“You are a natural.” Dawn said with a warm smile as Ella laid out the cookies they had baked on a cooling rack.

“I have not baked since my family died.” Ella admitted. She had to admit that this felt good. The tension was gone from the cabin. Only she, Dawn, Brie, Maggie and little Creed were inside and the other women and children were laughing and smiling.

Ella hadn’t laughed or smiled but she was enjoying herself. She had missed this. Friendship, camaraderie with other women. Widow Callahan had tried to offer her that but Warren had stood in her way.

Nothing stood in her way now. Nothing except her own fear. She wasn’t exactly sure what her fear was any longer. She had been living with fear for so long that she had stopped understanding where it was directed or what caused it. She was even fairly good at acting as if it wasn’t there, and yet it was always there. Always just below the surface, keeping a wall between her and everyone else.

Even between her and Brendon. She didn’t want the wall to be there but she had no idea how to break it down.

“Well you seem to know what you’re doing.” Dawn replied, bringing Ella’s mind back to the cookies they were baking. “I own a bakery in town and I could always use some help. You and Maggie are welcome to come bake with me.”

“Really?!” Maggie exclaimed with excitement as she bounced up and down. “I can be a real baker?”

“Of course you can.” Brie replied as she wiped some flour from the girls nose.

“Are you okay, Ella?” Dawn asked as she lifted a squirming and fussing Creed into her arms and the boy rubbed at his red eyes with his chubby fists.

“Yes.” Came Ella’s automatic response. Dawn frowned.

“You sure? You seem lost in thought.”

“I’m sure.” Ella lied as she dipped her hands in the water bucket and wiped them clean on a towel.

The scent of sandalwood came to her then. Filling her senses and causing her eyes to slip closed just before she felt Brendon’s breath against her ear.

“Will you come into town with me for the night? I think we have some things to talk about.”

Ella nodded and turned to look at him, only to see him tip his hat at the others in the kitchen, take her hand and lead her out of the cabin.

Ella stared at their hands as they walked. Their fingers were entwined together and his thumb was gently stroking her.

No man had ever done this to her before. Grab her wrist and drag her, yes. Take her hand in a painful grasp to remind her of her place, yes. But this gentle touch of skin to skin, no.

And it caused a sensation in her chest… Something where her heart was. A fluttering. Was she sick?

“I already got you a horse ready.” Grange said as he walked Brendon’s big roan stallion from the barn. “I figured you’d come around.”

Ella heard Brendon mumble something she didn’t understand and then he lifted her into the saddle before taking his place behind her.

The ride was silent. Ella had no idea just how angry he still was and she did not want to anger him more by saying the wrong things.

They rode into the small yet bustling town and remained silent as Brendon put the horse up at the livery and then led her, with his hand still gently clasped with her own, to the hotel.

Ella felt a tremor of anticipation when they walked into their room and when Brendon turned back around after shutting the door, she threw her arms around his neck and tried to kiss him only to have him put his hand over her lips and push her away gently.

“No.” he said firmly, though he looked to be in pain while he spoke. Ella bit her lip and crossed her arms over herself.

“Have I done something wrong?”

Brendon let out a big rush of air and moved around her and across the room, putting plenty of distance between their bodies.

“You honestly are going to sit there and act like you don’t know why I’d be upset with you?”

“I don’t.” Ella replied honestly. “I have tried to be obedient to you and…”

“Dammit, Ella!” Brendon exclaimed as he jerked his hat from his head and threw it across the room. “I don’t want your goddamn obedience!”

Ella was taken aback by his words and she blinked several times.

“You don’t? But always before they’ve…” Brendon walked closer to her and stuck his finger right under her nose as he glared down at her, his dark green eyes flashing with temper.

“If you compare me to either of those two men again, so help me God, I will beat you worse than either of them ever did!” Ella’s mouth quickly snapped shut and she stared up at him.

Finally frustration overtook her, which was strange since she hadn’t given in to that emotion for as long as she could remember. She had just settled with the realization that things are what they are but Brendon was frustrating her! What did the man want!

“What do you want from me?!” She exclaimed loudly, causing him to blink several times.

“Did you just yell at me?” Brendon had never heard Ella yell. Her voice was always that monotone that drove him crazy. Only when they were making love had he ever heard any emotion in it and then it was pure passion and it always managed to send him over the edge.

But this? This was anger and temper. Frustration. And earlier she had cried. Ella was coming out of the shell that life had forced her in to. She was breaking loose piece by piece. Now if he could only see her smile.

“Yes!” Ella yelled again. “I don’t know what you want from me! Could you just tell me instead of getting mad at me over nothing!”

“It’s not nothing!” Brendon argued back, his temper flaring. “I am not Warren or Faugrimm and dammit it hurts me when you keep comparing me to them! What we have is not what you had with them.”

Ella became quiet and then she focused her eyes on his chest so she would not have to look at that handsome face. She could hear the hurt in his voice and didn’t want to want to see it in his eyes.

“Then what is it?”

“What?” Brendon asked, clearly not expecting her to say what she said.

“What is it? You say it’s not the same… What is it?”

“We’re lifemates.” Brendon stated simply and Ella frowned and focused her gaze on a loose button on his shirt.

“Is that all?”

“What more do you want?”

“What more is there?”

Brendon sighed and moved away from her. He sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at the scarred hardwood planks of the floor.

“I don’t know.” he replied honestly. “I care about you, Ella. I care about you a whole hell of a lot. The thought of losing you scares me damn near to death and everything in my life is different now that you’ve come into it. Whether or not that’s a good thing I haven’t figured out yet.”

“Okay.” Ella said as she sat down across from him on the window seat. “I still don’t know what you want from me.”

“To tell me if you feel half for me what I feel for you.” Brendon finally replied. One of his hands was rubbing the back of his neck and his other hand was fisted tight and tapping on his thigh.

Ella thought back to her life since meeting Brendon. To the feelings he brought out of her. The passion, the frustrations, the feeling of finally being safe and cared for. Brendon was…

He was home. He made her feel less of a monster. He made her feel safe, warm and protected. And if she lost him she would lose what little bit of herself she still had.

Ella hadn’t realized that she had just spoken all of that out loud until Brendon crossed the room and dropped to his knees in front of her. He took her hands gently in his.

“I don’t have a clue how to do this, Ella. I’ve always just looked out for myself and I can’t promise I won’t screw up now and then but I won’t ever hurt you, honey. You can count on me.”

“I don’t know how to do this either.” Ella admitted, as she felt that fluttering in her heart again. Was it hope? Love? She didn’t know. “I’m sorry I compared us to what I had before. It’s just that I had that for so long and…”

“Just stop.” Brendon snapped, his hand coming up. “Let’s make a promise not to talk about either of those bastards again.”

“Okay.” Ella replied, happy to agree.

“I can’t stay with you, Ella. I have to go back to the council and you can’t come with me because it wouldn’t be safe for you and I don’t ever want anything to happen to you. But I’ll come back whenever I can, Ella. I’ll always come back to you and I’ll write as often as I can when I’m away.”

“Do you have to leave now?” Ella asked with dread. She didn’t want him to leave. Not now that she was finally beginning to understand things between them. Brendon smiled, his cheeks crinkling.

“No. No, I don’t have to leave now. I can spare a few days. I’d like to spend some time really getting to know each other.”

“There’s nothing much to know about me.” Ella replied honestly as she looked down at their joined hands.

“Sure there is.” Brendon’s voice was warm as it washed over her. “But first, I’d like to spend some time covering well known territory. Never know when we’ll find something we missed before.”

Ella gasped when his lips danced along her neck and then she threw her arms around his neck and sent them both reeling backward and onto the bed.

Brendon’s laughter rang out until Ella silenced it quickly by covering his mouth with her own.

***

“They want to kill you and you’re not worried?!” Dawn demanded of her mate while she paced the floor and he sat on the sofa with a snoring Creed in his arms.

“No, I’m not worried.” he replied. “And you shouldn’t be either.” he added.

“Why shouldn’t I? There’s one more person that wants at least one member of the pack dead! We all know how bad that turned out last time!”

“It won’t be like last time.” Grange promised. “And you need to talk quieter before you wake the slumbering beast.”

“He sleeps like you. A blast of dynamite wouldn’t wake him up.” Dawn countered, though her voice was several degrees lower than before. “And how can you say it won’t be like last time? How do you know?”

“Because this is just a pup. An angry pup who has no idea how to run a pack. They’ll have to travel a long time just to reach us and they’ll be wore out by the time they get here. We have a good sized pack now and plenty of fighting power. We’ll be fine.”

“You said it would be fine last time and he got me.” Dawn reminded him as her pacing slowed and a shiver passed over her skin. Grange sighed and stood up. Without a word he carried Creed into their bedroom and settled the sleeping boy into his cradle.

After pressing a gentle kiss to his sons hair, Grange left the room and went to Dawn who was staring out the window into the dark night.

Grange wrapped his arms around her soft waist and laid his head on her shoulder.

“I can’t promise that no one will ever hurt you, Dawn. I’m not foolish enough to think it couldn’t happen.”

“Are you trying to make me feel better?” Dawn asked skeptically. Grange kissed her ear.

“Yes. This pup is not going to get his hands on you. I said I couldn’t promise that no one would ever hurt you but I can promise that I’m not going to let some pup come in here and harm a single hair on you or our son’s head.”

“I can’t help but worry.” Dawn replied and Grange nodded and turned her around so he could look into her eyes.

“I know. It’s in your nature, but please trust in me, love. I will keep you safe.”

“I guess we have a long time before anyone shows up here.” Dawn admitted and Grange nodded.

“He might not come at all. Brendon is going to point the Council in his direction as soon as he gets back to them so the pup will probably be pretty busy trying not to die.”

“Speaking of Brendon….” Dawn said knowingly as she led Grange to the sofa. He chuckled as he sat down and pulled her into his lap.

“I’d rather speak of you and I.” he growled, his lips teasing the tender flesh behind her ear. Dawn trembled and pushed his face away.

“Did you talk to him?” Grange rolled his eyes.

“Yes.”

“Did it go well?”

“He and Ella went to town hours ago and neither of them came back. I’d say it went pretty well.” Grange assumed that would be the end of the conversation and once again went for Dawn’s neck only to be stopped by the palm of her hand being placed in his way.

“I think you’re forgetting that I’m stronger than you.” he stated with a growl. “That little hand won’t stop me.”

“Does Brendon love her?” Grange sighed with defeat and laid his head back against the sofa.

“He says no.”

“What do you think?”

“Dawn, us men don’t just sit around talking about that kind of thing, love. It isn’t natural.”

“Grange…” Dawn urged and he shook his head.

“I think he does. He’s a bit confused about things right now but I think he’ll come around. Now can we please get back to where we were a few seconds ago?”

“And where was that?” Dawn asked with a wicked grin. Grange growled and grabbed her wrist gently, moving her hand away from her neck.

“Right here.” came his husky reply just before he laid his hungry lips against her throat.

***

“Why aren’t you happy about the baby?” Trig asked Farrah as they lay naked, wrapped in each others arms on the porch swing of their cabin. No blankets separated their skin from the cool night air that was quickly drying the sweat from their skin.

“I never said I wasn’t happy.” Farrah replied and Trig laid his chin against her chest and looked up at her.

“You never said you were happy either.” he pouted.

“I’m… scared.” Farrah finally admitted. Admitting fear was not something she had ever enjoyed and she would deny it with her last breath to anyone other than Trig. She could trust him with the truth.

“Scared of a baby? I don’t think they come out real deadly.” Trig teased. Farrah found herself smiling. Trig could always make any situation seem a little less serious and frightening.

“What do I know about being a mother?” Farrah asked. “I know nothing of caring for anyone. If it wasn’t for you cooking and cleaning around here we wouldn’t even eat or have room to walk in our home.”

“Have you looked inside our cabin lately? I’m no good at cleaning either. And without Dawn’s cooking we’d both probably starve to death.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

Trig sighed and then grinned up at her, his smile was contagious and caused her own lips to curve once again.

“You worry too much, kitty. We’ll figure this all out, it’ll just take time. I don’t’ know anything about being a pa and you don’t know anything about being a mama so I figure we’ll just learn together. Good thing about that is our kid is guaranteed to grow up tough.”

Farrah laughed harshly.

“If it makes it.” Trig poked her nose.

“We’re not that hopeless. Our kid will at least make it… Can’t guarantee how normal he or she will be but it’ll make it. And we have a pack to help us.”

“I guess you’re right.” Farrah admitted, feeling some of her worry fading and her heart lightening. She really was happy that she was going to give birth to a child. She and Trig’s child. Trig, was her true love, she knew that. He was the only man with a good enough sense of humor to ever put up with her too serious nature and she loved him.

She only hoped their child took after him and not her. The last thing this pack needed was another Farrah.