I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the crash onto the floor but it never came, instead I felt an arm around me and my body being pulled towards another. Upon opening my eyes I found myself inches from Kian. Not even inches, centimeters. Lila and Evan were watching us with wide eyes.

I didn't dare move though. He let me go when I was upright and muttered something about being more careful. Lila wouldn't stop smiling through out our patrol.

_____

We all went our separate ways after our shifts ended, it was almost dinner time and we had all skipped lunch. I was so excited to eat that I almost forgot that I was to help the Luna with cooking and clean up and didn't have time to take a nice stroll back.

I guess I didn't mind it so much that I had to walk briskly to get back to the pack house. Kian and I were forced to take the same pack together while Lila and Evan each went back to their separate homes- Lila in an apartment in town and Evan with his mate in a small house near the pack one.

At first I thought it would be like old times when I would go a bit faster than him and he'd go faster than me until we were both practically tripping over ourselves to get ahead of the other.

Of course that didn't happen.

Instead I was met with a deathly silent Kian who wouldn't even make eye contact with me. Hesitation to go faster was not an issue with me because I wanted the hell outta there.

Luna Catherine was waiting for me in the kitchen, when I came in through the back she greeted me with a warm smile and asked me to start on the potatoes.

"You started with out me," I commented after a few minutes of silence.

"I'm sorry, dear," she said with out turning from the boiling pot on the stove," But you were late and I couldn't just keep the entire pack starving for you to show up."

"Patrol detail took longer then previously expected. I'll try to be faster next time."

She only replied with a "mm". I could tell she didn't believe me.

"Can I at least know what I'm helping to cook?"

"Beef stew, so you need to make sure that you chop up those potatoes about half the size of an ice cube."

"I will."

We finished cooking the stew in silence before taking it out to the hungry wolves in the dining room. Mike and Alpha Jack fought over who got the biggest roll which ended with Kian walking up behind them and taking it from the arguing pair. Nova had to "console" Mike after his loss and the Luna just laughed at the whole ordeal. Hannah rubbed Kian's arm and said something like "Good job, baby" as he took a big bite out of it.

"Michael, Kian," the Alpha said after a while. We all went a quiet, it's always Alpha business when he uses Mike's full name. Mike put down his spoon and turned to him.

"Yes?"

"The Alpha and Beta from the Rosa Angel pack will be coming in tomorrow afternoon, I want the both of you to greet them at the edge of the territory and escort them back to the pack house."

"The Rosa Angel pack? Aren't they from Texas or something," Kian asked. I stared at him dumbfounded and Mike put his face in his hands.

Is he being serious?

"Mexico."

"I was close."

"No, you weren't, son."

Kian didn't have to learn the smaller details about being an Alpha because he's the second born and the likely hood of him actually taking over is slim. It's lucky he even got the continent right.

That's our mate right there, I told my wolf sarcastically, the pack name isn't even English and he still guessed an American state.

Mexico and Texas are right next to each other.

You can't make excuses for him in this one. Don't even try.

"I think you were just about spot on," Hannah told him," What with all those immigrants in Texas, you'd think it was part of Mexico any way."

"Statistics show that the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico into the US has dramatically decreased over the recent years," I replied to her with out looking up. My head was leaned into my fist and I stirred my bowl lazily. Why can't people just do a little bit of research?

She just stared at me for a long minute with a pissed look on her face. No one likes it when you tell them the truth, especially not if it effects what they're saying instead of helping it.

"If you don't believe me then you can just check your phone, look up 'illegal immigration into the us statistics'. I prefer to use images because it'll give you all the charts and data with out going into a bunch of different sites," I stood up and took my bowl," But you do you."

She was still glaring at me as I went into the kitchen and rinsed out my bowl.

Kian's POV

The next day, Mike and I were standing at the side of the long deserted highway right on the edge of our territory. We both stood plum, pluck and square with our hands behind our backs waiting for the Alpha and Beta to show up.

"So, did dad ever tell you why they were coming," I asked Mike after about a half hour of waiting.

"No, you?"

"Nada."

"Save your Spanish, hermano. I hear that Alpha Ricardo no habla Ingles."

"Well, we're screwed. Do you speak Spanish?"

"You literally just heard every word I know in the Spanish dictionary."

We both looked at each other before busting out in laughter. It's always better to hang out with Mike when he's in his better moods. Plus I'm missing patrol for this.

You'd rather be at patrol.

Why would I rather be there? I'm playing hooky, remember?

Ah, but Holly is at patrol.

I have a girlfriend. Hannah is awesome.

But she's not mate.

Don't call her that. I'm rejecting her, end of discussion.

You already marked her.

Moment of weakness.

Bu-

I tuned him out just as a black SUV pulled to a stop in front of us. A Spanish looking boy with shaggy, black hair and dark, black eyes hopped out dressed in a trench coat and dark jeans another one trailed behind him with his own dark hair pulled into a man bun it was so long and warm brown eyes dressed in a hoodie and jeans. Neither looked older than 18.

"Where is Alpha Ricardo," I asked the one in a hoodie.

"Alpha Ricardo died last fall," he nodded at the other boy," This is his son, Alpha Arturo, and I'm his Beta, Roberto."

"Pleasure to meet you, Alpha," Mike said, stretching out his hand to the young Alpha. He took up my brother's hand in his own.

"Encantado, my friend."

"I trust you had a safe trip? I know that your a long way from home up here."

"It was," he trailed off a moment as he looked for the right words," Uneventful."

"Glad to hear that."

"You're probably tired," I said, trying to be courteous," Let's get you settled in the pack house."

He turned to me and nodded. We all loaded into the SUV. Mike went up front with Roberto to help with directions and I road in the back with Arturo. The moment we got in together he stiffened and turned to me, sniffing the air.

"Is there an issue?"

He smiled and chuckled.

"You're skin smells of a mate but your clothes stink of another wolf. I see no mark. Why would you hide your mate from the world?"

My head dropped and I let out a low chuckle. My family, her family and the entire pack had yet to figure it out but this guys here for 5 minutes and all of a sudden he knows everything. Great. Just great.

"It's none of your business," I sent him a purposeful glare," So you should keep it to yourself."

"You wouldn't cheat on your own mate," he continued, ignoring me," Not unless you intend to reject her or you were cursed and at that it would be very hard to do it because of your alpha status and you've marked her."

"Why are you trying to figure this out?"

"Answer my question first; why are you hiding her?"

"I plan to reject her but I've accidently marked her."

"You accidently marked her?"

"I was caught up in the moment and didn't think of the consequences. I have a girlfriend and Holly's not her."

"So this girlfriend- why did you choose her over Holly?"

"Because I love her."

He made an 'mm' sound and shut up for the rest of the trip.

Holly's POV