None of us went back to sleep that night. I don't know if it was the adrenaline still pounding or nerves but we all spent the remainder of the night sitting on the floor of the battered motel. It was too quiet, almost uncomfortable but at the same time it felt so right after what happened.

The sun began to slowly stream into the room as it crept up into the sky and with the arrival of the morning, everyone sprung into action.

"I'll take care of the manager." Amias stood and left the room.

Fran pushed off of the ground, "I'll gather our things." Matteo nodded and again we were left all on our own.

I stood up from the cold hardwood floor, stretching my limbs out in front of me. I walked in front of the small mirror hanging in the room and immediately my hand found my throat again. I felt my heart begin to pound terribly in my chest as I recalled the exact feeling of the blade against the fragile skin there. Matteo had gotten up as well, he had been rooting around for one of his shirts in his bag when he saw me from across the room. He immediately dropped the piece of cloth onto the floor, walking over to me and like he had so many times the night before he tugged my hands away.

I tore my eyes from the slight girl in the mirror and was face to face with a bare chested Matteo. His hand stroked my cheek and I found myself leaning into his palm, his touch moved lower to my neck and I immediately stiffened. Matteo paused over the makeshift bandage, "I just want to look at it."

True to his word, Matteo slowly unravelled the shred of shirt he fashioned into a wrap for my neck and I watched him work through our reflection in the mirror. He was a large shadowy figure next to my small and at this point, rather pale frame; magnifying our differences in the mirror. His nimble fingers carefully peeled the fabric from my skin, ignoring me soft hissing at the slight pain. Matteo examined the horizontal laceration and based off his lack of reaction, it seemed he was pleased with how it was healing. So much so that he left the wrapping off.

"No more of the creepy, obsessing over your neck sh:t, alright?" When I didn't respond, he took my chin in his hand, "Olive?"

His voice was quiet, his eyes were filled with a tangible concern. Matteo must be convinced that I was genuinely losing it and I was a little worried too. It was the sound of my name on his lips, however, that sent me over the edge.

Immediately tears welled up and spilled over down my cheek, Matteo looked horrified and utterly confused as he held my crying face in his hands. I could tell he wanted to let go and leave me to deal with this sh:t by myself but for some reason he forced himself to stay.

I was crying over what happened last night, I cried for the situation I found myself in but primarily I think I was crying because of the inescapable guilt that was spreading through my being like a wildfire.

Amias popped his head into the room, his eyes widening seeing us. "We're ready to go whenever." Matteo took his hands off of my tearstained face as Amias disappeared, he stood awkwardly in front of me as I continued to cry freely.

Matteo reached his hand out and hesitantly placed it on my shoulder, giving it a light pat. It would normally be a painfully uncomfortable move but from the little I knew about Matteo it seemed like a big gesture.

I sniffled and looked up at him through my soaked lashes with quiet gratitude written across my features which lead him to quickly drop his hand and clear his throat. He ditched me and went back to his bag and finished putting his shirt on, "Stop crying." He demanded over his shoulder when he heard me sniff again and just like that Matteo was back.

He swung his pack onto his shoulders and picked mine off the floor and tossed it over to me, effectively forcing me to snap out of it and get back into focus. I clumsily caught it and slipped it on, I stepped over a couple of the broken pieces of furniture and then I was walking out of the room and motel.

Once we were down, Amias immediately began smiling when he saw us walk through the parking lot towards them. He shot me a wink, I knew he was trying to lighten the mood and be playful but whatever he thought he saw earlier between Matteo and I simply didn't happen. I couldn't bring myself to smile.

Fran frowned, "Please tell me that she hasn't really been up there crying?" Amias hushed her and threw his elbow into her side but it was already said.

Normally, I would let something like this slide. I was so used to little comments like this, people being mean to me was kind of my daily routine but for some reason Fran's words hit a nerve.

"What's your problem?" I stepped away from Matteo and walked towards Fran, "What did I do to you to make you hate me so much?"

Fran looked startled, clearly not anticipating any sort of reaction from me. Frankly, I hadn't been expecting this sort of response from me either. It was right then in that moment I decided that I wanted to break my routine, I was tired of allowing people to go along beating and berating me. Matteo was right, I needed to be done doing nothing about my life.

"Olive, I--" She started but Matteo's amused laughter from behind us, cut both of us off.

"You should have seen the look on your face." Matteo murmured obviously entertained, "We need to get out of Jack's territory and into Alpha Isabel's land, we'll be safe in the woods there." He looked over at me and smiled, it was lighthearted and easygoing. Very unlike him.

He pointed north of the town, "Her pack gives us easy access, it is directly adjacent to Freeman's Land which means we find Lysander and then I get my wolf back."

"That's not the only thing about Isabel that was easy access." Amias leaned down and whispered to me, it didn't really make all that much sense but Amias got the desired point across nonetheless.

Matteo glared over at us, "What did you just say?"

Amias looked like he saw the grim reaper himself in that moment, "I was just explaining to our new Luna the complicated, inter-- errr relations and mingling between the other alphas."

He wasn't buying it, Amias had whispered loud enough for everyone to hear and I couldn't help to wonder if it had been intentional. "There's nothing to discuss and quit calling her that."

Both Amias and I turned towards each other, mirroring similar looks of confusion, "Luna?"

Matteo growled and dragged a hand through his hair. I wondered how his hair wasn't greasy all the time because he was constantly running his hands all up through it. "Yes, that! She's not the luna." He said it all very matter-of-factly.

Not that I cared in the slightest about being the Luna of the Malice Pack but his words caught me off guard. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Matteo hesitated for a moment, he looked annoyed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "This should all be over within the next two days that is what I mean." He turned away from me and began walking, leaving me standing there confused and slightly scared again.

Two days.

Forty eight hours and I was a deadman, for real this time. Matteo would find out that my dad wasn't really actively missing and that I was incapable of reciprocating the bond, that would be it.

Fran ignored me and followed dutifully behind Matteo while Amias stayed back with me. He looked ahead to make sure Matteo and Fran were occupied and once he was satisfied with the distance, he thrusted his hips into the air and made a banging gesture with a wolfish grin.

My gaze travelled from Amias' raunchy miming to Matteo's back. Him and Alpha Isabel had been a thing?