Nolan had stayed with Alex that night, and they had headed over the the training arena together the following morning. This was where Alex felt truly at home. She was given a great welcome from the pack warriors, even though she had only been gone a few weeks. There were hugs and handshakes; jokes about her new easy life as Luna and comedic pleas to return as the new Gamma had been working them to death. She took part in the training, enjoying the new styles and techniques Nolan had introduced since taking over as Gamma. She felt alive again, all her troubles sailing away as she focused on fighting and strategising and being part of an attack team again. It wasn't just something she enjoyed; fighting was part of her genetic make-up. She would never be able to sacrifice it. And she wished she had been given a mate who understood this, instead of one that felt it was a negative trait.

Alex made her rounds at the various afternoon trainings, surprising her nieces at school before pairing up with her father and the 'oldie Moldies' gang of senior pack members for their session, all of whom were delighted to see her again. She was exhausted as she headed home for a shower but invigorated. Today was the distraction she needed. Spending the afternoon and evening at Cain and Olivia's was next on the list, where she spent time running after each of the girls, reading them stories and making pillow forts.

After helping Cain and Alice put the kids to bed, Alex headed back to her own house where she knew Aidan would have arrived by now. His huge jeep was parked in the driveway and she steeled herself for a moment before she opened the front door. His scent was faint when she entered, telling her that he had been here but wasn't there now. Even with the upheaval between then, her heart still gave a flutter at that smell and the thought that he was somewhere nearby. The mate bond was truly a force to be reckoned with.

She reasoned that Aidan had gone for a run, or was meeting with Ronan. Ronan had been welcoming all the guests over the course of the day, with the pack house staff working overtime to ensure everything was in place for the arrivals and for the next day's ceremony. Alex got to work cooking chicken tacos, thankful to the staff for stocking her kitchen so fully with everything else they had to organise. She made enough for Aidan as well, leaving a plate covered for him on the kitchen counter.

Night fell as she sat on the couch, watching trash on tv. She wanted to talk to Aidan before she turned in and she was sure he would want to talk things over with her as well. They couldn't remain in this limbo long term. Some time later, Alex awoke on the couch, confused at first as to where she was. It took her a moment to realise that Aidan's scent was back in the house, which meant he had returned to the house, but had not woken her. She checked upstairs and, sure enough, Aidan's form was lying in the bed in one of the spare bedrooms, the shape moving slightly with each inhale and exhale. The euphoria she had felt earlier being back with the people and doing the things that she so loved, was well and truly gone. She was filled with a mixture of anger and sadness. He had avoided her instead of waking her up and talking to her. Maybe he has already made up his mind about rejecting our bond, she thought, her heart constricting at the idea of this. She couldn't focus on it now. She had Ronan and Alice's wedding to think about and enjoy, before she would have to deal with that fallout.

_____

Aidan heard Alex at his door and stayed still so as not to alert her to the fact that he was awake. It felt immature to ignore her but he was at a loss as to what to say. After spending a few hours in the car with Kit on their way to Black Mountain, Aidan had become more sure that Kit was an issue that needed to be resolved. Kit had spent time reminiscing about battles won in the past, times he had defended Aidan and been loyal to him despite the dangers that had posed at the time as well as admonishing many of the aspects of the new training, as though they were not merited and renowned. Aidan had finally started to separate out what his feelings were towards his pack and how he wanted to lead them, versus the past problems he had with taking over and changing the set up from the way his father had run the pack. Was he so afraid of changing things again that he was willing to reject a mate that had been chosen for him by the Moon Goddess? Was his leadership so fragile that he could not challenge the pack and people like Kit who had gotten used to things being run a certain way? What he knew for sure is that his heart was aching to be next to Alex, to touch her again and make her laugh. Did he have to make it more complicated than that? Couldn't he just give her the context of his background and family; how he had slaughtered his father, not just to avenge his mother and sister, but also for the better of the pack? That if she wanted to lead with him, that she would have to be mindful of the history of Lunar Ridge? He wasn't good at talking, or sharing his feelings. Marcus and his mother, Sandra, had pointed this out to him often enough over the years. But something had to change if he had any hope of building a life with his mate.