It was the next day, and after a restless sleep in a guest bedroom, I was back in the alpha suite as though things were back to normal. Minus the deep cleaning, that had to be done.

After Asra was back from his drug-induced dreamland, he decided that my reward for my clever thinking was a steamy half an hour on his hospital bed. It wasn't the most glamorous of places to get intimate, but at least I could tick it off my bucket list. Right?

After I snorted a laugh, Serenity eyed me curiously. I cleared my throat, shaking my head at her as I walked to peer out of the window.

There was nothing to climb down there, so how did somebody get the rose inside my room?

"Be careful near the window, Luna." Ren muttered.

I smiled, glancing at her from over my shoulder. "I'm just wondering how someone could climb the house."

"Impossible," she quirked an eyebrow. "Why would somebody be climbing your walls?"

I shrugged, looking away from her. I didn't want to lie to Serenity, but as far as she was aware, she was just doing a deep cleaning of our carpet after I spilled a drink. The sheets were already gone, as were the pillows, duvet and even mattress, and Asra had them burned away from pack land. They wore gloves and masks during, and Serenity, being the head housemaid, wore them anyway.

"I don't know. It was just a thought."

"Your room is the safest in the entire building, Luna." Serenity mused, turning off the carpet cleaner. "It is either climb a flat wall or get in through a fingerprint door lock that requires pre-authorised entry."

I hummed, falling into thought as I stared at the blank wall before me. Not only did I think it needed something to decorate it, perhaps a photo frame, but my mind stumbled into an abyss of possibilities.

Nobody could climb that wall. I doubt a wolf as strong as Asra, even Augustus, could scale over that many floors. A vampire? No, they were the same. Unless they had some kind of super-ability of jumping. Even so, over a hundred and fifty feet?

A witch is a strong possibility. Not only can they teleport and materialise, but they could easily manipulate the guards to get past borders. Could their magic infiltrate a fingerprint lock? Nobody was around, and Asra didn't smell anybody. That meant they had hidden their scent, something only possible with a witch's help.

"Can vampires jump?" I wondered.

Serenity heard me and laughed. "Every creature can jump. Are we talking about hopping or leaping?"

I rolled my eyes, pushing myself from the wall. "I mean, can they jump, say... six floors?"

She paused her cleaning; the vacuum whirring absentmindedly in the background. "They can jump high, yeah, but I don't know the exact... science of it."

"Maths, not your forte?" I mused.

She snorted, continuing to clean. "You think I'd be a maid if it was?"

We laughed and fell into a comfortable silence as Ren finished cleaning the carpet. I, of course, had insisted that I could do it, but she complained it would only hurt her ego. Ren was not an egotistical person, so whatever ego she had, I didn't want to destroy.

She was too kind, and the more time we spent together, I realised how level-headed she was. She knew a lot about a lot of things, blaming her father for her various knowledge. Being half human and wolf, she knew a lot about either species, so it made her easy to talk to. She knew how secluded it felt, and she knew how it felt to feel inferior.

However, the more she regarded me as luna, and told me how I should never lift a finger, the more an imposter I felt. My fingers practically itched as the minutes went on watching her clean, to the point she was threatening to throw me out of the window.

I contemplated it for a second, thinking how I could get a better look at the wall's texture, but knew Asra would resurrect me only to kill me again.

The sound of the machine turning off and being unplugged snapped me back to reality, and I sat up from the bed. The new mattress was super comfy, with a sinkable top layer and a supportive middle layer. I knew I would have no trouble sleeping. I kind of looked forward to night time just so I could lie on it properly.

"There, now all I need to do is make your bed."

I groaned, falling back onto the mattress. "I can make my own damn bed!"

Serenity giggled. "I know you can, but this is my job. How would you feel if I came into the kitchen and demanded you let me cook?"

"You would mess it up," I sarcastically drawled.

"Exactly!"

Huffing, I glared at the ceiling before giving in with a sigh. "Fine, I shall go elsewhere."

"What a splendid idea!" She chirped. "I will air the room out, put on some new sheets, and be out of your den before you can say ta-da!"

Walking toward the door, I turned to thank her, to which she just waved her hand at me. The door clicked shut behind me, the faint beep of the external lock greeting my ears. I never truly paid attention to the mechanism before and turned to face it. Lowering to a crouch, I peered at the screen.

There was a black screen that I knew would light up green if mine or Asra's fingerprint were on it. It would be too late now to get a print off it if somebody used it because so many people have entered the room since the accident.

First it was Asra, and then Rio, Everett, and finally me. Nobody could get in unless given access; only out.

My eyes widened, and I felt that familiar cold slice of dread run down my spine. I shuddered, standing upright as I contemplated my next thought.

If it was only me as Asra who had access, I wouldn't have thought otherwise, but...

Was it an inside job?

Would someone in this pack want to cause harm to us?

If so, are they working with Darius?

Everett was suspiciously growing in my mind now, the harder I thought about it. The unusual feeling I got when I thought of it only worsened when I realised he had access to our room in case of an emergency.

But then again, would Everett go so out of his way to kill his alpha? Hiding his scent, transporting a poison rose... It would surely harm him, no, kill him, too!

It couldn't have been a wolf.

It was practically absurd!

But...

Not entirely impossible?

Witches had tricks. They liked to manipulate and enjoyed games; I saw that firsthand with Evangeline. They were powerful enough to change my memories, so they could be powerful enough to make a wolf immune to a poison.

Shaking my head, I decided I needed to clear it.

And that calls for a swim.

Pressing my finger into the pad, Serenity barely flinched with surprise when I re-entered.

"Back so soon?" She mused, smoothing out the bottom sheets.

"I'm going swimming!" I announced, going into the wardrobe.

Her eyebrows quirked, an amused quirk to her lips. "Okay?"

Leaving with my costume in hand, I entered the bathroom. Stripping down quickly, I pulled a robe on instead of my clothes and shoved the dirty fabric into the wash basket.

I wandered from the bathroom with an urgency, Serenity scolding me for slamming the door. I chirped a goodbye before making my way to the elevator. As I waited for it to arrive, I nervously nibbled on my lower lip.

Asra said it was fixed, and no longer made noise, but it was a machine. Machines always broke. Stairs however...

Before I could contemplate running away from the death box, it arrived and announced its arrival. I cursed, knowing it was fate and I couldn't change my mind now.

Pressing the ground floor, I squeezed my eyes closed as the elevator shifted. When it lurched to a stop, I sighed gratefully as I exited. True to Asra's word, it didn't make any noise other than its usual humming.

Standing on firm ground once more, I debated ongoing to find Asra. I couldn't really be bothered to walk the entire pack house to get to his office, so perhaps I could try this strange magical bond thing?

Pursing my lips with concentration, I pictured my mate in my mind, pretending that I was talking to him directly. It surprisingly worked, because after a moment's pause, that same fullness entered my mind and I knew Asra was listening.

'Tulip?' He wondered.

I exhaled happily, knowing he had heard me. I was a genius.

I heard him chuckle, which was rather peculiar, coming from a voice inside my head.

Perhaps I was crazy, and this was all a dream that my mind made up when the wolves mauled me back in Evermore.

Now, that would be a plot twist, wouldn't it?

How do I even reply to this? I can't read his mind.

'Just think loudly. I heard it all.' He mused. 'My genius.'

Embarrassing.

I wonder if anyone else could read my mind?

'No, just me.' His voice purred. 'What did you want?'

Huh, how do I say this?

I'm going swimming?

He growled. 'Alone?'

Nothing but my imagination, baby.

Asra continued to growl. 'You are not going alone. Not when there are threats to your life.'

There are threats to my life?

That was news.

I mean, old news, I always had somebody threatening me, but the context of it right now was news...

'Tulip...' He grumbled.

Oh yeah, angry dog.

He sighed, and I could practically picture him pinching the bridge of his nose.

'You shall have a guard.'

I always have a guard.

I left the house, knowing that the answer was yes, anyway.

'You are observant, little mate.'

I glared a hole into the distant trees. He was belittling me. The dog.

He growled again. 'Fine, fine. Enjoy your swim, Tulip.'

I laughed aloud, thanking him sarcastically. I would've gone anyway, and he knew it.

I had freedom here, and I enjoyed every second.

Asra's voice took on a gentler tone as he bid me goodbye. 'Have fun, Tulip.'

Oh, I would.

Smiling gleefully, I wandered my way to the lakeside. The waterfall was surprisingly harsh today, its usual gentle current disturbed. Was a storm coming?

I frowned, dropping my robe as I dipped my feet into the warm water. It hugged my ankles, practically suffocating them. What was up with the lake?

It didn't settle right, but it could just be a thunderstorm coming. Heat and storms were best friends. Despite the waterfall's current, I crawled further into the lake's embrace. Maybe it just needed a friend?

Dunking my head, I eyed the crystal blue depths. It was gentle under here, despite how ragged it was on the surface. Pulling my body further down, I ran my hand along the seabed.

It was unusually warm the further I got, and I frowned as I pushed myself back up to the surface. Wiping the water from my face, I turned to face the aggravated water. A crinkle of twigs came from nearby, and the appearance of my bodyguard, Sebastian, momentarily took my attention. He dipped his head in greeting before also turning to face the lake, eyes creasing with concern.

"Looks rather angry today, doesn't it?" I mused.

He nodded, icy blue eyes flickering back to me. "Very. Be careful. The lake is more than just water."

Oh, I know. I could feel its soul sometimes, feel the beating heart of its magic. The lake was practically a person, an enigma that I had the pleasure of enjoying.

"I'm always careful." I teased. "I'm part-fish."

His stern expression lifted as I flipped backwards like a mermaid, submerging myself into the water. Sebastian was apparently a strong swimmer, and I noticed the familiar gleam of warmth whenever he watched me swim. I bet he wanted to come in here too, but he couldn't.

Having fun wasn't his job.

I mindlessly swam for a good fifteen minutes before deciding to scale the cliff. I heard Sebastian growl a warning to me, but I waved him off.

I'm a professional, after all.

Once I reached the top, the wind whipped my hair from my face. I grimaced, turning to face the blast head on. It was eerily quiet in the treetops, and my eyes scanned the darkness without fear. The sun was glaringly obvious in the sky, and yet the trees were so... quiet and dark. The hustle and bustle of wildlife seemed to have hunkered down, which made my suspicion grow.

Just what exactly was going to happen?

A storm would make all the animals disappear, but this was... eery.

I heard Sebastian call my name, but something transfixed me to the treeline. It was as though my gut knew what my mind didn't, my senses screaming at me to pay attention.

A shift of wind in the branches caught my attention, and I narrowed my eyes with concentration.

Something was out there.

Whether real or just a figment of my imagination, I felt the warning.

Something was coming.

*****