I looked at her retreating figure with a frown. What was going on in her mind? She didn't really think I liked Ashton in that way, did she?

Perhaps, I did like him; perhaps, I did not. It was all so confusing and I had no freaking idea what to think.

He probably had a second mate destined for him out there and it would only be a matter of time before he found her.

As much as I liked Ashton and wished the best for him, the thought of him finding his mate didn't make me feel too happy.

"You are being selfish, Ki," I told myself over and over again,"Just because Aden rejected you doesn't mean Ashton doesn't deserve his happiness."

Once I had finished a very late (and lonely, I might add) breakfast, I decided to pay Ash a surprise visit. I had never been to his office before and was curious to know more about what he did.

I knocked at his door hoping for a 'Come in', but that never came. So, I ambled in without permission. After all it wasn't like he was secretly making out with some bimbo inside, was he? So what's the point in knocking anyway? Unless he was in a meeting...

He looked up from his files smiling at me, "I knew it would be you!!" he said.

My eyebrows shot up surprised.

Dang! Was I really so obvious?

"I can smell you a mile away, Ki." He said answering my mental question.

Oooh right! My smell . . .

I was reminded immediately of the last time he said that, and gave him a knowing smirk.

He probably didn't realize it right away and stared at me for a whole minute until it hit him.

Once again, he turned an adorable shade of beet red, "That was not what I meant..."

"Yeah, yeah. You keep saying that." I said rolling my eyes.

"Honestly.. I.." He stuttered on trying to explain.

Looks like he wouldn't quit until he proved himself right...

Part of me was a tiny bit disappointed at his constant denial, but I brushed it off quickly.

"What else could you expect Ki? It's not like he's our mate!" Zara reminded me.

She was right. But that didn't stop the sadness from crawling in. Its pointless hoping I'll get lucky someday. "You need to be happy with what you have and not brood over your miserable love life." I told myself sadly.

"I know, Ash. I know you didn't mean it. It's not like we were anything, anyway." I said forcing a laugh.

I didn't want to embarrass him anymore. He was my best friend and I didn't want to lose him for such a silly reason.

I thought he would look relieved and laugh along with me. Instead he looked down biting his lip.

"Ash?" I asked him after a moment of hesitation.

Why was he so unusually quiet? I told him I was just pulling his leg, didn't I? Why the hell was he looking at everything else in the room except at me?Why then was he so...?

"Ki? Can...can I ask you something?" He asked me breaking into my thoughts.

"Since when did you need my permission for anything?" I smiled hoping to lighten the mood. "Ask away, Alpha."

It did not work though.

His expression did not change and he continued to gaze at me with an unfathomable look on his face.

"Well?" I prodded him, hoping he would quit the staring and ask me whatever he planned to.

The look he wore on his face made me feel strange.

It wasn't the kind that gave you butterflies in your stomach or made you go all gooey and mushy within. Instead, it made you feel warm and safe and cared for. It made you feel comforted and hopeful. It made you realize all wasn't lost yet and there are good things to come.

"Seriously, Ki? Warm and safe? Comforted and cared for? Have you lost it? This isn't a Wattpad fiction. It's real life, doofus!" Zara snorted.

I blinked. She was right, of course. What the hell was I even thinking?

"Get on with it, Ash." I told him, feeling awkward at his silence. "You're making me nervous."

"Kiara, I wanted to say... er..I li.."

The door flung open just then and Claire came barging in with a stack of files in her hands. "The reports are out, Alpha. There have been rogue sightings in three places of North America. The first was in—" She skidded to an abrupt halt at the sight of me. "What are you doing here?" She asked me bluntly before recovering herself.

Involuntarily, my eyes narrowed at her rudeness. "Excuse me?"

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea you two were-" she said turning red in embarrassment.

One look at her face and I knew it had been purely accidental. "Nah...that's alright. I was just having a small chat with him." I told her kindly hoping to ease the flustered look on her face.

I looked back at Ashton hoping he would say what he had in mind.

However, he ignored me and turned to Claire as he got busy with the reports she placed on his desk. I waited, hoping he would tell me once Claire was gone. Whatever it was it sounded pretty important...

Yet, Ashton seemed to share no such intention. It was as if he had forgotten about it altogether.

After shuffling my feet awkwardly for a few minutes, I decided it was best to leave. After all if it really was that important he would tell me when we meet for the training. I shouldn't be distracting him from his work.

"I should be going," I mumbled standing up. A part of me hoped Ashton would give me a reassuring smile that all was well between us. Sadly, no such thing happened.

It was Claire who looked up to give me a polite smile; one which didn't reach her eyes.

Ashton just looked up to give me a curt nod, avoided any sort of eye contact and buried his nose in the file again.

I frowned at his coldness and let out a huff. I quit the room indignant at his sudden change in attitude.

Wasn't he the same guy who gave me the warmest of smiles when I entered? What was it that turned him sour in a matter of a seconds?

I guess, Aden is not the only bipolar guy around. Apparently, all the guys whom I have known all my life turned out to be similar.

Was it Claire's entry then by any chance that had made him so cold and distant towards me?

"That is ridiculous!" I told myself, "You are blaming the poor girl for no fault of hers."

Ashton didn't turn up for the training in the evening and Elena informed me he had some urgent matter at hand.

I felt a slight pang of disappointment as I jogged along the pack perimeter alone. Was Ashton avoiding me on purpose? If so what had I done to receive such coldness? It couldn't be because I teased him, right? I mean, we have always poked fun of each other since the time we grew to be close friends. So why should he take it seriously now?

Or probably he was just trying to show off his proud Alpha status in front of me.

Nope, Ashton couldn't possibly turn all rude and cold overnight.

Unless he had a bipolar disorder, of course.

I ran my fingers through my long hair absentmindedly, mulling over all the possible reasons Ashton could find to hate me and yet so far nothing turned up.

I waited for him to appear for the pack dinner. But once again he seemed to have hatched up a convincing excuse and stayed locked up in his room.

I had a good mind to go and knock at his door in the middle of the night demanding the real reason behind avoiding me, but common sense or rather Zara took over at the last minute.

"He would probably be snoring away comfortably in bed. It would be foolish to wake him up now. For all we know, he really could have some important matter at hand. After all, the world doesn't revolve around you, so quit bossing over the poor guy! He may be just a bit stressed out after all the work and your nonsensical chatter does him no good!" She snapped once she had enough of the little debate going on in my head.

Being a good girl like I always am, I ignored her cruel remark on my nature and decided to spare Ashton's sleep tonight.

I'll get back to pestering him again tomorrow.

However, I never succeeded in getting him talk to me again after that. It had been three weeks now and Ashton was still fleeing at the mere sight of me.

And when I say fleeing, I mean it — literally.

I paced about my room contemplating. I was itching to know the reason behind his silence. After all what had I even done to receive his cold shoulder.

I marched up to Ashton's office and strode in without a knock. He recognized my smell a mile away anyway, didn't he?

He looked up from his files just in time to see me striding in with burning determination. Today would be the last day I tolerated this attitude of his. I was here to get answers and he'd better have them ready.

I thought I saw a glimmer of strange emotion in his eyes but he wiped it off his face before I could recognize it. I slammed my hand on his desk and glared at him hoping he would wither away this very instant.

He looked away from me. "Ki, I am busy right now. I co..."

I cut him off impatiently, "You have given me this excuse for the past one week. Get yourself a new one!" I barked, thoroughly irritated.

I expected him to protest and throw an argument back at me, instead he chose to look away biting his lip.

"Three weeks, Ashton." I ranted on when he said nothing in his defence. "It's been three weeks since we last had a proper conversation. You haven't talked to me since then, won't look at me in the eye and worst still avoid me like I'm a kind of disease. What is it that I ever told you that made you so cold and distant towards me?"

Ashton had a guilty look on his face when he opened his mouth to talk. "Kiara, please don't make a scene. I didn't mean to. . . "

I scoffed at that. Yeah, that was so believable.

"No, its true." He continued, noticing the skepticism in my eyes."J didn't mean to make you feel lonely. I did it because people began..."

However, as he continued to speak, the vision in front of me began to blur and his voice just seemed to bounce off my ears. I held up a hand to stop him and clutched the desk with the other.

I was beginning to feel oddly sleepy. It wasn't the feeling of dizziness followed by a blackout, rather it was as though someone put a sleeping spell on me. I could feel myself swaying as I struggled to remain cautious.

"Kiara, are you well?" Ashton's voice called out to me beyond the haziness and I opened my mouth to reassure him.

However, my legs began to weaken and no sound came out when I tried to reply. "What's happening?" I asked Zara in panic, through our bond. "What the fuck is going on?"

But contrary to what I felt, she seemed pretty excited for no reason and was leaping about with joy. "It's the moon Goddess, Ki. She wants to meet us!"

My mind couldn't quite register what she said and before I could ask her what she meant by that, I slipped out of consciousness and the last thing I saw was someone rushing towards me.