The dinner after the hospital disaster is nothing like I expected. For one, Gia hates me. How the most jovial, sweet and full of love Ellena got stuck with a sullen, spoilt and sulking daughter like Gia, I have no clue.

But her instant, absolute and pure hatred for me is spilling out across the table like gasoline on a fire. Everything I say fuels her negativity more. Every kind word from her mother towards me or Rox just fans the flames.

It's a ticking time bomb and I'm the ignition.

I make polite conversation with the rest of the guests which includes Benji who sits to my right and Ellena of course. There is also Gia's mate Oliver, who is very nice and is making polite attempts at getting to know me. But since Gia sends me the daggers each time I answer one of his questions or even so much as glance in his direction as I pass the gravy; I find myself now avoiding him like the broccoli that sits next to him on the table.

Benji leans in closer to me as the conversation at the other end of the table gets louder;

"You have to forgive my sister, she is.... how can I say this...?" He starts, looking to me for the right word to
complete his sentence.

"Interesting?" I finish for him, sticking to the politically correct road, rather than the other path that leads to a plethora swear words I could use to describe her. How I would love to.

He shakes his head.

"A bitch." He says flatly and I all but spit out my mashed potato, earning yet another glare from Gia.
She probably made said potato and my spitting is most likely offensive and is taken as a sign of aggression.

Benji's chuckling throws me off and I laugh too, covering my mouth before more of my food escapes and causes a declaration of war.

Ellena walks by and slaps both of us up the back side of the head and when I look over at Gia, she wears a stupidly large grin. Smug fits her well, until she too gets a smack on the head from her mother.

"Ouch, mom, what the hell was that for?"' She whines, looking to her mate for support but he seems rather strangely fascinated by the table cloth all of a sudden.

"That, my darling Gia, was for being such an outright nightmare this entire dinner. Why don't you stop your snide comments and under the table remarks and just come out with what is bothering you like you normally do." Ellena puts the law down at the same time as she does dessert.

No one moves or makes a sound, all of our eyes are on the floor. Gia makes a squawking sound in the back of her throat and her face turns a beet shade of red. And then she finally combusts;

With a finger pointed at me she begins to shout;

"No way should she be here, with us, at this table. She is a rogue. An un mated rogue with a bastard baby." She belts out, pointing her finger all the while accusingly at me and then a sleeping Rox in the rocker behind me.

I feel the earthquake inside me shuffle. How dare she call him a bastard. I can care less what she thinks of me. But If she knew. If she only knew the name this boy bares. What we have already been through. Who he really is. My fingers clench and un clench Into a fist under the table and I edge my chair back slowly, eyes on the prize as i move to a stand.

Benji puts his hand on my shoulder as he stands beside me.

Gia shifts her gaze between the two of us, her resolve a little frayed at the edges now. Her mate does not stand to support her and her mother stands opposite me, her face white as a ghost and her mouth a wide open circle.

Before Ellena or Benji can say anything, I lay it out for Gia to pick up;

"I'm just going to say this once, Gia, so listen very carefully. I did not grow up a sheltered spoilt princess who gets to pout and shout and get my own way. No. I had to fight, tooth and claw. Literally. I eat cowardly bitches like you for dinner every day of the week. It's only out of respect for your poor mother, whom I adore and for your Alpha, whom I respect, that I haven't jumped across this table and forced your words back into your big mouth using your foot."

I move around to the back of my chair, pushing it in and standing with my hands on the top of it.

"Say what you like about me. You know nothing about me. But if I ever catch wind of you speaking about my son that way again, neither of these two leaders, nor your position in this pack will save you from the beat down I will deliver." I say calmly.

As I move past Ellena, I bow my head in respect, taking Rox from the rocker, collecting his bag as I make my exit out of the front door.
The minute I step outside, I release a breath and tuck my face into the sleeping boys neck. His scent calms the fury in my mind immediately.

I hear Benji giving Gia a lecture, her sobs increasing in sound and speed as her mother joins him.

As I lock Rox back into his car seat, Benji exits the house and comes to stand next to me outside the car. The weather has picked up and I make sure to turn the heat up before I close the car door, turning to face him.

"Alice, you have to realise how embarrassed Ellena and I are that Gia spoke to you that way. She has always been a little, high maintenance, but she has never been this outright rude before. I'm not sure what came over her." He says, the tone of his voice sincere.

The front door slamming catches both of us off guard and Ellena stomps into view.

"Oh my goddess Alice please forgive my idiot daughter. She has a mouth bigger than her brain it seems." She says shaking her head and I can't help but giggle at her bluntness.

"No offence Ellena but I really don't like her." I say, placing my hand on her arm, a small smile on my face letting her know that the anger I had inside is fading. And it definitely has nothing to do with her.

"At this point neither do I." She says laughing and Benji snorts out loud, making us all laugh.

"Now look honey, the weather is coming in and it's too dark now. It's not safe for you to drive home. Gia is staying here with me and I don't think it's a grand idea to have you both under the same roof. I love her, I do, but she is a damned fool sometimes." She murmurs, hands hugging herself and I can't help but think of my mother in that moment.

She used to do that when she was trying to calm herself.

I miss her. I miss them all.

I look over Ellena's shoulder and see Gia peaking out the window. She isn't perfect but she is Ellena's family. And since I want to stay here and make some sort of life for Rox and I and try to help with the whole curse thing, I need to try to not kill her.

"I promise I won't harm her... too much." I say with a grin and Ellena pulls me in for a hug.

"I think the both of you need to stay in one of Benji's guest rooms for the night, head on home in the morning. That ok?" She asks us both but again, it's only for appearances. Both Benji and I don't bother trying to argue. We just nod in unison, say our farewells and get into my car.

As we set off slowly back towards the main house, Benji attempts to apologise again. On behalf of Gia.

"What's her deal exactly?" I ask as we pull up at the front of his house. He huffs out a breath of warm air as he tries to turn his bulky form to face me.
The proximity of the front seats means that his face is close to mine and i try to shrink back as much as I can.

He is a little unsettling this close up. He is strikingly beautiful in a dangerous way. It's hard to be this close to him and not stare.

He clears his throat and my state game is over.

"Gia took a long time to accept me too. She was the only child of the Alpha couple for many years. She was.... indulged." He says ever so politely.

Always politically correct.

" That's a nice way to put it." I laugh as a response and he joins me. He relaxes back against the car seat and runs his large hand through his hair.

"I know. I know. Trust me. She was exactly the same with me. She saw me as a threat. Someone to take attention away from where she thinks it belongs. With her."

I take in what he is saying, trying to see it from her point of view.

I turn up, her mother goes out of her way to help me and then fawns all over Rox. The only thing that Gia can't give her. A male pup. A male heir.

"Shit." I say, starting to feel a little bad for tearing her a new one.

She is threatened. Fear makes us irrational. She is scared. I know gear better than anyone.

"What?" Benji asks, turning to face me once more.
I sigh and place both hands on the steering wheel.

"Nothing. I kind of get it now. Where she is coming from. I shouldn't have gone off at her like I did." I tell him. My temper got the better of me. My father would be disappointed.

"Hell no, she deserved that. She needed to be put in place. She needs to learn the pecking order. Ellena won't always be here to save her. Hell, If you didn't do it, I would have. Just, maybe for Ellena's sake, don't take it to heart. Gia will come around. Eventually." He says with a small snort at the end. Even he doesn't really believe his own words but I nod in agreement anyway.

"Come on, let's get in before it gets too cold. I'll help you guys get settled." He says, unbuckling editing the car and heading around to take Rox out for me while I grab supplies from the trunk.

As I follow behind him into the house and through the hallway to a guest room, I think about all that has happened today.

My mind can't keep up with it all. So much for the simple life. I literally stepped out of one drama and into another. Granted, this one isn't life threatening.

Benji opens a large oak door and enters the room, he places Rox down on the large king size bed and goes to turn up the heat on a control panel in the wall.

"What do you need for Rox?" He asks, standing in the centre of the large open room. He seems nervous maybe? Clearly having girls and babies over is a new thing for him.

Heck, me too buddy.

"Ah, just a bottle warmed I think? He can bunk in with me." I say, searching through the baby bag and finding a Pre made bottle.

Bless that Ellena.

He takes it out of the room with him and returns a short while later, a tray in his hands.

"Warm bottle for Rox and water and a hot cocoa for you." He smiles, handing the tray over.

"Thank you." I say, nodding slightly and setting the tray down on the bedside table.

"Ok, well, if you need anything, I am at the end of the other hallway to the right. Bathroom is that door to your right and there should be clean towels, clothes and extra toothbrush and supplies in there for you. The room has an intercom in the bedside clock so just buzz if you need me." He smiles sweetly and with that he turns and makes his way back to the door.
He stops before exiting and turns slowly to face me;

"Thank you for today Alice. I really hope you stay, we need you here. Both of you." His gaze shifts between Rox and I and I and I get the double meaning. All I can do is offer a warm smile in return for his.

"Thanks Benji." I remark as he nods and closes the door as he leaves.

I prepare Rox for bed and set him up in the middle of the large soft bed, in between some of the voluptuous pillows that it boasts. I quickly duck into the bathroom and find a clean pair of top and bottom sweats to wear to bed.

Settling us both in, i root around in the bedside table drawers to find a remote for the large flat screen on the wall facing the bed and find something to watch while I feed Rox.

As he drifts off after his bottle and burp, I tuck him into the covers and settle back to drink my cocoa and let my thoughts drift to them.

I let the warm drink work it's magic and lay down feeling the warmth soothe my throat, hoping it can do me a favour and soothe my soul and my heart a little too.

A little while later, I awaken to a soft rustling noise outside my door and I sit up, careful not to move too much and disturb Rox.

Checking the bedside clock, I notice that it's two am and wonder what the hell is wrong if Benji is wandering around outside my door at this hour. I can hear him whispering on the other side.

Odd.

I slide out of bed and head to the door but as I reach it I hear a second male voice on the other side. I stop in my tracks.

"Who do you have here Benj?" I hear the second voice say, accusation in his tone. And something else... ? Disgust? Repulsion?

"I'll explain tomorrow. Let's not wake them." I hear Benji reply, the whispers continuing softly as they move further away from the door.

Whoever it is did is did not seem thrilled about the Alpha entertaining a strange woman as a baby.

Since when does someone question the Alpha of the house anyway?

I try to get back to sleep but the weird tone of the strangers voice bothers me. Something about the way he spoke... accusingly almost. It bugs me.

Another night where sleep is not my friend. My mind is busy replaying the event of the day. I close my eyes and mentally add the stranger to the list of shit I need to figure out tomorrow.

It seems my work is never done.