Xander's POV:

I walked through the pack house door, and into the kitchen, slamming my fists down on the counter where Kaden was eating. He paused with a spoon of cereal halfway in his mouth. He looked at me with wide eyes and withdrew the spoon.

"Alpha," he greeted apprehensively.

"What did you say to her? Why does she like you?" I demanded.

Kaden frowned and shrugged. "It's probably just a joint trauma thing..." he trailed off, looking at me uncertainly.

"She asked about you right when she woke up. She accused me of keeping her prisoner and asked about your well-being," I hissed.

Kaden blinked slowly and set his spoon down, turning towards me with a frown. "Xander, you need to chill. You're probably freaking her out with how intense you're being."

"I was acting normal!" 

Kaden looked at me skeptically then continued eating his breakfast, giving me a halfhearted nod that showed how much he didn't believe me.

"You weren't there," I defended.

"No, but I'm here now and you need to chill," he said with a mouthful of cereal.

"He's right," Tess sang as she walked into the room. "And I was there," she winked.

"Fuck both of you," I growled, turning and walking away. "Training in ten minutes."

They both groaned in protest but I ignored them and went up into my room, changing my shorts and shoes before coming back down. Despite their protests, they were both dressed. I paused and glanced at Kaden.

"You had a rough few days. You can sit this one out," I offered.

He shook his head and smiled. "It'll be good for me. Give me something else to think about."

I nodded and went out the door with them following close behind. One of them must've alerted the others because they were all waiting at the training ground.

"Sparring first," I announced.

They paired off. Tess took a newbie and Kaden followed behind me, pausing and bracing

"Are you sure you're up for this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded and I didn't quite believe him but didn't press the matter. Right behind him was the infirmary where Adira was sitting, feeling like I'd locked her up. I growled in frustration and we started.

We sparred for quite a while, then ran and did weight training. We ended with sparring again but Kaden sat that one out. He sat on the ground, back resting against the infirmary as he guzzled water. I walked over to him, kicking his foot before sitting next to him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked, taking the water he offered.

"I don't know," he admitted, staring at the ground.

"Maybe that means you should," I pointed out.

He needed to get it out. Plus, listening to him would get my mind of my mate on the other side of the wall.

"I would understand if you demoted me," he said softly.

I jerked my head to him but he didn't look at me, just kept his head down. "The fuck are you talking about?" I demanded.

"I failed you," he frowned. "I should've been able to handle them and then... The only reason we got out of there was because of Addie. I failed both of you."

"Kaden," I protested, shaking my head.

"It's true," he sighed. "Don't pretend like you haven't thought about it."

"You didn't fail me and you didn't fail Addie," I argued. "I saw the way you protected her out there. How is that failing either one of us?"

"I shouldn't have been caught in the first place," he snapped, dropping his head to his knees. "I was weak."

"That's bullshit and you know it," I said, shaking my head. "You were targeted because of me, just like Addie was. I don't blame you for it. You were there for Addie when I couldn't be, how could I be angry with you for that?"

"I'm angry," he muttered.

I sighed and dropped a hand on his shoulder. "You have always been and will always be my right hand. If anything, this whole thing showed how strong you are. I don't know what they put you through those days but you still showed up for your Luna. For me. There's incredible strength in that, Kaden. My faith in you hasn't faltered. Not for a moment."

Kaden looked over at me and gave a small smile. "I appreciate it. I think it'll be a while before I feel like I've earned that faith."

"Then I'll have to keep reminding you," I shrugged.

His smile grew a little and he snatched the water from me. "Can we please forget we're on the verge of war and play some video games?" He asked.

"Fuck yes. I need a distraction," I said, jumping up and offering a hand to him.

"You wanna go see her first?" He asked, inclining his head towards the infirmary and accepting my hand.

"I don't think she wants to see me," I frowned, pulling him up and walking away from the infirmary, despite the tug on my chest. "Besides, Anna was going to give her painkillers so she's probably out of it."

"She'll come around," Kaden said, clapping me on the back.

"Will she?" I mumbled, glancing back at the infirmary.

I didn't know what to do with her. If I let her go, they would find her again and I might not get her back. If I didn't, she was going to resent me. There was no good option.

Kaden and I went back to the pack house and started a game. It turned out gaming with him was what I needed to get the edge off. We lost a couple hours in it, shouting at each other back and forth, causing Tess to come yelling at us to shut up. It was good to not think about things for a while.

Tess unplugged the TV at dinner and we grudgingly sat with her in the kitchen. Tess's mother cooked tonight and left before I had the chance to thank her. She made good comfort food. We dug into the fried chicken and mashed potatoes but it didn't take very long for Tess to speak up, reminding me I had a shitload to deal with.

"What are we going to do about Rego?" She asked, pushing away her emptied plate. Girl ate fast.

"We're going to have him brought in on trial," I shrugged.

"On what grounds?"

"On what grounds?" I repeated, looking up at her.

"Are they really going to trust Addie's word over his?" She asked doubtfully. "She can point him out and say what happened but you know he'll lie out of his ass and when it comes down to it, they're going to trust an Alpha over a newly found Luna who's also a human and also hasn't accepted the role as Luna."

I glared into my food as I stabbed because I hated to admit she was right. It would never hold up and we'd get heat for bringing him in without proper evidence.

"Fuck," I muttered, shoving my plate away.

"This is bullshit," Kaden murmured, stabbing at his food angrily just as I was.

"It is but it's where we're at," she sighed. "I wish we could just take him in, too but it's not going to be that simple. He didn't leave anything behind at the warehouse. It's her word against his. Especially since he didn't actually get anywhere with her."

"Thank Goddess for that," Kaden muttered, shaking his head.

"So what do we do?" Tess shrugged.

"Isn't it obvious? We do what we've been doing. We sit on our fucking asses and wait for him to slip up," I said, standing from my chair and walking over to the cupboards.

"It feels wrong," Tess frowned.

"It is wrong but as you so aptly point out to me every few hours, we have to do things by the law or we'll be fucked in the end," I growled. "We know he's working with the Alister, that alone is going to put him on the spot if we get evidence of it. Mateo's on our side and is watching out for movements from Rego's pack. We do have friends out there. We just need one reliable witness saying they saw Rego with Alister for him to be put under pretty harsh scrutiny and the rest could unfold after that." Alisterwasn't exactly known for being a standup vampire.

I snatched a plate out of the cupboard and started loading it with food before covering it with foil.

"So we should double our efforts. I can go to Lynn's pack tomorrow and explain what happened. She has our back, too," Tess offered.

"Do that. Kaden, you can go to Marissa's pack if you're up for it," I said, glancing over at him.

He nodded determinedly and I sighed.

"That's all we can do for now, I guess." I picked up the covered plate and grabbed a fork and knife out of the drawer. "Wish me luck."

"Try a little harder to be nicer. She's been through a lot. Even if she gets snippy, try to be patient," Tess offered. "Take Kaden with you just at first. It might make her feel better to see a familiar face."

Kaden looked at me questioningly but I shrugged and nodded. He rose from the table and followed me as I went out the door. He stayed silent as we made our way over to the infirmary.

"She was probably scared in there," I finally said once we got closer.

"She was," Kaden nodded. "She had a brave face but she showed it a couple times."

I paused in front of the door and sighed, turning to Kaden. "I don't care that she's human but it would be a lot easier if she was a wolf."

"I know," Kaden said, frowning. "Just remember we don't really know how humans feel the bond. It's probably completely different for her than it is for you. We should speak to an Elder and find someone else who's been mated to a human and get a better understanding."

I nodded in frustrated understanding and Kaden reached for the infirmary door.

"Kaden?" Chris, one of the guard's asked.

"Yeah?"

"Uh... Were you in the pack house this whole time?" He asked, frowning.

"Yeah... Why?" Kaden asked, tilting his head to the side.

"You didn't run patrols?" He asked, paling.

"No," Kaden asked, his frown deepening.

"What the hell is going on?" I barked.

Chris stiffened and looked at me apprehensively. "His scent... His scent was just... We just came across it, running West. We thought it was him."

I dropped the plate and yanked open the door to the infirmary. I strode over to her bed and pulled back the covers but it was just pillows and her clothes. She was gone. I glanced around the room and saw the laundry basket open. Kaden's clothes that Anna had him take off were gone. Her backpack was gone.

"Did anyone pick up laundry today?" I asked, turning around.

Chris shook his head and Kaden muttered a curse.

"You were just outsmarted by a fucking human," I snapped at Chris, slamming the basket shut and stalking out the door.

Your Luna is running West. She's wearing Kaden's clothes. Pick up the trail and find her.

I sent the message out as I shifted, Kaden following close behind me. We picked up on her trail quickly and sped after it but it was faint. There was no way of telling how long she'd been gone. The scent wasn't super fresh but she was hurt, she couldn't make it that far, could she?

I sped up my pace, leaving Kaden behind. I followed the trail all the way to the road where it ended, mixing with smells of car fumes. I paced back and forth across the road, crossing to the other side but the trail didn't continue. She must've gotten in a car.

Kaden caught up to me, frantically sniffing the area to try to pick it up again but he whined when he couldn't. He sped off down the road in one direction and I went the other way but it was hopeless. There was no sign of her.

My mate was gone. Again.

A/N:

Hiiii :) Hope everyone's doing well.

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