So I know it took me forever to update! Sorry!

But don't worry, I haven't given up on this story. I've just been focusing on EOV when I actually have time to write lol.

But I will try to update soon.

It took a few weeks before I was able to stop the itch of the Change from rushing over me each time my emotions experienced a drastic shift.

It took even longer for me to get used to my new home, but at least I no longer had to sleep on the cot down in the basement cell.

Alaric had given me my own room, upstairs, and the others had respected my privacy as much as possible, never entering without my permission.

Damon's door, a few feet down the hall, remained closed off.

At the thought of my ex lover, I had to once again fight the urge to release my wolf.

I was so angry, I could hardly do anything but shake each time his name popped into my head.

Damon, who I had planned to marry, who I thought loved me as much as I'd loved him, had risked my life on the off chance that the results would play in his favor.

He'd wanted me, and had nearly killed so he could keep me.

My stomach twisted at the fact that the one person in the whole world that I'd let into my heart had betrayed me in such a way.

The knowledge had been enough to drive me into a spout of depression, which the others had tried to coax me out of.

Eventually, it had worked.

It was easier, having them around to go through this with, and the distraction of learning the ins and outs of Pack life had helped as well.

Even the Change was easier now, though the pain still ricocheted throughout my body as my muscles tore and molded their forms.

But once it was over, it was over, and being in wolf form was almost worth it.

There had never been anything in my experiences as a human that I could compare being a wolf to, now that I'd embraced it.

There was an odd connectedness with the others that pulsed through my veins as we ran through the woods together, playing or hunting.

It was a bond I hadn't expected to blossom, but had began to emerge nonetheless with each moment I spent among these guys.

My Pack; my new family.

And at the head of it all was Alaric; the one constant, steady voice of reason.

Under his instruction, I was learning to stop hating what I'd become, and how to get the most out of my new abilities.

It was he who sat with me the night I finally broke down sobbing, worried about what this all meant for my future.

It was his encouraging words about how things would improve, and how the instinctual side of my wolf would be easier to control with time, that comforted me when all hope felt lost.

With him, and with the other guys, I was finding a reason to get out of bed each morning.

And speaking of getting out of bed...

A knock reverberated off my door, and I jumped out of the sleepy haze I'd been lulling in for most of the morning.

The sun was up, but the lack of it's warm rays were proof that we were looking at another chilly day, a hint at the winter to come.

"You up yet, sweetcheeks?" Mason's voice called through the wood as I groaned and sat up.

"Well I am now," I grumbled, and my door opened.

He walked in, Enzo close behind him, "Good, because we're going into town."

I frowned, "Alaric doesn't want me to leave the property in case-"

"In case you go all wolfy on us, we know," Enzo nodded, "But he's agreed to make an exception."

I pulled back the blankets, the first trickle of excitement turning in my stomach.

It felt like forever since I'd been able to see the outside world.

"He did? Where are we going? How long will we get to stay out?" I asked, standing.

"Yes, he did," Mason said with a laugh, "And one question at a time."

"It's just a supply run," Enzo added, "We can go to a few stores, maybe stop for coffee if you behave."

I stuck my tongue out at him, then noticed Mason's eyes trailing over my body.

I smacked his arm, "Hey!"

"Sorry," he smirked, not sounding the least bit apologetic, and I rolled my eyes, "I swear, you act like I'm the only one who runs around here naked. If I have to see all of your dicks out all the time, you can at least try not to ogle me every five minutes! Now hand me those pants."

He did as I asked and shrugged as I took the clothes, "In my defense, you are the first female that's been around here in...well...ever."

I shot him a dirty look as I got dressed, "So I'm constantly reminded. But I'd think that after these past few weeks, you'd be used to it."

"He needs time to adjust," Enzo taunted, "A bit slower than the rest of us, this one is."

"I'm slow?" Mason turned on him, "It didn't seem to stop me from kicking your ass yesterday while sparring, now did it?"

"Bugger off," Enzo snapped, "You only won because I'd just fought Stefan."

"Excuses," Mason drawled.

I lifted a brow, "You know, this sure is interesting, but if you two don't mind finishing your little lover's spat out in the hall...I need to finish getting ready."

Enzo rolled his eyes as Mason tossed an arm over his shoulder, "Come on now babe, you heard the lady."

They left my room with Enzo shoving the latter away, and I could hear them scuffling out in the hall.

I shook my head, but focused on finding the rest of my clothes, still looking forward to the prospect of getting to leave Pack land for a change.

Not that there wasn't plenty to keep busy with around the Manor, but I missed being out in the real world.

I grabbed a T-shirt off the ground and pulled it over my head, mentally noting how restricting it felt.

I'd never really had any sense of fashion when it came to clothes, but ever since my Change, they'd become ever more of a nuisance.

The fabric brushed against my skin, pulled tight over my muscles, and felt like more of a hindrance than a cover.

Alaric had assured me that this was just part of my newly heightened senses, and that eventually they would feel normal again, but I wasn't so sure.

I mean, there was a reason the guys ran around half naked all the time.

A reason it was more comfortable to sleep in the nude now than bother with the itchiness that being dressed caused.

Not to mention it made the Change a lot easier when you were already stripped down to natural form.

But I didn't imagine I could explain these things to the town folk, so I tossed on some shoes, moved to my bathroom to run a brush through my hair, and then decided that my appearance was decent enough to head downstairs.

Most of the others were at the table, having breakfast when I walked through the kitchen for some coffee.

Alaric stood to greet me, "Did Enzo find you?"

I nodded, "Yeah. He and Mason said we were going into town today?"

The Alpha smiled, "I figured you'd enjoy the chance to stretch your legs, so to speak, and you haven't had an unwilling Change in the past few weeks. Just remember to keep your-"

"Emotions in check," I recited, "I remember."

He nodded, "Good girl. And if you do feel the urge, just tell them, and they'll make sure to get you to a safe place to Change, alright?"

I smiled, "I will, don't worry."

"Good. Now why don't you come grab some food before you head out."

I didn't have to be told twice.

If there was anything that being a wolf had improved, it was food.

Now that I was comfortable enough among the other Pack members to be myself, it was nothing at all to load my plate up with more ham, sausage, bacon, eggs, and biscuits than I could have ever even imagined eating in my human life.

But with as much calories as the Change took, not to mention the energy we burned while running, it wasn't unreasonable to think that my appetite might have increased.

Might have? Who was I trying to kid?

We all ate as if we were professional football players looking to stack up for a championship game.

But as werewolves, there wasn't much of each other that we hadn't seen, so all worry of modest flew out the window, and I dug into my meal.

An hour later, I was in Alaric's jeep with Mason, Enzo, and George Lockwood.

Stefan and Tyler both had classes today and were on campus.

Idly, I wondered what Stefan had told Lexi about my disappearance.

She hadn't called, so i imagined it was convincing, and I made a mental note to ask him about it when I saw him next.

"So I figured we could stop by some clothing stores," Enzo interrupted my thoughts, "Pick you up a few things so you can stop recycling your same four outfits."

I turned in the passenger's seat to look back at him, "Hey, it's not my fault that half of my wardrobe got shredded every time I wolfed out."

"I didn't say it was," he assured me, "But it doesn't change the fact that you should probably pick up some more. Especially if you're going to start leaving the property more."

I shrugged, "Yeah, I guess. But I'm not exactly a big fan of shopping."

"Don't worry," Mason piped from beside him, "I've got you covered."

I couldn't help but laugh, "You're going to pick out my clothes?"

"I've got an eye for women's bodies," he winked, "And I specialize in comfortability for werewolves."

I shook my head, "Whatever you say. I'm just happy that I'm actually going to get to see people again."

"And what are we, exactly?" Mason demanded, faking offense.

"Savage, savage beast," I winked.

He chuckled, "Damn right, baby girl."

I smirked, but turned back around in my seat so that I could watch the road ahead.

Even though we were bordering the coldest of the winter months, the trees were as green as ever, thick and looming over the blacktop, the perfect canvas.

It would be beautiful if it wasn't all I'd been looking at for the past few weeks.

I was ready for some civilization; even if it was just the small shopping center of Mystic Falls."

"We're here," George announced, pulling into a parking space, a few minutes later.

My nerves were turning in every direction as I practically threw the door open in my hurry to get out.

"Easy," Enzo warned me, stepping out of the back, "Excitement is good, but too much…"

I nodded, "Right. No wolfing in public."

"Not unless you feel like going on a killing spree that involves everyone who witnesses it," he pointed out.

I shuddered.

That was another fun little fact I'd learned about the Pack.

Word of our existence could not become public knowledge, which was perfectly understandable, seeing as mankind didn't really handle differences very well, but in order to protect our secret, sometimes human's died.

It was decided by the Alpha council many years ago that even one human knowing the truth was a liability the packs couldn't afford.

They believed pretty heavily in the whole "loose lips sinks ships" idea.

Which was ultimately the reason Damon never told me what he was.

Not that it mattered, because in the end he'd decided that he wouldn't have to, if I was one of them, and had been willing to risk my life on the fact that he could-

"You okay?" Enzo asked, snapping me from my rant.

"Huh?"

He arched a dark brow, "Your scent was getting a little...spicy."

Yeah, that was a word for it.

I exhaled and forced Damon far from my mind, "Yeah, sorry. I'm okay."

He crooked his head, studying me, but seemed convinced enough, "Alright...we need to go in here first."

He motioned toward the building ahead and I nodded, following behind him as he led the way.

My first outing as a werewolf went surprisingly well.

I didn't once feel the urge to wolf out and eat everyone, and Mason actually had managed to drag me into a clothing store to pick out a few things.

It was the best I'd felt in awhile, especially when we'd stopped and grabbed lunch at a little cafe.

George had suggested the Mystic Grill, but Enzo and Mason had shot him down.

I knew they'd done it for my sake, and I appreciated them all the more for it.

We got home a few hours later, and Alaric was pleased to hear about how well I'd done, assuring me that this meant I'd be able to go on future excursions more often.

"Yeah, then you put her to work," Stefan teased over dinner.

"Work?" I questioned, spinning my fork around my plate.

Alaric shot Stefan a very parental look, but elaborated, "Each member of the Pack works to contribute to the Pack as a whole. We live pretty normal lives, of course, but we do there are still things that we have to maintain."

"Things?" I pressed.

"Mutt activity, mostly," Enzo cut in, "Make sure the rogue wolves are behaving themselves. Punish them when they don't."

"Is that what you do?" I asked him.

He shook his head, "No, I clean up the messes left behind when things happen that are Pack related."

"Like your school stuff," Mason pointed out, "Enzo had to create fake documents, relocating you so that no one comes looking."

I frowned, "You can do that?"

"Not legally," he smirked, "But yes...also, when we have to wipe a human out, or a Mutt, I take care of the cover stories, their affairs, and anything else that's needed."

"Wow," I mused, "Is that where you go when you disappear then?"

"Usually," he nodded.

"Enzo does his job very well," Alaric praised, "All of the Pack does."

I crooked my head, "So what will I be doing?"

"Let's give you a few more weeks to adjust before-"

"Ric, please," I cut him off, "I want to know."

He glanced at George, then shrugged, "Alright then. I thought I could start you on a sort of lookout post. You were in college for journalism so I'm going to assume you know your way around online articles. You'll use them to track suspicious activity. Anything that looks like it might be revealing to our way of life. George handles most of that now, so he can help instruct you."

I nodded, "That doesn't sound too complicated."

"Not as fun as what he has us doing," Mason smirked.

Taking a bite of my stake, I relaxed back in the chair, "Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"Mutt hunting," he grinned, "And it's about time we finally get the chance."

"Mutt hunting?" I prodded.

Mason leaned forward, "What Enzo was saying before, about how they need to be punished occasionally. I mean, you've read up downstairs; you know the rules."

"The Mutts can't settle," I nodded.

"Exactly," he continued, "But unless someone keeps them on the move, they would."

I nodded, "So when one gets to comfortable, you go to run them out of town."

"Something like that," Mason allowed, "Though there's a bit more too it. They don't always like to leave, and let's face it, I don't have Damon's rep to help me out. So usually it comes to a fight."

I straightened at the mention of him, "Damon's rep?"

"Mason," Alaric chided gently, but I shook my head, "No, it's okay...I want to know."

Mason glanced at Ric, smart enough to be sure the Alpha allowed him to continue, before doing so.

"Damon was Pack Enforcer," he said.

"Is," Enzo corrected, "Being in time out doesn't change his duties."

"Whatever," Mason waved him off, focusing on me, "Point is, Damon's had the job for a while, and he's the best at it. Damn right lethal, to be honest. He hunts and kills anything he's pointed at, and most of the Mutts fear him. So they tend to skip town when they hear he's coming for them."

"Or skip the country," Tyler laughed from across the table, and Mason nodded, "Or that."

"Speaking of which," Stefan spoke up, "Are we gonna check out the Elijah thing next weekend? He's supposed to heading to Europe, right?"

"Last I heard," Mason gave a nod, "And yeah, we can do a backtrack through-"

The continued on with the plans, but I had stopped listening.

Something in Mason's words, about how Damon would hunt and kill anything he was pointed at...it struck me hard.

Did I really know so little about the man I'd loved?

That he was a wolf...a killer.

It made my blood run cold, and clenched my heart in a way that made it hard to breathe.

I felt a hand on my shoulder then, and realized Alaric had moved closer to me.

Our gazes locked and he gave me a sympathetic look, missed by the others.

He looked as if he wanted to say something, then thought better of it.

Instead he just gave my shoulder a squeeze, and offered the comfort of knowing he was there.

I forced a smile, and silently thanked him.

Knowing someone understood truly did make things a little easier.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" I demanded, shielding my eyes from the son as I stared up at my son and Michael.

"We're playing!" Daniel insisted, grinning down at me.

I took a deep breath to control my frustration, and thanked the heavens that I'd found them instead of Caroline.

"You're playing on the roof? We talked about this. Now get down before I go tell your father!"

"But Mommy-"

"No," I placed my hand on my hip so he knew I meant business.

"We're flying," Michael insisted.

I frowned, "Flying?"

Daniel grinned, "Watch, Mommy!"

He and Michael gripped hands and I had to hold back a scream as they jumped off the fucking roof.

My hands shot out, as if to catch them, but there was no need.

They fell in slow motion, a soft glow emitting around them, and landed solidly on the ground, unharmed.

I swallowed and searched for my voice.

"See?" Daniel said excitedly, hurrying over, "We fly!"

I shook my head, and bent down so that we were level, "Baby, listen to me. You can't do that. It's too dangerous."

"It's not dangerous," he insisted.

"Yes it is," I said firmly, "It's good that you are learning to control your powers, but you have to be careful, okay? What if you slipped before you could catch yourself, or if Michael let go of you accidentally and fell and hurt himself?"

An expression of guilt crossed his face, "I'm sorry, Mommy. We were just trying to fly."

I sighed, "I know. But please don't use your magic without a grown up around, okay? I don't want you to get hurt."

He nodded, "Okay."

"Thank you," I kissed his head, "Now why don't the two of you go inside. It's almost lunch time."

They took off at my insistence, sprinting for the patio, and I shook my head.

Jumping off the roof was only the first of the many escapades I'm sure he'd dream up, and my nerves were literally going to be shot if my children kept thinking up these creative ways to kill themselves.

I passed Alaric, George, and Tyler in kitchen, where the boys were now running rampant.

"Can you keep an eye on them?" I asked, "I need to go find Skylar."

"She's upstairs with Damon," Stefan said as he entered from the hall, "Is everything okay?"

I nodded, "Yeah, fine. Just got back from a run. Mason and Klaus are still out there if you want to join them."

He gave a nod and I dismissed myself to go upstairs.

I could hear Damon and Skylar down the hall, safe and sound, so I paused at Caroline's door, poking my head in.

She and Bonnie were both inside, having tummy time with little William.

I smiled, "How's it going?"

"He's almost able to lift himself," Caroline beamed, glancing up at me, "Is Klaus back yet?"

"Not yet. Michael's downstairs with Ric and the others though. It's almost lunch time."

She nodded and straightened so she could pick up the baby, "He just ate. I'll put him down then go join them."

"Sounds good," I said, then added, "Though you might want to keep an eye on the boys. They're getting crafty again."

"Oh man," Bonnie smirked, "What this time."

"They're flying off the roof, apparently."

"What?!" Caroline whirled around.

"They're okay," I assured her, "I got on to them, and I'm pretty sure they won't do it again, but you know them…"

She nodded, and Bonnie motioned her head toward the door, "I'll go watch them while you put Will down for his nap."

"Thanks," Caroline and I both answered.

"I'm going to get Sky and Damon, then I'll join you."

They nodded, and I left the room, continuing down the hall.

I heard Skylar's giggle coming out of the twin's room, a few doors down from mine and Damons, and couldn't help but smirk at the sound.

I peered around the corner of the jam and paused there, not wanting to interrupt the scene before me.

Damon was lying on his stomach, doing push ups while Skylar sat cross-legged on his back.

Each time he'd drop down she'd laugh in delight.

I smiled as he started going faster and Sklyar squealed, moving to grab his neck to hang on, and yelled, "Again! Again, Daddy!"

"You have to keep counting," Damon told her.

"Oh right!" she straightened, "...I forgot which number we were on."

Damon collapsed then, resting his head on the floor, "That's okay. Daddy needs a break anyway."

"Mommy disagrees," I announced my presence then, and they both turned to look at me.

"Mommy!" Skylar jumped up, and ran over to me, as Damon sat up.

She wrapped her arms around me, "Did you go run? Can we go run again later?"

I smiled, "Sure baby. But right now it's time for lunch. Your brother and the others are downstairs. Why don't you go join them."

She nodded.

"Be quiet though. The baby is taking a nap."

She took off, as Damon came over to me, grabbing my hips.

I fell against him, all too aware of his sweaty bare chest pressing into my back.

His nose pressed against my hair and he inhaled, "Mhmm you smell good, kitten."

I smirked, and turned in his arms, "A little fresh air will do that."

He kissed me hard, squeezing my waist.

I wore no pants, thanks to the run, and my mate wasted no time in bunching up my shirt so that his hands could squeeze my ass.

"Damon-" I tried to cut him off, but my back was pressed against the wall, and his lips grew hungrier.

I chuckled against them, "Babe."

"Hmm?" he asked, moving to my neck now, nipping and sucking along the skin.

"We can't fuck in our children's bedroom," I pointed out, and he growled his disapproval.

"Baby," I said more firmly, "Come on."

Reluctantly, he pulled away, and those blue eyes entranced me.

"Fine," he said, "Then let's go to our room."

I stroked his face with my thumb, "The others are waiting for us downstairs."

"We'll be quick," he promised, picking me up, "But right now, I want you."

I grinned, and wrapped my legs around him, "Whatever the Alpha wants…"

He kissed me again, and carried me down the hall to our bed.

Hope ya'll enjoyed!