We lost a total of two-hundred and fifty pack members, and three-hundred and five were injured. The elders weren't happy and they demanded answers—answers I couldn't give them yet. How was I supposed to tell them that this attack might have been my fault? If I had kept the precautions in place we would have been prepared. I sighed as I forced my attention back to the list in my hand. Families had to be informed about the deaths of their family members. I hated doing this. I was never good at giving sympathetic words. That was David's job.

My eyes darted over to the door and then the clock. He should've been here about an hour ago. Where was he? Was he still in bed with Val? Were they cuddling or fucking or were they just lying in bed talking? I winced when I thought about last night. My memories were a bit hazy but I could clearly remember how it felt to be inside her. She was so wet, hot and so, so fucking tight. And I fucking passed out on her.

Colour flooded my cheeks in embarrassment. I needed to find a way to make it up to her, to apologize for messing up her first time. I ruined her first time, the words repeated inside my mind.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. A dull thud was starting behind my temples. The day had only just started and I already had a headache forming. It was going to be a long day. Seeing Val would make it better, but I wasn't ready to face her yet. Once I figure out how to make up for what I did, I'll go and see her.

I finished the phone calls and stood. Walking over to the window, I risked a glance outside. All the Christmas decorations had been taken down. Nobody would be celebrating Christmas this year. Not even Val. Does she celebrate Christmas with her aunt, or alone? Would she like to have a tree with presents underneath? What would her reaction be if she woke up with a tree and presents underneath it?

I remembered her reaction when she arrived at the house and saw all the lights. She liked them, so it meant that she liked Christmas. But this year there would be no Christmas celebrations because I fucked things up.

Movement from the corner of my eye made me glance towards it. I frowned as I spotted David making his way through the crowd. I thought he was with Val. Where was she if he wasn't with her? He paused to ask something to one of the women. She shook her head and then said something that made his face crumble. He gave her a nod. I frowned when he just stood there after the woman walked away. David shook his head and then turned in the opposite direction of the house. A few seconds later he disappeared.

A knock on the door made me turn away from the window. "Enter."

The door handle turned and then it slowly opened. I knew who it was even before she entered the office. Val hesitated in the doorway. Her eyes darted around the office before landing on me. She looked a little uncertain. I gave her a small smile and gestured for her to enter the room. The door closed softly behind her. Awkwardness surrounded us, which made me feel uncertain I wasn't sure how to react after last night, and that was a first.

"Is David back yet?"

I bit back the growl that threatened to escape. Where was the sudden burst of jealousy coming from?

"No. Why are you looking for him? Maybe I can help."

"I asked him to check on Abby," she said softly. "I met her last night. She got separated from her parent's right before the attack. Abby was injured."

I thought back to David's interaction with the woman. Whatever she had told him wasn't good news. I moved towards her but paused when she glanced away. Was she mad at me? Did I fuck up so bad?

"What can I do to help?" she asked softly. "It feels strange just doing nothing."

"You can't leave the house without guards, Val. There are none available to escort you at the moment," the lie easily slipped from my lips.

She pursed her lips. "I didn't ask for guards to follow me around. I asked for something to do. I tried helping in the house but they told me that there was nothing to do." Her eyes suddenly started to glister with unshed tears. "Everything was going great last night! They were friendly but now they barely look at me. I can sense that they don't want me around."

Closing the distance between us, I wrapped my arms around her and tugged her against my chest. She sniffed and reached up to wipe a tear away. Her body was tense. I pressed my nose against her neck and breathed her in. Her smell was mixed with David's. So they had sex.

"I'm sorry," the words slipped out before I could stop them. "I fucked things up, didn't I?"

"I know you didn't mean to." Val pulled away to look up at me. "David explained it to me. He told me that you wouldn't have hurt me if it wasn't for the drugs you took."

Guilt flooded me. I felt jealous of him only seconds ago. It was obvious that he didn't want her all for himself. He was trying to soothe things out between us. "Did I hurt you badly, Val?" I asked softly. Her eyes instantly dropped. "Tell me, little dove. Don't try to spare my feelings. Did I hurt you badly?"

I thought that she wasn't going to answer me at all because she pulled away from me. Her eyes darted around the room again. Val walked over to the fireplace and reached for one of the photo frames. She studied it for a few seconds before placing it down again and reaching for another. I hesitated and then moved towards her.

"Val?"

"It didn't feel good at all," she muttered.

My fists clenched. What was I supposed to say to that? Val turned around and gave me a small smile.

"I enjoyed it a lot before when you were kissing me . . . there, and touching me." Colour flooded her cheeks. "Devon."

I watched her and waited for her to continue. Val stepped forward and placed her hands against my chest. She gave me a small smile. I gripped her hips to tug her against me. "I'm sorry. I—"

"Don't," she whispered. "I knew it was going to hurt, we all did. The pain caught me off guard. Don't blame yourself for that. I'm glad that it's over. Now when we do it again, it wouldn't hurt so much."

I had a feeling that there was more to it, and that Val wasn't saying everything she wanted to, but I let it go. Leaning down, I pressed my lips against hers. Her hands trailed up my shoulders to grip my neck. I leaned down to grip the back of her thighs and lifted her against me. Val wrapped her legs around my hips. I slid my hands down to her ass and squeezed. She moaned, pulling her lips away from mine. I opened my eyes and stared at her. She gave me a small smile.

"I want to do something. Will you help me?"

"It depends on what you want to do." I turned and walked over to my desk. Setting her down on the edge of it, I stepped away and waited for her to answer. She bit her lip.

"I want to talk to the families."

"Val—"

"I'm going to be Alpha Female," she said softly. "It's my duty to—"

"And it's ours to protect you," I interrupted. "The pack is on lockdown. You're not leaving this house without either me or David by your side." Her face fell. "What you can do, is write to them. They'll understand why you didn't go to see them yourself."

"It's not the same," she moaned.

"No, but it's the best we can do for now. Take it or leave it, little dove."

She stared at me for a few minutes before she gave me a firm nod. "Fine. I'll need their information and a pen and papers."

A few minutes later Val was set up on the floor by the coffee table with a stack of papers and a list of the pack members at her side. She refused to use the desk saying that I'd be uncomfortable if I used the coffee table. I took a seat behind the desk again and silently watched her. Her wavy hair fell over one shoulder as she wrote. The shirt she wore clung to the curve of her breasts. She wore black tights with thick pink socks and ankle boots. My blood ran south, making me shift in the chair. I had things to do, but it was hard to concentrate on anything but her.

"It didn't feel good at all."

Her words flashed through my mind and instantly made the desire run cold. I wouldn't risk hurting her again. I reached out and pulled the papers closer to me. We had a meeting at one with the elders and then one at three with the enforcers. We needed to discuss a strategy in case of another attack. This time we would be prepared. My eyes darted over to Val again.

She needed to start her training too. She also needed to learn how to use weapons. I thought back to the report David gave me. If injured she would heal at a human rate depending on how badly she was injured unless either one of us gave her some of our blood. She had a Lycan's ability to see in the dark, and her hearing could also be improved if she really wanted to learn how to do that.

Her sense of smell was almost as good as ours. We just needed to test her strength and endurance. All this happened because of the blood I gave her that night. We needed to find a professional who knew more about this to figure out if we could change her too, or if she would die before the transformation was completed.

"There's going to be another attack, isn't there?" Val suddenly asked, snapping me back to reality.

I blinked and glanced up at her. "I don't know. The prisoner is still being interrogated."

"You caught one of them?"

I nodded, unwilling to tell her more. It was pure luck that helped us capture him. He thought we were too stupid to tell the dead from the living. We found him hiding under a few dead bodies.

What Val didn't need to know was the fact that the man was human and a hunter.

We had a history with them, unfortunately. If it was just some random human hunting Lycan's for fun, then it wouldn't have been such a big deal. The man was a hunter and he had paired up with rogues. It was a big cause for concern.

Since when were rogues working in close contact with humans, and hunters no less? If we weren't careful, our numbers would fall, and that would cause a lot of problems amongst all the packs. Someone could be capture and it would start all over again. We couldn't take that risk.

I made phone calls to the neighbouring packs to inform them of what had happened. I declined the offers of help but promise to call when we indeed needed it. It was our duty to inform other packs, even if the Alpha's were snobby and selfish.

When I dialled the number to make the last call, Val had written and placed all the letters in envelopes. They were stacked neatly and placed on the corner of the desk. She gave me a small smile as she replaced the pen and unused papers, and then she walked out of the office, making the room feel empty without her.

Finishing the call, I replaced the receiver and stood.

The living room was empty, but I found her in the kitchen searching through the fridge. I leaned in the doorway and allowed my eyes to trail over her small form. She was delicate; petite. It could've been her who was shot with the arrow instead of me. I instantly pushed those thoughts away and focused on the present. It wouldn't do any good to have those 'what if' thoughts. The important thing was that she was safe and sound.

"What are you doing?" I asked softly.

"Searching for something to make for lunch," she muttered without glancing at me.

"You don't have to do that. Someone from downstairs will bring something up."

I walked towards her. My eyes dropped. The material of her tights was stretched tightly over the curve of her ass. I could clearly remember what she looked like naked on her hands and knees. I stepped closer and pressed my hips against her ass. My hands gripped her hips lightly. She could move away if she wanted to.

"What are you doing?"

"Enjoying the view," I breathed.

She glanced at me over her shoulder. Her lips twitched as her eyes dropped to trail over my body. I liked the way her pupils dilated and her breath got caught in her throat. Val suddenly pressed her ass back against me. I growled and tightened my grip on her hips.

"I'm too tender."

Her words instantly snapped me back to reality. I stepped back and turned away from her. "I'm sorry."

A hand against the small of my back made me pause. Val slid her arms around my waist and pressed her face against my back.

"I'm too tender to take you inside me, but we could do other stuff," she said softly.

"Yeah?" I breathed. "Like what?"

A million different images flashed through my mind as she slowly slid her hands down my abdomen to the hem of the t-shirt. Fingers slipped under the shirt to brush against bare skin as her other hand slid down to grip my cock through my pants. I moaned when she gave it a firm squeeze with her small hand.

"I have a few things in mind."