Chapter 7

SUNDAY

"I ate too many nachos last night," Liam said weakly, holding his stomach.

"So did I," I agreed.

"I don't regret it, but boy, this is kind of painful."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

Last night, we made a mountain of nachos to feed the group. We had used up all the chips in the pantry, a variety of shredded cheeses, a few jars of salsa, and a truckload of other toppings.

This afternoon, all we could do was lay lazily on the couch as we tried to recover from nacho overdose.

"Chef Lupa would have been proud of our nachos," I remarked, referencing the judgmental chef from the reality show Cooking With Lupa. "They were the perfect balance of chip and toppings."

"Those were definitely the best nachos in the world. We should make them again."

"Yeah," I groaned. "Just give me some time to recover and go to the gym, and I'll be ready for round two."

"Well, Dylan, I must wish you a happy birthday eve," Liam said.

"Thanks. Today's the last day of my Lunar week, too. I can't believe a week's already passed."

"Did...did you enjoy your Lunar week?" Liam asked me softly. "Are you happy about how it turned out?"

"It was everything I wanted, and more," I told him honestly, looking into his eyes.

A rosy tinge appeared on his cheeks, and he looked down, giggling. "Good. This is an important week for you, Dylan. You deserve the best."

"Could say the same for you." I reached out, smoothing a piece of hair that was sticking out of his head. "You're a great friend and an even better person."

Liam thought for a moment. "You know, you told me you were excited for your Lunar week because of that tv show you watched...what was it? Lunar Lush or something?"

"Lavish Lunar."

"Do you think you could show me that show?" Liam asked me hopefully.

"You want to watch Lavish Lunar?" I sat up immediately.

"Yeah, of course! I mean, I have no idea what it's about, but if you like it, it must be good."

I checked my watch. It was only early afternoon, and I supposed we had the time to binge-watch a few episodes before I headed over to training. After that, I had to arrange the final details for my birthday barbecue.

"Sure, I can show you my favourite episode from when I was a kid. I haven't personally watched it in ages, but it's definitely a classic for Alphas."

I rolled off the couch with a grunt, and headed over to grab the remote. Browsing through LycaFlix, I finally found Lavish Lunar. It was a stupid reality show, but pretty entertaining, I had to admit.

"You know, now that I'm watching this 7 years later, I can't believe how corny this was," I laughed, watching a scene where Tanner and his friends were having a clearly scripted argument over a chicken wing.

"He bought a private island, a yacht, and staff members for an entire week? And even paid for all his friends to come, too? And slept with half his friends?"

"Yeah. That's Tanner Leston, the one I admired as a kid. I wanted my Lunar week to be as cool as his back then."

He peered at the young man on the screen. "He looks very much like a Tanner. Is he super famous or something? How does he have all this money? What's he up to now?"

"He's currently the Alpha of one of the biggest packs in California. His pack has also revolutionized the technology we use in the werewolf world, so it's safe to say they're pretty wealthy and doing well today."

It was strange to think about, in fact. Tanner used to be such a stereotypical 'Alpha Bro', as we called them. They were the popular Alphas at school who spent their days working out, playing sports, partying, and sleeping around. Tanner must've been so different today. He probably settled down with a mate and pups, and was busy running his pack.

"One more episode?" Liam pleaded after the credits popped up on the screen.

"Alright, fine," I relented. "Just one more episode, and then I have to head out, okay?"

I showed him the episode about Kaylie McLaughlin, the Alpha werewolf who took a fancy vacation to Greece, where she rented out a villa, got in some petty drama with the locals, and completely trashed the area.

"I've noticed that in this show, none of these wolves are mated, yet they're all getting really close to each other," Liam observed, a confused expression on his face. "Why? Is this an Alpha thing?"

"Some Alphas do sleep around," I admitted. "Betas, Deltas, and other wolves might do it too. With that being said, a lot of Alphas, including myself, don't believe in engaging in those sorts of relationships. In fact, many refuse to even date. They want to share their first experiences with their mate."

"Yeah," he said, his thoughts seemingly elsewhere. "I understand. I personally can't see myself getting romantically involved with someone who's not my mate."

As soon as the episode ended, I checked the time on my phone. It was nearing 3 pm, and I had to head over to the pack gym to do my daily training and combat instructing.

"I have to go now, Liam," I told him. "I'd stay here with you, but I need to work off the several thousand calories we ate last night in one sitting. Want to come with me?"

"No, I'm sorry, I'm needed at home for something," he said, shutting off his phone. "I'll be there for the next couple of hours."

"Are you available tonight?"

"Yeah, I'm free."

"Good. I'll come and pick you up at 9 tonight. You don't need to bring anything."

-

"We're going on a little run tonight," I grinned at Liam as soon as he opened the door to greet me.

His face fell. "A run? I had no idea there'd be exercise."

"Don't worry, it's only for about 20 minutes," I laughed. "We're going somewhere."

I began tugging off my shirt. "Here, shift and we'll head on out soon."

Within a few moments, the two of us had transformed into our wolf forms. Liam was smaller than me, even smaller than the average Omega - just under the size of a regular wolf, with light-coloured fur and chocolate-brown eyes. Liam's fluffy, light grey pelt nuzzled up into my own dark fur.

'Ah, you're so nice and soft!' Liam sighed. 'Where are we going?'

'I'll show you. Follow me.'

As soon as we padded out of the house, we broke out into a run and headed straight towards the forest. The wind whipped through our coats, and I never felt more energized in my life. As Liam was with me, I couldn't run at my top speed, but I still enjoyed the blood rush from the workout.

'I'm boiling!' Liam panted in my mind. He was running behind me, struggling to keep up. 'It's so hot outside!'

'Almost there,' I assured him, slowing my pace even further so he could catch up. 'We're so close.'

We soon arrived at my secret hideout. It was a hidden destination, located deep in the forest, and enchanted so that only a few people could uncover it. There was a turquoise lake right in the middle of the opening, surrounded by towering, willowy trees with glowing orbs.

It was truly magical.

I transformed back into my human form, and Liam followed suit shortly after. There was no shame or embarrassment whatsoever; we wolves weren't shy being  in this condition.

"It's so beautiful," Liam murmured, taking a look at the scenery around me.

It was a perfect night. The sky was clear and dark, and the stars could be seen clearly. The light of the moon shone down on us, reflecting off the waters and giving off a faint glow. The environment, as always, was calm and serene, allowing me to collect my thoughts. All around me, I could hear the gentle lapping of the waves, the calm breeze blowing past us, and the crickets chirping.

I stood up on a ridge of rocks overlooking the water. Turning back to face Liam, I extended a hand to him.

"Join me?"

He looked shocked. "We're going swimming?"

"Why not?" I shrugged.

"Nobody's going to show up and catch us, right?"

"No. Nobody will find us here, I promise."

He grabbed a hold of my hand, and as I leaned back, I yanked him into the water with me.

"Ack!" Liam yelped in surprise.

The two of us landed in the water with a loud splash. The water was cool and refreshing against my sweaty skin, enveloping me like a silky blanket.

"You good?" I asked him as soon as we resurfaced.

"Yep!" Liam was laughing as he swirled around in the water. "That was fun! Can we jump off again?"

We headed back up to the ledge and jumped off again, this time, trying out an acrobatic flip.

"Remember when we were younger, we'd swim at your pool and do fancy tricks off the diving board?" Liam asked, spitting out a stream of water.

"Of course," I laughed. "And remember the one time our diving board broke? Those were the memories."

"Oh, yeah! And all the games we made up, too. Like the tsunami game."

I groaned. "How could I ever forget the tsunami game? That game was a ni-"

I was interrupted by a splash of water hitting me in face, and I sputtered in surprise. "Hey!"

Liam was laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world. Stupid tsunami game, I thought to myself. I only grinned evilly at the small wolf standing in front of me. Mischievously, I picked him up and dunked him under the water for a few moments.

He popped up, coughing up water. "No fair, Dylan! Just because you're tall and I'm short doesn't mean you can just pick me up like a sack of potatoes and dunk me like that!"

But he was smiling.

We lost track of time. For the next little while, we jumped off the ledge, swam around, and played games. It was like old times, back when we were young, innocent pups, living freely without a care in the world. Couldn't time just freeze itself so we could live in this moment forever?

Once we tired out from all the activity, we sat in the shallow part of the body of water and relaxed. We remained in comfortable silence for the longest time.

"What is this place?" Liam asked me finally.

"I go here whenever I want to be alone."

Now, I might've been a pack animal, but at times, I did need my space. We had hundreds of werewolves living within the premises, which could get overwhelming.

"I found it when I was 12 and exploring the forests," I explained. "Nobody in the pack knows about it."

"Nobody?"

"Nobody," I confirmed. "It's enchanted with Lunar magic so that only select people can enter it."

"Who can enter it, then?"

"Me. And you."

"I can go here too?"

I nodded. "Of course."

"I can't believe this place even exists. It's just..it's just..." Liam was at a loss for words.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked, studying him.

"It's incredible," Liam gushed, looking up at the nearly full moon above us. "I could look at it all day and never get tired."

"Yes," I agreed, my eyes focused on him. "I could."

We quieted down again, listening to the faint sounds of nature. It had grown even quieter to the point where all I could hear was the water, and the occasional insects chirping. The breeze had finally died down, and it was as if true peace descended upon us. I listened to Liam's steady heartbeat from beside me.

"I'm going to rinse off my fur," Liam said eventually, standing up and wading deeper into the water. I couldn't help but smile when he transformed into his beautiful, small wolf. The moon illuminated his soft fur, making it appear a light, sparkling silver. That's my Fluff.

'Dylan?' I could hear my mom through my mindlink. 'Where are you?'

'I'm with Liam right now,' I told her. 'We've gone out.'

'But where are you?'

'I'll be okay, mom. We're just taking a walk around.'

'Oh. Are you close by?' She sounded concerned, which caused me to worry.

'No. Why? Is something wrong?'

'No, no, not at all! The family's waiting for you back at home for your countdown.'

'Ah, I see,' I said, relieved.

'When will you come back?'

I took a look at Liam, who was rolling around in the water in his wolf form while squeaking excitedly.

'Not for a while.' I knew my mom understood what I meant.

I shut off the mindlink and turned back to Liam, who had transformed back into his human form and was glancing at me curiously.

"Was someone communicating with you?"

"My mom's asking about me," I murmured, standing close in front of him so that our faces were nearly touching. I grabbed his arms and held him gently, wanting to be in contact with him. He looked up at me, his dark eyes meeting mine seriously, and I could feel my heart melt. "My family's waiting for me back at home."

"It must be close to Monday, then," he said quietly. Liam gently placed his hands on my arms, and my skin tingled where we made contact.

"Yes. It is." I hadn't brought my phone with me, but I could feel my body preparing for the big day, and I knew it was very, very close. My senses were strengthening, my bones were aching, and my muscles were straining in preparation for my physical change. The Alpha drive within me would fully develop, signalling my maturation into werewolf adulthood.

"We should go back, then," he said softly.

"No. Stay here."

"But...but what about your family? Don't you want to be with them?"

"This is exactly what I want," I whispered in his ear. "This is perfect."

Liam didn't protest. The two of us just stood there quietly, holding each other and unmoving. I could almost feel the seconds ticking by as it grew nearer to the morning.

We were so close.

I had waited forever for this moment.