The meeting room was cold.

The air conditioning was on full blast as the summer had officially begun a week prior with high temperatures virtually unknown by northwestern Montana.

That room was the last place I wanted to be, but it wasn't because of the chilled air that came through the vents overhead. 

I could still see where the pool of blood had blemished the concrete floor where an unconscious Bates had laid two weeks earlier. It looked like someone had tried to scrub it with bleach, but a deep maroon stain was still visible.

Bates sat silently in the chair beside me, Dr. Witt standing behind him sterilizing the tool she was about to use to remove the medical staples from his scalp.

There were five of the small, silver staples running vertically up the back of his head where it had split into a deep gash.

He stared at the table as she gently pushed his head forward.

"You should just feel a little tug," she warned him.

He closed his eyes tight, wincing as she wiggled the first one loose. She placed it on a gauze pad that sat on the table next to her medical supplies.

"Do you want to hold my hand?" I asked him gently, holding it out for him to take.

He didn't say anything, his eyes staying closed as she plucked at the second one.

Just before I could drop my hand, he reached out quickly to take it in his.

Bates clenched my hand tightly in his grasp as she pulled the third staple out.

When Dr. Witt was done, he let out a long exhale. 

"Good job," she told him. "It looks like it's healing nicely. I'll put a bandage on it for now, just make sure to rinse it every night with soap and water. I don't want you sleeping on it just yet, though."

"I'll just continue to suffocate myself by laying face first in my pillow," Bates said sarcastically.

I laughed softly.

"What killed you?" He mocked. "Oh, not the scary bad man who practiced dark magic, or almost exsanguinating, just my fluffy pillow!"

Dr. Witt rolled her eyes.

"You're more than welcome to turn your head and sleep on your side," she reminded him.

She gave him a patronizing pat on the shoulder before leaning forward to clean up her medical kit from where it was spread on the conference table.

Dr. Witt turned to me as she packed her tackle box.

"Nurse that shoulder best you can," she said, pointing to the sling my left arm was in. "Take the anti inflammatories twice a day and you'll be right as rain in a week or two."

I nodded.

"Thank you," I told her.

As Dr. Witt turned to leave, I looked across the table to see Mady with her head laid on Blaine's shoulder, their chairs as close to each other as they could get them.

Her eyes were closed, sorrow still marking her expression. A deep crease had formed between her eyebrows that was even visible when she wasn't furrowing them.

On the other side of her sat her mother, who had rushed to Montana after hearing what had ensued after her disappearance.

They both grieved for Alpha Reid together, something I couldn't help but resent.

Dr. Witt passed Lincoln on the staircase as she was ascending and he was coming down. He gave her a curt nod, coming down the steps with his laptop in hand.

"He just sent these over," he said as he approached Luca, who stood at the head of the table.

Luca took the laptop from Lincoln and opened it to read whatever was displayed.

I watched his eyes scan the screen for a few moments before he nodded.

"Thank you," he told Lincoln, who nodded and took a seat.

Luca looked up at those of us who sat around the table as he placed the laptop down.

"I'm sorry to have called this meeting so soon," he apologized. "But there are a few pressing matters we need to discuss."

He looked at Mady's mother.

"If you wouldn't mind, Mrs. Reid, I'd like to speak to your daughter alone," he said politely.

She nodded as she stood up and walked up the staircase.

As soon as she had left, Mady gulped like she knew what Luca was going to say when he looked at her.

"You are now the rightful Alpha of your pack," he told her. "But I need to know if you'll be stepping into this title. I need to start training Blaine's replacement if he's going to be leaving us to go back to Oregon with you."

I immediately thought of Fallon.

Would he give her Blaine's position?

Mady was silent for a few moments, staring at the tabletop intently.

Her expression turned sorrowful as she tried her hardest not to cry, slowly beginning to shake her head.

"I can't be Alpha," she whispered. "Maybe under different circumstances I would, but I can't now."

Luca nodded understandingly.

"You'll need to prepare a statement to deliver to your pack so they can begin the process of selecting new leadership," he told her.

Mady nodded.

"Can my mother and I stay here?"

"You'll both have to join the pack if you're to stay," Luca answered. "But we can induct you whenever you're ready, just let Blaine or Carrie know."

"I'll do that," she said.

Blaine placed a reassuring kiss on the side of Mady's head as she laid it back on his shoulder, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

Luca backed away from the table and walked over to the large map that hung on the wall behind him, showing a satellite view of his pack and the surrounding territories.

"Bates and I agreed that the gates should go out to here," he said, using a highlighter to extend a noticeable line from the pre-existing borders to include the rest of his pack.

Lincoln leaned in, taking note of the changes.

"That's almost six thousand added acres of land," he said with raised eyebrows.

Luca nodded.

"It'll be a big undertaking, but we've already ordered the fencing and lined up the man-power to have it put up," he said.

"You're sure you want that many people within the gates?" Blaine asked.

Luca nodded.

"If this event has taught me anything it's that protection is a right that should be afforded everyone, not a privilege to be bought by a select elite of my pack."

He sighed as he took his seat.

"When I was given that land and territory, it never occurred to me that I would have to fiercely protect it. Until three weeks ago, that is," he admitted.

"Given?" Mady asked, her tone combative.

Luca turned to her, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes," he repeated.

Mady looked at me.

"Did you tell him what our dads told us about him acquiring all that land?" She asked.

Luca turned to me quizzically as I shook my head.

"They said you forcefully took it from the Alphas in your surrounding territory to gain more land and power," I told him, reciting what my father had said in the truck on the way home from Las Vegas.

His expression turned into a scowl.

"No, he didn't," Bates interjected defensively. "One Alpha literally died and left it to Luca because he didn't have a surviving heir."

"And the other Alpha was molesting little boys and so his pack requested Luca step in and get rid of him and, when he did, they voted for Luca to replace him," Blaine finished.

"That was not the side of the story we heard," Mady admitted. "That's what my dad said all of their meetings in Vegas had been about this year."

"All of the meetings?" Luca asked incredulously. "This was the first one. The Council asked me to bring proper documentation to ensure the acquisition of territory was valid. So I did. I just didn't show up because I was following Carrie's scent."

"That's why you're still alive," Bates reminded him.

"You're welcome," I whispered to Luca, making him smile as he turned to me.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

"Wait, so if this was the first meeting, why were our dads in Vegas so many times before?" I asked Mady.

She shrugged.

"I don't know," she admitted. "That's what they told us they had been going for."

Bates hummed, earning our attention.

"What if that's where they were going to get involved in the necromancy?" He asked. "Vegas is almost right on the boarder with where we lived in Arizona. Maybe they were meeting up with someone."

"Or they were just going to meetings that Luca wasn't aware of," I offered.

"I think I'll still have my sister check into it," Bates said thoughtfully. "She's concerned as to how he was able to get on the inside with all of these practices."

Luca turned to me.

"When did they start going to the meetings?" He asked.

"Back in February," I told him. "The one in May was the fourth one."

Luca raised an eyebrow.

"That's a lot of meetings I wasn't invited to," he commented.

"You closed on the deal with the second pack in late January," Blaine reminded him.

Luca nodded.

"That was probably the catalyst for a lot of speculation," he said. "But it's all the more reason as to why the fence being extended is a good idea."

"I'm assuming we're adding more people to the defense team, then," Blaine said. "That's a lot of land to surveil."

"We can divide it up," Lincoln offered. "If each subdivision can offer a a few men to join to protect their portion of the fence, it would be covered easily."

Blaine nodded in agreement.

"I'll see what I can do about bringing that up in the next Elders meeting," he said. "We'll need to see what they can do about recruiting those men."

Luca leaned forward, clasping his hands on the tabletop.

"That brings me to my next topic of discussion..."

- - -

Luca and I arrived back home later that evening after a long day of meetings, calls, and wellness check-ins with those who had been injured.

Even though I was physically drained, it had been good to get out of the house for the first time in two weeks.

It had forced me to shower and put on clean clothes that morning, something that I hadn't realized would mentally help me as much as it had. I made a promise to myself I would do those two things every morning moving forward.

As we walked through the door, I noticed Luca was carrying the laptop Lincoln had brought to him earlier that day.

"What's that for?" I asked him.

He looked down at the laptop before sighing.

"There's something we need to talk about and I've been avoiding it for the past few days," he admitted.

I followed him into the kitchen and watched as he placed the laptop on the counter, feeling my stomach twist.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong," he clarified. "It's just heavy stuff."

Luca opened the laptop and I saw the documents splayed across the screen.

"I had Lincoln contact the attorney who was managing your parents' estate," he admitted. "But since we're not legally married, the lawyer wouldn't talk to me after receiving notification of their passing. He'll only speak directly with you."

I gulped.

"So what are those?" I asked, gesturing towards the screen.

"Documentation verifying your identity and such. He wants you to sign all of this and bring it with you when you go to settle their affairs."

I looked at Luca, feeling somewhat panicked.

"We have to back to Oregon?" I asked.

He nodded.

"You can't just leave their house and let it rot. We can go through everything and get what you want. Otherwise we can sell the house and their clinic," he said. "We'll be gone for a week and you won't ever have to go back."

I let out a long breath as I took a seat at the countertop.

"I'd do it for you so you didn't have to if I could," he assured me. "But this is something you'll have to do."

I nodded slowly, staring at the documents that awaited my signature.

"I know," I whispered.

"It won't be easy, but it'll be good for you to go through their things, to save pictures and the valuable stuff," Luca reminded me.

I nodded in silent agreement.

"We'll leave whenever you're ready," he said, kissing the top of my head.

I was still staring anxiously at the laptop as Luca walked away, towards the refrigerator.

"What do you want for dinner?" He asked.

"I'm not hungry," I said, getting off of the barstool. "I'm exhausted. I think I'm going to go to bed."

I got into the living room before Luca replied.

"You didn't eat lunch either," he reminded me.

I stopped, turning to him.

"I just don't have an appetite," I admitted. "I feel like shit."

"Maybe you feel like shit because you're malnourished," he offered.

"I feel like shit because I watched both of my parents die violently less than sixteen days ago," I snapped.

We both went silent before I closed my eyes, shaking my head.

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "I'm just tired."

Luca walked over to where I stood, his arms reaching out to pull me into his chest.

"I'm allowed to be concerned," he told me. "I understand you're still mourning, but that doesn't mean I have to stand back and watch you waste away."

"I know," I whispered.

Luca pulled away, taking my face in his hands.

He stared into my red-rimmed eyes for a moment, like he was trying to read my mind.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked me softly.

I nodded slowly, watching his face closing in.

My eyes closed when his lips touched mine, feeling my heart begin to race.

I felt more alive then than I had in two weeks.

I pushed myself on my tip toes to deepen the kiss, Luca's thumbs tracing either side of my face.

Just as I pulled him into me closer with his t-shirt clenched between my fists, Luca pulled away quickly.

"I told myself that I would give you time before this happened," he said.

I couldn't help but feel somewhat rejected being pushed away like that. I knew why he had, but it still hurt.

He must have seen my dejected expression as I nodded robotically.

"I understand," I croaked out, feeling a knot form in my throat.

I turned away quickly, heading into the bathroom before Luca could see that I was crying.

I hated crying. It was all I had done. I was ready to smile, laugh, and be happy again.

Maybe that's why Luca pulling away had hurt. 

I just wanted to feel something other than emotionally isolated and that kiss was the first time I had.

Luca gave me space for the rest of the evening, leaving me to fall asleep alone in his bed as the golden rays of the sunset flooded his bedroom.

The mechanical sound of a drilling tool is what pulled me from sleep the next morning.

I got out of the bed, rubbing my eyes as I opened the bedroom door and followed the sound up the staircase to the loft.

Luca was holding a cabinet to the wall with one hand as he drilled it in, a feat that made his toned biceps swell and forearms flex.

It was a lower cabinet that sat on the floor next to one just like it that sat a few feet away, leaving a space in between them where an easel now perched.

"What is this?" I asked, my jaw going slack.

Luca turned to me, smiling as he put the drill on the ground.

"You said you wanted to turn this into an art room," he reminded me, picking up the cabinet's countertop to slide it over the frame of the cabinet itself.

I nodded, suddenly remembering that I had said that.

"Do you think this will be enough storage space?" He asked me.

He gestured to the cabinets and the preexisting built-in bookshelves that were on the other side of the room.

Luce then ran a hand along the back of his neck.

"It's hard because I don't paint so I don't really know what you would need," he admitted.

"This is perfect," I whispered, my finger tracing along the frame of the easel.

I reached out and hugged him.

"Thank you," I said, my voice muffled by his t-shirt.

"You're welcome," he chuckled. "I've got one more surprise though. Why don't you change clothes and we'll go?"

I followed his instructions with slight apprehension, however the anxiety melted away as he drove me into town and pulled into the parking lot of the familiar arts and crafts retail store.

Luca pulled me inside and grabbed a shopping cart.

"I'm following you," he said, smiling. "Whatever you need."

My eyes filled with tears as I reached out to give him another hug, not knowing what else to do.

"I don't know what colors to get," I admitted as we walked over to the tubes of paint that hung in one aisle. "I'm not even sure what to paint next."

"What do you normally paint?" Luca asked.

"Landscapes. I can do portraits but it takes a little longer."

He thought for a moment.

"Paint the sunrise from the back deck," he told me. "You like that, don't you?"

I smiled, nodding.

"I do," I said, beginning to look for the right colors.

I filled the cart with tubes of different hues of orange, yellow and white and shades of red, pink and black. I added a few canvases, a handful of new paintbrushes, a palette and sealant.

"I don't think I need anything else," I said excitedly, taking inventory of the cart.

I looked up to catch Luca intently watching me.

"Are you happy?" He asked me suddenly.

I felt almost shocked that I'd gone nearly an hour without thinking about my parents. Every negative thought had been pushed away.

I was happy.

I nodded slowly, a growing smile on my face.

"Good," he said, "because you're eating something when we get home."

I laughed as I followed him to the checkout line.

A sunrise was an appropriate thing to paint next and I couldn't help but think about it's significance the entire ride home.

It symbolized new beginnings, a fresh start, a new day...

With each sunrise came a chance to begin again and with each passing day, came healing.

I'd make it through.

And I'd count every sunrise.

- - -

One more chapter and then an epilogue!

They'll both be posted very soon. I'll give you guys an update from my profile as to when that will be.

See you then!

MaybeManhattan .x