I was disorientated.

And confused.

I surveyed the room slowly. A wide television screen dwarfed the wall, playing on mute as the images danced across the screen. I could barely remember what happened to land me in this...where was I?

I pushed up onto my elbows just as a damp face wash rolled off my forehead, landing splat on my chest. I pinched the material between my fingers, more perplexed than ever.

What the hell was going on?

I pulled myself into a sitting position, placing the warm face towel on the ground. My back was killing me and the E.S suit wasn't making it any better. Every muscle in my body felt brittle. My attention snapped to my ankle where thin slabs of wood sandwiched the limb. It was wrapped in thick off-white bandages. My other boot was gone too, resting on the floor. The ache was only a soft throb now in my ankle, I barely felt it. Maybe it was the painkillers Alexei handed to me-

I froze, searching the shadows with another kind of awareness settling in my bones.

It was still night since the full moon still shone brightly in the night sky. Moonbeams speared in through the large windows, forming slanted diamonds across the hardwood floor.

A door opened to the right, and I held my breath as Alexei appeared, rubbing a towel on his hair. Steam wafted behind him where I caught a glimpse of a fogged mirror attached to the tile wall. He paused when he noticed I was staring at his exposed skin. The smell of mint soap followed him, making me more aware that he was freshly showered while I probably smelled like sweat and icky mud.

"You snore." He spoke first, giving his locks another furious patting before flipping it over his shoulder. He had exchanged his swarthy uniform for grey sweatpants and a faded shirt that hung loosely off his body. He shuffled towards the moonbeams, where I noticed he was sporting two clean socks on his feet.

I cleared my throat, wondering why I found fascination in mundane clothing items but the inner voice in my head knew. Alexei made normal things like clothing items look interesting and it was just plain sad I was enjoying the sight too much.

It was a rarity seeing Alexei dressed in casual clothes, let alone clothes he probably went to bed in.

I briefly remembered the time we had been in the cabin, up in the mountains. He'd only worn sleep shorts and no shirt when he had drifted to sleep. He also had been close by when I had woken up.

"You okay?" Alexei approached me, setting his towel over the back of the lounge chair. He rounded the furniture, examining my ankle. "I fixed up your ankle. The swelling has gone down. I'll give it two days before you return to your E.S duties. I've already informed Jude that you'll need to take leave. He's agreed that you'll rest for those days before going back."

"Oh." I nodded, suddenly feeling vulnerable. "Thanks."

"You've been out for only an hour."

"Really? I thought it would've been longer."

"No, although I'm surprised you didn't wake yourself up from all the snoring you were doing."

I narrowed my eyes, "I don't snore."

"You sure? I recall hearing something unflattering when I almost dozed off myself but then you started to sound like a car engine, so I took a shower instead."

"That's no way to talk to a lady Alexei." I scowled up at him as his eyes sparkled. He bit his lips, motioning to my ankle, "Let me know when you start aching again. I have more painkillers in my pantry. You hungry?"

"Umm..." I was flat out starving. "...that will be great. I'll make something to eat."

Alexei held out his hand, "No, I got it. I'll cook. You stay there."

"At least let me do the stirring or chopping. I'm not used to sitting around doing nothing."

Alexei relented a reluctant nod, "But you'll sit on the stool, and I'll give you things to do."

"Good." I nodded, swinging my legs over the couch. I stood, feeling my world tremble as my legs held my weight. I felt vertigo flip in my belly, but I calmed the flutters and dragged my ass to one of the sleek stools positioned near the marble island.

Alexei had already switched on the lights and busied himself taking out several ingredients from the fridge and placing them on the counter. He pulled out the dough from the corner of the kitchen, already wrapped in cling wrap. With the flour he grabbed earlier, he sprinkled some on the counter, unwrapped the dough and smacked it into the white specks.

Curious, I watched his hands knead the dough with familiar skill. His hands worked meticulously. It was obvious the man had done this more than a few times. He quickly separated the dough into small balls and flattened them until they were small, round discs spread across the counter. He washed his hands and returned with a metal mixing bowl, "Here, you can do this." He pushed it towards me. I caught the rim, watching as he took the ground pork and split it into the bowl. "I'm making Pelmeni." He explained, as if I knew what that was.

"Pelmeni?" I asked.

"It's a Russian dish. It's practically dumplings." He explained, "My babushka made them a lot when I was kid."

"You made that dough from scratch?"

He shrugged as he plucked an onion from the wicker basket near the sink and began dicing it, "My babushka would kill me if I hadn't. I was already planning on eating it tonight for dinner after my shift was over, so I made the dough before I left the house."

"I'm speechless." I admitted.

This man couldn't be the Alexei I knew. He was charming and it was odd when this amount of it was aimed at me, or at least there for me to witness.

He was never like this when I had been under his wing as a mere Recruit. He could barely tolerate me because he was always running off, leaving me behind. It mortified me back then that he could do that to me. My feelings had been easy to crush as a Recruit but as the months passed on in the Shadow Hunters, I was able to get more control on it.

Alexei diced up more vegetables, placing them into the metal bowl. After he added some minced garlic, he held out a wooden spoon, "Mix."

I obediently followed his instructions, dipping the utensil inside the bowl and whisking away as Alexei cleaned up.

Once done, he took one of the round discs of dough and added a tablespoon of the mixture into it. I watched as he manipulated the thin disc around the ball of minced pork into a delicate, fancy dumpling.

"You're really good at that." I motioned to the morsel of food.

"I'm good at a lot of things."

A burst of laughter escaped my lips, "Your humility astounds me Enforcer."

Alexei's lips twitched in response.

There was warmth in Alexei's home, whether the man knew it or not. I absently reached down and rubbed my bandaged ankle, thinking that Alexei had done it while kneeling at my side. He'd even apologised when he corrected the fracture. It was scary knowing the man had a knowledge setting cracked bone back together without issue.

Aside from the light in the kitchen, Alexei hadn't bothered to turn on any other lampshades. It didn't matter because the moonbeams provided enough light to highlight his living area. "This place is big. You stay here all by yourself?" I couldn't imagine staying in a place like this. I haven't even seen the whole place, but I could tell I would've loved every room. The house was something out of my dreams.

Alexei was living my dream and he didn't even know it.

"Just me. Sometimes my sisters come stay when they visit. Other than that, no one else."

"You have sisters?"

"Two. Tatiana and Sascha. They're both younger than me."

"Pretty names."

"Pretty names but they're pure troublemakers."

"And you're the only boy." I pointed out.

"And I prayed every night for a younger brother. When that didn't do anything, I gave up. And you?"

I froze, "Me?" The question felt heavy rolling off my tongue.

Alexei paused. "Yeah-" He glanced up at me. Something on my face made him curse, "Shit, ignore that. I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry."

Well, it was nice having a normal conversation until it lasted. For a second, I felt like I was like any other female in the Pack, sharing Alexei's warm company. Reality was a harsh thing, a relentless bitch that liked to scatter plans, wishes and dreams.

Despite Alexei's obvious discomfort, I was captivated by the incongruous emotion he exuded. It didn't fit him at all. "It's okay. I know the life I used to live. It's probably a replica of what you're thinking of right now but won't say out loud to avoid hurting my feelings."

"Penelope." He sighed, pausing his work. I noted he finished making all the dumplings and set them neatly in three rows.

"Don't pity me." I added with a touch of stubbornness. "Not you."

"I will never pity you, Penelope."

"Then why are you still looking at me like that?"

He blinked, caught off guard. "It's not pity I feel for you. It's complicated."

Oh, now this was interesting. "Complicated? Explain it to me." I demanded.

"I'm still figuring that out but know I don't pity you at all."

I was enchanted by the truth in his words. I had no words to retort so I conceded a sigh. "Tell me a joke."

Alexei's shoulders sagged when I didn't hound him for a better explanation on his end. He simply began to place the dumplings in a steamer set on the stove, setting a timer for fifteen minutes. "What do you call a cold wolf?" He asked when he turned around, leaning against the pantry door.

"What?" I asked, wary.

"A chili dog."

I blinked. "Well then."

Alexei's lip twitched. "That bad huh."

"You're not a funny guy." I said instead, feigning devastation. "Stand-up comedy is not in your cards my friend."

Alexei chuckled, "I'll stick with being an Enforcer."

Once the timer went off, Alexei collected the steamed dumplings into two separate bowls. He extracted a plastic container from his fridge and heated it up for a few minutes before scooping some into each bowl. He added a sprinkle of chives over the dishes before motioning to the living room beyond the hallway. "Time to eat. I'll carry the bowls over. You can grab the cutlery on the table.

I took the spoons and forks from the counter and hobbled after his brisk steps, careful to not knock my foot into anything.

"Easy." Alexei whispered in the dark. I felt him move around me and tug on a string attached to a floor lampshade positioned near the arm of the modular lounge.

I plopped down in the centre. Alexei placed a cushion on my lap, before setting my bowl of Pelmeni on top. I gave him his spoon and fork. He accepted both with gratitude. The dumplings smelled divine; my belly was already grumbling for a taste. The soup broth was still bubbling, and I was more than certain it would burn my tongue, but I didn't care. I wanted to sip on the wondrous meal Alexei prepared. "Thanks for the food, I shall savour each drop." I barely stopped myself from clapping in glee before sticking my spoon into the soup, capturing a dumpling. I scooped the goodness into my mouth, moaning heartily as the flavour exploded on my taste buds. "I take it back." I turned to Alexei who hadn't even started on his portion. He was busy staring at me eating like a ravenous hippo.

There was strange look in his eye as his attention darted from my lips to the bowl cupped between my palms. This went on for a few seconds before he leaned back into the couch, smiling. "Take what back?" He asked, humouring me.

"When I thought you were an ass."

The man blinked, genuinely shocked. "Excuse me?"

"An ass can't make good food like this Alexei. This tastes great. Amazing. The type of amazing that could lure good money."

The man continued to open and close his eyes in rapid motion.

"You weren't wrong, those hands of yours are incredible."

At this, Alexei chuckled, finally spooning some tasty broth into his mouth, pleased about the compliment.

We ate with little chatter in between because I was set on finishing every little spoonful without delay.

When I finished, I sighed, relaxing into the back of the couch, "Thank you."

Alexei took our dishes to the sink, and I waddled after him, gently pushing him to the side when he rolled up his sleeves to clean the dishes. "I'll do the dishes."

"Are you crazy? Your ankle needs rest."

"And you cooked, so that means I clean."

"No."

"Fight me." I glared up at him with false bravado. "You only let me mix. You did most of it. Please, let me do this." I unlatched his fingers from the fork he was holding. "Go sit down. Shoo. I got this." I bumped my hips into his a little too hard, he stumbled.

"Alright." He held out his palms, "No need to be frothing at the mouth to clean dirty dishes."

Once Alexei disappeared, I set my eye on cleaning the crap out of all the utensils. I heard Alexei shuffle around in the living space as I absently hummed some random tune. I took a quick glimpse outside from the little window near the fridge. The full moon shimmered. Diamond stars sparkled around it, looking like tiny specks of silver glitter. I briefly wondered if the Moon Goddess had chosen anyone in the Shadow Hunters to tie together for eternity tonight.

It was unfortunate the celebration was cut short because of the changeling, so it was pointless trying to listen out for any noise to indicate that congratulations was in order for a special couple.

I washed up the other items of cutlery under a hot stream of water and soap before drying it with a square flannel.

I reached for the last bowl to dry when a wave of tension suddenly rolled through my body, cutting my breath short. I hunched over as a heady scent teased my nose.

A shudder raced down my spine as the scent grew stronger.

Confusion clouded my thoughts as I glanced up, catching Alexei standing in the doorframe, breathing hard.