April's POV

"And you're done!" Octavian announced, whirling me around.

I complied and shifted in my seat, slightly apprehensive. My mouth opened in surprise. My hair was in waves, an intricate braid forming a headband, looking a far cry from my usual sorry excuse of a hairstyle.

To my surprise, I found I was still able to recognise myself. I still looked like April Evans, but my eyes and lips were bolder, making me look far more confident than I felt. My dress itself was in a league of its own – it was Grecian in style. Mint blue, long from the back and shorter from the front, just reaching my knees. It was cinched from the middle and embellished with rose's protruding like vines from the bottom.

"Like it?"

I nodded, smiling at him widely.

"I'm glad." He raised a sharp eyebrow. "You're new to me so it took me a while to choose a look."

"This is amazing, Octavian. Thank you."

When I ended up leaving, I thanked the stylists again. We reached the gardens and I gulped, self-consciously smoothing down my hair and pulling my dress down, a frown already forming upon my features. The sound of chattering and glasses and rustling leaves drifted in, leaving goose bumps along my arm.

"You look beautiful," I heard Carlos say – I looked up and found him kissing Emma lightly on the nose as she blushed.

Seeing several glasses of water sitting upon the tray, I realized how thirsty I was – I made my way through them, until I reached the dappled shade where the water sat untouched.

"I don't think you want drink that." A hand pushed the glass down. I looked up in surprise and my breath hitched when I saw him. Damn him for looking so handsome in that moment.

"Why?" I managed to stutter, still taken aback.

"Because it's not water, it's white wine." He explained, gently prying it from my hands and setting it down on the tray.

"Oh." I let out awkwardly. "Thanks for telling me."

He tilted his head like a little bird, watching me closely. Then, he stepped towards me and I swear, my heart skipped a beat. "Did you want something?" I managed to say, raising an eyebrow at the look of concentration on his face.

"We're going out to meet people now, so can I put my arm around you please?" He finally managed to say, looking up from his dark lashes. I paused, a smile pulling at my lips.

"You were actually going to ask me this time?"

He shrugged, smirking.

I burst out laughing. "Aiden Knight gets all nervous over a girl."

"Shush."

"Okay okay. Yes, you can put your arm around me." I hesitated whilst saying that – this was the first time I had ever allowed a guy to invade my personal space out of my own will and I felt weird doing it too. His cheekbone went up and I could see he was smiling, despite not seeing his lips.

We emerged into the gardens properly and I took a deep breath, calming myself. We spent the next hour with Aiden calming me every 10 minutes and whispering praises and encouragement to me and veering me away from certain groups of people. It was strangely nice. I was afraid I wouldn't know how to act or what to say, but Aiden usually handled the situations and I only really fell into easy conversations with a couple of people.

The afternoon sun was now fading, pale strands of light falling onto the gardens, leaving everything in a mellow glow. It was as though a blanket of tiredness had fallen over the gardens, and, murmuring people began to shuffle inside for dinner.

Over the next two hours, I was sat at a damn dinner table with no visible escape. However, the dinner was completely different to how I had imagined it – Aiden's families were loud and overexcited. People yelled over one another, wine being chugged down like it was water. I eyed them all in surprise; what happened to the sophisticated people outside? I stared in bewilderment at Kaden on my right, my eyes wide in surprise at this sudden change in atmosphere.

He smiled understandingly. "This," he gestured to the people at the table. "Is our real family – outside it was an official pack gathering so everything was serious, but this," he gestured again to a particular man laughing out loud and passing around several dishes of food. "Is our family when we relax. We're Spanish-Italian." He explained patiently, turning away slightly to his girlfriend who was tapping him in amusement.

She smiled warmly at me and I smiled tentatively back, my eyes going back to the commotion at the table. Maybe my fake good manners were wasted here – with a shrug, I dropped my fork and picked up the pizza and ate it happily, glad to be able to act as 'normal' as I could.

To my annoyance, Aiden and Diego's eyes were constantly on their laps, staring at their phone screen, occasionally chortling at something. I rolled my eyes at them from across the table.

"Dinner is dismissed." Antonio announced grandly, his voice carrying effortlessly across the dining hall, adorned with paintings and an impressive mahogany table. Almost instantly, chairs were scraped back and several people laughed for no apparent reason, the wine clearly getting to their head.

I sighed heavily and wearily got to my feet, stretching out my legs and arms. To my surprise, there were a lot of younger people here around my age and younger – nearly all of them looked like something out of a Hollister catalogue and they all eyed me with a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

I quickly spotted Emma's fiery red hair and donkey laugh from across the room and smiled, excusing myself as I made my way through the crowd. A few older couples stopped me, smiling and patting me on the head like a child that had just passed a test.

"We are so happy chica that you are with our Aiden now." A particular elderly woman with wispy grey hair and smiling, milky blue eyes whispered to me. I had to lean in to hear her because she was so petite. I couldn't help but smile at the sincerity that filled her voice. "Since Maria... well, I was afraid he would reject his mate and eventually kill himself with all that stupid las drogas y el alcohol before finding his mate, mi pobre niño" she muttered to herself. I placed a reassuring arm on her shoulder and smiled at her.

But instead, she smiled and gave me a cheeky smile. "You are the one chica – I can feel it in my bones. I am happy with you for my grandson." She grinned, her eyes giving off a familiar glint I usually saw in Aiden's eyes when he was about to say something teasingly. This is his grandmother? The realization dawned on me several minutes later when I was hovering near Beau and Daniel as they talking to a group of other boys and girls.

People were slouched in armchairs and drinking coffee, whereas the younger people were out near the woods. They're werewolves April? Remember? I heard the word human and mates whispered around the room a lot, but I tried ignoring the sensation of being watched as much as I could. I felt like a loser standing alone in a room full of werewolves, aside from Nina, and a shiver coursed through my body at the realization.

I strained my eyes, willing myself to spot Aiden within this huge family – apparently luck was on my side and I caught him chatting and smoking in one corner with someone. I stepped closer to take a better look and found my heart sinking.

There was a blonde girl with him, a cigarette balanced delicately in her fingers as small puffs of smoke emerged from where they were. Her back was towards me so I couldn't see her face but I already knew she was drop-dead gorgeous. A wave of sadness, dread and jealously washed over me and I felt my lips tugging downwards at the scene.

Aiden was smiling, actually smiling, a genuine smile that he so rarely showed, he was showing down at the girl and he leaned down and whispered something in her ear, one hand on the small of her back. Her body vibrated with laughter and I felt my breathing pause. The blonde was the exact opposite of me: from what I could see of her from the back, she was tall with an enviable tan matching Aiden's. Even the way she smoked that disgusting cigarette looked elegant. They can't have been related - their body language said as such. Don't jump to conclusions April. I turned away, my heart heaving. Aiden said something else in her ear and I could sense them about to turn so I quickly turned away at the same time, not wanting them to see me.

I resorted to my last option. I needed to get out of this room – I needed to run. I spotted an open door and hurried towards it, not turning my head once to assess Aiden and the blonde. I'm definitely not over-reacting – Aiden actually smiled, something he rarely does with his own family, friends or me at the girl. They were smoking together. Isn't it obvious, April?

I shut my eyes as I stepped out into the cool air, the rosy glow of the setting sun against my eyelids. The area was open, allowing pale streams of pink, gold and hazy orange to cast the entire garden in a bath of colour. Despite the carefree atmosphere, my mind was running frantically with explanations for who the girl was.

Why do you care April?

Why do you feel this way around him?

Why did you feel so jealous?

You don't like him. You do not like him, April Evans.

You can't.

As the thoughts ran around in my head, I felt it closing down on me. I shut my eyes and dropped my head into my hands until one solution rang clear in my mind.

It's because you've fallen for Aiden Knight.

***

"April? What are you doing out here?" Aiden's voice came from surprisingly close. He was crouched on the floor so he was eye level with me, the crease in his forehead appearing as he thought hard about something. I clenched my jaw and sighed obviously, hoping he would leave me alone.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He pressed on, leaning forward. I cursed the butterflies in my stomach when this happened and let my mind take over. I jerked away, brushing him off without making it too obvious I was upset.

"I'm fine Aiden. Just... just over whelmed."

He frowned and stood up to his full height – I suddenly felt powerless. He was so tall and was currently blocking my way.

"Sure you are, that's why you look like you're ready to go to a funeral," he scowled, pushing me gently down onto the bench again. I narrowed my eyes at him and prepared to get up again, but by now he'd sat down next to me and showed no signs of relenting.

"Aiden, I just need some fresh air - alone." I snapped.

"You can be a totally closed book sometimes – difficult to read and never showing what she feels, but unfortunately for you, today, you're a completely open book. So stop lying – it's pathetic."

"You don't know anything about me!"

He turned towards me now - his tanned skin aglow and his lips set in a line. I swallowed hard, willing myself not to be the one to break eye contact first. "I don't know anything about you? April, I kidnapped you. We were forced to get to know one another. I know more about you than you do about me - if you did, I'd end up ruining you."

"Well, maybe that's because every time I ask and try to find out, you end up blocking everyone out. Stop doing that Aiden. People care about you! I care about you!" I carried on, not realizing what I'd said. "But it seems like the only person you confide in is that girl."

Oh shit.

Hey Siri, is it possible to die from embarrassment?

He paused and I refused to look his way, my stomach knotting in embarrassment. I realized what I'd said and how I'd said it – I was a bitter, jealous, angry idiot. And I'd just gone and expressed that out loud to the guy I was head over heels for.

"April?"

No response from me, who was currently mentally hanging her head in shame.

"April."

"April, look at me." He ended up pulling my chin towards him so I was looking up at his eyes. "What girl?" My stomach dropped – after all that and all he got was that one bitter phrase?

"What?" I pretended to play dumb.

"If you're talking about Barbara, then no, I don't. She's a childhood friend. She stuck by me after my mom died." His tone was hard.

However, I flinched. I flinched in regret. "Your mother?"

His jaw tightened. "Yes. She died when I was 12, but I'm guessing the little gossip whores got to you first, right?" I wasn't sure if I should nod or not so I remained silence, my eyes fixated on his face. "Her name was Maria – she was the Luna of the pack. After she died, we all span out of control. My father went into depression, Kaden disappeared, Cole went into drugs and abused his power as the Alpha's son. The entire Silvermoon pack went downhill."

"What happened to your mother? And you?" I asked gently.

"She was murdered." He spat. "And me? I'm the Aiden you know today because of it."

I placed a hand on his shoulder and at first he flinched, but then he looked sideways, his gaze locking into my own and he visibly relaxed. I left my hand there. "Barbara was my friend and we'd been together since we were babies – everyone thought we'd be together, even now." I looked down at the floor, "But after my mom's death I pushed everyone and everything away and embraced my second love –"

"Alcohol." I finished for him. He nodded stiffly. At least he could admit it.

"I met Barbara after so long today. I wanted to introduce you to her – I think you would have like her." He said, his eyes softening as he looked down at me. I sighed, licking my lips – then, I mustered the courage to finally look up at him.

"I'm sorry." I finally managed. "I assumed the worst of you – it was wrong of me, it was none of my business. Granted, a lot of your family thought we were an odd match – I understand why you and Barbara are close. You were the perfect couple: together since you were babies and an all round beautiful couple."

"What do you mean beautiful couple?" His voice was amused.

"You know, you're both like damn Armani models. What, have no talent scouts contacted you yet?" I teased, smiling.

"Don't be stupid, April. You know, my family adore you - especially my grandmother, and to be honest, she's one of the only people in this family whose opinion I respect."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile that formed alongside his words. "Well, I guess people just think we're odd because you're so..." I paused for a moment, thinking. "You. And I'm just... me. The same kid who if she looked back on her life would never have thought to be in this predicament."

"I didn't think I'd be here either." I stared at him accusingly, poking him in the ribs.

A few minutes of welcome silence fell over us, the birds tweeting their goodbyes to the sun as it sank further down into the sky. A sudden urge to comfort Aiden overwhelmed me and before I knew it, I had thrown my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. My mind registered a few moments too late and I lingered, my stomach already knotting in embarrassment when I realized he had not responded. Just as I was about to let go, his arms finally went around me, making my heart beat rise irregularly.

"Why are you doing this? I thought April Evans hates hugs." His voice was muffled in my hair.

"Well, you should feel honoured – I hardly give hugs to my own family let alone guys." I explained, dropping my arms dropping to my sides awkwardly again.

He smirked. "Well, I am honoured. But on a more serious note, I need to say something to you about something you said earlier. About me and Barbara." Let it go please Aiden. "You said we're odd together. You're right, we are. I'm screwed up and you're not. But maybe it's because we're so different, that the Universe forced us into this. And anyway, I never thought I'd say this but I think geeks are beginning to grow on me."

I stood up suddenly, laughing awkwardly, my skin flushed. He stood up too, the fading sunlight casting diamonds into his eyes. His sinfully pink lips curved upwards. "Are you going to run away again?"

"No."

He came closer to me and I stepped back, further and further until I felt myself hitting something. Damn the bush! Aiden looked down at me, his expression amused – it was so hard to tell what he was thinking – whether he was acting or being genuine. I was so confused with him. But maybe confused is good?

"You look beautiful now, but you know, I think I also like it when you look like the normal April," he whispered. He pulled my glasses from his pocket and grinned.

"Also, I think I like the weird April who wears 'You rock, you rule' David and Goliath hoodies." My mouth dropped open at his remembrance of it. "And, I definitely prefer the April who wears Converses all the time instead of heels. I wouldn't like you any other way Cruella DeEvans." His eyes shone with sincerity and my breathing hitched as his head lowered towards me.

My body was now pressed up against the hedge and I glanced down at the cluster of blue roses growing at my feet. I looked up again and found my eyes locked into Aiden's beautiful green-grey ones. I noticed the flecks of gold more prominently now – they looked like miniature teardrops of gold – his eyes travelled down to my lips and lingered before travelling up to my eyes again. I gulped and felt my determination fly out of the window. I couldn't think straight!

"May I?" He breathed, his gaze focused upon my lips.

I don't know why I did, but I felt myself whispering back: "You may."

Aiden leaned down and pressed his lips against my own. The warmth of his lips sent a current of electricity down my body and his hands rested upon my waist, my hands instinctively resting on his chest. His lips were like heaven and hell - sinfully soft and addicting. It felt right and amazing and never in a million years could I have imagined that my first kiss would be with a wonderfully complicated, surprisingly sweet with a definite hint of jerk werewolf by the name of Aiden Knight.

At first I was scared – I didn't know what to do, but judging by Aiden's reaction sharp intake of breath I lost myself in my very first kiss. His hands travelled to the small of my back, his teeth gently grazing my lower lip sending a shiver through me, our bodies moulding together. My hands instinctively wrapped around his neck puling him closer as I tiptoed up and my fingers soon travelled up to his messy, hair. I ran my fingers through it – something I had secretly wanted to do since I first met him.

I eventually pulled back in surprise and disbelief, my breathing uneven. Gently, he kissed my jaw and continued with teasing butterfly kisses downwards, pausing when he reached a tender area at the crook of my neck, my eyes fluttering shut at the alien sensation of it. I couldn't bring myself to breath. I could feel rather than see his smile against my neck – he brushed his lips against it and pulled away slightly, both of our breathing uneven. My mark burned vivaciously.