Nate and I signed the updated treaty and council closed the meeting officially. As we left the building, Nate and Adam acknowledged the ominous guard to the front as we passed.

We all walked the stairs together, Adam and I hand in hand. It was strange to greet the council holding hands with Nate and say goodbyes holding hands with Adam. But it felt so good to be close to Adam, and it was true, my pains did seem to dissolve at his touch. My arm that had throbbed for days, was barely a dull ache. My grief that made me want to die yesterday, barely a burning in the back of my mind. And when he's been near, I could actually sleep.

Maybe I did already sense the mate bond between us. On some unknown level at least.

As we started up the dirt road to the packhouse Nate twisted to Adam and gave a smirk. "So, you made me lie to Elise. I told her that she wasn't your mate. That you would have told me if you had mated."

He gave a slight head bow. "Sorry Nate. I was ashamed."

"You shouldn't be ashamed." He looked me up and down appreciatively. "She's a pretty one."

Adam smirked, "hands off Boy. Your turn with her is over."

"There's that possessive streak." Nate laughed, then tilted his head grabbing my hand. "Sorry Adam. But I'm calling for Bro Code here. She still owes me a date to South Thai."

"Not happening. You had your date." Adam chuckled, still walking the road.

"Sorry Adam," Nate grinned. "Don't make me command you. I asked her out first. You passed when you had a chance. Now I have dibs."

"She's my mate," he tugged me back, starting to get annoyed.

I laughed and cut in, my feet struggling to keep up to their long strides. "Well, if we're calling it who asked me out first, maybe I should go out with Jeff?"

"No!" Both men cried with angry laughs.

"But he asked first." I argued joking. "Maybe he's the one with dibs."

Adam pulled me backwards into his arms, my feet flying off the ground. "Finders keepers." He kissed my cheek from behind, it started my pulse racing. "My claim has now been made. Everyone in the pack knows you're mine."

I giggled as he put me back down to the road. "Was what you did a pack wide link?"

He nodded. "The only way to forgive a rejection is to let everyone in the pack know of your fault." His arm came around my back tenderly. "It's the reason I hid what I was feeling for ten years, and why I didn't jump to reclaim you the moment I saw your beautiful smile in the diner on that first day. It's quite humbling to admit to everyone that you were wrong."

Nate twisted around me to push on Adam's shoulder. "But look at the beauty you've got now. Wasn't it worth it?"

A hint of a blush crept up Adam's neck. "Probably."

I hit Adam with a laugh and Nate shielded himself.

Nate chuckled, arms raised protectively. "Come on Bro, even I know that answer is a yes."

"Yeah," I taunted. "Don't make me go to Jeff!"

Adam glanced down to me and pressed me against his side. "Definitely yes."

"Definitely go to Jeff? Alright, if I must." I quickly stepped away, almost to a run with how fast I was already trying to move.

"No!" He chuckled and sped the paces to me. He stopped in front, blocking any more movement of mine. He looked down with strong eyes, tenderly holding at my shoulders. "I mean yes. Elise, you are most definitely worth it." He gave me a kiss that raised goosebumps up my neck.

"Hey now you two. I don't need to see that every ten steps."

I broke the kiss, then stepped from Adam back to the road. I put my nose up in the air childishly and walked on. "That's more like it."

He took the wide steps to get to my side, Nate appearing at the other.

Adam slipped his hand into mine. "Dinner is starting. Would you be willing to eat in the mess hall today? Are you ready to meet everyone?"

Nate laughed. "He just wants to show you off."

Adam looked to Nate, a smirk in his face. "Maybe I just want to show off how easy it is to steal the alpha's girl."

Nate grabbed my other hand, making me like the rope of a playful game of tug of war. "You better treat her good. You've got ten years to make up for. Or maybe X-Men's Jean Grey will fall for Wolverine this time."

"Not a chance," he pulled me out of Nate's grasp with his joking. "Jean always chooses Cyclops. She may have had a fling with Wolverine for a time, but that's over and Cyclops won."

"This talk makes me nervous," I laughed at the banter between friends. "Doesn't Jean go crazy at the end of the old school movies?" I turned to Nate. "And Wolverine kills her? I don't want you to have to kill me because I went nuts."

Nate winked, "maybe just remember that she got rid of Cyclops and had a sexy kissing scene with Wolverine instead."

Adam joined my laughter and squeezed my hand. "No killing my girl, Wolverine. Even if she goes nuts and disintegrates everyone to dust."

"I guess I'll take that deal," Nate chuckled and punched Adam in the arm.

I grinned up between the two. I was so worried in the council room that I might have changed their relationship dynamic, but they seemed as strong as ever.

And my heart did feel lighter. I was amazed at the feeling, being able to smile and laugh and be filled with love. I felt so broken yesterday I wished to curl up and die, but I felt like everything was mending itself. The loss of the farm seemed ages ago.

I had nothing. But I wasn't homeless. Truly, I felt like I had everything. New love. Friends, a family, even a home I'd loved from the second I looked on it.

"I'll go to dinner," I said a few steps later as the front doors of the packhouse welcomed us back.

Adam smiled genuine down to me. "Will you let me announce you as the newest mate?"

I glanced away shyly with a creeping smile, "yeah."

"Good," he grinned to Nate, "because I think Nate's already called everyone down."

Nate nodded to Adam.

We walked through a few corridors to another wing of the packhouse. I could hear the dining hall before we got to the doors. Loud crowds of chatter and laughter guided us, and Nate grabbed a handle of a tall oak door. "Ready Elise?"

"I think so."

Adam squeezed my held hand.

Nate opened the door. "Lone Raine Pack, attention."

The crowd quieted and faces full of happiness turned.

"I'd like to present the newest official member. Beta Adam's true mate, Elise Thatcher." He swung the door wide and allowed us to walk in.

Adam guided us in, and the people all started clapping and whistling. I didn't know wolf mate introduction protocol, but I did a silly red-faced curtsy.

The hall was as wide as a basketball court with a buffet table to the back with roasts, potatoes, and greens well stocked. Another table to the side held drinks and another stacked high with pink frosted cupcakes. Some people were walking through the buffet line collecting dinner, but most were already eating along the tables in front of us. Four long tables filled up the rest of the basketball sized space and were already well filled with men, women, and children of all ages.

"Thank you Lone Raine," Adam nodded. "As you all heard, Elise is my mate that I had secretly rejected many years ago. We have since found out that she is Alpha Milo Thatcher's missing first-born child now that we've undone the rejection."

Nate filled in. "Alpha Milo has offered Lone Raine and the surrounding packs a treaty of goodwill. We will no longer have problems with him. And with Elise's help, we hope to make the packs of this region even stronger together."

Everyone clapped again.

"Thank you Lone Raine. Now finish eating." He pointed to the pile of pink frosted creations on the dessert table. "And don't forget to try the cupcakes."

Everyone laughed and resumed eating and chatting.

I felt of home. I even had to blink tears away as my breath caught. I wasn't sure it was even this feeling of home when I was with my grandparent's working the farm. It was a beautiful atmosphere.

Adam guided us through the tables to the buffet line. All the while we were stopped by well-wishers with their congratulations. When we reached the buffet, Debra, Melanie, and Olivia emerged from the yellow kitchen beyond.

"Elise!" They all cried at once and surrounded me.

"Oh my goodness! What a surprise!" Melanie gushed. "Adam was your mate all along? How charming!"

Debra smiled a wrinkled smile. "We all knew there was something special about you."

Olivia took her turn. "And you're Alpha Milo's daughter! Wow. I believe it. You are better than any jewel to go run amok through all the packs for!"

I grinned. "Thanks."

Debra turned to Adam, full of incredulous eyes. "And you rejected her. Naughty boy."

He laughed. "Sorry Aunt Deb."

"Aunt?" I asked wide eyed.

"Yeah. Dad's sis."

Nate grabbed a plate and began to walk down the line, piling his food. "Yeah, Jeff's his cousin. They lived together a while."

Adam frowned and held a plate to me. "We don't need to get into that right now."

Nate shrugged. "When else?" Nate turned to me. "Adam's father and mother passed away when he was twelve. His father in a rogue attack, and his mother a few months later of severe depression. Auntie Deb took him in while her husband filled in the beta duties until Adam was eighteen."

"I thought it was twenty-five to get placed in the positions?" I asked, grabbing a tong full of salad.

He nodded. "Usually. But if the position was just being held by a substitute, or the current alpha can't continue, then the rightful heir takes over at eighteen. I took over Alpha at twenty-one."

Debra sighed as she filled an empty basket of bread. "So sad that you both had to take over so early."

I frowned and looked to Nate. "Is it what the council said? Did your parents and sister die because of Milo?"

Olivia's hand went to her mouth in shock. Then she pointed at me. "He was looking for you!"

Nate looked away and forked a roast slice onto his plate.

"I'm so sorry," I said woefully. "I don't want to imagine something like that could have happened because of me."

He took a breath and looked back to me. "It's not your fault. It's Milo's. It's in the past."

I balanced my plate and gave him a hug into his side. "I'm still sorry."

He gave me a sad smile and tapped my back.

"See?" Adam grabbed a forkful of roast for his plate. "I tried to not get on this topic."

Nate laughed, "well, I guess I did ask for it then."

Melanie smiled. "Everything worked out in the end. Milo gets to know his little girl and Adam's rejected mate comes back to the pack."

Olivia lit up. "You should go running with us sometime!"

Debra chided. "Dear, the rejection would have made her lose her wolf. That's why she's human."

"Oh, right. Sorry," Olivia bent embarrassed.

"It's alright," I smiled at them. "I won't be around for a run, but I'll be around to make more desserts."

The three beamed. "That's great! I mean look how much everyone loves your cupcakes!" She pointed to the nearly empty dessert table.

"It wasn't just me!" I laughed. "You guys made the cake. I just made the frosting."

Melanie smiled motherly. "But we all know the frosting is the best part. Just look at mine." She pointed to a small boy on the closest table probably seven years old that had licked all the frosting off of a cupcake in each hand. "That's Jackson."

"He's adorable," I complimented.

"He's a handful, but we love him." She then looked back to Adam and I. "Now you two go get some cupcakes before Nate takes them all."

We followed her eyes to the dessert table where Nate had three cupcakes on his plate and one already in his mouth. I laughed, and glanced back to the friendly cooks, "we will. See you later guys." Then zipped over to the dessert table with Adam in tow. I placed a cupcake on each of our plates.

Nate waited for us, and we found a seat together on one of the long tables.

"Frosting is superb as always Elise." He winked.

I looked sadly to my plate and started buttering my roll. "Except it isn't my frosting."

"What do you mean?" Nate asked.

"It's just basic frosting. Not the uh, wolf good, frosting." I took a small nibble of salad.

"It's not? You didn't want to show the cooks? Deb's not that bad."

"It's not that," I spoke with a sigh. "I have no more farm. It was the farm ingredients that made my baking so good. Without those, I'm just ordinary."

"Hey," Adam cut in worried. "You'll never be ordinary. We'll get more farm fresh ingredients."

I shook my head. "No. It was something to do with the bees and all the wolfsbane. Without those bees everything is just normal."

Nate tried to process. "Wait. So the bees pollinated all the wolfsbane and small bits made it into the honey or something? That's what it is that makes us so strong after we've eaten your food? Like some sort of steroid shot or something? Why did you put all that other stuff in the smoothies then? Why not just give us honey?" He made a face. "Except the honey tasted really bitter and hot. Is that why?"

I grinned up to him. "Remember licking it as a wolf then?"

He nodded. "It was bad."

Adam and I laughed.

I began cutting up my roast slice. "I don't know how the other ingredients worked really either. The chickens got out to free range and would eat the wolfsbane plants. I gave old flowers to the goats. The wolfsbane plants should get my animals sick just like it should anyone, but I think those bees had some mutation or something? Or maybe it was the plants themselves made the difference? Made it so the animals could eat them? But I think it was the bees." I sighed softly. "At least that was my guess."

"Whoa," Nate marveled spearing a fork of salad. "So that's it then. Everything is gone with your farm?"

I nodded and pushed the roast pieces around my plate with a frown.

Adam brushed against my side. "We don't need it anymore. We're happy with your cooking just from you."

I leaned into him with a starting smile. "Thanks. Hope you mean that."

"Of course," Nate chimed in. "This frosting tastes just as good." He elbowed me with a sparkle in his eye. "And an even better upside, no more of those sludgy spicy smoothies."

That made me laugh. "They weren't that bad."

His eyes got wide. "Says the fake wolf who can't taste it. I would have known if you could taste how bad they really were Elise. You're not that good of an actress."

I frowned again. "Hey, I thought you liked my baking."

"Baking Elise. Baking." Nate got serious. "You were right when you said that baking and adding sugar makes it better. Those smoothies were horrific."

I just glared at him, my brow lowered in annoyance.

Adam grabbed my hand. "Don't worry about it, Elise. It probably wasn't that bad."

Nate looked to him. "Says the real wolf who never tasted one."

Adam smirked. "You just wish you were strong enough to give your smoothie up."

I pouted and went to my potato. Maybe it was better that Adam never got one. "Was it really that bad?" I asked my plate timidly.

"Elise," Nate chided. "I didn't mean it like that." His arm came around my back and squeezed. "We needed your help. You told us it would be bad. We were prepared. It helped us win the war whatever it tasted like." He teased into my ear when he felt me relaxing my pout. "Now we know why Alpha Milo only asked for cakes and never raw ingredients even if it did work better."

I squirmed away from the tickle, then laughed. "I guess you're right." I took a bite of potato and chewed for a moment. "I made Timothy drink them as dare a few times. Guess I know why he hated that dare."

"Guess so," Nate laughed.

We were quiet a few minutes while we ate, then Adam broke the silence as he peeled the wrapper from his cupcake. "For years, I always felt like you were happiest right in the middle of the day. I could never figure it out until I watched you frost the cakes that day in your kitchen. I tried to be so passive talking to you so I wouldn't give away anything about myself, but as you started frosting, I couldn't help but be mesmerized. It was something that made you so happy yet was so simple. Just moving icing with a knife. I couldn't believe it was so simple. But it was something that made you so happy," he looked to me a glint of affection in his eye, "every day after that I warred with myself to go watch you frost again."

I bit my lip to stop the smile forming as I unwrapped my own cupcake, hoping a blush wasn't creeping into my neck.

Frosting was my happy place.

After dinner was finished, we cleared our plates and I watched as the cleanup crew quickly started getting the room tidied.

As we walked into the hallway, Adam spoke. "Elise, Nate and I need to finish some paperwork on this pack war. Would you like to come to my office again? Or I could take you back to your room?"

"I'll go with you."

He nodded and we headed that way. When we moved to the familiar hallway, I knew his office was getting closer. I was starting to understand where in the building I was.

He opened the door for me, and I slipped in already searching the shelves for my next read.