Quinn sat on the steps of her porch trying to get herself under control before walking into her house and facing her mother. She received a mind-link from Alivia but she just blocked everyone out.

She walked into her house to find her mom patiently waiting for her to come home. "Hey honey, I'm glad you're home!" She got up and gave her daughter a hug. "Should I get a pot going?"

"Please," smiled Quinn, following her mother to the kitchen.

They sat and talked for hours, catching up on everything from the last four years. Quinn didn't yet have the heart to tell her what happened that night but she would have to tell her at some point.

After their long talk, the two women went to bed. Quinn took off all of her clothes and crawled under the covers. Her mind went to Christopher. At this point she wasn't sure she even wanted his acceptance. Being alone is much easier.

****************************************

Christopher had barely seen Quinn in the last couple of weeks. By the time he got to the pack house to eat, she was always gone. The only trace of her ever being there was the aroma of peaches, cinnamon, and crème.

The rage he was feeling was slowly subsiding and while the hurt was still very much there, He wanted to give her a chance to explain. He and his wolf wanted their mate. Emma was no substitute for her and he knew it. Christopher was willing to forgive her if he could just have her. He hoped she wanted him too.

****************************************

Two weeks passed since Quinn returned home. She started to get back into the swing of things.

Quinn couldn't believe how much she missed cooking for the pack. Things weren't entirely the same, she had changed a lot, but the familiarity of the pack house kitchen made her feel a bit like the old self she was desperately trying to hold on to.

She intentionally avoided being alone with Christopher at all costs, sneaking into the pack house when he wasn't there and leaving before he arrived to eat. The only time she saw him was when Alivia, Ruben, and Evan were with her.

She couldn't stand the way he looked at her, one moment with genuine love, and another moment with complete hatred and rage. She felt she would crumble to pieces under his gaze.

Quinn realized that her body felt funny. Her breasts were swollen and tender and she felt nauseous constantly while simultaneously unable to control how much she wanted to eat. She thought maybe it was related to her not being able to her wolf much lately. She wasn't well. The bruises on Quinn's wrists were healing very slowly which meant her wolf either didn't want to or couldn't heal her.

The only time Quinn could really feel her was during runs but they were so few and far between since she was terrified to be out in runs with other people. And she definitely didn't want to run into Christopher out there alone.

Quinn considered rejecting him but she just hasn't been able to bring herself to do it. Those thoughts filled her mind as she sat with her mother, Evan, and Sarah to go over the menu for the coming holiday event.

The pack didn't celebrate most human holidays but one holiday they did celebrate was Valentine's Day. They used it as an excuse to throw a party, a celebration of mates. Even the unmated werewolves go to the party to see if they would get lucky. Tomorrow was that day.

After going over the food preparations with the group, Quinn went into town to do some shopping with Alivia. She didn't want to go for obvious reasons but Alivia insisted. She eyed some outfits that she knew she'd never fit in and decided to sit down outside of the store to wait for her friend. Shopping is no fun for me in these stores. They hardly carry anything over an XL.

Quinn began to wander around the mall, losing track of Alivia. In the window of the Torrid store, she spotted the perfect dress. It was a sparkling rose gold chiffon dress, paired with strappy nude heels. She had to have them both. She quickly tried on the dress, paid and was back to the store her friend was in before she even noticed Quinn had left.

"Oh, did you buy something?" Alivia asked as she finished paying.

"I sure did, you'll see it tomorrow night ."

"Can't wait!" Said Alivia linking Quinn's arms and walking out of the mall with her. It was already getting late and Quinn had to return to help prepare dinner.

Quinn prepared everything in a way that would make serving easy for the kitchen staff. Satisfied, she started to head home with a doggy bag in her hand.

Before she made it out of the door, however, Alivia ran into the kitchen begging her to come have dinner with them tonight.

"Why? Do you not see what I look like right now?" Asked Quinn motioning at herself.

"Quinn, it's fine. It's just us. Plus, you look cute with the little smudge of flour on your nose. And that apron... come on! It's adorable."

Quinn rolled her eyes at her friend but obliged anyway. She removed her hairnet and black apron, shaking her hair out and wiping her face with her hand. She was then pushed through the door by Alivia.