noun - a period of time

"I'm so happy to see you! How have you been?" I grinned.

He ran his hand through his unkept hair as smiled down at me. "I've been okay, getting fed up with looking for my mate. It's been a while since I've seen you."

"I didn't realise you were still looking. I thought you were focused on training." I sighed.

He shrugged. "I trained for the year and got my Gamma status at Harvest Moon pack last month. Then I thought I'd join the group, felt like I had to you know. A wolf sense. Who knew I'd find you again? Mum and Dad told me you had left!"

"Ah, I'm so proud of you!" I laughed and pulled him in for another hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too." He hummed. "But why are you here? They never really said. How long have you been here?"

I pulled away with a slight frown. "My mate, and about three months now, I think."

He growled under his breath. "And you're still unclaimed? What kind of dickhead do I gotta go beat some sense into?"

I laughed at him and swatted his bare chest when he glared at all the nearby wolves. "Don't be silly you'll get killed if you do."

He scowled down at me and crossed his arms. "So, it's either the super angry, huge Alpha, or the creepy skinhead Gamma coming towards us... Both look equally as pissed off."

I frowned and turned around just as Phoenix and Sean came to stand behind me. A sudden wave of protectiveness flooded me as I gazed at my brother. Phoenix gently placed me behind his back and Sean held onto my shoulder to keep me rooted. I protested but Sean glared down at me; he was in pack mode. Something I rarely saw from Sean, he was always just my friend, so I knew that I wouldn't be able to interfere as much.

"Who are you?" Phoenix spat; a few inches taller than Leo.

Leo glared at him, keeping his arms crossed to not appear threatened despite the "huge alpha" before him. He studied Phoenix then Sean and his grip on me. When he looked at me with a knowing smirk, Phoenix snarled. I shook my head, knowing what he was planning already.

Not the time to be annoying Leo.

"I take it it's this one." Leo mused, pointing his thumb at the Alpha.

Phoenix tensed and shot his hand out to grab Leo's throat. I shrieked and went to dart forward but Sean held onto my arm. I looked at him in desperation as Phoenix's grip tightened on his throat. Sean frowned down at me, confused and he shook his head.

I gasped. "Phoenix please-"

"I'll ask you one more time, who are you?" He growled, making Leo gasp for breath.

How's he supposed to talk with your hand around his damn throat?

"Let me go!" I growled at Sean. "Phoenix he's-"

"Not now Nova," Sean warned.

"No, you don't understand-"

"Well?" Phoenix taunted.

"My brother!" I shouted, making him freeze.

Phoenix loosened his grip slightly, his dark gaze turning to me as Leo gasped in the fresh air. "What?"

"He's my brother, please Phoenix," I begged, desperation in my eyes.

He grumbled and glanced between us before dropping his hand from Leo. I ran over to his hunched-over form and made sure he was okay.

It's not like he was hurting me, we were just hugging.

"You look nothing alike," Sean commented as though it was an excuse to attack someone.

"Well duh, she's adopted." Leo spat.

Phoenix growled again but soon shifted his attention back to me. His eyes softened at my features before he sighed and looked down.

"I apologise for that. Myself and my wolf didn't realise you were siblings since you don't smell of the same blood." He grimaced. "And Nova said something to me earlier that put me on edge."

I blinked up at him in shock at the apology. Cel was amused at her mate's embarrassment and how easy it was to trap him into being offended. Leo stood to his full height, grimacing as he looked between the two of them.

"Alpha Titan I take it is the mate." Leo chuckled humourlessly.

"Leo-don't."

He was always my guard when it came to bullies, so when he left, my life got a whole lot harder. He was older than me by a year or so and took it in his stride to protect me the day I came to them covered in scars and burns. I was forever grateful to him and his wolf to accept me as their own.

He shrugged my worries away. "I'm not going to. Not around everyone here."

I sighed but nodded in relief. "Okay."

He turned his brown eyes down to me, his wolf surfacing again. His head tilted to the side as he inhaled.

I frowned up at him. "What is it?"

"You smell..." He stated, his pupils dilating. "Now my wolf is out, I just realised you smell so..."

I frowned at his rudeness, but Cel surfaced to greet my brother. Leo's wolf sensed her straight away, her aura demanding his attention and he backed down with a bow.

"I shifted." I shrugged.

He smirked but nodded his head in acceptance. "You smell... like something... I didn't notice it before but you..."

"What is it?" I wondered.

His eyes scrutinised me as he came closer to hold me. "Who is that you smell of?"

I frowned. "Uh, I don't know I've been around quite a few people-"

He grumbled, his head snapping to look above me. His arms that held my shoulders dropped away as his wolf took over. I watched him walk away in confusion. He seemed to be following the smell, the upper half of his body tilted forwards as he stalked.

The crowd of women parted, and I saw Molly at the other side of it, a frown on her face as she picked at her dress. Leo came to a sudden stop about ten feet away and that's when I realised. I slept in Molly's room last night, I was bound to have a strong smell...

"Oh my." I gasped.

"What?" Sean asked.

"Leo is... Leo is Molly's mate."

I was definitely correct when her sudden sad posture straightens, and she turned to look at my brother in a daze. They stared at each other, their wolves surfacing at the bond.

I was so happy that Molly found someone as kind and funny as my brother. I may be biased but he was as good as anyone I ever hoped. Just as annoying as Molly too.

Looks like she was going to be a Gamma after all!

Molly blinked rapidly and I could sense the building nerves as Leo stared at her. Without another moment of hesitation, he marched up to her and pulled her into his arms, his head buried into her neck. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she soon wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him back.

"Does that mean... my sister is now your sister?" Sean mumbled from beside me.

My eyes widened. "Adopted and in-mating but... yeah I guess so."

Awkward.

"Is he... you know, good?" Sean mumbled.

I turned to look at him in amusement. "Good? At what? Breathing yeah sure, picking a movie, no way."

He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in embarrassment. "Is he a good person for my sister?"

I chuckled. "He is. He's always protected me and been my best friend growing up. He's not bothered by appearance or status; being Omega born proves that. He truly has a heart of gold Sean. Molly is safe with him."

His shoulders sagged. "Thanks."

I nudged him gently which caused him to chuckle. My eyes landed on Phoenix who stood talking quietly to Charlie. His eyes were focused on me, and I saw his jaw tense as we maintained eye contact. What was on his mind?

"Nova!" Molly squealed, distracting me.

I turned to her and smiled at her as she ran over to me. She hugged me tightly, her body shaking with joy.

"I knew it was the day, I just knew it!" She squealed.

Leo stared down at her in wonder, the mate haze still fogging his brain.

"Nova this is Leo, my mate, Leo this is Nova, my best friend." She gestured between the two of us.

Leo smirked down at me and held out his hand. I met his hand with my own, returning the grin.

He bowed dramatically. "Nice to meet you best friend Nova."

I curtsied dramatically; Leo always brought out my inner child. "And you mate of Molly."

Molly stared between us with a frown on her face before looking at her brother. "Am I missing something here?"

Sean rolled his eyes, his vulnerable side long gone. "Leo is Nova's brother."

Molly gasped and stared at me with wide eyes. It was silent for a moment before she suddenly screamed and jumped for joy.

"That means we're sisters!"

We both just laughed at her before she hugged us both at the same time. I rubbed her back gently as she came down from the high.

"Oh, I'm so happy." She gushed.

"I'm so happy for you Molly. Leo is a good guy." I whispered, pulling her to look at me.

Tears filled her eyes, so I held her head and wiped them away with my thumbs. "Don't ruin the make-up."

She laughed and sniffled. "I won't! Anyway, I'm gonna go for a walk... with my mate."

"Don't do anything stupid." I grinned, teasingly.

She giggled and took Leo's hand. I watched them walk away with a warmth in my chest. Sean stood beside me and watched them go too. My big teddy bear loved his sister really.

I looked around at the group once the new couple disappeared around the side of the house. Two other she-wolves found their mates today which was surprisingly good odds for them.

My attention was soon grabbed by a strange, slight man.

His short stature stood wandering the group aimlessly, and alone. His skin was pale, his hair a dirty blonde that curled down his ears to sit at chin level. When he turned in my direction, his green eyes landed on mine at the same time mine landed on his. He paused, his eyes un-focusing as we stared at each other. I realised it was the black wolf from before when his wolf came to the surface at the slight challenge.

Cel bristled within me, stirring up something deep inside of us. My stomach clenched and I felt my heart rate increase in... anxiety? Anticipation? I wasn't sure. She let out a low grumble.

The green-eyed man tilted his head and studied me but didn't take another step closer. I swallowed nervously, an itching taking over my skin as we analysed each other. I dare not move or look away, the strange vibe he gave me was putting both me and Cel on edge.

Sean took a step closer to me, obviously realising the standoff and growled. The man barely glanced at him before dismissing him as nothing more than a bug on a windshield. His wolf was strong, and he smelt... peculiar.

A presence much stronger than Sean stepped up beside me and growled. I shivered as Phoenix's hand came to sit on the back of my shoulder, it weirdly set off a pleasurable hum within me. The other wolf glanced at him before he looked at me again in even more curiosity than before.

Phoenix growled louder this time, a fair warning to back off as he stepped in front of me. I blinked back the daze from the stranger wolf as I came to stare at the black shirt that stretched across Phoenix's back. I looked up to see Phoenix's shoulders shaking and without thinking I reached my hand up to place it on the small of his back. He quickly tensed but relaxed slightly; not shaking on the verge of half-shifting anymore.

Sean was still standing beside me, and I felt like a little trapped rat. I huffed and crossed my arms in annoyance, I was fine. Nothing was happening to me, so I didn't need the rescue. We were just looking at each other... intensely.

"Back off Pollux," Phoenix warned.

I stepped from around him and gave him a side glance. "It's fine."

Phoenix grumbled. "Get back Nova, he was challenging you."

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to the green-eyed wolf. His eyes lit up in delight at my defiance and a small smirk graced his features as he studied me. A small shiver raced along my body, and I shook it off without another thought.

"I apologise." Was all he said before he turned and walked back to the group of wolves.

I hummed, watching his slender back as he seemed to float around. He was a lot slimmer than most Alpha blood I have seen; small but toned, an athlete's body more than a warrior's. His creepy staring didn't unsettle me though, only raised my curiosity

Phoenix turned to glower down at me and I smiled at him.

"Hello."

He grumbled but his eyes softened, as he ran his hand over my cheek. I don't understand why he doesn't just grab me and accept me as his mate. It would be so easy to do, instead of fighting it.

"Be careful around him." He mumbled. "He isn't from round here."

"Oh?"

He grumbled. "He's a descendant from one of the original wolves so he doesn't tend to like hierarchy and rules."

I frowned at him, but he turned and walked away without another glance. I looked at Sean in confusion, but he just shrugged at me. He had no idea either.

"Since we have been abandoned. Wanna go watch a movie?" He asked.

I laughed, nodding. "Typical Sunday."

"Typical Sunday." He chuckled.

*******

Question of the Day:

What is your favourite tv show?
If you have one.
I don't watch a lot of it, so I hate this question lol

wc: 2387

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