《The Modern Lycanthrope》


 Prologue

    "I am a man whom love has redeemed. The thought of her is no longer a dream. A cage of flesh and blood that is hers to keep, my heart and soulid as gifts at her feet. The love I feel when I look into her eyes is stronger than my wolf which calls to starry skies. Instead, I howl to the one who freed the beast from these bones, the one whose arms I call home. I will light this world on fire if it means her love I will earn, for she is a me and I will dly be burned."

 Chapter One - Meeting Her Mate-1

    Evelyn''s


    P.O.V.


    "Mom said if you tip the canoe she''s giving you up for adoption!"


    Vega and I turned to look at her younger brother who stood on the balcony above us.


    "What?" She asked.


    Brennan nodded, confirming she had heard him correctly.


    "Can I have your room if that happens?"


    "Sure," she said sarcastically. Vega turned to me and rolled her eyes before we continued our trek down the hill behind her family''s cabin.


    "He wasn''t being serious was he?" I asked, narrowly avoiding stepping on a loose rock.


    Vegaughed nervously. "He wasn''t, but my mom might have been."


    We reached the small dock which looked out over the half-frozen blueke. Walking across the old wooden boards took courage.


    "Are you sure we can''t just talk in your room?" I asked.


    She shook her head, causing tight ck coils of hair to poke out from under her beanie. She readjusted it as she loosened the dock rope from the cleat.


    "Not with those two brats running around, they''ve gotten on my nerves all day. Hop in," she said pointing to the canoe.


    I sighed as I steadied myself and lowered my body down into the canoe. She threw the rope to me and got in a little less carefully than I wasfortable with.


    "You''re going to tip us over one of these days," I said, firmly grasping the sides.


    Vega said nothing as she picked up the oars from under our feet and handed me one.


    Once we had paddled out a few hundred feet, she seemed satisfied with our distance away from the dock andid the oar across herp. I did the same and looked at her expectantly.


    "So?" I asked. "What did you want to tell me?"


    She chewed on her bottom lip nervously.


    "Well..." I said, prompting her along.


    "I''m going to break up with Shawn!" She said suddenly.


    I rolled my eyes and huffed. "This is what you brought me out here for? You''ve only been dating for three weeks. Why are you breaking up with him already?"


    Vega shrugged. "I don''t know."


    I gave her a knowing look and she smiled.


    "I know you think it''s stupid," she saidughing as I rolled my eyes, "but I still believe there''s a chance."


    "Mates don''t exist anymore," I said shaking my head.


    Mates, a term used to refer to soulmates amongst Lycanthropes, were around hundreds of years ago before interbreeding happened. Lycans hooked up with humans and their children hooked up with other humans until the entire poption was more human than wolf. The entire bloodline thinned out so much it was impossible to have a mate as a modern-day Lycanthrope.


    "Don''t be such a cynic," Vega said. "I think it could still happen. I heard it happened somece in Californiast summer-"


    "-between two teenagers in the same pack there," I finished for her. "I know, you''ve told me that a thousand times."


    Vega shook her head and leaned back.


    "I''m perfectly happy choosing the person I want to fall in love with, thank you," I said.


    "And how''s thating along there, Evie?" She asked.


    I gave her a hard look and she smiled before shrugging. Vega began picking at the wooden oar''s dents with her manicured nails.


    "I just think it would make our lives a whole lot easier if we were handed a husband," she saidughing. "I might have actually passed my Chemistry ssst semester if I wasn''t too worried about getting Shawn to ask me out."


    I rolled my eyes. "There''s more to life than finding a boyfriend, Vega. Also, I can''t think of too many people who did pass Chemistry on the first try."


    "Whatever," she said shrugging. "It''s cold out here, do you want to head back?"


    I nodded eagerly and grabbed my oar. I''d been shivering since we left the house.


    "Vega, do Vampires still exist?" Brennan asked. He was waiting for us in the doorway as we made our way across the patio and back into the house.


    "I don''t know. You should ask Mom, Ethan," she said, pushing past him and taking off her beanie.


    Ethan? I thought that was Brennan...


    Vega and I had been friends since the twins were born, but I still didn''t know how she could tell Ethan from Brennan. They even dressed alike.


    "Mom, when is Dad going to be home?" Vega called out, removing her jacket and hanging it on the hook beside the door.


    "He just called. The council had an urgent meeting called so he had to close up the shop early and head into town," Mrs. Chandler yelled from the kitchen. "We''re eating dinner in five minutes, don''t go too far!" We both took our boots off and I followed Vega into the kitchen.


    "Hi, Evie! Are you staying for dinner? We''re having chili," Mrs. Chandler informed me.


    "Yeah, sure," I said, giving her a hug.


    "You should text your mom and ask her if she would like to join us as well, since your dad is at the meeting too," Mrs. Chandler said, returning the hug.


    "There''s no point. You know how she is about being out after dark," I said, nodding towards the setting sun outside the kitchen window.


    Mrs. Chandler just shrugged, something I had noticed her daughter did often as well when she didn''t want to argue.


    "What was the meeting for?" Vega asked, getting sses and bowls out of the cab.


    "Yeah, it seems a little weird for them to call a meeting on a Tuesday," I said as I began to fill the sses with ice.


    Mrs. Chandler just nodded. "I know," she said, "he didn''t offer any information to me when he told me so I thought it best not to ask."


    Vega''s father, along with mine and thirty-eight other men from town, were on Southern Utah''s Council of Lycanthrope Affairs. The Lycanthrope poption was very small in Utah and it was an hour''s drive to each of the meetings so there were never more than three or four of them a year. An emergency meeting was certain to raise some eyebrows.


    "I don''t think it''s anything to worry about," Mrs. Chandler said when she noticed the two of us had gone quiet. She wiped her hands on a towel as she spoke, "If there is a problem, it''s likely just a political thing."


    I, on the other hand, wasn''t so convinced and judging by the look on Vega''s face, she wasn''t either.


    Two hourster, we were all sitting on the couch watching si reruns and talking about the uing semester.


    "Are you ready to go back to school?" Mrs. Chandler asked.

 Chapter One - Meeting Her Mate-2

    I groaned. "I can''t tell you how many times I''ve thought about just taking sses online. The smell of that city alone makes me want to vomit. Even just thinking about it makes me sick." "But you get used to it after a while right?" Vega asked. I just cringed.


    Although Lycanthropes are no longer pure-blooded enough for mates, we still inherit traits such as a heightened sense of smell. There were reasons most Lycans chose to live in extremely ruralmunities and one of them being the stench of pollution that came with densely popted areas. As a girl who went off to collegeing from a rural area, this was a serious shock factor. Eventually I became ustomed to the smell, but I knew going back after winter break would be a miserable transition.


    Vega, on the other hand, took sses online so she had no clue just how bad it was.


    "Well, I think that-"


    Mrs. Chandler''s sentence was cut short when Mr. Chandler opened the front door. Body rigid, his presence made us all jump from our seats on the couch. "What on earth is the matter?" Mrs. Chandler asked, rushing over to him.


    He saw Vega and I and pointed to us. "You two,e with me." He turned his attention to Mrs. Chandler, "Lock the doors after us, we''ll be back."


    Mrs. Chandler grabbed Vega''s arm as we hurried past her and looked at Mr. Chandler. "You''re not taking my baby anywhere unless you tell me what''s wrong."


    He rested his hand on her shoulder. "We''re going to be okay. Evelyn''s father is waiting in the car. They''re safe, okay?" He turned to Vega and I, "C''mon girls."


    Mrs. Chandler reluctantly let go of Vega and watched us out the door. "Warren Charles Chandler! If anything happens to either one of them, we are getting a divorce!"


    We hurried out to the car where my father was waiting in the passenger seat, looking as stoic as ever. He was still in his suit, so I knew he had been stayingte at the firm when the call came in. Because he and Mr. Chandler didn''t get along well at all, I knew there was something wrong if the two of them had willingly ridden in the same car.


    "What happened?" I asked.


    "We''ll discuss it in the car," Mr. Chandler said, opening the door for Vega and I to get in.


    As soon as he got into the driver''s seat, the car was taking off backwards out of the driveway. "So..?" Vega said.


    "Listen," Mr. Chandler said. "There are things that go on in packs today that you two need to be aware of. You''re the next generation of Lycanthropes and that means it is important you know how to handle situations when they arise." "You are kind of scaring me," I said, nervously fidgeting with my seatbelt strap.


    "An Alpha Superior is here tonight. He called a meeting with the council because one of our neighboring packs believes we are housing a defected member of their pack within our territory," my father said, speaking finally. "But housing a rogue is illegal," I argued.


    My dad nodded and caught my eye in the rearview mirror. "That''s why this is very serious."


    "So where are we going?" Vega asked. "To meet him somewhere?"


    "Yes, we are meeting the Alpha Superior and the leaders of the other pack in The Valley," Her father answered.


    "Alpha Superior?" I asked, frowning. "Why do they even still have those? Alphas haven''t been used in pack dynamics in so long..."


    "They''re our leadership," Mr. Chandler said. "That entire echelon of Lycanthrope still thrives with the Alpha-Beta pack mentality."


    "It just seems so primitive," I said, crossing my arms. "They''re just a bunch of old guys who can''t let the glory days die."


    If I hadn''t been looking out of my window when I said this, I would have seen Mr. Chandler smile at my naivety. I didn''t yet know how wrong I was, but I would soon.


    We pulled into an empty parking lot between the base of the two mountains.


    "Where is everyone?" Vega asked.


    A few momentster, three cars pulled into the lot and parked next to ours. Seven men who I recognized from the town got out of the cars and came over to us. More than one of them eyed Vega and I suspiciously. "What are they doing here?" The one with cowboy boots asked.


    "Conflict resolution is an important lesson they need to learn," my father said. I rolled my eyes as soon as I heard his stupid attorney tone. Everyone always believed whatever came out of his mouth when he spoke like that. The rancher didn''t look so convinced, however. "I don''t think they should be party to this. It ain''t appropriate to havedies present when politics are being handled."


    "It''s a good thing you weren''t asked then, isn''t it?" My father asked, holding a stare that threatened the rancher to say another word against his.


    The rancher was obviously still bothered by our presence but he didn''t dare say another word as we began walking from the parking lot and onto a path that led into the surrounding forest.


    It was freezing cold outside and Vega and I barely had time to grab our shoes and jackets before walking out the door, meaning our gloves and hats were left behind. Ipensated by pulling my long brown hair out of a ponytail to cover my ears and shoving my cold, pale hands deep into my pockets.


    Once we had reached a clearing in the trees, we saw arge group of men-veryrge men I might add-waiting for us. One of them, however, was turned from us, standing in front of someone. They were speaking in hushed tones that even a Lycanthrope''s hearing like mine couldn''t pick up on.


    You could very clearly tell who the foreigners were. They were all dressed in dark, regal clothing. The other men, clearly belonging to our neighboring pack, were in blue jeans and fur-lined denim jackets.


    "This isn''t all of them!" One of the older men from the neighboring pack yelled angrily.


    "Our apologies," Mr. Chandler said. "Not everyone could meet us here tonight on such short notice."


    The man who had his back turned to us stopped speaking and turned around to face Mr. Chandler and our group. His cropped blond hair was all I noticed before my father stepped in front of me, blocking my view. Vega''s father did the same to her, causing the both of us to shoot each other questioning looks.


    "I need not exin how important this usation brought against you is, so my Alpha and I will not excuse the negligent behavior of your pack''s council in this matter. It is not appropriate to degrade such an issue," someone said.


    I detected an ent in his voice, but I couldn''t ce it.


    "Degrade?" I mouthed to Vega, shooting her a questioning look.


    She just shrugged, still listening.


    Everything went quiet, deathly quiet. No one was speaking any longer. Silence was all anyone could hear.


    I looked at Vega.


    "This can''t be good," she mouthed.


    I heard a twig break under someone''s foot about two feet in front of my father.


    Was there going to be an attack? Are they all going to start fighting?


    Then I heard his voice, deep and demanding.


    "Move."


    Was he speaking to my dad?


    My question was answered when my dad hesitantly stepped out of my way.


    The first thing I saw was a very broad and muscr chest trapped beneath a ck, long-sleeved shirt. The next thing I saw were his eyes, electric blue and gorgeous. They seemed to be glowing in the sparse moonlight that filtered in between the trees.


    It felt like something inside of me had caught fire.


    "Holy shit," was thest thing I remember hearing Vega saying before everything went dark.

 Chapter Two - No Choice-1

    "Would you give her some room!"


    My eyes snapped open at the sound of Vega''s voice.


    She was standing over me with her hands on my shoulders. I grabbed her arms and stared at her wide-eyed. "What happened?"


    She rolled her eyes. "You locked your knees, I guess. I thought homeboy over here was going to shit himself."


    I looked over in the direction she nodded and saw the blue-eyed Alpha standing beside her, staring at me intently, concern etched on his face. "Oh my God, how long was I out?" I whispered.


    "There''s no need to be dramatic, only a minute or two," she answered.


    My gaze returned to Vega and I squeezed her arms as I sat up. "Dude, I think he''s-"


    "-your mate?" She finished. "I guessed that with the way he just acted. Are you okay?"


    "I''m fine," I assured her.


    She made a face. "You don''t look fine."


    "I am," I assured her as she helped pull me to my feet. Immediately, the Alpha offered a strong arm behind my back to steady me on my feet.


    "Are you alright?" He asked, a strong English entplemented his deep voice.


    I nodded, but kept my eyes on Vega. I couldn''t look at him.


    She gave me a small smile and slowly peeled my arms away from her. "Talk to him," she mouthed.


    Before I could muster a syble, I heard my father''s voice butt in.


    "What is going on here?! Get your hands off my daughter immediately!" He demanded. "Who do you think you are?!"


    I turned to look at him, but the Alpha''s arm only tightened around me as my father made advances toward us.


    "He''s my dad, it''s fine. Would you let go of me, please?" I asked, tugging at his arm.


    The Alpha hesitated for a moment before loosening his hold on me enough for me to step away from him.


    "Don''t touch her again," my dad snapped, yanking me back by my arm.


    "Woah," Mr. Chandler said, waving his hands and stepping between us. "Scott, let go of Evelyn and let''s talk this out."


    My dad red at Mr. Chandler as he referred to him by his first name.


    The group went silent. All of us just stood there, staring at each other.


    I, in particr, could not stop staring at the Alpha. God, he was gorgeous. His dark, thick hair was perfectly messy and his electric blue eyes felt like they were looking straight through me. He had the most carnal facial features of anyone I had ever met, sharp and concentrated. He was also older than I was. Nearly thirty, I figured.


    He caught my gaze and I looked away immediately.


    My attention refocused on the one standing behind him, the blond one I had noticed earlier. He was almost as tall as the Alpha and he too carried a vaguely threatening expression.


    I blinked a few times before throwing my hands up in exasperation. I had no idea what to do. I didn''t even believe mates were still a thing, much less know how to react to getting one.


    But I knew. I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that he was my mate. I just... felt it. I couldn''t yet determine, however, whether it was a good feeling or a dooming one.


    "What is going on here? Can we please get back to what we were here to discuss?!" Someone shouted from behind the Alpha.


    He and the blond one turned around and we all pointed our attention to the man who had said it.


    "That matter is no longer your concern," the Alpha remarked. "I''ll handle things from here. This meeting is now adjourned."


    A group of furious shouts and murmurs came from the neighboring pack as this was spoken. However, they immediately went silent as the Alpha narrowed his eyes at them. He turned his attention back to us. "Follow me," he said to my father and I before walking in between the eleven of us that were standing there.


    I looked at my dad before beginning to follow the Alpha.


    Mr. Chandler and Vega also followed behind me and soon my father did as well.


    "I am absolutely stunned, confused, shocked, and scared all at the same time. I can barely keep up with any of this," Vega whispered as we walked. All I could do was nod in agreement.


    "And to think," she added. "You didn''t even believe in mates five hours ago."


    She''s right, I thought as I looked over at her.


    There was a sh of concern on her face. "Are you okay?"


    "I''ll let you know," I whispered. I took one look at the man walking in front of us and shook my head. "I just don''t see how this is going to end well and that''s scaring me."


    I could tell from her face that Vega was trying to formte an encouraging word or two but she wasn''t able to and simply shrugged. Well that''sforting, I thought.


    A few momentster we came to a halt on the path and the Alpha turned to look at us. He shot a hard look at Mr. Chandler who immediately replied with, "My wife promises to divorce me if anything happened to her." I looked at Mr. Chandler as he said this and he gave me a wink.


    This seemed excusable enough to the Alpha who didn''t make another reference to their presence.


    "My name is Alpha Superior Deveraux," He said to my father, who only nodded in acknowledgment. He turned to me, "And Adam to you, love."


    "Evelyn," I said, offering my hand.


    He took my hand and kissed the back of it.


    I had been going for a handshake there, buddy, but okay, I thought.


    I wasn''t looking at Vega, but I could see the stupid smile on her face without having to look at her. I knew her too well and she was probably about to wet her pants.


    "I am Vega Chandler, and this is my father, Warren Chandler," Vega said, stepping up and gesturing to herself and her father.


    "I need it in the strictest confidence you can assure me there is no rogue being housed on yournd," Adam said, directing his words to my father and Mr. Chandler.


    Mr. Chandler nodded eagerly. "I am absolutely certain there is no one being held here uwfully," he said. "No one knew anything of it when we spoke to the council."


    "There isn''t enough evidence to support their im," my father said. I rolled my eyes at his judicialnguage. "There are simply no signs of a rogue on thisnd."


    Adam didn''t look so convinced by this. "I apologize for not being able to take your word for it. I will be leaving behind three men tomorrow who are going to investigate the ims further. They won''t need more than a week." My dad looked irritated by this, but Mr. Chandler nodded thoughtfully. "I understand," he said.


    Adam seemed pleased by this and reached out to shake Mr. Chandler''s hand.


    "I appreciate your cooperation," He said. "We will be leaving tomorrow if there are no other setbacks. Now, I would like to speak to Evelyn, if you could excuse us."


    As my dad turned to leave, he reached out and pulled me in close by the front my jacket. "Don''t bothering home tonight. I don''t want that man stepping foot into my house. Do I make myself clear?" He snarled through clenched teeth. "Crystal," I nodded, stiff with fear.


    As I said this, Adam slid his arm protectively between my father and I.


    "Let this be a warning," he said in a low voice. "If you every your hands on her again, be prepared to have handsid on you."


    My father backed away from the two of us, shooting daggers at both Adam and I as he did.


    "I like this guy," Vega whispered as she passed me.


    They had all walked away in a matter of seconds and I was more than aware I was nowpletely alone with this man.


    I swallowed. "Um, thanks for that."


    Is that all you can say, you idiot?!


    "Does he treat you that way often?" Adam asked, moving in front of me.


    I didn''t answer, not wishing to borate further on the topic of my father.


    "You said you''re leaving tomorrow?" I asked, changing the subject.


    I saw a shadow of a smile appear on his face. "No, I said we were leaving tomorrow."


    We?


    "Excuse me," I said. "But you''re not assuming I''ll be going with you... are you?"


    Adam''s eyes narrowed, causing a lump to form in my throat.


    "You wouldn''t want to?" He asked.


    "I mean... I-I have school and... stuff."


    I cringed.


    "School and stuff?" That''s the best you coulde up with? You don''t even like school!


    "I see," he said.

 Chapter Two - No Choice-2

    Wait,


    what?


    "You do?" I asked incredulously.


    "Yes," he said. "I am wondering, however, if there is any way I can persuade you otherwise? You see, as much as you are internally trying to deny it, you and I are mates. This means, from my end, that I have a duty to both protect and provide for you. I cannot do that while you are here and I am there. As an Alpha, I also have obligations to my people which I cannot abandon by staying here. So... I am asking you to willinglye with me tomorrow when I leave." "And if I don''te willingly?" I asked slowly.


    "You''lle involuntarily."


    "As in...?"


    "I''ll pick you up and put you on the ne myself," He said.


    Well damn.


    "It''s your choice, of course, which method you prefer," he added.


    "This is unbelievable," I said walking away.


    He began to follow me closely. "Is that a yes?"


    "I haven''t decided," I mumbled.


    Adam and I returned to our respective groups shortly and everyone turned to stare at us as I walked over to Vega. Adam made his way over to the blond man, who was standing alone and silently watching everyone else. "What did he say to you?" She asked excitedly.


    I sighed, kicking the dirt with my boots. "He wants me to go home with him tomorrow."


    She gasped and smiled. "Are you going to?"


    "I don''t really have much of a choice," I groaned.


    She gasped. "He''s walking over here."


    I looked up from the ground to see him walking over to us and Mr. Chandler spoke up.


    "Alpha Superior Deveraux, if you need somece to stay tonight, you are more than wee to stay with my family and I."


    "I have somewhere to stay, thank you, though," Adam said. He turned to me. "Follow me."


    He began to walk away and I ran after him.


    "Wait!" I yelled.


    He stopped and turned to me.


    "I''m not staying with you tonight," I said.


    "Are you forgetting what your father told you?" He asked.


    I took a deep breath. "I''m staying with Vega."


    Before he could say anything, I continued. "I need the time to say goodbye."


    He thought about it for a moment and nodded. "I''ll pick you up in the morning."


    I nodded and turned back to walk away.


    "Evelyn..."


    I looked back at him.


    "Don''t do anything stupid before then," he warned, adding a wink.


    The ride home was silent.


    I knew my dad was mad at me, but there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. It wasn''t like I could help the fact that I had found a mate in a man who was an Alpha Superior and basically a king among our people. I tried not to think about thatst part too hard.


    We dropped my dad back off at his firm. He said nothing as he mmed the door after he got out. I watched him stomp over to his car angrily as we pulled away.


    "Are you okay back there, Evie?" Mr. Chandler asked.


    "Yeah," I said softly. "I''m fine."


    I caught his eye in the rearview mirror and caught his sympathetic gaze. Vega put her hand on my shoulder and smiled.


    "Things are going to be better for you now," she said. I just shook my head.


    I wasn''t so sure about that.


    When we pulled into the Chandlers driveway, Mrs. Chandler came running out in her dressing gown.


    "You couldn''t have at least called?" She asked, her hands on her hips.


    Mr. Chandler smiled. "There isn''t much service in The Valley, honey. Besides, I think you needed to hear this in person. Why don''t we make some tea for Vega and Evie. They need to warm up." She nodded and took Vega and I inside with her hands around our shoulders.


    We had all sat down next to the firece with steaming cups of tea before Mrs. Chandler began prodding for answers.


    "Well...? What happened?" She asked.


    Mr. Chandler looked at me. "We met some, uh, interesting people tonight. Don''t you agree, Evie?"


    Vega nudged me and wiggled her eyebrows. I just stared down into my cup of tea.


    "I''m not getting it, people," Mrs. Chandler said. "What happened?"


    Mr. Chandler began to tell her the story. When he got to the part where we met Adam, he stopped and looked at me. "And... He''s my mate," I sighed.


    I hated how good it felt to say that.


    Mrs. Chandler gasped and Mr. Chandler hushed her. "You''re going to wake up the boys and it''s almost midnight," he said.


    She put her hand up to silence him, all the while still looking at me.


    "Darling that''s wonderful," she said smiling. "Aren''t you happy?"


    It was my turn to shrug. "I guess so."


    Liar.


    "He''s making me leave with him tomorrow," I said.


    Her smile fell. "Can''t you ask him for more time?"


    "He has to get back to his pack," I said shaking my head. "There really isn''t a way out of this. I tried telling him I had school, but... It didn''t really work."


    "Well, you wanted to take sses online anyway," she reasoned. "Although I don''t appreciate how selfish he''s being, taking you away from people who love you so suddenly and all." I smiled.


    At least someone would miss me.


    As we headed to bed, I opened the door to the guest bedroom, a ce I slept frequently. Vega stopped me from walking in.


    "Do you wanna sleep downstairs in the living room like we used to?" She asked.


    I smiled. "Sure."


    We headed downstairs, made our spots on the couches, andid down, watching the fire die.


    "I''ll miss you," she said, finally.


    "I''ll miss you too."


    "Do you think you''ll evere back?" She asked..


    I rolled over and stared up at the ceiling. "I certainly hope so. You have toe and visit me, though. Wherever I end up going..."


    "I will," she assured me. "How do you think your mom took the news?"


    I sighed. "There''s no telling."


    It was quiet for a moment before she spoke again. "I have a feeling that things will be great for you with him."


    I swallowed hard.


    I certainly hope so.

 Chapter Three - Leaving Her Family-1

    "Evie."


    I sighed and rolled over.


    "Evie, wake up."


    "Why?" I whined.


    "He''s here."


    I turned my head and opened one eye. "What? Who''s here?"


    "Who do you think?" Vega asked, crossing her arms.


    Then I remembered.


    "Oh."


    I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Throwing the nket from over my legs, I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the couch. Vega sat down next to me. "Do you want to run upstairs and hide in my closet? I can tell him you left this morning and went home."


    I smiled and swung my arm around her shoulder. "Vega, if I thought that would work, I would be halfway up the staircase right now." Sheughed.


    "Evie, honey, I made breakfast. Adam just pulled into the driveway if you want to go invite him in to eat," Mrs. Chandler yelled from the kitchen.


    The doorbell rang a few momentster and Vega got up to go open the door.


    "You might want to run your fingers through your hair and go pop a breath mint really fast," She advised,ughing.


    I looked at her wide-eyed. "I don''t have on a bra either."


    I ran past her and up the stairs to her room. I quickly changed back into my sweater and jeans from the day before. I borrowed some deodorant and brushed my teeth quickly. I was walking back down the stairs, running my fingers through my hair, when I heard Adam''s voice.


    "I appreciate that, Mrs. Chandler. We are a little short on time this morning, however, so we''ll need to be going," he said politely. She had invited him to stay for breakfast.


    As if he sensed me standing there, Adam turned around and met my gaze. I slowly walked down the stairs and he greeted me at the bottom. "Good morning," he said softly. "Morning," I said.


    "We need to go ahead and leave," he said. "I''ll be waiting just outside while you say goodbye."


    I nodded, not meeting his gaze.


    "It was nice to meet you," Adam said, shaking the hand of both Mr. and Mrs. Chandler. He gave me onest look before heading out the front door.


    They all turned to look at me and I smiled, trying to hold back tears.


    "Does your boyfriend y football?" Brennan asked.


    Iughed at this and shook my head. "I don''t know."


    "He should y basketball. Did you see how tall he is?" Ethanmented.


    "Hush," Mrs. Chandler said. "You two say goodbye to Evie now. We don''t know when we''ll see her again."


    The two of them walked up, their arms wrapping around my waist and faces pressing into my stomach. "Will you be home for our birthday? It''s in February, you know," Ethan said. Iughed, hugging them back. "I''ll try to be."


    They both ran up the stairs behind me and I looked at Mrs. Chandler, who was crying.


    I couldn''t help but cry myself as I walked over to her and threw my arms around her neck. "I''ll miss you so much," I whispered.


    "I''ll miss you too, honey," She said, pulling away. "You tell that man of yours that he has to take good care of you, you hear?" I nodded. "I will."


    Mr. Chandler walked over and gave me a side hug and a kiss on top of my head. "I''ll beat him up if he doesn''t," he saidughing.


    I wiped tears from my cheeks and smiled. "I know you will."


    I looked at Vega, who was far from smiling. "I can''t believe you''re actually leaving," She said. "I don''t want you to go."


    I shook my head. "Me neither," I said, going in for a big hug.


    Vega hugged me tight and I hugged her tighter. I felt her sigh as she let go and backed away. "You should get going then," She said.


    I nodded. "I''ll call as soon as I get wherever it is I''m going," I said.


    "Here," Mrs. Chandler said, handing me my coat and scarf as well as a brown paper bag. "I packed you two some food for the road." "Thank you," I said, taking the bag and hugging her again.


    I put on my jacket and backed away towards the door, trying not to cry again. "I''ll see you guys soon."


    Mrs. Chandler nodded and Vega and Mr. Chandler waved.


    I stepped out the door and felt the icy breeze hit my wet cheeks. I wiped them quickly with my sleeve and wrapped my scarf around my neck.


    He was standing there with his hands in his pockets as if the cold air didn''t bother him. I walked past him and down the sidewalk.


    A ck, all-terrain Jeep was sitting in the driveway that I assumed was his. I walked around the car and put my hand on the handle. Before I could pull the door open his hand blocked the door from opening. "I''m sorry," he said.


    I didn''t say anything, didn''t even turn around to look at him as his hand wrapped around mine and pulled the door open for me to get inside.


    The car was warm. He''d left it running with the warm air on full st. I put my hands in front of the vents as he got into the car and closed the door. While we were pulling away, I wondered how he knew where the Chandlers live. "How did you know where to find me?" I asked, still not looking at him.


    "Tracking," he answered simply.


    It didn''t really satisfy my question fully, but I didn''t have the desire to ask it twice.


    "So where am I going so that we can get your things?" Adam asked.


    "My house is farther up the road that way," I said pointing in the direction we were heading.


    A few silent minutester we pulled in front of my house. "Here," I said.


    He parked and turned the car off while I got out and headed up the drive.


    As I was walking up, I pulled my key out of my back pocket.


    "What time is it?" I asked Adam, who had caught up with me.


    He looked at his watch. "Just after eight," he replied.


    They aren''t awake yet, I thought.


    "Be quiet," I instructed as I unlocked the front door.


    Adam didn''t say anything, only followed me inside as I opened the door slowly.


    My dad was passed out on the recliner, a near-empty whiskey bottle tucked underneath his arm. I pretended like Adam couldn''t see it too.


    As we made our way down the hallway and into my room, I tried to ignore Adam''s staring at the door-less frame. The door to my bathroom had also been taken off the hinges, something he noticed as well. His jaw clenched as his hand traced the broken hinges.


    I pretended not to notice him as I looked into my closet and I stared at all the things I had to pack. I turned around and saw Adam walking around my room, taking in the sight of a ce I never stayed. I knew he could tell I never stayed here too. There was dust on top of the dresser and on the nightstand. The bed hadn''t been unmade in months so there was probably ayer of dust on that too.


    "I''m going to go get boxes, I''ll be right back," I whispered.


    He turned to look at me. "Do you need help?"


    "Stay in here," I said shaking my head.


    As I walked out of my room, I remembered the tworge stic containers that Mom stored all her post-surgery clothes in.

 Chapter Three - Leaving Her Family-2

    They''re in her closet, I thought.


    I opened the door to her bedroom slowly. I knew she was in the bed because the ckout curtains were drawn over the windows, making it impossible for any light to shine into the room. I knew where the closet door was, however, and made my way over to it with my hands outstretched to keep me from running into anything.


    This room smells wretched, I thought as I grabbed the closet door handle. I opened the closet and sunk to my knees to grab the containers from under her clothes. I slid them out slowly, opened the lids, and dumped all the clothes out. Add those to the list of crap that''s strewn all over the floor, I thought. I didn''t have an ounce of remorse for doing it either.


    I stacked the empty boxes and slid them out of the room, shutting the door behind me.


    I made it back into my room quickly and quietly and put the boxes in front of my bed.


    Adam was sat in my desk chair. "Do you want me to start pulling stuff out of these drawers and putting them in the boxes?" He asked.


    "There''s nothing in there but a few books," I said going to my closet. "You can put them in here."


    I threw him a duffle bag as he began to empty out the drawers.


    I began to haul everything from off the racks into the boxes, not even bothering to fold them or take them off the hangers. Once I was done with that, I packed my underwear into a bag and put them in with all of my clothes. One box down, one more to go...


    I looked over to Adam and saw him flipping through the pages of a notebook.


    "What is that?" I asked.


    Before he could answer, I heard heavy footfallsing down the hallway.


    Thest thing I saw was my father before Adam was standing in front of me, followed by the sound of shattering ss.


    It took me a moment to process what had happened, but when I saw the grimace on his face as he looked down at me and the whiskey dripping down the side of his face, I gasped.


    Adam turned around to face my father and I saw the shards of ss sticking out of his jacket. The shattered remains of the whiskey bottle wasying on the floor.


    He threw that at you.


    "I told you not to bring this man into my house! Do you not listen to a word I say?!" My father bellowed.


    Adam took arge step forward. "Clearly, it runs in the family," He said with a clenched jaw and closed fists.


    "Wait!" I yelled, jumping in between the two of them.


    I looked at my dad. "I just need an hour," I bargained. "One hour and I''ll be gone and... and I won''te back. Okay?"


    I swallowed as he red down at me. "You have thirty minutes," he growled.


    My dad turned to walk down the hallway and I put my hand on Adam''s chest to stop him from following him.


    "Stop," I said, pushing against him.


    "Do you not know what he just did?" He asked incredulously. This was the first time I saw him close to losing his cool.


    "I did, trust me. I know all too well. But we need to focus on what we''re doing here and just hurry up and finish so we can leave. Are you okay?" I asked. Adam took a deep breath and nodded. "I''m fine, but if he tries something like that one more time, I''m not letting him get away with it," he warned.


    I swallowed and nodded. "Deal."


    His jaw clenched before he walked back into the room, kicking the broken bottle under the bed. "What do you have left to do?"


    "Just finish packing this box and we''ll be good to go," I said.


    Adam sighed before putting the bag of books inside the box. I threw in my shoes. I packed myptop into my backpack and put that in the box as well.


    "I don''t think we''ll be able to fit anything else," he said.


    "Well, I suppose that''s as good as it will get then," I said while putting the lid on top.


    I looked around the room. It was packed up for the most part. I had everything that I needed. I did wonder, however, what they would do with everything else when I was gone. "You''ll need an overnight bag," Adam said.


    I walked back inside the closet and pulled out thest bag I had. It was a reusable grocery bag, but it would have to work. I packed it quickly.


    "Evelyn!"


    I jumped when I heard my father''s voice boom across the house. Our thirty minutes was up.


    I saw Adam''s jaw clench as he red down the hallway.


    "Hey," I said waving at him. "Let''s just get everything and go."


    He looked at me and I could tell there was definitely an internal debate going on inside of him.


    "Let''s go," I repeated.


    I leaned down to pick up the stacked containers and Adam simply picked them both up and turned to walk down the hallway.


    Well damn.


    He made it look easy.


    I grabbed my overnight bag and my jacket and scarf before following him.


    He put the boxes in the car and came back inside as I stood in the foyer, awkwardly standing next to my father, whom I was convinced was still half drunk. "You''re leaving now?" He asked.


    I nodded, turning to him. I expected a goodbye or something but he simply turned and walked away.


    The disappointment was clearly seen on my face by Adam.


    He walked up to me. "Go get the car started, I''ll be out in a second."


    "Adam-" I started.


    "I''m not asking you," he said, his jaw clenching.


    I decided it best not to argue with him on this and I slowly walked toward the front door. Adam stood still, watching me. I stopped when I reached the door. "Go," he said, before I could say a word.


    I opened the door before I could think twice about it and I walked quickly out to the car.


    I started it up and waited for Adam toe back out.


    The air vents had just started blowing warm air when I saw him walk out the front door.


    "What did you say?" I asked him as he got in.


    "I didn''t say anything," He said as he started to back the car out of the driveway. "Buckle up."


    I swallowed as I pulled the strap across my chest. "That was a bit uncalled for," I muttered.


    Adam hit the brakes and turned to look at me. "You don''t deserve to be treated like that. No one who ims to love you should ever speak to you or act towards you like he did. One day I''ll make you see that." I looked away and he continued to back out of the driveway. I stared back at the house that I had lived in my entire life and I honestly didn''t care if I ever saw it again.


    "So..." I said. "Where are we going?"


    "To get on a ne," Adam said shortly.


    "Where is the ne taking us?" I asked. "Home."


    I rolled my eyes. "Where is that?"


    Adam just smiled.


    "I hope you didn''t think it was too cold here."

 Chapter Four - Home-1

    "Canada?!"


    I sat in the car seat with my jaw gaping open.


    "I didn''t pack warm enough for this," I groaned.


    "I won''t let you freeze," Adam said inly.


    I shook my head.


    "I thought we would be going somewhere like London," I said.


    "London?" He asked incredulously. "Why on earth would you have thought London?"


    I just looked at him.


    "I was raised by English parents, however I have only been to London three times in my entire life," he said. "The smell of that ce would put anyone out for hours, Evelyn." "You don''t have to call me Evelyn," I said. "I prefer Evie or Eve."


    Adam nodded. "Well, Evie or Eve, we have another few hours in this vehicle if you feel like sharing anything else I might need to know."


    I shrugged. "What do you want to know?"


    "Well," he said thinking. "What do I need to know?"


    "My birthday is February 22nd and my middle name is Michelle," I answered. "You?"


    "My birthday is May 6th and my favorite color is ck," he answered.


    "ck?"


    "It goes with everything," he exined defensively.


    I shook my head. "What is your favorite movie?"


    "I don''t watch any," he said.


    "Weird," Imented. "Favorite book, then?"


    "The Art of War by Sun Tzu," he said.


    I just stared at him.


    "What?" He asked.


    "I liked you better before I knew all this about you," I said.


    "Well then," he said. "Please enlighten me: what is your favorite film and book?"


    "Favorite film is Gone with The Wind, favorite book is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy." He grimaced.


    "I half-expected the gushy romance part, but not theck of happy endings," Adam said.


    "Lack of happy endings?!"" I asked. "Says the man whose favorite book is The Art of War..." "I see your point."


    I leaned forward and pulled out the bag of breakfast that Mrs. Chandler had sent us. "Hungry?" I asked.


    "Starving," He replied.


    I opened the bag and pulled out a few pieces of bacon and handed them to Adam


    "So..." I said, eating my own bacon, "Why don''t you watch movies?"


    "There are much more important things to do when you lead a pack of nearly twenty thousand," he said.


    "But don''t you have leaders and councils who deal with your pack for you?" I asked.


    "I have advisors and a cab who help me, but no, I do most of it myself."


    "So it''s like a dictatorship?" I asked.


    Adam looked at me. "Is that what you think of Alphas as? Dictators?"


    I shrugged. "I think the whole Alpha-Beta thing is a bit far-fetched. I mean, I thought Lycans got past that primitive mindset ages ago."


    I saw his jaw tense. "It''s the most effective means of pack safety and harmony ever used. The rules I enforce and lifestyle I promote are for the good of the pack, I don''t see how that is primitive." "That sounds like something a dictator would say," I said.


    I could''ve sworn he rolled his eyes.


    "What about you then?" He asked. "I suppose you probably think that just letting everyone do as they please and roam about as they would is the best thing for a pack?"


    I nodded.


    "That''s a very modern approach, and I promise you- as someone who travels and sees the effects of a mindset like that- it''s rudely ineffective," Adam argued.


    "It''s worked just fine for me," I said.


    Adam simply replied, "Then you''re in for a rude awakening."


    Is he serious?


    "So let me get this straight," I said. "You''re going to drag me away from my family and friends because I''m your mate- which you seem to believe gives you some kind of ownership rights over me- and criticize me for believing in a system of order that has kept me alive my whole life. After which you n on taking me to an unfamiliar ce where I have topletely readjust, you being the only person I know. All that being said, I would dare say I''ve been rudely awakened already."


    "Evelyn," Adam said slowly. "Out of respect for my title, I suggest you watch the words thate out of your mouth when they are directed at me."


    "Fuck off."


    The car came to a screeching halt in the middle of the empty highway.


    I could feel the rage seeping off of him, but I kept my eyes forward on the road.


    "These pleasantries you''ve grown ustomed to in me are not, by any means, my nature. Thest time those words were spoken towards me the wolf''s head ended up fifteen feet from his hide."


    I kept my head straight, eyes focused forward.


    "Look at me," Adam said.


    My jaw clenched but I didn''t look at him.


    I felt his hand grab my jaw gently, his fingers turning me to face him.


    I red at him hard as his blue eyes studied mine.


    Adam dropped his hand and put his eyes back on the road.


    The car started moving again, Adam not saying another word.


    We didn''t speak again for several more hours until the car pulled off the deserted road onto a path towards a small runway.


    A steel bunker sat hidden in the trees. A small aircraft was parked outside it on an outstretched runway.


    As we pulled into the lot, I noticed a few other cars were parked there.


    Adam said nothing as he parked the car and got out.


    Do I just sit here?


    I watched as Adam walked over to the other vehicles, all of them ck jeeps like his.


    The blond man got out of the driver''s side of the jeep and walked over to Adam. After a short conversation Adam turned and started to walk back to me.


    I turned my head and pretended to not have been watching.


    My door opened and Adam reached over and unbuckled my seatbelt.


    "Get out, we''re leaving."


    I stared at him.


    "I can unbuckle myself, thank you."


    I got out of the car and stomped around to the back of the jeep to retrieve my things.

 Chapter Four - Home-2

    "I don''t appreciate the attitude," Adam said, following me.


    "Say it again. Maybe that will stop me from giving it to you," I muttered as I opened the trunk and began to pull out my things. "Stop."


    He grabbed the boxes from me and began to carry them towards the small airport.


    I closed the trunk and grabbed my jacket and scarf from the front seat. Putting them on, I followed him.


    At this point, passengers had begun to unload out of the other jeeps and bags were being thrown around like sacks of flour as the trunks were being unloaded.


    I was a few feet behind Adam when the blond man approached me from one of the jeeps.


    "I am Beta Superior Eaton, but you can call me Jace," he said.


    "Noted," I replied, passing him.


    I got a few feet away before I stopped and took a deep breath. I turned around and walked back to him.


    "That was rude, I''m sorry," I apologized. "I''m Evelyn Schubert, but you can call me Evie."


    Jace smiled and offered his hand for me to shake. "Nice to meet you."


    "You''re not British," I said, detecting a different ent.


    "Aussie," he said, smiling. "I was assigned to the big guy over there two years ago."


    "Assigned?" I asked.


    "Evelyn!"


    I turned around to see Adam standing almost thirty feet away on the pavement. He had handed my things off to someone else and was motioning for me to follow him. I turned to look at Jace, who was still smiling. "Nice to meet you."


    "You as well," was all he said as I walked away.


    I walked over to Adam. "What?"


    "Get on the ne, we''re about to leave," he said. He turned to walk away but I stood still. When he turned around and saw me, he walked over, stopping just in front of me.


    "I wasn''t lying when I said that I would lift you over my shoulders and put you on this ne myself if I had to," he said.


    I rolled my eyes. "I don''t want to go to Canada."


    "And I didn''t want toe to America to deal with your pack, but look where it''s gotten me," he said. "Now if you don''t walk your ass over and onto that ne, I''ll do it for you." Adam turned to walk away.


    "He''s not lying," Jace said, walking around me from behind.


    "I know," I muttered, reluctantly following him.


    I followed Jace as he walked over the ne and up the steps into it. Inside, it looked like something I would have expected a private jet to look like. It was nice, but smaller than amercial airne.


    I took a seat in a chair by one of the windows in the back. It was a single chair next to the aisle so there was no way Adam could sit next to me. I didn''t know how long this trip would be, but I didn''t want to deal with him for even a minute longer.


    Propping my elbow on the windowsill, I leaned my head on my hand and closed my eyes.


    I want to go back to Vega''s house. I wish I never stayed for supperst night with the Chandlers and that I never went with Mr. Chandler to The Valley.


    I opened my eyes when something fell at my feet. I looked down to see my overnight bagying at my feet and Adam standing over it. I refused to make eye contact with him as I pulled the bag from the floor and sat it in myp. Adam sat in the chair in front of me and I red at the back of his head until I heard the ne engines start.


    Everyone else loaded on quickly. There were probably twenty of us on the ne, which felt a little crowded. Jace sat in the front near the door and began to write something down on a notepad he took out of his backpack. My nosey side wanted to see what it was he was writing, but no matter how hard I strained my eyes, I couldn''t tell.


    I leaned back in my seat as the door closed. The ne began to move shortly thereafter. I huffed and shook my head as we gained speed down the runway, eventually leaving the ground.


    No one was speaking, it wasplete silence in the cabin. This made it difficult to cover up the sniffles that came from me as I tried not to cry.


    Suck it up, girlfriend, I told myself. There was nothing I could do about it, therefore there was no reason to be crying over it.


    I don''t remember how long the ne ride was. I eventually fell asleep against the window.


    When I woke up, it was dark out and the lights in the cabin had been dimmed.


    Adam was awake and out of his seat. He and Jace stood in the front of the ne, discussing something.


    I looked around at the other men who were onboard as well. Some were asleep, some had headphones on, others sat talking in the dimly lit cabin.


    Adam must have seen me looking around because he ended his conversation with Jace and walked over to me.


    "The ne will bending shortly. Make sure you have all of your things," he said, his voice just above a whisper.


    As he walked away, I turned and looked out the window. I could see some lights off in the distance the airport I guessed-but there were none around us besides those. How deep into Canada did we go?


    A few minutester, my guess was confirmed when the ne began to descend towards the brightly lit runway.


    Once the ne hadnded, the lights in the cabin turned on and everyone stood up and prepared to leave the ne.


    Adam stayed close by as we all exited out onto the tarmac.


    The wind was whipping around me violently, almost knocking me over. It didn''t seem to bother anyone else, but I did wonder how the ne hadn''t been blown out of the sky.


    The runway had been cleared, but at the edge of the pavement I could see a thick nket of snow covered the ground.


    I couldn''t see anything beyond that, just the inky ckness of the night.


    I followed the group with Adam by my side to therge SUVs that sat near the terminal, where our luggage was being loaded by the airport attendants. There were plows on the front with blinding light bars over the windshield. As we got closer, I also noted the chains wrapped around the tires that would help us keep traction on the icy roads. Great.


    "How much longer is this going to take?" I asked Jace, who happened to be walking in front of me.


    "All I heard was the grown-up equivalent to ''are we there yet?''," he said, opening up the car door for me.


    I groaned and slid into the warm car. It was significantly colder here than it was in Utah, another reason I wish I could have stayed.


    Jace hopped into the passenger seat and Adam into the driver''s seat. Everyone else piled into the other three identical SUVs. "So?" I asked. "How long?"


    "Only about an hour, then we''re home," Adam said, pulling off the tarmac and onto a dirt road that had been cleared of snow. "Then you''re home," I muttered, looking out the window.


    There was nothing to see, just the night sky which was littered with stars I never could see at home. I soon became bored with that though.


    "Can someone turn on the radio?" I asked.


    "There''s no radio signal out here," Jace said with a chuckle.


    I groaned.


    After enduring another hour or so of the boring ride, I began to notice the lights in front of us. A vige, maybe? I thought. It was about damn time I saw some form of civilization. As we got closer I began to feel some type of gratification as I realized it was, in fact, a vige. However, once we were there, I realized it wasn''t what I expected.


    "Where are we?" I asked incredulously.


    Neither one of them answered.


    All I could do was stare out the window at the vige we were now driving the streets of. There were shops and cafes as well as apartments and bookstores. It all looked like something from a movie.


    It was beautiful.


    We kept driving-much to my dismay-until we were almost out of the citypletely.


    I kept trying to get a good look at where we were heading, but with all the twists and turns on the tiny, cobblestone streets I was beginning to feel nauseous. I leaned back and closed my eyes, counting to fifty and back down again to prevent a tragic death by boredom.


    The car slowed and then stopped and my eyes opened.


    "We''re home," Jace said, a mischievous smile on his face.


    My eyebrows furrowed until I stepped out of the car.


    I could''ve screamed, but with a name like Alpha Superior Adam Deveraux, I should''ve guessed it.


    He lives in a damn castle.

 Chapter Five - Soap and Scents-1

    "Would you quit staring at it like a blithering idiot and just walk inside already? It''s freezing out here."


    I shot Jace a re.


    We walked under the open gate and into a hallway where a man in a tux was waiting for us. He was anky man, tall and thin. Old enough to be my grandfather as well.


    "May I take your coat, madam," he asked, approaching me.


    I looked at Adam, who stood next to me, as I took off my coat and scarf and handed it to the old man.


    "Thank you," he said taking them.


    Jace handed him his coat as well and left us, walking down the hallway towards two huge, oak doors. As he opened one of them, I could see an illuminated stone courtyard on the other side. "Come with me," Adam said to me as the old man took his coat.


    I followed him down the dimly lit hallway. Three small chandeliers hung over our heads and reflected light off of the marble flooring beneath them. The walls were a glossy stained wood, each side decorated with wide, borate tapestries. I followed Adam towards the oak doors, but he took a turn at the end of the hallway down a set of stairs that I hadn''t noticed before.


    "Where are we going?" I asked.


    "It''s almost two in the morning, are you not tired?" He asked.


    As soon as he said the word, I felt it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was tired. In fact, I was exhausted.


    He didn''t say anything as we came to the bottom of the staircase and to a threshold for a veryrge corridor.


    The ceilings must have been one-hundred feet high. They were painted too, but I couldn''t tell what of because of theck of lighting from the three unbelievablyrge chandeliers that trailed along the ceiling towards the other end of the


    room.


    A few dozen windows lined the walls on each side, all of them stretched from the hardwood floor almost to the ceiling.


    There wererge paintings in between the windows. Their depictions were unclear as well.


    The corridor, painted a soft blue, seemed to stretch on for days before we finally reached the dark doors on the other side.


    Wordlessly, Adam opened one of the doors and held it for me as I passed through.


    We entered into a circr foyer that had arge staircase crawling up one wall and multiple doorways into other rooms attached to it.


    "Are youing?"


    I looked over to see Adam already on the staircase, waiting for me to follow him. I ced my hand on the wide, marble railing as we ascended the stairs and I wondered where on earth he got the kind of money needed to live in a ce like this. The molding on the walls was lined in gold, for God''s sake.


    By the time we had reached the top of the staircase, I was trying not to seem as out of breath as I really was. Adam led me through another set of double doors and down several more hallways.


    "I''ll never remember my way around this ce," I said as we turned another corner.


    Adam spoke as he continued walking. "If you ce your hand on the left side of the hallway and follow it, you''ll reach a staircase that will lead you out of this floor."


    "Exactly how many floors are there?" I asked.


    "It depends on where you are in the castle, but here, in the main section where we stand, there are six."


    This ce is huge.


    He turned down yet another hall, except this one was a dead end. A set of oak doors at the very end were the only things on this hallway. I could hear our footsteps echoing back at us as we walked up to the doors. Adam turned both handles and pushed both doors open, letting me in first. I had to put effort into not letting myself gasp.


    "Is this your room?" I asked.


    I thought I saw Adam smile briefly before he nodded. "It is."


    The room was one veryrge circle. The walls were painted a deep, crimson red with a dark trim trailing along the bottom of each wall. The ceiling, which was about fifty feet high was built like a dome with a monstrous chandelier hanging from it. The contrast of the white crystals against a dark ceiling made it one of the centerpieces of the room.


    Arge, circr rug almostpletely covered the hardwood flooring. There was a set of windows against one wall, apanied by French doors that no doubt led out to a balcony. Furniture was scattered around the room methodically. There was a chest of drawers, a wardrobe, shelves lined with books, and the bed.


    The bed was thergest piece in the room. The four-cornered bed sat against the far wall. A flowing burgundy canopy hung from the ceiling, falling towards each corner of the bed and skimming the carpet. A sheer ck curtain hid the mattress from the rest of the room.


    It was a gorgeous room. A suite made for royalty, no doubt.


    Somehow it fit Adam perfectly. It was dark and regal, but private and secluded from the rest of the castle.


    Adam crossed the room casually, as I''m sure the splendor of the room had escaped him a long time ago.


    "The bath is in here," he said opening a door I hadn''t noticed. "You''re free to wash up before you go to sleep, if you''d like."


    I looked down and noticed the overnight bag in my hands. I had forgotten I was even still carrying it.


    I crossed the vast bedroom and went inside the bathroom, closing the door behind me.


    It was far more than just a bath, as Adam had referred to it. The circr bath, which resembled more of a hot tub, was set in marble in the middle of the room. Arge double shower was in one corner, only ss to shield it away from the rest of the room. Two vanities sat on opposite sides of the room, each adorned by arge mirror, sink, and one of them with a desk and chair. A stack of towels sat on a stool next to the double shower entrance and I walked over to it. I stared at the ss surrounding it warily.


    If hees in here, there''s nothing here to shield my naked body, I thought.


    I felt disgusting though. I was dirty and I knew I had to take a shower. I turned on the hot water and ced two of the towels over the top of the ss, hoping those would at least make it difficult to see me if Adam happened to stroll in. Just make this quick, I reminded myself as I undressed.


    I stepped under the hot water and instantly felt my body rx. I stood there for a few moments before reaching for the bottle of soap that was perched on a shelf inside the shower. I washed myself quickly with a washcloth and rinsed my hair under the water, running my fingers through it and trying to untangle it the best I could.


    Once the shower was off, I dried myself with a towel and put on my pajamas that I packed: a t-shirt that belonged to my dad while he was inw school and shorts. I towel-dried my hair and hung both towels up to dry on a hook. Grabbing my bag, I stuffed my dirty clothes in it as I walked across the bathroom and opened the door.


    Adam was sitting on the couch, waiting for me.


    "I''m going to shower too," he said. "I smell wretched."


    As he passed me going into the bathroom, I caught the strong smell of whiskey that still coated him.


    I felt guilty for a few seconds, and that was soon reced by embarrassment.


    Why did he have to see my dad like that? I''m the only one who is supposed to know he does those things.


    I wished I had made Adam stay in the car while I packed my room. I wondered briefly if it had hurt when the bottle hit him.


    It should''ve hit me.


    I shook the thought away and put my bag down.


    That''s when it urred to me: Am I sleeping in here with him?


    I couldn''t tell for sure, so I sat down on the couch where Adam had been sitting and waited for him to get out of the shower. One thing I was certain of, however, was that he was either shameless orpletelyfortable with his body because the bathroom door stayed open the entire time he showered.


    I, however, was sitting at an angle in the room that prevented me from getting a glimpse of any skin.


    I was picking at the seam on my shirt when the shower turned off.


    "I thought you were tired?"


    I looked up to see Adam standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, his left hand holding it together. In all the beauty of his naked chest, Ipletely forgot to respond and just stared at him.


    I had never seen a man whose body looked like his without photoshop or stic surgery.


    Merry Christmas to me, I thought as I took in the sight of his protruding muscles. There wasn''t an inch of him that looked like it wasn''t bought by hours in a gym.


    I wasn''t a huge fan of chest hair either, but he made it look pretty damn sexy.

 Chapter Five - Soap and Scents-2

    It became clearer the longer I sat there gawking that he was waiting on an answer to a question I''d already forgotten. This man''s body is going to make this smart girl stupid. "Um... I forgot what I was going to say," I admitted.


    "I asked you if you were tired."


    "Yes I am," I said rubbing my eyes. I definitely didn''t do this to tattoo the image of him in nothing but a towel to the back of my eyelids so I could stare at it as I slept. "Well, you''re more than wee to go ahead and get in the bed."


    Oh.


    "Am I sleeping in here?" I asked, just to make sure.


    "Yes."


    "Are you sleeping in here?"


    Adam gave me a look that told me he thought that was a stupid question. "Of course."


    I stood there awkwardly.


    "Do you not want me to?" He asked crossing his arms.


    Sweet baby Jesus, don''t let that towel fall, I prayed.


    "I mean... we''ve known each other just over twenty-four hours," I said, fiddling with the hem of my shirt.


    "And...?"


    I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Of course... I forgot that we''re mates," I said. It came out more distastefully than I meant it to, however, and Adam noticed it.


    "I think that bed is big enough for the both of us, don''t you?" He asked, striding towards me.


    I had to look up at the ceiling to avoid staring a hole through his abs.


    His hand gently grabbed my face so that we were looking directly at each other.


    "Do you not wish to sleep in my bed, Evelyn?" Adam asked in a deep voice that highlighted his ent.


    Well when you put it like that...


    I couldn''t do anything but stare at him for a few moments before our eye contact began to make me feel flustered.


    "Fine... fine! It''s fine!" I said, backing away from him and giving up on my stance that we sleep separately.


    I could''ve sworn I saw a mischievous smirk cross his face before his features turned serious.


    "What is that smell?" Adam asked. He stepped forward and began to sniff my hair.


    "I thought after you showered it would be gone," he said with a scowl.


    "Excuse me? What are you talking about?" I asked.


    I very suddenly became self conscious about how I smelt.


    He tugged the hem of my shirt up to his nose to smell it.


    The cold draft of air that hit my skin reminded me very quickly that I didn''t have on a bra. I grabbed his hand and pushed it away. "It''s not you," he said. "It''s the shirt. Take it off."


    "Excuse me?" I repeated. "I don''t have anything to change into. All my luggage is somewhere else."


    Adam quickly walked over to his chest of drawers and pulled out a gray t-shirt.


    "Here," he said, crossing the room and handing the t-shirt to me. "I''ll trade you. Now change."


    I took the shirt from him and stood there staring at him. He just stared back.


    "Can you turn around?" I asked, annoyed.


    He rolled his eyes before turning around slowly. I kept my eyes glued to him as I pulled my shirt from over my head and slid his on.


    "What''s the big deal with this shirt anyways? I didundryst week," I stated. "It''s not dirty."


    "No, that''s not it," he said taking it from me. "It smells like your father."


    "Well I did live with him my entire life," I said sarcastically. "Why does it matter if it smells like him?"


    "Because he reeks of alcohol, sweat, and a totalck of masculinity," he stated.


    "Excuse you," I said. "He might be an asshole, but he''s still my dad. Can I have the shirt back?"


    "No," Adam replied. "I don''t want to smell another man on you, especially while you sleep in my bed."


    I rolled my eyes. "That''s a bit dramatic."


    Adam''s face remainedpletely serious as he took the shirt and walked back over to his chest of drawers. I slowly made my way over to his bed as I watched him pull out a pair of ck boxer briefs. However, I wasn''t bold enough to keep looking as he dropped the towel and changed into them.


    I pulled back the sheer curtain that concealed his bed to see arge bed made up with a few decorative pillows. I guessed that Adam probably had a maid or housekeeper because he didn''t peg me as the type of guy to deal with decorative pillows every morning when he made his bed.


    I pulled the pillows off the bed and stacked them on the ground in front of the nightstand. Once I pulled away the duvet and coverlet and saw the ck satin sheets, I decided that I was going to sleep veryfortably that night; whether Adam was beside me or not.


    I''d always wanted to sleep on satin sheets instead of my cheap linen ones at home.


    I pulled back the top sheet and slid into the bed, pulling the duvet up to my chin. As soon as I''d done so, the lights in the room were turned off.


    I heard Adam pull back the curtain and I regretted my inability to see in the dark. I felt it as he climbed up on the bed, and got under the covers himself.


    Once his bare arm had touched mine, I knew he had only changed into the boxer briefs.


    We both took a deep breath and I rolled over to face away from him.


    Hearing Adam do the same was thest thing I remembered before falling asleep.


    I slept right through the night and on into thete morning.


    I knew this because when I woke up I saw that curtains had been drawn over the windows, however the clock on the nightstand said it was well past breakfast.


    I sat up as I heard the door at the other end of the room open and close.


    I couldn''t see much through the curtain so I pulled it back to reveal Adam walking across the room.


    He was dressed in gym clothes with a towel and water bottle in one hand. This led me to assume he''d been somewhere this morning working out.


    Not a word was spoken between us as we looked at each other.


    Adam walked over to his nightstand and pulled out a wallet. Removing a ck card from it, he handed it to me.


    "This is yours," he said, putting the wallet back into the drawer as I took the card from him.


    "Is it a debit card?"


    He nodded. "Go into town today and buy yourself anything you think you''ll need here. Make sure to get some new clothes as well. You didn''t pack much to wear in those boxes." "How much is on here?" I asked, referring to the card.


    "However much you''ll need," he said walking over to the wardrobe.


    This is going to be fun.

 Chapter Six - No Sparks-1

    Unknown


    P.O.V.


    "So he''s found her?"


    The subordinate nodded slowly.


    "Well," he said smiling, "I shall have to send the happy couple my congrattions..."


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    A knock sounded against the door as I pulled my sweater over my head.


    Fixing my hair, I ran over to the door and opened it.


    Because I was expecting Adam, I was surprised to see a girl my age standing there.


    "Hi..." I said awkwardly. "Can I help you?"


    Her gaze wouldn''t meet mine, but I heard her speak with a strong voice.


    "My name is Liu, I am going to be with you today as you go down to the vige," she said.


    I couldn''t tell if she was happy about this or not. Liu refused to look at me.


    "It''s nice to meet you Liu. I''m Evie," I said stretching my hand out to shake hers.


    Liu didn''t shake my hand, but simply bowed her head curtly.


    Rude.


    "When you''re ready, you can follow me and I''ll lead you to the car," she said.


    I turned to look at my boxes of clothes from home that Adam had brought up that morning. There were a few things strewn, but I would clean it upter.


    "I''m ready now," I said, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind me.


    Liu turned and began to walk away and I followed her.


    She was a few inches taller than I was, a few pounds lighter as well. She had long, jet ck hair that she wore stick straight and parted in the middle. Liu had strong, broad shoulders that made her soft pink blouse fit awkwardly, but I assumed she was built like she was because of long hours in the gym.


    "So..." I said trying to break the ufortable silence. "You''re in Adam''s pack then?"


    "Yes," she stated simply.


    "Do you live in the pce?" I asked.


    "No, I only work here with my father."


    Her curt answers were not satisfactory, nor were they conducive to a conversation. I quit trying to make her talk as she led me back the way that Adam had brought mest night.


    As soon as we made it to the front gate, I noticed the older gentleman was waiting there again. Once as he saw us, he turned and pulled my jacket and scarf from the closet behind him.


    "Here you are," he said, handing them to me.


    "Thank you. I''m Evie, by the way. What''s your name?" I asked.


    "Bartelby Smith," he replied with a warm, wrinkled smile.


    I smiled back at him as Liu led the way out of the huge wooden doors and to an awaiting car.


    The wind whipped around us sharply. The cold air felt like needles against my skin.


    I got into the car as quickly as possible, Liu getting in behind me.


    As soon as I buckled, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out Adam''s card. I turned it over in my hands. It didn''t look like a regr credit card. There was no maic strip, it was just a small ck card with an indistinguishably small emblem inscribed in gold on the left corner.


    I felt Liu staring at me so I quickly shoved the card into my jacket pocket.


    "So... where to first?" I asked.


    Liu took a deep breath as the car started moving.


    "Wherever you would like," she said.


    I looked at the driver, whom I briefly made eye contact with in the rear view mirror before he too refused to look at me. He was arge man in a ck suit, not at all typical of a chauffeur. He looked more like the Secret Service. I sat back in the seat as I looked out of the window.


    "I''m not familiar with anything here," I reminded her. "Why don''t you pick?"


    Liu seemed ufortable with the idea.


    "On second thought," I said quickly. "I''d like to stop somewhere for breakfast first. I''m starving."


    She nodded thoughtfully. "How do you feel about waffles?"


    "Sounds great."


    The sun was barely shining that morning as we traveled down from the side of the mountain where the castle sat. The castle was even bigger on the outside.


    The curvy ride on the tiny road down the mountain almost made me lose my appetite. I tried to focus on therge trees that lined the side of the road outside my window.


    The car slowed when it reached the edge of the vige, moving forward into a parking lot beside a small house. As soon as the car parked, I hopped out of it and eagerly took a few deep breaths of the freezing cold air. "Are you okay?" I heard Liu ask.


    I nodded. "Just not a fan of curvy roads."


    Liu motioned for me to follow her as she began walking towards the road. "Cars aren''t allowed on the town roads on Saturdays because of the heavy crowds," she exined.


    I saw what she meant when we rounded a corner.


    There were hundreds of people walking in every directions. Women carrying children and baskets of groceries; Men carting around bundles of wood and grain, some even carrying them on their shoulders.


    "So this is a popr time to shop, huh?" I asked rhetorically.


    Liu nodded. "Are you still hungry?"


    My stomach squeezed at the smell of fresh bread that floated through the market square, but I still felt queasy from the drive.


    "I can wait."


    I turned to see our driver following us, face stoic and eyes hidden behind dark sses.


    "Is Schwarzeneggering too?" I asked.


    Liu didn''t need to turn around to know who I was referring to. She just nodded. "Protection purposes," she exined. "Protection?" I asked.


    "It wasn''t my call," she defended. "It was the Alpha Superior''s."


    We walked down the road, weaving in and around people. Finally, Liu stopped in front of arge storefront.


    "They should have some nice things here," she said, walking inside.


    For a store that had nice things, it was certainly empty. We were the only ones inside besides a few people behind the counter.


    "No one shops for clothes these days?" I asked.


    Liu didn''t answer.


    I walked over to a rack of shirts and started to poke through when I noticed Liu standing awkwardly. I figured now was as good a time as any to ask a few questions, seeing as though my Hercules of a babysitter had stayed outside. "Liu," I said, getting her attention. "What do you think of Adam?"


    She seemed confused by the question and was hesitant to answer.


    "Honestly," I prodded. "I''ve already told him to ''fuck off'' after knowing him for less than two days, so whatever you tell me will stay between us, I promise."


    Liu still seemed reluctant to answer, but I stood there expectantly.


    "He''s... a good leader," she said finally.


    I cocked an eyebrow.


    "You don''t sound so convinced," I remarked.


    "No, he is," she said earnestly. "It''s just..."


    She trailed off.


    "Yes?" I asked.


    Liu sighed. "He''s not as caring as people expect him to be."


    The way she said it made me think she''d wanted to say it for a long time.


    "What do you mean?" I asked, still looking through clothes.


    She shrugged. "I don''t know... I shouldn''t have spoken out of ce like that. Forget I said anything."


    I didn''t push any further.


    What did she mean about Adam being not as caring as people expected him to be?


    I thought back to when we met. He seemed pretty caring then. Of course, I was his mate...


    But this was his pack. Why would he not care for his pack?


    I picked out a few shirts, dresses, and a couple of pairs of pants. I took them to the register, and the girl there rung everything up without a word. She refused to even look up at me.


    I turned to look at Liu and she turned her head away.


    Why won''t anyone look at me?


    The girl gave me my total and I pulled the card from my pocket and handed it to her.

 Chapter Six - No Sparks-2

    She took one look at it and handed it back to me. "Thank you," was all I heard before she handed me the bag of clothes.


    I took the bag and stared at her awkwardly. Was she not going to swipe it?


    "Are you ready to go to the next shop?" Liu asked.


    I looked at her, baffled. "She didn''t ring me up," I said.


    "She didn''t need to, you have that," Liu said pointing at the card.


    I was still slightly confused when we walked out of the shop.


    "I can take that," my Babysitter in ck said, following us. He motioned to my shopping bag.


    "No, it''s okay. I''ve got it," I reassured him.


    The rest of the day went on just as awkwardly. No one would look at me. Each cashier took one look at the card and handed me my purchases without batting an eye.


    Liu and I stopped for coffee and a bagel on the way back to the car so I didn''t starve to death. We sat inside the warm caf¨¦ drinking our drinks. She drank hers slowly. I had forced her to let me buy her drink since she had been forced to follow me around all day.


    "You said your father works at the pce?" I asked, trying for the umpteenth time to start a conversation.


    "Yes. My father is an advisor to the Alpha Superior," she said.


    "What kind of advice does he give?" I asked, leaning in.


    Liu squirmed in her seat. "War and battle strategy."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Is your pack at war?" I asked.


    To my relief she shook her head. "No, but preparations are always made in case deals go sour and whatnot."


    "Oh," I sighed. "What do you normally do at the castle?"


    Liu took a sip of her coffee. "I''m ady in waiting for the Countess."


    "Countess?" I questioned.


    "Lady Victoria," she said.


    I shrugged. "I''m afraid I don''t know who that is."


    "She''s the great aunt of the Alpha Superior," Liu rified. "She lives in the pce."


    I thought for a moment before taking a sip of my drink. "He hasn''t mentioned her."


    Nothing else was said as we finished up at the caf¨¦ and headed back to the pce. Once inside, Liu helped me take my bags up to Adam''s room.


    "Thank you," I said sitting them down.


    She nodded before turning to leave.


    "Liu," I said. She turned to look at me.


    "I''ve enjoyed talking to you today," I said earnestly. "Are you here everyday?"


    She smiled and nodded.


    "Okay," I said smiling back.


    She left me in the room and I stared around at everything I had bought.


    Wonderful, I thought. Now I have too many clothes and no where to put them.


    I folded everything up and stuffed it inside my stic containers before sliding them to the side of the room. I would have to get Adam to clear out some space for me in his wardrobe. The thought made my heart skip a beat, but I tried to ignore it.


    I was looking around the room in boredom when I spotted it.


    A telephone.


    It was old, but appeared to be in working order. I walked over to the desk it sat on before picking up the phone itself. I put it to my ear and began typing in a number.


    "Do you have a number you wish to be connected to?" Asked a sharp, high-pitched voice from the phone.


    "Um..." I thought for a moment before giving her a number.


    The phone range a few times before I heard her voice.


    "Hello?"


    "Vega?! It''s me, it''s Evie!" I shouted.


    I heard her gasp.


    "Where are you? How are things?" She asked quickly.


    "I''m not sure where I am," Iughed. "Somewhere in Canada."


    "So you aren''t too far, then?" Vega asked excitedly.


    "No," I said. "Hopefully I''ll be able toe home often."


    "I can''t wait," she said, "but you never answered my question... how are things?"


    I took a deep breath.


    "That bad, huh?" She asked.


    "It could be worse," I said. "Things are so different here. The way they run things and how they live seems so primitivepared to home." "What about the guy? What was his name? Adam?" She asked.


    "Oh... um... that''s going ok, I guess," I shrugged.


    "Have you fucked yet?"


    I gasped. "Vega!"


    I heard herughing. "What? I''m just asking... have you?"


    "Oh my God," I said putting my head in my hands. "No, we haven''t done anything like that," I reassured her.


    "C''mon, sister," she said. "I would have climbed that like a tree by now."


    Iughed and shook my head. "We slept in the same bedst night," I said. "He lives in a castle."


    "A castle?!" She asked. "What is he? Some kind of king?"


    "They certainly treat him like one," I said rolling my eyes.


    "So you really haven''t even kissed him yet?" Vega asked.


    "No... it''s weird, Vega. It''s like... I don''t know how to exin it. Having a mate isn''t anything like I thought it would be," I said sighing. "What do you mean?"


    "Well... for starters there isn''t any kind of sparks or weird connection. It''s just like he''s some guy that I would be totally okay with making out with for the rest of my life," Iughed. "So, what you''re saying is; there''s definitely an attraction?" She asked.


    "I guess you could say that," I said.


    "But how would you know that you could spend the rest of your life making out with him if you haven''t even kissed him yet?" Vega asked.


    "I don''t know..." I said thinking about it. "I mean, I''ve barely known him for two days. Maybe the connection gets stronger the more you''re around each other?"


    "Maybe," she said. "I can''t wait to find my mate. I just know there will be sparks when I do."


    I sighed. "I hope there are."


    I looked up to see Adam standing in the doorway, watching me.


    "Can I call youter?" I asked Vega, not breaking eye contact with him.


    "Yeah, sure."


    "Okay, bye," I said hanging up the phone.


    He came inside the room and slowly shut the door behind him. Crossing his arms, Adam leaned against the wall. "No sparks, huh?"


    His threatening tone of voice didn''t sound all that friendly.


    I swallowed hard. "That''s not what I said-"


    "That''s exactly what you said."


    I didn''t answer him.


    A few silent moments passed before Adam rushed across the room in a blur that made my head spin.


    "What the hell-"


    "You don''t feel it?" He said putting his hands on both sides of my face.


    It would have been slightly romantic had Adam not had a dark expression etched on his face.


    What was he so angry about?


    "I''m not exactly sure why you can''t feel it and I''m not exactly sure what to do to make you feel it..."


    He trailed off and his eyes darted to my neck.


    Before I could say a word, his face dipped towards my neck, teeth bared.


    I felt his teeth sink deep into the tender skin and I screamed.

 Chapter Seven - Heat-1

    "What the hell!"


    I shoved and pushed at Adam''s chest and he finally stepped back.


    Seeing the blood that was coating his mouth and dripping down his jaw and neck, I raised a trembling hand to my own neck. Warm, sticky blood coated my fingers and I pulled my hand away in disgust to see the blood had drenched my clothes. "Oh my God!" I screamed.


    I took off towards the bathroom, pushed open the door and ran towards the sink.


    Why doesn''t this hurt?


    I ignored that thought as it crept into my mind.


    "Why the hell did you do that?!" I screamed.


    Adam didn''t answer, just calmly strolled into the bathroom behind me.


    I took a towel from the shelf and ran it under cold water.


    I gently put the towel to my neck, expecting there to be some kind of sting. When there was none I began to wipe away the blood that had stopped flowing. "What the hell?" I mumbled.


    I looked in the mirror to see a smirk on Adam''s face as he stood behind me.


    "Are you happy with yourself?! Look what you''ve done!" I screeched, shoving the bloody towel in his face.


    He began to clean my blood off his face with his own towel and calmly threw it aside.


    "It needed to be done sooner thanter," he said evenly.


    "What needed to be done?! What are you? Half Vampire?" I yelled, still wiping away the blood from my neck.


    As soon as I cleaned the skin, I saw that the wound had closed up already.


    "What on earth? Why is it already healed? I''ve never healed that quick..." I mumbled, thinking aloud.


    Behind me, Adam was unbuttoning his bloodied shirt. I turned to look at him.


    "Why did you do that?!" I asked again.


    "It''s a mark," he said, as if that exined it.


    "Yeah! You''re right! It probably will leave a mark you idiot! That was assault!" I screeched, throwing a bar of soap at his head.


    Adam sidestepped it before it had even left my hand, leaving the soap to skid across the bathroom floor to the other side of the room.


    "That''s a bit of an overreaction," hemented, throwing his bloody shirt into a nearby clothes hamper.


    "Overreaction?!" I seethed. "You just bit me!"


    "It''s a im," he said, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Every female mate has one, and you have mine now."


    "Your im?" I asked incredulously, still eyeing the closed up wound. "What makes you think you have the right to ce a im on me, or that I would even want it? I''m not your property!"


    He rolled his eyes.


    "You''re my mate, that mark will ward off any mateless male wolves looking for a wife. It tells them that you are already mated," Adam exined.


    "Most men can do the same thing with diamond rings!" I yelled, pulling off my own shirt. "And that does not excuse the fact that you just fucking took a chunk out of my neck with your teeth and put some im on me!" I threw my shirt into the hamper as well and made my way back over to the mirror to inspect the bite further.


    "Oh my God..." I groaned.


    The bruising around the area was severe. Although the bleeding had stopped, arge, circr scar was prominent. There was no hiding this with makeup. It looked like I had been bitten.


    I groaned and put my head in my hands. "Why would you do that?!" I asked for the thousandth time.


    I looked at him in the mirror. "Is it permanent?"


    To my horror he nodded.


    I turned the sink faucet on and let the water pour into my hands and then rinsed my face and neck off, trying to cool down.


    "I''m going to kill you," I threatened, giving him a hard re in the mirror.


    He cocked an eyebrow. "That so?"


    I nodded.


    Adam stood behind me, too close for my liking.


    "Leave. Leave right now," I demanded.


    "This is my room," he said, arms still crossed.


    "Get out!" I screamed.


    Adam walked up behind me, his hips pinning mine to the counter.


    "Why should I?" He whispered in my ear, his hot breath fanning my neck.


    "Because I told you to," I said through gritted teeth.


    Adam moved his hands to skim across my bare stomach, his arms encasing my body. The skin to skin contact made my whole body erupt in a tingle of hot sparks. Sparks.


    "What did you do?" I asked breathless.


    "Fixed the problem," Adam said backing away.


    It took me a moment after he left to catch my breath and cool down.


    I stared at myself in the mirror, blushing and flustered.


    He just bit my neck and... it didn''t hurt? Why didn''t it hurt? And why are there sparks now?


    I groaned and threw the stained towels into the hamper.


    I walked back into the bedroom in time to see Adam putting on a fresh shirt and walking out the door.


    "Excuse me!" I yelled.


    He turned to look at me. "Yes?"


    "Are you not even going to apologize?" I asked. "I mean you basically just marked me without my permission. Now there''s absolutely no chance of me ever finding a husband with this ugly wolf hickey on my neck!" Adam stepped back into the room, mming the door behind him.


    "You''re looking at your husband," he said sharply. "iming someone is a very sacred practice amongst me and my pack so I would be very careful how you go about referring to it from now on."


    I swallowed hard. He is not my husband.


    "And," he added, "I think it''s rather ironic that you demand to be respected when you yourself refuse to respect me as well."


    With that he turned and walked out of the room.


    I stood in my ce, taking a few deep breaths. Finally, once I decided I was calm enough, I went over to pick out new clothes since my pants were also drenched in blood.


    After changing, I was unsure of what to do next. I decided to go for a little walk. Once I left the bedroom, I did as Adam had suggested and I ced my hand on the left side of the wall and followed it. A few minutes of winding down more hallways and around countless corners, I finally reached the staircase.


    I began to climb up to the next floor. At the top of the stairs were two double doors painted ck. They seemed interesting enough and I walked through them. I wasn''t surprised to see yet another hallway.


    This one, however, was practically empty. There were no vases of flowers or sculptures adorning the corners, no paintings hung on the walls.


    I walked through the nearest door I came across and prayed it wasn''t someone''s bedroom I was strolling into.


    I was pleased to see the walls covered with shelves that were filled with books.


    It was a library.

 Chapter Seven - Heat-2

    "Wow..." I whispered, taking in the thousands of books thatid before me.


    There was an archway that led into several more rooms filled with books as well. The room was seemingly empty, but as soon as my hand touched the spine of a book that sat on a nearby desk, I heard someone clear their throat. I froze and looked up to see an older man standing underneath an archway.


    "Can I help you?" He asked politely.


    "Um... I''m just looking around," I said nervously. "Is it okay that I''m in here?"


    He nodded.


    "Yes, although you''re the first visitor I''ve had in years. Now the only people whoe through those doors are those who remind me to keep this ce dusted."


    I smiled.


    "I love books," I stated. "I''ll probably be a regr here from now on."


    The idea seemed to please him.


    "I''m assuming you''re our Luna: Evelyn," he said, walking into the room.


    I nodded. "I guess that''s me. What''s your name?"


    "Xavier West," He said smiling. "I must admit, our Alpha Superior is a handful. I''m sure you''ll never be bored with him as a mate."


    "It''s good to hear someone speak of him so lightly," I said sighing. "Everyone I''ve talked to seems to think of him as a god." Xavierughed at his.


    "Well, I remember when he was running around in diapers, so it''s hard for me to imagine him as a god," heughed.


    Xavier must have seen the confused look on my face, because he continued talking.


    "I''m his great uncle. His grandfather was my brother," he exined.


    "Oh..."


    I turned my attention from the book to Xavier.


    "What happened to his parents?" I asked. "I heard that there was a Countess staying in the pce, but nothing about his mother and father."


    "Ah," he saidughing. "My sister is the Countess. I''m sure she would love to hear you referred to her by her title, hardly anyone does these days. His father moved back to Brighton, where the family is from. Adam''s mother, I regret to say, passed away a very long time ago."


    My heart sank hearing this.


    "He doesn''t have any siblings?" I asked.


    Xavier shook his head. "I''m afraid not."


    "How long ago did his mother pass away?"


    Xavier had to think about this.


    "Let''s see... I was in New York when it happened, so I''ll say around 1820 or 1830," He said.


    My jaw dropped.


    "1820?" I asked.


    "Yes," he saidughing. "Adam didn''t tell you? He''s nearly two-hundred years old. He was only a boy when she died."


    I just stood there in shock.


    "You don''t know much about our kind do you?" Xavier asked.


    "No," I admitted. "I guess not."


    "Where are you from?" He asked.


    I told him.


    "Hm..." he said thoughtfully. "How old are you? Early twenties?"


    "Twenty," I said.


    "A lot younger than Adam," he noted.


    I nodded. "By a long shot."


    "Well," he said walking over to a bookcase. "I can imagine that in this day and age, you''re not too familiar with our customs and traditions; probably not even with mates, am I correct?" I nodded.


    "Here are some books I think you could benefit from," Xavier said, pulling three from the shelf. "If you have any questions let me know, I''ll go get you some tea while you read."


    I thanked him as he handed the stack of books to me.


    I found a sofa in the next room over and began to look through the several-hundred page books I''d been given.


    One was entirely dedicated to mates.


    I opened that one first.


    Three cups of tea and countless pages of parchmentter, my head was swimming with information.


    It had been hours.


    I''d watched the sun start to set in the window across from where I sat.


    "How are we doing?" Xavier asked, walking into the room.


    "Good, I think," I said, peeling my eyes from the pages of the book. "I''m still on the same book I started with, though."


    He smiled. "Don''t be disappointed, you''re more than wee to take the books to read on your own time."


    "Thank you," I said.


    I only nned on reading a page or two more before I came across a very interesting subject.


    "What is Heat?" I asked Xavier.


    "Heat?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "Well, I don''t know the exact science behind it," he said. "But I believe it has something to do with the pheromones put out by your wolf on certain nights when the moon is full. There''s a science behind it, I''m sure. I just never bothered to learn it." "What does it do?" I asked.


    "Well, the way I understand it, Heat is your wolf''s way of basically making you consummate your rtionship with your mate," he said. "If you know what I mean..."


    "Your wolf makes you have sex with your mate?" I asked.


    This didn''t sound good.


    "Yeah, but it only happens once you''ve been marked. That''s supposed to be the first step and then Heat is whates up behind it and kind of drives it home," Xavier exined. He saw my eyes widen.


    "Wait... you haven''t been marked yet, have you?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "Adam didn''t tell you about this?" Xavier asked.


    I shook my head.


    "I think I need to go talk to him," I said, standing up.


    Xavier nodded. "I think you do too."


    He grabbed me by my shoulders and made me look at him


    "Because tonight''s a full moon."

 Chapter Eight - Satin Sheets-1

    Xavier led me down the hallway.


    For an old man, he moved quickly. He moved with certainty, too. I could imagine that Xavier probably knew every hallway and staircase by heart. "Where do you think he is?" I asked.


    "I''m not sure," Xavier said, "I think he might be in his study. He has a lot of his meetings there."


    We were practically running down the steps to the second floor.


    Through the window, I could see the sun setting behind the mountains off in the distance.


    We''ve got to hurry.


    Once we reached the main entrance to the second floor, I could quickly tell there was a much heavier flow of traffic through that part of the castle than there was in the living quarters.


    Men and women were walking everywhere. Xavier and I passed an office room where I saw people sitting at desks and staring atputer screens, some of them in engaged in heated telephone conversations.


    "Who are those people?" I asked.


    "That''s themunication department," Xavier exined. "Most of the people in that room can speaknguages you and I have never even heard of. It''s how we keep in touch with others of our kind around the world. It''s also how we stay informed of other affairs."


    I raised an eyebrow at this, but continued to follow him down the bustling hallway.


    We came to one more hallway that everyone was walking right past and Xavier stopped.


    He gave a groan of frustration and threw his hands in the air.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "They''re not going to let us in," he said. "He''s probably in a meeting."


    I looked to where he gestured and saw two tall men guarding the only door on the hallway.


    "They have to let us in!" I said walking over to them.


    The two men stepped in front of me before I could reach the door.


    "I need to go in," I exined, "it''s urgent."


    "I''m sorry, ma''am. We can''t let you in unless you have the proper documentation to ess the Alpha Superior''s chambers during delegation processes."


    "What?" I asked incredulously. "I''m his mate! Is that not good enough?"


    They didn''t answer me.


    "Evelyn, they can''t let you in," Xavier said, pulling me back. "No one is allowed into the Alpha''s chambers unless called upon to do so. Men who go in there otherwise have ended up dead." I yanked my arm out of his grasp.


    "It''s a good thing I''m not a man, then," I said.


    I ran towards the guards and, ducking under their arms, was able to slide in between them on the floor.


    I pushed the door open quickly and ran inside.


    "Evelyn!" Xavier shouted.


    The guards quickly stopped him from running in behind me.


    I came face to face with a wall. To my left and right were both passages leading into different rooms. But which one is he in?


    I heard the guardsing after me so I ran to my left.


    This room looked like a library, arge desk sat in the middle of the room, but there was no one upying it. He''s not here.


    I groaned loudly.


    "Evelyn?"


    I whipped around to see Adam standing in the entrance of a passageway I hadn''t seen when I came in.


    I sighed in relief.


    Before I could say anything he stopped me.


    "Are you here to finish me off, darling?" He asked. "I must say, if you are here to kill me, I hope you brought more than a bar of soap with you this time," he said. I rolled my eyes.


    "I''m still pissed about that- and I''m not forgiving you any time soon- but we''ve got a bigger problem now," I said.


    His eyebrows furrowed.


    Before I could exin further, the two guards came bounding out of the passage I''d run through.


    They came to a halt when they saw Adam.


    Immediately, they kneeled.


    "Your Highness, we tried to stop her but-"


    Before the guard could finish Adam interrupted him.


    "She''s fine. Leave," he said waving his hand dismissively.


    By the look on their faces, this clearly disturbed them, but they stood up and began to walk away.


    "I need to talk to you," I said.


    "I gathered..." Adam said sarcastically, walking over to his desk.


    "I''m going to go into Heat," I said.


    His head shot up and he looked at me with such intensity I thought I would melt.


    "What?" He asked, walking over to me.


    "Heat," I repeated. "I''m going to go into Heat tonight because you imed me without my permission, I might add- and I need to figure out how I can stop it." "Shit," he muttered.


    "What?" I asked. "Is that a shit ''I-forgot-that-would-happen'' or a shit ''I-didn''t-think-she''d-find-out''?"


    "I didn''t realize tonight was a full moon," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.


    "So you did know this would happen?!"


    "Who told you this?" He asked, ignoring me.


    "Your great uncle Xavier," I answered.


    "Unbelievable. So he''s finally climbed out of his hole?" Adam asked rhetorically. "What else has he told you?"


    "That you''re two-hundred years old!" I eximed. "But we''ll discuss thatter. Right now we need to figure out what we''re going to do about this full moon, because I am not having sex with you." Adam gave me a fierce re. "What? You''re saving yourself for someone special?" He asked sarcastically.


    "Maybe I am!" I retorted. "And how would you know I''m saving myself? I might not be a virgin for all you know."


    He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"


    I let out an aggravated groan.

 Chapter Eight - Satin Sheets-2

    "We need to fix this!" I said. "I''m not going into Heat."


    "Keep telling yourself that," he said, turning and walking back to his desk. "But it''s going to happen whether we want it to or not. There''s nothing we can do." Adam strolled over to his desk casually and sat down.


    "I want to pound my fist against your head," I said with a clenched jaw.


    "And I want to pound you against that wall," he said looking up from an open file and pointing at the wall behind me with his pen.


    My jaw dropped.


    All I could do was stare at him, speechless, and pray my face wasn''t as flustered as I was.


    He did not just say that...


    Adam gave me a smile.


    "You might want to run a cold bath. The sun should be setting at any time now," he said. "I''ll sleep somewhere else tonight so you can have the room to yourself- not that you''ll be sleeping- but it would be best if I wasn''t there." "So you''re going topletely abandon ship?" I asked incredulously. "You caused this!"


    Adamid the file down on his desk and folded his hands.


    "If it makes you feel any better," he said, "I''ll be going into Heat as well for the first night. After that, well, then you''re really on your own."


    "How many times does it happen?" I asked, eyes wide.


    "Almost every full moon until you decide you''re ready to getid," he said, standing up and walking around to lean against the front of his desk.


    "And you only have to suffer through it once?" I asked in disbelief.


    Heughed. "Once is all it takes for a male, we''re not the stubborn ones. Most females don''tst long though... it''s supposed to be more painful the longer you resist." "You''re just saying that," I said crossing my arms.


    He scoffed. "You''ll find out sooner orter. Until then, you might want to leave. Me and you against this desk is starting to sound like more and more of a good time." I rolled my eyes and stormed off.


    "And Evelyn..."


    I turned to look at him.


    "Keep the bedroom door locked tonight," he warned.


    I paced back and forth on the carpet, nervously watching the clock beside the bed.


    It had only been thirty minutes.


    Thirty minutes since the sun hadpletely gone down.


    I didn''t know what it was when I felt it the first time. I thought I was just hot.


    But as I changed into shorts and a t-shirt and found no relief, I realized what was happening.


    My entire body felt like it was trapped in a fire pit.


    This bedroom quickly began to feel like a kiln.


    I went to the French doors and opened them up to reveal a balcony.


    Theyer of snow on the balcony was almost up to my knees, but it felt amazing.


    I threw myself on the ground and began to do snow angels.


    This was only momentary relief.


    I felt as if my skin was melting the snow.


    I stood up, my shirt and shorts soaked to the skin, and began to peel off theyers of clothing.


    I never thought I would find myselfpletely naked, standing in almost a foot of snow, and yet somehowpletely feverish, but there I was.


    I ran back inside, leaving the doors open to let in the fresh, cool air.


    I went into the bathroom and quickly turned on the bath. I made sure the water was as cold as it could get and I filled the tub full of it.


    This offered a fleeting sce from the Heat.


    As the night progressed, I tried toe up with more clever things to do that would keep me cold, but my body only grew hotter with every effort. I was miserable.


    A few times I thought about going to find Adam and get it over with, simply so I wouldn''t have to ever go through Heat again. These were short-lived moments.


    Each time the thought would cross my mind, I would just ssh the thought away with cold water or a snowball to the face. Just when I thought I wouldn''t be able to bare it any longer, I saw the sun start to rise over the mountains on the horizon.


    I found myself lying on Adam''s bed, covered by nothing but a sheet, watching the sunrise like it was the first time I''d ever seen it.


    I was certainly more excited to see the sun that morning than I had ever been. It was like Christmas morning.


    I don''t remember falling asleep, but I remember being woken up by the sound of Adam''s voice.


    "Evie..."


    I opened my eyes to see him staring down at me.


    I was lying on the bed in the wrong direction, my head at the opposite end and my bodypletely tangled up in the sheets.


    Adam stood over me at the foot of the bed.


    "How are you feeling?" He asked.


    I rolled over.


    "Like shit thanks to you," I croaked. My throat was drier than the Sahara desert.


    I looked up at him once more and noticed the way his ck hair was tousled roughly and dark circles were prominent under his blue eyes. "Rough night?" I asked sarcastically.


    "Don''t pity me," Adam said.


    I shook my head. "Don''t worry, I don''t."


    Upon second nce, I noticed he was also shirtless.


    Damn, he is sexy as hell.


    I shook the thought from my mind.


    He''s also stupid and incredibly selfish, I reminded myself.


    I sat up and stretched my arms out over my head.


    The sheet slipped slightly, but I pulled it back up to cover my cleavage.


    "I''m starving," I mumbled hearing my stomach rumble. "Do we have any breakfast?"


    I looked at Adam for an answer but instead caught him staring at my exposed skin.

 Chapter Eight - Satin Sheets-3

    "Avert your eyes, pervert," I said snapping my fingers in his face.


    He blinked and looked up at me.


    "Breakfast?" I asked again.


    "Sure," he said taking a deep breath. "What do you want?"


    "Literally anything," I replied. "I would eat radishes or raw zhini right now if I had to."


    Adam didn''t find thement at all funny like I had intended him to.


    He simply walked over to the phone and requested breakfast be sent up to the room.


    "You have room service in your house?" I asked in disbelief.


    Adam didn''t answer, just walked around the bed and began to pull out clothes for him to change into.


    He was only in his boxer briefs.


    It was a view I had dreamed of seeing in daylight.


    Adam turned to say something to me but stopped short when he noticed the open French doors on the other end of the room for the first time. "Why are the doors open?" He asked angrily.


    "Because it was hot in here," I said in a duh tone.


    "Don''t open these doors again," he said walking over to close them.


    He closed one but stopped himself from closing the other when he saw something.


    My clothes were still on the balcony.


    I put my hand over my mouth as my face turned beet red.


    Adam reached down and picked up myce panties with his finger.


    He turned to look at me, still holding them up.


    "Are you naked?" He asked in a husky voice.


    That''s kind of hot.


    I couldn''t find anything to say but he continued to stare at me, waiting on an answer.


    "I mean... I was hot," I said defensively.


    I swore his eyes grew a few shades darker.


    Slowly he turned around and picked up the rest of my clothes from the balcony, including my bra, and dumped them on the floor inside the room. Wordlessly, Adam closed the door and walked back over to his wardrobe.


    He grabbed the clothes he''d pulled out and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.


    Exhausted, Iid my head back down on the mattress and dozed off into a light slumber.


    My eyes shot open when I heard a knocking on the door.


    I sat up and listened to see if I could hear the shower running but I couldn''t.


    Maybe Adam left?


    Slowly, I got out of the bed, carefully keeping my body wrapped up, and walked over to the door.


    Before I could open it, Adam''s hand was blocking me from pulling open the door.


    "Do I really have to remind you that you shouldn''t open the door when you''re naked?" He asked, his warm breath fanning the back of my neck.


    I turned to look at him.


    "No, you don''t."


    I pulled open the door swiftly and came face to face with a older woman holding a tray of fruit, toast, and sses of water.


    "Good morning," I said with a smile. "I can take that from you."


    She was obviously flustered seeing me in nothing but a sheet, but she turned white when she saw Adam standing behind me holding the door open. I can''t imagine what she thought had been going on behind that door. "Thank you," I said.


    "Yes, thank you," Adam repeated, closing the door.


    She didn''t say a word.


    I walked back into the room, holding the tray of food.


    "That wasn''t funny," I heard Adam say.


    "It wasn''t supposed to be," I retorted.


    I ced the tray down on the bed and hopped back onto the bed myself.


    "Strawberry?" I asked Adam, eating one myself.


    "No thanks," he quipped.


    I ate almost half the te of fruit and more than two pieces of toast before I was satisfied.


    All the while, Adam walked around the room, picking up and re-straightening things.


    "You''re kind of a neat freak," I said eating a slice of pineapple.


    I had been watching him clean. More specifically, watching his ass when he bent over to pick something up.


    "Are you checking me out?" He asked, staring at me.


    "Shamelessly," I replied.


    He rolled his eyes.


    "What are your ns today?" Adam asked. "Assuming you even get out of the bed and do something that is..."


    I scoffed. "You''re not my favorite person in the world right now, so I don''t think my ns for the day should concern you."


    Adam smiled.


    "Who is your favorite person in the world right now?" He asked.


    "Me," I said. "This food is amazing. I''m about to go take a nice, hot bubble bath in a huge bathtub that happens to be sitting in the middle of a pce. And, not to mention, I''ve only just found out that my mate is practically a god among men and could potentially give me anything that I want in this world, so I''m feeling pretty good."


    I took another bite of the pineapple slice.


    "Of course," I added, "he is kind of an asshole, but he''s a hot asshole. So I''m hoping he has a change of heart in the nearby future so I won''t feel so guilty about wanting to make out with him. All this provided that I can actually forgive him for marking me without my consent and dooming me to long nights of unbearable Heat."


    The look on his face made meugh.


    "Like I said, I''m going to take a bath. Don''t wait around for me though. I don''t really want to see your face for the rest of the day," I said getting off the bed.


    I grabbed a ss of water and walked into the bathroom, still holding the sheet around me with one hand.


    "Oh and by the way," I said stopping myself. "This mate thing you''re trying to force on me is going to be a partnership, not an ownership. Until you''ve epted that, you won''t get anything from me." With that, I closed the bathroom door and dropped the sheet.

 Chapter Nine - Desperate-1

    Unknown P.O.V.


    "This is the time..."


    The fire in the hearth cracked and popped, offering the only source of light in the room.


    The two individuals sat next to each other, both of them gazing into the mes.


    "I agree, she''s here and he is distracted. It''s what we''ve been waiting for," he smiled.


    "So why haven''t you done anything yet?" She asked. "Our window of opportunity will close soon..."


    "Don''t worry... I''ve already made my move."


    Soon, they both thought. Soon this will all be over.


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    A soft moan escaped my lips.


    His mouth moved down the curve of my spine, hot breath fanning against the naked skin. Chill bumps erupted across my entire body.


    Adam''s hands moved down my arms and interlocked with mine. I felt his body climb over mine as he gently moved my hands over my head and pinned them to the mattress. The fact that his body was so closely pressed against mine made my stomach do flips an Olympic gymnast would be impressed by.


    He flipped me over to face him, making sure my arms stayed pinned above me. His lips brushed against my neck softly, teasing me.


    My top and bra had disappeared into the tangle of the sheets and duvet, along with his pants and shirt.


    His hands left mine and began to trail down my body with a rough grip. Adam kissed my neck-slowly at first-but then more aggressively.


    I could feel his teeth brush against the mark on my neck. My fingers ran through his hair as my heart raced faster.


    Adam bit gently at the skin.


    I let out another breathy moan and grabbed a fistful of his dark curls, earning an erotic noise from him. The vibrations of his moan echoed from his mouth onto my skin. As his kisses trailed lower from my neck to my chest, my hands left his hair and trailed down his bare back.


    "Evelyn."


    I awoke with a start.


    My head was still spinning from the dream when I looked around to see who had said my name.


    Adam stood at the foot of the bed, the sheer curtain pulled back as he buttoned his shirt.


    "What the hell do you want?" I groaned throwing the sheet over my face.


    "You just slept for eleven straight hours. You should not be grouchy..." He said dryly.


    I pulled back the sheet and nced over at the clock, seeing it was indeed the next morning. After an otherwise unproductive day yesterday, I had gone to bed early. I never heard Adame inst night. "Because," I saidying back down. "You woke me up from a good dream."


    "I could tell..." A smirk lined his lips.


    I sat back up quickly. "Wait... how?"


    Adam said nothing as he let the curtain fall back into ce and walked away from the bed.


    "How?" I asked again, pulling myself out of bed and following him into the bathroom.


    "I want to have lunch with you today," he said, pulling out his toothbrush.


    "You''re changing the subject," I said pointedly, crossing my arms. "I''m trying to ask you a serious question."


    "And I''m trying to subtly avoid answering it," he said, his mouth full of toothpaste. I rolled my eyes.


    "I don''t want to have lunch with you," I said after a minute of silence. I honestly couldn''t believe I was still standing there.


    Even though dreaming about him was nice, real Adam was not nice.


    "I don''t care if you don''t want to have lunch with me," Adam said rinsing his mouth and drying it with a towel. "You''re going to."


    "Is that so?" I asked. "You don''t remember me telling you yesterday that I''m not doing the ownership thing with you?"


    I knew he had to remember it, we hadn''t spoken since then.


    "Here''s the thing about partnership," he said looking at me in the mirror, resting his hands on the countertop. "It requires mutual effort. You''re not giving any effort so I have to ovepensate for what effort you''re not giving me. Therefor, it bes an ownership. Start giving me more effort, and I''ll give you less."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "That''s some logic you''re working with there," I said sarcastically. "Besides... you and I both have better things to do than to get lunch together. I shouldn''t have to remind you that you''re basically running a small country."


    "Nevertheless, I would like to get into the habit of making time for you in my day," he said, turning to face me.


    "I appreciate the attention," I said, sarcasm dripping from my words.


    With that being said, I left the bathroom. I walked over to my side of the bed and bent down to pick up my pants and put them on under my t-shirt. As I was changing, Adam came out of the bathroom.


    "I''ll send someone for you when it''s time for lunch."


    I stopped what I was doing and looked at him.


    "I hope you realize that I''m not going to stay in this room for the rest of my life like some princess locked away in a tower. And don''t n on me thinking of you as my knight in shining armor either, because right now you are the dragon." Adam smiled at this. "You''re more than wee to leave your tower, Your Highness."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "I will go back home," I threatened.


    Adam smirked as he turned to leave the room.


    "I''d love to see you try."


    After Adam left, I traveled up to visit Xavier in his library. When I walked in, he was standing over several open books thatid out before him on the table. Upon seeing me enter the room, he looked up and smiled brightly.


    "Evelyn, how are you today?" He asked.


    I smiled. "I''m fine. How are you?"


    "Just splendid."


    Xavier left his spot behind the table and walked across the room to meet me there. He ced his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes deeply.

 Chapter Nine - Desperate-2

    "How are you feeling?"


    I was taken back by the forwardness of the question, but I knew what he was referring to.


    "It was miserable," I confessed. My shoulders slumped as I made this remark, but I felt relieved to be able to talk about it.


    "I never want to go into Heat again," I sighed. Xavier gave me a grim smile.


    "I do not wish to make you feel forced into an ufortable situation, but I would like to stress the importance of making sure you are aware of what you have to do to prevent another cycle of Heat," he warned. I nodded. "I know."


    He said nothing further, only acknowledging my words with a nod.


    "Well," Xavier said, "I have found a few more books for you to read that I believe have the potential to contain some rather fascinating information." He walked over to the table and gathered a few books in his arms.


    "Come in here and sit," he instructed, leading me into the sitting room. I followed him and sat down on the couch as he ced the books on the table. "I''ll go make you some tea," he said, leaving me alone in the room.


    I leaned forward and picked up one of the books. It had a olive-colored leather cover with gold stitching on the spine.


    I opened the book and began to read.


    With time, it became apparent that the book was written for the sole purpose of informing its reader of the lifestyle, behavior, and purpose of the Mate.


    The male mate isplex. There are characteristics that follow behavior set forth by the male Lycanthrope in a mated pair that are amon only in the male. It is believed that mated males have a prescribed set of traits which they exhibit in


    a rtionship with their female mate that are not found in any other rtionship dynamic. An example of this being possessiveness. This trait is identifiable bymon behaviors that can be linked to jealousy when his mate is around other males; a desire to control the atmosphere in which his mate finds herself; and, most obvious of all, the im.


    As I read, Xavier returned with my cup of tea. He ced it down on the table with a smile and left the room. I continued to read:


    A males'' mate in a room apanied by several other males is amon ce to find a jealous mate. While the reality of a female finding another male outside of her mate attractive is very unlikely, the threat of other males is immanent to her mate. In situations like these, an unquestionable physical proximity between the pair, usually initiated by the male, is to be expected.


    Because these situations are undesirable for the male, he usually takes to exhibiting the second trait of possessiveness which is affectionately referred to as ''cave control''. This title is used to described the atmospheric dominance that a male will portray in any given environment his mate finds herself. This is done to ensure thefort and safety of his mate but can put on a disy of seriously territorial behavior.


    Finally, the im-which female wolves are given by their mate is perhaps the most primitive of these actions. The im is given by the bite of the male wolf against the skin of the female wolf''s neck to mark the skin with a permanent scar. Depending on the ranking of the male wolf (Alpha, Beta, etc.), the bite will vary in size and depth as higher-ranking wolves are notorious for longer canines and a wider imprint. The bite will show other males, not only what ranking the female wolf''s mate is, but also that she is indeed mated. The im also stakes an emotional and mental mark on the female wolf. Endorphins specific to female wolves are released upon her mate''s teeth breaking the skin that will-from that moment forward-be released as a systemic response to her mate''s physical proximity to her. This cannot be reversed. This is also known as the causation for Heat to ur in the female wolf upon the appropriate lunar position.


    My head was spinning as I leaned forward and took a sip of the cooling tea. As soon as I regathered my thoughts, I found my ce in the book and continued to read:


    The male wolf, once introduced to his mate, will exhibit these traits unconditionally. A mated male, while depending on his rank, will not be swayed by any attempt to separate himself from his mate as Lycanthropes are mated for life. As for Alphas-who have been known for their overly extended lifespans their mates, once imed, will possess an identical lifespan.


    I froze reading this.


    What does that mean? I''m immortal?


    I continued to read, looking for an exnation, but the book switched subjects.


    Exasperated by this information, I shut the book and sat back in my seat. I needed to talk to Adam...


    Xavier made no notice of me as I got out of my seat and rushed from the room. It took me a few minutes to find the right path to take, but I eventually found the correct route down to his office.


    The same two guards were standing in front of his door and I mentally prepared myself to put up another fight. However, as I approached them, they moved out of the way and opened the doors for me.


    That was easy...


    I gave them each a curt nod and walked inside, letting them shut the doors behind me. Walking down the same passageway I had two days earlier, I again found myself in Adam''s study. As before, he was nowhere to be seen. I walked around the room slowly, taking in the sight of it.


    The entire wall behind his desk was ss, giving an incredible view of the snow-covered mountains and forests surrounding the castle. The two walls perpendicr to therge window were lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases that were filled with all kinds of books.


    "Evelyn..."


    I spun around on my heel.


    Adam was standing a few feet away, in the doorway. I wasn''t fond of being snuck up on, which seemed to be a hobby of his.


    "I need to talk to you," I said.


    Adam wordlessly made his way over to me, slowly.


    I began to get flustered as he got closer. Soon I was backed against the side of his desk, Adam cing both of his hands beside my hips.


    "This is really important," I said, pushing him away gently.


    "Have a seat," Adam instructed, backing away and taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.


    We sat in silence for a moment or two while I tried my hardest to figure out what I needed to exin and why.


    Adam waited patiently for me to speak, though he watched me intently.


    "I...I can''t do this," I whispered finally.


    I couldn''t tear my gaze from his face as tears welled up in my eyes.


    Adam''s face didn''t change as he looked back at me, not breaking the eye contact. I couldn''t register an ounce of emotion on his face nor was I able to figure out what he was thinking.


    "Please say something," I pleaded. I began to nervously pick at my fingernails.


    "I refuse to acknowledge your desire for this rtionship to end in order to help preserve what dignity this rtionship has left. Instead, I''ll offer you a bit of information I received this morning: your friend''s father has been missing for two days," Adam stated firmly.


    The shock of the information and the change of subject took a moment to register.


    "Wait... what?" I asked. My voice cracked as I sat frozen in ce.


    "Your friend, Vega, her father was reported missing by her mother yesterday. He''s been gone for two days. My men delivered the report to me this morning. I thought you should know."


    I took a shaky breath. "Can I see the report? What do they think happened?"


    "I''ve already given the report up for documentation, so I no longer have it with me. I''ll have a copy made for you, but I suggest you call your friend," Adam said standing.


    "Wait, are you not going to help find him?" I asked, standing as well.


    Adam put his hands in his pockets. "There''s nothing I can do."


    "Yes there is!" I insisted. "You could call your men, the ones who are still there investigating the rogue case, and have them look into it."


    "I don''t think so," Adam said.


    I took a step towards him, cing my hands on his arms. "Please, you have to do something!"


    His jaw clenched.


    "I''ll do anything you want," I said desperately.


    Adam''s eyebrow cocked as he heard this.


    "I''ll see what I can do."

 Chapter Ten - Beyond Repair-1

    I could do nothing but sit and listen to her sobs through the phone.


    Tears had welled up in my own eyes listening to Vega''s pitiful cries. "Adam''s working on seeing what he can do," I said hopefully.


    I heard her stop and sniffle.


    "If he had done his job in the first ce, this wouldn''t have happened. The council thinks it was a rogue attack-probably the same one your boyfriend neglected to find," she spat bitterly. I felt my jaw clench.


    "He left men there to investigate. If anyone is to be med, it''s them and Adam will deal with that. He''s looking into it, so don''t make any rash conclusions before you have actual facts, Vega. That''s extremely unfair."


    "Are you actually defending him?" She asked incredulously.


    I took a deep breath. "Yes."


    I heard Vega let out a breathyugh.


    "Well, that didn''t take long."


    "What?" I asked.


    "You getting used to the high and mighty life. God, I knew this would happen to you! You used to be so strong-willed and stubborn and now that you''re mated to an Alpha you think you can just forget about things that happen here because it doesn''t affect you."


    I was speechless at her outburst.


    The line was silent for a few moments before Vega sighed.


    "Whatever, I don''t expect you to understand. I know you hate your dad, but mine actually loved me so I want him back-"


    I hung up the phone.


    Too far, Vega.


    I knew she was hurt but that stung. I sat down on the bed thinking about everything she said.


    I''ve barely been here a few days, I can''t have already changed. Maybe she''s just jealous that I''ve got a mate and she doesn''t.


    I let out a snicker. She can have mine if she wants him.


    The smile on my face fell as herment about my dad began to y over and over again in my mind. "I know you hate your dad, but mine actually loved me..."


    The bedroom door opened and Adam walked in slowly. "How is she?" He asked, closing the door behind him.


    I just nodded.


    "What''s the matter?" He asked as he made his way over to where I sat.


    "Nothing," I said shortly.


    His hand reached out to touch my face and his thumb wiped a tear from my cheek.


    Although the gesture was affectionate, I looked up to meet his gaze and his face was expressionless. I couldn''t tell what Adam was thinking.


    "Don''t lie to me," he said, his voice low.


    His cerulean blue eyes were like a truth serum, as soon as I looked at him I couldn''t hold it in. "She said something really rude about my dad," I sighed, looking away.


    Adam''s hand fell from my face and he sat down next to me on the bed, his weight on the mattress causing me to lean into him.


    "She probably wasn''t wrong," he said tly. "But, hurt people hurt people, so don''t let it get to you."


    Was that supposed to help?


    "Is that why you''re so angry all the time?" I asked. As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I regretted them.


    Adam didn''t say anything, just looked around the room uninterested.


    The silence grew almost unbearable until he finally spoke.


    "Speaking of your dad," he said looking at me. "My men went to question him this morning and he wasn''t home. They tried him at the firm, but he wasn''t there either. They couldn''t pick up a trail anywhere in town. Do you know where he might have gone?"


    My eyes widened at the information.


    "Was the house empty?" I asked quickly.


    Adam shook his head. "They didn''t say."


    "Find out," I said. "He and Mr. Chandler didn''t get along..."


    Again, Adam''s face was unreadable. "Do you think your father had something to do with his disappearance?"


    I shrugged. "I don''t know that. All I know is that my father wouldn''t have left my mom; I know that for certain. If he left town, she would be with him."


    Adam nodded thoughtfully. "I''ll have them check."


    I let out a sigh and turned to Adam who was watching me intently.


    Groaning, Iid back on the bed.


    "What?" He asked.


    I closed my eyes after letting out a deep breath. "This wouldn''t have happened if it weren''t for me."


    "What do you mean?" Adam asked.


    "If I hadn''t gone to the meeting, this wouldn''t have happened. If I had just not been there, you would have done your job and caught the rogue and this wouldn''t be happening. All would be well-" "-if you had not met me," Adam finished.


    Hearing him say it sounded wrong, but I couldn''t correct it because it was the truth.


    I felt his weight lifted of the bed and opened my eyes to see him leaving the room.


    "Wait! Adam-"


    The door mmed behind him, shaking a tapestry off the wall and folding to the ground.


    I hastily got off the bed and sprinted across the room.


    Opening the door, I ran out into the hallway, looking for him. I barely caught sight of his navy sweater turning a corner down the hallway and I began to chase him.


    "Adam!" I called out again, running after him.


    I rounded the corner and came to the grand staircase where he was descending quickly into the lower levels of the castle.


    I was out of breath by the time I caught up with him, jumping the bottom three steps of each flight.


    "Wait, stop!" I said, wheezing.


    Adam stopped at the bottom of the stairwell, his back still facing me.


    "That''s not what I meant..." I started.


    "I''ll keep you updated on the search for Warren Chandler. We''ll check your family''s home tonight and if your parents are not there, I''ll put out an alert. But, for now, don''t bother yourself with it," he said tly. His deep, ented voice bounced off the marble walls and echoed both in the stairwell and in my head.


    "Adam-" I began again.


    "I don''t want to talk about it," he said, his voice deepening.


    "I just wanted to apologize," I whispered.


    He said nothing, but, in the gleaming gold handrail I saw the reflection of a man whose face was distorted with anger and eyes dark with rage.


    That was when it hit me.


    This was not just a king. This was not just the most powerful Lycanthrope I would probably ever meet. This was not just my mate.


    This was a wolf who had put on the guise of a sheep. This was a man who did not want his mate to be scared of him. This was a beautiful face hiding a terrifying beast.


    ... And I had just all but rejected him.


    I watched the muscles in his back flex as he took a deep breath and I gulped. Turning away, I proceeded back up the stairs with haste.


    I looked back over the handrailing as soon as I reached the top floor to see Adam gone from where I had left him.


    Returning to the room, I closed the door quietly and crossed the room to the balcony doors.


    Iid my head against the icy window to see almost two feet of snow coating the ground. I turned to the bed and opening the sheer curtainsid across it, cing my head on the pillow.

 Chapter Ten - Beyond Repair-2

    Thest thought I remember having was not about my dad, not about Vega or her father, but about Adam.


    The ringing of the phone startled me out of slumber.


    I got out of the bed in a hurry and answered the phone.


    "Hello?"


    "Alpha Superior Devereaux wishes for you to join him in his study at the top of the hour," a high-shrill voice said. I looked over to the clock. That was in six minutes. She hung up and so did I.


    Why on earth they got someone with such an annoying tone of voice to be a telephone operator, I didn''t have a clue.


    I changed out of my t-shirt and jeans into a dress. I walked into the bathroom and tried tob my hair.


    I stared at myself in the mirror. Well, this is as good as it is going to get.


    I was trying to look as nice as possible. I thought maybe Adam would have an easier time forgiving me if I did.


    As I left the room a voice in the back of my head scoffed. Why on earth would you think this will impress him? Since when do you need his affirmation? And why on earth are you searching for forgiveness from someone who has done worse things to you and never apologized for it?


    I tried to ignore that voice.


    I knew I was not going home anytime soon, and I didn''t want to sleep in the same bed as a man who was double my size and angry with me. I needed to be the bigger person.


    How on earth do you expect to fall in love with a man whom you are afraid of?


    I tried to silence that voice, but it made a good point.


    I shook my head as I descended the stairs. I don''t expect to fall in love with him.


    I made my way down the hall and into his office. The guards weren''t there today, in fact, no one was in the office at all. Come to think of it, I didn''t pass one person on my way to his office. Where is everyone?


    The silence was nerve-wrecking, but I pushed open the doors and turned left to head into his office.


    He sat at his desk, eyes peering at a sheet of paper in his hands.


    His hair was tousled and sweater was gone to reveal a white undershirt which stretched across his protruding chest muscles and toned arms. "Everything okay?" I asked warily.


    "Sit," he said putting the piece of paper down.


    I crossed the room, avoiding meeting his gaze and sat down in the chair across from his desk.


    "Your mother was still at home today when they went back to check," he said leaning forward. "Are you sure your father wouldn''t have left her?" I nodded, still looking at the floor. "Certain."


    "Why?" He asked.


    "Why what?"


    "Why do you know your father wouldn''t leave your mother?"


    I sighed. "He''s a little co-dependent when ites to her."


    Adam didn''t say anything and I looked up to see him staring at me intently, obviously waiting for more details I wasn''t going to give.


    "Remember this morning when you said you would do anything I wanted if I extended my help to the search for Vega''s father?" He asked slowly.


    I gulped. I wanted so desperately to look down at my feet the way I always did when I was nervous, but I couldn''t look away. His eyes held me captive. Instead, I found myself nodding.


    "I''ve decided on what I wanted," he said standing.


    "What''s that?" I asked.


    God, what is it?


    Adam walked around the desk to stand in front of me, arms crossing against his chest.


    "A chance," he said, his eyes narrowing on me.


    Well that wasn''t what I thought he would say...


    "What?" I asked. "What do you mean you want a chance?"


    "A fair chance at making you want to be with me," he said. "I think this was doomed from the very beginning. Neither of us had a choice, making both of us miserable. If you give me a fair chance, I will make you want to stay here and you will willingly give me the time of day instead of being summoned to my office for a conversation."


    My head was spinning.


    "How do you n on doing that?" I asked.


    "Practically, we''re looking at one hundred days. I get one hundred days to woo you, seduce you, and convince you to spend the rest of your life here with me. After that, if you''re still unhappy, you can go home. However, this onlyes if you give me a fair chance to prove myself worthy of your love."


    I sat in silence for a few moments.


    One hundred days is a long time, I thought. However, if I don''t agree, I could be here for longer than that. Maybe he deserves a chance, I have been hard on him...


    ... because he kidnapped me and bit into my neck!


    I sighed, conflicted.


    "Well?" Adam asked.


    Then a small voice reminded me of one thing: What do I have to go home to? Vega is mad at me and my father is missing.


    "You get one hundred days, starting tomorrow," I said. "I''ll try to be fair, but you cannot keep treating me like I''m some toy. I want to be involved here, help you run things, help find my best friend''s father. I''m not just going to sit around for those one hundred days. Deal?"


    Adam nodded. "Fine."


    We were both silent for a few minutes, letting the feeling sink in.


    Part of me was terrified. This man was maniptive. He got what he wanted, how was I to be sure he would hold up his end of the deal?


    The other part of me was excited. What would experiencing Adam attempt to ''woo'' me include? What did ''seducing'' me mean?


    This was going to be a chance for me to finally take the reins and call the shots, and I couldn''t wait.


    "Why do you say your father is co-dependent?" Adam asked.


    I shrugged.


    Then I remembered our deal... be open and give him a chance. He needs to know.


    "My mom always worshipped the ground he walked on. She affirmed him. But, a few years ago she got sick," I exined. "She lost a lot of weight and isn''t able to do much anything anymore. She''s addicted to all kinds of painkillers and my dad gives them to her. I have no clue where he gets them from, but he needs to keep her alive and happy. She''s still his sense of affirmation, and he needs her approval to survive."


    Adam sighed. "It''s hard to believe a man like that has a soft spot," he said.


    "They''re mates," I said.


    "Rare," hemented. "That hasn''t happened between anyone but pure-bloods for a very long time."


    I nodded. "I know that now."


    I looked up at him and found myself scorching under his intense stare.


    "Will your mother be okay while he''s missing?" He asked.


    I nodded. "She''s just as co-dependent on him. She won''t leave that house without him for the world."


    "I''m sorry," Adam said.


    It was the first time I saw genuine emotion sh through his eyes.


    "I don''t know what you''re sorry for," I whispered. "It''s not your fault I grew up without them."


    "I''m sorry that that''s how you see men and rtionships," he said. "Being mates doesn''t have to mean co-dependency."


    I tore my eyes away from him and stood up. "I don''t need to be fixed. I also don''t want you to feel like it''s your responsibility to make me happy."


    "It is my responsibility," he said, taking my chin between his thumb and index finger and lifting my face to look at him. "And I will fix this."


    I fought back hot tears. Don''t get attached, this is a hundred-day thing.


    "What about you?" I asked. "Don''t you need fixing?"


    This smirk he gave me was almost frightening.


    "Darling, I''m beyond repair."

 Chapter Eleven - Bubble Baths and Burning Houses-1

    What have I done?


    I sat in a hot bath with the bathroom lights dimmed, but I couldn''t rx. Every muscle in my body was tense.


    Iid my head back against the tub and stared at the bubbles floating across the steaming surface of the water.


    I wanted to go home. I was worried about Vega. I had no clue where her father was or where my own father was. I had a headache from turning each problem over and over again in my mind and I still couldn''tprehend it.


    My heart ached at the thought of my mom by herself. She was so fragile and dependent on my dad. I don''t think she had gone a day without him up until that point. As much as I hated him, she needed him. That was the sole reason I actually cared to wonder where he was.


    Then there was Adam.


    God, what a man... I had never met anyone like him.


    Adam was a living oxymoron. He could be so sweet and gentle one moment, but so bitter and demanding the next. I fought my consciousness over whether to give him a chance to prove himself a worthy, loving mate or to run as far as I could, determined not to be burned by the fire he seemed to carry inside of him.


    When I thought of the word mate, all I could see was my parents. I didn''t want that for myself and I was scared that would be what I got.


    However, I wasn''t just fighting my consciousness- I was fighting myself.


    I didn''t know how much longer I could tell myself I didn''t want him before I became delusional. There was absolutely no denying that I found him attractive... extremely attractive.


    His tall, muscr frame was everything and more I ever wanted in a man. The way his arms flexed when he moved them even slightly and the way his back tightened when he walked did not escape me, no matter how much I tried to ignore it. That jet-ck, wavy hair was so perfectly messy and his sharp, carnal features formed a face I could stare at for the rest of my life. And those eyes... I could stare into their blue depths endlessly.


    That was what scared me: It wasn''t him... it was who he was.


    But how do I change that?


    ...can I change that?


    Part of me was interested to see the change he made in himself-if there was even going to be one-over those next hundred days.


    As my mind wondered on about Adam, the bathroom door opened.


    I immediately sunk down into the water, peering over the bubbles to see who had intruded into my deep thoughts. Speak of the devil...


    "Are you in here?" He asked.


    I hummed in response.


    "Why in the bloody hell are the lights off?"


    "They''re not all the way off," I countered.


    "I can''t see you," he said.


    "That''s the point."


    He found the light switch on the wall and turned the lights back up.


    I squinted at the light.


    "Better," he said, walking into the bathroom.


    I quickly sat up and pulled my knees to my chest.


    Adam chuckled at this. "I know what a naked woman looks like."


    My eyebrows furrowed. "That so?"


    Adam walked over the vanity and pulled his white t-shirt over his head.


    "I''m nearly two-hundred years old, Evie. Would you not be concerned if I didn''t?"


    I shrugged. It made sense, but there was a pit that formed in my stomach when I heard him say it. I tried to ignore the feeling. "Can you give me a towel?" I asked.


    Adam reached into the cab and I stared at his exposed back when he did so. Those muscles.


    He handed me the towel and I took it from him, avoiding eye contact.


    I cautiously began to dry my hair with the towel, making sure I was covered by strategically floating bubbles.


    Adam stood watching me with his back against the vanity and arms crossed.


    "Can I help you?" I asked, sighing.


    "You''re bashful," he observed.


    "And?"


    "Up until this point I assumed I was at the bottom of a list of men who had seen you naked, but now I''m not sure." His bluntness shocked me.


    "Excuse me?" I asked.


    He just smiled and shrugged. "Am I the only one who has ever seen you naked?"


    "You haven''t seen me naked," I said pointedly.


    "Not yet."


    I huffed and stood up from the tub, the towel covering my body.


    "Fine, I''ve never had sex. Is that what you wanted to hear?" I huffed.


    I swore he was trying to suppress a smile. "It is."


    "Why do you care?" I asked, stepping out of the tub and draining the water.


    "I''m not sure. I wish I could give you the same satisfaction of knowing I was a virgin, but I''m not."


    "I gathered that," I quipped.


    I looked up at him to see him smirking.


    "What?" I asked. I was starting to get an attitude.


    "Nothing," he said, pushing himself away from the vanity and in my direction. "I look forward to the day you give yourself to me."


    I held up a finger in his face. "That day is not today, Casanova."


    Part of me wishes it was.


    I walked away, feeling my face blush at the thought.


    I opened the bathroom door and went out into the bedroom to change. I heard the shower turn on and I sighed.


    He will be the death of me or my virginity, whicheveres first.


    I changed into my pajamas. Every night I still went to bed in the same t-shirt he gave me to sleep in the very first night. The masculine smell of cedar wood stuck to everything he owned and I couldn''tin, especially when smelling it on his shirt seemed to lull me to sleep at night.


    Just as I pulled on a pair of underwear, he stepped out of the bathroom in a towel.


    "Have you seen my pajama shorts?" I asked him, looking through my allotted drawers in his wardrobe for them. I could''ve sworn I had put them back in there when I took them off that morning.


    Adam shook his head and reached over me to grab a pair of boxer briefs.


    The proximity of our bodies made me freeze.


    I could feel the heat from his hot shower radiating off his skin as his arm passed over my shoulder and his chest pressed to my back.


    Immediately, I got out of the closed space and backed away.


    "Nevermind, I don''t need them anyways," I stuttered out.


    Adam didn''t say anything as he dropped the towel and pulled his boxer briefs on. I didn''t see anything, but my face was a thousand shades of red as I turned away.


    He has no shame.


    I walked over to the bed and began to take the pillows off and pull back the sheets.


    Adam reentered the bathroom and I sighed, getting under the satin sheets.


    I heard Adam walk out of the bathroom and closed my eyes preparing for the lights to go out, but they never did.


    Suddenly, the sheer curtain on my side of bed was pulled back and Adam ripped the covers off of me.


    "Can I help you?" I asked sitting up.


    He grabbed me by the hips and ced me on my knees on the edge of the mattress in front of him.


    "What are you doing?" I asked as I pressed my hands against his bare chest, attempting to push myself away.


    "Why are you scared of me?" He asked, grabbing my wrists gently. Sparks flew up my arms.


    "I-I''m not," I said. I was beginning to get lightheaded from the feeling of his skin under my hands.


    Adam''s eyes narrowed.


    "You''re scared of intimacy," he said.


    I stammered.


    He has me there.


    "What happened?" Adam asked.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Has someone touched you? Was it your dad? Warren?" He asked, getting angry.


    "No!" I said quickly. "It''s nothing like that, I just "


    I stopped myself.

 Chapter Eleven - Bubble Baths and Burning Houses-2

    "What then?" He asked.


    "I''ve never done this," I whispered, "and you''re being really forward. It''s just a weird change of pace, I guess."


    I knew I was blushing. I was so embarrassed.


    Why couldn''t I be more experienced? I''ve never even been kissed!


    I looked down at my fingers which were still pressed against his chest.


    Adam sighed a sigh of relief. "I''m sorry. You just kept flinching every time I would get near you and I thought something had happened."


    I bit the inside of my cheek.


    His voice lowered. "Look at me."


    I lifted my eyes and his hand went underneath my chin.


    "I''m sorry," he repeated.


    I felt my breath hitch in the back of my throat as his face inched towards mine. I nced at his lips before my eyes fluttered shut.


    I could almost feel the brush of his lips against mine before the door swung open and mmed against the wall, startling me.


    I flew backward on the bed, and looked over to see Jace standing at the door.


    "You need to see this," he said quickly, hisment directed towards Adam.


    "Someone important better have died or this castle better be on fire," Adam muttered angrily.


    Well, the castle wasn''t on fire...


    ...but my house was.


    I stood in a conference room in Adam''s sweatshirt and a pair of his sweatpants-which were both notably toorge for me as Jace showed him pictures that had been taken that day of my house as it burned to the ground. "Oh my God," I whispered as I grabbed one of the photos and observed it. "Was there anyone in the house?"


    Jace shook his head. "No, one of our men ran in and couldn''t find anyone. The fire department confirmed there was no one inside."


    I felt a rush of relief.


    "How did it happen?" Adam asked, passing me another picture as he finished looking at it.


    "They''re doing an arson investigation, but the results could take up to a week toe back," Jace said.


    We all stood there in deep thought.


    "Did someone see anyone trying to flee the scene?" Adam asked.


    Jace shook his head. "No, our men saw the smoke from a few miles away and they were the first on the scene. No one came out of the house after they got there and no one in the fire department saw anyone leave either." "No one''s ced an insurance notice on the house yet?" asked Adam.


    "Not that we know of," Jace said.


    "Keep an eye on that and let me know if anything changes, they may be trying to collect the insurance im and leave. In the mean time, keep me updated on everything. I want that arson investigation to be expedited and I want to find out if the neighbors saw anything. Find her mom as well," Adam said, handing the photos to me.


    "Do you see anything unusual?" Adam asked me.


    I shook my head as I flipped through the photos. I didn''t see anything out of ce.


    I looked at thest one and stopped.


    "Wait," I said, pointing at the picture. "This isn''t right."


    I pointed to a bushel of red tulips that was nted in the mulch beside the front door.


    "No one in my family nted flowers. These had to have been put there. Plus, it''s not even the right season for them, so it had to have been recent," I said.


    Adam took the photo and he and Jace observed it.


    "You''re right," he said. "Have someone figure out how long they had been there. That''s something to pay attention to."


    Jace nodded as he took the photos and circled the tulips with a marker. "I''ll find out."


    "Let me know as soon as you hear anything new," Adam said.


    He took my hand, and pulled me out of the room. I followed him blindly, trying not to trip over the sweats which were too long.


    I was still in shock.


    "Who would set my house on fire?" I whispered, thinking out loud. "My parents haven''t done anything to anyone and they have no where else to go."


    "We''ll find out soon enough," he said, his thumb beginning to trace circles on the back of my hand.


    We arrived back at the room and I immediately copsed onto the bed. Adam helped pull the sweatshirt over my head and Iid down, pulling the sheets up. He turned the lights off before climbing in bed beside me.


    "We''ll find out who did it," he assured me.


    I sighed in response, rolling over.


    I wasn''t sure I wanted to know.


    I woke up the next morning to Adam''s hand on my shoulder, shaking me lightly.


    "What?" I groaned, rolling over.


    "You need to wake up."


    "You need to go away," I said, peeking up at him from under the sheets.


    "My aunt would like to have breakfast with us, and we can''t do that if you''re still in bed," he exined.


    I huffed. "I''m not even hungry."


    "You''ve got an hour to get ready," Adam said, leaving my side.


    I sat up and watched him as he walked around the bed, pulling his shirt over his head and setting a water bottle on the side table.


    He was sweaty and looked like he''d been for a run.


    It was the beginning of his one hundred days, and if he kept his shirt off, it wouldn''t take one hundred days for me to take a liking to him. "What time is it?" I asked.


    "Eight-thirty."


    I groaned loudly and fell back into the bed.


    The curtain opened from Adam''s side of the bed and he peered in.


    "You''re more than wee to shower with me if you think that would wake you up," he said.


    Iughed. "You''re funny."


    "Suit yourself."


    After a few moments, I heard the shower turn on and I swung my legs over the side of the bed.


    His aunt better be the best person in the entire world and this better be the most delicious food I''ve ever eaten.


    After going through the wardrobe and finding something to wear, I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth.


    It was taking a lot of willpower not to check Adam out through the ss doors in the reflection of the mirror.


    Instead, Ibed through my hair and pinned it up. I searched through the drawers to find my makeup.


    Adam stepped out of the steaming shower with a towel wrapped around his waist as soon as I began to put on eyeliner. "You look nice," he said, eyeing the dress I had picked out.


    "Thank you," I said quietly, trying to concentrate on my winged liner and not his naked torso.


    Adam walked up behind me and stared at my reflection in the mirror as I finished off the look with a few swipes of mascara.


    "I never realized how green your eyes were," hemented.


    I let out a breathyugh as I zipped up my makeup pouch. "Makeup tends to do that."


    "I think you look great either way."


    "Thank you," I said trying not to blush.


    I left the bathroom as he changed into a dress shirt and cks.


    "Ready?" He asked walking out of the bathroom.


    I slid on my ts and nodded.


    "I lied when I said I wasn''t hungry before," I said sheepishly.


    "I know, you''re always hungry."


    We walked a few floors downstairs to a huge dining room.


    The elongated gold table stretched to fit almost fifty people. Flowers adorned the table as centerpieces and four ce mats were set out at the end. White and gold-encrusted chinaware was set out next to crystal sses and silverware. Doors at the other end of the room opened and a woman with shoulder-length blonde hair walked in. She had on a long, fitted white gown and ruby earrings. Behind her entered Xavier, who smiled at me.


    "Evelyn, this is my aunt, Victoria, and you''ve already met Xavier," Adam said, introducing us.


    "It''s a pleasure meeting you," I said, reaching out to shake her hand.


    "Truly, I wish I could say the same, darling," she quipped.


    Well, this is going to go great.

 Chapter Twelve - Hes a Better Kisser-1

    "You can leave."


    Adam didn''t need to tell Victoria twice. She gave me onest, hard look before walking around us and out of the dining room. "I''m sorry," Adam apologized.


    "I thought you said she wanted to have breakfast with us?" I asked him.


    Xavier spoke up. "That would be my fault. I orchestrated breakfast. I assumed she would have wanted to meet you."


    Adam pulled out a chair for me to sit in.


    "Don''t let her ruin your appetite," he said.


    Well it''s toote for that.


    I sat down, as did Adam and Xavier.


    Our meal was brought out by servants, all dressed in ck. They removed Victoria''s cemat and silverware and filled our tes with food. Looking at the food, I felt my hunger dissipate. I didn''t want it anymore. I couldn''t get Victoria''s words out of my head.


    Why does she not like me?


    Xavier and Adam both sat there awkwardly eating, watching me stare at my food.


    I finally picked up my fork and ate a strawberry. Eventually, all the food was gone from my te and Adam and Xavier had finished as well. "Still hungry?" Adam asked.


    I shook my head.


    "Well, I''ve got some things I need to take care of this morning," Adam said. "Do you want to meet me for lunchter?"


    I nodded. "Sure."


    He got up from the table and gave me a wink as he walked away.


    "How are things with him?" Xavier asked.


    "They''re good."


    The look on his face didn''t show me he was entirely convinced.


    "It''s a full moon tonight," he said warily.


    Immediately, my shoulders slumped.


    "Again?!" I asked with exasperation.


    "It''s a Blue Moon," Xavier exined. "There hasn''t been one in almost two years."


    "Of course it would happen again during the month I meet Adam," I huffed, propping my elbows on the table top and cing my head in my hands. This is not what I need right now.


    My heart was beating out of my chest at the thought of going through Heat again. Adam''s warning from a few days prior began to swirl in my mind: "It''s supposed to be more painful the longer you resist." "What do I do?" I asked.


    Xavier almost answered, but the servants returned and began to take away the dishes.


    We waited in silence for thest of them to leave the room.


    He leaned in and lowered his voice. "The way I see it, you have two options: First, you can consummate your rtionship and not have to worry about it again."


    He observed the look on my face as he said this and continued.


    "Or, you can leave the castle for the night to get away and have some privacy. It gets much worse each time, so this one will not be just a heat stroke, it will be painful."


    I swallowed the knot in my throat. "Maybe I should talk to Adam and see what he thinks."


    "Wise," Xavier said, giving me a grim smile.


    I made my way to Adam''s study, nervously trying to figure out what I was supposed to say to him. I twirled a piece of my hair in between my index finger and thumb as I thought.


    As soon as I reached the corridor and saw the two armed guards standing by the door, I sighed and walked down the hallway towards them. They didn''t look at me as they wordlessly opened the doors for me to walk through. I took a deep breath and took a left down the hallway to his office.


    I walked in and he was no where to be seen.


    I was standing there, thinking about whether I should just stay there and wait ore backter when I heard his voice.


    It was a faint echoing from the other side of the hallway.


    I began to walk slowly, trying to listen to what he was saying.


    Adam had an angry tone of voice, almost at shouting volume. His voice was muffled though, and I had a hard time hearing exactly what he was saying.


    I walked a little further to see a door nearly closed, with light streaming into the hallway from inside the room.


    I walked up and peeked inside, trying to see who he was talking to.


    Immediately, I recognized her voice.


    "She''s not of pure blood, you idiot," Victoria sneered.


    "Watch your tone woman! Don''t forget who you''re speaking to," Adam snarled back.


    I had never seen him this angry before, not even when my dad was around.


    "Do you want this empire to go to shit?" She asked. "She''s not right for you and you know it!"


    "Don''t pretend like you know what''s best for me," he said through gritted teeth.


    "You''re a king for Christ''s sake," she snapped. "She''s the daughter of a drunk and knows nothing about being a Luna!"


    Ouch.


    Adam''s eyes went dark.


    "You forget your ce. You are not a dignitary, nor do you have any say in this matter. You are ornamental, nothing more! I can make you disappear and cut you off from this family just like that," he said snapping his fingers. "Oh, go ahead," she scoffed. "I did not watch your mother and father build this pack up from the ground for you to destroy it over some girl!"


    "She is your Luna Superior," he said, his jaw clenching. "You will refer to her with honor and respect and if I hear word of one more syble you speak of her out of ce, you will be banished from this pce permanently." "Go to hell," she spat. "And take the bitch with you."


    Adam''s body began to shake with rage.


    "You best be d you''re a woman," he said. "Otherwise I would kill you where you stood."


    Victoria scoffed. "You''re a weak man. It wouldn''t have mattered to your father whether I was a woman or not. Maybe you won''t kill me because you know I''m right."


    Adam clenched his fists by his side.


    "Get out," he growled.


    She raised her hand to p him, but he caught her wrist with impressive speed before she could touch him.


    It was toote though...


    I had already gasped.


    Both of their faces turned to look at the door and I turned and ran down the hallway.


    Tears of rage and frustration threatened to spill out of my eyes at any moment.


    I ran up the stairs, taking two at the time.


    My ears were ringing and body was shaking. It took me a few moments to realize I was crying.


    Why am I crying?


    I ran inside his bedroom and mmed the door behind me, running to the wardrobe and slinging open the doors.


    I began to fill my bag with clothes.


    I''m leaving this ce.


    I felt his arms wrap around me, trying to get me to stop. I began to push at him, trying to get him away from me. I elbowed him in the ribs as I felt him hold me tighter. There was no use.


    I felt my knees buckle under and all I could do was let him hold me while I cried.


    One arm wrapped around me tightly while his other hand was brushing back my hair. His lips lingered on my temple as he tried his best to soothe me.


    I cried for everything. I cried for my poor mother, my smoldering house, and Vega''s missing father.


    I even cried for myself. I cried because my parents had ruined rtionships for me. I cried because I was unable to picture myself with someone since all I associated intimacy with was abuse.


    I cried because Victoria was right. I was unfit to be Luna. I was the daughter of a drunk, not a queen.


    I cried for Adam. I cried because I had destroyed his expectations for a mate.


    He held me for several more minutes, until my sobs turned into hups. He held me so tight I began to think he was scared of what would happen when he let me go.


    "Don''t listen to her," he said, finally.


    "She''s right," I whispered.


    He shook his head. "She couldn''t be more wrong."


    I let out a long sigh and wiped my cheeks.


    "I''m leaving," I said.


    "It hasn''t been a hundred days yet," he reminded me.


    "No, I''m leaving for the night," I exined. "It''s a full moon."


    "I don''t want you to," he said firmly. "You''ll be much safer here."


    I swallowed the knot that was in my throat.


    "Fine."


    We sat there silently for a few more minutes before he kissed my head one more time.


    "Take the rest of the day to rx. You need to sleep. I''ll have something brought up for lunchter," he said letting go of me.

 Chapter Twelve - Hes a Better Kisser-2

    I nodded, not wanting to argue with him. "Okay."


    I could tell he didn''t want to leave me. He watched me the entire time he backed away towards the door.


    "I''ll be backter to check up on you, okay?" He asked.


    "Don''t worry about it," I said. "I''m fine."


    I knew he wasn''t convinced of this, but he left the room anyway.


    I tried not to feel lonely after he did. He had a pack to run, after all.


    Iid down on the bed and sighed.


    Pull yourself together, I thought.


    I hadn''t cried that hard in so long. I was used to being tough and resilient. But, after the week I had, I figured crying might have been the best thing for me.


    I vowed then and there that the next one hundred days were not just going to be me letting Adam prove himself. They were going to be me proving to myself I could be a strong leader... ...a Luna.


    I never heard Adame back into the room and I never heard lunch being brought in.


    I slept right through it all.


    When I opened my eyes, I opened them to a nearly dark room.


    Getting out of the bed, I saw the sun setting behind the mountains off in the far distance.


    It didn''t take long for me to remember I was about to enter Heat again.


    My throat was dry and scratchy and I was achy all over.


    I walked over to the untouched tray of food that had been brought in while I slept.


    The soup was long-cold, but I downed the ss of water in two gulps.


    I changed out of my dress into Adam''s t-shirt and washed off what was left of my makeup.


    The cold water felt refreshing on my skin.


    Sweat had already begun to umte on my forehead and the sun hadn''t even set yet.


    I turned on a fewmps and ran a bath full of cold water. I stuck my feet in it for a while until it was no longer satisfactory. I felt like my insides were on fire. It was like I was trapped in a locked car on a mid-summer''s day afternoon. I began to pace around the room until I heard the door open and turned to see Adam walk in.


    "How are you feeling?" He asked, unbuttoning his shirt.


    "I want you to hit me," I said.


    His eyebrows furrowed. "What?"


    "Hit me," I repeated. "Knock me out so I don''t have to be awake for this."


    "Are you bloody delusional?" He asked incredulously.


    I nodded. "It''s a possibility, I''m really hot right now."


    Adam walked up to me and put a hand on my cheek. "You''re burning up," hemented.


    "I just said that Sherlock," I said swatting away his hand.


    "I''m notying a hand on you," he said walking towards the bathroom.


    I froze.


    "That''s it!" I eximed. "We can have sex!"


    He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at me. "You are going crazy."


    I groaned. "No, seriously! If we have sex it will go away, right?"


    "I''m not having sex with you," he stated inly.


    "Why?" I asked.


    He looked at me like I''d lost my mind.


    "Because this isn''t you talking, love. It''s the Heat talking and I''d rather you decide on your own devices," he said.


    You''ve got to be kidding me...


    "You just said yesterday you wanted to have sex with me!" I eximed.


    "Not like this, I don''t," he said, walking into the bathroom.


    I chased him into the bathroom and closed the door behind me.


    He was taking off his shirt when I jumped up on the counter in front of him.


    "Please?" I asked.


    "No."


    I reached out and grabbed his face, pulling him in to kiss me.


    The second his lips touched mine I felt sparks erupt across my body.


    He rxed into the kiss and ced his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to his body. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he began to kiss me back.


    Why on earth has it taken me so long to kiss him?


    His lips were soft and they molded into mine perfectly.


    "You''re making it very hard to say no," he said, pulling away from me.


    "That''s the point," I said, leaning in to kiss him again.


    Adam pulled my legs from around his waist and backed away from the counter.


    "It doesn''t change my answer," he said, catching his breath.


    I could tell how much it pained him to say it.


    "Fine," I whispered, still breathless from the kiss.


    "You''ll thank me in the morning," he assured me.


    He was right.


    I didn''t want to lose my virginity that night. My underwear didn''t even match my bra and I hadn''t shaved my legs in almost a week. Plus, I''d always imagined rose petals and candles. It could wait.


    "I think it''s best if I weren''t here," he said after a few moments of silence. "I''ll be down the hall if you need me."


    I nodded. "Ok."


    He gave me a longing look before turning and leaving the bathroom. I heard the bedroom door shut and I copsed from the counter onto the floor because of the pain.


    I took off my shirt and crawled over to the bath where the cold water was still running.


    It didn''t help, but I couldn''t muster the strength to get out of the tub for over an hour.


    Somehow I ended up on the bed in nothing but my underwear where I passed out until sunrise.


    I woke up the next morning, achy from where my muscles had been cramping all night.


    My entire body was sore.


    I got out of the bed and took a hot shower. Gradually, I felt myself rx and I washed my hair and body. I brushed my teeth andbed my hair, all the while staring at the dark circles under my eyes caused by my sleep deprivation. When I left the bathroom, Adam was standing over by the balcony doors.


    He turned around as soon as he heard the door open.


    "How are you feeling?" He asked.


    I just nodded.


    I couldn''t look at him. I was so embarrassed. I couldn''t believe I had kissed him like thatst night.


    I walked over the wardrobe and he met me there.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked.


    I shrugged, pulling my hair over one shoulder.


    "Nothing, I-I''m fine..." I said nervously.


    I finally got the courage to look up at his face. Once those blue eyes met mine, I sighed.


    "It''s just... I''m sorry for kissing youst night."


    He gave me a confused look. "What?"


    "I shouldn''t have kissed you like that," I said, "and I''m sorry."


    Adam smiled and bit his lip..


    "I actually thought it was kind of sexy the way you took initiative like that," he said leaning in to whisper in my ear.


    My face turned bright pink.


    "But," he paused, "I think it''s my turn, love."


    He put one hand on the side of my face and the other wrapped around my waist as he leaned in. His thumb dragged slowly across my bottom lip and he stared deep into my eyes.


    After what seemed like forever, his nose brushed against mine and my eyes fluttered shut as he kissed me.


    This wasn''t a kiss like the night before, which was needy and rushed. This was patient and gentle, like he could stay right there and kiss me for the rest of the morning. I felt my body melt against his as he pulled me in tighter and his hand tangled itself in my hair.


    Adam pulled away slowly, like he was savoring the taste of my lips against his.


    I put my hand against his bare chest.


    "You''re a much better kisser than I am," I whispered.


    He let out an airyugh.


    "Darling, you can kiss me any time."

 Chapter Thirteen - Party Planner-1

    Unknown P.O.V.


    His patent leather shoes stomped through the snow, his breath freezing in the air as he exhaled.


    He pulled the doors open wide.


    Immediately his eyes found her; her aging face, neck, and hands were coated in blood and her hair was stained with it. Bodies littered the dirty floor around her.


    "You''ve been busy," he said, the decaying, coppery smell filling his nostrils.


    Her eyes narrowed as she stood up.


    "And you''rete."


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    I hung out with Liu that morning after Adam showered and left for a meeting.


    She hade up to the room, asking if I wanted breakfast delivered to me. Instead, I suggested that she show me around.


    I had only been through a quarter of the castle at that point.


    She showed me the kitchens-which there were three of and informed me that they cooked over three hundred meals a day for the staff that worked in the castle. Nearly fifty people lived there, but over two hundred made themute from the vige each day to work in the castle.


    "Does your father live here?" I asked her.


    She shook her head. "Wemute every day. I''m just ady-in-waiting for the Countess. He''s an advisor to the Alpha Superior and he leads the defense council, so sometimes he stays the night; he stays in the barracks when he does though." "There are barracks here?" I asked.


    She nodded. "Of course. There''s a full-time security detail on staff. That''s where they stay."


    Next, we went into the grand ballroom, which was the very first room I went into the night I arrived. I had only seen it in the dead of night, but it was much prettier during the day when the sunlight was streaming in and bouncing off the crystals on the chandeliers.


    "Is this room ever used?" I asked.


    Liu nodded. "Mostly just during the Centennials, when they''re hosted here."


    "The what?" I asked.


    "Centennials," she repeated. "There''s oneing up in a few weeks. They happen twice a year, once in the summer and once in the winter."


    "What are they for?" I asked.


    Liu shrugged. "Meetings mostly. The Alpha Superiors gather together for a week where they have day-long meetings and then there are gs, balls, and shows at night." "How many Alpha Superiors are there?"


    "Four," she answered. "There is one from Africa, based in Nigeria; another from Europe, based in Germany; and one from Asia, based in China."


    "What about the other four continents?"


    "Well, they kind of split Antartica between them because there isn''t any pack presence there. But the other three belong to our Alpha Superior, your mate."


    "So, he''s over North and South America, as well as Australia?" I asked. "That''s a lot of people."


    She nodded. "It used to be that Australia was its own republic as well, but they were invaded almost a hundred years ago and were brought under the Devereaux Dynasty." "Adam''s dad invaded Australia?"


    She shook her head. "No, that was Adam."


    I stopped walking and looked at her. "Why on earth did he invade the country?"


    Liuughed. "To gain more territory. From the stories I''ve heard, he was quite the Alexander the Great up until a few years ago. A lot of people suspect he''s going to try and take over Europe next. That''s why the Winter Centennial is being held here this year."


    "I don''t understand why Adam wouldn''t let Europeans rule over Europe," Imented.


    Liu shrugged. "More territory is more power. His dad was the one who established this pack here in Canada, and as it grew, it became the central North American stronghold. Before he gave up his title and returned to Brighton, he took over South America. After that, Adam did the rest."


    "Why did he give up his title?" I asked.


    "Well, that''s just the polite way of putting it," Liuughed. "Rumor has it, his rule was overthrown by Adam and after Adam''s mother died, his father just couldn''t fight him anymore so he gave him the title."


    And I thought I had family problems.


    Liu continued. "I think we''ll get Europe, though. The Alpha Superior always gets what he wants, ording to my dad."


    I shook my head. "I just don''t see Adam being the ruthless, overthrowing type."


    "He''s not as nice to the rest of the world as he is to you," Liu said, lowering her voice. "My dad said in the old country they called him the Chinese equivalent of fire because of the way he was taking over the world. But, after he took over Australia, they stopped."


    "Why?"


    "Because water will douse a me, but even the ocean between the countries couldn''t stop him from burning that entire continent with his fire."


    Well, that''s a bit freaky.


    "How does he manage running a pack all the way across the world?" I asked.


    "Beta Superior Eaton does most of it," she said. "His father was the ruler over Australia, and Alpha Superior Devereaux used the Beta to help overthrow his own father with promise of a title."


    Damn, these are some ruthless people.


    "Oh well," she said. "They''re probably going to start decorating this room next week for the G of Arrival, which is the eve of the Centennial. It will look really pretty once they''ve put all the flowers out."


    With thatment, she led me out of the ballroom, my mind still stuck on the newly-exposed ruthlessness of my mate.


    "Next we have what I like to call the West Wing," she said.


    We walked through a set of doors guarded by two burly men and into an office space. I recognized it instantly.


    "Why do you call it the West Wing?" I asked.


    "You know how the President of the United States'' Office is in the West Wing of the White House? Well, this is where our Alpha Superior''s study is. We''ve got themunications department," she said waving at a few people in desks in a room on one side of the hallway. "They cover all kinds ofmunications between republics. They''re probably extremely busy with the Centennialing up."


    We walked further down the hallway and she showed me more rooms filled with more people of more departments.


    "This is ridiculous," I said, my head swarming with all the new information.


    Sheughed. "You''ll memorize it soon enough."


    We walked a little further down a hallway I knew immediately.


    "And this is the office of the Alpha Superior."


    I smiled. "I know."


    "Want to stop in and say hello?" She asked.


    I nodded and began to lead her down the hallway. The guards eyed Liu warily, but opened the doors for us, nheless.


    We walked down the left side of the hallway into Adam''s office where I saw Adam standing at his desk, alongside a man dressed in amanding general''s attire. In front of them stood Jace and a boy about my age. They all turned to look at Liu and I.


    "Sorry," I apologized. "Am I interrupting? We cane backter..."


    The boy''s eyes got wide when he saw me and he dropped to one knee, bowing his head. "Your majesty! It''s great to meet you!"


    "It''s nice to meet you too," I said awkwardly.


    Jace pulled him up by his arm. "Get up."


    "Okay, Okay... you''re a very scary man," the boy muttered.


    "What''s your name?" I asked.


    "Um, I''m Tyler. It''s nice to meet you," he said smiling.


    "You said that already," Liu said, rolling her eyes.


    "Tyler, here, has been sent by the European Committee of Lycanthropes to assist us in preparing for the Centennial. Isn''t that nice?" Adam asked, faking sincerity. Tyler gave me an awkward, tight-lipped smile as Adam said this.


    "What do you do?" I asked.


    "Um... I just-like, you know, help set up decorations and... stuff," he stuttered,ughing nervously.


    "He won''t be staying," Adam said firmly.


    Tyler''s eyes went wide. "No, really! I can help blow up balloons... I''ve got very good lung capacity. I can even make balloon animals," he said confidently.


    "Have you ever been to a Centennial g?" Jace asked. "There are no balloons..."


    Tyler gulped hard as Jace was talking to him. "You''re very tall," he muttered.


    "You''ll leave in the morning," Adam said firmly. "For now, Ms. Wanshan will apany you to the barracks where you''ll stay the night."


    Liu walked around me and motioned for Tyler to follow her.


    His shoulders slumped and he dragged his feet across the floor as he followed her out of the room.


    "Put a shadow on him," Adam said to Jace. "Make sure he doesn''t try to send out any kind ofmunication tonight."


    Jace nodded and left the room.


    "General Wanshan, can your Luna and I have the room, please?" Adam asked.


    So that''s Liu''s dad...


    He gathered a few papers off the desk and nodded at me in acknowledgment as he walked around me to leave.


    Adam''s arms uncrossed as I began to walk over to him.


    "What was that all about?" I asked.


    Adam approached me, taking my hands in his. "Nothing for you to worry about, love. I don''t like to mix politics and pleasure." My eyebrow cocked.


    "Is that what I am to you? Pleasure?"

 Chapter Thirteen - Party Planner-2

    Adam cleared his throat andughed nervously. "That''s not what I meant..." "Then tell me what you meant," I said pulling my hands out of his grasp. Adam sighed. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have said that."


    I crossed my arms and waited expectantly.


    "Tyler is here, not to help blow up balloons, but to spy on us," Adam exined.


    "You''re changing the subject," I pointed out.


    "No, I''m answering your first question," he said.


    "Why would he be here to spy on us?" I asked.


    Adam took a deep breath. "Well, we''re not really allies with the European republic. They have suspicions that we''re going to try to negotiate a merging agreement between our packs at the Centennial and they sent Tyler to figure that out." "He weighs like a hundred pounds soaking wet, I don''t know why you see him as a threat," Iughed.


    Adam smiled at this.


    "I think if you send him back, it will reflect bad faith on your part and all their suspicions will be affirmed," I continued. "If you''re going to take Europe, you might as well let him stay and just don''t give him any information. That way, when they get here, they''ll be none the wiser and you can do like a surprise attack."


    Surprise attack? Really? That''s the best you coulde up with...


    Adam hummed. "Smart n."


    I shrugged. "I''m the beauty and the brains."


    Heughed. "Indeed you are."


    "Why didn''t you tell me about the Centennial earlier?" I asked. "Liu just told me about it a few minutes ago."


    Adam sighed. "I''d forgotten about it honestly with everything that''s been going on this week. Plus, I''ve been too busy kissing you to tell you much of anything."


    I felt my cheeks blush. "Right..."


    "Speaking of..." Adam said, beginning to walk towards me.


    "No way, you have work to be doing," I said, backing away.


    Adam smiled, biting his lip.


    "I''m serious!" Iughed.


    I felt myself run into his desk and with no where else to go, Adam bent down and lifted me by the back of my thighs onto the desk.


    "Someone is going to walk in here," I said as his hands slid up my thighs.


    "I don''t care," he whispered.


    As his lips met mine, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, tangling my hands in his hair.


    His hands slid under my shirt and I gasped at the cold touch.


    With the gasp, his tongue slipped past my parted lips and the taste of his mouth invaded mine.


    I sighed, feeling the explosion of senses. My fingers gripped his hair as I pulled him in closer.


    His hands pressed against my stomach, pushing my back down onto the desk.


    My heart started to race as the kiss deepened.


    "You should be working."


    I broke the kiss and sat up immediately hearing her voice.


    Victoria stood in the doorway, looking less than amused.


    "What are you doing in here?" Adam asked angrily.


    I grabbed his wrists and pulled his hands out from under my shirt. Adjusting the hem of my shirt, I was trying my hardest not to look as flustered as I was. "Just making sure you''re doing your job," she said, eyeing me.


    I licked my lips and ran a hand through my hair.


    "Get out," Adam growled.


    I put a hand on his chest and hopped down from the desk.


    "No, I''ll go. I''ll let you get back to your work," I said.


    I walked away, feeling Victoria''s re on my back the entire way towards the door.


    I took a deep breath as I exited the office and began to walk back to the room.


    "Evelyn."


    I turned to see Victoria walking behind me.


    "What?" I asked, shoving my clenched fists into my pockets.


    Her eyes narrowed. "You won''t be here for very much longer, so don''t getfortable."


    I smiled. "Funny... I could say the same to you."


    With that, I turned and walked away.


    My blood was boiling.


    I wanted to give that woman a piece of my mind... and my fist. Who was she to judge?


    One thing was for certain, I didn''t n on going anywhere, anytime soon.


    ---


    I had just gotten out of the shower when Adam returned to the room that night.


    "I''m sorry about earlier," he said.


    I shrugged as I sat down on the couch with a book I had borrowed from Xavier a few days earlier.


    "It''s fine, I know she annoys you as much as she annoys me."


    Adam came over to stand in front of me and took the book from my hands. He ced his hands on either side of my thighs as he knelt down.


    "I wasn''t talking about Victoria, love."


    I gave him a funny look.


    Adam sighed. "God, I''m not good at this..."


    "What?" I asked.


    Heughed nervously.


    "I''m apologizing for referring to you as pleasure."


    I took a deep breath.


    "Hear me out," he said. "I''m used to this being a one-man show and... I need to ept that it''s not any longer. You are not ornamental or merely here for my pleasure. You are here to help run a pack-to be a Luna-and it''s time I started treating you as such."


    Adam grabbed my hands. "Can you forgive me?"


    I gave him a long hard look and smiled. "I guess so."


    He smiled and leaned in to kiss me.


    After pecking my lips heid his forehead against mine.


    "I''d like you to n the Centennial," he whispered.


    "Are you sure?" I asked him, looking into his eyes.


    He smiled. "Yes."


    Adam kissed me deeply before pulling away and standing up.


    "I need to shower," he sighed.


    I stood up as well. "I''m gunna goy in bed."


    "Sounds promising," he said, winking at me while unbuttoning his shirt.


    Iughed.


    "I meant to sleep," I rified.


    "Sure..."


    As he went into the bathroom to shower, I pulled the pillows from the bed and pulled back the covers.


    Adam soon joined me in the bed, gently running his fingers along my back, lulling me to sleep.


    Waking up the next morning, I found myself face to face with Adam''s muscr chest, my legs tangled around his.


    A knock sounded on the door, waking him up as well.


    He sighed and gave me a half-awake smile.


    The knock sounded again and he groaned.


    Pulling himself out of the bed, he made his way over to the door and opened it.


    "Dad?"


    "Hello, son."


    Hearing this, I sat up quickly.


    I made eye contact with the older man standing in front of Adam.


    "And you must be Evelyn."

 Chapter Fourteen - Flower Power-1

    "You did what?!"


    I sat awkwardly in the desk chair watching Adam yell at Victoria with a very confused looking Devereaux Sr. looking on.


    "You have been very distractedtely," she said coolly. "So, I took it upon myself to inform your father and bring him here to help keep you focused."


    "Does anyone want tea?" His father asked.


    Very focused indeed.


    "You took it upon yourself?" Adam asked. "No one asked you to do that, if anything he will be a distraction."


    "A distraction?" Adam''s father asked. "I''m not a distraction. Now, your prettydy over there is a distraction, which we have promptly been ignoring. Hello, darling! My name is Ma Deveraux, I''m Adam''s father. It is a pleasure to meet you." He reached out and kissed my hand.


    This was the second time that morning he had introduced himself to me.


    "You are a very stunning woman!" He eximed brightly.


    "Barely a woman," Victoria muttered.


    If looks could kill, Adam''s re would have done the job.


    "Don''t listen to her," Ma said to me. "She never had a mate, which I think it''s because she''s a bit of a bitch."


    I tried not tough as Victoria rolled her eyes.


    "You know," he continued, "I think I was about your age when I married Adam''s mother."


    "She''s twenty," Victoria said.


    "Oh, good heavens!" Ma eximed. "You are just a child! Oh well, you''ve got a long life ahead of you, live it well!"


    Victoria closed her eyes in frustration and Adam sighed heavily.


    "Does anyone want tea?" Ma asked, for the second time.


    "I''m fine, thank you," I said politely.


    "I''ll take some," Adam said. "No cream, bit of sugar though."


    "Nonsense!" Mae eximed. "You will drink it ck! It will put hair on your chest, boy!"


    "Take Victoria with you when you go," Adam said as his father turned to leave.


    "Would you like toe too, darling?" Ma asked me.


    "She''s going to stay here with me," Adam said.


    "Oh, I see..." Ma said, giving me an exaggerated blink, which I assumed was supposed to be a wink, as Adam ushered them out the door. "Ma, this is not what we discussed over the phone," Victoria said firmly as they left the room.


    Adam turned around and sighed loudly.


    "He''s a character," I saidughing.


    "He''s lost his mind," Adam said, taking a seat beside me. "That''s why I sent him away."


    "You sent him to Brighton?" I asked.


    "Yes, well, after my mother died he had a mental breakdown and started to go crazy. Xavier took over unofficially until I was old enough. No one knew though."


    "Liu told me you overthrew him?" I said.


    Adamughed at this. "That''s what we tell people to preserve his honor. He wouldn''t be so much of a legend if people knew he sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star before a meal instead of a prayer."


    "And whatever you do," Adam continued, "don''t talk about airnes in front of him. He will talk you ear off for hours about airnes and U-boats."


    I nodded. "Duly noted."


    We were silent for a few moments before I spoke up again.


    "Have you heard any news about Mr. Chandler?" I asked.


    Adam shook his head. "No, I haven''t."


    "Has anyone found my mom?" I asked hopefully.


    "I''m sorry, no," he said.


    I sighed heavily andid my head back against the chair.


    "We''ll find them," Adam assured me.


    "I hope so," I sighed.


    "Have you started nning the Centennial yet?" He asked me.


    I shook my head. "I have no clue what I''m doing. Maybe you should get someone else to do it?"


    Adam smiled. "I think you''re going to do great. Go find that pipsqueak Tyler, he''ll help you. It might help you get your mind off things."


    "I thought you said Tyler wasn''t staying?" I asked.


    "I took your advice," he said. "He can stay as long as he doesn''t find out our ns for Europe."


    I smiled. "It was a good n wasn''t it?"


    Adam nodded, leaning forward to kiss me.


    "Now, go," he said. "I''ve got things to do and Victoria-as much as I hate to say it-was right about you being a distraction."


    "Oh," I said.


    "A good distraction," he assured me. "But me trying to picture you naked doesn''t exactly motivate me to write treaties and budget ns." Iughed.


    "I''ll go."


    I found Tylerying on a bunk, humming along to Stayin'' Alive by the Bee Gees and twiddling his thumbs.


    He saw me and immediately got up and bowed. "Your majesty!"


    "You don''t have to do that," I said, trying not tough.


    "Oh," he said awkwardly, standing up. "Is there something I can help you with?"


    "You said you were here to help n a party?" I asked.


    "Yeah," he said, a smile growing on his face.


    "I''m supposed to be nning this thing, but I have no clue what I''m doing," I admitted. "I need a bit of help."


    "I''d love to!" He eximed. "Does this mean I''m staying?"


    I nodded. "As long as you''re useful..."


    "Oh, I will be," he assured me. "I was thinking we could do like a fiesta theme-"


    "-It''s not that kind of party," I interrupted.


    His shoulders slumped. "Are there at least going to be balloons?"


    I shook my head. "Probably not."


    Tyler let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine."


    "What are you guys talking about?" Jace asked, walking around the corner.


    Clearly, he had just finished showering. He was drying his hair with a towel, another towel wrapped around his waist.


    "Scary man," Tyler whispered.


    "We''re trying to get a few ideas for the Centennial," I exined, trying not to stare at his washboard abs.


    "Why is he still here? I thought he was leaving this morning," He asked, gesturing to Tyler who was nearly hiding behind me at that point.


    I shrugged. "Adam changed his mind?"

 Chapter Fourteen - Flower Power-2

    Jace narrowed his eyes at Tyler as he heard this.


    "I would talk to Liu Wanshan," he suggested. "She''s helped before."


    Jace turned to leave and Tyler sighed. "He scares me."


    "Clearly," I noted. "Let''s go find Liu."


    Along the way, we managed to pick up Ma, Adam''s father.


    It was concerning in the least that he had been wandering around alone.


    "Well, what are you doing in this part of the castle?" He asked me as we walked through the hallway.


    "I could ask you the same thing," Iughed.


    "Well, I was looking for the toilet, but it seems as though they''ve remodeled since I''vest been here," he exined. "Mate, it''s right there," Tyler said pointing to the door which had a ''restroom'' que nailed to it.


    "Oh," Ma said, observing it. "Jolly good!"


    He entered the bathroom and I decided it was best to wait so I could keep an eye on him.


    When he came out, he smiled seeing me. "Well, fancy seeing you! What are you doing in this part of the castle?" I smiled.


    "Looking for you. Do you want toe with us?" I asked. "We''re nning the Centennial."


    "Oh, a party," he said, his eyes lighting up. "I do love a good party. Tell me, will there be balloons?"


    I shook my head, much to his dismay.


    "No balloons?" He eximed.


    "That''s what I said!" Tyler said, throwing his hands up.


    "Focus," I said. "We need to find Liu."


    "Right," Tyler said.


    "Are you looking for me?"


    I turned around to see Liu standing behind me.


    "I was just looking for you. Beta Superior Eaton said you needed help with nning the Centennial?" She said.


    "I''m desperate," I said. "I have no clue what I''m doing."


    She smiled at this. "Come with me, you can pick out a menu for Arrival G. After that I''ll help you decide on flower arrangements."


    "Bless you," I saidughing. "I didn''t know where to begin."


    Tyler and Ma both followed Liu and I as we made our way to the kitchen. Tyler, unfortunately, made the mistake of mentioning how terrible his ne ride over was. Ma proceeded to exin to us how he used to fly airnes during the First World War.


    It took me about an hour to finalize the menu for the first G of the Centennial week, but much longer to decide on flowers.


    That night I sat on the couch, freshly showered, looking through catalogs of flowers and trying to figure out color schemes. There was also an issue of one of the Alpha Superiors being allergic to nearly every nt that I had to take into consideration. Adam came through the bedroom looking exhausted.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked him.


    "Dad went missing for a few hours today," he said. "He''s in the guest room down the hall for now, but I posted guards outside his door to make sure he doesn''t go anywhere."


    Iughed. "He''s been my entertainment today."


    Adam smiled hearing this.


    "What''s that?" He asked, eyeing the catalog in my hands.


    "nts," I said.


    "For the Centennial?" He asked.


    I nodded and proceeded to exin to him my dilemmas with the flower-picking situation.


    "Follow me in here," he said as he walked into the bathroom.


    I was still holding the catalog, telling him all my ideas as I followed him into the bathroom.


    "And I like the blue peonies the best because they match the ceiling, but they''re out of season," Iined.


    I heard the water turn on, and looked up to see Adam''s naked body walking into the shower.


    "I''m still listening," he said, noticing I had stopped talking.


    "And uh... well, I think the yellow roses would also be pretty but I''m not sure about those yet," I stuttered, feeling my cheeks heat up.


    "Why not do both?" He asked.


    I hopped up on the counter as I continued to talk. "Because they don''t match."


    "So?" He asked.


    "Don''t take this the wrong way," I said, "but that''s such a guy thing to say."


    I heard Adamugh as the shower turned off.


    "That''s why I put you in charge of this. You have a much better eye for detail," he exined.


    I closed the catalog as he exited the shower in a towel. Drying his hair with another towel, he made his way over to the sink where I sat on the countertop.


    "Any news on my mom or Mr. Chandler?" I asked.


    Adam shook his head. "I told you that I would let you know as soon as I did."


    I sighed, leaning back on the mirror. "I was just hoping maybe you forgot to tell me."


    "I won''t forget to tell you, I promise," he said, beginning to brush his teeth.


    Where on earth could they be?


    My mind was racing at a hundred miles per hour trying to figure it out.


    I couldn''t believe that my father, mother, and my best friend''s father had just all disappeared so suddenly. It all seemed strange and connected somehow, but I couldn''t put the pieces together. "Don''t worry about it," Adam said, rinsing his mouth with water. "We''re looking for them."


    "I know, but it''s hard when it''s your mom."


    "Just rx," he said, standing in front of me. "You''re stressed and you need to let loose a little."


    Iughed. "I''m assuming you have an idea of how to do that."


    "I can think of a few ways," he said smirking.


    Iughed as he leaned in and kissed me.


    My arms wrapped around his shoulders as his hands slid up my thighs and around my waist as the kiss deepened.


    He pulled away, leaving me to catch my breath. "We need to stop."


    I sighed. "Agreed."


    "I can''t wait for the day you''re mine," he said, his eyes dark with lust.


    My heart was racing as I hopped down from the counter, knees wobbling.


    We both stood there, shaken up by the raunchy encounter.


    "I need to change," he said.


    I almost stopped him. Towel-d Adam was very appealing to the eyes. God, every time. Every time he kisses me I fall deeper into his spell. Maybe it won''t take one hundred days after all.

 Chapter Fifteen - Drunken Demons-1

    Hearing the door close, my eyes opened.


    It was still nighttime, moonlight flooded the room through the windows.


    I sat up to find Adam missing from his spot beside me.


    Where could he be?


    The bathroom light was off and he wasn''t in the room.


    Iid back down, telling myself he probably got up to check on his dad.


    I sighed heavily, now wide awake. My mind immediately kicked into high gear, thinking of all the things that could be wrong.


    It''s probably nothing, I told myself.


    I tried to go back to sleep, but nearly an hour passed and Adam still had not returned.


    I sat up and looked at the clock.


    Where could he be at 2 o''clock in the morning?


    I got out of the bed and peeked my head outside the bedroom door.


    The hallway was empty, except for two men standing guard at Ma''s door.


    I closed the door and thought.


    What if something is wrong?


    I knew I would never go back to sleep if I continued to worry about it.


    I put on a pair of Adam''s sweatpants and one of his sweatshirts.


    He won''t mind, I thought as I slid them on.


    I left the bedroom, nodding to the guards as I passed them. Neither of them acknowledged me.


    The castle was frightfully dark and quiet at night.


    Where moonlight found it''s way in through windows, it cast odd shadows against the walls.


    I descended the stairs slowly.


    Once I made my way down the main hallway, I turned down another. As I rounded the corner, I ran into a hard chest and screamed.


    A hand mped down over my mouth.


    "What is your issue?"


    It was Jace.


    He took his hand away and I sighed in relief. "You scared me."


    "Clearly. What are you doing up?"


    "Midnight snack..."


    It sounded like more of a question, but it was all I could think of in the moment.


    The look on Jace''s face was unreadable.


    "Kitchen is that way."


    He pointed behind me and Iughed nervously.


    "Right."


    "I''ll help you get there," he said putting his hand on my shoulder and guiding me in that direction. "Wouldn''t want you getting lost in this ce, it would take us days to find you." I sighed and allowed him to guide me back to the kitchen.


    He turned on the dim lights as we arrived in the veryrge room.


    I awkwardly walked over to the pantry and, overwhelmed by all the choices, pulled out a pack of crackers.


    Why don''t you just tell him you wanted to find Adam?


    I looked over to see Jace staring at me, arms crossed, as he leaned against the marble countertop.


    I decided not to tell him. He would think I was being nosy.


    You are being nosy, I reminded myself.


    I stood there awkwardly, nibbling on the cracker.


    "So... what are you doing up?" I asked him.


    "Work," he answered shortly.


    "You don''t sleep?" I asked him.


    "Sometimes," he said, fighting a yawn. "We don''t all get to take two-hour naps during the day."


    He added a wink and Iughed, blushing.


    "It was a little boring here before I started nning the Centennial."


    "You''re wee for that," he said.


    "That was your idea?"


    He nodded. "Adam''s got a lot on his te and you didn''t have enough." "Thanks," I said, hopping up on the countertop, eating another cracker. "What do you think so far?" He asked me.


    "Of the Centennial?"


    "Adam."


    I nodded, pulling another cracker from the wrapping.


    "He''s a good guy."


    Jace''s eyebrow cocked.


    ""Good guy"?"


    I shrugged. "I don''t really know him all that well."


    Jace uncrossed his arms and walked over to stand next to me, leaning against the counter.


    "He''s a hard man to read and a little rough around the edges, but I think you''ll get along well."


    He stared at the cabs on the other side of the room as he spoke.


    "Do you have a mate?" I asked him.


    He shook his head and turned to look at me.


    "No."


    I tried to reassure him. "You''ll find her."


    His jaw clenched and he nodded.


    "Here''s hoping."


    His blue eyes filled with an emotion I couldn''t decipher. Was it sadness? Hope? Anger? Jealousy?


    I put my hand on his shoulder and rubbed it reassuringly.


    "Enjoying ourselves?"


    Adam''s voice was much louder than the near-whispers Jace and I had been speaking in.


    It scared me, causing me to drop the crackers in my hand. They fell to the floor and crumbled.


    "What is with you people and scaring the shit out of me?" I asked, jumping down from the counter to clean up the mess.


    "She wanted to take a detour on her way to find you," Jace exined.


    I felt my cheeks heat up.


    He knew what I was doing, of course he knew!


    I swept the crumbs into my palm and dumped them into the garbage.


    I looked up to see the two men staring at each other, Adams'' re a little harsher.


    "Well," Adam said. "She''s found me. I''m sure you''ve got things to be doing."


    Jace nodded and left the kitchen.


    When Adam turned to look at me, I looked down at the floor and continued to sweep up the crumbs.


    "Why are you awake?"


    I shrugged as I stood up.


    "You weren''t in the bed, I just wanted to make sure everything was ok."


    I dumped the remaining crumbs into the trash can and wiped my hands off.


    "Is everything ok?"


    Adam lifted the crystal ss in his hand and took a long drink of the amber-colored liquid.


    "Dandy."


    I swallowed hard, eyeing the liquor.


    "I didn''t know you drank..."


    "I can''t get drunk," he said smiling miserably. "But I can try."


    He took another long gulp, finishing the drink.


    I grimaced. The stench brought back terrible memories.


    Images of my dad running towards me, shoving me to the ground shed in my mind.


    I could taste the blood in my mouth from his punches. I could feel the headaches I woke up with on the mornings after he would go on his drunken rampage.


    I raised a hand to rub away the ghost pain that came over the shoulder he knocked out of socket.


    I gulped as my throat constricted, remembering the time I told Vega the bruises on my neck were hickies, not fingerprints.


    I hated scotch.


    And vodka.


    And tequ.


    And whiskey.


    "What''s wrong?"


    I shook myself out of the trance and nced at a concerned-looking Adam through misty eyes.


    He put the ss on the counter.


    "Evelyn..."


    Adam began to walk towards me.


    "Don''t..."


    I backed away.


    "I''m sorry," he said softly. "I didn''t think about it."


    I swallowed the knot that formed in my throat and left the kitchen quickly.


    He''s not your dad, I tried to remind myself.


    I walked for a few minutes until I was certain Adam wasn''t following me.


    I slid down the wall to sit on the ground in a dark and deserted hallway.


    I put my shaking hands to my mouth, trying to muffle the echoing sounds my sobs made.


    My shoulders shook violently as I tried to cry quietly.


    I pitied myself.

 Chapter Fifteen - Drunken Demons-2

    One whiff of the smell. One nce at the ss. One memory.


    That was all it took for the utopia I had built toe crumbling down.


    The demon of drunkenness found me in the middle of a frozen nowhere in Canada.


    There was no escaping it.


    I tried to think clearly, to tell myself Adam was not my father.


    He said it himself, he couldn''t get drunk.


    But that didn''t matter.


    All it would take was a few years before it all started. The passive aggressive remarks I would start to receive about my body and intellect would turn into verbal abuse. The verbal abuse would turn into strong grips on my arms and wrists, which would turn into a hand around my neck. That would turn into a p across the face and a punch in the gut.


    All of this would be pushed along by a deep descent into hatred and alcoholism.


    The drinks would be moremon than just midnight trips to the wet bar.


    I knew how it worked and I couldn''t do it again.


    I saw his shadow down the hall and I wiped my eyes quickly with the sleeves on his sweatshirt.


    I sniffed as he sat down against the wall next to me.


    He had showered and changed clothes. The stench of alcohol reced by the smell of minty toothpaste.


    "I''m sorry."


    I didn''t say anything.


    He reached an arm around me and I flinched, causing him to draw his arm back.


    "I didn''t know how to break the news to you," he said.


    I looked at him. "What?"


    He took a deep breath. "We found Warren Chandler."


    I felt the tears return to my eyes.


    "Is he dead?"


    My voice broke.


    Adam shook his head. "No."


    I sighed in relief, the burden lifting off my chest.


    Adam looked at me, eyes full of sadness.


    "What is it then?" I asked him.


    "He doesn''t remember."


    "He doesn''t remember what? Who took him?" I asked.


    "Anything."


    I stared at him. "Anything?"


    Adam shook his head. "He didn''t recognize Vega."


    I gulped.


    "How long have you known?"


    "Sincest night."


    I looked at him to see his face full of guilt.


    "I didn''t know how to tell you. I couldn''t sleep, that''s why I was awake."


    It was silent for a few minutes as I let the news register.


    "Promise me you won''t drink again," I pleaded silently, my voice breaking.


    Adam reached out and grabbed my hand, despite my sharp intake of breath at the contact.


    "I swear."


    Trust him.


    I sighed and gripped his hand tighter.


    I looked down at his fingers entangling mine. His hand was so much bigger than my own, nearly swallowing it in his grip.


    "Back to bed?" He asked.


    I shook my head.


    There''s no way I''ll be able to sleep now.


    "When will Vega get here?"


    "They''re on their way."


    I let go of his hand and stood up.


    "I need to get things ready for them."


    Adam stood up.


    "I can have someone do that for you."


    "No, I can do it," I insisted.


    I walked around him, but he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back in.


    One arm wrapped tightly around my waist as the other gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.


    I stared at him wide-eyed as his nose touched mine.


    "I''m not your father," he said firmly. "I will never touch you in any way that is not for your pleasure or protection."


    My cheeks burned a bright red at his brazenness.


    "I don''t know what that man did to you," he said. "But when I find him, and I will find him, he will regret the day he decided you were worth less than all the love in this world."


    I closed my eyes, speechless as he leaned in and kissed the tears on my cheeks. When his lips finally met mine, I melted into the kiss and clung to him as if he were oxygen and I had been holding my breath. He pulled away and grasped my chin gently.


    "I promise you."


    I spent the morning preparing the Chandlers'' rooms.


    They were going to stay a floor below Adam''s bedroom. The hospital ward was on that floor. I figured Mrs. Chandler would want to be as close to Mr. Chandler as she could.


    Vega would have a room to herself, as would her mother. Ethan and Brennan would share a room.


    I put clean towels in their bathrooms and fresh sheets on their beds. I made sure there was soap in the showers and the drawers were cleared out for their clothes.


    When I finished, I went back up to Adam''s room to change into clean clothes.


    I took a shower and made the bed.


    After I finished putting the pillows on the bed, Iid down for a moment.


    I couldn''t imagine what was going to happen when the Chandlers arrived.


    Is Vega still mad at me? Will her mom be mad at me? How long will they be here? Will Adam be able to help Mr. Chandler?


    I was almost asleep when I heard a knock on the door.


    I got out of the bed and opened the door.


    Liu stood in front of me. "I heard what happened. I''m so sorry."


    I smiled grimly. "It''ll be okay."


    "If you need anything, let me know. I can take over nning while you''re upied if you need me to."


    I swallowed hard.


    I forgot about the Centennial.


    "You don''t mind?"


    She shook her head. "Absolutely not."


    I opened the door and allowed her toe inside the room.


    I walked over to the couch and grabbed the flower catalog.


    "I want to do a collection of yellow roses and baby''s breath in the ballroom on the night of the Arrival G. I also want blue hydrangeas in the table vases. Do you think you could order the flowers for me?" She nodded, taking the catalog from me.


    "I''ll run everything by you," she promised. "I''ll try to put together a menu for the rest of the Centennial after I order the flowers. Just make sure you take a look at it by the end of the week."


    I hugged her. "Thank you."


    She stiffly returned the hug.


    "No problem. This will keep me from having to serve tea to the Countess all week."


    Iughed. "I don''t envy that job."


    Adam cleared his throat from the doorway.


    Liu bowed her head and left the room.


    "They''re here," he said once she had left.


    I took a deep breath.


    Adam reached out and stroked my cheek with his thumb.


    I swallowed hard and closed my eyes.


    "He''ll be ok," Adam assured me.


    I opened my eyes. "I hope so."


    We left the room and I followed Adam downstairs and through the ballroom. We walked out into the foyer where Bartleby stood taking their jackets.


    I stopped walking and took a deep breath.


    Vega saw me and stared at Adam and I, expressionless.


    Mrs. Chandler saw me and gasped. Running up to me, she hugged me tight. Ethan and Brennan did the same.


    "We missed you, honey," she said, crying.


    "I missed you too."


    She let go of me and bowed her head to Adam.


    "Thank you for opening your home to us and letting us stay here. I can''t thank you enough."


    Adam smiled politely.


    "It''s my pleasure."


    I looked over to see a man in scrubs pushing Mr. Chandler in a wheelchair.


    Mr. Chandler looked far away. His eyes were zed over.


    I walked over to him and the nurse bowed his head at me.


    "Mr. Chandler?" I said, touching his hand gently.


    "He''s in a vegetative state, Your Highness," the nurse informed me. "He''s unresponsive for now."


    I swallowed hard as Adam came up behind me and put his hand against the small of my back.


    "Please take Mr. Chandler to the hospital ward," Adam instructed the nurse. "Mr. Smith will show you the way." Bartleby smiled warmly and began to lead him down the foyer.


    I stared at Mr. Chandler as he was wheeled away and then turned to Adam who was gazing at me sympathetically.


    "He''ll be alright," he assured me.


    I took a deep breath.


    I hope so.

 Chapter Sixteen - Possession-1

    Unknown P.O.V.


    "Do you realize what you''ve done?!"


    She sighed, unamused at his outburst.


    "Rx. I''ve wiped his mind."


    His face was red with rage.


    "And if he wakes up and remembers? What will you do then? It will destroy all her trust!"


    She scoffed.


    "Her idiot father destroyed her ability to trust. We just have to work before she can find out what we''re up to." He was trying not to strangle her.


    "Do you know how far I''ve traveled? How long I''ve waited? If you''ve screwed this up, you will pay for it." She gulped at the threat.


    "We''ll make our move during the Centennial. Can you manage not to screw anything up until then?" He asked.


    She nodded and he sighed.


    "One more week. Then, the throne will be ours."


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    "This is where you''ll be staying."


    I opened the bedroom door for Mrs. Chandler and showed her the room.


    "Vega and the boys'' rooms are just across the hall there," I said, pointing that way.


    She gave me a tight lipped smile and hugged me.


    "Thank you for everything."


    My heart broke watching her move about with such frailty. She was a strong woman and bold, too. I had never seen her act so quietly. I couldn''t imagine the toll this had to be taking.


    "You''re only a five minute walk from your husband''s room, Mrs. Chandler. He''ll have around-the-clock care provided by my staff and you''re wee to visit whenever and however long you''d like," Adam added. "Thank you," she said.


    Her bags were brought in by a couple of men who had followed us from the foyer and she stared at them with heavy eyelids.


    "I''m sure you''re tired from the flight, so we''ll let you get some rest. There''s a guard down the hall, let him know when you''re hungry or if you need anything and he will make sure you''re taken care of," I said softly. "Make yourself at home," Adam said, giving her a warm smile.


    I nodded in agreement.


    It was hard leaving her room. I wanted to stay and hug her and tell her everything was going to be alright. I wanted tofort her. I wanted to fix Mr. Chandler and restore his mind. But I couldn''t.


    Adam ushered me out and closed the door behind us.


    I could hear the boys shouting in amazement in their room. They were excited to be in a new ce and couldn''t contain themselves, not at all worried about their father. I envied their naivety and optimism. I crossed the hall to see Vega watching the men bring her bags in.


    "Do you like the room?" I asked her.


    She looked around the room and nodded slowly. "It''s nice."


    I stepped through the doorway into the room as Adam excused himself and left.


    "Does he follow you everywhere?" Vega asked.


    "If I''m not following him," I joked.


    She stared at me straight-faced.


    So it wasn''t that funny.


    "I''m sorry."


    "For what?" Vega asked.


    "For your father. For not being there for you," I said.


    She shrugged her shoulders.


    "You''re here now, aren''t you?"


    "You don''t seem happy to be here," I noticed.


    Vega scoffed. "Would you be?"


    "I suppose not," I said, shaking my head.


    I stood there awkwardly, sensing her moodiness.


    "Well, there''s a guard down the hall who is there if you need anything. Adam and I are getting dinner at 6, if you''d like to join us. I''ll definitely check in on you-"


    "-don''t bother," She interrupted. "Don''t act like you want me here, or that you care. If you cared, you would havee to us. But you didn''t. You stayed here in your castle and summoned us to you. Thanks for the invite, but I''ll have my dinner in here."


    I took a deep breath.


    Hurt people hurt people, I thought, reminding myself of Adam''s words.


    "Make yourself at home," I said, leaving the room.


    I shut the door behind me and walked down the hallway.


    Liu met me as soon as I reached the end of it. "I''m sorry for bothering you," she said.


    I shook my head. "You''re no bother. I wee any distraction at this point."


    She sighed in relief.


    "It''s just... there''s a few ideas I have for the Centennial."


    "Let''s hear them," I said.


    "Well, I was thinking we could do the Arrival G in the ballroom, instead of the courtyard. It''s freezing outside and it would be easier to just have it indoors."


    I nodded. "Smart. The weather didn''t even ur to me."


    "Okay," she said marking something on her list. "Second, I wanted to know where you nned on housing the other Alpha Superiors..."


    I thought. "Let''s put them on the fourth floor in the empty suites there."


    Liu nodded and wrote something down.


    "That''s all I''ve got for now," she said.


    "Thank you," I said, "for helping me."


    She smiled. "Anytime. I think right now you need to rest though. You look exhausted."


    I sighed. "It was a long night."


    "Not the good kind, I''m assuming?" Sheughed.


    I smiled and shook my head. "No."


    "Get some rest."


    Liu left me standing there and I yawned.


    A nap sounds great right now.


    I slowly made my way back up to Adam''s room. Once there, I changed back into his sweats and curled up on the bed.


    I just need an hour, then I''ll check on Vega and Mrs. Chandler.


    My eyes closed without any protest.


    I stood in front of my burning house.


    I couldn''t move, only watch as the mes climbed higher into the night sky.


    The red tulips nted next to the front door seemed to glow like the mes that broke through the windows.


    The smoke was suffocating and my eyes burned from the heat.


    "Evelyn!"


    My mother''s screams echoed in my ears.


    I tried to yell, to tell her I was there. My voice wasn''t working.


    "Evelyn! Help me!"


    Her screams got louder and more frantic. I started to panic. I couldn''t move. I couldn''t yell. I could only stand there, watching the house burn down in mes and listening to my mother''s screams. "Evelyn!"


    Her voice got louder, closer.


    "Evelyn!"


    I shot up from the bed to see Adam standing next to the bed, his hand on my shoulder.


    "Are you ok?"


    I was hyperventting.


    "My mom," I whispered, shaking my head.


    He sat down on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around me.

 Chapter Sixteen - Possession-2

    "We''ll find her."


    I sighed and leaned my head against his solid chest.


    "And you''re sure she wasn''t in the fire?"


    I held my breath as I waited for his answer.


    "She wasn''t," he assured me. "They never found any remains."


    I sighed.


    "And the arson report?" I asked.


    "Came back positive."


    I shook my head as I sat up straight and pulled away from Adam.


    "I don''t know who would want to set our house on fire. We didn''t associate with anyone other than the Chandlers."


    Heid his hand over mine. "There isn''t anything good you can do worrying about it. We''ll find her and the answers wille out eventually."


    I gave him a grim smile.


    "For now," he continued, "I had dinner brought up for us. I figured we could use a night in."


    I looked over to the cart of steaming food and my stomach growled.


    "I need to shower first," I said. I was sweaty and stiff from the nightmare.


    I took a quick shower, washing my hair and letting the hot water rx my stiff body. I changed into my pajamas and exited the bathroom to see Adam getting out tes. "Feel better?"


    I nodded, sitting down next to him on the couch. He handed me a bowl of steaming soup and a drink.


    "So," he said, "what can I do to get your mind off of things?"


    I shook my head. "I can''t think of much."


    "That''s your problem, love," he said pointedly. "You''re thinking about it. Try thinking about something else. Tell me, where is your favorite ce you''ve ever traveled?"


    I thought about it for a minute. "I''d never gone anywhere outside of the United States before I met you. I''d never even flown in an airne, actually. I think the farthest I had ever been was to Texas." "You don''t enjoy traveling?" He asked.


    "No, I do. Vega and I had nned on going to Hawaii after we graduated from college."


    "Were you looking forward to it?"


    I nodded. "It was the only thing keeping me in school. But, I guess now I have a reason not to be in school anymore."


    Adamughed. "If school is that important to you, I can see what I can do about getting you enrolled online-"


    I stopped him. "No, I don''t think so. I won''t miss it that much."


    Heughed.


    We ate in silence for the next few minutes. Once I finished my soup, I set the empty bowl on the cart and went to sit on the bed. I stared at him as he ced his bowl and cup on the cart as well. "I''m going to shower," he informed me.


    Iid my head down on the pillow as he walked into the bathroom.


    It''s the end of the fifth day, I reminded myself.


    If I was honest with myself, I knew in that moment that it wouldn''t take the entire hundred days to fall for Adam with the pace we were on.


    But it scared me.


    Why was I falling so fast? Was it just because we were mates, or was there a genuine attraction between us?


    As thoughts and feelings flooded my mind, Adam exited the bathroom in a towel and walked over to his wardrobe.


    No, there''s definitely an attraction, I thought as I stared at his broad, muscr back.


    He put on boxer briefs and sweatpants. Fortunately for me and my eyes, his chest stayed bare.


    Adam went back into the bathroom with his towel in hand and came back without it. He came back out andid on the bed next to me. "What are you thinking about?" He asked me. "Be honest..."


    He turned his head to look at me and I was immediately sucked into the stormy blue ocean that was trapped in his eyes.


    I sighed. "I don''t know you."


    Adam smiled. "Of course you do."


    "Only what you want me to," I said as I shook my head.


    "Tell me what you want to know," He said, rolling over to face me.


    I thought about it for a minute.


    "Were you disappointed?"


    He eyebrows knit together. "About what?"


    "Me," I said. "That I was your mate."


    He stared at me for a few moments. "Are you disappointed?"


    "No," I said softly. "But I wasn''t the one who expected a mate."


    He smiled hearing this.


    "After two hundred years, I wasn''t expecting anything. But, to answer your question: no, I wasn''t disappointed. Is this because of Victoria?"


    I shrugged. "I see why she would want you to marry someone who was pure-blooded. I think that''s what you deserve."


    He sat up. "First, I''ve gotten much more than I deserve with you. Second, there are not many of my kind left and I''ve met every pure-blooded woman on this earth. None of them were my mate, so I have no interest in any of them. Don''t let Victoria fool you into thinking that I''m settling with you."


    "Okay," I sighed, even though I wasn''tpletely convinced. "What do you want to know about me?"


    Adam thought for a moment. "How old were you when you shifted the first time?"


    I looked at him like he had grown three heads.


    "I''ve never shifted."


    "What?" Adam said incredulously. "Are you serious?!"


    Iughed. "I''m dead serious."


    "Why on earth have you never shifted?"


    "Because it hurts," I said, like it was obvious.


    Adam rolled his eyes. "I can''t believe this."


    Iughed. "You''re joking right? When did you shift for the first time?"


    "I was seven," He said.


    "That''s a little young, don''t you think?"


    "I''m an Alpha. We''re supposed to learn to shift early."


    I shrugged. "Well, I''m not an Alpha. I''ve never had a reason to shift."


    Adam was clearly very distraught.


    "What if something happened? You would have no way to defend yourself. You need to learn how to shift and strengthen your wolf. We''re doing that first thing tomorrow."


    "I don''t know how!" I protested.


    "I''ll show you, don''t worry."


    "But it hurts!"


    "So would sex for your first time, but that wasn''t stopping you from trying a few nights ago."


    I blushed and heughed.


    "Changing the subject," I said awkwardly. "Why were you mad at Jacest night?"


    Adam went straight-faced and his jaw clenched.


    "Did something happen?" I asked him.


    "He was just too close forfort," Adam said.


    "What do you mean?"


    "To you, Jace was too close to you," he exined.


    Oh.


    "There''s no need to be jealous," I assured him.


    "I''m not jealous," he said smirking. "Jealous is when you want something someone else has."


    "Then what are you?" I asked.


    "Possessive," he answered. "I want what''s already mine."


    My mouth went dry hearing this.


    Damn, that shouldn''t have been as sexy as it was.


    I finally found my voice.


    "I''m not a possession," I said shakily.


    He smiled. "Not yet. You''lle to be mine the same way I am already yours."


    "You n on doing that in a hundred days?"


    "Darling, I''m banking on it taking less than that."

 Chapter Seventeen - Treading on Thin Ice-1

    "It''s cold outside!"


    "You''re in Canada during the dead of winter, of course it''s cold outside!"


    I huffed and nted my feet firmly into the snow, causing Adam to sigh.


    "You have to learn to shift. It''s a necessity for you at this point," he said firmly, folding his arms across his chest.


    "I don''t want to. It hurts, and I have nothing to change into afterwards."


    Adam held up the long, ck dressing robe in his hands. "That''s why I have this."


    I shook my head.


    I can''t believe this. I should have just lied to him when he asked me about shifting.


    We stood in the tree line on the edge of the forest that was a few hundred feet away from the castle. We were well hidden by the bushy evergreens from anyone who might have been looking on, but that didn''t stop me from being mortified. Shifting for the very first time was an intimate thing, and I wasn''t so sure I wanted to share it with Adam.


    I don''t want to take my clothes off in front of him. I don''t want him to see me in pain.


    Adam stood there, his patience running thin.


    "Listen, I cancelled all my morning meetings toe out here with you. Can you please just shift?" He asked.


    "I didn''t ask you to cancel meetings. I''m not even the one who wanted to be out here. I''m not shifting," I said stubbornly.


    "Would it help if I do it first?" He offered.


    I was curious about what his wolf looked like, but I wouldn''t let my curiosity get the best of me.


    "No."


    Adam growled silently, clearly getting very frustrated with me. When he threw the robe over a branch and began to remove his clothes, I panicked. "What are you doing?"


    He unbuckled his belt and undid the zipper on his pants before pulling them down.


    "Someone is going to see you!" I warned.


    "So?" He asked, taking his shirt off.


    "So?" I repeated incredulously. "You''re stripping naked in two feet of snow in front of a castle full of people and that''s all you''ve got to say?"


    He smirked. "You''re the only person I care about seeing me naked."


    "Oh my God," I mumbled.


    He pulled down his boxer briefs and I grimaced, looking up at the tree tops. I knew once I saw himpletely naked, I wouldn''t be able to un-see it. "Look at me," he said..


    I shook my head and heughed.


    "You suffer from serious second-hand embarrassment," he noted.


    "It''s not second-hand embarrassment if you''re not embarrassed," I countered.


    "Look at me," he repeated.


    When I didn''t move, he made his way over to me and gently grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze.


    "You need to see it."


    My eyes got wide. "Need to see what?"


    Adamughed. "Me, as I shift."


    My cheeks were burning. I tried to shove him away, but he caught my wrists and pushed me against the tree behind me. My breath hitched in my throat.


    "I''m not watching you," I whispered.


    He smirked, his face close to mine.


    "I''m not shy."


    "Clearly."


    He leaned in to kiss me.


    "Adam! Is that you?"


    I gasped and threw my hand over my mouth hearing Adam''s father.


    Adam rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed his boxer briefs from the ground and put them on. "What do you want, Dad?"


    Ma walked into the forest where we were. "Oh, it is you! Am I interrupting something?" He asked, eyeing Adam and I. "Actually-"


    "-No, you''re not," I interrupted.


    "Actually," Adam reiterated, shooting me a re, "I was just trying to convince Evie to shift for the first time."


    Adam''s father scowled at this. "And I suppose you thought standing stark naked in front of her would help her to concentrate? Put some clothes on, boy!"


    I tried not tough as Adam red at him and began to put on his shirt.


    "Follow me, dear," Ma instructed me, pulling the robe down from the tree branch. He took me by the hand and led me deeper into the forest.


    Adam followed behind us as he finished putting his pants and shoes on.


    "She doesn''t need you to touch her for her to follow you," Adam said, pulling Ma''s hand away from mine.


    "You need to be quiet if you''reing along," Ma warned him. However, he respected Adam''s wishes and ced his hands at his side as we walked deeper into the forest. We walked in silence for a few minutes.


    Where is he taking me?


    We came to a small clearing where a shallow pond was frozen over.


    "Here is good," Ma decided.


    "What are we doing?" I asked him.


    "We are doing nothing," he said, pointing to himself and Adam. "You, my dear, are going to go out and sit on the ice."


    "You''re joking..."


    He shook his head. "Go on."


    "Why can''t I just sit here?" I asked him.


    "The ice will cause you to think about your movements and to be more aware of yourself, now go."


    I looked at Adam for help but he just winked at me.


    So doing your crazy father''s bidding is punishment for not shifting?


    I huffed and cautiously put my foot on the ice. It seemed sturdy, but I still felt uneasy. I turned around and Ma put his hands up to stop me from saying anything else. Sighing, I put my feet on the ice, careful not to make any sudden movements.


    I''m going to bust my ass out here.


    I slowly shuffled my feet to the center of the pond.


    "Is here alright?" I asked.


    "Perfect," Ma said. "Now sit."


    I rolled my eyes.


    He really is insane.


    I sat down slowly, putting my feet out in front of me. "Now what?"


    "Breathe deeply," he said.


    I scoffed.


    "This is not Kung Fu Panda and I am not the Dragon Warrior," I reminded him.


    By the confused look on his face, I gathered he didn''t get the reference.


    "Go on," he prodded me. "Close your eyes, breathe deeply."


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.


    This is ridiculous.


    "Again," Mae instructed.


    I took another deep breath.


    "Do you feel it?" He asked.


    "The only thing I feel is the ice melting through my pants."


    I heard Adam chuckle and Ma gave a disgruntled sigh.


    "You''re supposed to feel her," he said. "Feel your inner wolf." Her?


    I shook my head. "I''m not feeling anyone."


    "It''s because you''re not taking this seriously," Ma said pointedly.


    I opened my eyes.


    "The only thing I can focus on right now is the fact that I can''t feel my nose or my fingers."


    He shook his head. "We''ll try again tomorrow."


    I sighed and stood up, carefully making my way back over to them. When I was a few feet away from solid ground, my left foot slipped and I fell back against the ice. Ouch.


    "You alright, love?" Adam asked, striding out towards me.


    "Don''t touch me," I said as he reached out to pick me up. "I can get up myself."

 Chapter Seventeen - Treading on Thin Ice-2

    I went to stand up and my right leg slid out from under me, causing me to fall back to the ground. At that point, my pride hurt more than I did. But, when I heard the ice crack, I panicked.


    "Adam!"


    I had barely screamed before the ice gave way and the bottom half of my body went under the freezing water.


    Quickly, Adam grabbed my arms and lifted me out.


    My bottom half was soaked to the skin and I freezing.


    "Cover her."


    Ma handed Adam the robe.


    Adam wrapped it around my legs as my teeth chattered. He lifted me into his arms and carried me back through the forest, Ma hot on our trail.


    We reached the castle and Adam carried me swiftly up the several flights of stairs to his bedroom.


    I can''t carry myself up these stairs and he''s not even breaking a sweat.


    "Hope you feel better, darling! Don''t catch a sniffle if you can help it!" Ma yelled as Adam shut the door.


    I was shaking as he carried me into the bathroom and sat me on the ledge of the tub.


    Adam took off my jacket and began to unbutton my pants.


    "I can do it myself," I said shakily, pushing him away.


    He watched as my shaking hands struggled to get a grip on the button before he pushed them away and unbuttoned them himself.


    I began to protest and he silenced me.


    "I''ll leave your underwear on, rx."


    I gulped as he pulled my pants off and began to run water. Adam sat me down into the tub and began to pour water on my legs. I winced.


    "That water is cold!"


    "Hot water will sting, give yourself time to adjust," he exined.


    I sighed.


    "Why did you let him do that?"


    He smiled. "It was humorous until thest fifteen seconds."


    I sshed him gently, earning a wink.


    Eventually, he put the stopper in the drain and began to fill the tub with hot water. I had goosebumps coating my body, but I wasn''t sure if it was because I was cold or because Adam had begun to massage my feet and calves. Good thing I shaved yesterday, I thought.


    "Is the water too warm?" He asked me.


    I shook my head. "It feels nice."


    "Yeah," he agreed.


    "Don''t take my word for it, though. Get in and see for yourself."


    Did that juste out of my mouth? Did I really just say that?


    "Tempting," Adam said.


    Please say no... that wasn''t supposed toe out of my mouth!


    I stared in horror and admiration as he lifted his shirt over his head and began to undress.


    What have you done?!


    I scooted backwards in the spacious tub to give him room to get in. The water sloshed gently as he stepped into the tub and sat down.


    I pulled my knees up to my chest, but Adam reached out and grabbed my ankles and pulled my feet out to rest in hisp. He began to gently massage them. "What''s wrong?" He asked.


    "Nothing," I said, my eyes wandering around the room, unable to meet his.


    "You''re trembling."


    "I am not."


    Adam smiled.


    "Do I still make you nervous?"


    I swallowed hard and he took my hesitation to answer as a silent yes.


    "You want to know something?" He asked me.


    "Sure."


    "I''ve imagined myself in this bath with you so many times... Although, I think it''s important to mention there weren''t clothes involved in my version." You''re not helping with my trembling, dude.


    "Want to know something else?" He asked me.


    I looked at him and his eyes shown with a mischievous yfulness I hadn''t seen before.


    "I think you''re scared of letting me see you naked."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "I''m not."


    He smiled. "You are."


    "I''ve known you for two weeks," I reminded him. "I''ve had boyfriends much longer than that who never saw me naked."


    "I''m not your boyfriend, though. I''m the man you''ll spend the rest of your life with. The man whose mark you carry, whose children you''ll have. The man who you''ll sleep next to for the next hundred years." He has a point.


    "So what?" I asked. "I''m supposed to just automatically befortable around you? You still have nearly ny days left."


    "Fuck the ny days," he said, grabbing my leg and pulling me towards him. "You wouldn''t leave me right now if you had the choice."


    "You don''t know that-"


    "I do, though. You couldn''t even let me leave my own bedroom and walk around my own castle without following me. You wouldn''t travel thousands of miles away and stay there."


    My breath hitched in my throat as he pulled me closer, my hand on his chest and nose brushing against his.


    God, he''s right.


    My hand went to the back of his neck and I pulled him into a kiss.


    Immediately my lips parted and the taste of his mouth collided with mine.


    His hands reached around me and pulled my shirt over my head. The kiss was broken momentarily as he pulled the shirt off and threw it on the floor.


    Adam groaned into the kiss as my fingers entangled themselves in his dark curls.


    Not breaking the kiss, he stood up and lifted me out of the bathtub, his arms going around my waist and my legs around his torso.


    Exiting the bathroom, he pulled away from the kiss andid me down on the bed, not caring that it became wet.


    Adam crawled over top of me and kissed me again. I felt his hands go under my back, lifting me slightly as he unsped my bra.


    He threw it on the ground and kissed me deeper. I was very aware, however, that his wandering hands were sliding down my waist.


    I nearly gasped when a knock at the door shattered the intimate moment.


    "Ignore it," he said mumbling against my lips.


    Another knock.


    "Evie? It''s Vega... I wanted to apologize, can Ie in?"


    Adam growled slightly when I pressed my hands against his naked chest and pushed him away.


    "Sorry," I whispered.


    I got up and quickly covered myself with a t-shirt of his from the wardrobe. I went to the door as Adam went into the bathroom, angry at the intrusion.


    I opened the bedroom door slightly to see Vega standing there. She gave me an anxious smile.


    "Can Ie in?" She asked.


    "Um, now isn''t a good time. Can I talk to youter?" I asked her.


    "Oh," she said, defeated. "Well, um, I thought you should know that my dad started talking again this morning. He was asking for you."


    Oh.


    "Give me just a second to change," I said.


    I closed the door.


    Picking my bra off the ground, I took off the t-shirt and sped it back on. I changed quickly into my clothes.


    I felt bad for leaving Adam, but he could wait. Mr. Chandler could not.


    I met Vega back out into the hallway where she was waiting for me.


    She led me down to the hospital ward where the air smelled of sanitizer.


    "Here we are," she said, leading me into a room.


    Her father sat awake in a hospital bed, Mrs. Chandler by his side.


    "How are you?" I asked him, smiling.


    He nodded and returned the smile.


    "Remembering anything?" I asked.


    His smile faded.


    "Blood. That''s all I remember."

 Chapter Eighteen - Promises-1

    "Aren''t you hungry?"


    Xavier sat across the dinner table from Vega and I, watching her stare at her food.


    "It''s delicious," she said, pushing a pea across the te with her fork. "I just don''t have an appetite."


    I, on the other hand, was starving. I had finished the honey-zed roasted chicken in no time but was still working on the peas and the corn.


    "Do you want this?" Vega asked, handing me her bread roll.


    I nodded and took it out of her hands.


    "Does Adam not feed you?" Xavier asked in amusement.


    "I didn''t eat breakfast," I exined, eating a spoonful of peas.


    Vegaughed. "I''ve never seen you devour peas like that."


    I said nothing as I tore off a piece of bread from the roll.


    Vega was trying to get on my good side, despite having neglected to apologize. It frustrated me that I could empathize with her, however. I understood the stress she was probably under after her father was kidnapped and I could see where that would cause her to potentiallysh out.


    Despite this, her irrational words against my rtionship with my father and my rtionship with Adam still cut deep.


    I could understand that she was hurting, but she didn''t have to take it out on me. It wasn''t my fault, no matter what she believed.


    "Ady would never stuff her face," Victoria said, taking a rabbit''s bite of her chicken.


    "Who invited you to lunch?" Vega asked her. Vega''s attitude wouldn''t earn her many fans in this castle.


    Victoria looked aghast to be spoken to like that.


    "I almost you asked the same thing," Victoria sneered.


    Vega rolled her eyes.


    "Cat fight," Tyler whispered under his breath.


    He sat in the chair next to me, which was the only reason Vega didn''t try to strangle him.


    "Who is that?" She asked me.


    "His name is Tyler. He''s here to help us n the Centennial, even though he hasn''t been much help," I exined. "I''m sitting right here," he reminded me.


    "What is a ''Centennial''?" Vega asked.


    "It''s a party without balloons," Tyler mumbled. I shot him a re.


    "It''s a week-long event where all the Alpha Superiors gather together for meetings and gs," I exined.


    "When is it?" She asked.


    "Next week."


    I sighed thinking of all the nning I still had to do. I still had to approve the menus for the week, go over living arrangements, pick out a song list for the gs, and so much more. "I need to find Liu," I said, thinking out loud.


    "Can I help?" Vega asked. "I''ve got nothing else to do."


    I nodded, finishing the food on my te.


    I looked up and caught Xavier''s eye.


    "Can I speak to you for a moment?" He asked me, standing from his seat.


    I nodded and stood up, following him to the corner of the dining room.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "I saw Adam in the hall earlier," he said. "He looked angry, but he wouldn''t tell me what about. Is something going on?"


    I shook my head.


    "I''m not sure what he''s angry about. I can ask him?"


    He sighed in relief.


    "I would appreciate that."


    I found Liu and sent Vega and Tyler off with her to help with the nning.


    After that, I walked to Adam''s office to see why Xavier had thought he was angry.


    The guards let me pass through his office doors and I walked down the hallway to where he was at his desk.


    "Hi."


    Adam looked up and saw me standing there before looking back down at the papers in his hands. "Hello."


    "What are you doing?" I asked him, walking over to his desk.


    "Looking over some points from my defense council meeting."


    Sounds boring.


    "Sounds interesting."


    "Is something wrong?" He asked, looking up from the paper.


    I shook my head and he sighed.


    "Evelyn, I''m very busy. If nothing''s the matter, I''d like to get back to work."


    Touchy.


    "Is everything okay?"


    He didn''t say anything, just looked back down at the paper in his hands.


    I stood there, waiting for an answer.


    Adam huffed.


    "Everything is fine. How is Vega?"


    Oh...


    "Is that what''s wrong?" I asked. "You''re mad at me for not ignoring her earlier?"


    "I''m not mad at you," he said, still not looking up.


    "But you''re mad, nheless."


    He put the paper down on his desk and stood up.


    "Every time I get close to you, you hop at the first opportunity to get away. You couldn''t get off the bed quick enough when you heard her knocking."


    Iughed nervously.


    "What?" He asked me.


    I sighed and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.


    "When I was fourteen, Mrs. Chandler made Vega and I promise that we wouldn''t have sex until we each got married."


    Adam cringed.


    "That''s the most absurd thing I''ve ever heard before in my life."


    I shrugged. "You can think that, but it''s the reason I was a virgin when I met you."


    He came around his desk and leaned back against the front of it.


    "Why on earth would she ask that of you?"


    "Things are different here than they are back home," I exined. "Here, everyone has a mate. At home, you''re picking guys and just hoping they''re the right one. I think Mrs. Chandler just wanted to make sure Vega and I were with the right guy for the right reasons. She had no way of knowing I would have a mate."


    Adam sighed. "Is there anyway you could convince her to let you out of it?"


    I scowled. "Maybe, but are we not going to get married?"


    Adam shrugged.


    "I mean, I guess we could. Do you want to?"


    I nodded. "I''ve had my wedding dress picked out since I was sixteen."


    Adamughed and shook his head.


    "Fine."


    My eyes lit up.

 Chapter Eighteen - Promises-2

    "Really?!"


    "I can''t believe I''m agreeing to this."


    I jumped out of the chair and hugged him.


    "Do we still have to wait?" He asked me.


    "We''ve waited this long. How hard can it be to wait a little longer?"


    Really hard.


    It was like my mind knew I had decided to keep my promise to Mrs. Chandler and wait.


    As soon as I opened the door to the bedroom that night after helping Liu put the final touches on the Centennial, I saw Adam walk out of the bathroom in a towel. Sweet mother of Moses, those abs.


    I got flustered quickly as he noticed me staring and winked.


    "How is the nninging along?" He asked me as I shut the bedroom door.


    I just nodded, my voice caught in my throat.


    "Everything alright, love?"


    "I''m-I''m fine," I assured him.


    I walked past him quickly and into the bathroom, closing the door.


    God, it would be so much easier if he wasn''t hot!


    I undressed and got into the shower. I washed my hair quickly and took some time just to stand under the hot water.


    Maybe it wouldn''t be wrong if I didn''t wait, I thought. It isn''t like Adam''s not the right guy, he''s my mate for crying out loud.


    But what if the hundred days doesn''t work out? What if something happens? I would still be breaking a promise...


    I sighed, turning off the water and grabbed my towel. Drying off, I walked out into the bedroom to grab my pajamas.


    I wrapped the towel around myself and opened the wardrobe, all the while trying to ignore Adam sitting on the couch reading a book in his boxer briefs.


    As I grabbed a t-shirt and opened my underwear drawer, I felt his presence behind me.


    "These are nice," he said, pulling a pair of pink,ce panties out and holding them up with the crook of his index finger.


    I blushed and yanked them from his hand, closing the drawer.


    "Do I get to see them on you?" He asked with a smirk.


    "Unless you have x-ray vison and can see through the t-shirt," I said, holding it up as I made my way back into the bathroom.


    I changed and hung the towel to dry before walking back out.


    Adam was seemingly waiting for me, leaning against the bedpost and watching me as I exited the bathroom.


    "Can I help you?"


    "I could think of a few ways you could."


    I rolled my eyes. "You have a very dirty mind."


    "Sure I do, and right now, you''re running through it... naked."


    His eyes drifted up and down my body as he bit his bottom lip.


    "You''re not making this any easier on yourself," I reminded him, walking around the bed.


    Adam groaned and threw his head back.


    "Remind me again why I agreed to this?"


    "Because I made a promise."


    He shook his head, following me around the bed. He picked me up and sat me on the mattress.


    "Give me ten minutes," he pleaded. "You don''t have to do a thing, just let me touch you."


    I put my hands on his chest.


    "As much as I want to say yes..."


    He groaned.


    "...that sounds like a husband privilege," I finished.


    Adam was clearly angry as he backed away. "I need to go for a run."


    "It''s freezing and dark outside."


    "I''ve got fur, Mother."


    Wait, fur?


    "You''re shifting?" I asked him.


    He nodded, walking around the bed.


    "Can Ie?"


    Adam stopped.


    "That''s probably not the best idea."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why?"


    "I''m notpletely trusting of my self-control when I shift," he smiled, menace dancing in his eyes. My breath hitched in my throat. "Besides," he continued. "You''ve never shifted yourself. You wouldn''t be able to keep up."


    He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and his pillows.


    "I thought you were going for a run?"


    "I am," he assured me. "I''m just noting back for a while. I''ll sleep in one of the guest rooms down the hall tonight so I don''t wake you." My eyebrows furrowed as he left the room.


    I tossed and turned that night.


    I couldn''t fall asleep if it would have saved my life.


    If only Adam were here...


    I shook my head and turned over.


    You don''t need him to fall asleep, silly girl. You did it just fine without him for the past twenty years.


    I sighed.


    I knew he was mad at me for waiting until that day to bring up my promise to Mrs. Chandler.


    I should have never let things get as far as they did. It would have been better if I had just mentioned it to him from the beginning.


    Nheless, I hadid awake and seriously considered what would happen if I forgot about the promise like I almost had the day before.


    I knew, at the end of the day, it didn''t matter. I had met the man I was going to be with for the rest of my life, there were no questions about that. I didn''t have to worry about him hurting me or leaving me. But there was a knot in my throat at the thought of breaking a promise.


    You were fourteen, you didn''t know what you were doing when you made that promise!


    But it was still a promise, one that I had kept for six years.


    I shook the thought from my head and rolled over, facing an empty left side of the bed.


    I groaned and got out of the bed.


    I walked out of the bedroom to see the guards still standing by Ma''s door.


    Immediately I felt my cheeks heat up, remembering I was in a t-shirt and not much else.


    I hurried down the hall and tried to pick between the two doors which I thought Adam would be sleeping behind.


    It''s one of these... they''re the only other guest bedrooms on this hall except for Ma''s.


    I picked one and opened the door slowly.


    I sighed in relief when I saw him. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed heavily and the prominent muscles in his back weren''t covered by the sheets.


    I stepped into the room slowly but froze seeing the sheets next to him move.


    My heart sunk as I watched her roll over and cuddle up next to him.


    Moonlight that poured into the room through the window illuminated her ck, curly hair.


    Vega?

 Chapter Nineteen - In My Blood-1

    I gasped.


    The sound woke Vega, and she sat up and stared at me in horror.


    "Evelyn, it''s not what it looks like..."


    "This can''t be happening," was all I could whisper.


    My chest suddenly felt constricted and I couldn''t breathe properly. Tears filled my eyes and I swallowed the knot in my throat.


    I saw the sheets move as Vega touched him on the arm.


    I hit the light switch, illuminating the room with bright light, which caused Vega to squint.


    "What is going on?"


    I turned to see Adam standing in the doorway.


    Wait, what?


    My head began to spin as I turned back around to see the man in the bed sit up.


    Jace?


    I gasped and threw my hand over my mouth. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as everyone was now fully awake and aware of what was happening. Jace''s eyes widened at the sight of Adam.


    Vega''s cheeks were red with embarrassment.


    Adam and I were both just confused.


    "Why are you in here?" He asked them.


    He turned to me.


    "Why are you in here?"


    I could only stutter as I turned back and forth between Adam, Jace, and Vega.


    Vega was near tears.


    "Evie, I promise I was going to tell you eventually..."


    "Tell me what?!"


    I saw the way Jace looked at her and came to a sudden realization.


    "Are you mates?"


    Vega''s eyes widened and she shook her head.


    "No, no! We''re just... together?"


    My jaw dropped.


    "Since when?!"


    Before she could answer, Adam took me by the arm and pulled me out of the room.


    "We''ll talk about this in the morning," he growled, speaking to Jace.


    I saw a momentary sh of fear in Jace''s eyes before Adam closed the door.


    "Why are you in there? Why are you even awake?"


    I jumped up into his arms and hugged him tight.


    "What''s the matter?" He asked, arms wrapping around me tightly.


    "I didn''t know where you were, I walked in and I thought it was you and then I saw Vega and-"


    "-you assumed the worst," he finished.


    He sighed and held me tighter.


    I wrapped my legs around his torso and clung to him like I was afraid he would leave again. My heart was still beating out of my chest. "Can youe back to your own room?" I whispered.


    "You mean to our room?" He asked, chuckling.


    "Yes."


    "Of course."


    He kissed me on the cheek and carried me down the hall back into his bedroom.


    I blushed seeing the guards watching us.


    I''m sure that was a sight to see.


    Adam growled slightly, ring at them as well.


    Immediately, they averted their gaze.


    He opened the bedroom door and closed it as we passed through it.


    "From now on, if you leave the room, make sure you have clothes on. I think you look sexy as hell in my t-shirt, but so do they," Adam said gruffly.


    I nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck.


    "I don''t care what they think."


    His chest vibrated as heughed.


    "That''s why I have to."


    Heid me down gently on the bed and crawled over me. My legs were still wrapped around his waist as he propped himself up with his elbows. "Did you really think I would have been the one in the bed with her?" He asked me earnestly.


    I sighed, running my hands through his dark curls.


    "I didn''t know what to think," I said honestly. "It all happened so fast and I knew you were mad at me because of the promise-"


    Adam stopped me.


    "I''m not mad at you," he said earnestly. "Annoyed? Maybe. But not mad. If you want to wait until our wedding night, it''s something I will respect."


    Adam rolled off of me andid next to me, pulling me in close.


    "Well, the promise certainly didn''t hold Vega back," I huffed. "Literally."


    Iughed.


    We were quiet for a few minutes, my eyes closing slowly. "Evelyn?"


    "Yes?"


    Adam paused.


    "Vega doesn''t need to be with Jace," he said finally.


    "Why not?"


    "I can''t tell you much, but I will tell you that I don''t trust him," Adam said. "He uses people to get what he wants and, if you care about Vega, you won''t want her to be one of those people." My eyebrows furrowed.


    "What do you mean? If you don''t trust him, why is he your Beta?"


    "I made a few stupid promises a few years ago too," he said. "One of them was to Jace, offering him the Beta position in exchange for his help in gaining territory over Australia." I sighed.


    "I''ll talk to her tomorrow."


    Adam was silent for a few moments.


    "If she needs some convincing, you can tell her he has a mate," he said.


    "He does? Who? He told me he hadn''t found his mate yet..."


    "Liu Wanshan."


    I gasped.


    "What?!"


    "They''re not together anymore. He rejected her," he exined.


    "What? Why?"


    Adam shrugged. "She wasn''t what he was looking for, I guess. He and her father never get along well anyways, so I guess he thought it wasn''t a good decision."


    I let the information set in for a minute.


    "That''s sounds like such a dumb reason to reject someone."


    "I agree," he said. "But there''s nothing anyone can do now, and don''t tell Vega unless she doesn''t listen the first time. I don''t think either Jace or Liu would appreciate anyone else knowing about it." I sighed.


    "Do you think they still love each other?" I asked him.


    "I''m not sure. They weren''t together for very long, so I doubt it."

 Chapter Nineteen - In My Blood-2

    I shook my head.


    "I don''t understand how someone could do that to their mate."


    "I did for a while," Adam said honestly. "But that changed after I met you."


    I was thankful Adam couldn''t see me blush.


    "I thought about rejecting you after you marked me without warning," I said honestly.


    Adam growled and his arm wrapped around me tighter.


    "I''m sorry about that."


    I sighed. "It''s whatever, I guess. It''s already happened and over with."


    It was silent for a few moments before Adam spoke again.


    "How can I make it up to you?"


    My heart started beat faster as I thought of all things he could do.


    Adamughed and ced his hand on my chest, over my racing heart.


    "Does the thought excite you?" He asked, his hot breath fanning against my ear.


    "I want a diamond."


    "What?"


    "A diamond engagement ring," I rified.


    "Wow," he said. "That''s really not where I imagined that going..."


    Iughed.


    "I''m serious."


    He held me tighter and kissed my neck.


    "If that''s what you want, that''s what you''ll get. But, if you can think of anything else, let me know."


    I knew he was smirking.


    "I will, don''t worry."


    Adam and I slept in the next morning, which I didn''t think he could do seeing as he was leading the werewolf poption of three continents.


    When I woke up, my back was pressed against his chest, legs tangled with his. His arm was still around my waist, the other stretched out under my pillow.


    I yawned and sighed contently, having slept the best that night than all the other nights I had been there.


    I sat up slightly and my eye caught a glimpse of the time from the clock next to the bed.


    rmed at the time, I shook Adam slightly.


    "What?" He mumbled, his voice was husky and deep. His eyes remained closed as he pulled me back down toy next to him.


    "No, you need to get up!" I whispered frantically. "It''ste. Don''t you have to work?"


    Adam sighed as he peeked one eye open.


    "It''s Saturday, love," he said.


    "You take the weekends off?"


    He smiled at this. "I''m not a machine."


    "I mean, I know, but-"


    "Shh," Adam said, closing his eyes and pulling me close to him.


    I sighed andid down beside him.


    I felt so stupid as I remembered what I had walked in onst night.


    Vega and Jace?


    I wouldn''t have put that pair together in a million years.


    It also bothered me that she had lost her virginity and didn''t bother telling her best friend. I wondered briefly if Mrs. Chandler knew Vega had broken her promise. Then there was Jace...


    Jace and Liu? That was an even odder pairing than he and Vega. I couldn''t believe he had rejected her. There were so many Lycanthropes out there without a mate that wanted one dearly; and, as it turns out, the Lycanthropes that actually have mates, are rejecting them.


    It seemed selfish to me.


    Was that why Adam didn''t trust him? Because he was selfish? Because he rejected his mate?


    I desperately wanted to know the whole story.


    "What are you thinking about?" Adam asked me.


    "Jace," I answered.


    Adam''s body tensed for a moment.


    "That isn''t really what I wanted to hear, seeing as we''reying in bed together, half-naked."


    Iughed.


    "Well, you asked..."


    I traced his bicep with my index finger, slowly trailing up and down his arm.


    "I can''t believe you thought it was me in that bedst night," he said. "I''m trying not to be offended."


    I shrugged.


    "I didn''t know any better until the lights were on and I saw you behind me. Also, his back muscles look an awful lot like yours in the dark."


    "Now I am offended," Adam said. "My back is much fitter than his."


    I smiled at this.


    "Also," he said, lowering his voice. "You would have known if I had been having sex in the room next door. I''m not as quiet as they were."


    I gasped and pped his arm away.


    "Pervert."


    "Prude," heughed.


    I rolled my eyes and sat up.


    "I''m hungry."


    It was Adam''s turn to roll his eyes.


    "You''re always hungry."


    "No, I''m seriously hungry this time."


    He sighed, sitting up as well. "That''s what you said thest time."


    I went to get out of the bed, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back down onto the mattress.


    "No," he said. "Stay here, I''ll have something brought up."


    He called for breakfast to be sent up. A few minutester, a woman arrived at the door with the cart of food. She blushed furiously and left as quickly as she could when she saw Adam without a shirt.


    He handed me the tray of food and I ced it on the bed. He climbed on the bed next to me and we ate. I had oatmeal and he ate a bacon and cheese omelet.


    "I don''t want to stay in this room," I groaned, finishing my food. "This castle is huge and I feel like I''m always just in this one ce."


    "You don''t want to stay in here? With me?" He asked, looking hurt. "I can keep my shirt off and maybe you could take yours off..."


    Iughed and got off the bed.


    "No, get up! We''re leaving this room and exploring a bit."


    "Exploring?" He asked, cocking his eyebrow.


    I nodded.


    "Well, Dora, call me Diego. Where are we going?"


    Iughed.


    "I thought you said you didn''t watch TV?"


    His cheeks were tinted pink as heughed.


    "I haven''t been living under a rock."


    I changed into clothes and Adam tried his very best to convince me to change my mind.


    "C''mon, it will be fun," I assured him.


    Adam pulled a shirt over his head and followed me out the bedroom door where Vega was sitting against the wall, waiting.


    "Oh," was all Adam said when he saw her.


    She stood up quickly, avoiding Adam''s gaze.


    "I''m sorry," she said to me. "For not telling you about Jace, for all the mean things I said about your dad. It was all wrong of me and I''m very sorry."


    I gulped.


    "It''s fine," I grumbled.

 Chapter Nineteen - In My Blood-3

    "It''s not, actually," Adam said.


    He looked at Vega.


    "I hope you''ve learned that your actions and your words have an effect on more than just yourself. When you''re reckless, you hurt other people. I''ve opened my home and offered my help to you and your family and you''ve repaid me by hurting her, the one person I care about."


    Vega bit the inside of her cheek.


    "She''s very forgiving," he said, gesturing towards me. "But, if this happens again, I won''t be."


    Well shit.


    I was certainly at a loss for words in that moment, but Vega nodded understandingly.


    "I''m so sorry," she said again, looking at me.


    I sighed and opened my arms, embracing her in a hug.


    Vega hugged me tightly and pulled away.


    "I''ve got to get going," she said. "Dad''s getting blood transfusions done today and Mom wants me there."


    Blood transfusions?


    "Why?" I asked her.


    She shrugged. "I don''t know. They hadn''t even found a proper donor yesterday, so I don''t know if they''ll even go through with it." "What blood type are they looking for?" I asked.


    She shrugged.


    "You coulde along and ask?"


    I nodded.


    "Is that okay?" I asked Adam. I didn''t want to cancel ns on him, but I wanted to help Mr. Chandler too.


    "I''lle," Adam said nodding.


    We followed Vega down the hallway and walked a few floors down until we were in the hospital ward.


    The smell of disinfectant was prominent and it made my eyes burn.


    She opened the door to her father''s room and I saw Mrs. Chandler passed out in the chair next to his bed. "Mom," Vega said, waking her up. "Evie wants to know if she could donate some blood for Dad."


    "What type are you, dear?" Mrs. Chandler asked, sitting up straight and rubbing her eyes. "O-negative," I responded.


    She gasped, suddenly very awake.


    "That will work!"


    She was up and out of her seat to fetch the doctor, who came in a few minutester after she returned.


    He was an older man,te sixties, I guessed. But, if he was pure-blooded, he was a lot older than that.


    "Your Highness, I understand you''re interested in donating?" He asked me.


    I nodded, trying not to cringe.


    I still couldn''t get over being called ''Your Highness''.


    I''m not a Disney princess, people.


    "Are you okay with that?" He asked Adam.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "It''s my blood," I reminded him.


    The doctorughed.


    "I''m aware, Your Highness. But, I just wanted to make sure I wasn''t going to get my arm ripped off for sticking you with arge needle." "Adam wouldn''t rip your arm off," I saidughing.


    The look on each of their faces, however, made me think I could have been wrong.


    He wouldn''t do that, would he?


    Adam nodded.


    "It''s fine with me."


    The doctor, satisfied with each of our consent, walked over to the cabs and pulled out a phlebotomy kit.


    "Have you eaten this morning?" He asked me, putting ontex gloves.


    I nodded.


    The doctor walked over and instructed me to sit down on a chair. As I did so, he ced my arm on a table to elevate it and pulled out an alcohol wipe.


    I sucked in a sharp breath at the cold feeling against my skin.


    "What exactly is he getting blood transfusions for?" I asked.


    "His red blood cell count is low and we think that the anemia it''s causing is keeping him from a healthy recovery."


    "Will it help his memory?" I asked.


    "It''ll bring down some of his neuroinmmation, for sure. We''ll have to wait and see what it does for his memory though," he said smiling.


    He pulled out a rubber tourniquet from his kit and tied it around my upper arm.


    "That feel tight enough?" He asked.


    I nodded, watching as he pulled out a blood bag and rubber tubing, attaching the two together.


    I swallowed hard when he pulled out the butterfly needle.


    He must have seen my eyes widen because he chuckled.


    "It will only pinch for a second. Do you want to hold the rubber ball?"


    I nodded and smiled as he handed me the small red ball.


    He attached the needle to the tub and took my arm in his hand.


    I closed my eyes tight as he put the needle to my skin. I winced as I felt the sting.


    "Pain is all gone," he said, taping the tube on my arm.


    I sat there for a few minutes as Mrs. Chandler and I talked for a while about our lives since I had left home. Obviously, I left a few things out for her sake.


    The doctor came back into the room after a while and removed the needle from my arm once the bag was full.


    He put a bandage around it.


    "Get this guy to kiss it," he said as he gestured to Adam, "and it''ll be all better in no time."


    He gave me a yful wink and I smiled as he left the room.


    Adam sat down next to me and rubbed my arm.


    "Feel okay?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    He looked down at the bandage and Iughed.


    "Don''t even think about kissing it."


    Mrs. Chandlerughed before looking over to a sleeping Mr. Chandler.


    "How is he doing?" Adam asked.


    "Okay, I think," she said, sighing. "He''s barely awake."


    "He needs his sleep, Mama," Vega said.


    Mrs. Chandler nodded. "I suppose."


    The doctor came back into the room, a grim expression stered on his face.


    "Is everything alright?" I asked him, suddenly worried.


    "Unfortunately, no," He said. "We''re not going to be able to transfuse your blood."


    "Why? Is something wrong with it?"


    He shook his head.


    "Quite the opposite, really. It''s much too potent for Mr. Chandler."


    "Too potent?" Vega asked. "What does that mean?"


    "Youe from a very strong lineage of Lycanthropes, Your Highness," he said to me. "You have strong, healthy blood, but it''s too strong to be used as a donor for someone like Mr. Chandler. I''m not sure how his body would react to being treated with such potency."


    "You''re mistaken," I said. "My parents are barely Lycanthropes, I''m almost entirely human."


    He shrugged.


    "I''m sorry, Your Highness."


    I slumped down into my seat and looked warily at Mr. Chandler.


    What now?

 Chapter Twenty - Hidden Fantasies-1

    "Ouch!"


    I pulled my finger from underneath the flower backdrop and looked at the puncture the rose''s thorn had left.


    "Be careful," Liu said, tucking a yellow rose into thick bushel of baby''s breath.


    I looked at the blood drawing to the skin.


    "Toote."


    I got down from thedder and looked at the borate arch of flowers over therge doorway.


    "I''m d you talked me into adding in the genesta and the chinamum," Imented, seeing how all the flowers blended nicely together.


    "The yellow roses were a good call too," she said, getting down from the step stool.


    "You sound like a bunch of seventy-year-old women," Tyler said.


    I looked over to see him staring at us.


    "You''re supposed to be dusting."


    He narrowed his eyes at me and began to sweep the feather duster over the gold candbra that sat on the mantel, all the while not breaking eye contact. "Don''t you have maids for this?" He asked me.


    "You haven''t helped do anything else," I said. "You''re earning your room and board by cleaning."


    He rolled his eyes.


    I looked around the ballroom to see the various maids and workers scattered about the room, each of them with the sole mission of getting ready for the Centennial.


    I knew downstairs that there were a handful of chefs who hade in to start meal nning and gathering together ingredients for the G of Arrival banquet.


    I was also aware of an entire floor that was being cleared out for the guests to live in for the week and therge conference room that was being set up to amodate the Alpha Superiors and their Betas during their week-long meetings. "Do you think we''re ready?" Liu asked me.


    I sighed. "I certainly hope so."


    "Your Highness."


    I turned to see three women approaching Liu and I, each of them with a set of chinaware in their hands.


    "We''re finalizing the dinnerware for the week," one of them exined. "Which would you like to use for the banquet?"


    I looked at all the options.


    "I like the French Rococo set," I decided.


    The woman nodded and they turned and walked back across the room.


    "This is so stressful," I said, massaging my temples.


    "It will all be over once everyone starts arriving tomorrow night," Liu said.


    "Am I invited?" Vega asked, standing up from where she sat on the step-stool and walking over to Liu and I.


    I nodded. "Of course."


    "I don''t have anything to wear though," she said.


    I gasped. "Oh no..."


    "What''s wrong?" Liu asked me.


    "I don''t have anything to wear either."


    Her eyes widened.


    "You need a dress."


    I groaned and threw my hands up in exasperation.


    "Could this get any more stressful?!"


    Tyler knocked over a crystal vase from the mantel and it fell to the floor and shattered, despite his fumbled attempts to catch it. "Oops," he mumbled, giving me a nervous smile.


    I sighed.


    "I''ll just forget you asked," Vega said to me, walking over to help him clean it up.


    "You need to go talk to Adam about a dress," Liu said.


    I nodded. "I know."


    "I''ll let Jace know you''reing," she said as she walked away.


    My heart sunk when she mentioned Jace.


    Poor girl.


    I walked over to Tyler and Vega, who were now surrounded by maids that tried to help them clean up the shattered crystal.


    "I''m sorry," he said. "I''m a klutz."


    "It''s ok, it was an ident."


    I bent down and helped pick up the shards of crystal.


    "Evelyn!"


    I stood up and looked over to see who was calling my name.


    What now?


    Ma was standing at the other end of the room, waving at me like he hadn''t just seen me the day before. I inwardly groaned as he started to make his way over to where I stood. "Hello, dear," he said, walking up and giving me a big bear hug.


    "How have you been? Shifted yet?" He asked.


    I shook my head, much to his dismay.


    "Why not? Is Adam still taking his shirt off and distracting you?"


    I blushed.


    "No, that''s not really the reason why..."


    "Oh, well, we shall have to work on that!" He eximed. "What about tomorrow?"


    "The Centennial starts tomorrow," I said. "So I''ll probably be too busy."


    He snapped his fingers in disappointment.


    "Well, I should figure the next day will be just as good."


    I was about to remind him that the Centennial was a week-long event when Liu walked over to Ma and I.


    She bowed her head in Ma''s direction before turning to me.


    "Jace said Adam isn''t busy, so you can go see him in his office now, if you''d like," she said.


    I wanted desperately to ask her if it was still awkward to talk to Jace after he had rejected her. I knew it must have been, but I didn''t know how she would react to me bringing it up. "Off to see Adam?" Ma asked.


    I nodded as I turned to walk away.


    "Tell that son of mine that he needs to keep his clothes on so you can stay focused! You''re too busy to be distracted," Ma shouted at me from across the room.


    I blushed furiously as I looked around the ballroom at all the maids and workers who were trying to act like they didn''t hear what Ma had said.


    Even Vega''s eyes widened slightly, and she was normally not one to suffer from second-hand embarrassment.


    "Did she hear me?" Ma asked Liu.


    "Oh, I think she heard you."


    I left the ballroom as quickly as I could to avoid anymore embarrassingments.


    Making my way down to Adam''s office, I noticed all the people who hade in to work on a Saturday and were working hard at thest minute to set everything up. The guards were not at their post as I made my way into his office.


    Adam was looking for a book on his bookshelf when I walked in.


    "Jace said you needed to talk to me. Is everything ok?" He asked, seeing me walk in.


    "Not really..."


    He turned and gave me his full attention.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "I don''t have a dress for the Centennial," I exined.


    "Oh, I''ve already ordered you a few," he said nonchntly. "Wait... What?"


    He nodded. "They should be in sometime this evening."


    "How did you know my size?" I asked.


    "It took some investigating," He said, winking.


    "You went through my drawers, didn''t you?"


    "Well, technically, they''re my drawers seeing as though they''re in my wardrobe."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "What about shoes?" I asked.


    "Rx," He said. "It''s already been taken care of."


    I shook my head in disbelief.


    "Thank you," I said earnestly.


    He smiled. "I''m just taking care of my woman."

 Chapter Twenty - Hidden Fantasies-2

    "Your woman?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.


    Adam nodded.


    "My woman," he repeated.


    Iughed. "I don''t belong to you."


    "Of course you do," he said, walking over to me. "You belong to me in the same way that I belong to you, in every way."


    "You''ve still got quite a few days left to earn the right to say that," I reminded him.


    "Are we really still doing that?" He asked. "I feel like I already know what the answer''s going to be."


    Adam began to walk closer to me.


    "You never know. I''m full of surprises," I teased. "Besides, I like you spoiling me the way you have been."


    He took my chin in his hand.


    "Darling, I n on spoiling you for the rest of your life," he said smirking.


    He leaned in to kiss me, but his office door opened before his lips could touch mine.


    We turned our heads to see Victoria walk into the room with a scowl on her face.


    "Have you two nothing better to do?" She asked.


    "Get out," Adam said.


    I wondered how he could keep his cool around that woman. I had only known her for a few weeks and I already wanted to punch her in the face. I couldn''t imagine having to put up with her for hundreds of years as he had. She huffed, turned around, and left.


    He looked at me.


    "You wouldn''t think people would have such nerve to barge in on me in my office or bedroom seeing as I''m an Alpha Superior, but it doesn''t seem to have stopped anyone as ofte." Iughed.


    "I''m going to get you a do-not-disturb sign for your door."


    "I''d appreciate that," he said, still shaking his head in frustration.


    "Now... where were we?"


    My dresses arrivedter that night, not long after Liu and I had finished putting the finishing touches on everything for the G of Arrival.


    After Adam and I had returned from dinner, I saw them hanging up in dust bags on a clothes rack that had been pushed into his bedroom.


    "They''re here!" I said excitedly, walking over to them.


    I opened the dust cover on the first dress and gasped.


    It was a mauve-colored silk gown that had a crystal-beaded bodice and cinched waist. It was paired with a matching sheer duster that had long bell sleeves and was beaded with crystals along the bottom. "Do you like it?" He asked.


    "Like it? I love it!"


    Adamughed. "I''m d."


    I opened the rest of the dresses, each one breathtakingly stunning.


    "I''m actually really excited for this week now," I said, putting them back on the rack.


    "Were you not before?" He asked me as he unbuttoned his shirt.


    "I was just stressed out about it," I said.


    "Well, don''t be," he said taking off his shirt. "You''ve done a great job, much better than I would have."


    I smiled. "Thank you."


    "Now," he said. "What do you say you give me a sneak peek of how you look in those dresses?"


    I shook my head.


    "You can see me in them when everyone else does," I said.


    Adam rolled his eyes.


    "Yeah, but I feel like I should get an exclusive look..." he said.


    "Nope. You went through my drawers, so you''ve already gotten an ''exclusive look'' at things."


    "I came across a few things in there I''d like to see you in as well," he said smirking.


    Oh this should be fun.


    "Like what?" I asked.


    "Allow me," he said, walking over to the wardrobe.


    I sat down on the corner of the couch and watched as he pulled out my ck bra that had transparentce cups and sheer side panels. He reached into the drawer again and pulled out the matching panties. How on earth did he find those?


    I had hidden my lingerie under the rest of my underwear when I first moved into the castle, hoping he would never see them, especially the red set.


    He reached into the drawer and, to my horror, pulled out the red, strappy silk cutout bra and the thong that went with it.


    "Mind exining why I didn''t know about your secret stash of lingerie?" He asked.


    Clearly, the look of mortification on my face was amusing to him.


    Iughed nervously and stood up, trying to snatch them out of his hands.


    "That''s none of your business," I stuttered, my face redder than my ridiculous bra.


    "I mean, I''m notining. I''m just d I know what I''m working with now," he said.


    I reached out to try and take them but he held them up high over my head.


    "You''re being ridiculous," I said, jumping to try and grab them.


    I grabbed his arm, but he was much stronger than I anticipated and I ended up just hanging from his bicep, wildly trying to reim my underwear.


    I hate being short.


    I wrapped my legs around his torso and reached, pushing myself up on his shoulders.


    "Aha!"


    I shouted in triumph as I grabbed the underwear and yanked them away from his grip.


    "You might have your underwear, but I have you," he pointed out. "So who''s the real winner, here?"


    I bit my lip realizing that I was, indeed, in his arms.


    "I''ll put you down on one condition."


    "Which is?"


    "You take five minutes to go into that bathroom, change into that bra and those panties, and put on some lipstick to match."


    I was trying desperately not to blush.


    "You''re hrious."


    "No, I''m serious."


    "I''m pretty sure this counts as sexual harassment."


    He smiled.


    "Maybe in some cases, but I''m not entirely convinced it''s not unweed."


    I gave him an unamused look.


    "Fine," he said. "Forget the lipstick, but you have to sleep in it."


    "I don''t sleep in a bra," I informed him.


    "Even better."


    An idea hit me.


    "Fine," I muttered.


    Adam, looking very pleased with himself, set me down on my feet.


    Keeping the red panties in my hand, I put the ck lingerie and the red bra back into the drawer and grabbed one of his t-shirts.


    Adam grabbed the t-shirt and started to protest.


    I stopped him.


    "You didn''t say I couldn''t wear anything over it," I smirked.


    He looked like he could have punched a hole through a wall, causing me tough.


    "Next time I''ll know better," he growled.


    Iughed and went into the bathroom to shower and change. After doing so and brushing my teeth, I came back out and Adam went into the bathroom to shower as well. I sat down and brushed through my damp hair.


    This would be the perfect opportunity to put that bra on and surprise him when hees out, a part of me thought.


    I shook the thought away immediately, my insecurities creeping up.


    I wouldn''t look as appealing as he thinks I would. It''s better off just left for the imagination.


    I had turned down the bed and gotten underneath the covers when he came out of the bathroom.


    After turning off the lights, Adam joined me in bed. He rolled over on his side and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling my body against his.


    "Goodnight, love," He whispered.


    "Goodnight, Adam."


    A few minutes went by and my eyes began to get heavy from drowsiness.


    They had finally closed and I was almost asleep when I heard it.


    "I love you."

 Chapter Twenty-One - Arrival-1

    Unknown P.O.V.


    "It begins today," he said. "The Centennial which marks the end of an era."


    She smiled. "Have you reached out to your contacts yet? Will they be able to get us in?"


    He nodded.


    "All we have to do now is wait."


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    "If you do this, you will not get my help!"


    "I don''t need your help, I just need you to trust me."


    Adam was not happy with his father.


    That morning, someone brought up the ns Adam had for Europe to his father and it was clear that Ma did not approve.


    "They are our biggest ally! What will you do if a wares and you no longer have them on your side?" Victoria asked. "You could lose everything!"


    I rolled my eyes.


    No one invited you..


    In fact, she had invited herself into the office, yet again, to hear the argument that would ensue.


    "I''m not asking for permission," Adam said to her.


    I could tell he was angry. Both because his father had strolled into his office, unannounced and without warning, and because Ma was trying to argue with him. "Son, do you realize what this is going to do to you? You cannot rule from this ce when they are an ocean away, it is impossible!"


    "I''ve done it with Australia for more than a hundred years," Adam pointed out.


    "That was for the betterment of the entire Lycanthrope poption! You knew Eaton was corrupt and you took action..."


    Jace-who was sitting next to me on the couch, watching-tensed at the mention of his father.


    "...This is different, though," Ma finished. "You are doing this only for the power and I cannot object more strongly."


    Adam shook his head.


    "My mind is made up."


    Ma''s shoulders slumped in defeat and Victoria scoffed.


    "Something you would like to add?" Adam asked her, ring.


    She looked away.


    "I don''t want you to make the same mistakes I did," Ma said. "I conquered South America out of a thirst for power and it cost me your mother." Ma nced at me and then back at Adam.


    "Don''t make the same mistake, my son."


    Adam''s jaw clenched.


    "I am nothing like you. This has been nned for years. I have strategized and nned this entire thing down to the hour. I am in control."


    Ma''s eyes were filled with rage as he nced at Jace and I.


    "Do you both actually support this asinine idea?"


    Jace and I both nodded.


    Ma growled and turned, storming out of the room with Victoria hot on his heels.


    "I want a shadow on them both," Adam said to Jace. "I don''t want anymunication leaving this castle for the next twenty-four hours. When the guests arrive, make sure neither my father, Victoria, or any of herdies-in-waiting attempt to make contact with someone on the European side."


    "What do you want me to do about Tyler?" Jace asked.


    "What does he know?"


    Jace shook his head. "Nothing. He''s still oblivious."


    "Make sure he stays that way."


    Jace stood up and left the room.


    Adam sighed and slumped down onto the couch beside me.


    "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked him.


    "Please don''t make me argue with you too-"


    "I''m not asking you to reconsider, I''m asking if you''re sure," I said.


    He nodded. "I''m sure."


    "I''ll trust your judgement," I sighed.


    Adam took my hand in his. "Thank you."


    My mind immediately shed back to the night before.


    He said he loved me.


    Obviously, I had pretended I was asleep after I heard him say it. But in reality, I didn''t fall asleep for the next hour after that because my mind was racing.


    Do I love him? I barely know him... We''ve only known each other for a few weeks. This is moving way too fast.


    "Darling?"


    I immediately snapped out of it.


    "What?"


    Adam''s eyes studied me.


    "I asked what you were so lost in thought about..."


    I panicked.


    "Oh, just going over a fewst-minute Centennial things in my head, sorry."


    He didn''t look entirely convinced but changed topics anyway.


    "Have you heard any news about Warren Chandler?"


    I shook my head.


    "I think he''s digressing," I said honestly.


    "From what?"


    "Sanity. Vega told me he asked Mrs. Chandler when his parents wereing back into town."


    "And?" Adam asked. "What''s wrong with that?"


    "He''s an orphan. He grew up in an orphanage. He never had any parents, not even foster parents." Adam rubbed his hand across his jaw as he took the information in.


    "I do wonder what happened to make him go mad..."


    I shrugged. "Who knows what happened to him. The only thing he remembers is blood, lots of it."


    Adam''s eyes narrowed as he thought.


    "Where was he found anyways?" I asked.


    Why had I not asked that earlier?


    "In the forest, about two miles away from his house."


    I thought about this for a moment.


    "I think I''ll order a toxicology screen to be run on him. It''s been a few days, but maybe it''lle up with something," Adam said.


    Toxicology screen?


    "You think he''s been doing drugs?" I asked.


    Adamughed and shook his head.


    "No, I just want to see if there''s anything unusual in his system. Maybe someone drugged him up a little too much and he''s suffering amnesia because of it."


    We were silent for a few minutes as we both thought the situation over.


    After a while, my mind began to wonder to my father.


    "Has anyone found any trace of my dad?" I asked.


    Adam shook his head wearily.


    I sighed. I had known the answer to my question before I had even asked it.


    Where could he be? Where is my mother?


    Adam ced his hand on my thigh.


    "We''ll find them," he assured me.


    "You keep saying that," I huffed. "We''ve gotten nowhere."


    "My men are very vignt. We found Warren Chandler didn''t we? We will find your father and your mother."


    I swallowed back tears and Adam rubbed my leg reassuringly.


    "Don''t let it worry you. I''ll take care of it, I promise. I''m in control here."


    I was unconvinced of this, but Iid my head on his shoulder.


    "People will be here in less than three hours. Go make sure everything is the way you want it and start getting ready. I''ll be back in the room to get you at seven."


    I stood up and Adam did as well.


    As I turned to leave, he ced his hands on my arms to stop me.


    "Don''t worry," he repeated, moving his hands up to my jaw. His thumbs brushed my cheeks and he smiled. "It''s going to be fine."


    He leaned in to kiss me and I closed my eyes, melting into his touch.


    I certainly hope so.


    After being assured by Liu that the nning was finished and there was nothing left to do but wait until people began to arrive, I went upstairs to get ready.


    I took a long shower. After that, I did my makeup and curled my hair. Once I was satisfied with how I looked, I walked out into the bedroom in a towel to find a dress to wear.


    I walked over to the clothes rack full of hanging dresses and browsed through them.


    I got to the pink dress and stopped.

 Chapter Twenty-One - Arrival-2

    "I like that one the best."


    I screamed and turned around to see Adam standing directly behind me,ughing.


    "You scared me, you jerk!"


    I swatted at him and he caught my wrist.


    "You''re cute."


    I rolled my eyes. "I didn''t even hear youe in."


    "I''m very stealthy," he said, winking. "You look beautiful by the way."


    He lifted my hand up to his mouth and kissed the inside of my palm.


    "Thanks," I said, pulling my hand away.


    I turned back to look at the dresses and was considering the pink one when his arms slid around my waist.


    "I can help you change, if you like."


    Iughed. "You''re funny."


    "I''m being serious."


    "That''s what''s so funny."


    "C''mon," he prodded. "I''ll close my eyes and I won''t peek."


    "Yes, you will!" I eximed. "That''s the whole point of helping me change."


    "I won''t," he insisted. "You have my word."


    I rolled my eyes. "Mhm."


    I grabbed the dress off the rack and carried it over to the wardrobe where I gathered a strapless bra and panties.


    "Good choice," he said, referring to the rose-colored thong I had grabbed.


    I tried not to blush as I went into the bathroom.


    I put on the bra and panties before I pulled out the thin-strapped silk gown and stared in horror at the row of buttons that cascaded down the back of the dress, almost to the butt. I slowly began to unbutton the dress and was soon able to slide into it.


    The silk fabric felt like air against my skin. It was so soft and the beaded bodice glistened in the light.


    Only problem was: I couldn''t button it.


    The tiny buttons had been a pain to undo when I was standing in front of them, but trying to do them backwards presented an entirely new set of problems.


    I attempted at rebuttoning them but was only able to get one sped sessfully.


    I groaned.


    "What''s wrong?" Adam asked through the door. "Does it not fit?"


    "It fits fine," I grumbled.


    "What''s the problem then?"


    I sighed and facepalmed.


    I can''t believe I''m about to say this.


    "I... I can''t get it buttoned."


    "Sounds like you''re in apromising situation."


    I rolled my eyes as I made my way over to the door and opened it.


    Adam was leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest and a devilish gleam in his eyes.


    "Would you like some help?" He offered, lifting an eyebrow.


    I said nothing as I turned around slowly and pulled my hair over my shoulder.


    I could feel my pulse racing as he began to hook the buttons at my lower back.


    "Are my hands cold?" He asked.


    "A little."


    Liar.


    The reason for the goosebumps across my back was not because his hands were cold. It was because he was continually touching my bare back with his fingers as he worked on the buttons. "I hope your eyes are closed," I joked awkwardly.


    "I''ve seen your breasts before," he said dryly, "and you''re worried about me seeing your bare back, which I have also seen before?"


    "Don''t remind me," I said. "Also, I was joking."


    He hummed in response.


    Adam finished the buttons and slid his hands across my shoulders and down my arms.


    "Finished."


    I took a deep breath and pulled away from him, walking into the bathroom and grabbing the matching sheer duster from the bag and putting it on. "Gorgeous," hemented.


    I couldn''t help but blush.


    "Thank you."


    He walked past me, into the bathroom and turned on the shower.


    I walked over to his bed and sat down.


    My mind was racing at all the thoughts of Mr. Chandler, my father and mother, Vega and Jace, Ma, and Adam''s ns for Europe.


    Will this headache ever go away? I thought to myself, massaging my temples.


    I heard the shower turn off, and soon Adam came out of the bathroom in a towel.


    "Could you hand me that?" He asked, pointing to the dust cover beside me.


    I grabbed it by the hanger and handed it to him.


    "What is it?" I asked.


    "I got a dress as well."


    The unamused look on my face made himugh at his own joke.


    "It''s a tuxedo, love."


    He went over to the wardrobe and grabbed a pair of boxer briefs.


    "Do you have a hair dryer?" He asked me, attempting to towel-dry his hair.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Yeah, it''s in here."


    I got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. I pulled my hairdryer from the drawer and Adam walked into the bathroom in his boxer briefs, hanging the tux on the towel hook. I handed it to him and he looked at it, unsure of what to do.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked him.


    "I''ve never used a hairdryer before," he admitted. "But I can''t put my suit on while my hair is wet."


    "Would you like me to help you?"


    He nodded and I put the plug into the outlet and turned it on.


    I reached up to try to begin to dry his hair, but he was so tall that I couldn''t reach properly.


    Adam smiled at my struggle and picked me up and lifted me onto the countertop.


    Now, I was nearly eye-level with his mouth and it was easier.


    I ran my fingers through his hair as I dried it, trying to keep myself distracted from his intense staring and naked chest.


    I finished and turned the dryer off.


    "Thank you," he said.


    I hopped down as Adambed his fingers through his hair, trying to control the natural wave his hair had.


    I left the bathroom and put on my heels, Adam emerging a few minutester as he tied the bow tie around his neck.


    I knew I was probably drooling with the way I stared at him.


    That man was made to wear a tuxedo.


    "One more thing before we go," he said, walking over to me as he reached his hand into his pocket.


    He pulled out a little ck box and opened it to reveal tear-drop diamond earrings.


    "I know it''s not the diamond you wanted, but I figured these would hold you over until you get the ring."


    My eyes widened.


    "I got these for you when I ordered the dresses, but they just came in this morning," he exined, pulling one out to show me.


    My jaw had dropped to the floor as I watched it sparkle in the setting sunlight that streamed through the window.


    "It''s too much," I whispered.


    "Nonsense," Adam said.


    He pulled them both out of the velvet box and handed them to me.


    "Be quick about putting them in," He said. "We''re already a few minuteste."


    Once I was over the initial shock, I reached up and put the diamonds in my ears.


    With those earrings, the dress, and the shoes, I was certain the worth of everything I was wearing would have bought a nice house. How did I go from a drunkard''s daughter who couldn''t afford my own groceries to this?


    "You look stunning," he said, kissing me on the forehead.


    "Now, let''s not keep anyone waiting any longer. Shall we?" He asked, opening the bedroom door for me to walk through.


    We walked downstairs and I could hear the chatter of the hundreds of people who were in the ballroom as we approached it.


    Adam grabbed my hand and pulled it up to rest on his arm. I held on for dear life as the doors were opened for us.


    I took one look at the hundreds of people and gulped.


    So it begins.

 Chapter Twenty-Two - Gala-1

    I felt like I was going to pass out.


    As soon as Adam and I entered the room, everyone''s heads turned.


    Adam didn''t seem to notice and he walked right in and began to greet people. I stood close by him, my hand still resting in the crook of his arm.


    He walked over to a man who was wearing a ck and gold dashiki with matching pants. The man smiled as he saw Adam approaching him. "Ndewo," he greeted.


    "Hello, Nwabueze," Adam said, shaking his hand.


    "It has been too long," Nwabueze said.


    "Indeed. This is my mate, Evelyn," Adam said, introducing me.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you," I said, holding out my hand.


    He took my hand and kissed the back of it. "The pleasure is mine, Evelyn."


    "Where is your father?" Adam asked.


    "I have no doubt he is wandering around somewhere," Nwabueze said,ughing.


    Adamughed. "I think I''ll go find him. Enjoy yourself tonight."


    I smiled at Nwabueze as Adam and I walked away.


    "Who was that?" I asked.


    "Nwabueze Oghojafor," Adam replied. "He''s the Beta Superior over the African packs, based in Nigeria. His father, Orabueze, is the Alpha."


    I nodded. "He seemed nice."


    "He is," Adam said, waving at someone. "He and his father are very close allies of ours."


    "I thought Europe was your closest ally?" I asked, lowering my voice.


    "Not anymore."


    "Alpha Deveraux," A man said, walking over to us.


    He was dressed in a sharp all-ck suit, and I couldn''t help but notice the ck, satin slippers on his feet.


    "No h?o, Alpha Chen," Adam said.


    They shook hands.


    "This is Evelyn," he said, introducing me.


    He bowed his head curtly in my direction.


    "Have you seen my son?" He asked Adam.


    Adam shook his head.


    "I''ve only just gotten here. But, you know Zhao, he''s probably talking strategy with someone in the hallway."


    The man smiled at this.


    I caught a glimpse of Jace standing to my left, subtly trying to get Adam''s attention.


    "Enjoy yourself tonight," Adam said, patting him on the shoulder.


    We walked away from Alpha Chen towards Jace.


    "They''re here," was all he muttered and Adam turned to see a group of four men walk in.


    They were all tall and regally dressed. Pale skin, light hair, piercing blue eyes, and a sharp jaw weremon features to three of them. The fourth was shorter, rounder, and older-looking with dark brown eyes. "Who are they?" I asked.


    "That is the Alpha and Beta of the European packs, along with the Alpha''s sons, Diedrick and Barret," Adam informed me.


    "They''re German, right?" I asked.


    Jace nodded.


    Their presencemanded the room and sucked all the air out of it. They watched the crowd with narrowed eyes and clenched jaws.


    "Do you think they know?" I asked Adam.


    "Let''s hope not," he said.


    "This will be very awkward if they do," Jacemented.


    Their eyes continued to analyze the crowds until one of them caught my eye. He smiled slightly before beginning to make his way over to where we stood.


    "Alpha Deveraux," he greeted in a thick German ent, his eyes still locked on me.


    "Diedrick," Adam said. "How are you?"


    "Fine," he answered shortly, finally looking up at Adam. "Could I speak with you for a moment?"


    The two men locked eyes in a short stare-off.


    Diedrick was as tall as Adam was, although he wasn''t near as burly. But, if there was anything I had learned in that castle, it was that looks could be deceiving. "Right this way," Adam replied.


    I pulled my hand from Adam''s arm as he and Diedrick left Jace and I and disappeared into the crowds.


    "They definitely know," I remarked.


    "Have a little faith in your mate, would you?" Jace said. "He''s a level-headed man. He''ll figure it out."


    I took a deep breath in response.


    "Evie!"


    I looked over to see Vega and Liu walking over, to which Jace cleared his throat awkwardly and left.


    "You guys look great!" I said to them.


    Vega had on killer makeup with her hair half-up and was wearing a whitece, halter-neck dress that fell to the floor. Liu, who wore red lipstick and had pulled her hair in a sleek ponytail, was in a crimson red, form-fitting dress that had sheer sleeves and a long slit up her right leg.


    "Your dress looks fantastic!" Liumented.


    "Yeah, you look great," Vega agreed. "Did you happen to get a look at that fine piece of chocte cake in the traditional garb?"


    Iughed.


    "His name is Nwabueze Oghojafor," I informed her.


    "I''d change myst name for him," she said, sipping from the gold-rimmed crystal champagne flute in her hand.


    I looked up and saw Nwabueze walking around alone.


    "You should go talk to him," I said. "He''s walking by himself."


    "No way," Vega said.


    "He''s a Beta Superior, why wouldn''t you want that?" Liu asked incredulously.


    My mind immediately went to Jace and my heart hurt for her.


    "That means he''s a pureblood," Vega said. "He probably has a mate."


    "He doesn''t," Liu said.


    "Have you looked him in the eyes yet?" I asked Vega. "You have to make eye contact with someone to initiate the mating bond." Vega gave me an unamused look.


    "You actually think he could be my mate?" She asked.


    "You never know," I said.


    "You have to at least give it a try," Liu prompted.


    Vega groaned and downed the rest of the champagne.


    "Okay, here goes nothing."


    She turned to leave, but immediately turned back around.


    "Ugh, I can''t do it!" she squealed.


    "Go!" Liu and I said simultaneously.


    "Fine, gosh..." she said.


    She turned around and walked away, but before we could watch her introduce herself, a loud shattering sound was heard.


    Liu and I looked to see what the noise was and saw Tyler, whose face was as red as a tomato, quickly try to pick up the food from the ground and the shattered ss that had once been his te. Victoria, who was sitting at a table talking to a few other women her age, rolled her eyes at this.


    God, one day I am going to punch that woman.


    "Those tes were three-hundred pounds apiece," Liu mumbled.


    My eyes widened.


    "That''s over four-hundred and sixty dors," I gasped. "Why on earth did Adam pay so much for tes?"


    She shrugged. "One day that klutz will break something and Jace will break him."


    I swallowed a knot in my throat as she mentioned Jace. I wanted so badly to ask her about him, but I didn''t know how.


    Screw it, I thought. We''re friends. I can ask question like that, right?


    "Liu, is it true that-"


    "Evelyn."


    I turned to see Adam and Diedrick walking over to us and I found myself under Diedrick''s intense stare once again. "Dinner is about to start," Adam said. "Would you like toe sit down?"


    I looked back at Liu.


    "You can ask meter," she said smiling.


    I nodded at her and turned to see Adam holding out his hand for me to grab.


    Weaving my fingers through his, I followed him as he led me over to the long tables where we would be sitting.


    Adam pulled out my chair and I sat down.


    "How did that go? What did he want?"


    I spoke in hushed tones as he sat down next to me.


    "I''ll tell youter," he said winking.


    I nodded and looked across the table to see Alpha Superior Chen sit down. Beside him sat a young man¡ªor at least he looked young-that was probably Adam''s age.

 Chapter Twenty-Two - Gala-2

    He had high cheekbones and jet-ck hair that wasbed back.


    "Who is that?" I asked Adam.


    "That''s Zhao Chen," he said. "He''s Alpha Chen''s son as well as the Beta Superior over the Asian packs."


    I nodded.


    "He''s very quiet," Adam added. "He and his father both keep to themselves, but no one would dream of crossing them. That family takes their pack and their pride very seriously."


    I looked back over to the two men.


    Whereas Nwabueze and his father were joined on their side of the table by nearly two dozen of their family and advisors, Alpha Chen and his son were alone. They weren''t even speaking to each other, just observing everyone else. "Where is the rest of their group?" I asked.


    Adam looked over to the two of them with a grim expression.


    "Like I said, they''re very private. No one knows if Zhao has a mate, or even if his father has anymore children. Every time we have these meetings, it''s just the two of them."


    I nodded slowly.


    Zhao caught my eye and I looked away.


    I remembered Vega and began to look around. I looked down at the end of the table where Nwabueze and his family sat, but I couldn''t see her.


    "Looking for someone?" Adam asked me.


    "I don''t know where Vega has gone off to."


    He began to look around himself.


    "I don''t see Jace either. They''re probably in a closet somewhere."


    I sighed.


    I was really hoping Nwabueze was her mate. They would have been cute together.


    Once everyone was seated, the doors at the end of the room opened and servants began to pour out and ce everyone''s tes before them.


    "You did a brilliant job with this," Adam said, pointing between the floral arrangements on the table and the archway over the doors on each side of the room.


    I smiled. "Thank you."


    My te was sat on the table in front of me and the smell of the food made my stomach growl. The dish was Alfredo sauce poured over tortellini pasta with strips of grilled chicken tossed in. Parmesan cheese was added for taste and parsley for garnish.


    "I''m so excited to eat this," Adam said under his breath.


    I tried not tough.


    Once everyone had been served, Nwabueze''s father tapped the side of his crystal water goblet with a sd fork, gaining everyone''s attention.


    "Good evening," he said, standing up. His voice wasced with a thick Nigerian ent.


    "As the eldest Alpha here tonight, it is my duty to honor our hosts, Alpha Superior Deveraux and his Luna Evelyn, and thank them for preparing this Centennial."


    Everyone apuded politely and I noticed Jacee back into the room and take a seat on the other side of Adam, who shot him a hard nce.


    "I''m looking forward to this week. I''m hoping our meetings move the entire poption of Lycanthropes forward and go by swiftly," Alpha Oghojafor continued.


    A few of the Alphas and their Betasughed at this.


    "Thank you," He finished, taking his seat.


    Everyone began to eat.


    I kept looking around, trying to find Vega.


    I saw Liu, who sat beside her father and Tyler. I saw Mrs. Chandler talking with one of the women from Alpha Oghojafor''s pack. I also caught a glimpse of Victoria and Xavier, who sat side by side and conversed with the people around them. I did notice that Ma was nowhere to be seen, however.


    Adam noticed me searching for her and leaned over to Jace.


    "Where''s the Chandler girl?" He asked him.


    Jace''s face showed one of genuine confusion.


    "I don''t know. You told me to leave her alone," he said defensively. "I haven''t spoken to her in two days."


    Hearing this, I bit my lip trying to imagine where else she could be.


    "Don''t worry about it," Adam whispered. "She''s probably down a little ways on our side of the table."


    I couldn''t be sure since I couldn''t see everyone who was sitting on our side.


    I hoped he was right.


    Everyone finished their meal and dessert was served, which I noticed Tyler had three servings of.


    Afterwards, everyone began to leave the table. Alpha Chen and Zhao were one of the first to go.


    Soon, there were only a few people left and Adam stood up.


    I looked around and still didn''t see Vega anywhere.


    I stood up myself as Adam began to shake hands with a few more people and went over to Liu, who was talking to Tyler.


    "Have you seen Vega?" I asked her.


    "I saw her," Tyler said. "I passed her in the hallway when I came back from cleaning up my spill, right before dinner was served. She had a te of food in her hand and told me she was going to eat dinner with her father." I nodded, relief filling my body.


    "What''s wrong?" Liu asked.


    "Nothing," I said shaking my head. "It''s just... there''s a lot of people here. It makes me ufortable to have people with their own agendas roaming around the pce. I didn''t want her to walk by herself."


    Liu smiled reassuringly. "She''ll be fine."


    "She''s a little sketchy if you ask me," Tyler said, earning a punch in the shoulder from Liu.


    "Oi!" He eximed, rubbing his shoulder. "That hurt."


    "It was supposed to," she said, ring.


    Tyler just shrugged and looked around the room.


    "Oh, there she is," he said, pointing behind me.


    I turned and saw Vega talking shyly to Nwabueze.


    "I guess they''re not mates, then," Liu sighed. "It''s a shame. They would have been cute together."


    I nodded in agreement.


    "This is getting too much like a Hallmark movie for me," Tyler said. "I''ll catch you guys tomorrow." With that he turned and left the ballroom.


    "Evelyn."


    I turned to see Adam standing a few feet away, pointing at his watch.


    "It''s gettingte," he said. "Are you ready to leave?"


    I looked at Liu and smiled. "I''ll see you tomorrow."


    She smiled and waved as she turned to leave.


    Adam took my hand and ced it in the crook of his arm once again as he led me out of the ballroom.


    "Enjoy yourself tonight?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "Dinner was great, dessert was great, and so was thepany," I said, leaning my head against his shoulder as we walked.


    "I am greatpany, aren''t I?" He joked.


    "I was referring to the African prince, Nwabueze," I said.


    He rolled his eyes and Iughed.


    We made our way up the stairs to his room and down the hallway when I noticed the six guards lining his corridor.


    "Why are they here?" I asked him as he opened his bedroom door.


    "I work with these people," he said, referring to the other Alpha Superiors. "But I sure as hell don''t trust them."


    The thought made my stomach drop as I followed him into the bedroom and he shut the door behind him.


    As I began to change, I removed my shoes and took the duster off and hung it up on the rack.


    "Would you mind helping me with the buttons again?" I asked, turning my back to him.


    He gently gathered my hair and brushed it over my shoulder.


    I had goosebumps as he unsped each button and I felt the cool air against my exposed back.


    We were both quiet as he undid thest few buttons.


    I could feel my heart beat against my chest as he pulled the straps down from my shoulders and the dress slipped down my body and hit the floor.


    I sucked in a quick breath as I felt his hands trace along my back, around my waist and press against my stomach.


    "You looked beautiful tonight," he said, his warm breath hitting my ear as he embraced me gently.


    "You didn''t look so bad yourself," I said breathlessly.


    "I wasn''t the one getting all the stares," he said. I detected a hint of jealousy in his tone.


    "Yours is the only one I care about," I whispered, running my hand down his arm affirmingly.


    "Well you''ve had it all night."


    Adam bent down and gingerly kissed the spot where my neck met my shoulder, inches away from where his im was marked.


    His lips moved further up my neck and I found my eyes fluttering closed.


    As his hands slid further down my stomach, I began to panic.


    "We-"


    He stopped me.


    "I''ll stop," he said, backing away. "But I want you to know that I''m not happy about it."


    I turned around to face him and saw the look of frustration on his face.


    "Adam, I-"


    "You don''t have to exin yourself," He said, interrupting me. "I understand you''ve got a promise to keep."


    He began to undo his bow tie as he turned and walked into the bathroom, leaving me to stand there nearly naked and extremely irritated. Why did I make that stupid promise?

 Chapter Twenty-Three - Dancing with the Enemy-1

    Adam was gone the next morning when I woke up.


    I rolled over and put my hand on his empty pillow and sighed. I knew I needed to talk to Mrs. Chandler so I could convince her to let me out of the promise.


    Adam was short with me the night before when he came out of the bathroom and got into the bed. I knew he was frustrated-probably not as much as I was-but still, frustrated nheless. I was torn between feeling guilty for making the promise and feeling guilty for wanting to break it.


    I got out of the bed, noticing by the clock that it was still in the early morning. After showering, I changed into warm clothes and left the bedroom to find Mrs. Chandler.


    I tried to ignore the stares I received from the guards that were still lining Adam''s hallway as I made my way to the stairs.


    The castle was quieter than I had ever heard it, despite there being over a hundred guests roaming around.


    Liu had told me that the meetings started early in the morning, then they took a break for lunch, and resumed again until evening. She also told me that all the maids, servants, and other workers were strictly forbidden to venture anywhere near the offices during the meeting times. She said the offices had been closed for the week to ensure no one was going to be anywhere near the Alpha Superiors, their Betas, and the other advisors and counsel that would be attending the meetings as well.


    I could only hope that some of the tensions would die down and the ball that night wouldn''t be as awkward as the g had been the night before.


    Mrs. Chandler wasn''t in her room when I went looking for her there. The twins were still asleep, as was Vega. However, I only assumed that Vega was because her door was closed.


    I ventured a little farther and went to the hospital ward where I found Mrs. Chandler sitting next to Mr. Chandler, who was sleeping, as she read a book.


    I knocked on the door gently and she looked up from the pages to see me standing there. She smiled warmly, but she looked tired.


    "Have you eaten breakfast yet?" I asked her as I walked into the room.


    She shook her head. "No, but I''m fine."


    "You need to eat," I said, holding my hand out for her to take.


    Mrs. Chandler hesitated, looking between Mr. Chandler and my outstretched hand.


    "There''s coffee upstairs."


    She smiled and stood up, cing her book down on the chair.


    "Coffee sounds great right about now."


    I smiled as I hooked my arm with hers and led her out of the room.


    I passed a nurse in the hallway and informed her Mrs. Chandler and I would be getting breakfast if she needed anything.


    "It''s about time she left that room and took care of herself," the nurse joked.


    I smiled and Mrs. Chandler and I left the ward and walked to the dining room.


    As we sat down, a woman came out and asked us what we wanted to eat and disappeared into the kitchen when she had our answers.


    "So, how are you?" She asked me.


    "I should be asking you," Iughed. "How''s Mr. Chandler?"


    She smiled, but it appeared as if she was trying not to burst into tears. "He''s doing okay."


    I knew she was lying, but I couldn''t stand to see that woman cry, so I didn''t push it any farther.


    "Are the boys enjoying themselves?" I asked her, changing subjects.


    Mrs. Chandlerughed at this. "Yes. They think this is the best ce in the world to be. Ethan has asked me several times if we could throw their birthday party here. Apparently, there''s a basketball court downstairs."


    I had forgotten their birthday was in the uing week. My eyes widened as I realized my birthday was the week after that.


    "They could totally have their party here!" I said, trying not to think about my birthday. "I could have a cake made and we could celebrate."


    "That''s very sweet of you, Evelyn. But you and Adam have done enough for us already. I can''t ask you to do this."


    I reached across the table and put my hand over hers.


    "I want to do this," I said sincerely. "Adam and I are not keeping score here. How many times did you make me a cake on my birthday? This is the very least I can do."


    She smiled and nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you, Evelyn. I''m very grateful."


    "Please don''t cry," I said, getting out of my seat and wrapping my arms around her.


    "I''m not," she said wiping tears from her eyes.


    Iughed at this, despite knowing she was only crying because of the weight that was on her shoulders. I couldn''t imagine how stressed she was or how worried. "It''s going to be okay," I whispered.


    She sniffled. "I know, sweetheart. I know."


    I sat back down in my chair, trying not to cry myself, as two women came out with our food.


    My mouth watered when my eyes caught a glimpse of the steaming cups of coffee they brought in as well.


    We began to eat and Mrs. Chandler raved about how delicious the food was. I agreed with her, but I honestly couldn''t eat much because of the way my stomach had tied itself in knots. "What''s wrong, Evie?" She asked me.


    There was no hiding anything from this woman.


    I took a deep breath and ce my fork down on my te.


    "Do you remember the promise I made when I was fourteen?" I asked her.


    She smiled.


    "I do."


    "Well... the conditions of the promise have kind of changed," I said.


    "How do you mean?" She asked me.


    "I have a mate," I exined. "Shouldn''t he count as a husband?"


    Mrs. Chandler nodded thoughtfully.


    "Do you love him?" She asked me.


    I swallowed hard.


    "What?"


    "Do you love him?" She repeated.


    I couldn''t answer her.


    Do I?


    "I mean... he''s my mate," I said finally.


    Mrs. Chandler smiled faintly hearing me say this.


    "Finding your mate and falling in love with him are two very different points in time," she said.


    She noticed the confused look on my face and continued.


    "You were given a mate by fate," she said. "But fate cannot make you love him. Only you can. Loving that man is a choice. It doesn''t happen when the moon goes through it''s phases, it happens because you choose to love him. It''s a choice you''ll have to make every day for the rest of your life."


    She reached across the table and took my hand in hers.


    "That is why I asked you to wait for marriage. Because marriage is a vow to love and cherish forever. Tell me: do you love Adam even when he bes jealous? Do you love him when he is angry? How about if he were hurt? Would you love him even if he were not an Alpha?"


    I didn''t answer her.


    "That is marriage. That man downstairs lying in that hospital bed is my husband. I choose to love that man. I made vows to love him even when he is sick. That is love, darling."


    She reached up and touched my cheek.


    "You are a grown woman. You''ve made better choices than my Vega has, even though you''ve slept beside that man every night for weeks now. You''re smart. But you''re not ready. Your body might be, but you are not. Once you truly love that man, you will be."


    "How do you know when you love someone?" I asked her.


    She smiled, no doubt thinking of Mr. Chandler.


    "You don''t at first. But, one day you''ll tell someone you love him by ident. Or you''ll think it to yourself when he says something funny. Then, it will hit you like a ton of bricks. You''ll know it when it happens." I groaned.


    "It''s so hard to wait."


    She smiled at this and took a sip of her coffee.


    "I promise it will be worth it."


    After my chat with Mrs. Chandler, I wasn''t so convinced that the promise was a bad thing. I was, however, stuck with one lingering thought:


    Do I love Adam?


    I didn''t have an answer, which solidified Mrs. Chandler''s point further.


    I made my way to find Liu after I walked Mrs. Chandler back to the hospital ward. I found her pouring Victoria''s tea in one of the many sitting rooms.


    "Can I talk to you?" I asked her.


    Her eyes lit up when she saw me, while Victoria just red.


    She set the teapot down and rushed out of the room to meet me in the hallway.


    "I''m so d you''re here," she said excitingly. "My brain has been frying itself pouring her tea all day. I kind of wish we coulde up with some more nning to do, just so I wouldn''t have to." Iughed.


    It was a shame that someone like Liu wasted away her days pouring tea.


    "I need your help tomorrow," I said.


    "Anything."

 Chapter Twenty-Three - Dancing with the Enemy-2

    "I need to put together a birthday party for the Chandler twins," I exined. "I was wondering if you''d like to help?" She nodded. "I''d love to."


    "Thank you," I smiled.


    "Ms. Wanshan," Victoria called to her.


    She rolled her eyes.


    "I''ll see youter."


    She turned and went back into the sitting room and I left, making my way upstairs.


    I had nothing to do, so I thought I would pay Xavier a visit.


    I found him in a library, his nose buried in a book.


    "Don''t mind me," I said as I walked into the sitting room where he was. "I''m just going to find a book."


    He nodded and smiled. "Help yourself to any which one you like."


    I found a Jane Austen book hidden amongst the countless spines of history and non-fiction literature that Xavier had on the bottom shelves.


    Sitting down on the couch across from him, I opened the book and began to read.


    A few hours went by and I felt myself start to doze off, despite the countless cups of tea that Xavier had brought me.


    I finally put the book down and stood up, stretching my stiff joints.


    "Would you mind if I took this to finishter?" I asked him.


    Xavier had resumed his reading position in the high-back chair in front of me. He looked up at me, smiled warmly, and nodded.


    "Thanks, I promise I''ll bring it back."


    He winked. "I know where to find you if you don''t."


    Iughed as I left the room and then left the library, walking downstairs to Adam''s room.


    Once there, I picked out my dress for the night andid down on the bed. With nothing else to do, I felt myself getting sleepier and sleepier and soon dozed off.


    I awoke a short timeter to the sound of a mming door.


    I sat up in the bed quickly and saw Adam walking in.


    He cursed under his breath when he saw me.


    "Sorry, I didn''t realize you were sleeping."


    "It''s fine," I said, rubbing my eyes. "How did your meetings go?"


    "Unproductive," he answered shortly, taking off his tie and walking into the bathroom.


    I sighed. Is he still in a bad mood?


    My question was answered as each of us got ready for the ball, neither of us speaking.


    He only spoke when he told me I looked pretty in my dress as we walked out the door to leave.


    It was a fitted, halter-neck mermaid gown with an open back and intricate silver beading all over.


    I had pulled my hair up and put on the diamond earrings Adam had given me the night before.


    He, however, seemed much more upied with the time than how I looked.


    Adam ushered me out of the room quickly and we made our way downstairs to the ballroom where people were already dancing.


    I expected him to ask me to dance, but he excused himself to go talk to Alpha Chen and left me standing there, alone.


    I stood there awkwardly for a few moments, annoyed with Adam for leaving me, before Diedrick, the European Alpha''s son, walked up.


    I swallowed a knot in my throat as he approached me.


    "Good evening," he greeted.


    I nodded. "Good evening."


    His piercing blue eyes studied me.


    "You look fantastic."


    "Thank you," I stuttered out anxiously.


    Adam, why are you not here right now?


    "Would you like to dance?"


    I felt my face growing red.


    "I can''t dance," I said,ughing nervously.


    "I''ll teach you."


    He held out his hand and I felt myself get more and more flustered with each second passing.


    "No, really it''s fine..." I said, trying to brush him off.


    He smiled and took my hand and pulled me out to where people were dancing.


    I didn''t really want to dance with him, but I wasn''t about to dig my heels into the wood flooring and cause a scene.


    He lifted my left hand up to rest just below his bicep and held my right hand in his, before slipping his other hand to rest on my back, just beneath my shoulder de.


    If it weren''t for my heels, I wouldn''t have been able to dance with him properly because of how tall he was. He lowered his hand down to my waist to amodate the height difference as well.


    As we began to waltz, somehow my feet fell into a rhythm that mirrored his, despite my clumsy nature.


    "I thought you''d never danced before," hemented.


    "I haven''t," I said, blushing.


    I noticed that the everyone was moving in a counter-clockwise circle as they danced. Because of the constant turning, I wasn''t able to see Adam anywhere. "Looking for someone?" He asked.


    "My mate."


    "I make you ufortable? Do you not like the way I dance?"


    "You''re a fantastic dancer," I said, ignoring the first question.


    He hummed in response, not taking his eyes off of mine.


    Soon, the awkwardness began to wear off. I began to actually enjoy dancing, despite my partner.


    I heard someone clear their throat and I looked over to see Jace standing next to us.


    "My turn," he said, smiling at me.


    Diedrick stopped dancing and handed my hand to Jace before winking at me and walking away.


    Jace took my hand and began to dance with me.


    He wasn''t near as great of a dancer as Diedrick was and I was slightly frustrated by it.


    "Tell me why Adam sent me over to stop him instead ofing over himself?" Jace asked suddenly. My eyes widened.


    "He did?"


    Jace nodded. "Why?"


    I sighed. "I''m not sure I can tell you."


    "Is he upset with you?" He asked.


    I nodded slightly.


    "Why?" He asked me.


    "I can''t tell you that."


    It was his turn to sigh.


    Why was Adam being so distant? Why couldn''t he just understand that I had a promise to keep instead of just pouting about it?


    I pulled away from Jace as I felt tears welling up in my eyes.


    "I''ll be right back," I said, walking away from him.


    I made my way through the crowds and into the hallway.


    I was looking for the bathroom when I saw them.


    Tyler was standing in the hallway talking to the German Alpha Superior.


    My eyes widened.


    I could only imagine what they were talking about.


    How much did Tyler know? Had he been faking his obliviousness this whole time?


    Did he know about Europe?


    Tyler stopped talking when he saw me and guilt shed over his face.


    Oh no...

 Chapter Twenty-Four - Denying Rejection-1

    I was shocked.


    I knew what Tyler had been sent by the Europeans to do, I just never thought he would actually do it.


    Jace had followed me out of the ballroom-I assumed because he felt guilty about prying to Adam and I''s rtionship and he growled when heid eyes on Tyler and the Alpha Superior. Immediately, I saw Tyler''s face turn pale at the sight of Jace.


    The German Alpha Superior looked over to Jace and I.


    "Is there a problem?" He asked.


    "You tell me," Jace said.


    "Um-no! No problem here, Beta Superior Eaton," Tyler stuttered out.


    Damn, he really was scared of Jace.


    I couldn''t read the Alpha Superior''s face. Did he know? Did he not know?


    "Tyler could you leave us for a moment?" I asked.


    Tyler swallowed hard and walked the long way around Jace to go back into the ballroom.


    "You as well, Jace."


    His eyes narrowed at me as I said this.


    Throwing a suspicious nce at both myself and the German Alpha, he turned around slowly and left us standing in the hallway.


    My heart was beating a thousand miles a minute as I approached the Alpha Superior with my hand outstretched.


    "I haven''t had the chance to introduce myself," I said. "My name is Evelyn Schubert."


    He took my hand in his and kissed the top of it.


    "A German name," hemented. "My name is Alpha Superior Ludwig Schneider. It is a pleasure to meet you."


    Although he was sweet-talking me, his eyes were showing a man who was entirely too bored with this conversation.


    "The pleasure is all mine," I said, faking sincerity. "I''d like to apologize for Tyler. He''s known for being a bit long-winded at times." He smiled politely.


    "It''s quite alright, fr?ulein," he said. "We''d only been speaking for a moment."


    I hummed in response.


    "Well, I''m sure you''d like to get back to the ball," I stated, smiling. "Allow me to walk with you."


    This man cannot be wandering the halls unapanied. I don''t trust him.


    He nodded and offered his arm.


    Sliding my hand to rest on the inside of his arm, I began to walk with him back down the hallway and into the ballroom.


    "Tell me," I said. "I''ve met Diedrick, but I''m afraid I don''t know know your youngest son''s name..."


    I was lying, obviously. However, the awkward tension was too great to be walking in silence.


    "Ah, that would be Barret," he answered. "I can introduce you, if you''d like."


    I faked a smile.


    "That would be lovely."


    Upon entering the ballroom, Alpha Schneider and I were met by Adam and Jace.


    "Darling," Adam said. "I was just looking for you."


    "Oh," I said. "I''ve just introduced myself to Alpha Superior Schneider."


    Jace raised an eyebrow at this.


    "I see that," Adam said.


    I could tell he was putting on a show. His voice was more professional and more polished now than it normally was. "Your mate is lovely," Alpha Schneider said.


    I saw disgust sh across Adam''s face.


    "Indeed," Adam said. He turned his attention to me.


    "Darling, I''ve yet to get my waltz this evening."


    "Oh," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "I suppose I''ve been too busy dancing with Diedrick and Jace."


    I thought I saw Alpha Superior Schneider smile out of the corner of my eye.


    "My turn," Adam said, holding out his hand.


    I could tell his patience was running thin. He was over the act.


    "It was lovely to meet you," I said, smiling at Alpha Schneider.


    "You as well, fr?ulein," he said, kissing my hand.


    I took Adam''s outstretched hand and he led me away, towards the dance floor.


    "What the hell were you thinking?" He growled under his breath.


    "I saved your ass," I said angrily. "You''re lucky I got to him before Tyler had the chance to say anything else."


    "Jace would have intervened if you had not," he said, faking a smile at someone as we passed them.


    "Jace was too busy dancing with me because you weren''t man enough to do it yourself," I quipped.


    "I am not a man," Adam growled, pulling me into his chest as we began to dance.


    His eyes were angry as I looked up at him.


    "I am something so much more that you do not want to y games with," he continued.


    My jaw tightened as I looked away.


    "I''m merely ying the game you started," I snapped.


    "Evelyn-"


    "Don''t!" I said, turning to look at him again.


    His jaw clenched.


    We danced for a few more agonizing minutes before the music stalled, signaling it was time to eat.


    Everyone stopped dancing and apuded for the orchestra before making their way from the ballroom into the grand lobby where the tables were set up for dinner. Once everyone was seated, dinner was served.


    Across from Adam and I, sat the Germans. Alpha Superior Schneider sat beside an older man who was stout and had balding brown hair. I assumed he was the Beta Superior.


    Directly in front of me sat Diedrick, whose eyes never left me during the time we were sitting at the table. I would look up at him periodically and his eyes would meet mine, causing me to look away. The candles we ate under caused shadows to be cast across his face, making him look enchantingly lethal.


    I was drawn to that man and I felt incredibly guilty for it, seeing as I was sitting right beside my mate.


    Adam didn''t speak to me throughout the rest of the evening.


    We retired to his room earlier than we had the night before.


    Without a word, I stepped out of my dress, undoing my own buttons that time, and went into the bathroom to shower.


    Stepping under the hot stream of water was the most refreshing feeling I''d had in a long time. I slowly began to feel my muscles rx and my headache disappear.


    I''m not sure how long I stood in the shower, but it felt like hours. I washed my hair and scrubbed my skin with soap until it was smoother than it had been in a while.


    I didn''t want to leave the bathroom and walk out into a bedroom where I would be met by the silent treatment.


    I finally turned the shower off and put my hair in a towel and wrapped another towel around my torso.


    I walked out of the bathroom to see Adam already in bed.


    Admittedly out of pettiness, I put on the ck underwear I knew he liked and one of his t-shirts.


    After drying my hair and brushing it out, I turned out the lights and got into the bed beside him.


    A few minutes went by and I sighed, trying to fall asleep.


    "I''m sorry."


    His voice cutting through the silence caught me off guard.

 Chapter Twenty-Four - Denying Rejection-2

    "What?"


    "I''m sorry," he repeated.


    "For what?" I asked.


    "For sending Jace to you instead of going myself. I wasn''t sure if I went that I would be able to control myself and I knew snapping that German''s neck wouldn''t do much for diplomacy''s sake."


    "Is that all you''re sorry for?" I asked bitterly.


    Does he not realize how he acted before that? I thought.


    "I''m also sorry for not respecting your decision to wait until our wedding night," Adam added. "Patience isn''t one of my strong suits and I can''t help but feeling rejected by the decision, so I suppose that''s why I got angry."


    I rolled over to face him. The moonlight streaming in from the window hit his face and made his blue eyes look like they were glowing.


    "I don''t want you to feel rejected."


    He didn''t say anything.


    "I''m not rejecting you," I repeated. "I want you as much as you want me. But I have to honor my word."


    "Don''t say that," he said.


    My eyebrows furrowed. "Don''t say what?"


    "That you want me as much as I want you."


    "But it''s true," I stated.


    He shook his head.


    "It''s not. If you knew how much I wanted you, you wouldn''t want to sleep next to me."


    I gulped and Adam turned over to face away from me.


    I was quiet for a few moments, unsure of what else to say.


    Then don''t say anything.


    I grabbed his bicep and rolled him back over on his back.


    I knew I surprised him when I lifted my leg over his waist to straddle him. But I didn''t care.


    I leaned down and kissed his lips as hard as I could.


    Adam wasted no time in kissing me back and soon I found myself flipped over on my back with Adam hovering above me.


    My hands tugged at the hair at the nape of his neck as the kiss deepened.


    Any thought of Diedrick had disappeared shortly thereafter, along with my shirt.


    As his lips left mine and trailed down my stomach, I regretted even letting that German boy get close to me.


    I awoke the next morning to an empty bed.


    It waste. I had no doubt that Adam had left hours earlier for his first meetings of the day.


    I rolled over and the sheet slipped off my bare shoulders. I shivered at the cold breeze.


    I sat up, holding the covers to my chest, and looked at the clock.


    A note sat there, leaning against it. I reached out from the sheer curtain and grabbed it.


    ''Meet me for lunch.''


    I read the clock and my eyes widened. I only had ten minutes to get ready.


    I shot out of the bed, tripping over the tangled sheets.


    I went into the bathroom and began to brush my teeth.


    I gasped in horror seeing the love bites all over my stomach. I quickly checked my neck and sighed, thankful Adam hadn''t left anymore in any noticeable ces.


    My mind immediately shed back to the night before.


    My promise was still intact, but it came close to breaking that night.


    After a few minutes of heated kisses and wandering hands and mouths, we both decided to stop. It wasn''t an easy decision for either of us. However, I was content now knowing that Adam was certain I wasn''t rejecting him by deciding to keep my promise to Mrs. Chandler.


    I changed after brushing my hair and teeth and was out the bedroom door in no time.


    I made my way down the stairs and to Adam''s office.


    There were guards everywhere, but no one tried to stop me as I ventured into his office.


    I ran into Diedrick, who was leaving the office, as I entered in. I coughed awkwardly, excused myself, and made my way swiftly into the room where Adam sat behind his desk. "Hey."


    He looked up at me and smiled, amusement dancing in his eyes.


    "Good morning, sunshine. Ready for lunch?"


    I rolled my eyes. He could tell I had only just woken up.


    "Yes," I answered, causing him tough.


    He stood up out of his chair and came around his desk when I noticed something odd.


    "Why are you wearing a tie?"


    Adam normally wore his dress shirts with the first button undone and his sleeves rolled up. That day, however, he had a tie on and his sleeves were cuffed at his wrists.


    He wordlessly made his way over to where I stood and began to loosen his tie. He undid the first button and pulled his cor to the side.


    I gasped once I saw the hickey that was just above his corbone.


    "I felt like a teenager trying to hide it this morning," he said.


    Iughed, feeling my cheeks heat up. I lifted my shirt and showed him my torso which was littered in love bites.


    Heughed.


    "I guess I got a little carried away."


    "A little?" I asked, taking note of the number of them.


    "I wish I could say I was sorry," he said.


    Iughed and shook my head, pulling my shirt back down.


    "I''ve only got a few minutes for lunch," Adam said. "Would you like to go ahead and eat?"


    I nodded as he took my hand and led me out of the office. We walked over to the dining room and talked as we ate lunch.


    From what I gathered from his very vague descriptions of the meetings, things were not going well between him and the German Alpha.


    Adam also told me that Jace had questioned Tyler and assured him Tyler hadn''t told Alpha Superior Schneider anything.


    We ate quickly, as Adam''s next meeting started soon after that.


    He assured me he would see me before that night before walking back to his office.


    On my way back to Adam''s room, I saw Vega and her mom in the hallway talking. It looked to be a deep conversation, so I didn''t interrupt them.


    I kept walking before running into Liu, literally, as I rounded a corner.


    "Sorry," she saidughing. "I was just looking for you actually."


    "What''s up?" I asked her.


    "I wanted to know when you wanted to start getting things ready for the birthday party you mentioned."


    "Oh, right! Come with me and we can go ahead and get started."


    I led her back to Adam''s room so I could get the list of potential party themes and things we would need that I had written out the day before.


    "I was thinking we could do something down in the basketball court," I said opening the bedroom door. "The boys love basketball-"


    I stopped as Iid eyes on the bouquet of flowers that sat in a vase on the table beside the couch.


    "Are those from Adam?" Liu asked, noticing what I was looking at.


    I shook my head as my stomach dropped.


    Adam knew my favorite flowers were blue peonies.


    These were red tulips.

 Chapter Twenty-Five - An Alphas Distrust-1

    "Who sent the damn flowers?"


    Adam was furious, Jace was annoyed, and I was scared out of my mind.


    Liu sat beside me at the conference table and Jace stood on the other side of the room as Adam paced around it.


    "The guards said they didn''t see anyone enter the room. Whoever did it came in through the balcony doors," Jace said.


    "Sorry about your house," Liu whispered to me.


    She pushed the pictures of my old home in mes towards the center of the table.


    "It''s okay," I assured her. "I upgraded anyways."


    "Maybe it''s just a coincidence," Jace said to Adam.


    Adam stopped pacing and red at him.


    "You think it''s a coincidence?" he asked incredulously. "These flowers are not in season, so someone had to put a lot of effort into getting them here. They''re the exact same color as the ones in the photo and there''s seven of them just like in the photo."


    "It''s too much to be a coincidence," Liu said, agreeing with Adam.


    She didn''t seem to notice the re that Jace shot her, but I did.


    "Can we please focus?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. "If It isn''t a coincidence, that means we have a lot of theorizing to do."


    Adam ced his hands firmly on the top of the seat across from me.


    "I agree."


    We all thought about this for a few moments before Liu spoke up.


    "Do tulips have any significance in your family?" She asked.


    I shook my head.


    "My mom''s favorites are sunflowers. My dad on the other hand, well... I don''t think he cares for anything living so I wouldn''t say he has a favorite kind of flower."


    "What about the color red?" Jace asked.


    I shook my head and Adam sighed heavily.


    "We''ll keep thinking on it. For now, I want everyone to be cautious of anyone acting suspicious."


    "It would have to have been someone outside of the meetings," I said.


    "How do you mean?"


    "You were in a meeting with all of these people when I went back to the room. The person who put them there must have gone during that time, when no one would have been walking the halls."


    Liu shook her head. "No, because they were on a lunch break. However, if it was one of the Alphas or Betas, I doubt any of them would have had the guts to do it themselves. Even if we catch the person who put them there, we might not find out who wanted them there."


    Adam nodded in agreement.


    "Let''s call it a night, but keep thinking on this. Let me know if you twoe up with something or if you find anything new."


    It waste. We had all met right after dinner that night because it was the first time Adam or Jace would have been able to meet due to the meetings they''d been in all day. Liu and I had managed to keep the flowers under wraps throughout the day, only telling Jace and Adam that evening.


    Dinner was awkward. I avoided Diedrick like a disease and I was wary of everyone. I knew the possibility was great that I was standing in close quarters with the person who had put the tulips in Adam''s room. I also knew it was a possibility that I was sleeping under the same roof as the person who likely had my house set on fire and who knew where my parents were.


    It was weird to think that the two instances could be connected. It was even more horrifying, however, that the thing connecting the two instances was me and seven red tulips.


    I didn''t know of anyone in that castle that cared so little for me to go through the trouble of setting my house on fire, nting seven tulips in the mulch, and then putting tulips in Adam''s room to scare me.


    It was seemingly pointless, but it sent chills down my spine nheless.


    Adam and I left Liu and Jace in the conference room and went back up to his bedroom. Once there, I watched him as he took the vase of tulips, opened the balcony doors, and threw them off the side of the ledge.


    I was halfway thankful for this act of recklessness because it meant I didn''t have to look at them any longer.


    Walking into the bathroom, I shut the door behind me and sighed.


    I walked over to the bathtub and turned on the hot water. Stripping out of my dress, I sat down in the bath and sighed. As the tub was filling up, I poured in the bubble bath andid back to rx.


    I could feel my body slowly beginning to settle down, but my head was still spinning and turning over the situation. I was so overwhelmed that when I started to cry, I wasn''t in the least bit surprised by the tears. I just held my hand over my mouth, trying to be quiet. Thest thing I wanted was for Adam to hear me and try toe in.


    I didn''t want to beforted or to be told ''everything was going to be fine.'' I wasn''t an idiot, I knew everything wasn''t fine.


    I wanted to find my family and to be left alone by whoever was trying to mess with me. I wanted to fall in love with Adam like a normal person and not have to worry about the drama that surrounded me.


    I sat in the bath until the water turned cold and my tears had dried up.


    It wouldn''t have surprised me to walk out of the bathroom and see Adam in the bed already asleep. It was past midnight and we were both mentally drained. However, when I came out of the bathroom, Adam was sitting on the couch, staring off into space.


    When he heard me, he looked over and gave me tired smile.


    "Feeling better?" he asked me.


    I nodded and walked over to the wardrobe to get out something to sleep in. I changed and put the towel back into the bathroom as Adam walked in behind me and started the shower.


    Undoing the bed, I slid underneath the covers and closed my eyes.


    A few minutester, Adam came out of the bathroom.


    "Let''s switch sides," he suggested, walking to my side of the bed.


    "Why?"


    "Because," he said. "I want to be near the balcony doors."


    I groaned, having already gotten the sheets warm on my side. Adamughed at this and put his arms under me and lifted me up to set me on his side of the bed. After he had done so, he climbed in the bed and pulled the covers over the both of us.


    Adam found my hand underneath the sheets and entangled his fingers with mine. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my body against his chest.


    "Get some sleep," he said.


    "I can''t."


    Despite how tired I was, my mind was still reeling.


    "I''ll find whoever did this," he promised me. "Go to sleep."


    After a few minutes had passed, I felt my mind slowly start to ease and, in thefort of his arms, I finally fell asleep.


    Adam was still in bed with me when I woke up the next morning.


    I could hear his heavy breathing as I pulled his arms from around my waist. This was easier said than done. The man had a grip that would rival a toddler on their father''s leg.


    I looked at the clock and noticed it was still early in the morning. Adam''s meetings wouldn''t begin for a few more hours.


    Looking at him, I could tell he had gotten little sleepst night. He had dark circles around his eyes. In fact, he was in such an exhaustive state of sleep, he was nearly snoring.


    I felt a pang of guilt in my chest.


    I couldn''t imagine the stress this probably put him under. He had so much to deal with already with the Centennial and Europe on the line. The added stress of the tulip''s arrival was just the cherry on top.


    I got out of the bed quietly and changed intofortable clothes before brushing my teeth. After doing so, I called and asked for breakfast to be sent up to the room.


    I had no sooner pulled the cart of food into the room when Adam sat up in the bed quickly hearing the door shut. He looked around before rxing when he saw me pouring milk into my cereal.


    "Why are you awake this early?" He asked. His voice was deep and husky from sleep.


    "I couldn''t sleep. Want breakfast?"


    He got out of the bed. "I''m going to shower first."


    Adam went into the bathroom and showered. He changed into cks and a button-down and put on a tie to cover the now-purple bruise on his neck.


    I had finished my cereal by the time he sat down and poured cereal into his own bowl.


    "I don''t want you to stay in here by yourself today," Adam said.


    My eyebrows furrowed.

 Chapter Twenty-Five - An Alphas Distrust-2

    "Why?"


    "It''s not you that I don''t trust," Adam said assuringly. "It''s everyone else in this bloody castle that I worry about."


    "One other thing," he added. "Don''t talk to Jace about anything else."


    "Why?"


    "I''d trust Diedrick Schneider with my life quicker than I would Jace, and I think Jace knows that. He was all too quick to try and put the me on the Germansst night."


    "And you don''t think it was them?" I asked.


    Adam shook his head.


    "Why?"


    He smiled. "I can''t tell you just yet, but you''ll know soon enough."


    Weird. Why won''t he tell me?


    "So why do you think Jace has something to do with it?"


    He shook his head. "I''m not sure he does, but don''t you think it''s weird that we were the only three people who knew about those tulips and now they''ve shown up here, in this castle, thousands of miles away from your house?" I nodded. "I see your point."


    He put his hand on my thigh.


    "I don''t mean to worry you, Evelyn. Just be careful. You''re smart, so I know you will be."


    He finished eating and left for his meetings. As I watched him walk out the bedroom door, I couldn''t help but worry.


    If an Alpha can''t trust his Beta, who can he trust?


    Later that day, I ran into Liu, who told me Jace had expedited the search for my dad.


    "And my mom?" I asked her.


    She faltered.


    "Well, Jace seems to think that your dad might have something to do with the tulips. I''m sure we''ll find your mom if she''s with your dad," Liu said.


    I sighed.


    She''s the one I want to find, I wanted to say. I don''t give a rat''s ass about my dad.


    "How are you doing?" Liu asked me. "Are you still shaken up from yesterday?"


    I shook my head. "I''m more exhausted and ready for this all to end."


    We continued to walk down the hallway, into an empty sitting room.


    "Can I ask you a favor?" I asked her.


    She nodded. "Anything."


    "Have you ever shifted?"


    Liu nodded slowly. "Of course."


    I took a deep breath.


    "Do you think you could show me how?"


    "You''ve never shifted?" She asked me incredulously.


    I shook my head, feeling slightly embarrassed.


    "Yeah, of course I can show you," she said. "I just can''t believe you''ve never shifted."


    I shrugged.


    "I mean, my parents didn''t care enough to show me how to," I said. "Vega told me it hurt like hell, which is another reason I''ve never shifted, I guess."


    "It does hurt the first time," she said honestly. "But after you get used to it, it''s just like popping knuckles."


    I cringed and sheughed.


    "We can go down to the gym tomorrow sometime and I''ll show you," she said.


    Of course, there''s a gym in this castle. Why wouldn''t there be?


    "Was this what you were going to ask me about at the Arrival G the other night?" She asked.


    I was hoping she had forgotten about that, I thought as I shook my head.


    "What were you going to ask me then?"


    I sighed.


    "I was going to ask you about Jace..." I said honestly.


    I saw her gulp and her whole demeanor changed.


    "I''m sorry," I apologized. "I knew that was going to cross a line. You don''t have to tell me if you don''t want to."


    Liu took a deep breath.


    "No, it''s fine. I just... I don''t talk about it a lot," she said. "What do you want to know?"


    "Why did he reject you?" I asked. "I mean, you''re smart and you''re gorgeous. I don''t understand why."


    She shrugged looking down at her hands.


    "My parents seem to think I''ve dishonored my family, especially my dad. That''s why I have a job here at the pce. My dad seems to think I''ll win him back someday. I have to wear makeup to work and I have to talk to him." "Isn''t it painful, though?" I asked her. "To have to see him every day?"


    Liu took a deep breath. "I''ve gotten used to it. It''s been almost two years now. But some days are harder than others. Sometimes he''ll ask me how I''m doing or he''lle over to my house for dinner. It delights my parents, but it''s hard when he leaves and doesn''t speak to me for a few days after."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Do you think he''s just scared of themitment?"


    "Maybe. I know he''s had girlfriends, but they neverst long at all. In a twisted way, it makes me happy," she said smiling.


    Iughed at this.


    "I hope you work things out," I said, taking her hand in mine.


    She smiled at the thought. "He has a lot of growing up to do, but maybe one day."


    I looked up at the clock. Adam would be out of his meeting in a few minutes.


    "I think I''m going to go and start getting ready for dinner tonight," I said. "I''ll see you tonight, Liu."


    She smiled at me as I left the room and began to walk back up to Adam''s bedroom.


    Jace is such an ass. Why would he reject that poor girl and then lead her on like that?


    She clearly still loved him. I saw the way she looked at him and the look on her face when I told her that I hoped it worked out. I had lied when I said that, though. He didn''t deserve her. The problem was that she would never realize it. I had just made it back to Adam''s room and had begun to look through dresses when he came into the room.


    "You''re not going tonight," he said firmly.


    His attitude caught me off guard.


    "Why is that?" I asked, not amused.


    He said nothing, only pointed out the window at the sunset.


    At first, I couldn''t tell why the sunset was significant, but then I saw the full moon.


    Shit.

 Chapter Twenty-Six - His Thoughts-1

    Adam''s


    P.O.V.


    I could hardly keep my bloody eyes open the next morning.


    Staying in the guest bedroom while the love of my life was suffering from the pain of Heat in the next room over had a way of keeping the thought of sleep distant.


    Her stubbornness to wait until we married irritated me beyond belief, but I wasn''t going to change her mind. I''d already tried and my efforts proved unsessful. However, that didn''t stop the thought of strangling the Chandler woman for making her take that bloody vow from bing a regrly urring thought in my mind.


    At times throughout the night, I felt the pull of my wolf. It wasn''t concerned about the respect that Evelyn deserved in her decision. All it knew was that she was in pain and I was perfectly capable of stopping it. These low points in the night were the hardest. I didn''t like fighting myself. I had given into the pull of my wolf one too many times in my life and I was paying for not disciplining myself enough.


    I needed Evelyn, but I also needed to get a grip on myself.


    I had never been so close to losing myself as I had been the previous night. When she grabbed my arm and kissed my lips, I could physically feel my resolve leaving my body.


    I was proud of the mark she had left on my neck, however embarrassed she might have been by it. It meant she wanted me too, and that was satisfying enough for now.


    Covering the mark was a pain in the arse, though. I felt as though I was being strangled by the tie around my neck.


    Jace noticed how much I had tugged and pulled at the bloody thing. I only hoped no one else in the conference room did.


    I sat at the head of the table. Jace sat to my right and General Wanshan to my left.


    Alpha Superior Oghojafor was speaking and had been for the past few minutes-about the problems his pack was having with rogues.


    The only problem I could see was how long-winded he was.


    "If you ced a sanction against housing rogues on yournd, you wouldn''t have this problem," I said, interrupting him.


    His son, Nwabueze, nodded in agreement.


    "We believe that everyone should have shelter," Alpha Oghojafor protested. "I cannot force my people to turn others away."


    I shrugged indifferently. I knew Europe and Asia wouldn''t stand for the reckless abandonment of rogues that Africa did.


    "Then your problem of rogues will remain an issue until it bes their problem as well," I said pointing between Alpha Chen and Alpha Schneider.


    "Get your problem under control," Alpha Chen said, narrowing his eyes at Alpha Oghojafor.


    "Or we will control it for you," Alpha Schneider finished.


    Alpha Oghojafor leaned back in his chair, finally at a loss for words.


    I saw Jace look down at his phone that sat in the palm of his hand and I took a deep breath before kicking him under the table. He knew they weren''t allowed in the room.


    He said nothing as he handed the phone to me under the table and I looked at the screen. I couldn''t help but growl at the message disyed on the screen.


    The disrespect of these people baffled me.


    I stood up in my chair, interrupting Alpha Schneider''s statement.


    "Which one of you sent the letter?"


    Everyone went silent.


    Feeling my patience grow thin, I growled and repeated myself.


    "Who sent the letter?"


    "I''m afraid I don''t know what you are referring to," Alpha Chen said.


    I leaned forward and ced my hands on the table, looking them all in the eye.


    "Someone forged a letter with my signature on it, stating that ast-minute invitation to the g tonight was to be extended to an individual who was unnamed in the letter. It was ced by a maid-who works on the Alpha Superior''s chamber floors that you''re all staying in-into the outgoing mailbox this morning."


    I tried to register the reaction on each of their faces, but they were smart enough to remain stoic.


    "Now," I said, prompting the conversation along. "I can ask the maid whose room from whence it came and she will tell me. But, I''d like to extend the opportunity for whomever had the letter sent to confess now, before I find out for myself." The room was in dead silence and it stayed that way for a few minutes. I, however, wasn''t one to sumb to awkward silence. I would wait as long as I needed for an answer.


    "It was me," Barret Schneider spoke.


    Of all the people in the room, it was not the quiet, timid and submissive son of Alpha Schneider that I expected to speak.


    "Would you mind exining why?" I asked him.


    His father red at him and the boy gulped.


    "I met a girl when we pulled into the vige square on our way in on Sunday," he said. "I wanted to invite her to the g." "The invitation was unnamed," I said.


    "I don''t know her name, sir."


    "But somehow you believed that sending a letter out, unaddressed, it would, by some amount of sorcery, find its way to her?" I asked. Barret remained silent.


    "Well?" his father asked him.


    "She works in the postal office, sir. I knew she would receive the letter."


    My eyes narrowed at him.


    "I would like to ask that we adjourn for lunch," Alpha Schneider requested.


    "Fine," I said, not taking my eyes of the Schneider boy, who was now staring at the tabletop in shame.


    Everyone began to clear the room and I stopped Jace from walking out and following them. Once everyone had left, I turned to him.


    "Find out who the intended recipient of that letter really was," I stated firmly.


    Jace nodded.


    I knew the German boy had lied. The only post office in town was run by a widower and his three sons. There were no women working in that office.


    But, now I knew who had intended to send that letter. Barret''s pathetic excuse was one that was made up on the spot to cover the tracks of the one who had really sent it: his father.


    I couldn''t help my smile as Jace left the room.


    Europe would be mine by the end of the week, I was sure of this. Schneider had screwed up and I nned on taking full advantage of it. It was just a matter of time before I was given the go-ahead and Schneider wouldn''t know what hit him.


    I left the conference room and walked to my office. I would have much rather had eaten lunch with my Evelyn, but I had more nning to do that wouldn''t be able to wait.


    A few minutes went by before I heard Jace''s footfalls in the hallway.


    I looked up to see him enter into the office.


    "You found out who the letter was going to be sent to," I guessed.


    He shook his head and I narrowed my eyes at him.


    "Why are you here then?"


    "Liu''s been trying to get in touch with me," he said. "She found Evelyn passed out in your room this morning."


    I felt the air leave my lungs.


    "Is she alright?" I asked, standing up quickly.


    Jace nodded. "They think so. They''ve been trying to run tests all morning, but she''s not cooperating."


    "They tried to run tests without my consent?" I asked, blood boiling.


    "You restricted all ess to the offices," he reminded me. "No one could get in touch with you."


    I felt my jaw clench as I walked around Jace and began to hurry towards the hospital ward. I could hear him walking behind me, but I paid him no mind.


    Once in the ward, I looked at the nurse who was walking through the hallway. She immediately bowed at the sight of me.

 Chapter Twenty-Six - His Thoughts-2

    "Where is she?" I asked.


    My tone was firm and this clearly intimidated her. She gulped and pointed to thest room on the right at the end of the hallway.


    As I approached, I could hear Evelyn''s voice.


    "Stop! Don''t touch me!"


    I entered into the room and everyone froze, except for Evelyn, who ripped her arm from the grasp of Dr. Zusak.


    "What is going on?" I asked. My eyes narrowed in on Dr. Zusak, who began to exin.


    "She had a heatstroke, Your Highness. She''s extremely dehydrated and we need to cool her nervous system."


    "I don''t want a needle in my arm!" Evelyn protested, standing up from the bed. "I''m fine!"


    "Sit down," Imanded her.


    Her eyes widened at my tone and she sat back down on the bed reluctantly.


    "Now," I said, "You''re going to sit there and let Dr. Zusak do exactly what he needs to do to help you get better and you can start by giving him your bloody arm."


    "Damn," I heard Vega whisper under hear breath. Mrs. Chandler, who sat next to her, elbowed her in the ribs.


    I saw Evelyn''s jaw clench as she looked at me defiantly.


    Please don''t argue with me.


    I sighed in relief as she held out her arm.


    My fist clenched as I saw her flinch at the pain caused by the needle breaking through the skin.


    This is for her wellbeing, I reminded myself.


    "This will help with the dehydration," Dr. Zusak assured her. "Keep drinking the ice water and put this thermometer in your mouth. Your temperature needs toe down so keep the coldpresses under your arms and on your neck." He went over to the cab and pulled out a hospital gown.


    "When I leave, strippletely and put this on. It will help you cool down quicker," he instructed.


    She cringed as she took the gown from him.


    Dr. Zusak turned to me.


    "Can I speak with you outside for a moment?" he asked me.


    I nodded and followed him out into the hallway.


    "She cannot go through Heat again," he warned me.


    I raised an eyebrow at the boldness with which he spoke.


    "Her nervous system overheated to the point her body''s cooling mechanisms couldn''t bring the temperature down. If Ms. Wanshan had not found her when she did, there''s a good chance she could have had seizures or even slipped into aa."


    I ran my hand across my jaw in frustration.


    "Mrs. Chandler exined your unique situation to me," he continued. "I realize that is a private matter between the two of you, but as your residential physician, I am strongly advising you to not allow her to slip into Heat again. Her body will not be able to handle it and there''s no telling what could happen if she does."


    I nodded slowly.


    "I''lle back to check on her in a while, but I''ll be down the hall with Mr. Chandler if you need anything," he informed me.


    "Thank you."


    He nodded and turned to walk down the hallway.


    I groaned in frustration and punched the wall.


    Jace walked out of the room as I did so and eyed the hole I left in the concrete.


    "Send someone to fix that," I instructed him, walking into the room.


    "Can Evelyn and I have the room, please?"


    Mrs. Chandler, Vega, Liu, and the nurse cleared out quickly and I shut and locked the door behind them.


    "I''m fine," she assured me quickly.


    I fought the urge to roll my eyes.


    "Yes, I''m sure. I have passed out for the fun of it a few times myself," I said sarcastically.


    Evelyn made no effort to conceal her eyeroll.


    A few weeks ago, I would have taken her sass to mean disrespect. However, I hade to love the fact that she was not scared of me nor was she scared to let me know where she stood on a subject. She had made that abundantly clear. I walked over to her and took the hospital gown from her hands and began to untie it in the back.


    "Strip," I instructed her.


    She turned her nose up at the idea, angering me slightly.


    I pulled her off the bed by her arm and stood her in front of me. I grabbed the hem of her shirt and she pped my hand away.


    "Fine, fine! I''ll do it myself, though. Turn around."


    I handed her the gown and turned my back to her.


    I wondered briefly what her reaction would be if I turned around suddenly and I resisted the urge to chuckle. She was bashful, which I found adorable at times. However, there were other times-like when I found her stash of lingerie hidden in the bottom of her drawer-that it was maddening.


    I waited patiently for her to finish changing and I turned around only when I heard her sit down on the cot. She was folding her clothes beside her and I grabbed a cloth and ran it under the cold tap before ringing it out and cing it against her neck.


    "I apologize for not checking on you when I went into the room this morning to shower and change," I said.


    I couldn''t believe I had been so stupid to not have made sure she was okay when I entered the room that morning. After all, I had heard her whimpers and cries of pain all night. I had even stood outside her door at one point, conflicted on whether to go inside. I had chosen not to and I was regretting the decision.


    A bemused look crossed her face.


    "It''s not your fault," she said.


    "It is," I said with certainty. "I should never have let you go into Heat in the first ce. I should have married you the moment you told me you wanted to wait. I could have prevented this, and I''m sorry for not doing so." Evelyn sighed.


    "I''m not letting you take responsibility for my stubbornness," she said firmly. "It was my decision and I will deal with the consequences of it."


    My jaw clenched as I took her face in my hands and made her look at me.


    "You will not go into Heat again," I assured her.


    I saw her gulp before she looked over my shoulder at the clock hanging on the wall behind me.


    "Your lunch break is over," she informed me.


    I let go of her and sighed.


    I can''t leave her.


    "Go," she said. "I''ll be fine, I promise."


    "If anything is the matter, you send Liu to find me and I''lle straight away," I said firmly.


    She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But, I''m not staying here overnight."


    "You''ll stay here as long as you need to."


    She smirked, hearing this.


    "We''ll see about that."

 Chapter Twenty-Seven - Stubborn Shifter-1

    Adam''s P.O.V. She was right.


    I didn''t make her stay in that foul-smelling hospital room that night. It was partly for her sake, but mostly for mine. I hadn''t had a restful night''s sleep in a while, and I knew I wouldn''t sleep if she was several floors down alone by herself in a hospital cot.


    I did take precautionary measures, however. A ss of water was beside her on the bedside table if she needed it and I woke up nearly every hour to make sure her fever wasn''ting back. About the fourth time I did so, I began to get frustrated with myself.


    I had never been so concerned with anyone other than myself before. Evelyn had a way of keeping me on my toes. I found myself doing things just to please or impress her. She was slowly bing someone I looked to for affirmation, which frightened me more than I cared to express as someone who had always been self-sufficient.


    I couldn''t wait for the day that she fully stepped into her role as my Luna. I already knew she would be phenomenal at it. But, with the way things were with Europe and all the changes I knew would soon being, I couldn''t expect her to step up now. I worried what the stress would do to her, seeing as she was already overwhelmed by the disappearance of her mother and father.


    I was not so worried by their desertion, however. I hated her father and I had to fight everything inside me the day I brought her home to keep myself from ripping him to shreds. He wouldn''t be so lucky the next time I got my hands on him. It kept me awake at night to think about all the stories she had yet to tell me, all the pain he had caused her to suffer through.


    It could make my blood boil just thinking about it.


    I felt Evelyn stir next to me and she turned over toy her head against my chest. I reached my arm around her and smiled as I imagined the blush that would spread across her cheeks if she were to wake up and see what she had done.


    It amazed me the power that a woman who was nearly half my size had over me. By the feeling in my chest, I knew that was power I had lost and would never earn back from her.


    I held her in my arms for the rest of the night, finally falling asleep myself a few hourster.


    When I woke up and got up to get ready for that day''s meetings, it was harder to leave her than it had been the day before.


    I made sure the balcony doors were securely locked before leaving the bedroom quietly.


    I got to my office early that morning to look over a few things before the first meeting began.


    First, I nced over security footage from the night before. Evelyn didn''t know this, but I had cameras put on the outside of the balcony, outside of our bedroom door, and everywhere on the floor with the guest suits after the arrival of the tulips. I wasn''t going to take any chances. If anything else happened, I didn''t want to take someone''s word for it; I wanted to know about it myself.


    I looked over my schedule for the day and called in one of the guards outside my door to have him tell someone to send for Evelyn at lunch.


    I was looking over my notes for the meetings when I heard Jace''s footsteps in the hallway. I looked up just as he walked in to see a frustrated look on his face.


    "I looked into the letter," he exined. "The Post Master said that a man came in yesterday to get the letter and was apparently irate when he was told they hadn''t received a letter with your insignia on it." "Who was it?"


    He shrugged. "None of them had ever seen him before."


    "Did you get the security footage?"


    "It was conveniently broken the night before," he said sarcastically.


    I was beginning to get frustrated.


    "Well, did you get a description?"


    Jace handed me a sheet of paper with physical descriptions listed on it.


    "Post Master said he was abnormally tall, had dark hair, fair skin, high cheekbones, and not an ounce of muscle on his body," Jace said. "He was wearing a long, ck coat and a silver si ring on his index finger." That could be anyone.


    "Post Master said he didn''t recognize him?" I asked.


    Jace shook his head. "He was certain he had never seen him before."


    I ran my hand across my jaw.


    "That''s something to start with. Check with all the inns and see if anyone has checked in with that description. I also want all flight ns from the past month on my desk by lunch."


    "Flight ns?"


    "I''m assuming he didn''t walk thousands of miles through frozennds and ice."


    Jace nodded.


    "How are we doing on the search for Evelyn''s parents?" I asked him.


    He sighed.


    "As far as we can tell, they left and didn''t look back," he said. "There was something weird, we found out though..."


    I looked up at him expectantly.


    "Her mom hasn''t worked in years. Apparently, she went through some kind of extensive medical treatment for a while. No one in the town had seen her mom since then. We even talked to a few people who thought they had divorced and she''d moved away. Some even thought she had died."


    I thought about this for a moment.


    "Here''s where it gets weird," he continued. "All of her medical bills were paid in full while she was still in the hospital and they never missed payments on a single bill they owed. The thing is, I thought it was initially because her dad was awyer, but he worked for a private firm that was about to go out of business. He was barely making enough each month for their groceries and car payments."


    "So where was the moneying from?" I asked.


    "I''ve yet to trace it," he said. "But answer me this: why would a couple who was struggling financially watch their house burn down to the ground and not wait around to get the insurance im?"


    "The arson report was positive. Someone set the house on fire," I reminded him.


    "Yes," he agreed. "But, there was no one in the house. I think they set the house on fire and they''re running."


    "You think they fled?" I asked him.


    He nodded.


    "From who?"


    "Your guess is as good as mine. I''ll keep looking into it."


    He turned and left the room as I pondered over the thought.


    Evelyn had more skeletons in the closet than I initially thought.


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    When I woke up the next morning, Adam was gone and my throat was scratchy.


    I reached over and took two long gulps of water from the ss that Adam had ced on my nightstand before looking over at the clock.


    Deciding I had slept in long enough already, I got out of the bed and began to get ready for the day. Just as I slipped my socks on my feet, I heard a knock on the door.


    I would be lying if I said that I wasn''t slightly disappointed it was Liu and not Adam, despite knowing Adam wouldn''t have knocked.


    "Are you feeling up to shifting today?" She asked me.


    I sighed. "I suppose."


    Liu put her hand on my shoulder reassuringly.


    "You''ll be fine," she said.


    I shook my head.


    "Let''s just get this over with."


    I followed her down the stairs to the gym.


    It was a wide-open space with floor mats, a punching bag, a track, weight sets, and treadmills all ced strategically around the room. The thought of working out made me sick, but I was thankful there was no one else in the room with us. "There''s no blood involved right?" I asked her warily.


    I noticed her try to suppress a smile as she led me over to the mats.


    "There''s no blood."


    We got up onto the mats and she instructed me to sit.


    I cannot believe I''m about to do this.


    "Take a deep breath," she said sitting down in front of me. "Try to rx."


    "What is this? Yoga?"


    She peeked an eye open to re at me and I sighed, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.


    "Now," she said, "try to imagine yourself as a wolf. Try to picture yourself with paws and fur."


    I cringed. "That''s not a happy picture."

 Chapter Twenty-Seven - Stubborn Shifter-2

    She groaned.


    "This is ridiculous," I said exasperatedly. "I cannot believe I''m doing this. It''s so primitive! I feel like Bruce Banner about to turn into the Hulk!" She wasn''t amused.


    "Do you want to do this, or not?"


    "Fine," I muttered. "But, I don''t appreciate the sass."


    We restarted the deep breathing and rxing process again.


    As I took my second breath, I felt it.


    I felt this part of me stir. It was like I had jumped into a pool of freezing water. Whatever it was, it scared me.


    I stiffened up and gasped.


    "Ugh, you messed it up! That was it," Liu groaned.


    "That totally just freaked me out," I said, feeling like I was about to have a panic attack.


    "You''re fine," she assured me. "Now, let''s do it again, but no backing out this time."


    It took me a few moments to finally gather my bearings before I closed my eyes again.


    It came sooner that time than it had before. I felt it quicker and it was far more intense. I felt like I was on some type of psychedelic drug with the way my mind started to swirl.


    I tried my hardest to imagine my wolf, what it looked like, how soft the fur was. It was cringy at first, but then I saw a certain beauty in it.


    Suddenly I felt my shoulder pop out of ce.


    I let out a scream of pain as my hip became dislocated.


    "I can''t do this," I gasped, falling backwards on the mat.


    Liu immediately opened her eyes and grabbed my arms.


    "It''s okay! It''s going to be fine! Just give it a few more minutes."


    All I heard for the next few minutes was my screams of pain and Liu trying to calm me down.


    Tears rolled down my face as the hot pain seared through my body. It made it worse to think that my bones were popping out of ce and resetting in some construed position. I heard someone begin banging on the door.


    "Shit," Liu cursed under her breath.


    I groaned as I doubled over, feeling my jaw begin to lock up.


    "You''ve got to hurry," she said.


    If I had had the strength to open my eyes, I would have red at her. Truth be told, I tried several times to back out of it, to try and stop it. But, I had gone too far down the rabbit hole.


    I screamed as my back snapped and then the pain was gone.


    I was panting as Iid on the mat. Suddenly, I heard everything at once. I heard the air conditioning through the vents above us, the banging on the door and the shouts of the men outside it. I heard Liu''s gasp.


    I opened my eyes to see particles of dust that floated around in the air and the florescent bright lights. The sharpness of my vision made my eyes hurt.


    I closed them and began to rub out the outside of my eyelids. Only problem was: I no longer had hands. I opened my eyes to see the brown fur.


    I immediately screamed at this, but it came out as a bark, which freaked me out even more.


    "Chill out," I heard Liu say.


    I looked up at her and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror behind her and I began to stumble over towards it. Walking on four paws instead of two legs wasn''t as easy a transition as everyone made it seem.


    I had brown fur with blonde mixed in around my face. It was shaggy and it looked nothing like I had imagined it would. My legs and haunches were longer than most wolves, but my legs were longer than most girls'' my age when I wasn''t shifted. Besides that, the only semnce of myself that I saw in the mirror was my green eyes.


    "You need to shift back," I heard Liu say.


    Her panicked voice echoed in my mind for a moment before I looked over to see that the men were attempting to break through the gym door. She must have locked it behind us when we came in.


    I looked at her and hoped she could see the panic in my eyes.


    We didn''t discuss how to shift back!


    It was as if she read my mind.


    "Do the same things: take a deep breath and rx! Try to picture you as yourself!" She said.


    Iid back down on the mat, trying to do as she said.


    A few seconds of sharp pain went through my body, causing me to yelp.


    When I opened my eyes again, I immediately saw my skin and my five fingers.


    I also saw much more skin than I had before I shifted.


    My clothes had ripped during the shift and I immediately tried to cover myself as the door flew open off its hinges.


    Adam walked in with a furious expression and he immediately rushed over to me, yanking off his shirt and covering me with it.


    "I did it!" I said excitedly as he pulled my arms through the over-sized holes of the dress shirt.


    "I can see that," he muttered.


    He turned to Jace who came in behind him and to the other men who had been trying to break down the door beforehand.


    "Get out," he said firmly.


    The all turned and left quickly. Liu stood up as well.


    "I''ll discuss this with youter," he said, ring at her.


    She nodded and left the room in a hurry.


    Adam turned back to me and I smiled.


    "I did it! I shifted!"


    "You said that already," he said pulling me to my feet.


    I felt my knees buckle under and his arm wrapped around me for support.


    "You''re going to be sore for the rest of the day and tomorrow," he warned.


    I noticed the angry expression on his face and frowned.


    "Why are you mad? I thought you would have been happy that I shifted."


    Adam sighed.


    "I am happy for you," he said. "But you didn''t tell anyone. All of a sudden, I have two men running into my office on my lunch break telling me that their Luna is in the gym screaming and the bloody door is locked and no one can get in." "I could have been doing sprints on the treadmill," I said.


    Adam''s face told me he wasn''t amused. He nced over my body.


    "Does everything feel okay? Did everything go back into its ce?" He asked me.


    "My bones are fine," I said.


    In fact, I had never felt better.


    I felt like I was breathing new air. I felt powerful.


    That wolf was mine.


    "Why did you not think to pack a change of bloody clothes?" He said, eyeing the shreds of fabric that had once been my leggings, socks, and sweater.


    "Er, it didn''t ur to me," I said honestly. "But has it ever urred to you that you say ''bloody'' a lot when you get mad?"


    Adam rolled his eyes.


    "Has it ever urred to you that you''re stubborn and you don''t think through anything?" He asked me.


    I winked.


    "You love that about me."

 Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Princess and The Plan-1

    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    It was thest night of the Centennial.


    Adam was right when he told me I would be sore from shifting. Iid in bed for the rest of the day, barely able to move.


    But I was determined to be at the g that night. I had missed the night beforest because of Heat and I had missed the previous night because Dr. Zusak didn''t discharge me from the hospital ward untilter in the evening. However, I wasn''t going to miss that night for the world.


    I had saved the most beautiful gown forst and I smiled when I pulled it out of the dust cover that evening as I began to get ready.


    It was a crimson red ballgown with an off-the-shoulder neckline and a corseted waist adorned with beadedce appliqu¨¦s.


    I put on red lipstick to match and pulled my hair back in a low, loose bun before I stood in front of the mirror. I admit that I twirled around a few times. I felt like a princess.


    Judging by the look on Adam''s face as he walked through the bedroom door, I looked like one too.


    "Woah."


    I smiled.


    "Isn''t it gorgeous?" I asked, giving him a twirl.


    He nodded slowly.


    "I was actually going to suggest you stay here and rest tonight, but I''m not so sure that''s a good idea now," Adam saidughing. "I''ve rested plenty," I said, waving him off.


    Adam showered quickly and changed into his tux.


    Just as I put the diamond earrings he had gotten me into my ears, Adam came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I blushed as he nted a kiss on my neck.


    "What do you think would make this lookplete?" Adam asked me.


    I frowned as I looked in the mirror.


    It doesn''t need anything. Does he not think I look pretty enough?


    He smiled as he walked over to his bedside table and pulled out a box that was about the size of a book.


    "How about a matching ne?" He asked, opening the box to reveal a breathtaking diamond ne.


    I gasped as my hand flew up to my mouth.


    The way that the diamonds sparkled in the setting sunlight that flooded through the windows made my heart palpatate.


    "You''ve got to stop buying me diamonds," I said, leaning in to look at it further.


    "It''s just practice for the finale," Adam said as he grabbed my left hand and kissed the knuckle of my ring finger.


    As if I wasn''t about to faint before...


    I took a deep breath as he pulled the ne from the velvet box and ced it around my neck. I put my hand up to my neck to gingerly touch the ne as he sped it in the back. "I don''t want to wear it," I said, turning around to face him. "What if I break it?"


    Heughed. "Then I''ll get you another one."


    I took one more look at myself in the mirror-barely recognizing the girl that stood there before Adam took my hand in his and led me out of the bedroom.


    We were almost to the ballroom when we turned down the long hallway that would lead us there. An idea struck me as I realized that the hallway was deserted except for the two of us. I pulled my hand from Adam''s as I lifted the skirt of my dress and pulled off my heels and held them in one hand.


    "What are you doing?" He asked me as I handed him the shoes.


    "Hold those," I said excitedly, not offering any exnation.


    I wished I had a picture of his face as I took off running down the hallway.


    I was nearly out of breath as I reached the entrance to the ballroom and waited for Adam to make his way down the hallway behind me.


    "What the bloody hell was that all about?" Adam asked me as he approached.


    He handed me my heels and offered his arm to steady me as I put them back on.


    "I''ve wanted to run down a castle hallway in a huge, beautiful dress since I was five and I saw Cindere for the first time," I exined.


    He gave me a bewildered look, but I saw the hint of amusement and admiration in his eyes as he did.


    "Well, I''m d I''m making dreamse true," he said,ughing.


    "More than just the one," I added, wrapping my arm around his.


    Adam gave me a wink as we walked into the ballroom.


    Immediately, heads turned.


    I held my head high, taking advantage of my new-found confidence, as Adam and I walked inside and he began to talk with a few people.


    I saw Vega, Liu, and Tyler all standing together as I looked around and I let go of Adam''s arm and began to walk over to them.


    "Holy shit," Tyler said, as he saw me approaching.


    Liu turned to look at me and her jaw dropped.


    "Yes, queen! Work!" Vega shouted, pping her hands.


    I put my hand over my mouth, trying not tough. I knew my blush was probably as red as my dress.


    "Is that real?" Tyler asked, leaning in to look at my ne.


    "Woah," Liu gasped, noticing it as well.


    "That is definitely a step up from senior year prom," Vega said, gesturing to the dress.


    I cringed at the thought of the cheap, blue rayon dress I wore to prom.


    "Anything would be a step up from senior year prom," I said, grimacing.


    "Seriously though, you look hot as hell," Tyler said, taking a sip of his champagne.


    Immediately, Liu and Vega shot him a re. I turned around to see if Adam had heard him, but Adam was still talking to someone with his back turned to me.


    I turned back around and saw Liu punch him in the arm.


    "Do you have a death wish?" Vega asked him incredulously.


    He cringed. "No."


    "He would have literally ended your life," Liu said, pointing at Adam.


    "No, he wouldn''t have," I saidughing.


    Liu took a sip of her champagne and shrugged.


    "Yes, he would have," Vega reiterated.


    "So," I said to Vega, "have you talked to Nwabuezetely?"


    She blushed and raised her champagne flute to her lips.


    "You have!" I guessed excitedly.


    Vega took a sip of champagne and smiled.


    "We''ve talked a few times," she said,ughing. "And?"


    She shrugged.


    "He''s sweet," she said.


    "That''s it?" Liu asked, irritated. "He''s sweet?"


    Vega groaned. "He''s nice, okay? I just don''t see it working out."


    "You''ve only talked to him a few times," I reminded her. "Give him a chance. In fact, why don''t you go ask him to dance?"


    We all turned to see Nwabueze talking to a few people from his own pack.


    "You should go!" Liu said, prompting her.


    Vega looked at her.


    "If I go ask him to dance, you have to go ask Jace," she bargained.


    My eyes widened.


    "What?" Liu asked her, nearly choking over her champagne.


    Vega nodded.


    "I see the way you look at him. I''ll dance with Nwabueze if you ask Jace to dance."


    I swear I heard crickets chirp off in the distance. Even Tyler coughed awkwardly.


    "Fine," Liu said, narrowing her eyes at Vega.


    Vega looked proud of herself as she left the huddle and walked over to Nwabueze.

 Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Princess and The Plan-2

    "You don''t have to," I said, catching Liu''s arm as she went off to find Jace.


    "I kind of want to," she said, giving me a small smile.


    I let go of her and watched her walk over to him. This is a bad idea.


    I had to admit: the girl had confidence. She walked right over and interrupted him as he stood there talking to Beta Chen and Diedrick Schneider. Liu stood on her tiptoes and said something into his ear. I saw Jace bend down slightly to hear what she was asking him before he nodded and handed his drink off to a waiter. Then, the two of them walked together over to where everyone was dancing, including a beaming Vega and a smiling Nwabueze. "Shall we?"


    I looked over andughed as I saw Tyler holding out his hand.


    Nodding, I took his hand and he led me out to dance.


    It took us a few minutes to adjust, seeing as I had only danced with men that were much taller than me up until that point and Tyler was only as tall as I was.


    I heard someone clear their throat and we stopped dancing to see Adam standing there.


    "My turn," he said to Tyler.


    Tyler didn''t dare protest as he handed me off to Adam.


    I smiled up at Adam as he slid his arm around my waist and I ced my hand on his shoulder.


    "Your timing is impable," I whispered. "I was on track to step on his toes for the thousandth time."


    Adamughed at this.


    "First he calls you ''hot as hell'' and then he asks you to dance? The kid has nerve," Adam said.


    My eyes widened.


    "You heard that?" I asked him.


    He nodded. "I hear lots of things."


    "Like what?"


    He was silent for a few moments, only staring into my eyes as we continued to dance.


    "I hear Barret Schneider slipping silverware into his pockets. I hear Alpha Chen speaking to his son in Mandarin, telling him they are leaving right after their meetings tomorrow. I hear Nwabueze asking Vega what she likes to do in her free time and I hear Jace asking Liu to stay the night."


    My eyes widened as I looked over to the pair as they danced and saw Liu nod.


    "I don''t get it!" I said, stomping my heel. I narrowly missing Adam''s foot by a few inches. "Why does she keep running back to him? He treats her like dirt..."


    Adam sighed as he looked over to the two of them.


    "Jace doesn''t know how to treat a woman," Adam said, "It''s one of the reasons I don''t trust him. But, they''re mates. They''ll continue to try and work things out, no matter how skewed it may be, because they love each other." "You think he loves her?" I asked him.


    "Yes."


    I shook my head.


    "I just don''t understand how you can love someone and treat them so poorly. I would never let you treat me like he treats her."


    Adam''s face grew very serious.


    "You would never let me treat you like that, but you let your father."


    I gulped.


    "Everyone looks for affirmation," Adam said. "Often we try to find it in the people we think love us. All she wants is for her mate to love her, the same way all you wanted was for your father to ept you." I shook my head. "It''s not the same."


    "Maybe not to you," he said. "But Jace and your father? That''s how they feel powerful. They feed off of fear because they think it equals authority. Jace will continue to treat her like a dog as long as doing so makes him feel in control." "It''s not fair," I said.


    "No, it''s life."


    When Adam and I returned to the room that night, I didn''t bother changing out of the dress before I copsed on the bed.


    Heid down next to me in his tux and I sighed.


    "You''re not what I expected," I said suddenly.


    "What do you mean?"


    I propped myself up on my elbow and I turned to look at him.


    "Before I met you, I thought Alphas were old, white-haired men who couldn''t let the glory days die."


    Adamughed.


    "Well, I don''t have white hair yet."


    "I''m serious," I said. "I didn''t even think the Alpha-Beta pack mentality even existed anymore. How do you make it look so effortless? You never seem stressed and you neverin about the fact that you''re literally in charge of three continents full of people."


    Adam smiled.


    "I signed up for it," he exined. "There''s no sense inining about something you signed up for."


    "How can you be so selfless?" I asked him. "You never tell me your problems, you only want to help me fix mine. Are all Alphas like that?"


    "For the most part," he said.


    I shook my head as I sat up.


    "That''s so unfair for you guys, though. Don''t you want someone to fix your problems too?"


    "I fix my own problems."


    I rolled my eyes and made him sit up to look at me.


    "Tell me your problems," I said.


    Adamughed.


    "I''m serious!"


    "That''s what''s so funny," he said.


    "Tell me," I reiterated.


    He took a deep breath, still smiling, and sighed.


    "Alpha Schneider is giving me problems with Europe," he said finally.


    "You don''t think you''ll be able to overtake him?"


    "No, I do," he said. "It''s just taking longer than I thought."


    "You''ve still got one more day," I said, trying to encourage him.


    "I''ll get them tomorrow," he assured me. "Don''t worry."


    After that, Adam told me about a letter that Alpha Schneider had tried to send and he told me about a man with a silver si ring that tried to pick it up, not knowing it had been intercepted. "And you think the letter is going to help you?" I asked him.


    "If we can find out who he tried to send it to. But, if that doesn''t work, I''ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve."


    We stayed up for most of the night after that, talking. There was even some making out at one point.


    When I woke up the next morning, Adam was gone to his final meetings. The sound of the phone ringing prompted me awake and I rolled over to grab the phone off the nightstand. "Hello?"


    "Alpha Superior Deveraux would like to see you in his office," the woman''s high-pitched voice spoke.


    "Thank you," I said, hanging up.


    That woman''s voice could wake someone up quicker than coffee could.


    I got out of bed and changed. ncing at the clock, I noticed I had slept until lunch and I knew that Adam was calling so I could eat with him.


    I went downstairs and began to make my way to his office.


    I began to hear yelling the closer I got and I quickened my pace.


    "How could you do this to your own flesh and blood?! I will never forgive you!"


    My eyes widened as I heard Alpha Schneider''s shouting.


    I walked around the corner and saw him being forcibly removed from Adam''s office by the guards, still bellowing out insults.


    I went into Adam''s office and saw him shaking hands with Diedrick.


    I knew I looked confused as I looked between the two of them.


    "Guten Morgen, mein Fr?ulein," Adam said to me, winking.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Pack your bags, darling. We''re going to Germany."

 Chapter Twenty-Nine - Birthday Wishes-1

    I couldn''t believe it.


    It had been three days since Adam made the announcement that he was officially the Alpha Superior of Europe, making me the Luna Superior of Europe.


    The Centennial had ended. Everyone had gone home-including the Germans, who left sulking. Diedrick had stayed behind, which I wasn''t surprised by seeing as he had just been practically disowned by his father for his assistance in Adam''s ploy for control.


    Nearly half a week had passed and I was still baffled by the scheme. I didn''t understand how Adam had sessfully taken over Europe without so much as lifting a finger.


    "It''s all in the tactic, darling," he said as he packed his suitcase.


    "But I don''t understand," I said. "How on earth did you get him to just give you an entire continent?"


    "I didn''t," he said. "Diedrick did."


    "But how?"


    Adam stopped packing and looked up from his suitcase at me.


    "I offered Diedrick a position as Beta under the condition that he could get his father to sign the papers and he epted."


    "But you already have a Beta," I reminded him.


    "I''m going to have two."


    Adam wasn''t making any sense and the look on my face made him aware I was confused.


    "Listen," he said, "Diedrick wasn''t given the Beta position in his father''s pack. Traditionally, fathers will give their sons their Beta position and allow them to rule under them until they are old enough to rule as Alpha themselves. Nwabueze and Zhao are perfect examples of this. However, Diedrick''s father didn''t do this and allowed the man who has always been his Beta to continue to stay in power. That''s how I got Diedrick on board, I offered him something his father had neglected to give him."


    "And his father was okay with that?"


    Adam shook his head,ughing.


    "No, Alpha Schneider had no idea. That''s why Diedrick was able to pull it out from under him so easily."


    "How did he do it?" I asked incredulously.


    Adam shrugged.


    "I''m not sure, and quite frankly I don''t care. He managed to get his father''s signature on the property and pack transferal documents as well as their pack''s seal of approval and that''s all it took for the council of the other Alpha Superiors to notarize the decision."


    "But if he was deceived, is it really valid?" I asked.


    Adam sighed.


    "I have signed documentation. For all those other Alphas know, it is valid."


    "You don''t think they''re wondering why he was carried out of your office kicking and screaming?" I asked, crossing my arms.


    "I said they knew it was valid, not voluntary."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "It doesn''t sound very legit to me. What are you going to do if we get to Germany and he decides not to give you thend or his people?"


    "Then I''ve got two other Alpha Superiors on my side to make him give them to me. Stop worrying about it," he said, chuckling.


    I shrugged.


    "I think it''s a bit shady and I don''t like it."


    "I didn''t say you had to," he said folding a shirt and putting it into the bag.


    I attempted to zip my suitcase and huffed in frustration when I couldn''t get it to close the whole way.


    "We''re only going to be there for four days," Adam reminded me. "Maybe if you took some of those clothes out of the suitcase, you could zip the bloody thing."


    "No, I need everything that''s in here," I said, putting pressure on the top.


    "You need two pairs of pajamas?" He asked pointedly.


    I nodded, trying not to break the zipper as I pulled it around.


    "You sleep in my t-shirt every night and you think that being in Germany will change that?"


    "You never know," I said.


    "You could sleep naked for all I care, love. Here, give that to me."


    I sighed and pushed the suitcase over to him.


    Adam pressed the top of the suitcase down and pulled the zipper around effortlessly.


    "Not fair," I muttered as he pushed it back to me.


    Heughed.


    "Ready to go?"


    I nodded, pulling my suitcase off the bed and rolling it across the carpet.


    "Let''s do this."


    I said goodbye to Vega and Mrs. Chandler as we left. The twins'' birthday party had been the night before and went off without a hitch thanks to Liu''s pristine party nning skills. They had been down in their room since the party ying a video game Adam had surprised them with for their birthday.


    Mrs. Chandler assured me she would tell Mr. Chandler I said goodbye as I hugged Vega. Nwabueze had given her his phone number before he left, so she had been just as upied as the twins. Ma and Victoria met us in the foyer while we waited for the car.


    She looked all too happy to be sending me away and Ma wouldn''t stop congratting Adam on Europe, even though it was the hundredth time he had done so since the announcement. "Have fun," she said to me.


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "Thanks?"


    I saw Diedrick walking down the hallway and my eyes widened.


    "Why is heing?" I whispered to Adam.


    "Do you have a problem with that?" He asked me.


    I shook my head.


    There was just something weird about him that I didn''t know how to feel about.


    It was ufortably quiet on the way to the airport and while we loaded onto Adam''s ne.


    The two of them began to talk about their ns for Europe and I checked out of the conversation, uninterested.


    I put in headphones andid my head against the seat as the ne took off.


    The trip to Germany took almost nine hours, and I was going crazy near the end of it. The cabin of the ne was much too small for me to enjoy listening to Adam and Diedrick talk politics.


    By the time we had reached the Schneider''s private airport in Bisingen, I could have kissed the ground and screamed, "Land!"


    Needless to say, I was already dreading the trip back to the castle.


    We drove through a dense forest for nearly an hour before I saw our destination through a clearing in the trees.


    I gasped as I leaned forward, across Adam, to stare out the window at the beautiful, but monstrous castle that sat perched on a hill.


    "Is that your house?" I asked Diedrick incredulously.


    "Not anymore," he repliedughing.


    We drove through a tunnel that led us underneath the castle and we pulled out onto a driveway that went straight up to arge set of doors. I got out quickly, staring at the castle in awe. "Like it?" Adam asked.


    I nodded. "It puts Disney to shame."


    Heughed and handed off our luggage to two butlers who hade out of the castle to help us.


    Diedrick said something to them in German and Adam did as well.


    "I didn''t know you spoke German," I said to him.


    He winked at me as he took my hand and we walked up the steps to the front door.


    I continued to look around like a tourist in a museum as we followed the butlers to our rooms.


    Diedrick excused himself and left us as he went off to do his own bidding.


    "Are you not worried that his dad won''t try to kill him in his sleep or something?" I asked Adam. He shook his head in response.

 Chapter Twenty-Nine - Birthday Wishes-2

    "No, he can take care of himself. Besides, Alpha Schneider doesn''t stay here. Only Barret and Diedrick do."


    I nodded as we continued the long walk up several staircases and through numerous hallways until we finally reached doors that led into arge suite. The butlers left our luggage at the entrance of the room and left us.


    The suite itself was gorgeous.


    It opened up to arge bedroom and a lounge area. Nearly everything that wasn''t blue silk or velvet was encrusted with gold or silver.


    It was unlike anything I''d ever seen.


    "I could get used to this," I sighed, throwing myself down on the couch.


    Adam hummed in response.


    "Are you hungry?" He asked me.


    "Starving," I replied.


    He found a phone and called for something to be brought up to eat.


    After dinner, the sun began to set and Adam and I watched it from where we sat on the couch.


    "We''ve got three more hours," he said, ncing at his watch.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Until what?"


    He smiled.


    "Until your birthday."


    My eyes widened.


    In the craziness of everything, I hadpletely forgotten about my birthday.


    "How did you know?" I asked him.


    "You told me the day after I met you," he saidughing. "Also, your friend Vega reminded me two days ago."


    I rolled my eyes as heughed.


    "I''m going to be old like you soon enough," I joked.


    He smiled.


    "Looking forward to it."


    I slept soundly next to Adam that night and was disappointed to wake and find him gone the next morning.


    I found a note on the side table that read: Feel free to explore. I''ll see you for dinner.


    I was slightly annoyed that I wouldn''t see him for most of the day, but I was excited that I got to walk around and explore the castle.


    I soon found that the castle was deserted, however. I ran into some maids and a few butlers, but that was it. There was not nearly as much life in this castle as there was in Adam''s. It was almost creepy.


    Another thing that creeped me out was the feeling that I was being watched. I walked all over the castle, looking at paintings, tapestries, and the various chandeliers and ballrooms, but it didn''t matter where I went; the feeling was still there. I couldn''t shake it.


    It was because of this that I went back to the room earlier than I wanted to. At least I knew there that no one was watching me.


    I took this time to myself to take a long bath and rx. I found various bath salts and serums that I added to the water, which made it even more enjoyable.


    As I rxed, the thought urred to me that Adam hadn''t given me a birthday present. In fact, he had not said anything else about my birthday since the night before.


    It wasn''t that I expected him to get me something. But, I also hadn''t expected him to just leave mepletely alone on my birthday.


    I had just gotten out of the bath and was changing when he came back into the room.


    "Ready for dinner?" He asked me, kissing my cheek.


    "Yes, and some sort of social interaction," I joked. "There''s no one in this castle. It was almost creepy."


    I didn''t tell him about the feeling of being watched that I had.


    "Sorry about that," he apologized, "I really had to go over some things with Diedrick today so we could settle a few matters."


    "It''s okay," I said brushing it off.


    I pulled out ck satin cocktail dress that I had packed andid it across the bed.


    "I like that dress," Adam said, seeing this.


    I smiled and changed into it as Adam went to shower.


    I noticed him change into a ck suit before we left which I thought was odd. But I thought nothing more about it as I clipped my diamond earrings into my ears and Adam and I left the room for dinner. We reached therge dinning room that was dimly lit by candles that lined the table.


    Our dinner had already been prepared andid out for us when we sat down.


    "Is Diedrick not joining us?" I asked.


    Adam shook his head.


    "No, he said he had a few things to do this evening, but he did say to tell you happy birthday, though."


    I smiled at this.


    Adam and I ate as we talked about his ns for Europe.


    He intended for Diedrick to remain in Germany so they could keep things under control without distance being a hindrance, which I found to be wise.


    I was still unsure about the whole Europe situation.


    After we finished, dessert was brought out by two servants. It was two slices of chocte cake, mine with a candle in it.


    Iughed as I blew it out, silently wishing for my mother toe out of hiding.


    It had been hard not spending my birthday with her. It almost didn''t feel like my birthday.


    We stayed in the dining room for a long while after we finished, still talking about everything under the moon.


    I noticed Adam yawn.


    "I''m sleepy myself," I said. "I think we should call it a night."


    "I agree," he said, standing.


    I noticed our dessert tes were still on the table and hadn''t been collected by the servants after we had finished as our dinner tes had been.


    "I''m going to take these into the kitchen," I said gathering them in one hand.


    Adam almost said something, but his cell phone rang in his pocket.


    He looked down at the screen and hesitated.


    "I really need to take this," he said. "I''ll meet you back up at the room?"


    I nodded, walking through the double doors into the kitchen.


    It was dark in there which really made me feel uneasy.


    Had the chef and servants just disappeared?


    The feeling of someone watching me returned and I all but threw the tes into the soapy sink water and ran out of the kitchen.


    Adam was gone when I returned to the dining room, irritating me.


    Why has he left me alone so much? I get he has things to do, but it''s my birthday... and this ce gives me the creeps.


    I began to walk back to the room, still thinking on it.


    I reached the suite and opened the door.


    My jaw dropped.


    Rose petals scattered across the floor and candles were lit everywhere.


    I began to feel my heart palpitate in my chest as I walked in and closed the door behind me.


    I took my heels off, looking around, and I began to walk slowly into the bedroom.


    I gasped as I walked in.


    Adam was on one knee, a velvet box in one hand and a smile on his face.


    Oh my God...

 Chapter Thirty - Do it Yourself

    I felt like I was going to pass out.


    My hands were shaking as I put them up to cover my mouth in shock.


    "Evelyn Schubert, mate of mine and love of my life, I know it hasn''t been one hundred days yet, but I''m an impatient man."


    Iughed as I felt tears welling up in my eyes.


    "Would you do me the honor of marrying me and bing my wife and Luna?"


    "Yes!"


    I had said it before Adam could even finish asking.


    I ran over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck as he sighed in relief and hugged me back. Adam kissed my lips with such passion that my mind went nk and he was the only thing I could focus on. He pulled away slowly, leaving his forehead to rest against mine as I caught my breath.


    "We''re forgetting something," he said smiling.


    I looked down at his hands where he was still holding the velvet ring box.


    Cushioned inside was a diamond ring that put them all to shame.


    It was a huge, pear cut diamond that was at least three carats. A halo of smaller diamonds surrounded it and covered the band.


    It was exactly what I wanted.


    "How did you know?!" I asked him.


    "Vega might have helped me design it," he saidughing.


    How did I not find out? Vega was a terrible secret keeper... I couldn''t believe she had been able to to hide it from me.


    "It''s gorgeous," I gasped.


    Adam pulled it from the box and took my left hand in his. He slid the ring on my finger carefully and kissed my hand.


    I look at the ring in awe. The way the candles made the diamond sparkle took my breath away.


    I jumped up into Adam''s arms excitedly.


    "I can''t believe we''re getting married," I said, cupping his face with my hands.


    He smiled.


    "When?"


    "Preferably before the next full moon," I muttered.


    His facial expression grew very serious.


    "It will be, because you''re not going into Heat again."


    The certainty with which he said it made me gulp.


    Adam carried me over to the bed and sat me down on the edge. He took my shoes from my hand and put them on the ground. Adam removed his coat and began to unbutton his shirt.


    Once it had been unbuttoned, he leaned forward and, cing his hands on either side of my thighs, kissed me gently on the lips.


    He leaned into the kiss and nearly pushed me back onto the bed.


    I had begun to slide my hands down his chest and trace his abdomen with my fingers when he pulled away.


    "If we start, we won''t be able to stop again," he said backing away.


    I bit my lip and nodded in agreement.


    "Don''t look at me like that."


    "Like what?" I asked.


    "Like you don''t want me to stop."


    I sighed.


    "I don''t," I said honestly.


    He groaned and rushed back over to kiss me again. Adam''s hands gripped my face as his tongue slid between my parted lips.


    I slid my arms around his waist as he pushed me back onto the bed. He broke the kiss for a moment to pull his shirt off, but his lips found mine again as his arms slipped around me and began to unzip my dress. He pulled away briefly to pull the dress over my head. I saw his eyes grow dark as he noticed my matching ck bra and panties.


    "You don''t make this easy," he muttered, stooping back down to kiss me again.


    His lips trailed from my lips to my neck as his hand slid up my thigh, his fingers sliding under the waistband of my underwear.


    Adam''s teeth nipped gently at the skin on my neck as my hand tangled itself in his hair, the other hand gripping his bicep.


    I nearly screamed when someone called Adam''s name from outside the bedroom door. I sat up quickly, harshly drawn out of my lustful trance.


    "I''m going to kill whomever is standing outside that bloody door," Adam growled.


    "That''s a bit extreme," Imented, seeing how serious he was.


    "I told Diedrick I was proposing tonight," he said angrily as he climbed off of me.


    "That probably means it''s an emergency."


    Wordlessly, he left the bedroom and went out into the suite to open the door.


    I couldn''t hear whatever he said when he opened the door, but I did hear it m closed.


    Adam walked back into the room with a bouquet of white lilies.


    "Congrattions to the happy couple," he said sarcastically.


    "You didn''t kill the person who delivered them, did you?" I asked, seeing the expression of rage on his face.


    "I came close," he said honestly.


    He handed me the flowers and I looked at them warily.


    "What is it?" He asked.


    I shook my head.


    "White lilies are sent as a flower of sympathy or condolences," I said.


    I knew this because of all the flower cataloging I had done in preparation of the Centennial.


    "I''m going to kill that bastard," he said, balling his fists.


    "They''re just flowers," Iughed, cing them on the side table.


    "Besides," I added, "you seem to have outdone him."


    I gestured to all the roses and rose petals scattered around the room.


    Heughed and I swore I saw some semnce of a blush on his cheeks.


    "I had someonee up while we were at dinner."


    I smiled, getting off the bed and walking over to him. I slid my arms around his torso and lifted myself onto my tippy toes.


    "I love it," I whispered before leaning in to kiss him.


    Adam''s hand reached up to touch my face as he kissed me back gently.


    I pulled away and smiled.


    "I''m going to shower."


    "Is that an invitation?" He asked, grabbing my hand.


    Iughed. "No."


    "C''mon," he said, kissing my hand. "Let me shower with you."


    "That would get us both in trouble."


    Adam smirked.


    "I''ll take all the me, love."


    "I''m sure you would be happy to," Iughed. "But, I''d like to give my self control a break for the rest of the night."


    He shook his head and let go of my hand as I went into the bathroom and closed the door behind me.


    I leaned against the door and took a deep breath, cing my hand over my chest to feel my heart racing.


    I looked down at my hand to see the diamond on my finger and smiled.


    I''m getting married.


    Unknown P.O.V.


    "I tried!"


    The man grabbed a vase that perched near him on the mantel and threw it at Ludwig Schneider, whom it narrowly missed as he ducked at thest moment.


    "You didn''t try hard enough!"


    The man''s eyes were filled with rage. It took everything inside of him not to kill the former Alpha Superior.


    "I''m sorry!" Ludwig Schneider said. "The letter was not supposed to be intercepted. I''m not sure how they found it."


    This was a lie.


    He knew giving it to the maid to deliver was a mistake.


    Originally, he had meant for Barret to leave the castle and deliver the forged invitation himself, however Alpha Superior Deveraux had restricted all ess to and from the castle during the week they were there. Barret would never have been able to leave, so he had to improvise.


    "That was my chance," the man growled. "Because of you and your ipetence, it is gone."


    Ludwig Schneider gulped, suddenly fearing for his life.


    "But you have other contacts inside the castle. Can''t you still find another way?"


    The mannded a punch to Ludwig Schneider''s face.


    "You are of no more use to me. You''ve lost your title and all of my respect."


    The man straightened his jacket and sighed as Ludwig Schneider groaned in pain.


    "I suppose if you want something done, you have to do it yourself."

 Chapter Thirty-One - Bloody Knuckles and Broken Bones-1

    The next two days went by slowly.


    This was in part because I spent them locked away in our bedroom, much too wary of leaving and going anywhere else in the castle. I couldn''t shake the feeling of someone watching when I stepped out of the room. I didn''t tell Adam this, but how could I?


    Our time spent together was precious and sweet. My paranoia would have ruined this. Adam already saw me as over-anxious and informing him that I had an eerie feeling about the castle without any proof of something going on wouldn''t help this.


    I had brought a few books from Xavier''s library that I read during that time.


    Often, I would be turning a page in one of the books and catch a glimpse of my ring and be unable of focusing on anything else for a while.


    However, something Adam said when he proposed was on rey in my mind: "I know it hasn''t been one hundred days yet..."


    One part of me couldn''t stop thinking about how fast everything was moving.


    Two months previous to that, if someone had asked me what I thought about a couple getting engaged after knowing each other for a year, I would have said they were crazy.


    I had barely known Adam for a month-not to mention, I hated him for the first week and now we were engaged.


    Was I rushing it?


    I knew we were mates... this was destined to happen. But, I couldn''t help the thought.


    However, the other part of me would''ve gotten married to him the next day. Forget the dress, the reception, and the preacher... I would''ve eloped in a courthouse if he had asked me to.


    I wanted him so badly.


    The thought of finally consummating my rtionship with him made my heart palpitate. We hade so close many times, but each time we neared the threshold, I would hear my fourteen-year-old self making a promise to remain a virgin until my wedding night.


    When Adam came into the room on our final night in Germany, I had every intention to talk to him about it.


    However, when he walked into the room angry, all thoughts of this disappeared.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked him, putting my book down.


    He took a deep breath and took off his jacket.


    "Diedrick''s being a pain in my ass," he growled. "Why?"


    He sat down next to me on the couch and grabbed my leg to pull me closer to him. cing my feet in hisp, he sighed.


    "He doesn''t want to stay here like I had originally nned for him to. He wants toe back to Canada, to stay there."


    "What''s wrong with that?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.


    I noticed Adam''s jaw clench as I waited for his response, although one never came.


    "You can tell me," I prodded.


    He turned to look at me.


    "I don''t want any man you find attractive, who also finds you attractive, living in my house."


    My face paled.


    I pulled my feet from hisp and crossed them as I sat up straighter.


    "What are you implying?" I asked him. "That I would cheat on you?"


    He began to speak but I interrupted him.


    "I think Jace and Tyler are handsome... are you going to kick them out too?"


    Again I spoke over him as he tried to answer me.


    "Just because I think Diedrick is handsome, doesn''t mean I would leave the man I love for him."


    I gulped as I realized what I had said. Noticing Adam''s eyes widen, I got up from the couch and began to walk away in embarrassment.


    "Evelyn!" Adam said, standing up as well. "Would you please let me exin?"


    I turned to look at him, crossing my arms across my chest.


    "I love you too," he said, "and it''s not you I don''t trust, it''s him. He''s already tried to make a move on you. He continually asks about you, day after day, as if he doesn''t think I''ll catch on. What do you think would happen after he moves into the castle? Do you honestly think it would all stop?"


    I took a shaky breath.


    "Do what you think is best," I said. "But, you need to realize that, despite your possessiveness, he is an effective leader and he knows how to do this job well. Keeping him here would hinder so much more than it''s worth."


    "You want him toe back with us, don''t you?" He asked me with eyes full of sadness.


    I shook my head.


    "I want what is best for this pack and leaving him here would not be the best thing for this pack," I said firmly.


    Adam ran his hand along his jaw in frustration.


    I began to walk over to him slowly and, when I reached him, ced my hands on his chest and gently urged him to sit down on the couch. I sat down on hisp, straddling him, and I took his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. "You''ve got to believe me when I say that I will never wee that mans advances towards me, nor will I ever think he could give me half of what you do," I said earnestly.


    I saw Adam''s face soften.


    "It''s not you I don''t trust," he repeated.


    I sighed, leaning down to rest my head on his chest.


    He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. With my ear pressed against his chest, I listened to the rhythmic sound of Adam''s heart beating.


    We remained like that for a few moments before I sat up and kissed his lips gently. When I pulled away, I saw the longing in his eyes and I smiled.


    I stood up and Adam took my left hand in both of his and kissed it.


    It was then that I realized I had done nothing worth while in my entire life to deserve the man sitting in front of me.


    He deserved a woman who could affirm him physically, a role I looked forward to filling the night of our wedding, but one I wished I could''ve filled then.


    I couldn''t wait to be Luna, to show him I was strong enough to lead alongside him.


    Adam was more of a man than anyone I had ever met, Diedrick included. He was smart and I needed to trust him.


    "If you think Diedrick needs to stay here, then make him," I said. "You''re the Alpha. It''s your call, he doesn''t get to make that decision."


    Adam smiled and stood up in front of me, his arms wrapping around my waist.


    "He has toe back with us at least for a week to finish meeting with my cab and other officials. But believe me, if he stays a minute longer than he has to, I''ll kick his ass across the ocean myself if that''s what it take for him to leave." I smiled as he leaned down to kiss me.


    A knock sounded at the door and I giggled at the frustrated look that immediately swept across Adam''s face.


    I pulled his arms away from me and turned to answer the door.


    My eyes widened as I opened it to see Diedrick standing there.


    "Um, hi," I said awkwardly.


    He nodded politely.


    "I came to see if you would join me for dinner," he said, looking at me. "Adam as well, of course," he added.


    I gulped as I turned and saw Adam''s jaw clench.


    "I think we''ll just have dinner brought up here, thanks," I said.


    "I insist. It''s yourst night in Germany," Diedrick said. "Besides, we''ve yet to celebrate your engagement."


    The way he was only looking at me, not once ncing at Adam, affirmed everything that Adam had told me.


    "We got your sympathy flowers," Adam said, walking up behind me.


    Diedrickughed awkwardly.


    "I didn''t send flowers," he said.


    My fake smile fell and I felt Adam go stiff behind me.


    "Wait, you didn''t?" I asked him.


    He shook his head.


    The realization that he most likely wasn''t lying and hadn''t been the one to send the flowers made my stomach drop. "So..." Diedrick said. "Shall we eat?"


    I turned to look at Adam and saw him ring at Diedrick.


    "We''ll take our dinner here," he said firmly.


    Diedrick shrugged, not affected by Adam''s harsh tone.


    "Suit yourself," he said.


    He turned his attention to me.


    "Have a lovely evening."

 Chapter Thirty-One - Bloody Knuckles and Broken Bones-2

    Adam reached behind me and shut the door. When I turned to look at him, I caught a glimpse of the fleeting look of rage on his face. "Like I said, it''s not you I don''t trust."


    I sighed and walked around Adam.


    "I''m starving," I said, changing subjects. "Do you think we could go ahead and eat?"


    He nodded and called for dinner to be brought up.


    After eating, we both showered andid together in bed.


    I traced the outline of the muscles on his bare back with my index finger as I told him about Liu and Jace as well as Vega and Nwabueze.


    He didn''t seem in the slightest bit interested to hear about anyone else''s romantic exploits, butid there listening regardless.


    I found him dozing off and I tried not tough as I continued to trace circles lightly around his shoulders as he fell asleep.


    Soon after, I became sleepy myself and fell asleep with my arm still resting on his back.


    Waking up with a dagger pointed at your throat is just as terrifying as one would think.


    When I felt the cold metal pressed against my neck, my eyes immediately opened to see the glint of the dagger in the moonlight.


    I froze, unsure of what to do.


    My eyes adjusted quickly and I was able to make out the person whose hand was holding the weapon.


    Barret Schneider.


    My eyes widened as he slowly put one a finger over his lips as a gesture for me not to speak.


    I felt my heart began to beat quickly and I tried my hardest to control my rapid breathing.


    At some point in the night, Adam and I had ended up changing positions; Adam was now behind me, one arm around my waist, the other under my pillow.


    I gulped as Barret reached out and pulled back the covers slowly, gesturing for me to get up.


    With the dagger still lingering dangerously near my throat, I had no choice but to slowly remove Adam''s arm from around my waist.


    His strong grip made this near impossible, but I managed to slide out from under his arm and get off the bed slowly.


    I prayed silently for him to wake up, but his breathing was still a heavy, peaceful rhythm.


    As soon as my feet touched the floor, Barret grabbed my arm and pulled me into him violently.


    I gasped and immediately regretted it as he pressed the dagger into my skin. It wasn''t enough to draw blood, but I knew if I made any sudden moves he wouldn''t hesitate to press it further. "What do you want?" I whispered, as he began to push me backwards out of the bedroom.


    I briefly nced over to Adam, who was still unmoving in the bed.


    Wake up! I internally screamed at him. Please!


    Barret saw this and turned me around so he could face me and keep an eye on Adam as well.


    "My father killed himself this morning," he hissed.


    I stiffened as he pressed the dagger into my throat further in anger. I was scared to even gulp.


    "I''m sorry," I whispered, trying to sound sincere.


    "I was supposed to be Alpha one day. Europe was going to be mine. Now my father is dead, mynd is gone, and my only brother has betrayed me for a title," he spat angrily.


    I could see the tears welling up in his eyes as he spoke.


    "That man," he said quietly, gesturing towards Adam, "took everything from me."


    My heart began to race faster as I realized where this was leading.


    "I''ve been watching you," he admitted, giving me his attention. "I''ve wanted to do this since you got here, even before my father died. I was going to today when I received news of his death, but you never left the room." So someone had been watching me...


    I felt my hands begin to shake as I took in a huge gulp of air after realizing I was holding my breath.


    "But then I realized something," he continued, "I wanted him to see you. I realized that I wanted thest memory he has of you to be a bloody one that he''ll never forget."


    I felt my stomach squeeze at the thought and I had to make myself concentrate so I didn''t throw up.


    I could barely stand on my own to feet as the nausea hit me.


    "He took everything from me," he said, gritting his teeth as a tear fell from one eye. "Now, I''m going to make him watch as I take everything from him."


    I nearly screamed as Barret kicked over a vase of roses that sat on the coffee table. I knew the sound of the ss shattering would wake Adam, which was exactly what Barret wanted.


    I screamed as he grabbed me violently and pulled me into his chest.


    He turned around to face Adam.


    We both froze as we noticed at the empty bed.


    Barret''s hand was shaking as he pressed the dagger against my neck.


    I drew in a sharp breath and got up on my tiptoes to try and alleviate some of the pressure.


    "I''ll kill her before you can get to me," Barret warned, twisting my arm behind my back.


    I winced as I looked around and tried to find where Adam had gone.


    I held my breath as the room became enveloped in silence.


    A few seconds went by that felt like eternity and Barret began to count down.


    "Three."


    I gulped. My hands were shaking.


    "Two."


    The blood drained from my face. I struggled to catch my breath.


    "One," Adam finished.


    I recognized his voice as I heard it behind us.


    Barret barely had time to scream before Adam got ahold of him.


    Hearing a sickening crack and feeling Barret''s arms go limp, I hurled myself away from him onto the floor, the dagger ttering against the ground as well.


    I turned around to see Barret sink to his knees and fall to the ground.


    Adam stood over him holding Barret''s spine in his hand as Barret fell on his face, dead.


    Blood soaked Adam''s hand and forearm as he dropped the collection of vertebrae and nerves onto the ground.


    I nearly vomited at the grotesque sight.


    The air returned to my lungs suddenly and I found myself doubled over on my hands and knees as I gasped for air.


    My body was shaking violently as I began to sob, tears dripping from my eyes onto the carpet.


    I felt Adam pick me up off the ground.


    I could barely hear him asking me if I was hurt over the ringing in my ears. All I could do was cry.


    My body was limp in his arms as he wrapped them around me and carried me into the bathroom and turned the light on.


    Adam sat me down on the countertop as I tried to catch my breath in between sobs. He brushed my hair away from my neck as he inspected it to make sure I hadn''t been cut. He briefly nced over the rest of my body before pulling me into his chest and sighing in relief.


    I pushed him away as I smelt the foul, coppery stench of Barret''s blood.


    I fell from the counter and crouched in front of the toilet, throwing up as I realized I was covered in it as well.


    Adam held my hair back and tried tofort me as I emptied my stomach.


    A few minutes went by and I could still taste the bile in my throat, but was unable to throw up any longer.


    He pulled me from the ground and sat me down on the floor of the shower, turning on the water.


    I flinched as I felt the cold water against my skin, but was relieved when I realized it had begun to rinse away the blood.


    I took off Adam''s stained t-shirt and stood up to grab the soap.


    Adam stepped into the stream of water and scrubbed at his arms and chest to wash away Barret''s blood.


    After the blood had finally been washed off us both, I sat back down on the ground.


    Adam sat down next to me as I nced at my hands and saw they were still shaking.


    He reached his arm around me and pulled me into him, letting me rest my head against his chest.


    The water turned hot, but neither of us moved.


    I knew that in the bedroom outside of the bathroom where we sat was a disfigured, lifeless body. Barret was dead and, if it weren''t for Adam, I would have been too.

 Chapter Thirty-Two - The Monster That Loves Me-1

    I refused to leave the bathroom.


    I heard Adam call someone to ask for the body to be disposed of and then I heard the mene and go, no questions asked.


    The smell of bleach soon filled my nostrils and Adam reappeared in the threshold of the bathroom door.


    "You cane out now," he said.


    I shook my head, pulling my knees up to my chest and resting my chin on top.


    "You need to rest."


    "You think I can go back to sleep after that?" I asked incredulously.


    It was the first time I had spoken in a few hours, my voice was scratchy.


    Adam sighed and walked over to where I sat on the lid of the toilet. He extended his hand to me and I gingerly reached up to hold it.


    "Come on," he said, pulling me out of the bathroom.


    I stood up and pulled my robe together tighter as I followed him into the bedroom. Immediately my eyes nced over to where Barret had been lying on the floor and I saw no trace of him.


    I then looked down to Adam''s hand, which was still holding mine, realizing that was the hand that had ripped Barret''s spine from his body.


    It urred to me all over again that Adam had killed a man to protect me.


    If that wasn''t love, I wasn''t sure what was.


    I let go of his hand, causing him to turn and look at me.


    Wrapping my arms around his waist, I held onto him tightly. I hugged him like I was scared of letting go, like I was holding on to life itself.


    Adam took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around me, his hands moving up and down my back soothingly.


    "Thank you," I whispered.


    He put his hands on my face and made me look up at him.


    "I promised you that I would do anything to protect you, didn''t I?," he asked giving me a tight-lipped smile.


    "It couldn''t have been easy, though," I said to him.


    His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.


    "Killing someone," I exined.


    I searched his eyes for a sign of remorse and, when I couldn''t find one, I was reminded of who I was mated to. This man was an Alpha Superior. He was the Lycanthrope equivalent of a king. He had conquered nations. I was a na?ve fool if I thought for one second Barret was the first man he had ever killed and I knew he wouldn''t be thest.


    Adam had a certain darkness in his blue eyes that made me wonder how many people he''d killed, but his smile... oh, his smile made me realize he had probably lost count.


    "The only thing I regret is that you saw me do it," he said honestly.


    I sighed, chills erupting across my body at the thought.


    I brought my hand up to rest on his hand that was still pressed against my cheek, wondering how the soft touch I felt belonged to hands that had done unspeakable things.


    Adam''s P.O.V.


    I was angrier at myself in that moment than I had ever been in my life.


    I couldn''t believe I had let her watch me do that, no matter how much the bastard deserved it.


    I didn''t regret it, and I knew she could see that. I would have done it all over again twenty times if it had meant protecting her. But, I saw the way she looked at me as I held her.


    I was something that would make her afraid of the dark, thest thing I wanted was for her to realize that.


    I had gotten carried away the night before. I had let my wolf take control instead of killing him quickly and the added theatrics were only going to hurt me now.


    Wanting desperately to exin myself and to make sure that I had not scarred her for life, I got up the nerve to ask. However, before I could mutter a syble, I heard someone open the bedroom door.


    I turned quickly, pushing Evelyn behind me, both out of a protective instinct and because she was naked under a loosely tied bathrobe.


    Seeing Diedrick, I felt my blood begin to boil.


    "The door was shut for a reason."


    He didn''t look remorseful in the least and his eyes quickly found Evelyn as she peered out from behind my shoulder.


    "I heard what happened," he said. "I wanted to apologize."


    "Unless you sent him to do it, there''s nothing to apologize for," I said, crossing my arms.


    "Is everyone alright?" He asked, he was speaking to her specifically.


    "I''m fine," I heard her say softly.


    But she wasn''t fine. I knew there were many long nights of bad dreams and sleepless hours ahead of us because I had lost all sense of humanity for a moment and decided to rip the German boy''s spine from his body instead of simply snapping his neck.


    "I''m d to hear it," he said to her, sighing.


    Diedrick turned to me for the first time since entering the room and I saw him transition from a caring and concerned man to a calcted and cold Beta.


    "You have a call waiting for you in my office, if you would like to take it."


    My jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth would shatter.


    He wanted me to leave the two of them alone in the room together.


    "You can tell whomever it is that I''ll call them back once we have left," I said.


    "It''s Beta Superior Eaton," he said slowly. "There are developments that you need to be made aware of. He asked that I tell you it was important."


    I narrowed my eyes at his persistence.


    "And you didn''t think to transfer a call of importance directly to my room?" I asked.


    I saw him falter and I felt myself smirk.


    "I''ll have it transferred immediately. Additionally, I wanted to tell you that our car will be here to take us to the ne in two hours," he added.


    I nodded as he turned to leave. It wasn''t until I heard the door shut that I felt the tension in my shoulders ease.


    I turned to look at Evelyn, who met my gaze.


    "I think he knows you don''t like him," she said.


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "Do you honestly think I give a damn?"


    I saw an amused gleam in her eye before she shook her head and walked around me to retrieve her suitcase.


    The phone rang on the other side of the room and I walked over to answer it.


    "Yes?"


    "It''s me," I heard Jace say. "I just thought you would want to know that I found Victoria snooping around in your office early this morning."


    I closed my eyes and pinched my nose in frustration.


    That woman was going to be the death of me.


    "Why was she in there?" I asked him.


    "I''m not sure," he said. "It was just after three in the morning so I''m sure she was up to no good. I nearly gave her a heart attack when I stormed into the room to see why the light was on." "And you don''t know what she was looking for?" I asked.


    "No," he said. "She shoved whatever she was reading deep into your desk drawer when I walked in. After she left, I tried to sort through it all, but I couldn''t find exactly what she had been reading." "What file was it?"


    I heard him sigh.


    "Jace?"


    "It was the open file you had on the former Alpha Superior of Europe."


    I punched the wall hearing this, causing Evelyn to jump in surprise.


    "Why would she be looking at that?" I asked him.


    "News traveled fast about the death of Alpha Schneider," he said. "I''m sure she probably thinks you had him killed."


    The line went silent as I shook my head, trying to process it all.


    "You didn''t have him killed, did you?" Jace asked.


    "No, I just found out about it early this morning," I said. "But, whoever did was a bloody genius."


    I heard Jaceugh.

 Chapter Thirty-Two - The Monster That Loves Me-2

    "The man has had a bounty on his head for the past few hundred years by everyone who knows someone in Europe. It was bound to happen eventually," he said.


    "Keep me updated," I told him. "We''re leaving in a few hours, so if you need anything else, call the ne''s phone."


    "Will do."


    I hung up the phone and sighed.


    Victoria was up to something, and I needed to find out what.


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    Adam was in deep thought for the rest of the day as we packed up and left Germany.


    I wasn''t sure what news he had received, but I knew it had frustrated him.


    Diedrick had decided to stay in Germany for a few days to make funeral arrangements for both his father and his brother. Normally, I would have been sympathetic considering what loss like that usually meant for someone, but Diedrick didn''t seem to care they were both dead. To him, life was a game and they had made the wrong move and lost. To him, they weren''t family; they werepetitors that were no longer a problem.


    Theck of emotion that purebloods seemed to operate with concerned me. Adam was the only one whom I found to be even somewhat emotional-even then it was fervent and sensual, not sadness, sorrow, or even joy. Both Jace and Diedrick were both robots that were ruthless, even towards family, in achieving power and status.


    Because Diedrick had decided to stay-whether it was out of pity or duty, I wasn''t sure-Adam and I had the ne to ourselves. This delighted me as I had not been looking forward to hours of nothing but awkward tension between the two of them.


    I sat down in the seat next to Adam as he looked through some papers that he brought with him. We had been on the ne for a little over five hours, however I found it hard to rx or concentrate knowing something was bothering him. "So, what did Jace need to tell you this morning?" I asked him.


    Adam looked over to me and then back down at his papers.


    "It was nothing. He just wanted to fill me in on some things that had happened while we were gone."


    I raised an eyebrow at the fib. While I knew this was probably halfway true, I got the feeling he wasn''t telling me the whole truth.


    "What did he say?" I asked, prodding further.


    He sighed as though the question irritated him.


    "Victoria''s being a pain in the ass," he said finally.


    "What did she do this time?" I asked, sitting up in the chair straighter.


    He shook his head.


    "Just... Victoria stuff."


    I waited for further details and he sighed.


    "Jace caught her snooping through my desktest night."


    My eyes widened.


    "That''s a little shady," I said.


    He nodded in agreement, returning his focus to the papers in his hand.


    I sighed after sitting there for a few minutes watching him study the file in his hand.


    "Don''t you get tired of working all the time?" I asked him.


    Adam smiled.


    "Is that your way of subtly asking me to put the papers down and pay more attention to you?" He asked me.


    "Yes," I answered honestly.


    Heughed as he folded the file and put it on the seat in front of him.


    "Come here," he said, holding his arms out.


    I bit my lip and smiled as I stood up from my seat and sat down across hisp. He wrapped his arms around me and sighed as Iid my head against his chest.


    "Is that better?" He asked me.


    I hummed happily in response.


    We sat contently like that for a few moments. Laying my head against his chest and listening to the rhythmic beat of his heart was quickly bing one of my favorite things to do.


    He spoke up after a few minutes of silence.


    "Did I scare youst night?" He asked me.


    I could hear the apprehensive tone in his voice and it urred to me that he didn''t want to hear my answer.


    I thought about it for a few moments before I answered him honestly.


    "No."


    When I got no response from him, I looked up to see him staring down at me warily.


    "I think you''re lying," he said, sighing.


    I sat up and put my hand on his chest.


    "I''m not," I assured him.


    When he didn''t say anything else, I continued to speak.


    "You saved my life," I said earnestly. "You shouldn''t feel guilty-"


    "-I don''t," Adam said firmly. "I don''t feel guilty for killing him and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. He threatened you so I killed him. It''s just..."


    I stared at him intently as I waited for him to finish and saw him gulp before he looked away from me.


    "I never wanted you to see that side of me," he said.


    "Seeing your dark side doesn''t scare me nearly as much as realizing you''re good at hiding it," I said earnestly.


    I felt his body stiffen as he heard this.


    "You bring it out in me," he said softly.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "The things I think about doing to your father when I get my hands on him scare even me," he said. "In truth, you make me feel things like I had never known they existed. I have stood for hundreds of years and have not faltered; but, the day I met you I felt my legs shake."


    I gulped.


    "How do I stop?" I asked him.


    I saw Adam smile and shake his head.


    "That''s the point, love," he said. "I don''t think you can."


    He put a finger under my chin and lifted it so he could look deep into my eyes.


    "But don''t get me wrong, I''mpletely under your power and happy to be here."


    With these thoughts on my mind, he pulled me back down against his chest and held me tight.


    I wanted desperately to tell Adam he wasn''t the monster he thought he was.


    In my life, I had learned that monsters weren''t the ones under your bed and they weren''t the ones who made you scared of the dark. Monsters were the people who imed to love you but didn''t.


    It was because of this that I knew Adam wasn''t the monster he thought he was.


    --


    When we arrived back at the castle, we were immediately met at the door by Jace.


    "You''ll want to see this," he said, gesturing for Adam to follow him.


    Adam gave me an unsure look before he and I began to follow Jace inside the castle. He led us down into the hospital ward and I felt my heart drop.


    Did something happen to Mr. Chandler while we were gone?


    My question was answered as I walked into his room and saw him lying on the cot, asleep.


    "What happened?" I asked Jace, not seeing anything visibly wrong with him.


    Jace walked around me and threw back the covers off of Mr. Chandler, who remained in a deep sleep.


    "The nurse noticed it yesterday as she was helping Mrs. Chandler wash him," he said, pulling up the hosipital gown to expose Mr. Chandler''s thigh.


    I gasped when I saw the gash that was oozing with infection.


    "What happened?" I asked him.


    Jace''s eyes narrowed on me before Adam spoke up.


    "He was bitten."

 Chapter Thirty-Three - Past Your Bedtime-1

    "Bitten?"


    I saw Jace and Adam exchange a wary look between them.


    "We can''t talk about it here," Adam said to me in a low voice.


    My eyebrows furrowed and I almost said something in response to his vagueness. However, Mrs. Chandler entered the room and Adam shook his head, warning me not to say anything else about it. Her face lit up when she saw me and she walked over to give me a big hug.


    "Look at you!" She said, holding up my left hand to inspect my engagement ring. "You''re getting married!"


    I tried to smile sincerely as she seemed genuinely happy about the news-but I couldn''t forget about Mr. Chandler no matter how hard I tried.


    "Happyte birthday as well, Evie! How was Germany?" She asked.


    Adam cleared his throat awkwardly.


    I gathered from this ambiguous gesture that it probably wasn''t a good idea to tell her about narrowly avoiding my throat being slit.


    "It was great!" I lied, giving her a fake smile.


    She didn''t seem to catch on and simply smiled and turned to Adam.


    "You did good," she said, referencing the ring.


    "Thank you," He said smiling.


    Adam was a lot better at faking it than I was.


    "I''m d you''re back safely," she said sighing.


    Mrs. Chandler turned and walked over to Mr. Chandler''s bedside and sat down next to him, taking his hand in hers.


    Almost immediately after she had done so, the door opened once again and Dr. Zosak walked in, apanied by a nurse in ck scrubs. Dr. Zosak acknowledged Adam, Jace and myself with a nod and a smile before turning to Mrs. Chandler. "Is he still sleeping?" He asked.


    She nodded, running her hand soothingly along Mr. Chandler''s arm.


    "That''s good," He said as he was handed a clipboard by the nurse.


    "We''re going to give him some antibiotics to make sure the wound doesn''t infect further," Dr. Zosak assured her. "I''m also going to give him something for the pain. It will keep him asleep, but he''ll be resting, which is good."


    She nodded and turned her attention to the nurse who was injecting a vial of something into Mr. Chandlers I.V.


    "We''ll leave you to it," Adam said to Dr. Zosak. "I want a copy of your report on my desk in two hours."


    Dr. Zosak nodded and turned to aid the nurse who was checking Mr. Chandler''s vitals.


    I took onest look at Mr. Chandler and the wound on his leg before Adam had grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room.


    "I want to know how long that bite''s been on his leg, how it got there, and who put it there," Adam said to Jace as we left the hospital ward.


    "What is going on?" I asked.


    "I''ll tell youter," he assured me. "Not here."


    I was so impatient. I felt so out of the loop and I was concerned for Mr. Chandler. I could see Adam and Jace were concerned about something which made me even more worried.


    Adam led me to his bedroom as the butlers finished bringing in our luggage.


    I couldn''t imagine what lugging my sixty-pound suitcase up all those stairs was like, but I hoped Adam was paying those poor men well enough topensate for the back issues they were certain to have after doing so. As they left the room, Adam closed the door behind them.


    "Can you tell me now?" I asked him.


    "Get some sleep, you''re probably jetgged."


    I groaned.


    Despite how incredibly exhausted I was, I knew I wouldn''t be able to fall asleep. Not after finding out about Mr. Chandler.


    "What is going on? Why won''t you tell me what happened to him? He''s my best friend''s father, I''m allowed to be concerned," I said.


    I could tell Adam was conflicted.


    "Please," I said, sighing.


    Adam sat down on the couch, exhaling deeply, and I sat down next to him.


    "There''s things that we don''t tell people," he said. "Things that if people knew about, they''d be scared of their own shadow."


    I cocked an eyebrow at this.


    "What are you talking about?"


    He looked at me warily before sighing again.


    "How much do you know about Vampires?"


    "Well, they''re extinct now and, ording to some people, they sparkled in the sunlight," I saidughing nervously.


    My smile fell as Adam stared at me darkly.


    "Oh my God," I whispered.


    Adam''s jaw clenched as he turned to stare at the wall in front of him.


    "You think a Vampire bit Mr. Chandler?" I asked.


    I took his silence as a yes.


    "But that''s impossible," I said quickly. "I mean... they''re extinct. They have been for hundreds of years."


    "No," Adam said shaking his head. "They haven''t been."


    I looked at him in gaping horror.


    "How long have you known?! How long have they been back?"


    "They never went extinct," he said. "We wiped them out centuries ago, but apparently not enough to kill them all."


    "But why don''t we hear of any attacks?" I asked him. "I mean, they''re surviving off of someone''s blood and we don''t hear about it..."


    "They don''t bite through the skin anymore," he said. "They cut people or stab them and they drink their blood as ites out."


    I cringed at the thought.


    "It''s how they''ve adapted. It''s also why they''re so hard to find. They don''t leave a trace anymore," he exined. "The mistake that this one made was actually biting into Mr. Chandler''s flesh once the wound had been opened. That''s how Jace and I knew."


    I gulped.


    "But if a vampire got to Mr. Chandler..."


    "That means they''re either close to where you were living, or they''ve managed to get into this castle."


    I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest.


    "What are you going to do?" I asked him.

 Chapter Thirty-Three - Past Your Bedtime-2

    "Nothing for now," he said. "We need to make sure it was truly a Vampire bite before we make anymore implications. Remember that they found Mr. Chandler in the woods. It could have very well been an animal." "With two fangs?" I asked him.


    He shrugged.


    "I''m almost certain of it, but I need to make sure. If they''re attacking Lycanthropes now, this could mean they''re getting bolder which will cause more problems in the future."


    I gulped and looked down to see my hands shaking.


    "Once we find out how long the bite has been on his leg, we can determine whether we need to up the security measures around here. Until then, I want you to be careful, okay?" I nodded.


    Adam put his hand on my shoulder and sighed.


    "Look at me."


    I looked up at him and I saw his eyes full of concern.


    "Don''t worry," he said. "I''ll take care of it. I promise you''re safe here."


    I studied his face for a moment before shaking my head.


    "It isn''t me that I''m worried about."


    Since we arrived back from Germany during the middle of the week, Adam wasn''t fortunate enough to get a day to recuperate and had to immediately jump back into his Alpha duties.


    I, on the other hand, slept for hours after he left to go down to his office, despite the eerie feeling that had settled in my stomach since Adam had informed me about the continuing existence of Vampires.


    It was all so unusual. One would think that being a werewolf myself the existence of another para-human being wouldn''t have struck me so odd. But it did.


    It made it hard to close my eyes when I thought about possibility of one of them being in the castle.


    But that was the only exnation.


    How could they have missed the bite for two whole weeks?


    Mr. Chandler had to have been bitten since arriving at the castle.


    After waking up from dreams filled with visions of fangs and blood, I noticed the sun had set and realized I had slept well into the night.


    I rolled over and looked at the clock.


    9:47 p.m.


    I groaned and sat up.


    It was dark in the room, immediately making me uneasy.


    I turned on the lights and became further unsettled when I realized Adam had not yet returned to the room.


    My stomach growled and I decided to leave the room to go and get something to eat.


    I ventured down the stairs into the dark, shadowy castle hallways and anxiously listened to hear even the slightest sound of someone else that may have been awake as well.


    I went into the kitchen and, after turning the lights on, grabbed a bowl of assorted fruit to eat. Pouring a ss of water, I sat down at the counter to enjoy myte-night snack. Sticking my fork into a slice of pineapple, I took a bite of it.


    Suddenly, burly arms wrapped around my waist and I let out an ear-piercing scream.


    My mouth was immediately covered and I fought to pull myself away from the strong grip.


    I turned around after escaping, ready to stab whoever was standing behind me with a fork that was still impaled into a chunk of pineapple.


    I groaned as I realized it was only Adam.


    I threw the fork at him and heughed, swatting it away.


    "You can''t tell me that there are possibly blood-sucking creatures roaming around this castle and then sneak up on me like that!" I hissed.


    "And you shouldn''t be walking around the castlete at night by yourself knowing there''s a possibility of blood-sucking creatures roaming about," he countered. Touch¨¦.


    I huffed and reached across the counter to grab my half-eaten fruit bowl, picking a blueberry out and eating it.


    "Why are you still in your office sote anyways?" I asked him.


    Adam walked around me to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.


    "Just catching up on some work," he exined. "I''m afraid I do have some bad news, however..."


    I tried to read his expression to determine just how bad the news was, but failed.


    "What is it?" I asked warily.


    Please don''t tell me someone else was bitten or that Mr. Chandler is going to die...


    "I have to go away for a few days."


    My eyes widened.


    That was almost just as bad.


    "What? Why?" I asked.


    He took a gulp of the water and reached out to grab a strawberry from the bowl in my hands.


    "Jace and I are going back to Utah. He thinks he''s found a good lead on your father."


    "Take me with you," I said, almost immediately.


    Adam shook his head.


    "It''s not safe," he said.


    My jaw dropped in disbelief.


    "It''s safer than staying here in this fang face-infested castle."


    "You don''t know that there are Vampires here," he said.


    "You don''t know that there aren''t," I countered.


    "Nheless," Adam said sighing, "it''s safer for you here. There are people that can help if something goes wrong and there are people that can prevent things from going wrong in the first ce." "But I would be going with you," I argued. "Aren''t you capable of keeping me safe?"


    "More than capable," he assured me. "But I can''t watch out for you well enough where we''re going. I need to be able to focus and find your father."


    "You think he has something to do with it..." I said.


    Adam nodded slowly.


    "It''s all an odd tangle of coincidences. I have too many things on my te and if I can find him, it''s one less thing I need to worry about."


    "Let me go with you. I know him better than you and Jace. I can help."


    "No," Adam said firmly. "It''s much too dangerous and I can''t risk it."

 Chapter Thirty-Three - Past Your Bedtime-3

    I rolled my eyes and mmed the bowl of fruit on the table, pissed off.


    "I''m not a child," I reminded him. "I can take care of myself."


    "We can have this conversation again when you''ve gotten used to shifting and you arefortable with your wolf. Right now that part of you isn''t strong enough."


    Adam''s tone was one of finality and I knew I wasn''t going to change his mind.


    He also made a good point that my wolf wasn''t very strong. If something did go wrong, I was better off staying in my human form than I was shifting. I would only be hurting myself if I tried to continue to act tough. "When are you leaving?" I asked, hoping for time to be able to train.


    "The day after tomorrow," he said.


    I groaned.


    That isn''t enough time.


    "Stay here," he said again. "Start nning the wedding, go try on dresses, make sure the Chandlers are okay. You''ve got plenty to do while I''m gone."


    I knew I had a lot to do. But, looking back on it, I was much more anxious about being away from Adam than I was mad about staying in the castle.


    When he did end up leaving a dayter, I nearly cried at the thought of sleeping alone for a few days. I didn''t want him to go.


    "Don''t leave me here, alone," I pleaded as he finished packing the SUV with his bags.


    "You''ll be alright," he assured me, walking over to kiss me on the forehead.


    I gave him a tight hug before he and Jace got into the car.


    "I love you," Adam said winking.


    "I love you, too," I sighed, watching him shut the car door.


    They drove away and I went back inside the castle where it was warm.


    I was met in the foyer by Victoria.


    "Can I help you?" I asked, my mood foul after saying goodbye to Adam.


    "I thought you might want to go for a dress fitting," she said.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "A wedding dress fitting," she rified.


    I nodded.


    I had known what she meant when she said it the first time. I was only confused as to why she was asking.


    "I happen to know a woman in town who is a brilliant seamstress that would absolutely love to make your wedding dress," she said.


    "Okay..." I said slowly.


    "Lovely," Victoria said. "I took the liberty of calling her earlier, so she''s already inside waiting on you." My eyes widened.


    It didn''t feel right, but I followed her inside nheless.


    After all this time, why would she be helping me now? I thought as I followed Victoria up the stairs.


    She took me into a room that I had never been in before.


    It was a ratherrge room with floor-to-ceiling windows lining one wall and arge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. In one corner was a divider that you could change behind and in the other was a small, raised tform that was surrounded on three sides by tall mirrors.


    An older woman was standing in front of a rack of dresses and bowed when we entered the room.


    "Your Majesty," she greeted me.


    "You can call me Evelyn," I said, extending my arm to shake her hand.


    She shook my hand.


    "My name is Laura," she said. "The Countess told me that you wanted some options for your wedding dress, so I''ve brought a few with me today."


    I looked over to Victoria, who was smiling to herself smugly.


    I rolled my eyes.


    She just wanted to make sure I didn''t get a dress she thought would be ugly.


    Laura showed me the rack of dresses she brought. All of them were beautiful beyond belief, but none of them struck me as the dress.


    "What if I wanted to design it?" I asked her.


    Laura nodded eagerly.


    "We could do that. What do you have in mind?"


    I exined to her what I wanted and she nodded, sketching it out on a small notepad she had.


    "Like this?"


    I nodded excitedly. It was exactly what I wanted.


    She turned and looked at the dresses behind us and pulled one down.


    This one had the corset I wanted, but the bottom was too straight for my liking.


    "Try this on," she said, "and I''ll get some tulle and fabric to pin onto it so we can determine how thick you would like the skirt to be."


    I took the dress from her and went behind the divider to change.


    I put on the dress and walked out where Laura instructed me to stand on the tform in front of the mirrors.


    I did so and she began to pin theyers of tulle around my waist.


    She stood back and tapped her chin in thought.


    "I have some material I think you would like down in the trunk I brought, but it''s in my car," Laura said. "Hold on for one moment while I go get it."


    I almost offered to have someone go and get it for her, but she was out of the door quickly.


    "I''m going to go and get some tea, darling," Victoria said, sighing. "Would you like anything?"


    "No, thank you," I said.


    I was still wary of her sudden mood change towards me.


    She shrugged as if to say ''suit yourself'' and left the room.


    I turned back to the mirror and began to fluff the make-shift skirt around my waist. I ran my hands down the beaded corset, imagining what the dress would look like when it was finished. A pin fell out of the skirt and I leaned down to pick it up.


    When I stood up, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw Diedrick standing behind me in the mirror''s reflection.


    I turned around quickly.


    "What are you doing here?"

 Chapter Thirty-Four - Fittings, Flirting and Fury-1

    Diedrick smiled.


    "I''m d you''re happy to see me."


    I''m not.


    "I thought you would be gone for a few days," I said gulping.


    He waved his hand dismissively as he strolled closer to where I stood.


    "My father and brother have beenid at rest, so I came back. There was no time to waste mourning."


    I took a shallow breath.


    "I''m sure Adam would have wanted you to tell him," I said. "He and Jace have just left for Utah."


    Diedrick nodded.


    "Yes, so I heard."


    His eyes narrowed in on my hands.


    "You''re bleeding," hemented, walking over to where I stood.


    I looked down to see that I had indeed been stuck by the pin in my hand, probably in fright after Diedrick scared me. I huffed and held my hand away from my body to ensure I didn''t get any blood on the white dress.


    Diedrick carefully took my hand in his and led me off of the tform. He instructed me to sit down on the high-back chair and I did so, warily.


    He kneeled in front of me and took a handkerchief out of his pocket. Diedrick began to dab at the small drops of blood with the handkerchief, all the while I tried not to roll my eyes at the dramatic exaggeration. It was only a little blood. "Keep some pressure on it," he said, putting my other hand over the wound.


    I nodded and held my palm tightly. I saw Diedrick eye the ring on my left hand as I did so.


    "Lovely diamond," hemented, leaning in to inspect it closer.


    I felt my heart begin to race.


    "Thank you."


    My shallow breathing was an indication as to how it made me feel to have him so close to me. It felt wrong. I kept waiting for Adam to appear at the door, but he never did.


    Diedrick came close to saying something but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat at the doorway.


    I looked up to see Liu and sighed in relief.


    "Am I interrupting?" She asked, ncing between Diedrick and myself.


    My eyes widened as I shook my head fervently.


    She must''ve seen the panicked look in my eyes, because she stepped into the room and eyed Diedrick warily.


    "I need to speak with her, if you don''t mind," she said to him.


    He stood up and brushed off his knee, nodding curtly at her as he left the room.


    "What was that all about?" She asked as soon as he was gone.


    I groaned. "He won''t leave me alone."


    "When did he get back?" She asked. "I didn''t think he was going to be back in the castle for a few more days."


    "Just now," I replied. "I don''t think Adam knew he wasing back today either, otherwise I have a feeling he wouldn''t have left."


    "Do you think he fancies you?"


    "Adam seems to think so, and I''m inclined to believe him," I answered.


    Liu spotted the diamond ring on my finger and gasped.


    "Oh my God, It''s gorgeous!" She said. "Jace told me Adam was going to propose, but I wondered what the ring would look like. This is so much better than anything I imagined." I huffed.


    "Who else did he tell? It seems like everyone knew but me," I said.


    Liuughed.


    "That''s how it''s supposed to be."


    She looked around the room and then back at me.


    "You''re trying on wedding dresses I see," she said, gesturing to the make-shift skirt.


    I nodded and stood up.


    As I did so, Laura returned to the room with a trunk in her hands. She was gasping for air as she ced the trunk on the ground.


    "I apologize," she said, wiping sweat from her forehead with her arm. "I haven''t walked up that many stairs in my entire life."


    "It''s no problem," I said. "It took me forever to get used to it myself."


    "I''m still not used to it," Liuughed.


    Laura leaned down and pulled out a few bolts of fabric. On one spool was satin; on the other, tulle; and onece. All of them were pure white. "Alright," she said. "Come over here so we can start measuring."


    I walked over to stand in front of the mirrors as Laura began to pull off samples of the assortments of fabric to see which looked better.


    We stayed in the room for a few hours as we put the finishing touches on the design and picked out fabrics and textures for the dress.


    Liu never left my side, for which I was grateful. I didn''t want Diedrick to take her leaving as an opportunity toe back inside the room.


    As soon as we finished, I changed back into my clothes and Laura told me that she would keep me updated on the dress'' progress and would call me if she needed anything else. "I should have it done by the end of the month," she assured me.


    My eyes widened.


    "That''s a little soon," I said. "Are you sure you don''t need more time?"


    She waved her hand dismissively.


    "I''ve dropped all my clients for the next few weeks to focus on this dress. It''s an honor to serve my Alpha and Luna Superior."


    "For what you''re charging, you can afford to drop your clients for the month," Liu muttered so only I could hear her.


    Iughed nervously and reached out to shake Laura''s hand, hoping she had not heard Liu''s snarkyment.


    "I''ll have someonee and fetch this trunk for you," I assured her. "Thank you foring today. I''m looking forward to seeing the dress when it''spleted." Laura smiled and nodded.


    "It is my pleasure, Your Highness."


    She left the room and I asked the guard that was standing in the hallway to help her carry her things down the stairs.


    Victoria reentered the room once Laura had left.


    "Beta Schneider would like to speak with you," she informed me.


    I rolled my eyes.


    What does Diedrick want now? And why is she even talking with him?


    "Did he say what it was about?" I asked her.


    Victoria shook her head in response.


    I huffed.


    "Where is he?"


    "In Adam''s office," Victoria replied.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why on earth is he in there?"


    She shrugged as she took a sip from her tea.


    I groaned and left the room, Liu hot on my heels.


    "Do you want me toe with you?" She asked.


    I shook my head.


    "I''m sure you''ve got other things to do," I said. "I can handle him."


    Liu gave me a wary look before going her own direction down the hallway.


    I began to make my way to Adam''s office, furious that Diedrick was in there while Adam was gone.


    Who exactly does he think he is?


    As I entered the office, I noticed two things: one, the guards were not at their post; and two, the lights had been dimmed down inside his study.


    I gulped, beginning to feel anxious about my decision toe alone.


    I walked down the hallway and peered into Adam''s study cautiously.


    Diedrick was sitting on Adam''s desk, flipping through a file.


    "You''re not supposed to be in here," I said firmly, stepping out where he could see me.


    He looked up from the folder and smiled as he saw me enter the room.

 Chapter Thirty-Four - Fittings, Flirting and Fury-2

    "Ah, Evelyn," he said, closing the folder and cing it on the desk. "Thank you for meeting me here."


    I began to feel my blood pressure rise.


    "What do you want?" I asked, my patience growing thin.


    "In truth, I was originally going to invite you to join me for dinner," he said.


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "And now?" I asked.


    Diedrick smirked and got off the desk where he had been sitting.


    "Well, now I''m starting to think we could just take dinner in my room."


    He had walked close enough to me that I had been able to reach out and p him. The sound of my hand hitting his cheek echoed through the room. "Are you aware that I am mated to your Alpha?" I asked incredulously.


    "Is that what''s stopping you?" He asked, unfazed by the p.


    Diedrick started to walk closer to me and I began to back away in response.


    "You felt the connection the night we danced," he said.


    "There is no connection between us," I assured him.


    My heart skipped a beat as my back hit the wall, unable to go any further away from him.


    Diedrick saw this opportunity as an advantage and ced both of his hands on either side of my face, leaning in close.


    His menacingly tall frame got closer to me and my breathing became shallow as he leaned in.


    "I could make you feel things you thought were unimaginable," he said,ing close to whisper in my ear. "Adam does notpare to me, I promise."


    I cringed and raised my knee to hit his manhood.


    Diedrick groaned and I took the opportunity to flee.


    Although I never heard him leave the office and follow me, I ran fast up the stairs and down the hallway to Adam''s room.


    "Beta Schneider does note on this hall under any circumstances," I said to the guard standing in the hallway.


    I saw conflict sh across his face.


    "Is there a problem?"


    "I''m afraid he''s sleeping in the guest room next door," he said gruffly.


    I gulped.


    "Well, he''s not allowed in this room," I said firmly, closing the door behind me.


    I took a deep breath and slid down the back of the door.


    My heart was still racing and I could see my hands shaking as I held them up in front of me.


    I took a deep breath and exhaled.


    Noticing the phone in the corner of the room, I stood up and made my way over to it.


    I held the receiver a good distance away from my ear as I anticipated the shrill voice of the operator.


    "Can I connect you to someone?" She asked, her voice piercing through the phone.


    "Adam, please," I said politely.


    "One moment."


    I tapped my foot against the ground anxiously as I waited for the call to connect. It rang for a few seconds before Jace answered. "Hello?"


    "Jace? It''s Evelyn. Can I talk to Adam?" I asked.


    "For sure. Give me a second."


    I heard a muffled exchange of voices before I heard Adam''s voice.


    "Hello, love."


    I sighed and felt my relief flood my body at the sound of his deep, ented voice.


    "Hi, Adam," I said.


    "I''ve got news."


    "Me too," I said,ughing nervously.


    "You first."


    "No you."


    "Fine," Adam said. "Which would you like to hear first, the good or the bad?"


    "Good?"


    "The good news is, we''ve only been here for a few hours and have already gotten reports of a several cases where Vampires are believed to have attacked. So, that means Mr. Chandler was likely bitten before he was found which means there aren''t inside the castle."


    "Well, that''s a relief," I said. "What''s the bad news?"


    "The bad news is, Jace has already lost his lead on your father."


    I could hear the disappointment in his voice.


    "I''m sorry," I said. "My dad is a smart guy, though. He graduated with honors and at the top of his ss fromw school. He won''t be easy to find if he can help it."


    The line was silent for a few moments before Adam''s sighed.


    "What was your news?" He asked.


    It was quiet for a moment as I bit my lip, trying to find a way to tell him.


    "Evelyn?"


    I gulped.


    "Diedrick''s back," I said.


    "Christ," he eximed. "What the bloody hell is he doing back so early?"


    "He said he didn''t want to waste time mourning when he could be here," I said, sitting down on the bed.


    "No, he didn''t want to be away from you for a long time," he said growling.


    "That''s the other thing," I said, feeling my stomach drop.


    "What?"


    His voice was deep and slow, as if he was already thinking of all the things I was about to tell him.


    "He kind of hit on me," I said.


    "Kind of?" He asked.


    "He tried to get me to go up to his room, which happens to be right next to yours," I exined.


    The line went silent for a few moments.


    It was as if I could feel his rage seeping through the receiver.


    "Adam?"


    "I''m on my way home and I want you to stay in that room and keep the bloody door locked until I get there. Do you understand?"


    "Wait, what?" I asked, standing up.


    "I''ll be there in a few hours," he said.


    I could hear him giving outmands to Jace and the others who were with him, telling them to pack up.


    "We just got here," I heard Jace say.


    "Don''t do anything rash," I said. "I just thought you should know."


    "I don''t care," he said. "I''m on my way home and that bastard better pray I calm down before I get there."


    I heard someone knock at the door and my eyebrows furrowed.


    Who could it be? Liu? Victoria? ...Diedrick?


    Adam continued his threats and ranting as I walked over to the door and opened it.


    I interrupted him.


    "Adam..."


    He stopped.


    "Yes?"


    I stared at the vase of red tulips that sat on the ground and the guard who was lying dead in front of them, blood spilling out of his mouth. I began to feel lightheaded as tears of horror filled my eyes.


    "Please hurry."

 Chapter Thirty-Five - Rough-1

    Unknown


    P.O.V.


    "This wasn''t part of the deal," he snarled.


    The woman''s eyebrow rose as she looked on at the two men arguing.


    "My demands have changed," the second man said, crossing his arms. "If I get what I want, I will give you ess to the castle. If you can''t make that work, you can find someone else." The first man growled.


    "Do you realize what this means we have to do? What we''ll have to risk to get you what you want?"


    "Of course I do."


    The woman stood to her feet as she saw patience running thin between the two men.


    "We''ll do it. But we want inside that castle sooner than next month, or no deal," she bargained.


    A smirk rose on the face of the second man.


    "Done."


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    "I don''t want to look at them."


    I sat on the bed, pulling my knees in tight against my chest.


    Liu took the vase of flowers and put them in the bathroom, closing the door as she left them on top of the vanity.


    I could see outside the open bedroom door as five burly men picked up the lifeless body of the guard. They began to clean the blood from the floor and the smell of bleach burned the inside of my nostrils.


    It was the second time in my entire life that I had seen a dead body and it happened to be the second time in one week as well.


    Although one of the men had affirmed that the guard was dead and had been for a few minutes before I opened the door, he told me that only Dr. Zusak would be able to confirm exactly how he had died. Until then, I was left wondering if it had been a Vampire''s bite, although I didn''t see any wounds on his body. The only source of blood had been from his mouth.


    Vega rubbed a hand on my back assuringly as she sat beside me on the bed.


    Liu went over to the door and closed it so I could no longer see the clean-up.


    It waste, almost midnight to be exact. After Adam was able to calm me down and call someone, several people arrived up at the room to see what had happened. They had taken pictures, tried to pull fingerprints off the flower vase, even going as far as to interview people who had been on the hall that evening.


    No one had seen anything, but someone was able to confirm that Diedrick had been eating by himself in the dining room when the guard was killed.


    Knowing this made my stomach churn. I couldn''t imagine who would have killed the guard, but Diedrick would have been at the top of my list of suspects if I thought about it hard enough.


    The thought of some unknown person killing another merely feet away from where I stood made me sick.


    "I feel terrible," I said to them both. "I''m so sorry for waking you two up, but I just couldn''t stay by myself."


    Liu shrugged.


    "It''s fine, don''t worry about it."


    Vega nodded her head in agreement.


    "We wouldn''t want you to be by yourself anyways."


    "Thank you," I said sighing.


    It was quiet for a few moments as I thought of a way to change the subject. I knew Adam would want to talk about it when he returned and I wasn''t sure how much more I could take. "So..." I said to Vega. "How is Nwabueze?"


    Realizing I was trying to distract myself, she smiled and nodded.


    "He''s good. I spoke to him this morning."


    "So are you two officially dating?" Liu asked curiously.


    Vega shrugged shyly.


    "Maybe... he asked me toe visit him in Lagos, but I told him I didn''t want to leave while Dad was still sick."


    I smiled.


    "Hopefully you''ll be able to go soon."


    Vega turned her attention to Liu.


    "How are things with you and Jace?"


    I gulped nervously at the awkward turn of the conversation.


    I wasn''t sure that Vega knew Jace and Liu were mates, and I didn''t want to be standing there when she identally let it slip that she had slept with him.


    Liu was sweet, but I didn''t want to know what would happen when she finally snapped. I feared for Vega''s life if she was ever on the receiving end of Liu''s hidden wrath.


    A jealous mate was nothing to be trifled with.


    "Jace and I are fine," she said.


    Vega wiggled her eyebrows.


    "I saw you leaving his bedroomst weekend," she said.


    My eyes widened as Liu blushed. I was suddenly reminded of thest night of the Centennial when Jace had invited her to stay the night.


    "How many times have you done it?" Vega asked her, mischief dancing in her eyes.


    Liu''s blush deepened.


    "Well... it''s been over three years since we found out, so quite a few times," Liu said bashfully.


    I saw Vega''s eyebrows knit together.


    "Found out what?"


    Oh no...


    "Jace and I are mates."


    I saw the look of confusion, shock, and guilt sh across Vega''s face all at once and I gulped.


    "Oh..." she said.


    "We''re not really a couple though," Liu admitted. "He and I have been trying to work things out for a while."


    "Soundsplicated," Vega said slowly.


    Liu nodded.


    "We''ll get it together eventually."


    The look of utter shock was still on Vega''s face as the room when awkwardly silent.


    Just as I was about to end the awkward conversation, a knock sounded at the door and I froze.


    "Do you want me to get it?" Liu asked.


    "Evelyn, darling, it''s Ma."


    I sighed in relief, hearing his voice. I got off the bed and walked over to the door, opening it to see him standing in his pajamas.


    "I heard all themotion and I wanted to ask if you were okay," he said.


    I nodded, crossing my arms.


    "Best be careful," he said lowering his voice. "The dead roam these hallste at night."


    I felt my heart begin to palpitate.


    "Have a lovely rest of your evening," he said, breaking his dark demeanor with a bright smile.


    I was more confused thanforted as I watched Ma walk back down the hallway and into his bedroom.


    I turned around after closing the door and looked at Liu and Vega.


    "Did you hear that?" I asked incredulously.


    They both nodded, Liu rolling her eyes as she did so.


    "He''s just a crazy old man, don''t let him fill your head with fairytales," she said.


    I gulped, wanting desperately to tell her that they weren''t fairytales anymore.


    I was starving, but too scared to leave the room. I also couldn''t bear the thought of making someone else walk on the hallway to bring me food thatte at night. Thest thing I needed was one more person''s blood on my hands. So, I went to bed with an empty stomach.


    When I woke up the next morning, Vega was curled up asleep beside me on the bed.


    I rolled over and looked at the clock.


    6:47 a.m.


    I had only slept for five hours.


    I sat up, sighing, and saw Liu sitting on the couch drinking a cup of steaming coffee whilst reading a book.


    "How long have you been awake?" I asked her softly, trying not to wake up Vega.


    "I never went to sleep," she said honestly.


    I got out of the bed and walked over to her as she spoke.


    "You need to get some rest," I said, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "I''m fine."


    She sighed.


    "Are you sure?"


    I nodded.


    "Jace''s room is right next door. I''m sure he wouldn''t mind if you slept in there for a few hours," I suggested. Liu smiled.

 Chapter Thirty-Five - Rough-2

    "I know where his bedroom is," she said smugly.


    Iughed at the suggestivement.


    She stood up, finishing her coffee.


    "You know where to find me if you need anything," she said.


    "I''m a big girl," I assured her.


    Liu smiled and left the room.


    I turned around to see Vega sitting up in the bed, probably having been awake for a few minutes.


    "Why didn''t you tell me they were mates?" She asked me.


    I shrugged.


    "He rejected her. It wasn''t my ce to tell."


    "I slept with him for Christ''s sake," she said, getting off the bed.


    "I wouldn''t tell Liu that," I mumbled.


    She groaned.


    "I can''t believe he didn''t tell me."


    I looked at her incredulously.


    "I''m not sure he had the time in between kissing you and taking your shirt off to do so."


    She red at me but I didn''t care.


    Vega shouldn''t have been so reckless. She broke the promise and didn''t seem to care while I was struggling with my conscience even after just making out with Adam. On top of everything else, Jace was a pureblood; Vega had to have known he had a mate.


    "You''ve got Nwabueze now," I said. "Just forget Jace and move on."


    She sighed.


    "I''ve already moved on," she said. "It was just a fling."


    "Good."


    She stared at me for a few moments before huffing.


    "I''m going downstairs to check on Dad. I''ll be there if you need anything else."


    I nodded as she left the room, groaning as the door closed.


    Vega was known for pouting when she didn''t get her way and that was exactly what she was doing by leaving me there.


    I knew she would be mad at me once I told her how I felt about her and Jace and I also knew she would be hurt by him not telling her about Liu. I didn''t care though. She was reckless and I couldn''t say with honesty that she would have made a different decision had she known about Liu in the first ce.


    With that thought ying through my mind, I went into the bathroom to shower.


    My eyes were immediately drawn to the vase of seven red tulips that sat on the vanity. I sighed and walked over before grabbing them and putting them out in the bedroom on Adam''s nightstand. It gave me chills to look at them and I thought about throwing them over the balcony as Adam had done with the first bunch, but I decided against it thinking that Adam might have wanted to see them when he returned.


    I got into the shower and washed my hair and body quickly.


    Having just turned the water off, I dried myself off and wrapped my body in a towel. I stepped out from the ss-enclosed shower and walked across the bathroom floor.


    I had just reached the door that led out into the bedroom when I froze, hearing someone shuffling around.


    My heart began to race a hundred miles an hour as I listened closely.


    Suddenly, the sound of ss shattering echoed in the bedroom and I yelped at the sudden noise.


    The bathroom door opened and I tripped backwards trying to get away from the intruder.


    I was more than pleasantly surprised to look up see Adam standing in the doorway.


    "Are you alright?" He asked, walking over to me.


    I nodded and stood up as he offered a hand on my back to steady me.


    "I didn''t mean to scare you," he said.


    "It''s okay," I said, eyeing the shattered vase of tulips on the ground behind him.


    "Come here."


    Adam pulled me into his arms and pressed his lips against mine.


    I immediately melted into the kiss and my fingers tangled themselves in his wavy dark hair.


    His hands reached up to cup my face a he pulled away and left a trail of kisses along my jaw and down my neck.


    "I was worried," he admitted, mumbling against my skin.


    "I''m alright," I assured him. "I''m just d you''re home."


    "The door wasn''t even locked, Evelyn," he said, pulling away to look into my eyes. "Someone could havee in while you were showering."


    "Someone dide in while I was showering. I''m just d it was you," I said cheekily.


    He let out a breathyugh and kissed my lips again.


    Adam''s lips left mine, causing me to whimper at the lost contact. His nose was barely touching mine as I looked up and locked eyes with him. "Did he touch you?"


    I had nearly forgotten about Diedrick.


    I shook my head.


    "No, but I pped him and kneed him in the balls."


    He smiled, nearlyughing.


    "I''m surprised he had balls to knee."


    I grinned, biting my lip as he said this.


    Adam pecked my lips again.


    "That doesn''t get him off the hook," he warned me. "I''m still going to kill him."


    I looked into his eyes and saw the sincerity that flooded them. He wasn''t lying.


    I sighed.


    "I don''t want to talk about Diedrick anymore," I said.


    My hand went behind his neck and pulled him down to kiss me again.


    This kiss deepened quickly as he reached down and picked me up.


    I felt the towel slip from under my arms and I quickly pulled it back together. Feeling Adam smile at my bashfulness against my lips, I blushed.


    He sat me down on the bathroom countertop as I felt his tongue slip between my lips. I opened my mouth, his hands now in my hair.


    Adam''s kiss was rougher this time. Whether it was intentional or not, I knew this was because of his possessiveness.


    I could only imagine that knowing I had received uninvited advances from Diedrick angered him. Not only had Diedrick disrespected me in his brazen pursuit, he had disrespected Adam by refusing to acknowledge I was already mated. What kind of man thought he could take away the mate of an Alpha Superior?


    A stupid one, apparently.


    Adam''s lips left mine as they trailed down my neck, gingerly kissing the spot where his imy.


    I felt his teeth nip the sensitive skin and I yelped.


    "Sorry," he said, pulling away. "Too rough."


    I raised my hand to rub the pain away in my neck.


    Adam ran his hand across his jaw in frustration.


    "I shouldn''t touch you when I''m angry," he said.


    I gulped and slid down off the countertop.


    "Forget about Diedrick," I said. "We''ve got more important things to worry about."


    He nodded in agreement.


    I walked around him and stopped in the doorway, seeing the shattered ss from the vase spread out across the floor.


    Adam came up behind me.


    "Like I said, I''m not the gentlest when I''m angry."


    I sighed, trying to figure out a way out of the bathroom while avoiding ss impaling the bottom of my feet.


    "Here," he said, lifting me into his arms bridal style.


    Adam walked across the ss causing it to crunch under his shoes as he did so.


    "I''ll get someone to clean that upter," he said, putting me down.


    I walked over the wardrobe and pulled out my clothes for the day.


    "I''m going down to the office to try and sort this mess," he said as he passed me. "Meet me for lunch?"


    I nodded.


    "I''ll try to be in a better mood then," he assured me, walking towards the door.


    "Adam," I said, getting his attention.


    He turned around to look at me and I smiled, knowing the mischievous look on my face was killing him. "I don''t mind it rough."

 Chapter Thirty-Six - Dresses and Drama-1

    The next two weeks went by quickly.


    Although Adam had promised me that he would focus on the more important issues, I had not seen Diedrick since the incident in Adam''s office.


    I never asked Adam, but I was starting to think Diedrick might have been killed. The thought, while relieving to a degree, worried me. However, I didn''t have time to worry about it too much. While Adam was hard at work trying to find the source of the red tulips, Liu and I had put our heads together to n the wedding of the century.


    The flowers had been ordered, the cake was in the process of being made and the ballroom had beenpletely refurbished to hold the multitudes of people that would be in attendance. Vega, of course, was thrilled because it meant that Nwabueze and his family would be returning. Liu, on the other hand, seemed annoyed by all the guests.


    "Where are we going to put them?" She asked me, irritated. "This is your wedding, for Christ''s sake. You should have the castle to yourself afterwards, not dealing with an overflow of people." We stood in the foyer, mapping out where all the flowers would be and where the guests would enter.


    "Rx," I saidughing. "It''s not that big of a deal."


    She crossed her arms and shook her head as I pointed to show the florist where we would be putting therge crystal vases.


    "I think you''re giving too much grace, letting all these people stay here. I don''t know why Adam doesn''t just hole them all up in an inn in the vige," she muttered.


    "He is," I said. "Only the important people are staying in the castle. Speaking of the vige, what time is my fitting?"


    She looked down at her watch.


    "In thirty minutes."


    I groaned.


    "We need to find Vega and Mrs. Chandler so we can head out."


    Vega, her mother, and Liu were all going with me to Laura''s shop for my final dress fitting. Liu and Vega were also going to try on the bridesmaids dresses I had ordered them.


    After making final arrangements with the florist, Liu had someone fetch Mrs. Chandler and Vega so we could leave.


    The trip into town took only a few minutes. We parked in front of Laura''s store as the guards that came with us went inside to make sure it was safe.


    Adam, much to my disdain, had ordered an around-the-clock security detail to apany me everywhere. While the two burly and intimidating men were never too close, nor did they evere into the bedroom, the thought of being followed did not appeal to me.


    They always went into rooms before I did, they never let me go anywhere without them, and I found their ever present stoic facial expressions to be rather unsettling.


    One of the men, whom I affectionately called ''Bear'' due to myck of knowledge of his actual name, came out of the shop and gave the all-clear to the driver who unlocked the car doors and let the four of us out.


    The snow that was falling managed to get caught in my hair, despite the fact that it was a brief, ten step walk from the car into the building.


    As I walked inside the store, I brushed the snowkes from my hair and looked around at all of the wedding dresses. There were so many of them, one would have thought there weren''t enough women in the town to buy them all. Laura had every size, every design, every fabric and cut that a girl could dream of.


    I walked over to look at one of the dresses as Vega, Liu, and Mrs. Chandler all hurried inside as well.


    Bear and the other man, whom I called ''Moose'', followed them into the store and locked the door behind them as they stood guard beside it.


    I rolled my eyes as I saw this and tried not to think about the fact that they were practically my babysitters while Adam worked.


    Laura came out of a back room and smiled when she saw us.


    "Hello,dies! Are you ready to try on dresses?"


    Vega and Liu nodded enthusiastically while Mrs. Chandler sat down on the couch.


    "I''m just here for moral support," she said to Laura.


    Laura smiled and went over to a tall, closed-door closet. She reached into her pocket and produced a ring of keys to unlock the closet door before pulling out the two crimson red bridesmaid dresses. "Woah," Vega said.


    They were both chiffon dresses colored a deep red. Along with a flowy, floor-length skirt, the dress had a strapless neckline with a beaded corset.


    "I told you that you would like them," I said, elbowing Vega.


    "I love it," she said, walking over to Laura and taking her dress from her hands. Liu did the same.


    "This looks amazing," Liu said to Laura.


    Laura smiled. "I''m d you like them."


    I sat down next to Mrs. Chandler as the girls went into the dressing rooms to change.


    When they came out, Mrs. Chandler and I apuded.


    "You two look beautiful," I said, smiling.


    They stood in front of the mirrors as Laura checked the measurements and made a few notes to hem Vega''s skirt and tighten the corset on Liu''s dress.


    "I can''t wait to see yours," Liu said to me excitedly.


    I looked at Laura who smiled.


    "It''s ready if you are."


    I took a deep breath and stood up as she led me back over to the locked closet.


    She pulled out the huge, white dress and helped me carry it into the dressing room so I could change. The skirt was long and heavy, making it difficult to carry alone. It easily weighed fifty or sixty pounds. Laura helped me change, tying the back together.


    "Are you ready to show them?" She asked me once she was finished.


    I nodded slowly, mesmerized by the intricate beading that my fingers gently danced over.


    She pulled back the curtain and gathered up the long train so I could walk easier.


    I bit my lip nervously as I walked around the corner into the room where Liu, Vega, and Mrs. Chandler sat.


    Immediately, Liu''s jaw went ck and Vega gasped.


    "Oh my God," Mrs. Chandler whispered.


    I smiled anxiously as I turned to look at myself in the mirror.


    I watched as Laura went around and red the back of the dress out behind me. The cathedral train nearly reached the back of the store.


    I got tears in my eyes as I looked at the wedding dress of my dreams.


    The off-the-shoulder neckline was beaded intricately with diamonds and plunged in the back to reveal a delicate design of crystals that continued down the skirt.


    The scalloped fabric in the back stretched on for what seemed like miles. I ced my hands on my waist and twirled slightly, nervous at how unexpectedly heavy the dress was.


    "It''s all hand-sewn," Laura told me. "I called in some help from a few friends who helped me do the beading once I had sewn together the skirt itself. I hope you like it."


    I smiled and wiped away a tear that fell down my cheek.


    "I love it," I said earnestly.


    It was beautiful and all I ever wanted, plus more.


    I looked in the mirror to see Mrs. Chandler wiping her eyes with her shirt sleeve.


    I frowned and turned around.


    "Please don''t cry," I said, tearing up again.


    Sheughed.


    "These are happy tears, baby girl."

 Chapter Thirty-Six - Dresses and Drama-2

    I gulped and looked at Vega.


    "And to think," she said softly. "I thought I was going to be prettier than the bride in my dress..." Liuughed. "You sure about that now?"


    Vega shook her head, still admiring my dress.


    "I don''t want to take it off," I saidughing, looking back into the mirror.


    I saw Laura smile in the reflection.


    "I''m happy you like it."


    I took a deep breath.


    "One more day," Liu reminded me.


    I nodded and Vega sighed.


    "My best friend is getting married in one day."


    I noticed the guards staring at me in the reflection of the mirror and I turned around.


    "Don''t you dare tell Adam you saw the dress," I said to them.


    Bearughed.


    "Ma''am," he said. "I wouldn''t ruin that moment for him for anything in this world."


    Adam''s P.O.V.


    "Damn it!"


    I sucked in a sharp breath and slung the paper across the room. It joined a few dozen other books and files on the floor.


    I was getting nowhere with my investigation.


    No one knew anything about the tulips; where they came from, who put them there, or why they were there.


    The security cameras had been tampered with and there was no record of any footage being taken that day.


    A guard was dead, his mate and four children were now dependent on me, their Alpha, to take care of them and find out who killed their father and mate.


    Not to mention, my soon-to-be wife was now being followed by security detail because I couldn''t bear the thought of leaving her alone again.


    The thought of what could have happened while I was in Utah made me sick to my stomach.


    Evelyn wasn''t strong, not physically. She wouldn''t have been able to defend herself if whoever had put those bloody flowers outside our bedroom door had decided toe inside the room. I closed my eyes tight, trying to keep my mind from wondering further.


    It wasn''t just the flowers we had no clue about, it was also the investigation into the man who had ventured into the post office.


    Had I not been so rash and he not have threatened Evelyn, I would have spared Barret Schneider''s life to find out exactly who that man had been.


    Now, with Ludwig Schneider and his son, Barret, dead, I only had one other person who possibly knew anything about the unknown character: Diedrick.


    This was the only reason he was still alive.


    Although Evelyn wanted me to believe his advances towards her meant nothing and were unimportant, I thought otherwise.


    What kind of self-righteous bastard thinks he could get away with sleeping with an Alpha Superior''s mate?


    Evelyn wouldn''t even let me touch her intimately. I couldn''t imagine what it was like to be on the receiving end of her propriety as someone who was not her mate.


    The thought of another man putting his hands anywhere near her made my blood boil to a point I didn''t think I would be able to control myself.


    It made me sick.


    It made it easier, however, to know that I could trust her.


    In the same way I had easily fought off advances from the Chandler girl, I knew Evelyn wouldn''t hesitate to put any man in his ce if he dared to make any suggestivements.


    I cringed at the thought of Vega.


    Normally, I didn''t associate myself with women outside of a professional circle. Of course there were women in my life during my younger years, but not since I had taken over as Alpha Superior. But I was forced to associate with women like Vega now that I had Evelyn.


    As an Alpha, avoiding the lustful gazes of women was nearly impossible, but I felt much more uneasy when those gazes came from the best friend of my future wife.


    Vega had attempted to seduce me twice.


    It angered me to a point of rage to know she had no decency to at least avoid a taken man, much less the mate of her best friend.


    However, I had no problem ignoring Vega. Her advances were meaningless and dull. She wasn''t Evelyn, not even close. No one would everpare to Evelyn''s allure.


    Although I was unamused and untempted by Vega''s charm, orck thereof, it still weighed in my conscience.


    I knew not telling Evelyn was a mistake, but I also knew she had nned for Vega to be in our wedding as a bridesmaid.


    They had been best friends since middle school, and I couldn''t ruin that rtionship knowing Evelyn had already lost so much with the disappearance of her mother and bastard father.


    I had decided I would wait until after the wedding, when Vega no longer mattered, to tell Evelyn. But until then, it was a terrible secret that I held with immense guilt.


    I heard my office door open and close and then Jace''s footfalls echo down the hallway.


    I looked up to see him enter the room, immediately taking note of the mess I had made.


    "Not getting anywhere?" He asked.


    I red at him.


    The answer should have been obvious.


    "Well, I have good news," he said.


    I sat down in my chair and waited eagerly to hear it.


    "Dr. Zosak confirmed that the cause of death for the guard was an injection of lethal poison into the bloodstream, so that means no Vampires."


    I sighed in relief.


    "That''s not all," he continued. "He also says he thinks he''s found a way to help Warren Chandler, perhaps even restore his memories."


    I raised my eyebrow.


    "How?"


    "He didn''t say," Jace shrugged. "But if we can get Warren Chandler''s memories restored, we might get a lead on any Vampires in the area where we found him." I nodded.


    "Good work."


    "Are you nervous?" He asked me.


    I looked at him in confusion.


    "About what?"


    Jace pursed his lips in annoyance.

 Chapter Thirty-Six - Dresses and Drama-3

    "Your wedding tomorrow," he said incredulously.


    I smiled.


    "I don''t think so."


    "Well, I''m nervous for you," Jace said. "I can''t imagine being tied down to one woman for the rest of my life."


    My mind immediately went to Liu as he said this.


    "You''ll get there one day," I assured him.


    Jace was still young. He had a lot to learn about life and love before he would understand how foolish he had been to treat Liu the way he had.


    He shrugged in response.


    "Maybe one day."


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    It was the night before my wedding.


    After showering, I came out of the bathroom to find Vega and Liu entering the bedroom with armfuls of snacks and nkets.


    "What on earth are you doing?" I asked them.


    Vega dropped the bags of potato chips and her pillow and nket onto the bed.


    "Pre-wedding sleepover, duh," she said.


    Liu rolled her eyes.


    "We figured since Adam couldn''t be in here that you would appreciate thepany."


    I smiled, having forgotten about the traditional rule in which the groom was unable to see his bride the night before their wedding. "Sounds fun," Imented.


    I walked over to the wardrobe and changed into my pajamas.


    "Where is Adam anyways?" Vega asked.


    "Probably stayingte in the office if I had to guess," I answered.


    I wasn''t sure why she cared.


    "Are you nervous?" Liu asked me, taking a seat on the couch.


    I nodded, trying not to grin like an idiot.


    "I''m so excited, though."


    "I''m excited for you," Liu replied.


    "Just think," Vega said. "In twenty-four hours, you will no longer be a virgin."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "We were talking about the wedding," I said.


    She shrugged.


    "Wait," Liu said. "You mean you and Adam haven''t had sex yet?"


    I shook my head,ughing at the confused look on her face.


    "My mom made Evie and I make this stupid promise before we were even old enough to know what it meant and we had to promise to wait until we got married to have sex," Vega said, rolling her eyes. "I''m guessing you didn''t keep it?" Liu asked her.


    Vega waved her hand dismissively.


    "I had sex for the first time when I was sixteen," she said.


    "And she didn''t tell her best friend," I added.


    Vega shrugged.


    "I knew you nned on keeping the promise and I didn''t want to deal with your judgement," she said.


    "I wouldn''t have cared," I replied.


    Vega didn''t respond.


    "I''m still surprised you haven''t slept with Adam yet, though," Liu said. "Jace and I slept together a few hours after we met."


    "Yeah," Vega added, "and Adam''s got the body of a god. I don''t understand how you managed to keep that stupid promise." The body of a god?


    It irritated me, however truthful the statement was, that she said that about Adam.


    I was the only one allowed to think that.


    I heard the door open and looked up to see Adam walk in.


    Confusion swept across his features as he saw Liu and Vega.


    "You''re not allowed to be here," I said,ughing.


    "Why?" He asked slowly.


    "You''ve never heard of the groom not being able to see his wife the night before their wedding?" Liu asked.


    Adam looked at me incredulously.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me... I swear you''re making these rules up as you go," he said groaning.


    I shook my head.


    He huffed and turned to leave.


    "See you tomorrow, Mr. Deveraux," I said smiling.


    He winked at me.


    "Sleep tight, Mrs. Deveraux."


    I smiled and bit my lip as he left the room and closed the door behind him.


    Vega gagged.


    "That was disgusting."


    "That," I said, "is what building a rtionship on something other than sex looks like."


    She rolled her eyes.


    We stayed up for a few hours, talking a bit. Soon everyone became tired and we all went to sleep.


    I slept peacefully, knowing what the next day was bringing me.


    I''m getting married tomorrow.

 Chapter Thirty-Seven - Husband and Wife-1

    "Just breathe..."


    I took a deep breath as Mrs. Chandler ced her hands on my shoulders.


    "You look beautiful," she said, smiling at my reflection in the mirror.


    I smiled.


    "Thank you."


    Laura adjusted the corset straps in the back of my dress and nodded in agreement.


    "You look beautiful."


    It had taken Liu and her mother over an hour to finish my hair and makeup. Fortunately for me, Liu''s mother was an expert in everything beauty and was able to helpplete my wedding look.


    My hair was pinned back away from my face and flowed down my back in loose curls. My makeup was natural with the exception of red lipstick.


    I took a deep breath and nced at Victoria as she came in through the sitting room door and closed it behind her.


    She gasped as sheid eyes on me.


    "You look stunning," she breathed out.


    "Thank you," I said softly.


    She nced around the room at Vega and Liu, who were both in their dresses. Liu held my bouquet in one hand and hers in the other as her mother fixed her hair. Vega sat in the corner, picking at her nails. We heard a knock at the door and Victoria turned to open it.


    Standing in the doorway was Jace.


    He was dressed in a tuxedo, his eyes immediately finding Liu. I swore I saw his nce soften, but just as soon as I saw it, it was gone.


    Jace looked over to me and smiled.


    "Wow," he said smiling.


    "Adam''s a lucky guy," he said, walking inside the room.


    I smiled.


    He nced around the room awkwardly.


    "Can we have the room please?"


    Laura, Victoria, Liu, her mother, Vega, and Mrs. Chandler all left quickly and quietly.


    "Is everything alright?" I asked him, walking over to where he stood.


    Jace nodded.


    "He wants to see you."


    Iughed.


    "He can''t..."


    Jace shrugged.


    "It''s bad luck," I insisted.


    "He''s outside the door," he told me.


    My smiled fell and I faltered.


    "He can''t see me," I said.


    "What if he closes his eyes?" Jace suggested.


    I took a deep breath.


    "Fine."


    Jace smiled and turned around to walk back to the door as I stood there anxiously.


    He opened the door and I heard a muffled exchange of voices.


    "You''re joking?" I heard his ented voice say.


    I heard more muffled voices before a groan.


    He walked around the corner and I bit my lip trying not tough.


    Adam had a hand over his eyes, using the other hand to feel his way inside the room.


    "I feel like a bloody idiot," he said.


    Iughed.


    "Where are you?"


    "Ten steps to your left," I replied.


    He turned and walked towards me slowly.


    "Am I going to run into anything?"


    "Maybe," I replied.


    He huffed.


    "Comforting."


    I held out my hand and grabbed his outstretched one.


    I saw him smile at my touch as he stopped walking and grabbed my hand tighter.


    "No peeking," I reminded him as he took his hand away from his eyes.


    "They''repletely closed," he assured me. "Is there anyone else in here?"


    "No, why did you want to see me?" I asked softly.


    He smiled.


    "Well, I can''t see you..."


    Iughed.


    "I wanted to tell you something," he said, his face growing serious.


    "Okay," I said slowly.


    Adam licked his lips nervously.


    When he faltered, I felt my stomach drop.


    "You''re scaring me."


    "I''m not trying to," he said, smiling. "I just wanted to let you know before our day got crazy, that I can''t wait to spend the rest of my life with you." I smiled and put my hand on his face.


    "I can''t wait either. In fact," I said lowering my voice, "I''m especially looking forward to tonight."


    Heughed and kissed my palm.


    "I''m counting down the minutes."


    Someone knocked on the door.


    "We''ve got five minutes!" They yelled.


    I smiled.


    "See you at the end of the aisle," I said to him.


    "See you there, darling."


    He turned around slowly and held his hands out as he tried to make his way out of the room.


    "Three more steps to your right," I saidughing.


    He tripped over the table and barely caught himself.


    "Four more steps to the right," he corrected.


    Iughed as he found the door and walked through it.


    Mrs. Chandler walked in and looked at me.


    "Are you ready?"


    I smiled and nodded as she walked over to where I stood.


    "I wanted to tell you," she started, "that I''m sure your mother and father would want to be here if they could be."


    I gulped.


    I had been thinking about them for the past week.


    "I''m not sure you''re right," I said quietly.


    "They''re your parents," she said. "I know they would be."


    I swallowed hard, trying to keep tears at bay. She ced her hand on my shoulder and rubbed it reassuringly. "They''re ready for you."


    I took a deep breath, trying to keep my mind on Adam as I walked out of the room. Liu was standing outside the door and handed me my bouquet of roses as I walked out. Laura came behind me and gathered up my dress train.


    I smiled at her and followed her and Vega as they led me down the hallway.


    We made our way to the ballroom where I heard the crowd of guests muttering.


    Vega turned and winked at me before she made her way down the aisle, Nwabueze holding her arm.


    ssical music began to y as they walked.


    Liu and Jace followed.


    Mrs. Chandler kissed my cheek as she began to walk as well.


    Xavier walked out and I looked over to him.


    "I don''t want you to walk down that aisle alone," he said, offering his arm.


    I smiled.


    "Thank you."


    I held out my hand and he tucked it in the crook of his arm.


    I sucked in a sharp breath as I heard the music change tunes.


    "Just keep your eyes on him," he said.


    I took a deep breath as we took our first steps down the aisle.


    I gripped the bouquet, afraid my sweaty palms would cause it to slip out of my hand.


    Audible gasps could be heard as Xavier and I made our way down the aisle.


    Once the overhanging flowers were behind us, I could clearly see Adam.


    He bit his lip and smiled as he saw me.


    I tried not to smile too hard as he winked.


    The train dragged along the floor behind me as Xavier and I walked further towards the spot where Adam and Jace stood.


    Liu and Vega stood on the other side, both of them smiling excitedly.


    As we got closer, Xavier took my hand in his.


    Adam took a step forward and Xavier handed me to him.


    "She''s all yours," Xavier whispered as Adam took my hand in his.


    Adam smiled at me.


    "All mine."


    I smiled as I stared down at my left hand that was sped by his.


    Our ring bearing hands were entwined in hisp as we sat, watching everyone dancing.


    Vega and Nwabueze were waltzing along with the other Alpha Superiors and their mates.


    Adam''s fingers softly danced over mine absentmindedly as he observed the party.


    I smiled as I stared at my husband.


    Jace walked up behind him and whispered something in his ear.


    Adam listed intently before Jace walked away.


    He turned to me and leaned in close.

 Chapter Thirty-Seven - Husband and Wife-2

    "Let''s get out of here..."


    I smiled.


    "And blow our own wedding reception?"


    He nodded, smiling mischievously.


    "Not to burst your bubble," I saidughing, "but I think someone would notice that the bride and groom had disappeared." "We would be long gone by then," he whispered.


    I looked at him in surprise.


    "Gone where?"


    "It''s a secret," he said smiling. "But our flight leaves in an hour and a half, so you need to choose quickly."


    I faltered.


    "I didn''t think we were doing a honeymoon," I said.


    "You really thought I would let you go through with the whole traditional wedding thing and then not go on a honeymoon?" I shrugged and he smiled.


    "I can''t believe it," he said.


    "What?"


    He just smiled and shook his head.


    "What?" I asked again.


    He looked at his watch.


    "What''s your decision?"


    I looked around at everyone dancing. No one would see us leave. The cake had already been cut, we wouldn''t be missing anything. I smiled.


    "Let''s go."


    He smiled and stood up, grabbing my hand tighter and pulling me out of the room.


    "Don''t I need to pack?" I asked him, struggling to gather my train in my hands.


    He shook his head, going around me and grabbing the back of the dress. "Already done."


    We made our way into the foyer where Bartelby and Tyler stood eating cake.


    "Leaving already?" Tyler asked, smirking.


    I blushed.


    "Is that your fifth piece of cake?" Adam asked.


    Tyler scoffed.


    "Please," he said, "it''s my seventh. You guys are cute and all, but the only reason I even came was for the cake."


    "Good to know," I saidughing.


    "Bye!" Tyler said as we walked out the door to meet a car that sat in the driveway.


    I turned and waved before Adam and I got into the car.


    "Where are we going?" I asked him.


    He shook his head.


    "I''ve already told you, it''s a surprise."


    I huffed.


    "You can''t always have everything nned," Adamughed.


    He seemed excited and I couldn''t help but smile at his giddiness.


    The car drove for a while before we arrived at the airport.


    We got on the ne and it was only Adam and I as he held the train of my dress while I stepped inside.


    He closed the door and I heard the ne start.


    "Where on earth are we going?" I asked again.


    "You''ll see when we get there..."


    "Is it somewhere outside the country?" I asked him.


    He smiled.


    "Is it somewhere cold?"


    "You can try to guess all you want, but I''m not telling you," heughed.


    I sighed.


    "Here," he said, grabbing a bag from a seat. "There are clothes in here that you can change into."


    I smiled and bit my lip as I took the bag from him.


    "I might need help changing out of my dress..."


    He smiled.


    "Oh no... I know what you''re trying to do," heughed. "I''ve waited this long, we can wait until we get where we''re going."


    Iughed.


    "You''re joking me..."


    He shook his head.


    "Not kidding."


    Adam helped me untie the back of the dress and I went into the bathroom to change into the small ck dress that was in the bag he gave me. The ne rode on for a few hours as Adam and I talked about our future together.


    Once the ne hadnded, I tried to look out the window but he stopped me.


    "Seriously?" I asked,ughing.


    "Close your eyes."


    I smiled and did as I was told.


    I heard the door open as he led me towards it.


    "No peeking."


    I shook my head, still smiling.


    Standing in the doorway, I felt a warm breeze.


    "Open," he said.


    I opened my eyes to see a setting sun and palm trees.


    I could see a sandy beach off in the distance, the sunset reflecting off the ocean.


    "Where are we?!" I askedughing.


    "I may or may not own a private ind..." he said.


    "What? When were you going to mention this?"


    "Now seemed like a good time," Adamughed.


    I turned to look at him.


    "Now was perfect," I said, leaning up on my tip toes to kiss him.


    He kissed me gently, wrapping his arms around my waist and picking me up. I squealed as he did so.


    Adamughed and carried me off the airne.


    We walked from the tarmac onto the beach.


    After a few minutes, the sun began to set deeper down into the horizon and I saw the starse out.


    He carried me further until we came to a hut that sat on the shoreline in a clearing of palm trees.


    "What is this ce?" I asked him.


    He smiled.


    "This is the ce where I finally make love to my mate."


    I felt myself blush as he said this.


    Adam walked up to the hut and set me down on my feet as we reached the porch.


    I walked up to the door, pushing it open to reveal rose petals that trailed from the door to the bed that sat in the middle of therge, circr room. Candles were littered across the room, flickering in the dark.


    The open windows made the white curtains dance in the breeze and allowed the moonlight to stream in.


    "How did you manage this?" I asked him breathlessly.


    "I pulled a few strings and flew a few people out this morning to set it all up."


    I turned to look at him as he shut the door behind us.


    He smiled at me.


    "I love you," I whispered.


    He put his hands on my face and leaned in.


    "I love you so much more."


    His lips met mine softly.


    My hands traced up his arms and my fingers tangled themselves in his curls.


    My mouth parted and his tongue slipped past my lips. I moaned into the kiss as it deepened and he bent down to pick me up.


    His hands cupped my butt and he lifted me up to carry me further into the room.


    I wrapped my legs around his waist and I reached down to untuck his shirt from his pants.


    I felt my heart begin to race.


    My hands slipped around his torso and I yanked away his tie and began to unbutton his shirt.


    He sat me down on the bed as I pulled his shirt off to reveal his muscr chest.


    Adam pushed me backwards gently and my back hit the mattress. He pulled off my shoes and dropped them on the floor before crawling over me.


    I kissed him again, passionately this time.


    He reached under me and pulled the dress over my head, breaking this kiss to take it off.


    I saw his jaw clench as he stared at the red lingerie I wore under the dress, the same red lingerie he had wanted to see on me a few weeks earlier.


    He groaned and leaned down again to kiss me deeply.


    My hand slid down his torso to unbuckle his belt.


    My hands were shaking as he pulled away from me and yanked the belt off with one swift movement.


    Adam hovered over me, his lips barely touching mine.


    He ran a hand up my leg, pulling it up to wrap around his waist as his lips trailed along my jaw and down my neck.


    I moaned as his teeth nipped at the im.


    He pulled away and sat me up to sit on hisp.


    We both took a moment to catch our breath, staring at each other''s swollen lips and flushed cheeks.


    "Thank you," he said.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "For making me wait," he exined.


    "I just hope it was worth it," I said, biting my lip.


    He smiled, his nose brushing against mine.


    "Darling, I''ll make sure of it."

 Chapter Thirty-Eight - Not a Chance-1

    And he certainly did.


    The echoes of my moans and gasps bounced off the walls of the cabana for most of the night.


    It was only after a few hours that our stamina seemed to dissipate and we fell asleep still tangled in each other''s arms.


    I woke up the next morning to our bodies entertwined, my face nuzzled into Adam''s chest and his strong arms wrapped around my body.


    I felt the warm breeze floating in through the open windows, the smell of the ocean with it.


    Opening my eyes, I saw the sunlight streaming in and shadows of the palm trees dancing in the wind were cast along the walls.


    Taking a deep breath, I began to trace my fingers across his chest, feeling his warm skin under my touch.


    I knew by his sigh and the tightening of his grip around my waist that he had woken up.


    He took a deep breath and spoke, his voice deep and husky.


    "Good morning, love."


    My eyes closed as his lips kissed my forehead gently.


    "Good morning," I replied.


    I turned around in his arms, groaning as a dull pain spread across my hips.


    He hummed in amusement.


    "Feeling okay?"


    "No," Iughed.


    "My bad."


    I turned toy on my stomach, his hand sliding up the bare skin on my back as I did so.


    I sighed in content as he brushed my hair to one shoulder.


    "Hungry?" Adam asked.


    I hummed in response as he chuckled.


    "I''m not sure why I bothered to ask."


    I smiled, peeking up from my pillow.


    He winked.


    I blushed as I noticed his tousled hair, remembering how my fingers had been tangled in the dark curls the night before.


    "I''ll get something to eat," he said, pulling back the duvet.


    Adam got out of the bed, his towering and muscr frame walking over to a kitchte that sat on the other side of the room.


    He opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.


    I watched as he made omelets, his broad shoulders flexing remissly with the effortless small movements.


    The delicious aroma of food filled the room as he turned back to face me and walked over, bncing two tes, forks, and two mugs of coffee.


    I sat up, holding the sheet to my chest to cover my nakedness.


    "Breakfast in bed?" I asked, smiling. "I lucked out."


    Adamughed as he handed me the warm mug of coffee.


    "Well, it was either that or you could try and manage to walk over there yourself."


    Adam was right to assume I was sore. Considering I had winced even sitting up, I knew walking wouldn''t be easy.


    I took a sip of the hot coffee and brushed my hair out of my face as Adam sat down next to me.


    He ced the te in front of me on the bed and handed me the fork.


    I took a bite of the omelet and moaned.


    "Why do you not cook more often?" I asked in disbelief.


    "If I can keep those noisesing out of you, I''ll do it as often as you need," he said, winking and causing me to blush.


    After finishing the omelet, I put the empty te and coffee mug on the bedside table andid back down, pulling the covers up to my chin. Adam reached over me and ced his te and mug down as well.


    He sighed and wrapped an arm around my stomach.


    "See, the nice thing about being away," he said, "is that no one can interrupt..."


    I smiled, biting my lip, as I turned to look at him.


    He leaned in to kiss me and his lips had barely touched mine before I heard a phone begin to ring.


    "You had to say something," Iughed.


    He pushed his face into his pillow and groaned loudly.


    Iughed and turned around to grab his pants from the floor.


    "Ignore it," he said, his voice muffled.


    I reached into his pocket and pulled the ringing cell phone out.


    "Here," I said, handing it to him. "It might be important."


    Adam looked up from the pillow.


    "If you think it''s important, answer it."


    I rolled my eyes at his sass and answered the call.


    "Hello?"


    I listened for a response as I watched Adam disappeared underneath the sheets. "Evelyn? It''s Jace..."


    "Hi Jace," I said, feeling Adam''s hands grip my knees and slide them apart.


    "Is Adam there?"


    I faltered, trying not to gasp as I felt Adam''s warm breath hit the inside of my thigh.


    "He''s... a little busy."


    I felt Adam''s mouth trailing up the inside of my thigh, leaving wet kisses against the skin and I tried not to moan.


    "Oh," Jace said. "Well, could you tell him that I''ve got a lead on your mom and dad''s case?"


    My eyes widened and I sat up, pulling back the covers from Adam whoid between my legs.


    "Talk to him," I said quickly.


    Adam rolled his eyes and sat up, grabbing the phone from me and cing it up to his ear. "Yes?"


    I watched as his expression molded into one of deep thought and concentration.


    "Of course... No, do what you have to..."


    His eyes drifted to me.


    "Yes," he said to Jace.


    My eyebrows furrowed as Adam ended the call.


    "What happened?" I asked him.


    "He said someone reported your dad crossing pack lines in Utah."


    "What about my mom?" I asked. "Did they get them? Are they there?" Adam shook his head.


    "They''re looking for them now but there was no sign of your mom."


    I groaned andid back down on the bed.


    "I don''t understand..."


    "Don''t worry about it," he said, throwing his phone back on the ground.


    I shook my head.


    "What else can I do but worry?," I whispered, staring at the ceiling.


    Adam crawled above me, hovering over my body.


    "I can think of a few things," he said, kissing my neck.


    The sun was setting when the phone rang for the second time.


    Adam and I wereing in off the beach when I heard the ringing and encouraged him to answer it.


    Muttering something about how we shared our honeymoon with the pack, he went inside and grabbed the phone beforeing back outside on the porch as he answered it.


    I was drying my hair with a towel when he ended the call, all without saying a word.


    "Who was it?" I asked.


    "Jace," he answered, sitting down next to me on the steps.


    "And?"


    He sighed, letting out a deep breath.


    "Your dad got away..."


    I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my chin on top of them.


    Adam ced a hand on my back, rubbing it reassuringly.


    "We''ll get him, I promise."


    I shook my head.


    "And if you don''t?"


    He slid closer and wrapped an arm around me.


    "Let me tell you something..." he said. "The day I met you and I saw that bastard put his hands on you..."


    He stopped talking andughed, although I could tell it was to cover up the anger in his voice.


    "I saw him put his hands on you and your eyes zed over, your body froze," he said. "You were used to him treating you like that, but you were still scared of him." I gulped, looking down at the sand between my toes.

 Chapter Thirty-Eight - Not a Chance-2

    Adam shook his head.


    "I''ve dreamed of killing him almost every night since I met you," he said honestly. "Now, I have a reason to go after him, and you think I would just let him get away?" I was quiet for a few minutes, watching the sun set below the horizon and listening to the waves crash along the shore.


    "You can''t kill him," I whispered, speaking finally.


    Adam shook his head in disbelief.


    "I won''t make any promises," he said.


    "My mom needs him," I said quickly. "She won''t make it without him. She''s sick. He gets her the medicine she needs and he''s the only one who can get it."


    "She''s addicted to pills?" He asked.


    It was more of a statement than a question.


    I nodded.


    "I don''t know for sure," I said sighing. "But, I think so. She had surgery when I was little to loose weight. My dad said she was ugly when she was fat, so she thought the only way to fix that would be to lose weight. But it didn''t go right. She was always in pain and that''s what he did to help her."


    Adam was quiet for a few minutes.


    "I''m sorry," he said.


    I leaned down to pick up a handful of sand and sighed.


    "I don''t know why you''re apologizing."


    I felt his arm tighten around me.


    "I''m sorry that you had to go through it," he said.


    I wiped a tear from my cheek.


    "Just promise me you''ll still love me, even if I get fat," I saidughing.


    Adam didn''t even smile, looking at me very seriously.


    "Only an insecure man would care about the number on someone else''s scale."


    I began to chew on the inside of my lip, rolling a grain of sand between my fingertips.


    "Look at me," he said, taking my chin in his hand gently.


    I nced at him.


    "I''m not an insecure man," he said firmly. "So you go ahead and get as thick as you want. I''ve got strong arms, I''ll still be able to hold you."


    "But will you want to?" I asked.


    I saw his jaw clench.


    "Let me show you how much I want to."


    He leaned in and I felt his hand untie the bikini strap across my back.


    I gasped just as his mouth covered mine and he pulled me into his chest.


    His arms went under my legs and he picked me up, carrying me back inside the cabana.


    After two more days, the phone rang again, this time summoning us back to the castle. "I''m so sorry," Adam apologized.


    I smiled, pulling a sundress over my head.


    "You''re an Alpha," I said. "I''m a Luna. We can''t pretend that we can stay in this fantasy forever."


    "We''re not leaving this fantasy," he said. "We''re taking it back with us. The honeymoon isn''t over yet."


    Iughed.


    "Keep telling yourself that, Romeo. But our ne leaves in 20 minutes."


    "There''s a bed on the ne," he said, winking.


    "As well as a box of files that Jace sent to catch you up on everything you''ve missed for the past five days."


    He groaned, throwing a t-shirt into his bag.


    "Don''t remind me."


    Iughed.


    "But, rest assured, I''ll be catching up on my sleep on that bed because I don''t have a box of files waiting for me," I said.


    He growled.


    "Not fair," he muttered.


    As we left the cabana he promised to bring me back.


    "Looking forward to it," I said.


    We walked along the shore-Adam carrying our bags and me collecting shells that washed up-before we finally reached the tarmac where the ne sat, waiting. As soon as we boarded, I noticed the box of files that Adam had to go through and cringed.


    I certainly don''t envy that job.


    I sat down beside a window and watched as the ne took off into the sky.


    Doing exactly as I said I was going to, I went to the back and slept on the bed the entire ne ride back to the castle.


    I slept contently and soundly, my body exhausted from the week.


    It wasn''t that Adam was too hard to handle, it was me. I had certainly made up for the time lost waiting on our wedding toe.


    When Adam woke me up and informed me we had arrived, I sat up and yawned.


    "You sleep more than anyone I''ve ever met, yet you''re always tired," he said shaking his head.


    "Well I didn''t sleep much thest few days," I said. "Can you me me?"


    He nodded.


    "Yes, I can me you. I feel like you initiated it more than I did," he saidughing.


    I shrugged.


    "If you have a problem with that-"


    Adam stopped me.


    "I wasn''tining."


    He winked at me as he picked my bag off the ground and turned to exit the ne.


    "That''s what I thought," I muttered.


    "I heard that."


    "You were supposed to."


    We made it back to the castle after driving from the airport just as it was getting dark.


    I shivered watching the snow falling outside our bedroom window.


    "Why is it so cold here?" I asked.


    "It''s March," he reminded me, setting our luggage on the bed.


    I sighed.


    "I think I''ll take a hot bath," I said, thinking at how great it would feel on my sore muscles.


    "Was that a statement or an invitation?" Adam asked.


    I turned from the window to look at him.


    "Which one would you like it to have been?"


    A knock sounded at the door before he could answer, although I already knew what he was going to say. "What?" Adam called out, already annoyed by the intrusions.


    "It''s Jace."


    "Thank you for announcing yourself," Adam said sarcastically. "Care to tell me what you need?"


    "Fifteen minutes of your time," Jace replied.


    I watched as Adam shook his head and walked over to the bedroom door and opened it.


    "I''ll be back," he informed me.


    "See you then," I said suggestively.


    I saw how much it physically pained him to leave after hearing this, causing me to giggle.


    I ran a hot bath and waited for Adam toe back.


    After the water turned cold and he still had not returned, I got out of the tub and drained the water.


    I put on my robe, brushed my teeth andbed my hair.


    Hearing the bedroom door open, I looked over to the clock and noted it had been over two hours. "I''m so sorry," he said walking in.


    I could tell that he was mentally drained from whatever conversation he had with Jace.


    "Everything alright?" I asked, leaning against the bedpost.


    "Just more leads that will probably go nowhere," he said sighing.


    I thought about this as he walked past me into the bathroom to shower.


    When he walked back out into the bedroom after doing so, a towel around his waist, I spoke again.


    "What can I do to help?" I asked.


    He looked up at me and shook his head.


    "Nothing," he assured me. "I''ve got everything under control."


    I crossed my arms and sighed.


    "You''re stressed out," I noted. "I''m perfectly capable of helping, so let me."


    He walked over to me and put his hand on the bedpost above my head, the other reaching behind me to wrap around my waist.


    "Worry about it tomorrow," he said. "For now, get some sleep."


    I smiled, my hands trailing down his torso to disband the towel from around his waist.


    "With you next to me? Not a chance."

 Chapter Thirty-Nine - Lost and Found-1

    I woke to soft fingers trailing up and down my spine.


    Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes to meet Adam''s stormy blue ones. I smiledzily and snuggled into him. "Good morning."


    He chuckled.


    "Good morning, love."


    He pulled me up onto his chest and Iid my head down against it, listening to his heart beating.


    "Why are you watching me sleep, you weirdo?"


    Heughed. "I''ve only been awake for a few minutes."


    I peeked an eye open to look at the clock beside the bed and took note of howte in the morning it was.


    "Don''t you have to work?" I asked him.


    "I''m taking the day off," he informed me. "I''m technically still on my honeymoon."


    I hummed.


    "Do you get to do that?"


    "I''m the Alpha. I can do whatever I want."


    Iughed in amusement.


    I felt him take a deep breath and sigh.


    "Still tired?" I asked him.


    We had been up most of the night, it wouldn''t have surprised me.


    "A little," he replied.


    I furrowed my eyebrows, getting the sense that wasn''t what was wrong with him.


    "What''s bothering you?" I asked.


    Adam was silent as his fingers gently dragged across my back slowly.


    "Adam?"


    When I still hadn''t received a response, I looked up to see him staring at the ceiling.


    "What''s wrong?"


    He took a deep breath.


    "I couldn''t tell you before the wedding..."


    My eyebrows knit together in confusion.


    "Couldn''t tell me what?"


    When he faltered again, I rolled off of his body and sat down on the bed next to him, sensing something was wrong. "Adam, what is it?"


    He sat up, propping himself with his hands on the bed behind him.


    "Vega tried to get me to... um-"


    He faltered again.


    "To what?"


    He licked his lips, still not looking at me directly.


    "To have sex with her," he exined.


    I felt my stomach drop to the floor and my jaw go ck.


    "I didn''t," he assured me quickly, noticing my reaction.


    I swallowed the knot in the back of my throat.


    "When?" I asked him.


    "Oncest week and once when she arrived at the castle," he said. "The night you walked in on her and Jace, she came into my room first."


    I felt tears welling up in my eyes.


    "Nothing happened," he said firmly. "I sent her away the second I figured out what she was doing."


    I blinked hard as the hot tears spilled out of my eyes, letting out a breath I hadn''t realized I''d been holding.


    "How do you know she was trying to get you to sleep with her?" I asked. "What did she say?"


    Adam bit his lip and shook his head.


    "Tell me," I said.


    He took a deep breath.


    "The first time, I didn''t know it was her. I had been sleeping but woke up when the door opened. I assumed it was you but when she got into the bed and I felt her touch my shoulder, I knew it wasn''t," he said honestly, his eyebrows furrowing as he recalled the event.


    "I was so shocked that I pushed her out of the bed and I think it scared her. She got up quickly and left, never saying a word. The second time however, you and Liu were in town with the baker to talk about the wedding cake and she came into my office. She told the guards that you had sent her to ask me a question about the wedding, so I let her in. She started talking about the wedding, but then she said something about how I only had a few more days left before my sex life became non-existent."


    I closed my eyes, feeling the words hit me hard.


    "I sent her away each time, but she never got the hint," he said.


    "Why didn''t you tell me sooner?" I cried.


    Adam shook his head.


    "She''s your best friend and she was in the wedding-"


    "She''s not my best friend," I said, my jaw clenching.


    I huffed in anger, tossing a pillow against the headboard as I got off the bed. I pulled on my bath robe and could hear Adam follow me into the bathroom.


    "Listen, you told me about Diedrick-"


    "And you killed him," I interrupted.


    "-I thought it was only appropriate that you knew about Vega," he finished. "I didn''t want to ruin our wedding."


    I sat down on the side of the tub and put my head in my hands.


    "Why would she think that she could do that? Did she not think you would tell me?" I asked angrily. "And why would she say that your sex life would be nonexistent?" He shrugged.


    "It''s clearly not," he said, gesturing to his naked body and the messy bed.


    I shook my head.


    "I''m going to kill her," I said matter-of-factly.


    "That''s a little extreme," hemented.


    I red at him.


    "That''s a little hypocritical, don''t you think? Especially considering that Diedrick''s grave is still covered with fresh dirt."


    "Diedrick isn''t dead," he said.


    "You''re lying."


    He shook his head and I narrowed my eyes at him.


    "If Diedrick isn''t dead, it isn''t because you left him alive out of the kindness of your heart. He''s still of use to you," I guessed.


    "You''re spot on with that assumption," he said folding his arms across his broad chest. "But killing your ex-best friend while her father is dying in a hospital bed with her mother by his side, already grieving, would be a stupid idea." I groaned realizing his point.


    "What if I just kill her a little bit?"


    He rolled his eyes.


    "Once you figure out how to kill someone a little bit, let me know. I''ll take notes."


    With that being said, Adam turned to leave the bathroom.


    I shook my head in disbelief, remembering how Vega had asked me about Adam. The way she talked about how she would''ve climbed him like a tree and that he had the body of a god.


    I should''ve seen iting.


    I stood up from the side of the tub and took off the robe. I walked over to the shower and turned it on, feeling the need to rx before Imitted homicide.


    I stepped under the stream of warm water, wiping away the hot tears and rubbing my puffy eyes.


    Adam was my husband. Vega couldn''t have him and I would make sure she knew it before the sun set that night.


    Admittedly, I was plotting the details of her murder when I felt Adam''s arms wrap around my waist and his hands press against my stomach.


    I turned around in his arms as he pushed me against the wall.


    "You''re cute when you''re jealous," he said, noticing the scowl on my face.


    "Oh really?" I asked incredulously. "Then get ready, because I''m about to be fucking gorgeous."


    Heughed as he pressed a finger to my lips.


    "Watch your mouth, woman."


    My eyebrow raised as an idea hit me.

 Chapter Thirty-Nine - Lost and Found-2

    "No, you watch my mouth," I said, sliding down the shower''s slick tile wall onto my knees.


    Apparently Adam wasn''t as capable of taking a day off as he thought he was.


    It was either that, or Jace didn''t get the hint.


    He called the room after Adam and I had eaten breakfast, asking for Adam to meet him in his office.


    Apologizing, Adam left and assured me he would only be an hour. Three hourster, I knew he''d gotten caught up.


    I left the room around lunch and ran into Liu in the hallway, much to her surprise.


    "What are you doing back?!" She asked, hugging me.


    "Adam couldn''t take off too much time," I said, hugging her back.


    "He is the leader of four continents, I guess," Liu saidughing.


    She pulled away and eyed me.


    "You look great," she said. "You even look like you got a tan."


    Iughed.


    "My tan wasn''t really noticeable up here in the North Pole," I said sarcastically.


    "So, how was the honeymoon?" She asked. "I''ve heard Adam''s ind is pretty nice."


    I shook my head as we walked down the hallway.


    "Okay, first of all, why does he even own an ind? Secondly, how did you know we were there?" I asked,ughing.


    She looked hurt.


    "Who do you think was given the task of packing your bag for the trip? You''re wee for that super hot bikini, by the way." Iughed, holding up my hands in surrender.


    "Thanks for that."


    "It''s no problem," she said. "I appreciate any chance I get to spend money, even if it isn''t for me. I probably over-packed though." "Why would you think that?" I asked.


    She side-eyed me.


    "You honestly expect me to believe you wore anything other than that swimsuit while you were there?"


    Iughed, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.


    "Barely even that at some moments," I admitted.


    "That''s what I like to hear," Liu saidughing. "Wee to the Slutty For Your Mate Club. We go shopping for lingerie on Thursdays." "Exactly how many people are in this club?" I askedughing.


    "Two now," she replied.


    We walked to the kitchen for lunch.


    "So are you and Jace a thing again?" I asked.


    She sighed.


    "We''re getting there. I''m only able to get a few minutes of his time each day because of his job as Beta," she admitted. "Some days are better than others." "You''re mates," I said assuringly. "It will all work itself out."


    I opened the kitchen door to see Vega sitting at the counter eating a sandwich and I froze.


    "Are you okay?" Liu asked.


    Her voice caught Vega''s attention, who immediately looked over at us. She smiled when she saw me and got off her chair quickly to run over and hug me. "You''re back!" She said, giving me a hug that I didn''t return. "How was everything?"


    "It was great," I muttered angrily, trying to remember what Adam had said.


    "So tell me..." she said, hooking her arm around mine and pulling me over to the kitchen counter. "How was your first time? Is Adam as great in bed as you thought? Give me all the details..." I yanked my arm from hers.


    "So you can fantasize about my husbandter?" I asked incredulously.


    "What?" She asked,ughing. "I don''t know what you''re talking about."


    "I''m talking about the two times that you tried to seduce Adam," I said angrily.


    Vega looked at me in shock, unable to say anything in her defense.


    "You did what?" Liu asked her.


    "She tried to get my mate to fuck her," I said, crossing my arms. "And when that didn''t work, she went and found your mate and got him to."


    I regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth, but seeing Liu be as angry as I was and the fear that shone in Vega''s eyes made it almost worth it.


    "What is your problem?" Liu asked her angrily.


    Vega found her tongue.


    "Oh please," she said to Liu, "all you are to Jace is a sex doll. It isn''t like I ruined a rtionship."


    I saw the tears fill up in Liu''s eyes as Vega turned to me.


    "And you... you''re a prude, you''re vani and inexperienced. Neither of you deserved a mate. I''m the only one who could satisfy either of those men."


    I saw red as the blood roared through my ears.


    My fist swung through the air andnded perfectly between Vega''s eyes.


    Immediately she fell to the ground in a daze, blood gushing from her nose.


    "You''re wrong about two things," I said, squatting down to her level. "First, getting a mate isn''t about finding someone you deserve; it''s about meeting someone you don''t deserve and building yourself into a woman who does." Vega groaned in pain as she clutched her nose.


    "Second, I''m more than capable of satisfying my mate. Don''t believe me? You''re more than wee to sit outside my bedroom door tonight and listen in on the fun."


    I stood back up as Vega wiped her bloody nose on her shirt sleeve.


    "Go anywhere near Adam one more time, and I''ll make sure you and your dad are roommates," I threatened, stepping over her limp body.


    The look on Liu''s face was priceless as I walked over to the pantry and began to make my lunch.


    Vega got off the floor slowly and left the kitchen, still clutching her broken and bloodied nose. "Teach me, sensei," Liu pleadedughing.


    Iughed as well as I went over to the fridge and pulled out something to drink.


    A few momentster, Adam and Jace came into the kitchen.


    The expression on Adam''s face was one of unamusement.


    "I just passed Vega in the hallway..." he said, looking at me.


    I took a long sip of my water as his arms folded across his chest.


    "Care to exin why she had a bloody nose?"


    "She ran into the wall," I said, straightfaced.


    Adam rolled his eyes, obviously not buying it.


    "She''ll probably have two ck eyes tomorrow," Liu said shrugging. "It was rather unfortunate."


    Jace raised an eyebrow as she spoke.


    "Amusing, isn''t it?" Liu asked him. "How thingse full circle?"


    They stared at each other for a moment before Adam sighed.


    "This isn''t what we came in here for," he said.


    "What do you need?" I asked.


    "We found your dad," he said. "He''s en route here now."


    I felt the air leave my lungs and the ss of water slipped from my hands and fell to the ground, shattering.


    My ears were ringing as Liu and Adam scrambled to pick the ss up.


    "He''sing here?" I whispered.


    Adam nodded.


    "My mom?" I asked.


    He shook his head.


    "Evelyn, I''m sorry..."


    My eyebrows furrowed, my hands shaking.


    "What?"


    Adam faltered and I gasped, feeling tears burn my eyes.


    "She died."

 Chapter Forty - Tears Left To Cry-1

    Unknown P.O.V.


    "It''s time..."


    Adam''s P.O.V.


    My attempts to cate Evelyn were futile.


    After I told her that her mother had died, she went weak in the knees and I carried her from the kitchen up to our bedroom. Sheid on our bed, holding a tear-stained pillow tightly to her chest.


    No matter how hard I tried to soothe her, Evelyn couldn''t stop crying long enough to take deep breaths and calm herself.


    To say I was confused by this is an urate depiction of how I felt.


    As far as I knew, her mother was absent from her life. She was a substance abuser andpletely and utterly helpless at the hands of Evelyn''s father.


    She didn''t take care for Evelyn and never told her goodbye when I brought her to the castle just three months earlier.


    I couldn''t understand why Evelyn cried for the woman who didn''t love her, for the woman that was never there.


    My confusion, however, did not negate the fact that Evelyn did feel the pain of her death. This was the reason I tried to calm her, to tell her it would all be alright.


    After an hour or so of my failed attempts to do so, I left her alone to mourn and cry as much as she needed to.


    I couldn''t help but be angry as I made the trip back down to my office.


    It had been such a good week. We''d only been married a short time and she was happy.


    Why now did her father have to make a reappearance? Why did her mother have to die?


    I knew this meant that there would be a period of time, at least for a short while, that our lives wouldn''t be as happy. It was because of this that I hesitated in even telling her when I received the news. Jace was waiting for me in my office when I got there.


    "How is she?"


    I took a deep breath.


    "As well as can be expected."


    Jace nodded understandingly.


    "He''ll be here in a few minutes."


    This statement stopped me from sitting down and I nced at my watch.


    "Let''s go then."


    I grabbed the dress coat from behind my chair and put it on over my button-up as Jace stood up.


    I walked around him, leading him out of my office.


    "Tell them I want him brought to the lower level of the garage," Imanded.


    Jace said nothing as I heard him pull his phone from his cks and make the call.


    I went into the sitting room adjacent from the office wing and walked over to the bookshelf.


    Thetch was hidden behind my copy of The Art of War and I pulled it with so much force it almost came out of the wall.


    I heard the gears clicking into ce behind the shelf and soon the hidden door opened.


    I grabbed it, swinging it open so Jace and I could walk through it.


    The passage was narrow and dark except for what was illuminated by the dying fluorescent bulbs hanging from the ceiling every twenty feet.


    When my father was Alpha, he used this passage to escort women in and out of his offices without my mother''s knowledge.


    It was a long walk, but it was the quickest way to get to the south entrance of the castle where Evelyn''s father would be brought.


    After walking down a few flights of rickety stairs, we had arrived at the door leading out into the dungeon.


    I opened it, my senses were immediately met with the harsh smell of decay, blood, and sweat. My eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly, seeing the upied cells.


    Only people whomitted crimes against the Alpha and Beta Superior were housed here for life. They were considered especially heinous, therefore resulting in them being housed separately from other criminals. Everyone who was there had been there for some time.


    I took note of the man who had attempted to assassinate my father curled up in the corner of his cell, sitting on molded hay. He was much thinner then than he had been when first locked away.


    I stopped my stroll when I arrived at thest cell.


    His blue eyes, full of hatred, immediately took notice of me and I smirked. "Comfortable?"


    "Extremely," he replied sarcastically.


    Diedrick has been down here since I had returned from Utah. After the beating he had received, I was surprised at just how quickly he had healed. But, then again, he was a pure blood, the only one in the dungeon. It made it all the more sweet to me to know how demeaning and indignifying it must have felt for him.


    "You''re about to meet a man who now shares your knowledge of what happens when theyy hands on my mate," I said, pointing to the empty cell across from Diedrick where I nned on putting Evelyn''s father. He smiled.


    "Has she asked about me yet?"


    I felt my temper re up.


    "No," I lied.


    He stood up and walked over to ce his hands on the cell bars in front of my face.


    "Tell her she knows where find me if she wants to know what it''s like to be with a real man," he said.


    Quick like a sh of light, my hand reached out and grabbed the cor of his shirt and yanked him towards me.


    Of course the bars were in the way and this only meant he facented into them due to the force.


    I let go and he dropped to the ground.


    "I''m afraid that disqualifies you then, doesn''t it?"


    I smirked onest time before turning to walk away.


    "You let him get under your skin too easily," Jacemented once we were out of earshot.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "Don''t pretend like you haven''t entertained the thought of killing Tyler for dancing with Liu at the Centennial," I said.


    He said nothing else as we made our way out into the underground garage.


    Waiting there for us were threerge vehicles and two men standing outside each of them.


    "Where is he?" I asked.


    The two men guarding the car in the middle turned and one of them opened the car door.


    The other reached inside and yanked his body out, causing him to fall forward from the car onto the concrete.


    It was a sweet sight to see.


    Evelyn''s father was thin and frail. His cheeks had sunken in and he had heavy, dark bags under his eyes.


    His dark hair was matted to his head and he was coated with dirt and grime.


    Jace said they found him hiding out in the woods, trying to cross the border back into his pack.


    "Where is my daughter?" He asked me.


    Although his body was weak, his will was not. The strong tone with which he spoke disrespected me and I felt my blood begin to boil. "She''s upstairs in my bed," I answered. "She didn''t care to see you."


    I saw his jaw tick and I smiled.


    "I''m only here because I know the immense pleasure it will give me to see you locked away to die," I continued.


    "I need to speak with her," he said, trying to stand up.


    The guard behind sent a strong kick into his back, forcing him back down on the ground groaning in pain.


    "Over my dead body," I said, crossing my arms.


    Thest thing I needed was for my wife to be even further traumatized by her father''s presence.


    "It''s important," he pleaded.


    I narrowed my eyes.


    It was taking every ounce of self control in my body not to kill him then and there. I looked forward to the moment his blood was on my hands.


    "I''ve heard enough," I announced. "Take him inside and ce him in his cell. I''ll be back this evening to take care of it."

 Chapter Forty - Tears Left To Cry-2

    With that being said, I turned and walked away and Jace followed.


    "He seemed serious," Jacemented.


    "The only thing serious about him was how demented he was if he thought I would let him anywhere near her," I growled.


    "When are youing back?" He asked me.


    I looked down at my watch. It was almost time for dinner, and I needed to make sure Evelyn ate something seeing as she hadn''t eaten lunch. "Around seven," I answered.


    "Want me toe with you?" He asked.


    I chuckled darkly.


    "I can handle him myself."


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    I woke up when I heard the bedroom door open.


    My eyes were swollen from crying and I had a knot in the back of my throat and a pit in my stomach that wouldn''t go away


    I felt Adam''s presence behind me as he reached over and brushed my hair from my face


    "Feeling up to eating something?" He asked softly.


    I shook my head.


    "Want to take a bath?"


    I shook my head again.


    I felt the mattress dip down as Adam sat behind me. His arm reached over me and leaned forward to look at me.


    "What do you want me to do?" He asked, sighing.


    I felt the tears welling up in my eyes again. I was surprised I had any left to cry.


    "Can you just hold me?" I asked, managing to speak quickly before I choked back a sob.


    Adam stood up and I heard him taking off his jacket and belt.


    He then climbed onto the bed andid down beside me.


    Wrapping his arms around me, he lifted me up andid me on top of him, against his chest.


    I tried to listen to his heartbeat, hoping it would calm me down, but I instead ended up crying even harder.


    "Shh," Adam said, running his hands through my hair. "It''ll be okay."


    I struggled to catch my breath in between sobs as he continued to try andfort me.


    "She''s not going to be there," I cried.


    "What do you mean?" he asked.


    I gulped.


    "She wasn''t there for my wedding and now she''ll never meet you and I''m going to have kids and she won''t ever see them."


    I cried harder as I spoke the worries that had filled my head all day.


    "I just wanted her to turn out okay," I confessed. "I kept hoping that one day she would get better and finally be a mom. I didn''t want her to die like that." Adam took a deep breath and rubbed my back reassuringly.


    "I''m sorry," he said.


    I continued to cry for a few minutes before I managed to take a few deep breaths.


    Adam''s arms loosened around me as I sat up and wiped my eyes.


    I immediately felt guilty as I noticed his tear-stained dress shirt.


    "I''m sorry," I said.


    He smiled faintly.


    "It''s just a shirt."


    I huped a few times, still catching my breath and wiping away tears.


    "I''ll run you a bath," he said sitting up. "You need to rx for a little bit."


    I climbed off of him as he got off the bed and went into the bathroom.


    I heard him turn the water on and heard it begin to to fill the tub.


    He came back out of the bathroom and picked me up.


    Carrying me into the bathroom and sitting me on the side of the tub, he pulled my shirt over my head and began to undress me.


    I couldn''t help but blush as he stood me up and tugged off my panties.


    He picked me up and sat me down inside the bath, the water sloshing around as it continued to fill up the tub.


    I pulled my hair up into a bun and sighed, feeling how nice the hot water felt against my achy body.


    Adam turned to leave and I stopped him.


    "Please don''t go," I pleaded. "I don''t want to be left alone."


    I saw him smile faintly before turning around and walking back to me.


    He began to undress and I slid forward in the bath as he got in behind me. Iid back against his chest once he was settled and his arms went around my waist to rest on my stomach. We sat in silence like that for a long time, until the water went cold.


    I leaned forward and pulled the stopper out and the water began to drain away.


    "You need to eat something," Adam said. "Do you want me to call someone and have something brought up?"


    I nodded, even though I couldn''t tell if I was getting hungry or if the pit in my stomach was just growing deeper.


    Adam got out of the tub and grabbed a towel, handing me one as well, before drying off and heading back out into the bedroom.


    I heard his voice as he called for dinner and I stood up to dry off.


    Once I exited the bathroom, I saw him getting out a clean t-shirt and panties for me.


    "Thank you," I said, taking them from him and beginning to change.


    After I had done so, a knock sounded at the door and Adam went to retrieve the food.


    "I have to go," he said after he had finished eating.


    I had barely managed to eat anything before Adam had finished and stood up.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Where are you going?"


    "I have to go do something," he said, putting on a t-shirt and sweat pants. "I''ll be back."


    He never answered my question and I stared at him quizzically as he left the room.


    A few hours had gone by before he returned.


    The lights were off in the room and I had almost fallen asleep when the bedroom door opened and he walked through it.


    I heard him walk through the room and go into the bathroom to shower.


    Adam came out a few minutester and got into the bed.


    "Are you awake?" he asked gently after getting under the covers.


    I took a deep breath.


    "Yes."


    He reached out and pulled me into his chest, holding me tight.


    "Try to get some sleep, love."


    We were silent for a few minutes before I spoke again.


    "I want to see him..."


    I felt his body stiffen against mine.


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea," he protested.


    "I know," I admitted. "But he''s the only family I have left."


    "That''s not true," Adam said, kissing my forehead. "You have me."

 Chapter Forty-One - Escape

    "What do you mean I can''t see him?"


    Adam sighed in frustration.


    "I can''t let you see him, Evelyn."


    I groaned and sat down in the chair across from his desk. My father had been in the castle for three days and Adam was now refusing to let me see him after I began to ask questions.


    "My mother is dead," I said gruffly. "My father is the only blood rtive I have left alive and you''re not going to let me see him because you have a point to prove."


    Adam walked around his desk and stood in front of me.


    "That man was not a father to you and never cared for you to say the least. Why on earth do you want to see him after all those years of being beaten within an inch of your life?" I bit the inside of my lip.


    I wasn''t sure why I wanted to see him, but I did.


    "You''ll be right there with me," I protested. "He can''t hurt me."


    "Not physically," Adam muttered, turning to walk back behind his desk.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "What do you mean?"


    He sighed, sitting back down in his desk chair.


    "You''re not in a good ce emotionally, love. You''ve only just found out three days ago that your mother has died and now you want to see the man that was abusive to you after years of trying to escape him? It doesn''t make sense to me." "Well, it''s not like he killed her," I muttered.


    When Adam failed to respond, I looked up to him for reassurance.


    "He didn''t kill her, did he?" I asked, eyes wide.


    "We don''t know how she died. When you father was found he told my men that your mother was dead. They took his words to be true due to the fact that he was covered in blood."


    "So, she might not actually be dead?" I asked him, sitting up straighter in the seat.


    "I wouldn''t get my hopes up, love."


    I knew it was a stupid thought. She would never survive without my father. If my father hadn''t killed her, she would certainly have died from the extreme cold and the withdrawal from her painkillers.


    "I''m sorry," Adam apologized.


    "For what?" I asked.


    "That you never got to say goodbye to her."


    I shrugged.


    I could no longer mourn her death with tears or anger. It was like being around Adam, Jace, Liu and all of the other emotionless creatures in the castle had turned me cold. Being that they were purebloods, I doubted any of them had ever even cried. I imagined that I would be more and more like a robot the longer I stayed with them.


    "Let me show you something," Adam said, motioning for me toe over to him.


    I stood up and he opened his desk drawer and reached inside as I walked around the desk. He pulled out an old picture frame and handed it to me. "This is my mother," Adam said.


    I took the ck and white photo from him and stared at it intently.


    She had dark, wavy hair like his. She had fair skin and high cheekbones that Adam had also inherited. I could see him in her more than I could in his father. "She was gorgeous," I said, sitting down on the edge of the desk.


    Adam hummed in response.


    "I don''t remember her," he said.


    I looked up from the photo at him as he sat back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.


    "I was only six or seven when she died," he exined. "My father only married her because she was a pureblood."


    "She wasn''t his mate?" I asked.


    Adam shook his head.


    "He never told me what happened to his mate, but I knew he hated my mother because she looked so much like her. He cheated on her every chance he had." "She didn''t have a mate?" I asked.


    Adam chuckled.


    "Oh, she did."


    "Who was he?" I asked.


    "The Alpha Superior of South America," he said.


    My jaw went ck.


    "That''s why your father-"


    "-invaded South America, yes," He finished.


    I took a deep breath, looking back down at the photo.


    "How could she have married your father if she was mated to the Alpha Superior of South America, then?" I asked.


    "My father got to her first," he answered. "ording to everything Xavier ever told me, she met her mate at a g that was being held for all the Alphas and their mates. My father found them in his bedter on that evening and he swore to kill him and to take hisnd."


    "And he did," I sighed.


    Adam nodded.


    "You see, my father''s father, who was Xavier and Victoria''s brother, grew up in a house where you kept the throne limited to only purebloods and this was even before mating was restricted to only purebloods. Xavier told me that Victoria''s mate was an average wolf and she rejected him up to keep her dignity."


    "That''s why she tried to get you to do the same," I said.


    He nodded.


    "What happened after your dad took over South America?" I asked.


    "Well, he killed the Alpha Superior and made my mother watch. She killed herself only a few dayster," he said solemnly.


    "Is that why your father went mad?" I asked.


    "Yes," he replied. "He couldn''t live with the guilt."


    "That''s terrible," I said, sighing.


    "I say all that to say that no family is perfect," Adam said as I handed him the picture.


    I sighed.


    "At least you don''t have daddy issues," I said.


    Adamughed.


    "You don''t have daddy issues, love. Your father has daughter issues. Don''t me the abuse on yourself."


    I smiled at the reassurance.


    "But," he continued. "If you want daddy issues, I''d be more than happy to give you a few."


    I gasped and pped his shoulder,ughing.


    Adamughed and stood up from his chair, resting his hands beside my thighs. He leaned in close and kissed me gently. My eyes fluttered closed as I kissed him back.


    I pulled away as the kiss deepened.


    "Someone is going to walk in here."


    "I told my guards you were the only one allowed in here," he said kissing my neck.


    "Since when has that stopped someone?" I asked.


    "Tell me not to kiss you," he said.


    "Don''t kiss me."


    "Mean it."


    I faltered.


    "I can''t."


    He smiled as I felt his hand slide up the skirt of my dress.


    "No one wille in," he said in between kisses. "Just try not to be loud and no one will know."


    I sighed as he pushed me back onto the desk and began to unbuckle his belt.


    "No promises."


    Adam''s P.O.V.


    I kissed Evelyn goodbye before she left the office.


    I couldn''t help but smile to myself as I buttoned my shirt back up andbed through my tousled hair with my fingers.


    However, I took one look at the document that sat on my desk and my smile fell.


    I picked it up and read back through it for the thousandth time that morning as I sat back down at my desk.


    This was Jace''s report updating me on the case he had opened on the mystery man who had attempted to retrieve the invitation from the post office during the Centennial.


    While Jace and his team were no further along in their investigation than they had been in the beginning, they had found one key piece of evidence: security footage from outside an inn the night that the Germans had arrived at the Centennial.


    The video showed Diedrick, Barret, and their fathering and going from the inn.


    Earlier in the day, Jace pointed out that someone had checked into the inn under a name that didn''t belong to anyone who lived in the vige and a description that matched the man who had entered the post office.


    I was certain this meant the four of them were in cahoots.


    Jace had gone into town that morning to see when the man checked in and to see if he was still there. If he was, Jace would bring him back to the castle for questioning.


    I pushed that folder away from me and picked up the other one that Dr. Zosak had given me, detailing his reports on Mr. Chandler.


    The Chandler case puzzled me.


    Dr. Zosak was able to confirm that the attack had happened before Chandler had been brought to the castle. He also said that the reason no one had noticed the bite mark earlier was because it had been small incisions on his leg that only became noticeable after they became infected.


    While he wrote in his report that the bite was certainly one of a Vampire, he also happened to theorize that the loss of blood from Chandler''s major artery had been the cause of his amnesia. Although, he suspected that Chandler''s trauma would take years of recovery to restabilize his mental state.


    I hadn''t told this to Evelyn yet.


    She had experience enough devastation in her life so far this week, I wouldn''t be the bearer of bad news again.


    The ringing of my office phone shook my out of my daze.


    I picked up the phone and answered it.


    It was the jailer, telling me to hurry down there.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    Thinking it had something to do with Evelyn''s father, I hurried out of the office and down the passageway to the cells. When I arrived, I was met by the jailer who had a panicked look on his face.


    "What is it?"


    He couldn''t speak.


    "Damn it, man! What is it?" I asked again.


    He gulped and stepped out of my way as I pushed past him to see what the problem was.


    I looked to Evelyn''s father''s cell, where he was curled up in a tight ball in the corner of the room.


    "What''s the problem?" I asked, not seeing an issue.


    "Sir, of all the years my family has run this ce for you, we''ve never once had one of them escape," he said quivering.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "I''ve failed you, sir," he gulped, pointing behind me.


    I turned around to see Diedrick''s cell empty.


    Shit.

 Chapter Forty-Two - Pieces of the Puzzle-1

    Evelyn''s


    P.O.V.


    I took a deep breath, feeling the stream of water hit my face.


    I was exhausted, both mentally and physically.


    Liu and I had trained a bit that afternoon after I left Adam''s office. I shifted into my wolf for the second time, but this time something was off.


    It didn''t feel as rxing. I was on edge, scampering about as if something was wrong. The fur on my neck stood at attention and my tail was wedged between my legs the entire time.


    Liu told me that it was a possibility it was just because my emotions had been all over the ce after the stress of getting married, all the sex, and my mom dying. She could have been right, but I wasn''t sure.


    I hadn''t seen Adam since that morning, which worried me seeing as we normally ate dinner together. I just assumed that he had gotten held up with some important Alpha business.


    I sighed feeling the hot water from the shower rx my sore and achy muscles.


    Reaching forward, I grabbed the shampoo bottle and began to wash my hair. After conditioning it, I washed my body.


    I was rinsing off when I heard the bathroom door open slowly.


    I smiled to myself, knowing Adam would be joining me shortly.


    I heard him begin to undress as his belt hit the floor and the zipper on his cks was undone.


    Closing my eyes, I felt his presence me and fought the urge to turn around.


    I felt one arm reach around my waist and pull me closer to his naked body and the other reached down to grab my butt.


    However, as soon as his lips touched the im on my neck, I felt a terrible sense of dread.


    I turned around quickly and screamed as I realized it had been Diedrick.


    "Miss me?"


    The evil smirk that followed made me sick.


    My foot went up to kick him between the legs instinctively, but he caught it. He''d learned my trick after the first time he''d tried toe onto me. Diedrick pulled me towards him with my foot and wrapped my leg around his waist, pressing my naked body against his.


    I reached above my head and grabbed the shower head and yanked it down so hard it detached from the wall, bits of concreteing down with it.


    My strength surprised him and I used this to my advantage as I began to smack him in the head, shoulders, and face with the detached shower head. Water was spraying out of the broken piping and going everywhere, making it hard to see.


    I continued my assault until both his hands were lifted in his defense.


    Pulling my leg from around him, I tripped backwards away from him and threw the shower head in his direction.


    He deflected it easily and I escaped from the shower with him in pursuit.


    I went over to the toilet and grabbed the ceramic lid that covered the tank and swung it as hard as I could at him. Diedrick didn''t see iting until toote and the lid shattered against his face with a loud crash.


    I screamed again as I ducked from his grip and he stumbled backwards.


    My heart was racing and my ears were ringing as I ran from the bathroom, covering my dripping body with a towel.


    I blindly ran smack into Adam''s broad chest and I screamed at the contact, jumpy from my encounter with Diedrick.


    Adam steadied me with his hands on my face and looked at me with wide eyes.


    "Diedrick, he-"


    I didn''t have to say anything else as Adam walked around me and made his way swiftly into the bathroom.


    I followed him, still trying to exin.


    At this point Diedrick was back on his feet without so much as a bloody nose.


    It shocked me at how perfectly normal he looked after taking such a beating. I had been impressed with my defensive methods until that point.


    Diedrick smiled as he saw Adam stalking towards him, although I could''ve sworn his life shed before his eyes momentarily.


    "I have something you need to know about her father," he said to Adam.


    Adam ignored him and wordlessly swung his fist into the side of Diedrick''s face, sending a spray of blood across the wall.


    It knocked him backwards, but he steadied himself and blocked the second blow, swinging his own fist that time.


    Adam was faster than he was and ducked beforeing back up and sending three more blows to Diedrick''s abdomen.


    Diedrick was choking on his own blood when Adam''s hand wrapped around his neck and he forced him back against the wall, the tile shattering behind him under the force. Diedrick eyes nced over at me as Adam choked the life from him.


    In a moment of weakness, I screamed at Adam.


    "Stop!"


    Adam groaned and threw Diedrick over his head, sending his bloodied and beaten body into the bathtub.


    Diedrick groaned loudly and Adam looked at me.


    "Did he touch you?" He asked, breathing heavy.


    When I faltered, Diedrickughed.


    "It was nothing she didn''t like," he said spitting blood.


    Adam growled but I jumped in front of him before he could continue his assault.


    "Stop!" I said to him.


    I turned to Diedrick.


    "What were you going to tell him?" I asked.


    When Diedrick took his time replying, I reached into the tub and grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him up on his knees.


    "Right now, I could tell Adam to kill you and he wouldn''t think twice," I threatened. "So answer my question, or I''ll let you die."


    Diedrick gave a weak smile, exposing bloody teeth.


    I let go of his hair as he began to speak.


    "Her father isn''t the bad guy," he said to Adam.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "What?"


    Diedrick shook his head and groaned as he began to stand up slowly.


    "Adam''s been looking for the man who my father tried to forge the Centennial invitation for. He thinks it''s your father, but it wasn''t."


    I turned to look at Adam who was ring at Diedrick.


    "Then who was it?" He asked, eyes zing.


    Diedrick wiped the blood from his mouth.


    "Now I can''ty all my cards on the table, can I?"


    Adam growled and lunged for Diedrick, who stopped him.


    "But I can tell you that you''ll need to have a word with your father."


    I drew in a quick breath.


    "Why?" Adam asked him.


    Diedrick''s eyes nced between Adam and I before he looked at Adam intently.


    "The night we came to the pce for the Centennial, we met your father at an inn inside the vige. That''s why we werete to the Arrival G." "What did he want?" Adam asked, folding his arms across his chest.


    "He told my father you were going to try and overthrow him and offered his help. He told us of a plot that was under way to overthrow you, and offered us immunity in the whole ordeal if we agreed to send out that letter." I saw Adam''s eyebrows furrow as he took in the information.


    "Wait," I said, stopping Diedrick from speaking. "That doesn''t make any sense. If he offered you immunity, why did you take Adam up on the deal to overthrow your own father? It doesn''t make any sense..." Diedrick chuckled.


    "You''re a smart one," he said winking.


    I felt Adam tense beside me.


    "My father was an idiot to listen to Ma. I would never earn a title if we did it his way, which is why I took Adam up on his offer the first night at the Arrival G to help overthrow my father." Adam growled.


    "You thought if you let the plot against my title go on, you would be able to step up after I was overthrown," he guessed.


    Diedrick nodded.


    "Maybe even get the Luna in the deal too," he said nodding at me.


    My stomach flipped at the thought.


    "Are you the one who has been sending her the flowers?" Adam asked.


    Diedrick turned his nose up at the idea.


    "Of course not. Those ugly tulips? That was their idea. They wanted to scare her. If I had sent flowers they wouldn''t have been somon."


    "So who is it?" Adam asked.


    Diedrick shook his head.


    "If I tell you that, I have nothing left to bargain my life for."


    Adam gave him an evil smile.


    "You''re already out of things to bargain your life for..."


    Diedrick returned the smile.


    "Not even close," he replied.


    Adam''s fist connected with Diedrick''s face in a strong punch that caused his knees to buckle under and his eyes to roll back in his head.


    He copsed into the tub.


    "Did you kill him?" I asked.

 Chapter Forty-Two - Pieces of the Puzzle-2

    "Unfortunately, no," Adam replied. "But he''ll be out for a few hours, long enough to put him back in his cell, chained to the wall this time."


    He looked around the room at the water that was still spraying from the broken piping in the wall and the shards of ceramic ss that were scattered across the floor from the toilet lid. "Did he do that?" He asked, checking my body for signs of injury.


    I shook my head.


    "I did it."


    He sighed and pulled me into his chest, my wet hair soaking his shirt.


    "Go find Liu," hemanded. "The both of you need to go to my office and stay in there until Ie and find you."


    "Why? Where are you going?"


    His eyes were dark as he pulled away from me.


    "To find my father."


    Unknown P.O.V.


    The man''s legs stepped over her father''s frail, beaten body.


    The sound of the man''s patent leather shoes against the grimy floor woke him from a dead sleep.


    As soon as her father saw him, he pushed himself back against the wall.


    The man chuckled at his fear.


    "Long time, no see, brother," he said smiling.


    "Not long enough," her father growled, "and you''re not my brother."


    The man faked a frown hearing this.


    "Not by blood," he quipped.


    He squatted down and reached out to touch her father''s face. His fingers ran across the broken skin, wiping the dried blood.


    "When was thest time you had a drink?" he asked him.


    Her father gulped.


    "Yesterday."


    The man let out an airy chuckle.


    "You''re lying."


    Her father''s body began to shake with fear.


    "I know you know this by now," the man spoke, "but your blood is toxic to my kind after it reaches a certain alcohol concentration. But, I''m assuming, for the first time in years, yours has now dipped below normal." Evelyn''s father could say nothing in defense.


    "I''m giving you onest chance to join us," the man said.


    Her father, however, remained silent, a solemn look of finality etched on his face.


    The man sighed seeing this.


    "I wish she could have been here to do it herself," he said. "I know she''s been dying to for years."


    Heughed at his own joke while Evelyn''s father tried to focus on what it felt like to have his heart beating in his chest. It wouldn''t be in a few moments.


    He watched as the man''s pupils widened until his eyes were a deep and glossy ck.


    Thest thing he saw was the man lunging for his neck, fangs bared.


    He couldn''t even scream as the lonely ckness crept into his vision. God help my daughter, was his final thought.


    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    It was the quietest Liu and I had ever been as we sat in anxious anticipation.


    Adam''s office lights were all on, exactly as he had told me to have them.


    There were six guards outside the office door, protecting Liu and I from an evil we couldn''t possibly imagine.


    In my mind, I was trying to figure out how Ma was responsible.


    It didn''t make sense to me how Adam''s father, who had been ruler himself for so long, would be party to a plot to overthrow Adam. I felt in my subconscious, however, that this was much bigger than any of us realized. I jumped as the door on the end of the hallway opened and mmed.


    I stood up from the chair and waited to see Adam walk around the corner. I groaned in frustration when I saw that it was Jace.


    "Any news?" I asked him.


    The distressed look on his face made my stomach drop.


    "Well?" Liu asked when he failed to answer me.


    "Evelyn, I..."


    He faltered and I took a deep, shaky breath.


    "Where is Adam?" I asked.


    He shook his head.


    "I don''t know where Adam is," he said, honestly. "That wasn''t what I came to tell you..."


    "Then what?!" I asked. "Spit it out!"


    Jace took a deep breath.


    "I just received news that your father was found dead in his cell a few minutes ago," he informed me.


    I felt my knees go weak as I slumped back down in the chair, speechless.


    "Evelyn..." he said, earning my attention again.


    I looked up at him.


    "He was bitten."


    I felt nothing but cold shock in that moment.


    "Wait, bitten?!" Liu asked. "Like, by a Vampire?"


    Jace''s eyes were still on me when he nodded.


    "They''re in the castle," I said.


    Jace nodded again.


    "Which is why I have to get you out of here," he said.


    "I''m not leaving without Adam," I said firmly.


    We heard a loud crash outside the door and the lights flickered.


    When they turned back on, I saw a man in a dark coat take a sword to Jace''s legs.


    Jace bellowed out in pain as he fell to the ground.


    Quickly and instinctively, Liu reached into the waistband of her jeans and produced a dagger.


    "Liu, no!" Jace screamed.


    She lunged at the man and he effortlessly outmaneuvered her and twisted the knife from her grip, stabbing her in the stomach with it. Jace was yelling as she fell to the floor, but he was unable to move and help her.


    I scampered back in my chair, tripping over myself as I tried to get away.


    I jumped over Adam''s desk and the dagger whizzed past my ear with a gust of wind and stuck into the wall in front of my face.


    "I have great aim," the man assured me. "I missed intentionally, but I won''t be so kind the next time."


    I gulped and turned to face him slowly.


    I took note of his tall, lean figure and the sh of silver on his hand; a si ring.


    I knew him immediately to be the man Adam had been looking for.


    "What do you want?" I asked.


    My heart was racing as he held extended his arms out and smiled.


    "To introduce myself," he said simply.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "C''mon, Evelyn," he said. "Do you really not know who I am?"


    "What gave it away?" I asked. "Was it the confused look or the nk stare?"


    Heughed.


    "You''re sassy and stubborn, just like your father was," he said.


    "Are you the one who killed him?" I asked bitterly.


    "Yes," he answered, not an ounce of shame or remorse in his voice.


    "Did you kill my mother, too?" I asked.


    Heughed at this.


    "Figuratively speaking, yes."


    My eyebrows furrowed and he smiled.


    "You cane in here now!" he yelled, never once breaking eye contact with me.


    I heard footsteps in the hallway and I gasped when she stepped into the office. "Mom?"

 Chapter Forty-Three - Heartbeat-1

    My head was spinning.


    "I thought you were dead..."


    My mother smiled.


    "Well, technically speaking, I am."


    My eyebrows furrowed and she scoffed.


    "I''m a Vampire, darling. Don''t you get it?"


    I felt my heart begin to beat wildly in my chest.


    "Since when?"


    She thought about it for a moment.


    "A little over eleven years, I should think," the man said.


    She nodded in agreement.


    "Who is this?" I asked her, pointing him.


    She smiled.


    "Viktor, meet my daughter Evelyn. Evelyn, this is my brother, Viktor."


    "Brother?" I asked incredulously. "You never mentioned-"


    "How could I?" She interrupted. "I never even told your father that I came from a family of Vampires until I myself became one."


    She stepped towards me slowly.


    "You never wondered why I lost so much weight? Or why I never left the house? Evelyn, dear, I thought you were so much brighter than that..."


    "Dad told me that you were sick and that you had surgery," I said, stuttering over my words.


    She raised an eyebrow at this.


    "Sick?" She asked. "Yes, I suppose he probably did think Vampirism was a sickness. I tried for years to convince him to let me turn him, but he never obliged." "So you were never addicted to painkillers?" I asked her.


    She smiled.


    "No, darling. I''m addicted to blood."


    I shook my head in disbelief. My brain couldn''t process the information quick enough.


    "What are you doing here? How did you get in?" I asked her, suddenlying to my senses.


    "You should ask your father-inw," Viktor said, walking over to stand beside my mother. "Yes,"


    my mother agreed. "Congrattions on your big day, by the way. I would''ve liked an invitation."


    Bitternessced her sarcastic tone.


    "You were missing," I said through clenched teeth.


    "That was my fault," Viktor said. "I''m afraid that after we set your house ame, we had to migrate for a while until we could get a proper n in ce." "You''re the one who did that?" I asked.


    He nodded, smiling.


    "Did you get my flowers?"


    "The tulips?" I asked. "That was your doing too? How did you get into the pce?"


    "Again, ask your father-inw. He''s the one who put the bloody flowers there for us." Everything was crashing down all at once, all of the pieces beginning to fit together.


    "Why are you here?" I asked slowly.


    It was the only piece I couldn''t make fit.


    "That, my dear, is for you to find out," my mother said. "Come with us."


    She held her hand out for me to take and my eyes nced over at Liu, who was face down and unmoving, and Jace, who was still groaning in pain.


    My mother saw my hesitation and growled in anger. She lunged forward and grabbed me by my hair and began to drag me from the room.


    I screamed at the shooting pain in my scalp and tried to kick her.


    "Don''t make this harder than it has to be," Viktor said, following us.


    Seeing the menacing sword in his hand, Iplied.


    We walked into the ballroom and my mother tossed me onto the ground, pulling a fistful of my hair out with the toss.


    I groaned in pain as I struggled to my knees.


    The doors at the other end of the room opened and I saw three men prodding Victoria and Xavier into the room, both of whom looking more inconvenienced than frightened. "Evelyn!" Xavier called out, seeing me.


    I tried to stand up, but my knees were swept out from under me and my back hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of me.


    "Stay down," my mother said.


    I red up at her as I gasped for air, struggling to catch my breath.


    Xavier and Victoria, apanied by the three men, made their way across the room and over to where we stood.


    "Are you alright?" Xavier asked me.


    I nodded slowly.


    "It was you, you bitch!" Victoria yelled, seeing my mother.


    My mother smiled as one of the men hit Victoria in the back of the neck with the hilt of a dagger, the blow sending her to the ground.


    "On your knees too," Viktor said to Xavier.


    Xavier said nothing as he bent down slowly.


    "We''re still missing a few," my mother observed.


    Viktor looked at his watch.


    "They''ll be along shortly."


    Minutes dragged by in silence as we all waited, although I wasn''t sure what for.


    The sound of the doors opening on the other end of the room echoed through the silence and we all turned to see Ma walking into the room, holding Adam by the shoulder. He guided Adam inside and I sighed in relief as I scanned Adam''s body for signs of injury and found none.


    "Did he give you any trouble?" Viktor asked.


    Ma shook his head.


    "None at all, actually. He seems to be taking the news quite well."


    Adam did look suspiciously calm.


    Ma pushed Adam forward and produced a revolver from his waist band. I gasped as he pressed it to the back of Adam''s head.


    "What do you people want?" I shouted.


    "Evelyn," Adam warned.


    I looked at him in disbelief before Viktor spoke.

 Chapter Forty-Three - Heartbeat-2

    "I want him dead," he said, eyes narrowing in on Adam. "Why?"


    Viktor reached into the breast pocket of his coat. I thought initially he was about to pull out a gun and shoot me for my incessant questioning, but he pulled out a small proid and handed it to me.


    It was a dated picture, probably fifty years old. The edges were frayed and worn and the picture itself was yellowing. Viktor was in the picture dressed in a tuxedo. Standing next to him was a woman who was tinypared to him. She had blonde hair and a dazzling smile and she was wearing an extravagant wedding gown.


    I paled when I saw the bouquet of seven red tulips in her hand.


    "Who is this?" I asked him.


    He snatched the photo from me and tucked it securely back into his pocket.


    "She was my wife," he answered.


    "What happened to her?" I asked, almost afraid of his answer.


    "Your husband killed her," he responded angrily.


    My eyes widened as I turned to look at Adam. He stood there, unexpressive, and seemingly unsurprised by the news.


    "You did?" I asked him.


    When he looked at me, I saw the sh of guilt in his eyes and Viktorughed.


    "He doesn''t even remember," Viktor said to me bitterly.


    "Did you know she was a month and a half pregnant with our only child when you killed her?" Viktor asked Adam. The pain in his voice as he said this made my heart break in sympathy.


    "She was killed in a raid," Adam said finally.


    I saw Viktor''s jaw clench as he said this.


    "Ah, so you do remember?" he asked.


    Adam nodded slowly.


    "I remember all of them."


    Viktor was standing rigidly, hands clenched by his side.


    "Why did you kill my wife?" he asked angrily, tears filling his eyes.


    "I didn''t kill your wife," Adam said.


    "Lies!" Viktor bellowed.


    "I don''t kill women," Adam said firmly, eyes zing. "She was killed by one of my men, who misinterpreted orders."


    Viktor shook his head, his jaw clenched shut.


    "It was still your fault," he said bitterly.


    Viktorughed when Adam said nothing in response.


    "It''s ironic, isn''t it?" he asked, beginning to walk towards Adam. "The very thing you sought to destroy and make extinct, killing my wife in the process, is about to exterminate the entire Lycanthrope race, starting with you." Adam''s jaw clenched and he made a move to lunge towards Viktor, but Ma stopped him.


    "Ah ah ah," he tisked, pressing the barrel of the gun into Adam''s head. "Not a good idea, boy." My mother grabbed my arm and yanked me off of the ground as Viktor walked closer to Adam. "I''m not making her watch you kill him," she said to Adam. "I''m taking her to the German boy." Viktor turned to look at my mother as she said this.


    "Oh, that''s right," he said. "She is what we promised him, isn''t she?"


    Viktor turned to Ma.


    "What was it we promised you again?" he asked him.


    "The throne and title," Ma said firmly.


    Viktor hummed in response.


    "I''m afraid I cannot deliver on that one anymore, old boy."


    Ma''s eyes widened.


    "Thanks for your help thus far, but we''ll take it from here," Viktor said.


    Quicker than my brain could register his movements, Viktor pulled a switchde from his coat pocket and threw it. It caught Ma in his right eye, blood spurting out of the wound. Ma''s legs gave out before he hit the ground, dead. I gasped but Adam didn''t move, his face emotionless.


    My mother began to pull me from the room. I fought back and tried to push her away, but she was much stronger than her frail body would initially make one believe.


    She grabbed me by my shoulders and shoved me backwards.


    My head hit the heavy oak doors and the room started to spin.


    In my lightheaded state, I could barely make out Adam''s yelling as she lifted me off the ground easily and carried me out into the foyer.


    I tried to fight back but my body wouldn''t cooperate. I could barely lift my head as she carried me over her shoulder.


    I felt her hand me off to stronger, more muscr arms and I looked up through blurred vision to see Diedrick looking at me in concern.


    I shuddered as his hand brushed the hair from my face.


    "It''ll all be alright," he whispered.


    I scowled in response, my body shuddering at his touch.


    Looking away from him, I could barely make out the figure of Bartleby''s body on the ground beside the coat closet. There was a knife in his chest, staining the white shirt he wore under his tux.


    He was dead.


    I felt the freezing air hit my body as Diedrick carried me from the foyer outside to an awaiting car. I could see my breath freezing in the air as I let out a heavy exhale. I heard him open the car door and heid me down in the backseat. "Here," he said, reaching into his pocket to grab a handkerchief. "I think it''s time you slept."


    I watched as he leaned over me, one hand holding my jaw steady and the other holding the handkerchief.


    I waited until just the right moment before my leg rose in a swift motion to kick him between the legs.


    Diedrick grunted in pain.


    I sat up quickly and yanked the seatbelt strap around his neck, pulling it with all the force I could muster. He began to swing and push at me, but I sat on top of him and continuously drove one punch after the other into his abdomen. All it took was one hard hit in the neck on his Adam''s apple for him to begin gasping for air.


    I took this opportunity to pull the seatbelt tighter and screamed as he swung his fist into my cheek.


    It was toote though.


    I had pulled the seatbelt too far and it locked up.


    I watched as he struggled for his final breaths and the life began to drain from his eyes.


    I let out a breath as his body went limp, my own body exhausted from the exertion.


    I got out of the car and backed away slowly, realizing what I had done.


    I killed Diedrick.


    Screaming as a blow to the back of my head knocked me forward, I facented into the side of the car and fell over into the snow.


    I looked up to see my mother standing over me. She squatted down and grabbed my jaw roughly.


    "You were supposed to go without a fight," she said. "I didn''t ever want you to be involved in this."


    I groaned as I brought my knee up and hit her in the butt with it, sending her rolling over my head onto the snowy concrete behind me.

 Chapter Forty-Three - Heartbeat-3

    Hearing a metallic tter, I sat up and saw that a dagger had fallen from her pocket.


    I stood up quickly and grabbed it.


    She saw this and stood up slowly, smiling.


    "Go ahead," she taunted. "I don''t think you have the willpower to kill your own mother."


    I was hyperventting, the adrenaline racing through my body making it hard to hear or see properly.


    My hands were shaking as I brought the knife up in front of me.


    "You''re right," I said, sighing.


    She smiled at this.


    "You''re already dead."


    Her smile fell as I threw the knife with all the power I could manage.


    It stopped just short of hitting her in the face as she reached up and grabbed it in midair.


    "Nice try."


    I cursed under my breath as I backed away and began to sprint back into the castle.


    I could hear her following me so I turned and yanked the grandfather clock from the wall and sent it crashing down on top of her.


    She shrieked in pain, but I didn''t stop.


    I kept running, up the staircase this time.


    I wasn''t sure where I was going, but I had to get help.


    Along with my blood rushing through my ears, I could hear her footsteps pounding up the stairs behind me.


    I was almost to the top of the staircase when I felt her grab my ankle and pull me backwards.


    I tumbled past her, back down the stairs, groaning when I hit thending.


    I couldn''t move as I watched her make her way back down the stairs slowly. I was certain I had broken a few bones from the tumble down the marble staircase. I was struggling to even breathe.


    "You gave a good fight," she said, tossing the knife aside, "better than anyone I''ve ever seen, in fact."


    I was gasping for air when she kneeled down next to me.


    She took my shoulder in her hands and pressed it into the ground with such a force I heard a crack.


    I screamed as the joint popped back into ce.


    "You''re wee," she said.


    I groaned in pain, unable to even speak.


    "I didn''t want to have to do this like this," she said solemnly.


    I felt a chill run down my spine as she bared her fangs.


    "I wanted to turn you sooner, but your father made it damn near impossible to even catch you in the house," she exined, brushing my hair away from my neck. Turn me?


    I gulped as she sighed.


    "It will only hurt for a few days," she assured me. "After that, you''ll never feel pain again in your life."


    "You''re a monster," I groaned through clenched teeth, finally able to muster a few words.


    She shook her head.


    "No, sweetheart. That man you call your husband is a monster. If you only knew the things he''s done..." I shook my head.


    "You''ve got so much to learn," she sighed.


    I wasn''t even able to scream when her head dipped down to my neck and I felt her fangs pierce the skin.


    It was unbearable, shes of white hot pain searing across my neck.


    I clenched my eyes shut, tears spilling out of the corners as I felt my life drain away.


    I tried to think of all the happy memories, most of them with Adam.


    I tried to remember what it felt like to be held by him, to feel his touch.


    All of it began to disappear and I found myself fighting harder to breathe.


    I felt my heartbeat begin to slow as I heard her sucking at the blood that erupted from the wound in my neck.


    Suddenly, her body when rigid and I heard her gasp.


    I opened my eyes to see Victoria standing over her, repeatedly plunging my mother''s dagger into her back.


    Victoria thrust the de into her neck, sending my mother''s body limp, and I felt the spray of blood across my face as she rolled my mother''s dead body off of me. "No, no, no, no," she muttered, kneeling next to me.


    She pulled my shirt over my head and I whimpered in pain.


    Pressing the t-shirt to the wound on my neck, Victoria began to scream.


    "Adam!"


    No response.


    "Adam!"


    Again, no response.


    "Listen to me," she said, looking at me with eyes full of tears. "Whatever happens, I want you to know that I am sorry."


    I began to cough up blood and Victoria swore under her breath as she rolled me over on my side to keep me from choking on it.


    "I''m so sorry," Victoria cried.


    I felt my heartbeat begin to slow as the darkening of my view around the edges of my vision closed in.


    "Adam!" she screamed.


    Her voice rang in my ears.


    I coughed again, this time more blood spewed from my mouth and I began to choke.


    "Evelyn!"


    I heard his voice faintly as I felt my body turn over.


    I found myself staring up at Adam''s face.


    "I don''t want to die," I whimpered, feeling the hot tears streaming down my face.


    I couldn''t hear his reply, the ringing in my ears was too loud.


    It wasn''t long before I realized that the tears hitting my face weren''t even mine.


    I guess he wasn''t so emotionless after all.


    I drew in a quick breath as the darkness invaded my vision entirely.


    All that was left was the feeling of my heartbeat inside my chest.


    Soon, that was gone too.

 Chapter Forty-Four - Come Back to Me-1

    Adam''s


    P.O.V.


    This is all my fault.


    I sat, head bowed, on a bench in the hospital ward hallway; watching as the blood dripping from the wound on my cheek mingled with the pool of tears on the ground between my feet.


    I nced at my hands, which were coated in Viktor''s blood, and clenched them to try and stop their incessant shaking.


    Closing my eyes, I listened to the murmur of Mrs. Chandler''s voice as she thumbed through her rosary with raw fingers, saying silent prayers.


    Her husband had sumbed to his injuries just hours earlier and there she was, sitting next to me.


    I''m sure the two of us looked pitiful.


    Our tear-stained faces and my blood-stained body certainly weren''t anything to brag of.


    I heard the squeaking of rubber soles make its way over to where I sat and looked up to see a nurse, who was holding a first aid kit, approach me.


    "I''m fine," I insisted, dismissing her when she reached out to touch me.


    I felt Mrs. Chandler''s hand on my back and I sighed, sitting up straight so the nurse could do her job.


    "Dr. Zosak sent me," the nurse informed me, putting on rubber gloves.


    "Why aren''t you helping him?" I asked.


    "He''s got enough help, Your Highness."


    I exhaled slowly, my drive to argue about the matter dissolving with each second that passed.


    "Here," she said, handing me an alcohol-soaked towelette to clean my hands with.


    I half-heartedly wiped away the blood that stained the creases of my fingers and palms.


    The nurse applied an ointment to the cut on my face and I felt the numbness set in quickly.


    "This might still hurt," she said, holding up the needle.


    I said nothing as she began to stitch up the cut.


    As soon as she as was finished, she handed me bandaids and gauze pads for the assortment of wounds along my hands, arms, and torso, which were evident through my bloody shirt. "Thank you."


    She nodded and turned to leave as I ced the bandages beside me on the bench.


    "What is taking so long?" I groaned.


    "Patience," Mrs. Chandler said.


    "I''ve been patient for four hours."


    I took a deep breath as I stood up and began to pace along the hallway.


    Vega sat on the floor, her back to the stone wall, watching me as I did so.


    "Can I help you?" I quipped.


    She said nothing in response as she turned her head and sighed.


    I heard the door open on the other end of the hallway and I began to walk swiftly over to Dr. Zosak, who emerged from the operating room. "And?" I asked.


    He pulled the surgical mask from his face to reveal a grim expression.


    "Come with me," he said, leading me into the room.


    I felt my stomach sink my feet as he did so.


    I walked into the operating room as the nurses and other aids were leaving it.


    Immediately, my eyes were glued to her and I felt my body go numb.


    Her mangled body was outstretched on the operating table, a tube down her throat and a brace around her neck.


    Her arms and hands were covered in cuts and scratches, some of which were stitched up. Her pale skin was littered with bruises and her left cheek was swollen and purple.


    I couldn''t say a word as I stared at the state she was in.


    "It was the best we could do for now," Dr. Zosak said with a tired voice.


    I walked over to her, taking her cold hand in mine and pulling it up to kiss her battered knuckles. The broken skin was rough against my lips.


    I looked up at the heart monitor that sat beside the table sheid on and my stomach lurched with every beep the machine made.


    "She didn''t turn," I gathered from the indicated heartbeat.


    "No," Dr. Zosak confirmed. "But she lost a lot of blood. With the state her body is in, it will be difficult for her to fight off the virus."


    I turned to him.


    "Virus?"


    "Vampirism," he rified. "Her mother didn''t have enough time to turn her, but it still entered her bloodstream with enough volume to begin the process."


    "So does this mean she''ll turn with time?"


    He took a deep breath as he nced at Evelyn.


    "No."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "What does that mean then?" I asked, not seeing the problem.


    "It means that the virus willy dormant in her body for the rest of her life, like the shingles virus. It will still be there, but she wasn''t turned fully so she will likely have no sensitivities to the sun she does not need blood to survive." Again, I looked at him in confusion.


    "This sounds like good news," I said. "Why do you seem so apprehensive."


    Dr. Zosak nced at Evie again.


    "Her heart was stopped for a very long time and that her brain lost a lot of oxygen."


    My jaw clenched as I realized what this meant.


    "Brain damage?"


    He pursed his lips.


    "Maybe, maybe not. She''s in the same condition Warren Chandler was in when he arrived, except her body is exponentially in worse shape."


    "He died four hours ago," I said through clenched teeth.


    "Yes, I know," Dr. Zosak said quietly.


    I closed my eyes as I felt the burning of tears return to them.


    "Internal injuries?" I asked.


    He looked down at the clipboard in his hand and read them off.


    "Seven broken ribs, three fractured; punctured right lung; broken femur; shattered kneecap; and a hairline fracture on the back of her skull. Additionally, her carotid artery was nearly severed, but we''ve repaired it the best we can. The ligaments in her neck are torn for the most part, that''s why she''s in a brace."


    I let out a sharp breath as I steadied myself on the table.


    "Do you need to sit?" He asked.


    I shook my head, letting the news lose its shock factor before speaking.


    "I need you to be honest with me," I said, my voice breaking.


    "Of course."


    I swallowed hard, fearing the answer to the question I was about to ask.

 Chapter Forty-Four - Come Back to Me-2

    "Do you think she''ll be okay?"


    He thought about it for a moment.


    "Permission to speak freely?"


    I nodded reluctantly.


    "I believe she will," he said. "The difference between your wife and Warren Chandler is a will stronger than any I''ve ever seen. She''s a strong woman, born to be a Luna. If anyone can pull through this, she will." His words did little to assure me, but I nodded my head.


    "Thank you."


    When he faltered, I turned to see what he had been about to say.


    "There is something you need to know," he said, nervously fiddling with his clipboard.


    I nodded for him to continue.


    "While the virus will be dormant, there are side effects to it being in her body."


    "Side effects? Like what?"


    He took a deep breath.


    "Vampirism eats away at the Lycanthrope gene. She likely won''t be able to shift ever again."


    "I think she could live with that," I said slowly.


    Dr. Zosak shifted nervously.


    "Vampirism is also known for shutting down the reproductive system. I''m not sure that biological children will be a possibility for your wife, Your Highness."


    I paled, feeling like I''d been shot.


    Dr. Zosak closed his eyes and shook his head.


    "I''m so sorry."


    I wanted to tell him that it wasn''t his fault, but I couldn''t make my mouth move to utter the words.


    "She''s going to be moved into a proper room shortly," he informed me. "I suggest you shower off and take care of any business you have to in the mean time." He left the room, closing the door behind him as he went.


    It was then that my legs gave out and I fell to my knees beside Evelyn''s bed.


    This is all my fault.


    I did as Dr. Zosak rmended and showered off.


    I scrubbed at my body until the blood was gone, tears mingling with the hot water.


    This is all my fault.


    I changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants, not caring that anyone see me out of my usual business attire.


    I grabbed a few things for Evelyn from the bedroom before going back down to the hospital ward.


    As I passed Jace''s room, I briefly peered inside to see him sleeping, his legs bandaged and braced from his ankles up to his thighs.


    Liu was in the next room, her father and mother huddled around her.


    I walked past the room where Warren Chandler had been held, listening to the cries of the woman who loved himing from the dark room. I stopped for a moment.


    I hadn''t heard what a broken heart sounded like since my mother died.


    I walked past Vega, who was standing in the hallway and staring at the ceiling in deep thought.


    I didn''t acknowledge her as I walked into Evelyn''s room and closed the door behind me.


    The nurse handling the bag of blood was startled at the sudden intrusion.


    Dr. Zosak was standing at the end of the bed, looking at Evelyn before he turned to look at me.


    "We''re going to do white blood cell transfusions if that''s alright," he said. "It will help fight off infection."


    I nodded and took a seat beside her.


    Looking at her hooked up to various machines with random tubes and cords attached to her body made an odd feeling creep up my spine. "Is she in pain?" I asked.


    Dr. Zosak shook his head.


    "She''s being treated with plenty of morphine. It will keep her knocked out, but it will keep away the pain and allow her to get some rest." He ced a hand on my shoulder.


    "She''s stable," he assured me. "I''ll be here overnight and will check up on her every hour. Let me know if anythinges up."


    I nodded, not taking my eyes off of her.


    The nurse and doctor left the room and Iid my head down on the cot, right beside her hand.


    My fingers toyed with hers gently and I closed my eyes, silently praying that I would wake up from the nightmare I was in.


    I heard the door open and I turned to see Victoria walk in.


    I said nothing as she closed the door behind her.


    "How is she?"


    I remained silent.


    "Adam, I want to apologize."


    I felt my jaw clench.


    "I shouldn''t have treated her the way I did," she said.


    "It took her almost dying for you to realize that?" I asked.


    "It took me seeing her mother to realize it."


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "I had a dream a few nights before you met Evelyn," she said. "There was a girl in the dream with dark, long hair like hers. She was a Vampire..." I was unamused by her revtion.


    "I suppose I thought it was prophetic, especially after I met her," she admitted. "I thought it was her, but it turned out to be her mother."


    I took a deep breath.


    "Anything else you''d like to add?"


    She shook her head slowly.


    The door opened again and Xavier walked in as Victoria left.


    "I know you don''t want anyone in here," he said, "so I''ll keep this short and sweet: I''m going to take over for you until she gets better. You need to focus on her. The first thing I''m going to do is n a funeral for your father." I growled at this.


    "He deserves to be fed to dogs," I said.


    "Don''t let one mistake negate all the man did his entire life. He''s still your father," Xavier said. "The people have lost a former Alpha Superior and they''ll want a memorial. You don''t have toe, I understand if you don''t." I couldn''t argue with him, not while I was holding my dying mate''s hand.


    "I also wanted to give you this," he said, approaching me.

 Chapter Forty-Four - Come Back to Me-3

    In his hand was an envelope. I took it from him and inspected it, noticing the cardstock paper and the masculine writing on the front.


    It was addressed to Evelyn.


    Before I could ask Xavier who it was from, he spoke.


    "It was found among her father''s effects."


    I nodded cing it on the table beside her.


    "This is all my fault," I muttered silently.


    Xavier sighed and pulled up a chair next to me.


    "Why do you think that?"


    "If I had let her see her father, he would have told her everything before it was toote. I could have sent her away and none of this would be happening right now." Xavier pondered this for a moment.


    "You had no way of knowing why he wanted to speak with her. For all you knew, he was a drunk, abusive father who she was constantly on the run from. You did what any mate would have done: you protected her. He could have told you everything just as easily as he could have told her. Don''t beat yourself up over it."


    I stared at Evelyn as he spoke.


    "How do I justify letting her get hurt? I killed Viktor with my own two hands, easily. I could have killed her mother as well, but I didn''t."


    "Side effect of having a woman who stands up for herself," Xavier said. "She didn''t need a knight in shining armor, she just needed a sword."


    We were silent for a few moments before he stood up and put an arm on my shoulder.


    "If there''s anything I can do, let me know."


    I stopped him before he reached the door.


    "Bury her father and Warren Chandler," I said.


    He nodded and left the room.


    I turned to look at Evelyn, who looked startlingly at rest.


    "Please be okay," I whispered,ying my head on the bed beside her.


    For two weeks I sat beside her as she slept.


    Dr. Zosak said she was improving dramatically, but I wouldn''t believe it until I could talk to her and see her eyes open again.


    It waste one night that I sat in my chair beside her, reading Anna Karenina to her.


    I was bored out of my skull, happy to be nearing the end of the book when I felt my eyes begin to droop. I fought sleep for a few minutes before I finally put the book down andid my head down next to her body on the mattress, a move that had caused my back to suffer tremendously in the past few weeks.


    I was sore, stiff, and exhausted.


    It was the longest I had ever gone without shifting, but I refused to leave her side for longer than half an hour.


    I put my hand over hers and prayed for the millionth time that day that she would wake up.


    Drowsiness set in and my eyes closed.


    I had almost fallen asleep when I felt it.


    Her hand moved.


    I immediately sat up and looked at her closely.


    This wouldn''t be the first time I had imagined it. I was almost afraid that I would be the one who went insane next.


    I stood up abruptly, my chair falling backwards onto the ground when I saw her eyes begin to flutter.


    "Evie..." I whispered.


    She hummed and I smiled.


    I ran to the door and opened it, immediately spotting the nurseing out of Liu''s room.


    "Get Dr. Zosak," Imanded.


    She noticed the smile on my face, her own face lighting up as she realized what this meant. The nurse took off down the hallway and I turned back to face Evelyn, whose eyes were opening slowly. I sat down next to her on the bed and took her hand in mine.


    "Evie..."


    Her eyes opened and I saw a faint, tired smile dance across her lips.


    I kissed the back of her hand and smiled.


    "Good morning."


    I heard the door open and Dr. Zosak rushed in, smiling when he saw her.


    "Look who''s awake," he said.


    He walked over and began to check her vitals, ordering the nurse to take blood.


    "How are you feeling?" he asked her.


    "Sore," she muttered, her voice hoarse.


    "I''ll bet," he said,ughing. "You wouldn''t believe the number of bones you broke."


    "Oh, I would," she said grimacing.


    Dr. Zosak and I bothughed.


    "Feeling any difort?" he asked her.


    She nodded.


    "I''ll get you some more morphine. Talk to this guy for a few minutes while I go get it. I think he''s missed you," he said to her, winking.


    She looked at me and I smiled.


    I saw tears welling up in her eyes and I kissed the back of her hand.


    "Am I a Vampire?" she asked slowly.


    I shook my head and I saw the relief flood her body.


    "Liu? Jace?" She asked.


    "They''re fine," I said.


    We were silent for a few moments before she asked another question.


    "Viktor?"


    "Dead," I assured her.


    She nodded in contentment.


    "I love you," she whispered.


    "I love you too."


    Dr. Zosak entered the room again and gave the nurse a vial of something.


    "That will make you feel a little better, but it''ll also make you sleepy," he warned.


    "Oh, she''s got no problem with sleeping," I assured him.


    Even in her weak and tired state, she still managed to re at me yfully.


    "Rest up," I whispered. "Just make sure youe back to me."


    I watched as her eyes began to get heavy again and I sighed once they were closed. Pleasee back to me.

 Chapter Forty-Five - More Than Happy-1

    Evelyn''s P.O.V.


    I had been in that hospital room for nearly two months when Dr. Zosak finally cleared me to sleep in my own bed.


    Most of my body had healed, although I found myself fighting headaches from time to time and was unable to walk on my own until my leg was healed fully. Adam, of course, took full advantage of the situation and found every way one could possibly imagine to baby me and used every excuse to carry me around. "I have legs," I groaned as he picked me up from the wheelchair to ce me into the bath.


    "You have one functioning leg," he corrected.


    I rolled my eyes and sucked in a quick breath when he set me down into the hot water.


    "Too hot?"


    I shook my head.


    "It''s perfect," I sighed.


    It had been too long since I had been able to take a bath. The warm water immediately rxed my tired and stiff body.


    Adam rolled up a towel and ced it behind my neck as Iid back into the tub.


    "Thank you," I said.


    He nodded in response, his eyes anxiously ncing over my body.


    "I''m fine," I assured him.


    He sighed and sat down next to the tub.


    "You should go get some sleep," I said.


    The dark circles around his eyes and his tired expression had been worrying me for quite a while, but he was stubborn. He refused to leave me alone. "I''m fine," he assured me.


    Iughed as he struggled to fight off a yawn.


    "Go," I said. "I''ll be fine here."


    He gave me a wary look.


    "How do you n on getting out of the bath when you''re done?" he asked.


    I smiled.


    "I still have one functioning leg," I reminded him.


    Adam rolled his eyes andughed.


    I watched as he pulled an envelope from his pants pocket and handed it to me.


    "What is this?" I asked, taking it from him.


    "They found it on your dad the day that he died," he said. "I''ve been waiting for the right time to give it to you, but I figured there wouldn''t really ever be one."


    I turned the envelope over in my hands, immediately recognizing my dad''s handwriting.


    "Have you read it?" I asked.


    "No, but I can read it first if you want me too," he offered.


    I took a deep breath and shook my head as I tore open the envelope and pulled out the letter.


    Words filled the front and back and I took a shaky breath as I began to read silently.


    My dearest Evelyn,


    I''m so sorry.


    There aren''t sufficient words I could use to express how deeply sorry I am. I put you through things that no daughter should ever have to experience and for that I will never be able to adequately apologize.


    I am writing this letter to you to tell you things that I could never muster enough courage to tell you while you were still living under my roof. I know now, with Adam, you are safe and you can handle the truth. I want you to know, with these truths, I do not ask for your forgiveness, only your understanding.


    Your mother is not addicted to painkillers. She is a Vampire.


    When you were nine years old, I told you that she had surgery to lose weight. I lied and I did so to protect you. The truth is: your motheres from a family of Vampires, only she wasn''t born one herself. Her brother, Viktor, turned her in order to seek revenge against me for the things that Lycanthropes were ountable for. One of those things was the death of his wife.


    Your mother never told me about her family until Viktor showed up on our doorstep, demanding to see her. That was the day your mother died. I lost the woman I loved and you lost your mother. The woman that returned in her ce, that filled her body, was not the woman I fell in love with. This woman was a monster.


    The only way I could escape this monster was through alcohol. You see, she was out for my blood-and yours-from that day on. Because blood bes toxic to a Vampire once it is concentrated with enough alcohol, I started to drink in order to keep her away from me. If I''m being honest, I never liked the taste of it, but I suppose it tasted better than death would.


    If you can recall, or maybe you''ve blocked these memories from your mind, this is when the abuse started.


    I couldn''t bring myself to start making you drink as well; you were only a child. Because of this, I needed to find other ways to keep you away from your mother. But, you were stubborn like I am. You would never leave the house unless you wanted to, so I had to make you want to.


    I promise you with everything within me that I never took pleasure in insulting or hurting you. It hurt more than I can put into words to watch myself be a monster in your eyes, especially since I knew that the real monster was the woman you mistook for your mother.


    But, as a father, I had to make the sacrifice. Your life was worth so much more to me than your love was.


    I had no other choice.


    There was no way I could send you away. Your mother''s family was never an option and neither was my family.


    I know I told you that my parents were dead, but that was also a lie. My father was the Beta Superior of Europe. As a pureblood, I was expected to wait for my mate to get married, but that all changed when I met your mother and I was disowned by my family when I married her.


    I wanted desperately to tell you this, since I knew you would be confused as to why a seemingly ordinary Lycanthrope like yourself earned a mate. You are not ordinary, Evelyn. You are a strong young woman thates from Lycanthrope royalty.


    I should have told you and Adam this before you left the house that morning, but I could not risk your mother hearing me.


    Tell Adam a few things for me: The first being that I am not an example of how you are to be treated. He is to treat you like the queen you are and you are not to expect anything less from him. He is to respect you and to honor you. The second thing I''d like you to tell him is that the rogue he came looking for in the first ce never existed. Our neighboring pack had mistaken Viktor for one of their own when they caught him crossing pack lines. Viktor was in our house the night you met Adam, which is why I told you not toe home. The men Adam left behind got too close to figuring this out, which was why your mother and Viktor kidnapped Warren Chandler, to throw off their scent.


    I went looking for Warren Chandler, only toe home to a house that had been burnt to the ground after I found him and ced him where the men in Adam''s pack could find him. If Warren survived, I want you to tell he and Mrs. Chandler thank you for me. They practically raised you and offered you food and shelter when you didn''t get that from me. I will forever be in their debt.


    I love you, Evelyn Schubert.


    I don''t ask for your forgiveness, I only hope that you understand now that I did what I had to do to protect you.


    I wish I could have been at your wedding and I wish that I could see those beautiful children you two will undoubtedly have.


    Live well, daughter.


    All the love in this world,


    Dad


    I was crying as Adam took the letter from my hands and read it for himself.


    I couldn''t believe that I hated that man. There was a time in my life that I had wished him dead, and now, I wished more than anything that he was there. I wanted to hug his neck and tell him that I forgave him. "Wow," Adam breathed out as he finished reading.


    I let out a sniffle and wiped my tears away as they fell.


    "I''m sorry I ever called your father a coward," he apologized.


    I cried as Adam leaned forward over the tub and kissed my temple.


    Tears were still falling as I washed my body quickly and Adam helped me from the bath. After changing me into one of his t-shirts and underwear, he helped me into the bed.


    I sighed as my back hit thefortable mattress.


    I re-read the letter as Adam showered, putting it on the nightstand once I finished.


    Adam turned out the lights and got into the bed next to me.


    "All those years," I whispered, "I hated the man that was only trying to protect me."


    Adam sighed as his hand found mine under the covers.


    "You can''t me yourself," he said. "You had no way of knowing. It doesn''t excuse him for what he did all those years."


    "I know," I whispered.


    Adam rolled over and wrapped his arms around me gently.


    "I''m so d to be able to hold you again," he admitted.


    I smiled.


    "I''m d you''re holding me again."


    He leaned over to kiss my lips gently.


    "I love you."


    "I love you too."


    I watched helplessly as Jace packed his bags into the car.


    I couldn''t help him or Adam as they did so while I was on crutches.


    "I don''t understand why you have to go," I said.


    Jace stopped packing and took a deep breath.

 Chapter Forty-Five - More Than Happy-2

    He hobbled over to me, his legs still recovering, and he ced a hand on my shoulder.


    "I''m no longer fit to be Beta," he said. "My legs will never recover fully, meaning I''m a useless fighter. I need some time to get away and be normal." I looked to Liu, who stood beside me, and sighed.


    "You''re going too?"


    She gave me a grim smile and nodded.


    "We''re going to work things out," she said. "We both needed a wakeup call and I guess there isn''t one better than almost dying."


    Jace leaned over and kissed her forehead.


    "You''ll see us again," he promised.


    I hugged Liu as tight as I could and she hugged me back.


    "I''ll miss you," I said honestly.


    She smiled, tears filling her eyes.


    "I''ll miss you too."


    Adam finished loading thest bag into the SUV and shut the trunk.


    He and Jace shook hands as he wished them safe travels.


    "Let us know if you''re ever in Australia," Jace said.


    Adam came to stand next to me, wrapping an arm around my waist to help me take some weight off my leg.


    "Will do," he promised.


    I watched with teary eyes as the two of them got into the car and drove away.


    I looked up to Adam.


    "What are you going to do without a Beta?" I asked.


    He smiled as he looked down at me.


    "Who needs a Beta when you''ve got a Luna?"


    "You''re leaving too?"


    I stared incredulously at the bags and suitcases that Vega and her mother had packed.


    "There''s no need for us to stay any longer," Mrs. Chandler said.


    I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.


    "Where will you go?" I asked.


    "The boys and I are going home," Mrs. Chandler responded.


    I looked at Vega as she said this.


    "Where are you going?"


    "Nigeria," she said smiling."Nwabueze asked me to marry him."


    "That''s... great," I said slowly. "But, Vega, he''s a pureblood. What are you going to do if he finds his mate?"


    "He''s already found her," she responded. "She died a few years ago."


    "I''m sorry," I said quickly, feeling guilty for asking.


    She smiled.


    "It''s okay. I think there''s a future there, though. I just want to be happy."


    I smiled and nodded.


    "I hope you are happy there," I said.


    She leaned forward and hugged me and I returned it after a few seconds.


    "Stay safe," I said.


    Vega nodded as she pulled away.


    "I will, I promise."


    Adam called for someone to help them pack their bags as we followed them to an awaiting car.


    Mrs. Chandler turned to us and smiled.


    "Thank you for everything," she said earnestly.


    "Anytime," I said. "Let us know if you need anything else."


    She smiled.


    "Thank you."


    I hugged the twins before they dashed off to the car with Vega and their mother.


    I watched with teary eyes as they pulled away.


    "You okay?" Adam asked.


    I nodded, wiping the tears from my cheeks.


    "It''s so hard to be here," I admitted. "Especially with everything that has happened."


    He turned to look at the castle.


    "Let''s move then," he suggested.


    I stared at him wide-eyed.


    "You can''t be serious..."


    He smiled and nodded.


    "I am serious. Where do you want to go?"


    Iughed in disbelief.


    "I don''t know," I said.


    He thought about it for a moment.


    "What about Germany?"


    "Germany?" I asked. "Are you sure?"


    He nodded.


    "You have family there," he reminded me. "I''m sure they''d love to meet you."


    I smiled.


    "Let''s do it."


    And we did.


    Nearly three monthster, we werepletely moved into the castle Adam and I had stayed in when we visited Germany the first time. Xavier and Victoria stayed in Canada so the pack there could be looked after.


    It was just Adam and I in the new, huge castle.


    "It''s so empty," Imented, standing in the ballroom.


    He hummed in response.


    "Once the maids and butlers get here, it won''t be so bad," he said.


    "That''s not it," I said, shaking my head.


    He looked at me quizzically.


    "What did Dr. Zosak say our chances were for having kids?"


    He took a deep breath.


    I knew it was a touchy subject, it wasn''t something we talked about often.


    "Slim," he said finally.


    I bit the inside of my cheek.


    "Want to try and prove him wrong?"


    He smiled.


    "I''d be more than happy to."

 Epilogue

    Exactly two years and five days after the death of my father, Cain Alexander Deveraux was born. He had my brown hair and Adam''s brilliant blue eyes.


    That, however, was where the simrities ended.


    Cain was born a Vampire, yet he was also still a Lycanthrope; a hybrid, as Dr. Zosak had called him. He was the first of his kind.


    Although he was certainly one of a kind, Adam and I raised him normally. We didn''t know how else to.


    As he grew, he began to turn into one of the most temperamental people I had ever met. Cain was smart, cunning even. He was strong and healthy. But, when watching him closely, I could see the fire within him. It scared me.


    One day, I heard he and Adam talking to each other as I walked past Adam''s office.


    Adam was attempting to exin to the four-year-old the duties that he had as Alpha. Cain couldn''t seem to understand why his father worked with other Alphas instead of working by himself.


    "Well," Adam exined, "we all work as a team. I can''t rule the whole world by myself."


    Cain was quiet for a few moments.


    "I will when I be Alpha," he said firmly.


    Adamughed.


    "I''m sure you will," he said. "Now, go get ready for bed."


    I opened the door to the office as Cain ran past me to his bedroom.


    "Does he not worry you?" I asked Adam.


    Adam shook his head.


    "Does he worry you?" he asked.


    I nodded.


    "How many other four-year-olds do you know that talk about world domination?"


    He shrugged,ughing.


    "He tried to bite me yesterday," I said.


    "Most toddlers bite, darling."


    I shook my head.


    "He worries me. He''s so... barbaric."


    "He listens to his instincts," Adam said, standing from his chair. "I can''t imagine what it would be like to have hearing and vision the way he does." I sighed.


    "How are your nsing along for Asia?"


    He nodded.


    "Pretty well, actually. It will be ours in no time."


    I shook my head,ughing.


    "Why can''t you be happy with thend you already have?"


    "I am happy with thend I already have," he said defensively. "I just want more of it."


    "See, that''s where Cain gets it from," I saidughing.


    "What?"


    "This whole idea of world domination."


    Heughed.


    "What can I say? I''m a role model."


    I rolled my eyes as he leaned over to kiss my neck.


    "You''re something else, that''s for sure."


    "C''mon, is that the best you can do?" he asked me, his lips trailing along my jaw.


    "You''re stubborn and you''ve got an ego the size of the moon," I said.


    He lifted me up onto his desk and began to unbutton my shirt.


    "What else?" he asked me.


    "You think you know everything. You''re cunning and smart. You have the body of a god."


    Adamughed at his, his lips returning to my neck as he pulled off his own shirt.


    "I think the word you''re looking for is perfect," he said, his hands sliding up my skirt. "No," I said. "That''s not it..."


    "Sexy?"


    "No."


    "Then what?"


    I thought about it for a moment. "Primal."


    Adam smiled as he pulled off his belt.


    "Darling, I can show you primal..."

 Chapter One - Mourning the Missing-1

    "Your grandfather is dead."


    Those were words I never wanted to hear, but had been anticipating for too long.


    Those words were the reason that I sat on a ne flying above German farnd, on my way to arrange a funeral I didn''t want to attend.


    I felt someone nudge my arm and I opened my eyes to see my older brother, Zak, staring at me. I took out my headphones, even though he didn''t speak verbally. He pointed to the date window on his watch.


    November 12th.


    ''Happy twenty-third birthday,'' he signed, smiling.


    I sighed.


    ''It doesn''t feel like a happy birthday,'' I signed back, my shaky fingers disying just how exhausted I was.


    Zak sat forward and pulled something from his backpack. I noticed as he handed it to me that it was a bag of peanut m&ms, my favorite kind of candy.


    He winked at me before leaning back in his seat.


    I opened the bag and poured out a handful and handed them to him. He took them dly.


    ''How are you?'' Zak asked me once he finished them off.


    His sharp eyes had been studying me the entire trip. He knew the answer.


    I nodded, signing that I was fine.


    I looked past him to my mom and dad, who sat in the middle row. Her tear-stained, red-rimmed eyes were staring nkly at the back of the seat in front of her.


    I sighed, knowing how hard she was probably taking her father''s death. They had been close, especially after my grandmother died when she was young.


    My mother and father were both German and moved to the United States after they were married.


    After I was born, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and my grandfather quit his job and moved to Florida to help take care of her since my dad worked all the time. The man practically raised me.


    After he moved back to Germany, he fell ill and was unable toe back to see us. We had only made a few trips to see him since that time.


    I couldn''t believe he was gone.


    I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the sad thoughts. I looked back out the window as my eyes filled with tears, blurring the sight of the setting sun.


    It waste into the evening when the nended in Frankfurt. We got a rental car and drove a little over an hour into the country to my grandfather''s cottage.


    Driving up to the cottage was hard. I was used to the porch light being on, ushering us up to the house. This time the house was dark and uninviting.


    As we got out of the car, I took my luggage and wheeled it up to the side door.


    I could hear Remi, my grandfather''s Schnauzer, barking as I retrieved the key from underneath the doormat.


    I unlocked the door and flipped on the light.


    Remi trotted over and sniffed me, her tail wagging quickly.


    I smiled grimly as I leaned down to run my fingers through her fur, which had grayed since I''d seen herst.


    Zak came in behind me, his suitcase and backpack hitting the doorway as he squeezed his way inside. In that moment, he looked more like an eight-year-old boy than a twenty-six-year-old man. "Would you mind turning on some lights?" My mom asked as she came in.


    I stood up and walked into the den and turned on a fewmps.


    Taking a deep breath and fighting tears as I looked around the room, I made my way upstairs to the guest bedroom that I normally stayed in.


    Everything was the same as it always had been.


    The green walls hadn''t been painted in decades and the dusty, floral curtains were in serious need of being reced. The wooden floor squeaked under the pressure of my footsteps as I made my way across the room to turn on themp. The lightbulb blew as I did so and I sighed, my mind continuing to turn over every worry and sad thought in darkness.


    I sat my suitcase down on the floor andid down over the duvet.


    Soon, the jetg caught up to me and I drifted off into a restless sleep.


    The next day was no better than thest, except for the first few moments when I woke up and had forgotten where I was and why I was there.


    That blissful ignorance soon disappeared as I heard my mother''s voice floating up the stairs.


    I got out of bed and went downstairs.


    My mother and father were both sitting at the old, oak dinner table clutching steaming cups of coffee.


    "Good morning," she said.


    It sounded more obligatory than it did loving.


    "Good morning," I returned, stopping short from asking her how she was. I knew how she was.


    "We''re going to the mortuary in a while to make arrangements," she informed me. "You''re more than wee toe."


    I fought back tears as I poured myself a cup of coffee.


    "I''ll pass."


    The kitchen was quiet as I poured cream into the coffee and stirred it.


    I picked the mug up from the counter and held it tightly. The warmth from the ceramic cup was a stark contrast to the cool air in the house.


    "I want to have the funeral here," she said softly.


    Looking up from my drink, I saw my dad reach across the table and take her hand in his as he nodded reassuringly.


    "It sounds like a good idea," he said, giving her a grim smile.


    I looked around small cottage with apprehension. It was far too small to hold a funeral, but I wasn''t going to argue with my mom about it. It was her decision to make. "Stop it," she said.


    I snapped out of a trance to find myself looking at her as she returned the stare.


    "What?"


    "Stop looking at me like that," she said defensively.


    I fumbled over my words.


    "Like what?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion.


    "Like you''re assessing which stage of grief I''m entering," she snapped.


    My mother stood from the table quickly, the chair sliding loudly against the wooden floor as she did so. I watched in disbelief as she stomped up the stairs.


    I looked to my dad, who still sat at the dining table, and he sighed and shook his head as he took another sip of coffee.


    "I wasn''t," I said defensively.


    "You were."


    He stood up and ced his mug in the sink and began to rinse it out.


    "I understand that you see this stuff everyday and you study it in school-"


    I began to speak but he raised a hand to stop me.


    "-but don''t negate your mother''s feelings or brush it off like you would a client. He was your grandfather, try not to reason your way out of grieving yourself."


    With those words he walked away and left me to stand in a cold kitchen holding a steaming cup of coffee.


    I shook my head as I ced the mug on the counter and crossed my arms.


    I tried to take his words at face value, understanding he had said them to help me. But it still stung.


    As a second-year graduate student who was studying counseling, I was familiar with grief and loss. I interned at a practice that had people dealing with those two things walk through the doors everyday.

 Chapter One - Mourning the Missing-2

    I wasn''t negating her feelings, but I would admit that I was assessing them.


    Huffing, I came to the conclusion that my father was right and I reached out to grab the mug and take a sip of my coffee.


    I heard someoneing down the stairs and I prepared an apology before turning around to see it was only Zak.


    He pointed up the stairs with a questioning look on his face and I just shook my head, not wanting to exin what had happened. He shrugged and came over to pour himself coffee.


    I sat down at the dining table and he followed suit, drinking his coffee ck. I grimaced at the thought.


    He looked at me, knowing I wanted to talk about something.


    I sighed and ced the mug on the table.


    ''Do you think I overanalyze things?'' I asked him.


    He fought backughter as he ced his own mug down and signed back.


    ''You asking me that proves that you do.''


    I scoffed and rolled my eyes as heughed.


    ''You''re lucky,'' I signed. ''You don''t have to deal with people. You don''t have to deal with emotions.''


    Zak was a data analyst for the military. He looked atputers all day, everyday.


    ''Psychology was your choice,'' he reminded me.


    I sighed.


    Why does everyone in my family make valid points at inopportune times?


    We finished our coffee in silence and watched as our parents left for the mortuary.


    After they left, I began to clean, knowing there would be well over a hundred people in that house in the next days.


    Zak helped at first, but ended up on the couch reading through my grandfather''s old books.


    Noticing a few things in the house that took up space like unnecessary nts and space heaters, I took it upon myself to take them up to the attic to make room for the guests that would be filling the space soon.


    I carried one of therge space heaters up two flights of stairs and into the attic, dropping it with a thud once I crossed the doorway.


    "Thanks for the help, Zak," I muttered sarcastically, rubbing the muscle in my back I was sure I had pulled carrying the heavy equipment.


    I looked around the dusty attic, my eye drawing to the part that wasn''t so dusty.


    I walked over to the bookshelf that was lined with old books, most of which didn''t look like they had been opened in years. But there were three books on the second shelf that were dust-free and looked like they had been read recently. My eyebrows furrowed, remembering the bookshelves in my grandfather''s living room.


    Why wouldn''t he keep books that he was reading downstairs?


    Feeling particrly nosey, I pulled one of the books down and looked it over.


    It had an olive green-colored cover with gold and ck depictions drawn all over it. The edges of the pages were bright red and worn, so I knew it was a book that had been thumbed through frequently.


    I turned it over to look at the The ult Truth of Lycanthropy.


    "The old man always did have an active imagination," I muttered under my breath, smiling as I put the book back on the shelf.


    I wiped dust from my hands onto my jeans and turned the attic light off as I left the room.


    I could hear the sound of my parent''s car driving up the path and all thought of the book was gone as I made my way downstairs.


    The next day, the casket containing my grandfather''s body was brought to the house, along with several arrangements of sympathy flowers that were ced around the house strategically by my mother. We all showered and got ready to receive guests.


    I wore an itchy, ck shift dress with a pair of God-awful ck pantyhose. I put a long, burgundy cardigan over the dress so I could stay warm in the house and a pair of ck riding boots that hid the warm, rainbow-colored fuzzy socks on my feet.


    I was on my way down the stairs when I heard the doorbell ring and I stopped.


    The sound of guests speaking German to my mother as they arrived early for the funeral filled the foyer.


    Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. You can do this, E. They''re just old people.


    I hated old people, especially those that I was somehow distantly rted to. They always im to remember you when you were two or three, or some other embarrassing age, and they can never believe how much you look like your mother. I couldn''t stand it.


    Zak, on the other hand, loved the attention. Unfortunately, there were always a few that never gave him the right kind of attention.


    As the evening progressed and more and more people arrived, I was weaving my way through a sea of white hair and a cloud of century-old cologne when I heard it.


    It was the sound of a man raising his voice in German.


    I looked to see where it wasing from and I felt a wave of anger rush over me as I realized he was speaking to Zak.


    Walking over quickly, I put myself between Zak and the older man whose finger was in Zak''s face.


    "He''s Deaf, sir. He can''t hear your voice at any volume, so please quiet down," I said, speaking what German my parents had taught me.


    "He''s ignoring me!" The man shouted, ignoring my request.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "No," I corrected again. "He can''t hear you."


    "He''s stupid then," the man said angrily.


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "Communication is ny-three percent non-verbal," I said. "Just because he can''tmunicate the way you''d like him to for the remaining seven percent, does not make him stupid." "Besides," I said, switching to English. "You can''t understand me now. Does that make you stupid?"


    The man looked at me with furrowed eyebrows before dismissively waving his hand and walking away.


    "Small-minded asshole," I muttered as he walked away.


    Zak gave me an amused smile and I shook my head.


    I envied him for not letting things get under his skin.


    I almost began to sign to him before something caught my eye.


    In the crowd of aging people, there was a group of five men that I hadn''t noticed before.


    Built like soldiers, they were dressed in tailored ck suits and they immediately stood out because of their age. I didn''t figure they were any older than their early thirties.


    They watched the crowd with sharp eyes that made me curious.


    I wondered who they were, and, more importantly, how they knew my grandfather.


    They made their way through the crowd, getting closer and closer to the casket that sat on the other side of the room.


    Walking slowly, keeping myself parallel with them, I was trying my hardest to be inconspicuous.


    I was so focused that my mother''s voice cutting through the crowd frightened me.


    "Thank you all foring," she said in her nativenguage.


    The men stopped walking as everyone turned their attention to my mother.


    "My family and I thank you for your condolences," she continued, cing her hand over her heart for emphasis. "Before we begin the funeral, we would like to open the casket and allow everyone the opportunity to say their goodbyes to a wonderful man."


    My mother and father motioned for Zak and I to meet them in front of the casket, I assumed to wee everyone and give hugs toplete strangers.


    I made my way through the crowd and over to them.


    Once we were all gathered, my father reached out and opened the casket.


    I froze as my mother screamed.


    The man in the casket was not my grandfather.


    As soon as this realization hit me, his eyes opened.

 Chapter Two - Deal with the Devil-1

    Jesus Christ.


    I took a few startled steps backwards as I heard everyone around me gasp in horror.


    The man in the casket began to sit up, causing everyone to scatter.


    He was in his mid-thirties, significantly younger than my grandfather. He had ck, shoulder-length hair and skin so pale he could have passed for dead if he had kept his eyes closed. The moment his dark eyes locked on mine, I felt a hard body run into the back of me and I fell into someone who was running past me.


    I looked over my shoulder to see the men I had previously noticed fighting against the crowd to get closer to the casket.


    Their haste meant they knew something about it, and it was because of that that I watched them intently as the room around us panicked.


    One of them, an Eastern Asian guy with dark, coiffed hair and ck stud earrings, pushed his way to the front.


    I saw a momentary sh of fear in the beady eyes of the man in the casket before he swung his legs over the side and tried to run.


    The Asian man, who looked to be in his mid-twenties, reached his arm out and grabbed him by the cor of his jacket.


    They fought against one another for a moment as everyone around them struggled to get away. The younger guy finally got his hands around the other''s neck and he snapped it. I gasped and fell backwards against someone running away behind me.


    The others in the group of men in suits finally pushed their way forward and they all hovered together as they too began to exit the house, taking the corpse with them.


    I watched in annoyance as I stood on the other side of the room from the front door, a panicking crowd of people were now in between me and the unknown man. I needed to know what was going on and where my grandfather was.


    Looking around the room quickly, I noticed the window behind the dining room table was big enough for my body to slip through.


    Using themotion as cover, I moved quickly through the crowd and ducked around the furniture.


    I made it to the window and slid it up. With the noise in the room, no one noticed the squeaking of the old window and I jumped out inconspicuously.


    It was about three feet from the window to the snow-covered ground and Inded hard, but on my feet.


    I turned to close the window behind me, knowing someone would notice the cold breezeing in, when I saw Zak standing there looking down on me.


    I could tell he didn''t approve, but he made no effort to stop me.


    ''Don''t tell Mom,'' I signed. ''I''ll be back.''


    ''Be careful,'' was all he signed before he threw me his jacket and closed the window.


    I stomped through several inches of snow before I rounded the corner of the cottage and saw the men stuffing the now-actually dead man into the back of a ck SUV.


    Seeing the SUV, I immediately began to assume they were government workers. Although, even with this assumption nothing else made sense.


    I opened the car door of my grandfather''s truck and pulled down the visor as I hopped into the seat.


    The keys fell into myp and I prayed the truck would start as I slid them into the ignition.


    I turned the key and nothing happened. That''s when I saw the stick shift.


    Wee to Europe, I thought.


    I couldn''t remember thest time I had driven a car with a manual transmission, so this was bound to be a disaster.


    I panicked seeing the SUV pull out of the driveway and onto the road and I hit the clutch as I turned the key.


    The car stalled out and I groaned.


    Trying one more time, I restarted the truck and it roared to life. I sighed in relief as I saw the indicator that the tank had plenty of gas.


    I pulled out onto the driveway and down the road, following the SUV from a distance.


    You''re an idiot, I thought to myself. You don''t know where they''re going and you don''t know how to get back here once you get there.


    I shoved reasoning to the back of my brain as I changed gears.


    The sun began to set, worrying me slightly. I followed the car from a distance for a while until it was dark. I almost turned around, giving up, until the SUV turned down a long path. About half a mile from the road was the tree line into a forest, which was the direction the SUV was heading.


    This night could not get any creepier.


    There was no one else on the road, so I drove past the pathway and did a u-turn, turning off my headlights.


    I inched forward on the road, watching as the SUV''s taillights disappeared into the thick trees.


    I turned onto the path, my anxiety shooting through the roof.


    What are you thinking?


    I shook the thoughts away. I knew I needed answers and this was the only way I saw myself getting them.


    About halfway down the path, I found a small clearing big enough to park the truck where no one would see it.


    I didn''t know what was on the other side of that path and I didn''t want to literally drive straight into it.


    I parked the truck and got out, wrapping Zak''s jacket around me tighter.


    I walked along the path, hidden by the trees.


    The sun had set and I was trying to walk quickly, hoping there wasn''t too much farther to go.


    I wasn''t afraid of the dark, but I hated nature.


    I took a deep breath and huffed as I nearly tripped over a fallen limb.


    There were lights that I saw ahead of me and I slowed my pace as I noticed therge cabin with several SUVs like the one I''d followed that were parked outside.


    I hid behind arge tree trunk as I watched the men in suits walking around, joined by a few men that hade out of the cabin.


    There was no sign of the body of the man who had been in my grandfather''s casket.


    I watched with frozen toes and fingers as everyone went inside the cabin.


    Once I was sure that everyone was inside, I came out of my hiding ce. I walked up to the cabin slowly, weaving in between vehicles. Every time I walked, I heard the crunch of snow under my boots. I was scared someone else would hear it.


    I got up to the cabin and I went to the closest window I could find.


    I peeked inside to see a lit firece, which was the only source of light in the empty room.


    Suddenly, a shadow passed by the window and I dropped to my knees.


    "Shit," I muttered.


    A few long moments went by and I felt my heart pounding in my chest.


    This was a stupid idea, go back home, I told myself.


    This time I didn''t push the thought away. I used it to motivate me to move.


    I stood up and moved away from the window slowly.


    "What are you doing?"


    The deep voice cut through the silence, nearly stopping my heart.


    I turned around so quickly that my foot slid out from under me and I fell back into a bush that was behind me.


    I felt a spider web fall into my face and I began to spit and sputter as I swatted it out of my face.


    Arachnophobic didn''t even begin to exin how I felt about spiders.


    I stood up quickly, all thought of a spider disappearing when I remembered the man standing in front of me.


    I looked at him, my eyebrows immediately furrowing.


    I couldn''t see him, only arge, shadowy outline standing a few feet away from the light the window provided.


    I knew he was waiting for an answer, but I was too shocked to give one. I was half astonished at his German and half astonished that I''d been snuck up on so easily.


    I fumbled over my words for a moment before he sighed.


    "What are you doing here?"


    I took a deep breath, feeling my hands shaking.


    "That man was in my grandfather''s casket," I said, speaking in English.


    He was silent for a few moments before replying in English as well.


    "You''re the granddaughter of Otto M¨¹ller."


    It sounded more like a statement than it did a question, but I nodded nheless.


    We were quiet for a few moments before I finally got up the courage to ask a question. "Where is he?"


    He didn''t answer me and I began to feel like it wasn''t such a bad idea to run away.


    "Come inside, I''m sure you''re cold."


    I was freezing, but I wasn''t sure I wanted to go inside the cabin. I didn''t know whether I woulde back out.


    There was a piece of me that wanted to trust him, oddly enough, and I couldn''t shake it.


    I followed him around the house, staring at his back as he led me up the stairs to the side door.


    He was almost a foot taller than me and I guessed almost a hundred pounds heavier unless he had severalyers under his coat.


    We walked inside and I took a deep breath of the warm air as he closed the door. I turned to look at him as he did so.


    I gulped.


    He was a lot better looking in the light than I had expected him to be. As he took off his coat I came to the conclusion he hadn''tyered and he was indeed built like a brick house. I could see the outline of his chest and arm muscles under the gray, form-fitting Henley he wore.


    He brushed the snow flurries from his short, chestnut-colored hair and I let out a long breath.


    We looked at each other and the world stopped for a moment.


    He had the oddest eyes I''d ever looked into. They were a bluish-purple and they were beautiful.


    I felt my breath caught in the back of my throat as we both fought to look away.


    Someone walked into the room and I backed away from the towering, handsome man.

 Chapter Two - Deal with the Devil-2

    I looked over and froze as I recognized the man who walked in. He was the one from the funeral, the one who had snapped the neck of the man in the casket.


    He clearly recognized me, as he stopped in his tracks too.


    "What are you doing here?"


    I looked to the handsome stranger for some kind of help.


    "Granddaughter of Otto M¨¹ller," he exined shortly.


    "I know that," the guy sassed. "I mean how did you find us?"


    I shifted nervously on my feet.


    "I followed you," I admitted sheepishly.


    I saw the two men exchange looks and I was convinced in that moment that they were about to kill me.


    "I just wanted to find out what happened to my grandfather," I added quickly.


    "We''re trying to figure that out, too," the Asian one added.


    He walked over to me, extending his hand. I noticed the sleeve of tattoos on his arm as he did.


    "I''m Jai," he said, shaking my hand.


    "E," I replied.


    I turned to look at the handsome stranger but he walked past me, neglecting to introduce himself.


    Rude, I thought. But not as rude as killing me would have been, so I''ll let it slide.


    "When did you fly into Germany?" Jai asked.


    "Uh, two days ago," I said.


    "When was thest time you saw your grandfather alive?" He asked.


    I shrugged, trying to recall.


    "A few years at least."


    "You didn''t know him well," the handsome stranger assumed aloud.


    "I knew him well enough."


    "Did you ever see the body?" Jai asked.


    I stopped myself from replying and looked at the two of them suspiciously.


    "You''re not implying he might still be alive," I said.


    I took their silence as affirmation of this statement.


    I shook my head, stumbling over the words I spoke next.


    "He had a heart condition," I informed them. "His neighbor found him passed out in the yard and he died on the way to the hospital due to heart failure." "But you never saw the body?" Jai asked.


    I huffed.


    "No, I never saw it. I didn''t need to."


    They didn''t say anything.


    Jai had his arms crossed as he stood in front of me and stared at the floor in thought. The other man was on the other side of the room with his back towards us, staring into the fire. "When was thest time you spoke to your grandfather?" The other man asked.


    I thought for a moment.


    "About a month ago."


    "Did anything seem off to you?"


    I shook my head.


    "No, should something have?" I asked.


    The other man turned his attention from the fire ce to look at me.


    His intense stare caught me off guard.


    "This isn''t the first time this has happened," he said, walking toward me.


    Jai looked startled that he was sharing this information with me and he looked at him warily.


    "What do you mean?" I asked.


    "Other members of thismunity and those surrounding-men, in particr-have been reported dead by hospitals and morgues but haven''t shown up for their own funerals," he exined. I looked between them incredulously.


    "Are you police?" I asked.


    "No."


    "Are you private investigators?"


    "You could say that," he replied, crossing his arms.


    That''s not very specific, I thought.


    They saw my hesitation to believe them.


    "Thest man this happened to we found alive," Jai said.


    My eyes widened.


    "You really think my grandfather could be alive?" I asked.


    Jai shrugged and the other man stared at me straight-faced.


    "If that''s the case, I want to help you find him," I said.


    "I don''t think so," Jai replied, suppressing a smile. "We''re returning to Hechingen tomorrow morning."


    "Come on," I said. "I knew him better than you. If something was up, I would be able to tell. I can help."


    "No," Jai said firmly. "The most you can do is tell us everything you know about your grandfather and let us handle things from here."


    I looked to the other man, who was still looking at me in deep thought. The eye contact that I made with him was intense, so I looked away quickly.


    "Take me with you," I demanded. "I can help you find him."


    Jai shook his head.


    "I think it''s time for you to leave."


    I huffed and nted my feet firmly.


    "Listen, if you didn''t want me toe with you, you shouldn''t have told me where you were going."


    Jai struggled over what to say next.


    "If youe, you have to help us find him and anyone else that happens to go missing in the meantime," the other man bartered.


    "Deal," I answered immediately, sighing in relief.


    Jai looked at him in disbelief.


    "And we''ll need all your grandfather''s financial and health records from the past few years," the purple-eyed man added.


    I nodded. "I''ll get them."


    "We''ll pick you up at five in the morning tomorrow then."


    "Okay," I said slowly.


    I looked at the two men as I backed towards the door and opened it.


    They watched as I went back out into the night air, in total disbelief of what had just urred.


    I walked quickly from the cabin into the darkness of the forest. I found the truck a few minutester and I drove away quickly. Fortunately, there were never many turns made on the trip to the cabin, so I easily remembered my way back home.


    I pulled into the empty driveway of my grandfather''s cottage and it hit me for the first time that he might not actually be dead. There was a chance that I could find him, alive.


    I got out of the truck, fiddling with the keys as I walked up to the door.


    I thought I saw something move in the corner of my eye and I looked to see nothing but an emptywn.


    Weird.


    I looked around for a moment before going inside.


    Waiting for me in my room was Zak. He was the only one in the house.


    ''Where are Mom and Dad?'' I asked.


    ''Police station,'' he signed. ''Where have you been?''


    I sighed as he raised an eyebrow.


    ''I did something stupid.''


    "What were you thinking?" Jai seethed.


    Cain stepped back into the room and brushed the snow from his hair that had fallen in it during his run.


    "I don''t recall giving you the authority to question me," Cain said calmly.


    Jai took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.


    "She''s a human," he reasoned.


    Cain turned to look at Jai as he took of his coat.


    "She''s my mate."

 Chapter Three - Arent We All-1

    I''m an idiot.


    I couldn''t believe that I had made arrangements to go across Germany with men I didn''t know to hunt ghosts.


    Zak made it abundantly clear how he felt about this by staring at me nkly after I had finished exining myself. ''You''re supposed to be the smart one between the two of us,'' he signed. ''Where is yourmon sense?''


    I just shrugged.


    I didn''t have a defense for myself. What I had done was stupid, but I didn''t want to back out of it.


    As much as the situation made no sense to me, there was a nagging tug in the pit of my stomach that urged me tomit to going with the strangers and find my grandfather. ''What are you going to do about school?'' Zak asked me. ''The "my grandfather''s dead" excuse will only work for so long until you start to get behind on your work.''


    I sighed. He had a point.


    ''Thanksgiving break is about to start,'' I signed. ''That will at least buy me a week.''


    Zak just shook his head.


    ''You don''t know these men,'' he reminded me for the umpteenth time. ''This isn''t safe.''


    Before I could respond I heard the front door open downstairs.


    ''Not a word to Mom and Dad.''


    Zak raised an eyebrow.


    ''How do you n on telling them that you''re leaving?'' He asked.


    ''I''m working on it,'' I signed.


    I opened the bedroom door and walked downstairs.


    As I walked down the stairs, my mom passed me on the staircase, still teary-eyed. I walked over to my dad, who sat down at the dinner table and was looking through a packet of information. "What is that?" I asked him.


    He drew in a breath andid the pamphlets down on the table before taking off his sses.


    "Just a few things the police thought we should be aware of if we wanted to press charges against the mortuary."


    Just before I could say anything about the fact that I was leaving the next day, my father interrupted me.


    "I think it would be best if you and Zak went home tomorrow."


    My eyes widened.


    Well, that was easy.


    I fumbled over my words as I struggled to figure out what to say next.


    "Why do you say that?" I asked.


    He ran a hand through his gray, thinning hair.


    "This sounds like it''s going to be a long, drawn out process. You and Zak can''t do anything to help, so I think it would be best if you let Mom and I deal with this. I''m sure you can spend Thanksgiving with your college friends, right?" "Um, yeah, I have a few people I could call," I said, nodding slowly.


    All the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together in my mind as I formted a n.


    "I''ll go book our ne tickets now," I said, backing away.


    I turned and went up the stairs to Zak''s room.


    I opened his bedroom door to see him sitting down on his bed with hisptop in front of him.


    ''You''re not going to believe this,'' I signed. ''Dad wants us to go home.''


    ''I''m assuming you want me to cover for you while you stay here,'' he signed, shaking his head.


    I nodded.


    ''I don''t like this,'' he signed.


    I sat down on his bed as he purchased his ne ticket.


    There''s no backing out of this now.


    I waited until everyone had gone to bed to go up to the attic. I turned on the lightbulb that hung over the musty room and looked around.


    I was looking for anything that would give me an idea of what my grandfather could have been involved in.


    I couldn''t stop thinking about the things the stranger had said. He seemed to think this could be due to something that my grandfather had brought upon himself. I just couldn''t imagine my grandfather, the man who had practically raised me, being involved in something that would require faking his own death.


    I searched through countless cardboard boxes looking for something that stuck out to me as unusual but I couldn''t find anything.


    My intuition was screaming to grab the books on the shelf that I had picked up earlier the day before. I looked over at the shelf warily. There was no way my grandfather''s old books would be any help in finding him.


    I shook off the feeling and went back to searching.


    I found a few things such as old journals and calendars that I put into an empty box. Before I left the attic, I grabbed the books off the shelf and stuffed them into the box. I told myself it wasn''t a big deal. If the men asked why I brought the books, I would tell them it was for joy reading.


    I went downstairs and found all of my grandfather''s financial statements and health records in the folders my mom had stored away. Knowing she would eventually notice they were missing, I put them into the box as well.


    I tucked the box under my bed and packed my suitcase quietly.


    Closing my eyes, I prayed for the few hours I had before the men arrived to be filled with sleep. Sleep didn''te, however, and Iid in the bed and turned the situation over in my mind for hours.


    I heard my bedroom door open and I turned over to see Zak standing in the doorway. He nodded for me to follow him and I rolled out of the bed and grabbed my things before going downstairs. My mom and dad were waiting for us, still dressed in their nightclothes.


    "Goodbye," she said, hugging Zak and I.


    We hugged her and my dad before watching them go back upstairs to their room to go back to bed. It was only four forty-five in the morning, I didn''t me them.


    Zak grabbed his things as I put my coat on.


    I stood by the front door, looking down at my watch.


    They should be here any minute, I thought.


    Zak''s ne was leaving at seven that morning and he needed to leave, but he couldn''t leave until I did. Thest thing I needed was my mom or dad toe back downstairs and see me still standing there.


    I heard the gravel on the driveway slide and I looked out the window to see a ck SUV pull into the very edge of the driveway with its headlights turned off.


    I turned to see Zak staring at the vehicle warily.


    ''That''s them,'' I signed.


    I grabbed my suitcase and the box and carried them outside. Snow still coated the ground and my breath froze in the air in front of me.


    I pulled my jacket closer as I stepped off the porch.


    I saw Jai get out of the SUV and walk over to Zak and I.


    He nodded at my suitcase and the box and took them from my hands.


    I looked over to the SUV as Jai opened the trunk to put my things inside and I noticed the other stranger sitting in the driver''s seat of the car.


    He stared at me with those dark,vender eyes and I shivered. I told myself this was because of the cold weather.


    I turned to Zak as he twirled the keys to the rental car on his finger.


    ''If you don''t hear from me by the end of the week, tell Mom and Dad everything,'' I signed. ''I''ll send you my location when I get to where I''m going.'' He nodded and leaned in for a hug.


    ''Be smart,'' he signed as I walked over to the SUV.


    I threw up the sign for ''I love you'' to Zak and he returned it just as Jai shut the trunk of the car.


    "Time to go," he said.


    I opened the backseat door of the car and watched as Zak got into the other car himself.


    I had a gut feeling this was a both a fantastic and terrible idea.


    I couldn''t figure out which one to listen to.


    It was only the three of us in the car and no one said a word to me as we backed out of the driveway into the road.

 Chapter Three - Arent We All-2

    It was still in the early hours of the morning which meant the sun hadn''t yet exposed itself over the horizon.


    We drove in silence and I immediately began to regret my decision to tag along.


    I don''t know these people, I thought. I watched Jai kill someone right in front of me only twelve hours earlier. Why have I agreed to take a road trip with them?


    I made awkward eye contact with the stranger sitting in the front seat more than once and it made me increasingly ufortable.


    I wanted to scream at him to stop looking at me, but part of me didn''t want him to stop.


    After what seemed like ages, but was more than likely only a few minutes, the SUV pulled into a small parking lot next to a train track.


    To have called the tform next to the tracks a train station would have been an overstatement. It was barely a small house and a tform. I didn''t even see a ticket booth.


    As I followed Jai and the stranger out of the SUV, I heard a training and I looked to see a sleek, steel train making its way slowly towards the tform.


    It was only about ten cars long, but it was more modern-looking than anything I expected to see in America, much less the rural farnds of Germany.


    As Jai began to retrieve the luggage from the trunk, the stranger made his way over to the house.


    I stayed behind and grabbed my luggage and the cardboard box I had brought along.


    A few simr-looking SUVS pulled into the parking lot as we made our way to the tform and I watched as nearly twenty men spilled out of the cars and began to hand suitcases and bags off to each other. My suitcase rolled behind me as Jai and I walked inside to see the handsome stranger talking to the old man I assumed was in charge of the station.


    He towered over the old man. His ck shirt and dark coat and pants made him look even more menacing. But, even his size wasn''t nearly as intimidating as his sharp facial features and piercing eyes.


    I felt like they looked right through me, which is why I immediately looked away when he turned to us as the old man walked out.


    "Tell them we''re leaving in ten minutes," he said to Jai.


    "Daniel still isn''t here," Jai sighed.


    "Call him," the man ordered. "If he isn''t here by the time we leave, he''ll be walking to Hechingen."


    Jai turned to go back outside, leaving me alone in the hallway with the stranger.


    I swallowed hard and shifted on my feet nervously as I heard him walk closer.


    I felt his hand touch mine as he grabbed the handle of my suitcase and took it from my hand into his own.


    My heart began to race.


    "Follow me," he said.


    I looked up and my eyes met his before he turned away.


    I felt my stomach begin to twist into knots and I rolled my eyes.


    Get it together.


    I followed him out onto a tform where the door to one of the cars was open.


    He stopped and gestured for me to go inside first.


    I hid my flustered cheeks behind the box of books and papers in my arms as I walked past him quickly and boarded the train.


    "To the right," he said, directing me as he followed me inside.


    I turned and walked into the car.


    The old-fashioned interior was unexpected to say the least, considering the modern exterior. The walls were covered in subtle, ck wallpaper. There were small light fixtures lining the walls, but the suede, navy blue drapes were pulled tight over the windows.


    There were multiple ces to sit down and I chose the couch that sat along the right wall.


    I ced the box next to me and I watched as the handsome man pulled my suitcase over to the door for someone to take to a storage car.


    I finally worked up the courage to speak as he walked back towards me.


    "You never told me your name," I said.


    He hesitated for a moment as he walked over to pour himself a drink at the mini bar.


    It''s not even six o''clock in the morning, I thought.


    "Cain," he said, his back still turned away from me.


    "What?" I asked him, taken off guard at his answer.


    "My name is Cain," he rified.


    I nodded.


    Strong and simple. It fit him perfectly.


    "You brought what I asked you to," he assumed, nodding at the box beside me as he took a seat in the chair in front of me.


    "Uh, yes," I said turning to it.


    I picked it up and ced it on myp as I opened the top.


    Digging around inside, I pulled out the file folders containing in the information Cain had asked me for.


    "Here," I said, handing them to him.


    He took a long drink of what was in the tall, steel cup before he ced it on the floor between his feet and reached forward to take the files from me. Cain''s hand touched mine as he did so and I drew in a sharp breath.


    I heard footsteps approaching as he took the files from me and began to thumb through them.


    Jai entered the car and sat down next to Cain.


    "Everything''s packed up," he informed him.


    Cain didn''t acknowledge this as he read through the information.


    I heard another set of footsteps approaching, these were more rushed, however.


    I looked up to see a tall man with a mop of brown curls on his head enter the room.


    "Sorry I''mte," he said, taking off his jacket. "I was too busy enjoying myst few minutes of not being here."


    He walked over but stopped when he saw me.


    Confusion was stered all over his face as he looked between Jai and Cain.


    "Who''s this?"


    "Otto M¨¹ller''s granddaughter," Cain said, still not looking up from the folder in his hand.


    "And she''s here because...?" He asked.


    "Because I invited her," Cain lied. "Do you have a problem with this?"


    I saw a mixture of panic and fear in the man''s eyes before he shook his head.


    "Nice to meet you," he said, leaning forward to shake my hand. "I''m Daniel."


    "E," I said, shaking his hand.


    Daniel looked at Jai, still confused.


    "She''s human," he muttered to him, as if it was supposed to mean something.


    Cain looked up from the file as he and Jai each gave Daniel a hard stare.


    My eyebrows furrowed as Daniel looked at me.


    "But aren''t we all," he added cheerfully, giving me a fake smile.


    I felt my palms begin to get sweaty as I looked between the three strange men in front of me.


    This keeps getting weirder and weirder.


    "E," Cain said, earning my attention.


    Hearing him say my name made a chill go down my spine.


    "You said your grandfather had a serious heart condition," he said.


    I nodded. "He did."


    Cain looked up from the file and he handed me a slip of paper that was in it.


    "Then tell me why he hasn''t been to the hospital in seven years."

 Chapter Four - Who Are You?-1

    "That''s impossible."


    I reached forward and took the sheet of paper from Cain''s hands and examined it.


    There was very little light in the train due to the drawn shades, but I squinted enough that I could read the contents of the paper. I looked through the dates of his hospital visits and I shook my head in disbelief.


    Cain was right. My grandfather hadn''t been seen at any hospital for the past seven years. He didn''t have so much as a preion filled. This didn''t add up seeing as I''d been led to believe he''d had a serious, life-threatening heart condition for a number of years.


    "I don''t understand," I said, my eyebrows furrowing.


    Iid the paper down on myp and looked up at Cain as he stared at me intently.


    "Are there any other medical records there?" I asked him, referring to the folder in his hands.


    Maybe he had them out of order and read the wrong thing.


    Cain shook his head.


    "There isn''t a medical examiner''s report here or a certificate of death," he said.


    "He wouldn''t have been looked at by a medical examiner," I argued. "He had a heart attack."


    "No, he was supposed to have an autopsy," Cain said, sitting back in his seat. "As soon as we were notified of his death, I pulled a few strings and requested one be done." I looked at him in shock.


    "So he is dead," I said. "And how did you know he died? Who are you people?"


    "He''s not dead," Cain stated firmly, ignoring myst question. "I never received word that the body arrived at the medical examiner''s office. That''s why I sent Jai to the funeral." The train began to move and I felt my heart begin to race.


    "Who are you?" I asked again.


    I gulped when none of them answered me and immediately began to calcte my chances of surviving a jump from a moving train.


    "Can I talk to you both?" Daniel asked, looking at Cain and Jai.


    They both looked at each other before standing up and following him to the door.


    It opened and the three of them disappeared into a hallway.


    "I''m lost," Daniel said as the door closed behind the three of them.


    They stood in an empty car, staring at one another.


    "Why is she here?" He asked.


    Cain crossed his arms and sighed.


    "She''s my mate."


    Daniel snickered.


    "No, really, man. I''m being serious," he said.


    When no one else cracked a smile, Daniel''s smile fell.


    "Oh my God... How did that even happen?"


    Jai looked warily at Cain.


    It was the question both he and Cain had been asking themselves since they''d met her.


    "I don''t know," Cain said.


    "But you''re not supposed to have a mate. There''s no way this should have hap-"


    Cain''s re cut Daniel off.


    They stood for a long moment in awkward silence before Jai spoke.


    "You''re a Vampire and a Lycanthrope. How long do you think you''re going to be able to keep that to yourself?" Jai asked Cain.


    Even Cain himself wasn''t sure of the answer to that.


    "Seriously," Daniel added, "you''re taking her to a ce full of people like us. She''s going to be the only human there. It wouldn''t take a rocket scientist to figure out something was out of the ordinary." "And that''s assuming she hasn''t already figured it out after dimwit over here decided to point out she was a human to her face," Jai chimed in, crossing his arms and shooting a re at Daniel. Daniel raised his hands defensively.


    "I apologize for not having a filter," he said.


    "You better get one," Cain said pointedly. "I can''t have her figuring any of this out any time soon."


    Thest thing I want is to scare her away, he thought.


    Daniel and Jai nodded before they turned to leave.


    Cain opened the door to the next room and stopped.


    "You think she figured it out?" Daniel asked sarcastically, noticing, as Cain had, the empty space where E had been sitting.


    "Shit," Jai said under his breath.


    The three of them stepped into the room, looking around with sharp eyes.


    "Split up," Cain said. "She''s still on the train."


    He didn''t need to look out the window to know that the train was moving quickly at this point. There was no way E was stupid enough to jump.


    Jai and Daniel turned around and went down the hallway while Cain walked further down the room to the next car.


    Cain came to the door at the other end of the car and, before he could touch the door handle, the door swung open. I jumped as I came face to face with Cain.


    "What are you doing?" He asked, pulling me out of the hallway and into the car.


    I felt my heart stop when his hand touched my upper arm.


    He closed the door behind me and I looked around him to see that Jai and Daniel were nowhere to be found.


    "I was looking for a bathroom," I lied.


    The stoic look on his face made me believe he wasn''t convinced.


    He knew I had been looking for a way off the train.


    The nces that I had seen between the three strange men were unsettling, like I was missing a huge piece of the puzzle.


    The enigma behind who they were, why they cared about my grandfather, and why I was allowed to tag along was dizzying.


    I had a crazy theory that they worked for the German government.


    How else could someone order an autopsy?


    But I was still conflicted.


    If they worked for the German government, why did they need me to get his medical records and financial statements? Why was I invited? And why the hell was it worth noting that I was a human?


    I had tried to convince myself that ''human'' was just supposed to mean that I was an ordinary person. Even that definition scared me, though. What did that make them?


    I had a nagging feeling that I was being incredibly na?ve, but the face of the man in front of me put my brain in a blender.


    One look into thosevender eyes sent every ounce of logic and reasoning that I had out the window.


    It urred to me then that it wasn''t normal for people to have purple eyes. It also wasn''t normal for someone to be six and a half feet tall and have shoulders that were so broad they filled a doorway. Not to mention he was the most attractive man I''d everid eyes on.


    Nothing about him was normal, but those eyes.... those shouldn''t have been possible.


    I gulped and walked around him, heading back for my seat.


    I could feel his eyes burning into my neck as I did so and I felt my cheeks turn red.


    I hated being stared at.


    I sat back down and Cain took his seat in front of me.


    I watched as he lifted his cup from the ground to his lips.


    I looked into the box of records and files that I had taken from my grandfather''s house. I pulled out the books I had taken from the attic shelf and I ced them on the couch beside me. I was hoping to get a look at the bottom of the box and see that the missing medical records had just fallen out or be mixed with a few of the other papers.


    I heard the door to the car open as I dug around in the cardboard box and I looked up to see Daniel and Jai walk in, both of them staring at me.


    Jai caught sight of the books sitting next to me and he walked over slowly and picked one up.


    It was the green one, the one enThe ult Truth of Lycanthropy.

 Chapter Four - Who Are You?-2

    The look he gave me was indecipherable.


    "A little light reading?" He asked sarcastically, thumbing through the huge, five-hundred page book.


    I wished in that moment that I could have been small enough to fit in that box and disappear.


    How embarrassing.


    "It was just something I found on his shelves," I said, as if that justified it.


    I caught the look that Jai gave Cain as he showed him the cover of the book just before I buried my head in the box full of paper again.


    Cain''s stoic expression remained the same as he read the


    "Aha!" I eximed, finding a piece of paper with a hospital''s logo on it. "Here''s something..."


    I looked the paper over, squinting to read the words on the page in the dimly lit car.


    "It''s a little dark in here," I said, reaching behind me to pull back the curtain from the window.


    "No!" Daniel and Jai said simultaneously.


    Cain jumped up from his chair as my hand touched the heavy curtain.


    Their over-the-top reactions startled me and I immediately let go.


    "If we let a little sunlight in, I could read the words on the page," I said pointedly.


    "There''s amp beside you," Cain said, sitting back down.


    The confused look on my face showed just how stupid I thought the idea was.


    What do they have against opening a curtain?


    The thought struck me that they might be part of an organized crime group. Maybe they didn''t want to risk someone seeing them with the window open, but with the high speed that the train was traveling, it was unlikely someone would have.


    This theory exined why they wouldn''t have been able to gain ess to my grandfather''s records without my help.


    I kept the thought in mind and I moved forward from that moment cautiously.


    Shaking my head, I leaned over and turned on themp beside the couch I sat on and read what was on the page I had found.


    "Oh," I said, sighing.


    "What is it?" Cain asked.


    I shook my head.


    "It''s just a doctor''s record of a blood transfusion and the results of a CBC test."


    "CBC?" Jai asked.


    "Complete blood count," I exined. "It''s a blood panel they typically do before giving a transfusion. It tests the levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, hemoglobin, and telets. It can also test coagtion risks. They also do it regrly for people with severe anemia."


    "How do you know this?" Jai asked.


    "My roommate during my senior year in college was studying for her medical college admission test. I helped her study more than a few times."


    "Does it tell you what the results were of the test?" Cain asked.


    I looked back down at the sheet to see the chart in the bottom of the left corner.


    "Yeah, it looks like he had low levels of nearly everything. He was definitely anemic. His hemoglobin was almost bottomed out, which would exin why he had the transfusion."


    The three men fell silent, all of them thinking.


    "When did he receive the transfusion?" Cain asked.


    I found the date on the sheet before I handed it to him.


    "Beginning of August," I answered as he took the piece of paper from me and examined it himself.


    "I just can''t believe that''s the only thing we can find that is recent," I said, continuing to dig through the box of records. "I mean, if he had a low blood count in every area, he should have been seen by a doctor before this, right?" "It''ll be enough," Cain said, sliding the paper into the file folder of the other medical records.


    I stopped digging for a moment as I processed what he said.


    "How is that relevant to finding him?" I asked.


    Jaiughed as he handed me back the book.


    "It''s about as relevant as your book here," he said.


    So it was worthless, I thought.


    "What are you going to do to find him?" I asked.


    "I''ve got someone that has a paper trail together for the other men that this has happened to," Cain said before taking another drink from the stainless steel cup in his hand.


    "When we get back, I''ll put you in touch with her and you two can work together to see if there is any corrtion between them."


    "Where exactly are we going?" I asked.


    "Cain''s crib," was the answer that Daniel gave me, apanied by a devilish smile.


    The train slowed down almost half an hourter and, once it had stoppedpletely, we all stood up and gathered our things.


    I put everything back into the cardboard box before Daniel offered to carry it.


    As Daniel and I began to leave, we noticed that Cain had stayed back with Jai.


    "You two can go ahead, we''ll be out in a minute," Cain said, noticing we had stopped to wait.


    Daniel shrugged and turned to me.


    "Follow me," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.


    I stepped off the train into one of the most gorgeous train stations I had ever been in. It was small, but the natural-colored sandstone walls and floors were crafted beautifully. It was underground, the ceiling was constructed of multi-colored mosaic tiles that pieced together to depict a vibrant forest.


    "That is beautiful," I said, staring up at it.


    Daniel stopped walking to look up as well.


    "I forget that''s there sometimes," he admitted. "Apparently Cain''s mom had that done a while after he was born because it was too nd in here for her."


    My eyebrows furrowed as I took my attention from the ceiling and looked at Daniel.


    "His family owns a train station?" I asked.


    Daniel looked at me and smiled.


    "You''re in his basement, sweetheart."


    I felt my jaw go ck as heughed.


    "And only part of his basement at that," he added.


    I was still in shock as I followed Daniel up to an elevator that sat in the far wall.


    When we got in the elevator, I saw everyone piling out of the train, including Cain.


    Who are you?


    "I want you to put her in my room."


    Jai''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "That''s a little forward, Cain."


    Cain rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.


    "I''m not sleeping in there with her," he rified.


    "Where are you sleeping then?" Jai asked.


    "Where I normally do, in the tower," Cain said.


    Jai shook his head.


    "You know something, Cain... I never expected you to get a mate, but I''d always hoped you would."


    Jai chose his next words carefully, already noticing the tightening of Cain''s jaw.


    "I''d hoped she would have been the one person who could get you out of that tower, not keep you there."


    "This isn''t up for discussion," Cain said. "I only asked that you make sure her and her luggage are in my room and nowhere else. I didn''t ask for your opinion."


    With that, Cain walked out of the car and exited the train onto the tform, just in time to see the elevator doors close.


    He caught of glimpse of E''s face before the doors had closedpletely and he sighed.


    I wish I could tell you.

 Chapter Five - Hearts Beat Faster-1

    "Here''s where you''ll be staying."


    Jai opened the bedroom door and pulled my suitcase inside the room for me.


    I followed him inside and cringed.


    The room was huge, just like the rest of the ce.


    The ceiling was at least fifty feet tall. The dark paneling on the walls made the olive-colored curtains stand out, which hung beside a ginormous bay window that was in the center of the far wall.


    One of the biggest beds I''d everid eyes on sat against the wall to my left. It had a four post bed frame that was a dark oak just like the paneling on the walls and the flooring.


    The ck duvet matched the pillows on the bed and the two ck couches that were on the other side of the room.


    The Victorian- couches sat across from each other in front of a firece that was big enough for three grown men to stand beside each other inside it.


    "Over there is your bathroom," Jai said, pointing to a door that was on the same wall as the firece.


    We heard someone walk into the room and I turned around to see Daniel standing in the doorway.


    "Like it?" He asked.


    I looked awkwardly between Daniel and Jai.


    "Guys, this room is huge. Beautiful, but huge. Do you not have anything smaller?"


    Jai shook his head..


    "None that aren''t already being used," he said.


    I caught a fleeting glimpse of confusion on Daniel''s face as he looked at Jai, but it was gone just as quickly as it hade.


    "You can settle in a littleter," Daniel said. "I want you toe with me."


    Daniel led the way out of the room and Jai followed us closely, closing the bedroom door behind us as we left.


    "Okay, so you''re going to meet the girl that Cain told you had a paper trail together for the other men this had happened to," Daniel said. "Thing is, she doesn''t really know what she''s doing, so we''re recing her with you." "What makes you think I know what I''m doing?" I asked.


    Danielughed.


    "Trust me," he said. "This girl has a total of four brain cells. Dogs could do a better job."


    "Then why did she get the job in the first ce?" I asked


    "Question of the century," Jai chimed in.


    Daniel rolled his eyes.


    "Look, she''s hot," he said to me. "I didn''t know when I met her that she could barely spell her name or else I wouldn''t have given her that job."


    We walked along the long hallway and I looked at the paintings and tapestries that were hung on the wall as we passed them.


    We finally arrived at the threshold of an open doorway and walked in to see a tinum-haired girl standing beside a table that had five file boxes sitting on it.


    "You haven''t even opened them?!" Daniel yelled.


    The girl turned to look at us, her phone in hand.


    "No," she said, as if it didn''t matter.


    Daniel groaned and pped his forehead with his palm.


    "Cain is going to kill me," he said under his breath.


    "Arra, this is E. E, this is Arra," Jai said, introducing us while Daniel fought a migraine.


    "Hi," she said, waving. I waved back.


    "She''s taking your job," Daniel told her.


    "Oh, thank God!" She said, throwing her hands up in the air.


    Her reaction surprised me, seeing as people don''t normally celebrate once they''ve fired.


    "Word of advice," she said, her face getting serious as she warned me, "I''m convinced these men you''re looking for turned into zombies. Your only job should be to warn these guys so we can get prepared for the apocalypse." She was dead serious.


    "Zombies eat brains, Arra. You''re safe," Daniel said, moving her out of the room.


    I had to stop myself fromughing.


    She waved goodbye, either ignoring or not noticing Daniel''sment.


    "My I.Q. just dropped four points," he said sighing as we watched her walk away. Jai pushed past us and walked over to the files.


    He handed Daniel and I each a box.


    "Let''s start unpacking these," he said.


    "Don''t bother."


    The voice came from behind us and we turned to see Cain in the doorway.


    "We''re moving this stuff to my office," he said, walking into the room.


    Cain turned his attention to me.


    "You''ll be able to concentrate more in there. It''s quiet."


    I don''t know about that, buddy.


    Just looking at the guy made me lose my train of thought. I doubted being in the same room as him would equal higher productivity for me.


    "O...kay," Daniel said awkwardly, cing the lid back on the box.


    We each grabbed a box and Cain walked over and grabbed two. I thought I heard Daniel mumble something about him showing off as he did so.


    We carried the boxes down a few hallways and came to arge wooden door.


    Cain pushed it open with his shoulder and it revealed a spiraling staircase that went up.


    We all filed in behind Cain as he led the way up the broad staircase.


    At the top, the staircase opened up to arge room with bookshelves lining the walls. There were at least threerge desks in this room, one of which I assumed was Cain''s as it was covered in papers, pens, and file folders. "You can use this desk," Cain said, cing his two boxes down on it.


    I ced my box beside his.


    My breath caught in my throat as his hand touched mine to help lift the lid on the box. I certainly didn''t need the help, but I wasn''t going to tell him that.


    I reached across the desk and turned on amp that sat on the corner.


    This room was dark, just like the train. There were no windows, justmps that sat around the room strategically to provide light.


    Cain walked over to his desk and grabbed the box that I had brought which contained my grandfather''s information.


    He brought the box back over to my desk. As he sat the box down, he looked at me and we shared a prolonged moment of eye contact that left me struggling to remember my name.

 Chapter Five - Hearts Beat Faster-2

    "Let''s see what we have here," Daniel said, pulling a piece of paper from his box and simultaneously pulling me out of my trance.


    I listened as Daniel read off the name of the man whose information was on the sheet of paper in his hands but I was more focused on the fact that Cain had walked around the desk and hade to stand right next to me. We were so close I couldn''t have moved an inch to my left before I was leaning on him.


    Cain reached around me and grabbed something from one of the boxes on the desk.


    His arm brushed mine as he did so and I felt shivers erupt down my arms and my spine. "E, does that deion match your grandfather?"


    What?


    "I''m a visual person," I said quickly. "Can I just read it?"


    Why didn''t you just scream: "I wasn''t listening!"?


    Daniel handed me the paper and I read over everything that I had missed.


    It was a copy of a medical form that I assumed was filled out by another man that went missing.


    Reading his age, height, weight, and preexisting heart condition made me feel like I was reading my own grandfather''s information.


    They were nearly identical in every aspect.


    "What do you think this means?" I asked Cain.


    "It''s odd for sure, but I don''t know," he said, taking the paper from me to read it.


    I opened the box in front of me, curious to see what else there was to find.


    I pulled out a few sheets of paper from my box and examined them closely.


    Immediately I noticed something strange.


    "Wait..." I said slowly.


    I looked at the familiar hospital logo in the corner of one of the papers.


    "This guy went to the same ce for a blood transfusion as my grandfather," I said.


    Cain and Jai both leaned over and looked at the logo that I was pointing at.


    "Look and see if the other men did," I instructed. "Maybe that''s an important connection."


    We each began to look though the other boxes and files of all the men who had disappeared.


    "This guy went there," Daniel said.


    "This one too," Jai added.


    All the ones I had looked at had at least one paper in their file that revealed they had been to the same hospital.


    A thought that I hadn''t considered before struck me suddenly.


    "Wait, if they were all from the same area, why would it matter that they went to the same hospital? It''s a small town, I would wager that most people in that town went to that hospital."


    "I would agree with you," Jai said, "But considering that they could all be doppelg?ngers for one another based on their CBC reports, I think it''s more than a coincidence."


    Cain nodded in agreement.


    "They all lived alone. None of them held a consistent job; some were retired others had been fired or quit. Also important to note that none of them were married or had live-in partners. There was no one to immediately notice they had gone missing."


    It was true.


    "Didn''t you say you found thest man that this happened to?" I asked. "Did you talk to him about what happened?"


    "We did talk to him," Cain said. "He didn''t remember a thing. He said he fell asleep in his bed and woke up in the woods four dayster."


    "Have you kept track of him? Maybe he remembers something now..." I said.


    "He died yesterday," Cain informed me.


    My eyes widened.


    "How?"


    "He had an aggressive form of leukemia. He was diagnosed two days before he was kidnapped and died shortly after he was found."


    I thought for a moment.


    "Leukemia is a blood-based cancer," I pointed out. "They were all given blood transfusions and all suffered from either a heart condition or anemia. Do you think this could all be connected? Maybe the clinic they were seen at for the transfusions is where they are being targeted."


    Cain nodded thoughtfully.


    "It''s a good start," Cain said. "I think we should keep looking and see if we find anything else."


    So keep looking we did.


    Hours went by and both Jai and Daniel left to tend to other things they had to deal with, leaving Cain and I alone.


    By the time I was preparing to leave, there were countless papers strategically ced on the table in a spiderweb pattern with sticky notes attached to them.


    I looked at my watch and noticed it was almost ten o''clock at night.


    "I think I''ll turn in," I said to Cain.


    He looked at the clock in the corner of the room and nodded. He''d clearly lost track of time too.


    I left the room wordlessly and walked down the stairs in silence.


    I had so many questions that I wanted to ask and so many things to say. I just couldn''t figure out how to ask or say them.


    Trying to remember how to get back to my room proved to be a trying task and it took me a few minutes to find the right path in the maze of hallways that was Cain''s home.


    After I finally found my bedroom, I unpacked my suitcase, sent Zak a text to tell him I had arrived and was safe, and then took a shower.


    In a fresh set of pajamas, I sat down in front of the fire I had started in the firece and took my grandfather''s books out of my bag.


    After Jai had made ament about them that morning on the train, I had stowed them away in the bottom of my bag. Opening the book on Lycanthropy, I tried to read it but I couldn''t concentrate.


    I was starving.


    It had been almost twenty four hours since I hadst eaten. I had been running on fumes and adrenaline since then. Suddenly, A knock sounded at the door.


    I closed the book and ced it on the couch as I stood up to go see who it was.


    I was surprised to see Cain standing outside my door holding arge te of steaming food, a fork and a bottle of water tucked under his arm.


    "I figured you hadn''t eaten," he said. "Mind if Ie in?"


    I smiled and stepped out of the way as I opened the door wider so he coulde in.


    He handed me the te and the fork as he did so before also handing me the water bottle.


    We both walked over to the couches where the fire was still burning in the firece.


    "Settled in nicely?" He asked.

 Chapter Five - Hearts Beat Faster-3

    I nodded, not even waiting until I had sat down to get a forkful of potatoes in my mouth.


    I sat down on the couch across from him and crossed my legs.


    "Your house is gorgeous," I said, opening the bottle of water.


    "It was my parents before it was mine," he said, looking around the room as if he was recalling some memory.


    "You grew up here?" I asked.


    Cain nodded.


    I felt a bit ufortable as he watched me eat, but I was too hungry to eat like a bird.


    A few minutes passed as I finished the food on the te and set the bare te beside me on the couch and ced the fork on top of it.


    "That was the best roast I think I''ve ever had," I said, finishing off the water bottle.


    "Sure it wasn''t just because you were hungry?" Cain asked.


    Iughed.


    "Could''ve been."


    "I apologize," he said. "I forget sometimes that food is a necessity."


    "No worries," I said,ughing. "We might just need to remind each other from now on."


    He nodded. "I''d be okay with that."


    We looked at each other for a few seconds before I looked away.


    "You can ask me," he said after a few silent moments.


    I tore my eyes from the fire burning in the firece and looked at him.


    "What do you mean?"


    "All the questions you''re bottling up," he said, leaning back and cing both his arms on the back of the couch.


    I gulped watching the muscle in his chest and arms flex beneath his gray t-shirt as he did so.


    "What is this?" I asked finally, gesturing to the room around me. "What do you do?"


    "International and domestic affairs," he answered.


    "So you do work for the German government?"


    "I don''t work for anyone''s government."


    "You work for the UN then...?"


    Cain shook his head.


    "No, this is a privately owned and operated organization," he said.


    "So... it''s a gang?" I asked slowly.


    Cainughed.


    I was in awe for a moment as I watched him smile.


    "It''s not a gang, it''spletely legal," he said.


    "So what kind of affairs do you manage?" I asked.


    He shrugged.


    "All sorts. We mainly deal in domestic affairs with the people in ourmunity, but sometimes there are international problems that we have to deal with too." "People in yourmunity?" I asked. "What kind ofmunity?"


    "Just people that are associated with our organization. These people have husbands, wives, and children. It makes up amunity."


    "How many are there?" I asked.


    "A few million," he answered.


    My eyes widened.


    "How have I never heard of this before?" I asked.


    "We work with governments sometimes. They have problems that they can''t fix so we step in and help. In exchange, we have diplomatic immunity and they stay out of our business, which includes allowing us to continue to operate with discretion," he exined.


    "And how does my grandfather fit into all of this?" I asked.


    "A few of the men that went missing were some of ours," he said. "I''m just trying to get to the bottom of it so we can figure out who took those men."


    "Oh."


    We were quiet for a few seconds while I processed all of this.


    Despite his willingness to answer my questions, Cain was still being vague about what exactly his "organization" did and who they were. It made me wonder what he had to hide and it made me wary to be involved. "Any more questions?" He asked.


    "What was it like growing up in this house as a kid?" I asked, looking around the huge room. "It had to be hard to be a normal person."


    He hummed in response as he looked around the room.


    "There certainly was never a shortage of ces to hide in hide-n-go-seek," he said.


    Iughed.


    "Sounds like a perfect childhood."


    "Well, I wouldn''t go as far to say perfect. I certainly had my fair share of issues. Unfortunately, money and status doesn''t rid you of those."


    The sorrow that filled his eyes when he said that made my heart hurt.


    "Sorry," I said. "I didn''t mean it like that..."


    "No, it''s okay," he assured me.


    We sat in silence for a few moments before he stood up.


    "I''ll let you get to bed," he said.


    I stood up as well and I felt my heart skip a beat as he began to walk towards me. Cain walked closer until he leaned down and picked up the te and fork. "Thank you for dinner," I said.


    "You''re wee."


    I walked with him over to the bedroom door and opened it before he walked out into the hallway.


    "Well... goodnight," I said awkwardly.


    His eyes caught mine as he turned around.


    "Goodnight, E."


    He said it so gently that I thought I would melt.


    I smiled slightly as I closed the door and pressed my back against it. I ced my hand over my chest and felt my heart beating wildly.


    Why does he do this to me?

 Chapter Six - Doctors Note-1

    Cain sat at his desk, looking at nothing. The tower was dark.


    Moonlight invaded his senses almost as much as the sunlight did but the thick stone walls kept the majority of the noise out in addition to the light so he could actually think.


    The only thing he didn''t like about where he sat was the fact that he would''ve rather been somewhere else.


    He was restless that night knowing that E slept only a few floors beneath his feet.


    Cain still couldn''t believe she existed.


    She certainly wasn''t supposed to... that''s what everyone had told him his entire life.


    Looking at her, he thought he was dreaming. But standing next to her, he was reminded she was real. Whenever he touched her, she was a reminder of the fact that he wasn''t so different from everyone else and that he wasn''t so unlovable. Selfishly, he liked being around E for that reason.


    Cain knew monsters didn''t deserve mates.


    Maybe, just maybe, if he had one it meant that he wasn''t the monster he''d been raised to believe he was.


    And that fleeting, na?ve optimism was brighter than any ray of sunlight would ever be.


    Cain sat in his desk chair for hours that night, thinking over every situation, every scenario, of how he could tell E. Not just about him, but about everything.


    After the hours he spent contemting, he was no more sure then of how to tell her than he was before he sat down. He became more conflicted the more he thought about it.


    Cain heard someone approach the door at the bottom of the stairs before he heard the door open and close. Heavy footsteps echoed up the stairwell as the individual marched up the stairs.


    Based on the slow heart rate, the minor creaking of the stairs under the pressure of each step, and the scent of sandalwood, Cain deduced it was Daniel who was walking up the stairs.


    It wasn''t long before Daniel''s mop of brown hair peeked atop the staircase and he stomped into the room.


    "Morning, sunshine," Daniel said. "Ya know, it''s creepy how you sit in the dark."


    With that being said, Daniel walked over to a desk and turned on amp.


    The light cut through the room and nearly blinded Cain.


    He closed his eyes tight and bed a few times.


    "Sorry, man," Daniel apologized. "I should''ve given you some time to adapt to my voice first."


    Cain stood up and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the migraine that was building with the sudden onught of his hyper-conscious senses. "Don''t worry about it."


    He walked over to the wet bar and poured thest remaining liter of blood from the stic bag into the stainless steel shaker.


    "I''m out," he said, showing Daniel the empty bag.


    "Already?" Daniel asked incredulously. "You''ve gone through five bags in two days..."


    "I can start going through people if you''d like," Cain said shortly.


    He noticed how ufortable hisment made Daniel and he shook his head.


    "It''s her," he admitted.


    "What do you mean?"


    "It''s her scent," Cain rified, turning to look at Daniel.


    He could tell that Daniel was no more enlightened.


    "Have you ever beenpletely content, and then someone starts eating and you''re suddenly starving?" Cain asked him.


    Daniel thought for a moment, trying to gauge where Cain was going with his analogy.


    "I satisfy myself only with what I need and then I stand next to her and this need, this lust, for blood washes over me."


    "So she makes you... hungry?"


    Cain sighed and rolled his eyes.


    "Horny?" Daniel asked, trying again to guess.


    "Somewhere in between," Cain said.


    Daniel raised his eyebrows.


    "That''s somewhat concerning seeing as the two shouldn''t go together..."


    Cain raised the stainless steel cup to his lips and took a long swig of the thick, bitter liquid.


    "I''ll make sure you get some more of that," Daniel said, backing away.


    He began to walk out of the room before Cain stopped him.


    "What did youe up here for?"


    "To tell you she was awake," Daniel said. "But I think you might need to finish that andpose yourself first, though." "Thank you."


    I took the steaming mug from Daniel before he sat down at the table in front of me.


    "What are you doing up so early?" He asked.


    "I''m a morning person."


    He scowled.


    "No thanks."


    I faked a smile as I took a sip of my coffee.


    I couldn''t tell him I hadn''t slept. My bed would have fit four of mefortably. It was sorge that it swallowed me up. It was cold and empty.


    Because I couldn''t sleep, I had been up most of the night catching up on the schoolwork I had missed.


    I was also contemting over the hundreds of sheets of paper I hadbed through in Cain''s office. I was beginning to lose confidence in the fact that we would find my grandfather. "Why are you up so early?" I asked him, trying to distract myself from the pit my thoughts were dragging me into.


    "I have to be for work," he exined, yawning.


    "It''s only seven o''clock," I said. "It''s not so bad."


    "I hate it," he groaned.


    "You don''t like your job?"


    Daniel scoffed.


    "I like this job only marginally more than I like being homeless."


    Iughed hearing this.


    "What do you do?" I asked.


    He shrugged.


    "I guess you could say that I''m Cain''s right-hand man."


    "Which means?"


    "I don''t really do anything because Cain likes to do everything himself."


    "That sounds boring," I said.


    Someone walked into the room behind me before Daniel could reply. We both turned to see Jaiing through the doorway.


    He was only in sweatpants his chiseled, tattooed chest on disy.


    Jai froze as he saw me and Daniel sitting at the table.


    "Why are you walkin'' around without clothes on, man?" Daniel asked, disgusted. "There''s a girl here."


    Jai looked at Daniel in exasperation.


    The door at the other end of the room opened and we all turned to see Cain walk in.


    I felt my stomach knot at the sight of him.


    He raised an eyebrow at Jai as he walked over.


    "I''m going to go change," Jai said as he awkwardly backed away.


    Cain took a seat across from me as Daniel stood up.


    "Well, I have to go and... make sure my nts are watered," Daniel said, excusing himself awkwardly.


    Both Cain and I looked at each other in disbelief as Daniel exited the room and closed the door behind him.


    We both sat silently for a moment as I took a sip of my coffee.


    "How did you sleep?" Cain asked, finally.


    "Good," I lied, nodding. "You?"


    "Fine."


    I took another long sip of coffee.


    "Have you thought any about your grandfather?" He asked.

 Chapter Six - Doctors Note-2

    "It''s all I can think about," I admitted.


    Well, that and you, I thought.


    "I have a few things I have to get done today outside of the office," he said. "You''re more than wee to be in there as long as you''d like, though. I''ll probably check in throughout the day." I nodded.


    "Sounds good."


    I took a sip of my coffee and sighed.


    "Can I ask a favor?"


    Cain nodded.


    "Is there anyway you could put me in touch with someone who is good withputers? I have a few ideas for some leads I could check, but I need someone who is tech savvy." Cain nodded again.


    "I think I know of someone who can help."


    "She''s his mate."


    Priya''s eyes widened.


    "You can''t say anything," Jai said firmly. "Not to anyone, not even her. Myself, Daniel and Cain are the only ones who know."


    "How can she not know she is his mate?" Priya asked incredulously.


    Jai pursed his lips.


    "She''s a human."


    Priya sucked in a deep breath and shook her head.


    "How are you nning on dealing with that?"


    "I don''t need you to tell me this is aplicated situation," he said. "I just need you to go in there, do whatever she asks you to do, and not say a word about who you are, who we are, or what we do." "Great," Priya said sarcastically. "So that narrows down my topic of conversation to the weather."


    "Don''t get sassy with me," Jai said.


    Priya rolled her eyes.


    "Where is she now?" She asked.


    "She''s in Cain''s office."


    I heard the door open at the bottom of the stairs.


    I looked up from the file folder in my hands to see a girl walk up the stairs into Cain''s office.


    She was of Indian descent with almond-colored skin and long, raven hair that was French-braided down her back. Her full figure wasplemented by knee-length, beige-colored kurti and ck leggings.


    I noticed theptop she held in her left arm and I knew exactly why she was there.


    "I''m Priya Singh," she said, smiling brightly. "Jai said you needed some help doing something with aputer?"


    "I''m E Schulz," I said, getting up to shake her hand. "I''m really d you''re here."


    "No problem," she said, shaking my hand and sitting down next to me. "What can I help with?"


    "I think I should ask something important first..." I admitted.


    "Okay..."


    "How against breaking thew are you?"


    When she smiled mischievously, I knew instantly we were going to get along just fine.


    Twenty minutester, Priya was hacking into the strange hospital''s database to gain ess to private patient records.


    While we knew all of the other men had been to this hospital, we weren''t sure of the specific things they had been treated for.


    It came as no surprise that they all suffered from blood-rted issues.


    "It''s weird," Priya said with hesitation. "All of these men had basically the same condition and the same treatments given, but I can''t find doctor''s records anywhere for them. They''re all just nurse''s notes and receipts that were sent to insurancepanies."


    "Do you think they were all seen by the same doctor?" I asked.


    "I can''t be sure," she said. "I can''t find any records for any of these men with a doctor''s name on it."


    "Well they had to have been seen by a doctor. There''s no way a nurse could have run these tests unauthorized. Who would have prescribed the treatment?" I asked.


    "Exactly. I just can''t figure out who they were seen by."


    I thought for a moment.


    "I could always just call and ask..."


    Priya looked at me with apprehension.


    I began to look through the individual files to see if I could find emergency contact information for each man.


    One by one, I called them all.


    My German was far from perfect but I was hoping I would be able tomunicate effectively so I could get the information I needed.


    "Hello? Yes, I''m calling in regards to the investigation that''s pending into your father''s disappearance. Do you have a moment to answer a few questions?" I asked the final contact.


    I paced around the room with the phone wedged between my shoulder and ear as I took notes.


    Priya watched on with intrigue.


    "Do you know the name of the doctor your father saw?"


    I closed my eyes and stopped walking as the missing man''s daughter gave me the name all the other contacts had.


    "Thank you for your time. We''ll be sure to keep you updated."


    I hung up the phone and threw it and the notepad onto the desk.


    "Take a wild guess as to who his doctor was," I said sarcastically.


    Priya pretended to think.


    "Hm... could to be the exact same one who saw all the others?"


    I nodded.


    "I think it''s time to call the hospital."


    I picked up the phone and dialed the hospital''s number.


    A nurse answered the phone.


    "Hi," I said. "I''m calling to see if I can make an appointment with one of your hematologists, Dr. Hans Weber."


    The nurseughed and what she said next made the air leave my lungs.


    I hung up the phone and looked at Priya in disbelief.


    "I need to find Cain."


    I began to walk quickly out of the office with Priya hot on my heels.


    "What did the nurse say?"


    Her words echoed in my mind but the were quickly drowned out by the haunting words of the nurse.


    I bounded down the stairs and into the hallway on the floor beneath us.


    We nearly ran all over the ce until I ran into Daniel.


    "I need to talk to Cain right now," I said urgently. "You''re not going to believe this."


    Daniel hurried us down another flight of stairs into the basement.


    Cain was in a room with arge map hanging on the wall. Jai stood beside him as they both gestured towards the map in discussion. Hearing us walk in, Cain turned around and immediately his features morphed into concern.


    "What''s wrong?"


    "All of the men had the exact same condition, were given the exact same treatment, and were treated by the exact same doctor," I said. "Okay..." Cain said, crossing his arms.


    "That''s not even the weirdest part," I said. "The doctor that they all saw..."


    I stopped myself and shook my head, unable to believe the words that were about toe out of my mouth.


    Cain nodded, prodding me along.


    I sighed.


    "He''s dead, Cain."


    "What happened to him?" He asked.


    I shook my head.


    "No, you don''t understand," I said.


    "He''s been dead for thirty years."

 Chapter Seven - They Come in The Night-1

    "Well, that''s just fantastic."


    Jai''s words dripped with sarcasm as I delivered the news.


    Cain''s reaction to the news was to remainpletely stone-faced.


    "Does this not creep you out?" I asked him.


    He said nothing, just stared at me in thought.


    How could someone still be practicing medicine thirty years postmortem?


    "How do you know this?" Daniel asked me.


    "I called around and found out all of the missing men had been seen by the same doctor then I called the hospital and the nurse informed me that he had been dead for thirty years." Cain crossed his arms.


    "Did the nurse happen to mention how he died?" He asked.


    I shook my head.


    I probably should have asked her, but I was too shocked by the news to think of anything in that moment.


    "I need to see that certification of death and the M.E.''s report if there is one," Cain said to Priya.


    She shook her head.


    "He died thirty years ago," she argued. "Those records won''t be online. I''m sure they''re in a hospital somewhere, but I can''t get you virtual ess to them."


    "We''ll need to exhume the body then," Jai said, looking at Cain.


    "Hell no," Daniel said. "I''d rather be pecked to death by a flock of hummingbirds than dig up a grave."


    "We''ll need to figure out if he''s even dead before we do something like that," Cain said shaking his head.


    "You think the nurse lied?" I asked him.


    Cain looked at me with apprehension.


    "I need to make sure she didn''t," he said. "If someone is impersonating this man I need to know why and I need to know who is. Someone is making all of these men disappear and this is the only lead we have so far." I nodded in agreement.


    Priya took E with her as they left to go investigate further.


    Daniel and Jai looked at Cain expectantly.


    "Go with them," he said. "They''ll need all the help they can get."


    Jai looked at Daniel and sighed before turning his attention back to Cain.


    "Are we not going to talk about it?" He asked.


    Cain crossed his arms.


    "Talk about what?"


    "About the fact that your girlfriend is getting closer and closer to finding out there is a possibility this man could have died thirty years ago and still be walking this earth," Daniel said.


    "Never mind that," Jai said. "Can we talk about how she called around to get all this information and risked the discrepancy of this entire pack."


    Cain drew in a deep breath.


    "Or we could talk about how the entire hospital could be in on this and she just notified them that we were looking for a dead man," Daniel added.


    Cain shook his head and unfolded his arms as he walked around the table he had been leaning against.


    "She doesn''t know any better," he said defensively.


    "Which is exactly why you need to tell her," Jai said.


    "You know I can''t do that," Cain said through a clenched jaw.


    The thought of telling her made him feel extremely uneasy.


    She''s just now getting to where she isfortable around me, Cain thought. Telling her would ruin that.


    "Listen, man," Daniel said, "I know you have reservations about telling her, we both do." He gestured to Jai who nodded in agreement. "But if she stays here, she''s going to find out sooner orter. It would be best for the both of you if you''re the one who told her."


    Cain stared at the both of them with narrowed eyes.


    "I''ll tell her eventually," he said. "Until then, I''m standing by the original n. Stick with the both of them and don''t let them do anything else stupid. Find out if this man is really dead and we''ll move from there."


    Jai and Daniel both sighed. They knew this was a mistake.


    But they had their orders and they had to obey them.


    They turned and left the room to follow the girls back to Cain''s office.


    As they walked away, they pretended not to hear the sound of the concrete smashing as Cain punched the wall.


    Cain withdrew his hand and observed it closely.


    The skin was smooth and unbroken and it made him want to punch something harder.


    He wished he bled. He wished he could feel pain.


    Maybe if he could, he would know how to tell E what was going on.


    Daniel and Jai joined Priya and I as we put a n in ce as to how we were going to go about finding this man who was supposedly dead.


    We sat around therge desk for a few hours deciding where to start and what we were going to look for.


    The two of them were somewhat annoyed for the remainder of the day and Priya seemed uneasy. I, however, was enthralled.


    Of course the idea of a man faking his own death or someone stealing a dead man''s identity didn''t settle well with me, but I knew we were getting closer and closer to the truth. Maybe we would find my grandfather after all.


    That night, we all ate a quick dinner in Cain''s office as we continued to flip through files looking for other leads.


    Cain was nowhere to be found which I surprised myself by being disappointed about.


    It waste when I finally returned to my room that night. Sote, in fact, that I was actually sleepy and nodded off in the bed, despite how enormous it was.


    I wasn''t sure what time it was when I woke up.


    It was still nighttime, I knew this despite being turned to face the door. The huge bay windows let in plenty of the silvery glow of moonlight.


    I had almost fallen back asleep when I heard it: a small click.


    Despite how small the sound was, the deep silence that immersed the room paired with the high ceilings made the sound impossible to hide as it echoed across the bedroom.


    I found myself straining to hear what had made it.


    I wanted to hear footsteps echoing down the hallway. That meant that it was someone probably up using the bathroom or going to bed.


    But I knew deep down that the sound hade from behind me.


    I heard another click, this time it was louder, solidifying the terrible thought that someone else was in that bedroom.


    I was frozen in fear.


    I couldn''t make myself turn to see what was behind me.


    After hearing a few more of the same sounds, I gathered that it wasing from the outside of one of the windows and wasn''t actually inside the room.


    I finally began to turn slowly, just in time to hear a new sound: the sound of the window opening.


    A breeze caught the window as it was pushed open and it flew against the window beside it and shattered.


    The sound of the ss breaking sent me flying out from under the covers and off the bed.


    I turned to see arge man jump from the windowsill onto the ground and I sprinted towards the bedroom door.


    I felt something graze the side of my face and the next thing I knew, a knife was impaled in the wooden wall in front of me.


    I let out a scream and dove behind the couch before dropping to my knees.


    I crawled quickly behind the couch over to the firece as I heard the sound of wet boots stomping up behind me.


    I was just able to grab the iron poker that hung beside the firece as someone grabbed the back of my t-shirt and yanked me towards them.


    I used the momentum to swing the poker around and pound whoever the intruder was in the side of the face.


    He stumbled backwards, but not out of pain. He was shocked.


    I used the opportunity that I had gained in scaring him to continue to smack him with the poker.


    Hitting him one final time, I darted over the top of the couch and sprinted back towards the bedroom door.


    My heart was racing as my hand touched the doorknob.


    Just when I thought I was in the clear, I felt tworge hands shove me into the door.


    I turned around, somewhat dazed, and swung the poker again, blindly this time.

 Chapter Seven - They Come in The Night-2

    It stopped midair as he caught it. Yanking it from my hands, he hit me in the side of the face with the iron handle.


    I stumbled backwards onto the floor as the searing pain exploded across my cheekbone.


    My head was spinning when I felt a hand wrap around my neck.


    It lifted me off the ground and my toes were barely skimming the floor as I wrapped my hands around the assant''s wrist.


    I swung my legs, trying to kick him.


    I felt the air leaving my lungs and I kicked harder.


    My already blurry vision began to grow dark from the outer corners and I was losing strength rapidly.


    I barely heard the bedroom door open over the sound of the blood roaring in my ears before the intruder''s hand let go and I crumpled to the ground, gasping and coughing.


    I gently ced my hands around my tender throat as I looked up and saw the fight, orck thereof, that ensued.


    One punch from Cain sent the man sprawling across the room.


    I knew Cain must have hit him hard, seeing as the man had barely been fazed by my attack with the poker.


    The man flew across the bedroom floor and waspletely still when he slid headfirst into the wall.


    Cain walked over to me quickly and lifted me from my knees onto the bed where he took my face in his hands.


    I could barely form a sentence.


    I just watched as his eyes examined me for injuries, stopping as he looked at my face.


    He drew a blood-soaked hand back from my cheek and looked at it in horror.


    The bedroom door behind him swung open further and smacked the side of the wall. The lights were turned on and I saw Daniele over to Cain and I as Jai ran over to the unconscious intruder. "Go wash that off," Daniel told Cain, noticing the blood on his hand. "I''ll take care of her."


    My vision was blurry as I watched Cain back away hesitantly before Daniel insisted again, more fervently, that Cain go wash the blood from hands.


    Although my vision was impaired, I saw how dark Cain''s eyes were when he backed away. There was no trace of the soft,vender eyes that had caught my attention when I met him. Daniel turned to face me as Cain walked away.


    He ced a hand on my shoulder to steady me as another hand lifted my chin so he could observe my busted cheek.


    "You''re okay," he assured me. Although, the look on his face said the cut was a nasty one.


    Daniel pulled his shirt over his head before bunching it up and pressing it to the wound on my face.


    "I''ll get someone to get you some ice," he said. "You''ll probably need stitches."


    By this point the entire left side of my face was swollen.


    I reached up to touch my left eye and Daniel swatted my hand away.


    "It''s still there," he assured me. "Don''t touch it, though."


    He turned and looked around, still pressing his shirt against my face.


    "Did he get that from the firece?" He asked, gesturing towards the bloody poker thaty on the floor.


    I shook my head slowly.


    "I did," was all I could muster out.


    Daniel turned and looked at me in shock.


    "You fought him?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "Atta girl," he said, breaking into a smile. "Remind me never to fuck with you."


    I couldn''t help but smile, a move that made a sharp pain spread across my face.


    "Don''t do that," he said, grimacing.


    Jai walked over to us and observed me from over Daniel''s shoulder.


    "He''s dead," he whispered to Daniel.


    His voice was low, but I heard him clearly.


    "Dead?" I nearly shouted. "Cain just hit him."


    "And that," Daniel said, turning to me, "is why we don''t fuck with Cain ether."


    I flinched as Daniel pressed on my cheek and he sighed.


    "Let''s go take you to the medic," he said, helping me off the bed.


    As soon as my feet touched the ground, I got light-headed and felt my knees start to buckle under. Daniel steadied me by cing a hand on my back.


    "I can''t walk," I told him, trying to catch my breath.


    "You probably have a concussion," Jai said.


    With the headache I was beginning to feel, I didn''t doubt him.


    "I''ll take her to the nurse," I heard Cain say. "You two stay here and deal with this."


    I turned slightly to see Cain walking over to us. He seemed much moreposed than he had been. His eyes were their normal shade ofvender... or maybe they had always been and I had just imagined it. Cain took my arm and wrapped it around his neck as Daniel let go of me and ced my hand over his blood-soaked t-shirt to hold it in ce.


    "Are you sure?" I heard him mumble to Cain.


    "I''m fine," Cain said sharply. "Now do what I told you to."


    He bent down and picked me up from behind my knees, carrying me bridal from the bedroom.


    I couldn''t speak properly, otherwise I would have asked him if blood made him squeamish, seeing as he''d panicked when he got mine on his hand.


    He carried me down a few flights of stairs and I began to wonder how big his house actually was.


    I also began to feel guilty for making him carry me so far. Although, I did note that he didn''t so much as break a sweat.


    He was still holding me as he walked down a long hallway that slowly introduced the smell of cleaning solution and hand sanitizer.


    Cain pushed open a door with his foot and carried me inside a room that looked just like an examination room in a doctor''s office.


    He ced me on the table and held the back of my neck as he gentlyid my head down on the paper liner.


    I heard someone walk into the room quickly and Cain turned around to talk to whoever it was.


    I felt my eyes begin to close and someone walked over and shone a light directly in my face.


    "Don''t go to sleep just yet," the man said. "We need to make sure everything is alright up in your noggin before we let that happen."


    I managed to peel my heavy eyelids back open and I was blinded by the small light that he shone in my eyes.


    "Try to follow the light with your eyes," he instructed as he moved the light from right to left.


    "Do you feel like you''re going to vomit?" He asked, putting the light away.


    "No," I answered shortly.


    "Do you remember what happened to you?" He asked.


    "Yes."


    He snapped his fingers beside my ear and I flinched as the sound echoed loudly in my head. "She couldn''t walk?" He asked Cain.


    I assumed Cain shook his head, as I didn''t hear him answer before the doctor turned back to me.


    "Taking into ount her sensitivity to light and noise, the dizziness, and bnce issues, I think it''s safe to say there is a strong likelihood of a concussion," he said. "For now, however, I want to take care of this cut." He observed it for a moment before he turned back to Cain.


    "I''ll be right back," he said. "I need to get something to stitch that up."


    I heard him leave the room and I turned to Cain who was staring at me with his arms crossed.


    "How did you know that man was in my room?" I asked him softly.


    "You screamed," he answered.


    We were silent for a few moments before I felt a tear roll down my cheek and I looked up at the ceiling.


    "You killed him," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.


    I turned to look back at Cain when he said nothing and I saw the back of him as he left the room.


    I closed my eyes, feeling my hands shaking against the stic cover on the table.


    How can you kill a man with one punch?

 Chapter Eight - Breathless Wonder-1

    Cain stood out in the hallway, his breathing erratic.


    The fangs in his mouth were extending from his gums and poking his bottom lip.


    He tried to focus on the smell of disinfectant in the air but the only things his senses had zeroed in on were the scent and sight of her blood.


    For the first time in his life, he wasn''t resisting the vampiric pull topletely drain someone of their blood.


    The urge he was fighting was not one to kill or satisfy hunger, but to satisfy lustful and prurient desires.


    It was much stronger than anything he''d felt before.


    He heard the doctor walking down the hallway and he turned to face away from him.


    "When was thest time?" The doctor asked him as he walked up.


    "I don''t know what you mean," Cain remarked.


    "When did you drinkst?"


    Cain closed his eyes tightly as he caught another whiff of her blood on his hands, despite his earlier attempts to scrub it away. "Yesterday morning," he answered.


    "You shouldn''t be trying tost that long," the doctor scolded. "Especially now that she''s here."


    "Tell me something," Cain said. "If you relied on the bloodshed of others to survive, how often do you think you''d try tost between feeding?" The doctor was quiet for a few moments as he took Cain''sment into consideration.


    "Jai did as you asked and a new shipment was sent over from the regional hospital in thete afternoon yesterday," the doctor informed him.


    "I could go through all the blood in Germany and still want hers," Cain said with a clenched jaw.


    It was silent for a minute before the doctor sighed.


    "When do your parents return from Australia?" He asked.


    "Two weeks."


    "Maybe you should convince them to make a visit," the doctor said. "I''m sure they''d want to meet her and I think you need more help than you''re willing to admit." Cain turned around slowly, giving the doctor a glimpse of his darkened eyes and extended canines.


    "You think?" He snarled, sarcasm dripping from his words.


    The doctor drew in a deep breath before walking past Cain into the examination room where the girl was waiting.


    I heard the door open again and I turned to see the doctor return.


    He ced the tray that was in his hands on a cart beside the table where Iid.


    Cain walked in behind him, looking slightly shaken. His eyes caught mine and I went back to staring at the ceiling.


    "Here''s something for your headache," the doctor told me as he handed me three pills and a cup of water.


    I tried to sit up but I couldn''t lift myself off my back without getting light-headed. Cain walked over and ced a hand under my back and helped me sit up.


    It was difficult not to choke on the medicine with Cain touching me.


    "Alright," the doctor said. "I need you toy back down for me."


    I did so with Cain''s help, although I refused to look at him.


    The doctor came over as Cain walked around the table to stand at my feet and watch.


    I winced as the doctor gave me the injection of anesthesia in my cheek.


    "I''m going to give that a second to set in," he said, observing the cut. "Looking at the wound, I think you''ll need three or four stitches." Wonderful, I thought.


    A couple of minutes passed as the doctor prepared his tools and the numbing set in.


    He only took a few short minutes to stitch up the cut on my cheek before he rubbed ointment over skin and ced a bandage over it.


    The doctor helped me sit up as he gave me ointment and bandages of my own.


    "Keep the wound clean, but don''t wash it with soap until it closes. Make sure you put ointment on it afterwards and keep it bandaged up. This will reduce scarring."


    I nodded taking the bandages and tube of ointment from him.


    "Here''s something for your headache," he said handing me a bottle of pills. "If you start to get bad migraines, let me know and we can get you something stronger. Also, if you''re still nauseous in twenty-four hours, I can get you something for that too, just let him know."


    He nodded at Cain when he said this. I looked over at Cain to meet his stare and I looked back to the doctor.


    "Thank you," I said.


    He nodded.


    "Thank you for fighting the bastard and staying alive," he said. "I don''t like signing death certificates."


    Iughed nervously before Cain interjected.


    "We should be going now," he said.


    Cain took my hand and helped me off the table. When my knees buckled under, he picked me up quickly.


    My head was spinning so fast I couldn''t see straight.


    "I think I''m going to be sick," I said.


    Cain looked at the doctor who nodded quickly.


    "You know, I think I better go ahead and get you some of that anti-nausea medicine."


    He left the room to go get it and I sighed.


    I couldn''t help but nuzzle my head into the crook of Cain''s neck. He smelt divine and I couldn''t hold my head up to save my life.


    I heard the doctor return and he handed Cain another bottle of pills.


    "You''ll need to rest for the next two weeks at least," the doctor told me. "That means no excessive movement or long periods of standing and I don''t want you reading or writing either. Your brain needs to rest."


    I couldn''t help but groan internally.


    This was going to be the longest two weeks of my life.


    "Come back and see me after about fifteen days and we''ll go from there," he said.


    Cain thanked the doctor for his help before he began to carry me from the room.


    We hadn''t even made it down the hallway before I had fallen asleep, my head on Cain''s shoulder.


    "We don''t even know who this guy is," Daniel groaned.


    The three men had been standing over the dead body of the intruder for quite a while as they formted a n of action.


    "Well, we bloody well need to find out," Cain said, crossing his arms.


    Jai ran a hand along his jaw.


    The three cups of coffee he had drank that morning and throughout the day weren''t enough to push sleep from his mind.


    It was two in the morning when he''d been woken up suddenly, and even fifteen hourster, his workday didn''t look like it was ending anytime soon.


    "We can run his DNA through the system and see if a matches back," Daniel suggested.


    "Already on it," Jai said, sighing. "It''s going to take time though."


    "Which is something we don''t have," Cain retorted.


    He walked around the examination table where the body wasying and he grabbed a scalpel.


    Cain used the end to lift the top lip of the corpse and expose the half-extended fangs.


    E had no clue how close to being dead she was when Cain hade into the room and Jai hoped she''d never find out.


    "You don''t think he was working with the same guy who kidnapped all those men, do you?" Daniel asked Cain.


    "I don''t know," Cain answered honestly, putting the scalpel back on the tray. "It''s too much of a coincidence to think the two instances could be rted but, on the other hand, to think that Vampires were nearly extinct twenty years ago would mean the existence of these men were too rare not to be connected in some way."

 Chapter Eight - Breathless Wonder-2

    It annoyed Daniel how awake and clear-headed Cain was.


    Both he and Jai were exhausted, but Cain never slept anyway, so he didn''t expect Cain to be the least bit tired. That didn''t mean that he wasn''t annoyed by it. "Alright, lets just finish this in the morning," Daniel said. "We''ll wait for the DNA test results toe back and go from there."


    Both he and Jai were thrilled when Cain made no effort to protest his idea and they left the morgue as quickly as they could before Cain could object. Cain stood next to the body with his arms crossed as the two men left him alone.


    He stared at the unidentified intruder in furious thought.


    Who are you? He thought. Why did you try to kill E?


    Then it dawned on him.


    He wasn''t trying to kill E, he had been trying to kill Cain.


    The next five days were some of the most boring I''d ever experienced.


    When I wasn''t sleeping, I wasying on my back, staring up at the ceiling and counting the grain on the wood paneling in the frame on the bed.


    Breakfast was in my room everyday before I woke up in the morning, lunch was delivered by a boy whose name I didn''t know because he wouldn''t speak to me, and Cain always brought dinner at night.


    Sometimes he would drop it off, other times he would stay and chat. It was never for more than a few minutes though.


    Sometimes he was talkative, other times he was quiet. Cain''s definition of talkative, however, was to give more than one word answers when I would ask him questions. Although, he continuously gave vague answers when I asked him about how the search for my grandfather was going.


    Eventually, I was sick of staring at the ceiling and I abandoned the instructions the doctor had given me and I did homework or would read the books that I had borrowed from my grandfather''s house.


    This offered a fleeting relief from my boredom and I decided one night that I had had enough.


    I waited untilte, when I was sure everyone had gone to bed. I threw on a hoodie and sweatpants over my pajamas and opened my bedroom door slowly.


    The hallway was empty.


    I


    I crept out of the room quietly and made my way to the stairs at the bottom of the tower to Cain''s office.


    opened the door slowly, cringing when it made a slight creaking noise. After I closed the door, I walked up the stairs into the dark office.


    I blindly held my hands out in front of me, looking for the desk with themp on it.


    When my hands found the desk, I felt around all the papers that were spread across it before I touched themp.


    "Don''t turn that on."


    I jumped six feet into the air and screamed so loud I gave myself a headache.


    "Jesus Christ, Cain!" I shouted, putting my hand over my chest.


    I leaned against the desk, feeling myself getting nauseous.


    "You scared the shit out of me," I said breathlessly.


    When he didn''t answer me, I looked around the room, hoping my eyes had adjusted.


    It was still pitch ck, even when trying to focus.


    "Why are you just sitting up here in the dark?" I asked him incredulously.


    "I was sleeping before you woke me up when you opened that door down there," he retorted. My eyebrows furrowed.


    "You were sleeping at your desk?" I asked him, noticing where his voice wasing from.


    Cain didn''t answer me.


    "What are you doing up here?" He asked instead.


    I took a deep breath.


    "I wanted to see what more you guys had found on my grandfather," I said.


    "I''ve told you we found nothing," he remarked.


    "I wanted to see for myself."


    Cain was quiet for a few moments.


    "Why are you really up here?" He asked me.


    I bit the inside of my cheek.


    "I''ve been having a hard time sleeping," I admitted. "I think my concussion is the reason I''ve been having nightmares. I''m also kind of freaked out to stay in that room by myself at night now." "Why?"


    I let out a breathyugh.


    "When someone breaks into your room in the middle of the night and tries to kill you, it doesn''t make you look forward to going back to bed at night."


    I heard the desk chair roll backwards as he stood up.


    "If it makes you feel any better, the guy wasn''t trying to kill you," he said.


    The way Cain''s voice carried made me think that he was walking around.


    "His hands around my neck said differently," I retorted.


    "I think you scared him. I don''t think he was expecting you."


    "Who would have he been expecting?"


    "Me," he answered shortly.


    "Why would he have been expecting you?" I asked him, my eyebrows furrowing.


    "Because it''s my room."


    I felt the air leave my lungs.


    "Why on earth have I been sleeping in your room?" I asked him.


    "Because I wanted you to."


    His voice was much closer to me than it had been.


    "Why?" I asked gently, fearing the answer.


    "I''m not sure I can give you a good answer," he said.


    Cain''s voice was only a foot or so away from me. I could feel him getting closer.


    "Well," I said slowly, trying to find words. "You''re more than wee to have it back."


    Cain was silent for a few minutes before I felt his hand touch mine, sending my heart into a frenzy.


    "Where do you n on sleeping after that?" He asked me, his voice getting softer as he got closer.


    I couldn''t speak as his hand traveled up my arm and his other hand went between my arm and hip to rest on the table behind me.


    "You''re more than wee to stay with me."


    I gulped as he spoke those bold words.


    Feeling his hand leave my arm and touch my neck, his thumb trailing my jaw, I drew in a sharp breath.


    Cain''s nose touched mine slowly and I found myself leaning into him.


    I could feel his breath against my lips and my eyes fluttered shut just before he backed away, leaving me to catch myself on the table.


    A few silent moments went by as I listened for him.


    But there was no sound to be heard.


    I reached behind me and turned on themp.


    He was gone.


    And just like that I was alone to wonder what had just happened.

 Chapter Nine - Whiplash-1

    I wasying in bed, staring at the ceiling when I heard the ringing.


    I rolled over to see Zak''s contact picture shing on the screen of myptop as he called me.


    Sitting up, I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, and answered the video call.


    Waving at him as he answered, I saw his brief smile before it dropped and morphed into a look of concern.


    It urred to me as I caught a glimpse of myself in the upper corner of the screen that I had a deep cut and bruise on my face that came with an exnation I didn''t want to give. I cringed.


    Here we go...


    ''What happened to your face?'' He signed fervently. ''Why are you hurt?''


    ''Calm down,'' I signed back. ''It''s just a cut.''


    He gave me an exasperated look.


    ''How did you get it?''


    I bit my lip before sighing.


    ''I got hit in the face with an iron stick.''


    Zak closed his eyes and I knew he was probably counting up to ten and back down again.


    ''Who hit you in the face?'' He asked.


    I shrugged and he rolled his eyes.


    ''Was it an ident?''


    I slowly shook my head with hesitation and his eyes widened.


    ''Why would someone hit you on purpose?'' He asked, his hands iling quickly.


    ''Look,'' I signed slowly. ''Things are weird here. Really weird.''


    This only seemed to annoy him more.


    ''You''re being vague,'' he signed.


    ''Someone broke in, okay?'' I said. ''I was the first person the guy saw and I tried to defend myself and got hurt in the process. It was nothing more and nothing less than that.'' Zak just shook his head.


    ''I tried to warn you that it was a bad idea to go,'' he signed. ''And now you''ve been hurt. Can you please juste home?''


    I bit the inside of my cheek as I shook my head in disbelief.


    Zak was someone who had colored inside the lines his whole life. He was smart and cautious and, most importantly, predictable. Anytime anything was just slightly out of hisfort zone, he backed out. Being adventurous and bold meant risking happiness andfort to Zak, which was a point we disagreed on constantly.


    Because of this, I knew he was going to try and talk me out of staying; this wasn''t the first time he had done so. Whenever we first arrived, I had texted Zak to let him know I was safe. He proceeded to offer to buy me a ne ticket home and asked me if I was sure.


    ''I''m going to find Grandpa before Ie home,'' I had told him.


    And I told him this again this time, at which point he drew in a deep breath.


    ''You''re being reckless,'' he signed. ''But you''re a grown woman, you can do what you want.''


    I nodded, agreeing with him on both points.


    ''Are you closer to finding him?'' He asked.


    I nodded.


    ''I think so. Have you heard from Mom and Dad?'' I asked him.


    He shook his head.


    ''They''re not home, so I''m assuming they''re still working things out over there,'' he signed.


    I nodded.


    That was good news and meant that I had plenty of time to work with.


    ''Let me know when theye home,'' I told him. ''If they ask-''


    ''Tell then that you''re with friends in Minnesota,'' he signed, cutting me off. ''I know, we''ve been through this.'' I smiled.


    ''Just making sure you remembered,'' I signed, winking.


    He shook his head, still unsure of everything.


    ''I have to get back to work,'' he signed. ''Let me know if I can help with anything.''


    I assured him that I would and threw up the sign for ''I love you'' before we both ended the video call.


    When the call window closed, I was looking at a nk page which was supposed to be a seven-thousand word essay on the pre-operational stages of cognitive development.


    It was due in a week and I hadn''t started on it.


    I rubbed my eyes which burned from staring at the screen for so long.


    The curtains were drawn over the windows, leaving the room dark except for the blue glow of theptop''s screen.


    I had been lying there for God knows how long, trying to outline the essay. But, every time I closed my eyes to think, I felt Cain''s breath on my lips and his nose brushing against mine. I closed theptop and sat up on the bed.


    Not only was I having a hard time trying to process why he hadn''t kissed me, but I was trying to process why he had wanted to in the first ce and why the hell I was sleeping in his bedroom.


    Cain and I had known each other for less than twenty-four hours when Jai gave me the room. Although there had certainly been an initial attraction between us, I would never have thought Cain would have given up his room for me.


    If he really liked me, which I was led to believe he did seeing as I was sleeping in his room, I was confused as to why he passed up the opportunity to kiss me.


    It had been two days since that night and I hadn''t seen Cain since then.


    This was partially because I stayed locked in my room, but even then, he hadn''te to bring me dinner like he had been doing. It was delivered by the same, shy boy who brought me lunch without making a sound.


    As I sat on the bed with my legs crossed, my elbows resting on my knees, and my head held in the palm of my hands, I thought long and hard about what Zak had said.


    Maybe it was best if I went home.


    A knock sounded at the door, startling me out of my daze and I got off the bed and walked over to open it.


    Daniel stood beside the doorway, leaning against the wall.


    "I''m here to make sure you''re still alive," he said.


    I let out a breathyugh as he pushed past me into the room.


    "Did someone send you?" I asked him, following him inside the room.


    "If by someone you mean Cain, the answer''s no," he said as he walked over to the windows.


    Oh my God, does he know? I thought in a panic.


    "I came on my own terms," he said. "We''ve already established that I don''t do much around here because Cain is a do-it-himself kinda guy, and I was tired of talking to myself and twiddling my thumbs." He threw back the curtain and I groaned as my eyes adjusted to the light.


    "What time is it?" I asked him.


    "Nearly dinner time," he said, looking at his watch, "which means the sun is about to set."


    I walked over to where he stood and looked out the window.


    Sure enough, the sun was setting behind the mountains off in the distance.


    Daniel looked at me and winced.


    "Does that still hurt?" He asked me, pointing at the cut on my cheekbone.


    I shook my head as I reached up to touch it gingerly. I had been letting it breath for a few hours, but I needed to put a bandage back over it.


    "You look kind of like Rocky," he said.


    "Thank you," I said sarcastically.


    I had a huge bruise that nearly covered the side of my face and my cheek was still somewhat swollen.


    "A good kind of Rocky," he assured me quickly. "Like Rocky after he fought Drago, not Rocky after he fought Apollo."


    I rolled my eyes andughed.


    My stomach growled and I put my hand over it.


    "Hungry?" He asked, hearing it.


    I nodded.


    "Good, me too. Put on some real clothes and we''ll go get something to eat."


    I looked down at my gym shorts and t-shirt and sighed before going into the bathroom to change.


    "Better?" I asked, exiting the bathroom in a long-sleeve tunic and leggings.


    Heughed.


    "You still look like you''re going to bed, but I guess it''s temperature appropriate."


    I put on slippers and we walked out of the bedroom to find something to eat. "So how''s your head?" He asked me.


    I nodded.


    "It''s okay," I said. "I still get pretty bad headaches and it''s hard to sleep at night."

 Chapter Nine - Whiplash-2

    He was silent as we walked along the hallway.


    "About that," I said awkwardly, "did you guys find out who that man was that broke in?" Daniel shrugged.


    "We''re still looking into it, but he was probably just your average, run-of-the-mill burr."


    I stopped him.


    "He tried to kill me, Daniel," I said. "That''s not burry, it''s robbery and attempted murder. Someone should have called the police."


    Daniel rolled his eyes and I could tell he was getting frustrated.


    "There was no need to call the police."


    "He tried to kill me," I reminded him again.


    "Yes, and Cain killed him."


    I shook my head as I continued to walk.


    "What?" Daniel asked. "You don''t think he should have killed him?"


    "I''ve seen two people killed in the past two weeks," I told him, referring to both the robber and the man who had been killed by Jai at my grandfather''s funeral. "That''s more than I wanted to see in a lifetime."


    "Better get used to it. It happens frequently around here," Daniel said casually.


    I stopped in my tracks.


    "What do you mean?" I asked him. "You can''t just go around killing people."


    "We kill bad people, E," Daniel said, turning to face me. "If you have a problem with that, maybe you should try it your way and show kindness to the next person who puts their hands around your neck and see where that gets you." I let out a quick breath and walked around him.


    "E, stop," he said, following me.


    I stopped walking and turned to look at him.


    "Stop reading into all of this," he said. "We do things differently than most people because we are different from most people. This system of justice has been used for hundreds of years and we''ve found people hidden better than your grandfather and killed better men than the one who tried to kill you."


    "I just don''t understand how any of this is legal," I told him.


    "Diplomatic immunity," he answered.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "That''s exactly what Cain said."


    He shrugged.


    "Bad people are bad people and that''s recognized across all borders and continents. If we catch the bad guy, it''s only fair enough that we decide what to do with him. That''s an agreement we have with plenty of countries who are more than willing to let us do it."


    What Daniel said made sense, but it wasn''t something I saw myself agreeing with anytime soon. Suddenly, a sharp pain bounced around in my head and I winced as I closed my eyes.


    "All this thinking has given me a headache," I said, massaging my temples.


    "That''s why I try to do as little thinking as possible," Daniel said, winking. "Now let''s go get some food."


    We went down a few flights of stairs to arge kitchen that was surprisingly empty for it to be dinner time. "Does no one cook here?" I asked him.


    "No, it''s the weekend," he said, walking over to the cab. "Dinner is only served on weekdays so we fend for ourselves on the weekend to give the chef a break." "Let me guess," I said,ughing. "You just order pizza and takeout."


    He scoffed.


    "Please, my dad was a chef in one of Vegas'' finest restaurants. I learned how to cook my own food from the best."


    "You''re American?" I asked him.


    He nodded.


    This really didn''t surprise me. I had gathered that he wasn''t native to Germany from theck of an ent.


    "You are too, right?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "Florida, just outside of Fort Lauderdale."


    "No shit," he said, nodding. "So how''d your grandpa end up in Germany?"


    I jumped up on the counter.


    "He''s from here," I said. "Both my parents are German, they moved to America before my brother and I were born."


    He grabbed a loaf of bread from the pantry and some cheese from the fridge.


    "How''d you end up here?" I asked him.


    "I met Cain a few years ago," he said. "We became friends and he invited me over to help him run the family business."


    I eyed him as he pulled a frying pan out of the cab.


    "Are you making grilled cheese?" I asked incredulously.


    "What were you expecting? Filet mignon?" He asked.


    Iughed. "I guess not."


    Daniel made the grilled cheese and we sat down to eat.


    The door to the kitchen opened and we both turned to see Cain walk in.


    He froze as we made eye contact.


    I choked on the grilled cheese.


    Daniel''s eyes widened as he looked down at the sandwich in his hands and he began to chew slowly.


    "I''ve gotta go," he said.


    I looked at Daniel in disbelief as he got up and walked out of the kitchen.


    Cain walked over to the refrigerator and got out a bottle of water.


    The awkward tension in the room was suffocating.


    He opened the water bottle and took a long sip before turning around.


    "Why didn''t you kiss me?" I asked him suddenly.


    I regretted asking as soon as I did.


    "It was a mistake," he said. "I apologize if I made you feel ufortable. It will not happen again."


    With that being said, he walked out of the kitchen and left me alone to finish my half-eaten grilled cheese.


    Cain''s words stung, far more than they should have.


    "What did you just do?" Daniel asked, waving his hands above his head.


    He had been standing outside the kitchen door, listening to what Cain had said to E.


    Now he was pacing back and forth in Cain''s office, ranting like there was no tomorrow.


    "First you try to kiss her, which was stupid," Daniel said, pointing a finger at Cain. "Now, you''re going to tell her that trying to kiss her was a mistake? You''re going to give the poor girl whish." Cain stood, leaning against his desk with his arms crossed.


    "Your parents areing in a week," Daniel reminded him. "What do you think they''re going to say about this?"


    "I don''t care," Cain said. "That''s why I don''t have any ns on telling them."


    Daniel rolled his eyes.


    "You have to tell them you have a mate," he said.


    "So they can convince her to leave?" Cain asked angrily. "I don''t think so."


    Daniel looked at him incredulously.


    "You''re the one pushing her away," he said. "She''ll leave before anyone gets the chance to convince her to."


    With that, Daniel turned around and left the office.


    Cain took a deep breath and turned to finish signing the documents that needed his authorization.


    He sat down, grabbed a pen, and stopped.


    Cain looked down to see his hand shaking. He let go of the pen and clenched his fist.


    He let out a shaky breath, trying to keep himself from smashing the table into splinters.


    While he would never admit it to Daniel, Cain wasn''t happy with what he told E.


    The look on her face when she asked him why he hadn''t kissed her assured him that she had wanted him to.


    Why he hadn''t kissed her then and there was to be med on hisck of confidence in his self control.


    What Cain knew then was exactly what he knew two nights before: if he kissed her, he was putting his mouth much too close to the one ce it wanted to be but never needed to go: her neck. He felt the ache in his gums just thinking about it.


    But no, regardless of what Daniel or anyone else had to say, if keeping her at an arms length was the best thing for her, he was damn well going to do it...


    ... No matter how much it hurt to do so.

 Chapter Ten - Conspiracy Theory-1

    What have I done?


    I watched the mes dance in the hearth of the firece. They climbed the brick walls, only to be pulled back down into the coals that glowed beneath the logs.


    That''s how I felt, like I''d been floating on the highs of my daydreams and suddenly yanked back down into reality.


    I couldn''t believe I had been na?ve enough to believe that Cain had liked me. It was a hasty assumption that I made based on one action he''dter admitted that he regretted making.


    I couldn''t believe that Zak was right. I shouldn''t have followed those men in the car that night and I never should have left my home and family to chase ghosts.


    It''d gotten me nothing but a concussion and false hopes.


    There was only one reason that I still sat in Cain''s dark bedroom on the couch staring into the fire. That was to assure myself that I wasn''t lousy enough to bail on something just because my emotional investment in it had backfired. Taking interest in Cain was a stupid move. I was there to find my grandfather. I wasn''t there to get a boyfriend or fall in love.


    I needed to focus on finding him and when I did find him, I was going to leave and not look back.


    My grandfather''s books sat next to me on the couch, where they had been for several days.


    The green one on Lycanthropy proved to be an amusing read. However, it wasn''t something I would have ever thought my grandfather would have taken interest in.


    It wasn''t the fantasy novel I had expected it to be. It was an anthropological perspective on the social and biological aspects of creatures otherwise known as Lycanthropes.


    What surprised me the most was how convincing it was, like the person who wrote it actually believed in what they were writing.


    There were diagrams sketched out of the prehistoric creatures they''d evolved from and even timelines dating back to thete-Cenozoic era.


    Supposedly, Lycanthropic evolution from early Canis species began a few million years after humans began to evolve from primates. Eventually, as the race Homo sapiens formed, the descendants of the first wolves were killed for their fur. To survive, the Lycanthropes became nocturnal animals to better hide themselves from the world that wanted to kill them.


    This was when the book began to lose its credibility.


    ording to the author, the Lycanthropes learned to disguise themselves as humans.


    Over time, their skin had developed the ability to shed its fur almost immediately when exposed to sunlight. However, when the moon rose and the sun set, their fur would grow back to protect them from the cold nights.


    But, their furry advantage wasn''t the only evolutionary privilege they earned. Gifted with the ability to morph into their prehistoric figures when in fear, Lycanthropes turned the food chain upside down and began to hunt the very things that had once hunted them.


    This, I assumed, was where the fairytales drew their inspiration.


    To help eliminate the risk of extinction, Lycanthropes lived in packs like their sister species, Canis lupus, otherwise known as the wolf. Also like the wolf, Lycanthropes remained verymunity-oriented when reproducing.


    Ultimately, this led to an underground society that grew rapidly, unchecked.


    Hundreds of thousands of yearster, Lycanthropes still roamed the earth, disguised as humans and could morph from man to monster at will.


    To look through the book and see detailed exnations of physical traits such as immense strength, one could be persuaded to believe that what the author was saying was true.


    If I believed in conspiracy theories, I might would have considered believing it myself.


    I sighed before closing the book.


    No matter how much I tried to distract myself with fairytales, I couldn''t keep my mind from wondering to Cain.


    If I was honest with myself, I needed to focus on finding my grandfather for more than just the purpose of finding him. I needed the distraction. Which is why, for the next week, I disregarded the doctor''s warnings against cognitive stimtion and I worked on finding him.


    I went up to Cain''s office every morning before anyone got there and looked through the documents that contained information vital to his recovery. I studied them until I knew them word for word.


    This distraction, however, was not a very good one.


    I couldn''t help but feel extremely disappointed that Cain had disappeared. I hadn''t seen him since that night in the kitchen.


    I knew this was a good thing. But, there was a part of me admittedly arge part of me that wanted to see him.


    "You can''t stay down here forever."


    Jai was standing in the doorway to the small office where Cain had been for the past few days.


    Cain brought his work with him in the mornings to the small office before E would wake up and he would only returnte in the night when he knew she had left. Sometimes he would return to his office and her scent still lingered in the air, torturing him.


    When Cain said nothing in response to Jai''sment, Jai ventured further into the small office and sat down in front of Cain.


    "I don''t understand why you can''t just be a man and deal with it," he said.


    Cain looked up from his paper to re at Jai.


    "So you''re equating my desire to protect and care for the wellbeing of the love of my life with being a coward?" Cain asked him. When Jai said nothing, Cain''s nce returned to the folder in his hands.


    "I don''t need to put her in harm''s way just to prove my masculinity," Cain said.


    Jai crossed his arms against his chest.


    "Exin to me exactly why you think that being around her puts her in harm''s way," he said.


    Cain closed the folder and threw it on the makeshift desk in front of him.


    "The urges aren''t as frequent when I''m not around her."


    "Urges?" Jai asked.


    Cain nodded.


    "You can''t mean that you want to kill her," Jai said incredulously.


    "Not kill," Cain said quickly.


    Jai leaned forward and put his fingers to his lips in thought.


    "You want to turn her..."


    Cain nodded slowly.


    "Jesus," Jai said under his breath, shaking his head.


    "Do you think it''s because you''re mates?" Jai asked him.


    "I''m not sure," Cain answered honestly. "Obviously the Lycan aspect is there; I want to mate and mark her. But, it''s the other side that bothers me."


    "You don''t want to kill her identally," Jai guessed.


    Turning someone from human to Vampire wasn''t easy from what Jai had heard. It was a long process and a painful one at that.


    "Do you think that there''s a chance she could have some Lycan in her?" Jai asked.


    "I don''t know for sure," Cain answered. "I would assume so, but there can''t be much if there is any. She doesn''t carry it in her scent."


    "If she''s a Lycan, turning her would be easier and a lot less risky," Jai said.


    While turning someone from human to Vampire was a difficult and dangerous task, turning someone who was a Lycanthrope into a Vampire wasn''t as hard. Lycanthropes were stronger and healed much more quickly than humans. There was also a higher chance that a human body would reject the disease whereas Lycanthropes adapted to it.


    While there were plenty of Lycanthropes out there in the world who had been bitten and had turned, there was only one being who was a perfect, genealogical mix of both Vampire and Lycanthrope. That was Cain.


    "How do you expect to mark her if you can''t get close to her?" Jai asked him bluntly.


    Cain didn''t answer him.


    "I still think you should tell her," Jai said. "Maybe if you exined all of this to her she would be understanding."


    Cain raised an eyebrow at this.


    "And if she''s not?" He asked. "If she finds out and leaves and neveres back, what do I do then?"


    Jai could admit that it was apromising situation for Cain to be in.


    "I think if E didn''t feel threatened by you, she would be less inclined to leave when you tell her," Jai said. Cain stared at him like he was an idiot.

 Chapter Ten - Conspiracy Theory-2

    "It''s hard not to make someone feel threatened when your body''s natural response to close physical proximity with them is to grow fangs." Jai shrugged.


    Touch¨¦.


    Jai stood from his chair and walked back to the door.


    "Your parents are returning from Australia tomorrow," Jai reminded him. "I think it would be good if you introduced her to them." Cain watched as Jai left before he shook his head.


    He hated how Jai and Daniel made him feel as though he was the one making the decision to stay away from E.


    He had no choice.


    It was either stay away from her, or chase her away. And now that they had met, Cain had no intentions of letting her go. Suddenly, a headache hit him and he knew only two things:


    He needed to feed, and he needed to see E.


    I stepped out of the shower that night feeling productive.


    That day Daniel and I had discovered some interesting connections between the hospital and a few local funeral homes. I hoped this was an important new lead. Wrapping a towel around my body, I wiped the steamy mirror and brushed my damp hair.


    I grabbed a robe from behind the bathroom door and put it on.


    It was likely Cain''s seeing as it was nearly four sizes too big for me. Nheless, I tied the rope around my waist tightly and opened the bathroom door.


    The sun had set a few hours earlier so the room was dark.


    I walked over to the firece and lit a match to light a fire. The me spread quickly and I added a log to the hearth.


    I watched as the fire grew and I was relieved the feel the heat that it provided.


    I felt the need to remind Daniel and whomever else it concerned that it was the dead of winter. The temperature in Cain''s home was freezing which was why I lit a fire every night to keep myself warm. I rubbed my hands up and down my arms and sighed.


    "Cold?"


    I gasped and turned around quickly.


    Cain stood less than four feet away and I nearly had a heart attack.


    "Stop sneaking up on me!" I said, trying to catch my breath.


    I looked at him warily.


    "What are you doing in here?" I asked.


    He shrugged.


    "It''s my room."


    I huffed.


    "Well, I''ll go find another one."


    I walked around him and he reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me.


    "I''ll go E, I just came to apologize."


    I turned and looked at him.


    "Apologize for what?"


    He took a deep breath.


    "I was an ass the other night," he said.


    "You think?" I asked sarcastically.


    "I shouldn''t have said that trying to kiss you was a mistake and I apologize for that."


    I bit my lip anxiously and backed away.


    "You don''t have to apologize, you were right," I said.


    You''re such a liar, I told myself.


    Saying that hurt... a lot.


    Not only did I not believe the words that came out of my mouth, but I knew I was potentially letting him know that the invitation to kiss me was officially no longer extended. "I was right?" He asked me, letting go of my arm.


    I nodded.


    "Y-Yeah," I said nodding. "I''m only here to find my grandfather."


    Cain nodded slowly.


    "Well," he said. "That was all I came to say."


    With that, he turned and left the room.


    I pulled my robe together tighter as he left and, as soon as the bedroom door closed behind him, I sank down into the couch.


    Why did I have to say that?


    The next morning, I woke up early as I normally did.


    I got dressed and went up to Cain''s office.


    However, as I walked up the stairs, I heard someone was already up there.


    My heart leapt in my chest at the thought that it might have been Cain.


    I walked up the stairs quickly only to be met by a petite woman who looked to be in herte thirties or early forties.


    She turned to look at me as I walked in.


    "Hi," I said awkwardly.


    She smiled brightly.


    "Do you know where Cain is?" She asked, cing her hands on her hips. "I''ve been looking for him all morning."


    I shook my head.


    "I''m sorry, I don''t."


    She shrugged.


    "Oh well, I''ll see him eventually."


    The woman turned back around and began to open the drawers in his desk.


    "Don''t mind me," she said, noticing that I was watching her. "I''m just being nosy."


    I nodded slowly and walked over to my desk, although I still kept watching her.


    "So how do you know Cain?" She asked as she snooped through the top drawer of his desk.


    "I''m just here helping him look for a few people," I said. "What about you?"


    Sheughed and sat back in the chair.


    "Sweetheart, I''m his mother."

 Chapter Eleven - Maids Know Everything-1

    "Daniel, you didn''t do that..."


    Jai was in total disbelief.


    "What?" Daniel asked. "You wanted her to meet Cain''s parents, right? I knew E would be in his office this morning so when Evelyn asked me where Cain was, I told her he was in his office." Jai shook his head.


    "You should''ve let Cain introduce them," Jai said. "He''s going to be so mad at you."


    Daniel shrugged.


    "He''ll get over it."


    "Evelyn doesn''t know they''re mates, though," Jai said. "Don''t you think she''s confused as to why there is a human girl in Cain''s office?"


    "Evelyn''s not an idiot," Daniel said. "She won''t say anything to E that she doesn''t need to know."


    The door to the kitchen opened and Cain strolled in.


    "Have you seen Mom?" He asked. "Someone told me they got here about an hour ago and I''ve been looking for her everywhere." When Danielughed nervously, Jai groaned.


    "What?" Cain asked.


    "She''s upstairs..."


    Cain''s jaw clenched.


    "...with E," Daniel said slowly.


    Cain turned around and stormed out of the kitchen.


    Jai turned to Daniel and red at him.


    "He''ll thank meter," Daniel said, shrugging again.


    "If you''re still aliveter."


    The downstairs door opened and mmed, causing me to jump.


    Cain bounded up the stairs into his office and I stared at him as he looked around.


    "If you''re looking for your mom, she left a few minutes ago to go find you," I told him.


    "So you met her?" he asked.


    I nodded.


    "She''s a very nice woman. I can''t believe she''s your mother."


    He raised an eyebrow.


    "I didn''t mean it like that," I said quickly. "She just looks really young to have a son your age."


    "Yeah, I guess she''s aged well," he said, looking visibly ufortable.


    "How old are you?" I asked him.


    "Twenty-eight."


    He looked at me as if waiting for me to tell him how old I was.


    "I turned twenty-three a few weeks ago."


    Cain nodded before turning to leave.


    "Before you go," I said, standing up, "can you take a look at this for me? I just need a second opinion."


    He walked over to where I stood and I handed him the paper in my hands.


    "Do you see this guy right here?" I asked him, pointing to the name on the sheet.


    He nodded.


    "What about him?"


    "This man lived in Mumbai," I said to him. "He traveled to and from Germany nearly twice a month for about five months to receive blood transfusions at the hospital with the dead doctor." Cain nodded. "Go on."


    "The thing is," I said, "I haven''t seen anything yet that would lead me to believe there is anything special about this hospital. They don''t perform experimental treatments and they don''t contribute to research."


    "So there''s no reason he should have been flying nine hours away and paying nearly twelve hundred dors a month in ne tickets just to go to a normal hospital," he said, catching my point.


    I nodded.


    "But that isn''t the weirdest part," I told him. "There is another man who did nearly the exact same thing. He came from almost the same part of Mumbai as the first guy did, but the difference is that he moved to Germany within the first month of treatments."


    Cain took the paper in my hands and studied it.


    "This can''t be a coincidence that two men from the same ce each had the same disease and ended up receiving treatment from the same hospital that was nearly four thousand miles away from their home, unless..." "Unless they were referred," Cain finished.


    I nodded. "Exactly."


    "I have a few connections in Mumbai," he said. "I''ll pull a few strings and have them send over each of these men''s medical records from India and see if anything matches up. If they were being referred I want to know who was referring them." Cain continued to study the papers in his hands.


    "How many times did they each receive transfusions while they were here?" He asked.


    "The second guy only had three before he went missing. But, the other guy had eleven."


    "Eleven blood transfusions in five months?" He asked incredulously. "There''s no way his body could handle that."


    "That''s what I thought too," I told him. "But, ording to his medical records, he had sickle cell anemia like all of the other men. It requires regr transfusion therapy, so it makes sense that he would need that many in such a short amount of time."


    "So all of these men were attending this hospital regrly for the transfusion therapy?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "Except your grandfather?" He asked. "I thought he only went once."


    "That''s another weird thing," I said to him, shaking my head. "All of these men went to this hospital every other week, except my grandfather. He went in August and that was the first andst time he went."


    "Did he not have the same disease?" He asked.


    I looked through the stack of papers on the desk and found my grandfather''s file before handing it to him.


    "Before he went for the transfusion in August, he hadn''t been to the doctor in nearly seven years. It''s a bit odd considering I thought he had a heart condition."


    "You''ve told me this," he said. "But I thought we established that the heart condition was the reason he needed the blood transfusion."


    I shook my head.


    "The cause for the transfusion, as listed on the nurse''s notes, was to treat sickle cell anemia, which is what the nurse wrote for all the other men as well. But I can''t find anywhere in his medical records where he was ever diagnosed with that." "And if he had it, he would have needed more than one treatment," Cain concluded.


    I nodded.


    "If he even had a heart condition, it had to be a very minor one. He never filled preions and never went to the doctor. In fact, all of his records indicate he was in good health before he stopped going to the doctor." Cain nodded thoughtfully.


    "I''m sending Jai and Daniel out tomorrow to get the records on the death of the doctor," He said. "Maybe something will line up."


    "They''re going back to Frankfurt tomorrow?" I asked.

 Chapter Eleven - Maids Know Everything-2

    He nodded and looked at me.


    "Could I go with them?" I asked.


    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "It would probably be best if you didn''t," he said.


    Damn.


    My parents were still there.


    Although they thought I was in Minnesota visiting friends, I wanted desperately to drop in and see if they had found anything else on my grandfather.


    However, that probably wasn''t a smart idea considering I would have to have had a very good exnation as to why I was still in Germany.


    "Is there anyway you could have them stop by the police station?" I asked him.


    "Why?"


    "My parents pressed charges against the mortuary for losing my grandfather''s body and I''m sure the police have started an investigation into the matter. They might know something we don''t." Cain thought about the idea for a moment.


    "I''ll have them look into it," he said. "But for now, I need to go find my mother."


    He handed me the papers before walking out of the office and down the stairs.


    I looked down at the files in my arms and sighed.


    What were you up to, Grandpa?


    Cain walked around for a few minutes before finally finding his mother.


    She was in the office he had been using since E had been in his.


    As he walked in, she turned her attention from the map on the wall to look at him.


    Evelyn smiled brightly as she walked over and threw her arms around his neck. She hated how she had to be up on her tiptoes to hug her own son, but she was excited to finally see him after so long. "I missed you," she said.


    "Missed you too, Mom," Cain said, hugging her briefly. "How was Australia?"


    She nodded as she backed away.


    "It was a lot of fun. Lui and Jace really miss Jai. I told him when I saw him this morning that he needed to go home more often."


    Evelyn stared at Cain for a moment before sighing.


    "So, what''s your excuse for noting to see us more often?" She asked.


    "Well, since you moved back to Canada, you''re not exactly close enough to visit often," he said.


    Evelyn rolled her eyes.


    "Don''t give me that sass," she said. "I know you don''te because you don''t like us."


    Cain sighed.


    "For thest time, Mom, I don''t dislike you," he said.


    "No," she said, "you dislike your father."


    Cain made no effort to contest this.


    "Cain, he means well," she said.


    "No, he has control issues and wants to relive the glory days by telling me how to run the world," he said.


    "He''s just proud of you."


    "He''s jealous of me."


    Evelyn''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "After his whole plot against Asia went south, he never regained control. When I stepped in, I did what he couldn''t and I took over Asia and Africa," he argued. Evelyn sighed.


    "Taking Africa was a bad move," she said.


    Cain scoffed.


    "You act like he wouldn''t have done it if he were my position."


    "Look where it''s gotten you," she said. "You''ve got so muchnd to control that you''ve managed to be able to lose the control you gained. It would have been much easier to let Africa and Asia run themselves. That''s what I always told your father and what I''ve tried to tell you."


    When Cain made no effort to continue arguing with her, Evelyn sighed.


    "Even as bad as it all is out there, I''m much more concerned with the control you''ve managed to lose over yourself," she said.


    Cain raised an eyebrow hearing this.


    "That girl up in your office..."


    "That girl in my office is none of your concern," Cain said angrily.


    "When were you going to tell me you had a mate?" Evelyn asked, ignoring him.


    "I hadn''t nned on it," he answered honestly.


    Before she could say anything else, Cain shook his head.


    "I don''t want to discuss this with you. It was a mistake asking you toe here."


    "Cain... She doesn''t know about you, does she?"


    Cain said nothing.


    "Sweetheart, I know you well enough to know that you have your doubts about telling her about all of this, but I think you need to."


    He shook his head.


    "So she can run from me the way you and Dad did?" He asked.


    Evelyn shook her head as her eyes filled with tears.


    "You think you''re so unlovable," she said. "You think that people could never love you because of what you are. But have you ever stopped and thought that maybe the reason you can''t be loved is because you don''t want to be?" Cain said nothing.


    Evelyn turned and left the office, wiping her tears with the sleeve of her shirt.


    Later that day, I met Daniel and Jai for dinner.


    Daniel cooked a delicious pot of mac and cheese, per my request, and Jai and myself made sandwiches to go along with it.


    "You know something," I said eating a spoonful of the mac and cheese, "as big as this ce is, I''m surprised there aren''t more people in the kitchen around dinner time."


    It was prime eating time for most people, yet we were the only ones in the kitchen that evening.


    "There are six kitchens in this castle," Daniel said. "I''m sure we''re not the only ones eating right now."


    "Six?!" I asked. "Why the hell does Cain need six kitchens?"


    Jai chimed in.


    "The castle is really old. Back in the day, there had to be a lot of kitchens throughout the castle for a few of reasons. One of them was because of the volume of people that lived here. But, the other reason was because there wasn''t any electricity to reheat things, so the cooks had to make the food and then take it to whoever it was for in as little time as possible so the food wouldn''t get cold."


    "I mean, think about it," Daniel said. "It takes fifteen minutes to walk from one end of this castle to another. I''m just d I wasn''t a butler or a maid during those times."

 Chapter Eleven - Maids Know Everything-3

    "Well, they used the tunnels," Jai said.


    Immediately after he said it, his eyes widened and a look crossed his face that told me he hadn''t meant to.


    "Tunnels?" I asked.


    "Yeah," Daniel said enthusiastically. "There''s tunnels that run throughout the castle. They were meant for the maids and butlers to be able to get somewhere quickly. But the catch was that they could hear through the walls because they''re so thin. They''d be walking past someone''s room and hear them doing the dirty or walk past an office and hear business deals going on. That''s why Cain''s office is in the tower, there aren''t any tunnels that run up there. Also, did you know that that''s actually where the expression ''maids know everything'' came from?"


    I shook my head.


    "No, I didn''t know that. That''s pretty cool though. Where do the tunnels lead?"


    "Oh, all over the ce," Daniel said gesturing around him. "There''s an entrance to one in Cain''s room."


    Jai kicked Daniel under the table.


    "I meant your room," Daniel said sheepishly.


    Jai kicked him again.


    "Stop doing that, man!" Daniel shouted, scooting his chair away from Jai.


    "Wait, there''s an entrance to a tunnel in my room?" I asked. "Where is it?"


    "We''re not telling you that," Jai said.


    "It''s in the paneling on the wall beside the firece," Daniel answered.


    Jai turned and red at Daniel who suddenly caught on to what it was he had done. "Oops."


    I smiled as I got up to put my empty bowl in the sink.


    This is going to be fun.


    Later that night, I turned on all themps in the room so I could have ample light to see.


    I went over the whole wall on each sides of the firece looking for the entrance to the tunnel and I couldn''t find anything.


    I began to knock gently against each panel, cing my ear on the wall to hear how hollow each knock was.


    When I came about four feet from the firece, I heard the echo of my knock behind the paneling and I knew I had found it.


    I ran my hands up and down the paneling, looking for the crease in the door. I pressed against a portion of the paneling that was cut off from the rest and I heard a click before the well-hidden door came open slightly. "Nice," I said pulling the door back.


    It was a short entrance, probably only five feet tall. I had to bend down as I entered it.


    I turned and pulled the door together slightly, leaving a small crack open.


    Thest thing I wanted was to lock myself in.


    When I turned to face down the tunnel, I was met by inky ckness.


    I pulled my phone from my back pocket and turned on the shlight.


    The tunnel was brick along one wall and a thin piece of drywall on the other.


    It wasn''t a very high ceiling. My head nearly skimmed the top so I knew someone like Cain would have to duck when walking down the tunnel.


    I wondered for a moment if Cain knew about the tunnels.


    I assumed he did, seeing as he''d lived in the castle his whole life.


    I began to walk down the tunnel.


    After I had walked for a few minutes without seeing anything interesting, I was ready to turn back.


    But then I saw something.


    A few feet in front of me was a disconnected air conditioning unit. It was clearly a recent addition to the tunnel, but it looked to be broken.


    There was a small bit of light that came from the vent that was in the drywall beside me. Clearly the air conditioning unit had been attached to it at some point, but had been removed.


    I turned off my shlight as I got closer and heard voices that came from the other side of the wall.


    The vent was conveniently ced right at my eye level and I wondered briefly if that was why it had been disconnected, so people could spy on those who were in the other room easier.


    I peered inside and saw Cain standing with his mother and another man.


    This man looked to be about Cain''s mother''s age. He had ck, wavy hair and was built like Cain.


    I wondered if that was his father.


    They were arguing which made me want to walk away.


    I felt nosey prying into their conversation.


    Just as I was about to leave, I heard Cain say angrily:


    "If you didn''t want a Vampire son, maybe you shouldn''t have fucked someone who had a vampiric disease."


    I immediately peered back into the room.


    What the hell is he talking about?


    Cain''s mother scolded him.


    "We had no way of knowing you were going to be a hybrid," she said.


    "For all we knew, you were going to be a Lycan just like we are," his father added.


    Just before I could gasp, a hand covered my mouth.


    I looked behind me frantically to see Jai standing there.


    He lifted a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet, before he dropped his other hand from my mouth.


    I turned back around and listened to what Cain and his parents were saying.


    "Cain, we don''t love you any differently because of it," his mother said earnestly. "I just wish you would let us help you. Dr. Zosak said that you were trying to fast."


    "Fasting is a stupid idea for someone in your shoes," Cain''s father said sternly, crossing his arms. "If you go too long without blood, with as much strength as you have, you''ll kill everyone in this castle when you finally snap." Cain froze just as he was about to say something.


    He turned around and looked around the room, looking for something.


    When his eyesnded on the vent, Jai and I both ducked.


    "Go, go!" Jai whispered quickly, ushering me down the tunnel quickly.


    I didn''t question it.


    I didn''t even turn on my shlight as the two of us dashed down the dark tunnel.


    "How did he know we were there?" I asked frantically.


    "He can smell you," Jai answered quickly.


    We made it to the secret door which led back into Cain''s bedroom. It was opened, I assumed because Jai had followed me into the tunnel.


    I emerged from the tunnel quickly with Jai close behind me.


    He closed the door quickly as I struggled to catch my breath.


    Suddenly, the door to the bedroom opened and Cain pushed his way inside.


    I looked at him in shock and began to back away.


    "What the hell are you?"

 Chapter Twelve - Forbidden Answers-1

    "E, let me exin."


    Cain took a step towards me and I took two steps backwards.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Jai reach out to ce his hand on my shoulder.


    "Don''t touch me!" I said, backing away from them both.


    I looked at Jai.


    "Are you one too?" I asked him.


    "One what?" He asked.


    I scoffed in disbelief.


    "Don''t y me like an idiot," I told him firmly.


    I looked to Cain, who had slowly been moving towards me.


    I backed away and went around the couch, putting more space between myself and the two men, if one could even call them that.


    "I heard what your dad said," I told Cain.


    Leaning down, I picked the book up off the couch and held it in one hand.


    "You''re a Lycanthrope," I said.


    Saying it out loud made it all click inside my head.


    The whole bit about Cain telling me they were their own undercover organization; that had to be what the book referenced when it said that Lycans all lived together in secret.


    And the sub-human strength the book talked about would exin why Cain was able to kill that man with one punch.


    But there was one thing that didn''t add up...


    "Your dad said something about you not being able to go very long without blood," I said slowly, directing my words at Cain. "What does that mean? Lycanthropes don''t need to drink blood to survive." "How do you know that?" He asked.


    "I read the damn book!" I said, waving it in his face. "Answer the question."


    "I''m a hybrid," he said slowly.


    "Your mom said that," I pointed out. "What does that mean?"


    "It means I am a mix of both."


    "Both of what? Lycanthrope and what else? Human?"


    "Vampire."


    I closed my eyes and shook my head. Taking a few moments topose myself and my thoughts.


    "You''re all insane," I said, opening my eyes. "There is no such thing as Lycanthropes and there definitely isn''t such a thing as Vampires."


    "You''re looking at someone who is both, I can assure you they exist," Cain said.


    I shook my head.


    "I refuse to believe it. This is all ridiculous and I can''t deal with it right now."


    I began to hyperventte as I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening.


    "I''m... I''m going home," I said finally.


    Both men were silent as I said this.


    "What about your grandfather?" Cain asked.


    "I don''t care anymore.".


    "You can''t just leave," he said.


    "I can and I will."


    I walked around the couch and pulled my suitcase out from under the bed.


    Both men watched as I went over the the drawers I had unpacked all of my things in and began to throw them into the suitcase. "E..."


    "Don''t ''E'' me!" I said to Cain.


    Jai stepped in front of Cain, who had begun to approach me.


    "Let me talk to her," he said.


    Cain looked at me one more time before he turned and walked out of the room, mming the door shut behind him. I felt the floor shake as he did so. "You''re not going to talk me out of it," I said.


    "I''m not going to try to," Jai said calmly. "I''m only going to tell you that you should wait until the morning."


    I shook my head.


    I wanted out of that castle immediately.


    "How do you n on getting to an airport?" Jai asked.


    "I''ll walk," I said stubbornly.


    He sighed before walking around the bed and cutting in front of me and my suitcase.


    "Be realistic for a moment," he said. "It''s thirty miles to the nearest airport and it''s also below freezing outside."


    "I can''t believe you just told me to be realistic," I said incredulously. "Especially since Cain just tried to convince me he was, not one, but two mythical creatures." "He was telling the truth. But, whether you believe him or not is entirely up to you," Jai said.


    I shook my head.


    "Wait until morning," Jai said again. "Daniel and I are driving to Frankfurt. We''ll drop you off at the airport."


    I bit the inside of my lip, feeling helpless.


    "Get some sleep," he said, walking around the bed to the bedroom door.


    "Tell him not toe back in here," I said firmly. "I don''t want to see him again."


    I saw Jai''s jaw clench as he turned around, but he nodded nheless.


    When he left the room, I stared at my disheveled suitcase for a moment before Iid down on the bed.


    There''s just no way he was telling the truth...


    A crystal ss flew across the room and shattered against the wall beside Daniel''s face as he entered the room.


    "I take it she found out," Daniel said, looking nervously at Jai.


    Jai nodded, his arms crossed.


    Cain stormed across his office and grabbed Daniel by the shirt cor. Picking him up, he mmed him against the wall. Daniel''s feet dangled as he made direct eye contact with Cain.


    "You told her about the tunnels, didn''t you?" Cain asked, his eyes darkening.


    "She was bound to find out about you sooner orter," Daniel said slowly. "You can''t me me for this."


    "I was the one who was supposed to tell her," Cain growled, squeezing Daniel''s neck tighter.


    "When did you n on doing that?" Daniel breathed out, struggling for air.


    "Cain, you''re going to kill him," Jai said.


    Cain let go of Daniel''s neck and watched him slide down the wall onto the floor, coughing and gasping for air.


    "You can''t take it back," Jai said to Cain. "What''s done is done. We''re taking her to the airport tomorrow morning." Cain turned away and walked back to his desk.


    "Both of you get out, now."


    Jai walked over and helped Daniel up before the two of them made their way down the stairs.


    Cain sat down in his chair and let out a shaky breath. Reaching out, he turned themp off, engulfing the room into darkness.


    Sitting there, he realized then that his worst nightmare was ying out right before his eyes.


    E was leaving and there was nothing he could do to stop her that wouldn''t make her hate him for the rest of her life.


    Her reaction to finding out the truth confirmed everything Cain felt about himself.


    He was a monster who didn''t deserve a mate.


    Cain closed his eyes and let go of the control he held over his own thoughts. He felt himself spiraling, but there was no need to stop it. For the first time in seventeen years, Cain slept.


    I was awake all night.


    As soon as the sun shone through the windows, I was out of the bed and pulling my suitcase through the hallways.


    Jai and I ran into each other as I was rounding a corner.


    "I was justing to get you," he said. "Are you ready to go?"


    I nodded. I was more than ready to go.


    We walked down a few flights of stairs before we came to arge garage filled with nearly twenty different cars.


    Jai walked me over to arge, ck SUV that resembled the one he had picked me up from my grandfather''s house in.


    As he helped me put my things in the trunk, Daniel bounded into the garage carrying four duffle bags.


    "What are those for?" I asked him.


    "You''re leaving so you don''t get to know," he said sassily.


    I rolled my eyes and heughed.


    "All set?" Jai asked.


    "I think so," Daniel replied, closing the trunk.


    As he did so, I looked to my right and saw Cain walking over to us.

 Chapter Twelve - Forbidden Answers-2

    I quickly walked around the car and got into the backseat.


    I wasn''t stupid enough to believe that Cain didn''t see me, but I also wasn''t stupid enough to stick around and hear what he had to say. He, Jai, and Daniel talked for a few moments before Jai and Daniel got into the SUV.


    A garage door opened behind us and Jai backed the SUV out into a long underground tunnel before he turned around and drove down it.


    I watched Cain standing by the door as we drove away and I shook my head.


    Forget him, I told myself.


    We drove for a minute or so before we emerged from the tunnel into the foggy morning air.


    A thinyer of snow coated the ground as we drove along a gravel path into the forest.


    The hour-long car ride waspletely silent.


    I tried not to let it get to my head. I knew Jai and Daniel had to understand why I was leaving.


    We arrived at the Frankfurt airport and I sat in the car as Jai parked it.


    "What time does your ne leave?" He asked.


    "Noon," I replied shortly.


    I opened the car door and stepped out into the cold air.


    Daniel helped me retrieve my luggage from the trunk and I was on my way.


    I turned just before I walked inside and I waved at them both.


    Daniel was the only one who returned it.


    I walked inside the terminal and I sighed.


    Forget him, I told myself for the hundredth time that hour.


    The truth was, I couldn''t.


    Cain had been on my mind since we had left the castle and he was the only thing I could concentrate on.


    So many questions filled my head.


    What if he was telling the truth?


    Why was he so hurt that I didn''t believe him?


    There were so many things I wanted to ask him and get rity on.


    But, in that airport, I was walking further and further away from any answers that I wanted.


    I stopped just before I got to the line to check in.


    What am I doing?


    I turned around quickly and dashed back through the airport.


    My suitcase trailed along behind me as I ran back outside.


    I was met by Daniel and Jai, sitting in the drop offne in front of me. They both stood there with their arms crossed. "You owe me twenty bucks," Daniel said to Jai.


    "No," Jai protested. "You said it would take her ten minutes, it''s only been five."


    He turned to me.


    "I was betting you would''ve at least made it to security."


    "You knew I woulde back?" I asked.


    "I had a hunch," Daniel said, winking.


    A car horn sounded off and Daniel scoffed and waved the driver off.


    "We''re leaving, man," he said, irritated.


    He opened the car door for me and I got back in.


    Suddenly, I didn''t feel so sick to my stomach. I knew I was doing the right thing, however illogical it was.


    As we drove away, Jai and Daniel discussed the best way to get to the hospital.


    "Wait," I said. "You guys are going to get the doctor''s records now, right?"


    Jai shook his head.


    "We''re waiting until the clinic closes."


    "You''re breaking in?" I asked him.


    "You think they''d just hand us the dead doctor''s entire medical history?" Daniel asked incredulously.


    "Can Ie?" I asked.


    "No, you''re going to stay in the car," Jai said firmly, looking at me in the rearview mirror. "This isn''t exactly legal, so I want to involve you as little as possible. Besides, Daniel and I are trained in this stuff." We drove up to the clinic and parked in the hotel parking lot next to it.


    Sitting in that parking lot until the clinic closed wasn''t fun. Jai refused to answer any questions I had about whether they themselves were Lycanthropes or about their pack.


    Even Daniel had managed to find restraint within himself not to speak.


    The only response I would get was: "Ask Cain."


    When it was dark outside and the clinic had finally closed, Jai and Daniel got out of the SUV and went around to the trunk. They began to get assorted kinds of gear out of the duffel bags that Daniel had packed. "Stay here," Daniel said to me quietly, after he''d finished stuffing guns of different sizes in his clothes.


    "Whatever you say, Double O Seven," I said, turning around in my seat as Daniel closed the trunk.


    "I mean it," he said, pointing at me through the car window as they walked towards the clinic.


    I gave him a thumbs up and watched the two of them walk around the back of the clinic and disappear.


    I waited nervously for nearly twenty minutes, chewing my fingernails and popping my knee.


    What could be taking so long?


    I heard something that sounded like a fire rm begin to ring and my heart dropped into my stomach as all the emergency lights on the outside of the building began to turn on.


    Suddenly, I saw Daniel and Jai pushing each other out of a second-story window of the clinic.


    I leaned forward and started the car''s engine as the two of them ran up.


    Daniel wasn''t even in the door yet before Jai had begun to speed off.


    "What the hell happened?" I asked quickly.


    Daniel threw me a bag and I opened it to see numerous files and papers shoved inside.


    "Is this all of it?" I asked.


    "And more," Daniel answered, out of breath.


    A handful of police cars drove past us, sirens ring and lights shing.


    "Congrattions," I said. "You''re fugitives."


    Jai waved a dismissing hand.


    "Not the first time and won''t be thest."


    "When you''re older, I''ll tell you about what happened in Moscow," Daniel said to me,ughing. "This was a cake walk."


    "If it was so easy, why did you set off the rm?" I asked.


    "idents happen," He said.


    The car grew quiet before Jai spoke up.


    "Someone else was in that clinic," he said.


    "No, it was closed," Daniel assured him.


    Jai shook his head.


    "Someone pulled that fire rm. I didn''t set it off and neither did you."


    The two of them were silent for the rest of the car ride home.


    Who else could have been inside the clinic?


    We arrived back at the castle veryte into the night.


    Daniel took the bag of folders and assured me he would leave it on Cain''s desk for me to look over in the morning.


    As someone who hadn''t slept the night before, I was grateful for the opportunity to rest before digging into the mess I was sure to uncover.


    I walked slowly back up all those flights of stairs, lugging my suitcase with me.


    By the time I reached my room, I was more than exhausted.


    I opened the door to see the firece lit and the bathroom door open with the light on inside.


    Shit, I thought. I forgot this was Cain''s room.


    He walked out of the bathroom, a towel hanging low on his hips.


    Clearly, he''d just gotten out of the shower.


    "Sorry," I said quickly. "I''ll go find somewhere else to sleep."


    "I didn''t expect to see you again," he said, stopping me as I turned to leave.


    I turned back around slowly, looking for a way to exin why I''d stayed.


    I was silent. No words woulde to me.


    I couldn''t tell if this was because I couldn''t think of anything to say or because I was too distracted by his naked, muscr chest.


    "You owe me a ne ticket," was all I could muster up.


    Suddenly, Cain went from being twenty feet away at the bathroom door to being less than a few inches away, standing right in front of me. His hand went around the back of my neck and he pulled me into him.


    The next thing I knew, Cain kissed me.

 Chapter Thirteen - Demonic Decay-1

    My lips molded to his perfectly, like they were made for him.


    I found myself leaning into Cain, pressing myparatively small frame against his broad, muscr one.


    My hands were cold and cing them on his bare skin that was still warm from a hot shower, I could''ve sworn literal steam danced from underneath my fingertips.


    Cain''s hand moved around my neck so his thumb could lift my jaw, allowing him leverage to deepen this kiss.


    The moment my mouth opened and his tongue slipped between my lips, I had to keep myself from falling to the floor.


    The taste of his kiss was euphoric.


    Between the feeling in my stomach that was simr to a drop on a rollercoaster, and the fireworks that were going off in my brain, the adrenaline rush I got from the kiss was like nothing I''d ever experienced. I was light-headed yet hyper-aware all at once.


    I felt his other hand fall from my arm where he had initially pulled me into the kiss and it slid around my waist and pulled me flush against his chest.


    I was on my tiptoes to help amodate the height difference between us, but it didn''t help much and left me wanting to jump into his arms. Cain''s lips left mine, leaving me to immediately mourn the loss of his kiss. His mouth, however, began to kiss along my jaw and down my neck.


    By the time I had closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling, he backed away and I found myself leaning against the bedpost to support my weak knees. Cain let out a noise that sounded somewhat like a frustrated growl as he turned around to face away from me. "I''m sorry," he said through clenched teeth.


    "For what?" I asked breathlessly.


    I, for one, was extremely impressed with his kiss so I couldn''t understand why he felt the need to apologize.


    "Nothing, it''s" he stopped abruptly and shook his head as he began to rub his eyes with the palm of his hands.


    "I need you to leave," he said.


    Despite his request, I steadied myself on my feet and walked towards him cautiously.


    "Please go," Cain pleaded, walking further away from me, although his back was still turned.


    I again ignored his plea and slowly continued to step forward as he walked over to the firece.


    He put a hand on the mantle and I saw the muscle in his back flex as he did so.


    I walked up behind him and ced my hand on his arm.


    "Turn around," I said gently.


    "I''m asking you to leave-"


    "Turn around."


    He remained turned away and I removed my hand from his arm. Stepping next to him, I reached out to grab his jaw quickly and turned him to face me. What I saw will forever be engrained in my memory.


    His eyes were dark, but the firelight allowed me to notice that his irises and pupils were the same size. It looked as if the white parts of his eyes had been bleeding as they had been reced by a deep red color that had spread to make thevender in his eyes a dark shade of burgundy.


    The veins and arteries around his eyes, especially underneath them, held a prominence like none I had ever seen before. They stood out against his skin like a web of roads on a map.


    The way I held his jaw caused his lips to part slightly, allowing me a glimpse of the extended canine teeth in his mouth.


    As hard as it was to keep myself from gasping, I refused to let myself do so. As ghastly as the sight was, I refused to let him know that I thought so.


    Cain hadn''t wanted me to know and he hadn''t wanted me to see.


    He couldn''t be held responsible for what happened when I did.


    "You weren''t lying about the vampire part," I breathed out, trying my hardest not to stare at the fangs in his mouth.


    "I wasn''t lying about any of it," he said as he reached up to pull my hand away from his jaw.


    I let go, his hand now having a gentle, but firm, hold on my wrist.


    "Why does that happen?" I asked him, referring to his eyes.


    He didn''t answer me, only stared at me intently trying to gauge my reaction.


    "Did I do that to you?" I asked slowly.


    "Yes," he answered, breathing out.


    "Why?" I asked.


    I was having a hard time looking at Cain while his eyes looked the way they did. I instead focused on his teeth, marveling at how they had extended out of his gum line. I knew it had to hurt when they did. "There''s a lot you don''t know," he said. "I''ll exin it to you, but I can''t do it right now. I really need you to leave."


    His hand slid down my arm as he let go of my wrist, allowing me to reach up to touch his face again.


    My thumb pushed his top lip up gently so I could have a better view of his teeth.


    "You''re fangs aren''t as long as I expected them to be," I said truthfully.


    When I heard ''Vampire'', I immediately thought of two inch fangs that were pointed like toothpicks and couldn''t be hidden by lips.


    But his weren''t very noticeable.


    Cain took my hand in his and pulled it away from his mouth.


    "Go," he said again.


    His hand let go of mine and I backed away, looking at his darkened eyes and extended fangs in disbelief.


    He hadn''t lied to me.


    I turned to leave and Cain stopped me.


    "E."


    I turned back around and he sighed.


    "We''ll talk in the morning."


    I nodded, giving him the smallest smile I could muster.


    I walked out of the room, dragging my suitcase behind me.


    Closing Cain''s bedroom door, I felt a wave of emotions rush over me. It was so powerful I had to lean against the wall for a moment to gather myself.


    I couldn''t tell if I wanted to cry orugh. I was thrilled and in awe but I wanted to scream and run at the same time.


    I ced a hand against my chest and felt my heart racing a hundred miles an hour.


    One thing I did know for sure was that I couldn''t wait to talk in the morning.


    Daniel and Jai walked in a drowsy daze down the stairs to the basement.


    Earlier, at around three in the morning, each of their phones lit up on their nightstands, summoning then down to the basement.


    They walked into the cold autopsy room where Cain stood between two I examination tables.


    The two men on the examination tables had been cut into, their chests open and ventral sections of their rib cages removed to reveal dead organs.


    Daniel and Jai both recognized the men as the one Jai had killed at Otto M¨¹ller''s funeral and the other as the man who had broken into the castle, nearly killing E. "What do you want, Cain?" Daniel sighed, rubbing his eyes.


    "What do you see when you look at these men?" Cain asked them.


    Cain speaking in a normal speaking voice in the small, I room made an echo that rung in Jai and Daniel''s tired ears.


    "I see corpses who are getting more sleep than I am," Jai muttered.


    "You''re looking at Vampires who had once been human," Cain said crossing his arms.


    Daniel and Jai were suddenly very intrigued.


    "Did you do this?" Daniel asked, gesturing to the bodies.


    "Zosak helped," Cain said.


    "How do you know they were human?" Jai asked, walking up to examine the bodies himself.


    Cain pointed inside the open chest cavity.


    "Look at the decaying organs."


    Jai and Daniel each leaned in and saw that the organs were indeed shriveled and dead.


    "You don''t think that it''s because they''ve been dead for nearly a month?" Daniel asked, pulling the cor of his t-shirt to cover his nose.


    "No, this is years of damage," Cain said. "Whenever people are infected with Vampirism, their bodies die. The only thing that keeps them functioning is blood, but their body doesn''t process it properly and their organs decay." "So what''s the point in drinking blood?" Daniel asked.


    "Your body only needs red blood cells to survive."


    "So what''s the difference between a human who is infected and an infected Lycanthrope?" Jai asked.


    "Vampirism eats away at the Lycanthrope gene. You lose the ability to shift when you''re turned. But, your body''s ability to regenerate cells and heal quickly means that your body doesn''t die, it just doesn''t operate normally." "So the organs don''t decay," Jai said, crossing his arms.


    Cain nodded.


    "How do you know they were turned and weren''t born with Vampirism like you were?" Daniel asked.


    "Vampirism shuts down the reproductive system," Cain said. "If their mothers were Vampires, they wouldn''t have been able to conceive children."


    Daniel''s eyebrows knit together.


    "Then how were you born half Vampire?"


    Cain sighed.


    "The virus was dormant in my mother''s body because someone had tried to turn her years earlier. It didn''t quite take away her ability to have children, but the virus attached itself to her DNA and was transferred to me. The virus was somehow activated in me when I was born."


    Jai''s jaw dropped, having never heard the exnation for why Cain was the way he was.


    "So that''s why you''re somehow pure blooded and a Vampire?" He asked.

 Chapter Thirteen - Demonic Decay-2

    Cain nodded.


    "But you can still shift?" Daniel pointed out.


    "Lycanthropy is still my dominant gene," Cain said.


    "I still don''t follow," Daniel said shrugging. "But I''ll take your word for it."


    Cain rolled his eyes, wishing he had saved his breath.


    "No matter how these men were infected with Vampirism, we still have an issue of humans being turned."


    Cain grabbed a steel scalpel from the tray beside the examination table and used it to turn the corpse''s head.


    On the side of his neck were two small, round scars.


    "So the real questions are: why was a human-turned Vampire in Otto M¨¹ller''s casket? And why was one trying to kill E?" Daniel asked.


    "He was trying to kill me," Cain objected. "He didn''t know she was there." Daniel rolled his eyes.


    "Fine... why was a human-turned Vampire trying to kill you?" Daniel corrected.


    "There weren''t any other Vampires in the other missing men''s caskets," Jai pointed out. "So that means we have two distinct differences between Otto M¨¹ller and the other men: he only went for one transfusion and one of these was waiting in the casket for his family."


    The whole room was silent as the three men stood in thought.


    "Are we telling E?" Daniel asked hesitantly.


    Cain sighed, running a hand along his jaw.


    "I think it''s time you start being honest with her," Jai said. "She deserves the transparency and she needs to know what to expect if we find her grandfather."


    "You''re suggesting he''s been turned," Daniel said.


    Jai nodded.


    "Fine," Cain said. "I told her I''d talk to her this morning. I''ll bring it up."


    "You''re wee for bringing her back by the way," Daniel said, patting Cain on the back.


    "What do you mean? I brought her back," Jai said incredulously. "I drove."


    "Who''s idea was it to stay at the airport and wait for her to change her mind?" Daniel asked rhetorically.


    "We agreed on that mutually," Jai argued.


    Cain rolled his eyes.


    "Tell Zosak we can burn these bodies tomorrow. Until then, I want you and Priya to take their DNA samples and see if we can get a rush on those identity matches for each of them." "Now?" Jai asked in disbelief.


    "It''s four in the morning," Daniel reminded Cain.


    "And?" Cain asked.


    "Priya is probably asleep," Daniel said.


    "So? Wake her up," Cain said. "I woke you up."


    Jai sighed.


    "Wake her up," Cain reiterated, walking out of the room. "You can sleep when you''re dead."


    Jai and Daniel both looked at the corpses next to them.


    Wonderful.


    I woke up the next morning feeling like a giddy high schooler.


    After barely getting five hours of sleep, I had expected to be sleepy the next morning but I woke up bright-eyed and ready to go.


    After changing and brushing my hair and teeth, I went upstairs to Cain''s office.


    I felt my heart pounding in my chest as I walked up the staircase and heard him talking in his office.


    As I entered the office I noticed that things had been cleaned up and organized since I''dst been up there.


    All of themps were on, offering ample light to read and look around.


    Cain heard meing and turned around before ending the conversation with whoever he''d been talking to on the phone.


    "Good morning," he said, turning his attention back to what was on his desk.


    "You cleaned up here," I said. "It looks nice."


    "Perks of not sleeping," he said. "You get to stay up and do important things."


    "Have you been having trouble sleeping?" I asked him.


    I saw a corner of Cain''s mouth perk up slightly in a sexy smirk and I thought my heart was going to explode.


    "I don''t ever sleep, E."


    Oh my God, I thought.


    The way my name soundeding out of his mouth made me want to drool.


    "Why don''t you sleep?" I asked him, trying to remain calm and collected. "It''s not very good for you to stay up all night, all the time."


    "I don''t need to sleep," he said.


    Suddenly I got the point he was trying to get across.


    "Oh, because you''re a..."


    I trailed off.


    What was I supposed to call him?


    He wasn''t a human, but he wasn''t entirely a Lycanthrope or a Vampire either.


    Was there even a politically correct term for him other than mythical creature?


    I had a feeling he wouldn''t have necessarily appreciated being called that, seeing as it would have put him in the same category as unicorns and the Tooth Fairy.


    He certainly wasn''t delicate enough to be marginalized with fairy tales.


    "Hybrid," he said. "Or, at least, that''s what I call it."


    I nodded.


    "Hybrid," I said, repeating the term. "So you don''t sleep because you''re a hybrid."


    Cain nodded.


    "My body doesn''t need to rest, so I don''t think there''s a point in trying to make myself sleep when I don''t have to."


    "So you weren''t asleep when I came up here that night?" I asked him.


    He shook his head.


    "Well, that''s the smallest lie you''ve told me, so I guess that one can slide," I muttered, turning to look at my desk with papers piled up on top of it.


    "I''m sorry," he said.


    I turned to look at him.


    "You''re sorry for lying or sorry that I found out?" I asked.


    I tried to ask it gently, not wanting toe across as argumentative to someone who could kill me without putting any effort into it. Although, I tookfort in the gut feeling I had that he would never do that.


    "Both," he answered. "I never technically lied about anything, but I didn''t tell the whole truth and I understand that it hurt you. But, you have to know that I had my reasons. We don''t typically go around telling outsiders that we''re part of an underground elite society made of super-human creatures that morph into wolves."


    "Point taken," I said. "But you could''ve told me weeks ago, especially since I''ve been living here."


    "No one here would''ve ever hurt you," he said.


    "That''s not the point," I said. "I wasn''t an outsider. I lived here. I made friends in Daniel, Jai, and Priya. You could''ve trusted me with that information. That''s what hurts, Cain."


    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed as he crossed his arms and looked at me intently.


    "You and I aren''t friends?" He asked.


    This stopped me in my tracks.


    Of everything I just said, that''s all you got out of it? I thought.


    "I mean..." I trailed off awkwardly.


    To hell with it, I thought. Just say it.


    "We made outst night, I was hoping we were a bit more than just friends," I said.


    Cain surprised me byughing softly at my bold words. He ran a hand along his jaw.


    "We are."


    I had no words.


    I had never expected him to agree with me, especially since he had told me nearly a week earlier that kissing me would have been a mistake.


    "Was there a part in the Lycanthrope book your grandfather had that exined mates?" He asked.


    Iughed nervously.


    "Mates? No, not that I read."


    He drew in a deep breath, making me believe he was apprehensive to exin.


    "Why?" I asked.


    He cleared his throat awkwardly before speaking.


    "You and I..."


    He trailed off before shaking his head.


    "E, we''re soulmates."

 Chapter Fourteen - Delayed Search-1

    "Soulmates? Really?"


    I couldn''t help butugh at Cain''s ridiculous statement.


    "I''m being serious," he said, remaining straight-faced.


    I shook my head.


    "It''s a little bold to say that to someone you''ve only known for a few weeks," I said, trying not to smile.


    "I knew when I met you, E."


    I sighed.


    "When I told you I thought we were more than friends, soulmates wasn''t exactly the first thing that came to mind. I think maybe we should do dinner first or something," I said honestly.


    I could''ve sworn he rolled his eyes as he pushed himself away from the desk.


    Cain walked over to one of the many bookshelves that lined his office and picked a book off the top shelf before opening it and flipping through it.


    After finding the page he''d been looking for, he walked over to me.


    "Read this," he said, handing me the book.


    I looked at him warily before sitting down in the chair across from his desk. I began to read the passage he''d pointed to.


    During the time when Lycanthropes were being hunted for the pelts, they evolved to allow an assurance for future offspring: mates.


    The term soulmate being used loosely, the idea is that two Lycanthropes, when initial contact is made, emitpatible pheromones and that would draw them to each other. This assured them that offspring produced between the two would be healthy.


    While finding a pair of mates during the 21st century is a rare urrence due to theck of original, pure-blooded Lycanthropes, they do still exist and produce the more elite and powerful offspring of the Lycan race. I stopped reading and looked up at Cain.


    "So you''re saying that you and I are mates like the book is describing?" I asked him skeptically.


    He nodded.


    "That''s impossible," I said, looking back down at the book. "It says Lycanthropes emit the pheromone. I''m a human, Cain."


    "You''re right. It should be impossible," he said, pulling up the chair beside me. "Which is why I wanted to ask if you would be willing to subject yourself to a blood test so we can be certain you are, in fact, a human." My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Of course I am," I assured him. "But I''ll take the test if it clears all of this up."


    He nodded, satisfied with my answer.


    "There''s another thing," I said to him. "The book said that to have a mate, a Lycanthrope had to be pure-blooded. You''re a hybrid, you shouldn''t have a mate either."


    "I know this," he said sitting back. "But I''m the first gic hybrid to walk the earth. I was the first one born both Lycanthrope and Vampire. Normally the Vampiric disease shuts down the body''s ability to produce biological children, but it didn''t do that to my mom. Since I''m the first, we assumed I wouldn''t have a mate due to the fact that I''m not one-hundred percent Lycanthrope, but I guess being born to two pure-bloods means that I''m pure-blooded too." I nodded slowly, taking all of it in.


    "So can you turn into... ya know, a wolf?" I asked him.


    I could tell Cain was trying to stifle augh.


    "I''ve only shifted a few times," he said. "I don''t prefer to."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why not?"


    He sat back in his seat and sighed.


    "Vampirism kills the human body when someone is turned, like a parasite that just needs a host. You can still think and process information, but your brain''s ability to deal with the entire spectrum of emotions is inhibited. The only thing you need to survive is blood and you don''t die as long as you have it."


    "So it''s like a virus, then?"


    He nodded.


    "Lycanthropy, on the other hand, as you''ve read, is gic. It''s in my DNA. It works with your body and enhances it, which is why it''s nearly impossible to kill a Lycanthrope and is also why we have near immortal lifespans. As it pertains to shifting, it takes a lot of energy to take a wolf form. Normally, Lycans can just eat until they''re content and get ample amounts of rest and that keeps them from over exhaustion, but with me, the only thing my body will process is blood." I nodded slowly, my untrusting mind still trying to decipher whether any of this was true.


    "So you can''t shift because it means you need more blood?" I asked him.


    He nodded.


    "And you can''t drink more blood because...?"


    "The blood has toe from somewhere," he said. "I don''t like taking more than I need. I don''t want to be too dependent on a high volume of it."


    I hummed, somewhat understanding what he was saying.


    "Anything else I can clear up?" Cain asked.


    I thought about it for a moment.


    "Why do your eyes get so dark?" I asked him.


    He sighed and leaned back in his chair.


    "It''s not very pretty, is it?" he asked.


    "That''s not what I asked," I said.


    "Vampires are nocturnal creatures. In older times, they had to hunt in the dark. So, their eyes evolved to allow them to visually detect body heat. When I need blood, it''s an instinctive response that my body has for my eyes to get darker in order for me to see. It''s kind of like tunnel vision."


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "But why does it look like that? I''m surprised you can see anything at all when you''re bleeding into your eyes like that," I said.


    "It''s not bleeding necessarily," he protested. "It''s just the blood flow to my eyes increases significantly during that period." "Oh," I said.


    That would exin the veins and arteries that became so prominent around his eyes.


    "It''s not so terrible when you think about it like that," I said.


    Cain grew quiet and I wondered if I''d said the wrong thing.


    "I''m sorry," I apologized. "I didn''t mean to overstep¡ª"


    "No, no," he said quickly. "It''s just... you''re the only person that''s ever said that."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Well it''s not like you can help it," I said incredulously.


    I thought I saw a hint of a smile pass over his lips.


    "Does it hurt your gums whenever they grow out?" I asked him, pointing at my own canine teeth.


    He nodded.


    "Just a bit."


    We sat in silence for a moment as I dealt with the internal war raging in me.


    Did I ask another question and risk being nosy or did I keep asking them for the sake of conversation and my own curiosity?


    There were only two questions I had left and I wasn''t sure I wanted to know the answers to them.


    "How often do you have to..." my voice trailed off.


    What do you even call drinking someone else''s blood?


    Feeding? Drinking? Murder?


    "Four times a day," he said, understanding my question.


    "Your dad said you were fasting," I noticed. "What does that mean?"


    Cain drew in a deep breath.


    "I don''t particrly enjoy killing people for their blood, E."


    I felt my breath get caught in my throat.


    "I spend my sleepless nights wondering what child died that day because we bribed a hospital out of a week''s worth of blood so I don''t have to kill someone for it."


    I looked down at the nervous tangle my fingers had found themselves in, wondering if I should ask my final question.


    Looking up at him, my eyes caught his and I found the words tumbling out of my mouth.


    "Why did kissing me do that to you?"


    Cain looked at me warily before standing up and taking the book from my hands and cing it back on the shelf.


    "I think that''s a question best saved for after we get the results of your blood test," he said, turning back to me.


    I nodded slowly.


    I understood that I was asking a lot of questions and I understood that there was a chance he wouldn''t have liked to answer all of them. I just had to trust Cain enough to know that I would get the answers eventually. But did I trust him?

 Chapter Fourteen - Delayed Search-2

    Everything he said was either a very well-thought through lie or the truth. Seeing as I had my grandfather''s book to back up everything he had said, I was assuming for the time being that he was telling the truth.


    There was still a part of me that wanted to research everything a bit more.


    If this was true and I was some kind of mate for Cain, I couldn''t see my future as clearly and that scared me.


    One thing was for certain, if this was my new reality, I wasn''t about to sit around and pop babies out all day. I''d worked my ass off for a college degree and I wasn''t about to let someonee between me and what I wanted to do for a living, even if that someone was built like a god and had a face to rival the hottest Hollywood had to offer.


    Once I finished graduate school-


    I gasped suddenly.


    "What is it?" Cain asked, bing increasingly rmed.


    "I have paper due tonight that I haven''t finished."


    His eyebrows furrowed as my stomach dropped to my feet.


    I stood up quickly and began to run from the office.


    "We''ll talkter," I assured him. "Just let me know when I can take the blood test."


    With that being said, I went down the stairs and went into my new bedroom.


    It was only a few doors down from Cain''s and it was much smaller, which I was grateful for. The chest of drawers was empty and it didn''t look like anyone had been in the room for a while except to clean it.


    Going into the room, I closed the door behind me and pulled my backpack out from under my bed to get myptop.


    I sat down in the chair with myptop and textbook in hand.


    Opening the textbook, I prayed quietly that I could forget the world around me for enough time to finish writing the paper.


    "You didn''t tell her?!"


    Cain stared at Daniel, trying to regain some semnce of patience.


    "She left the office before I had the chance to," he said.


    "You couldn''t just bring it up?"


    Jai took a deep breath, wondering when the day woulde that Daniel would find a way to keep everything he was thinking inside his mind and not let it roll off of his tongue.


    "All of her questions were about me, I wasn''t going to bring up her grandfather until I had answered them. Any more issues about my personal life that we need to resolve before we discuss what you called me down here for?" Daniel huffed and crossed his arms.


    Jai threw the two files across the freshly-sanitized steel medical examination table.


    Cain reached across and grabbed them both, eyeing Jai warily as he read the contents of the folders under the harsh, bright lighting of the autopsy room.


    Cain took a deep breath as he read the line that had been highlighted by Jai.


    He closed the first folder and opened the other only to read nearly the same result.


    "What does this mean?" Jai asked solemnly.


    Cainid the file folders back down on the table.


    "It means our job just got harder."


    The results of the DNA testing of both the man Jai had killed at the funeral and the intruder that Cain had killed were less than desirable.


    "So it''s confirmed. They were Vampires," Jai said.


    Cain could only nod.


    "Who could be putting these men up to this?" Jai asked. "The one guy you killed only would have known about this castle if someone with Lycan connections told him about it." Cain stood in silence for a few minutes as he tried his hardest to fit the pieces in a puzzle and formte a n.


    "Put the search for the missing men on hold," he said. "Get E and Priya to help you look for any between these men. Use whatever means necessary."


    Jai and Daniel exchanged wary looks.


    "How do you think E''s going to feel about pausing the search for her missing and presumed dead grandfather to dig into the past of a man who tried to kill her?" Daniel asked. "She''ll care," Cain assured him. "I''ll exin everything to her. Once she figures out there could be a connection, I''m sure she''ll understand."


    Jai took in a deep breath.


    He was worried for the girl. There was no way that Cain understood the pressure he was putting E under. Jai wondered how long it would take for her to crack.


    He watched as Cain left the autopsy room and he sighed..


    God help her.


    A few hourster, the paper proved to be a good distraction from the world around me.


    I was certain I''d walked more steps in that day than I had in months as I paced the floor in the room, searching for words to write down.


    The essay was almostpleted as I watched the sun set off behind the mountains in the distance.


    I was a few words away from finishing the essay when there was a knock on the bedroom door.


    "Come in," I said, typing out thest sentence.


    I looked up as Cain walked inside the room.


    "How''s your papering?" He asked, closing the door behind him.


    I drew in a deep breath as I ced my hands on my hips and looked down at theputer screen.


    "It''s finished," I told him. "I just need to submit it."


    "Can that wait untilter?" He asked.


    My eyebrows furrowed as I looked up from theptop that sat on the edge of the bed.


    "Why? What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing," he assured me. "Dr. Zosak is ready for your blood test."


    I took another shaky breath as I remembered that I had agreed to taking the test.


    "Sure," I told him.


    He led me out of the room and down the hallway.


    "You''re more than wee to move back into my room," he told me. "I don''t need it."


    I shook my head.


    "I''m fine where I am, don''t worry about it."


    I saw the muscles in his shoulders tense but I didn''t think about it again.


    Cain led me down a few flights of stairs before we came to the hallway that I recognized from when I had gotten my concussion. The smell of disinfectant was too prominent not to remember it. We walked into a simr room to the one I had been in before and the doctor was waiting for us.


    "How are you feeling?" He asked me. "Still having headaches?"


    I shook my head.


    "Only a few, but they aren''t unbearable."


    "Sleeping at night?" He asked.


    My voice faltered.


    I hadn''t been sleeping, at least not well.


    I shook my head slowly and he hummed.


    "Have you been resting?" The doctor asked.


    "I have," I assured him.


    Probably not as much as he would have liked though.


    I didn''t dare tell him that I''d written an entire essay in the past few hours or that I''d used my brain more in that past week than I had since I''d been in university.


    "We can get you some sleeping medication and see if that helps," he said. "For now, let''s get some blood drawn."


    I wondered briefly if he knew what the blood test was for.


    It took only a few seconds for him to prick my finger and get a sufficient amount of blood for the test.


    Cain and I sat in the room as the doctor left to analyze it.


    "How long will it take?" I asked him.


    "Not very long."


    A few minutes went by of silence.


    Finally, the door to the examination room opened and the doctor walked in holding a clipboard and a grim expression.


    He took a deep breath before he spoke.


    "I don''t know if you''re going to like what I have to say."

 Chapter Fifteen - Only One Way to Find Out-1

    My heart was pounding.


    The doctor nervously shifted the clipboard in his hands as his eyes nced from myself to Cain.


    "Well?" I asked, my voice shaky.


    "Ms. Schulz, as we suspected, you''re not entirely human."


    The pounding in my chest came to a screeching halt. I began to take deep breaths, immediately feeling light-headed.


    There was something about hearing him say it that made me sick to much stomach.


    "What do you mean?" I asked as I tried to catch my breath.


    "You have the Lycan gene," the doctor said.


    I shook my head slowly, rejecting the idea.


    "There is no way," I said.


    Cain stood from his chair and took the clipboard from the doctor. He examined the contents of the piece of paper with an intense look on his face. "Can I read it?" I asked him.


    I felt my heart in my throat as Cain handed me the clipboard.


    I grabbed it from him with shaking hands.


    As I read over the various numbers and data lines, I realized very quickly that I hardly understood any of it.


    "What does any of this mean?" I asked.


    It wasn''t just the statistics that I didn''t understand, I couldn''tprehend the entire situation.


    I''m not a Lycanthrope, I''m not a Lycanthrope, I kept repeating in my head.


    The doctor walked over and began to point to various horizontal columns on the chart.


    "We did a blood panel," he told me. "We can determine Lycanthropy by reading the levels of hemoglobin, telets, WBC, and various other things. Because Lycans have the ability to regenerate body tissue rapidly as a way to heal quicker, your white blood cell count is a very good indicator of the differences between Homo sapiens and Lycanthropes."


    "What''s a normal white blood cell count for humans?" I asked.


    "Anywhere between four thousand to eleven thousand per microliter."


    "And mine is?"


    "A little over twenty-one thousand."


    I let out a huge breath that had been trapped in my chest.


    I leaned over and put my head in my hands.


    "This isn''t happening," I whispered.


    I felt arge, strong hand touch my upper back and sat up to see Cain looking at me intently, concern written on his face.


    Looking from him to the doctor, I struggled to find words to say.


    "M-my family," I stuttered out. "Lycanthropy is an entire race, it''s hereditary. If I''m a Lycan, my parents are..."


    I let out a breath.


    "...and Zak is too."


    The two men looked between each other.


    "Can we have a minute?" Cain asked.


    The doctor nodded, leaving the clipboard beside me on the table.


    When the doctor left the room, Cain walked over to stand in front of me.


    His face was right in front of mine. It felt like his eyes were looking straight through me.


    I gulped as he leaned in and ced his hands beside me on the table.


    "Listen to me," he said softly. "I''m sure there is an exnation for all of this, but you need to calm down. Just breathe..." Breathe was the one thing I felt like I couldn''t do.


    "I don''t understand," I whispered. "I don''t know how you can live for twenty-three years and not know you aren''t human."


    "If all you''ve ever known is what you perceive to be normal I could understand why you wouldn''t be able to tell the difference."


    I gulped, feeling a knot forming in my throat.


    My eyes fell to look at the minimal space between us and I became dizzy.


    Cain reached up and held my face in his hands, tilting my head up to look at him.


    "Breathe," he repeated.


    My body fought hard against the air I forced into my lungs.


    As I tried to exhale, I felt it get caught in my throat.


    "I''m gunna be sick," I said suddenly.


    Quicker than my eyes could register his movements, Cain bent down and grabbed the waste basket that was beside the examination table and ced it in myp.


    The knots in my stomach finally released in the five minutes it took me to empty the contents of my stomach into the waste basket.


    Embarrassed and wishing he would just go away, I was less than thrilled about Cain''s decision to stand next to me and hold my hair back behind my head. Thankfully, he said nothing the entire time I heaved and gagged over the basket. When my stomach decided it was finally time to give it a rest, I sat up a little straighter and Cain handed me a paper towel. Wiping my mouth with it, I shook my head.


    "I don''t understand..."


    Cain said nothing as he walked over and opened the door to let the doctor back into the room.


    Both men turned to gauge me carefully. I felt like an animal in a cage, like a foreign specimen under a microscope that was being examined.


    The doctor saw that I had been throwing up and he reached under his desk to grab me a bottle of water from the cab.


    "Drink this slowly," he said, handing it to me.


    I was still trembling as I tried to remove the cap from the bottle. My shaking fingers couldn''t grip the lid properly. I felt pathetic and helpless as Cain reached out and took the bottle from my hands and easily twisted the cap off. I nodded slightly to acknowledge the small act of kindness as he handed the water bottle back to me.


    I took a long swallow of the water, however, the disgusting taste in my mouth made me want to spit it back out.


    I got up from the examination table, the doctor taking the waste basket from me as I did so, and I walked over to the sink and began to rinse my mouth out with the water.


    "I want to know why," I said finally.


    My words split through the quiet room and they both turned to look at each other as I turned my attention from the sink to them.


    "Why what?" Cain asked.


    "Why I was able to live twenty three years on this and not know that I was a Lycanthrope."


    "I told you..." he said.


    "No," I interrupted. "This isn''t about what I perceive to be normal. I''ve donated blood before. I''ve had blood work done for my annual check-ups. If it''s really as simple as a white blood cell count, someone would have figured it out before now." The doctor cleared his throat.


    "The government works very carefully in the realm of healthcare to ensure that Lycanthropy is a topic dealt with in discretion," he said.


    "What does that mean? They''re hiding it?" I asked.


    The doctor nodded with hesitation.


    "Somewhat," he said. "But it isn''t like you can diagnose Lycanthropy, it isn''t a disease. Most doctors won''t even mention it. If someone doesn''t know they''re a Lycanthrope, it''s because their parents didn''t tell them."


    "And they just don''t acknowledge it?" I asked incredulously. "It''s an entire race of people. How do you hide that? Why would you want to hide that?"


    Cain scoffed.


    "Society is still struggling with the fact that there are people with different skin tones and religions. How well do you think it would go over if everyone found out there are creatures with super-human strength and senses that can morph into overgrown wolves at will?"


    He had a point.


    "Still," I said. "How has no one figured it out yet?"


    The doctor drew in a deep breath as he tried to figure out a way to exin what he was thinking.


    "When a Lycanthrope is born, it is registered with the government the same way that human babies are. But, there is a difference. The government refers these babies to doctors who are trained in Lycanthropy, who are usually Lycanthropes themselves. This helps ensure that you are treated by someone who knows the specifics of your body, but it also helps ensure that word won''t get out about Lycanthropy as these people take vows of secrecy when they receive their license to practice medicine."

 Chapter Fifteen - Only One Way to Find Out-2

    "And donating blood?" I asked. "Surely not everyone at a blood drive is licensed to treat Lycanthropes." The doctor shook his head.


    "No, but when the blood is sent for testing to make certain that it can be used for transfusions and things like that, the system is programmed to g blood that is suspected to belong to Lycanthropes and it is sent to specific ces where it can actually be used, as humans cannot be transfused with Lycanthrope blood."


    I drew in a sharp breath.


    "Wait," I said slowly.


    My brain was processing so much information at once that I felt like I was going to explode.


    "Blood transfusions?" I asked.


    The doctor nodded, unsure about what I was getting at.


    "You can''t be turned into a Lycanthrope?" I asked.


    Both men nodded.


    "That means that someone, from one side of my family or the other, is also a Lycanthrope..."


    I looked at Cain with wide eyes.


    "Do you think this is all a coincidence?" I asked him.


    The absence of shock from Cain''s expression as he shook his head meant that he had known what I had just figured out for a while.


    "You knew he was a Lycanthrope," I said, jumping down from the table.


    "We knew," Cain admitted.


    The way he said those words seemed like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He had been holding that in for quite a while and it had clearly been weighing on him.


    I couldn''t formte words to exin how furious I was with Cain.


    "Why didn''t you tell me?" I asked angrily, taking a step towards him.


    When he didn''t answer me, I took a deep breath and turned to leave the room.


    Neither of the men tried to stop me as I opened the door and bounded out of the room and down the hallway, fuming with rage.


    Why didn''t he tell me?


    While I understood Cain knew I would probably react the way I had, and that had probably prevented him from telling me, I felt like a fool.


    He had led me to believe I was piecing together the mystery of why my grandfather had disappeared-maybe even helping a few other families find their loved ones-only to find out that he had kept the biggest piece of the puzzle to himself. If my grandfather was a Lycanthrope, it meant that there was probably more to the story than I could have ever fathomed.


    And there was only one way to find out...


    Dr. Zosak looked at Cain in disappointment.


    When Cain noticed this disapproving look, he snapped.


    "What did you want me to do?"


    The old man sighed, the wrinkles in his face sinking deeper into his skin with his frown.


    "You should have told her the truth from the beginning," he pressed.


    Cain scowled and pushed past the doctor, heading out of the room.


    "I may not know what it''s like to be in your shoes, but I know a thing or two about rtionships," Dr. Zosak said, stopping Cain. "No one, human or otherwise, enjoy being lied to. Even if it''s to protect them." Cain looked at him over his shoulder.


    Cain thought on his words for a moment, his hard stare making it difficult for Dr. Zosak to decipher exactly what he was thinking.


    "Have theb run the rest of the tests," Cain said. "I want to find out how dominant the Lycanthrope gene is. I need to know whether her body can handle being marked."


    With that, he left the room.


    E was on his mind the entire time he walked up four flights of stairs to his office.


    The guilt he felt for not telling her about her grandfather sooner was immense. It sat on his shoulders, telling him what a fool he had been for letting here to the castle in the first ce. It reminded him that she would have been better off having never met him, living her life blissfully and naively unaware of his existence or the existence of his people.


    Things like Vampires and Lycanthropes should have been nothing more to her than fairytales and nightmares.


    He had climbed up from the deepest part of hell and ripped her from the flower-filled pastures of her life back down to his kingdom and asked her to rule a ce and people she could never understand.


    Thest time he checked, that didn''t work out well for Hades.


    He was still cogitating over the situation and E''s involvement as he walked up the staircase that led to his office.


    Waiting for him there was his mother.


    Evelyn sat atop his desk, hands folded in herp and feet dangling above the ground.


    "I thought you had left," he said, entering the room.


    "We were going to," she admitted, sighing.


    He raised a questioning eyebrow, stopping his stride in the middle of the room.


    "Your father thought it best to stay until we were sure you and her would be alright." Cain scoffed, feeling his anger begin to resurface.


    "My rtionship is none of anyone''s business but mine," he said, crossing his arms.


    "Is it not her business too?" Evelyn asked rhetorically. "What about your pack? Is it not their business that they have a Luna?"


    "In order for her to be a Luna she has to be marked by her mate, the Alpha, and inducted into the pack."


    "And you''re not going to do either of those things?" Evelyn asked.


    Cain shook his head.


    "I can''t mark her."


    A look of confusion swept over her face.


    "Why not, Cain? I''m sure if you exined to her the importance of it-"


    "The importance doesn''t matter," He growled, his arms unraveling and his fists clenching. "When my mouth gets anywhere near her neck, thest thing that crosses my mind is marking her." Evelyn paled, realizing what he meant.


    Cain shook his head as he saw her reaction.


    "Like I said, this is none of your business."


    Evelyn let out a shaky breath.


    "This is one battle I don''t think you can win on your own," she said. "Don''t treat that poor girl like a negotiation or territory to be conquered."


    Cain shook his head, resisting the urge tough at the irony.


    "Believe it or not, I''m not the one you''ll need to convince that this rtionship will work. I don''t think she''s quite figured out what it is she means to me and this pack."


    Evelyn hopped down from Cain''s desk and walked over to him.


    "Treat her like a Luna and she''ll be more apt to believe it."


    Evelyn lifted herself onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.


    "Bring her to dinner tonight," she said, walking around Cain to leave the office. "I''m sure your father would like to meet her officially."


    Cain walked over to his desk and sighed as he sat down.


    "We''re not on speaking terms, so I''m not sure that will happen tonight."


    Evelyn turned to look at him and smiled.


    "Well, then maybe the two of you should get dinner on your own."


    "Did you not hear me?" he asked. "We''re not speaking right now, she doesn''t want to see me."


    "I heard you loud and clear," Evelyn said, disappearing down the staircase.


    Cain let out a sigh as he leaned back in his chair.


    Maybe dinner wasn''t a good idea. But, then again, maybe it was.


    Cain shook his head.


    There was only one way to find out...

 Chapter Sixteen - Prove Him Wrong-1

    I sat on the floor in my room, all of the documents we had acquired in the past few weeks spread out around me. The only thing I didn''t have was the duffle bag full of files on the doctor that Daniel and Jai had gotten in Frankfurt. Those were in Cain''s office.


    I was still angry with him, even though it had been several hours since the revtion of my grandfather''s Lycanthrope heritage that he had passed down to me. While this theory had yet to be officially confirmed, I gathered from several pieces of information that he was indeed a Lycanthrope.


    For starters, the book I found in his attic on Lycanthropy was a neon sign that shed in my face. If I was being honest, I felt like an idiot for not noticing it sooner.


    After a careful review of his medical records, I could see now that there were indicators of Lycanthropy all along. His white blood cell count, for one, was incredibly high, especially for a man of his age. Not to mention that he was nearly seventy years old and didn''t need so much as a hearing aid or reading sses.


    As I sat on the rug with all of the various documents surrounding me, I felt the need to bash my head against a wall and admit myself into a mental asylum.


    Why didn''t I notice before now? I asked myself.


    Because I didn''t know what to look for before.


    Standing up, I cautiously navigated my way through the sea of file folders to my bed where myptop sat.


    I had managed to think clearly enough after getting back to the room to submit the assignment I had been working on before it was due. I was thankful for this, seeing as it was well past midnight and I likely would have forgotten if I had waited.


    Climbing up into the bed, I opened theptop and started a video call.


    If it was nearly one in the morning in Germany, I knew it was in the early evening in D.C.


    When Zak''s face appeared on the screen, I felt a wave of emotions rush over me.


    Did he know? How was I supposed to tell him if he didn''t? Would he believe me? If he did know, why didn''t he ever tell me?


    ''E?'' he signed, snapping me out of my worried thoughts and into reality.


    ''Hi,'' I signed.


    Zak waved his hand, but the narrowing of his eyes on my face that hadn''t concealed my thoughts carefully told me that he knew something was wrong. ''What''s going on?'' he asked.


    I took a deep breath before holding up my shaking hands to sign.


    ''Did Mom and Dad ever mention anything weird to you about Grandpa?'' I asked him.


    He raised an eyebrow.


    ''Like what?''


    I shrugged, not knowing how to continue the conversation.


    I looked over to my left and my eye caught the book that wasying on the bed.


    Drawing in a shaky breath, I reached over and grabbed the book. I closed it and pulled it into the view of theptop''s camera so Zak could see it.


    Showing him the cover of the book, I waited to gauge his reaction as he read the


    He read the


    The way he looked at me made me shake my head.


    Iid the book back down on the bed.


    ''You knew,'' I signed.


    He nodded slowly.


    ''That means that you and I...''


    I couldn''t even finish the sentence before Zak was nodding his head again.


    ''Why didn''t you tell me?'' I asked him earnestly, feeling hot tears begin to burn behind my eyes.


    The look of remorse that swept across his features made me feel sorry for even asking.


    ''I swore an oath when I joined the military that I wouldn''t tell a soul. Myself and my team would be seriouslypromised if I did. They didn''t want anyone to know what they were doing with us. I didn''t even tell Mom and Dad.'' My eyebrows furrowed.


    ''What do you mean?''


    He drew in a breath.


    ''I''m not a tech guy, E.''


    I shook my head feeling my jaw go ck.


    ''What do you do then?'' I asked him.


    Zak was hesitant to answer.


    ''Special operations.''


    ''You mean you''re a spy?'' I asked, my eyes wide.


    He again ran a hand over his cropped hair, which I knew to be a nervous habit he had.


    ''Can we talk about this in person?'' he asked.


    ''I''m still in Germany,'' I reminded him. ''I don''t know when I''ll be leaving at this point.'' His eyebrows furrowed.


    ''Why? What''s going on there?'' he asked.


    I bit my lip, not knowing even where to begin to exin the situation to him.


    He waved his hands in front of the screen, trying to get my attention.


    ''How did you find out about Grandpa?'' he asked, finally.


    I threw up my hands, deciding to just tell him.


    ''I have a mate.''


    Judging by the look on his face, I knew this held some significance with him.


    ''What''s his name?''


    ''Cain.''


    It was the look on his face when I finger-spelled Cain''s name that made me believe he knew something that I didn''t.


    Before I could begin to ask him how he knew of Cain, he reached out and closed hisptop ending the call.


    I sat on the bed for a moment in shock.


    I couldn''t believe Zak had just hung up on me.


    Closing my ownptop slowly, our conversation was reying over in my head as I tried to understand why Cain being my mate held so much significance. Maybe Zak knew of Cain through his work with the military. Nheless, his reaction puzzled me.


    I looked up from the bed at the endless stretch of documents that littered the bedroom floor strategically.


    A headache hit me suddenly and I was reminded that my brain was supposed to be in low-impact, low-stress mode because of the concussion; ironic considering it had been two of the most stressful weeks of my life. Iid back down on the bed, feeling the migraine set it.


    Rolling over, I turned out the light beside my bed and the room sank into darkness.


    I didn''t even make it under the duvet before I had fallen asleep.


    Cain stood over the open duffel bag, peering into the stack of files that had been thrown inside it.


    He wondered if it was even worth it to read through them all, knowing he had other things he needed to be doing.


    Jai and Daniel, not wanting to further burden E, had taken it upon themselves for the time being to research into the lives of the Vampire men whom they had gotten the DNA results for.


    They knew she was overwhelmed with the entire situation at hand and she needed to focus on what was important.


    That left Cain, however, to be responsible for looking through the files on the doctor.


    He reached into the bag, but stopped.


    Cain took a deep breath.


    "Sneaking up on me hasn''t worked out too well for anyone in the past," he said.


    Cain turned to look at his father who stood a few feet away.


    Adam smirked.


    "Just wanted to see if I could still do it."


    Cain rolled his eyes and turned back to face the bag that sat on his desk.


    "I heard you when you opened the door downstairs," he said, pulling out a stack of papers.


    "Liar," Adam said.


    Cain turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "It took you six minutes to go up thirty-two stairs because you don''te up them enough to know which ones creak."


    Adamughed hearing this.


    "Well now I feel like an idiot."


    Cain said nothing, leaving Adam''sment to hang in the air.


    "Your mom and I missed you and that girl at dinner tonight," Adam said, pulling out a chair from under one of Cain''s desks. He sat in it backwards, his elbows propping themselves on the back of the chair. "That girl has a name," Cain said gruffly, trying to pay no mind to his father''s subtle attempt to get on his nerves.

 Chapter Sixteen - Prove Him Wrong-2

    "E,


    right?"


    Cain nodded as he pulled another stack of papers from the duffle bag. "How old is she?"


    Cain turned to look at Adam.


    "I''m sure Mom would answer these questions if you asked her to."


    Adam shrugged.


    "If you had brought her to dinner, I could have asked her myself."


    Cain turned his attention back to the files on the desk.


    "Why didn''t youe? Your mom told me that she invited the both of you."


    "We were both busy."


    "Doing what?"


    Cain turned to level a re at his father.


    "I''m having a hard time understanding why you suddenly care so much."


    Adam''s jaw clenched as he stood from the chair.


    "The future of this pack, hell, the future of the entire Lycanthrope race depends on you and a Lycan so weak she thought she was human. Your mother and I are just looking out for you, her, and everyone else involved." "Thanks," Cain said, faking sincerity. "But I''ve got it under control."


    Adam let out an airyugh.


    "From what I hear, control is thest thing you have."


    Cain''s jaw clenched as he felt the ache returning to his gums.


    "How long until you decide to tell her that you can''t mark her for fear of draining her? How long until you tell her about what you did to this family-"


    "Enough!" Cain shouted.


    "Rtionships are built on trust, Cain," Adam said, his voice lowering. "You''ve lied to her too many times already to try and continue this pattern of behavior and still end up happy when it is all said and done." "I''m trying to protect her," Cain said angrily. "Do you honestly think she could handle knowing half of what really goes on in this world?"


    Adam shook his head.


    "You''re not trying to protect her from this world, you''re trying to protect her from you."


    Cain''s fists clenched as he heard this.


    "Get out of my office and out of this castle. I want you and Mom gone by noon tomorrow," he said.


    Adam turned to leave.


    "Take your opinions on love with you," Cain finished.


    Adam stopped and turned to look at his son with sad eyes.


    "You''re not capable of love," he said. "You won''t be able to give love to anyone until you''ve learned to receive it from yourself and that will never happen."


    With those words looming over Cain, Adam turned and left the office.


    He''s wrong, Cain thought.


    And I''ll prove it to him.


    I woke up in the very early morning, before the sun had climbed over the mountains and chased the moon and stars away.


    Iid in bed for a few moments before I got up to shower. Changing into fresh clothes after I had done so, I walked back out into the bedroom to see that the sun had just begun to rise.


    I narrowly avoided the documents that still covered the floor as I walked around them to exit the bedroom.


    Walking around the castle that hadn''t yet been touched by the earliest rays of sunlight, I found myself wandering to Cain''s office.


    I knew he was likely there, but that didn''t deter my feet from moving in that direction.


    I made it to the office door, up the staircase, and eventually found myself staring into the inky ckness of his office.


    "Are you up here?" I asked gently, my voice ringing loudly in my ears.


    "Yes," his deep voice replied,ing from the dark abyss in front of me.


    A few moments went by.


    "Can I turn on a light?" I asked. "I can''t see you."


    After hearing no reply, I began to walk forward cautiously, holding my hands out to find the desk.


    Suddenly I felt his hands enclose my outstretched ones, pulling my body closer to him.


    I sucked in a shallow breath as my chest touched his.


    "I apologize for not telling you about your grandfather," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.


    My mind was racing a hundred miles an hour, more than most of my thoughts directed towards our close physical proximity.


    "I ept your apology," I told him.


    I couldn''t tell him it was okay that he had withheld that information from me because it wasn''t. But, I refused to hold a grudge. That wouldn''t do anything good for either of us. Cain''s fingers danced with mine as I felt his face lean down next to mine, his breath tickling my ear.


    "How long had you known when you told me?" I asked him.


    "Since we found out he had died," he answered.


    I shook my head as his hands let loose of mine and traveled up my arms to touch my face.


    "Not about him," I said, feeling dizzy. "About us."


    From where my hands were pressed against him, I felt Cain''s chest expand and release a deep intake of air as he sighed.


    "I had a gut feeling when I saw you fall into that stupid spiderweb," he said, joking.


    I rolled my eyes.


    Did he just make a joke?


    His thumb tilted my jaw up so my nose touched his.


    "But I knew when I looked at you that you were for me," he admitted seriously.


    Well, that''s adorable.


    His lips found mine in the dark room, gingerly kissing me as if they were light as feathers.


    In that moment, I knew everything was true. I didn''t need to be convinced any longer that we were connected. Someway, somehow, it all fit together perfectly in my mind. As the kiss deepened, I found myself gravitating closer towards him.


    My hand held the wrist of his hand that touched my face and my other hand was pressed against his chest.


    The very scent of him, masculine and strong, made my knees weak.


    Suddenly, I felt his body freeze and go rigid.


    His lips pulled away from mine and I huffed.


    "Good grief, Cain," I groaned.


    I was sick of him doing that.


    He immediately ced a hand over my mouth and shushed me as he dropped to his knees, pulling me to the floor with him.


    "What the hell," I said, my voice muffled behind hisrge palm.


    I swiped at his hand, pulling it away from my mouth.


    "This isn''t cute," I told him.


    "Would you be quiet for two seconds?" he snapped.


    I heard the door at the bottom of the staircase creak shut and it urred to me then that his actions might not have been rted to me or the kiss at all.


    Weid there on the carpet, me on my back and Cain hovering over me, for a few moments.


    I heard nothing but silence, but Cain clearly heard something as he pulled himself off of me onto his feet. I rolled over as he stepped over me.


    Due to the fact that it was dark in the office, I couldn''t see Cain as he walked towards the staircase.


    I strained to hear something, but I didn''t hear anything for a few seconds until a loud crash rang out. It sounded as if someone had fallen down the staircase. "E..."


    I jumped to my feet hearing my name.


    "Turn on the light," Cain said.


    I frantically wandered around the room for a few seconds until I found themp and turned it on.


    The light split through the room and I squinted to see Cain standing above the staircase.


    I ran over to stand by his side, peering down the stairs to see someoneying at the bottom of thending.


    "Zak?"


    Cain looked at me.


    "You know this man?"


    I nodded as Zak rolled over, grimacing. Blood was running down the side of his face as he sat up, holding his ribcage. "He''s my brother."

 Chapter Seventeen - Trustworthy-1

    "Cain, stop! What are you doing?"


    I frantically followed Cain down the hallway as he pulled my nearly unconscious brother behind him by the cor of his shirt.


    Zak''s bruised and bloodied face was a gruesome sight but seeing him dragged along like a suitcase was even more terrifying.


    "Cain, he''s hurt! Would you let go of him? Where are you taking him?"


    Hearing my rapid-fire questions, Cain stopped walking and turned around before letting go of Zak''s shirt cor and letting him slump to the ground.


    I gasped as Zak''s head hit the marble floor, the sound echoing off the walls of the long, empty hallway.


    Before I could sink to my knees to help him, Cain came to stand in between Zak and I.


    I looked up at him with a bewildered expression.


    "What on God''s green earth are you doing?" I asked.


    "He''s not allowed to be here and he knows it," Cain said sternly.


    "What-"


    Before I could finish my next question, Cain interrupted me.


    "The skill with which he snuck into this castle suggests that he''s been professionally trained to do so, which raises lots of questions that his willingness to fight didn''t answer positively."


    I peered around Cain to see Zak''s disorientated expression as he stared up at the ceiling, his chest slowly rising and falling with every shallow breath.


    He did say he was in special ops.


    "Can we please just take him to the doctor?" I asked Cain. "He''s in no condition to fight with you anymore and he''s probably in worse shape than I was whenever I got my concussion. He needs to be seen by a doctor." Cain made no effort to suggest that he wanted to get Zak the medical attention he needed.


    "He''s my brother!" I said after a few moments of silence. "You can''t just expect me to not get him help."


    Cain crossed his arms, the look on his face telling me that he wasn''t convinced.


    "This man, regardless of whether he''s rted to you or not, is an intruder in this castle. Until I can prove that he isn''t a threat, he''s going to be treated as such."


    I looked at Cain like he''d grown three heads.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me. He''s not a threat to you," I persisted.


    Cain gave me a look before turning back to Zak.


    I watched him with apprehension as he knelt down next to Zak and pulled up Zak''s pant leg, revealing a ker knife sheath that was strapped to his ankle.


    I felt my heart drop seeing this.


    Cain pulled the knife from the sheath and held it up to observe it.


    The de glinted in early morning sunlight that drifted through the windows.


    Cain ced the knife on the ground and slid it over to me.


    It stopped just shy of my foot and I leaned down to pick it up.


    Examining it, I knew it was definitely a military-grade knife.


    "It''s an Ari B''Lh," Cain said. "It''s an extreme usebat knife with the toughest and strongest prating point possible and one of the finest tacticalbat weapons made in the world today-specifically for the world''s most elite counterterrorism unit, the Israeli YAMAM."


    I looked at Zak, who was now struggling to catch his breath.


    "Now," Cain continued. "You tell me why he has it strapped to his ankle and then exin to me why I''m not supposed to take this as threatening."


    I took a deep breath as I looked down at the knife in my hands.


    "He would never hurt me," I said with certainty, unsure of what else I could say.


    "Let''s hope not," Cain said, "because I''ll kill anyone who does hurt you."


    The sincerity in which he spoke those words made a chill run down my spine.


    After a few long moments of realizing there was nothing I could say to Cain to make him change his mind, I sighed.


    "Fine," I said, turning my attention to Zak. "But I''m not leaving his side. I sleep where he sleeps until this is all cleared up. Anything that happens to him, happens to me."


    I saw Cain''s face harden at the thought and I fought the urge to smile.


    Two can y the stubborn game, my friend.


    He said nothing as he turned around and grabbed Zak by the arm and yanked him upright to stand on his feet.


    When Zak''s knees buckled under, Cain caught him with a strong grip, supporting Zak under his arms.


    Zak''s limp body closely resembled a rag doll and was undoubtedly outmatched in strength by the mountain of muscle that towered next to him.


    Cain all but carried him down the hallway as Zak''s feet drug the ground behind him, Cain no doubt being gentler now that I had expressed my wish for equal treatment.


    He pulled Zak into a stairwell and began to descend down into the basement with me hot on his trail.


    We eventually made it to what looked like a steel vault door.


    I eyed Zak''s zed over expression as Cain put his hand up to the panel next to the door to be scanned.


    A redser passed over his hand before the entire panel lit up green.


    A whirring of sound of mechanics rang out from behind the door before the sound of air pressure releasing. The heavy vault door opened enough for Cain to pull it openpletely.


    He stepped into the steel hallway inside, doors simr to the one we''d just passed through lined each wall, stretching on as far as I could see.


    After every few doors stood men big enough to be linebackers. Some of them had buzzcuts, others had tattoos crawling up their arms to disappear under the ker vest they wore. Scars marred a few of the men''s faces and others were adorned with facial piercings.


    The shadows cast on their hardened faces by the florescent lighting above us were aggressive.


    Threatening was an appropriate word to describe them as a collective whole.


    Cain passed Zak over to one of them who wasn''t as gentle as I would have liked him to be in handling Zak in his fragile state.


    The man followed Cain as he walked down the hallway and opened one of the doors on the right side.


    I watched as the man carried Zak inside and sat him on a floating steel cot that was attached to one wall.


    As I tried to step into the room, Cain''s arm blocked my path.


    "What are you doing?" I asked. "I''m staying with him."


    Cain gave me a hard stare and I felt the air leave my lungs.


    Hisvender eyes felt like they were staring a hole through me.


    "Find out who he''s working for and what he''s here to do," Cain said to me in a quiet, deep voice.


    I began to argue with him before biting my tongue.


    As much as I wanted to defend my brother, the situation that Zak had put himself into was less than ideal. In the eyes of any reasonable individual, Cain was right about Zak.


    He was my brother and that fact in and of itself made me biased.


    The truth was, I had been lied to by both men.


    I didn''t know who to believe in that moment.

 Chapter Seventeen - Trustworthy-2

    Half of me would have defended Zak until I was blue in the face, ignoring all signs of logic or reason. He was my brother; that alone kept me from seeing him as a threat.


    The other half of me, however, was just as curious as Cain was. Zak had lied to me and he had snuck into the castle with the kind of expertise that suggested he was a little more than the tech guy I had believed him to be. Looking into the deepvender irises of Cain, I took a shaky breath.


    Cain must have seen the fight drain from my eyes. He dropped his arm from in front of me and allowed me to pass through the doorway.


    The burly, brooding man stood in the corner, eyeing me like a hawk.


    I turned to Cain.


    "Could the two of you leave?"


    He nced over to the guard and nodded his head, indicating to follow him out.


    The two men left the room, closing the door behind them.


    As soon as I heard the click of the lock, I turned my attention back to Zak.


    He sat up on the steel cot and I rushed over to him.


    I pushed at his chest, trying to get him toy back down.


    ''Rest,'' I signed to him.


    Zak pushed my hand away from him and sat up, despite my protest.


    He grabbed my neck, causing me to take in a sharp breath.


    Turning my head, he flicked my hair away from my shoulder, revealing my neck to him.


    He examined me for a quick second before turning my head. Again, he pushed my hair away from my neck and examined the other side of it. Once satisfied, he let go of me.


    I turned to look at him with wide eyes.


    ''What is wrong with you?'' I asked him.


    ''Listen to me,'' he signed with urgency, ignoring my question. ''You don''t know what you''ve gotten yourself into.''


    My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at him incredulously.


    ''I don''t know what I''ve gotten into?'' I asked. ''You''re the one who just broke in and was nearly killed. Why are you here?''


    ''That man,'' he signed, gesturing towards the door, ''is not who you think he is.''


    I sighed, finally understanding.


    ''I know,'' I signed, trying to cate him. ''I know what he is.''


    He shook his head.


    ''No,'' I protested, before he could say anything else. ''I know he''s a hybrid.''


    ''You don''t understand. If you truly understood, you wouldn''t still be here.''


    My eyebrows knit together.


    ''What do you mean?'' I asked him.


    ''These people have traditions and rules that they live by. They do barbaric and primitive things you and I will never understand.'' ''Like what?'' I asked, curious now of what he had to say.


    He sighed and looked at the door again.


    ''I don''t have time to exin it all,'' he signed. ''I just want you to make sure that you don''t let him anywhere near your neck.'' My neck?


    I shook my head.


    ''Cain would never drain me,'' I told him, trying more to convince myself than Zak.


    I shuddered at the thought.


    ''Promise me that you won''t let him anywhere near your neck,'' he signed.


    I found myself staring at him as if he were aplete stranger. I didn''t know who this Zak was. Far gone was the sweet andidback older brother. The man who sat in front of me was an over-concerned and panicked stranger. ''What do you do?'' I asked him. ''How do you know all of this?''


    He shook his head.


    ''I can''t tell you that,'' he signed. ''For now, I need you to trust me.''


    Trust.


    There was that word again. Ironically, it was still being thrown around by the people who had lied to me.


    ''I don''t know who you are,'' I told him, shaking my head. ''I thought we were supposed to be on the same team. I can''t believe you never told me about any of this: what we are, what you do...''


    ''I had my reasons,'' he said. ''I need you to understand that I did the best thing for you by not telling you and I need you to trust me when I say that this is not a ce you need to be and these people are not people you want to be around.'' I looked at him square in the eyes and sighed.


    ''He''s my mate, Zak. While I don''t fully understand what that means yet, I know that it''s significant. I can''t just walk away. We''re close to finding Granddad.''


    Suddenly the door on the other side of the room opened and Cain stepped in.


    "Time to go," he said to me.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why?" I asked him.


    He stepped to the side and I saw the doctor waiting out in the hallway.


    "He''s going to help your brother," Cain said. "But, in exchange, I need you to leave this room."


    Thirty minutes prior, I would have dly epted the exchange. Suddenly, it seemed too convenient.


    I looked at Zak warily.


    ''Go,'' he signed.


    Clearly he understood what was going on, which made it even more frustrating that I seemed to be missing something.


    I got off the cot slowly, eyeing both men as I did so.


    As I made my way across the room and out into the hallway, I felt a nagging in the pit of my stomach.


    I was so confused.


    Going into that conversation, I thought that Zak would do everything in his power to convince me that he was innocent, that he would make me believe that he knew as little as I did about the entire scenario. But, leaving the conversation, I wasn''t so convinced.


    He hadn''t answered me as to why he was even in the castle and was very vague in his answers that he gave to my other questions.


    Something wasn''t settling right and it made me feel sick to my stomach to think about the possibility of Zak lying to me again. If I couldn''t trust my own blood, who could I trust?

 Chapter Eighteen - What Have I Done?-1

    "E..."


    I looked up from the soup that was on the table in front of me to see Daniel staring at me intently as he hovered over his own bowl.


    "Why are you not eating?" He asked.


    I looked down at the untouched bowl in front of me that was no longer steaming and the clean spoon thatid next to it.


    "I


    I guess I''m not hungry," I told him.


    He sighed, dipping his spoon back into his own bowl.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked, giving me his full attention.


    I looked around us at our audience, the busy kitchen where the chef and a few others were bustling their way around to prepare dinner for everyone else. "Listen," Daniel said, "I understand that you''re having a hard time..."


    My head snapped back to face him and I leveled a re.


    "You understand?" I asked him. "You understand what it''s like to be exposed to another dimension of reality that goes against every presuppositional belief you hold? You understand what it''s like to find out that you have a predetermined soulmate, the likes of whom children around the world have nightmares about? You understand what it''s like to be lied to for your entire life about what and who you are?"


    He drew in a deep breath.


    "You actually want me to believe that you understand?" I asked him.


    "I can''t say that I rte to you on every level of this situation," Daniel admitted. "But I can tell you that I do know what it''s like to have a deep bond of trust broken. I do understand what it feels like to be lied to. But you know what? I also understand what it takes to heal that rtionship and rebuild that trust. And guess what, E? I didn''t do any of those things by sitting around and throwing a pity party for myself." Daniel''s angry tone had me at a loss for words.


    "You want to make things right?" he asked me rhetorically. "You have the power to do it. So, get up and go do it."


    He reached forward and put the spoon into my bowl before picking up the bowl itself and handing it to me. As it took the bowl from him, stunned, he stood up from his chair.


    "I refuse to sit around and watch you sulk and starve yourself just because you were dealt a shitty hand. Don''t be selfish enough to believe that you''re the only one having a hard time with all of this. Have you stopped to think about how hard this might be for Cain?"


    With that question looming in the air, he turned around and left the kitchen.


    After finally recovering from the brutally honest verbal attack that he gave, I looked around and saw all the people in the kitchen looking at me.


    The look on their faces said it all: Daniel was right.


    Deep down, no matter how much I wanted toe up with another excuse to justify my feelings, I knew he was right.


    Half embarrassed and half emboldened, I stood up from the table. The bowl of soup was still in my hands as I left the kitchen.


    Daniel had already disappeared down the hallway, but I wasn''t going to find him.


    I ventured up three flights of stairs to that all-too familiar door.


    I stopped in front of it, nervously shifting the bowl of soup in my hands.


    It had been three days.


    Three days since I''d seen Cain. Three days since I had seen Zak.


    I had tried to see Zak the night that he had been locked away in that cell, but I was refused entry. The guard told me that he had been given strict instructions not to let me inside. That fact, however, didn''t stop me from trying to see him every few hours for the past three days. But, despite my persistence, I still couldn''t get in.


    For reasons not limited to stubbornness and rage, I refused to see Cain.


    He came to my room once to bring me dinner.


    I kept the door shut and ignored his knocking.


    It didn''t take very long for him to take the hint and walk away.


    And he stayed away... for three days.


    There were many questions that ran through my head as I stood in front of the door that would open to lead me to the stairs up to his office.


    Would he reject mypany the way I had his? Would he be angry? Would he be relieved that I was finally willing to talk to him?


    I decided after a few agonizing moments that none of those questions would be answered until I actually went up to his office to see him.


    I wished, however, that I knew the oue of the situation before I would have to put myself into it.


    Confrontation and rejection were two things I did not deal with well and the possibility of having to deal with them both, likely all at once, wasn''t something I was readily looking forward to.


    I reached out and opened the door slowly.


    Hearing it creak, I closed my eyes and sighed.


    I knew he heard it.


    There was no backing out of it now.


    I walked into the stairwell and began to climb the iron spiral staircase. With each footstep that echoed off the walls, my heartbeat pounded against my ribcage that much harder. When I finally reached the top, I thought my heart was going to explode inside my chest.


    It was when I looked around the room and saw that he wasn''t there that I felt my heart drop. I realized then that I had been anticipating seeing Cain more than I had been fearing it. As I was turning to leave, my brain caught a glimpse of something in my peripheral vision that triggered a terrible feeling in my gut.


    I turned back around slowly, my brain trying to process what I was seeing.


    Laying on the floor beside Cain''s desk was a strong hand and a long forearm; that portion of the limb being all I could see of the body that was concealed behind the desk. Swallowing a knot in the back of my throat, I walked towards the desk slowly.


    My hands were shaking so severely that the spoon rattled against the inside of the china bowl in my hands.


    As I walked around the desk slowly, I gasped.


    It was Cain.


    The bowl fell from my hands and bounced against the floor, its contents spilling.


    I ran around him, sinking to my knees beside his unconscious body.


    "Cain, wake up," I said panicking.


    I scanned his body for injuries, but I didn''t see any.


    I ced two fingers to his neck, but felt no pulse.


    I felt my body and mind slip deeper into sheer panic as Iid my head against his chest. There was no rise and fall that indicated breathing and I couldn''t hear a heartbeat. "Oh my God," I whispered.


    I stood up and ran across the office.


    "Daniel!" I screamed down the staircase.


    The echo of my voice down the stairwell reverberated in my ears, making me flinch.


    "Daniel!"


    No matter how loud I screamed, I knew my voice wouldn''t carry down three flights of stairs.


    I had begun to lose hope when the door at the bottom of the staircase opened and I saw Jai enter the stairwell, looking as concerned as I''d ever seen him. "Why in the bloody hell-"

 Chapter Eighteen - What Have I Done?-2

    Before he could even finish his sentence, I interrupted him.


    "He''s not breathing," I choked out.


    Jai''s eyes widened before he bounded up the staircase, taking three stairs at a time.


    He followed me as I ran back into the office and behind Cain''s desk where heid.


    "Shit," he said as his eyesnded on Cain.


    Instead of kneeling next to him like I did, Jai ran across the room to the wet bar that was in the corner.


    He pulled an empty blood bag from the cab. After reading the date that was stamped on it, he swore before throwing it to the ground. "What''s wrong with him?!" I asked.


    "The idiot''s been fasting," he said angrily as he began to walk quickly out of the office.


    "What do we do?"


    "He needs blood!" Jai called out as he began to run back down the staircase.


    I leaned forward and pulled Cain''s head into myp.


    "C''mon, Cain," I said, gently holding his face in my hands.


    A few minutes passed by and I began to feel the terror set in.


    Something''s wrong, I thought. Why isn''t Jai back yet?


    I looked back down at Cain.


    There was something that set ame inside of me seeing him like that. I wasn''t sure what it was but it burnt in the pit of my stomach until I could hardly bear it. I can''t lose him, I thought.


    That was thest rational thought that I had.


    As if I was in autopilot mode, my body began to move without me telling it to.


    I reached up and opened a drawer of his desk.


    Blindly, my hand moved around in the drawer before I found what I had been looking for.


    I pulled the letter opener out and stared at it.


    Before my mind could even process what I was doing, I ran the de against the inside of my wrist.


    I sucked in a sharp breath as my brain registered the pain, but I could do nothing to stop my actions.


    I reached my arm forward and ced my wrist in front of his mouth.


    I used my other hand to open his mouth as I held my bleeding arm above it.


    No sooner than when the first three drops of blood had touched Cain''s tongue, I heard Jai running up the staircase.


    I looked at him as he entered the office.


    As soon as he saw what I was doing he dropped the bags of blood in his hands.


    "No!" he screamed.


    Realization of what I had done hit me like a tidal wave of ice-cold water.


    Time slowed.


    I looked down at Cain just as his eyes opened.


    His hands grabbed my arm quicker than my eyes could register his movements and, before I knew it, his mouth hadtched onto my arm.


    I gasped feeling his teeth pierce the skin, the white-hot pain of him doing so made me see spots in my vision.


    I hovered over him as I struggled to even catch my breath.


    The feeling of his lips against my skin and his mouth sucking the blood from my arm was one I couldn''t describe as anything other than painfully exhrating. Cain''s eyes were nearly pitch ck as they zed over, focused on nothing other than the task at hand.


    I watched as blood slipped out of either side of his mouth and dripped down the side of his cheek, pooling in myp underneath his head.


    My arm was going numb-a tingling sensation shooting up from my wrist towards my elbow-when I felt Cain stop.


    He froze and I looked down at him to meet his eyes as they looked up at me.


    Cain sat up quickly, letting go of my arm.


    It fell limply to my side and I ced a hand over the wound that was now bleeding profusely.


    Cain''s wild eyes looked between myself and the blood that stained his hand as he touched his lips.


    "What have you done?" He asked, rising to his knees and backing away from me.


    I could do nothing but stare at him.


    My mind couldn''t process things as quickly as they happened.


    He just drank your blood.


    I looked from Cain to Jai, who stood in the entryway of the room, speechless.


    At his feetid the three bags of blood that I had been too impatient to wait for.


    I looked down at my wrist to see blood seeping between the fingers of the hand that held my wrist tightly.


    "Oh my God," I said quietly, realizing fully what I had just done.


    "Wrap your arm up," Cain said urgently, yet still remaining a safe distance away.


    "What?" I asked. My mind was still reeling, notprehending what he said.


    "Wrap your arm up!" He said, beginning to look panicked as he watched the blood drip down my arm.


    I looked around to find something to put over my arm.


    Beginning to get impatient himself, Cain pulled his shirt over his head and threw it to me.


    I grabbed it with a shaking, bloodied hand and wrapped it around my wrist the best I could.


    "Put pressure on it," he said.


    I pressed down on the wound, wincing as the tingling in my arm turned to sharp pain and spread up to my shoulder.


    I slouched against his desk, feeling lightheaded.


    My breathing began to get shallow as my vision clouded from the outer corners inward.


    I saw Cain kneel in front of me, his mouth that was stained with my blood saying something and a panicked expression written on his face.


    I couldn''t hear him, though. The sound of blood rushing through my ears overpowered any external sounds.


    Little ck dots began to dance in front of my eyes and they slowly grewrger until all I could see was an inky ck nothingness in front of me.


    As I slipped unconscious, only one thought was running through my head.


    What have I done?

 Chapter Nineteen - Nothing Good-1

    Cain''s knee bounced up and down rapidly as he sat in the ufortable stic chair, impatiently waiting on Dr. Zosak to return. Footsteps echoed down the long hallway and he looked up expectantly, only to see it was just Daniel walking towards him.


    Daniel sat down in the chair next to Cain and handed him the steel cup.


    It was the sixth time in two hours that he had refilled that cup.


    While he knew that Cain''s body was just going into overdrive topensate for what it had been starved from, Daniel knew that the more that Cain drank, the harder it would be for him to back off of it. He watched with wary eyes as Cain lifted the cup to his lips.


    Cain could feel Daniel''s eyes baring into him.


    He knew he was a sight to behold.


    E''s blood still stained the sides of his face and neck. It coated his hands and fingers and, although it had dried, he could imagine that it painted a gruesome image against his skin.


    He was still shirtless, despite the freezing temperature of the hospital ward.


    "Ask," Cain demanded, setting the cup between his feet on the ground beneath his chair.


    "Ask what?" Daniel asked, although he was not entirely oblivious to what Cain was referring to.


    "The question that you''ve been dancing around for the past two hours," Cain said.


    Daniel sighed before staring at the wall that was on the other side of the hallway.


    "What did it taste like?"


    Suddenly, a door opened and both men looked to see Dr. Zosak exiting a room on the far side of the hallway. He looked at Cain with a solemn expression.


    "Better than I could ever have imagined," Cain answered before standing up and walking towards the doctor.


    The spotless granite flooring and the fluorescent lighting that reflected off of it seemed to stretch on for miles as Cain walked with a cool outward expression.


    On the inside, his mind raced with thoughts of what he was about to hear. He had sorted out every scenario and nned for every sequence of events. In his deliberations, however, he couldn''t see a happy ending; only several ways the situation could end badly.


    "How bad-"


    Dr. Zosak held up his hand to silence Cain, a bold move that made Cain narrow his eyes.


    "Ask her yourself."


    Before Cain could enter the room, Dr. Zosak stopped him.


    The doctor was the only thing in between Cain and the girl on the other side of the doorway.


    Cain felt his fists clench as he fought the urge to shove the old man out of the way.


    "You need to know something," the doctor said.


    Cain raised an eyebrow.


    "What happened in your office should not have happened."


    Before Cain could utter the words no shit, Dr. Zosak continued.


    "The infection is in her system."


    This made Cain''s stomach drop.


    "If she had lost anymore blood, we would have had to start the process of turning her." "Turning her into what exactly?" Cain asked.


    "A Vampire."


    Dr. Zosak''s breath caught in his throat at the intense look Cain gave him.


    "You don''t get to make those decisions," Cain told him, stepping closer to him in anger.


    "Faced with the alternative, I would have, sir."


    The two held each other''s intense gaze for a few more moments before the doctor cleared his throat and pushed his sses further up onto the bridge of his nose.


    "She needs blood," Dr. Zosak said.


    "So? Give it to her."


    "I can''t, sir."


    Cain crossed his arms.


    "Why not?"


    Dr. Zosak gulped down the lump in the back of his throat.


    "Other than what she''s receiving currently, we don''t have any left to give her."


    Cain felt the tension in his crossed arms give way and they fell to his side.


    It urred to him then that he had probably drank seven or eight quarts in the past few hours.


    "Get someone to donate," Cain argued.


    "It''s not that simple," Dr. Zosak said. "Her blood tests haven''t all beenpleted yet. I can''t just give her a Lycanthrope''s blood. I don''t know whether her body would reject or ept its potency." Cain thought for a moment.


    "What about a sibling?"


    Dr. Zosak nodded.


    "Yes, I believe that would work if they were the same blood type."


    Cain turned and looked to Daniel who was still sitting in the chair against the hallway wall.


    "Go get her brother," Cain told him.


    Daniel didn''t ask questions, he simply stood up and did as he was instructed.


    Cain turned back to Dr. Zosak.


    "Anything else?"


    The doctor, not appreciating the sass, shook his head and stepped out of Cain''s way to allow him into the room.


    Iid on my back on top of the examination table.


    Thankfully, Dr. Zosak had elevated the back of it slightly and I was able to lean back without being ufortably t.


    My injured arm was pressed against my chest while the fingers of my other hand toyed with the conjoined oxygen tubes that ran down my chest from where they had been pressed up under my nose and tucked behind my ears. Hearing the faint murmur of conversation in the hallway stop, I opened my eyes and turned my head to see Cain walking into the room.


    His shirtless, muscr chest was the first thing I saw. After I managed to tear my eyes away from naked torso, I saw the blood on his face and arms. It was my blood.


    The sight was gruesome and it was hard to look at.


    I felt my heart begin to race and the neon green lead on the cardiogram that I was hooked up to began to bounce up and down quickly, pinging its way loudly across the monitor beside me.


    Hisvender eyes scanned me, observing both the saline drip and blood IV that I was hooked up to. His gaze shifted to my left arm.


    A thick, ck polyester sleeve was fitted over my forearm, holding together threeyers of cotton gauze pads and bandages that were stacked over the stitches holding together the sliced skin.


    "I don''t have to tell you how absolutely stupid that was," Cain said, his voice cutting through the tension that loomed between us.


    "You don''t," I replied, looking up from my arm to him.


    He said nothing else, just looked at me with an unreadable expression.


    I looked back down at my arm.


    I had risked my life to save his. Why?


    That was something I couldn''t quite figure out.


    I looked up to see him walk over to the tablet that Dr. Zosak had left on the table beside me.


    Picking it up, Cain read it aloud.


    "Patient experienced blood loss approximating to thirty-two percent of her total blood volume. Transfusions needed."


    Thirty-two percent.


    Cain had drained my body of nearly half its blood in a matter of seconds.


    I felt Cain walk closer towards me.


    He sat down beside me on the edge of the cot. Reaching an arm over my body to rest his bloodied hand on the other side of the cot, Cain took my injured arm in his other hand and observed it. He drew in a deep breath and ced my hand back down on my stomach where it had been resting.


    I looked up at him as his attention shifted from my arm to my face.


    "Thank you," he whispered. "But don''t ever risk your life to save mine again."


    "I was trying to help you," I said incredulously, sitting up straight.


    Cain put a hand on my shoulder and gently pressed me back down.


    "I know that," he said, pulling his arm away. "But, you may have done more harm than good."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "I don''t understand," I said honestly. "Did you want to die?"


    He gave me a look so intense I felt myself physically press myself further back into the cot.


    "Let''s make one thing clear," he said, "I didn''t want to die. What happened was not intentional."


    "I don''t understand how I made things worse."


    He sighed.

 Chapter Nineteen - Nothing Good-2

    "There are things I haven''t told you about me," Cain said, looking away from me. "You and I have to have boundaries because of what I am. The stunt you pulled crossed a line that should never have even been touched."


    "What kind of boundaries?" I asked. "What aren''t you telling me?"


    "Blood is a necessity for Vampires," he said. "You know that. Whenever we need blood, we get cravings like you do when you get hungry. The problemes when there is prolonged proximity without indulging in these cravings." "So, you''re saying that being around me for so long has affected you because you want to drink my blood?" I asked.


    Those words felt weirding out of my mouth.


    "It''s worse than that," Cain said, much to my horror. "Because we''re mates, the Lycanthrope part of me wants to be around you all the time. I crave your touch, E. But I can''t have it." "Because being around me makes you want my blood?"


    He nodded.


    "It''s been a hard few weeks," he admitted.


    "Why did you let mee with you if you knew it would be this hard?" I asked. "Why did you let mee back after I left for Frankfurt?"


    A grim smile passed over Cain''s lips before it disappeared.


    "Everyone likes to pretend they don''t have problems, E. You were proof that I could be something worthy of love."


    I swallowed the knot in the back of my throat as I fought back tears.


    "Cain, you are worthy of love without me."


    "No," he said shaking his head. "I''m not worth anything, with or without you. I''ve done terrible, horrific things."


    "You don''t have to let your actions define you, Cain," I argued, feeling my inner counselor start to surface.


    "My actions don''t define me," he said. "I define me. Half of what I am used to be hunted down by the other half of me. I''m not a good guy by nature, my actions just prove that further."


    I started to say something but he stopped me.


    "I''m done with wallowing in self-pity," he said. "I didn''te in here to make you feel sorry for me. I came in here to tell you that I''m sending you home with your brother as soon as you''re well and to say goodbye." My heart dropped.


    "Goodbye?!"


    I sat up in the cot so quickly that I felt lightheaded.


    "You can''t make me leave, Cain. We haven''t found my grandfather."


    "I will find your grandfather, E. I promise. I owe you that much," he said earnestly. "But, I can''t let you stay here. I''ve got obligations to millions of people besides myself. I can''t afford to spiral the way I have been. And you..." He paused and took a breath, shaking his head as he did so.


    "You''ve got so much to look forward to," he said. "You''re in school to get a career. You deserve a white-picket fence life. I can''t give that to you."


    I felt my heart sink lower and lower into my stomach with every word he spoke.


    "So that''s it?" I asked him, my voice shaking. "You''re just going to drop me after all this time? If you''ve felt this was for so long then why didn''t you make me leave sooner?"


    He stood to his feet.


    "I could have killed you, E," he said, starting to get angry.


    "But you didn''t!" I argued. "You pulled away. You''re not giving yourself enough credit."


    "I''m not willing to live in a game of Russian Roulette where I have to guess how long I can kiss you before my teeth cut through my gumline or if I can even kiss you at all without my hands starting to shake." I shook my head in disbelief.


    "You deserve to be kissed well and often," he said. "I can''t give you that and I''m not going to deprive you of it simply because of my own selfish desires."


    "What about you?" I asked. "Do you not deserve any of those things?"


    He let out an airyugh that made me want to p him.


    "If you knew who I really was, the only thing you would think I deserved was hell."


    The door to the room opened before either of us could say another word.


    Dr. Zosak walked in with Zak and Daniel behind him.


    Judging by the looks on their faces, they knew they had caught Cain and I in the middle of an argument. His stance was rigid and defensive and my eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Cain turned to look at me onest time.


    "Goodbye, E."


    With that, he left the room.


    "Cain, wait..."


    I tried to get out of the bed, the room beginning to spin around me.


    I became mixed up in the cords that ran across my body and groaned in annoyance as I tried and failed to beat my disoriented state and untangle myself.


    I felt my knees buckle and Zak caught me in his arms.


    "I''m fine," I repeated over and over, forgetting he couldn''t hear me. "Let me go."


    I could faintly hear Dr. Zosak instructing Daniel toy me back down on the bed. He said something about transfusions.


    The dots clouded my vision again and the ringing in my ears grew louder and louder.


    I can''t believe he left.


    It was thest conscious thought I had.


    Cain used every ounce of strength in his body to take each step that he took out of that room.


    He felt like he was walking against a windstorm that was pushing him backwards, urging him to turn around.


    He heard the struggle that ensued after he left.


    He saw the nurses run past him into the room.


    But he kept walking.


    He could do nothing good for her except walk away.


    He walked straight past the steel cup that sat on the ground in front of the chair he had previously upied.


    With hands clenched and shaking, he nearly ran up the stairs to get away.


    Walking to the garage, he knew he couldn''t return to his office.


    He had to leave until she did.


    Rounding a corner, he plowed into Priya''s small frame, nearly knocking her down had he not caught her.


    "I''m so sorry," she said urgently.


    But he didn''t stay to ept the apology.


    "Sir," she said frantically, moving quickly to catch up with him.


    Her short legs worked hard to keep up with his long stride.


    "I need to discuss something important with you," she said.


    "It will have to wait."


    "It can''t, sir," she said.


    "Take it up with Daniel or Jai."


    Priya stopped walking and let out a huff.


    "Would you stop and listen to me?"


    Cain stopped and so did Priya''s heart.


    I''ve just disrespected an Alpha, the Alpha... I''m going to die.


    "You''ve got two minutes," he said, his jaw clenched.


    Thankful she was still breathing, Priya let out a sigh.


    "You know the two Indian men who we discovered were traveling from Mumbai to Frankfurt for transfusions?"


    Cain nodded, vaguely remembering.


    "We got their personal information sent over from India," she said.


    "And?" Cain asked.


    "That''s not all they sent over," she said, handing him the small piece of paper in her hand.


    Cain took it from her warily.


    "What is this?" He asked.


    "An invitation."


    He turned the paper over, inspecting it.


    "For what?"


    "The funeral of the Indian Beta and a request to have your team investigate his murder."


    Cain''s head shot up from the invitation in his hands.


    "He was killed?"


    Priya nodded.


    "How?" He asked intently.


    "Vampire."

 Chapter Twenty - Bad Veins and Lipstick Stains-1

    Cain stood around therge, oval-shaped table with six of his best strategists.


    Of those men, Daniel and Jai were included.


    All of them wore a solemn expression, their eyebrows driven together as they studied the forensic evidence strewn in front of them.


    Although an autopsy had been performed, there was no need to try and determine the cause of death.


    The Indian Beta had been drained of every ounce of blood in his body.


    Large pictures of his corpse taken from different angles and of different parts of his body were lined up in front of the men.


    The lurid images told a story of a death so painful and gruesome that it made Cain''s stomach twist.


    His head hung from his body by a thread of a tendon, his neck nonexistent. It was as if the Vampire who had killed him had eaten the skin in an effort to drain him entirely. His face distorted by gashes and ribbons of flesh that hung from his cheeks and nose.


    They found the Beta in his bathtub.


    He was naked, but no water was in the tub. The dried blood that stained the tub and the Beta''s body led Cain to believe there was no water in the tub at the time of death.


    "It''s staged," Cain said, splitting the silence and tension building in the room.


    Daniel''s head turned to look at Cain.


    "How do you know?" Jai asked.


    "See this?" Cain asked, pointing towards the dried blood.


    Everyone leaned in.


    "There was no water in the tub when he was killed and I very much doubt the killer drained the bath before he drained him."


    "Maybe he was about to take a bath?" Daniel suggested.


    "You ever get into the bath before turning it on?" Jai asked.


    Daniel shrugged, seeing the point Jai had made.


    "Besides," Cain added, "how many people get into the bath without a towel nearby? Judging by these pictures, he never even got one out of the cab." The men in the room went silent as they all thought about each variable.


    A knock on the door pulled Cain from his thoughts.


    "Yes?" He asked, watching the door slowly creep open.


    Cain raised an eyebrow as Dr. Zosak stepped in, being that he was thest person Cain expected to see.


    "Can I speak to you privately?" the doctor asked.


    Cain looked around and everyone took the hint, rising from their seats and exiting the room.


    As soon as they were alone, Dr. Zosak closed the door.


    Cain crossed his arms and leaned against the table as he looked at the doctor expectantly.


    "I don''t think you should send her away."


    Cain fought the urge to roll his eyes as he stood up straight and turned to start gathering the photos that scattered themselves across the table.


    "Do borate," Cain said.


    Dr. Zosak noted the thinly veiled sarcasm thatced Cain''s voice, but he spoke anyway.


    "I have a bad feeling about all of this," he said.


    Cain turned to look at the doctor, giving him an incredulous re.


    "You''ve just interrupted an executive board meeting dealing with the homicide of a high-ranking official to tell me that you have a bad feeling about a decision I made regarding my private rtionship?" "Don''t go around building straw men just so you can kick them over," Dr. Zosak advised. "You know that this is deeper than that."


    Cain sighed in exasperation.


    "Do you have factual grounding for your feelings?" Cain asked. "I''m not going to alter my well-thought out ns on a gut feeling."


    Dr. Zosak thought for a moment.


    Well-thought out wasn''t exactly the term he would have used.


    "Does it all not seem convenient to you?" he asked Cain.


    "What do you mean?"


    The doctor gestured around him.


    "Think about it," he said. "We''ve never had a soul get past the gates of this castle until the break-in a few weeks ago and now her brother has managed the same feat? You found your mate who happens to be wrapped up in this scandal involving creatures so rare and old that they were thought to be extinct? And it''s all happening within months of each other?"


    Cain narrowed his eyes.


    "You don''t see this as coincidental," he concluded.


    "One thing that happens to cross paths with another would be a coincidence. But all of this merging together so quickly? It seems too unexpected and unlikely to be anything other than intentional." Cain drew in a deep breath.


    "So, what''s your advice?" he asked.


    "Take her with you to India," Dr. Zosak said. "At least that way you''ll be able to keep an eye out for her."


    "I couldn''t take her to India, even if I wanted to," Cain urged. "She can''t even stand, let alone be well enough to travel across continents."


    Dr. Zosak drew in a deep breath.


    "I have an idea."


    "E..."


    The sound of my name split my unconscious mind in half.


    "E, I need you to wake up."


    I opened my eyes to see Dr. Zosak standing over me.


    "We need you awake for this," he told me.


    I felt the bed begin to tilt upwards, a mechanical whirring noise filling the room as it did so.


    Turning to my right, I saw Zak as he helped me sit up straight.


    "What''s happening?" I asked.


    "We''re going to test a theory," Dr. Zosak said.


    I looked over to see him standing beside a cart that had been pushed beside the bed. He was unraveling tubing and various other phlebotomist tools. "What are you going to do?"


    "Your brother''s blood type isn''t a match for you," Dr. Zosak said. "We can''t transfuse his blood with yours."


    "So, who else are you going to try and match me with?" I asked.


    Dr. Zosak looked up from his tools and made unflinching eye contact with me.


    "You."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Me?"


    Just as I said this, Cain entered the room.


    "He drank your blood," Dr. Zosak said. "All we have to do is put it back in you."


    I looked from Cain to the doctor, and back to Cain.


    "You''re joking."


    Cain shook his head.


    "My body doesn''t produce its own blood; it only filters the blood that I ingest."


    I looked at him incredulously.


    "There''s a science behind it, E. We wouldn''t be doing this if it wasn''t safe," Dr. Zosak exined.


    He grabbed a new IV line and began to approach me.


    "Well you better exin it to me or you''re not going to touch me," I said, pulling away from him.


    Dr. Zosak sighed.


    "When a foreign substance, known as an antigen, enters your body, it induces an immune response, which produces antibodies. When Cain drinks blood, his body produces these antibodies and the blood is purified for his body to use, meaning protein and iron levels are normalized and cholesterol is leveled-out. If we put this purified blood back into your body, your immune system isn''t as likely to attack it because it''s your blood type."


    At this point I began to feel dizzy again. I wished I hadn''t asked, having rather been uninformed than light-headed.


    "Wait," I said suddenly. "Isn''t that how you turn someone into a Vampire? By draining all of their blood and recing it with a Vampire''s blood?"


    Cain gave me a baffled look.


    "I did research," I said sheepishly.


    "I''m not sure what Brad Pitt movie you pulled that idea from," he said, "but Vampirism is a disease that enters the body like a virus; mostmonly through bodily fluids entering open wounds." "Like saliva," Dr. Zosak added.


    "So why didn''t I turn whenever Cain bit me?" I asked.


    "Because I wasn''t trying to," he answered frankly.

 Chapter Twenty - Bad Veins and Lipstick Stains-2

    "The virus secretion is triggered by a hormone release in the brain," Dr. Zosak said. "Once the virus is in someone''s system, it takes over. More often than not, the turning process is very quick. It happens in a matter of minutes. asionally, the process is interrupted one way or another and we can help intervene. It helps reverse these effects to provide the victim with clean, fresh blood-which is what we are trying to do with you."


    "Which is why it''s imperative that you listen to us and let us do the blood transfusion," Cain said.


    I drew in a breath to protest further but Cain stopped me.


    "E, we don''t have the time to fight with you about this."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why? What happened?"


    "I''ll exin it to youter," Cain said. "Right now, I need you to just trust me."


    Trust you? That''s a rich requesting from you, I thought.


    Zak''s hand came to rest on my shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly. I looked at him and he gave me a firm nod.


    I assumed they had informed him of what was going on somehow. Zak wasn''t the type to be talked into things easily. If he was okay with this, I knew I would be fine. "Fine," I said. "This better work."


    The look on the doctor''s face was one of hope rather than certainty, making me all the more nervous.


    He waved Cain over, who pulled up a chair beside the bed. He sat down andid his arm down next to mine.


    Even though his arm wasn''t touching mine, I could almost feel the heat radiating off of him. It made shivers shoot down up my spine.


    Dr. Zosak worked quickly to insert an IV into Cain''s arm and connect it to the one that was running up to mine.


    I watched as the blood in the tube darted from his body, up to the bag that was connected to my IV line. It trickled down the tube that was attached to me and into the needle that was taped to the dorsal side of my hand. "Alright," Dr. Zosak said as he finished. "This should only take about forty-five minutes to an hour."


    He pulled off his gloves and threw them into the trashcan beside a sink in the corner.


    Zak sat on the side of the bed and sighed.


    ''I''m leaving,'' he signed.


    I sat up a little straighter.


    ''What? Why?''


    ''I have to go back to D.C.,'' he signed. ''They need me at work.''


    I looked between him and Cain.


    ''Is he letting you leave?''


    Zak nodded.


    ''Am Iing with you?'' I asked him.


    He shook his head.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    ''I thought we were leaving?'' I signed.


    Zak sighed.


    ''He''ll exinter,'' he said, gesturing towards Cain.


    I huffed.


    I was sick and tired of being in the dark about everything.


    Zak threw up the sign for ''I love you'' as he stood up from the bed. I returned it reluctantly before watching him walk out of the room.


    It was hard watching him leave.


    I had to remind myself that he was a grown man, the same as I was a grown woman. I couldn''t stop him from leaving anymore than he could have stopped me when I left.


    It did seem a bit convenient though, that he was leaving almost as soon as he arrived.


    Dr. Zosak cleared his throat, breaking my thoughts.


    "I''m going to grab a bite to eat, anyone want anything?" Dr. Zosak asked.


    Cain and I both shook our heads.


    "Bring her back something," Cain said.


    Dr. Zosak nodded as I began to protest.


    "I''m not hungry," I said.


    But no one acknowledged my words and the doctor left the room.


    I huffed as the door closed.


    "You need to eat," Cain said, staring at the wall behind me.


    "I''m not sure why you care so much," I said.


    Cain closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.


    When he didn''t open them, I sighed.


    "Care to exin to me what this is all about?" I asked. "What happened to make youe back? And why are you in such a hurry?"


    He didn''t answer me, remaining perfectly still with his eyes closed.


    "Hello?" I asked.


    "I''m trying to concentrate," he said, his eyes still shut.


    "On what?" I asked. "Trying to ignore me?"


    "Trying to ignore the three pints of blood that are exiting my body."


    Oh.


    I looked down at the IV again.


    It never urred to me that it might have been just as miserable to him, especially given his condition.


    In a bold move, I reached over and grabbed his hand.


    "Thanks."


    He hesitated.


    "Don''t thank me. The only reason you''re in this situation is because of me."


    I drew in a deep breath, trying to calm my heart that raced partially because his fingers began to trace the skin on the back of my hand and partially because of how angry hisment made me.


    "I told you before," I said. "It''s not your fault. I''m the one who stuck my wrist in front of your face. I made a decision and I''m dealing with the consequences of it."


    "I hurt you, E," he said. "That makes this my fault and my problem."


    I huffed.


    "You can retire from your position as general manager of the universe," I told him. "Not everything is a problem that you can solve."


    He finally opened his eyes and looked at me.


    I expected him to look sad, but there was a certain fire burning behind his eyes.


    "You have no idea," he said.


    "Well please enlighten me," I quipped. "We''re not going anywhere anytime soon."


    I lifted my arm and gestured to the tubes connecting us.


    "This isn''t what you think it is," he said.


    I looked at him, waiting for the answer he was dancing around.


    "Lychanthropes live in packs. They have leaders known as Betas, who answer to me, the Alpha."


    "And..."


    I trailed off, clearly not seeing his point.


    "I''m responsible for nearly twenty million Lycanthropes," He said. "When something goes wrong, I''m the only one who can fix it. Just like with the Beta who just died."


    "A Beta died?" I asked.


    "Killed," he answered.


    "What happened?"


    "Vampire."


    I felt my heart drop.


    "There''s something going on that we haven''t quite figured out yet. We''re trying to figure out why these creatures areing out of hiding after so long. Until then, you''re not going home." My heart leapt in my chest.


    "That''s why we''re in a hurry actually," he said. "I have to go to India."


    "India?!" I asked incredulously. "What''s in India?"


    "The dead Beta," he answered.


    "And you''reing with me to the funeral."

 Chapter Twenty-One - Honor The Dead-1

    "Are the final preparations for the memorial service being made?"


    "They''re beingpleted now, sir."


    He nodded in satisfaction.


    "Will she be there?"


    The young man nodded, the hands that were sped behind his back shook as he did so..


    "Yes, sir, she will be."


    "And he''ll be with her, I presume?"


    "Yes, sir."


    The young man let out a shaky breath.


    "Is that all you need from me, sir?"


    He wove his hand, dismissing the young man.


    "Yes, Zak. That''s all."


    "Ouch!"


    "Sorry, watch your head..."


    I sat down in the plush leather seat rubbing my head.


    "That warning came a little toote," I told Daniel, who was swinging luggage into the overheadpartment above me. "Technically, I gave you one before that," he retorted, closing thepartment.


    "I don''t think shouting ''Four!'' counts," Jai said, shuffling in behind him with his two duffle bags.


    Daniel just shrugged.


    "Knock it off, you two," Cain said, entering the cabin of the ne. "Go help everyone else load the rest of the shit."


    Daniel and Jai immediately straightened up and brushed past Cain to go back out into the cold, misty night air.


    "You need to get some sleep," Cain said. "We''ve got about an eight-hour flight to Mumbai ahead of us."


    "I''m not very tired," I told him, watching as he put his bag in the seat across the aisle from me.


    I felt a slight pang of disappointment watching him n to sit so far away.


    Why doesn''t he want to sit next to me?


    "I don''t bite," I told him.


    "I do," he said, without skipping a beat.


    He looked at me, seemingly astonished that he had said what he did; it was like it had just slipped out.


    I fought backughter.


    "Did that amuse you?" He asked incredulously.


    I snickered, my hand covering my mouth as I tried to keep fromughing.


    "That shouldn''t have been funny," he said, a smile creeping up on his lips.


    "But it was," I said.


    "That''s a twisted sense of humor," he remarked, taking his seat across from me.


    "Seriously?" I asked him. "You''re really going to sit all the way over there?"


    He sighed, his face turning serious.


    "E, we''ve been over this," he said.


    "You said it yourself, we have eight hours of a ne ride to Mumbai. This would be a perfect time to be able to talk about things," I argued.


    "In a cabin full of people?" he asked rhetorically.


    I huffed.


    He''s just making excuses now, I thought.


    We sat in an awkward silence until everyone started to fill in.


    I assumed the private ne that we were on belonged to Cain. He, myself and his group of men and women were the only people on it. It was spacious enough to befortable, but smaller than amercial airliner. The pilot came onboard, dressed in all-ck like everyone else.


    "We''ll be taking off shortly," he informed Cain as the door was closed.


    Daniel and Jai wandered around the cabin of the ne, Daniel still looking for space in the upper storagepartments and Jai looking for somewhere to sit.


    He spotted the empty seat next to me and walked over.


    "This seat taken?" he asked.


    Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Cain look up from the tablet in his hand.


    "Go for it," I told Jai, giving him a reassuring smile.


    "Thanks," he said, taking a seat next to me. "So... have you ever been to Mumbai before?"


    I shook my head, desperately just wanting to be left alone to wallow in my own self-pity and not have to entertain someone with small talk.


    "I think you''ll like it," he told me.


    I could have done a happy dance when I saw him pull out headphones from his backpack.


    I leaned my head against the window and looked out to stare at the lights that glowed along the wing of the ne.


    Cain was putting as much distance between us as he could without pushing me totally away and Zak had left me here alone to deal with it. If there was one thing I couldn''t stand, it was being held at an arm''s length. Cain was going to have to decide between me or what wasfortable and safe. I desperately wanted to make the decision for him, but I knew I couldn''t do that.


    Convincing him that I was the right choice would only lead to resentmentter on if he happed to realize I was the wrong choice. But I didn''t want to be the wrong choice. I wanted to be the only choice. And I think that is what frustrated me. I didn''t want to be the one making the decision for him. I wanted him to be able to make it on his own, to choose me.


    These thoughts terrorized me for the duration of our entire eight-hour flight.


    This made it nearly twenty-four hours since I had gotten any sleep. My grouchy mood was solid, supportive evidence of this.


    "Can I help you with that?" Daniel asked, reaching for the luggage that was in my hands.


    "No," I said, yanking it out of his grip. "I''ve got it."


    The limp that I walked with as I tried to use my right leg as a support for the heavy duffle bag was proof enough that I, in fact, didn''t have it.


    It was clear to all of the six-foot tall, muscr men that watched me struggle.


    I wanted to prove to them that I wasn''t a wimp and I could take care of myself. But the truth of the matter was: I was incredibly weak. I hadn''t eaten after turning down food from Dr. Zosak and neglecting to eat on the ne ride over.


    In addition to the fact that I was extremely low on any kind of nutritional energy, I was also jegged. The four-and-a-half-hour time difference was killing me slowly. All I wanted was a mattress and a nket.

 Chapter Twenty-One - Honor The Dead-2

    As we stepped off the ne, I felt my luggage being taken from my hands.


    I turned, ready to pinch the head off of whoever was trying to take my bag. I stopped short when Cain brushed past me, holding my duffle bag.


    "Just because you''re pissed doesn''t mean you have to be stubborn," he mumbled to me in passing.


    I followed him across the concrete tarmac.


    The re of the sun beating down on the bright concrete made me squint, giving me an instant headache. The warm climate, however, was a wee change.


    I was nearly sweating as we walked over to a group of men who stood waiting for us as the end of the runway.


    "It is a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Sovereign," the man standing in front of everyone else said. "My name is Dinesh, I have been assigned the task of transporting you during your stay here in Mumbai." Dinesh and the men standing behind him all bowed their heads in reverence.


    I turned to give a confused look to Daniel who, when I caught his eye, gave me a subtle wink.


    "If you''ll follow us, please..."


    Dinesh gestured inside arge terminal and I practically pushed past everyone in front of me to get inside. I was sweating standing out on the tarmac. "We''ve set up a secure location for you and your entourage to stay," he informed Cain. "Only myself and very few others know of your presence here." "Let''s keep it that way," Jai interjected.


    We were walking quickly through therge, open building to a group of SUVS that were parked beside an entrance.


    Lining the walls of the terminal were men dressed like soldiers, holding guns that were as tall as me.


    Who could they possibly be protecting? Cain?


    I looked over to Cain and I was reminded of our conversation the previous day where, in a rare moment of vulnerability, he had exined his position and what it meant to the people he was over. It made sense that someone of his ranking and importance would receive a top-of-the-line security detail, but, for some reason, it didn''t strike me as his.


    To me, I saw Cain as someone who would have been more than capable of protecting himself. But maybe that was just what he wanted everyone to think.


    "We''ll need a list of all of the guests that have been invited to the memorial service," Daniel said.


    His professional tone threw me off guard.


    "We''ll also need blueprints of the building and surrounding areas," Jai added.


    "I promise you that our crew has done a phenomenal job of assuring the safety of the Alpha Sovereign and his associates," Dinesh argued.


    His eyes fell on me as he said this.


    "Forgive us for not taking your word for it," Cain said, drawing back his attention.


    If Dinesh was offended by Cain''s bluntness, he didn''t let on, only nodding inpliance.


    "I will have the appropriate documents delivered to you immediately," he said.


    Cain didn''t say another word as he opened the backseat door of the SUV for me to climb into. I climbed into the car, which was already running and, thankfully, sting the air condition. He walked around the car and climbed in on the other side.


    The group of men and women we had with us, including Jai, piled into the other cars. Daniel walked over to open my car door and stopped short when he saw me sitting there.


    "Slide over," Cain told me.


    He hooked a finger around my beltloop and pulled me towards him onto the middle seat.


    Squished between two nearly seven-foot tall men who hadn''t skipped a shoulder day since the second grade wasn''t veryfortable, but the extremely close proximity between myself and Cain made my stomach twist.


    I leaned forward slightly to wedge myself out of the small space, but Cain pulled me back.


    "Buckle up," he said quietly as the car began to move.


    "I can''t," I protested in a low voice. "There isn''t any room."


    Cain sighed and slung his arm around the back of the seat, opening up space for me to lean back against the seat.


    I buckled up, blushing slightly as I did so.


    The way Cain stared at me as I did even the most mundane of things made my head spin.


    "We have about an hour''s drive to your safehouse," Dinesh informed us from the driver''s seat.


    An hour? How big is this city?


    As we began our drive into the city, I realized it wasn''t the square-footage of the city that made reaching our destination such a tedious task. It was the traffic.


    I had never experienced traffic like that in my entire life and I regrly traveled to and from Jacksonville, Florida, which was one of the most popted cities in the United States.


    We sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for what felt like ages. The men who were driving wove their hands in the air vigorously and shouted in Marathi at other drivers and even at pedestrians that were brave enough to try and cross the street between vehicles and the cyclists that wove between cars.


    I felt envious of Cain and Daniel''s vantage points from the window seat.


    The city was bustling with people, despite the heat that was blistering down on them from the early afternoon sun.


    On the left side of the road was a sidewalk lined with peopleing in and out of the shops. On the right, was the ocean.


    "Is that the Arabian sea?" I asked Dinesh.


    "Indeed, it is," he said, seeming surprised that I would ask. "Did you know that the Arabian sea has a dead zone in the Gulf of Oman which ispletely depleted of oxygen and over twice the size of Scond?" "No, I didn''t know that," I told him.


    I kept my eyes on the coastline, watching the people walking along the side of the congested street.


    "What is that?" I asked him, eyeing the monument we were driving up on.


    "Oh that?" he asked. "That''s the Gateway of India. It was built tomemorate the visit of King George the fifth and Queen Mary to Mumbai."


    Dinesh''s eye caught mine in the rearview mirror.


    "Is this your first time in Mumbai?" he asked.


    "Can''t you tell?" Daniel muttered sarcastically.


    I turned and shot him a re just as Cain''s hand came up from behind the seat and smacked him in the back of the head.


    "No need to feel embarrassed," Dinesh assured me. "We take pride in our city, so feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I only hope that we can answer them."


    Despite his assurance, I kept my mouth shut throughout the rest of the car ride.


    I did, however, keep my eyes glued to the life that was being lived outside of the SUV. The vibrancy of colors and patterns mixed with the uniformity of the concrete buildings was not something easily ignored. We drove a while longer until we pulled between an alleyway that dropped down into an underground parking garage.


    We parked in the empty garage as the other SUVs pulled in and parked as well.


    Everyone piled out of the cars and retrieved their luggage from the trunks. We followed Dinesh and his men inside an elevator that didn''t look like much from the outside, but was gold-ted on the inside.


    Is that real? I thought as I poked it with my finger gently.


    Getting out of the elevator, I determined that it probably was.


    The lobby of whatever hotel we were in was set entirely in white quartz. The floors and walls were gleaming as if someone had gotten down on their hands and knees and waxed them. The ceilings were stered with panels of ornate gold mirrors that reflected light off of the monstrous crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the room.


    There was no furniture or windows, the only light offered into the room was by the chandelier. The emptiness of therge dome-ceilinged room meant every step that we took into the room reverberated and echoed.

 Chapter Twenty-One - Honor The Dead-3

    "What is this?" I asked Daniel, keeping my voice as quiet as it could be.


    "This is the reason that they have an annual budget," he answered.


    Daniel wasn''t wrong in guessing that this interior probably cost a lot more than most people make in a year.


    It was strange to me, however, that this room, while ornate, waspletely empty and windowless.


    "Where are we?" I asked him.


    He shrugged.


    "If you''ll follow me," Dinesh said to Cain, "I''ll show you to your suite."


    Everyone began to split up as they were all led in separate directions.


    I looked around in confusion as Daniel and Jai followed a few other people to a door that was on one side of the room and Cain followed Dinesh to another door on the other side of the room. Cain turned around and then looked at me.


    "Are you just going to stand there?" he asked.


    I took a deep breath and picked up my duffle bag from the ground as I followed Cain.


    "I''ll get that for you, ma''am," someone said.


    I turned and watched as a younger man walked over and took my bag from me.


    "Thank you," I said.


    He smiled and nodded, gesturing for me to follow Cain.


    I walked over, catching Cain eyeing the boy who had grabbed my bag.


    We crammed into an elevator, all of us awkwardly packed inside.


    I noticed as the elevator started to move that the numbers on the screen were dropping.


    Were we going farther underground?


    The elevator doors finally slid open, revealing a long hallway with only one set of double doors at the end of it.


    Cain and I exited the elevator, him grabbing my duffle bag from the ground where it had been ced.


    "We''ll have a car here to pick you up for the memorial service in four hours," Dinesh informed Cain. "I''ll have the blueprints and guestlist delivered to your Betas within the hour." With that being said, he pressed a button on the panel inside the elevator and the doors closed.


    This left Cain and I alone in a long hallway.


    He said nothing as he walked to the door and opened it.


    I brushed past him into the room, my eyes immediately finding the giant king-sized bed on the other side of therge room.


    I said nothing as I walked over to it, throwing myself down on the duvet.


    I barely heard Cain close the bedroom door before my eyes had closed.


    Feeling like I had only slept for five short minutes, I was none too thrilled when I woke hearing someone say my name.


    I opened my eyes to see Cain standing beside the bed.


    "We have to leave in thirty minutes," he said. "I thought you might need time to get ready."


    "You''re telling me that I slept for three hours?" I asked him in disbelief.


    "Three and a half if you want to be technical," he answered.


    I huffed as I sat up, feeling like I weighed seven-hundred pounds. I wanted nothing more than to be able toy back down. Reluctantly, I slid off the bed.


    "I don''t have anything to wear," I said, rubbing my eyes.


    "Priya sent something with me for you," he said pointing towards the bathroom.


    I walked over, opening up the bathroom door to see a white kurti hanging on a hook. It was made of linen with an eyelet-pattern, an A-line fit and trumpet sleeves.


    Putting it on, I saw that it fell to slightly past my knees. The white leggings that apanied it were also linen with a lightweight feeling.


    Everything fit perfectly.


    I walked out of the bathroom after putting my unwashed hair into a single French braid to pull it out of my face.


    Cain had changed, now wearing a white tunic- top with jeans.


    "Who wears white to a funeral?" I asked.


    "It''s traditional to wear white to a funeral in Hindu culture," Cain responded, putting on his shoes.


    I picked up the sandals that Priya had sent and strapped them on.


    I needed to remember to thank that girl for saving my life on this trip when we returned.


    Cain ushered me out of the room after we both had finished getting ready.


    Silently, we rode the elevator back up to therge empty room. Everyone was there waiting on us, dressed nearly the same as we were.


    Dinesh lead us back out into the garage and to the SUVs that were waiting.


    "You look cute," Danielmented, being silly.


    I smiled as he opened the door for me to get into the backseat of the car.


    Once we had all loaded in, we left the garage and exited back onto the street, which was now nearly dark.


    It was a long drive to therge white building that we eventually arrived at.


    It was lit up from the outside, illuminating the beautiful indo-saracenic architecture.


    I barely had time to take it all in before we were being ushered out of the car and inside the building.


    The hordes of people who were walking around inside immediately made me want to shrink back into the doorway and back outside to the car.


    Just as I was about to ask how Cain long the event was supposed to take, I saw him.


    He was standing nearly a hundred feet away,pletely still and staring right at me.


    I felt my entire body freeze as the air left my lungs.


    Reaching out, I grabbed Cain''s hand and squeezed it, my eyes still glued on the man in the crowd.


    "What is it?" He asked.


    "He''s here," I whispered.


    Cain looked out into the crowd, trying to find who I was looking at.


    "Who?"


    I swallowed the knot in the back of my throat.


    "My grandfather."

 Chapter Twenty-Two - Living a Lie-1

    My grip on Cain''s hand loosened as I fought for oxygen.


    The weight of shock in seeing my grandfather made me feel like I had an elephant on my chest.


    I felt like I was seeing a ghost.


    Do I run to him? Do I run away?


    My grandfather was supposed to be dead, but there he was.


    After nearly two months of searching, my answers were only about a hundred feet away.


    I began to take a step in his direction, but Cain tugged me back with the hand that still held mine.


    "Don''t," he said as I turned to look at him.


    "But Cain..." I said softly, still somewhat dazed.


    He shook his head slowly, his sharp eyes still trained on my grandfather.


    "Something isn''t right," he said. "You''re not staying here."


    Cain began to pull me away and I tried to resist, turning to look at my grandfather.


    He was gone.


    "Where did he go?"


    My voice was drowned in the sea of conversations that were going on in multiple dialects around us.


    An overwhelming sense of dread began to wash over me as I frantically scanned the crowd for my grandfather, who hadpletely disappeared.


    Cain tugged me through the door we had entered into.


    The SUV we had arrived in was still parked on the curb as Cain opened the car door and all but pushed me inside.


    "Cain!" I shouted in surprise,nding on the seat sideways.


    "Stay here," he said.


    He walked around the car and opened the driver''s door. I hopped over the center console as he pulled the keys from the ignition. He turned to leave as I pressed my foot against the inside of the door to keep it from closing. This caught his attention.


    "You''re not locking me in a hot car," I told him, making a move to try and get out of the SUV.


    "It''s not hot out here," he said, blocking my escape. "You''ll be fine."


    I pushed against the door with my foot again as he tried to close it for a second time.


    "I''m not staying here," I reiterated.


    Cain turned to look at me, leveling his eyes with mine.


    "Do not get out of this car," he said firmly. "Get into the backseat where the windows are tinted and no one can see you."


    He closed the door and I sat there in shock as I heard the doors lock, an action no doubt triggered by the remote that was now in his possession.


    I felt my blood begin to boil as my hands started to shake.


    The nerve he has to lock me inside a car.


    I saw him speaking to the valet before he handed him the car keys. The valet looked at me suspiciously and I decided it was probably best to get into the backseat as Cain had forcefully suggested.


    I climbed over the console again andnded in the center seat with an annoyed sigh.


    Sitting there with my arms crossed like a pouting four-year-old, I filtered the wondering thoughts of my grandfather through the anger that Cain had stirred in me.


    I felt the tension in my arms and shoulders loosen as I breathed a sigh of relief, finally epting that my grandfather wasn''t dead.


    But what was he doing in Mumbai? Why was he at the memorial service? How did he get here? Why would he not tell my family and I that he was alive sooner?


    All of these thoughts ran through my brain on a continual loop as I tried to wrap my mind around the situation.


    My heart was still racing from seeing him. I felt it every time it beat against my ribcage.


    I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against the seat and took several deep breaths, trying to stop my hands from shaking.


    Suddenly, I heard the car doors unlock and I sat up straight to see someone wearing a ck hat open the car door.


    I looked over to see the valet was still standing outside the front door to the building, counting a stack of bills.


    My attention returned to the individual who was now getting into the driver''s seat of the car.


    "Who are you?" I asked, panic beginning to set in.


    He reached up to adjust the rearview mirror and I caught a glimpse of his reflection.


    "Grandpa," I breathed out, feeling my heart stop altogether.


    He winked at me before leaning forward to start the ignition, stepping on the clutch as he did so.


    The look in his eyes told me the same thing they told Cain just a few minutes prior: something wasn''t right.


    I reached over slowly to touch the door handle, trying to be discrete.


    Just as my fingers traced the outline of the lever, the sound of the car door locking echoed through the interior of the SUV. The sound startled me, causing me to gasp and pull my hand back. "You and I need to talk," my grandfather said.


    Having only ever heard him speak in German, I was surprised hearing him speak English. But I knew that this was not going to be like the dinnertime chats we used to have.


    "Why don''t we talk outside the car?" I asked.


    Where everyone can see us, I added mentally.


    "We can''t do that, mein Liebling," he said, calling me his darling.


    I was caught off guard, despite the fact that this term of endearment was a familiar one he''d used since I was very young. Somehow, it just didn''t feel the same.


    "What do you want?" I asked.


    Hearing him throw the transmission into first gear, I leaned forward to unlock the car door manually. My grandfather hit the elerator quickly, causing me to fall back into my seat. My heart stayed in our parking spot as we drove away.


    I felt like I was going to be sick, like this was just a bad nightmare.


    "Listen to me, E," he said, changing gears as the engine revved.


    I looked up at his reflection in the rearview mirror anxiously, meeting his gaze.


    "There are some things you should know."


    "Put the building in a lockdown. No one leaves and no one enters."


    Upon hearing the Alpha''smand, therge wooden doors were closed immediately.


    "I want this building searched from top to bottom," Cain said to Dinesh.


    Dinesh walked away swiftly, giving orders in Marathi through a radio hidden in the hem of his shirt sleeve.


    "Where is the guest list?" Cain asked, pointing to Daniel.


    "I have it," Jai said, producing a clipboard from the bag he had slung around his shoulders.


    "What''s going on?" Daniel asked, rmed by Cain''smand for oundish security measures.


    "We have an uninvited guest in the form of Otto M¨¹ller," Cain said, taking the list from Jai. Daniel went pale.


    "Where''s E?" he asked.


    "Locked in the car," Cain said.


    Jai''s facial expression morphed to one of confusion.


    "You just locked her in the car?" He asked..


    Cain said nothing as his eyes scanned the guest list.


    "You honestly think that he listed himself as Otto M¨¹ller?" Daniel asked in disbelief.


    Certainly, a man smart enough to hide from one of the world''s greatest investigation teams for so long wasn''t stupid enough to leave a paper trail like that, Daniel thought. "No," Cain said. "I''m not looking for his name."


    Daniel and Jai looked at each other in confusion and then turned their attention back to Cain.


    "Who are you looking for?" Jai asked.


    Cain didn''t answer, his focus solely on scanning the list.


    Daniel and Jai stood there for a few moments, awkwardly waiting for Cain to answer the question that loomed in the air between them.


    Dinesh walked hurriedly back into the room.


    "My guards at each station have searched every square inch of this ce. We cannot find Otto M¨¹ller."


    Cain looked up from the list at Dinesh.


    "You''re not looking for M¨¹ller," he said, turning the list around so everyone could see it. "You''re looking for Wilhelm Goebel."


    Daniel''s eyebrows knit together.


    "I thought we were looking for E''s grandfather?"

 Chapter Twenty-Two - Living a Lie-2

    "You are," Cain said. "His name isn''t Otto M¨¹ller."


    "Wait a second..." Jai said, something clicking in his mind. "Wilhelm Goebel was-"


    "The European aid to my father," Cain interrupted. "Until he and his wife were killed by Vampires."


    "Oh my God," Daniel breathed out as Dinesh also muttered a curse under his breath.


    Before Cain could say anything else, two guards pushed their way into the room they were meeting in. Between them, held by his upper arm, was the valet Cain had handed the keys to the SUV to. Cain''s eyes narrowed as the guards threw him to the ground in front of him.


    "Alpha Sovereign, this man gave a man, who matches the deion you gave us, the keys to your car," one of the guards said, bowing his head in reverence.


    Cain felt his jaw clench.


    "Well shit," Daniel said.


    The look my grandfather gave me made the fact that we were speeding through the crowded streets of Mumbai feel like a stroll through Candnd.


    "You were supposed to be dead," I told him, my voice shaking.


    "That isn''t the first lie you''ve been led to believe, E," he said, his teeth gritting together.


    "You mean how you lied about your heart condition?" I asked.


    I made no attempt to hide the passive-aggressive tone in my voice.


    "I am not the man you thought I was," he said. "My entire identity is a convincing fabrication."


    "Then who are you?" I asked.


    "I am your grandfather, that much is true." he told me. "I was a high-ranking official in the Lycanthrope society that you seem to have found yourself entangled in." "You''re one of them?" I asked.


    He nodded, confirming my suspicion.


    "That would exin why I am able to have a mate," I said, thinking out loud.


    "That is what I wish to discuss with you," he told me.


    I looked up to the rearview mirror to meet his gaze once again.


    "You need to leave Cain," he said firmly.


    I looked at him incredulously.


    "The entire reason I met Cain was because of you," I told him. "And how do you know about him anyways? Who told you we were mates?"


    "I don''t have the time to tell you that," he said. "But I do want you to know that I had my reasons for faking my death."


    I let out a sharp breath as he took a steep turn down a less-congested street.


    "The man in your coffin," I said, getting his attention. "Who was he?"


    I saw my grandfather let out a breath.


    "Cain was supposed to be at the funeral," he said. "The man was there to kill Cain."


    "But why would someone want to kill Cain?" I asked.


    Suddenly it dawned on me.


    The man who broke in during the middle of the night...


    I was in Cain''s room when that happened.


    Maybe he was trying to kill Cain all along.


    "Cain has been investigating the deaths of the missing men, including myself, who visited the clinic in Germany," my grandfather said. "He''s getting too close to the answers and they need to stop him before he discovers their ns." "Who''s ns?" I asked. "Who are you talking about?"


    "I''ve risked too much by speaking to you now," he said. "I cannot share anything further. I did note to borate on the circumstances, but only to plead with you to unravel yourself from them."


    I couldn''t help but to look at him like he was crazy.


    "Really?" I asked. "You didn''t think that just popping up out of nowhere would cause more questions?"


    I could tell that he became agitated hearing this.


    "E, you''re missing the point," he said. "I didn''t risk my life and yours too just so I could rify things. I am begging you to go back home and leave while you still can."


    I surprised myself by shaking my head.


    "I''m not going home."


    He said nothing, just kept his eyes on the road.


    A few moments went by before I shook my head.


    "Pull over and let me out," I said.


    I didn''t know where we were or how to get back to where we hade from, but any ce was going to be better than in that car.


    "I''m taking you to the airport," he said.


    "What?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing. "I''m not getting on a ne."


    "Yes, you are," he said firmly. "I knew you wouldn''t listen to me, so I''m making you."


    "You can''t make me do anything," I said resiliently.


    "Please don''t make this more difficult than it has to be, E."


    You can bet your ass that I''m going to make this difficult, I thought.


    "I''m trying to keep you safe," he said. "Something that Cain clearly doesn''t do a great job of."


    I looked out of the window as the stolen car pulled into a driveway that led up to an airne terminal.


    Panicking, I began to toy with the manual lock on the car door. It had sunk down into the door itself with it had been locked from the center console of the car, but I was trying to pry it up with my fingers. After a moment of trying this with no sess, I sat back and began to kick at the window, hoping it would break.


    If I could reach the outside handle, I would be able to open the door that way.


    "E, stop!" my grandfather yelled, reaching his hand back to grab me.


    I slid further away from him, continuing to kick.


    The car came to a screeching halt and he got out of the car.


    In his haste, he left the door open.


    I scrambled to turn around in the seat and I pushed myself over the console to get out through his door. As I did so, my own car door opened and he grabbed my ankle and pulled me backwards with such force that I felt for a moment that my entire foot had been ripped from my body.


    I yelled as a sharp pain shot up the back of my foot.


    "E, stop fighting me!" he pleaded as I tried to pull away.


    In a startling twist, I found myself being overpowered by my eighty-year old grandfather''s surprising strength.


    He pulled me from the car and held me by my upper arms as I kicked and pulled away.


    Basically carrying me across the tarmac towards a jet that was waiting, he walked with a fervor I hadn''t known him to have before.


    I am not getting on that ne, I told myself.


    In onest, desperate attempt to get away, I pushed my feet off the ground and nailed him in the shin with my heels.


    This did nothing.


    Astonished at his resilience, I felt my own begin to wear off.


    He pulled me towards the ne.


    As we got closer, we saw someone exit the ne onto the steps.


    Cain.


    He casually walked down the stairs towards us as my grandfather stopped walking, maintaining his grip on my arms.


    Cain began to p slowly.


    "I have to say," he said, "I am well pleased with your attempts, no matter how pointless they are."


    My grandfather didn''t know what to think or how to respond. Quite frankly, neither did I.


    "How did you find us here?" My grandfather asked.


    "The car is bugged-GPS system, microphone.. It''s funny because, in addition to knowing exactly where you were, we could hear the entire conversation," he said. "You''re going to wish you hadn''t," my grandfather growled.


    Cain''s face turned to stone as he leveled a stare at my grandfather that could kill.


    "You''ve got two seconds to let go of her," he threatened.


    My grandfather''s grip loosened for a moment before it tightened again.


    "I''m not scared of you," he said to Cain.


    Cain''s icy gaze never wavered.


    "You should be."

 Chapter Twenty-Three - Deadly Desire-1

    I watched in a cold sweat as Cain and my grandfather held each other''s re.


    Using the moment of distraction to my advantage, I whipped around and, in one fluid motion, yanked my arm from my grandfather''s grip and swung the other one to p him across the face. He stumbled away in shock and I took several steps backwards until I ran into something hard.


    I turned around to see Cain wink at me.


    "I was wondering how long we were going to have to stand there until you did that," he said sarcastically.


    I shook my hand, which was now stinging from the p.


    Two of Dinesh''s men each ran up and grabbed my grandfather.


    "We can handle this from here," Dinesh said.


    He began to thrash around in their arms. As he did so, my grandfather turned his head to look at one of the men.


    "Would you unhand me?" he said angrily.


    I raised a hand to cover my mouth.


    "Cain," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.


    He leaned in, a look of concern on his face.


    "Look at his neck," I said.


    Cain turned his attention to my grandfather and saw what I was unable to look away from.


    On his neck were two small, circr puncture wounds.


    Bite marks.


    How had I not seen them earlier?


    Cain marched over to my grandfather and grabbed his jaw roughly with one hand, exposing his neck further. "Where? Who? And how long ago?" he asked him.


    "I''m not answering any of your questions," my grandfather said angrily.


    Cain let go of his face and let out a breath.


    "You will."


    None of us spoke a word the entire ride back to the underground safe house that Dinesh had us staying in.


    I rode with Cain, Dinesh, Daniel and Jai. My grandfather was in the second SUV with Dinesh''s men.


    My head leaned against the window as I looked out into the night and watched it pass by me.


    Cain and Dinesh decided that it would be best if we didn''t return to the memorial service, which I felt extremely guilty about. The poor Indian Beta''s family must have felt incredibly disrespected with their loved one''s funeral turning into a manhunt.


    I still couldn''t understand why my grandfather was there and how he knew I would be also.


    Additionally, the sight of those bite marks on his neck made my skin crawl.


    The questions Cain has asked him were spinning around in my head.


    How long ago had he been bitten? Was it recent? Had he just been bitten or had he been turned as well? Was that why he wasn''t dead?


    I rubbed my eyes, trying to relieve some of the pressure that was causing a headache.


    As we pulled into the alleyway that dropped into the underground parking area, I sat up straight and sighed.


    I was ready to be done living in this nightmare, but I was afraid of falling asleep. I was tired, but I couldn''t close my eyes without the vision of my grandfather and the questions I had tormenting me. Cain got out of the car and opened my car door for me.


    I gave him a weak smile as I unbuckled and jumped out as well.


    A sharp pain shot through my ankle as Inded on the concrete and I immediately let out a yelp in pain and fell to my knees.


    Before I could hit the ground, however, Cain had me lifted back into the air with one hand around my torso.


    "I''m fine," I assured him, despite the throbbing I felt in my foot.


    Cain did nothing but roll his eyes.


    "I''m serious," I told him. "I''m sick and tired of being the damsel in distress. Please just let me walk."


    Once again, Cain said nothing. But, he lowered my feet down onto the ground cautiously and allowed me to catch my footing before he let go.


    I instantly wished he hadn''t let go, I began to mourn the loss of his strong arms around me as soon as he did.


    Keeping one hand on my back, Cain helped me stagger and limp around the car.


    I gritted my teeth, cursing at the pain in my ankle and foot that wouldn''t go away.


    My ankle better not be broken, I thought.


    "What happened?" Daniel asked, eyeing my foot.


    "Nothing," I said. "I''m fine."


    At this point, both Jai and Dinesh had turned their attention to me as well.


    "I can get a doctor here immediately," Dinesh offered.


    I couldn''t help the pleading look that crossed my face as I turned to Cain.


    I couldn''t bear the thought of someone else''s focus on me that night. I wanted to disappear.


    Cain must have seen the desperation in my eyes because he shook his head.


    "It''s been a long night," he said. "We can get someone here to look at it in the morning." Dinesh nodded with slight hesitation, still eyeing my limp foot.


    With Cain''s help, I followed everyone inside as we escorted ourselves to the elevator.


    I looked around and couldn''t see my grandfather. Then again, I couldn''t remember the SUV that he was in ever pulling into the parking garage behind us.


    The sharp ding of the elevator startled me out of my thoughts. The doors opened and Cain and I walked out into the hallway towards our shared suite.


    I could have cried at the sight of the bed whenever we walked inside the bedroom. But, as much as I wanted toy down and never get back up, I needed to shower. I felt disgusting.


    "I''m going to shower," I said, pulling myself away from Cain.


    "Are you-"


    "I''ll be fine," I said, cutting him off.


    He gave me a wary look as he let go of me and watched me hobble towards the bathroom.


    Managing to shower while only standing on one foot proved more difficult than I initially thought. I was able to pull it together and get clean, but not without feeling like a half-dead mingo by the end of it.


    It was amazing to be able to wash my hair and body after being in a hospital bed and on a ne for so long. I felt somewhat renewed as I stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel to dry off.


    I wrapped the towel around myself, bracing for the look I knew I would get as soon as I stepped foot outside the bathroom.


    In my drowsy, disorientated state, it never urred to me to grab something to change into before I went into the bathroom to shower.


    I opened the bathroom door and took a deep breath before limping slowly into the bedroom towards my suitcase to get pajamas.


    Cain was pacing near the back of the room, holding the open file folder that he was reading in his hand.


    He looked up at me as I pulled my suitcase up onto the bed, keeping a firm grip on my towel to make sure I didn''t sh him.


    "Need some help?" He asked, watching me struggle to unzip the suitcase with one hand.


    He began to walk over as I shook my head, despite the fact that I was still very much struggling to get the luggage open.


    Cain sighed before reaching over me to unzip the suitcase.


    "Thank you," I said as he opened it.


    He leaned against the bed, crossing his arms as he watched me dig around for something to put on.


    I found a pair of underwear and a top and pants to change into. I turned to go back to the bathroom before grimacing at how far it was from the bed.


    I didn''t think my foot would make it another fifteen steps.


    I looked from the bathroom to Cain.


    "Turn around," I told him.


    He rolled his eyes before doing as he was told.


    I dropped the towel before throwing the t-shirt over my head. I then reached for the panties and carefully slid those on.


    Finally, I grabbed the pants.


    These, however, presented a problem.


    With my ankle not being able to support my body weight, I found it difficult to bnce on one foot for a short period of time to put on the pants as I had done with the underwear. Nheless, I tried my hardest.


    It wasn''t until my foot got caught that I found myself being thrown off bnce and Inded hard on my butt.


    I let out a huff before taking the pants offpletely and slinging them from my spot on the floor.


    They flew past Cain, who turned around with a raised eyebrow.


    "Having a little trouble?" He asked.


    "I''m doing just fine," I said sarcastically.

 Chapter Twenty-Three - Deadly Desire-2

    He looked at me sideways, amusement dancing in his eyes.


    "Do you need help getting off the floor? Or are you capable of doing that yourself too?" Cain asked.


    I sighed before holding out my hands.


    He bent down and pulled me up gently.


    As soon as I was on my feet, my ankle gave out again and I found myself falling forward into Cain''s chest.


    He caught me all too willingly, wrapping his arms around my shoulders in what felt more like an intimate embrace than a supporting catch.


    "You really should have had someone look at that foot," he said in a low voice.


    I sighed.


    "I''m sick of being the center of attention," I admitted.


    "And you thought thating out here in a towel and falling all over me was the best way to go unnoticed?" He asked, pushing a piece of hair from my face. My cheeks began to burn, partly because of the intense look he gave me.


    I began to back away, but Cain had other ns.


    His arm wrapped around my waist tighter before he pulled me flush against his chest.


    "Don''t back away from me," he said.


    "I was just backing away before you could," I snapped.


    If he was hurt by this passive-aggressive dig, he didn''t let on.


    "I won''t," he whispered, "not this time."


    He leaned in to kiss me.


    I could barely feel it when his lips touched mine. The touch of his lips was light, almost nonexistent. Nheless, it sent sparks dancing across my lips.


    I couldn''t tell if his gentleness was a sign of apprehension or hesitation, so I made no move to kiss him back.


    This day had been horrible enough without it ending on a rejection note.


    I opened my eyes to look at him as he pulled away.


    We exchanged nces only for a moment before he moved one hand to rest at the nape of my neck and pulled me closer to him with the hand that was still pressed against my lower back. He bent his head back down, this time his lips pressed against mine with such need and passion it made me weak in both legs.


    He bent down, ced his hands underneath my thighs and lifted me up.


    My fingers in his hair and my heart in my throat, I waspletely consumed by the kiss.


    He ced me down to sit on the bed and his hands slid up my back, underneath my shirt.


    The fire that erupted across the skin that his fingers skimmed over made me gasp. Cain took the opportunity to slip his tongue between my teeth.


    My heart was racing at the taste of his kiss.


    I found my own hands falling from his head to grip the back of his shirt, giving it a slight tug.


    Cain took the hint and pulled away from the kiss to pull the shirt over his head.


    At the sight of his bare chest, I almost didn''t notice the way his eyes had grown dark. The veins under his eyes were on full disy, spreading out like a road map on his skin. Cain crawled up onto the bed in front of me, his handsing to rest on theforter beside my waist.


    His lipsnded on mine again and my eyes fluttered shut.


    The force of the kiss pushed me back on the bed and I found myself under Cain, my legs wrapping themselves around his torso.


    One hand was on his tricep and the other was behind his neck as his lips left mine and trailed down, leaving wet kisses along my jawline.


    I gasped as his lips made their way down my neck, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach.


    His hands were pushing their way up my t-shirt when I felt it: a slight prick against my neck.


    Realizing what I felt was his elongated fangs against my skin was all it took for my body to instinctually freeze up.


    Cain pulled himself away from me quickly when he realized what had happened.


    "Fuck."


    He backed off of me, holding a hand against his mouth.


    I sat up and brushed my hair from my face, watching him turn to face the wall.


    "Cain..."


    I nearly jumped out of my skin when he punched the wall.


    I cringed hearing the sickening sound of a crack. I jumped off the bed, hobbled over to him and grabbed his hand, thinking he had shattered every bone in it.


    Cain stretched out his perfectly straight fingers in my hand and I sighed in relief.


    Looking up at the wall, I saw the way he had pounded through the drywall and cracked the stone that was behind it.


    I gulped, noticing the damage done to the wall didn''t match his woundless knuckles.


    When I turned to Cain, he refused to look at me.


    I watched as he gathered his t-shirt from the floor and began to walk away.


    "Where are you going?" I asked, following after him.


    "I''m not staying in here," he said sharply.


    "You can''t just leave me in here by myself," I said.


    He turned to me, allowing me to see his protruding fangs and dark, expanded pupils.


    "You''d rather stay in here with me than by yourself?" He asked.


    His tone of voice suggested that he assumed the answer to his question was obvious. "Yes," I said with confidence.


    I saw the twitch of confusion on his face as the skin between his eyebrows creased.


    "I would rather stay in a new, unfamiliar ce with the man who has proven he is capable of protecting me than by myself who is an ident-prone klutz whose life is falling apart," I continued. He gave me a hard look.


    "I''m more than capable of protecting you from many things but myself isn''t one of them."


    "Why don''t you let me be the judge of that?" I asked.


    Cain sighed.


    "E, if I stay in here, something will happen that we will both regret."


    I narrowed my eyes at him.


    "Speak for yourself."


    Cain said nothing as he turned to leave.


    "When was thest time you had sex?" I asked boldly.


    He stopped in his tracks hearing this.


    When he didn''t answer me, I crossed my arms.


    "I''m waiting for an answer..."


    I saw the muscles in his back tighten as his fist clenched.


    A few more moments went by before he spoke.


    "Four days before I met you," he said.


    "So you have had sex before?" I asked.


    Cain turned to look at me.


    "Yes, E."


    "I''m just wondering why on earth you have such a hard time getting to that point with me, despite the fact that you''ve gotten there with other women," I said, wanting rification. I saw a sh of anger in Cain''s eyes before he stormed back over to me.


    In a move I didn''t seeing, he grabbed my hand and ced it over the bulge in his jeans.


    With his other hand, he grabbed me by my upper arm and pulled me in close to him.


    "The only problem I would have screwing you would be knowing when to stop," he said.


    The evidence of his arousal under my left hand proved his words.


    "So?" I asked. "Why won''t you?"


    He hesitated before I saw his face harden.


    "Every woman I''ve had sex with has ended up dead at the end of the ordeal. So if you''re okay with the life being drained out of you while I''m inside you, we can make that happen." I felt my jaw go ck at the idea.


    "Go to hell," I said, backing away from him.


    Cain let go of me, his hand releasing mine. "Sweetheart, I''m already there."

 Chapter Twenty-Four - Consiousness-1

    Rain poured down on the grassy ins that stretched on for miles outside the window.


    Lightning shed across the sky, followed closely by a crack of thunder.


    The sound of the heavy rain pattering against the ss panels of the windowpeted with the cracking of logs that burned in the hearth of therge stone firece. The gloomy evening did nothing to lighten the moods of those in the castle as they observed the storm.


    "Where are we in implementing n B?" the man asked in annoyance.


    As he spoke, his attention turned away from the window to the man who entered his study.


    The subordinate came to stand in front of him, shaking in fear.


    "The teams have been dispatched, sir. They are required to check in with us once they have reached their destinations, before theyplete the task."


    He drew in a deep breath.


    "Have we found the ne yet?"


    The young man stumbled over his words as he tried to answer the question.


    "Not exactly, sir. We have the coordinates for the terminal theynded in but we haven''t heard from our agent on the ground who was supposed to confirm them." His eyes narrowed.


    "Well, we better have that done soon. I have a feeling that they won''t be in India for very long after tonight."


    Cain left the room shortly after our argument, receiving no protest from me as he did so.


    I was so angry that I didn''t care if I ever saw him again.


    Why was he always so blunt with everything?


    He wasn''t just simply telling the truth inly because he didn''t feel the need to sugarcoat it.


    That I could handle.


    What Cain was doing was trying to intentionally drive me away with hurtful words and actions and he did so under the guise of honesty.


    That''s what angered me.


    Frustrating me further was the fact that I was in no way prepared to face the truth.


    I was asking questions that I didn''t want to know the answers to. I wouldn''t have liked any answer that Cain had given me.


    It didn''t matter that Cain couldn''tmunicate the truth if I couldn''t ept it.


    Entertaining the thoughts running through my mind that night as Iid in bed made me wonder if the concussion I had sustained had messed with my ability to reason.


    I was having a harder time focusing on anything other than Cain and my mood swings made me feel like a sophomore in high school again.


    Further proving my point, there I wasying in bed that night absolutely exhausted. Yet Iid there contemting a rtionship I had known was doomed since the first time Cain kissed me.


    Part of me, albeit the irrational part, wanted to defy the odds. It wanted to mend the bond with Cain and do all that I could to rehabilitate it and foster it into a healthy rtionship. But that was where the psychology training in me raised the red gs.


    A healthy rtionship is mutually beneficial, so it should receive mutual effort and care.


    The curveball life had thrown me with my grandfather''s feigned death was hard enough to deal with without the addition of bearing the entire burden of a prospective rtionship. I couldn''t be anyone else''s conscience.


    If Cain did the right thing, it wasn''t going to be because I convinced him to do it.


    He was a grown man and if he wanted a rtionship, it was his job to go out and get it¡ªnot mine to bring it to him.


    As Iid in bed, I begged for my brain to turn off for a few hours so I could get the rest I desperately needed.


    Deciding I was just going toy there as long as it took until I fell asleep, I closed my eyes to count sheep.


    I did this until I felt myself slowly start to sumb to my drowsiness.


    As I neared the very edge of consciousness, I heard a creaking sound that yanked me into attention so quickly I got dizzy.


    I sat up on my elbows and turned my attention to the bedroom door, expecting it to be Cain walking in from the hallway.


    My heart began to pound as I realized the sound wasn''ting from the door.


    The sound of prolonged creaking echoed around the room again, prompting me to sit uppletely.


    I sat there for the longest few seconds of my life, trying to determine exactly where the sound wasing from.


    The sound of blood rushing through my head made me feel like someone was screaming in my face, despite the fact that the room had beenpletely immersed into a dead silence.


    With trembling hands I pushed back the covers silently, even though I wanted nothing more than to crawl back under them and pretend I wasn''t there.


    I slowly ced one foot on the floor, trying my hardest to bepletely quiet.


    After about twenty seconds of slow and deliberate movements, my body waspletely off the bed and I began to walk over towards the other side of the room where the living suite was.


    The only problem was: the room waspletely dark. There were no windows because we were underground, which meant there was zero visibility when the lights were off.


    I held my hands out in front of me, still unfamiliar with the room. I was guided by a very vague memory of the bedroomyout.


    Suddenly, a loud sound like the mming of a door sent me into a full dash towards where I thought the bedroom door was.


    If I could just reach the light switch that was next to it...


    Sharp pain began to shoot up my leg, my ankle starting to throb. It began to give out, but that didn''t slow me down.


    I ran across the room, keeping one hand along the wall to guide me.


    As soon as my fingers touched the light switch, I flipped it.


    I turned to greet the most horrifying thing I''d ever seen.


    It''s leathery, sagging skin was so pale and thin it was almost translucent. The visible veins and arteries added a purple hue that cast shadows on its sunken face. Protruding corbones on its naked chest, sharp cheekbones and elbows added to the malnourished and sickly figure.


    These features were nothing inparison to the two-inch serrated fangs projecting from its mouth. I couldn''t tell if the blood staining them came from its swollen gums or from someone else''s body.


    I stared at them in horror as it grinned.


    "Frightened yet?"


    The air had long since left my lungs, but my horrified expression answered its question sufficiently.


    I could do nothing but stare at what I thought was the angel of death itself.


    My body wouldn''t move, despite my internal screaming at it to do so.


    The creature, who was barely my height, reached a boney hand out to grasp my neck.


    Paralyzed by terror, I stood there helplessly as it wrapped its long fingers around my neck.


    It met my stare with its own pitch-ck beady eyes and leaned in close until I could feel it''s cold breath on my face.


    With a voice that resonated in my mind like nails on a chalkboard, it whispered:


    "You should be."


    It lunged at me with a gaping mouth as the lights flickered off.


    I let out an ear-piercing shriek and raised my hands in front of my face.


    "Yes," it hissed, letting out a chuckle, "summon him for me. I want your dismembered and mangled body to be thest thing he sees."


    I barely registered what it was saying as I fought to get away. Its grip around my neck only tightened as I did so.


    The frailty of its sickly figure was incredibly misleading. The strength with which it choked me was astonishing.


    Just as my body began to go limp, the sound of wood splintering followed by a loud crash echoed through the room.


    A thunderous growl that shook the walls was thest thing I heard before the hand around my neck was ripped away.


    The inch-long talons on the tips of its fingers imbedded themselves into the skin of my neck as they were torn away causing me to scream in pain.

 Chapter Twenty-Four - Consiousness-2

    A sound simr to the squealing of a tormented pig was heard before a sickening crack followed by the sounds of popping and shredding.


    I fell to my knees and wrapped my own hands around my neck. I was shaking violently as I felt the warmth of the blood seeping between my fingers.


    A stampede of footsteps echoed down the hallway through what I perceived to be a now-splintered bedroom door.


    The lights were turned on and I looked up to see Daniel and Jai register the chaotic scene with wide eyes.


    Daniel rushed over to me, pulling his t-shirt over his head as he did so.


    He quickly knelt behind me and pulled me into his chest as he pressed the t-shirt against my wounded neck.


    "It''s okay," he kept repeating.


    It wasn''t until I could actually hear him above the sound of my ringing ears that I realized I was sobbing hysterically.


    "Look," he said pulling the shirt away from my neck. "It''s not bleeding that bad, you''re going to be okay."


    Maybe physically...


    I looked around for the first time and saw blood spatter against the walls and furniture. Entrails and scraps of flesh were scattered around the living suite, apanied by other evidences of dismemberment. Jai was cornering something beside the bed. His hands were stretched out by his sides as he crouched low.


    After what I had been through, I would have thought nothing would have surprised me. I was shocked, however, to see the mounds of ck fur that peaked over Jai''s shoulder.


    He moved to the right, blocking it froming towards Daniel and I, but I caught a glimpse of the creature just before he moved.


    The beast closely resembled a wolf, except for the fact that it was nearly six feet tall and measured roughly three feet from shoulder to shoulder.


    It''s paws alone were the size of my head.


    A low growl, simr to the one I heard just moments earlier, sounded across the room and Jai turned to Daniel and I.


    Jai backed away slowly as I watched, stillying limp in Daniel''s arms.


    The wolf stepped forward, watching me closely.


    As soon as I recognized thosevender eyes, my jaw went ck.


    I couldn''t tear my eyes away as the wolf knelt down, shaking the ground as it did so.


    The wolf began to get smaller, it''s fur melting into bronzed skin as it did so. It''s legs melted into muscr, human limbs and the snout sunk back into its face.


    Cain''s transformation from wolf to human took only a few seconds and I was left stunned by the end of it.


    When he picked himself off the floor, he immediately looked up at me.


    He began to rush over to me, but by this time the roaring of blood in my ears was too loud and I felt my body sumb to the darkness that clouded my vision. His hands on my face were thest thing I remembered.


    "I appreciate all of the physical evidence you left for us to determine who this guy was," Jai said sarcastically.


    Cain looked up from where he sat, crouched next the couch where he hadid E down. He stood up wiping the blood on his hands onto the shorts he had just changed into. "He was barely alive before I could even kill him," Cain said, throwing on a t-shirt.


    Daniel looked at Cain incredulously as he ced his hand over his nose and mouth to mask the smell of the scattered entrails.


    "So he was an old one?" Jai asked, still inspecting therger pieces of flesh.


    "Ancient," Cain said. "At least seven-hundred years old."


    Daniel''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "So clearly they were never extinct," he noted.


    Cain shook his head.


    "He wasn''t feeding regrly. Vampires are immortal if they remain well-nourished. He hadn''t fed in at least a month," he said. Jai looked at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "There''s certainly ample evidence of blood in his veins," he said.


    Cain ran his finger across the blood spatter that was on the wall, coating his finger in the dark red liquid.


    "It''s thin," he said, rubbing it between his fingers. "There''s barely enough here to keep him alive."


    Jai hummed.


    "I''m surprised he had enough self-control to keep her alive as long as he did," he said, thinking aloud.


    "He wasn''t here for her," Cain said.


    Daniel''s eyes went wide.


    "He was here for you," he said.


    Jai rolled his eyes.


    "Thanks for rifying that, Captain Obvious," he said.


    "How did he get in here if you''re the one who broke down the door?" Daniel asked, ignoring Jai. "That''s the only way in and out of here."


    Cain pointed to an open trapdoor in the floorboards in the corner of the room.


    "He tried to run back to it when I got ahold of him," he said.


    The three men stood over the open trapdoor, staring down into a dark abyss.


    "You first," Daniel said, nudging Jai.


    "We don''t have time," Cain said, turning to walk away.


    "I didn''t know we had to be back in Germany by a certain time," Jai said, following him.


    "Who knew we were here?" Cain asked.


    Daniel and Jai looked at each other before turning back to Cain.


    "No one?" Daniel said.


    "So you think this guy crawled out of this hole looking for Narnia?" Jai asked him sarcastically.


    "Narnia was a wardrobe, not a trapdoor, genius," Daniel snapped.


    "Someone told him we were here," Cain said, ignoring them. "There were very few people who knew we were here, so that narrows down the list."


    "Nearly all of the people who knew we were here are here," Jai said.


    "Which is why we have to leave," Cain said. "Tonight."


    "What are you going to do with our men and women here?" Daniel asked.


    "Keep them here," Cain said. "Thest time someone tried to kill me, they tried to do it at the castle. That means it''s likely that it''s one of our men rather than someone here, considering neither Dinesh nor his men know the location of the castle."


    Daniel took a deep breath.


    "Do you want me to have Dinesh get the ne ready?" Jai asked.


    Cain shook his head..


    "No, no one can know that we''ve left. We have cash, I''ll charter a private ne once we get out of Mumbai."


    "And you n on walking out here carrying an unconscious woman who is covered in blood out of an alleyway and just strolling until we reach the city border?" Jai asked him.


    Cain narrowed his eyes.


    "The SUV is still in the garage. We''ll disable the GPS and microphone before we leave. We can head off towards a popted area and hire a cab to take us out of the city. We''ll leave the SUV to be found," he said. Jai nodded.


    "So it''s just the four of us, then?" Daniel asked.


    Cain nodded and turned to look at E, who was sleeping on the couch.


    "I don''t trust anyone who isn''t in this room."

 Chapter Twenty-Five - Breakdown-1

    I woke to the smell of burning pine.


    I was engulfed by therge bed Iid in and the warmth surrounding me from the heavy fleece nket that tucked me in made me want to go back to sleep.


    I was morefortable in that moment than I had ever been in my life.


    But then I remembered that I had almost been killed by a version of Gollum that needed a dentist and an exorcism.


    I could still picture the carnage that was spread across the room from the attack and the putrid copper odor of that creature''s blood would be something that I never forgot.


    I pulled myself up from the bed and sat up slightly to look around.


    The bedroom I was in wasn''t very big, maybe twenty feet from one far corner to the other. Dark wooden paneling covered the walls and ceiling. There was a small stone firece embedded in the wall facing the bed. A stuffed elk''s head hung over the mantle.


    Next to the bed on one side was a wall with a bay window. There were curtains pulled over the windows but I could see the trees outside through a portion where the curtain hadn''t been pulled across far enough.


    On the other wall was a door leading into an en suite and a door that was open, revealing a closet.


    I sat up and threw off the covers, looking down to notice that I had been changed from my t-shirt into a muchrger, much better smelling one. I ced a hand on my hip and was relieved to discover I still had on my underwear, which were nowyered under a pair of oversized boxer briefs.


    As I swung my legs over the side of the bed to get down, I noticed that my ankle was wrapped in a bandage that held itpletely stiff.


    I got down off the bed gently, careful not to put too much weight on my bad foot.


    Bing dizzy as I stood up, I leaned against the bed and took a few seconds to let my body adjust back to being upright.


    Walking into the en suite, I turned on the light and looked into the mirror to see that the scratches around my neck had scabbed over already.


    How long did I sleep?


    Considering I felt like I had woken from the dead, I knew I had slept for much longer than I needed to.


    I left the bathroom and ventured out into a small living room that was attached to a kitchen, both retaining that rustic cabin-look that the bedroom had.


    I was giving the bear rug a funny look when I heard somethinging from outside.


    I walked over to the front door, which was open slightly, and I peeked out.


    Seeing the sun setting over the snow-capped mountains in the distance, I stepped outside to get a better view.


    It was freezing, but I didn''t care. I wrapped my arms around myself and stepped out onto the porch.


    The front of the house looked out over an expansiveke withrge pine trees gathering on its edge. I could see forests that stretched on for miles andrge mountains that rose to their snow-covered peaks in the far distance. The sound of chopping wood pulled me from my daze and I looked over to see Cain standing about twenty feet from the cabin swinging an axe and cutting logs.


    He heard the wooden beams of the porch creak as I walked closer and he turned to look up at me.


    I hugged myself tighter as we made eye contact, suddenly getting chill bumps for an entirely different reason.


    Cain bent down and began to pick up logs he had chopped before tucking them under one arm. With the other hand, he still held the axe.


    I shifted nervously from one foot to the other as he began to walk up to the porch.


    "Good morning," he said, setting the axe down to lean against the porch railing.


    Cain turned around and looked at the setting sun before turning back to me.


    "Or should I say good evening?"


    "Where are we?" I asked.


    "Kashmir," he said, moving around me to walk inside. "You''re looking at Himyan mountains."


    I looked at the mountains in the distance once more before following him inside.


    "How long have we been here?" I asked him, closing the cabin door behind me. "Just over eight hours," he said, stooping down in front of the fire ce.


    He threw the freshly-chopped logs into the dying fire that burned in the hearth.


    I watched as the fire regained strength and the mes began to climb higher against the stone that contained them.


    "How long was I asleep?" I asked.


    Cain stood to his feet and wiped his hands off on his pants before looking at the watch on his wrist.


    "Almost seventeen hours."


    My eyes widened.


    "And you didn''t think to take me to a neurologist or something?" I asked.


    He chuckled before sitting down on the edge of therge leather chair in front of the firece.


    "I knew you were just tired."


    Tired? Maybe. Traumatized? Definitely.


    I looked around and noticed for the first time that it was only the two of us in the small cabin. "Where is everyone?"


    Cain leaned forward and sped his hands together in front of him, cing his elbows on his knees.


    "Jai and Daniel each went into neighboring towns to restock supplies and to send a few letters for me," he answered. "They''ll be back early tomorrow morning."


    So we''ll be alone for the night? I thought. I wonder what argument we''ll get into this time.


    At that moment, I caught a whiff of the delicious smell that wafted across the living room and I turned my attention to the kitchen.


    "What is that?" I asked, beginning to walk over to the stove where something was brewing.


    I pulled the lid off of the pot and saw the beef stew that was being cooked. Almost immediately, my stomach began to growl.


    "Daniel made that before he left," Cain said. "He figured you''d be hungry when you woke up."


    God bless Daniel.


    I opened a few of the cabs looking for bowls before I finally found one.


    "Want some?" I asked Cain, getting them out.


    "No," he answered.


    I turned around to see him standing only a few feet away. I caught him checking me out in an unabashed way and awkwardly turned back around to focus my attention on the contents of the pot. I used adle to pour the stew into my bowl and grabbed a spoon from the utensil drawer.


    There was no seating in the kitchen area so I pulled myself up onto the countertop and took a seat there.


    I picked up the warm bowl and began to blow off the steaming pieces of cooked potato and carrot on my spoon. The sooner it cooled down, the sooner I could eat to my heart''s content. I peered up at Cain from my bowl to catch his gaze on me again.


    I took a bite, against my better judgement, to escape the awkwardness of the silence.


    "There''s something we need to talk about, E," he said.


    I nodded as I tried to keep my eyes from watering. The hot food had scorched my tongue and the roof of my mouth. I knew I wouldn''t be able to taste my food for a week after that. "What I told youst night might have been somewhat misleading," he said, walking around the countertop to stand in front of where I sat.


    I nodded again, unable to speak as I chewed the food which had barely cooled off. I opened my mouth to let out a breath and I knew I probably looked like a dragon blowing smoke. We sat there in awkward silence for a moment as he waited for me to respond.


    "What exactly do you think was misleading?" I asked him, my throat now also burning from swallowing the hot food.


    I took a long sip of water from the ss I had poured before sitting down.


    Cain took the ss from my hands and ced it down next to me on the countertop, seeking my full attention.


    "The part about where I said I''d killed every woman whom I''ve ever slept with," he said.


    "So you didn''t kill them?" I asked.


    He took a deep breath, obviously trying to figure out how to exin himself.


    "I did," he admitted.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Wait," I said, holding a hand up. "What exactly are you trying to rify? It just seems like you''re reiterating what you''ve already said."

 Chapter Twenty-Five - Breakdown-2

    "Remember how I told you that Vampirism is amunicable disease? That it enters the body like a virus through an open wound?" He asked. Suddenly I started to catch on.


    "Does that mean that you can turn someone to a Vampire just by kissing them?" I asked.


    He shook his head.


    "Then what are you trying to say?" I asked.


    He cleared his throat awkwardly before it hit me.


    "Oh my God," I said. "It''s sexually transmitted, isn''t it?"


    He nodded.


    "The virus is known for attacking the reproductive system. It''s chemically castrates men, and it was thought to do the same to women, but we''re not sure anymore." "Your mom," I said. "That''s how she had you. I remember hearing you guys talk about how she wasn''t supposed to have children..."


    He nodded.


    "Your turned those women you had sex with," I said.


    "And killed them before they couldplete the process," he finished.


    "So you don''t want to have sex with me because you don''t want to turn me into a Vampire?" I asked.


    Cain nodded again.


    "I can''t bear the thought of turning you," he said. "You have no idea what the implications of that are and I certainly don''t have it in me to kill you." "Have you tried using protection?" I asked.


    He nodded.


    "I think it works to prevent it from being sexually transmitted, but my mouth inevitably ends up where it''s not supposed to be and I bite, the same way I have with you." I nodded, understanding him in part.


    He walked away as I picked up my bowl of soup again. My stomach growled but I had lost my appetite.


    Why did I feel like the world was working against me?


    I finished my soup and washed the bowl and spoon in the sink.


    Cain had long since disappeared into the bedroom and I decided it was best to give him some space.


    It couldn''t have been easy to exin all of that.


    I grabbed a nket off of the back of the couch and walked outside.


    Wrapping myself up, I sat down on the steps and watched the sun set behind the mountains.


    It wasn''t long before I heard the door open behind me and I turned to see Cain step outside.


    Seeing him shirtless made me want to punch him. I felt as if he was just taunting me, especially given that we had just agreed sex wasn''t a great idea.


    He walked over and sat down beside me on the steps.


    "Aren''t you cold?" He asked, eyeing my bare feet.


    "You''re one to talk."


    Heughed.


    "I''m about to go for a run."


    This grabbed my attention.


    "You''re going to shift again?" I asked.


    He nodded, somewhat sheepishly.


    "I hadn''t shifted in years beforest night," he admitted. "It felt good to release some of the tension that builds up after a while."


    I nodded.


    "Well, you have fun."


    I noticed something on his neck and I leaned over to observe it.


    "Are you sunburnt?" I asked incredulously.


    "I''m not supposed to be in the sun," he said. "It doesn''t exactly melt me the way that it does other Vampires. I think that''s because of my pure-blooded Lycanthrope side, but it still doesn''t feel great when I am out." "Have you tried sunscreen?" I asked.


    Cainughed as he stood up.


    "You''re funny."


    "I was being serious," I insisted.


    He nodded.


    "I know."


    I watched as he walked off of the porch and disappeared into the tree line.


    After a few moments of silence, I decided to go back inside.


    I took a long shower, appreciating how the hot water helped to rx my stiff muscles.


    I couldn''t find my suitcase anywhere in the cabin, so I took another t-shirt of Cain''s to sleep in.


    With nothing else to do, I climbed up onto the bed despite the fact that I wasn''t the least bit tired.


    It wasn''t until I was sitting on the bed, staring at the wall that I realized my final exam for my online ss had been due two days earlier.


    It was then that a feeling ofplete and utter disparity washed over me like a tsunami tide.


    I could do nothing but sob hysterically.


    While I felt silly in the moment for crying over an exam that would mean close to nothing to me in five years time, I knew there was a deeper meaning behind the tears.


    All of the emotions that I had kicked to the side and boarded up to deal withter had finally filled up too much space to be ignored.


    I focused so much on my grandfather and Cain that I forgot to focus on myself.


    I had almost been killed for God''s sake. Twice.


    That wasn''t something to take lightly and I wondered if I had done more damage to myself ignoring the problems than I would have if I had just confronted them.


    If I wasn''t suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after the first attack and the head injury that apanied it, I certainly would be after the previous night''s attack.


    I cried until I had to stop and catch my breath in between hups.


    My shoulders shook and my eyes burned, but somehow I wasn''t running out of the emotional kerosene that fueled the fire.


    Iid down on the bed and crawled under the nket as I felt the weight of the world crushing me.


    After what felt like hours, I heard the front door open and close. Heavy footfalls echoed throughout the cabin and closed in on the bedroom.


    I heard him enter the room and go into the bathroom as I fell silent to feign sleep.


    I heard the shower running for a few minutes as I calmed myself down.


    After hearing the shower turn off, a few moments went by before the bathroom door opened.


    I could feel his presence in front of me as he pulled the covers away from my face.


    I saw Cain''s face soften as he noticed my puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks.


    Sniffling, I turned away from his gaze and rolled over to face the opposite wall.


    Cain walked away and I heard him shuffling around the room for a few moments before the lights were turned off.


    He climbed into the bed behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and shoulders in a protective embrace.


    I found myself rolling over to bury my face into his bare chest, breathing in his scent.


    "Please don''t leave me alone again," I pleaded with him.


    His hand moved up to my head as he pulled me closer to him and nted a kiss on my forehead.


    "I won''t."

 Chapter Twenty-Six - Fast Car-1

    When I woke, Cain''s warm embrace was gone.


    The room was still dark, leading me to believe I hadn''t slept past dawn. This didn''t surprise me due to the fact that I''d slept enough in the past twenty-four hours to get me through the next three days. I sat up in the bed to see that the fire in the firece had burnt out, only glowing embers remaining in the hearth.


    The bedroom door was just barely open as I got out of the bed and wandered over to it, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I did so.


    I opened the door slowly to see the living room was barely illuminated by the hauntingly blue glow of theing dawn.


    My guess was that it wasn''t even five o''clock yet.


    "Surprising to see you up so early."


    I turned to see Cain standing at the counter, one arm crossed over his bare chest and the other raising a stainless steel cup to his lips.


    "Are you though?" I asked, walking over to him. "I think I''ve gotten my fair share of sleep for a while."


    I made my way next to where he stood, reaching for the coffeemaker that sat on the counter.


    "You''re up early too," I noted.


    "I don''t sleep."


    Oh... right.


    I found some coffee grounds and filters in the cab above the coffeemaker and I filled the reservoir with water before adding the filter and coffee.


    I pulled out a coffee mug and went to the refrigerator for cream out of instinct as Cain watched closely. I opened the door to see that it waspletely bare. "Is there sugar?" I asked him.


    He shook his head.


    "There''s nothing here. We had to make a stop on the way here to get the ingredients for the soup. That''s why Daniel went into town for supplies."


    I sighed,ing to the conclusion that ck coffee was better than no coffee. I would just have to drink it slow.


    It finished brewing and I poured it into the mug, relishing in the smell.


    I held the ceramic mug for a few moments as I let it warm my hands.


    "How long are we here for?" I asked.


    Cain finished his drink before answering.


    "I''m making arrangements for you to leave today."


    I felt my heart sink into my stomach as he said this, but I couldn''t find the words to protest.


    "I know I said that I wouldn''t leave you alone again," he started, "but you''re better off away from me and all of this."


    I felt myself let out a long breath as I stared at the coffee mug in my hands, now feeling like it was burning against my palms rather than warming them up. "Where am I going?" I asked him, my voice shaking.


    He peered down into his cup as he spoke.


    "Wherever you''d like to."


    I took a deep breath and sighed.


    "I''m assuming you''re noting with me."


    Cain shook his head.


    "This is how it has to be, E."


    "But, Cain-"


    "Stop."


    He put his cup down and stood in front of me. cing his hands on either side of me on the countertop, Cain left nowhere for my attention to be except on him. "That thing was after me. So was the man who attacked you before that. I''m not going to risk it a third time."


    I gulped as he looked at me with an intense stare.


    "Please don''t make this harder than it has to be. I don''t want you to leave anymore than you want to go, but this is what is best."


    For a moment, as Cain stared at me with those pleadingvender eyes, I tucked away my emotions.


    He was right.


    This was what was best and I had known it all along.


    "You''ve got a bright future, E. I can''t let myself be what dulls it," he said, backing away.


    Cain began to walk away from me before I spoke.


    "Just answer one question for me."


    He turned his head in my direction, giving me his attention.


    "How long have you known that we couldn''t stay together?"


    I saw him take a deep breath before he turned away again.


    "Since I held you while you cried yourself to sleepst night," he said.


    Everything I wanted to say was lodged in my throat, unable to be spoken.


    With a heavy heart, I watched him walk away. He closed the door gently behind him as he left the cabin.


    I couldn''t bring myself to follow after him.


    I spent the rest of the morning alone packing my suitcase, which I found under the bed.


    I changed into my own clothes but packed Cain''s t-shirt away in my luggage. He wouldn''t figure out it was gone until I was, so it didn''t weigh on my conscience to take it. I wanted to take as much of him home with me as I could. I rolled the suitcase into the living room when I heard voices outside.


    The front door opened and Daniel stepped in with two,rge brown paper bags in his arms.


    "It''s okay," he said to me sarcastically. "You can stand right there, I''ve got it."


    He set the bags down on the counter with a huff.


    "I knew you had it in you," I told him.


    Jai walked through the front door, holding another bag.


    "That''s thest of it," he said. "That should hold us over until we leave tonight."


    "Where are you going?" I asked him.


    Daniel looked at me with a smug smile.


    "Wouldn''t you like to know?"


    Jai looked at Daniel warily before he turned to me, his expression remaining stoic.


    "I''m taking you to the airport in a few minutes," he said. "I''ve already bought the ticket."


    I nodded, feeling my stomach twist at the thought.


    Jai reached out and grabbed my suitcase and took it outside with him.


    As he went out, Cain came in.

 Chapter Twenty-Six - Fast Car-2

    We exchanged nces for a moment before Daniel coughed awkwardly.


    "I''m gonna go pretend like Jai needs help," he said walking out the front door quickly.


    It wasn''t until a few seconds had gone by after the door shut that Cain spoke.


    "Do you need anything before you go?"


    I shook my head.


    "Are you sure about this?" I asked, hoping that he was second guessing himself as much as I was.


    To my dismay, Cain nodded.


    "I''m sure."


    When I said nothing, he walked over to where I stood and pulled me into his chest.


    I felt tears brim my eyes as I closed them and sank into the embrace.


    I paid special attention to the rhythm of the rise and fall of his chest with every breath he took, remembering how he smelt and what his touch felt like, gentle but protecting.


    "Don''t let the memory of me keep you from letting someone else love you," he said, his voice just barely above a whisper. "You deserve so much love. I''m only sorry I wasn''t the one who could give it to you." "What do you call this then?" I asked him.


    Cain pulled away and took my face in his hands.


    He sighed as he looked into my eyes.


    "This wasn''t love, E. It was hope."


    I couldn''t muster up the strength to disagree with him as long as his gaze held mine.


    Against the better judgement of any sane individual, I pushed myself up onto my tiptoes and kissed him.


    I took the short moment I had to remember the taste of his lips.


    He pulled away slowly and my eyes opened.


    The blueish hue that had invaded his normallyvender irises surprised me.


    Before I could say anything, the front door opened.


    I turned to see Jai walk in, stopping when he saw Cain and I.


    "It''s time to go," he said.


    I turned back to Cain who nodded.


    "He''s right."


    I felt a sharp pain in my chest as he backed away from me.


    I began to follow Jai out of the front door, turning onest time to look at Cain who followed us out onto the porch.


    "Don''t forget about me," I told him, forcing a smile.


    Cain didn''t return the smile, his expression remaining stoic.


    "I don''t think I''ll be able to."


    His words made the walk to the car that much harder.


    Daniel opened the passenger side door for me and I slid into the car.


    "Check your suitcase whenever you get to the airport," he said in a low voice.


    I nodded as he smiled and gave me a high five.


    "See ya, kid."


    Iughed.


    "Bye, Daniel."


    He closed the car door as Jai got into the driver''s seat and started the car.


    Cain had disappeared from the front porch by the time I had garnered up the courage to look over that way again.


    All I saw was Daniel walking back towards the cabin, waving at us as he did so.


    I waved back before we drove onto a gravel path into the tree line, leaving the cabin behind.


    I kept my gaze outside my window, turned away from Jai so he couldn''t see the tears in my eyes that threatened to fall.


    God, I hate goodbyes.


    Part of me wished that I had never followed those men to the cabin after my grandfather''s funeral. It wished that I had left my nose out of where it didn''t belong and kept my head on straight. I should have never left with Cain. I should have gone home with Zak like I was supposed to.


    Too often in my life, I found myself regretting the moments I stepped outside of the box. This was one of those times.


    I wished I could take back those past few weeks.


    But you would have never met Cain, a voice in the back of my mind reminded me.


    I drew in a deep breath.


    I have to live without him now. What would be the difference in never having met him? I would still be in the same ce I am now, just a little less heartbroken.


    A tear fell from my eyes and I immediately wiped it away.


    "Don''t hate him for this," Jai said.


    I turned to him, feigning confusion.


    "What do you mean?"


    He gave me a side-eyed look before returning his attention to the road.


    "I understand why he did it," I said sighing. "It needed to be done."


    The look on Jai''s face as I said this made me believe he didn''t agree.


    "You don''t think so, do you?" I asked him.


    Jai was silent for a few moments as we pulled out of the forest onto an empty highway.


    "I think the vast majority of rtionships between two people who love each other can be worked out," he said.


    This response wasn''t necessarily an answer to my question.


    "Cain and I didn''t love each other," I reminded him. "I barely knew him."


    "Cain isn''t easy to get to know. He''s barely likable," Jai said. "But you would have found a way eventually."


    I gave Jai a hard look.


    "You don''t know half of the things that stood in the way of a rtionship with him," I said, crossing my arms.


    "I''m assuming you''re referring to the fact that he couldn''t have sex with you," Jai said.


    I turned to him quickly, shocked.


    "I helped him bury the bodies of the women he killed," Jai said. "It wasn''t hard to figure out."


    "You knew about that but you still tried to convince me to stay when I found out what he was," I said, astounded.

 Chapter Twenty-Six - Fast Car-3

    He took a deep breath, keeping his eyes on the road.


    "I''m one of the few people who is convinced he''s more Lycanthrope than Vampire. I always thought you could help bring it out so everyone else could see it."


    I looked back out the window.


    "It doesn''t matter anymore," I whispered.


    Nothing more was said as we drove for a while longer. It wasn''t until we reached the airport that the pit in my stomach deepened.


    It was a small airport, clearly meant to only flight out short distances.


    Jai pulled into the parking lot and got out to help me with my luggage.


    "You''ll fly into New Delhi and from there you''ll be on your way to Dulles International," he said, handing me my ticket.


    I nodded and took the ticket from him.


    "Thank you."


    Jai pulled my luggage behind him as he walked me into the airport. We got up to the security checkpoint and he stopped.


    "This is as far as I can go," he said. "You''ll be good from here?"


    I nodded.


    "I''ve flown by myself before," I said, subtly reminding him that I wasn''t a child.


    He smiled and handed me my suitcase.


    "Good luck with everything, E."


    I took a deep breath and nodded.


    "You too, Jai."


    He shoved his hands in his pockets as I walked away towards the line to go through security.


    After making it through, I turned around and looked behind me.


    Jai was gone.


    I drew in a deep breath.


    It wasn''t long after that that I was boarding the ne. Reminded of what Daniel had told me before I left, I opened my suitcase when I sat down and saw the sheet of paper that had been ced on top of my things. ''In case of emergencies'' was scribbled next to a phone number.


    On the opposite side of the paper was written, ''You''re wee, from Dan''.


    Iughed under my breath before I heard someone clear their throat. Realizing that my suitcase was in the seat of the woman who was supposed to sit next to me, I apologized before standing up to put it into the overhead storage area. I looked back down at the sheet of paper in my hands before shoving it in my jacket pocket.


    The captain came over the speakers and I took a deep breath, feeling the heaviness in my chest return.


    This was going to be a long trip home.


    Inded in D.C. sometime in the early morning.


    I was as jegged as I could be, especially given that Kashmir was around five and a half hours ahead of the east coast.


    Hailing a taxi, I gave the driver the address and he was off.


    Ignoring the monuments that whirled past the cab window, I looked down at the number on the sheet of crinkled paper for the thousandth time. I had long since memorized it.


    The driver knocked me out of my daze, informing me that we had arrived.


    I looked out the window to see the familiar ranch- home and leaned forward to pay him for the drive.


    The cab was gone as soon as I stepped out with my luggage, leaving me standing on the sidewalk of a dark street.


    I walked up to the porch, my suitcase trialing behind me. I lifted up the vinyl cap on top of the porch railing where Zak left his spare key, exactly the same spot it had been hidden in our childhood home.


    I unlocked the front door and walked inside the dark house.


    A light came on in the kitchen as I shut the front door behind me.


    I turned around to see Zak staring at me in shock.


    "What are you doing here?"


    My jaw fell open.


    Did he just speak?


    Now it was my turn to stare in shock.


    "How long have you been able to speak?" I asked, baffled at the sound of his voice.


    I saw him take a few deep breaths.


    "You should not havee," he said, his hands shaking. "Why are you here?"


    My eyebrows furrowed as I still tried to wrap my head around the fact that he was using his voice. My parents never did vocal therapy with him. To my knowledge, he had never learned to speak. Before I could respond, the front door swung open behind me, mming against the wall and scaring me half to death.


    I turned around quickly to see a tall, thin man with the blondest hair I''d ever seen.


    "You must be E," he said extending his hand. "It''s nice to finally meet you."


    I kept my hands by my side, staring at him in confusion as he spoke with a heavy German ent.


    "Who are you?" I asked.


    "Oh! How rude of me," he said, cing a hand over his chest.


    "My name is Dr. Hans Weber."


    I felt the air leave my lungs violently, almost bringing me to my knees.


    "You''re the doctor," I whispered, backing away.


    He smiled, exposing brilliantly white teeth. His sharp, extended canines made my heart palpate.


    "I heard you''ve been looking for me."


    I turned back to face Zak, wondering why this man was standing in his doorway.


    Suddenly, a cloth-covered hand slipped over my face, pinching my nose so I had no option but to take a deep breath through my mouth.


    I pulled at the man''s arms with my hands, wing at his forearm with my nails.


    A sweet, thick aroma entered my lungs and I suddenly found myself fighting for air.


    All strength I had began to dissipate.


    Darkness began to close in on my vision as my ears rang loudly.


    The man let go of me, letting me fall to the ground.


    I couldn''t move my limbs as Iid there, staring up at him as he bent down to look me in the face.


    "Sleep tight, don''t let the dead ones bite."


    Fear was thest thing I remember feeling before I felt nothing at all, slipping from consciousness.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven - All Roads Lead Home-1

    "You lied to us."


    Otto M¨¹ller was on his knees, literally, begging for forgiveness.


    "I don''t know. I swear," he cried.


    "You do know!" The man bellowed, eyes burning.


    Otto M¨¹ller said nothing, his hands trembling in the shackles that held them behind his back.


    "You only had two jobs," he continued. "You were supposed to kill the damn Beta and then kill him."


    Otto''s eyes shot up to re at Zak, who was standing in the corner of the room.


    "You sent him to kill Cain as well and he couldn''t do it either," he said to the man. "Why is he not in chains too?" Zak crossed his arms.


    "Zak was only supposed to gather information," the man snarled. "His attempt at the life of the Alpha Sovereign was unnned and opportunistic. Besides, he was able to track their location, which proved much more helpful in the long run than anything you''ve contributed thus far and he''s delivered the girl after you were unable to."


    Otto M¨¹ller exhaled a shaky breath.


    "I couldn''t kill my own granddaughter," he said.


    "No," the old man agreed, "you couldn''t. So you were going to put her on a ne to send her here for someone else to do it and when that didn''t work, you sent a bloody nightcrawler to do your job for you." "The nightcrawler was supposed to kill Cain, not E."


    The man looked at Otto in bewilderment.


    "You thought that a nightcrawler, who are notorious for being weak and decaying creatures, would be able to kill the strongest being who has ever walked this?"


    When Otto M¨¹ller said nothing in his defense the man scoffed.


    "So give me one good reason to believe that, after all the damage you''ve done, you truly don''t know where they are?"


    Otto M¨¹ller shook his head.


    "I swear I don''t."


    The man sighed, unsatisfied with the answer he was given.


    "We found the tracking device you nted in the girl''s ankle," he told him. "That''s how the nightcrawler knew where to find her, isn''t it?"


    Otto nodded slowly.


    "So in the twenty-three hours after you escaped the Indian Beta''s men, before you came here, you never once looked at the tracking beacon to see where she was?" The man asked. Otto shook his head.


    "Then how did you know to find her here?"


    "That''s what I''m trying to tell you! I didn''t know she was here and I don''t know where she was before she went to D.C."


    The man gave him a smug smile, immediately catching the lie.


    "No one told you she was in D.C."


    He watched as Otto M¨¹ller''s eyes widened, realizing his mistake.


    "You sent the nightcrawler because you knew Cain would kill it before it killed her and you know she was in D.C. because you were watching her to make sure she hadn''t died in the attack." When Otto M¨¹ller said nothing, the man sighed.


    "I''m tired of your feigned alliance," he said. "You remain loyal to your family and no one else."


    He turned to Zak, who began to walk forward.


    "Let''s see how loyal they are to you."


    The man popped open his pocket knife and made a small incision in Otto M¨¹ller''s neck, shallow enough to do very little damage but deep enough to release the scent of his blood. Otto M¨¹ller watched in horror, immediately forgetting the pain of the wound, as his grandson caught the scent and his pupils began to dte.


    "Bon app¨¦tit," the man said to Zak before leaving the two of them alone in the room.


    News of the Chinese Beta''s death arrived at the cabin with Jai.


    Although he anticipated Cain would be angry with him for withholding such pertinent information, Jai refrained from telling him until he got back from the airport.


    He knew Cain would use the exigency of the circumstances to dy sending E away. Jai knew this because it was exactly what Cain had done after the death of the Indian Beta.


    As much as Jai believed Cain was doing the wrong thing by sending E away, he wasn''t going to manipte their decisions with strategically revealed information just so the two of them could continue to pretend they didn''t know right from wrong.


    Besides, the investigations of the deaths of two high-ranking officials weren''t exactly conducive to the type of environment that mended and fostered healthy rtionships.


    He wasn''t going to y puppeteer, Cain would realize his mistake sooner orter.


    They left Kashmir in a rush, as Jai had expected them to.


    The ne ride to Beijing gave all three men ample amounts of thinking time since none of them were on speaking terms after Cain reacted to Jai''s intentional nondisclosure with an explosive temper.


    Daniel, who didn''t want to be caught in the middle of the feud, already missed E''s presence as she had a way of lightening the mood.


    He, however, knew it was best that she left.


    Dealing with Cain wasn''t easy, something he had learned very quickly.


    The moments of sadness she would feel after leaving wouldn''te close to the years of suffering she would endure if she had stayed.


    Cain was a one-man show and he always had been.


    Daniel was his Beta for God''s sake and he was nothing more than a glorified chauffeur and errand boy.


    If they were to have a Luna, he knew she would be nothing more than an essory, ornamental at best.


    With Cain''s inability to trust, he would never allow her to take on a diplomatic role like a Luna should hold.


    Daniel desperately wanted Cain to feel love, but he also wanted that for E.


    The three of them remained silent as theynded in China under the cover of night.


    They were taken to the Beta''s facility by an escort of several military-grade vehicles.


    In the back of his mind, Daniel was more intrigued than he was saddened by the news of the Chinese Beta''s death.


    The Beta was part of an ancestry of Chinese royalty that stretched back as far as anyone could remember.


    When Cain acquired Asia he allowed for the sitting Alpha Superior, Zhao Chen, to take a Beta position under the condition that Asia would be split into four separate sovereignties under Cain''s leadership. Chen reluctantly agreed, not wishing for his family''s legacy to end in defeat, and was given the


    Now Zhao was dead, along with the Indian Beta, who was the leader of the Southern Asian region.


    Daniel''s curiosity stemmed mainly from the discretion that Zhao Chen had always kept when in power.


    He always arrived at meetings alone and was very private when it came to disclosing his personal life.


    No one knew if he had a mate or a family.


    Daniel knew that Cain never seemed to have a problem with Zhao''s inclination towards secrecy, but it certainly wasn''t a breeding ground for trust.


    This was Daniel and Jai''s first trip to the facilities of the Eastern Asian region and they were interested to see exactly what went on there.


    As they pulled up to arge iron fence, the driver made a call and the gate opened.

 Chapter Twenty-Seven - All Roads Lead Home-2

    They went through four more of those security checkpoints before reaching a long driveway that stretched out to arge Ming era-inspired mansion. Four pavilions branched off from the main building, each of them topped by a balcony that allowed the security inside to patrol from higher vantage point. Daniel knew he was being watched sharply as they exited the vehicle and began the hike up to the front door, which sat at the top of a seventy-foot staircase. He managed to shoot a look at Jai, who seemed just as surprised by the heavy security as he was.


    Daniel noticed that Cain waspletely calm and followed their guide as if he had walked up those steps several times before. He seemed as if he were bored by the theatrics.


    Therge front door turned out to be a gate that opened to a courtyard.


    Their guide left them in the courtyard and returned to the vehicles, instructing guards to shut the gates behind him.


    This left Cain, Jai and Daniel alone in the courtyard, watched by guards who stood up at the top of the fifty-foot stone wall. "They''re certainly security conscious," Jai noted under his breath.


    "Paranoid," was the response Cain gave.


    A man stepped out from the house that sat in front of them.


    "We are thankful for your prompt arrival, Alpha Sovereign," he said.


    Cain bowed his head as the man did the same.


    "My name is Zhang," he said. "I was the assistant to the Beta before his passing."


    "Have you begun the investigation?" Cain asked him.


    "No," Zhang sighed.


    Daniel and Jai looked at each other briefly in confusion.


    "The scene of death has been preserved for you," Zhang said. "It is traditional for us to avoid the touching of a mutted body as it is a bad omen."


    "So take us to it," Cain said.


    Zhang held out his hands to stop them from walking forward.


    "The family has asked that you allow time for them to grieve."


    Cain''s eyebrows creased.


    "You rushed us down here to wait?" He asked.


    "The body is still fresh and the scene has been well preserved," Zhang assured him. "The family is breaking tradition in many ways by allowing you here to investigate. They ask that you pay your respects by allowing only a few more hours for them to grieve."


    Cain exhaled and nodded.


    "There is something you should know before we continue," Zhang said.


    The three men waited for him to continue.


    "Zhao''s only son was also killed in the attack."


    Cain let out an angry breath.


    "How old?"


    Zhang looked at Cain somberly.


    "Seven."


    The three men took a moment to digest the news.


    Suddenly Daniel wasn''t so sure a few more hours would suffice the amount of grieving the family had to do.


    "I''ll show you to your rooms," Zhang said. "You can begin your investigation at dawn."


    The three men followed him without protest.


    After a few minutes of walking through winding, dimly lit hallways they arrived at a staircase that led them up to an apartment- living space.


    "This is where you will stay for your time here," Zhang said. "Please make yourselffortable."


    He left the three men and went back downstairs.


    They remained silent until they heard the door shut.


    "This was an inside job," Jai noted. "It had to be."


    "Why do you think so?" Daniel asked, unsure.


    "Did you see the security outside? No one got past all of those men and into the housepletely unnoticed. Besides, I think whoever did it was Chinese." Daniel''s eyes furrowed in confusion.


    "How can you tell that already?"


    Jai looked at him and sighed.


    "In Chinese culture, the son is the second-most important member of the family and is groomed from a young age to lead the family alongside the father."


    "So you think whoever did this had a personal vendetta?" Daniel asked.


    "No," Cain interrupted. "Whoever did this wasn''t just trying to kill a Beta. They were trying to end a legacy."


    Jai nodded.


    "None of this is coincidental," he said. "If Zhao died the same way that the Indian Beta did, you can be sure it was done by the same people."


    "But why kill Betas?" Daniel asked. "It''s risky and the position can always be refilled."


    "Not exactly," Cain said. "Betas are some of thest remaining group of pure bloods on the. We could rece the position, but we couldn''t assure that the person who filled the role would be a true Lycanthrope." "Maybe they''re not trying to kill Betas," Jai offered. "Maybe they''re trying to kill pure bloods."


    Cain nodded as though he had alreadye to the same conclusion.


    "This is an attempt to exterminate the Lycanthrope race."


    Daniel ran a hand through his hair and shook his head in disbelief.


    "We need to warn everyone," he said.


    Cain shook his head, much to Daniel''s surprise.


    "No, we''re sitting on this until we can examine Zhao''s body. If he was killed by a Vampire then we have evidence to support our theory and we can send out a warning. Until then, this doesn''t leave this room." Both Jai and Daniel nodded before looking at each other warily.


    "Has anyone heard from E?" Cain asked.


    Is that really where your head''s at? Jai thought. Even after all of this?


    "I talked to Zak before we got off the ne," Jai said. "He confirmed shended in D.C. safely."


    Daniel looked at Jai suspiciously.


    "What?" Jai asked him, noting the look.


    "You talked to Zak?"

 Chapter Twenty-Seven - All Roads Lead Home-3

    Jai nodded, not seeing the problem.


    "You talked to her Deaf brother Zak?" Daniel asked again.


    Jai''s face fell.


    "We were only on the phone for thirty seconds, but I know for a fact that the guy I talked to wasn''t Deaf," Jai said, beginning to panic.


    Cain''s jaw clenched.


    "Hold on," Daniel said, trying to calm everyone down. "I gave her a phone number in case of emergencies. She would have called if something was wrong." Cain shook his head, unconvinced.


    "Call Priya," he said. "She ran the background check on Zak whenever he was at the castle. I never checked the results because he left before they came back. Find his address." "Woah," Jai said. "Hold on a second. We can''t leave Beijing, we just got here."


    "I wasn''t asking for permission," Cain growled.


    "I have to agree with Jai," Daniel said. "You need to stay here."


    Cain looked at him.


    "But you don''t."


    Daniel and Jai exchanged looks.


    "Cain, I''m not flying to D.C.," Daniel said. "She''s probably fine. I think you''re overreacting."


    "Call Priya," Cain said. "Then tell me you think she''s fine."


    Daniel let out an exasperated sigh.


    "Do it," Cainmanded, more forcefully. "Right now."


    Daniel and Jai exchanged looks before Daniel pulled his phone out of his back pocket.


    He called Priya and put the phone on the table in front of the three of them so they could all participate in the call.


    A few ringster, she answered.


    "Hello?"


    "Priya, it''s Daniel," he said.


    "I know, I have caller I.D."


    He rolled his eyes.


    "Listen, I need you to check the report that came in on E''s brother, Zak."


    He heard her sigh.


    "I''m eating dinner, Daniel."


    "It can wait," Cain said.


    The other line went silent as she heard Cain''s voice.


    "Give me a second," she said.


    The sound of Priya traveling up staircases and opening and shutting doors sounded through the phone before she picked the phone back up.


    "I found it," she said. "What do you need to know?"


    "His address," Daniel told her.


    "The one listed is the same as E''s," she said. "It''s in Jacksonville."


    The three men paused.


    "There''s not an address for a house in D.C.?" Jai asked.


    "No," she told them. "He lived in D.C. while he was in school at Gaudet, but that was in an apartment and his lease was up there almost four years ago." "He finished school four years ago?" Cain asked.


    "He never finished," she told them. "He studied engineering but he didn''t go back after his first year. Looks like he took time off and traveled."


    "Traveled where?" Daniel asked.


    "He took a trip to Paris, the Yukon, Romania, and a few to see his Grandfather in Frankfurt."


    Cain looked up at Daniel with a look that screamed I told you so.


    "Why do you guys need to know this?" She asked. "I think you''re barking up the wrong tree. You should probably start looking back over the files on the doctor or the other missing men if you want to find Otto M¨¹ller." "We''ve already found him," Cain said. "And his name isn''t Otto M¨¹ller, it''s Wilhelm Goebel.


    "Wait, the Wilhelm Goebel?" She asked, stunned.


    "Yes."


    "I can''t believe you found him so quickly," she said. "You should probably let Dinesh know, he was in a panic whenever he called yesterday to tell me he''s escaped custody." Daniel''s eyes widened.


    "Wait... what?! He escaped?"


    "Yeah," she said. "He escaped yesterday and killed nearly ten of Dinesh''s men in the process. You didn''t know?"


    Cain turned around and punched the wall, leaving a fist-sized hole in the drywall.


    "Guys, what''s going on?" Priya asked. "What happened?"


    "I''ll call you back if I need anything," Daniel said before ending the call.


    Jai stood there in shock.


    "I can''t believe he escaped."


    Cain turned around to face Daniel and Jai.


    "That''s how Goebel knew that we would be at the funeral in India," he said.


    Daniel felt his shoulders slump.


    "Zak knew the n because he was in the hospital room with us whenever we told E," Cain said. "He''s the one who told Goebel that we would be there."


    The room was silent as the three of them thought hard.


    "Daniel, I want you on a ne to D.C. tomorrow," Cain said. "Find out where she went when she got there and follow the leads thate up."


    Daniel nodded, pulling his phone back out to make the arrangements.


    "What do you want me to do?" Jai asked.


    "Have Priya meet you in Mumbai. I want the two of you to find her grandfather."


    Jai nodded slowly.


    "What are you going to do?"


    Cain''s jaw clenched.


    "Hope that the next death we investigate isn''t my mate''s."

 Chapter Twenty-Eight - Meet The Neighbors-1

    A pounding headache was the first thing I could remember.


    I could feel my heartbeat pulsating behind my eyes and I felt as though someone had taken my temples in their palms and squashed them together. I groaned as I reached up to put my hand on my head.


    Wallowing in pain, I felt my body tense as I realized I was on a bed.


    I sat up slowly.


    My eyes wouldn''t focus properly because of the headache but I could see a blurry outline of where I was.


    The room was small, but it had ceilings so tall I felt as though I was looking into outer space.


    The bed I was in had a thick, velvety ck canopy over it that matched the duvet I wasying on.


    The curtains over therge windows were drawn and blocked out all iing sunlight.


    A few candles were on the nightstand that offered an eerie glow over the room, apanied by a fire that was smoldering in the firece. The mes were dying and offered the small room very little warmth.


    I was freezing.


    Looking down, I saw that I was still in my normal clothes, except that my jacket and shoes had been removed.


    I also noticed that the bandage around my bad ankle was missing.


    Feeling another jolt of pain shoot through my head, I groaned andid back down.


    "I do apologize for the unfortunate side effects."


    I sat up quickly, all feelings of pain disappearing.


    My heart was racing as I looked over to see him standing in the doorway.


    Dr. Hans Weber.


    I felt my jaw clench as he opened the door wider and took the liberty of walking into the room and closing the door behind him. "Flunitrazepam," he said.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "That''s the drug you inhaled that knocked you out," he rified. "One of the side effects is a severe headache."


    "Where am I and where is Zak?" I asked him.


    He walked around the bed slowly, making me feel like a prey that was being circled by a predator.


    "Zak is busy," he said, ignoring my first question.


    "I need to speak with him."


    Speak with him. Because apparently he could do that.


    "I''m afraid that''s not entirely possible," Weber said.


    My eyes narrowed.


    "Why not?"


    He drew in a deep breath before crossing his arms and leaning against the bedpost.


    "E, I need to ask you a question and I need you to answer it honestly."


    I said nothing.


    "Where is Cain?" He asked me.


    "How should I know?"


    He smiled.


    "You''re his mate."


    "Is that supposed to mean something?" I asked. "I left to get away from him."


    I saw his jaw clench and I wondered briefly if he could tell that I was lying through my teeth. "You know where he is," he said.


    "I don''t," I answered honestly. "He was leaving the night that I left. I don''t know where he went."


    He turned his head to look at me warily.


    "Are you certain?"


    "Yes."


    Weber stood at the foot of the bed. The firelight that came from behind him entuated his tall, lean figure. The shadows cast over his face made him look menacing. It also aged him. I wondered how old he was. "We found your ne ticket, we know you flew in from Kashmir," he said. "I just need you to tell me where he is staying."


    "I told you," I insisted. "Cain was leaving Kashmir. He didn''t tell me where he was going and I didn''t ask. Why are you so concerned with finding him?"


    "Cain has something that I want and I have a few things that he wants," he answered.


    "What could you possibly give him that he doesn''t already have?"


    His eyes narrowed.


    "You, for starters."


    "Me?" I asked, feigning surprise. "Cain doesn''t want me. I left because he said so. I''m not going to be a very valuable bargaining chip."


    I wondered if I was being convincing enough. I couldn''t read Weber because I couldn''t see his face well. I couldn''t tell if he was buying it. "So should I just kill you now then?" He asked.


    I gulped.


    "Just let me go home," I pleaded. "I don''t belong here, I''m not a Vampire or a Lycanthrope. I just want to be left out of this."


    Weber raised an eyebrow.


    "He didn''t tell you?"


    Now it was my turn to look surprised.


    "Tell me what?" I asked.


    He smiled.


    "You are not human," he said. "You have pure-blooded Lycanthrope running through your veins."


    I remembered having the conversation with Dr. Zosak in the previous weeks when he told me the name thing, yet I still shook my head.


    "The only time I''ve had Lycanthrope blood in my veins was when Cain gave me a blood transfusion."


    He hummed and looked down at my ankle.


    "Well that exins the healing."


    I looked down at my ankle, curious about what he meant.


    "Your grandfather shoved a tracking beacon into your ankle, tearing your calcaneofibr ligament. I''m surprised you could walk on it, if I''m beingpletely honest." I bed in surprise.


    "What?"


    He nodded, still looking at my ankle.


    "Yes, we took the tracking beacon out. I had wondered how the incision healed so quickly, but I suppose Cain''s blood is an adequate exnation."


    "A tracking beacon?" I asked. "That''s how you found me at Zak''s house."


    He looked back at me.


    "What? No," he said. "Zak told us you wereing."


    I swallowed hard.


    "Zak wouldn''t have done that," I argued.


    He smiled and nodded.


    "I''m afraid your brother isn''t who you thought he was," he said. "When he learned the truth, he couldn''t help but want what we had to offer."


    "What truth?" I asked him.


    He looked at me dead in the eyes.


    "That your grandfather isn''t Otto M¨¹ller," he said. "His real name is Wilhelm Goebel. He was the European aid to Cain''s father. Your grandfather was a very powerful Lycanthrope with a lot of an influence." I shook my head.


    "My grandfather was a tax clerk for nearly his entire life before he retired and came to America with us when I was young," I said.


    Weberughed lightly.


    "Your grandfather did not believe that Cain was worthy of his


    My heart stopped at the mention of her.


    I was told she had died of cancer before I was born.


    "Despite your grandfather''s valiant efforts, Cain could not be stopped. He took his father''s


    "You see," Weber continued. "That is why I cannot let you go. You, whether you would like to believe it or not, are my most valuable bargaining chip."


    I shook my head again.


    "Cain doesn''t love me. He would never risk his


    The admission brought tears to my eyes but I refused to let them fall.


    Weber sighed.


    "Cain is the most powerful man in the world," he said. "But he''s not the most powerful person in the world."


    I stared at him.


    "You''re his mate," he said. "You are the most powerful person on this. You could snap your fingers and all that the world can offer would be yours."

 Chapter Twenty-Eight - Meet The Neighbors-2

    His eyes narrowed.


    "You could bring him to his knees and that''s exactly what I n on using you to do."


    An elbow to the ribcage startled Daniel and he sat up straight in the car seat.


    "No time to doze off," Priya said.


    He rubbed his eyes and groaned.


    "Easy for you to say. You had the whole flight over here to sleep. I had to stay up and get a false warrant made so we could get surveince footage from the airport." The phone in his backpack started to ring and he bent down to pick it up.


    "Hello?"


    "How are things?"


    He cleared his throat hearing Cain''s voice.


    "Things are good," he said. "We found the cab that she took and we''re in it now, heading to the house."


    "Any leads at the airport?"


    "No," Daniel breathed out. "The only times we saw her in the surveince videos were when she was arriving in D.C. There''s no evidence that she left."


    "There are a million ways out of that city," Cain said. "It just means that she didn''t leave from that airport."


    Thanks, chief. That''sforting, Daniel thought.


    "How are things there?" He asked.


    Cain was silent for a few moments.


    "I have the image of a brutally murdered seven-year-old ingrained in my mind now," he said. "How do you think?"


    Daniel sighed.


    "Any clue as to who killed them?"


    "Vampire," Cain confirmed.


    Daniel pulled the phone away from his ear as he cursed under his breath.


    Priya looked at him with concern.


    "Have you told Jai?" Daniel asked, putting the phone back up to his ear.


    "Yes, he arrived in Germany a few hours ago and I told him immediately. We''re going to start informing leadership as soon as we have a more concrete deion of what to look or for." "You need to let them know now," Daniel said. "The sooner the better."


    "They''ll know soon enough," Cain said calmly. "Thest thing I need is chaos because I can''t tell them what is actually going on."


    "Have you told them yet?"


    The line was silent for a moment.


    "No."


    "You should call them," Daniel said. "They might know how to help."


    Cain ignored him.


    "Let me know if you have any leads in D.C. We need anything we can get at this point. She''s been missing for too long."


    "Cain," Daniel started, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You don''t even know if she''s actually missing. And why do you sound tired?" "I''m not tired."


    "You sound exhausted. Have you fed?"


    "Yes," Cain said shortly. "It''s probably because I went on a run this morning."


    "You shifted?" Daniel asked in surprise. "I can''t believe you did that voluntarily-"


    "Like I said," Cain interrupted. "Call me with any leads."


    With that, the call ended.


    Daniel pulled the phone away from his ear and look at Priya in surprise.


    "He''s the most stubborn man I''ve ever met and I''m going to kill him for it one of these days."


    "We''re here," The cab driver told them, pulling off the road next to the curb.


    "Thank you," Daniel said, handing him a wad of cash. "Keep the change."


    He and Priya got out of the car, each of them with a backpack over their shoulders as they looked up at the house.


    It was a in, ranch- home that looked like every other house in the suburb.


    "Not exactly an evilir," He noted.


    "Not anymore," Priya said, pointing to the ''for sale'' sign in the yard.


    "Of course," Daniel said sarcastically, his shoulders slumping. "Why wouldn''t he sell the house once we figured out where he lived?"


    Priya walked over to the sign and pulled out a notebook before jotting down the name and number of the realtor.


    "Looking at buying the house?" A voice yelled.


    Daniel looked over and saw the old woman watching them from where she stood as she watered her rose bushes. "Um," Daniel stuttered, "yeah, we are."


    Priya looked at him incredulously as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.


    "Looking for our first house," he said, earning an uneasyugh from Priya as she caught on.


    The old woman smiled at this.


    "Well it''s a great home," the woman said. "It''s nearly new."


    "Oh?" Daniel asked, raising his eyebrows.


    "It was built a few years ago. An older gentleman and his son are the only owners so far," the woman answered. "Although, they traveled often so we never really saw them so I would say it''s only maybe half-lived in." "Zak lived here, right?" Daniel asked.


    The woman looked surprised.


    "Zachary was his name, I believe," she said. "How do you know that?"


    "We went to school together," Daniel lied. "He''s actually the one who told me they were selling and suggested we look at it."


    "Oh," the woman said.


    "Do you know why they were selling?" Daniel asked. "He never told me, but it seemed to be a bit of ast-minute decision." The woman''s face turned sad.


    "I don''t know for sure, but I think he was trying to sell it so he could be closer to his father."


    Daniel''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "I thought they lived together?"


    "They did," she said, "but I haven''t seen his father in a month or two. I believe he moved back to Europe because of his health."


    "Zak never told me he was sick."


    "Oh yes," she said. "He could never evene outside. I rarely saw him."


    "I didn''t know Zak''s dad was European?" Daniel asked. "Do you know where he was from?"


    The woman stopped and thought for a moment.


    "I don''t know exactly where," she said. "He never told us. They were very private. But my husband works at the Pentagon with foreign administration and he told me that his ent sounded Eastern European." Daniel nodded slowly.


    "You didn''t happen to see a young woman around here about two nights ago?" Daniel asked the olddy.


    She looked at him in confusion.


    "Not that I can recall," she said slowly. "If someone was here, it was probably to help Zak pack up. He moved out and put the house on the market the next day."


    The suspicion in her tone told Daniel that he had pried too far, even for an old, nosey neighbor.


    "Well thank you!" Daniel said to the old woman. "It was a pleasure meeting you."


    She waved her wrinkled hand.


    "I hope you consider buying the house," she said. "It''s a quiet neighborhood, nothing ever happens around here."


    Daniel faked a smile.


    If only she knew...


    He and Priya began to walk down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the house.


    "What do you make of that?" She asked him.


    He shook his head, not sure.


    As he did so, his phone rang again.


    He looked at the caller i.d. and answered the call, cing the phone up to his ear.


    "Jai?" He said. "I''ve got good news and bad news. The good news is: we found the house. The bad news is: it''s being sold and Zak has already skipped town. We''re going to call the realtor and see if they can give us any information as to where he was going. I''m sure E is with him."


    "Don''t bother," said Jai. "I just got word they''re in Romania."


    Daniel''s eyebrows furrowed as he stopped mid stride.


    "How did you find that out?" He asked.


    "Zak called," Jai said. "He has E. They want to meet."


    "They want to meet?" Daniel asked in confusion. "If she wanted toe back, why didn''t she just call me?"


    "You don''t understand," Jai told him, his voice solemn.


    "This isn''t a good-will meeting. It''s hostage negotiation."

 Chapter Twenty-Nine - Hold on Tight-1

    Moonlight poured into the room through therge windows that lined each wall.


    Cain stared at the ceiling, watching the shadows that were cast on the ceiling of the trees outside his window as they danced in the midnight breeze. He could hear each footstep as the two guards patrolled the floor level beneath him. The sound of their footfalls echoed across the empty room. Even louder, though, was the sound of her voice in his head.


    "Are you sure about this?"


    He had been so sure.


    So sure that sending her away was the best idea. So sure that she would leave trouble with him. So sure that she would be safe.


    The only thing he was sure of now was that he had made a grave, terrible decision in letting her get on that ne.


    He had followed them to the airport. He watched her as she went through the security lines. He even watched her get on the ne. Sanity, reason and logic fought a diligent battle against his heart and desires as he watched her disappear from sight. Run after her.


    No, let her go.


    In the end, he took too long to decide.


    She was gone.


    And his heart left with her on that ne.


    Receiving the news of Zak''s offer to negotiate infuriated Cain.


    Even then, hourster, Cain''s hands still trembled with rage.


    Cain wasn''t sure if Zak truly understood what it was he was trying to bargain with. E wasn''t silver or gold. She was his mate.


    Cain had done terrible things to people for lesser reasons. What did Zak think was going to happen when Cain got his hands on him for kidnapping his mate and holding her for ransom? Cain had to give him credit, though.


    Because of E''s substantial worth, there was no price Zak could put on her head that would be too much.


    There was nothing he wouldn''t do to get her back.


    When Cain met E, he looked into the eyes of his greatest vulnerability and he had never realized it until that moment.


    She was an obvious weakness and the thought of her being so made Cain''s skin crawl.


    As a strategist and leader, weakness and vulnerability were two words that Cain intentionally kept out of his vocabry.


    What was he to do now when the traits he avoided showing and hated seeing in others were the very things required of him to get back what he wanted?


    Of course, Zak would certainly not be on the receiving end of a vulnerable moment with Cain.


    No, Cain didn''t plead with anyone.


    Zak would be lucky if Cain didn''t snap his neck.


    A far more daunting task than bargaining with Zaky ahead of Cain.


    He knew what it was he had to do.


    Rolling over, Cain reached for his phone that sat atop his nightstand.


    He picked it up and quickly dialed the number before he could change his mind.


    It rang for a few moments and just before Cain could pull the phone away from his ear, someone answered. "Yes?"


    "I need to speak with him," he said, his voice gruff.


    "Cain?"


    "Yes, it''s me."


    The old man paused for a moment.


    "Jesus Christ, is everything alright?" He asked, finally.


    "I need to speak with him, Xavier, " Cain reiterated.


    The line went silent for a few moments as the call was transferred.


    "Cain?"


    His father''s voice was an echo of concern and surprise.


    Cain drew in a deep breath.


    "I need your help."


    I was going to have to save myself.


    I had no way of getting to a phone to dial the number that Daniel had given me for emergencies.


    My own phone was missing; along with my coat, shoes and other belongings.


    I had no way of knowing how long I was out of it after being put to sleep in D.C., but I did know that I had been awake for nearly three days.


    I slept for a few hours during the days and remained awake during the nights.


    If Dr. Weber was what I thought he was, then keeping the curtains open and letting in the sunlight was the best way to keep him froming inside the room.


    At night, however, there was nothing I could do but pray he had forgotten me or was otherwise upied.


    The fear that kept me awake through the night was the primary reason I wanted to leave.


    I couldn''t stand the pounding in my chest that came about whenever I heard a noise from outside in the hallway. It would leave me shaking and nervous for several minutes.


    At the end of each day, a girl my age came in and brought me a broth of some kind and started the fire in the firece. Each time she opened the door, I would nearly throw up in my mouth at the thought that it could be Dr. Weber. I hated the feeling of being fearful and vulnerable, like I was a prisoner waiting for an unannounced execution date.


    Dr. Weber certainly knew what he was doing.


    I was only brought food once a day and the broth was barely satiating, keeping me weak. Without my shoes and coat, I wes left with no hope of survival out in the nearly two feet of snow that nketed the ground.


    I was four levels above the ground outside my window so jumping would have been suicidal.


    But that didn''t stop me from sitting beside the window to contemte it as I watched the sun begin to set over the town that was bustling off in the distance.


    The door to my room opened suddenly and I was so startled I nearly fell out of my chair.


    I looked up to see Zak standing in the doorway.


    "Close the curtains," he said.


    Does that mean...


    My thoughts wandered to a dark ce as I warily reached up and did as he asked.


    He stepped into the now-dark room and closed the door behind him.


    "We need to talk," he said.


    "Because you can do that now," I retorted, not hiding the resentment in my voice.


    I saw his jaw clench.


    "Only for the past seven months," he said. "You have to trust that I kept it a secret for a reason."


    My eyes widened.


    "Trust?" I asked, astonished. "You want me to trust you? You watched me as I was rendered unconscious and abducted and you did nothing about it." "This was what was best," he said.


    I rose from my seat.


    "For who exactly?"


    "Everyone," he answered. "You don''t know what Cain has done and what he is capable of doing."


    I narrowed my eyes in on Zak.


    "You told me that whenever you were at the castle," I said.


    I stopped as a thought hit me.

 Chapter Twenty-Nine - Hold on Tight-2

    "How did you find me at the castle, by the way? I never told you where I was."


    He drew in a deep breath and crossed his arms.


    "I tracked the VPN of our video calls," he told me.


    "What made youe find me?" I probed further.


    "You told me about Cain. I needed to find him and I never wanted you there in the first ce, so it seemed like a well enough idea at the time." I took a deep breath.


    "You were going to kill him."


    He nodded.


    "Did you kill the Indian Beta too?" I asked, wondering aloud.


    "No, that was Granddad. I killed the Chinese Beta."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Another one died?"


    He nodded.


    "Why?" I asked him. "Why are they being killed?"


    "Because the world no longer needs Lycanthropes."


    His answer was so simple and straightforward that it took me a moment to catch it''s inconsistencies.


    "Zak, you''re a Lycanthrope," I told him. "Granddad is too."


    "Was."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "What?"


    "Was a Lycanthrope," he reiterated. "Granddad gave up his wolf when he was turned, just like I did."


    I inhaled a sharp breath.


    "So you are one of them?" I asked.


    He nodded.


    "You will be too soon."


    I shook my head.


    "No, I think I''ll stay the way I am."


    "That''s not an option," he stated firmly.


    "Then what are my options? Be turned or be killed?"


    He nodded, causing me to scoff.


    "Were those the options you and Granddad gave to the men you killed?"


    "They didn''t get an option," he said. "People as deeply rooted in Lycanthrope society as they were would not give up their ability to shift and have children. For Christs'' sake the entire Lycanthrope culture is built on reproduction and shifting." My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Granddad didn''t have a problem with turning?"


    "Granddad understood that what he was doing was for the good of the majority and he was able to set aside his selfish ambition... well, at least for a while." My eyebrows furrowed.


    "What do you mean?"


    I could have sworn I saw a sh of remorse sh in Zak''s eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it came.


    "He''s dead."


    I shook my head.


    "No, I just saw him in Mumbai," I told him. "He''s not dead, he''s with Dinesh."


    Zak shook his head.


    "I killed Granddadst night, E. He is dead."


    I copsed into the seat behind me, my mouth gaping in shock.


    "What is wrong with you?" I asked him, my voice trembling.


    "He was bing too soft. He had stopped delivering results and started giving excuses."


    I shook my head in disbelief.


    "He was your own flesh and blood," I reminded him. "He helped raise you."


    "And it was those sentiments that got him killed. You''ll do best to forget them before they be your demise as well."


    "So family means nothing to you anymore?" I asked him.


    Zak didn''t answer, just looked at me with a hardened expression.


    "You''re a coward," I told him.


    "I am a soldier!"


    His bellow echoed around the room and I stood to my feet.


    "You didn''t act so strong in that castle," I said boldly. "Cain knocked you down with one blow. What makes you think you''ll be able to withstand him this time?" Zak smirked.


    "This time I have you. You are the chink in his armor and I n on exploiting that."


    With that being said, he turned and began to walk away.


    "We''re leaving at first light tomorrow morning," he added. "Sleep tight."


    The door mmed and my heart dropped into my stomach as it did so.


    I had to improvise and act quickly if I was going to escape before the morning.


    I walked over to the firece and grabbed the iron poker.


    This will do just fine.


    I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain, seeing that the sun was setting behind the mountains that were off in the distance.


    We were in a small castle that sat on the edge of a hill from what I could gather looking outside my window.


    A few miles away, I could see a small little vige. It was probably about three or four miles, but I had run cross country in college. That wasn''t so bad, was it?


    You never ran in two feet of snow or in temperatures that fell below double digits, a voice reminded me.


    I shook my head as I mentally assured myself that I would be fine.


    I had my n, I just needed the courage carry through with it.


    I stood behind that door for what felt like hours before it finally opened.


    The poor girl walked right into my trap.


    I swung the iron poker and hit her in the back of the head as she turned to close the door.


    Immediately, her knees buckled under and she fell unconscious. I quickly reached out to catch her so that she wouldn''t make any noise.


    She dropped the bowl of broth in her hands, spilling it all over herself and me. Luckily, it wasn''t too hot.


    I regretted not waiting until she had set it down though. I hadn''t eaten in a day and that would have been the only thing I could have eaten that would have sustained me for the run to the vige.


    Iid her down gently on the ground and apologized profusely under my breath.


    I was never one to undermine the safety and well-being of others for the sake of my own agenda, but this time it seemed excusable enough.


    I began to take off her boots and socks and put them on my own feet.


    The socks were wool which meant they would keep me warm but would retain moisture during the trudge through the snow. I would most likely wake up sick the next morning.


    If I woke up the next morning at all.

 Chapter Twenty-Nine - Hold on Tight-3

    The boots were about a size too big, but that left room for the swelling my feet would likely do after running for such a distance.


    I undressed her further,yering her pants and shirt over my own. I took her jacket, despite the fact that it was a light one. I would need all theyers I could get. Sliding her over to the corner so she wouldn''t be seen, I pulled a nket off the bed and covered her now nearly-naked body with it.


    I opened the bedroom door slowly and looked out into the hallway with caution.


    There wasn''t a soul in sight.


    I crept out of the room and closed the door behind me slowly, my heart racing.


    As quiet as I could be, I found myself walking down a fight of stairs to what I hoped would lead me to a doorway outside.


    That''s when I stumbled upon the coat rack.


    I found the thickest jacket I could and pulled it off the hook, hoping it would keep me warm.


    Just as I was throwing it over one shoulder, I saw my own coat that was hanging beneath the one I grabbed.


    I fought the urge to gasp as I reached into the pockets of the jacket and found my phone.


    Gripping it my hands, I couldn''t believe my luck.


    All I needed was a phone.


    In that moment, the n changed. I put the stranger''s jacket back where I found it and shoved my phone into my pocket.


    I quickly and quietly made my way back to my room, trying not to trip over the oversized boots as I did so.


    I heard voices approaching and I hid inside a linen closet until the group of men had gone.


    Those few minutes were the longest of my life and I finally felt myself resume breathing after they had left.


    This is for the greater good, I keep repeating to myself.


    When the coast was clear, I made my way back to my room.


    The girl was right where I left her.


    After closing the bedroom door, I pulled my phone out of the pocket of the borrowed pants.


    Dialing the number I had memorized, I prayed that Daniel had his phone with him.


    A few ringster, I heard his voice.


    "Hello?"


    "Daniel, this is E."


    "Wait- what?!"


    Before he could say anything else, I spoke again.


    "I don''t have much time, I need you to listen to me."


    I began to take off the borrowed shoes and socks.


    "I need you to track my phone," I told him.


    I put the girls socks back on her bare feet.


    "I''m going to keep my phone on me. Zak said he and I were leaving tomorrow morning. You need to find out where we''re going and get as far away as possible."


    "I know where you''re going," Daniel said. "Zak''s holding you hostage and Cain is meeting him tomorrow to negotiate the terms of your release."


    I stopped suddenly.


    "No," I said frantically. "You can''t do that, it''s a trap."


    "It''s the only way he''s going to let you go," Daniel said.


    I shook my head.


    "He doesn''t have any ns on letting me go," I told him sternly. "He ns on turning me and killing Cain. I''m nothing more than a convincing pawn in this game. Tell Cain that he needs to stay as far away as possible." The line went silent as I took off the pants and put them back on the poor girl, who I was praying stayed unconscious.


    "Daniel," I said, trying to gain his attention. "Promise me that Cain will stay away."


    "I can''t do that."


    "They''re killing all of the purebloods," I told him. "They''re trying tomit mass genocide. Why would you want to be near that?"


    "Who is they?" He asked.


    "My brother and Hans Weber."


    "Wait, the Hans Weber? The doctor we were looking for?"


    "Yes," I said. "Zak and my grandfather are in on his plots to kill off all of the Lycanthropes, that''s why I''m not trying to escape. If I run, I''ll only lead them back to Cain."


    I heard Daniel take a deep breath.


    "I didn''t call to argue," I told him. "I''m warning you that whatever happens, Cain needs to stay as far away as possible."


    "And what happens to you?" He asked. "Without your help in luring in Cain, you have no value to them. They will kill you."


    The unconscious girl, now fully redressed, began to stir.


    "I have to go," I whispered frantically.


    "E, wait-"


    I hung up the phone and went and stuffed it underneath the mattress.


    After cing the iron poker back where it belonged, I walked back over to the girl and began to drag her over to the doorway where I had knocked her out.


    I opened the door just slightly to set the scene.


    The puddle of spilled broth was still on the floor, making for a perfectly staged ident.


    "Help!" I began to shout. "Somebody! Help me!"


    I got on my knees, still holding her in my arms.


    "Help!"


    Soon enough, I heard feet bounding down the hallway.


    The door opened and a man whom I had never seen stepped into the room with Zak hot on his heels.


    "She slipped on the spilled broth," I exined. "She fell back and hit her head on the door handle." The exnation, while pitiful, was the best I coulde up with.


    Neither man, however, interrogated me about it.


    "I don''t think she''s breathing steadily," I warned them, handing her body off to the stranger.


    Zak looked at me warily as he turned to follow the man who carried the poor girl out of the room.


    Hopefully she won''t remember what really happened. Otherwise, she''ll hate me for the headache she''ll undoubtedly wake up with.


    As they were leaving I caught a glimpse of her feet.


    In my hurry and distraction, I had put her shoes on the opposite feet.


    "Shit," I cursed.


    Zak turned around and looked at me.


    "Problem?" He asked.


    In a panic, I pointed to my shirt which was soaked with broth.


    "She spilt it all over me," Iined. "Now I don''t have dinner."


    He eyed me and my shirt.


    "I''ll have something else brought up."


    With that, he closed the door, leaving me with a racing heart and shaking hands.


    I walked back over to the bed and pulled out the phone to see a text message from Daniel.


    "Everything will be fine," it read. "Just hold on tight."


    Tears came to my eyes as I hid the phone back under the mattress.


    God, I hope so.

 Chapter Thirty - Meticulous-1

    When Zak said we would leave at first light, he meant it.


    He woke me sometime in the very early morning and gave me little time to change into the clothes he brought me.


    A distasteful pair of ck pants and a baggy ck sweatshirt were all I had toyer under my new heavy winter coat. Thebat boots paired with the wool camping socks he brought would keep me warm, and that was all I cared about. I was d I had found my jacket when I did the night before because I was certain that I would never see it again. I could only hope that no one noticed the phone missing from its pockets.


    I put my cellphone in between the cups of my bra, tucked securely under the band. I figured this was the best ce to hide it where I would still be able sit down and stand up without hinderance, something I couldn''t do if it was in my waistband. I had considered putting it in one of my boots, but those weren''t guaranteed to stay on my feet.


    The early morning sky was transitioning from its dark navy hues into purple as Zak pulled me outside into the freezing cold air. We walked onto a driveway where arge moving truck was parked.


    Dr. Weber stood outside the truck, waiting for us. In his hands was paper bag which he threw at Zak as we approached.


    "What is that?"


    Ignoring me, Zak utched the back of the moving truck, the I screeching as the door opened to reveal an empty cargo space.


    Zak pushed me inside and threw the paper sack in behind me.


    "It''s the only thing you''re getting for the day so I wouldn''t eat it all at once."


    With that, he closed the door and left me in the empty darkness.


    "Jackass," I mumbled.


    A few momentster, the truck jolted and the engine roared to life.


    I was forced against the back of the truck in a corner as we started down the winding road.


    It wasn''t long before I began to feel nauseous. I couldn''t discern whether it was because I was hungry or because I felt as though I was riding on a rollercoaster.


    We hit a few potholes and took a sharp turn before I came to the conclusion that I was going to be car sick.


    How long was I going to be stuck in this dark pukebox?


    It had been all but confirmed that Zak and Dr. Weber were both Vampires and seeing as the sun was due to rise within a short period of time, I couldn''t imagine that they would be driving the truck for very much longer.


    Because of this, I came to the conclusion that I wouldn''t be in the truck for very long before we reached our destination or before we reached an alternate method of transportation where Dr. Weber and Zak would be out of the daylight.


    I took advantage of my time alone to pull out my phone. The battery was running dangerously low and I couldn''t very well ask the two men for a quick charge so I turned the phone off to preserve what life it had left before stowing it away in my bra again.


    Because of the jolting ride, I couldn''t fathom eating even though the smell of whatever was in the paper bag made my mouth water.


    A few minutester, the truck came to a halt and


    I took a deep breath to calm the thoughts that began to run rampant in my mind.


    Where are they taking me? Am I going to die? Zak wouldn''t let Weber kill me... would he?


    The back of the truck opened with a loud llic screech and I winced.


    "Get out," Zak said.


    It was weird hearing the sound of his voice. I didn''t think I''d ever get used to it.


    He grabbed my upper arm as I hopped out of the truck, nearly pulling me to the ground.


    "Easy," I said, yanking my arm out of his rough grip.


    I barely managed to grab the paper sack with my breakfast in it before Zak ushered me away from the truck and towards a long, silver train; much like the one I''d ridden in with Cain.


    We were in the middle of nowhere as far as I could tell. Surrounded by towering trees, I couldn''t see mountaintops or the vige.


    It looked as if the train had made a random stop along the track. There was no tform or station, just the train and the track.


    A man stood on the train in between cars, waiting for the three of us to walk over to him.


    Weber led the way with Zak and I walking closely behind.


    Zak had his hand just below my neck on my upper back, guiding me towards the train. This was something he always did when we walked together and it used to make me feel protected and cared for. In that moment, I felt vulnerable andcent. His hand might as well have been around my throat with the feeling of unease that it brought me.


    Snow began to fall lightly as we stood beside the train, listening to Weber converse with the conductor in anguage I couldn''t identify.


    The sun wasing up and I could tell that Zak was watching the daylight that began to spread across the sky anxiously.


    Finally, after a few minutes of freezing in the snow, the conductor instructed us to join him aboard the train.


    Weber and Zak hopped up onto the iron tform with ease but I didn''t have such luck. My feet kept slipping off thedder and my hands couldn''t get a good grip on the railing. Zak finally picked me up and lifted me onto the tform like a child.


    As we made our way inside, I noticed the familiar interior.


    Was this the same train?


    Zak went around the car we were guided into and pulled all of the shades down, immersing the room into darkness.


    A few momentster, the lights in the car flickered on allowing us to see.


    Weber pushed me into a chair at the back of the car next to a window as the train began to move.


    I could barely see outside through a small crack where the shade didn''t quite cover the entire window.


    The train emerged from the trees and I could finally see the sunrise.


    "Enjoy it," Zak said. "It will be thest one you see."


    I turned to look at him as he walked away.


    "What happened to you?"


    He stopped and turned to face me.


    "It''s best you worry about yourself from here on out," he said.


    I just shook my head.


    "You used to be the mostpassionate person I knew," I told him. "You joined the army because you wanted to help people. Now all you do is kill them? It doesn''t make sense."


    "I never joined the army, E. It was all a very well-constructed lie. When are you going to stop trying to see the best in people and start seeing them for who they are?"


    As much as it hurt to hear, it wasn''t the first time someone had told me that.


    At school, my professors always got annoyed with me for the way I saw people and their problems. I wanted to fix people, to restore them. I wanted to work with them to solve their problems, not solve their problems for them. Many people I worked with believed that if you fix the problem, you''ve fixed the person.


    But what if the person is the problem?


    "Do Mom and Dad know?" I asked him.


    Zak scoffed.


    "Those idiots? They''re clueless."


    "So you''re going to let them stay in Frankfurt and investigate a death that never happened?"


    "They''re not in Frankfurt anymore," Zak said. "We paid the funeral home to refund them the expenses and pay damages for emotional distress so it would be dropped."

 Chapter Thirty - Meticulous-2

    "You honestly think that Mom would settle without knowing what happened to Granddad''s body?"


    Zak smiled.


    "The morgue told them he was identally cremated. They went back to Florida with a five-pound bag of sand and salt."


    I grimaced. "You''re sick."


    "You know something, E? I really wish you had gone home when Dad told you to like you were supposed to. But that would have been too easy, wouldn''t it? You always have had to learn the hard way." "If all you have to use me of is being stubborn, I''ll take that over being a murderer any day," I said pointedly.


    I could see the anger re up in his eyes.


    "Me?" He asked incredulously. "I haven''t killed one-fourth the people Cain has, but you were so willing to fall in love with him?"


    Dr. Weber looked on, amused, as I stood from my chair.


    "I never fell in love with Cain. I left him," I said.


    "Maybe," Zak agreed. "But you still care enough for him to warn him against danger."


    My eyebrows furrowed and heughed.


    "Yeah, we know about the phone call to Daniel."


    I felt my heart stop.


    "Unfortunately, your efforts have proven inadequate. We''re on our way to meet them now."


    I couldn''tprehend all of the emotion that rushed over me in that moment. I wanted to fall into a sobbing heap on the ground and knock a hole in the wall at the same time.


    Instead, I did quite possibly the only idiotic thing I could have done in that moment:


    I punched Zak across the face as hard as I could.


    Blood spurted from his nose like a spring as he stumbled backwards.


    The mixed reaction of anger and shock was present on his face and I knew it could be seen on mine as well.


    I thought Vampires had quick reflexes? How did he not see thating?


    Despite the fact that decking him was probably the craziest thing I''d ever done, I wanted desperately to do it again.


    Zak lunged at me but Weber interjected, standing between myself and Zak.


    "We can''t have that," he said. "She needs to be alive when Cain sees her."


    Zak red at me with eyes that burned with hatred.


    "Who said I was going to kill her?"


    Weber chuckled to himself for a moment before pushing Zak to take a few steps backwards.


    "I don''t think the boss would appreciate you maiming her either."


    Wait... what?


    "The boss?" I asked quickly. "You''re not the boss?"


    Weber turned to me and gave me a look that told me he was surprised I was speaking to him, like he was somehow above me. "No, darling. I''m just a doctor."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Then who is?"


    "That''s none of your concern," Zak said before Weber had the chance to reply.


    "Sit down and shut the hell up," he added, "before you get yourself into real trouble."


    I did as I was told, too stunned by Weber''s revtion.


    If he wasn''t the one behind it all, who was?


    Several hours went by before the train came to a halt.


    The food in the paper sack I''d been given turned out to be a sugary scone which hadn''t been good for me. Sure, it tasted divine. But it was the only thing I''d eaten in far too long and it wouldn''t sustain me until I would eat again. With a growling stomach, I was led off the train by Weber. Zak followed us, still ring holes through me.


    The stars were glittering in the night sky as we walked outside. The moon shone bright, a full moon casting down so much light that I could see shadows on the wooden tform we stepped onto.


    We were at a small train station that seemed to have been abandoned several years prior to us being there. The rickety old tform we stood on creaked and groaned with every step that was taken towards the dpidated station. Weber pushed open a door that looked like it was about to fall off its hinges and walked into arge room with several ticket booths that were collecting dust.


    Moonlight poured through the dirty windows, lighting up the room in an eerie way.


    I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw headlights outside.


    "They''re here," Weber said.


    He turned to Zak and then looked at me.


    "You can do it now."


    I barely had time to register what he said before pain exploded across my face.


    Ears ringing and eyes watering, I fell to the ground. I lifted a hand to the right side of my face and felt my cheekbone as it began to swell.


    "I think I hit you harder," I said spitting out the blood that was in pooling in my mouth.


    Zak''s foot nailed me in the side of the abdomen, knocking the wind out of me.


    I coughed for a few seconds after I caught my breath, sending the blood in my mouth spraying across the floor in front of me.


    "That''s enough," Weber said. "Hopefully Cain will be more easily swayed seeing her like this."


    Zak yanked me off the ground and I groaned as I held an arm against my waist and leaned against the wall for support.


    I heard the sound of car doors opening and mming shut before the creaking of the wooden boards of the tform echoed out into the night.


    I wondered for a moment if whoever it was walking across the tform knew we were here.


    The door swung open and I saw the outline of a tall, muscr figure.


    "Where is Cain?" Weber growled as more shadowed figures filled the room.


    "He''s not here," an English-ented voice replied.


    I know that voice.


    "The deal was that Cain would be here personally," Zak said.


    The lights in the room flickered on and I winced as my eyes adjusted to the florescent lighting.


    Daniel and Jai stood behind Cain''s father, along with four men I didn''t recognize.

 Chapter Thirty - Meticulous-3

    I winked at Daniel as I caught him staring at my bruised and busted cheek.


    "The deal was also that a hand wasn''tid on her," Jai retorted. "I guess we both have problems holding up our ends of the bargain."


    I saw the faintest smile brush across Daniel''s lips when he looked at me again.


    "Cain sends his apologies," Cain''s father replied. "He''s cleaning up a mess in Beijing at the moment, which I''m sure I have one of you to thank for."


    I knew I should have leapt for joy hearing that Cain had done what I asked him to and stayed away, but I felt my heart sink as I realized he wasn''t there. That hurt more than the beating I took from Zak.


    "Unbelievable," Weber said under his breath.


    He looked at me and I shrugged.


    "I told you Cain didn''t care about me."


    "Shut up!" Zak bellowed, hitting me across the back of my head.


    I stumbled, dizzy from the blow and I saw both Daniel and Jai fight the urge to intervene.


    "Did he not realize what we would do to her if he didn''t show up?" Weber asked, grabbing me by my hair and yanking my head back.


    Cain''s father held up a finger and looked down at the watch on his wrist.


    A few awkward moments went by as we watched him look at the watch.


    "What are you doing?" Weber asked angrily.


    Cain''s father looked up from his watch.


    "Being patient."


    Zak''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "Patient for what?"


    Daniel and Jai began tough and Cain''s father smiled.


    "You don''t get it, do you?" Jai asked.


    Weber''s face morphed into an expression of confusion.


    "We''re just the distraction," Cain''s father admitted, shrugging.


    As soon as the words had left his lips, the window behind us shattered into a thousand shards of ss.


    We all ducked and I looked up just in time to see therge ck wolf leaping over me andtching its mouth onto Weber''s jaw.


    In one swift and bloody movement, Weber''s head was detached from his body and hanging from Cain''s mouth.


    Zak grabbed me as I saw Cain begin to morph back into a human.


    Before either of us could b, Cain stood in front of Zak and head-butted him.


    "Touch her again and you''ll figure out exactly what is worse than death."


    Zak fell to his knees,pletely dazed by the blow.


    I, too, felt somewhat unsteady, but not for the same reason.


    Daniel reached forward and handed Cain a wad of clothing which Cain took and he began to put on the boxer briefs and a pair of pants. He disregarded the shirt, despite the below-freezing temperature. It hadn''t urred to me until he started to dress that he had beenpletely naked.


    He turned to look at me, thosevender eyes staring intently.


    I backed myself against the wall, shaking my head.


    "I told you not toe. I told you to stay-"


    My sentence was cut short as Cain took a broad steps towards me and put his hands on the wall beside my shoulders.


    "Your mistake was thinking I''d listen."


    With that, he leaned in and kissed me so hard I thought I would pass out.


    His arms wrapped around me, one cradling my head against his shoulder and the other pulling my body in closer to his.


    I felt myself go weak, slowly sliding down the wall.


    Cain broke the kiss and lifted me into his arms.


    He carried me out of the room and into the freezing night air.


    I saw a few of Cain''s men talking to the conductor and the others were disposing of Weber''s body.


    "Cain, there''s something you need to know..." I said. "Weber wasn''t-"


    "I don''t want to talk about Weber," he said shortly. "He''s dead. His name carries no weight with me anymore."


    "But that''s just it," I said. "He wasn''t the one behind it all. There is someone else over him."


    "We''ll figure all of that out in time."


    He opened up the car door and ced me inside. Grabbing a nket and wrapped me up, Cain ran his hands along my arms and shoulders to speed up the process of warming me up.


    He stopped when he saw me staring at Zak over his shoulder, who was being led to another SUV by Daniel and Jai.


    "I can''t say I''ll be as gentle with him as I wasst time," Cain said honestly, watch Zak too.


    I shook my head.


    "Kill him for all I care."


    Cain turned to me, shocked that I would say that.


    "He''s a pathological liar," I said. "He killed my grandfather. He killed the Chinese Beta. Everything was nned so meticulously..."


    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed as I trailed off.


    "What is it?"


    I shook my head slowly, staring at Zak, who winked when he saw me looking at him.


    "That was too easy."


    "What?"


    I looked at Cain who stared at me earnestly.


    "It shouldn''t have been that easy," I told him. "They went through so much trouble to n everything else out. I can''t believe they came empty-handed and alone with no backup n." Cain put a hand on my cheek and made me look at him.


    "I think you need some sleep," he told me. "Everything''s going to be fine."


    I gulped as he leaned in and kissed me again.


    I wasn''t so sure.

 Chapter Thirty-One - Exposed-1

    I fought sleep the entire ride home.


    While I wouldn''t say I had been sleep deprived for the previous few days, I felt as though I hadn''t been able to rest.


    Cain radiated a sense of support and protection and I realized just how exhausted I was when I felt myself finally rx in his presence.


    He drove home with one hand on my thigh. The intimate touch made my heart race, but I tried to put on a cool, rxed exterior by leaning my head against the window. Still wrapped up in the nnel nket he had given me, I was finally content.


    The only thing keeping me awake was the hunger rattling my stomach.


    Maybe that''s why I felt so weak...


    At one point, Cain looked over after hearing my stomach growl, as it had been for the past few hours.


    "When was thest time you ate something?"


    I failed to answer immediately, trying to count the hours it had been since I ate the sugary scone on the train.


    He took this silence as an answer and began to slow down so he could take an exit off the highway.


    "Where are you going?"


    "It''s toote to have someone at the castle cook you something and I''m shit at making anything that requires more than a microwave."


    I looked down at the clock that was on the dashboard.


    "What do you expect to be open at this time of night?" I asked incredulously.


    He ignored my question and picked up his phone.


    "We''re making a pit stop," he said to the person on the other line. "Go ahead home. We''ll be there after a while."


    I looked behind us to see the three SUVS containing my brother and everyone else continue to drive down the highway as we took an exit ramp.


    Our car was the only thing on the road as we traveled into a small, sleeping town.


    It wasn''t until I saw the illuminated golden arches that I realized where we were going.


    The lights inside were on as he pulled around the building, up to the drive-thru speaker.


    "What do you want?" He asked me.


    I leaned over the console to look at a menu I couldn''t read. Seeing the menu, I remembered that I was in Germany. While I spoke enough German to hold a steady conversation, I couldn''t read it. Ordering from memory was the only thing I could do.


    "Nuggets," I said, sitting back down.


    I figured that was a safe option and considering that I was to the point of starving, I didn''t care what I ate as long as it would fill me up.


    Cain turned back to the speaker and ordered the food, speaking German to the sleepy-sounding woman who was taking the order. "Drink?" He asked.


    "Water."


    He finished the order and pulled around to the window.


    The woman handed us the bag of our food as he handed her his card to pay for it.


    Smelling the hot, salted fries made my mouth water instantly. I rummaged through the bag to find Cain had ordered two boxes of nuggets and ample amounts of fries.


    He ced my cup of water into the cup holder and handed me the straw as the woman passed him his card.


    Thanking her, he began to drive away.


    I started to dig through the food and shoved a few fries in my mouth before I noticed that Cain made no effort to eat or drink.


    Realizing that I was hogging the bag of food, I apologized and handed it to him to grab his food out.


    He shook his head and pushed it back to me.


    "It''s all yours."


    My eyebrows furrowed as I looked at how much food was there.


    "You ordered all of this for me?"


    Cain nodded as he turned the SUV back out onto the street.


    "Food doesn''t have a taste to me," he said.


    I realized then what he was referring to and I spoke quickly to keep the conversation from going south.


    "That''s a shame. These fries are perfectly crispy."


    I saw a slight smile tug at the corners of his lips.


    With the way I ate, one would have thought the food was going to be taken from me. In the end, I had eaten both boxes of nuggets and nearly all of the fries.


    "I''m going to be sick," I told him, holding a hand on my stomach like I was pregnant.


    "I think you might have eaten a little too fast."


    I looked at him incredulously.


    "Well duh."


    Heughed before pulling onto the narrow path that led up to the castle.


    I observed Cain''s home as we drove up to it, remembering that it had only been about two weeks since I''dst been there. Although, it felt like a lifetime ago.


    I was yanked out of my reminiscing as the narrow and winding roads that Cain drove up the mountain began to make me feel like I was going to hurl.


    He pulled up to arge iron gate and the two men standing outside opened it for him, earning a head nod from Cain as we drove through.


    "It''s freezing outside," I said. "Why do you make them stand out in the cold?"


    Cain shrugged as if the thought had never urred to him.


    "That''s their job. They don''tin."


    Maybe I was just dramatic, but I certainly would haveined if I had to stand outside in below-freezing temperatures, waiting for someone to drive up so I could open a heavy gate for them. Cain drove up to an open garage door and pulled the SUV inside, parking between several other cars just like it.


    He reached over me to grab the empty food bag and I stopped him.


    "Thank you."


    Cain nodded as he took the trash.


    "You''re wee."


    "Not for the food," I said.


    His eyebrows furrowed and I shook my head, realizing how that had sounded.


    "I mean, yes, thank you for the food but I was really trying to thank you for... you know, saving me."


    "I know what you meant," he said. "But you don''t have to thank me for that."


    "I am, though."

 Chapter Thirty-One - Exposed-2

    I reached out and put my hand on the back of Cain''s neck and pulled him towards me, letting my lips find his.


    He let go of the bag and reached over the console to pull me over to sit in hisp, all the while maintaining the kiss.


    I wrapped one arm around the back of his neck and ced the other on his bicep as his hands ttened against my back, pressing my body close to his.


    Although the feeling of euphoria his kiss brought me was foreign, kissing Cain feltpletely natural and made me feel as though we were made to kiss each other.


    His hands slid down my back and, upon reaching the hem of my sweatshirt, slid underneath of it and traveled back up.


    I gasped at the cold touch of his hands against my skin and he seized the opportunity to slide his tongue between my parted lips.


    His fingers trailed along my back and up the sides of my torso before they reached my breasts. He broke the kiss and looked down as he pulled my phone out from underneath my shirt.


    Iughed nervously as he examined my phone and looked at me, the question of why it had been stuffed in my bra written on his face.


    "I didn''t know where else to put it," I said, feeling my cheeks heat up.


    Cain hummed in response before crushing it in his hand, turning the hard I into a ball like it was merely aluminum foil.


    My jaw dropped as he let it fall and roll into the floorboard. He wiped the shards of ss from his hand before turning his attention back to me.


    "I''ll get you another one," he said. "I just don''t want them to have tracked that one."


    Still somewhat shocked at Cain''s disy of strength, I didn''t protest when he leaned back in to finish the heated moment where we had left it.


    He did so with such a passionate enthusiasm that he pushed me against the steering wheel, causing the horn to honk and scare the hell out of me in the process.


    I yelped and pushed back into his chest instinctively before realizing where the sound originated. I buried my head into the crook of his neck in shame as he let out an airyugh.


    I felt myself rx into his body and I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent.


    "Tired?"


    I hummed as I sat up and pushed myself back over the console into my chair, still trying to regte my erratic breathing.


    Looking at Cain, I noticed something odd.


    "Your eyes are blue," I told him, leaning in to inspect their change in color.


    "They''ve been doing that for a few days," he said. "I suppose it''s because I''ve shifted quite a few times."


    I nodded, still looking at the ice-blue color of his irises in wonder.


    The entire time I''d known Cain, I was under the impression that his Lycanthropic ancestory was overpowered by the symptoms of Vampirism. Now I wasn''t so sure. I wanted desperately to believe there was an internal struggle for dominance happening between the gene and the disease.


    I found myself hoping that the Lycanthrope would win.


    I followed Cain as he got out of the car, pulling the nnel nket tighter around me as we walked through the cold garage and into the castle.


    Cain was right when he said that no one would be awake.


    The darkness that settled inside the interior of the castle was eerie but Cain was unfazed and walked through the castle like he had done it hundreds of times.


    I could hear our footsteps echoing down the long hallway, making it sound like there were twenty people walking instead of just the two of us.


    I stayed close by Cain''s side, feeling much morefortable with him as my guide as we made our way to the part of the castle that I recognized.


    He led me to his room and opened the door for me to walk inside. Following me, he closed the door behind us and ventured into the room and over to the firece to light it. "Sorry it''s cold in here," he said, grabbing the matchbox. "No one''s been in here since we left."


    "It''s not a problem."


    I walked over to bathroom door and opened it, my eyes gazing longingly at therge freestanding bathtub.


    "I''m going to take a bath to warm up," I told Cain, cing the nket over the back of the couch.


    He nodded as he poked at the logs in the hearth, urging them to catch the me.


    I bathed quickly, delighted to finally feel clean but anxious to go to sleep.


    Watching in the mirror, I towel dried my hair beforebing through the tangled mess with my fingers.


    It wasn''t until I looked down at the towel wrapped around my upper body that I realized I had nothing to change into. All of my luggage was still at Zak''s house.


    I looked around nervously, seeing if I could find anything to cover myself with other than the towel.


    Sighing in defeat, I walked out of the bathroom slowly to see Cain sitting on the couch, staring into the firece. He looked as though he was lost in thought. "Do you have anything I could change into?" I asked him.


    My voice pulled him away from his thoughts and he looked over to me. I barely caught the fleeting nce he gave my towel-d body before he stood to his feet. "Are you okay with a t-shirt?" He asked.


    I nodded as I followed him to the wardrobe on the other side of the room.


    He opened the door before pulling out a neatly folded gray t-shirt and a pair of navy blue sweatpants.


    I turned to go back into the bathroom to change but he stopped me.


    "I''m going to shower really quickly," he said. "You can change out here."


    I nodded and ced the items of clothing on the bed as I watched him walk into the bathroom.


    I kept waiting for the bathroom door to close but it never did. It stayed open even as the sound of the shower turning on echoed into the bedroom.


    Someone isn''t very bashful, I thought.


    I dropped the towel and pulled therge shirt over my head. It covered my butt, which I was thankful for.


    I pulled on the sweatpants but huffed as I noticed they were far too big. I tried pulling the drawstring as tight as I could get it but they still hung loosely on my hips.


    I huffed before taking the sweatpants off and walking back over to the wardrobe to find something else.


    Pulling out a drawer, I found a few pairs of boxer briefs. I took a pair out and pulled them on. After rolling the waistband over a few times, they stayed put and fitfortably. "Mind handing me a pair?"


    I nearly jumped out of my skin hearing Cain''s voice behind me.


    I hadn''t even heard the shower turn off.


    Cheeks flushed, I grabbed a pair of the boxer briefs and turned around to hand them to him.


    Cain held a towel low around his hips with one hand and he reached out to take the underwear with the other.


    I felt my breath hitch in the back of my throat at the sight of his exposed muscr chest and abdomen.


    I began to get a lump in the back of my throat as I watched a few beads of water roll from his shoulders and down his chest and abs.


    "I would turn around if you don''t wish to see me change," he said.


    I couldn''t make myself move.


    "I''m not shy."


    I caught the amused look in his eyes as he let the towel fall away from his torso.


    I had lied to him. I was extremely shy. The sight of his naked body, in all its glory and righteousness, in front of me made my cheeks burn and stomach twist.


    I swallowed the knot in my throat as I turned my attention to the ceiling, unable to boldly gaze upon his nakedness any longer.

 Chapter Thirty-One - Exposed-3

    I heard him let out an airyugh before he reached around me to grab the sweatpants I''d put back into the wardrobe.


    The close proximity of our bodies as he did so caused me to take a step backwards, running into the wardrobe.


    "What was that about not being shy?" He asked sarcastically.


    "I''m not shy-"


    "You''re lying." he said, letting the sweatpants fall from his grip onto the floor. He ced his hands above my head to lean against the wardrobe. "It was your blushing that gave you away," he told me, his face dipping closer to mine.


    I could feel the tickle of his warm breath on my lips.


    "Are you embarrassed?" He asked teasingly. "Impressed," I blurted.


    He drew back slightly, raising an eyebrow.


    "Oh?"


    I felt myself sink further back into the wardrobe, trying to escape the embarrassment of my blunt revtion.


    "I can''t say that I''m able to return thepliment," he said. "That baggy shirt doesn''t give me much to go on." "You''ve seen women naked before," I said, finding my voice. "I''m sure you can use your imagination."


    "Womene in different figures, E. You should allow me the pleasure of familiarizing myself with yours."


    I couldn''t bring myself to resist as his hands moved from their ce above my head to where the t-shirt skimmed against my thigh.


    The pad of this thumbs slid up under the hem of the shirt and found the rolled waistband of the boxer briefs.


    I fought the urge to gasp as his fingers hooked themselves around the stic and pulled the underwear down to fall at my ankles.


    I felt my face ze like the fire burning in the hearth behind him as his hands slid back under the shirt to travel up my waist.


    "Does that blush go all the way down?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper as his nose skimmed against mine.


    Unable to answer, I could only focus on the way his feathery touch danced up my stomach. Chill bumps erupted across my skin.


    His mouth covered mine and I moaned into the kiss as he pressed his body firmly against mine.


    My eyes fluttered shut and I felt myself go weak.


    Cain''s hands were tucked away under my shirt, gripping my waist and pulling my hips closer to him.


    My hands entangled themselves in his damp hair as his hands began to slid farther up my body.


    His mouth pulled away from mine and I gasped at the loss.


    "Only one way to find out, I guess," he said slowly, his hot breath dancing across my lips.


    He lifted the shirt up and over my head, receiving no protest from me.


    Throwing it to the side, he took a step back to admire me.


    I felt like I was on fire as I watched his eyes trail up my exposed body, taking in every visible inch.


    "It does," he confirmed with a wink.


    He stepped towards me again, this time taking my face in one hand and wrapping the other arm around my waist to pull me flush against his chest.


    Our bare chests pressed together firmly as he lifted me up and pushed me against the wardrobe, our faces now at an even level.


    My tongue danced with his as the kiss deepened. I ran my hands through his hair, pulling him closer.


    I let out a gasp as a knock sounded from the bedroom door.


    "Cain, I''m sorry but I need to talk to you."


    Daniel''s voice effectively knocked me from my trance. I pushed Cain away and covered myself with my hands.


    "You should see what he wants," I whispered breathlessly.


    I noticed then that his eyes had grown dark, the shadows under his eyes were just barely visible.


    He looked at me with an indecipherable expression before running a hand through his tousled hair and bending down to pick up his sweatpants from the ground. "Give me just a second," he told Daniel, still watching me.


    I tore my gaze from him and picked up the shirt from where it hadnded a few feet away. I threw it over my head quickly as he walked over to the bedroom door. He opened it slightly and spoke to Daniel for a few moments.


    I put on the boxer briefs and rolled them back up, still trying to steady my racing heart.


    Cain closed the door and turned to face me as I ran a hand through my hair, attempting to regainposure.


    "What did he say?" I asked.


    "Something that could have waited until morning."


    He watched me with a wary gaze, his eyebrows drawn together slightly.


    "Why did you pull away so quickly?" He asked slowly.


    "You said we couldn''t have sex," I told him honestly.


    "That wasn''t sex."


    "It was forey," I countered, "which, by definition, leads to other things."


    He let out a long sigh, a rather angry expression still stered on his face.


    "I need another cold shower," he said, beginning to walk back towards the bathroom.


    He stopped when he got to the doorway and turned to meet my gaze again.


    "Just so we''re clear," he said. "it wasn''t my gratification that I had in mind."


    I let out a shaky breath as he walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind him that time.


    When he came back out, I was in the bed pretending to be asleep.


    I felt my heart begin to race as I heard him walk over.


    To my disappointment, he grabbed the two pillows from his side of the bed and took them over to the couch.


    I sat up and watched him try to fit hisrge body on the awkwardly small couch.


    Sighing, threw back the covers and walked over to him.


    He stubbornly refused to look at me, keeping his eyes glued to the dying mes in the firece.


    "You are more than wee to sleep in your own bed," I told him. "I''ll sleep over here."


    "Don''t worry about it."


    When he made no effort to say anything else or move from his spot on the couch, I turned to go back to the bed.


    It didn''t take long, despite my thoughts of Cain, for me to fall fast asleep.


    Little did I know that Zak had been right.


    I wouldn''t see the sunrise.

 Chapter Thirty-Two - Part of The Plan-1

    Cain''s body was twisted in an awkward angle on the tiny couch.


    Although he knew that dreaming of sleep was unrealistic, he wanted to at least getfortable.


    Hearing E''s deep and steady breathing as she slept made him jealous that he wasn''t in the bed with her. His stubbornness had gotten the better of him and he had been a fool to turn her invitation down when she extended it.


    However, he reminded himself that his self control only extended so far. While Cain was surprised that he hadsted those several minutes of their heated encounter without feeling the overwhelming need to mark her, he didn''t know if the next time would be so pleasant.


    As he watched the dying embers glowing in the hearth, Cain realized he''d beenying there for nearly four hours.


    He felt the familiar numbness set in around his mouth as his gums began to swell so he sat up and walked into the bathroom, deciding not to fight it as he normally did.


    Opening up the cab underneath the sink, he pulled out a stic bag containing a liter of blood.


    It was there for emergencies, but he was using it simply because he didn''t want to leave the room while E was sleeping. He unscrewed the cap and began to drink.


    It only took him a few moments to drain the bagpletely.


    Once finished, he wiped his mouth with a hand towel and threw that and the empty stic bag into the trash can.


    He walked back out into the bedroom but stopped suddenly.


    Something was wrong.


    He scanned the room but saw no sign of anything out of the ordinary. The door was still closed and locked and the windows were as well.


    But he soon realized it wasn''t what he could see, it was what he couldn''t hear.


    E wasn''t breathing.


    He rushed over to her and found that she was drenched in sweat. He pulled back the covers and picked her up in his arms.


    Rushing from the room, he took several staircases down to the infirmary where Dr. Zosak was sleeping in his room.


    Cain pounded on the door with his foot, shaking the whole wall.


    He could hear the rushed shuffling behind the door before Dr. Zosak appeared, haphazardly putting on his sses.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked, still half asleep.


    "She''s not breathing."


    The doctor''s eyes widened as he saw E. He hurriedly pushed Cain into an empty examination room.


    He instructed Cain toy her down on the cot before he ced a hand over her mouth and nose, feeling for an exhale. He shook his head, not feeling one before he leaned forward and ced two fingers on her neck. "She still has a pulse," he told Cain.


    He opened E''s mouth to reveal a swollen tongue and a throat that was cherry red.


    Immediately Cain saw Dr. Zosak''s shoulders slump.


    "Go get the nurses," he told Cain. "I''m going to see if I can get her airway back open."


    Cain did as he was told, forgetting in that moment that he wasn''t supposed to take orders from anyone but himself.


    He ran down the hallway to the bunk room where a few of the nurses slept as they were on call.


    "Everyone up!"


    After turning the light switch on, he ran back down the hallway.


    He could feel his heart racing with every step he took.


    When reentering the room, Cain saw Dr. Zosak pumping air into E''s mouth with a bag valve mask.


    "Are they on their way?" He asked quickly.


    Cain nodded.


    The doctor gave a frustrated groan before calling him over.


    "You do this," Dr. Zosak instructed Cain, cing his hands in the exact same position his hands had been in.


    "Wait until it fillspletely back up with air before you squeeze it again."


    Cain did as he was told, mirroring Dr. Zosak''s movements.


    Dr. Zosak went over to the table behind Cain and began to rummage through the equipment.


    He came back with a hand held tool that had a long, curved end.


    Just before Cain could ask him what he was doing, the handful of nurses he''d just woken up burst into the room and immediately began to help where they were needed. "Acute upper airway closure," Dr. Zosak informed them. "I''m inserting an endotracheal tube now to begin venttion."


    One nurse began to back Cain out of the way as he watched Dr. Zosak insert the I tool into E''s mouth.


    "I need the tube," Dr. Zosak told the nurse in a rushed tone.


    The nurse beside him began unwrapping the stic cover off of a tube that was about a foot long. She thered the end of it in a jelly before handing it to Dr. Zosak.


    He positioned the stic tube carefully before cing it in E''s mouth and pushing it down her throat.


    He pulled the tool out of her mouth, leaving the tube inserted.


    "I''m going to check for bteral breathing," he told the nurse, who was attaching a bag valve pump to the end of the tube.


    She squeezed gently and Cain watched as E''s chest began to rise and fall perfectly.


    Dr. Zosak ced a stethoscope to her chest and listened to her breathing.


    "Sounds good," he told the nurse. "Attach her to a vital signs monitor and make sure to record her initial BPM and respiratory rate. I also want to run an ECG and a full blood panel." The nurses nodded and got to work as Dr. Zosak walked over to Cain.


    "What has she eaten?"


    "We stopped at a drive-thru on the way home a few hours ago."


    Dr. Zosak shook his head, not satisfied with the answer.


    "Before that?"


    Cain just shrugged.


    "She was starving so I can''t imagine she''d eaten much, but I don''t know for certain."


    Dr. Zosak looked at E in deep thought.


    "What?" Cain asked. "Do you think she had an allergic reaction?"


    Dr. Zosak shook his head.


    "She''s been poisoned. My best guess would be Methanol because of the respiratory failure and the bright color of her throat, but I won''t know for sure until the blood paneles back." Cain felt his heart begin to race.


    "Is there an antidote?"


    Dr. Zosak faltered.


    "If it is Methanol, it would have needed to be treated within two hours of ingestion."


    Cain''s eyes returned to look at E who was still unconscious but breathing on her own.


    "What do you want me to do?"


    "Find out what she''s eaten while I wait for the results of the blood test. If the toxicology screense back clear, we''ll go from there."


    Cain nodded before backing out of the room reluctantly.


    As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, he looked down to see his hands shaking.


    He knew exactly who to talk to to find out what was wrong with E.


    And Cain was going to kill him.


    Several floors below the infirmary wing, Cain was met by Daniel and Jai at therge steel door that stood between him and his answers.


    At this point, nearly everyone in the castle was on high alert. Not everyone knew why exactly, but Cain made sure to tell Jai and Daniel about E so they could help him. "Cain, listen to me," Jai urged, holding a hand out to stop Cain from exploding through the door.


    "This is what he wants. He''s doing this to get to you. Remember, we have to keep him alive. He and Weber are the only leads we have so far and Weber''s dead now."


    Cain pushed the two of them to the side and yanked thetch on the door so hard that it fell to the ground and the door opened slowly. "We''ll find another one," he growled.


    He walked swiftly into the room, over to where Zak slept and yanked him off of the steel cot by the hair, dragging him to the ground. Immediately Zak began to fight back, startled by the sudden assault.


    He smiled seeing Cain, raising himself to his knees.


    "Is she already dead or about to be?"


    Upon hearing this, Cain was overwhelmed by the sudden ringing in his ears and his vision went blurry with rage.


    He threw Zak''s head down, smashing into the concrete.


    Before he could bend down and do it again, he felt a hand grab the cor of his t-shirt and pull him back.


    Cain turned to see Daniel.


    "Don''t give him what he wants," he reminded Cain.


    Zak began tough rolling over on the ground that was now covered in his blood.

 Chapter Thirty-Two - Part of The Plan-2

    "I already have what I want."


    Cain picked him up by the shirt cor and pushed him against the wall, pinning him there.


    "What did you poison her with?" He growled.


    "A cocktail of things, I believe."


    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "What?" Zak asked incredulously. "You honestly thought that I would know what Weber gave her?" Immense guilt washed over Cain.


    He''d killed the only person who knew exactly what she''d been poisoned with.


    "So Weber was the only one who could give her an antidote?" He asked.


    Zak began to cough as Cain put pressure on his chest, urging him to answer. "There was no antidote made. There was no need for one," Zak wheezed out.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Cain saw Daniel and Jai exchange baffled looks.


    "So what is the point of poisoning her?" Jai asked. "Why would you kill your own sister?"


    Zak smiled, exposing his blood covered teeth.


    "If she dies, it won''t be because of me."


    Cain felt his arms go ck and he dropped Zak to the floor, realizing exactly what the n had been all along.


    He now knew E had been right. Rescuing her had been too easy because Zak and Weber wanted it to be. They wanted her to be with Cain when the poison settled in. They wanted Cain to be the one to do it.


    "I''m not turning her."


    "Turn her, don''t turn her," Zak said shrugging. "Either way, you won''t be the same man in the morning when the sun rises."


    Cain looked at him incredulously.


    "So that was the point then? Why wouldn''t you just kill me? Wasn''t that the n?"


    Zak shook his head.


    "No, but we''re getting there."


    Furious, Cain turned to leave with Jai and Daniel close behind.


    Once in the hallway, Cain turned and pulled a switchde from his back pocket and handed it to Jai.


    "If I can recognize him whenever Ie back then you haven''t done your job. Are we clear?"


    Jai nodded, turning the de over in his hands.


    "What do you want me to do?" Jai asked.


    "Every man has a breaking point," Cain said. "Find his."


    With that being said, Cain left Jai and Daniel in the basement.


    He took his time walking back to the infirmary.


    Cain took every exaggerated and unnecessary route that he could fathom, working over the situation in his mind.


    He tried to think of alternative methods of saving E. Maybe Zak was lying. Maybe it was a bluff to see how far Cain would go.


    But he knew it wasn''t.


    E was dying and Cain was the deciding factor.


    His feet finally found themselves standing outside her door, looking into the examination room to see Dr. Zosak standing next to her, reading a chart. Beside him was a nurse that was taping down the tube that was still lodged in E''s throat, allowing her to breath.


    Upon entering the room, he drew the attention of the nurse and doctor.


    Dr. Zosak immediately dismissed the nurse who walked swiftly from the room without a fight.


    "Prognosis?"


    The expression on Dr. Zosak''s face gave away his answer before he spoke it.


    "The blood panel tested positive for several types of various poisons. It''s surprising to me that she''ssted this long. I would say she''s in her final hour."


    When Cain remained in the doorway, expressionless, Dr. Zosak sighed.


    "I suppose you already know that, don''t you?"


    Cain nodded slowly, unable to tear his eyes from her unconscious body.


    "What did Zak say?"


    Finally, Cain took a step into the room and stuffed his hands into his pockets.


    "It''s all part of their scheme," he said. "It doesn''t matter if I turn her or if I don''t. Either way, I lose."


    The thought watching E die right in front of him while he was able to keep her from doing so made Cain''s body go numb. However, he realized what saving her would really do. The effects of turning E would carry with her for the rest of her life. It was a decision so serious that he didn''t feel qualified to make it.


    "Is there anyway you could wake her up?" He asked.


    Dr. Zosak immediately shook his head.


    "We''re keeping her sedated. An x-ray of her chest revealed severe internal swelling. There''s no telling how much pain she would be in if she were awake."


    "There''s nothing you could give her to numb it? At least for a while..."


    Dr. Zosak shook his head again.


    "Morphine only carries so far before it acts as a sedative. She wouldn''t be able to make an informed decision with the state she would be in anyway."


    Cain nodded slowly as he took a few steps more towards her.


    "If I may..." Dr. Zosak offered.


    Cain nodded, weing any advice the doctor had to give.


    "As a physician, I am expected to do whatever it takes, no matter the cost, to save a life. Unless I have orders not to resuscitate, I will keep someone''s heart beating for as long as I can. Most people would rather wake up from a parachuting ident paralyzed from the neck down than not wake up at all."


    Cain eyed him carefully.


    "So you think she would be grateful that I saved her life rather than hate me from taking so much out of it?"


    "I can''t say for certain, because everyone''s different," Dr. Zosak mused. "But I can say that, generally, most people will choose life over death."


    Cain returned his attention to E.


    "This disease isn''t something I would wish upon my worse enemy," Cain said slowly. "I can''t bear the thought of her ending up like me."


    Dr. Zosak stared at Cain with an intense look.


    "If she wakes up as even half the person you are, she''ll be just fine."


    Cain said nothing.


    He walked over to where shey and took her hand in his. Turning it over, he saw the scars on her wrist from where he bit her the first time.


    He shook his head.


    "I''m not going to do it."


    Dr. Zosak felt his shoulders slump in defeat.


    He couldn''t protest Cain''s decision, he didn''t have the energy nor the position to do so.


    "I''ll leave you then," he said.


    Cain sat down in the chair next to her, slumping over as he did so.


    Unable to tear his eyes from her peacefully resting face, he knew he was making the right decision.


    She''ll be better off this way.


    He closed his eyes and listened to the beeping of the monitor next to her cot. He felt his heart begin to race as the sound of the beeping began to slow.


    Over the next several moments, Cain listened as the pings rang out further and further apart.


    It wasn''t until he heard the sound of the tline that his heart jolted.


    This is what''s best.


    Outside in the hallway, Daniel and Dr. Zosak listened to the rm that signaled the code blue. Dr. Zosak knew that Cain would havee out into the hallway had he wanted her to be revived. But they still stood there and listened.


    After a few moments of doing so, he gave Daniel a grieving expression before he walked back into the room to confirm the time of death.


    Walking inside, he saw Cain kneeling beside her bed.


    He felt his heart catch in the back of his throat seeing Cain turn to look at him, the entire lower half of his face drenched in blood.


    Immediately his eyes turned to E''s neck, which was covered with her own blood.


    Cain stood to his feet and turned to Dr. Zosak.


    The sight of Cain''s dark eyes and bloody face and hands was something that sent terrifying chills down the doctor''s spine.


    As Cain approached, Dr. Zosak couldn''t help but to back up, running into the door as he did so.


    Cain gave him a hard nce, his expression unreadable.


    "Let me know when she wakes up."

 Chapter Thirty-Three - Birthright-1

    "Cain!"


    He kept his eyes forward, focused on unscrewing the nail from the piece of machinery in his hands.


    "Cain! Look!"


    Finally, his curiosity got the better of him. Cain looked up from his ce on the wet ground under the tree to see Jacob swinging from the branches above him. "You''re going to fall again and Mom''s going to be mad at you," Cain said, unamused.


    The little boy leapt between branches, letting his seven-year-old body cling to arge limb.


    "Why do you always care what Mom thinks?"


    Cain turned his attention back to the small device, a coffee grinder with a broken hand-crank. His father had given it to him to fix.


    "Cain!"


    He looked up again to see Jacob staring at him intently from upside down.


    "Please climb the tree. Why don''t you ever y with me?"


    "ying is for kids," Cain muttered, despite only being eleven years old himself.


    "C''mon," Jacob begged. "You never y with me. Just this once?"


    "You said thatst time."


    His gaze returned to his hands as he unscrewed the handle from its hold.


    Cain continued to disassemble the hand-crank as Jacob groaned and continued to amuse himself by pestering his older brother.


    "If you beat me to the top of the tree, I''ll let you be the Alpha."


    Cain rolled his eyes.


    "I''m already going to be the Alpha."


    "That''s not what Dad said."


    Cain looked up to see his brother smiling smugly.


    "Dad said that whenever I get big, he''s going to let me be Beta and then he will let me be Alpha whenever I''m ready," Jacob bragged. "No," Cain said, feeling his bottom lip begin to quiver. "I''m supposed to be Alpha. I''m the oldest."


    "You''re not like us though. Dad said that only a Lycanthrope can be an Alpha."


    "But I''m half Lycanthrope!" Cain argued, standing to his feet.


    "Doesn''t matter," Jacob teased.


    Cain stomped his foot.


    "Fine, I''ll race you to the top. But if I win, you have to tell Dad that I am going to be Alpha." Jacob smiled.


    "Deal. Ready, set, go!"


    "Not fair!" Cain yelled. "You have to start from the bottom!"


    He groaned as he watched Jacob begin to scale the tree from where he hung, leaving Cain with about fifteen feet of a disadvantage.


    Cain quickly grabbed the lowest branch, having memorized the fastest way to the top of the tree.


    He caught up with Jacob in no time, soon leaving the younger brother behind to eat the leaves that fell in his wake.


    Cain reached the top several moments before Jacob did, finally reaching out to help pull him up as he tried to catch his breath. "That''s not fair!" Jacob whined. "You have shoes on."


    "You didn''t say that I couldn''t."


    Jacob crossed his arms and began to pout.


    "I won so you have to tell Dad that I''m going to be Alpha," Cain said.


    "No."


    Jacob stuck his tongue out at him.


    "I won!" Cain cried. "You have to tell Dad."


    "You''re a cheater," Jacob said, giving Cain a shove.


    Cain''s nearly lost his bnce on the branch he straddled, feeling anger begin to course through him.


    "Don''t push! I almost fell."


    Jacob began to patronize him, shoving him even harder.


    Cain grabbed Jacob''s hand and yanked him down, forgetting his strength as the bigger and stronger one of the two.


    He saw the look of terror on Jacob''s face as he lost his bnce and flipped over the branch sideways.


    Cain yelled as Jacob tumbled back down the tree, hitting seemingly every limb on the way down.


    It was like he watched it happen in slow motion.


    Cain jumped from his branch to the one beneath him, trying to make his way down the tree as quickly as possible.


    When he finally reached the bottom, he saw Jacob''s mangled bodyying on the wet ground next to his coffee grinder.


    Cain jumped from the tree,nding hard next to Jacob.


    He stumbled to his knees and crawled over to where his brothery, unmoving.


    "Jacob," he said, his voice quivering.


    Receiving no answer, he grabbed his shoulder and turned Jacob''s body over toy on his back.


    His eyes were closed and his entire face was covered in mud.


    Blood spewed from Jacob''s broken nose, something that immediately entranced Cain.


    He reached a finger out to touch the flow of warm liquid that trickled down his face and the side of his neck. Cain smeared it across Jacob''s skin before pulling his finger back to observe it. The way the blood felt between his fingers sparked something inside Cain that he had never felt before.


    This blood was different than that his mother made him drink with a straw in the mornings with breakfast and at night before he brushed his teeth.


    It was still warm.


    It still had a scent.


    A pit formed in the bottom of his stomach that made Cain feel like he hadn''t eaten in months. His throat went dry and his hands began to shake.


    In the back of his mind he knew it was wrong, but he couldn''t stop himself from bringing his finger to his lips and tasting it.


    The moment his brother''s blood touched his tongue, Cain''s gums began to swell.


    He groaned in pain as his teeth grew out of their dormant positions and poked his bottom lip. He felt as though someone was pulling them out with pliers.


    He ced a hand to his mouth and cried, wishing it would go away.


    Cain felt as though someone was screaming in his ears, they rang so loudly.


    He felt tears running down his face as everything went dark.


    Still very much awake, he fumbled around on the ground, trying to understand why he couldn''t see.


    Then he saw the colors on his hands where Jacob''s blood had been.


    It was glowing. Cain looked to his brother to see that Jacob was covered in the glow, almost like he was radiating it.


    Entranced by what he saw, Cain forgot the pain in his mouth and crawled closer to Jacob.


    He reached over and touched Jacob''s neck, seeing that it was brighter there.


    Pulling back his hand, Cain was disappointed to see the glow hadn''t rubbed off on him. It was under Jacob''s skin.


    A thousand thoughts ran through Cain''s mind, screaming at him to do things he couldn''t fathom.


    He raised his hands to his ears, trying to block them out.


    Closing his eyes, he begged for them to be quiet.


    He needed to go get help.


    He had to go get help.


    Jacob was hurt.


    But the voices were so loud.


    In a moment''s rush, he decided to do what they asked him to. Maybe then they would be quiet so he could go get help.


    He couldn''t control himself as he bent down and bit into Jacob''s neck. Immediately, the taste of the warm copper blood filled Cain''s mouth. He couldn''t get enough.


    He felt it dripping down the side of his mouth, but he didn''t care.


    His hands were covered in his brother''s blood, but he didn''t care.


    He began to feel disappointed when there was nothing else there to drink.


    The taste was gone and he wanted more.


    He detached himself from Jacob''s neck and stared at what it was he had done.


    His vision slowly returned as he heard a woman''s shriek.


    Cain looked up to see his mother several feet away, running towards him.


    It was then that he felt immense guilt.

 Chapter Thirty-Three - Birthright-2

    It washed over him with such an impact that he began to cry hysterically.


    He stood to his feet and backed away, running into the tree.


    "I''m so sorry, Mommy! I''m so sorry! I didn''t mean to!"


    He shrunk away, pressing himself into the tree.


    His mother bent down and knelt beside her youngest son, taking his head in herp.


    Still screaming, Evelyn pressed a hand against Jacob''s neck, trying to stop the slow trickle of what little blood was left in his body from leaving him.


    Cain looked up and saw his father running towards them, no doubt hearing his mother''s cries.


    See the scene in front of him, Adam stopped. With his mouth gaping in a mixture of horror and shock, he looked at Cain who was crying with nearly as much volume as his mother.


    "I''m so sorry!" He screamed, tears flooding his cheeks. "I won''t ever do it again!"


    Cain''s hands were shaking as his father walked over.


    "I swear I won''t ever do it again!"


    Cain''s eyes opened as he was pulled from the vivid memory.


    His breathing was jagged and his hands were shaking as he listened to the sound of footsteps echoing up the staircase to his office.


    Judging from the sound and scent, Cain knew exactly who it was and the timing couldn''t be worse.


    Cain remained quiet, hoping maybe he would go away.


    The footsteps stopped in the middle of the dark room as it fellpletely silent.


    "Dr. Zosak told me what happened."


    The sound of Adam''s voice reverberated inside the dark room, making Cain sigh.


    It was silent for a few more moments as Cain neglected to pick up the conversation.


    "Cain, I know this is hard-"


    "Do you miss him?"


    Cain''s sudden interruption and bold question meant it was Adam''s turn to be responsible for the silence that fell upon the room.


    "Of course," he answered finally.


    "He would have been better at this than I am," Cain said truthfully. "I wish he was here so I wouldn''t have to be."


    The room was silent for a few more moments as Cain felt his emotion begin to strangle him. It caught in his chest, making him feel like he was being weighed down by rocks. It wrapped around his throat and he fought to breath. "I swore I would never again do that to someone I loved. I just... I heard her tline and-"


    He stopped himself.


    Adam sighed.


    "Because of you, she isn''t dead, Cain."


    "Is she awake?"


    "She will be soon. I was sent toe and get you."


    When Cain made no effort to move, Adam walked closer, navigating his way around the dark room with caution.


    "Is that what all of this is about?" Adam asked. "Your mother and I don''t hold what happened against you, Cain." "Not consciously. I did kill him, after all."


    "A broken neck killed your brother," Adam said firmly.


    The room was silent for a few seconds before Cain sighed.


    "He didn''t deserve it."


    "No one deserves to die so young," Adam said. "It would have been equally as devastating if it had been you."


    Cain said nothing else as he stood from his chair and walked around his father to the staircase.


    "Answer me one question: if Jacob were still alive, would he have been Alpha?"


    A few moments went by as Cain waited anxiously for Adam to answer.


    "You were the firstborn," Adam said, sighing. "I had no intention of giving the


    Cain said nothing else as he walked down the stairs, leaving his father to perseverate in the lie that loomed over the dark office.


    He made his way to the infirmary, his heartbeat quickening with every step.


    Cain had been trying to avoid the thought of what she would say when she woke up or what she would think but now he would have to face the reality of it.


    Walking down the hallway, he saw Dr. Zosak standing outside her door reading from a clipboard.


    "Ah," the doctor said, seeing him. "I''m d you''re here. I was just about to wake her."


    "How is she?"


    "Doing great. Her body is taking the change well. There''s actually something I wanted to tell you before I woke her up."


    Cain nodded.


    "Her white blood cell count is very high, abnormally so. Her organs have yet to deteriorate which leads me to believe that she has much more Lycanthrope in her than the initial tests showed."


    Cain''s eyebrows knit together as he received the information.


    "What are you saying? That being turned somehow woke up that gene in her?"


    Dr. Zosak shrugged.


    "It''s not umon that the body would resort to extreme measures to fight off an unknown disease. However, I will say that Vampirism isn''t something that she will be able to fight off. The disease itself is too strong. But, I will say that she is adapting to it well, which gives me hope for a good recovery."


    Cain nodded.


    "But," Dr. Zosak added, "we won''t know until we wake her up."


    Cain let out a shaky breath as he felt his palms begin to sweat. He followed Dr. Zosak into the examination room to see E resting peacefully on the bed.


    While she was still attached to a monitor that disyed the rhythm of her heartbeat, all of the initial tubes and wires that had run across her body had been removed.


    Cain stood at the foot of the bed as Dr. Zosak pulled a syringe from his jacket pocket. He pulled the cap off of the needle and inserted it into the intravenous line that ran to her arm.


    "Is that blood?" Cain asked, eyeing the bag hanging next to her.


    Dr. Zosak nodded.


    "I figured it was best if she didn''t wake up hungry. We drained herpletely before we began to give her transfusions. I took her blood and added a few supplements to help fight off any infections and now we''re just feeding it back into her. Somewhat experimental, but it seems to be working."


    Cain had never considered that maybe an intravenous line would be the best way to introduce blood into her body without making her bite for it.


    He was grateful for the doctor because the thought of letting her feed using her teeth hadn''t settled well with Cain. Cain needed her to adjust to the idea before she became ustomed to the life.


    "How long do we have until she wakes up?"


    "A few minutes," Dr. Zosak answered. "The injection I just gave her will counteract the barbiturate that''s been keeping her in aa, so she''ll be waking up soon."


    Cain watched her with a wary look and Dr. Zosak sighed.


    "I''ll leave you two alone to talk," he said, cing a hand on Cain''s shoulder. "Let me know if you need me."


    With that said, he walked from the room and closed the door behind him.


    Cain was thankful the infirmary was underground because that meant there were no windows to cover. He walked over to the light switch and turned it off, sending the room into partial darkness. The only other light came from the monitor beside her, which he covered with a nket from her bed.


    Cain took the seat from beside the cot and ced it at the end of the bed and took a seat as he waited.


    I fought hard to wake up.


    My body wanted to rest, my eyes wanted to stay closed.


    When I finally peeled them open, I couldn''t see.


    I bed a few times before I realized it was just a dark room and that I wasn''t blind.


    There was a faint mechanical glow that came from beside me, allowing some illumination into the room.


    I heard the squeaking of shoes that walked in the hallway, outside my door.


    I could smell the strong, overpowering scent of disinfectant that lingered in the air.


    But something wasn''t right.


    I felt empty.


    I sat up slightly, rubbing my head as I did so.


    It was then that I realized I was attached to an I.V.


    It urred to me almost immediately where I was.


    Beginning to feel myself start to panic, I pushed back the sheets.


    "Easy."


    Cain''s voice echoed loudly across the room and I immediately ced my hands over my ears.


    "You don''t have to yell," I told him, grimacing.


    "I didn''t."


    Hearing the whispered tone of voice that he used didn''t match the volume that I heard him speak with. Something isn''t right.


    "Why am I here?"


    Cain didn''t answer and I felt my heart drop inside my chest.


    "What happened?"

 Chapter Thirty-Four - Stand Corrected-1

    I''d lived in Jacksonville, Florida my whole life.


    I was born in a hospital there. I grew up there. I went to college there. That being said, I''d experienced my fair share of tropical storms. Most of these would knock the power out for hours, days and sometimes weeks. During those moments, when the rain pattered against the leaves of trees and the thunder rolled with the dark clouds off in the distance, I would sit beside my open bedroom window and listen to the sounds of the storm. After the storm was over, if the power hadn''t returned, I mourned the sound of rain. Without it, there wasplete and utter silence.


    There was no sound of my ceiling fan spinning or the air conditioning unit kicking on. The hum of electricity was missing, bringing an eerie silence upon the house.


    It amused me that I never recognized the sound of electricity until it wasn''t there.


    My memories of power outages are the closest thing I can rte to what I felt when I woke up in that hospital bed.


    Empty.


    Silent.


    Like something was missing.


    It was unsettling and made me want to scream.


    In the midst of my panic, I felt a hand grasp my shoulder.


    "Lay back. Everything''s going to be fine."


    Despite the fact that Cain tried his hardest to lower his voice, I still flinched when he spoke.


    I felt like he was screaming in my ears.


    I grabbed the hand that was on my shoulder and gripped it tight between my own hands.


    "What happened? Why am I here?"


    I tried my hardest to catch my breath but I still found myself struggling to suck in air between each word I spoke.


    The mattress sank to one side as he sat down beside me. Gently, Cain''s body pressed against mine and Iid my head on his shoulder.


    I could tell he was debating on whether or not to answer my question by the way he hesitated before speaking.


    "Your brother tried to kill you. He poisoned you."


    I felt paranoia sink in and I began to feel as though I was about to endure a massive panic attack.


    "What kind of poison? It was that damn scone, wasn''t it? Am I going to be okay? Am I dying? How long do I have?"


    When Cain neglected to answer the plethora of questions I fired at him, I let out a shaky breath.


    "Is it that bad? Your silence isn''t reallyforting."


    "I don''t know how to answer," he said truthfully. "I''ve been trying to figure out how to tell you for the past few hours but I can''t find the right words." "That''s not helping," I said. "Just spit it out."


    "I had to turn you, E."


    I froze.


    The onset of the panic attack halted. My hands stopped shaking. My lungs refused to exhale or inhale.


    Every ounce of energy in my body worked diligently to process what it was Cain had just said.


    "You turned me..."


    A few moments of silence passed before Cain confirmed I''d heard him correctly.


    "Yeah."


    Despite the gentle and calming tone he spoke with, that word made a chill snake its way up my spine, sending shivers throughout my body. "I was dying?" I asked slowly.


    "Yes."


    "There was no way to help me?"


    "No."


    "So you turned me to keep me from dying?"


    He took a deep breath.


    "Yes."


    I couldn''t find another question to ask. I couldn''t even muster up the oxygen to speak.


    "I''m so sorry," he breathed out. "We couldn''t do anything else and time ran out. I had to."


    I drew in a shaky breath.


    "I understand if you''re upset and I''m willing to give you all the time you need to process it," Cain told me.


    I gulped painfully to swallow the knot that had formed in the back of my throat.


    "I think I would be more upset if you had let me die."


    I didn''t know what else to say.


    Was I supposed to be angry because I had been turned or happy because I wasn''t dead?


    The two emotions were at war within me. The internal conflict that raged meant that I couldn''t feel anything in that moment.


    He pulled our joined hands to his mouth and nted a tender kiss on my knuckles.


    The touch of his lips made a spark jolt through me as if I''d touched a live wire. I waspletely startled out of the emotionally vegetative trance I''d been in.


    I immediately drew back, breathless and shocked, literally, at the touch.


    I felt like I''d been revived.


    "What was that?"


    "What are you talking about?"


    "You kissed my hand and I felt... something."


    He was silent for a second or two and I wished, for that brief amount of time, that the lights were on and I could have seen his face.


    Was he as confused as I was?


    "I''m going to try something," he said. "I don''t want you to move or feel like you have to reciprocate it. I just need to see..."


    I didn''t have time to ask him what he meant as I felt his hand leave mine and grab the back of my neck. Cain pulled me towards him and I leaned in without a fight.


    His lips found mine in that dark room, but I could have sworn I saw colors and lights dance across my vision as he did so.


    Any previous kisses we''d shared were nothingpared to the sheer euphoria I felt in that moment.


    The emptiness I felt inside was fulfilled for that brief amount of time before he pulled away.


    His breathing was nearly as uncontrolled as mine was, confirming for me that something certainly wasn''t right.


    It certainly felt right, but it wasn''t normal.


    "Shit."


    Cain got off the bed and stood to his feet. I immediately mourned the warmth andfort of his presence.


    "I need to go talk to someone," he said. "I''ll be right back."


    With that, he left me alone in the dark room.


    As soon as the door closed, I felt my body begin to shake. It wasn''t until I felt the tear drops rolling off of my chin that I realized I was crying.


    I tried to convince myself that the choice Cain had made was the lesser of two evils.


    What was he supposed to do? Let me die?


    I couldn''t find it in my heart to be angry with him, or even to resent him for the choice he had made. But that didn''t mean I wasn''t sorrowful of the life I was going to have to leave behind. I ced a hand on my chest and felt as my heart was beating slowly.


    While the heart rate was slow, it was an indicator of the humanity I had yet to lose.


    How much longer until I had to give up all of it to stay alive?


    I knew the day woulde when I would inevitably have to kill someone to survive and taking someone else''s life to retain my own didn''t seem like a fair trade.


    But that was my new reality.


    And that was the reason I cried.


    Cain closed the door to the examination room slowly and quietly so as not to overwhelm E''s newly heightened senses anymore than necessary.


    He walked towards Dr. Zosak''s office with such haste that the nurses in the hallway pressed themselves against the wall to get out of his way.


    Without knocking, he opened the door to the office, startling the old man.


    "I know why her white blood count is so high," he said.


    Dr. Zosak removed his sses and pinched the bridge of his nose.


    "Me too."


    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed before they released and he felt his shoulders slump.


    "You knew before I went in there, didn''t you?"


    Dr. Zosak nodded.


    "I knew when I told you that you would have to turn her that you would simultaneously be marking her as well."

 Chapter Thirty-Four - Stand Corrected-2

    Cain couldn''t find words to express how infuriated he was.


    He let out a shaky breath and began to look around for something that wouldn''t cost thousands of dors to rece if he smashed it.


    Dr. Zosak stood from his desk chair, sensing the fury.


    "Would knowing that really have changed your mind as to whether or not you would have saved her life?"


    Cain looked at him incredulously.


    "Do you realize what I''ve done?" He asked. "I''ve turned E, taking away her ability to biologically have children, and now-as it turns out I''ve also marked her, iming a visual and mental stake on her that willst for the rest of her now- eternal life. All of this, mind you, I''ve done without her permission or knowledge."


    When Dr. Zosak said nothing else, Cain ran a hand through his hair and exhaled in frustration.


    "How long do I have until the next full moon?"


    Dr. Zosak turned to look at his calendar before turning back to Cain.


    "You have until tomorrow night."


    Cain looked at the clock on the wall and shook his head.


    "Twenty-four hours," he sighed. "That isn''t enough time."


    "It''s plenty of time," the doctor assured him. "E''s recovering perfectly. She''s ready to leave whenever you want her to."


    "Whenever I want her to? What about whenever she''s ready?"


    Dr. Zosak''s eyes drifted from Cain to the doorway and Cain turned to see his mother standing there, looking between the two of them.


    "When did you get here?" He asked, startled by her presence.


    "A few hours ago," she replied. "Your dad called, he said you could use some moral support. He told me you would be down here."


    Evelyn looked at Dr. Zosak and smiled.


    "How are you?"


    He smiled warmly and nodded.


    "Keeping busy. Yourself?"


    She shrugged.


    "Can''tin."


    Cain rolled his eyes, tired of their half-hearted pleasantries.


    "I turned E."


    "And marked her too from what I just overheard," Evelyn said. "You should ask your dad about marking your mate without permission, he''d be able to rte to that on a personal level." Cain caught the thinly veiled sarcasm in her voice.


    "He marked you without your permission?" He asked incredulously.


    She nodded.


    "I had no clue what he was doing either, so you can imagine how angry I was. I threw a bar of soap at his head and called it an ugly wolf hickey."


    Cain couldn''t help the smile that crept up on his face.


    "How have I never heard this story?"


    Evelyn shrugged.


    "It doesn''t really make the list of the proudest moments in either of our lives."


    She took a step towards Cain as her face grew serious.


    "But you are a source of a lot of pride," she told him. "I love you more than you could possibly fathom and I know that she will too if you give her the chance."


    Cain, ufortable at the sudden emotional turn of the conversation, looked away from her. She reached up and took his face in her hands and refocused his attention.


    "Stop assuming she''s going to push you away. You did what you had to do to keep her alive and this was part of the consequences. If she''s half as rational as you are, she''ll understand that."


    "But, Mom... that wasn''t how it was supposed to happen. I only got one chance to mark her and I feel like I screwed it up."


    Evelyn shook her head.


    "Sweetheart, ny-eight percent of your rtionship is going to be made up of improvising. You try to methodically n your every move like you would some kind of deal or trade but you''re leaving no room for vulnerability, which works when you''re an Alpha but not when you''re a mate."


    Cain sighed.


    "Listen to me," Evelyn pleaded. "You''re right when you say that you only have one chance to mark someone. But you also only have one chance to have sex for the first time with your mate. So focus on that, not on what you have no control over. Make her feel loved and special. Don''t make her go into Heat. She''s had a tough week as it is."


    When Cain said nothing, Evelyn dropped her hand from his face.


    "You can ask your dad what really good first-time sex is like, too. He got that one right," she added with a wink, trying to lighten the mood.


    Cain grimaced and Dr. Zosak chuckled at his reaction.


    The three of them heard a door open at the end of the hallway and Cain looked out to see E venturing out of her room.


    I tugged the rolling staff that had a bag of blood hanging from its hook behind me as it was attached to the inside of my arm.


    I was somewhat thankful that it was there because it meant that I had something to catch my bnce with whenever I became unsteady on my feet.


    Opening the door to the examination room, I was nearly blinded by the bright lights that hung from the ceiling.


    I squinted and put a hand over my face as I tried to allow my eyes time to adjust to the brightness.


    Sighing, I ventured a little further out into the hallway before I heard footsteps approaching.


    I turned to see Cain walking towards me, a look of concern etched on his features.


    "Are you okay?" He asked, cing a hand on my back to help steady me.


    "I feel fine," I assured him. "I have to pee though."


    I saw Dr. Zosak walk out of his office and he looked at me with equal parts amusement and curiosity.


    "Can you please unhook me from this?" I asked him. "I feel like a phone on a charger cord."


    Heughed before walking over.


    "Let me know if you start to get shaky or your gums start to swell and we''ll get you another transfusion," he said, gently tugging the needle from my arm.


    He ced a cotton pad over the small wound and wrapped it around my arm with a bandage that was in his pocket.


    Cain''s hand stayed on my lower back as Dr. Zosak attended to me.


    Somehow this was reassuring, knowing he was right there.


    Cain showed me where the bathroom was and much to his apprehension I was able to take care of myself from there and proceeded to lock him out of the bathroom. When I came out, he offered an arm to let me lean on.


    "What did you need to talk to someone about?" I asked him.


    I tried to ignore the tingles that shot up my fingers and my hand that touched his forearm.


    "Well, it''splicated," he said.


    "Simplify it."


    He sighed.


    "Lycanthrope males have this thing that we do, kind of like a ritual, whenever we meet our mates," he said. "It''s called a im and basically it''s just a bite mark on the neck of our mate that tells other males that that particr person is our mate."


    I felt my face scrunch up in disgust as he spoke.


    "Soundspletely unnecessary," I told him honestly.


    To my surprise, he nodded in agreement.


    "It''s probably is. It''s a very primitive practice and it''s not thatmon anymore because very few Lycanthropes have mates."


    "So why do it?" I asked.


    "There''s a psychological aspect to it," he exined. "It triggers the release of pheromones in your body. These pheromones are controlled by quite a few factors but one of them is moon phases."


    My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to process what he was saying.


    "Like... astrology?"


    "Not really," he said, shaking his head.


    "I''m not following," I sighed. "I''m going to need you to simplify this more."


    "Whenever I bit you to turn you, I identally marked you as well and now you and I have until the next full moon to have sex before you go into Heat, which is extremely painful."


    I stood there, stunned.


    "Heat?" I asked incredulously. "Like... a dog? That kind of Heat?"


    He nodded.


    "And it''s triggered by a full moon?" I asked.


    Cain nodded again.


    "How long do we have?"


    "The next full moon is tomorrow night."


    Wonderful.


    "I didn''t think my week would get any more eventful."


    I let out a long sigh.


    "I guess I stand corrected."

 Chapter Thirty-Five - Dead Men Tell No Tales-1

    "You can''t do this to me."


    Daniel had Zak by the back of his neck, guiding him up the staircase as Jai led the way.


    "I can do whatever the fuck I want to," Cain growled as he strolled behind them.


    Jai opened the door that led up to the rooftop as Daniel pulled Zak into the early morning air.


    He stumbled forward and fell, his legs too weak to walk any further.


    It had been several days since Zak had fed and he knew Cain wouldn''t be generous enough to share.


    It didn''t matter, though.


    Zak knew his time was running short and he didn''t expect toe off that roof.


    The t section of the roof was small, but it was spacious enough to serve its intended purpose.


    Staked into the roof was a tall, steel pole. During a time when Vampires were actively sought out and killed by Lycanthropes, this was a spot in the pce used regrly to interrogate and torture those infected by the disease.


    Daniel pushed Zak against the steel structure while Jai walked around them and began to lock the shackles around Zak''s feet. Once this was done and there was no way for Zak to escape, Daniel let go of him and pulled the handcuffs from his pocket.


    He went around the stake and pulled Zak in closer so his hands could be locked behind his back.


    "Vulnerability doesn''t feel good, does it?" Cain asked, watching the task at hand.


    Zak refused to answer the question.


    He kept his eyes on the horizon, staring intently at what would soon be his demise. There were only a few more hours in his future, and they would be painful ones. "What would your mate say about you killing her brother?" He asked.


    Cain smiled.


    "She gave me permission, don''t worry."


    "Keep in mind that she did so before you tried to poison her," Daniel chimed in. "I wouldn''t say her answer has changed since then."


    "You''re making a mistake," Zak told them. "I''m the only person who can help you. I have information that would be vital to your survival." Cain raised an eyebrow.


    "Information that you''re not readily giving up," he rified. "I don''t have time beg you, nor do I have the patience."


    "You''ll wish you had."


    Jai looked at Cain warily and Cain pretended not to notice.


    While he was looking forward to watching Zak die, Cain knew he wouldn''t take as much pleasure in doing so as he wanted to.


    Zak was the only person who knew what lie ahead and uncertainty was something Cain didn''t handle well.


    But Zak had endured hours of torture at the hands of Jai without so much as letting a time or ce slip, a feat not aplished by anyone that Cain was aware of. They had nothing to go on.


    But Cain didn''t have the patience to deal with someone who was asmitted to their own cause as Cain was his.


    Zak, absent of the information he held with an iron grip, was a distraction that Cain didn''t need and a dangerous one at that.


    "Answer one question," Cain said, standing in front of Zak.


    Zak narrowed his eyes.


    "Why try to kill your own sister? She''s your flesh and blood, it must not have been easy."


    "Speaking from experience?" Zak asked.


    Cain''s hardened expression didn''t show the shock he felt on the inside. Instead, he waited for an answer to his question rather than answering Zak''s.


    "I wasn''t the one who decided she had to die. I just followed orders."


    "Whose orders?" Cain asked for the millionth time.


    When Zak didn''t answer, Cain shrugged.


    "Is he done?" He asked Jai and Daniel, who were now just observing the conversation.


    The two of them nodded and Cain jerked his head towards the door, gesturing for them to leave.


    "Enjoy the sunrise," he told Zak.


    As Cain turned to leave the roof, Zak spoke.


    "Let me talk to my sister."


    Cain looked out to the horizon and saw the sun start to peak over the mountains in the distance.


    "She won''t make it up in time," he said.


    He saw Zak shift nervously.


    "You turned her then?" Zak asked.


    Cain didn''t answer.


    "Did you mark her too?"


    "Yes."


    Zak swallowed the knot in the back of his throat.


    "I''m interested to know why you would use yourst few moments to concern yourself with such things," Cain said honestly.


    "You should have let her die," Zak told him, ignoring the probingment.


    "Why?"


    Cain''s tone hardened as he began to get angry. There was something Zak was hinting at that Cain couldn''t quite wrap his mind around. "She''ll wish she was dead soon enough. What you did was selfish. I was protecting her from what ising."


    "Then why wouldn''t you tell me so I can protect her further?"


    Zak hesitated.


    "I will give you one piece of information in return for something."


    Cain''s eyebrow rose.


    "There is a tracking unit in her left bicep. Do with that information what you want to."


    Cain looked at Daniel, who nodded and hurried off the roof.


    "What do you want?" He asked Zak.


    "Get her out of this."


    Cain''s arms crossed.


    "Of all the things you could ask for..."


    Cain stared at Zak with a mixture of confusion and amusement for a moment longer.


    He took onest nce at theing dawn before turning to leave the roof, mming the door behind him as he did.


    As he descended the staircase behind Jai, he was more confused and angry than satisfied.


    He told himself that Zak was only ying mind games, trying to distract him and make him overthink his next move.


    But there was a small part of him that whispered from a dark ce, telling him that while Zak was a disgusting bastard, he was not a liar.


    Cain stopped in the middle of the staircase and Jai turned to look at him.


    "Am I making a mistake by letting him die?"


    Jai raised his eyebrows.


    "Are you asking my opinion?"


    "Yes."


    Jai sighed.

 Chapter Thirty-Five - Dead Men Tell No Tales-2

    "I don''t think there''s a good option," he said honestly. "Personally, I think the risk of keeping him alive outweighs his usefulness, and that''s if he decided to be helpful and tell us what he knows." "So he should die?" Cain asked.


    Jai nodded slowly.


    When Cain made no effort to move from his stationary position on the staircase, Jai sighed.


    "That''s not what''s bothering you," he said.


    Cain stared at him intently.


    "He knew about Jacob."


    Jai was at a loss for words. He had ever heard Cain talk about his younger brother. While it was rumored that Cain had killed him, confirmation of such talk wasn''t something that was afforded many people. "Well that''s a start," Jai said. "The list of people who would be privy to that information is a short one. It wouldn''t be too difficult to find out who told him."


    "Unless it was firsthand information."


    Jai felt the air leave him.


    "You are the only one who would be able to give a firsthand ount of what happened and you certainly didn''t tell him."


    "I''m not talking about me."


    "Dead men don''t tell tales," Jai said nervously.


    Cain''s expression remained serious.


    "Unless they aren''t dead."


    Walking outside, I was d to breathe the fresh air-no matter how cold it was.


    I wrapped my arms around my thick winter coat as I stomped through the several inches of snow that coated the ground.


    It had be overcast outside as the day progressed, meaning I wasn''t in direct sunlight. Daniel told me this meant I wouldn''t turn to ash but I was still cautious to stay in the extra shade of the trees that surrounded me. As I walked closer towards him, I noticed Cain was wearing a t-shirt and no jacket or coat. This made me shiver even more.


    He stood under arge, leafless tree.


    The winding branches would have made it a perfect climbing tree, but something about it was eerie.


    The way Cain was looking at the tree in reverence, I almost didn''t want to continue walking towards it.


    I stopped mid stride and contemted turning around. It was when I did this, that Cain turned to meet my gaze.


    "Daniel told me that you were out here," I said quickly, feeling as though I had intruded.


    Cain looked at me in concern.


    "Feeling okay?"


    "I''m fine."


    He raised an eyebrow as he began to walk closer towards me.


    "Fine?"


    "As fine as can be expected," I answered, giving him a grim smile.


    I saw remorse sh across his features.


    "I''m sorry, E."


    I fought the sudden urge to punch him.


    "You don''t have to apologize for saving my life so make that thest time you do it," I said quickly.


    My stern tone shocked both Cain and myself, proof of this evident on both of our faces.


    "I''m not apologizing for saving your life," he said finally. "I''d do it again if I had to. I''m only sorry that you have to suffer because of it." I sighed.


    "I''ve cried my tears, I''m done mourning."


    Cain looked at me apprehensively.


    "You do realize what turning did to you, don''t you?" he asked slowly.


    "It took away my ability to conceive children, but it doesn''t have to take away my happiness."


    Cain drew in a deep breath and turned to look at the tree once again.


    "We''re leaving in an hour," he told me, shifting the conversation.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why?"


    "It''s not safe here anymore," he answered. "Daniel said the chip that was in your arm has been actively tracing you for the past few days."


    I subconsciously raised my hand to rub the bandaged incision wound on my upper arm.


    "Where are we going?"


    "Moro," he said. "Casanca, specifically."


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "That seems somewhat of a random spot."


    "Exactly. There''s a meeting happening there in two days that all of the Betas will be attending."


    "But we''re going early?"


    He nodded, turning to look at me.


    "Problem with that?"


    I shook my head, earning a look from Cain that I couldn''t quite decipher.


    "Well," he said, breaking his stare. "I think you had better pack quickly. We''re leaving for the airport soon."


    I let out augh.


    "Pack what, exactly? All of my things are still in Washington at Zak''s house."


    He hummed.


    "I suppose we better go shopping when we get where we''re going then."


    "You didn''t hear me? All of my things are in Washington, namely my wallet."


    Cain rolled his eyes as he began to walk away.


    "What?" I asked incredulously. "I''m being serious."


    "I think we''ll find a way to make it work," he said sarcastically.


    I watched as he walked towards the castle.


    "Cain," I said, earning his attention.


    He heard the serious tone to my voice and turned.


    I felt the air around me thicken as I fought to ask a question that I didn''t want to know the answer to. "Where is Zak?"


    When he neglected to answer, I let in a shaky breath.


    "He''s dead, isn''t he?"


    The look on his face was the only answer I needed.


    My arms went weak and fell to my side. I fought hard against tears as I tried to digest the information.


    Zak killed our grandfather and he lied to our parents. He kidnapped and poisoned me.


    He was a bad guy.


    But he was my brother.

 Chapter Thirty-Five - Dead Men Tell No Tales-3

    I tried to tell myself that Zak was no longer the guy that I exchanged Christmas gifts with for twenty-three years. He wasn''t the guy who taught me how to ride a bike anymore.


    The man who died was not the Zak I knew.


    My brother had long been gone.


    "E."


    "I''m okay," I said, barely choking the words out past the knot of emotion in the back of my throat.


    Cain watched me closely, trying his hardest to measure to what degree I was lying.


    "We should go," he said.


    I nodded and walked by him quickly.


    Cain caught my hand as I passed him and he spun me around to fall into his chest.


    I felt my body rx against him as he kissed me.


    The feeling of his lips on mine sent my mind nk and my knees weak.


    I couldn''t understand how my body seemed to respond to his touch with such intensity. It didn''t make sense.


    But, in that moment, I didn''t need it to make sense.


    When he pulled away, his nose brushed against mine gently, prompting my eyes to open and peer into hisvender ones. Neither one of us could say a word as we backed away from one another and began to walk back towards the castle.


    The kiss, no matter how dreamy it was, had brought me crashing down to the reality of what was to happen that night.


    While Cain and I had not explicitly decided to have sex before I would transition into Heat, it wasn''t something we had decided against either. Up until that point, any intimate moment I had shared with Cain came naturally and seemed ur on its own.


    But this felt weird, almost as if I was being forced to.


    I didn''t like the thought that my first time with Cain was going to be somewhat awkwardly staged and expected.


    These were the thoughts that filled my head, haunting me for the next hour as Cain packed his things and we left the castle in the train.


    Daniel and Jai were tagging along until we reached the airport terminal, both of them speaking silently with Cain about something in a separate car.


    Normally I would have felt left out, but I had more on my te in that moment than I ever wanted. I couldn''t imagine taking on the responsibility of knowing anything else important. The awkward tension followed Cain and I from the train to the tarmac where a jet was waiting.


    I waved goodbye to Jai and Daniel, who both wore uncharacteristically grim expressions and neglected to return the farewell with as much enthusiasm as I had given it. For the next three or so hours, Cain and I sat on the ne in silence.


    I pretended to read a book I had found in his room while he worked through a file folder of some type.


    By the way we kept making eye contact, I knew Cain''s mind was elsewhere and I had a feeling he would leave the ne as unproductive as he was before he got on it. I went nearly thirty minutes without turning a page.


    We couldn''t get off the jet quick enough as itnded and pulled into a hangar where a car was waiting.


    Stepping off the ne, I noticed that a red sports car was waiting for us instead of Cain''s usual preference of a ck SUV.


    He stepped out after I did, carrying his single dufflebag in one hand and paperwork in the other.


    "Is that all you packed?" I asked.


    "I travel light."


    The brief, curt statement took me back slightly as he walked past me and towards the man who stood waiting for us. The two exchanged words for a moment in anguage I didn''t recognize before Cain was handed the keys to the car. "You''ve never struck me as the Ferrari-type," I said as he walked over.


    "And you don''t strike me as someone who would be into cars," he replied.


    I raised an eyebrow.


    "I''m not a car girl," I said. "But I also don''t live under a rock. I know a Ferrari Spider when I see it."


    "Well let''s see if you can recognize the interior," he said, opening my door for me. "We need to leave."


    I drew in a deep breath as I walked over to the car and took my seat, cing my unread book in myp after buckling up.


    Cain threw his duffle bag into the cargo hold that was in the front of the car before walking around to sit in the driver''s seat.


    I said nothing as he started the car and drove out of the terminal at a speed that led me to believe he was veryfortable behind the wheel of a sports car.


    The terminal was left in the sand that flew off of the road behind the car as we drove towards the city.


    The sun had begun to set behind the buildings we passed, which I was thankful for. The shade had be my new best friend seeing as direct sunlight would burn me to a crisp.


    The silent car ride came to a halt as Cain pulled off the side road in front of tall stone wall. He got out of the car and walked over to the wooden gate that had a pin pad imbedded in the stone beside it.


    He entered in abination that signaled the gate to open automatically, sliding backwards to reveal a modern, angr house with huge ss windows in the front and a second level that overhung the first.


    Cain returned to the car and drove it into the courtyard as the gate closed behind us.


    Private was the only word I could think of to describe the property.


    The stone wall, while notpletely out of ce as the neighboring homes were also concealed by privacy walls, was nearly fifteen feet high. It wrapped around the entire front of the house, except for the sliding gate, and disappeared along the side of the home as well, leading me to believe it also stretched into the backyard.


    Wordlessly, we walked inside and Cain flipped on a light switch that illuminated the entire first floor. It was an open floor n with the kitchen, dining and living room area on the first level.


    The staircase that led up to the second level was nothing more than thick, wooden boards jutting out from stone that ascended up the wall.


    I followed Cain as he walked upstairs with his bag, opening a door to reveal a bedroom with an en suite.


    The entire back wall was a window that peered out into the backyard.


    I was correct in assuming that the wall circled the entire property. There were two palm trees in one corner along with various types of foliage that ran against the backside of the wall, beside the underground pool that took up most of the space in the yard.


    A deck with cushioned chairs and a daybed sat next to the water with steps that led down into the pool.


    "Is this ce yours?" I asked.


    I couldn''t believe anyone owned anything so luxurious, much less as a secondary home.


    To my surprise, he nodded.


    "I nevere, though. I''m always too busy to leave Germany."


    "This is your vacation home, then?"


    "One of them," he answered.


    The serious look on his face led me to believe that he wasn''t kidding.


    How does someone have more than one vacation home? Never mind the fact that they were scattered across various countries.


    I looked down to the pool again and felt the sudden urge to dunk myself under the water, despite not having a swim suit.


    During the time we''d been inside, I had began to sweat. I told myself it was just because the weather was humid. Without saying a word, I left the bedroom and went downstairs to find the door that led out into the backyard. At this point, I was ufortably hot and prayed that the pool water was cold.


    Taking off my shirt and pants, I didn''t even take the time to test the water temperature before I dove in. The water was deep and I swam the whole length of the pool submerged before I finally came up for air.


    I was disappointed to find that it wasn''t as cool and refreshing as I wanted it to be.


    I heard the sliding backdoor open as the lights in the pool came on, making the water glow a soft blue. Cain walked out onto the deck, eyeing my clothes that I had slung haphazardly onto a nearby chair. "The sun''s starting to set," he said, sitting down.


    I nodded, taking notice of how the night sky had begun to settle in, a few stars bing visible.


    I turned my gaze back to Cain who was watching me from where he sat on the edge of the pool. "Care to join?"

 Chapter Thirty-Five - Dead Men Tell No Tales-4

    He hesitated.


    "I''m not a huge fan being in the water."


    "It''s not that deep," I told him, swimming over to where he sat. "I''m sure you''ll be able to touch the bottom."


    Once he made no effort to say anything else, I dipped my head below the surface of the water to swim down to the bottom.


    I reached up and grabbed his foot which was dangling over the edge of the pool and began to tug him forward.


    When he didn''t budge, I came up to the surface and was met by an unamused gaze.


    "C''mon, get in," I said. "Don''t be a party pooper."


    When he didn''t move, I gently sshed his legs.


    This earned a hard look which I found myself amused by.


    I sshed him again, harder this time, wetting his shirt.


    "Stop it," he said as if scolding a child.


    I smiled as though I was the child.


    I sshed him a final time,pletely soaking him.


    The expression he wore was priceless as he wiped away the beads of water rolling down his face with his hand.


    I began tough and he shook his head.


    "I''m soaked," he said looking at his shirt.


    I looked down to see that the wet t-shirt was gripping his body so tight that his protruding muscles were clearly defined under the thin material.


    I nearly drowned as I forgot how to tread water for those few distracted moments.


    "Get in," I pleaded again. "The water feels great."


    "Are you kidding?" He asked incredulously. "It''s freezing."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "You stood outside in the snow today in nothing but your t-shirt," I said pointedly. "Besides, it''s not cold at all. It feels like bath water."


    Cain looked at me as if I were crazy.


    "You must take really cold baths then."


    This confused me, seeing as I thought the water easily could have qualified as warm.


    I let out a frustrated groan as I realized Cain wasn''t budging from his ce on the deck.


    An idea hit me as I began to back away.


    "Oh well," I said, faking sorrow. "I guess I''ll just have to skinny dip alone then."


    I turned to look at Cain who shook his head in disbelief.


    "I''m not falling for that," he said.


    "Falling for what?" I asked, faking confusion.


    "I know what you''re doing," he said, leveling my gaze. "It''s not going to work."


    Only one way to find out.


    I shrugged as I reached behind me to unsp my bra.


    Pulling it loose, I reached up and threw it so that itnded on the deck next to Cain, who still looked less than amused.


    I reached under the water and tugged my underwear from my hips and slid them down my legs, a feat that proved somewhat difficult in water that was just barely over my head.


    I managed to remove them somewhat gracefully and threw them tond next to my bra.


    At this point, Cain stared at me with an amusingbination of lust and annoyance.


    I turned around and pulled my upper body out of the water and crossed my arms to rest on the other side of the pool deck.


    Iid my chin on my arms as I kicked my feet gently, pretending not to notice that Cain was watching.


    I began a silent countdown in my head.


    Five.


    He''s totally buying it.


    Four.


    He''ll get in any second now.


    Three.


    There''s no way he''ll be able to just sit there while I''m naked less than ten feet away.


    Two.


    I still haven''t heard a ssh....


    One.


    I turned around to see that Cain was gone from his spot on the deck.


    I let out a scoff just before seeing the shadow pass beneath me in the water.


    The next thing I knew, Cain broke the surface of the water, scaring the daylights out of me.


    I drew in a shallow breath seeing him standing in front of me with an intense look on his face. "Change your mind?" I asked.


    Foregoing a response, his lips found mine as he lifted me up into his arms.


    I found myself pressing into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders.


    I let out a frustrated sigh as my hands touched the wet fabric of his t-shirt and not his bare skin.


    I struggled to gather enough of it in my hands to lift over his head. It was then that he let go of me for a moment and pulled the shirt apart at the cor, ripping it down the back.


    He pulled the torn fabric away from his body and threw it over my head tond somewhere behind me as he resumed the kiss.


    Completely turned on by his actions, I had no objections when his tongue slipped between my lips.


    The taste of his mouth made me let out a moan that turned my cheeks pink upon hearing it.


    His body pushed against me, pinning me to the side of the pool. As he did so, I felt the bulge in his pants press against my hips.


    It was encouraging to know I wasn''t the only one of uspletely blinded by the heat of the moment.


    Cain pulled away from me for a slight moment so he could pick me up in his arms.


    I reached around his neck and found his lips with mine, once again savoring the taste of his kiss.


    I could hear the ssh of the water as he used the steps to emerge from the pool, still carrying me in his arms.


    The cool, night air blew against us, making goosebumps shoot across my bare skin.


    The next thing I knew, I wasying down; my back against the cushioned day bed and Cain was standing above me.


    I watched as he took off his pants and boxer briefs before crawling over me, his naked bodypletely epassing mine.


    His lips pressed against my skin, leaving a trail of kisses along my corbone.


    My breathingpletely erratic, I watched the full moon and twinkling stars above us as his hands traveled further and further down my body.


    It was thest thing I saw before my eyes rolled back and I gasped, unable to concentrate on anything else in that moment than where Cain''s hands were and the way his touch elicited a feeling that made my toes curl. Just before I felt myselfpletely unravel before him, his touch was gone.


    I opened my eyes to see him crawl over me, his eyes dark and haunting.


    He leaned down and kissed me roughly, allowing me to feel the poke of his fangs against my lips as he did so.


    I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pulled away from the kiss. I could feel his hot breath moving down my neck, prompting me to lean my head back farther.


    He nted wet kisses along my jaw as I felt his hips roll into alignment with mine.


    My hands wrapped around his neck, my fingers entangling themselves in his hair as he pushed himself inside me. I couldn''t help the moan that tumbled from my lips as he did so.


    The next thing I knew, Cain''s teeth sank deep into my neck.


    It was a move that left me with nothing else to do but scream.

 Chapter Thirty-Six - Early Bird Gets The Worm-1

    Waking up with dried blood caked on my hands wasn''t exactly what I had envisioned when I had first imagined the morning after my first time having sex with Cain.


    Yet there I was.


    As I rolled over, I realized that I was lying in arge, empty bed alone.


    Stillpletely naked and not covered by anything except a thin bedsheet, I sat up to see the duvet had been torn from the bed during ourte-night antics and was several feet away on the floor. Apanying it were several pillows and pool towels that had also been strewn about during the passionate frenzy.


    Seeing this, I vaguely began to remember what had taken ce in that spot on the floor just hours earlier. It was the same thing that had happened on the deck outside by the pool, on top of the kitchen counter and on the bed. As it turned out, my first time with Cain was followed by several more "times" that ensured I wouldn''t wake up with an unsatiated sexual appetite.


    I strained to sit up straight, grimacing as I did so.


    My neck was stiff and my back hurt, not to mention the dull pain that had settled in my lower abdomen made itself known with every move I made.


    Looking around the room, I noticed the dark shades that were pulled over therge window in front of the bed, doing an effective job at blocking out any and all light.


    While necessary for my survival, the shades were not exactly convenient for deducing what time it was.


    I slowly got out of the bed, taking in several sharp breaths as I did so.


    I fought against the all-over soreness as I stood up and wandered into to the en suite.


    Flipping on the light switch, I groaned as the bright overhead lights cut through the room and nearly blinded me.


    I rubbed my eyes as I walked over to the tub, preparing myself for how great it was going to feel to take a hot bath.


    I stopped short as I caught a brief glimpse of myself in the mirror.


    What I saw made me gasp.


    Dark, dried blood coated my face, jawline and neck to an extent I couldn''t have imagined. My chest was also stained red, along with my hands.


    I let out a sound simr to a whimper as I nced down at myself in horror.


    As my heart begin to race, I leaned in to turn on the sink faucet and began to scrub my hands with soap and water.


    Frantically, I rubbed and scratched at my skin, not caring how badly it hurt to do so.


    I watched as the water turned red and disappeared down the sink drain, the blood still leaving a noticeably vivid stain on my skin.


    Nearly pulling the steel hook out of the wall, I yanked the hand towel down and began to scrub at my arms and face.


    The pink droplets of water, a mixture of hand soap and blood, rolled down my abdomen and legs and pooled at my feet.


    Running over to the ss enclosure that would be offended if called a mere shower, I struggled to turn on the water as the controls were all activated by a touch screen in the marble wall. Fingers fumbling, I tapped against the ss until water began to pour over me from the ceiling like rain.


    I stepped back from the touchpad, breathing like a maniac.


    My rib cage felt like it was constricting around my lungs and heart. I sat down in the shower, holding my hands over the pressure in my chest.


    I pushed myself against the wall as I coughed and gasped, trying my hardest just to breath.


    My hands shaking, I pulled them away from my body and looked at the stained skin.


    Determined, I grabbed a bar of soap and a washcloth from the shelf beside me and began to clean my skin for the second time.


    It wasn''t until I felt as though I had reached my seventhyer of skin that I was finally satisfied. Quickly, I washed my hair and ran conditioner through the ends of the tangled strands.


    When I finally stepped out of the shower, I felt like I had emerged a new person. The steam that had filled the room meant I couldn''t see my reflection in the clouded mirror, something I found myself thankful for. Oncepletely dried off, Ibed my hair and wrapped myself in a towel before leaving the en suite and walking back into the dark bedroom.


    I managed to find Cain''s duffel bag in the darkness and I rummaged through it until I found a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.


    As I began to put his shirt on, I was overwhelmed by the scent of him that lingered on his clothes.


    I found myself pushed through time to the night before, remembering skin that gleamed with sweat and gasping moans that floated past my ears like a symphony.


    I gulped as I shook myself back to the present,ing to the realization I was blushing and suddenly out of breath.


    However, the pit in my stomach at the recollection made me feel an odd sense of guilt. I didn''t take long to trace the guilt to the source of my blood-stained skin.


    What the hell came over us?


    The blood around my mouth and down my jaw and neck made me suspect that Cain wasn''t the only one who had tasted blood, even though I couldn''t remember having done so myself.


    I was painfully stuck between wanting to forget those moments and wanting to relive them.


    I quickly put on the sweatpants, trying to escape my thoughts and the dark hole down which they were leading me.


    Opening the bedroom door, I was met by more darkness.


    I could barely make out the faint outline of the staircase that descended down into the dining area. Cautiously, I ced one foot in front of the other until I had tiptoed my way downstairs. As I walked closer to the living room, I saw that the overhead lights were on.


    I could faintly hear the murmur of voices.


    The look on my face was probably priceless as I realized Daniel and Jai were standing in a huddle with Cain, speaking in low voices amongst themselves.


    I stood there for a moment, unable to understand why the two of them were there.


    It wasn''t until Daniel stretched his arms out and yawned that he looked over and noticed the additional body in the room.


    A beaming smile spread across his face as he saw me.


    "Mornin'', sunshine."


    I returned the smile with half the enthusiasm.


    Jai and Cain halted their conversation and looked to see who Daniel was talking to.


    Cain immediately looked down to the watch on his wrist before meeting my gaze.


    I felt my heart forget how to beat as he and I made eye contact.


    "You''re awake earlier than I thought you would be," he said.


    "I''ve been up for about an hour," I said, coughing to try and cover up just how hoarse my voice was.


    "Oh no, not me," Daniel said shaking a finger. "I didn''t forget you were a morning bird. I knew you would be awake soon."


    He walked past me with a wink as he grabbed a to-go coffee cup from the kitchen counter.


    Turning around, he handed it to me and I felt myself melt as he ced the cup in my grasp.


    "Thank you so much," I told him.


    I felt my eyes well up at the gesture. Feeling particrly emotionally vulnerable, I decided to drop my gaze to the cup so Daniel wouldn''t see the tears I was now trying to keep from falling.

 Chapter Thirty-Six - Early Bird Gets The Worm-2

    Why on earth was I about to cry over a cup of coffee? Did I not think Casanca would have a Starbucks?


    Daniel and I both noticed Jai roll his eyes.


    "Don''t mind him," Daniel said to me. "He''s two scoops of grumpy in a bowl full of bitchy this morning because we had to catch a ne at four and he didn''t sleep on the way here."


    I snickered at the off-handedment as I took the first sip of my coffee.


    "How long have you been here?" I asked him.


    "Not very long," he assured me. "Maybe only fifteen or twenty minutes."


    I nodded as I took another sip of coffee, my eyebrows furrowing as I did so.


    The coffee made me feel weird and I couldn''t put a finger on why. It didn''t taste as satisfying as I was used to my morning coffee being.


    "Well," Jai said, "I think we should go ahead and make sure everything is in ce for the meeting."


    "Meeting?" I asked, looking at Cain. "What meeting?"


    Cain neglected to answer, looking at me nkly instead.


    "All of the Betas are meeting here in Casanca tomorrow evening," Daniel answered.


    I looked between the three men incredulously.


    "Are you serious?" I asked, anger settling in. "I told you that the entire point of the n that my brother and Hans Weber were carrying out was to exterminate all of the pureblooded Lycanthropes and you decided that the best way to solve that issue was to gather them all together in one ce at the same time? Are you trying to make it easier for them all to be killed?"


    "Hans Weber and your brother are dead," Jai said pointedly.


    "But they weren''t the ones behind it all!"


    Now I felt my blood pressure rising.


    I was standing in the presence of some of the most powerful creatures on earth yet they didn''t have enough brain cells between them to figure out a n that would keep everyone safe? I was beginning to believe that Lycanthropy was a mental illness that damaged the reasoning cortex of the brain.


    "We know they weren''t behind it all," Cain said, his calm and even tone vastly different than my panicked and furious one.


    "Shouldn''t you be trying to figure out who is behind it?" I asked.


    "We know that too."


    My eyebrows furrowed as he calmly made the revtion.


    "Okay, so you thought it was a good idea to call a diplomatic meeting instead of trying to catch the bastard responsible for the deaths of two Betas?" When no one said anything, it clicked.


    "You are," I breathed out. "You gathered all the targets together to make one big, irresistible bullseye. The meeting is a fishing expedition..." Cain nodded.


    That''s the moment that I began to feel like the idiot.


    "There''s one thing that you''re neglecting to realize about your n," I said pointedly.


    Cain raised a questioning eyebrow.


    "Fishing never works out so well for the bait."


    "That''s why we''re here now," Jai said, stepping into the conversation. "We''ve already picked out the meeting ce and now we''re going to secure it."


    I didn''t say anything else as he and Daniel left the room. When I heard the front door shut behind me, I let out a sigh.


    Cain brushed past me into the kitchen and I turned to see him grab a ceramic mug from the microwave.


    "I''m sorry," I said, letting out a breath. "My tone was a little uncalled for."


    "Don''t worry about it."


    He brought the mug over to me, taking my coffee cup from me with one hand and recing it with the ceramic mug.


    I took it from him warily and he nodded at me, gesturing for me to drink it.


    Lifting the mug to my lips, I took a small sip which turned into a big gulp which turned into me downing the whole mug in one go.


    The thick, rich liquid tasted like gold.


    As I pulled the mug from my lips, I raised my arm to wipe away the excess around my mouth.


    I felt my stomach lurch as I looked down to see the crimson blood that was smeared along my forearm.


    I gagged as I ran forward, barely making it to the sink in time to throw it all back up.


    "Jesus, E."


    I puked a few more times as Cain stood beside me, holding my hair out of my face.


    When I finally stood up straight, he handed me a cool washcloth which I used to wipe my mouth.


    "Let''s not make a habit of that, okay?"


    I rolled my eyes as I looked at Cain.


    "Why didn''t you tell me that was blood?"


    He looked at me incredulously.


    "I''m not sure why you didn''t assume that it was blood."


    He was right.


    I took a deep breath as I shook my head and brushed my hair out of my face.


    "I''m sorry," I said. "It''s just... between waking up covered in blood and then drinking it, I feel like I''m on the verge of a breakdown."


    "We can always do an IV drip if you''d prefer that while you be ustomed," he offered. "Either way, you need to be getting between five and six pints a day."


    I nodded, looking down to see my hands shaking.


    I found myself leaning forward to rest my head on his chest, a gesture that caused him to tense up for a moment.


    Cain rxed a few secondster and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him.


    "I should''ve told you," he said.


    "What?"


    I pulled back for a moment, looking up at him with furrowed eyebrows.


    "Two things," he said. "First, I suppose I should have warned you that sex for the first few times as a Vampire isn''t exactly..."


    He trailed off as he struggled to find an appropriate word to use, but I knew what he was trying to say.


    "You bit me," I said.

 Chapter Thirty-Six - Early Bird Gets The Worm-3

    "And you returned the favor."


    I gulped, my suspicions confirmed.


    "Why?"


    "Bloodlust," he answered. "Your body has a hard time differentiating between erotic desire and your desire for blood."


    "For how long?"


    "Usually just for the first few times," Cain assured me. "It will just depend on how well your body adjusts to the changes."


    I let out a sigh, pulling away from him and leaning against the countertop.


    We were silent for a few moments.


    "What else did you mean to tell me?" I asked, trying to break up the awkwardness.


    "That we knew who was behind everything," he said, crossing his arms. "I think I''ve figured everything out, but I should have told you when I initially pieced things together." "Oh," I sighed. "It''s okay, really."


    "It''s my brother."


    I bed hard a few times as I processed what he''d said.


    "Your brother?" I asked. "I... didn''t know you even had a brother."


    Cain nodded slowly.


    "I thought he was dead," he admitted. "I haven''t seen him since I was eleven."


    I felt the pain in his voice, even though he tried to mask it with an uninterested tone.


    "I''m sorry, Cain," I said earnestly. "What happened?"


    "I did something I shouldn''t have," he admitted.


    Letting out a sigh, he pushed himself away from the side of the counter.


    I watched him with pitying eyes as he cleared his throat and opened the fridge to pull out a clear, pint-sized bag that was in a drawer.


    "Are you drinking this or do we need to get a drip?"


    I sighed, deciding to drop the obviously heavy topic of his brother.


    Leaning forward, I grabbed the ceramic cup from the countertop before holding it out to him.


    Cain uncapped the bag and poured the blood into the cup.


    Once he was done, I pulled the cup back to peer into it. Telling myself it was just fruit punch, I drank the whole thing.


    I held a hand over my mouth as I made sure I hadpletely swallowed it, afraid for a few seconds that it was going to make its way back up.


    Once I knew I was in the clear, I took a deep breath and ced the cup down on the countertop.


    The silence between the two of ussted for a few moments before Cain cleared his throat.


    He ran a hand through his hair as he leaned against the counter next to where I stood.


    "So how are you feeling?"


    I nodded.


    "Fine, I just think that drinking blood will take some getting used to."


    I saw a faint smile pass over his lips before it disappeared.


    "What?"


    "Nothing," he said. "It''s just..."


    Cain smiled again before letting out an airyugh.


    "I was referring tost night," he admitted.


    "Oh."


    Much to my displeasure, I felt a blush creeping up to my cheeks that I couldn''t stop.


    He slid closer to me and I backed away, awkwardly stumbling over my words and my feet as I did so.


    "I should probably go get my clothes off the pool deck," I stuttered out. "I can''t wear your clothes for the rest of the day."


    "How about we go out to dinner tonight and I can take you to get a few things to wear? While we''re in Casanca at least..."


    I walked around him, trying to escape the suggestiveness in his tone and how it made a fire reignite itself in the pit of my stomach.


    "It''s fine, really," Iughed awkwardly as I walked into the living room over to the backdoor. "It''s not that big of a deal."


    I was blushing furiously, ready to take a fatal plunge into the pool and never resurface if it meant escaping my foolish stumbling and awkwardness.


    I felt Cain''s arms wrap around my stomach and pull me backwards as I opened the backdoor. Just a little stream of sunlight drifted through the crack of the open door and I sighed, realizing that I had almost made a terrible mistake.


    "I wouldn''t go out there right now if I were you," he whispered in my ear, still holding me with both arms around my waist and my body pressed flush against his.


    I gulped.


    "Yeah, I... forgot I guess."


    Cain reached around me and pushed the door closed.


    We continued to stand there as we were, I made no effort to move and he made no effort to let me go.


    "Can I be honest with you?" Cain asked, his hot breath fanning against my ear.


    The back of my throat was so dry that I couldn''t find words to speak. I just simply nodded.


    "I really want to kiss you right now," he said, lowering his voice further.


    I turned around in his arms and found myself pressed against him even closer.


    "Then do it."


    Cain needed to hear nothing else.


    His lips smashed against mine and the kisspletely skipped the gentle, soft step.


    My hands tangled themselves in his hair as my tongue tangled itself with his.


    He leaned down and picked me up with his hands resting underneath my butt as he began to carry me through the living room.


    I pulled away breathlessly as I realized where the kiss was quickly leading.


    "I''m not quite sure I''m ready to go back to bed," I said honestly.


    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "Who said it had to be on the bed?"

 Chapter Thirty-Seven - Invasive Inquiries-1

    The sun had hidden itself beneath the horizon, a dull glow of orange light in its wake that faded into deeper shades of red and violet as the moon rose. Stars had begun to twinkle in the sky above us when Cain and I walked out of the house into the night air.


    "I really don''t need new clothes," I said, repeating myself for the thousandth time that evening.


    Instead of honoring my whining with a response, Cain looked me up and down. His silent judgement upon the outfit I wore which consisted of his t-shirt, my jeans and snow boots-wasn''t subtle but I had a feeling it wasn''t supposed to be. When he continued to walk towards his red Ferrari, I followed, sighing as I realized that my continual protest was only annoying him rather than hindering him.


    He was a stubborn man set in his ways.


    Reaching down, he opened up the car door for me and I stopped in front of him.


    "Why don''t we just drive around for a bit and sightsee? We cane straight back here afterwards," I offered, trying my hardest to dissuade him.


    Cain drew in a deep breath as he leaned forward to rest his forearms on the car door.


    "We will go where I drive us and I will buy what I want to buy. Now, you can get in the car ande with me so you can pick out what you like, or you can stay here while I pick out what I want you to wear. Those are your options." I fought the urge to roll my eyes as I wordlessly stooped down and got into the car. I knew there was a smug smile stered on his face as he closed the car door and ventured over to the driver''s side to take his own seat.


    There was a part of me that secretly wanted to smile too, excited at the prospect of buying new clothes. This part of me made me feel guilty, like I was being a brat. There were plenty of people in the world without anything to wear and there I was begging the man driving a Ferrari not to buy me anything.


    However, the other part of me could have withstood the sound of nails on a chalkboard better than I could the thought of Cain spending even a penny on me. I had been financially independent for so long that it made me sick to my stomach to feel like a mary burden on anyone.


    While an internal war raged within me over how to feel about shopping with Cain''s wallet, both sides agreed that I was in desperate need of clothes and something to do besides stay in the house all night. This stalemate caused me to seal my mouth shut as the car roared to life.


    The gate in front of the house slid back as Cain drove up to it. When it had opened wide enough, he pulled out of the driveway and drove out onto the street, heading towards the cityscape of Casanca. Despite the beauty of the sun setting behind the city, I found myself staring at Cain instead.


    "Can I ask you something?"


    He looked at me from the corner of his eye, as if the prospect of being questioned scared him.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about your brother?" I asked.


    He shrugged nonchntly, but I could tell he was thinking hard about what words to use next.


    "I didn''t think it was important."


    "Bullshit," I said incredulously.


    "Excuse me?"


    I let out augh, although it was one of amusement rather than humor.


    "For me to be someone that you''re supposed to spend the rest of your life with, you certainly don''t trust me all that much," I said.


    "I don''t trust you at all."


    I scowled.


    "Why not? I haven''t given you a reason not to trust me."


    "It''s nothing personal, I don''t trust very many people."


    I drew in a deep breath.


    "Fine, maybe the conversation about your brother could havee at ater time under different circumstances. But you realize that it''s not just your brother that I didn''t know about. I hardly know anything about you. I mean, when you told mest night that you didn''t like to put your head underwater, I felt like I was talking to another person."


    "You know about what I do and who I am. You know plenty."


    I had to physically restrain myself from punching him.


    "Yeah? Well if all I told you about myself was that I was a girl who was in graduate school, you wouldn''t know very much about me considering how many other girls there are in graduate school these days."


    "I don''t know what more you could want me to tell you."


    "Specifics!" I said. "Tell me specifics."


    "Like what?"


    I threw my hands up in annoyance as I tried to think of random questions to ask.


    "Anything, Cain. What''s your favorite type of music to listen to? Who is your best friend? Where is your favorite ce you''ve ever been? Where would you want to travel to next? Did you y sports growing up? What''s your favorite vor of ice cream? I mean, you could tell me anything and it would be something I didn''t know."


    He took a deep breath and continued a steady gaze in front of him, eyes trained on the road.


    A few moments went by as I waited for him to answer. When he remained silent, I shook my head and leaned it against the window.


    Stubborn as a mule.


    We made it into the city within a few minutes and pulled into a parking lot next to a street that was lined with shops. We both got out of the car and came to stand on the sidewalk, looking around for the first ce to go into. Because it was beginning to gette, there were a few shops that had already closed down for the evening. There were several, however, that still had their lights on.


    "I''ll follow you," he said.


    I let out a sigh and began to walk down the sidewalk, away from Cain.


    He followed me as I made my way into a small boutique.


    The girl behind the counter eyed me as I walked in, although I couldn''t me her. I looked a sight in what I was wearing. Not to mention that my hair was frizzy because I hadn''t been able to put any product in it before I let it air dry. I also wasn''t wearing any makeup to cover up the fact that I hadn''t used a proper facewash or moisturizer in weeks. My skin was a dried out, irritated mess.


    "Can I help you?" She asked.


    "Just browsing."


    She nodded warily as I walked over to a rack and began to shuffle through a few shirts and dresses.


    "Is there anything I can help you find?" She offered.


    I took a deep breath, deciding I was done ying shy.


    "I need some everyday clothes. Neutral colors, nothing too involved or shy. It would be great if I could find some things that could beyered. It''s a bit warmer here than it is where I''m from."


    She nodded knowingly before walking over to a rack towards the back of the store. I began to follow her, but not before turning to see Cain take a seat next to the front door.


    He watched me like a hawk.


    While his gaze was intense, I couldn''t help but notice something almost warm behind it. I couldn''t tell if it was admiration or amusement. There wasn''t much I wouldn''t have given in that moment to be able to read his mind.


    After several minutes sorting through racks and even more time spent in the changing room, I had a decent handful of things to purchase.


    This cycle repeated itself in many more stores; I would pick out clothes and then pretend not to hear the total cost incurred when we checked out.


    Cain, however, didn''t seem to mind. Although we barely spoke, he never grumbled or made passive aggressivements. He didn''t say much at all, in fact.


    His unbothered, carefree attitude about the situation made me slightly less ufortable. But that didn''t mean I was any less wary of high price tags.


    Happy with the new wardrobe and decent skincare regiment I had gotten along with the multiple pairs of shoes that actually fit my feet, I was in a much better mood as we returned to the car a few hourster; both of us had our arms loaded with shopping bags.


    The moon and stars were on full disy. Although it was slightly chillier than it had been earlier, the weather was pleasant.


    I found myself dreading the drive back to Cain''s house.


    "Let''s walk around for a while," I blurted out.


    Cain looked up from the trunk space of his car where he was loading up the bags.


    "Did you have somewhere else you wanted to go?"


    I shook my head.


    "I just feel like walking for a bit longer."


    He shrugged before closing the hood of the car.


    I found myself smiling as I turned away from him and walked back towards the sidewalk.


    Turning to him as he followed me, I reached out to grab his hand and tug him alongside me.

 Chapter Thirty-Seven - Invasive Inquiries-2

    "I don''t like you walking behind me. I feel like I''m being stalked."


    He smiled softly and stepped forward to keep pace with me as I began to stroll.


    When neither one of us made an effort to pull our hands from the grasp of the other, I inteced his fingers with mine.


    I felt him take a deep breath as I did so and wondered if it had been the wrong move.


    "Cookie dough," he said suddenly, after a few moments of walking silently.


    My eyebrows furrowed as I looked up at him.


    "What?"


    "That''s my favorite vor of ice cream. I lost my taste about ten years ago, but that''s the vor I remember liking the most."


    I nodded, unsure how to react to the sudden release of information.


    "Jai and Daniel are two of my closest friends but for different reasons," he continued. "Jai is loyal to a fault and he always knows the right things to say. Daniel is easy going and never takes anything seriously, which can be annoying at times but he makes my job a bit easier to handle."


    I found myself smiling as he continued to talk, answering my questions that I was surprised he even remembered.


    "I don''t listen to a whole lot of music because I enjoy the peace and quiet, which is why the cabin in the Kashmir is one of my favorite ces to be. I don''t really like to travel. I would prefer to be at home rather than any other ce on earth." I gulped as I remembered the cabin in Kashmir. It felt like so long ago that we were there.


    He looked down at me as we continued to walk.


    "Are you bored yet?"


    I smiled as I shook my head, knocking the memories of Kashmir away.


    "Not at all."


    He took another deep breath, as if talking so much was exhausting him.


    "I didn''t really get into sports growing up. I tried my hand at amunity ser club when I was young but I kept tripping over the ball until I got so mad I picked it up and tried to throwing it into the. When I was a teenager, I yed ice hockey for a while. That didn''tst long either because I don''t y well with others, much less on a team. One thing I did really enjoy was cross country, but my parents didn''t let me do it for very long because they were scared someone would get suspicious that I won every race without so much as breaking a sweat. I still enjoy running but I don''t get to do it often because I stay busy."


    "I ran cross country all through high school and college while I was getting my undergraduate degree," I said, smiling at the fact that I had found something inmon between the two of us. "Really?"


    I nodded.


    "I never won a race," I saidughing. "But I still enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot actually."


    "You don''t run anymore?" he asked.


    I shook my head.


    "I try to run as often as I can," I told him. "But, like you, I just don''t have the time anymore. Well, at least I didn''t while I was in school and working."


    We were silent for a few minutes before I looked down to our intertwined hands.


    "Does it bother you?" I asked him.


    His eyebrows furrowed as he turned to look at me.


    "What?"


    I shrugged awkwardly as I tried to figure out how to word exactly what I was thinking.


    "I mean... I don''t know, I''m the only girl you''ve ever slept with that''s, you know..."


    "Still alive?"


    The bluntness of his attempt to help me finish my sentence made me cringe.


    "That wasn''t what I was going to say."


    "But that''s what you meant..."


    "Sure."


    Cain was quiet for a few moments.


    "I guess it is kind of weird," he admitted.


    I looked at him, but he avoided eye contact as we walked along the sidewalk.


    "Do you think that''s why you don''t really struggle when ites to sex? Because it''s the only kind of intimacy that''s nevere with consequences?"


    He shrugged, clearly ufortable with my prying.


    When he made no effort to answer my question, I started to apologize.


    "I didn''t mean to be so awkward and nosy about it," I said. "I was just wondering."


    "No, it''s okay," he said. "I just hadn''t really thought about it like that... I guess you''re right."


    I gulped, hating that I had put so much awkward tension on an otherwise enjoyable moment.


    We came to the end of the street and Cain let go of my hand.


    "I think we should probably go," he said.


    I nodded, refusing to say anything else for fear it would only worsen the mood.


    The walk back to the Ferrari, which was now the only car in the parking lot, was a lot longer than I felt like the walk away from it had been. Maybe it was because there were no other words shared between us. The drive back to the house was quick. I kept my eyes glued to the city around us, pretending to be distracted by it.


    Once back, Cain grabbed all of my bags in one go, taking them inside and upstairs.


    I followed him slowly, at a distance.


    "Thank you," I said softly, from the doorway.


    He looked up from the bedside table where he was taking off his watch.


    "For what?"


    I gestured around us to the hoard of shopping bags that were lined up against the wall.


    "Oh," he said, as if he''d already forgotten them. "You''re wee."


    With that, he walked into the bathroom. I heard the shower start a few momentster and I sat down on the edge of the bed. I stayed there for a few moments, staring at the wall in thought. When he came out of the bathroom, towel around his waist, he seemed surprised that I was still sitting there.


    Wordlessly, he made his way across the bedroom to his duffle bag. I turned to watch him as he pulled out a pair of boxer briefs.


    "I had a good time tonight," I said softly.


    He peered at me from over his shoulder before also grabbing a pair of sweatpants from the bag.


    "It was nice," I continued, hoping to get some sort of response.


    Cain dropped his towel and began to put on his boxers and the sweats.


    "Normal," he said, picking the towel off the floor after he''d finished dressing himself. "The word you should have used was ''normal''."


    I nodded in agreement.


    "Don''t get used to it," he said, surprising me. "I don''t live a normal life, so I can''t promise that to you."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "I don''t want you to promise me anything," I said earnestly.


    Cain walked around me into the bathroom to put his towel away. When he walked back out, he grabbed his phone from the nightstand next to where I sat.


    "Jai is calling me tonight about the meeting that''s happening tomorrow. Don''t wait up for me, get some sleep."


    With that said, he walked out of the room; leaving me sitting on the bed, shocked at his coldness.


    Why couldn''t I have kept my mouth shut?

 Chapter Thirty-Eight - The One Behind It-1

    "Don''t wait up for me."


    Easier said than done.


    Iid awake in bed that night for hours upon hours, just thinking.


    I felt guilty for being the one who said the hard stuff to Cain, for feeling like I had crossed a line. I mean, I barely knew the guy and there I was psychoanalyzing his emotional intimacy issues like they were any of my business. But that was the part that had me torn: I felt like those issues were my business.


    I had a sense of en


    I could finally understand from a personal perspective why rtionship difficulty was near the top of the list of reasons people sought out therapy.


    A few hours went by of endlessly, mindlessly staring up at the ceiling.


    Despite the room beingpletely dark, I could still see everything around me as though the ceiling lights were on. Apanied by the thoughts that gued me, the rity of my vision around the room made it impossible to sleep. When Cain came upstairs that morning to tell me that we would be leaving for the meeting soon, I was still as wide awake as I had been when he left the room the night before.


    Even though Cain''s phone calls that night had onlysted about an hour or so, he never came back upstairs.


    As desperate as I was to apologize yet again for my prying, I gave him the space I''m sure he wanted.


    Seeing him that morning, however, I could tell there was more space to be needed. He was quiet and reserved, only talking when he absolutely needed to and never staying too close. It stung, but I resigned that he would warm back up to me when he was ready and there was nothing I could do to force that.


    When I went downstairs after getting ready, there was arge cup sitting on the counter next to an empty blood bag.


    I looked to Cain. He was standing next to the counter with his attention glued to his phone that was in one hand as he casually drank from a simr cup that was in the other.


    "Is this for me?" I asked, picking up the cup to nce inside, despite knowing exactly what the contents were.


    His attention never leaving his phone, he nodded.


    Trying to ignore the fact that I was being ignored, I took the cup and gulped down the blood before my body realized what it was and made me cough it back up. "You should drink that slowly."


    "It''s disgusting," I argued, cing the cup back down on the counter as I grimaced.


    "You''ll get used to it."


    While the taste itself wasn''t bad at all, it was the psychological aspect of drinking blood that made it nearly unbearable to swallow.


    I felt my stomach lurch and I stopped myself from giving it another thought.


    Cain walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out an aluminum water bottle. He handed it to me.


    "This is for you. You''ll need this throughout the day."


    I took it from him, trying not to think about what was inside the bottle.


    "It''s time to go."


    He grabbed his car keys from the table.


    I followed him outside to see an overcast sky above us. I could feel tiny drops of rain begin to fall as we made our way to his car.


    Not another word was said as Cain drove off of his property and out onto the street. A half an hour of a silent car ride went by before Cain pulled into a narrow alleyway. He drove up to a chain fence that was pulled across the drive way and stopped.


    Jai came out from behind a door that was on the other side of the fence a few momentster and he pulled it towards him, allowing the gate to swing wide so Cain could drive through.


    At this point, the rain was falling hard between the buildings that we were sandwiched by.


    As Cain turned his car off, Jai pulled the gate back into ce and locked it.


    "I need you to listen to me very closely," Cain said, using a low voice that immediately grabbed my attention.


    "These people in this building they''re not to be trusted. They don''t want what is best for you or me, they want what is best for their people which is the only reason they''re here. They''re cruel at times and insensitive to the needs of those outside their own packs. They certainly are not my friends; they''re just too scared of me to be my enemies."


    I raised an eyebrow as his face grew serious.


    "This meeting was necessary and I''m hoping it goes ording to n. But, if it doesn''t, I''ve asked a woman named Zahra to apany you throughout the duration. Listen to her if she tells you to do something and don''t do anything she tells you not to."


    "I thought you said that you didn''t trust these people," I said pointedly.


    "I don''t trust many people if you recall," he said. "But Zahra is the daughter of the Pakistani Beta, Mohamad Gohar. They''ve always been loyal to our family and are strong advocates of peace. If anything disruptive happens, I would bet my When I said nothing, Cain pulled his keys from the ignition and sighed.


    "E, promise me that if anything should happen-"


    "Why do you keep saying that?" I asked. "You keep insinuating that you''re expecting something terrible to happen. Why would you call the meeting if that''s the case?"


    "You forget that this meeting is happening solely to draw my brother out of the shadows," he said. "If he''s anything like other Vampires, he won''t enjoy being in the light."


    "I don''t understand how you can use innocent people as bait," I told him honestly.


    "They''re not as innocent as you would believe."


    He ended the conversation as he opened his car door to get out. I followed slowly and reluctantly.


    "Daniel still isn''t here," Jai said to Cain from the doorway, his voicepeting with the sound of rain hitting the roof.


    "When is he ever on time?" Cain asked rhetorically, walking around the car to the door that led into the side of a building.


    Jai didn''t say anything else as I followed Cain inside, out of the rain.


    He navigated his way around the building with the knowledge of someone who had been there many times, theyoutmitted to memory.


    Turning a corner, I could hear voices that carried down the dark hallway. Among them were several dialects, tones and volumes. I couldn''t tell if people were shouting orughing.


    A woman in a ck hijab, with an apanying ck jacket, t-shirt and ck jeans greeted us at the door. The military-grade boots that wereced up past her ankles and the heavy eyeliner she wore attributed to a grunge aura she exuded. "E, this is Zahra," Cain said. "She''ll be with you while we''re here."


    She looked at me nkly.


    "I''m interested to know why a grown woman requires a babysitter," she said.


    "As am I," I added, looking in Cain''s direction.


    He said nothing else as he pushed past the two of us, Jai on his trail and opened the double doors we stood in front of.


    "Is he always so moody like that?" Zahra asked me.


    "I just thought he was in a bad mood when I met him, but it''s been a few months so I guess that''s just his personality."


    She cracked a smile before gesturing for me to follow her.


    We walked inside the room, heads turning as Cain and Jai entered first.


    Therge room wentpletely silent.

 Chapter Thirty-Eight - The One Behind It-2

    While I expected to turn and see everyone''s attention focused on Cain''smanding presence, what I didn''t expect was to look around and see every set of eyes in the room on me.


    I immediately turned away, trying not to look anywhere other than the back of Zahra''s hijab as she led me to a small leather couch that sat on the other side of the room.


    As she sat down and I sat next to her, I looked up to see that there were still several people who were watching me closely.


    There were probably forty people in total, all of them sitting around arge, oval mahogany table.


    It looked like a United Nations conference with all of the different tribes and nations present in the room. Some people, whom I assumed were Betas, sat in chairs at the table with an apanying chaperone standing closely behind them. My eyesnded on a young South Asian girl who was likely the daughter of the Indian Beta who had been killed just weeks before. She sat in a chair that engulfed her small frame. The aged look on the face of the man who stood behind her made it seem like he was more of a babysitter than a bodyguard.


    She could not have been older than six or seven.


    I shot a sharp look at Cain who had just noticed the girl himself.


    He would now have the blood of a child on his hands should things go south as he expected them to.


    Cain took a deep breath as if he was about to say something, but was interrupted before he could speak by a man that stood suddenly from his seat at one end of the table.


    "Tell us why we are here," he said, feigning confidence. I could see his hands shaking by his side.


    His eye contact with Cain did not hold long when Cain narrowed his eyes.


    "Let''s not y ignorant," Cain said.


    The man''s gaze dropped before he sat back down in his chair.


    "You all know why you''re here," Cain said, sitting down in a seat at the head of the table.


    "Why are Betas being targeted?" A woman asked, her English broken and voice shaking.


    "I''ll tell you if everyone is finished interjecting," Cain said sternly.


    Everyone in the room took a gulp and shifted nervously in their seats.


    "I''m here to confirm suspicions that Beta Chen of China and Beta Agarwal of India are both dead. They were killed..."


    Cain''s voice trailed off as he looked solemnly to the young girl who sat in the chair looking at him with an innocent and frightened expression.


    "If I may," spoke up the girl''s chaperone. "Anvi only understands Marathi."


    Cain nodded and I could see the sense of relief that crossed his face.


    "As I was saying," he continued, turning his attention to the others around him. "Both men were killed."


    "How?" Asked a male voice from one of the seats in the middle of the table.


    "Vampires."


    The entire room erupted into a frantic panic as everyone looked around in disbelief, mumbling amongst themselves.


    "Quiet," Cain said.


    And just like that, it was silent again.


    "I am pleased to inform you that those responsible are dead."


    I thought of Zak and my eyes began to water. I bed quickly and the tears cleared from my eyes.


    I wondered what the people in that room would think if they knew who I was, who my family was and what they had done to the people in that room... to that poor girl''s father.


    "Unfortunately," continued Cain, "I was only able to eliminate half the threat. Those responsible for the deaths of our Beta allies were not responsible for the plot against us, merely pawns used to carry it out."


    "So we are still in danger?" A blond man sitting to Cain''s right asked in a thick Australian ent.


    Cain nodded slowly.


    "I believe these creatures have been waiting for a very long time tomit this n and I fear it will not be an easy bullet to dodge."


    "Creatures? You mean Vampires?"


    Cain nodded again.


    "The threat against us has been leveled specifically at the pure blooded. I believe the end goal is to eventually eradicate the entire Lycanthrope race."


    Murmurs and angry whispers began to echo around the room once more.


    "Why have you called us here if that is the case?"


    "Are we not fools for gathering together when we should be thinly dispersed?"


    "Why pure bloods?"


    "Who is behind it?"


    As Cain stood to his feet to silence everyone once more, a knock on the door behind him sent everyone quiet before he could say a word.


    Therge wooden door opened slowly, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room, Cain included.


    A man as tall as Cain with hair darker than midnight stepped into the room.


    I saw Cain''s body go rigid as his fists clenched.


    It wasn''t until the two were standing side by side that I could see the resemnce and I realized who I was looking at.


    Jacob.


    He was thinner than Cain but still boasted a lean, athletic build. His skin was pale in contrast to the ck sweater he wore, evidence he had been dodging sunlight for many years. A dark, closely-shaved beard entuated his high cheek bones. The most notable thing about Jacob, however, was not his build, beard or his skin: it was his eyes.


    As if they were indeed burning, his irises were glowing red like embers.


    It was then I realized they were fixated on me.


    "E," he said, his voice deep but modted. "I''ve heard so much about you..."


    I felt my breath leave my lungs as he took a step in my direction.


    Cain''s hand shot out quicker than I could register his movements and grabbed Jacob by the throat.


    Pushing him against the wall, Cain smashed the drywall behind Jacob''s body from using so much force. Jacob however, wasn''t fazed.


    He calmly looked at Cain as if he was waiting for Cain to drop his hand and release him.


    "Who are you?" A man asked, standing from his seat.


    Jacob looked at him and gave a devilish smile.


    "The one behind it."

 Chapter Thirty-Nine - Cutting it Close-1

    "I thought you were dead."


    Cain''s voice wavered as he spoke.


    "I am dead," Jacob scowled, swatting Cain''s hand from his throat.


    Cain seemed taken back by the ease with which Jacob pushed him away. Jacob however, walked slowly around him to face the audience he had gained.


    "I do apologize that you''ve all wasted your time today," he said, genuinely seeming remorseful. "I will admit that I considered killing you all now since Cain set everything up so perfectly, but I have a n and that I intend on carrying through to the end."


    "Don''t worry though," he continued, "you''ll all die eventually, but it will be far more climactic than this."


    "Why would youe if just to taunt me?" Cain asked.


    Jacobughed.


    "I''m your brother, I should think that every opportunity to taunt you should be taken."


    The temperature of the room cooled significantly as the revtion was made and those sitting in their seats realized who stood before them.


    "Oh well," Jacob said, looking down at his watch. "It''s time for me to go, I''m a very busy man these days; you know, ces to be and people to kill and all."


    Before turning to walk away Jacob stopped to look at the young girl who still sat quietly in her seat. He smiled at her and gave her a wink.


    I felt my stomach twist in disgust as she smiled back, not realizing the man who was ultimately responsible for the death of her own father.


    As Jacob made his way to the door, he stopped and turned over his shoulder.


    "One more thing," he said to Cain. "If you have any sense at all, I know you''re thinking about following me. You should know that at this exact moment, the most important Beta of them all-having been unknowingly sedated with a lethal dose


    of wolfsbane is en route to a pce belonging to someone in this room where he will be held captive and eventually die. He has less than seventy-two hours to live and should you want to save him, I think it would be best to divert your energy into finding out who in this room has betrayed you."


    I saw Cain''s shoulders fall.


    "Good luck, brother," Jacob said. "For his sake, I hope you find him soon. Wolfsbane will kill him in less than seventy-two hours, but it will make him wish he was dead in the next twelve."


    With that, Jacob left the stunned room sitting in silence, not forgetting to close the door behind him as he left.


    Almost as soon as the doortch clicked into ce, the room erupted into a frenzy. Fingers were pointed as usations were shouted.


    All trust left the room when Jacob did.


    Despite the chaos around him, Cain had his back to everyone, still staring at the door as if frozen by the responsibility of choosing between his given options.


    I stood up, ignoring Zahra as she tried to pull me back and walked quickly around themotion to Cain.


    "Follow him," I told him quickly, grabbing his arm. "Don''t let him get away. We''ll find out who has Daniel."


    Cain turned to me with a nk expression.


    "You heard her, go," a voice said from behind me.


    I turned to see the same blond man who had sat next to Cain earlier, the Australian one.


    When Cain didn''t react, the man grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.


    "Go, dammit," he said. "Jai and I will help her find Daniel."


    Cain nodded before turning to leave quickly.


    "Wait," I said, following him out the door into the dark hallway.


    When he turned back to me, I lifted myself up onto my tiptoes and reached up to pull him into a kiss.


    Cain''s arms wrapped around me like he didn''t want to let go, like he was scared of what would happen when he did.


    I broke the kiss and peered up into hisvender eyes.


    "Be careful," I pleaded.


    I saw his jaw clench.


    "Find Daniel."


    I nodded.


    "I will."


    With that, he let go of me and stepped back.


    "I love you," he told me before turning to run down the hallway, out of sight.


    I was so stunned hearing him say it that it wasn''t until I had returned to the conference room where Jai was waiting that I realized I''dpletely forgotten to say it back.


    I was knocked from my trance when Jai gestured towards the blond man he stood next to.


    "E, I''d like you to meet my father," Jai said.


    My eyes widened as the man reached out to shake my hand.


    "Beta Jace Eaton of Australia," he said. "I was Cain''s father''s Beta Superior."


    "E Schulz," I said, still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that he was Jai''s father. "Nice to meet you."


    "I look a lot more like my mom, fortunately," Jai said, noticing that I was trying to work through the obvious discrepancies in Jai''s Eastern Asian appearance and his father''s blond hair, blue eyes and tan skin. Other than his chiseled facial structure and muscr build, Jai looked close to nothing like his father.


    Beta Eaton walked around us and closed the doors that we stood in front of.


    After doing so, he turned to face us.


    Letting out an ear-piercing whistle, Beta Eaton earned the attention of everyone in the room quickly.


    "I hope none of you had lots of coffee this morning because everyone in this room will remain in this room until we find out where the Beta Superior is."


    "You can''t make us stay," a bold voice said from the back of the room.


    "Well, be my guest and try to leave," Beta Eaton said. "I''d appreciate the opportunity to make an example of you."


    "Anyone else riding an adrenaline high that wants to put their foot in their mouth?" Jai asked.


    When no one said anything else, he nodded.


    "Good. Now, we have two options: the first is ideal and the second is not ideal. Now, I believe I''m speaking for most in this room when I say that I would rather things go as smoothly as possible. This means that whoever is responsible formitting treason against the Alpha Sovereign and his Beta as well as betraying the entire Lycanthrope race should let themselves be known now so we can all be home in time for dinner."


    Everyone looked around the room at one another warily, but lips remained sealed.


    Jai sighed.


    He propped his foot up on the edge of the table and pulled a switchde from his boot.


    "Fine, the hard way it is."


    As he and Jace corralled people into a corner and began to interrogate everyone individually, I made eye contact with Zahra, who walked over to where I stood.


    "This is going to take too long," she said.


    "It won''t work at all," I said. "Jacob wouldn''t recruit anyone to his cause that wasn''tmitted enough to die for it. Besides, we don''t even know if he''s telling the truth."


    I shook my head before turning to Zahra.


    "You down for a field trip?"


    She raised an eyebrow.


    I gestured for her to wait a moment as I walked over to Jai, who was in the middle of an intense conversation with a man who boasted a beard so long it grazed the floor as he sat in the chair. Jai saw meing and stood to his feet.


    "Zahra and I are going to Daniel''s hotel. Send me the address."


    He looked from me to Zahra.


    "What makes you think it wasn''t her?" he asked, his gaze returning to me.


    "Cain trusted her," I said. "That''s saying something, so it''s good enough for me."


    He took a deep breath before pulling his phone from his pocket and sending me the text.


    I felt my own phone buzz in my pocket as the address was received.


    "Be careful," he said.


    I nodded before turning to Zahra.


    As we turned to leave the room, I noticed Cain''s car keysying on the table where he had been sitting.


    "I''ll drive," I told her.


    It didn''t take long to get to the address Jai had given me. We knew as soon as we had arrived because the street was lined with emergency responders andw enforcement officials.

 Chapter Thirty-Nine - Cutting it Close-2

    I parked on the side of the street, Zahra and I walking up onto the scene to see bags of bodies being escorted from the hotel where Daniel had been staying.


    We shared a wary look between us before pressing into the small crowd of pedestrians and news crews who had gathered around. I approached an officer only to have him put a hand out, preventing me from walking further. Zahra spoke to him in Darija, I presumed to ask what had happened.


    She gestured towards me and then towards the building, her tone and bodynguage insinuating that she was trying her hardest to convince him of something. They both turned to me.


    "I told him your husband was staying in the hotel and that you needed to see him urgently. He wants to know what room number your husband is staying in."


    I fought the instinctual urge to scowl when as she referred to Daniel as my husband.


    I quickly looked at my text from Jai and provided the room number.


    The officer''s expression changed as he instructed us to follow him.


    Zahra and I followed him up the front steps into the hotel. He led us up over to an elevator with several other detectives carrying forensic investigation equipment. We rode four floors up before the elevator doors opened to reveal a gruesome scene.


    There were markers on the ground where bodies onceid. The carpet of the foyer was stained with blood and blood spatter in every arc and direction painted the walls.


    I quickly tried to visually gather as much information as I could,ing to the conclusion that at least five people had died, judging by the markers on the floor. I also noticed that there were no security cameras that I could see. The officer gestured for us to stay put as he walked away to seek the attention of a man standing in the corner, watching the detectives work.


    "It smells like wolfsbane," Zahra said under her breath.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    Even if I knew what wolfsbane smelt like, I doubted I would have been able to identify it. The scent of blood was overpowering and gave me an instantaneous headache. "Ya Ah," Zahra muttered. "E, your eyes..."


    I looked at her in confusion but caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the chrome-ted elevator door as I did so.


    My eyes were dark and bloodshot.


    "Shit," I said. "It''s the blood."


    "Cover your face," she said. "He''sing back."


    I immediately put my hands over my eyes and pretended to cry. Luckily, Zahra caught onto my act quickly and ced aforting hand on my back to console me.


    She began to speak to the two men while I peeked through my fingers, out therge floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the street. I looked out to notice a bank directly across the street, the roof of which was directly level with the window I stood next to. I took a mental note of all of the cameras that sat on the roof, surveilling the surrounding area.


    Zahra began to lead me backwards, back onto the elevator.


    "They''re taking us back downstairs," she whispered. "He won''t let us in Daniel''s room because he doesn''t want to riskpromising their evidence."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    As if he hadn''t already cross-contaminated his crime scene by allowing us into the foyer, I thought.


    She pulled me away from her to look at my face.


    "You''re good," she said in a low voice, nodding.


    I sat up straight and sniffled as I wiped away the fake tears I''d managed to muster during my performance.


    The officer looked at me warily but I ignored him, instead looking around the elevator.


    When we stepped back out into the lobby, he began to ask questions that I didn''t have honest answers to.


    When had Ist seen my husband? Why was I not with him in his room? Where had I been in the meantime? Where were we from? Traveling on business or pleasure?


    All of these made me more and more desperate to leave.


    I made Zahra give him some pathetic excuse that I needed some time to process everything before I could answer questions. We gave him false contact information and turned to leave.


    "We need to get into the bank across the street," I told her as we walked out of the hotel doors. "There are cameras on the roof that would have been pointed into the window."


    We ran into a group of detectives as we were leaving and they were entering.


    Zahra smiled smugly as we excused ourselves and walked into the crowd. I looked down at her hands to see that she had pulled a badge from the belt of one of the officers.


    "I think we should be able to get into the bank with this," she said.


    And we did.


    The manager of the bank had yet to be approached by police yet about the crime that had beenmitted across the street. He naively offered as much information as he could, including photos taken from their security cameras the night before of outside the hotel.


    Unfortunately, the cameras I had seen originally were not pointed in the direction of the hotel window as I had hoped. But we were able to get a good street view of the hotel''s entrance.


    Leaving as quickly as we could with a file folder full of photos under my arm, we got into the Ferrari where my aluminum cup of blood was waiting patiently.


    I drank it all in one gulp as Zahra watched quietly.


    "I didn''t realize Cain had turned you," she said.


    "I''d be dead if he hadn''t."


    We drove off, back to the meeting spot where Jai and Beta Eaton were still conducting their interrogations.


    It didn''t look like they''d made much progress as we returned to the room where everyone was held hostage.


    "Please tell me you found something," Jai said, walking over to us.


    "Only evidence that Jacob wasn''t lying and Daniel didn''t go without a fight," Zahra told him.


    I held up the file folder.


    "These are security footage stills that I''m going to look through. Any luck here?"


    He shook his head slowly.


    "No one seems to know anything, everyone is oblivious."


    "They''re not all as innocent as they seem," Zahra told him, echoing Cain''s words from earlier that day.


    I sat down at the head of the table, everyone in the room too distracted by the situation at hand to notice me as I spread the pictures out in front of me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a small movement.


    I looked up to see the young girl leaning forward on her elbows as she peered over the table to look at the pictures.


    "Want to help me look for my friend?" I asked her, despite knowing she couldn''t understand.


    She looked at me shyly and I smiled as I gestured for her toe closer.


    "We''re looking for Daniel," I told her, showing her a picture of Daniel that I had saved on my phone.


    She looked from the picture to me and then down at the pictures.


    "Baba," she said, pointing down at a picture after a few moments. I shook my head.


    "No, Daniel," I said showing her the picture again.


    She looked at me before returning her attention to the pictures.


    "Baba," she repeated, grabbing it with both hands.


    I looked up to see her chaperone leaning in, his features echoing concern.


    "What is she saying?" I asked him.


    "Where did you get these photos?" he asked, ignoring my question and taking the picture from the young girl.


    "They are security footage stills from this morning," I said. "Why? What''s wrong with them?"


    The man, now white as a ghost, turned the picture around to so I could see who the young girl had pointed to. "This is her father, the Beta killed nearly a month ago."


    I felt my face drop.


    Seeing the photo of the man walking along the sidewalk, I gulped.


    "Jai," I said quickly, standing from my seat.


    He turned his attention from his father.


    "I think I know where Daniel is."

 Chapter Forty - Fatal Allegiance-1

    Clouds stained pink, orange and red by the setting sun floated beneath me at a leisurely pace.


    Stars twinkling against a dark blue sky hovered in the space above me.


    It was tranquil sight from my spot beside a window on the jet.


    The state of the soon-to-be-sleeping earth calmed my racing mind. After a day of events that seemed to happen in the b of an eye, I weed the slowness of the world around me.


    In the moment of quiet, as everyone around me either slept or sat in silent thought as I did, I suddenly remembered what Cain had said to me:


    I love you.


    Those three words were almost enough to make me forget the hours of ufortable silence and days of emotional distance that had preceded. Almost enough.


    Hearing it didn''t feel right, but I couldn''t decipher if it was because I hadn''t expected it or if there was another reason.


    The knot that formed in my stomach at the thought of Cain was an ufortable mixture of nervous apprehension and lustful infatuation.


    Looking down at the earth hiding beneath a nket of cirrostratus clouds, I wondered where he was in that moment.


    No one had heard from him since he''d left the conference room to follow Jacob that morning. Although Jai hadn''t said anything pointedly, I knew he worried about Cain. It was evident in the crease that formed between his eyebrows when he talked of him.


    I looked over to see Jai flipping through the photos Zahra and I had gotten from the hotel where Daniel had been abducted.


    I knew he had to have memorized every pixel on those pages by that time as he had been looking them over for hours at that point.


    My attention then turned to Zahra who was sleeping with her head against a closed window shade.


    I couldn''t help but notice how she slept with a hand on a concealed de she wore in a strap on her thigh.


    After the day she''s had, I wouldn''t trust any of us either, I thought.


    Finally, I looked down at the young girl, Anvi, who was sleeping with her head on myp.


    Covered by a heavy wool nket, her bodyid in the seat beside me with her legs curled up and tucked close to her chest.


    Despite the ufortable position, she seemed to be sleeping soundly.


    Looking at her, I felt nothing but pure and utter sympathy.


    She was still mourning the death of her father while being forced into a role she couldn''t possibly fill at her age, much less understand. On top of this, she''d just learned of the possibility that her father was still alive.


    I had tried to shield her from the rest of the conversation that followed her identifying her father, but I knew it wouldn''t be long before she figured out just what it meant that he was still alive:


    He was alive because my grandfather hadn''t killed him; meaning he was useful for Jacob''s cause.


    He was the traitor that Jacob had referred to.


    It was ironic really, that the only person able to identify the traitor in that conference room was the one who had no idea what was going on.


    Genuinely, we would have been there for days interrogating people who were innocent and we never would have suspected that Anvi held the answer we were looking for.


    It was because of her innocence that she was still alive.


    The same could not be said of her chaperone.


    I had learned rather quickly that Jace and Jai were unflinchingly loyal to Cain and his father.


    With no solid way to prove himself honest, Anvi''s chaperone met a quick end at the hands of Jai. While I saw this as barbaric and unnecessarily ruthless, my only request was that he was killed outside Anvi''s knowledge. Yet despite her youth, she was not a fool. She knew what was happening the moment Jai dragged him from the conference room.


    The poor girl hadn''t made a sound since.


    I looked up from where she slept to see Jaceing out of the cockpit where he had been discussing our arrival coordinates with the pilots.


    He walked over to me and began to speak in low tones.


    "Priya will meet us at the hangar when wend in Mumbai," he whispered. "She''ll take the girl until we know more and can figure out whether the mother is involved."


    I nodded, trying to suppress the guilt I felt by looking on the bright side: at least Priya spoke Anvi''snguage. Maybe she would be able to help exin a few things. "When do wend?" I asked him, mirroring his quiet voice.


    "About twenty minutes."


    I nodded in acknowledgment before he walked over to repeat the information to Jai.


    I tried to cherish thosest twenty minutes, taking in thest few golden rays of the sunlight and the calmness that left me as they left the sky.


    When the nended that night, there was no evidence of it-wended under theplete cover of night. Not even the runway was lit.


    With murmuring engines, the ne drifted into an empty hangar.


    As we disembarked, I noticed the lights weren''t even on inside the hangar. Instead, four ck cars were pointed at the ne with headlights dimmed.


    I recognized Priya instantly when she got out of one of the vehicles to meet us.


    "Any news on Daniel?" she asked, almost immediately.


    The worried tone in her voice sounded almost identical to Jai''s when he spoke of Cain.


    Realizing this made it even harder to shake my head.


    "Have you heard from Cain?" she asked.


    I shook my head again.


    I saw Priya''s shoulders slump before she caught sight of the young girl standing behind me, peeking around my waist.


    Priya sank to her knees and held a hand out towards Anvi.


    "Namashkar," she said in a soft voice.


    I looked down to see Anvi''s mouth gape slightly as she stepped out from behind me.


    I saw tears fill her eyes as Priya began to speak to her in Marathi. Anvi nodded slowly, agreeing with whatever it was Priya said, before bursting into tears and falling against Priya''s chest to cry. Priya began to stroke her hair and whisper in a calming tone as she embraced Anvi.


    They sat there for a few moments before Priya stood, her arms still around the girl.


    "We''ll go to my family; they live about half an hour away. She''ll be well taken care of there. I''ll wait for word on when to bring her back to her family. I''m sure her mother misses her dearly."


    I nodded slowly before I felt a tug at my arm.


    Turning, I saw Jai standing there, gesturing that it was time to leave.


    When I turned back to Priya, I saw tears filling her eyes.


    "Don''te back without Daniel," she said, her voice quivering. "Please."


    I couldn''t do anything but let out a slow, shaky breath as Jai pulled me away.


    As Jai, myself, Jace and Zahra got into one of the vehicles, I noticed Priya leading Anvi away towards another.


    How do I know I can trust her?

 Chapter Forty - Fatal Allegiance-2

    Distrust had begun to be something that flowed through me as freely as oxygen.


    When I turned my attention to the other passengers in the car with me, I saw it written on their faces as they also watched Anvi get into the car with Priya. "I don''t like this," I said.


    Jace grit his teeth.


    "None of us do."


    As soon as the rest of the crew had piled into the two other cars, we drove out of the hanger with the headlights off and merged onto a busy highway before turning them back on.


    "So, what''s the n?" I asked. "We''re just going to go to Beta Agarwal''s house, bust down the door and tell anyone who gets in our way that we know the Beta is alive and that he''s holding Daniel captive?" Zahra shrugged and I gave her an irritated nce, unamused.


    "I was being sarcastic."


    "We''ll wait at the port for them and catch them as they try to flee," Jai said confidently.


    Zahra''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "How exactly do you know they''ll flee if they don''t know we''reing?"


    I narrowed my eyes at Jai as the realization hit me.


    "They know we''reing," I said.


    Jai nodded.


    "Telling Priya to meet us here wasn''t just for the sake of the girl," Jace said.


    "You think Priya would have forewarned them?"


    "Not Priya," he said. "There is someone else."


    I raised an eyebrow as Jace hesitated to borate further.


    "I talked to Cain''s father from the ne," he admitted. "He and Evelyn had no clue that Jacob was still alive and I doubt they would have believed anyone who told them that he was; even Cain." "So, they''re not part of this scheme," I said as if it were obvious. "Did you think that they were?"


    Jace shrugged.


    "Someone had to be," he said pointedly. "Jacob was only seven when he died. He wouldn''t have just gone into hiding on his own... he wouldn''t have been able to survive."


    I tried as hard as I could to think of someone who had been around long enough to have known Jacob as a boy and still be an active part of Cain''s pack.


    "Who else could it be besides his parents?"


    Cain walked down the long hallway.


    The pristinely clean floor shone like ss and reflected the bright, overhead lighting back into Cain''s face. The bright lights paired horridly with the overwhelming scent of disinfectant; the hospital wing had always felt like an attack on Cain''s


    senses.


    He held in his hand a file folder that was a symbolic final piece of the puzzle.


    Ironically, it had been sitting in his office for over a month.


    After Jacob''s scent had been lost, Cain was left in the middle of northern Moro with just his thoughts. While a scent was useful for tracking Jacob, so were the leads left behind in his wake.


    Cain had known for days-specifically, since his conversation with Jai in the stairwell after leaving Zak on the rooftop-that something didn''t add up.


    There was no conceivable way that Jacob had flown under the radar for that long without someone knowing that he was alive.


    It couldn''t have been his parents; Cain had watched them grieve, both publicly at Jacob''s memorial and privately behind closed pce doors.


    He had a hard time believing that mourning a dead child was an act easily performed. It was because of this that Cain knew his parents were oblivious to their youngest son''s survival.


    Cain could only think of one other person who would have been there, in those moments, as Jacob died.


    As he rounded the corner into Dr. Zosak''s office, he saw the old man sitting in his office chair expectantly.


    Cain threw the folder on the doctor''s desk.


    "The man whose head I ripped from his shoulders at the train station a week ago was not Hans Weber," Cain said. "Hans Weber has been dead for thirty years, but someone stole his name and has been using the false identity to get away with medically turning humans and Lycanthropes into Vampires. Any idea who?"


    The old man took a deep breath and removed his sses.


    "If you didn''t already know, you wouldn''t be here," he said.


    Cain felt his jaw clench.


    "Who was the man I killed?"


    "A scapegoat that wasn''t paid nearly enough to die the way he did," Dr. Zosak said honestly.


    Cain fell silent as he stared at a man he had known his whole life as a friend but now knew to be a traitor.


    "Why?" he asked.


    Dr. Zosak looked at Cain with eyes full of sadness.


    "Your mother conceiving you was nothing short of a miracle," the doctor noted. "You were born around the time that a man I was friends with in medical school died. Originally, I assumed his identity to be able to research what it would take to convert a Lycanthrope infected with Vampirism back into a pureblood. But, then your brother came along and he was perfect. A pureblooded Lycanthrope without so much of a trace of that horrid disease. And I thought you were a miracle child..."


    Dr. Zosak scoffed before continuing.


    "I knew that the Alpha Superior lineage would stay pure as long as Jacob could take the


    Zosak leveled his gaze at Cain.


    "For a long time, I thought Jacob would be the first Lycanthrope I was ever able to cure of Vampirism." "And?" Cain asked.


    Dr. Zosak sighed.


    "Jacob ran away before I couldplete any conclusive research. I was so ashamed of what I''d done that I never told your parents. It would have killed your mother and then your father would have killed me. I didn''t expect to see Jacob ever again. I continued my research, using those who believed as strongly as I did that the Alpha Superior bloodline needed to remain exclusively pureblooded."


    "Like E''s grandfather," Cain concluded.


    Dr. Zosak nodded.


    "Jacob contacted me almost a year ago and told me that he had found a cure and that he was ready to take his ce as Alpha. He agreed to share the cure with me in exchange for my cooperation inmitting treason against the He sighed before looking down at the file folder on his desk.


    "So far I''m the only one who has held up his end of the bargain."


    The room was silent for a few moments as Cain felt his blood begin to boil.


    "You let me believe for this long that I had killed my brother," Cain said. "You watched my entire family fall apart and you said nothing..."


    Dr. Zosak looked at Cain with a suddenly furious expression.


    "Your parents were fools to give you the


    Cain turned to look over his shoulder to see his father standing in the doorway.


    "You will," Adam said, his teeth gritted.


    "And you''ll die for it too."

 Chapter Forty-One - The Cure-1

    There were only four days in her life that Evelyn could think back on with crystal-clear memory.


    The first was the day she met Adam; the second, the day she gave birth to Cain; third, the day Jacob was born, and finally the day Jacob died.


    She could perfectly recall every second, enjoyable or otherwise.


    The majority, if not the entirety, of three of those four days were spent with Dr. Zosak. He had been there through so much joy and heartache-it was hard to think of him as the man he had be. Stealing away her son, whom he led her to believe was dead, was an egregious act that Evelyn fought hard to morally justify.


    After hours of sitting in shock at the news delivered by her husband, Evelyn was unable toe up with a conclusively sound reason as to why the doctor should be excused.


    Doing what he did solely for the sake of research was not strong enough ground to stand on.


    Destroying her family and diminishing her son''s value to that of a test tube was not something she could let slide.


    But death was too high a price.


    "Dismiss him," she said finally.


    Evelyn looked up from her seat at her husband who stood a few feet away next to a firece, staring into the mes in deep thought.


    Adam''s trance was interrupted by her words and his eyebrows furrowed as he realized what she''d said.


    "The question was kill or not to kill," he reminded her.


    "Don''t kill him," she said, firmly this time.


    Adam''s confusion was evident in his expression.


    "I don''t understand," he said. "Why wouldn''t we kill him? Evelyn, he-"


    "I know what he did," she interrupted. "But are we no better if we kill him solely for the sake of doing so? He isn''t necessarily a threat. I don''t see the point of killing him." Adam shook his head.


    "With all he knows of our pack and our family, he is a threat. I don''t trust him enough to simply dismiss him back into the world and I certainly don''t trust him enough to keep him here. That only leaves one other option..." Evelyn stood, beginning to feel angry.


    "Why did you ask me what I thought we should do if you had already made up your mind?"


    Adam approached Evelyn and ced his hands on either side of her face.


    "You''re a gracious woman," he said. "If there was a good reason to keep him alive, you would have found it. But there''s a time when the line between naivety and graciousness is blurred. We can''t afford to allow him another opportunity to do something horrendous."


    Her eyebrows furrowed as she stepped back, out of his grasp.


    "He didn''t kill our son," she said. "If anything, Dr. Zosak is the reason Jacob is alive today."


    "Yes and the reason two Betas are dead," Adam reminded her. Evelyn shook her head.


    "Two Betas are dead because of the decisions our son made on his own. Has it urred to you that Jacob could have just as easilye home to us rather than run away from Zosak?" Adam seemed hurt by the vague usation but quickly shielded it with a harsh expression.


    "Dr. Zosak will die because he hasmitted treason against myself, against Cain and against this pack. I will never forgive him for what he did to our family..."


    Evelyn began to say something else, but Adam continued.


    "I won''t let vengeance be the reason for killing him, but it will certainly be the reason that I''ll enjoy it."


    With that, Adam turned and stormed out of the room, mming the door behind him.


    Evelyn turned to look at the mes that danced in the hearth with eyes glossed over by tears.


    She wasn''t crying because a close friend would soon die.


    Evelyn cried because, like Adam, she had a dark side that would be gratified in his death.


    When Adam returned to their room an hourter with a blood-stained shirt, Evelyn pretended not to notice.


    "Where are you going?" He asked, noticing her suitcase on the end of the bed.


    "I''ve just learned that my son is alive," Evelyn answered. "I''d like to see him..."


    "...before Cain kills him again."


    We had been sitting at the harbor for so long that the smell-no, stench-of fish had be invisible to my sense of smell.


    That didn''t mean that the burn of salty air didn''t still make my eyes water, nor did it mean that I no longer had a headache from inhaling the steam-rotten air.


    I wasn''t afforded the luxury of having ustomed to those just yet.


    "I don''t think they''reing," I said to Jai, repeating the voice that had been saying the same thing over and over in my head since we arrived.


    He looked over his shoulder at where I sat on the boat''s stern.


    "I''m starting to worry the same thing."


    The anticipated time of arrival had been hours prior to that moment.


    I had wondered at first if we were even in the right ce. If I were the Beta and I was trying to flee, I would take a ne. It was the quickest way to get somewhere far and certainly not easy to stop once in the air, but Jai informed me that this was too risky a move for someone to take since they knew we would being into Mumbai in a jet as well.


    Fleeing on foot didn''t make sense and neither did using a train or car. There was too much a risk of being seen and the paperwork involved in crossing borders wasn''t an expedient process.


    Jai and Jace were both certain they would leave on a boat, that way they would be able to leave virtually undetected.


    So there we sat, at the only port in Mumbai that would allow for private boats to dock without notice and leave without a record of direction and heading.


    If they were fleeing, we would catch them.


    Or so that was how the n was supposed to go.


    Watching Jai''s face as he thought through his next moves made me notice just how exhausted he looked.


    Dark circles under his blood-shot eyes were prominent against his pale skin. As he slumped into a seat beside me, I reached over and grabbed his hand. "Maybe you should take about three or four hours to rest and eat something. I''m sure myself, your dad and Zahra can handle things for a while."


    He shook his head fervently, looking off at the dark ocean behind us.


    "I''m fine. Besides, I think it''s you and Daniel we need to worry about."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Me?"


    He looked down at our feet and gently kicked over the steel bottle that sat on the wooden deck.


    As it hit the floor beside our feet, the echoing ng of the empty bottle rang out and I sighed.


    It was the same one Cain had given me earlier that morning, just empty.


    "When did you finish that?" he asked.


    I took a deep breath.


    "I''m okay," I told him. "It''s only been three hours. I went longer than that yesterday and waspletely okay."


    Jai looked at me warily.


    "I promise," I told him. "I''m okay, don''t worry about me."


    He nced down at the bottle again before beginning to say something else.


    Suddenly, the sound of radio frequency cut the silence that lingered between us.

 Chapter Forty-One - The Cure-2

    The static hiss made me nearly fall backwards out of my seat; I had forgotten Jai even had the radio on him.


    "You''ve got a car headed your way," I heard Jace''s voice say. "Just passed through the port entry on the south side. Looks like it''s two males. I didn''t get a good look at them from the car, over."


    "Roger that, I see the car but it looks like the driver turned out the headlights. They''re still moving towards the docks, over," Zahra added.


    Jai lifted the radio to his lips.


    "Roger all, stay calm and stay in position. If it''s them, we''ll get him."


    Even though there had been two false rms already, I still felt my palms begin to sweat with anticipation.


    Jai and myself, as well as a team of four other Lycanthropes were on a boat at the end of a dock. Zahra and her team were on a boat at the other end of the dock, near the entrance. Jace stayed in the parking lot with a few other men to scope out iing traffic and block the exit if necessary.


    The car stopped at the end of the dock and I saw the shadows outlining the driver as he got out of the car and walked over to the passenger''s side.


    We all realized what was happening as we watched the driver pull the passenger from the car and tug him onto the deck.


    "Are you seeing Daniel?" Jai asked Zahra.


    I saw the driver stop in the middle of the pier and pull something from his back pocket.


    "Daniel''s here," a voice said, cutting into the radio frequency.


    I felt a chill run up my spine as I recognized the voice.


    "Jacob," I whispered, looking wide-eyed at Jai.


    "Yes, darling, it''s me," the voice repeated.


    "You can have your friend back," he continued. "I just needed a way to get you all here. You can even have the antidote to the wolfsbane poisoning."


    "Shit," Jai muttered, pulling the radio away from his mouth. "We''re sitting ducks."


    I realized in that moment that we had been so focused on narrowing in on Daniel and the Indian Beta that we hadn''t noticed the walls that closed in around us as well.


    We were all trapped on that dock with no way off it except through Jacob.


    "C''mon," Jacob prodded, "This isn''t a trick; no games or gimmicks. You can have back your Beta."


    I saw Jai''s jaw clench as he tried to quickly think of what to do.


    Reaching over, I grabbed the radio from Jai.


    "What do you want?" I asked Jacob.


    I heard himugh softly.


    "Darling, how many times do you have to get kidnapped to realize that you are what I''ve been after this whole time?"


    I turned to look at Jai who looked like he''d aged ten years in hearing Jacob say that.


    "We brought you right to him," Jai whispered, like he couldn''t believe the genius of it all. "I should have seen it."


    My eyebrows furrowed as I turned to look back at Jacob where he stood on the pier with Daniel.


    "If the whole point of this was to kidnap me, then why not do so this morning at the meeting?" I asked.


    "Well, there was the issue of Cain... you probably know by now how dramatic and emotional he is. People probably would have died and there would have been lots of blood and I''m just not into that scene anymore." Jai and I both looked at each other in confusion regarding Jacob''sst words.


    "I''m afraid I''m not a very patient man," Jacob said. "You can eithere and get your friend or I can push him into the Arabian Sea and you''ll never see him again."


    I watched as Jacob moved closer to the side of the pier and ced a hand at the back of Daniel''s neck and pushed him slightly, causing Daniel to teeter on the edge of the dock.


    "Wait!" I shouted.


    I heard Jai swear under his breath as I jumped off the front of the boat onto the pier and began to walk closer to where Jacob and Daniel stood.


    "I''lle with you¡ªbut only if I see you give Daniel the antidote," I bargained.


    Jacob pulled a vial from his back pocket and held it out for me to see.


    "This is in his hands as soon as you''re in mine."


    As I walked closer, I noticed the dark circles around Daniel''s eyes and the beads of sweat rolling down his face. His hair was matted with sweat to his forehead. I also noticed how his legs were shaking, as if merely standing was taking more energy than he could muster.


    I saw Daniel slowly shake his head at me before I turned to Jacob.


    "Give it to him."


    Jacob held out a hand for me to take and I reached forward slowly, watching him closely as he handed the vial to Daniel.


    Daniel took the vial reluctantly, his hands shaking as he did so.


    Jacob reached forward and grabbed my hand, sending a searing me up my arm.


    Instinctively, I tried to pull back but his grip was firm. Quickly the feeling subsided and I felt nothing in my arm but a numb tingling, as if I''d hit my elbow on a corner.


    When Jacob turned, I saw Zahra and her men loading off their boat onto the pier, blocking our exit.


    Jai and his crew did the same.


    But Jacob was still one step ahead.


    He jumped into a nearby fishing boat, ripping the dock line from the pier as he did so. He turned and pulled me close behind him as he hit the ignition on the boat. I heard the engine roar to life as Jai began to run towards us. Jacob pulled out of the dock so quickly that I fell forwards into the floorboard.


    I quickly got up to see Jai and Zahra standing on the edge of the pier where I had been standing moments earlier, fading into the darkness as the motor pushed the boat out into the ocean.


    I turned to see Jacob intently focused on the horizon in front of us, as if I weren''t even there and he had somewhere important to be.


    If I had turned away even a moment earlier, I would have missed the quick nce he gave me out of the corner of his eye.


    I wished I had missed it because of the uneasy feeling it gave me.


    A few minutes went by and I felt the adrenaline levels in my body lower slightly.


    I could no longer hear my heart beating rapidly in my chest; instead, I heard a voice scolding me for making such a stupid decision in agreeing to Jacob''s terms.


    But there was a part of me that would die feeling grateful that Daniel survived the ordeal.


    I looked out at the ocean and noticed a boat in the distance that we drew nearer to.


    The closer we got, the more I realized that we were closing in on a yacht that was bigger than my house.


    Jacob cut the small boat''s engine and steered us towards the side of the yacht with the expertise of a master sailsman.


    I saw two men rush to the edge of the yacht''s deck to catch the rope Jacob threw them. As they tethered the boat, Jacob leaned forward and pulled himself up onto the railing that lined the back deck. Once his feet were nted on the deck, he turned and offered a hand to help me do the same.


    I contemted throwing myself overboard while I had the chance.


    I couldn''t decide whether to be more afraid of what lie under the dark, murky waters of the Arabian or the brightly lit deck of the yacht.


    He reached forward and grabbed my hand and helped me pull myself up onto the dock.


    I immediately turned away from him and looked around.


    What I saw made me wish I had chosen to drown myself.


    "What is that?" I asked him, staring at the IV drip that stood next to the couch where an aluminum sanitary te that held an array of medical equipment sat.


    Jacob brushed past before turning to look me in the eye.


    "Your cure."

 Chapter Forty-Two - If Its Meant to Be...-1

    Narrative P.O.V.


    Dirt fell from the rafters in the ceiling.


    On the ground above their heads, a train rattled along its track.


    Overhead lights were swinging from their cords, flickering as the room waited for the train to pass so they could continue their worried murmurs.


    Jai checked his watch nervously before they all heard the cer door open with squeaky hinges.


    Heavy footfalls could be heard echoing down the hallway from the rotting wooden staircase and the entire room held their breath as the footsteps drew closer. When Adam walked into the cer to see nearly fifteen sets of worried eyes on him, he stopped.


    "What''s wrong?"


    A collective sigh of relief could be heard around the room as Jace stood to his feet and walked over to his old friend.


    "Where is Cain?" He asked.


    Adam looked at Jace with narrowed eyes before turning to look around.


    "Shit..." he mumbled, realizing who was missing from the group.


    Adam ran a hand along his jaw as he turned back to Jace.


    "He''ll be here any second."


    The door opened again and footsteps echoed along the hallway, everyone holding their breath once more.


    Evelyn walked into the room, her expression immediately morphing into one of concern upon seeing the defeated expression everyone else wore. "What happened?"


    Adam turned and looked at her solemnly before Evelyn felt her heart drop into her stomach.


    "She''s with..."


    She trailed off as Adam nodded slowly.


    "We have to tell him," she said urgently, realizing the gravity of the situation they faced.


    Adam said nothing as he lifted his gaze over her shoulder to the brooding figure that stood in the shadows listening.


    No one had the courage to let their lungs breath, hearts beat or eyes b as they all turned to see Cain standing in the hallway.


    He had managed toe in behind Evelyn, unnoticed.


    Cain stepped out into the room, shadows cast along his face from the dull overhead lights.


    With dark eyes, he scanned the room and turned to face Jai.


    "Get out," Cainmanded.


    His eye contact with Jai was unflinching as the room around them shifted quickly, everyone dispersing out of the cer. "You two can stay," he said.


    Although Cain''s gaze hadn''t lifted from Jai, Evelyn and Adam didn''t need his focus to know that his words were directed at them.


    Cain allowed the silence that fell over the room to linger for a few agonizingly slow moments.


    Jai stood slowly from the barrel on which he sat, taking a shaky breath as he did so.


    "I''m sorry, Cain..."


    His voice, though low and breathy, wasced with genuine sincerity.


    "Me too," Daniel agreed.


    Lacking both fear of Cain''s wrath and the strength to stand while recovering from the wolfsbane poisoning, Daniel had remained in the room when everyone else had been told to leave. Cain drew in a deep breath before nodding slightly.


    "I know the two of you well enough to know that it wasn''t your fault and I know E enough to know that it was her choice. I can''t, in good conscience, hold either of you ountable for her actions." Jai felt a weight lift off of his shoulders. The sadness in his heart, however, lingered.


    "So, what do we do?" he asked.


    "Yeah," Daniel said, sitting upright, "what''s the n?"


    Cain shook his head before sinking into an old wooden chair.


    "I don''t have one."


    Jai and Daniel exchanged a quick, surprised look.


    "What do you mean?" Jai asked.


    "You need to have n. Jacob will kill her..." Daniel added quickly.


    "No, he won''t."


    Although Adam''s deep voice cut through the tension building in the room, his words added to the confusion.


    "Why wouldn''t he?" Jai asked. "Hasn''t his objective been to get to Cain this whole time? What better way to do it than to go through her? He''s done this before." "He won''t kill her," Cain agreed.


    Jai tried to decipher what Cain meant but the hardened expression on Cain''s face masked his thoughts.


    "Cain, there''s something we should tell you," Evelyn said.


    "Don''t waste your breath," he said, not bothering to even look at her as she spoke. "I know."


    Evelyn started to walk towards him but her husband reached out and stopped her.


    "So, you know what you have to do then?" Adam asked.


    Cain nodded slowly, feeling his jaw clench.


    Daniel looked at the broken family in front of him and wondered what on earth they were privy to that had finally brought them all together.


    It was the first thing Daniel had ever seen them agree on, and yet he had no clue what it was.


    "What are you talking about?" Jai asked, garnering up the courage to ask the question that he knew both he and Daniel were thinking.


    He instantly regretted asking as Cain looked up at him with such a mournful rage that Jai found himself leaning away.


    Tears brimming in his eyes, Cain''s hands were shaking as he spoke with a broken voice.


    "I have to let her go."


    Daniel leaned in, his face showing the empathy he felt.


    "But why?"


    A jolt of pain shot up my arm as the needle pierced through the topyer of my skin and found the vein it sought.


    I tried to ignore the pain as I concentrated on the sun that had begun to rise above the ocean''s horizon off in the distance.


    From the couch where I sat on the aft deck, I had a perfect view of the morning''s waking breath and it''s reflective glow against the calm waves of the ocean.


    Just as I was admiring the farewell of the stars and moon above us, I felt another prick against my arm and flinched.


    "Sorry," Jacob said, his voice low.


    I could feel with an electric intensity every brush of his finger against my skin. His hands were gentle as he taped the intravenous line to the inside of my arm. Looking away from the early morning view, I nced cautiously at Jacob.


    He paid my nce no mind as he ripped the tape with his teeth and pressed it against my inner elbow.


    Apart from their simr bone structure and stature, Cain and Jacob looked next to nothing alike.


    Jacob''s dark hair stood out against his pale skin like ink on a nk sheet of paper. His eyebrows were arched slightly more than Cain''s were, giving him a more stern and focused expression.


    His face was slightly more narrow, but that could have been the illusion given by the five o''clock shadow he boasted; a noticeable difference from Cain who was always clean-shaven. He had thicker hair that was nearly curly, whereas Cain had chestnut colored hair that was neatly cut.


    Their eyes were the most noticeable difference, though.

 Chapter Forty-Two - If Its Meant to Be...-2

    Jacob''s eyes glowed red like hot embers.


    I could almost feel heat radiating from him when I looked into his eyes. For a moment, I wondered if they burned just as brightly in the dark.


    This me that burned in Jacob''s eyes was strikingly more aggressive whenpared to the lc fields that shown from Cain''s eyes. The rich purple reflected in his pupils was deep andforting, but I couldn''t help but squirm at the thought of their intensity.


    Tearing myself away from the gut-wrenching feeling that came with thoughts of Cain, I took a deep breath and diverted my attention elsewhere.


    I looked up at the thin steel pole that sat next to me where a bag of clear liquid hung, dripping slowly into the line.


    "What is that?"


    "Synthetically modified antibodies," Jacob answered. "They''ll kill off the virus and help jumpstart your immune system."


    I eyed him suspiciously.


    "It''s that simple?"


    He let out a breathyugh as he sat down on the ottoman in front of me, looking me in the eye.


    "Simple in theory, not in practice," he said. "It took me years to finally find the right chemicalposition tobat the virus. I wouldn''t call the process simple either. It will take a few hours at least."


    Jacob gazed up at the drip himself as if he were recalling the process.


    "Fortunately, your case is much simpler than mine was," he said, "the infection has yet to take over your bodypletely."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "How do you know?"


    He reached forward slowly and touched the inside of my neck with his fingers, a move that made my stomach twist and breath catch in the back of my throat.


    "You have a pulse," he said. "It''s slow, but steady. Normally the heart stops beating for those who have been infected and truly turned. It''s almost as if-"


    Jacob stopped.


    His eyebrows furrowed and eyes narrowed as a serious expression crossed his face.


    I found myself leaning away from him, suddenly wary of whatever was running through his mind.


    Jacob stood from his seat and leaned over my body to press his fingers more firmly into my neck. I felt my heart begin to race as he brushed my hair over my shoulder, the inquisitive look on his face hardened into one of anger as he saw the scar on my neck that his fingers found first.


    "Cain did this?"


    I nodded, unable to speak because of theck of air in my lungs.


    "He marked you."


    Despite the rhetorical tone of his voice, I found myself nodding again.


    Terror ran through my veins like ice water as I turned my gaze away from Jacob, unable to stand the intensity of his stare.


    After what felt like an eternity, Jacob finally released my neck from his grasp and stood up straight.


    "That exins quite a few things then," he said.


    I didn''t have the time nor the courage to ask him what he meant as he turned and flipped a table that sat behind him.


    The ss top shattered into thousands of tiny shards and I found myself flinching away, holding up an arm to protect my face from the splintered shrapnel.


    After a few moments of deafening silence, I dropped my arm slowly to look towards the scene of Jacob''s outburst.


    He stood a few feet away, hands clenched by his side and chest rising and falling with a speed that increased with his anger.


    "When did this happen?" He asked, his gaze on the ss at his feet.


    I stumbled over my words, trying to gatherposure and formte aprehensible thought.


    "A few days ago," I finally answered.


    "How long?"


    I tried to think, but my mind couldn''t keep up. I couldn''t remember.


    "Maybe three or four."


    My answer must have been sufficient because Jacob didn''t press for further detail.


    "Cain did it when he turned me," I said, suddenly feeling the need to defend him.


    Jacob looked at me solemnly, trying to mask the boiling rage he felt.


    "Is that what he told you?"


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    "That''s what happened," I said. "My brother poisoned me and Cain turned me to keep me from dying. He unintentionally marked me in the process." Jacob scoffed.


    "Unintentionally," he repeated under his breath, as though he didn''t believe it.


    "I''m not lying," I said defensively.


    "I don''t think you are," he said, turning to me. "Cain lied to you. He knew what he was doing when he turned you. He knew what wasing, that I wasing."


    I found myself drowning in questions, my mind reeling along a narrative that didn''t make any sense.


    "If you didn''t want Cain to turn me and mark me, why did you have my brother try to kill me?"


    Jacob looked at me incredulously.


    "Why would I do that? Zak wanted you dead because he thought you''d be better off. I would never have told him to kill you. He deviated from the n: Zak and that stupid body double for Weber were supposed to bring you to me, not take you back to Cain."


    "Body double? You mean that man wasn''t Dr. Weber?"


    "Hans Weber died thirty years ago," Jacob said dismissively. "My family''s precious Dr. Zosak stole his identity and has been living a life of Jekyll and Hyde; using Weber''s name to test his filthy experiments and keeping his own reputation spotless in the process."


    I felt my mouth gape in shock and Jacob rolled his eyes.


    I need to tell Cain, I thought.


    "Don''t worry, Cain knows," Jacob told me, as if he could read my mind. "Zosak called a few hours ago to tell me that he had been found out. I suppose that''s where Cain went instead of chasing me around Europe."


    "You knew he''d follow you when you left the meeting in Casanca," I said presumptively.


    "Of course, it''s the only reason I went."


    "How could you be so certain he wouldn''t catch you?" Jacobs raised an eyebrow as though I had offended him.


    "Even as boys, Cain was never very good at hide and seek."


    We were silent for a few moments before I garnered up the courage to ask the question that had been on the tip of my tongue since being on the boat.


    "You said at the dock that I was what you were after this whole time," I said.


    Jacob''s eyes narrowed at me.


    "This isn''t about Cain," he said, speaking in a low voice. "It has never been about Cain-it''s been about what he has that is rightfully mine."


    "But I can''t give you his


    "No, you can''t," he said. "That''s why I have procedures in ce to take that back from him as well."


    "Then why am I here?" I asked.


    Jacob paused for a moment and looked out over the ocean to watch the rising sun.


    "When Cain turned me all those many years ago, he stole my entire gic makeup which included my pure-blooded birthright to be an Alpha... and to have a mate." I felt my jaw go ck as it finally dawned on me.


    Jacob walked over to where I sat, broken ss crunching under his shoes as he did so.


    He knelt down in front of me, pulling my hand up to touch his face.


    Sparks danced under my fingers, along his jaw, and I felt a pit deepen in my stomach as I anticipated his next words.


    "You weren''t meant to be Cain''s mate, E... You are meant to be mine."

 Chapter Forty-Three - The Taste of Skin and Blood-1

    "Bullshit."


    "It''s the truth. She was supposed to be his mate, not mine," Cain said, his voice low.


    Daniel sat back in his chair, feeling absolutely shocked.


    Everyone was silent as Cain''s words sunk in.


    "How long have you known?" Jai asked, finally finding his voice.


    Cain looked down at his feet and sighed.


    "Almost a week," he admitted. "Whenever we were talking in the stairwell about the possibility that Jacob was alive, it just...clicked. Everything that has happened over the past few months with Zak and her Grandfather both trying to take her and the things that they said and the warnings they tried to give... I suppose it was all just pointing back to him."


    Jai''s eyebrows furrowed as he caught the inconsistency in Cain''s words.


    "But how did they know that the two of you thought that you were mates? Only a few people in the castle besides you and E knew."


    Cain shook his head.


    "Zosak told Jacob. He''s the only one who would have known about the gic osmosis that happened when I turned Jacob. No one else would have known any better. Although," he said, turning to look at his parents, "I''m sure you''ve known for quite a while. He probably told you that I would end up with Jacob''s mate whenever he died, didn''t he?"


    Evelyn nodded.


    "We should have told you-"


    "Keep your apologies," Cain said quickly.


    "Wait," Daniel interjected. "What?"


    "You''re talking about the Zosak? Our Zosak?" Jai asked.


    Cain nodded.


    "He''s been helping Jacob by rying vital information. Zosak knew our every move and he told Jacob everything."


    "Holy shit..." Jai mumbled, running a hand down his face.


    "So he knew Jacob was still alive this whole time?" Daniel asked.


    Cain nodded again.


    "He''s the one who kept Jacob alive and hidden whenever I thought I''d killed him."


    Daniel noticed the way that Evelyn and Adam both reacted when Cain said this.


    "Cain, even if you''re right about Zosak and about her grandfather, you have to remember that Zak was sessful in kidnapping her whenever she left the cabin in Kashmir," Jai pointed out. "Why would he arrange to bring her back to you then? And why the hell would he try to kill her when he was supposed to take her to Jacob?"


    "Because he found out what Jacob was doing," Cain answered. "Remember when we were on the roof... he said something, something along the lines that I shouldn''t have marked her, that she was better off dead."


    "That''s a sick, twisted way of trying to protect someone," Jai said pointedly.


    Cain scoffed.


    "I think all of this is sick and twisted at this point."


    "How long have you known about all of this?" Daniel asked incredulously.


    "A few hours."


    "Anything else you wanna run by us that we don''t know about?" Jai asked sarcastically.


    Cain leveled a re and Jai shook his head.


    "Look," Jai said, leaning forward. "You marked E, you..."


    He trailed off to look at where Evelyn and Adam stood. Jai lowered his voice before continuing.


    "You had sex," he said.


    "Why are you whispering?" Daniel asked, amused.


    Jai rolled his eyes before continuing to speak at a normal volume.


    "That has to mean something," he said. "Jacob can''t undo that."


    "He can try," Adam interjected.


    The three men turned to look at Cain''s father who walked towards them.


    "Back in the day, when the bloodline began to dilute and the urrence of mates became scarce, it wasn''t umon for male Lycanthropes to mark women who were already marked, especially if the appent male was of a higher rank." "And it worked?" Daniel asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.


    Adam shrugged.


    "I''m not sure. It wasn''t practiced for very long. As it turns out, women don''t seem to appreciate being bitten at all, much less more than once," he said, sarcasmcing every word.


    All four males turned to look at Evelyn, who nodded.


    "I can vouch for that," she said, ring at Adam.


    Daniel turned back to Cain.


    "You think Jacob would do something like that?"


    "It doesn''t matter," Cain said, standing from his chair.


    Jai stood with him, his eyebrows furrowed.


    "What do you mean it doesn''t matter?" He asked incredulously.


    "It''s ultimately her choice," Cain said. "She has to pick."


    "Oh my God," Daniel eximed, forcing himself to stand despite his weak state of recovery. "This isn''t a fucking final rose ceremony."


    Cain''s jaw clenched, but Daniel continued.


    "Why are you acting defeated? As if she''s already chosen him? The two of you went through hell and back, that means something."


    "You love her," Jai added.


    "She doesn''t love me," Cain said, his voice rising. "I don''t stand a chance against the mate bond. The longer the two of them are together, the stronger their bond will be and there is nothing I can do about it." He turned to walk away before Jai stopped him.


    "Fine," Jai said. "If you''re not going to be a mate, that''s fine. It''s your personal life. Do what you want. But the least you can do is do your fucking job and be the Alpha."


    When Cain turned back around, Daniel spoke up.


    "He''s right. Jacob won''t stop with her. He wants revenge for everything he thinks you stole from him, including the


    Cain narrowed his eyes.


    "He can''t get the


    "There''s another way," Adam interjected.


    Cain turned to his father.


    "Which is?"


    "Alpha is a


    Cain thought on this for a moment before speaking.


    "You think if he gets enough people on his side he won''t need me to give him the


    Adam nodded.


    "Do you think he''ll go through the Betas to do it?" Jai asked.


    "He''d have to," Cain said. "They''re the leaders of their respective regions. The people will follow their own kind."


    "An ultimatum," Daniel said. "Join me or die''."


    Adam nodded.


    "That''ll be his philosophy, but what''s his game n?" Jai asked.


    "That has been his philosophy," Cain corrected. "Beta Chen was the example of what not to do and Beta Agarwal was the example of what is eptable. One of them is dead and the other is still alive. He''ll make sure to note that distinction whenever he confronts the other Betas."


    "Do you think he''s already reached out to all of them?" Daniel asked.


    Before anyone could say another word, the cer door opened and closed with a m and footsteps hurried down the staircase and into the cer.


    Zahra ran into the room, stopping suddenly when she noticed Adam and Evelyn.


    "What''s wrong?" Cain asked, seeing her frantic expression.


    "I just got word that my father has been killed," she said, choking over tears.


    Jai felt his face soften.


    "As his only child, his


    "Let me guess..." Daniel interrupted.


    Zahra nodded.

 Chapter Forty-Three - The Taste of Skin and Blood-2

    "It was someone speaking on his behalf," she said. "I''ve been invited to another mandatory meeting of the Betas; this one is in Sri Lanka." "When?" Cain asked.


    "Tomorrow," she answered. "I was told to be at the temple at sunset."


    Daniel let out a long breath.


    "I need a nap."


    "Go back to the castle and rest," Cain said. "Both of you. I''ll go to Jacob alone."


    "Like hell you are," Jai eximed, feeling anger burning in his chest.


    "You think we''ve been on this roller coaster for the past few months only to hop off right before it ends?" Daniel asked rhetorically. "Absolutely not, brother. We''re here until the end." Cain turned to look at his father who nodded.


    "Same goes for your mother and I."


    Cain drew in a deep breath before looking at the five exhausted people around him.


    "Well, I suppose we have a ne to catch then."


    I pulled my hand from Jacob''s grasp and stood quickly, nearly knocking him over.


    "You''re lying," I breathed out, grabbing the IV drip I was attached to and walking around him. "E, I''m telling the truth..."


    I walked away quickly, trying to put as much distance between myself and Jacob as possible. He stood to his feet and began to walk towards me, slowly.


    "Don''te near me," I said.


    Jacob stopped and held up his hands, as if to surrender.


    "You have to believe me," he said. "I know that you believe me. You can feel it in my touch."


    I shook my head, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.


    epting Jacob''s words as truth meant looking back on the past few months of my life and seeing it as a mirage.


    I wasn''t sure I was able to believe that the bond Cain and I shared was a lie.


    It couldn''t have been... could it?


    Did Cain know all along? Was I just a pawn in this game between brothers?


    Those hard thoughts hit my chest like I was being pummeled with stones.


    I sat down on a step, unable to stand upright.


    "He told me he loved me," I found myself whispering aloud.


    I looked up through clouded eyes to see Jacob''s jaw clench. His eyes, however, were filled with pity.


    "He lied to you," he told me. "Cain couldn''t have loved you because you didn''t belong to him. You''re mine, E."


    My face scrunched up in disgust as a tear fell.


    "I''m not Cain''s," I said. "I''m not yours, I am mine. I don''t belong to anyone but myself."


    Jacob didn''t say anything else as he walked closer and reached out to pull me up off the step.


    "Don''t touch me," I said, pulling myself from his grasp.


    Ignoring me, he lifted me off the ground and pulled me into an embrace that somehow both suffocated andforted me.


    "It''s going to be okay," he said, using one hand toy my head against his shoulder and the other to wrap around my torso and press my body into his.


    I pulled my hands around to hold them in front of me, trying to maintain some distance between our two bodies.


    "Stop," I told him, more tears falling from my eyes. "Don''t hold me like that."


    "Like what?" he asked. "I''m your mate-"


    "No, you''re not!" I said, trying to push him away.


    "E-"


    "Stop saying my name," I pleaded, hating the way it made me feel to hear it said from his lips.


    He let go of me, allowing me to stumble backwards.


    As I wiped my tears from my face with my shirt sleeve, I felt Jacob''s hands on either side of my face and I looked up to see him only inches away.


    It wasn''t until I felt his lips touch mine that I realized what was happening and by then it was toote.


    My whole body froze in shock.


    In a split second, I felt something I hadn''t felt in a very long time: peace. It was like the universe had snapped its fingers and everything had fallen into ce exactly as it had been nned to be. My eyes closed as I melted into Jacob''s kiss; relishing in the feeling of contentment, something I hadn''t felt in months.


    But, just as quickly as it was there, it was gone.


    Recing it was a wretched feeling, one of hunger and a desire that made my cheeks burn and stomach twist.


    Jacob pulled away from me.


    It wasn''t until I finally opened my eyes that I realized how dark everything around me had be.


    I looked at Jacob to see him eyeing me carefully and I realized as I felt his fingers touch my lips that he was brushing the tips of my prolongated fangs.


    I pulled away from him quickly, realizing what was happening.


    "Just a few more hours," he said, gesturing to the IV drip that I was still attached to. "It won''t take very much longer and then you''ll be free of that godforsaken disease."


    I stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground, suddenly feeling starved.


    Dizzy and nauseated, I couldn''t see straight. When Jacob stepped over me, I saw three of him floating in front of my vision.


    "E, breathe," he said.


    It wasn''t until he said this that I realized I was gasping.


    "I need..." my voice trailed off as I struggled for breath, doubling over as my stomach turned.


    "Blood," he finished. "I know."


    He sat down behind me and pulled me into his chest. Rolling up his sleeve, he ced his arm in front of me.


    I only saw his skin for a moment before I had the flesh of his arm in my mouth.


    I was biting down so hard I felt like my teeth would snap. Blood filled my mouth and I swallowed it without a second thought. My eyes closed as the tight feeling in my stomach loosened. Jacob used his other arm to pull me in closer and I found myself resting against his body as I drank.


    After a few minutes, I felt Jacob''s arm loosen around me and I opened my eyes to see him reach up and grab the hinge of my jaw.


    Pinching it slightly, I felt my jaw open and he pulled his other arm from my mouth.


    I looked at the broken skin of his arm as he pulled it away. It was blooded and tattered and I instantly felt a guilt so great that I was crushed by it. "I''m sorry," I whispered.


    Wordlessly, Jacob reached down and wiped the corners of my mouth with the pad of his thumb, no doubt cleaning his blood from my face. "Just a few more hours," he repeated, this time wrapping both arms around me and pulling me in tight.


    I looked out from where Iy to see the sun finally peaking over the ocean''s horizon.


    "We should go inside," I said.


    Jacob sat upright and then stood, pulling me to my feet also.


    "You go ahead," he said, nodding in the direction that I should go. "I''ll stay out here. I''ve got a bit of a mess to clean up."


    He gestured to the shards of ss that were scattered across the deck, but my eye was drawn to the pool of blood we had beenying in.


    I only nodded before turning to walk away.


    Once inside, I wandered for a few minutes before finding a bedroom.


    I immediately walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, making sure the water was as hot as it could get.


    Stripping down as best I could while still attached to the IV, I climbed inside the shower and sat down-watching as the blood rinsed off my face and neck and rolled down the drain. Soon, I couldn''t tell if my face was wet from tears or the shower.


    I cried vigorously.


    What kind of monster was I that I was covered in someone else''s blood?


    I could hear Jacob''s voice resound in my mind:


    Just a few more hours.

 Chapter Forty-Four - Dont Look Behind You-1

    My hair was still wet from the shower when my head fell back against the pillow.


    Iid on top of the duvet, the I IV rod standing next to the bed, and watched the clear liquid dripping from the bag into the vial and down from the rubber tube into my arm. I counted drips like they were sheep.


    Around the seventy-first drip, my eyes closed and they didn''t open again until the sky outside the window was tinted orange and pink.


    Remembering where I was, I sat up to realize that my body was covered by a knitted nket and the IV in my arm had been removed and reced with a bandage that wrapped around the crease of my elbow.


    My fingertips trailed over the cotton bandage gingerly as I looked around the room and noticed a few things had been moved around.


    There were a folded pair of pants and a sweater ced on a chair that sat in the corner of the room and a ss of water that sat on the nightstand next to the bed, which I dly drank all of.


    The window on far side of the bedroom had been cracked, allowing the warm ocean breeze to float through the room, blowing the curtains gently as it did so.


    Throwing the nket off and swinging my legs to the other side of the bed, I pulled the robe that was wrapped around me a little tighter and stood to my feet.


    I was rubbing the sleep from my eyes when I heard the low and resonant sound of male voicesing from the hallway outside the closed bedroom door.


    I began to walk towards the door slowly and quietly. As I got closer and pressed an ear against the door, I recognized Jacob''s voice.


    "You''re certain every one of them were notified?"


    "Yes sir," was the reply of a voice I didn''t recognize.


    Jacob spoke again.


    "And we have the necessary precautions taken to ensure that every one who does not attend are executed?"


    "Yes sir."


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    Attend what? Executed?


    "I want to make it very clear that once the sun has set, no one will be permitted inside. Kill them at the door if they''rete. I don''t care who they are or even if they''re just tardy by a few minutes." "Yes sir."


    Whoever this guy was, he sounded like an automated robot.


    "Once they''re all inside the building, I want all entrances and exits blocked. No one leaves alive."


    What the hell is he talking about?


    "Any questions?" Jacob asked.


    "Sir... what should we do if hees?"


    "Cain?" Jacob asked. "Use any means necessary to keep him away from the building. I don''t care if he drops dead in the streets but I can''t have him inside the temple."


    I felt a chill run down my spine.


    "That should be everything," Jacob said. "Be sure to ry my orders to the others and remember: no one leaves alive."


    I heard a heavy pair of footsteps stomp away, down the hallway. Had it urred to me just a momentter that only one of them had walked away, I would have been found out.


    I looked down to see the door handle turning slowly and quickly jumped back to run across the room to the chair.


    Pretending to be looking at the sweater when Jacob came in, I paid him no mind as he walked into the room and closed the door behind him.


    "Look who''s awake," he said, his tone much lighter than the one he''d been using a few moments earlier.


    I turned around, feigning surprise to see him as though I hadn''t heard hime in.


    "Yeah," I said sheepishly. "I guess I fell asleep after I showered."


    Jacob took a few steps towards me.


    "Well that''s a good thing," he said. "Vampirism inhibits the release of mtonin in the brain. If you were sleepy at all, that means the cure worked." I gulped and nodded.


    The cure worked.


    "Does it..." I trailed off.


    "Yes?" He asked, encouraging my question.


    "It''s nothing," I said dismissively. "It''s just, well..."


    I trailed off again, unsure of how to ask the question I had in mind.


    Jacob raised an eyebrow.


    "Does your cure reverse any of the side effects of being turned?" I asked finally.


    He looked confused by the question.


    "I''m not sure what you mean," he confessed, sitting down on the end of the bed.


    I looked down at the cream-colored cashmere sweater in my hands and sighed.


    "After he turned me, Cain said that Vampirism would take away my ability to have kids. I guess I was just wondering..."


    "Oh," he said, as if he hadn''t considered the question himself. "I''m not sure to bepletely honest with you."


    I shrugged.


    "I was just wondering," I said shrugging, acting as if his answer didn''t mean anything to me.


    It was quiet for a few moments before Jacob spoke again.


    "I suppose there''s a way to find out," he said.


    My eyes widened and I fumbled with the sweater.


    That wasn''t where I wanted that to go.


    "I''m going to go change," I mumbled.


    I quickly threw the sweater over my arm, picked up the folded pants and turned to walk into the bathroom.


    Seeing the look of confusion on Jacob''s face as I passed him, I knew I wasn''t getting out of it that easily.


    "E," he said, stopping me.


    I gulped and turned around.


    "Yes?"


    He stood up and turned to me.


    "There isn''t any pressure to do anything you don''t want to," he said, surprising me. "I know how hard this has been for you. I''ve waited this long; I don''t mind waiting until the time is right." I''m sure that the shock I felt was written on my face. Unable to say anything, I simply nodded and turned back around to go into the bathroom.


    Shutting the door behind me, I ced the clothes on the countertop and sat down on the toilet lid in thought.


    Before I dwelt too long on Jacob''s sympathy and understanding, I had to remind myself of what I had heard just minutes earlier outside my door.

 Chapter Forty-Four - Dont Look Behind You-2

    The man who stood outside my room and the man that stood inside of it were not the same person. One of those versions of Jacob was genuine, but I didn''t have time to figure out which one was a mask he wore and which one was the real him.


    He had set a trap and I felt an overwhelming urge to warn whoever it was that would walk into it, especially since Cain was involved.


    Standing from the toilet seat feeling a sense of resolve, I took off my robe and changed into the clothes.


    When I unfolded the pants, I noticed the bra and panties that had been tucked into the fold.


    I felt slight tinge of difort knowing that Jacob has likely seen them both.


    Wearing both a scowl and a blush, I changed quickly and tried not to think about it.


    When I came out of the bathroom, Jacob was standing by the window, looking out over the port where the yacht had stopped. "Where are we?" I asked him.


    He turned to look at me.


    "Sri Lanka. We''re only here for a few hours to stock up on a few things. We''ll be back out at sea by midnight though, don''t worry." "Where are we going?"


    "We''ll be on the boat for a week or so," he answered. "We''ll travel back down the African coast line to Cape Town. I have a house there." I hummed.


    "I should probably tell you that I get seasick," I lied. "If it''s okay, I''d like to get out and walk around for a while."


    I saw his eyes narrow as he tried to figure out what angle I was working.


    "Well, I don''t think that will be able to happen today," he said. "We''re only here for the night and I''m going out in a while to pay the harbormaster for the gas and supplies. I''m not sure it''s safe for you to leave the boat alone." "I coulde with you?" I offered.


    "No," he said quickly. "I should only be gone an hour or two; it''s best that you stay here."


    I nodded slowly.


    "You''re more than wee to go anywhere on the boat you''d like," he said, quickly regainingposure and trying lighten the mood. "If you''re hungry, I have a chef onboard that I can send up to you. She''ll be able to make you anything you''d like."


    "Maybeter," I said, ignoring the stabbing hunger in my stomach. "I''ll probably sit up on the deck for a while and enjoy the sunset."


    "I''ll send her up there before I leave," he insisted.


    We both looked at each other warily, knowing the other was lying but not bold enough to call it out.


    Trying to escape both the tension and the conversation, I walked around Jacob and out of the bedroom. I ventured to the aft deck where we had been the night before, the whole time my mind reeling.


    Once there, I took note of the two men who stood on each side of the deck, watching me carefully.


    I walked to the edge of railing and looked over the side to see Jacob walk out onto the dock, apanied by three older men.


    When he looked up and saw me watching, I waved casually and he winked.


    As I watched him walking away, I noticed a man begging on the side of the pier. As Jacob brushed past him, a n immediately formed in my mind.


    I sat down and waited for the chef toe up.


    After a few minutes, I saw a woman that I assumed to be hering up the staircase.


    I stood from where I sat as she walked over to introduce herself.


    "My name is Raquel," she said, a thick entcing every word.


    My guess was that she was either Spanish or Portuguese.


    "E," I said, extending a hand to shake.


    She ignored my gesture and simply nodded.


    "I was sent up to find out what you''d like to be served for dinner," she said.


    "Can you make a grilled cheese?" I asked.


    I saw her face fall as her expression morphed into one of both disbelief and anger.


    Clearly my request had offended her.


    "Do you have a preference for cheese or bread?" She asked through gritted teeth.


    I thought for a moment.


    "Maybe sourdough and Colby Jack?"


    I could have sworn that I saw her eye twitch.


    "Would you like anything to apany it? Vegetables? Fruit?" She asked.


    I shook my head


    "But, if I could have three of the sandwiches," I said, "that would be perfect."


    She gave me a notably fake smile as she nodded and turned to walk away.


    As I looked out at the setting sun, I hoped Raquel was as quick to make food as she was to take offense.


    Several minutes went by before a server came up with a pitcher of water, a ss and a te of three grilled cheese stacked on top of one another.


    God bless her, I thought. These look delicious.


    I thanked him as he ced the food and drink down on the table in front of me and poured me a ss of water.


    "Could I have another ss?" I asked him.


    He looked confused by the request but he wandered off to fetch another one.


    I began to eat one of the grilled cheese before he returned with the second ss.


    "Thank you," I said again. "I''ll be okay from here, you don''t have to stand over me."


    He nodded and walked away.


    As soon as I had finished my water and one of the grilled cheese, I grabbed the te holding the remaining two and filled the other cup with water from the pitcher. Standing to my feet, I wandered over to the stairs and walked down into the boat.


    After a few minutes, I finally found my way to the exit hatch.


    It was guarded by two men who I pretended not to see until they stopped me from walking out.


    "You can''t leave the boat, ma''am."


    I looked up in surprise.


    "Oh, I''m just going out onto the dock," I said. "Do you see that man there?"


    I pointed to the beggar who sat about a hundred feet away.


    "I got him something to eat and I wanted to take it to him."


    The two of them looked between themselves and me warily.

 Chapter Forty-Four - Dont Look Behind You-3

    "I can take it to him," one of them offered.


    "No," I said, pulling the te away as he tried to grab it. "I got him the food, I''d like to give it to him." When neither of them moved to let me out, I sighed.


    "I''ll only be a minute," I said. "I''lle right back."


    Slowly, they backed away and I nodded and gave them each a smile.


    "Thank you."


    I walked out, the dock feeling rough on my bare feet.


    Venturing over to where the old man sat, I walked leisurely and took my time to avoid suspicion.


    When he looked up and saw me, he looked surprised.


    I smiled and handed him the te and water.


    "Please tell me that you speak English," I said in a low voice, taking a seat next to him.


    "I do, ma''am."


    I could have cried.


    "Thank God," I said. "I need your help... I''ve been kidnapped. I need to escape to a temple where I can seek refuge. Do you happen to know where I can find one?" He picked up a grilled cheese and took a bite of it.


    "There''s only one in this port town," he said. "It''s a few hundred meters in front of you when you turn to the right behind the fish market."


    I turned around casually as if I were just looking around and I immediately noticed the fish market that was right beside the dock.


    "Do you think I could make it there running?"


    He nodded.


    "Yes, ma''am."


    I took a deep breath and turned back to look at him.


    "Thank you," I said.


    He reached down beside him and pulled arge navy-colored handkerchief from his bag.


    "Cover your hair with this," he said. "You''ll blend in better."


    "No, it''s okay," I said. "You should keep it."


    "A kindness for a kindness, ma''am," he said gesturing towards the food.


    I took the handkerchief from him slowly.


    "Thank you," I said earnestly.


    "When you run, scream," he told me. "The men here will see them chase you and they will try to stop them. That should buy you time." I nodded and took a deep breath.


    My heart was pounding in my chest as I stood to my feet.


    Coaxing myself, I took another deep breath.


    "Good luck."


    "Thank you," I whispered.


    Before I knew what I was doing, my feet were moving quicker than they ever had before as I sprinted down the dock.


    Above the blood rushing through my ears, I could hear themotion that I had caused behind me.


    "Help!" I screamed loudly, hoping to draw as much attention to myself as I could. "Please help!"


    Just as my guardian angel had predicted, the men in their boats surrounding the dock all looked up and rushed forward.


    Chaos ensued, but I didn''t have the courage nor the time to look behind me.


    I kept running.


    I felt a sharp pain shoot up my right leg as I stepped on something sharp.


    Limping slightly but still running at a fast pace, I finally made it to the fish market and I turned the street corner to see crowds of people who were all shopping.


    I remembered the cloth in my hand and I threw it over my head to cover my hair, throwing the excess over my shoulder. I slowed my pace to brisk walk and headed directly into arge group of people to camouge myself. Walking past a table filled with fabric and garments, I discreetly grabbed the first thing I could get ahold of and slung it over my shoulders to disguise myself further.


    I could see the stupa made of white stone that was attached to the temple as I walked closer towards it.


    The gate was closed and I decided to walk the perimeter of the stone wall that surrounded the temple until I found a way in.


    The sun still had notpletely set, which meant I still had time to get inside.


    I saw two of the men who had left the boat with Jacob standing a few feet away, watching the crowd of people in front of them warily.


    Just as I was walking towards them, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I jumped, letting out a scream in fear.


    The same hand covered my mouth to stifle my scream and I was pulled off the path, behind a tree.


    I found myself staring into familiar eyes.


    "Jai," I breathed out as his hand dropped from my mouth.


    I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that nearly brought tears to my eyes.


    "Where''s Jacob?" He asked.


    "I think he''s inside the temple," I said, matching his whispered tone. "You have to leave, it''s a trap."


    "Of course it is," he said, not fazed by the news. "Jacob''s gathering all of the Betas to outvote Cain of his


    "No, he isn''t," I told him. "He''s gathering them so he can kill them. I overheard him talking about it, he''s given orders that no one is to leave alive."


    Jai''s eyebrows furrowed as he took the news.


    "We were under the impression that he wanted everyone together so he could get them to pledge their allegiance and make him the Alpha Sovereign," he said.


    "You think Jacob cares what they think?" I asked. "He''s not the type to ask for permission. He''s going to kill every single one of them to rub it in Cain''s face and then he''ll take over with no one to stop him." "No one but Cain," Jai corrected.


    "Where is Cain?"


    "He''s already inside. He, Daniel and Zahra all are."


    "They let him in?" I asked. "Jacob said that Cain wasn''t-"


    "Are you honestly surprised?" Jai asked. "Those two pathetic dipshits standing by that gate wouldn''t be enough to keep out a dedicated goose, let alone the most powerful man that has ever walked the." "You have to get him out," I told Jai. "We have to get all of them out."


    "It''s toote," he said nodding his head in the direction of the sun that had dipped below the horizon behind me.


    "The meeting has already started."

 Chapter Forty-Five - Smothered Embers-1

    "One, two, three!"


    On his count, Jai lifted me over his shoulders and I grabbed the top of the stone wall and pulled myself over it.


    "Do you need help getting over?" I asked, looking back down at him from where I was perched atop the wall. There wasn''t time to collect a response before Jai leapt over the wall entirely,nding on his feet on the other side. "Are you a Lycanthrope or a spider monkey?" I asked sarcastically.


    He turned around and held his hands out for me to jump down into and I did so carefully.


    "Follow me," he said, leading me through a garden and over to a side entrance.


    Using the foliage as cover, we slowly crept over to the side of the temple where a door was being guarded by a man who was looking the other way. I recognized him as being the third man that left the boat with Jacob. "Is there another way in?" I asked, looking around the courtyard for another door or a window wide enough for us to squeeze through.


    I looked over to see Jai pull a knife from his pocket.


    "You don''t have to watch this if you don''t want to," he said.


    I didn''t say anything as he quickly stood up straight and threw the knife with such force that it knocked the man backwards against the wall as it caught him in the left eye.


    I gulped noticing the spray of blood that erupted against the clean white stone of the temple.


    We emerged from the cover of the bushes and flowers to walk over to the door which was now blocked by the body of the dead guard.


    As gruesome as the sight was, I couldn''t tear my eyes away from him.


    He looked so familiar.


    "Grab his feet," Jai whispered, lifting his torso up off the ground.


    I did as I was told and we moved him out from in front of the door toy in the grass.


    As Jai ced him down, it urred to me where I knew him from.


    "He was one of the men who went missing when my grandfather did," I said. "I think his name was Philip."


    "That doesn''t really surprise me," Jai said, standing. "Now that we know that Weber was actually Zosak and he was working with Jacob, I can imagine that all of those men were turned so they could be recruited into this chaos."


    I stood over the bloody corpse feeling somewhat reminiscent of the times when I was blissfully unaware of the world around me, believing I was doing a good thing by trying to find the innocent men who had gone missing like my grandfather.


    It felt like it had been years since I was on the floor of Cain''s office, papers spread around me as I looked tirelessly for a connection between the missing men.


    Nearly two monthster, there I was with all of the answers I had searched for-yet somehow, I wished that I was still as oblivious and na?ve.


    "C''mon," Jai said, pulling me from my trance.


    Tearing my gaze away from the dead man in front of me, I turned to follow Jai.


    With a one hand on the door handle, Jai turned back to me and held a finger to his lips, ensuring I knew to be quiet.


    Did he honestly think I was going to burst into the Habanera when he opened the door?


    Jai must have known how pathetic I thought his warning was because he smiled before turning back to the door in front of him and opening it slightly.


    We both peered down a long, empty hallway.


    He opened the doorpletely and we both went inside quietly before he turned to close it behind us.


    The walls inside were covered by the same crisp white paint that the stone outside was. The ceilings, which were nearly thirty-foot tall, were also white. But what caught my eye was the vivid, brilliant red carpet that we stood on. I almost felt guilty for walking on it with dirty feet.


    Jai grabbed my hand and pulled me along the hallway, stopping when we got to the end of it to peer around the corner.


    When he determined it was safe to proceed, he pulled me behind him and walked slowly down another hallway. This one, however, opened on one side to lead into arge gathering room.


    Fourrge jade pirs sat on the one side of the hallway, stretching all the way to the ceiling to wee guests into the gathering room.


    I could hear murmurs and whispering as we got closer, our bodies pressed against the wall to remain hidden.


    I saw the slow rise and fall of Jai''s chest and the furrowing of his brows as he listened intently to what was being said.


    "Jacob isn''t in there," he said, seeming somewhat confused.


    "Those three men were with him when he left the boat," I told him. "He has to be here."


    Before either of us could say another word, we heard a door open and close. Looking back down the hallway, I could hear someone walking. "Go," Jai said, pushing me in front of him.


    I turned the corner and walked into the room with his hand on my back, urging me to walk quickly.


    Some people, not all of them, turned to see us walk in. Among them were both Daniel and Zahra, both of whom looked shocked to see me.


    Instead of saying anything, Jai pushed me between the two of them.


    "Don''t say a word," he said, using a low voice.


    Zahra, immediately understanding what was happening, adjusted the handkerchief that was still somehow on my head and brushed my hair back into the cloth to keep it from being seen. She pulled the top over my forehead slightly to hide my face.


    "Keep your head down," she said.


    Daniel, picking up on the subtle cues, slid his coat off and handed it to me.


    "It will help mask your scent," he said.


    Just as I slide both arms into the coat, the whole room went silent.


    "I''m d you could all join me."


    Jacob.


    He walked around the room to stand in front of therge golden statute of Buddha that sat on the far wall.


    I wondered for a moment if he realized how irreverent it had been to call a meeting like this inside a temple of worship.


    Everyone gathered in closely, concealing me further even if they didn''t realize it. The group counted probably forty people altogether and I recognized many of them from the meeting in Casanca.


    As I looked around, I couldn''t find Cain anywhere.


    Jai had said he was already inside?


    "I don''t wish to waste your time any more than you want to waste mine," Jacob said. "So, I''ll get right to it."


    I could feel everyone holding their breath.


    "Those of you in this room have been given a vast responsibility to care for the people under yourmand. Should the same not be expected of your Alpha Sovereign? I believe it should, which is why I implore those of you that have gathered here today to help me depose my brother and advise that you should give his


    Daniel let out a snort beside me, but Jacob didn''t seem to notice.


    "If you agree to this shift in power, your life will be spared. If you do not, I will have no choice but to execute any disloyalists."


    "So," he said. "Which of you are in favor of my proposition?"


    A few trembling hands went up, then more and more.


    When I saw Zahra and Daniel''s hands go up, I shot them both a re.


    Daniel disarmed me with a wink.


    Clearly, this was part of some predetermined ploy.


    I raised my own hand.


    "Good," Jacob said as thest hand in the room went up. "Now there is the issue of deciding who will be my Beta, which I''m afraid won''t be as easy a decision."


    Murmurs could be heard as the tension in the room grew with the added confusion.


    "There can only be one Beta," Jacob said. "And since you have all so graciously voted unanimously to make me Alpha Sovereign, I am no longer in need of your services."


    The room began to shift with unease and I realized almost immediately where this was going.


    "Only one of you will leave this room with me," he said. "The rest of you will die fighting for your lives and for the


    Shouts of curses and fear echoed around the room as everyone turned to see the way out was blocked by seven men who stood lined up in front of the columns to prevent anyone from leaving.

 Chapter Forty-Five - Smothered Embers-2

    Suddenly, a session of slow ps echoed around the room, sending everyone into silence.


    I looked around to see where it wasing from, but so did everyone else.


    No one could tell who was doing it, even Jacob looked somewhat confused.


    It wasn''t until I looked up that I saw him.


    Cain was standing on one of the rafters above our heads, leaning casually against a supporting beam.


    I looked at Jacob to see his face fall as he saw Cain.


    Before I knew what was happening, Cain jumped from where he stood andnded on his feet in front of Jacob, the concrete tile hended on cracking and forming a crater under his feet from the impact.


    "Nicely done, everyone," he said. "It was a beautiful moment of solidarity. And you, brother, have a re for the dramatic and it''s inspiring, genuinely. I nearly shed a tear when you spoke of the reverence you have for the Jacob''s jaw clenched as Cain spoke.


    "I have to be honest, though," Cain continued, "my feelings are somewhat hurt that I wasn''t invited to my own going away party. And, if I''m beingpletely transparent, I''m disappointed at this turn of events."


    "How so?" Jacob asked sarcastically.


    "Because we were raised to be traditionalists," Cain said. "Everyone knows that if you want to rece an Alpha, he has to fight to the death with hispetitor."


    "Since when have you had any respect for tradition?" Jacob sneered. "ording to tradition, you should never have been Alpha because you are not of pureblood. You are a diseased mutt that doesn''t deserve love nor respect, much less a Almost immediately, I saw Cain''s demeanor change as he dropped the charismatic act.


    "So, fight for what''s rightfully yours then," he said.


    When Jacob said nothing more, Cain let out a breathyugh.


    "That''s what I thought," he said. "At the end of the day, you might be the smartest one of the two of us, maybe even the one with the scariest bark, but you will never be the strongest. You know that with as much certainty as I do, because, let''s be honest, I killed you once. I don''t have any reservations about doing it again."


    "Damn," Daniel whispered under his breath.


    Jacob''s eyes were burning with such fury, I could have sworn they were glowing.


    "You look like a coward just standing there. Shift," Cain taunted. "Shift and show this entire room of people that you deserve to be the leader of their people."


    Everyone was dead silent as we waited for Jacob to respond.


    When he did not, Cain shook his head.


    "It''s as I suspected then," he said. "You don''t have a wolf. I took that away from you too when I turned you, didn''t I?"


    Jacob was shaking with rage, his hands trembling by his side.


    "Who''s the diseased mutt now?" Cain growled.


    Jacob managed a smirk as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a capped vial.


    "This is everything you''ve ever wanted," Jacob said slowly, holding it in front of Cain''s face. "It''s a cure to Vampirism and it''s yours if you turn around and walk out that door and never show your face again." I gulped.


    Even Daniel shifted nervously beside me.


    I felt my heart drop as Cain reached up slowly and took the vial from Jacob''s grasp, turning it over in his hands.


    Jacob was right.


    Cain wanted nothing more than to rid himself from the curse of Vampirism.


    It was a brilliant move, and I knew with the upmost certainty that Jacob had backed Cain into a corner with just one word: Cure.


    Cain looked up from the vial at Jacob and sighed.


    "I''m all different shades of fucked up-there''s nothing in a ss cylinder this small that will fix that."


    With that being said, he let the vial fall from his hands and shatter on the ground at his feet. Jacob was as shocked by this as I was.


    "Fine," he said, looking up from the shattered ss at Cain''s feet. "We''ll do this the hard way then."


    Before anyone could move, the sound of bodies hitting the ground sounded off one by one behind us.


    Everyone turned to see all seven guardsying in a pool of their own blood, with Cain''s father looking guilty as he walked away from them.


    "Sorry we''rete," Adam said, wiping the blood on his pant legs. "Your mother and I got lost. See, there''s a temple about two kilometers in the other direction and we weren''t sure which one we were supposed to be at."


    "It wasn''t until we saw the two scary-looking men standing outside the gate that we knew we were finally in the right ce," Evelyn added, walking around the corner.


    "Don''t worry though," Adam said. "They''re dead now too."


    "What an icon," I heard Jai whisper from behind me.


    "What are you doing here?" Jacob asked.


    "You called a meeting of the Betas, yes?" Adam asked. "Well, I thought it would be fitting for me to be here since I am the Beta of North America. Everyone forgets, even your brother. I wasn''t invited to thest meeting he had in Casanca either."


    Jacob looked at Cain with devilish gleam in his eyes.


    "You should have left them out of this."


    Before Cain even had the chance to respond, Jacob ran across the room in a blur, knocking everyone out of his way.


    Teeth bared and eyes glowing, he lunged at his mother.


    Cain ran forward with all his might, trying to stop Jacob before he could reach her.


    Evelyn screamed as she realized what was happening far toote.


    Everything happened so quickly that it wasn''t until after I screamed that I realized I had done so.


    In a split-second blur, Jacob had knocked his mother to the ground.


    I ran forward, not realizing until I was close that the blood that pooled around them was not from Evelyn, but Jacob.


    Adam stood over his wife and son with Jacob''s spine in his hand.


    He looked down at the limp collection of vertebrae and nerves in his fist before dropping it to the floor.


    Evelyn sat up quickly, realizing what had happened as she looked down at the bleeding gash that ran down her son''s back.


    "Adam," she breathed out. "You-"


    "-saved your life," he interrupted.


    It took me a moment to realize that Jacob was dead. Seeing his body lying over his mother''s legs, I felt a variety of emotions wash over me.


    Letting out short and choppy breaths, I walked forward slowly.


    The red glow of Jacob''s eyes was now a lifeless burgundy color as I kneeled next to him and closed his eyelids with my fingers.


    I looked up to see Evelyn staring at me with an expression of both pity and sadness. Turning, I made eye contact with Cain who was standing next to his father.


    He gulped before turning away to face the crowd behind him.


    "I relinquish my


    "Those of you who are standing in this room are the sons and daughters of former Alphas or you are former Alphas yourselves," he continued. "From this day forward, you have regained the


    I saw a few jaws drop, a few heads raise with pride and a few people who looked like they would puke.


    "I will take the


    After a few moments of silence, everyone began to leave the room, one by one, until it was only myself, Jai, Daniel, Cain and his parents.


    Evelyn cried silently over the body of her son, cradling his head in her hands. Adam sat next to her, staring off into the space above our heads in reverence.


    Jai was glued to the spot where he stood, unable to speak as he worked toprehend thest few moments.


    Daniel, however, walked over to stand between Cain and I, sighing as he did so.


    "Can I please take a nap now?"

 Chapter Forty-Six - Crash Landing

    When I stepped out of the shower into the steam-filled bathroom, I felt somewhat relieved that I was able to wash that day from my body. I only wished I was able to wash it from my mind.


    Wrapping myself in a robe, I opened the bathroom door and walked out into my hotel room.


    My window overlooked the Sri Lankan nightlife, allowing the lights of the city to pour in and cast an eerie glow over the room.


    I looked around the lonely room with a grave expression and turned to walk towards the door.


    Before I could register what it was that I was doing, I was standing in the hallway outside another room''s door.


    I knocked before I could allow myself the chance to second guess my actions.


    It opened a few momentster and I was met by a familiar pair ofvender eyes.


    "Can Ie in?"


    Wordlessly, he stepped to the side and allowed space for me to slide by him into his room.


    I sat down on his bed as he leaned back against the wall in front of me. I noticed then that he must have also just gotten out of the shower. He was only covered by a towel that hung low on his torso. Thest time I had been alone with Cain, he told me he loved me.


    Now, neither of us knew what to say.


    "What now?" I asked finally.


    "Jai talked to your parents," he said. "I''ve booked you a flight home that leaves in the morning."


    I nodded slowly.


    Somehow, the idea of home didn''t repulse me.


    I needed to see my parents, I''m sure they had been worried.


    Before I could say another word, Cain stopped me.


    "Listen, it''s probably not a good idea for you to be in here," he said. "I think it''s best that you go back to your room. I''m sure you''re tired."


    "I''m not," I said softly. "I slept earlier today."


    "Slept? So, Jacob gave you the cure also?" he asked.


    I nodded.


    "Well, that''s good," he said. "I''m sure it will make returning to a normal life much easier."


    I nodded again.


    "Probably."


    A few moments of silence went by before Cain spoke.


    "I''m sorry that I didn''t tell you about you and him."


    I found myself giving him a weak smile.


    "It''s okay. If I''m being honest, I wish I''d never found out."


    I saw his jaw clench.


    "Well," he said pushing himself away from the wall and towards the bathroom. "I''m sure knowing about himplicates things indefinitely."


    "It doesn''t," I said, stopping him.


    Cain turned back around to me.


    "What?"


    "I said that it doesn''tplicate anything," I reiterated, standing to my feet.


    "E, stop," he said, watching me warily as I walked towards him. "Don''t do this to me or you. You''re going home tomorrow. Don''t make your goodbye any harder than it has to be."


    "If I''m not returning to reality until tomorrow, then I have no reservations about indulging myself tonight."


    I walked over to where he stood and lifted myself up on the tips of my toes to softly kiss his lips.


    When I pulled away, Cain let out a shallow breath.


    "E, don''t do this," he pleaded.


    I reached around and untied my robe, letting it fall to the floor.


    "Toote."


    And that was all it took.


    I was immediately lifted into his arms, his lips pressed against mine in a kiss that felt so desperate and needy that it made my stomach lurch.


    I heard the squeak of the mattress springs as Cainid me down on his bed. Hovering over me, Cain reached down and threw his towel off to the side.


    He nted wet kisses along my jaw and neck before moving down to my corbone and chest.


    "God, you''re covered in his scent," he growled against my skin.


    "Do something about it then."


    He looked up at me with a glint in his eyes that made me wish I hadn''t said that.


    "I n on it."


    Cain took hold of my hips and pushed me farther up the bed. He reached up around me, grabbed a pillow and stuffed it under my lower back.


    I realized what he was doing as he slung both of my legs over his shoulders and crouched down so I could feel his breath against my inner thighs.


    I let out a small whimper as his tongue begin to trace circles on my inner thighs, getting closer and closer to where I wanted him to be.


    It wasn''t until I saw stars dancing on the ceiling above me that Cain finally pulled away and came to hover over me once more.


    He smirked as he noticed me trying to catch my breath.


    "Tired already?" he asked.


    "No," I said, panting. "I''m actually just waiting for the good stuff to start."


    He rolled his eyes as he positioned his hips in alignment with mine.


    "Fine, then. Have it your way."


    There was nothing gentle or soft about what happened next.


    And, God, did it make me wish the night would never end.


    I woke up the next morning to the sound of a phone ringing.


    Pulling the sheets over my head, I prayed the ringing would go away so I could go back to sleep.


    When it didn''t, I huffed and reached over to grab the phone from the nightstand.


    "What?"


    "Well, good morning, Sunshine," I heard Daniel say. "I would say that I hope you slept well, but I know you haven''t been sleeping much considering that the two of you kept me up all night." "What do you want, Daniel?" I asked, my grumpiness evident in my voice.


    "I called to tell you that Priya is on her way up with a change of clothes for you. Your car is here to take you to the airport."


    And just like that, I was grumpy for a different reason.


    "Fine," I said before hanging up.


    I sat up in the bed and realized that I was alone.


    Cain was gone and, quite frankly, I wasn''t surprised by it.


    A knock sounded at the door and I got out of the bed to answer it, picking up my robe from the floor as I did so.


    Just as Daniel had said, Priya was standing there with folded clothes in one hand and coffee in a to-go cup in the other.


    "You look like someone who didn''t sleep very much," she said.


    "For all the right reasons," Imented, taking the coffee.


    "How is Anvi?" I asked, remembering that Priya had been with her in Mumbai. "When did you get back?"


    "She''s fine," Priya said, handing me the clothes. "Her mother came and got herst night once we had vetted her. I left to meet you guys here as soon as I could. Daniel told me everything when I arrived this morning." I sighed.


    "d to hear she''s okay."


    "d to hear you''re okay," Priya said, offering a smile.


    "I will be eventually."


    Priya waited in the room while I went into the bathroom the change. I could see her looking around the room with raised eyebrows as I came out of the bathroom. "Ready to go?" I asked.


    She nodded and led me out into the hallway.


    I finished the coffee in the elevator on the way down, immediately wishing I had another cup.


    When we walked into the lobby, I noticed Daniel and Jai standing by the door.


    "E, I''m sorry," Daniel said. "We tried to get him to stay."


    My heart fell in my chest as I realized what he meant.


    "It''s okay," I said, shaking my head.


    "It''s not," Jai said firmly. "He should be here to say goodbye."


    "Well, at least you guys are," I said.


    Jai gave me a grim smile as he leaned in to give me a hug.


    "I''m d you convinced Cain to let youe along for this journey when we were in that cabin in Germany," he said. "I''ve enjoyed getting to know you."


    "Likewise," I replied.


    "Hey, c''mon," Daniel said, pushing Jai out of the way. "This isn''t goodbye. I will for sure let you know the next time we are in Florida and we will all get together and go to the beach or something." "Please do," I told him as he leaned in to hug me.


    When he pulled away, Priya gave me a hug as well.


    "See you soon," she said.


    I nodded and smiled as Jai led me out of the hotel to the curb where a car was waiting.


    "This is your ride," he said. "It''ll take you all the way to the airport and then the ne will take you to straight to Jacksonville."


    "Thank you for everything," I said, leaning in for another hug.


    "Of course. And I know you have Daniel''s number if you ever need anything or want to talk."


    I nodded and he leaned forward to open the car door for me.


    "Bye," I said, giving him a wave.


    "Goodbye, E."


    When he closed the door, I let out a breath I didn''t realize I was holding.


    The car drove away from the hotel and left my heart standing on the curb with Jai.


    I held back my tears the best I could for the few minutes that we drove to the terminal. As soon as we were there, I thanked the driver and got out to walk over to the jet that was waiting on the tarmac. As I boarded, I was greeted by a woman that smiled at me.


    "If you''ll take a seat, the pilot will have us in the air in no time."


    I nodded before taking a seat in the small cabin.


    The poor woman tried to entertain me with the offer of a snack or breakfast but I turned her down politely until she finally took the hint and wandered off elsewhere.


    It wasn''t long after she closed the door that the engines roared to life. Soon after, the ne was rolling along the tarmac, slowly gaining speed.


    When we finally lifted off the ground and into the air, I lost it.


    Tears flowed freely as the altitude rose several thousand feet.


    I cried, because, for the first time in weeks, I was truly lonely.


    Zak was gone, my grandfather was gone.


    Daniel, Jai and Priya weren''t there.


    Cain had left.


    It was just me, and I was crashnding back into a reality that I didn''t want anymore.

 Epilogue-1

    "Mom, I''m home!"


    Pulling my purse from my shoulder, I slung it into the barstool. I tossed my keys into the bag and walked over to the refrigerator.


    "How did the interview go?" I heard her ask, her voice echoing out from theundry room.


    "I think it went well, but we''ll see."


    I pulled out the lemonade and poured a ss before sitting down on the countertop.


    My first real-world job interview since graduating from college nearly a week ago hadn''t gone nearly as bad as I expected it to. They didn''t seem distracted by the fact that I''d been fired from my counseling internship when I never showed up after taking a week off for my grandfather''s funeral.


    They were also interested in hiring me despite the fact that I had only been allowed to graduate after drawing up a contract with my university promising that I would make up the sses that I had withdrawn from while in Germany. While I had retaken most of them during the spring semester, I still had two left toplete over the summer.


    Thepany would allow me to work part-time until I hadpleted my remaining sses and obtained my licensure to be a practicing behavioral therapist. Then, I would join their team and start working with my own clients. "When do you expect to hear back from them?" my mom asked, emerging from theundry room holding a stack of folded towels that was as tall as she was.


    "She said it would be some time in the next week."


    She ced the towels on the countertop next to me and reached over to grab my hand.


    "I know it''s been a rough few months for you," she said, smiling. "But, I''m d to see that you haven''t let it set you back."


    I faked a smile as she leaned in for a hug.


    If only she knew...


    Of course, my parents didn''t know everything; in fact, they hardly knew anything. I had told them an borate, fabricated version of the truth: that I hadn''t gone home after the funeral and instead had taken the time to travel Europe and western Asia.


    With the deep depression that I fell into after returning home, my parents could hardly ask any questions without drawing tears to my eyes. So, despite knowing that I was lying about what had really happened, they stopped asking questions. When I came home to find that myndlord had kicked me out for not paying rent for three months, my parents weed me back in with open arms.


    I couldn''t have been more grateful to be back in theirpany, but it made me long for my independence again.


    I hated seeing the pictures of Zak and I growing up that hung on the walls. Every time I turned a corner, I was reminded of him.


    My parents had no clue. I couldn''t bring myself to tell them.


    As far as they could guess, he was on a secret government assignment for the military and couldn''t be reached.


    That was how I would leave it until the day came that I found it within myself to finally tell them the truth... all of the truth.


    My mom pulled away from the hug and sighed.


    "Oh!" she eximed, "I nearly forgot. There is something for you on the dining room table. It was delivered this afternoon while you were gone."


    I ced my ss down on the countertop and stood up.


    "Who''s it from?" I asked, expecting another graduation gift from a distant rtive.


    "I''m not sure."


    She picked up the towels and headed off to the bathroom to put them away.


    I walked into the dining room to see a vase of white lilies, hydrangeas, purple daisies andvender, making for a beautiful bouquet of purple and white flowers. They sat next to a small cardboard box.


    I walked over to it, staring at the flowers in both confusion and admiration.


    Seeing that no return address was on the box, nor was there any note with the flowers, I was further confused.


    I went back into the kitchen to grab a knife and returned to the dining room where I proceeded to cut the tape from the package.


    I opened the box to see a variety of German snacks, including riesens, milch-schnittes and hanutas, which were my favorites. Upon further inspection, I saw an envelope tucked into the side of the box.


    Tearing it open, I pulled out a folded piece of paper. When I opened it, two pictures fell out andnded face-down on the floor. I bent down to pick one of them up and flipped it over to see three beautiful faces.


    Daniel, the one holding the camera, had his eyes crossed and wore a goofy grin on his face. His cheek was pressed against Jai''s, who was smirking as if he hadn''t intended to smile for the picture but cracked at thest moment. I could easily imagine that Daniel had said something funny that made him smile. Priya was leaning into the picture on the other side of Jai, shing dazzling white teeth with a photogenic smile.


    Iughed at the picture and looked at the note in my hands to read what was written.


    It''s a good thing Priya''s cyber-smart-ass stalks your mom on Facebook or we wouldn''t have found out that you graduated from college. Very offended and hurt that you didn''t share that information (despite the fact that we would have found out anyway). Lucky for you, we''re great friends and decided not to hold it against you... Hope you enjoy the little pieces of us and Germany that we''ve sent. Notice that it''s all sweets! Remember, E: the more you weigh, the harder you are to kidnap. So, stay safe and eat the chocte!


    Iughed out loud as I read thest part, having heard every word in Daniel''s voice.


    Beneath his note was more writing in a different color ink and beautiful handwriting:


    Miss you dearly, E! I found your grandfather''s book while I was in the officest week, so I''ve included it in Daniel''s box of junk food. I knew you would probably want to have it back. I''d love to hear from you, feel free to respond to this letter using the address below. We can be pen pals! Love, Priya


    I looked in the bottom of the box to see that something had been wrapped in a white cloth. I put down the letter to pull the cloth from the bottom of the box. Noticing it was a pillow sheet, I looked inside to see that my grandfather''s book was concealed within it.


    I pulled it out to read the familiar The ult Truth of Lycanthropy.


    I gulped as I put the book down to return to reading the note.


    In ck ink and handwriting that consisted of entirely uppercase letters, there were only a few sentences written.


    Hope you''re doing well, E. I''m very proud that you finished college. I wish you all the best as you move on in the world. I''m sure it hasn''t been easy. You were always strong and I know you''ll be just fine. If you ever need anything, don''t hesitate to call Daniel or I. Our phone numbers are on the back of this letter.


    Jai''s short and to-the-point note was an urate imitation of his personality. I had no trouble deciphering it was him, despite the note not being signed.


    I looked at the bottom of the note to see that Daniel had written more.


    P.S. I''ll tell you because I know Cain won''t: he called the school to pay off your student loans when I told him that you graduated.


    I felt my jaw go ck.


    P.P.S. This package was timed to arrive at the same time we told your local florist to deliver flowers. If the timing was off, it was Jai''s fault because he was the one who timed it. If the timing was perfect, allow me to say you''re wee because it was my idea. Love you! Dan


    "Oh my God," I whispered, slumping into the dining room chair next to me.


    "Who was it from?" my mom asked from the doorway.


    "Friends," I smiled, looking at the picture.


    "Friends from school? Or friends you met on your little adventure?" she asked.


    My little adventure.


    That''s what my parents called it.


    Just as I was about to answer, I noticed the other pictureying on the ground, face-down.


    I bent down to pick it up, flipping it over.


    I felt my heart lurch.


    Clearly Daniel had caught Cain off-guard when he took the picture. It looked as if he had snuck up behind him and told him to turn around, only for Cain to be met with the sh of the camera.


    He stared into the camera with his ever-present serious expression and I felt as if he were looking directly at me.

 Epilogue-2

    Tracing a finger over the photograph, I was pulled out of my trance by my mother''s voice.


    "You okay?"


    I looked up at her with eyes filled to the brim with tears.


    "I have to go."


    Armed with nothing but a bag filled with cash, a toothbrush, my phone and its charger, Daniel''s letter, Cain''s picture and my passport, Inded in Germany looking like a madwoman.


    It was only an hour''s train ride to the station where I needed to be. As soon as I saw the sleek, silver train pull into the station, I showed the conductor the address at the bottom of the letter. He looked at me suspiciously before nodding.


    I hopped on the train and sat alone in the same car I''d ridden in nearly seven months prior.


    When the train finally stopped, I opened the curtain next to me to see the familiar, ornately-decorated station.


    I hopped out of my seat and ran out of the car.


    Walking out, I saw the conductor arguing with a burly man who stood on the concrete tform.


    "We have no scheduled arrivals tonight," he said. "You can''t be here."


    He looked up and saw me and I waved before jumping over the railing tond on the tform. "Hey! Wait!"


    I ran as hard as could up the stairs, out of the terminal and into the hallway.


    "What''s going on?" I heard a familiar voice ask.


    Daniel rounded the corner with a group of men behind him, his eyes widening as he saw me.


    "Where is he?" I asked.


    "E?! What the hell are you doing here?"


    "Where is he?"


    "He''s in the tower," he sputtered out, still shocked.


    I ran past him and found the first of many staircases up to the main level.


    Taking two steps at a time, I finally made it to the bottom of the tower staircase.


    I pulled open the door before I could even stop to catch my breath.


    mbering up the staircase, my heart was in my throat as I finally reached the top.


    The room was empty.


    Eyebrows furrowed, I let out an exasperated breath.


    "Where is-"


    "E?"


    I turned to see Cain standing at the top of the staircase that I had just climbed.


    Immediately and without warning, I jumped into his arms.


    Cain sunk to his knees as he embraced me. One hand pressing my head against his shoulder, the other arm wrapped around my torso, holding me tighter than he ever had before.


    I grabbed him by the back of his neck with both hands and pulled him into a session of breathless kisses, somending perfectly on his lips, others beside his mouth and some on his cheeks.


    "I missed you so much," I said, realizing then that my cheeks were wet with tears.


    He pulled away with both hands on either side of my face, staring at me in awe and shock.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "You told me in Casanca that you loved me," I said, still trying to catch my breath. "You never gave me the chance to say it back. But, I''m saying it now... I love you so much, Cain. I have been absolutely miserable for the past few months and I don''t care what anyone else thinks but I am never going back to Florida, not without you. You will never send me away again. I will stay right here and there is nothing that you can say to stop me because I love you so much-"


    Cain cut my rambling off with a kiss, this one was deep and intentional, unlike my haphazard and sporadic kisses before. It made the world around me stop spinning for a split second.


    "I meant what I said in Casanca," he said, pulling away. "I do love you with every ounce and inch of my being, both the good and the bad."


    "Good," I breathed out. "Because I never wanted a mate, Cain. I only ever wanted you."


    "Then stay," he said, leaning his forehead against mine. "And you can have every piece of me."


    Before he leaned in again, I pulled back.


    "There''s something else I have to tell you," I whispered.


    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed.


    "I''m really d this is going to work out," I said, cing his hand over my stomach. "Because we''re going to be parents soon."


    I didn''t think it was possible for Cain to look any more surprised than he was. Jaw ck and mouth gaping slightly, he looked down at my stomach where his hand rested.


    "I didn''t think it was possible," he said.


    "Well, even more impossible would be me making a baby by myself."


    Cain looked back up at me and gulped.


    "E, you''re pregnant," he said, as though he couldn''t believe it.


    "Yes."


    "With my baby..."


    I nodded.


    "And you just sprinted up seven fucking flights of stars? We have an elevator, E. Jesus Christ..."


    Iughed as he shook his head, still in disbelief, and pulled me in for another hug.


    I looked over his shoulder to see Jai, Daniel and Priya all standing on the staircase.


    As if it had physically pained him to restrain himself, Daniel let out a shout and began to fist-pump the air.


    "Hell yes!" he screamed,nding a kiss on Jai''s cheek.


    Jai''s face immediately scrunched in disgust as he pushed Daniel away, who didn''t seem to mind.


    "Oh God," Daniel sighed, smiling contently. "I love a happy ending."


    Cain pulled away and smiled, looking at me with so much admiration that I began to blush.


    "Is that what this is?" he asked. "A happy ending?"


    I smiled and nodded.


    "It''s certainly the beginning of one."

 Final Authors Note

P.S. If you loved this book and you''re reading this before May 3rd of 2020, please feel free to vote for Carnal in whichever category you think best suits in the 2020 Fiction Awards! The contest book can be found on their profile!

 Chapter 1- The Right and Left

    I leaned back in my desk chair and peeked out my bedroom window at the first rays of sunshine just now beginning to top the tall pine trees off in the distance before sitting back upright and adjusting the pillow behind my back.


    I had been sitting in the chair for seven hours straight trying to finish an essay due to my tutor this morning. I read over the fifty-seven page spawn of Satan onest time before finally hitting print.


    After getting out of the chair and stretching my sore and achy legs, I fell backwards on my bed.


    I drifted in and out of sleep until the sun was shining directly into my window. When I heard my bedroom door creek open, I peeked one eye to see my best friend, Madeline, walk in quietly.


    We''d been friends since diapers and I didn''t see our friendship ending anytime soon. I looked at her outfit and almostughed. Everyday she wears something simr. Today, she was wearing a Ralph Lauren pinstripe button-up that was tucked into pleated denim pants with a cardigan over her arms. She was a typical clean-cut. Where she was the left side of things with her calctive, ck-and-white mind and OCD nature, I was the creative one on the right side of things.


    To pass time, I draw everything from watercolor, doodles, to portraits of people I know. Along with drawing, I love to read. I''ve got a wild imagination making it easy to escape from my reality into someone''s else''s.


    "Are you awake?"


    "Nope," I said throwing a pillow over my face.


    I felt the bed dip under and I peeked out.


    "Did you finish your essay?" She askedying down.


    "At around around five-thirty," I nodded.


    "Why on earth do you wait until thest minute? We''ve known about it for a month. I finished mine a week ago."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "I had more important things to do. Are we still leaving with Dad and Alpha Reid today?" I asked.


    Madeline''s dad was our pack''s Alpha and mine was the Beta. We redited our father''s positions in the pack to our friendship. In our old-fashioned pack, the Alpha and Beta- along with their families- lived in onerge house together.


    Don''t ask me why, because I have no clue. I''m notining, however, Madeline and I often sneak into each other''s rooms at night, and depending on whether or not we


    get caught by our housekeeper, we often stay with each other until morning.


    "We are but Dad said to pack an overnight bag because we''re probably going to stop


    at a hotel for the night."


    I stretched out and sat up.


    "Do you know when we''re leaving?"


    "In an hour," she said looking at her watch.


    My eyes widened and I cursed under my breath.


    I leapt out of bed and went into my closet. Picking out three outfits, I packed two away


    in my duffle and changed into the other.


    I went into my washroom and stuffed things for the night into the bag.


    Swiping mascara on my topshes and putting a little blush on my cheeks, I packed my


    makeup away and pinned up my wild, brown curls.


    "Ready?" Madeline asked.


    I nodded and we trekked through the house down into the kitchen where our families


    were.


    "Are you all ready?" Alpha Reid asked.


    "Yes," we both answered simultaneously.


    My dad walked into the room and he gave me a smile.


    "Good morning, Sunshine! We saved you some lunch!" He saidughing.


    I red at him.


    No one in this house seems to value sleep as I do.


    "Did you finish your paper?" my mom asked.


    "It''s on my desk;pleted, stapled, and ready to be graded," I said popping a bagel


    in the toaster.


    As soon as my breakfast finished cooking, I wrapped it up and kissed my mom goodbye.


    Madeline and our father''s did their goodbyes as well and we left in Alpha Reid''s Jeep.


    An hour-and-a-half and twenty-seven games of I Spyter, we arrived in Las Vegas at a tall, modern, and colorful hotel.


    Upon arrival, a valet came and took the Jeep to park. We went inside and my dad handed me a room key.


    "This is the key to your and Mady''s suite. Don''t lose it, you only get one each."


    Madeline and I carried our bags to the seventeenth floor and into our suite.


    "When is their meeting?" I asked.


    "At four," she said unpacking her bag.


    "Do we have to go?" I asked.


    She looked up at me and red.


    "We''re not going downstairs to the casino."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "I wanted to know so I would know if we had time to sight-see..." I corrected her. She shook her head.


    "We''re not allowed to go out; Alpha''s orders. We have to stay here until theye to get us at eight for the dinner theatre."


    I huffed upon hearing the schedule.


    The whole reason I agreed toe to Las Vegas with Madeline and our dads was so


    ?


    Madeline and I could have some fun outside of our boring life.


    Two hourster, my life was no less boring. Our father''s were off to their meeting with


    the Lycanthrope Council and Madeline and I were stuck in our hotel room.


    "I''m going out," I said finally.


    "You can''t," Madeline said putting down the book she was reading. "Dad said no."


    "I''ll stay in the hotel," I said putting on my sandals.


    "Caroline, you''re going to get in so much trouble..." she said warily.


    "I''ve beenying on that bed watching Kim Kardashian and her bat-shit crazy family for


    the past two hours; I need something to do!"


    Madeline cracked a smile at my joke and shook her head.


    "Don''t say I didn''t warn you."


    I smiled at her and shut the door on my way out.


    Down to the casino I go...


    ....

 Chapter 2- Catastrophe in The Casino

    I headed down the hallway and up to the elevator. I pressed the down button several


    times before the stainless steel doors actually opened.


    I hopped inside and pressed the button for the floor level.


    Just as the doors were closing, I remembered I''d left my cell phone plugged up beside


    my bed. I tried to run out, but the doors closed too quickly.


    I stomped my foot an aggravation as I rode down the floors. Luckily, I made it to the bottom with out anyone getting on.


    I peered cautiously out the doors as they opened and stepped out. People were scattered throughout the humongous lobby and I tried my best to avoid them all.


    I walked around with my arms folded across my chest and I tried to enjoy the freedom


    as much as I could. I''d given myself twenty minutes before I knew I had to be back in the room.


    I saw shing lights above a threshold in the lobby, and like a moth to me, I drew closer to it.


    I finally convinced myself I could have ten more minutes and walked in.


    Girls in short dresses with too much makeup were scattered everywhere you saw a man in an expensive suit.


    Lottery machines lined the walls and were making enough noise to give anyone a headache.


    Waitresses and waiters carried around drinks on trays and handed them out to people. I stood there like an idiot for the longest time. I had no money; not like I''d feed it to the greedy machines even if I did.


    I finally took small steps forward to arge poker table that had maybe twelve people seated around it. All of them were dressed in expensive dresses and suits, no doubt every one of them bidding high.


    A hand grabbed my arm roughly and I spun around.


    Madeline''s eyes were wild and worried, a look I hadn''t seen since our pack was


    attacked two years ago.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked quickly, growing more worried by the second.


    "We have to leave! Now! Something went wrong with the meeting and Dad told me to


    get you and meet him in the car," she exined dragging me along.


    A loud crash echoed through the room, sending everyone dead silent, save a few


    gasps.


    I peeked around a red, neon-shing sign and saw three men begin to pick up machines and throw them.


    A scream was let out as one of the flying objectsnding mere inches away from a blonde bimbo in a turquoise dress.


    "C''mon!" Madeline whispered pulling me forcefully.


    We both sprinted out of the room and to the door.


    "Wait!" I yelled, stopping her mid-stride.


    "Did you get our luggage?" I asked.


    Her eyebrows furrowed.


    "No, Caroline! I didn''t think to grab our luggage when our lives were on the line!" She yelled.


    I had to go back.


    "I have to go get my painting!" I said backing up.


    "No! You can''t!"


    I didn''t hear her as I sprinted away towards the elevator.


    Luckily it was open as I slipped inside. When I reached my floor, my nerves were in a fit and I pulled the keycard out shakily.


    Once inside I took my phone and the painting I''d been working on inside my duffle.


    As I hurried out of the room, I saw the elevator door close and I groaned. I have to take the stairs.


    I sprinted down the stairs and out the emergency door. An rm sounded but I couldn''t have cared less.


    I ran to the car,pletely out of breath, and made it inside just in time. Madeline started up the Jeep and I looked at her as if she''d grown seven heads. "What are you doing? Where''s our dad''s at?!" I screeched.


    "He just told me to meet him at the server''s entrance around back. Apparently, an Alpha got angry that didn''t need to be angry," she said backing out of the parking space.


    The tires screeched as sheid down on the elerator. We both caught sign of the blonde locks toote and Madeline swerved to avoid hitting the boy.


    "Stupid teenager," I said.


    "You''re a teenager," she said smartly.


    "I''m eighteen, I''m not stupid anymore," I retorted, sticking out my tongue for


    emphasis.


    We drove around back and I saw our dad''s run to the car.


    Madeline and I hopped into the back seat as they got in and we began to drive away.


    "What happened?" Madeline and I asked.


    "You know who Alpha Ronan is don''t you?" Alpha Reid asked us.


    I nodded.


    "Isn''t he the guy that killed an Alpha and took the Alpha''s pack and added it to his


    own?" Madeline asked.


    "Yep, well he got angry today at the meeting because-"


    "He got angry," my dad said interrupting Alpha Reid, throwing him a re.


    "What... why did he get angry?" I asked.


    "It''s not a big deal," my dad said.


    "So I''m assuming we left in such a hurry because it wasn''t a big deal," Madeline


    muttered sarcastically.


    "Are we going home?" I asked.


    Alpha Reid nodded.


    "Yep, we''re going home."


    We got home in less than an hour, which I''m pretty sure is redited to Alpha Reid''s apparent obsession with the gas pedal.


    I walked into my room, too tired to feel like telling my mom about my day, so I just unpacked my phone and the painting I risked my life to save.


    I looked over it to make sure there were no scratches or blemishes and hid it back in my closet.


    Two years ago, I found an old picture of my parents on their wedding day that was almost ruined by water stains and rips.


    Their one-hundred-year anniversary wasing up so I decided to recreate the picture in a painting that would be of better quality.


    I''ve been working on it for almost five months now. I couldn''t have risked ruining that.


    I changing into pajamas and snuggled up tight in bed. Soon I was drifted away into


    sleep.


    ?


    A cool breeze woke me up and I opened my eyes with a start.


    I was standing in the middle of the forest that surrounded my house. I''d slept walked


    here.


    I looked around and I started to walk back to where I thought the house was.


    Then I heard a growl.


    I froze, wondering if I should shift now to protect myself or mind-link Madeline toe with help.


    I did neither. Because as soon as I turned around, my world stopped.


    The crickets that annoyed me with their obnoxious night sounds suddenly faded away.


    The moon seemed to glow one hundred times brighter, illuminating the beautiful face of the man in front of me.


    Standing at least six and a half feet tall, He had hair that was silky and darker than midnight. He had gorgeous green eyes that were a light clover-like color in the middle and were rimmed with a deep green, making them glow.


    His dark pink lips were tempting and did barely anything to cover the brilliantly white teeth that had extended into canines.


    He had broad shoulders that could fill any doorway and muscr arms that could snap


    a tree. His skin was a deep olive color and was without blemish.


    He was, in all meaning of the word, perfect.


    And, ording to my wolf, he was also...


    ... my mate.


    ....

 Chapter 3- Wolf in Denial

    ....


    Within seconds of realizing he was my mate, I was whisked into his muscr arms. We


    both seemed to stare at each other in awe.


    "Mine," he whispered, leaning his forehead against mine.


    My wolf howled in his eptance of us.


    "What is your name?" He asked.


    His deep, husky voice was like music in my ears and I literally forgot to answer him. "Mio amore?"


    I shook myself out of my daze and a blush tinged my cheeks.


    "Caroline," I whispered.


    He smiled and I almost fainted. God, I''d been blessed with this mate.


    "I am Alpha Luca Ronan."


    My heart stopped. My world froze again but not for a good reason. I was terrified.


    I was silent and still for a moment but then I kicked my feet and struggled my way out of his murderous grip.


    I barely got a foot away before I was tugged back by his hands gripping my waist. "What''s wrong?" He asked turning me around and pining my iling limbs against him. "Oh, please don''t hurt me, please don''t hurt me," I chanted, flinching and preparing myself for his wrath.


    But none came.


    I peeped one eye open and saw him staring at me with his mouth set in a grim line. His well-defined jawline was tightly clenched and his piercing eyes never left me.


    He slowly and softly put one hand on my cheek and swiped a stray hair away with his finger.


    "My hands are for your protection and your pleasure only. Don''t dare think that I would use them for your harm," he said still staring at me intently.


    "You''ve harmed and killed people before, why should I believe you wouldn''t do the same for me?" I asked.


    He closed his eyes in frustration.


    "Go tell the others we''ve gotten what we came for. I''ll send the family a letter when we reach home," he said looking off to the distance.


    I followed his gaze and I saw one of the men from the casino step out of the shadows.


    I stepped closer to Luca on instinct.


    The man took a closer look at me before stepping back in shock.


    "You''re the girl that was in the casino," he whispered.


    "And now she''s here with me, do I as I said," Luca shouted.


    The man bowed his head and ran off.


    "I''m not staying here with you," I said attempting to push him away.


    "Yes, you are," he said simply.


    "No! I''m going back into my house and you''re going back to your pack and we''re going to pretend this didn''t happen," I said struggling.


    "You''reing with me and that''s final. If you think for one bloody second I''m letting the person I''ve been destined to love just walk away then you''re mistaken," he said firmly.


    "My Dad won''t let me go," I said quietly.


    He chuckled to himself before lifting me up into his arms. I was carried like a child all the way to the clearing of the woods.


    I heard people running towards Luca and, out of instinct, buried my face in his


    shoulder for protection and I squeezed his t-shirt between my fists.


    As for reassurance, he moved hisrge hand to my lower back and began to rub soothing circles with his thumb.


    Instantly, I rxed and scolded myself for acting like this to him. I was slowly giving into the mate pull.


    I shook my head mentally. No! I won''t fall for this man that has killed so many. I refuse


    to give a heartless man my heart.


    My grip on him loosened and I simply sat in his arms. While he carried on a


    conversation with, what I assumed to be, his pack in a foreign tongue.


    I heard them run off and I sat straight to look at his face.


    "What are we doing?" I asked.


    "We''re about to leave; I just needed to have the cars brought around," he said kissing my cheek.


    I scrunched my nose and pulled away from him.


    "What am I too heavy for you to carry?" I asked.


    I heard himugh whole-heartedly and he moved his hands to grip my waist.


    Before I knew what was happening, he threw me ten feet above the ground, straight up in the air.


    I squealed as I came back down to earth and he caught me effortlessly.


    "No, you''re not too heavy, mio amore. We''re just taking a different route home."


    Then I dawned on me... I was actually going to leave with him.


    He started to walk again and I panicked.


    "Luca wait!" I said.


    Stopping, he looked up at me with his perfect eyes full of confusion and worry.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked.


    "Do I not get to pack a bag?" I asked nervously.


    "No," he said. "I''ve got everything you''d need at my home."


    He started to walk again and I stopped him.


    "No, not everything. I have something here that''s very important to me and I can''t


    leave it," I said quickly.


    "What is it?" He asked.


    "I can''t tell you, otherwise you wouldn''t let me go get it."


    "I''m not letting you go get it anyways. I''ll consider it if I know what it is," he bargained.


    So maybe he''s notpletely heartless.


    "No, I''m not telling you. Please just... listen, you cane in with me to get it. I


    promise I won''t wake anyone up or anything. I just really need to go get something." "Promise me then," he said demandingly.


    I nodded slowly.


    "I promise."


    That was all it took for him to change directions towards the house. He put me down on the doorstep and I pushed open the door that was already cracked from where I''d slept walk.


    I tiptoed inside the house, jumping over every floor board I knew was creaky. I climbed up the stairs and had it not been for him catching me when I tripped and almost fell on my face, I would never had known Luca was behind me.


    When we got to the top of the stairs and I opened the door to my room. I almost screamed when I saw Madeline in my bed and I suddenly remembered we''d had a Supernatural marathontest night after she''d woken me up because she couldn''t sleep.


    I tiptoed around the bed and opened the duffle I had packed earlier. I went to the closet and pulled the painting out of it''s hiding ce.


    I could feel Luca''s judgmental eyes on me, making a blush creep on my face.


    I ced the painting in a dust cover and put in in the bag. I went to the desk and


    pulled out my sketchbooks, pens, pencils, paints, chalks, and brushes.


    I put them in a case and put that in the bag with the painting. Luca reached for the bag when I zipped it up and took it out of my hands.


    Just as we were about to leave...


    "Carrie?"


    I froze.


    I saw the muscles in Luca''s back tighten and clench and I slowly turned around. Madeline''s eyes were squinted and her hair was in a tangle on top of her head.


    "What are you doing?" She asked scooting to the side of the bed.


    I looked at Luca nervously and he was ring at me.


    "I have to leave," I said quietly to Madeline.


    "What? Why?"


    Tears sprung to my eyes and I fought hard to choke back a sob.


    "He''s my mate," I said softly, pointing at Luca.


    Her squinted gaze became wide eyes as she recognized him. Wildly, her eyes went


    between him and I before they finallynded on me.


    I could read the expression she was giving me and I shook my head.


    "Don''t tell anyone until morning," I said, a tear falling from my eyes.


    "I can''t just tell your parents I let you get away," she pointed out.


    I shrugged.


    "I can''t do anything about it."


    She looked to Luca and then closed her eyes. No one would argue with him. I was


    actually going to be kidnapped from my home to be with him and no one would stop


    him.


    "I love you," she choked out, tears starting to shine in her eyes.


    I ran towards her and hugged her as tight as I could.


    "Love you too, Mady."


    I was pulled gently away from her and I looked up at Luca.


    "It''s time to go," he said not making eye contact with me.


    "Bye," I whispered once again as I left the room.


    I saw through the open door as Mady threw herself on the bed and I could hear her


    sobs, making my heart break even more.


    There came a point going through the hallway that I couldn''t even walk because I was trying so hard not to cry loudly.


    Luca hoisted me up with one arm and carried me down the stairs and out the front door, shutting it slowly behind us.


    Using his wolf speed, he took us to the awaiting SUVs and handed a man my duffel.


    I continued to cry in his shoulder as I watched us drive away from the only home, friend, and family I''ve ever known.


    Why did Luca Ronan have to be my mate?


    ....

 Chapter 4- Silent Treatment-1

    Trees, houses, and acres of wide opennd whirled past the ss window I was seated


    beside.


    Whether or not I had run out of tears to cry or just decided I was embarrassing myself by crying in front of Luca; I had finally stopped sobbing and all that wasing out now was short little hups.


    "Would you care to exin to me what is so special about that painting?" Luca asked. I closed my eyes and counted to ten before opening them and resuming my gaze out the window.


    The car came to an abrupt halt on the edge of the old country road we were on and Luca turned to look at the two men that were seated in the second row of the car. "I think you all deserve a little run. Why don''t you get out now?" He asked gruffly. Without a word of protest, both of them exited the vehicle and shifted into their wolves beside the car.


    Dashing out in front of us, Luca let them get half a mile ahead before he started the car and started driving again.


    "I need you to tell me what''s wrong, mio amore. I can''t help find a solution if I don''t know what the problem is," he said.


    I rolled my eyes.


    What if you are the problem?


    I saw his knuckles turn white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. I shifted my nce to his face and saw his jaw clench. He was running low on patience.


    Deciding today wasn''t the day I wanted to see my life end, I humored him and spoke. "The painting is for my parents'' anniversary," I said shortly.


    It had meant toe out short and tempered but my voice was gruff from crying and it just sounded sickly.


    He took a deep breath, obviously relieved that I was talking to him and I saw his firm grasp on the steering wheel loosen.


    "Do you enjoy art?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    It was silent for a few moments before he huffed.


    "It''s too early in this rtionship for the silent treatment, babe."


    I turned my head and red at him.


    "It''s also too early in this rtionship for me to be living with you," I countered.


    "We''re mates; this is normal," he said like it was obvious.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "Besides, if I wasn''t making you, I''m under the impression you wouldn''t want to live with me," he said smartly. "Why?"


    I narrowed my eyes at him.


    "Why do you think?"


    His eyes left the road andnded on me for a split second before returning to the road.


    "I''ve told you I wouldn''t hurt you," he said, his jaw clenching once more.


    "I''ve no reason to believe you-"


    "I can''t give you a reason to believe me with you treating me like this!" He interrupted.


    I leaned forward and hit the power button on the radio.


    Bruno Mars'' voice came through the speakers and I leaned back in my seat. The ride became quiet.


    Soon the t boring country roads turned into mountainous and rocky climate. Evergreens and tall pine trees lined the bumpy roads. The skyline turned red, orange, and violet as the day started toe to an end.


    A cell phone that was ced inside of a cup holder started to ring and Luca picked up the phone and answered the call.


    Once again, he was speaking in anguage I couldn''t understand; seemingly the same one he''d used this morning.


    When the five-minute phone call ended, he ced the cell phone in the cup holder again.


    "Whatnguage is that?" I asked, letting my curiosity get the better of me than that of my grudge.


    "Latin," he said turning on the headlights.


    "I didn''t think Latin was a verbalnguage," I said.


    A smile illuminated his face and, once again, I almost fainted. Why does he have to be


    so gorgeous? Hating him would be a whole lot easier if he wasn''t...


    "It isn''t in this day and age; but it used to be. My pack and I use it as a way to


    "Why?"


    "Security reasons. I don''t want anyone to be able to know what''s going on inside the pack besides people who are in the pack."


    "Why don''t you just use mind-link then?" I asked. "It would be easier tomunicate that way verses having to teach your pack a whole newnguage."


    "A phone documents a conversation," he said picking it up. "I want to be able to have


    everything documented rather then relying on someone''s word over another''s. It''s better for the pack."


    I couldn''t help being impressed. One point for inventiveness, Ronan.


    "Has the method proven useful?" I asked.


    "In a pack of five-thousand? Every day..." he said.


    My jaw dropped.


    "Five-thou-"


    I was speechless.


    Five-thousand wolves in one pack? That''s practically unheard of! Our pack had one- hundred and forty-something and even that was overwhelming at times.


    "How on God''s green earth do you manage five-thousand wolves?" I asked.


    "I have a system," he shrugged. "It''s not hard if you have the territory and we have all of Montana to fit everyone."


    I sat back in my seat in shock and he chuckled.


    "You have a lot to learn," he said lifting one hand off the steering wheel and cing it on my left thigh.


    I looked at him and raised an eyebrow before lifting his hand and dropping it on his side of the car.


    "Keep your hands to yourself," I said crossing my arms.


    "I don''t have to when I''m touching what''s mine," he said cing his hand back on my knee.


    Just as I was about to swat it away once again, a sh of gray dashed across the road in front of us.


    "What was that?" I asked nervously.


    "Border patrol," he said as many more wolves appeared out of the woods along the


    road.


    He began to drive slowly, past the wolves lining each side of the road.


    "Wee to Pack Possente Lupo," he said.


    I could begin see lights off in the distance as a metaphorical light went off in my head.


    Possente Lupo is Italian for mighty wolf...


    "Are you Italian?" I asked dumbfounded.


    "You''re just now picking that up?" He asked humorously.


    I red at him.


    Somehow, I hadpletely overlooked the slight ent that wasced in his voice.


    Somehow, I had managed not to read into the fact that he called me mio amore, which


    is Italian for my love. Somehow, it took the Italian name of his pack for me to realize he wasn''t American. God, did I feel stupid.


    Maybe that''s why he was so hot...


    I blushed at my thoughts, thankful he couldn''t read my mind.


    As we drew closer to what looked like a veryrge vige, he squeezed my thigh with


    his hand.

 Chapter 4- Silent Treatment-2

    "What?" I asked, averting my attention to him.


    "When I say, I want you to act like you''re asleep," he said.


    "Why?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing together.


    "The pack has learnt that I''ve found their Luna. It''s either do as I say, or have a meet


    and greet with five-thousand people at once. Take your pick," he said.


    I rolled my eyes at his sarcastic tone andid my head against the window. I closed my eyes as we got closer, hoping I gave a convincing role.


    Soon, the car came to a halt and I heard Luca cut off the engine. I heard him open his


    door and I could faintly hear the chatter of the people outside.


    Not sure of his ns, I waited nervously after he had exited the car.


    Then, I was caughtpletely off guard. The door I was so smartly leaning on opened. Luckily, I have a mate that is always one step ahead of me.


    I barely made any kind of fall before my head was resting on the familiar muscle of his chest. I felt warmth creep up my cheeks as he reached over me and unbuckled my seat belt.


    Lifting me up, he carried me bridal style for about fifty yards. I could hear the


    whispered chatter of people all around me and I wondered how many of the five- thousand actually came to see me.


    Luca began to climb steps and I heard him open a door. Stepping inside, all the noise from the people was silenced as he shut the door behind us.


    I opened my eyes and they met his. As I was set down on my feet carefully by Luca, I


    could feel the pins and needles shoot up my legs. I''d been sitting in the car for way too


    long.


    I winced as he set me down fully on my own strength. But with lightening speed, he had me in his arms again.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked quickly.


    "My feet are asleep," I said pushing him away. "I''m fine, you can put me down."


    He set me down, carefully this time, and gave me time to adjust to my full weight.


    Just as he was about to speak, the door we''d just entered from opened. A tuft of blonde wavy locks entered.


    He was tan, which made absolutely no sense seeing as we''re were in the mountains. He


    peered at me with honey brown eyes and smiled with sparkling white teeth.


    "Bates, this is Caroline, the pack''s new Luna. Caroline, this is my Beta, Bates," Luca introduced.


    "Bates?" I asked.


    "That''s me," he smiled, waving his hand.


    I smiled.


    "You can call me Carrie. Caroline takes much too much effort to say."


    "Cool," Heughed. "Did you just wake up?"


    "Nah, I faked it," I said shaking my head.


    He raised his eyebrows at Luca andughed.


    "Your tactics are ace, chief," Bates said, pping Luca''s shoulder.


    "It''s why I''m Alpha and you''re not," Luca said gruffly.


    I unwrapped Luca''s arm from around my waist and began to walk around the house.


    "So I guess we''re saying bye-bye to the bachelor pad, huh Luca?" Bates teased.


    I turned around and raised and eyebrow at Luca. He punched Bates in the shoulder and Bates winced.


    "I was just kidding," he muttered.


    The room went silent and Bates handed Luca my duffle.


    "Anyways, I gotta go," he said awkwardly.


    Just before exiting the room, he yelled out behind him.


    "Let''s save the baby-making until after she''s met the pack, yeah?"


    Luca mmed the door, forcing Bates out and my jaw dropped.


    "You''ll learn to put up with him," he said breaking the awkward silence.


    My stomach growled and I began to feel more and more light-headed. I red at Luca.


    I hadn''t eaten all day.


    He sucked in a breath.


    "I''ll send someone out for groceries tomorrow. For now, we''ll stick with popcorn."


    After making me a bowl of popcorn and handing it to me, Luca began to show me the house.


    "... and here''s our room," he said opening up a door.


    I raised my eyebrows at him.


    "What? You didn''t really think I''d let you sleep by yourself did you?" He asked in disbelief.


    "I''d kinda hoped," I muttered.


    "You''re forgetting there are many more unmated males running around my territory


    than there were yours. You''ll be much safer in here with me."


    I rolled my eyes at his pathetic excuse.


    "I doubt my safety is the reason for this," I said popping a piece of popcorn in my mouth.


    "It''s part of it," he said winking, causing my knees to wobble.


    After finishing the popcorn, I unpacked what I had brought andid it out on a desk in Luca''s room. I threatened him many times that if he came in while I was taking a


    shower, he would have hell to pay. Luckily, he didn''t.


    But much to his great pleasure, I refused to sleep in the pajamas I had been in all day and ended up borrowing a t-shirt of his as well as boxer briefs I''d made sure were clean.


    When it came time for bed, I began to stack many of Luca''s numerous pillows in between us to separate one side of the bed to the other.


    "You really think five pillows would be enough keep me on my side of the bed?" I heard Luca say.


    "Let''s just pretend for my sake," I said adding a sixth... just in case.


    I looked up and I''m not ashamed to say I did a double-take.


    Luca''s lower half was adorned by briefs simr to that of which I had borrowed. Unlike what I had borrowed, he had no shirt.


    His defined pectoral muscles took up the most of his chest extending out into biceps


    that flexed every time he moved his arms. Belonging to his lower abdomen was a set


    of abs that would put any body builder to shame.


    Obviously, he spent quality time in the weight room.


    "What do you think?" He asked pointing to himself, clearly referring to me shamelessly checking him out.


    I shrugged.


    "Impressive. But my abs are much better."


    Heughed and I smiled but on the inside I was sweating that one out. I had just made


    an awesome recovery from embarrassing myself.


    "I''ll be the judge of that," he said sliding into his side of the bed.


    His arm reached over the pillows, clearly reaching for the hem of his shirt before I smacked it away.


    "There''s a wall," I said pointing to the pillows.


    He rolled his eyes.


    "Well do I not get a goodnight''s kiss?" He asked leaned forward.


    "Absolutely not," I said quickly.


    Iid down and covered my body with the sheets.


    He groaned and I heard his sheets shifting as well.


    "Goodnight, mio amore," he said.


    It was silent and I sighed.


    "I hope you don''t fart in your sleep."


    "No promises."


    ....

 Chapter 5- The Fire Within

    As I gazed up at Luca, I traced his magnificent jawline with my fingertips.


    He was carrying me through his house in the middle of the night, yet I hadn''t even thought to question him when he picked me up bridal style and carried me into the living room.


    Instantly, the dark room was illuminated by the hot fire burning in the firece. Luca''s feet didn''t stop, however.


    He continued to carry my helpless body towards the scorching mes.


    "Luca, what are you doing?"


    The words came from my mouth but the sound didn''t reach my ears. Not only could I not hear my own words, but Luca''s stone cold expression never changed nor did he make any acknowledgement I''d said anything.


    The closer we drew to the mes, the wilder they got. Climbing the brick walls that contained it, I could feel the heat the fire was releasing.


    When we were no less than one foot away from the hearth, I felt thefort and


    security Luca''s strong arms provided escape my conscience.


    As I was thrown into the mes, I felt the tongues of firep around my legs, arms, and


    torso.


    The heat caused a pain I''ve never experienced before crawl all over my skin.


    Then everything went dark.


    The traumatic night terror made my heart skip a beat, causing my stomach to drop resulting in the familiar feeling of falling.


    I gasped as I sat straight up in bed. Unfortunately, my nightmare had leaked into reality.


    A heat spread across my body; down my legs, up my arms, and wrapping around my torso and face. Every skin pore on my body felt like it was trickling moltenva.


    My legs had wrapped themselves in Luca''s white sheets during my time asleep and I suddenly became extremely ustrophobic.


    I screamed as I started to thrash around in the sheets that tangled me, trying to release myself.


    In an instant, the six-pillow wall I''d ced between Luca and I was knocked down.


    He quickly picked me up and ced me on hisp. I heard the sheets rip as he tore them from my legs.


    I thrashed around in his grip and I literally rolled right off the bed.


    Landing with a thud on the hardwood floor, I tried my hardest to get myself to the washroom.


    My ears were ringing horribly, making the experience that much more unbearable. Luca''s strong arms wrapped around my torso and I grabbed them with my hands. The tingles and fireworks danced across my skin from the skin to skin contact with my


    mate.


    He carried me into the bathroom hurriedly and I threw myself from his grip and over the toilet. I threw everything I''d eaten recently and bile when I couldn''t throw up


    anything else.


    Then my hearing came back to me in a sh. I could hear Luca turning on the water in the tub. I heard it as the water poured from the faucet and hit the porcin bathtub. I could hear Luca''s panicked breathing and mybored breathing.


    I heard his feet pad across the tile floor and stop behind me. Without warning, I was lifted into his protective embrace and he set me into the icy cold water.


    However, the fire within calmed very little. It took a strong grip on my lungs making it extremely hard to breath.


    I struggled to remain conscious as the pain only increased, something I thought would be impossible.


    My senses heighten with the pain; my wolf was in overdrive.


    I was in Heat.


    I cked out momentarily before I gasped and resumed consciousness.


    Another wave of Heat hit me like a tsunami and I could feel the tears falling from my eyes, sshing onto my cheeks.


    I whimpered as my head was lifted out of the cold water and a pillow was ced beneath me.


    I looked up and saw Luca standing over the edge of the tub, his hands gripping the side firmly.


    I watched warily as he went to the doorway between the bathroom and the bedroom


    and ced his hands on either side of the threshold.


    I heard the wood cracking and I saw the muscles in his back flexing.


    He let go of the doorway and I could see where his hands had left an imprint on the wood.


    Hisrge t-shirt begin to feel like it was strangling me.


    I wed at the cotton fabric and screeched when it wouldn''te off.


    Instantly, Luca appeared in front of me and his hands gripped the cor of the shirt. I heard the fabric tear and I gasped in relief as he took the remains of the shirt from shoulders.


    I rolled over on my stomach andid my head on the now soaking wet pillow.


    I could still feel the cold water hitting my feet as it filled up the tub. Luca reached over and turned off the water as soon as I was fully submerged.


    The pain resided slightly as time passed and soon I was thinking much more clearly.


    For what felt like hours, all that could be heard in the bathroom was the water sloshing against the side of the tub each time I would move and Luca and I''s breathing. Soon, my eyes got heavy and I was thrown into darkness.


    When I woke up, my entire body was numb from the trauma I''d endured.


    As Iid there in Luca''s bed, I tried to think over everything I''d ever been told about Heat.


    "After twenty-four hours of meeting each other, if the mates have notpleted the mating process, the male (and asionally female) wolf will fall into Heat," I remember my tutor telling me during an Anatomy lesson. "Until the mating process ispleted between the two, Heat will ur every full moon."


    I felt something stir underneath me and froze.


    I looked up slowly and my eyes met with his piercing green ones. I immediately


    pushed myself off of him and rolled over back to my side of the bed.


    "Are you feeling better?" He asked.


    I could feel him slide closer to me until I felt the smooth skin of his chest against my


    back. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me around to face him.


    I nodded to answer his question but refused to speak.


    Nothing made sense to me. Why was I the only one to fall into Heat this morning? Unless...


    I turned my head to face him and I stared at him for a long time, my eyes welling up with tears.


    This shouldn''t break your heart, I kept repeating to myself.


    By the guilty look that seemed to wash over his face, he knew I''d figured out his


    infidelity.


    My jaw clenched as I sat up and got out of the bed. Taking a bathrobe off of a hook by


    the door, I put it on and walked out of the bedroom.


    I heard my name being called, as well as the sheets shifting.


    I quickened my pace through his house and tried to ignored the damned firece in


    the living room as I passed it.


    I went into the kitchen and opened all the cabs, trying to find a cup.


    "Carrie?"


    I turned around and whirled a ss te at his head. Of course, Luca had dodged it before it''d even left my hand.


    The ss shattered against the wall sending the entire house silent.


    I turned around so he couldn''t see the tears welling up in my eyes and I pulled a ss out of the cab.


    I went to the sink and turned on the tap, letting the water fill the cup. I hungrily gulped down the water. Thankful that it was soothing to my dry and itchy throat, I refilled it and drank another ss full.


    I dropped the ss in the sink, causing it to break into a million pieces.


    I leaned over the sink, not caring now that Luca was still in the kitchen, and I let the


    tears that''d built up in my eyes fall.


    After choking out a sob or two, I felt his arms wrap around my waist.


    I turned around immediately and began to try and release his grip but it only


    tightened with my efforts.


    In the end, I just gave up and let him hold me as I cried into his shoulder.


    "Why didn''t you wait?" I asked.


    "I''m so, so, so sorry," he said nting a kiss on my head.


    "That''s not an excuse," I said pointedly.


    He swallowed and rested his chin on my head.


    "Mates find each other when they''re eighteen. I''m almost twenty-five. I had begun to


    loose hope that I even had a mate," he said solemnly.


    "I''m starting to wish you didn''t," I said bitterly. A few more tears escaped my eyes and I closed them tight.


    I felt him stiffen up against me.


    "Don''t say that," he said grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up at him.


    "But it''s the t-truth," I said huping. "What wolf doesn''t have a mate, moron?"


    So I was nearly seven yearste... I still wouldn''t have slept around after loosing hope I had no mate. He had no good excuse.


    "I''m so sorry," he whispered.


    He leaned his head down and nted a kiss on my neck. I backed away and pped


    him.


    "Don''t think you''re going to love me up into forgiving you!" I yelled. "How would you


    like it if I went and gave my virginity to another man and came back, expecting you to be fine and dandy about it?!"


    "You wouldn''t do that," he said pinning me against the countertop with his hips. Obviously I''d hit a nerve.


    "What makes you think so?" I asked. "I could."


    He cracked a wicked smile.


    "You''re much too innocent to go sleeping around. Admit it: you''d never once


    considered sleeping with anyone besides your mate," he said cockily.


    "I''m considering it now," I said attempting to push him away.


    His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.


    "Try me then. I''ll knock the man''s head off his shoulders if you do," he threatened.


    "Maybe I will," I said with my head held high.


    His hands moved from the countertop beside me to the tie holding together my robe. "Maybe I should go ahead and get this over with then, yeah? I''ll make sure you''ll never want to think about anyone else," he whispered, his mouth beside my ear.


    "Don''t you dare," I spat pushing him away.


    He chuckled and allowed me to push him off of me.


    I huffed and walked out of the kitchen, trying to tie the robe back together.


    But the problem wasn''t the robe. The problem was part of me wanted to go back into


    the kitchen and take him up on his offer.


    I keep forgetting I hate him.


    ....

 Chapter 6- Stockholm Syndrome

    I paced his room with him standing right outside the locked bedroom door; begging toe in.


    Half of me, mainly my wolf, wants to open the door and invite him into the bed and show him what he missed out on when he decided to sleep around.


    The other half, mainly me, wants to hold a grudge for as long as possible. End of story. I stop pacing when I make a n and unlock the door.


    He immediately gives me his attention and tries toe in but I hold out my hand to stop him.


    Brilliantly executed, his bare chest touches my hand when I push him back into the hallway, sending a rush of goosebumps up my arm.


    Wonderful, I''m loosing my mental battle with my wolf by every growing second with this man.


    Wolf: 1


    Caroline: 0


    "I''m hungry. Go get me some food and then some clothes because I have none and I don''t feel like walking around in pajamas all day," I say in monotone voice.


    Yes, this is how I hold grudges. I''m horrible.


    "I think I have some Mini Wheats?" He says.


    I shrug.


    "It''s okay with me as long as they''re chocte."


    He nods.


    "But I''m afraid you really don''t need the clothes. You can walk around naked for all I care," he says with a wink.


    Wolf: 2


    Caroline: 0


    I need to step up my game. My knees are starting to wobble.


    I smirk and shrug.


    "That''s fine. I''d nned on seeing some of the pack today," I say mischievously.


    His eyes narrow.


    "I''ll get some clothes," he says walking off into the kitchen.


    I close the door.


    I''m d I earned a point there because one more wink and I would''ve jumped him.


    I groan and throw myself on the bed.


    I shouldn''t be falling for this man.


    Those hands that I want to hold so badly have killed people before. Not to mention


    the fact that he didn''t even wait for his mate to give himself away.


    I wonder if he''s ever said ''I love you'' to a girl before...


    I feel a sharp pain across my chest and I shake my head. I can''t even bare the thought. No more thinking about his love life.


    I did what I''ve always wanted and saved my first everything for my mate. What else can I do?


    I heard the door open and I see Luca walk in with a bowl of cereal.


    "They were chocte," he says triumphantly.


    I can''t help theugh that escapes me and I take the bowl from him when he brings it to me.


    I sit on the side of the bed and start eating the cereal while he stands in between my


    legs with his hands on either side of the bed.


    "I told Bates to get some clothes from his sister and bring over here," he says.


    "You told him to get me a bra?" I asked astonished.


    "No, we can go shopping for that stuffter," he said putting special little emphasis on ''that''.


    I roll my eyes.


    As much as I hate to admit it, the thought really had me excited. But then I


    remembered my grudge and I decided to y with him.


    "We wouldn''t have to buy anything new if you had let me pack a bag before leaving. I


    had three whole drawers full of pretty panties. I hadce and-"


    I hear him growl and my wolf won about seventeen points with that one.


    I look up at him and I see his eyes dark with lust.


    "Don''t even think about it, I''m eating," I say pointing the spoon at him threateningly. "You started it," he countered.


    "Actually you''re the one walking around with no shirt on so, technically, you started it." "You''re the one in my robe and practically nothing else, you started it!"


    We both get quiet realizing we''ve each justpletely admitted to be turned on by the other.


    I hear the front door open and sigh in relief.


    "Bates is here!"


    "Bates has clothes!"


    "Bates is in the living room!"


    "Bates is hoping Carrie and Luca are both dressed and having tea!"


    Iugh out loud hysterically and Luca rolls his eyes.


    "We''re in my room Bates!"


    "Yes, but are you dressed?"


    There''s a silence as Luca looks between us.


    "Partially!" He tells back.


    "Partially as in I need to leave it at the door or partially I cane in and hand it to you?"


    "Bates you cane in," I say.


    He walks in slowly and looks at us.


    "Ugh," he groans. "I should''ve left them at the door."


    He throws the bag on the bed and walks out.


    "Thank you!" I yell.


    "You''re wee!" I hear before the front door closes.


    "At least we don''t have to worry about him walking in on us," Lucaughs.


    "There will never be anything for him to walk in on," I reply taking thest bite or cereal.


    "Please," Lucaughs. "You act like you''re not dying to jump my bones right here." "I''m not," I lie handing him the empty bowl and spoon while picking up the bag of clothes.


    "What''s in there?" He asks.


    I take out a pair of shorts and Luca throws them to the other side of the room.


    "Too short," he exins shortly.


    I roll my eyes and pull out a pair of denim jeans and a shirt.


    "Is that a crop top?" He asked.


    I groan.


    "Oh go get a shower or something and let me change."


    "Want to join me?" He asks.


    Wolf: 20


    Caroline: 1


    I shake my head.


    "Your loss."


    He kisses my cheek and goes into his bathroom. Unfortunately, he''s not smart enough


    to close the door and my wolf gains another point as we watch him turn on the shower.


    I turn around and begin to undress.


    I put on the jeans and find my bra from yesterday and put it on before putting on the shirt I was given.


    I hate wearing the same bra twice in a row. I wasn''t lying when I said I had three drawers full of underwear. In fact, I had another two just full of bras. I''ll have to get Mady to mail me my stuff.


    I''m sure Luca would like that ckce bra with the matching panties I just boughtst week...


    I shake the thought away.


    I start to braid my hair as I hear the shower stop and it takes everything I have not to


    run in there with him.


    I see hime out of the bathroom in the reflection of the mirror.


    ... and he''s in nothing but a towel.


    He takes steps towards me and I have to keep telling myself to only focus on my hair


    braiding.


    Luca stops behind me.


    "You''re not wearing that top."


    "Why?"


    "It''s ripped."


    "What?"


    I feel his hands grip the back of the shirt and then I hear it tear.


    "Luca! This wasn''t even mine!"


    "Not my problem."


    Then it urs to me.


    His hands are still on the shirt. If his hands on hold my shirt, what''s holding his towel.


    "Please cover up," I ask closing my eyes.


    "Why? You''re gunna see me naked sooner orter," he whisperedying his head on


    my shoulder and gripping my waist with his hands.


    I shake my head and heughs.


    "C''mon you know you want to turn around," he prods.


    I shake my head again.


    "Luca, I swear if you don''t cover up I will hit you so hard it will make your ancestors


    dizzy."


    I hear hisughter before I hear him walk into his walk-in closet.


    I give him a few minutes before I take off the ripped shirt.


    "Luca?"


    "Yes?" He answers.


    "Are you dressed yet?"


    "Halfway, why?"


    "Can Ie in?" I ask.


    "Of course."


    I walk into his closet and I begin to look through his t-shirts; trying my hardest to


    ignore his heated gaze I can practically feel on my back.


    I finally find a t-shirt with Thor on the front and Iugh and put it on.


    "Can I wear this?" I ask.


    He nodded.


    "It looks much better than the other shirt anyways."


    After he changes, we leave the house to look around.


    He carried me on his back because I don''t have shoes just yet. We really need to go


    shopping.


    Our walk however was cut short when it started to rain.


    He runs us back to his house and we dry off.


    If there''s one thing in this world I hate, it''s jeans that get wet. So naturally, my first


    instinct when my jeans get wet is to take them off.


    From now on, I''m going with my second instinct.


    I take off the pants, not even thinking about it. What I''m also not thinking about is the


    fact that Luca''s shirt that I borrowed is also wet and clinging to me.


    In my peripheral vision, all I see is Luca and when I turn I realize he''s standing right


    beside me and before I can even react, his hands are pulling my face to his.


    When our lips meet it''s like the sparks but hundreds of times better.


    His kiss catches mepletely off guard and he must realize it toote because he


    pulls away.


    "I''m sorry," he apologizes still trying to catch his breath after that kiss.


    I nod, still in shock.


    "I-It''s okay."


    He freezes.


    "Good then I''m going to do it again."


    This time he picks me up and kisses me harder; and I kiss back.


    When he pulls away this time, I push him away.


    There''s no way these feelings I have are real. Maybe I just have Stockholm Syndrome.


    Yea, that''s it.


    Stockholm Syndrome.


    ....

 Chapter 7- Thinking Out Loud-1

    After lunch, the rain clouds blew away and the sun came out.


    Luca chased me around his house all morning trying to get me to kiss him again but I couldn''t bring myself to do it.


    I felt foolish for letting him kiss me the first time, I refused to feel anymore remorse about it by kissing him again.


    But the thing is, I didn''t feel remorse about kissing him. It was the most amazing thing I''d ever done in my life. I felt remorse over kissing who he was. He was a murderer. I do think he was getting angry with me.


    After my refusal the fourth time, he stormed out of the house for fifteen minutes and them came back in.


    He''s avoiding me now and I can''t help but feel bad about it.


    I came out of the bedroom, where I''d been most of the day, and I searched the house for him.


    I climbed both flights of stairs before standing in shock.


    I guess I''d never really realized how big his house actually was.


    I hear something rustling and I go through the door I hear iting from.


    I widen my eyes as I walk into a huge office with bookcases lining the walls. In the middle was a huge desk where my mate was sitting.


    He looked up quickly from a stack of papers and his eyes widened when I came in.


    "I got losting up. Why''d you make this room so hard to find?" I asked.


    He shrugged.


    "I would''ve shown you if you hadn''t been so busy running away," he said gruffly.


    I bowed my head.


    "Sorry," I whispered.


    I didn''t hear him get out of his chair but within moments his fore finger was hooked under my chin and forcing me to look up.


    "You''re my equal. Please don''t think you have to be submissive to me," he begged.


    I nodded.


    "I won''t then."


    I couldn''t help myself as I forced myself on my tiptoes and let my lips meet his.


    It definitely caught him off guard but he didn''t waste any time in kissing me back.


    I was the one to pull away before we both lost self control.


    "The rain is gone," I stated inly. "We could go outside?"


    He nodded and gave a small smile before he took my hand and led us back down through the house.


    We came to the front door and he turned around and halted.


    "You have heard the stories of my pack, yes?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "For the time being, before you can form your own opinion, act as if the rumors are


    true. My pack are trained to be fighters. I''m curious myself to see how you are


    received, but I wouldn''t have my expectations set too high," he said.


    I furrowed my eyebrows as we went out the front door.


    What is he talking about?


    Does he think his pack won''t like me? Oh God, what if they don''t?


    I got anxious as we walked out of the house and he shut the front door behind us.


    "Where to first?" he asked.


    "Where do you train?" I asked.


    "Follow me," he said taking my hand.


    After fifteen minutes walk through nothing but forest, we finally came to a clearing.


    I was astonished at what I saw.


    Dozens upon dozens of people were waiting in line for equipment that lined the edges of the clearing all the way around.


    In the center of the clearing were four wooden tforms, each about two feet off the ground.


    People stood around everywhere; talking, training, and fighting.


    There was arge water tower-looking figure that sat on the edge of the trees. It was a treehouse.


    "What''s that?" I asked Luca.


    "It''s an observation center. We make sure everyone''s following the rules, we maintain the training courses, and we can pick out our best and worst fighters from up there. I can show you if you''d like?"


    "Later," I said walking ahead of Luca.


    I walked past a battered punching bag that hosted a tall, raven-haired girl at it''s post. She was a fierce wolf. You could sense her confidence and strength as she pounded into the bag.


    We made eye-contact for a split second and she nodded at me. I returned it with a small smile and continued my look around.


    I knew Luca was walking steadily behind me, which annoyed me to some degree considering I knew he had better things to do other than babysit me.


    I walked towards the tforms and I could see eight figures apanying them.


    Two wolves were sparring in the center of one tform.


    Three men were standing on another, pointing out at someone who was on the other side of the clearing.


    Two women were doing yoga an another tform which I thought was a bit odd.


    On the fourth tform, there was a male about Luca''s height and build skipping with a ck jump rope.


    As I got closer to the tforms, he put down the jump rope and started doing push


    ups.


    I walked up to him as he stopped and took a drink of the water that sat on the edge of


    the wooden tform.


    "Are you Luna Caroline?"


    His husky voice caught me off guard and I simply nodded.


    "I''ll tell you as I''ve told your Beta, you can call me Carrie; Caroline takes too much


    effort to say."


    He let out an airyugh.


    "I''m ine, the Gamma. I''d get off and shake your hand but I''m a bit too sweaty for introductions," he exined.


    "In that case I appreciate your conservation," Iughed.


    Gamma''s are in charge of the training and preparation of all things war in packs. They have to be in top shape as they train the pack to fight, and be prepared to defend anyone who doesn''t keep the peace.


    You would think the Alpha did these things, but apparently Luca is busy with his 5,000 pack members.


    Although Gamma''s are expected to be in top-notch physical shape, ine''s physique shocked me. He was extra muscr and very much on the intimidating side.


    He had brown hair and deeply tanned skin showing hours of work outside.


    "Carrie?"


    I turned around and saw Luca walking towards me. Where was he?


    He walked to ine and I and nodded at ine.


    "Did your shift finish early?" He asked, almost usingly.


    Where did nice Luca go?


    ine nodded stiffly.


    "Almost two hours ago."


    Luca''s face was set in an emotionally void expression. His body posture went from


    rxed to stiff and poised since we''d been here.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked him quietly.


    "Nothing," he said, his tone t.


    His eyes were no longer the piercing green they had been. They were now a pale green


    that held no life and emptiness.


    It scared me how much different he looked. He was a whole new person.


    I gave him a weird look and he remained expressionless.


    "Are you going to start training her?" ine asked as if I were not there.

 Chapter 7- Thinking Out Loud-2

    Luca looked at me momentarily before answering.


    "Yes, but it will be on our own time."


    His voice was deep andmanding,pletely void of the love he spoke with when I was conversing with him.


    Is this how he acted all the time when I was not here?


    Had I already brought something out of him that could mirror the good he could be capable of doing?


    "If you''ll pardon me, Alpha, I''ve got work to do," ine said jumping down from the tform.


    I stared at him as he walked away from Luca and I.


    "Don''t look at him."


    I turned and faced Luca.


    "What?"


    "Don''t look at him like that," he said demandingly.


    "Like what?" I asked, genuinely confused.


    "Like you want to jump his bones," he said darkly.


    Iughed.


    "Please, you''re much hotter."


    I froze.


    Luca and I both looked utterly shocked at the words that had juste out of my mouth.


    "Did I say that out loud?" I asked quietly.


    He nodded as amusement dancer across his features. Heughed onest time before he shook his head.


    "I know I''m hotter-"


    "You''re also very modest," I pointed out sarcastically.


    "... but I still don''t appreciate you looking at other men," he said.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "I won''t ever be satisfied looking at another man again now that I''ve met you and you know that. I don''t see what you''re making of this but whatever," I said dismissively.


    He nodded.


    "Good. I''m d we''vee to an agreement."


    "An understanding," I corrected. "Not an agreement."


    He growled deeply in frustration before someone called his name.


    We both turned to see an older man walking to us; one of the men who was talking on


    the other tform.


    "Alpha Ronan. Is this your Luna?" He asked.


    Luca nodded and I saw a proud gleam in his eyes.


    "Elder Balen, this is your Luna, Caroline," Luca introduced us.


    I shook his hand and smiled.


    "Nice to meet you Luna," he said still as if he didn''t know what to think of me.


    "You both are aware tonight is another full moon?" he said matter-of-factly.


    My eyes widened and I looked to Luca for some sort of reassurement.


    He gave me a warily look before turning to Elder Balen.


    "We are but I don''t think that''s any of your concern," he said narrowly.


    Elder Balen nodded.


    "I''m sorry sir, it wasn''t my ce."


    He said it as an apology but it came out as a cocky, I-know-I-shouldn''t-have-said-it-


    but-I-know-more-than-you-and-I-just-"proved"-it tone.


    I don''t think I like Elder Balen.


    Even so, I couldn''t help but take heed at his words.


    Another full moon would ur tonight meaning another Heat spell for me.


    I tried not to wince outwardly as I though of the pain I was sure to endure again.


    I was less than thrilled at the thought of it and my wolf so graciously reminded me that Heat would only ur if I was un-mated.


    I bit my lip in thought.


    The pain as a fact of itself was enough to make me want to agree to anything to keep from suffering from it again.


    The moon goddess definitely knew what she was doing when she created it for mates. Soon Luca and Elder Balen finished their conversation I hadn''t even realized they''d started and Elder Balen left us.


    "I think I want to go back," I said.


    Luca nodded understandingly and began to lead us back into the woods and then home.


    Later on, Bates and ine came over to watch a football game with Luca and brought pizza.


    After eating, I took a shower andid in bed.


    Luca came into the bedroomte that night and undressed before tucking himself in


    next to me.


    "No pillow wall tonight?" He asked jokingly.


    I smiled and shook my head.


    In all honestly, I hadn''t even thought about it. My mind was too upied about Heat


    to think about a pillow wall.


    I turned and looked at Luca.


    The gorgeous color had returned to his eyes and looked again to be the carefree,


    happy, and handsome man again.


    Does he just put on this tough guy fa?ade for his pack?


    The thought was pushed to the back of my mind as I threw back the covers from being too hot.


    The Heat was starting.


    I could already feel a faint headache starting to kick in and I was in desperate need of a ss of ice water and a fan.


    It was starting slowly this time because I was awake. I didn''t want it to creep up on me again through a nightmare.


    "It''s starting," Luca said bitterly, confirming my thoughts. I knew he could sense it. Weid there in silence.


    "I could always stop it, mio amore," he suggested softly.


    I closed my eyes and nodded.


    "I know."


    "Then let me," he said sitting up. "I can''t bare this thought of knowing you''ll be in the


    same pain you were inst night again. I''ve heard it even gets worse with time."


    I looked at him and saw his eyes were full of desperation.


    "But that''s not what it''s for. It''s for making love. It''s not meant to be an act to ease


    pain," I said quietly. "I''ve waited this long, I want it to be right."


    Silence fell over us again and I could tell Luca was in deep thought.


    "Darling we have hundreds of years for making love like you''d like. Eventually this will happen, why not now?"


    Easy for someone who''s not a virgin to say, I thought bitterly.


    I knew he wouldn''t give up. Either he doesn''t want to see me in anymore excruciating


    pain or he''s hell-bent on getting in between my legs.


    I sucked in a sharp breath as a small wave of pain rolled over me signaling Heat would soon begin.


    I looked at Luca deep in thought.


    What do I do?


    Whatever my decision is, I need to make it... and fast.


    ....

 Chapter 8- Testing The Alpha

    I shook my head vigorously, causing Luca to growl animalistically.


    "I will save you from this even if I have to do it without consent," he threatened, pulling his body to hover above mine.


    I shook my head again.


    "You will do no such thing!" I cried trying to push him off.


    "You''re in pain!" He said trying to prove his point.


    I pounded at his chest, but still he wouldn''t budge.


    When he started to pull at the hem of my- or should I say his- shirt, I panicked.


    "Don''t you dare!" I screamed as he tugged the shirt over my head.


    Not only was I dumbfounded as to how he did that so effortlessly, I was also still trying to stop him.


    "This is rape!" I yelled trying to get him to stop removing my clothes. I was down to


    just shorts and a bra now.


    "It is not! I''m your mate!!"


    "It''s rape without consent!" I screeched.


    I pushed him off with my legs and he tumbled over the bed.


    A wave of Heat crashed over me and I screamed in pain. I doubled over and curled into


    a ball, tears now escaping my eyes uncontrobly.


    He shot up off the ground.


    "Please, baby. Please! You''ve got to let me help you," he begged.


    I still have the mental imagine in my mind of what he looked like hovering over my pained body.


    His face was etched with worry and it was the first time I''d ever seen him vulnerable.


    The most powerful and feared wolf on the was vulnerable, only to me.


    The moment was cut short when I slipped fully into Heat.


    My screams filled the entire house and echoed off the empty walls.


    "God!!" I heard Luca yell.


    I opened my eyes and I could see how red his face was and how truly angry he looked.


    In an instant all I saw was clothes flying and Luca was on top of me.


    I shook my head violently in the pain.


    "N-no! Please d-d-on''t take ad-advantage o-of me!" I screamed.


    I opened my eyes and saw nothing. Luca was gone.


    ....


    I endured the rest of the night alone, and that''s exactly what I did; endured it.


    Luca was very right (although I''d never admit that to him) the pain did increase drastically that night.


    However, not only did it increase in pain, the night was also a severe amount longer.


    The Heat didn''t end as early as it did the night before.


    When I woke up the next morning, I was sore and achy all over.


    I looked at my table side clock and saw the time. I groaned when I realized I''d only been asleep for forty-five minutes.


    I stiffly sat up and realized I was only in my underwear.


    I gasped and pulled the sheet around my body. I looked around and saw Luca was no


    where to be found.


    He left mest night. He left me to deal with the pain on my own.


    Oh, when I find that stupid cotton-headed-ninny-muggins!


    I got out of bed and quickly pulled Luca''s long robe around me and tied it.


    I opened the bedroom door and gasped.


    Luca was curled up, sleeping in the doorway.


    Soundly asleep, he looked like a sleeping puppy, it was too cute.


    I frowned when I tried to think about what to do.


    He stirred in his sleep and I bent down and put my hand to his cheek.


    He woke up with a start and in an instant I was wrapped in his arms against his naked


    chest and he was panting.


    "Are you okay?!" He asked panicked.


    I nodded.


    He pulled me flush against his chest again.


    "I said I was fine! Now let me go!!" I yelled.


    He released me from his arms.


    "Are you sure you''re okay?" He asked taking my face in his hands.


    "You wouldn''t know would you?" I asked bitterly, swatting at his hands.


    "I''m so so sorry I left you, baby. I-I had to or I would''ve done something you wouldn''t


    have been very happy with me for."


    I pushed him away and stomped into the kitchen.


    It surprised me when I saw Bates sitting at the counter eating cereal. When he saw me,


    he put down his spoon and stood up.


    "You doing better? I could tellst night was rough," he said softly.


    I gave him a grim smile.


    "I''m not sure how much more of that I can take," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.


    He nodded understandingly.


    "You could always change that," he said, suggesting that Luca and I mate.


    I shook my head.


    "C''mon. I know you think Luca''s a bad guy but I promise he loves you. He acts different around you than he does anyone else, even his family! I''ve never seen him smile much lessugh and I saw both yesterday while he was with you," Bates exined.


    The thought warmed my heart but I still shook my head.


    "Not just yet," I said.


    I heard Luca walking into the living room and I turned around to see his eyes narrowed


    at Bates.


    Bates cleared his throat awkwardly before standing poised.


    "You''re needed in the pack house, Alpha," he said in a professional voice.


    Luca looked at me.


    "Go change into some clothes."


    I scurried out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.


    I picked up the bag from Bates and peeped inside.


    I found a pair of denim, high-waisted shorts and retrieved a white t-shirt from Luca''s


    closet.


    After letting my hair down, I brushed it through with my fingers and put on some flip flops.


    I walked back into the kitchen and right into a Bates and Luca stare-down.


    Luca was the first to break the stare and look at me.


    "Time to go," he said darkly.


    Five minutester, I was sitting on Luca''s shoulders as he walked in front of Bates to the pack house.


    I was eating a strawberry Poptart, something I''d just barely grabbed for lunch. I was mentally and physically exhausted and I knew Luca could tell as he offered to carry me on his shoulders.


    Soon, we arrived to a building simr to that of a one-story house. It was big, but not near big enough to fit five-thousand people. Maybe fifty?


    Luca set me down on the front porch as Bates went in before us.


    "If you need me to carry you, all you need to do is ask. Just stay close okay?" He asked putting his hand on my cheek.


    I nodded.


    I was still mad at him. Not really an I-hate-your-guts-and-want-to-kill-you kind of way.


    But more a I-am-angry-with-you-but-you''re-also-my-mate-and-I-still-think-you''re-the- sexiest-thing-I''ve-everid-eyes-on kind of way.


    I told you I can''t hold grudges...


    We walked into the house and Luca shut the door after me.


    There were people scattered everywhere.


    "Your pack meeting house doesn''t look like it would hold five-thousand people," I


    pointed out.


    "It only needs to fit my leaders."


    "Leaders?" I asked confusedly.


    "I''ve divided the pack into ten groups of five-hundred. Each group has one leader and under each leader is another five people, each in charge of one-hundred pack members, who keep everything in order; making sure everyone''s in their homes by curfew and following the rules and such."


    "So you only have meetings with the leaders and your Beta and Gamma?" I asked. "asionally my dad, but not today," he said nodding.


    "Oh," was all I could say.


    I was astonished that Luca had everyone so organized. No wonder his pack was on


    top.


    Luca wondered around the house, helping anyone that asked and nning things with Bates.


    "Hey, Carrie?" He asked.


    "Yeah?"


    "I want you to go down that hallway and look in the second room on the right. There''s


    a desk in there with a blue folder on top. Can you bring it to me?"


    I nodded.


    I found the room, the desk, and the folder and returned to the big room.


    There was a girl about my height with dark hair and fair skin. She had electric blue eyes


    and was skinny with curves in the right ces.


    She was a gorgeous girl and she hasn''t stopped staring at Luca since we got here.


    I noticed her shirt had popped a few buttons- note the sarcasm since when we''d


    gotten here and her breasts were basically falling off her chest.


    I smirked.


    Time to test the Alpha.


    I walked up to her confidently and smiled.


    "Could you do me a favor?" I asked.


    She looked at me, clearly stunned, and then nodded.


    "Yes Luna, what can I help you with?" She offered politely.


    So looks can be deceiving. She seems pretty nice.


    "Do you think you could take this to Alpha Ronan for me? I have to go to the


    bathroom real quick," I lied.


    Her face lit up.


    "Certainly!"


    I smiled and handed her the folder and went back around the corner to hide.


    I saw her walk up to him and hand him the folder. I noticed the way she propped her


    hip to the side and the way she folded her arms under her chest, only making her breasts fall out even more.


    But my jaw dropped as I saw Luca take the folder from her and turn back to Bates without a second look and the gorgeous girl.


    His eyes had momentarily looked at her face as he took the folder but never once did they travel farther than that.


    Luca threw the folder on the table and passed the girl without any acknowledgement.


    I realized he was walking towards the bathroom and I turned around and sprinted


    inside.


    I shut the door and smiled.


    Well done, Mr. Alpha. You''ve passed the first test.


    ....

 Chapter 9- Meeting The Ronans-1

    "You''re asking me to do what?!"


    "I''m not asking you to do anything; I''m telling you that we''re eating dinner with my parents tonight," Luca said calmly, looking up from the stack of papers on his desk.


    I threw my hands in the air in exasperation before plopping down in a seat.


    "I haven''t even known you for seventy-two hours and I''m already meeting your parents! You''re moving way too fast," I said crossing my arms.


    "You make it sound like we''re mere adolescent humans that are in a rtionship. We are mates, Caroline. We will marry, you will carry my children, you will be the Luna of this pack. Meeting my parents should be a cake walk," he said standing up.


    My eyes widened in realization and I froze in my seat.


    Why is it just now dawning on me that I am mated to the Alpha Luca Ronan? I will be expected to mate with him and bare him pups. I will be expected to be Luna of the biggest and most dangerous pack in the world. What if I don''t meet those expectations?


    "Jesus, I''ve done it now, haven''t I?" Luca asked, his toneced with humor. "Which part freaked you out the most? The kids or the marriage?"


    I just nodded and he chuckled.


    "Don''t make it sound so horrible, it would be your dreamsing true," he said confidently.


    "Yeah, nightmares," I whispered.


    He went into a full-blown fit ofughter, throwing his head back and his eyes squeezed


    tight.


    "Come, mio amore. You need a nap before dinner."


    He picked me up and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of flour.


    "I have legs," I pointed out.


    "And a butt," He said, smacking my bum.


    I gritted my teeth.


    "Leave my bum alone!" I said kicking my feet.


    "You can share," heughed.


    I just huffed and pinched his bum right back.


    He jumped and it nearly caused him to fall down the flight of stairs.


    "Don''t do that again," he warned.


    "Why? You can share," I mocked.


    "Not on the stairs. I don''t think you''re ready for that," he said. I could practically hear his smirk.


    I gasped when I realized what his words meant.


    He carried me through the house andid me on the bed carefully. I snickered.


    "What?" He asked tucking the covers over me.


    "You don''t seem like a gentle person, but all you''ve done since I''ve gotten here is baby me," Iughed.


    I was right. Luca''s reputation of being a fierce warrior and violent in nature was what scared me when I met him the first time. I thought I would be one of the unfortunate few whose mates hurt them physically.


    But, honestly, Luca had surprised me; which is why I pointed it out.


    "You are my baby," he said sincerely. "You know you''re seven years younger than I, correct?"


    "Six and a half," I corrected stubbornly.


    He rolled his eyes.


    "Let me sleep with you," he said sliding into the bed beside me.


    "Only if you take your shirt off," I bargained.


    My eyes widened at my own words. I really need to learn to filter out what I think and


    what I''m saying.


    Lucaughed.


    "Deal," he said sliding his shirt over his shoulders.


    I smiled with satisfaction as he threw the nket over both of us and wrapped his arm


    tightly around my waist and slid the other under my pillow.


    His legs spooned against mine and I was pressed against his firm chest that, by my own fault, was bare.


    "You don''t seem like the kinda guy that would like cuddling," I said.


    "I''ve never cuddled a day in my life," he mumbled.


    "You''ve never cuddled? I love cuddling!" I squealed.


    "Who have you cuddled with before, my dear mate?" He asked threateningly, his eyes growing dark.


    This was what I couldn''t understand about Luca. He could go from charming and funny to dark, threatening, and serious all in a matter of seconds.


    "I cuddled with my pillows back home," I blushed.


    It was true, no matter how embarrassing. Mady liked her space and I''d almost lost a


    few fingers when I tried to cuddle with my dog the first (andst) time I had tried.


    I never had anyone to cuddle with before, this was technically my first time cuddling too, but I will always count my stuffed animals and pillows as my first ever cuddle buddies.


    He seemed to rx a little after I''d assured him I''d never been this close to anything living before.


    "You never cuddled with the people you slept with?" I asked curiously.


    Honestly, I was surprised at my own boldness. The subject normally hurt me deeply and so I tended to avoid purposely talking about Luca''s sex life. But this time, I was surprised I had been able to get the words out of my mouth so casually. Luca, however, surprised me.


    Heughed.


    "You misunderstand things, Carrie. Your innocence is adorable," he chuckled. "What do you mean?" I asked confusedly.


    "I never slept with the people I had sex with. In fact, you''re the first person to share this bed with me. It was just sex, baby. When it was over, we would never talk to each other again. You women are all the same, you assume sex is something that ties you to that person, when, in reality, it''s just sex. Nothing more," he said casually. My eyes watered.


    His words hurt me deeply.


    "Just sex?" I asked. "You''repletely wrong, Luca. Sex does tie you to that person. There''s a reason you don''t want me sleeping around. Even if it was "just sex" you still wouldn''t be anywhere close to satisfied if I told you that''s how I lost my virginity." "There''s a difference between sex and making love to someone," he said propping


    himself on his elbows.


    "There shouldn''t have to be! You should only have sex with the person you love, Luca. It''s simple," I argued.


    He shook his head and rolled his eyes.


    "You should get some sleep," he saidying back down.


    I swallowed hard.


    I pulled his arm from around my waist and hurried out of the bedroom.


    Luca followed me out.


    "Where are you going?" He asked worriedly.


    "Stop being a baby," I said bitterly. "If there''s nothing sentimental with you then you won''t have a problem with me sleeping in the guest room from now on."


    I opened the guest bedroom door and as soon as I was in the room, I mmed the door in Luca''s face and locked it.


    "You think a door is enough to keep me out of that room?" He asked through the wood.


    His voice was deep and dark and my wolf could sense his wolf meaning he was extremely angry.


    I ignored his question and got on the bed. It wasn''t near asfortable as Luca''s but I would deal with it.


    Just sex? What a hypocrite! If I had done what he had done and not saved myself for my mate, Luca would be furious and would most likely kill whomever I had slept with before. But since it''s him, he assures me it was nothing to him and expects me to be okay with that?


    You''ve failed the second test, Alpha.


    ?


    Believe it or not, with that much on my mind, I''d managed to actually fall asleep.


    I woke up to soft fingers stroking my cheek.


    I peeked one eye open and saw Luca sitting on my side of the bed.

 Chapter 9- Meeting The Ronans-2

    "What do you want?" I asked, my voice still hoarse from sleeping.


    "To apologize," he said softly.


    "Does your ego allow that?" I asked.


    "Only for you it does. It''s breaking my heart to know you''re angry with me," he said


    softly, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.


    I turned over to face away from him and sighed.


    "What time are we eating with your parents?" I asked.


    I heard the bed shift and then I felt himy on top of me.


    "Oh God, you''re crushing me!" I gasped, swatting at him.


    He didn''t budge.


    "I''m not telling you until you ept my apology," he said grabbing my wrists.


    "What if I don''t ept your apology?" I asked.


    "Then I''m not getting off," he said firmly.


    "Fine, your apology is epted," I said, gasping for air.


    "Seal it with a kiss," he demanded.


    "I can''t breath," I squeaked.


    "Kiss me."


    I leaned forward and kissed his forehead.


    "Now get off!"


    He pushed his body into a push-up position over me.


    "That wasn''t a kiss," he said.


    "It was," I said trying to regain my breath.


    "No, this is a kiss."


    My eyes widened as he leaned down slowly and let his lips meet mine.


    My hands traveled up his arms to his face, deepening the kiss.


    Luca extended his arms, meaning to pull away, but I grabbed his neck and he pulled


    me up.


    He took hold of my wrists and pulled away.


    "We need to stop," he said breathlessly.


    I nodded.


    "You never answered my question," I pointed out.


    "We''re meeting them in an hour but we need to leave about ten minutes before," he exined.


    I nodded and sat fully up and he slid off the bed. He picked me up off the bed by my underarms and set me down on the floor.


    "I''ll go get ready," I said.


    "Bates brought you some stuff he said his sister doesn''t wear anymore. I''ve already gone through it so you can wear whatever you like."


    I turned around to look at Luca.


    "You went through the clothes?" I asked.


    "She''s a whore and I will not have you walking around unting things that rightfully


    belong to me," he said walking past me confidently.


    I rolled my eyes before following him out of the room.


    I walked into his bedroom and pulled the shopping bags from the bed.


    I sat on the floor and began to go through the clothes. I separated the shirts, pants, shorts, and the few dresses into different piles and picked out a white sundress. After making Luca stay out of the bathroom and bedroom so I could shower, I did so and changed into the dress.


    It was fitting around the top but it flowed out mid-waist and stopped four inches above my knees. It was casual but dressy enough to make sure I didn''t look like a hobo in front of his parents.


    I brushed my hair and put it in a ponytail. I was trying to be as casual as possible.


    Luca changed into a white t-shirt and jeans and we left the house right on time.


    "Do you not own a car?" I asked as he lifted me onto his back.


    "I do but my parents live barely half a mile away. It would bezy if we drove," heughed.


    Luca was right and we arrived in less than five minutes at a beautiful three story house hidden by trees; as most the pack houses were.


    As soon as we were in the driveway, Luca set me down on the concrete and held my hand as we walked up to the house.


    Before we were barely half way to the house, five people came running out.


    "I thought you said we were just meeting your parents," I whispered.


    "They may have invited my siblings," he said through gritted teeth.


    Iughed.


    An older woman and a man followed three girls off the porch and they made their way to us.


    The three girls broke into a run and surprised me when they dashed right past Luca and nearly tackled me.


    "I''m Abree!"


    "I''m Norah!"


    "I''m Toree!"


    They all screamed at me at once and Luca pushed them off of me.


    "You alright?" He whispered.


    I nodded andughed.


    "I''m Carrie," I said waving.


    "Oo, I love your name," Norah smiled.


    "Thanks, yours is pretty too!" Iplemented.


    "You have all sisters?" I asked Luca.


    "We''re missing one," he said.


    "Hanna is inside. She didn''t want toe out," Abree said.


    "No wonder you''re as feminine as you are, you''ve got no brothers!" I saidughing.


    Luca frowned and I heard a heartyughe from behind the three girls.


    A woman who didn''t look a day older than forty appeared with a man attached to her side who also didn''t look aged at all.


    They both had a smile etched on their faces.


    The woman had dark hair and dark skin simr to her daughters and Luca. The man


    had tan skin and brown hair with the beautiful green eyes I''de to love on Luca.


    "That was the funniest thing I''ve ever heard someone say to you, Luca," the woman said.


    He snorted.


    "You should hear the rest of our conversations," Iughed.


    "I''m under the impression I won''t soon forget this night because of that," Luca''s father said.


    "I''m Philip and this is my wife Anna," he introduced.


    I shook both their hands before we were led into the house. I took a deep breath as


    soon as I stepped over the threshold.


    And so begins meeting the Ronan''s.


    ....

 Chapter 10- Wolf Fight-1

    The house was gorgeous inside.


    Green pastel walls were filled with pictures, new and old, that were fitted in white frames of all sizes.


    The hardwood floors were made of glossy cherry wood and all the furniture was ck


    or white. Everything looked so nice in contrast to my house back home.


    I frowned at the thought of home. I wonder if my parents were looking for me...


    "Are you okay?" Luca asked.


    I nodded.


    "Fine," I whispered.


    The door shut behind us and we walked through the front hall and into the living room


    with yellow, ck, and white ents.


    Luca took my hand and led us to sit down on the couch.


    "Where''s your other sister?" I whispered to him.


    He shrugged, not looking too concerned.


    His three sisters, Abree, Norah, and Toree ran into the room and all squeezed into the couch opposite of Luca and I.


    Anna walked in with Philip trailing behind her.


    "Norah, go get Hanna from her room," Anna instructed.


    Norah groaned and got off the couch slowly. She walked up the stairs and Anna and Philip walked into the kitchen.


    "C''mon kiddoes!" Philip shouted. "It''s time to eat and I''m starving."


    We all got off the couch to go eat dinner; some of us moved faster than others.


    Anna handed us all a te full of something with penne noodles.


    "Oo, yes!" Luca whispered when she handed him his te.


    If he likes this recipe, I guess I''ve got to learn it. I rolled my eyes. Being a mated she- wolf is too much work.


    We all sat down at the table which was already set and already had eight sses filled with lemonade at each cemat.


    Norah came into the kitchen soon after and prepared her te before another girl followed in behind her.


    Whereas most of the Ronan children took after their mother with olive skin, dark hair, and a tall build; this girl took after her father.


    She had inherited her mothers brown eyes, but she had honey brown hair and a sun- kissed tan that stood out in contrast to the other members of her family.


    She took a te and also put food on it and took a seat opposite of Luca and I. Hanna red up at me and I sat in shock. Did she re at me? I haven''t even done anything to deserve that...


    We all started to eat and I couldn''t help but try and figure out what I had done. Was it because I was mated to Luca? By the looks of things, Abree and Toree were twins and the youngest while Norah and Hanna were close in age, but Hanna looked to be the oldest other than Luca.


    Maybe she was angry at me for taking Luca? Ha! She can have him back.


    We all finished our food in casual conversation. There was no questions directed at me. Apparently, they all knew my name already. You would never have thought this was my first meeting with them.


    "This was delicious," I said as I finished my te.


    "You ate like you hadn''t eaten all day," Annaughed.


    I side-stared at Luca, silently reminding him I hadn''t actually eaten all day.


    His eyes widened as he remembered he hadn''t given me anything but a Poptart this morning.


    "Luca Ronan!" His mother gasped. "You haven''t fed her?!"


    "I have!" He said throwing his hands up in defense. "I just need to go grocery shopping," he mumbled.


    "Well you''re going right now! You and your father can leave now and Carrie can help


    me clean up," she said standing up.


    No one moved but her and she ced her hands on her hips.


    "Now!" She said to Luca.


    He and his father immediately stood up and ced their dinnerware on the


    countertop. Luca ced a chaste kiss on my cheek and the two men hurriedly left through the front door.


    I looked at Anna like she was a goddess. It was refreshing to know it wasn''t unheard of


    to have Luca on a leash.


    I put my hand over my mouth and tried not tough and Anna smiled.


    "Stopughing at him! He''s just looking out for you. You''re so disrespectful of


    someone who will treat you better than anyone else ever has!" Hanna shouted at me.


    The whole room got quiet at Hanna''s outburst.


    "Hanna go to your room," Anna said firmly.


    Hanna red at me and stomped out of the room and up the stairs.


    "I''m sorry about that, Carrie. She''s been very protective of Luca ever since he left home and started the pack," Anna said softly.


    I nodded.


    "It''s fine, I probably shouldn''t haveughed at him anyway." I smiled but it didn''t reach my eyes.


    I got up from my seat and so did everyone else. After we all cleared the table, Norah,


    Toree, and Abree left the kitchen leaving Anna and I to clean-up.


    I was washing the dishes in the sink before Anna reached over and turned off the faucet.


    "Spill," she said.


    "What?" I asked.


    "You''re upset about something," she said pointedly. "I want to know what it is."


    "It''s nothing," I said picking up a dish.


    "It is something. You''re going to be my daughter-inw and I want us to be able to talk about anything; including what may be going on with your rtionship with Luca," she said sitting up on the countertop.


    "I, um... I don''t know if he would want me telling you," I stuttered.


    "Luca tells me a lot of things. I''m sure I already know," she said giving me a reassuring smile.


    "I''m a virgin, and he''s-"


    "-not," Anna finished. "He told me when he lost his virginity two years ago. He cried for three days straight," she said her smile fading.


    I nodded.


    "I''ve lost a few tears over it too," I whispered.


    She ced aforting hand on my shoulder and sighed.


    "I did the same thing Luca did," she admitted. "I know that he feels more than horrible


    about it because I still feel so much remorse about not waiting for my Philip."


    "You didn''t wait?" I asked softly.


    She shook her head.


    "No, in fact, if it makes it anymore tragic, I met my Philip three days after I lost my virginity," she said with a sad chuckle.


    My eyes widened.


    "I cried for so long," she said grimly. "I even tried to get him to reject me because I had been unfaithful."


    I sighed.

 Chapter 10- Wolf Fight-2

    "So you''re asking me to stay with Luca?" I asked.


    "I''m begging you," she said softly. "When he was six, we told him about mates. Ever since then, he would go to bed at night and in his bedtime prayers, he would pray for his mates safety and that she would love him."


    My eyes watered.


    "As he got older, I would overhear him talking to his friends, bragging that his mate would be more beautiful than theirs. He would talk about the family he would have and how he would spoil his wife and children. I know he loves you, please, please, forgive him. I don''t know what I would do if Philip hadn''t forgiven me," she pleaded. I closed my eyes and a tear fell down my cheek.


    She pulled me into a hug and rubbed aforting hand on my back.


    "It is your choice, but I am begging you to make the best decision of your life and give him a chance," she whispered.


    I nodded.


    The obvious wisdom of this woman inspired me. If she was telling me how it felt for her, I knew Luca was feeling the same.


    As much as I knew it was breaking my heart to know of his infidelity, I knew then that his heart was just as broken.


    I felt guilty for my ignorant outburst at him when I found out. I knew that wasn''t the way he wanted me to respond.


    I nodded slowly as she pulled away and I wiped my eyes.


    Although I knew I didn''t have the heart to reject him beforehand, it was clear to me now I would never be able to.


    "Let''s finish these dishes before the men get home. If we don''t they''ll know we had a pity party and we can''t be that stereotypical," sheughed, wiping her eyes.


    Iughed as well and turned on the faucet. After finishing the dishes, Anna and I baked brownies and brought them into the living room where Abree, Toree, and Norah were watching Criminal Minds.


    We sat the te down on the coffee table and everyone dove for the brownies.


    We watched the episode and when we saw the girl get lowered into the shark tank and


    die, we all stared at our brownies and put them slowly back on the te.


    "Those can be saved forter," Toree whispered.


    We allughed as we heard the front door opening.


    Luca and Philip came in hurriedly.


    "There''s been an incident and we need you girls to take the car and unload the


    groceries back home while I deal with it," Luca said.


    We all stood up and Luca held my stare for a moment when he saw me.


    "Can Ie with you?" I asked.


    He hesitated before shaking his head.


    "I''m not sure how safe it would be. You need to stay with my family," he said.


    I bowed my head.


    "We can do that. Now hurry up and go fix whatever problem arose, we''ll take care of Carrie," Anna said.


    We all gravitated to the door before I stopped.


    "Is Hannaing?" I asked Anna.


    Everyone went quiet.


    "She''s not staying here by herself, I''ll go get her," I said turning to the stairs.


    "I''m sure she''ll be fine," Luca said stopping me.


    "She cane," I said climbing the stairs.


    I knocked on the only door that was closed and I heard music stop ying.


    The door opened and Hanna froze when she saw me.


    "What do you want?" She asked.


    "We''re going to Luca''s house for a while," I said. "Do you want toe?"


    "Oh, so I have to have your permission to go to my brother''s house now?" She asked, her voice raising.


    "No! That''s not what I meant, I was just askin-"


    The door mmed shut.


    I sighed and turned around to head down the stairs.


    Everyone was outside and Philip held the front door for me as I went outside.


    "She''ll take time toe around," he said stopping me. "Everyone can''t help but love you, Carrie. Please just give her time."


    I smiled and nodded.


    "Sir, I''m a firm believer that a mate wasn''t just made for their mate, but also made for his or her family. I won''t give up on family," I said giving him a bright smile. "You''ll make the perfect Luna," he saidughing and closing the door behind us.


    We all walked to the car and Luca picked me up.


    "I missed you," he said grinning.


    "You were gone for an hour," I said.


    I looked up and I saw Hanna staring at us out of her window.


    "Put me down," I said softly, patting his back.


    He set me down and we got in the SUV with the rest of his family.


    "Drop us off by the park," Luca instructed Anna, who was driving.


    The car stopped and pulled over to the curb. Philip and Luca stepped out and we all froze when we heard growling. Gazing out the car windows, we all stared out at the crowd gathering around two fully shifted wolves circling each other in attack position. As the two wolves lunged at each other, Toree and I let out a shriek.


    Luca and Philip immediately pounced into action. Both men were standing in the middle of the two wolves instantaneously and Luca growled at them both, sending the entire car and crowd stiff.


    Both wolves backed away with their tails between their legs.


    "What''s going on here?" Luca asked in a deep,manding voice.


    My shoulders slumped immediately, knowing the tough-man fa?ade was back.


    The two wolves shifted back into their human forms as their dark fur morphed into naked skin.


    Luca looked back at me and sent me a silentmand to avert my eyes from the very nude men.


    I blushed and turned away.


    Anna saw and gave a discrete chuckle.


    After the wolves were given their punishment for fighting, Luca returned to the car


    with Philip trailing behind.


    "I''m dropping you all off at my ce," Luca said.


    "Why?" I asked. "Where are you going?"


    "There''s more to their story than they''re letting on and I n on investigating it," he


    said getting in the car.


    My eyebrows furrowed.


    What more could there be to a wolf fight?


    ....

 Chapter 11- Ill Always Carry You-1

    We drove in a tenacious silence for about five minutes before we came upon Luca''s house.


    We unloaded the groceries out with Luca and Philip helping and we set them on the kitchen countertop.


    I cleaned Bates'' breakfast dishes off the counter and stuck them in the dishwasher


    before helping Anna, Toree, Norah, and Abree begin to take things out of the shopping


    bags and ce them in their designated spots in the kitchen.


    "I''m heading out," Luca said pulling car keys from his pocket.


    "Stay here," he said, his eyes fixed on me.


    I huffed and turned around to put the milk carton in the refrigerator that was bare. I thought men ate a lot? Why on earth is there no food here?


    I heard the front door shut and I groaned.


    "He''s so stubborn," I mumbled as I put a bag of potato chips in the pantry.


    "He''s just looking out for you," Anna said in a motherly voice.


    I nodded, unable to speak because of the sudden headache that had hit me. The bridge of my nose, right between my eyes, began to throb and I could feel my wolf bing uneasy.


    There was no telling what was wrong with her. She''d been very moody and hormonal ever since we''d been living with Luca.


    I endured the headache for a while more as we finished unpacking groceries. The pantry, fridge, and drawers were stocked full with enough food tost months; even with a full-grown wolf in the house.


    I ced my head on the countertop and took three deep breaths before I sat up and went to the medicine cab.


    Of course there was no medicine here...


    I went into the living room where Toree, Abree, and Norah allid on the couches. "Where''s Ms. Anna?" I asked.


    Abree pointed to the hallway and I walked down it and into Luca''s bedroom where Anna sat. She was going through the clothes I''d gotten from Bates'' sister with the biggest scowl on her face.


    "Did you get these from Paxton?" She asked when she saw me.


    "If that''s Bates'' sister then yes," I said entering the room.


    "Oh, hon, we''re going shopping for you as soon as possible," she said throwing a shirt


    on the floor. "You shouldn''t have to wear hand-me-downs, you''re a Luna for God''s sake and you''re a gorgeous girl who needs clothes to match."


    I smiled.


    "What about tomorrow?" I suggested.


    A bright smile illuminated her face.


    "Okay! Maybe I can convince the girls toe... Norah isn''t much of a shopper but Abree and Toree can spend a dor quicker than anyone I''ve ever seen," she saidughing.


    "What about Hanna?" I asked.


    She bit her lip and shrugged.


    "I can ask... I''m not sure what her problem was today," she said.


    "It''s okay," I nodded. "I think we both just need some time to get used to things."


    My head started to throb and I felt like I could feel my heartbeat in my eyes.


    I blinked furiously and put my palms to my temples.


    "What''s wrong?" Anna asked getting off the bed.


    "I''ve got a horrid headache," I exined. "I actually came to find you to see if you had any Aspirin."


    She nodded.


    "I have some in my purse, hold on a minute."


    She walked by me and I followed her back into the kitchen. Anna pulled a medicine


    capsule from her purse and poured out two tablets. I took a seat at the countertop as


    she filled a ss with water and handed me the medicine.


    "Thank you," I said as I took the pills.


    This was so abnormal. Wolves don''t normally need human medicine. We are, by


    definition, far more healthier. Aspirin shouldn''t even faze us.


    I closed my eyes and began to massage my temples with my fingertips.


    I felt a gust of wind and when I opened my eyes I was standing in the doorway.


    Anna came rushing around the corner and all three girls sat up from the couches.


    "What did I just do?" I asked with wide eyes.


    All four were silent and could only stare.


    "Are you okay?" Norah finally asked.


    I nodded.


    "It''s just a headache," I said.


    "Do your eyes normally turn silver when you have a headache?" She asked slowly. Silver?


    I ran into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. Sure enough, my eyes were a tinum silver that glowed.


    Freaked out, I hurried back into the living room.


    "This isn''t normal!" I said panicking.


    Then, everything blurred. I felt another gust of wind and I looked around to see myself


    standing in the middle of Luca''s front yard.


    "What''s happening?" I shouted as Anna and her daughters came running out the front door.


    All four looked genuinely confused.


    Then I felt it. My normally dormant wolf was calling to me. It felt odd considering


    wolves and their human forms don''t normallymunicate. But her message was simple: trouble.


    I only knew one thing and that was that I needed to find Luca.


    I tried to walk back into the house but it was like there was a mental block that


    wouldn''t let my feet move in that direction. For every step I took forward, I took three steps away from the house.


    I looked at Anna with wide eyes.


    "If it''s your wolf then you need to follow that instinct," She said.

 Chapter 11- Ill Always Carry You-2

    I sighed.


    Tired of reigning in my wolf, I let my primal instinct take over and I was immediately dashing acrosswns andnd faster than I ever had before.


    My wolf was begging to be let loose and shift but I fought it and continued to run as fast as my human legs could carry me.


    The headache slowly died away and I knew I was doing the right thing by going to find Luca.


    My grandmother would often tell me that mates were made for each other. It was a saying I never fully understood until nearly three days ago.


    The way our palms pressed together and our fingers intertwined perfectly so he could stroke my hand with his thumb made it seem like our hands were made to hold each others. The way our bodies molded perfectly together when we slept; his legs tangled with mine, my back pressed against his chest, his one arm wrapped around my waist and the other underneath my pillow.


    Physically, there was no denying that Luca and I were mates. But what surprised me most, was thepatibility of Luca and I both mentally and emotionally.


    It was the way Luca could read me like an open book like no one else could. The way I could look at him and tell what he was thinking. I could tell when he was angry and he could tell when I was upset. It was the little things no one else would read into that could tell us what other was feeling.


    And now, it was the way I knew emotionally that I need to find him. If my wolf was involved, I knew it was serious. I needed to find Luca and quickly.


    ?


    Soon my legs slowed down and my wolf willed me to stop on the frontwn of a tattered log cabin.


    Instantly, I regretted what I was going to find behind the closed doors of that cabin. I strained against my wolf''s will and kept myself from moving any closer to the house. Then I felt the familiar dizziness and saw the faded blur. Before I knew what was happening, I burst through the oak front door and literally knocked it off the hinges. Surprised at my own entrance, I stared at the broken threshold before I looked up into the house and gasped.


    Nearly two dozen chains were mounted to each wall and attached to them were girls about my age judging by looks.


    All bound and tied-up, each girl had her mouth gagged and hands cuffed behind her back. None of them in anything but undergarments, they all started to scream at me although it was muffled by the cloths stuffed in their mouths.


    "Well, this isn''t exactly how I''d nned our introduction, my Luna."


    I looked up and saw a tall,nky man maybe in his mid, tote, twenties walking confidently down a staircase in front of me.


    "I''m d that we met this way then. I''m under the impression this ce wouldn''t have been a conversation starter for the two of us," I said bitterly.


    Instantly his eyes darkened and he lunged at me.


    It was like my world was thrown into Jell-O because everything was suddenly in slow motion.


    Normally, I would''ve panicked. I''d never taken a self-defense ss in my life much less needed to defend myself; I had every right to be scared.


    But this time, everything changed. Instead of running away or flinching at my attacker,


    I crouched low and, grabbing his legs, flipped his body over mine.


    Hended on his back and I heard the wind escape his lungs.


    Catching his breath, he got up slowly and I took his unpreparedness to my advantage.


    I swung my leg around and literally round-house kicked him across the room and into the wall.


    The whole room went silent and all twenty-some-odd girls stared back and forth between me and the man with wide eyes.


    "That was so... cool!" I eximed jumping up and fist pumping the air.


    The unconscious man in the wall woke up and shook his head, trying to regain his


    senses.


    He pushed himself out of the sheetrock and fell on his hands and knees.


    A low growl erupted from directly behind me, sending the whole room still.


    The hairs on the back of my neck stood straight on end and I took a deep breath


    before turning around to face a livid Luca Ronan.


    His eyes had turned a tinum color as well but his were gold, not silver, and his jaw was clenched tighter than I''d ever seen it before.


    If this was a cartoon, he would have had steam blowing out of his ears.


    "I can exin..." I started.


    He cut me off and pulled me behind him, flush against his back.


    "Luca, it''s always nice to see you," the man said with fake confidence as he stood up weakly.


    "Don''t give me that bullshit, Kode! What the hell is all of this?!" Luca roared.


    The whole room flinched and became quiet again.


    Before I could stop him, Luca darted across the room and had Kode pinned to the wall by his neck.


    As if it were my second nature, I leaped into action and began to pull the hand cuffs off each girl. It stunned me as I pulled apart the iron sps on thest girl. I looked at


    my hands and there wasn''t a single sign that I''d just effortlessly pulled apart metal with my bare hands.


    I ran out the front door and followed after the girls who were all on thewn. "Don''t leave yet please!" I yelled out.


    All of them stopped and stayed put on the grass. I sighed in relief remembering what Luca had told me about all the unmated male wolves running around here.


    Considering it was now dark outside, I would think twenty-four girls running across the pd half-naked wouldn''t be the best idea.


    I turned to look inside the house and I saw Luca pick up Kode by his hair and drag him outside.


    I heard a shriek and I saw all the girls huddle around something.


    I quickly jumped off the porch and made my way through the crowd of girls to see


    them all standing over a girl who was passed out below them.


    I kneeled down and pressed two fingers against the inside of her wrist and another two on the tender skin of her neck.


    Not only were my fingertips not picking up any pulse, I couldn''t hear a heartbeat.


    I quickly began to perform CPR just the way Mady had taught me. God, I need to send


    that girl a thank-you note for all the things I''ve learned from her.


    For almost two minutes, I pounded into the girls chest and broke more of her ribs than


    I care to admit. I lowered my hands down to her chest onest time before she sat straight up and gasped.


    She fell over onto the grass and threw-up causing most of the girls to back away.


    I began to rub a soothing hand on her back as I tried to catch my own breath and wiped the sweat off my forehead.


    I looked up and saw Luca dragging Kode out of the house by his hair and then throw him out on the grass in front of the porch.


    "You''re a sick person, you know that?!" Luca bellowed, throwing his leg into Kode''s side.


    Kode gasped for air and rolled over, away from Luca, before looking up at me and smiling evilly.


    "Then would it be totally out of my character to say your mate is quite possibly the sexiest thing I''ve ever-"


    Luca cut him off by bringing his fist down across Kode''s face. I heard a deafening snap before Kode fell over into the grass.

 Chapter 11- Ill Always Carry You-3

    Headlights illuminated the yard and I turned to see Anna, Philip, their daughters, and Bates get out of an SUV.


    "Bates, escort all these girls to their homes and don''t leave any of them alone until they''re safe," Luca instructed.


    Bates nodded as Anna spoke up.


    "We''ll help him," she said to Luca.


    He nodded in consent before his eyes traveled to me.


    Luca looked me up and down but not in a perverted way. It was as if he was making sure I was alright.


    He pulled out a cell phone and I listened in.


    "inee and get this body from the log cabin up the mountain. I want it disposed


    of by morning," he said before hanging up.


    He stepped over Kode''s lifeless body and made his way towards me.


    "Did you see me beat him up?!" I asked excitedly. "I literally kicked him through the


    wall!! It was the coolest thing I''ve ever done!"


    His face remained expressionless as he grabbed my upper arm and literally dragged


    me off thewn and into the woods.


    Luca''s long legs made for long strides that my short legs couldn''t keep up with.


    "What''s wrong with you?" I asked trying to pry his hands away from my arm.


    He stopped and let go of my arm. Because he had been walking so fast, I didn''t have


    anytime to pull my feet under me and I fell, face-first, into the dirt.


    Luca pulled me off the ground by the hem of my white dress and set me down against


    a tree.


    "I told you to stay at home, did I not?!" He asked threateningly.


    "You did, but-"


    "But what?! What excuse could you possibly have for disobeying me and almost getting yourself killed?!" He bellowed.


    "Disobeying you?" I asked in disbelief. "You''re my mate not my dad!"


    I pushed him away from me and pushing myself off the tree.


    "I''m your Alpha!" He yelled.


    "You''re my mate first, nimrod!" I said pping his shoulder. "That''s why I left home! I didn''t have any say in it! My wolf literally took over my body and ran me to that ce before I could protest! She sensed trouble and I thought it was you!"


    He was quiet and his face softened.


    "Your wolf sensed trouble and she thought it was me?" Luca asked softly.


    "Yes!" I said crossing my arms.


    His hands took my face in them and he pulled me in for a passionate kiss.


    As much as I wanted to give in, I was still angry with him for yelling at me for trying to save his life.


    I pushed him away.


    "I''m still mad at you," I mumbled.


    "You don''t know what happened do you?" He asked, clearly amused.


    "What?" I asked.


    "That was your wolf''s Luna senses. She sensed those girls in trouble and forced you to


    do something about it," he said. "That''s why your eyes turned silver because you were letting your wolf''s Luna instincts take over."


    "Oh," I breathed.


    "Wait, but I''m not even in the pack yet. There hasn''t been an eptance ceremony, I''m not Luna yet," I pointed out.


    "You''re mated to an Alpha," Luca said, still holding my face in his hands. "She''s figured out what she is."


    Well, it makes sense. That would exin my sudden (and very wicked) ability to defend myself. It would also exin why I leapt into action so fast when the girl''s heart had stopped.


    I had saved a life tonight and Luca had taken one. There was something seriously wrong with this picture...


    Luca''s eyes trailed down to my feet and he growled.


    "What happened to your foot?" He asked through gritted teeth.


    I looked down to my feet and realized I didn''t even have on shoes. In addition to my


    shoelessness, my right ankle was swollen and bruising very quickly.


    "I guess that''s where I kicked him," I said lifting it up.


    "You kicked him?" Luca asked.


    "Yeah, right through the wall!" I eximed.


    Heughed and picked me up bridal style.


    "That''s my girl," he said kissing my nose.


    I felt my heart swell with pride as Luca carried me home through the woods.


    When we reached the house, Luca''s phone rang and he answered it while opening the front door.


    He continued to hold me and red at me when I tried to get down so I decided I would just hang on until he got off the phone.


    Luca hung up and put the phone on the shelf beside the door.


    "Mom said to tell you goodnight and she''ll be here with the girls tomorrow at three," he said.


    "Good, can I get down now?" I asked.


    "No, your ankle''s hurt," he said in a duh-tone.


    "No, it''s not!" I said in protest.


    He shrugged and sat me down on the floor.


    The second pressure was put on my right ankle, a searing pain shot up my leg and I


    pulled myself back up into Lucas''s arms.


    "Must you learn everything the hard way?" He asked carrying me into his bedroom. "Must you always carry me everywhere?" I retaliated.


    "I''ll always carry you, baby."


    ....

 Chapter 12- She-Wolf In Training-1

    "Luca, I''m fine!"


    "No, you''re not! Your ankle is hurt!" He shouted back.


    I got up on the bed and started to jump on it. I bounced up and down for a few


    seconds to prove my ankle was already fully-healed from a goodnight''s rest, an ice pack, and my wolf''s quick-healing nature.


    "I am fine!" I repeated plopping down on the mattress.


    "You''re not going anywhere, that''s final," he said.


    I groaned as he left the room and I got up off the bed and followed him. No way was I going to let him have thest word.


    "Luca, I told your mom I could go! Why is it you won''t let me?" I asked.


    It made me even more angry that I felt like I was talking to my dad and not my mate.


    Luca shouldn''t be able to control me like this. His possessiveness was only cute for so


    long...


    "You''re not going," he said again. His tone immediately changed from one of a loving mate to a fierce leader.


    "Did you just use your Alpha tone on me?" I asked in a livid shock.


    Luca''s jaw clenched and guilt shed in his eyes momentarily.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked. "This is more than you not wanting me to go shopping, now tell me."


    He took a deep breath and held his chin high.


    "You''re not marked yet and I refuse to let you go anywhere without me until you are." My jaw dropped.


    "I can''t be marked by you until I''m epted into the pack and you know that! It could


    be months before the next blue moon and I refuse to stay locked up in this house alone until then," I said crossing my arms.


    eptance ceremonies are held for wolves that want to join a pack. Because of the sincerity of pack eptance, the ceremonies are only held on blue moons; the second full moon of each month.


    I''d missed thest blue moon because I had been wallowing around in pain from Heat. There was no telling when the next blue moon would be.


    Maybe I could convince Luca to mark me before my eptance...


    It wasn''t impossible to mark someone not in your pack, just frowned upon. However, considering this was Luca Ronan, I didn''t think he gave a rats butt what anyone thought.


    But do I want him to mark me? God, he''s so impossible sometimes. The thought of rejection came to my mind before I pushed it back away. There was no way I could leave Luca after what his mother opened up and told me.


    But was I ready for this? I mean, really ready for this...


    My wolf was already starting to act like a Luna and I was semi-attached to the people I''ve met so far.


    It was hard to believe this was the pack that was feared by so many. I could believe, however, that Luca was the Alpha everyone feared. I was getting chills just looking at the re he gave me when I raised my voice.


    "You''re not going anywhere until you''re imed. I will call my mom and tell her; she will understand," he said firmly.


    I stomped my foot and stormed off to the guest bedroom, mming the door behind me.


    I threw myself on the bed and stuffed my face in a pillow before screaming in


    annoyance.


    Iid on the bed for an hour, at least, before I got up and walked out.


    Luca was nowhere to be found and I was half excited and half disappointed at his absence.


    I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a Coke bottle and the potato chip bag.


    I took my snack back into Luca''s bedroom, which happened to be the only bedroom with a TV.


    I sat down in the middle of the bed and made myselffortable before turning on the TV.


    I flipped through a few shows while eating before the bedroom door opened.


    Luca stood at the threshold of the bedroom and the hallway and narrowed his eyes at


    me.


    "Are you getting crumbs all over the bed?" He asked.


    Deciding I wanted to make him even more angry, I picked up a potato chip and


    crumbled it in my hand before releasing the crumbs all over his side of the bed, all while not breaking eye contact.


    Luca closed his eyes before drawing in a deep breath and exhaling through gritted teeth.


    He walked over to the bed and at first I though he was angry but he just wiped all the crumbs off his side of the bed.


    I stuck another chip in my mouth before the bag was abducted from grasp.


    "No, give it back!" I said, mouth full of chips.


    "That''s verydy-like," he said sarcastically. Luca set the bag down on the bedside table.


    "I''m not ady," I said getting to my knees and putting my hands on my hips.


    Heughed and wrapped his arms around my waist, through my arms.


    Luca picked me up and I grabbed the sheets on the bed and tried to pull myself away from him.


    "Let go, you''re going to get the bed all messed up," he said trying to pry my hands off the sheets.


    I let go with one hand and grabbed a pillow.


    Before he even saw iting, I whipped the fluffy thing around and it smashed


    against the side of his face.


    He got really still and I pulled myself out of his arms, back on the bed.


    "Did you just hit me?" He asked in a frighteningly low voice.


    "Yes, get over it," I said sticking out my tongue.


    He lunged across the bed and I scurried away until there was nowhere left to scurry.


    My hands came to the edge of the bed, unknowingly, and the next move I made away from Luca was one that sent me tumbling off the bed and hitting the hardwood floor. The bed was at least three feet off the ground and the impact my shoulder made with the floor hurt like the dickens.


    "Are you okay?" Luca asked peeping over the side of the bed.


    His hair was all messed up and rowdy from where I hit him with the pillow and his emerald green-eyes were full of concern and worry.


    I swung the pillow that was still in my grasp at his face but he caught it.


    "I take that as a yes," he said reaching down and lifting me back up to the bed.


    Effortlessly, he pulled me into hisp and rubbed soothing circles into my back.


    "Are you okay? Did it hurt?" He asked.


    "When I fell from heaven?" I asked teasingly.

 Chapter 12- She-Wolf In Training-2

    "No, when you climbed up from Hell through earth''s crust," he saidughing.


    I tackled him down and began to beat him with a pillow.


    Luca wasughing hard. His eyes were squinted making crow''s feet appear by his eyes.


    His mouth was in a wide smile allowing his pearly white teeth to be viewed.


    Hisugh was absolute music to my ears. I stopped my assault on him just so I could hear it.


    A little giggle escaped my lips when he stoppedughing and a shade of pink tinged his cheeks.


    "Are you blushing?!" Iughed.


    "No," he said. His face returned to a stoic and serious expression and I justughed.


    "Yes you were!" I said sitting up.


    But then I was the one that blushed when I realized I was straddling his torso.


    "I was not," he protested.


    I leaned down and pinched his cheeks.


    "Yes, you were! Little Luca was blushing!" I said in a baby voice as I rubbed my nose against his.


    Luca grabbed my face in his hands and pressed his lips firmly to mine.


    My eyes widened at the sudden turn of events but I soon rolled with it, quite literally, as he pushed himself over me.


    "You''re going to mess up the bed," I said pulling away.


    "I don''t give a damn about the bed," he said kissing me again.


    I pulled away with much self control and pushed him off of me.


    Luca groaned as his back his the mattress beside me and he rolled over on his side and propped his head up in his hand.


    "Do you want to go out to the training field?" He asked twirling a strand of my hair


    between his fingers.


    "As in work out?" I asked slowly.


    He nodded.


    "Um... my ankle''s hurt."


    .


    "I''m serious Luca, you may need to carry me back home... I think it''s broken," I said fake-hobbling behind him as we walked towards the training field.


    "Aww, I''m sorry, beautiful. But you were jumping on the bed this morning, I think you should be fine," he said with an evil smirk.


    I mumbled, grumbled, andined the entire rest of the way through the woods before we came to the clearing.


    "Why are we even doing this? We could be at home; cuddling and watching chick flicks while feeding each other little heart-shaped choctes! But nooooo! Luca wants to


    exercise," I said with excessive bitterness.


    He cracked a smile and I kicked his shin.


    "I hate exercising," I said crossing my arms.


    "You''ve made that tantly clear now can you stop bickering and wolf-up so we can get this over with?" He asked.


    I mumbled something colorful under my breath about stupid Alphas and Luca took


    that as the signal to continue walking into the arena of misery.


    "You need to train. I don''t want another episode likest night," Luca said.


    "But I kicked the guy''s butt!" I said throwing my hands up.


    Luca didn''t answer, only kept walking.


    I spotted ine standing off to the side of the clearing, swinging a long sword into a wooden sparring dummy.


    "Why can''t he train me?" I asked.


    A low growl bubbled up in Luca''s chest and he red at me. I returned it with an evil smile and walked right past him.


    We came to a dirt trail about six feet wide that had little white stones lining the sides of it. The trail wondered off into the forest beside the clearing and when I turned around I could see the trail came back out and ended on the other side of the clearing. I turned around again and looked at ine. He was all by himself and I wondered if he had found his mate or not. Maybe he was just overly obsessed with physical exercise; something I hoped I''d never experience.


    "For every nce you give him, it''s one more mile you''re running," Luca said angrily. "For every threat you make to me, it''s one more night I''m sleeping in the guest bedroom," I countered.


    We both red at each other.


    It was both a blessing and a curse to be perfectlypatible with your mate. You


    knew how to calm each other down and make them happy, but you also knew how to get on their ever-lovingst nerve.


    "We''ll run a mile to just to get blood flowing," Luca said stretching his calves. "We''re here to teach you how to fight after all, not to lose weight."


    I shrugged.


    "I''m good with either way. Maybe I can lose some of this," I said smacking my thighs. "Don''t move," he said.


    I froze thinking there was some sort of spider or insect on me but Luca came closer


    and just poked my thigh with his finger, causing it to jiggle.


    "What are you doing?" I asked smacking his hand away.


    "That''s the cutest thing ever," he saidughing, poking my thigh again.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "Are you seriously running in that?" I asked pointing at his baseball tee and track pants.


    "Nope," he said lifting his shirt above his shoulders.


    I stared at his tan, muscr chest before shaking my head.


    "Okay, you''re gunna have to run behind me," I said trying my hardest to avert my eyes from his broad shoulders.


    "And have me stare at your butt the whole way? No," he said crossing his arms.


    I gulped as the muscles in his arms and chest bulged at the movement.


    "It''s either you stare at my butt the whole time or I stare at your abs the whole time...


    Either way, one of us is going to end up running into something and I''d prefer it not be me," I said.


    We both burst into a fit ofughter as I took off running and Luca followed.

 Chapter 12- She-Wolf In Training-3

    I was excited to see the view as we ran. I hadn''t had the chance to explore the pd yet and I was very anxious to.


    We ran for maybe ten minutes before Luca stopped us.


    "Alright we need to turn back now," he said.


    We did an about face and Luca ran in front of me the whole way home. Let''s just be


    honest here and I''ll say I enjoyed a different kind of view on the way back.


    Once back inside the training field, I made Luca put back on his shirt. I wanted to actually learn something that day other than the fact that my mate had a million dor body.


    I looked around and saw that ine had left. We were the only ones in the clearing. It wasn''t surprising though. It was still in the early hours of the morning. Dew was still dripping from the grass and fog was still settled over some areas.


    "Here, babe,e over here," I heard Luca call.


    I walked towards him and saw him standing at a ck mat.


    "Do you know how to do a nk?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "Okay, then do it and I want you to hold it for as long as you can," he said sitting down


    beside the mat and propping his elbows on his knees.


    I took a deep breath andid down belly first on the mat. After counting to three, I


    lifted myself onto my elbows and tippy toes and held the position.


    I stayed that way for a while and about the time I started to hum the Jeopardy theme


    song, I was getting bored.


    "Can I let go now?" I asked.


    "Is it not hard?" He asked.


    "No, I''m just bored," I said honestly.


    I heard him chuckle before he got up, grabbed my waist, and lifted my up.


    "Good job," he said proudly.


    "Are we done? Can we go home now?" I asked excitedly.


    Lucaughed.


    "Absolutely not, mio amour. We''re just getting started."


    Hours past and people hade, done their workout, and left and Luca and I were still in the training field.


    Luca called it training, I called it torture. I was going to be more sore the next day than I''d ever been in my life and that was a fact.


    "I wouldn''t give you a hug right now if you gave me a million dors to do it," I said


    throwing myself tiredly on a resting bench. I took a sloppy sip from the water bottle


    Luca gave me.


    Whereas I looked like I was melting into the earth, Luca looked absolutely fine and had barely broken a sweat even though he''d done most of the things I had.


    "Oh, please. Yes you would," he said sitting next to me.


    I gave him a sarcastically sweet smile.


    "Of course I would! I''d wrap my arms around your neck and hug you so tight, you''d stop inhaling oxygen and your blood flow would stop," I said.


    Heughed loudly and I took another drink of water.


    "Let''s go home now," he said standing up.


    "Thank God!" I eximed standing up.


    He started to walk off and I took one step behind him and winced.


    "Luca," I said sweetly.


    "What?" He asked giving me a weird look.


    "Can you carry me?" I asked.


    "No, you can walk," he said resuming his walk away from me.


    "What happened to; "I''ll always carry you, baby"?" I said dropping my voice an octave trying to sound like Luca.


    He stopped walking andughed.


    "I guess I''ve got a promise to keep," he said walking back and picking me up.


    About halfway home, I couldn''t keep my eyes open any longer and I fell asleep due to exhaustion.


    ?


    When I woke up, I was so stiff and sore and achy all over. I stretched over and looked


    at the clock beside the bed. It was only lunch time. I had only slept for maybe an hour or two.


    I sat up and I looked around Luca''s room. I was changed into arge t-shirt and by the smell of it, it was Luca''s.


    I got up and stiffly moved to the door and out of the room.


    Sunlight streamed into the house, the warmth rxing my muscles. But I couldn''t find Luca.


    I searched the whole first floor and still, he was nowhere to be found.


    I finally decided to look on the second floor and suffered through the first flight of stairs on my sore and achy legs.


    After not finding him there either, I decided to go up another story to his office.


    There were no windows on that staircase making it incredibly dark.


    My hands wandered blindly along the halls looking for a light switch or amp. "Luca?" I called.


    No reply.


    As soon as my fingers found a light switch I heard a growl from behind me. I flipped the switch on immediately and turned around to face the most terrifying creature I''d


    ever seen.


    Standing at about six feet high, much taller than myself, was a pitch ck wolf. Golden eyes that seemed like they could see straight through my soul stared back at me. Muscle rippled through its body as it took a step closer to me.


    I took a step backward and another frightening growl escaped it''s teeth-bareing snout. "Luca is that you?" I asked.


    Before anything else could register, the animal leaped forward and its paws found my chest.


    I was pushed backward on the hardwood floor, knocking my head against it.


    As soon as the impact came, my consciousness escaped me and everything went dark.


    ....

 Chapter 13- No Control-1

    My eyes fluttered open to meet a white ceiling and a super bright light.


    I turned my head slightly and closed my eyes.


    Ears ringing, I couldn''t hear anything but the muffled sounds of people talking.


    I turned my head again and winced as a sharp pain spread in my skull.


    My eyes shot open and I sat straight up. I ignored the extreme dizziness that swept


    over me and the roaring of blood flow in my ears as I squinted and looked around past the bright light shining over me.


    I jumped a little when Anna came running to me and made mey gently back down.


    The roaring in my ears calmed down slightly and I could hear her speaking in a soothing andforting tone although I didn''t have a clue what exactly she was saying.


    A numbness had settled in my toes and fingers. Painced itself down my spine, in my neck, and mostly on the back of my head.


    A horrid headache made it hurt to think and I couldn''t keep my eyes open for long because the light made my headache worse.


    Not only could I hear the faint sound of Anna speaking to me, I could also hear my heartbeat thumping loudly in my chest.


    I regretted moving at all because as soon as I wasid back down I became even more dizzy and disoriented.


    Because of the headache I couldn''t feel my wolf. I hoped nothing horrible had


    happened...


    shes of my memory came back to me slowly and I began to remember everything. All at once, my memory came back to me.


    **shback**


    "Luca?"


    No reply.


    As soon as my fingers found a light switch I heard a growl from behind me. I flipped the switch on immediately and turned around to face the most terrifying creature I''d


    ever seen.


    Standing at about six feet high, much taller than myself, was a pitch ck wolf. Golden eyes that seemed like they could see straight through my soul stared back at me. Muscle rippled through its body as it took a step closer to me.


    I took a step backward and another frightening growl escaped it''s teeth-bareing snout. "Luca is that you?" I asked.


    Before anything else could register, the animal leaped forward and its paws found my chest.


    I was pushed backward on the hardwood floor, knocking my head against it.


    As soon as the impact came, my consciousness escaped me and everything went dark. **end of shback**


    My blood ran cold at the memory and I took short, shallow breaths.


    Mumbling things that were incoherent even to myself, I tried to sit back up but I was held down.


    I froze as soon as I felt the tingles dance across the skin on my cheek. My eyes fluttered open and I saw the handsome face of my mate.


    A worried look seemed permanently etched on his face. His eyebrows were drawn together and his beautiful green eyes were filled with concern.


    He sat down beside me and his lips touched my temple.


    "Are you okay?"


    His words echoed in my ears and I mumbled something along the lines of a ''no'' in reply.


    Luca took my limp hands in his and rubbed his thumb on the outside of my hands. "Get some rest."


    It was thest thing I heard before everything went dark.


    ?


    For what seemed like days, I slipped in and out of sleep; each time I woke up, I could


    see Luca sitting beside me either with head eitherid on my stomach or his head in his hands.


    After slipping out of consciousness for thest time, I finally woke up with a clear orientation of everything around me.


    I was in a room with baby blue walls and a white ceiling. The bed I wasying on was a twin-sized with white, crisp sheets and a single pillow.


    Sunlight streamed in the two windows of the room, letting me know I had been out for at least a day.


    Red and blue cables ran from stickers on my chest to a monitor stationed beside the bed.


    A mechanical beeping noise was all that could be heard, it was the single thing proving


    to the people around me that I was still living.


    I still wore the t-shirt belonging to Luca. His scent was covered in the shirt making me more rxed andforted.


    My eyes wondered across the room and I saw Luca with his head on the mattress beside me. Dark circles had formed themselves around his eyes and drool escaped from his open mouth.


    I felt my heart break knowing he hadn''t slept well since the incident.


    His soft hand held my right one and I gave it a gentle squeeze.


    A deep intake of breath signaled Luca waking up. Slowly his head lifted and he set his chin down on the mattress.


    He took a few more deep breaths and slowly his eyes opened.


    Our eyes met and immediately he sat straight up and scooted his chair closer to me.


    "Hey, baby girl," he said softy, running his fingers through my hair and giving my hand a small squeeze.


    I gave him a small smile that didn''t quite reach my ears.


    "Are you feeling better?" He asked, his concerned eyes pleading for a positive answer. "Yeah," I whispered. My throat felt like sandpaper.

 Chapter 13- No Control-2

    The door to the room opened slowly and Anna and Philip peeked their heads in. A smile lit up Anna''s face as she opened the door fully and everyone spilled in. Norah, Abree, Toree, and even Hanna apanied them. All of the Ronan''s held balloons and candy.


    "Is she better?" Anna asked Luca, cing her hands on his shoulders.


    "Seems to be," he said softly.


    The door burst open and in rushed Bates with an arm-full of stuffed animals and three balloons tied to his arm.


    "It''s not Valentine''s Day for God''s sake," Luca mumbled.


    I took my thumb nail and dug it into the tender flesh of his wrist.


    He winced and gave me a hard re which I returned with one of my own.


    Bates looked around awkwardly beforeying all the stuffed animals at the end of the bed. Everyone else did the same with what they brought and then they all tied the balloons to Luca''s chair.


    "Hey Carol," Bates said sheepishly. I smiled at the stupid nickname.


    Immediately after, the door opened once again and in walked a woman in a violet scrub shirt and jeans. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and she had a folder in her hand.


    "Goodmorning, Luna Caroline!" She said brightly. "How are you feeling? Better I hope..."


    I nodded and gave her a smile.


    "You can call me Carrie," I said groggily.


    She gave me a nod in reply before sitting down in a desk chair beside the monitor. "Alrighty, you look much, much better this morning. The swelling has gone down in your feet and hands and the bruising around your eyes is minimal," she said examining my face.


    Bruising?


    "What exactly happened?" I asked.


    "Well, when you fell, you hit the parietal bone on your skull. You busted a few blood vessels and that caused some swelling around your eyes and on the back of your head. There wasn''t much nerve damage, only enough to make your fingers and toes a little tingly. It was a pretty textbook knockout which we''re very thankful for," she said setting her folder down on the bed.


    "How long was I asleep?" I asked.


    "You woke up about ten minutes after the ident but you''ve slept for at least fifteen hours. It''s good thing though, you needed the rest," she said nodding.


    I took it all in with a big sigh.


    "So she can go home?" Luca asked.


    The woman nodded.


    "I''d stay away from excessive movement for maybe a week just to make sure there isn''t any extensive damage. If you get lightheaded at all or your headaches get any worse, just tell Alpha Ronan and he''ll get you some help," she said giving me a smile and standing up from her chair.


    She took my left arm and pulled the sp monitor from my finger and then pulled the intravenous needle from the inside of my elbow. My eyes widened at the two-inch long needle that was previously in my arm as she ced a gauze pad on my arm and wrapped it up.


    "Alpha Ronan," she said nodding before she left the room.


    "Let''s get you home," Luca said picking me up.


    "I''ll help the fam get your crap," Bates said picking up the stuffed animals.


    I saw Luca roll his eyes but I put my head into the crook of his neck as he ced his hands under my bum and carried me out.


    I was carried out of a house where I saw the woman who had just attended to me sitting at a table drinking tea.


    "Did I stay in her house?" I asked, my voice scratchy and rough.


    "I wouldn''t have been able to get you to the infirmary quick enough so I brought you


    straight to the pack doctor," Luca said going out the front door.


    I was carried across awn and to a car where Luca sat in the backseat with me in his


    Finally we were dropped off at Luca''s house and Luca carried me inside and into his bedroom while everyone else put their things in the living room and left.


    "Don''ty me down, I need to go take a bath. I feel disgusting," I said.


    He steered away from the bed and into the washroom. Gently setting me down on my


    feet, he made sure I was steady before walking to the tub to run the bath water. "Do you need anymore help?" He asked.


    Obviously, he was referring to my clothes. I shook my head and tried not to smile.


    "I''ve got it from here, thank you," I said.


    He gave me a grim smile before walking out. I shut the door and instantly it was reopened.


    "Leave the door open," he said.


    "Why?"


    "Because. Leave it open," he said more firmly.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "Then go away until I get in," I said.


    He groaned and walked away. I peeked out the door and saw him standing right


    beside it. Motioning for him to back up, I did so until he was all the way to the bedroom door.


    Quickly, I undressed and got into the warm water.


    Smirking to myself, I pulled the shower curtain over the tub so he wouldn''t be able to peek in.


    "You can stop standing at the door now," I yelled.


    "Is that an invitation toe in?" Luca asked suggestively.


    "Only if you take it that way," I said teasingly.


    It was quiet for a second before I heard him.


    "Seriously?" He asked referring to the shower curtain. I knew by his voice he was at the


    bathroom door looking in and I giggled.

 Chapter 13- No Control-3

    "Seriously, and it''s staying that way until I get out," I said as demanding as I could.


    "Well am I supposed to do now?" He asked.


    "Did I ruin your ns by closing the shower curtain?" I asked


    "Kinda," was his reply.


    Iughed.


    "You''re more than wee to sit outside the tub if you promise not to peek at me," I bargained.


    I heard Luca''s feet shuffle across the bathroom tiles before he sat down right beside the bathtub.


    "This feels so awkward," he mumbled through the curtain.


    "You''ll get over it," I said, getting my hair wet.


    It was quiet for a moment, allowing the memory of what happened to sink back in.


    I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.


    "What happened, Luca?" I asked quietly. I knew he heard me but his reply was hesitant. "You hit your head-"


    "No, Luca. You know what I''m talking about," I said cutting him off.


    I put shampoo in my hand and paused as I waited for his reply.


    "Yesterday when we were training, I felt this tug in my stomach," he exined. "It only got worse with time, that''s why I wanted to get home. After you fell asleep, I went for a run, thinking maybe it was just my wolf but it only got worse. When I got back to the house, you were still asleep and I couldn''t get my wolf to shift back because my hormones were going haywire. I''ve never felt so out of control in my life... After about five minutes of trying to shift back, I heard you get out of the bed and panicked. After all that talk about marking you yesterday morning, I realized that''s what it was my wolf wanted to do. Immediately, I tried to get away because I didn''t have any self control. I went upstairs as quick as I could but your stubborn ass just followed. I hit all the lights hoping you''d take a hint but when you got about ten feet in front of me, my wolf lost it. I knew I was scaring you but it was scaring me that I wasn''t able to stop. My wolf just wanted to mark you, I swear I didn''t mean to hurt you at all, but the second your eyes closed after you fell, I didn''t even have to make myself shift back. That''s when I


    panicked and took you to Mary Ann."


    It was silent for a few moments as I began to put the shampoo in my hair.


    I tried to tell myself he didn''t really mean to hurt me. But he still did. I swallowed hard


    and began to rinse out the shampoo.


    "So it was an ident?" I asked softly.


    "Baby, it was a huge ident. I am so, so, so, so sorry," he whimpered. "Never in my


    life have I ever lost control of my wolf. I can''t believe the first time happened with you."


    "I guess we''ve had very different firsts with each other, am I right?" I said trying to lighten the mood.


    "I''m so sorry," Luca repeated.


    Great going, Caroline. You meant to lighten the mood and you managed to dim it even more. I mentally pped myself.


    "It''s o-"


    "No, dammit! It''s not okay so don''t you dare say that! What if I do end up marking you without your consent or what if I really loose it and rape you?"


    It was silent.


    "Baby, if you had been human that blow to the head would have knocked you retarded or could''ve killed you," he said, his voice breaking.


    "You''re right," I finally said. "But it''s more the reason to be thankful I''m not human. Luca, horrible things happen to the people we love and sometimes it''s us who cause them. But you know what? That''s life. On Mady''s sixteenth birthday we threw her a surprise party and when she tried to hug me she identally knocked me down a flight of hardwood stairs and I bit my tongue and needed four stitches. I couldn''t talk right for a month! And look at us now, she''s still my best friend. Bad things can result from good intentions but do you know what a horrible ce this world would be if we didn''t forgive people? Luca, it was an ident... and I forgive you."


    It waspletely silent. For a second I wondered if Luca had gotten up and left during my pathetic speech. But that was before the curtain was ripped away and my face was suddenly pulled into his.


    Our lips met in a passionate and sweet kiss.


    Luca pulled away and I quickly put my hand over his eyes. Heughed. His wrist caught mine and he slowly pulled my hand away from his face.


    I kept my eyes locked with his to make sure he didn''t look any further, otherwise my elbow would find his lip.


    His smile disappeared before he leaned further across the tub and took my face in his hands.


    "I promise you," he said not breaking eye contact. "I will never loose control like that


    again."


    "Are you making promises you can''t keep?" I asked raising an eyebrow.


    ?


    "I will keep this one," he said firmly. "Whatever it takes."


    After finally convincing Luca to leave the bathroom so I could finish bathing, I did so and began to get ready.


    I threw on some high-waisted denim shorts and a blue and white peasant top I found in Paxton''s bag.


    I looked into the mirror and was actually surprised at how good I looked. Compared to what I thought I would look like after a hit to the head, it wasn''t bad. The swelling and bruising around my eyes was minimal and save the knot on the back of my head I had to watch while I was brushing my hair, there didn''t seem to be any serious damage.


    I walked out of the bathroom to see Lucaying on his bed with his hands folded


    behind his head and his feet crossed. He was watching something on ESPN. "Where are you going?" He asked.


    I shrugged.


    "I don''t wanna stay in the house tonight."


    Heughed.


    "You''re not going anywhere, baby girl. You''re hurt and you need to rest."


    I rolled my eyes.


    "A) she said I was fine as long as I wasn''t doing an "excessive amount of movement".


    B) I am sick and tired of being cooped up. Can we please go somewhere?" I asked sitting down beside him.


    "Like where? Where exactly would you want to go?" He asked.


    I looked back to the TV trying to decide. I smirked when the reporter started to talk


    about the game that was going to happen that night and immediately got an idea.


    "We could go to Buffalo Wild Wings and that way you could still watch the game," I suggested.


    Luca was quiet.


    "Do ine and Bates get toe?" He asked.


    "As long as I can get as many wings as I want," I bargained.


    "Deal."


    ....

 Chapter 14- Like Normal People Do-1

    Luca and I ran and got into the car as quick as we possibly could after he called to


    make sure ine and Bates were free.


    Luca raced to ine''s house first before going to Bates'' and picking him up.


    As soon as Bates was in the car and buckled up, I turned around in the passenger seat.


    "Hey Bates do you know how to get to Buffalo Wild Wings?" I asked.


    "Yeah, Tour Guide Barbie, how do we get there?" Luca asked smirking.


    Bates rolled his eyes and started directing us to the restaurant. Twenty-five minutes


    "Looks like we''re not the only ones who thought about this," Luca said parking.


    I hopped out of the car and we all made our way inside.


    Football fans were everywhere. Some people had their hair painted red and others werepletely dressed in all blue.


    All eyes were on the TV as we were lead to our seat by a woman in her mid-tote forties.


    "What can I get to drink for you tonight, kids?" She asked pulled out a pen and pad. We all ordered our drinks; Luca getting a water, me getting Mountain Dew, and Bates and ine getting a beer.


    "You''re not drinking?" I asked Luca.


    I was somewhat surprised he had ordered water. I expected ine to be the one to drink healthily because he seemed to be on some sort of permanent health kick.


    "I don''t think me getting tipsy around you would solve any of our problems," he said throwing his hand around the back of my chair and the other one on the other chair beside of him.


    "And he''s an ugly drunk," ine added. I think that was the first time I''d ever seen him smile.


    Iughed at the screwed expression on Luca''s face as the woman returned with our drinks.


    "Ready to order?" She asked.


    While Bates was giving her the order for his three course meal, Luca turned to me.


    "Wanna get a big te and split it?" He asked.


    Iughed so hard, I snorted.


    "Ha! You think I share my wings..." I saidughing.


    Bates and ine bothughed as Luca just shook his head.


    After ordering, I looked up at one of the many TVs that were mounted on the wall. "Which team are we rooting for?" I asked,pletely put of the football loop.


    "The red," Luca and ine both answered simultaneously.


    ''Blue,'' Bates looked at me and mouthed, giving me a thumbs up.


    I smiled and nodded.


    All of a sudden, the entire ce was up in a frenzy. Some were shouting in protest and some were high-fiving each other and rooting for the team that just scored a touchdown.


    Luca''s arm wrapped around me tighter as we all jumped in fright at the sudden action.


    "People take this stuff way too seriously," he said looking around.


    "You take breathing too seriously," Bates said, swilling down his drink.


    Iughed.


    I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I turned around to see a young boy, maybe neen or twenty smiling at me.


    "Has someone taken your order?" He asked politely.


    That''s when I noticed the ck polo he was wearing with the yellow name tag. "Yes someone has, thank you though," I smiled.


    He smiled back and walked away. I turned my head and saw Luca''s ring eyes following the boy. His jaw was clenched and his eyes had darkened. He was jealous.


    Iughed and shook my head. Sticking my hand out to pinch his waist, I got his attention and sat up to whisper in his ear.


    "We''re in public, stop acting like that," I said softly.


    Luca''s eyes softened but his jaw remained clenched.


    "He was looking at you," he said in protest. Iughed.


    "He was doing his job."


    "His job doesn''t involve touching you," he said.


    "He was nothing but polite. Now, if you don''t stop acting like that, I''m eating your wings."


    Luca sighed.


    "I don''t have to like it," he said.


    "I didn''t say you had to like it, you only need to deal with it," I said taking a sip of my drink.


    He huffed.


    "You''re hotter anyway," I said wrapping my arms around his waist and hugging him tightly.


    "Your PDA is awful," Bates said wincing.


    Iughed.


    "I could''ve kissed him," I said stirring my drink.


    "I can''t wait until you find you mate. All this ass-kicking you''ve been giving me will backfire," Luca said.


    "What do you think your mate is doing right now?" I asked Bates.


    "She''s probably partying hard and getting drunk," ine said teasing.


    "Oh, hell no!" Bates eximed. "She better be at home, sitting between Momma and Daddy on the couch watching Team Umizoomi."


    I doubled overughing andid my head on the table trying to catch my breath. The woman came back with our food five minutester.


    She set the basket of wings in front of me and handed everyone else their food as well. Bates immediately dug in and ine, of course, went straight for the celery and ranch


    dip.


    "Is that all for you, baby cakes?" She asked Luca.


    Bates snorted and almost choked on his fry.


    "Yes," he said.


    She walked off without another word and the whole table burst into hysterics.


    "I''m going to start calling you ''baby cakes'', baby cakes," I saidughing.


    Luca red.


    "Do you not like wings?" I asked pointing to Luca''s empty cemat.


    He shook his head.


    "They don''t agree with my stomach," he said.


    "They don''t agree with my stomach either. They agree with my taste buds and that''s all that matters," Bates said, the barbecue dripping from the sides of his mouth.


    Luca rolled his eyes.


    "You obviously like them," he said pointing to my basket full.


    I nodded and popped one of the boneless pieces of Heaven in my mouth.


    We all averted our attention to the TVs just in time to see the blue team score. Bates


    and I both shot out of our seats with our hands held high, shouting in glee. "What?! No!" Luca said.


    "Yes!" Bates said, sticking his tongue out.


    "Baby, I said we were rooting for the red team," Luca said as Bates and I sat back down.


    "I''m rooting for blue," I said continuing to eat.


    "Um, no. Absolutely not. You can''t be my mate if you like them," Luca said.


    "Then she can be mine," Bates said eating.


    "I''ll deal with it," Luca said firmly.

 Chapter 14- Like Normal People Do-2

    "Have you ever tried honey barbecue wings?" I asked Luca.


    "Can I?" He asked raising his eyebrows.


    I nodded and held one to his mouth. His arm wrapped around my shoulder as he


    leaned forward and bit the wing in half.


    Luca nodded approvingly as he sat back in his seat.


    "It''s good," he said getting a napkin and wiping his mouth.


    "Of course it is! Your girl has a great taste in food," Bates said, staring at the TV and stuffing his face with food.


    Luca wrapped his arm around my shoulder and leaned down.


    "My girl," he repeated kissing my temple, letting his lips linger.


    I smiled.


    His girl.


    ?


    "I cannot believe you won," ine groaned.


    "Of course we did!" I said pping my hands.


    "Yeah, that game was rigged," Luca agreed.


    "You''re just mad because you don''t know a good football team when you see one," Bates countered.


    "I still say we deserved to go to the yoffs," ine said.


    Iughed and turned my attention back to the road.


    Luca was driving home and I had had an amazing night with these three.


    I leaned forward in my seat and turned the radio up. We jammed out for a while, even


    ine. I think the alcohol helped loosen him up a bit.


    I looked into the rearview mirror and frowned when I saw Bates wince.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked turning down the radio.


    "I liked that song," I heard Luca mumble.


    I red at him before turning around to look at Bates.


    He winced again, this time lifting himself off the seat.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked again.


    "I''ve got to use the outhouse something fierce," he said, his face screwing in pain.


    "I told you not to order that second round of wings," Luca said chuckling.


    Iughed but Bates shook his head.


    "I''m serious, Ronan. Hurry up and get home."


    We allughed.


    "You guys wannae over?" I asked.


    Luca gave me a weird look but Bates and ine nodded.


    "As long as I have unlimited ess to the toilet," Bates said.


    Iughed.


    We pulled into the drive way and Bates was the first out of the SUV.


    "Stay out of my bathroom!" Luca yelled after him.


    "No promises!"


    Bates waddled like a sumo wrestler all the way up the drive as fast as he could.


    "Hurry up before it alles out on the driveway!" ine shouted, causing me tough.


    We all made it inside just in time to hear the bathroom door m shut. Iughed. "I hope he doesn''t explode," I said.


    "Hey, let''s y the next level of Halo, yeah?" ine asked sitting down on the couch. "You wanna y?" Luca asked, nudging my shoulder.


    I shook my head.


    "I''ll just watch."


    Luca tossed ine a controller when he turned on the X-Box.


    For almost two hours I sat in the living room and watched them try and beat the level. Then, I noticed Bates was still in the bathroom.


    "Do you think I should go make sure Bates is okay?" I asked sitting up off the couch. "I''m fine!"


    I heard his shout from across the house and we allughed, Luca only giving a little chuckle.


    "When you''re done passing a kidney stone, we''d love for you to get out here and help us!" ine shouted.


    I giggled andid back in the chair. I heard a door open and a rough-looking Bates walked out.


    "It all flushed, but I would get a plumber to check it out, just in case," Bates said to Luca.


    "Wonderful," was Luca''s reply.


    All three started to y the video game and I stood up to go change into my pajamas.


    I tied my hair into a ponytail and put on Luca''s t-shirt over my underwear. After


    wrapping his robe around me, I walked out of the room to see ineing out of the bathroom.


    "Good God, Bates! And I thought Hiroshima took a hit! That''s not even human!" He eximed, pinching his nose.


    Iughed as I followed him back into the living room.


    "I''m headed home, bro. I gotta be up early tomorrow," ine said to Luca as he headed towards the door.


    "Okay;ter," Luca said.


    "Me too," Bates said standing up. "I''m tired after that trauma I just endured."


    I put my face in my hands andughed silently.


    Luca paused the game and went to turn the TV off. He set all three controllers on the


    TV cab and flipped everything off.


    Bates headed to the door and hugged me goodbye.


    "Bye, Bates," I said hugging him back.


    Luca growled and Bates let go.


    "See ya, Carol!"


    He was out the door before Luca could get to him. Luca shut the door behind him and sighed.


    "I''m tired," he said.


    I suddenly remembered that Luca had been up all nightst night watching over me


    and I hugged him.


    "Then let''s go to bed," I said grabbing his hand.


    "That sounds promising," he said smirking.


    Iughed and shook my head. He picked me up bridal style and carried me into his


    room. Sitting me on the side of the bed, he unraveled the tie on the robe and I slipped


    it off. I pulled myself under the covers and snuggled into the pillow.


    "I''m going to take a shower," he said making his way to the washroom.


    I mumbled an ''okay'' before I heard the shower start. He took a short shower before


    sliding into bed beside me, his skin still warm from the hot shower.


    I slid closer to him on instinct and he wrapped his arm under my pillow. Our legs


    became tangled together as heid on his back and me on my stomach. I snuggled into his side and ced my hand over his torso which he held with his other hand. "Goodnight, mio amour," he said kissing my forehead.


    "G''night, baby cakes," I said giggling, earning a yful growl from Luca and another kiss on the forehead.


    I closed my eyes in bliss.


    We would finally sleep that night like normal people do.


    ... or so I thought.


    ....

 Chapter 15- The Secrets Out-1

    A loud crash woke Luca and I both up.


    Followed by the loud noise, was a howl that sounded like it was right outside my


    widow.


    In the blink of an eye, Luca was rolled over me with his arms wrapped around my body protectively. His chest was pressed tightly to my back and his elbows propped up against the mattress were the only things keeping him from squishing me.


    "What was that?" I asked breathlessly.


    Both of us were painting heavily after being scared awake.


    Another loud crash sounded and from what I heard, it sounded like someone- or something¡ªwas at the back door trying to get in.


    Hesitantly, Luca unraveled his protective arms from around me and got out of bed slowly.


    "Stay here, I mean it," Luca said firmly.


    I couldn''t even remotely feel angry at him for using his Alpha tone on me. Knowing my past with following his directions, I couldn''t me him for being overly demanding at a time like this.


    I nodded slowly and he walked to the bedroom door and opened it.


    "Be careful," I pleaded, wrapping my arms around my knees.


    He looked at me and chuckled lightly before walking out.


    That man, I swear. He didn''t even seem to be scared. But me? I was scared to my wits end. Does this happen all the time?


    I mean, Luca Ronan is the most feared Alpha of this time. He''s strong and mighty; no one in their right mind would dare challenge him.


    Maybe that''s why he''s not scared...


    I rolled my eyes. Why did my mate have to be so arrogant and cocky?


    I heard the back door open and held my breath. After not hearing anything after a few seconds, I sat up and strained to hear more. I heard Luca chuckle and my eyebrows furrowed. What was going on?


    The urge to get up and see for myself was itching at me but Luca would probably kill me if I got up after he''d specifically told me not to.


    "O, Caroline... You have a guest," Luca said darkly.


    Caroline? Since when did he not call me Carrie? Oh, God. Something was going on and


    I had a feeling I wasn''t going to like it.


    I quickly threw the covers and duvet off my body and ran into the living room.


    The cold, midnight breeze blew through the open back door and made goosebumps


    rise all over my exposed legs and arms. With nothing but a flimsy t-shirt and my


    underwear to keep me covered, I wrapped my arms around me and clenched my chattering teeth.


    Luca was standing tall against the door, and for a moment, all I could see was stars and darkness out the open door.


    I walked closer and when Luca saw me he sighed.


    "Could you not have covered up?" He asked in annoyance.


    I gave him a weird look and ignored him as I came to a stop beside him in the doorway.


    My eyes adjusted quickly and I gasped.


    Standing at a mete four feet was a familiar tan wolf. His eyes were blue and the muscle


    attached to the wolf was minimal. Although he was one of our best fighters back


    home, I knew now that if he was going to go up against Luca, there wouldn''t be anypetition.


    "Jonathan," I breathed out.


    The tan fur morphed into pale skin and instantly a five-foot-seven-inch boy stood in


    the yard in front of us. He was only fourteen when his father put him into fighting


    sses and, now twenty-two, he was the best we had.


    Luca''s hand came up to my face and blocked my sight from the naked man.


    "Do you have no dignity?" Luca asked through clenched teeth.


    "What? Scared she''s gunna lust after someone other than you?" Jonathan asked. The slight southern twang was still in his voice.


    Luca gave an airyugh.


    "I hardly think she''d find you admirable," he said.


    I swatted his hand from my face and looked back to Jonathan. It wasn''t hard to keep


    my eyes above his naked waist.


    "What are you doing here?" I asked.


    "Your father sent me," he said shortly.


    Jonathan''s eyes roamed my body lustfully and I shifted nervously. Mady was convinced


    he had a crush on me when we were younger and apparently he told her we were mates because he "could tell". What a liar...


    "You''ve got two seconds to tell us why you''re here before I personally send you back to your pack in a body bag," Luca said stepping out the door, his body hostile.


    Jonathan took a step backward, obviously intimidated by Luca.


    "I am here to take Carrie home," Jonathan said taking arge gulp.


    "I''d like to see you try," Luca growled.


    His bare back exposed the muscles that were flexing out of Luca''s rage. If I didn''t do something quickly, he would shift and kill Jonathan. God know what he would do to


    me afterwards. Last time he shifted it wasn''t exactly the best Luca moment I''ve had. "Luca," I whispered.


    He didn''t even turn around or acknowledge I said anything.


    "Please calm down," I said softly.


    "He''s not taking you away from me," Luca said firmly, not taking his eyes off Jonathan. "I have orders from my Alpha-"


    "Then take orders from this Alpha!" Luca roared. "If you so much as touch her, I''ll make sure you regret it until the day I decide you''re not worth the bloodshed and finally put you out of your misery," he promised.


    My eyes widened.


    Ever since I got here, I had only ever experienced little examples of why everyone was scared of Luca. Now, I was finally seeing the full view. God knows what I''ll do if he ever threatens me like that. Let''s just hope that Luca values someone to fill the empty side of his bed enough that he won''t.


    "You make it sound like I''d have to make here with me," Jonathan said cautiously. My hands unfolded themselves when I realized what he said. Jonathan knew that Luca had brought me here by force. He had been sent to rescue me...


    Then my eyebrows furrowed.


    "Why didn''t my dade himself if the point of this was to bring me home?" I asked. Luca looked at me and then back to Jonathan, obviously expecting an answer. Jonathan shrugged.


    "I don''t question my orders."


    Jonathan started walking towards us and instantly Luca had dashed in front of him. "Take one more step towards that house and they''ll be thest steps you ever take..." Luca growled.


    Jonathan stopped and gulped.


    I felt bad for him... almost. His five and a half foot frame, although still taller than mine, made him look puny beside a 6''7" tall Luca. His muscle weight couldn''te close inpetition with Luca and I knew that if this were toe down to a fight, it wouldn''tst long before the obvious victor, Luca, would snap him in two.


    "Go home, Jonathan. I''m staying here," I said.


    His eyes met mine before he red back at Luca.


    "You''re making her stay aren''t you?! You''re just using her for sex! I see what she''s


    wearing! I know what you''re doing, Ronan!" Jonathan roared.


    A ball of nerves formed in my stomach and I knew right away I needed to resolve this


    before Luca did something he''d regret.

 Chapter 15- The Secrets Out-2

    I stepped off the porch in a rush but I was toote...


    Luca grabbed Jonathan''s arm wrapped it around his back and yanked it up in one swift


    movement. That cracking sound of Jonathan''s arm breaking made me wince and


    Jonathan cry out in pain.


    Luca dropped Jonathan on the ground and kicked his ribcage, earning a few more cracks.


    When I walked up to them Jonathan was gasping for air as tears ran down his face. His left arm was hanging limply behind him, he was in too much pain to try and pull it back around.


    "Baby, go get my phone," Luca said, his green eyes still aze and targeting Jonathan. I swallowed hard and stood my ground. I didn''t want to leave and risk the chance of Luca shifting or killing Jonathan. No matter how much of a jerk he was, I didn''t want Jonathan to die.


    "Go," Luca said softly, his eyes meeting mine. He visibly calmed down at our eye contact and I saw his muscles rx.


    I took a few steps backward, giving Luca a warning look, before I turned around and ran back into the house.


    Pulling the phone off the charger, I ran back out and handed it to Luca.


    While Luca called someone, I gazed down at Jonathan. Part of me took pity on him wanted to help him but the other part knew Luca wouldn''t take to that too fondly. Normally, I wouldn''t care what Luca thought, but seeing as Jonathan was still stark naked I decided againstying my hands on him.


    As if detecting what I thought, Luca stepped forward and ced his arms around me, moving me away from Jonathan and letting go when I was afortable distance away.


    "ine, I''ve got a present down here in my backyard waiting on you," he said into the phone. "I want you to take it down to the cells by theke and put him number 13. I''ll be down there sometime tomorrow."


    He went quite as he listened to what ine was saying on the receiving end. Luca''s eyes looked up at me for a second before he focused back on ine.


    "She''s fine," Luca said throwing me a heart-aching wink.


    My heart warmed at the thought that ine was worried about my well-being. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.


    Luca hung up the phone shortly after and he picked me up. I don''t think I''ll ever get tired of him babying me the way he does.


    He walked back in the house and I saw a blur of ck before Jonathan had disappeared.


    "ine''s quick to do his job," I said as I reached out and closed the back door behind


    us.


    "That''s why he has the job. Now, go back to bed," he said setting me down on the carpet.


    "There''s no way I''m going to be able to go back to sleep now," I said pouting. "My adrenaline is pumping one-hundred miles an hour."


    Luca shrugged.


    "Well, I don''t sing lubies so you''re going to have to try."


    Iughed at the thought of Luca singing a luby.


    "Can you please stay up with me?" I asked grabbing his arm and hugging it.


    "What do you propose we do? The stars are still out," he said.


    I hummed. I couldn''t work on my painting, it was too dark and I needed natural light


    for that and I was sick of watching TV. An idea came to me and I smirked.


    "We could do other things that don''t require sunlight," I said slowly.


    "Like what?" He asked his eyes growing dark.


    "Go get some food from the fridge!" I said.


    He closed his eyes and let out a big, frustrated sigh.


    "Prude," he whispered under his breath.


    "I''m not a prude, you''re just perverted," I said sticking out my tongue. "You''lle to love me for it," he said walking away into the kitchen.


    "I already do," I whispered.


    I ran off into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. I flipped on themp beside the bed and Luca soon joined me, carrying in arge bowl full of cheese balls. "Eureka!" I said pping my hands.


    Luca rolled his eyes at my Alvin & the Chipmunks reference and sat down in front of me. He went to take a bite but I pped his hand and pulled the bowl away from him. "So," I started. "I realize now I don''t know you as well as I would like to know someone whom I am sharing a bed with so I have developed a game that will help us get to know each other better."


    "Normal people just y truth or dare," Luca said.


    "There''s no fun in being stereotypical so shush and listen. I''ll throw a cheese ball in the air and you''ll try and catch it in your mouth. For every cheese ball you catch, you can


    ask me a question and for every cheese ball I catch, I get to ask you a question. Got it?"


    He nodded slowly, still trying to process this weird game I''d invented.


    "I''ll go first," I said handing him the bowl.


    "You do realize I''m almost twenty-five-years-old?" He asked.


    "Well I''m not having sex so throw the dang cheese ball," I said crossing my arms.


    He stifled augh and picked a cheese ball out of the bowl. Throwing it up in the air, I leaned forward slightly and caught it.


    "Okay," I said taking the bowl from him and trying to think of a good question.


    "When''s your birthday?" I asked.


    "There''s no fun in being stereotypical," he mocked in a girly voice.


    I rolled my eyes and heughed.


    "August 7th," he said.


    "April 28th," I said picking up a cheese ball.


    He rubbed his hands together and opened his mouth. I threw the cheese ball and he caught it.


    Luca snatched the bowl away from me and shoved another handful of cheese balls in his mouth.


    "ssy," I said wiping the crumbs off the bed sheets.


    "So..." he started off, while finishing what he was chewing. "You said you waited for your mate. Does that mean you''ve waited with everything or have you had other kinds


    of sex before and you''re just waiting to be prated?"


    My jaw dropped and I threw my hands up on my face to cover up the fact that I was blushing fifty shades of red.


    "Why couldn''t you have asked a normal question, like what my middle name is?" I squeaked, still thoroughly embarrassed at his shamelessness.


    "Fine, what''s your middle name? But you have to answer both questions," he said rolling his eyes.


    "Elizabeth," I said trying to steal the bowl away from him.


    Luca held it away from me andughed.


    "Next question," he prodded.


    I huffed and sat down, crossing my arms in defeat.


    "Before you, the furthest I''d ever gone with a guy was a hug now gimme the bowl," I


    said reaching for it again.


    "Gimme, gimme never gets. Besides, it''s my turn," he saidughing.


    I red at him.


    He tossed a cheese ball to me and I caught it effortlessly.


    "Okay... who''s your favorite music artist?" I asked.

 Chapter 15- The Secrets Out-3

    "Aren''t you going to ask me how long I am?" He asked.


    That earned him a smack upside the head with a pillow. "Who''s your favorite music artist?" I reiterated.


    Luca rolled his eyes.


    "I don''t know, that Hozier guy I guess," he said shrugging.


    I smiled with satisfaction and took the bowl from Luca after he had taken another


    handful of cheese balls out for himself.


    I threw a cheese ball and let it hit the sheet in front of me. I didn''t know if I wanted him


    to ask me another question...


    "You did that on purpose now y fair," he said.


    I huffed and threw one and he caught it in his mouth without even trying.


    "So what''s your bra size?" He asked chewing the cheese ball.


    "Luca! Normal questions!!"


    .


    We yed the game for an hour or so more before we ended up justying down and finishing off the bowl while we talked.


    The empty bowl was set on the bedside table and themp was turned off when we both were too tired to continue chatting.


    In no time, both of us were out like lightbulbs. During my time asleep, I unintentionally rolled on top of Luca. As if I hadn''t blushed enough already within thest twelve


    hours, when I woke up I was hopelessly mortified.


    "Don''t move," he said as I tried to get off of his chest.


    His morning voice was deep, husky, and all together sexy which sent chills up my spine.


    I reluctantly stayed put as his hands moved up my upper thighs and to the hem of his shirt I was wearing.


    His trailing fingers soon rode past my panties and pushed the shirt up my back. His soft fingertips traced undetectable patterns in my newly exposed skin. The higher his fingers traveled, I realized I didn''t have on a bra.


    "We need to go shopping for underwear today," I said groggily. My morning voice wasn''t as alluring as Luca''s. It wasn''t even close.


    "Is that an invitation?" He asked.


    I nodded.


    "If you don''te you won''t let me go. I want to go shopping with your mom and sisters," I exined.


    Luca groaned.


    "Fine."


    I gasped in excitement and rolled quickly off of him. I grabbed his phone and unlocked it to call his mom.


    She answered and I quickly exined to her the ns for the day. Hanna was at a friend''s house so only Norah, Toree, and Abree would being along with Anna, Luca, and I.


    After eating breakfast, I changed into a t-shirt and shorts.


    Luca and I were ready and out the door in no time, although he was dragging his feet


    a bit. We picked up the girls and his mother and were off to the mall.


    After arriving, we spent most of our time torturing Luca by going into every store we could.


    We finally decided after lunch we would go home. But there was one ce we wanted to go before lunch...


    Victoria''s Secret.


    Luca didn''t seem thrilled nor did he seem appalled by this. There were, after all, men standing all over the store so it wasn''t a blow to his manliness. If anything it was a sign he knew how to charm a woman.


    After about five minutes of walking around the store, Anna sighed.


    "I have got to find a restroom. I''ll be back in a few minutes," she said walking out of the store.


    Abree, Toree, and Norah came around the corner not long after.


    "There''s a Dippin'' Dots stand right down there. You guys can meet us there after you''re done here," Abree said.


    Luca nodded, giving the girls permission and I shouted out behind them to remember to stick together.


    "Thank God they''re gone," Luca mumbled.


    "What?" I asked turning around.


    He didn''t answer and instead dove head-first, not literally, into the bins full of


    underwear. I stared in shock as he pulled a plethora of panties out and held them in his hands.


    "Here," he said finally, handing them all to me.


    Iughed before I looked at all of them closely. Then my smile faded.


    "How did you know my sizes?" I asked usingly.


    "It took a lot of staring at your butt," he said honestly.


    I gasped as heughed.


    "Go try them on, I want to see," he said shooing me to the dressing room.


    "You can see them when we get home..." I said.


    Immediately, his eyes darkened.


    "... when I put them in the drawer," I finished with a sweet smile.


    He groaned and gave me onest push towards the changing area. I tried the underwear on and kept what I wanted to.


    After buying the panties and bras I''d picked out, we were walking out of the store when I realized I was carrying a huge Victoria''s Secret bag and prayed neither Anna or her girls looked into it. That could send off signs about Luca and I that I wasn''t ready for.


    Thankfully, we met up and went through lunch and no one said a word about it. After arriving back home after dropping off the girls back at their house, Luca called Bates toe over and "keep an eye on me" while he went somewhere for business. Bates immediately agreed and was over as quick as Luca was gone.


    He came into the bedroom where I was sitting on the floor, sorting through everything I''d gotten and was putting it away.


    "Someone''s secret''s out," he said picking up acy pair of purple panties.


    I quickly snatched them away from him and stuffed them in a drawer.


    "Do you wear thongs?" He askedying down on the bed.


    "What kind?" I asked.


    "The kind that go up your butt like dental floss," he said.


    I fell over in the floor in absolute hysterics. I finallyposed myself and sat back up,


    wiping the tears from my eyes.


    "No, I don''t wear those. They''re ufortable."


    "Not as ufortable as I feel right now," a voice said from the doorway.


    Bates and I looked up to see ine standing in the doorway staring at the numerous underwear scattered everywhere with obvious distaste written in his features. "It''s just underwear, bruh," Bates said casually. "Just, ya know, fancy."


    I snickered and ine just shook his head.


    "Well, since we''re all sharing secrets," he said kicking a bra towards me with his foot. "Jonathan wasn''t the only wolf we found from Carrie''s pack that was herest night."


    ....

 Chapter 16- Speed Demon-1

    "What?!"


    "Dude, her secret was better," Bates said putting his chin in his hand.


    "What do you mean Jonathan wasn''t the only wolf you foundst night?! Who else?!" I yelled frantically.


    Who else would they have found? Who else do I have to worry about? The anxiety of Jonathan being locked up somewhere has started eating away at my stomach in the past hour or so.


    "There was a wolf from your pack fighting one of our border patrollers while the other was here. It''s how he got so deep into the pack," ine exined.


    I stood up and started pacing, biting my fingernails. Who would''vee with Jonathan? My dad didn''t, Jonathan said so himself. Alpha Reid most definitely wouldn''t havee, especially if my dad didn''t. I don''t know anyone else that would''ve cared toe. Unless...


    "Was it a girl?" I asked ine intently.


    "No, I didn''t get a name but it''s a guy," He said shaking his head.


    I sighed in relief.


    That gets rid of the possibilities of it being my mom or Mady. I bit my lip trying to


    think of a n.


    "I need to see Jonathan," I said putting my hands on my hips.


    ine raised his eyebrows.


    "I can''t let you go," he said.


    "Yeah, if we let you go, we''d loose our toes," Bates said. "Luca''s at the detaining facility where those wolves are being held now. I''d never be able to babysit you again if Luca knew I let you go."


    I huffed.


    "Why can''t you guys just take me?" I asked desperately.


    "I''m pretty sure I just gave you the answer," Bates said with a confused expression.


    "We wouldn''t have a way to get there anyway," ine said. "It''s a lost cause."


    "How far is it away?" I asked.


    "About ten miles," ine said.


    "We could run," I suggested.


    "I''ve been given explicit orders not to let you shift under any condition," ine said shaking his head.


    Bates nodded.


    "Apparently Luca thinks it''s a problem that you wouldn''t have anything to change into after you shift back," Bates said rolling his eyes.


    Iughed.


    "I still need to go. You guys are my only hope here. Luca would never let me go, you have to take me," I said.


    I was trying my hardest to be convincing. I needed ine and Bates to take me. Like I said, Luca would never in a million years let me go and see Jonathan. But, you see, I


    needed information regarding what was going on at home.


    "There''s got to be some way we can get there," I said.


    "We could always take the-"


    "No," ine said firmly, cutting Bates off.


    "It''s the only way," Bates said wiggling his eyebrows.


    "I''m up for anything," I said.


    "Anything?"


    ¡¤


    "Do you even know how to drive this thing?!" I asked.


    My grip on the ''oh-shit'' handle hadn''t loosened since Bates sat in the drivers seat of the demonized golf cart. ording to ine, he, Luca, and Bates had taken on a mid- summer projectst year to "spice up" his golf cart. It included big dirt wheels, a new more powerful motor and, fortunately for me; seat belts.


    Bates took another sharp turn, narrowly missing a ginormous oak tree we''d been en route to hit. If it weren''t for the seatbelt and my death grip on the railing beside my seat, I would''ve been thrown out miles ago.


    If I didn''t die before we reached the cells where Jonathan and the other mystery wolf were, I''d get whish for certain.


    "Only about a mile more!" ine yelled over the wind and leaves we were crushing underneath the huge tires.


    Bates mmed on brakes and we both flew forward into the windsheild, ineing over the back seat andnding on Bates.


    We all looked up to see a fuming and furious Luca walking towards us.


    "Did you tell him we wereing?!" I whispered.


    "Of course not! You think I wanted to die today?" Bates said sitting up and pushing ine off of him.


    ine did a full sit-up and pulled himself back into the seat behind Bates and I.


    I, however, stayed crouched low. I unbuckled the seat belt and sat on the floor of the


    golf cart. I could just barely peek over the top and all I could see was Luca''s furious expression. Terrifying was the only word I could think of.


    "Oh hey, bro!" Bates said waving at Luca.


    I could tell he was trying to hide his nervousness. He reached down slowly, putting the golf cart in reverse and then putting his foot to hover above the pedal.


    Luca stalked angrily towards us, decreasing the distance between himself and the golf cart by about three feet each step.


    Bates hit the gas and the cart jetted backwards. Me, being the idiot who took off her seatbelt, lurched forward and took a good face nt into the glove box.


    I immediately got dizzy and very lightheaded. I cursed when I realized I had suffered serious head-trauma nearly forty-eight hours ago and then knew instantly that banging my head on a golf cart wasn''t the best thing that could happen.


    ck dots clouded my vision and I panicked. Knowing that reurring head injuries could cause serious brain damage or even worse, I did the only thing I knew to do. "Luca!!"


    I felt myself falling backwards and braced myself for hard contact with the dirt. But, it never came and I was embraced by warm, muscr arms.


    "I hit my head, I hit my head," I whispered frantically.


    "Shit, just keep your eyes open, baby," his deep voice said.

 Chapter 16- Speed Demon-2

    I took deep breaths and tried to calm myself. My eyelids fluttered shut for a moment


    before he shook me gently.


    "Stay awake," he pleaded.


    Iid there, my head cradled in Luca''sp with my body sprawled out around me, for longer than I could count. My senses slowly came back to me and the numbness escaped my hands and feet.


    My breathing steadied and I no longer had to fight to keep my eyes open. By my terms


    I was now fine, but, unfortunately, my mate and I don''t see eye-to-eye on the same things...


    "I''m taking you home," Luca growled.


    "No, no... I''m fine. I need to see Jonathan," I said trying to stand on my feet.


    I used Luca''s broad physique to steady myself, him immediately having no objections


    and wrapping a supportive arm around my waist.


    "You sure you''re okay?" Bates asked.


    He and ine had hopped off the golf cart several minutes ago but each stayed a few feet away; the minimal distance Luca allowed.


    I nodded.


    "I''m fine."


    "No, you''re not," Luca said, an angry undertone to his voice.


    "I told you-"


    "No, you didn''t," I said cutting him off. "You never told me to stay at home."


    His jaw clenched when he realized I was right... again. Luca''s gaze hardened when he looked at Bates.


    "I told you to stay with her!" He said.


    "I am with her," Bates pointed out, trying not tough.


    Luca growled and looked at ine.


    "What are you doing here? You''re supposed to be helping Aurora," Luca said usingly.


    "I did," ine said simply, folding his arms.


    "I''m the one at fault here so stop trying to me them," I said, unraveling his arms


    from around me. "I told Bates and ine to bring me to the cell where Jonathan was being held."


    Luca''s jaw clenched even tighter and I wondered how he wasn''t shattering his teeth. "Why do you need to see that wolf?" He asked.


    It seemed as almost a threatening question.


    "I wanted to find out what was going on at home," I said.


    There was no point in lying to him. He would''ve found out sooner orter. Then I would''ve looked like I was hiding something. My intentions were pure and I honestly didn''t think I was doing anything wrong by wanting to see Jonathan. I felt no romantic feelings towards him, that alone should''ve been enough for Luca.


    "I''m not letting you near him," he said folding his arms over his chest.


    Luca''s stance on the ground was powerful, confident, and firm. I knew he was resolute


    not to let me see the man I needed to see. But, fortunately for me, I knew exactly how to convince Luca.


    "Luca, I need to see Jonathan. It''s extremely important to me," I said.


    I made steady eye contact with him, not letting it break when his eyes hardened. He was testing me to see how firm I was in the decision.


    "I will remain in the room with you at all times. Test your limits, and the wolf dies," he said.


    My breath caught in my throat but I nodded quickly, agreeing to his conditions. I had


    to be extra cautious when talking to Jonathan now. I didn''t want him to loose his life because I was careless with my words.


    Luca gave a long sigh-which was more like a immature huff- before he led us all back to the golf cart.


    "I''m driving," he growled, sliding into the driver''s seat before Bates could.


    Bates just shrugged and scooted over to the passenger''s seat. I walked around to sit beside ine in the back but Luca''s long, lean arm caught me around the waist and hoisted me up to sit on hisp.


    "Well then," ine murmured under his breath.


    Luca started the engine and began to drive, slower and more skillfully than his speed demon Beta.


    I tried to control the blush that crept to my cheeks and slid discreetly so I was sitting in the middle of Luca''s thighs. Instantly Luca stiffened and Iid my head on his chest for reassurement that I wasn''t pushing him away by scooting farther down hisp.


    He rxed slightly and I sighed. Leaning against his rock-hard body shouldn''t have beenfortable but I was. Howeverforting the feeling was, I knew I wouldn''t be able to stand it for long.


    For the past couple of days, increasingly more after I was in Heat, I had to work hard to keep my desirable and intimate thoughts off Luca. It was hard, believe me. But, I knew that if I let my hormones get too out of hand that Luca would be able to sense it. Thest think I needed was my desires fueling his own. Luca''s self-control wasn''t exactly a trait he was known positively for.


    "Bro, how did you know we wereing?" Bates asked.


    "I could smell you," Luca said.


    Bates held up his arm and sniffed his armpit before sniffing his shirt, trying not to wince.


    "I knew I should''ve showered this morning."


    ?


    After five more minutes of driving, we pulled up to a small hut.


    It had concrete walls, all settled around each other in an octagon shape. A bronze cone-shaped roof sat on top of the walls. The hut couldn''t have been bigger than Luca''s bedroom.


    I held my tongue, restraining myself from asking the millions of questions I had. Luca lifted me off hisp and set me down on the soft dirt gently before he climbed out, still keeping me within arms reach.


    ine and Bates followed behind Luca and I as we walked up to the small house on a dirt path that was muddy from a shower of rain.


    Luca opened a heavy, gray, steel door before walking in with me and the boys behind him.


    Standing around the room were two men. One with salt and pepper hair and mature features, the other with ming red hair and a baby face.


    Each stiffened and nodded their respect as their three leaders, Luca, Bates, and ine, walked in.


    I was shocked at first when they both averted their eyes from me but then looked up


    to see Luca ring at them both and elbowed him hard in the rib.

 Chapter 16- Speed Demon-3

    Not even a wince from Luca was earned as he wordlessly began to walk down the metal spiral staircase that began in the center of the room.


    He refused to let go of my hand, causing me to trip up a few times trying to keep up with his fast pace down the staircase.


    ine and Bates followed behind us at a distance and I almostughed when I realized this was the longest Bates had ever been quiet since I''d met him. However, Luca was angry with him so maybe he was just trying not to push his luck.


    We reached the end of the staircase and I shivered at the change in temperature. Concrete bs that were simr to those holding up the entrance were called walls down here. The flooring was also concrete but it had some sort of sticyering over it. Bright luminescent lights hung over our heads, illuminating the hallway that seemed to stretch on forever.


    Heavy steel doors were scattered among each wall, each with a tiny ss-like window and a ster with various numbers inscribed.


    "Where is he?" I asked.


    I flinched as my voice carried, bouncing off the walls and echoing down the corridor. Inside voices, Caroline...


    Luca growled lowly and his eyes red forward at nothing in particr. Jaw clenching tight, he led me to a door not far from the staircase with the number ''13'' inscribed just below the window.


    Although I knew Luca wasn''t happy with this, he''d made it very clear we were equals (although his actions said very different things at certain times) and I had every intention of getting what I wanted when it came to something as sensitive as my pack and my family.


    "Stand by the door," Luca told ine and Bates gruffly.


    Luca pressed his thumb over a little gray circle above the door handle. A loud ''click'' sounded and he opened the door.


    He stepped inside first and then pulled me in behind him.


    I stuck my head around his broad shoulders and cursed at his tallness for the millionth time since I''d met him.


    My eyes immediately took in the numerous w marks that upied the concrete walls. In groups of four, the plethora of marks were about three feet long. They went from one side of the room to the other.


    But what horrified me was how they were horizontal across the walls, not vertical. They weren''t made from a wolf that had jumped up on the wall. They were made by a person who had stood on two feet and wed at the walls with swinging arms.


    It was unnatural for wolffish characteristics, other than mental, to evere out while one was in human form. The person, or thing, that had made those marks wasn''t just a random wolf who was being reprimanded.


    I shuddered at the thought of being in the room that had once upied a monster but judging by the fact there was no concrete shards or scrapsying around, I presumed it was an old wound to the wall.


    I looked at the metal cot that was pushed against the wall where my old acquaintance was sitting.


    His knees hanging over the cot and his head leaning against the wall, he didn''t look as bad as I''d expected. A white arm slingid on the cold floor in front of him, having no doubt been used while his arm had healed over the course of the day.


    His pale skin looked even paler but he seemed all together fine.


    "Here to bring me what I came for?" Jonathan asked Luca.


    His cocky attitude remained and it was somewhat discouraging to know he was still head-strong about following his orders.


    Luca growled and I tugged at the back of his shirt, keeping him from attacking Jonathan again.


    "Why were you sent here?" I asked.


    "To bring you home. I told you that," he said.


    "I''ve been gone for almost a week. Why did you wait so long?" I asked.


    "When everyone woke up the day you went missing, it was a frenzy. We searched the pd for two days, non-stop, before it was confirmed you weren''t there. Everyone started freaking out when they realized that you were a rogue outside the borders and some people even thought you''d been killed. It wasn''t until the day before yesterday that Madeline finally came out and told everyone you''d been kidnapped by him," he said stiffly, ring at Luca.


    Luca once again reared back to charge at Jonathan but I pulled his shirt back, stopping him.


    "What else?" I asked.


    "What else is there to tell? Your dad and Alpha Reid gave me and Waylon orders to


    find you and return you home. Your dad is furious, you know? He''ll kill Luca first chance he gets," Jonathan said.


    Waylon. So that was the other wolf. I didn''t know Waylon that well, he and Jonathan were cousins but I''d only seen him on various asions. As awful as it may seem, I was relieved to know it wasn''t someone close to me.


    "He can try," Luca growled.


    "If we promise to let you go, can you promise us that you''ll return home and tell everyone I''m fine?" I asked.


    "I''m not going home without you. I was given explicit orders to return with you or not return at all. Considering the beating Madeline took when everyone found out, I''m not


    sure it was an empty threat either," Jonathan said, crossing his arms.


    The temperature in the room dropped thirty degrees and I paled. "W-what?" I asked softly.


    Jonathan nodded.


    "Alpha Reid gave Madeline the biggest ass-whipping of her life when he found out she


    knew what happened. She hadn''te out of her room since, when I left."


    Tears gathered at the bottom of my eyelids and I struggled just to stay standing.


    "He b-beat her?" I gasped, tears starting to drop, one-by-one, down my cheeks.


    Jonathan nodded, not a glimpse of remorse or shame in his eyes.


    "It would''ve been worse if you dad had gotten a hold of her," he said.


    I couldn''t take it anymore and my knees buckled under. Luca caught me, like he always


    does, and lifted me out of the room. He mmed the steel door shut, causing the walls to shake and the doors to rattle on their hinges.


    "W-we have to go g-get her!" I squealed, sobbing into Luca''s shirt. "He h-hurt her because she helped us g-get away!" I stuttered.


    Luca said nothing, only running his fingers through my hair and leaving lingering kisses on my forehead.


    "We''ll figure something out," he sighed.


    "We need to do something now!" I yelled, still squalling like a baby.


    "What happened?" Bates asked softly.


    "Later," Luca said to him.


    Bates and ine both nodded and then led the way back up the stairs. Luca carried me


    up and out to the golf cart.


    I couldn''t remember the ride home, all I was seeing was red. I made a vow that I would go and get Mady; whatever it took.


    Maybe Luca was rubbing off on me, but I decided then that Alpha Reid would regret everying a hand on her.


    She had helped me, now I was going to return the favor.

 Chapter 17- Liar, Liar Furs On Fire-1

    I was the first one off the golf cart when it was parked in Luca''s three-car garage. Normally I would''ve stopped and gawked-probably also drooled at the charcoal gray Maserati Mc Stradale parked beside his SUV, but this time I was much too upset. I decided I''d drool over itter.


    I ran through the house with Luca calling out behind me. Barging straight into Luca''s bedroom, I nearly knocked over his nightstand looking for his phone.


    After discovering it wasn''t there, I came close to strangling myself with the charger cord as I dropped to my knees and looked under the bed.


    Groaning in annoyance, I stood back to my feet and began to flip the sheets, duvet, and pillows everywhere looking for it.


    "What are you doing?" Luca asked half-running into the room.


    "Shut up!" I said looking under a pillow after violently throwing the sheets off.


    "No! Don''t shut up! Tell me where your phone is!" I demanded.


    Luca stood still and folded his arms across his chest, making his pectoral and bicep


    muscles bulge against the white t-shirt he had on. It didn''t help at all that the shirt he was wearing fit him perfectly and was, even better, v-cut.


    Momentarily loosing my track of mind, I shook my head, knocking myself out of my daze.


    "Tell me where it is!" I yelled again.


    I stood to my feet on the bed, feeling somewhat taller and barely managed not to get


    my head cut off by the ceiling fan that was spinning like a helicopter on crack.


    "Get down, you''re going to get hurt again," he saiding to edge of the bed and holding out his hand for me to take.


    I meant to p it away but he caught my wrist and pulled me backwards into his chest, my butt and legs hitting the bed.


    Both his hands encircled my wrists and held my arms cross-body over my chest while


    his arms pinned me against him, making it impossible to do hardly anything.


    I kicked and thrashed against him. I put my legs on the bed and pushed us backwards


    in attempt to throw him off bnce and let me go but to no avail.


    "You need to calm down, woman," he said, not even struggling to keep a firm hold around me.


    "And you need to let me go!" I yelled.


    I tried to kick my foot over my shoulder and kick him in the face but I missed my footing and only got it about shoulder-high.


    "Are you seriously trying to kick me in the face- ow!"


    Bingo!


    After regaining my footing, I immediately slung my leg again over my head and my foot hit him straight in the nose.


    Luca let go of me and stumbled backwards while I, who still had one foot in the air, lost my bnce and fell hard on my tushie.


    I stood up quickly to see Luca holding his nose with both hands. I momentarily felt


    guilty but shrugged it off and charged at him, knocking him backwards into a chair. "Give me your phone!" I said.


    I was practically groping the poor guy trying to see if his phone was on either of his pockets. Not that I think he really minded...


    "You''re not getting it!" Luca said pulling his hands away from his face and staring down


    at his nose. He wiggled his nose around, looking like an adorable little bunny.


    "I think you may have broken it," he said wincing.


    "Your face is still perfect now where''s the phone?" I said, getting irritated.


    "You realize that you just managed toplement and threaten me all in the same sentence?" He asked.


    "Give me your phone!"


    "You''re not getting it!"


    "Why?!"


    "Because, I know what you''re going to do with it!"


    I ran and dramatically threw myself on the bed like a true Disney princess. I couldn''t believe Luca wouldn''t let me call Mady. I needed to talk to her. Needed to. I felt like I was going to throw up and then cry out every tear in my body.


    "Please let me talk to her," I sobbed against the pillow.


    It came out as a pathetic muffle. I heard the chair scoot and his chukka sneakers hit the floor as he walked towards the bed.


    I didn''t lift my head as heid beside me and wrapped his arms around my waist and shoulders, pulling me to snuggle in his chest.


    I didn''t move my arms to return the hug, I was incredibly infuriated at Luca.


    "I told you I don''t like it when you''re upset with me," Luca said kissing my hair.


    "I''m not upset with you; I''m furious with you," I said through gritted teeth. Luca sighed and I squeezed my eyes shut tightly.


    I hated acting like this towards him. However angry I ever got at Luca, I would always


    bepletely fine with him after noter than thirty minutes. I couldn''t do that now. My best friend was probably in horrible pain right now, pain that I had caused her. It was eating away at my conscious and I needed to save her. At that moment, Luca was the only one that could help.


    I had to call her, and I needed his phone to do that. The only way to get Mr. Stubborn''s phone from him was to guilt it out, however hard it was for me.


    "I can''t let you call her, mio amore" he said. "You know that."


    I clenched my jaw and tried to push him away.


    "Why not?" I asked angrily. "Honestly, I don''t see why you won''t let me call her. She


    helped you too, Luca. Why can''t you be grateful?"


    "I am grateful," he growled.


    I red up at him, silently giving him a warning that he needed to watch his tone. I wasn''t about to let him growl at me, no sir.


    "You''re not calling her and that''s final," he said firmly.


    I gasped and closed my eyes tight to keep the flood of tears that had pooled in my


    eyes from falling. A few rebel tears escaped and I wiped them away furiously.


    Luca must''ve seen my tears because he pulled me in tighter. I gathered all my strength and pushed him away from me and sat up on the bed.


    I got off the bed almost tripping on the duvet, but thankfully not- and stormed to the door.


    "Where are you going?"


    I didn''t answer, only continued out the door with my jaw clenched shut and my eyes overflowing with tears.


    I heard the creaking of the bed as Luca got out of it and followed me. I quickly began


    to ce one foot in front of the other, trying to get out of the house as fast as I could. "Carrie!"


    I turned around with my hand on the doorknob of the front door. Luca was almost four feet away from me wearing a worried expression.


    "Luca Ronan, if you follow me out this door, I won''te back!" I threatened opening the door.

 Chapter 17- Liar, Liar Furs On Fire-2

    "So you areing back?" He asked.


    "Don''t be such a baby," I muttered.


    Luca''s jaw clenched and anger shed in his eyes. He was getting mad, now was definitely the time to leave. He lunged for the door but I was, in that moment, quicker and was out of the door before he could lock me in.


    I jumped off the porch, over the stairs, and ran as fast as I could away from his huge and now empty house.


    Looking back on it, I knew that Luca didn''t have to let me get away like I did. He was strong enough and fast enough to have stopped me, why he didn''t I probably won''t ever know. Maybe it was because he truly did believe we were equals and I could do as I pleased within reason without having to answer to him. I don''t really know. Dark and gray clouds that were puffed up with rain were rolling over the pd. Thunder rumbled in the distance and I saw shes of lightening off on the horizon. Little tiny droplets sprinkled over the trees I was running under. For a moment, I considered shifting. I would definitely get where I needed to quicker, but there was a nudity issue I wasn''t ready to deal with just yet.


    I finally made it to the iron gates and jumped over them in one big leap. A crack of thunder sent me dashing down the long asphalt drive, up to the stone steps, and under the safety of the porch.


    I knocked quickly on the white, wooden door which after several seconds was opened.


    A bright smile illuminated Norah''s face before she frowned.


    "What''s wrong?" She asked.


    "Can Ie in?" I asked shivering.


    She nodded and opened the door wider so I could slip through.


    I stepped inside and smelt the scent of salt and potatoes. I walked deeper into the house and when I came to the kitchen I saw Anna standing behind the sink washing lettuce while Philip sat on the countertop in front of her busy eating croutons. "Hello, Carrie," she said smiling.


    I offered a weak wave before I was knocked into from behind. I turned around quickly after I''d steadied my feet to see Hanna heading down the hallway I''d just came from throwing me a re.


    I had to bit my tongue to keep from saying anything arrogant about herck of respect


    for someone who''d marry her brother and bare his children.


    I drew in a quick breath and turned back around to Anna.


    "Could I use your phone?" I asked.


    "Sure, it''s over there."


    "Why?"


    Both questions were simultaneous, Philip''s having been the one to question me. "Something terrible''s happened to my friend back home and Luca wouldn''t let me use his phone to check up on her," I said.


    Philip nodded and pointed where Anna had told me the phone was.


    I walked over to the tall but tiny table that sat beside the backdoor. On it, was a pale


    yellow rotary phone with a notebook beside it that wasbeled ''Contacts''.


    I picked up the phone, having memorized Mady''s cell phone number, and called her.


    On the third ring my hands were shaking and I felt more tearsing back to my eyes. "Hello?"


    My eyes widened as I heard her voice.


    "Mady?!"


    "Carrie?! Oh my gosh, is that you?!"


    My voice caught in my throat and I cried tears of joy.


    "Yes, yes it''s me! How are you? God, are you okay?" I asked.


    "Yes, I''m fine. How are things with your mate? Are you doing alright?" She asked intently.


    I froze and my eyebrows furrowed.


    "What do you mean you''re fine? Jonathan told me your dad had hurt you!" I eximed into the phone.


    "Jonathan?" She asked, her voice full of confusion. "Jonathan as in Jonathan Whitley?" "Y-yea..." I stuttered.


    I was utterly confused.


    "Why is Jonathan there?" She asked.


    "Your dad and my dad sent him to find me. Wait, you didn''t know he was here? Your dad didn''t beat you?" I asked.


    "My dad didn''t send Jonathan anywhere nor did he beat me! Carrie where are you hearing this from?"


    I was silent.


    Did Jonathan lie? Oh that son of a-


    "Carrie?"


    I sighed.


    "I''m still here. It''s just... Jonathan and Waylon got on Luca''s pd about one o''clock this morning. I talked to Jonathan and he said that Alpha Reid sent him to find me and bring me home. He said that you told everyone where I was and your dad was so mad at you for keeping it a secret that he hit you," I exined.


    "No, no, no! It''s all wrong... My dad didn''t beat me, nor did he send Jonathan and Waylon to find you. We did send out a search party though but we only looked in our pack and the neighboring packs. Why would he tell you that?" She asked.


    Her confused tone mirrored mine and the line was silent as we both thought this whole thing over.


    "How is everyone there?" I sighed.


    I had decided that all I needed to know was that Mady was alright. I probably had


    limited time on the phone anyway and spending it trying to figure out Jonathan''s lie with someone who clearly didn''t know was useless.


    "Do you want an honest answer or one that''ll make you happy?" She asked weakly. I frowned.


    "The truth, always," I said.


    "The truth is: everyone here misses you. I miss you terribly. Your mother cried for two days before she locked herself in her room yesterday morning. I haven''t seen her since. Beta ir walks around with a scowl expression now and he''s starting to get worry lines on his forehead and between his eyebrows. Him and my dad are nning something, I just don''t know what. Carrie, the urge to tell everyone is growing and now that I know you''re alright, it''s going to get worse. Please, for the sake of their sanity, let me tell them you''re okay..." she pleaded.


    However heartbreaking it was to hear the condition of my family, the mental imagine my mind had made of Mady getting beaten because she withheld valuable information was still fresh in my mind. I couldn''t let her tell anyone.


    "No," I said firmly. "I''ll... I''ll call back in a few days and tell everyone myself. You need to stay quite. Promise me you will," I demanded.


    I heard a sigh on the other end.


    "Fine, but that doesn''t mean I have to like it. You need to hurry. I have a bad feeling


    something horrible could happen," she said nervously.


    "Okay, I promise I''ll call back. Right now I''m pressed for time..." I mumbled.

 Chapter 17- Liar, Liar Furs On Fire-3

    A hand touched my shoulder and I turned around to see Anna looking at me worriedly.


    "Luca''sing, you might want to say goodbye," she suggested grimly.


    I nodded.


    "I have to go now, Mady," I sighed.


    "Promise me you''ll call back," she pleaded.


    "I promise I will."


    "Love ya, Crazy Carrie," she said.


    I heard the smile in her voice and Iughed.


    "Love you too, Mad Dog," Iughed.


    I hung up the phone quickly and tried to ignore the pain that came with not knowing


    when the next time I would talk to my best friend was.


    "He''s at the gate," Philip said returning from looking out a window.


    I quickly darted from the phone and sat in a barstool at the countertop. Stuffing a


    crouton in my mouth, I tried to look as casual and as guilt-free as I could.


    Everyone else resumed their previous positions as well as we waited for Luca toe


    in.


    He pounded on the front door causing Anna to drop the knife in her hand and everyone to jump in surprise.


    "Luca Ronan! If you make a dent in that door, you''re buying another one!" She shouted.


    "I''ll get it," Norah said getting up from the couch.


    "No, I''ll get it. You stay there," Philip said firmly.


    I winced. The fact that Philip didn''t let Norah answer the door was because he knew


    Luca was angry. An emotional Luca was never good. Ever.


    We all held our breaths as we listened to Philip walk down the hall. We heard the door open and heavy footsteps run down the hall.


    My heart dropped into my stomach as Luca ran into the kitchen.


    His eyesnded on me and instantly his features seemed visibly more rxed. He took


    a deep breath and held out his hand.


    "Come on, babe. We''re going home," he said.


    Luca actually seemed exhausted. He was out of breath and he just didn''t seempletely attentive.


    I hesitated and Anna stepped in.


    "Why don''t you stay for supper? We''re having baked potatoes and veggie soup with sd," she said.


    Honestly, I hoped Luca epted the offer. It sounded mouth-wateringly delicious. "No, we''ve got some things to discuss," he said.


    I groaned.


    He gave me a look that told me not to argue with him. Although he didn''t seem angry,


    I didn''t want to push it; not while he family was around. Being my mate, he couldn''t


    hurt me physically, not on purpose at least, but his family was an exception to that. I didn''t want anyone getting hurt.


    I stepped off the stool and stole a handful of croutons from the bag as I gave Anna a grin.


    Luca and I exited the house without another word to the Ronan''s and made our way down the long driveway.


    The only noise that could be heard was me eating the croutons. It was actually kind of awkward.


    We came to the gate and he lifted me by the waist over it before hurdling it himself. We began to walk through the woods and he stayed close by my side, as if I was going to run off again.


    "What is it you wanted to talk about?" I asked as we neared his house.


    "As to why you didn''t listen to me and called your friend," he said.


    I stiffened.


    "How''d you know that?" I asked.


    "I got a call from Lincoln, who stays down at the Tower and works the phone lines, and


    he told me that someone made a suspicious call to California from my parents'' house," he said.


    I hated the ''I-know-it-all'' tone that Luca spoke with when he caught me. I rolled my eyes.


    "Well, if you had given me a reason as to why you didn''t want me to, I might have considered listening," I mumbled.


    "You and I both know damn well that if I''d told you my reasons you''d have done it anyway," he said, his voice rising.


    I didn''t say anything as we walked up the porch and out of the mist that had been falling.


    Luca''s hair was wet and clinging to the back of his neck, ears, and forehead. Little drops of rain rolled down his high cheekbones, down his nose, and across his jawline. The gray and downcast weather made his green eyes glow that much brighter. They were a perfect contrast to his olive skin and dark hair.


    The white t-shirt he''d been wearing was soaked and it clung perfectly to his sculpted


    upper body. You could clearly see each crevice of his abdominal muscles.


    I''m convinced that if I had been human, I would''ve melted right there.


    Something inside me ignited and


    I stopped thinking. I lifted myself up on my toes and kissed him.


    It was slow. He saw iting and he let me kiss him.


    Luca''s arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me tight against his chest while the other hand held my face gently. My palms were pressed t against his chest but I made no move to push him away.


    My toes left the ground and his hand left my cheek to support me as he carried me inside, all while not breaking the passionate kiss.


    Luca carried me for a little ways before I felt something soft against my back. A mattress.


    He pulled away, almost reluctantly, and sighed.


    "We need to stop," he said, his voice barely a whisper.


    I nodded, still breathless from the kiss. That one was by far my favorite so far. We


    needed to make it a tradition that every time we got caught in the rain to have a kiss like that, we''d done it twice already.


    "If it helps my case at all, Jonathan lied. Mady''s fine," I said.


    He drew in a deep breath and nodded.


    "Good, I''ll do something about it tomorrow..." Luca said sitting me up and setting me


    on hisp.


    "But first... I wanna know why your underwear areying around everywhere."


    ....

 Chapter 18- Bloody Knuckles-1

    My swollen eyelids could barely peel themselves apart, and even then it was painful and I could barely see.


    A foul, coppery stench made the hair on the inside of my nose singe in disgust. Blood. Hands and feet bound by strong ck wire, I was resting on my knees with my back pressed to the wall and absolutely no strength to try and move.


    I was more sore in that moment than I had ever been, even after my workout with


    Luca.


    Confusion swept over me and I started to panic, not remembering anything as to why I was in this current predicament.


    The hair on the back of my neck rose to attention as the heavy, steel gray door in front of me opened slowly.


    In stepped Luca Ronan. The single most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life.


    I felt myself getting jumpy just at the site of him but I became confused as to why my body wasn''t reacting the way it normally did.


    Chill bumps of pure terror and dread rose on my skin and every muscle in my body clenched so tight it hurt.


    Normally it was my body and wolf both in-sync that wanted topletely throw myself at Luca. It was different this time.


    Never before and never since that moment have his beautiful green eyes ever stared at


    me with the coldness and hatred that they did then.


    He stood tall and proud as he closed the door behind him, stepping into the cold room fully.


    I''d never been so intimidated by Luca.


    "Are you ready now?" Luca asked.


    His voice was deep and drenched in a masculine and angry tone.


    Unintentionally, my lips rose at the corners into an evil smirk.


    My eyes widened as I tried to force the smirk off my face, seeing the infuriated look that swept across Luca''s.


    But I couldn''t. It was as if I wasn''t in control of my body.


    Before I knew what was happening, the scary Alpha in front of me materialized so he was mere inches away from my body.


    His body hovering over mine, I had no choice to except the punch when it was thrown into my gut.


    My body reacted as it would have if I''d actually been punched. I doubled over and wheezed what oxygen I could into my lungs.


    But there was no pain.


    Only a tiny tingling feeling where he fist was moments before when he punched me. My heart wanted to break at the sight of what was happening. My mate was abusing me after he had promised never toy a harming hand on me.


    But it wouldn''t. Something wouldn''t add up and it was the only thing keeping me emotionally intact, knowing I couldn''t fit the puzzle pieces together.


    Why couldn''t I feel the pain? Why couldn''t I control my body?


    My head was yanked up by the hair rooted into my head.


    My eyes met Luca''s and after a split second, his softened.


    He took in a shocked breath and his face showed and expression of sheer panic.


    Dropping my head from his hands, he dashed out of the white cell, knocking the steel door off it''s hinges in the process.


    Two men I''d never seen before stood outside the room and barely dodged the Alpha and the door he''d sent flying.


    Luca disappeared from my sight and the two men both looked as confused as I was. My mouth started to move and words that weren''t mine flowed out uncontrobly. "Do you see what he is? Your precious mate... This is what he does for fun. He tortures people. How do you think he got on top? You na?ve little girl, do you honestly believe you''re that much more important to him? No, you''re not. This will be you in a short time; dying at the hands of your oh so loving mate."


    Everything when dark.


    A feeling I''ll never be able to exin rushed over me and I sat straight up in the bed. Gasping for air, I looked down at my wrists, no longer bound by the cursed ck wire. My hands were shaking but I sighed in relief.


    I tried to tell myself it was all just a terrible dream.


    But as I looked over at Luca''s empty side of the bed, I came to realize that my


    nightmare was worse than a nightmare...


    It was reality.


    Knocking me out of my trance, I heard the sound of splintering wood and creaking metal.


    A loud crash echoed in the house causing my body to freeze up.


    The door to the bedroom was open and I saw a shadow just outside of it.


    Scared to wits end, my adrenaline finally kicked in and my body moved quicker than


    ever. I rolled over the bed quickly andnded surprisingly quiet on the floor.


    I slid under the tall bed, every move I was making felt like I was getting louder. You


    never know how loud doing simple things are until you try to do them at 2am... Boots hit the hardwood floor of the bedroom and I almost fainted as they neared the bed.


    I could feel the blood rush to my face as panic overtook my senses.


    Then my head cocked to the side in realization as the ck boots came to my side of the bed.


    "Carrie?"


    "Luca?"


    "What the hell are you doing under the bed?"


    I crawled out on my stomach and he pulled me to my feet with his hands under my


    arms.


    "You scared me," I said.


    "I''m so sorry," he whispered pulling me into a tight hug.


    The apology definitely had a double meaning, which definitely raised caution gs in my mind.


    "What happened?" I asked.


    My question was slightly muffled from being buried in his chest but I know he still heard it.


    "Are you okay? Do you feel alright?" He asked.


    I nodded, though stillpletely confused.


    "C''mon," he said.


    Luca took my hand in his and started to tug me to the bedroom door.


    "Wait," I said.


    He stopped and turned to look at me.


    "What happened?" I reiterated.


    He sucked in a sharp breath before he exhaled slowly.


    "That stupid wolf, Jonathan, mind-linked you in your sleep and was able to let you see


    the things he was," he said nervously.


    I knew why he was nervous. I''d only seen him y Big Bad Alpha few times and he


    knew as well as I did that it wasn''t my favorite way he acted. Not even close.


    "It''s never happened like that before," I said panicking.

 Chapter 18- Bloody Knuckles-2

    "I think he was using dark magic," Luca said quickly.


    My eyes nearly bugged out of my head.


    "I need to take you to see the pack doctor," Luca said, once again tugging me along. "Why?" I asked.


    "You don''t mess around with the shit he was... I want to make sure you''repletely okay," Luca said.


    "I ampletely fine," I assured him.


    "No, you''re not."


    His voice was firm but I was adamant. First, it was extremely early morning and I knew


    the pack doctor wasn''t awake. Second, I did truly feel fine; physically that is.


    I ced my hand on his chest to steady his angry breathing and I put my hand behind


    his head and tilted it downward so he was facing me.


    "Jonathan wouldn''t do anything to hurt me, I am fine," I said.


    My eye contact and reassurance only seemed to make him angrier. His eyes darkened and the dark green rimming his irises spread and he clenched his jaw.


    "He likes you doesn''t he?"


    My jaw dropped slightly and my breath caught in my throat. I tried to swallow so I could speak but my tongue was like a b of marble in my mouth.


    "Doesn''t he?" Luca asked louder and harsher.


    "I... I-I mean, o-of course he does. W-we grew up together..." I stuttered.


    "You know what I mean," he said, his teeth gnashing.


    "I don''t like him back so just calm yourself down!" I said finding my voice.


    I crossed my arms and huffed. Honestly, I looked like a five-year-old but he was acting


    like one so neither one of us could judge the other.


    I couldn''t see the problem Luca had with Jonathan liking me. I didn''t like Jonathan back so Luca needed to calm down. Of all the female wolves in his pack that had a crush on him¡ª basically all of them¡ª he didn''t have any room to be upset that one male wolf found me attractive.


    "I''m not going to calm down! He''s trying to take you away from me!" Luca yelled. He took three steps backwards, away from me, and tugged at the ends of his hair so hard I thought he would''ve ripped his hair right up from the roots.


    "Luca, calm down," I said in an unbelieving tone.


    I was baffled that he go so angry over this. At that moment, I should''ve been


    concerned that Jonathan had possibly been using some sort of forbidden magic on my while I slept. It was beginning to be pretty typical that I was too busy arguing with Luca instead of being logical.


    "I''m not going to calm down! Don''t you see what he''s doing? He''s trying to turn you against me! He doped himself up so he could find you here and then told you a lie so you would go home with him!" Luca roared.


    He seemed to be telling at something else other than me. His back was facing away and next thing I knew there was a hole in the wall from his fist plunging into the Sheetrock.


    Luca didn''t even seem to notice the blood dripping down his fingers from his knuckles. Almost instantaneously the wounds on his hands were healed but the blood that was dripping and drying on his hands was making me ufortable.


    I cautiously approached him and steered him all the way into the washroom with my hands on his back. Taking his hands into my own, I turned on the faucet and washed the blood from his hands with soap and cold water.


    After drying his hands with a towel I sat up on the counter and put my face in my palms. I was so tired but I was scared to fall back asleep. What if Jonathan does it again?


    I felt the warmth of Luca''a body heat wrap around me like aforting nket. His beautiful soft, yet firm, hands were ced beside my thighs on either side of the counter. Soon one of his hands was at my cheek, lifting me to face him.


    His eyes were lighter, signaling he had calmed down. I loved that I could get that reaction from him. He took a short breath before he leaned forward and kissed me. I was knocked backward slightly but he steadied me.


    Looking back on it, I knew that kiss was a little too rough. But, I knew then as I do now, that Luca is the biggest control freak I know. He had juste to terms with the fact that he wasn''t the only one running a race for his girl. Even though he''d already won in my eyes, he wasn''t one to put up with any kind ofpetition. It was in his nature to be a dominant male. If kissing me to satisfy the thought I was only his was the way to get him to believe it, I was all for it.


    He pulled away slightly so his lips were no longer on mine. His heavy breathing was fanning my face as heid his forehead against mine, still not removing his hand from my cheek.


    "C''mon," he whispered.


    He picked my up by the backs of my thighs and carried me back into his room. Lucaid me down gently on the bed and covered me up. Jogging around to his side of the bed, he quickly stripped down and snuggled in beside me.


    "You''re like a teddy bear," I giggled.


    A scowl spread across his face causing me tough harder.


    "I am not," he said slinging his arm over my stomach and pulling me closer. I looked at him skeptically as he made the hypocritical move.


    "What?" He asked with mock innocence.


    I shook my head and just cuddled in closer. Images of the night we first met floated to mind and I sighed. How things were now so much more different after just one week... "Luca," I asked gently.


    "What is it, beautiful?" He asked.


    I hid the blush that crept to my cheeks by smacking his naked chest lightly.


    "How did you find me?" I asked.


    It was an odd question, one I was embarrassed for not asking sooner. I had lived and slept in the same bed with Luca after just one week of meeting him, yet I still didn''t know how he found me. There was no way Luca was just wondering out in the woods at that ungodly hour in the morning and just happened toe across a girl who had slept walked into the middle of the woods. He had to have been looking for me. "You know, to a male wolf, or an Alpha in particr, their mate''s scent is much stronger and sweeter than the rest. I caught whiff of your scent when we were at the council meeting and when I interrupted and asked who had brought their daughter to the meeting everyone went silent."


    His voice sounded angry and I wondered why.


    "How did you know I was there with a pack member?" I asked. "I could''ve been a tourist."


    Luca shook his head.


    "No, I knew you were a pack member. When people refused to tell me who had brought you, I got angry," he said.


    I began to rub soothing circles in the arm that was wrapped around me to keep him calm. His breathing slowed a little and he continued to talk.


    "I told everyone in my pack that I had brought with me for them to start looking


    around for girls that had been brought with the Alphas and Betas attending the meeting. They knew it was serious too because I mind-linked them instead of calling," he said. "We followed your scent back to Utah and I found you all alone in the forest. Which, by the way, why were you out there?" he asked.


    "I slept walked," Iughed.


    Heughed too and ced a chaste kiss on my forehead.


    "What are we going to do about Jonathan?" I half-whispered.


    He took a deep breath and I held mine while waiting for him to answer.


    "I''ll deal with it, don''t worry about it, sweetheart," he finally said.


    I shook my head.


    "Of course I''m going to worry about it, he''s my friend. I don''t want him or Waylon getting hurt. What if he''s not the only one using magic in my pack? He could hurt other pack members or even our pack members, Luca."


    I was so stressed out about the situation. The fact that Jonathan had creeped up into


    my head without being stopped scared me. I didn''t want it to happen again; to me or to anyone else.


    "I promise I''ll handle this, Caroline. He won''t ever hurt you again, or anyone else for that matter," Luca said firmly.


    I cringed.


    "Please don''t kill him," I begged, looking up to meet his eyes.


    His face was set in a stone-hard expression, but I could see it in his eyes that he was thinking rather than angry.


    "I''ll do what it takes to keep you and my pack safe, whatever the bloodshed."


    I took a deep, shaky breath as I let his words ring in my ears. I didn''t want Jonathan


    die, but I couldn''t let anyone else get hurt because of him.


    Nothing else was said that night as we both fell asleep eventually.


    Morning came as I woke up and looked to see Luca still asleep beside me. During the night his arms had wrapped around me tighter. He was much too protective for his own good.


    Iid there for nearly an hour as I thought over the things that had happened


    overnight. I was resolute not to let anyone die or get hurt. But, I was mated to Alpha


    Luca Ronan and it seemed to be more of a dream than vow.


    ....

 Chapter 19- His-1

    Iid there for a while longer trying to figure out my life.


    The daylight flooded through the blinds as the sun climbed farther into the sky. If I turned my head, ever so slightly, I had a perfect view of a gorgeous man. Luca''s dark head of hair was tousled in every direction. His pink lips were parted slightly allowing a slow and heavy intake of oxygen. Luca''s soft, olive skin was a dark contrast against the white sheets as his naked back and arms sprawled across the bed. I slid under the covers farther and his grip around my waist tightened.


    Slowly, I reached the tip of my finger out and traced unrecognizable patterns in his skin. My fingernail dragged lightly across the smoothness of his back. I enjoyed the feel of his warm skin underneath my fingers so I continued to trace outlines along his muscle. My finger slowly etched its way up his back onto his neck, to his ears, and then to his jawline.


    I never saw him wake up so his brilliant green eyes staring back at me were a shock to say the least.


    I jumped ever so slightly and pulled my finger away. A pink blush tinged my cheeks as I


    realized he''d caught me.


    "I didn''t say you had to stop."


    His deep and husky morning voice was velvet to my ears and I unconsciously ced my fingers back on the bicep of his arm.


    "How long have you been awake?" I asked softly. I was too embarrassed to take my eyes of my tracing fingers.


    "Long enough to know that if this bes a daily routine, I''m never getting out of bed in the morning," he chuckled.


    The corners of my mouth tugged upwards slightly. I continued tracing down his arm, surprised at how much muscle was actually there. The way it rippled up his arm when his grip on my waist tightened caused shivers to cascade down my spine. Even though I knew who he was and what it was he had done, I wasn''t scared of him. The mountain of muscle and beauty that slept beside me made me feel safe and secure. I envied any woman before me, regardless of how many there were. To be able to stare at this perfection and to be able to experience all of him, it was something my body and wolf craved.


    Maybe my fingers got tired; maybe I was absolutely delusional after staring at Luca''s perfection for too long. Before I knew it, I leaned in so my lips were hovering mere centimeters above his skin. His body heat radiated from him in waves and I could feel my quickening breath bouncing off his skin.


    Momentarily, I looked up and made eye contact with him. I lowered my lips down further and slowly kissed the top of his shoulder. His eyes clenched shut and he fisted the sheets tightly.


    "My self control is hanging on by a thread. You really need to stop that," he breathed out quickly.


    My lips left his shoulder and trailed up, across his corbone, and to his neck. I could feel the blood pulsating quickly through his jugr vein under his skin. My lips left a pattern across the palpitating vein and I could feel his arm tightening around my waist. Kissing up to his jawline, I nibbled along the chiseled bone as it clenched tighter. Luca took a sharp intake of breath as I kissed his ear lobe then his cheek. I aimed the next peck at the corner of his mouth but he turned his head and caught the kiss in a passionate lip lock.


    Quickly, Luca flipped his body over mine and positioned himself to hover above me. His tongue licked my bottom lip and I opened my mouth letting the taste of his mouth collide with mine. The sensation of the kiss was overbearing andpletely euphoric. His nose touched mine as we both pulled away, gasping for air.


    His warm and soft hands traveled up my sides. His long fingers stretched from my back to my side as his thumb gripped me tightly on my stomach. He gripped my waist and pulled us both up into a sitting position, my body resting on his thighs. I blushed when I realized I was only in a t-shirt and rather risqu¨¦ panties.


    Luca brought one hand up to grip my face while the other stayed on my waist as he pulled me into another kiss. This time, I felt the prick of his extended canines against my bottom lip and then the taste of bitterness.


    Pulling away, I saw the sh of gold in his irises as his eyes widened at my wounded lip. Immediately the punctured flesh healed and the excess blood was wiped away by his thumb.


    He eyed the small drop of blood on his finger before wiping it on his boxer briefs. "We have to stop," he said, still out of breath. The extended canine teeth on the corner of his mouth were visible as he spoke and I realized what this was doing to him...


    "If you want to mark me then go ahead," I whispered. I watched his reaction carefully as he looked up at me in deep thought.


    "I don''t want to hurt you," he said, stroking my cheekbone with the pad of his thumb.


    I gave a small smile and tucked a piece of hair behind my ears. "I want you to," I said shyly.


    His finger touched the underside of my chin softly before he moved my curly tresses around my shoulder; giving him view of my unmarked neck. He eyed it momentarily before his eyes darted back to mine, shing the brilliant gold once again.


    I ced both my hands on his bare chest and ran my fingers across the soft, smooth skin. If you looked close enough, you could see the tiny, scattered freckles that were only a shade or two darker than his skin; making it nearly invisible unless you looked close enough. My hands slid down his chest, stoping at the protruding muscle adorning his stomach. My fingers trailed in the defined fissures dividing his abdomen and stopped above his navel. He sucked in a breath and I pulled my hands away. "Do you not want to mark me?" I asked. My voice was barely a whisper and cracked under the emotion.


    "More than anything in this entire damn world," he growled in response, his grip on my thighs tightening.


    I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from showing how upset I was over his hesitation. Why wouldn''t he mark me already? The desire pooling in my stomach for him to do so was unbearable.


    I put my hands to his wrists and trailed my fingers up his toned arms. I felt the swollen veins running up the inside of his forearms and then felt the muscle flex as he tensed under my touch. My hands traveled past the rough skin on his elbows to his firm bicep. The muscle dipped and bulged up to his broad shoulders. His trapezius muscle stood out where his neck met his shoulder and I rested both my hands there. "Please mark me," I whispered leaning my forehead against his.


    Luca''s nose tickled mine as he leaned in and ced a small, lingering kiss on my lips. He left a trail of wet kisses across my jaw and down my neck, stopping just over the ce where my pulse was throbbing.


    The heated experience was so foreign to me but I was excited more than I was nervous. With each passing second, I was more and more d this would be something I experienced first with Luca and only with Luca.


    His warm breath hit my skin that was damp from his kisses and goose bumps erupted


    down my arms, neck, legs, and back. Luca chuckled at the reaction. The anticipation


    became heavier and heavier in the room as his mouth inched closer to my neck.


    I felt the softness of his lips before I felt the small prick of his canines. Luca pulled away.


    "Are you sure?" He asked again.


    I groaned.


    "You''re more nervous about this than I am; can you please mark me already?" I asked impatiently.


    His face parted in a huge, magnificent smile that exhibited dazzling white teeth. It took my breath away.


    Luca gave me multiple more pecks on my lips before he took a slow and steady breath. His right hand left my thigh and pulled all my hair to one shoulder, clearing the way for him. He ced that hand just below my ear, his thumb resting on my jaw. With his left arm, he wrapped it around my waist securely and pulled my chest to touch his constrictively.


    I could feel his heartbeat against my chest beating just as fast as mine was.


    His head dipped down to the crook of my neck and I felt his lips press to my unmarked


    skin for, hopefully, thest time.


    I felt the prick and then nothing at all.

 Chapter 19- His-2

    At first, I thought he''d pulled away again; it made me want to punch him. Then, I thought maybe it didn''t hurt as bad as everyone one told me it did. I started to mentally call everyone that had ever told me being marked was one of the most painful things ever wusses, but then I felt it. All at once...


    The pain flushed through my neck and throughout my body like a tsunami.


    I gasped loudly and pushed at Luca''s chest.


    It wasn''t funny then, but looking back on it, I remember me begging for him to mark


    me one minute and then begging for him to stop the next.


    My fingernails dug into shoulders as I felt him bite down harder, putting the full length


    of his extended teeth into my skin.


    The searing pain only increased and I started to get disoriented. The room was


    spinning; it was truly an out of body experience.


    I finally felt the pressure of his mouth against my neck leave and soon the pain faded into a numb, dull feeling.


    Gently, Luca ced a hand behind my head and lowered me back down on the bed, resting my head on his pillow.


    His irises were pure gold now and slowly fading back into the vibrant green color. His eyes flickered between my eyes and my neck as he took the bed sheet and cleaned off the fresh wound.


    I stared in horror at the blood-stained fabric when he pulled it away from my neck and he chuckled. The sight of blood obviously having no effect on him.


    "I''ll wash the sheets," Luca said.


    "Blood stains don''te out," I said matter of factly. He gave me a weird look and I scoffed. "I''m a girl, I know these things," I said.


    A look of pure disgust washed over his sightly features as his brain processed the joke.


    "I didn''t need to know that," he said. Luca looked like he was trying his hardest not to letst night''s dinner make a reappearance. Iughed.


    "You''re living with a girl now. You''re going to have to get used to that type of thing," I said.


    "The only think I need to know about your period, is when it ends," he said waving a dismissive hand.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "I hope I get my period on your birthday," I bit back.


    His eyes widened.


    "You shouldn''t say such things," he whispered harshly, as if he were afraid of karma hearing him. Iughed.


    His eyes left mine and his gaze lingered on my neck, which was probably half-healed by now.


    "How does it look?" I asked.


    A proud expression nted on his face and he smiled.


    "Would you like to see it for yourself?" He asked.


    I smiled and he took that as a yes.


    He got off the bed, picked me up, and carried me into the bathroom. Luca took a damp piece of toilet tissue and cleaned off the wound as thorough as he could before he let me look in the mirror.


    Finally, he motioned for me to turn around and I did so slowly.


    I was surprised, at first, at how quickly it was healed. All that remained was a white scar tissue that looked exactly like a bite-mark.


    Although marks themselves all serve the same purpose, which is to tell werewolves who are off-limits, they are unique and not all of them look the same.


    A mark shows more about the male wolf than anything else. It shows the length of his canines, which is an intimidating factor used to ward off other males from his mate. Depending on what rank he is in his pack is what determines how long his canines are and, ultimately, what his mark looks like.


    An Alpha''s mark, like Luca''s, isrger in size and leaves a slight indent in the skin. Whereas, is someone like Jonathan, who is basically irrelevant in his pack, has a mark that looks simply like a pale ring on his mate''s neck.


    Generally speaking, a mark doesn''t ward off other males like repent. However, if a wolf were to see my mark, he would know who hispetitor is and is more likely to stay away from someone marked by an Alpha, Beta, or Gamma than someone ofmon status.


    Looking at Luca and I''s reflection in the mirror, I could tell he was proud of his mark. I smiled knowing that his pride would always be his downfall and I took a small blow to


    it.


    "Your permanent wolf-hickey didn''t turn out so bad," I said shrugging.


    Instantly, the smirk was knocked off his face.


    "It''s not a hickey!" He said defensively.


    Iughed and he shook his head, knowing I was just joking around.


    "I can show you the difference if you''d like?" He said suggestively.


    "Nah, I''ve had enough of your mouth on me for one day," I said dismissing the idea. "Wait, what?!"


    I giggled and ran away from him.


    Luca chased me around the house for a few minutes before he finally caught me


    staring at the mark in a mirror.


    He wrapped his arms around my waist and lowered his head down to the crook of my neck.


    "All mine," he growled, kissing the mark.


    I smiled.


    All his.


    ....

 Chapter 20- Incoming Call

    I sat on the worn-out leather stool looking at the canvas that sat on an easel in front of


    me.


    My parents'' old wedding picture was stapled to the top left corner and my eyes darted between that and the painting itself.


    Writers get writer''s block; painters get painter''s block.


    In all honesty, I was less than a week away from finishing the painting. But I was stuck;


    my paintbrush-yielding fingers didn''t want to move. You would''ve thought that thece detailing on the bottom of my mom''s dress would''ve been one of the easiest things to paint. I did, considering I''d been able to paint the veil with ease.


    I had been sitting on the stool for almost an hour and my brush hadn''t touched the


    canvas once.


    I sighed and set the brush into the water bowl that sat on the table beside me. I was in one of Luca''a guest bedrooms. He said he would move the bed out tomorrow so it could be a studio where I could keep my art supplies.


    Taking the old painting off the easel and recing it with a fresh canvas, I sat back down in the chair and picked up a charcoal pencil.


    Letting my body take over, I hardly realized the pattern my hand began to take as I left gray markings across the canvas.


    Suddenly, the door to the bedroom flew open and my babysitter, a.k.a. Bates, came strolling in.


    Luca had left maybe an hour or so ago. He still didn''t trust me by myself so he made Batese over; not that Bates minded. He''d been in the pantry since he got here and


    I heard the TV turn on a few minutes ago.


    I quickly hid the sketch under a sheet as Bates walked further into the room.


    "Whatcha doing?" He asked.


    "Drawing," I replied. I tried to be as casual as possible.


    "Oo, draw me," he said.


    I raised my eyebrows.


    "You''ll have to sit there for a long time," I warned.


    His eyes widened as he reconsidered the idea.


    "Maybe you can bring it into the living room so I can watch TV while you doodle?" Bates asked.


    I shrugged and picked up my sketch book and a ck pencil. Bates and I walked out of the bedroom and into the living room where he had Call of Duty paused.


    I sat on the couch beside him as he unpaused the game.


    For the next two hours or so, I sat beside Bates as he screamed and yelled at the TV and, eventually, beat two levels.


    I shouted in glee as I finished and he immediately paused the game to look at my finished work.


    His jaw dropped to the floor. Bates reached out gingerly and took the book from my hands. He stared at the picture in awe for a few moments before he looked up at me. The blinding smile that Bates gave me made the past two, rather ufortable, hours all worth it.


    "Thanks," he said as he tackled me in a bear hug.


    A growl echoed in the room and the temperature dropped a whole twenty degrees. "It was tonic!" Bates yelled. The words had barely left his mouth before Luca leapt over the coach, taking Bates down with him. Luca pinned him to the ground with the outside of his forearm pressed tightly against Bates'' throat.


    "Luca!" I shouted.


    I couldn''t say anything else because the perfect view I had of his beautiful butt distracted me. Those jeans fit him just right... I snapped myself out of it. Ever since this morning the urge to take Luca to bed was overwhelming. It had to be because of the mark.


    I got off the couch and wrapped my arms around Luca''s waist and attempted to pull him off of Bates.


    "Get off of him! He''s turning purple!" I screeched.


    He didn''t budge and my sock feet on his slick hardwood floor weren''t doing anything


    to help me. I slid and my butt plopped down on the ground. Finally, Luca decided to


    get up. He lifted me up with him and I put my feet underneath me.


    "Are you okay?" I asked Bates.


    He nodded, still choking and gasping for air. Bates clutched his throat and coughed for a while longer.


    "What is wrong with you?!" I asked pping Luca''s arm as hard as I could. The skin to skin contact that came when my hand his hit arm sent sparks and tingles flying up my


    arm.


    I yanked my hand back to my waist and cursed under my breath. Stupid mate pull. Luca didn''t answer me, only red at Bates. Hiscking reply infuriated me and I


    gritted my teeth together as I tried to think of revenge.


    I began to help Bates up off the ground and tried my hardest to ignore Luca burning


    holes into both of us with his eyes.


    "You can leave now," Luca said to Bates.


    "What if I don''t want to?" Bates said, his voice scratchy and weak.


    "I''ll kick your ass out the front door," Luca threatened, his eyes growing darker by the minute.


    "Chill out, Beckham, I''m going," Bates said under his breath.


    He took the page out of the notebook that I had drawn him on and headed out the door, giving me a nod as goodbye.


    "What was that all about-"


    I was knocked backwards on the couch with Luca climbing over me before I could finish the sentence.


    My stomach was in my throat and and I could feel my heart beating through my chest. Ears ringing, I gulped as Luca''s dark eyes peered back into mine.


    He swiped the hair out of my face and pinned my head back to the couch with his fist


    full of my hair. With his other hand, he had a tight grip on the waistband of my denim


    shorts that pulled my hips closer to his body and off the couch.


    My breathing wasbored as he increased the proximity of our bodies, his nose touching mine.


    "What is this all about?" I asked breathlessly.


    He shooshed me quickly, the warm and minty smell of his breath invaded my senses. I made the mistake of ncing down at his lips. Soon they were pressed against my own with a ferocious growl from Luca and an involuntary moan from me.


    His body pressed closer to mine,pletely pressing me tight against the furniture with his frame.


    My knees were ufortably tucked underneath my body and I desperately tried to move my legs around so I could be morefortable. Instead, when I moved my legs, I unconsciously spread them apart giving Luca the perfect opportunity to slide closer to me.


    With his hips pressed against my core, I gasped into the kiss and he took it as an advantage to kiss me deeper. The taste of his mouth invaded mine and I closed my eyes at the exotic taste.


    His mouth pulled away from mine and his began to kiss up and down my neck, stopping to flick his tongue over his mark.


    "It''s a full moon tonight," he said breathlessly. "Please let me love you," Luca pleaded. "No," I whispered. It was the hardest word I''ve ever had to say.


    This seemed to turn himpletely off. He sighed and pulled away from me. He stood


    up from the couch and I adjusted my shirt and hair.


    "I wanna know why the hell you won''t let me take you to bed," Luca said darkly. His


    arms were folded across his chest and his eyes were dark.


    I gulped.


    "Just not the right time," I whispered.


    "When is the right time?!" He shouted. "Why don''t you trust me?!"


    I gasped.


    "Trust you? Why don''t you trust me?!" I screamed back. "Why wouldn''t you let me call


    Mady? Why do I constantly have to be baby say?!"


    "This is not the time nor the ce," he spat through gritted teeth.


    "Tell me!" I demanded.


    "I don''t have to tell you anything-"


    He was cut off by loud and obnoxious ringing in the hallway.


    Both our eyes turned to look at the ck phone hanging on the wall.


    A confused look passed his features before he quickly whipped out his cell phone and


    called someone.


    I gazed between him and the ringing phone several times before someone answered.


    Luca left the cell phone on speaker and I heard an unfamiliar voice on the receiving end.


    "Lincoln?" Luca asked slowly.


    "Yes, Alpha?"


    "Who''s calling my house phone?" Luca asked.


    "It''s a Utah number, sir."

 Chapter 21- Daddys coming to get you.-1

    My heart leapt into my throat at those words.


    Utah? Who would be calling us now? Is it my parents? Oh God... I''d never had an anxiety problem before Luca but now it seems I may need therapy.


    A low growl came from Luca and I clenched my eyes shut, preparing myself to hear him go off. I heard the crunching of ss and peeked one eye open to see Luca''a cell phone crushed between his clenched fist.


    I took a deep breath and Luca turned to me.


    "This is why I didn''t want you to call your friend," he said darkly.


    He dashed to the phone that was still ringing in a haze that made my head spin. Luca picked up the phone and put his finger to his lips as a motion to keep me quiet. He hit the button on the phone and I could hear heavy breathing through the speaker. "Beta ir," Luca said in a firm tone.


    "Ronan I''ll have your head for this!" My father''s booming voice red through the phone making it rattle.


    "For what?" Luca asked in mock innocence.


    It was moments like this when I was most terrified of Luca. His calm demeanor in his


    rage made him all the more dangerous and I was holding my breath in hopes that I would never see all his anger be fully unleashed.


    "Let me talk to my daughter," My dad said, a little more calm now.


    "She''s otherwise upied," Luca said quickly. I looked at him weirdly. "Is there a message you''d like for me to give her?"


    "A message I''d like to give her myself," my dad pressed.


    "But my bedroom is so far away," Lucained with a wink in my direction.


    My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.


    Not only was this my father Luca was making these innuendos to, but he said them like


    it was no big deal. I stepped forward, but Luca shot me a re, warning me from taking another step. I huffed, crossed my arms, and stomped my foot. The childish reaction got an airyugh from Luca.


    "If you''ve hurt my daughter..." my dad warned.


    "I haven''t done anything to her... nothing she didn''t like anyway," Luca shrugged.


    I put my hands on my face and shook my head. This was so embarrassing.


    "Luca Ronan, you have no idea what I am capable of do you pup?"


    Luca growled silently at the insult.


    "You''ve made a terrible mistake taking my daughter from me and you''ll pay greatly for


    it. You think I sent those boys up there just to sit around? No, no. They''ve done their job. They''ve helped fuel our cause," my dad said viciously.


    "What cause is that exactly?" Luca asked through gritted teeth.


    "We''re going to dethrone you, Ronan. We''re going to put an end to your injustice. You''re nothing but a dictator and the bnce essential for Lycans to live in harmony has been thrown off ever sense you''ve started terrorizing us. This isn''t about my daughter, Ronan. Your death was inevitable anyways," my father said.


    My jaw dropped and I sunk to my knees on the carpet.


    "You think you can kill me?" Luca asked questioningly.


    "I know I can. If it had not been for your discovery of my daughter, an assassination


    was nned out in Vegas. You''ve managed to dodge the silver bullet one too many times, but it won''t happen again."


    My eyes filled with tears and I ced my face in my hands.


    "What about Carrie? Are you not concerned that my death would affect her drastically?" Luca asked.


    My dad scoffed.


    "Her heart will go one. Besides, I made a deal with Jonathan Whitley that he could


    mate her if hepleted his tasks," he said.


    I was stunned and Luca was silent.


    "Now let me talk to my daughter so I can exin that Daddy''s going to being to get her very soon," my father said.


    "No need," Luca said, finally speaking up. "She''s already heard you."


    The line went silent as my dad processed the information and then hung up without another word.


    I took a pillow from the couch and cried into it. My emotions were all over the cetely and I needed to shift before I exploded.


    I got off the ground, Luca still standing by the phone.


    After going into the bedroom and stuffing a book bag full of a change of clothes, I


    went into the living room and towards the front door.


    "I''m going on a run, I''ll be back in a few hours," I said weakly.


    "You don''t need to be shifting," he said sternly. I rolled my eyes.


    "I said, I''m going out for a run and I''ll be back in a few hours," I reiterated.


    "And I said no you''re not," Luca said angrily.


    "I didn''t ask for your permission because I don''t need it," I said, still walking towards the front door.


    Luca growled lowly but that was all the effort he made to stop me from going out. I sighed in relief when I was out the front door with it closed behind me. Without so much as a thought, I leapt off of the porch and dashed across thewn. Already I felt so much better topletely let loose and run without stopping. Continuing to run, I tightened the straps on the backpack and began to shift. The first time I shifted was the most painful thing I''d ever endured; although Heat was a close second.


    Now it just felt like popping knuckles. My muscles were cramping slightly because it had been over a week since myst run, but I was so excited to be in wolf form again. My coat, aplete replica of my hair, was ash brown with a slight curl in the fur. I had slightly longer haunches than the average wolf, which made running fast easy, but other than that, I was a pretty normal wolf.


    My backpack felt tight against my shoulders once my front paws hit the ground running but I ignored it. My ws dug into the earth with each leap and bound and soon I''d made it to a small creek.

 Chapter 21- Daddys coming to get you.-2

    After chasingrge bass fish around for a few minutes, I wanted to run more.


    I darted around trees and over bushes with no clue where I was going but I kept running.


    Soon, I came to arge, white vinyl house. There were little toysying everywhere in the yard and a small dirt path was littered with Fisher Price trucks to ride on. Arge swing set with a slide sat beside the house next to a sunporch. It was a cute house, obviously one that held many little ones.


    Exhausted from my run, I bent down behind a yhouse, made sure no one was in it, and shifted back into human form. I took clothes out of my backpack and changed. I came around the yhouse and began to walk to the front door of therge house. I began to have second thoughts that maybe this was weird, but my feet wouldn''t stop moving and I continued up the porch steps.


    I knocked on the door and waited a few minutes. No one answered. I knocked again. No one answered.


    "Maybe they''re not home," I thought.


    I began to back away from the door when it opened.


    A petite African American woman, maybe forty years old, stepped onto the porch with me. She had a short ck hair that fell in tight ringlets around her ears and on her neck and forehead. She had a red dish towel in her hands and was drying them. "Luna Caroline?" She asked curiously. "Is there anything I can help you with?" My mouth went dry. What was I supposed to say? "I want to go in your house"? No, too creepy.


    "Do you have children?" I asked. I mentally face-palmed. I thought I was trying not to be creepy here...


    Although, I didn''t seem to be creepy to her. Her face split in arge smile and she motioned for me toe in.


    "If you have time, I''d love for you toe see them," she suggested.


    Her smile was contagious and I soon smiled back and nodded as I followed her into


    the house. She shut the door behind us and I looked around her house.


    Like the yard, it was a mess of toys everywhere. Barbies wereying on top of the


    couches and toy trucks were overturned on the staircase.


    "Sorry for the mess," she apologized quickly. "When you have twelve children to look after, there''s not much time for cleaning up."


    My eyes widened in shock.


    "Twelve children?" I squeaked.


    Sheughed and nodded.


    "What''s your name?" I asked curiously.


    "Cristina," she said.


    "Carrie," I said stretching my hand out. She shook it with a smile before both of us heard a ''thump''. Our hands pulled away from each others as we looked in the direction of the noise.


    A little boy sat at the end of the stairs rubbing his head. He had short ck hair, bright blue eyes, a paleplexion, and little freckles were sprinkled on his nose and cheeks. "Ian! What have you done now, child?" The woman eximed. She went over to him and helped him up off the stairs and rubbed his head reassuringly.


    His eyes never left me an I gave him a grin and a wave.


    A red flush tainted his cheeks and he hid his face behind Cristina''s leg.


    "This is Ian," she said introducing us.


    "Hi, Ian. I''m Carrie," I said squatting down to his level.


    He continued to bury his head into her jeans.


    "Ms. Cristina!" A voice shouted.


    I looked up the stairs to see a little girl running down towards us. "Shaun took my jump rope," she said sadly.


    "You''re not allowed to have the jump rope in the house. How did he get it?" Cristina asked usingly.


    When the young girl didn''t answer Cristina sighed.


    "Shaun! Take the jump rope outside if you''re going to y with it!" Cristina hollered up the staircase.


    The girl finally took notice of my presence and looked me over as I did the same to her. She had ash brown, long, straight hair that fell to her navel and pale skin and blue eyes like Ian''s. Multi-colored beaded bracelets traveled almost to her elbow and she had on


    a pink shirt that had the power puff girls on it.


    "I''m Carrie," I said politely to her.


    She gave me a smile that was missing her front two teeth.


    "This is Whitney," Cristina said stroking the girls hair lovingly.


    Someone else began to trot down the stairs and I had to do a double take. The girl looked exactly like Whitney. I only knew it wasn''t here because this girls bangs were clipped back by a purple stic barrette and she had her front two teeth.


    "And this is Lindsey," Cristina said sighing.


    Lindsey had drawn little hearts and stars on her arm with what looked like marker. It didn''t seem to amuse Cristina.


    "Who are you?" Lindsey asked me.


    "Lindsey! That''s very rude! Apologize to the Luna," Cristina said.


    A look of hybrid shock and horror swept across Lindsey''s face.


    "No, no!" I said quickly. "She''s fine."


    Lindsey breathed out a little but Cristina still wasn''t pleased.


    "I''m Carrie," I said smiling.


    "I thought you were Luna," she said tilting her head to the side.


    Iughed.


    "Only when I need to be," I said.


    Arge grandfather clock rang in the living room and the three children looked up at


    Cristina longingly.

 Chapter 21- Daddys coming to get you.-3

    "Alright, everyone to the kitchen!" She shouted.


    What sounded like a herd of Elephants stampeding across the African in, ended up being twelve children all dashing towards the kitchen.


    "Would you like to stay for dinner?" Cristina asked.


    I shook my head.


    "I''ve already eaten," I lied. "But I''d be very d to help you prepare dinner for the


    kids," I offered.


    She smiled and nodded.


    "Come with me."


    She lead us through the messy house and into arge room with a table that took up most of it. Different kinds of chairs in different styles and colors sat around it and each chair was upied by a kid.


    I declined eating with them a second time after we reached the kitchen. Thest thing Cristina needed was another mouth to feed. I was just d I could help out.


    Two pans full of Tyson chicken nuggets and three pans of French fries were popped in both of the two ovens. We poured each child grape juice into a stic cup as we waited for the food to cook.


    I learnt that Whitney and Lindsey were twins (which didn''t really surprise me) and that Ian was their brother. Apart from their hair, they really did share a resemnce. Other than the three siblings were nine more children. There were children of each race and gender staying here; all of them being from the age of three to the age of ten. "Where do all the childrene from?" I asked.


    A shadow fell across Cristina''s face as I asked the question and she began to look sad. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to offend you in any way," I said, afraid I had hurt her feelings in some way.


    "No," she said softly. Cristina took a deep breath and sighed out. "They''re orphans," she said.


    "After my mate died in one of Alpha Ronan''s assaults on another pack, I decide to start taking in children of deceased wolves since I had none of my own," she exined. "Oh," I breathed out. "I think that''s extremely selfless of you," I smiled. "Does Luca know?"


    "I asked him for permission, yes," she said nodding.


    I took another glimpse around the room and nced at all the damages. The roof was leaking in the right corner. The sink faucet was dripping rapidly even tho both nozzles were off. The floor was squeaky and some children were sitting on books so they could reach the table. This ce needed help or she wouldn''t be able to keep this going much longer.


    "Have you asked for repairs to be made to the house?" I asked bravely.


    "I''ve sent in a few requests to my leaders office but haven''t gotten a reply," she said gloomily.


    "I''ll see what I can do then," I said. "I''m sure Luca wouldn''t mind helping."


    Her face lit up and she thanked me several times.


    After the timer went off on the oven we gave everyone their dinner and I snuck a


    French fry or ten while Cristina wasn''t looking.


    Once dinner was over, we cleaned up and after everyone''s hair and teeth were brushed and everyone''s face, hands, and feet had been cleaned with a wash cloth, we helped the kids into their pajamas and then sat them down for a movie.


    To say I was exhausted after that little time was an understatement. I had more and more respect for Cristina after every growing minute. It took ounces of energy just to get them to quiet down and watch the Christmas movie, even though it was only September.


    I began to doze off on the couch before I saw headlights on the wall as someone turned into the driveway.


    I sat up and peered over the couch and out the window at the ck SUV. It was dark at this point and I could barely make out the outline of the male silhouette walking towards the house.


    I knew who it was immediately and I got off the couch to open the door for him and let him inside. Luca gave me a wearily look as he stepped inside the house and immediately Cristina was off the recliner and on her feet.


    "A-A-Alpha Ronan... What a-a pleasant... surprise," she stuttered out. He gave her a curt nod as he looked over the children that were sprawled all over the quilt in front of the TV; some asleep already, some braiding each others hair or watching the movie. Whitney''s eyes left the TV screen and she stared back and forth between me and Luca. I patted my thigh and nodded in her direction. She smiled and got up. Weaving her way around her brothers and sisters, she walked over to us.


    "Whitney, this is Luca," I said smiling.


    He gave her a cheesy grin that revealed all thirty-two of his pearly whites. All poor


    Whitney could do was stare back at him in awe. Same, girlfriend. Same.


    Soon Ian came running up behind Whitney and he too stared at Luca.


    "That''s Ian," I said to Luca.


    Luca bent down and picked Ian up and sat him on his forearm. Ian''s pudgy finger poked Luca''s Adam''s apple in curiosity and I tried not tough at Luca''s face. Ian, as I''d been told by Cristina, was an extremely introverted child. He didn''t y with everyone else and didn''t talk hardly at all. He also wasn''t very trusting so him being sofortable around Luca wasn''t something I wanted to ruin.


    "What do you think about spending the night at Luca and I''s house sometime?" I asked Whitney.


    Her eyes lit up and she nodded enthusiastically. She didn''t talk much either. She ran back over to the quilt and plopped down on her romp. By this time Cristina had joined Luca and I at the door.


    She still seemed a little star struck but Luca didn''t seem to notice as heplemented Ian''s Batman pajama pants and Bob the Builder t-shirt.


    Ian grinned at Luca and I almost cried at the scene. I had never seen him so happy or so invested in someone and by the look on Cristina''s face, she was close to tears too. Ian pulled at the white rubber band that had the Montana Grizzlies logo on it off of Luca''s wrist and Luca handed it to him. Ian seemed infatuated with it as Luca set him down on the ground. Ian joined his sister on the quilt, still staring at the band. "It''ste," Luca said to Cristina. "I''m afraid I''vee to take her home," he said nodding towards me. I rolled my eyes at the way he made it sound like I wasn''t listening and I gave Cristina a hug goodbye.


    "I''ll definitely being back," I said smiling.


    "Please do. I''ve much appreciated the help," she said.


    I nodded and Luca opened the front door. Ian looked up, Luca waved goodbye and Ian waved back.


    I smiled at the gesture as Luca lead us out to his car. He opened up my car door and I sat down in the passenger seat.


    I went to reach for my seat belt but Luca grabbed my hand. I looked at him worriedly, afraid he was still angry with me from this morning but he leaned in slowly and gave me a short, but passionate, kiss on the lips.


    "It''s hard to get mad at you for running off when this is where youe," Luca said,


    his toneced in aggravation. I smiled and gave him another quick peck.


    "Just get in the car and take me home, idiot," I said shaking my head. "I intend to."

 Chapter 22- Tell Em Its A Birthday Party-1

    "We have got a busy day tomorrow," Luca said snuggling close to me under the sheets.


    "Why what else could possibly be going on?" I asked in aggravation. I was in desperate need of a good night''s rest.


    "Toree and Abree''s birthday party is tomorrow," he said yawning.


    "Why am I just now hearing about this?" I asked in surprise.


    Lucaughed airily.


    "Well, it has not exactly been on my mind these past few days," he said.


    "And what has?" I asked teasingly.


    "A certain she-wolf with pretty brown hair that has some fine-ass legs," he said, his yful tone matching mine.


    "And who might that be?" I asked turning over on my side to face him.


    "She knows who she is," he said leaning in.


    "Excuse you!" I eximed pushing him away. "I have a mate and I do not think he


    would like this very much," I said shaking my head.


    "Screw him," Luca said kissing me quickly.


    "Very soon," I said, pulling away from him with a wink. He groaned in annoyance and I turned over to turn off themp, leaving the room in darkness.


    "Goodnight, Luca."


    "Buona notte, il mio amore," Luca muttered, leaving a lingering kiss on my temple and wrapping me up in his arms.


    To say hearing him speak to me in his native tongue was a major turn-on would have been a major understatement. Lust began to cloud my vision and I quickly shook it away.


    By the chuckle that came from Luca, he knew and that made it even more


    embarrassing.


    With a permanent blush on my cheeks and an Italian Alpha''s arms around me, I fell asleep.


    ?


    I was surrounded.


    The whole vige around me was ignited into mes that crawled closer to me. I was trapped.


    A single ck wolf, onepletely resembling Luca''s, paced back and forth between


    me and the mes. He growled and snarled at nothing in particr.


    I couldn''t move.


    I just stood there for what felt like eternity while the mes grew closer and closer to me. Soon I couldn''t even see the abandoned houses around me. They were camouged in with the billowing smoke. Ash fell from the sky; I had mistaken it for snow at first. Mixed in with the ash was the hot embers that birthed from the mes. I was hot.


    The heat radiating from the mes was burning my skin and I was pretty sure I had no eyebrows at that point. I felt my heartbeat slow down and I became very light headed. Without warning, the monstrous ck wolf leapt forward.


    He knocked me backwards and all the air left my lungs. The wolf raised his paw and began to repeatedly w at my chest. The pain was so overwhelming.


    With every blow made to my chest, another rib caved and cracked to the pressure. My heart started beating rhythmically in my chest again and the wolf stopped. He stared into my eyes with his shimmering golden ones. What surprised me was the concerning and worried look.


    I reached out to touch him but he vanished; along with the rest of the terrible scene. I was back in Luca''s bedroom.


    I sat up and gasped in pain. My entire chest was in searing pain from the torso up to


    my neck; not to mention the heat that had spread through my body was getting


    warmer.


    My head was held in Luca''s hands as he stared at me in shock. He straddling my torso. "Baby, I forgot it was tonight," he said quickly. "I forgot. I am so sorry."


    He continued to apologize as the heat continued to spread down my arms and legs. Luca swore under his breath and got off of me.


    "I-I can not stay," he said hurriedly.


    I tried to get up but pain shot over my chest and I gasped in agony. Luca''s hands went


    under my arms and around my stomach. His hands immediately moved away.


    "I cracked your ribs when I was reviving you," he said shakily.


    Heid me down slowly and hovered above me.


    "You need to stay here," he said.


    I cried out as the Heat increased and rolled over my skin in powerful waves.


    This was worse than before. Way worse.


    My vision blurred horribly and I could barely make out Luca''s retreating figure.


    I closed my eyes thinking this was going to be another night alone. But, he came back.


    With an ice pack in his hand, he rubbed the cold bag all over my back while whispering soothing words.


    Then, I passed out from the pain.


    ?


    Soft traces in my skin could be felt as I woke up from my slumber.


    After I fully regained my consciousness, I knew, without opening my eyes, that Luca was the one touching me.


    His soft fingertips drooped down the crook if my neck and back up again, leaving little patterns over his mark.


    His scent was deliciously overpowering. The smell of the expensive Armani cologne seemed to be permanently glued to him. Luca always smelled like a sex god because of it and that made resisting him so much more difficult. The sheets, the pillows, his t- shirts, his car, his house. Everything. It all smelled just like him; and I was okay with that.


    "I know you are awake, darling," Luca chuckled.


    I smiled, my eyes still closed.


    "I didn''t want you to stop," I admitted softly.


    "I would not," he chuckled.


    Weid in silence for a while before I spoke up.


    "My tummy hurts," I sighed.


    Luca frowned.


    "I would have thought it healed by now," he said under his breath.


    "What?" I asked.


    "Your stomach. I woke up in the middle of the night and you were not breathing. I had


    to revive you and when I did you went into Heat," Luca exined. "I am positive I cracked a multiple amount of your ribs when I did."


    Luca rolled me over gently toy on my back and he leaned over my body. He pushed back theforter and the cold air around us made chill bumps ride on my flesh.


    His fingers skimmed thece on my gray underwear as he lifted up his t-shirt I had on. Luca stopped just under my bust line and examined my chest and sides. "They are just bruised," he said finally. "I am pretty sure you healed well overnight."


    I took a deep sigh, ignoring the slight pain that came with inhaling.


    "Guess what?" I asked, my face lighting up in excitement.


    "What?" He askedying back down and covering us up once again.


    "Last night signified the first full moon of the month. One more and I''ll be able to join your pack!" I said excitedly.


    Instead of being excited about it like I was, a solemn shadow cast across his features. "What?" I asked.


    "I really wish you were not such an optimist," Luca said gruffly.


    "I don''t know what you mean..."


    He shook his head.


    "You diedst night. You actually died. I revived you," he repeated. "You do not realize how scared I was you were not going to wake up this morning. That was the worst phase of Heat I have ever seen and to see you, my mate, experiencing it; I can not describe the misery it put me through. I am supposed to protect you, keep you safe, make you happy and here I am idly sitting by while you experience that much pain."

 Chapter 22- Tell Em Its A Birthday Party-2

    My eyes watered when I saw the tears pooling under his eyes; tears he was fighting incredibly hard to hold in. Luca wasn''t a very emotional person, so I knew this was sincere to him.


    I rubbed a reassuring hand on his stomach and sighed.


    "We''ll be fine," I smiled.


    He looked up at me with a solemn expression.


    "You won''t go through Heat again," he said sternly. "I promise."


    ?


    Luca pushed straight through the open door of his parents'' home.


    The bustle and hustle of everyone preparing for the birthday party made the house restless and noisy.


    Luca wasn''t staying, only dropping me off to help. I was starting to think he was making special visits to the prison cells without my knowledge. However, I tried to push away the thought of Jonathan and every other thought that flooded in with it. Anna sat a stack of purple paper tes on the countertop and rushed over to hug Luca and I.


    "Thank you so much foring, we definitely need the help," she said wiping her


    forehead with the back of her hand.


    "I am not staying," Luca said quickly.


    "Of course you''re not," Anna muttered under her breath, sending him a re.


    He shrugged nonchntly and Anna shook her head disapprovingly before turning to


    me.


    "You''re staying, correct?" She asked.


    I nodded.


    "Luca figured you''d need some help."


    "Sure he did," she said giving him a sharp look.


    "Be backter," he stuttered. Luca gave me a chaste kiss on the head before nearly tripping over himself while getting out the front door.


    "You know you''ve found a good man if he''s still scared of his mother," Anna said with a wink. "Come with me, you can help Nic with the table-setting."


    She weaved her way around boxes of party decorations, with me following, before leading me to a huge outdoor patio. A tablerge enough to sit forty people fit loosely in the ginormous sunroom.


    A raven-haired girl stood with her back to us as she gazed out the screen window looking over the spaciouswn.


    "Nic!" Anna said cheerfully.


    The girl turned around and I instantly recognized her as the one whom I''d tested Luca with the day we went to the meeting house. I was suddenly very ashamed and I could feel the redness creeping up unto my cheeks.


    She wore no makeup and her hair was in a ponytail. Apanied by a t-shirt and denim shorts, she had traded her six-inch heels for pink flip flops. In short, she looked normal. I instantly wanted to ask her why she ever started wearing makeup; she was a breathtaking girl with and without it.


    "We meet again," I joked with her.


    "Oh! You know each other? Good! I''m going back inside. Find Philip if you need anything; I have to go into town with Hanna to get ice cream," Anna said hurriedly. Leaving us on that note, she rushed away, her Jack Roger sandals cking on the hardwood floor behind her.


    "So your name is Nic?" I asked awkwardly.


    "Yes, Luca Caroline," she said bowing her head. I almost pped the girl for her excessive politeness. She could be mean to me like I was to her when we met.


    "Carrie," I corrected her with a smile.


    Nic gave me a smile of her own.


    "So..." I said awkwardly. "What are we supposed to be doing?"


    Nic shrugged.


    "Well, she asked me to help set the table. I didn''t realize it was literally going to take all afternoon," she said groaning.


    Iughed.


    "We''d better get to work then..."


    Five hourster, Nic and I were practically inseparable. Everywhere Philip told us to


    go and help out, we went together. She had a sarcastic mouth and tasteful dry humor like I did; we got along just fine.


    Bates came not long after I did, but regardless of what Philip told him to do, he stayed put in the kitchen. He helped Luca''s grandmother, Nina, bake the treats and food for the party.


    ording to him, Luca called and threatened to fire him unless Bates gave me his phone for the afternoon. Needless to say, I soon found out that Bates had a picture of Yoda as his screensaver.


    While we were setting up the gift table in the front hall, it buzzed and rang in my


    pocket. I pulled it out, rolling my eyes at the Star Trek-themed ringtone, and answered


    it.


    I hit the speaker option so I could finish slipping the tablecloth on while talking. "Hello?"


    "Hello O'' gorgeous mate of mine," his deep voice said.


    I blushed furiously and immediately brought the phone to my ear to finish the conversation.


    "Luca!" I scolded in a hushed tone. "You were on speaker, everyone heard you!"


    "Your point?" He asked in an amused tone.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "There wasn''t one. What''s up?" I asked giving up.


    "I wanted to see how things are going. You alright? Anyone need anything?" He asked,


    his serious tone back.


    "I''m fine," I assured him. I went off and asked Anna if they needed Luca to pick up


    anything and she declined the offer and said they had everything.


    "Have you gotten Abree and Toree birthday presents yet?" I asked.


    "I don''t know what to get them," he said in annoyance. Iughed. I somehow get a kick out of his frustration...


    "Well..." I started off. "You could always get them a Victoria''s Secret gift card. You know that since they''re turning eighteen that they''ll find their mates soon." "Absolutely not," he said quickly.


    I smiled at the overprotective, big brother side of him.


    "Fine then. I''ll just take them out lingerie shopping one day while you''re gone on one of your mystery missions," I said casually.


    "First off, they''re not ''mystery missions''. Secondly, my sisters probably don''t even know what lingerie is so therefor they have no need to have any," he said stubbornly.


    I rolled my eyes at his ignorance. Either he was pretending to only see the innocence in his baby sisters or he really was truly stupid.


    "I think I''ll just get them a card with maybe a gift card. They like Dippin'' Dots right?"


    I sighed heavily; making a mental note to remember to take those poor girls lingerie


    shopping to make up for the horrible gift he was about bestow on them.


    "What? Is that not a good idea?" He asked.


    I shook my head and closed my eyes, counting to ten to try and retain my inner


    demons fromshing out at him and his ridiculous birthday present ideas.


    "Do what you want," I sighed. "But I''ve got to go and finish helping your mom." "Okay, I will see youter," he said. "Wait, Carrie?"


    "Yes?" I asked.


    "You''re not actually taking then lingerie shopping are you?" He asked.


    I groaned and hung up.


    The moment I stuffed the cellphone in my pocket it started to ring again.


    "If you don''t stop calling me, I''m giving the phone back to Bates," I threatened as I


    answered it.


    "Don''t hang up on me," Luca said sternly, ignoring my threat.


    "You don''t like me hanging up on you?" I asked.


    "No."


    "Watch, I''m gunna do it again," I said.


    "No, wait-"


    I hung up.


    Nicughed and shook her head as she sprinkled the shimmering confetti on top of


    the table cloth.

 Chapter 22- Tell Em Its A Birthday Party-3

    The phone rang again and I screamed in aggravation.


    "Luca! I swear to God! This isn''t even funny anymore!" I yelled answering it. The line was dead silent. My eyebrows furrowed.


    "Luca?"


    No answer.


    I pulled the phone from my ear and looked at the Caller I.D. It was an unknown number.


    My heart started beating loudly in my chest. Had it not been for the recent days'' urrences, I wouldn''t have been so paranoid about an unknown number. But now, I was scared.


    I hung up quickly and bit my lip. Should I call Luca and tell him? I don''t want to ruin the girls'' birthday party...


    I shook my head and made a silent promise to tell Lucater.


    I gave the cell phone back to Bates so he could deal with Luca should my mate decide to call back.


    We continued on decorating until the entire house was wrapped, roof-to-carpet with silver or white decorations.


    I went upstairs to check on the birthday girls with Nic hot on my trail. I knocked on the open bedroom door where everyone was standing and they all turned to look at us; except Hanna, who gave me a re and turned her attention to her phone. I chose to ignore her.


    "You two look stunning!" I eximed at the twins.


    Toree had on a crisp, clean-cut, white dress that had ace-trimmed bottom that fell just a over her knees and high-rise neck. Her hair fell in loose beach waves down her back.


    Abree had on a white, Grecian-style dress that was just a bit shorter and more bohemian-looking with an open back. Her hair was up in a milkmaid braid.


    Each of them had on silver shoes, Toree''s heels and Abree''s sandals, and they both had silver essories such as bracelets and earrings.


    "I feel beautiful!" Abree eximed.


    "I feel old," Toree groaned.


    We allughed.


    The doorbell rang and everyone jumped in surprise.


    "The first guest!" Anna said happily. We all trailed out of the room in a single-file line. When I reached the bottom steps, I saw Luca walking in the front door behind some people I''d never seen before.


    We made eye contact at the same time and he voicelessly told me to wait where I was. I stood still as he finally made his was towards me. He was now dressed in a red polo and khaki pants with a shopping bag in one hand.


    "I brought you a change of clothes," he said steering me to the washroom. "We didn''t have time to go home and change before the party."


    He handed me the bag and I went into the bathroom to change with him following me inside.


    "I really don''t see why you have to be in here," I said nervously. "You could''ve waited outside."


    "There''s a lot of male wolves in this house for the party, I''m not letting you change in the bathroom without me in here," he said protectively.


    "You still could''ve waited outside," I mumbled.


    "But then I wouldn''t have been able to watch you change," he said winking.


    I threw him a re and stupidly couldn''t help the smile that crept on my lips.


    I pulled the long, paisley-patterned dress from the bag. It was a strapless cr¨¨me and


    navy blue colored maxi dress.


    "I can''t wear this, I don''t have a strapless bra," I said.


    "Just go without one then," Luca said like it was no big deal.


    I looked at him like he was stupid.


    "Fine, take of your shirt," he said pushing himself off the bathroom door in my direction.


    "Luca, we don''t have time for this," I said.


    "Don''t be so perverted, I''m trying to help you," he said.


    I huffed and pulled the t-shirt over my head.


    I saw his eyes darken but he seemed to have some sort of leash on his desires. He


    reached out and tore the straps off my bra like it was nothing, thus creating the male''s version of a strapless bra.


    I rolled my eyes at this and Luca nodded his head proudly.


    I pulled the dress over my head with the help of Luca and adjusted it so you couldn''t see my bra.


    When I was finally done getting ready, I went to step out of the bathroom but Luca stopped me.


    "Why didn''t you answer me back when I called?" He asked.


    "I gave the phone back to Bates," I said.


    "I know that now," he said angrily.


    "What did you do?" I asked, reading the violent look on his face.


    "Let''s just say he''ll be picking cake icing out of his phone''s speakers for a month," he said.


    Iughed.


    "You''re so mean."


    He cracked a smiled and put his hand on my cheek.


    "I missed you today," he said softly.


    "You also have separation anxiety," Iughed.


    He smiled and leaned down to give me a feathery kiss on the lips.


    There was a rapid knocking on the door and I jumped in fright.


    "Stop making babies in there, you two! We''re about to light the candles!" Anna said from the other side of the door.


    Luca groaned and opened the door.


    "Oo, that''s cute," Anna said pointing to my dress. I gave her a thumbs up as I took my shoes off and put them in the shopping bag with my dirty clothes, deciding it was best just to walk around with no shoes to help eliminate the risk of me tripping.


    We walked into the patio and the party began.


    The twins were glowing that night. I could practically see them growing into women as they thanked everyone for their gifts and foring.


    Luca stayed busy that night. It was his pack after all and everyone and their cousin had


    something they wanted to discuss with him. I couldn''t be jealous though, I knew at the


    end of the day, I would always be the one who had his attention the most.


    I stayed with Nic for the rest of the party. We helped start to clean up when


    everyone went into the living room for games.


    As I cleared the table of thest dirty te, I felt a tap on my shoulder.


    I turned to see Toree standing behind me with a worried look.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked softly so not to get everyone''s attention.


    "I need you toe with me," she whispered.


    I nodded and we both discreetly left the room and escaped into a dimly lit and vacant


    hallway.


    "What''s wrong?" I repeated.


    "I found my mate," she said buying her fingernails.


    "That''s wonderful, Toree!" I said excitedly.


    She quickly shook her head, big years welling up in her eyes.


    "No, no it''s not," she whispered.


    "Since when is that a bad thing?" I asked, thoroughly confused.


    "Since it''s one of the wolves down in the pack''s detention cells," she said worriedly.


    "Maybe it''s a guard on duty there," I suggested.


    "No," she said.


    "...I think it''s one of the wolves that came from your pack."


    ....

 Chapter 23- Toying with Self-Control-1

    I struggled to even make a sentence.


    "W-wait... you mean-" I cut myself off.


    My heart was in my stomach and a killer migraine was forming right between my eyes. This couldn''t happen... I couldn''t let it!


    Toree stood in front of me with her fingers woven together as she popped a few


    knuckles anxiously.


    "What do we do?" She asked. "I can''t just go an proudly announce that my possible mate is currently in cahoots with another pack in attempt to kill every single one of us!"


    I put my finger to my lips as a sign to be quiet. Luca was walking towards us and I


    didn''t want to break the news until it was proven that it was, in fact, either Jonathan or Waylon.


    "Everything alright?" He asked, his eyebrows knitting together.


    I forced a smile on my face and nodded. "Everything''s fine."


    Luca gave me his "I-know-everything''s-not-fine-and-we''ll-talk-about-itter" face. Thankfully, Toree didn''t seem to catch onto it. I pitied the poor girl an awful lot. This was her eighteenth birthday, she was supposed to be happy and excited about finding her mate, not the other way around.


    "We''ll talkter," I said with a smile,ying aforting hand on her shoulder.


    She gave me a grim, tight-lipped smile before trodding off back into the living room glumly.


    "Tell me everything," Luca said immediately once she was out of ear-shot.


    "I can''t," I said, my voice breaking.


    "This is obviously more than you two nning a lingerie shopping trip behind my back and I feel that I should know about it," he said firmly. "You can not keep things from me, Carrie. That is where rtionships go wrong."


    "When we get back to your house," I sighed.


    Luca gave me a victorious smirk before leaning in to give me a kiss on the tip of my


    nose.


    "I have something for you when we get home," he said, his smirk looking a little too


    mischievous for my taste.


    "Do I wanna know now?" I asked.


    He shrugged.


    I sighed out again, causing him tough.


    "Come on. Let us join the rest of my family for a while, yeah?"


    Luca slung an arm over my shoulder and steered us in the direction of the living room, where Nic joined us from cleaning up.


    I sat down next to Luca and he slid me even closer, eyeing the unmated males in the room as he did so.


    I rolled my eyes at the protective gesture andid my head on his shoulder; mentally agreeing to go along freely with the rest of the night.


    ?


    After thest guest left, Luca and I ourselves packed up and headed back home.


    "What was that secret of yours?" Luca asked as he unlocked the front door and allowed me to step in first.


    My mood that had been lifted up slowly eeked it''s way back down into the slumps. "Toree found her mate," I said quickly. I released the words faster than I could register, making sure I wouldn''t be able to take them back.


    "Already?" Luca asked in shock.


    I nodded.


    "I am really not ready for this," he said gritting his teeth.


    "Then you''re really not ready to hear who it is," Iughed humorlessly.


    "Who? Oh for the love of God please do not tell me it is Bates! Anyone but Bates!" He begged.


    I wanted tough but I just couldn''t.


    "Anyone?" I asked.


    "Maybe not ine, I do not think I could grasp that either," he said.


    "It''s neither," I said quietly.


    "Then who?" He asked, curiosity growing on his features.


    "It''s a big possibility it''s either Jonathan or Waylon," I admitted.


    Luca''s face went emotionless. His stare was void, as if he was looking right through me.


    "This is not funny," he finally said.


    "I''m not lying, Luca. I promise I''m not making this up," I pleaded.


    His jaw wrenched shut so tight I could see the muscles in his face flex under the


    pressure.


    All at once his hand pushed the front door, mming it back into the door frame and sending a splintering crack down the middle.


    I jumped in shock and surprise and had to bite down on my lip to keep from squealing. "Are you positive?" He asked, his breathing jagged and uneven.


    "Not entirely, she just told me she had a suspicion it was one of them," I said gulping. "We are confirming this first thing tomorrow," he growled. "And that is if I can make it through the night without ripping off the heads of either of those wolves."


    I red at him.


    "You wouldn''t dare!" I shouted.


    "Try me!" He shouted back.


    "Would you really?" I asked sadly. "You would really deprive your sister of the beautiful colors her mate would bring into her life? Even if it is Jonathan or Waylon they would make her happier than you ever could and she would love him regardless of what he''s done! He would change for her Luca! You of all people should know about changing for the person you love! If you would really do that to your sister, I doubt you''ve really changed at all... Maybe you really are the Alpha I had nightmares about all these years."


    The room went dead silent. I could''ve sworn I heard a bird poop on the window over the silence.


    Luca''s mouth moved like he wanted to say something but no words came out.


    We stood there in heavy silence for a few minutes more while my heart pounded in my chest and Luca just started at me with an unreadable expression.


    "You had nightmares about me?" He asked softly. His eyes were still hard and his jaw was still wound tight, although I could tell there was a war raging inside of him by the way he was talking with his hands.


    "That entire speech and that''s all you got out of it?" I asked, trying to avoid answering him.


    Luca didn''t answer me and all either of us could do was stand there and stare at the other.


    "I gave you nightmares?" He repeated, his voice breaking slightly. It sounded like more of a statement this time.

 Chapter 23- Toying with Self-Control-2

    I slowly nodded and bowed my head to look at my shoe-less feet that peeped out


    from under the dress. I blinked slowly in attempt to hold back all the tears that rushed to my eyes. They memories to mind that I''d tried so hard to push away.


    "I-I''d never even seen you before two weeks ago," Luca stuttered. "How did I give you nightmares?"


    I could see the question was beating him from the inside out. He had a point, but there were puzzle pieces he was missing.


    "When I was sixteen, all the teens from the pack decided to take a trip to Los Angeles for a weekend, apparently you had the same idea," I exined. I looked up at his face to see if I could read his emotions, then I continued.


    "It was our second night there and we had just finished dinner and were heading back to the hotel for the night. On the way, there was a car crash right beside the side walk we were on. We ran over to see if anyone was hurt but when we got there you ran in front of us and drug the driver out of his seat and ran away with him. I was the only one quick enough to follow you and when you ran into an abandoned apartment building, I stood outside and listened to you literally beat the life out of him. I was too young then to realize you were my mate and I ran away before you came out, but I was scared for the longest time that you had known I was there..."


    Madeline was the only one I''d ever told the story to but it oddly felt good to tell Luca. Ever since I met him, I felt like I was holding things back from him, and now I wasn''t. By the look on his face, I wasn''t so sure he was as relieved about hearing it, as I was


    about telling it.


    "That is why you thought I was going to hurt you when we met that night," he said, sinking down on the couch.


    I nodded slowly and took a seat beside him.


    Luca put his face in his hands.


    I started to rub soothing patterns on his back as he breathed heavily.


    Luca finally looked up at me with bloodshot eyes before standing abruptly and pacing around the living room.


    "You probably think I am some sort of viin in your life don''t you?" He asked sullenly. I shook my head.


    "More like a knight in shining armor," I smiled.


    He swallowed hard before kneeling down in front of me.


    "You know I would never hurt you," he said.


    I nodded.


    Heid his head on myp while he sat on his knees.


    "No more secrets," he said firmly, drawing in a steadying breath.


    I nodded in agreement.


    "Can I tell you one of mine?" He asked.


    "Yes, always."


    Luca leaned forward.


    "I really want to kiss you right now," he whispered.


    I couldn''t help the stupid smile that spread across my face.


    "Do you want to hear one of my secrets?" I asked.


    He nodded.


    "I really want you to kiss me right now."


    His face got serious and he brushed a stray hair from my face. Sliding his hands down


    my thighs to intertwine our fingers, he held both my hands tight with his.


    Luca pulled me towards him slightly and let his gaze roam to my lips and back to meet my eyes.


    Slowly, we inched forward to each other.


    Out lips were millimeters apart when the doorbell rang.


    I pulled away quickly, as if we''d been caught. Luca, however, stayed still with a


    confused expression.


    "That ended a lot differently in my head," he said.


    Iughed and stood up to go see who was at the door.


    I opened it up and Bates was standing there with his phone.


    "Bates?" I asked.


    "No, I''m Martha," he said with a serious expression.


    I rolled my eyes butughed.


    "Would you like toe in, Martha?" I asked.


    He nodded his head and stepped around me into the house.


    "Dude, you spent seventeen grand on furniture and you''re sitting on the twenty dor


    rug. Your reasoning levels are off," Bates scowled.


    The smile that Bates'' earned everything I was around him grew on my face.


    "Did you need something?" I asked.


    "Why? Did I interrupt something?" Bates asked with raised eyebrows as he looked between Luca and I.


    "No."


    "Yes."


    I red and Luca''s bluntness but I didn''t seem to bother Bates one bit.


    "I came to see who called you today besides Casanova here," Bates said. "When I got


    my phone cleaned off"-he red at Luca-"I saw that a blocked number called you after


    Alpha-Man did. I took it to Lincoln but he couldn''t trace it."


    The question intrigued Luca and he and Bates both stared at me in curiosity.


    "I wouldn''t have answered it if I had known it wasn''t Luca," I said honestly. "When I


    answered it the other end of the line was dead so I hung up."


    "Is that a problem, boss?" Bates asked Luca.


    Luca gave me a "why-didn''t-you-tell-me-earlier" look before nodding at Bates'' question.


    Bates huffed.


    "Fine. I''ll take it over to Duffey and see what he can find on it. Hopefully it wasn''t a


    pedophile," he said. "Well, I mean, Luca is technically a pedophile because of you guys'' age gape but, then again, maybe he isn''t because you''re mates..."


    The thought of it all seemed to confuse Bates. Luca growled, signaling that the conversation was over and Bates took the hint.


    "Bye, Martha!" I shouted behind him as he was walking to his car.


    "Adios, Carol!"


    Iughed loudly before shutting and locking the front door.

 Chapter 23- Toying with Self-Control-3

    I turned around and was met by Luca standing right in front of me, so close that our


    chests were touching.


    "Can I help you?" I asked curiously.


    He nodded.


    "I was about to go take a shower," he said.


    "Is that a statement or an invitation?" I asked.


    He cocked his head to the side and I sighed.


    "It isn''t a good idea," I admitted. "Neither one of us have good self-control."


    "Your self-control is amazing," he added.


    "Not when there''s naked bodies involved," I shot back causing him tough. "Plus, you only think I have good self-control because you don''t see what goes on on the inside." This seemed to spark something in him.


    "Why?" He asked. "Do you think lustful thoughts of me?"


    "Maybe," I admitted, my cheeks turning embarrassingly pink.


    "There is no need to be ashamed," he said, brushing his finger of my left cheek. "I think very dirty thoughts of you."


    Desire began to build up inside me with his every word like a Tetris game.


    "I thought we both just agreed neither one of us have very good self-control," I said


    quickly, my back now touching the front door.


    Luca leaned in further and ced his hand beside my head on the door.


    "So is that a ''no'' on the shower then?" He asked.


    "I don''t trust myself," I whispered.


    He gave me an understanding smile before backing away.


    "Looks like this shower''s gunna be a cold one then," he said with a groan.


    ?


    We made sure it wasn''t a blue moon before we went to sleep that night.


    I needed a good night''s rest desperately.


    When I woke up the next morning, Luca was already in the kitchen talking to Toree on the phone.


    He had arranged for us to all go down to the prison cells at ten o''clock.


    I had a few minutes to eat breakfast and get ready before she showed up, along with Bates and ine.


    "Are we ready?" Luca asked.


    Toree and I both gave a reluctant nod. We really weren''t. I don''t think either of us really wanted to know the truth.


    We all drove in ine''s Jeep to the prison cells inplete silence.


    No one wanted to tell Anna, Philip, or the rest of the girls until it was confirmed. So it left us five in utter agony.


    Once we pulled up, we exited the car and made our way, rather slowly, to the doors.


    I turned to look at Toree and I could tell she could smell her mate. She was getting anxious.


    Luca opened the big steel door and we all stepped inside.


    Before anyone could even react she took of running down the spiral staircase. We all followed after her in a stunned anticipation.


    We reached the bottom of the stairs and all I saw was her embracing a boy with fiery read hair.


    Her mate was the prison guard.


    All of us let out a long exasperated breath, one ofplete relief. Luca and the boys walked towards the new couple while I tried to regain my breath from running down those stairs so fast.


    I had to have set some kind of record. I don''t think I''d ever moved that fast.


    Once I was done panting like a dog, I began to walk down the long hall towards them


    as well. But then, I passed that one particr cell door.


    I stopped and looked to see if Luca was looking at me before I looked at the door curiously.


    The hinges were new and I could see the fresh dents in the metal made from the inside. Luca''s outburst that I saw in Jonathan''s vision came back to me and I suddenly felt sorry for the guys who had to fix the door he had broken.


    I remember the key code from the first time Luca had brought me here and I punched it in quickly.


    I looked back to the group of people to see if anyone had noticed. They hadn''t... yet. It would only be a matter of time before Luca realized I wasn''t there.


    But I didn''t need much time. I only needed five minutes. Five minutes to ask Jonathan what was going on. Five minutes to coax him into joining our team and stopping whatever it was my dad was nning.


    The door unlocked with a small click and I pulled it open slowly so it wouldn''t creak.


    I looked back to Luca and saw he still wasn''t paying attention.


    I slipped into the dark cell and flipped the light switch on the wall.


    Nothing.


    The cell was empty.


    I was confused before I heard it. It was a hiss.


    My eyes widened as my mind calcted where the sound hade from.


    Pure terror washed over me as I debated on making a run back to safety or letting my curiosity take over.


    Slowly, I leaned my head back and craned my neck to look up at the ceiling.


    I would never forget what I saw.


    There, stuck to the ceiling like Spider-Man was Jonathan.


    His pale arms were bone-thin and his long fingers had nails that were two-inches long. ck veins could be seen all over his near-translucent skin. His once-fitted t-shirt hung loosely off his malnourished body. His titanium blonde hair was longer and stuck out wildly in many different directions.


    What was the scariest though was his eyes. They were pitch ck. The red at me and gleamed like a wicked viper''s. Every one of his teeth were canine-sharp, bared at ready to devour whatever they could hook onto.


    I let out a blood-chilling screen at the horrifying sight and he dropped down fifteen feet,nding on all fours.


    He rushed towards me and mmed the door shut, cutting off my only escape route. Immediately after, he hit the light switch, engulfing us into pitch darkness.


    "Finally."


    ....

 Chapter 24- Together-1

    My body was frozen with my heart palpitating in my chest.


    I tried to even out my breathing as not to look scared in front of- what used to be-


    Jonathan.


    My mind couldn''t wrap around anything.


    With the lights off, I feltpletely oblivious to everything. I felt numb. The terror that overwhelmed my body had rendered me unable to speak or even think straight.


    The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and chill bumps were spreading across my skin like waves.


    "We''re finally together now, baby... why are you so frightened?"


    His voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard.


    I tried toe up with some dim-witted, snarky remark but my mind wouldn''t work and I couldn''t utter a single word.


    "Mm... just think; a couple more days, when your dad gets here, we''ll be together forever. You and me. We''ll make love together. We''ll raise our pups together. We''ll rule as Luna and Alpha, together."


    If expressions could talk, I''m sure, in that moment, I was telling Jonathan I''d make sure


    he roomed with The Joker when he got put away in an asylum.


    Raise our pups? Make love?


    Thest one made me want to vomit like Aubrey from Pitch Perfect...


    ...all over his face and unrealistic fantasies.


    "Speak, Carrie, you''re scaring me," he said worriedly. Jonathan ran a finger across my cheekbone and if I''d had enoughmon sense at the time, I would''ve bitten it off. "How much time do we have before my dades?" I squeaked out.


    I hade in the cell to get answers from Jonathan, the least I could do was make sure I had a few questions answered, something that would spread a little more light on the dilemma.


    "Just a few more days," he whispered. I could feel his warm breath spread across my face and I knew he was leaning closer to me.


    I felt a cold, w-ridden finger slide up my thigh, to the hem of my shorts, and then up under my shirt.


    "Your innocence is overwhelmingly indulgent to me," Jonathan moaned. "Save your


    purity for me; just a few more days..."


    ''No way in Hell,'' I thought to myself.


    After a short mmer, arge dent the shape of a fist appeared right next to my head in the metal door.


    "He''s not much of a knocker is he?" Jonathan asked.


    I was ripped from the steel door into his arms as Jonathan moved away from the door. Immediately after, it was kicked in. The hinges groaned under the force but didn''t break, however the door was slightly bent.


    The iridescent light from the hallway flooded into the cell, blinding me and causing Jonathan to hiss like a vampire burning under sunlight.


    "Luca!"


    I had never been happier to see his broad physique in my life!


    A hand mped down hard over my mouth and Luca froze. I felt Jonathan''s warm, putrid breath over my neck and stiffened.


    He was going to bite me.


    His teeth hovered above the skin that covered my jugr vein and I felt my blood run cold.


    Luca took a step forward and then he froze again.


    "Ah-ah-ah," Jonathan scolded. "Not another step or I''ll be forced to take extreme measures, which unfortunately wouldn''t be a good thing for this beautiful creature


    here."


    The fury that zed in Luca''s eyes was scaring me. I didn''t know how Jonathan was still breathing under Luca''s harsh re.


    Jonathan backed us up and pushed me against the wall.


    I took a final nce at Luca, asking for permission to do what I''d been itching to do since I got here.


    He gave me a slight nod, silently telling me to.


    Quickly, I raised my legs between Jonathan and I and nailed him in the chin with my heels.


    I heard a crack but Jonathan only stumbled backwards, holding his jaw.


    Luca took the opportunity to step forward and throw a deathly punch that literally


    knocked Jonathan''s head off his shoulders.


    I spun around quickly so I couldn''t see what happened next, although I heard


    Jonathan''s decapitated body hit the concrete floor.


    I didn''t need that image trapped in my mind for the rest of my long life.


    I could hear Luca''s heavy breathing over my own before I heard his footsteps run up


    behind me. His hand found my shoulder and steered me outside the cell.


    Once we were out, Toree''s mate left her and Bates and ine joined him inside the cell to deal with the body.


    "Are you okay?" Luca asked worriedly.


    His eyes scanned my body quickly, looking for injuries, before he pulled me into his suffocating embrace.


    "I''m fine," I whispered. I inhaled his intoxicating scent and my body instantly rxed. ine, Bates, and Toree''s red-headed mate all came out of the cell.


    "I want the other one executed and both of the bodies shipped back to Utah by nightfall," Luca ordered.


    "Don''t kill Waylon!" I said panicking. I couldn''t stand to see another person dead because of this.


    "Toote, Luna," another prison guard said. He was walking up to us from the other side of the hallway.


    "I just found him ten minutes ago. If I''m correct, and I usually am, he''s been dead for two or three days," he said.


    ine spoke up.


    "If you''re correct about the dark magic thing," He said to Luca. "Then wolf #2 probably didn''t have anything to do with this. I''ll bet the corpse in there tied their lifelines together."


    "Jonathan used Waylon as a life source?" I asked.


    "That would exin why he was able to live so long without food," Luca said. "Waylon literally had the life sucked out of him," Bates concluded.

 Chapter 24- Together-2

    We all stood there, letting the information sink in.


    "You have gotten your orders," Luca said finally. "I want thempleted."


    Luca, Bates, ine, and I all turned to leave, Toree did as well after she kissed her new mate goodbye causing Luca to grumble.


    We all loaded up in the car and started home without a word. After dropping Toree,


    Bates, and ine off at their houses, Luca and I were trapped in silence for the rest of the ride back to his house.


    His cell phone rang in the cup holder and he groaned.


    "Answer it for me," he said.


    I picked it up and epted the call.


    "Hello?"


    "Carrie?! Toree told me what happened! Is everyone else alright?"


    I let out a deep sigh.


    "Yes, we''re all fine."


    I heard a sigh of relief before she spoke again.


    "What are you going to do?"


    I looked at Luca, who was obviously listening in, and he shook his head.


    "We don''t know yet," I said.


    "What are you going to do about the other thing?" She asked.


    "What other thing?"


    "Tonight; It''s a blue moon. I thought Luca mentioned that you were going to be


    epted into the pack? I''m sure he said it..."


    I froze and whipped around to look at Luca.


    He put the car in park as he pulled into his garage and we both sat there.


    "Tell her I will call her back," he said.


    I finished the conversation with Anna before hanging up. Luca and I exited the car and went into the house. As I plopped down on the couch, Luca sat down beside me. Both of us were in deep thought.


    "What are we going to do?" I asked softly.


    "We are going to have to wait until the next blue moon," he said, his voice barely


    above a whisper.


    "Why?" I asked.


    "With the way this day has gone so far, that is how you want to end it?" He asked. "I thought you wanted it to be perfect..."


    "You honestly think, after the conversation we had yesterday, that we would be able to wait?" I asked.


    Luca took a deep breath and put his head in his hands.


    "Are you sure?" He asked.


    "Positive," I nodded.


    A smile spread across his beautiful face.


    "Then I guess I have a ceremony to announce..."


    ?


    "Absolutely not," I said shaking my head.


    "Why?" Anna whined.


    She held up the skimpy white material and I cringed.


    "Fine," she grumbled.


    "What about this one?" She asked.


    We were searching for a white gown for me to wear to the ceremony. It was customary


    for all pack members to wear white during the eptance ceremonies; the Luna wearing a white dress.


    So far, all the options Anna had shown me were basically wedding lingerie. I wanted an actual gown.


    She pulled another dress out of the dusty trunk.


    I took it from her and looked over it. It was a pure white, silk, robe-like gown. It had


    long, flowy sleeves and it pulled together with a thin silk strap. The plunging neckline was the only thing making me second-guess it.


    "You can wear this under it," she said.


    Anna held up a white,ce lingerie set.


    "You''re dead set on the sex clothes aren''t you?" Bates asked her.


    He was sitting on a stic container eating an apple while we searched through the Ronan''s attic.


    Anna red at him.


    "If you tell Luca, I''ll make sure you don''t have children," she said.


    He made a motion that zipped up his lips and then threw air behind him. Iughed but


    stopped when Anna shoved the articles of clothing at me.


    "Try it on, I''ll kick Bates out," she said.


    "Luca told me not to leave her alone," Bates said biting off another piece.


    "Fine, cover your eyes," I said.


    He turned away from me and continued to eat the apple. I ducked behind a stack of cardboard boxes, out of view, and changed.


    Once I was in the clothes, I stepped out and asked Anna what she thought.


    She gave me a thumbs up and a suggestive wink. Bates had unknowingly turned


    around and I heard a wolf-whistle.


    "You look hot," he said.

 Chapter 24- Together-3

    "Bates!" Anna shrieked.


    His eyes widened and he darted out of the room with her hot on his trail.


    Iughed and turned around to re-change.


    I heard Batesing back up the stairs and turned around to ask him something but


    instead was met with the green eyes I''de to love.


    I screamed and he turned around.


    "I did not see anything!" He assured me quickly.


    I quickly jumped behind the stack of boxes and changed back into my normal clothes. I


    threw tonight''s attire into a bag and zipped it up.


    "You can turn around now," I said.


    Luca turned around from the doorway and sat down on the stic box that Bates had just been on.


    Luca patted his thighs and I sat down on hisp.


    "I want to talk to you about something," he said gently as he tucked my hair behind my ears.


    I nodded for him to continue and he took a deep breath.


    "Why on Earth did you go into that cell this morning?" Luca asked.


    I shrugged.


    "No, I want an answer," he said firmly.


    "I just wanted to see if I could get him to tell me what was going on on the other end


    of the spectrum," I admitted. I was embarrassed to say it out loud but my interrogation didn''t exactly go as nned.


    "You were going to seduce him?" Luca asked.


    I startedughing so hard I snorted.


    "No!" I yelled shaking my head.


    A look of relief crossed his face.


    "But... speaking of seducing people, I really need you to leave so I can finish packing for tonight," I said standing up.


    Luca took one look around at all the lingerie that was scattered across the floor before he stood up too.


    "I do not have a single problem with that," he said winking.


    Luca leaned in and gave me a kiss on the lips. He lifted me up into his strong arms as


    he put his hands to rest under my butt.


    "Luca James Ronan! You better not be up there with her!" His mother shouted. "Shit," he cursed.


    He set me down quickly before darting out of the room at road-runner speed.


    Iughed to myself as Anna joined me back in the attic a few minutester. She shut and locked the door behind her.


    "Now that the boys are gone, we can talk like real women do on their eptance night."


    ?


    The sun fell in the sky and was reced by a blindingly bright moon and dazzling stars that twinkled in the sky above.


    "I don''t know how I feel about this anymore," I mumbled.


    I was standing in front of Abree''s mirror looking at the "outfit" Anna had put together;


    I''ll admit I was second guessing myself way too much but, like Luca said, I wanted every aspect of this to be perfect.


    "You look stunning now can we please go?" Hanna groaned.


    All the Ronan girls were in white church dresses and barefoot, as was custom. Whereas


    my hair was up, theirs was pulled into tight ponytails.


    They all looked gorgeous, Hanna a little less than the others. Her ever present scowl made her beautiful face harder to look at.


    "I agree with Hanna," Anna said shooting her a re. "You look gorgeous my darling.


    Your dress will definitely give me grandchildren!" She squealed excitedly.


    I blushed for like the thousandth time that day. Anna and I''s little chat after Luca left


    was more than... well... informative? It took hours for my face to return back to its normal color.


    I looked at the other girls in the mirror behind me and they were all grimacing too. I pitied them; the image that statement probably gave them of their brother and I wasn''t exactly pretty... to them at least.


    "Alright," Anna said ncing at the clock on the wall. "It''s nine, we need to get to the amphitheater by ten so the ceremony can start."


    We all left, Philip and Luca had gone an hour and a half before us.


    Was Luca as nervous as I was? God, I hoped not. I felt like I was going to be sick, like there was a zoo in my stomach.


    We all loaded ourselves into Bates'' car, which Luca had forced him to leave for us, and Anna pulled out of her long driveway.


    I had made a few adjustments to the dress: the plunging neckline had been fixed to where it only showed a little bit of skin and I found that if I pulled it together tight enough, the long slit up the front wasn''t visible. It was a robe after all...


    My eyes kept darting between the clock and the sky.


    Maybe the moon goddess knew that Luca and I were going to be mated soon because normally I would''ve been feeling the warning symptoms of Heat by now and I was actually quite chilly.


    Anna reached over the console and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and a smile. I returned it, but it felt forced.


    I would''ve been enjoying that moment had I not been so nervous.


    We pulled up to a huge stone-built arena that reminded me of the Colosseum, only in exceptional condition.


    She parked the car among the others and we all excited. Immediately, burly men dressed in white came to us and escorted us the whole thirty-foot walk to the building. "Do you know what to do?" Anna asked.


    I nodded. I''d been to an eptance ceremony before.


    She took a deep breath and I could see the tears twinkling in her eyes.


    "If I don''t see you after the ceremony, I just want you to know that you''re all Philip and


    I ever hoped for in Luca''s mate and I couldn''t have asked for a sweeter, more beautiful girl," she said, her voice cracking.


    "Don''t start crying because then I''ll start crying and that''s just going to be a mess," I said, trying to hold back tears.


    "I know, I know, I know! I''m sorry!" She eximed.

 Chapter 24- Together-4

    I swear I heard a sniffle of two from Norah but it was quickly masked by a cough.


    "Good luck," Anna whispered, giving me a kiss on the cheek.


    I nodded.


    "I''m gunna need it..."


    She gave me a smile before her and the girls turned away to the main entrance,


    leaving me with the two burly men.


    "This way, miss," one said.


    I followed them to a side entrance where I would stand until I was called. They shut the


    door behind them as they left me alone in the stone hallway.


    I peeked out and I could look at the sea of white clothes and little candles that


    everyone held. I saw Whitney and Lindsey sitting beside Ian; none of them had candles but they were trying to blow out the woman''s in front of them.


    I saw Bates sitting beside ine on the front row and almost ran out to take the candle from him.


    Who decided it was a good idea to give that boy fire?!


    He seemed mesmerized by it as he waved his hand through the me. When his trick failed and he burnt himself, he yanked his hand back and yelped causing ine to almost fall out of his seatughing.


    I snickered too and had to put my hand over my mouth to keep fromughing loudly. The colosseum was lit only by the candles that the five-thousand wolves held. It was more than enough light to say the least. A rxing and enchanting glow was cast over the entire ce. All of the seats were set up around a single tform. It wasn''t a very big one but it would do for the ceremony.


    All of the chatter quickly dissolved as the five elders, the leaders of each of Luca''s divisions, stepped onto the stage. One of them was Elder Balen, the man I''d met when Luca and I made our visit to the training grounds, the day I''d met ine.


    The man in the middle''s loud booming voice spoke and his words echoed over the crowd.


    "Warriors! Wolves! Women and children alike! We are gathered here today to ept Caroline ir of the Ephraim Pack, not only as one of your fellow pack members but as


    your Luna! To do so, will be her mate and soon-to-be Alpha: Luca Ronan!"


    The whole ce erupted into cheers as Luca walked to the stage from the side


    entrance across from me where he had been waiting.


    He wore white denim jeans and no shirt or shoes. I could practically hear the drool that dripped out of every female wolves'' mouth; including mine.


    I leaned against the stone wall and crossed my arms as I waited for Luca to finish his speech about how the pack is to honor and respect their Luna. Most of the rules made me roll my eyes but other than that, I had ignored most of them all together. If I walked into a room and everyone got silent and bowed their head out of reverence, I was likely to blow a fuse.


    Luca stepped off to the side and the man who had been speaking at the beginning stepped forward again.


    "If Caroline ir would please step forward now," he said.


    Everyone turned to look at me and I pushed myself off the wall and nervously made my way to the stage. I kept telling myself not to trip and thankfully my footingplied.


    The sound of gasps filled the air and I almost started crying.


    Did I look bad? Did I look like a slut? I looked like a slut, didn''t I? I knew I shouldn''t have worn that outfit!


    I tried to hold in the tears as I waked onto the tform.


    I finally looked up to see Luca''s expression and when I did, he walked up to me and gave me a hug.


    "You are making it a whole lot harder to wait through this ceremony in that," he whispered.


    So maybe I didn''t look so bad...?


    The approval of my mate was all I needed and after he pulled away from me I held my head higher and was much more confident about this.


    Luca gave me a wink as Elder Balen started to talk. I don''t even remember what he was


    talking about, Luca and I were much too busy staring at each other.


    All I remember was that when the clock rang at midnight, everyone blew out their candles.


    The moon was positioned just over us and it shone directly down.


    I could see clearly as one elder reached off the stage to take a bejeweled goblet into


    his hands. We all formed a circle and the cup was passed around. It was supposed to represent unity, but all it was to me was bad-tasting water.


    The minute after midnight was over, all the candles were re-lite in the room, illuminating everything once again.


    "Wolves of the Possente Lupo Pack, I dly present to you: Caroline Ronan, Luna of Possente Lupo Pack and my mate!" Luca shouted.


    The entire ce jumped up and roared to life with a deafening sea of apuses. Lucaughed and pulled me in for a short kiss.


    Bates and ine joined us on the stage as people used their candles to lightnterns, which they let go and let float away.


    "Everyone''s going to want to talk to their new Luna now," ine said to Luca. "If you''re going to leave, I''d do it now."


    Luca took my hand and gave Bates and ine final instructions to do God knows what. As we were walking away, Bates stopped us.


    "Aww, look at my OTP about to go and do the dirty," he said. "Remember, if this baby you''re about to make is a boy, we''re naming it Bates Jr."


    I gave him a weird look as I tried to decipher whether or not he was joking. Luca just


    rolled his eyes but there was still a smile stered on his face.


    As soon as we had escaped out the side door, he hoisted me up on his back. "Hold on tight," he warned.


    Luca took off running before I could even ask where we were going. All I could do was


    obey and try not to cut off his cirction at the same time.


    After fifteen minutes of fast running, he came to a clearing in the forest.


    "What on earth are we doing?" I asked as he set me down on the mossy ground.


    He pointed up and I followed his gaze.


    "Wow..." was all I could say.


    It was a massive treehouse maybe thirty feet in the air, tucked into arge oak tree and almostpletely hidden by the leaves and branches of the tress surrounding it. "Come on," Luca chuckled.


    He lifted me on his back again and climbed up a ropedder that hung down beside the trunk with ease.


    Luca reached the top and opened a trap door above us and climbed in. He set me on the floor as he pulled up thedder and closed the door behind him.


    The ceiling of the treehouse was as tall as a normal house''s ceiling would be and it was


    very spacious considering it wrapped around the entire tree.


    As I looked around and noticed all the candles and rose petals that were scattered everywhere, I knew one thing for certain...


    ... I wasn''t leaving this ce an un-mated she wolf.


    ....

 Chapter 25- Peeping Dads-1

    ....


    The next morning was the best of my life.


    We were addicted to each other. Honestly, I couldn''t see how we''d managed to keep away for so long.


    But, like everything else, all good things muste to an end...


    The phone rang around the middle of the day and Luca tried his hardest to ignore it.


    I pushed his head away from my neck andughed.


    "Answer the phone," I said.


    "I do not want to," he whined, pulling me into hisp.


    "Answer it or I will," I threatened.


    Luca took one look at my face and he knew he wasn''t winning that argument.


    He groaned and leaned over to retrieve the phone. "Hello?" He answered.


    I heard ine''s deep voice on the receiving end and saw Luca''s face harden. It does


    that when he''s concentrating on pack business.


    I tried my hardest to make out what ine was saying but couldn''t without being


    obviously nosey.


    "When?" Luca asked.


    I heard ine talk some more before Luca took a deep breath and his eyes connected with mine. They were darker than usual; he was getting angry.


    Instantly, I ced my hand on his bare chest and massaged his shoulders to rx him. I couldn''t help but be angry at ine for calling him and interrupting our lovemaking but the feeling was fleeting. I knew that whatever it was, was most definitely important. "What do you think?" Luca asked ine. He grabbed my hand from his shoulder and kissed my knuckles lightly.


    The conversation carried on for a minute or so more before Luca ended the call, not


    bothering to even say goodbye to his Gamma.


    Luca groaned and slung the phone down beside the mattress.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked, taking his face in my hands and lifting it up so I could look at him.


    "Do not worry about it," he said kissing my palms.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "Tell me, Luca. I don''t want to be left out of things," I pleaded.


    His jaw clenched as he looked over my hands as if they were the most interesting things he''d ever seen.


    "Lincoln called ine this morning telling him that your dad had been calling the Tower all night. After that, he got a call from a border patrol wolf that several wolves from your pack, including an Alpha and Beta, had been seen wondering close to the edge of the forest."


    Luca looked up at me, reading my reaction. My heart was in my stomach and


    pounding rapidly. I took my hands from his so he couldn''t tell how badly they were shaking.


    My father was here?


    I''d tried to mentally prepare myself for this but now that the situation arose, I wasn''t handling it well. How was I supposed to react?


    "Hey, listen," Luca said kissing my forehead. He stole my hands back in his. "We will get this taken care of, please don''t worry," he said.


    There was bitternessced in his tone and I could tell he was as angry as I was anxious. "How exactly do you n on taking care of it?" I asked.


    "If I could kill them all, I would be more than satisfied," he growled.


    I scoffed at the idea.


    "What do they want?" I thought aloud.


    By the look on Luca''s face, he knew as well as I did what they wanted: me.


    My dad was clever waiting until Luca and I were fully mated to make a move against


    us. He had waited until Luca was dependent on me, without me, this pack would slowly crumble under poor leadership.


    That''s what my dad was doing. He wanted Luca''s pack to disintegrate; it would give power back to the smaller packs.


    "What do we do now?" I asked.


    Luca''s face was reluctant so I knew he knew what we had to do. We had to leave. We


    had to go back to the pack and put off this passion that still burned inside of us until this problem was gone.


    "Just one more kiss," he said.


    I turned my head so his lips met my cheek instead of his original intentions. Luca


    growled and his grip on my thighs tightened. Iughed.


    "You have no self-control. If we start this now, we won''t end it," I said peeling his hands away from me.


    "Who said that was a bad thing," he mumbled, letting me slide away.


    We both reluctantly changed into normal clothes and began to exit our little paradise.


    I took one little look at the room we were leaving and smiled.


    The candles had long since burnt out. The white sheets were strewn in every ce except the bed. Lingerie and clothes were scattered everywhere. We had left a mess. "Get down here before Ie back up, and if Ie back up, neither one of us areing down!" Luca shouted.


    I looked down the rope at my mate standing on solid ground staring up at me with a promise to carry out his words on his face.


    Iughed and shut the trap door above me. As I climbed down the rope, I heard a few muttering words about how great my butt looked and ignored them with a shake of my head.


    Just before I reached the bottom, his hands stopped me and lifted me up on his shoulders.


    He carried me through the forest, both of us in afortable silence.


    We strode back into the pd with a few wolves staring at us in awe and some with


    a perverse expression, like they knew what we had done the night before.


    Luca and I ignored them as he continued to walk to his house.


    We walked up to his house and Bates, ine, and a dark skinned boy walked off the porch to meet us on thewn.


    "Save the sex jokes forter," Luca said, holding a finger up at Bates.


    Bates stifled a groan; it looked like it was physically hurting him to keep his snarky remarks about "Bates Jr." inside of him.


    I looked at the other boy and tried to see if I could recognize him. He caught me staring and gave me a smile that I returned. He held out his hand.


    "I''m Lincoln," he said. His voice was deep.


    "Carrie," I said. I shook his hand.


    The second our hands touched, Luca gave both Lincoln and I a warning re. We awkwardly let our hands fall back at our sides.


    "Don''t you say it," ine said to Bates.


    Bates groaned and stomped his foot. His face was turning red. Iughed at the fact it


    was killing him to not be himself for a few minutes.


    "So what''s the situation?" Luca asked.

 Chapter 25- Peeping Dads-2

    Lincoln and ine pretty much gave him the long and detailed version of what Luca


    had told me. Turns out, Possente Lupo border patrol estimated that there was close to seventy to eighty wolves camped out about a half mile away from our border. "Send a group of eight warrior wolves to go and negotiate tonight. Bates, you''ll go with them," Luca said.


    Bates gave Luca a sarcastic salute and I had told hold back a chuckle.


    Luca pulled ine and Lincoln to the side to have some secret conversation that was clearly not for my ears.


    Bates, who was standing beside me, nudged my shoulder indiscreetly.


    "So..." he said.


    I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "Bates Jr.?" He asked.


    My face fell.


    There was no was I could insure I wasn''t... pregnant. Pregnant. Luca and I hadn''t exactly


    been strict on that at all.


    "Oh my God," I whispered.


    "Seriously?!" Bates eximed.


    If I hadn''t been so stressed out I would''veughed at his face; it was priceless.


    "Luca!" He eximed. "You got her preg-"


    I kicked his shin as hard as my leg would let me. I didn''t need Luca stressed out too,


    one of us had to have a clear mind under these circumstances.


    Bates fell to the ground, gripping his leg.


    "That hurt you cold corndog!" He groaned.


    Luca turned to look at us and I shrugged nonchntly. A slight smirk appeared on his


    face before he turned back around to finish his conversation.


    I picked Bates off the ground by his t-shirt cor.


    "Listen, Bates, you can''t let Luca know," I said.


    "So you want me to keep it a secret that I''m going to be an uncle?" He asked.


    "Possibly be an uncle," I corrected. "Don''t. Tell. Anyone."


    He nodded and I let go of his shirt.


    When we turned around, Luca and the other boys were turning back to us. I just hoped they didn''t hear us.


    When ine cringed, my eyebrows furrowed and I immediately tried to find the source


    of his pain. On his leg, there was a green, yellow, and purple bruise the size of a baseball.


    "What happened?" I gasped.


    "Oh," he said sheepishly looking down at his calf. "I was sleepwalkingst night and fell over the coffee table," he said.


    "I can confirm that, I was there," Bates said.


    Lincoln, Luca, and I all turned to give ine and Bates skeptical looks.


    "There was a football game on," they both answered at the same time.


    "Mhhmm," Luca and I scoffed.


    "I swear," ine said, holding up his hands. "I''m straight as a stick and even if I wasn''t, I wouldn''t go for this moron."


    This caused Lincoln to howlughing.


    Bates scoffed.


    "I can''t say I''mpletely straight," he admitted. "I''m a little wobbly considering that I would totally date myself."


    I snickered.


    "Seriously though," he said. "You wouldn''t date this?" He asked me as he pulled up his shirt to reveal a set of washboard abs.


    Luca''s hands covered my eyes.


    I swatted them away.


    "I would date you, Bates, but I''ve got too much hotness to deal with already," I said shaking my head.


    "Thanks, babe," Luca said kissing my head.


    "I wasn''t talking about you," I said pointing at myself. Luca rolled his eyes.


    "I swear the moon goddess got something wrong," Bates said. "Carrie and I were made for each other."


    "You wouldn''t be saying that if you had seen usst night," Luca smirked. My jaw dropped.


    "And you told me to hold off on the sex jokes!"


    ?


    Several hourster, I was pacing the bedroom floor with two problems floating around in my mind.


    The first one was the possibility of a pending pregnancy. I can''t handle being a mom at this age. I can''t even keep track of my paint brushes let alone a child. What would Luca do? Would he be mad? I mean, wouldn''t he want to enjoy this new stage in our rtionship before moving on to start a family?


    The second problem was the fact that my old pack was camped out less than a mile away from me and I had no clue how to feel about it. Was my dad mad at me? What was I going to say when I saw him?


    Luca walked through the bedroom door running a hand through his hair.


    "Are you as stressed out as I am?" I asked.


    He shook his head even though we both knew he was.


    "Bates and the other men left a few minutes ago. They will get things taken care of, I


    have trusted them to that," he said sitting down on the bed.


    I sat down behind him and wrapped my arms around his neck as I rested my head on his back.


    "I''m super nervous," I admitted.


    "Don''t be," he said.


    I took a deep breath but as hard as I tried, I couldn''t shake the anxiety off me.


    "It''s not helping," I groaned.


    He chuckled and swung me around to sit in hisp.


    "I have other ways of stress relief if you''re willing to explore other options," he said


    suggestively.


    I smiled and he leaned down to kiss me.


    Just before my eyes fluttered shut, they caught the sight of the window... and who was standing outside it...


    Dad.


    ....

 Chapter 26- Aggressive Negotiations-1

    I screamed.


    My lungs stopped working and my breath caught in my throat. Oxygen left my body and my chest became constricted.


    Dizziness overcame me and I felt like I was floating. My vision tunneled and all I could see was the face of the man I used to consider a father.


    His bloodshot eyes were narrowed at me. The navy blue eyes I''d inherited appeared ck. His skin was pink from sunburn.


    It all happened so fast but moved so slow.


    Luca all but threw me on the bed as he made a mad dash towards the window.


    Putting his chin down and rolling his shoulders forward, Luca pummeled through the window; chards of ss flew everywhere as he knocked my father off the roof and tackled him to the ground.


    The sound of a snarl from my mate sent my adrenaline pumping through my veins at one-hundred miles per hour. All the emotion I had been sumbed to suddenly diminished.


    My wolf''s Luna began to take control.


    Quickly but carefully, I got off the bed and wove my way around the ss the littered the floor. I picked up Luca a pair of gym shorts. Opening the damaged window, I got on the roof and jumped off the second story of Luca''a house.


    Inded on the ground gracefully with a roll and managed to stand up without much


    injury.


    In front of me, all of hell was about to break loose.


    Luca had shifted into his enormous and powerful ck wolf and my father had shifted as well.


    Although, inparison with Luca, my father''s wolf form wasn''t much, he was Beta and I knew instantly that this fight wouldn''t be a cakewalk.


    Both wolfs circled each other, snarling and snapping their razor-sharp teeth at one another.


    I stood quietly behind Luca; running my fingers through the fur on his lower back. "Think, don''t feel," I whispered to him.


    At this point, both of us needed to be rational. Not only did I not want my father to die, I also didn''t want any damage done to anyone else, Luca included.


    We needed to think with our heads, not our emotions. Being smart was the best way to endure the situation.


    My father shifted back into his human form and stared at me. Luca growled at him and took a threatening step forward. My father picked up his ripped and torn clothes and used them to cover his nakedness.


    Luca shifted back and stood in a hostile manner. I nudged his shoulder and handed him the gym shorts that were in my hand. He took them from me but made no effort to cover himself.


    Both men stood, their bodies tense and threatening.


    "Caroline," my father breathed out.


    Luca let out a low growl, momentarily taking my father''s eyes from me to Luca.


    "Speak again and it will be thest words you utter," Luca threatened.


    "I was just checking up-"


    Luca growled, louder this time, and took a step forward before I tugged him back.


    "Put something on and let him talk," I said sternly.


    Luca didn''t spare me a nce but began to put on the gym shorts. My father took this


    as an act of obedience before gulping and speaking again.


    "My intentions were innocent," he said.


    "I am not sure about you, but where I am from, staring into people''s bedroom window


    is not taken as a polite or positive gesture," Luca said, ending with a growl.


    My father looked at me for support but I shrugged; Luca had a point. My father just shook his head.


    "You''re ying a dangerous game, Ronan: stealing my daughter, killing my pack


    members, disrespecting me... You shouldn''t be surprised I''vee in a fury," my father spoke.


    Luca growled.


    Calling someone by their surname without the apaniment of their title was a direct and disrespectful insult. My father was treading on thin ice.


    "I am not the one being disrespectful. You are here unauthorized. If the Council found


    out that you were here without permission, you would be stripped of your rank," Luca said.


    "Since when do you care what the Council thinks?" My father asked.


    I stepped forward.


    "Luca has a point," I said. "You knew how high of a risk you were taking bying here. What do you want?"


    "Peace," my father said simply, turning his attention to Luca. "If you give me back my daughter, I will forgive all other crimes you''ve made against me."


    Luca growled and pulled me back by my shirt, making me stand behind his towering body.


    "No," he said simply.


    My father''s expression remained stoic as he looked at me.


    "Have you been treating her well?" He asked.


    I narrowed my eyes at him. From the corner of my eyes I saw Luca''s head shift slightly


    to the side.


    My father didn''t care. He was a man of very few words, he wouldn''t be asking all of this. Something was off and I knew it...


    "He''s stalling," I said aloud.


    All the puzzle pieces clicked into ce with Luca and he stepped forward and swung his arm full force.


    I gasped as his fist connected with my father''s face. Having seen what his punch had done before, I feared the worst.


    My father fell to the ground; his body still and his eyes closed.


    I panicked before I heard his steady heartbeat. I ran beside Luca and elbowed his arm. "You better have had a good reason for doing that or else I''m going to be very angry with you," I said through gritted teeth.


    "Come inside," he said. "We need to change." Luca started to walk away towards the back door.


    "You''re just going to leave him here alone?" I asked. "What if he wakes up and runs away?"


    "Then we will find him," Luca said simply. "I would rather him wake up and run than wake up and hurt you."

 Chapter 26- Aggressive Negotiations-2

    I huffed.


    Smart Alpha''s give me headaches.


    I trailed behind Luca as we went inside and made our way back to his bedroom.


    "Put on something suitable for a hike," he said. "We will most likely be getting dirty." I swallowed a knot that had settled in my throat before I nodded and went off to my side of the closet.


    I lifted Luca''s t-shirt/my pajama shirt over my head and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror.


    I stole a quick nce at my stomach; my mind automatically imaging it swollen and


    round from the child that could possibly be growing inside of me.


    I quickly looked away and put on a long-sleeve thermal shirt. If Luca noticed that I had been staring at the mirror, he didn''t let on.


    After we both changed quickly, we made our way back outside, where my father was


    stillying unconscious in the grass.


    Luca picked him up and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, not


    bothering to be gentle.


    Wordlessly, I followed behind Luca as he began walking into the forest.


    The sun had already set and there was just a sliver of orange light left on the horizon.


    The forest was a scary ce to be walking around in the dark.


    We walked for what felt like hours but was probably just a mere thirty minutes without


    a single word spoken. Both of us were deep in thought, but about very different


    things...


    Could I really be pregnant?


    I wanted to p myself in the face for being so careless. Loosing my virginity and getting pregnant all in one night was seriously not a win in my book.


    Would Luca be angry?


    I knew he''d mentioned something about pups before but never had he ever said anything about when we would have them. I''d just be Luna. I couldn''t handle being a mother at that point in time.


    I was too young...


    Suddenly, we heard shouting.


    Luca and I heard it at the very same time and we both took off running in the direction of light and sound.


    We came across a camp.


    Bates and the seven warrior wolves he''d been sent with had been joined by ine and bunch of other wolves from our pack; the whole group had their back to us.


    They were yelling at people that were on the opposite side:


    My old pack.


    I felt myself getting dizzy at the fact that I was actually seeing them. I had tried to prepare myself for what it would be like to see my family and my first pack again, but it was nothing like this.


    I saw my mother. She was standing silently off to the side watching the whole dispute go on with her arms folded.


    I saw Alpha Reid. He was leading the argument. He stood in front of two-hundred something wolves as they all yelled back and forth between our pack. His face was right in Bates''.


    And then I saw Mady. She was hidden behind a tall oak tree, standing closer to our pack than the rest. I knew that if something were to happen, I''d be able to get to her quickly.


    Luca stopped walking and let out a tremendous howl into the night air- something I didn''t know someone in human form could do.


    The both groups of people became dead silent.


    He began to walk through our pack as they parted and made way for him to walk.


    Either he was stupid or brave, he marched right up to Alpha Reid without so much as blinking.


    He dropped the unconscious body of my father at Alpha Reid''s feet and stood tall.


    "I am here to negotiate," Luca said in his Alpha tone. "Should you not be willing topromise, I have two-thousand male wolves at my disposal, ready to wipe out your pack after they watch me skin your hide for a new rug. Bene?"


    I saw Alpha Reid''s Adam''s apple bob as he gulped. He was staring up at Luca from his six-foot frame.


    Alpha Reid nodded slowly and I nodded as well, impressed with Luca''s negotiation skills.


    All of a sudden, I saw everyone tense up.


    I looked over the crowd to see my father picking himself off the ground with much effort. Alpha Reid helped him stand.


    I saw my father''s beady eyes glower at Luca. They wondered from him, across the


    crowd and finallynding on me. His eyes shed something I''d never seen before; something mischievous.


    I knew the worst was yet toe.


    He looked away from me as Alpha Reid spoke up.


    "Allow us ten minutes to discuss, amongst our pack, what we will do," Alpha Reid said. Luca nodded reluctantly.


    Alpha Reid helped my father turn around before I saw him gasp.


    His mouth fell open and his face screwed in pain. Blood began to seep from his mouth as he doubled over.


    When he fell forward, into the dirt, I saw my father''s hands leave the knife that was impaled in Alpha Reid''s back.


    Gasps could be heard from all over my old pack, even some shouts of disbelief from Possente Lupo, as Alpha Reid took hisst breath.


    I immediately looked over to Mady to see her mouth open in disbelief as tears poured down her face. She brought her hand up to her mouth and sunk back into the tree she was hiding behind as she slid down into a fetal position.


    I immediately rushed over to her to pull her from the ground into a bone-crushing


    hug.


    She immediately rxed once she realized it was me and she began to sob in my shoulder.


    I looked over her to see my father look from Alpha Reid''s body to Luca.


    "We''ll be making no deal with you monsters," he growled.


    I saw Luca take in a sharp breath as his pack took a stand behind him, pulling out their


    weapons and gnashing their teeth.


    I hadn''t thought that night could get any worse, but it just had...


    ....

 Chapter 27- When Flesh Became Fur

    ....


    Maddy and I clung to each other desperately.


    We watched as the two packs went to war; each of us holding our breath for our loved


    ones.


    Flesh became fur as pack members shifted into their wolves. The sound of snarls, yelps, howls, and growling filled the nighttime air.


    In a matter of seconds, the strong, metallic aroma of blood could be smelt.


    I helped Maddy sit against a tree, her trembling figure showing the emotional loss of her father.


    Stepping forward towards the fight, I prepared myself to shift but in a sh of tan skin and blonde tufts of hair Bates had my arm in a firm grip and began tugging me away. "I need to get you to the safe house," he said panting.


    I ripped my arm from his grasp.


    "No! My first act as Luna is not going to be myself running away from my pack when it needs me most," I growled. I nted my feet firmly in the soil.


    "Listen, I don''t have time to deal with your courageous speeches right now. I have orders from my Alpha to escort you to the safe house. Now we can do this the easy way or we can do this your way. Either way you choose, I''m still going to win," Bates said.


    He stepped forward determinedly, his toes touching mine. He was at least four or five inches taller than me.


    I gulped.


    "I need to get back to that fight and the more time you stand here trying to be


    stubborn, the more wolves are going to be maimed and killed. Stop being selfish and follow me," Bates growled.


    I almost began to follow him but I stopped.


    "I can''t leave Maddy here," I said.


    "Then we''ll bring her with-"


    He stopped.


    We both turned to look at where Maddy had been previously. She wasn''t there.


    She being was held in the arms of the Gamma. ine.


    They stared at each other as if it were love at first sight. I''d never seen her eyes twinkle the way they did then.


    They were mates...


    "Okay, that''s disgusting..." Bates snorted.


    I rolled my eyes.


    "You''ll understand one day," I sighed.


    "That day is not today," he said. "I''ve got to get you out of here."


    "But what about-"


    "She''s fine with him! Come on!" Bates shouted.


    I took onest look at the new couple before I ran behind Bates, my steps lining up with his.


    We ran for several minutes, the sound of the battle now being just a background noise to the crickets and the owls.


    I could see the edge of the woods when I heard a howle from less than one


    hundred yards away from us.


    Immediately, Bates had me pinned against an oak tree.


    He cursed under his breath.


    "I think they can smell your scent. They''re probably tracking you," he informed me in a hushed tone.


    "Why would they be doing that?" I whispered.


    "You''re the whole reason we''re fighting. They know they can''t fight against us for long


    so they''ll try and get you and just flee to avoid losing too many of their fighters."


    I could see him thinking hard for a moment before he looked at me.


    "Don''t think anything of this, I know I''m going to probably get killed for this but I


    promise it''s under good intentions," he said quickly.


    He brushed the hair from my face before leaning in.


    Bates kissed me.


    I tried to push him away but he took my wrists in his hands and kept me from pounding on his chest.


    He pulled away and I could do nothing but stare at him with wide eyes.


    "Like I said, don''t think anything of that."


    He turned away from me and tugged me along, out of the woods and across arge field.


    We came to a small log cabin, hidden in the bushes and behind a wall of oak trees.


    It took Bates several tries to open the door. It finally swung open and he stepped in with me following.


    He flipped a switch on the wall and light flooded into all four corners of the one-room cabin.


    Bates turned to face me and I raised my hand. The sound of me pping him rang out. "Ow," he said.


    "What the hell were you thinking?!" I shouted.


    "I was covering your scent with mine. If they were tracking your scent I helped cover it.


    You''re wee," he said sarcastically.


    I just groaned and face palmed.


    "You know Luca is going to kill you," I said.


    "Luca''s not going to find out," he said with a threatening re.


    I red back.


    "How are you doing?" Bates asked looking at my stomach.


    I just shook my head.


    "Is there no morning-after pill I can take or something?" I asked frantically.


    "Um... no. That stuff doesn''t work on Lycans," he said.


    "What do you mean? Why not?"


    He shrugged.


    "Lycan''s fetus developer faster than humans. If you are pregnant, it''s likely there is


    already a heartbeat," he said.


    I sunk to my knees and put my face in my hands.


    "Then what am I supposed to do?" I asked.


    "Name him Bates jr." Bates grinned.


    I red.


    "I gotta go, you stay here," he said.


    He left me in the cabin.


    I heard a click and abruptly stood to my feet. I ran to the door and wiggled the handle.


    It wouldn''t budge.


    "Did you seriously lock me in here?!" I shouted in frustration.


    "Sorry, babe. I don''t trust you that much!" Bates yelled back.


    I heard the faint crunching of leaves as he ran away from me and back towards my


    fighting pack.


    I shouted again in frustration.


    Grabbing the wooden rafters abound my head, I shifted my weight so I was hanging.


    I swung my body and kicked the door with both my feet.


    I didn''t even crack.


    I tried again.


    And again. And again.


    Still, the door wouldn''t budge.


    I groaned in frustration. I''d kicked down a door before, why was this one so different?


    I fell to the ground and immediately stood up.


    Trying to remember what exactly Luca had done just an hour or so before, I rolled my shoulders forward and ducked my head down.


    I drove my body, full-force, into the door.


    Grunting when I found myself lying on the floor, I realized my body had done nothing


    to the door but bounce off of it.


    Suddenly, the light above me flickered.


    I quickly stood to my feet, only toe face to face with my father when the light


    flickered back on, his pale face was staring right back at me.


    I screamed.


    Stumbling backwards, Inded on my butt when I tripped over my feet.


    He leaned down and picked me up under my shoulders, like he did when I was a toddler.


    "Let go of me!" I screeched.


    I backed myself into a corner and folded my arms, wishing I had my Luca here with me. "Seriously? Is it because of that little show?" He asked pointing to the light that was now glowing without failure. "You know I can''t help myself when ites to theatrics."


    I wanted to p the stupid smirk off his face, harder than I had pped Bates; much harder.


    "Are you ready to begin the journey back home?" He asked.


    I red at him.


    "I''m not leaving. I am staying here, with my pack and with my mate," I said, holding my


    chin high.


    "Your mate," my father scoffed. "You don''t love that man."


    "Yes I do! I am mated to him!" I argued back.


    "Oh so you just kissed his Beta for the fun of it?!" My father countered.


    "He kissed me!" I defended.


    My father just shook his head.


    My father walked towards me and I came out of the corner and walked around him. I


    was now vulnerably standing in the middle of the cabin with him pacing circles around me; like a vulture to its prey.


    "What''s this I hear from the Beta about a pregnancy?" He asked.


    My heart stopped.


    My stomach sank to the floor.


    "N-nothing." It was all I could manage to stutter out.


    I felt a searing hot pain across my cheek as I fell to the ground from the blow.


    "What have I told you about lying to me?!" My father roared.


    I cowered back.


    He stepped on my ankle causing me to cry out in pain.


    "If it''s nothing, then why am I hearing three heartbeats instead of just two?" He asked.


    My eyes widened and he smirked.


    "So it isn''t just a rumor, is it?" He asked. "You are pregnant."


    I shook my head vigorously but he just growled.


    Sinking to his knees, he ced a calloused palm to my stomach.


    "Well we just can''t have that can we?"


    A white, hot pain spread in my stomach as I felt sparks of electricity shoot through my


    body.


    I screamed in pain until his hand lifted off my stomach, however my whimpers and crying didn''t cease.


    My whole body feltpletely numb as Iy on the dirty floor of the cabin in a mangled mess.


    "There, now that that is all taken care of, I have another piece of Ronan vermin to get rid of-"


    His sentence was cut short as the door to the cabin caved in and flew into his body, sending him flying against the wall.


    Even in my pain I couldn''t help but be jealous that Luca could kick in the door but I couldn''t.


    Luca stepped through the broken threshold, his half-naked body ready to charge at my father. Just before he got his chance, my father disappeared into thin air, literally. Luca''s eyes wondered the cabin until the fell on me. I saw his body go rigid.


    "Oh my God..."


    "I am so sorry..."


    "Are you okay..."


    That was all I could here as Luca kneeled down and took my body in his arms.


    He saw the tears in my eyes and he brushed my hair from my face.


    "What hurts? Tell me what hurts?" Luca said.


    I gulped and lifted a shaky hand to my chest, cing it over my heart.


    His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.


    "What? I-I don''t understand," he stuttered.


    "I was pregnant."


    My voice came out a strangled and scratchy whisper but he still heard me.


    His face fell and I felt my heart stop.


    I saw him blink a few times and his mouth moved like he was trying to form a


    sentence.


    Luca let out a cry and fell forward. He caught himself with one hand while holding


    onto me tightly with the other, unable to hold his own weight with the news.


    He was shaking and I thought for sure he would shift until I heard him let out a chocked sob.


    Luca was crying.


    As if my heart wasn''t broken enough, seeing Luca cry for the first time shattered me.


    His tears fell on my t-shirt that he clung to tightly.


    Weid there for a few moments as we both violently mourned the loss of our first


    child, the child that had been murdered by its grandfather.


    "We-we can''t stay here," I choked. "We have to... we have to help them."


    He let out another strangled sob as he stood to his feet and helped me stand to mine.


    "I''m going to kill the bastard," he said with a clenched jaw.


    His eyes were puffy and red and full of hatred.


    "You have my full permission," I growled.


    "Let''s go get ''em then."

 Chapter 28- Bad Blood

    Luca and I ran.


    We ran until my legs were numb and my lungs couldn''t hold in air efficiently.


    My heart, shattered in my chest, began to crumble into little pieces behind Luca and I. Any humanity I felt against the situation, against my father, dissipated.


    I felt stupid.


    I wanted to run up to a tree and pound my head against it until I coulde up with a proper excuse as to why I was able to want peace between our packs only hours ago. I certainly wasn''t signing my name to a peace treaty now.


    The pain in my stomach was still there. Although I knew I wasn''t in any real pain, knowing what had happened kept an eerie ghost pain in my gut. I could still feel the cold, calloused hand of my father ced where I once carried a child.


    Once.


    I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head. I couldn''t afford to think about myself in that moment. There was a pack, my pack, that was at war. My father''s pack was smaller, but it was obvious they weren''t innocent puppies.


    Luca and I came to the edge of the woods. Looking into the dark forest, I could feel my palms start to sweat. If I strained my ears, I could hear the sound of the battle that was going on.


    Luca and I looked at each other.


    The outside his eyes were rimmed with a red tint and puffiness. His cheeks were damp and to anyone else it would''ve looked like sweat but I knew it was tears. His jaw was clenched tight and his hands were in fists.


    It was times like that I was reminded of who and what Luca was. An Alpha. A powerful Alpha. The man that stood beside me that night was the one I had heard stories about, the one I was scared of.


    In that moment, I knew he could kill. I knew what he wanted and, like me, it wasn''t to make peace with anyone.


    I took a wide step to him so our chest were almost touching.


    My hand found its way to the nape of his neck and I pulled his lips to mine. I could feel


    his hands on my hips but I pulled away, despite my wolf''s primal desires.


    "I love you."


    It was barely a whisper, but I knew he heard me.


    "Ti amo," he said in his thick ent.


    I gave his hand one final squeeze and we ran into the woods.


    Soon, the effluvious smell of blood filled my senses and I had to concentrate hard on running so I wouldn''t throw up.


    I felt a headache form between my nose all in a matter of seconds.


    "Luca."


    He stopped running, as did I, and he gave me his attention. I didn''t need to say


    anything because he saw the transformation of my eyes from green to silver.


    "Be careful," he said.


    I nodded and let my wolf take over.


    I ran as fast as my human legs could take me, the headache subsiding a bit now that I was in Luna-mode.


    I came to a skidding stop, almost throwing myself on the ground, when I saw the


    mangled and bloody body in front of me. I grasped a tree branch beside me to keep my knees from buckling under.


    I almost screamed when I recognized who it was.


    Cristina.


    I put my hand to my mouth when I saw her exhale, her diaphragm extending out as she breathed.


    She was still alive.


    I came next to her knelt beside her head and said her name softly.


    She gasped and her eyes flew open as her hand reached out to grab mine, her blood smearing all over my hand.


    Her beautiful skin had been mauled and she was hardly recognizable; I was surprised that I knew who she was despite her condition.


    "Cristina," I said again.


    I saw her struggle to swallow.


    "M-my ba...babies," she gasped.


    "The little ones?" I asked, referring to the children she raised.


    I saw her attempt to nod.


    "T-take care... t-take care of-"


    She coughed violently and I nodded, grasping the concept of what she was saying.


    "I''ll take care of them, I promise. I''ll find them good homes and-"


    My voice cracked.


    I felt the heat behind my eyes as tears refused to fall.


    I saw a sympathetic look in her eyes as I shook my head and wiped my eyes with my t-


    shirt. She was the one dying and I was the one that was getting emotional, I needed to suck it up.


    "Where are they?" I asked softly, trying to regainposure.


    I saw her mouth the word home but no sound came out. I nodded still.


    "I promise they will be fine," I said, choking up again.


    She gave my hand a gentle squeeze.


    I sat with her for a few minutes longer as her life faded away with each stressed and


    I sobbed for at least five minutes. As if my heart wasn''t broken enough, I could


    physically feel it shattering to pieces. I leaned forward and closed her eyes, putting her to rest.


    When I let go of her hand, I saw the stack of homemade beaded bracelets on her wrists.


    The colorful ornaments were no doubt gifts from the children she was once guardian


    over.


    I felt my jaw clench as I looked away and I promised myself her life would not be a waste.


    From then on out, everywhere I went, I saw a corpse. Each time I came across an inanimate being I held my breath and said a silent prayer, hoping it wasn''t anyone I knew personally.


    As I felt myself nearing the heart of the battle, the sound of a gunshot rang through


    the trees, sending everything into a haunting silence.


    I broke into a sprint, headed in the direction I heard ite from.


    There was a small brook running through the heart of the forest. Around it, I could see


    the brooding figures of wolves and the silhouette of shifted males.


    Luca stepped out from behind a tree, blocking my path.


    "What happened?" I asked quickly.


    He shook his head, a solemn look on his face. "You don''t want to know."


    My eyebrows furrowed until I heard a blood-curdling scream.


    My mom.


    I attempted to make a mad dash past Luca but he caught me.


    "Please, listen to me. You don''t want to see it," he begged.


    I didn''t listen.


    I broke free from his grip and bolted away towards the small stream.


    I gasped aloud when I saw the scene around me.


    Blood trickled down the rocks into puddles and poured into the fresh running water;


    turning it red as it washed away.


    Bodies piled on top of each other, the foul stench of death was increasingly prominent. But that wasn''t what was so gruesome.


    My mother stood, legs parted slightly, over the body of my father. In her hand she held


    a small pistol, which was pointed towards the ground.


    My father wasn''t moving as blood spilled out of the gunshot wound his head.


    He was dead.


    The man who terrorized us was dead.


    "Mom?"


    My voice was a whisper. couldn''t grasp anything. She shot him?


    "Oh baby!" She eximed.


    She ran towards me, gun still in hand, and tackled me in a hug.


    "Baby I''m so sorry," she eximed, tears welling up in her eyes.


    Her hair was matted to her forehead and her eyes were wild. She looked nothing like


    the woman who raised me.


    "We are a threat to you still," she said quietly. "You-your father only wanted to get stronger so he could rescue you from Alpha Ronan," she exined.


    I knew immediately what she was talking about.


    "The power...it- it overtook him. It was no longer about trying to rescue you but he wanted to destroy your mate and force you to be with who he wanted you to be with. He sent those boys down here as a test run. He wanted to see how they would survive


    in these conditions under the elements of the magic."


    My eyes widened as she talked about Jonathan and Waylon.


    "Baby, I am so sorry. I''m sorry for allowing this to go one and I''m sorry for not warning


    you," she said, grasping my face with her free hand.


    I gulped.


    "He poisoned us, Caroline," she said softly. "None of us will live much longer; the


    magic wasn''t supposed tost."


    "Mom, what are you talking about-"


    She put a finger to my lips before backing away.


    "I love you, baby girl. I couldn''t have asked for a better daughter," she started.


    Her eyes went behind me. "You''re in good hands, baby. I know you love each other and


    I can go peacefully knowing he loves you as much as I do..."


    "Mom!"


    "I love you," she whispered, tears falling from her face.


    I watched as she raised the gun to her head. Just as I heard leaves crunching quickly


    behind me, a hand covered my eyes.


    The gunshot rang throughout the forest.


    No sound came out of my mouth as it opened. My whole body felt like it was floating.


    My knees buckled under and I felt strong arms pick me up and carry me away.


    My whole body was shaking as Luca set me down against a tree. I opened my watery eyes to see him looking at me sympathetically.


    I gulped and closed my eyes as I felt a wave of emotions hit me like a truck.


    I felt Luca''s embrace as he pulled me into hisp and I cried. He rocked me back and forth, soothing the pain that I didn''t think would ever fade.


    I peeked up from his shoulder to see Mady standing a few feet away, tears in her eyes. ine stood closely behind her; Bates was kneeling down in front of us a few feet


    away, both of them giving me the same sympathetic look Luca had.


    I looked beyond them to see the plethora of bodies that were scattered across the


    forest, all of them representing someone who was lost in the battle.


    I couldn''t help but feel like the whole thing was entirely my fault.


    We''d lost so much, but what had we gained?


    ....

 Chapter 29- Safe and Sound

    Seventeen of us sat around arge table. The pack meeting houses'' conference room was so quiet you could''ve heard a pin drop.


    Although it was quiet, the smell of soap was evident. All of us had taken thorough showers, scrubbing away the dirt, dried blood, and horrible memories.


    The back of my tank top was soaking wet from my dripping hair but I satpletely still, my eyes glued to the table.


    Maddy sat beside me, looking almost identical. ine sat beside her, holding her hand. Bates sat beside him, picking the peeling paint off the edge of the table. Opposite of Bates sat Lincoln who was looking as solemn as ever.


    Along with the five of us, we were joined by Anna, Philip, and the ten pack leaders. The only one who was missing was Luca.


    Right on cue, we all looked up as he walked through the door and took a seat next to


    me.


    He had been taking Toree, Norah, Aubree, and Hanna to babysit Cristina''s children for awhile. The thought of her made my heart hurt.


    Luca took my hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze.


    "First order of business," he said with a clear voice. All eyes shifted to look at Maddy when his did.


    "Your father was the Alpha of your pack. Since there was no male heir, you are next in line to lead."


    The thought of Maddy taking over my old pack hadn''t even crossed my mind. Apparently it had crossed hers because when Luca said that, her expression didn''t change.


    "You''vebined packs before haven''t you?" She asked him.


    "I have," Luca said.


    "I don''t want to lead my old pack. I want to start fresh," she said sighing.


    "Very well," he said. "However, since your pack will stretch over our leaders'' limits, you


    will be the leader of the new district."


    She nodded inpliance.


    "Are we going to ignore the elephant in the room or-"


    Bates stopped talking when Luca sent him a re. I gave Luca''a hand a squeeze and


    shot him a grim smile.


    "It''s okay," I whispered.


    He took a deep breath.


    "We''ve been informed that the pack previously associated with Beta ir was


    intoxicated by the improper use of ck magic. Madeline, I will suspend four of our pack doctor''s from their regr duties to help you with medical checks on your district. If anyone is beyond repair for our doctors we will be forced to terminate those who could prove threatening."


    Maddy nodded, her eyes sadly looking down on the table.


    It was quiet after that for a few moments until Lincoln cleared his throat.


    "I want to know how the hell they got so close to the pack borders undetected," he


    said gruffly.


    ine spoke up.


    "I''ve already checked with border patrol. No one knew they were there. They were practically untraceable."


    "How?" I asked.


    "ck magic is addictive. If you deal around with it too much, it consumes you. It bes your "life source", so to speak. It makes your body go wack-o and without your sebaceous nds making your scent and your heart no longer beating, there''s no way we could have known they were there."


    We all just stared at Bates.


    "What?" He asked incredulously. "I know you all think I''m just the sexy one, but I''ve got


    a brain too, ya know."


    I heard Philip chuckle.


    "That would exin how Jonathan and Waylon got into the pack," ine said referring


    to what Bates had just taught us.


    "And how Beta ir got so close to the house," Luca growled.


    As everyone nodded their head in agreement, a lightbulb went off in my head.


    "Wait... you said that my father wouldn''t have had a heartbeat?" I asked, looking at Bates.


    He nodded.


    My stomach flipped.


    "When we were in the cabin, he said he heard three heartbeats. I was the only other


    person in there so I just assumed he heard his own and the baby''s. But if he didn''t have


    a heartbeat..."


    I trailed off.


    I heard Anna gasp.


    Luca stood abruptly from his chair causing it to fall backwards.


    "Call Dr. Mary Ann."


    ?


    Less than ten minutester, everyone crowded into the main room as Mary Ann instructed me toy down on the couch.


    She lifted my shirt just enough to expose my torso. Mary Ann reached for her bag and


    pulled out a tablet. Laying it over my pelvic bone, she tapped the screen and it lit up.


    She tapped the ss a few more times before angling it again. After watching the screen for a few moments, she removed the tablet from my waist and began to press her fingers into my lower stomach.


    Then she pulled Luca over to us.


    "Our suspicions were right, you were pregnant with twins."


    Mary Ann let those words sink in before she spoke again.


    "Fortunately for you, they were fraternal twins. Because both fetuses were separated by their individual sacs, only one was killed. Now, I can''t guarantee how healthy the surviving baby is but I can tell you that it''s living."


    It was only silent for a moment due to the shock before everyone started cheering. A huge smile lit up Luca''a face and he picked me up and spun me around in his arms. "Oh, wait! Can''t do that anymore," he said setting me back down on the couch,ughing nervously. Iughed.


    I ced my hand over my stomach, the eerie feeling settling there from knowing I had


    a pup growing inside of me. It felt amazing.


    "Do you know the gender yet?" I asked.


    Sheughed as she shook her head. "Give it two more weeks and I''ll be able to answer all your questions."


    "Only two?" I asked. Mary Ann nodded.


    "Lycan pups grow faster than human babies. Your pregnancy will onlyst maybe three months," she said.


    My eyeballs felt like they were about to fall off my face.


    I sat on the couch, my hand covering my mouth, as I tried to register everything I''d been told.


    Then Anna spoke up.


    "I''m going to be a grandma!"


    Everyoneughed as I looked up to Luca to see himughing too.


    For the first time in a month I felt truly andpletely safe.


    ?


    A week went by as I tried my hardest to stay busy. I helped Maddy with her district, my


    old pack.


    Thankfully, and to my great satisfaction, no one else had been intoxicated. Maddy


    herself waspletely healthy and seeing her and ine as they grew to love each other made my heart happy.


    Every week I had to find someone to keep the nine children that Cristina had once been guardian over.


    They were precious children and I did everything in my power to keep them safe and sound.


    As the week passed, I also ate... a lot. Much more than usual.


    "Woman! You''re literally eating everything in this cab," Luca groaned as he stared into the half-empty pantry.


    Mouth full of Doritos, I couldn''t do much to defend myself so I pointed to Bates who


    was sitting at the kitchen counter eating cereal.


    "I haven''t eaten anything all morning!" Bates defended.


    I just stuck my tongue out at him.


    "I know you''re pregnant and doped up on all those hormones but you need to chill it


    with the attitude," he said.


    I flung a spaghetti strainer at him and he dodged it.


    "Luca! Tell Miss Moody to leave me alone so I can eat my breakfast and lunch in


    peace," Bates hollered from underneath the table.


    "You tell her," Luca mumbled.


    I set the bag of chips down on the countertop and sunk down into a bar stool.


    No matter how much I wanted to rip Bates'' head off at the moment or how swollen my


    stomach got, I was still one of the happiest people on earth...


    ... and I had a feeling not much could change that.

 Chapter 30- Written In These Walls

    "Luca, I''ll be fine!"


    "I''m pretty sure paint fumes are bad for pregnancies, mio amour..."


    As I red up at him, Luca sighed, realizing he''d lost the argument. He took a firm grip


    on my upper arms and helped lower me down into the soft pillow. I tucked my feet under my extremely swollen belly and he let go once he was assured I was


    his services were no longer needed and he could go away.


    He bit his lip and looked down on me, torn between his logic and my stubborn will. I made a shoo motion with my hands and he groaned. I couldn''t help but ogle his muscr back as he walked out of the room.


    Shaking my head and ming pregnancy hormones, I sighed and looked at the task before me.


    The canvas I''d been working so hard on seemed more like a lost dream than a goal now. I gritted my teeth and held my chin high. I refused to give up on this painting. I refused to give up on the idea of normal parents.


    Picking up the long bamboo brush,den with little nicks and dried paint, I dipped it into the pure white paint sitting beside me. As soon as the brush touched the canvas, I went into auto pilot mode.


    Less than two hourster, what had taken me six months to start, was finallypleted.


    I called out for Luca and in less than a minute, I saw the door open and then his raven- colored hair and sun-kissed skin.


    "What do you think?" I asked him. He stood behind me and looked that the painting for a few seconds before speaking.


    "I think that you''re extremelly talented," he said kissing my cheek.


    "I wanna paint something else," I said quickly.


    "Like what?" Luca asked suspiciously.


    All I could do was shrug. "I don''t know, just something."


    I hadn''t painted in so long it felt like my body was going into overdrive trying to catch


    up on my artistic abilities.


    "Can I paint your room?" I asked.


    I heard him sigh.


    "Only if you can promise to call it our room from now on..." he bargained.


    "Deal!" I screeched excitedly.


    He hooked his arms underneath mine and lifted me up on my feet.


    "Grab those three paint cans over there," I instructed him. While he acquired the paint I got the dirt cloth, rollers, and brushes.


    I led the way out of the room and into our bedroom. As Iid down the cloth, Luca


    pulled the bed and desks away from the wall. I dipped the roller in the paint and began


    to cover the ugly creme walls with a te gray color.


    The next few hours consisted of me painting, telling Luca what to do, and the walls


    drying.


    "Do you think you''ve painted enough for one day?" Luca asked me. I shook my head as


    Iid my hands on the wall to check the paint.


    "We still have to add the ze," I said. Luca groaned.


    We heard the front door open.


    "Bates is here!"


    "Bates is hoping you''re both dressed-"


    "No, we''re both naked, go away!" Luca shouted, interrupting him.


    "Oh, are you painting?" Bates asked, sticking his head around the corner,pletely ignoring Luca. "The room looks nice. I tried to tell Luca that his room''s walls reminded


    me of a biscuit but he didn''t listen. I''m d I don''t have to worry about getting hungry when Ie in here anymore..."


    I snickered but Luca just rolled his eyes.


    "Don''t encourage her," Luca warned. "Pretty soon she''ll run out of things to paint." "Sounds like you mated Sherman Williams," Bates snickered, elbowing Luca''s side teasingly.


    I didn''t listen to the boys much after that. I only stood there in deep thought. When an idea came to me, I shouted in glee.


    "Alright, you boys need to get out now," I said pushing them out the bedroom door.


    I shut the door and locked it, then went back my brush. I picked up the tiny little detail brush I''d been using earlier and dipped it in the ze. Standing on the stepdder, I reached up near the ceiling and began to paint.


    Several hourster, the sun was no longer shining through the double window on the east wall. I turned on the overhead light and finished up.


    Calling for Luca one more that night, I unlocked the bedroom door and allowed him to see my work.


    From the molding that separated the ceiling and the wall, at about a foot wide, was little hieroglyph-style depictions painted subtly with the ze that stretched over every wall. If you looked close enough you could see wolves and trees and people; each icon telling a story.


    "Whoa..." was all I heard Luca say.


    "Cool right?" I asked.


    He nodded and I yawned.


    "Alright, bedtime for me," I spoke.


    I stripped out of my clothes and put on Luca''s t-shirt when he handed it to me. Getting into the bed that was still sitting in the middle of the room was difficult with


    my belly but I sighed in relief when my head hit the pillow.


    The lights flickered off and I felt Lucay down beside me, wrapping his arm around the part of my body that carried his child.


    "Mio amour?" He asked.


    "Yes?"


    "Why did you draw our story on the walls?"


    I smiled.


    "Because, our story deserves to be written in these walls."


    Our story.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!