Before he could heart either James or Ares reply to Anya, he heard Dante enter the kitchen. She sounded a little like Jac, but there was some defiant difference between their voices... he wasn't sure how he could tell, or if it was in his head. Pouring a bit of milk into his mug, Gavin turned and leaned his back against the counter. He capped the milk jug and gave Dante a passive nod for a greeting. Her presence bothered him.

Then Jac came in. Gavin stood up straighter and almost let the jug slide off the counter, but he caught it before something catastrophic could occur. The static coming off of Dante was almost palpable, Gavin looked at her crossly- what was her problem? He watched the conversation turn bitter and spiteful. He wanted to grab Dante by the shoulders and shake her. All Jac did was say good morning!

As the sisters glared at each other, Gavin's mug was shaking in his hands with his anger. But he bit his tongue, telling himself to stay silent. A small part of him wished that Ares wasn't there to see that. When Dante took off, Gavin looked at James- waiting to see what he'd do. He heard the door slam as Jac stormed out.

After she had left the kitchen for the second time with her cup of coffee, Gavin followed her, casting Anya an apologetic frown. But he couldn't just let Jac stay upset. He watched Reina with light amusement while she fumbled around the kitchen for breakfast. He thought about wishing to tell her happy birthday, then decided not to distract her... he had something more important to attend to at the moment.

Stop. His wolf barked at him. You're going to get yourself in trouble. Stop. Let her be. It continued to growl. Gavin ignored it- he had done it before, and he found that the more he gave in to what he wanted to do, the easier it became. To his wolf, he was just waiting for said girl to approach and tell him he was her mate- which would hopefully shatter all connections he had with freedom. But to Gavin, damn it, he would go out kicking and screaming first.

"Hey," He said shakily, setting his mug down on a table. He couldn't think of anything to say, but she looked like she needed a hug. A good, solid hug. Shoving the opposing whispers of his wolf, Gavin wrapped his arms around her.

Jac's hesitance only, for some reason, encouraged Gavin to hold her tighter. A rather terrifying thought formulated in his mind, similar to the one he had on the basketball court the previous night, and then again in his bedroom after he found the rose. That damned rose sitting in his backpack.

See? Look at what you got yourself in to! His wolf was growling lowly, scolding him in the back of his mind. Gavin closed his eyes and ignored it, letting himself feel more human. Those little maggots didn't know how lucky they were... Or maybe they did, and just chose not to embrace it. He was... afraid. He wouldn't admit it to any one else, or himself, but Gavin was scared to find out who his mate was. He didn't know who it would be, or, heaven forbid, if he could even stand to be around her. He didn't know if it would change who he was entirely or... what.

He knew who he wanted it to be, and she was right there, in his arms. He felt a tear from her on his chest, and wondered if she was thinking the same thing. Was this how Calvin felt about Lyra? Maybe she already knew who her mate was. Gavin didn't want to know, not unless-

Jac pulled away from him and shot him a playful wink. Despite the sudden coldness, he couldn't help but smile back at her, glad she was feeling better- even if only on the surface. He had no siblings, so he couldn't relate to sibling rivalry, but he understood plenty of family feuds. They were best left in the family.

"Any who... we still on tonight?"

Oh, they were on tonight. A rather terrifying but wonderful idea popped into his head. It would be wrong, maybe even awkward- and eventually, no doubt, heart breaking. The very thought made his wolf bristle with anger, but Gavin was just too damn human to care. Now he knew how people felt while lying on their death bed, wishing they had done things and lived their life more fully. To stop caring about rules and customs. To be a rebel- a true rebel. A breeder of chaos. To live. Gavin lived with zero regrets... and Jac would not be an exception. Mate or not.

A bold, sly grin crossed over his lips when he looked at her. "Yeah." He replied, an excited tweak in his voice. "Bonfire starts around four-thirty, five ish. I'll see you on the porch."

"Yes, Jac, that is my ultimate plan. That's why I'm letting you come with me tonight." Gavin teased her back, "Yes, attending class today would totally cramp my style." He then realized he didn't warn her yet, and with the sudden speed of his realization, he put his hand on her shoulder. "I have to tell you... They'll treat you differently than you'd probably think. It's subtle, but definitely there." A smirk crossed his face. The girls would definitely be hating on Jacquelyn.

"I haven't entirely figured out why, but I have a few theories. If you're around any drama- which, I can guarantee you, will happen- they'll probably look to you to calm things down. They don't do it consciously, I think something about us just radiates power." He thought if there was anything else. There was, lots of stuff ...

"Um. You're going to see some things. And you're going to smell some things. You'll be able to figure it out, though- if it makes your nose numb, move away." He laughed. "The guys will flock to you- at least, the girls flock to me, so I only suspect they'll do it to you, too." Gavin looked at her very seriously. "I know you're tough, and don't get me wrong, I'm pretty sure if you felt insulted you could take out any of them in half a heartbeat- but if anyone gives you trouble, come get me. It shouldn't happen, though, I told them you were there as... with me." Kind of. Not really. Not at all. "They should leave you alone. At least the guys. But hey, anything can happen when you mix drugs and alcohol."

Gavin pushed himself onto his feet and offered her a hand. "Not to insult your intelligence, or anything." He smiled genuinely.

“Oh, my, my don’t tell me if guys get to…clingy…you might go all big brother on me.” Gavin caught the worry behind her mask of playful teasing.

He shrugged passively, "Not exactly." Jac pulled him back down to the ground and let him fall. He huffed and shook his head. Women. Standing up again, he brushed the dirt and grass blades off his shorts. While Jac headed off to school, Gavin grabbed his coffee and her empty mug, and went inside, hoping to get a few games on his computer before he had to go out. On his way up, he gave Kathy a wave and said a quick congrats to Reina on another year conquered. Parts of his mind still on her, Gavin washed her mug and put it away.

"Me either!" He said right after Kathy about the party. Then he mentally kicked himself, but supposed his and Jac's being gone wouldn't upset the balance too much, Calvin had a basketball game tonight, anyways. "I know nothing of a party."

In his room, he booted up his computer and took another gulp of coffee. Nectar of the gods, it was. His eyes fell on his backpack, thinking about what was inside of it. He chewed the inside of his cheek. The whole thing was bothering him... He considered confiding in Calvin- but was completely unsure how he'd respond. On one hand, being in possession of such a feminine thing would undoubtedly draw a laugh. On the other hand, it was a pack-related matter. If one girl knew her mate, others were bound to follow.

On the nightstand, which is backpack was leaning against, his phone erupted into a violent lightshow of vibration, and danced around in a galore of rapid taps. He saw that he had missed four calls- undoubtedly from Blondie. Gavin pushed the call to 'busy' and texted Calvin: "Got something to show you." Gavin was a social being, he couldn't really keep secrets... And he didn't want to involve Jac. After he sent it, the damned thing rang again. Annoyed and angry, Gavin shut it off and threw it on his bed.

Around noon, he finally quit playing games- over all, happy with what he accomplished- and jumped in the shower. After he changed, he grabbed his backpack and swung it over his shoulder, ran downstairs. There were still a few things he had to do before tonight...

Gavin walked in the front door, taking a passive notice that Jac's motorcycle wasn't outside yet. Good. It gave him time to change. He came in and shut the heavy door behind him. Excitement rippled through his spine, it often did before a party. It was intensified by the moon nearing its fullest glory. Oddly, this was the best time to be out at a party. To Gavin, while transforming was painful, there was something liberating about it. To be such a... powerful being. And while the urge to let his wolf free danced at the surface of his skin as something falsely rapturous, Gavin never let himself get passed the point of truly poor judgement around the humans. Never.

He wandered up the stairs to his bedroom, his mind swimming in anticipation of the bonfire. He opened his backpack and stared at the rose in his backpack. It had already started to wilt, and its scent was only faint, having absorbed the other scents of its holder. Gavin hated the rose. It told him without words the reality he did not want to face. Ever. He thought about setting the damn thing on fire. Then decided against it, and shoved it under his pillow instead.

Tonight was, quite possibly, his last night of freedom. Of true freedom. The next party wouldn't be until next week, and by then surely whoever he was meant to be with would inform him. Just to get her stupid wolf. Then she'd put him on a leash and probably never let him have any fun again. While he never let himself indulge in who his mate could be, Gavin did so now. He mentally sorted through each girl in the pack- Lyra, Reina, Kathy, Anya, Dante- (he wouldn't let himself think of Jac). Lyra would be the most difficult to swallow. He admired her- his wolf admired her. She was a fine young woman, with passionate drive... But she was too much into controlling and leadership. He liked her, but could he love her? Reina, a trouble maker for sure, and still more liberating. Probably more tolerant of his frowned-upon behavior. He could be content with her. Kathy was pretty, and he thought her clumsiness was cute. Though he felt like if he was with her, he'd always have to be around. Anya would be fine, she deflected his mother with ease-so did Jac- which would make holidays more tolerable. She was, no doubt, a fine young woman- they all were.

Dante. Gavin's insides seared. There was no possible way it would be Dante. If it was Dante, he'd... he'd...

Gavin closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his freckled nose. He decided he was thinking about this too much. Tonight was supposed to be fun, and he was already going downhill. Instead he let himself think that it was Jac- even if just for tonight. His anger suddenly vanished and he quickly changed into a pair of shorts and one of his band tees- tonight was an Escape the Fate kind of night. He snickered at the irony.

Backpack ready, Gavin shut his door and headed downstairs to the porch to meet Jac. Between the time he got to the house and was in his little mental turmoil, Jac had come home. A big grin that couldn't be repressed spread over his face when he saw her standing there out on the porch. He swung the door open and stepped out.

"Hey, you ready?"

Kathy enjoyed the long walk back from school, bobbing her head lightly to the music in her ear buds. She was looking forward to the party tonight. She was one of the younger girls in the house herself, so she shared Ray's excitement at the whole deal of growing up and the kind of thing that each passing year could bring. Especially since Ray was turning sixteen. That was quite an exciting age whether you were a werewolf or a human.

Walking towards the house Kathy saw Jac and Gavin standing outside looking like they were about to go somewhere. There was something slightly cutesy and unusual about the way they were with each other. Gavin always seemed like such a tearaway that it was strange seeing him like that. She wondered what they were doing.

"Hello" she greeted them as she walked up "what are you up to? Aren't you staying around for Reinas party later?"

The very thought of riding on the back of her bike gave Gavin a horrible condescending streak down his spine. Few things were quite as unmasculine as riding on the back of a chick's motorcycle. Even if the chick was as hot as Jac. Gavin grinned and shook his head, letting out a small laugh. "No, but thanks. We're going to walk. I usually walk over there- it's only about fifteen minutes away."

*EDIT: His attention was pulled away with the sudden arrival of Kathy and Reina. He smiled at both of them. Kathy asked about Reina's party. Admittedly, Gavin had forgotten about the party entirely. He wished he could make a promise to attend, but he couldn't.

"Going to a human party." He grinned at her. "Jac wants to check out some human culture. We'll come home in time to stop by for her party, sure."

He suddenly felt itchy, almost uncomfortable being around them. What if one of them had given him the rose? What if she wanted to tell him before he left? Nope, that wasn't going to happen. He shuffled his weight around nervously, but didn't want to seem too eager to leave. As Reina entered the porch, Gavin shot her a friendly grin. "Have a good birthday, we'll swing by your party later. Um... you're welcome to come along with us, if you want."
[end edit]

With that, Gavin opened the screen door and looked over her shoulder to be sure she caught it on her way out. He strode down the steps and made his way across the lawn into the woods. Twigs snapped beneath his weight, freshly fallen from the trees overhead. He was going down one of his own made trails- mainly because he was the only one who headed this way. He knew it like the back of his hand.

"So I should tell you about some people." He started, stepping over a large branch that had fallen in the middle of the trail. "Ryan, Rory and Blondie."

"Ryan is really chill, he's sort-of like the host of all these parties. Always insanely high, in fact, I don't think he's ever not. But he's really good at reading body language and intervening when needed." There was a part in the path where a stream had once broke it in two. But since then, it had dried up and left a huge, moist ditch. Gavin stepped through it, making his already worn-out brown sandals more dirty. "Blondie, she's probably going to hate you the minute you show up. She has a thing for me, thinks we were dating or something. I told her I was bringing you, referred to you as my girlfriend, hope you don't mind." He added the last part passively, like it wasn't a big deal. He hoped she didn't mind.

"And then there's Rory." He sighed with a chuckle. In front of them now were massive boulders that they'd have to climb over. Gavin took care of where he set his feet and where he grabbed it, so Jac could see and follow him. He pulled himself over with ease. At the top, he held his hand down to Jac if she needed it. "Rory thinks he's a werewolf. He calls them lycans, it's a lot easier to just go with it than convince him otherwise. He's bringing a lady-friend, and since he's aware of the full moon, wants me to be around in case he goes crazy or something."

Finally the trees began to thin out and the soft rushing waves of water could be heard. The sand lightened and became oddly warm as the land gave out to a beautiful horizon and vast, dark blue water. The air smelled like heat and salt, with a hint of smoke coming from the west. That was where the bonfire was supposed to take place. There weren't a whole bunch of people there yet, but Gavin liked to arrive early and help with setting things up.

"Yeah, no one really likes being here early to help set up. They usually only want to be here for the double B's and D's." Such was the mentality of human adolescents. Gavin was nudged by her, let out a sigh of a laugh and headed towards the steadily growing pile of wood. Ryan had the whole bed of his truck loaded with dried tree branches and other chunks of wood. He had grabbed two giant trunks and walked them over to the growing pile, nodding at Gavin as they approached.

"Hey, who's that?" Ryan nodded to Jac. When they got closer, Ryan smiled warmly at her. He was shorter than Gavin, had lighter hair and a countenance so chill, it was curious as to whether he was really consciously present. Gavin subconsciously stepped closer to Jac.

"Jac, this is Ryan. Ryan, Jac." Gavin introduced. Around them a few people added more wood to the stack and others stood around, immersing themselves in various activities. "Can we help you get anything?"

"Yeah, actually. I got plenty of hands for the wood. There's a cooler out over there, and some ice and the drinks in my cab." Ryan tossed his keys to Gavin, who caught them easily. His eyes suddenly went to Jac in a way that suggested he was examining her personality. "Is she-"

"Yeah," Gavin answered, suddenly wrapped an arm around Jac's waist and held her to him. "Yeah she knows and she's cool. Come on, would I bring someone who wasn't?" Before Ryan could say more, Gavin walked around his truck and unlocked the door. Inside the truck was surprisingly clean. Probably to give him an appearance of innocence.

Gavin pulled two of the five bags of ice out and set them on the sand next to a giant red cooler. "There should be a pack of beer or something, maybe some hard liquor in there... They go on the bottom, in case we get interrupted." He poured one of the bags of ice into the cooler, waiting for Jac to get the drinks. They had never been caught before, but Gavin certainly didn't want to get caught now.

Suddenly, he looked at Jac seriously, "If we do get busted, don't wait for me, just run back to the pack house." He could handle getting in trouble, but he wouldn't be able to stand himself if he got her in trouble, if he failed to protect her. Somewhere deep inside him, his wolf stirred angrily again, but it was so slight Gavin hardly noticed.

Rory appeared as if from nowhere, bounding up from the side towards Gavin. The truth was he’d been strolling the length of the beach casually, checking his phone every fifteen seconds or so to see whether he’d had a text from the girl he’d met earlier. So far there had been nothing.

“Gavin!” he said as he approached. His eyes shifted momentarily to the side to look at Jac, but with only a minimal grunt of acknowledgement he stepped forward and stood facing Gavin and with his back practically to her. “It’s good that you’re here early. Everyone’s saying it’s going to be wild and you know I’ve been feeling pretty het up today...I’d tell you about this girl but you’ll see her when she gets here and I tell you now just thinking about it is really threatening to bring out the animal in me if you know what I mean and you know that can be a bad thing...”

He stopped to take a breath and looked up thoughtfully. “Do you think I should text her? Or just wait and see if she comes. She said she would, she said she was from out of town so obviously she doesn’t know anyone and she didn’t have any other plans......”

"No," Gavin responded to Jac. "You're not the type who would run away from trouble." He could tell she was a little miffed, but played it off with a suave grin. "But none of these people would hesitate for a moment to sell you out, and let me tell you," Gavin looked off to a corner where a couple was heavily engaged in some odd careless display of glass apparatus and smoking substances. "Some of this stuff that goes on could have you barred for quite a while." Gavin looked into her eyes for a moment. "Trust me, I don't want to have to come and bust you out of jail, Jac."

Then, out of nowhere, Rory came bounding up to him and cut off his connection to Jac. He was talking so quickly and suddenly that Gavin almost had to put his hands on the poor boy's shoulders and stop him. Before he could do such a thing, Jac answered. "Don’t text her, it will make her want to know what’s going on. it adds the mystery factor. Curiosity and all. Trust me, I’m a girl, play hard to get and she’ll be eating out of the palm of your hand in no time. How do you think I got Gavin?"

He felt his face turn red, and he turned away and looked at the sea. Shame that she got me that way, instead of the official way. He thought sadly. Bittersweet. He pulled it away- tonight was his night. No time to be sad.

Jac excused herself, Gavin shamelessly watched her walk away...

He forced his attention back to Rory. "I got you," He patted his shoulder. "I'd trust Jac on this one, don't text her yet. And I've got your back, if anything happens, I'll take care of it." Gavin symbolically nodded to the woods. "Quick escape route, just in case." He finished putting the ice in the cooler, hiding their illegal drinks under a blanket of generic soda cans. He shut the cooler and stood up. "So, tell me about this chick."

--

Ryan watched Jac approach and ask if there was anything else. He had a cardboard box advertising the drinks that Gavin had hidden in the cooler, and was flattening it for the bonfire. Burn all evidence.

"Um, no I think we've got it." He waved to some random passer-by. "Unless you want to do the honors." Ryan reached in his pocket and pulled out a blue lighter, handing it to her.

"How do you know Gavin? You two go to school together?"

"Well," Ryan didn't really want, or care to be the bearer of bad news. "He's never mentioned you."

He suddenly sensed shock in Jac, and quickly moved to ease it, "Oh, I don't mean it like that. He doesn't talk about anyone, really. Mostly he just likes being around us, I think. Told me he likes getting away, whatever that means. But he's never said anything about anyone from his school or his house." Ryan watched her light the fire. "We all think he's secretly homeless." He teased in attempts to lighten the mood.

"Hey Ryan!" Came a shrill voice behind him. Ryan was almost caught off guard, and turned around to see Kristi- whom he recently discovered Gavin had taken to calling 'Blondie'- rushing towards him, arms outstretched. He let her hug him, knowing she'd be an easy target later.

"Who is this?" She asked, looking at Jac with a makeup decorated face with an offended expression.

"Right." Ryan sighed. "She's here with Gavin, she's a guest." Kristi took in a heavy breath and heaved, opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Ryan covered her mouth. "No. You're not starting anything. If you can't be nice, go somewhere else."

Gavin came out from behind the truck, grinned at Jac boyishly before his gaze fell on Blondie, who was still giving Jac the most ridiculous death-stare ever. "Who the fuck is this?" Blondie gestured at Jac, her face turning red with rage, completely ignoring Ryan's attempts to calm her down. Her eyes turned to Gavin with that mix of heartbreak and rage.

"Excuse you?" Gavin scolded. "Don't talk to her like that."

Blondie huffed- he told other girls that whenever they cursed at each other. At her.

"Jac's got just as much of a right to be here as you do." Gavin continued. Blondie found herself hanging her head in shame. He was never really hers.

Upset that Jac had to be subjected to that negativity, Gavin wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led her away from the scene.

Rory looked around at Jac when she spoke, suddenly interested simply by virtue of the fact that she was saying something about his situation. He fidgeted uncomfortably, clearly wanting to send the text but conflicted by the advice he was being given.

"Really? You reckon so?" he said. "Um...yeah of course, I mean why wouldn't she...."

It wasn't until Jac excused herself that he took another look at her, finally clocking that he hadn't seen her before. It didn't occupy his mind long before he looked at Gavin and nodded earnestly at his support for Rory's unusual plight.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure nothing will happen, but this close to the full moon I can't afford to let my guard down."

He leaned up against the truck, pretty much just watching whilst Gaving did the work with the cooler.

"Oh boy she was a cutie." he said with a sneer that just didn't seem quite right on such a harmless looking human, "She came right up to me in the square on lunch break, asking about something or other and I just threw her a bone and invited her to the party. She was totally game for it. Tell you it's a good thing she didn't turn up in a few days time because I just wouldn't be able to trust...."

"Who the fuck is this?"

Rory was cut off by Kristi's demand for an explanation, and quickly shrank a little further back. Kristi was a bit of an attitude girl, and he preferred to keep his distance from them. He stayed close behind Gavin while the guy took care of business.

Beep beep boop boop beep.

While Gaving was putting Kristi in her place, Rory's phone emitted a five tone signal that was vaguely recogniseable as some sci-fi theme tune, and almost fell over himself getting it out of his pocket to check. Bringing up the message his whole body sagged.

"Oh man!!" he whined, "What kind of other plans can she possibly have had?"

Sulkily he put his phone away and flopped down onto his butt on the sand, and looked up at Gavin who was coming back towards him with an arm around...that new girl he'd brought along.

"I bet it's because she picked up a vibe about me in town." he whinged, "This close to the moon, I guess I can't help putting something out. Probably scares girls as much as it excites them. Damnit Gavin, you've no idea how lucky you are being a straightforward human."

"I bet it's because she picked up a vibe about me in town." he whinged, "This close to the moon, I guess I can't help putting something out. Probably scares girls as much as it excites them. Damnit Gavin, you've no idea how lucky you are being a straightforward human."

"Don't sweat it." Gavin patted Rory's shoulder and sat down in the sand next to him. "She's not worth it anyways if she can't handle the intensity that is you. You'll find someone." He looked up at Jac and smiled. "Go have a drink or someth-" Gavin stopped. "Never mind, lowering your inhibitions is probably not a good idea with the moon being so close." He contemplated his own mental-relaxant devices in his backpack.

As the sun finally set, all the people seemed to emerge from... no where. The beach was filled with at least a hundred people, a few more guys brought trucks filled with more fuel for the bonfire. A few people, against advice of every person with half a brain, went swimming. Swimming in open water was especially dangerous at night. Gavin let himself slip away to his little mental rubber-room, watching the humans dance, spill their drinks and flick their cigarettes into the sand. So free. Rory's words rang in his head. You have no idea how lucky you are being a straightforward human.

"See?" Gavin said to Jac in a low voice. "It's so different out here." He decided the rest would have to explain itself, he didn't want to risk saying anything that Rory would over hear. Having Jac so close just added to his little mental high. He was already contemplating ways to ditch Rory for a while.

Blondie had contented herself to sit and cuddle with some guy she hardly knew. Gavin was too happy sitting there between Jac and Rory to really care. He didn't. Not at all. She was happy, goodness knew the guy was happy- too bad she'd probably do the same thing to him. Gavin visibly shivered.

A group of kids approached them, snickering at Rory. Gavin gave Jac a small nudge and stood up. Above them, the moon was full and bright in all its glory.

"So, full moon, Rory? Feeling any different?" They asked with serious tones, though their expressions betrayed them. Gavin was pretty sure Rory wouldn't notice, he was kind of dense.

Gavin passively noticed Jac's waiting for him to make a move about the kids who came to tease Rory, but Rory had matter-of-factly stood up and started talking about his "condition". It was no secret, after all. Gavin was just more... sympathetic. And, since that cute girl he met earlier wasn't going to show, Gavin really had no need to stick-

Jac's arm wrapped around him while she giggled, "Come dance with me." And Gavin was forced to follow her entirely against his will. Not that he minded. Not at all. He watched her move with smooth grace to the obnoxiously loud dance music blaring from a stereo someone brought. Gavin let his eyes close, moving- not as gracefully, not by a long shot- with her. For the first time that evening, Gavin let himself go to that wonderful world of humans. Carpe diem... or whatever. For the first time that evening, he was free of his pack, free of the stress of knowing who his mate is. Tonight was just him and Jac.

Sometime in the midst of his thoughts, he realized Jac wasn't as close to him and the spell was broken. He came to in just enough time to see her punch some poor- probably deserving- lad in the face. The scent of blood filled his nose and he went to her instantly, already feeling the eyes of nearby humans on him. Wanting him to do something.

Before he could stop her to figure out what was wrong, she kicked the guy and knocked him down.

"Jac." Gavin said monotonously. The guy undoubtedly deserved it, based on the sneer on his face, and it turned Gavin's anger around. He knew guys at these parties- hell, he'd been that guy at these parties- and suddenly, rage came over him. Humans. Disrespectful, arrogant, ignorant humans. Gavin had never held a woman against her will- sure, he held and had more than he'd care to admit, but they always came to him willingly. Doing anything she didn't approve of was just wrong. And disrespectful. Humans.

And it was plainly obvious that this guy did not respect Jac.

In a sudden fury, Gavin barely brushed by Jac, but the humans all took a step away as he approached the guy laying on the beach, his face bleeding into the sand. Someone had cut the music, and the humans dared not breathe too loudly. The guy in the sand looked up at Gavin. His eyes were almost black in the darkness, he had a posture that demanded presence, and became eerie with the back glow of the fire. Most of the humans cast their eyes down or away from him. The guy tried to give Gavin a pleading look, but he saw right through it.

Forcefully, Gavin lifted the broken-nosed boy to his feet by his collar. "If a woman, girl or lady says, 'no', she means no."

"But she-"

Gavin shoved him down onto the sand, he didn't catch himself. Sand flew out from under his body and he yelped in pain.

"She kicked your ass is what she did. And you deserved it." He didn't have to add to the threat Jac already presented- she was right, she could handle herself. But damn it felt good to reinstate it. He saw some appreciative smiles break out from the many girls in the group. Some grinned at Jac with typical 'you-go-girl' expressions. Expressions on the men changed while they took Gavin's statement to heart, and scowled at the scumbag below him.

Having made his point, Gavin turned to leave, and on his way, grabbed Jac's hand and held it so his fingers were laced in with hers. While they departed the scene, the music came back on, and people slowly continued to get lost in the music. Gavin led her out of the range of most of the hype, on the edge of the forest where they could still see the humans losing themselves in their free will. Some continued dancing, others continued smoking- most did both. Some couples sneaked off to be alone- others did not seem to care that they were visible. The party quickly retained its fluidity.

"That was a good punch." He started, letting go of her hand as he sat down in the sand.

"You're welcome." Gavin returned her smile. "No one should be treated like that." He added solemnly. Out of no where, his wolf snarled internally at him. Condemning him. Humans are vile, and you're going to turn into one if you don't stop. His wolf had never been so vicious while he was around the humans. It was... concerning. Gavin credited the lunar cycle. Reminded of where he was, Gavin watched the humans mingle, fully aware of Jac sitting next to him. Probably more aware of her than them. She felt like... an anchor. Not keeping him down, keeping him connected so he wouldn't float away.

She was werewolf every bit as much as much as he: completely. But instead of scolding him from side lines about his longing for free will, Jac wanted to come and see it all for herself. Gavin would be excited even if she hated it and never wanted to come back- just the fact that she took the time to-

STOP. His wolf snapped, and Gavin twitched. He found himself cursing the moon while his wolf continued to bark at him internally- about his duty to the pack, werewolf ideals, that his being around humans was proof of his weakening willpower. Gavin's head started to pound, so he rubbed a temple and squeezed his eyes closed. Letting his human-side shove his wolf aside was much more difficult, but he finally managed, and his wolf was penned into the dark recesses of his mind once again.

"So, if you don't mind my asking, what is her problem, anyway?" Gavin asked, now even more aggravated that Dante was so unnecessarily rude to Jac. Whatever happened between them had better be something horribly catastrophic. Maybe Dante just wasn't the type to be grateful for being saved? Gavin wasn't entirely sure.

He looked at Jac's face and his gut churned with intuition. "There's a giant misunderstanding between you two, isn't there?"

"A wile ago…When we went to visit our grandparents and their pack…Dante fell in love with a pack member…"

Gavin felt his heart rate increase and his wolf stirring in the back of his mind, snarling a mean I told you so. He did his best to push it away while he listened to the rest of her story, patiently, though his insides were raging.

“He ended up mating with another female, and Dante just…. couldn’t accept it…

His wolf didn't stir, it just sat there in the back of his mind, waiting for his reaction. Gavin didn't have one... Not yet. He turned his head to look at Jac while she paused, waiting eagerly to see if she'd continue. He didn't want to know the rest, but his wordlessly insisted he should. Jac had to get this off of her chest anyway.

"I tried to tell her there was no way…to break that kind of bond…it’s just…impossible."

That was something Gavin knew... Had been fighting with since he realized how much he... liked Jac. He wasn't after breaking the bond, he just wanted to live before his fate was really sealed. It seemed that that's also just what Dante wanted, except she couldn't let go. Gavin wondered briefly if he could. If he was really being that different from Dante.

He let Jac turn her head to hide her tears, but then something made him reach out and wrap his arms around her. Who knew how long she had held that in- and Dante hating her, having to face each other. He drew her into him, held her head on his shoulder. He wanted to make Dante understand, wanted to make things better. He wanted...

He waited, but his wolf was completely silent.

“So…there’s my sob story…”

The crazy woman- she always deflected how she felt. He didn't want her to, if there was one thing he learned from his life it was to not ever be ashamed of how you feel. Not ever. No matter what.

No matter what.

Life is too damn short. Even for werewolves.

Especially werewolves.

Gavin pulled Jac away from him a short way and looked at her. Really looked at her- into her eyes- and saw her soul. She was a beautiful, strong woman. He saw it on a daily basis, and more through her experience with Dante... He was in too far now. There was no way out, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stand himself if he didn't at least let her know how he felt.

Overwhelmed, Gavin held the side of Jac's face and brought her lips to his in a passionate kiss.

Gavin laughed at Jac, before letting go of her face and-

“There’s a wolf!!!” Rory shouted, “A huge wolf over there! Everyone run!!”

Gavin jumped up on his feet, pulled Jac up with him, watching Rory run freakishly fast. No one listened to him- of course they didn't- but Gavin picked up the feint scent, despite the smoke. The humans laughed and taunted Rory. Gavin, still holding Jac's hand, made his way over without trying to look too serious.

From the look on Rory's face and the way he was shaking, Gavin knew he saw whatever it was. He scowled at a young man commenting on possible lineage the wolf might have to Rory and Gavin scowled at him, wanted to punch him... Jac's kiss made him feel more masculine... But settled on a disapproving scowl instead.

He could tell it wasn't someone from the pack, and he didn't think it would be- they had no reason to come down and check on them. Or at least, they never had before, and certainly wouldn't have let themselves be seen if they did. It had to be a loner, probably scared off by the number of people here... If it had malicious intention. But Gavin didn't know.

Safety in numbers. He recalled that Calvin and Duncan and Lyra were patrolling tonight, but he didn't want to leave the humans- if there were more... that could be bad. This whole thing was bad.

Gavin leaned in to Jac and whispered, "I'm going to call Duncan." giving her the invitation to come along or stay, he turned and walked out of hearing distance from the humans and away from the forest opening. He dialed Duncan's number, waited for him to pick up the phone.

---

"Hey, Duncan, it's Gavin." He started, turning around and looking back at the humans. He grinned when he saw Jac comfort Rory. "There's a guy who cried 'wolf' so to speak. I picked up a scent, it wasn't one of us... It also wasn't familiar to me at all." He waited a moment. "I don't think it's here any more, but I thought you should know."

When they were done talking, Gavin shut his phone and returned to Jac, giving her a side-nod of his head, indicating that he wanted her to follow him.

Rory was too petrified to care about the fun which was being poked at him. If anything, their levity helped to calm him down and not care that the biggest canine creature he'd ever seen outside of fiction was just taken a lunge for him. He kept looking over his shoulder, and with each realisation that he was not being pursued his breathing started to return to normal.

If nothing else, being in the centre of the crowd would do him good. That way he wouldn't need to be faster than the wolf...he'd just need to be faster than at least one or two other people...

"I'm fine." he gulped at Jac's attempts to reassure him, "I've just...."

The admission coming next was a difficult one, "...never actually seen someone in their shifted form before. The nearest person I know of who claims to physically shift is at least a hundred miles away. So I was just surprised to see one here in town."

He coughed and fidgetted with his fingers when Gavin indicated for Jac to follow him.

"W-wait..." he stammered, "...where are you going?"

"Hold on a minute," Gavin said to Jac, turning around to grin at Rory. He knew if he didn't put the boy's fears or uneasiness to rest, he'd probably follow them, and that would be no good, either. "Gotta go home, my cousin is having a party and I promised I'd stop by before too late." Where was Ryan when he was needed? "You've got my number in case you need me." Gavin assured.

He continued to walk with Jac, entering the forest. When the sounds of the humans faded away, he responded lowly, "They think something is up, I think Duncan's coming to check it out." Gavin kept himself on high alert, and kept an arm protectively around Jac's waist. He hoped that if the wolf had remained, it would assume their embrace as that of mates, and not attack- thinking bad odds of success. But if it did, he could at least keep it busy while Jac ran to the house.

"I think they'll be fine if they all stay together- and if I know them as well as I think I do, that shouldn't be a problem. For most of them."

Gavin had only picked up the smell of this new wolf and later, Duncan's. He told Jac that Duncan had patrolled the area. Despite the sudden growing want Gavin had to fight another wolf, he was relieved that it was gone. Finally they arrived at the pack house and Gavin reluctantly let go of Jac.

"Hold on a second." Gavin said, and turned to Dante, sitting across from James on the porch. Now that he knew more about... what had happened, he felt a little more like he understood Dante's pain. Though he'd never say it like that to her, that was a recipe for disaster. He shared a quick glance with James before clearing his throat and looking at Dante.

Damn, her and Jac really did look alike...

"I'm sorry, Dante, for being unnecessarily rude to you since you arrived." His eyes didn't leave her. "That is all." He wanted to say more, but wasn't sure what would cause an uproar, so he settled on this simple apology. Without really giving her time to respond, Gavin smiled in that boyish way of his and left to follow Jac into the house.

"If I remember correctly, it's a formal dress code, right?" He asked, looking down at his beach wear. "I don't want to stand out too much. And you might want to change, too."