I had been looking through a book on wolf history when a picture fell out. It was a picture of a much younger Adam and his mother and father. Adam and his father both had the same smile, his light brown hair color exactly matching his mothers. They were all at a massive lake with turquoise blue waters. The beach littered with light grey stones in every size. Little Adam was holding out the shell I had seen in my previous time in his office. I put the book to my lap and leaned up for the shell again to match it to the picture.

"Oh. I thought I had lost that picture." Adam's voice cut through the hours of quiet.

I startled and then handed the picture to him. He got a nostalgic grin upon his face as he scanned it. "This was the last big family trip before Mom and Dad passed." He stared at it a few moments. "We went to this big lake up North. I was so sad that there weren't any shells on the beach the first day we were there." He laughed to himself. "My father went to a local giftshop early the next morning and purchased a random shell. When I wasn't looking, he put the shell in between some rocks. When I found it, I was ecstatic." He looked up to me. "I didn't realize for a long time that no shell like that would come from a lake." He smiled again to the photo. "Deb's mate, my Uncle Ronnie, told me the story when I found the shell in a box years later. After Dad was gone."

He sounded so forlorn, I placed the shell and book on the side table and went to sit across his lap and hug into his shoulders. It already felt so natural to move to him, it caught me off guard for a moment. But he didn't make it out to be a strange move either, so I easily relaxed into him. I guess that was part of the new accepted mate bond.

He held the photo, arms coming around to caress my back. His face dug down into my hair and he inhaled. "I miss them."

I nodded into his shoulder. I missed my grandparents too.

"After my father died, my mother went catatonic. She couldn't take care of me, so I went to Aunt Deb's and Mom spent the next couple of months in the hospital wing." He took another breath, his arm tightening around me. "It's one of the reasons I didn't want a human mate. She turned so weak when her mate died. She gave up and couldn't take care of me. She couldn't take over Dad's beta responsibilities, she didn't do anything. I knew I wanted someone to be strong enough to take over should anything ever happen to me. I couldn't watch someone hurt like that."

It was quiet a moment as he held me.

"And then I turned eighteen, get rushed into the beta position and I'm waiting for the next pack mingle so I can find my mate. But then she turns out to be this little human. I'm sorry. I just couldn't handle it. I didn't want to see my mom in my mate. But I should have at least turned you away right. Stopped to ask your full name and had you say the correct words." He put the picture down on his desk and started rubbing up and down my back. "But I was worried my friends would see me mate a human and call me weak. And really, I was worried if I heard you speak, I would fall fast, like so many of the other mated wolves did. So I did it as quick as I could and just ran away."

Another deep inhale of my hair, and I rubbed my fingers tenderly around his shoulders.

"I barely thought to link my friends with some bogus excuse and then shot out of the city. I had to run through the city human and when I hit close to the trees I shifted. I knew I had to keep running away to keep from running back to you. It was miles through the forest to home, but I just closed the link off of the questioning voices and let myself run. I stopped to drink at this little river and noticed how calming it was with the small waterfall running over the rocks."

I leaned up to see his face. "Your river?"

He nodded and pulled his fingers through the hair at my shoulder. "I realized as I watched the river flow, the heartache didn't hurt as much. But as the days past and I felt you worse and worse I knew that the rejection had failed and left a painful string between us uncut. I went back to the restaurant and walked around the city, but knew it was no use. I'd never find you again. I had failed at the rejection and couldn't ask anyone for help because then I'd have to admit that I was the weak one. Alpha Richard was still in charge at the time, and he kept making me feel like a child in a man's position so I knew I'd rather fight the rejection than admit I needed help for my failure. So I did, I chose to fight it."

His hand then caressed my thigh. "I thought I was doing a good job hiding it until this happened. It hurt me so bad that I refused to run with pack trainings for a month. Nate had never seen me so adamant to not train that I knew he could tell something was wrong, but he never asked, and I never told. It eventually got better, and I just started training again when I could run through the pain. We both pretended it never happened."

"I'm sorry it hurt you." I touched over his hand.

His glance went to mine and his fingers then went through the hair around my ear. "No Elise. I'm sorry I hurt you."

I smiled and leaned into his hand, my gaze kept on him. "You call me Elise now."

He smiled back. "Sorry about all that Miss Winters talk. I just couldn't handle saying Elise. Every time I even heard someone say it, it reminded me of rejecting you. When I called you Miss Winters it felt like you could be someone else and I didn't have to hurt when I said it."

"So you're not going to start calling me Miss Thatcher?"

He laughed softly. "No. It's Elise from here on out."

I tilted my head with a silly laugh, "you could try Miss Beta Female?"

He pulled me back against his chest and kissed my forehead. "We'll get to that eventually. Are you ready for bed? It's getting late."

"I guess so," I stood off his lap and he flipped his folder closed and turned off his laptop.

He stepped away from his desk and took my hand, walking through to the hallway.

I paid more attention to the turns this time, not just ghostly walking behind him. Hopefully I was getting my bearings better at each passing day. But I frowned as he stopped in front of the door with the large moon.

I already didn't want to be without him.

"But I'm not a Luna?" I turned to him.

His neck flushed pink. "I'm sorry. The Beta Female room is still a bit of a mess I'm afraid. I'll get it set as a bedroom tomorrow. Stay here for tonight. Goodnight."

A sweet sparkle caught my eye. "Are you not going to keep me warm tonight?"

"Don't give me that look Elise. It's not going to work tonight." He grinned. "It's not appropriate for us to share a room yet with you being raised human. Even with the door open."

"Oh," I said with a devious nod. "I see. Well, goodnight then." I reached a simple kiss to his cheek and watched as his smile lit the hall. Then I turned and went inside, locking the door behind me.

But of course, giving up that easily? Maybe that's not the kind of Elise I was.

Time to get Mr. Possessive Wolf out.

I knew he was still there and could hear perfectly well through the door. "And don't worry Adam. I can ask Nate to keep me warm tonight."

"What?" He cried to the door. "Elise?"

"Yes Darlin'? Somethin' wrong?" I asked sweetly, my waitress persona appearing. "You said it wasn't appropriate for us to share a room. Nate doesn't have a mate to make angry about keeping me warm, so I'll just ask him."

"Don't you dare."

"Brrrr..." I held at my arms, though he wouldn't be able to see it. "But I'm just so cold!"

"Elise. No."

"I'm sure he'd be happy to help."

Nate's voice then came from inside near my bathroom. I turned and jumped to see him standing in the doorway of what I thought was a closet. "And Adam, we've got this excellent little path between our rooms for easy access."

I laughed as Adam jiggled the handle, him realizing I had locked it. "Elise. You open this door. You can't be in there with him either."

"What Sugar?" I took a few steps toward Nate and called back to the door. "You don't give that Darlin' Nate the same permission that he gave you? That just doesn't sound very fair."

"No," Adam's voice came from behind Nate, and he pushed his way into my room through Nate's passage. He pulled me into his arms. "You are not sleeping with him."

I giggled and threw my arms around his neck. Then I pouted. "But these bee stings hurt so much. I need snuggles."

"Here, I'll take her," Nate offered with a laugh, opening his arms.

"Get back to your room. She's coming with me." Adam ordered and then stomped through my room and opened the door.

I giggled, "goodnight Nate!" Then I smirked up to Adam.

Seeing my expression, he exhaled darkly. He shook his head with a laugh as he realized what I had done. He carried me down the hall passed the stairs to the other wing. "Fine. You can stay with me tonight. But door open again."

I cuddled into his side. "Works for me."

He finally fully laughed and stopped to open a door with a rune image B on it. "And your stings don't even hurt right now."

"Nope."

He shook his head, chin stubble ruffling against my hair then put me down.

I looked around as he kicked a wedge into the open door. It was similar to the Luna room, but with a military precision type of air. Similar dark wood furniture to what his office had. Dark blue comforter across the bed, cream blanket folded across the bottom, all made coin drop tight. Incredibly tidy. The couch and dresser switched positions from wall to window. A bath and doorway against the side wall. I figured that doorway must connect the female's room like it did with the Luna and Alpha quarters.

I then realized I teased Adam too soon, I didn't get into pajamas or brush my teeth or anything to get ready for bed yet and laughed to myself. Oh well, I guess one night wouldn't kill me. I sat down on his bed and started taking my shoes off. He followed, unlacing his boots.

"What do you have in there," I nodded to the connecting door.

He shrugged. "Just storage. Old boxes, old clothes. Breanne's childhood playhouse. Things of my parents I never got rid of."

I took a deep agreeing breath, remembering the untouched master room of my old home. "I couldn't get rid of my grandparent's things after they passed either."

He rubbed the back of his neck, now shy. "I just didn't think I'd ever need to use it as a bedroom. I let it get out of hand. Sorry about that."

"It's okay." I then pointed to the blue sofa against the wall. "Are we couching it again?"

It was his turn to be coy. "I thought you wanted me to be more comfortable." He then laid to his side over his comforter and tapped in front him.

I smiled and followed on my side laying down to face him. "Of course I want you to be comfortable. I just thought maybe you'd want me all cuddled up again. Or maybe you didn't like it when I got all clingy into your chest?"

He laughed. "No, I enjoyed it." He grabbed my hand between us and then smiled to me. "Okay, I have a confession."

My face pulled down. "What?"

He grinned. "Not like that. Okay, so I let you think that you spun around to face me last night. I let you be embarrassed but," he hesitated, "but it was me. I turned you around."

"You did not," I giggled.

"Yes, I did." He smirked and squeezed my hand. He shrugged into his pillow. "I just figured that that would be my only time to ever hold you. I thought I could pretend you were mine for one night. So I spun you around. I told myself if you woke up, I'd just say I was adjusting you to a more comfortable position for me. I felt like that was a big deal to you, so I'd use it to my advantage. Well then, after a minute of holding you like that, I knew it wasn't right for me to even pretend. I'd given you up. I had made my choice, and you were Nate's now." His thick brow came down serious to himself. "I had thought that maybe in a few months at you and Nate's wedding I could ask you to dance and then I could hold you rightfully then. I'd just have to wait until that. That's all I was going to be able to ever have."

"That's so sad," I frowned.

He looked back to me and bobbed his head to the pillow. "I gave myself one minute more before I was going to turn you back, knowing it was going to be my last and then you mumbled my name and draped your arm around me, like you were awake and knew. I was stunned and starting to really worry if you understood who I really was and the bond between us. You had even already asked Nate about being my mate. But then looking at you, I knew I couldn't move you then. I just wouldn't have the strength. So I stayed awake as much as I could and just held you." A slight smile hinted his lips. "It was a nice night after that."

I moved a hand to start playing with the stubble of his chin. "When you said that it was no problem when I was mortified for clinging, you really meant..."

"Best night of my life." He cut me off with a contemplative look.

I smiled and leaned over to kiss him.

When I leaned back his smile was strong. "And it keeps getting better and better."

"Yes, it does." I agreed and yawned.

He sat up and turned off the light at his nightstand. "Why don't you get some rest. You've had a long day."

My eyes adjusted to the darkness easily with the light still streaming in from the open hallway door. "Me? Maybe you're the one who needs rest. You've stayed up practically two days straight."

He pulled the cream blanket over us and grabbed me into his chest. "I'll sleep tonight. Goodnight Elise."

I smiled and closed my eyes, tucking myself into him. "Goodnight, Beta Hunter."