"I'm sorry if my brother made you feel uncomfortable," I told him honestly as we headed out of my father's study and out of the pack house. "You know, he's actually really nice and all. He's just...trying to be all Alpha, I guess."

"It's fine," he dismissed my concerns. "I'll be off to my room."

"No, because you're coming to training with me," I ordered.

"What? Why?"

"Everyone in my pack participates in our training sessions. It's mandatory for everyone to keep a certain standard of fitness."

"I'm not a part of your pack," he argued.

"Perhaps not, but you are a visiting werewolf under my supervision, and I'm going. So you have to come."

"Bet."

"I'm not betting. You're coming with me."

He set his jaw and stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. Moons, this guy was next to impossible to work with!

"You don't have to do that much exercise," I tried to appease him. "You could do maybe forty minutes of workouts or something."

"No."

"Half an hour, then. After that, you can just watch me, or read, or do whatever."

"No."

"Is that seriously the only word in your vocabulary?"

"No."

"Then buy a dictionary, or something, because it's not showing." If his eyes were shooting daggers, I'd be dead right now.

"Listen, Frankie," I said kindly, yet firmly. "I need you to come to the gym with me. Besides - It's not. That. Bad. I'm not giving you a choice right now."

He let out a huff. "Fine. But we're coming back in an hour."

And so the two of us found ourselves hanging out at the pack training centre. There were dozens of other wolves around, anxious to start their training.

Frankie had decided not to join me, but instead, took a seat on the floor and leaned against the wall. I half-expected him to be completely obnoxious during my evening workout, but surprisingly, he was actually quite peaceful. He stayed in the corner, engrossed in some random book from the pack library.

"Are you sure you don't want to try out some of the equipment?" I asked as I sprinted on the treadmill. I had been going at it for at least the past hour, running at top speed so I could get the burning feeling in my legs.

"I'm sure."

"What are you reading?"

"Claws."

I grimaced. "Oh, that book?"

"Yep."

"It's kind of cliche and cheesy, not going to lie. I've read it several times before."

Claws was one of the most popular books in the werewolf world. It was the most average, uninteresting, and bland romance novel to exist - yet for some reason, it had blown up, and became admired by the younger werewolf generation. Unsurprisingly, it got a lot of hate due to its weak plot, inconsistent characterization, and cliched elements.

"What do you think about it so far?" I asked him, taking a swig of my water bottle.

"I have no idea what I'm reading."

I laughed. "Yeah, that's most people when they open that book. It really doesn't make any sense."

"Why did you read it so many times, then?"

"I don't know," I said. "I guess it's because it has a happy ending, and I like reading about those, you know?"

Frankie raised his eyebrows. "You believe in happy endings?"

"Of course, 100%. Why, don't you?"

He shrugged and looked away from his book.

"Is that a yes, or a no?"

He sighed. "Can we go now, please?"

"Already?" I checked my clock. It was nearing 9 pm, meaning we had been here for a couple of hours, and I had completely lost track of the time. It wasn't an unusual occurrence, I loved going to the gym.

"Oh, I see what you're talking about. Yeah, sure, we'll go."

I switched off the machine and began packing my belongings, and Frankie eagerly hopped to his feet. The two of us walked out of the weight room and down the hall, where we could glimpse into all the different rooms. We walked past a tennis court, a squash court, and a rock-climbing court along the way.

"Look, it's the pool," I nodded towards the large pool, surrounded by the tall glass walls.

Our recreational centres were Olympic-level facilities, and our pool was probably one of our most notable features. While most packs focused solely on muscle-building and combat training, our pack was unique in that we also invested heavily in our sports. We believed the conditioning, skills, and experiences they picked up from athletics greatly benefitted them physically and emotionally.

"Maybe we should go swimming one day," I offered, to which he shook his head rapidly.

"Why not?" I frowned. "Swimming's so much fun! You know, I work as a lifeguard and swim instructor. If you're afraid of drowning, I've got you, I'm completely certified. So, what do you say?"

He glanced at his watch. "It's getting late. We should already be back at the pack house. I promised you one hour."

"Fine. Let's go home, then."

-

"Thanks for bringing me here," Frankie said quietly once we arrived back at his room. "And keeping me company."

"It was my pleasure." I realized that I was actually telling the truth. Yes, even though we spent our time either bickering or being silent, I was very comforted by his presence.

"Are...are you going to leave now?"

"Do you want me to?"

He swallowed and looked down. "I...I..."

"It's okay," I said empathetically. "I won't leave."

Frankie looked relieved. He was terrible at talking about his feelings, and really anything in general, but thankfully, the unspoken connection between us was enough for me to understand what he wanted to say.

We were so close, I could see my reflection in his dark eyes. For once, his eyes weren't completely cold and lifeless - I could actually make out the several emotions coursing through him. Fear. Confusion. Lust. Hope.

I supposed I hadn't been the only one experiencing those feelings, then. And they were growing stronger by the second.

If he was only sparkling before, he was literally glowing right now. I was incredibly tempted to run my fingers through his shiny hair, and pull him tightly against me.

Mine, something deep inside me growled. A heavenly aroma wafted through my nose, smelling of hot chocolate, marshmallows, and the woods - like a campsite on a peaceful night.

I pulled myself in closer, but he didn't complain about my invasion of his personal space. Frankie only peered up at me curiously, while I could feel my irises flicker a golden colour. The waves of emotion were radiating off the two of us, and deep inside me, a primal force awakened. An overwhelming surge of possessiveness and dominance overcame me, and I knew what I had to do.

I leaned down and firmly pressed my lips up against his.