LAUGHING OUR AS

Damon tried just about everything to calm the kid down so he'd be able to shift. He tried to be patient with him, he really did. But eventually, he snapped and yelled at the kid who did end up shifting … in fear, before emptying his stomach all over his future alpha.

If there was one trait Damon shared completely with Julian, it was their hatred of vomit. Of course nobody liked seeing it, let alone being the one to produce it, but those two- the mere word disgusted them so actually seeing it, made them go a bit crazy.

So we wrapped it up quickly after that and led a fuming Damon away, laughing our asses off of course.

"I hate children." He declares angrily as he stomps ahead of us while dad and I hold onto each other to prevent us from falling over laughing.

"Stop pouting. I'll take you hunting later." Dad eventually squeezes out and Damon relaxes a little.

"I got to go." I say pushing myself off Po. "I'm meeting Sammy."

"We'll see you at the house then." He replies before jumping on Damon's back like a kid and pushing him forth.

I laugh at the scene before looking around for Caspar, who'd left a while ago in search of a place to sleep and never came back.

I'm going out with Sammy - I say and it takes only a moment for him to reply.

Keep that witch away from me - He calls back and I chuckle. He and Sammy didn't have the best relationship.

Be back in a couple hours - I say before heading to my car. Most people would shift and run but that wasn't an option for me.

Once inside, I text Sammy and make my way to her house.

***

"All I want to know, is where the hell all these pimples came from." Sammy says pushing and squeezing at her skin. "Last night, my cheek was as smooth as my ass. Now, it's the f*cking Himalayas."

"It's not that bad." I say trying to be nice but she just glares at me.

"Don't you dare try to console me with your freakish wolf genes that make you immune to pimples." She spits out and I smirk. "The most bullshit I've ever heard."

"You're just mad you're a boring mundane." I retort and she sends me a sideways glance.

"Not for long. Now that I know vampires are real, you can bet your right ballsack I'm going to be the next Katerina Podrava." She declares solemnly, I just roll my eyes. "So, which club are we going to tonight?"

"Oh no." I say sitting up immediately.

"Oh yes." She replies with a wicked grin. "Me, you and a random stranger equals threesome."

"No. I'm not going out tonight." I say firmly. "I know what you're trying to do, but getting me drunk won't make me forget about Maxiime."

"But it'll stop you from pretending he never existed." She counters and I bite my tongue. "You've been making yourself foolishly busy since you got back, you're just pushing away the inevitable problem."

"And what's that?"

"You're lonely." She says gently.

"What else am I supposed to do?" I reply in what could only be described as a whisper.

"Acknowledge he existed, accept that what you had is gone and move on. First step of moving on- getting under somebody else." She says like the certified therapist she imagined herself to be.

"I rather roam the earth alone forever." I reply and she stands still before looking to me.

"That's really sad Feli." She says seriously before giving me an excited smile. "So you'll pick me up at eleven?"

"Whatever."

***

Dad and I walk in silence, Caspar sticking to my side like always as we near to the border of our packlands. My heart was soaring uncontrollably in my chest, my eyes wide and wondrous while my light footsteps led me closer.

"Now kid, your dad made me come up with a list of rules for you while you're out there." Aiden starts with a look of dread as he unfolds a paper from his pocket. "You must be back in three hours. You must walk with enough water and energy bars. You must stay with Caspar at all times. You must … ya know what, you read it yourself." He says before slamming the paper into my chest.

I read through it quickly, smiling to myself at the amount of detail Julian out into these rules.

"I can do this." I say before refolding the paper and tucking it into my back pocket. Dad nods and we keep walking in silence.

When the warriors on patrol finally came in sight, his steps slowed until we were just before the border. He turns to me suddenly and takes a deep breath.

"There's a lot of rules on that paper but there's only one I need you to follow." He says looking at me seriously. "Do not engage that thing."

That Thing.

For as long as I could remember, there'd been a creature that lived beyond the pack lands that was said to be immortal. Immortal because nobody could kill it.

Everyone who tried either came back broken or bruised or didn't come back at all.

In Aiden's youth, he tried to kill the thing. Partially because the knowledge of something powerful living just outside your land would tick any alpha off. But it was mostly because the creature was a wolf, a rogue wolf, if you could even call it that.

From everyone's descriptions, the thing was battered and bruised with patchy black fur that made it invisible in the night. With a size that exceeded that of a normal alpha and pitch black eyes that burnt into your soul.

To save lives and keep the packs reputation high, the rule for exploring beyond pack borders was created and monitored closely. Today, I'd be the first person to go out there in years.

"I won't dad." I promised, and I meant it. Unlike Damon, I didn't want to get out just to hunt that thing. Actually, I wanted to stay as far from it as physically possible.

"Caspar will hear things before you. If he says something is off, come back. Don't you dare let yourself be separated from him." He says almost as if this was painful. My eyes widen in surprise at the tone of his voice before I nod quickly. "Feli, promise me you won't get yourself hurt out there."

He never called me by my name. It was always "kid".

"I promise." I say before hugging him tightly. His arms wrap around me tightly and I snuggle into his warm chest. "I'm just going for an hour or two tops. I'll be fine."

"I love you." He whispers before pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"I love you too."

"Now go before I change my mind." He says shoving me away and I smirk knowingly. I give him one small wave as I walk further away from him. I turn right before the border, looking down at Caspar who nods in his own way.

I look back at dad one last time, and then I take the last few steps which promised to lead me to world beyond the one I'd always known.

Logically, the woods which expanded beyond the pack shouldn't have been different from the ones elsewhere.

Logically, they should look, smell and feel the exact same. The trees shouldn't look more vibrant than any other.

But they did …

They looked so much more alive than any plants I'd ever laid eyes on. I tried to convince myself that I was imagining the slight glow that peeked through the cracks of the tree trunks. But I don't think I was- I couldn't be.

I couldn't be imagining this scent. This mind-numbing scent that radiated throughout the entire space and held me captive.

My legs kept moving, excitement driving me forth in what ever direction my spirit led me. It was almost as if I was in a bubble of spectacular landscape that held me encased in a new world away from modernity, completely untouched by man and their inflictions.

Wow - Caspar whispers, making me jump a little as I look down at him. I'd completely forgotten he was beside me.

It's so beautiful - I whisper back, foolishly scared of the possibility of completely shattering this dreamlike reality.

Cause that's exactly what it was like- a dream.

A dream because for once in my life, in a place I knew nothing of and was foreign to, I was free. Completely and utterly free.

No obligations lingered in the air. No self-inflicted pressures tied me down. No saddening thoughts filled my mind. Nothing reminded me of who I was and all I'd gone through.

Nothing possessed my thoughts and I was left with an airy feeling of belonging. I belonged here- I could feel it deep in my veins and all the way in my bones. I belonged here and nowhere else.

The crunching of leaves suddenly pops me out of my carefree mindset. I spin on my heals quickly to look towards the direction the sound came from. Caspar stood in front of me protectively as we both take a defensive stance.

Our eyes stay glued to an arrangement of shrubs, the crunching and shuffling of leaves continuing. The thin hairs on my arm stand as a small dose of fear pumps it's way into my veins.

What if it's that thing?

No. No f*cking way was it that beastly creature. I'd be dead by now if it were.