10.

It had been a week since the day she woke up to a house full of werewolves, and as much as they were good people to live with, Amelia couldn't bring herself to be one hundred percent relaxed in her new life.

She had had 'the talk' with Taylor and Ethan, and they made it pretty clear that this was her house if she wanted, and all the others had been great at making her feel welcome in the pack. But even at the fun dinners in the kitchen or at the weekly movie night, there was always an evil reminder at the back of her mind that there were a mother and two siblings who had no idea where she was.

She tried to reason with herself, they don't care about you. They never did, so stop worrying about them. They probably are happier without you. She thought every time, but it didn't make her feel any less concerned. And the fact that she cared about what they were doing enraged her.

This was a debate that surrounded her mind all the time making her feel anxious. The fact is, as much as Amelia would like to proudly say that her mother had no influence in her, it would be a lie.

She is still hesitant to do anything with her new freedom, little things as to stay in bed for as long as she wants or to watch TV the whole evening or eat anything she found in the fridge. Those are things she would be punished for doing before, and it wasn't being easy to understand that now it wasn't a big deal.

The pack was patient. They didn't know about her old life because she never brought the topic up and they didn't want to urge her, but Ethan had explained to them how poorly he saw her mother treat her and it was enough for them to understand why she looked like a scared mouse sometimes. So their reaction wasn't what kept Amelia up at night.

It was her mother. For the last three nights, she had nightmares where it all was a dream, and she was still living that life, being obligated to hate the people she now knows don't have a single evil bone in their bodies. In the dreams, her mother would punish her for some reason she didn't even know, and she would wake up sweaty and crying in the middle of the night. She wouldn't sleep after this.

It didn't take long for her new friends to notice her behavior.

At first, no one said anything, thinking she needed some time to adapt to the new life. But when she started getting pale, the only color in her face coming from the dark circles under her eyes, they knew someone needed to do something.

On day eight, it was Ethan's day off at the clinic. Amelia got up from bed later than normal, wanting to avoid her housemates and their worried glances at her every five minutes. She really appreciated their worry, and it was marvelous to have someone caring for her, but she couldn't help but feel unworthy of the treatment.

When she heard the pack leave the house, she went to eat the leftovers of the breakfast, she knew George would save some for her. When she arrived at the kitchen she silently cursed that her werewolf senses still weren't working. Ethan was there, using black jeans and a simple white shirt, drinking his coffee and eating pancakes.

He was already looking at her, obviously having heard her coming. He smiled at her and wished her a good morning, to what she reciprocated with a tight smile. She sat on the other side of the counter and prepared her plate. She started eating quietly hoping Ethan would just finish his and leave her alone, but he had another intention.

After they finished breakfast, Ethan took the plates in her hand and put them in the sink not letting her do the dishes, and guided her to the living room not saying a word. She got tense knowing what was to come. She knew the conversation would come eventually, but it didn't stop her from trying to delay it as much as she could.

Ethan sighed, sitting next to her on the couch with a little distance between them. His body was directed towards her, showing she had his total attention.

"Look, I know all of this is new for you, and I know I will never be able to understand how it is hard for you to cope with everything so fast. I want you to know that I admire you for how well you are taking this, we all do. No one here will ever judge you for your emotions, this is a safe place, okay?" Looking at his eyes was getting more difficult with every word, Amelia could feel the tears pooling in her eyes. "It is important to me, as the Alpha, to know every single person in my family is feeling good and safe. And you are it for us, Lia. We all - including you now - are family."

At the sound of her new nickname coming from his mouth in that soft tone he always used with her, Amelia wasn't able to contain herself and a suffocated sob came out her mouth, making some tears fall. Ethan stayed quiet, letting her pull it out. He put his hand in her shoulder to show her he was still there, while she covered her face with both hands. After a few minutes, she calmed down enough to say something.

"I know I am. You guys always make me feel a part of the pack, and I am happy here. It is just..." She took a deep breath to stop the new tears to fall and continues. "It is just that my old life doesn't seem so old. It is like at any moment I will wake up there and I won't have you guys anymore. Or that she will come after me. I don't know. It doesn't make sense but I can't help it." She sobs.

"Of course it makes sense. You don't have to feel guilty for having emotions or insecurities, Lia. We all do. I know I can't take those feelings off your chest, but I can assure you that this is all real, that I am here, you are here." He gives her should a squeeze to prove his point.

"We are more than family, we are a pack, which means that we take care of each other no matter what. Your mother can come here and be crazy all she wants but we will never let her get anywhere near you if you don't want it. We will keep you safe. You don't have to come back to your old life if you don't want to."

The seriousness in his tone showed he doesn't play when the safety of the pack is the matter, exactly what Amelia had noticed in those days with them. The thought made her show the first genuine smile in days. His eyes lit up. "And we are finishing that room for you and you will finally have your own space, without me bothering you to get my things." He chuckled lighting up the mood, his hands falling from her shoulder. Amelia stared at him still smiling, her eyes bright, for a few seconds, noticing how his cheeks grew pink at her stare.

"I am really thankful for everything you and the others have given to me since the beginning. It's like a dream to live here." She looked around, frowning and her smile fading. She wanted him to know what was bothering her so much. Not bearing look at his eyes, she looked at the floor as she started.

"It will sound really stupid because I know you saw me and my mother that day in the street, but..." She took a deep breath. "But I still feel as if she is here and that I need to come back because she is probably super mad at me. As if I..." Her voice know was only a whisper, but she knows Ethan could hear as clearly as before. "As if I don't deserve to be here. That I should go back and stop pretending this is my life when it is not."

Ethan, however, didn't have the reaction she was expecting. He stayed quiet when she was sure he would be assuring her that it was bullshit and it was her life. He stayed quiet for so long that the curiosity took the best of her and she looked up at him.

Ethan was the one looking at the floor know, seeming lost in thoughts, and if the frown in his face was any indication, none of the thoughts were good. Amelia waited, not knowing exactly what she was waiting for, until he sighed and stood up.

"There is something you don't know." He still wasn't looking at her, instead, his eyes were directed to the window. "We weren't sure when to tell you, or how to do it, but you need to know." He runs his hands through his hair, a nervous habit that revealed to Amelia that whatever this was, it was consuming him.

"I don't think there's a way to tell you that, so I will show you." He turned around and looked at her eyes. "If you want to, of course. It will be crazy and I am sure it will hurt you, but you need to understand that things are not as you think they are. It will help with some of your insecurities." His eyes were serious, upset even.

In the short time that Amelia was living with them, she never saw that look on Ethan's face, and it did nothing to assure her. She was afraid of what made him look so distressed, but he said that she needed to know and she trusted him, so she stood up gathering all the courage she had.

"I want to know." She said in the most confident tone she could, but it was not enough to mute the tiny voice in the back of her head saying that if Ethan was so shaken by this, what would it do to her?

A part of her - a big part - wanted to run to her room and tell Ethan to never bring this up again. She knew he was kind enough to respect her wish, even if he disagrees with it. But for the first time, she shut the voice down and chose to go and face the truth, even if it breaks her.

As she and Ethan left the house and entered his car, Amelia was silently praying to be as strong as Ethan, and handle whatever it was.

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A/n: it's been 10 chapters already. Let's commemorate leaving a vote on this chapter 🎁 hahaha.