Jon^

Leah

I woke up the next morning and stretched in this incredibly comfortable bed. I took an amazingly long shower the night before, but who could blame me? I hadn't experienced hot water in months. I was just about to roll out of bed when there was a soft knock on my door. I pad over and crack it open. A young blonde girl stood on the other side with a wide smile.

"Hi miss! The alpha asked me to bring you some more clothes. He is requesting you join us for breakfast. He will stop by to collect you in a half hour." She says brightly. I thank her quietly and take the clothes before jumping back in the shower, taking a quick one this time. Just as I finish dressing there is another knock on the door. Opening it this time reveals Alex.

"You ready, Leah?" He asks brightly and I nod, stepping out and closing the door behind me.

This is the first time I had been out of my room since arriving and I couldn't stop gawking. The mansion type thing looked like a ski lodge, very rustic but had modern touches at the same time. A lot of wood details and even smelled like trees.

"This is the packhouse, all unmated wolves live here. Houses are for those raising children." Alex explains and I nod.

"Do you live here?" I ask him and he nods.

"Yes, since my mate died, I don't have a Luna, so I have kind of taken on both jobs. It's easier being closer to the pack in that case." He says and I nod again in understanding.

"How will your pack react to me?" I ask nervously as I hear the buzzing of people talking in a large room at the end of the hall he was leading me down.

"I warned them you are here. They won't be bothered. I asked them to be kind to you." He says and I smile a little as we walk through the doorway. Everyone turns to look at us, but everyone continues eating and chatting.

Alex leads me through the buffet style line and piles about three times the amount of food on his plate than I do.

"You should eat more than that, little one." He says with a grin and I give him a playful glare.

"Not everyone can have an Alpha's appetite." I respond and he smiles while shaking his head. A few pack members stop talking and stare at him, and I wonder if I spoke out of turn.

"I'm sorry if that was disrespectful." I murmur to Alex as he leads me to a table. He looks at me curiously. "Those people were staring, I thought maybe I said something wrong." I say and he looks around at his pack members before chuckling.

"No, it's not that. They're just not used to seeing me smile." He says making me frown.

"Well, that's too bad. You're much more handsome when you smile." I say before I can stop myself. That makes him and those around us begin laughing. Pretty soon the rest of the pack joins in before their cheerful banter commences.

"You are a breath of fresh air, little one." Alex says affectionately and I feel my cheeks burn with a blush making him chuckle again.

We are almost done eating when I hear a high-pitched squeal from the entrance of the dining room.

"Alexander!" I look up and see a young woman with the same brown hair and blue eyes as Alex stomping towards us. "Alexander!" She yells again and I realize she's talking to him.

"Please tell me your last name is Hamilton." I murmur to him.

"No. It's Eastwick." He answers.

"Damn it." I say and he looks at me curiously as the little screaming pixie stops in front of him.

"Alexander. Why in the hell did I have to hear you brought a guest onto our pack from the gossip mill at the supermarket? Completely unacceptable!" She gives him a firm glare.

"I'm sorry, Penelope. I didn't realize I had to clear bringing prisoners of war into my pack with you." Alex says with a bored tone that only seems to infuriate the girl more.

"You know I hate it when you call me Penelope!" She yells at him and he shrugs.

"And you know I hate it when you call me Alexander, but you insist on doing so which means you will face the consequences." He says and the girl huffs.

"I only call you that when you piss me off." She says glaring at him one more time before turning to me with a bright smile and holding her hand out. I shake it gingerly as she speaks. "Hi, I'm Penny. This guys sister. It's nice to meet you." She says sweetly and I smile back.

"Leah. Boring human. Nice to meet you." I say and she giggles at my response.

"We're going to be good friends. I can tell." She says with a smug grin.

"Well, I don't know how long I'm going to be here." I say and she shrugs.

"You'll need to go shopping at least once. I doubt you have any clothes of your own." She points out and I crinkle my nose at the thought of shopping.

There are few things I hate more than shopping.

"You think you could just do it for me? Get me some sweats and t-shirts. Call it a day." I say and she gives me a horrified gasp.

"With your face and body? Hell no. Once you put on a little weight, you'll be a knockout and I refuse to hide that under ugly clothes." She says and I feel my face blush again.

"I um... don't exactly have any money." I explain and she waves away my concern.

"Don't worry about that. We'll cover it. I'll come find you later. I have to get back to the market, I left my half full cart in the middle of the store and came rushing here when I heard." She says, leaning forward to peck my cheek before turning on her heel, walking away giving me a little over the shoulder wave in the process. I feel myself stunned at the sudden departure and look over at Alex.

"Please don't leave me alone with her." I whisper and he laughs again.

"Sorry. If there's one person I can't control, it's my sister." He says with a shrug as he carries my plate for me to the kitchen where women are cleaning up.

"Thank you for breakfast. It was delicious." I tell them politely and they all beam at me.

"Of course, sweetie." One of them says, smiling widely. Alex gives me a small smile before resting his hand at the small of my back and leading me out of the dining hall.

"Let's go to my office and have a chat." He says warmly and I nod, following him as he weaves his way through the packhouse until he comes to a large door, unlocking it with a key.

The door swings open and his scent engulfs me. Woodsy and warm, reminding me of summer camping trips by the river. He goes to sit behind a large wooden desk and motions for me to sit in one of the navy-blue armchairs across from him. A few minutes later there is a knock on his door and another man enters before sitting next to me. His dirty blonde hair is longer on the top than on the sides, his warm brown eyes seem to sparkle, and his smile shows off a cute dimple on his right cheek.

I decide I like him.

"Leah, this is my Beta, Jon." Alex says, and I reach out to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Beta." I say cheerfully and he gives me an amused grin.

"You seem to have woken up on the right side of the bed this morning." He says and I can't help but giggle.

"Yes, well, waking up in a bed instead of on a mat on a concrete floor of a cell will significantly improve one's mood." I say and both men's expressions darken.

"I'm sorry they did that to you. It was wrong." Beta Jon says and I smile at him.

"It's fine, Beta. I'm just thankful you all rescued me." I express.

"Please, call me Jon." He says warmly and I nod.

"Now, how about we discuss what to do with our little guest." Alex says as he folds his hands together and leans over on his desk.

"What did you do before?" Jon asks and I think about his question.

"Before I was mate-napped?" I say cheekily and both men chuckle.

"Yes, before you were mate-napped." Jon says and I nod.

"I worked in IT. Cyber security, things like that." I say with a shrug and both men look at me with surprised expressions.

"I didn't peg you as a nerd." Jon says and I giggle.

"Yes, hot nerds exist." I say smugly and Jon tilts his head back as he belly laughs.

"I also enjoy Dr. Who and Harry Potter." I say matter of factly and both men eye me with amused expressions.

"Well, we could help you find a job. Rent an apartment, get you back on your feet if that's what you want." Alex offers and their generosity takes me by surprise. I'm not part of their pack, I am not their problem. They could just throw me to the wolves, literally, but instead are offering me a new chance at life. The thought warms my soul and makes the loss of my shitty mate ache a little less. I take a deep breath and look between the two of them.

"And what if I wanted to stay?"