Warning: Story is Rated M for mild action and mild sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 1: Dilemmas

I thought she loved me. I thought she cared. I thought she wouldn't lie. We had howled on that train where we had become more than friends. Or so I had thought. I felt betrayed, used... and cheated on.

When we came back from Idaho, she had been quickly escorted away by her parents but not after her parents were able to give me a disapproving look. I mean, if it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be here right now. But they didn't seem to care about anything like that. All they cared about was some stupid law.

I walked to my den that I shared with my friends. They congratulated me on bringing Kate back home safely, and, at that time, it seemed that they were the only ones who actually understood or at least knew what I did. I blushed and told them that it was nothing but they kept on for a while until I put a stop to it.

I turned in early that night. When I awoke, I noticed that it was late morning which was unusual since I almost never oversleep. I put it down to exhaustion. Then I noticed the silence, absence of any other wolves nearby. Where was everyone? I lived in a relatively dense, populated area of the territory, and I usually heard the hustling and bustling of life around me when I awoke, but, today, I didn't hear any of that.

I stepped outside into the sunshine and saw the pack standing under the leader's den. I padded over.

"Today I would like to officially announce," Winston said in a loud voice full of authority, though not without being tinged with pride, "the marriage of my daughter Kate and Tony's son Garth, thus uniting our packs!" Cheers started going up, and Winston patiently waited for the pack to calm down, he himself having to resist joining in. I spotted my friends looking at me, wanting to see my reaction, but I didn't let anything show. I kept a poker face, devoid of any expression. I didn't want to show emotion even though I was boiling over with anger inside me. Why would Kate do this? I thought. "The marriage ceremony will begin in five minutes. All are welcome, but please leave Kate and Garth alone until then because they are going to be busy preparing for the wedding." Winston walked back into his den to make some final preparations. Eve followed close behind. I wondered what Kate was thinking. Was she thinking of me? No, of course, she wasn't, she wouldn't think of me if she is going to marry Garth.

I started walking towards my den. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice a wolf coming towards me. "Hello, Humphrey." I jumped around, startled. It was Lilly. I remembered what my friends had told me about her, that she had been hanging out with Garth a lot while we were gone, under the guise that she was "showing him around." Maybe she liked him, just as I liked Kate...

"What do you think about the marriage?" I asked. "I heard that you had spent a lot of time with Garth." She blushed. That confirmed my suspicions. She liked him.

"Well, I know that you like Kate," she answered, trying to retaliate. I ignored her statement.

"Aren't you heartbroken?" I asked her.

"Yes, and I'm trying my best to hide it," she admitted.

"Me too," I agreed. A tear streaked down my face as I thought of Kate. I didn't want her to see me crying.

"I have to go," I quietly muttered. But when I saw that she was also starting to cry now, I hesitated.

"I thought he loved me," she sobbed to herself. She noticed that I hadn't yet left. "You can go, Humphrey. I can sort myself out."

"Okay, but you can come and see me at any time if you need comfort. I know what you're going through," I sympathized.

"Thank you," she whispered as I turned and walked away.