*Annabelle's POV*

I groaned as the pounding headache made itself known to me. I don't want to wake up yet. Snuggling deeper under the covers, I tried to fall back asleep. It wasn't working with someone hammering my head, but I was going to try anyway.

Around ten minutes later, I gave up and opened my eyes. Next to my bed was a glass of water and ibuprofen, which made me smile. Adam must have set it out for me. I took the pill and laid back down in bed. Today was going to be a lazy day.

There was a knock on the door, and I told him to enter. Adam smiled at me as he walked in and sat on my bed. "Good morning." His voice was soft and I figured he was trying not to make my headache worse.

"Hey. Thanks for the ibuprofen." I mumbled as I snuggled deeper into my blankets.

"Figured you'd need them." Adam responded with a chuckle, "Do you want anything for breakfast?"

The idea of eating made me want to throw up, "No thanks."

Another chuckle, "Anything else?"

I gave him a weak smile, "I'm good. You might have to walk yourself today though."

Adam shook his head and stood up, "call me if you need anything. I can hear you from the living room."

I nodded and closed my eyes again, hearing the door close as he left the room. For about half an hour, I laid in silence. The medicine had kicked in now and the headache had subsided. I had been slipping between sleep and being awake but I didn't mind it much. When I heard the door open again I opened my eyes to look at Adam, only to be surprised it was his wolf form, Cade.

"Hey." I whispered.

Cade whimpered and jumped on the bed, circling a few times before laying down cuddled up to me. I bit back a smile at his behavior. What's this?

"You ok?" I asked him softly as I started petting his soft fur.

He let out a soft rumble that sounded suspiciously like a purr. And he tries to convince me he isn't a dog. I chuckled and snuggled up closer to him, trying to ignore the fact that this adorable creature was actually a 26 year old male. He was so soft and warm.

Within minutes I drifted off to sleep.

---

When I woke up again he was still by my side, and thankfully still in wolf form. By the soft snores that left him, I determined that he was still asleep.

I carefully grabbed my phone to check the time. 3:30PM already. I looked back at Cade, who was still snoring softly. I smiled and opened my camera, snapping a picture of him and sending it to the girls with the caption: Best hangover medicine there is. Fred responded with a picture of her cat in a similar position and Robin sent us some heart eye emojis.

I chuckled softly and put my phone away before getting out of bed. Cade's head shot up beside me. "Hey, sorry for waking you. I'm heading to the bathroom."

Cade gave me a nod before laying back down. I rolled my eyes before I left the lazy canine. When I returned to my bedroom a minute later Adam was on my bed, thankfully wearing sweatpants. His shoulder length hair was messy but it didn't change how handsome he is.

"Good morning sunshine." Adam spoke with a grin.

"As if you didn't sleep the entire day." I countered.

Adam held up his hands in surrender, "Guilty as charged." He then looked more serious, "Feeling better?"

I nodded, "Yeah, headache is gone." I stretched, and embarrassingly my stomach started growling.

Adam chuckled and got up, "Let's feed you."

We headed to the kitchen, Adam got some pans out while I sat at the breakfast table, "I didn't wake you up last night when I came home right?"

Adam looked at me and raised an eyebrow, "You don't remember?"

I gulped, "No?"

Adam grinned, "Interesting."

I stood up and walked over to him, "What did I do?"

Adam started laughing, "Nothing, love. You had trouble taking your coat off so I helped with that. You are quite the independent drunk, managed to take off your make-up without any help."

"I always do that. I try to make it easier for sober me the next morning." I said, embarrassed.

Adam smiled, "Nice. Well, after that I helped you into bed and you called me handsome."

My cheeks started heating up and I groaned, "I did huh?"

Adam's smile turned into a grin, "Yup. Don't worry, we appreciate the feedback. After that you were out like a light though, so nothing else happened."

I let out a sigh of relief. Could have gone worse, I suppose. "Thanks for helping me." I said as I sat down again.

"Anytime."

A silence fell over us as Adam cooked us some eggs. I observed his back. Drunk me wasn't lying. He is handsome. Hot even, glad I didn't tell him that last night. He seems so relaxed around me, I wonder why Cade doesn't like other humans.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" I asked.

He nodded and hummed in reply as he filled two plates with eggs and placed them on the breakfast table before sitting down himself.

"Why does Cade like me but no other people?" I asked.

"Huh?" Adam raised an eyebrow.

"I mean. I know that Robin can be a bit much but Cade shies away from any physical contact other than mine. He didn't like Fred either." I elaborated.

"Oh that..." Adam looked at his food for a moment trying to figure out what to say.

I decided to give him my findings, "Is it because of a pack mentality?"

"What?"

"Don't get offended now, but I read that when people adopt a dog, the dog will feel as if the family it lives with is his pack. It's the reason dogs will become territorial or protective over its owners, because it's trying to protect his pack." I explained.

Adam smirked, "Did you do research on me?"

I blushed, "No! I did research before decided to adopt. I'm not adopting a dog without knowing anything about the creature."

"Ah, smart." Adam gave me a dazzling smile, "I guess that is a right assumption. We've been without a pack for a long time. And besides the fact that we were fine on our own, wolves are social creatures who strive in packs. I guess Cade just picked up on that as soon as we came home with you."

I frowned, "That doesn't really explain why he doesn't like anyone else though."

Adam shrugged, "Well I told you that Cade is a bit human shy right now right? Living without any humans for six years didn't do him good in that aspect. It often happens with rogues. They become more animalistic the longer they're alone and eventually they'll become like real wolves in a way, and real wolves aren't a fan of humans."

"I guess that makes sense," I paused, "Still wonder why he picked me out of everyone then..." I mumbled more to myself. "Does the animalistic thing only happen to the wolf side?"

Adam shifted in his seat, "It's difficult to explain. When you become rogue, usually the wolf side becomes a lot more dominant. In most cases, it becomes so dominant that after a while the human side fades away completely. So when I said that a rogue becomes a real wolf I meant it. Eventually the only thing left from the human side is their intelligence. Rogues are a lot more dangerous because of this. It's a wild animal with the intelligence of a human, but not the morals of a human."

"How long does it take?" I asked.

"Depends on the situation and the person. Usually, werewolves become rogue when they're kicked out of a pack. Being abandoned or banished from your pack is one of the worst punishments available because, like I said, wolves are social creatures. For these wolves the process often happens fast. They feel betrayed and because of that become more animalistic. It can happen in a matter of weeks or months." Adam paused a bit to recollect his thoughts and to see if I was still following,

"My situation was a lot different." He continued, "My pack was slaughtered, so I didn't have a choice. In cases like mine it really differs per person. Some people are so stuck in mourning and anger that it happens almost instantly while others can control themselves better."

"It's been six years for you."

Adam nodded, "My wolf and I have always had a close bond. So, while I was in wolf form a lot, Cade never pushed me away like most rogues start doing. He still gave me freedom and allowed me to shift back to my human form quite often. We had a good balance and that helped us remain sane I guess. Cases like mine are incredibly rare. Usually any rogue will give in after a year or two max."

"What kept you from giving in?" I asked, hoping it wasn't an invasive question.

Adam looked at me and sighed, "A lot of things really, I knew my family wouldn't want me to become rogue, so that helped me fight it. It might also have to do with my position in the pack. Mostly I think it was the hope for our mate still being out there for us."

I tilted my head, "Position in the pack?" I would ask about mates later.

Adam moved his hand through his hair, "Yeah. I used to be the Alpha, so I have Alpha blood flowing in me. It makes me a lot stronger."

I smiled, "Wow, that means you were the leader right?"

Adam nodded, "Yeah. Most of my life was spent training to become Alpha. After I graduated high school I took over the pack. I wasn't an Alpha for long because of what happened though."

I hummed, "Does the Alpha blood just make you stronger?"

Adam chuckled, "No it does a lot of things. For Alphas, everything is more intense. We are stronger, but also more dominant, more possessive and more protective over our pack and mate. We also feel emotions a lot differently. When someone is angry the equivalent for us is being outraged. When someone is happy the equivalent for us would be completely ecstatic. It can get quite messy. Half our Alpha training is just learning how to control our emotions and our wolves."

I frowned, "Must have been difficult."

Adam smiled slightly, "It was. But it helped me a lot in the end. I was a super hot-headed kid but look at me now, going rogue for six years without giving in. Control is something natural for me now."

I nodded in understanding. I guess that is why he can hold Cade back so well when he tries to take over. "What is a mate? You mentioned that twice."

Surprisingly, Adam blushed, "A mate is short for soul mate. All werewolves have one. We believe in the moon goddess, who created our species. As a gift, the moon goddess gave every one of us a soul mate. Someone who is meant to be with us and someone who we can love with all we have."

I awed, "That's so romantic."

Adam chuckled, "Yeah. We can recognize our mate by smell, and when we look into their eyes it's like a snap in our minds. From that moment on we know that that person is our mate and that we're meant to be with them for the rest of our lives. As kids it's the one thing we all look forward to and dream of."

"Did you?"

Adam beamed, "Oh yeah. I've always dreamed about my mate. What she would be like, what our life together would be like. When my pack was attacked I was actually traveling across the country to find my mate. It's a common practice for the Alpha to do, since the Alpha needs a Luna to help him rule the pack and to calm their wolves."

"Calm their wolves?" I was starting to feel like I was giving him an interrogation but at the same time I was so interested in it all I didn't want to stop.

"Yes. Going back on the control issue. The mate of an Alpha can help immensely with control. Everything about your mate calms you. Their scent, their voice, their touch, it's like a personal drug. As much as Alphas can learn to control their own anger, usually they'll fail to rule a pack without their mate by their side. It's a stressful job and most Alphas need their mate to balance them out." Adam explained.

I noticed that he was beaming when speaking of mates. It was clear that mates meant a lot to them. "Do you have a mate?"

Adam paused and looked away from me, "Yes."

"Did you find her when you were looking for her?"

Adam shook his head, "No, I didn't. I wasn't even halfway across the country before I felt my pack being slaughtered. Every pack has a specific link, and the Alpha is closely linked to all his pack members. I could feel what was happening to them." His somber voice trailed off.

Without realizing it I had grabbed his hand in mine, "I'm sorry."

Adam looked at my hand and gave it a squeeze, "It's fine. It happened, and I managed to get past it. Sometimes I wish I would have been there to help them fight, but realistically I know one extra person wouldn't have mattered. All I can do now is continue their legacy as the last member of my pack."

I smiled and stood up, "Can I be part of your pack?"

Adam frowned, "What?"

"You're an Alpha right? I know I'm not a werewolf but can I be part of your pack?" I asked.

Adam face morphed into a beautiful smile, "Of course you can be part of my pack."

I jumped up, "Yay! Do I need to do anything to get in?"

Adam shook his head, "Normally we have a ceremony and the pack member creates a blood bond with the Alpha to connect the pack link. But since you're not a wolf that wouldn't serve any purpose so let's not cut our hands."

I pouted, "I wouldn't mind, you know. I want it to be official."

Adam sighed and got up, "Fine. We'll do it the official way." He grabbed a knife from the knife holder and suddenly I wasn't as determined as before. "Are you sure?"

Can't back down now, "Yes!"

Adam made me stand in front of him, "Do you, Annabelle Carter, promise to help protect the pack. To be there for your packmates and to be loyal to your Alpha?"

"Yes!"

Adam bit back a smile, "Then I, Alpha Adam Grey, welcome you to the Springfield Lake pack." He spoke calmly. He grabbed my hand, before pausing. He gulped and quickly cut my hand open. I winced in pain but tried not to show it. Adam then cut open his own hand and connected them together, making the blood bond.

"Quite dramatic." I mumbled as I saw him make eye contact.

He chuckled, "It's an old tradition."

He disconnected our hands and went to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit I had stored there. When he came back he started treating my hand. "You can treat yourself first." I suggested.

Adam looked at me, then showed me his hand. The wound, which was clearly there a few seconds ago, was now completely healed.

"WHAT!?"

Adam chuckled, "I told you we heal faster than humans right?"

"But that was impossibly fast!" I countered.

"Well, transforming into a wolf was impossible to you a week ago." He defended.

I guess he has a point there.

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Thanks for reading!