A/N: I didn't expect this chapter to be so long, but I got carried away with Killian's back story and the feels. God the feels. Enjoy! Let me know what you guys think. Also, the artwork in the header is mine. I'm proud of how Killian turned out, Amara.. not so much. Its hard to draw an OC in realism when you really have no idea what she looks like besides hair and eyes :P    

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　𝒦　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

When I walked through the front door, I was greeted by the pack, expecting news on my findings in the woods, which was likely. however not so likely, Amara was attempting to push her way to the front, however was unsuccessful so she was standing on her toes behind Will trying to get a good look at me.

"Did you find anything?" Michael, the twins father asked. Naturally he would be the first who knew anything because it was his children who were threatened. I sighed heavily.

"Hunters are learning to mask their scent, I had him trailed and I lost it within seconds, but I kept looking hoping to find something but whoever this was..was good. And fast Will, and Keith, I'm going to need you guys to do patrols, morning and night, rotate to make sure you are both getting enough rest." I said.

"Yes, Sir." They responded in unison.

"I can help too." David put in.

"I appreciate that David but you have a little one on the way, and If anything is to happen I'd prefer not to leave your daughter fatherless. You and Robin sit this out."

"Do you think it could be Gold?" Marian, Robins wife asked.

I cringed, I hated it when anyone mentioned that mans name.

"Gold would have to be a bleeding idiot to return here." I spat a little more harshly than I meant to.

"I'm..sorry sir, I didn't mea-"

I put my hand up.

"No, I apologize. If it were Gold, I am just certain he would leave clues to let me know it was him." I said.

My eyes scanned the room and locked onto Amara who looked confused. Of course she had no idea who Gold was. She knew what her father allowed her to know, and while she knew hunters were bad, her father preferred to focus on spreading fear and lies about my pack.

"Ah, Amara, come here." I said and gestured her forward.

Her eyes widened and she looked around as everyone turned to look at her. She shook her head.

"No..I'm good." She said.

"Oh, just come here." I said and rolled my eyes, I knew she was far from shy so I don't know why she was playing it.

Will chuckled and pushed her forward and she turned and gave him a dirty look.

"What do you want?" Amara hissed at me. I smirked and turned her to face the pack keeping my hands on her shoulders so she couldn't run away like I knew she wanted to.

"Because of her good eyes, and quick thinking, Amara saved one of ours this morning. She is an example of why I believe that it doesn't matter where you come from, If you're wolf you're welcome. She knew young Nicholas was in danger and she selflessly put his life before her own."

"I mean.. Anyone would have done it.." She said and shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"Not true, While I believe everyone deserves a fair chance there are those, from the same pack as you who would have used the lad as a shield." I said. "I didn't expect such compassion out of someone who shares Arthur's blood."

She cringed at the mention of her father, and I knew I struck a nerve, and I honestly didn't mean to this time.

"Tonight we dine in honor of Amara and her bravery, Maybe this will be a chance where we can get to know her a little more." I said.

"That's..really not necessary." She stammered.

"Its how we do things here." I said. This was clearly not someone who was used to having all eyes on them. "Get with Sabine later and discuss what you would like for dinner." I insisted and turned to walk away.

"Wait where are you going?" She asked.

I smirked and turned around.

"You know, for someone who just the other day literally couldn't stand me. You seem awfully concerned with what I am doing today, she-wolf."

She gave me an indignant look and went to protest.

"If you must know, I will be taking a shower, now I'm all for saving water and what not so If you'd like to join me.."

Amara's face turned crimson and she narrowed her eyes and stormed away from me and then, something I didn't expect to happen at all happened, Another she-wolf in my pack, Lacey, sauntered over to me.

"I'll join you Killian." She smirked. Amara stopped dead in her tracks and turned around, there was a fire in her eyes that I had yet to see. Lacey was fun to mess around with, she hadn't found her mate yet and wasn't really in a rush, but now that Amara was in the picture, I was conflicted.

Make your move Mara..

"Well I mean, she is obviously not going to, and you know I am more than willing to take you up on that offer." Lacey smiled and ran her hand up my forearm. Amara appeared to be screaming internally, or..hoping her death glare would set Lacey on fire but instead of claiming what she knew deep down was already hers, she scoffed and walked away.

Not that move you stubborn thing!

"Perhaps another time Lacey." I said, which was clearly not the response she was looking for as she also scoffed and walked away from me.

These women are going to bloody kill me..

-------------------------------------------------

That evening I wandered into the kitchen curious to see what Amara chose for dinner, only to see that she was actually helping Sabine cook. Sabine was very picky about who she let in the kitchen so I was a little surprised.

"What are we making?" I asked.

"Well, with the cold weather coming in tonight, Amara suggested stew, a deer stew that is her mothers recipe and since she has the recipe in her head I figured it would be best if she helped, I'm just..."

"Supervising?" I asked with a smirk.

"She's doing fine. Its just..we had a few..accidents when she was browning the meat." Sabine said and pointed up. I looked up at the burn marks on the kitchen ceiling and tried my best not to laugh.

"But recipes passed down from our loved ones are special and should be made with the same love, so here we are. Learning as we go."

"I'm a little offended, This is my house and you've never let me help you in the kitchen." I said with a sly smile.

"Aw, poor boy." Sabine frowned. "What do you think Mar? Should Killian help?"

"Let him do the dishes." Amara shrugged "He should be able to handle that much." She said and put a lid on the pot. "Its almost done just needs to sit a bit." She added and wouldn't even look at me before she walked out of the kitchen.

I sighed. "That girl is going to kill me Sabine, mark my words."

"Maybe not you, but she was getting really stabby with the meat when she was talking about Lacey." Sabine said.

"I knew it! She's jealous." I smirked.

"Look, If you are ever planning to win this girl over you are going to have to stop being so arrogant." Sabine said and put her hands on her hips. "Amara is in a new place, with new people. She's out of her element and she's uncomfortable. Stop expecting her to fall all over you like Lacey does. If it's truly meant to be like you think it is, then it will be. Stop trying to force it. You've been out of the game for a while since Milah. I think you've forgotten how to actually woo a woman."

I felt a dull ache in my chest at the mention of Milah.

"Killian Jones never forgets how to woo a woman, Amara is just a very different kind of woman." I muttered.

---------------------------------------------------------------

This was Amara's first time actually eating with the rest of my pack so I could tell she was a bit uncomfortable. She preferred to be on her own, and that wasn't a bad thing, I just wanted to get her used to the way my pack did things. I had no blood relatives left so I preferred to surround myself with the pack, they were my family.

Everyone was chatting among themselves and Amara was just kind of pushing the stew in her bowl around with her spoon.

"So.. Amara, as you can tell about everyone in this pack has their own job of sorts, what did you do in your pack?" I asked.

David looked at me as if I had said the wrong thing. I was just honestly curious.

Amara shrugged.

"I..didn't really have a place. I wasn't trained to fight because of my size. David taught me to hunt when I was young but mostly my father just liked me to stay quiet and out of the way.. I'm the smallest of my pack so..not much use I suppose?" She said keeping her eyes down. I felt awful. I didn't want to make her feel bad I just wanted to know about her life and clearly the only one who actually gave a damn about her after her mother was David and he left her pack for mine.

"I don't know you were pretty useful at keeping me on my toes." David chuckled. "All the late night runs when you were a child, sneaking off to the forest line to watch the cars drive by early in the mornings."

Amara gave him a mischievous smile. If I was going to be able to talk to her without pissing her off every other sentence. I would have to get more information from David and I'd have to make sure to watch out for these late night runs, and sneaking off as well, running is fine, but with the recent uprising of hunters, running alone is not safe, especially if she was considering running towards the city.

"If a pack is run right, even the smallest of the pack could be the strongest." I said and smiled. "I was the smallest of my pack."

Amara's head snapped up and she missed her mouth with her spoonful of stew. She blushed and picked up her napkin and wiped her chin.

"I don't see you being the smallest of anything, you're quite..well.."

"Massive?" I asked with a chuckle. "You should have seen my father, He'd have made you look like a  house cat."

"So you aren't from this pack?" She asked

"No, I'm not. My entire pack was wiped out.." I said solemnly.

"Your..whole family?" She asked sadly and looked down. "I'm so sorry.."

"No need to apologize. Life happens. The alpha of this pack found me outside the territory wounded, and brought me here. I was hesitant to be a part of this pack but they grew on me."

"That was nice of him to help you.." Amara said. "What happened to him?"

"She, was very nice when she wanted to be. Could also be quite the pain in the arse.. She was murdered years ago.." I said bitterly.

Amara frowned.

"She..was your mate wasn't she?"

"Aye." I replied and sipped at my water.

"Was it that man you mentioned earlier...Gold, who murdered her?" She asked, curiously.

The entire table fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Amara looked around nervously.

"He is no man, he is a demon." I snarled.

Amara sat back in her chair with her eyes widened.

"I..I'm sorry it was just a question. I didn't me-"

"Do not speak his name in my house!" I snapped and stood from the table before storming away.

------------------------------------------------

It was at least an hour later before I heard Amara walking down the hall towards the room. She stopped in front of the door and I could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Something was changing within her, When she was first brought here, she was loud and incredibly opinionated, but right now, she was more..tame? Was that the right word? This morning when I told her to go inside, she went and at the dinner table instead of yelling back, or being the sarcastic little thing I knew her as she was very apologetic, and afraid. Its not exactly what I wanted, I liked how she challenged me, I loved it even. She was a free spirit and she did as she pleased and I admired it. I only wanted her to love me, the way I was beginning to love her, the last thing I wanted was her to fear me, but this had to mean something. Was she accepting me as her Alpha subconsciously?

"You can come in, I won't bite..hard, anyways." I said. The door opened and she poked her head in.

"When I said you could come in, I meant all of you." I smiled.

She stepped in the room with a bowl of stew in her hands.

"You didn't finish, I thought you might be hungry." She said and set it down on my table before trying to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I think maybe its best I give you some space." She shrugged. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to give me space, I should be the one to apologize. You don't know anything about Gold, or what he's done, I shouldn't have expected you to know how much I hate that man..and everything he and his name bring me."

"So.. he did do it?" She asked.

I nodded and sat down.

"Milah..she was half breed. She was turned by the Alpha who came before her when she stumbled into the territory. You see.. Milah was Golds wife and she was miserable with him, so she asked to be turned to be free of him. She asked for her son to be turned as well but as you know we don't turn children. Milah was perhaps the strongest of half breeds I'd ever met and this pack could tell you tales of her before I came around, she gained the respect of the pack and became Alpha after her predecessor, was struck down by one of Golds men."

I paused and looked at Amara who was hanging onto every word I spoke.

"When Milah and I realized we were mates..it was like fire on gasoline. I loved her.. And her son, who snuck off to visit quite often...I loved him too like he was my own. When Gold found out where his son was going and he saw Milah and I together he went mad with rage." My eyes welled over with tears and Amara scooted closer to me.

"We were expecting. I was going to be a father. Milah was restless and I foolishly let her run on her own one evening. I Knew something was wrong within the hour. So I went out looking, when I heard the gunshot, I knew I was too late but I ran anyways and when I found her, she was already gone and his scent was all over her."

Amara had tears running down her cheeks, just as I did mine. It had been a while since I told anyone this story.

"What of her son?" Amara asked.

"Gold told Baelfire that his mother was dead, and that I was responsible for it and being the young lad he was.. He believed it. I tried to tell him otherwise but he was so overcome with grief at the loss of his mother that he wouldn't hear it. He told me he never wanted to see me again..and I haven't seen him since."

I didn't expect what happened next, but Amara threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I embraced her. Holding her tight, remembering the last time anything felt this right was when I held Milah. I buried- my face into her shoulder letting all the pain I'd held onto, out and she let me. Her hands ran over my back soothingly, and I felt at that moment it would kill me to be away from this woman.

"Please.. Don't leave me." I begged her.

Amara pulled back, wiping her eyes, there was a look of fear in her eyes, but it wasn't me she was afraid of, it was something else. But what? She cleared her throat.

"I.. Um.."

I knew that perhaps I went too far too fast.

"I'm sorry, I had a bit of rum before you came in.." I mumbled.

"Oh.. yeah. It will do that. I guess.." She said awkwardly and stepped away from me and stretched.

"I'm.. a little tired I think I'll turn in." She said.

"I think I'll do the same after I finish this stew.." I said and scratched behind my ear.

"Yeah.." She said quietly. "Well.. anyways." She added before she turned around, with every step she took away from me, I felt a dull throb in my chest, and the way she tensed every few steps, I knew then, she felt it too.

So why did she keep walking?