I bottle up everything I'm feeling. I know it's bad for me. I know I'm an elastic band being stretched and pulled until I reach breaking point. I know I should talk to someone about everything I'm feeling. I know that I have my Dad and brothers and Danielle and Blake and everyone else living under this roof who will drop everything to hear me out. But I do it anyway. I plaster on a smile and play with the wolves and chat with my family during the day, and leave the sickening worry and tears that pour down my face for the night.

I glance over to the clock, squinting to see where the hands are pointing through the darkness. Quarter to three in the morning- just over three hours until the sun breaks through the woodland and a new day starts. The house is as silent as ever, every single soul tucked in their duvets and dreaming of a better, safer world. Even nature has come to a standstill, no howls or barks from the wolves or bird songs to be heard.

My lips have been ripped to shreds at this point. I bite until specks of blood appear yet continue to ignore the harsh sting and keep doing it. Dad's noticed but hasn't said anything, knowing I've been lectured about my habit for my entire life, and I notice Blake's scowl whenever he enters the room and sees my constant chewing. He hasn't said anything either. In fact, since that night on the balcony, we haven't even kissed.

I put it down to the fact that the days have turned hectic since my thieves returned to me. There's a lot of people living here now, privacy becoming more and more of a luxury, and we've all been busy trying to figure out a plan. We need to get Enoch, Chelsea and Connie back, but we need to be smart about it. With all the meetings and duties of day to day life, I haven't had the proper chance to talk to Blake. Or I'm being a coward and avoiding him, the idea of a relationship being the last thing on my mind right now.

I'm brought out of my thoughts when a sound startles me from inside the house. My heart thunders for a few seconds as I wait in anticipation for the gunshots to follow, but there's nothing. Sighing, I climb out of bed and step out into the corridor, my bare legs hit with the draft circulating the house.

Aspen is on the floor a few metres away from my door. This isn't the first time this has happened and I doubt it'll be the last, her sleep-walking apparently due to the PTSD from whatever trauma she's been through. The plush carpet beneath my feet silences my footsteps and I crouch down when I near her.

"Aspen?" I whisper.

"Mum?"

I sigh again. "Sure."

She whimpers, still unconscious, and her leg twitches. "I want to go to the beach."

"We can go to the beach," I say. We're in the middle of the country, miles away from any beaches, but she doesn't need to know that. "But you need to sleep first."

Thankfully, she complies as I start to help her up. She walks with little support from me, and soon she falls back into bed when we reach her room, soft snores falling from her mouth. After covering her with her duvet, I make my way back to my room, and climb back into the warmth of my bed. I only worry for a little while until finally my eyes fall shut and I drift away.

By the time morning comes and I wake up again, I realise I'm not the only one in the room.

I squeeze both eyes shut, before peeking one open. "That's not creepy at all."

Blake's warm chuckle resonates through the room and I feel him shift on the bed. "I've not been here long, and it's not like I cut off a chunk of your hair or anything."

I narrow my eyes at him. "That makes me think you did."

We laugh together. It feels nice. He adjusts himself again, stretching out beside me. He's not too close and not too far, and after a few seconds he's taking my hand in both of his and playing with my fingers. I turn onto my side to face him.

He studies me for a moment.

"You've not been sleeping well." It's not a question.

"No," I mumble. "Have you?"

"I never sleep well," he chuckles. His thumb caresses the skin of my palm absently.

"I think I'm starting to see why."

He pokes out his lip in a pout. Memories of us kissing on the balcony flash across my mind and my chapped lips tingle. "You'll get used to it eventually. Then you'll become a child of the night like me."

I sigh. "Blake."

"Aurora."

I'm too busy watching our hands to continue. His are scarred and bruised and inked. Mine are just scarred and bruised and they look tiny clasped in his. His gentle touch almost lulls me off to sleep again.

"What is it?" he asks.

"Huh?"

"Well, I was going to ask if you're going to tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours, but then I thought it might explode before mine does too."

"I feel like my head exploded a long time ago."

"So did mine."

We're quiet again. Blake watches the world outside of the glass doors while I watch him. I tentatively move closer to him, rest my head on his shoulder. Immediately my head is tucked under his chin and my own quivers with emotion. I refuse to cry, though. The sun is up, meaning no tears allowed.

"Aurora?" I lift my head to look at Blake. "Can we kiss again?"

"You really are a simp, huh?"

He laughs, but the air thickens as he rests a hand against my face, tucking strands of hair behind my ear. "I know that you're in pain and you're full of every worry and stress the world has to offer and everything is crashing down around you right now, so I understand if you're not ready for some kind of relationship or whatever. But kissing you feels like the only right thing right now and I've been thinking about it non-stop since the other night."

I take in a long breath of air, controlling my emotions. I can't believe how vulnerable he's being. He's taken off all his intimidating, sturdy armour and is letting me see right through to him. He's damaged and hurting but kissing me is his escape. He is mine, too.

We kiss. It's not as rushed or hungry as it was the first time yet just as passionate. Large hands cup my face while my own travel down his rugged arms. We move closer, my legs being tucked between his, our chests pressing together. I can feel his heart thudding in unison with mine. Then he pulls my bottom lip between his teeth. I wince and he pulls away.

"Sorry," he says, brushing a finger over my lip. "You're bleeding."

"It's okay, Blake."

"Maybe I should hold off with the kissing, before I cause permanent damage."

"We could hug instead?" I suggest.

He makes a face. "I'm not much of a hugger."

"That's a fat lie."

"It's not," he argues. "I don't like hugs."

"We've hugged before," I say.

"Embraced. Not hugged. There's a difference."

"I don't think there is," I smirk. "So you would mind if I just..." my arms circle around his lean body, my head tucking into the crook of his neck. He's hesitant, barely touching me, but soon his arms are around me and a content smile flits across my face.

"Hmm," he hums. The warm breath that is distinctively his hits my skin. "Maybe I am a hugger. Or maybe it's just you."

"Maybe," I breathe.

We lay together for a while, his fingertips grazing the exposed skin on my stomach and over the bruises across my ribs. I start to think that he's fallen asleep, until he pulls his head away. Though, he doesn't move further away from me. "I'm sorry to say that kissing you wasn't the only reason for me being in here," he says. "I came to tell you there's a surprise for you downstairs."

Deciding that my cropped jumper and grey sweatpants are decent enough, I follow Blake out of the room. We say a quick good morning to Jayden as we pass, the confusion evident on his eyes as they flit between us and my bedroom door, and soon we make it to the bottom floor of the house.

Pretty much the whole bottom floor is open plan, no walls separating us from the huge kitchen with floor-to-ceiling windows, so I instantly know that something is happening as everyone crowds together. Stifling a yawn, I follow Blake through.

Seeing Posie is like the sun casting a golden glow over a land that has suffered endless storms. She's in Zavier's arms, who has never been confident around babies, but amusement fills his grey eyes as he turns her to face me. Her gold curls of hair are longer than I remember, her body a little chunkier. Has it really only been just over a week?

"You want to take her?" Zavier asks.

My slightly shocked face lifts up into a smile as I nod. She's happily kicking her legs and gurgling as she's passed to me, and I hold her in my arms just as I had done before... everything.

Everything is a word that doesn't do what has happened recently justice. I went from feeling like I was on top of the world, finally finding where I belonged. I didn't think it would lead to my brothers' kidnapping, my almost death, the loss of our home and the loss of Enoch, Chelsea and my younger sister. This baby in my arms, this tiny, beautiful infant, never knew her father and has lost her mother in the worst possible way, yet she has yet to find out how cruel the world really is.

I won't cry. Not while the sun is up.

I feel many eyes on me but all I can think about is Posie. The feel of her warmth, the way she places her head near my heart, the way she moves as if she hasn't quite discovered her limbs yet.

I will take care of her, I say in my mind, as if there's any way of Chelsea hearing me. Like I promised I would.

Eventually, I give Posie to Colby, who holds her awkwardly but looks at her with so much adoration. Someone taps my shoulder, and I spin around to see Adam. My lips break into a smile and I gladly accept his open arms.

"I was worried about you, Aurora," he says, the two of us pulling away. "I heard you got pretty hurt?"

"I'm okay with some painkillers," I tell him. I don't mention that by 'some', I mean 'a lot'.

"Maybe I could have a look? I'm sure I could get those ribs checked in no time."

I nod. "That's probably for the best."

He's about to speak again before Danielle glides up to him, tucking her arm through his and resting a head on his shoulder. "I've said it before and I'll say it again," she says, looking up at her fiancé. "You're our guardian angel."

They lean into each other and share a long kiss, and I take it as my cue to leave them in peace. I'll let them off; they have been apart for a whole three days.

I'm about to find Blake again before I quickly notice him stood by a curved staircase, with the pretty brunette and Crystal's second-in-command, Claudia. I watch for a moment, not thinking anything of it, until Blake laughs at something she says and she places a hand on his naked arm. An ugly feeling tugs at my insides, but I push it down. The two of them have been thieves for a long time, they must be old friends.

Distracting myself, I look back to where Adam and Danielle were, and they're now speaking to Ophelia. The fact that Adam and Ophelia are related almost escaped my mind, but now seeing them together, it makes so much sense. The bronze of their hair glinting in the sun, the kind eyes and shy smiles, the freckles dotted all over. Hope bubbles inside of me at the possibility of the two of them rekindling whatever relationship they had before, the two of them deserving happiness.

Maeve jumps in front of me, scaring my thoughts away. Elodie and Alyx are giggling behind her. "We're going to see the wolves," Maeve says breathlessly. "I haven't seen them in years. Come with?"

She doesn't miss the way my eyes drift over to look at Blake and Claudia. Her excitement softens. "Did he tell you they dated?"

My eyes snap back to look at her. "What?"

She nods. "It was years ago. I don't know how long it lasted or what happened for them to break it off, but I wouldn't worry. He never looked at her the way he looks at you." She says the last bit with a knowing smirk. "Jayden thinks he's obsessed with you."

My eyes widen. "Jayden is?"

"No, dumbass," she laughs. "Jayden and Blake are best friends, they have a bromance. He told me that he's never seen Blake like this around any of his girls before. You're special. And don't think I haven't noticed you drooling over him whenever he walks into the room."

"You said you wanted to see the wolves?" I ask.

She narrows her eyes. "Don't change the subject with me, young lady."

"Let's go see the wolves." I start walking before she can protest, and Elodie and Alyx join us outside.

The weather is getting so much warmer, spring gradually passing the crown to summer. We sit outside for so long that I have to run to change into a summer dress before joining the others again. Alyx and Maeve are talking under the shade of a tree while Elodie and Colby, who came out earlier, run with the wolves. I notice Dad is also out here now, the small, blind pup Fido curled up in his lap, with Sean out here too. The grass kisses my feet as I walk over to them and I plop myself down next to Dad, stretching out my legs to let the sun work it's magic on my washed out skin.

"Hey Rora," Sean smiles, subtly chucking a clump of grass at me. I brush it off my legs and throw some back.

"Who would've thought we'd be here, huh?" Dad says, shaking his head as he looks down at the wolf in his lap. "To think that I had no idea that you had joined a gang, dyed your hair, were stealing and fighting criminals until your brothers disappeared out of the blue. I should be pissed."

I glance over to him, squinting my eyes to fight the brightness of the day. "You're not are you?" Sean throws more grass at me. I tear out a chunk from the ground and do the same.

Dad snorts. "Shocked? Yes. Bewildered? Yes. But no, not pissed. You've found your place, it's becoming more clear to me everyday."

"So you don't mind that I'm stealing and killing people?" I laugh, that sentence being one I never thought I'd say.

"I've spoken with Danielle," he tells me. "It sounds to me that the people you kill aren't really people at all. Yes, maybe you're not always doing the right thing, but you all do it for all the right reasons. I still haven't managed to wrap my head around this life that you've fallen into but I can't help but respect it." He flashes me a knowing smile. "I was a rebellious teen myself."

I lift my eyebrows. "What kind of rebellious?"

He shoves lightly at my shoulder. "That's for me to know and you to never find out."

"I think it's pretty cool, too," Sean says, throwing more grass. I'm about to set the wolves on him.

"Did we ask?"

"I'm just saying that's it's nice that you're actually living your life now. Mum is a psycho and you finally escaped."

My heartstrings are tugged. "Connie didn't, though."

The two of them are deadly silent. I then see Dad's shoulders shake and hear the sharp intake of his breath and instantly feel guilty. "I'm sorry," I mutter.

"It's fine," he says, but his voice cracks. "I just want her back. Your mother took control over her to the point I felt like I was losing my daughter, and now I've really lost her. I want is for all of my kids to be safe with me so we can be a family. A proper family. That's all I've ever wanted."

Sean and I exchange a worried look and I gently wrap my arms around Dad's shoulders. He places his hand on mine and leans into the hug. I've never seen Dad cry before. "I divorced Delilah thinking that it would happen," he goes on. "I should've done it years ago. I should've taken the four of you and taken care of you myself. Then we wouldn't be in this mess, and Connie wouldn't be... well she wouldn't be... hurt."

"We'll get her back," I say. "We'll all be together soon."

I don't believe it for a second.