“Ohh you wound me” he said with a smile putting his left hand over his heart then added “see there's the Con we all know and love.” Over the past month, Madox and I had gotten close enough that he realized my sarcasm was just teasing.

“Thanks weirdo, I needed that” I said shaking my head glancing down only to realize I was now redressed in his gray shirt and black slacks.

“Oh you know you love me” he said teasingly without knowing it was pretty much true and not just as a friend.

“See I knew you would be the one to pull him back to himself this time” Liah said reminding us she was in the room. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door making all of us jump. Cracking it open, mom popped his head in and said “Madox, its just about time so you need to head down to the kitchen and take your place next to Elaina.”

“Okay, I'll be right there” Madox says before turning back to me and asking “will you be alright?”

“Yeah, I'll be fine. Go on, we'll watch from up here” I said nodding my head.

“Alright” he says before standing up and placing a hand on my shoulder before leaving the room. Once the door is shut, Liah comes over to me and pulls me into a hug before I burs into tears again. In between sobs, I ask “why is he here? Why now? Why come back after all this time?”

“I know baby, I know. I don't understand it either and it really pisses me off that he had to come on today of all days. Just try to ignore him and focus on Kyle and Nina since today is supposed to be all about them” Liah said rubbing my back. Standing, we move the chairs over in front of the window where we'll be able to see what's going on. Retaking the seat I'd vacated, I watched Liah go to the other window and open it slightly to allow us to be able to hear everything as well. Moments later, Kyle walked out to the daisy covered alter followed by the flower girl and ring bearer. As we watched, the children played their way down the aisle making everyone laugh. Once the kids were settled in their seats, the processional began with each pairing of brides maid and grooms men were standing on either side of the stage with Tomas, Kyles Beta, and Carla, his mate being the last two before there was a pause. Everyone was asked to stand, as Nina made her way down the aisle with her father. Once they reached the alter, her father kissed her on the forehead and everyone was asked to be seated. In order to distract myself from the unwanted guest, I kept an eye on Madox whom I'd occasionally catch looking my way with a worried expression which I'd return a smile to keep him from being too distracted. At the end of the ceremony after the kiss, everyone made their way back down the aisle in their designated pairs until they were back inside the house. Getting up, Liah closed the window seconds before Madox and mom came into the room to check on me.

“I'm alright guys really” I said at their worried expressions.

“I don't believe that for a second” mom said and then to Madox and Liah added “neither of you is to leave his side this evening” and then turning back to me said “and when you go to bed you have to make sure to lock your door.”

“I know mom. I have no intention of leaving these two tonight and something tells me neither of them would leave my side even if I asked them too” I said then added “hell maybe we'll even have a slumber party in my room tonight just to be sure.”

“I know sarcasm is your default but it's not necessary in this situation” mom said looking annoyed.

“I wasn't aiming for sarcasm mom. I was being serious. I don't wanna be alone tonight and after what just happened I don't think these two will leave me at all” I said shrugging.

“That's for damn sure” Liah said followed by Madox adding “I'm with Liah on this one.”

“See mom, I'll be fine. Plus I'm sure Ty will make an appearance sometime soon. So, don't worry so much” I said just before Ty opened the door like he'd known I was talking about him.

“What?” he said as we all stared at him before bursting into laughter. When mom had calmed down enough to speak again, he said “okay point taken Con but if something happens you better make sure your father and I know about it immediately.”

“Yes momma. You even have these three as witnesses so even if I wanted to hide it I couldn't” I said gesturing to the rest of the room.

“Alright, I've gotta go make sure things are transitioning smoothly” mom said before kissing my head and leaving the room.

“Wanna fill me in on what just happened?” Ty asked still confused.

“Nothing much. Mom was giving marching orders to Madox and Liah then I mentioned you'd make an appearance soon just before you opened the door like you'd heard me say that” I explained.

“Ah, okay so what were his orders?” Ty asked now understanding the laughing fit.

“We are not to leave Conners side tonight” Madox said watching me.

“Yeah, and since he doesn't wanna be alone. It all works out” Liah said looking at Ty.

“Ah okay. Well McKayla and I can tag along for part of it at least” Ty said shrugging.

“Okay, that would actually be helpful since I'm in no condition to fight right now even if I wanted to” I said thinking it would be good added protection.

The rest of the night passed in relative safety as there were a few near misses when he'd get close but the others would shuffle me away from him as soon as my heart rate sped up. At around nine pm, it was time for the send off so we all lined up to either side of the pack house door holding sparklers for them to walk under with Ty and I closest to the car while mom and dad were standing next to it. Just as they got close, I felt an uncomfortable presence behind me which caught Madox attention. Reaching out, he took my hand squeezing it comfortingly as I stared at Ty who was looking over my left shoulder with a death glare. Even from this distance, I could feel the anger rolling off my twin and the worry Madox had flowing through him as he squeezed my hand. One of them must've done something because mom and dad took notice causing the person making me uncomfortable to move away. However, Madox didn't let go of my hand and I was thankful for that. Meeting Ty's eyes, he held a sad and apologetic look to which I shrugged. When Kyle and Nina finally made it too us, he could tell something had happened from the looks on our faces but said nothing. Hugging Ty and then me, he whispered in my ear “is everything okay little brother?”

“Yeah, everything is fine now. Lucky for me, I have people who love me and will make sure nothing else happens” I whispered back.

“Alright, make sure I know if anything does happen even if I'm on my honeymoon” he whispered before letting go. Nodding, I smiled before he went over to mom and dad as Madox took my hand again making sure I knew one of my two best friends was still by my side. Looking at our clasped hands and then up at him I said “thank you.”

“For what?” he asked sounding confused.

“For staying with me and making sure I knew I wasn't alone through all of this” I said squeezing his hand lightly.

“You're welcome and I'll always be here no matter what happens” he said with a smile. Turning, I noticed we had a small audience watching us as I caught Ty and Liah smiling before seeing the same look on their faces. Leaning towards Madox, I whispered “I think they think we're dating.”

“I think you're right” he said before we both burst out laughing causing the rest of the pack in the area to stop and stare at us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Beta Charles and his wife Eloise smiling at us making me smile more. As we settled down, Madox stiffened for a few seconds before looking at me smiling.

Lost in our own goofy world, I hadn't even noticed my parents were watching us until mom mind linked me saying “I'm glad you and Conner seem to be getting along so well” which made me smile.

“He's become my best friend and makes me happier than I've been in a long time mom” I said turning to look at him. A confused look crossed his face before he realized I must be having a conversation through the mind link.

“Mom was just telling me how happy she is that we get along so well” I told him.

“Oh that makes sense. Though does she know why we get along so well?” he asked

“Nah, I figured telling her you're a sarcastic ass wouldn't be helpful to either of us” I snarked back.

“Yeah, I guess not” he laughed again making me realize that I loved hearing him laugh more than I'd ever thought. As we turned to walk back inside after Kyle and Nina left, we were joined by the rest of his family and Liah who whispered in my ear saying “you best be careful he doesn't catch you looking at him like that or it'll be way too obvious.” Glancing at her, she shrugged and kept walking. Once the three of us were back in his room, I locked the door as per our instructions while he went to shower and change for bed. When she heard the shower kick on, Liah lowered her voice and asked “you love him don't you? Like you're in love with him?”

“No, maybe, I don't know. I didn't realize I had any feelings other that those you'd have for a friend until we were outside a little bit ago and I made him laugh. It made me realize how much I love hearing him laugh and seeing him smile” I whispered back rubbing my face before taking off the suit jacket and loosening the shirt and tie.

“Yeah, news flash you love him and I don't mean as a friend. You should've seen your face just now as you talked about him” she said keeping her voice low enough that he wouldn't hear.

“Maybe, but with everything that happened today I don't wanna stress him out. So, even if I realize it I can't and won't tell him. Specially since we're both waiting for our mates and he's only got two months left before he finds his” I whisper with a sad expression.

“Yeah, I wouldn't drop that on him either even if he weren't. Now is definitely not the right time for that” she said. Moments later the shower cut off. As we waited for Conner to come out of the bathroom, I undid my tie and had Liah help with the cuff links setting them on top his dresser. As soon as Conner left the bathroom, he knew something wasn't right but only gave us a questioning look.

“Everything's fine Con. You don't need to worry so much” Liah said with a smile.

“Imma go shower” I said making a bee line for the bathroom. Closing the door, I finished stripping out of the suit I'd been wearing before turning on the water. Just like before, moments later Conner knocked on the door and placed clothes on the counter without looking at me.

“Thanks Con” I said as he closed the door and I got in the shower.