Life had been floating along nicely for Josef lately, admittedly the metaphorical life jacket was deflating and his legs were getting tired, also there was a shark circling him waiting to bite. But Josef wasn't dead yet. He had a job and a house, not really a home though. He also had no family and people he could barely consider friends. Needless to say he was lonely. People were social creatures, werewolves even more so. He needed his pack. Unfortunately, he didn't really have one. At least not any more. He'd run away when they needed him most and now the shame kept him away. He couldn't go back, he just couldn't. That didn't mean he didn't want to though. He had a whole life there, friends, family (well, not anymore) and a mate-to-be. It made his heart ache every time he thought about it.<br/><br/>Along the grapevine, there were rumours that Josef's pack was in danger. They'd been forced under a regime by their new alpha who was really just a beta. This angered Josef, it angered him a lot but it also furthered his shame. He'd left them with no alpha all because he was a little sad that his parents died and now they were stuck with a leader who was treating them like shit.  Worst of all, his mate was no longer his. This was what angered him most of all. Although they weren't actually bonded, Josef still felt protective over him. He was supposed to be his mate but more than that, mates were supposed to protect each other. Josef wasn't able to be there for his parents, he needed to be there for Dante.<br/><br/>That night he packed a bag and chucked it into his banged up truck. He was headed home. Home to<i>his </i>pack.<br/><br/>He pulled up with a screech just outisde of their territory. He'd shift into his wolf form and struggle to secure his backpack to his larger frame without opposable thumbs. Eventually, he'd get it and then proceed to walk into their little village they'd set up in the middle of the forest. Although he was out of practise in living out here where everything was self-reliant, he could feel all those memories coming back. A lot of them were lessons with his father, spending days hunting or punching trees. For once, instead of using those memories to fuel his sadness, they only fueled his anger. He'd ended up losing everything but now he wanted it back.<br/><br/>Finally he made it to their little collection of buildings, only slightly out of breath from just a long trek through the woods. He shifted back into his human form. Immediately he could tell something was wrong, there wasn't any children running around, parents telling them off, others bringing back a haul of moose. It was like the colour had been sucked out of everyone. Josef hurried to his childhood home, where the alpha and their family were supposed to stay. Chances were, that's were this faux king was. On his way, he ended up bumping into someone. He turned to say sorry only to find a familiar face. He'd matured more since last time he saw him but it was unmistakably him. His mate. Dante Banks.