Maddy hummed quietly and snuggled into the welcoming warmth of Baron's chest as his arms moved to cradle her more securely. The night before, he had raised the edge of his blanket and smiled when she slipped between the sheets and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. Turning his head, he captured her lips for just a few moments before leading her to lay against him with a guiding hand on the back of her neck. She had the best sleep of her life there, bathing in the warm, spicy scent of her mate.

"Morning," Baron rumbled as he began to rub one hand over her spine.

"Morning, baby boo." Maddy yawned before pressing a kiss to the underside of his chin, but started giggling when he snorted in response. "What?"

"No way in hell, Little One."

"Why not?" Maddy couldn't stop giggling long enough to even feign being hurt.

"It's stupid, and there's nothing 'baby' about me."

Maddy pecked him lightly on the corner of his mouth. "Snuggle muffin?"

With a stern glare, Baron rolled so she was under him, caged by his arms and chest. "Screw that."

"I know!" Maddy draped her arms over his shoulders are she smiled up into his chocolate eyes. "Snoogums!"

"Girl, you are insane." Baron shook his head before cutting off her laughter with a soft kiss, reigning himself in with iron control. It would do neither of them any good for him to get carried away. "C'mon, Hatter. Let's get this show on the road."

Maddy slowly followed him out of bed, collecting her things to pack while he gathered clothes to take into the bathroom for his shower. "Hatter?"

"Yeah," Baron grinned. "Because you're fucking insane!"

Maddy's laughter followed him into the bathroom.

After showering and packing, the new couple checked out and was soon on the road to Maddy's house in the woods. As they drove, she pointed out all the places along the way that she loved to visit or tried to avoid. The city soon disappeared behind them, and the rolling hills, farmland, and forests soon took over. Maddy supplied directions, laughing when Baron stopped the SUV in order to take a selfie next to the sign for the state route that runs directly through her town.

State Route 666 had seen more than one of such photographs in its lifetime, she was sure.

Baron decided that Maddy's little cabin in the woods was just like her: cute, sweet, and tiny. The front porch was covered and deep enough that the sun would barely ever touch the floorboards. The screen door was trimmed in a light pine while the inner door was a solid oak that featured a deadbolt and one small window instead of a peephole. There was a fireplace in the living room/office area, and the kitchen was just big enough to fit a two person table and chairs beside the back door. Her bedroom was at least large enough for a queen sized bed, and her television was perched atop a chest of drawers in the corner.

"I know, I know," Maddy made a placating motion with her hand. "It's too small for anybody but me to be in here."

Baron nodded. "It's pretty tiny, Babe."

"Well, not all of us can be giants." Maddy shrugged. "Besides, I love it for the outside as much as for the inside."

"Why? What's outside?"

"Uh, the woods? It's nice to be able to run without people around to stare at me."

Baron frowned as he unzipped his bag to begin placing his things in the drawer Maddy was emptying as she spoke. "Why would they stare?"

"I'm smaller than a lot of others, even when I shift."

Whipping his head around, Baron stared at his little mate. "You still shift?!"

"You don't?!"

"Why would I?" Baron shuddered. "I haven't shifted since I was thirteen and figured out how to make it stop!"

Maddy sighed and shook her head, saddened that her mate would purposefully disconnect himself like that. "I'll never understand why someone would do that to themselves."

Baron snorted. "Do what? Control their body and instincts?"

"No. Intentionally cut themselves off from a very real, important part of their existence!" Maddy chewed her lip. "Every Omega I've ever met at the Sanctuary or elsewhere has continued to shift into adulthood."

"Ah," Baron nodded, concluding that it was something undisciplined Omegas did before mating.

Maddy chewed her lip as she watched Baron unpack. "Want to run with me later?"

Baron turned, a firm denial on his lips, but stopped himself quickly. Maddy was biting her lip, looking like she wanted to chew right through the plump, pink flesh. Her hands were fidgeting in front of her, thin fingers twisting together. She kept her eyes trained on his, though she flinched like it was costing her to do so.

"Maybe after dinner," he sighed. Seeing the heavy plastic bag in the bottom of his case, he reached for it in trepidation. "So, I hope you aren't mad, but I have something that belongs to you."

It took Maddy a few moments to understand what she was seeing. Once she saw the bright red jacket, she snatched it from his hands. How in the world did he get her coat?

"Where did you get this?" Waving the hooded garment around, Maddy faced him with her hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. "Why do you have this?!"

Sighing, he sank down on the edge of the bed and attempted to tell her the entire story. Maddy listened, her arms crossed over her chest, as he recounted how he had smelled her on the street down in Florida. She had to admit that his friend had been smart to take the coat from the diner.

"Is that why you whipped around the way you did at the bar? You scented me?"

Baron stood and crossed the room in three easy strides. "You are the best thing I've ever smelled in my life."

"Well," Maddy fought her blush. "I guess it's not as creepy as I thought."

Baron shook his head and slipped his arms around her waist. "It might be a little creepy, but I swear I didn't mean it to be. I just wanted something to keep you with me until I found you."

"Okay, that's pretty sweet." Looping her arms around his neck, Maddy led him down to meet his lips with her own.

After indulging in a short make-out session, Baron spent a few hours doing body weight exercises before taking a shower and then napping before supper. He had wanted to spend the entire day staring at Maddy, or maybe just holding her against him, but she had had other ideas. Letting him know where everything was located, she had stated that she needed to get to work. He stole glances of her making coffee and then typing as he completed his squats and moved on to push-ups.

Maddy nodded and then took care of her clothes before picking up a few things around the house and settling into an approximation of her normal routine. She watched Baron stretch as she brewed a pot of coffee, savoring the sight of his inked arms as well as the smell of the dark liquid. She managed to breeze through the chapter that she had struggled with for nearly a week in the matter of four hours, her coffee repeatedly going cold in the cup before she tasted it. In the last paragraph, Detective Sharp was in the middle of lecturing Miss Sally on the importance of basic gun maintenance when he happened to realize just how lovely her big green eyes were in the summer sun.

Baron woke before Maddy was finished with her writing, so he scribbled a note that he left of the counter and made a quick run to the grocery store to pick up steaks and some fresh vegetables. A mother and son recognized him in the produce section, but simply waved and moved on. No one seemed concerned with the nearly seven foot tall Alpha in their midst, and he was soon back with provisions.

"Yes, I'm sure." Maddy waved at him happily, his note between her fingers, as she spoke on the phone. "I got home this morning and that fourth chapter just flew out of me."

Diana's voice was bubbly and light. "That's wonderful!"

"I've just emailed those first four chapters to you." Maddy smiled at the older woman's enthusiastic response and watched as Baron moved around her tiny kitchen locating spices and preparing the meat.

"So, dear, it appears as if the small break really did help."

Maddy nodded to herself, her eyes fixated on Baron's large hands as they sliced onions and threw them in the skillet to caramelize. "Yeah, there were a few . . . developments."

Her editor gasped in a playfully mocked shock. "Would one of these 'developments' come in the form of a little playmate?"

Maddy snorted. "Not so little, and not for play."

"Oh, my! Madeline!" Diana laughed a rare, genuine shriek of laughter. "I'm so happy for you! What's his name? What does he do?"

"His name is Baron and he's a wrestler with the WWE." Maddy nudged her way under his arm to grab a pan for the corn he had bought as she spoke.

The phone was silent for a few seconds before Diana chortled lightly. "Oh, isn't he just a lovely hunk of man meat!"

Maddy snorted, and Baron smirked. "He can totally hear you right now."

"Oh, I'm sure he knows how attractive he is by now."

Baron raised a brow and pressed a kiss to the side of Maddy's head, trying to keep from laughing. "Tell your friend I say what's up."

"Oh, just listen to that voice!" Diana purred.

Maddy held the phone against her chest to muffle her voice. "She's my editor."

"Well, I'm going to let you go so you can focus on him. Great job getting those chapters to me, and don't forget that you're hard deadline is in four months!" With that, the phone went dead.

Maddy sighed and set it down on the counter away from the food. "You just gave half of New York's writing scene something to gossip about."

Baron laughed and put the corn on the stove. "Well, maybe they need to find better things to do with their lives."

"Not going to argue against that one." Maddy gestured to the grocery bags still on the counter. "Need help?"

"Not unless you want to set that matchbox you call a table."

Maddy grinned. "Want to eat outside instead? It's a nice night, and there's more room out there."

"Sounds like a plan, babe."

"Thanks for cooking, Pumpkin."

Baron snorted, but refrained from commenting. It was sort of fun to see what she would come up with next. Also, being called pumpkin wasn't as bad as baby boo. Maddy brushed a kiss over his shoulder and then moved to do her part for dinner preparations while Baron seared the steaks.

Dinner went well, though it took Maddy a moment to draw him into a conversation about his family and what his life was like before wrestling. "I get that you're a private person, Bear. But, it's not like I'm some reporter here!"

Baron snorted and shook his head. "I'm a wolf, not a bear."

Once he opened up, the words flowed with ease. She was glad to hear that his mother and father – both Alphas – had taken care to teach their children that Omegas should be allowed to make their own choices. Many Alphas simply decided that they knew what was best for their mates, and the other person was forced to either go along peacefully or live in constant conflict with their mate.

"It's good that you don't see me as being beneath you."

"Just because you're not an Alpha doesn't mean you're not equal to me, or anyone else. Not easy fighting the instinct to protect and shelter. I'm trying, though."

"Well, I appreciate it." Maddy pushed her half-eaten steak away and settled back to sip her tea. "There's no way I could live that way anymore."

Catching her mistake too late, Maddy bit her lip and flicked her eyes up to meet Baron's dark gaze. "There's ice cream if you want desert."

"Anymore?" Baron frowned darkly, suddenly coming to the realization that there were no family pictures in her house and that he had never heard her mention anyone from her past. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Maddy shrugged in what she hoped came off as nonchalance and stood to take their plates inside. "Want that ice cream?"

"No," Baron followed behind her and watched as she scraped the plates and put them in the dishwasher. "I want you to tell me what the hell someone did to you!"

Maddy sighed dramatically and slumped down on the couch. "It's really not that big of a deal."

Not buying it for a minute, Baron shook his head and scooped Maddy into his lap. "Oh, it's a very big deal, Little One, and I need you to tell me what happened."

Maddy curled into him, just enjoying his arms around her. It felt so nice to let go and be taken care of for once. Baron's scent invaded her head, and she pressed her nose into the crook of his neck in inhale more.

"My mother and father weren't true mates. They hooked up in college, she got pregnant, and then left after he met his true mate when I was three." The story poured out of her as his large fingers ran through her curls. "I was left with him, since he was the Alpha in the situation and you know how that works.

"My father and his Alpha Wifemate, Debra, had six Alpha children." Maddy shrugged helplessly. "Not a lot of room for a girl who gets dwarfed by her younger siblings by the time they're ten and isn't interested in sports, overachieving in school, or finding the best possible person to mate with until her true mate appears."

Remembering some of the stories he had heard over the years, Omegas being locked in basements for months while their families ransomed them off to their wealthy true mates or the highest non-mate bidder or being used as slave labor by their bigger and more violent families, Baron didn't fight the growl that rumbled in his chest. Tightening his hold, he turned his head to press a kiss to her curls. The warmth and slight weight of his little mate in his lap was the only thing keeping him from pacing angrily.

"How bad?"

Maddy closed her eyes and soaked up the comfort offered by her mate's embrace. "Not as bad as some others."

"Not asking about others, Baby." Nudging her face up to look into her eyes, Baron made sure she understood how serious he was. "I want to know all about you. Like you know about me."

Maddy nodded and took a deep, calming breath. "I did all the housework that no one else wanted, which was pretty much everything."

Suddenly, the gates opened and all the anger and disappointments of life came pouring out of her like the Orc armies of Mordor. "Debra and Victor – my father – used me as a scapegoat for everything that went wrong, even if it were something behavioral on the part of one of the others. The morning my Omega mark appeared, they all went with me to the doctor for verification, and acted like everything was fine! Like I hadn't spent the night before picking bits of burned meat from the bottom of a skillet in an effort not to go hungry.

"I just knew that they were going to try to keep me locked up. Maybe use me in one of my father's business deals. But the doctor understood what was going on and he helped me."

Maddy dissolved into tears, broken up only by Baron's constant growl. Turning into him, she burrowed into his chest and sobbed. It should have embarrassed her to behave in such a way, but the way he held her and began making quiet shushing sounds allowed her to let it all go. The hurt and pain of her past had no place in her current life. Those areas were now occupied and filled by a mate who smelled of late Octobers and home.

Baron pressed kisses to the top of her head while petting her and whispering quiet words of affection into her curls. It felt like hours before she calmed enough for his words to make sense. When she finally pulled away, he was greeted by bloodshot eyes and a tremulous, sad smile.

It was that smile that nearly broke him.

Pulling her in with a gentle hand, he kissed her softly as he wracked his brain searching for something to cheer her up. When the idea came, he fought it for the briefest of moments before giving in. Placing her beside him on the couch, he toed off his shoes and socks before smirking at her now confused stare.

"So, you're probably going to have to walk me through shifting. I haven't done it in almost twenty years."