"Of all the people I have ever known you are the only one I don't know."

― William Henry Hudson

Third person POV

Fuck.

He had been so focused on his own reflection in the water, that he hadn't sensed them coming until it was too late.

His mates were standing a few feet away from him. They were still in their human form, arms crossed over their chests, a reserved expression on their faces. They had managed to find him. It didn't matter how. He should have been more cautious. He shouldn't have remained so close to where their pack was staying. It was his fault for being so weak-minded. He hadn't been able to cope with the prospect of putting too much kilometers between them.

And now all was lost. Worse, even knowing that, there was a tiny part in his mind that was howling with joy, just because he was seeing them again. He had missed them so much.

The three of them remained silent for a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to Kyle. What were his mates thinking? Were they disgusted by his new apperance, and thinking of a way to reject him? Eventually, as the atmosphere became slightly suffocating to him, Kyle opened his mouth to say something, maybe to apologize, but Nate beat him to it.

"Who are you, werewolf?"

Oh. So they hadn't recognized him yet. That made sense. They knew him as a brown wolf, when he was now entirely white. Plus, even if their effects were wearing off, he had been taking smell inhibitors for days. He might still have a chance to keep his secret, then. As long as he didn't let them get too close...

"Well? What's your answer? That's not such a hard question, is it?" Nate added impatiently, while Darren remained weirdly silent, his piercing eyes never leaving Kyle.

"It kind of is" Kyle retorted with a mocking smile. "I mean, I think that in the end we all remain strangers to ourselves. Self-knowledge doesn't come easily, you know."

Nate narrowed his eyes, obviously not liking Kyle's answer. Where had his sense of humor gone?

"So, I'm afraid I can't reply to your question, for I don't know who I am. I'm sorry." Kyle concluded, making the other Beta growl and attempt to take a step in his direction, only to be stopped by Darren, who simply put a hand on his chest.

Nate and Darren looked at each other for a while, and Kyle knew that they were talking through their mind-bond. Stupid mind-bond, he thought with a hint of bitterness. He couldn't use telepathy with them, because he hadn't completed the mating through sexual intercourse.

The mental exchange lasted for several minutes.Then, as Kyle was starting to consider fleeing discreetly, Nate raised his arms in defeat and took a few steps back, leaving the field clear for his Alpha. Kyle swallowed, before raising his chin defiantly. This wasn't good. Darren was particularly perceptive. He had to tried to keep this conversation as short as possible.

"My name is Benoît" he hurriedly said, before the other man could say anything. " I-I have french origins. I - uh, didn't mean to be disrespectful to your mate."

Darren raised his brows, looking even more suspicious than before, if that was even possible.

"Benoît", he repeated  slowly. "How do you know Nate and I are mates?"

Shit, shit, shit. Think, Kyle, think. Now is not the time to panick.

"The way you look at each others, it's pretty obvious." Kyle responded with a confidence he didn't feel. "Plus, I think you were talking through your mental link, just now."

Darren nodded, looking satisfied with his answer. Kyle relaxed even so slightly, but the other man wasn't done. Far from it.

"So, Benoît..."

Was it Kyle imaginating things, or was Darren actually saying this name in a mocking way?

"I've never seen you around. From which pack are you from?"

"I'm new here. I don't - I don't have a pack anymore. I'm not from here. You wouldn't know my pack, even if I told you the name"

"So you're a rogue?" Nate intervened again.

"Basically, yes."

What was going to happen now? Darren didn't look the slightest bit convinced by what Kyle was telling him, but he didn't have proofs that the latter was lying through his teeth. As far as Kyle knew, the Alpha would never attack another wolf who didn't show an aggressive behaviour. It gave him reasons to hope that Darren would eventually let him leave, probably after giving him a warning not to venture on their pack territory again.

"Can I go, now?" he asked in an hopeful tone.

"I think you are lying and I don't like it..." Darren started, confirming Kyle's thoughts. "But you haven't done anything wrong, as far as I known."

Kyle sighed in relief. He took a few steps back but the Alpha immediatly moved forward.

"Not so fast, Benoît. I would have let you run away, but the thing is, we heard our mate howling in pain, and you happen to be here."

"And why should your mate be any of my concern?" Kyle asked defensively, without realizing how rude he sounded.

Nate growled again, louder this time, while Darren's expression hardened.

Good job, Kyle. Making them even angrier. That's definitely how you will keep the conversation short and smooth.

"I have a feeling that you know something." Darren replied, showing his bright, sharp teeth.

Kyle could tell a warning sign when he saw one. He had to stopped behaving in such a disrepectful way. Darren was an Alpha, and even more so, he was an extremely worried Alpha looking for his lost mate, and suspecting this weird stranger named Benoît could have harmed him in some way.

"Uhm, what does your mate look like?"

"He is a brown wolf, bigger than most of us. In his human form he has brown hair, light skin and defined muscles. He doesn't look very approchable but he is very handsome. You wouldn't be able to forget his face"

Kyle was glad he was in his wolf form, because otherwise the last part of Nate's description of himself would have make him blush.

"He looks like a treat, but I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. Good luck finding him, have a lovely day."

He made a move to leave, but Darren dissuaded him to do so with a single glance. If he started running now, his mates would chase him and it wouldn't end well. He had to keep playing his part, until Darren was convinced he had never met Kyle and didn't represent a danger. Darren had to allow him to leave.

"If you have even touched a single hair of my mate, I will reduce you to pieces" Nate said in a not-so friendly voice.

"I would like to see that" Kyle retorted without thinking, because he had never been able to resist to a challenge.

"Perfect, then  let's-"

"ENOUGH"

Kyle and Nate immediatley shut up, as Darren had used his Alpha tone. Bowing their heads obediently, they waited in tense silence for the man to speak up again.

"We are loosing too much time." Darren sighed in exasperation. "Our mate is hurting right now and we are not with him to take care of him."

"Exactly, so I'll go and-"

"I don't like you, Mister Benoît. I want to see what you look like in your human form. Shift."

Kyle froze, feeling all the blood leave his face. This was the worst-possible scenario. He wouldn't shift in front of them. He couldn't. He had been trying so hard, for years and years, to hide who he was. Recently, he had been getting closer to them, and he didn't want them to see what a failure of a wolf he really was.

"What are you waiting for?"

This was bad. This was so bad. He was starting to sweat, his white fur becoming slightly wet, as the other two men were looking more and more displeased with the whole situation. Could he make up some kind of excuse, pretending he had a weird condition and couldn't shift without risking dying? But they would know he was feeding them bullshit. Nate had medical skills and knowledge. This wouldn't work.

"SHIFT" Darren's voice boomed.

Kyle's body started shaking from the effort it took not to obey the man who was both his mate and his Alpha. If only he hadn't been a fucking, stupid, weak Submissive, things wouldn't have being so hard. He would have never had to lie to them, and he wouldn't have found himself in such a precarious situation.

"Why are you resisting so hard?" Nate asked him, looking a bit puzzled. "He's just asking you to shift. Anyway, that's the proper thing to do when you meet strangers, to prove them you're not a threat and won't jump on them."

"We are still in our human forms" Darren added. "You are the only threat here, still being in your wolf form."

"I-don't-want-to-shift" Kyle gritted. "Just let me leave."

But he knew that wasn't going to happen. He had behaved in a way that was far too suspicious, even he could see that. Saying he was a rogue, pretending his name was Benoît. He didn't even like this fucking name. What had he been thinking? His acting skills were very poor, or maybe it was harder to lie to his mates than it was with other wolves.

"I'm going back to my country."

"To France, you mean?"

Thankfully, they hadn't noticed that he was injured. The limp was barely visible, and he was not really moving. How much longer before they understood Benoît from France was in fact Kyle from the Ravenstgh pack and their childhood friend?

"We can tell you're struggling. You're hurting yourself by resisting the order." Nate observed in a slightly softer voice. "Why are you doing this to yourself? As a Sub, it's very unhealthy to disobey an -"

"Don't call me that!" Kyle exclaimed, making Nate widen his eyes in surprise.

As Kyle had raised his voice, Darren stepped between Nate and Kyle, his stance turning protective. Kyle felt his heart clenching. Unknowingly, Darren was protecting Nate from him, just like he had done years ago.

Kyle had always been the problem. The threat to their harmonious couple.

"What? A Sub? What's wrong with that?" Nate asked, puzzled.

"I don't want to be one."

"You should be proud of it. White Subs are quite rare. You know, when you talk like this, you actually remind me of our mate..."

Kyle was no longer listening to Nate. He was looking at Darren, whose expression had turned thoughtful at Nate's words. It was almost as if Kyle could follow his train of thoughts. He was getting closer and closer to the truth. In a mere seconds, he was going to figure everything out. There had been too many clues. Kyle had to do something - anything - to prevent it.

Suddenly, Kyle started running toward Darren, all claws out, making Nate yell in terror.