For Amara, waking up the next morning feels like rousing from the dead. Her body is heavy and her eyelids want to shut. In the distance, she hears a persistent beep and realizes what woke her up was her phone. Clumsily reaching over to the nightstand, she manages to grab the insufferable thing. Who could it be? Only a couple of people even have her number. A text from Sina flashes on the screen and Amara flops back into bed before reading it.

Sina: Hey! You doin' alright? I've been seeing a lot more Enforcers patrolling. The parentals say it's probably nothing but I thought you might know since ur at the epicenter of activity.

That is literally the one thing Amara did not want her asking. She doesn't want to lie but she’s not sure what people are being told. Maybe if she wasn't an idiot and had bothered asking last night instead of groping their Alpha then she would know. With a loud groan, she slaps a hand over her face. Amara isn’t an idiot even if she had been doubtful before, last night made it clear that there is something there and not just on her end. The thing is, she still hasn’t decided what she wants to do about it if anything. For now, something else needs her immediate attention.

Let's talk later, I can swing by your place around lunchtime.

If nothing else, that will give Amara time to find out what she is and is not allowed to say...or maybe she'll just tell her what happened and make it clear it has to stay quiet.

Sina: OOH! must be juicy then :D later babe!

Tossing her phone back on the nightstand, she contemplates staying in her room and never facing anyone ever again. That won't help anyone though so she rolls out of bed to get ready for the day. The clock hanging above the bed shows she had only slept a couple of hours. It is still early morning so she figures her best bet is to head down to the kitchen.

Black leggings, flip flops, and a slightly cropped baggy t-shirt tied in a knot at the waist will do for today. Because falling asleep on Maddox seems to be a thing now, she never got to properly put her hair up before bed which means her curls are doing whatever they want after getting rumpled while she slept. The easiest thing is to throw it up in a bun and call it done. On this day, no fucks were given and she is perfectly fine with that.

Skipping down, Amara tries to appear more energetic than she feels. She can hear more activity than usual. Peeking in, she sees a group busy making food. Immediately she recognizes Lauren, Jonah, and Emma's mother. She spots Amara and waves her over.

"Morning sweetheart, want a little something to eat?" Her greeting is warm and she gives her a hug.

"Sure but what's going on? Usually, it’s only on the weekends that big breakfasts get made, right?" she asks curiously, leaning her hip against the countertop while trying to gauge if word of the rogue had gotten around.

"Babe, they may not be letting us in on what's happening but most of us have been married to or known these men long enough to recognize when there's a problem. Until we're told anything, all we can do is support them by keeping their bellies full. I'm Alesha by the way." The woman that spoke up has the most beautiful skin Amara has ever seen. Warm deep ebony with chestnut eyes and gorgeous Senegalese twists cut into a bob.

"Nice to meet you, Alesha, I'm Amara. Since I'm already here I'd love to lend a hand. Is there anything I can do?"

"We can always use extra hands around here" Lauren assures her.

"Come help me roll and bake these biscuits and you can get to know the rest of the ladies. Sound good hun?" It's Alesha who asks Amara to help her out. It feels nice being there and feeling included. She is introduced to them all, from what she can tell none are as young as her but they get along like a house on fire right away.

They are funny, sweet, and warm but obviously strong. Each one is so different and she finds herself fitting right in and joining in on conversations. Even without answers or any clear indication they still take action in any way they can to support the pack as a whole.

"We're a bit much, aren't we? You'll get used to it soon" Alesha jokes and bumps her shoulder playfully.

"The one that's a bit much is you, Ale, you're always the one getting the party started" A guy probably only a few years older than Amara named Kaede teases back. He has regal Japanese features and stunning Almond eyes currently lined with a subtle hint of bronze. "Someone has to!" Is Alesha's response, bringing on another bought of laughter and more teasing back and forth.

In no time at all, they manage to finish everything. Half the food is served in the huge dining room while the rest is portioned and packed to deliver to the men now patrolling around the clock. Their efficiency is incredible. I have so much to learn from them She thinks to herself.

"Thanks for helping out baby girl. You're welcome in the kitchen any time" Lauren’s voice is so motherly and Amara happily promises to help again whenever it’s needed. Saying her goodbyes, she is handed a to-go bag and sent on her way with hugs.

Despite the lively morning, Amara can feel the exhaustion blurring the edges of her mind and she needs to recharge a little after the bought of social interaction. She is normally pretty good with it but being tired makes everything just a little harder. With that in mind, she detours to the library so she can eat in peace and quiet.

Being careful to not make a mess, Amara finishes her breakfast before walking around to find another book since she finished the last one, and reading before bed is one of her favorite ways to decompress. Before she knows it, she has a small stack piled up on one of the various tables scattered around. On this last trip to the expansive shelves before leaving to drop her new picks off in her room, she spots the book she had been holding when she fell off the ladder.

Although it most likely doesn't contain anything all that interesting, she drops it onto the pile, too curious not to at least skim it. Letting her eyes drift to the antique clock, it is almost noon. She should be meeting Sina soon so there’s no more time to keep meandering.

Of course, when she goes to grab her cellphone to text Sina that she’ll be over in a few, she comes up empty-handed considering her leggings have no pockets and she didn’t even think to grab it before heading down.

Piling the books on top of the dresser back in her room, she turns and sees her phone sitting there on her nightstand, openly mocking her. She throws on her army green bomber jacket and sticks her phone in the pocket. Swinging her door open, she nearly gets a fist to the face. Standing there is Sina about to knock on her now open door. “Oops. When you didn't come around I figured I should just come to you" she explains sheepishly.

Looking around to make sure no one is around, Amara ushers the redhead through her room into the bathroom so no one passing by can hear their conversation.

Shutting the bathroom door they sit in the tub together. "You have to promise not to tell anyone"Amara looks her in the eyes so she knows it isn’t a joke.

"I promise. Secret’s safe with me" Sina holds out her pinky out and Amara interlocks it with her own, childishly sealing the promise. "There was an intruder last night and Alpha Maddox along with some of the Enforcers caught and detained him...It was a ulfhednar" her voice is barely above a whisper but she knows Sina heard her by the shock registered on the redhead's face.

"Are you serious?! I've only ever heard stories. What the heck would one be doing trespassing here? Alone at that. That's just crazy."

She's not wrong, the ulfhednar are almost like myths, boogeymen that shifters avoid talking about and hope to never encounter. They pop up from time to time but their most bloody rampages seemed to stop around the time Amara was born. There's no real information as to why they stopped which is something she had always found odd. Their last full-scale attack ended with the previous Wolf King’s death so their slow down in activity was a weird result.

"Pretty much. As far as I know, he's being questioned at an undisclosed location. Announcing it to everyone would just cause unease when there isn't much information about his motives."

"Man, that's some serious business. No wonder security was bumped up. It is kinda scary but I also sort of wanna sneak in and see him. When would you ever get a chance to without the risk of death or torture?" Sina gets a mischievous smile but Amara automatically shuts her train of thought down.

"As fun as peeping on a potentially dangerous stranger sounds, it's also by far the worst idea I've ever heard."

"That's cause you haven't been around Scottie enough yet. He has bad ideas all the time. Mine are left for special occasions." Sina playfully sticks her tongue out making Amara shake her head. "I guess it will be my job to keep us all out of trouble then."

"Please, you’re a trouble magnet of your own. I could tell right away. If anything, we’ll be helping you out of whatever crazy thing decides to find you.” Amara is stuck between feeling warmed or insulted at how easily she has just been read. She momentarily considers whether she should tell Sina the rest or not but quickly decides she doesn't want to keep it from her. "There's another part to the intruder story I didn't tell you about.”

Well here goes nothing. She launches into the story of how she was the first to encounter any trace of the rogue. Then their subsequent attempt to get the message out and finally delivering the kids home safe and getting back to the pack house. She kept out mentions of Lyam or her later visit to Maddox because that would require a whole other explanation she didn't want to get into.

"Holy shit! why didn't you start with all of that?! I drop you off and miss all the cool stuff" Sina is now pouting so Amara pokes her in the side.

"Sometimes that's just what happens. I'd rather have missed it myself. It's honestly so weird. You have to wonder if he's just messing with us. Regardless that is what we have to go on according to Carter and Maddox."

"Maddox is it? Getting pretty close to our Alpha I see"Sina says with a teasing smile.

"Oh god, not you too!" Amara slaps a hand over her face to hide.

"Someone else noticed?"

"What? no, never mind. It's really nothing."

The smirk on Sina's face shows she's clearly not believing her. "You say that but I've caught you looking at him. I've also noticed him looking at you too. Maybe our big bad Alpha has a thing for you too."

Amara isn’t ready to fess up when she has just barely let herself mentally acknowledge that Maddox might return her feelings to some degree so she fibs a little, "There's absolutely no way. Not that it matters cause I'm not interested either" or a lot.

"You are such a bad liar. No worries, my lips are sealed but I know I'm right" She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively with a dopey grin earning a laugh from Amara.

Sina suddenly sits up straight like she just remembered something “I saw your mom earlier. We talked for a little bit and she told me your birthday is in a couple of weeks. You should have told me! We have to celebrate! You know twenty-one is a big deal."

"I had planned to but things kept coming up and I honestly forgot. I did get a birthday dress in town so maybe we can go out for it or something, invite a few people along." That's the honest truth. So much has happened in such a short period that the days start to blur into each other.

"Leave it to me! I'll plan something good. I am the queen of surprises so be ready for an epic birthday." There's probably no use in telling her it doesn’t have to be anything big or special now that the idea is in her head. Amara doesn’t actually mind. It’s...nice, having a close friend want to go through the trouble of making her birthday special.

“Hey, I figured out where we should start our travels. Figured we could start doing research so we’re ready when the time comes” Amara says, remembering the idea that had been rolling around in her head and she hopes Sina is up for it cause she has sort of already hyped herself up for it.

“Really?!” the redhead looks eager but something else in her face is slightly off. “Did you think it wouldn’t actually happen?” Amara guesses and Sina’s blush gives the answer away. “It’s not against you! It’s just… Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the moment then have things fall through. I just didn’t want to get excited for it then have it not happen” she explains shyly.

“Hey, it’s alright. I get it” Amara pulls her in for a brief hug “You don’t have to worry though. I am fully invested in this. I even downloaded a new language app to start learning the basics of a few different languages so we can at least get directions wherever we go. It won’t be necessary right away if we go with my starting pick...New Zealand!” she reveals with a beaming grin that is instantly mirrored by Sina.

“Oh my god, that is perfect! Why didn’t I think of that? They have gorgeous scenery! Mountains, beaches, glaciers, flippin volcanoes!”

“And Hobbiton! You can’t forget Hobbiton cause you bet your ass we are visiting.” They continue on like that, making loose plans and looking up flight prices to get an idea of how expensive it might be. They both agree to backpack across the island to experience the most they possibly can without breaking the bank. Besides, backpacking is part of the adventure.