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*Humphrey's P.O.V. *

As I stepped beyond the threshold of the den, I was immediately greeted by the warmth of my mother's voice.

"Humphrey!" she greeted as she stepped forward and wrapped me up in a welcoming embrace, "it's so good to see you."

I smiled as I returned the nuzzle.

"It's good to see you, too, mom," I replied as I slowly pulled away.

"You just missed your father," she informed as she turned and invited me deeper into the den, "but he should be back soon. Come on in!"

I nodded as I followed her into the den and then we sat down near the back wall.

"So how've things been going lately," she inquired, "haven't seen a whole lot of you since the wedding."

I lowered my eyes.

"I know," I said dejectedly, "it's just that between all of the meetings and the responsibilities and all that, I've barely had time to do anything besides eat and maybe try to sleep."

"Sounds pretty stressful," she sympathized, "how are things going on the home front?"

"Actually, not so good," I replied through a sigh as I wrapped my tail around my paws, "she kicked me out this morning."

A visible shock briefly flashed across her face, but she composed herself quickly.

"Oh no, Humphrey," she began as she placed her paw on top of mine, "what happened?"

"I don't know," I said despondently, "we just had this huge fight last night and I guess I just wanted to get away from it all, so I went out with my friends to the berry patch and drank way too much. The thing is, this morning she was completely ready to forgive me, but apparently I said some pretty disrespectful things about Kate last night that her mother heard."

My mother's expression fell into one of inquisition.

"I see," she began, "do you remember anything that you said?"

"Honestly I barely remember anything from last night," I replied, "and you know I don't usually drink like that, but... I don't know. I guess I just had a lot of pent up stuff in my mind that I needed to find a way to vent out."

"Well, I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that that probably wasn't the best way to go about doing that," she stated flatly.

I simply sighed and lowered my eyes.

"Oh hey Humphrey!" a voice called suddenly from behind us, "didn't expect to see you here this morning."

Ordinarily we both would have rose to greet him, but as we both turned our attention to him, he could automatically sense the tension in the den and his demeanor fell.

"Uh oh... trouble on the home front?" he assessed.

The fact that he was able to pick up on this so quickly caught me by surprise.

"How did you know?" I asked him as I cocked my head.

He chuckled softly and shook his head as he approached.

"Listen, son. I've been married a long time," he began as he sat down in front of me and my mother slowly withdrew her paw, "and believe it or not, I've been exactly where you are now, honestly more times than I'd like to admit."

I should have expected as much from my father. He always had a knack for this sort of thing. Ever since the day I met her, it was almost as though he could see right through me and deduce my every thought, my every turmoil.

"You have?" I inquired.

"Sure have," he replied through a nod.

"But... if that's the case, then... how have you two stayed married for so long?"

"Oh trust me," my mother chimed in, "in the beginning, it definitely wasn't easy."

"I was a lot like you when I was young," my father continued, "even though I loved your mother, I wasn't entirely sure if I was ready to commit to the family way, and I know that your situation is vastly different, but I think it all boils down to the same root cause and can probably be solved with a similar solution."

"It can?" I asked them.

"Yup," my mother replied brightly, "first of all you need to apologize to her- not just with words, but with actions as well. Drunk or not, there's no excuse for you to speak so disrespectfully about your mate. And after that, you two need to actually sit down and talk to each other."

"Absolutely," my father chimed in, "if you're ever gonna make this marriage work, communication is key. I know it's easy to assume that you know all of your partner's thoughts or desires or frustrations after you've been together for a while, and it's especially easy to assume that she will know all of yours, but if you don't actually talk to each other about these things, then they'll all pile up and eventually lead to another fight that you could have easily avoided."

"And please actually listen to her," my mother advised, "I know it's easy to feel like you might have all of the answers, but if you treat her like her point of view on something somehow holds less merit than yours, then she will start to think that you don't respect her."

I sighed.

"That's just it, though," I began flatly, "after this morning, she probably hates me, and I honestly don't blame her."

"You know why she got so upset with you, right?" my father asked me through the cracks of a soft chuckle.

"Because I seem to ruin everything I touch," I replied bitterly.

"No," he said with a shake of his head, "it's not because she hates your or because you ruin everything. It's because you hurt her feelings."

"Well, I mean, yeah, but-"

"And do you honestly think this is the first time anyone has hurt her feelings?" he pressed.

"Well, no, but-"

"She got so upset and her feelings were hurt so bad BECAUSE she loves you, son," my father reasoned, "and if you actually tell her and show her how sorry you are, she'll forgive you."

I nodded, though I kept my eyes on the floor.

"However, I would still give her a little time to cool off," my mother chimed in with a laugh, "that Kate of yours is a real firecracker and if you try to move things along too quickly, she might just explode."

"Oh yeah," my father chuckled, "best to ride things out here for an hour or so. Good news is, I brought breakfast, and your mother and I could use a little help taking these old bones out of here, so if you wouldn't mind, breaking a sweat might just help with that hangover of yours."

To this I smiled and rolled my eyes.

"Sure," I replied as I rose to my paws.

Kate's P.O.V.

I clicked my teeth in aggravation as I paced back and forth in the den. Much like last night, I was far too enraged to sit still, but this time, as i stewed over the words that he had said, the fury which burned inside of me only continued to grow.

"You woulda rather had my sister, huh?" I growled as I continued to restlessly pace the den, "so what? Just because being married to me isn't everything you dreamed of, you're just gonna toss me aside like old bones? Well fuck you. I hope you choke."

As I said this, I turned sharply around and began to make my way for what must've been the hundredth time toward the back of the den, but as I got about half way toward the wall, I was startled by the sound of a throat being cleared behind me. Immediately I paused and turned fiery eyes toward the mouth of the den, but was quite surprised to see my father just behind the threshold of my home.

"Oh, dad," I greeted at the bottom of a collective breath, "What are you doing here?"

"Your mother told me what happened," he replied flatly as he stepped into the den.

To this, I rolled my eyes as i exasperatedly threw myself down onto my haunches.

"Then I'm sure you know that I'm probably gonna be single here pretty soon," I huffed as I wrapped my tail around my paws.

At this, my father chuckled softly.

"It's not quite what you thought it would be, is it," my father asked me as he took a seat before me.

"Not even close," I said as I flattened my ears and lowered my eyes, "I just- I don't understand. Everything was so great, but now... I just... I don't know. Everything seems... different."

"Well it is different," my father replied, "I mean, just look at how much has changed these past couple months."

"I know," I sighed, "I just- I never thought that Humphrey would change with it."

"Kate, these things happen," my father began as he placed a paw on top of mine, "as times and circumstances change, so do we. The wolf I married is vastly different than the wolf I know today, and I'm sure your mother would say the same about me- just as I'm sure you could say the same about Humphrey, and, believe it or not, as he could say about you."

"About me?" I asked him, surprised.

My father nodded as he pulled his paw away.

"You honestly think you're the same as you were on your honeymoon?" he asked me matter of factly.

I lowered my eyes.

"No," I replied despondently.

"You see?" he said brightly, "marriage is a lot like life, kiddo. It breathes, it grows and it evolves. You can't ask it to stay the same any more than you can ask the wind to blow. You can try to fight it, but it'll drive you crazy. So the best that you and your husband can do is learn to adapt."

I lowered my eyes as his profound wisdom washed over me and seemed to drown my mind in conflict.

"But... what if it... doesn't work?" I asked him, almost desperately.

"Then at least you could say that you did your best," he replied, "but you can't let one fight overshadow marital bliss."

"I know," I said, dejectedly, "it's just... the things he said, I-"

"I'm well aware," he interrupted calmly, "your mother told me everything."

"So... then you understand," I reasoned.

"Of course I do," my father replied empathetically as he again placed a paw on top of mine, "and to a certain extent I agree."

I lifted my eyes.

"What he said was very disrespectful," he continued with a hint of venom in his tone, "and I do think that your mother was right to remind him of his position, but she should not have weaponized drunk words against him- especially not after everything you two have endured.

He removed his paw before he continued.

"Of course, I'm not here to defend him or make excuses for him," he continued, "nor am I gonna tell you that you don't have the right to be upset with him. Just... don't be so quick to pull the plug on this, okay?"

I lowered my eyes.

"But... what if I... made a mistake?" I asked him shakily.

"That's up to you to decide," he said through a smile, "but between you and me, I've always liked that stupid kid."

"You have?" I asked, shocked as I lifted my head.

"Mhm," he replied with a curt nod, "I can't quite put my paw on it, but there's just something about him."

I smiled softly.

"Yeah..." I said almost dreamily, "I know what you mean."

I then shook my head as I seemed to snap out of my dazed state.

"But that's just it," I began as I collected my thoughts once more, "what if he goes through with this alpha training business and ends up losing that part of himself along the way? I mean..."

I trailed off.

"It's hard to say what will happen," my dad stated matter of factly, "alpha training has a way of changing a wolf."

As these words fell upon my ears, I sighed despondently and lowered my head.

"But," he continued, which drew my gaze to his once again, "I wouldn't worry too much about that. I know the thought that he might become a stranger is a bit frightening, but he loves you, and that's something that I know will never change."

I began to turn my head away, but my father gently caught me beneath my chin with his paw and turned my muzzle toward him.

"Trust me, kiddo," he said comfortingly, "you'll see."

I smiled softly as I gazed into my father's confident, soothing stare, but movement near the mouth of the den drew my attention beyond him and I watched as my husband slinked slowly into view.

"Oh... Humphrey," I began as a mixture of emotions washed over me, "I-"

My dad slowly turned to Humphrey and then back to me.

"I'll leave you two alone," he said as he rose to his paws and then dismissed himself.

Humphrey and I both watched him take his leave silently. Then, once we were alone, our gazes slowly found their way toward each other, though as soon as they met, they parted once more. A tense silence filled the air in this moment as Humphrey paused just inside of the den and stood with his eyes on the floor and I sat with my gaze averted at the wall to my left.

"Hey, Kate..." Humphrey began softly as he slowly lifted his eyes to me.

"Hey, Humphrey..." I replied awkwardly as I allowed my gaze to lazily meet his.

"I, um..." Humphrey stumbled, but trailed off as the words seemed to leave his mind.

"I know," I replied as I broke eye contact with him, "me, too..."

A tense silence filled the air once more as we two continued to stand at odds with each other across the den.

"Listen, Kate, I..." Humphrey began as he took a cautious step toward me, "I've had a lot of time to think, and... I think you're right... I shouldn't have to give up my identity, nor should I be afraid or ashamed of it just because a few psychopaths out there think I should. So... I'm not gonna go to Alpha School."

The blunt honesty of his words shocked me and caused me to meet his gaze.

"Oh, Humphrey, no," I protested as I rose to my paws, "I was wrong to try and stand in your way. If this is what you truly want then I support you one hundred percent."

"Y- you do?" Humphrey asked me as visible shock washed over him.

"Of course, Humphrey," I replied as I slowly closed the gap between us, "I guess the reason why I got so upset was because... I don't know... I guess I was scared that when you came back you would be somebody else, or worse, and..."

I trailed off as tears began to fill my eyes.

"I just... I don't even want to imagine my life without you."

Humphrey lowered his eyes.

"Neither do I, Kate," Humphrey replied comfortingly as he wrapped me up in his tender embrace, "but that's why I feel like I have to go... I... I have to protect you."

In this moment, I truly understood just how much this meant to my husband. Though he did his best to maintain control of his emotions, I could tell by the tremble in his embrace and the quiver of his breath that whatever memories he had repressed were trying to break free.

"Then go," I said to him softly.

"What?" Humphrey asked as he pulled slightly away, "you... you want me to go?"

Briefly, doubts began to surface within my mind once more, but with a collective sigh, I pushed them down and locked eyes with him.

"I want you to do whatever you think is best for this family," I said to him strongly.

At this, Humphrey smiled softly.

"Thank you, Kate," he beamed.

I returned the smile as I leaned in and draped my head upon his chest.

"I love you, Humphrey Long," I crooned as he deposited his chin atop my head.

"I love you, too," he replied softly.