Contrary to Tully's expectations, the party was not held at Kii's house. Thirty or so minutes of traversing through the forest landed the pair on the outskirts of the Moon Bridge Packlands. Tully held the torch in front of him, its light all but a morsel being devoured into the dark abyssal jaws of the forest.

Though his sight was obscured by darkness, he could sense that there was a shift in the atmosphere of the forest as they ventured into 'no man's land'. Something about this part of the forest felt different. The vibrations of it reverberated with him, and he felt his heart quake. He looked around him unsure whether it was fear or excitement he felt as they walked on.

The moon dained to peek beyond the clouds, and the trees momentarily came into view. There they stood as tall and mighty as ancient titans with  primordial appendages outstretched in a horizontal tapestry of thickly interwoven branches and leaves. The whole area was wildly untamed, so much so that it made the forest in the immediate surrounds of the Moon Bridge Packlands seem like a manicured garden.

'Why is this forest called 'no man's land?' He asked.

Kii thought about it for a moment. "It's a double meaning. It's no-man's land because it doesn't belong to any Pack. There's a long historical context to it but I unregrettably slept werewolf 101 classes". Seeing the boy's interest, she scratched her cheek and added. "Ask Juno, as the Alpha of the Pack, this is his forte".

Tully nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts accompanied by the sound of pine needles crunching against the soles of their feet. He thought of Kal. He thought of the forest where they had drunk hot chocolate together under a grass-scented blanket. Kal had shown him a forest of flowers. Kissed him amongst the deem glow of fireflies. Then, just like that he left.

'I miss you'.  He thought. Then he sighed.

In his contemplative daze,Tully stumbled on tree roots. Kii promptly reached out to stop him from face-planting as she laughed heartily.

You should just let me carry you." She offered for the second time in the span of ten minutes. "What is so embarrassing about being carried? It's not like anyone can see you anyway."

"W-what do you mean no-one can see me anyway? I can see myself! And you can definitely see me!"

"So it's okay if I close my eyes?" She asked.

Tully placed the torch under his face, his glare intensified tenfold by the cold wash of torch light.

"Your loss." Kii shrugged then added. "This maiden was willing to carry you in her delicate, fragile arms, embrace you closely in her chase voluptuous bosom, all to save you from peril and yet you refuse her goodwill!"

Tully scoffed, he could imagine her wiggling her eyebrows dramatically despite the darkness. "I am n-not opposed to being carried. I'd just prefer the 'maiden' to be over six foot tall, firm chested with strong muscular a-arms, gentle deep blue eyes, soft kissable lips -." He giggled and stopped himself as a blush crept onto his face.

"Are there no limits to how down right cheesy you are when it comes to Juno? Seriously, I could open a pizzeria with just how much cheese my ears have had to endure since you guys got together."

"Alas, my boyfriend is just too h-hot. He could melt cheese -"

"Ahhh ahhh I can't take this anymore! We are almost there, thank fuck."

Tully smirked triumphantly.  "When you find your mate, we'll see if you won't start v-vying for my position as the mature cheddar King."

She just smiled wryly and murmured something under her breath. Before Tully could ask her what she had said, Kii exclaimed. "We are here!" Her pace quickened. Tully followed behind her as they cleared the last row of trees. He turned the torch off and sheathed it in the pocket of his thick woollen jacket. The path ahead was lit with hanging lanterns on either side bathing the surrounding forest in a wash of warm demure yellow light.

Tully gasped in awe as the trees parted to give way to a clearing with a lake at its centre. A huge bonfire was lit on the sandy shores of the lake and the party centred around it. Large lanterns bobbed languidly above the lake's surface while balloons interlaced with fairy lights hang on the trees nearby. A makeshift timber shack served as the bar from which a pungent scent of alcohol wafted about with breeze.

Tully shuddered when he saw people swimming in the lake like it was midsummer's day. Others sat by the bonfire roasting marshmallows and playing drinking games. Most, however, were dancing wildly to the music that seemed to originate from no particular point. A row of barbecue grills were positioned furthest from the hustle and bustle but the distance failed to diminish the tantalising meaty aroma that would periodically grace the air.

Tully's head panned around the entire scene in wonder. It was chaotic yet magical. The long walk through the dark forest felt worth it.

"Kii, t-this...it's beautiful! When did you have time to prepare all of this? I t-thought it was going to be a small gathering?" Tully wasn't expecting to see this many people. He saw many familiar faces and guessed that at least most if not all the werewolves from sixth form were present.

"Around here, if you invite one person you've automatically invited ten others by default". She said as she also turned to look at the crowd of about 400 youths if not more. "My sister, Ander and the others prepared most of it. I was as surprised as you are when I saw it this afternoon."

"Then who are all these people? Do you know them all?"

Kii shook her head. "I know some,  the ones from our pack at least. But, it wouldn't surprise me if there were some from the other Border Packs. So long as no one courses trouble or crosses into the Pack Borders without permission, then it's generally okay. Sometimes people from our pack also sneak into their parties too.

Tully nodded in half understanding.

"Come, I have a surprise for you." Kii held his hand and began walking towards the vigorously dancing crowd. Tully followed closely behind her in confusion. Why was he the one being surprised on someone else's birthday? He walked faster to keep up with her, fearing a moment of inattention would end up with him being lost amongst the crowd of werewolves where he would be gyrated and grinded against by them to death. 

Occasionally someone would stop Kii and say a few words that Tully couldn't hear over the loudly blasting music. He could feel some very blatant gazes on him from time to time but there was no perceivable animosity,  just simple curiosity. Still his scalp tingled at the sensation, sticking closer behind Kii as they edged further and further away from the loud music and the crowd that gathered there.

Tully looked at Kii as she walked by his side. Kii loved clothes, they were her primary mode of self-expression. Tonight she was dressed in a simple little black dress that hugged her figure gracefully. This differed from her usual style of dress which was bold and colourful.

Her red hair was parted at the centre and swept back into a high ponytail, exposing the beautiful curvature of her long neck. There the dainty gold necklace embedded with five tiny glittering multi-colored jewels he had gifted her hang there. Her makeup was natural but playful. Everything about her appearance tonight seemed subtle yet beautiful. It was as though she was presenting to the world another iteration of herself. Confident and glowing.

"You look s-so beautiful, Kii." Tully said in appreciation".

"Awww, really?"

He nodded hard.

"Thanks, Tul Tul. I feel beautiful." She said her face brightened with joy. She pointed a little further ahead and Tully's head likewise followed.

Moments later, Tully had directly catapulted into Juno's arms and wrapped himself tightly around the other boy's body. Juno granted at the impact but held Tully firmly in his arms. A pair of soft cool lips pressed onto his. A small, warm tongue tentatively extended and licked between his lips. Juno quickly captured it and teased it so mercilessly that an inadvertent moan escaped from Tully's mouth. He swallowed the sound into his own mouth as though it was a divine symphony. Squeezing the boy's body which had softened under his ministrations even closer to his he felt that even their heartbeats had intertwined.

"I missed you, Tul Tul." There was hoarseness in Juno's voice as he continued to whisper against his wind chilled ears which made Tully's body temperature rise. Then his own voice could be heard, softly muffled by Juno's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me you were b-back?"

"Surprise." Juno said.

Tully humphed in response. "I don't like surprises."

Juno kissed his forehead placatingly. "I won't do it again, if Baby doesn't like it."

"I like the surprise, but I-I don't like being  surprised."

"Mn, is that so?" Juno asked as he bit the root of Tully's ear. Tully hid his red ears under his palms and glared at Juno. His gaze traced Juno's face, inch by inch.  Fatigue was evident on the boy's face. It seems that the last few days must have been hard on him. His heart dully ached. He hated that he couldn’t do anything to help Juno with managing the pack, but he had resolved himself to change that in future. What's more, he didn’t like the sense of uneasiness he felt during the time that Juno was away, it was as if something was gnawing at his nerves. But seeing the boy here and just looking tired, a sense of relief finally washed over Tully.

Juno likewise observed the boy in his arms. As their mate bond grew stronger, so did his perception of Tully's emotions. His heart felt warm and his deep blue eyes sparkled.  He could understand Tully's heart and he could perceive his care and concern for him even if the boy didn't explicitly say them out loud.

"Silly Wolf," Tully whispered. "I think I now know w-why there are so few stars out t-tonight". Tully said, gazing deeply into Juno's eyes.

"Why is that?" Juno asked with a raised eyebrow.

"They are all hiding in your e-eyes. Your eyes...they are twinkling and sparkling right now".

"So cheesy." Juno chuckled. He gently bobbed the tip of Tully's nose with his own, the smile in his eyes deepening.

Someone cleared their throat loudly behind them and Tully stiffened then blushed. He unclasped his thighs from around Juno's waist and got onto his feet. Turning to look behind him, he saw  Kii standing there with a smirk.

"Have I mentioned how nauseatingly cheesy you guys are?" She asked.

"Yes, yes you have." Juno said, looking annoyed at his best friend's interruption.

"You sure?" She asked a little unconvinced.

"C-certain." Tully added.

"I am now lactose intolerant." Kii deadpanned.

"Our sincerest c-condolences." Tully responded and Juno nodded in agreement.

"Our brand of cheese happens to be lactose free." Juno said.

Kii rolled her eyes then they all laughed. "The others are by the bonfire. Though I suspect they are probably already drunk off their toots by now. Bloody hell last time I saw Ander he was already out of it and it wasn't even 6pm." She said handing Tully and Juno a can of a mixed cocktail each respectively before unscrewing and gulping down some clear light from the glass bottle.

"What the hell is t-that smell?" Tully asked, scrunching his nose up so tightly it looked like a little freckled ball.

"Armageddon". Kii grinned at Tully's expression. " 0.1% fermented Monkswood juice with a lot of Spirytus."

"F-fuck, it s-smells like nuclear waste." Tully replied with his tongue stuck out in disgust as he took a step back. He burrowed himself into Juno's arms and inhaled the familiar scent as though to purge his nose of the offensive smell.

Kii guffawed. "Ohhh yes. It smells shitty, tastes shitter and drink enough of it and it'll certainly make you feel like you shit. But, it's the only thing that can get us drunk". She shrugged her shoulders and took another massive gulp of the stuff, her face contorting slightly. Tully observed her as swallowed the stuff. She seemed fine. Maybe it just smelled worse than it tasted?

His curiosity ended up winning. "Can I try s‐some?" He asked.

"Absolutely not!" Juno and Kii responsed unanimously. 

Tully puffed out his cheeks. And Juno wanted to bite them but settled on poking the air out of them. "It's poisonous to humans." He said.

"Right, right!" Kii added. "One sip of this and poof you'll be off to see Charon the Ferryman. Then Julian will kill me. Chop me up and dissolve the pieces in a barrel of sulphuric acid then empty the goo out into the ocean and set the bloody ocean on fire!"

Tully did not know who this 'Charon' was but he did know that it was paramount to protect his big brother's moral character. "Our Julian wouldn’t d-do that! He's really not that kind of person." He said in a tone of seeking supreme justice. "That's more Claude's style. Julian is way too s-sentimental to do that. At most he would only skin you a-alive then taxidermy you or turn you into a floor rug. Maybe even a wet s-suit, if you're lucky."

"Charming...who doesn't love a sentimental man? I mean, my heart is racing just at the prospect of being a floor rug. Ahhh, just image of Julian's sexy feet stepping on me everyday." She shuddered.

Tully was disgusted speechless. Juno sighed helplessly at the two. He opened the canned cocktail and handed it to Tully. "Don't drink too much, we have to be mindful of your health." Tully huffed but relented as he wasn't one to refute the truth. He tentatively sipped the drink. To his pleasure, its taste was sweet with a fruity pinnapple flavour it to. Apprehensions aside, he heartily gulped a few more mouthfuls,  emptying the can by the way. He paused for a few moments, waiting in anticipation for something to happen. "G-guys...I-I don't feel drunk!?" He exclaimed in confusion.

The pair looked at him speechlessly for a while. Kii sighed then patted Juno's shoulder. "You take this one for the team." She said as they started making their way towards the fire pit.

Author's Note

Um hi...👉🏾👈🏾

I'm back...if you guys still want me.