A/N: I'm so sorry it has take me so long to get this up. I'm currently in Wisconsin and so updating is rather difficult but I am doing my best. Please let me know what you think and I will have another chapter up as soon as I possibly can! Thank you, and R&R!

Pansy's POV

I sat beside my father in the Lupanar, side by side in the middle of the chamber. It had been on this bery spot that I had been born, and where my father had been born before me. The spot held a great deal of importance to the both of us.

But he had been born with skin, and I with fur.

"I know how you feel, Pansy," he sighed, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "About Hermione, I mean. I see the way you look at her and I see me looking at your mother." I didn't say anything, just stared at the earth beneath me. "I know you're afraid," he added and I looked up at him. "Let me finish," he held up a hand to stop me. "you're afraid that she will chose not to be your mate. That she would rather die or forget about you. But let me assure you, Pansy, knowing how you love her I could never kill her. That is the promise I make to you. I am Pack leader, but I am also your father. It is no real father's wish to destroy his daughter's heart." He squeezed my shoulders and kissed my forehead.

"If she says no," I sigh, "my heart, not to mention my ride, is destroyed either way. I honestly don't know which would be worse." I ran my hands through my hair, frustrated. "TO have her dead or to forget me all together. To not even know that I exist in this world." I fought against tears threatening to well in my eyes. I felt my beast, and she was every bit as agonized at the thought as I was. "I keep scaring her, Dad," I finally looked back at him. "And the way she affects me scares me as well.

"On Halloween, when we came here, Rasha had broken Great Grandmother's vase and I lost my temper. But, Hermione stood up and told me not to hurt Rasha, twice." I looked up at my father, confusion evident in my eyes. "And I couldn't; I couldn't bring myself to ignore what she'd said. She fixed the vase and Rasha showed throat to Hermione. I'm not sure she quite understands what that means," I sigh. "There is still so much for her to learn and know."

My Father's Hand moved to the back of my neck and he pulled my forehead to rest against his own. "I have a feeling," he smiled, "that everything is going to be all right. After all," his smile turned into a wide grin. You have your mother's beauty and my charm."

I raised an eyebrow and pulled away. "I have your hair, and that's about it," I tease. "The charm I also get from Mum."

"That is where you're wrong," he laughed and stood up, pulling me with him. "You have many, if not all, of the traits that make me a good Alpha. You're fiercely loyal, brave, diplomatic, and devilishly good looking. Among many other things, of course."

I smiled and he pulled me into the strong, comforting embrace that only a father can give to his daughter. "You know," he pulled back and grinned at me after a minute. "We haven't ran together in almost a year and a half. Just you and me."

I could practically feel my face light up and I nodded frantically. Without so much as a second thought, I bolted and tore through my clothes as my beast broke free of my skin.

Show off, Dad's voice grinned in my mind. I could hear his thundering foot falls behind me. As in human form, my father was a much bigger wolf than I was.

Try to keep up, old man, I gave a playful bark over my shoulder at him.

His low, rumbling laugh wafted around in my head and I felt a gust of wind as he leaped over me and hit the ground running. Don't get too cocky, young one, I could hear the smirk in his voice.

My nose caught the scent of a deer up ahead. Dad, I did my best to catch up with him in time. Dad, there's a deer up there. I sniffed the air. A buck; we can take him together.

We slowed to a halt far enough away that the deer wouldn't catch wind of us. I faced my father, my tail wagging involuntarily. It wasn't something I could stop myself from doing. My beast was excited and so was I.

We are one short, Dad nodded at me. One of the young males didn't get a deer last night, as he was too busy chasing Luna around.

Then let's go! I gave a small hop and began moving forward slowly.

Careful, my beast whispered through my mind. Do not scare him off.

My father moved soundlessly next to me, his breathing light. He was a much better hunter than I was, but my beast made up for that. She coached me, always had ever since my first hunt.

There it is, Dad crouched behind a fallen tree and I follow suit. Listen, he bent his head to mine as though he were actually talking out loud. His voice in my mind was a whisper but I didn't question him. Human habits were nearly impossible to overcome, even though we weren't human. I'm going to chase him, you go in for the kill. Position yourself behind that bolder over there. He nodded toward a large, half buried bolder.

I nodded and began moving silently, taking my time and making sure not to frighten the buck.

Watch where you step, my beast hissed at me. Do not step on twigs and be as quite as you can on the dead leaves.

I gave her a mental nod and made my way to the rock, crouching behind it and peering around carefully so I could see the animal properly.

On my signal, Dad's voice whispered in my mind.

I crouched low, ready to spring as my beast kept whispering to me. Not yet... keep low and spring at just the right moment.

NOW! My father's voice whipped through my mind and he sprung, beginning to chase the buck as I began to run along side it out of its line of view. Dodging left to right, up and down to avoid stumps and branches. It was such a release to be hunting again; hunting big game with my father, my alpha.

Faster, my beast growled. Leap when I tell you to, and not a moment sooner.

I grunted and sped up, lining myself up so that I could jump and grab the animal around the neck.

Go!

I jumped and sank my teeth into the meat of the deer's neck, grappling it around the neck as best I could as my father took its hind legs from under it. The buck fell to the ground in defeat and I ended his pain quickly before I let go of his neck.

Well done, my father's voice smiled through my mind and he licked my cheek. I will shift and carry it back to the house, you run ahead and get a shower.

I gave a small bark and wagged my tail before I took off into the trees again, retracing my steps back to the Lupanar. As I drew level with the entrance, I caught sight of one of the human Pack members cleaning up the mess we had made. I barked at her and gave her a doggy grin, a werewolf's universal "thank you" to someone who couldn't speak with them in wolf form.

"You're very welcome," the woman smiled at me and went about cleaning up the clear goo my father and I had left behind.

I yipped once more and took off again toward the house excitedly. Hunting always made me feel better after just about anything. The freedom it gave me, the way it allowed me to give into the instincts that were always in me but rarely given the chance to breathe. It would help a lot, in the long run, and I would be able to pay attention in class for a couple months instead of staring wantonly out the window and only half listening.

Deciding to run the woods for a couple more hours, I let my wolf breath for a while. In my mind, I saw her bouncing around and rolling in the grass like any puppy would do when given the freedom.

Eventually though, I did have to get back inside and start packing a few extra things I thought might help and that I had forgott4n when I had boarded the Hogwarts Express. I wanted to take a couple more of my heated cloaks so that Hermione wouldn't freeze when she went on a run with me. Also, I wanted to bring a couple books on lycanthropes so that she could read them and learn a little more about my people. Oh, and -

I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes bulging at the sight before me as I trotted toward the house. Three wolves sat before me. One was my father and one was my mother. Between them sat a petite looking white wolf, but I knew her scent.

It was Hermione.

I lunged forward and tackled the middle wolf, pinning her down on her back and licking her cheek happily, tail wagging about a hundred miles a minute.

Let her breathe, Pansy, my mother's voice chuckled. This is only the third time she's shifted to her animagus form. I heard you coming and she couldn't wait to show you.

I licked her cheek one last time and backed off, allowing her to get up. My beast was ecstatic. She loved seeing Hermione like that even more than I did. Hermione stood and gave me a doggy grin, her tail wagging as well. Though, her movements were a little jerky. She was still getting used to being a wolf; of course, it didn't come naturally to her like it did to me. She didn't share her mind with a wolf. Lucky her.

Dad gave a nod. Good thing you decided to run around a bit more, he laughed. Apparently there was some difficulty in the process and it took a little longer than expected. Dumbledor will be here tomorrow instead of tonight. Get her used to running tonight.

She's good, Dad, but no one is that good, I snickered and looked back to Hermione. My beast and I both beamed at her, tail still wagging happily as she sat in front of us. It gave me hope that maybe, hopefully, she was leaning toward saying yest to being my mate.

And, for now, that was good enough for me.

Hermione stood and walked to me, her beautiful brown eyes staring at me. She nodded her head toward the trees and I took that to mean she wanted to run for a bit. Without another word to my parents, we took off into the woods together.

Pansy's Mother's POV:

Once we'd both shifted back to normal and got dressed, I looked at my husband and smiled brightly. "She's so happy," I said excitedly. "Did you see them?"

"Yes," he nodded, moving behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist. "Seeing them reminded me of the two of us when we were that age. Running together whenever we could, hunting."

"I don't think Hermione is ready for hunting, Alec," I sighed, resting my head against his shoulder.

"Of course not," Alec kissed my cheek. "I was simply stating what the two of us did so often when we were young. Pansy is understanding and I'm sure she won't pressure Hermione into hunting or anything else for that matter. I trust her, and so should you."

"It's not our daughter I don't trust," I slipped out of his embrace and picked up my hair brush. "It's her beast."

My husband nodded and sat down on the bed. "It does seem to be getting stronger, doesn't it?" he rubbed the back of his neck. "She she's having a harder time controlling herself lately, but she seems to be gaining better control. Then again, as Pansy grows stronger so does her beast. It'll be a constant struggle between her and the wolf." He sighed and frowned at the ground for a moment before looking back up at me. "On the other hand," he grinned, "I had the same trouble before you and I were officially mated. It could be that if and when they become mates that she and her beast will equal each other out and come to an understanding."

Still brushing my hair, I bit down on my lip and nodded. "I really home that it works out that way," I said. "But remember, Hermione has not agreed to anything yet."

"She became an animagus."

"She wanted to do that anyway," I rolled my eyes. "And she seemed fine with being a wolf. In fact, I told her she didn't have to be a wolf, but she said that she liked the idea so that was what we went with."

"And how did she come out white?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," I admitted truthfully. "It wasn't on purpose, I can tell you that. She and I both assumed she would be either a gray or brown wolf. When she turned out white... well, I was just as surprised as she was." Setting my brush down, I moved to the bed and sat beside my mate. "I have a good feeling about it, Alec," I told him, lacing my fingers with his. "I think that this will all turn out for the best. And when we go to the resort for Christmas Holidays and meet her family, I expect it will be quite an interesting time."

"Isn't it always with muggles?" he smiled, kissing my fingers and rubbing his scruffy cheek against them lightly. "Though, I must admit they ski much better than most witches and wizards I've met who were even remotely interested in the sport."

"Well," I laughed, "it is a muggle sport after all."

"That is true," he nodded and stretched his back a little. A small smile came to his face; the smile that was reserved for when he was thinking about his family. About me and his daughter. "Hermione really seems to make her happy, doesn't she?" he said, staring at our clasped hands.

"I haven't seen her this happy in years," I pulled him down to the bed to lay down and curled into his embrace. "If our daughter has finally found her mate, I believe we can count on her being happy for the rest of her life."

"I can only hope that this is truly it," my mate whispered. "If it isn't..."

"Shhh," I pressed a finger to his lips. "Let's not worry about that unless it happens..."

Pansy's POV:

I grinned as I walked out of the bathroom, drying my hair with a towel. Running with Hermione had been amazing! She got used to being a wolf very quickly and she was even keeping up with me; though, honestly, I wasn't really running my full speed, but close enough.

I moved to Hermione's room and knocked lightly on the door, though it was slightly ajar.

"One minute!" came her hurried reply and I heard her pulling her clothes on quickly, stumbling briefly in her rush.

I could not help the smirk that spread across my face. She was still shy and it was really very cute; though at the same time slightly disappointing.

While it was true that I was, indeed, sexually attracted to Hermione in a strong way, it was more than that. For a werewolf, being naked was second nature and not always sexual. The skin to skin contact was comforting and natural for us. From a human's point of view, however, I understood that our ways could sometimes seem a little unnatural.

"Come in," she called out to me and I walked in.

When I caught sight of her, my breath caught and I stood frozen in place; she was wearing the lacy black nightgown that I had seen her pull out of her trunk on the first night she had spent in my home.

We had ran ran in the woods for much longer than I had intended. Once we began running, I didn't want to stop and neither did she. We ran until we were too hungry to ignore it anymore and had to come in to eat. By that time, though, it was nearly sunset.

"Beautiful," I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Thank you," she blushed bright red, looking down at her feet shyly.

"I'm sorry," I looked away and sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I just... I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"No, no," she shook her head and looked up at me. "I'm just not used to being this explosed in front of you."

I saw her eyes travel down my body and take in my own appearance. My black tank top and black lace boyshorts, my damp black hair cascading down my shoulders. I smiled and shifted my my pose slightly, allowing her a better view of my body.

The movement caused her to blush an even deeper red and look away, embarrassed to have been caught looking at my body.

"It's ok to look, Hermione," I took a step toward her. "It's nice to have some validation that you really are attracted to me." My voice is soft as I take another step toward her before I catch myself, realizing how uncomfortable she looks as I stalk toward her. "I'm sorry," I step backward. "I guess I was being a little presumptuous. I'll leave you alone to go to bed."

As I turned toward the door, she moved forward and set her hand on my arm. "Pansy," her voice was quiet, hesitant.

"Yes?" I turned and looked at her, curious.

"Is...," she stopped for a moment. "is Luna going to be sleeping with you tonight?"

"More than likely," I nodded, frowning. "Probably Rasha as well. Why?"

She looked like she was going to say something but hen waved it off. "Nevermind."

"No," I said firmly. "Tell me."

"I- well, I was thinking," she bit down on her lip. "If uh- if they weren't going to be with you tonight, I might sleep with- I mean next to you," she blushed so rightly I thought she might burst.

"Are you sure?" I raised an eyebrow, completely serious. "I don't want you to feel like you have to."

Hermione looked down for a minute, thinking hard. "It's just that," she sighed, "once we get back to school, I don't know if we will get the chance to spend much time together. I want to see what its like at least once."

My heart soared, though she had no idea I had aprivet room so we could spend as much time together as we wanted. "Are you sure?" I asked again.

"Yes," she nodded. "I mean, we'll just be sleeping, right?"

"Of course," I smiled, wanting to hold her but deciding not to. "I will not push for anything else. I will let them know not to come up for bed. THere are plenty of other beds for them to share with pack members."

She slid her had into mine and squeezed it lightly. "Thank you," she smiled at me, her eyes beautifully soft and deep.

"For what?" I laughed, smiling back at her.

"For being patient with me," she sighed, still smiling. "Not pushing too hard."

"I don't want to scare you away," I admitted. "I've been working on my patience. I just... I want you to understand so badly about so much, and I want to tell you so much. But, at the same time, it is a lot and it will take time. I mean..." I felt a light blush color my cheeks. "If you.. you know." I couldn't say it. Didn't want to think about the alternative.

She nodded, not saying anything.

"Let's not think about that, though," I said, bringing her hand up to my lips and kissing it lightly. "Let's just be and see how everything goes, ok?"

Hermione nodded again and raised her eyes to meet my own. She held my gaze as no other, parents aside, in the house would dare.

I pulled her toward my bedroom and she followed willingly, though I could feel how nervous she was. "Would it make you feel better if I put pants on?" I asked as we stepped into my bedroom and I moved toward my dresser.

She looked me up and down again, swallowing hard. "no," she shook her head. "I ... I know wearing what you are already isn't exactly comfortable for you."

I smiled brightly and laughed. "But your comfort is more important to me," I told her honestly. "True, I am more comfortable naked, but it doesn't matter. To have you beside me while I sleep is enough to make me willing to be completely clothed." She didn't understand just how much that meant, but that was ok.

"I think I'm ok with how you are," she bit down on her lip.

Nodding, I moved and got on to the bed, waiting for her to join me. She climbed up on the bed and under the blanket. I stayed on top of the blankets, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Aren't you cold?" she frowned up at me.

"No," I smiled and shook my head. Fighting the beast inside me as she wanted to be pressed close to her mate as much as I did. "I'm fine. I don't want you feeling uncomfortable, and I cuddle a lot in my sleep," I admitted with a sly grin.

"It's ok," Hermione insisted. "I... It was kind of what I had in mind, actually. I just... I feel really close to you after today."

"Are you sure?" my face is completely serious.

She nodded and I slipped under the blanket, mere inches away from her soft body.

"You're so warm," she whispered, scooting a little closer to me. Her foot touched mine and I gasped.

"And you are so cold," I shiver slightly, moving a little closer to her.

I brought my hand up to her face and traced a line from her temple to her chin, biting down on my bottom lip. I wanted to pull her to me and hold her tight against me, warming her up.

"Hermione," I swallowed hard and burried a hand in her hair. "Can I kiss you?"

She looked at me wide eyed in the dying sunlight and nodded ever so slightly. "Please," she sighed. "I want you to."

I moved my head down and caught her lips with my own gently. We were both still for a moment that seemed to drag on into eternity. Her lips were so soft, so smooth against mine. Oh, Gods, I wanted her but I needed to be satisfied with this. I pulled away a couple of centimeters and opened my eyes halfway.

We were both breathing a little more raggedly. It was the first willing kiss that we had shared; the one I had stolen before to stop her screaming did not count. I wanted more; a more fulfilling kiss.

Before I could do it, she pushed her lips to mine again and scooted closer, so she was pressed against my body. I shivered, and not only because her skin was so cold. My hands buried themselves in her hair and my mouth devoured hers gently. My wolf swelled in my chest and I groaned lightly.

It was enough to catch her attention and Hermione pulled away from the kiss, blushing bright red.

"I'm sorry," she bit down on her lip and tried to pull away from me but I held her still.

"Please," I whispered, burying my face in her hair. "At least let me hold you; just for a little bit," I damn near begged her, desperate to just feel her close to me.

Hermione stopped moving and nodded, wrapping one arm around my waist and trying to relax her body.

We lay like that for a while, until she began to pull away from me. "It's a little warm," she admitted. "Your skin is so hot."

I nodded and smiled at her. "Thank you for bearing with me for a little, Hermione," I kissed her forehead.

Nodding back at me, she turned over with her back to me and allowed me to wrap one arm around her waist as she breathed evenly. It was a long time before either of us fell asleep, but she was the first to drift off as I simply lay beside her for nearly two hours before I, too, slipped into a peaceful slumber. My wolf, for the first time for so long, content and sated.

A/N: Well, R&R, let me know what you think. I know this took me a long time and it's really not much but ... due to deaths and sickness in the family and the fact that I was in Wisconsin for three months, my writing is not what it normally is but I promise to work hard on the next chapter. I promise you all!