Every part of me was consumed with Ryder. Every touch, every sight, every scent. It was completely ridiculous, but everything about me was overwhelmed by him. The same feeling that I had from passing by the Obsidian house was how I felt—but it was permanent. The world was more focused; the sounds were clearer. But my mind couldn't be more confused.

Cassandra wasn't home to question how light I felt when I got home. For once, despite her despise for Ryder, I wanted to tell her what had happened. I figured that she knew a lot on why things were so strange here and why there was an inevitable connection between Ryder and I that went far past emotions. It was more than me having an aggressive crush. Too little has even happened for me to develop feelings if I really thought about it, so I knew there must have been something else going on.

Just like the first few days of being here, I had to look for another resource. My eyes looked down at the journal on my bedside table. I recognized the lock on the back to match the symbol inside the moon mural on my wall. This time, I just grabbed the black gem in the center and started to imitate how I would've stroked the wall. And then somehow, the string was loosened and I had opened the journal.

***

"Andrew!" I called out, now at the Obsidian house. I only had to read a few pages of the journal to understand why everyone in this town had their own interpretation of my family. I needed a confirmation. "ANDREW!"

He lazily jogged down the stairs without his hair styled, with an old t-shirt and some gym shorts. It's as if he just woke up. He got over to me, wiping his eyes and he looked physically fatigued. I probably knew why. I handed the journal to him.

"What the hell is this?" he questioned with a yawn. He opened the pages and just kept flipping them. I needed him to see one word in order to stop. When he did, his eyes widened for a moment and he nodded. He closed the journal. "This would've been so helpful about four months ago."

"Andrew, you're missing the point—"

"No, I think you are," he told me. "Because if you really read this, you wouldn't be back here...you know it's dangerous for you and me both."

"I don't believe you'd hurt me," I muttered.

I won't, he promised telepathically. That was yet another mystery in need of recovery. I crossed my arms and looked at him in a more pressed way.

"What do you want me to tell you that you don't know?" he asked, throwing his hands up. "I'm pretty sure Dad's written more in this journal than he told me!"

"Which is what?" I asked him. "What did he tell you?"

"He told me that I would be going under some...changes...and that if anything happened, it wasn't safe for me anywhere but right here in this house or with Aunt Cassandra," he started.

"Then why did you leave, knowing that you could be perfectly fine with me and Cassie?"

"Because I didn't want you to be in danger, Ash!" he yelled and I sunk. "That was the only shitty part about this whole thing. I can take being ousted or transforming or being an enemy to some, but putting you in danger isn't what I want to do. Me being here...being what I am now, threatens your safety."

I didn't believe that. I didn't believe he'd be dangerous; and I didn't believe anyone had anything against us as a family or what our namesake was before we even got here. Cassandra's been here for decades and nothing's happened to her. Even though there was a mysterious fire rumor some years ago, I couldn't sense any malice from anyone towards me except for Ryder's father, but I figured that it was because on the surface, Ryder and I didn't belong together. But even with what I figured out in the journal and got confirmed by Andrew, I felt as though if anything happened, Ryder would protect me.

"You don't know that," I told him and he looked away from me in the way he always did when he knew I was right and he was fighting his decisions: the right choice or his choice. "Just come and stay with me and Cass. Please?"

"Ashlynn..."

"Fine."

"Ash."

"No, I said fine," I crossed my arms. "What do you want to do, Andrew? You either finish out your life here, or you live with me and Cassandra—who's probably the only person who can legitimately help you."

"I don't want to get either of you hurt," he said between his teeth.

"Then you won't!" I said out of encouragement. He took the journal and read through it, flipping pages if he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"'My second night was worse than the first. I didn't shut down out of confusion so my brain was trying to figure out what to do and how to do it...I didn't know that it'd turn into almost hurting Dad—' See!? Even Dad hurt his Dad," he read for proof. I rolled my eyes despite whatever logic thought otherwise.

"How many times have you turned?" I finally muttered. It was a weird question to ask. I didn't want to believe it, but I had to in order to help Andrew.

"Too many," he answered.

"How many people have you hurt?"

"None," he breathed. I gave him a look of righteousness. "...yet. And I'm not trying to tack onto that list, Ash!"

"What, by hiding away here?" I asked him.

"This is where I'm meant to be," he believed.

"And why's that?"

"This house...has been in the Everton family for centuries," he began. "I'm the last male Everton so it's only right that I'm here."

"You can still come back here whenever you want, but still live outside of this place," I whispered, taking a step near him. "Cassandra did."

"Cassandra's different," he scoffed as if he had something against her. He didn't know anything about her. "She stayed here to protect the name, even though she wants the fastest way out of being an Everton. I'm not gonna mess that up for her."

There's a reason why Dad left her here, he thought.

"And why would he have a reason to leave his sister?" I answered his thoughts. It was hard for me to believe Cassandra wanted the fastest way out of the family when she had preached that being an Everton woman was powerful. I didn't know what she meant then, and I didn't know what she meant now.

"For the same shit going on right now!" he gestured his arms out. "They probably got in the same damn argument over nothing and you saw how they ended things. No one wants to put the people they love in danger even when those people think they know what they're in for. He was right for leaving Cassandra—after all, it's what she wanted."

"Why would she want that?" Of all the questionably stupid decisions I've made in my life, not supporting my brother was never going to be one of them. I just wanted him. He was my own flesh and blood that meant everything to me. I believed he thought the same towards me and it'd be the driving force that he would never intentionally hurt me.

"Ashlynn, she has every right to be scared...of her Dad, of our Dad...of me," he said and then I was seeing him as I saw him in my dream, with glowing blue eyes. This time it was real and threatening. "No one said werewolves were safe to be around."

He finally said the word and I expected me to be thrown into a scared realization, but I wasn't. Somehow the word and the secret weight it bore made me stronger.  And that would make us, as Evertons, stronger. Well, that's what I wanted, at least. It didn't seem to be the same case for Andrew.

"And yet, knowing that they've been around for centuries, you're going to leave me to fend for myself in a new town where there could possibly be others running around?" I asked pretty offended. If he was a werewolf, how was I to know there weren't others roaming around?! I could very well get hurt or killed by someone whom I don't know rather than my brother! His decision, not willing to be around me, was another promise to not defend me either.

But in the back of my mind, I was hearing Ryder promise to protect me.

"There hasn't been a major incident in twenty years," he shrugged.

"There hasn't been a werewolf here in twenty years," I mentioned. When one comes, usually others might come.

"Yes there has," he rolled my eyes.

"All the more reason," I told him. "Wolves are pack animals."

"Which explains why there's a pack already here and a very good reason why I can't just pop in and out of your life, okay," he said. I frowned. I had been around werewolves this entire time. They roamed the town as they pleased without anyone noticing. An entire pack was silently dangerous to me.

"Then mark your territory," I immediately said, but then face palmed myself for being rude. To my surprise, Andrew was laughing.

"I don't have to," he chuckled. I frowned in confusion. "This house and its land is owned by the Everton family and bonded that way. Technically, I think the whole town is, but I'm not gonna be a dick and cause a war with a pack I don't know."

"Get yourself a pack, then."

"I already have a pack," he informed. I raised an eyebrow and he looked at me like I should've known something. "There's a reason why we can read each other's thoughts."

"Does that mean I'm...?"

"No," he sighed and then frowned. "At least, I don't think so. Dad never said anything about the gene passing onto you, but the telepathy thing comes with pack members, so I really don't know how you have it. As long as we have allegiance to each other, I don't really care how it's possible."

But I did. I wanted to know why I could read his thoughts—or read Ryder's thoughts—without being a werewolf. I had read Dad's first entry and all the symptoms his father had looked after him for. I didn't have any of them. The only puzzling parts were the enhancements of my senses when I was on the house's property or anytime after this morning with Ryder. I could understand an allegiance to Andrew after all this time and my heart's need to yearn for any commitment with Ryder after this morning, but I had received thoughts from Ryder after first laying eyes on him. I needed answers that something had me believe that Ryder, himself, or his own father knew.

"I'll live with you and Cassandra," Andrew randomly decided. "But we need to figure out this telepathy thing so when something does go wrong—because it will, you always have me no matter where I am."

I smiled and cheered in the obnoxious way that would annoy him before he silenced me by hugging me.

"You cheer like living with me doesn't have consequences," he commented while pulling away. That's when my smile dropped. Living with Andrew had its perks, but...he was always my annoying brother.

"You say that like I can't be happy," I said, ruffling his hair, which he absolutely hated no matter how messed up it already was.

"The only thing that should make you happy is winning a new car or something," he laughed and threw his arm over my shoulders and started walking towards the porch. "Speaking of which..." he said as we went outside and I bit my lip. Shit. "...where's my car?"

"Not here..."

"Then please tell me that sexy, baby blue beast outside is my welcome home present," he pleaded. I looked down. "Ashlynn?"

"I sort of destroyed your car because you pissed me off—"

"Ash! Are you kidding me!?"

"No, but now you know how I felt," I reasoned and he rolled his eyes after throwing his arm away from me. Then he held his hand out. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Keys. To your new car."

"Hell no."

"Yes. It's only fair," he said, moving his fingers now.

"No," I said. "That car's barely mine. I'm trying to get it returned."

"But why?" he asked. "I want it."

"Well too bad," I told him, feeling like Ryder would be smiling at me right now. Just the thought of him was making me smile too. And it was freaking out Andrew who looked at me like I was crazy.

"Did Cassandra really buy it for you?"

"No."

"Then how'd you buy it, because you don't have Dad's money," he stated.

"Not my fault he didn't have an actual will."

Andrew frowned.

"He did have one," he said. "I mean, I was hoping to find it, but you want me here and I wanna be wherever the will is, so I mean I can't be at two places at once—"

He was rambling like he always did so someone would interrupt him and give him what he wants.

"Fine. Find Dad's will and then come to Cassandra's," I sighed. Andrew smiled briefly as gratitude for the permission, but then he just stared at me. "What?"

"So how'd you get the car?"

"We'll discuss that later..." was all I said. Andrew was and never will be a fan of boys who are a fan of me. Especially not ones that have a reputation such as Ryder's.

"At least tell me where the destroyed one is," he countered. I looked at him bewildered. "What? If I had to build her from scratch the first time, I can do it again. This time should be easier, I think because I doubt you messed up the engine."

I didn't know whether to be offended or not, but I still smacked his arm. It resulted in us sharing a laugh and then he took me into a hug once more before making promises in my departure. I promised to tell him where the remains of his car were while he promised that he would be at Cassandra's in two days after finding the will somewhere hidden in the Obsidian house.