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Damn it! I cursed. I ran a frustrated hand through my hair as I looked down at the puzzle I was trying to do.

I sat cross-legged, studying the puzzle pieces. I had been looking for the same piece for the last thirty minutes and I still hadn't found it. Usually puzzles relaxed me by keeping me focused on the sole purpose of solving it, but this time it wasn't working.

It had been two days since my last encounter with Flynn.

My brother had lectured me for a good hour after I had returned. I knew he was just behaving like someone who loved me but sometimes I wished he would allow me the space to live my life.

I made mistakes, and most of the time I learned from them. But Flynn was a mistake I was set on making over and over again. I couldn't seem to help myself.

There was a knock on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone. Slowly I got to my feet, making sure I didn't step on any of the pieces strewn across my carpet.

I opened the door. Dean stood holding what looked like a six-pack of beer.

"Hi," I greeted, eyeing what he had in his hands.

"I thought you could do with a distraction," he offered.

I studied him for a few seconds before I stepped back and let him in.

"You'd better be good at puzzles." I sat back down on the floor.

"Puzzles?" he questioned while closing the door.

"Yeah, you heard right. Puzzles."

He looked surprised.

"What?" I asked.

"When I think of possible hobbies you might have, this one didn't even make the list." He set the beer beside me and sat down.

He opened one and handed it to me.

"I love fixing puzzles," I said. "It's easier than dealing with real life. I can fix a puzzle, I can't fix my life."

He nodded. With a childhood similar to mine, he understood the struggle. He opened a beer and took a swig before looking at the pieces with a thoughtful look.

"How are you supposed to find it when they all look the same?" His eyebrows furrowed as he studied a couple of pieces nearby him.

"The trick is to find the shape that'll fit." I pointed to the missing piece in the puzzle. "It has four sides."

"I think I may need more beer."

I laughed. It wasn't often I had a reason to laugh but Dean's comment with the comically confused look was too funny.

I took another sip of beer and grimaced at the taste.

"So what have you been up to?" I asked. I needed a distraction from the reality of my life.

"Not much other than training," he said absentmindedly, still sifting through some of the pieces of the puzzles.

It was the life of a pack. There were always dangers lurking around every corner, and with rogues in the area as well as a certain Keeper, there was a pretty good chance trouble would soon be finding us.

I kept quiet and he looked up at me.

"What are you thinking?"

I shrugged. "I don't want to think about what's happening out there."

He studied me. "You're worried about the Keeper?"

I noted how he didn't refer to Flynn as my mate. To him, the fact that he was a Keeper was more important.

It wasn't like Flynn wasn't capable of protecting himself. He was ruthless and he could take out a rogue in seconds but I still couldn't stop myself from worrying about his welfare. Did that come hand-in-hand with the fact that he was my mate? It was difficult to figure out what was due to our destined connection and what was separate from that, because technically we hadn't touched yet.

"I'm sure he's fine," I breathed, trying to focus back on the task at hand.

A hand touched my shoulder, which made me look up at Dean. "It's okay to worry about your mate. It's natural."

I swallowed, touched by his understanding. There was nothing about Flynn and me that felt natural.

"What was it like being held at the Keepers?" I ventured nervously, not sure how he would handle the direction of the conversation.

His easy-going features changed. The seriousness in his eyes kept me captivated.

"Not fun. They are a ruthless bunch. They keep emotions out of their decisions," he began to say. I had already seen that in Flynn but hearing Dean say it made it more real.

He rubbed his free hand over his face while letting out a deep breath, like it was taking a lot out of him for him to remember.

"If it hadn't been for Crystal, they would have killed me." I couldn't pull my eyes from his.

The same would have happened at the Keepers' compound had I not gone charging in. It was a somber thought that if I weren't Flynn's mate, I would have probably died at his hands along with my brother, Kyle, Crystal and Harrison.

"Their setup felt very much like the military. When orders are issued they're followed without question."

Deep down I knew, from the briefest moments that Flynn had shown me, that there was more to him than a soldier who followed the rules. Even if he didn't want to feel, he did.

He had as many reasons as I did to keep our distance from each other. But he had kept that distance, unlike me. Did that mean it was easier for him to control his emotions?

I didn't know all the full details of how the Keepers had changed from living among werewolves, keeping the peace, to cutting themselves off from us and viewing us as the enemies who had to be kept in line.

I had heard the story of Crystal's mother being killed when the Keepers had discovered she'd been involved with Harrison. The only reason Harrison was still alive was because the Keepers hadn't discovered he had been the Keeper involved with Crystal's mom. Would I meet the same fate if I couldn't let Flynn go? I rubbed my forehead. Crystal's existence was considered an abomination since a mix between the two species was forbidden. If her true identity was discovered she would be killed. All we knew was that she was more powerful than the Keepers. The combination of her werewolf heritage along with the Keeper gave her the strongest genes.

But what had happened to the others like her who had been discovered? They probably would have been taken out by the Keepers. Why were they such a threat? Was it a power thing? It was the only explanation I could come up with.

"I wasn't there for long and I owe Crystal big time."

Risking your life to save another was a true sign of a hero.

We quieted down and I tried to keep my concentration on the puzzle. Dean lasted twenty more minutes before he gave up on it. "I'm done."

I smiled and shook my head at him. "I never pegged you for a quitter."

"I'd rather watch paint dry," he shot back dryly, which made my smile deepen.

"I've been cooped up for too long," I said, standing up and arching my back to ease my aching muscles.

"Then let's get out of here," he suggested, rising to his full height and to keep his gaze I had to look up at him. "It's a nice warm day. Let's go for a swim."

I bit my lip as I weighed the pros and cons. My brother was still mad from the last time I had gone out. But I would be going out with another werewolf, and it was daytime, I argued with my conscience. Besides, I was bored, I wanted to get out just for a little.

"Sure," I finally agreed.

"Great," he said. "I'll meet you by the gate in ten minutes."

Once he left I got undressed and put on my swimsuit. My thoughts invariably turned to Flynn. Would I see him again? I couldn't deny that the thought of seeing him again set my heart racing.

I won't always be here to protect you. His words echoed in my mind. I didn't need protection. What I needed he had already told me he couldn't give me. I needed the type of love I saw pass between Kyle and Crystal when they looked at each other. The way my brother's eyes lit up when Lillian was around. That's what I wanted more than anything else.

I couldn't just spend all my time in my room facing the same four walls. In our world there was always danger so I couldn't spend my life too scared to live. I had to find a way to live without Flynn and I had to find it quickly.

I grabbed a pair of denim shorts and slid them on. I matched it with a top before I headed to the gate to meet Dean.

***********

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