"Jon? Jon!" Luke cried out into the night his nose filling with ash. The house was engulfed in flames as his panicked eyes searched the burning home. He ducked under fallen beams and rounded the corner to what had once been Jonathan's bedroom.

"H-Here." Jonathan coughed out as Luke entered what was left of the room. He was underneath his bed pinned by a scorching beam.

"I'm here. I've got you man, it's gonna be okay." Luke rushed over to where Jonathan was laying and reached out to touch the beam. He hissed as the heat lapped at his skin.

"Hey. It's o-ok, j-just go m-man.." Jonathan choked out, again coughing from the Ash that filled his lungs.

"No!" Luke bit back tears as he stared into Jonathan's brilliant blue eyes. "I'm not leaving you Jonathan." 

With that Luke's body began to shake he stood tall as his bones began to rearrange beneath his skin. He crouched over as his hands turned to paws and fur began to roll down his back. He closed his eyes and when they opened again the brown was replaced with a deep yellow. His chest heaved in exhaustion from his changing form.

"L-Luke!" Jonathan squeaked looking at what had been his childhood friend but was now a wolf. He was huge, about as wide as a horse and almost as tall. His fur was a dusty brown with a deeper undertone.

The wolf nodded at Jonathan and gripped the burning beam in its jaws, effortlessly tossing it aside. He looked back at Jonathan who's eyes were almost unreadable, fear, curiosity, and anger shown through but Luke shook it off for the moment. He ducked his head down and nudged Jonathan's chest with his nose.

Jonathan slowly moved his arms and tangled his fingers in the wolf's scruff. In one swift move Luke jerked his head back and slung Jonathan over his shoulder and onto his back. With that he howled, running out of the house just in time for it to collapse behind them.

Sirens could be heard in the distance as they both looked back at the heap of rubbled that Jonathan and his family once lived in.

Jonathan buried his face into Luke's fur stifling back the tears that burned in his eyes. Luke sighed and took off away from the house and towards the mountains.

"Luke! Wait! We have to go back! What about my parents!" He cried out gripping him tighter. But Luke didn't turn back he just kept running, and the farther they got from his home the more Jonathan realized he wasn't going to see his family again.

—

Jonathan had passed out from exhaustion as Luke entered the clearing in the middle of the woods. He collapsed in the center shifting back into his former self, breathing heavily from the long run with added weight.

A sandy blonde wolf came out from inside a large cave just a few feet away from the two men. His eyes widened as he shifted.

"Luke! J-Jon?!" Tyler's voice cracked in fear as the other wolves emerged from the cave shifting just as Tyler had.

"What happened!" Brock looked at the two men lying on the ground. Brian put a comforting hand on Brock's shoulder to steady him.

"Easy. They'll live." Brian smiled gingerly at Brock who nodded in agreement.

"Move. Let me get a look at em'" David's thick Irish accent awoke the men from their trance. They parted allowing David access to the two men. Marcel held onto Scotty and eyed David carefully.

"There was a f-fire... Jon was inside... t-the house... his parents t-they." The group's eyes widened in horror at Luke and their unconscious friend.

"Is he going to be okay?" A small squeaky voice asked from behind the men and they turned as Lui and Craig walked slowly out of the cave.

David sighed placing a hand on Jonathan's chest feeling the very faint beat of a heart. They all watched patiently waiting for him to say something, but the words never came.

Luke eyed David carefully from his position on the ground next to Jonathan as tears pooled in his eyes. They never exchanged a sentence but Luke still understood. Jonathan was dying.

"Move," Luke grunted pulling himself to his feet as the men all stepped back. Tyler's eyes widened when he realized what was about to happen.

"Luke are you.... are you sure?" Tyler questioned only to be met by a glare full of tears.

"He's dying Tyler..." Luke's voice trailed off as he closed his eyes. Once again his bones began to rearrange until they were all in the presence of Luke's wolf. He looked back at the men and they closed their eyes bowing their heads to give him the privacy he silently asked for.

Luke's claws sharpened and he held his breath before raking them down Jonathan's back tearing his skin. The shock woke him up and he screamed in pain as Luke's claws continued to grind deep into his flesh.

Tyler's eyes snapped open and he watched as Jonathan's body began to jerk and twist. He remembered his first transformation, the pain, the fear, everything that went along with it and he bit his lip as he watched silently.

Fur began to roll down Jonathan's back as the tears streamed down his cheeks. He closed his eyes as his cries were soon replaced with whines. Luke stepped away watching the new-found wolf open his eyes, still their brilliant blue, which was striking against his chocolate brown fur.

Jonathan stood up on four shaking legs and looked around to meet eyes with all his friends. Tyler smiled at him and the others soon followed. They shifted to their wolves and circled him nuzzling their noses into Jonathan's fur relieved that he was still alive.

A voice passed through each of their thoughts as Luke approached the middle of the circle, he pressed his forehead to the wolf in front of him. Welcome home Jonathan...

—

Six years later-

Sweet smells filled Jonathan's nostrils, flowers, honey, and the ocean breeze. He sighed happily pushing himself out of bed. Spring.

He lazily slipped on his vans and headed downstairs to make breakfast. He poured the pancake batter onto the stove and set the temperature just right. 

"Mornin Jon!" Tyler smiled letting himself into Jonathan's house without warning. Then again, none of them ever knocked, they were a family and just as annoying as one.

Jonathan rolled his eyes and smiled. "I never get privacy do I?" He giggled to himself and Tyler grinned shaking his head.

"It's Spring." Tyler smiled pursing his lips at the thought. Jonathan could smell it, the sweet smell Spring brought, and the tinge of sex that hung in the air.

"Mating season." Jonathan nodded and Tyler smirked.

"Sure is."

Jonathan rolled his eyes and laughed. "How's your mate?" His smile turning into a smirk as Craig walked through the door.

"He's great." Tyler wrapped his arm around Craig's chest pulling him close, receiving a blush from the shorter man before he bent over to kiss his forehead.

"Would you two quit." Craig huffed pulling away from Tyler. "I'm sick of you two!" He teased and made his way to the couch in the living room.

Soon the others showed up per-usual. Jonathan's home was practically in the center of everyone else's. Marcel and Scotty lived near the coastline, while Tyler and Craig lived towards the mountains. David and Lui were neighbors closer towards the city, and Brock lived in a small apartment building down the street from them. Brian lived in the country, and Luke lived a block away from Jonathan.

"Morning." Luke's thick deep voice made the house go quiet. It was rough with sleep and he smiled making his way to the living room to join his friends.

They all sat in their usual spots: Luke in the chair near the window, Craig and Tyler on the loveseat, Lui on the ottoman, Brock, Brian, and Jonathan on the sofa, and Marcel and Scotty on the window bench.

"It's spring." Luke started and looked around at his family. "This obviously doesn't concern most of you..." he paused scanning his eyes over Marcel, Scotty, Tyler, Craig, Brian, and Brock, "but for the rest of you. It's serious." He stated bluntly looking at the three unclaimed Omegas: Jonathan, Lui, and David. 

Lui looked at Luke carefully, "we have to be careful because of our heats... right?" his squeaky voice seemed afraid.

Luke nodded and eyed Jonathan carefully. He wasn't as worried about David and Lui as he was him. There weren't many other wolves in the area, other than the small pack of outsiders they had stumbled upon many times before. Luke had never liked the way their Alpha looked at Jon. Ryan was cruel, leading a ban of wolves he'd personally turned. He didn't have many rules and his thirst for Jonathan was heavily noted by Luke's pack.

Luke thought back to last spring and clenched his fist. Ryan had preyed on Jonathan all season, cornering him and trying to mark him. Luckily each time Luke had stopped him before he sunk his teeth into Jonathan's neck, but what would happen if he wasn't around? He couldn't bare to think of it. They all knew an Alpha had the right to claim a Beta or Omega of his choice, but Luke couldn't stand to watch the wolf Ryan claimed to be Jonathan.

It had been months since they saw the rouge pack and the feeling made Luke uneasy. He tried his best to keep his family safe. As Alpha it was his job. They were close and a very happy group, most of them already had found their mate regardless. Two of his Betas has already chosen two Omegas to claim. Tyler had claimed Craig, and Marcel had claimed Scotty. The other two Betas seemed more content to be alone. Brock and Brian didn't have much interest in anyone and most Alphas didn't seem to want Beta mates anyways. His three Omegas were decently content too. Lui and David spent most of their time together, but it was Jonathan he worried about. His best friend he'd turned when he was only seventeen.

Jonathan had always seemed to want a mate, but his taste wasn't for anyone of their kind. Jonathan instead had always had his heart set on one person. Evan. The man he played video games with on his free time. They'd known each other for 10 years and could read each other like open books. The only thing Evan didn't know was Jon's form, and his feelings.

Luke sighed looking at Jonathan who smiled at him sadly. He knew what the Alpha was thinking, he could just tell. Jonathan had tried for years to find an alternative to Evan, but it was always to no avail. He loved the man, he truly did, but he could never be with someone like Evan. He was perfect, a beautiful tall dark haired Asian man with almond eyes, but nevertheless he was human. Although a wolf could love a human, Jonathan was an Omega, and someday in his life another would come along and claim him. Tying them for life. Evan could never be that person. He wasn't a wolf, and he couldn't stop Jonathan from being claimed even if he tried.

Jonathan shook his head, it wasn't like Evan would try anyways. He didn't reciprocate Jonathan's feelings, he couldn't. Evan was perfect, and Jonathan well.... he was Jonathan.

"Jon." Luke broke him from his trance and smiled at him softly. "It's okay man."

He smiled back, nodding at the Alpha, waiting for him to continue their discussion.

"Now, have you all marked your heat weeks?" Luke questioned and the Omegas nodded along with Tyler and Marcel who also were aware of their mates week. "Good. You need to keep yourselves calm and most importantly home. I refuse to let any of you near the camp during your week."

Marcel nodded and looked over at Scotty. "We won't even be in town his heat week. His parents will be in New York for the week so we're staying in Alabama at their house." Scotty blushed and Marcel eyed him wildly, this would be their first mating season together and he was loving every bit of it.

"Get eh room would ye?" David laughed and winked at Marcel who rolled his eyes.

"Oh we'll have a room alright!" Scotty perked up at Marcel's teasing and laughed at the applauded look on David's face.

"Enough you two!" Luke snapped and the room went silent until the Alpha's Rich laughter sent everyone into a fit of giggles.

Jonathan's laughter died when his pocket began to buzz. Evan's familiar ringtone played and he answered it almost immediately.

"Hey!" He smiled and Evan could practically hear it through the phone.

"Hey Jon"

"What's up? Whatcha need?" He asked cheerfully.

"Wanna play some Gmod? I tried calling the others but nobody answered."

"Oh uh, well everyone's here right now, but I think they're heading out soon." He giggled to himself.

"Alright, just tell them to get on then."

"Sure thing!"

"Oh and Jon..?"

"Um yeah?"

"After they leave I really need to talk, just you and me."

Jonathan swallowed hard his heart racing in his chest at Evan's words. "Is everything alright?" He asked slowly.

"Yeah I just kinda need you right now."

—

"Damn it Mini!" Jonathan slammed his fist on his desk laughing as Craig shouted victoriously into his mic after getting the final kill in Gun Game.

They all wrapped up their recordings, one by one leaving the Skype call. Craig and Tyler left first and Marcel and Scotty soon followed. Brian and Brock stayed a while and finally retired to bed ending their calls at nine. David yawned and shut off his computer a few moments later, leaving Lui, Jonathan, and Evan alone in the call.

"You two going to sleep soon?" The squeaky voice asked with a loud yawn.

"Yeah soon." Jonathan smiled to himself as he waited for the youngest to leave.

Lui finally said his good nights and left the call. It was silent as the two men sat there waiting for one of them to speak. Jonathan's monitor flickered as an image came across the screen and he smiled. Evan had turned on his camera and Jonathan did the same meeting his eyes.

"What's going on...?" Jonathan whispered seeing the hollowness in his face and the dark circles the puffed out beneath his eyes.

"You've been worrying me Jon." Evan sighed rubbing at his eyes. "You've been so distant lately... I.. it scares me."

Jonathan frowned knowing he couldn't even explain to Evan why he'd been leaving him in the dark. His heat would start soon, so he had to keep to himself and his pack for the entirety of it. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply pulling at the hem of his hoodie to calm his nerves. He wanted to tell Evan the truth, to make things so much easier, but he couldn't. He could never tell Evan what he was, he knew how he'd react, he knew the screams that'd escape his throat, he'd seen it all before. It's how Luke lost Rachel.

"Jon... please..." Evan begged gripping his desk till his knuckles turned white.

"Evan I'm fine. I just-" he shook his head and looked at his feet. Tears were pooling in the corner of his eyes but he bit them back and forced a smile. "Look, tomorrow you should come over. The guys and I are going to watch some movies. I'm sorry I've been shutting you out. I'll make it up to you."

Evan nodded and smiled softly. "Just please Jon don't shut me out, no matter what it is I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Jonathan sighed to himself if only you knew Evan, if only you knew...