Now we get to start seeing the big softie that is Dimitri. It's nice writing him like this rather than angsty haha

This whole giving Dimitri a chance thing was… interesting.

Olena had given us both an encouraging look when she arrived in the kitchen to start cooking breakfast, only to find us finishing our drinks. Dimitri offered to help Olena with the preparation and I joined in too. Watching Dimitri with his mother made my heart clench, my relationship with my mother was never like that. They were so at ease, both caring a great deal for one another.

Whereas mine had left me with Alberta when I was young and then just signed me over to the academy when I presented at fifteen. She was one of the Court warriors, often travelling between packs wherever she was needed. But not once was she there when I needed her.

"So, Roza, will you be running with us tonight?" Olena asked as I washed the fruit for breakfast. I was so surprised by her question, the container of strawberries slipped from my hand, tumbling into the sink.

I spun around to face Olena and Dimitri, both watching me curiously. "I can come?"

Dimitri's eyebrows furrowed, "Of course, Rose. Why wouldn't you?"

I bit my lip, turning away from them, gathering the strawberries to wash them again. "I wasn't allowed on the runs at the academy. Omegas will only slow the pack down." I forgot that they probably hadn't had an omega as part of the pack for a long time. They must have forgotten. And now that I reminded them they will leave me behind.

"What rubbish," Olena scoffed, muttering in Russian. I glanced at her in surprise.

Dimitri came to stand beside me, waiting until I looked at him before speaking, "Rose, you are a part of this pack now, and we don't exclude anyone like that. You are more than welcome to join us."

A warm fluttering spread through my chest. I was allowed to go, to be included. Ever since I presented I had constantly been told no, been restricted in every way on what I was allowed to do. And yet, here was Dimitri giving me more freedom and choice than I had had in three years.

It was just a simple allowance of being able to run through the woods in my wolf form, but it was also a chance to be a part of the pack and not an outsider. My lip started to tremble, biting it so Dimitri wouldn't notice it. I nodded my head, not trusting my voice to answer.

His eyes lit up, the corner of his mouth tilted up in a smile, "Good." With that he returned to the counter preparing the food, leaving me with the fruit again. I couldn't stop the large smile that crept over my face.


I still kept to myself at breakfast, not yet ready for meeting everyone, not when my relationship with Dimitri was still up in the air. Granted, my desire to escape had greatly lessened since this morning. He joined us for breakfast, sitting across from me, Ivan and Viktoria on either side of me. I think they picked up on my wish for avoiding the others, surrounding me so that I wouldn't be directly approached. Dimitri spoke to a lot of them, ranging from hushed serious tones, to dry sarcasm, mostly aimed at Ivan.

It was yet another side of him.

The more I was around him, the more I became aware of the bite mark on my neck. Each small half-smile Dimitri would give me made the mark tingle, my hand subconsciously coming up to cup it each time. When I did I would notice his eyes following my hand, as if he was just as aware of it.

I never marked Dimitri back, it's not something that was always done. Some alphas preferred to be without, using the mark as more of a sign of property than of a mateship. If I gave him a mark, our bond would be stronger, a connection formed between us that could only be broken by death. It hadn't come up in conversation, and I was hesitant to bring it up. If I were to spend the rest of my life with him, I would want to complete that bond, but if he were to tell me it wasn't something he desired, I would be back at square one.

I only wanted to be with someone that wanted me too.

It was a test of sorts. If he doesn't agree to completing the bond then I am nothing more than an object bound to him against my will. But if he did want to, then we would be equals. Something I had scarcely let myself hope for.

Omegas would never be treated as an equal.

It's what was drummed into us at the academy. Omegas were nothing but fertile creatures that should be used to make large families. It's all they were good for.

The first year I was at the academy, I tried to fight them on everything, refusing to believe the bullshit I was being taught. But it became harder to keep fighting, and so I stopped picking as many fights, and then I stopped arguing. Every night I would lay in bed and remind myself that I was more than what they said, sometimes it was harder to believe.

"Dimka, Karolina and Mama's flight lands at two," Olena pulled Dimitri's eyes from mine, their conversation continuing in a combination of English and Russian.

Viktoria snorted into her drink. I leaned closer to her, eyebrows raised, "What?"

Her eyes danced between Dimitri and me, "You're going to meet Yeva tonight. She's our grandmother," She explained to me.

Ivan craned his neck to look at us, amusement in his eyes, "Yeva is terrifying."

I pulled back a little, "In what way?"

"Well, one, she just knows things and is super cryptic about it. And she is very straight to the point and will tell you if she doesn't like you."

I turned back to Viktoria, "And she is coming here tonight?"

She nodded, "She lives here normally, but was visiting people with Karolina. The last time we introduced her to someone new she made them cry."

I wasn't sure if I should be impressed or worried.

Most older generations I've met have been very conservative, especially in the beliefs of what omegas can and can't do.

"Stop scaring her," Dimitri scolded Viktoria and Ivan, both hiding their smirks under his disapproving glare. His eyes flicked to mine, softening, "Babushka can be… intimidating, but don't worry about it. It'll be fine."

Though he gave me an encouraging smile, I couldn't help the dread that had settled in the pit of my stomach. I felt my appetite leave me, there was already so much on my mind, and then there's the intimidating babushka to meet. Along with the rest of Dimitri's family arriving tonight for dinner before the pack run.

It was all too much.

Eyes shot to me when I stood suddenly, I looked down to avoid them, "I'm tired. I think I'm going to lay down for a bit."

"Do you need anything?" Dimitri asked, worried eyes trying to catch mine.

I just shook my head and left the table, hearing Olena asking what happened as I escaped into the hallway and up the staircase.

In my tours of the house, I found out that the bottom floor was for the pack use, recreation rooms and meeting rooms. The second floor was spare bedrooms for when other packs came for visits or for pack members here, like Ivan. Then the third floor was where Olena and Victoria's rooms were, along with Dimitri's room and his private office. With almost twenty rooms it was easy to find one to hide in when you didn't want to be found.

I wasn't thinking too much of where I was going, instead, letting my feet guide me until I caught that scent again. The crispness of it helped clear my mind a little and I desperately needed that clarity right now. I followed my nose, leading me to one of the rooms on the second floor. I hesitated outside the door, knocking a few times, when no one answered I risked taking a look.

Nothing in the room looked out of place, making me think no one was using it. The scent was stronger, drawing me further into the room until I was beside the bed. My hands reached out and grazed the covers of the bed, hovering over the pillows. I so desperately want to press my face against the material and breathe deep.

I shook my head at the thought. Way to be creepy, Rose.

I glanced at the closed door. No one would know…

Silently cursing, strictly telling myself it was just for a few seconds and then I will leave. Just a few seconds…

I hugged the pillow close to my body, tilting my head down so my nose could press into it, it was even better up close. I had never had a scent do this to me before. I've had familiar smells calm me, but never like this. The scent wrapped around me and everything felt like it would be okay, even easing my headache that had become a near constant these last two days. Here I felt like I was safe.

I had been starting to feel safer in this house the last couple of days, even speaking with Dimitri this morning, my previous thoughts of escaping were shifting away.

Even if I did get away, I would have to live life as a rogue, something I never wanted. It was the main reason I stayed at the academy because I knew if I did leave or caused too much trouble I risked being exiled. An unmated omega was useless to the pack and was just dead weight, one that refused to be submissive was even worse.

If I became a rogue, I would have to be constantly moving, always watching over my shoulder in case I am attacked by another. All while trying to survive by myself amongst humans.

And then there was the fact that I was technically claimed, even if I ran to the other side of the world, I would always feel that connection to Dimitri.

I could admit that there was a part of me, slowly growing, that liked Dimitri. I definitely found him attractive, and he seemed to genuinely care about me. We have barely spoken to each other but the way he would look at me told me he felt something.

Would it really be so bad to stay here?

"Rose?"

I jumped, head snapping up to face the door where a very bewildered Dimitri stood, his head tilted to the side as his eyes took me in.

My few seconds of hugging the pillow had definitely gone for longer. I hadn't even noticed that I climbed on the bed, now sitting in the middle of it with the pillow clutched closely to my chest. My eyes shifted frantically from the pillow to his wide eyes, struggling to come up with an excuse that didn't make me sound creepy.

"I-I was looking for someplace to… Is this someone's room? I'm sorry. I didn't know. I—"

"Rose," Dimitri gently called my name, stopping my rambling, "it's okay. I just didn't expect you to be here." His eyes dropped down to the pillow, a look passing over them.

I leapt from the bed, throwing the pillow back against the bed even though a large part of me begged to still be holding it. "Sorry," I apologised again, feeling heat rising in my cheeks from the embarrassment.

"It's okay," He reassured me. "Why are you here?"

I fiddled with the hem of my jumper, wondering what I should tell him. "I just wanted somewhere to think and I ended up here." No way was I going to tell him I came here to sniff the pillows. The scent still surrounded me, clinging to my chest. "Why are you here?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Dimitri glanced around the room, "I-I was looking for you. I wanted to make sure you were okay."

I nodded, praying for the awkward tension that had settled between us to break. "I should go." I made it two steps before his hand caught my wrist.

Dimitri appeared as surprised by his actions as I was, quickly dropping his hand, "Sorry." He apologised quickly, assuming I hated his touch.

My body very much didn't agree with that.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to accompany Ivan and I today?" Dimitri asked carefully, gauging my reaction.

At first, I was surprised by the offer and by how much I wanted to say yes. But then I became confused, "Why would you want me to come with you?"

My question threw him for a second, "I would like to show you the rest of the pack and introduce you to some of them. I know things are still… uncertain, but technically this is your pack now and I would very much like you to take part in the work I do as Alpha."

I think my brain short-circuited. "You want me to help with the duties for running the pack?" I clarified.

"Yes," He told me confidently, and then quickly added, "If that is something you would like to do." Making sure I knew I had a choice, something I felt he would be very adamant about making me aware of in the future.

I always knew that some of the things taught to us in my classes were bullshit, but I didn't think it would be this much. Never did they mention about an omega helping the Alpha in running a pack, and never about an alpha asking for the help. Either absolutely everything I've been told is a lie, or Dimitri is not like other alphas at all.

"You don't need to do anything, you could just look around that town and explore if you would like?" Dimitri offered as my silence continued.

I rubbed my eyes, needing to check if I was possibly stuck in a weird dream. "Sorry. I just didn't expect…" I trailed off realising that I honestly had no idea what to expect anymore with him. First I think he's the embodiment of a terrible alpha that takes what he wants regardless of others, and now he's caring and kind, and respectful. "I was never taught any of this stuff," I admitted shyly.

His eyebrows raised, "At the academy?"

I nodded, "For the last three years they have been trying to teach me how to be the perfect submissive breeder. They never said anything about how to run a pack. That's the Luna's job."

The corner of his lips twitched, "Rose, you would be the Luna."

Now my brain was definitely short-circuiting. "Me? No, I can't be a Luna." I would have laughed if I wasn't so thrown by it all. A Luna was just as important in a pack as the Alpha, expected to be a leader and would be in charge when the Alpha was away. I had never heard of an omega being Luna, especially not of a pack as large and powerful as Dimitri's.

"As my mate, you would become the Luna of this pack and help me run it. As you learn more about the duties we can discuss which you want to do."

Something in my expression must have panicked him. Dimitri quickly took my hand and guided me to the bed to sit down, crouching before me. With his towering height, it brought him to my eye level.

"You don't need to decide anything right now. I'll be there to help and so will Ivan, and my family." His eyes were gentle, his hand still holding mine as his thumb stroked against the inside of my wrist in a soothing motion.

Being on the bed, I was encased in the scent again, somehow it was stronger, but it just helped calm me quicker. I took a deep breath, letting it fill all my senses as I steadied myself.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out," I told him sheepishly.

A relieved smile pulled at his lips, "I didn't mean to make you panic. Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm okay."

"If it's too much, you can stay here and rest."

Part of me wondered where this caring side of Dimitri had come from, only to realise it had always been there, but the events that brought us together keep me from believing it was genuine.

I felt myself smile, it was small, but it was the first real one since I got here. "No, I want to come with you."

I was going to give Dimitri a chance, I decided. I wanted to give the whole thing a chance.


Ivan kept up a constant chatter for the short drive from the packhouse to the city centre. Apparently, it was Dimitri's preferred place to conduct pack business, disliking the house for anything other than private matters. As we drove through the streets Ivan kept up his tour guide persona, pointing out the best coffee shops, which cafes have the best breakfast burrito and so on.

My ventures into the shopping district of Court was only when with Lissa, the stores were all compact but high end. I always hated being in the stores, constantly worried I would break something by accident and then spend the rest of my life paying off the damages.

But here the stores were welcoming, with bright colours and quirky names. I was surprised by the size of the town.

"How many wolves live here?" I leant forward from the back seat, leaning against the centre console.

Dimitri looked at me over his shoulder, "Just over two and a half thousand. There are some humans here too that are mated to members of the pack, but not many." He informed me, a hint of pride in his eyes. "This is the biggest pack in Arizona."

The biggest and the strongest if the rumours were true, and with the number of people living here, they definitely had the numbers to put up one hell of a fight.

"I'll introduce you to the head of security while we are here. She could even show you the boundaries of our land for tonight." Dimitri had been in a good mood since I agreed to join them, eager to show me everything. Though, there was still some hesitancy in his eyes as if expecting me to start fighting him again.

I couldn't blame him, even I was still on edge, expecting the other shoe to drop and realise my first assumption of this place and of Dimitri were true.

Being able to explore the town and the pack run tonight filled me with excitement, more so than I have felt for anything in years, other than when I was planning on returning to Court to see Lissa. Thinking of her caused a pang in my chest.

I had considered asking if I could use a phone to call her, knowing I would have to ask Dimitri but felt unsure. Sure he may allow me freedom here, but he could want me to not contact others outside of the pack. I didn't know where his control over me started, or how much he wanted to control. I would wait until tomorrow, maybe I'll feel braver approaching the subject then.

"And here is Haven's City Hall. Where all the magic happens," Ivan proclaimed, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

Dimitri sighed deeply, climbing out of the car with an exasperated look at Ivan.

I now knew that Ivan was Dimitri's Beta, second in command, though they act more like brothers, constantly annoying one another.

Ivan pouted at Dimitri's back, getting out of the car, "If Dimitri ever cracked a full smile I think I would die and go to heaven," He whispered to me, "But he has a huge stick up his—"

"Ivan, go get us lunch."

Ivan smirked at me, "As you command, Alpha. You two play nice." Shooting Dimitri a two-finger wave, he climbed back into the Jeep and pulled away leaving just Dimitri and me.

Dimitri shook his head, running his fingers through his hair to pull it out of his face. "Let's go inside."

The inside of the city hall reminded me more of Court, everything professional and modern.

"We remodelled the building a couple of years ago so that it could fit everyone," He explained as I followed him through the halls, the building was definitely more like an office space than I had expected. Dimitri paused at a window, pointing to a large two-story building next to this one, "That's the training gym. I usually teach lessons there twice a week."

My eyes widened taking it in, the building was huge, glass panels across the walls allowing me a glimpse of workout equipment and some pack members working out. But what caught my eye was a group of men and women standing out front on the grassed area. "Are they sparring?"

"Yes, they have a competition each week, if you win you will get bragging rights for a week and at the end of the month a chance to try to fight one of the top fighters."

"What happens if you beat them?"

Dimitri smirked, "No one has beaten any of them."

I glanced from the window to look at him, "You're one of the top fighters," I stated, and from the pride in his face I was right. Of course, he was, just the size of him told me he was formidable.

The idea of watching Dimitri fight intrigued me, watching him use his strength to take someone down. I already knew he was fast and could take a hit in his wolf form.

I looked back at the group, my heart longing for when I was able to do that. I haven't sparred in three years.

"Do you know how to fight?"

Dimitri's question broke my trance, turning away from the window. "No."

He looked like he wanted to ask more but chose not to press the subject. "I'll show you my office."


The office wasn't too large, especially for a Pack Alpha's office. Even his furniture was more for practicality than for showing off his position. It was very humble.

I dropped into the leather chair in front of his desk, Dimitri taking a seat in his. I examined his desk, a computer, some photo frames, pens and a neat stack of paper.

"You like things clean, don't you?" I observed. His room was the same, everything had a place.

He smirked, "I like things organised."

I chuckled softly, "You are going to hate me."

His eyes softened, focusing on me, "There's nothing I would hate about you, Rose."

My cheeks flushed, dropping my eyes from his. "Don't say I didn't warn you, comrade." I joked, trying to hide my reaction to his words.

"Comrade?"

Oops, that had slipped out. "Yeah, isn't that what you call each other in Russia."

Dimitri's brows furrowed, "No."

"I saw a documentary on it once. Pretty sure I'm right."

Dimitri laughed, the sound of it was so unexpected. It wasn't even a full-bodied laugh, but the sound made my stomach do flips and his smile… I could understand now why Ivan would die and go to heaven. Dimitri was naturally handsome, but when he smiled, it was truly a sight to behold.

"Sure, Roza," He replied, shaking his head fondly. I didn't call him out on calling me Roza instead of Rose, finding myself enjoying the nickname a little.


Ivan returned with bags of food in hand, waltzing into Dimitri's office and dumping them on his desk. "Lunch has been served." He pulled out styrofoam containers, placing one in front of me with a large drink. "For the lady."

I shouldn't be surprised, with this being a werewolf town, the serving sizes are werewolf sized. Opening the container my eyes bugged from my face, there was no way I could eat all of this. It didn't help that my appetite had been lacking these last couple of days.

Ivan laughed at my reaction, "Have to eat it all up so you get big and strong like us."

"Leave her alone," Dimitri scowled at him.

I fiddled with the food in front of me, a large serving of fries and a burger that I doubted I could fit my mouth around. It looked amazing. Burgers were not a common meal for me, they would never serve food this good to omegas. I slowly chewed on a fry, taking my time to enjoy it because who knows when I'll be able to eat like this again.

I almost moaned from taste, my need to savour each bite became forgotten as I started eating earnestly. It wasn't until I started digging into the burger that I became aware of the eyes on me. Ivan was smirking, but Dimitri appeared troubled. My stomach clenched.

Omegas were meant to be dainty, not stuffing their face with food.

I placed the burger back down, losing my appetite. "Sorry," I muttered, drawing back into my chair. Before I was more than happy to piss Dimitri off with how unlike I was to other omegas, but now part of me wanted Dimitri to like me. The sight of me stuffing my face must have disgusted him.

Dimitri's eyes softened, "Don't be."

"Yeah," Ivan agreed around a mouthful of food, "You should see how Viktoria eats these. She doesn't even chew. Her jaw just unhinges like a snake and swallows whole."

That managed to pull a smile from me. Feeling a little less self-conscious I started eating again, but less vigorously. I hated how the lessons from the academy would affect me like that. My teacher's voice in my head, droning on some ridiculous expectations of me. I hated it, and I hated it even more when I would follow it. I used to fight it, but then I knew the punishment for that, my back and wrist showed the scars.

We continued to eat in silence, I finished my burger but still had most of the fries left, pushing the container away from me. I glanced up at Dimitri to find his eyes glazed over, looking to Ivan to see the same. I watched them as I sucked on from the straw of my drink.

When their eyes cleared I asked, "When will I be able to mind-link like that?"

A pensive look crossed Dimitri's face, "I think once you truly accept this pack as yours it will snap into place." I could tell he was upset that I still hadn't connected to the pack, but there was also understanding, and even a little hope in his eyes. "If there is anything important, I can still connect to you."

Ivan scoffed, picking at my leftover fries, "That's if she lets you."

Dimitri glared at him, I had to bite my lip not to smirk. I hadn't met a lot of alpha's that would put up with someone talking to them the way Ivan did. It was almost endearing how close they were and it was relieving to know Dimitri didn't take everything too seriously.

Maybe I wouldn't have to tread carefully to stay on his good side.

"I was just informing the head of the security to come to meet us, she's on her way," Dimitri informed me, standing from his desk. He had already finished his meal, despite it being larger than mine, being the size he was, I wasn't surprised he could eat so much. No wonder why Olena's always cooking.

I stood as well, carrying my drink with me, "Then what?"

"Then I thought Ivan could show you around more while I deal with some paperwork."

Dimitri shot me a smile, but I couldn't help but frown. I would much rather have Dimitri show me around, but didn't say otherwise.

Why did I suddenly want to be around him so much?

How did I go from dreading the sight of him to feeling safe in his presence? I enjoyed hearing his voice and seeing those small smiles aimed at me. Maybe it was because of the claim mark, or maybe it was something else. I just know that the longer I was around Dimitri, the more I enjoyed it.

I trailed behind him, following him out of the office, Ivan fell into step beside me shoving a fist full of fries into his mouth. "Wait until you meet, Bert. You'll like her, she's terrifying."

I scoffed, "I'm starting to think all women scare you."

"Well actually," Ivan started, then paused, "yes."

I laughed out loud, prompting Dimitri to look over his shoulder at me, a fond look in his eyes. Why did it make my stomach do flips when he looked at me like that?

He turned away from me, looking in front of him, waving a hand, "Alberta."

I halted mid-step.

It wasn't possible.

There was no way it could be the same person. She couldn't be here.

I lifted my eyes, looking between Dimitri's and Ivan's tall forms. Standing between them was her. She looked the same, the laugh lines around her eyes a little more prominent, and there was more grey in her hair; but it was her.

The women that I lived with and took care of me more than my mother ever did. The one that I thought I could always count on. The one that let my mother take me away after I presented.

Alberta.