I do not know where last night came from. It was sudden, a spur of the moment kind of thing, and it has me second guessing everything. In the moment my mind was clouded with lust, a need for him that I wanted to conquer, but now that the sheets have settled, questions come to mind.

There is no doubt that what we did has me walking a little funny this morning, and I wish I could only focus on that. When I woke up, Eric was gone. I cannot be upset about this, as we laid together for a long while afterward before falling asleep, though he did not talk much. Either way, I woke up wrapped in the sheets, alone and nude. It is a weird thing to wake up like that. My head was a little dizzy, I was looking for Eric, and I could not present myself downstairs without showering first. The entire event last night felt like a dream.

When I finally made my way downstairs and into the kitchen, Marina and Caroline were talking normally, chatting about Lucas. They told me Eric and Alpha Kenn went back to work again, working to find Lucas, and I sat down beside Caroline. They looked at me oddly, asked me if anything was wrong, and when I said that I was okay, the questions were dropped. It is not like I wanted to talk about it anyways, as mentioning what we did in front of Eric's sister would be terribly uncomfortable. Now, sitting in front of them, I do not know how I feel.

The part of me that felt complete last night, feels quite empty now.

Throughout the entire day, I wander around the house, thinking. Eric does not stop by once, usually, he stops by once. While Caroline's paces and naps—as she did not sleep much last night. She has not slept solidly since Lucas' disappearances—I sit and wait. She asks me to wake her up if anything happens, so I stay nearby.

Suddenly the front door opens and my eyes shoot to it, expecting to see Eric walking through. Instead, Alpha Kenn enters and I immediately stand up. "Alpha Kenn, is something wrong?"

"No, I just came to grab something from Eric's office, I offered since I needed a drink," he explains and I walk with him into the kitchen. Marina fetches the water, as she insists, and I speak up again.

"Has Eric mentioned me at all?"

Alpha Kenn thinks for a moment. "No, no he hasn't, should he have?"

"Oh, no, I'm just curious."

Alpha Kenn takes the glass of water from Marina and takes a sip while keeping his eyes on me. "Is something wrong? You look upset."

I lean against the wall and sigh. "I don't know. Eric has been acting odd."

"Well, I'll keep my ears open for your name," he tells me before setting down the glass. "Now that I think about it, he has been acting a little absent. He might just be thinking as much as you are."

"You can tell?"

"It is hard to not look closely at a beautiful face," he says then takes down the rest of the water before leaving for the office. I do not follow him. Instead, I grab the phone and dial my old home phone number. I hold the device to my ear and lean against the wall while waiting for an answer.

"Hello?"

"Mom?" I ask. "It's Isabella."

"Wow. How are things going? Kendra misses you." It is weird hearing her voice like I never even left.

"It's—it's going well. Is Kendra home?"

After a few rustling noises, a smile comes to my face. "Isabella?" Her soft, angel-like voice brings warmth to my cheeks.

"Hey, Kendra. How are things going? How are you?"

"Oh, Isabella I missed you so much! When are you coming home? You said you were going to come visit."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I've been busy over here. How about I come and pick you up, so you can spend the weekend with me? We can hang out and have fun—do whatever you want." Maybe it is because I feel lonely, but the idea of having Kendra here with me fills up the emptiness currently bugging me.

"Yes! Yes—I'll ask mom right now!" Static sounding noises mix with distant voices, and I assume she is asking right now, staying true to what she said. I hold back my laughs. "She said okay. When are you coming? I'm ready right now," Kendra rushes.

Unexpectedly, I hear the front door open, and my eyes drift over to it. My breathing comes to a halt when Eric appears in my view.

"Isabella?" Kendra mumbles through the phone.

"I-I'll be there tomorrow, alright?" I say the words while Eric watches me. "Get some sleep, you're going to need it."

More excitement shows through the phone, and the small cheers from her make me smile. "Okay Isabella, I'll be ready!" She swiftly hangs up the phone and I glance down at it, wondering if she really is that excited. Reluctantly, I set the phone down and turn back to my mate.

"And where are you going tomorrow?" He questions, sounding quite stiff.

Alpha Kenn appears through the hallway and briefly observes us both. "I'll be outside," he tells Eric and heads right out the door, placing me alone with him.

"I'm going to get my sister. She staying here for the weekend." Is it rude to invite someone into another's house? Hell, it is my house too. Considering that fact that Eric and I are mates, and that we had sex last night, I think I deserve to invite my sister over, especially since he is acting cold. I deserve someone to talk with, and Caroline is much too busy with her fits of worry.

"She is?" Eric questions again, acting as if I have no power as if I have to ask him for permission.

Feeling hurt, overwhelmed, and confused, I plan on escaping to the guest bedroom upstairs, but he grabs my arm before I can make it too far. "Now you want to talk to me?" My eyes stare harshly into his. "Will you tell me what's wrong with you then? What did I do?"

He lets go but says nothing.

"So what? You're going to shut me out now?"

"I don't want you around Alpha Kenn," he says with a demanding undertone, causing my cheeks to flare up.

"How are you worried about him? A-After what we did—"

"I don't trust him around you."

"That's pretty clear." I cross my arms. "I just... I thought what we did would bring us closer, but now I feel rejected by you. You hardly said anything last night, and this morning you didn't wake me up to say goodbye—I woke up alone and naked, it was... Did you not, um, enjoy—"

"Isabella," he cuts me off, most likely saving me from embarrassment, "what we did last night was wonderful."

"Well, it didn't seem like it. For all I knew, you were unsatisfied. So quiet, and then you're gone the next morning."

"What I experienced with you, Isabella... You are all that's on my mind. Alpha Kenn, I see the way he glances at you, how he asks about you—"

"He asked about me?"

Eric nods. "When we were out searching. He was very curious about you. I have wanted you for a long time, and last night I couldn't have waited any longer. Your words, your personality, your body, all of it... You tease me without even knowing. I needed to be with you, I needed you to know how much I care."

My cheeks are rosy and warm. "Then why didn't you say anything afterward, why did you leave in the morning?"

"Because after being as close with you as I can be, all I could think about was losing you."

My shoulders drop. "Eric. Lose me? This isn't one sided. I need you as much as you need me. Now you know how I feel about you and Olivia, your history with her. Sure at first I felt threatened, but I realized that she could never give you want I can. Olivia's mate is out there, and my mate no longer belongs to her."

I reach out to him, taking his hand in mine.

"Alpha Kenn's mate is out there, and he could never give me what you do. I could never be his."