Vince blinks and rubs his eyes clearing the double vision he momentarily had. He has been sitting in his study flipping through page after page of books he thought could lead him to a definitive answer. Nothing was coming back to a wolf ever having healing powers. Naturally, it didn't make sense for them to. They healed themselves.

He leaned back in his chair and decided to take a minute. Within that time, he narrows his eyes to the sofa where Nya was sitting. She rested her knuckles on her cheek, her elbow on the armrest, and her eyelids were fighting to stay open.

She appeared so delicate before him, but he knew she was anything but. While others were brave with the power to back it up, she was courageous all on her own. Which made her braver in his opinion. She was not physically endowed with strength, speed, or natural skill but it didn't stop her. Like when she stood before rabid Watson nearly shredding her to pieces.

She was resilient too, like when she climbed the wall designed for the higher-ranked. Anyone could see her arms shaking ready to give out at any second but she made her mind stronger than her arms and forced them to keep going.

"I don't know, Vin." His brother coming down the stairs from the top floor brings a large open book in his hands. He closes the book and drops it on the desk. "I can't find anything. Maybe her human bloodline are shamans. A lot of humans have healing abilities. Maybe it's as simple as that."

It was a possibility Vince thought but his mind wouldn't settle.

"She looks fine..." Bent glances at a now sleeping Nya. "Maybe we should just be grateful that she came into our lives because this was always Axel's plan whether he was going to use her or not."

He couldn't even think about being grateful when she could be infected.

"And this pack, we need you."

"They can't know how. We can't risk Axel finding out. She will be targeted."

"We won't let anything happen to her."

He releases a breath, rises from his chair, and nears Nya. "Keep looking." He lifts her limp body into his arms and cradles her on his chest. "I'll be right back."

He takes her to her bedroom and once she was laying on the bed, he begins an inspection. He examines all open skin. Her legs, arms, thighs, neck, face, even lifting her shirt a bit to see her flat stomach. No spider veins or signs of anything out of the ordinary. He hoped that he was being paranoid because he didn't want to live if it meant her losing her life. Selfish, he knew, when a whole pack depended on him, but for the first time, matters of his pack weren't a factor in how he was feeling. She mattered.

He drapes the blanket under her neck making her nice and snug, then kisses her on the forehead before going back to his office. He made sure to leave the door cracked so he could hear her.

Then he and Bent went back at it. They spent hours researching the internet and flipping through old books until... "Let's take a break." Vince hears Nya's movement upstairs as she gets off the bed.

Bent smirks from across the desk obviously hearing the same sounds. "I'll just be here." He keeps skimming pages.

He meets Nya at the bottom of the stairs. She was grinning ear to ear; her eyes as lively as he's ever seen. It was infectious, automatically putting him in a better mood. "Good morning." He greets her.

"Don't you mean good evening?"

"No, I mean good morning." He caresses hair from her cheek. "You're hungry I'm sure."

"So hungry I can eat a whale, a bison, no, an ox. Which is bigger?"

He smirks. "I'm not sure."

"I've never seen a whale, never been to the beach. I've heard they are bigger than some boats? Is that true?"

"True..."

"Wow." Her eyes light up.

It was nice to see her this way. So talkative and upbeat. He didn't know she had this side to her. It warmed his heart. He hadn't realized how cold it was.

"Excuse me, Alpha sir." She swivels around him and had a bounce in her step as she heads to the kitchen. He follows close behind, and once there, leans on the counter with his arms crossed and a watchful gaze cemented on her.

She opens the fridge and pulls out a rectangular plastic container with some greens and cherry tomatoes

"I can grill you something to go with that." He offers.

"Nah..." She grabs a knife from the drawer.

"Do you like any meat?" He had noticed that she didn't eat any. Some fish here and there but that was it.

"Would you judge me if I say no?"

"It doesn't surprise me."

"Well," she uses her upper arm to wipe hair from her face as she sliced a cucumber. "I know being part wolf I'm supposed to love meat, especially the gamiest kinds but, I honestly can't stand it."

He watched as she added pine-nuts and mushrooms, things he's never had in the kitchen before. "Don't try to be anything else. Be you, be Nya... not what anyone else expects from you. Including me."

"I wish it was that easy. I wish I could just turn it off..." She washes her hands at the sink and dries them on a nearby towel.

"What do you mean?"

"Not knowing who I am, where I came from. I can't help but have an urge to fit in... to belong. I want to desperately." She gets two plates from the cabinet and begins placing salad on each

"You belong here."

"You all have accepted me. There is a difference."

"Because you belong here... with me."

"You know, there is a piece of steak I seasoned for Beta Bent the other day, if you'd like, I can pan-sear it for you really quick."

He rolls his eyes. "You are no longer allowed to cook for Bent."

She blinks. "Does that mean you want it?"

"No, it means exactly what I said."

"Okay..." she curls hair behind her ear. "So you don't want it?"

"How is it that you don't know what I want yet is beyond me."

She scrunches her brows. "So you do?"

He rolls his eyes.

"Sorry, I just don't understand."

"I'll take the steak... rare." He moves to sit at the table and watches as she maneuvers around the kitchen. She cooks his steak, slices it into medium pieces, and lays them on the bed of salad.

"I hope you like it." She says as she sets the plate in front of him. "Beta Bent said it was the best he has ever had."

He couldn't help it, he wanted to roll his eyes again. The thought of her doing anything for another living being was irritating. He holds back his annoyance, "Thank you."

She puts her plate across and joins him. When she puts her lips to the fork, the humming noise she made rattled his insides. He literally felt a tickle and had to clear his throat.

"I must be starving because this tastes ten times better than it ever has before." She puts another bite in her mouth and closes her eyes as she savors the taste.

He takes his first bite. It melted on his tongue. "Wow..."

"That's what herbs can do." She chews. "I can't believe you didn't have any. Did you season everything with just salt?" Grinning, she continues to eat.

"Who taught you?"

"I taught myself. When I cook for someone I feel like I make a difference. So I cooked all the time. Dad used to say that with me around he didn't long for a mate."

He was in awe. She was so much more than he gave her credit for.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"I like my view."

Her chewing slowed down and awareness reached her eyes, and her eyes reached him. Her heart skipped a beat too, quite a few actually, which he loved hearing."What's the matter?"

She swallows. "Nothing."

Things turned kinda awkward. He didn't mind it though. It meant she was on alert. That she felt something.

He decided to ease up on her and give some attention to his food.

She almost finished before him. He was so distracted but his mouthfuls were two to three, to her one. "I'll take that." He gets up first and puts the dishes in the dishwasher. While he was doing that, she came beside him to wash her hands. He takes that opportunity to trap her, placing his arms on both sides of her body and using up all her personal space. Her scent was the only thing filling his lungs and he savored it.

She turns quickly leaving the tap running and putting herself in the exact position he wanted. "Wha..." She gasps.

"Why did you heal me?"

"Wha- What'd you mean?"

He shuts off the annoying sound of the gushing water and inches closer. "I want to know why you did it? Answer me honestly.

She tries to gain control of her shaky breaths. "Because... you're my Alpha..."

"And?"

"And... I care about you..."

Intensely, he scans her eyes. "Go on..."

"Because... you're my alpha."

The corner of his mouth curves.

"What other reason would there be?"

He shifts his attention to her mouth. He could hear her heart start pounding faster than it was already. It made his smile grow. "Come on, Nya Be honest with yourself."

She swallows. "I am being honest."

"You know what you are?" He confidently whispers.

"What?"

"Mine." He grabs her jaw, centers her face, aiming his lips to hers when just before their mouths touch, he freezes.

"What the hell is going on here?"

They both looked at the doorway and there was Malina with fist at her sides and burning fury in her gaze.

~~~~~~~~~

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