Chapter One
Finn found himself not exactly fitting in. And that was a first for him.
Finn came to Maine a few weeks ago to train and better himself as the threat of a huge uprising became evident – which was led by Gabriel, a turned Elder that now wanted to cause chaos and disruption in the shifter society after he failed at trying to force shifters to not associate with humans in any way. Finn knew that he wouldn’t be able to get the training that he needed within his own pack, the Hollow Lake Pack, so he gained permission from his own alpha to come over to Maine.
His pack friends from the Hollow Lake Pack came with him, as they were all to learn what they could from the Moonlight Pack and then return home to teach everyone else. Finn found himself not wanting to return home, though. He didn’t even miss it. Even as an outcast in Maine, he had more fun and respect than he had among his Hollow Lake pack members. And all of his friends who came with him agreed.
“We’re just going to have to figure out how best to assimilate ourselves, guys,” Finn sighed as he sat down at the kitchen table one morning, his three pack mates sitting there and eating their breakfast.
“Yeah, but how?” Lorelei countered, slurping as she ate the cereal she had poured for herself seconds earlier. Desmond, who was sitting next to her, hit her slightly on the arm to get her to stop, which prompted her to stick out her tongue at him.
Lorelei was the youngest of the four that had come from Hollow Lake, but she was by far the smartest. She wasn’t the strongest, though, which was why Finn begged his alpha to let her come along. If she was a pro at defense and attack methods, she would be unstoppable with her strategic, intelligent brain. Her long blonde hair was always tied in a low ponytail so that it stayed out of her way, and her glasses were always present. She didn’t like contacts. And if she didn’t have her laptop with her, she had a book.
“Lore’s right,” Desmond concluded after his silent sparring war with her. “They’re not exactly the most accepting pack in the world.”
Finn nodded. Desmond was right. The Moonlight Pack wasn't accepting at all when they first came to Maine, but Finn couldn't really blame them. They had been one of the only packs that had faced the constant battles, from Kaiser, a crazy shifter that brought a group of rogues to slaughter their whole pack, to Gabriel, an Elder that decided that he was going to kidnap and deal with a human involved with the pack that knew too much.
The pack ended up not really trusting strangers, regardless of where they came from.
And Finn wouldn’t hold it against them.
Now that the four of them had been in town for a bit, things had slightly started to loosen up. More pack members are willing to have a nice chat with them at the bar after work. Some are even offering to show them the human town that they lived next to. But it was a slow process, and the four were still not really trusted.
Finn remembered his first day in Maine like it was yesterday. When the four of them had walked through the doors of the gym complex where they were to be training for the next few weeks, it was like everything immediately stopped. Every shifter turned to look at them. Stare at them. Arms crossed with anger and distrust in their eyes. Only when Kato, the next alpha in line, came to send some friendliness his way did the other shifters start to ease up a little. But they still watched him like a hawk.
And then -- Finn being Finn -- he decided that he was going to flirt with the really pretty woman that he saw when he first walked in: Britta. Little did he know, Britta was in the middle of a mess of a relationship with another shifter named Grant. Or was about to be in one. Grant walked in, saw the way Finn was hanging on Britta’s every word, and all hell broke loose. If Finn would’ve known that Grant and Britta were going to end up together in the next few days, he would’ve never tried anything.
Luckily, Finn and Grant had put everything aside and were attempting to be friends. Britta and Finn were friends now, though – and Finn made sure that he didn’t flirt with her in any way. The last thing he needed was Grant all up in his face again. Because even though he’d like to think he could take the other shifter, Finn knew that Grant would end up winning that little fight.
But now, they needed to try and adjust to their life in Maine. Because none of them really wanted to go back to their pack in California. He couldn’t help the love he was beginning to have for Maine and its weather.
It was now springtime, and the sun was coming out and washing away the cold that Finn felt like was never going to go away. He couldn’t wait to see Maine in the summer. If he would be able to stay during the summer. He sure hoped he would.
“Listen, guys,” Finn started, sipping the water he had in front of him. He was going to head to a little café in the human town for breakfast later, as he was craving some eggs, but he was embarrassed to admit he couldn’t cook. Neither could any three of his housemates -- hence all the pastries and cereal bought from the local grocery store. “I realize that the Moonlight Pack isn’t the most inviting of them all, but they’ve been through a lot. Also, look at our pack back home. We’re not inviting at all, and we’ve never had anything happen to us like these guys have.”
“So, what do you suppose we do, then?” Tatiana asked him. She was sipping her coffee, her black nails making her pale skin appear even paler. She was always so silent and to herself that Finn forgot she was there for a second, even though she was sitting right next to him. Tatiana played with her curly black hair, and Finn couldn’t help but think she looked like a little goth princess.
“I say we start volunteering to do some things,” Finn announced, waiting until the groans around the small kitchen table died out. “When there’s a drive of some sort, volunteer. If Hann or Kato need someone to run to the city, say you’ll go. Do everything you can to make it known that we’re friendly and just trying to help. And learn.”
“Maybe we should just head home,” Desmond moaned, rubbing his beard as he thought of all the different things they could do at home instead of volunteering their free time to a pack that didn’t even want them there.
“Do you really want to go home?” Finn asked, giving him a knowing look.
“Nah, not really,” Desmond admitted, to which Lorelei and Tatiana nodded. They would all have to volunteer and show their support to the Moonlight Pack if they wanted to try and get on their good graces.
It wasn’t like Finn’s pack, was horrible or anything. It was just their alpha that was a pain in the ass. After meeting Hann and discovering what a real alpha, who cared and would do anything for his pack, was, the group decided that they were going to try and stay in Maine as long as possible. Because their own alpha was just such an ass. And it wasn’t like they had anything to return to back home. Their lives there were boring and full of ridiculous drama.
At least in Maine, they knew what they were fighting for.