'I knew she'd say yes,' Jared said, laughing through the pack mind. Seth's plans had been known to them for a while now, the bond preventing any secrets. As Alpha, Jared had changed the patrol schedule around to allow Seth to be with Savannah as much as possible while Ryan was in the area, but he still phased in just to check up. 'Any news?'

'All the guys are up to date on the situation, and they've all been by Savannah's place to pick up the scent. Nothing so far, except for faint traces around town. They did pick it up by the school though, so we're working on figuring out a rotation that'll fit for her work hours. None of you have any vacation days to spend, so we'll just have to make it work,' Jared said, trying to sound optimistic. 'We'll find him, Seth. I promise you we will.'

Savannah watched Seth pace in the backyard of his house from her perch on the patio, nursing a cup of tea in her hands. After they came back from the house that was soon to be theirs, they'd celebrated this new step in their relationship in bed, but as the sun hang low in the sky he'd excused himself to check for updates from the pack. Savannah had gotten dressed and grabbed a blanket from the couch to keep her warm outside, as being alone was not an option right now. Not when Ryan was so close. Just thinking about him sent a cold shiver down her spine, and she took a sip of her tea.

The last few rays of sunlight were making Seth's fur glow against the dark backdrop of the woods. When he looked as though he was finished with his mental chat, he approached her with that strangely gentle gait that looked completely out of character for a ginormous animal. Seth laid by her feet in his wolf form, letting her run her fingers through the soft fur by his ears as waited for Jared to give the boys marching orders.

Afterwards, he shifted back and pulled on the sweatpants he'd left on the step next to Savannah. Seth sat down next to her and pulled her close to him as they watched the sun set, colouring the mountainous sky with shades of purple and red. He moved her gently across his lap, allowing him to wrap his arms around her tight.

"I need to talk to my mom. She's probably going to want to meet you, since we're moving in together and all," Savannah said as darkness settled around them. Only the light coming from the windows kept the backyard lit.

"I'd sure like to meet her, too babe. About time, wouldn't you say?" Seth said and laughed into her hair. She giggled, "yeah, i guess it is, isn't it."

Savannah didn't want her mom to know Ryan was back though, so she didn't want her to come to Forks. Ryan might have a sick affection for her, but she knew he harboured no such feelings for her mother. He might actually harm her, given the chance. Savannah's brows knitted and she tensed.

Seth looked down at her and nudged her gently. "Hey you, what's going on up in that head of yours?" he said as he stroked her back.

"Despite everything, Ryan is still controlling my life. I've done absolutely everything they told to do -everything I could do, and still he's the one in charge, deciding how i live my life." Her lower lip trembled slightly and she looked up at him, pleading silently for Seth to save her.

"He does not control your life, Savannah. You are the only one who decides how to live your life," he nuzzled into her neck, "although I do hope you'll take some of my advice from time to time."

Savannah sighed and laughed quietly. This moment, with Seth, was her anchor. She was safe in his arms, she was warm with his touch. She was loved.

"Hey! Be careful with that!" Seth bellowed through the house as a pair of the younger pack members tried to cajole a dishwasher through a freshly painted doorway.

Savannah was off somewhere upstairs with a couple of the other girls, helping the guys move furniture around until it was just right. Seth could hear it wasn't so much helping as dictating, but as long as his imprint was happy he couldn't care less about the disgruntled grunts coming from his pack mates.

He and Savannah had spent the last few weeks painting and doing the finishing touches on their new home, after a couple of the boys had helped him fix up the floors and replace the bannisters on the staircase. He didn't want Savannah to fall down those hardwood steps and break something, much less when they had kids. Best to fix everything now, while the house is empty and uninhabited.

They'd both agreed on keeping the house as it was, just repainting and glossing over the worn and tattered parts of the house. The walls were white and bright for the most part, with the exception of the dining room where Savannah had insisted on covering one of the walls with wallpaper picturing a lush and green forest. When he asked her why, she'd simply said "the forest reminds me of you. It's a part of who you are, and you should be in every room." He'd kissed her after that, despite them both being covered in glue and paint.

They'd put in an island in their large, new, kitchen, where they'd taken down the wall between it and the dining room. The open solution had created so much space, and Savannah was in love with the new look of it. They'd put the triple cooking top on the island and incorporated the two new ovens into the kitchen cabinets.

The new appliances would be used often, Savannah figured, especially after seeing the huge table the guys had put in the dining room. Not only must it have been almost 12 feet long, Embry also told her smugly that they'd made some extra tabletop plates, making it long enough to fit almost the whole pack and their partners around it.

After everything had been moved in and put where it belonged, Savannah was sore all over from hauling stuff around all day. The half-dozen pack members and their girls who'd helped them move had been served pizza and beer at the end of the day, and Seth honestly couldn't wait for them to leave so he could christen his new home with his imprint.

After letting them all out and locking all the doors, he strolled up the stairs to find Savannah steaming up the bathroom with a scorching hot shower. He undressed quietly and joined her under the spray, thankful that she'd made sure they'd moved the shower head further up so he wouldn't have to crack his neck everytime he got in.

"Tired?" Seth murmured as he pulled her back close to his chest. Savannah lent her head back on his chest and nodded slightly. He nuzzled her neck, nipping gently at the sensitive skin just below her jaw. She turned in his arms and ran her fingers through his hair, smiling up at him as the combined heat of him and the water fogged up the room.

"Remind me to give you a haircut soon. Your fur is bound to get shaggy when it's this long," Savannah said and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Seth ran his hands from her hips to her waist and down again. "Yes ma'm, I sure will," his laugh rumbled through his chest as he pulled her close. They didn't make it out of the shower for a while.