I made it back to the house that I was staying at with no other wolves appearing, much to my relief and disappointment.

Jill was in the kitchen with a baby on her hip when I walked in through the back door, cooking something, and she looked at me when I entered the house with a warm smile on her face. "How was your walk?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question while she studied me.

I shrugged and stuffed my hands into my pockets. "It was ok," I said. "I liked all of the trees and not being in a city."

"Good," Jill said and chuckled, biting back a small smile. "Anyway, this is Zander," she said, and the youngest looked at me before he turned away from me, holding onto his mother's neck. "He is the only one that you hadn't been properly introduced to."

Zander turned to look at me and cocked his head. He furrowed his brows and pouted when my eyes didn't change colors like they had when he first looked at me.

"Sorry, Bud," I said and bit back a small smirk, shaking my head. "It's only a one time thing."

Zander pouted and sniffled, and Jill chuckled and bounced him until he squealed happily and smacked her arm to stop her from doing it.

"Why do your eyes change colors anyway?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and a small smile appeared on her face. "Also, go ahead and sit down at the table. We can chat for a bit if you would like."

I hesitated and licked my lips, not liking the idea of sitting down while she worked on getting food ready from us. "Do you want some help?" I asked, hesitating ever so slightly.

"If Zander allows it, do you want to hold him? He can be a handful sometimes."

"I am used to kids being a handful," I said and walked over to her and her son. "The youngest at the orphanage is four. She's been there since she was a baby."

"Don't babies get adopted out fairly quickly?" Jill asked and furrowed her brows, biting back a small frown. "I mean, that is what I thought and heard."

"She is deaf," I said. "She is also mute because of it, but she knows sign language and knows how to write."

"Did you teach her?" Jill asked, and I nodded in confirmation. "Now, did you all go to public or private schools, or were you all homeschooled? I should have asked you that sooner, so I hope that you can forgive me."

I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line. "Public," I said. I stopped in front of them and held out my hands to the youngest boy. "We all go to public school."

"Then how did they not know that you all were being abused?" she asked. "I thought they, the teachers, were mandated reporters."

"Oh, they are, but it's the same thing as the police doing jack crap, even though they have seen what has been happening to us." I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line. "It's like there are blinders on them or something that shows they can't see what's going on with us."

Zander grunted and reached out for me, and Jill handed him over to me. He rested his head on my shoulder and sighed, closing his eyes.

"Hmmm." Jill bit back a small smirk and looked at me with amusement in her eyes. "It looks like you are good with children," she said and flashed me a small wink.

I held back an eye roll. "I know. Do you mind if I go ahead and sit down at the table with Zander in my lap?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in question while I studied her.

Jill bit back a small smile and shook her head. "Go ahead and sit down, Dear," she said. "I don't know why you are asking me. You should know that it was fine for you to sit down with him in your arms."

I hesitated before I slowly nodded and bit the inside of my lip, biting back a small sigh of relief. I walked over to the chairs with Zander being quiet as if he didn't care that I was taking him away from his mother.

Jill chuckled softly and shook her head. She didn't say a word and started to cook some more while I sat down in one of the chairs.

Zander lifted his head and looked at his mother before he looked at me with eyes filled with trust, something that I hadn't expected, especially since we had just met.

"Now, why do you say that the people that you have told had blinders on?" she asked and changed the subject back to what we were discussing. "Are you saying they forget what you had told them?"

"Basically," I said and shrugged. "I am not even the only one that has told people about what was going on behind closed doors, but the people that had been told what was happening seemed to have forgotten after they promised to check it out."

"Which is why you are surprised that Jason had done something?" Jill asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and I hesitated before I slowly nodded in confirmation. "Is that why you want to check on them now and not later?"

"Yes," I said and shifted in my seat, growing slightly nervous. I placed my head on Zander's head when he placed his head on my shoulder, and I licked my lips, hesitating ever so slightly. "I want to make sure that everyone is actually safe and their needs are taken care of. I still hate that Clareana is basically staying away from them because they are now somewhere "safe.""

Jill slowly nodded. "If I can talk to Jason and Justin to see if you can see them earlier, do you want to do that?" she asked, and I shrugged and grimaced, pressing my lips into a thin line and dampening the hope in my heart.

"I don't think that they will change their minds," I said. "I know that Jason wants us to get settled in where we are located, but..." I shrugged and trailed off, not finishing my sentence, even though I had a feeling that she knew what I was thinking.

"I know," Jill said and nodded. She started to cook some more and stayed silent.

The front door opened a little while later, and Zander lifted his head and opened his eyes before he rested it on my shoulder again and closed his eyes. "Mom?" the person asked, and I could instantly tell that it was Patrick.

"Kitchen," Jill said. "Blaire is in here too."

Patrick bit back a small sigh of relief, and I had a feeling that he slowly started to relax as if he was happy that I was here safe and alive. "Ok, good," he said. "I was a little worried that she would be somewhere else."

"And where else would I be?" I asked. "I don't know where I am allowed to go or anything like that. I am still new here."

"Well, you are allowed to go out in the woods," Patrick pointed out. "You have already been there." He walked into the kitchen and was followed by someone new, someone that I had only seen as a wolf and was surprised that I was seeing him in human form.

My heart skipped a beat before it started to pound harder and faster in my chest while I stared at him, and my mouth grew dry.

Hello, young Alpha...