Maureen's POV

I woke up with a start. Something woke me up or more like a person woke me up. I could smell Lance's scent in the air. I wondered for a while if he came into my room.

Since our talk Monday afternoon in the kitchen, he had been avoiding me like I had leprosy. At my most desperate moment, I kicked against his warning and went into his room. He was not in the room when I got there so I sat on his bed and waited for him.

I waited for a long time and when I started feeling sleepy, I laid my head on his pillow and fell asleep.

A loud growl woke me from my sleep. I woke up with fright so I started shaking from the impact. Lance did not look at me twice. He banged the door almost removing it from the hinges. Since that day for the whole week, I had not laid my eyes on him.

Sensing his scent in my room was the last thing I expected. I had always liked the way he smelled. He smelled like the forest after a heavy rain. Since he got his wolf, his smell has seemed more intense.

I looked around and found nothing amiss. I listened, yet I heard nothing. I laid back down took my other pillow to cuddle and sat back up straight, sleep leaving me immediately.

My pillow smelled as if Lance had lay there. I sniffed the part where the pillow was and found his smell very strong there. It was obvious he had been there.

Did Lance sleep in my room? How?. He knew I was a heavy sleeper, I rarely wake up when I sleep, except if someone woke me up. I quickly checked the time on the mini clock on my bedside table, it said it was just some minutes after four o'clock.

I knew that Lance always got up around four-thirty to get ready for training at five o'clock. I wondered if I had woken up when he closed the door.

Why was he avoiding me and then sneaking into my room to spend the night? I thought of calling Lucia to tell her what I thought had happened but then I would be waking her up so early in the morning.

I decided to wait till she came to visit that morning. At least then she can tell me her opinion face to face.

I hugged the pillow close to my chest. Lance's scent on the pillow relaxed me and soothing my hurting heart, I went straight to sleep.

I woke up refreshed and happy in days. I headed to the kitchen after having my bath. I was surprised to see my parents already in the kitchen. I have not seen them since the morning after Lance's eighteenth birthday when they left hurriedly in the morning mumbling about a pack giving a distress call.

My parents were the main reasons I always prayed to the moon goddess to never mate me with a high-ranked wolf. I would gladly accept a park warrior as my mate.

Our pack was in charge of keeping peace in our region, so our Alpha and Beta were in charge of keeping the peace. Anytime any pack sent a distress call, they had to drop everything and attend to it.

Each time they go, they leave the Luna and Gamma in charge of the pack. Sometimes I wonder why my mother could not just behave like the Luna and stay back once in a while.

'Good morning Mum, good morning Dad,' I greeted them and they responded 'When did you guys come back?'

'Last night. We didn't want to wake you up,' Mum said smiling at me.

'Ok. Have you seen Lance this morning, mum?'

'Yes, he left for training. I guess he should be back soon.'

I only nodded my head as if my mind was with her. I heard the front door open as we started eating the food the kitchen hands prepared.

That is one big minus against my mum. I have never seen her cook. She had said she hated cooking because it reminded her of her suffering before she met my dad.

'Good morning sir, good morning ma'am,' Dominus greeted my parents as he stepped into the kitchen.

'Dominus, how are you doing?' My mum greeted him smiling. Dad gave him a pat on the back when he got closer to him.

'I am fine,' Dominus answered and went straight to the refrigerator to get water. Dominus was not a stranger in our house. We were all raised like siblings. Dominus was an only child so he made up for being an only child by stylishly adopting Lance and me as siblings. Although he was very close to Lance, he treated me like an annoying little sister.

I liked getting on Dominus' nerves especially since I knew how much he liked my friend Lucia who had eyes only for my brother, Lance.

I looked at the doorway and was expecting

Lance to step in. I had barely raised my head when he came in. He looked me straight in the eye with a distant look.

I searched his eyes for the brother I used to know but he was not there. If it were the old Lance, he would have simply greeted our parents and come to greet me with a kiss on my head.

Lance was the first to break the eye contact. He walked to the refrigerator and took water out to drink without greeting our parents.

'Lancelot, are you ok son?' My dad asked seeming to pick up on Lance's mood.

'I am fine dad, just have a lot on my mind,' Lance answered after taking a long sip of the water.

'Mind preoccupied to the extent of not greeting your parents?' Mum asked dropping her fork on the plate with a loud sound.

Mum was the toughest of our parents, she didn't tolerate indiscipline or impropriety. We avoided making her angry because her stance was always Dad's stance on any behavior of indiscipline.

'I am sorry Mum. I just zoned out. My heart is so heavy,' Lance said with his head hanging on his chest.

His posture and words got to Mum immediately. Although she was the toughest on indiscipline, she was still the softest when it came to caring for what bothered her children.

I always wondered how loving and affectionate she would be if she were at home most of the time like the Luna.

'What is it, son?' Mum got up and held Lance to her bosom. For the first time in years, my brother cried. Dad stood up and wrapped his hands around his shoulder while he put his head on mum's chest.

'I guess I will see you guys later,' Dominus excused himself, getting that it was a family kind of discussion.

I watched as they embraced each other for a while then I decided to join them. I placed my hand on his back and he immediately went rigid and stopped crying.

'Don't touch me,' Lance shouted and removed his head from Mum's chest to glare at me.

'Lance I ...' I didn't even know what to say because I was short of words.

'I said remove your hand, damn it.' Lance glared at me and growled. I saw his eyes switch between his normal blue which was his eye color and gray which belonged to his wolf.

I stepped back from him with tears pouring uncontrollably from my eyes. I could hear Mum shouting at Lance to stop growling at his sister.

I ran from the kitchen with my heart beating like it was going to jump right out of my chest and fall on the ground to be trampled by Lance.

The hate I saw in Lance's eyes was the last straw for me. I ran into my room and jumped into bed crying as if I was dying. My heart was destroyed above repairs.

I was beginning to hate his wolf. If what Lucia said about it all having something to do with his wolf, then I was going to damn all consequences and face his wolf. With the resolve that I was going to face his wolf, I wiped my tears and waited.

I went back out after one hour to find the whole house empty. I asked the housekeeper about their whereabouts and she said my parents had gone to the Alpha's house but Lance said he was going for a run at the back of the house.

I went outside and followed the path into the forest knowing fully well that Lance would have gone that way.

I was there for thirty minutes before I saw the immaculate white wolf walking in the opposite direction.

'Hey Lance,' I shouted, the wolf turned his head and walked towards me. I was scared at first but then I thought if I was going to die then I had better say my piece.

'I don't care to know what your name is but I hate you. You hear me? I hate you with every of my being,' I cried harder as it came nearer.

Instead of pouncing on me, the wolf suddenly whimpered and lay on the ground in front of me in a submissive way. His eyes looked at me as if saying he was sorry.

I became confused. I thought it hated me so it turned my brother against me. But there it was looking at me with love in its eyes.

I crouched down and touched his head, rubbing it in a circle. It felt so good to touch his beautiful fur. I put my head on his back and hugged him close. It whimpered again as if saying sorry to me.

Suddenly I felt him go rigid. I drew back and looked into his eyes. It was going between gray and blue.

Just when I was thinking of what could be happening, he shifted back to Lance in his naked glory. I jumped back but I was not fast enough.

He grabbed me by the neck cutting off my air supply. 'I told you to stay away from me but you wouldn't listen what the hell is your problem?' Lance shouted in my face.

I clawed at his hands trying to save myself from him. I started seeing black dots as I started getting tired.

I heard someone shouting Lance's name but I wasn't sure as gradually the black dots grew larger and I had no option but to surrender to the darkness.

Lance's POV

I was going crazy and I knew it but I couldn't help it. The moon goddess must be playing tricks on me. It was my eighteenth birthday but it was my saddest.

My wolf had happily tackled my sister to the ground in happiness in the presence of all that were there to celebrate my eighteenth birthday.

As the future Beta of the park, it would have been disappointing if I didn't get my wolf. It had happened before in our lineage and this had made my parents especially my mum very anxious.

My grandfather was not the direct bloodline of the Beta post but according to history his elder brother who ought to take over from their father never got his wolf.

At first, they had thought his wolf was only delayed for a particular reason but when he didn't get his wolf at the age of twenty-five, my grandfather who was twenty years then was asked to start training.

According to my grandfather, the training was difficult and draining and he nearly gave up. It wasn't easy to train to become a Beta at the age of twenty. Betas started training around the age of twelve.

Betas were usually emotionally and physically conditioned to do their jobs. The Alpha and Luna he was to serve were his main priority. My grandfather survived the training and was made the Beta of our pack.

My parents were apprehensive that if what happened before should repeat itself, it meant the Beta position might leave our family forever. The elders might not allow my sister to take over as the Beta. Our pack had never had a female occupying the post of a Beta.

That morning of my eighteenth birthday I had woken up with a mixture of joy and anxiety. I was going to get my wolf and probably my mate and live happily ever after but the moon goddess sure had another plan for me.

It was painful turning into my wolf for the first time. It was a good thing that my dad actually took his time to explain to me what it was likely to feel like and because I was having a Beta blood, the transition might be more painful than that of any normal wolf.

I smiled when I looked at my dad immediately I was able to get on my feet after my first shift. He looked at me with so much pride in his eyes and I couldn't have been more proud of myself. I couldn't wait to see the look on my mother and sister's faces when they beheld my wolf.

I nearly bolted for the house but my father's steady hands on my fur stopped me. He signaled for me to turn and face the forest. It was then I remembered I would first have to go on a run with the men of the pack. It was a way of testing my agility since I was their future Beta, they needed to be sure I could take my father's place.

No normal wolf can go through the pain of shifting into their wolf and going for a run all in one night. It was only the Alpha and Beta that were made to do it. That was why our training was always difficult and draining, it was to prepare us for the task ahead.

I howled to the sky and broke into a run into the forest followed by the men in our pack and my dad, who by then had shifted into their wolves. I knew I shouldn't fail so I kept pushing. I was the first to get to the edge of the forest, I stopped and waited for them to get to me.

My father was the first to appear I gave him a tired yelp. He came to me and rubbed his snort on my tired face as if he were cleaning my sweat. I turned away from him, mind linking him to stop, he only laughed and told us all it was time to head back, his son had proven himself worthy of being their Beta.

We stopped at the stream to drink water but I didn't want us to stop, I wanted to see my sister already. Our parents were rarely around except on occasions like my birthday so my sister and I kind of take care of each other always, more like I became her father, mother, brother, and confidant all rolled up in one.

She was my confidant too. It kind of got crazy sometimes when I tried to deal with her emotional mess alongside mine. I was just three years older than she was, yet I had to take care of us.

I could already imagine what the look on her face would be like when she beheld my wolf. We had both talked extensively about what my wolf would possibly look like. She had said I was going to have Dad's midnight black fur color. I had not argued with her because that was what I expected. I looked at my image in the stream and gave a wolfish laugh, dad lifted his head and looked at me questioningly. I shook my head at him signifying that nothing was wrong.

I looked up at the sky, it was still dark but I could actually see everything around me. I looked at my immaculately white fur in the stream and wondered why I didn't ask my sister to bet what the color of my wolf would be. At least I would have won her money and made her pout in envy.

I was so consumed with the thought of my sister that I didn't know that the others were already on the move, my dad nudged me on the side and we moved on.

When we were getting near the house I suddenly felt a pang in my chest and my breathing accelerated. My wolf seemed to take over my thinking completely. It felt strange losing control but it was not something I wasn't prepared for.

Due to the strength of my wolf, it was possible for it to consume the human part of me and submerge it totally but I was trained and I knew how to get the reins back. I tried reasoning with my wolf not to do anything rash but it kept insisting we go inside the house immediately.

'Are you ready to go in son?' My father asked through the mind link.

I turned and faced my father. 'I don't know Dad, my wolf is suddenly getting restless.'

'Maybe your mate is inside the house.'

'I would be glad Dad. I don't want to start looking for my mate all over packs.'

'Your mother invited all the eligible girls in the pack. Besides, Maureen's best friend has an eye for you. She just might be the one.'

'Dad, I hope she isn't,' I said rolling my wolf eyes. I can hear Dad laugh through the mind link.

'Why not her, son?'

'Then I have to wait another three years before I can let her know she is my mate. I don't want to be mated to a baby dad.'

'Let's go in and find out then. Let's hope it is not one of your mum's nosy friends,' Dad laughed in the mind link and I laughed too.

My father and I might not get to spend a lot of time together but we were really close and whenever he got to be around we talked a lot and I can say we were good friends. Although my sister was a different ball game. They both seemed not to have a good relationship with her. It was more like I was her parent and they were just there for us.

Maureen didn't bother with them as far as I was there with her. I once talked about it with my mother but she only said I was the one perceiving it that way. So I had to let the sleeping dog lie.

We walked into the house and I had to control my wolf from bolting to wherever it wanted to go. We had to first pay our respect to the Alpha and the Luna then to Dominus who I will be serving as his Beta. Dominus and I were friends, even best friends just like our fathers. Our mothers too were friends. We both joked about it once that maybe if the Luna had had a girl after Dominus, she would have been my sister's best friend too.

After greeting the Alpha and his family, I had to do all I could to make my wolf stop and acknowledge Mum. She looked at me with so much pride. I could see her eyes mist over. She had never shown so much emotion in my presence before. She rubbed my wolf's head gently and that seemed to calm him down a little.

My wolf suddenly seemed to smell something in the air. Before I could do anything to stop him, he made a beeline for my sister and tackled her to the ground. Maureen must have thought I was playing with her because she laughed and rubbed her hand on the fur on my side.

My wolf put his nose on Maureen's neck and sniffed her, it tickled her and she laughed harder. I took hold of control and bolted straight upstairs. I could sense the deafening silence downstairs.

'What the hell just happened? That is our sister,' I berated my wolf.

'If she is our sister, why then is her scent calling out to us?' My wolf answered nonchalantly.

'You are the only one it is calling out to, not me. I only hope the goddess didn't give me a mad wolf,' I said getting ready to change into my human form.

'I am not mad, I know what I sensed,' my wolf insisted.

'You will stay away from her, she is our sister. We ought to protect and love her. She thought just now that you were playing with her, we would keep it that way,' I shouted in my head and blocked my wolf out.

I quickly changed into my human form before my wolf could do or say anything more stupid.

I entered the bathroom feeling the opposite of what I thought I would be feeling that day. But I knew I had to push through with the ceremony, I had guests downstairs and I couldn't afford to hole up in my room. I only hope I can keep my mad wolf at bay around Maureen.

Lance's POV

I heard a soft knock on my door but I ignored it. I was sure it was one of the kitchen hands coming to wake me, probably on Mum's instruction.

I had turned all night trying to sleep. I had gone through my own birthday party like a zombie. The idea that the moon goddess gave me a crazy wolf was enough to keep me awake all night. So I wasn't ready to get up that morning.

The knock came again and I ignored it, thinking the person would go away when I refused to answer. I waited for another three seconds and dosed off to sleep.

My sister's smell was all I smelled in the house now so I wasn't ready to strain myself to get who was at the door specifically.

I was drifting off to sleep when suddenly somebody jumped into my bed. The instance the person's body touched mine I knew who it was. My wolf became too alert for my liking.

'Shit, Maureen what are you doing here so early?' I shouted at my sister the instance I got on my feet.

'Lance, I have always done this in the morning,' she answered looking at me confused. She did that every time I didn't go for training. She came into my room and slept with her head on my chest. According to her, my heartbeat relaxed her. But that had to stop else we were going to commit incest.

'Look, things are different now Maureen. You coming here unannounced, you coming to cuddle with me, they have got to stop,' I shouted angrily at her. I was becoming frustrated. I knew it was not her fault but I had to stay away from her.

'Why Lance, why are you being mean to me?' She lifted her head to look at me, her eyes filled with unshed tears and my heart broke. If only she knew what battle I was fighting within me. Trying to stop my hands from grabbing her and kissing her succulent lips.

For a fifteen-year-old, my sister was beautiful. She was filled out in all the right places like every male's fantasy. And since last night I stopped feeling like her brother, I wanted her and my wolf was not helping matters. At that moment, I was going crazy in my head wanting to touch and hold her desperately.

I was angry at her for making it so difficult for me. I knew that the look in my eyes at that moment was bad enough to make anyone cringe but Maureen was never scared of me. Instead of running, I saw the tears in her eyes flow down her beautiful cheeks.

The instance I noticed the tears in her eyes running down like a tap, I turned away from her. It was for her own good.

'You know what Maureen, get out of my room, I am not in the mood for your tantrums this morning,' I said with all the patience I could muster.

'I am not throwing tantrums, Lance. But you are being so mean to me?' She stubbornly insisted.

I turned to face her again making sure that the look in my eyes was harder. 'Please Maureen go to your room.'

'This is so unfair, Lance. Are you being like this because you turned eighteen?' She asked with stubbornness still in her voice.

'Yes. Maybe when you turn eighteen, you will understand my plight,' I said rubbing my face with my hand in frustration. I was lost and frustrated.

Maureen stood up and came towards me, she stretched out her hand to touch me but I moved away as fast as I could. If she touched me I might lose the little control I had over my wolf. No training prepared me for what I was going through at that moment.

'Don't touch me, Maureen, just go,' I shouted at her. Wishing she would just let me be.

She rushed out of my room crying. I wished I could run after her but I couldn't. Any contact could become a big mess, so I let her go and my heart sank hearing her sob as she ran the length of the corridor to her room.

I knew I couldn't sleep again so I decided to get ready for the day. I had a few things to do in the company of Dominus.

I took my bath and got dressed with a mind filled with my sister. She was all I could smell in the air everywhere I turned. It was almost driving me crazy. I knew I had to get out of the house.

'Good morning Lance,' Lucia greeted me when I entered the kitchen to find something to eat before meeting up with Dominus.

'Hey Lucia. How are you this morning?' I smiled at her refusing to meet my sister's gaze.

'I am fine,' Lucia answered hanging on to every word that came out of my mouth as if her life depended on them. It was actually funny how things worked. Dominus liked her but she liked me, so for Dominus' sake I discouraged her advances all the time.

'Thanks for attending my birthday yesterday,' I said taking Lucia's hand and playing with her fingers.

I smiled when I saw her blush furiously. I just wished she liked my friend as well. Dominus and I were banking on the fact that when she finally got her wolf she would let go of her crush for me.

'You don't have to thank me, Lance. I practically live in this house. It is not as if I can just stay in the room and not attend,' Lucia said looking so happy

'Thanks all the same,' I said smiling at her and I let go of her hand.

'Your wolf was so beautiful. What is his name?' Lucia asked. I knew both she and Maureen had been dying to know his name so I answered.

'Marshall,' I answered trying my best to concentrate on our discussion because my sister's smell bombarded my senses and was torturing me with a restless wolf.

'It was so big and beautiful. Can I see him again soon?'

'He is not a pet Lucia, he is a wolf and a Beta for that matter. He will be unpredictable like any wolf with a strong bloodline,' I said in a firm tone. I had to, I can't afford to let my wolf out around my sister.

'I guess that is true. I was scared when he tackled Maureen to the ground yesterday, I thought he would hurt her but when Maureen laughed under him, I breathed a sigh of relief.' Lucia rolled her eyes and dramatically raised her hands as if she were trying not to scold my wolf.

At her mention of the previous night's incident, I could feel my spine go rigid. I had to get out of there fast. The anger in me came to the surface and I tried to control it.

'Maureen is his sister, he would never hurt her. He has to protect her as her Beta and that is exactly what he would do,' I said looking into my sister's eyes as if I was trying to convey the information that nothing was ever going to happen between us.

I made sure I emphasized 'sister,' trying hard to remind my wolf who Maureen was and warn Maureen off too. But then she knew nothing about my inner turmoil.

'I will be out with Dominus. You girls should not wait up for me,' I said breaking eye contact with my sister. I stood up and left the house.

The moment I stepped out I decided I was going to avoid the house as much as I could, for the sake of my sanity.

I refused to go pick up my sister from school as I usually did. She had called me several times but I refused to pick up. She had a special ring tone so I don't bother when my phone is playing that particular song. I tried sleeping to while away time besides I was tired from the morning training. After turning for several minutes I fell asleep only to be woken up by my phone ringing.

'Hello,' I asked sleepily.

'Em em hello Lance,' Lucia's voice came from the other side. If I had checked the caller ID I wouldn't have picked up her call but then the worried part of me would have picked up the call.

'Hello are you there Lucia, is 'Everything ok? I asked when she fell silent.

'Yeah, everything is fine. I was just wondering if you would be coming for Maureen or if you would be sending Dominus,' Lucia rushed everything in one breath.

I was silent for a while. I didn't want to say anything out of tune.

'Are you there?' Lucia asked. I guess my silence was disturbing.

'Yes, I am here. Are you with her right now,' I asked.

'No. I left her believing you would be there,' Lucia lied. I could hear two people breathing from her end.

'She is no longer a child Lucia, she can take care of herself,' I said knowing fully well that she was listening to the conversation.

'When did your baby suddenly become so grown up? Because you turned eighteen?' Lucia questioned me, obviously defending her friend.

'You won't understand Lucia, there is a lot I am trying to process right now,' I sighed into the phone.

'Maureen has been calling your number all day but you are not picking,' Lucia accused me.

'Tell her to get herself home or better still sleep in school if she wants.' I had to make her hate me. It was the only way out.

'Tell her yourself I am not with her.'

'You underestimate me, Lucia. Have you forgotten that I have my wolf now? I heard two people breathing on the phone,' I said to her so she would realize that they couldn't fool me.

'What?' I heard the two of them say.

'My ears are four times sharper now than before as well as my sight. Imagine your sight better than what it already is now,' I explained with a smile playing on my lips.

'Lance?' I heard my sister call me on the phone. Her voice sounded like a soothing balm but I knew I couldn't let the feeling unsettle my now very alert wolf.

'See you around Lucia,' I said and quickly cut the call. I knew I was hurting her but that is the only way I could do it. I was hurting too.