The alpha groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He picked up another book from the pile on his table and flipped through the pages distractedly. At this point he couldn't force his brain to stay focused. His body needed sleep, but his spirit was in need of answers.

The whole pack house was deathly quiet as everyone has gone to bed except him. His sharp wolf ears could pick out the crickets that chirped in the grasses outside, the soft breeze that rustled the trees behind the window of the Alpha's Library.

He swiveled around in the chair to face the window behind him  and looked out at the starry night sky. He could see the pitch black of the woods from this height and beyond the woods was a wide stretch of land. He knew what was beyond those lands, knew that it was only a matter of time before the thing caught up to him and wiped out his entire pack.

His spirit wasn't at peace; it hadn't been at peace since the capture of the rogue wolf and Kylie's murder. He knew it would not be at peace until he satisfied the burning questions in his heart.

His mind wandered to the fit his father had thrown a few hours ago. His encounter with his father held more significance than the alpha knew. For his father to have woken up, especially at this crucial time, it was because something of higher purpose would happen soon. Logan could feel it like a second skin. He decided to keep the encounter a secret though. Not everyone would understand what it meant for the former alpha to finally talk coherently 

He hated to admit it too but deep down, he was terrified. It was not easy carrying the burden of the entire pack on one's head, talk less of personal burdens. He could not deny that his pack members probably thought he had the situation 

He stared at his reflection in the semi-dusty glass of the window and sighed. He looked like a mess from hell. His eyes were red and bloodshot like those of a drunk man. His hair had slipped from its bond and was flowing down his shoulders and back like a stream of obsidian. His face had developed overnight wrinkles. His shirt was unbuttoned down to the chest and his sleeves had been pulled up. 

He looked exactly how he felt, as though he was being pulled from different angles. The sight of his messy state in the mirror made him groan and turn back to the littered desk top.

Enough resting, time to get back to work, he thought to himself.

Logan shuffled through the pile of books and picked up another one. He opened it and tried to will his eyes into taking in the information on its pages but his eyes were ready to give up.

"Oh, fuck it!" He yelled and flung the book at the opposite wall. This was useless, he thought. Nothing could be more frustrating than the hopelessness he felt right now. He raked his fingers through his hair and squeezed his eyes shut. Then he unbuttoned the rest of his shirt buttons and stood up from the chair, walking towards the door. He would continue his research tomorrow.

His first thought was to go to his father's room but he decided against it. The old man needed some peace and quiet. So he decided to go to the room he shared with Aella for the first time in two days.

He opened the door, praying that his mate was asleep so he would not have to engage in conversation with her. Sadly, the universe did not agree with him. As the door creaked open, he heard rather than saw Aella move on the bed and stand up.

Inwardly he groaned. He wasn't ready to speak to her after all that has happened between them in the past few days. He wasn't sure he would be able to trust himself around her. The distrust he now felt for her didn't stop the hot flow of desire he felt whenever he looked at her. And he knew that his body would betray him and he would finally sleep with her if they were in the same room together.

"Logan!" Aella called, her voice breathless and full of relief. "Logan, where have you been? I have been worried and scared shitless." She said, but Logan refused to answer her. Instead he turned away from her and towards the closet. He would pick up a few clothes and sleep in his father's room until he could figure out what to do about her. Until he could separate his emotions from logical thinking, he didn't want to have anything to do with her.

She deftly moved and blocked his way to the closet, a familiar stubbornness in her eyes. He knew this look very well. It was the look he had seen very well when she was hell-bent on running away from the pack. She would not give up until she got what she wanted in the end.

He was scared that his desires would override his strong resolve. Even now, with all the doubts about her in his heart, she looked so desirable and appealing. Her hair was let down and wet, it seemed she had just stepped out from the shower. she smelled of his body wash and her natural cinnamon scent, which was a heady combination. She was wearing a black slip or nightdress which left absolutely nothing to the imagination. One hand of the dress was slipping from her shoulder and one of her boobs was almost bare. She didn't seem to mind though. Her eyes were on him and full of worry and questions.

Fuuuuck!!! His wolf screamed and began to turn around in circles. As it was, that simple once-over he had he had given her had made him so hard that he wanted to back her up to the bed and give her a very good fucking.

He instinctively reached out and returned the dropping hand of the nightdress back to her shoulder. That simple contact of skin to skin had done more to him than he wanted to admit. He groaned lightly and withdrew his hand as fast as if her body was bare flames.

She was also looking at him, he noticed. Her eyes were on his bare chest and that was when he rememebered that he had unbuttoned his shirt back in the library. He watched her as she stared at his torso and v-line with desire etched in her face. She slowly reached out to touch his toned stomach, but before she could make that single touch, he let out a groan of frustration and moved away from her.

"Aella please move away from the closet." He pleaded.

"No I won't, not until you tell me why you have been so distant from me these past few days." She replied, her eyes steely and stubborn.

He saw beyond that defiant look on her face though. He could see the hurt in her eyes as though he was looking through glass or a clear stream. Their mating bond caused them to share a connection that was more than just physical, but 2as emotional too. He felt her hurt as though it was his own emotion.

"Aella," He murmured. "I have nothing to tell you. Now please move or I'll forcefully push you, and I'm not joking about this."

She stubbornly stood by the door without moving. "Do you know how hurt I felt that night? When I mind linked you and you were awake but you weren't replying me? You gave no explanation too. You've all but looked at me since that wolf was captured. I've tried to be understanding and come up with excuses for you. I said, perhaps you were overwhelmed with the capture of the wolf, Kylie's death, everything. But this time I want to hear it from your mouth. Why are you avoiding me?" She finished with a shaky voice, her eyes full of tears.

Logan looked at her with mixed feelings. Was she just pretending or she really felt everything she had just said? She looked so genuine, so truly hurt. But he couldn't be sure. What was he to think after seeing a tattoo that tied her to a very potentially dangerous enemy?

"Aella." He murmured, his eyes on hers. "I want you to tell me everything about yourself, your life before you joined my pack."

Almost immediately, she relaxed and became closed. He could see her expression fold up, and then he knew for sure that she was hiding something.

"I...I can't tell you anything for now, Logan." She muttered.

"I thought as much." He said to her with disappointment in his voice. Then he pushed her aside and walked into the closet.