Xavier caught my eye and I took a moment to look over him. He honestly looked horrible. He was obviously sleep deprived and his gorgeous black hair was a mess. I saw a spark of light in his eyes though as he spotted me.

Tears of relief and happiness spilled down my mate's face. He stepped around my dad and walked out onto the deck, where I was standing. He crouched down and stretched his hand out, as if I were actually a wild animal.

"April?"

I barked and wagged my tail, wasting no time and nuzzling his hand.

He smiled and wiped his tears away, "can you shift?" I gave a small yip and walked out to the grass.

Scarlet! Help me shift!

Alright, but it's gonna be painful... I could hear the grimace in her words.

It wasn't any less than I was expecting, it had been months without shifting. I just hoed it wasn't going to be as bad as the first time when I turned sixteen.

I closed my eyes and focused on my human form. My long auburn hair, my dark freckles against my pale skin, my thin figure and the ragged clothes I was wearing last time I was in that form.

Soon enough, my bones popped and cracked. I let out a cry as my body transformed. As my human voice came back, the whimpering turned into screaming. It was as excruciating as my first shift three years ago.

Finally, I was lying on the grass; two legs, two arms, tangled hair. I shakily stood up, getting used to this form after so long.

I stood for a few moments before deciding I was ready. One glance at Xavier's concerned face was all it took for me to run straight into his arms. I leaped up and wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

I giggled as he kissed me all over my face before trailing to the curve of my neck. I shivered as he reached the groove where he would mark me and I was barely able to register my thoughts before he plunged his fangs into my neck.

The pain of the bite lasted only a few moments before the great feeling of the mate bond swept in, filling me with love for Xavier.

"I'm never letting anyone take what's mine ever again." He whispered in my ear. I beamed and kissed him passionately.

We only stopped because a few shouts of pain came from behind me, reminding me we weren't the only people there.

I hopped down from Xavier's arms and turned just in time to be embraced by Willow and Meadow. We cried together as we held each other tightly. We'd been through so much, and we were finally relieved to be safe, but our emotions were all over the place.

"What's going o—" we looked up to see Star standing in the doorway with another girl. "Willow? Meadow?" The girl who spoke made her green eyes go wide with shock and happiness.

"April!" Star exclaimed, breaking away from the girl's grip and running into my arms. "You made it back!"

Meadow bolted up from the grass and flung herself into the other girl's arms. "Ivy!"

I glanced at Star and she nodded. "Xavier found her in the woods the day you were taken. She came and got me out of the cells when your pack attacked."

I pulled her tight again. "I'm so glad! I was so worried you were out there in the woods."

Star jerked back suddenly. "Kallie! Let me go get her."

My mouth popped open, my brain not quite believing I heard her right. "K-Kallie's here?"

Ivy nodded and pulled Meadow out of the way as Star dashed past and disappeared into the pack house.

Xavier helped me off the ground and pulled me in for another hug. He seemed to be inhaling my scent. "I missed you so much," he whispered.

I smiled and buried my face into his shirt, so happy to be in his arms. "I missed you too."

"April!" A tiny voice shrieked. I choked back another wave of tears, instantly recognizing the voice.

A flash of red streaked out the door and leaped into me, clinging to my torso like a monkey. "Kalama!" I exclaimed joyfully. I wrapped my arms around her small body and hugged her her so tight I was afraid I might break her.

After a few moments, I shifted her up so that she was sitting on my hip and she wrapped her little arms around my neck. "Please don't ever leave me again." She whispered and I felt my heart shatter for her.

"Of course not." I replied. "I love you so much, Kallie, and I should not have left you in that tree."

I peeked over at my mate and saw him grinning at the two of us. "You found her, didn't you?" I asked.

"More like she found me." He answered softly. "I was in the woods looking for you and she tumbled out of a bush. I brought her back and she's been in the hospital wing, but she won't let us really help her. She was waiting for you."

I sighed and pulled back from Kallie. "Why didn't you let them help you?"

She looked down, "I wanted you. I missed you."

I smiled and kissed her forehead. "I missed you too. Why don't we go get cleaned up, okay?"

She nodded and I carried her into the house. At the bottom of the stairs, I set her down and let her start climbing up. I turned to Xavier, who had followed me in.

"Did you call her parents, or at least her pack? Do they know she's safe? And what about Ivy and Star?"

Xavier shook his head solemnly, "Kalama mentioned something about her parents being dead and not wanting to go back to her pack because of it. We didn't push it, so maybe you can talk to her." He sighed and lifted his lips into a smile, "as for Ivy and Star, we found that they are from the Blue Moon Pack. We called them and their parents are very relieved they are safe. Star was adamant to stay here until we found you and the other two girls, and now that you're here I think she'll go home within a week." I nodded. That was understandable, and while I'd miss her terribly, she needed to go back to her own pack.

"Ivy. . ." He continued and I gave him a confused look. "There's something holding her here and I'm not sure what it is. At first I thought it was me, as I rescued her and connected with her. But she knows I have a mate and now that you're home, she can see that I'm off limits." I pushed down the surge of jealousy that had unexpectedly sprung up while he was talking.

He grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. Kalama was already at the top of the steps, waiting for us, so he started helping me up the stairs.

I could probably do it myself, but I was so weak and tired I wasn't sure. I was thankful for Xavier helping me without having to speak about it.

"What else would be keeping her here, then?"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure." We reached the top of the stairs and Xavier gave me a quick kiss. "I'll leave you two to get cleaned up now. I need to go make a call."

Suddenly a thought occurred to me and I grabbed his hand, stopping him from heading back downstairs. "Where'd my father go? And where's the rest of my family? And what about Andrew and Everleigh and Jacob?"

"Woah, slow down April. They're all okay, well Jacob were unsure about. We haven't seen him since the day you were taken. Everleigh is beside herself, she mostly sulks and cries for you. Andrew met his mate —" I opened my mouth to comment, but Xavier shushed me. "It's too much to talk about right now. When you're rested and can actually stand up on your own, I'll explain everything."

I glanced down, realizing I was sitting on the top step with Kalama in my lap. I was unsure of when that happened. "Okay."

He smiled and leaned down to kiss my head again before descending the stairs. Kallie turned on my lap and leaned her head into me.

"I know your tired, but can I help you get cleaned up first?" I didn't know how she was able to be here this long without getting clean.

She nodded sleepily and I lifted her up, carrying her down the hall and into my room. I inhaled sharply when I walked in.

I'd been gone so long, but nothing here had changed. It looked the way I'd left it all those months ago, except for the bed. My bed had definitely been laid on. I chuckled when I took a whiff and knew it had been Xavier.

I set Kallie down and walked into the bathroom that connected my room to my sister's. Speaking of which, I realized I hadn't seen Mag at all. I looked in her room, but it was empty, her bed made and her room clean. That was odd.

I sighed and made a mental note to myself to ask Xavier about her later. I walked back to see Kalama waiting for me in the doorway of the bathroom and my room.

"Can you shower by yourself, or do you want me to help you with a bath?" I asked her.

She thought out loud, giving me the personality I had missed so much. "Well, I'm seven now, so shouldn't I be able to take a shower by myself? But I was three when I was taken..." She looked up at me. "Can I shower but you be here in case I need help?"

I nodded and smiled at her, "of course!" I led her into the bathroom and showed her where the shampoo was and the body wash and how to turn the water on. She undressed and stepped in. "I'll be right here if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

She ended up not needing that much help, only asking how much shampoo and how to turn the water back off. I wrapped her in a towel as she stepped out and I carried her into May's room. I set her down and dug through my sister's dresser, looking for something small that would fit her. But because Kalama was so tiny from being malnourished and then living in the woods, all May's clothes were too big for her. So instead, I grabbed a stool and took down a box full of clothes that May had outgrown. Thankfully, they were perfect and I helped her put on the pajama outfit.

I took her back to the bathroom and brushed through her curly red hair, making it smoother than it has probably been for the last four years. She ran her fingers through it after I was done, her face bright with astonishment. "Wow! My hair is so soft and smooth now!"

I giggled, "that's how it's supposed to feel!" She giggled too and I grabbed the box of May's old clothes, bringing it with me to my room and placing it beside my dresser.

Kallie followed me and I thought about just putting her to bed, but realized she was probably hungry. I didn't know how much she had eaten since Xavier found her, but I doubted it was a lot after what Xavier told me.

"Hey, why don't you go downstairs and find Xavier. He's probably in the kitchen, and he'll find you something to eat while I take a shower."

She nodded and scurried off, closing the door behind her. When she was gone, I picked out sweatpants and a t shirt before jumping in the shower. Just as I turned the water on, I realized I'd forgotten to talk to Kallie about her home pack.