Missy trudged out of the classroom after her last final exam. It had been the worst day. She’d barely seen V, and didn't know when she'd see him again. Lea and Liam had grounded her indefinitely to the pack house and confiscated her phone. Lea was also checking her tablet and computer to ensure she was only doing schoolwork. To make matters worse, they'd made Austin drive her to and from school all week because she'd snuck out. Lea said that her grounding would be reconsidered based on her grades and future behavior. Liam barely spoke to her; he was still furious.

She lingered at her locker, hoping V would arrive before she had to leave. Austin wasn't stupid and would come to the school if she took too long. "Hey, princess," she heard from behind her as she closed her now-empty locker and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

She turned, smiling broadly at V as he ran toward her. "I caught you," he said breathlessly. She nodded. He wasted no time in kissing her deeply, and she savored every moment. When he finally pulled away, she frowned. "Hey, now. No pouting. You'll be ungrounded soon enough, and I'll come running," he said, trying to cheer her up.

"Okay," she sighed.

"I can walk you to the front at least," he said sweetly. She nodded, and he took her hand. She made him walk slowly, trying to savor every second before summer began.

She threw her bag in the corner of her room and flopped onto her bed. She could put things away later. She was trapped in the pack house for the foreseeable future, anyway. A knock at her door interrupted her wallowing. "What?" she grumbled, staring at the ceiling.

"Missy," Azalea's voice came from the doorway. Missy turned to see her standing there. Azalea had finally perked up a few days ago after Liam had spent some time with her. It was nice to see her less sad. "I'd like you to help me with something," Azalea began. Missy rolled her eyes and sat up. "Now don't be like that, please. I'm trying to loosen the reins a little here." Missy's ears perked up. Could she get her phone back? "There are a few people here your age. You probably haven't paid much attention in the last week, being locked away in your room. But now that exams are over, I'd like you to show them around."

"People my age?" Missy questioned.

"Yes, they'll be joining the pack soon, and I think it would be nice if you could show them around, introduce them to some people, and spend some time with them. One of them even shares your birthday. He'll be turning seventeen on the same day," Azalea said with enthusiasm.

"Okay," Missy agreed. At least it would get her out of her room. "Where are they?" she asked.

"They're downstairs in the rec room right now. Lily and I will be taking the younger ones to the park later. I thought the older ones might enjoy spending time with someone their age," Azalea said with a smile. Lea was surprisingly thoughtful.

"Alright. Give me a second, and I'll come down," Missy told her.

"Thank you," Azalea said in her happy, singsong voice as she closed the door. Hopefully, if Missy played nice and entertained these people, she could get ungrounded and spend her summer with V.

She stood and went to her closet, changing into more comfortable clothes: cotton shorts and a scoop-neck tank top. It was already quite hot, even though summer had just begun. Lea had asked her to show them around, so she might as well show them the pack.

When she got downstairs to the rec room, three people were sitting on the couch, and one stood to the side looking irritated. "Uh, hey," she said, entering the room. The person standing looked up, eyes widening. One of the girls on the couch stood.

"Hi," the girl said brightly.

"What are you guys up to?" Missy asked.

"We were just watching a movie until the Luna's daughter arrived," the girl said.

"Well, that's me. I've arrived," Missy said sarcastically. The girl smiled even wider. She was a ray of sunshine.

"So, you're Missy?" she asked. Missy nodded. "It's so great to meet you! I'm Soliel, but everyone calls me Sol," she said, introducing herself. (Doesn't Sol mean sun?) "This is Sulien, my twin brother. And that's Alex. And the grumpy one over there is Maddox." She introduced the other three.

"Twins?" Missy asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah," Sol laughed. "I know. Not normal. We're fraternal, and our mom is human. Her family actually has a lot of multiples, but they're all human, obviously."

"Cool," Missy said. Her eyes went to Maddox, who no longer looked grumpy. "So, has anyone shown you guys around?" she asked.

"Just the pack house," Sol said. "It's so big. You actually live here?" she asked. Missy nodded. Sol's eyes were wide with awe.

"So, uh, where are you guys from?" Missy asked, looking between them. They all had a strange look on their faces.

"We, uh, lost our pack," Sol said sadly. Missy nodded, noting the topic to avoid.

"Sorry," Missy said. "Do you guys want to go check out the rest of the pack? There's a lot more than just the pack house." Sol seemed to brighten when Missy didn't push for more information.

"Lead the way," she said as the others stood.

It was well past dark by the time they all reached the front door of the pack house. Missy knew Lea wasn't mad because she hadn't sent anyone looking for her. She'd actually had a really good time, and was surprised. She'd shown them a good portion of the pack. They talked and joked, getting to know each other. Sol might be the definition of sunshine, but her brother was her polar opposite: quiet and pessimistic, but still nice. Alex was friendly enough but a little too jock-ish for her. She found she got along best with Maddox. He was down-to-earth and easygoing. After a while, he admitted he'd thought the Alpha and Luna's daughter would be some kind of princess, based on the size of the pack house, and Missy laughed. He didn't know her boyfriend's nickname for her, but it was still funny. None of them really wanted to talk about their old pack, only mentioning that they hoped Liam and Lea would accept them into Blood Eclipse.

They hadn't eaten dinner, only grabbing ice cream while they walked around. Missy told them to follow her to the kitchen. Sol's eyes widened as they walked in. "Wow," she whispered.

"What?" Missy asked.

"It's so big," Sol said.

"Well, the pack house feeds a lot of people every day. It kind of has to be, right?" Missy replied.

"So, you just come down and make food whenever?" Sol asked.

"I mean, sure. Usually, other pack members work in the kitchen. They cook meals, but those of us who live in the pack house can come down whenever," Missy said. "Lea is really serious about making sure everyone gets fed." Sol cocked her head. "Oh, right. Luna Azalea."

"You don't call her Mom?" Sol asked. Missy moved to the fridge, looking for leftovers. Sol followed, but the boys sat at the stools at the island.

"Uh, no. Not really," Missy said. It had been a long time since she'd had to explain her parents to anyone.

"Is she not really your mom?" Sol asked.

"Sol!" Sulien snapped.

"What? It's just weird. Who doesn't call their mom 'Mom'?" she argued with her brother. Missy started pulling out containers of lunch meat.

Finally, Missy stopped them. "Lea isn't my mom—my biological mother, at least," she told them. All eyes were on her, and she felt awkward for a second. "It's not really a secret. I'm adopted. My dad died defending the pack against rogues when I was little. Then my mom uh couldn't really cope without him" She trailed off, not liking the attention. She ducked into the pantry, getting bread.

"Missy, that's really sad. I'm so sorry," Sol said, her cheerful demeanor dropping. Maddox gave Missy a strange look.

"It's okay. Really. I was practically living at the pack house and spending all my time with Lea anyway. So they just adopted me," Missy told them.

"Does that mean you're the next Alpha?" Alex asked.

"She's a girl; she can't be Alpha," Sulien said.

"Hey! Girls can be Alphas," Sol argued. Sulien rolled his eyes.

"No, I won't be Alpha," Missy said with a laugh as she started making sandwiches. "I'm spared that trap. Lea and Liam's oldest son will be Alpha, because of blood and all that."

"That doesn't seem fair," Maddox said. Missy shrugged.

"It doesn't really bother me," she said. Maddox gave her a thoughtful look. She piled lunch meat, cheese, and vegetables onto the sandwiches while Sol, Sulien, and Alex argued about female Alphas. Once she was finished, she passed out sandwiches, and they began to eat happily. She got cucumbers, carrots, and vegetable dip, quickly slicing the cucumbers and setting them out. She didn't participate much in the conversation, feeling a little down.

"I was wondering when you'd all show up," Lea's voice came from the doorway. Missy looked over at her, smiling at them. Lea was in pajamas, hair messy, cradling her baby bump. Everyone else bowed their heads.

"Sorry, we lost track of time," Missy told her. Lea shook her head.

"You guys are okay. I just hope you all had fun," she said to everyone.

Everyone smiled and nodded vigorously. "Missy was an excellent tour guide," Sol chirped. Lea smiled wider.

"I'm glad. When you're finished, make sure you clean up, or Marci will have a fit in the morning. Don't stay up too late, alright?" she said. She turned to leave, but Missy stopped her.

"Wait," Missy said. She hurried to the fridge, found what she was looking for, and handed Lea a bottle of cranberry juice. Lea gave her a warm smile.

"And how did you know?" Lea asked.

It was Missy's turn to smile. "Marci bought them as soon as there was a rumor about you being pregnant. It was all you would drink with Leo," she told her. Lea leaned forward and hugged her.

"Thank you. You guys have fun, good night," she said. She left the kitchen. Missy returned to the group.

"She may not be your mom, but you definitely act like mother and daughter," Sol commented, popping a carrot in her mouth. Missy shrugged. She'd loved Lea since she was little; Lea had always been kind to her.

"I'm not tired yet, who's up for some movies?" Alex asked.