The next day the foreboding that had settled into her the night before had been lifted by the shared intimacy she had with Khan. Laying in his bed, in his arms had brought her a comfort that she had never experienced before. He settled her, stopped her erratic thoughts and calmed her before he set her heart racing with his caresses. Last night had been one of her best nights within the walls of this compound, it had given her hope.

She felt rejuvenated and invigorated. The loving had only made her outlook on life, on Khan alter. She was beginning to see the potential of having him as a mate and it had only been a little over a week of him making a conscious effort, it made her imagine what kind of joy she would feel in the future. It could only get better from this point on.

Brushing her hair, a smile graced her face as she thought of the night's activities.

"Alright guys, we are sticking to the normal plan. It doesn't matter how many new people we meet. Got it?"

Her body was twisted in her chair as she looked at her two siblings, Jana with her still messy bed hair responded the most enthusiastically.

"GAWWWT ETT" she shouted, her little free hand twisting with her messy pigtails as her thumb of the other hand muffled her words. Her enthusiasm was steadily increased each day as they encountered new people. Wolves and humans alike had been droning in for the past couples of days.

They all clambered in to witness the ceremony that would take place in two days. Their presence was felt in the rooms, in the training area, in the dining hall. They were everywhere and the extra people had Jana going crazy. She loved strangers, no matter how many times Neema warned her the perils of unknown people.

To Jana it didn't matter, the people were fun and exotic. Dark skin women with large Afros, pale men with white blonde hair. People with dreadlocks. Piercings, beads, tattoos, scars, the lot, they had them all. Jana was fascinated with all the different looking people. It was fun to play with their hair and climb on their backs or pull their shoes under the table. She was having the time of her life running around like a hellion, while Neema was chasing behind her.

It was a good thing Jana was a cute child with dimples imbedded in her chubby cheeks and big brown eyes. Those looks often got her out of a lot of trouble with the people, their glares at realising they were under attack by a little cherub often turned to grins. Neema was never spared the glares though.

"You better not be lying you little rat" she chuckled at the adorable little girl. She could definitely see why the people she terrorised were never angry at her.

"Can we see Khan before we go nursery, he never said morning," questioned Caillum, clearly disgruntled that Khan had broken that tradition that her brother clearly placed value on.

Neema's eyes flickered to the clock on the wall and saw that they were at least 20 minutes early. Everyone had been bathed and dressed, all that was left was for her to plait Jana's hair and cream Caillum's face and then they could go.

"Alright, let me do her hair and then we can quickly pop by," she agreed, the smile on her brothers face made it all worth it, plus she wanted to see him this morning.

She had felt his lingering kisses as he left the bed this morning but it was too early for her brain to fully function. She wanted to see him, to get that reassurance that everything was still okay with them, she had no real reason to doubt him but she was stepping into unchartered territory. She would constantly need his assurance until she felt comfortable with the turn their relationship was taking.

It took her five seconds to re-brush the wriggly girls hair and cream her reluctant brothers face, the boy always forgot to cream his face. Once they were all done she ushered them out the door and down the corridors, looking out for the small markers that indicated where they were going. Climbing down some steps and down another corridor they made it outside Khan's office with a whole 20 minutes to spare until it was breakfast time at the nursery.

Knocking on the door she waited for a grunt before she opened the door and made their way inside, Caillum and Jana fighting for who would get to Khan's lap first as she trailed behind them. Eyes alight with humour and love, those children where her joys, her heartbeat.

Making her way further into the room, she took in the sight of her male sitting behind his desk his face washed with happiness as he played with her siblings, the two children yapping over each other for his attention. He was good for them, good to them. always had been, it had just taken her a while to see that.

The stocky man in the corner took her by surprise, as his sharp eyes took in her form. His shaved head was familiar and she automatically remembered where she had seen him, he had been the wolf to challenge Khan about the hunt on the night of her Trial some weeks ago. His body looked bulkier but there was a softness in his eyes that had been missing from before. at catching her looking at him he bowed his head in respect before giving his leave to his Alpha.

"Come back in a few hours and I will have the papers you need. Take this one though you need to get them first before I sign anything over to you," warning the male as he shoved a folded white paper into his hands with a firm nod towards the door.

"I wont let you down Alpha," the male spoke reverently, conviction in his voice as he made his way out of the door.

"What was that about," she wondered aloud as she walked to his desk and propped herself against it. leaning in to give him a quick kiss on his lips, the smell of mint and cinnamon intertwined, the scent was subtle as if the person had merely rubbed a shoulder against him but it was new. Different.

"Nothing", he grumbled back as he shifted nervously watching as her face scrunched up in concentration, "what's wrong?" he whispered as he tried to pull her body closer to his without crushing the two children on his lap.

"You smell different," she sniffed. Her body fell forwards as Khan jerked away from her quizzically, his eyes flaring wide as he sniffed at his clothes and grunted in response. Placing the two oblivious kids on the floor he brought Neema close towards him and rubbed his chest against hers until her scent was all over him and vice versa.

"Now I smell like you," he sniffed into her neck as he kissed along her shoulder holding her body close to his as he took in the scent of him and her moulding together.

"Ewwww," squealed Caillum as he made sick motions at the two of them canoodling together, Jana's head popping up from looking at the carpet to focus on Neema and Khan. Her brows furrowed before she began mimicking her brother, the two running around the room as they made sick noises.

"Well that's my queue to leave," she chuckled as she lifted from his lap, patting his shoulder before ushering the still whining children out the door. Leaving Khan alone in the wake of their presence.

//--//

"Alright remember what I said no... Climbing on people" her words trailed off as the two ran into the nursery before she could finish.

Placing her hands on her hip she stood at the edge of the doors and watched her siblings interacting with other kids. They would play until the rest of the kids came and then they would have fruit and milk before heading outside to do some interactive learning. The best way to get kids to learn was to show them what they were learning, pictures helped but it was more fun to look at the different flowers, bugs in their natural environment then in a classroom.

Heading over to the seating area, she sat down and begun her wait for Emmaline or Carson to join her. They were normally here before her but it seemed she had beat them this time.

A shadow appeared over her shoulder, causing her to twist her body to face the person.

"What time do you- oh sorry, though you were someone else" she grinned at the person above her. Her smile dropped and her brow shot skyward when the woman perused her in a nasty manner. Her top lip rising in a scowl to meet her nose, her bright green eyes rolling in condescension.

"Huh. You're Neema right, I'm Leslie," she drawled in boredom, her pale fingers flicking one of her wild, red, strands of hair instead of sticking her hand out to shake in greeting.

Neema didn't' know who this female was but if she kept looking at her with such disdain she was going to teach her a lesson. Fighting wasn't beneath her, it was the way wolves established hierarchy. Neema had been here for over a month now so she was okay with beating on some female to teach her, her place. This little wolf needed to know she was not the human to be played with.

"I just wanted to let you know before word got out that I am pregnant with Khan's baby," her hand pulling forward to rub along her flat stomach. The sickening smile that stretched across her face made Neema's hand itch to Punch it off. This female did not know her from anywhere yet she was approaching her so disrespectfully. On top of that she was standing there slandering her mates name. The cheek of some women.

"I'm supposed to just believe he got the likes of you..." she imitated the same disdainful look the woman gave her before she finished her sentence, "pregnant, yeh as if," she snorted.

There was no way Neema was going to believe Khan had gotten her pregnant. Her weakened human senses couldn't smell Khan on her, not even in the slightest. She did not even bare his mark, well not that she could see. It just wasn't possible, but she could smell the sickly scent of cinnamon and musk which reminded her off the scent that had lingered on Khan's clothes this morning. She put that thought to the back of her mind as she focussed on the woman before her.

"He came to my bed one night, aroused and angry. Suffice to say he did not leave until morning light," her smirk widening into a full blown smile. "You do not have to believe me, but Khan does. Your time as his mate has expired" she taunted as she prepared to storm off, flicking her hair over her shoulder as she shot Neema a pitiful look.

"Maybe he does, but your place and your pup will never surpass me and mine. If you think you can keep him with a baby then you are dumber than I thought" chuckled Neema, her lips forming into a tight leer. This woman wouldn't succeed in planting seeds of doubt in her mind, not after last night.

"If you are pregnant then he will claim your pup, but it will be me that child calls mummy," was Neema's parting shot as she glided across the room towards a confused Emmaline, who has just entered the room.

Neema's words were only a bluster. She would never take a child from its parent, never. It was something she could never imagine herself doing but the female did not know Neema so she wouldn't know that. She did not believe a word that slipped from that woman's mouth but Leslie had successfully planted that niggle of doubt in her mind. If Khan was the father to that woman's pup, then Neema would leave him even if it was the last thing she did.

"What was that all about" asked her worried friend, her bottom lip getting caught in between her teeth. Her eyes peaking over Neema's shoulder to watch the female storm from the room before she refocused her attention on her friend.

"Oh you know the usual, just some heifer claiming your mate impregnated her. Nothing much," the sarcasm dripped from her mouth, crashing over her friend.

"As if, these females do not rest" she full out laughed, her high squeal making Neema burst out too. The laughter a clear cover for the worry that flittered in both their minds.

The seed of doubt had been planted and it would only continue to grow.