The snow had stopped falling.

It was the first thing I noticed after Hannes opened the front door to greet the warriors. My eyes looked up at the morning pink sky, and I shivered at the cold breeze that seemed to wrap around me. I could hear the faint sounds of birds chirping, and it seemed as if several people had shoveled around the area recently.

Snow still remained on the ground, but it was nearly not as deep as it had been a few weeks ago, and many people were frequently passing by with little struggle through the snow.

Hands suddenly reached forward to clasp my left hand and I jerked my attention to one of the male warriors. His own hands covered my own, and he held it gently as his head tipped downwards as he introduced himself; he was the one named Henri Williams.

I heard Hannes shifting behind me as Henri spoke, but I quickly returned my focus on the lycans before me as I shook hands with the other warriors as more introductions took place.

And then, a short conversation developed. It soon became apparent that they wanted to try to ensure that there was no need for any possible discomfort or wariness for me to feel around them. My lips twitched occasionally into a smile as I watched one of the males, Frederick, who dropped a few amusing comments whilst Elle spoke to me.

Their shock of blonde hair and green eyes greatly emphasized the fact that they were related, and Henri looked on quietly as they spoke.

Hannes said little throughout the entire interaction, but the heat from his body was a comforting reminder that he was nearby. I rocked backwards as the strength of the wind grew, and Hannes' arm immediately wrapped around my middle, keeping me securely against him.

"I don't have any plans to leave the house today." I told Elle after she inquired about what I intended to do for the day. Elle nodded, and her gaze flickered to the lycan behind me. Henri's and Frederick's attention went to him as well.

"Is there anything you'd like for us to do, Alpha?" Elle asked. Hannes must have shaken his head, because she nodded and took several steps backwards, the warriors, Henri and Frederick following suit.

I lifted a hand in goodbye as they left, and Hannes' arm tightened around me, his chest rumbling against my back as he asked quietly, warm breath tickling my ear,

"Did you like them?"

I shrugged my shoulders, continuing to watch the warriors as they walked away. "Yes. They seem to be very nice people."

Hannes' arm dropped away, and I remained standing outside for a few minutes longer. I saw both Yanneek and Helda in the distance. They were huddled close together, and Yanneek held a newspaper in his hands, which they both read as they walked.

My head tilted in thought, as I considered the possibility of them being in a romantic relationship. They both did seem relatively close, but it nonetheless would surprise me if they became a couple.

"Olivia?"

I glanced over my shoulder to Hannes, who held the front door open. Casting one last look outside, I entered the home once more, shuddering at the warmth that surrounded me as soon as the door closed. I quickly walked ahead of Hannes, intent on going into the living room where the warmth inside the house seemed strongest.

Hannes disappeared moments after I sat on a sofa, and I soon looked around the room. My eyes landed on a remote. I lifted it from the table beside the sofa, and after fiddling with the various buttons, managed to find the correct one to turn on the television.

I spent the next fifteen minutes searching for a movie or show that would lessen the boredom I could slowly feel creeping in, and when I finally came upon one which seemed entertaining enough, the ending credits started to roll five minutes later.

By then, Hannes had joined me in the living room, but I'd been playing little attention to him as I'd searched through the tele. Releasing an exasperated sigh, I spent the next two minutes searching for the off button on the remote, which was difficult, as it wasn't titled and did not have a distinguishing color from the rest.

I finally managed to shut the television off, and when I finally turned my head to look at the Alpha, I found him glancing across at me, almost in amusement, whilst searching through several folders.

I pulled at the sleeves of my shirt as I stood, eyes roaming around the living room and on the book shelves, hoping to find a book that would catch my eye.

What I eventually found however, after I'd strolled to a bookshelf, was a large white book, with no title. I pulled it out from where it stood between two books, and when I flipped it open, I startled at the sight of photos flowing out of it and drifting to the floor.

I knelt, settling the book down on the floor. I could hear the faint sounds of Hannes moving from the sofa as he came to assist me with gathering up the pictures.

Immediately I recognized a young Hannes to be in some of them, and I paused occasionally to look those one over before handing them to Hannes.

"I almost forgot this book was still here." Hannes muttered, gazing at the photographs, a faint frown on his lips but a dash of wonderment in his eyes. He lifted many in his hands, and asked that I follow him to the sofa, where we could comfortably put the pictures into the thin photo pockets in the book.

"I'm sorry for this." I said whilst making sure the photos were placed correctly into the book; a tinge of guilt settled in my stomach as I realized that his attention to his work had been shifted. Hannes paused to look at me, almost in exasperation, before he returned his gaze to the photos.

"There's no need to apologize, Liv." He told me, eyebrows pinching together as he analyzed a particular photo. A faint smile crossed his lips, and I moved closer to him to inspect the picture.

What looked to be a seven year old Hannes and his parents was what I saw in the picture. Bright smiles adorned their faces as they posed for the picture, but I found it difficult to find what Hannes found humourous until I saw in the picture that his pants were completely soaked.

"My father had hired some photographers to take pictures of us. I hadn't wanted to be in them, so I 'accidentally' slipped into a nearby creek, and hoped that my wet clothes would convince my parents to not let me be in the photos." Hannes revealed to me.

He flipped the photo over, and I could see the date on the back, as well as what looked to be a signature. I made out the capitalized A in it before Hannes turned over the photo correctly again. "My mother nonetheless dragged me out and still made me pose for the pictures."

I could see the way Athena's hands were settled on Hannes' shoulders in the picture, and it looked as if she was trying to keep him still, discreetly doing so as much as possible.

"So you were naughty when you were a boy then?" I murmured, taking the photo from his hand and slipping it into the book. I fiddled with it for a few seconds, trying to make sure it was straight, and when I looked up again, the devilish grin on Hannes' lips made me almost drop the book.

"I can still be naughty." Hannes' words made me choke on my spit and I jerked my gaze back to the book, ears beginning to feel hot.

"What about you?" Hannes asked, and I didn't miss the mirth in his voice. I narrowed my eyes, trying to ignore the stinging from my ears as I began to watch him; the grin still lingered, and his honey-colored eyes were shining with laughter.

"Were you troublesome as a child?" Hannes pushed.

"Oh." I took up another photo and slipped it into a photo pocket. "No, not really. My mother was strict and I knew not to mess around too much when she was nearby. My father however, usually was the one who'd lead me to do some things that would mildly anger her."

"Like what?" Hannes suddenly felt closer, and he seemed almost eager to hear me continue talking. His intoxicating scent as he leaned closer tickled my nose, and I rubbed at the cartilage of my right ear with a finger as the heat from both of my ears intensified. I went on to say,

"Well...my father would at times encourage me to hide under my mother's bed and surprise her whenever she entered the room. I learnt not to do that the third time after she pulled a gun on me, thinking I was a lycan that had managed to get inside the house." I bit on my lip and straightened, resting back against the cushions, bringing the large white book with me.

"Hmm." Hannes watched me for a moment longer after the deep noise he made, and I lifted the book up, looking at it in satisfaction now that the pictures were mostly securely placed. I noticed a few photos which Hannes still held, and I handed the book over to him, so he could slip them in where he saw fit.

"Will Stewart be coming by later today?" I asked as I suddenly remembered his absence this morning.

"No." Hannes sounded partially distracted as he dealt with the book, but then his eyes flickered to my own and the devilish grin returned as he said, "We have the entire house to ourselves."