After ten days on the road and countless hours driving and mapping our way across this new white capped landscape, Rox and I pull to a hopeful stop in a small town called Willow.

It's a short way from Anchorage, far enough to be safe out of sight of a more busy city setting and close enough to be able to get somewhere to make a flight fast.

If ever that time should come.

The town is surrounded by sea and land. Forest and mountains alike. It's absolute post card material in all it's snow glistening glory.

It's also bloody freezing and I know that our first stop has to be winter clothing shopping and then finding somewhere temporary to stay.

I need to get a whiff of this town, in every which way possible, work out if it's a wolf town or not. Have a snoop around, see if we can be safe here. Hidden. And decide whether Rox and I can make an actual life here.

At least for now.

During one of my many many food stops, I did a little research into the smaller towns surrounding Anchorage. For some reason still unknown to me, Willow just kept being the stand out.

It's small, but not too small that there are no employment opportunities. They have a local hospital that has a birthing suite and also a postnatal care ward. I should be able to find work.

There are also enough local supply shops here to keep big town trips at a minimum, which is safer for Rox and I. Keeps us off the radar.

As I park up in the local supermarket car park and get the pram out of the trunk, I take a quick subtle scenting of the surroundings.

Definite wolf activity but not over powering, which tells me that this town is more human run than wolf.

A great sign. If it's not wolf-run, it means they don't have an over powering presence here. Most likely they live close by, use the town shops and supplies, maybe even own a few businesses in town. But it's not an all wolf town.

Of that I am certain. It was another major selling point for Willow. When I looked up the town history of animal sightings, namely wolf, there were very few.

Bingo.

Smiling to myself, I un clip the car seat and place it on the pram, taking out an extra blanket from the car and tucking it over Rox securely. At least he is warm. I'm freezing my ass off out here. This will take some getting used to.

I beep the car lock and head for the Main Street of town to find a warm coffee and have a snoop around.
The street itself is adorable. It has those old school gas lit lamps on each side of the high road, setting the theme for the whole strip.
Each store is neatly presented. The post office is an older building, historical perhaps, it has stained glass windows and decorative doors. As does the court house next door and the police building.

As we continue our little sightseeing trip, I stumble across a corner cafe that has me stepping up to the entrance before I even register I'm doing so. It's kitschy without being overdone. It's a sweet mix of old and new, well loved and ready to be loved.

I adore it already.

The bell over head signals my arrival and I'm instantly hit with a warm flush of air and the delicious aroma of cinnamon buns.

Instant nostalgia hits me. The memory of my mother and grandmother cooking the family specialty in the kitchen together. My father trying to steal a taste and earning a playful slap on the wrist from both women. Me, watching in awe and salivating over the smells.

I blink myself out of the memory in time to see a burly woman heading for me, helping me out of the doorway and assisting me to lift the pram up the small step.

Wolf.

My senses kick in immediately, the door closing causes the scent to hit me as the air around us becomes automatically thicker.

She stops in her tracks, nose slightly lifted, not noticeable to the humans sipping their lattes or eating the warm buns, but to me, its all but obvious.

"You two aren't from around here." She states, it isn't a question but then again it is asking a hell of a lot.

She directs me over to a corner booth and watches me as I take off my thin jacket and place it on the seat, stalling to re set my cover story in my mind.

Here goes nothing. Swallowing hard I start my prepared tale;

"No, we aren't. We just arrived actually. Just the two of us now." I say, keeping eye contact with her as she looks between Rox and I. Scenting. Analysing.

"He can't be very old the pup, few weeks at the most?" She says, eyes kind but wary. I step around her slightly and take the bottle bag out, Rox is staring to stir and I'm hoping he will accept formula as I'm out of the donor milk now.

The last time didn't go so well.

"I'll get you some water for that shall i?" She asks, caution in her tone and her actions slow. She is keeping close to me, not willing to let me out of her sight just yet.

Time for the big guns.

"Yes please. Though I don't know how he will go, he has been having donated milk due to our... circumstances, I didn't have any milk you see and we did have some given to us before we had to leave but that's all gone and he hasn't been happy with the formula." I say sadly, really putting it on, tears almost falling as i look at the now squirming baby.

The woman looks from my face to Rox and back again and then, expressing a deep breath, she slides into the booth across from me.

Hook.. line and sinker.

"Hun, are you running? I need to know. Are you in some sort of trouble? Our Alpha will want to know soon enough so you may as well tell me so we can figure out what to tell him." She whispers, her hand on mine on the table, her gaze on the baby in the pram.

"No trouble. I swear. Just... we had to leave. My mate died in a car accident and his family wanted to mate me to his younger brother. Force me really. But they wanted to abort the pup. So... I left. I don't have a family. The pack we lived in were very small and they disowned me. It's just us now. Please, we don't mean any trouble. We just want to start again."

It's all out there now. If she doesn't believe it, I don't see it. All I see is her sweet round face taking in my words, cheeks red with anger and face flushed with pity.

She lets out another sigh and pats my hand before standing up and heading over the counter. When she disappears behind it I start to worry for a second, maybe she didn't buy it. Maybe she will want to know what pack. Perhaps she is calling the Alpha right now.

Fuck. My acting skills really are shit.

Before I have sufficient time to freak out, she emerges from the back room carrying a jug and a couple of plastic containers.

She slides back into the booth opposite me and places the jug on the table, taking the lid off and placing one of the containers inside of it, before replacing the lid again.

"My grand pup sometimes comes to play whilst my daughter is out. She only takes expressed milk. Hates the formula too. I always have some of her mommas frozen here, just in case she starts to be fussy." She smiles and it reaches her crystal blue eyes. Kind eyes. Nothing but kind.

I release a relieved breath and lean forward.

"Thank you. That's so nice of you." I say softly, taking Rox out of his seat and pulling him close to me.

"Now hun, I don't need to know about where you have come from, I can tell you two have been through something. Something not good. That's all I need to know. Willow is the perfect place for you to begin again." The sincerity in her very demeanour is something I was not expecting. I just nod and smile, not exactly sure what to say.

"Alpha Benji is a lovely young man. Very fair. He will want to see you. The pack have grounds just north of here. You won't be expected to be pack, that's up to you. But you will need to talk with him and discuss terms." I nod but I can't help but frown at her words.

He won't expect me to join? He is very modern. I was not expecting that at all.

"You seem perplexed hun? Ask me anything you like, I'll get us some coffees and buns and we can chat ok? And it's Ellena." My new friend says with a small smile as she gets up and sashays to the counter, grabbing us coffees and steaming buns as I place the babe down and prepare his bottle.

This all seems too simple. What's the catch? What am I missing here.

As she returns with our tray, she watches me prep the bottle and then sits opposite me again as I check the temperature of the milk and begin to feed Rox.

A warm grin spreads across her rosy cheeks.

"What a sweet little one he is. Not too fussy now is he? We will have to see about getting you some more milk so you can start to transition him." She states, not asking, more telling. I adore her already. I need a grandma substitute for Rox.

"That would be great. Thank you and it's Alice, and this young man is Rox." I say, watching Rox suck in the milk greedily.  I shift in my seat before meeting Ellen's questioning gaze;

"About the pack, the Alpha, you said he won't want us to join? I can't help wonder why? Why would he allow strange wolves to live pack less this close to his land?" I ask, perplexed by such a strange balk of basic laws.

"He doesn't want people to be forced to be pack honey. He wants them to choose to. To want to. That's all. Now he won't just let anyone stay around. There are still rules that apply, but if you follow them, well, there won't be an issue. There are a couple wolves around town that never joined pack. They don't cause us any trouble and we have no issue with them." She states, tipping an obscene amount of sugar into her coffee and stirring.

As she sips her drink , I attempt to take in what she has said. This Alpha is certainly different to any I have known. I had this all wrong. I have only ever heard the Alaskan packs were all old school. Sticklers for the old rules. The ancient ways.

This is just blowing my mind. In a good way. I couldn't have wished for any better than this. So why do I feel like it's all too good to be true?

I finish up with feeding Rox and stand to place him back in his seat once I help him bring the wind up but I notice the way that Ellena looks at the boy, her eyes asking to hold him without her saying a word.

"Would you mind holding him for a minute, while
I have this." I ask, gesturing to the coffee and food on the table.

Her eyes light up like birthday candles as she vigorously nods her head.

"I would love to honey." She answers quickly, standing up slightly and taking the milk drunk baby from my tired arms.

"It's been a minute..." she says quietly.

"I thought your grand pup was still young?" I ask, sipping my coffee, wondering how long she has had that frozen milk for if her pups are older.

"Oh no, Jessie is just one this last week. I mean... it's been a minute since I held a male pup." Her face falls a little and I falter.

"There are lots of girls in your family then?" I question, biting into the piece of heaven on my plate and savouring every last second of it.

Almost as good as my moms.

Almost.

Ellena's forlorn face snaps me out of my food- gasm.

"There hasn't been a male pup in our pack for fifteen years honey." She says, tearing her eyes away from Rox to stare at my shocked expression.

"How is that possible?" I ask, not even sure how that happens. I have never heard of anything like that before.

Ellena sighs and looks back at Rox. Her features have lost the flow they held just minutes ago.

"We aren't sure hun." Is all she says, the emotion clear on her face. I finish my bun as we sit in silence. Ellena stares sweetly at a now peacefully sleeping Rox and I try to process all the information I have just received.

It's a lot.

I need something a little stiffer than coffee to unpack all of this.

Willow is certainly not what I expected.