I've spent a few days without stopping at Alpha Matthew's house. Every time I think about him my heart does little flutters and I can't help but get nervous. It's not good. Maybe if I was a human, I could just argue that I have a crush. I could even make assumptions and go after him. But he's an Alpha and I'm just...well me. Some girl who stumbled here because I had nowhere else to go. Putting some distance between myself and my growing feelings towards Matthew is probably the best thing to do.

I just keep thinking of his beautiful face. His kissable lips, tuggable hair. How much taller he is than me and how radiating his smile is. The intensity of his dark green eyes. How he wears his glasses, and it practically makes me swoon. Or how he smells like Amberwood, and books, and coffee. The sound of his laugh echoing in my head. The man has an aesthetic and carries himself like I've seen no other. It's delicious—

You're drooling, My wolf cuts me off.

I ignore her, fully aware that she hasn't been pleased with me these last few days because I haven't been to his office. I keep wanting to be around him. Like my body is trying to make up an excuse to go visit him but it's just best if I don't. I want to believe that he enjoys my company, but if there's one thing I've noticed it's that Matthew puts off a very uninviting aura. Once you get to know him though, he's incredibly open and receptive. I'm sure he's just being nice and trying to make me feel welcomed into the pack.

I already finished teaching for the day and even audited two different courses. Not only am I getting to know the students who attend my class, I'm also included into conversations with fellow classmates. Because the new school year has started, they were all discussing the countless parties that have been raging on campus.

When I'm not talking to students, I spend time in the professor's lounge. Students get plenty of space working at the libraries or study areas. The professors get their own lounge. There are events posted all the time. I've gotten the chance to have lunch with some fellow werewolves who have been a part of the pack their whole lives. It's incredible how friendly everyone is.

The sun is just about setting by the time I reach my building. Once I've climbed the cobblestones stairs to my room, I'm instantly frozen into my place. Standing just at my door, with her arms crossed over her chest as she patiently waits, is Sage.

"Hey," I say hesitantly.

Her eyes snap up from the ground to me, she stands up straighter, a half-smile on her face. "Took you damn long enough. I thought your lecture ended like three hours ago."

"It did." I tell her with a slight frown, "But I was auditing some courses. I'm sorry, why didn't you let me know you were coming?"

"I would have." Sage sighs, "But you're still not part of our mind link which makes it such a nuisance."

I let out a small chuckle, walking just past her and opening my front door. She follows me into my home, "Would you like anything to drink?"

Sage shrugs, "I'm good. I just came to talk to you."

Turning towards her, I instinctively cross my arms over my chest defensively. It's not like Sage and I had a great start when we met but she hasn't done anything ridiculously mean to me. "Oh? About what?"

Sage walks deeper in my house. Glancing at the very few decorations I have—essentially nothing. Her eyes scan the stack of books by my bed that I've borrowed from Matthew. They then lay on the necklace that Clara gave me that I have permanently hanging from the lamp so I can see it every night before going to sleep.

"You seem to be getting along pretty well with Alpha." Her body finally turns to me, her eyes scanning my expression carefully.

I nod tentatively, "He has a great book collection. Matthew just lets me borrow them every so often."

Sage smirks, her eyebrow raising harshly. "Matthew?"

"Alpha." I quickly correct myself. Damn, I need to be better at that.

Sage nods slowly, and I'm unsure what to say. So, for a few seconds we're in silence and I start to panic that she might be onto my growing feelings. She finally sighs deeply, wringing the back of her neck hesitantly.

"Alpha and I have been best friends since we were kids." Sage admits to me somewhat out of the blue. Her eyes lock on mine, "My brother was destined to be Beta, but Alpha and him agreed he wasn't born for the role. I was."

"I think it's really badass that you're the Beta." I smile at her, letting out a humorless chuckle. "In Sparta, we were segregated based on gender. There's no way my former pack would have allowed a Beta Female."

Sage takes a few steps towards me. There's nothing threatening about her stance. Her head is cocked to the side like she's trying her best to understand something. She stops just a few feet away from me.

"I just need you to know that I understand Alpha Matthew better than anyone." She explains. There's a sadness behind her voice that she's trying hard not to let get to her, but I can hear it ever so slightly. "I was there when he was rejected by his mate, by our Luna. So just...tread lightly. He's my best friend, Mia."

I just nod in understanding. This is exactly why I'm having to put distance between Matthew and me. I can't be having these crazy thoughts when clearly, it's not what Sage wants. Hell, I'm not even part of the pack. I need to get over myself.

"I really love it here, Sage." I tell her honestly, "I don't want to do anything that'll fuck up my life here."

She finally gives me a friendly smile. "I'm glad you like it. What are your plans tonight?"

I shrug, the question catching me off guard. "Curl up with some books."

"It's Friday night, Mia." Her eyebrows furrow together in distaste. "There's no way you're staying here."

I can't help but laugh. "You're kidding? Don't you have some Beta duties to accomplish instead of guilting me for staying home Friday night?"

Sage scowls me, her eyes rolling quite harshly. "Come on. You're young and hot. You're coming with me tonight."

She grabs my keys from the table, tossing them to me as she opens my door. I smoothly catch them, hesitation starting to dwell in the pit of my stomach. Sage doesn't even hesitate to start walking down the stairs.

"Come on girl," She calls after me. "We're going to go have some fun."

You know what, I think to myself. I deserve to have some fun.

My wolf agrees with me as I grab my tote-bag that I use as a purse and follow after Sage. As soon as we're outside, it's already dark but Sage knows exactly where she's going. Instead of heading towards the illuminated streets, she's headed towards the edge of the forest.

"Where are we going?" I ask, somewhat afraid somewhat eager.

"I'm taking you to the best pub in town. It's where we locals go." She says as she throws her shirt off over her head. I guess we'll have to get there as wolves or else it makes no sense whatsoever as to why she's just blatantly getting naked in front of me.

I don't even bother questioning her. I start throwing my shoes off, suddenly thankful that I brought my bag. Sage looks over her shoulder at me, holding her clothes up as if asking to put it in my bag. I let her toss it in before she runs into the forest, the sound of cracking bones quickly echoing for a split second.

I follow suit, throwing my clothes into the bag before shifting into my wolf form. My wolf absolutely thrilled to finally smell the land we've been calling home for the last few weeks. I haven't let her wolf out yet, unsure how it would look because we recently moved here.

I grab my bag into my mouth, letting my nose take me towards Sage as she's disappeared into the woods. I spot her pretty quickly, her Beta aura radiating off of her. She whips her head in the direction that we're going and sprints off.

I can't help but feel free. My claws dig into the earth every leap and jump I take. I swerve my way around Sage whenever she lets me. The both of us letting our wolves enjoy the company of each other. I quickly notice that Sage is taking me up the side of one of the mountains in the valley. My eyes homing in on the small bit of smoke that's trailing in the air. The smell of beer and campfire hitting my nose when the breeze shifts.

What would usually take a normal human hours to hike takes us merely a few minutes. We arrive to a clearing where a small cabin is in place. It's a rinky-dinky pub that oddly looks like it belongs here. As soon as we arrive, I can hear a ton of commotion. There also seems to be other wolves arriving into the clearing from all sorts of directions. They all bow their heads in respect to Sage as we walk to the side of the building where everyone seems to be getting dressed.

We quickly shift back, and I toss Sage her clothes. She gives me a grin, "Your wolf seemed quite happy. You should let her out more often."

"I don't feel like I know the territory well enough if I'm being honest." I tell her with a sigh.

She puts her arm over my shoulders, steering me towards the bar. "I'll show you the territory any time you want, Mia. You just let me know when. You have to let your wolf out or you'll go crazy."

This instantly warms my heart. It feels like she actually cares, and I don't have to struggle to be comfortable around her. I try so hard not to smile like an idiot, but I know Sage catches me grinning through the corner of her eye.

She opens the front doors of the pub—or should I say saloon. As soon as we walk in, I'm hit with wave of beer, laughter, music, and the sounds of billiard balls clacking together. All the wolves turn to Sage, bowing their head in respect before raising their huge glasses of beer. With her arm over my shoulders, it's no surprise that everyone stares at me.

"Everyone," Sage yells out. "This is Mia. A new member of the pack."

"Hey!" Everyone shouts together, cheering me. I hear many, "Welcome Mia" or "Nice to have you!" I feel like I've entered an alternative universe. So many werewolves in sight all just letting loose and having fun. And they all ranged in ages too. A few older adults seem to be playing poker at one table, followed by wolves who look my age that are arguing over billiards.

I can't help but feel giddy, "What even is this place?"

"What?" Sage grins pulling me to the bar. "This is where our pack comes to have fun. We have a few things in city center, but this is the 'to-go' spot. Welcome to the Full Moon."

I take a seat at the bar with Sage, the bartender instantly coming to us. "Welcome to the Full Moon newbie," an older gentleman says with a grin. He looks like he's in his mid-forties or early fifties. Hair slightly turning silver.

"This is Mia," Sage introduces me to the bartender. "Mia, this is Eli, the owner of the bar."

He reaches over to shake my hand. I politely nod, "Nice meeting you. You've got a great bar!"

He smiles gently, "Thanks. My mate and I run it together."

His eyes scan the crowd and I follow them to a woman wearing an apron who's serving beers to a table full of young wolves. She's laughing alongside them, and I can't help but smile.

"On the house." Eli says handing Sage and I a huge portion of beer. "Welcome to our pack, Mia."

Sage turns to me, and we quickly cheer our drinks before hammering it down our throats. I'm not surprised that the serving sizes are huge. Being a werewolf means having a crazy metabolism, which means it takes absurd amounts for us to get drunk. With that said, I have no idea what kind of beer Eli makes here, but it's strong as hell. There's no way it's the same alcohol content as your typical Corona.

"I'm glad you already like it here," Sage says to me while wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. I turn my attention from the overloading of my senses to her and smile.

"I really do." I say, "The university is great."

"You should explore more than the university." She chugs down her beer and I'm impressed because suddenly it's empty. "You should go into Old Town. Meet everyone."

I feel somewhat guilty all of a sudden. She's completely right. I've been so focused on the schooling and reading aspect. Of being comfortable that I haven't taken the time to actually go into the pack's town. I've heard from students that because it borders the lake and is in the center of the valley, it's absolutely stunning. It's lined with old shops, great restaurants, and bars. It's practically where everyone goes during the weekend. To swim in the lake before it gets too cold or spend some time just running through the woods. I've even heard that because we're so secluded from humanity, it's not unheard of for wolves to be casually roaming around the center of town having just come back from a run.

"You're totally right," I nod in approval. "Could you take me through this weekend?"

Sage lights up. Seeing her so happy seems to negate her badass appeal with the buzzed hair and usual daunting stare. "Of course!" She chirps, "I'll show you the best spots. Just stop by the Alpha's house tomorrow around eleven and I'll take you."

I frown slightly, "The Alpha's house?"

"Yeah." Sage waves her hand, "I live there. Alpha Matthew gave me the left wing of the castle. Once I find my mate, I'll probably move out into my own home but for now, living with Alpha Matthew is better than living alone. He's like a brother."

I nod, trying not the showcase my nervousness at the thought of being in Matthew's home again. I miss his office and his book collection. But if Sage says she'll take me around, then I don't expect to run into him.

"We'll get the mind link situation sorted out for you quickly." Sage waves her hand at Eli, calling out for another set of beers. She turns to look at me with an evil smirk and tinge in her eye, "But for now you have a commencement tradition to abide to."

Sage turns to the entire crowd, placing her fingers in her mouth to let out a large whistle that instantly gets everyone's attention. Everyone quiets down instantly, turning to stare at us.

"As a new member of our pack," Sage echoes loudly. "It only seems fair that Mia accomplishes our beer chugging tradition, don't you all think?"

I hide my face with my hands, a laugh escaping my lips as sounds of approval resonate through the bar. Every wolf stands up to surround me at the bar as Eli pours every single beer on tap into a massive mug that looks like it fits two or three pints.

Sage let's out a laugh, "If you want to prove being part of our pack, you need as many of these as you can in three minutes."

I stare at the absurd amount of beer on the bar counter that I'm meant to chug. Wolves are all around me, practically howling and shouting words of encouragement. I can't help but feel at home. Feel like laughing and dancing alongside all of them. I decide to be bold, sitting on the bar counter so everyone can see me. I get a howl of approval from everyone as I lift the first mug of beer.

"Time me." I tell Eli, who already has a timer set to three minutes on the back of the bar. The bar counts down from five, Eli clicks the button, and I start chugging away. A chorus of approval passing through the bar like the cheers I used to hear back home when a warrior would win.