Seren slowly became aware of a brightening, in the room and a warmth spreading across her face as the sun slowly climbed up the window. She squinted as she tried to open her eyes, realizing just whose bed she was laying sprawled in, and whose t-shirt had ridden up to her waist, revealing a pair of blue panties. 

She could hear the even breathing of the wolf next to her and slowly turned her head. He wasn't a wolf and he definitely wasn't wearing any clothes. She took in his form all at once, lying stomach down, sun-tanned skin stretched over his relaxed muscles, his face buried in his pillow, and his bare buttocks brazenly waiting for the whole world to see.

Seren shrieked and shoved away from him, toppling off the bed. He sat up quickly, alarmed, half of his hair sticking straight up as he watched her scramble to her feet. She tugged her shirt down, blushing terribly.

"What's wrong?" he asked, blinking hard to wake himself up. 

Seren turned a darker shade of red, embarassed at how cute she thought he looked. His eyes, glued to her bare legs, didn't help matters. "C-can...you cover yourself up or something?" 

His lips pressed together as he tried not to smile and flipped a blanket over his waist, amused. "Have you never seen a naked man before?"

"Of course I have!" she snapped without thinking, suddenly alarmed when his gaze turned dark and thunderous. She had clearly hit a spot within him, that protective and possessive chord that had rung before when he paced for days outside her house. The thought of her with another man no doubt enraged him. "W-what I d-do is none of your b-business," she stammered.

She saw his muscles flex as he pressed his body up from the mattress, his eyes nearly black as he moved towards her in a swift lunge. Seren quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding his grip and slipped behind the bedroom door, locking it just before his weight crashed into it, threatening to splinter it. 

"Open the door, Seren!" His voice was a mixture of a snarl and morning huskiness that made her shake. 

"No," she growled back.

"You are mine now, Seren!" he shouted through the wood. The words were coming from his primal side, his wolf. This was not something she expected to hear from him. "Everything you do is my business...especially where other males are concerned. You may not have accepted me yet, but I will not allow any man to ever touch you."

She could imagine just how he would look, then, eyes aglow with fury, and it weakened her resolve. The waves of his power and authority were seeping through the door into her chest, commanding her to back down from this argument and to believe what he said. After all, he was the alpha and that meant that his bond to his mate would be stronger, more intense. These feelings he felt for Seren were all because of the bond, because of the drive his wolf side possessed. Wolves were hardwired to find their mate and reproduce; anything that came between a male and his female or a female and her pups was as good as dead. Seren concluded that his body was simply clouding his mind and better judgment with its most rudimentary programming, that she was coming between him and his mate and he didn't know how to react.

But she couldn't think of removing the bond now...not while she stood in her underwear and his shirt. And, it was not as though her own animalistic nature necessarily wanted to break the bond just yet...

Seren didn't answer him and turned on the shower. She knew if she did, it would be some witty retort that she would instantly regret when the door exploded open and Liam came charging in to fufill his earlier promise. She stepped in and instantly put the bar of soap to her neck, where weeks ago his teeth had gently raked over her skin. Just the thought sent goosebumps down her back that even the warm water couldn't stop. She scrubbed her scalp with shampoo and then conditioned the ends of her hair, shaving and contemplating if it was doing it for herself or because she knew he would see it. She stepped out only when she felt absolutely sterile, even wrapping a different towel around her body. With a sigh, she moved to the door only to realize that Liam was probably still in the bedroom and that there was likely no pile of clothes waiting for her. 

What was she going to do, then? Stand in the bathroom all day? Seren procrastinated the intevitable by brushing her hair and then her teeth, but finally had nothing left to do with herself. With a silent curse and gritted teeth, she slowly opened the door and peeked out into the bright sunlit room. Liam, now clothed in jeans and a very attractive white button-down shirt that gripped his biceps and was rolled up to display his forearms, stopped his agitated pacing and wheeled around to watch her with his famous and emotionless expression. It appeared that she had really gotten to him with that one tiny defensive comment. 

He was frowning, but that wasn't abnormal. There was a tense moment of silence where he seemed to want to say something, but also waited for her to speak. 

"I...I don't have any clothes," she muttered.

He pointed absentmindedly to his bureau. "I had Kate buy some for you, there are more in the closet." He still wasn't giving anything away. 

Seren realized that she would have to cross the bedroom in only a towel and licked her lips, feeling his gaze upon the action. She felt the heat climb up her neck into her cheeks as she stepped towards him, fully aware that his eyes were raking over her form as she passed him, refusing to pay him any attention.

Liam was having an internal battle. He wanted to appologize for yelling at her, but he was also obstinantly convinced that he shouldn't have to. She was obviously his, whether she knew it or not. He had every right to tell her so. Hell, he had every right to grab her as she moved directly in front of him and use his weight to press her into the bed on her back and mark her as his own. The thought made his blood pump harder and his hand curled into a fist as he leaned forward to do just that. Her soft scent alone was driving him absolutely mad, all vanilla and lillies, pure and sweet.

No, he had to go slow with her. If he didn't, it would only prove her fears to be true. Liam watched her cautiously sifting through the drawers and caught a glimpse of the panties and bra she picked out and tried to hide under a folded pair of jeans. Immediately he imagined her naked except for those small articles and nearly groaned from the tempest of lust it stirred in him. 

She seemed to sense it and glanced at him, her eyes widening slightly. He noticed that she always did that when his wolf was showing through. 

"Listen, if you are still mad," she began.

"I am not," he replied quickly before she could say anything else. "I...was wondering if you would want to have breakfast with the pack this morning?"

Instantly, her blush paled.

Seren knew she absolutely did not want to go. At the same time, she needed Liam to trust her if she was to ever have any sort of freedom from his bedroom. If she was to live with the pack for McGreggor's sake, shouldn't she meet them, if not only to dispel their curiosity about her? Still, the idea of being surrounded by a hundred inquiring and...big....people made her swallow hard. She looked at the stoic man pleadingly and saw that his fists were clenched in anger, which only served to stress her out further. He clearly did not want to invite her. 

"W-what about the...initiation?" she asked, clutching the clothes to the towel over her chest.

The alpha put his hands in his pockets and a muscle flexed in his jaw. "We will talk about it after breakfast."

She made a nervous little noise in her throat and a tremble rolled through her with her desire to shift and run from her problems. 

"I will wait in my office for your answer," he said deeply. 

Seren stared at his sculpted back as he left, his shirt hanging from his shoulder blades. Why did he have to be so attactive!? She dressed quickly and stood in front of the door to the office for an entire minute before she got up the nerve to open it. She knew both what she wanted to say and what she knew she had to say. 

Liam was sitting in his big chair, facing away as he stared out the window so he had to swivel around to acknowledge her presence. His fingers were tented pensively, his elbows resting on the arms. "What did you decide?" he inquired. 

"Well..." she stepped fully into the room. "I guess if I am going to be here for an extended period of time, then I had better meet some of the people who live here, too. I still don't trust you, or your pack and I'm not keen on being toted around like a new pet, but I have to believe that there are more kind people here like Max, Kate and Gloria. I will give them the benefit of the doubt, even if they didn't have it for me."

He stared at her for a long time before nodding sharply and standing up. Liam was simply massive and he never failed to intimidate her with his formidable size. He moved past her to the double doors and she trotted after, following him down the hall and to the stairs, the din of many voices growing louder as they descended. With every step closer they came to the dining hall, the more Seren's anxiety grew, rising in her throat. She felt like a volcano about to erupt and prayed she didn't vomit in front of everyone.

"Alpha!" a tiny voice yelled. A small child crashed into Liam's leg and he looked down in amusement. Seren recognized her as the little girl who had thought she was a dog and asked why she was covered in red. 

"Gillie," Liam said, rubbing her head.

"I haven't seen you in days!" she said dramatically, earning her a deep chuckle. Seren was fascinated with the sound; she had asumed him incapable of laughter. The girl's brilliant green eyes turned to Seren and her nose scrunched up in confusion. "Who are you?"

"This is Seren. She is my mate," the alpha answered, a serious look in his eyes. 

She looked back to her idol. "Your mate!? Since when? She isn't in our pack," she said.

"Seren is the rogue we found. She is trying to learn about our pack before she becomes a part of it." He gave her a quick glance. Seren smiled kindly down at Gillie when her eyes turned to her again.

"But you will be in the pack, right? You have to! We have never had a Luna before!" 

Seren looked to Liam in confusing, but his face was masked. She wouldn't be getting any answers from him. She asumed Gillie meant that they had never had a Luna because she was only born when Liam was Alpha and he had never taken a mate. 

"Your hair isn't red," she said abruptly.

"I was hurt," Seren replied awkwardly.

"Why?"

"Gillie," Liam said warningly.

"Because I am a rogue."

"But you aren't a bad rogue! Who hurt-"

"Gillie," Liam growled, silencing her. Seren gave him a stern look.

"Why don't you show me around?" She suggested.

"Okay! If you like it, then you will stay and you won't be a rogue anymore and then you won't be hurt!" Her little fingers wrapped around two of Seren's and she dragged her toward the sound of all the voices. Seren did not look at Liam. She didn't want to see what expression he wore or if his muscles were tensed. She could feel how uncomfortable and dissatisfied with the exchange he was, but it had all been the truth. 

"This is the pantry, where the snacks are, like Oreos and chips. Gloria says we aren't allowed in there unless an adult goes with us because we get too crazy! Sometimes we run through the house too much and bite each other. But biting is not nice and no biting is one of the rules. This is a closet for coats and stuff. This is another door over here that goes to someone's room I think. Mayline is our chef, she makes the most deliciousest food for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everyone has to come to dinner. It's the rule," she chattered on, pulling Seren on down a short hall.

She sensed Liam's presence following her, filling up the hallway behind them like a giant rain cloud, could hear his even footsteps behind them, one for every three of Gillie's. Suddenly, they came to the entrance to the dining hall and Seren's heart began to hammer in her chest. She nearly jumped when she felt Liam's huge hand resting in the small of her back as a reassurance. She forced a weak smile for Gillie's sake and let the child lure her in. About twenty-five sets of eyes turned to the three entering and you could have heard a pin drop in the silence. Many of them met Liam's eyes and nodded, muttering, "Alpha." Others looked nervously between Gillie and the rogue whose hand she held.

Gillie didn't let go of her fingers as she stood on the nearest chair. "Listen up, everybody! This is Seren, Alpha's mate and she is here to meet you all so you better be on your best behavior!"

Seren couldn't keep herself from grinning as the six year old wagged her finger at the wolves seated at the table. She didn't see Liam nod once behind them, seconding her order. 

"Gillie, you sit down right now and eat your breakfast!" Gloria's voice carried from where she sat, a few seats from the head of the table.

Gillie pulled out a chair beside the biggest chair and told Seren to sit there before running down to her seat by Gloria. Seren glanced to Liam who simply nodded again. A bundle of nerves, Seren sat in the chair and scooted in, the wood scraping against the floor echoing loudly. Liam folded himself into the biggest chair at the head of the table and sat up straight, looking very much like a king in his throne. 

"Seren is our guest. Please treat her with the utmost respect. She will soon be a part of this family," his deep voice carried down the table. 

Everyone stared at him like a bunch of deerm waiting for him to continue. Seren tensed, expecting him to say something about her upcoming initiation.

"Eat," he commanded and instantly the hall filled with clanking of silverware on ceramic and resumed low conversations. 

Seren's eyes flickered from one person to another at the table, searching their faces for malevolence or hate. She spotted Kate, who waved at her, and Max, who wiggled his eyebrows up and down while grinning. Some eyes met hers and there was a polite curiosity there, some offered a small smile and some didn't. It was clear they wanted to hear why she had run from them all and didn't want to be a part of them, though they knew she had some sort of troubled past.

She turned her head to Liam, seeking some guidance and found his cool blue eyes watching her with careful interest, his hands clasped and pressed against his chin. When their gazes met, the tension between them lit again and she squirmed slightly in her seat. He looked positively breathtaking in the sunlight streaming in, giving his black hair a golden halo and outlining his shoulders in a gold line. He glanced to the platters that waited along the center of the table, offering cinnamon rolls, bacon, sausage, eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt and toast. He wanted her to help herself. 

When she did nothing, he sighed and reached forward, his long fingers grasping the bowl of eggs and scooping some onto his own plate. Seren slowly used a pair of tongs to retrieve a cinnamon roll, oozing with sweet icing before anyone thought she was too incompetant to do it herself. She cut it carefully and took a bite, savoring the wonderful flavor and pretending not to feel his gaze on her.  

The chair across from her was pulled out and Derrick sat down. "Glad to see that chair is finally occupied," he said. "I was about to dress up as a girl and sit in it, just for fun." 

Liam glared at him. The seats on either side of Derrick and Seren would obviously be occupied by the twins because Gloria was at the third seat down on Gloria's side and Kate on Derricks. Seren wondered why. However, the twins did not give Seren a chance to meet them and most of the wolves left without introducing themselves further than, "Hi, my name is......nice to meet you." There was usually some good wish tagged at the end, but no pressure for anything more than pleasantries. 

Soon Gillie was pattering back over to her and tugging on her arm. Seren felt a grin split her face as she looked down at the blonde little imp. "My mom said that you can come see my room later and play with me! But only if Alpha says okay," she added.

Seren turned to Liam, who was watching them with some sort of mixed emotion, and raised her eyebrows in question. 

"If there is time later, then I will consent to it," he murmered.

Gillie squealed happily and her mother stepped forward from a group of those leaving, short brown hair framing her heart-shaped face and those same bright green eyes looking down at her daughter with a smile. She did not seem cautious of Seren at all, but then again neither did Gillie. It probably had something to do with the fact that the biggest werewolf in the country was carefully watching her every movement.

"Cara," she said, shaking Seren's hand. "It's nice to finally meet you. Gillie is very excited that you are here. We all are. She very much would like to show you her collection of animal toys later."

"I will show her to your quarters if we have a moment, we have a lot to go over," Liam said, standing.

She bowed her head respectfully and turned Gillie to the door, both waving as they left. 

"A lot to go over?" Seren asked.

The alpha didn't respond, but led her back toward the stairs, just as they were about to take the first step, the front door burst open and two identical men rushed in. Both had short blonde hair and blue eyes and were bulky with muscle, though somewhat stocky. 

"Alpha, we spotted a rogue," they said in unison. Both of their eyes moved to Seren at the same time; it was a little unnerving.

"Speaking of rogue!" one said, leaping toward her. His arms wrapped around her before she could get out of the way and she shrieked in terror. He spun her around, before setting her down when Liam growled loudly.

"You are scaring her," he snarled.

"So this is the One?" the other said, smiling. "Kind of short."

Seren shrank back until she felt her back touch Liam's side and then moved around behind him. She knew she looked like a coward, but their size and abrupt movements were intimidating her.

"Your report," Liam said tersely.

"Oh yeah, there was a male at our southern eastern border. Only a rogue would cross it. We haven't had trouble from the Red Toothed Pack in years."

"He was about our size, brown and tan, brown eyes. He ran south when he saw us."

"Increase patrols along that border, don't kill him. We will need to..." he glanced down at Seren. "question him." Then he turned and began to herd her up the stairs. 

"Where are you going? We want to meet her!"

"Not now," Liam grumbled. He ushered her into his office and shut and locked the doors. "I appologize for that. Everyone is quite enthusiastic about your presence here. Please sit."

Seren did. "What do we need to talk about?" Her voice was hesitant.

"The initiation. I wanted to explain how it proceeds. There are three main trials, each representing a core value of this pack. They are agility, cunning and trust. We take pride in our pack members being healthy and able to run, swim and have adequate endurance as well as to be able to track and problem solve. We also want our members to have strong character and be trustworthy. All of these traits you will have to exemplify in order to become a member."

"Will I have to race you again? I wouldn't want to embarass you in front of your