Time passed and Jordan got a hold of her gifts well enough that Anna was going to return to Aspen Creek.

Jordan was still unsure of what was going on with Ben. The more time she spent with him the more comfortable she felt with him. The only issue was he seemed to be around all the time.

One day she found herself easing her way into Adam's office, very nervous about what she was going to say.

"Adam…"

"Jordan, come in, it's okay… I'm here for you, you know that."

"I… I have a lot of questions and I thought maybe you could help me figure them out, specifically questions about Ben. Why is he so drawn to me?"

"Ben had a rough childhood, I don't know all the details, he will likely open up to you if you ask, but if he does open up I would advise you tread lightly."

"I know I just… I feel weird about this… I mean I like him but… I don't know where things will go from here." She suddenly found her hands interesting "I'm trying to pick up where I left off on my degree, but it's like my heart isn't in it anymore and I'm just floundering trying to find my path again. It doesn't help that it seems that he's always around."

"You'll find your way." Adam assured her. "Let me talk to Ben."

"I know…"

Adam groaned to himself , he needed to talk to Ben. Jordan needed to know his intentions or he needed to back off. Jordan had enough on her plate between the loss of her sister, her move and her omega powers. She didn't need Ben doing whatever he was doing.

A few days past and Adam convinced Ben to back down a bit and give Jordan her space. Then Adam got good reason to regret that decision.

Jordan finally moved out on her own, and into half of one of the alphabet duplexes where Warren used to live before he moved in with Kyle. Hers was a one bedroom that suited her fine.

That Saturday there was supposed to be a pack meeting. Jordan had promised she would be there, but she never showed up or called to tell them she wasn't going to make it. This sent up red flags as she always called to let them know if she wasn't going to make it when she said she would.

Adam reached through the pack bonds to check on her to find she had choked off her end of the bond to where he could barely sense her. He could read nothing from her and this was just as alarming as her not calling or showing up if not more so.

Ben came running to Adam and requested permission to go to Jordan and find out what was wrong that led her to cut herself off from the pack. Reluctantly, Adam allowed him to go.

Ben left in a hurry, he didn't speed but he didn't dawdle either. He got to her apartment to find the front door unlocked and that the apartment reeked of menthol cigarette smoke over the thick scent of pain, not physical pain but bone deep emotional anguish that broke his heart.

He found Jordan curled up in the corner of her bedroom hugging her knees. Half a pack of Pal Mal menthol cigarettes by her foot with a red lighter on top. He figured by the thick stench of the smoke she had chain smoked the half pack.

"Jordan, what happened?" he asked.

Jordan gave a bitter, humorless laugh after taking a drag of the cigarette he hadn't noticed she was holding.

"Where do I start?" she asked bitterly crushing out the cigarette into the ashtray. "First I almost let the whole fucking coffee shop know what I am when I foiled an armed robbery. Then I got sent home and got a phone call from my mother in Louisiana on the way."

She reached for another cigarette but Ben stopped her. Taking the package so she couldn't reach it. He'd have to tell Adam about this.

"What did she say?" he asked, his tone unusually gentle and lacking his usual profanity. She was using enough for the both of them.

"Usual bull shit… 'you were a psych major, why couldn't you help your sister'" Jordan replied wiping tears from her eyes and adding in some, what Ben could only assume was French profanity for color. "I hung up on her but she kept calling me till I blocked her, stopped on the way home bought my first pack of cigarettes in two years and I've been sitting here smoking and crying since..." she gave another bitter laugh. "Happy fucking birthday to me."

Ben pulled Jordan into his arms as her bitter laughter turned to real sobs. Ben didn't know how he felt about Jordan he just knew she deserved better than what she was getting, especially from her own mother.

"I'm so sorry…"

Jordan returned the embrace. Then once she settled down decided to do the opposite of what she would have done in New Orleans and call Adam to tell him what had transpired that afternoon.

"Ben can I have my cigarettes back?" she asked with a watery smile "I know they probably aren't the best coping device I could have but werewolves don't get cancer."

Ben reluctantly gave her back the cigarettes and lighter. To his relief she didn't light up another one.

To Be Continued…