A/N: Again, this book starts out with a random flashback to the past and then switches to the present.

[2] Out

The first time Mia spoke with Samantha she was a bundle of nerves. It was the day after her incident with Samuel, so she had an idea the girl wouldn't like her. She had seen Samantha plenty of times. She was popular not only due to her beauty, but also due to her relation with Samuel. Who wouldn't want to be friends with the sister of the hottest guy in school?

Not Mia.

After that incident, she wanted to stay away from that group. She was also still confused over what had happened that day. She was certain that wolf had talked to her. She had heard him. Ideally she could ask the only person who had been there, but his angry stares the times he saw her kept her from inquiring.

Before, she had been invisible to him. Unseen. Now, he actually noticed her.

On this particular day she had been sitting in the library during her free period. She loved libraries. It was the only place she could finish schoolwork without interruptions. Her bedroom was a distraction dump-spot where she could never accomplish anything, so she always went to the school library to do it instead.

As she was reading a particular passage, a knife was slammed harshly in front of her. Mia jumped, only to recognize it as the blade she brought with her to the forest. It was hers. Her eyes followed the slender arm that placed it in front of her, leading to black eyes full of curiosity.

"I heard you trespassed my area." She said acidly, assessing her from head to toe.

Mia felt her heart thrum against her chest. She had thought Samuel was scary, but his sister was not far after him. It must be in the genes. "It was by accident!"

"But trying to kill the wolf wasn't." The blade twirled in her direction. Despite the girl's calmness, Mia felt as though she were being threatened.

"I wasn't trying to kill anything, only practice my trap skills, I promise!" she said, praying she'd believe her. "I was going to set it free. I heard it, the wolf was talking to me asking for help."

Samantha leaned back on one foot, pensive. Her demeanor changed as she lifted her nose up to sniff something. Mia was more concerned about the fact that she told her she heard an animal talk. In her mind, the idea hadn't sounded so bad. Out loud, it was a whole other experience. Now they'd really think she was looney.

Instead, to her surprise Samanatha's response was a simple, "Hm, I believe you." She held out her hand. "I'm Samantha, what's your name?"

"My name is Mia." She shook her hand, albeit trembling with nervousness. This was the first time Samantha ever spoke to her. It would be the first of many times.

PRESENT

"Saurus, why didn't you wake her when you noticed she fell asleep," a feminine voice reprimanded. Mia knew that voice, it was her best friend Sammie.

A scoff. "I am not her caretaker. Since she is your guest, see to her yourself."

Mia heard the squeaking of a chair as he pulled out of his desk. The cracking of bones as he stretched. The impatient huff of her best friend.

"Not everyone can stay until the late hours of the morning doing work like you," she pressed. The thing about Samantha, is that even when she was frustrated her voice remained leveled and controlled.

Mia had always tried to master that. It's just her luck her emotions always got in the way. She had a disastrous poker face that made her horrible at lying.

"No one forced her to," he said, discarding her concern.

A snort. "With your personality you don't have to force anyone. You probably baited her into staying. Stop being mean to her."

"If by 'mean' you refer to my lack of enabling excuses, then no. I won't."

There was a tense pause between them as was common amongst siblings. They always got along with each other, but when it came to Mia they never seemed to agree.

It all started way back in high school, when Samantha felt it right to reveal to her she was a werewoman. Samuel was not happy. Matura human or not he was unreceptive of her kind. It amazed Mia to think that in the time-span she went away for college he ended up falling for a girl just like her.

It was her misfortune that this same girl also ruined any hope of him seeing her kind with receptiveness.

A low, feminine sigh escaped into the air. "Saurus... she isn't Jasmine."

She heard the sound of something crunching. The sound of shaped metal being handled as though it were a mere piece of scrap paper. His strength both astounded and scared her.

Mia felt her heartbeat begin to thump rapidly against her chest. Even with her eyes closed and body faced away from him, his dark aura was so palpable. This was a restricted topic. Samantha shouldn't have mentioned it.

"Mia. Get up." He charged.

In her lethargic state of half-sleep, his orders managed to pull her face away from the desk to face them. Everything about him was so authoritative. She could see why he ascended to alphahood at such a young age, not long after graduation.

Samuel's face was not friendly as he assessed her. She must look horrible. Her hair a mess and her cheeks probably puffy. She always woke up with puffy cheeks, even if it was a nap that lasted a mere hour.

The grandfather clock was positioned at two in the morning. It really was late. Had he been working the whole time? Looking down, she was pleased to note that she not only finished tomorrow—well, today's assignment, but even work for two more days ahead.

"You may resign to your room, human."

Oh. So she was human now. First Mia, now human. Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. When Rex used that terminology it never sounded so...so withering. He was a wolf, and thus he called her what she was. With Samuel it was different.

Samantha massaged her temples, code for she really wanted to hit him. In the end, she landed her with a small smile and Mia couldn't help but to return it. It's just how Samuel was.

On the desk was a large piece of crushed metal. Mia wondered what it originally was seeing as his computer and keyboard was still intact.

"Goodnight Samantha...Saurus."

The wereman grunted. He hated when she called him Saurus and explicitly told her to call him Samuel. Only her, of course. He did well reminding her they were not friends, comrades, or even packmates. What closeness did she have with him to refer to him as that?

I grew up with you.

Not that they bonded growing up. He was keen to pick fights with her and she didn't mind staying away from scary wereman. Samantha was more than happy to finally have a friend who was not enamored by her rough older brother. What's more, Mia could actually interact with their wolves. It was a friendship made in heaven.

Nowadays Samantha seemed more interested in having them being friends. She applauded their distance at youth and now she was averse to it. It's like she felt guilty for their animosity. It's not her fault Samuel was a bad-tempered wolfman.

The soft covers of her bed were a welcome reprieve from the rough words of the Alpha. All in all, she was enjoying her stay here. In a few months she would complete her Environmental Major and go back out to the real world. She would study plants, study nature, and help advance agriculture. That was the plan.

The mind is an interesting thing. As she dozed into a restful sleep, it wasn't her ex-boyfriend she dreamed about on the day of their would-be anniversary.

Rather, she dreamt of the first time she met Samuel Pierce.

Although Mia liked to think of herself as the calm non-argumental type, the truth was she was just preferential to passive-aggressiveness, and Samuel was way too intelligent to not notice her little jabs.

She found she quite liked irritating him, as when she did he no longer wore that mask of indifference but actually gave her an expression of rage.

Maybe it was payback for all the proverbial hits he's taken on a daily basis.

"For a leader you're very dry." She mentioned casually.

Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes lifted from his paperwork to her. Three dots of gold circled around his pupil, an enticing contrast against his black eyes. The dots glowed and made him look more feral. More...handsome.

Maybe it wasn't just for payback, but because he looked rather appealing in a coat of rage. Those same eyes also appear when he's extremely happy or...sexually aroused. But he would never be those two things with her, so she had to settle for his rage.

Even if the things she criticized him for weren't necessarily true. Mia figured it was okay to exaggerate things for him.

She should really fear he would kick her out of his study and force her to do work in the estate's actually library. Mia highly disliked it compared to this space. Even if it was his, she was never as productive there as she was here. The other library was too large and not cozy.

And no scary person to keep her on edge about getting her work done.

Nevertheless, she was really banking on the fact that although Samuel was a jerk, he had a weird balance of being a gentleman too. It went at odds with his caustic behavior but somehow worked with him. Besides, by now he was used to having her here. This was her preferred study spot with Samantha when they were teens. Old habits die hard.

"I am not dry." He refused. He seemed to have taken note that she had said this just to bother him and decided to resume back to his work.

"You are. I noticed you've made additions to your home. It's much bigger but still just as plain."

He rolled his eyes. "Plain? It has everything a home needs. Couches, beds, desks—if you have an issue take it out with Samantha, as she is the one who decorated the interior." He paused, and then as an afterthought muttered, "humans." Quite derisively might she add.

"I wasn't referring to the interior you reptile. I was talking about the outside. There's no flowers or pretty trees. Just plain grass and forest. It's boring."

He propped his elbows on the desk, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin atop it. "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps I don't care?"

"So you admit it, you are dry!"

"I have more important things to worry about than the aesthetic appeal. It's pointless to dabble in things no one would care about."

"Everyone loves a pretty presentation!" She debated.

Samuel closed his eyes. "Mia, stop talking. This is an area for productivity not useless blabbering. You know where the door is if you wanted some conversation."

An indignant 'hmph' escaped her lips. With hands on hips she said her parting words. "Watch. I will prove to you that people would care about the outside. Give me a few weeks."

A stern finger pointed to the hard wooden door. "Out."

It took all her strength to not jump over the desk and pull his hair but she knew how to pick her battles. She should've known Samuel would keep his word and force her out at the sound of another word. At least he didn't say to not come back.

With her chin lifted high and books in hand, she promptly left the small study. In the end, he had every right to kick her out. The space was his anyway. It was a miracle he allowed her there. Besides, her mind was already concocting a marvelous master plan to prove him wrong. It would take work on her part but shoving it in his face would be worth it.

After finishing her research Mia had an extensive list of beautiful plants that could quickly grow in the forest area. She took into account the seasons and changing temperatures to ensure the plants she picked wouldn't die. That would be a disaster.

Aside from planting, she planned on buying mature plants. The entire front could not be renovated in one night, but she could get things rolling by purchasing grown selections. Of her list there were also a few rare flowers—those she ordered online.

After making a pit-stop at the gasoline station, she headed to the plant shop. She was notorious for having her meter abysmally low, regardless of the fact that she never had to pay. Mia had a handy card that allowed her to swipe free gas—curtesy of Samantha, of course

Since their youth Samantha and Samuel's parents taught them the reins of business and investment. While Sammie was not as successful, Samuel knew what he was doing and managed to acquire a large sum by the time he graduated high school. He eased into the management of the gasoline stations his family owned. Sammie ended up taking over the family's natural remedy and herb store in the town square. While the profits were their own, the siblings mainly used it to support the pack.

Mia made quick work of gathering her supplies. As the cashier rang up her flowers, she got more and more giddy. She loved proving Samuel wrong, and this was something she was sure to succeed in. No one could go against pretty flowers. She had even bought some soil to ensure their growth.

At the pack estate she went quick to work, pulling out weeds and pouring on the new soil. She dedicated herself to a specific spot. It was a project she would have to work on little by little. The ground wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, but the amount of weeds made everything more strenuous. She was pulling a particular root when she heard the clomping of shoes.

"Get out of the way, human." A voice called, sounding ever so unwelcoming.

Mia rolled her eyes. She didn't have to turn to know who it was.

"Saurus, be nice." Samantha chided. They were doing their afternoon run. Usually Mia joined at the tail end, but with this project in mind she planned to skip.

"I'm not even in the way. Don't you know how to navigate?" She retorted. "Sammie, help your useless brother out."

Samantha urged her brother forward before they could continue bickering, and Mia went back to work. With the humongous laps and detours those two took, they wouldn't be coming back for another while. When she ran with Sammie, their laps took much shorter time, as they typically only ran three miles. No more for her.

Mia stepped back to address the area before she began planting. It would be nice to put a medium sized tree in the middle, and then nice flowers around it. The blue ones would go great in that angle, as they needed the most light. The orange and red ones over there. Having come to her decision, she began to dig. The tree wasn't a large one, but in time it would grow to be the perfect medium size.

By the time the hole was deep enough she was profusely sweating. This project was taking way more energy than she anticipated. With great effort, she pulled the tree from the bucket and carefully placed it in the hole, covering the open area with soil to keep it in place. This part was more enjoyable than the digging. After that plotting the flowers were done with relative ease. They were smaller, not to mention lighter.

Mia was on her last set when Samantha and Saurus passed by again.

Samantha looked impressed. "That looks beautiful!" she cheered, ever the supportive best-friend.

Mia smiled appreciatively. After all the effort she put into this, it was nice to be complimented.

Saurus made no comment. Mia eyed him smugly before returning to her last tidbit of work. As they passed by, he stepped on one of the flowers, crushing it with his weight.

Mia gasped. "Watch where you're going, you reptile!" She screeched. The flower was crumbled with no hope of repair. "Sammie!" She wailed, begging her friend for justice.

Sammie gave Saurus a look. They both knew that look. It meant one of them was being childish. It was always ever aimed at one of them but today it was for him.

Saurus held a hand to his chest in mock apology. "My bad." The sneaky smirk spoke otherwise.

Mia grit her teeth. One way or another, she would get him back for that.

A/N: COMMENT and VOTE! Thank you for reading 😊