Although I was looking forward to meeting Tobias, at first, I had pressing obligations to deal with. First things first, I had a project to complete for some human company. They needed to edit something on their website and honestly, it wasn't anything difficult just time-consuming, so I took it on. I was just short of the final touches, so I decided to do it sooner rather than later.

Then I needed to stop by to see Mason. I'd had more patrols than usual lately, as there was still the threat of hunters, and because of that, Mason was also more cautious when it came to wolves wanting to go into the city.

"Just be careful, okay?" It was obvious that he didn't like my idea of going among humans very much, but he didn't protest.

"Of course," I assured him right away. "I promise I won't be long. You don't have to worry, Mason. If anything, I'll be in touch." I pointed a finger at my head, reminding him that I was able to contact him very quickly in case of danger.

Mason seemed calmer and didn't protest anymore, so I was finally able to go where I wanted to go most in the afternoon. Or rather, to whoever I most wanted to go to.

This time we were to meet in front of the supermarket, the same one we had met in. I didn't know if Tobias had an exact plan of where to go since we had more or less agreed on it at the last minute, but I was excited to see him anyway.

My excitement was compounded when I finally saw him. If I thought he looked good in a leather jacket, he looked like a demigod in a shirt. He was wearing a brown shirt, with the buttons casually undone at the top and the sleeves rolled up, and I couldn't stop staring.

"I knew you'd blush," he laughed, stepping closer to me. My eyes followed his every move as I still couldn't tear myself away from him and he clearly didn't mind, quite the opposite in fact. If this was how he planned to surprise me every time, I had to start practicing my breathing exercises.

"Are you sure you're not modelling on the side?" I asked and wouldn't be at all surprised by an affirmative answer.

Tobias laughed again, but I couldn't help but notice how his cheeks darkened, though he tried to mask it by lowering his gaze for a moment. "I'm sure your standards for models are too low," he finally spoke, looking at me again with those hickory-coloured eyes.

"I don't think so," I assured him immediately. "Like I said before, you're a looker, Tobias Raekan."

"If you tell me that every time we meet, my self-esteem will skyrocket until it's unhealthy," he warned me, but his cheeks showed he didn't mind my words so much. "Plus, if anyone's a looker, it's you," he added. I hadn't expected that, so he got exactly what he wanted.

"Nice blush." His smile widened in satisfaction, and I rolled my eyes automatically.

"I see someone's been practicing at home," I couldn't resist but say.

"That's a natural talent," Tobias immediately corrected me with a confident nod, but I remembered our previous date very well.

"Oh really?"

Even though his cheeks were still a darker shade than they should have been, and he couldn't blame it on the cold, he still held his head up confidently and took another step closer to me.

"See, confident as ever," he declared, and then he caught me off guard. He reached out and tucked a loose lock of hair behind my ear. His fingertips caressed my cheek as he did so, and this time it was I who couldn't stop myself from blushing.

Tobias seemed pleased with my reaction, and I couldn't take my eyes off his satisfied expression. He looked relaxed and confident, which made him even more attractive, even though I hadn't thought that was even possible a moment ago.

I cleared my throat to recover, and since Tobias still had his hand gently on my jaw, I covered it with my own and then lowered them both down so that I could take his hand in mine. It was a risky move, especially when my wolf was already raging in my head and begging me for more, but I couldn't resist.

"Is that all right?" I asked him just to be sure.

"Perfect," he replied, his tone turning softer. He clearly hadn't expected it, and his honest response was too much for my fragile heart.

I cleared my throat again in an attempt to compose myself and finally came up with the right words, though it was difficult when he was so close to me. "So, what's the plan?"

Tobias seemed taken aback by my question, also engrossed in our little bubble, but immediately replied with a smile, "Actually, you have two choices."

"I'm listening," I interrupted, and then stared at him, expectantly. Truthfully, I was ready to agree to anything he said, though I wasn't about to admit it out loud.

"One - we can have coffee and then walk around town until we find something cool. Two, and this one will buy us more time - we can have coffee and then pick up Lily since I promised to babysit her and take her to the park in two hours since Annie and Rob won't have time," he explained. His attitude changed a little at the end, suddenly looking more uncertain and then, as he bit his lip, it looked like he was worried that I would be put off by his suggestion. However, he couldn't have been further from the truth.

"So, if we pick up Lily, I'll have you to myself for longer and I'll get to see you as the best uncle in the world at the same time?" I assured with a smile, successfully putting Tobias back in a good mood as he immediately smiled back. And he had a really nice smile.

"I guess I'm the best uncle in the world."

I was so caught up in his smile that I didn't realise what I'd gotten myself into until we were walking towards Tobias's car. He opened the door for me like a gentleman, and although he was amusing me, I was still so affected that I blushed helplessly again.

Then Tobias walked around the car and got behind the wheel, and only then did I realise where we were going.

"So we're going to your place?" I asked carefully, hoping that my voice didn't show the real emotion that had suddenly come over me.

I could very easily forget who Tobias really was, and that was more of a risk than I wanted to admit. I'd promised Mason I'd be careful, but I was really doing anything but that right now.

"Yes," Tobias confirmed my worst fears, and I tried not to let on how worried I was. "But you don't have to worry." Apparently, he sensed my fears anyway, as his gaze was more than reassuring. "We'll just stop outside and pick Lily up. You don't have to meet anyone, I promise."

I tried not to show how relieved I was at this point, but I couldn't help the way my shoulders sagged loosely. It still wasn't a safe situation, but it was a little better. For some reason, I believed Tobias would protect me, even though it was a stupid idea.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to." Apparently, I paused too much, and Tobias noticed.

"I want to," I assured him right away, even though it wasn't entirely true. "I just wasn't expecting it." That was already true. Tobias still looked nervous as if he was wondering what to do, and I just hoped he wasn't accusing himself of anything right now. It was horrible to watch him in this state of mind, especially when I knew it was my fault.

"I'll text Annie to let her know we're coming. We don't even have to get out of the car," Tobias assured me, turning from the steering wheel to face me again. Our eyes met, and that was enough to make me calm down a bit again.

"Thank you," I answered him sincerely. "Although I don't know if I want to know her reaction when she sees us together." I tried to make light of the situation and could only hope that Tobias would join in.

Tobias chuckled, and I finally relaxed too, allowing a smile to appear on my face. "You have no idea. She's already managed to interrogate me, and I have to tell you I'm dead if I mess this up with you," Tobias explained, laughing despite his words.

"Well..." I began, pretending to consider his words and he turned to me eagerly, looking at me with those beautiful eyes. "I don't think you can mess this up. Honestly," I admitted. Our bond was so strong even though he probably didn't have any awareness of it, but I did, and the more time I spent with him, the more I knew I'd never forget him.

"Good." He smiled and seemed satisfied with my answer. As satisfied as my wolf inside was.

Even though Tobias was looking at the road again, the smile never left his face, and I assumed I looked the same. We were happy in our little bubble, and it gave me a false sense of security again. Nothing could ruin our bond at this moment and that was all that mattered to me right now.

"Can you text Annie for me?" he asked suddenly, pulling the phone out of his pocket, and handing it to me. I automatically took it from him and stared at it in surprise, not expecting him to just let me into his phone.

"Sure. What's the password?" I asked since I expected him to not just have his phone unlocked and I was right.

"741852963," he dictated, and I punched the numbers into his phone, which immediately led me to his wallpaper, which was a picture of him, Annie, Lily, and a man I assumed was Rob, Annie's husband.

"Did you seriously put the numbers in order on the keypad as your password?" I asked him, amused.

"I was 7 when I first came up with that password and I was supremely proud of myself. Don't judge me," he objected immediately, but like me, he was smiling amusedly.

"Not judgement here." I held up my hands, though he could only see it peripherally. "It's kinda cute that you've had the same password for so long."

Of course, my words brought a flush to his cheeks, and he cleared his throat as if trying to hide it. "Yeah, well... I'm not exactly a fan of change. Can you please text Annie that we'll be there in a few minutes?"

I immediately listened to him and decided not to add to his embarrassment. I opened his contacts and surprisingly found that he had his sister saved under her name, though I had no doubt that she had his saved under some ridiculous nickname since it sounded like her.

"We'll be outside the house in a few minutes," I read aloud what I'd written, and when Tobias nodded, I hit the send button.

And so, as I wrote, it has happened. Just a few minutes later, we pulled up in front of a large house that at first glance looked ordinary, unless you counted the three cars parked in front of it. If anyone had asked me how I pictured the house of the hunters, this was definitely not it.

My observation of the house didn't last long as the door opened in a second and a little girl came running out, followed by Annie walking slowly towards the car.

Tobias gave me an encouraging smile and then opened the door on his side to get out. I didn't consider myself an idiot, but at that moment I certainly was, as I did the same.

What I did not expect was the other danger I suddenly found myself in. The little girl changed direction at the last moment and ran towards me, hugging me around the knees. I hadn't expected that, of course, but what I hadn't expected even more were her words. "Uncle Cole!"

"What?" I sounded confused. I didn't know if I should hug her back or explain that I wasn't her uncle, but in the end, I decided to ask for help, but both Raekan siblings seemed too amused to help me.

So without any assistance, I was stuck in a situation I had never imagined, but in the end, Lily solved it for me herself by pulling on my trousers to get my attention.

"Uncle Cole, mommy explained it to me," she said in an important tone, nodding her head. I suddenly had a better idea of what was going on and quickly shot an accusing look at Annie, who returned it with an innocent smile.

Lily pulled at my trousers again, trying to get my attention, so I turned my eyes to her, trying not to look startled, although it was almost impossible.

"What did your mommy... explain to you?" I asked her, trying to smile.

"My mum and dad love each other and were my mum and dad even though they weren't married. You and Uncle Tobias aren't married either, but you love each other and that's why you're my uncle," she explained, her tone sounding like it was something I should have known all along.

My mouth fell open as she shocked me with her words and I was sure my face was on fire after her statement. I had no idea how to explain to her that me and her uncle weren't in love, and we weren't even planning a wedding, but suddenly I couldn't find the words.

"Annie!" Tobias' accusing tone suggested that he had no idea what his sister had said to her daughter either, but when I looked at him, he didn't seem too bothered. He was blushing just as I was, but he had a small smile on his face. Our eyes met for a second, and we both looked away in embarrassment.

Annie was the first to break the awkward silence with a laugh. Then she came closer and put her hand on Lily's shoulder. "Good job, baby," she complimented, and Lily turned to her with a delighted smile. At that moment I understood that this was all planned, or so I thought, as Lily immediately refuted it with her next question.

"I can call you uncle, right Uncle Cole?" She turned to me with a look I couldn't deny.

"Of course," I confirmed, although my throat was still tight with shock.

Tobias cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself and finally saving the day. "Now that that is settled, we can go. Get into the carriage, Princess Lily." He nodded his head towards the car and Lily finally let go of me and ran to the back door of the car.

As she disappeared inside, Annie turned back to me with a smile and said, "Have fun." Her tone suggested a different kind of fun, but I chose to ignore it for the sake of my sanity.

"Leave him alone, Annie," Tobias warned her, for which I was grateful.

"I'm just welcoming him to the family," Annie said, giving me another reason to blush.

This time I was the one who awkwardly cleared my throat and looked at Tobias, who immediately understood.

"Get some rest, Annie. I'm sure you need it," he encouraged his sister in a caring tone and opened the door on his side of the car. I took that as a sign to do the same.

"I will, I will," Annie assured him, placing her hands on her round belly. "Now go, don't keep my princess waiting." She nodded her head towards the car and took a step back. And that was the end of my time outside the hunters' house.