By the time Natalie and Matthew left it was a bit past one, and all throughout the meal filled with conversation and a bit of laughter between Matthew, Nat, and I, Greyson stayed chillingly silent with his eyes continuously falling on me as if he wanted to say something but was afraid to. So as soon as they'd left, Greyson gently took my hand and led me up into his office. "What are we doing?" I asked, pulling my eyebrows as I walked back into the office I hadn't set foot in since that night.

"We need to formulate a plan to protect you and the pack," Greyson stated as he sat down on his chair, his eyes hesitantly asking me to sit with him. And I carefully did that. One foot in front of the other until I was settled on Greyson's lap, bringing back waves of nostalgia from the first time we were in here together.

Once I was comfortable and my wolf was ecstatic that we were so close to our mate once more, he gently pushed us up to his desk where a map of the pack was laid out, different colored shapes representing different things or people. He then opened one of his lower drawers and pulled out a huge stack of papers. "These are all plans and negotiations that we're going to sort through to help us do that."

I found myself picking up a negotiation, all of them multiple pages in length, and as I flipped through it, I got to the final page where Greyson would sign on the Alpha line and me on Luna. I sighed. "I can't sign any of these, Greyson. I haven't had my Lunar Ceremony and with everything going on-"

"Screw a Lunar Ceremony. Given the circumstances, we can skip the formalities and do everything we can to rip that bastard's limbs off and bash his skull in." He paused as if suddenly realizing something, his eyes locking onto mine. "Wait...you still want to be my Luna?" The vulnerability and hope that resonated in his voice caused my insides to melt as I slowly slid my hand into his and laced our fingers together, hesitant at first due I relaxed and gave him a soft squeeze.

"Yeah," I softly said. "Greyson, I told you that I wanted to make this work, and I mean it. Plus, what kind of person would I be if I put the lives of everyone in this pack in danger then opted out?"

Greyson smiled as his grip on my hand tightened. He had a pretty smile. "A bad one, like me."

I playfully punched his shoulder causing him to laugh. I didn't like how much he was beating himself up. We'd already established what he was to fault for, but there was no need for him to keep holding it over his own head.

We looked over the negotiations and I separated them into piles that I agreed and disagreed with. It honestly surprised me that this pack had so many alliances seeing their bad reputation, but at the same time, it didn't.

When I was finished looking over my seventh negotiation, Greyson was lowly mumbling to himself as he looked over the layout of the pack, his eyebrows furrowed and a look on concentration on his face. "If we go with the sixteen B defense then quadrant three will be most vulnerable, but if we go with operation Z, we'll be covered all around but by a thin margin," he mumbled to himself before he bit his bottom lip in thought before he turned to me. "What do you think?"

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. "If I'm honest, I don't know what sixteen B or operation Z is, but what I do know is that you need to broaden those whom you allow to fight."

His eyebrows furrowed even further. "What do you mean?"

"You're specifications for who can fight and who can't are very specific. There are plenty of able-bodied women in this pack, for example, who might not fit your standard, but that's only because you haven't given them a chance. I mean, I was a hopeless fighter but after a few weeks with the Warriors, I'm one of the strongest fighters there."

"But we're not guaranteed next week, Avery. Especially not with Phoenix-"

"We're not guaranteed the next second, Grey. That's why we need to get on this now. Speaking of which," I said glancing at the clock, "I have less than thirty minutes until training starts. Can I please go?"

Greyson looked at me for a moment with a look I couldn't decipher before he reluctantly nodded and moved the chair back so I could get up. "Fine, But you're not training with the Warriors."

My eyebrows furrowed. "Greyson, what-"

"You're training with me," he said, cutting me off. "We're fighting an Alpha, and in order for you to beat one, you'll need to think, act, and fight like one." I bit my bottom lip, silently flipping over the idea in my head as I remembered the last time we'd sparred together, filled with laughter and fun. But that was a lifetime ago and things were completely different. We'd been doing it for fun and as an excuse to be together, but now I was training to fight for my life against Phoenix and maybe even Gavin if push came to shove.

Though, on one hand, I knew it would be extremely beneficial, but on the other I didn't want to be doing such a physical and violent activity alone with Greyson, not only in fear of what Gavin might do but also in fear of what I might do, especially with such prolonged physical contact.

As if reading my mind he quickly added, "I could ask Matthew to come and keep an eye out in case...something happens."

I bit my bottom lip in thoughts as my eyes jumped from the map of the pack grounds to the stack of negotiations that was on the desk, before finally landing on Greyson. "How about this, if I train with you today, you promise to help me put together an open training session. It'll be the same intensity as a Warrior training session, that way we can see who's fit to fight and who has value elsewhere. Once we get those numbers, we can accept the proper negotiations and possibly draft others of our own." Caught up in my train of thought, I slid the map of our territory closer to me as my eyebrows furrowed in concentration and my eyes manically scanned the paper. "We would need the strongest along quadrants one and four since they face the woods and that's where most of Phoenix's forces are going to come from...no, no, no, he could come around quadrant two because even though it's less conventional, it gives him a more direct shot. Maybe if we implement the negotiations with the Ash Mountains Pack, they could take care of the woods and cliffs since they're trained for more uneven and thick terrain and we could keep our own more centralized..." I trailed off as I chewed my thumb and tried to organize my scattered thoughts before I felt the heat of Greyson's gaze on me. He had an amused glint in his eyes.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said as the corners of his mouth turned up as an almost embarrassed look spread across his face. "You just...you look cute when you're focused. Beautiful, even." Now it was my turn to be embarrassed as I looked down and a blush stained my cheeks. That was the first time Greyson had ever called anything I'd done "cute". And beautiful... It was the very first thing he'd called me when we met. But so much time has passed between then and now and we're under completely different circumstances.

Greyson softly chuckled before placing a quick gentle kiss on my forehead. "Come on, little wolf. Let's get dressed and I'll show you a thing or two."

I rolled my eyes at the old nickname though a smile was tugging at my lips before I climbed off his lap and started walking toward our bedroom. Instead of changing my whole outfit, I merely changed out of Greyson's sweatshirt into a sports bra then applied some more deodorant. I was about to put on my trainers when something on my dresser caught my eye: the wolf necklace Greyson had gotten me so long ago. I couldn't help but smile as I gathered it in my palm. I found myself sneaking a glance at Greyson, relieved to see his back facing me, before I stealthily slid it on despite my better judgment, then proceeded to hunt down and put on my trainers.

"Are you ready, little wolf?" Greyson asked as soon as I finished tying my shoes and I nodded.

We walked in a comfortable silence through the woods, simply appreciating the world around us as well as each other's presence. But when we passed the clearing we usually trained at, my eyebrows furrowed. "Greyson, where are we going? The clearing's back that way."

"Patience, little wolf," he teased. "It'll do you wonders."

I punched him in the shoulder, causing him to laugh before he grabbed my hand and started running, causing me to run as well to avoid losing an arm. "Grey, slow down!" I laughed as he continued running with the excitement of a little boy.

"Come on, Avery. We're almost there," he urged and after a few more moments he stopped. I knew exactly where we were.

"The cliff," I breathed, feeling like I was reliving a distant memory.

"The cliff," he confirmed as he looked at the large stretch of nature that was hundreds of feet beneath us.

"Have you ever been down there?" I asked, motioning over the edge and he shook his head.

"I'd like to let nature be down there. I don't want to disturb it or taint it."

I felt my heart flutter as he spoke about something as simple as nature.

I was totally wiped.

"Come on, let's get away from the edge then I'll teach you a thing or two," he teased with a wink as we started backing away from the edge.

"Oh really?" I asked as we started circling each other once we were a respectable distance away from the edge so we wouldn't accidentally murder each other. He nodded in response.

"Now, don't feel too bad when I whoop your butt," I cockily joked as our circle became closer. He was analyzing me and I him. "You might be the Alpha, but I'm not afraid to knock you down a few notches."

"We'll see about that," he said before lunging at me.

My Warrior mind kicked in as I recalled everything Matthew, Natalie, and the rest of the Warriors had taught me. I side-stepped, careful not to put all my weight on one foot to prevent me from stumbling like I had the last time Greyson and I sparred. He wasted no time throwing a punch at me which I effortlessly blocked. I barely had time to think between the combos of punches and kicks he was throwing at me, but all I did know was that I was making him frustrated. I was putting up I good fight.

He threw a punched and I caught his arm before I pulled him toward me then head-butted him and finished it off with a knee to the stomach. But he caught my knee and held it tight. Sweat began forming on the back of my neck as we came to a stand-still, the only thing being heard was our labored breaths. "You're putting up a good fight, little wolf," Greyson said, causing the edge of my mouth to turn up into a smirk.

"You haven't seen anything yet, Alpha," I teased before I jumped off my supporting leg and kicked him as hard as I could in the stomach, causing him to grunt as he let go of my knee and flew backward. I let out a groan of my own as my body came into hard contact with the ground, and despite how tired I was, I forced myself to my feet to see Greyson still on the ground.

This was my chance.

Without wasting another second, I made my way over to Greyson and straddled his waist and pinned his arms above his head. "Yield," I demanded, causing him to smirk.

"Why don't you make me?"

I let out a growl as I got in his face trying to be as intimidating as possible. "Yield, Greyson."

He lifted his head so his lips were almost touching mine. "Make me," he whispered, his low husky voice driving my wolf and I wild. But we've played this game before and I knew exactly what he was doing.

"You wanna play rough, I'll play rough," I whispered just as husky before I roughly grabbed him and flipped him over so that his stomach was pressed against the ground and his arms were pulled in such a way that it created a very painful pressure point.

"Avery-"

"Yield," I ordered, though I hated putting him in pain. But I had to imagine Greyson as Phoenix who'd have no mercy. I pulled tighter. "Greyson, yield before I break your arm," I said, though I was almost begging him.

"Fine, I yield. I yield," he said in a strained voice before I let him go.

"Not too shabby, huh?" I said between pants, causing him to chuckle as he shifted beneath me and sat up so that I was now sitting on his lap chest to chest with him.

"Not shabby at all, little wolf. I'm impressed," Greyson said as he hesitantly placed his hand on my lower back. Once he saw that I wasn't resisting, he firmly placed it there. "I have to say that I'm impressed. Your movements were mainly clean and you kept me on my toes. It was a nice start." He started running his fingers up and down my spine, causing me to involuntarily shiver under his touch. He smiled before his eyes focused on my chest.

"You still have it," he whispered as he gently touched my necklace.

"Yeah," I said as a smile of my own took place across my lips.

He looked at me like a kid looked at his first crush. "It looks beautiful on you." By now our faces were centimeters apart and it was moments like this that I was glad Matthew was running late. I could feel Greyson's longing in the air between us, and as much as a part of me wanted to give into it, I knew that I needed to stay focused on the mission at hand: learning how to defend myself so that I could defend others.

"Why don't we get back to it?" I whispered, my lips barely brushing his as I spoke, causing him to snap out of his trance.

"Okay, but this time I won't go easy on you," he playfully warned as I climbed off of him then offered him my hand.

"As if. You're just saying that. Admit that I beat you fair and square."

"Never," he said before he punched me.

"Hey that's not fair, we didn't start!"

"Rule one of battle: it never starts, it happens. You're not going to have the chance to circle around each other, and there sure as hell aren't any rules so as of right now in this training, anything goes," he said before trying to punch me again, which I thankfully avoided. But I didn't have time to bask in my victory before I felt hands around my ankles and my body slammed into the ground once more.

That's when my heart started racing and my mind was filled with the awful images of that night: Gavin on top of me, my slashed open ankles, blood everywhere.

That's when I screamed as loud as I could as tears sprung to my eyes.

It was like I was there all over again, helpless and weak, at the mercy of a murderous beast. "Please don't," I begged as the wolf stood over me. "I-I thought you loved me. Please, st-stop." I could smell my blood in the air and feel the pain weave through my body. I was helpless.

"Avery, Avery, open your eyes!" a distant voice called but all I could focus on was the savage wolf on top of me. I screamed again, hoping that someone would hear my cry, but no one came. Without a moment's notice, he started digging his teeth and claws into my flesh. And I felt every second of it.

"Avery!" a voice yelled, causing my eyes to snap open as I desperately tried to take in the world around me. "Avery look at me," the voice desperately said, but once I saw who it belonged to, I froze.

"N-No," I said, shaking my head as I backed away from the beast that was disguised as my mate. "You stay away from me, Gavin," I spat as I frantically started looking for places to run, but since we were on a cliff I couldn't go anywhere but down the hundred-foot drop.

"No, no, no, Avery, it's me I promise," he said as he slowly moved closer to me.

"Please just leave me alone," I begged as I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my head. I was shaking.

"Avery, please look at me," he gently begged. "Look at my eyes and you'll see that it's me."

I found myself slowly lifting my head after a few moments to see the familiar moss green eyes of my mate, not the soulless black ones that belonged to Gavin. "Gr-Grey?" I softly asked as I placed a shaking hand on his cheek and he nodded.

"It's me, little wolf," he softly said, concern evident in his eyes before he scooped me up in his arms and held me to his chest. I sobbed and held onto him as tight as I could.

"I-I saw him, Greyson," I sobbed. "I felt him and I heard him and I..." I trailed before falling into an insurgent fit of sobs and screams as the memory played itself over and over again.

"I've got you Avery, I'm here," Greyson promised as he held me tighter. "He won't get to you, I promise." He placed a gentle series of kisses along my forehead and face, slowly calming my racing heartbeat. Once I started calming down a bit he said, "I was so scared, Avery. You just went down and started screaming and crying and shaking and now that I know it's all because of him, because of me...I hate myself."

I instantly felt bad for my moment of weakness and mistaking him as the beast we both hated so much, but just the feeling of someone's hands around my ankles...

"No, Grey, don't-"

Suddenly dozens upon dozens of scents rushed into my nose and surrounded us. "What happened?" Matthew's concerned voice asked. "We came as soon as we heard her scream."

We.

Embarrassment moved through me as I realized that not only did I look weak in front of Matthew and my mate, but I looked weak in front of the Warriors and whoever else had heard me scream as well. I buried my head deeper into Greyson for support and comfort. "I've got you, little wolf," he said low enough for only us two to hear before he placed another kiss on my forehead.

He must've given Matthew some kind of look because after a few seconds Matthew said, "Everyone go back to what you were doing. We thank you for your timely response, but there is nothing to worry about."

"Thank you all," Greyson added.

"Yes, Alpha!" they chorused before all their scents disappeared and I knew that it was only Greyson. Matthew, and Nat.

"What happened to her?" Natalie gently asked.

"I don't know, but let's not push it right now," Greyson gently stated as he stood up and started carrying me. "I need to take her home."

"We'll meet you there," Natalie suggested.

"Look, I'm sorry I was late. I had to finish up a session with the Warriors and a couple of them got into it again-" Matthew started, but Greyson cut him off.

"It's fine," he said. "We're just lucky that it wasn't anything more serious. Next time just leave it to Nat, okay?"

"Yes, Alpha. It will not happen again."

"Good, you are dismissed."

"Greyson, uh, do you mind if I stay with you guys? Avery's in a fragile state and I want to stay with her if that's okay?" Natalie said as more of a question than a statement as I felt a hand on my back, causing me to jump a bit.

There was a long pause before Greyson reluctantly agreed though he held me closer. I found myself nuzzling into his neck and collecting his scent to further calm me down.

I didn't know what was happening to me, but whatever it was terrified me. If I couldn't handle training with Greyson, how could I face Phoenix or even Gavin?

The very thought made me break down again.