Selene paced in front of the trailers. Around her, her team moved about, getting ready for the upcoming assignment. The whole camp had an air of anticipation and already the adrenaline pumped in each of their veins.

Her people would be ready.

She couldn't take all of them with her. They knew that. Never had there been an assignment where the whole camp came along. This time though, her people had to be ready for the second part of the assignment. Each person would have a job to complete. It gave them a purpose. Which was probably for the best, but the more people involved, the higher the chances of something going wrong. It made her antsy.

She'd always preferred to work in small groups with backups as needed. The small group for the upcoming assignment had already been hand-selected. The backups would be ready as well, just in case.

They wouldn't be needed. She felt it, deep in her bones. This assignment would go without a hitch. It had to.

She took a calming breath. As long as Blackthorne got his head out of his own ass this mission would be easy. Now it was a matter of making sure all of the variables were taken care of.

The trailers in the camp were small--nothing more than a few seven feet by four feet metal boxes with stainless steel bars installed at the opening. When the camp moved, the trailers came with. They hitched easily to the backs of the four trucks they used when they migrated. She moved to the biggest one, the nine by five one, and opened the latch to draw up the steel door.

Yellow eyes stared out from the darkness. "Hi honey," though she wanted to press her face into the cage, she held herself back. She would be of no use to him if she were half-mauled. And he'd hold too much regret afterward. Regret for something he couldn't control. "Wolf today? You haven't been you in a while."

In the cage the wolf prowled forward, sniffing the air. He half-growled half-purred at her. She'd come to learn that as a good sign. Today he wouldn't be overly aggressive.

"Do you think you could try to come back? Just for now?" Her voice softened, "I've got an assignment and I'd love to talk with you before it."A muzzle pressed through the bars. Her hand ached to pet it. Touch, she wanted to touch him without her hand being ripped clean from her arm. "Please."

The eyes never looked away. Never blinked. Then slowly, the yellow dimmed. She swallowed back the hope coming up her throat. Fur receded, bones snapped, and as her anticipation grew she began reminding herself. It might not work. It might not work.

But it did.

Her baby boy looked out at her. "Dominic. Hi, sweetie."

Dominic's blond hair was sweaty and matted to his face. He panted, curling up against the wall to hide his nakedness. "Mom."

"I've got good news." She couldn't help it--her fingers reached through the bars. When they met a sweaty hand, she smiled. "We've found a great lead."

Dominic dropped his head back until it hit the metal wall. "Mom, you said that last time."

"Well this time I mean it."

He was exhausted. She could tell by the way his eyes drooped and the pallor of his skin. The Change always did that to him when he managed to make through it. "I don't know if I can do this anymore."

"Don't you talk like that." He often had notions of giving up. Of letting the beast take over. But she'd be damned if she'd let him. She'd spent too many years fighting to hear him talk of giving in.

"It's been almost fourteen years. I'm twenty-seven."

"I'm not losing you, Dominic."

"You don't get it," the words came softly from his lips, but despite his fatigue she could still hear the building frustration. "I don't want to fight this anymore."

God, she wanted to hold him in her arms the way she did when he was a baby. Wanted to kiss him on the forehead. Wanted to watch him become a man and make a life for himself. All the things that she'd had ripped away from her. The ferocity with which she desired revenge for the things she'd had to live without never failed to surprise her. "You are going to keep the beast held back as long as there is hope, do you hear me? I will not listen to you talk this way."

Dominic closed his eyes, his jaw tight. "Whatever."

She'd just opened her mouth to yell at him when a voice barked, "Your Royal Leaderess! The troop is ready to move."

With a sigh, she straightened up and put on her unflinching leader persona. "You hold on, Dominic." Then she pulled down the door and hit the latch.

She shut her son into darkness.

~

Harley

Something poked at Harley's shoulder. She mumbled and dug her face further into her warm pillow in response.

Another poke.

Bleary-eyed and irritated, she hit at the poker. "No."

"Get up," Will said.

"No."

"Harley--"

She pulled the covers over her head, burrowing into the warmth. That was, until cold feet pressed against her shin. "You're a meanie," she declared.

Will only laughed and ripped the covers away. As the cold air brushed against her exposed skin, she curled into a ball and squeezed her eyes tight. "I don't like you."

"Yes, you do." He teased.

"No, I don't."

"You do. You admitted it. Now you can't take it back."

"I just did."

Will clapped his hands together. "Up. Time to train. You've got fifteen minutes. Otherwise I'll carry you to the clearing and you'll train in what you're wearing."

Harsh. She blew a breath through her lips and slowly got her limbs in motion.

Will sat on the other side of the bed in fresh clothes. He looked put together and ready to take on the day. She frowned at his gray t-shirt. "Where'd you get a change of clothes?"

"This?" He pulled at the edge of one sleeve. "I have a duffel here in case I need it."

"Does that happen often?"

He grinned. "Actually, this is the first time." A beat, then, "You have serious bedhead."

Her hands flew to her head, patting her hair down. "No I don't."

"It's cute." After a moment, his smile drained and he cleared his throat. "Look Harley, I understand if...if sometime today you realize that us," he gestured between them, "is not something you'd want to do."

As much as she loved Will's usual confidence and his comfortability with who he was as a person, she'd be lying if she said her heart didn't soften at his sudden show of doubt. In response she quirked a smile. "I should be saying that to you. After all, I wasn't the drunk one last night."

He didn't laugh at her poor attempt to lighten the mood. To put him at ease, she said, "Willie Gray, I promise you I'm as sure now as I was then. And unless I get suddenly possessed or smite down by the hand of the mighty smiter, that won't change."

His shoulders dropped in relief. "Good." Then he got up, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and said, "now you only have nine minutes."

She threw a pillow at him.

~

Training that morning went normal. Early afternoon, Will dropped her off at work and said he'd swing around when she was done. She'd insisted she could ride the bus, however in this case he'd refused to budge. "I can pick up Ben too. Two birds, one stone." He'd said.

Her shift tonight went until close, which meant by the time the workers got everything cleaned up and shut down it would be ten. Sure enough, by the time she'd gathered her purse her phone said 10:05.

The automatic glass doors slid open, leading into the empty parking lot. Strategically placed lights cast a glow about the area and an easy warm breeze worked across Harley's skin. She tilted her head back to take in the scattered stars in the night sky.

"Harley, wait up!" A voice called out.

If it were any other day at the same time she'd have booked it back into the mall, screaming the whole way.

Instead, Harley turned, a smile pinned to her lips. "Hey Ben. Ready to go?"

Ben beamed at her and caught her in a one armed hug. "God, it's so nice to have you back."

Harley's smile dimmed a bit. He made it sound like she'd taken a vacation--not completely shut her friends out. Only Ben would be nice enough not to call her out on her bullshit.

"Ben, aren't you mad at me?"

His eyebrows came together in confusion. "Of course not."

"But you don't even know why--"

"All that matters is you're here."

His loyalty made her heart ache. "I'm sorry I'm such an ass, Ben."

Ben rubbed circles on her back. "We all make mistakes. That doesn't make you an ass. It makes you human."

She raised an eyebrow, which made him roll his eyes. "Wolf, human, whatever. You get my point." He dropped his arm and shoulder bumped her. "When's Will coming?"

"I told him 10:15. Didn't want him waiting too long."

"Cool. He want us out front?"

She shrugged. "He didn't specify. And I didn't ask. I told him I'd take the bus but--"

Ben laughed. "I can imagine how that went."

Standing under the streetlight with the nice summer night air, having Ben laugh, waiting for Will, it all made her suddenly feel...special. Like maybe, maybe she could get used to this.

Then the urge to cry hit her straight through the chest. Between Will's understanding, Ben's unquestioning loyalty, Bailey's easy laughter, and Cam's quick wit, she had great friends. Friends she wasn't quite sure she deserved.

They had no baggage.

Maybe it was time she truly tried to get rid of hers. She was tired--tired of being sad, tired of feeling lonely, tired of making excuses for herself. She would build a home here with all these wonderful people in the same way her parents did. It was time for her to let it all go and be happy.

There was still one thing she had to do. She bit her lip, a question forming in her mind. She liked Ben. Liked the easy way he handled situations and the calm that oozed from him. He'd be good to have near her if she had to...

She turned to face him. "I need a favor."

Without hesitation Ben said, "Name it. I'm your guy."

"Will you...will you come with me tomorrow somewhere? There's something I need to do."