Falling asleep at the break of dawn means she doesn't wake until it's well into the afternoon. Her body feels sluggish and begs for more rest. Amara knows the fog covering her mind won't lift until she gets up and starts moving. With an annoyed grumble, she practically lets herself fall off the bed and crawl into the bathroom. Splashing her face with cold water starts the waking process so she can wash up and change.

Rummaging through one of the dresser drawers, she spots a note and picks it up, her brain finally registering the big bad wolf missing from her room. She recognizes his handwriting and picks up the tulip that had been left resting next to it. He explains why he had to go and orders her to rest up as much as she needs to. He ends it by telling her to come find him if she needs anything and hoping to see her later.

Throwing on a ripped-up pair of jeans and an oversized t-shirt she slips on some flip flops and quickly puts her hair into two dutch braids. She is almost out of the door when she remembers to tuck her cellphone into her back pocket. Halfway down the stairs, Amara sees Sina coming in through the front door.

"Good timing! I thought I was gonna have to come up and drag you out” the redhead's voice carries and Amara sees a couple of people turn their heads to look their way but seeing it's just Si they go about their business, obviously used to her exuberant ways. "Half hour ago you would have, I was out cold." Reaching Si, she gives her a quick hug.

Sina opens her mouth to say something but abruptly stops and leans into Amara who watches with obvious confusion. The redhead sniffs her then breathes in deeply before her eyes go wide and her mouth drops open. “Oh my god!” she exclaims and Amara panics. Does she still smell like Maddox? They had showered but then he slept over. Shit, she had to keep Si from blurting something out so she pulls the redhead to an empty corner of the entertainment room.

“Shh, it’s not what you think! Well, maybe a little. He stayed over and we maybe kissed and stuff but please, you can’t say anything” Amara gives her best puppy dog eyes. She hasn’t fully processed everything that happened and doesn’t need to add the whole pack knowing on to the whole thing when they haven’t even had a conversation about where things are going yet.

"Yes! I knew it! Don’t worry, my lips are sealed. I could tell there was something there from the start. Just wait 'til your birthday, I’m sure our esteemed Alpha is your other half."

Amara goes to protest out of habit but instead shyly confesses “I really hope you’re right. I’m not sure my heart can take the alternative.”

With nothing much to do at the moment and Amara still tired, the two go outside to chill, grabbing a couple of water bottles from the kitchen on their way out. Si ends up steering them in the direction of the various training grounds.

In the distance, she can see a group of young teens along with Kaede. "Is Kaede helping train them?" she asks the redhead as they get closer. "Yup! He has been training the younger wolves for a year or so now. Come on, we can sit to the side and watch." Sina grabs her hand and they dash over sitting cross-legged out of the way.

The teens are paired up and practicing defensive moves. Kaede demonstrates then walks around as they attempt them and corrects their technique as they go along. He looks so confident and poised obviously knowledgeable about what he's teaching.

They silently watch for quite a while until the session wraps up and Kaede jogs over to where they are. "Hey, guys! Surprised to see you here" Kaede greets them and Amara extends her unopen bottle of water. With a smile, she accepts it and sits across from them. "We were walking around and I brought Amara so we could watch you do your thing."

"Did you get too bored?" Kaede teases. "How could I? You're really awesome. I had no idea you were a trainer."

"Thanks, girl! I've been doing it for a while. Part of the reason I joined this pack was for the chance to be a trainer even though I was younger and not an Enforcer. My former pack thought I was too delicate looking to be a good trainer. Buncha bullshit really."

"Their loss is our gain” Amara replies feeling genuinely insulted on Kaede’s behalf who gives her a grateful smile.

"That’s what drew me to Onyx Moon. It doesn’t matter who you are, there is always a spot if you prove yourself. That is what I always wanted and my desire only grew after my older brother Kane became an Enforcer here. My parents and the pack I grew up in just kept shutting me down and I decided if they didn’t want to accept me then fuck them. So, when I was old enough I moved in with Alesha and my brother and started working towards my goal."

"Ale and Kaede's brother Kane are mates" Sina answers the question Amara was about to ask. "Oh! you didn't know? Ale is my sister from another mister. They met through Alpha Maddox and discovered they were mates. They've been part of Onyx Moon from the very start."

"Everyone is really connected, I had no idea. It's really cool though. I was never in a pack so this is all kinda new and a little daunting."

"Thank the Goddess you moved here. Now you know all kinds of new people. Some a bit more awesome than the rest" Sina does a little shimmy causing Kaede and Amara to laugh.

"Little Red is right though. My pack wasn't bad but venturing out from what I had always known and the same people I had grown up with helped me grow. I felt more independent and I was able to find myself outside of being so and so's daughter, you know?"

Amara nods her head completely understanding what Kaede means "I get it, it forces you out of a bubble and widens your horizons. Since coming here I feel like I'm slowly becoming a totally different person and I think I like whoever she is."

"And now you'll be twenty-one at the end of the week. With Sina and the others planning it, I know it's gonna be a blast but there better be some kick-ass food at some point."

"Fresh, I guess? I like light fresh foods and fish. Don't get me wrong, fried food is delicious and I'm a sucker for mac n cheese but it doesn’t scream special birthday meal."

"Sushi might be perfect then, have you ever had it?" Kaede suggests and Amara is definitely on board.

"Awesome! then you, me, Kaede, and a couple of others can go check out a nice Japanese restaurant. We can have fresh sushi but also try the tempura. We have some good food then move on to what we have planned for the rest of the night."

“Sweet! I'll let Ale know later, then text you the details. Maybe now I’ll be let in on what the after-dinner plan is" Kaede jokes and exchanges numbers with Amara. He hugs them goodbye, needing to take off now before dinnertime arrives. Amara and Sina lounge around a while with Amara trying to pry party details out of her, which she fails miserably at until their stomachs grumble and the pair decides to go to a small diner in town.