He was doing his job well and yet Rose watched Lucas like a hawk. He had begun working again a week and a half after returning without Azura. Jeff had tried talking him out of it but he wouldn't budge. Lucas wanted to go back to work no matter what so Jeff had placed him on bar duty mostly. Rose couldn't believe her ears at first when Jeff told her and she had started a heated argument with him which she lost much to her dismay.

Jeff had urged her to back off from Lucas and to give him the space he needed to deal with the loss of Azura. He claimed the only reason Lucas was acting strange was that it was his way of dealing with everything. Rose knew one thing, this was not the way Lucas dealt with big issues in his life. No, he would drink, get wasted, do some stupid things and most of all, he would not return to work as if nothing had happened. Steffen had agreed with her but did nothing and remained on the sidelines. It had caused fights between them as well and for once in her life, Rose had never felt so lonely despite being around everyone. Sheila was the only one able to calm her a little every time Rose found herself getting frustrated with Lucas again.

He, on the other hand, acted much more aggressive and angry towards her. Because of that, Rose maintained a safe distance and just observed him without engaging in conversation with him. She was almost done with her shift and Lucas was just starting. Jeff made their work schedules so they would not overlap to prevent any incidents at work. As Lucas got behind the bar to help people Rose cleaned up the last of her materials from classes and headed towards the staffroom to get her stuff. As she passed the bar, she heard him laugh and joke with a regular visitor as if nothing was wrong. Her stomach twisted into a knot and she clenched her teeth together. She had promised Jeff to not make a scene in the climbing hall. She had promised him but right now, she just wanted to hit Lucas over the head hard and yell and cuss at him for being such a cold bastard. She wanted to scream at him, ask him if he had even cared for Azura or that everything was just an act. She clenched her teeth harder, every muscle in her jaw tightened as she held herself from doing just that. 

She turned her head away while knowing he was keeping an eye on her too. He was watching her like a hawk just as she did with him. She quickly made her way into the staffroom and collapsed on a chair, glad to be out of his way for now. After calming herself down a bit, Rose changed out of the sportswear she usually wore at work, and into her normal clothes before grabbing her phone to see if she had missed any important messages or calls.

Message to: Azura
Status: Delivered at 16:05

Rose stared at the phone resting in her hands. When her lungs started to burn, she realized she was not breathing and took a deep gulp. More messages popped up. One for each time Rose had sent something to Azura after she had turned her phone off. They were all being delivered... One by one. Her hand was shaking and only noticed now her mouth was still open in surprise. This was not possible. There simply was no way the messages would get through now! Rose scratched her nose nervously as she licked her lips. The only way for this to happen was for Azura's phone to be turned on.

Right at the thought crossed her mind, the phone in her hand started to vibrate. The image on the screen turned to a photo of Azura with a green button to accept the call or a red slider the reject the call. Rose shrieked and dropped the phone from her trembling hands. She yelped out in pain as the phone connected with her bare foot before it hit the ground and stayed still with the screen facing up. Her lip was trembling, her breathing had become shallow and fast. She felt her body tense up the more she looked at the vibrating phone on the ground until it finally stopped. Azura's image disappeared off the screen and instead, Rose saw her own lockscreen turn up with the message she had one missed call. Her heart was racing, matching the increased tempo of her breathing but they were the only things that had sped up. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. When she kneeled down to grab her phone, it was like she felt every fiber and muscle slowly move and obey her wishes but at a frustratingly slow pace. When she moved her head to the side, the image seemed to follow slower than her head actual moved as if her brain had trouble keeping up. 

Azura had called her. Azura, who was supposed to be dead, had called her. Rose weighed all the options in her head of what was going on. It could be a prank. It could be that maybe she was dreaming? But the pain had been real when the phone had hit her foot. Maybe someone found Azura's phone and managed to bypass the security? For a moment, she wondered if Lucas might have taken her phone and just simply tried to mess with her. But he was working, there was no way he'd be able to do that now, and besides, why would he?

The phone rested in her hand and Rose dismissed the 'missed call' message. Slowly she got back on her feet, only now noticing how weak and shaky her legs really were. There must have been a mistake, it was the only conclusion and Rose kept telling herself that to calm herself down. That was until her phone vibrated once more, indicating she had gotten a message. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the screen to see Azura's name pop up and the first few words of the message.

'I'm not dead...'

There was more but to read it Rose would have to unlock her phone. something she was dreading to do right now. After staring at her phone for a few minutes she placed it on the bench concluding that a message could always be read later. Someone clearly was trying to prank her. Something was nagging her as she slipped out of her regular clothes again and proceeded to take a short shower. 

Out of sight, out of mind.

Even the hot water running down her body did not ease her up. When Rose emerged from the shower she quickly dried herself off and put back on her clothes while trying to ignore the phone that was practically burning on the bench. It vibrated twice more.

Rose ignored it while she stoically put on her shoes and packed all of her stuff together in her bag. When she was done, the only thing that remained was her phone which was still facing down on the bench. There was no use in procrastinating any longer. Besides, Rose finally concluded, reading a message could not hurt her, right? It was just a message... or three. It might not even all be from Azura. Maybe it was Steffen or Sheila who was sending her stuff. 

Her hand slowly moved towards the phone and she slowly picked it up, turning it around so she could see the screen again. With her thumb, she unlocked the phone and stared at the three unopened messages from Azura. Messages could not hurt. With that lodged in the back of her mind, Rose opened the conversations with Azura.

*

"Dang, Rose! You look like you've seen a ghost!" Steffen stated as Rose came home.

"Yeah well, maybe I have." She returned flatly and tossed her bag on the couch.

Steffen pushed himself off the chair he was sitting on and made his way over to Rose who stood frozen in the same place. "Are you alright? What happened?" 

He cupped her face and examined her closely. "You're trembling, Rose. You're as white as a sheet and you're actually sweating even though it's not that hot in here. Something is going on for sure. Did something happen between you and Lucas again?!" 

Rose blinked away the tears behind her eyes and pressed her lips together in a tight thin line. She could not say anything. She was not allowed to say anything. The Azura from the messages had made that clear. Rose still didn't know if it even was Azura, but there were details in there only she could know. 

'Don't tell anyone I contacted you. Especially not Lucas! I need to meet with you tonight.'

Rose could have called back but she hadn't. Afraid of the voice she would hear on the other side. Afraid it would become real maybe. But it was becoming real. She had agreed to meet Azura and apparently two others who were blue-eyed snow leopards as well. As she stood frozen in her house with Steffen now embracing her tight realization dawned in on her. 

Azura was alive and Lucas was not to know about it.

"I... I need to go Steffen. I'll be fine, it's just... something I have to do. Alone. I don't know when I'll be back. It has nothing to do with Lucas, it's just... something else." Rose wrestled herself free of his hold and managed to give him a weak smile.

 It did nothing to hide the inner turmoil raging inside and she knew Steffen would see straight through it but she didn't care. Steffen would let her go, he knew when she was serious about things, she would do them no matter what. He nodded and after giving her a quick peck on the lips stepped back. 

"Thank you." Rose mouthed to him before she turned around and went out the door again. 

It was getting cold again and the first flecks of snow were starting to fall. Rose secured the scarf around her neck and buried her face in it as much as possible so only her eyes were visible as she hurried down the streets. She could have taken a taxi for the ride but walking just felt better. It would ease her mind a little she hoped. the place they had agreed on was a good distance away. It would take her almost two hours to reach it on foot but Rose really didn't care. This was also the only way of ensuring nobody knew where she was going just as she had promised.

She crossed the city and entered the territory of the snow-covered trees. Pleyvale was situated at the base of the mountains on one side and thick, dense forests on the other. The foliage was not that diverse as only a few types of plants and trees managed to survive the, sometimes, harsh winters. Rose had been walking for an hour and a half now. The snow had increased and was falling down thicker and faster. The path Rose was following was not unknown to her, but the snow did make it difficult to follow. She started relying on her memories and instincts to guide her. That was until the smell hit her. 

Three different smells. Two male and one... Azura... Rose recognized that smell from anywhere and the fact she could actually smell Azura made her grin from ear to ear. It was impossible to fake the scent of someone. You could hide it, cloak it but never copy it. It had been real, the messages, the call, and most important, Azura. 

Rose broke out in a run almost tripping on the uneven grounds several times. It was another fifteen minutes of running before she burst through the clearing, spotted Lucas's car, two men leaning against it and most important, Azura sitting on the hood. The moment Rose saw them, they noticed her and Azura and the men got up and stood next to each other in front of the car. Azura in the middle with a big smile on her face. Rose stopped catching her breath after running through the forest. She placed a hand in her side, trying to ease the stinging pain that had developed. 

She wanted to run towards Azura, hug her and squeal in joy after seeing her alive, but something stopped her. The two men next to her. They looked so serious and not at all approachable. Let alone the fact that they were blue-eyed snow leopards shifters. The only thing Rose knew was that they were dangerous. Azura being one was something else though, she knew her but these men? Rose didn't want to provoke them. 

It was so weird seeing Azura here. So many questions filled her mind. Why had Lucas told them Azura was dead? Why did Azura have his car and what on earth had happened between them?! As Rose tried to find that one question which would ask them all, words escaped her mouth before she even had time to think them through.

"Azu?! What the fuck is going on?! Where have you been, who are these guys and why on earth did Lucas tell us you died in his arms! Why did you not want anyone to know? What are you afraid of?!" It spilled out of her mouth like one sentence without break or giving Azura any time to answer. 

Azura didn't respond immediately. She just walked over and hugged Rose tight.