AN: One of my favorite authors here on Wattpad, Whiskeyqueenn , wrote, "Tap out or get knocked the fuck out." Bex has a similar saying... I got this picture off of Pinterest. Imaginative purposes only!

P.s. I know the time jump is abrupt. Once I finish the book, I'll fix it.

4 years later...

The pups in Micheal's pack are shaping up to become mighty strong warriors. Not just the males, the females are starting to get confident in their abilities too.

I couldn't be prouder.

These pups are exactly what I needed, they remind me that everyday is a new beginning, a new start. No matter what happened the day before at training, they always come the next day ready for more.

Micheal comes in sometimes to check on their progress but he doesn't stay long and I don't try to keep him. Our relationship has never been the same but Jenni and him are still close which comforts me.

Even though we live together, Jenni and I hardly interact which I guess is my fault.
Damn, I hope that she knows that I still love her. Micheal too, I love both of my siblings so much but the loss of our parents still leaves a hole in my chest. They were my confidants when it came to my "gift", Micheal and Jenni were too young at the time to fully understand me. Now that they're older- I can't bring myself to tell them. My siblings need normalcy and I'm anything but normal.

Hell, I still haven't been able to fully "feel" anything from that day. I think I unintentionally installed a block in my mind that pops up anytime I get overwhelmed. It's great when in public but it leaves me numb- I'm tired of being numb all the time. Of course new emotions have formed in the place if my long forgotten ones but I feel like the original me is missing.

I've decided to start my days before the sun comes up, primarily because there's no one else around. I roam the house with ease getting it ready for the big change. Jenni is close to getting her wolf, I can feel the subtle changes in her emotions. Sounds weird, I know, but my intuition is telling me that she's close.

My little sister has always been gentle. Even when she was angry, Jenni would never move to harm a hair on anyone's head. Now I'm starting to feel pockets of pure aggression arise where there was nothing but gentleness before.

As a precaution, our glass figurines are now being replaced with plastic replicas, our fine china has been replaced by dollar store glass, and there are plenty of thrift store clothes waiting to be shredded for when her wolf comes out unexpectedly. For the next couple of months I will refuse to buy her brand new clothing, she wont be able to resist shifting in tense moments and everything sets off a new werewolf.

I learned my lessons well when my parents had to deal with Micheal's change.

I've also been moving in sturdier furniture. If Jenni has noticed these changes, she hasn't said a thing to me about it. Luckily, I learned how to cook for a growing werewolf from my mom so the fridge is packed and ready for Jenni's murderous appetite, which is already making itself known.

I get the coffee brewing just like every other morning when someone knocks on our back door.

Now, the way our house is set up is that it's two stories with a deck in the back overlooking the lake yards away. To get to the kitchen from the front door, one has to pass my room, the stairs and the living room before they reach the kitchen. No one would be able to know that we have a deck, much less a back door unless they've been here before.

I open the door mostly curious, no one who's been given invitation to this house is stupid enough to try me. It's well known in the pack that I can best just about anyone in a fight, hell, in the dead of night I train our Gamma male's so that they can get even better. And they're our trained fighters! I also have sessions with some of the Omega's, who are the weakest members of the pack. They most likely won't move up in rank but at least they'll be able to fight off rogues.

I evaluate my brother at the door and he looks tired. This pack is a strain even though he's the right man for the job, maybe it'll get better once he finds his mate.

When Alpha Hawthorne gave Micheal the pack, everyone was stunned except me. Our fathers blood runs thick in those veins of his- Micheal would never be at peace until he had a pack to run. Alpha Hawthorne knew this and so did I. It really worked out that Hawthorne's first born is destined for the Counsel, there were also no other problems that arose when he handed the Alpha title over to Micheal after Eric left for good. Which was a blessing because it wouldn't have been pretty.

If someone had challenged Micheal, I would've ripped them to shreds.

I wave for my brother to come in and gesture towards the coffee, I don't speak until half of my mug is empty. I may get up in the morning but I'm never fully functioning until I get my coffee in.

We sit on the barstools next to each other, at the island, in the middle of the kitchen.

"What's up?" I ask, Micheal never visits us this early.

His mug looks like mine so I know that he's ready to talk, we're the same when it comes to mornings and coffee. It's a trait or mother gave us.
"Jenni is about to get her wolf."

"I know."

"Do you have a plan set in place?" He doesn't look surprised by my reply in the slightest.

"Make sure Jenni doesn't trash the house." It's simple but it covers all of my concerns.
"And if she does, make sure that she breaks nothing that's expensive."

"What about her mate? Once he gets a smell of her- it's over."

"Do you really think that he's in this pack?" There's a slim chance of him being this close, most wolves have to travel a bit before they find their mate. If they even find them at all, the world is huge and sometimes mates die before meeting each other.

"I don't know but we need a plan just in case he is." There's tension in Micheal's shoulders which tells me that he's been giving this issue a lot of thought.

I haven't because it's pretty simple to me.

"Have him over for dinner."

Micheal looks like I've lost my mind. "What! That's it?"

"We very well can't keep them apart Micheal. They're mates. Hell, if she wants to move in with him- I'll give my consent." Before Micheal can start shouting, I continue.
"Do you have so little faith in our sister? Mom and Dad taught her our morals and we've taught her how to defend herself. If her wolf has decided that it's time then all we can do is sit back and stay where we are in case she needs us. Jenni already knows that she's not to think about pups until after her sophomore year in college. We sat down and that's what she wants. If her mate doesn't respect that, then our familial visit won't be so nice." I shrug at my brother because if it comes down to it, we won't hesitate to break down her mate.

Micheal wants to argue, I feel his anger but I'm right and he knows it. We sit some more and watch the sun rise. I could've been doing more wolf proofing to the house but I'm fine with spending some time with my brother instead, even if neither of us talks.

We sit for so long that soon Jenni comes bounding into the kitchen shocked and hesitant.

"Am I in trouble?" I feel her aggression rising letting me know that even if she is, Jenni isn't afraid to handle us. I can't help but chuckle softly, she truly is growing into herself.

"Nope. Micheal just came to visit us. Want some breakfast?" I might as well make them some since I'm still here. I won't die from skipping my morning run and workout.

Jenni nods her head vigorously which I expected. My question was really towards Micheal to see if he'd stay.

He nods too. "Yeah. What are you going to make?"

That's a good question. Normally after my run I'd make myself, and Jenni if she's still here, a breakfast sandwich but since Micheal's here..... I might as well go all out. "French toast? Pancakes? Waffles? With eggs? Bacon or sausage?"

Jenni takes a seat next to Micheal that I've vacated.
"Ooo! Can you make crepes!? I had a dream of dad making them the other night and I can't get it out of my head." She smacks her lips together at the memory.

I nod my head but don't say anything, neither does Micheal.

Soon, I get lost in the memory of dad teaching me how to make them. Jenni was 10 at the time. Dad loved baking and all things pastry. When he was stressed, by morning the kitchen would be overflowing with sugary delights. I don't bake much because it's just too painful, but on special occasions like birthdays- I use my dad's favorite recipes.

My mental block decides to slam in place making me blessedly numb as I'm cooking.

Not too long later, I place a plate full of crepes on the table along with the eggs and bacon. Jenni fetches the whipped cream, the strawberry/ peach preserves, and gets the powdered sugar from the pantry. Micheal sets up the table then pours us all some juice while Jenni refills Micheal's mug with coffee. I decline on more because I don't want too much caffeine in my system.

It feels just like old times, we're just missing two people. None of us say much as we're eating, I think we're all afraid to burst our comfortable bubble.

After we're done, no one needs cleaning instructions. Since I cooked, all I have to do is clear the table. Micheal and Jenni start cleaning all the dishes. We do have a dishwasher but mom always made us wash the dishes by hand. I think that they're so stuck in routine that they aren't even thinking about it.

I sit back at the table and look at my siblings. Watching them almost makes me cry but even though my body reacts, the emotion isn't there. Both of them have so much to look forward to. They both have mates out there and normal lives to live while I'm almost positive that I'll end up alone.
'If only I was normal.....NO! Stop this Bex. The moon has blessed me with my gift and I need to remember that.' I sternly say to myself.

I get up from the table knowing that I need to leave now.
"I have to get to the pups." I lean on my tip toes to kiss Micheal on the cheek and lean down a little to kiss Jenni on the forehead.

"We should do this again." Both of my siblings nod but they add nothing more as they work side by side at the sink.

This was good for all of us.

~~

When I walk into the training room, the pups are huddled in a circle watching two of their peers fight. I don't break it up simply because I want to see who'll win.

It's a younger female faced off with a pre-teen male. The boy has a sneer on his face. No blows seemed to have been exchanged yet but they are circling each other.

"Look it's not my fault you can't fight. Females just aren't made for combat!" Ooo's come from the crowd as well as harsh words disagreeing.

"Shut up Joshua! Just because you're a male doesn't make you better than me!"

"It's not just that, rank also makes me better than you."

The pups "ooo" again at the boys reply. The young female keeps her eyes trained on him like I taught her, she's not fazed by words. She's waiting for a perfect spot to strike while the boy is less guarded. He's not scared of her but he should be.

I've taught them to always be wary off any competitors you haven't already fought. And even then they need to be cautious.

The young female knows that naturally plenty of people will be stronger than her but she works at being faster to level the playing field. Her determination is what will make her a great fighter.

"You're just an Omega and a girl. Stick to playing with your Barbies, this is no place for the weak."

The females of the group growl at him the best they can. Without wolves, growls don't really sound right. Or as threatening.

Still, the young female says nothing back. She's on the balls of her feet, and knows where she'll strike but she's waiting for him to say something that will set her off. She's waiting for the line that will justify her wrath.

To my guesstimation, this male has been taunting her but he hasn't said anything that will start an all out brawl. So far he's only been bristling her imaginary fur.

Still, I watch from a distance. I'm far away enough to where the pups can't feel my presence but close enough to where I can end things before they get too bad.

The boy has said some other things but nothing to warrant a severe attack. I feel like he's been leading up to his final insult.

My instincts never let me down.

"Ya know, I don't get why they even let you Omega's train with us. It's not like your status will ever change, in a couple of years you'll be cleaning my toilets just like your mom."

Well, his day is about to get fucked. I stretch out my body ready to intervene if this should get fatal.

The young girl strikes him in the throat first, to distract him. Then she strikes his diaphragm, to knock the air out of his body, keeping him distracted before her final move. Quickly she jumps behind the boy kicking at his knees to make him fall onto the mat before grabbing his arm and twisting it behind his back. There's nothing more he can do if he doesn't want his shoulder dislocated. I'm impressed, I expected her to be more savage but her attack was controlled.

"Take it back." The young girl sounds deadly calm.

No one moves to help the boy, he's pinned. She had every right and by the feelings in the room, they all accept her methods of getting him there.

I've taught them well.

If he was dumb enough to leave himself unguarded like that then she had every right to knock his ass down. In a real fight, he would be dead and they know it.

He laughs from underneath her like they are just playing around, like he didn't just insult her entire being and way of life.
"No way in hell. I meant every word, now let me go!" He has the audacity to sound mad.

He thinks that she'll concede immediately to his wishes.

Ha!

She exerts enough pressure and there's a sickly pop that echos in the room. The pups all gasp while I hold back my laughter.

"Don't talk shit if you can't take the hit." I say while walking towards them. The boy is on the ground screaming while the young female stands above him looking frightened. "Class. Give this young one a round of applause." I start the clapping and the kids hesitantly follow my example.

"Now someone help him up and take him to the clinic." I'm assuming that a friend of his rushes to help. Before they exit I turn and address the two. "Oh and young Joshua, for the next two weeks you will be running the trails for training and when you're done, you get to play with the older group. Since you want to taunt someone younger and of lower rank, I think it'll be fair for you to spar with the Alpha's sister." Jenni will love taking out some of her aggression on the boy, she's not much for people belittling others.

I instruct the class to do their exercises but I take the young female to the side. She looks like she's ready to cry with relief for not being punished by her actions against someone of higher rank than her. Not all higher ranking wolves treat those below them fairly.

"You've proven yourself but now you'll have to work harder than before. He won't be the last to test you." I'm at her level looking straight into her eyes to let her know that I'm serious. She nods her head and I can see the determination setting into her small frame.

I keep this up and as soon as these young pups get their wolves....

They'll take over the world with nothing to stop them.

AN: I love this chapter.😍

W2901