"Lennox, get up!" I hear Ramsay whisper urgently.

I get up, my eyes blurry and my mind groggy. "Hm? Is it time to go?" I blink a few times and see the panic on Ramsay's face. "Oh, gods, what's wrong?"

"Dad called me," Ramsay says, his voice full of panic. "He sent Raina home to check on us last night and she called him when he realized we weren't home so he called me and I told him everything because he was so mad and he's on his way right now to get us... we're fucked, Lennox."

My heart drops. I guess I'm going to have to say goodbye to going out during the day and hello to being stuck in the house for the entirety of my young life. Guess I'm not getting a birthday cake or anything fun like that today.

I get up shakily and walk down the stairs, Ramsay right beside me. I know Dad would never hurt us, but he can get really scary when he's angry. He doesn't even yell; he just talks calmly and slowly which is even more unsettling.

"Oh, good morning!" Callum exclaims, in the kitchen covered in flour and other... ingredients. "You two look miserable."

"Yeah, our dad is on his way to get us and ground us until we're as old as him."

"How old is he?"

"Six hundred," I say, making Callum's eyes widen. "What are you doing?"

He blushes, which I wasn't anticipating but I like how it looks. "I wanted to make you a birthday cake... I never made one before though, so that's why I'm covered in flour. It probably won't be edible, anyway. Also, since you're part dog, can you eat chocolate?"

"I'm basically immortal and you think chocolate will kill me?" I deadpan, trying to avoid taking offense to being called a dog since he didn't say it for a malicious reason. "That's really sweet, though. Too bad my dad will kill me before I can try it."

Callum frowns. "You're welcome to try to hide, but I don't know what good that will do."

Ramsay looks between the two of us. "Did something happen between you two?"

"We had a conversation last night while you were upstairs," Callum says, smirking.

Ramsay glares at him. "Just because you're technically his mate does not mean you get to try to get in his pants hours into knowing him. Got it? He's my baby brother and it's my job to protect him from horny assholes like you."

"We're two months apart," I tell them both, more for Callum than Ramsay. "And it was just a conversation. I'm the one who can feel the mate bond."

Callum shakes his head. "I can feel it, too. Not as strongly as a werewolf, I'm sure, but I can feel a sort of supernatural–ish connection and tension."

That surprises me and I definitely want to read more on this. Learning about other supernatural species is a personal passion of mine and if Callum can feel a connection then that's something I absolutely need to study. My excitement must show on my face because Ramsay rolls his eyes and Callum has a sweet smile pulling at his lips.

There's a knock at the front door and both myself and Ramsay tense up instantly. I feel like I'm going to puke again but I don't want to ruin another one of Callum's outfits. Thankfully, he goes to the front door so neither myself nor Ramsay opens it.

"You must be Samuel Gates," Callum says as he opens the door, holding out his hand.

Dad shakes his hand, but I can tell he's irritated. "I apologize for the inconvenience of my sons. Where are they?"

"In the kitchen, and it was really no trouble, sir." Callum shows him inside the house and guides him right to us.

Dad is glaring daggers at myself and Ramsay. "Let's go, both of you. I do not want to argue right now and I do not care that he's your mate, Lennox. You are both in so much trouble."

I bite the inside of my cheek. "Sorry."

"Sir, if it's not-"

Dad cuts Callum off. "Not right now. I do not have time for this today. Let's go. Now."

I'm technically an adult, but I have respect for Dad and I don't want to sever any ties to my family because they're my pack. I sigh and follow Ramsay to the door, waving to Callum somberly. He has my phone number so we can talk, but I hope he doesn't judge me too harshly for just following Dad and not trying to stay.

Ramsay and I sit together in the back seat, even though we usually aggressively fight for the front. We're both silent and still, almost like we're trying to trick Dad into thinking that we're not here. Dad doesn't say anything to us on the drive home; he doesn't even look in the rearview mirror.

When we get home, Dad turns around and holds out his hand. "Fakes and car keys."

"Callum has our fakes," Ramsay says, handing over the car keys. "He wouldn't give them back."

Dad doesn't react to Ramsay's words and just gets out of the car and walks inside. He hasn't been this angry with us in a long time, but I can't understand why. We've snuck out before and he was angry, but never to this extent.

Ramsay and I aren't dumb enough to try to run and hide. We follow Dad to his office and sit down in the chairs across from his desk. He sits on the other side, staring at the two of us for a few seconds before he sighs.

"I am extremely disappointed in the two of you. I do not keep you in the house to bore you or punish you. I do it to keep you two safe, but you want to continuously go out and make stupid choices. There is unrest in the vampire community, rumors circulating, and you two could be in danger because I have enemies. I would ask if you understand but I know that neither of you do."

Ramsay and I share a confused look.

"Rumors?" Ramsay asks, but Dad ignores me.

"You two are on lockdown for the next month. No runs, no going out, and no car. I know you found your mate, but you are not going to see him until I decide you are no longer on lockdown."

I stand up. "That's ridiculous!" I exclaim. "He's my mate, Dad! And he's a vampire! What if he makes a connection with someone else while I'm stuck here?!"

"Lennox, sit down," Dad says, standing up so he towers over me. "I will not be taking this from you. Not when I have been working my ass off to keep you safe. Sit down."

I glare at him and I don't sit down, but I turn around and leave the office. I'm beyond pissed off; yes, we snuck out, but lockdown for a month?! We're both adults and I should get to see my mate. Even if I can't leave, he should at least be allowed to come over! And if we're in so much danger, Dad should have told us.

What rumors and tension is so dangerous that it threatens myself and Ramsay? We're supernaturals; we're always at some kind of risk of fighting with each other or being in danger. It's never been severe before, but Dad seems to think this time is different. He should keep us informed about what's going on.

I enter my room and slam the door so hard that it shakes my ceiling fan and light. I'm so tense and worked up but I don't want to break anything so I punch my pillow a few times before forcing myself to take a deep breath and relax a bit. I lay on my bed and look up, counting the little squiggles that make up the texture of my ceiling. It doesn't make me feel much better, but it's better than feeling like punching a hole in my wall.

I take out my phone and smile when I see a text from Callum. It's a picture of the cake that he finished, and it looks like he burnt it. The frosting on top is granulated and broken, but he still took the time to put it together and dye some of the frosting to write "Happy Birthday Lennox!" on top.

Me: Thank you :)

Callum: Is there any way I'll be allowed to drop it off at your house? It's kind of burnt but it's still for you

Me: No. My dad has me locked down for a month. Apparently some tension/unrest/rumors are going around and Dad thinks Ramsay and I could be in danger or something so I'm stuck here

Callum: Hm... I'll call you then. I mean, we both feel the connection so we can't just go cold for a month. I'll find a way, don't worry ;)

Me: Just text me first so my dad doesn't kill you. Also, your aunt is well known & in the vampire loop so could you maybe ask her about the rumors my dad has heard?

Callum: Of course, but anything I hear will be delivered in person ;)

I roll my eyes at my phone screen and text a laughing emoji and a thank you before putting my phone down. Even though we've barely met and the mate bond is doing a lot of the connecting for us, I feel embarrassingly head over heels for Callum. He's sweet, he's funny, and he's determined to spend time with me.

I respect my dad, but Callum is my mate. Vampires have a strong sense of smell, but it's not the same as a werewolf's. They can pick out if a person is werewolf or vampire, but not who is who. So, if Callum were to sneak in, chances are that Dad wouldn't know unless we were too loud and he heard that I had someone in my room with me.

What would he do? Ground me for longer?

Vampires can't feel mate bonds the same way, so I don't think Dad really understands how powerful the connection is. Also, it's been eighteen years since he lost his wife, so he might not remember what it felt like. Or, if he does, he might have blocked it out because he's still grieving.

There's a knock at my door and I don't have a chance to yell for whoever's out there to go away because it opens too quickly. I'm shocked when Raina walks in; she usually avoids me and I do the same to her. We're siblings, but she still associates me with her mom dying because I was taken in by Dad not long after her death.

"Hi?" I ask, sitting up on my bed. "No offense, but what are you doing in here?"

She sits at my desk chair. "What you and Ramsay did was stupid."

"I'm aware of that."

"I feel like you need a reminder. I went to one of those dinner parties last night and there's a lot of unrest, and some of it is directed at Dad. People are saying he's not loyal to the vampire community because he's protecting an Alpha werewolf and there's a lot of tension between werewolves and vampires right now. Don't do anything else stupid. It's dangerous because there's people who want our family to be punished because Dad protects you."

I glare at her. "If you want me to leave and not come back, just tell me instead of trying to make me feel guilty."

"I didn't say that," Raina says, but she doesn't sound apologetic at all. She sounds like she's reading from a script and is bored with it.

"It sounds like that."

Raina rolls her eyes. "Well, I'm not saying that. Just don't do anything stupid."

"Why does it matter that he's protecting me? Dad has raised me, it's not like he took me in when I was ten or something," I say, and Raina stands up, shifting awkwardly on her feet.

"I don't know, Lennox. I don't know everything."

I narrow my eyes. "Whatever. Get out."

Raina sighs and walks toward the door. "I do see you as family," Raina says, her hand on my door handle. "Just so you know."

I don't say anything to her. I know Raina doesn't really like me all that much, but it's nice to hear that she sees me as family. She hasn't been around much for me at all, and I haven't had the chance to be there for her because she's so secretive. I wish we had a better relationship, but I tried to initiate a siblingship when we were younger and she blew me off.

Once she leaves, I lock the door and lay back down. I still feel fatigued and tired from whatever happened last night and I need to take a nap. I have a few texts from Ramsay, which I ignore, since I'm exhausted and I don't have the energy to process messaging my brother right now.

I see a text from Dad wishing me a happy birthday, which I ignore as well.