"Would you please sit down," Lazarus abhorred as he watched his big brother pacing back and forth in front of him.

Isaiah's mood was sizzling like a pot over high fire on a stove. He was ready to turn this house upside down and run to Zeiden who had taken Ronin and Adrik to eliminate the Calvary dealership.

Lazarus instructed that Isaiah stayed back since he was a prominent figure that many recognized. If the paparazzi or the dealers got a whiff that he was at the Calvary's dealership then the rumours would be very difficult to handle. Isaiah hated the idea of staying back when he wanted to go and destroy this place himself. Except, Lazarus was a lot more stubborn than Isaiah.

Two hours passed since his pack members had left for the mission, yet there was no phone call or a message, which was understandable since that could jeopardize the mission and themselves too.

"Why aren't they back yet?" Isaiah asked through clenched teeth.

Lazarus glanced at his brother from his phone for the hundredth time. "The boys are meticulous," he reasoned. "You know how they are, they probably wanted to be thorough while purging the dealership."

Isaiah crossed his arms tensely and his pacing finally stopped, but almost instantly, his foot started to tap irritably. "Zeiden could at least send a text," he carped.

Lazarus looked at his brother with a defeated expression. "How is the man supposed to text you if he's in the middle of a mission?" he said sarcastically.

"It's not hard," Isaiah retorted. "Those damn pups, let them come home."

"Take it easy, Isaiah," warned Lazarus. "They know what they're doing, isn't that why you sent them."

Isaiah shook his head. "Zeiden is still reckless," he said. "He's too young for these missions. Maybe, we should-"

Lazarus raised a brow. "Father sent us on missions before we even learned to walk," he interrupted his brother with nothing but the hard truth.

"That was different," grumbled Isaiah. "Zeiden hasn't had the type of training we've had. He's in over his head."

"How do you know?" Lazarus asked.

"He has that walk that tells me from a mile away that he's cocky and reckless," Isaiah argued.

Lazarus couldn't help but smile. "The boy just needs to refine his skills," he said. "But if we don't send him to do these missions then he won't learn."

Isaiah shot Lazarus a glare. "Why do you find it necessary to fight me on this?" he admonished.

Lazarus held his hands up. "I'm just saying to keep your cool."

"I can't keep my cool when those brats can't even send me a message just to let me know that their heads are still attached to their bodies," he grated out each word with a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I understand, brother," said Lazarus, "but you don't want to handle this situation like our father would have."

Isaiah went quiet and the silence in the room festered like an insidious demon ready to choke the air out of him. He turned away from his brother and faced the fireplace, the flames resembled the raging anger inside him that still lingered and ruined him today.

"I would never do what that man did to us," Isaiah vowed firmly like he always had.

Lazarus sighed resignedly. "I know," he believed, "but we need to be able to handle our wolves with level-heads." A loud ping broke the tension in the room. "There, you see. He sent me a text that they're back."

The rear door opened and the three men Isaiah spent two long hours waiting for strutted inside. They all faced the alpha and the beta with no idea of what just went down.

"Why'd you take so long?" asked Lazarus.

"We had to stake out longer than we thought," answered Zeiden. "It was hard to get through the security detail at the building too. So, Adrik and Ronin had to go through the back entrance to make an opening for me."

Isaiah bit back all his festering rage, that he wanted to burn them with right now. "Where. Was. Your. Phone?" he asked with every ounce of power trying to calm himself down. Just so he wouldn't do what their father used to do, if they didn't follow orders straight.

"When we entered the building, there was a router that broke all of our signals," answered Ronin.

Isaiah swallowed down his exasperation. "Next time, text me so I don't have to stand here worrying for two hours," he ordered sternly.

Ronin, Zeiden and Adrik all nodded. They headed up to their bedrooms to freshen up and erase the clothes they went to the dealership with, so there wasn't any evidence left of them.

"That wasn't so bad," commended Lazarus.

Isaiah seethed furiously. "I'm going to train Zeiden more from now on," he barked. "That pup needs to stop being so cocky."

Lazarus laughed. "He's just like you when we were younger," he remarked.

"I wasn't as cavalier as him," rebuked Isaiah.

"Please, who are you trying to fool," said Lazarus. "I was there with you on every mission. I had to pick up after you'd destroy the place."

Isaiah's frowned. He knew that during his days out in the field that he was pretty wild, but he was trained to the bone- his father made sure of that. There was never a day where Isaiah wasn't training to be better and faster and Ivan Petrov would be the one pushing him to the brink of death every day. Sometimes, Isaiah would collapse during pack fights and his father would just leave him there to recuperate saying that it made the wolf stronger. Those days were rough, but because of them, he was a skilled fighter that could get through any dangerous situation. He cursed his dead father, but the weapon Isaiah trained to be helped him all his life.

A heavy weight smothered him at the memories of his father. "I still feel sick to my stomach when I remember him," muttered Isaiah.

Lazarus laid his hand on Isaiah's shoulder. "You don't need to remember that man," he said.

Isaiah gazed into his brother's firm eyes, he could see their past swimming amongst the green. These two had crawled out of hell together, so there was no need to share what they both already knew.

"We should probably start cooking the barbecue before your girlfriend gets here," remarked Lazarus with a chuckle.

"She's not my girlfriend," Isaiah countered.

Lazarus raised a brow. "Then why do watch her like she is?"

He tried defended himself but failed. "She's a klutz wherever she goes. I feel like she'll break a leg if I don't keep an eye on her," he finally explained.

"I never expected someone like her could handle our group," Lazarus observed. "We're all pretty hardcore."

"I know," Isaiah mumbled.

"She's a sweet girl," said Lazarus. "She doesn't make us feel like we're abnormal or that our past is too traumatic."

A smile crept up removing Isaiah's frown. "She really knows how to keep it lively," he said with a tight feeling in his chest he didn't understand.

"Isaiah, have you ever thought that-" Lazarus stopped.

"What?" he urged his brother to continue because for some reason, Isaiah had an idea what he was about to ask.

"Do you think she's your mate?" asked Lazarus.

He shifted his eyes back to the dying fire. "I don't know," he lied.

Isaiah had a foreboding sensation in his gut that Ashley was the piece missing from his soul and his wolf- that was clawing at him to claim her all to himself.

"I think you do," remarked Lazarus. It was clear as day to Lazarus that his brother was smitten with this young, bright woman. "Ashley calms all of our wolves down," he said. "That's the sign of an alpha-female."

"Do you really believe that someone like me could even find a mate?" he asked grimly.

Lazarus frowned. "What do you mean by that, brother?"

Isaiah's body grew cold even though he was near the warm hearth. "Why would someone like who killed his entire pack get blessed with a mate?" he asked his brother. "On top of that, I meet a girl as innocent as a flower. Ashley has lived her entire life in the light. Would it be fair to drag her in the darkness we're in?"

"We ran away from our twisted path not wondering where life would take us back then. But look at us now, Isaiah. We built a home, a pack and it was all on our own," Lazarus said. "You killed evil people to protect your brothers. I have never met a more selfless and honourable person than you. I don't know what we would have done if we continued to live with our father. Zeiden would have been killed off because he's such a free spirit. Adrik would have turned into a monster. You and I would have continued to lose our brothers, sisters and pack mates. When you killed our father who was torturing us, we saw the light in you. A light that burns in all of us now-" Lazarus turned and locked eyes with Isaiah- "You're our light, brother. Now, it's your turn to find happiness because you fucking deserve it. I've never seen you more calm and peaceful than you are with Ashley. If she makes you happy, then cherish it and protect her, like how we protect you."

Isaiah's been trained to show no emotions. Normally, people would shed tears and probably hug. But Isaiah didn't know how to show affection like normal people would. So, he put his hand on his brother's shoulder.

Lazarus shook his head as he laughed in disbelief. "We better not start crying," he said as he sauntered off.

"I was concerned that you might start," remarked Isaiah with a chuckle.

"Jerk!" Lazarus barked back.

Isaiah watched his brother walk off into the kitchen of a home that wasn't a war zone day-in and day-out, like their previous home. They may have endured a traumatic past, but that was no more. They escaped that reality and shaped their lives into something better. And at the end, Isaiah believed that was all that mattered.

Isaiah grabbed the match of the ledge and relit the fire to a tremendous height when his thoughts wandered back to this morning when he just finished gathering intel on Vito and the Calvary. On his way back to the car, through the crowd of people, he smelt that warm cinnamon mixed with sweet roses. Isaiah froze in his tracks because he knew that Ashley was nearby. He could feel it in his bones and his wolf stopped its pacing in order to smell her scent too. At that moment, who would have thought, she would fall into his arms. It took both of them by surprise, especially Isaiah.

Isaiah shamelessly felt relieved that it was him who rescued her and that she had held onto him for support, he shouldn't lay claim on her but he couldn't stop himself or his wolf. However, that was forgotten when her sparkling blue eyes from under those long lashes smiled up at him. His eyes robbed every part of her and stored it in his mind to replace the dread which haunted him. He also recognized that she wore different clothes from her morning visit. Instead of the lavender dress and headband, she donned a white-knit sweater and skirt with a baby-pink wool coat, her golden hair was tied back in a tousled bun. Strands of her shiny curls had fallen free around her face, he got the greatest urge to tuck them behind her ear or twirl it around his fingers.

Frankly, he didn't understand why she was so happy that she bumped into him instead of a proper gentleman who would've be a better choice than the iron-cold alpha. Although, it was greed that caused Isaiah to curl over with irritation if he saw her with another man.

They all returned home after having lunch with her, their mood a lot better than it was in the morning. When he had taken off his coat and the scarf she had gifted him; the grey cashmere melted like butter between his fingers, he found a mysterious smile appear on his face. Ashley had managed to conjure that from him too.

Except, she really had no clue how dangerous he was and how different his life was from hers. Here she was gifting him cashmere scarves and flowers, like she didn't recognize how brutally cold the men were that surrounded her.

Nevertheless, Isaiah wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt her. He didn't fully understand the weight of the unspoken bond they all shared. But he knew the guys felt the same about her. Everyone in this house would protect Ashley because she was the first to accept them unconditionally. Her smile towards them was genuine; it was the type they had never received. They would protect the smile of hers that even stopped them dead in their tracks.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Isaiah checked the tablet on the wall that had the security footage of their gate; it was the black mustang that had pulled up to the house again. Isaiah let her in without hesitation.

Isaiah opened the door to that smile he was thinking about just now.

"Hi," she greeted him warmly; her hands full of boxes again.

Isaiah turned his body to give her room. "You didn't have to bring so much again," he stated.

Ashley walked into the house passing by him. He locked the door behind her. "My parents never taught me to go to someone's house empty-handed," she said proudly. "Where is everyone?"

"Lazarus is starting the barbecue," he told her. "The rest of the guys are getting cleaned up." Isaiah grabbed the pastel coloured boxes from her hands and lead her towards the kitchen.

He set them on the counter. "I brought tons of goodies for all of you," she said as she rummaged through the boxes to show him. "I noticed that you guys enjoyed the chocolate truffles at the bakery this morning, so I brought more. Also, we didn't buy dessert when we went grocery shopping, so I also brought pastries."

Isaiah quietly listened when he noticed her change of clothes again. He inwardly smiled because his prediction had been proven correct. This woman literally changed her clothes three times in one day. Instead of the white and pink tones, she had switched to darker tones for the night. She wore a tight black turtle neck with her hair clipped back. She had ditched the silk pearl skirt and went for the plaid grey one, which barely reached her knees. Those leopard print heels that exhausted her earlier were long gone. She now wore knee-high black boots that had minimum height to them. which was a comfortable option.

Isaiah was baffled that he had grown fond of this woman who changed her clothes according to her mood. Ashley was that kind of person who had normal parents that loved her beyond anything else. She had a childhood unlike him. Was it okay for him to hold onto her smile for himself? he wondered.

"You're awfully quiet," she remarked. "Everything okay or do I look too pretty that you can't find your words?"

Isaiah smirked. "I was just thinking that you change your clothes three times a day, go shopping to luxury stores and eat lunch at high-class restaurants. On top of all that, you live at the Plaza hotel," he told her.

"I can't help that I'm rich, but good fashion sense I can control," she bemused. "Besides, I can't dress poorly for my own well-being. It physically pains me if my Birkin doesn't match my clothes."

Isaiah laughed. "I figured you'd say that," he remarked.

Ashley laughed with him before she opened another box. "I even got you a vase," she pulled out a crystal vase that was slightly curved and long. "Now, you have something to put flowers in."

"I don't have any flowers though," he mumbled.

Ashley regarded him and then the empty vase. "I guess I'll have to get you some flowers," she declared, "or, even better, we can go to a flower shop together and I can help you pick."

He didn't shut down her idea. He wondered if it was because he was curious to how she'd convince him to go with her.

"We should get some vases for the living room," she suggested. "Hold on, you boys haven't even bought a Christmas tree-"

"I knew I heard Ashley-" Ronin entered the kitchen with Zeiden and Adrik following closely. They were fresh out of the shower because their hair was still wet.

"How are you guys doing?" she asked happily.

"It's been awhile since we had a barbecue, so I think we're all pretty excited," said Zeiden.

"Where's Lazarus?" she asked as she searched through them.

"Backyard," Isaiah told her.

"I feel like he'll get mad if I don't say 'hi' to him," she predicted.

Ronin chuckled. "He probably will," he remarked. "What's in the boxes?"

"I brought you truffles from the bakery we went to this morning," she told them. "It was good to see you all enjoy them. So, I thought it was a good idea to bring you more. Er- how do I get to the backyard?" she asked and they pointed to the door behind her. Ashley grabbed two pieces of chocolate and left that way.

"She always brings something when she comes," stated Adrik.

Isaiah sighed. "I told her not to, but she said that her parents never taught her to go to someone's house empty-handed."

Zeiden raised a brow. "Strange," he mumbled.

Isaiah agreed with his brother. She entered their lives and changed the whole dynamic of the house.

An hour into the barbecue, they were all seated outside on the patio because it wasn't too cold tonight. Plus, the stone fire pit had been lit in front of them. Lazarus controlled the speed of how fast their food came to the table and Ashley was a great helper like she promised. The grill was sizzling from the sausages and there was enough steak to feed a town. But this group could devour any buffet in seconds with their large appetite. From under the patio roof, they could see the light snowfall that started just when Ronin brought out the beer; a firm but sweet malty core defined Vienna-Style Lager beer. The flavours of caramel sugar amplified the steaks natural honeyed taste, it cut through the savoury fattiness to refresh the palate so each bite tasted better than the last.

Though the entire dinner, Isaiah noticed that Ashley never once reached for the beer and explicitly stuck to water. The beer was a little heavy, but it didn't taste bitter or bad. He wondered if she didn't like to drink beer, and if she didn't, then she should have told him so they could've prepared something else for her.

Isaiah quietly pushed his glass of beer to her. "Do you not want any?" he asked.

Ashley looked at the glass. "I would drink but I have a very low tolerance to beer," she said scrunching up her nose; it was cute.

"Oh," Isaiah moved the glass back in front of him.

"You came to our house though," said Zeiden who already downed five glasses and was still going strong. "This is a celebration for making a new friend."

"It'll be trouble for you if I get drunk," Ashley warned with a chuckle.

"You can stay over tonight if you get drunk," offered Lazarus.

Isaiah frowned when he remembered that all the men here had pathetic alcohol tolerance. "Stop-"

"Fine, Lazarus-" Ashley interrupted Isaiah. "You finally accepted me as your friend. So, to celebrate, I shall have one glass."

Isaiah moved quickly, but not quick enough. His little brat of a brother handed Ashley the large mug of beer, that she only got through half of before she slumped back on the seat next to him.

Ashley blinked a couple of times. "I'm fine," she declared and the boys hollered. The mood of the table brightened. Zeiden refilled her glass and the drinking commenced once again.

Isaiah kept himself at a minimum because something told him that no one else was sensible enough. Although, Adrik didn't drink more than one glass either. Isaiah noticed that his cousin's mood had calmed down. His frown had vanished and by the end of the dinner, his chair was pulled right against Zeiden to join the circle. The gang started to slow the drinking down when the soft snowfall started to accelerate.

"It's getting late," said Isaiah, "we should head inside."

No one answered him since they were busy laughing between each other, like little kids he knew they all still were.

"Isaiah," Ashley slurred out his name, her cheeks reddened from just finishing one glass. "Why won't you go out on a date with me?" she asked.

Everyone's heads turned and they looked at their alpha dumbfounded. Isaiah stood speechless as Ashley stumbled out of her seat and faced him. "Ash-"

"I think you're really sweet and I want to know more about you," she said with a pout, "but you don't tell me anything. Do you not like me that much? Is it because of my clothes or that I shop a lot? I can't help myself... it's the only thing that distracts me."

Isaiah circled his arm around her waist to keep her from falling. "Distract you from what, baby?" he asked quietly.

Her blue eyes looked at his lips. "That I don't have-" she looked at his eyes now- "a family anymore." All the boys heard her, they sobered up and looked at Isaiah. "You guys never judged me or thought I was some stupid bimbo. I've never met a group of people as extraordinary as you guys."

Isaiah bit back his smile. "We've never met anyone like you either, Ash." She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

"It's late, you should take her upstairs for the night," suggested Ronin.

Isaiah didn't need to be told twice because that's exactly what he was thinking himself. He anchored his arm under Ashley's knees and lifted her into his arms. She circled her arms around his neck and snuggled closer catching his heart off guard, it skipped a beat to his surprise.

He took her inside, climbing up the stairs, he took her to his bedroom without sparing a thought about the repercussions. It was dark in his room and he left the light off upon entering, he didn't need it anyway since all that was in the room was a bed and some chairs.

Isaiah laid her down gently trying not to wake her, but to his surprise, her eyes opened and focused on him. He pushed to move off of her except her arms tightened around his neck preventing him. He braced himself and hovered above her.

"You have beautiful eyes," she told him. "They look like a storm to me." Isaiah didn't push for her to let him go, he wished for just a little longer to stay with her. "You should take some responsibility for doing this to me."

"And what did I do to you?" he asked softly.

"You've charmed me, Isaiah Iron," she confessed. "I can't get you out of my head." Ashley tightened the hold around his neck bringing him directly over her mouth.

"Don't play with me," he warned. "I'm not one to just back off."

"I wasn't expecting you to," she whispered.

"I'm definitely not a gentleman either," he said while eyeing her lips with hunger.

The corner of Ashley's lips lifted. "I wasn't looking for one," she whispered.

Isaiah's defences shattered. He crushed his lips against hers and melted like ice on fire. His mouth moved over hers taking control, he turned to steel at the touch of her softness that felt like the roses she gifted him once.

He growled when her delicate hands caressed up his muscular arms and her tongue intertwined with his, he pressed closer needing more. He shouldn't take advantage of her drunk state, but he couldn't resist when she was so responsive to his touch. Isaiah deepened the kiss and memorized her lush taste against his mouth. Her scent heightened as his hands trailed along the sweet curves of her body. The decadent fragrance played with the immoral thoughts in his head that urged him to strip off her clothes and feed both of their needs. His body reacted to her like an ignited flame and she was the oil feeding him.

Sharply, the heat in his body turned to ice and he ripped himself away from her. Physical pain was something he had gotten used to, since he was trained to endure any type of torture. Yet, when he pulled away and her hands fell to her sides, it was agony worse than when his father beat him with a belt for disobedience. The scars from that were nothing compared to being apart from her.

He tried to calm his harsh breath. "Get some sleep," he whispered sternly.

"I didn't think I could ever get you to kiss me," she said.

Isaiah raised a brow. "I never intended on kissing you."

"So, then why did you?" she asked.

"Because you're the first woman that could make me do something when I clearly set out not to," he retorted.

Isaiah didn't except it when she brushed her fingers along his jaw then down to the tattoo that collared his neck, her blue eyes followed her fingers. He watched them glimmer under the glow of the moon basking into the room, it helped him see her lips that turned rosy from being kissed.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into," he told her.

Ashley gave him a charming smile. "Maybe, you're right," she said. "But is it so hard to believe that I want you."

Isaiah's body hardened when she said that and perhaps a part of him yearned to hear that from her. He didn't respond, only unclipped her hair and put the bow on the table beside the bed, her rich golden hair spilled across his pillow, he took a lock in his hand and curled it around his finger; it was as soft as it looked.

He laid a kiss on her cheek. "Get some sleep," he told her when he noticed her eyes closing on their own, even though she diligently tried to stay awake.

Ashley had fallen asleep as soon as moved away from her. He unzipped the sides of her boots and took them off, her small foot fit in his palm. He grabbed the duvet and covered her, she pulled it all the way up to her neck and snuggled in his bed.

Isaiah shut the door behind him and went back down stairs. He found that the drinking had been brought inside. Lazarus and Zeiden were sitting on the couch with Ronin on the floor and Adrik on the side near the fire.

Lazarus saw his brother coming down the stairs first. "Is she asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Isaiah. "She's in my room."

"Your room," astonished Ronin.

Zeiden looked up from his glass with a grin. "You want to tell us why she's in your room?" he asked mockingly.

Lazarus kicked Zeiden. "Leave him alone," he barked.

Isaiah sat on the chair. "What am I going to do with her?" he asked with a sigh.

"Mate with her," declared Ronin. "She obviously likes you despite your lacklustre personality."

Zeiden chuckled. "And she seems to like all of us, which is strange all on its own," he pointed out.

"I think she fits right in," said Ronin. "And it would be good to have her around, right Adrik?"

"Yeah," Adrik looked at Isaiah with a resolute expression telling him that Ronin spoke the truth.

"Are you all trying to convince me right now?" asked Isaiah.

"No," said Lazarus. "We all knew from the moment you jumped out of a car to help her that she was your mate."

Isaiah shot his brother a glare, but he knew that Lazarus wasn't wrong.

The men continued to discuss this ordeal, as he thought of the kiss that lingered on his lips like a brand. Even now, he recalled the sweet sensation of her body pressed against all the hard edges of him. This wasn't something he could just erase or subdue like he did with his past. Ashley was becoming a part of him so quickly that he had no control over the hurricane she caused inside of him. How did she come to the conclusion that he was good man? he distressed.

"I think this is the first time I heard someone say that we're extraordinary," Zeiden claimed and the others agreed.

Isaiah looked around the room, these men were the best fighters any alpha could ask to have by their side. He trusted them with his life. Many wouldn't understand their alliance and Ashley barely knew them, yet she was able to sense their bond.

There was nothing else to say, she was as delicate as roses and he resembled the thorns, but he would gladly be those thorns in order to protect this rose.

The night had come to an end after Isaiah admitted that Ashley was his now.