Addie's POV:

I walked around the bedroom, trying to familiarize myself with it so sleeping wouldn't be so weird later. There was art from famous photographers up on the wall and although they weren't all my favorite, it was sweet of Xander to think of it. The gesture left a smile on my face that only grew as I thought about how sweet he was with Mira. He seemed to have a mask in place most the times I'd seen him but he let it down with that little girl, talking to her so sweetly it had my ovaries getting way too excited. Broody and sweet was a dangerous combination, especially on someone that was already so stupidly attractive.

That was a dangerous path to let my mind go down so I ignored it and tried to focus elsewhere.

Hector took up a spot by the balcony where the sun was coming in through the glass doors, seeming to feel comfortable already. I decided unpacking would be wise since I wasn't sure how long I'd be here. I started going through my bags and emptying the contents into the drawers and closet, finding a place near the bed to stash my gun. My arm was really starting to hurt from all the strain so I left the last bag.

I looked over at a strange sound and found Hector was up and pawing at the balcony door. I walked over and opened it up for him, letting more afternoon light into the room. He trotted outside and checked out the area before turning in a circle and laying down again.

"You made me open the door just for you to sit again?" I said, crossing my arms.

He didn't respond, just closed his eyes and settled into his newfound warm spot. I walked over to the edge of the balcony, resting my hands on the wooden railing as I looked around. The area was very pretty and very green. I could see several houses and buildings from here. It was a lot bigger than I realized.

My eyes scanned the grounds before freezing at one spot. There were a group of people gathered, fighting. Not really fighting, I guessed it must be training or something. In that group was Xander. Shirtless Xander throwing and dodging punches with Kaden. My mouth went dry at the sight and I licked my lips.

My reaction to seeing him was immediate. My heart started racing, my palms got sweaty and now I was doing to him what he'd been doing to me. Staring. I couldn't help it. He was beautiful and God, was he built. I watched them until they took a break. His back was to me but he suddenly turned, his eyes landing directly on me. He gave me a wave before turning back to Kaden.

It didn't last long, he turned and looked up at me again as he made his way back to the house. I was about to go back inside so I could make myself stop gawking when I saw two girls approaching him. There was a strange tug at my chest when one of them set her hands on him. I felt an insanely strong urge to rip her away from him. The pang of jealousy caught me off guard and I shook my head. I shouldn't be jealous. He wasn't with me. What was wrong with me?

Still, to my relief he shrank away from her touch and must've said something to get her upset because she and the other one turned away looking very unhappy. I breathed out a sigh of relief though I wasn't sure why. I went back in my room, leaving the door open for Hector. I rubbed my arm that was really starting to ache. I'd overdone it today.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and saw the light change under my door. I wasn't sure how I knew but somehow I knew it was Xander. The shadows showed he stopped in front of my door. I stared at the light, wondering if he was going to knock but eventually he moved past my door. I heard the shower go on next door and realized his bathroom must be right next to my room.

Thinking about him in the shower was the last thing I needed to do so I braved opening my door. It was fairly quiet but I could hear talking downstairs. I slipped out the door and started down the stairs. As I turned a corner I heard voices so followed them into the kitchen.

A girl with very curly, brown hair and warm umber skin was sitting at the island counter chatting with Kaden. Kaden's head snapped to me the moment I was in view and so did the girl's.

"Hi," I greeted.

"Hey, Addie," Kaden grinned. "Don't be shy. You want something to drink?"

I nodded and he hopped off the stool he was sitting on before walking over to a cupboard. The girl with curly hair stood up as well and walked around the kitchen island. She stopped in front of me and held out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Cassie," she smiled.

"Addie," I answered taking her hand.

She grinned and walked over to a stool, patting it. "Sit with us. We were just talking about convincing Alpha to have a barbecue to boost morale and you could be our secret weapon," she said with a wink.

I smiled and walked over to the stool, sitting down and folding my hands in my lap. It was weird because I didn't feel as awkward here as I was afraid of. Kaden set a glass of water in front of me and they both sat down. My eyes drifted to Cassie. She seemed different but I couldn't figure out why.

"I'm not a werewolf either," she informed me, seeming to read my mind. "I'm a witch. I'm just in the pack because my mate is."

"Oh," I said, raising my eyebrows and nodding. She must be the witch Xander mentioned on the drive over. I couldn't believe she must be the witch actually just went through my mind. "Cool."

"Speak of the devil," Kaden said, nodding towards the hallway.

Seconds later, a tall man with golden skin and hair as dark as Xander's rounded the corner. He froze when he saw me, his eyes going wide.

"Luna," he said, rushing forward and offering a hand. "I'm Renzo. I'm so glad you're here," he said with a beaming smile.

"Addie. Please call me Addie," I said, accepting his hand.

"Of course. I'm sorry, I forgot," he said, smiling sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"No problem. It's nice to meet you," I said.

He grinned and nodded before rushing over to Cassie. His arms went around her waist and he buried his face in her neck.

"Ew you're all gross from training!" She whined, smacking at his arm. "Go take a shower!"

"Only if you come with me," he teased, peppering her face with kisses.

She protested but giggled and I couldn't help the smile at their interaction. Renzo looked at her the way I kept seeing Xander look at me. Like she was the only thing he saw. I wondered how Cassie handled being a mate. She seemed nice and wasn't witch closer to human? I didn't know. I might've asked her about the mate thing if it weren't for Kaden and Renzo.

"Get a room," Kaden said, pretending to gag before turning to me. "How do you like your room?"

"It's nice," I nodded, rubbing just above my arm as the ache spread.

"What's wrong?" Kaden asked, frowning as he watched me.

"Nothing. It just hurts, still," I shrugged. "I was actually hoping someone could direct me to some pain killers."

"Luna, you're hurt?" Renzo said, snapping his head up.

"Addie," Cassie corrected him, pinching his arm.

"Sorry," his face fell and he blushed at his slip up.

"It's okay. I'm fine. It's just a slow healing process," I assured him.

His shoulder's relaxed but Kaden's didn't. "Maybe Anna should check you. She'll have pain killers," he said, his brows furrowed in concern.

"I think you're overreacting," I frowned, remembering how quickly he healed in the cells. "You're just not used to normal healing speed."

"Girl, you have no idea how true that is," Cassie said, rolling her eyes before glaring at Renzo.

"What? I don't understand why a simple paper cut takes that long to heal. There could've been something wrong with you," he defended.

Cassie rolled her eyes again but smiled and gave me another wink. I giggled at her response but stopped short when Anna was suddenly right next to me. It startled me and I jumped at her proximity.

"Sorry," she said timidly. "I just heard you were hurting and got worried."

"It's okay," I said, setting my hand over my chest. "Just unexpected. And I'm fine, really. I just need painkillers."

"Can I take a look anyway?" She pressed.

She seemed genuinely concerned as did the others in the room so I relented and turned towards her, rolling up the sleeve of my sweater. She started unwrapping the bandages when I felt another breeze then heard Xander's voice from behind me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his hands landing on my shoulders.

"Geeze!" I said, jumping again. "Can we make it a thing that no one is allowed to sneak up on me like that? You're going to give me a heart attack."

"Sorry," he murmured, circling around and taking my free hand. "I got worried. What is it?"

God, I loved when he touched me. It sent a wave of comfort and... something else through me. Something I should really not think too hard about because he looked exceptionally adorable with his hair all wet from the shower.

"It's just the cut. It's just healing. Everyone relax," I assured.

Xander looked at me skeptically then turned his gaze to Anna who had just finished unwrapping my arm. She lifted it and inspected it closely.

"Still not having any numbness or tingling?" She asked.

I shook my head and she nodded, looking over at Xander. "She's fine. It was a bad wound. It just needs time."

"Like I said," rolling my eyes.

Xander let out a sigh of relief, his hand squeezing mine.

"I do want to redress it though. I'll be right back," she informed me before disappearing out the door faster than I could thank her.

Xander moved more in front of me and picked up my hurt arm, running a finger alongside the wound with a frown on his face. The urge to tell him and the others how ridiculous they were being left when I saw his face. He was seriously worried. Seriously upset. As much as it didn't make sense to me I could somehow feel how upset he was. I nudged him with my foot. His eyes met mine, nearly knocking the air out of me.

"I'm fine," I assured him. "It just hurts when I use it too much. That's all. Don't worry."

He frowned but nodded and dropped his head, placing a kiss on the inside of my wrist. It was a sweet gesture and hit me much harder than it should've. His eyes lifted to mine and again I had to remind myself how to breathe.

Thank God Anna came back when she did. Xander stepped aside when she entered, taking a place at my side and setting his hand on my other arm while she set down her supplies.

"I brought painkillers for you, too," she said, setting a bottle down on the counter. "If you need something stronger, just come see me. Otherwise you can keep that with you to take as needed."

"This'll be fine, thank you," I said, reaching for the bottle.

It was gone before I had a chance to take it. I frowned at sudden absence then realized Xander had the bottle already open.

"How many?" he asked Anna.

"Um, shouldn't you be asking me that? Seeing as how it's my arm?" I interjected.

"She's a doctor," he said simply.

"And I know my body," I countered. "Give me four."

"Four?" Anna said, lifting her head.

"It's too many? Not enough?" Xander asked.

"I have a high tolerance for painkillers. It takes a lot to affect me," I told Anna.

"That's why it was so easy for you to sneak out after the morphine," she realized.

I nodded and shrugged. Xander still didn't hand me anything until Anna nodded. I scowled at him but he ignored it, shaking out four and handing them to me before snatching my water and holding it for me while I took the pills. I downed them with water and Xander took the glass back, setting it on the counter as Anna finished dressing the cut. Dude was seriously freaking out, as if I couldn't set down my own damn water.

"Just let me know if you need anything, okay?" Anna said.

"Thanks," I said with a smile.

She returned the smile as she gathered up her bags. Xander walked in front of me again, tracing his hand along the bandage with a pained look on his face. I wondered why he was so upset. He knew this happened but he looked even more upset about it suddenly. His head snapped up and he nodded to Kaden.

"We need to meet. Gather the others," he said.

Kaden nodded and was out the door in seconds. Renzo placed a long kiss on Cassie's lips before walking away. "Need anything in particular?" He asked Xander.

"No. We'll meet in my office," Xander said.

Renzo nodded and headed up the stairs. I turned my attention back to Xander as he lifted my arm and placed another soft kiss on the bandage.

"I'll be in my office if you need me," he said, gently caressing over the bandage before addressing Cassie. "You hanging around, Cass?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at Cassie.

"I was hoping to. Unless Addie wants some alone time," she answered.

"I'd love company," I said, peeking around Xander to smile at her.

She grinned and hopped off her stool, walking over to a cupboard. I looked back at Xander who was staring at my bandage again. His eyes lifted to mine and he gave me a small smile before releasing my arm and heading up the stairs. A blur of activity followed after him, startling me.

"It's the Deltas," Cassie informed me.

"Deltas?" I asked, spinning around to face her.

She pulled out a box of cookies from the cupboard and took the stool next to me, taking a cookie out and pushing the container towards me.

"Yeah, it goes Luna and Alpha first command as pack leaders, then Beta, then Gamma, then Deltas. Then... well, basically everyone else. Omegas are the lowest rank," she explained.

I nodded and picked up a cookie, nibbling on the end and wondering if I'd ever understand how their politics worked.

"I know it's confusing," she said sympathetically. "Don't worry though. You'll get used to it and if you have questions you can always ask me. I had a hard time when I joined the pack and I at least knew werewolves existed."

"Why did you join the pack? Why didn't Renzo just go with you?" I asked curiously.

"I think he would've if I asked but honestly, I wasn't that attached to anything before I met Renzo. I had my coven but I never really fit in there and if I'm being honest, stirred up a bit of trouble in the witch community," she said sheepishly.

Trouble? I already liked her.

"What kind of trouble?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Eh, you know, questioning authority, making changes happen. Changes tend to make traditionalists antsy so I got a lot of backlash but," she shrugged. "Whatever. I won in the end and the witch community is better off because of it so the traditionalists can suck it."

Yep. I liked Cassie.

"Good for you," I giggled. "So you didn't mind leaving your..." Geeze, getting used to their lingo was going to be weird. "...coven?" I asked.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I had very few friends there and besides, this place felt like home the instant I was here and pack is everything to werewolves. I'd never ask Renzo to leave his pack. He would, I know he would, but I love everyone here too so joining his pack wasn't hard. Well, our pack now. This pack is my family," she said, shrugging.

"That's nice," I smiled. It was true. The relationships I'd seen so far did seem very familial. "It must've been weird to have a mate," I baited.

"It was at first," she nodded in agreement. "I suppose it took me a while to warm up to the idea but the weirdness didn't last. Being with Renzo made everything in my life better. He's such a goofball," she said, rolling her eyes with a sweet smile. "And a sweetie. And sex with your mate is out of this world," she moaned.

Oh, God. I ignored that last part, reminding myself thinking about sex while living one door down from someone like Xander was a very bad idea.

"But you experienced weird things, right?" I pressed.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Sorry, Addie. You can ask me anything about werewolves except mates. If you have questions about that you should ask Alpha. He's the one that'll understand better than anyone else, even me."

I sighed in disappointment and nodded. I figured I would need to ask him. The thing was, I could barely be in the room with him without feeling an alarming amount of attraction to him. How was I supposed to have a conversation if I couldn't think clearly?

I'd have to figure out a way. I had to do something because I needed answers. Because it didn't make sense that I'd spent less than twenty minutes with these new people and yet somehow already felt connected and at home with them.

I'd have to be brave, face Xander, and finally get some real answers.

A/N:

Surprise! It's not Friday! But we hit 4K reads and I got so excited I decided to thank all you wonderful readers the only way I know how; with a bonus chapter :D

Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading, voting, commenting, you have no idea how much that makes my day!! It's your encouragement that keeps me motivated to write more. You guys are the best <33

Leave me a comment to let me know what you thought of this chapter!

What did you think of Cassie?

Who's excited for Addie to get some real answers in the next chapter?

Until Friday, awesome readers :D