next few minutes stirring pasta and readjusting the oven temperature. When he returned to Kane, he only had one question.

"Do you love her?"

Kane hated the question. He wished that Tyler would have asked a better one. Do you want to be with her? Yes. Do you want to get to know her? Yes. Do you WANT to love her? Yes. However, the question he chose to ask didn't have such a simple answer. Or maybe it did, and Kane didn't want to admit that.

"I just met her," he replied, knowing full well that he had just opened a can of worms. He could have lied. He wished that he did.

"I'm worried about you," Tyler whispered, almost as if he was afraid of the words. "I don't understand-"

"I don't want to talk about it," Kane interrupted. He put his hand up in the hope that if he was serious enough, that he would drop the topic. "She's my mate. I've accepted that. It will all be fine. I will love her and we will be happy together. I need you to drop it."

He hoped they wouldn't be his famous last words. He didn't want them to be lies. He knew that Nora and Violet would walk through that door soon and nothing would be different, but there was a spark of hope within him that those crossed wires inside of the bond would magically fix themselves and he would feel love. Love for Nora and their bond and their future. He wanted that, but he wasn't holding his breath.

"What time did you tell Violet to come?" Kane asked, the thought hitting his mind.

"Seven, why?"

"Oh, she's with Nora."

"What are they doing together?"

"Hanging out," Kane explained vaguely. In fact, he wasn't sure what they were doing. Nora had informed him that morning that the two of them were going out and she would meet him at the dinner party. He didn't ask any questions. He wondered if he should have.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Tyler asked. I'll only have to check on the food every once in a while, now.

Kane shrugged. He didn't want to watch a movie. He wanted to run. He wanted to transform and run through the woods and pretend like he didn't have a care in the world. He wanted to, but there were strict rules about turning, and turning while the sun was out was definitely breaking one of them.

"Do you want to do something else?" Tyler asked.

Kane pointed out the window. "Let's just go sit outside."

Tyler nodded and the two of them sat out on the front porch. Tyler's dog, Hannah, joined them and Kane made sure to give her a good belly rub.

"Wyatt's coming tonight," Tyler muttered after a few minutes of silence.

"I figured," Kane mumbled back.

"His mate is coming too."

Kane hadn't figured that. "Oh."

"I hope it's not too weird for you," Tyler said carefully.

Kane ran his fingers through his hair unconsciously. "It will be fine."

Tyler looked uncertain. Kane knew that he wanted to talk more, to dig deeper into the hole that was he and Wyatt. He, himself, was not too keen on falling down that rabbit hole. His mind however was suddenly filled with images of he and Wyatt.

"His name is Duncan. He's nice." Tyler said it with a certainty that meant he knew the fact for himself. Kane didn't miss that.

"You've met him," Kane commented. It was a statement, not a question.

Tyler nodded gently. "Yesterday."

Kane wanted to know more. He wanted to know if this boy, apparently named Duncan, looked at Wyatt like he used to. He wanted to know if Wyatt laughed when he was with him. He wanted to know if Wyatt had told him that he loved him. He blinked away the thoughts instead of saying them out loud.

"That's nice." It wasn't nice, but Tyler didn't need to know that.

Tyler must have noticed the edge of hurt in his words because he stopped talking about Wyatt after that. Instead he brought up a very different subject. "Amelia is bringing a guy tonight."

"A guy?" Kane asked. As far as he knew, Amelia didn't date. She wasn't a strict believer on the whole no dating before mating policy, or so she claimed, but she did follow it. She never said anything to Kane about it, but they both knew the differences between their views. "A date...?"

Tyler shook his head quickly. "Definitely not a date."

That wasn't so surprising. "Who is he then?"

"He just moved here, lives next door to her apparently."

"With his mate?"

"No, with his aunt."

Kane's eyes widened. "People don't just move to other packs. What made this kid move?"

Tyler shrugged. "I didn't ask."

"Who else is coming tonight?"

Tyler listed off a few names, then a few more.

"I thought this was more of a dinner party."

Tyler smiled, a cheekiness in his grin that made Kane want to roll his eyes. "Yeah, I told you, it's a party," Tyler said with a toothy grin.

"You insinuated it was a dinner party."

"Why does it matter?"

"There's a difference between a dinner party and a house party, Tyler."

Tyler only shrugged. A timer went off on his phone. "I better get the food out of the oven."

Kane loved house parties, but tonight he wasn't in the mood. He thought it would be a good, calm place for everyone to meet Nora, but now that it was a proper party, he knew that it was going to be more complicated. Tyler would say that his parents were modern, whatever that meant, but in reality, it meant they bought him alcohol whenever he wanted, which made him a good party host. That usually meant that he was drunk off one beer, like most omegas were, and then the beta's were left trying to beat their metabolism at its own game by drinking nonstop. Kane used to think it was fun, but tonight he didn't want fun. He wanted calm. He wanted one thing to go right in this crazy weekend.

Soon enough, Kane found himself amongst a party. He was sitting on the couch, Hannah next to him. He was absentmindedly stroking her back as he watched the people around him. There was a mix of Betas and Omegas, everyone blending in together, which made Kane happy. He wished that their parent's generation were more like them. There was no hierarchy here, in this room, instead it was just people having fun. Those with white hair were not pushed to the sidelines.

He watched somewhat interestingly as people poured into the house. He recognised them all from school, some graduated with him and others were still in school with Tyler, many were about to embark on their last year in high school in a few weeks' time. People came over and talked to him, but they all seemed to migrate to different parts of the house after a few minutes.

He felt her before he saw her. He stood, a groan from Hannah followed, she must have been enjoying her pat.

Kane smiled when his eyes met hers. Nora was walking towards him, Violet close to her side. Her hair was curled tightly around her face and she wore red lipstick. He sent a glance towards Violet. "What have you done to my mate?" he asked, a smile on his lips.

Violet smirked. She waved her arm towards Nora. "I gave her a make-over of sorts. Doesn't she look divine?"

Nora spun around, the skirt of her dark red dress floating around her like magic. Kane couldn't help but stare at her. She did look amazing, the dress was definitely one of Violets, and it was stunning. The detail of the floral patterns was intricate but what drew his eyes was the smile that sat brightly on her lips. She looked so happy. He wanted this night to go well for her. He didn't want to see that smile drop.

"You look stunning, Nora," he said. He took her by the hand. It was a strange act, but it made him feel good, like he was finally doing his job as a mate. He wondered what everyone would think when they saw their linked hands. The rumour mill had been heavy with gossip about them, but seeing it in person was a different thing. Most people didn't know his sexuality, that he was aware of, so it shouldn't be a problem. However, some people did and he hoped that those who knew better would keep their comments to themselves. He didn't even want to think about how that would make Nora feel.

Suddenly Adam was standing between them. The smell of Alpha hit him strongly as Adam stood beside him. Kane blinked a few times. He watched as Adam wrapped his arm around Violet and pulled her close.

"Hey wifey," Adam whispered in her ear.

Violet blushed and smiled over at him. "Hey husband," she replied.

Adam's eyes went to Kane and Nora's linked fingers. "How are the lovebirds?" he asked.

Nora blushed. She turned her eyes towards Kane.

"We are great, how are the newlyweds?"

"In love," Violet replied. She kissed Adam's cheek.

Kane glanced over at Nora. She was smiling at the happy couple, a tinge of something in her eyes that Kane just couldn't place.

Violet caught the eye of a girl across the room. She smiled at Adam before untangling his arm from around her shoulders. "I'll find you in a sec," she told him. "Nora, come with me, I just have to introduce you to someone!"

"I probably won't see her for a few hours," Adam laughed as the two girls left. "She's the most sociable person I know."

"She will make a good Luna, don't you think?" Kane asked. He could imagine Violet as Luna easily.

Adam sighed, a small smile on his lips. "Yes. Yes, she will."

"Is everything okay?" Kane asked. "You seem... off."

Adam shrugged. "I went to another meeting with my father today."

"It didn't go well?" Kane asked. He thought back to what Kai had said. Was the pack really in financial danger?

Adam shook his head.

"What happened?" he asked.

Adam scanned the space around them quickly. "I can't talk about it. I wish that I could, especially since I really want to talk about it, but my father said I can't."

Adam wasn't really the type to get emotional, but he could see the distress behind his eyes. "Are you okay, Adam, really?"

He nodded. "I am, it's just, my father really wants me more involved now. I won't become Alpha until at least my twenty-fifth birthday, but even so, he wants me to learn the ropes now, and it's just a lot of stuff that I never even knew about. I don't know if this is even making sense."

Kane nodded. "I get it. Let's get a drink and just hang out, hey? Take your mind off of all that stuff."

Adam sighed. "That's exactly what I need, just a fun night with everyone."

They made their way into the kitchen. The food that Tyler had been making was almost gone, the kitchen littered with crumb filled paper plates and empty beer bottles. That was one problem with a house filled with werewolves, they ate like wolves.

Kane reached into the fridge and threw Adam a beer bottle. He grabbed one for himself. They found a bottle opener on the counter.

"Should we try to find our girls?" Adam asked.

Kane smirked. "They are probably gossiping about us with their friends as we speak. We probably shouldn't interrupt."

"You aren't wrong," Adam replied. Adam's eyes suddenly turned hard. "Don't turn around," he whispered.

Kane turned around before he could even think of following Adam's advice. He wasn't prepared for how much the image before him hurt. Wyatt was standing in the doorway, his hand linked with the tall boy he had seen at the ball. Duncan, his name was. Duncan, Wyatt's mate. The thought made him want to throw up.

"Hi guys," Wyatt said. He was looking straight at him. "This is Duncan," he said.

Duncan let go of Wyatt's hand and stepped forwards. He reached out to shake Adam's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alpha."

"That's my father, just call me Adam," Adam said. He shook Duncan's hand quickly.

"I've heard a lot about you."

"Good things or bad?" Adam asked, a smile on his face.

Duncan laughed. "All good things, I can assure you."

Kane watched as Adam glanced between Wyatt and his newfound mate. He paused for a second before asking, "So, Duncan, are you going to be joining our pack?"

Duncan glanced over at Wyatt quickly. "We haven't decided yet which one we will live with."

Kane felt the words like a hit to the head. Wyatt might be leaving? He couldn't imagine a world without Wyatt in it. Their group of friends had been together since they were toddlers, there's no way that Kane would let Wyatt leave without a fight. He tried to get Wyatt's attention, but his eyes were firmly fixed to the floor.

"Well, you are more than welcome here if you so choose," Adam told Duncan.

Duncan smiled brightly. "Thank-you, Al-Adam."

Wyatt suddenly looked up and took a small step forward. "Can you and I talk, Kane?" His voice was small. Adam must have had a harsh look on his face as Wyatt quickly said, "We can talk later if you two are busy."

"We were actually in the middle of something-" Adam started to say but Kane shook his head towards him.

"I have a free moment," Kane said. He hated interrupting Adam and it sent a bad feeling to his gut but he needed to talk to Wyatt. He had to know if he really was going to leave.

Wyatt told Duncan that they would be back in a moment. Kane sent an apologetic glance Adam's way as they walked towards the staircase. Kane followed Wyatt silently as they made their way up the small and creaky staircase. At the top were two rooms, Tyler's and his parents. Wyatt opened the door to Tyler's room. It was small with a single bed and a wooden dresser in the corner.

Wyatt sat on the edge of the bed, but Kane wasn't in the mood to sit.

"Are you actually leaving?" he asked, more emotion in his voice than he had intended.

Wyatt's eyes widened. That mustn't have been a question he was prepared for. "I don't know yet."

"You're actually considering leaving?" Kane asked. He had to force himself to keep his voice down. "Your entire family is here, your friends are here, everyone you love is here."

"His family is there, everyone he loves is there. Why does it have to be him who gives up everything?" Wyatt asked.

Kane sighed. Wyatt was right, but he wished that he wasn't. He spoke after a few moments. "You would really leave us all behind?"

Wyatt looked down at his hands. "You mean, would I really leave you behind?"

Kane froze. He blinked a couple of times. "Maybe." Wyatt patted the bed next to him. Kane sat down hesitantly. "I don't want to lose you." His mind told him that he already had. He lost Wyatt the moment he and Duncan locked eyes. He didn't want to admit that though.

"We will always be friends, Kane. We won't lose that even if I move away."

For a moment, Kane could pretend that it was just the two of them in the world. He could pretend that the crowd of people downstairs didn't exist and it was just the two of them, like it used to be. In the frozen moment he wondered if he could have been happy with Wyatt, mateless but not alone. He wasn't sure of the answer but the idea sure sounded better than the way things were now. He was on the verge of losing his best friend and with him, all that he knew about himself.

"What's he like?" Kane asked suddenly.

"Duncan?" Wyatt asked.

"Yeah. Are you happy with him?"

"Yes."

Kane hated the part of him that wished he wasn't. There was a large section of his thoughts that wished Wyatt felt like him, confused and conflicted. "Oh."

"What's going on? You broke up with me, remember?" Wyatt said. He brought his eyes up to Kane's. "Why did me finding my mate change how you felt?"

Kane bit at his lip. "I broke up with you because I knew we couldn't be together. I didn't break up with you because I didn't want to be with you."

Wyatt nodded. "Oh."

"Why did you want to speak with me?"

"I wanted to see if you were okay after what happened at the ball."

There was more that Wyatt wasn't saying. Kane could tell. "You also wanted to see if the rumours were true." He said it as a statement, not a question.

"If they were, why are we here? Why are you mad at me for being with Duncan?"

"I'm not mad."

Wyatt pursed his lips at that. "Well, you're upset."

Kane couldn't argue with that, and so he didn't.

"I don't understand, Kane."

"You don't understand what?" Kane asked.

It was Wyatt's turn to stand. "If you really do have a mate, why are you obsessing over me?"

He wondered that as well. Just a few moments ago he had been happy with Nora, hand-in-hand. He had even promised himself that he would try to make this night good for her, and yet here he was, in a bedroom with the boy he had slept with not even four days ago. He tried to think of Nora, but he couldn't, instead he thought of the nights he and Wyatt spent together. He remembered the times they snuck in through his bedroom window and kissed until their lips hurt. The image of Wyatt in his arms was stronger than the knowledge that Nora was downstairs.

He stood from the bed. "I love you, that's why!" Kane said. He didn't know where it came from, but the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them.

Wyatt's eyes were wider than he had ever seen them. "No, you don't."

"I want to be with you!"

Wyatt's hand flew over Kane's mouth. "Don't say that!"

Wyatt pulled his hand away from Kane's face and suddenly, before either of them knew what was happening, Kane's lips were moving towards Wyatt's. 

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