Andrew opened the door and before he could scold me, I walked in. He followed me, leaving Ryder to give an unreturned greeting before having to close the front door.

"I don't get it," Andrew began as I rounded the house to make the staircase. "He doesn't spend the night here to respect me and Cassandra, but the next day you're spending the night with him!" he accused. "And you didn't even ask Cassandra and she was pissed. She yelled at me through the phone and everything!"

"Cassandra isn't here?" Ryder asked, now following us lazily. I, however, continued to my room to find a tote bag from a box and began to pack for the camping trip.

"I doubt she was that pissed," I told Andrew. "We didn't do anything anyways."

"Yeah right," Andrew scoffed and I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was sizing up Ryder.

"Should I take that as a compliment, or...?" Ryder questioned.

"How do you deal with him?" Andrew asked me, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Ryder who was probably plopped down on the couch.

"I don't," I sarcastically smiled and then unzipped my bag. "Hence why nothing happened last night."

"You know very well why nothing happened last night," Ryder laughed. I walked to the doorway, past Andrew, and looked at him.

"You," I addressed. "Shush."

He held his hands up defensively, already knowing he was on temporary thin ice with me. I glared and then went back to packing. Andrew stepped in the room and shut the door.

"What happened?" he asked and I paused.

"You do realize that shutting the door won't exactly keep him from listening right?"

"Then tell him to leave," he shrugged.

I don't have a problem with that, Ryder thought and I immediately told him to stay.

"So then what happened?" Andrew asked once more.

"With what?" I asked, turning up my nose.

"You two," he clarified. "Aren't you supposed to be all lovey-dovey and shit? Not acting like..."

"What?"

"—like a regimented couple," he ended and I rolled my eyes.

"What?"

If it's really that bad, just think it to me, Andrew suggested.

As much as I'd want to have an actual reason to whatever there was or wasn't between me and Ryder, I was scared that if it came to that, I'd think it to the wrong person.

"Nothing happened," I sighed and sat on the bed, ready to go with everything except for a change of clothes and my toiletries that were in the bathroom. "He just has a lot going on right now and maybe so do I considering I have to deal with you both."

Don't listen to my mom; I don't have that much going on, Ryder denied. I wanted to go into the loft and tell him to shut up, but it would be odd to Andrew. To him, I should only have an allegiance to him, not Ryder.

"And you think going a hundred miles out of the town to some rundown campsite with a pack of werewolves is the answer to your problems?"

"It isn't the whole pack."

"Ashlynn, you're missing my point," Andrew exclaimed. "You're stressing out because of this guy who's stressed out because his pack's stressed out because of you...seems like a pretty good time and place to just kill you off to get rid of their troubles."

Suddenly, the door opened and Ryder stepped in.

"No one's going to lay a hand on her—ever," Ryder defended to Andrew, but unlike other times, Andrew didn't look away from him. "They like her. Everyone likes her. Sure this situation is a bit stressful, but they aren't going to do anything to her—they're bound not to."

"Okay, then it's settled," I muttered and passed both boys, brushing past Ryder's torso in my way to get my toiletries and change into the t-shirt and shorts in my arms. But I could still hear them, even from the restroom.

"Why do you have a problem with my pack? You said you didn't want them or the territory," Ryder said.

"All I want is my sister's safety," Andrew hissed.

"Well then stop trying to control everything," Ryder said. "Trust me. Alphas who try to micromanage every little thing end up either making whoever they care about suffer or—"

"Well I don't want to be Alpha."

"Then I guess we have two things in common," Ryder interrupted and it reminded me of his wish from last night. "We both care about Ashlynn and we both don't want to be Alphas."

"But I guess you think you win with Ashlynn because you imprinted," Andrew blamed.

"She's the only thing I have control over," Ryder said and I partially felt offended at that.

"You don't have any control over that. You were fated to be together. Fate controlled that," Andrew reminded.

"It isn't exactly like that," Ryder muttered. "Imprinting is different than the legends...It's like I finally surrendered any bad flaws or past mistakes as a wager to be with her and all my priorities were shifted to her."

"That's the same as what my dad and any other werewolf would say. It's fate—the same story over and over again."

"But they leave out what happens after," Ryder added. "After that first moment, I was empty of all emotion and thoughts and everything because I could only think of her. It was like a shot to the heart and a concussion all at the same time. It made me angry, actually. It made me question what feelings I ever even had for anyone else or why I did the things the way I did for the past seventeen years. All that was bottling up inside of me regardless of the fact that she was an Everton. No one told me it would be like that. That's why you saw me smoking and being angry without her with me."

"Get to your point," Andrew sighed.

"My point is that...I can't explain what exactly happened, but after all that I had the option to choose," Ryder said. "Of everything, my father assured me that much."

"And how exactly did you choose her when you never really had the option not to?"

"I just...did," Ryder said and I heard a bit of nervous laughter emit from him briefly, signaling that he had no more legitimate proof. "Imprinting isn't just set in stone. Ashlynn can cut me off whenever she wants and I...I wouldn't exactly be the easiest-going person if she did, but I would have to get over it for her if it's truly what she wants. There's more than just me in this bond and together, fate has nothing on us. I feel like as long as she's into me, I have control over at least my end of things and what I can offer her because she deserves nothing less. And if that means giving up who I was, then so be it. I can only control myself in this so I might as well make it mean something."

I felt my heart swelling more than ever and it was silent between the boys.

"I don't know if you can understand it or not, but I guess it's the same with you and your Alpha title; I'll never understand it," Ryder suddenly said.

"Understand what?" Andrew inquired.

"You can get rid of your Alpha title whenever you want," Ryder said and I frowned with intrigue. "I, on the other hand, am stuck with mine—"

"How do I get rid of it?" Andrew immediately asked.

"Like any other regular Alpha..." Ryder said. There was a moment of silence. "Wait, you didn't know that?" I assumed Andrew was shaking his head. In fact, I knew he was because he accidently cussed in his mind at how dense he had been. "Just because your family magically claims the land doesn't mean you have to be an active Alpha. How do you think I became Alpha? Your—"

"I don't care how you became Alpha," Andrew silenced. But I did care how he became Alpha if it was something he didn't want. "Tell me how to break the title."

"Just have someone in your pack challenge you meaningfully and win, and the rest will fall in place," Ryder vaguely explained. It made me wonder, though, how Ryder referenced this as his way of becoming Alpha, but it was clear he was a True Alpha by some other force.

"I don't have a pack," Andrew reminded. "—and I don't want yours," he assured quickly. "And the closest person being Ashlynn, well...I think she's challenged me enough times in my life. But she isn't even a werewolf anyways."

"Then let me Bite her," Ryder suddenly said and I stopped making falsified noises to make them think I was still getting ready and gathering my things.

"Excuse me?"

"There's a good chance it's going to happen, so let me turn her into a werewolf now and she can be Alpha. That way we won't have any problems over territory," Ryder said and then I heard a thud on the wall and Andrew hiss the beginnings of some threat about how Ryder better not even approach me as a wolf or turn me because it didn't matter who was a wolf or an Alpha because territorially, I was still his sister. I quickly opened the door.

"Ready to go?" I asked right as or after the boys pulled away from each other and acted as if nothing just happened.

"Yeah," Ryder said in a breath while maneuvering around Andrew—who was probably holding him against the wall, previously—and picking up my camping bag in order to follow me out as a way to hope I didn't hear that conversation.

***

"So do I need to worry about bunking by myself this weekend or...?" Bailee began to ask me before looking over her shoulder to Ryder. He was loading our things, his friend's luggage, and also some recreational appliances and gear into Rod's truck that he was apparently driving down to camp instead of taking the yellow buses. Bailee suggestively looked back at me and I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means, I've heard about the legendary senior trips and the stuff that people do," Bailee said. "Sneaking out in the middle of the night to have sex in the woods goes down in history as the most scandalous story over time."

"We're not going to have sex in the woods," I told her.

"Right. Just like him and Stella didn't—..." she was beginning to say something but trailed off when she realized it was probably something I shouldn't hear. But I didn't really care, deep down. I mean, I wanted to know for information's sake, but not because it threatened my relationship with him. "All I'm saying is that I rather not get left alone in the middle of nowhere while my newest friend is off with some guy—"

"We won't be in the middle of nowhere," I rolled my eyes. Ryder had told me we were staying in cabins. It was better than tent camping on a mountain landscape in the stark wild.

"—and I'm stuck with...with..." she stammered to make herself the victim, but I ended up laughing at her.

"Bailee, if I leave, you can come with me," I allowed.

"Ew, ew, ew—"

"Not like that!" I exclaimed and then I felt an arm around my shoulders.

"Not like what?" Ryder asked and I saw Bailee stiffen.

"Oh you know...how she's going to sneak off to see you and wants me to come with her. Yeah no thanks," Bailee explained.

"You say that like I'm bad or something," Ryder said, offended. Part of me wanted to see it from Bailee's perspective of him seeing it as a challenge of slander, but he was calm and confused. "What do you think we'll be—oh..."

"Yeah," Bailee crossed her arms and then Evan walked up to greet her and then noticed the tense situation.

"Well I mean, you can come if you want," Ryder suddenly invited and then gestured to Evan. "You too..."

"Uh..." Bailee and I murmured. Bailee was assuming she'd be ditched for some sexual confrontation but I was just confused. I mean, I knew we wouldn't be up to that much, but to invite Evan?

"Honestly, my friends and I are just going to be having a fire and making s'mores," Ryder announced, dropping his arm to encircle my waist and pull me closer without the action making a change on his face. But Bailee was still somehow uncomfortable even at an invitation. And Evan sensed it.

"I think we'll be having our own sort of fun tonight, but thanks," Evan said in a low voice before easily slipping his arm around Bailee to usher her away from us as he kissed her head.

"Well at least that wasn't awkward," Ryder laughed sarcastically. I faced him.

"What's wrong with you two?"

"Me and Evan or me and Bailee?"

"Both."

"You already know Evan doesn't trust me or the guys," Ryder said as we were inches from each other. "Bailee...well her boyfriend doesn't trust me—not to mention Stormy of all people... she's friends with Stella so obviously none of her friends trust me anymore...and I'm an asshole..." I laughed at that one and he reached out to grab my hands and take a step near me. "And I'm also sort of dating her newest friend."

"Oh, we're dating, now?" I laughed. He angled his face to maybe kiss me or tempt me into kissing him as he breathed a laugh.

"I said sort of," he recalled with a smile. I felt his breath on mine and my eyes started to close before kissing, but we were still just playing a temptation game.

"Come on, lover boy," Rod's voice yelled. Reluctantly, we pulled away from each other and Ryder looked over to Rod's truck while Troy lingered near the passenger door while some other boy climbed in. "You gonna ride with us or ride with her on the bus?"

"She'll be fine on the bus," Preston suddenly assured as he walked up next to Colin who had a bag slung on over his shoulder.

"Well look who decided to show up," Ryder said with a smirk as he let go of one of my hands.

"I thought 'what the hell'?'" Colin smiled sarcastically.

"Ryder!" Rod honked. Ryder looked down at me as if asking for permission or seeing how I would react.

"She'll be fine on the bus," Preston repeated.

"Yeah, we'll have lots of fun," Colin smiled and I didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing.

"That's what I'm worried about," Ryder muttered beneath his breath.

"And that's why you have me," Preston noted. Rod honked a few more times. Ryder's eyes met mine once more.

"I'll be fine," I said.

"You'll be fine?" he asked doubtfully. I nodded as his hold on my hand slowly loosened.

"Anyone going...time to load up!" a teacher or chaperoning adult announced as the bus engines turned on.

"I'll be fine. It's just a bus and I'll see you when we get there," I wished before reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"Aw, how cute," Colin teased and then Ryder glared as he slid Colin's bag off his shoulder in order to throw it into Rod's truck.

"Let's go, princess," Preston spat as I watched Ryder leave me and hop into the bed of Rod's truck. "We have a long trip to sit through."