Five years later

"Aria!," I said loudly. "Where are you?" I walked towards the kitchen where the sound of crunching could be heard. I stood by the door with a hand on my hip once I saw who the culprit was. I cleared my throat causing the four year old to look at me with wide eyes almost like a deer caught in headlights. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, looking down. "Daddy said I could have a cookie before he left."

"One cookie, not two," I told her. She looked up at me with her doe eyes causing me to cave. "Fine, you can have another one." She let out a cheer of happiness before taking a cookie and putting the jar away. I let out a sigh as I watched her skip away before I made her a little sandwich. I gave it to her and sat with her for a while before she finally fell asleep. I picked her up from the couch and carried her up to her room before I tucked her into her bed.

"Boo," someone whispered in my ear as I backed out of Arias room, closing the door behind her. I jumped in fright before turning to see who it was.

"I'm gonna kill you," I whisper-yelled, not wanting to wake up Aria. I watched as Ace struggled to contain his laughter. I rolled my eyes and walked downstairs towards the couch. "How's Emily and Jax?," I asked him.

Emily was his mate. He found her a couple of months after we met and soon after Aria was born followed by Jax. Alpha Daniels stepped down from his title a little after Ace and Emily met so Ace and Emily are now the packs leaders. To be honest, they're doing a perfect job.

"They're both fine," he said with a small smile. He shook his head, shaking away his thoughts before he turned to me. "I'm gonna go to bed. Thanks for looking after Aria. I owe you."

"You know I love looking after her," I said with a small smile. "I'll see you later." I watched as he walked down the hallway to his room before I left his home. I walked the ten minutes from his home to the pack house. When I reached my room, I dropped my bag on the floor before diving face first into my bed.

-

Graysons PoV

"I'm coming," I said firmly to the caller.

"She doesn't know," Ace spoke through the phone. Ace has been a lot of help these past few years. Once I found her, I reached out to him and ever since then he's been updating me on Alana.

"She'll find out when I get there," I spoke before I cut the call.

After a long time of searching for Alana, I finally found her. I've not approached her but today I plan to. I've tried to stay away. I've tried to let her move on but I can't. I need her with me.

I went a little crazy after she left for a long fucking time but in the end that only encouraged me to put all that energy into something else. I put it all into becoming the best Alpha I could possibly be and finding her.

I know I fucked over and over again. I know I did and honestly, I've noticed how I've changed from all those years ago. I'm more focused on the pack. I'm focused on becoming a better person for her.

I've got everything in my life now all except for her. I know that once I get her back I won't ever stop trying to make it up to her.

All I need now is the chance to prove that I'm a changed man. I need the chance to show her what sort of mate I can be to her and hopefully she'll realise I'm true to my word.

Alana's PoV

"Knock. Knock," Xavier said as he walked into my room. "Rise and shine, buttercup." He pulled back the curtains letting light in. I pulled my head under the duvet, wanting to sleep a little more. He let out a sigh before he pulled the duvet off me and threw it on the floor.

"Great, I'm cold now," I muttered angrily. "And please don't call me buttercup."

"No need to use that tone," he said sternly. "Get ready, there's an Alpha on the way."

"Which Alpha," I asked, sitting up. He ignored my question as he stared at the symbol imprinted on my upper arm.

"I don't get why you hide it. You should show it off, you know. Being one of the best warriors in the whole fucking world is an amazing accomplishment," he said as he lightly touched the beautiful symbol of a black spiral. It was appealing to the eye. It almost resembled a flower but it seemed relaxed in a way, more spaced out and loose.

"Thanks," I muttered. I worked my ass off to become one of the best. I worked day and night to get to the position I'm in right now. I shot him a small smile. Suddenly, my phone rang. I leaned over to grab it from my nightstand. "It's blocked..."

"Answer it," Xavier ordered me. Reluctantly, I held the phone to my ear. For some reason, a bad feeling bubbled up in the pit of my stomach.

"Alana!," Isla cried. "I've called you at least 10 times! You need to leave. Get the hell out of that pack right now! Graysons on his way and he's not gonna leave without you. Something happened. Somethings changed. He wants you back."

"What the fuck are you talking about, Isla?," I asked her calmly.

"Grayson found out where you are and he's coming to get you. So you need to get the fuck up and leave. Run to another pack. Do something!"

"Okay. Thanks for letting me know," I told her calmly before I cut the call. I sat on my bed for a moment as I thought about what she just said. He wants me back.

"Surprise," Xavier said weakly with an unsure smile. "I was gonna tell you earlier but you were sleeping."

"It's fine," I told him. "Everything is fine."

"So you're not worried?" I shook my head. "That's good. I've already packed you a bag so you're good to go."

"I'm not leaving," I chuckled. "Nice of you to pack my bag but you can unpack it. I'm not running because if he really wants me back (which I doubt he does) he'll keep coming after me. Maybe if I finally accept his rejection, we can both finally move on."

I know deep down inside that it was the mate bond and his wolf making him feel this way. He never cared about me but when I got kidnapped, I felt like he really did care about me then. But maybe I'm just overthinking it.

"What's the worse that could happen? I'm trained. I can easily take him on if he tries anything plus I've got you there just in case," I said with a small encouraging smile.

"Well, he's almost here. You better get ready."

-

"You look pretty," the four year old said with a smile.

"She's not wrong," Ace agreed as he ruffled Arias hair. She let out a yell before trying to sort it out.

"Thanks," I said as I looked down at the baby pink dress I wore that reached my knees.

"Fuck, I'm late," Ace grumbled.

"Don't cuss in front of the kid. You know Emily hates it when Aria learns new swears."

He rolled his eyes at me before continuing. "He's already here." He looked down at his phone before looking at me. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" I nodded my head as I took a deep breath.

"I'm gonna be perfectly fine. Plus, I'm pretty sure Aria's gonna protect me," I joked. He pressed his lips in a thin line, wanting a serious answer. He knew I wasn't okay even though I was acting like I was. Inside, I was freaking out. I know nothing bad is gonna happen but it's not gonna stop the nerves. "I promise I'm gonna be fine." He nodded his head.

"If there's any problems, don't you dare hesitate to tell me," he said. I nodded my head.

"You better go. Don't wanna keep him waiting, right? We'll be right behind you. I just gotta find Aria some clothes that actually match."

"I'll see you later," he said before he left.

"Come on, let's go find you a nice dress," I told Aria as I led her upstairs to her bedroom.

-

"Xavier," I almost yelled as I neared the pack house. He turned towards the source of my voice before he ran towards me using his super speed.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really," I said truthfully. My palms were sweaty and I could hear my own heart beat pounding in my ears. "I-Is he inside?"

"Yeah," he said. "Dinner is about to start. Don't worry about sitting next to him. I've made sure that you'll be next to me."

"Okay," I breathed out. "Thanks." As soon as I entered the pack house, a bunch of unfamiliar scents hit my nose. Three scents were familiar and one of those were Graysons.

"You're gonna be fine," Xavier whispered in my ear.

"Do you like my dress, Uncle Xavi?," Aria spoke up from my arms, using her nickname for Xavier. He looked down at her and broke out in a huge grin. He always says he hates the nickname but it's obvious that he loves it.

"You look stunning," he said to her before he grabbed her tiny hand and kissed it, making her burst out into a fit of giggles. A small smile made its way on my face. We walked towards the dining room before stopping.

"I can't do it," I breathed out through our private mind link. I was out of sight but I knew he could smell me. He knew I was here.

"Yes, you can. You're the most strongest person I know especially after all the crap you've been through. So I know you can do it," Xavier mindlinked me before he kissed my head. It was something he always did and I don't understand why. I looked up at him before Aria made a disgusted sound. We both looked down at her too see her disgusted face towards us.

"We do it all the time," Xavier said. "I even kiss your head too. Is that disgusting?" She shook her head before she burst out laughing. "Thought so. Let's go." He grabbed the hand that wasn't supporting Arias weight before he pulled me into the room. I stared at Xaviers back. I couldn't look up.

"This is Beta Xavier," Ace introduced. I rolled my shoulders back and stood beside Xavier. I watched as Ace had a small smile playing at his lips. "This is Alana Reid, our best warrior and one of the best in the world."

Ace turned to Xavier and I. "This is Alpha Grayson of the Blood Moon Pack."

Finally my eyes wandered over to him. The man who rejected me. Grayson. He looked a lot more mature than he did all those years ago. He seemed older as stubble covered his chin and his build was much bigger as his muscles flexed.

Damn, he could snap me like a twig with those muscles.

"It's been a long time, Alpha Grayson."