I stood up and edged over to the treeline. I could smell the presence of another wolf, but I didn't understand why they were lurking. Ibhan stood too, and I saw him reach for his wand from the corner of my eye.

"Come forward, let me see you," I said quietly and a shaggy brown haired wolf leapt from the treeline. With no hesitation I met him halfway, already shifted midair. I pushed the wolf aside and snapped at him, snarling as I made sure he backed down. Satisfied he wasn't a threat I stopped to really look at him, there was something familiar about him.

"Shift back," I said as soon as I had. The wolf cocked his head at me before shifting, the satisfying crunch filling the clearing.

"Don't recognise me, Kyda?" He said, fixing me with a mock pout. The man before me was tan and broad, his messy hair falling over his eyes. There was something about his scent that stirred an old memory.

"Matthew?" I asked and he grinned, holding out his arms.

"I was getting a little worried there," he laughed, and I stepped forward, hugging him tightly.

"What are you doing here, I thought you moved to the upper city?" I asked and the young wolf shrugged sheepishly.

"I may have moved back alone."

"You went rogue?" I asked, surprised at the action. Wolves were tightly family orientated separation wasn't a step we took lightly.

"Yep, feels weird but it's so much better than living that close to the courts, everyone there is so uptight." He suddenly stopped and looked around to where Ibhan stood, wand still gripped in his hand, his hood up guarding his features.

"Matthew, meet Ibhan, a friend of mine," I said, and Matthew gave me a curious look.

"He's not a wolf."

"No, I'm not," Ibhan said, stepping closer, "Nor am I a friend."

"Oh come on, I brang you all the way out here just for us to not even be friends? Give me a break magic man," I said with an eye roll, and I heard him scoff.

"You brang me to a puddle with flowers, wolf, that's hardly impressive."

"I'm sorry," Matthew stepped forward, "what am I missing here?"

I sighed and stepped closer to Ibhan, and I could feel the heat of his glare.

"Mr high maintenance here shares a bond with me, possible mate attraction, so I figured I'd show him around and see if he'd like to stay."

"I'm being held here against my will," Ibhan chimed in and I whacked his arm.

"You are not," I said, and he pushed his hood off and gave me a blank stare.

"If I walked off into the woods right now, would you follow?"

"Absolutely." He groaned and looked over to Matthew, "your friend is a stalker."

"She's a little crazy but she's also super nice," he said, sounding a little defensive.

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"Why don't we all go home for lunch," I said and Matthew grinned.

"Can I come, I'd love to say hi to everyone."

"Sure," I.smiled and looked back at Ibhan who finally slipped his wand away in his sleeve.

"Right behind you, wolf."

***********************

Lunch passed by and the day quickly turned to night as we lounged around in the living room listening to Matthews stories. My parents had been ecstatic to see him come home, after they scolded him for leaving his family in the city.

I sat by Ibhan on the dining table, he had been quiet these last few hours, but I guess that wasn't so unusual for him. He rolled some peas across his plate, occasionally squishing one with his spoon and, not for the first time, I wished we had a bond so I could see how he was feeling. He was so closed off it unsettled me sometimes. He looked up suddenly, meeting my gaze and I smiled. He narrowed his eyes slightly and turned back to his plate.

"Ibhan," I whispered, and he gave some semblance of a grunt in response, "I have another question."

"What is it now?" He muttered, squishing more peas.

"Why are you so quiet?" I whispered back. He rolled his eyes as he put his spoon down and sat back.

"Mothers also say that if you've nothing nice to say, you shouldn't speak at all," he said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Touché, magic man," I said, and he shot me a withering glare.

"Stop calling me magic man," he hissed.

"Never," I said, picking up his spoon and squishing his three remaining peas. He looked up at me, a bewildered expression on his face.

"How dare you squish my peas," he said in a hushed voice, not that it mattered in a room full of wolves. I burst into a fit of laughter, drawing the rest of the attention to myself as Ibhan sunk into his chair, a little bit of pink rising to his cheeks.

Remus looked us over, raising his eyebrows and smirking. "Having fun over there."

"Yeah, we were just talking about peas," I said with a nod and Ibhan huffed.

"We were not talking about peas, I was asking you to stop calling me magic man," he said through gritted teeth.

"Magic man?" My father repeated, and it was my turn to feel heat rush up my neck.

"It was a joke, I'll stop," I said, not missing the little grin that slipped across Ibhan’s face as he got his way.

"Ibhan, you're kinda quiet, you should join us over here," Matthew said, gesturing to the empty seat beside him. Ibhan looked over at him and then at me as if to ask if he was really serious. I shrugged, deciding to leave it up to him to get involved. Rolling his eyes he stood, rolling back his sleeves a little as he went to sit by Matthew, my father on the armchair beside him.

"So, when are you planning to move in permanently?" Matthew asked and I winced as I saw Ibhan still and my parents almost physically flinch.

"That's not been decided," he said in an even tone.

"Ah, you want your own place?" Matthew said and I reached over the pack bond to try and stop him from probing further.

"It's not been decided if I'll be staying at all," Ibhan replied flatly. I took in a sharp breath and sat back, clenching my jaw for a moment. Ibhan looked up at me, an intense look on his face, jaw set tightly and hands in fists. I frowned and tilted my head towards the door and he nodded.

"Maybe we should step out for a minute, Ibhan," I said, and he was up in an instant. I opened the door and walked away from the house, Ibhan close on my heels.

"I don't like him," he said as we put a fair amount of distance between us and the house.

"Who? Matthew?"

"Yes," he hissed.

"Why?" I asked and he just groaned, running a hand back through his hair.

"His aura is dirty, I can't explain it, it just feels wrong," he said, and I laughed.

"Hey, don't worry about Matthew, I've known him forever, he's a good guy," I reassured him, and he sighed.

"Your loyalty will cost you, wolf."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," I replied, a small amount of anger bubbling inside of me.

"Fine, I've already told you once," he said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Hey! Is everything okay?" Matthew was jogging towards us and I heard Ibhan groan.

"Go, take a walk," I said, and he gave me an odd look, maybe a guilty one, before he slunk away from the upcoming wolf.

"Was it something I said?" Matthew asked, watching Ibhan walk further away.

"Nah, he's okay, he's just not used to that kind of attention," I said.

"Seems like a real piece of work to me, no offense," Matthew said, holding up one hand.

"He's just used to a different way of life," I said, and Matthew shrugged.

"Sure, let's leave it at that for now, hm?" I nodded and he smiled, slinging his arm around my shoulders. "Your sister brang cake and I for one would love a slice."