We sat for a little longer, discussing the finer details of our attack, but it was hard to coordinate without the other alphas present. Besides, I was exhausted, and by the looks of the dark circles under their eyes, the boys were tired, too.

"There's nothing more we can do until the other packs get here, and we need sleep. Let's go over everything else in the morning," I yawn, emphasizing my point.

They nod sleepily before getting up and walking towards the door, still talking about tomorrow's training. I give Patrick a hug and he squeezes me back tightly, resting his chin on the top of my head.

Get some sleep, loser. You look like shit, I mindlink him.

No, I'm beautiful. You're the crusty one in need of some serious beauty sleep.

I mentally roll my eyes at him, taking a step back to look at him but staying in his embrace. We smile at each other silently while Killian shuffles on his feet uncomfortably by the door.

Seriously though, are you okay? You've been through a lot, Patrick says, looking down on me with worry.

Yeah, I'm okay. I promise I'll get some sleep.

"Good, but it better be just sleep," he says out loud.

Killian coughs to cover his laugh, but not before I glare daggers in his direction.

"You guys are perverts. I'm going to bed."

I walk past both of them, actually intending on going up to my room alone. I needed time to think about everything, without being overwhelmed by Killian's proximity and my newfound sex drive, but that scent that's so uniquely and intoxicatingly him follows me down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" he calls after me.

"To bed? Weren't you listening?"

I'm almost to the top of the stairs and briefly contemplate continuing to my room, but I turn to face Killian instead. He looks up at me, confused, softening my resolve.

"Look, I really am tired," I cross my arms, looking away from the cute puzzled look on his face.

"Come to my room. Please. I'll draw you a bath."

As badly as I need to think about everything, a bath does sound amazing. Besides, I can't really imagine being alone right now. Killian and I have made so much progress, the idea of not sleeping next to him is just weird now.

"Fine, but no funny business. I need time to...process everything that's happened."

He holds his hands up, a gesture of his proclaimed innocence.

"No funny business, I promise. Let me take care of you."

He holds his hand out to me, so I walk back down to take it, a small, shy smile on my face. Killian wants to take care of me. Never in my life has anyone ever offered to take care of me, it's always been what I can do for others. Such a small gesture, but it meant so much.

We walk to the other side of the pack house, up another set of stairs and through a winding hallway. I realize I've never been in Killian's room, and I'm a little annoyed that it's so far from everything else in the pack house.

"Why is your room so far from your office?" I ask.

He takes a skeleton key out of his back pocket to unlock the bedroom door.

"Because my room is my happy place. It's the only place in this pack that's entirely mine. I wanted it as far away from where I conduct business as possible."

When he opens the door for me, I waste no time entering, genuinely curious about the one place Killian keeps to himself. It's definitely more warm and cozy than his professionally tidied office. I wander around the room, running my hand along his dark green flannel comforter, across the books on the shelf in the corner.

I pull a few titles out, reading the summaries on the back as Killian looks on with an amused smile.

"What?" I smile back, placing the book back on the shelf.

"I've never had a girl in here before," he reveals.

"Really? What about-"

He shakes his head and takes three long strides until he's standing next to me.

"Never. I'd always go to her room. I always had this idea that I'd share this space with my mate, if they moved to my pack. I didn't want them to be uncomfortable by my past."

The words made me pause, my hand hovering over the picture frame of Killian with his parents as a young boy. Yes, his past. So much has happened, I'd almost forgotten I'd spent weeks locked up with said past.

"Would you have really mated Lexie? If I hadn't showed up, do you think you could have done it?"

My voice is quiet, meek. So unlike me, but I realize the idea bothered me more than I liked to admit.

"I thought it would have been for the good of the pack. That is would have made me a stronger alpha for them, but deep down I knew it wouldn't have felt right if it wasn't my true mate. I don't think I could have gone through with it," he says softly.

His fingers trail along my arm, leaving a tingling sensation behind at his touch, as his breath gently caresses my neck.

I turn around to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck, as his wrap around my waist.

"Good. I know you weren't expecting someone as stubborn and grumpy as me, but I think you're handling it quite nicely."

"I usually like your stubborn grumpiness. When it's not directed at me, that is."

He slides his nose against mine, our mouths a breath apart. His pupils are dilated, the black almost engulfing the gold; I'm sure mine look the same.

"I-I think you promised me a bath," I stutter.

Killing men I grew up with in a moment's notice? Sure, no problem. Flirting with the guy literally made for me? I turn into a stuttering mess, much to my absolute fucking horror.

"I think your stuttering is cute," he chuckles, answering my thoughts.

Of course that only made me blush more.

Killian winks at me before going through the door next to the bookshelf and I hear the water turn on. I walk behind him, but he yells at me to stay in the bedroom, so I take the opportunity to look through more of his things.

He has so many pictures of him with other pack members. Several of them are with Patrick in various stages of awkward teenage years, and it makes me smile. Patrick may be a loud pain in the ass, but he's become my loud pain in the ass.

Okay, you can come in here!