1 year later

*Cara's Pov*

I drove past his house without even glancing. His house didn't evoke a reaction in me anymore. I couldn't muster up any feeling, didn't have the time to shed a tear at his expense. It has been a year since I'd last seen him. 365 days of complete and utter absence.

But I no longer obsessed about him. I thought about him yes but it could never be for long.He didn't allow me to. Ever since he used his Alpha's voice on me, I was forced to follow his orders. His command wasn't strong enough to have me completely forget about him, but it was strong enough where he wouldn't be the common staple of thought that circulated through my mind.

He forced me to take his advice and move on, and I didn't have a choice on the matter. Every time he came through my mind, a newer thought was bound to replace him. If not then I got insane headaches for going against orders.

I still loved him, he could never get rid of that feeling,but now I had distractions that stopped me from even trying to ponder what could have been. The first distraction of mine was in five minutes.I drove(yes I finally got a license) to work. I worked at Peppi's Pizza. It was not a fun job, but it was the only place to hire a girl with basically no job experience.

I walked into the door five minutes early for my shift. I walked up to my boss, feeling a sense of pride for being early. People came late for their shifts all the time, but heaven forbid if I show up late. My boss Frank hated me, literally despised me because I rejected his attempts at flirting with me early on into me working at the pizzeria. I never spoke much around him and he preferred it that way. I had no friends either, who would want to be friends with the girl that the boss had a personal vendetta out against?Certainly not me.

Today however he seemed particularly mean."Cara get your ass over here."He motioned for me to come closer.

"Yes Frank?" I ducked my head when I approached him. I didn't want to cause any trouble or give him a reason to harass me further.

"You're early, that's a surprise." He scoffed."You're reward is cleaning up the counters when you're shift is over. But right now, table four is practically calling your name. Chop Chop." He plastered a fake smile on his face.

I opened my mouth to protest at the unfairness but stayed silent. The last time I opened my mouth to speak out, I had my weekends taken away and my hours longer.

Still, I couldn't help but fume over the abundance of workers who sat around doing nothing. They did two or three tables to meet quota but then sat around while I was forced to wait the rest. It's not even like I made great tips for all those extra tables that were so "generously" delegated to me. Our restaurant had a tip sharing policy so all the tops at the end of the day were split between all the employees. Therefore I worked double the tables and reaped no profit.

The only reason why I even stayed was because I needed the job experience and because it was a good distraction from all the drama my life managed to accumulate. Still, I had worked here for five months now. Four months too long if you asked me.

Ten o clock came and finally it was my turn to leave. After cleaning all the tables and counters, I said goodbye to everyone and made my way home. God, I really hated my job. I had no friends and I was worked like a pack mule. But it kept me preoccupied during the summer.

My second distraction was by far the more superior one. I volunteered at a day care center for young pups in our pack. The ages ranged from three to ten. Their parents wanted an outlet for them in summer, and our doors were open. I worked there from 8 to 3 and then rushed home for my second job at the Pizzeria.

By the time I got home I was thoroughly exhausted. But that was good, if I didn't keep busy then I would just be stuck all summer with nothing to do. I let myself in through the door. "Dad I'm home!" I walked into the living room to find him sitting there reading the paper. Some things never changed.

He looked up and smiled. The corners of his mouth tilted upwards."Hey honey, how was work?"

"Exhausting." I muttered. I flopped down next to him on the couch. I felt like closing my eyes and transporting myself on some tropical island. My dad's reassuring hand patted my shoulder as he sympathized with me. He offered me a job working as a secretary for him at his job, but I turned it down. I didn't really know what my dad did as a living and I figured why ruin the mystery? That and I wasn't going to give Frank the satisfaction of me quitting. I was going to ride it out.

"Well I have something that will cheer you up." He said brightly."While you were at work someone special came for a visit." I opened one eye, obviously intrigued.My dad continued. "I told him you were gone, and you'd be back soon. So, he's waiting for you in your room."

Could it be? I was gone. I jogged upstairs and opened the door. There he was waiting on the bed for me. I, walked up to him, blushing. I was sweaty and gross and still wearing my uniform. But I was so glad to see him regardless, and by his expression, he felt the same way. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him deeply.

I stared into his blue eyes and felt an instant calm."What are you doing here Christian? I thought you still had some exams to take." Christian went to California State College while I stayed to finish my senior year. My grades improved significantly and two months ago I got my acceptance to California State as well. Lisa too. Ashley took one year off to join me. What can I say, werewolves stuck together.

Christian kissed my lips."Finished three days ago, I wanted to surprise you."

We've been dating for six months now. Before Christian, I had been going to school and work. I didn't go out much and was going through a mini depression that no one could fix. Not Ashley, not Lisa , not Max. Then Christian came and brought me out of the little funk I was in.

He visited me every weekend without fail then a month later he asked me out for the second time. I said yes easily. We had been dating ever since. My dad LOVED him. Whenever Christian was in town they'd go out fishing. Max, Kevin, and Matt still didn't like him, so there were no group plans in our future.

That didn't matter though, when I was feeling all the confusing emotions about Reid, Christian was there to quell it. Reid told me to move on and I did, who knew it'd be right into Christian's arms?

He rubbed my shoulders soothingly. "How was work?" he implied in a voice that stated that he already knew what I was going to say. Still, I told him about the extra tables, the lazy employees who got to sit around, Frank.

"Just quit." Christian said as if it were that simple.I wanted to tell him the real reason why I worked there. It helped me forget about "him", the distraction ensured that I would be occupied just like Reid wanted."I'm sure you can find another job."

I told him that I applied for a new job. "That's great. I just don't like seeing you so exhausted." His arm brushed lightly against mine. I closed my eyes waiting for a familiar spark but there was none. Still, that stopped bothering me a long time ago.

He had lifted my chin upwards and kissed me. I kissed him back willingly and reached out to touch his face. His hands, which usually stayed in their respectful place, pulled me deeper into his embrace. Christian was a solid kisser, no where near as good as Reid, but Reid had tons of experience.  Christian had only had 3 girlfriends, so it wouldn't be fair to compare the two . I didn't mind missing Christian, sometimes it even felt good.

Seeing that I was reacting positively to his touch, Christian continued to allow himself more freedom. His hands dove underneath my shirt, and his touch sent shivers coursing through my body . Christian laid me on the bed and ran his hands over my bra. He had touched me like this before, but he didn't do so often. Otherwise, he knew I would stop him.

"I love you so much Cara." He whispered, sucking on my neck while I laid there as still as a statue. He groped my breasts in his hands, and I shut my eyes in response.

Christian reached to slide down my shorts. I let him do so and I laid there in just my underwear and bra. His eyes glazed over me lustfully. He climbed on top of me, and we continued to kiss.  Christian put my hand on his growing erection. "I'm crazy about you." He whispered. "Let's go further."

This wasn't the first time he had asked me. But it still managed to give me the chills. "Christian, I can't. My past." I gasped.

Christian sighed regretfully. He knew I had been captured and abused by rogues, and that Reid and I had never mated. Christian believed that's why I was hesitant to have sex."You have to trust me."

"I do but I'm just not ready." I said firmly.  He nodded in understanding and sat back up.

"I am willing to wait Cara, but I want to know. Will we ever get there?"

"Yes Christian. I just need more time." I pulled my shirt over my head. That answer settled him and he kissed me again on the forehead.

We decided to go for a walk and talk more.

Dating Christian was "different". We had a lot of fun together but sometimes it felt too much like dating my best friend. Then I had to remind myself that he was my best friend. At least he was here and willing to be with me. The romance was slowly building but I enjoyed his company nonetheless.

Building up intimacy was the hardest part. I was the problem. Reid and I were intimate in every way but actual sex. Still,  his leaving prevented me from desiring anyone else the way I had desired him. Christian and I had been dating for six months and the topic of sex would come up occasionally. Whenever it would I would shut it down immediately. I hadn't even shifted in front of Christian, which I knew he was dying to see. He wanted to see my wolf so bad, but my wolf didn't like shifting for anyone who wasn't her mate. She was more hard to convince than me. Eventually I knew that the only way to put Reid out of my mind once and for all was to mate him. But there was a part of me that wasn't ready to do that. And I was scared that I may never be ready.

We walked down our street late at night. Most of the outside house's lights were on. I felt my hand being squeezed."Cara are you listening ?"

I snapped out of it quickly. I gave him my best attempt at a carefree smile. "Sorry I am in my own head right now." I brought his face close to mine and kissed him softly. "I was just thinking about my wolf."

A look of understanding came on his face ."Don't worry there's no need to rush. She'll come out when she wants to."He kissed my cheek.We walked a little slower. He told jokes, we started reminiscing about the school days. I remembered the days we both struggled with history. Now i was going off to college in September and I planned to minor in history. Oh how the times have changed.

My house was starting to come into view. I never ran out of things to talk about with Christian. That's what I liked the most about him. Everything was so comfortable and safe. For once in my life, safe was good.

He walked me back to my doorstep."Sorry I wasn't in the mood to go anywhere fun tonight. I'm exhausted. Next week alright? I love you." I whispered.Even though deep down part of me knew I meant it half-heartedly, I said it with the voice of someone who had full conviction.

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*** Unedited Filler***

So she hasn't seen Reid in a whole year. And she said I love you to another man.... :/

Hoping to post next chapter sooner. Ps this is chapter 42 not 43 because I messed up the counting in my earlier chapters. I was never a math person...