"Alpha Hunt." Thomas said through gritted teeth, reaching out to shake his hand. "You remember my mate, Lily. This is our daughter, Hannah." He said, pulling his family closer to him.

"A first born daughter to an Alpha!?" Hunt exclaimed, looking down on Hannah with a mix of surprise and patronising pity.

"She is exceptional, of course." Lily replied sweetly, knowing he had meant it as an insult.

Grace remembered the lessons she had been taught in school on the supernatural. Men had been more valued in Werewolf societies and only in recent times where girls being born first. In the line of succession, it was always presumed that a male would be born first to an Alpha and Luna. It seemed like Werewolf genetics, their Goddess, or whatever was responsible for deciding whether a child would be a boy or girl, was moving along with the times.

"Of course she is." Hunt replied, looking Hannah up and down as though sizing her up as a potential threat, then disregarding her altogether with a small smirk.

"And who is this? A human?" Grace felt her heart begin to race and became glad of Jakes hands holding her steady.

"This is my Beta, Jake and Grace who has recently joined us." Thomas replied, meeting her gaze with a reassuring smile.

"Interesting!" Hunt too looked her over, his gaze flickering curiously over her clenched fists.

"Shall we go inside, I am sure you are eager to start the peace talks." Thomas said, standing back to create a clear path to the door of the pack house.

"Wonderful." Hunt replied, ignoring the others and his men as he breezed past them and disappeared into the house. Thomas sighed, irritated before Lily wrapped his hand in hers and followed Hunt inside.

"Stay out of trouble." Jake said, first looking at her then turning to look at Hannah, who was staring at the cars still parked out front with mischief.

"Who, us?" Hannah replied, looking up at him, her eyes wide and innocent.

"On second thoughts, go crazy." He grinned back down at her, ruffling her hair and after a nod from Grace, followed his Alpha inside.

"Trouble, ey?" Grace asked, sitting on the step that she had been stood on.

"Nope, not me. I'm an angel!" Hannah replied, sitting down next to her.

Hunts men were either stood next to the cars or walking around them, their eyes continuously shifting over the crowd that was now beginning to thin.

The warriors had now moved, some coming to stand in front of the pack house door, others walking around, their eyes not leaving the visitors.

Brandon was nowhere to be seen.

"I know that look." Grace whispered into Hannah's ear, her smile going from innocent little girl to mischievous devil.

"Just stay safe and don't hurt anyone." Grace whispered again, Hannah's face lighting up at being given permission by an adult to put into plan whatever she was concocting in her mind.

Grace bit her lip worried as she watched Hannah skip towards the cars, her eyes scanning them as though on the lookout for something particular. Perhaps she shouldn't have told her she could do what she wanted.

Hunt's wolves shuffled around the car annoyed at the intrusion of the little girl.

Surely Hannah wouldn't be able to cause that much mischief, and even if she did... well Hunt certainly deserved it.

With a small smile playing on her lips she stood slowly from the steps.

"Here, let me help you dear." A kind voice said from behind her before a steady hand held her still as she regained her balance.

"Oh!" She cried out in surprise. She recognized her helper from the pack dining room, she was one of the cooks.

"Sorry to startle you, I forget that you don't have stronger senses than us." She chuckled. If Grace had to guess she would say the woman was around fifty years old. With brown hair and brown eyes that exuded motherly love.

"That's ok, I forget that I can be sneaked up on easily here." Grace replied, smiling at the first bit of kindness she had received from the rest of the pack.

"I'm Maura." She said as they climbed the stairs together. Her legs sore from standing still for so long and then sitting on the hard ground.

"It's lovely to meet you, I'm Grace." She replied.

"I know who you are, it is hard not to. Your friends with my niece, Amy."

She continued to offer her arm as a support as they rounded the corridors towards her room.

"Amy is so lovely, I don't think I could have kept sane here without her to make me smile and laugh." Grace replied with a small laugh.

"It may take a while, but the others will come around. Different is hard for people to accept. But you have found your mate, and that is all that matters now."

They shared a smile, Grace blushing slightly as they stopped outside her room. She didn't know whether Maura knew the truth about who exactly was her mate, but she didn't mind. The fact that the pack now knew she was the mate of a Werewolf meant that she hopefully wouldn't be the outcast for too long. Though they thought that it was Jake and not Brandon did sting a little.

"Have a nice day... And keep an eye on Hannah!" Grace shouted down the corridor after Maura as an afterthought.

Thinking about what she was going to do for the day, only one thought came to mind.

Peeling off Jakes jumper and discarding it into the laundry bag in the corner of the room she hopped into the shower for the second time that day.

Washing her body several times, she only got out once she was satisfied she had rid herself of Jakes scent completely.

Pulling on a white sun dress, pale yellow cardigan and some brown leather flats- clothes that had been continuously appearing in her wardrobe, the price tag still attached- she sat down at the vanity table to towel dry her hair.

A harsh knocking rapped on her bedroom door, startled she called for them to come in.

The door swing open and Grace rolled her eyes, regretting not going to the door to check who it was.

In strode Danielle, followed by Casey. Both of them wore garish pink dresses, their make up over done and hair ironing board straight. Their hands on their hips, lips twisted as though snarling at her made Grace sigh in disappointment.

She knew she would not be leaving this room soon, and the time they were taking away from her and Brandon made her mad.

"So that's why they are keeping you around then. Here I thought it was out of pity." Danielle said spitefully.

"Yeah." Casey said, backing up her friend.

"But no, you're a Beta's mate. That's laughable." Danielle said again.

"Yeah." Casey said again, glaring at Grace.

Grace couldn't help but smile, hiding her laugh with difficulty over their oblivious comedy routine.

"I guess what we heard about humans like you is true though... You wouldn't want Jake learning about your secret visits to the cottage now would you?" Danielle smiled triumphantly as Grace sucked in a sharp and fearful breath.

"You were caught. Mates are meant to love each other, and only each other. I don't think Jake will be too happy with you when we tell him that you spent the whole night with another man." Danielle said, sauntering up to where Grace was sat.

"You don't know what you are talking about. In fact, aren't you supposed to be in town?" Grace replied, knowing that they probably snuck their way into the house with the distraction of the day's events.

"Ha! Casey saw you! She was there in the forest! You can't deny it. I don't know what he likes about you, what a Beta and warrior wants with someone as pathetic and broken as you. When the Alpha finds out, you will be gone from here, mark my words."

Grace sat still, looking from a seething Danielle, to a smug looking Casey. Her words hurt. Of course they had, she was only human after all. They were her own insecurities as well after all. But they had come here to threaten her, and she didn't tolerate bullies.

"Ok."

"OK? What do you mean ok?" Danielle stood, her painted eyebrows creasing as her brain tried to figure out whatever was confusing her.

"I mean ok. After Alpha Hunt has left, feel free to go and talk to him." Grace replied, turning her back to them, picking up the hair brush and ignoring their presence.

"Don't think I don't know what game you're playing. You think that if you say go and talk to the Alpha then we won't. But we will, won't we Casey." Danielle said, stalking over to the door.

"What...?" Casey looked from Grace to her friend, confused.

"Come on. We are going to wait for Alpha Hunt to leave and then get you out of here for good." Danielle huffed as she spun on her heels and tottered back down the hallway.

"Yeah!" Casey replied, following her friends suit, turning not so gracefully on her heels.

Grace looked at the reflection of the door in her mirror, not knowing whether to be worried at their threat of telling the Alpha that she had been with Brandon last night, especially if Hunt was still around to hear it- Or amused at their plan to try and threaten her.

Deciding that she had waited long enough, she picked up Brandon's jumper and left her room, shutting the door firmly behind her and made her way through the corridors and out of a side door. Following the signs to the training ground, she made sure that there was no one looking at her and where she was going.

With no sign of any wolves watching her, Grace made her way down the overgrown path to the old cottage.

Knocking on the door, she was disappointed when Brandon didn't come to the door. Trying the door knob, the front door swung open to reveal an empty cottage.

Grace remembered him telling her not to go near him too soon after standing next to Jake, but she didn't like the idea of him hurting because of her.

Surely now Hunt knew the human scent in the pack house belonged to her, and that she was protected by a mate and therefore by the pack, Brandon would be open to mating with her.

A blush came to her cheeks, the heat radiating down her neck and chest, her heart skipping a few beats.

She would wait for him.

Sitting down on the sofa, she shrugged off her shoes and wrapped herself tighter in the jumper she had borrowed from him that morning.

Looking around the room, she was disappointed and saddened to see the marks on the walls where photographs had been removed. She would have liked to see them. Making a mental note to remember to ask Brandon what had happened to them, she was startled when the back door from the garden into the kitchen slammed open.

Spinning around, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her mate.

He was stood, frozen in the doorway, staring at her. And his shirt was off.

He looked like he had been running nonstop for the past hour, his hair wild, body coated in mud. Eyes fixated on her.

"Hi." She whispered, aware that his wolf was fighting with him for control. The way his eyes shifted from the round brown she was familiar with to thin yellow, almost cat like in appearance.

He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath before walking into the room, his muscles tensing as he wrapped her in his arms.

"Mine!" He growled, his arms tightening around her.

"Yours. All yours." She replied, wrapping her own arms around him, smiling as his muscles relaxed and they fell down onto the sofa together.

He was careful to cushion her fall, holding her with care.

In his arms she felt protected. And loved.

"You're here." He mumbled into her hair, not letting his hold on her go.

"There isn't anywhere else I should be." She replied, lacing her fingers with his.

"I don't want to talk about this afternoon, not while I'm alone with you." He said, his free fist clenching, only relaxing when Grace brushed her lips over his knuckles.

"Ok. Distracting you is fine by me." She said, smiling coyly.

Rolling his eyes he sighed defeated. "You are going to drive me crazy." He grinned, pulling her onto his lap.

"Oh really?" She teased, brushing her lips over his lips.

"See. You're driving me crazy already." His fingers finding the hem of her dress. Shuddering as he began to caress her bare skin. His lips feverously meeting hers. 

Grace leaned back, her head spinning from their embrace, her heart racing.

Brandon frowned, his eyes drifting down to her chest.

"I know I'm good, but I'm not that good! Your heart is over one hundred and sixty beats per minute!" He exclaimed.

Grace sighed, knowing that her head rush was not from the mind blowing kissing. Her heart was playing up again.

"I'm ok, really." She reassured Brandon as he looked at her worried.

"What should I do?" He replied, panicked.

"I just need to lay down, feet in the air to get the blood back to my brain before I pass out." Grace said, sighing in disappointment as her body stopped her from yet another enjoyable experience.

"Ok, here- are you comfortable? What else?" Brandon shifted her from his lap onto her back, stuffing cushions under her legs to raise her feet.

"Don't worry!" Grace laughed, touched by his freaked out expression.

"But it's not slowing down. I can hear it! I should call the doctor." Brandon decided, running his fingers through his hair, agitated.

"Brandon." She said calmly, reaching out her hand to him. He sat down on the floor next to the sofa, holding her hand delicately in his.

"Doc said things like this might happen. I'm freaking out I know." He said.

"It's fine, and normal! But I faint quiet a lot, and panicking every time will just have you worrying about me constantly, I don't want that. Unless I hit my head or my heart stops beating, then you worry. Otherwise I faint, wake up, have some salty food and something sweet to drink and I am ready to keep going about my day." Grace explained to him.

"Salty food and something sweet to drink?" Brandon asked, standing up and practically running to the kitchen.

"I have pickles and this sports drink that will have sugar in right?" Brandon said, showing her what he had found in the cupboards.

"Perfect!" Grace replied.

"Here. And you will tell me if you want something, or need anything, won't you?" Brandon said, handing her a small bowl of pickles and the sports drink.

"Anything?!" Grace replied, grinning mischievously.

Brandon chuckled, removing the pillows from under her legs and sitting there instead.

"I'm going to regret saying that, aren't I?" He replied, his hands subconsciously massaging her legs, making her sigh in comfort, chuckling as Grace batted her eyelashes innocently at him.

--

Before any readers comment and say that she would have fainted already at a heart rate of 160 bpm or that its a little far fetched- before I was put on the heart tablets I am on, when standing for only 7 minutes my heart rate would go from 84 bpm to around 168 bpm... then I would faint. Everything about what Grace is going through with her condition is based on REAL symptoms that I have experienced. Its called PoTS- or Postural Tachycardia syndrome and there is no cure.