The rays of the sun warmed Azura’s face, causing her to softly groan and turn around in bed. Something was off, but the bed was really comfortable so she hugged the pillow and curled up into a fetus position trying to fall back into that deep, peaceful slumber.

Peaceful. It had been peaceful.

Azura opened her eyes in shock and shot straight up as fear gripped her by the throat. Her body had reacted sooner than her mind could comprehend and it took her a moment to calm her spiking heart rate down. She had a long and peaceful sleep. No nightmares had plagued her, no voices spoke in condemning whispers, and no flames haunted her mind or body.

She also had no idea where she was.

As she looked down and noticed she was still in the same clothes she had worn the day before, Azura scrunched her eyebrows together. Realization dawned that she’d not used the blanket at all and yet it had been one of the most comfortable nights she’s ever had in almost three years.

As her heart rate calmed down, she felt a splitting headache forming in her head as some memories of the day before trickled into her mind. Azura groaned softly as she dug the palms of her hands into her temples, moving them in a massage in hopes to ease the dull throbbing. It helped a little and after a few minutes, she got out of bed and walked over to the window where the sun had been shining through so brightly.

The curtains had been left open and the view was amazing. The white of the snow outside, a pine forest in the background, fluffy clouds together in the sky with the sun beaming down, it made everything sparkle and shine. Azura had to close her eyes to tiny slits so the bright light didn't invade her eyesight as much.

"It looks like a damn painting out there..." She softly mumbled to herself as she turned around and spotted her travel backpack on the ground. Making sure she moved slowly so as not to put more strain on her head, she got out of her old clothes and put on a pair of clean jeans and a simple hoodie.

Azura straightened herself as she took one last glance at the simple room she had been staying in. A small one-person bed was what she’d slept in, and there were a couple of closets placed in the room, but for the rest, it was empty. By now, more bits and pieces of the day before had connected in her head and she knew exactly where she was.

"This...is going to be awkward." She couldn't help but mutter it aloud to herself as she reluctantly turned to leave. As she placed her hand on the door handle, Azura closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths before turning it down and opening the door.

She was on the top level in what appeared to be a small rustic farmhouse. The living room was beneath her and seemed to be put together by old furniture, which probably came from the thrift store. It made for an unusual mix and match, yet still ended up making a cozy place. There was even a small fireplace with a big deer head and antlers placed above it.

Azura smirked as she took everything in. This was not what she had expected from the ever-cheerful Lucas as she’d gotten to know him three years ago.

"Azu? Are you finally up?"

Even though she was half expecting it, Lucas's voice still startled her as he called out from the kitchen. Not soon after calling out to her, he emerged while drying off a glass. Her gaze followed him from the moment he appeared.

He had not changed much, but he had matured in his face. His hair was a bit longer than it had been three years ago, and his beard stubble seemed fuller in a way. She could still his green eyes though, the same green eyes that had surprised her back then.

"Y-Yeah I'm up. Just wanted to take a shower." She tried to make herself sound happier than she felt to try to hide her nervousness, but he probably could see right through it. If he did, he let her retain her false bravado and didn't show it.

"Sure. Just make it quick, alright? I’d like to have a talk with you. Towels and everything you need are in the bathroom. Rose made sure she left some shampoo and other stuff you women might need in there as well."

Lucas disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving her alone on top of the balcony clutching the hand railing tight. When she was sure he was gone she became painfully aware of just how hard she had been clasping onto it. She carefully pulled her hands free and rubbed them gently together to ease the soft pain that flowed through them.

Lucas had sounded so serious. She’d not seen him like that ever before, but then again, how well did she know him? She had spent one and a half days together with him three years ago, so she basically knew nothing about him.

She had hoped he would respond a bit differently though; like she had not just invaded his house and life without announcing. But who was she kidding, they needed to talk and it was not something to look forward to.

In the bathroom, she quickly got undressed. Her eyes fell on the shampoo which was standing next to a package of hygiene pads and a box of tampons. So this is what he meant by 'other stuff women might need.' Azura grabbed a tampon and rolled it around between her fingers. No, she would not need this. Not now, not ever.

She tossed the applicator back into its box as she looked down at her stomach. Her hand traced the outlines of the gruesome and massive scar on the left side of her stomach. It was like a red and purple lightning strike, with several branches crawling across her skin, and a center point that was one big mass of scarred tissue. It didn’t hurt anymore, but it was sometimes hindered her movements a bit.

It stood out against the rest of her pale skin. Especially now that she was even thinner than normal. It was clear she had not been taking care of herself properly lately. Her blue eyes skimmed across themselves as she took a quick glance in the mirror before turning on the hot water and emerging herself in something she had highly craved for a couple of days now.

*

Lucas placed some bread and yogurt on the table together with two boiled eggs. It had been a couple of minutes since he heard the shower turn off so he was expecting her down any moment. This was going to be difficult, and he silently wished that Rose were still with him. Even though she always spoke her mind and it came out a little unfiltered at times, she had this way of making people feel comfortable no matter what the message was that she brought.

She had helped him yesterday on how to handle the situation after Azura angrily disappeared into her room. He was grateful for that and even more grateful she decided to spend the night, even though it had not been her intention at first. Rose had been surprisingly cool about the whole situation and had even apologized that she’d wanted to take Azura to the hospital.

That turn around had earned her some raised eyebrows and a choking Lucas, as he had just taken a sip of his drink. He was glad that jealousy was not one of the words that Rose was familiar with. Not every girlfriend would have appreciated another woman staying in his house, especially not now that he wanted Azura to stay. It had been Rose's idea to offer for her to stay, but only if she would accept professional help.

"Hey... Good morning."

Azura's soft voice snapped Lucas out of his thoughts and he gave her a genuine smile. Her black hair was spiking in every direction like that of an untamed lion’s mane, and her bright blue eyes lay deep in her skull. Even though she looked a bit better than the day before, she did not look like herself from three years ago.

"Good afternoon, Azu. Did you sleep well?"

Lucas offered her a chair before walking to the counter and took to pouring a cup of tea for her.

"You seem a bit more refreshed and better than you did yesterday. If I recall correctly, you don't drink any coffee, right?"

He handed her the cup of tea as she reluctantly sat down, all the while playing with a ring on her finger. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one dreading this talk.

"You remembered that?" She raised an eyebrow as she folded her hands around the hot cup and eyed the food that was on the table.

"How could I forget that long tirade about coffee machines that don't have hot cocoa in them?" He chuckled as he remembered her ranting against the coffee machine at the college theater. "By the way, take what you want. I didn't know what you’d prefer for breakfast, so I just put out a bit of everything."

She flashed him a small smile and tossed some things on a plate before digging in. There was a short silence as she ate. Lucas knew he had to address her being here, but after seeing how easily she could explode yesterday he was a bit unsure on how to begin. Azura seemed a little bit more at ease though, that was at least something.

"Where's Rose? It...was Rose right?" She broke the silence, reminding him once again he really needed to get down to business.

"Had to work, she left a few hours ago." Azura finished her food and took the last sip of her tea before continuing.

"She seems nice. Talkative, but nice." She murmured softly as she started flattening her black hair with her hands.

"She can be quite a handful alright..." He trailed off, knowing all too well he needed to change the topic at hand before he’d be unable to address it at all. Lucas impatiently tapped his foot on the ground as he avoided meeting her eyes. "But Rose is not what we should be talking about right now. You'll get to know her soon enough though, don't worry about that."

She stiffened in her seat and he noticed her clenched fists. She was more nervous than he was, that much was clear. He had to continue right now.

"Azura, I don't know how to say this any different so I'll just throw it out there." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I contacted Greenwood college and spoke with professor Sloan about your showing up here. He was quite surprised but also thankful that I contacted him. He was rather concerned for your well-being. Together we decided to have a short video conference with your foster parents and the Alpha of the Greenwood pack."

"You did what?!"

Her eyes spat fire as Lucas told her what he had done. He felt her anger fire up and it caught him by surprise by just how strong it was. Her eyes had turned to a cool blue stare and every sign of her being nervous was gone. Instead, he was sitting opposite a very angry woman who had shifted her emotions so fast it actually scared him a little

"You had no right whatsoever! I am twenty-five years old and you decide to have a conference about me as if I were a child?!"

Going from being timid, to angry, to absolutely terrifying within a matter of seconds. Lucas lowered his gaze to the table, twisting his thumbs around each other as she verbally let loose on him. When she was done he looked up again, realizing he had to calm her down, whichever way worked best.

"I was afraid that you would react like this. Please just let me finish. I did it because I care about you and you need help. Help that I alone can't give you, so I needed some advice from them. They know you the best, Azu. You've been running away from whatever troubles you for quite a while now, and from what I've heard from professor Sloan and the rest, and seeing you now, I can conclude your trip has brought you nothing you were hoping for. In fact, I think you're even doing worse now."

She clutched the sides of the table as she rigidly stared at him. For a moment, all the anger seemed to leave her but it swarmed around and he could see she didn't know what to do. For a moment, he felt like he had the upper hand.

"You can stay here. Rose was the one who suggested it and I've discussed it with professor Sloan and the rest as well. They all believe it would be best for you to stay put for a while." He paused for a short moment but right as she wanted to reply, he butted in again. "They care about you, Azura. They all do... Even the Alpha."

She had averted her gaze as he was talking, and Lucas hoped she would give in. He tried to read her but she sat so still and rigid it was almost impossible. The only give-away was her trembling hands. Whether with anger or sadness, he couldn't tell.

Slowly she moved her head up and the death glare she gave him was enough to make him shift awkwardly in his chair. Instead of the blazing fire that was sprouting from her eyes earlier, hard coldness had now taken its place. Her voice resembled the mood her eyes were already giving away. Deadly, cold, and eerily calm.

"The Alpha's name is Andreas and you had no fucking right contacting them! You have no idea who they are, or what they mean to me. They have done so much for me and you're here talking about them with no respect. You know nothing of my past and yet you're here telling me what to do, completely disregarding what I feel. It was a mistake staying here."

It actually hurt hearing her talk like that. Lucas sat perplexed in his chair, her words cut through him with ease even if she hadn’t meant them to. Azura shoved her seat back and got up. She didn't give him another glance as she briskly turned and walked away. Lucas watched frozen as she got up, but as she moved away, he bolted from his chair and sped after her, grabbing her arm to turn her back so she was facing him again.

"Where are you going to go? You have no place to go to, Azura!" His mind was going crazy. On one side, he wanted to respect her wishes, on the other hand, she needed help and she would not find it herself. The clash in his head made him throw out the first thing that came into his head.

"If you leave now you're signing your own death sentence! You're damaged and unstable and it's not getting better. You're right about me not knowing you, but what I do know is that you're mentally broken, traumatized, and lost. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, you are destroying yourself! You're wallowing in self-pity and you need a good firm kick in the ass! I can't force you to stay here, but I can offer you this,"

She froze. Her lip trembled and she blinked rapidly a couple of times while avoiding his gaze.

"You're free to stay here as my roommate. You're living expenses are going to be paid for by your family. Meanwhile, you'll go see a therapist and work on your issues. When you can handle it, you can actually start working to pay for staying here yourself. We are roommates, sharing a living room, bathroom, and kitchen. That doesn't mean we have to do everything together. You're free to do what you want, when you want, as long as you keep going to therapy. We don't have to be friends, but I will be able to keep an eye out for you. I owe you that much."

The mask she had put on earlier was gone. Lucas could see everything on her face at once. Pain, anger, desperation. She grimaced as her eyes darted around the room. Her skin became warm to the touch right before she pulled herself loose from his grip. She seemed like a lost puppy who just got beaten by a stick.

It hurt him to see her like this. To see her so confused, out of place, and in obvious pain. The woman before him was nothing like the woman he had met before. Back then, she was sarcastic, a tad insecure, and impulsive. Someone who tried to keep private but would open herself to people she knew. She had been fun to hang around with, especially after she’d realized he kept everything platonic. He hoped he would see that Azura again somewhere.

Tension seemed to rise to an all-time high as Azura just stood there, clenching her fists so tight he was actually scared she would draw blood. Her lips were pursed and her whole stance rigid. After what seemed like forever, she finally met his gaze again, her shoulders slumping as she relaxed her muscles.

"Fine." Her teeth were still clenched together as she spoke. "You win."

She turned around without waiting for him to answer and almost stormed off to, what would soon become, her room. After she left, Lucas let out a deep breath he’d been subconsciously holding for God knows how long. He turned back around and placed his hands on the oak dining table, leaning down on it with his head lowered. That talk had taken more energy out of him than he'd like to admit.