.:Author's Note:.

Dimitri at the top.

***

Blake's POV:

"I can do it."

Before I could stop them, the words were tumbling out of my mouth. I wasn't sure why I was offering to homeschool Liam, a sheep shifter I barely knew. I wanted to blame it on my lion, but I knew a small part of me wanted to get closer to the skittish boy. Boy...

That's what he was. A boy. I could bet any amount of money that he was hardly pushing eighteen. Yet still, I was immediately drawn to him when I heard him singing in the basement. God, his voice was the most angelic thing I have ever heard. It was soft and smooth, and it just brought me unexplainable comfort.

All eyes snapped to me in shock, but I didn't pay the others any mind. My eyes were solely on Liam who was looking at me from behind his father. I hardly got to see him fully since he basically used the man as a shield. His blue eyes were wide as they looked at me in shock. His pale cheeks filled with color, signifying the blush that intensely made its presence known.

My gaze flickered down to his lips as he bit it nervously. I could already smell his fear in the air, but unlike last time, I held my growl in.

Many didn't know it, but fear had a wonderful smell that caused most predators to chase the source of it. It was like all of your favorite things came together and created one orgasmic fragrance that you just couldn't do without. The scent was the same for love and happiness.

"You want to homeschool Liam?" Liam's mother asked me uncertainly, causing me to remove from eyes from the skittish lamb. I looked at her with a smile before nodding. I couldn't necessarily go back on my offer now, not that I wanted to.

"Yes, and I'm very qualified to do so. I excelled in all of my high school classes and homeschooling him wouldn't interfere with my daily activities. If anything, it will fill my schedule."

It was the truth. I graduated at the top of my class, leaving with the highest GPA in the entire school. Many colleges had offered me scholarships to study abroad, but I wanted to remain close to home in my comfort zone. It also helped that I wasn't currently working. Despite my brains, I wasn't positive about what I wanted to do as a career. Many people had a set goal for what they wanted to be in life, but I was just winging it. Who knows? Maybe I'll enjoy being a teacher.

"But why?" Liam's father questioned this time. From what I could tell, Liam's mother was very loving towards Liam while his father was protective. It didn't mean that one loved him less than the other, but it wasn't hard to distinguish the dominant attitude they had towards their son.

I shrugged, not sure of a definite answer myself.

"I figured it would take the load of finding a teacher off of you since you guys did just move to town. Also, we can use it as an opportunity for Liam to get accustomed to predator shifters. If he's around me all day, maybe he and his sheep will get used to it and open up to others." I was honestly surprised by the explanation that I had. By the looks of it, so was everybody else.

I glanced at my best friend and sister who were looking at me in shock. I didn't blame them. As hard as it was to believe, I wasn't one to just lend a helping hand. Ignoring their expressions, I focused on my father. There was a thoughtful look on his face as he stole glances of the little lamb. I stole glances of him too, noting how he was looking at me in pure shock and confusion. I also didn't miss the way some doubt appeared in his eyes as he thought about whatever was running through his mind.

"Can we talk to Liam and your father before we give you a definite answer?" Liam's mother questioned, causing me to nod.

"Sure. I wouldn't want to make Liam uncomfortable, and I know my dad has the best judgement of me than anyone." I told her. Hey, if sucking up was the way to get brownie points, somebody better open a damn bakery for me.

Liam's mother nodded before the four of them disappeared into the kitchen. I didn't even get a good look at Liam as he skittered in front of his father like he didn't want to be seen. The silence between Maddy, Dimi, and me was almost deafening. They continued to look at me in shock as I stood up to pace.

I wasn't sure why I was so nervous. Maybe it was because I really wanted Liam and my dad to say that I could be Liam's homeschool teacher. Or maybe it was because I knew that they were going to be against the idea and I wouldn't have a way to get close to Liam. Why did I want to get close to him anyways?

He was younger than me, probably by five or six years. He was also extremely introverted and panicked easily. I shouldn't have been drawn to him as much as I was, and I wanted to find out why.

"Dude, do you know what you just did?" Dimitri asked me, catching my attention and forcing me to stop pacing. I looked at him as he cozied up to my sister, causing a blush to fill her cheeks.

"Yes, Dimitri! I know what I just did, and I don't know why." I said with a sigh as I began pacing once again. That seemed to be the main question running through my head. Why?

"Do you think your lion probably wants to get close to Liam? I mean his fear smelt too good for words downstairs and I'm still surprised that Dad was able to control us." My sister piped up. I considered her words to be an option but immediately disregarded it seconds later.

"Yes, my lion does want to get close to him, but not in the way that you guys think. If I had to use a word to describe it, I would use protective. In the half hour that we've been here, I already feel like I want to protect the lamb and it's confusing the shit out of me because I've only ever wanted to protect our pride." I explained, finally able to match a word to how I was feeling. I still wasn't sure why exactly I was feeling protective of him, but at least I knew why I was drawn to him.

I paused my pacing again to look at Maddy and Dimi who were looking at me knowingly.

"What?" I asked, slightly annoyed that they knew something that I didn't.

"Nothing." It was Dimi who replied with a subtle glance to my sister. Before I could chew his ass out about it, Liam, his parents, and my father had made themselves back into the room and took a seat. I was surprised to see that Liam was no longer hiding behind his dad, and was instead cuddled up to his side as he sat beside him.

My chest seemed to ache a bit as he sent a shy smile my way before burying his face into his father's shoulder. The smile was all I needed to see in order to convince myself that even if I didn't become his teacher, I was definitely going to be his protector.

"Blake, have a seat." Dad ordered lightly, causing me to realize that I was stupidly standing in the middle of the room. I nodded before sitting in one of the single sofas instead of between him and my sister like before.

"We've come to a decision." He spoke again. I rolled my eyes, feeling like he was being way more dramatic than he needed to be. When he didn't speak again, I raised an eyebrow at him. Catching my confused glare, he grinned before pointing at Liam. I followed his finger to see that Liam was looking directly at me, the most eye contact we've shared since we've been here.

"I-I want you to be my teacher, Blake." Liam said nervously as another blush filled his cheeks. I wanted to jump in excitement but decided against that as to not scare him. Instead, I smiled, noting how his eyes flickered to my mouth and his blush darkened.

"You won't regret it, Liam. I'm going to be the best homeschool teacher you've ever had." I stated, half-cockily and half-jokingly. My statements caused Liam to smile before he buried his face in his father's shoulder once again. I didn't mind it, considering that I was going to be seeing his face a lot now that I was his teacher.

"We should head out now. I think we've overstayed our welcome." Dad said with a chuckle, causing everyone else to do the same. We all stood, minus Liam who was currently curling into a ball on the sofa.

"Before you go," Liam's mom voiced, "may I have a word with you, Blake, in the kitchen?"

I nodded as we ventured into the kitchen, leaving everyone else to say goodbye in the living room. She pointed to an empty stool which I sat on as she grabbed some juice from the fridge. She poured both of us a cup before sitting on a stool herself. I thanked her before taking a sip of the sweet liquid. Mango flavored. Yum.

"So, Blake, although Liam is very happy to have you as a teacher, as his mother, I do have some concerns."

I nodded understandingly. Any parent would have concerns when leaving their only son with a predator. I held nothing against her as I listened attentively.

"As you may have noticed, Liam has a disorder. I like to think it's not a big deal and treat him as normal as possible, but we all know that Liam needs a little more help than most. When he was just five, Liam was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder." She paused, letting me know that I can speak at any time.

I wasn't blind. I already knew that something was odd about Liam, and I use the word in the nicest way possible. It was more than just shyness with him. He was terrified of people and always resorted to hiding behind his father (his shield). I guess it helped that I already knew about the disorder thanks to school and I was taught ways to help people diagnosed with it.

"I've noticed, Mrs..." I left the sentence open since I never did get her name. She giggled before waving her hand.

"Please, call me Angela." I nodded before continuing what I was going to say.

"Angela, I've already realized that Liam needs help. I had a friend with social anxiety disorder and I'd like to think that I did a great job aiding her when she was around. Unfortunately, her family moved away a few years ago, but I can still remember the basics of what I'm supposed to do.

Liam needs stability and encouragement as well as time and understanding. I want to use this opportunity to not only be his teacher but also be someone he can just talk to, despite being a predator. I can assure you that no harm will come to your son because, surprisingly, my lion has become very protective of him also." I admitted. Angela took her time to take what I said into consideration before she smiled. I froze in shock as she unexpectedly hugged me.

"Despite his disorder, Liam has a great sense of judgement, and I'm happy he convinced your father and me that you would be a good choice."

What she said shocked me even more. Liam actually wanted me to be his teacher; he wanted to be around me. The thought had my lion purring.

"I won't disappoint any of you." I mumbled as I snapped out of my shock and hugged her back. She chuckled before nodding and breaking our hug.

"I know you won't, and apparently, so does Liam."

After that, we left the kitchen and headed back to the living room. Dad, Maddy, and Dimi were exiting just as we were about to enter. I chuckled as I shook Liam's dad's hand firmly in goodbye. Before we could leave, I glanced into the room to see that Liam was already looking at me.

With a blush on his face, he waved slightly before curling back into his ball. I waved back, although he wasn't looking at me, before exiting the house with my family and friend. We all walked silently to our respective vehicles with one thought on my mind.

I'd get to see Liam again in two days.