Lillian had never known what family meant before Lydia and the twins.

Staying in the orphanage when one child after the other was getting adopted, she had been left behind every single time. Her crushed hopes and dying friendships were beaten out of her, steeling her heart in indifference until she learned not to open up too much, and she strangled her longing for lasting relationships.

Her family history had made her an unwanted child and later, an outcast at school.

The sense of family and belonging was a foreign concept. One she kept herself from hoping for even as her heart longed for a home.

Lillian had never thought she'd find it in a pack of wolves.

So when pack member after pack member of the pack came to offer his or her comfort and sympathy after the incident with the rogues, the sense of warmth that blanketed Lillian was almost overwhelming. This is what a family is supposed to be like. Unconditional care and affection.

For the first time in her life, Lillian felt that maybe, just maybe, she could let her heart hope. Maybe she had finally found a home.

After the pack slowly diffused from the lake side, Anna invited Lillian for lunch at her mother in law's.

Lillian clutched the twins' hands in hers. They had been uncharacteristically subdued ever since Anna brought them out to meet her during the pack meeting.

Lillian could guess the reason. They were reminded of the last time she'd been hurt. They might not understand exactly what was going on, but she knew they were distressed by her injuries.

Lillian looked over her shoulders. Her eyes met dark amber ones. She quickly turned around, frowning to herself. Why did she look back at him? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. A difficult task considering the way his gaze pressed on the back of her neck.

Noah could get to her more than anyone else she'd ever known. And she didn't particularly like it. The man simply got on her nerves. Just being around him put all her nerves ending on attention, and made her act like a rebellious teen trying to contradict his every order no matter how right he was.

She wasn't being unreasonable, but even the idea of being under his command lit an insurgent fire in her.

The memory of how he stood toe to toe with her in the woods, the wolf all but staring out of his glowing eyes, made her want to shiver in a primal fear she couldn't control. It also made her want to lean in and inhale more of his earthy scent. Which was absurd, absolutely absurd.

Paradoxically, Lillian was more afraid of Noah when he was angry as a man than as a wolf. Lillian could handle the wolf, she didn't feel scared around the wolf. Only an angry male made her wary.

There was something very feral about him in that moment when she'd defied him in the woods. For a moment, he wasn't Noah, he was simply a bigger, stronger man who was angry at her. It brought out bad memories.

But after that moment- when she could see her past in her present- had ended, she realized it was ridiculous. Noah would never hurt her. Man or wolf, the knowledge that he'd never put a hand on her in harm was a piercing truth that finally clicked into place in her mind.

"Here we are," Anna said, bringing Lillian out of her musings.

The house they stopped before was a large one story cabin, tucked between two trees. The porch was large enough to accommodate a ten person dining table on one side of the door, and two rocking chairs on the other.

A behemoth of a man walked out of the door, and the porch seemed to shrink in size with him in it. He was bald, with olive skin and dark brown eyes narrowed their way. His massive chest was bare, corded with muscles, and he was at least six five. He was... big.

Laughing lines appeared on his face when his eyes landed on Anna. And just like that, he turned into an oversized teddy bear. Smiling broadly, he pounded down the steps and gathered Anna in his arms, lifting her off the floor in a hug.

The teacher laughed, her arms around his neck. She looked so small and delicate in his arms, but for some reason, they fit together.

"Lillian, I believe this is the first time you met my mate," Anna said when her feet touched the ground again. "This is Johnson."

Lillian managed to gather her jaw off the floor. "Yeah, hi- hey... nice to meet you."

Anna laughed, brown eyes twinkling. "I know, he's a lot to take in."

Smiling, Lillian nodded mutely. Johnson, who resumed frowning at Lillian, took a step closer to her. His nostrils flared, his chest expanded. For a second, Lillian held her breath, not sure what to make of him.

During the time she'd spent here, she'd learned that wolves relied on their sense of smell the way she relied on her sight. Whenever she went to pick up the twins for lunch, a pup would usually get close to sniff her. She was used to it by now. And while adults were more inconspicuous in their perusal, Lillian could still tell when one of them tried to get close enough for a sniff.

She didn't take offense. Apparently, she smelled different since she was human. Wolves rarely, if ever, associated with humans, so the pack found her scent to be very curious.

Anna had once told her that wolves could tell a lot by a person's scent. They could pick up on moods, strong emotional reactions, who you've been spending time with... A whole lot for just one sniff.

So when Johnson finally stepped back and beamed at Lillian, she felt like she'd passed some sort of test.

"Hi," Johnson held his hand out. "I'm Johnson. Anna speaks of you a lot."

Elijah clutched her leg when she let go of his hand to shake Johnson's. His hand completely swallowed hers, but his grip was gentle. The twins looked up at Johnson with parted lips and bright, fascinated eyes, their neck craned to the limit. They looked adorable.

"She speaks of you, too," Lillian replied with a smile.

"Ah, I hope it's all good," he said with an arched brow, letting go of her hand.

"It is." Lillian grinned. "Mostly."

"Lillian!" Anna said, lightly slapping Lillian's shoulder.

Johnson's laugh was as big as he was. He pulled Anna to his side, they fit together like jigsaw puzzles. "Well, we better go in before mom comes to drag us inside."

An image of a tall, muscled woman dragging Johnson by his ear came to mind and Lillian barely held in her laughter.

They followed the couple inside the house. It was as big and homey as Lillian had expected. The door opened to the living room, a sprawling of couches and chairs, on top of lush rugs, filled the space on the left, a fireplace crackled to life next to a back door. On the right was a big open kitchen with an island overflowing with what seemed like dozens of dishes. A dining table separated the kitchen from the living room. The dark green colors of the cabinets matched the cozy warm browns and oranges of the living space.

It smelled of freshly baked cookies.

A woman with dark blond hair and a short, slender frame stirred a pot on the stove. A frilly blue apron tied around her waist. She looked over her shoulder, striking blue eyes against warm, sun stroked skin, met Lillian's and smiled. She didn't look a day over thirty five.

"Oh, here you are, Johnson. Come over here." Her firm tone indicated she expected total obedience. Johnson lumbered over and took over stirring the pot.

The woman walked closer, wiping her hands on her apron. She hugged Anna, stroking her hair with a fond smile. Her eyes held warmth and wisdom. They reminded Lillian of Lydia's.

"Well, hello there!" The woman said, crouching down to the twins' height. Her words sang in a heavy southern accent. "I'm Jennifer."

Lillian put her hands on the twins' heads and gently nudged them forward.

"I'm Ezra." His eyes assessed the new woman.

"And I'm Elijah."

Jennifer widened her eyes, looking back and forth between the twins. "Well, you guys look so much alike. I don't think I'll be able to tell who's who, now."

"It's okay," Elijah said "A lot of people can't. Only mom can tell."

"I see," Jennifer said. "Well if I ever mistake one for the other, you just let me know, alright?"

"Okay." The twins nodded.

Jennifer smiled. "Anna told me y'all love peanut butter and chocolate cookies. Do you want some?"

The twins perked up and looked at Lillian with wide, hopeful eyes. Who could say no to those faces? She nodded.

Anna held out her hands and led the kids to the kitchen where Johnson was sneaking something from a plate into his mouth, still holding onto the wooden spoon, the pot forgotten.

Jennifer stood up and surprised Lillian with a hug. Lillian froze for one second before cautiously wrapping her arms around Jennifer. She was warm and soft, and she smelled of cinnamon and spices and love. Was that what a mother's scent was like?

The twins chatted with Johnson and Anna in the background, their voices low and light.

"I'm sorry we didn't get to meet before. I just got back from a trip to Europe a couple of days ago."

"It's okay," Lillian replied when Jennifer broke the hug, holding her by the shoulders. Her keen gaze looked over Lillian's features. "Thank you for having us over."

"Oh, you're welcome, honey," she said. "I heard about what happened this morning. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

She narrowed her eyes on Lillian's bandaged hands. "Well, this doesn't look fine. What on earth happened to them?"

"Um... Yeah... They're sort of badly scraped."

Jennifer sighed, then wrapped an arm around Lillian's shoulder, leading her to the kitchen island where the twins were perched, cookies in hand. "I'm glad you're fine, otherwise. By the way, I know most of the pack are happy that you're here now, but if anyone gives you trouble, you tell me honey. I may look a bit frail, but I can still kick their backsides."

Lillian choked a laugh. "We're okay. No one is being disagreeable. But thank you for offering."

Jennifer nodded firmly, then went across the island after placing Lillian in a seat next to the boys.

"Is it good?" Lillian asked, happy to see the wariness disappear from their eyes.

"Hmm," Ezra and Elijah nodded, their mouths busy chewing the last bits of their cookies. Crumbs and bits of chocolate on their cheeks and chins.

"Johnson! Why is Anna stirring the pot instead of you? I raised you better than that, young man."

Johnson moved around the island, out of his mother's reach. It was a funny sight, considering Jennifer was half his size. Jennifer took over the stirring from Anna. "There's hot water for some tea, Anna, love."

Johnson lowered his head between the twins. "We have swings in the backyard. Do you guys want to check it out?"

"Yes!" In one swift move, the huge man picked them up and put them on his shoulders. The twins squealed and giggled. "Mommy!"

The three disappeared through the back door, the twins' laughter lingering in the air.

Anna put a mug of warm tea in front of Lillian, her own in her hand as she sat down next to her.

"How old are the twins?" Jennifer asked, floating to the oven. She pulled a pan of lasagna that made Lillian's mouth water. She swallowed.

"Five years old," Lillian said.

"Such a fun time," Jennifer said. "I still remember when Johnson was that age. He was such a handful. It seemed like so long ago."

"How old is Johnson?" Lillian's eyes widened. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

Jennifer's laugh was a tinkling melody. Her eyes twinkled with mirth after she put the lasagna on the island next to a bowl of salad. "Honey, if you wanted to know my age, all you had to do is ask."

Lillian's eyes widened. "I didn't- I mean that wasn't-"

Anna laughed. "She's joking, Lillian. Sheez, Jennifer she's not used to your teasing yet."

"Oh, I'm an old woman, love. Let me have my fun where I can find it."

Lillian's shoulders relaxed at the woman's light tone.

"Johnson is three decades and eight this year," Anna said. "And I'm three decades and four. Jennifer is almost two centuries old."

Lillian shook her head. She still wasn't used to it. Everyone knew immortals were, well, immortals. But knowing that when she didn't have anything to do with them was one thing. Living and interacting with someone who lived two centuries was just... mind-boggling. What would it be like to witness so much life?

"Okay...wow.." She wanted to ask about someone else, but kept her mouth shut. Why would she care how old he was?

"Say, I noticed this before? But since you're all immortals, how come some of you look older. Well, relatively speaking."

Anna shrugged. "Some immortals choose to do that. The ability comes with power and actual age, but not many immortals actually do it. I don't think humans know about this little perk."

Jennifer took a stack of plates from a cupboard over her head. "I made myself look a little old when I went to Europe. I wanted to have a little fun and blend in with the humans."

They wouldn't suspect she was immortal if she showed signs of aging. Unless there were more humans like Lillian, that is.

A knock heralded the arrival of two women.

Lillian recognized Jasmine. Robert's crush, possibly more than a crush. The woman who followed her through the front door was tall and blond. She was at least six feet tall. Her big blue eyes, bright against tan skin, were Jennifer's eyes. She must be her daughter; the resemblance was uncanny.

Lillian's assumption was confirmed when Jennifer introduced the pair. Kate, Jennifer's daughter, had two boys- little hellions according to her- who had stayed at their other grandmother's for the day. Jasmine, her skin a deep golden shade that almost glowed and her eyes a warm brown, smiled at Lillian. But there was wariness in her gaze, wariness of which Lillian knew she was the cause, though she had no idea why.

Jasmine sat next to Anna, while Kate set the table. Jennifer wouldn't let anyone else help because they were guests.

"How are you doing, Lillian? Were you hurt?" Kate asked while getting glasses out of a cupboard.

"Nothing serious, just my hands. They'll be pretty much useless in the next few days."

"Oh." Kate looked over her shoulders, a glint in her eyes. "So you won't be working in the field?"

Lillian could almost feel the tension radiating off Jasmine's suddenly stiff body. Jennifer's eyes flickered up to Jasmine for a single moment before she focused on seasoning the salad bowl.

"No. Robert will be on his own," Lillian said, purposefully mentioning his name. "But he's okay with that, we already got a lot done over the past week."

"I see." Kate slowly nodded, setting the glasses down and turning to open a drawer. In a too casual tone, she asked, "you and Robert are getting along quite well, huh."

Ah. Understanding dawned on Lillian. She nodded.

"Yeah, he's great." Lillian grinned. "He's like the little brother I never had."

Kate turned with cutlery in hand. Her brows crept up a millimeter. "Oh? A brother? I thought you guys were..."

"Oh God, no!" Lillian said, chuckling, "I like him a lot, he's an amazing guy but there's nothing like that between us. He's genuinely like a little brother to me, though he would argue the little part."

Kate blinked, her gaze clashing with Jasmine's before she cleared her throat, then smiled what seemed like the first earnest smile Lillian's way. "Well then...glad to hear that."

Lillian grinned back, already thinking that she and Kate would be getting along quite well in the future. When she chanced a glance at Jasmine, the attractive young woman was frowning to herself, lost in thought.

Jennifer called Johnson and the boys back, and after transferring the feast to the dining table on the porch outside, everyone sat down to eat.

The food was beyond delectable. Chicken salad, fried rice, venison rib roast, mashed potatoes... The smell alone made her salivate like a dog sighting a bone. Lillian couldn't care less about how she looked while she devoured the feast. She was starving, having not eaten since before dawn.

"Your mother is amazing," Lillian said walking beside Kate after leaving Jennifer's. Anna and her husband had stayed behind. Jasmine left before everyone else.

The twins skipped ahead of them, buzzing with energy. After that chocolate pecan pie with ice cream, Lillian figured they'd be on a sugar rush the whole afternoon. Lord help her. "I feel so bloated."

Kate chuckled, pushing back strands of dark blond. She waved to a couple of men who ran past them, each one carrying a thick log double his size over one shoulder. "Yo! Kate, Lillian."

Lillian waved with a smile. She still couldn't get used to their superhuman strength.

"She's the best cook in the pack," Jennifer said. "Randall's been pestering her to work with him in the pack house's kitchen."

"Why doesn't she?"

"She loves cooking. It's her way to unwind." Kate shrugged. "She doesn't want it to become an occupation. And she already has a job she loves."

"What does she do?"

"She's the pack's treasurer," Kate said. "She oversees everything related to money, the pack's finances in general."

"And you're a warrior?"

"That's right."

"You and Jasmine."

Kate squinted at Lillian, her smile speculative. "You know about it, don't you?"

Lillian raised her brows. They had reached Lillian's cabin on the very edge of the village. They stopped walking, the twins joined other pups playing nearby.

"About ..." Lillian trailed off, unable to reign in her grin.

Kate grinned back, looking so much like her mother at that instant. "You do know."

"Why don't you come in?" Lillian said. "I think we should talk inside."

And so they talked. Lillian was not surprised to discover her suspicions were correct. Robert and Jasmine were in the mating game, and for almost two years now. Which, Kate had said with concern evident in the downturn of her lips, was not healthy, especially for the male wolf.

Robert was going against his wolf. A thing that would have meant madness after two years of doing it, had he been more dominant. Regardless, it was consuming them both.

"It's not just the wolf," Kate said, looking into her cup of coffee. "Usually, when the man isn't interested after some time, the wolf abandons the game. But in Robert's case, the man, too, wants her. And Jasmine has been in love with him for as long as I can remember. They were great friends when they were kids, but as soon as their dominance began to set in, the distance between them grew. It's just sad to watch."

Lillian nodded, remembering the yearning she often glimpsed in Robert's eyes. It was eating at him. "Robert is fighting it."

"Yes." Kate sighed, pushing her hair behind her ears with impatient hands. "Now, if it were some other woman, I think she would have taken matters into her own hands. But despite her dominance, Jasmine is such a fragile soul. She lost her parents when she was five, and has been kind of reclusive ever since. Robert has been the only one who could reach her. But now..."

Kate shrugged. Lillian bit her lip, looking through the window near her front door. They were sitting at the little dining table in her kitchen. "Can't we do anything? To help?"

Kate tilted her head. "The mating game is a private matter between the two parties involved. A tradition. The bond is sacred for wolves. Although there's no harm in helping the dance move along sometimes, it's kept to a strict minimum. Also, Robert is very secluded. He's always been that way, but even more so in the last couple of years- an effect of him resisting the mating pull. So I don't think anyone is close enough to him to dare get involved in this thing between him and Jasmine."

"But it's crushing him," Lillian muttered.

"It is." Kate paused for so long, Lillian thought she wouldn't add anything else, but then she said, "but I think you may help."

Lillian frowned at Kate. "Won't he be offended if I step in?"

While she had been more than adamant to interfere with Robert's love life, after what Kate told her, it felt wrong to pry on something that was so revered for wolves. It made her feel a little pretentious. Here she was, a human who'd lived with wolves for no time at all, and she was already poking her nose in things she didn't fully understand. The way immortals viewed matings was something Lillian doubted she'd ever fully grasp. She was half afraid that if she got involved, she might make things worse.

Kate leaned forward, her forearms on the table. "I think ever since you showed up, he's been doing really well. I don't remember the last time I saw him spend more than the minimum time necessary with anyone in the pack. But you somehow managed to rip him out of his bubble. I don't know why or how ... but you reach him."

Before Lillian could respond, Kate stood up. "I need to go, I have training in a bit. Anyway, if you need anything, I'm ready to help."

After Kate left, Lillian's mind churned with how she would get Robert to open up to her about Jasmine.

Lillian sat on the porch steps, leaning her head against the wooden railing.

The group of pups with her twins barreled past Lillian around the cabin, their screams and laughter rising in the air. Another group of pups chased them, one of them stopping to pull off his pants to shift. Lillian laughed at the sight of the abandoned pants left in the dust of those adorable little monsters.

A couple she knew were the parents of one of the twins' friends walked past hand in hand. They waved at Lillian with warm smiles. Lillian raised her heavy hand and waved back. Her smile died when the couple disappeared. A heavy sigh rattled her chest.

What a day it was. Images of the morning kept flashing before her eyes. Crazed amber eyes, a gleaming white pelt, a lanky frame with long silvery hair. And blood. There was so much blood. The green clearing streaked with blackish red under the first light of the day.

This was her life now. And her children's life. Lillian's throat closed at the thought that her babies would one day have to witness such a scene. Or even be the ones who meted out ruthless justice, like Noah had done when he tore out the rogue's neck without a moment's hesitation.

These were wolves, she had to remind herself, not humans. Bloodshed was part of their nature. She just had to learn to live with it.

The pups' voices faded. Shadows lengthened, melting into one another. The distant lake winked between the trees. The sun would be setting very soon, and Lillian couldn't bring herself to move. Sometimes, it felt as though she was dreaming, as though she'd wake up any moment now and find herself looking at the ceiling of her room in the orphanage.

"Mommy? Can we go with Elias to his house? his daddy made a clam... clim...climbing bar."

Elijah's voice filled her head.

"Sure," Lillian replied. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Okay!"

Lillian smiled. She still couldn't get over how weird it was to communicate that way. She had read in one of the books Anna had given her that some immortals could communicate telepathically. Werewolves, in particular, were renowned for the ability. She hadn't told anyone yet that she was able to do it. Maybe she had developed that ability thanks to her children.

She just hadn't had the chance to share it with Noah yet. Noah was the leader of their small community, and he had the insight to judge what she should tell other people in order to ward off unwanted attention. He was the first person she should tell.

As if her thoughts conjured him, that dark mane that towered over most other wolves stalked out from the trees, his unflinching gaze on her. Whenever Lillian was around him, she had the sense that his whole being was aware of her every little move, his wolf watching everything through his eyes.

Lillian straightened as he stopped in front of her, his big burly body blocking the rest of the world from her view. His chest was bare- unsurprisingly. And once again she noticed all kinds of scars and marks adorning his golden skin. She looked up.

"Meeting in the pack house in an hour," he said without prelude. "Be there."

Lillian sighed, stood up and quirked a brow with a saccharine smile. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, looked over her shoulder for a second before meeting her eyes again. "You should attend the meeting." A muscle ticked in his jaw. "If you want."

Lillian beamed at him. "Of course, I'd be happy to. What's it for?"

"The rogues and kidnappings, both alphas of the packs sharing our borders will be there."

"Including the one who lost a pack member," Lillian said.

Noah confirmed with a short nod. "You were there with the rogues, you might have seen or heard something useful."

"Okay." Lillian looked around, then added in a low voice, "What about the troll and the White Stag?"

Noah ran a mammoth sized hand through his hair, tugging at the strands at the end. "We'll keep it a secret for now. There's someone who might be able to tell us something useful about the White Stag."

"What about the troll?"

"From what I know, trolls are rumored to live somewhere near Mount Hood. It's unusual for one of them to be spotted in wolf territory. But we could find an explanation to that. The White Stag on the other hand..."

Lillian frowned. "Why don't you ask the trolls, then? That one from this morning didn't seem to be surprised when he saw the White Stag." Unlike the rogues.

"Trolls aren't exactly social creatures," Noah replied. "We don't know their exact location, and even if we did, getting into their territory could be a lethal mistake. They're even more aggressively territorial than wolves."

Nodding, Lillian crossed her arms, it had been weighing down on her since the morning. She never meant to be ungracious toward Noah, but for some reason, her inner bitch just came out whenever he was ordering her around.

"Thank you." She said, shifting on her feet. "For this morning. I'm sorry if I was rude but you're just..."

Noah raised a brow when she couldn't find a word. "Annoying?" he offered.

"No," she mumbled, then quickly rectified. "Okay, maybe. Okay, you're a little annoying, but only when you're playing Alpha over me."

"I am Alpha."

"Of course you are, just not mine."

Noah made a vague, unconvinced noise at the back of his throat. Lillian glared at him. He raised both hands in a surrendering motion.

"Like I was saying before I was very rudely interrupted," Lillian said. "I'm not trying to be disrespectful on purpose, and I really appreciate your help this morning, I really do. So thank you."

Noah's eyes glowed. "I wasn't there. I wasn't the one who helped you. If it wasn't for the troll and the stag..."

Lillian could almost touch his anger and frustration. She realized he blamed himself for not reaching her in time. Lillian smiled, genuinely. "You can't be everywhere at once. I'll admit I did get a bit carried away in my walk, I shouldn't have gone too far when I was really defenseless."

Noah nodded.

"Which is why I thought that maybe I should get some fight training."

Noah's whole body locked, his "No" was a guttural sound she almost couldn't recognize. Almost.

Putting her hands on her hips, she scowled at him. "Noah, you're being ridiculous. I'm not going to start training with your senior warriors. I just don't want to be helpless again, maybe training with non-warrior wolves could help me out."

She already had that in mind, although with the incident that morning, it sped up her plans.

"You could sustain a serious injury that will leave you even more vulnerable, a broken bone, a slash of claws, anything that would take wolves an insignificant amount of time to heal would put you to bed for days if not weeks," he said. "If you just stay in the pack, you're safe."

"That doesn't mean I can't train," she said. "Besides, I'll be careful."

"No."

The hard-headed, domineering, stupid male. Fine. Let him see who'd win. She shrugged.

He narrowed his eyes, his voice growly. "I'm serious, Lillian. Don't."

Smiling sweetly, she batted her lashes. "I'm going to head to the pack house, coming?"

Lillian walked right past him. He didn't reply, but she heard and felt his growl, a loud crack, the ground shook. Then he was walking beside her, outwardly calm.

Lillian smiled at passing pack mates, Noah nodded, both of them civilized adults.

Ones who couldn't spend five minutes in each other's company without wanting to claw their eyes out. 

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Hey guys!

I hope you like the chapter, vote and comment if you do!

Much love <3

M.B.