My return home from the hospital a couple days later was well-received. My close friends and family threw me a 'welcome back from the dead, 15+ times' party—complete with fancy food, balloons, a couple of gifts, and a thick stack of missed homework.

While I enjoyed the festivities, I didn't really like being seen as weak after my injuries. That was the last thing the pack needed, especially right in the middle of a coordinated rogue attack that threatened a couple major provinces.

As always, Chantelle was able to read straight through me and call me out on my feelings.

"Stop stressing, it's bad for the soul," Chantelle scolded me. "I'll go over pack issues with your father. You need to rest and catch up on your schoolwork."

"You're not even a werewolf," I protested. "I should be the one doing the pack businesses, not you."

"No. Go spend time with your boyfriend. Be normal, for once. I can hold the fort for you while you recover."

Later that evening, after the party, Frankie and I watched the sunset from my personal balcony. We were curled up together on one of the outdoor sofas, relaxing in each other's warmth. The sight was so beautiful, I could almost pretend that we were just two, normal teenagers hanging out on the weekend.

"You know, Frankie, I never really asked you a lot of questions that mates should know about each other," I noted. "Now that I think about it, I don't even know your birthday."

"Maybe this will be a good opportunity to get to know each other a little bit better."

"Yeah, I say we play a game of Questions. We can ask each other any question we want, but we can choose to pass if we're not comfortable answering. Feel free to ask me literally anything."

Frankie nodded. "Okay, sounds good."

"I can start," I offered. "Unless you want to."

"No, it's fine. You can start."

"How old are you?' I asked him. It was kind of crazy that I didn't even know the age of my own mate. I had always assumed that he was around my own age, give or take a year, but I never officially confirmed it.

"I'm 17. My birthday's September 14th."

I frowned. "Huh. So if that's your birthday, then you should be in my year. Did you go to school back in your pack?"

"I was homeschooled."

"Oh. You know, if you're here, you should go to school."

"Yeah, I should, I suppose."

"Or we can hire you a tutor to keep homeschooling you. Or you can take online classes."

"School won't be too bad."

I grinned. "Sounds good. I'll see about enrolling you as soon as possible."

"My turn. When's your birthday?"

"April 10th."

"In a couple months," he nodded. "Noted."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?"

"Maybe a Caribbean island. I think the blue water looks really cool. What's your favourite food?"

"Every and all types of BBQ meat, lathered in barbecue sauce. What's your last name?"

He smiled. "Yours, of course."

Damn. Not only was I impressed by how smooth that response was, I was also surprised that he was willing to change his name to mine.

"So, you're taking my last name?" I asked, to which he nodded. "Frankie Lacroix it is, then."

"Ben, do you mind if I ask you something rather personal?" he asked me, looking at me nervously.

"Of course, Hedgehog. Ask me anything to your heart's desire."

"You said earlier that you had a grandmother, and that I reminded you of her. What was she like?"

"She was amazing," I said after a moment. "One of the greatest wolves I've ever met. She was quiet and reserved, but fiercely stubborn and loyal to her loved ones. She wasn't afraid to do what she believed was right. Even back in the days, when she was discriminated against in human society, she kept her head up high and pushed forward."

He was quiet. "Where did she find the strength to continue?"

"Friends. Family. Herself. She was a strong woman, and a definite force to be reckoned with. That's what made her such a great Luna to her pack. And I think that trait kind of runs in the family. We all tend to be quite stubborn. Even Chantelle, who's a human, is a pretty spirited person."

"If it runs in the family, I haven't noticed," he said innocently, and I laughed.

"How about your family, Frankie?" I asked cautiously. "Are you okay with telling me a little bit about them?"

"Everyone has a family," he smiled bitterly. "I...don't really. Not anymore. Although when I did, we had a pretty strained relationship."

I held onto him more tightly, understanding. "I'm sorry, Frankie. Thank you for telling me. I just wanted to remind you that you can take your time, and that I won't force you to open up."

"Maybe it would do me some good," Frankie murmured. "To step out of my comfort zone."

"Do what you believe is right," I kissed the top of his head. "I'll be there to support you every step of the way."

For the next couple of hours, we cuddled under the night sky, and observed the star patterns in the sky. To my surprise, Frankie knew a good deal about the constellations, and pointed out their names and backgrounds.

"That could be the Ursa Major and the Ursa Minor," he pointed out. "Although it's much easier to see the bears in spring. In Greek mythology, their names are Callisto and Arcas. Callisto was one of Artemis' handmaidens. She was seduced by Zeus, and turned into a bear as a punishment by Artemis. She was nearly killed by her own son, who was a hunter, but Zeus spared the two of them and put them into the sky."

"Wow. That's kind of depressing. You know, these Greek gods sound like jerks."

"Greek myths rarely have happy endings." He closed his eyes and snuggled up against me.

For the next few moments, I let the cool breeze run through my hair. I was fairly certain we were both going to end up with hypothermia the next day, given it wasn't even spring yet and it was still cold outside, but it would be worth it.

"Bennett?" Frankie asked in a small voice.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the book I read earlier, Claws?"

"Of course, sweetheart. I've read the entire series."

He blinked. "There's more?"

"Yeah. It's a trilogy. The book quality decreases exponentially with each sequel."

"Ah, I see," he said gingerly. "But...you know how at the end of the story, where the two of them fall in love and live happily ever after? Do you think endings like those exist in real life?"

I sat up on the couch so that he was perched on my lap, facing me. "You know what I believe about happy endings, Hedgehog? I believe that we can create whatever happy ending we want. To me, nothing in this world is impossible, as cheesy as it sounds. We can have our own Claws ending, if you'd like. I'd personally choose a better romance novel, though."

"How are you always so optimistic?" Frankie chuckled, dipping his gaze downwards.

"I always try to look on the bright side of things."

"I just don't understand. Although sometimes, I wish I did."

I placed a hand under his chin, tipping his head up so that his eyes were level with mine.

"Hey. It's not something that comes overnight, Frankie. It's a skill that takes time to develop, and you definitely have the potential. Why don't we start today? Everyday, we're going to have some positive, motivational self-talk to boost your spirits."

"That's kind of corny, Bennett."

"Maybe so, but corn is sweet and tastes delicious in tacos. You see what I did there? I took something and made it positive."

He smiled. "Yeah. I saw."

Once the temperature had dropped considerably, we decided to call it a night and headed back inside. As we crawled into bed that night, Frankie tossed some pillows off the bed.

"You want to remove the Great Wall of China?" I gasped dramatically, referring to our pillow wall of division.

"We don't need them anymore."

"Are you sure?" I observed his face closely, looking for any signs of reluctance. I didn't find any.

"I'm sure," he gave me a small smile. "Besides, I heard that spooning is supposed to be really warm and comfortable."

"Yes," I grinned, pulling him into my arms. "Yes, it is."