5

Ana awoke early the next morning. She quickly stripped and took a hot shower; she knew werewolves had a great nose so she wanted to smell good since she'd be around more than a hundred of them. Her chest tightened from anxiety at the thought, but she was also excited; she wanted to know more about Jack, to see into his world.

After she showered Ana wrapped her hair in curlers in an attempt to make her naturally wavy hair more defined and under control. She pulled on black shorts and a silky, dark green tank top with thin straps. She went back to the bathroom to apply some light make up, deodorant and a small spritz of perfume before heading back to her room.

She was too impatient to let her hair fry naturally, so she used her blow drier to speed up the process. Satisfied with the result, she headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. She could hear Jack in the living room on the phone, so she decided to just start cooking. She had just set out their plates and poured them a drink- a glass of orange juice for her and milk for him, as per usual- when he walked in.

"Sorry about that, I was talking to Eric about today" Jack said, then stopped when he saw Ana. "You look nice" he said.

Ana's face flushed and she looked down, pretending to be focused on her food. "Thanks" she said shyly before taking a bite of pancake. Jack sat next to her.

"You got me milk?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, that's usually what you drink. Did you want something else?" Ana asked.

"No, I was just surprised you picked up on that" he said sounding pleased before digging into his pancakes. They ate quietly for a while until Jack finally broke the silence. "I was thinking we head to the Pack house after we eat? Everyone should just be done eating when we get there so it would be the best time to introduce you, I think."

"That sounds good" Ana replied. They finished their meal and Ana washed dishes while Jack got ready. She finished before him so she waited for him in one of the living room chairs, playing on her phone while she waited.

"Alright, I'm ready" he said shortly after, walking into the room. He was dressed in black jeans and a tight gray t-shirt. His hair was damp and pulled back at the nape of his neck. Ana blushed and averted her eyes; he was really handsome, and his tight shirt made her mind wander.

"Me too" Ana said standing from the couch. They both pulled on their boots and headed to the Jag. They drove for what seemed like an eternity before they finally got to the woods where the Pack resided, Ana's stomach fluttering with nerves and anticipation.

The Pack grounds were several miles into the forest, but once they pulled into the driveway, Ana knew why. The Pack house was massive and resembled a log cabin. The siding was brown with a darker roof. The base was made of stone with stone steps leading to the front door. Smaller houses were scattered around the Pack house, circling the back of it.

Jack got out of the car and Ana followed, completely awestruck. "What do you think?" Jack asked.

"It's huge!" Ana replied, earning a chuckle from Jack.

"Yes well, it does house roughly one hundred wolves."

"Fair point."

"Come on" Jack said, leading her down the driveway and up the stone steps. They walked into the mansion- Ana refused to call it a house- and were immediately greeted by shouting from another room. Jack led her through the entryway and down the hall. "That's the common room, a few bathrooms, the cinema, the kitchen" Jack listed the rooms on the main floor as they passed them, stopping after the kitchen. "They are all in the caf, which is where everyone eats. Are you ready?

Ana took a deep breath before nodding. They rounded the corner and the room fell silent as they noticed them. The caf was huge, with white walls, and resembled a high school cafeteria with tables scattered all over the room and a buffet lined one wall, which looked into the kitchen which was currently empty.

"You made it!" Eric said, standing from his spot at the center most table and walking over to Jack and Ana, who was immensely happy to see a familiar face. He gave her a hug, lifting her off the ground in the process which caused her to giggle as she hugged him back.

"Hey Eric" she said when he set her down.

"Ready to meet the dogs?" Eric asked, earning a few protests from the others.

Three young men walked over to them. They looked to be about twenty and their features were almost identical. "So, this is the little girl you've kept from us?" one of them asked.

"She's a cutie" another said, winking at her. The third blew her a kiss, and she blushed at all the attention.

"Back off you three" Jack scolded.

"The biggest dogs of all" Eric said, shaking his head but smiling.

"Oh, we are definitely the biggest" one of the boys said, earning him a smack upside the head from Eric.

"Down boy" Eric said to him. The boy growled at him playfully.

"You're all making a horrible first impression, you know" Jack said. "Ana, this is the Hark trio. They are triplets."

"It's nice to meet you" Ana replied.

"You too, cutie" one of the Hark brothers said, winking. Eric again smacked him upside the head.

"Go back to your seat" Eric commanded. The brothers complained but followed orders.

"They seem nice" Ana said.

"You don't have to say that, they are a pain. I promise most of my Pack isn't like that" Jack said, rubbing his temples. Ana giggled which earned her a smile from Jack. "Let's continue introductions. Don't feel back if you don't remember everyone yet, there are a lot of names." Ana nodded and followed Jack as he led her to the table where Eric had been sitting. "This is the head table, it's where I usually sit along with my closest members. Eric sits to my right as my second in command, my Beta. Usually my Beta and I's families would sit with us, but neither of our families are with us, so we invite different pack members to sit with us each day." Ana nodded a greeting to each member as Jack introduced them.

They headed to the next table. "I thought you'd forget about me" an elderly woman said, though her kind face took the bite out of the comment.

"I could never forget you Gram" Jack said, kissing the woman's head. "Ana, this is Gram, that's what everyone calls her. She practically raised Eric and I, along with many other orphans from the pack. She's like a mother to me."

"It's nice to meet you, child" Gram said, taking Ana's hand and smiling warmly at her. Ana held her hand and smiled back. Gram had long white hair that was twisted in a neat braid. Her eyes were dark brown and her face was covered in deep lines. She gave off a calm, loving aura, but Ana could tell she held a wellful amount of knowledge and wisdom as well.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Gram" Ana said with a smile. Gram gave her hand another squeeze before letting it go.

"This is Mary, she took over fostering the orphans of the pack after Gram retired" Jack said, motioning to the woman sitting next to Gram. Mary also had a kind face, with deep brown hair which was streaked with white, and pulled back in a bun at the nape of her neck. Lines were staring to form around her mouth and kind, dark brown eyes.

"It's nice to finally meet you" she said, smiling at Ana.

"You too" Ana replied with a smile of her own. Jack continued introductions, going around the room, being sure to address every member of his Pack. Ana couldn't help but smile, everyone was so nice and it warmed her heart to have them all accept her so easily. Jack also seemed more at ease around his Pack; Ana could see he cared deeply for each one of them. They were a family, that much was obvious.

The last table they stopped at was full of women. Jack introduced them all and each regarded her with a look of disgust, but plastered a fake smile on their face. "And this is Hannah." Jack said the last name hesitantly, as if he was unsure about how to speak to her.

"It's so nice to meet you!" Hannah said, overly enthusiastically. Ana could tell she was only pretending to be nice, but she smiled back anyway.

"You too" she said. Hannah was very pretty, with sandy blond hair and blue eyes and copper skin. Even though she was sitting Ana could tell she was tall with an athletic build, but she was still curvy. Ana was a little jealous, especially when Hannah looked at Jack with lust in her eyes.

"How are you today, Alpha?" she asked, too sweetly.

"I am well, and you?" he replied.

"I'm peachy!" she said, giving Ana a quick but deadly look.

"Glad to hear it. You girls have a good day, I'm going to finish giving Ana a tour of the grounds." Jack turned and led Ana out of the room, but not before Ana glimpsed Hannah's death glare directed at her. She wondered if Hannah liked Jack and was jealous of her, not that she had any reason to me. Hannah was gorgeous, and Ana was just so plain. She sighed, which earned her a look from Jack.

"You okay? I'm sure that was rather overwhelming" he said sounding slightly concerned.

"No, I'm fine. Everyone seems really nice." Except Hannah she thought, but she kept that to herself. "You said you'd give me a tour?"

"Of course," he replied. He showed her the other rooms on the bottom floor since she didn't get a good look earlier. The living room, or common room as he referred to it as, was also huge. The walls were tan with dark brown couches facing three large, flat screen televisions on one wall, each hooked up to game consoles. Another wall was all windows, looking out at some of the other Pack houses and the dense woods they lived in. On the other side of the room were tables stacked with board games and packs of cards, matching chairs around each.

The next room Jack showed her was the kitchen, which was also massive. Inside were several stoves, fridges, tons of counter space and cupboards. There was a half wall on one side to fill the buffet in the caf. There were multiple sinks and washing machines as well, which made Ana happy; she couldn't imagine washing all of those dishes by hand. There was an island with stools in the center, Jack said that's where the cooks sit to take breaks. Apparently, they rotate who cooks since it's such a huge job, and they start hours before everyone eats.

Jack showed her the two downstairs bathroom, they were communal and everyone took turns cleaning them, but everyone had their own bathroom in their bedrooms so they weren't used often. Next, he took Ana upstairs, telling her who stayed on each floor. When they reached the top floor, Jack showed her his study, which was similar to Demetri's but a bit messier. They passed Eric's room before Jack opened a different door towards the end of the hallway.

Ana stepped inside the large, dark green bedroom. A King-sized bed sat in the middle covered in green and brown bedding. There were windows on either side of the bed, brown curtains covering them. The bedframe was made out of dark wood, along with the beside tables and dresser which was on one side of the room next to a large, walk in closet. On the other side of the room there was another door which led to a large bathroom which included a jacuzzi tub.

"Is this your room?" Ana asked. She'd never been in his room at the other house before, so she didn't know what to expect.

"Yes, it is" Jack replied. Ana walked over to one of the windows and pulled back the curtain; from this high she could see over the Pack lands and through the dense woods. She let the curtain fall back into place and walked over to his dresser which had a few framed photos on it. One was of a younger looking Gram and a group of boys. Next to that was one of Jack and Eric as children, their arms around each other's shoulders and big smiles on their faces. Ana smiled seeing how close the two men used to be.

Two of the photos were of people Ana hadn't seen. One was a man hugging a very pregnant woman. The last was of that same couple, this time with a baby in the woman's arms. "Who are they? I don't recognize them" Ana asked. Jack pick up one of the photos and smiled sadly at it.

"My parents" he said.

"What happened to them?" Ana asked without thinking. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to" she quickly added, not wanting to upset him.

"My father was the Alpha of this Pack, and my mother was his Luna. They were perfect mates, and leaders; everyone loved them. Our Pack wasn't as big back then, and we ended up going to war with a neighboring pack when I was only two. My parents lost their lives, along with many others, including Eric's parents. The two Packs decided to combine, anyone who didn't want to join left, but most stayed. It took some time, but the Packs eventually started living in peace. I was the next Alpha in line, but I was too young, so we had a temporary leader until I turned eighteen. That was seven years ago, and we have since grown even larger. It's a huge responsibility, but I wouldn't trade it for the world."

Ana listened to Jack's story, tearing up. She wiped her eyes and sniffled. Jack was so strong, he'd been through so much, but he was a terrific leader and she could tell how much he loved his pack, and they loved and respected him. He had opened up to her, so Ana felt she should do the same. "I lost my father when I was only four, he died in a car crash. My mom raised me by herself until she lost a battle with cancer when I was eighteen."

"I'm sorry for your loss. I wish I could have met her, I bet she was an amazing woman to have raised such a wonderful daughter." Ana blushed at his compliment, but smiled at the thought of her mother.

"She was amazing."

"Enough of the sad, I have one last room I want to show you. I saved the best for last." Ana tilted her head, intrigued. "Come on" Jack said, leading her out of his bedroom and to the door at the end of the hall. "Ready?" he asked, grinning. Ana nodded and he pushed open the thick double doors.

Ana gasped. Inside was a massive, multi-level library. You couldn't tell what color the walls were since they were lined top to bottom with cherrywood bookshelves. There were tables and plush chairs to sit at. One area on the bottom floor housed roughly twenty computers with a printer on a shelf near them. "It's beautiful" Ana breathed. "How did you know this would be my favorite room?"

"You're always reading, so I figured you liked books" Jack admitted, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Ana smiled widely.

"I love them" she said.

"Go ahead, feel free to look through and see what we have. I'm sure you're about ready for a new book anyway." Ana smiled and ran to the bookshelves, scouring them for new and interesting titles. Jack chuckled. "I'm going to see how everyone is doing, take your time." Ana nodded and faintly heard him leave, too engrossed in the books.

She spent the next who-knowns-how-long in the library. She had a stack of books on one of the tables; she had only searched a few of the levels, being sure to check every single book on that level, before deciding she had enough for now. She knew she'd have to come back and search the rest of the kevels for more books another time, but she had her hands fun for now. She was reading one of the books she had chosen while sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs when Eric emerged.

"I knew you'd love it in here, you little book worm" he teased.

Ana smiled, unfazed. She was far too happy to care about anything at the moment. "It's amazing" she said, still in awe of the beautiful library.

"It's dinner time, you've been in here for most of the day" Eric stated.

"It's really that late?" Ana said, surprised. Her stomach growled and she realized just how hungry she was from not eating all day.

"Yes, now let's go eat." Ana nodded, leaving her book on the table; she would have to come back to get them before leaving. "Why did no one come get me earlier? I haven't seen anyone in the library all day."

"Jack instructed them to leave you alone while you enjoyed the library" Eric replied as they walked back towards the caf.

"Really?" Ana asked. "That's really nice of him." A blush crept across her face, and Eric didn't miss it.

"He's a charmer" Eric said with a wink, causing Ana to blush even more. They walked into the caf where which was almost full. Ana looked around but didn't see Jack anywhere.

"Where's Jack?" Ana asked. Eric shrugged.

Ana looked around again, catching the eye od Hannah who glared at her from across the room. Ana shook it off, trying not to let it bother her while she continued to look for Jack. Her search didn't last long, he stumbled into the caf shortly after her and Eric with four kids latched onto him.

"Alright we're here, rides over" Jack said, earning protests from the kids. "Ana you made it, good. You need to eat" he said, making his way over to where Ana and Eric stood. "Thanks for finding her."

"No problem, I know how she gets with books" Eric said, grinning at Ana who simply blushed.

"You're Jacky's friend, right?" one of the kids asked, running up to Ana. The other three followed, all looking up at her expectantly.

"Yes, I am" she replied, earing her grins from all four. They jumped on her, hugging her legs and waist.

"You're pretty" one of them said, the youngest girl.

"Thank you" Ana said with a smile and a slight blush.

Jack chuckled at the children's antics. "Ana these are Lucian and Maria's kids, Lucian is one of my best warriors and Maria is one of the cooks. There's Emma and Kyle, they're twins and are almost three." The two small children at her legs beamed up at Ana as Jack introduced them. "The older two are also twins, Jacob and Lucy, they're five." The older two grinned, hugging Ana's waist. "They weren't at breakfast this morning, their dad took them exploring, so you didn't get to meet them."

"It's nice to meet you all, I'm glad you're here for dinner" Ana said, rubbing the top of Lucy and Jacob's heads. The four of them giggled, hugging her tighter.

"Alright, it's time to go find your seats" Jack said, prying the children off of Ana. They all pouted but did as they were told, calling back to Ana as they ran to sit with their father.

"They're sweet" Ana said, smiling after the kids.

"That they are" Jack agreed. "You need to eat though." He led her to the buffet where she piled potatoes, pasta salad, chicken and corn onto her plate, grabbed a glass of water and followed Jack back to the center table.

"Is it ok if I sit here?" Ana asked, nervous that the others may get mad.

"It's fine" Jack replied, patting the seat next to him. "Now sit and eat." Ana did as he said and started digging into her meal, which was delicious, she cleared her plate before everyone else; she hadn't realized how hungry she was.

"You sure can eat, where do you put it all?" one of the males at the table asked, Ana vaguely remembered Jack introducing him as Austin, one of his warriors. Ana blushed, feeling self-conscious that she ate so quickly.

"That's what happens when you spend all day reading" Eric teased.

"I should have had someone bring you lunch" Jack said, eyeing her empty plate. "Are you still hungry?"

"No, I am stuffed, thank you. It was delicious."

"Thanks, my wife helped cook today" Austin replied, grinning proudly. Ana smiled, relationships in the Pack seemed very strong, she guessed that had to do with the mate thing, which she didn't really understand. She decided to ask Jack about it later.

Diner passed quickly, and loudly, Jack was right when he said living with over a hundred people was noisy, but Ana didn't mind. The noise was comforting, as if she was surrounded by loved ones. After dinner, Ana insisted on helping clean up, which the cooks happily accepted. She got to meet Maria, and Austin's wife, Susan. Both women were extremely nice and thanked Ana for helping.

"We appreciate you helping out, Ana, you didn't have to" Maria told her.

"I'm happy to help" Ana said, smiling. "I cook all the meals at home, though Jack usually helps with the dishes."

"You cook? You're more than welcome to help us anytime you'd like" Susan said.

"Thank you, I may take you up on that offer, I love to cook" Ana replied, smiling. "I have a question."

"What is it?" Maria asked.

"Why does that girl Hannah seem to hate me?" The women seemed nice and Ana really wanted to know why someone she just met seemed to despise her already. Maria and Susan shared a look.

"That may be a question to ask Jack" Susan said hesitantly.

"Don't pay her any mind though. Her and her posse aren't anything to fret over. They aren't even from our Pack."

"They aren't? Where did they come from?"

"They came back with Jack and the others after his visit in Pennsylvania, with the Greyhound Pack" Maria explained. "We were very happy to see Jack back home, it had been too long. Eric did a wonderful job filling in for him though."

"You missed me that much?" Jack asked from the doorway. He smiled and stepped into the room.

"Of course, we did" Susan replied, smiling back at him. "Why have you been hiding this lovely lady, by the way? Wanted to keep her all to yourself?" Jack raised his hands in defense, but he continued to smile.

"You caught me. I was actually coming to see if you were ready to go home, Ana" Jack replied.

"Yeah, but I need to grab my books first." Ana said good bye to Susan and Maria, promising to come back again soon, then headed to the library to grab her books. Jack helped her carry them to the car and then they were on their way back to his house. "Everyone is so nice" Ana said. Jack nodded.

"I'm glad you had a good time" he said, smiling as he drove.

"I have a question. Earlier you talked about mates, and I was wondering, what exactly does that mean?"

Jack was quiet for a moment, he looked shocked and nervous; Ana wondered why. He eventually spoke, though it seemed hesitant. "Mates are essentially a werewolf's soulmate. They are said to be our one true partner, made just for us by our Goddess. The mate pull is almost impossible to resist, but it can happen. Mates can reject one another, though losing a mate, even just from rejection, is painful. Some wolves don't even life through it."

"That's intense" Ana replied.

Jack nodded in agreement. "Wolves usually find their mate when they turn eighteen, but not always. If your mate isn't in your Pack, it can be hard to find them. Some wolves never find their mate, and sometime their mate dies before they meet them. That's what happened to Gram, which is why she became a foster mother for the orphans in the Pack. Most wolves don't date, it complicates things if they find their mate. Occasionally two people who have both lost their mates or been rejected will form a relationship. Sometimes they are even gifted with finding a second mate, though that is extremely rare."

Ana nodded, fascinated with the idea of a literal soulmate. "You haven't found a mate yet?" Jack was quiet for a while and Ana wondered if he had found her but lost her. She was about to take back her question when he finally answered. "No one in my pack or the Greyhound pack is my mate." That meant he hadn't found her yet. Ana sighed in relief; she had been worried she upset him.

"I'm sure you will eventually" she said, patting his knee. Jack tensed at the contact and Ana drew her hand away. "Sorry" she said.

"It's okay, you just startled me" Jack replied, a forced smile on his face. Stupid Ana thought.

Jack had been taken aback by Ana's question about mates, and he was at a loss when she asked if he had found his. His reply hadn't been a lie, but he couldn't tell her the truth yet. He cursed himself at tensing from her touch, but it sent an electric shock through him that made him want to touch her back. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, trying to focus. Her scent was filling his car and making it difficult to resist her; the more time they spent together, the stronger the mate pull became. He knew he couldn't fight it much longer, he had to tell her the truth and soon. Just not yet. He needed a little more time, and so did she, to get to know him and his Pack a bit more. He didn't want to drop the bomb until she knew what being a werewolf meant, she'd be their Luna after all.

They pulled into the driveway and Jack helped Ana carry her books to her room. She hadn't said anything since the car ride and Jack was afraid he hurt her feelings. She wouldn't even look at him. "Ana" he said, but only got a mumble in response. "Ana" he said again, a bit more forceful this time. He tilted her chin up to look at him and the sadness in her eyes broke his heart. He had been the cause. He wrapped her in a hug, holding her tightly against him. "I'm sorry, you didn't do anything wrong, just startled me is all."

"Are you sure?" she asked in a muffled voice.

"I'm sure" he replied. He pulled away and looked down at her, she actually met his eyes this time. "You should rest, you look tired." As if to agree Ana let out a jaw breaking yawn, which made Jack chuckle. "Bed time, little girl" he said, kissing the top of her head. He let her go and walked to her door. "Good night" he said before reluctantly leaving her room and walking to his own. He could still feel her against him, could smell her on him, and it was driving him crazy, but he had to control himself. He changed into sweats but left his shirt on, falling asleep to her intoxicating aroma.