Naomi stared out the window as the world blurred by. It was rare that she rode in a car. Her life had been in the house, and everything felt new and scary.

Killian sat beside of her. He watched her every move. The silence was deafening.

"Is there anything you want to know about me?" he asked.

She thought everything over. "Did someone kill your parents?"

He gave a curt nod. She saw a fleeting glimpse of pain, of old wounds still yet to heal.

"Mine too," she added, going back to look at the window. She saw his surprised expression in the reflection.

"How long were you at the group home for?" he asked curiously.

"I was ten."

"And then you decided to work there?"

Naomi really didn't want to speak anymore. She had felt like she had talked more than she had in her entire life.

Killian recognized her change in emotion. He pulled off his jacket, draping it over her small body. She rested her head on the window and closed her eyes.

He glanced at her long brown hair that complimented her stunning green eyes. She was beautiful.

Killian took over driving while she slept.

"Something funky was going on there," Mickie commented, shoving a cookie in his mouth.

Killian hummed in a agreement. He was thinking the same thing.

The other girls looked normal, pampered even. So why did Naomi look different? Why was she so fearful?

"She freaked out when I touched her," he said in a hushed whispered.

There was a word at the forefront of both of their minds. Abuse.

"I can tell she is good match for you," the beta said. "Look at how calm you are being over this."

There was definitely a shift in energy. The anger was still there. It was red and hot and bubbly, but this wasn't about his parents, about having to take on the responsibility of a pack. No, this was for the treatment of the sweet girl sleeping contentedly behind him, who had been through something unspeakable.

----

Naomi woke up feeling warm and well rested. It was the best sleep she had ever gotten.

Killian was driving. The sun was long gone and she couldn't see anything beyond the headlights.

It was weird. She felt safe. It was a feeling she hadn't had in a very long time. After everything she had been through, she tended to be afraid of males of any kind, and living in a girl home most her life hadn't helped her.

There was something about Killian that comforted her, even with how intimidating he looked. He looked like the kind that would hurt her, yet he spoke to her like she mattered.

"Hey," his husky voice said, his eyes catching hers in the rear-view mirror. "Not too much longer. Sleep okay?"

She nodded, knowing fully well he probably couldn't see her.

"Alright. We'll get some food from the main house on the way in. Are you cool staying at my place? I mean, I could get a room for you at the main-"

"No, please." Her response was immediate. She didn't want to be alone with other wolves she didn't know. She didn't want to be away from the safety of Killian.

"Alright." She could feel his smile.

She must of dozed off again, only waking when Killian was calling her gently.

"I got us some dinner. Mickie said good night. Ready to go in?"

She nodded, rubbing her eyes.

His house was nice from the outside. She liked the large windows, something she missed at the other home. She couldn't see much of his land in the dark, but she couldn't deny the little bit of excitement she felt at her new adventure.

Naomi stretched, and trailed behind Killian into the home.

He switched on some lights. "Feel free to explore, or if you want to start eating while I grab the bags. I'm sorry it's so late."

He was so sweet. She bit back a smile. "Thank you for letting me stay with you."

She knew he wanted to reach out, and a part of her wanted him to, but another part told it was too soon. She stepped back and he straightened.

"You can use the microwave to heat the food. I'll just be a second."

It was bothering him to not be able to touch her. He want to hold her hand, to push back her hair. He had to remind himself it had only been a few hours.

Oddly, she was in the living room when he came back in. Her fingers ran along the spine of the books he had crammed into some built-in bookshelves.

He dropped the bag as not to startle her.

She looked up at him, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay," he said, offering a little gentle smile. "This is your home now. What's mine is yours. Do you like to read?"

She nodded, "You have some of my favorites."

He was pleased she was making the effort to talk to him and that he was learning something new about her. He stepped closer.

"Yeah? Which ones?"

She pointed to a few. Her short height was prominent when she had to stand on the tips of her toes to reach some of them.

"You have a good taste," Killian praised, voice dropping to something soft. Something new, just for her. "You are more than welcome to read any of the books here. Anything you want, okay?"

She gave another nod.

"How about dinner? Then a tour?"

He didn't let her answer, realizing she was overwhelmed and wouldn't be able to. He thought she was cute when she was flustered, but there was still fear there and he couldn't wait until she realized that he wasn't threat.