Eve's POVI had found it difficult to fall asleep on the journey back because my mind was not at ease.

By the time we arrived at the Blackthorn territory, a different kind of energy possessed me and I was wide awake.

Apart from bathroom breaks where we had to park the vehicles and come down, Malik and I had barely seen each other.

"Where are we going to?" I asked the driver when I noticed that he was taking a different turn from the one I was used to.

Even though it had been a while since I had been here, I knew that this was not the usual area of civilization for pack members.

"Mr Rousseau directed me to take you to a lodge where you will all be staying for now."

Oh. Malik must have made provisions for our accommodation already. I guess I must have underestimated his intentions.

"Okay."

From where I sat in the front, I heard Danny stirring. He had fallen asleep a few hours ago which was a relief because prior to that, he had been really restless.

"Mommy, are we home?" He asked sleepily.

"Yes, baby. Yes, we are."

A few more minutes of driving and we pulled up into a cosy but luxurious-looking cabin. From the window, I saw Malik's car drive into the compound with one other car as well. I had a feeling that it was for his men.

"We have arrived." The driver announced unceremoniously.

"Thank you, sir," I told him before turning to Danny. "Pull up your hood, baby."

I wanted us to be as discreet as possible. I didn't want anyone from here knowing anything about him.

I stepped out of the vehicle and as soon as my feet touched the sand, I felt it.

"That's impossible," I muttered to myself.

How come I was still feeling the matebond even after all these years? I had been very sure that it was severed when Dorian rejected me so how could I explain this feeling now?

"Eve."

I turned around to see Malik coming up from behind me. I noticed him staring as I dropped my hair down to cover most of my face.

"Malik," I replied. "Thank you for…"

He stopped me by raising his hand as if to stop me.

"You've said thank you enough. I just wanted to know if you would be okay staying in this cabin or if you would prefer going to the pack house."

"This place is perfect for me, thank you."

That pack house was the last place that I wanted to be right now. I would only go when I was ready to face them but there was no way in hell that I was moving in there.

The men started taking our bags and luggage into the cabin and Danny came close to me to tap my hand. I knew what he was trying to say.

"No, you can't keep it, give it back," I told him before he could even ask me what he wanted.

"What's that?" Malik asked with sparkling curiosity in his eyes.

I took a deep breath bed taking the tablet from Danny's hands and showing it to Malik.

"He wants to keep this. I found it in the car and let him play with it on the journey but I told him that it's yours and he has to return it."

"No he doesn't. He can definitely keep it."

At the sound of that, Danny squealed happily and pumped his fists into the air.

"Thank you, Mommy's friend!"

"You're welcome, Danny."

Malik's eyes lingered on Danny for a minute or two before he looked away. It made me wonder what was on his mind.

"Alright, sir. Everything has been packed inside," one of the men told Malik.

"Good. You're dismissed."

With that, they all left the grounds and we headed into the building.

The interior was clean and well-lit. A gasp left my lips as I saw the chandelier hanging from the ceiling in the living area.

"This is beautiful," I exclaimed before I could stop myself.

"I'm glad you like it."

I definitely preferred it to the modern style of houses back in the human territory. It made me feel truly at home.

"You can pick any room you like and move your things there," he paused before continuing. "Danny can also choose a room, if he wants."

"Wow, really?" Danny squeals in excitement.

"That won't be necessary. He's fine with me."

I didn't want him to spoil Danny while we were here. He was still growing up and he needed to learn some basic things.

I wouldn't want him expecting things to always fall at his feet and most importantly. If I were also being completely honest, I just wasn't for him to have his own room yet. He was still my baby.

"Aww," Danny whined and I ignored him.

"Okay. I'll be heading out now. I have some business to handle."

I felt the urge to ask him where he was going but the look on his face told me that it was private.

"Alright. See you later," I told him and he nodded before leaving the house.

I packed my things upstairs and picked the first room that I saw. With Danny's little help, we were able to unpack just a little bit but I made sure to leave most of our things packed up just in case of an emergency.

We freshened up and changed into more comfortable clothes. With nothing much to do, I picked up the remote and turned on the TV.

I was flicking through channels until I saw him. Dorian. Except for the fact that his hair was longer and his features had hardened, he hadn't changed much.

The announcer was talking about the death of his father and the upcoming funeral. His name banquet would also come up right after. This series of events was coming up in two days.

If I were to go to that pack house, I needed a stunning dress for my comeback.