Anabelle slowly slid to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest. In the two weeks since she had left the Blue Moon pack, she had lost count of how many things had happened and it all hit her at once. She began crying and couldn't stop. Kayden tried to lift her up, but she pushed him off and ran outside.
She shifted into her wolf and ran until she was unsure of where she was. She found a lake and curled up in her wolf form next to it and let Luna take over, while she slept. She didn't know how long she was out there, but she vaguely remembered feeling someone sniffing her and hearing Luna talking to another wolf. Whoever it was must have shifted because she felt herself being picked up and carried but was too exhausted to open her eyes.
She woke up the next day in Kayden's bed. She sat up and noticed him on the couch reading through some files, deep in thought. "hey" she said, "What happened?" "I found you asleep in the woods Luna told me you were overwhelmed. She shifted back and I carried you home to rest" he told her. That was nice of him she thought to herself.
"We gave your mother a traitor's burial by the way her grave is outside the pack territory, so I'm afraid you can't go see it unsupervised" she simply nodded at this information. She didn't want to see her grave right now. Kayden went back to his work and Anabelle lay back down deep in thought. Evan! She bolted up in the bed which alarmed Kayden. "What? What's wrong??" he asked.
"My brother Evan, he doesn't know what happened. I must tell him. He's going to be so upset. I must go and find him". She began to get up from the bed, but Kayden cut her off – "About that, I need you to sit down for a moment. This is going to be difficult to explain. How do I say this? I sent Daniel to go and find your brother after I killed your mother and Daniel explained to him what happened and why her punishment was as severe as it was. He didn't understand at first and tried to say it was him who tried to poison you, but when he realized your mother was already dead, he flew into a blind rage and attacked Daniel. He couldn't believe that his mother was dead, and he started screaming like a mad man. He swore to avenger his mother as the guards dragged him away. I believe he blames you for your mother's death." Anabelle was appalled. Daniel was so sweet and had been nothing but a good friend to Kayden and had made Annabelle feel at home. She didn't know what to say so she waited for Kayden to finish telling her the story.
"Daniel is okay, he got checked out in the pack hospital. His wounds were only superficial, it would take a lot to take a guy like Daniel down. As Alpha, it is my duty to punish those who betray the pack laws, and what your brother did is punishable by death. Out of respect for you, I locked him in the dungeons and decided to wait until you woke up. I wanted you to be involved in the decision of his punishment. After all, you will be Luna soon... and he is still your brother."
Anabelle was in shock. Once again, her own flesh and blood had turned against her. Even worse Evan had hurt Daniel, who had been nothing but nice to Anabelle. He was also the pack Beta which meant Kayden's position as Alpha would be undermined if he let him live. She was devastated and her mind was once again thrown into turmoil. Kayden sat on the edge of the bed next to her and took her hand. "I know it feels like everything is falling apart right now, but you will always have me and this pack". Anabelle leaned over and hesitantly hugged Kayden. She couldn't explain why but everything felt better when she was close to Kayden.
She leaned back and looked into Kayden's eyes. "Thank you," she said. He smiled at her and hugged her. When he pulled back, she felt the warmth go with him and wanted more. She leaned in and tentatively kissed him. Kayden hadn't expected that but kissed her back, nevertheless. When she pulled away, she was blushing and to Kayden, she was the most beautiful girl in the world. "My Beautiful mate" he breathed.
Anabelle was shocked at herself, she never imagined she would have the courage to kiss an Alpha. She was unsure whether it was the mate bond or a genuine attraction pulling them closer together, but she didn't care. While her whole world seemed to be burning to the ground around her, Kayden was her lifeline. She wasn't going to let go and neither it seemed was he.