Simon's POV

And by some miracle, a familiar scent filled the cave walls, and I almost stumbled over my own feet squeezing past the narrow entrance of one of the smaller caverns to hear the delightful sound of little Cedar shouting my name.

"Found him!" I heard him shout to Aspen, as he practically body slammed into me, before licking my face gently. Just a few weeks I would've cringed from his exuberant personality, but after the past few weeks, I had missed this.

That was until I saw Aspen's face, calm and calculated, as he sauntered towards us. He was pissed, that I could tell. Instinctively I walked backwards until my back hit the cave wall, and let out a low whine as he got closer and closer. A part of me knew that Aspen would never intentionally hurt me, but I knew that when I left like that it hurt him, and he had every right to be mad at me.

A few minutes seemed to pass, even Cedar seemed to sense the tension. "You could've at least brought your phone."

I looked up to see Aspen's grey eyes soften. His ears laid flat before he lowered his head and brushed it against my neck. "We were so worried about you."

I followed the gesture, Cedar joining in. "I know," I told him. "I'm sorry."

He looked me in the eyes, before letting out a sigh. "I should be apologizing. I was so scared, Simon. Those kinds of mornings terrify me, but what terrifies me more is you running off like this. I'd never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."

My eyes started to burn, tears threatening to fall. He looked back at Cedar who had started to explore the mini caverns on his own before searching my face again. "I made a promise to not abandon you like our mother had. You know I'd never do that to you, right?"

Aspen had told me about their mother Willow when I first met them. Cedar was only two at the time, and Aspen was about nineteen. Aspen's father had been their mother's true mate, and Cedar had been a result of a rogue assaulting her after her mate died. Guilt had consumed her for keeping the child, and she instructed Aspen to take care of Cedar before she took her own life. In the beginning, Aspen had a hard time addressing the grief, along with raising his half-brother on his own. When we had met, we were two broken people, seeking some semblance of sanity. And we made it work, despite how crazy, chaotic, and dysfunctional it may seemed we had been each other's rock; although his was a lot more stable than my own.

In a way we had both promised each other to stick together, even if it wasn't a spoken promise.

"We never stopped looking, Simon. Even during the snow, we tried finding you," he said. "I...I ran into some of your old pack members. Your, uhm, there's something you should know."

I tilted my head to the side; Aspen hardly ever stuttered. He continued, "I saw your mate, Simon. And his well, chosen mate."

"What happened?" I prompted. "Did they hurt you?"

"No," he frowned. "But, his chosen mate. Sarah, was it? I've seen her before, but that day was different. Her scent Simon...Something was different."

I almost asked him to spit it out when I saw the look on his face. A face I knew too well from experience. The cold fear, the sense of unknown territory, the confusion of how and why. A simple scent turning into something addicting and enticing, no matter how scary the person that exudes it looks.

"No," I said vainly. "Your mate?"

He nodded, and a heavy feeling grew in my stomach. Oh, goddess. What were the odds, that our true mates would be paired together, but then the questions began to linger. Why now? Aspen was nearly thirty, and Sarah had to be about that age if Vince and Sarah were about the same age too. It wasn't the first time they've encountered each other in the woods, but why did the mate bond only show up now.

I didn't know what to say. Saying sorry wouldn't make it any better, and the truth was that the situation sucked. Since Vince and Sarah are the face of the pack, the alpha, and luna, Aspen wouldn't stand a chance at being with Sarah. And I was pretty much in the same situation, neither of us could be with our mates.

We stood in silence, as Cedar explored nearly every inch of the cave before running towards us. Aspen tried to remain positive as he told us, "let's head back."

Despite how grimy and cheap the motel was, I was actually looking forward to going back to that dingy place. As Sally had mentioned, at least there was a bed there and a semi-functional heater.

We took our time walking back as Cedar with his unlimited energy, dashed forward, looking back at us every now and then before sprinting through the trees before circling back towards us. When he was out of earshot, Aspen told me about the encounter with Sarah and Vince. They had been looking for Sally, while Aspen had looked for me. It was a terrifying thought to think what would have happened if I had run into them while I was looking after Sally.

Aspen and Sarah were both shocked at what they discovered, but Aspen told me that Vince gave no indication that he knew about it at all. Surely Vince would have realized or told Sarah that they weren't exactly true mates right? But if Sarah didn't realize she had a mate out there, how did she assume Vince was her mate without a bond?

I tried pushing the thought away and instead told Aspen about my time with Sally, minus the panic attack and the warning from Lucas.

"You did the right thing, Simon," he looked at me.

"I had to help her," I said. "It could've easily been Cedar out there."

We walked in silence, watching as Cedar would jump in the snow or chase after flying insects. All seemed well until I sensed an unfamiliar scent nearby. Aspen stiffened next to me, letting out a low growl.

"Cedar," he called out. Cedar had seemed to understand something was amiss, and he had galloped over to us, hiding between the two of us. The scent was getting stronger, but neither of us could detect any movement. I didn't recognize the scent at all, and I knew most of the rogues that camped out in this part of the woods. However, it was strange like a nostalgic smell, but I couldn't tell where. We walked slowly towards a denser part of the forest when the scent got stronger.

I joined Aspen in letting out a warning growl when suddenly a wolf appeared from the bushes. He was massive, nearly two feet taller than my own wolf, with electric blue eyes that seemed to glow from the bushes. His nearly pitch black fur indicated he was someone of a higher class, which was unusual for a rogue wolf, most had lighter grey or brown fur. His towering stature and presence alone could command an entire pack if he wanted. Despite the immense power he displayed, Aspen stepped in front of me and Cedar, still letting out a cautious growl, even though Aspen seemed like the size of a beagle compared to the wolf.

The wolf didn't seem to mind him at all, instead approaching us slowly, watching us warily. Something about the way he carried himself, even the way he walked seemed familiar. I didn't know why, but it almost reminded me of Vince in a way. The dark fur, glowing eyes, the authority that just emanated off him, was just like him.

And then it hit me. This must be his brother, Michael.

But for some reason, I wasn't entirely scared or nervous about being this close to someone who wanted to kill me. Despite the intensity in his eyes, Michael was calm, didn't bare his teeth, didn't even feel psychotic as Lucas mentioned. Maybe I should've been terrified that he was this calm, but I didn't feel threatened by him.

Aspen seemed to get the memo that he wasn't looking for a fight, but still kept his guard up, placing us behind him in case Michael had other ideas.

"What do you want?" Aspen demanded, but Michael simply ignored him, staring straight at me.

"It's about time I finally get to meet you, Simon. Apologies for the delay, you are quite elusive."

"Who are you?" Aspen growled.

"Where are my manners. Apologies," Michael replied. "The name's Michael. But I'm sure you knew that already, Simon."

Aspen bared his teeth, but I spoke first. "You're not here to kill me, are you?"

Aspen glared at me, but I gulped before staring back at Michael. I had a strange feeling that Michael had no intention of wanting me dead, despite Lucas's warning. Call it a gut feeling, but I felt like I could almost trust Michael. Maybe because we were both kicked out of the pack, but I knew what it felt like to be outcasted by people you trusted.

"If I wanted you dead, you would've been dead years ago, Simon." He replied. "Rather, I want to make a deal with you, given we have a lot in common."

"What makes you think we'd make a deal with you?" Aspen demanded. "We don't know you."

Michael sighed, "We don't. But I know what you three crave, the things you'd die to have. The things they took away from us, but belong to us. And I know how we can get it."

I frowned. Lucas had told me a different story. He didn't mention anything about a deal, only about a personal vendetta against Vince. "You mean you want revenge?" I asked.

"Call it revenge or redemption," Michael responded. "That pack has gone long enough living under lies and hysteria concocted by my brother dearest. This isn't the pack our father had wanted us to lead. I can't let Vince tarnish our family's legacy any further."

I mulled it over. The same question rolled over in my head. Why now?

"How," I shook my head. "What do you mean? If you aren't here to kill me for revenge like they said, then what are you planning?"

Aspen looked at me, silently telling me to explain later.

"It's true I told them that," Michael responded. "It was the most logical, the most obvious choice. But I have bigger plans. The element of surprise, if you will. I've been monitoring the pack from afar for years, Simon. And you want to know the craziest thing? Vince is getting weaker. The pack is getting weaker."

I cocked my head to the side. When I had seen him a few days ago he looked perfectly healthy. During those unwarranted visions of his "night excursions" with random girls, he seemed perfectly fine.

"His wolf is weakened," he continued. "He can barely shift properly. The perfect opportunity to strike. An alpha that can't defend his own territory."

"You'd attack the pack." I couldn't believe what he was saying. "How would that get what you want?"

"Nothing could get me what I really want. My mates dead, Simon. Nothing will bring him back. But I can force his hand. A duel, if you must. I'll strip him of his power, gain control of the pack and make it right, how our father wanted it. Honor his legacy, and all that. You'll get what you want-"

"And what is it you think I could want?" I interrupted. "There's nothing for me there."

Suddenly, Michael didn't seem very trusting at all. Fighting for the alpha role was risky, and against your own brother was shameful. And if he really was that weak as Michael said he was, that was worst.

Aspen and Cedar seemed to watch us go back and forth like a tennis match, almost frightened to say anything, but I couldn't blame them. Despite how badly I would love to believe Michael could grant us what we wanted, there was no reason for us to trust him in going along with his plan at all.

"The bond," Michael interjected. "No matter how much you want to loathe him, you still crave him. You want it to work out despite the hell he put you through."

I clenched my teeth, afraid to say anything.

"You hate the fact that you know he's getting weaker. You want to be there for him, to comfort him. You hate that there's some imposter luna in your place, who could never be his real mate."

Aspen growled lowly from the mention of Sarah. As much as I wanted to argue, Michael was partially right. Vince had ruined my life, no doubt about that. But the bond gave me mixed signals. It wanted to make things right between us, even though it was impossible.

"Vince would never see me more than a rogue, a traitor. He'd rather jump off a cliff than even look at me," I replied softly.

"Sure, it's improbable, but that is your home, Simon," Michael stepped closer. "Your family, your belongings. All the things you had to leave behind. You can finally grieve."

My breath hitched thinking about my childhood home. The now empty, probably torn down building that had been once so lively. The idea of going back seemed so foreign, but Michael made it seem so attainable.

"So what?" I sighed. "You walk up to him, beat him in a duel and what? Make us pack members and then what?"

"Simon," Aspen warned. "You're actually considering this?"

"You can do what you wish, Simon," Michael replied. "I'm offering the three of you a home, a real one. You'll have freedoms, education, protection. The pain of the bond will be lessened with you there."

"Vince may never realize the beauty of the bond," Michael continued. "But he'll feel the pain you've experienced. He'll finally understand the pain he put you through. You'll get the apology you always deserved."

I had so many questions and concerns. This plan was far from full-proof. There was no guarantee that Vince would allow it. He could easily sick some betas at us to kill us. And how did Michael even know what I was going through. The only similarities was that we were kicked out. My mate wasn't murdered, his family was still alive. From what I heard from Lucas, they were at least mated. Vince barely acknowledged my existence.

"What's in it for you?" Aspen asked. "You become alpha? That's it?"

Michael scoffed. "Vince should've never been alpha. It was supposed to be me all along. Our father had groomed and educated me the most on what to do and how to run the pack. I helped him fix the RCPP, worked with other pack relations. I knew the ins and outs of the pack, my father's deepest and darkest secrets. Vince never even had a clue. And I lose it all because of the gender of my mate? Because it was too radical? What a fucking hypocrite. Vince doesn't even know that he's following in the same footsteps of our father."

"What do you mean?" I was hesitant to ask.

Michael rolled his eyes, looking towards the treeline. "Isn't it obvious? Why hasn't our mother gone insane from our father's death? Why did he start the RCPP in the first place? Our father rejected his true mate. A male wolf he kicked out."

My breath hitched, and the reality sunk in.

"The irony, right?" Michael tried to joke. "The apple doesn't fall from the tree. So what do you say, you in?"