Alec and I drove the hour to the airport in comfortable silence. It gave me plenty of time to stew in my anxiety. Not only had I ran away from Alec and Kade, but I had left Tori. Part of me desperately hoped she would forgive me, but I wouldn’t blame her if she couldn’t. After all, she had done nothing but support me, and I had still left.
Alec and Kade seemed to understand my reasons for leaving, though the pain still echoed in the back of their minds. I hoped Tori would understand as well. It was a reunion I was both anticipating and dreading. I hadn’t given much thought to Garrett and how he would feel about my leaving, nor did I care.
He had gone about everything completely wrong. From using me for my future position, to breaking the news that I wasn’t human. From the very beginning, he had never been a father figure in my life. He had never wanted to see me, just me as I am. He wanted the werewolf version of me, the version where I stepped up and took control of his pack. I couldn’t–I wouldn’t go back to that, to being controlled and used.

“I have one condition if I’m to return.” I cleared my throat.
Alec’s head snapped over, his eyes searching my own. I had his full undivided attention, which I would have appreciated if it weren’t for the fact that he was driving down the interstate. The intense look in his eyes made my stomach flutter. I had never captured someone’s full attention before, rendering everything else useless.

“Name it.” Alec nodded, his eyes flickering back to the road for just a second.
I could feel a slight twinge of worry that bounced around in his head. He was worried he couldn’t fulfill my condition, that I would make him turn around and bring me back to Beth and Jake. He would, I knew that much. If I asked, he would turn right around and take me back.
“I’m not living with Garrett.” I shook my head, “Or Melissa and Frank. I’m not going to be used by anyone ever again.”
“We never planned on bringing you back to them.” Alec shook his head, the corner of his lip turning up in a smile.
A single dimple appeared on his left side, and I basked in the sight. His eyes had a sly glint in them, one that made me curious. I could feel his relief at what I said. It swirled around his mind and soothed the jagged edges of the worry he had been feeling.
“I assume Garrett won’t like that.” I snorted, “Melissa and Frank won’t care. They probably haven’t even noticed I left.”
“Melissa noticed.” Alec replied in a tight voice, the muscles in his jaw working. His irritation scratched at the back of my throat, and I wondered what had happened while I was gone. “I’d be surprised if Frank noticed much of anything. Garrett will not be happy, but his happiness is irrelevant.”
“She noticed? That’s a surprise.” I chuckled dryly. “I do have some things at Garrett’s house that I’ll need to get back.”

“Kade and I will come with you.” Alec nodded, his eyes softening. “We won’t let you go there alone.”
“Isn’t there any way I could–I don’t know, refuse taking over his pack?” I frowned, “He has another daughter, she can have the pack.”
“Unfortunately, you can’t.” Alec frowned, “As strange as it sounds, you’re bound to his pack through blood. You’re bound to our pack through the mate-bond.”
“I don’t want to rule a pack.” I sighed, “I never wanted to.”
“You won’t rule alone, Aurora.” Alec smiled softly, “Kade and I will be there every step of the way. We’ll help you with it all. That’s what mates are for. I think you’ll surprise yourself. Ruling is in your blood; it would come naturally to you.”
“You’ll both help me?” I asked. Somehow the prospect of ruling an entire pack sounded more reasonable with Alec and Kade. I wouldn’t be expected to do everything alone, to learn everything on my own whilst being a pawn to Garrett. Alec and Kade had experience, had parents who had once done the same. If anyone could help me without using me as a pawn, it was Alec and Kade.
“Of course.” Alec smiled; a genuine smile that made the dimple on his left cheek appear. “Our parents ruled the pack long before Kade and I were born. We grew up learning how to handle it all.”
The words unspoken drifted between Alec and I, bouncing around my head. Any children we might have, they would also be raised learning how to run a pack. The thought made my stomach twist, though it wasn’t a bad feeling.
“If you want, we could combine the two packs.” Alec continued, “It would be completely up to you. Instead of watching over two separate packs, they would become one. Our territory would mix with his, his people would become our people.”
I thought over what he said for a few moments. Out of all the people in my life who tried to manipulate and control me, I had never gotten that feeling from Alec or Kade. My instincts were telling me to trust them, to rely on them for whatever I needed. Even in the midst of all the confusion in my head, that one thing was clear. I could trust Alec and Kade with absolutely anything.
“I would like that.” I nodded, giving him a genuine smile.
“Usually the female would become Luna, while the male becomes Alpha. You’re the sole heir to your father’s pack, which makes your future mate the Alpha.” Alec explained, “We wouldn’t take total control of the pack, it would be the three of us making decisions.”
“I trust you both.” I nodded, and no words had ever felt more right.
Relief washed through Alec like a cool tidal wave, and I smiled to myself as his hand found my own. His hand was warm as it grasped my own, and I could feel the comfort the touch brought to both of us.
We arrived at the airport within the hour, and Alec booked us the earliest flight back home. Back home–it had never been a home before, but that had changed without my knowledge. I was sure Alec and Kade could take me to Antarctica and that would quickly become home. Anywhere with Alec and Kade was home, regardless of who else waited.
“So, you know about my family. Tell me about yours.” I questioned, settling into the comfortable seat of the plane.
Where I had just enough money to book a flight out of town, Alec had paid extra for better seats. I didn’t want to know how much first-class tickets were, and I hadn’t asked. I wondered how being an Alpha of a pack made you wealthy, and I added it to the long list of questions I already had.
A television was bolted into the far wall, playing some soundless talk show. There weren’t many people in this wing of the plane, just a few lounging back in their own seats. A woman pushing a cart had stopped at our seats, and I happily took a bottle of soda from her hands. Alec took one for himself, flashing me a smile that made my toes curl.
“We have no other siblings, but we do have quite a few cousins on my Mom’s side.” Alec shrugged, “Mom and Dad ruled the pack until Kade and I stepped up. Usually, you wait until eighteen to take over, but Kade and I were ambitious. We took over around a year ago. For the longest time, our parents didn’t know what to do. Twins are highly unusual for werewolves, even more so for an Alpha and Luna. They weren’t sure who was going to take over.”
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