The Transfer

After training, I took a long hot shower. I was tired for the day's work and I knew that it would be rewarding in the evening to sit down with Lila and Brayleigh. I looked forward to having them come over. My beast liked them and I trusted them.

After my brother told them all about what happened to me, the reason I came here, they were so understanding. They didn't treat me differently and they made me feel safe.

It felt even better to know that Brayleigh could relate to me. She knew what I was going through and she knew that I was torn up over it. She understood better than anyone and it felt good to know.

I trotted down the hallway, humming to myself as I glanced at the time. It was time to start making dinner. I decided on a simple spaghetti with vegetables and special tomato sauce.

Ezra has left all the good foods for me and I was keen to use them. I liked cooking, and it was nice to finally be the one who did the cooking again. Back home, I always cooked for my brothers. They were hopeless at it, and they couldn't cook without setting something on fire.

But Ezra was the main cook in the household. His food was good but my beast always rumbled because we were sure that we were better.

I cooked fast, chopping up vegetables, boiling the pasta and cooking the meat. The wonderful smells of all the cooking food quickly filled the cabin and made it smell magnificent. I inhaled deeply and heard a knock at the door.

I grinned and stepped out the kitchen, rushing to the front door. I pulled it open and was greeted by a very happy looking Lila. She flashed me a wide grin and then hugged me.

"Food smells great! Brayleigh is coming around in a little. Kade was being "a big baby" apparently,” Lila said as she rubbed my cheek and then stepped into the cabin. I nodded at her and eyed the beers and wine in her hands.

My beast rumbled thirstily. She loved beer.

We shut the front door and followed Lila back into the cabin. She shoved the drinks into the refrigerator and then stirred the pasta a little before turning around to face me again.

She sighed and smiled. I returned the gesture and stirred the pot of meat, vegetables and sauce. Dinner was almost ready.

"So when do your brothers get back?" I asked her, starting a conversation. I was eager to meet them. Lila talked about them a lot. She thought very highly of them, despite all the times she groaned about how annoying they were.

"Well, Liam told everyone that the whole group would be back by next week. But I think Henry is making them come back earlier. Liam is Henry's Beta, by the way," Lila told me. I raised my eyebrows at her.

Her brother was Henry's Beta? Really?

"But Lucas said that they were probably going to take a little longer. So I'm hoping that it'll be next week. The house is so quiet without all of them there," Lila replied quickly. I smiled and nodded at her.

Apparently, Lila's parents liked the letter 'L' so they decided to name all their children names that started with that letter. Hence why there was Liam, Lucas, Leon and Lila.

It was a mouthful but easy to remember.

"Sounds cool. I hope I get to meet them. You've talked about them a lot," I chuckled a little at her. Lila giggled and nodded, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"They'd like you. I think you'd get along with Lucas pretty well. He's a dumbass,” Lila said with a laugh. I rolled my eyes at her and stirred the pasta again. It was almost finished and I was glad.

My stomach had been grumbling all night long. I was so hungry.

"Well, I hope they get back on time. It would be nice to meet them," I told her with a smile. She nodded at me and then sighed.

"I guess I'm happy for them to come back. But I'm not at the same time. Henry bosses Liam around like a freaking slave. He bosses Leon and Lucas around too. I hate it. Plus, because there isn't a Beta female to serve and kiss up to Melissa, I have to do the job. It sucks,” Lila sighed, looking up at the ceiling. I raised my eyebrows at her quizzically.

She noticed my confused look and sighed again. She faced me, looking out the kitchen window. She closed the blinds and began to speak again.

"My father was the Alpha of Takiani before he died. Liam was supposed to take over, since our Beta was killed too. But Henry decided that Liam was too young and naive to lead a pack. So he pushed his fat ass up there into the throne and took over," Lila explained, making me frown. I bit back a growl. My beast didn't like that our friend's family was pushed aside.

"Henry hates my family. It's not obvious to some, but it's obvious to me. He despises us all and punishes Liam the most because of it. He has him running around like a chicken without a head most of the time. Melissa isn't any better. She makes me do everything for her and her stupid slut of a daughter,” Lila said, groaning. I furrowed my eyebrows at her questioningly.

I didn't like what I was learning. It made me think differently of the two Alphas that were supposedly wonderful. It made me anxious to know what Lila was telling me.

"Melissa has a daughter?” I asked. Lila nodded and sighed some more. I could tell she was bitter about the situation. I couldn't imagine what it would be like for that to happen.

My eldest brother, Beckett, was supposed to take over from my father. Samaya would be his Beta. Rae and Jax were due to take over as Master of Arms and the head tracker wolf. I wasn't involved in the leading of the pack. Females weren't usually unless they were the Luna. The Beta female was only there to kiss the Luna's ass.

"Yeah, she's with Liam and the others on their trip. She's a dumb girl. Has a huge crush on Liam too," Lila snickered as I grabbed the pot of pasta and took it over to the sink.

"That sucks, Lila. I guess you'll give up your job eventually. Liam will find a mate and she'll take over, right?” I said as I drained the water into the sink, keeping the pasta in the pot.

There was a knock at the door and Lila left the kitchen to open it. I heard Brayleigh's voice and smelt her as the door opened. She smelt like Kade and strawberries.

"Hey there, chef," Brayleigh greeted as she walked into the room. I looked up and smiled at her as I began to dish up food. The two girls took their places at the table and I gave them their bowls of food.

I grabbed the garlic bread from the oven and then headed over to the table to sit down. There were already drinks on the table. I had poured drinks earlier.

"Sorry I'm late. Kade was sulking about a paper cut,” Brayleigh said, making Lila and I laugh. I shook my head as I knew that Kade was the one to do exactly that. He was a tough wolf but he loved complaining.

"Are you sure you shouldn't be with him now? What if he bleeds to death or something?" I asked Brayleigh jokingly. She laughed and Lila rolled her eyes.

"You're funny,” Brayleigh retorted as we ate.

After dinner, we headed to the living room with three seperate tubs of ice cream and spoons. We sat on the couches together and cuddled under a shared blanket. We decided on an old classic Bad Boys and sat quietly. But about halfway through the movie, Lila turned to face me.

"Tell us about your brothers, Ali," Lila said, grinning at me. I hadn't spoken about my family back home much since I'd been in Takiani. I didn't like thinking about how much I missed them.

It was hard being away from home. As much as I never wanted to go back, it was still the place where I grew up, made memories.

I nodded and put down my spoon. "Okay, well the eldest is Beckett. He's thirty-two next year and he'll take over as Alpha when my father resigns," I started.

"He has this mate, her name is Lauri. She's so nice and really good for Beck. They're like the ultimate power couple. I know they'll be good to lead the pack,” I added quickly. The girls nodded as I begun to think about Samaya.

"Then there's Samaya. He's my favourite because he's the least annoying one out of all of them. But he's going to be Beckett's Beta. He's a good wolf, very strong. He hasn't met his mate yet, but I'm sure he'll find one soon. If not, I'll have to fill in, like you do," I said and pointed to Lila. She nodded and I noticed the look in her eyes that gleamed.

"It won't be as bad if you have your brother as Alpha, I guess,” Lila told me. Brayleigh nodded in agreement and I shrugged at her. My beast and I hated the idea of running around after other wolves

"I guess so. Well, next is Rae. He's going to be the Master of Arms when our current one steps down. He's an incredible fighter already. He's the the third child but he's almost as strong as Beckett. I always used to watch him fight when I was little. He's really good,” I continued. My heart stammered at the thought of when I used to watch Rae fight.

My mother would always walk me down to the rings and sit with me. He was always so strong. But he was different. He lost a good friend when he was young in a rogue attack, he saw his best friend get killed. It changed it, kept him quiet. But it also made him determined to be the best and the strongest. He worked hard

My mother and I would watch him train and spar with other wolves almost every day. He always won the fights, except for the ones where he fought Beckett or my father. He occasionally bested our Master of Arms, but it wasn't easy for him.

I wanted to cry when I remembered how my mother always told me that I would be as strong as him one day. I missed her.

"Last is Jax. He's the most annoying of them all. He has a big mouth and never stops talking. Jax is going to take over at the head tracker wolf soon too. His nose is magnificent. He can smell so much better than anyone I know can. It's really awesome to hide his things and then watch him find it," I explained to them. Brayleigh nodded slowly.

"Jesus. That's a lot of children. Christmas must be busy!" Brayleigh exclaims. Lila and I laughed at her and I shrugged.

"Christmas time is always good. We usually trek South to the falls where most of our family lives. We have a lot of cousins, aunties and uncles and it's always one big celebration,” I told her. She gaped at me.

"The falls? That's where my family comes from! Maybe they know each other," Brayleigh grinned excitedly. My beast yipped. She hoped that Brayleigh's family knew mine. It would be coincidental that we had met.

"All of my family comes from the North. They're all miles and miles away. They visit only for very special occasions,” Lila told us. I pouted at that.

"I would hate that. I love seeing my family. There's so many of them. It's always really fun," I said as I felt bad for Lila. She shrugged at me and nodded.

I grew a little bitter as I thought about my family. After my mother's death, I hadn't seen any of my mother's side of the family. They'd all ran, not wanting to be reminded of the pain. The emptiness that followed after my mother's death.

"I guess, but it's good because the trip is so far that we drive up there instead of run. I think I would rather die than run all the way up there," Lila giggled, which made Brayleigh and I laugh too. "Apparently this Christmas my brothers and I are going up North to see all my family for a week or two. My uncles are supposedly missing me. I don't blame them either. I would miss me too," Lila said cockily. She smirked and shovelled some ice cream into her mouth.

"Kade's relatives are supposed to be coming down here for this Christmas. So I guess I'll have to stay to see them. His grandparents love me," Brayleigh said with a smile. I awed and wished that I could see my grandparents again.

They lived up in the falls and they loved seeing my brothers and I. But we hadn't seen a lot of our family in years. Not since my mother died.

We saw them at the funeral and occasionally after that. My beast and I missed them terribly.

We made a mental note that we had to try and get in contact with them again. I wasn't going to lose more family.