"Are you coming with me this morning? Or do you want me to find someone for you to stay with while I go on my morning run?" Alexandre asked, rubbing my arm. It was still relatively early in the morning; the sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon. I groaned, sitting up.

"I'll go with you." I rubbed my eyes, running my fingers through my messy hair.

"I like to hear that." He sat up, throwing the covers off of us. The frigid air made me want to pull the large duvet back over my nude body.

"It's too cold," I whined; Alexandre got to his feet, digging through his suitcase, he chunked one of his hoodies at me. I pulled the sweatshirt to my face, breathing in his calming scent. He put on some sweats himself and then picked through my bag, handing me a pair of sweatpants.

"Hurry up, little one, I'm going to use the bathroom really quick." He walked into the ensuite bathroom. I pulled his hoodie over my head, I drowned in the fabric, feeling cozy. Winston absolutely loved the feeling of wearing our mate's scent.

Once we were dressed and ready to go, we began our way outside. It looked as if a storm had passed by earlier this morning, the ground was still wet, and the air smelled like fresh rain. There were other Alpha's already weaving through the tree's growling at one another.

"Just remember to stay in front of me." Alexandre murmured in my ear so only I could hear.

We both shifted and began to run around the border of the pack. I was in my own little world, enjoying the feeling of a different area. Winston was excited to be somewhere new, digging his paws into the mud of foreign territory. I hadn't realized that I had gotten so far ahead of Alexandre until I heard his growl, making me stop in my tracks. My ears splayed, I lowered my head in submission to Alexandre as he caught up to me.

"You need to slow down little one, we're not the only ones here." Alexandre linked to me, brushing up against my side, marking me with his scent.

"Sorry, it just feels nice to be out and about. I think the long plane ride made me feel too cooped up." I explained. Alexandre and I began to walk together at the same pace this time.

"I understand, you can do that when we're at home, and not as many enemies are around." He rubbed up against my side.

"Okay." I dipped my head down again.

"Be mindful of where I'm at, stay in front of me, and don't stray too far. I don't want you to get. If you can't hear my breathing or my steps, you're too far ahead." He let me get in front of him again.

He did this to have a broader range of our surroundings to ensure I was safe. Being behind me, let him see in front of both of us, the sides around me, and if someone were to attack him, I would be able to get away quickly. It was a defense tactic to ensure my safety and give him peace of mind.

We continued trailing the border of Abram's land for around an hour before Alexandre told me we needed to get back to our room and get ready for the first meeting. While we were walking back to Abram's packhouse. Alexandre barked at me, catching my attention; I peered back at my mate. I didn't notice the sizeable blonde wolf barreling his way toward me.

The wolf tackled me down to the ground, biting down on my shoulder blade, making me yelp. It only took a brief second for me to react. I rolled us around, so I was at an advantage. I swiped my talon at the intruder's face marring the skin from his eye to his jaw. The Alpha shifted, grabbing onto my fur, yanking on it. I snarled at the man shifting back. I balled up my fist, slamming my fist into the Alpha's nose, feeling the bone crack under my fingers. He tried to gain control over me. All of the training Alexandre put me through proved to work just as well.

"Get this fucking Omega off of me!" The man shouted, trying to slap my hands away.

"Next time, don't deliberately try to attack someone," Alexandre explained, leaning up against a tree, obviously enjoying the show. "Did it make you feel like a big man when you attacked a 'poor helpless Omega?'"

I decked him one more time in the eye, making sure that it would have a nice bruise for at least a couple of days. I climbed off of the Alpha, crossing my arms, furrowing my brows at the man.

"He's nothing but a nuisance, you're parading him around like he's this gem. In reality, he's just scum." The man spat, his face red with anger.

"Are you mad you got beaten up by an Omega, Ethan? Did it bruise your little ego?" Alexandre taunted, pulling me to his chest. Ethan only bared his teeth at Alexandre. "Did you really think I would bring my mate to a meeting with all Alpha's if he couldn't defend himself? I'm not a fucking idiot." Alexandre began to shake with anger. I placed my hand on his chest, trying to calm him. I knew it would only end up in a fight that didn't need to happen.

"C'mon Xandre, let's go back to the packhouse." I laced my fingers through his, trying to pull him away from the man.

"Yeah, listen to your bitch." Ethan growled.

"The fuck did you just call my mate?" Alexandre growled at the Alpha that was still on the ground.

The man laughed, "I called him a bitch. Do you need your ears cleaned out?"

"C'mon Xandre, he's not worth it. If you do anything, he'll just say he was attacked by you." I sneered at the man still on the ground. "I think the justification of him getting some bruises and scratches from me is enough." I tugged on my mates hand, this time successfully pulling him away.

"Just you wait, Reid, I'll be challenging you when we're allowed." The man shouted at our turned backs.

"You're not hurt, are you?" Alexandre asked, wrapping his arm around my bare waist.

"I'm fine; my side hurts a little, and my stomach is in a knot, I think I'm alright." Alexandre rubbed my side gently.

"Do you think you need to get looked at?" Concern laced his voice.

I shook my head, "I think I'm fine right now."

"Just let me know, little one." He kissed the top of my head. The gesture made me blush. I loved it when he was concerned for my well being, the gentle touches he gave me. It made it worth it all.

---

"We're being looked at like we drowned a pup," Alexandre felt the awkward tension in the room. Breakfast was being served, the space was relatively empty still.

"I mean, I wonder what lies that pompous asshole said spewed out of his mouth." I shuffled the eggs around my plate; they looked awfully unappetizing. I opted for the toast on my plate instead.

"Well, the rumor is, you tried to 'seduce' Ethan Berger, his ego was always too big to fit in this room. I feel bad for his poor mate. He probably thinks since he's well endowed, he 'pleasures' her." A lady pulled out her chair and sat down cross-legged. Her cheekbones were strong, nose straight, hair shaved short, she looked like a model. She grabbed my hands, "My name is Amahle, I've heard a lot about you already." She gave me a bright smile.

"August." I returned her smile.

"So what happened earlier, I don't believe his little story of you seducing him, and I'll skip the graphic details he put in there." She rolled her eyes.

"What did he have to say about my mate?" Alexandre snapped.

"Well, I would prefer not to say, it was quite terrible, and I don't think a fight needs to break out this soon. We'll just leave it as Ethan has been telling everyone that your mate has been trying to seduce him. He seems really upset, though, so I thought I would like to hear what actually happened." She smiled, rubbing her thumbs over the top of my hands.

"Well, he ran into me while Xandre and I were out doing our morning run."

"He attacked my mate." Alexandre cut me off. "Then my mate beat his ass. That's why he has the bruising and the claw marks on his face."

"Oh, he kept saying that it was you that decked him a few times in the face. Then you got so upset you got him in the face with your talon." Ahmale laughed. "So you're saying, he got his ass handed to him by an Omega?"

"I wouldn't have taken August here if he didn't know how to defend himself. Yeah, he wouldn't win a fight, but he sure as hell would leave a mark. Just as he did, my talons are not that small." Alexandre smirked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close to his flank.

"Well, personally, I couldn't fight off an Alpha, so you're a lot stronger than I am." Ahmale, let go of my hands. "I think it's time for me to spread the truth because I don't like seeing that jackass smug like he won something." She rolled her eyes.

"It was nice meeting you. I wish to speak with you soon, maybe tomorrow evening, the Alpha's are supposed to have a meeting, so it'll just be us, poor damsel, in distresses, doing whatever we want." Her eyes met mine, her almost black orbs drew me in. "Normally, the High Ranked Luna is supposed to have a tea party while the Alpha's do their usual bickering, but it seems like Abram still hasn't found his destined mate." She sighed. "I usually love the little get together, it's where the best gossip happens."

"Well, if we're allowed to do what we want, do you think they would allow us in the kitchens?" I asked, excited to cook in a different kitchen. Something always thrilled me about it. "I really think baking would take my mind off of some things."

"Normally, I think only Omega's are back there, but if we ask Alpha Abram tonight, I think he'll make an exception to have others back there. I think I might ask a few people to come and help me as well. Maybe we can all bake something. Get a little taste of the world." Ahmale beamed, her excitement was infectious, making me feel giddy myself.

"I'm sure he'll let you guys do it." Alexandre rubbed my shoulder, comforting me.

Brantley sat down at the table, his arms were tightly wrapped around his torso, "Hi Ahmale." He quietly said.

"Hello, Brantley. How have you and Aasira been?" She shifted her attention to the submissive.

"We've been doing alright, we're trying for a pup." His lips turned upwards.

"That's really good to hear, love, I've quite missed you and Aasira lately. You two are always fun to hang out with."

I turned my attention away from the two and began to focus on finishing my breakfast so I could go back to our room. I was already feeling a little tired, and I felt like I needed a nap. I felt more than tired lately, no matter the amount of sleep I had gotten. I think my nerves had entirely overtaken my everyday life, anxious that something would happen to Alexandre while we were here, or even at home.

The thought of Alexandre getting hurt only made me feel nauseous. With me here, he had a big target on his forehead. I could only imagine what they've actually been saying about me; nothing positive came from those thoughts.

"Babe, get out of that little head of yours, you've barely touched your breakfast." In reality, the thought of eating right now made me queasy.

"I'm full," I pushed the plate away from me.

"You only ate your toast, little one. We just did a hefty workout. You need to eat to regain energy." He grabbed my place and pulled it back in front of me.

"I'm not hungry though, I'm fine." I looked him in the eyes, pursing my lips at him.

"Oh, don't give me that look, you need to eat something other than toast." He grabbed my plate and pulled it back in front of me. "Now, eat."

I rolled my eyes, grabbing my fork. I jabbed the sausage and brought the pork to my mouth. "Happy?" I asked with a mouth full, grinning, showing my full mouth to him.

"What are you, five?" Alexandre chuckled, continuing his meal himself.

"And a half," I added cheekily, his grin only widened, shaking his head on how ridiculous I was being.

A/N: *grabs popcorn* Y'all gonna make assumptions, some will be right some will be wrong. *coughs*

 I'm glad y'all like Harman, he's a sweetie, not a bad bone in his body. 

Also, who else is proud of our chicken nugget whoopin' an alpha's ass? I'm super proud.