My head leans against the window as the events from last night come back to haunt me. Everything is a little fuzzy, but I can recall my embarrassing actions quite clearly. The kissing, the intense feelings, the headache, it was all horrifying, though I did enjoy the kissing very much. I cannot help it, the Mate bond has me tightly in its hold. The bond will surely give me a hard time these next few days, as Sebastian is painfully far from the Kenn Pack. I wonder if he will be able to sleep because I know that I will be tossing and turning for most of the dreadful night. My anxiety is already continuously reminding me of the nightmares since Sebastian will not be here to shield me from it all.

Saying goodbye was a hurdle, and I almost did not make it over. This is the first time we will ever be apart for more than half a day, and the realization of being on my own is making my foot tap rapidly. The feeling of his kiss and embrace still lingers on my skin, making me grasp onto it for as long as I can muster. It was not a quick goodbye. The entire morning felt like one giant wave off. I was anticipating it ever since I managed to fall asleep the night before.

Sebastian insisted we take a car instead of a shifted travel, as the public roads are much safer than unclaimed forest. I had only been in a car once before when my parents were dropping me off at Grandmothers. We parked on the side of a road quite similar to the one I am on now, and they lead me through the dense trees until we reached the house. I wonder where that car is now.

Taking my head off the window, I fall to my side along the back seats and try to rest my eyes. Two guards sit up front, the ones who are watching over me at the Kenn Pack, and I trust them to get us there safely. After politely asking if that is indeed a window on the roof, I ask for the cover to be pushed back so I can stare at the sky. All of it looks like a blue blur with other white blurs sparsely splattered about, and it is not as entertaining as I hoped it to be. Maybe if it was night, maybe then I could look up at the stars and the moon. "How long is the drive to the Kenn Pack?"

"Around three hours, Luna," one of the guards kindly inform me.

I do not remember such a long drive from when I was a child. We have probably been in the car for only twenty minutes, and I already feel a longing for my mate. Hopefully, Alpha Kenn can distract me from the saddening thoughts with much-needed information on his Uncle. It is, after all, why I am leaving my mate in the first place, so I can live with him without having a fear of being killed every day, waiting for it to happen in a pit of paranoia.

I already miss his voice, his smile—which I see rarely—and the secure feeling of having his arms wrapped around me. I cannot blame all of these feelings on the Mate bond anymore, as I am very guilty.

After last night we both went upstairs, and in the fifteen minutes, it takes for us to get ready for bed he must have asked me if I was okay ten times. He wanted to call the doctor, but I convinced him that I was alright. The doctor is here so often that with one more visit he will think we are purposely trying to become ill. After this, he thought I should wait a couple of days until leaving, which also took a fair bit of convincing.

I manage to fall asleep in the car and before I know it a soft hand is tapping on my arm. "Luna, we're here."

"I told you not to wake her up," a whispering voice scolds the other.

"What are we supposed to do? Wait until she wakes up? That could be tomorrow."

"I don't know."

My eyes flutter open and instead complete daylight, I see an orange sky ahead of me. The two guards hit each other when they notice my awakening. "Are we here?" I mumble and wearily sit up.

"Yes, we just arrived in front of the Alphas home."

"The Alpha's home?"

The guard nods. "We got orders to arrive at this exact location."

I blink a few times and stretch out my arms. "Well, alright then." One of the guards hurries out and opens the door for me. I give him a smile before heading towards the front door. As of now, the ground feels the same, nothing too different from home. No memories are being triggered, then again, I did not get out much as a young child. I knock on the door and anxiously wait a few steps away. The guards are standing a couple feet behind me, giving me some much-needed space. If I vomit, they will be out of view.

The door opens, and a pretty woman is standing before me. "Alpha, it's the Luna you were talking about, she's here," the woman calls back into the house. "Hello, I'm Gemma."

"Hello. Evangeline," I introduce myself. It is quite awkward before who I am assuming is Alpha Kenn, comes rushing to the door. He is handsome and in his thirties, which changes my mind on Gemma being his possible daughter. "Are you mates? I ask.

"Nope," she smiles before Alpha Kenn shoos her out of the house.

"Was she your friend?"

"Uh—no," he tells my distractedly as he shuts the front door behind my guards. Finally, he turns to me, and we start a proper greeting. "It is lovely to meet you finally. You have a lovely voice, and I knew it would only lead to a more lovely person."

One of my guard's cough.

"Alright then."

"I didn't know that I would be staying with you," I break the small period of silence.

"Well of course. The house is surely big enough isn't it?"

"Yes, I didn't mean—"

He interrupts me without noticing. "How about I show you to a guest room, you get all settled in, and then we can talk about my Uncle tonight?"

I expected a more extended introduction, but right after showing us to the rooms Alpha Kenn had to leave. The Alpha position is demanding, so I cannot blame him for being busy. The guards each have their own room and so do I. My guest room is in the middle of the hallway while one guard is directly across and the other is beside. It makes me feel secure, to be somewhat surrounded instead of possibly at the very end of the hall by myself. Maybe Alpha Kenn was thinking about my comfort.

I set my small bag on the bed and sit down. Taking the phone that Sebastian gave me before leaving out of a pocket, I hesitate on whether I should call or not. He is probably busy anyway, out of the house, by the borders most likely. I place the phone on the bedside table and lay down. Maybe I should get some sleep.

* * *

The night is upon me, and Alpha Kenn arrives home. He tells me to meet him down in his office, so I wander around the house until I hear his voice faintly down a hallway. Feeling very out of place, I head towards the door and knock. Instead of hearing a "come in" the door suddenly opens, causing my heart to jolt, and Alpha Kenn motions for me to enter. He sets me down in a chair before taking the one across from me, leaving his desk seat empty.

"Alright, my Uncle," he says to himself. "What would you like to know?"

Taking a minute to collect myself, I wonder how Alpha Kenn moves around so quickly from one thing to the next. "Well—"

"No. How about you tell me why you are so interested in my Uncle, to begin with?"

I nod. "He has a vendetta against my family. My grandmother was in love with your grandfather but something happened, and she somehow ended up impaling him in the chest," I fib while holding my tongue. He does not need to know what happened and how she actually ended up impaling him.

"So your grandmother is the one who killed my grandfather," he says with some type of realization. "Her name was Elizabeth, yes?"

"Yes."

"I was told a few things, but I am sure you have the other side of the story, don't you?"

"My grandmother told your grandfather something that upset him, and he tried to kill her. She only fought back to defend herself," I explain, abandoning my rule of only sharing as little as possible.

"And what did she tell him?"

I should have expected this.

"I don't know. She never told me."

Alpha Kenn's golden eyes watch me closely. He knows that I am lying, but surprisingly he does not push the question any further. "Alright, well my Uncle was the one who found him, he saw your grandmother run off into the forest. He wanted to kill her I'm sure, my memory is a little foggy, as my mother told me all of this when I was young and curious, but the family stopped him from doing so."

"Why did your family stop him? Weren't they enraged also?"

"It deeply saddened them, but my Grandfather was unstable, like my Uncle is now, so they assumed it was all his fault. He often acted dramatically. He was mentally gone since a young age. My family knew your Grandmother, and after the death, it caused a split in the middle of them. Half blamed her, and the other half blamed him. My father believed he was at fault, while my uncle believed she was, and it drew them apart."

"Drew them apart, how so? Simply because they believed in different outcomes?" I ask, incredibly intrigued.

"My Uncle and my Grandfather were very close. They had a relationship that my father and he could never have had. When my Uncle discovered that my father blamed my grandfather, he became outraged. He thought his brother had betrayed their father. It was like my Grandfather brainwashed my Uncle, he would trust anything that left his lips. So, my father and Uncle began a feud. After my grandfather had died, my father was to take his place, but my Uncle attacked him, killed him, and took the Alpha position."

"I'm sorry, that's terrible," I breathe out, taking in the fact that the Alpha had killed his own brother.

"I was only an infant when this all happened. I did not know him long enough to truly miss him, so it is alright."

"So what, he just became Alpha like that?"

Alpha Kenn sits back. "You don't know much about packs, do you?"

"I'm learning."

He nods and claps his hands together. "If the Alpha is killed, the next in line takes over, even if the Alpha was murdered by the successor."

"That's unreal!" I cry. "That's, that's—"

"Yes," he stops me. "It's wrong, but it is how things are."

"Why didn't anyone take it from him?"

"It is not easy to kill an Alpha. I managed to take over nine years ago after he disappeared, and even before then his presence was spotty." He pauses for a moment. "You know, it is getting late. We will continue tomorrow."

I take the time generously and return to my guest room to think everything over.

The Alpha, Alpha Kenn's Uncle, had disappeared nine years ago. Nine years ago my mother, father, and I had already left the pack, but Alpha Kenn did say his presence was inconsistent. Could he have been watching my mother for that first year and then decide to take up stalking full-time?

It all seems to match up perfectly. The Alpha is insane just as his father was. He found him dead, he wants to avenge him, he felt betrayed by his own brother, so he killed him—it all gives me chills. My grandmother told me what only my mother and she could know; Alpha Kenn told me only what his mother and father could have known, which continues to leave holes where answers still need to be filled, holes only the Alpha can fill. His mind, I have to get as close to it as possible, so I will continue with Alpha Kenn tomorrow and figure out if I can uncover more. If I want to stop him, I have to know how he thinks.

Grabbing the phone from the bedside table, I find Sebastian's contact and press the call button. He had to teach me how to use the phone before I left, which was interesting. The entire process made me feel like my grandmother.

"Sebastian?" I question into the device after the ringing comes to an end.

"Is everything alright? Did you arrive safely? Is Alpha Kenn treating you properly?" The questions come in rapid fire before I can answer one. "

"Yes, yes, and no—wait yes," I correct myself swiftly. "Everything is fine. Is there any news on my Grandmother?"

"No," his voice, though barring bad news, calms me, "the guards are still coming up empty-handed."

I fall back against the bed. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I'm sorry, I wish I had something positive to tell you. Alpha Kenn, did he help you at all?"

"Actually, a lot. The history behind all of this is more intricate than I thought, and the Alpha, he has somehow become more frightening."

"You are okay there by yourself?"

I roll over onto my elbows and gaze out the window with the phone against my ear. "Yes, I'm fine."

"The nightmares—"

I cut him off, not wanting him to worry. "I'll be okay, Sebastian. Please don't fret over me."

He takes a breath, almost for the both of us. "I cannot help it. You are always on my mind."

"I miss you too. I knew I would," I say softly. "They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but at least I still have your voice. Oh, now I want to come home."

"If you have a nightmare please call. I will answer right away, okay?"

Our conversation continues until a "good night" leaves us both, and I set the phone off to the side again. Laying on the bed with the light now off, I argue with myself if I have the energy to change.

The sky tonight does not look real. It resembles more of a painting with a bleached moon and glittering stars, not defused by the brightness of the moon. It is a cloudless night, not a speckle of smoke in the distance, and I find myself staring. The world is a mesmerizing, beautiful place, filled with hatred and ugly souls. Though I understand this, part of me, a dying part, does not want to accept it. As a child, I knew nothing, and now I know only something, yet it feels like enough. But as I look out at this hypnotic night sky, my eyes trickle down the trees, tumbling from branch to branch until they reach the forest floor. It is ways away from the house, but the forest line is still visible from my window.

It is then that I swallow and hold my breath when my eyes study the brush, the foliage. They stare back at me, yellow orbs in a sea of black. Nearing the glass, I press my hand against it, and the orbs move a tinge, now peering through the leaves of a rather large bush. I squint, all to see the shadowy blur a little clearer. The dark figure lurks into view, causing my heart to tense, and I back away. Immediately, I grip the curtain and yank it closed, blocking my eyes from the bone-chilling sight.

Finally, I see what I was waiting for.