After Dean's dramatic exit, Gia and Matthew had gone home with Jared to make sure he got home alright, while I stayed with Dylan.

Dylan had cut the party short, shuffling people out as best he could, with a few disgruntled words from Ethan, who was extremely drunk, struggling to even stand up.

I had spent a lot of the early morning attempting to get my mate to talk about Dean and what he thought his intentions were, but Dylan was reluctant to speak on the matter, and instead wanted to go to bed, pulling me close to him as he draped his arm over my stomach, gently pressing a kiss on my neck, his warm breath causing goosebumps to appear on my soft skin.

That morning, I groaned, rolling over to snuggle into Dylan's warm chest, gazing up at his chiseled jawline and slight stubble, tracing my fingers alongside it.

"Didn't anybody tell you that staring was rude?" chuckled my mate, opening his eyes, causing me to huff, shaking my head with a small smile gracing my lips.

"Are you hungover?" I asked, causing Dylan to shrug, shaking his head.

"I don't really get them," he replied.

I sighed, rolling onto my back and running my hands down my face, groaning. "I feel so bad for Jared, I really don't know what to do."

Dylan sat up against the headboard, caressing my arm. "There isn't really a whole lot you can do, Clara. Amelia made a stupid decision and she's going to have to live with it, I'm almost certain she'll be regretting it."

I squinted my eyes, frowning. "Dean? Like really? Why would she go for him? He's way too old for her."

"He's a year older than me," said Dylan, shrugging. "Plus, I hate to say it, but he's a good looking guy."

"Only because you look similar," I chuckled, watching my mate get up out of the bed and make his way into the bathroom, turning on the shower.

"I've got a training session that I've got to get to, but you're welcome to stay here if you'd like," called Dylan. "I'm sure my Mother would like to get to know you a little bit, if you're okay with that."

"Yeah, sure, but I need to check up on Jared at some point though. He must be feeling like crap," I replied, stripping myself off and stepping into the shower with my godly looking mate, smirking at him as I turned my back on him, soaking my hair under the jet of water.

Dylan moaned, shaking his head at me before quickly pressing me up against the wall, kissing me passionately, his tongue exploring my mouth.

"I love you," whispered my mate as he pulled away, kissing me gently on the forehead, caressing my body, grabbing my behind and giving it a quick squeeze, causing me to yelp quietly.

"I love you," I replied, pulling Dylan's lips back to mine, laughing as he hoisted my up so my legs were wrapped around his waist, secretly impressed that he had been able to lift me up without slipping.

I massaged the back of Dylan's neck as he kissed me, my arousal increasing by the second, causing Dylan to growl deeply in his chest, the smell of it becoming more and more present in the hot and steamy air.

"You're killing me," moaned Dylan as he pulled away from my lips, his eyes pitch black as they explored my body.

"I want you," I mumbled, causing Dylan to kneel down with me still around his waist, gently laying my down on the floor of the bathtub, angling me so the stream wasn't hitting me.

My mate hovered over me, our soaking wet bodies brushing up against each other as we kissed, my wolf begging to have our mate even closer.

"You want me, huh?" teased Dylan, nipping at my neck gently, causing me to arch my back and curl my toes, groaning in frustration.

"Yes," I breathed out quietly, causing my mate to smirk, his hand trailing down my breasts until it settled on my clit, circling it slowly, causing me to moan loudly.

My stomach began to tighten, and after a few seconds, Dylan pulled his hand away, pressing his member to me, entering me in one swift thrust.

I moaned, wrapping my arms around his neck as he thrusted into me slowly, teasing me, causing me to growl in frustration.

"Dylan, go faster," I begged, which caused my mate to chuckle, increasing his speed, pushing my legs up so he was even deeper inside of me.

Suddenly, I was lifted up and pinned against the wet wall, with Dylan's body covering mine. He continued to pound into me, biting at my neck as he groaned huskily in my ear, causing my heart to palpitate.

I used the hand that wasn't clutched onto the back of Dylan's neck to rub my clit, circling it quickly, moaning loudly as my orgasm began to surface.

"Are you going to come for me, baby?" whispered Dylan into my ear, his thrusts becoming increasingly fast and hard, driving me wild.

"Yes, I'm going to come, Dylan," I moaned, burying my head into my mate's neck as my orgasm consumed me, and after a few seconds, Dylan followed, groaning loudly, leaving me fully satisfied and breathless.

After a hot and steamy shower with my mate, I pulled on my training shirt, ruffling my wet hair slightly.

"I love you in sweats," whispered Clara, causing me to spin around and smirk, pressing a soft kiss against her lips.

"Let's get some breakfast, I have a long day of training today so I won't be back until this evening, but you are more than welcome to stay here for another night if you would like," I said, hoping she would say yes, enjoying having her scent waft around my room, loaning my wolf a sense of tranquillity.

Clara gazed up at me, biting on her plump bottom lip, thinking.

"So if you just make your way over to my Mother's when you're ready, I'm sure she would love some girly company," I said, gaining a nod from Clara.

"I still need to speak to Jared to make sure he's okay, so I'll call him today but I want to see him tomorrow," she said bossily, folding her arms.

"Of course."

I placed my hand on the small of Clara's back, leading her down the stairs until we reached my kitchen. Grabbing a few slices of bread and popping them in the toaster, I started to pour my mate a large glass of orange juice, watching her smile at me slightly.

"So, um, when do you think Dean will be leaving?" asked Clara, causing me to sigh, shaking my head.

"I don't know, he usually doesn't stay overly long," I replied, shrugging, grabbing a couple of plates out of the cupboard.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Probably about nine months ago," I replied, sighing.

My mate squinted at me, nodding slowly. "Well, why don't you just get him to leave? I mean, you are the Alpha."

I ran my hands through my hair, feeling the stress bubbling up inside of me. "He's still technically part of this pack. He hasn't been banished or told to leave."

"Have you never told him to leave?" mumbled Clara, getting up off the barstool and pulling the butter and jam out of the fridge.

"I should," I mumbled, avoiding eye contact, buttering my toast silently.

"Do you not want to?" pressed Clara, causing my wolf to twitch slightly, feeling uncomfortable with all the questions.

"I'm going to be late," I said, quickly kissing my mate on the forehead, grabbing my toast and pulling on my shoes. "If you walk down to see my Mother after breakfast, she'd be happy to spend the day with you. Just please, don't get into any trouble."

"Dylan, you-"

By the time my name had left Clara's mouth, I was already out of the door.

I watched Dylan make his way across the field, leaving me standing there on the patio watching him run away from his problems, feeling uneasy that he had been so reluctant to speak about his older cousin.

I peered through the fog, squinting out at Dylan's tiny figure in the distance, being met by someone. They stood, talking for a little bit, giving me a better view of the tall muscular person my mate was opposite.

"Is that...Dean?" I mumbled to myself, confused as to why Dylan was speaking to his cousin who he apparently hated.

Suddenly, both figures disappeared, jogging off together into the distance, evaporating into wisps , joining the fog that was dancing with the wind.

I sighed, making my way back into the house, chugging my orange juice and taking a few bites of my toast before throwing it away.

Left alone in Dylan's large house, I decided to do a little bit of snooping, wanting to see the entirety of the house, my wolf enjoying the prospect of finding out even more about our mate. Making my way back up the grand stairs, I turned left down the hall, venturing towards a large wooden door with magnificent carvings dancing across it; they eyes of the snakes and dragons boring into my soul, almost watching me.

I gently pushed the door open, wincing as it groaned loudly, hitting the wall behind it with a loud bang.

I stepped into Dylan's office, noticing how visibly immaculate it was; everything having its own place.

Walking around his large oak desk, I traced the details on it, overlooking the stacks of most likely confidential papers that were piled high. I reached his black leather chair, settling myself down in it, holding my head high, enjoying the feeling of imagining myself in charge.

Laughing to myself, I picked up Dylan's reading glasses, raising my eyebrows at them before putting them on, giggling at how blurry they made my vision.

Suddenly, my smile disappeared as I gazed at the photo that was framed on his desk. Taking off the glasses and placing them to the side, I gently picked up the photo, studying it carefully, a frown forming on my face.

In the photo was a young Dylan, probably about the age of fifteen or sixteen, both of his parents standing above him proudly, their faces beaming. Next to Dylan, was a laughing Dean, his arm wrapped over Dylan's shoulder, both of them looking joyful and happy.

I was confused as to why Dylan disliked his older cousin so much, especially since they seemed to look so close in old photos. I would have expected Dylan to have thrown the photo away since his office was a place he regularly worked, and the photo was well within sight.

Placing the photo back where it was, and exiting Dylan's office, I decided to make my way over to Mandy's house, not wanting to be left alone with my own thoughts any longer, knowing I would probably come up with some pretty scary and stupid reasons as to why Dylan left so abruptly this morning.

Enjoying the crisp morning air, I slowly strolled down the hill towards Dylan's Mother's house, hoping Dylan had let her know that I was coming, and she wasn't busy doing something else. The feeling of the bitter air filling my lungs, almost chilling me to the core, caused my wolf to perk up, adrenaline racing through my body.

I knew my wolf was eager for a long run, but I ignored the jabbing feeling, making my way up the Mandy's front door, knocking on it and then stepping back politely.

Mandy answered the door with a large smile, her dark hair tied back into a neat bun. "Clara, Dylan sent me a message letting me know that you would be coming today, please, come in."

"Thank you," I said, stepping in, feeling the warm air hitting my skin, causing my fingertips to tingle due to the sudden temperature change.

"Have you already had breakfast?"

I nodded, offering Dylan's Mother a smile. "Yes, I did, thank you."

"You're so polite Clara, you really don't need to be, you're part of the pack now."

"Well, not officially," I laughed, causing Mandy to smile.

"Soon."

"So, you didn't come to Dylan's party last night?" I asked her, half joking, gaining a chuckle.

"Best to let the kids do what they do best. It was an early night for me."

"My brother found his mate," I blurted out, not really knowing why I was telling Mandy, but struggling to find something to talk about.

Mandy's eyes light up, and she beamed at me, her cheeks raising as she did so. "Oh, that's great, who is it?"

"It was Amelia, I'm not too sure it went well," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

Mandy sighed, nodding. "Finding your mate can be difficult, especially at such a young age. Dylan's Father and I didn't have the best of starts. I'm sure Dylan's mentioned some things about his Father, yes?"

I nodded slowly, chewing on my bottom lip. "He told me some stuff, but not much."

"Yes, well, he suffered from schizophrenia, and he was going through a little bit of a rough patch when we met, but luckily, I was able to drag him out of it. He was okay for a little while, but as the years progressed, he seemed to just get worse and worse, but my point is, is that mates usually find their way back to one another, no matter the circumstances," said Mandy, causing me to smile sadly, unsure of whether Amelia was ever going to accept Jared, and if Jared would ever forgive her for what she had done.

"Dylan doesn't really talk about his Father," I muttered, gazing past Mandy, noticing a few framed photos hooked on the wall of Dylan, his mother and his Father, all smiling proudly.

"He really can be a bit of a closed book sometimes, Clara," sighed Mandy, "but if anyone can get him to open up, it'll be you."

"I don't want to push him too far though."

Mandy nodded understandably, shaking her head. "I know my son, and I haven't seen him smile in a long time. Everything will be okay."

After hours of listening to Mandy's hilarious stories about when Dylan was younger, I helped her make lunch, and we ate it in front of the TV, binge watching hours worth of episodes of Mandy's favourite series, and although I had no idea what was happening the majority of the time, I enjoyed watching her become so invested in the show, trying to explain to me who everyone was and what they were doing.

I had attempted to ring Jared a few times, but they had all gone to voicemail. I was worried about him, but Gia reassured me that he didn't feel like speaking to anyone, and had been in his room all day, only coming out to go to the bathroom or get something to eat.

Once I had finished washing up our plates, I looked over at the clock, my eyes widening when I read six o'clock, realising Dylan would be home relatively soon. Gazing out of the window, I noticed the sun had already completely set and it was now dark, crickets buzzing and owls hooting.

"It really is getting closer and closer to winter out there," said Mandy as she entered the kitchen, peeking through the blinds herself.

"I know," I replied, "looks like autumn is on its way out. I really should get going, but thank you so much for spending the day with me today, I had a great time, and I hope I didn't stop you doing anything you needed to do."

Mandy laughed, shaking her head, pulling me in for a hug. "Don't be silly, you are welcome any time!"

Giving Mandy a quick wave before stepping out of the front door, I padded my way across the field back towards Dylan's house, deeply breathing in the cold misty air, enjoying the feeling of being out in the open after being cooped up all day.

As I made my way back, energy surged throughout my body again, letting me know that my wolf was eager to be let out and go for a run, and after a few seconds of contemplation, I shook my head and headed for the treeline, knowing that I was going to eventually go crazy if I didn't let my wolf out.

Quickly making sure no one was around, even though it was pretty much pitch black apart from the lights from the houses that were dotted around, I stripped off, placing my pile of clothes behind a tree, shifting into my petite wolf.

Feeling the soil under my paws as I ran was magical; the wind rushing past my ears as I sprinted through the forest, dodging tress, logs and rocks as best as I could, leaping over rivers miniature and canyons. Adrenaline raced throughout my veins as I ran, the trees becoming bigger and not as spaced out, venturing into the dark forest, the shining stars glistening above me.

Suddenly, I was brought out of my daydream by a heavy growl, and stopping in my tracks, I turned around, searching for the source of the sound. I peered through the darkness, backing away once I saw nothing was there, and decided to just make a run for it, knowing I was quick, however, as I turned, I was leapt on, and pinned to the ground by a large white wolf. It snarled in my face, burying its teeth into my neck, causing me to whimper.

Kicking the wolf off of me, I pounced on it, snapping at its throat, causing it to roll over to the side, kicking me sideways into a tree. I whimpered as I slammed into the trunk, feeling the air leave my lungs, making it increasingly difficult to breath.

As I glared up at the large snarling white wolf above me, pulling myself to my feet, preparing to pounce again, a huge black wolf leapt out of the darkness, grabbing the wolf by the neck and throwing it to the side. I winced as it landed with a large thud, its leg twisted in an odd position, indicating that it had been badly broken.

The black wolf pinned it up against a tree, snarling in its face before ripping at its throat, causing it to fall to the ground, blood pouring out of it.

I looked up at the large black wolf as it approached me, breathing heavily, trying to figure out who they were and what they wanted, and how they planned on killing me, fear racing through me.

After staring me down for a few seconds, the wolf shifted, making its way behind a tree and appearing in human form with a pair of grey joggers on, his bare muscular chest dripping with sweat and stained with blood. Peering into the darkness, my eyes widened when I saw Dean in front of me, his eyes full of concern and his arms folded.

"Shift, Clara," he said, raising his eyebrows at me.

I stood there in shock, wondering why Dean had just killed a rogue for me, and how he knew where I was.

"Look, you definitely broke a rip when you hit that tree, I can hear how raspy your breathing is, so just shift and I can carry you back," said Dean, looking me up and down, focusing his gaze on my shaking legs that were struggling to hold my weight.

However, I wanted to hold onto my pride, so I stood my ground, despite the fact that all four of my legs were now numb underneath me, and a sharp jabbing feeling was beginning to make its way across my ribs.

"You can have my shirt," groaned Dean, grabbing his large black shirt from behind the tree and flinging it over to me, "I won't look."

After watching Dean turn around, I gave in, shaking my head at myself, shifting, quickly pulling Dean's shirt over my head, and dropping to the floor, groaning in pain.

Dean turned around, his brows furrowing as he watched my face grimace in pain, clutching on to my side in pain.

"I can't move," I breathed out, my voice barely a whisper.

Dean knelt down, looking into my eyes, chewing on his bottom lip as pushed my hair away from my shoulder, revealing a large raw gash, with blood slowly trickling down my collarbone. He hissed, indicating that the injury was bad, causing me to look at him with worry.

"No, no, you're fine, it'll heal. You really shouldn't have been on the outskirts of the territory, you know? It's dangerous," he said, wrapping his arms under me, causing me to squirm away, shaking my head.

"I didn't realise I had come this far. Just let me walk," I said between gritted teeth, pulling myself to my feet using a branch from the tree, hissing in pain.