WinterMoor

~Chapter Four~

Alexa woke up to an empty bed. The house seemed happier. There was no shouting, no rushing around, no fake smiles and no dad in the house.

She got up and burshed her teeth, covering the painful bruise with a little concealer and powder. She got dressed and went into Olivia's room.

Empty?

She went down the stairs, tying her hair into a bun.

Layton stood leaning against the door frame, sipping coffee and talking to Edward. Hannah was sat on the floor playing with Olivia and their mum was in the kitchen, humming to herself.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Her mum said, walking into the living room. "Im sorry." She had obviously heard from Olivia what happened.

"Don't. Please." She walked into the kitchen. Layton followed her gently. Putting a hand on the side of her back and kissing her forehead. She seemed to flinch away a little. He removed his hand and moved away.

"Sleep well?" He didn't want to intrude on her personal life yet. Not if she wasn't comfortable with it.

She nodded.

"Do you wanna do something today?" He asked.

"I have to take Olivia to school, and then I'll have to help mum." She said, used to her daily routine.

"Sweetie, it's okay. You go out... He's gone away..." Her mum told her and she frowned.

"What do you mean he's gone away?" She asked.

"He got called out this morning. He'll be back tommorrow morning. He had to go and help his brother. Uncle Jeff. The dodgy one." Her mum told her.

"Won't you need help with the house?" She asked.

"No." Her mum shook her head. "Edwards going to take Olivia, and then I'll do the house later. Go and have fun."

"What do you wanna do?" He asked. "We could just go for a walk and get lunch if you wanted?" He asked and she nodded.

"Sounds good. I'm going to go and get changed." She told him and he just smiled, nodding.

He waited downstairs for her. She came back in a floral dress, she had a little bit of makeup of and had actually done her hair properly for once.

They walked out of the house and down one of the alley ways, straight into the woods.

They talked about anything and everything, getting to know each other better.

"I'm only here for a few days... Would you like to move back with me? I'm going on to meet another alpha for a few days but then I'll be heading home..." He explained she didn't reply.

"Lexi?" He asked.

"I can't move."

"You're going to be luna... I'll need you by my side, beautiful. I understand if you want some time, but I'd love to have you back with me as soon as possible."

"I can't just move... I have mum.. and the girls."

"Do you wanna talk about it? Properly?" He asked, stopping her as they walked. He reached for her hands but she pulled away.

"Not really."

"You know.. I'm here for you.. I'm not going to hurt you, or do anything you're not comfortable with... But we need to communicate." Layton told her.

"I know.. it's just.. personal." She kept looking down. Fiddling.

"Think about it." He told her, he carried on walking and she followed.