"I'll text my Alpha and ask him to do the same for my pack.  He'll listen."  Roxie said as the warrior left.  She slipped out her phone and sent the message, along with a short message that explained her absence.  Things like mate bonds rarely stayed quiet, even between the packs.  There was a good chance that Rex, her uncle, already knew where his niece was.  He was not going to be pleased with her disappearance or the fact that she was giving him an order, but she knew that Rex was smart enough to follow her lead.<br/><br/>Her eyes followed Ben as he walked to the bed and sat down.  He had been like this with her years ago, vulnerable and open, and it was both pleasing to see and worrisome.  The times were troubling and he needed to be strong for his pack.  She knew that their scents still lingered upon one another, and even if she showered and cleaned herself their sudden connection would be obvious to anyone who saw them together.  She sat on the bed next to him and up close she could see the dark bags under his eyes.  She wondered if he had spent most of his nights lately in that chair, barely sleeping, so the child could get rest and be safe from nightmares.  Roxie settled next to him and brought her hand up to his face, gently placing her palm against his cheek.  "Shhhh, shhhh."  She said.  He had too many thoughts and worries spinning around in his head for her to easily quiet all his fears.<br/><br/>"We were kids when things got so tense and maybe..."  She sighed and let her body settle next to his.  "It was easier to hate each other.  We knew, even before the fight, that no one was going to be glad if our feelings for each other continued to grow. Hating each other made it easier, on everyone."  Being close to him again, like this, both soothed her mind and fanned her passion for him.  If hurt feelings had not torn them apart, Roxie wondered if they would have been together sooner.  "We're...We're going to be okay.  I think it's like the say....Hate isn't the opposite of love.  To hate, there still have to be strong feelings there.  I'm not saying that this is going to be easy, but I know we can do this, and I know we'll be stronger together."  She laid her head against his chest.  She could not answer his other questions, she was not sure what they would do once they caught who ever had done this terrible thing.  Instinct told her they should just rip this evil to shreds, but her human side knew it was not always that simple.<br/><br/>"You need sleep.  We can rest a few hours, then get up and and starting working out the rest of this.  Things will look better after you've slept."  She said, hoping he would heed her guidance.