Ethan and Ivan immediately stood up, their senses on high alert. "What is it, Mark?" Ethan asked, his voice low and urgent.

"It's the warehouse," Mark replied, his voice shaking. "Someone has set it on fire."

Ethan's heart sank as he realized the gravity of the situation. The warehouse contained most of their supplies and equipment. Losing it would be a major blow to the pack's resources.

"Are the firefighters on their way?" Ivan asked, attempting to maintain his composure.

"Yes, but it's a remote area, and it will take them some time to get here," Mark explained.

"We need to act fast," Ethan said, his mind already working out a plan. "Ivan, gather as many pack members as you can and head to the warehouse. Before the fire gets out of control, we need to put it out."

Ivan gave a quick nod before leaving the room to fetch the other pack members. Ethan turned to Mark. "Do you know how the fire started?" he asked.

Mark shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I saw some strange activity around the warehouse earlier this morning. I didn't think much of it at the time."

Ethan's brow furrowed as he considered this new information. "Keep an eye out for anything suspicious," he instructed Mark.

Ethan and Ivan dashed over to the blazing building and surveyed the damage. A sizable portion of the building had already been destroyed by the fire.

"We need to put this out before it spreads further," Ethan said, grabbing a bucket of water and dousing the flames.

Ivan followed suit and together they began to douse the flames. To stop the fire from spreading, they worked fast, sprinkling water on the nearby buildings and area.

The other members of the pack responded to Ivan's warning and helped put out the fire. As others were hauling buckets of water, some of them were using shovels and soil to make a fire break.

Everyone toiled nonstop, oblivious to the heat and the thick smoke filling their lungs. After an hour of relentless work, they were eventually able to put out the fire. It had been a lengthy and difficult task.

Both exhausted and covered in soot, Ethan and Ivan exchanged glances while simultaneously feeling relieved that they were able to save the building from further damage.

"Thank you for your help," Ethan said, turning to Mark.

Ethan found a scorched piece of cloth on the ground while examining the damage to the warehouse. Ethan could smell the odor of alcohol and noticed that it was charred around the edges. He gave the material a close look. He muttered indignantly, "This seems like it was set on fire on purpose." We must ascertain who committed this offense and why."

Ivan questioned, "Who could have done anything like this?"

Ethan was deep in thought. "I don't know. But I have a feeling Lucas might be behind this."

"What makes you say that?" Ivan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Think about it," Ethan said. "He's always been envious of our pack's success. And he knows that we're one of the strongest packs in the region. It wouldn't surprise me if he wanted to take us down a notch."

Ethan turned to Mark, who was standing nearby. "Mark, do you know if any of our scouts saw anything suspicious in the area?"

Mark shook his head. "No, Alpha. We didn't detect anything out of the ordinary. It's like they just appeared out of nowhere and started the fire."

Ethan clenched his fists. "We need to get to the bottom of this matter. We can't let Lucas get away with this."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Maya! Maya, wake up! What are you doing? We are late for school!" Liam screamed, banging on the door.

I groaned and rolled over, trying to ignore him. But Liam was persistent. He kept knocking and shouting my name until I finally sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes.

"What do you want?" I snapped, feeling irritable.

"We have to leave in 20 minutes, and you're still in bed," Liam said, his tone annoyed.

"I know, I know," I muttered, pushing the blankets off me. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready."

I heard Liam sigh heavily outside the door, and then there was a long silence. I knew he was waiting for me to come out, but I didn't feel like facing him just yet. The last time we spoke, things had been very awkward between us.

I got out of bed and quickly got dressed, trying not to think about Liam. But as soon as I opened the door, he was there, staring at me with his intense green eyes.

"Finally," he uttered, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, feeling embarrassed.

Liam shrugged. "It's fine. Just don't make a habit of it."

I nodded, still feeling uneasy. "Well, I guess we should leave."

The drive to school was quiet, and I could feel Liam's eyes on me the whole time. I tried to ignore it, but it was hard. Finn and Aiden were quiet as well. This was unusual. I wondered if Liam told them about our secret incident.

As we entered the school building, Liam seized my hand and dragged me into a deserted hallway.

"What are you doing?" I asked, feeling nervous.

Liam looked at me, his eyes intense. "Maya, it seems that you are still angry at me. I apologize for what happened. I shouldn't have kissed you. It was stupid and I regret it. But I can't stop thinking about you. I know we're step-siblings, but that doesn't change how I feel."

I stared at him, feeling shocked. I did not anticipate him saying such things. "Liam, I don't know how to make you understand. It's just...we can't be together. It's wrong."

"Why?" Liam asked, stepping closer to me. "We're not blood-related. We're merely two people who happen to share a home. Why can't we be together?"

"Because it's not right," I said, feeling my resolve weakening. "We can't do this."