I was walking to where I was to meet Elder and his mate. I was feeling doubtful if I should be going or not. As soon as Finlay and I had gotten back to the cabin, we had told everyone about the council’s decision, and then we had called home to tell the pack. No one had taken it well. I had been set on staying in the cabin and doing my part in trying to calm the pack down, but Finlay had told me to go and meet my brother. We were to meet halfway between their cabin and ours. It would give us some time, as we walked to the more dense part of the forest, to shift.

“Amie?” I had been lost in my own thoughts, but as my name was called, I looked up and saw Cindy looking at me. “Oh. Hi, Cindy,” I said. “So, the rumor was true?” she asked. “The rumor?” We had never been close friends, but we had gotten along for the most part. “That you were here. Does it mean the part about you and the Alpha still being mates is true as well?” she asked. “It is, at least for now,” I told her. “For now? Rejected for a second time?” I frowned. “We both feel it’s for the best.” It was her turn to frown. “I just don’t get it. If I was mated to an Alpha, I would fight tooth and nail to keep that bond,” she said. “I guess we are just different that way.” “So, you aren’t even going to try and persuade him? I mean, you have grown up nicely, a little womanly persuasion and the mate bond helping you out. I think you could win him over,” she told me, looking me up and down. “Eh, thank you? But I think I will stick to our agreement,” I said. She was about to say something else but was interrupted. “Cindy. Amie is going to meet Beta Elder and Becky. Don’t hold her up.” “Yes, Alpha. See you around, Amie.” “Sure, Cindy. It was nice seeing you,” I said as she walked away. For the first time in my life, I desperately wanted her to stay. There was an awkward silence between me and James.

“I heard about the council decision; I’m sorry. It has to put a lot of pressure on your pack’s team,” he said. “Thank you. Yes, I think we will see it as motivating.” He nodded. “If worse comes to worst, you always have a place in the Eagle Forest pack,” he said. I managed to give him a smile. “Thank you. Let’s hope it won’t come to that. I need to get going. Have a nice evening, Alpha,” I said. “You too, Beta Amie. Please stay safe,” he said as he walked in the opposite direction of me. The interaction left me even more confused. I decided not to think about it and focus on the evening ahead of me instead.

Elder was waiting for me at the meeting spot. Next to him stood a woman. Her brown hair and happy eyes made her look cute as a button. She was studying me as intensively as I did her. “Amie, I’m happy you could make it. I know you haven’t had the best of days,” Elder said and gave me a hug. “I wouldn’t miss it,” I told him and hugged him back. “Amie, this is my mate, Becky,” he said, and his pride was clear. “Hi,” I said. I reached my hand out to her. She gave me a big smile. “Hello, I’ve heard so much about you. We are family,” she told me and gave me a warm hug. It took me by surprise, but then I returned the hug. “We are,” I agreed. “And please don’t judge me based on anything my brother has told you. He has a massive inferiority complex as I was always the favorite.”

“Hey, I do not,” Elder objected. Becky laughed. “I think we will get along great,” she told me and hooked her arm in mine as we walked. “Do you have any good stories about him?” she asked. “Do I ever! I even have some nice ones Mom and Dad don’t even know about,” I said. “Amie!” Elder warned me. “Don’t interrupt her, darling,” Becky told her mate. “But I don’t want her to tell you things which make me look bad,” he complained. Becky and I looked at each other and smiled. “I would never,” I told her. “I believe you,” she said. I liked Becky; I could see why Elder had chosen her as a mate. She had the mischief he needed to not take himself too seriously. We got to a good place for shifting and got ready. I could feel the excitement of my wolf. She was looking forward to meeting both my brother and his mate’s wolves. I let her through as soon as I was out of my clothes.

“Amie,” my brother said on an exhale. “I have never seen a red wolf,” Becky said. My wolf puffed out her chest, enjoying the attention. I walked up to them, and when Elder held out his hand, I allowed him to run it through my fur. “You are big. I think you are almost as big as my wolf,” he told me. I wagged my tail and woofed at him. I wanted them to hurry and shift. He laughed, and both he and Becky shifted into their wolves. I had seen Elder’s wolf before. He had matured, and his sandy wolf was more robust than I remembered. Becky’s wolf was smaller and nut brown. Her wolf exuded the same happy and playful energy as she did in her human form. Being in wolf form limited our communication, but the wolves were better than humans at reading body language. As we started trotting through the forest, it felt right. My wolf enjoyed running with family. When we reached a hilly part of the forest, I felt like having some fun. I nipped at the hind legs of Elder’s wolf and then took off running. I could hear the two other wolves chasing me, and I weaved through the trees. They had the advantage of being able to mindlink, and soon Elder made a move that had me turning hard left. Becky was there waiting and nipped at my tail. As Elder and I set off after Becky, my wolf would have laughed if she could. We continued to play for over an hour, strengthening the bond between us. When we turned back to find our clothes, all three of us were trotting side by side, with our tongues hanging out of our mouths. We shifted back and put our clothes back on. I had the biggest smile on my face as Becky gave me another hug.

“I get it now,” she said. “Get what?” I asked. She paused and looked like she had said something she didn’t mean to say. I saw the hesitant look she gave my brother, and I was wondering what was going on. “She can handle it,” he told his mate and gave her a kiss on her hair. It was such a tender gesture it moved me. There was an ease in it that told me it was more of a habit than anything else. It reminded me of how our mom and dad always acted, and I was happy Elder had gotten the same type of relationship.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I had heard a lot about you,” Becky started. “Not just from Elder and your parents, but the pack still remembers you. They are still upset about how things turned out,” she told me. I looked at Elder. He nodded. “Very few thought James did the right thing. You were always helping out with things, you were kind to everyone, and the pack saw you as a good wolf. They liked the idea of having you as their Luna. As time has gone by, and James has remained unmated, the talk about you hasn’t died down,” he confirmed. “Oh.” I didn’t know what to say. It was a surprise to me. “You didn’t know how loved you were?” Becky asked. “Well, I thought I did. But then everything with James happened, and I thought that if he looked at me like that, others must do as well. For a long time, I felt abandoned by the pack. It was one of the reasons I lived so long on my own,” I told them. “We failed you back then,” Elder told me. “No. It was a bad situation for everyone. I get that loyalty to the pack and the Alpha and his family is hard to deal with in a situation like it. I was just very young.” “You are back now, and there is still time to make up for old mistakes,” Becky said. I smiled at her. “I’m happy I got to meet you. I can see how happy you make my brother,” I told her. There was a slight blush on Becky’s cheeks. “He makes me happy as well,” she said, and they shared a quick kiss. “When all of this is over, we need to talk about a real family reunion. I know Mom and Dad want to see you in person, and you need to meet our son,” Elder said. “I would love that. Let’s see what happens, and we will go from there,” I told him. The future seemed far too unstable for me to make any plans. Everything depended on what would happen for the coming three weeks.