"I have something to show you," Almec told Faustina and me as he passed by the art room.

I was already getting used to the new side of him, I even liked him much more than when he tried to hide from us. Regardless of whether it was because he already felt comfortable with us or because the absence of others made him open up, I enjoyed seeing him be genuine.

The only problem was that the more I saw about the real Almec the more I wanted to get closer to him.

I was becoming addicted to his presence.

"Why does the door have your name?" Faustina asked after we arrived at the place.

Almec took a key out of his pocket. "Because it's my special place."

"Like my art room?" My sister tilted her head.

"Something like that. I finished preparing the room a few days ago and I thought you might like to see it." Almec opened the door and moved to the side so we could get inside.

A memory of the dinner we had alone on the balcony came back to me. I smiled thinking about how insecure Almec had seemed talking about what he liked to do and months later he was showing us his blacksmith room.

"It's beautiful," I told Almec, approaching him. "I'm glad to know that you're not going to have to run away to town to do what you like to do anymore."

"I always wanted to have one in the mansion but I thought it would distract me from my obligations as an alpha. After these last few months I spent with you two I realized that it is possible for me to be happy too."

I wasn't sure I deserved those words, but they made me feel valuable. Knowing that somehow my presence was enough to help Almec be happy gave me back some of my confidence.

"You deserve to be happy as much as anyone else, being the alpha doesn't make you a machine without feelings." I put my hand on his chest and smiled at him. "We received a lot from you, I think it's time for you to make time for yourself."

Almec held my hand that was on his chest, brought it to his mouth, and placed a kiss on it.

"I would like to share my happiness with you, so, will you stay with me this afternoon?" he asked.

"With great pleasure." I moved my hand away before the heat spread to my face. "First, I think we should see what Faustina is doing, she is very quiet and that only means trouble."

Almec held my hand and guided me to the center of the room. Most of the objects in the room were unknown to me, my knowledge of blacksmithing was almost zero so I didn't understand what I had in front of me.

I wasn't the only one disoriented, Faustina had a tweezer in her hand and was looking at it as if she wanted to decipher an enigma.

"What are you doing?" I asked her from behind her without her seeing me.

She threw the tool on the table and hid her hands behind her back.

"Nothing, I was just looking around."

"You can look but don't touch anything without permission," I told her and looked towards Almec. "You could get hurt if you're not careful."

"Your sister is right," he commented, searching for something in the drawers on the shelf. "I figured you might get a little bored here so I brought some materials and food for you."

Faustina and I exchanged glances and she motioned for me to move first.

On a small table, next to some armchairs and beanbags, Almec had left art supplies and books of my favorite genres, there were also snacks and drinks. I was not surprised that he had taken those details into account anymore, it had become clear to me a long time ago that Almec was a caregiver and a protector by nature.

"You can use that area to entertain yourself while I do my thing." He shrugged. "Or you can stay next to me if you want, but be careful not to be too close for safety."

The powerful alpha looked so adorable as he played with his hands without looking up from the ground. It was easy to see that he wanted someone to stay next to him but at the same time he didn't want to ask us that.

"I'm going with you," I said.

He looked up at me and a shy smile appeared on his face. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something but in the end he shook his head and started walking towards a large table that was near the forge.

"You can sit there," he said, pointing to a chair.

"What are you going to do today?" I asked, settling into my seat.

"Why don't you try to guess?" Almec rolled up his shirt sleeves and tied his hair. "I'm finishing some pieces I started yesterday."

"I'll try my best, but don't expect much from me on this one." I rested my elbow on the arm of the chair and leaned my head on the palm of my hand. "Don't complain when I look at you too much, I'll just be trying to win your challenge."

Almec turned towards me and smirked. "I don't mind, you can watch all you want."

The way he smiled at me, full of confidence, and how his muscles flexed as he grabbed the tools made my brain short-circuit. I didn't know how to react, I wanted to get closer to him, touch him, and at the same time I was seduced by the idea of taking my cell phone out of my pocket and secretly taking a photo of him.

In the end I didn't do any of that, instead, I sat with my cheeks flushed and unable to take my eyes off him.

"Were you able to communicate with your wolf once again?" Almec asked.

I looked at him confused for a second, my mind was still busy thinking about his handsomeness, and it took me a while to understand what he had asked me.

"No," I answered, playing with my hands. "I tried to call her but she doesn't seem to hear me, still I know she's there, I can feel her presence even if it's weak. I used to feel alone all the time, now I feel that my wolf is watching over me even when I can't hear her."

"Since when can you feel her presence?" He asked me as he put on his gloves.

"Ever since you rescued me from the storm, before that I could feel her at times and then she would disappear."

"That is a good sign, your wolf is letting you know that she is back. It is difficult to estimate how long it will take to completely reconnect because that depends on the ritual that was used and the power of the person who performed it. But knowing that you can already feel her presence, I would say that it won't take you more than a month to get back to normal."

A wave of warmth surged in my chest. I was so close to getting back what I thought I would never have again that it all seemed unreal. Sometimes I wondered if I was still lying in the forest and everything that had happened to me in the last months was all a dream.

"How do you know all these things?" I asked.

"It is part of my education as an alpha, my father used to say that it is important for the alpha to know what to do when members of their pack need help. I know a lot of things but I don't put them into practice." He lowered his shoulders. "I don't actually know how to be the leader of the pack."

"Can I get closer to you?"

I wasn't sure if it was safe for me to get close to him while he was working but I needed to comfort him.

"Yeah, for now there's no problem."

Almec had barely finished speaking and I was already wrapping my hands around his torso. I slowly rested my head on his back, feeling how he relaxed into my touch.

"You know how to be a good alpha, the only thing stopping you from doing so is your fear of how others will react. Although I don't know the whole story, I can understand why you are so secretive, but I assure you that you have everything it takes to lead them, and even though they pretend not to, they are actually waiting for you to come back."

"Are you going to be there if I decide to take my position back?" He asked me, holding my hand.

Even though I couldn't see his face, the break in Almec's voice showed me his insecurity.

Was it bad for me to enjoy these moments? It's not that I liked seeing him suffer but it made me feel special knowing that he trusted me enough to let down his walls.

"I'm going to stay with you regardless of what you decide to do."

And I meant it, he had been with me since he found me in the forest and I wanted to do the same for him. After all, I wasn't sure I could be happy without Almec by my side.

"Good, because I wasn't thinking of staying away from you. You're stuck with me for life."

Stuck for life with Almec, that didn't sound so bad. I could imagine the rest of my life with him, we would grow old while enjoying each other's company, and we could see Faustina turn into a woman. Who knows, maybe we could even threaten her mate together when she introduces them to us.

"I like the idea, I'm already getting too comfortable in this mansion to leave."

Almec laughed. "Are you going to stay for me or my mansion?"

"Mmm. Both. Each one has its charm."

Almec gently patted my hand. "As much as I like having you next to me, now it's going to be safer for you to return to the chair."

"Well, we'll have to continue another time," I said as I walked away from him.

"How about the next reading session?"

"Books, a comfy chair, and my alpha? Sounds perfect."

Almec dropped the tool the moment I called him my alpha. I looked at the ground to hide my smile, he was making it very difficult to keep me away from him.

The rest of the afternoon passed very quickly, watching Almec work next to the forge with half the buttons on his shirt undone and his sleeves rolled up was one of the most entertaining shows I had ever experienced in my life. So much that I didn't even feel the need to look at the books that awaited me.

After a while Faustina joined us. She didn't stop asking questions that Almec answered with all the patience in the world until he finished working.

"Can we see what you did?" my sister asked, standing on tiptoe to try to spy on what Almec had in his hands.

"Close your eyes and extend your hands, both of you," he told us.

And I already knew it was a gift for us. A part of me told me that I should have expected that coming from him, Almec very rarely did anything that wasn't for us.

"You can open them now."

A beautiful gold pendant with a pink crystal was waiting in my hand. Faustina had a similar pendant but her crystal was white, almost transparent.

"Here," he told us, giving us each a chain. "I found these chains in a store in town and I thought I could make you a pendant to complete the necklace. I hope you like it. Faustina's is made of moonstone and yours is made of rose quartz."

"I love it," screamed my sister. "Can I use it now?"

"Of course let me help you," I answered.

After I finished helping Faustina, Almec stood behind me.

"Do you want me to help you with yours?"

I gave him the necklace and lifted my hair so he could put it on. Almec placed it slowly, so much that my heart began to skip a beat while I felt his breath on my neck. He caressed my neck after finishing his task, his touch sending a shiver down my spine that made me stop breathing for a second.

"There, it looks perfect on you," he said and placed a kiss on my head. "It's almost time for dinner, let's prepare something to eat."

"I want to help cook," Faustina said, running after Almec.

He waited for her and held out his hand so she could hold it. Walking together to prepare dinner they seemed like a family.

We definitely have what it takes to grow old together, I thought before leaving the room.