"So you're a witch?" Andrew asked completely captivated with Stormy who now sat down looking at us.

"Yeah, ironic right? How people always call me a witch for being a bitch and it turns out, I am one," she tried to humor with a light giggle. I never assumed she'd laugh in this situation, but there it was. Cassandra walked into the living room, now in a t-shirt and shorts she wore for pajamas. "Hey, Cass."

"Stormy?"

"You know each other?"

"There's no way we couldn't," Cassandra feigned a smirk. Stormy rolled her eyes playfully.

"Not only do we keep track of covens and packs, but the Evertons have always been family friends," she smiled.

"Apparently we're not the only ones," Cassandra said, taking a seat on the back of the couch. She glanced at me and Andrew briefly.

"I needed to talk to you about the camping trip," Stormy said, darting her eyes as if wondering whether right now would be a good time to reveal what had happened–as if I hadn't told them. I didn't have time for that.

"You did something to Stella, didn't you?" I cut to the chase.

"Yeah, didn't have much choice," she said and then abruptly stood up. "Well I came to clear things up about that, but it seems as though the Alpha has let you in on his failed adultery so—"

"Failed adultery?" Andrew repeated with anger and then I ushered Stormy outside so we could talk alone.

"So what'd you do?" I asked her. "Did you just erase her memory of me phasing because how is that sequential with my anger after she was being a jealous bitch to me?"

"She kissed Ryder, Ryder found you, Stella said something, you got angry, Ryder pulled you away and told her off," Stormy explained. "It was simple."

"So that whole story about her spraining her ankle—"

"Was only true because you scared the hell out of her and she fell, but she thinks she got it from running away in tears after Ryder dissed her," she assured. "Everything's fine."

I crossed my arms out of discomfort.

"This is when you thank me for saving your ass, and call Ryder for late night apology sex for most likely ignoring him for whatever rumors about him hooking up with Stella you thought were true," she stated. I glared for a second.

"I wasn't ignoring him," I denied. "It was the other way around seems like—the ignoring part."

"Because he's trying to figure you out," she said and I looked up at her. "I don't blame him. He's scared."

"I know. He said that before."

"Wow," she smiled out of astonishment. "You got Ryder Ramon to admit to being afraid. Damn, you must really be mates then."

I could only nod. I didn't really know what else to do.

"Don't worry about him," she advised. "Sure, he's running around trying to figure out why you're so different or he's probably out with Miles and Brett because they're the only ones who can justify why he's acting like this."

"Acting like what?" I asked, concerned.

"Like he's in love and doesn't know what to do when it's out of his control," she clarified. "Because this imprinting business is out of his authority, technically, and if you hadn't noticed, Alphas have a bit of a control issue...especially when their hearts and bodies act without consulting their minds."

I remembered when he said he thought he had control about me and him being mates. In that moment when he had said it, I didn't understand it, but now I did. It almost made my heart leap out of my chest.

"Poor sucker even came to me about you," she laughed pathetically as if nothing in the world would sway her decision to not help Ryder at all. "

"I know you don't trust him and his pack but—"

"No, no, no," she interrupted. "I don't trust Preston and any of the idiotic members of the pack that Ryder's brother inducted. By extension, I don't like Ryder for his choice in apprentices." Well at least that was cleared up and I was in agreement. "It wouldn't matter even if I happened to love the bastards, okay? I'm not cleared to do any magic involving other magic."

"'Other magic'?" I questioned.

"Yeah. Like vampires, werewolves," she nodded. "That's a whole new set of magic that I do not want to accidently cross paths with."

"So then why would he go to you?"

"Because aside from confirming the durability of my memory charm to Stella, he was trying to ask my family about you and your...tendencies," she answered. I wanted to ask how that went, but she already said she was in no jurisdiction with werewolf magic. But if I knew that this easily, then Ryder surely knew it after years. So why was he wasting his time? "I would've done it too if I were him. Especially the protection spell thing he wanted for you. I just wish I took the precaution for Aaron...—"

"Protection spell?"

"Forget about it," she said within a sigh, obviously shaken with the memory of her lost boyfriend. I wondered if he was a vampire or werewolf and that's why she couldn't track him down or save him from whatever fate he had run into. "Stella's forgotten, Ryder's innocent, and you're...safe. For now. Good night."

"What do you mean 'for now'?" I asked when she turned her shoulders to walk away.

"I meant what I said," she replied. "There's a reason why witches don't deal with werewolves, okay. It isn't just because they're Neanderthals with authority issues—which my mom learned the hard way—but because werewolves are dangerous and unpredictable. I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Ryder, okay... I don't know what will happen, but something will happen and I suggest you just try to keep things as normal as possible around here and it won't be as bad. Hopefully...Now you can tell your brother to stop peeking through the window and tell him good night."

***

I woke up with the strangest experiences my senses had since I had phased for the first time. Though my eyes made contact with the purple walls, my ears and nose were in contrast. Though I could easily hear a TV blaring behind two voices, I knew the shouting voices belonged to Andrew and Ryder. But the only smell I inhaled (other than the sweetness of Ryder or the familiarity of Andrew) was breakfast. No scent of blood.

"She does not like breakfast in bed!" Andrew yelled while I was walked down the stairs.

"Your sister is not that cynical to detest the effortless supply of food in front of her," Ryder dismissed and I heard him most likely arranging dishes to prepare breakfast. Amused, I leaned against the adjacent wall to the kitchen at the staircase and smirked while crossing my arms.

"Fine, take it up to her and see if she doesn't call you cheesy," Andrew dared while Ryder continued to dance around the kitchen to give me a serving of everything on the plate he balanced.

"I'm offended," I voiced and then both boys looked back at me—Ryder with a triangle of toast in his mouth. "I think I have a bigger vocabulary than to settle with 'cheesy'."

I playfully walked over and took the toast from his mouth to eat as he and Andrew both yelled at each other:

"See! She doesn't think it's cheesy!" and "I think her choice word was 'pathetic', then!"

But the argument temporarily paused when Ryder finally looked down at me to wish me a good morning.

"So what's the bad news?" I asked, beginning to eat a piece of bacon off of the plate Ryder had made for me. All the while, he had trapped me between him and the island with his arms.

"I don't know what you mean," he whispered in my ear and kissed my shoulder from behind.

"Well you—" I pointed towards Andrew with a fork. Then I touched the fork's prongs to Ryder's nose after spinning around to face him. "—And you aren't trying to kill each other while making breakfast? It's too good to be true."

"Don't give him too much credit about the killing thing; it's only the morning," Ryder whispered playfully to me.

"Shut up," Andrew wished at him. "And...I heard what Stormy said last night and decided that maybe me hating Ryder for being a werewolf and for somehow trying to relate that to Dad's murder was wrong, so I invited him over today..."

"Wow."

Wow is right, Ryder thought to me. To my surprise, he's actually normal to be around.

I laughed and broke his hold to maneuver around the kitchen for something to drink.

"However, I will still continue to hate him on probationary terms for dating my baby sister," Andrew assured while flicking a spoonful of jelly at Ryder. It hit Ryder's shoulder and stained is grey shirt. He looked down at it, glum for a moment, and then stripped the shirt off of himself.

"That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do," Ryder figured while I was in the refrigerator.

"Why's that?" Andrew laughed.

"Because now you have to watch your sister become irresistibly attracted to me right in front of you," he teased. I had closed the fridge door to look at Ryder with an incredulous smile, but then I actually did see him standing there with a bare chest and my face heated up. Crap.

"Please. You're not that good looking," Andrew rolled his eyes.

"I don't know," Ryder shrugged and took a step or two near me. "Ash? What do you think?"

I gulped, trying to keep my eyes on his instead of any lower than his neck. I was surprised that I still held onto the glass cup in my hand. Damn it. Why was I cursed with such a hot mate!?

"I think..." I tried to keep it together. I took another gulp and lifted my chin. I sized him up for both my own interest and for my set up. "I think you could look better."

"Could I?" he asked, sealing the gap between us. He took the apple juice from my hand and drank it all before setting the glass to the side and captured my waist while pressing me into the open fridge as if it was juxtaposition to cool down how hot things could get real quickly. But I refused to let him win...Well, in front of my brother, I refused to let him win.

I think I'll take you up on that breakfast in bed, I thought to Ryder before his lips could reach mine.

Then I guess we'll finish this later, he replied in thought and then stepped back. He put his hands in his pockets and looked over at Andrew. "Don't you just hate it when your mate doesn't even find you attractive?"

"Whatever," Andrew rolled his eyes, not needing to find any other reason to feud with Ryder because he had a plethora from just this moment alone. "I'll go get you another shirt."

"I'm gonna go upstairs to get dressed..." I also notified, backing up towards the stairs while Andrew crossed the living room and entered the hallway towards his room. I looked at Ryder with a flirtatious expression even though he bent over to grab his stained shirt. I thought to him: Don't forget that breakfast in bed.

Before I knew it, after I changed, I was sitting on my bed for the shortest time before Ryder walked through the door, still without a shirt.

"You were supposed to go borrow a shirt from Andrew," I laughed.

"I think I'm okay for now," he said while crossing the room, putting each hand on either side of the bed beside my waist and then pressed his lips to mine. Immediately, I grabbed his face and pulled him more into me as he completely leaned over me and his knees were just now pressing into the bed. Suddenly, he pulled away. He sighed and I frowned while he put his head on mine.

"What's wrong?" I asked out of pure concern.

"Nothing," he lied and his toast smelling breath hit me. "Do you really think Andrew doesn't think I'm good looking?"

"Shut up," I laughed with a roll of my eyes and reconnected our lips. He kissed back eagerly while we both failed not to laugh, but when we broke for a breath, he sighed once more. This time more heavily. He pulled away completely and sat at the edge of the bed. I touched his shoulder. Okay, this time he was believable. "What's wrong?"

His head went to his hands.

"It's nothing..." he said again within a sigh.

"Ryder."

"Okay fine!" he gave in. "I just..." he looked at me and I saw the deepness of chocolate in his eyes. "I just wish that...that my girlfriend found me irresistibly attractive."

I smacked the pillow into the back of his head out of temporary annoyance. I thought he was serious!

"What?" he laughed. "She's just...I don't know. Too pretty for me, I guess."

"I guess," I agreed just to mock him before rolling my eyes again and then he pulled me into his lap. I was still laughing, but I lightly hit his chest. "I thought you were serious that time."

"I was!" he reasoned with his hand on my thigh. His eyes relaxed and fell on my lips. "You're gorgeous."

"You're such a flirt," I playfully teased while getting up from his lap.

"But you still love me so—" he stopped himself while I turned around on my heels to face him. "U—um, I was joking. Like 'ha ha, you know I suck but you still love me—LOL' kind of joking. Swear."

"Uh huh," I said unconvinced and completely entertained. He scratched the back of his neck, knowing he didn't get away with playing it off, but I wasn't going to tell him I knew that he sucked at keeping his feelings under wraps. "Come on...let's go back downstairs before Andrew gets suspicious...and so we can get some breakfast."

"Wow," Ryder commented when he took my hand at the doorway and followed me out. "I'm so unattractive that you're trying to put more clothes on me—"

"Shut up..." I sang as we trotted down the stairs.

"Pretty sure you didn't want me to have any clothes on yesterday," he whispered. "Actually, last night, I think you would've found me more delicious than any given breakfast."

"Shh—"

"I know, I know," he laughed, wrapping his arms around my waist in order to pick me up and descend down the remaining stairs. He kissed my shoulder before he put me down.

"So what are you two up to today?" Andrew asked from the living room.

"Me and the pack are just gonna hang out around town if you wanna join," Ryder offered to Andrew but he turned out to be looking at me, letting his slight southern accent slip in and make me smile.

"Of course I will," I agreed and reached up to kiss him without remembering Andrew was in the room. But Ryder did remember and pulled away.

"You can join too if you want...?" Ryder asked him.

"Mmh, no, I think I'll make my own friends," Andrew assured.

"If that's possible," Ryder joked and I lightly hit his chest. He looked down at me with a chuckle. "Sorry. It's hard being so nice all of a sudden."

"The feeling's mutual," Andrew said, walking past us and grabbing a slice of bacon to eat as he neared the back door. "Take care of my sister, Ryder."

"As always."

Andrew continued to walk out, but once he broke the plane to the office room near the back door, he paused and turned around.

"Do you mind..." ...if I borrow the Mustang? he finished within a thought.

"I..."

"Please, Ash," he begged.

"What...?" Ryder asked as I still looked to Andrew.

"I'd ask him," I told him, pointing back to Ryder before putting my hand on his chest.

"Ask me what?" Ryder inquired, completely confused.

"Why would I have to...?" Andrew started to wonder and then a light bulb went off. "So you're the one who bought the Mustang."

"Oh," Ryder said. "Yeah, we destroyed the older one so I got her a new car..." Ryder kept glancing from me to Andrew as if guilty for something he hadn't confessed. But I was hoping he would assume Andrew would think a car as a gift was ridiculous just as I did. However that wasn't the case because Andrew just wanted to know if he could borrow it. "I guess you can borrow it for the day. After all, my Porsche is still here."

"We'll talk about this whole...gift...situation later, but thanks dude," Andrew rushed, swiping the keys from the basket on the counter. He began to leave again, but then spun back around to point at Ryder. "Again, take care of her."

"You have no reason to worry that I won't."