As I follow Ellena into the entrance hall of the house, I quickly survey my surroundings. Stealth mode on high, I take a nosy perusal whilst Benji chats to someone outside the door. It's again a complete reverse of what I expect. This pack is full of surprises.

Man my wolfy-senses are off kilter.

The interior of the house is simple but stylish. It is a perfect combination of exposed wood and simple black accents, like the black hallway table and simple black couch and recliner in the open living space. The kitchen bench is expansive and the all black cabinets stand out against the open beams of the ceiling, the large amount of natural light and the huge oak table that sits in the centre of the dining space. It's modern but with a touch of the original log beams. It's rustic log cabin chic.

Everything is neat and tidy. Everything has its rightful place and when Benji closes the door behind me and comes to sit at the head of the table, that seems even more pronounced.

"Why don't I take the young one and introduce him to a few people, would that be ok Alice?" Ellena asks, two questions at once.

"Yes that would be fine." I say, nodding politely. I don't miss her subtle smirk as she takes Rox from my arms and heads back out the door, a few of the pack already waiting for her.

The scented him.

A male. Instant pity hits me. They must be so worried about the future of their pack. I know how that feels.

"Why don't you and I have a seat?" Benji questions casually, pouring two glasses of water from a jug on the table and pulling out the chair at the head of the table and gesturing to the seat to his left.

I tug out the heavy black metal chair and try not make a gaping scrape on the polished wooden floors while I'm at it. Lucky I'm a wolf because these damn seats feel like they are made of lead. I Sup the water trying to act casual but I feel anything but.

I study Benji's face as i make my self comfortable. Well, as much as I can while in a room with a strange Alpha alone. He must be late twenties by my guess adding up Ellena's story, though he looks like he could be younger. Save for the slight bags under his eyes, he has no visible lines of ageing at all. His hair boasts no grey tones whatsoever. And he is devilishly handsome. It's hard not to stare straight at him.

He leans slightly forward, hands clasping together on the table as his deep chocolate eyes appraise me, the way my own blue orbs do him. I have zero shame it seems. He is ogle-icious.

He clears his throat and begins;

"Alice, can I just say that while you are on this land, my pack lands, you and Rox are completely safe. From whatever it is you have run from. And from us." He starts out, voice even and low.

"Thank you." I reply, not giving anything away so soon. This I learned from my father.

Cards on the table Alpha. I'll keep mine to my chest. For now.

"I'm sure you understand, I will need to know a little about where you have come from and what you want from your time here. I need to make sure my pack safety is upheld. I hope that is ok. And the we can discuss how we can help each other. Ellena has put in a very good word for you." He adds this last part with a grin but there is sincerity in his direct address.

I nod, swallowing down the encroaching nerves I have and start thinking about my story. This is it. Game face on.

"All you need to know Alpha, is that I was forced into a mating that was neither a destined or chosen. That wolf was Rox's father. After he was killed in a non wolf related accident, his family wanted to force me to mate his brother. I knew then that I had to escape. They weren't in a pack. They were trying to make their own. I was fooled by the father, I thought he cared for me. I was lost. Young. I don't have any family left and I guess I was looking for a new one. In the wrong place." I keep my voice level, tone low. I play the card of the hurt single mother but leave the story simple. There is no pack name involved. Rogues trying to make their own packs is common these days, especially across the north. The packs have lost faith. Gone rogue in more ways than one. He would know this.

He does not say anything, though a deep frown crosses his face and I can tell he will not interrupt until I am finished.

"When the parents and brother were out one night, trying to drum up more support from other lone wolves, I left. Took the car i came with and what money I could and left. I had Rox alone. They do not know he is born. They do not know where I am, nor do they have ways of finding me." I say, hoping that I have gone far enough with the story. Too many details means too many questions. I can't slip up.

He nods again, taking it all in.

"Where is your family from? Ellena said you are a trained midwife? I assume you learned this at your originating pack?" He asks. Smart. He needs a little more detail. I will use the name of a pack long dead, my mother's maternal pack that died out many years before my birth. It would be easy to check this detail if he wanted to. It's another dead end.

"I come from the Longblade originally. My mother was the last born in the pack before her parents were killed in rogue attacks. She taught me our family tradition of midwifery before her death a few years back. I was certified at university a few years before I met Rox's father." I say carefully. Hoping his quest for information is sated. For the time being anyway.

He takes it all in. Letting out a low sigh and keeping his gaze trained on me. I work hard to keep my heart rate steady. I can't let the frantic beat betray my story. Fast heart rate can be telltale sign of nerves. Or fear. I'm hoping he thinks it's the latter.

I wait nervously as he wraps his knuckles on the hardwood of the table a few times, his face wears a tight frown and his low breaths are completely audible in the tense silence.

"Alice, first let me say that I am so sorry for the atrocities that were forced upon you. We both know that since the events further south have picked up, the packs have abandoned their rules and it's pretty much a free for all." He says lowly, never losing eye contact with me across the small divide of the table.

"Thank you Alpha." I say, waiting for him to continue.

He nods his head a few times before placing his palms flat against the smooth surface of the table.

"We would never force anything on you. Mating or otherwise. That is why I will leave it up to you whether you pledge to our pack or not. Either way, you and Rox are welcome to live in town and go about your lives freely, with a few simple rules." He says kindly, a small smile now replacing the lines of the frown.

I reciprocate the smile. He seems to have accepted my tale of woe. For now anyway. I still need to get some further intel on this Beta.
He could be trouble. He interrupts my thought process by clearing his throat;

"Alice, forgive me, I couldn't help noticing when you removed your jacket, you aren't marked? You never completed the mating?" He says with a slight red tint colouring his cheeks.

Was he checking me out?

"Ah no. I managed to avoid it." I blurt out, still thinking about how it feels for the Alpha to have noticed my unmarked status.

Nice. I hear his breathing shoot up a notch and sneak a glance at his face. The red is still there. Odd.

"Not that it matters but does this mean you would consider, in the future, taking another chance at having a mate?" He asks, his voice raising ever so slightly on the last syllable.

He is nervous. This is going somewhere I was not ready for. I think on the spot.

"Um. It's not something I have thought about recently." I say and it's partly true. What mate would want someone who has a baby with another? That's the take I'm spinning here and surely no one would want me? Right?

Unless.

Males.

He thinks I can possibly produce males.

Wow. My ego has taken a sudden dive. It's not my booty he was checking out. It was my uterus. Ouch.

"Of course. Of course. Forgive me. That was.... forward. It's just... if I'm being honest... the pup being a male, made us all excited. Gave us a little bit of hope you know?" The Alpha says, a full smile lighting up his delicious face now. I breathe a sigh of relief. That was awkward for a second.

"I get it. It's fine. Honestly. Never say never right? Just at this time, it's not on my radar." I say with a small grin.

Alpha Benji nods slightly as if he understands and part of me wishes he really did.
He mentioned the rogue issues in the southern areas but is he aware of the huge bastard of an issue to the North? I take the chance to ask.

"Alpha. Forgive me, you said you were aware of the southern rogue issues but I'm wondering if you had heard about the big rogue drama in the north?" I say, trying not to sound desperate for information.

But I totally am. Complete desperado. I just need a sliver of information to be able to keep breathing. To keep going each day. That's all. Like some sort of addict. Except it's not a drug that I'm after. It's proof of life. Of any sort. I'll take what I can get.

His face turns immediately dark and I know he is all too aware of the Demon wreaking havoc in all our lives.

"Yes. I know of the Demon." Is all he says and from the tone of his voice, I know not to push it any further right this second.

But there is something there. Something he isn't telling me.

Cards to his chest now it seems.

He stands up with a sudden force that makes me jump out of my seat a little. An apologetic look quickly passes over his face before his it softens once more. The ghost of whatever was haunting his mind just now seems to have gone.

Weird. I go to speak but he interjects, altering the mood;

"How about I give you a tour of the pack grounds and you tell me more about your work as a midwife? Ellena has been giving me not so subtle hints that you would be an asset to our small health team." He says softly, showing me towards the front door and handing me my coat.
As we exit back on to the porch, I let my eyes wander over to the swing where Rox is cradled in safe arms, a small gathering of older wolves surround him.
I tilt my head in their direction and he follows my gaze.

"I bet. She has all but adopted Rox." I jest and he softens up a little more. The tension escaping through his deep chuckle.

"Oh of that I have no doubt. She can be very... persuasive." He says with obvious affection.

We walk a little and head down off the porch and towards the back of the building.

"That's a nice way of putting it." I laugh out.
But sober up a little and pause to continue, the Alpha stops beside me, turning to face me.

"But in all honesty? She has been an absolute saviour since I arrived. I think she was sent to me. If you believe in that kind of thing." I say, watching his expression alter once again.

He wears many varied masks this Alpha. Something in his past very obviously still plagues him. And it shows on his face. His emotions are like sudden changes in weather. Brisk but plain as day to see the precise moment the weather turns.
This may be his best feature. It's raw and open. It's refreshing almost. But this will be his biggest down fall as a young Alpha. And I think he knows this.

"I believe in it wholeheartedly and fearfully." He replies blankly, holding my gaze as we evaluate the meaning behind each other's words.

"Me too." I say honestly and he smiles once more as we begin our tour in comfortable silence this time.

Here I was hoping for a simple life. Even for just a minute. But clearly, something more is happening here. And i know myself well enough to understand that I now have a definite need to get to the bottom of it, whatever it is. Not just to satisfy the curiosity in me, but to make sure I am not walking into more trouble than it's all worth. I can't help but feel like  I have stumbled in to a little more than I bargained for.