Time flies by as Tyler and I pack box after box. My office items were packed first. Then we moved on to my bathroom and bedroom. My bathroom supplies are currently stacked in boxes next to the bedroom door. There are only a few piles of clothes left to put in boxes. I fold a shirt and set it in the box to my left when I hear the sound of tape being pulled from the roll. I look behind me and see Tyler taping up his box. “That’s the last of my boxes. I’m going to take the finished ones down the hall to the front door. I told Cole to send over some warriors to help move the boxes to the packhouse. They should be here soon,” Tyler informs me. “Okay,” I say. “I’m going to finish the rest of my packing and then I will join you.” I pick up another shirt, fold it, and set it in the box. I can hear Tyler walking back and forth through the house as I continue folding clothes and placing them in boxes. The doorbell rings as I am taping the last box shut. I don’t bother to rush to

I open my eyes and find myself sitting in a flower field. Green grass and little purple wildflowers wave around me. I stare up at the blue sky and blink away the tears in my eyes. I know where this is. I know what is going to happen. “Arielle,” a female voice calls. A man and woman walk out of the trees surrounding the meadow. They are carrying picnic supplies. I start to cry harder. “Don’t come over here!” I shout at them. My warning falls on deaf ears. Just like every time this happens. My nightmare. I am forced to watch as my parents set up and enjoy the picnic lunch with me. The wolves show up right when they are supposed to. Five rogues rush towards my parents who shift to fight them. “Stop!” I yell. “Don’t fight them! Just run!” I cry as my parents don’t respond. I can’t even move to fight with them. I am helpless. My mother is killed before my eyes once more. I watch, sobbing, as my dad kills the last of the rogues only to die shortly after. “Arielle,

A loud growl rings in my ears as Tyler expresses his displeasure at the she-wolf’s disrespect towards me. “Warriors–” Tyler begins to shout, but falls silent when I raise my hand. I watch as the men who responded to his call stop moving and look at me. I wait until the crowd falls silent before responding. I stare straight into the she-wolf’s eyes as I speak. “I accept your challenge.” Chaos erupts as I finish my statement. All of the pack members are talking loudly amongst themselves. I feel a hand grab my arm and swing me around until I am face to face with Tyler, who looks angry. “What are you doing?” he growls in a whisper. “You can’t fight. You could get hurt and then I will lose you.” I study his face and notice his eyes growing glassy. “It’s alright,” I tell him, pulling him into a hug. “I can’t lose you again,” he mumbles as he cries into my shoulder. “You won’t lose me,” I reassure him as I gently rub his back. “Besides, I couldn’t turn down her

I step out of the bathroom and spot Tyler sitting on the edge of his bed with his elbows on his thighs. The party ended an hour ago. Tyler left to get ready for bed shortly after it finished. I decided to stay a little longer to wrap up my conversation with Kira and Stella. Tyler was ready for bed by the time I made it up to his room. Sorry. Our room. As of this morning, I am officially sharing a room with Tyler. “We need to talk,” Tyler says as I walk closer to him. “Why is your wolf so big and how are you so good at fighting?” I sigh and take a seat on the bed next to him. “My wolf is actually standard size for a lycan,” I remark. “A lycan?” Tyler asks. “I thought lycans were just legends.” “I certainly hope I am not a legend,” I joke before growing serious. I flop back onto the bed as I explain. “Both of my parents were lycans. The last two of their kind, as far as I know. They were searching for an acceptable werewolf pack to join, but couldn’t find one.

I hold my pace steady as I run around the track. Even though I finished my twenty laps, I don’t stop. I keep running, feeling each movement of my muscles. I notice Tyler walk over to the sidelines and sit down. He seems to be done. I can feel him watching me as I run. One by one, the other runners finish their twenty laps. I wait until the last runner is seated before joining the group. “Did you enjoy your run?” Tyler asks. “Yeah. I usually run twice that far, but it was a nice warmup,” I reply. Tyler looks surprised. He opens his mouth to speak, but closes it when the instructor starts talking first. “Your next station is core. Meet your core instructor in the smallest weight room within the next fifteen minutes,” he instructs. Our group gathers together before walking there. It looks like we will be staying with the two groups that joined ours. The smallest weight room is located along the far side of the training facility. In order to get there, we had to