Fever Claim

Description

Rosemary never expected to be mated to the popular, sexy, and total hunk Gamma of
her pack. She wants nothing to do with him but avoiding him isn’t so easy. They are
polar opposites and to be his in every way has got to be nothing more than a dream…
or so she wants it to be.

When a twist of fate has the two dumbstruck for the first time, will they be able
to accept their destiny and fall for one another?

SUMMARY

CLAIM SERIES (ALL BOOKS CAN BE READ AS STANDALONE):

1. FEVER CLAIM

2. WILD CLAIM

3. ROGUE CLAIM

Rosemary has always been the odd child in the pack. It is normal for werewolves to
want to be social and friendly, but she prefers her solitude. While everyone enjoys
their time basking in the attention of their leaders, Rosemary is in the woods
alone. Her indifference is frustrating to those who know her. For those who don’t,
they find her a total snob.

However, her calm demeanor is completely rattled on the day that she turns eighteen
and her mating switch turns on. She immediately finds herself mated to the
headstrong, popular pack Gamma who is three years her senior.

Judah hates Rosemary to the very core. Why? Because she thinks she’s above
everybody else, refuses to attend pack meetings, doesn’t talk to anybody, walks
with her face constantly buried in a book, and ignores his presence.

When he sees her, he’s filled with contempt. Until the night he was on guard duty
and caught a woman naked and swimming in the lake. Immediately, infatuated with
this woman he stood and watched for a long time until she stepped out of the lake.

To his surprise, it was Rosemary whom he has just discovered swimming in the lake
and that she is his mate.

Prologue

Rosemary — Eight Years Ago

The boy shifter in front of me shuffled on his feet nervously while he awaited my
answer. In front of him was a piece of hot pink paper cut into a heart-like shape.
His hands displayed the note for me to look.

My eyes dropped to the scribbles on the cover.

To: Rosemary

From: Sean

I like you a lot <3 <3

I returned my light russet eyes to his antsy face. Sean is a nice boy. A year older
than me and has helped me carry my books home from school every day. Although I
rarely talk to him on the way home, I often found him blabbering away. Talking
about my hair, asking me about my day and how my mom doing—but that was just it.
Sean was a nice boy.

I often wondered if I have any feelings at all. My mom often tells me that I am too
cold for people’s liking. The way I stare at them seems to make them nervous, but
that’s just how I look. If I can’t look at them when I talk to them, am I supposed
to stare at my feet?

“Please accept this,” he offered it to me again shaking the damn paper in front of
my face.

“Um, thank you,” I took the paper into my hands. He stood there on the sidewalk,
looking at me. Waiting.

“Is there something else?” I asked.

“Aren’t you going to open it?” he sounded almost hurt.

I tucked a piece of my strawberry blonde hair behind my ear before opening the
heart-shaped letter.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

I think you are cute,

I hope you like me too.

A long silence passed between us. I folded the heart back in half before stuffing
it into my jacket pocket. I opened my mouth to say something to him, but before I
could he shoved something back in front of me. I blinked once. Twice. Then I looked
back down at his hands.

In his hand was a miniature wolf carved from wood. He had painted it grey with
markers. It actually looks cute.

“For you,” he replied.

“Um, thanks,” I grumbled before accepting his gift.

He smiled big, showing two big adult teeth. His dark grey eyes sparkling with
happiness. A blush touching his cheeks. His auburn curls falling over his forehead
as the wind blew past.
“I really do like you, Rose,” he announced, “do you like me too?”

This is where it gets awkward as I watched him watch me. There was a long quiet
silence before I nodded once.

“Great!” he shouted and jumped on his feet, clapping his hands. What is he? Five?

“You are my official girlfriend,” he announced proudly.

Girlfriend? Oh no, this is not happening.

“Goodbye, Rose. I’ll see you tomorrow at school. My mom wants me home soon.” He
waved his hand at me.

I watched him run down the sidewalk before hopping into a van. I turned and
collided into a hard chest, falling flat onto my butt. My hair flew all over my
face. Smoothing it back, I turned my face up to look at who it was. My book bag
fell onto the sidewalk. His textbook that he was carrying in his hands falling onto
the ground before me.

He crouched down to pick up his book, snapping it shut. He looked at me with

piercing olive eyes. His face turning into a scowl.

Rolling my eyes, I turned to pick up my books and stuffing them into my backpack
again. Judah is a long-time weirdo. He is always standing in some kind of corner,
glaring at me. It got to the point where I can physically locate him without
looking at him.

We rarely speak because he is of higher rank and we are not in any kind of social
group together. He hangs around the popular people, which is the Alpha’s kid and
Beta’s kid. He is always wearing dark clothing. His burnt umber locks were cut into
a buzzcut that clearly reveals a natural high cheekbone and sharp jawline even with
the little baby fat on him.

I finished stuffing my books back into my bag before getting up and turning to look
at him.

“Watch where you are going,” he snarled.

There are a few things I would like to verbally say to him but I pushed them away.
He is insignificant. Just another little brat who thinks he can step all over
everyone. Rolling my eyes once again, I turned away.

He grabbed onto my wrist and turned me back to look at him. The fake pearl bracelet
that my mom gave me was digging into the skin of my wrist. His lips were pinched
thin and his eyes were threatening.

“Look at me when I am talking to you,” he ordered.

I did as he ordered. I looked at him straight in the eyes and for a moment his
composure faltered. He blinked once before he blinked again and the look of
surprise disappeared. I gave him an almost bored and indifferent look. It must have
reflected in my eyes how unimportant I found him.

“Why won’t you talk? Cat got your tongue?”

No, I would just rather not talk to you.

“Jude!” Ace shouted from the other side of the sidewalk alongside Hunter who is the
Alpha’s kid. They were both carrying a basketball and wearing backpacks.

Judah released my wrists. Annoyed with him, I sped away the second he lost interest
in me. Running on my feet, I ran all the way home. Slamming the door closed, I ran
up the steps to my bedroom. I can faintly hear my mother calling out my name but
that didn’t stop me. Once I was inside, I closed my door. Tossed my bookbag onto
the ground and opened my bedroom window.

On the pack territory, there are over a hundred houses surrounding the pack
territories. We are all not together in one spot but spread out through the
grounds. In the middle of the territory is the pack house, where several other pack
members lived along with the Alpha’s family. I like living like this. We have our
privacy from our leaders and can still experience the feeling of freedom through
the woods.

A fresh woodsy pine smell flooded my room. I inhaled and stuck my head out the
window like a dog enjoying a good breeze. Breathing in through my nose, I focused
on not getting my temper up.

After a long while, I settled back on my bottom on the floor. The window still open
above me. I cradled my legs in my arms. When my right hand grabbed my left wrist, I
noticed that my pearl bracelet had fallen off.

Another thing to add to my crappy day. I lost my favorite bracelet and it was all
due to Judah who can’t seem to walk even with his eyes open. I was there standing
on the sidewalk before him. He had no right to walk into me and then tell me off
for not walking properly. Curling my fists, I dug my fingers into my palms.

There was no denying it, Judah and I, are anything but friends.

Leaning against the brick building of the high school, I watched the students
sitting in their cliques on the freshly cut grass. Everyone is acting like they are
inattentive, but I am willing to bet my money that they are very aware of their
Gamma and Beta is watching them from afar.

Hunter assigned us babysitting duties, which earned us faculty positions in the

high school. Ace works in the music department and I work in the physical education
department. I do an hour training session every day at the school to all the teen
pack members.

My eyes drifted to the popular girl students who dressed in expensive clothing and
wore thick as fuck makeup. They were sitting around on a blanket chitchatting away
about whatever the fuck girls talk about. I have a feeling they were talking about
us because they keep staring our way.

“Jude, I just counted. Thirty. Thirty phone numbers slipped into my pocket,
including a fucking thong,” Ace grumbled in distaste.

Ace didn’t roll the way the girls want. Ace is gay. He has always liked men, and
it’s always been that way. He doesn’t talk about his private life much, but anybody
that truly knows him knows he is gay.

“I’m more worried about how they did it without you noticing,” I replied.

“We were watching a movie in class. It was the Sound of Music. It was supposed to
be a quiet and innocent class session with the lights off. Not slip phone numbers
into my pocket while I’m watching a movie,” Ace answered while tossing the phone
numbers and thong into the waste bin.

My line of sight has long moved away from the group of popular girls to something a
lot more infuriating. Instantly, my mood dampened as I watched her cross the
football fields with her nose buried in a book. She was carrying a half-eaten
sandwich in her hand. Her glasses have slipped down the bridge of her nose. The
strawberry blonde hair braided and swept to the side. Today, she had on jeans
overall shorts with a white tank top underneath that revealed a pair of very long
legs.

“Doesn’t she fucking watch where she is going?” I muttered with a shake of my head.

Ace returned his attention to me before turning to follow my line of sight. A sigh
came from my left and I tore my eyes away to look at him.

“What?” I asked, annoyed.

“Leave her alone, Jude,” Ace warned.

“I haven’t done shit to her,” I growled.

“You hated her since grade school and almost beat her up for bumping into you. She
avoids you like you’re the fucking black plague.”

That pissed me off even more. There is just something about Rosemary that sets my
wolf and me on edge. We don’t like it and sometimes I find myself messing with her
just to get her riled up.

Clenching my teeth, I pushed off the wall only to be stopped with a body that
jumped in front of me. I looked down at the brunette baby standing in front of me.
If I recall, she’s a senior this year and had just had her eighteen years old
birthday bash.

“Gamma, I am having a bit of trouble learning the straddle pin that you taught
yesterday. I am wondering if you can give me some extra tips or one-on-one sessions
before our next training.” She blinked innocently up at me, pouting her lips and
making sure I had a clear view of her twins.

I looked behind her and saw her group of friends watching with clear interest.

“I could really use the help,” she said and in a bold move moved forward and placed
a hand on my chest.

A flash of white and light blue caught my attention. My eyes snapped up to find
Rosemary on the move again. She still has her book in her hands, but this time
she’s walking further into the line of woods.

“Gamma?” The brunette tried to get my attention again.

I glanced down at her and saw that she had stepped closer. Her body rubbing up
against me.
“I see the problem here,” I replied.

She puckered her lips into what I believe is supposed to be a cute pout. She nodded
her head and her evergreen eyes shined like she just found out that someone she
loves just died.

“We can resolve the issue without one-on-one session. In fact, if you want, we can
do it right out here,” I murmured.

Her eyes flashed pure black. I placed my hand over the hand she had on my chest and
another one on her cheek. Bending now, I looked at her right in the eyes.

“The problem is that you aren’t focused. I am blaming the female hormone since you
just turned eighteen. How about you run thirty laps around the football field? That
will help with your focus. If that doesn’t work, come back to me and I’ll make sure
to find something else for you to let out all that repressed hormones,” I assured
her.

She blinked and her eyes returned to normal. If my life were a cartoon, smoke will
be coming out of her ears and nose. She curled her lips in anger and stomped away.
Ace started guffawing next to me. I am internally cursing Hunter for putting me
here.

“He’s such an ass!” I heard her screech from behind me just as I turned to Ace.
“How good is that dick, anyway? I don’t give a shit how hot he is. I’m hotter. He
doesn’t know what he is missing. Fucking Gamma.”

A round of murmured, “Yes.”

“He’s a fucking jerk. Asshole doesn’t know what he is missing,” she cried out in a
fit.

Ace laughed even more. I ran a frustrating hand over my face. I made a mental note
to go home and strangle Hunter. I swear the man is punishing me by placing me here.

The lunch bell rang and everyone began piling inside. Ace slapped me on the back
shoulders before heading inside himself to teach his class. I glanced back at the
edge of the woods to see where she went, but she was nowhere in sight.

I walked out to the football field and waited for my next class to arrive in the
fields. Stripping out of my sweatshirt, I tossed it on the benches, only wearing my
white sleeveless shirt.

Not even a minute later, my students began running out of the gym double doors. I
always start with warm-ups, which involve fifteen laps around the football fields
and fifty push-ups before I lead them into their training.

This school mostly consists of werewolves. Very little human beings linger around
here. We live in a kind of secluded place. Our principal is a pack member. The
faculty saturated more than half of the departments.

When school day finally ended, I was more than relieved. While walking out of the
building and out into the faculty parking lot, I caught sight of Rosemary. She had
her book bag hooked over her shoulder and was walking home. I took my keys out of
my pocket and walked to my truck.

The drive home was quiet. I lived on the outskirts of the territory in my own
little cabin. I used to live with my parents nearer to the pack house. After
turning eighteen and taking on the Gamma position, I had a steady flow of cash to
live off on my own.

Unlocking the front door, I walked inside. My cabin is small. It’s not made for a
huge family. It’s made to house at least four people, and that’s it. The home is a
one level home like an ’L’ shape. My sofa and TV are situated to my left when I
walk into the home. To my right is my solid wood dining table and just ahead of it
is my kitchen with one long counter separating the dining table from the kitchen.

If I continue walking straight, it will lead me to the guest bathroom and bedroom.
Small, but it’s comfortable and quiet out here. Another bonus, it makes border
control so much fucking easier.

Tossing my keys onto the dining table, I quickly made myself a sandwich in the
kitchen before carrying the plate into the living room. There on the coffee table
was some paperwork that I have been working on the previous night. I sat the plate
down and grabbed the sandwich, taking a bite. I began finishing up some paperwork
and drafting up tomorrow’s training.

Once I completed what I needed to be done, I walked to my bedroom where I changed

into my running clothes. A pair of black jogging pants with white stripes on the
side and a black sleeveless hoodie. Pulling on my hoodie, I walked out of the house
and began jogging around the border.

If I am going to do a quick run, I might as well do a quick border check. Not a lot
of strangers passed by, but it is better to be safe than not.

The thing about running is that if you do it long enough, it becomes easier to
breathe and manage. To control the air that expands your lungs and releasing it
steady. I also love how it felt to have adrenaline run through my veins. Running
also helps me clear my mind and right now, it is the best cure for when I am
thinking too much.

While jogging, my mind wandered back to Rosemary. I remember clearly when I first
met her. She arrived in the pack with her mother at age six. My parents, Ace’s
parents, and Hunter’s parents were the first to meet them. Rosemary sat on the sofa
next to her mother.

Normally, a pup will be shy but friendly, but not Rosemary. Rosemary had no smile
on her face. Her hair was braided into two ponytails. Her eyes were not the eyes of
an innocent, happy child. They were expressionless, like she had no emotions.

When she looked at me, I felt something inside of me awaken, but I’m not even sure
what it was. I am not even sure what it is right now. I still feel it every time
she looks at me.

I jumped over a fallen log on the ground. Breathing steadily, my eyes scanned. I
felt my legs muscles tighten up, picking up speed. I pushed harder. I didn’t
realize how long I have been running and thinking until it started getting dark.

When I made my last bend around the corner and saw my home in the distance, I began
to slow my pace. The sound of a water and crickets chirping and frogs croaking was
the only sounds besides the sounds of my heavy footsteps.

Another mile or so and I’ll be home, or so I thought.

I paused when I heard gentle footsteps near the lake. Slowing down into a walk, I
turned to the lake where I heard the sound. Once I emerged from the bushes and in
front of the lake, I looked around. Narrowing my eyes because I am damn sure I
heard something, but now there was nothing. I took another step and felt something
underneath my shoe.

Lifting my feet, I looked down to see that my foot had hooked onto a white bra. I
found this strange because another scent lingered in the air, but I couldn’t pin
who it was. Due to being so close to the water but boy did it spike up my
curiosity.

I bent down to slip the bra strap off my shoe, but my eyes caught something beyond
it. A silver necklace with a teardrop pendant. I picked it up and walked the rest
of the way back to my cabin.

Wolves are naturally sociable creatures. Being a werewolf, it means I should bear
similar characteristics, but I don’t. I find happiness in isolation. I like to
climb trees and hide up there for hours. I like to take runs on my own.

I find people complicated.

I find people my age, too immature.

I find that being around people offends me.

Is it that bad that I like being on my own? I don’t know but my mother thinks I
have serious issues that need attention.

A few days ago, word traveled all over pack territory that Bethany got rejected by
the Gamma. Yes, I listen to the gossip even though I do not interact with people. I
still need to know what is going on around my home. It’s good to be oblivious but
not all the time.

I don’t understand why she would approach Gamma Judah. He’s a pain in the butthole.
The man is always brooding and snapping at people. If I had to compare him to a
fictional character, he’s Grumpy from the seven dwarves. I’m just saying the man
could use a good smack in the behind every now and then.

Today is a Saturday evening. I finished my homework and just completed another book
I found at the school library. My mother isn’t home but at the pack house, cooking.
She’s the pastry chef there. The Alphas are very fond of her desserts.

I have nothing else to do. So, I decided to go for a walk.

I pulled on a thick black sweater to match my black sweatpants. Slipping on my

converses, I stepped outside. Another weird fact about me, I am not a heater.
Everyone else is but I am not. I can’t keep myself warm for the life of me.

Going outside at night, I can hear my feet treading, the cracking of twigs and
leaves under my footsteps. A wind blew harshly, and I had to bring up my hoodie to
ward off the chill. Looking up into the sky, I can see the moon is out and full. It
shone brightly through the thick branches and leaves.
I walked the familiar path. Making my way around logs, tree trunks, and little dips
of dirt in the ground. On these walks, I am paying no mind to what is happening
around me because one, we don’t get invaded often. Two, we always have someone
patrolling the borders. Three, no one is ever walking these woods this late at
night.

Tonight, most juvenile wolves are out partying and drinking. Juvenile wolves are
wolves who haven’t fully turned eighteen and their mating switch has not been
switched on. I couldn’t stop my heart from thumping hard against my chest when I
realized that in a week, I will be turning eighteen.

I don’t know how I feel about this. A part of me longs for my mate. Another part of
me is afraid. Afraid of finding him and he doesn’t like me. I am abnormal. I am the
only werewolf in this pack that wears glasses. My mom says it has to do with the
fact that I read so damn much, I damaged my supernatural eyesight. I am a social
outcast and introvert. I don’t speak unless I really need to. I am often quiet in
groups and people never notices me.

I didn’t realize how deep in thought I was until I bumped hard into a tree, only
this tree had heat vibrating from it and had skin. Looking up from staring at the
ground, I locked eyes with the one person who I did not want to bump into in this
pack.

Pushing my glasses up the bridge of my nose, I pulled back enough to face him. He
was wearing nothing but a pair of dark navy shorts. Neither one of us spoke.

“What are you doing out here?” he asked.

I shrugged and looked around us for an escape route. Still deciding what to do, I
refuse to meet his eyes. A growl of warning rumble from deep in chest and a shiver
ran down my back.

“Walking,” I grumbled.

“At night?” he inquired, not as a threat but in pure curiosity.

Eyeing a fallen tree that has dried up and carried no more life left, I continued
to avoid his eyes. I stuff my hands into my sweatpants pocket, hunching my
shoulders. Shifting from one foot to another, I hoped that my silence will tell him
to leave me alone because I wanted to finish my walk.

Instead, his fingers connected with my chin and turned me to face him. I didn’t
realize how close we were until I am staring deep into his olive colored eyes. The
air in my lungs seemed to have left me and I’m left amazed at how beautiful his
eyes were.

I pushed hard against his chest and we broke away. I wasn’t aware that there was a
tree root behind me. The heel of my shoes connected with the root and I stumbled
back. His hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist, yanking me back up to steady
me.

Once I was back on my feet, his face transformed into a scowl. His eyebrows
wrinkled into a deep V and his lips thinned.

“Go home,” he ordered.

I didn’t need him to tell me twice. I spun on my feet and sped walked all the way
home. When I arrived safely in the warmth of the small cabin my mom and I shared. I
breathed a sigh of relief before walking to the kitchen and bringing out a large
strawberry layered cake my mother just made.

Plopping down in a seat by the dinner table, with a fork in my hand, I dug into the
baked good. I eat when I am feeling overwhelmed or a little bit of anxiety.

A picture of his eyes flashed through my mind and I dug for a bigger piece of cake
and stuffed into my mouth. I didn’t realize he had such beautiful eyes. They were
beautiful when they weren’t glaring and filled with hatred. It startled me and
scared me altogether.

Half an hour later and I have downed half the cake my mom just made. The front door
opened, and my mom came in a second later.

“My god, Rose, did you eat all that? You are going to get a stomachache,” she cried
as she tossed her keys and purse onto the sofa.

My mother has strawberry blonde hair like me. We look very similar and sometimes
people mistake us for sisters because we look so much alike. My father is dead, at
least that is what my mother told me. She doesn’t say much about him, only that he
loved me a lot. I have never seen a picture of him.

She stood next to me and eyed the dessert before turning to me.

“Why are you feeling anxious?” she asked.

Of course, she would know what I was feeling. She raised me.

“Nothing,” I mumbled before digging some more and eating it.

“Uh huh, right, tell that lie to someone else. It doesn’t work on me, pup,” she
replied.

Huffing, I threw the fork onto the table before standing up. My mother’s hands
grabbed me before I could escape. She sighed and turned me to face her.

“C’ mon, who did it?”

“It’s that dumb Gamma,” I grumbled, unhappily.

“Is he messing with you again?” Her concerned face transformed into a smile and her
eyes brightened at the mention of Gamma Judah’s name.

“Mom! He’s a jerk. You are supposed to take my side. I am your daughter.” I
reminded her.

She smirked, “I know you are. I also know that he has the hots for you.”

My mom winked at me before releasing me and walking into the kitchen. Oh, she was a
ton of help. I grabbed the fork I threw and sat back down in my seat. I began
eating the cake again.

“He does not have the hots for me. Do you remember how many times I came home to
you crying? Did you not see how much I was suffering?” I cried.

She chuckled and continued to busy herself in the kitchen. She moved to tie her
hair up into a bun before pulling on an apron around her waist.

“You are being overdramatic, Rose. A boy doesn’t tease unless he has reasons too.”
“Yeah, because he hates me,” I protested, jabbing my fork into the cake.

“Or he likes you,” she wiggled her eyebrows.

“Who are you? What have you done with my mother?” I exclaimed in falsified horror.

She clicked her tongue and gave me an exasperated look.

“I am your mother,” she scolded me.

“Prove it,” I threatened.

She laughed before walking to a cabinet and pulled out a large mixing bowl. She
knows I am joking but she’s playing along.

“When you were five, we went on a hike in the woods. There was no bathroom nearby
and you really needed to go to the bathroom to poop. So I took you around a bush—”

“Ok!” I shouted in horror.

She laughed harder before walking to her pantry and grabbing her baking
ingredients, piling them in her arms. Feeling my anxiety leaving me, I stood up and
walked over to her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pressed my cheek to her
back.

“Thank you for making me feel better,” I replied.

“I am always here for you,” she answered.

She placed a hand over my hands that were around her waist and patted.

“Why are you baking at this hour? It’s almost midnight,” I asked.

“I am just about done. I just have to bake some muffins for you guys before you
guys head to Dark Moon,” she answered.

I almost forgot. All juvenile werewolves who are going to turn of age soon will be
traveling with their soon to be Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to Dark Moon territory where
we will all get a chance to meet other packs. The main goal behind this five-day
trip was to establish pack ties and connections as well as the opportunity to find
your mates.

I released her before walking out of the kitchen. She hummed a small tune as soon
as she felt me leave the lower level and walking upstairs to my bedroom.

There, I stripped out of my clothes and bra with the exception of my underwear. I
walked to the closet and pulled down an oversized t-shirt from the hanger in the
closet to put on. Feeling more comfortable in my environment, I walked to the
window and stared out, exhaling slowly.

My eyes scanned the small clearing of our backyard until I saw a familiar shadow in
the woods. Blinking, I zoomed in on the shadow, but it disappeared. Figured it was
my imagination, I closed the green curtains that reminded me a little of Gamma
Judah’s eyes before turning to my bed and slipping underneath.

Author’s Note:

Ah, I saw all those comments asking for updates and figured I’ll squeeze a chapter
in. If some of you did not read the title of this book yet on Wattpad. It states in
parenthesis that the book is coming soon. Therefore, there will be slow updates
until I complete my other ongoing books. I will try to produce an update on this
book but know that I have other books to also pay attention too. A few of them are
nearing the end but it might take another two to three weeks. I will try my best in
updating in here though. I won’t leave you anxious for too long.

Dark Moon territory is more like a resort in the middle of nowhere. So far from
civilization that I am not even sure humans are aware of its existence. It is a
large piece of privately owned land under the name of our Alpha King.

To reach our destination, we must drive several hundred miles up zigzagged hills
that looked more like mountains. The sun was particularly nice this morning and
nearing four in the afternoon. We have made several stops to eat the food my mom
had packed for all of us.

Our last stop was a small rest stop that has a small grey brick building for us to
use the restrooms. I sat on the grass and nibbled on my food in silence. The two
large buses that we took were taking up several parking spots.

The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma stood around talking and counting bodies, making sure
nobody run off because we wouldn’t want that, would we? A rebellious juvenile
wanting to live a life of freedom. My eyes shifted to the edge of the woods on the
other side of the parking lot.

“Listen up!” Alpha Hunter’s voice ranged in authority.

It’s Alpha command ordering me without words to turn to look at him. I tore my eyes
away from the edge of the woods to stare at the tall blonde male. Alpha Hunter is a
catch. His blonde hair is cut into a high fade on the side. He ran a finger through
his hair when the wind suddenly blew and messed it up. His ocean blue eyes scanned
the groups of Juveniles who were loitering around.

My eyes also did a quick scan and did a quick estimate in my head. There was close
to thirty of us who were nearing our maturity date. They all stopped talking and
turned to look at Alpha Hunter.

“Another ten minutes and we will reach our destination. Alpha Ezra is aware of the
location and is prepping for our arrival,” Alpha Hunter explained.

Every year an Alpha oversees all the food, the comfort of the stay, and events for
this special week. Alpha Ezra must be another Alpha from a distance pack because I
am not familiar with the name.

“I want you all on your best behavior. Show them that Silver Bane’s packs are
honest individuals but fierce competitors. We will be met with many other
werewolves from other pack and there will for sure be some tension, but I want you
all to refrain from falling victims to idiocy and instigate a fight that will
potentially harm your pack members. Do you all understand?” Alpha Hunter demanded.

“Yes, Alpha,” everyone answered.

“You will need to find a partner to travel around with—” A round of groans answered
Gamma Judah’s order.

“You will not walk Dark Moon territory without a partner,” Gamma Judah enforced.

“We aren’t in grade school anymore,” someone spoke up.

The three dominating trio’s eyes snapped to the culprit who was dumb enough to
speak up. I followed their gaze and it landed on Dana who smirked and looked around
her peers.

“Dana, what happens if another pack member from another pack confronts you? Do you
understand how important it is to keep with your pack? Going off on your own could
very well end up with you bloodied and dead,” Beta Ace stated.

They are over there worried about causing mayhem and animosity within packs and I
found myself agreeing. It is true, a lot of werewolves in one territory together
can be very tense-not to mention the many Alphas from all over the country within
one territory. Dark Moon might be a very large piece of land but to house about ten
Alphas is like throwing us into the water and watching us drown.

“You will find a partner and stick to that partner. Your partner will be
responsible for you as you will be responsible for them. Any wrong actions from the
both of you and you both are suspended from the trip and sent back home. I don’t
give a fuck if you found your mate or not. You will not be staying. Am I clear?”
Alpha Hunter growled, unhappy with the boldness of Dana.

Dana’s mouth snapped shut. Slowly, I watched everyone began pairing up with their
partners. I feel like I am in grade school. I have no friends. I am a social
outcast. I’m invisible and everyone walked right by me like I don’t exist.

Once everyone found their partners, they boarded the bus again, leaving me alone. I
got up and dusted the dirt from my bottoms before wrapping up my food. When I stood
up completely, I came face to face with Gamma Judah.

“Where’s your partner?” He looked around.

I wanted to roll my eyes. I’m sure he knows I do not have one but I’m going to play
stupid just like him. I shrugged my answer which earned me another scowl.

“Answer me when I am speaking to you, Rosemary,” he said my name, and something

stirred inside me. It felt weird and uncomfortable, so I snuffed it the second I
felt it.

“I don’t have one,” I replied.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead with his fingers, “Alright, you’ll report to me
before leaving Dark Moon resort to walk around the grounds. If you are going to go
to the bathroom, I want a message sent my way. If you are going to bed, I want you
to inform me that you will be calling it a night.”

I snorted before slapping a palm over my mouth. My eyes widened as I watched his
face darkened.

“You think I’m fooling around with you?” he growled.

He moved to grab the lapels of my bright green t-shirt. I grabbed at his wrist to
stop him from picking me up and throwing me across the fields.
“You will do as I say. Do you understand?” His voice dropped an octave.

I nodded, and he dropped me back to the ground. I watched him turn and leave. I
wished I took the time to make at least one friend, maybe then, I wouldn’t be in
this situation. Pouting, I picked up my things and boarded the bus.

~ ~ ~

Dark Moon’s territory looks like a resort stay. The building that will house
hundreds of werewolves is a semi-circle shaped building. In front of the resort is
a curved drive pathway with a beautiful water fountain smacked in the middle.
Behind the building are a very large swimming pool and lake. Beyond the lake is the
many training fields and beyond the training, fields were the vast woods.

When our buses pulled up to the large resort entrance, many people were loitering
around talking amicably. Their eyes shifting over to us the second we parked our
buses.

“Crescent pack members,” Alpha Hunter muttered before getting up from his seat, “I
just love their leader, Alpha Jeremiah.”

“I remember how much he loves you too,” Gamma Judah made a joke. The guy knows how
to make a joke. Someone pinch me, I think I am some kind of alternate world.

Alpha Hunter shoved Gamma Judah back into his seat before looking back at us. Beta
Ace was on the other bus.

“Alright, listen up, we go in and check in with our names along with our pack
names. The individuals working behind the desk will give you a room number. You
will be sharing it with your partner. There are not enough rooms in this resort to
house hundreds of wolves. We have to partner up.” Alpha Hunter stopped talking and
gave us an expected look.

We all nodded before he turned away and the door opened to release us. We hopped
out of the bus and I couldn’t be happier. The air here is different from the air
back home. It’s fresher, less polluted. Inhaling slowly, I stopped halfway when I
remembered what Alpha Hunter just said. Clinging onto my duffle bag filled with
clothes and personal care products, I chased after the tall male leader who was
walking away from us.

“Alpha Hunter!” I called out.

He stopped and turned to look at me. Apparently, he’s surprised I called out his
name.

“This is the first time I have heard you talk to me, Rosemary,” he stated with a
smirk.

“I-I don’t have a partner. There was an uneven number,” I explained, “should I bunk
alone?”

“Nonsense. It is important that you bunk with someone.”

“I will watch her.” Gamma Judah’s voice came from behind me and my spine tingled.

Alpha Hunter’s disbelieving looks deepened, “You two are surprising me today. Are
you sure, you two can be civil on this territory together?”
Of course not!

“I-I think i-it’s best for me to sleep on my own,” I managed to ramble.

“No can do, Rosemary. You will have to work with Gamma Judah. I have no one else to
pair up with you,” Alpha Hunter explained before turning away, “Just try not to
kill each other.”

That’s it? You are just going to leave me with this brooding asshole?

I turned around to look up at Gamma Judah. His face was expressionless. I didn’t
know what was going through that mind of his but decided to follow him inside.

Today, Gamma Judah wore cotton dark green t-shirt that stretched his back and
shoulder muscles and tightened around his biceps. My eyes dropped lower and I watch
his jean cladded ass walk. I have to admit, he has a nice ass for being an asshole.
A soft giggle escaping me at the thought which caused Gamma Judah to stop suddenly
and me smacking right into his back.

He turned around to glare at me and I turned to look somewhere other than him. The
next thing he did shock me to the very core. He grabbed my wrist and led me deep
into the resort lobby and to the long tables that had people sitting behind them.

Walking up to one lady, he spoke up. His hand still wrapped around my wrists. It
tingled and burned slightly. I’m aware of how that one touch is driving all
rational thoughts from my mind and zeroing in on that single skin contact.

“Rosemary Meyers and Gamma Judah Collins from Silver Bane’s pack,” he said.

There was silence and I tore my eyes away from the single contact to look up. I
watched the lady in front of me write down our names and pack names before flipping
a couple more pages and then opening up a case underneath the table, handing Gamma
Judah the key.

“Room 457, you will take the elevators to your left.” She pointed to our left where
the elevator signs were.

“Thank you,” Gamma Judah answered before dragging me to the elevators.

Once we were inside the elevators along with ten other bodies, I tried tugging my
hand away from him, but he held tight. The elevator was so cramped that my back is
literally pressed to his front. Heat spread between us and I tried to think about
other things besides him.

It seemed like forever but eventually, the door opened, and people started flooding
out. Once we reached the fourth floor, Gamma Judah and I stepped out. He released
me then. Holding the key in his hand, he read the room number on the key tag before
looking at the signs on the wall.

I followed slowly behind him, making sure to maintain my distance in case I run
into him again. I don’t know how I am going to handle this for another week.
Standing in this man’s presence was already a pain. How am I supposed to handle
being in one room with him every night?

4
Last night was the most awkward night of my life. If my mom knew that I am sleeping
in the same room as the Gamma, she will be cackling her butt off because she knows
how much I dislike this man. Details of last night went exactly like this: awkward
bumping into each other and I don’t even know why because the room is huge to fit
at least twenty other people if we really squeeze, then there was the stiff staring
at our pajama choice. He is shirtless wearing only sleeping pants, I am swaddled up
in sweaters and sweatpants as if I am ready for winter.

Finally, when the moon was high in the sky and we were settling into our two twin
bed, I turned to sleep on the side where I am most comfortable with and ended up
connecting eyes with his. He had also turned to his side. I slowly sacrificed my
comfortable position and turned to the other side slowly, but I can feel his eyes
burning through my back.

By morning, I’m exhausted because I couldn’t sleep at all. I kept feeling him
staring at me. I wanted to turn and if he truly was but I couldn’t risk turning to
see him looking at me. So, I stayed awake until exhaustion won and I fell asleep.

When I awoke, it was from a hard kick to my bed. I thought there was an earthquake
because I jarred awake so quickly, I tumbled off the bed with the bedcovers tangled
around my legs. I peeked my head over to see that it was him. He wanted me to get
up.

Currently, I am grumpy with no coffee to cheer me up. I’m outside in the warm sun,
standing with a lot of happy looking people. I didn’t even bother looking nice.
Gamma Judah said that we are doing a team activity today and for me to get up and
get dressed.

I decided on a black tank top and grey sweats. When he knocked heavily on the
bathroom door, demanding me to hurry up. I pushed my hair up into a messy ponytail
and gave up on everything else. Why care? Who am I going to impress? Apparently, no
one.

“Good morning, sun rays. You all look radiant today! Absolutely positive and ready
to rumble,” I tilted my head to see who that offending person was.

Radiant? I look like Scrooge on Christmas eve.

It was a pink hair female werewolf with a pixie haircut. She looks chirpy and
happy. However, her small size figure does not compare to the power radiating from
her. She’s an Alpha.

Alpha Hunter moved through his pack to the front. His eyes settling in on the
female werewolf with a smirk on his face. When her eyes settled on him, her smile
disappeared and a glare replaced her sparkling demeanor.

“Alpha Justine,” Alpha Hunter greeted, his smirk growing with each step closer to
her.

Her jaw ticked, “Alpha Hunter,”

Snip Snap. Gone the happy Alpha.

“It is good to see that we are competing today.”

Gamma Judah and Beta Ace weaved their way to the front to stand next to their
friend and leader. My eyes traveled to Gamma Judah’s exposed back. The man decided
to go shirtless like why? Why you gotta be like that?

“Are you prepared to lose, Alpha Hunter?” Alpha Justine quirked an eyebrow.

Alpha Hunter laughed out loud as if it was the funniest thing he has ever heard in
his life.

“Let’s face it, Justine, that I am just more experienced than you are. You are
what? Eighteen?”

Her lips curled and her eyes burned with a challenge, “Nineteen, you ass, and I am
not afraid. Don’t judge me by the years I have been Alpha. Wait till you see what I
have coming before you get cocky.”

“I’m flattered you checked my ass out.” Alpha Hunter grinned. “How about we make a
bet?”

He took a step forward and brushed his fingers across one side of her cheek. I saw
her hands curled at her side and her arms trembled. Obviously, I thought that it
was odd but I brushed it aside.

“If my pack wins, I get something from you,” Alpha Hunter stated.

“And if I win?” she asked.

“You get whatever you want, firecracker, even me if you wanted to.” He looked so
smug right now.

She scoffed before turning back to her pack members but stopped midway before
turning her head to the side and speaking up.

“If I win this game, I want you crawling on your knees to me,” she stated.

Alpha Hunter smirked, “Sweetcheeks, you don’t need to win for me to do that.”

Interesting. Very interesting.

The challenge has been issued. Today’s activity involved capturing the flag from
the opposing team. Other packs are playing against other teams. Today, we are
paired up with Alpha Justine’s pack. In these kinds of games, it requires everybody
to play because of the number of people we have. It was perfect to put our
strategies into play and show off. Alphas like to show off.

Alpha Hunter split us into three teams. Alpha Hunter and his team are going to play
offense. Gamma Judah’s team is going to assist offense in executing pass plays.
Alpha Beta’s team is to play defense. Defend our flag.

Everyone is being jumbled around per their strength and weaknesses. Selected and
chosen until there were only a few members left. I’m one of those minions who were
left behind because nobody knows what I am skilled at.

Alpha Hunter rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before speaking up, “I don’t
know where to put you, Rose. Can you tell me what skill sets you have?”

Beta Ace and Gamma Judah both turned their heads to look at me. Talk about
embarrassment and not wanting to be the center of attention. Hello? Someone, please
bring an ice pack for the heat that is crawling up my cheeks.
“I-I don’t know,” I grumbled before looking down, “maybe I should just sit out?”

“We need everyone to play,” Beta Ace reminded me.

“Then maybe I can play defense with you?” I turned towards Beta Ace.

“She will be with me,” Gamma Judah spoke up immediately.

We all turned our heads towards him. He walked over to me and wrapped his hand
around my elbow before dragging me over to his team.

“I just said I’ll play defense,” I pointed out.

“And I said you will be in my team,” he countered.

The game started quick and heated up quickly. Everyone was flying around and
battling, knocking each other to the ground, jumping over fallen logs, zipping
through mass trees. Gamma Judah ordered me to stay close, so he can keep an eye on
me. In case, I end up making a mistake and making the team lose. Alpha Hunter is
making fast work in approaching enemy territory. His team was fighting to impress
him. I can see my peers pushing harder than ever fighting against Alpha Justine’s
defense.

A loud whistle pierces our wolf ears. It was Beta Ace. His warning. Our flag has
been captured. Alpha Hunter fell back. His eyes landed on Gamma Judah and a silent
communication line passed between them.

Alpha Hunter is going to play defense. He is going to retrieve the flag. His team
fell back. Thus meaning I am going to be playing offense. I’m scared, no lie. I’m
so scared that I can shit in my pants right now.

We are so close to the flag. I swear if I jump like a kangaroo on steroids, I might
just be able to retrieve it.

Alpha Justine appeared a few yards in front of us. She’s smiling like she knows
she’s going to win. Her eyes settling in on the most powerful one out of this team.
Gamma Judah. She’s going to take him out but he was so damn busy fighting off her
pack members. She began jogging before sprinting.

Shit in my pants.

I jumped in front of him. She collided into me and we went flying back. Her eyes
widening when she realized I had blocked the blow. Gamma Judah’s eyes snapped to
me.

Alpha Justine and I landed with a thump onto the hard ground. She pushed off me but
I remembered Gamma Judah’s straddle pin. Performing a perfect spin. I hooked my
legs around Alpha Justine and pinned her underneath me. Her eyes widening before
they burned with an angry fire.

Shit in my pants again.

I just angered an Alpha.

Leaping off Alpha Justine, I ran towards Gamma Judah who threw an opponent onto the
ground hard, knocking the air out of him. I grabbed his wrists and took the lead.
Our team, opening a space for us to run through. Defending the other team from
distracting us.
The flag sits on top of a wooden tower. All we needed to do was climb. Retrieve it
and jump off before running. Easy right?

A threatening growl distracted me. I glanced behind me to see Alpha Justine

ordering her team with her Alpha power to push through our barricade. It worked.

The barricade collapsed in front of us.

“Defend me.” My eyes connected with Gamma Judah.

He nodded before moving in front of me. He knocked everyone who tried to tackle us
down with a hard fist to their body, sending them flying back. Seriously, he looked
like some kind of man who has an immense amount of superpower-wait, he’s a
werewolf. Literally, chuckling inside at my joke before I remembered to focus.

He cleared the path for me before turning around to fight Alpha Justine.

“Get the flag and run, Rose. I swear to god if you make us lose, I will make you
sleep on the floor in our room,” he threatened before walking slowly to meet Alpha
Justine.

Thanks for the mental motivation, Gamma Judah, I thought sarcastically before
jumping onto the ladder. My team surrounded the tower to stop the other team from
climbing up to get me.

Looking down, I was halfway up the tower. Faster. Don’t look down. Faster.

I climbed faster until I finally reached the top. Grabbing onto the stolen flag, I
turned to see Gamma Judah receiving an uppercut. He went flying before Alpha
Justine looked up and saw me. Shit, that woman is scary.

I took a few steps back before sprinting and leaping off the tower. It’s like three
stories high.

My feet landed onto the ground with a loud thud. The flag still wrapped around my
hand. Everyone turned towards me and like a swarm of ants, they headed my way.

“Run!” Gamma Judah growled.

My eyes snapped to him before I nodded and ran.

I am good at this. I am fast. I run all the time at home.

“Don’t look back,” Gamma Judah ordered.

He’s an idiot. If he says that, of course, I will look back.

I turned and saw how close Alpha Justine’s team were. I screamed like Chucky is
chasing my butt and ran faster. Loud thudding and growling are so close to me, I
can feel them breathing down my neck.

“Save me!” I demanded, giving a side glance and seeing Gamma Judah jump on one
opponent who was gaining quick to my behind. They rolled onto the ground before
Gamma Judah knocked him out in seconds. He rolled back onto his feet and sprinted
to catch up.

We are so close at this point. I can see our end zone in a few hundred yards.
A loud growl again behind me and I knew who it was before I even turned. Alpha
Justine.

I pivoted around a tree and jumped over a fallen log before sliding between two
bushes. Crap, I’m in a mass of bushes and trees, running a little off course.

“Rose,” Gamma Judah said.

I turned to see him behind me and Alpha Hunter knocking Alpha Justine onto the
ground. Together with the two rolled around in a fight.

“Go! Finish it!” He shouted before stopping and fighting.

I dug my feet in and took a long breath of air before pushing the hardest I have
ever pushed. The clearing coming up quickly and Beta Ace smiling when he sees me
with the flag. I saw a white line.

Safety.

But then I felt something wrap around my feet and I tripped the second I almost
crossed it.

“Get her!”

“Get the flag!”

I turned to see a red hair male holding tightly to my ankles. I wiggled one foot
out before slamming it into his face. He grunted and released me. Crawling on my
hands and feet I moved away from him before another body settled on top of me.

Gamma Judah appeared out of nowhere and kicked the fool off me.

“The match ended, mutt. She crossed the line. We won,” Gamma Judah snarled.

I blinked before turning to look and saw that my hands have made it over the finish
line with the flag. I sagged with relief.

“Oh, thank god,” I breathed.

Gamma Judah’s eyes scanned me over one time before he walked away from me. I
released the flag in my hand and closed my eyes. I’m sweating so bad. My heart was
thumping so hard in my chest, I swear it is about to run away from me. I could
probably start a car battery with how fast it was beating.

“We won,” I whispered, “Jesus, we won. I think I shitted in my pants.”

“What?” Beta Ace laughed.

I didn’t even care if he heard me. I am so relieved right now. I didn’t care what
was going on around me.

5
“You’re smiling,” Ace pointed out as he slipped into the seat next to mine. He sat
his tray down on the round table. His eyes followed my line of vision to her.

The smile fell from my face. Irritated, I straightened up in my seat and grabbed
for my glass of water. My eyes evasively flew back to her again.

“She’s impressive,” Ace complimented with a smirk.

She is. Even I must admit that. I have always known that she’s a runner. I see her
all the damn time back at home running day and night but that wasn’t what impressed
me. Without much practice, she’s able to take simple commands, do a quick risk
analysis, and compute her outcomes. Her logic and fast thinking are astounding but
I’ll fucking shoot myself in the head before I even admit that.

“She’s ok,” I muttered, setting my glass back on the table before picking up my
sandwich to take a huge bite out of it.

“You’re kidding. She carried our team to the finish line,” Hunter said just as he
sat down to my right. He picked up two pieces of bacon slices from his cheeseburger
and munched on them.

“With the assistance of me,” I added.

Ace smirked, “That’s right. You two make a pretty good team. The way you two were
able to communicate demands and locate each other within that mass of bodies is a
little more than unique.”

“Let’s not forget how she saved you.” Hunter just had to point it out.

“Did we all forgot what I did?” I growled, “I took a ton of blows from Alpha
Justine.”

Ace and Hunter laughed just as another cheer burst in the conference room. Everyone
in our pack is ecstatic about winning and congratulating Rosemary on her good work.
The pink hue to her cheeks didn’t go unnoticed. A small shy smile played at her
pink lips. Her eyes were glistening with happiness. Fuck, what’s wrong with me?

I tore my eyes away from her and grabbed the green apple from my tray. Bringing it
to my lips I took a big bite out of it. Ace and Hunter both were looking at me.

“Stop being such a sourpuss.” Hunter shoved me.

I shoved him back.

“I’m not,” I growled.

“Can you at least congratulate her? She did help you,” Ace said.

“Why are we friends?” I snapped.

Ace and Hunter chuckled just as Alpha Justine walked up and sat in our table. She
set her tray down on the table and directed her eyes at Hunter who took pleasure in
smirking at her.

“This isn’t over,” She said almost immediately to Hunter.

“It never will be,” He replied, his smile growing.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” She snapped. “I hear the ABG
competition is next.”

“Is that so?” Hunter raised an eyebrow, but I know this man for so long. I knew he
was anything but surprised.

Alpha Justine’s hands that were resting on the table curled into fists. She took a
deep breath and met Alpha Hunter’s eyes with her own.

“Your team was impressive today. The female that knocked me down-she’s impressive.”
Alpha Justine mentioning Rosemary caught my attention. I looked up from my food and
stared at her but she didn’t even notice. Her eyes were trained on Hunter.

“I train them well,” Hunter replied.

“I want to make a proposal,” Alpha Justine ignored his smug response.

“Is that so?” He leaned closer to her and propped his chin on palm.

She coughed and shifted in her seat. A faint uneasiness ambiance seeped from her to
us before she snuffed it.

“Will you accept?” She tore her eyes away from Hunter for a second and looked down
at her tray.

“Depends on what it is,” Hunter answered her.

“The ABG competition is coming up. I want to make another bet with you,” Alpha
Justine proposed.

“You are a little quick in offering another bet when I haven’t even taken my prize
yet for the one that you just lost.”

Her cheeks turned a shade redder. A flash of annoyance appeared in her eyes before
she lifted them to look at Hunter.

“I stand by my words, Alpha Hunter. You get whatever you want. However, I want to
talk about the ABG competition.”

“What is it that you want, Justine?” Hunter’s eyes narrowed and his demeanor
changed. His eyes were wary now.

“It’s Alpha Justine to you.”

“What is it, Justine?” He tossed back at her.

She huffed, “My pack is well trained. I will stand by them no matter what. However,
we lack a strategist. If you and I make it to the finalists either with us, our
betas, or gammas, and one of us win-I want your pack member.”

“Fuck that!” I growled, slamming my hands onto the table, I stood up. The trays
flew a good inch or two before gravity pulled them back to the table.

Everyone’s eyes settled on me. Hunter and Ace wore a surprised look and Alpha
Justine’s eyes narrowed at me.

I sat back down. The rage that burned inside of me was barely reigned in. I can
still feel the urge to shift and kill the threat in front of me. The power and heat
that flood my veins and warmed my muscles for a shift are like lava-burning through
my body.

Hunter returned his attention to Alpha Justine.

“It’s a deal,” Hunter agreed.

“What the fuck?” I growled, directing my rage towards my leader, my boss, my

friend.

“Jude, remember your place,” he warned me.

“What if you don’t win? We are just going to hand her over? She has a family-a
mother!” I snapped.

“I’ll take her mother in as well,” Alpha Justine offered.

“That’s not what I fucking meant,” I snarled in her direction.

“I suggest you watch your tone, Gamma,” Alpha Justine warned me.

“Take a walk, Jude,” Ace leaned over to whisper in my ear.

I curled my hands into fists before shoving back in my chair and taking off. Out of
the room. My body was heating up. I can feel it in my body. I am losing control.

I ran out of the building. Down the nicely mowed lawn. My feet pounding against the
ground. I needed to get away. Once I was far enough, I shifted. The lava that
burned through my veins turned ice cold. A relief.

My muscles bulked out and my bones cracked. In the next second, I was fully shifted
before I ran into the woods. Everything around me is so much sharper. I can hear,
smell, and see better but the burning rage in my chest didn’t stop. My wolf is
expressing how much he disliked this idea but at the same time, we both just as
confused at our outburst.

Why was I pissed off?

It’s fucking Rosemary we are talking about.

I don’t give a fuck what happens to her-yet seeing that man crawling on top of her
at the games earlier today, it pissed me off so badly, I nearly shifted.

I know she’s not my mate. I would know. I would feel the connection even if she’s a
juvenile, right? What was it that I was feeling?

Hate?

Or am I just protective of her because she’s been a long-time pack member of ours?

I don’t know what it is.

I just know that I didn’t like this idea.

I don’t know how long I was out in the woods but by the time I returned, it was
nearly dark. I trotted out of the woods and out into the opening. I made my way up
the hill slowly. My head down and the rage in my chest was now simmering. Huffing
one last time, I looked up and saw Rosemary standing at the top of the hill. She
was looking at me.
I ignored her and walked right past her.

“Hey!” She shouted.

I stopped. This was the first time she has ever stopped me or initiated
conversation. Her little tiny feet touching the grass and moving closer to me until
she stood in front of me.

“We are partners, you don’t get to run without telling me where you are,” she
snapped, glaring right into my eyes.

I huffed and looked away, but her palms stopped me. Its warmth touched my furry
cheek and turned me back to look at her.

“You don’t get to walk away and ignore me, Gamma. You said that I needed to inform
you wherever I went. That means the same goes with you. What if you got killed?”

Oh, so now she cares? I blinked and stared at her.

“Don’t give me that look,” she narrowed her eyes at me and suddenly I forgot that I
was angry. Call me mad because I like the way she was talking to me. I like that
she is talking to me. I stood there like an idiot and allowed her to touch me. Her
fingers slowly caressed my fur and I fought with everything inside of me to not
purr with happiness. She doesn’t even know she was doing it.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

Huffing, I took one step back. Her hand dropped back to her side and I honestly
regret stepping back. I liked the way she was touching me.

“You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?” she asked.

I snorted and she rolled her eyes.

“Why do I even bother? I’m going to bed.” She turned and headed back inside.

I turned to look at her walk inside. She was outside waiting for me. She was
worried about me. It felt weird. It felt good.

Once she was inside, I gave her another good hour to settle into bed and fall
asleep before I shifted outside and grabbed extra clothes sitting in an outdoor
storage chest. Pulling on a pair of shorts, I made my way back inside the resort.

Grabbing an extra key from the front desk, I took the elevator to my floor. Opening
the door, I glanced inside to see that it was dark. The curtains on the window were
open. The moonlight shone through the window. My eyes found her sleeping in her
bed, rolled up like a cigar. Honestly, I wondered how she sleeps like that. If I
slept like that, I will be sweating madly because of the extra heat. Every single
part of her body was buried underneath clothes and blankets only her face was out.

Shaking my head, I walked to the bathroom and took a quick shower before crawling
into bed. I didn’t even bother pulling the blanket over me. Instead, I rested my
arm over my forehead and stared at the ceiling.

ABG competition was a competition for Alphas, Betas, and Gammas. It’s a battle of
the best in fighting skills. No shifting. Human skins. All skills.

Hunter and Ace are excellent fighters. There is no doubt about it. We trained each
other and learned from the very best but the nagging feeling in my chest just
wouldn’t go away. What if we don’t win?

Will Hunter really be willing to give up Rosemary and her mother? To him, they were
just regular pack members. It won’t hurt him.

Turning onto my side, I looked at her. She’s sleeping peacefully, with no care to
what happens in the world. Quite honestly, she’s pretty cute if she wasn’t such a
pain in my fucking ass.

Shouldn’t I be happy that she is the prize that Alpha Justine wanted? I mean, if we
lost, she will be gone, and all my life, she’s been a thorn in my side.

I can’t even begin to understand what I am feeling towards her. My emotions are a
mess right now and it’s giving me migraines. Shaking my head, I turned onto my back
and stared at the ceiling.

It doesn’t matter what the outcome is for tomorrow’s competition. All that matters
is that I win the competition. I don’t like losing at all. Rosemary appeared in my
mind once again.

And maybe, I don’t want to lose her…

Five separate battling circles connected in a circular pentagon located in a wood

clearing. In each one of them, there is a battle, either between Alphas, Betas, or
Gammas. The air is intense even with everyone talking loudly, sitting in the wooden
bleachers. I sat on the soft ground and leaned my back against a large maple tree.

My eyes focused in on Alpha Hunter fighting off Alpha Ezra. Alpha Hunter’s golden
hair will glisten every now and then underneath the sun. I snacked on some trail
mixes and turned my attention to Beta Ace. It is amazing to see such a slender, yet
muscular man moved so fluidly, almost like he was in a dance. The way he bends his
back or swipes his legs underneath his opponents seemed to flow like water down a
stream. A loud gasp from the bleachers caught my attention. I turned to see a few
girls giggling and pointing towards the battling circles.

I followed their line of vision and found myself staring at Gamma Judah. He had
just knocked his third opponent down to the ground. Sweat dripped down his jaw,
neck and beaded his chest. I tried tearing my eyes away, but I know why the girls
were gasping. He’s gorgeous with the sweat glistening on his chiseled chest and
rock-hard abs, not to mention the deep v-line that ran down his black cotton
shorts.

His opponent is unconscious. Running a hand through his thick burnt umber locks, he
looked up and the girls literally squealed with happiness. Curling my lips in
disgust and unhappiness, I glared in their direction. Can they be any more obvious?
It’s disgusting. I hate it.

Then I remembered who they were ogling, and I directed my attention to him. Only to
find him staring at me. My face dropped, and I couldn’t help but be surprised.
His chest rose up and down heavily as he tried to even out his breathing. My eyes
dropped down to his natural dark-hued lips. It parted as he took a deep inhale and
exhales. Gulping, I blinked and looked away. It took everything in me to not look
at him. I will not succumb and be one of those girls.

I directed my attention back to Alpha Hunter, whom too knocked his opponent down to
the ground before putting his opponent in a deathlock. Alpha Ezra growled and tried
shaking Alpha Hunter off. He lost, and he didn’t like it at all. Alpha Hunter,
however, was grinning.

Beta Ace, unfortunately, lost to this battle. It was a hard one. The Beta he went
up against has a reputable record on his fighting skills and is none other than
Alpha Justine’s Beta.

And then we were down to two. Alpha Hunter and Gamma Judah.

The round ended quickly, and the new opponents stepped up to the battle circles.
This continued to almost halfway through the day. People left, and people came
back. I noticed Alpha Hunter, Gamma Judah, and Beta Ace sitting underneath a tree
talking amongst each other. Pointing their fingers and gesturing with hands.

A few female juveniles hovered closer to them-laughing and giggling. Their laugh
was so obvious that we can all see whose attention they were seeking. Beta Ace
looked up first from their tight conversation and gave the juveniles a questioning
look. Gamma Judah didn’t even bother looking. His back faced them, and he was
crouched over while sitting on a log.

He never pays attention to anyone and somehow, I felt a sudden joy in that
realization, but it was so out of nowhere that I quickly killed it. I stomped on
it, stabbed it, and even doused it with cold water. There have to be no feelings.
He is Gamma Judah. What am I? Insane?

Snorting, I took a big slurp of my concession drink. I am insane. I can’t keep

looking at him because in three days I will be turning eighteen. I will find my
mate and I do not want any feelings involved. I don’t want strings. I don’t want
emotions to conflict with what I can’t avoid which is the mate bond. Feelings for
another before you meet your mate is a call for disaster. I can’t handle that kind
of drama.

But I mean, I can still look, right?

I laughed at my own internal conversation. I’m seriously going to need to get

checked. My eyes flew back to the trios who were still talking amongst each other.
The girls have moved closer now and laughing louder than ever.

Suddenly, Judah looked up and looked straight at me.

He pointed and gestured for me to come thither.

Well, someone slaps me sideways. He must be insane to think I will listen to him
now. I listened to him before when he ordered me to stay and watch him play. That I
was to go nowhere but where he was but now, I have to go over to him.

I shook my head.

His eyebrows furrowed, and he shot a glare my way that literally stated, ’get the
fuck over here now or else’.

Sighing, I grabbed my trail mixes and drink before making my way towards him. I
made sure to walk around the bleachers, away from wandering eyes. When I finally
emerged on his side of the field, I walked past the girls who were laughing. They
shot glares my way. Sighing even more dramatically, I rolled my eyes and walked
over to stand in front of the trio.

“What am I to you?” I questioned Gamma Judah.

“Rose,” he replied.

Well, no duh, genius.

“I am not a dog where you will make simple commands I will follow,” I pointed out.

Alpha Hunter and Beta Ace smirked at my response.

Gamma Judah sighed before grabbing onto my arm and tugging me towards him.

“W-w-wait, what are you doing?” I lost my confidence the second he yanked me down
onto his lap, my legs between his.

“Do me a favor and shut up,” he growled into my ear.

I fought the shiver that ran through my body so hard, I almost broke out into a
sweat. No need to fight, just have Gamma Judah breathe down my neck and my body
heats up like a furnace.

I wiggled in his lap, but his arms tightened around my waist, digging into my side.

“Listen to me, Rose,” he said huskily.

“I can listen to you without sitting in your lap—”

Beta Ace laughed.

“I can’t think with these girls breathing down my back and hearing their screeching
giggles. You will help me in this or so help me God, I will make your life
miserable when we go back home,” he threatened. Somehow, I’m sensing these threats
will not be followed upon.

“Oh yeah, like what?” I boldly responded.

“Like I can make you test subject every gym session. By the time you are out of
that class, your whole body will ache.”

What in the world? How can a threat sound… sound… god damn sensual? My heart
skipped a beat. I gulped before stilling in his lap. His arm relaxed around me.

The quietness pulled me away from him and I turned my head to see the girls walking
away begrudgingly.

“They are gone,” I commented.

He ignored me and they continued to discuss amongst themselves until I heard my

name being brought up. My attention snapped back to them.

“What about me and my mother?” I asked.

Gamma Judah looked at me before his eyes connected with his friends.
“I made a bet with Alpha Justine. It seems that you have impressed her at
yesterday’s game. She’s willing to place a bet with me in this competition. If she
won, she wants you as her pack member—”

“Wait-—” I have never felt this much anger before.

“Don’t worry, we won’t lose,” Gamma Judah, for the first time, tried to assure me.

I pushed off his lap and glared at Alpha Hunter.

“What am I to you? What is my mother to you? We have provided service for the pack-
for the benefit of the pack. My mom and I have never disobeyed the pack rules. How
can you do this to us?” It was the first time I have ever spoken up like this but
when it comes to my only family member and respect, I hold those two things close
to me.

“It’s not going to happen,” Gamma Judah said once again.

“And I heard you but that doesn’t change the fact that you disrespected us. We are
not objects or chess pieces. We might not be high ranking officials or bear any
titles to our names but we are your pack members.”

“Rosemary, don’t look at it that way—”

I pushed away from Gamma Judah suddenly, catching him off guard.

“How about I make this easier on you three? How about I make the decision and move
out of the pack with my mom?” I growled.

“Not a fucking chance,” Gamma Judah snarled back. He stood up too.

I walked away, not bothering to even look back at them. I’m disgusted with them.
I’m upset and right now I needed to get away.

I walked away from the competition. The noise slowly dying but the footsteps behind
me were not. I know who it was even before looking.

“Don’t walk away from me,” Gamma Judah demanded.

“Shut up and leave me alone,” I snapped.

Suddenly, I was grabbed, turned, and pushed up against a hard naked chest. Thick
muscular arms wrapped around me, trapping me.

“Get off me, you dumbass,” I yelled.

“Not until you agree to calm down and listen to me,” he answered.

After five minutes of struggling, I finally stopped and settled on glaring at him.
His dark olive eyes were looking right at me.

“I understand you are pissed off,” he said.

“You are damn right I am. When we get back home, I’m taking my mom and we are
leaving—”

“You will not be going anywhere.” His voice grew low and threatening. His eyes were
pits of dark moss.
“My mom doesn’t deserve that kind of disrespect. She’s a good person. She took care
of me. She took care of the pack. She cooked and cleaned. She does everything she
can for the benefit of the pack. We know what we do might not be much but that
doesn’t stop us from contributing in the only way we can. She took care of me and I
can’t-I can’t let you hurt her like that. I can’t let you treat her that low.”

He sighed and closed his eyes. I watched him try to control his emotions. A minute
passed by before he opened his eyes and looked at me.

“You’re right. Your mother deserves better. She doesn’t deserve to be treated that
way. Hunter can be stupid sometimes but don’t hate him. He is not a bad Alpha. He
is still learning, and you have to learn to forgive him for the things that he will
do wrong in the future. Leaders are not born knowing what’s right or wrong already.
Leaders are born still learning everything that we are. We all make mistakes,” he
reasoned.

“I still think he’s an asshole,” I grumbled.

Judah dropped me back onto my feet once he realized I wasn’t going to make a dash
for it.

“He made a mistake, but you can trust that I will not lose that bet. I will win.
Your mom and you are safe and will not go anywhere,” he promised.

I looked at him. Why did he look so sincere? Why wasn’t there any hate or malice in
his eyes? It’s so different looking into these pair of eyes. I’ve never seen them
before and now that I am, my heart feels like it is bursting.

No!

Blink!

Look away.

I blinked before looking down at my feet.

“Ok,” I replied.

“Ok.”

The next few battles were tough because only the best was saved for last. Alpha
Justine tapped out even before had a chance to fight with Alpha Hunter but that was
because she was still young and learning. Her father was still ruling as the
official Alpha of her pack. Alpha Hunter was different. He won the next two matches
and came in first place for Alpha competition. Alpha Justine’s Beta won first place
in the Beta competition.

And then there was Judah.

The second to last battle was a hard one. He went up against Alpha Ezra’s Gamma who
was so much older and a lot more experience. He popped Gamma Judah’s right arm, but
Judah put him in his place. Alpha Justine gained one point with her Beta and Alpha
Hunter gained one point with his win. Now, Gamma Judah had to win the bet.

However, Judah put Alpha Ezra’s Gamma in his place and with just one arm. His fight
wasn’t over though. After the fight, Alpha Hunter had to pop his arm back into
place, but healing could take hours.

“You will be fine?” I asked.

Judah’s tired eyes met mine.

“You’re afraid I will lose?” he asked.

“I’m afraid you will get hurt,” I responded before I realized what I said. I
slapped a hand over my mouth. “I mean, I’m afraid that you will lose and my mom and
I—”

“I’ll be fine, Rose.” He did not sound convincing. He sounded like he was in a lot
of pain.

“I mean, it’s okay if you can’t do it. My mom and I can go live with Alpha Just—”

“Not a fucking chance,” he growled.

“Ok,” I stopped but felt like I needed to say something and so I mumbled a, “Just
be careful.”

His last fight was with another Gamma who was almost twice his size. His arm was as
big as my two thighs together. I shivered underneath the intensity in this Gamma’s
eyes. He looked like he was ready to kill.

“Don’t underestimate Jude, darling.” Beta Ace smirked, noticing how I am cowering
so hard.

“Why?” I asked.

“Judah is a hard man to get to know but once you get to know him well, you won’t
have a problem understanding his actions and thoughts. He’s a very complex man but
he is every bit as good as he looks.” Alpha Hunter replied.

“Out of us three, he is the one who doesn’t mess around. Always focused and always
learning,” Beta Ace added.

I turned back to Judah who looks badly beaten right about now.

“The way you are looking at him, people might say you like him.” Alpha Hunter
laughed.

I turned to give Alpha Hunter a scowl before looking back just in time for Judah to
take the upper hand. Easily taking up the opportunity to pivot underneath the
giant’s arm and hitting hard on his ribcage. The roar of pain indicated that the
giant might have a broken rib or two. And just like that, although bloodied with
bruises, Gamma Judah took the upper hand continued to hold the upper hand.

Knocking the Giant to the ground happened in mere minutes. It didn’t take long
before the Giant was unconscious, and the crowd rumbled with victory cries. Alpha
Hunter slapped Beta Ace on the arm happily. Gamma Judah slowly made his way towards
us, clutching his side.

“Fuck, that was hard,” he grumbled before casting his eyes towards me.

Again, my heartfelt like it was about to burst underneath those intense and raw
olive eyes.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

YES, ANOTHER ONE. Lol. This one is almost 3k words. Hopefully, it will make you
feel a little bit better?

There are two things I like about guarding borders at night and that was the
silence and the pure black blanket of comfort around me. I’m alone and it makes me
anxious but at the same time, I enjoy this solitary darkness. Sighing, I settled on
a log and gaze out beyond the lake. The moon’s reflection shimmering on top of the
water and the little night creatures that come out to sing as if they are holding
their own choir.

An ache on my shoulder has me subconsciously moving to rub between the joints. I’m
healed and it’s normal to feel aches after your body recovers. The night wind blew
lightly past me and I inhaled only to catch a scent of another wolf.

She’s no danger. I know this scent because I smelt it a million times since being
here. Standing up from my seat, I looked beyond the bushes just as I saw her emerge
from her run. Her breathing and heartbeat irregular but the blood pumping through
her veins was like adrenaline.

I smirked and shook my head. Rosemary is an enigma, truly. I thought I knew

everything about her, but I guess I didn’t. Coming here and bunking with her, I’ve
seen more of her than I have ever done back at home.

She huffed, and my attention flew back to her just as she jogged down the small
slope in the woods heading my way. I stepped into the shadow and waited. She took a
slow inhale, feeling her longs and closed her eyes briefly. Half of me thinks she
might stumble over a branch or root of a tree and fall flat on her face but her
eyes flew open again just as she exhaled.

She wore sweats and a loose t-shirt. Her strawberry blonde hair tied up into a
ponytail. Sweat dripped down her chin. She’s exhausted but she doesn’t give up.

Suddenly, she stopped right in front of me but I’m pretty sure she isn’t aware of
me yet. Bending over, she fought to catch her breath. A second later, her face
broke into a smile and she started giggling to herself. I’m thinking she has gone
mad.

She pulled herself back up and used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat off her
face. She huffed and puffed before her laughter slowly died down. Looking at her
right now, drenched in sweat and exhausted, the only thing that I can think of is
she’s stunning when she’s unaware of people looking at her and her guard is down.

She turned to face the water, and something caught her eye. I turned to see what
she was staring. She walked closer to me and I took a sharp inhale, holding my
breath, waiting for her to notice me but she doesn’t.

Instead, she walked past me and stopped just right before stepping into the water.
I’m still surprised she hasn’t smelled me yet I have a feeling it’s because she is
extremely distracted from her run and the scenery in front of her.

Lifting her face, she looked at the moon. I turned and looked at the moon along
with her. It was a full moon tonight. High in the sky with barely a star out to
keep it company. We stood that way, staring at the moon together for a long time.

A soft humming pulled me away from staring at the moon. I looked down and saw her
eyes are closed, her face is lifted to the moon and she’s humming a soft tune,
swaying on her feet. A smile touching her lips as if she’s imagining herself being
loved and wrapped in a silk blanket.

One corner of my lips lifted because again, she seems to surprise me. She’s not as
cold as I thought she was. She’s quite funny. Reminds me a little of a fuzzy little
wolf puppy.

After she finished her song, she took another deep inhale before her shoulders
sagged and she opened her eyes, the smile still on her face but something must have
bothered her because her smile slipped and in its place was a pout.

“Don’t think because you won the competition, I forgive you,” she growled to the
lake.

My smile widened the second she mentioned winning the competition. She’s talking
about me.

“Yeah, I’m talking about you. You aren’t all that badass, Mr. Gamma,” she retorted
but then she stopped and pondered for a second before adding, “but thank you.”

I broke out into a full-blown smile at the last part. Then she began doing a weird
dance in front of me. Shuffling her feet and cocking her hips back and forth. For a
second, I’m rendered speechless.

“You think you are the boss of me but, you can’t stop me. You can’t stop me. You
can’t stop me, Mr. Gamma. Yeahhh.” She kept singing and stopped her dance with
spirit fingers in the air.

At this point, I’m biting my lips and trying to contain my own laughter. She took
another big huff and a smile appeared on her face. She waved goodbye to the moon
and started back on her jog back home.

When she was well out of range and I can no longer hear her footsteps, I chuckled
and then burst out laughing. I laughed and that is something I do not do. Hunter
and Ace only heard me laugh this hard once or twice.

Tears brimmed my eyes and when I finally stopped, I felt-good. I wasn’t irritated
in her presence like how I was before. Instead, I kind of liked it.

I continued with my shift, working well into the morning before I walked back to my
room. Putting the card key in and slowly opening the door because it was still very
early in the morning even if it is morning, I caught sight of her asleep in bed,
still bundled up in her blanket. Soft snoring reached my ears but at this point, I
was too exhausted to even find humor in her little snoring.

Walking to the bathroom with a clean pair of sleeping pants, I showered quickly and
brushed my teeth before collapsing into bed. Groaning, I rolled over and underneath
my blanket, pulling it up and over me.

~ ~ ~

I woke up when I heard laughter just outside my door. People were walking back to
their rooms. Groaning, I shielded my eyes and looked at the clock sitting on the
nightstand. It was a little after one in the afternoon. I have completely skipped
breakfast and lunch.

Rubbing my eyes, I glanced over to Rosemary’s bed and saw it empty. Frowning, I
reached for my phone to call or text her but was alarmingly surprised to see a
yellow sticky note stuck to my phone.

If you are looking for me, I have run away and am now living a caveman life in a
faraway cave-kidding. I am with Beta Ace today.

—Rose

Smirking, I tossed the note back onto the nightstand before tossing back the bed
covers and getting out of bed. I’m guessing she’s gotten used to me asking her
where she’s going. How else can I explain her sarcastic remark within the note?

I quickly got dressed, changing into a plain dark navy t-shirt, jeans, and a pair
of white shoes, I made my way out of the bedroom. My stomach grumbled in protest
for fasting for so long.

Absentmindedly, I placed a hand over it before walking over to the elevators. Just
as the doors opened, I looked up from my grumbling stomach to find Rosemary
standing alone. Today, she wore a nice little yellow sundress that in my opinion
was way too short for her because it showed her long legs. Her strawberry blonde
hair is down and waves around her shoulders. She even bothered to put on lip gloss.

All that and she went out with Beta Ace.

My eyes narrowed in on her. She looked me over before stepping out of the elevator
without even a simple greeting.

Before she could get past me, I grabbed onto her elbow and yanked her back inside
the elevator with me. She stumbled back on her heels, her hands grasping my
shoulders for support.

“Hey!” she protested.

The doors just in time before she could escape. Upset, she turned to face me and
gave me an accusing glare.

“What was that?” she growled.

I didn’t answer her. Her face transformed into an incredulous expression before she
moved to stand before me.

“I’m speaking to you, Gamma Judah. It is your duty to respond,” she demanded.

“Is it?” I asked.

“It is.”

I didn’t say anything else.

“So?” she asked.

“I responded,” I told her.

Her eyes grew big and she pursed her lips in anger. Propping her hands on her
waist, she looked me right in the eyes. I looked down at her and was surprised to
find that she’s actually pretty tall. Only a few inches shorter than me.
“Where did you go with Beta Ace?” I asked.

“He took me out on a date.” She lifted her chin into the air and gave me a smug
look.

“Date?” She caught my interest. I turned to look at her.

“That’s right. On a date. Who knows, I might just end up switching rooms and
sleeping with him. He might just be my mate,” she said still smiling smugly.

I smirked and took a step forward. Caught off-guard, she stumbled back and hit the
elevator doors.

“Is that so?” I asked.

“It is,” she responded but a little less confident now.

I laughed and broke away, taking a step back. I looked and saw that the numbers on
the elevators have stopped working. Frowning, I moved forward to press the button
for the main level.

“What? You don’t believe it?” she asked.

“I don’t,” I replied, still pressing the floor number.

“Well, it’s true. I think we may have a connection,” she interjected.

One corner of my lips lifted, “Ok.”

She doesn’t know it, but I know it. Ace is gay and there is no way that man will
feel a connection with her. She’s too fucking funny but I’ll let her stew on it. It
makes me feel happier to know that she’s trying to get a reaction out of me.

“Shit,” I muttered the second I realized we are stuck.

“What?” she turned to look at what I was looking at, “Oh no! Don’t tell me we are
stuck?”

“I think we are,” I replied, “Fuck, this is not good timing.”

“Definitely not. Oh no. Oh no,” she muttered and pressed her forehead against the
door.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I told her.

“What? Why?” she turned to look at me.

“The doors might open and you might fall three floors down,” I told her.

She backed away and settled next to me.

“What are we going to do?” she asked.

I shrugged, “We wait until someone figures out that the elevators are stuck. It
shouldn’t take long.”

It shouldn’t. There are too many people in this resort for this to go unnoticed.
People will start working on it as soon as they realize it’s not working. My
stomach grumbled loudly and I sighed before covering my stomach once more.

I catch Rosemary eyeing my stomach before she turned to her side. She shuffled
through her purse and pulled out a granola bar.

“Here,” she said.

“I’m fine,” I grumbled.

“Ok, die of starvation.” She turned to stuff her granola bar back into the purse
but I grabbed it out of her hands before she could.

She gave me a smug smile before digging into her purse and pulling out an apple and
a muffin wrapped in saran wrap. I cocked an eyebrow at her.

“What? I get hungry sometimes,” she muttered.

Judah sat on one side of the elevator and I sat on the opposite. An awkward
exchange of silence between us while we waited. He had finished eating the snacks I
have given him.

After ten minutes of the elevator not moving and us pressing the alarm button and
call button like crazy, we resorted to sitting opposite from each other. Every now
and then, I will furtively glance his way.

Honestly speaking, Judah isn’t all that bad looking. At first glance, he looks very
intimidating with his towering height, dark piercing olive eyes, and thinly pursed
lips. He has that serious looking face all the time. The textured longer hair on
top and short sides haircut match his whole bad boy look.

His eyes flitted to me and I averted my eyes to stare at the closed metal doors. I
can feel his eyes burning through my face, but I refuse to look his way. He huffed
and from the corner of my eyes, I see him run his hands through his hair roughly.

I needed a distraction besides Judah. So, I opened my purse and pulled out a book
to read. Opening to where I marked the page, I have barely read the first sentence
before Judah spoke up.

“What else do you have in that purse? Anything that can get us out of here?” he
asked.

I looked at him and see annoyance flash across his face.

“It’s none of your business what’s in my purse,” I replied before attempting to

read again.

“You’re always reading a book. Every damn time,” he muttered with a scoff.

Snapping my book shut, I set it on my lap and pinned him with an irritated look of
my own.
“Has my reading somehow offended you?”

He shook his head in disbelief and I watched his jaw ticked with annoyance. Lifting
one leg up to rest his arm on one knee before standing up to pace.

“I can’t do this,” he growled.

“Someone will find us.”

He threw a glare my way.

“It’s been ten minutes. How the fuck have they not tried to get us out or noticed
we are gone?”

“You don’t know that they aren’t trying,” I responded.

He started pacing and I could see he was starting to get anxious. He rolled his
shoulders and cracked his neck to relax but nothing was helping. His wolf did not
like the containment and staying here this long was driving them both crazy. If I
don’t stop him, his wolf might just come out and bring this whole elevator down.

“Hey!” I tried catching his attention but none of that was working.

I stuffed my book back into my purse and stood up too. I grabbed his arm which
stopped him in his frantic pacing. His eyes flew to mine.

“It’s okay, we will be fine. Breathe.”

When he didn’t seem to register what I was saying. I did the only thing I knew.

“Inhale.” I inhaled and watched him take a deep breath.

“Exhale,” I whispered, still holding onto his arms. He exhaled along with me.

We did that a couple of times before he dropped back onto the ground and covered
his face.

“Fuck, I can’t stand this,” he grumbled, “I swear to god, I will never take an
elevator again.”

I dropped to the ground hesitantly beside him. I decided to sit next to him just in
case he decides to hulk out and kill us both. My wolf was also getting antsy but in
cases like this one of us had to be the calm one and Judah was anything but calm.

We fell into silence once again but this time it was a little more comfortable than
before. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. I watched him inhale deeply
before exhaling slowly.

“Talk to me,” he murmured, his eyes still closed.

I didn’t want to talk because I didn’t know what to talk about. I don’t know him.
We sleep in one room together and follow each other around all day but there is
nothing personal that we know about each other.

I cleared my throat, “I don’t know what to talk about.”

He opened his eyes and tilted his head up to look at me.

“You have talked to me more than you have ever done back at home.” He pointed out.

“Because I have no choice, we are partners here.”

“Talk to me, Rose.” There was a slight desperate plea to his voice and I could see
he was still fighting to not go crazy in this enclosed space.

“Ok, ok. Alright.” I agreed.

“The book I am reading is an autobiography of a black woman who was enslaved for a
very long time. It talks in detail about the hardships she had to go through
because of the color of her skin. She was beaten, raped, and even gave birth to
children of her rapist. Her children were raised knowing their status, working in
the fields, and then sold off to other farmers or rich person.”

I glanced at him to see he was still breathing slowly. His hands fisted at his
side. I folded my hands together in my lap.

“What happened to her?” he said out of nowhere.

I looked up at him, “She tried escaping, running away with her kids at night,
fleeing to a place where it promised that there will no slavery.”

“Did she make it?”

I smiled, “I haven’t gotten to that part yet, I am assuming she did since she wrote
the book herself.”

“Why do you like reading?” he asked.

I shrugged, “I don’t know. When I read, it takes me someplace else. I am seeing

everything through the eyes of the author. I feel what they felt, I learn from
their mistakes, and I just like reading. It brings me joy.”

“I only read when I have to.”

I snorted, “I kind of expected that.”

He opened his eyes then and I turned my head to see him looking at me.

“It’s not that I don’t want to read. It’s because I can’t read. I have
responsibilities unlike you.”

I gave him a disbelief look.

“I have responsibilities too,” I argued.

“And that is?”

“I might not have your kind of responsibilities, but I have a mom to take care of.
She doesn’t tell me anything because she’s afraid I will worry. One time, she came
home tired and exhausted. On her face, you can tell she didn’t want to do anything.
She just wanted to crawl into bed and go to sleep but one look at me and her face
forced a smile on and she asked me if I am hungry. She can cook something for me.
She carries so much weight on her shoulders and I am her responsibility but then I
realized I am not.

“She raised me and now I can do things on my own. I cook my own dinner which
consisted of sandwiches or anything that doesn’t involve the stove . I do laundry,
so she doesn’t get to do it. I clean the house from top to bottom, so she doesn’t
have to do it. When she’s working late at night, trying to bake desserts for a pack
ceremony, I am up late with her, helping with everything I can. I see now that me
helping her has helped her a lot. She’s no longer that tired. She gets more sleep
at night before waking up early to go back to work.

“I don’t want her to worry about me. So, I am responsible for myself. I am also
responsible for her. I want her to lean on me when she needs to and know that I am
safe when she’s not there.”

I fell silent, angry that I revealed so much to him. I have never spoken to anyone
this way because I don’t have friends.

“I’m sorry,” he said at a bare whisper.

I turned to look at him, “I don’t want you to pity me. We take care of our own.”

He gave me a long look before he nodded in agreement.

“You’re right and I am not pitying you. I am trying to be understanding and that we
do take care of our own. I will help you and your mom out. I will let Alpha Hunter
know and reduce your mom’s work hours as well as give her higher pay,” Judah said.

“Wait? You would really do that?” I asked, turning my body to face him.

He nodded, “We take care of our own. You and your mom are our responsibility.
Everyone deserves to live comfortably.”

I am shocked. Judah is going to talk to Alpha. He’s going to try and help my mom
and me out, but I am completely puzzled by this. Why would he do this? What would
he benefit out of this? He said that we take care of our own. He is doing this out
of duty and understanding. I guess, either way, I am grateful because my mom
deserves the best.

“I don’t have that kind of relationship with my dad. He is a good teacher and tells
me what to do. All my life, I am told how to grow up, how to act, how to become a
Gamma. There wasn’t much, love or affection,” Judah said.

“All parents love their children,” I replied.

He scoffed, and one corner of his lips lifted, “My dad is one that never shows
affection or love. When we talk, it’s about pack matters and my duty. He’s
constantly scolding me on how to improve.”

“I’m sorry to hear.” I didn’t know what else to say but it didn’t explain how Judah
became the man that he is.

Suddenly, the elevator shook. My eyes widened, and I grabbed onto Judah’s arm. He
looked up just as the elevator started descending.

I gave a relieved sigh. He tried standing up, but I realized that my hands were
still firmly wrapped around his arm. We both glanced down at where I was touching
him before I pulled back quickly as if he burned me.

“Sorry,” I grumbled.

After he stood up, I followed him. The elevator was working, and we will be free.
Our eyes remained on the numbers that were counting down until the elevator dinged
that we have reached the main level.
Sighing with relief, I smiled and turned to face Judah who ignored me and stepped
out just as the door opened. I pursed my lips while I watched him walk away as if
nothing has happened. People were looking at us, quickly realizing we were stuck in
the elevator.

I scanned the faces of the crowd quickly before stepping out and scampering away. I
did not want to be the center of attention a second longer. I noticed Dana and
Bethany glaring my way. Their disgusted face and accusing eyes. When I walked right
past them, I heard Bethany coughed, ’slut’ out loud enough for me to hear.

I decided to brush it off. Words can’t hurt me. I will not allow myself to be
involved with her. Alpha Hunter said no problems, or we will be sent home and my
mom will be upset if I was sent home early for causing trouble.

I guess Bethany still has the hots for Judah. I do not understand exactly why. Who
am I kidding? Judah is hot and strong. Plus, he is the only guy besides Beta Ace
and Alpha Hunter, that ignores her. Guys in our school are obsessed over her and
hoping she was going to be mated to them. Unfortunately, Bethany’s mate was not
within the pack nor to anyone here.

Some people are just more stubborn. They want what they can’t have. Doesn’t matter
if they are a boy or girl. Some people are just wired that way.

She can call me names all she wants. Judah is not mine and I have no intention of
pursuing after him like her. I already have a mate waiting for me and if I don’t
find him right away, I am perfectly fine on my own too.

On another note, Judah is an ass! Brushing me off like that when I helped him not
shift into his wolf. I growled in irritation before following his round behind to
the kitchen because we all know he will be angry if I did not follow.

Author’s Note:

Tell me the truth, who does this when they know something the characters don’t aka
Judah and Rosemary totally cluelessness on being mates.

and

Leila

So, I’m just going to come right out and say it. I don’t have dresses. The only
thing I have closely related to even a dress is the old school dress that I wore on
a field trip to the little red school house and that wasn’t going to finish the job
for me.
After sitting through a session of Watching Judah Eat, I have wonderfully
discovered by the chatter in the lobby that there was going to be a ball tonight.

Thank you, Alpha Ezra, for sending out the memos.

Panic is setting in while I rummage through my luggage. How on earth am I going to

be able to go to this thing without a dress? Settling back on my knees, I thought
about excuses. Maybe, I can tell them I am sick. That excuse would have done the
trick if I wasn’t a freaking werewolf.

Please if any spiritual, immortal, legendary beings can hear me, please save me.

What happened to Cinderella and her fairy godmother, God knows, I need one right
now.

Huffing, I continued to rummage through my luggage until my fingers slid across

something plastic. Stopping, I threw the rest of the clothes out of my luggage to
reveal my mother’s dress and a note from her.

She knew before I did and had packed this for me. She hopes I like it because she
wore it when she came here back in the day.

I sat the note back down and picked up the dress. Standing up, I walked over my
strewn clothes to the bathroom mirror. Tears stinging my eyes, threatening to spill
just at how beautiful it looked.

I knew I didn’t have much time. The ball is supposed to start at six in the
evening. Everyone is required to attend. Judah is in the Alpha’s wing with his
friends getting ready.

I’m here alone.

Stripping out of my clothes, I slipped on my mother’s dress. Although simple, the

baby blue tulle skirt fell beautifully down to the floor. The daringly low neckline
gave it a modern look. It revealed a lot of my shoulder and a little of my chest
area but hid all the important parts. The top of the dress had a white lace design
with three-quarter sleeve. Soft little baby blue flowers covered the lace top.

I swallowed the lump in my throat when I realized she had the time to get this made
and fitted to fit me and I didn’t even know anything. I knew this because my mother
is at least one inch taller than me.

“Don’t cry,” I whispered, fanning my face.

I glanced in the plastic bag and saw she had also gave me heels, a baby blue flower
crown, a silver heart necklace and matching earrings, and some of her makeup
supplies because God knows I don’t like putting on makeup.

As best as I could, I fixed my hair so that I would at least look presentable with
pinning my hair up. The hard part was putting on the makeup, I kept poking myself
in the eyes with the eyeliner and let’s not even start with the mascara. It’s
designed to blind me.

Eventually, I was able to put on makeup without any mistakes. Glancing at the clock
on the nightstand, I saw that it was 5:47. Thirteen minutes to rush downstairs and
enter without getting yelled at.

Grabbing onto my tulle skirt to not trip or tear my mother’s dress, I ran out of
the room, down the elevator, and rushed to the grand ballroom which was down the
hall and past a few conference rooms.

Soft jazz music can be heard as I near the gold double doors. Right now, I almost
feel like I’m in fairytale except I have no prince and I am alone.

I risked a glance at the clock on the wall and saw that I had only one more minute
till six. Before the doors locked and I get in trouble. I could run faster if it
wasn’t for these damn heels.

Growling, I made it to the door just in time. Giving it two knocks, the door
opened, and I’m bombarded with chandelier lights, heavy perfume and cologne, jazz
music, and people dressed in sparkly ball gowns and jewelry.

Breathing heavily, I nodded at the two guards at the door. They gave me a once
over, their eyes widening when they took in my appearance.

“I know, I look horrifying,” I said breathlessly, dropping my skirt.

“Actually, you don’t,” one of them said.

I turned to him and saw that he was around my age. He must be from another pack. A
blush touched his cheek and his eyes softened when I met his eyes.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“Rosemary,” Judah’s voice sternly spoke before me, startling both me and the guy
guarding the door.

I turned to look at him so fast that my muscles in my neck strained for a second.
Wincing in pain, I gave him an uneasy smile. He was dressed in an all-black tux
with a white undershirt and black bow tie. His hair was neatly slicked back. His
eyes also did a scan over me. I fought back the shivers that threatened to run
through my body underneath his intense gaze. When his eyes met mine, they were
masked, and I couldn’t tell if I looked horrible or nice from his expression.

“Sorry, it took me so long,” I whispered before turning to look at the guy again,
“My name is Rosemary.”

“Rose…” The guy smiled.

“Let’s go,” Judah’s hand wrapped around my wrist and I felt the warmth spread from
his touch.

Surprised, I stumbled after him.

“Gamma Judah, wait,” I pleaded, still uneasy with my heels.

He stopped and turned to face me suddenly and I almost rammed into his back.
Several people stopped to stare at us. Their eyes scanning my attire and then him.
Whispers. I hear whispers.

Are they mates?

Why is Gamma Judah holding her hand?

She’s beautiful.

Who is she?
What are they?

Are they dating?

Does Gamma Judah have a girlfriend?

That dress is stunning on her.

Gamma Judah looks upset.

I looked at everybody before looking at him. Uneasiness sets in and I don’t like
it. I don’t like standing in the middle of everybody. I don’t like whispers.

“Can we go somewhere else?” I asked, turning to look at him, biting my lips

nervously.

“I thought you told me to wait,” he replied, unfazed.

I leaned forward, taking a step closer to him so that my lips will be closer to his
wolf ears and his alone.

“I don’t like the attention we are getting. Can we please go somewhere other than
here?” I pleaded in a whisper.

I didn’t realize how close we were until one of his arms moved to wrap around my
waist, bringing me closer to his side. He pulled us away from the wandering eyes
and whispers. Warmth spread all over my body and I noticed how perfectly I fit in
Gamma Judah’s arm.

We weaved through the heavy crowds until we emerged in front of Alpha Hunter and
Beta Ace. Together with the three of them sort of shielded me away from everyone
else and I was able to comfortably breathe better.

Giving a big sigh of relief, my uncomfortable face transformed into a relieved

smile.

“Thank you. I feel so much better,” I said.

Beta Ace smirked, and Alpha Hunter chuckled.

“You don’t like crowds? Are you claustrophobic, Rose?” Alpha Hunter asked.

“It is not the crowds. It’s the eyes. I don’t like it when too many people look at
me,” I admitted.

“Yet you have three very powerful people standing before you and you don’t look at
all nervous,” Beta Ace commented.

I frowned. He’s right. I am not nervous about them.

“I guess, you guys are my pack members. So, I feel safe around you all.”

“Us or Gamma Judah?” Alpha Hunter cocked an eyebrow at me.

“I-I—” I stammered. My eyes flew to Gamma Judah who looked at me again with those
masked eyes.

“Of course, you all,” I replied.

Alpha Hunter and Beta Ace chuckled in front of me before Alpha Hunter excused
himself to attend the Alpha corner where all Alphas were at. Beta Ace looked around
the room before his eyes landed back on me.

“How about a dance?” Beta Ace asked.

“Dance?” I replied.

He laughed, “Yes, you do know how to dance, right?”

“No,” I shook my head.

Beta Ace’s smile slipped and he huffed, “Ok then. That means I can’t take you
because I don’t know how to dance too.”

“But why did you ask—”

“Because I thought you can teach me,” he interrupted.

I couldn’t stop smiling along with him. We shared a laugh together. Beta Ace looked
very handsome today too. He has dark midnight hair and tan color skin, a lip
piercing to his lower lip. His eyes were dark shades of blue. Very dreamy.

“How about Judah? Can’t you take her?” Beta Ace shot a look at Gamma Judah.

Gamma Judah’s eyes widened and he looked my way. Instantly, I had a feeling he did
not want to do it. I turned to Beta Ace and started to shake my head only to be
surprised when Gamma Judah took hold of my wrist and dragged me to the dance floor.

I couldn’t stop him in time. Before I knew it, we were standing in the middle of
the dance floor and I felt exposed once again. Uneasiness sets in and my heart
starts beating rapidly in my chest. I can’t look up. Heat crawled up on my cheeks.

His fingers pinched my chin and he lifted my face up to look at him.

“Only look at me. It is just you and me,” he whispered to me before I felt one arm
wrapped around my waist and pulled me close to him.

The other hand moved to place my other hand on his shoulder and then the other in
his hand. I gulped and inhaled deeply before exhaling. I fought back the shakiness
in my limbs and looked into his eyes. They were soft.

They were soft like the day he chased after me when I ran away in a rage for the
bet. Instantly, I’m drowning in them. My heart rate slowed down and all I could see
was him. Everything around me disappeared. The people. The whispers. The music. It
was just him and me.

Together, we twirled around the dance floor. My steps mirroring his exactly. He
didn’t need to tell me what to do and I’m surprised because I am following his
command without a single direction from him.

I’m caught between what’s reality and what’s not but I didn’t seem to care. My lips
parted; feeling breathless underneath those warm olive eyes.

I don’t know how long we danced for but he stopped dancing. We should pull apart
but he made no move to pull away and I couldn’t bring myself to pull away from him
either. His arm still wrapped firmly around my waist. My hand still in his. Looking
into his eyes, it felt like I’m laying down a warm bed of grass and the sun is
shining down on me, warming my skin.
However, the spell broke the second someone shoved me into his chest. His arms
wrapped around me instantly to steady us both. I turned to see who it was but saw
no one. I pulled away from him. Took a large step back. Finally, I’m gaining back
some ground in sanity.

“Thank you for the dance,” I whispered before tearing away from him.

I’m terrified.

What I saw in his eyes-no, what I felt in his eyes, it terrified me. My heart is
doing something unheard of and I can’t allow it not with Gamma Judah.

I didn’t wait to see if he followed me. I walked away from him and ran to the
women’s bathroom. I ran into the stall and close the door before leaning against it
and breathing heavily. My palm pressed against my heart. I can feel it thump
against my chest in an erratic beat. I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing.

He’s not my mate. He’s not my mate. He’s not my mate.

I chanted those words in my head until I memorized them by heart.

10

I am not avoiding him. I am trying to manage my anxiety. That’s all. Being around
Judah is doing nothing good for my health. My heart beats at an erratic pace.
Somehow, I have even forgotten how to breathe. This is unhealthy and should be
avoided at all cost.

After sneaking out early in the morning for my run and running for much longer than
I normally would, I came jogging back to the clearing a few hundred yards in front
of the resort to see a huge circle of werewolves.

There were grunts and shouting. People were squeezing in, wanting to see what’s
going on. Curiosity got the best of me and so I squeezed my way in all these bodies
to see what was going on. My eyes widened when I saw it was Beta Ace.

He was fighting another pack member.

Didn’t they tell us not to fight when we are here?

The look on his face-it made me extremely nervous. He looked almost feral. His eyes
were glazed with so much rage.

“Ace!” Judah’s voice tore my eyes away from the tousling two to him. He sauntered
forward and tried to grab for his friend.

His friend shoved him away before ramming into his opponent’s stomach. They both
landed on the ground. Ace straddled the male wolf and began throwing punches at his
face. Everyone grimaced and recoiled instantly upon seeing how hard Ace was
throwing the punches.
“Ace, fucking quit this shit,” Judah growled, linking his arms between his friend’s
shoulders and try to pull him off.

It looked like Beta Ace couldn’t hear a single word Judah was saying. For a second,
Ace’s eyes landed on someone in front of him and there was a hurt look in his eyes
before he looked back down at his opponent and began punching again.

I followed his line of vision until it landed on a scrawny omega male. His face was
ashen and filled with confusion. I squeezed my way further up to get a closer look
at him. Why did he look scared? Why is Ace looking at him like he had just torn his
heart apart?

The wolf underneath Ace shifted-growing bigger in size. Ace shifted a second later.
His jaw widened as he made a kill move for the throat.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Judah growled, “Get a handle on yourself.”

Judah paced, looking for an opening to get his friend.

The two wolves rolled around on the ground. Clawing and biting each other. Everyone
took a huge step back to avoid getting killed by them. I, too, took a step back
only to be shoved in the back.

My eyes widened as I tumbled straight into the fight. A scream choked in my throat
just as I landed across the male that Ace was fighting. Ace raised his claw and
swiped. He couldn’t stop in time. I appeared out of nowhere and he had no way in
stopping his momentum. I watched his irises change in recognition before he clawed
my stomach.

Pain.

Immediate pain.

I felt like someone had ripped me apart and now I am two halves. I screamed in
agony, and painful tears streamed down my cheek. Clutching at my stomach, I can
feel the warmth of my blood seeped from the wound. My blood now mixed with Ace and
his opponents.

I heard a threatening growl of terror before Ace’s body was slammed hard. He flew
across the field. My eyes followed him and watched him stood back up with a limp to
his hind leg. His eyes downcast. A dark shadow cast over me. I turned to see who it
was and was surprised to see a large grey wolf with olive eyes. They were soft but,
on the outside, I can see him fighting the rising fury inside of him because his
irises kept dilating.

I attempted to tell him, I am okay but only coughed up some blood. His eyes widened
in alarm before he shifted, naked in front of everybody.

A second later, he picked me up.

“Don’t speak. Don’t die on me, Rose. Stay fucking awake, you fucking idiot.” His
voice was rough and filled with barely held on fury.

I wanted to tell him that it wasn’t my fault. That someone pushed me, but I
couldn’t. Words seem to fail every time I opened my mouth. It hurt to even talk and
so I resorted in closing my eyes and leaning against the warmth of his body. My
body suddenly feeling a little colder than usual.

This must be it. One day before my birthday and I am going to die before I can meet
my mate. I can’t believe my luck.

~ ~ ~

I woke up to a dark hospital room. The sound of the monitors checking my vitals,
beeped in a rhythmic pattern. My stomach felt better but I can still feel a little
bit of pain almost like cramps. Lifting my hand that rested on my stomach only to
see it drop back onto my side. I’m weak from the blood loss.

I recalled Judah carrying me to the medical wing. I recalled him shouting and
roaring at the medical staff. I recalled Alpha Hunter trying to reason with Judah
and how angry Judah was at Ace. There was fighting and arguing. There was a faint
memory of Judah throwing a punch at Ace.

“You’re awake.” Judah’s voice surprised me.

My eyes shot to the corner of the hospital room. He was sitting there, staring at
me the whole time. I opened my mouth to respond but found it hard to speak so I
simply nodded my head.

He huffed before standing up and walking over to me. Even late at night like this,
I can still see his facial expression clearly. He’s pissed, and his eyes are hard
with no emotions. Ice cold.

“You might be the single, dumbest, female wolf I have ever met in my fucking life.”
He lectured me.

Excuse me?

“What were you thinking? Jumping in front of two uncontrollable wolves without
proper training?” he snapped.

I opened my mouth to say something, but it came out like a frog dying. So, I
settled with the middle finger. His eyes darkened, and he moved to grip my cheeks
between his fingers. Applying pressure enough to get my attention. I clenched my
teeth and glared back at him.

“Don’t you ever fucking do that again. Do you understand?” he demanded.

I didn’t want to do it, you dumbass.

I rolled my eyes and he applied more pressure.

“I need you to answer me, Rose. I need you to tell me you won’t ever put yourself
in harm’s way,” he said adamantly.

Those irises shifted in dilation. I gulped before nodding. God knows I did not need
another craze wolf to claw me out.

He released my jaw and I can see a slight hint of relief oozing from him before his
shoulders sagged back and he turned and left me in the room all alone. The door
closed behind him.

Once he was gone, I looked up at the ceiling and clutched the bed sheets next to me
with my hands. It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it on purpose. Someone pushed me. Someone
wanted to hurt me, and it terrifies me.

It took a long time but eventually, I fell asleep. When I woke up again, I wasn’t
alone. A young male doctor was checking my vitals. His eyes on the monitor and
recording it on a tablet.

When he heard me, his eyes flew to mine and a smile touched his lips.

“How are you feeling, Miss. Meyers?” he asked.

“Tired.” I squeaked.

He chuckled and sat his tablet down onto the bed next to mine. Placing his hands on
the rail, he raised his eyebrows at me.

“You caused quite a stir last night. I had to call security to hold down three very
powerful male wolves who were causing a ruckus in the waiting lobby.”

“I don’t know them,” I lied.

He laughed and nodded his head.

“How is your pain level?” he asked.

“Three,” I said after listening to my body.

“Ok, would you like more wolfsbane? It will numb your body a little. Rest assured,
this medication is safe for werewolves.”

“I’m fine,” I told him.

“Alright then, while you were asleep, I did look at your wound. It is healing-
rapidly, I might add. At first, I was concerned until your Alpha told me that your
birthday is today. Judging by the way it is healing, you should be able to leave
the wing by tonight. I wouldn’t do anything extenuating as your body is still
healing. So, if you are planning on meeting your mate, I suggest waiting until the
next day,” he said casually.

I scoffed, and he smirked before winking at me. I totally forgot today was my
birthday. Two days. It flew by so quickly being in the hospital. I slept yesterday
away.

“Don’t tell me, you aren’t excited?” he asked.

“I am excited. Can’t you see it on my face?” I whispered with a deadpan look.

He laughed heartily in front of me before pulling up a leather stool and lowering

the rail. He sat down in the seat in front of me.

“You are still young, Miss. Meyers. Mating should be an exciting adventure. Think
about it, finding your destined mate and feeling complete…”

I zoned him out. Honestly, he is a bundle of joy and happy endings. It was making
me a little ill. My pain level probably went up to a seven because of it.

It isn’t that I am not excited about seeing my mate. I am. Deep inside of me, I am
hoping I meet him soon. I want to feel that bond and know that this person was
destined for me. Made perfectly to fit everything about me. However, I know never
to get my hopes up. I’ve seen enough mate drama to know that sometimes mating isn’t
simple.

It is a huge commitment. Knowing is one thing but understanding the mate bond or
your mate is a whole different thing. I am afraid that he might not want me. That
he might not like me or there are those ’what if’ questions.

I just didn’t want to think about it until it happens.

“So, you see, the mate bond is a spiritual bond that—”

“Dr—” I glanced at his name tag, “Dr. Wilson, I understand completely. You are
absolutely right. Now, I am more excited than ever.”

“Really?” He smirked, already knowing that I am lying.

I sighed, “I am tired.”

He chuckled, “Ok, I get when I am not needed. I will check in on you in a few hours
to see how your recovery is coming along until then, no getting out of bed or your
stitches will rip.”

I watched him leave before huffing and covering my face with my hands. I closed my
eyes and focused on catching up on some more sleep. However, voices and knocks
behind my door tossed that intention out the door.

I groaned and muttered a ’come in’ before turning to see who it was.

Author’s Note:

Yes, we are here! It’s her birthday. She slept yesterday through and now, her mate
switch is turned on. *dances*

Now, if only we could find Judah… where the hell is he?

11

Beta Ace looked horrible. His lip was cut and there was a big purple bruise on his
jaw that I was pretty sure Judah gave him. He also looked sullen and guilty. Alpha
Hunter stood next to him. I sighed and hit the button on the bed to raise my upper
body up.

“How are you doing, Rose?” Alpha Hunter asked, slipping into the chair that the
doctor was sitting in earlier.

“I’m doing alright,” I told him.

“Did the doctor come in to see you already?” he questioned.

I nodded my response. Alpha Hunter exhaled slowly before scratching at his temple.
He ran a hand through his hair before gesturing with his hand.

“Listen, I’m not very good at apologizing but I wanted to apologize to you
regarding the bet I made with Alpha Justine.” He looked uneasy. It’s hard for
Alphas to apologize. Especially to someone like me. A nobody. A pack member.

“What I did was uncalled for. I didn’t think before I did it and I hope you can see
how sincerely sorry I am. I promise you that something like this will never happen
again.”

“It’s alright. You are forgiven,” I told him. Honestly, I almost forgot about the
incident. These past few days have been a whirlwind of events. I couldn’t keep my
head on straight.

“I’m sorry too, Rose.” Beta Ace looked awful. I decided to put him out of his
misery.

“It’s okay, guys. Seriously. I’m okay.”

Beta Ace moved to sit in the seat opposite of Alpha Hunter. He leaned forward and
his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you but you came out of nowhere. I was surprised but I
couldn’t stop in time,” Beta Ace explained.

I looked between the two and debated if I should tell them the truth. It might be
nothing. Everyone was frantically trying to get away. They might have just shoved
me in the wrong direction when trying to escape.

I shrugged, “I didn’t expect to tumble into the fight either.”

“Then why did you do it?” he questioned.

“Everyone was trying to leave and all I wanted to do was get away but then I felt
someone push me, I couldn’t stop it,” I replied.

Both Alpha Hunter and Beta Ace exchanged a look. My eyes zipped between them. They
didn’t say anything, but I think they both were assuming this was intentional.

“I’m sure people were anxious and trying to get away—”

“It could just mean that or it could mean you were pushed intentionally, Rose.”
Alpha Hunter interrupted.

“Did you get a look? Do you know who pushed you?” Beta Ace asked.

I scrambled through my memory, trying to recall anything different, but my

attention had been completely on Beta Ace and the other guy. I hadn’t even thought
about my surroundings.

“I don’t know,” I replied.

Beta Ace gingerly touched his lip and smirked a little before shaking his head.

“Was that lip cut from the fight?” I asked, changing the subject.

He looked at her and shook his head, “No. Jude fucked me up for hurting you.”

I didn’t understand Judah. I’d known him for a long time and he had been everything
but nice to me. He bullied me, yelled at me, and made my life as miserable as he
could . It had always been a fact that Judah hated me.

“I find that hard to believe,” I whispered and tucked in my blanket.

“I wouldn’t say it is hard to believe. Remember the bet? Jude was the one that
defended you. He was completely against the bet and brought up your mother. He
never speaks up to me that way. Usually, he will do as I ask.” Alpha Hunter
chuckled.

“He defended me?” I was surprised once again.

So, Judah isn’t all that bad? Is that what I was hearing? That was hard to believe.

Why?

Although he rarely spoke to me, he always sent me an irritated look. We all know
when someone doesn’t like us, and being in Judah’s presence, I did not feel any
good vibes from him.

I didn’t know what I did wrong or why he hated me, so I sought to avoid him as much
as possible. It helped for the most part, but we lived in the same pack and we went
to the same school. It was hard to avoid something that couldn’t be avoided.

Alpha Hunter and Beta Ace left after that. I settled back into bed and once again
fell into a deep slumber. All my life, I never once had a dream until then .

I dreamt about Judah chasing after me in his wolf form. My paws padded on the
earthy ground and my breathing was hard. I could feel him. He wasn’t not that far
behind me.

He growled menacingly and my heart skipped a beat. No matter how many turns, how
many escape routes I took, he was there-behind me.

I shouted for him to stop but he didn’t. He just kept running and chasing. I was
exhausted and my wolf didn’t want to run anymore. We just wanted to rest. Our pace
slowed and I gave up.

The last thought I had was, kill me. End it. Just leave me alone.

He launched at me just as I tripped and fell onto the ground. His body hovered over
me and he bit down on my neck hard. I cried out in pain and pleasure. It felt good.
It felt amazing.

The scenery changed, and I was in my bed back at home. Everything looked normal
except for the fact that Judah was naked and on top of me. He was nuzzling my neck
and his hands were running up and down my body length. He was taking his time
exploring and sucking me. A moan escaped my lips when he nipped at my jawline
before moving down to the crook of my neck.

“Mine,” he whispered huskily.

My eyes flew open as his words echoed in my head. I woke up sweating and breathing
hard. My eyes scanned the hospital room and I sagged in relief. The curtains on the
window were pulled back to give me a little bit of sunlight. I looked out the
window to see that it was dark again outside.

I placed two fingers on my lips before tracing my jawline and neck where he had
kissed me in my dreams. Was this the mating switch? Had I become some sex crazed
maniac?

I slapped my face gently.

“Stop, no more dreaming,” I mumbled.

A knock sounded at the door before it opened again. A nurse walked in. I shoved all
thoughts aside and focused on what the nurse was saying. She said the doctor had
come in to check my recovery, and said I could be discharged as soon as I woke up.

The nurse went over the discharge instructions, which weren’t much. She said
although my injury had healed, I still needed to be careful and avoid pushing too
hard. My body still needed to regain all the blood that I had lost.

After receiving my discharge papers, I walked out of the medical wing. Immediately,
I wondered if I should go up to my room or go hide somewhere else. I was anxious
because my mating switch had turned on and I did not know what to expect.

According to our studies in school,
your mate and completing the mating
and mentally we would merge as one.
your mate, but my thoughts were cut
Ace was staring at yesterday.
I remembered something about the urge to find
process. Our wolves would become more dominant
There was something to expect about finding
short when I ran into the same Omega male that

He was sitting in the main lobby looking a little upset and deep in his thoughts. I
decided that confronting him was better than confronting Judah, so I walked over to
him. His eyes shot up the second he heard me approach him.

“Hey,” I said.

“Hi,” he replied.

He was scrawny but still very good looking. His eyes were startling light blue
shades with white streaks within them. His skin, very much like all of ours, was
slightly tanned. He had long light blonde hair that fell just below his neck.

I sat down in the seat adjacent to his.

“Do I know you?” he arched an eyebrow.

“No, but my name is Rose.”

“Rose,” he smirked, “my name is Scott.”

“So, Scott, mind telling me why Beta Ace was angry with you?” I asked.

He looked shocked at my question, which only enforced what I had already assumed.
Beta Ace was indeed angry with him.

“Why would you say he was angry with me?” He masked his shocked expression with an
angry one.

“I saw the way he looked at you,” I replied.

He looked like he was having an internal battle, before he shoved two hands through
his hair and covered his face. He looked frustrated and upset.

“He’s my mate.” Scott revealed to me.

I blinked in shock. He had just told me that Beta Ace was gay. Then I remembered
the elevator conversation I had with Judah and I blushed hard. I tried to provoke
him and instead he smirked at me. Now, I knew why he was smirking at me.

Scott looked up to see me fighting my own inner battles.

“What? Do you think I wanted this? I’m straight. I like girls,” he growled.
My eyes flew to him.

“What? No! I was thinking about something entirely different,” I rushed to explain
to him.

“I like girls. I kissed and I fucked them before and I like it.” His blunt answer
had me so red in the face I thought I needed an ice pack.

“Oh,” I replied.

“I know. I must sound crazy but I can’t wrap my head around this. Why would I be
destined with a male Beta? Is this some kind of cruel joke?”

“So, you rejected him?” I asked.

His face fell and he covered his eyes, “Fuck, no. I didn’t. I was too damn shocked.
When he approached me, I pushed him away out of shock but I didn’t reject him. Not
officially.”

If he didn’t reject Beta Ace, did it mean he wants the mate bond regardless of Beta
Ace’s gender? I wondered…

“Have you ever considered that you might not be straight but bisexual?” I asked.

He looked up. The answer was written all over his face. That this might have been a
possibility. That he might not have been as straight as he thought he was.

He was quiet, thinking this over in his head.

“I don’t know,” he admitted hesitantly.

“Are you attracted to your mate?”

He bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes, almost as if he was praying that he
wasn’t .

“Fuck, I am,” He growled.

“Then I don’t see what the problem is in trying to work it out? You only have one
mate that is destined for you. Do you really want to lose it to another person?”

“I’m attracted to girls,” He enforced.

“Are you trying to convince me or you?” I arched an eyebrow.

“I’m not trying to convince anyone. I’m trying to tell you that I like girls. I am
telling you when I look at you, I think you’re hot for a girl.”

“Fine, then reject Beta Ace. Resolve your issue and he can find himself a better
mate.”

I might have pushed too hard but I felt like it needed to be done. He flew from his
sofa. I saw it coming and threw a pillow at his face. He pulled back, stunned.

“That kind of reaction tells me you don’t want to lose him. So how about you stop
trying to convince yourself that you are straight and realize that maybe you have
the hots for your mate.”
He scoffed before shoving a hand through his hair once again. He placed his hands
on his waist and inhaled deeply before turning away from me.

“What do I do? This is unknown territory for me,” he murmured.

“Well, maybe we can try not jumping to conclusions and weighing our options. It’s
like checking out the candy aisle. We look at the calories and nutrients. Dark
chocolate serves as an antioxidant while Snickers have a little bit of protein in
them.” I shrugged.

He burst out laughing, “I can’t believe you just told me to compare my options to
shopping for candy.”

“All I’m saying is, weigh your options. How bad would it be for you to get to know
your mate? Who knows, you might be impressed with all the options he can give you.”

Author’s Note:

I know!!!! JUDAH where the hell are you? Someone send out an amber alert, we are
seeking a lost Gamma.

12

Rock music played softly in the background along with a couple of mixed
conversations going around me. The lighting in this mini-resort bar was dim and
cast a warm glow, but it did nothing in warming my soul. The only thing that kept
me from going insane with emotions was drinking myself senseless.

Trying to get drunk wasn’t easy, but these tonics were laced with heavy medication
so werewolves would feel the effects. I didn’t drink. I hated drinking but I had
been here since last night because I needed something other than the thought of
her.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her getting ripped to shreds. The way my heart
jumped out of my chest. The way I saw red and almost killed my friend. That person
wasn’t me. I remember how her blood had soaked through my shirt. It had been on my
hands.

Hunter had let it slip that today was her birthday. Immediately, I thought about
her mate. She might have already found her mate. Abruptly, a painful grip clutched
at my heart. Pissed, I grabbed the square glass cup and downed the tonic inside it
with one swig.

I couldn’t go see her. My reaction to her last night made it clear. That it wasn’t
just my mind thinking about her. It was my fucking heart too. Somehow, in some
cruel way, I fucking cared for that little awkward idiot. That female who walked
around without a care. The female who happened to avoid me at all costs. That
female who made me forget who I was when I looked into her eyes.

How? Why? When?

I had all these questions, yet I kept shoving them aside. I didn’t want to think
about it. I didn’t want to think about her. She was the reason I was here in the
first place.

The bartender walked by, annoyed. He didn’t want to refill my cup, but he wasn’t
going to tell me that. I heard him sigh before the liquid was poured again into my
cup. Everything around me kept blurring in and out. Opening my eyes, I looked at
the cool gold liquid in my cup.

Last night, I beat Ace up badly and he let me. When I saw her unconscious in my
arms, dripping with blood, she looked like a horror show. It was that bad and I had
never been that pissed off in my life.

A soft body slipped in beside me and a pair of feminine arms wrapped around my
biceps. I turned my head slowly to look. The first thing I saw was perfectly
manicured pink nails. My eyes trailed higher and at first, it was blurry, but I
swore she looked like Rosemary. She smiled at me and leaned to prop her chin on my
shoulder. I smiled back at her.

“Why are you sitting here drunk?” she asked in a sweet voice.

Immediately, I noticed two things. Her scent was off; it was tangier than
Rosemary’s. Her voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard to my ears. I blinked back
furiously before I focused on her face again.

Her face changed from Rosemary to Bethany’s.

She looked nothing like Rosemary right now.

“Gamma Judah, I know that you don’t like me the way you like Rosemary. Honestly, I
am heartbroken. I have liked you for such a long time now. I always thought that
you hated Rosemary but now it looks like you two are getting along so well.” She
pouted her pink lips.

I looked at her and then down at her lips. She’s a girl. She’s not Rosemary. She
likes me. Rosemary doesn’t like me.

One hand slid from my bicep to my chest. She knew exactly what she was doing. Her
eyes lit up with pure joy in feeling me up.

It must be the tonic. It was getting to my head because I couldn’t think straight.
She was not Rose but I wished she was. So badly that I didn’t stop her advances.

Her hand snaked up my shoulder to my neck, tugging me closer, and closing the space
between us.

“Kiss me, Gamma,” she whispered sensually, “Let me heal whatever she has broken.”

I raised a hand and placed it on her cheek. Her brown eyes widened a fraction
before they turned smoldering hot with need. Leaning forward with the intention to
kiss her lips, I closed my eyes but the second I closed my eyes, Rosemary’s face
popped in my head.

My heart stopped and I stopped what I was doing.

My eyes flew open and I stared at Bethany.

“You’re not Rosemary,” I grumbled, dropping my hands back onto the bar counter.

Her face grew angry upon hearing Rosemary’s name on my lips. I could feel the
irritation and anger rolling off her in waves. She pulled back as if I had burned
her, her eyes burning with rage. Her jealousy for Rosemary was unnatural and my
wolf did not like it. He wanted her gone.

“Rosemary, Rosemary, Rosemary!” she cried in a fit, her hands fisted at her sides.

Everyone stopped speaking and turned to look at us. I turned away from her and
picked up my tonic glass, tossing it back. She kicked back the stool and stood up.

“Just so you know, I saw her talking to a guy in the lobby!” She threw at me. “So,
your relationship with her is shit. She doesn’t give a shit about you or your
feelings.”

She spun on her heel and stomped away. I sighed and rubbed at my temple, Bethany’s
words bouncing off the walls in my mind.

“Doesn’t care…” I mumbled.

She met a guy in the lobby. Is that guy her mate? Is he going to love her with all
his heart? Will he cherish her? What would I do if he rejected her? Will I accept
her as mine? Or worse, what if he accepts her?

“Give me the bottle,” I growled, feeling pain and confusion, feelings that I did
not like. I needed to drown them.

“Gamma Judah, please stop this and go to your room—”

I slammed my fist against the thick wood counter. I snarled, “Give me the fucking
bottle.”

He huffed and muttered something about drunk ass werewolves never listening before
slamming the bottle onto the counter in front of me.

I lifted the bottle and began chugging it down. The liquid burned down my throat
but did nothing to ease the pain in my chest. Why am I feeling pain?

Another two hours went by and I had finished my bottle. When I asked the bartender
for another one, he told me that they had run out but I refused to move. I felt
rooted to the spot, unable to move. I don’t know how to move. I don’t know where to
go.

I’d been avoiding Rosemary because I didn’t want to feel what I felt when I held
her in my arms. By now, the tonic was slowly wearing off. I could feel it in my
bloodstream. Sighing, I stood up from my seat and stumbled out.

I needed some fresh air and it was late.

I stepped out of the bar and made my way to the front entrance of the resort. Once
I was outside, I closed my eyes and allowed the night breeze to awaken my senses.
It was late and I was avoiding her. I knew she had been discharged. Hunter and Ace
had been keeping me updated.

Feeling like my head is a little clearer than before, I took the last few steps
before I continued into the open fields, rounding the little ponds in the middle of
the fields and disappearing into the woods.

Tonight, the stars had decided to accompany the moon. They lit up the sky. I
continued walking, not caring where exactly my destination was.
Tomorrow, we were returning home. All I needed to do was make it through the night.
Tomorrow, my life will return back to normal. I wouldn’t have to worry about her
anymore.

Suddenly, my senses picked up another scent. It took me a while to catch the scent
as the tonic hadn’t completely worn off but now that I was closer, I came to an
abrupt halt.

The sound of water splashing reached my ears a second after smelling this alluring
scent. My gut churned when I knew what this meant. The possibility that this person
might have been my mate. My wolf was excited, howling and wanting to take over but
my heart--it was hurting. How could I find my mate, knowing I had fallen for
another?

Rose.

I hesitated.

Maybe I should have turned back. I couldn’t do this right now, yet that scent was
enticing and alluring. It reminded me of an open flower meadow.

I took a step forward.

Then another.

My heart hit my rib cage like it was fighting to escape, but my mind was in
turmoil.

I heard another splash and a soft, barely audible sigh before I heard someone dunk
beneath the water. I listened for her to come back up for air but she didn’t.

I began to worry and moved closer. When I reached the edge of the lake, I looked
for her. I knew I was hidden behind the bushes and shadows, and that she couldn’t
possibly see me. Maybe a glimpse wouldn’t hurt.

A second later, she popped out of the water with a gasp for air. Her wet hair
slicked back, exposing her face.

My heart rammed against my ribcage and stopped beating. I inhaled sharply. The mate
bond was there. I could feel it so deeply, my blood boiling with lust and desire.
It was like an adrenaline rush. I fisted my hands at my sides, digging my
fingernails into my palms.

My eyes slowly scanned over what was mine. She was mine.

She must have heard me inhale in surprise because her head whipped in my direction.
She covered her nakedness with her arms but I could still see the curves of her
breasts that snuck their way out of the water for me to appreciate, as well as her
flawless skin, and the lucky droplets of water that touched her bare skin.

She was not freaking out upon discovering my presence, which means either she knew
who I was, or she had caught my scent and knew I was her mate.

“Who is there?” she asked.

I didn’t answer her. She turned away from me and I had to fight off the urge to
follow her. I watched her swim to the other side of the shore and feel around the
grass for her towel.
“Turn away,” she demanded, her voice shaking as she tried to appear confident.

I didn’t, but she assumed I did, because she stepped out of the water and quickly
wrapped the towel around herself before pulling on her sweater and sweats. She
pulled the hoodie over her head and did a quick scan of her surroundings.

It was then that I realized this idiot went swimming naked. Anyone could have seen
what was mine! Leave it to Rose to piss me off and turn me on all at once. Fuck, I
was fucked.

“I know you are still here. So, you might as well reveal yourself.”

I didn’t move because I didn’t want to see her reaction when she realized I was her
mate but I couldn’t retreat either. I couldn’t stop looking at her.

She sighed and crossed her arms, hunching her shoulders.

“I know, I might not be the mate you expected. I will understand if you decide to
reject me.” She tried to hide the fact that she was hurt, but I could hear it and
the barely started bond shook unsteadily.

The urge to ease her worries, even if it destroyed me, won.

I decided to face the inevitable and stepped out of the shadow.

Author’s Note:

Lol, now are we happy? I typed this up on my phone.

13

I remembered a long time ago, when I was six years old. I had started school a year
after my mom and I moved into the pack. It had been towards the end of the school
year. Everybody had been in the school auditorium, participating in the end of year
rewards, but I had really needed to go to the bathroom. After tugging on my
teacher’s shirt and informing her of my whereabouts, I had left the auditorium to
go to the little girls’ room.

The little girls’ room had been just down the hall from the auditorium. It had been
no big deal, except for the fact that I hadn’t been alone.

Before I had even realized what was happening , I was pushed into the janitor’s
small closet. I had heard the lock turn, locking me in. I had cried and pounded on
the wall, but no one had heard me. I don’t know how long I was stuck inside that
small cramped space. One leg had ended up inside a mop bucket filled with clean
water. I cried because my new shoes had been ruined, along with my pants. My shoes
that my mom had worked very hard to get for me. I cried because no one could hear
me, and I was alone and scared. I cried to the point of exhaustion. Eventually, I
fell asleep.

When I awoke, it was to the sound of the door unlocking. My eyes had flown open and
I immediately had stood up from the cramped spot. I had reached for the door handle
and opened the door to see no one in sight. After glancing up and down the hallway,
a shade of grey had caught my eye. I had looked down to see a pair of old shoes in
front of me, along with a pair of socks.

Frowning, I had wondered who would have placed shoes in front of a janitor’s
closet. I hadn’t known what to think but I had really needed a new change of shoes.
I had stepped out of the closet and slid down the school walls. Sitting on the
floor, I slipped off my soaked shoes. I had reached for the grey shoes but
hesitated. Should I take both or just the pair that I need? I remember reaching for
both shoes because I hadn’t wanted anyone to laugh at me. I hadn’t wanted to be the
center of attention.

They had been a little big, but they had worked. I had picked up my shoes and ran
back to my cubicle, where I had stuffed them into my backpack. Throughout the day,
I continued to wear those shoes. I had been half afraid someone would say they were
theirs, but no one stopped me.

I didn’t think anything about it until now.

My mate’s scent reminded me of the scent in the hallway. I didn’t know why but it
did, and that memory came running to the forefront. Could it be?

Now I was more curious to find out who my mate was.

When he finally stepped out of the shadow---I was stunned speechless. His dark
olive eyes swept over me.

The only thing running through my mind was, the Gods above must be angry with me. I
am mated to Gamma Judah. He hates me. He doesn’t like me. What will he do? Will he
truly reject me?

“Gamma Judah,” I breathed in shock, frozen to the spot.

He didn’t say anything. He only watched my expression, as if he was searching for

something. I didn’t know what it was. The closer he got to me, the stronger his
scent was. It was an earthy scent, one that reminded me of a summer day outside
spent rolling around the mud and coming inside. It reminded me so much of that day.

“It’s Judah now, isn’t it?” He raised an eyebrow.

Judah-right, because he was my mate. I shook my head and his eyebrows furrowed some
more. I was not ready for this. I had envisioned meeting my mate a thousand times,
but this I had never envisioned in my life.

I turned and ran, without looking back to see if he was following.

A second later, I heard a growl and thudding on the ground. I risked a glance
behind to see that he had shifted and was now chasing me. I dug my feet and pushed
harder. I was not ready for this. I was not ready for him.

When I knew I couldn’t outrun the beast behind me, I shifted. My clothes shredded
into a million pieces and I made a run for it. My ears perked when I heard him
growl. He sounded closer. A lot closer.

I slid underneath a fallen tree before hopping on some logs and jumping off onto
the ground, only I didn’t land so beautifully as I originally thought I would. I
ended up landing on my stomach. I whimpered when I felt pain shoot through my
stomach. I must have torn a stitch. The smell of blood invaded my nostrils and
Judah grew angrier. I could hear his growls becoming more feral. He was upset with
me. I knew it. Now he was really going to really me.

I could already envision the headlines in the newspapers about a Gamma tearing
apart his pack member. It would not mention I was his mate, because Judah would
never tell anyone.

Suddenly, I was tackled to the ground. I yelped and whined, rolling onto my back
and then onto my stomach. I struggled to get him off me but his wolf was so much
bigger than mine. He snarled and I snarled right back. I snapped my jaws at him to
faze him but he snapped back. I kept growling and struggling until I felt his jaw
snap around my neck, ordering me to submit. I stopped struggling almost
immediately.

He settled his body on top of mine and refused to move. The brute was so heavy that
it was making it harder for me to breathe. He was going to squish me to death, that
was it. I was going to be suffocated by his weight.

After several minutes passed and we had both finally calmed down, Judah shifted on
top of me and I felt him lick my stomach. It was then that I recognized the little
flutter of sparkles on my fur where he was touching me. He whined while licking my
stomach and my wolf shamelessly reeked her sexual hormones.

Judah’s moods were giving me whiplash. He was snarling now as if he was yelling at
me. He growled, bared his sharp canines in my face before he bit down hard on my
neck. Not hard enough to pierce my skin but hard enough to apply pressure on my
pressure points.

Everything around me started fading away. I tried fighting it but I couldn’t,

before I knew it, I was unconscious.

~ ~ ~

I awoke in my bed with a scream, quickly covering my head with my blanket. My

nightmare last night was horrifying. I remember finding out Judah was my mate, and
getting chased by him. These dreams needed to go away. I couldn’t do this.

“Get up,” Judah’s voice ordered.

Hot, sensual tension vibrated through my body and my body responded with
goosebumps. My eyes flew open and I froze underneath the covers.

“Rose, I will only tell you once, don’t make me say it again.”

I refused to obey and face reality.

He yanked the blanket off me. I gasped as my whole body was exposed to him. I
turned to give an accusing glare but then everything came rushing back the second
my eyes connected with him.

He was my mate.

He was still my mate.

It wasn’t a dream.

“Oh god,” I breathed, covering my eyes and leaning back to lay on my bed.

“Get up,” Judah demanded, glowering at me. “You slept for most of the day. We
couldn’t leave with the rest of the crew. I had to wait for you. Now you and I are
going back home.”

“This is a dream. I’m dreaming, right?” I lifted my palm a little to peek at him.

Suddenly, he launched at me. The scream forming in my throat died when he had me
completely boxed in, his arms on either side of my head. His earthy scent slid
around me like a snake, entrapping me.

“Not a dream. Got it,” I squeaked.

“Get ready,” Judah growled.

His hand wrapped around my wrist before he yanked me up into a sitting position.
Tingles erupted from where he had his hand wrapped around me. I yanked my wrist
away from him before glaring at him. I looked at my wrist and then I saw that I was
not wearing my regular sleeping clothes. I was wearing his t-shirt.

I screamed.

Judah rolled his eyes.

“You-you-you—” I pointed a finger accusingly at him.

“I’ve seen everything.” He shrugged nonchalantly, stuffing his hands into his black
denim skinny jeans.

I started hyperventilating. He was the one who knocked me out. He was the one who
dressed me. He put on my bra and my panties. He slipped his shirt on me.

“I’m going to kill you,” I snarled before kicking off the bed and jumping at him.
He instantly wrapped his arms around me as we tumbled onto the ground.

I straddled his hips before throwing a punch at his face. Unfortunately, the man
was quick witted and caught my first in his palm. He raised an eyebrow before
knocking me off his body and doing a perfect straddle pin. My hair flew into my
face and I blew it away with a puff.

“Get off me,” I snarled.

His jaw ticked in irritation,his eyes still glowering at me. I made an attempt to
free myself but it only made the situation worse. Finally, I gave in and huffed.

“Are you done now?” he scolded me.

“Yes,” I grumbled.

“Go and change. I will wait for you downstairs.” He got off me.

I watched him leave before walking over to my already packed suitcase. Flipping it
open, I pulled out my sweater and sweatpants. I took one look at my sweater and
then one look at his shirt. Suddenly, my sweater didn’t look as comfortable and
warm as his t-shirt.

“Damn mate bond,” I muttered as I threw my sweater back into the suitcase.

I shoved my feet into my sweats. I tried looking for my toothbrush and toothpaste
but didn’t see anything. I figured he must have not packed that and walked to the
bathroom to see that he had nicely laid out my toothbrush with toothpaste on there.
What exactly is his game?

I narrowed my eyes on the toothbrush before gently picking it up and examining it.

Did he poison me?

I sniffed the toothpaste. No weird scent.

I shrugged and brushed my teeth. If he was going to kill me, this would be the
perfect way to do it. We were alone and no one would know.

After I was done brushing my teeth, I tied my hair up into a messy bun. I walked
back to my suitcase with my personal care products and put them back into the
ziplock bag nicely.

Once I was done, I zipped up my suitcase and walked out of the bedroom. A new
feeling entered me. We were finally going home. I was going to see my mom again. It
had been a nice stay at the resort, y but I couldn’t say I wasn’t happy to return
home. I was more than ready.

I took the elevators down. When the door opened and I stepped out with my luggage
in hand, I saw Judah sitting in the lobby waiting for me. He looked up from his
phone when he heard me. Standing up, he shoved his phone in his pocket.

My eyes took a slow scan of his body and something inside of me screamed in a girly
shrill. This man is mine. All mine.

My eyes slid over his broad shoulders and biceps. The man was so muscular that even
the t-shirt wanted to cling onto him like a second skin. He had dark shades on to
cover his eyes.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

14

One thing I hadn’t paid much attention to until now was the way Rosemary dressed.
She wore a lot of non-flashy clothes. It was either jean overalls, sweats,
sweaters, or baggy t-shirts. She rarely showed skin or wore something that would
compliment her body shape.

Frankly, I liked the way she dressed. I liked the fact that she decided to keep my
shirt on too. I waited until she was within distance before turning away from her
and walking out of the lobby.

Last night after knocking Rose out, she had shifted back to her human form. She had
been naked underneath me. I had tried not to look but it was kind of hard when she
was laying right in front of me. She wasn’t a curvy woman nor was she absolutely
skinny. She had a substantial amount of meat on her and was filled out in all the
right places. Her breasts were large enough to fit in my palms and I didn’t realize
this before, but she had a small round ass. She had all that hidden under her
clothes.
After carrying her home and quickly running upstairs, I had dressed her up and
thrown my shirt on her because I hadn’t wanted to spend my time pulling on sweats
and sweaters. Then I went to see Hunter. He had been sleeping when I approached him
and told him what had happened.

When I was done, he hadn’t been able to stop rubbing it in my face. He had
mentioned how ironic it was that I was mated to Rose and that maybe my hatred
towards her was nothing more than a farce for what I really felt.

It did make me think a little bit about it, but then I thought about the look on
Rosemary’s face. She ran away from me. If that wasn’t rejection enough, I don’t
know what was.

I watched her sleep for most of the night. When morning came, she still hadn’t
woken up, and I didn’t have it in me to wake her up yet, or to face the reality
that she might reject me.

I told Hunter and Ace that I was staying behind and would return later tonight, and
they agreed. Hunter mentioned that another pack member had asked for visitation
rights. It was an Omega male who would be arriving on the pack territory the next
day after resolving his paperwork at home. They left by bus and I had to call in
for a rented vehicle.

Now I was alone with Rose and I was anxious.

Any minute now, she would say something that would destroy me.

When we were outside and next to the jeep, I turned to her and picked up her
luggage before putting it into the back. Without speaking to each other, I slipped
into the driver’s seat and she slipped into the passenger seat. She drummed her
fingers nervously in her lap.

My shoulders were tense. I rolled them to relieve the ache but it wasn’t helping. I
was out of my game. I didn’t know what to do or what to say.

Putting the car in drive, I pulled out of the driveway and rolled down the road
leading out of the resort.

Thirty minutes later,I decided to stop in a small town for breakfast. Parking the
car on the side of the road, I turned to look at Rose, who looked at the old diner
and then back at me.

“We should eat before we continue on. There won’t be any gas stations or rest stops
nearby until we are closer to home,” I told her.

She nodded silently before stepping out. She was quiet and I didn’t know if I liked
that. She wasn’t fighting me like how she was at the resort.

We walked inside together, people turning to look at us as they heard us come in.
We both glanced at the seating arrangement. Do we sit in a booth? Table? Or the
stools by the counter?

Finally, she turned to me and said, “Let’s sit on the stools.”

I nodded and followed her. She walked us over to two seats at the end of the
counter. The waitress walked up from behind the counter and handed us two menus.

“Good morning, my name is Betsy. What would you like to drink? We have coffee,
freshly squeezed orange juice, all soda products—”
“Do you have tea?” Rosemary looked up from her menu.

“Of course, sweetie,” Betsy smiled before turning to me, “And what about you,
handsome?”

“I’ll have black coffee,” I nodded.

“Coming right up.” She spun on her heels and walked away.

Rosemary shifted in her seat and her thighs rubbed against mine. Instantly, we both
stiffened. She shifted again, which only caused her to rub up against me again.

“I-I’m sorry. I’m trying to get comfortable but the seat—”

I took a look and saw that the seat she was sitting on was uneven.

“Did you want to sit in a booth?” I asked.

She looked at the seating around the diner before shaking her head. The diner had
open windows for all the booths. The tables were situated in the middle of the
diner. No wonder she chose this particular corner. It was the most private section
in the diner. Far away from wandering eyes, where she felt safer. I was the wall
that blocked her from being seen by others.

Sighing, I stood up and slid my stool over to her. I picked her up and sat her in
the chair before pulling another for me to sit on.

“You-you didn’t have to do that,” she grumbled.

“No, I didn’t,” I replied, fighting back a smile when I saw a look of annoyance
flash across her face.

“Here you two go.” Betsy sat our drinks on the counter for us. She leaned back and
held up her pad with a pen in her hand, “Now, did you two get a chance to look at
the menu? What would you two like to eat?”

“I’ll have your special, Betsy,” I told her.

“Excellent choice, yes, yes,” she murmured while writing it down before turning to
look at Rosemary.

“I’ll have the same as him,” Rose’s cheeks were rosy pink.

“Perfect. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

We fell silent again. I rolled my shoulders again before stretching my neck. When I
couldn’t get rid of the tension in my shoulders, I growled and pressed two fingers
to the pressure point between my eyes.

“Gamma—” She snapped her mouth shut when she saw me glance at her with narrowed
eyes.

“It’s Judah or Jude,” I said in irritation.

“Jude, I want to talk about what we found out last night,” she said slowly while
playing with her cup of tea.

So, I guess she wanted to do this now. I tensed up immediately. Clenching my jaw, I
fought to control my emotions.

“Yeah?” I managed to say but it came out like a snarl.

Another brief silence. This silence was going to kill me. Not knowing was killing
me too.

Betsy came waltzing back out with our plates. She sat them down in front of us
before leaving us alone. Neither of us reached for our food.

“If you want to reject me, then just do it already,” I growled.

She physically recoiled which made me look in her direction. The shock that
appeared on her face was clear as day. She opened her mouth to say something but
then closed it again. She lifted a finger in the air to make a point but dropped
her hand in her lap.

“Jesus, Rose, it’s not hard to reject someone. If you don’t want me, then reject
me,” I snapped in her direction, glowering at her.

She turned away from me and picked up her fork, “I don’t want to reject you.”

It was barely audible, but I heard it. It was my turn to be surprised. My eyebrows
furrowed because I didn’t understand. Why didn’t she want to reject me?

“Why?” I asked.

She looked up at me and cracked her first smile of the day, even if it was a small
one.

“Even though we both started off on the wrong foot, I still want to give this mate
bond a try. Regardless of our past, we are destined by fate to be together. We have
to at least respect that and try.”

I inhaled sharply. She saw my reaction and must have thought about something else.

“Unless-unless you don’t want me?” she questioned.

“I-I-well, I—” Shit! I can’t talk for shit right now.

Her face fell a little.

“I want you,” I blurted out. Well, fuck…

Her eyes shot up and connected with mine.

“So, we agree, we give this mate bond a chance?” she asked.

I swallowed the lump in the throat before nodding. She gave me another smile before
turning to her plate of food. Leaning forward, she began chowing down. I ate next
to her in silence, my mind still in shock from our conversation.

After we were done eating and I paid our bill, we got back onto the road. Rose
stayed up with me and even though we didn’t exchange any words other than a few
brief conversations, it was comfortable. The tension in my shoulders was gone and
my wolf was happy that our mate wasn’t going to reject us.

When we were almost home, I noticed that she was awfully quiet. I glanced over to
see that she had fallen asleep again. Her head was nodding to the side every now
and then. We had driven half of the day, and, judging from the last road sign, we
were about thirty minutes away.

By now, I had slowed down our speed to twenty-five miles per hour. Radio music
played softly in the background. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to text Hunter
that we were almost home before I stuffed it back into my pockets. Our mate bond
had not been revealed to the pack yet. I wanted to keep it private until Rosemary
and I made a decision.

It did make me wonder though, how I was going to work this mate bond out with her
when we got back home. Would things go back to normal?

One thing for sure, I wanted Rosemary to want me not only because of the mate bond.
If we are going to make this mate bond work, I was not going to change myself
simply to satisfy her, and she shouldn’t do the same for me.

That meant I needed to learn everything I could about Rosemary. It meant that
Rosemary would have to get to know me. That included my responsibilities, my
personality, and all the good and bad about me.

We lived in a small town that was surrounded by a vast number of trees that go on
for hundreds of miles. This particular territory is owned by Alpha Hunter. In order
to enter the heart of the town, we had to pass through these woodsy areas. In the
middle of this territory were the packhouse, school, government offices, stores,
outlet malls, and homes of pack members who chose to live on their own instead of
in the packhouse.

I used to live with my parents in the packhouse, but I moved out and bought my own
house after turning nineteen and taking up the Gamma title. It was located near the
edge of the town, but was still in a secluded area. I was happy to be back home and
sleeping in my own bed, but that also made me wonder if Rosemary would like the
house that I had chosen.

When I chose the house that I lived in, I thought about my mate, and what she might
possibly like. Would she like that I had chosen a four-bedroom home? Would she
think I was being pushy?

I shoved those thoughts aside as I took the street turn that led me to Rosemary’s
house . The road went down a slight slope and then a small curve before reaching
their home. Rosemary’s mom stood outside on the porch when I pulled into the
driveway. Immediately, she made her way down the steps. Hunter must have informed
her that we were close.

When the car came to a jolting stop, Rosemary stirred and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
She lifted her head to look around us before it registered that she was home.

“Mom!” Her eyes lit up as she opened the door and hopped out of the jeep.

She ran to her mom and hugged her tightly. They were very close. That I knew for
sure. I turned off the ignition before stepping out of the jeep. Stuffing my hands
into my pocket, I approached the two women in front of me.

“Oh, baby, I am so happy you are home. It has been lonely without you,” I heard her
mom say in relief.

“I am happy to be back too, mom.” Rose hugged her mom tighter.

Her mom finally opened her eyes and saw me. She slowly pulled back and gave me a
beautiful smile that reminded me very much of Rosemary.
“Thank you, Gamma, for bringing my Rose back to me safely. I hope she wasn’t a huge
pain in the butt,” her mom teased.

“No problem, ma’am. She wasn’t a pain. Slept most of the way,” I replied with a
smirk.

Rose smiled but fought it back by biting her bottom lip, which was painfully
distracting. She was not looking at me. I took a step forward to get her attention.
Her eyes flew up and connected with mine.

How can the color brown be so intricately stunning?

Her mother cleared her throat, “Well, then, should we go inside? Would you like
something to eat, Gamma Judah?”

“Thank you for your offer but I best get back home. My parents are eager to see me
back.” I declined the offer.

“Well, then, you are welcome here any time and thank you again for bringing Rose
back home.”

“No problem at all.”

I walked back to the jeep and retrieved Rose’s luggage from the back before handing
it to her. After one last glance her way, I walked back to the jeep and backed out
of her driveway. After being with her for a week and sleeping in the same room with
her , I didn’t know how I would be able to handle sleeping alone again.

Author’s Note:

Last update for the week on all my books. I will be working on research papers. New
updates on Monday. Until then, enjoy what I have offered you this week. 😊 Wish me
luck!

Oh and isn’t Judah the cutest? So rough around the edges but softy on the inside. I
love his POV. It reveals so much if we pay attention to his thought process.

15

It was the next morning, and time to go back to school. I was not a morning person
which resulted in me waking up late because I had hit the snooze button so many
times that it broke. When I finally realized I was late, I jumped out of bed and
ended up tangling my feet in my sheets because I just had to roll myself up into a
blunt. In my horrifying state, I couldn’t stop myself from hitting my head against
the desk in my room.

I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and then threw on a white t-shirt and
grabbed the first pair of jeans in my drawers to put on. I didn’t miss my
undergarments. I remembered to slip on bra and panties before putting on my
clothes.
Stopping in front of the hallway mirror, I stumbled to a halt when I caught sight
of the visible bump that had formed on the middle of my forehead. Cursing quietly,
I attempted to cover it with my hands before dropping them futilely. I looked like
a unicorn.

Rushing downstairs, I saw my mom look up from her laptop. She didn’t look at all
fazed while I was in a frantic state.

Last night, I told her about Jude. I told her that Jude was my mate. Her reaction
was a simple smirk and a look that said, ’I told you so.’ She then asked if he had
rejected me. I told her no, that we will give this mate bond a try.

“I’m late. Got to go. Bye, mom!” I grabbed her scone, taking a bite out of it
before grabbing her tea and gulping down the hot liquid.

“Oh my god, child, you will not be a barbarian while living in my house!” My mother
scolded me.

“Love you!” I kissed her on the cheek before spinning on my feet and running out of
the house.

The school was about five miles away from my house. I preferred not to drive if I
didn’t have to. Most pack members didn’t drive unless they really had to . We had
superhuman speed, and we ran around like Saiyans on our territory, except for when
we are in town.

There were still a few human families living in our territory. They didn’t know who
we were . We kept our kind a secret because humans were irrational and lethal. They
killed when they were spooked.

I made it to school just as the second bell rang. Bursting through the door, I
sighed and walked my way to my first class, which was World Lit. When people
weren’t looking, I used my superhuman speed to walk up the steps and down
corridors. I needed to get there before everybody else does.

Why?

Because I didn’t like getting there late. People stared. I didn’t like stares.

When I made it to the classroom, I heaved in exhaustion before collapsing into a

chair just as the second person walked into the room. Minutes later, the room was
filled with my classmates that consisted of third and fourth years. The pack
members were talking amicably amongst each other about the “field trip” that they
took while the humans were texting on their phones and checking their social media.

I straightened in my seat and took out my notebook, textbook, and pencil. For the
next hour, there was a lot of reading and a lot of projector notes. My stomach
grumbled in protest from my stolen bite of breakfast this morning. I decided to go
to the vending machines by the gym to grab a bag of chips.

On my way down, I bumped into Scott. His eyes widened when he saw me. Grabbing onto
my arm, he looked at me excitedly.

“Oh my god, am I glad to see you!” he exclaimed, “What happened to your head?”

“What are you doing here?” I said at the same time while covering my forehead with
my palm.

“Didn’t your Alpha tell you?” he asked.

“No,” I replied.

“I got permission from my Alpha and yours to visit your pack. I will be here for a
month. Do you think this makes me look desperate?” Scott questioned, his eyes
widening as if he had just realized that this was a very bold move.

I shrugged before continuing down the hall, past the commons, and towards the
physical education wing. He followed behind me.

“Rose, do you think he will think I am desperate?” Scott repeated his question.

I rolled my eyes and shrugged again.

“I don’t know. I mean, if it was me, I would say you’re bold, but then again, I
think that’s kind of hot too.”

He gave me a deadpanned look.

“What? You asked,” I replied.

We reached the vending machine. I took off one strap of my backpack and brought it
in front of me . I opened up the first zipper where I usually kept my money,
shuffling through the coins inside.

“One, two—”

“What is he like? I heard he teaches a class here. I heard he likes music. I heard
he is very popular—”

I lost count, and opened my palm to recount how many coins I had. Suddenly, Scott
grabbed my body and turned me to face the other direction. My eyes landed on Jude
and Beta Ace.

“Oh my god, he’s right there, fuck, hide me.” Scott attempted to squeeze between
the two vending machines and used me as a shield.

Judah’s eyes connected with mine. Then they moved to the bump on my head. There was
a flicker of indecipherable emotion that crossed his eyes before he stopped in
front of us.

I cleared my throat and stepped aside, revealing Scott, who chuckled nervously.

“Hey,” Scott murmured, “Hi, hello, uh-good morning.”

Beta Ace arched an eyebrow at his mate.

“Aren’t you two supposed to be teaching a class?” I asked.

“Aren’t you two supposed to be in class?” Judah, too, cocked an eyebrow at me.

“I have another five—” I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was
indeed the start of my next class.

“Late! Yes! We better get going.” Scott grabbed onto my wrist and ran back in the
direction that we came from.

“Hold on.” I dug my heels in.

He stopped to look at me. His face was completely flushed red. After he checked if
we were alone, he covered his face with his hands.

“Oh my god, I don’t know how to do this. He-he’s so intimidating,” Scott shuddered.

Beta Ace is intimidating but I found speaking to Beta Ace was a lot easier than
speaking to Judah. Judah is-Judah is just weird.

“We are late for class,” I stated. There was no way in hell I was going to step
into a classroom filled with people.

“We can ask for a late pass?” Scott asked.

I shook my head and he frowned.

“But why?”

“I-I can’t go in last. I have to go in first.” I tried explaining. He must think I

have some obsessive-compulsive disorder, but he didn’t pressure me to explain more.

“Okay, fine, my next class is just an extra credit course anyway. Do you want to go
sit in the commons?”

I shook my head, “We have to use our school IDs there. They will know we skipped
class and send us back

I knew where to go. I always went there when I was skipping class. I grabbed onto
Scott’s hand and forced him to follow me. We walked out the back entrance of the
school, past the bleachers, the football field, and into the woods.

“This is where you go to hide?” Scott asked as he followed behind me.

“Yes, whenever I am trying to avoid people or skipping school.” I walked around a

bush before sitting on a huge fallen tree and jumping off from the other side.

“When I skip school, I am nowhere on school grounds,” Scott told me.

“So, you are one of those kids,” I turned my head back to look at him.

“What?” he said, offended.

“One of those kids that skip school and hang out at the teen hangout, or one of
those cool kids who crashes at a friend’s place,” I told him.

“When I skip school, it isn’t to do drugs or to drink. I skip to play video games,
and sometimes, I skip to go on dates,” he said with a shrug.

Finally, we made it to my secret place. My secret place was a very old tree that
was very tall. I started climbing up the branches.

“Are you serious?” Scott huffed.

“C’ mon! You will love the view,” I told him.

“We are wolves. Wolves do not climb,” Scott grumbled, but he still climbed up the
tree with me.

When we made it to the top, the look on Scott’s face was worth it. He broke into a
smile and chuckled.
“Okay, it’s damn near beautiful,” he complimented.

We could see the entire town, past the vast trees and beyond the horizon. It was
even prettier at night when the sun was setting, but those moments are best shared
with your special person.

Scott and I settled into a comfortable silence, swaying our feet back and forth for
a while, before I heard Scott gasp. I looked at him before following his gaze and
seeing Judah training my classmates.

“Is he always shirtless?” Was the first thing that came out of Scott’s mouth.

I watched Judah take down a male teen wolf in front of the class. He pointed to his
chest, his arm, and his legs. He was demonstrating the stance that they needed to
have in order to complete the fighting movement.

“Damn, this is between you and me but if I wasn’t mated to the Beta, I wished I was
mated to him,” Scott breathed.

An unfamiliar feeling filled my body, making the hair on my arms stand on end. My
wolf had matured and was more dominant now. She didn’t like hearing this. I was
usually unaffected and non-territorial, but my wolf-she damn near wanted to knock
Scott off the branch. I had to clench my teeth and dig my fingers into the branch
to keep myself from killing him.

“He’s alright.” I tried to speak calmly but instead, it came out at a growl.

He’s exquisitely crafted. Mate. Mine.

Scott’s eyes snapped to me.

“Don’t tell me—” He stopped and narrowed his eyes before they widened in shock, “Oh
my god, you are mated to him.”

The denial and lies that I wanted to say remained wedged in my throat. My tongue
refused to move,so the words came out as a garbled mess. My wolf wouldn’t let me
say no, that he wasn’t our mate. I couldn’t even shake my head.

Scott gave me a knowing smirk before he and I turned back to Judah’s training
session. Silently, I admired his fighting skills. Judah was ruthless when he fought
. He didn’t show any of my classmate sympathy, because sympathy was not needed
here. He needed to show them strength, drive, and the willpower to be better.

It didn’t take long until sweat glistened all over his naked torso, the dog tag
that dangled around his neck shining each time he turned. His hair was wet from the
heavy workout. I clenched my thighs, feeling an ache slowly stir between them.
Shifting in my spot, I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. I was aroused,
looking at my mate.

“I could smell your arousal even if I stood across town,” Scott teased.

As if to prove Scott’s statement true, the bell rang, everybody heading back inside
except for Judah, who turned to look in my direction, and narrowed his eyes before
turning away. Scott quickly murmured a ’got to go’ and skipped out on me. I sat on
the branch and continued to play peeping tom at my mate.

He bent down,grabbing his white towel off the grass and wiped his body. I watched
his every move with interest. When he was done, he bent down and grabbed his water
bottle next, taking long gulps. I watched as his Adam’s apple bobbed.

God, it was not supposed to be sensual, but it was. I couldn’t tear my eyes away
from him . He turned and walked back inside. After a good two minutes, I hopped off
the branch and walked back in the direction that Scott and I had come from.

AUTHOR’S NOTE:

I know what you are thinking —

Why aren’t they doing anything with their mateship?

Answer: Because they are two awkward dummies but hey at least we got to see Scott
and Ace. ;)

What about Alpha Hunter and Alpha Justine? Aren’t they mates?

Answer: The truth will be revealed, patience, my moon child.

Why aren’t they doing anything about Bethany?

Answer: The truth will be revealed, patience, my moon child.

By the way, I finished my papers early. I guess you guys have me until next week
class papers. *shrugs*

Leila

16

After school finished, my mom had called me and asked me to run home and grab the
French cream puffs she made and left at home. I was to bring it to her at the
packhouse. I rarely went to the packhouse, since the packhouse was usually very
crowded throughout the day. I tried to avoid large crowds as much as possible.
However, this was my mom we were talking about. She needed me and that triumphed
social anxiety.

I walked up to the asphalt cemented driveway towards the packhouse. There were a
total of two entrances. One was the front entrance, and the other went around back
and led to the kitchen. I decided to avoid meeting people in the main lobby, and
detoured to the back of the packhouse.

Several pack guards that were watching the packhouse looked at me when they saw me
appear behind the open wood gates. Their nostrils twitched to take in my scent, to
see if I was a friend or foe. Once they recognized the pack scent coming from me,
they went back to their guarding duties as if I was never there.

The back door opened, and my mom came rushing out with a tray in her hand. She
walked over to the grill on the white back porch. She was always in the zone when
she was cooking, and failed to notice me.

“Hi mom,” I announced as I jogged up the steps to her.

She turned around and exhaled in relief.

“Oh, thank god you are here.” She took the desserts from my hands.

“Everyone is running around rampant trying to get ready for the Alpha’s guests. I
just don’t have enough hands. Can you please go inside and deliver the drinks in
the middle aisle counter to the Alpha’s guest dining room?” she pleaded in
desperation.

I wanted to say no because I did my job delivering the cream puffs. I wanted to go
home and read, living in solitude until the next day when I had to face people
again at school.

“Okay,” I huffed, slumping my shoulders and walking inside.

I didn’t even bother to change my clothes. I was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, but
you know what, this wasn’t my job, and I was doing it anyway.

I walked inside the grand Alpha kitchen. It was like they owned their very own
restaurant. Several stoves and ovens were running. People were chopping vegetables
and working furiously at their stations. My eyes swept over them quickly before I
found the drinks. I made my way around people and picked up the tray.

Go to the guest dining room, give them the drinks, and go home., I gave myself a
mental pep-talk before walking out of the kitchen.

The Alpha’s packhouse was very grand. It could hold up to thirty people, almost
like a hotel. The house was decorated with a white and gray contrast for walls and
trim. Flower and landscape photographs hung from the walls. The Alpha’s guest
dining room was not that far.

It was down the left hall and through the white double doors. I walked up to the
door, moved the tray onto one arm, and opened the door. My eyes moved from the tray
to the people inside.

My breath stuck in my throat. Nerves started hitting me like sticks and stones.
Immediately, I cast my eyes downward. Too many people. Just too many people.

The room quieted down and my anxiety shot up another tenfold.

Breathe, Rose.

Shakily, I moved the tray back to my hands and walked over to them. I sat the tray
down on the serving table and slowly passed a drink to everyone. I could feel
Jude’s eyes on me.

The Alpha’s guest dining room was an exquisite gray dining room that had a white
and gray oval pedestal dining table with light skirted dining chairs around it. The
dining table was positioned underneath a simple light chandelier. The dining table
was located in front of a large bay window covered with white sheer curtains and
framed by a gray wall.

In the seats around the dining table were Alpha Hunter’s parents, Beta Ace’s
parents, Jude’s parents, Alpha Hunter, Beta Ace, Jude, and four other people I did
not know.

Avoid looking at people.

When I finally finished serving them their drinks, I took a step back and whispered
in a small voice, “Is there anything else I can get you?”

“You are fine, Rosemary,” Luna Mikaela said gently.

I looked at her from underneath my eyelashes.

“I am surprised to see you here tonight, Rosemary. Did your mother call you for
help?” Alpha Jacob, Alpha Hunter’s dad, asked.

“Yes,” I answered in a closed-ended answer, in the hope that he would release me

from questioning and stop sending me intense scrutinizing looks. I couldn’t take
it. My body was heating up from too much tension.

“I-I have to go back. Excuse me,” I muttered before spinning on my feet and
practically running out of the dining room.

I made it into the kitchen. My mom must have seen my distress because she came
running over with a glass of apple juice. She handed it to me.

“Thank you for helping me out.” She rubbed my back.

Sweets usually calms my anxiety which is why she gave me a glass of sugary apple
juice. I lifted the glass cup to my lips but stopped when I heard my mom gasp
loudly. She ran to the other side of the kitchen and scolded a kitchen staff who
almost tripped over her feet and ruined a tray of perfectly good plates of fine
dining appetizers.

She took it away from the kitchen staff and carried it over to me. I could see the
intention in her eyes.

“Mom, no,” I shook my head just as she came to stand before me with a tray filled
with plates.

“Please, Rose.”

I sat my cup of apple juice down.

“I don’t want to do this,” I argued, “have someone else do it.”

“Everyone is too flustered—”

“I am flustered!” I whispered,pointing at my chest.

“Rose, just help me with this and I will give you a hundred dollars to buy any
books you want.” My mom knew how to get to me. She was a manipulator! I wanted to
scream and die right in front of her, but there were so many books I had on my
wishlist.

“Fine,” I growled before moving to grab my glass cup of apple juice.

I gulped it down quickly. I was surprised that this large glass of apple juice was
bubbly and delicious. I wondered if my mom had learned something new to make juice.
I kind of liked it.

Immediately, my muscles started to relax, and the anxiety slowly left me. I took
the tray from my mom before walking out of the kitchen and back in the direction of
the dining room. The warm bubbly feeling began spreading all over my body, and I
felt great .
With a giggle, I knocked and opened the double doors again. This time, I met
everyone’s eyes with a bright smile. Jude’s eyes narrowed in on my face almost
immediately. Giggling once more, and feeling a lot better than before, I entered
the room.

Again, I set the tray down on the serving table before carefully placing the food
on the dining table. The conversation in the room continued and I took the
opportunity to boldly look at the guests. I could feel Alpha powers coming from the
two middle-aged people, while the other two strangers were a lot younger, seeming
to be around my age. I thought the girls were pretty, with light blonde hair that
reminded me of the sun.

I didn’t realize I was staring until Jude cleared his throat. My eyes flew to him.
He pointed with his eyes to the plate I still had on my hand.

Oops! I forgot to put the plate on the table.

I placed the last plate of appetizers in front of them.

“So, Katie and Georgia are reaching their maturity soon. I can’t wait for them to
find their mates. Katie will be holding the Alpha title, so I do hope she receives
a nice strong mate like Gamma Judah to be her mate.”

I stopped in my tracks . My back stiffened, and my wolf’s ears perked. Apparently,

she did not like hearing her mate’s name in the same sentence as a juvenile’s
name .

I forced myself to walk to the
tightly. Just before I left, I
with Hunter, as Hunter had not
would be staying with the pack
mates.
serving table. I grabbed the tray and gripped it
heard adults say they were hoping to pair Georgia up
found his mate yet. Apparently, Georgia and Katie
for the next two days, in hopes of finding their

I had to resist the urge to fling insults at them. I knew their intentions. They
wanted to make sure that Alpha Hunter’s and Gamma Judah’s wolves would recognize
the mate bond. Little did they know, Gamma Judah was already taken!

I stomped my way back to the kitchen. I couldn’t stop pouting. I didn’t like the
feelings inside of me. Noticing that there were some more drinks that looked like
the one my mother had given me, I walked over and gulped down two so quickly I had
to take a step back and blink several times. I liked the bubbly sensation more than
the bitter emotions inside of me.

I sat the glass cups down and couldn’t stop a giggle from escaping my lips. The
staff member that my mother had scolded earlier came up to me.

“Can you bring this to the dining room?”

Obviously, she didn’t want to get in trouble again. I offered her a brilliant smile
and nodded my head. I hoped my smile would be infectious, and that she would smile
back at me, but she just gave me a weird look before walking away.

Never mind her. I was feeling amazing.

I walked out of the kitchen and back to the dining room. Once again, Jude’s eyes
were on me as I entered . He was always looking at me. I looked right back at him,
as if I was engaging him in a silent stare down. He arched an eyebrow as I neared
the table.
I placed the food on the serving table for the third time.

“Rosemary, darling, thank you for helping your mother out tonight,” Luna said from
behind me.

“Oh, I had no choice,” I giggled.

I heard some responding laughs sound from around the table. I picked up the
delicious, savory, aromatic plate of food and placed it in front of my Alpha before
continuing onto the next person.

“I heard your mother telling me that you wanted to major in supernatural medicine,”
Luna started a conversation with me.

“Supernatural medicine, that is an excellent field.” The unknown Luna chimed in.

“Yes, well, that will require me to travel outside of the pack for eight years.” I
shrugged nonchalantly.

A deep rumble came from behind me, and my spine tingled with awareness. It was so
quick and faint, I was not sure if anyone had heard it. I spun around to see Jude
glaring at me.

“Katie is a true born leader. I have seen her blossom and become such a beautiful,
kind, and justified young woman. I think any male will be truly blessed to have her
as his mate.” The Alpha redirected the attention back to his daughter.

“If she was to have someone like Gamma Judah by her side, imagine the possibility
and strength it will bring to both packs.” I rolled my eyes. Beta Ace and Alpha
Hunter laughed. They must have seen my reaction.

I bit my tongue and sat the plate in front of Luna. She turned and took hold of my
arm to stop me from returning to my duties. Warmth and comfort spread from her
touch. Her blue eyes softened, and she gave me a warm smile.

“How is schooling coming along, Rosemary?” she asked.

I frowned. She’s awfully interested in me. Her eyes swept between Alpha Hunter and
me.

“I heard you just turned eighteen. Have you found your mate?” she pressured me.

What is this, twenty questions? Maybe I should have just gone home when I had the
chance. I laughed out loud at my thoughts, then immediately covered my mouth with
my palm.

“Oops, forgive me for my outburst,” I scrambled to say.

Luna laughed and brushed it off.

“School is wonderful, Luna. Thank you for asking. Although I did skip the second
period and decided to play a little game of peeping tom at Gamma Judah, but nobody
needs to know that,” I giggled and winked at Judah. He looked at me suspiciously.

My eyes widened and a round of laughter filled the dining room. What is wrong with
my mom’s apple juice? Dear Lord, I can’t keep a filter on my mouth even if I tried.

“Jude?” Judah’s mother asked. It was her turn to be surprised. She then pinned me
with an interesting look of her own. What is wrong with these mothers?

“Dear, have you found your mate?” Luna asked again.

My eyes swept everyone’s faces. They all looked back at me. My eyes landed on
Judah. He didn’t offer any help. Instead, he waited for me to say something.

“I found him but he’s a major dick. I think I am going to give him the silent
treatment.”

Beta Ace burst out laughing and Alpha Hunter chuckled while Judah glared at me.

“Why is that?” Judah asked.

“I hate it when he talks to girls.” I made a sour face.

The women around the table laughed, apparently having felt the same thing before.

“If he is talking to girls, then he deserves it,” Judah’s mother informed me.

Suddenly, the door burst open and my mother’s frantic eyes met mine. She took one
look at me and came scurrying over.

“I apologize for interrupting. I need to have a word with my daughter,” My mom

said.

It must be very important. She looks really upset right now. I tried to make her
happy by flashing her another one of my brilliant smiles, only for her to give me
an exasperated look and push me out of the dining hall.

“Wait, I haven’t served—”

“Mayra will take over for you.” My mother hurriedly said as we entered the empty
hallway.

She stopped pushing me and turned me around to face her, her hands on my shoulders.

“How many glass cups did you drink?” she asked.

“Three.” I lifted my hand up to show her how much in case she didn’t hear me.

She grew upset and cupped my cheeks.

“Honey, those drinks are mixed tonic champagne.”

I gasped and covered my mouth in exaggerated horror.

“Mom, why would you give me alcohol? I am not even twenty-one.” I whispered in an
undertone.

“I didn’t! I gave you apple juice. You didn’t even drink your cup. You grabbed the
champagne glasses instead.”

I felt my mouth form into an ’O’. That explained the bubbly sensation and
unfiltered mouth. I chuckled at the thought.

“Okay, you have to go home—”

The dining door opened. We both turned to see Judah exiting the room. He was
dressed in black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a black dress shirt that had
rolled up sleeves.

“Ms. Meyers, is something wrong?” Judah asked, letting loose a little Gamma power
to command my mom to answer honestly.

“S-she’s intoxicated from the tonic champagne she took in the kitchen.” My mom cast
her eyes downward.

I couldn’t remove the smile that was on my face even if I tried. So, I smiled at my
mom and then at my mate. He looked very handsome. He returned his eyes back to me.

“I’ll take care of her. You can go back and finish your duty,” Judah assured her.

She wouldn’t have let me go anywhere if it was someone else, but she knew Judah was
my mate and wouldn’t hurt me. So, she nodded and gave me an apologetic smile before
returning to the kitchen.

Judah shifted to stand in front of me. He gave me an annoyed look.

“I should have known that you would be stupid enough to not be able to tell the
difference between a tonic drink and apple juice,” he murmured before cupping one
side of my cheek gently.

“In my defense, I have never had tonic drinks before and they taste like apple
juice,” I argued with a giggle.

He shook his head and bent down. Suddenly, I was being swept up into the air. I
squealed and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. My world spun around me and I
had to close my eyes. My head dropped to his shoulders.

“You know, Katie isn’t my mate.” He started out of nowhere.

I snorted, “No, duh, I am your mate.”

I opened my eyes to see him roll his.

“What I mean is that you have no need to be jealous,” he explained.

I lifted my head and gave him a scowl, “I am not jealous of you. My wolf is.”

“Your wolf is you, you idiot,” he retorted.

“You know what, I just remembered, I am not talking to you,” I answered him,
jutting my chin out.

He stopped suddenly, and I turned to see that we were no longer on the lower level
of the building. We were standing in front of the door. From the dominant scent in
the room, I can tell this room used to be his before he moved out.

We entered the room, and Judah kicked the door closed with his foot before walking
over to the edge of his bed. He set me down, and moved to sit next to me.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“It’s more private,” he answered.

My eyes wandered around his room. He seemed to like the color black. The bed sheets
and covers were black, and so were the curtains are black.
“I didn’t know you wanted to pursue supernatural medicine.”

My eyes returned to him.

“You don’t know a lot about me,” I smirked.

One corner of his lips lifted, “I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

That’s right. I totally forgot. His eyes sparkled with laughter and he pulled in
his bottom lip to stop him from smiling any further. This was the closest thing to
a smile that I had ever seen from Judah.

Magnificent. Beautiful. Exquisitely attractive.

A sigh escaped my lips and I sagged almost into him without realizing it.

17

She leaned forward with her rosy pink lips puckered. A soft inaudible sigh slipped
from her lips, and her russet-colored eyes glazed over. Our mate bond flexed and
materialized into the air between us.

Being that we are werewolves, we inherit all the animalistic traits of our inner
beast regardless if we want them or not. We are possessive and territorial. It
doesn’t help that I am a high-ranking werewolf, making me more robust in nature.
This causes the overly excessive urge to be dominating and claim what is ours.

It would appear like I was handling this mate separation quite remarkably, but I
was not. I had discovered that I couldn’t fucking sleep at night without having a
wet dream. I would wake up sweating and hard as fuck. I would dream about pummeling
deep into Rose and biting every single part of her delectable body.

It was hot and damn distracting.

Now, she was looking at me like she wouldn’t mind if I claimed those lips of hers.
I physically swallowed hard because I was losing this battle. My canines were
elongating, itching to sink themselves into her pretty cream-colored flesh. My
primal instincts wanted to take over.

Shit! I started to unbutton my dress shirt. It was suddenly hot in this room. I
adjusted my pants.

A knock sounded at the door.

My head snapped in that direction and I heard a faint erratic heartbeat. I didn’t
recognize this heartbeat. Turning back to Rose, I noticed that she had pulled back.
There was a faint downward slope to her lips. She wasn’t too happy either .

I kind of liked intoxicated Rose.

She revealed her emotions a lot better than non-intoxicated Rose.

I stood up from my seat next to her. My thigh knocked hers as I got up. I walked
over to my door and opened it.

Katie stood in the doorway. Her long blonde hair fell past her shoulders and
reached her waist. She looked at me, batting her eyelashes, and puckering her lips.
She leaned against the doorway and crossed her arms over her chest.

Female Alphas are just as hormonal as male Alphas. They like to dominate in bed and
use their powers for their own advantages. Katie’s scent was impure. If I focused
my wolf senses on her scent, I was more than positive that she had slept with at
least six males before. There was nothing wrong with sleeping around. Werewolves
have high libidos. Some are able to resist temptation and others prefer to not
resist. The only thing wrong here was that I was not interested.

Currently, her status outranked mine and judging by the way she was looking at me,
she liked it. She oozed Alpha powers, urging me to accede to the scent of her
arousal. Her eyes wandered over my body, glistening with need.

“Gamma Judah,” she purred in a seductive voice.

“Alpha Katie, is there something you need?” I asked, my voice is void of emotion.

“Since I will be here for two more days, I was thinking that maybe you can show me
around the pack grounds. We could take a detour and—”

Hands.

Tiny little hands were on my torso.

I looked down to find my mate’s arms wrapped around my midsection, hr hands

stroking my chest. My chest muscles tensed underneath her innocent but greedy
exploration, and my mind went blank even though my body was on high alert. I could
feel her soft round breasts pressed up against my back.

“Gamma Judah is a little busy,” Rose whispered back in a sultry voice. The
proximity between us was making me delirious. It felt a little like shooting
fireworks. I was blinded and caught in the dense fog of my mate’s scent. That
sensual but purposeful voice made me think very dirty thoughts. I clenched my teeth
so hard it physically hurt.

Alpha Katie’s eyes changed back to normal. Her eyebrows creased in confusion. She
looked taken aback to see that I had someone else in my room. She was so busy
trying to woo me that she didn’t even smell Rose.

Rose’s hand slipped lower and lower and—

Shit.

I grabbed onto her hands just as she was about to go for my belt.

“If you will excuse me,” I told Katie in a hoarse whisper before slamming the door
closed.

Once the door was closed, Rose began giggling like a little girl. She burst out
laughing and jumped on her feet, pulling back and clapping her hands.

“That was fun,” she said mischievously.

I couldn’t speak. I was shocked that she had just felt me up and was proud of it. I
could only blink and stare at her.
I knew this wasn’t her. The tonic was making her insane, and a lot more brazen than
she normally was, but she was my mate. I couldn’t help the physical attraction that
I felt towards her. My heart skipped a beat upon seeing her smile so brightly. Her
normally cool eyes were burning with victory and happiness.

I had only seen this kind of behavior from Rose twice. Once when she won the game
back at the resort, and now. This side of her was different, and distracting.

I walked up to her and grabbed both her arms. She shook like a limp noodle in front
of me before blinking and giving me a curious pout. When I didn’t say anything, she
tilted her head to the side and arched an eyebrow.

“Why did you do that?” I questioned roughly.

“Touch you?” she replied.

“Yes,” I growled, feeling thoroughly confused and frustrated.

“Because she was going to hump your leg if I didn’t,” she said bluntly.

She tried to tear her eyes away from me but I released one arm to grab onto her
chin. I turned her back to face me. I needed to see her eyes. This might have been
the only time I would see something other than a cool front from her. I needed to
see her.

Fire and jealousy.

I saw how she tensed up in the dining room. I waited for her to admit that we were
mates. I wanted her to say it.

“You’re jealous.” I couldn’t help but feel smug. Right now, I wanted to fist pump
in the air. This might have been the weirdest shit ever, but I was excited that it
wasn’t just her wolf that was jealous. It was her too.

She pushed me away with a harsh shove. I stumbled back in surprise, releasing her
so that both of us didn’t fall. She glowered at me and jabbed a finger in my face.

“You are a jerk of a mate,” she growled.

“Jerk?” I replied, righting myself and taking a step towards her. She spun on her
feet, stumbling a little.

With her back to me, she lifted her chin in rebellion and placed her hands on her
hips.

“You should have told them you had a mate, but you didn’t. Oh my god, you’re a
horrible mate. I know now that you don’t want me but I am not like other women. I
am an amazing woman, and if you don’t realize that, then it is your loss.”

She spun around suddenly and faced me with another cold, tipsy glare. She pursed
her lips and a look of determination appeared on her soft features. She looked
ridiculously cute. My wolf was basically groveling at her feet. He adored her. She
was his moon.

“I, Rosemary Meyers, will find myself another mate,” she announced.

“And I, Judah Collins, will kill whoever you find as your auxiliary mate,” I
responded, amused at her antics.
I took a step towards her. She hesitantly brought her chin down to look at me. She
was unsure of what I was about to do. Hell, even I was unsure about what I was
about to do. I took another step and cupped her cheek with my right hand. The soft,
yet apparent, mate sparks flared to life, and it was as if they were a dose of
tonic; our bodies were drawn towards each other. She took a step closer to me.
There was barely an inch between us. She was adorable when she was jealous. I was
also positive that she wouldn’t remember a damn thing tomorrow morning.

“You are being unreasonable, my little Rose,” I whispered, finding it hard to

breathe with her so close.

Her eyelashes fluttered and she graced me with a small happy smile. One corner of
my lips lifted, and I moved to cup the other side of her cheek. She melted into me
immediately. Her hands moved to my sides and my eyes drifted lower to her lips.

She won’t remember.

Even if I kiss her, she won’t remember.

Slowly, I leaned down. My eyes drifted shut as my face moved closer to her soft and
inviting lips. I heard the hitch in her breath, and felt her hands dig into my
sides.

Ever so lightly, I skimmed my lips over hers. It was a tease, and my lips tingled
to life. I had never kissed a girl before. She was the first. My heartbeat picked
up and one hand slipped behind her head. I ran my fingers through her hair. She
parted her lips—

A loud knock sounded at the door. Both our eyes snapped open. I looked at Rose’s
face. She was drunk out of her mind, but there was a fiery look in her eyes, and
the scent of her arousal filled the room. I gulped, closed my eyes, and fought to
steady my breathing and heart rate. She was driving me insane. In this enclosed
space, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her with no interruptions.

I released her and walked over to the door. Whipping it open, I glared at the
person who had the balls to interrupt me. Ace looked at me and then glanced behind
me.

“There are two rogue scents at the southwest border. The guards are hot on the
rogues’ tails, but they are fast. Hunter is busy wrapping up the dinner since you
decided to leave. He ordered you to catch the rogues and resolve the issue,” Ace
stated.

“I am a little busy here,” I replied.

“I will have Scott watch her or bring her home,” Ace said, an amused smile
appearing on his face.

He knew that I didn’t want to go. He knew that I wanted to stay with my mate. I
didn’t normally display my feelings, but right now, I was torn between my duty as a
mate and my duty as a Gamma. I was also very annoyed with Ace.

“What about you?” I growled, irritated.

“I am coming with you,” he smirked.

“Fine,” I snapped.
We waited for Scott to arrive before we left. We jogged down the stairs of the
packhouse and out the front door. We quickly worked our way to the southwest
border, still in our human form. It didn’t take long, because my blood was still
pumping with adrenaline from the kiss I shared with Rose. I needed this run to cool
my blood.

When we arrived at the scene, the guards had already shifted and were fighting off
the rogues. They were tiny wolves, but looked extremely feral. It looked as if they
had been in their wolf form for a very long time. They didn’t even realize that
they had trespassed onto pack territory.

Ace and I jumped into the circle in our human forms to help the guards out. We both
found no need to shift. Ace took care of a dirty grey wolf that was slightly larger
than the one in front of me. The one in front of me looked like a pup. He crouched
down and growled at me, baring his canines. He didn’t trust me at all, although I
did not want to harm him. I only wanted him to shift. I willed him to listen by
showing him that I had the upper hand. Gamma power rolled off me, and my stance
became erect. I drew my shoulders back, looking the wolf straight in the eyes and
demanding his obedience.

He growled and leaped at me. I jumped to the side and snatched onto his neck. Ace’s
opponent saw that I had captured her companion. She growled and swiped her paw at
Ace’s throat before running towards me.

The guards tackled her, but she was difficult to contain. The female wolf rolled,
bit, scratched and fought with everything she could. She was uncontrollable. She
was growling, saliva dripping from her jaws, and her eyes were filled with rage and
panic.

Thirty minutes had gone by, and none of us had been able to control these two
wolves. The little male wolf was a juvenile. Judging by its size, it was no more
than seven years old. The female wolf no longer carried a juvenile scent on her.
She was fertile. but she was at least in her twenties. Both she and the smaller
wolf were upset, and scared out of their minds.

“Stop!” Hunter growled out of nowhere.

All the pack members stopped fighting, but continued to circle around the female
wolf. She growled, still crouched and ready to find an exit. Hunter examined the
situation. His eyes landed on me first before he turned to look at the female who
still hadn’t noticed him yet.

He walked past me and towards the female wolf. The circle opened, allowing him to
pass. Hunter released his Alpha aura. He demanded obedience, and the female’s
attention.

Shocked, she snapped her eyes in his direction. Hunter didn’t move. He revealed no
emotions.

“Shift,” he commanded.

The female wolf’s head bowed, but she looked like she was fighting Hunter’s order.
She refused to obey him. Hunter’s jaw clenched, and he looked like he was fighting
an internal battle.

“I said shift,” he snapped.

The female wolf growled, and her claws dug into the ground. Her body started to
shake, but she still refused to obey Hunter’s Alpha command.
Amazing…

Finally, Hunter knelt down, his eyes level with those of the female wolf. This was
a sign of equality, and showed that Hunter meant no harm. Hunter was kneeling.
Alphas do not kneel unless…

“I am asking you to shift,” he said in a softer tone.

The female wolf looked at him and let out a low growl, as if telling him to ’fuck
off’.

Hunter didn’t answer her growl. He stared at her intently. Finally, a human emotion
flashed across her feral eyes. Uncertainty.

“I won’t hurt you. I just need you to shift. Change back,” Hunter assured her.

Slowly, she started to shift, her legs turning into human legs. Hunter quickly
stripped out of his shirt. He walked up to her just as she had fully shifted back
into her human form. He slipped the shirt over her slim body.

When he stepped back, she looked up at him, still wary of his actions, and hugged
her body. She was shaking and weak. She had been in her wolf form for far too long.

Her skin was a warm, tawny color. Her long black hair drifted past her shoulders
and reached her hips. Her large doe eyes collided with Hunter’s.

“Mine,” Hunter whispered quietly, not to himself, but as a declaration to everyone.

The little wolf in front of me saw what had happened. He bit my hand hard, his
canines digging into my skin.

“Fuck!” I yelped, pulling back. The wolf escaped my grasp and bounded toward the
female wolf.

She opened her arms and held him close. She clutched the little pup to her chest
like it was her own. She growled and pulled her lips back to reveal her canines.
This pup wasn’t hers though. Their scents were mixed, but she was pure. She hadn’t
been touched.

Nobody said anything. I think everyone was still shocked at the truth. Our Alpha
had found his mate. The woman sitting on the ground wasHunter’s. How fucking crazy
was that?

Author’s Note:

So, like, I tried to not end it on A cliffhanger. This is me semi-trying.

18

I couldn’t remember what had happened last night. My mom said I got terribly drunk,
and that Judah had to ’take care’ of me, whatever that means. I woke up this
morning with a raging headache. After taking some pain medication, I sluggishly
returned to school. I considered calling in sick, but my mom did not pity me at
all. She had sent me to school anyway.

At first, I wasn’t feeling so well, but halfway through the day, I could feel the
headache finally starting to recede . I made a mental note to never drink again. I
was in fifth period, which was gym. It was a circuit training day.

I stared at the course before me, and felt myself die inside. It was beautifully
designed, with intimidating stations meant to kill my spirit and eat my soul alive.
My wolf, of course, was more than ready to take on the challenge.

There were monkey bars that stretched for a mile at one station, a rope swinging
station that required upper body strength, a wall climbing station, a stone hopping
station, and as my eyes trailed further down, I wanted to shrivel up and die. I was
too tired for this.

Everyone groaned out loud, and I felt a little bit better. I was not the only one
who was feeling this way.

“You juveniles are our pack’s future, and that means that I am required to train
you to be your best. It is my job to keep you focused and on task. These courses
are designed to challenge your agility, wolf strength, and mind. We are a pack when
we stand strong together and think like one. You all are expected to complete each
station within a minute. Once you complete this course, you will go back to the
beginning and start all over again.”

Another round of groans were issued, but one dark look from Judah halted everyone’s
complaints. Everyone hurried to the beginning of the first station. It started with
a few male wolves. Everyone stared at them as they swung down the monkey bars.
Slowly, everyone began stepping up and swinging like a bunch of monkeys. I let out
a heavy sigh when it was my turn. I took a step onto the high wood platform and
stretched my arm muscles.

Judah stood close by and watched me coolly. There was no indication of what he was
thinking, but his eyes were very distracting Couldn’t he look somewhere else
besides me?

I went through the course for the first time. It wasn’t so bad. I completed it five
, ten , then twenty times. Judah stayed far away, but I could feel him looking at
me from time to time. On my 25th lap of the course, I felt disdain roll off from
someone behind me. Jealousy tainted the air around me.

“I heard she purposely got herself drunk just so she could get into Gamma Judah’s
bed.”

My back stiffened.

“She wants to act all innocent and pure, when in reality, she can’t wait to spread
her legs for our leaders.”

I clenched my teeth and took in a deep breath. I could feel their accusing gazes
piercing my back.

I jumped onto the monkey bars and began swinging. I turned my sudden burst of anger
into energy, which I used to push through the monkey bars course.

I jumped off right at the end and continued at a steady run, staying close to the
male in front of me. He began climbing the high rock wall. Once he was high enough,
I continued up the wall. The monkey bar courses ran for a mile, and my arm muscles
were already screaming for me to stop. I bit my lip as I concentrated on jumping
from one rock to another, using my arms and legs to propel myself higher.

I was about two-thirds of the way up the wall when I felt a hand wrap around my
ankle. The person yanked, and my hands slipped. I couldn’t get a steady grip
because my palms were sweaty. My eyes widened as I realized I was falling. I tried
to grab onto anything to stop my fall, but I wasn’t able to.

I heard gasps and shouting from below me. I heard people telling others to move out
of the way, but I managed to grab hold of a rock with my hands. My heart was
beating loudly in my chest. I let out a huge sigh of relief and pressed my forehead
against the wooden rock wall. I looked up to see a white shoe disappearing over the
wall. I looked down and saw Judah already standing below me, a panic splayed across
his face before he relaxed, seeing that I had grabbed hold of a rock on the wall.

I was not dumb. The voice behind me was easy to identify. The person that grabbed
onto my ankle was no other than the person behind me. I was really pissed off. My
wolf was not happy, and she wanted to tear that person apart.

I climbed back up the wall, my wolf lending me her strength. She was anxious to
catch up to her prey.

I made it over the wall in no time. Taking a deep breath, I took a moment to scan
my surroundings, my eyes moving to focus on Bethany, who was now on the next
course. She was moving fast, probably trying to beat me. Normally, I was supposed
to slide back down the other side of the wall to reach the bottom. However, I was
more wolf than human at the moment. My mind was entirely focused on Bethany .

Werewolves are friendly creatures, but it is a well-known fact that our tempers are
derived from our beasts. We can try to be as human as we can, but triggering an
intense emotion in us is like adding gasoline to an already raging fire. My wolf
had taken the upper hand, feeding my fury with hers, heightening my senses and
driving my beast forward.

I stood up on the wall. I heard shouting and some more gasps. I felt Judah’s eyes
on me, almost as if he was warning me to not do anything stupid. Crouching low, I
launched off the wall and landed on the ground before me with a thump. I looked up
and found Bethany just about to finish the rope station.

Standing up, I ascended one of the ropes and sped towards her, avoiding the people
who were struggling to swing at this point. She was struggling to grab the rope
before her, trying to use her weight to gain more momentum. My wolf wanted to smirk
at her stupid attempts.

When I was right behind her, I wrapped my legs around her waist and pulled. She
turned to look at me and I twisted my body. She struggled to keep hold of the ropes
in her hand.

I heard voices and then I heard him, but they all sounded so distant. Bethany
growled and her eyes flashed—dilating with her own jealous contempt. She released
one hand to scratch my face with her claws. I avoided her swing by pulling back. I
brought one foot closer to my chest before kicking her hard in the side. She
grunted in pain and fell to the ground. I dropped to the ground along with her, and
grabbing her by her hair, I yanked her head back. She glowered at me, and I flashed
my canines.

“I command you two to stop at once,” Judah commanded, Gamma power rolling off of
him and onto us.

Everyone felt the force of their Gamma’s powers. They knelt on the ground to avoid
any more anger from their leader. Bethany cast her eyes down as a sign of
submission, not to me, but to Judah.

I still had a hard grip on her hair.

I was pissed.

“Rose,” Judah’s voice pierced my mind. “Breathe and focus. Do not let your wolf’s
instincts to kill cloud your mind. She is your pack member.”

“She disrespected me. That’s a direct challenge,” I growled animalistically,

fighting his powers.

“She will receive punishment, but you cannot kill her. Think, Rose, you are better
than this,” Judah tried coaxing me.

My eyes collided with my mate’s. He saw that I was more wolf than human. He wasn’t
angry with me. I knew this, but my wolf was anything but understanding.

“You expect me to let her go even though she challenged me?” I growled.

“I don’t expect anything. You already know what you need to do,” he answered.

I clenched my teeth, another snarl rumbling from my chest. I closed my eyes and my
fingers tightened their hold on Bethany’s hair.

“Please—” Bethany whimpered.

I growled louder and my eyes snapped open. My hand wrapped perfectly around her
stupid little neck, my claws digging into her skin. I didn’t want to hear her
voice. It only fueled my anger.

Judah touched my arm. Tingles. My wolf huffed and growled, fighting the bond,
reminding me that I needed to kill, but Judah’s touch was like a warm blanket.

Finally, I looked back at him. My hold loosened a little. I gulped down the rage
that was burning in my chest. Taking in an unsteady breath, I reluctantly released
my hold on Bethany’s hair.

I could feel my wolf falling back. She was unsatisfied, but she respected her
mate’s decision.

Judah tore his eyes away from me to look at a classmate.

“Take her to the nurse’s office to get cleaned up,” he ordered before turning to
Bethany.

“She hurt me!” Bethany said in a fit of anger.

“You tried harming a pack member, Bethany. If it wasn’t for Rosemary’s leniency and
common sense, you would have died by now,” Gamma Judah snarled.

Immediately, everyone bowed their heads. Bethany sniffled, but didn’t look Gamma
Judah directly in the eyes again. I watched my classmates take her away before
scanning my surroundings again.

I was fully aware now of the attention I had brought on myself. Everyone was
leaning in and whispering to each other, their eyes on me. They were judging me.
I bit my bottom lip. I had never had an outburst like this before. The surge of
power and rebellious feeling I had felt when I knew who had pulled on my ankle. My
wolf was becoming more and more dominant now that she had found her mate and had
matured. She was not afraid.

“Class is dismissed,” Judah barked.

Within seconds, everyone had disappeared except for Judah and I. I relaxed once we
were alone. He stood in front of me in the same spot, his arms crossed over his
chest. His biceps flexed out in the open. He was wearing a sleeveless grey t-shirt.

“I-I don’t know. I just got mad. Bethany pulled on my ankle, and said things behind
my back. It made me furious. I don’t want to just spread my legs for you. She-she
said things, and it got to me,” I said, thinking that Judah wanted an explanation.
Why else would he continue to stand there and look at me?

When he didn’t answer me, I huffed and crossed my own arms, glaring at him.

“It isn’t my fault that you have females crawling all over you,” I snapped, “I am
not even doing anything. All I am doing is trying to get through life day by day. I
haven’t spread my legs for you like she said. I am not being a clingy mate. If you
want to yell at me and scold me, then go ahead, but I will be pissed off because
this is all your fault. You make stupid females go crazy, and now they hate me.”

Finally, Judah moved to stand in front of me, and took hold of my arms to get my
attention. Immediately, I looked at him.

“Will you go on a date with me?” he asked.

I blinked in surprise. What? I was trying to explain the situation, and he wanted
to go on a date? This was not the right time to ask me that question. So, I went
with the answer that I felt was right at that moment.

“No,” I replied, and walked away from his stunned expression.

Author’s Note:

Ahhh hahaha. Ok, bet you didn’t think she would say no, did you? Last update for
the week. See you next week!

Leila

19

Hunter had been a little preoccupied with his new mate. After he brought our Luna
home, the packhouse erupted in complete chaos. Everyone had heard about the
discovery of their Luna, and everyone was eager to meet her. However, Hunter had
discovered that his mate didn’t speak, or was refusing to speak. The little pup
that was attached to her side had shifted into a little boy. They both were now in
the medical wing being examined by the pack doctor.

According to the doctors, our Luna had a unique genetic makeup. The conclusion was
drawn from the blood they forcibly took from her. They told us that she had not
been born a werewolf shifter. She had been a human, but her genetic makeup had been
changed when she was bitten. That explained the bite mark on her arm.

Hunter sat in front of me, completely out of place. He looked angry and extremely
irritated. I could feel how heightened his power was, because my wolf was getting
antsy in his presence. We were both on edge, even though we knew there was no clear
threat nearby. Ace was sitting beside me, and I was sure he was feeling the same
way .

Hunter’s office was small but comfortable. It had a cherry oak desk, and important
books and data binders sat on shelves behind his desk. Two comfortable black
leather seats were placed in front of his desk. Behind us was a set of leather
sofas surrounding a coffee table.

“You need to calm yourself down. You are making our wolves nervous,” Ace pointed
out blankly.

Hunter huffed and rubbed a hand over his face.

“I just met her, and my wolf wants to be with her. Yet we can’t be, because she
won’t let anyone near her,” he growled.

“She needs time. The doctor said she’s been alone for a very long time. Her wolf
considered that pup as her only pack member, which means her wolf recognizes
herself as an Alpha. You saw her reaction that night. She might’ve been human, but
the way she fought off your command and protected that pup—that was pure strength.”

It was true. My father had told me about the Alpha command. It couldn’t be
resisted. Even some Lunas obeyed their Alpha’s command. They might be of equal
status, but the command of an Alpha is absolute. Its power is unyielding.

Hunter rolled his shoulders to ease the tension in his body. I knew how he felt. It
was a nagging feeling, urging us to run to our mate’s side. Our wolves craved that
closeness.

Rosemary might not have realized how much my presence eased the nervousness in her
body, but I knew how she affected me. Every damn time our eyes collided, it was
like every worry in my life seemed to disappear.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Hunter muttered.

“You have only been doing this for two days. Look at me. My mate is on the opposite
side of town,” I growled, annoyed with Hunter’s complaint.

“Actually, I am having a lot of fun cornering mine in the packhouse,” Ace replied,
which earned him a hard glare from Hunter.

“I took your advice and asked mine out on a date,” I said, irritated when I
recalled the incident this morning at school.

When I saw Rosemary today during class, it took lots of effort not to chase out the
insignificant juveniles, and do whatever I wanted to her. She wasn’t wearing any
revealing clothes. My mate had on a pair of tight workout leggings and an old baggy
t-shirt. That was it, but it was fucking hot.

I watched my mate as she went through the course. I watched how the sweat drenched
her t-shirt and clung to her skin as she climbed. I heard what Bethany and Dana
were saying behind her back. I saw how Bethany grabbed onto Rosemary’s ankle. My
heart literally dropped to the ground. The air in my chest left me immediately as I
watched her fall. Without regards to what the other students would think, I rushed
to catch her. I was directly below her when I saw her grab onto a rock on the wall.

Although Rose and I had never seen eye to eye, and she had irritated me to no
fucking end in the past, I had always known how strong she was. Other werewolves
shivered underneath my threatening glare, and ran away when I growled, but whenever
I encountered Rosemary, she simply ignored me and brushed aside my looks. She
didn’t care two shits about what I threw her way.

That was just how things were.

Rosemary seemed almost completely unaffected by anything I threw her way,

especially before the mate bond. Frankly, that was what irritated the shit out of
me.

Maybe that is also why I am all hot and turned on right now…

My attention flew back to my friends sitting before me. I looked them both in the
eyes.

“Your advice didn’t do shit,” I said flatly.

“She said no?” Ace asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, irritated and frustrated.

“Did you look at her in the eyes like we told you to?” Hunter questioned.

“I fucking stared into her eyes when I asked her,” I growled.

“Well, did you smile?” Ace asked, “’cause when you don’t smile, you tend to scare
people.”

“Rose is anything but scared of me.”

Hunter and Ace laughed. I, on the other hand, was not amused one bit. I needed to
get this mate thing figured out, or else I would go insane. My wolf was already
getting antsy, and we wanted nothing more than to have her move in and live with
us. I wanted to see her every day. I saw her at school, but my wolf wasn’t pleased
with just that anymore. He needed her.

“Maybe you should try talking to her again. Go over tonight and meet up with her.
Rosemary doesn’t seem like the type of girl that you need to take out on a dinner
date. I think she will be more pleased if you go over and visit her,” Hunter
suggested.

I pondered Hunter’s suggestion. Maybe he was onto something. I should take his
advice, and visit Rosemary .

~ ~ ~

It was late when I found myself parked outside my mate’s house. The first thing I
did when I stepped out of my truck was look at her window. The light was still on,
which meant she was still up.

I walked up to the front porch, and hesitated briefly before knocking. There was no
answer. I knocked a little harder. Still no answer. I told myself to knock once
more, and if she didn’t answer, I was leaving.

I knocked for the third, and last, time.

There was no answer.

I turned to leave, but stopped when I heard the door unlocking. I turned around
just in time to see Rosemary opening the door. She stood in the doorway dressed in
an oversized t-shirt that reached her thighs. Instantly, memories of the night I
dressed her at the resort came flooding back. I bit my bottom lip and forced myself
to look up.

She looked surprised to see me. Her eyes widened, and her perfect lips parted. Her
strawberry blonde hair was down, and drifted around her shoulders. She looked like
she had just taken a shower, and then had hurriedly thrown on a shirt before
answering the door.

“Judah?”

“Hey,” I said.

“W-what are you doing here?” She looked thoroughly confused.

“I was just driving by and thought I’ll check in on you,” I lied.

“Oh,” she responded.

We stood in silence for a while, and I cursed myself in my head. I didn’t know what
to say next. I shouldn’t have been this helpless, but I was, and so I just stood
there staring at her.

“My mom isn’t home, but do you want to come in?” she asked.

Damn it, Judah. Just talk. There is no harm in talking.

“Yeah,” I replied.

She opened the door for me to enter. When I walked inside, she closed the door
behind me. This was the first time I had ever been inside her home. It was small
and cozy. Family pictures hung on the wall. The sofa looked a little worn out, but
it still appeared comfortable.

“So, what are you really doing here?” she asked.

Leave it to her to know that I didn’t swing by just on coincidence. She knew I had
a reason to be here. I stuffed my hands into my jean pockets and returned my gaze
to her.

“I wanted to let you know that Bethany has been assigned to do community services
in our town for six months. Hunter believes it will do her some good to learn
humility again,” I told her.

She sighed and turned away from me. I watched her walk into the kitchen. My wolf
needed to feel closer to her, so, on instinct, I followed behind her.

She walked to the cabinet and placed two cups in front of her.

“Would you like some tea?” she asked.

I shrugged, so she took it as a yes. After placing a tea bag in each cup, she
poured the hot water, before setting the pot back down onto the stove. She slid one
cup over to me. The tea was still too hot to drink, so Rosemary leaned against the
counter with her arms crossed. She kept her eyes on me.

“Listen, I want to make this bond between us work. You’re my mate,” I said .
Announcing it verbally did something to me. My heart rate picked up and I swallowed
the large lump in my throat. This woman before me was my mate.

“I do, too,” she whispered shyly, casting her eyes down to her cup. She turned to
face the counter.

“So, can I offer something to get this ball rolling?” I asked.

Her curious eyes slid to mine, her fingers playing with her cup of tea in front of
her nervously.

“And what is that?” she asked.

“My wolf has been on edge since your mating switched turned on. He doesn’t like
that you aren’t marked yet. He wants you close. I know we aren’t at that stage yet,
but it is affecting my work. I can’t focus. My mind is constantly filled with you,”
I admitted, and heard her inhale softly.

“Mine too,” Rosemary whispered almost inaudibly. She realized what she had just
admitted and quickly added, “I mean, my wolf’s been thinking about you too. S-she
wants to be with you.”

Encouraged, I took a step towards her. She turned to face me.

“Can I pick you up every morning for school, and see you every night before you go
to sleep? I need to make sure you are okay.”

She drew in her plump bottom lip before nodding slowly in agreement.

She smelled delicious. I didn’t want to push things too much, but being this close
to Rosemary was electrifying. I realized how much I had missed her, even though I
had just seen her this afternoon. I boxed her in by placing my hands on either side
of her. Her back was now up against the counter.

“I am not going to lie to you, Rose. My wolf wants nothing more than to sink his
canines into your flesh. He wants to make you his. Standing this close to you takes
a lot of restraint. I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I am not trying to
rush things, but this is the truth.”

She removed one of my hands from the counter, and slipped away from me. It was like
playing cat and mouse. She put some distance between us by moving to the other side
of the kitchen. I followed her, unable to stop myself. I was physically drawn to
her just as much as I was emotionally right now.

“Then what do you want me to do?” she asked.

I smirked. “How about agreeing to go on a date with me?”

She wrinkled her nose.

“I would rather not,” she replied.

As I expected, Rose would prefer not to be around any crowds whatsoever. I was
starting to understand her more. I took another step towards her. She was trapped;
there was no exit. She was blocked by the counter and kitchen sink on both sides of
her. The only way to get out of the kitchen was through me. My wolf was fucking
smug about this.

“Then how about agreeing to be my girlfriend?” I asked.

“Girlfriend? Does this mean you want to publicize our bond ?” she retorted.

“I do,” I replied honestly.

“You are technically my teacher. People at school—”

“The people at school can go to hell. Nobody is stopping me from taking what’s
mine,” I replied. “Plus, this might be just what we need to make a statement to all
the females attending the school.”

Rosemary’s eyes lit up at the last part. She pulled in her bottom lip and did the
one thing I had hoped for. She nodded her head in agreement.

Surprisingly, I didn’t go home right after that. I stayed up until midnight at

Rosemary’s house, sitting in her living room. We ended up talking some more. By the
time that I did leave, we had finished most of her mom’s cookies that she had baked
earlier today, along with our tea, and a tall glass of milk.

When I arrived back at my place, I felt calm. Why wouldn’t I? I had been able to
listen to my mate talk for hours. It had felt good to be close to her. I could feel
her growing more comfortable with me. That fact made my heart beat joyously.

Author’s Note:

Yeah, they be making it halfway official. So what does this mean????? *snickers*

This is the last update for this week. I know but I have to work on Until Dawn. I
want to complete it soon. Also, for those who haven’t had a chance, I just put out
a book called Fallen. I am still unsure if I will continue it but it’s hovering in
my wattpad space for now. It is very different from werewolves’ books. When you
have time, swing by!

20

I woke up the next morning, eager to see Judah. I got ready for school in a hurry,
knowing he would be here to pick me up. By the time I made it downstairs, he was
already waiting for me. I heard him talking to my mom in the kitchen.

When I appeared in the doorway, Judah looked my way. My heart palpitated

immediately when I saw one corner of his lip lift into a half-smile. It was rare to
see Judah smile. He didn’t smile. He never smiled at me. Now, I could count on two
hands how many times he had smiled my way since last night.

He had a piece of bacon in his hand while leaning against the counter, a plate of
food in front of him. My mom must have made him breakfast while was waiting for me.

“Oh, Rose, you are finally down. Gamma Judah said he will be picking you up and
taking you to school from now on.” My mom’s smile was so obviously filled with
happiness and delight.
Judah and I ate in silence but silently exchanged furtive glances back and forth.
Whenever his eyes collided with mine, I couldn’t stop the surge of butterflies that
fluttered all throughout my stomach before looking away.

My eyes did a sneaky scan of Judah’s outfit. Judah has never dressed like a
teacher. In fact, he dresses like how he dresses everyday—a black V-neck t-shirt,
black skinny jeans, and his silver dog tag chain hanging low on his neck.

It seems like him and I have similar taste in clothes. We wear what we are
comfortable with. I usually go for dull, loose clothing. He goes with anything that
is black.

Judah finished his breakfast first and even washed his plate. He waited for me to
finish before he thanked my mom for breakfast.

I grabbed my backpack that was sitting on the round table in the small dining room
before kissing my mom on the cheek. It feels strange, but oddly it also feels like
Judah and I have done this for a very long time. We walked together side by side,
our shoulders brushing lightly as we approached his truck that was parked in our
small driveway.

Once we were inside his truck, he leaned towards me. I pressed myself back against
my seat in surprise and uncertainty. I had thought he was reaching for something
but that wasn’t the case. His olive eyes did a slow sweep of my face before
dropping to my lips and remaining there. I gulped, and my body shamelessly started
reacting to his close proximity. Then I heard something click and I blinked to see
that he had put on my seatbelt for me.

“Thank you,” I murmured, thinking he would return back to his seat.

However, he remained there, in front of me. Even if I tried looking away, it would
be useless. His face was mere inches from mine. Staring into his eyes was like
staring at a green valley filled dandelions. You could get lost staring into them.
He moved an inch closer and I took in a sharp inhale, my eyes dipping to his lips.

“Judah,” I breathed in a whisper. I looked up to see him looking at me already. His

eyes were darker now.

“Rose,” he whispered my name huskily, and it was like he had awoken a powerful
force inside of me. I wanted him. I needed to feel him, the sparks, and the bond.

My lips started to tingle and the urge to kiss him became overpowering. I licked my
lips while one of my hands moved to slide around one side of his neck. As if
reading where my thoughts were heading, he closed the rest of the gap between us.
His lips brushed mine innocently and a faint memory triggered in the back of my
mind.

It felt familiar, as if he had kissed me before and I just didn’t realize it. I
skimmed my lips against his in the same way he just did a second ago. He sharply
inhaled before parting his lips and slowly bringing my bottom lip in between his, a
guttural rumble vibrating from his throat. My insides twisted and bounced all over
the place, my heart rate picking up uncharacteristically. I couldn’t resist the
innate need to bring him closer.

Both my hands slid around his neck and I parted my lips, allowing him admission. He
deepened the kiss and I kissed him back just as fervently. An almost feral growl
vibrated from him again before he tore his lips away from me and flew back into his
seat. He released a ragged breath before shoving his hand through his hair.
“I-I’m sorry—”

“No, don’t be sorry, Rose. I liked it. I liked it a little too much, but you and I
both don’t know how much you and I can take.”

I bit my bottom lip before nodding my head. I saw how his eyes followed my upper
teeth scraping my bottom lip. I saw how his olive eyes darkened before he closed
them and looked away.

He turned on the ignition and pulled the truck out of the driveway. Together, we
drove in silence which was fine. It wasn’t uncomfortable. It was actually really
comfortable.

He wanted to go public and I said yes. This meant everybody would see us at school
together. This included school faculties and students—werewolves and humans.

I had a feeling it won’t just be the humans who will be shocked. Our entire pack
members will start questioning us. Gamma Judah dating a pack member without a rank.
I am a nobody. I rarely speak to anyone.

It is not that I care what others think. I don’t. It is just that I don’t like the
constant eyes that are on me. It heightens my anxiety.

The truck came to a full stop in the school parking lot. Judah had parked in the
faculty parking lot. He turned off the ignition and turned my way.

“Are you still willing to go public with me, or are you having second thoughts?” he
asked, not to goad me, but to make sure I am comfortable before we exited together.

For a minute, I looked at him. I really looked at him. This powerful, high ranking
male werewolf shifter is my mate. It is a fact that I have accepted even before I
knew I did. If I told him, no, I will be turning away my fated soulmate. The one
person who is destined to be mine.

Silently, I shook my head, and one corner of his lips lifted.

“Is that a no or a yes?” he pressed further.

A shy smile appeared on my face before I answered him, “I still want to go public.”

“Are you sure?” He lifted a hand to cup my cheek, his thumb caressing it as he held
my attention. He has a tendency to want to look into my eyes when he is asking for
affirmation.

I nodded again. He sighed before leaning forward and brushing his lips across my
forehead. It was intimately sweet, and my heart was performing Olympic jumps in my
chest.

He was the first to step out of the truck. I watched him round to the head of the
truck and wait for me. I glanced at school where students were already looking our
way and then back at him.

My hand slowly inched forward, and I opened the door before slipping out of his
vehicle. Thankfully, today I dressed in a looser light grey t-shirt and black
skinny jeans. I also let down my strawberry blonde hair. Hooking my backpack over
one of my shoulders, I walked over to him.

I didn’t look up which is why I noticed his hand sticking out with his palm up. I
looked up at him and he looked back down at his hand. He wanted to hold my hand. I
exhaled an unsteady breath before tucking one strand of hair behind my ear and
slipping my hand into his warm calloused hand. My hand is so much smaller compared
to his big ones.

We walked down the sidewalk. Students began whispering. I can hear them. He can
hear them. We both had superhuman hearing.

Some faculty members stopped to watch. Most of them were pack members but a few
were humans. They looked at us too but not with judging eyes. They were basically
curious. Our pack has been here for the longest time. There have been many mating
pairs in the past before us. I am sure that many of them are not surprised at this
point even if they aren’t fully aware of who we are. They can probably sense how
powerful Judah is but they don’t know that we are inhuman.

As we neared the school entrance, my grip on Judah’s hand tightened terribly, to

the point where his wolf instinct was to pull me closer to his side. He shielded me
with his body as much as he could.

I was comforted by his kindness. He didn’t need me to tell him how uncomfortable I
was. He knew it and tried to keep me away from all the attention we were receiving.

Once we were inside the school, he walked me to my locker where Scott stood waiting
for me. His eyes widened as soon as he saw me with Judah. Judah dropped me off by
my locker.

“I’ll see you later?” Judah asked.

I nodded and couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on my face. He smirked before
releasing my hand and disappearing down a hallway to his office.

“I can’t believe what I had just witnessed,” Scott said in awe.

I rolled my eyes and turned to open my locker. Scott grabbed my shoulders and
turned me to face him.

“You and he are together? You and he are making this public? Oh my god!” he
exclaimed.

“Shh!” I placed a finger to my lips.

“Girl, there is no need to shush me anymore. Everyone must know by now,” Scott
laughed.

“Can we not talk about it?”

Just then, Bethany rounded the lockers with Dana. She narrowed her eyes at me.

“So, b*tch did want our Gamma.” Bethany leaned against the locker next to mine.

“Mind your own business,” Scott growled.

Bethany’s eyes drifted to Scott and she gave Scott a quick once over.

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Protective instinct taking over, I slammed my locker shut and turned to face her.
She turned her attention back to me, and I can see she was trying to push my
buttons. She reeked of jealousy and hatred. My wolf is prowling in my mind,
threatening to be freed and kill her competition. Any female wolf interested in her
mate is a threat to her.

“Aw, it’s cute. She’s trying to be intimidating,” Dana leered next to Bethany.

“You know what I think?” I took a step towards her, Bethany refused to back down.
She glared right back.

“I think you’re jealous that Judah likes me.”

She snorted, “He doesn’t care about you. He’s only using you. Who would want you?
Have you taken a look in the mirror lately?”

“I have, and I don’t give two shits what I wear. I don’t need to cake on makeup to
look good. In fact, I don’t care how Judah looks at me but I do care if you talk a
lot of shit about people who are close to me.” I replied calmly back but I was
anything but calm.

The rage shimmered throughout me. My heart was thumping fast in my chest because
all I wanted to do was finish what I started the other day. I took another large
step towards her.

“You’re just a good fuck to him. He’s just trying to get into your pants.
Otherwise, you aren’t shit. I wouldn’t be too cocky, because once he is done with
you, you won’t have anyone backing up your ass. And when that time comes, I’ll be
the first in line to tear your throat and first to warm his bed for sure.”

My wolf came rushing to the forefront of my mind. She wanted blood. She wanted
Bethany to be on the ground writhing in pain.

I was sure she could see that I was close to losing control because she stepped
back. A smirk on her face as if she had finally triggered me and was happy. I
watched her walk away, shaking. I wanted to kill her, but I was sure that soiling
the school floor with her blood won’t be a pleasant cleanup for the janitors.

Scott grabbed my elbow to get my attention. I took a long, steady breaths before
doing a quick scan. Some pack members stopped to look. Once they saw me looking
their way, they walked away.

Scott ended up leaving for his first class soon after calming me down. I walked to
my first class of the day, Animal Science. Sitting in my regular seat in the back,
I took out my textbook, notebook, and mechanical pencil. Our teacher who is another
pack member walked in. She was not a high ranking official, but a pack nurse who
did part-time teaching here at the school. All the students in this classroom were
our pack members.

Class didn’t start for another five minutes, and the classroom was filled with loud
voices and chatter. I felt someone slip into the seat next to mine. Normally, I sat
alone, which caused me to look up and see Noah, another pack member, slipping into
the seat. He gave me a smile when he finally caught my attention.

Noah wasn’t a popular male wolf. He had friends, here and there. We walked past
each other but we didn’t peak with each other. Honestly, we had never spoken until
now.

“Hey, I’m Noah,” he stuck out his hand.

“Rose,” I replied blankly.

“I know who you are. I saw Bethany approach you by the senior lockers.”
Great, now he wanted to know the gossip. I opened my textbook to the chapter we
would be working on today and then opened my notebook to the next clean page.

“I don’t want to know what happened. I just wanted to say, that was awesome. The
way you stood up to her.”

I looked at him to see if he was serious, my eyes narrowing to slits. He smirked

when he saw my expression.

“Honest truth. No need to be suspicious of me. I don’t like her.”

“Everybody likes her,” I countered.

“You don’t like her.” He pointed out.

He has a point. I turned back to my work, brushing him off again. From the corner
of my eyes, I could see he wanted to continue talking to me, but Mrs. Jameson spoke
up a second before he could ask me anything else.

An hour later, and I am stuffing my textbooks and notebooks into my backpack. I

slung the strap over my shoulder and headed out the door before everyone else. The
hallways began flooding with people.

“Hey! Rose, wait!”

I turned around to see Noah chasing after me. I stopped to wait for him. I could
keep walking but he would just continue chasing and calling my name. Once he
reached my side, he was still smiling.

“Hey, I was wondering if we can be study partners for our finals?” he asked.

“I don’t need a study partner,” I replied.

He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, but I was thinking,
maybe we can hang out sometime.”

“Why are you speaking to me?” I questioned, unable to resist. Nobody ever talked to
me.

“Why not? You seem pretty cool. Plus, I think you’re hot.” He grinned.

Suddenly, tingles of awareness spread all over my back. I knew who it was even
before I turned. Completely disregarding Noah’s offer, I turned to see Judah
walking down the hallway with Beta Ace. His olive eyes were pinned on me until they
skimmed over Noah. The sliver of darkness glazed those irises, a look of irritation
flashing across his face.

“Hey,” Noah tried getting my attention again.

I don’t think he had heard the rumors yet about Judah and I, or else he would be
running the opposite way Judah is coming from.

“Thank you for asking me but I don’t think I can be your study partner,” I turned
back to look at him.

“Oh c’mon, is it because I called you hot? Ok, fine, you aren’t hot, but you are
nerdy sexy. I dig that.” He gave me another lopsided grin.
“The only thing you will be digging is your grave,” Beta Ace said from behind me.
The tingles in my back spread heatedly and I could feel Judah standing right behind
me.

Noah looked at Beta Ace with an alarmed face, “I’m sorry, did I do something
wrong?”

“The only thing you did wrong is talking to her.” Beta Ace gestured a thumb in my
direction.

I covered my face with my palms. Could these two not hover? I could handle talking
to Noah.

“But, wait, I don’t understand,” Noah stuttered.

“How about I make it easier for you? Stay the fuck away from her,” Judah growled
lowly and inhumanely.

Noah jumped a foot before he nodded and scurried away. Slowly, I felt my mate walk
around me and grab both of my wrists. Sparks flew from his fingers to my skin.

“I’ll catch you later, Ace,” he growled to his friend before tearing my hands away
from my face and dragging me into his office.

21

I slammed the door closed behind me before spinning Rosemary in front of me. Her
eyes immediately sought out mine. She’s surprised but I’m pissed off and I am
beyond rational. She can see how angry I am. The second late bell rang out in the
hallway. She glanced behind me and then back at me.

“I am late for class,” she said, tried to move around me but my arm halted her by
wrapping around her waist.

She looked up at me in question. I pulled her to stand in front of me. Those light
russet eyes blinked in confusion and swirled with questions.

“Jude?” she questioned.

“I don’t like the way he was looking at you,” I grounded, trying to fight off the
overwhelming emotions flooding my mind. It was like a constant hypnotic wave.

“How was he looking at me?” she cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of
me.

Noah isn’t a threat. He has turned eighteen earlier this year and has not found his
mate. There is nothing wrong with him except that he is newly matured. I never
minded him in the past but now, my wolf and I dislike his fucking ass. I want to go
back out there and beat the crap out of him. I wanted to tear apart my challenger
and show my mate exactly who is worthy to stand by her side.

“Just don’t talk to him anymore,” I growled through clenched teeth, still fighting
off the overwhelming urge to claim her.
Every damn day not marking her is a challenge. I’m on edge. I don’t like being
triggered and I sure as hell do not like it when unmated males crawl up to my
mate’s side asking to be study partners. She’s nobody’s fucking study partner.

“And if I do?” she taunted further, not caring what I will do.

The balls on this woman are bigger than most pack warriors I work with every day
either that or she doesn’t know what territory she is treading into. Does she not
understand how hard it is for me to control myself?

A low, feral and territorial growl rumbled from my chest before I grabbed her by
the arm, slammed her up against the wall of my office away from the office door and
boxed her in. She tried to move but I curled my lips back and flashed her my
canines. My eyes dropping to her neck where I can see her pulse throbbing lightly
against her skin.

Mine.

I moved closer, my lips going close to the crook of her left neck. She pressed her
palms against my chest. Inhaling, I can literally taste her blood and scent on my
tongue.

“I’m trying here, my little Rose. Don’t make me do something we both will regret,”
I grounded through clenched teeth.

I pressed my lips to her throbbing pulse. She fisted my shirt and she unconsciously
tilted her head to the side to give me better access.

Shit! My canines cut the inside of my lips. I can taste my own blood. I recoiled
away from her but quickly realize that will be impossible as she still had a grip
on my shirt.

“Werewolves are territorial, Rose. You’re my mate. I can’t help but be possessive.
I haven’t marked you yet and it’s driving me crazy. Don’t tease me unless you want
to complete this process.” My hand went over her hands that were gripping my shirt
before I slowly pulled her away.

“It’s just Noah,” she countered.

“He is an unmated male. You’re mine, Rose,” I snarled in anger.

“Is it just the bond?” she changed the subject so quickly, it took me a minute to
understand.

“What?” My eyes slid to meet questioning ones.

“Do you want me just because of the bond?”

I’m caught off guard with that question. I didn’t expect her to ask me that
question. She looked away, just like how she always does when she doesn’t want to
reveal too much. I halted her actions by pinching her chin and turning her to look
back at me. I needed to see those light russet-colored eyes.

“What do you think?” I whispered, my eyes scanning her face for any indication or
flood of emotions.

She tried to look away again, but I pinched tighter and demanded her to answer my
questions with my eyes.
“I know you, Judah. You hate me a lot. You’re always yelling at me and barking for
me to get out of your way. We are nothing alike. You have friends and I don’t. I
prefer to be alone when you are surrounded by people. Ladies want you and—”

“And?” I waited for her to continue.

“I don’t know why we are mates,” she whispered, and my wolf whimpered inside my
mind. Something twists inside my rib cage.

“You’re right. I don’t know why we are mates. I did hate your guts. You annoy me
with your indifference and inability to reveal emotions. Fuck, even now, it is hard
to get a read on you and you are my mate. You challenge me. You push me to my
limits. You infuriate me. None of that has changed even with the mate bond
magnifying between us. Everything about you sends me on edge,” I replied.

She gulped and a flash of hurt crossed her eyes. Damn those emotions. I live for
those emotions. I will do anything for her to show me and tell me all her secrets.

“I’m late for class.” She pushed hard on my chest to push me away.

“What I feel for you hasn’t changed—” She pushed harder and gave an angry grunt of
frustration when I still refuse to move.

I moved to cup her cheeks, forcing her to look at me once again. She lowered her
eyelashes to stop me from looking into her eyes. We are standing so close to each
other. If she took one more step, her body will be pressed up against mine.

“What I feel for you hasn’t changed because you still manage to do all that even
after the bond, but I don’t just feel possessive and jealous because of the bond.”

She stopped struggling.

“Look at me, Rose,” I ordered.

Her eyes fluttered open to meet mine. It is like looking through an open portal of
emotions. I can drink all those emotions in until I am drunk with them and I still
won’t get enough of it.

“I am possessive and jealous of you because I like you, Rose. I fucking like how
you push me to my limits. I like how you infuriate me and manage to piss me off all
in one breath. I like how fate has chosen you to be my mate. I earned the right to
be the only male who can be possessive and jealous of you which is why I am
ordering you to stay away from all unmated males,” I whispered, leaning forward to
suck on her bottom lip.

She sighed in either relief or defeat? I am not sure which, but I felt her
instinctively leaned forward into my embrace. I meant everything I said. I don’t
normally talk but it’s the truth. This female is the very definition that drives me
crazy, but she was also everything that I needed. I like her. I like her a lot.

When I pulled back to look down at her, her eyes were glazed with desire and needs.
Her arousing scent filled my tiny office space and burning permanently in my brain.
There is no doubt how much I want her. The raging hard on in my pants was becoming
uncomfortable.

When the third bell rang, I released her back to her next class—almost reluctantly.

I had to pace around my office until my raging hard on had calm down before I went
for my next class. Like every other day, I pushed everyone harder than I should,
but I needed to get rid of this pent-up urge to be balls deep inside my mate.

Later that day after dropping Rosemary back off at home. I headed over to the
packhouse to meet my parents. I don’t like dropping by, but my father had made it
clear that he wanted me over to discuss some pack matters.

I knocked on my father’s office in the packhouse and heard his gruff voice for me
to enter. My father sat in his office chair. He stopped what he was doing when he
saw me. My mother knitted by the fireplace. She looked up and gave me a soft smile
when she saw it was me.

“Judah, sweetie,” my mother smiled.

“Judah, you’re here. Good. Sit down, let’s talk.” My father stood up from his chair
and walked around the desk to sit next to my mother.

I moved to sit across from them.

“We called you here because it seems you have been ignoring Katie. She has just
turned eighteen and has not found her mate within the pack. Have you talked to her
yet?” My father asked.

“No,” I replied.

“Honey, you are twenty-one and yet to find your mate. Do you want to settle down?
Have you ever tried to find your mate?” my mother questioned, worriedly.

“If you do not have any intentions of finding your mate, I think you should
consider mating with Alpha Katie. Your status will change. You will work as an
equal alongside her. She will rule the pack and you will serve as her mate,” my
father suggested with a wave of his hand.

“I am not interested.”

“Kara, please talk some sense to our son.” My father’s patience is wearing thin.

“Darling, tell me what’s wrong. Katie seems like a perfect fit. Some mates are not
destined and are chosen. There is no harm in—”

“I am not interested,” I snarled, ending my mother’s reasoning.

My father stood up immediately. He’s pissed off. He begins to pace the small
enclosed office space. His shoulders are tense.

“We want grandpups. I will not allow you to be alone. You will mate regardless if
you like it or not!” my father roared his displeasure.

“Joseph, please calm down,” my mother scolded by my father.

He turned to face her and at once his eyes softened a little. Growling his
displeasure, he moved to sit in the seat next to her again.

“You will mate, Judah.” My father forced his order. “Your mother and I want grand
pups. We want to grow old and see you mated.”

I didn’t want to tell them yet because I wasn’t ready. I wanted to strengthen the
mate bond between Rosemary and I more before having my parents interfere but if I
don’t tell them, they will force me to mate with Alpha Katie.
“I found my mate,” I replied.

My mother’s eyes perked up. My father’s eyes snapped to me.

“Who is it?” my mother asked.

“Rosemary,” I replied.

“Rosemary? Catalina’s daughter?” my father questioned, standing up again.

“Oh,” my mother whispered with a little worry in her voice.

“What?” I looked between them both.

“When did you find this out?” My father ignored my question and asked one of his
own.

“At the resort, she turned eighteen. Tell me what’s going on.” I stood up this time
to look at my father directly in the eyes.

My mother sighed before getting up and walking over to take hold of my hand.

“Calm down, it is nothing. It does not change our opinions of her. If we didn’t
like her, she wouldn’t be in this pack.”

“Then what is it?” I asked, returning my eyes to my father.

“Son, your mate is not what you think she is.” (I was so totally going to end it
here but then I can hear you guys jumping off the cliff with cries of desperation)

“Sit down, Jude.” My mother tugged on my arm.

“No. Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on,” I growled impatiently.

My parents exchanged looks before my father answered me.

“When Catalina approached our pack territory thirteen years ago, she had asked for
sanctuary. She offered her skills and plead her case. The Alpha felt sympathetic
towards her and Rosemary. We took her in as our pack member but before we could
accept Catalina and Rosemary, we had to know who they were and their history.

Catalina told us that her mate was human. He was a hunter. She was blinded by the
bond, but her mate wasn’t. He was cruel. He used her for experimentation and in
every way possible. When Catalina found out she was pregnant with Rosemary. She
found a way to make her mate trust her. She lied to him and ran away. She stayed on
the run for five years and raised Rosemary on her own until five when they finally
entered our territory. “

I understood exactly why he told me this.

“Nobody else in this pack knows this because he is still hunting them,” I said and
immediately knew I was right.

“She’s part human which is why she doesn’t crave social life as much as we do. She
gets cold and wear thicker clothes. Her eyesight isn’t as great as ours. Does
Rosemary know this?” I asked.

My father shook his head, “Her mother does not want her to know.”
My wolf is feeling anxious. Suddenly, we both needed to see our mate. We needed to
make sure she is alright. I tried to reason with myself by saying I had just
dropped her off at home an hour ago but that wasn’t enough. I needed to be close to
her. Without another word, I turned on my feet and headed out of my father’s office
and out of the packhouse.

Author’s Note:

*sprinkles confetti at you*

me today

22

After Judah dropped me off at home, I quickly noted that my mom was not home as
usual before heading up the stairs to my bedroom. I walked into my closet and
pulled out some black leggings and Judah’s stolen oversized t-shirt that I took at
the resort.

Stepping out of the bedroom, I walked to the bathroom to take a shower. I took my
time in lathering up my hair, washing it, and then focused on soaping up my body
when I heard a loud crash coming from downstairs. Alarmed, I turned off the shower
and grabbed the towel. Wrapping it around me, I reached for the door only to have
it kicked down a second later. I let out a death scream.

Judah stood before me terrified and desperate. His eyes landed on me immediately.
Before I can react, he marched over to me and swept me up into his arms.

“What the hell?” I screamed.

Has he gone insane? He had just kicked down my bathroom door. I am completely naked
underneath this towel. Gripping the knot tightly in my hands, I pounded on his back
with my first.

“Put me down, you—” The smell of smoke filled my nostrils.

Realization dawned on me and I realized my home is on fire which is why Judah came
barging into my bathroom. It also explains why he was freaking out. He started at a
run towards my window. My eyes widened when I saw what he was about to do.

“Wait—”

He didn’t wait. He ran towards the window and used his back to shield and break the
window. We both went flying out. He landed on his feet perfectly with me safe in
his arms. Together, we both turned towards my house which was already two-thirds of
the way burned down. My home was on fire downstairs and I didn’t even realize it. I
was taking a shower. I could have died.

“What the hell happened?” I still can’t believe what had just happened.

I am pretty sure the stove and oven was not on. I didn’t smell anything suspicious—
well, to be honest, I didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings. I was too busy
thinking about Judah when he brought me home.
Judah set me down on the ground before stripping off his black t-shirt and yanking
it over my body. I am thankful he was still being mindful of how very naked I am
right now. I slipped my arms through before marching right back towards the house.
He grabbed the collar of his shirt to stop me from going any further. I felt like a
pup being dragged by the scuff.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing?” he asked.

“My family pictures, my clothes, my books.” I started to list off all the important
things to me.

The sound of the firetruck can be heard from a distance. Judah wasn’t having any of
my crap. He crouched down and tossed me over his shoulders in a blink of an eye
just as the firetruck rounded the corner and pulled up on my street.

“Your life means more to me right now, Rose,” he growled angrily before stomping
off.

“My house just got burned down. I don’t understand. What happened?”

Once we were a safe distance away from the house and the firemen started working in
defusing the fire, he set me back down onto the ground. His eyes were dark with
fury. He looked like he could kill someone right now. He’s furious.

“I don’t understand.” I kept repeating.

Suddenly, familiar people came running to the end of the driveway. My mom, the
Alpha and Luna, Beta Ace, Alpha Hunter, and Scott. Their eyes scanned the house
before finding both Judah and I on the street. My mom rushed over and pulled me
into her arms. Judah met the rest of the group.

They were whispering in low voices back and forth. The longer they carried the
conversation, the more pissed Judah became. He’s shaking and struggling to control
himself in front of a few human firemen. Alpha Hunter placed a hand on Judah’s
shoulder and I can see him trying to calm Judah down. Judah wasn’t having any of
it.

“Are you okay? What happened?” my mom asked the same question I have been asking
Judah.

“I don’t know. I came home and took a shower before I knew what was happening,
Judah broke down the door and we escaped through the window. I don’t understand,
mom. The oven wasn’t on. I would know if it was on.” I kept rambling.

She nodded her head in understanding before patting my head in reassurance.

“It’s okay. Nothing else matters. You are the only thing that matters to me,” she
replied.

A second later, Alpha Hunter, Beta Ace, and Judah appeared in my line of vision. My
mom and I pulled back and I saw the stricken expression on Alpha Hunter’s face.

“It looks like we will have to relocate you to the packhouse until we can find you
two a new home.”

“What happened?” My eyes finding Judah again.

Judah’s jaw ticked and his fists were clenched at his sides but he didn’t answer
me. Beta Ace ended up answering for him.
“Rosemary, when you got home did you notice anything different?” Beta Ace
questioned.

I tried to remember but again, I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings. I

shook my head.

“That’s ok. We will investigate this thoroughly. Whatever happened, we will find
out for you,” Alpha Hunter promised.

“Catalina, how about you and your daughter catch a ride back with us?” Luna Mikaela
offered from behind Judah and them. “I can have a pack member fix up two spare
bedrooms for you two.”

“She’ll stay with me,” Judah spoke up gruffly.

Everyone’s eyes snapped to him. This is the first time Judah is publicly announcing
a relationship with me. He did this without consulting with me. Alpha Hunter’s
parents don’t know our relationship.

“I don’t think that is a very good idea,” Luna Mikaela looked like a mother ready
to fend for her pups. I found it reassuring that she cared enough about our well
beings. My mom, on the other hand, knew who Judah was to me.

“It’s okay, mom,” Alpha Hunter interrupted which earned him her glowering eyes.

“She’s unmated and he is unmated. They should not be in one home together.”

My mom chuckled a little and walked up to Luna Mikaela before slightly bowing her
head.

“I am grateful for your concern on my daughter’s behalf but I am okay with Gamma
Judah taking my daughter to his home. I know he will not hurt her,” my mom started.

“Wait, what?” Luna Mikaela is completely confused.

“What I mean is that my daughter’s mate is Gamma Judah. I am sure his wolf is
wanting to be reassured that his mate is safe and by safe, safe in the same home as
him. Who better to protect her than her mate?” my mom clarified.

Luna Mikaela’s scrutinizing eyes zipped between Judah and I. Judah and I had wanted
to keep our mateship on the down low but now that will not work anymore as my
lovely mom had just revealed our mateship to the Alpha and Luna.

“Is this true?” Luna Mikaela looked at me.

“I—” I am a fish out in the open gasping for water right at this moment.

“It is true, Luna.” Judah saved me. “She is my mate but we prefer not to announce
this publicly yet to the pack, especially with what had just happened today. I want
to keep everything quiet until we find out what happened.”

He is making it sound like someone purposely put my house on fire like the fire was
intentional to kill me-my eyes snapped to Judah.

Was that why he was so angry?

“Alright,” Luna Mikaela nodded in agreement.

“I think I should stay at the packhouse with my mom,” I interrupted.

My mom smiled my way before walking over to place her hands on my shoulders.

“I would love that but I don’t think Gamma Judah would like that very much. Life
and death situations tend to scare our wolves very much. Even if you don’t need
him, he needs you.”

Judah had disappeared from my side to finish his conversation with his buddies but
I can see how tense his shoulders were. He is on alert of his surroundings. His
eyes, every now and then, will do a quick sweep of our surroundings before
flickering back to me.

“Ok,” I conceded.

She gave me another smile before pulling me into a hug.

“I will be fine at the packhouse. You don’t have to worry about me. I practically
live there.”

After hugging my mom and saying goodbye to everyone. Alpha Hunter and Beta Ace
stayed behind to further investigate the scene. Judah took me to his truck and
buckled me in. He was completely silent through the ride to his house.

It was on the opposite side of town. When we arrived, I took my time examining the
exterior of his home. He had chosen a house close to a lake. The exterior had dark
green horizontal sidings and shaped into an ’L’ shape. A small size porch in the
front of the home.

“So, you live here?” I asked stupidly.

He nodded his response before shutting off the ignition and getting out of his
truck. I decided to follow him. I trailed a yard behind him as he walked up the
three steps to his porch and looked through his keys for the keys to his door.

When we entered the home and he flipped a switch, his entire home lit up. I
expected an unclean, bachelor pad, and filled with the color black, but it was the
opposite. The home is very clean. The kitchen counters sparkled underneath the
chandelier lighting just to tell me how clean it was.

His living room is open with no walls to block off for privacy. It leads directly
to the kitchen and dining room. His living room isn’t extravagantly designed. It
had three dark coffee sofas, a cherry oak coffee table in the middle and a plush
red velvet rug in the middle. His kitchen is big enough to fit ten people. It has a
rectangular kitchen island in the middle, granite countertops, a stove, oven,
coffee maker, and fridge. This home might be simple and ordinary but compared to my
home it is beautiful.

When I realized he hadn’t moved from my side, I turned to see him looking at me. He
was waiting for a reaction.

“It’s beautiful,” I smiled.

I can see relief flash across his eyes before he set his keys into a key bowl by
the door. He turned to face me.

“I have four bedrooms. If you go down this hall, to the end, and to your right,
that room is the master bedroom which is mine right now. You can use the other
three if you would like. They have not been used at all.”
It is starting to sink in that I am in my mate’s home. He is talking about
bedrooms. If I say, can I sleep in the same room as you? Would I be too forward? If
I tell him, I want to sleep in a spare bedroom? Would he be offended? How does this
work? I don’t know what to say. He’s staring at me. He is expecting an answer from
me.

“Ok,” I replied.

He cocked an eyebrow as if to question me further. Ok, what? Ok, you will sleep in
the same room as me? Ok as you will not sleep in the same room as me?

“I-uh…”

“I didn’t realize all it took for you to be speechless was to bring you to my
home,” he broke the tense air with that remark.

“I’m not speechless.” I scoffed.

He broke into a lopsided grin before turning to walk down the hallway. Quickly, I
followed in his footsteps, not knowing where he is going but not wanting to be
alone too. When he stopped and opened a bedroom that was opposite to his.

“This can be your room.” He gestured inside. I peeked in and saw how comfortable it
looked. It had a queen size bed with quilted blankets and a few drawers inside.

I chewed the inside of my cheek before turning to look back at him.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t mind you sleeping in the same room as me. After what
happened earlier, I will feel a lot better to have you closer.” He avoided my eyes
when he spoke. I can see how unsure he was for the first time.

“It’s not just your wolf?”

He gave me a questioning look.

“It’s not just your wolf that is anxious, it is you too?”

His thick eyebrows wrinkled in confusion before he nodded.

“I would feel better if you slept in the same room as me.”

Memories of him telling me he likes me flitted through my mind and I couldn’t stop
the blush from appearing on my cheeks. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind sleeping in the
same room as him.

“Ok,” I replied before reaching for his door and opening it.

I guess I spoke too soon. His room is filled with black quilted blankets,
pillowcases, and curtains. That is something I am going to need to change out when
we-Wait, Rosemary. Are you seriously thinking about the future right now?

He brushed past me and walked inside. I followed him like a shadow. He went through
his second drawer before pulling out an old and worn sleeping pants that were small
enough to fit me.

“These were mine. I grew out of them but they should fit you.” He handed them to
me.
I forgot I was completely naked underneath his shirt. I murmured a quiet thanks
before pulling the pants on. When I looked at him, he had some clean clothes under
his arms.

“I’m going to take a shower. If you want, you can take a look around.”

I watched him walk into the master bedroom before my eyes drifted around his
bedroom. I started on one end. My fingers trailing his desk where some papers were
piled on them neatly. This is where he did his work when he was home. My fingers
skimmed his dresser and caught sight of a picture of him earning the pack trophy
for the pack combat competition several years ago. He looked young but his eyes
never changed. There were still dark olive and brooding eyes. A smile didn’t touch
his lips in this picture but he still looked very handsome.

I walked by his bedroom window where the sheer black curtains hung. I picked up the
sheer material in my hand before looking out the window to the lake. By now it was
night time and the moon is high above us. I like this a lot because I enjoy nightly
swims and this part of the lake is wooded and private.

The sound of the lock unlocking from the bathroom catches my attention and I turned
just in time to see him come out half naked in only a pair of black sleeping pants.
He had a towel in his hand and was ruffling it through his dark umber locks to dry
them as much as possible.

His eyes did a quick scan but quickly found me ogling his body. I have seen him
half naked multiple times in the past even before we were mates but somehow,
tonight, I am deeply affected by how good he looks and how good he smells.

Biting my lips, I tore my eyes away and to the bed. I felt his eyes followed my
line of sight. We were both looking at the bed.

He took a few more steps and threw his towel in the hamper before walking over to
the bed. He got onto the opposite side of the bed, pulled the covers back, pulled
the covers up to his chest and then putting an arm behind his head to prop himself
up a little.

I played with the hem of his shirt that he gave me.

“Are you going to sleep or stand there all night?” he asked.

I frowned.

“Um, sleep?” I told him.

“Then crawl into bed before I carry you into bed,” he ordered before rolling onto
his side with his back facing me.

I tried not to pout but he was being a major ass. Rolling my eyes, I shoved aside
my nervousness. It is not like he is going to ravish me once I get into bed next to
him. We are just sleeping. Besides, he doesn’t seem affected at all that I am in
his home. So, why should I be affected?

I started walking towards him but when he suddenly spoke up, I stopped walking.

“Can you turn off the light before coming to bed?” he asked.

I snorted. No. I can’t.

I crawled into bed, punched his pillow harshly a few times before settling my head
onto it. I turned my back to face him. Oh, I’m pouting and I am furious. He will
turn off the light. I will not do it. Oh my god, I am fighting over the stupidest
thing. Now, I’m mad at him for making me fight over the stupidest thing with him.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on sleeping. It took a lot of effort but
eventually, I did fall asleep.

When I awoke in the middle of the night, I found the bedroom light was turned off
and I am no longer sleeping on my pillow. Instead, I am nicely spooned against
Judah’s chest and sharing one pillow with him.

Author’s Note:

So I went book hunting on Wattpad because I needed a good heartache. It is so hard

to find a good book. You guys are amazing with the suggestions but I am such a
stickler when it comes to plot lines. I don’t like girls who give in easily. Ie;
married via contract, male lead sleeps with whomever he wants but she can’t see
anyone or sleep with anyone. She’s okay with that because she’s so in love with
him. *Facepalm ten times*

23

When I was eight, I got lost in the woods in our territory. I was newly shifted but
unaware of my surroundings yet. I wandered too far with my wolf. Under these
circumstances, pups don’t travel far. They stay close to what they are familiar
with which is why nobody noticed I was gone.

At that time, I was still scared of the dark. I was defenseless against any kind of
animals or creatures that might have found me in those woods. Every little sound or
noise scared me. I wandered aimlessly for hours. I tried not to cry. My father
said, crying was for the baby and I was a big boy. I shouldn’t cry because it will
make me weak. However, that didn’t stop the tears that were stinging my eyes. I
remember rubbing them and telling them to go away.

I kept repeating in my head that I am a Gamma. Gammas don’t cry. We fight. We

figure out how to get out of tough situations like this.

Even with that pep talk, it did not prepare me for what I faced that night. A feral
rabid werewolf that has been in the wild far too long has somehow wandered onto our
territory. They were vicious creatures that have lost all humanity. The second it
saw me, it came after me.

I ran but my feet couldn’t compare to how fast his paws were hitting the ground. I
hear his heavy pants and hungry growls. It knocked me down onto the ground and its
claws dug into my chest as a statement for me to not move or else I die. I
whimpered and started breathing hard. It reeked and saliva dripped down onto my
cheeks.

I knew if I didn’t fight it, I will die. I also knew that the chances of me
surviving was minimal. However, I had to try. So, I shifted underneath the feral
wolf. My tiny wolf compared to its matured large size. It snarled and sneered
before launching at me. I jumped to one side before snapping onto his neck, tearing
him apart.
That was the only time I have ever been really scared in my life but I grew up. I
learned to fight for myself but now I have something new. Somebody new that seems
to push me in all kinds of places.

Upon seeing that fire and catching the scent of a very pungent women perfume. My
heart literally dropped to the ground. I wasn’t just scared, I was terrified. I
couldn’t breathe. The ultimate fear of losing what could be everything for me--what
could be my future. I shoved all rational thoughts aside. Any conversations or
ability to assess situations were gone. I didn’t care if I lived or died. I only
knew I needed her.

I looked down at her sleeping form. She snuggled up to my body like a warm blanket.
Her arms and legs slung over my body like I’m a body pillow. Drool slipping down
one corner of her mouth. She did not sleep pretty at all. This is the girl that I
walked through fire for.

I had asked Ace to call into school and requested a day off for Rosemary. Knowing
her though, I had Scott picked up her homework assignments if needed. She’s not
going to school today. Today, I needed to be reassured she is okay.

That scent last night, I did not miss. I knew who it was immediately. I am reminded
of the incident back at the resort. Hunter and Ace told me that Rosemary claimed
she was pushed. That she didn’t deliberately run into a frenzied fight. Although I
am unable to identify who it was that might have pushed her, I am not an idiot. I
can connect the dots. Rosemary does not have any enemies because doesn’t have any
friends. She started gaining enemies when she met me.

She is constantly in harm’s way because of me. That alone was enough to set me on
the trail of the culprit. I needed to get this resolved and I needed to do it fast.

I slipped out of bed as stealthy as I can. Once I was away, I walked out of the
bedroom and down the hallway to the front door where I had left my keys and cell
phone last night. Picking it up, I dialed Hunter’s phone number.

He picked up on the second ring, “Sup, Jude?”

“Where are you?” I can hear voices in the background.

“Still at Rosemary’s house.”

“What have you found?” I asked, walking out of the house and onto the porch so that
Rosemary doesn’t overhear the conversation.

It was still early in the morning but outside was gloomy with the impending
rainstorm we will be receiving tonight into the next few days. Already, some roads
are closed to keep people safe from flooded areas. There was also a cool breeze to
the air but I found it eerily relaxing.

“Not good. We found an arsen kit in the back of their house. It is an amateur kit
that can be conjured up in a science lab at school but it was enough to set the
house completely on fire,” Hunter replied.

“So, someone from the local high school?” I clenched and unclenched my fist at my
side.

“The stuff that was used was stuff from the high school but Jude, we don’t know who
—”

“I fucking know who did it,” I snarled into the phone, unable to hold back the
rising fury inside of me. My wolf is snarling and demanding bloodshed.

“What? Who?” Hunter asked.

“I’m going to kill her,” I growled.

“Whoa, ok, hold on a minute here. You need to tell me what is going on before you
do anything irrational. If you know who it is, I need to know. There has to be a
proper investigation. We can’t just kill on sight. It’s unethical and we will bring
the whole Councils down on us.” Hunter tried reasoning with me.

I started pacing because the urge to shift was becoming overwhelming. My wolf is
getting agitated and pushing hard to escape. I can already feel the bristling of
furs on my arm.

“Jude. Judah. Gamma Judah, I am ordering you to answer me,” Hunter commanded. There
was no humor in his voice. He is ordering me as his third in command to answer him.

Closing my eyes, I squeezed them shut. Pressing two fingers to pinch between my
eyes. An irritating headache was starting to form with me trying to fight off my
wolf’s overpowering need to tear someone’s throat apart.

“Last night, I smelled her. She was there.” I tried to be coherent as much as
possible.

“Who?” Hunter prodded further.

“Bethany,” I snarled inhumanely.

Her name fueled my rising rage even further. I knew if she stood in front of me
right now, she would be dead.

“Bethany? Now that you mentioned it, I remember Rosemary saying something about
her. Also, the incident in class, I thought by assigning her community service will
allow her a chance to redeem herself. Don’t worry about it. I will take care of
this. Meet me at the packhouse at three today.” Hunter was speaking but everything
was falling on deaf’s ears. I couldn’t think. My primal instincts are taking over
and all I wanted to do was protect.

The words were being chanted in my head repeatedly.

Bethany harmed mate.

Kill her.

“Jude? You still there, man?” Hunter asked on the other end.

“Fuck, I don’t know. I’m losing it, Hunter. I can’t—” I growled.

“Ok, lock yourself inside your home. Don’t—”

“Fucking Rose is inside,” I snarled, my eyes flaring open to glare out at the
scenery behind me.

“That’s good. Go to her. She’s your mate, she can calm you down.”

“No, she can’t see me like this. I need to kill something. I need to fight—”

“Listen to me, buddy, you can’t fight. You can’t kill. You will regret this. Go
inside, now. That’s a command.”

“Fuck, I’m shifting, Hunter.” I glanced down at my arms and saw how my claws have
already lengthened. My bones were shifting and breaking. It happens so easily and
so often I barely feel the pain.

“Get inside,” Hunter ordered.

I walked inside after hanging up with Hunter. I started pacing and breathing. Our
animals rarely come out unless provoked and I am more than provoked. I’m livid and
my wolf is using that to fuel my need to shift.

I grabbed a vase that was sitting on a wall table and threw it across the room. It
hit the opposite wall of the living room and completely shattered. That did nothing
to defuse the fury. I closed my eyes and fell to the floor.

“What the hell?” I heard her say from the hallway.

“Come here, please. I need you.” My voice sounds harsh and inhumane still.

“What’s going on? Why are you half-shifted?” I heard her coming closer.

Opening my eyes, I saw her drop down onto her knees in front of me, still dressed
in my clothes.

“I’m shifting. I need you to stop the shift. My wolf is taking over,” I said
through clenched teeth still fighting my wolf with everything I have. The power
struggle gave me an immense headache. I am starting to see black dots.

“Ok, I was taught this in Animal Science. Mrs. Jameson said that in order to be
able to stop a forced shift, we can-Oh my god-your canines and your eyes—”

“Rose!” I growled.

“Ok. Ok! I can do this. Mrs. Jameson-she-she said you have to knock both
subconscious unconscious,” she rambled in a panic, pointing her finger at me before
standing up. She hastily walked over my kitchen and grabbed a glass vase before
walking up to me.

Lifting it into the air, she stared at me and then at the vase.

“Shit! I can’t hit you. Oh my god!” she cried before dropping back onto her knees
in front of me. She sat the vase onto the ground.

If it was any other day, I would laugh but right now, I am starting to lose it. I
can feel it. I’m gripping at the last strings. In a last resort, one of my hands
shot out and grabbed the back of her neck. I dragged her body to mine and crashed
my lips onto hers. My canines dug into her lips. I can taste the sweetness of her
blood. My tongue swirled in and swiped against hers. She was startled at the
immediate change before she relaxed and allowed me to take control.

Her legs straddled my hips. A soft mew of pleasure slipped from her lips just as
she slid her arms around my shoulders. I ran my hands through her hair and deepened
the kiss. Her tongue met my tongue halfway with each stroke of our tongues. She is
smooth and continued to tease me. It was a cat and mouse chase and it drove me
crazy. Growling, my mind has completely changed direction. My wolf is more
interested in capturing our mate in this chase.

I can feel her breasts through the thin black cotton t-shirt she was wearing. She
wasn’t wearing any bra. Her nipples were hard and pressing through the cloth onto
my naked torso. Her hands snaked into my hair and she fought to take control of the
kiss. Growling, I flipped her onto the floor softly below me. My body covering
hers. Her legs wrapped around my waist. The shirt rode up her torso, exposing her
stomach. That small little skin contact was enough to send blood rushing between my
legs. The mate bond was like a magnetic electric field, pulling me closer to her. I
needed to be closer to her. Tearing my lips away from her I trailed my lips down
her jawline, down her throat where I openly sucked hard sending her into a moaning
frenzy. She squirmed underneath me but exposed her neck to me completely. She’s
willing and my wolf and I loved it.

A sudden loud rattling and crackling from behind stopped me. My eyes snapped open
and I turned in time to see Ace storming into my home unannounced. He had broken my
front door in an attempt to get inside my home and restrain me. That fucker. He
looked down at us in surprise and saw the state we both were in.

“Did I interrupt something?” He looked thoroughly confused.

I turned back to my mate who, by now, have sat back up and pulled down her shirt.
Her lips were red and swollen from my kissing attack but she looks absolutely
ravishing in front of me.

“So, I guess, you are fine now. I will just be going then.”

There are days, I am glad to have Hunter and Ace as friends but today isn’t one of
those days. I could kick his ass right now for interrupting this crucial moment.
That fucker.

24

Everything wasn’t sinking in until now. Judah had kicked Beta Ace out of his house
with a receipt for damage to his door then he stormed off into the bathroom to
shower. He left me alone and bewildered. My mate kissed me passionately that rocked
my world upside and then disappeared. So, yes, I am completely bewildered.

I made my way to the kitchen and opened his fridge. I am feeling anxious about many
things. My mate stirred a sexual beast inside of me I never knew I had. I almost
got killed which reminds me, who the hell did it? I need to ask him these
questions. We need a serious sit down.

I didn’t realize how long I have been staring into his fridge until I heard his
footsteps in the hallway. He exited the hallway and his eyes immediately collided
with mine. We held each other gaze for a little too long. He was the first to break
away.

“All the food will rot and be spoiled if you don’t close the fridge,” he muttered.

I glanced back to his fridge and noticed it was actually stocked with food—fresh
vegetables, fruits, steak, eggs, milk, and cheese. I moved to grab the bowl of
cherries and closed the fridge. He glanced at my breakfast.

“Is that all you are eating?” he asked.

I nodded. “I don’t know how to cook.”

“You’ll starve to death if I am not here then,” he pointed out.

He walked behind the counter and to the fridge while I walked around him to sit
behind the counter in a wooden stool. I sat the bowl down and picked a cherry out
before popping it into my mouth.

“No, because you aren’t the only one who knows how to cook. My mom will cook for
me,” I countered.

He threw me an irritated look before pulling out some a bag of fresh spinach,
carton of eggs, and a carton of tomatoes. I watched him work in quickly whipping up
the eggs, washing the spinach and tomatoes before chopping them up roughly. I
watched my mom cooked many times. She always has an artistic way of decorating her
cakes and desserts. However, Judah cooking is a completely different piece of art.

The way he chopped had a certain movement to it. It is like its own kind of
dancing. Then when he tossed the spinach and tomatoes under the running sink water.
How the hell did he do it? I watched the arm muscle flex. It didn’t help that he
wore a dark grey sleeveless t-shirt.

FOCUS, Rose.

I picked up another cherry and redirected my thoughts to important matters. Safety.

Life. Risk. Dirty underwear. Anything.

“So.” I cleared my throat.

He turned his head slightly to look at me, still cooking his omelet.

“So, did you find out who set my house on fire?” I asked.

He nodded.

Ok… so who?

“And?” I pressed.

“And she will be interrogated today,” He told me indifferently.

“She?” I picked up another cherry to pop in my mouth. His dark eyes followed that
one action and settled on my lips. The memory of earlier came rushing back between
us. The air is tense.

“She?” I reminded him again.

“Bethany,” he replied.

I can’t believe this. So, his crazy stalkers are setting my house on fire. Are
people this crazy? My eyes did a quick scan to see what about him that attracts
crazy girls. I drew the conclusion that it must be the dark broodiness he carries.
Crazy goes with crazy.

“I don’t know how I feel about this,” I muttered.

He slid the omelet into a plate and then pushed towards me. I looked down at the
delicious goodness before looking back at him with a broad smile. I can’t help it.
I love food.
“For me?”

“No, I placed the plate in front of you to tease you.”

“Wait, are you serious?”

“Just eat it,” he snapped.

I picked up the fork that was on the plate and cut a piece of omelet before
bringing it to my mouth. The second it hit my mouth, I couldn’t stop smiling. My
eyes widened with happiness.

“This is so good, I could die right now and I wouldn’t care,” I smiled brightly.

There was a warm glint to his eyes but he blinked and it disappeared. Giving me
another irritated look he pointed back to the plate.

“It is only an omelet,” he muttered.

“Speak for yourself. This is a delicate piece of art. I need to take my time eating
it slowly,” I pointed out.

He made himself one and leaned against the counter to eat it. I shoved the whole
thing in my mouth in seconds. He slid his over to me to finish to which I gladly
accepted.

“So, who will interrogate her and what will happen? For the record, she’s guilty.”
I shrugged.

“I will be interrogating her,” he answered.

“What?” I questioned in shock.

“I’m the Gamma of the pack. I specialize in interrogation and war tactics. I know
what I am doing,” he explained.

“So, you are going to torture her?” I said, interested in knowing what will happen.

“Yes, I will chain her to the wall and whip her with a silver whip. If she doesn’t
fess up, I’m going to put a cloth over her face and then drown her with water. If
that doesn’t work, I’ll pull out all her nails—”

“What? That’s horrible!” I retaliated. “That can’t be legal?”

He rolled his eyes. “You really are gullible. I will not need to go that far to
prove her guilty. She will talk and when she talks, she will be handed over to the
authorities where they will handle her for attempted murder.”

“Oh,” I breathed a sigh in relief.

He eyed me warily. “You’re weird.”

“Well, honestly, I don’t know if I should be offended.”

“She tried killing you and you aren’t asking me to inflict pain on her. Do you
realize how much efforts it is taking me not to rip her throat?” he muttered.

He wants to kill her. Does he care for me? My eyes flew to him to find out more but
he had turned away to wash my first plate.
“So, when will you go interrogate her?” I asked.

“Today at three in the afternoon. Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. Beta Ace brought
over your assignments and you are excused for today. Seeing that we will be hit
with our yearly storm, you don’t have to worry about going to school for a few
days,” he answered, still washing my plate. He placed it on the drying rack before
turning to face me.

“When will the storm hit us?” I asked.

“I checked the weather and they said in the evening around four to five but it
might be later.” He shrugged.

“Wait. Why don’t I go with you? I can stay with my mom.” I gave him a bright smile.
It disappeared a second later when he gave me another irritated look.

“I said, stay home. What part don’t you understand?” he snapped.

“The part why I need to stay home,” I answered with a nod.

He rolled his eyes and pushed away from the counter. He walked past me and down the
hallway. I followed behind him. When he reached his bedroom door he spun around to
look at me.

“Did you want to see me change?” he asked.

“What?”

“I need to change my clothes, Rose.” He looked at his bedroom.

“Oh, ok.” I blushed before spinning on my feet and running back to the living room
where I fell onto the sofa in mortification.

He came back to see me screaming into his sofa.

“So, you’re trying to suffocate yourself now. Honestly, I question your IQ.”

I lifted my head and threw him a glare. I saw the glimmer of laughter behind those
brooding eyes. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. Pushing myself off the
sofa, I stood up in front of him.

“I was just practicing torturing methods for when I will have to suffocate you with
a pillow,” I growled before walking around him.

I walked to the front door, whipped it open and stepped outside. Immediately, I can
already smell the incoming storm. The sky was super dark already. I stopped on the
porch and felt Judah follow behind me. He walked to stand beside me before looking
up at the sky with me.

“The storm is coming soon. I don’t think you should go. You should cancel the
interrogation,” I said, turning to look at him.

“It will be fine,” he answered gruffly.

“I think—”

“Are you saying you care for me, Rose?” he questioned. His eyes found mine and I
stopped talking. We continued to stare at each other, standing on the porch
underneath the impending storm. I felt my heart beat against my ribcage. Do I care
for him?

“What? No. I was just wondering,” I grumbled, looking away.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, turned to look at the sky with his face tilted up.
I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. We fell silent right after.

“How did you learn to cook?” I asked.

“I live by myself. It wouldn’t make sense to go to the packhouse for my meals,” he

answered and I felt immediately stupid afterward.

“Oh yeah, well if you are going to mate with me then you will cook my meals!” I
snarled back, feeling instantly irritated with him.

“Fine,” he replied.

Wait, what? NO! You were supposed to say no. I want to pull at the ends of my hair
at this point. Huffing, I crossed my arms and glared at the green bush before me.

“I like the rain,” he said out of nowhere.

I looked at him and then at the sky.

“It’s calming, isn’t it?” I added.

He nodded. “The smell of the after rain is calming too.”

I smiled and looked up at the sky.

“Before we came here, my mom and I use to travel a lot. We would live from
abandoned cabins, cottages, and even caves. When it rained, my mom would allow me
to go outside and play in the rain. I would get completely soaked and she wouldn’t
mind. I remember when the rain has stopped for the night, how earthy the earth
smells. This smell reminds me of those days.”

He turned to look at me. His eyes boring into mine intensely. My smile disappeared
and for a second, I thought it was something I said.

“Do you remember much from childhood?” he questioned, not looking at me now.

I shook my head. “Honestly, I was still very little. I don’t remember much, only a
few faint memories when I was older.”

He nodded satisfied with my answer before turning back to look at me. He grasped
one of my shoulders in one hand and the other pinched my chin. He lifted my face to
look at him.

“Don’t leave. Stay inside. If someone knocks, don’t open if you don’t know who they
are. After I finish the interrogation, I will come home immediately.”

“But the storm—”

“I will come home, Rose. I won’t leave you here alone,” he interrupted and I can
see he was serious about this.

“Well, it makes more sense if you just take me with you,” I grumbled.
“I don’t want you in the packhouse right now. I promise I won’t take long. You just
need to remember what I told you.”

“Stay home,” I replied.

His lips twitched. “Don’t step outside of the house. Stay inside. If someone knocks
—”

“Don’t open it. Got it, dad,” I said sarcastically.

He sighed before turning me back inside the house. I walked a few steps before
turning to look at him. He gestured with his eyes for me to quickly go in. I sighed
before walking inside the house. I closed the door. He stood in front of the door
for a minute before he turned and walked down the steps and down the driveway.

I sighed in exasperation. I am being attacked by Bethany. I am not even surprised.

That girl has been out to get me since the resort.

25

Our kind has walked the earth for centuries. In the old days, many of our European
ancestors adopted multiple torturing techniques to elicit truth out of criminals,
murders, and enemies. We used sleep deprivation, starvation, administrations of
illegal drugs that are lethal to a werewolf’s body, and the use of silver. Silver
burns our skin and prevents quick healing.

These methods have proven to worked time and time again until it became too much.
Our torturing techniques are questioned on their ethics and morals even if it is
for criminals, murders, and enemies. After years of debate, we stopped unethical
torturing techniques. However, the government has offered us other alternatives.

In the present day, we can interrogate within our pack but once found guilty with
proper evidence, they are automatically turned over to the authorities. Depending
on their crime, they may receive a certain length of imprisonment. Attempted murder
if convicted will give Bethany forty years in prison. It may seem little, but
werewolves are not big fans of enclosed space and isolation. They need sociability
to thrive and maintain insanity.

Hunter and Ace had asked me to meet them in the basement where our interrogation
room was. It is a very small soundproof room with a chair and one rectangle table.
On one side of the wall are a large mirror window and the silver metal doors.

Reaching for the wooden handle, I pushed the door open to reveal Hunter and Ace
already inside with Bethany. Her eyes flew to me instantly. She pushed herself up
into a sitting position and a slow smirk spread across her face.

“The man that we all have been waiting for,” she said smugly. “Tell me, Gamma, what
would you like to do first?”

She fluttered her eyelashes and pouted her lips. Hunter and Ace shook their head at
her before stepping out of the room and standing behind the mirror to view the
interrogation session. Everything is recorded.

Bethany’s light blue eyes did a slow appreciative scan of my body. She didn’t even
bother hiding her attraction to my body. I can sense the heightened sexual waves
rolling off from her. She was acting like a wolf in heat.

She stood up confidently in her seat and walked over to sit on the table in front
of me. She spread her legs open and leaned back on her hands, making sure to thrust
out her busty breasts in my direction. Batting her eyelashes, she tugged at the
bottom of her lips.

“I am at your disposal, Gamma,” she purred.

I clenched my teeth in silent irritation before reminding myself the purpose of me

being here. I made sure to keep a masked expression but remained rooted in my spot
in front of her.

“Do you know why you are here today, Bethany?” I asked.

“I do not have the faintest idea but I do hope it is because you want to try
something new—”

“Rosemary’s home was set on fire,” I interrupted her.

Her blue eyes shifted a little before it disappeared. It was quick. If I had
blinked during that time, I wouldn’t have caught it. Again, that lazy, seductive
look appeared in her eyes.

Leaning forward, she placed her hands between her legs. Her face is close to mine.
She dipped her eyes lower to look at my lips and then lifted them back up to meet
mine.

“And you think it was me?” she questioned. “Now, why would I do such a thing?
Rosemary is nothing but a mere speck of dust in my life. Insignificant and
unimportant.”

“So, you’re saying it wasn’t you?” I asked.

“Of course not. I have learned my lesson when you guys started me on community
service. I am not the bad person here, Gamma.” She pouted.

I smirked and then shrugged, “I guess you’re right. After all, you are still going
to your community service. I would know that by asking Josh for his sign-in sheet.”

“I have nothing to hide, Judah. You can ask Josh all you want. The proof is there.”

She sounded confident. I didn’t miss the fact that she skipped my title. My wolf is
pissed that she thinks she has the privilege to call us by our given name. I am
still fighting off my beast while standing in front of him. He wants nothing more
than to rip her throat. Yet the logical side of me is telling me that if I did go
ask Josh for the signup sheet more than likely her name will be on there.

Could it be she is also sleeping with Josh? I can smell at least three male scents
on her. Bethany is no pure female wolf. She has succumbed to the urge to mate
without meeting her mate. I am not surprised as she had attempted several times to
get my attention.

She hooked her legs around my waist and with a jerk, pushed me right between her
legs. She wrapped her arms around my neck and tilted her head to the side. A sly,
sensual smile appearing on her face.

“I want you, Judah. When will you get over Rosemary and take me to your bed? I
promise you I will give you more pleasure than she can ever give you.” She leaned
forward and skimmed her lips up to my throat.

Bile climbed my throat and the urge to vomit grew tenfold. My skin burned like fire
licking my skin. I wanted nothing more than to rip her away from me, run back to my
mate and beg her to ease this pain.

She slid one hand down my body, groping my pectorals down to my abs. She moaned in
pure delight in being able to touch me. Unable to handle the revulsion pulsing
through my body any longer, I placed a hand over her hand that was running down my
body.

Her eyes opened, and she leaned back a little to look at me.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered huskily.

“Nothing,” I said forcing a smile onto my face.

She smiled back at me and then leaned forward to skim her lips over my jaw.

“Baby, let me take care of you. I promise you won’t regret this.”

She tried resuming her actions, but my hand tightened around hers. She looked back
up at me. I can’t look at her. It was making me want to kill her.

Yanking her off the table, I twisted her around until she was bent over the table.
She gasped and then moaned at our position. She swayed her behind to get closer to
me. I pinned her hands behind her back.

“You want me?” I whispered back in a husky tone.

“Yes,” she mewed.

I grabbed a fistful of her brunette hair and yanked it back. She moaned louder, and
the room now reeked with her arousing scent. She must be dripping wet between her
legs already. I leaned forward and pressed my front to her back. She started
breathing harder in anticipation. Pressing my lips closer to her ear, I spoke up.

“I think you are onto something, Bethany. Rosemary won’t be able to satisfy me as
you will. I have been ignoring my needs, trying to chase something that isn’t worth
it when I have everything right in front of me.”

She let out a breathless moan and wiggled her bottom again trying to get closer to
me. I tightened my hold on her wrists behind her back.

“But I need you to do something for me,” I whispered into her ear.

“What do you want? Tell me, I’ll do anything.”

“Tell me exactly what happened, Bethany. Did you burn Rosemary’s house? What were
your intentions? C’mon baby, tell me and I promise to fuck you so hard, you won’t
be able to walk after this,” I growled and tightened my hold on her wrists and
hair.

She moaned and her eyes fluttered closed again. She released a staggering breath.

“I hate her. I hate her so much. Four years I pursued you and you ignored me but
that insignificant piece of crap walks in and suddenly, you were chasing her tail.
She’s competition. At first, it was just pushing her in front of Beta Ace’s fight
at the resort,” she began.

My heart thumped hard against my chest one beat before I forced it to calm down.
She’ll know if I show a reaction.

“That bitch didn’t die as I wanted. I thought it was just a mild attraction that
you had with her but then we came home, and I saw you walking with her to school.
You drove her to school—it was the last straw. She is in the way and so I fucked
the school science nerd so that he can make me an arson kit. I waited until you
dropped her off and disappeared before I started the fire. I wanted her dead. This
time, I didn’t want her to come back alive. When I heard the shower running, I knew
it was my chance. I stood and watched the house burned.”

The rampant fury inside of me is intense that my whole body stiffened in pain. The
tiny little hair all over my body stood up and I imagined multiple ways of ripping
her apart. I heard her whimper underneath me and I looked down to see that my hold
on her hair had tightened tremendously. My fingers were digging into her wrists.

“You’re hurting me,” she said in confusion.

“You watched the house burned while she was inside?” I asked coolly. There was a
hint of malice in my tone but she didn’t detect it.

“She deserved it,” she said with no ounce of remorse. “She took you away from me.”

That was the last straw. I spun her around and grabbing her neck, I squeezed it
tightly. My eyes were a molten fire that could burn her alive if she looked long
enough. She grasped at my wrist and scratched. Her eyes are wide with terror.

The door was kicked open. I can hear my friends walking towards me.

“She’s my mate!” I growled.

Bethany realizes now her mistake. She clawed my wrists and I squeezed tighter,
gladly watching the colors leaving her face and its place a pink, purplish glow. I
wanted her dead just like how she wanted my mate dead.

“Judah, let her go,” Hunter ordered.

I felt them grab onto my hands. I threw Ace backward with one jerk of my arm.
Hunter growled in warning.

“Let her go!” he commanded in Alpha tone.

I growled viciously and flashed my canines at Bethany. She’s a threat. She

attempted to kill my mate. She doesn’t deserve to live. End this pathetic self-
privileged she-wolf’s little life.

“This dumbass.” Ace punched me in the face with one hard swing and another to knock
some sense into me.

“Think about what you are doing, Judah. There is still your mate. She still needs
you,” Hunter mentioning my mate got through the haze for me.

Rosemary.

She’s at home waiting for me. I need to return.

My grip lessened and I released an unconscious Bethany to the ground. She is still
alive judging by the faint heartbeat but she is completely out. Several guards came
in and took Bethany away after being ordered by Hunter to remove her.

“Christ, man, you almost killed her.” Hunter didn’t look happy. “You’re seriously
losing it.”

I growled in response still feeling the anger bubbling inside of me. My hand went
to my left jaw, pain throbbed knowingly from Ace’s punches. I threw a glare in
Ace’s direction who only smirked in return.

“Punch me again and I will end you,” I growled gutturally.

Ace chuckled at my threat, knowing full well that I won’t follow through with it.
He shrugged and crossed his arms.

“It was an attempt to get through to you before you commit a crime of your own,”
Ace replied.

I glanced at the door that Bethany disappeared from before looking back at Hunter.

“She needs to be gone by tonight. I can’t have her here during the storm. I need
her gone and out of my sight, Hunter.” I knew if she stayed, I won’t be able to
sleep. I would want to end the threat that is sleeping in the same town as my mate.

Hunter nodded, “We got her confession on tape. The authorities are already
expecting her. I will have her transferred immediately. You have no need to worry.”

My shoulder sagged in relief.

“Thanks,” I muttered and Hunter patted my shoulder in brotherly affection.

“No need to worry. If it was my mate, I think I would have done way worse than
you,” he admitted.

“I seriously thought you were going to give her what she wanted,” Ace laughed.

My body feels dirty and revulsion is still pulsating through my body. I needed to
get rid of her stench and her touch. Shuddering I shook my head.

“I need a shower,” I muttered before making my way back to my old room to shower
first and then go back home to my mate.

26

The sound of the pounding rain deafened the silent atmosphere. For the hundredth
time, I have stood up from the warm confinement of my sofa and walked over to the
nearest window to the door to look outside. It is raining so hard that I can barely
see through the rain. Removing my glasses, I sat it on the small rectangle table
near the window. Smoothing my hair behind my ear, I walked out the front door and
stood on the porch.

I’m starting to feel a little anxious now. At first, I tried brushing it off. He
will be fine, at least, that is what I kept telling myself. However, it is six in
the evening and he is nowhere in sight. He said he will be home soon but now doubts
are starting to set in.

Unable to hold back, I decided to walk down his driveway and to the end of the
street. I tried looking for an umbrella but I don’t know where he puts them. I
looked everywhere. So, I settled with walking in the rain.

Immediately, rain pounded against my skin. Drenching me completely from head to

toe. I wrapped my arms around my torso and did a quick jog down the driveway. The
asphalt pavement had large puddles of water and soaking through his sleeping pants.

When I reached the end of the driveway, I glanced up and down. There was no sign of
life. Nothing. No one was out during this storm and he was nowhere in sight. My gut
churned and I’m starting to get nervous. He tells me I am the idiot but apparently,
he is the idiot. Who goes out right after a forecasted storm? One that is dangerous
and could get you lost and hurt for days? Anxiety is climbing quickly inside of me.
The desire to run to the packhouse is overwhelming.

Just when I decided to do just that, I see a shadow breaking through the rain just
over the hill of the small country road. I squinted throw the heavy rainfall to see
the man I have been looking for. My mate is running through the rain. He is
completely drenched. Without thinking, I ran the rest of the way to meet him.

He caught sight of me half a minute later. His eyes widened in surprise which
causes him to come to a full stop. I launched myself at him, uncaring if he will
catch me or let me topple to the ground with embarrassment. Luckily, he caught me
just as I landed right in his chest. I felt him relax. His arms wrapped tighter
around me, and the firm pressed of his lips into my neck. My pulse quickened
underneath that intimate touch.

“You are home,” I breathed in relief. My anxiety dropping slowly.

“I told you that I would. Why are you outside?” he questioned.

I pulled back from him. He released me but kept two hands on my waist which were
burning through my wet clothes almost as if I wasn’t wearing anything at all.

“I-I…” I looked up at him. He looked down at me.

Half of me wanted to lie but a strong part of me couldn’t. I am really relieved to

see him. Am I really that insane now? I used to hate him. Why suddenly the sudden
impulse to want to be near him and afraid of his safety?

“I was worried,” I said.

His olive eyes seemed to have brightened a little at my answer. There was no hint
of a smile but it almost felt like he was smiling. He nodded, satisfied with my
answer before he took hold of my hand. Intertwining his in mine. I looked down,
aware of how our body is reacting to that touch. He and I began jogging back to his
house.

Once we were inside, he dragged me to the bedroom and then into the bathroom where
he grabbed a towel out of the cabinet, opened it up, and put it over my shoulder.
He grabbed another one and placed it over my head where he began rubbing in slow
circles. I have never been cared for like this before. My heart wouldn’t stop
hitting my ribcage and I am thankful he can’t see me with the towel placed over my
head. There is a definite red hue to my cheeks and blemishing my neck. He’ll know I
am blushing.

“Next time, wait inside the house,” he ordered.

“I did but then I got worried. The storm is getting worse,” I replied. “The phone
lines aren’t working.”

“I know. I couldn’t see with my truck. I had to leave it at the packhouse and run
back home,” he mentioned.

“You should have stayed at the packhouse,” I told him.

“And risk you running after me?” he retorted.

I smirked at his response. It’s true. I would have probably run after him. Before
seeing him running on the country road, I had envisioned many ways he could have
gotten injured.

He removed the towel and lifted my chin to look into his eyes. He does this too
often. Always trying to read my emotions or something. Staring at me a little too
long and sending my nerves into a fluster.

“Take a warm bath. I’ll have some dry clothes waiting outside your door. I’ll take
a shower in the guest room,” he ordered.

“Ok,” I grumbled.

His finger grazed my cheek where I’m sure the pink, reddish hue is still staining
them. A second later, he dropped his hand down and walked out of the room. I
brushed the back of my hand against my cheek where he was touching me. It still
tingled.

Turning to look into the mirror, I saw that I was actually smiling. Immediately, I
tried to stop the smile but none of my muscles wanted to comply.

I shoved aside my feelings and started removing my wet clothes before getting into
the shower. I had to use his body wash and shampoo as I was unexpectantly shoved
into his room and a storm came shortly after. We were unprepared for my stay. I
didn’t mind though. It felt nice to have his smell on me. It sounds a bit weird but
I felt closer and calmer.

After showering, I sit in the bathtub for a good ten more minutes, allowing the hot
warm water to turn cool before draining the bathtub and stepping out. I made sure
to dry myself down before wrapping the black towel around my torso and slowly
creeping the door open.

I peeked out to see I am alone. Looking down, I saw a pile of dry clothes. Picking
them up, I closed the door. These are his clothes again. I brought it to my nose
and inhaled. It smells like him. I couldn’t stop smiling.

Oh my god! What is wrong with me? I’ve turned into some psycho. I pulled on the
black sweater and noticed the school logo on it. It must be one that he bought when
he was in high school. Next, I pulled on his boxers and old charcoal sweatpants
before knotting it tightly around my waist.

It wasn’t that cold outside, but I am thanking him anyway. I feel warm and cozy.

After combing my hair thoroughly and drying it as much as possible, I stepped out
into the living room to see him sitting on the sofa. He was working through some
paperwork on the coffee table.

For the next few days, I will be stuck in the same home as my mate. We will be
alone with no interference. My gut clenched when all kinds of images flew into my
mind. Will he be okay if I stayed that long? Should I ask to go stay with my mom?
It doesn’t look like he minded.

“How long are you going to stand there and stare at me?” he asked without looking
at me while scribbling down some notes large notepad.

“I wasn’t staring,” I grumbled before walking around the sofa and sat down in the
one adjacent to him.

He looked up as soon as I sat down. His eyes scanning me thoroughly from head to
toe.

“Where are your glasses?” he asked.

I pointed to the table underneath the window. I’m surprised it one thing I had with
me when he barged into my home and the one thing he somehow grabbed while grabbing
me. I found it this morning sitting on the nightstand in his room.

The sound of thunder rumbled through the sky. I looked out to see how dark it was
already. I pulled my feet up and underneath me, settling comfortably in my seat.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

I turned back to look at him with a shrug.

“I guess,” I grumbled.

“Do you like lasagna?” He set his pen down on the notepad.

I shrugged once again.

“I don’t mind it. I am not a picky eater.” Then I remembered why he left. Suddenly
wanting to know what happened, I unconsciously moved closer to him. He didn’t
mumble any protest, so I figured it was okay. Plus, the distance from his sofa to
mine was too much for my wolf. She was getting anxious and it was rubbing off on
me.

“So, how did the interrogation go?” I asked.

“She confessed,” he answered.

“What? So… what did you do?” I wanted to know.

He looked uncomfortable and my eyes narrowed.

“What? Did you kill her?” I blurted.

He scoffed before shaking his head.

“Ok, so you didn’t kill her.”

“No, but I did… I got close to her. I made her think I wanted her.” He didn’t want
to look guilty but guilty was written all over his face.

I don’t know how I feel about this. My wolf is snarling with jealousy but I am here
wondering if he wanted it or if it was forced. There must be a reason for that
guilty look on his face. He could be guilty because he killed her. He could be
guilty if he fought a female. He could be guilty because—
“What did you do?” It came out a little too strong. His eyes snapped to mine.

I cleared my throat.

“I mean, what did you do?” Tell me. So, I can end your misery and mine. I can
strangle you with my hands—

“I allowed her to touch me intimately.” Dead Gamma found in flooding water. That is
what the news headline would read after the storm is over.

He watched my reaction but I am still trying to figure out what the hell he means.

“I don’t understand.” I shook my head.

He sighed and turned to face me.

“Want me to show you?” he asked.

The dark look in his eyes almost deterred me but I have always been the curious
cat. So, I nodded without thinking twice. He wrapped one hand around my wrist and
pulled me to stand up next to him before taking me over to the dining table.

“So…?” I prodded further.

“Pretend you are her,” he ordered.

He pushed me to sit on top of the table, lifting up my thighs he wrapped them

around his waist. It is intimately close. I can feel how hard he was.

“I hope you aren’t going to tell me next how turned on—”

“Not with her, only with you,” he said huskily, his eyes dropping down to my lips.

I gulped, “What happened next?”

“She skimmed her lips over my throat,” he pointed and without thinking again, I
moved in and did exactly what she did. He shivered underneath my lips. His hands
tightening on top of my thighs.

“Then my jaw—” I tilted my head and brushed my lips along the sharp jawline. His
Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

Suddenly, he flips me over and my front is pressed against the table. My hands in a
tight hold behind his back. I’m starting to have second thoughts here.

“Judah—”

He leans forward and his front is pressed against my back. I can feel every inch of
his hard body seeping through the thick sweater. How is this even possible?

His lips brushed my ear as his breath fanned my cheek and down my neck. It was my
turn to shiver underneath him. I can feel how hard he was. He made sure I can feel
him.

“O-ok, I get it,” I grumbled.

“I told her if she admitted the truth that I would give her what she wanted. I will
fuck her until she can’t walk,” he murmured.
I clenched my thighs together and I felt a sound building up in the back of my
throat. The way he said it sounded so crude yet so damn hot at the same time.

“You lied?” I whispered, feeling breathless.

He released me before turning me back around to face him. My bottom pressed up

against the table. He gripped my chin again with his fingers while looking into my
eyes.

“You’re jealous,” he simply stated.

“I am not.” I brushed his hand away with a slap of my hand.

He released me but refused to give me space.

“I told you before. She’s not my mate. You are.”

“Oh, and is that supposed to make me feel better?” I retorted with a glare in his
end. “And to think I was over here all scared and worried.”

He smiled then and I forgot what I was talking about or why I was mad at him in the
first place.

“I was repulsed with her. I want nothing more than to not touch but you are more
important. I needed to get the truth out of her and her weakness was me,” he
replied.

“And what if I did the same thing?” I shot back.

“I’ll react the same as you but probably way worse. I am fiercely possessive, Rose,
especially when it comes to you.”

Ok, he got me because I did react that way. Argh! Damn these emotions. Damn this
mate bond. Damn him.

I moved to walk away from him. I heard him following after me. I quickened my
footsteps, practically running to the bedroom only to have him pushed into the room
just as I closed the door. He slammed it shut before standing there before me.

“I need to be alone,” I said with a lift of my defiant chin.

“And if I say no?”

“Then… then I’ll run away,” I shot back.

He took two steps and stood in front of me.

“I like it when you are mad and jealous.” He cupped my cheeks in his hands.

“I am not,” I replied.

“You are. You are so god damn jealous it’s fucking sexy,” he murmured before
leaning down and capturing my lips.

Angry that he is kissing me and at the fact that I am jealous of him, I threaded my
fingers through his dark locks and slanted my lips over his, kissing him
possessively. Showing him how much I hate that I am jealous of him. He groaned and
allowed me to lead this second kiss of ours.
27

An eccentric, devilish hue of red-orange tainted the sky as the rained poured
heavier. Thunder lashed in a distance. There is also the sound of the pouring rain
that is pounding on the rooftop and windows of my home but even with all this chaos
that is happening outside, it is indistinct compared to how fast my mate’s
heartbeat is beating. She’s excited and curious but bizarrely still pretty pissed
off.

She abruptly pulled her lips away from mine. My eyes flew open to see her hazy,
lust-filled light russet eyes seemed to have deepened into a pool of dark
chocolate. Her lips were swollen from our kiss. She ran her tongue over her bottom
lip. I followed the movement like a hawk. I felt my abs tightened underneath those
deep exotic colors.

“What are we doing?” she breathed.

I secured one hand on one side of her face. I will never get tired of how it feels
to touch her. Every nerve in my body is stimulated like an enticing magnetic field
vibrating and pulling us closer. My eyes dropping from those tantalizing eyes back
down to her rosy lips.

Honestly, I don’t know where to start but I do know I want this to work. I want her
to be mine. I do know that when I am in her presence I have the overwhelming urge
to drop to my knees and kiss the floor she walks on. Whenever I look at her, my
heart pounds erratically in my chest.

“Does it feel right?” I whispered.

Her hands moved to my waist and she unconsciously pulled me closer to her, pressing
her front against mine. This unspoken attraction between us is undeniable. Through
all our bickering, we have grown comfortable with the bond. It sizzles and burns,
intensifying into a glaring inferno.

Another clash of lightning. Thunder grew closer and the sky grew redder. My eyes
dropped to her lips.

“It feels—”

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Shit, I growled internally. The lasagna in the oven. She blinked and the spell
broke. Pulling away from me, she headed out of the bedroom quicker than I can
formulate a sentence.

My wolf is growling in my head. He is pissed off and it is rubbing off on me. I am

in full agreement. Fuck, if that lasagna was alive, it would be dead by now.

I shoved a hand through my hair and hissed between my teeth. I have a raging hard
on that is evidently bulging between my legs. Distantly, I heard her turning off
the oven and pulling the baked lasagna.

Huffing like a child getting his toy taken away, I exited the bedroom to the
kitchen. She wore oven mitts and was just placing the lasagna on a cooling rack.

She tucked a strand of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear before looking back up
at me but her eyes were no longer open portals of emotions. Fuck am I pissed at
that pan of lasagna right now. It is not even funny.

“Well, I am glad that stopped us from doing whatever we were doing,” she grumbled.

I scoffed before walking around the counter to make her and I a plate of food. I
can’t kill it but at least I can make it disappear by devouring the shits out of
it.

She followed me to the dining table and sat down adjacent to me. I sat down her
plate before mine. We ate in comfortable silence.

By the time we finished, it was late into the night. She let out a tired yawn and
stretched in her seat. She ate a good portion of the lasagna and left me to finish
the rest. The electricity during this storm is worse. Usually, every home has back
up generator to heat up food and water.

“Go to bed. I’ll wash up,” I ordered.

“Ok,” she yawned, removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes before standing up and
walking to the bedroom.

I watched her leave before finishing up. I checked the doors, including the broken
one that Ace broke through. After, I looked out the living room window. It is still
raining heavily by the reddish glow has reverted back to complete darkness.

I scanned the outskirts of my home for any unknown movement before dropping the
curtains into place. I sat down on the sofa and worked on some class curriculum for
next week. I drafted some training rounds and schedules before shoving them in a
binder.

I placed the binder on the coffee table and sat my pen on top of it before standing
up. Stretching and yawning, I slipped off my t-shirt before padding down the hall
to my bedroom.

Opening the door quietly, I looked to see my mate sound asleep in bed. She rolled
herself up into a cocoon again. Sighing, I walked over to her side of the bed.

Her strawberry blonde hair is released from her bun and splayed over her pillow and
face. Grinning at how ugly she slept, I swept her hair back to reveal her soft
features. She let out a soft snore that sounded like a cat being suffocated.

“We seriously need to talk about your sleeping habits,” I murmured.

My thumb grazed her lips and it parted on command. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. Every day,
she seems to be more and more beautiful. It wasn’t just her looks but everything
about her. Who knew Rosemary had a cute side?

I exhaled again in exhaustion before standing up and walking over to my side of the
bed. I had no blankets, seeing that my mate took care of taking it all for herself.
I didn’t mind. I get overheated anyways.

Putting an arm behind my head, I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to take over.

The second I fell asleep, I dreamt about her. Naked and squirming underneath me. It
is just like every other night.
Except for tonight.

Tonight is different from all other nights.

Tonight she is sleeping in my bed. I started gaining consciousness when I heard her
moan before latching onto my throat. She sucked at my pulse. It sent electrical
fireworks straight to my cock jerking me awake.

Her arms tightly wrapped around me. Her legs locking me in and I am grounding my
bulge against her sweet core.

Shit!

I shot out of bed quicker than ever causing momentary confusion. She blinked
several times and a small frown on her lips. The protective blanket she had
cocooning her is on the floor. Her shirt that she changed into hiked up to reveal
perfect, full breasts that I would very much love to bury my face in. The soft pink
peaks begging for my mouth to suck.

Growling, I headed for the bathroom. Slamming it shut, I leaned against the sink.
My eyes falling on the hickey on my neck. I gulped and traced the purplish,
possessive evidence. She fucking gave me a hickey.

Did she know what she was doing? Who did it? Was it her or was it me? Christ, I am
going crazy.

A soft knock sounded at the door. I knew it was her but I am not sure it is safe to
open. My breathing is still raggedly uneven and I still have the strong urge to
fuck her senseless. The throbbing pain between my leg is evidence.

“Judah?” She sounds worried.

“Yeah?” I croaked before clearing my throat.

“Are you okay in there? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t know what is
wrong with me.”

Wait? Does she think this is her fault?

I opened the door. She looked me over. Inhaling sharply when she saw the pure
carnalistic hunger in my eyes. No doubt she will run at this point. Her lips are
swollen from my kisses again.

“This isn’t your fault. It is mine.” I released the doorknob to run a hand through
my hair in frustration. I hissed through my teeth.

By the light shining into the room, it is now the next day. However, it was still
raining pretty heavy still.

“I have these dreams,” she whispered.

My eyes snapped to her. She shifted uncomfortably before huffing and looking up at
me.

“I dream about having sex with you,” she admitted.

I watched the familiar pink, reddish tint her cheeks and neck. She tugged her lower
lip between her teeth. She has wet, dirty dreams about me too?
“I know we said to wait but I mean, you are my mate and I can’t see who else to
experience—”

“Stop,” I growled, my desires beat against my restraints.

She looks awkward but she disregarded my order. She continued speaking in front of
me; avoiding my eyes.

“I trust you. You said you like me and I like you too. A lot actually.” She
chuckled, still not looking at me.

Fuck it.

I captured her lips and eliminated the spaces between us in seconds. If she means
what she says, I will give her all I have. Everything she wants, it’s hers. No
complaints from me.

She moaned and slid her arms around my neck. I pushed her up against the door and
pressed my body up against hers. I can feel her breasts through the thin t-shirt
she had on. It drives me insane and I cupped one breast into my hands possessively.
It fit perfectly. Filling my palm right to the fingertip. I skimmed my thumb over
her erect nipple and she parted her lips on a gasp.

I tore my lips from hers and moved down to her neck where I returned the same
gesture she did to me. A large hickey for everyone to see.

Mine.

I pinched her sensitive skin between my teeth before slipping my hands higher and
ripping her shirt straight down the middle to expose her breasts. As soon as I felt
them bounce freely, I placed open-mouthed kisses down her chest and to one of her
breasts where I hungrily took in a nipple. She tastes like heaven and honey.
Sweetness flooded my taste buds and I am instantly addicted.

She moaned, threading her fingers through my hair.

“You are mine, Rose,” I growled hungrily.

Lifting her up but not missing a beat in sucking her nipple, I carried us over to
the bed where I lay her down gently. My sweatpants riding low on her hips,
revealing a perfect belly button and nice wide hips that will carry our pups.

It is too soon to give her all of me but it is perfect to take what she is
offering. I won’t take what is rightfully mine yet but I still want to taste it.

I untied the knot on her sweatpants before yanking it down. She is completely naked
underneath me and I lost all coherent thoughts. She is a fucking goddess. No one
will see this. She will never bathe in the river again. I thank the Gods above that
she loves wearing sweaters and oversized clothes.

It slowly dragged over her full breasts down to her small waist to the curves of
her wide hips. My eyes settling in on the prize between her legs and I had to bite
my lips to stop myself from groaning out loud.

She is a goddess.

I crushed my lips onto hers. Her upper body touching every inch of my naked chest
and I swear this is the hardest test I have ever gone through for self-control. My
father can put me through any of his self-restraint testings and I will pass them
with flying colors.

Her legs were on either side of me. I can feel the heat between her legs and it
drives me almost over the edge. My beast wants to mark her. Claim her as ours
forever.

Kissing my way down her body, I salivated the second my mouth settled between her
legs. With yearning and excitement, I licked the juices that coat her core before
sucking and swirling around the delicious and sweet goodness.

She moaned and squirmed. Her hips bucking with each lick and thrust of my tongue.
She tastes pure. This scent has never been touched and it drives the beast in me
wild. I wanted to claim this. I wanted to claim her first wave. Her first ride. Her
first high. Her first orgasm.

Her thigh clenches around my head. I saw her stomach clench and I knew she was
near. I just knew. She tried pushing me away, frantic and unprepared for what is
about to happen but I grabbed her hips and exerted more force and quickened my
tongue. Instantly, she cried out my name. Her hands pressed my mouth and tongue to
her core and she rocked her hips shamelessly for more. It hit her so beautifully
that even I am enraptured by my mate’s first orgasm.

28

Breathing irregularly, I looked from underneath my eyelashes to Judah and felt

myself cream more between my legs upon seeing the primal, possessive look in his
dark olive eyes. He stood at the side of the bed while hungrily eating me out a few
minutes ago. He ran his thumb on his bottom lip before bringing into his mouth,
licking the last drop of my orgasm.

It was a mind-numbing bliss. I am left speechless and yearning for more. The ache
between my legs seemed to have doubled and the knot that unwound, tightened back
up.

His eyes dipped down, burning hot trails of fire down my body. No one has ever
looked at me this way. He has never looked at me this way. Underneath those
smoldering eyes, I felt desire for the first time ever. It gave me a sense of power
that I never knew I had.

A rush of confidence overtakes me and I lifted my hands and allowed them to glide
down my body where he had heatedly looked. I watched his Adam’s apple bobbed up and
down while watching my every move. I cupped my breasts and gave them a good
squeeze. At first, it was awkward because I don’t know what the hell I am doing. I
am doing what felt right and judging by the way he was looking at me, I am on the
right track.

My thumb smoothed over my nipples and I heard him do a deep inhale.

“What are you doing?” he breathed.

I couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on my face. I didn’t realize I held this
much power over him. To think I was the only affected with this bond. I’m excited
and turned on at the same time.
I slid one hand down my belly and between my legs only to have his hand shot out
and wrap around my wrist. Stopping me from furthering my action. His dark,
dangerous eyes locked on mine. His breathing increased almost dramatically from my
exploration.

“My little rose, do you understand what you are doing?” he rumbled from deep within
his chest.

Without replying, I tried pulling my arm back, but he yanked me up in one jerk. I
let out a squeak just as I flew into his arms. His hand wrapped around my waist.

He buried his nose into the crook of my neck and deeply inhaled. I can feel his
wolf pushing forward, taking a little more control than his human, wanting contact
with his mate desperately.

“So sweet like honey,” he groaned while sucking on my neck again.

The sensation is salaciously numbing in a way. I found myself pressing my naked

body into his. His chest vibrated with approval, his hand slipped down to grab my
ass in a domineering manner. I released a string of soft moans when I felt the
small facial hair touch my sensitive skin. He’s all man, rough, and hard
everywhere.

I am aware of how hard he is. It’s pressed firmly against my belly and causing me
to release another wave of arousal in the air.

“We should wait until the right time. I want—” He pulled back to look at me.
Hissing between his teeth and shoving a hand through his hair, he kept one arm
firmly wrapped around my waist. I tilted my head to the side in confusion.

“What do you want?” I asked.

His eyes returned and did another powerful sweep of my body. He exhaled in
frustration and rubbed a hand over his face.

“God, Rose, I am trying here,” he grumbled.

“You’re not making sense,” I replied, pushing away from him.

He released me. I picked up the blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders. Judah
never took his eyes off me while I did that.

“I want to wait till the perfect time,” he replied.

“You don’t want to sleep with me?” He must have seen my emotions passing through my
face because he immediately reached for me. I pulled back a little to escape him,
crawling off the bed onto the other side. His eyes narrowed in irritation, not
liking the distance I have not placed between us.

“I-I just-well-I—”

I looked at him. He looks flustered and at a loss with his vocabulary. It was
actually kind of adorable. His burnt umber hair is disheveled with how many times
him and I had run our hands through it. The hickey on his neck that I apparently
have given him in my sleep is like a dark bruise.

Sighing, I turned to walk out of the room.

“It’s alright. We can wait,” I replied.

In an instant, his hands wrapped around my wrist. He spun me around and crushed his
lips onto mine. I leaned back and allowed him to thrust his tongue inside and taste
what is his.

“You frustrate me, you know that?” he growled after tearing his lips from mine.
They were swollen pink and delicious.

“Me? What did I do?” I frowned, still clutching the blanket around my body.

“You’re frustrating because I can’t fucking think when I am around you.”

I scoffed, and how was that even my fault? His left hand smoothed to the back of my
head where he tangled his fingers through my hair. While his right hand remained
firmly wrapped around my waist, keeping me trapped. Gently pulling back, he exposed
my throat to his exploration.

He nibbled and sucked on my neck. I closed my eyes and relished in his soft, full
lips.

“When I see your eyes flare up with burning flames, it both satisfies and irritates
me, my little Rose. I want to do so much to you. So much. Yet, I can’t. You deserve
a chance to explore—”

“So, you want me to date, other guys?”

He released a deep inhuman growl but I shuddered in pure excitement. I like egging
him on and pissing him off. I felt his canines dig a little harder on my skin,
punishing me for my response.

“Oh, so you want me to explore my options with you?” I breathed a little breathless
from his sweet and hasty assault on my throat.

I knew what he meant. I don’t regret it at all. He moved to the side and continued
to nip his way up my neck to my ear where he tugged at my earlobe.

“Ow, watch it, Gamma,” I muttered but still affected by how intimately close we
are.

A soft yet deep chuckle came from him. It wasn’t supposed to be sexual but it was.
Super sexy. My heart fluttered at his laugh. I don’t get to hear it often. It’s
melodies and symphonies to my ears. Secretly, I adore it so much.

I have grown used to seeing domineering, brooding Gamma but the sensual, relax
Gamma? I want both of them.

He kissed his way down my jaw to my chin. Little rousing tingles erupted from our
skin touching. It reminded us both of how close we are and whom our soulmate is.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered.

Slowly, I lifted a hand and slipped it between us and to his lips. His eyes opened
to look at me in surprise before they grew in question. His lips pressed against my
fingers, I pushed him back.

“Release me, Wolf,” I joked.

His dark, piercing eyes bore into mine for a second and the brief light humor
disappeared. The smile that was threatening to appear on his face vanished.

“I remember meeting you for the first time,” he spoke.

“Was I cute?” I replied.

He scoffed. “You were a pain in the ass. First time I met you, I knew you would be
the one person that I would have trouble getting along with.”

I pursed my lips and gave him a good glare and after me, he just ate me out on the
bed. I’m irritated. When he saw my reaction, his lips curved upwards and my heart
skipped a beat.

He pressed a finger to my forehead before pushing my head back playfully.

“I didn’t like you because you didn’t give a fuck about me. It only made me want to
tease you more, bully you some more just so I can get a reaction out of you. Do you
realize how frustrating you are?” he mentioned again.

“No, really, I thought I was an angel,” I deadpanned him.

He pinched my cheek hard at my sarcastic remark before releasing me. I growled my

displeasure. I pushed away from him and walked to his closet where I slammed the
door shut in his face and went through his clothes. He usually finds me something
to wear but, in this case, I’ll find something on my own. I pulled down a sweater
from the hanger and grabbed a pair of sweatpants that can be tied around the waist.

I opened the door to see him glaring at it. His attention moved to me at once. A
look of irritation flashed across his face.

“Will you stop and listen?” he growled back.

I am. I just needed to get dress. Being wrapped in a blanket in his arms was making
me feel nervous and bare. I sat down at the end of the bed. I knew he was following
me because his footsteps were near.

He sat down on the bed next to me. We both looked at the wall in front of us.

“Are you going to continue?” I asked after a minute of silence.

“I was just going to say, I’m sorry.”

“For?” Eating me out? Giving me an orgasm? Do you regret this? What are you sorry
for, Gamma?

“I’m sorry for being an ass to you in the past and I want you to know that my
feelings for you didn’t change because of the fucking mate bond, ok?” Well, that
didn’t sound very sincere. I turned my head to look at him. He turned to look at
me.

“I’m sorry, Rose,” he repeated this time a little softer and I realize how hard it
was for him to speak his feelings.

I nodded before shrugging. Honestly, it didn’t really matter. He ignored, bullied,

and was a total jerk to me but I didn’t really care what he did. I made it a point
in my life not to care what he does to me-well until now.

“Ok,” I replied.
“Ok?” He arched an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah, I accept your apology but honestly, you didn’t do any damage, Judah. I
still lived my life the way I wanted.”

He smirked at me and his olive eyes sparkled. “I know.”

“Plus, I got to know you better at the resort. You were still an ass, but you were
kind as well. You protected me and rushed me to the medical wing,” I replied.

He lifted one hand and cupped the back of my neck before pulling me into his lap
and giving me another hard kiss. I am starting to think he can’t stop kissing me
because, in a span of two days, he has kissed me more than I can count. They
weren’t small, insignificant kisses. They were toe-curling, heart-stopping, thigh
clenching kisses.

I loved the way his lips feel against mine. They were surprisingly soft and full.
Every time he kissed me, I tend to lose all train of thoughts.

When he pulled back, I heard him growl in vexation. Something was irritating him. A
second later, I heard footsteps in the home. His eyes opened, and I found myself
viewing closely the vast green mountains, dark and dangerous even with its beauty.

“Hunter and Ace are here,” he replied before releasing me and standing up.

He intertwined his hand through mine and led us out of the bedroom to greet our
surprised visitors. We found them in the living room, drenched and naked. Judah
shoved me back into the hallway when he realized his friends were naked.

I heard Ace and Hunter laugh.

“What are you two doing here?” Judah asked.

“The dam down in the valley broke. About twenty homes are flooded, the pack members
have evacuated as much as possible but we have to do some damage control,” Hunter
responded.

“It’s still raining, Hunter,” Judah pointed out. I can hear the reluctance to go in
his voice.

“I know but it can’t wait. The water is rising and it will damage more homes. We
need to protect it as much as possible. The government and financial funding will
take a large hit,” Hunter said.

Judah turned to look at me. Obviously, he is hesitant to leave me behind. So, I

answered for him.

“I can go with you guys,” I said, looking at him with a smile on my face to cheer
him up.

“No,” he growled, wiping the smile from my face.

“Well, you obviously don’t want to leave me behind. So, I can go. I can help.”

“No.” His tone left room for no arguments.

I rolled my eyes. “It isn’t like I can’t protect myself. I will be fine.”

“I have enough to worry about. With you staying here it will allow me to do better
at my job without having to worry about you,” he retorted when he saw that I was
about to argue he turned to face me. “I am not saying you can’t do it, Rose. I am
just saying you haven’t been trained on flood situations yet. Maybe next time.”

“Having fun with your mate?” Ace teased.

“Get out, you two. I’ll meet you two outside,” Judah shot back at his friends who
both laughed and I heard their retreating footsteps.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can. I need you to stay here and be safe for me, Rose.”

“And if you don’t return?” I asked, feeling nervous about him going out there
suddenly.

“Tell you what? If I don’t return by night, you can go to the packhouse and stay
with your mom,” he replied.

“When I asked you said no, now you’re allowing me to?” I narrowed my eyes on him.

He rolled his eyes. “Just stay home, please.”

“Fine,” I snapped and crossed my arms. “But if you aren’t home by night, I am truly
running away.”

He smirked before leaning in to give me a quick kiss.

“Ok.” He nodded.

“Be safe,” I shouted after him just as he turned and walked out of the house
leaving me alone.

Author’s Note:

I apologize, I know you are all anxiously waiting but I got so caught up with work
and yesterday was a day spent volunteering. I just didn’t have enough time to
update. I’ll see about squeezing in another chapter this week for this book.

Leila

29

When a dam breaks a tsunami of water is released. Trillion Gallons of water is

passing through the broken walls and flooding the lower valley which contains
twenty-some homes of our pack members. It is a small damn but if flooding the
valley, it can cause significant hazardous damage. Twenty-some homes will cost a
lot of manpower and resources to rebuild.

When we reached the location, the water had already flooded the valley heavily.
Homes have collapsed. First thing is to evacuate as many pack members as we can.
Boats are out there, driving around. The heavy pouring rain isn’t helping much in
locating people. Our eyesights are impaired with the rain.

All pack warriors are trained in flooding events. Part of the pieces of training
they do every day is to prepare for things like this. They swim for miles to ensure
their endurance is up. We fight against nature most of the time because sometimes
our enemies aren’t rogues, pack wars, or hunters. Our enemies could be the very
thing that lives on our territories such as forest fires, flooding, tornadoes, and
many more.

I was on a boat with Hunter and Ace. We have rescued so far two families that were
sitting on some floating logs. After lifting them and bringing them back to safety.
We went back out again to search for more families. Everyone here is family. So, we
know how many families are still out there.

At this point, it has been hours of searching and calling. We knew that we might
not be able to rescue all but we can hope that we do

“Over there,” Hunter pointed east.

Ace and I turned to see a pack member holding onto her pup. She’s fighting to keep
her pup above water which is pushing her underneath the water. It didn’t help that
her pup is panicking. She’s trying to survive. She’s kicking and pushing her mother
down, not on purpose, but she couldn’t help it. Her survival instincts are kicking
in.

We drove the boat near enough to grab the crying pup but the mother was nowhere to
be seen. The little girl cried harder and leaned over the edge, realizing now that
she can’t hear her mother.

“Mommy!” she cried.

“It’s okay. I’ll go find her,” I assured her.

“Judah—”

“I’m the fastest swimmer out of us three.” I looked at my friend.

“Save her, please!” the little girl pleaded.

I stripped off my shirt before diving into the water where I have last seen her. I
swam deeper into the water, a flashlight in my hand. I held my breath. It is
absolutely dark down here and the water is cold, nowhere warm. Slowly, I allowed my
lungs to stretch and my breathing to steady, slowly releasing air as I go down.

I swam a good twelve feet; my lungs were aching at how long I have been underneath
the water. I couldn’t find her. It means she’s deeper. Swimming lower, my lungs
start to burn and I feel a strong tension in my chest. I’m running out of air.

I went down another two feet until and shined my light ahead of me. I caught sight
of what looks like hair. Encouraged, I swam deeper and closer until I saw it was
her. I grabbed onto her arm and kicked my feet back up but shit my chest hurt. I
had run out of the air a few seconds ago and now I am struggling to pull her and me
up to the top.

I moved to wrap my arms around her waist to keep her close. Kicking as hard as I
can, I kept swimming to the top. My lungs hurt and I opened my mouth. My brain is
telling me I need air, that I have held my breath too long but I also knew I am
almost there.

My vision blurred and I remember Rosemary’s last words. Be safe.

I felt someone dived in than another. Hunter and Ace appeared before me just as my
body weakened and I released the woman in my arms. Ace grabbed me while Hunter
grabbed the pack member.

We swam the rest of the way to the top. The second I got a chance to breathe in the
air, I choked. My lungs burned and my vision blurred.

“Take it easy,” Ace replied as he swam us over to the boat. He had one arm wrapped
around me.

The female pack member went up first, then Hunter, and then I before Ace lifted
himself up into the boat.

I coughed harder and turned to lay on my stomach. The water I consumed gushed out
of my mouth and I collapsed onto the ground with a shiver. Someone tossed me a grey
fleece blanket. I wrapped it around me. The rain pounded on the boat roof above us.
I closed my eyes, exhausted from lack of food and from lack of air.

When we made it back to the safety zone, everyone was crying and searching for each
other. People were begging for pack warriors to go out and get their families. It
was hectic. Those whose family are all in checked were taken away to the packhouse
for care from the doctors and from Luna Mikaela.

I didn’t realize how long I have been out here. Being out here, time seems to blur
together. It felt like only a few hours but the sun is already setting yet we are
barely finished our search. It continued like this for the day.

The third time that Hunter, Ace, and I went out, a pack member’s mate have begged
us to search for her mate. She said he is trapped underneath the water but she’s
sure he is alive because she can still feel him.

Hunter, Ace, and I took turns diving into the water. Going deeper and deeper and
coming back up for air. It was a long process and it took forever. It almost got to
the point where Hunter was going to call it and say that her husband is no longer
trapped in their home underneath the water.

She turned to Hunter and clutched at his arm, “Please, Alpha. I know he is alive.
Please don’t lose hope. Please go down one more time to go find him. What if it was
your mate? Will you stop searching? Please, I need you to go back down.”

She was frantic and sobbing hard. Shaking her body and head. She refuses to leave
the location. I thought about it. If it was Rosemary, I wouldn’t give up. I would
find her one way or another.

“We’ll go down one more time,” I replied.

Hunter looked at me before nodding.

“We all will go down but if we can’t find him, we are calling it and heading back,
Sara.”

She nodded, tears streaming down her eyes.

We dived back off the boat. I’m not going to lie, I’m exhausted as fuck but I can’t
say no. If it was Rosemary, I would go. I wouldn’t stop.

When we reached the pile or whatever is left of the home, we removed some of the
broken walls as much as we can to get in. We were deep underneath the water. It
would make sense to bring an oxygen mask but we have run out of that quickly by
searching all day today. Now, it was just her and her husband left.
I removed what looks like a broken dresser until I saw a broken bed frame. I tried
removing it, tugging it but it wouldn’t release. I gave it a good jerk, feeling the
air already escaping me already. The tug did it. The frame released and revealed a
body underneath. I grabbed onto the male’s shirt and kicked back to the top but my
feet hit something hard. I heard a noise and then a burst of pain hit the back of
my head.

Everything spun around me. A pounding pain vibrated from the back of my head.
Ignoring the pain in my head, I swam up to the top of the water. When I burst to
the top and the female pack member saw her husband, she made a sound of despair.
She crawled to the edge and reached for her beloved mate, lifting him out of the
water and into the boat.

Ace and Hunter helped me up. I collapsed onto the ground. I watched Sara cried over
her mate’s body. I felt a warmth spreading from the pain in my head. I raised a
hand and touched it before bringing it forward. Ace shined a light on my hand and
we saw it was blood.

“What the fuck?” Ace growled.

“What happened?” Hunter moved behind me to shine a light onto my head. “Shit, Jude,
you hit your head. You got a bad cut. We gotta get you looked at.”

Ace moved to the first aid kit on the boat, grabbed some bandages before pressing
it to my head to stop the bleeding.

“What hit you? What happened?” Hunter asked.

“It was fucking dark, Hunter. I can’t see anything down there. It could have been
anything,” I muttered, feeling a pounding headache throbbing all over my head.

“We are taking you to the packhouse,” Hunter said.

“I’m going home,” I replied.

“What?” Ace looked at me like I am crazy.

“Just use whatever you have in there and bandage me up. I’m going home.” I looked
at the first aid kit in his hands.

Ace looked at it and then back at me. “I can’t bandage you with band-aids!”

“It’s nothing. I am awake. I’ll be fine. I’ll heal. I just need you to stop the
bleeding.” I snatched the damn fucking first aid kit away from him and looked
through it. There was a roll of small bandage in the first aid kit. I tossed it to
Ace to wrap it around my head.

“Why won’t you go to the packhouse? We can get you stitched and taken care of. You
can go back home after,” Hunter reasoned.

“I have to go home,” I responded. Rosemary is waiting for me. I have to go home.

The safety zone appeared in front of us. The last of the pack warriors took the
dead mate and Sara away. After Ace got done wrapping my head the best he could, we
got into Hunter’s truck and drove back home.

It was late at night already but I am anxious to see Rosemary. Even though it has
only been one day, after seeing so much crying and sobbing from families, I needed
to be close to her.
I laid in the back of Hunter’s car. My head is throbbing terribly but I knew it
wasn’t that bad. I’ll probably fucking lose consciousness but that will probably be
it. Nothing big. What is big is the fact that my mate is probably off at the
packhouse. I needed to return home.

The car came to a full stop in front of my house. Slowly, I pushed myself up into a
sitting position before opening up the door. Hunter and Ace got out of the car and
followed me, making sure I made my way up the steps and to the door. The door
whipped open the second I reached for the handle.

She didn’t leave.

She stood there dressed in the clothes she had on this morning. She looked relieved
to see me but at the same time, terrified. Her eyes landing on the bandage on my
head. Her strawberry blonde hair is down and around her shoulders. I couldn’t stop
the smile from spreading across my face. She looks beautiful with her hair down. I
love it when she has it up because her long beautiful neck is exposed but I love it
when her hair is down too. I love running my nose through it.

“Judah,” she said worriedly.

I blinked and my vision blurred. I collapsed right in front of her, losing

consciousness. I heard her scream and her arms wrapped around me but that was it. I
was out cold.

30

I woke up to find myself sleeping in my bed. It took me a minute to remember

everything that happened but everything came rushing back like an old movie
recording. I pushed myself into a sitting position. The warm comforter falling down
to my waist, exposing my bare upper body. Someone had stripped me out of my wet
clothes. I touched my head and saw that new bandages have been wrapped around my
head.

I heard her footsteps before she opened the door and our eyes collided. Those soft,
light russet irises expanded in surprise before they were filled with a rush of
emotions. I adore that look in her eyes. When she reveals a little of everything
inside of her through her eyes. She has changed into one of my long black V-neck t-
shirts but I couldn’t tell if she was wearing boxers underneath or nothing at all.
Her hair is a complete mess like she had just woken up and walked out of the room.

“Did I scare you?” I asked, smirking but it instantly fell off when her lips
quivered and her eyes welled up with tears.

This is the first time I have seen her cry and I’m freaking out. Throwing off the
blanket, I was about to make my way to her.

“Stop,” she said in a shaky voice.

I looked up midway in throwing off the blanket to see tears streaming down her
cheeks. She’s crying!

“Rose—” I began.
She shook her head and started walking towards me and crawled into bed. She kneeled
next to me. Her eyes looking me over, a pout to her plump lips. It quivered again.

“I can’t believe you but at the same time I understand you,” she lashed in an
upsetting, tearful fit.

She pushed me hard in the chest but my back was against the bed frame. I held onto
her wrists to stop her from pushing me. She’s upset and scared. I scared her.

“You were afraid for me,” I pointed out but earned myself a glare.

“You like me,” I continued.

“I am upset with you,” she responded. I locked both of her hands onto one hand
while I used the other to wipe her tears away. She sniffled and wiped her cheek
against her shoulder since I took her ability to use her hands.

“I am upset with you. Yet I understand that with your position as Gamma, you will
always encounter these kinds of danger and harm. I just don’t want to see you—” her
voice dropped off.

“You don’t like seeing me hurt,” I replied. “I know because I don’t like seeing you
hurt. You were terrified last night just like how I felt the night Ace clawed you.”

She looked at our connected hands. I squeezed her hand to get her attention. She
looked back up at me.

“Last night, you collapsed in my arms. Hunter and Ace had to carry you to our bed
and then I cleaned your wet bandages. I don’t understand why you didn’t go to
packhouse and see the pack doctors. They could have cleaned your wound.”

“I needed to come home. My mate was going to run away,” I replied.

She shook her head before pursing her lips.

“I took a look at the wound. It isn’t that bad. It gave you a bad concussion but it
healed quickly,” she pointed out.

I looked down my body and then back at her. She tilts her head to the side when she
saw my questioning face.

“What?” she asked.

“Did you also change me?” I inquired.

She scoffed. “I think it is only fair. You took advantage of me at the resort when
I was unconscious.”

I smiled at her response. She’s really petty. My mate is a petty, little mischief
who likes to return favors.

“Liked what you saw?” I teased.

She shrugged. “I’ve seen better.”

I growled, displeased with her answer. Who else has she seen? If it was one of our
warriors, I’ll make sure to double that asshole’s shift for having time stripping
naked in front of my mate.
“You will only look at me, Rose,” I threatened.

She was apparently fighting off a smile because she is refusing to meet my eyes. I
pressed a finger to her forehead and gave it a good jerk. She growled and placed a
palm over her forehead in irritation.

“I mean it,” I gave her a pointed glare.

“You’re not the boss of me,” she muttered before trying to yank her hands out of my
locked hold.

I yanked her hard and she fell right into my chest. I arched an eyebrow while
looking down at her.

“Trying to take advantage of a wounded man now?”

“No!” she exclaimed before pushing off me.

She absentmindedly crawled over my body to check the back of my head for bleeding
or worsen injuries but when she found none, she returned her position with a scowl
on her face

“You are perfectly fine. You’ve healed already,” she confirmed suspiciously.

Werewolves heal naturally faster. Although we can be injured, our cells regenerate
faster. The only lethal weapon against us that causes immense pain and prevents the
healing process is silver. It is like poison to our blood. Otherwise, head
concussions like these can be healed in a day to a few days depending on the
severity of the injury.

She’s aware of it as much as I am. I am healed. I am kind of bummed out. I would

have loved to see her strip me naked.

“What?” she asked, clearly seeing my thoughts through my eyes.

“Nothing,” I replied with a shrug, but my mind was in the fucking gutter right now.

Her breasts were soft against my chest even through the t-shirt I can feel her. She
tried pushing off me but I prevented her. This caused her to struggle in front of
me until she was straddling me. I don’t mind this position at all too.

“Judah,” she whined.

“What?” I asked.

Her stomach grumbled. Our eyes fell on her stomach before I looked back up at her.
It appears that I have been neglecting my mate.

“You haven’t eaten?” I asked.

“I had cereal,” she shrugged.

“Cereal isn’t food, Rose,” I lifted her off my lap almost reluctantly before I
dragged her by the hand out of the bedroom and into the kitchen.

“Judah, you just recently healed from a concussion. My stomach isn’t any of your
concerns,” she snapped, yanking her hand back suddenly.
“You’re my mate. Feeding you is my concern,” I shot back before grabbing onto her
wrists and dragging her to sit behind the counter.

“I feel useless,” she muttered while I whipped us some bacon and scrambled eggs.

I turned to answer her but found her looking out the side window. I glanced out to
see that the rain is starting to lighten up. The storm is almost over.

I cooked bacon and scrambled eggs in no time before setting it in front of her. I
made myself a plate and slipped into the stool next to her.

“You aren’t useless. I like you the way you are,” I replied to her honestly.

She was eating her bacon but looked at me when I said that to her. She tilted her
head to the side.

“You said I am weird but I think you’re the weird one,” she smirked and I flicked
her forehead.

“Seriously! Stop attacking the forehead,” she growled before stealing my bacon in
retaliation.

“You’re such a child,” I grumbled.

She smirked once again while eating her bacon happily. We ate in comfortable
silence for the remainder of our breakfast. Once we finished our plate, she took
mine and carried it over to the sink. I followed her like a lovesick puppy.

Trapping her between the sink and my arms, I leaned forward and nibbled at her neck
where I would be marking her.

“Judah,” she moaned, the plate and sponge fell from her hands.

I smirked against her neck and allowed my canines to lengthen and pierce her skin
slightly. She shuddered in my arms before trying to push me away.

“Stop. I’m trying to wash dishes,” she protested with a giggle when my breath
accidentally fanned her neck furthering tickling her sensitive skin.

“Then wash,” I responded.

“God, seriously, how are you going to be able to stay away from me when I move back
to live with my mom?” she asked.

I stiffened. Who said she was going back? Who said I will allow her to go back? I
think I need to clarify some stuff with her.

She eventually finished washing the dishes even through my kissing on her neck.
Turning around she faced me, half expecting me to move back but I didn’t.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I replied.

“What?” She dared me to continue with an arched eyebrow.

“You’re my mate. You belong with me. My wolf and I won’t allow you anywhere but in
our home.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, furthering enhancing how beautifully
delectable they look right now. It’s like she’s handing them to me on a plate. I
bit my lip unconsciously, already wanting another taste.

“If you want me to stay, you should invite me to stay,” she tossed back at me.

I gritted my teeth together. She’s a pain in the ass. I swear, I can throttle her
and kiss her at the same time.

“You’re my mate.” I think that is a sufficient answer.

“So?”

I rolled my eyes and surrendered to the overwhelming urge to kiss her right now. I
crushed my lips hard against hers, thrusting my tongue inside, I quickly found her
tongue and slid against hers in an erotic dance. She didn’t push me off. Nope. This
mate of mine is trying to fight for a little control—a little dominance. Her tongue
is meeting me halfway, caressing me and tasting me as much as I am tasting her.
It’s a fucking turn on and I don’t think I can stop.

Moaning, I lifted her up onto the kitchen counter. Her legs wrapped around me and
pulled me closer. I slid my hand up her bare thighs and quickly realized she’s
naked. Fuck, she’s going to cripple me before I get a chance to even experience
heaven between her legs. I need her more than ever. I don’t think I can stop this
time.

“Stay.” I broke the kiss long enough to whisper.

“Stay, please,” I begged. “Be my mate. Live in our home. This is where you belong.”

“Because you like me?” she inquired.

I think I am way past that. There is no liking. There is only love. I love this
woman. I knew it before the mate bond and I am positive now. She’s everything I
need.

“Because I love you,” I replied against her lips. I heard her sharply inhale before
I captured her lips again in mine.

Something shifted between us. I can feel her heartbeat against my chest. It is
beating wildly like mine. She didn’t push me away. She accepted my kiss even after
I declared my love for her.

Her hands tangled through my hair and bandage came undone but that didn’t stop us
from continuing. She took immediate control. Thrusting her tongue inside and
exploring the warm caves of my mouth. It was fucking hot, seeing her dominate me
like this. I was a hopeless mess in front of her.

When she pulled back from the kiss both our lips were swollen from kissing. She
pulled in her bottom lip between her teeth and eyed me through eyelashes.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

My heart almost stopped beating at the declaration. She loves me too. She wants me
too. My wolf’s happiness is infectious. He takes immediate advantage of my weakened
state of mind and takes temporary control of my human form.

She must have noticed the shift in power because her eyes widened slightly before
my wolf pushed her back down onto the counter. She’s lying flat with her legs open.
He lifts her shirt up to reveal our heaven between her legs. Our lips immediately
latch onto her sweetness and began licking every sweet drop that belongs to us.
Our goal was to make her cry out again. To taste her while she falls apart on the
counter in front of us. We wanted everything and this time we are going to take it
all.

Author’s Note:

Ok! I know we all want to know what happens. Will they do it? HEHEHE. It sounds
like they will but I had to stop it here. I’m at work and writing dirty stuff ain’t
my thing here. Lol. So, another day at home… with the lights turned off… and sex
music playing on the background… ya know…*chuckles*

Who was doing this last chapter?

31

I can’t say that I am experienced because Rosemary is the first woman I have ever
touched or cared about. When I kiss her or touch her, it is pure instinct. I do
what I want, what I believe feels right. Kissing her is like drinking from an
eternal youth fountain. Touching her and seeing her light russet-colored eyes
inflamed with a sexual thunder it releases the dominating and possessive beast
inside of me. Each moan and whimper makes me want to take her more.

Inexperience has nothing to do with sex. It is pure intimacy and instinct. I want
to make this perfect for her. She deserves that much.

When my tongue swept along with the wet slit opening between her legs, she wrapped
her legs around my head unconsciously asking for me to not stop. There is no
stopping. My wolf loves the taste of her on our tongue.

She softly cried out my name, her hands tugging at my hair and pressing mine
further into her core.

“Oh, god,” she croaked just as I wrapped my lips around her clit.

She arched her back. Rosemary cried out my name and her fingernails dug into my
scalp. Her sweet orgasm filled my mouth. When she finally stopped shaking from her
orgasm, I pulled back. One hand cradling the back of her neck, I lifted her
exhausted upper body up. My lips crashed onto hers, kissing her hungrily.

“I’m not done,” I whispered throatily.

“Hmm…” She murmured, still incoherent.

I smirked against her lips before I swept her up into my arms. Carrying her to the
bedroom, I opened the door and closed it before carrying her to the bed. I stripped
her from the only piece of clothing she had on before lying her down in the middle,
her legs fell open by itself without direction.

I stripped myself of my t-shirt, leaving on my pants because it was the only thing
holding me back from fucking her hard and fast. Her light russet eyes darkened
appreciatively. She doesn’t admit it but I know she likes what she sees.

I covered her body with mine before capturing her lips again. She kissed me back
hungrily. Her hands doing its own exploration of the hard planes of my front to my
back. Everywhere she touched, every nerve in my body lights up like electrical
currents, pulsing with pleasure and heat. This body is hers to touch, to explore,
and to do anything she wanted.

“I want all of you. I want everything, Rosemary. Are you willing to give it all?
Will you let me be who I am destined to be for you?” I broke away from the kiss to
whisper to her.

My eyes fluttered open and leveled with her heavy, lust-filled ones. I can feel her
breasts and nipples grazing my chest with each breath she took. I waited for my
cock swelling and aching to be between her legs.

She nodded but I needed more.

“I need your verbal consent, my little Rose,” I demanded gutturally, already losing
the grip on my control.

“You’re my mate and I am yours, Judah. I want this. I want you,” she replied and
the adorable blush she tries so hard to hide appeared on her skin.

With one hand, I skimmed the flush of her skin from her neck to her cheek before I
kissed her again. This time with everything I had. I’m giving it all and I am
taking everything back. I am leaving nothing for both of us and she was doing the
same. Her hands found their way back into my hair, fighting to control the kiss.
This little mischief is always fighting me even when she is delirious with desire.
I fucking love it.

A low, feral growl rumbling from deep within my chest when she wrapped her legs
around my waist—bringing her core closer to my swelling crotch. I tore my lips away
from her before skimming my lips down her jaw to her throat where her pulse
throbbed against my lips. My canines lengthened and I softly pierced the skin,
letting her know that is where I’ll be marking her.

She moaned and exposed her neck some more, willingly letting me mark her. She’s
driving me insane with her submission. I growled before removing her legs around my
waist and lowering myself to capture her soft pink nipples into my mouth.

“Judah,” she breathed, clutching the sheets next to her.

I swirled my tongue around the pink sensitive pebble before sucking on it

relentlessly. She arched her back the second I performed that erotic suction. I
moved to the next one as soon as I left a good hickey on her breast. I gave it the
same exact treatment. By the time I was done, Rosemary was squirming insanely
underneath me. She made an attempt to reach for me but I took both of her wrists
and trapped them above her head.

Her eyes opened and bore into mine just as I slid one free hand down her stomach to
cup her between her legs. She’s dripping wet. My cock throbbed painfully in my
pants. Fuck it. I slipped a finger inside. Her body is tense for a second but I can
see the complete trust in her eyes.

Her tight walls clenched around my finger, not used to the invasion but I pushed
through. Slowly at first, pulling it in and out. When a new pleasure took over her,
her irises dilated. Her lips and legs parted, giving herself over to me once again.

As soon as she is used to my finger. I thrust a second one in. She tensed once
again but her shock is quickly over when she felt another wave of pleasure.
“Jud-—”

I thrust a third one in. I needed to prepare her soon because I’ll cum in my pants
before I am even inside of her. My name died on her lips and her hips arched for
more. Her head is moving side to side. Her breath is becoming hitched and in heavy
pants. However, those things were minor when it comes to the emotions that whirled
in those irises of hers. They burn and bring me to life in the same second.

“Judah.” There is a notable question in her voice. Her voice is raised and body is
tense with the anticipating orgasm. I still had a firm grip on her wrists above her
head while I fucked her with my fingers.

“Oh god,” she cried.

I used my fingers to stretch her walls, preparing them for the next invasion. She
cried out and her body shook. Her fingers curled into fists and I felt her clench
around my fingers as she came for the second time.

I removed my fingers and stripped myself of my sleeping pants and boxers. I

situated myself between her open legs. I had to bite the inside of my cheek when I
saw her eyes zeroed in my cock. Then she pulled in the bottom of her lips and a
slight look of fear appeared in her eyes.

“I…” she sounded unsure.

“I’ll go slowly,” I rasped, my own escalating desires strained in my voice.

She nodded slowly. I grabbed her wrists again and placed them above her head. It
will hurt and she’ll probably fight me. I don’t want to do it but it has to be done
in order for her me to be inside of her. Slowly, I rubbed the head of my cock up
and down her slit, coating it in her juice. The sensation stirs her desires again.
She wiggled her bottom a little and the tip slipped into her entrance. Her breath
hitched and I froze for a second.

She lifted her hips and I entered some more. She bit her lip harder and her eyes
were closed.

“Rose—” My words died on my lips the second she lifted her hips higher and I
slipped all the way in. Breaking her hymen. She cried out in pain. I clenched my
teeth at the overwhelming desires that now wrapped around my cock.

“Fuck,” I growled, pressing my sweaty forehead against hers. Tears slipped down the
corners of her tightly closed eyes. I cradled one side of her face and used my
thumb to wipe away the tears that slipped.

“Rose, you should have waited,” I rasped.

“It is better if I did it.” Pain evident in her voice.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Together we waited. My cock throbbed inside of her. I’m itching to move but I
wanted her to adjust to my size because I am bigger than just three fingers.

After a minute, I spoke up.

“Is it okay if I move?” I asked shakily because I am barely holding onto my own
control.
She nodded and I pulled slowly out of her, watching her reaction. Her pain is
replaced by something else. Encouraged, I pulled all the way out before thrusting
back inside of her at a steady pace. She moaned and her back arched making her
nipples graze my bare chest.

“Does it feel better?” I said through gritted teeth.

She nodded. “Yes.”

I began moving at a slow steady pace. Pulling out and thrusting back to her,
slowly. Sweat dripped down my body. It feels good as fuck and all I wanted to do
was fuck her hard and fast but I didn’t want to hurt her. I have long taken over
from my wolf because he knew if it was him, he would not have considered her
feelings. He would have probably fucked her like a rutting animal.

“Judah,” she pleaded.

“Yeah?” I murmured.

“Faster,” she demanded, “please.”

My eyes flew to her hooded ones. Her cheeks and skin are flushed with pleasure. I
tightened my hold around her wrists and increased my speed. Her moans increased and
her she is fighting against my restraints on her wrists.

The sensation is overwhelming. She’s tight as hell and it feels so good being
inside of her. I don’t think I can stop or want to ever stop. I want to bury myself
deep inside her and stay there. That’s how fucking good it was.

“Harder,” she demanded again, not satisfied with my pace.

Growling low, I released her hand and gripped the sheets by her head. Digging my
fingers in, I pummeled inside her just the way she demanded. Hard and fast. Her
hands flew my hip where she held me tightly, trying to control the speed.

“Shit,” I growled, feeling my balls tightened. Her walls clenched around me. My
eyes flew to her closed ones. I lowered myself and captured her lips with mine.
Kissing her hard, I took her every moan, breath, and mew from her. She kissed me
back just as feverishly.

I rocked myself so hard inside of her that the bed shook and creaked but I can’t
stop. I can’t stop with her wrapped so tight around my cock and milking me every
time I am inside of her. I groaned when I felt her bit my bottom lip. This little
minx. My cock swelled and my balls tightened. I ripped my lips away from her and
buried my face in the crook of her neck.

“Oh god. Oh god. It feels so good,” she panted.

My canines lengthened and I quickened my pace. When I felt her clench around me
hard, I knew she was there. My lips returned to the pulse on her neck. I punctured
her skin with my canines marking her. She felt pain at first. I heard her scream,
her hands clawing at my back before she stopped fighting and moaned. Her body shook
with her orgasm and she’s milking me harder and faster. I’m on a fucking high. This
is some kind of addictive drug that I know I will never get tired of. I felt her
canines on my neck. My breath hitched while I continued to ram inside of her. A
second later, she pierced my skin. I felt pain and then an overwhelming emotion
pushed me over the threshold. I groaned as I released inside of her, coating her
walls with my semen.
The bond strengthened to its full height. It’s tight and unbreakable. We were bound
together and there was no backing out. She’s mine as much as I am hers. The thought
burns deep in my chest and I am feeling overwhelming possessive of her.

Pulling back, I looked down at her tired form. Her eyes were hooded with
exhaustion, her skin pink with satiated pleasure. My eyes fell on my mark on her
neck. She’s mine now. I leaned down to possess her lips once again. She moaned
tiredly but still kissed me back. After kissing her, I moved to lay down next to
her. She turned into my body like I am her personal heater and buried her face in
my chest. I pulled the covers over our body and allowed my little mate to fall
asleep in my arms.

Author’s Note:

I hope y’all survived that last cliffhanger. Rest assured, I types this on my
tablet. 🤣🤣

32

I woke up to silence. We have slept through the day and the sun had set over the
horizon. Usually, I would sleep wrapped up in a blanket but I am feeling extremely
comfortable cocooned in my mate’s arm.

Judah.

He and I are officially mated. Did I think we will ever get here? If I was asked
this in the beginning, I would say no but now, I feel different. My heart starts
skipping beat underneath his powerful, brooding eyes. My stomach twists when he
treats me sweet. It is a never-ending trial of how much he affects me.

His thick, muscular arm is tossed over my waist. Slowly, I turned onto my back,
wincing at the soreness between my legs. I’ve seen him naked when he was
unconscious. His member didn’t look threatening then but this afternoon, I almost
wanted to run away at the swollen length.

His breathing is even and deep. Ever so slowly, I scooted to the edge of the bed.
It felt like an eternity but eventually, I did. I escaped his grasp without waking
him up.

I can still feel stickiness between my legs. I needed to pee and shower. With
haste, I walked to the bathroom and did my business before hopping into the shower.
I lathered up my hair with his shampoo and my body with his body wash.

I know he had cum inside of me and I am not a complete idiot. I knew what it could
potentially mean. I could be pregnant with his child or I might not be. There is a
fifty-fifty chance. I am not sure if I am ready to be a mother yet. I am still
young and I still want to go to study medicine. My hand temporarily splaying over
my lower stomach.

After I finished with my shower, I walked out with a towel wrapped around my body.
I was busy tucking it in that I ran right into Judah’s bare chest. Immediately, he
wrapped an arm around me stop me from toppling over.

My eyes lifted slowly from his defined pectorals to his corded shoulders, landing
briefly on my mark on his neck before I looked up to his face. His dark olive eyes
were already on me.

We stared at each other, silently remembering what we had done earlier. I can feel
him poking my stomach and I know Judah is still very naked in front of me. He is
remarkably sexy and I am clenching my thighs shamelessly. I wanted him again. How
is that even possible? He gave me three orgasms and my thighs are still shaky from
all that. I’m still sore from all that!

“I’m going to go put on some clothes,” I whispered but he didn’t release me.
Instead, his eyes dipped lower to my towel. I pushed away from him before making an
unskillful dash to the closet. Only to have him trap me against the door.

I covered my face with my hands.

“Seriously, Judah, let me go,” I grumbled. I’m blushing and I know it. If I remove
my hands, I will see every inch of him.

“And if I don’t?” his voice is noticeably deeper and huskier.

I opened up my fingers to look through them.

“I need some clothes,” I half repeated, half whined.

He smirked devilishly before he removed one hand from the door behind me. He
reached for the knot on my towel. Immediately, I knew what he was going to do. I
grabbed at the knot and then slapped his hand away.

“Hey!” I protested before using the space I have left to turn my back to him. My
front protectively protected against the door and my body. He won’t be able to get
to me now.

Turning my head to the side, I looked just in time as he lifted up my towel to

reveal my bottom. I gasped and squirmed in a poor attempt to stop him from seeing
any parts of my body. However, my squirming did nothing when I felt his hand snaked
around to cup my sex. Immediately, I stilled. My core pulsed at the familiar
invasion, welcoming it back. I moaned as he worked his fingers in and out of me. I
felt his front moved closer, trapping me further between the door and him. The
sound of my wet core and his fingers thrusting into me, further my panting.

“Judah,” I moaned a weak protest.

His lips pressed against my ear. “This is mine, my little Rose. Don’t hide it from
me.”

“It’s mi-innee,” my voice went up an octave at the end when I felt him thrust
harder.

“Mine,” he repeated in a growl.

I decided to punish him. I snapped my thighs together to stop him from thrusting.
He nipped at my ear and then trailed kisses down the side of my neck to my mark.

“Open up for me, Rose,” he commanded in a whisper.

“I want to get dressed,” I argued weakly, honestly, I don’t want to get dressed. I
want him to continue doing what he wants to do. I just want to push his buttons.

I felt his fingers stretching my walls. I moaned and leaned back against his hard
body. He ground his hard erection on my back.

“You took Animal Science. Surely your teacher taught you something about newly
marked mates,” he murmured still sucking on my mark.

It is so hard to concentrate with him doing that. The words didn’t fully register
until a minute later.

“Yes,” I breathed.

“What did she tell you?” he inquired.

“Their marks will push them into what others will call heat. Their sexual hormones
will increase dramatically,” I moaned when I felt him stretching me further.

“Spread your legs for me, Rose,” he ordered.

I spread them. He kissed his way back up my neck to the sensitive spot underneath
my ear. His fingers began pumping and the knot in my stomach began twirling and
twisting. With his front pressed against my back, he slipped his other hand to my
front and released the knot.

“What else did she say?” he asked.

Once the knot was gone, he yanked the towel off from me. His hand returning to cup
one of my breasts while the other continues to pump inside of me. It feels so good
right now. I can’t even think.

“Rose, what else did she say?” he asked.

“The—the male gets overly dominating and possessive of his mate for the first two
weeks. He won’t let anyone near her. He’ll mark her repeatedly just to claim her
over—”

I felt his canines graze the mark on my neck. My words dropped. He stopped pumping
and I almost cried out in protest. I bit down on my tongue to stop myself from
crying out in frustration but then he did something else.

He removed his hand completely.

“Please,” I pleaded but my plea was for nothing because the next thing I knew it
was replaced with something much bigger.

He slipped his cock inside of me, full sheathed and throbbing hot. His hot breath
fanned my neck and down my shoulder.

“Do you still want to get dressed? Stop me from fucking what’s mine?” he groaned in
pleasure.

“No, please continue,” I said hurriedly. Why stop him now? It’s hot and I needed
him to move.

He chuckled before his hand moved to my hips. He gripped in his hands and began a
slow steady thrust. A whimper of pleasure escaped my lips and I steadied myself
with my hands on the door.

His thrust was torturous. He will pull out slowly, enter slowly, and thrust hard at
the end. It was a cycle that drove me nuts. I feel like he is punishing me and it
spurred on my irritation. So, I did the only thing I knew that will piss him off.
Every time he thrust deep inside of me, I will move up an inch.

He caught onto my little act and pressed me further into the wall, giving me no
space to move at all.

“Judah,” I complained.

His hot breath fanned my ear and neck. He is so swollen and thick inside of me, I
knew this was just as hard for him as it is for me. Yet he is punishing me with his
slow erotic thrusts.

“Always fighting me,” he growled.

“If you don’t make me cum right now, I swear to god you will never get a piece of
this ass for another—”

He pulled out and thrust hard inside me so quick I saw stars. Jesus. He didn’t
waste a second.

“Is this what you want?” he said in a guttural tone.

Finally.

He thrust hard and fast. A perfect pace in making me see whites and stars. I moaned
and cried out so many times, I think my throat will be hoarse after this. He
stopped and pulled out of me. A whimper of disappointment leaving my lips just as
he turned me around and lifted me up. He carried me over to his desk where he
shoved some stuff aside. Sitting me on top, he scooted my bottom to the edge and
thrust inside me again.

“Oh!” I gasped at this new sensation.

He wrapped his hands around my neck as anchor points while he rammed inside of me.
It forced me to look at him and our lips to be close. He captured my lips in his,
all the while, still pummeling me deeply. I moaned into his kisses.

“Mine, Rose. Always,” he growled possessively.

This new position hit me differently. I found myself approaching the edge faster. A
soft whimper passing between my lips to his while I pulsed around his cock readily.

“Fuck,” he hissed and pressed his forehead against mine. “Cum for me, Rose.”

He kept one hand firmly cupping my neck while the other dipped lower to my clit. He
pressed his thumb over it before swirling it in circles. That was it. I cried out
through his kisses while milking his cock. It was an unstoppable force. I heard him
release an inhumane growl just as warm spurts of his semen coated my insides once
again. My legs shook, my muscles were contracting all over and I moved my hands to
his arm, holding onto them for dear life.

His thrust became slower and I felt him go a little flaccid inside of me but he
didn’t pull completely out. I opened my eyes to see him looking at me already.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he breathed, his chest rising and falling heavily.

He began moving once again and I felt him go hard in seconds. He must have seen the
surprise in my eyes but he didn’t say anything. He continued to pull out and in of
me slowly. Lifting me up, he sat down in a chair by the desk. I straddled his hip,
making him slip deeper inside of me. I braced my hands on his shoulders.
At first, my rocking movement was unsure and unsteady. I didn’t know what to do. It
was the first time I have straddled a man this way but then a sense of power
overtakes me and I became more confident. I set my own pace and he didn’t even
protest. He took his time kissing my chest and sucking on my breasts.

When I felt the familiar sensation stir in my stomach again, I buried my face in
the crook of his neck while riding him. His hands moved to my hips and his face
buried in my neck. I felt his canines lengthen and I knew what he wanted to do.
He’s going to re-mark me.

“God, you feel so good,” he groaned just as I felt his canines punctured his mark
on my neck again.

I cried out spasming around his cock like there will be no tomorrow. I felt him
release once more inside of me. A low guttural sound rumbling from the back of his
throat.

When he released his hold on my neck, his lips were dripping with some of my blood.
The sight turned me on and I cupped his cheek before kissing him thoroughly. His
tongue tangling with mine in a feverish frenzy.

Finally, he lifted me off his lap. My legs shook and I had to hold onto him to
steady myself. He chuckled at my predicament and I had to give him a hard glare.
This was all his fault. He made me cum four times in one day. Anybody in this
situation will be wobbly like me.

He picked me up and carried me to the bathroom where we proceeded to shower

together. Once we were done, we finally got dressed and he made us dinner for the
night.

33

I wobbled my way out of Judah’s home and sat on a bench on the porch. The rain has
stopped early in the morning, but it is extremely humid outside with a dense fog.
The sun could barely peek through the grey clouds in the sky. Yet there is still a
soft billowy breeze that I am appreciative of.

My science teacher wasn’t joking when she said that newly marked mates tend to be
insatiable. After dinner last night, we went another two more rounds. I am hiding
from him outside because it is the only place I can run without my knees buckling
and me falling flat on my face.

The front screen door opened and the man I was just thinking about stepped out
dressed only in a black athletic shorts that is low around his waist. I can see
everything right now down to the v-line running down his shorts. I clenched my
thighs together; pretty sure my desires came doubling back. Did I forget to mention
that I am also sexually crazed right now?

“It stopped raining.” An attempt in averting our attention to the weather.

He looked out his front yard before his eyes flew back to me. His lips twitching
into a barely noticeable smile.
“It has.” He walked over to sit next to me before pulling me onto his lap. I
started a protest only to end with a soft sigh when I felt his nose buried into my
neck and his arms tightened around me.

“You need to give me a break,” I whispered.

I felt his lips curved into a smile against my skin before he placed a chaste kiss
right there. He lifted and pulled back to look at me. I turned my head to look at
him. His eyes were soft, not brooding and dark.

“I know,” he replied simply, “but I can’t resist you.”

“Learn to,” I argued.

He chuckled. “It’s hard to when you are my mate, Rose.”

“Do you realize how many times you came inside me since yesterday?” I glared at
him.

His lips pursed a little while he thought about this.

“Exactly!” I growled, even he can’t remember how many times.

Birth controls do nothing to werewolves. We fight it off like an infection. He can

try wearing a condom, but the chances of conceiving will only go down by a few
percentages. Yesterday, I thought about it briefly but I haven’t come to terms with
this until now.

I release a heavy sigh and my shoulders sagged. I know that if I do end up

conceiving, I will want the baby. There is no doubt about it. It is my child-and
Judah’s but it’s a life growing inside of me. Yet studying medicine is important to
me too.

Judah’s hand came up and he smoothed back the hair on my forehead. He hooked it
behind my ear to get my attention. My eyes found his again.

“What if I am pregnant?” I asked him.

He blinked and I can see that he hasn’t thought about this at all. If he didn’t
look so adorably confused right now, I swear I will smack him on the side of his
head. Did he not realize what he did yesterday? The risks?

“Then you are pregnant,” he replied stupidly.

I rolled my eyes. “Do you want a child?”

“Do you?” he questioned.

“I asked you first.” I deadpanned him.

His hand dropped back down to my waist. His eyes were softer than the green grass
valley.

“I want kids, Rose, but I don’t want them if you aren’t ready,” he replied.

“I don’t think I am ready,” I told him honestly. My voice has dropped to a whisper
and I looked down at my hands in my lap. I couldn’t look at him.

He went quiet and I am afraid he will be upset with me. Pregnancy is a natural
progression of mated couples. They find each other, mate, conceive, and live
happily ever after. Yet we are here and I do not want to get pregnant.

When he didn’t say anything, I looked back at him. He sighed and cupped my cheek
before leaning in to give me a chaste kiss on my lips.

“It’s okay. I want kids. No doubt about it but I am not going to force you, Rose,”
he replied finally.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked.

He nodded. “I will wear condoms but what if you are already pregnant?”

I thought about this too and I stand by it. If what we did yesterday caused me to
conceive, this baby is staying. I’ll fight through it. Who said women can’t go to
school and have kids at the same time?

“Then I am pregnant.” I shrugged.

“Will you be happy?” he asked, unsure about my feelings.

I looked at him with an affirmative look. I nodded my head several times. I placed
a hand over my stomach vaguely but his eyes zeroed in on my hand that is resting on
my stomach.

“If I am pregnant than I already love this child. I will not show him or her that I
regret conceiving them because I don’t. This child will be born loved.”

His eyes flew to mine and his eyes glazed over with admiration and for the first
time, he gave me a broad, genuine smile.

“I will be here with you, every step of the way,” he promised.

Pregnancy in werewolves works a little different than humans. As the male is more
primitive and fast in nature, their sperms work the same way. A female werewolf can
get pregnant with their mate’s sperm within the first few tries. If werewolves
slept together and they aren’t mates, their chances are lower. They can still
conceive but their body is not favorable to the sperms. The female’s anatomy will
fight off the invasive attack. If I am pregnant, I will know within a week. My body
will start to change and Judah will notice before I do because he will smell the
change.

“If I am not pregnant, I want to study medicine.” I waited for him to respond.

His jaw ticked a little and I can understand why. He is the Gamma. He needs to stay
within the pack in case there is an attack, he is there to help. However, with me
wanting to study medicine it would require me to travel outside of the pack. I
would be miles away from him.

“I don’t want you to go,” he told me and I appreciated his honest answer.

“I won’t be gone too long. Plus, you can visit me on the weekends and I can come
home for breaks.” I gave him a supportive smile.

He didn’t look very happy with those options. It would be hard for both of us. I
have a feeling I will miss him terribly but I really want to do this too.

“Let me see what I can do,” he simply responded.

I tilted my head to the side in question. One corner of his lip lifted before he
leaned forward in an attempt to capture my lips only to be stopped when we heard a
vehicle rumbling down our driveway. We both pulled back to see Beta Ace and Alpha
Hunter stepping out of Alpha Hunter’s black truck.

They didn’t look very happy to see us. They wore a grim look. Judah slowly stood
up, removing me from his lap to his side. His hand intertwining through mine.

“What is it?” Judah skipped introductions and went straight to the reason why they
were here.

“One of the guards that went with Bethany returned. He is severely injured with
silver and is currently in the medical wing. They were attacked by hunters right
before the storm got worse. As far as the guard that returned has told us, all
guards are either dead or captured,” Alpha Hunter’s eyes moved from Judah to me.

Judah’s hand tightened considerably in mine.

“What about Bethany?” I asked, seeing that my mate is tense and angry I moved a
hand to rub his shoulder to ease his worries.

“Bethany is not dead. The hunters took her.”

“But that means our pack—”

“We could be in danger. We need to find her before they can break her or use her
against us,” Beta Ace added.

“Ok, let’s go,” I agreed.

Judah turned to me. The soft look in his olive green was no longer there. They were
dark and brooding again. His eyebrows furrowed deeply into a scowl.

“You aren’t going,” he snapped.

“What? Why not?” I argued. “You need as many people as you can.”

“I think Judah is right. You should stay,” Alpha Hunter interjected.

I scoffed. “Is it because I am a female?”

“You know damn well it isn’t because of that,” Judah growled. “I’ve trained you
myself. I know what you are capable of, Rose. I just can’t have you out there-not
right now.”

Alpha Hunter and Beta Ace nodded their heads in agreement. I glared at the three
men in front of me. I swear I believe it is because they think I am incompetent. I
can handle myself well. Granted, I have never been to a real fight and have been
safely harbored in this pack, I still believe that I can fight. Yet just as that
thought crossed my mind I found it to be ridiculous. I sounded ridiculous. I have
been trained by Judah but it is only to defend myself. I didn’t train myself to
become a warrior because I don’t want to be a warrior. I trained myself to be a
doctor.

I huffed when I realized they were right. It was better off if I stay behind until
I am confident in not holding anyone back. These three have gone out and fought
many times already. Comparing them to me, I am a baby riding a bike on training
wheels.
“We will take you to the packhouse where you will be safe,” Alpha Hunter assured
me.

“You should stay with your mother,” Judah added earning my attention.

I looked at him with a pout to my face. He turned his body to face me, eliminating
the little spaces we have between us. His eyes softened for a moment as he pinched
my chin and ran his thumb over my lips gently. Sparks fluttered on contact.

“I know you want to help but it is better if you stay here for now. When we return,
I will tell you everything,” he promised.

I nodded before we all got into Alpha Hunter’s truck. He pulled out of the driveway
and back to the packhouse which was in the center of town. Once we arrived at the
tall sturdy mansion, I saw that my mom was already waiting for me outside. She
looks a little anxious but I also noticed a male arm wrapped around her shoulders.
My eyes snapped to the man standing next to her.

I recognized him. His name is Galen. He is a pack warrior but a warrior who has
gained merits and seniority over the years. He works under Judah. He is very kind
and we spoke only on a few occasions but why was he holding onto my mom
affectionately?

“Rose!” My mom broke away from Galen and ran to me. She took hold of my shoulders
and pulled me into her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around me.

“Are you okay? I was so worried about you,” my mom asked.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

My mom pulled back and her eyes immediately found Judah’s mark on my neck. Her eyes
widened and she looked back to me with a question in her eyes. I responded with a
smile to my face. She smiled back before hugging me again.

“My baby is all grown up,” she whispered.

“Catalina,” Galen’s thick brogue voice interrupted from behind my mom.

I looked up to see him looking at me. My mom pulled back to look at Galen as if she
just remembered he was behind her before she turned to me.

“Rose, this is Galen. He has been very kind in helping me out in the kitchen.” My
mom blushed.

I don’t know how I feel about this. My mom is clearly attracted to this man and
there is no doubt he is attracted to her too but what about my dad? My mom doesn’t
talk much about him and when I try talking to her about it she will always change
the subject.

“Mom?” I looked back at my mom.

Judah moved to stand behind me. He placed a hand at the curve of my back to calm
me, already sensing my agitation.

“Let’s talk about this when we are alone,” my mom looked at Judah with an
appreciative glance before looking back down at me.

“Galen, I need you to prepare thirty experienced pack warriors. We are going on a
mission. Meet us back here in ten,” Judah commanded.
Galen’s hand touched my mom’s shoulder and gave it a good squeeze before
disappearing in the mansion. Judah took hold of my hands into his. He pulled me
away from my mom and closer to him.

“Try to behave,” he spoke.

“I am always on my best behavior,” I responded with a pout.

He leaned in and kissed my lips quickly to get rid of the pout.

“I mean it, Rose. Your mom seems happy. Before you get angry with her, put yourself
in her place. Let her explain first and be rational, my little Rose.”

“I am not that irrational,” I grumbled.

He smirked before pulling me into his arms.

“I’ll come back. I’ll be safe,” he buried his nose into my hair and breathed those
words softly for me to hear only.

“You better or else I’ll really go away and not come back,” I threatened. This lie
is really starting to get old. I don’t think he will ever believe me.

I watched the pack warriors fill the mansion front lawn until everybody, male and
female warriors, were accounted for. Alpha Hunter made an announcement of what was
happening. Their objective and mission that they needed to complete before
returning home. He explained the danger and risk to his warriors before I watched
all of them lead the pack warriors out of our sight.

Author’s Note:

VENT: I don’t like being used. Don’t use me to gain recognition on your books. If
you want to be writers who share tips back and forth, I am fine with that but what
I don’t appreciate is the false pretense of wanting to “be writing colleagues” on
Wattpad to gain recognition and then drop me like I was never there to help. It’s
hateful and disgusting.

Also, this is the last update for the week. I’ll see you next week for FC. I’ll see
if I can work in Donato’s Honor chapter and also for Yours Truly, Raven.

34

*Trigger Warning*

Running in our wolves is like a rush that you can’t come down from. The feel of our
muscles working and the feeling of freedom wafting through our furs are
irresistible. Hunter had previously sent out trackers to the crash site. The
vehicle that was transporting Bethany is now nothing more than a piece of metal in
the ditch by the side of the country road.

It was hard to track a scent that has been dampened by the rain. There is barely
anything left. No tracks and no scent. Yet our trackers have years of experience.
We are natural predators in our wolf forms. Humans might be good hunters, but they
are nothing compared to us.

From the report, the hunters have sought refuge in a nearby abandoned facility. The
rainstorm has stopped them from continuing further. They had to hide and wait out
the storm as well.

The slow transition of heavily wooded planes to clear planes forced us to shift
into our human. The clothes that we brought with us were quickly put on in hiding.
Crouching low, we looked at the facility. It looks uninhabited. Whatever life is
left in the facility is now gone. The metal fenced gates were torn down and the
front gates are wide open.

It doesn’t take us very long to realize that the place is completely empty. Hunter
didn’t need to say it out loud. One look in Ace and my direction and we knew
exactly what he was thinking. Either we are too late, and they have abandoned their
hiding spot and moved on or they have successfully completed their mission and we
are falling further behind them.

Nonetheless, the warriors spread out and did their initial examination as well as
circling the facility and blocking all exits. Hunter, Ace, and I walked through the
broken down front gate entrance and up the cemented driveway. Parking spots on
either side of us.

When we reached the front entrance of the building, we heard a soft, barely audible
moan. Someone sounded hurt and left behind. My friends and I exchanged a quick
glance before Hunter opened the door.

We noticed right away the person laying on the ground, drenched in her own blood,
weak and naked. Her eyes fluttered open when she heard the entrance door squeaked
open. Although Bethany was a pack member who didn’t understand her place and caused
harmed to her pack member, to see her like this, it sickened me.

She had cuts all over her body that has caused her wounds to turn black. Between
her bare legs, you can see that she was bleeding profusely. Her hair is a strewn
mess and saturated in her own blood. Her lips were bloody like someone had slapped
and abused her repeatedly.

Slowly, one by one the warriors appeared in a circle around the main floor. They
all looked at her and although she has committed a crime, she was one of us. To see
this kind of cruelty happen to anybody invokes a strange fury inside of us.

She turned onto her stomach with her hands outstretched towards us. Seeing a thick
wool blanket hanging from the rail nearby us, I grabbed it and walked down the
steps. I can hear Hunter and Ace following behind. I moved to wrap the blanket
around her before lifting into my arms.

“What happened?” I asked.

“They tortured me for days,” she whispered weakly.

“What did they want?” I asked further.

She shook her head, “I don’t know.”

Hunter crouched down on the ground next to me and Bethany’s eyes moved to her
former Alpha.

“Tell us, Bethany. This is important. What information were they trying to get out
of you?” Hunter questioned.
“I never wanted any of this. I only wanted,” her eyes moved to me, “I only wanted
you.”

She coughed into her hands and the blood that she coughed out was black. She lifted
her hand up to examine the blood. Then her lips lifted at one corner.

“They raped me for days. One after another. They never stopped, and when they
didn’t have enough strength, they used objects. They did—” Tears welled up in her
eyes and spilled down her cheek the second she blinked.

“When they were inside me, they would cut me and beat me. I couldn’t think. The
pain was too much. They would break my fingers and bones and just before they could
heal again, they would do it all over,” she sobbed, and her body shook with an
incomprehensible fear.

“It’s ok. We will take you back to the pack. The doctors there will fix you up,”
Hunter assured her.

She shook her head and coughed some more. Blood spurted out of her mouth and she
quickly covered her mouth with her hand. Shaking her head vigorously until her
coughing spasms stopped.

“It’s too late,” she whispered, and her eyes glossed over with more unshed tears.

Bethany is in the same grade as Rosemary. She has good standing parents that
provided well for her. When they heard of the things that she has done, they were
quick to be disappointed even when they love her. It doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be
upset when they hear about this. She was supposed to be protected when being
transported to the authorities. Now, they will have to hear about what happened to
her too. If it was my pup—my arms tightened around Bethany almost protectively at
the thought of my own pup suffering through this.

“They cut me with knives coated with silver. The poison has compromised my system.
I can feel it slowing everything down. I won’t make it home,” she mumbled, blinking
a few times to keep her eyes opened.

Hunter moved to take hold of Bethany’s cold hand in comfort. She looked at their
connected hands and more tears welled up in her eyes. Her lips quivered, and her
eyes moved to meet her Alpha’s.

“They spoke in hushed tones most of the time, but I noticed their leader’s name.
His name is Baden. He kept questioning me about our packs. He asked about our
numbers, strength, leaders, location, and everything that he needed to know to
infiltrate.

Bethany’s face flushed with guilt. Her eyes filled more with tears and they
streamed down the corners of her eyes. She shook her head unable to speak any
further.

“Did you tell them everything they wanted?” I asked the question I knew everyone is
wondering.

The air is stricken with a dead silence while we waited for her response. Our fate
depends on her answer. My mate is back at home in the packhouse unbeknownst of the
impending threat or capability of this sadistic human hunter. I couldn’t stop the
rising panic inside of me. I shook her slightly to jerk her awake.

“Tell us what you have told him, Bethany.” Hunter is having trouble holding back
his temper. He wanted an answer but Bethany isn’t completely lucid.

She closed her eyes and her head lulled back exposing her redden and bruised neck.
They had choked her. I can see fingerprints and rope burns. Her body is weak and
barely alive at this point.

“Baden came to me one night when everyone was asleep. That night the only thing
that ran through my head is death. I wanted death so much because he did horrible
things to me. He wanted to know—he wanted to know if there were two females that
sought safety within our pack about fifteen to ten years ago,” Bethany slurred. Her
skin is ashen with the loss of blood and poison running through her veins.

My eyes shot up to look at Hunter and Ace. Everyone knew the answer to this. We are
a close pack and rarely accept sanctuary. The only one was with my mate and her
mother.

“What did you tell him?” I growled, my arms tightening harder around her slender
form to an almost vice-like grip.

She is struggling to breathe at this point. Pushing me away from her. Her head is
shaking back and forth. She is experiencing excruciating pain at this point with
the silver taking its final blow to her organs and systems.

I released her and she dropped to the ground. Coughing up more thick and tarred
blood. She collapsed onto the ground. One side of her face settling to the ground
in exhaustion.

“Rosemary,” she breathed her last breath. Her eyes were wide and lifeless.

Hunter and Ace stood up along with me. Hunter waved his hand for a pack warrior to
carry Bethany’s body back for burial before he turned to face me. Hunter and Ace
are like brothers to me. They know what I am thinking even without saying it.
Hunter’s steps fell next to mine. Grabbing my arm, he forced me to stop my pursuit
back home.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Home,” I growled.

“We don’t know what is out there. We don’t know what they are planning, nor do we
understand the full potential of their powers, Jude. You can’t just fucking walk
back home without thinking. What if they are out there waiting for us right now?
What if all along, they were here, and we never knew about it?” Hunter’s eyes
scanned the facility and open landscape before stopping on me again.

“Did you see what they did to Bethany? Imagine if that happens to your mother or
your mate? What would you do? We are over here when they are at home. We can’t
fucking protect from here.” I jerked my arm from him.

“You’re right. We can’t but you know that they aren’t defenseless at home. There
are warriors, guards, and my dad back at home. He will know what to do to keep them
safe.”

“They don’t know what is heading their way. They don’t know what we have seen,
Hunter. It is best to run back home,” Ace spoke up for the first time.

Hunter acknowledges our concerns but he knew the possible things we could be facing
on our return. So, we left five warriors behind to scope the area out. Sent one to
the werewolf authorities for back up and took the rest back to our territory.
Bethany’s body is taken to the authority for evidence by the warrior we sent for
back up.

The run back home seemed like forever. My heart refused to sit still and with each
passing second, it tightened just another inch more. My chest ached and my lungs
feel like it refuses to breathe on its own. Fear has taken control of my rational
mind. A picture of Rosemary’s face appeared in my mind and the only thing I could
think of is that it was too soon. We just started. I haven’t had time to even show
her how much I love her.

When we neared the territory, nothing was out of the ordinary. Hunter howled into
the night sky, announcing our return. Another howl returned in response from the
nearest pack guard.

When we reached the packhouse and we were greeted with Hunter’s parents along with
mine and Beta Ace’s. Shifting, we were tossed garments to put on. I pulled up an
old athletic short and yanked on a sleeveless t-shirt before my eyes scanned the
packhouse entrance further.

Galen stepped out followed by Rosemary’s mother and Rosemary. Like magnetics, I
watched her scan the crowds until her eyes found me. It remained there and I can
see the relief glimmering her light russet-colored eyes. The wild urge to hold her
quickened my footsteps until I am jogging up to her. Grabbing her shoulder roughly,
I yanked her into my chest. She landed with a thump before her arms wrapped around
my waist. I buried my nose in the curve of her neck. Soft tingles and warmth calmed
my fear. I can breathe again but my heart refuse to stop beating rapidly in my
chest.

While holding her, I knew without a doubt that I will do everything I can to
protect her.

“We got trouble heading our way and I don’t know how much time we have left,”
Hunter said from behind me.

Rosemary pulled away from me as much as she could. I still got her in a tight hold
but we both turned to see Hunter’s parents directing us back into the packhouse.

“Let’s talk inside,” Hunter’s dad said with a nod.

Author’s Note:

Ok, so, I am still not feeling so well but I am doing much better than the last few
days. It’s really killing me. On another note, I have been recognized by Wattpad as
a star! I am excited about this new adventure! Thank you all for your support and I
apologize for the long wait in an update.

35

“How can someone be so cruel?” Luna Mikaela said from her sitting position next to
her mate. On mate instinct, she reached for her nearest comfort which was her
mate’s hand. She intertwined her fingers through his and pulled his hand closer to
her body to ward off the fear.

I sat on Judah’s lap since there was no other place to sit. My mom and Galen took
up the love seat. The Beta couple and Judah’s dad took up another. Judah’s parents
took the liberty of pulling in two chairs to sit in the circle. While Judah and
Beta Ace took the other love seat which eventually led to me sitting on his lap. I
could have squeezed between my mom and Galen but Judah wouldn’t let me go.

I watched the rest of the adults’ eyes flying over to my mom. Confused as to why
they were looking at her, I turned to see that she has gone completely pale.

“Mom?” I asked worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

“Catalina, I think this is the time for you to explain everything.” The way Alpha
Corbin said it sound like he was giving her a choice but his tone was commanding.

My mom’s gaze flew over to me and I saw the panic in her eyes. I’m confused at her
reaction. Explain? What does she need to explain?

“Your father didn’t die, Rose,” my mom began.

“W-what?” I stuttered. This is the first time she had spoken about my dad. She
would always push the subject away every time I asked. I figured it was probably
too painful for her and I never pressured her any further. Judah’s hands tightened
around my waist to keep me in place.

“Your father is a human hunter. We stumbled upon each other when he was doing a
raid. Even though he is human, he felt the bond. The instant attraction. At first,
I saw the flash of repulsion in his eyes. He recoiled physically at the thought of
being bonded to a werewolf but then the bond is irresistible. He seduced and
tricked me into falling for him. He took me back to his base where he had me
imprisoned. He would visit me daily and shower me with gifts and flowers.

He had hoped that by giving me that it would blind me to the fact that I was a
prisoner. He wouldn’t let me out of the room. Every time he left, he would lock the
door to keep me inside. He told me it was for my safety that he didn’t want anyone
to hurt me. After a year, he started changing. His visits became less.

When he did visit, he was always angry. He would tell me that this was all my
fault. That I did this to him. It didn’t take long until he started hitting me.
He’ll beat me up and then rape me afterward. Then he started experimenting with me.
Injecting me with cold serums to change my body heat and alter my DNA but it did
little to change who I am. “

I stiffened and began squirming in Judah’s lap. I needed to walk. For years I have
envisioned who my father was. I told myself he was a soldier, a kind gentleman who
loved my mom with all his heart, and I even envisioned that he was alive. That my
mom had lied to me.

“When I became pregnant with you, I knew I needed to escape. He would kill you. He
would use you against me. I knew his potential. Your father did not love me. The
bond made him obsess about me but it did not make him love me. So, I broke out one
night after one of the human nurses brought me my food. I killed her and ran. For
years I kept you hidden and away from everyone because we weren’t safe. Every time,
I would see signs of him anywhere near us, I would run with you.” My mom sobbed
into her hands—remembering her past.

“When we came here, I couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t run. I was exhausted from
running. My fear was killing me alive. I needed you safe.”

“So, my dad is a sadistic psychopath?” I whispered feeling all kinds of emotions.

“And now, the only reason why I am hearing about this is that he has found us?”
“He won’t hurt you,” Judah said.

I whipped my head to look at him. He didn’t look surprised. He knew. He knew before
I did.

“You knew,” I accused him.

“I found out just recently--—”

“And you just so happen to forget to tell me—”

“It wasn’t his job to tell you this. It was mine. I didn’t want to tell you because
I knew how much you wanted a father. I didn’t think he would ever find us. I never
wanted him to find us. Then hopefully, you wouldn’t have to know about the horrible
things he is capable of. I know you, Rosemary. You pictured him to be perfect. You
pictured him as a father who would have showered you with love and gifts. I don’t
want to take that away from you.”

She was only trying to protect me but I couldn’t help but feel betrayed—like a
fool. She wasn’t lying when she said I imagined my father to be a hero. Everyone’s
eyes were on me and it fueled my frustration, anger, and irritation with everything
—everyone around me.

Tearing myself away from Judah’s reluctant grasp, I stood up and hastened my
footsteps out of the office. I can’t be here when they discuss what to do with my
father. I needed to clear my head. I needed a place to scream and release the
building emotions inside of me.

I heard Judah’s and my mom’s protest but I couldn’t stop. I made a dash out the
door down the hall and out onto the foyer. No one was in sight. That was a good
thing. I heard footsteps behind me but I didn’t wait to see who it was. I made a
dash for the stairs. Taking it two steps at a time, I made it up the stairs in no
time. I took a left before opening the second door the right and entering inside.
Slamming it shut, I leaned against the cold wooden door. With my eyes closed
tightly, I focused on my breathing.

My father is a psychopath. He is human. He hunts us. They weren’t in love.

I heard a low growl and my eyes flew open.

It landed on a woman. She looks to be around my age. She wore an oversized white t-
shirt over her slim form. I admired her beautiful sun-kissed skin and long black
tresses that cascaded past her shoulders down to her hips. I wondered faintly if
she straightens it or is it naturally straight? Her large doe eyes narrowed on me
for a second—assessing if I am a threat to her. I noticed beside her a child was
sleeping. She’s flawless.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t think anyone was in here,” I whispered gently.

Her head tilted slightly to the right and her eyes widened a fraction in curiosity.
I shifted against the door. I have invaded her space, walked into her bedroom
without thinking. I watched her lick her dry lips gently to wet them. She opened
her mouth in an attempt to speak but closed them a second later. I frowned, did she
not know how to speak?

“It’s okay,” she said hoarsely back.

Her voice is a startling difference to her fierce look. Her eyes although big and
doe-like. It held a certain fierceness to it. Her face is more oval and slender
compared to mine.

“Are you okay?” she questioned. “Is someone hurting you?”

I shook my head before shoving my hands through my hair when I recalled my father
again.

“I’m upset,” I replied honestly.

We went quiet for a while. I should probably leave before the pup wakes up but I
didn’t move. Instead, I stood where I was and looked at her. I think part of me was
afraid to go back out there and hear more about what my father did. I am not ready
yet and so I stood firmly in her room like an idiot.

“My n-name is Katya,” she whispered and looked at me intently.

“My name is—”

The door whipped open, pushing me forward. I stumbled hard onto the ground. In an
instant, Katya hovered over me. She growled at the intruder, warning it to stay
back. I flipped my hair back to see that my mate was standing in the doorway
breathing hard next to Hunter.

“Get away from her,” Judah growled, making a move towards me.

“Get back,” Alpha Hunter grabbed Judah’s shirt to stop him from approaching us.

“Your mate has my mate underneath her,” Judah snapped, shoving Hunter’s hand away.

“She’s not hurting Rosemary, idiot,” Alpha Hunter growled. “Look at her stance.”

Judah’s eyes snapped back to Katya and me. His frown deepened and his thick
eyebrows deepened between his forehead.

“I’m fine,” I replied before reaching to touch Katya’s shoulder.

She looked at me for a second before she pulled back and stood up. I noticed that
the shirt she was wearing is Alpha Hunter’s shirt. She’s Alpha Hunter’s mate. I
heard something about this before the storm. I walked into the future Luna’s
bedroom.

“Thank you, Katya,” I murmured before Judah bent down to help me up.

“Katya?” Apparently, it was Alpha Hunter’s turn to get confused.

I looked at his mate and then back at him.

“That’s your mate’s name. Isn’t it?” I responded.

“Katya,” he rolled it on his tongue some more like it was the most interesting word
he has ever pronounced in his life.

Katya’s eyes met her mate’s head on. Although Alpha Hunter is now exhibiting any
Alpha powers, Katya’s shoulders were rolled back and her chin was lifted. It was
like she was prepared to fight her mate.

“You talk to her but not me?” Alpha Hunter growled at his mate, suddenly angry.
Katya’s jaw ticked and Alpha Hunter growled louder.

“Um, did I miss something?” I grumbled to Judah.

“Apparently, they aren’t on the same terms yet,” Judah murmured into the side of my
head. He pulled me closer to him. I wrapped one arm around his waist, happy to have
his support and warmth.

“I’m your mate.” Alpha Hunter looks pissed off. He takes a step toward Katya. Katya
turned her back to her mate and marched away from him. He grabbed onto her arm and
she whips around to punch him in the face but he grabs onto her hand and twists
both hands behind her back.

“I’m your mate,” he growled louder.

“Wait.” I pulled away from Judah and walked over to them. Slowly, I placed my hands
on Katya’s forearms and willed Alpha Hunter to release his mate.

Katya glared at her mate. Her brown eyes matched the fire in his eyes. It was like
adding gasoline into the fire. It grew tenfold.

“Katya, he won’t hurt you. He is your mate. Alpha Hunter is a good person,” I
assured her.

“I don’t trust him,” she replied quietly but Alpha Hunter and Judah heard it
nonetheless. The softness and sweet velvet in her tone took Alpha Hunter by
surprise. I can see it in his eyes. They glimmered with unspoken desires and
admiration.

“But you trust me?” I asked.

“Because you’re a girl,” she replied.

“I’m your mate.” Alpha Hunter thought to emphasize again.

Katya ignored him once again like he never spoke. It hurt him. I can see the color
in his eyes clouded a little bit more.

“Katya, he’s your destined soulmate. He is born to stand next to you—protect you.
He will never betray you,” I said.

She lifted her eyes to look at Alpha Hunter then shook her head.

“No such thing as soulmates,” she grumbled.

That did it. Alpha Hunter took one step and yanked her into his arms. She fought
him hard but he is so much stronger than her. She kicked and even tried headbutting
him. Even through all this quiet seething talk, the little one never woke.

“Stop struggling, Katya. Feel the tingles? It feels like you are being stroked to
life. Your heart rate is beating in sync with mine. You are my soulmate. These
feelings aren’t just here for no reason. They’re here to tell you that I am yours
just as much as you are mine.”

“No,” she shot back with a glare.

He slammed his lips onto hers. She froze. I turned to Judah who grabbed my wrist.
This was our cue to leave.
When we were alone in the hallway, Judah stopped us and turned me to face him.

“You’re fast, Rose. I almost lost you. Luckily, a pack member saw you wandering in
this direction,” he started.

“I needed time alone,” I grumbled.

“It is hard to hear the truth but it is. Your father is a bad man and he is on his
way here. We need to prepare for him.”

“He wants my mom and me, doesn’t he?” I asked.

He nodded before he suddenly yanks me back into his arms.

“He thinks he has the upper hand but he doesn’t know what I am capable of.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I am a dangerous man when it comes to things I love. I’ll fight for you. I’ll even
kill for you. You are mine and there is no way in hell he will take you away from
me.”

Author’s Note:

how I have been feeling lately… setting goals but snoozing instead.

36

We strengthened the guards on our borders and laid out traps for the hunters. It is
a waiting game. When a rat doesn’t want to be found, you can’t find it unless you
lure it out. Sending out trackers will only waste our time and effort. Instead, we
are going to play his hands and make him believe we have no idea he is heading our
way.

Honestly, I don’t know what to expect for the impending future. However, I know
without a doubt that Rosemary’s father won’t stop. He searched for them all this
time. More than likely, he is crazier than he wants to admit. More than likely, the
bond is too much for him and he has become obsessed.

I took Rosemary back to my old bedroom in the packhouse. I did end up taking a
quick shower and changing into a pair of black athletic shorts quick in my closet.

Reaching above me, I took down a small shoebox. Inside was something that belonged
to her. I think it is about time I gave it back to her. A distant memory played in
the back of my mind and I couldn’t help but smile.

When I stepped out of the closet, I had my hands behind my back. She looked my way
and I noticed how she took her time scanning my body. My blood always heats up when
my mate looks at me that way.

She cleared her throat and tore her eyes away for a second and looked at her hands
that were resting on her lap.

“So,” she began.

“So,” I walked over and sat next to her on the bed.

Our thighs rubbing against each other, distributing warmth and comforting heat
between us both. Slowly, I grabbed her hand that was nearest to me and intertwined
my fingers through hers. An adorable confused expression appeared on her face.

“What?” she asked in confusion.

Lifting my other hand, I revealed her pearl bracelet she had dropped back in grade
school. She looked at it for a second before her frown turned into a smile. Her
eyes flew to me.

“You kept it?” She reached for the pearl bracelet and turned it over in her palm.

“I did. You ran off so quickly that day.”

“Sean called me his girlfriend that day,” she pointed out while wiggling her
eyebrows at me.

I smirked, “I heard the conversation. You looked a little pale when he called you
his girlfriend.”

“What? No. I wasn’t pale. I liked him. That’s why I agreed to be his girlfriend,”
she argued.

I snorted. “You didn’t agree. If I remember correctly, you never responded to his
claims. You led the boy on.”

“Did not,” she shoved me with her arm.

“Just like how you tried leading me on that you went out on a date with Ace,” I
replied, remembering the conversation in the elevator.

An embarrassed flush appeared on her face and she immediately covered it up with
her hands and fell back onto my bed.

“Oh my god. Don’t remind me,” she grumbled.

Chuckling, I removed her hands to look at her. I love seeing her expressions and
moods. It is so much better than not being able to predict how she is feeling.

“You’re cute when you blush,” I told her.

She tried to push me away but I pinned her hands above her. My body now hovering
above hers. Our eyes met and she drew in her bottom lip nervously before she spoke
up again.

“Why did you keep it? It was just a pearl bracelet.”

“I don’t know. It was yours. So, I kept it safe.”

“When I saw it missing, I swore you would have thrown it away,” she replied.

I sighed because she has every right to feel that way but, in my defense, she was a
hard woman to get to know.

“Do you remember the first day we met?” I asked. “You refused to talk to anyone.
Even when we tried to include you, you pushed us away with that empty look in your
eyes.”

“What can I say? I don’t reveal much,” she mumbled with a shrug.

I chuckled. “No, you definitely don’t. You were a pain in the ass.”

“Yet you kept following me, glaring at me, and running into me. You know what I
think, you were stalking me,” she concluded at the end.

I snorted. “Ok, Einstein. Let’s hold back on the scientific hypothesis.”

She giggled and took me off guard by flipping me over onto my back. My eyes widened
just as her legs wrapped around my midsection. She pinned my hands above my head.

“Well, what do you know. The disciple did a perfect straddle pin on her master.”
Her light russet-colored eyes gleamed with a victory.

One corner of my mouth lifted before I broke one arm from her hold and grabbed the
back of her neck to bring her down for a kiss. She gasped in surprise at how
quickly I got out of her pinned hold. Kissing her seems long overdue. I missed
these perfect lips that were melting against mine. I crave the sweet taste of her
mouth. I heard her softly moan before her hold on my other hand released. She
placed her hands on my shoulders. I pushed myself off the bed while continuing to
kiss her. She still perfectly straddled on my hip, only this time, she can feel how
hard between her legs. I cupped her neck and threaded my fingers through her hair.

It started out with a superficial dislike but then I found myself constantly
wondering about her. To me, she stood out even when she isn’t trying even before
the bond. I’ve always found myself looking at her. I’m not going to deny it.

When I saw the chance to provoke her, get closer to her, I took it at the resort.
I’m glad I did. Slowly, bit by bit, I learned more about her and I found I like her
quirky and weird personality. She’s different but a good kind of different. When I
am around her, I can breathe. I don’t have to pretend. I can be myself. I can argue
and fight with her and she won’t try to please me. I love the fight she brings with
her. I love the way she challenges me every day.

Maybe it is true… that you don’t see it immediately but love can stem from
anywhere. I’m just glad she turned out to be my mate. I don’t know how I would
react if I found her mated to someone else. Just the thought placed a strange ache
in my chest. This woman in my lap is mine. I needed that reminder or else I’ll
possess her body over and over.

Growling, I tore my lips away and trailed open-mouthed kisses down her throat until
I reached my mark. My canines lengthened and I heard her sharp inhale. She
whispered my name faintly before I pierced her skin for the third time. The
connection grew stronger, sweet euphoria flowed through our bond, and I am
reassured once again.

She’s mine. I am hers. We are one.

When I pulled back, I brought her lips back down onto mine. Kissing her senseless
seems to be a new hobby of mine. She kissed me just as feverishly back.

We went like this for a few hours until she grew exhausted and I finally allowed us
both to sleep for a bit.

When I did wake up though, it was to howls.

Warning howls.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins, replacing the numbing sleep in my muscles. I

jerked awake and it woke Rosemary up. She took one look at me and I know she sees
the look on my face.

Her father is here. We are under attack. The human hunters have gotten past the
traps we have set up. It might have taken down some of their numbers but they have
made it to the Border Patrols.

“Go to your mother,” I ordered her.

She grabbed my arms. “No, I’m coming with you.”

“No,” I shook my head immediately. “I need you safe, Rose. Go find your mother.”

She shook her head and cling tighter to my arms.

“We go together. You leave me behind and I swear I’ll break out and run after you.
Take me or I’ll disobey you either way.”

“This is not the time for you to argue with me, Rose,” I snapped in anger. The
thought of her getting hurt—it terrifies me. I’ve seen her get hurt and the
immediate pain I felt when I saw her losing blood on the ground-No. She will stay.

“This is the perfect time to argue with you,” she countered.

I wanted to throttle her and shake her at the same time.

“I’m taking you to your mother,” I told her.

“Take me with you!” she lashed back at me. “Either you take me with you or I
disobey you and come after you. I think it will be best if you kept me by your
side. If we are going to fight this, we will fight it together. It is my father who
is attacking this pack. It is my mother who brought me here. I am the issue here.”

I cupped her cheek but she kept her hands on my arms to prevent me from walking
away.

“I don’t want to see you get hurt,” I told her.

“I won’t. You taught me how to fight. Let me do this,” she pleaded.

I leaned in to kiss her lips. I know she can do this but the fear of losing her and
my protective instincts are overpowering. I can’t resist it. If I have a chance to
protect my light of happiness and keep it safe, I will do everything I can to keep
it safe even if it meant she would probably hate me afterward.

I broke the kiss roughly to look down at her for one moment. There were more howls.
I heard my father, the Alpha, and my friends. I needed to go out there. I needed to
do my part in protecting my pack.

“I’m sorry, my little Rose,” I leaned in and kissed her lips one last time before I
pulled away.

I walked to the door and saw the guard.

“Take her. Bring her to the rest of the pack members and the pups. Don’t let her
out of your sight.” I ordered.
“Judah!” she shouted from behind me. I heard her getting off the bed. I stepped
aside and allowed the guard to walk inside to restrain her.

“No, please, don’t leave me. Judah!” she cried frantically.

I ignored her pleas and walked out of the room and down the stairs. Just as I hit
the foyer, I shifted into my grey wolf. We burst through the front door. We were
met with a burning forest, screams, and howls from a distance. I can smell and see
the smoke. The fire is spreading rapidly. The hunters have set fire to our
territory as a diversion to keep us from maintaining control of both their attack
and the fire.

My heart lodged in the middle of my chest. A burst of speed rippled through me and
I entered the woods heading towards the chaos. The hunters have breached the lower
valley where the river runs. If I know Hunter well, he would have half of the
teamwork on putting out the fire. The other half holding back the hunters.

When I appeared at the battle site, it was bad. Bodies were on the ground. The
smell of silver is in the air but the fire is giving us an advantage. The humans
can’t stand the heat. They will have to suffer through it with us and more than
likely get burns.

Seeing a human hunter lifting his gun and pointed it at a pack warrior, I jumped
towards him and clamped my jaws around his upper body. Jerking my head, I tore his
muscles apart. He screamed and dropped the gun.

Our warriors quickly did a circle formation, closing all exit and eliminating the
threats as they closed the circle. My father fought next to Beta Ace’s father and
the Alpha. They may be older but they are far wiser than any of us. They fought
brutally and killed in one bite.

I turned my attention back to the fight in front of me. I tore through two human
hunters quickly before moving onto the next one who was nearby but my steps
faltered when I heard my father roar as he launched himself at me. At first, I was
confused as to what he was doing. His body rammed into mine. I flew across the
field and hit against a burning tree. My eyes snapped up to see a silver bullet
flying and hitting my father square in the chest and an old burning tree falling on
his body.

No!

I got onto my feet and ran towards him. The tree will take at least three people to
lift off. I looked down at him. Those similar olive eyes looked back at me and he
whimpered. I whimpered and nudged him with my nose. My eyes went down to the wound
on his chest. He’s bleeding out and the bullet needed to be removed.

I am not supposed to shift to my human form but without hesitation, I shifted.

Kneeling before him, I cast a frantic look his way before my fingers went to his
chest. I searched for the bullet. I needed to remove it or he will die.

He howled in pain. Ace and Hunter heard him. They came running and together, they
were able to remove the tree off from him in their wolf forms. Slowly, another
circle formed around my father and me while I removed the bullet.

My fingers felt something hard and cold. I dug around it until it was released.
Pulling it out, I threw it just as it exploded in the air. My father is panting.
He’s going to lose consciousness soon. Grabbing the nearest guard, I lifted my
father’s wolf onto his back.
“Take him back to the medical wing,” I ordered.

I watched my father’s unconscious wolf being carried away for a second before I
turned back to the fight. My eyes leveled with a middle-aged man. He stood out
among the other humans. There was a crazed look in his eyes.

“Baden,” I whispered.

37

I marched his way. He lifted his gun and pointed it at me but I knew what he was
going to do. I use my speed to dodge the bullet. It lodged itself in the tree
behind me. I ran towards him just as he fired another shot. I used the fallen tree
below me to kick off the ground. When I landed in front of him, I grabbed his hand
and knocked the gun out of his grasp.

He reached behind him and pulled out a knife. Before I could stop it, he slid it
across my forearm. I hissed in pain. The burn is immediate and the poison began
flowing through my veins. I can feel it.

He gave me a devilish smirk.

“You must be the mutt who has been rutting with my daughter. Bethany told me all
about you,” Baden baited me.

Roaring I pivoted and used my other arm to hit him across the face. His anger
snapped and he began jabbing the knife at me erratically. I had to move quickly to
stay out of reach but the man was relentless. He swung and jabbed the knife in
every direction. I grabbed a branch and knocked the knife out of his hand.

We both stood a distance apart. He bent down and pulled two other knives from his
boots. These knives were longer. My arm began aching and burning.

“Judah!” A familiar female voice screamed from behind me.

Both Baden and I turned to see Rosemary running towards me. Baden’s eyes swept over
his daughter in shock. She looks nothing like him but I am sure he recognizes who
she is immediately because she looks everything like her mother—his mate.

“Rosemary,” he breathed.

Rosemary jogged up to me. Her eyes landing on the cut on my arms. The skin around
the wound was turning black. Immediately, she tore a piece of her shirt off and
tied it high above my elbow and above the wound to prevent the poison from
traveling.

She pulled out a medicinal jar and poured a weird looking liquid over my wound. She
looked back at me and I can’t tell if she was angry or terrified.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I growled.

“I told you I will run after you.” She gave me a scowl.

“Remind me to kill the guard when we get back,” I snapped at her.

“Can we not argue—” I pushed her and I both out of the way just as a knife came
flying towards us.

I looked to see Baden running towards me. I grabbed his wrist just as he swung it
low to stab me in the stomach. Rose got pushed back farther away from me as my body
collided with hers. Baden roared and pushed my body, the knife coming closer to my
stomach. It forced me to take steps back to keep the knife from touching my skin.

When my feet hit against a tree, I used it to twist and jump behind him. Baden
turned and swung his other knife at me. I knocked it out with my palms, pushing
underneath the hilt. It slipped up and out of his grasp but that brief second of
trying to stay a step ahead of him, he had a knife around my throat.

“Where is your mother, Rosemary?” Baden directed the question to Rosemary.

“She’s none of your business,” Rosemary replied, her eyes fell on me and I can see
the fear in her eyes. One wrong move and Baden can kill me.

“Do you think that’s a wise decision right now, Rosemary. Do you want me to kill
your mate?” Baden snapped at his daughter.

“Do it and I will end your life,” Rosemary growled back at him.

He smirked. “So much like your mother. She must have told you I am a horrible
person but she is the horrible person. She left me and ran away. She hid away for a
decade. She left with you. She’s the horrible person here.”

“You tortured her and used her for your own sick advantage. I might be your
daughter but I am not human. Will that disgust you the same way my mother disgusted
you? You hunt us!” Rosemary lashed out.

Baden laughed.

“What do you want?” Rosemary took a step toward him.

“Your mother and you,” Baden announced.

“No!” I growled.

Baden yanked my head back and exposed my neck. He placed the knife closer to my
skin.

“No! I’ll do anything. I’ll go with you. Just don’t kill him,” Rosemary ran closer.
Her hands raised.

“Rosemary, no,” I whispered.

“Don’t, please. Don’t kill him.” Tears ran down her cheeks. Her eyes moving to find
mine.

“What about your mother?” Baden asked.

“She’ll come. If she knows I’m gone, she’ll follow me. She knows where you are,”
Rosemary assured him.

“Don’t leave me.” I looked at her, begging her to stay.

“Why don’t I just kill him and take you?” Baden smirked.

Rosemary grabbed the knife I had knocked out of Baden’s hand and pressed the
sharpest part to her throat.

“Kill him and I die with him,” she growled.

Baden’s eyes widened and his grip loosened. It gave me enough room to grab his
wrist, twist his arm around and stabbed his own knife right to his stomach. His
lips parted in surprise. I pulled the knife out and stabbed him again. His grip
loosened and I took the knife and stabbed him in the heart before sliding it across
his throat.

He fell to the ground with his eyes still wide. I dropped the knife shakily before
turning to look at Rosemary. Her eyes were on her father. The silver knife still
pressed against her throat.

Slowly, I walked over to her and removed one finger at a time from the handle of
the knife. Once I got the knife out of her hand, I cupped her cheek to look at me.
The fight is coming to an end. Her eyes found mine.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“He’s dead,” she whispered blankly.

I turned her away from her father so that she wouldn’t have to look at what I did
to her father.

“He tried to kill you--—”

“I know. I’m sorry you had to see me kill him.” I pulled her into my arms. My eyes
sweeping over the ending of the chaos. The fire is almost out.

Medics were running out to take care of the wounded and discard the bodies of the
hunters. Hunter and Ace walked over to us. Their eyes landing on Baden before they
gave me a brief nod of acknowledgment. They weren’t seriously injured but they did
have blood on their naked bodies. I tucked Rosemary’s face further into my chest.

“Let’s get you home,” I told her and felt her nod her agreement against me.

I carried her the rest of the way home. When we made it to the clearing her mother
was standing at the top of the hills with several guards. The guard that was
supposed to watch over Rosemary looked relieved but one dark look from me had him
turn white in seconds.

“Thank god, she’s safe,” her mother whispered covering her mouth.

“Gamma, she tricked me. She ran out the door before I could stop her,” the guard
protested.

“I’ll finish with you after she’s safe.” I looked at him intently. He physically
gulped.

“It’s not his fault. I did trick him.” Rose helped the poor guy out.

“You should have listened when I ordered you to remain inside,” I growled at her.

She lifted her head to look at me. “Then maybe you will listen next when I tell you
I want to go with you.”
I clenched my jaw in irritation. She’s going to be the death of me. We walked
inside but her mother halted me.

“Did-did she—”

I nodded and her mother’s eyes turned sad. She knew the ending. She knows Baden
died, otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.

“Are you okay, Rose?” her mother asked worriedly.

“Strangely, yes.” Rose looked at her mother.

She tried to get down from me carrying her but I ignored her attempts. She gave me
a glare before stopping her attempts and allowing me to carry her up the steps to
the bedroom. Together I helped her take a shower and gave her some clean clothes.
She wore one of my long black t-shirts and black sweatpants that I had to tie a
knot at the waist to keep it from falling off from her.

After, I slipped her into bed and sat on the edge while she turned to her side to
look at me.

“How are you feeling?” I pushed her damp hair back.

“I don’t know. You almost died. He had you underneath a knife—” She snapped up in
bed to a sitting position. Her hands went to my arm, suddenly recalling that I got
injured in the battle.

“What about your arm?” She lifted it for us to look at. Whatever she poured on it,
it worked in removing the poison from my body. The wound was already starting to
close. She removed the tie around my upper arm. I guess it is a good thing she’s
studying to be a pack doctor.

“I am fine,” I assured her. “Go to sleep.”

“I don’t feel like sleeping.” She made a face.

There was a knock at the door. I got up and walked to the door to see that someone
had brought up some milk, cakes, and cookies. It looks like her mother knew she
would have trouble sleeping. I carried back to Rose.

She scarfed down the chocolate cake in seconds and went for the warm baked cookies.
She has quite an appetite after seeing blood. In between bites, she took sips of
the milk.

“I’m going to take a shower. I have things to do but if you want I’ll lay in bed
next to you until you are asleep,” I told her.

She nodded and continued eating. I walked to the bathroom and took a shower. After
scrubbing off the smoke smell as much as I could, I did a quick towel dry and
rubbed the towel through my damp hair before I pulled on a fresh pair of block
cotton sleeping pants and walked out.

I found my mate fast asleep in bed already. Dropping my towel in the hamper, I
walked over to the bed and sat where I sat down earlier. I removed her glasses that
she always seems to forget to take off and smoothed back her hair. Once again, she
had the blanket wrapped around her body like a burrito.

I pulled my hand back before walking to the closet. I needed to check on my father.
I needed to know how he is doing. Walking to the closet, I pulled on a random
cotton t-shirt and walked out of the bedroom quietly.

When I did arrive in the medical wing, it was filled with pack members and doctors.
Everyone was running around rampant. Hunter and Ace sat in the corner with the rest
of the family. They looked up when they saw me.

“How is Rosemary doing?” my mother asked.

“She’s asleep,” I told her.

My mother nodded slowly before she looked back at the operating room doors. An
anxious look shadowed her face. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around
her. She leaned in and cried.

“I hope he is okay,” she sobbed.

“We got to him in time. He should be fine,” Hunter tried reassuring my mother.

As soon as the operating room doors opened, we all stood up. The doctor walked over
to us immediately. He had a smile on his face.

“He is okay. He’s unconscious right now but after giving him some sedatives and
medicine to remove the silver from his system. He is asleep and recovering.”

My mother’s shoulders sagged in relief. Everyone looked relieved including me. We

all gave the doctor and appreciative thank you before we went to go see him.

It was a long night and I spent another two hours in my father’s room before I made
it back to my bedroom and crashed into bed. Rosemary’s body sidled closer to me on
instinct and I pulled her into my arms.

It’s been a long past few days. Everything seemed to blur together but now I can
finally breathe better. Everything will be fine. Rosemary is safe and she’s right
here in my arms where she belongs. I closed my eyes and allowed the exhaustion to
finally take over; falling quickly into a quick slumber.

Author’s Note:

Guys… I believe one more chapter and then we hit the epilogue. Yes. It is ending.
Oh my god, I can’t believe it. It’s a little hard to believe but it’s happening
guys. We are almost there.

How are we feeling about this?

How should I mentally prepare you for the epilogue? A steamy chapter or a nice and
romantic one? LOL

38

After a week, everything was slowly starting to fall back into place. Many warriors
were recovering from minor injuries. Others were put under extensive medication to
keep the silver and infections from spreading. When the authorities arrived, they
helped us in covering up the stories for the human hunters with the human
government that works secretly and directly with the supernaturals.

Then there was the drainage of excess water in the lower valley and the rebuilding
of the dam. It will take years to complete but until it is finished, mostly
everyone has moved to higher grounds.

My mom had decided to move in with Galen. Before it didn’t sit right with me but
after all that had happened, I believe she deserves a chance at happiness and Galen
seems to be able to give her that. The man is quiet but is extremely protective of
my mother. He didn’t have a mate. He lost his many years ago. He never got into
settling down until he met my mother.

As for Judah and me, well, I went back to school and he went back to work.

“I’m just saying that maybe we can hire you a private tutor. I can look into
finding a pack doctor that is willing to travel to our pack to teach you,” he said.

I huffed and grabbed my backpack before slipping out of his truck. He followed me
and grabbed my wrist before I could get away from him.

“It’s eight years, Rose. Do you realize what the distance will do to us?” he
questioned.

I turned my face away but he immediately cupped my cheek and turned me to look at
him again. I understand where he is coming from. Eight years away from him isn’t
exactly how I pictured it. In fact, when I decided to become a pack doctor, I
didn’t think about him at all. I never thought I would find my mate so soon. Yet,
here he is. The pack’s Gamma who is a sexy hunk of manly muscles.

“We can video chat,” I mumbled.

He scoffed. “That’s not enough.”

I pulled away from him and yanked my hand back.

“Well, it’s not fair. You got the job you wanted. You’re the pack Gamma and I am
just supposed to be your Gamma Female? I want to be something more. I want to be
able to pursue my dreams, Jude.” I glared at him before I burst into a run to the
building before I am late for my classes because God knows, I hate being late.

I bumped into Ace and Scott getting cozy at the end of a hall. Ace had Scott
cornered and was nibbling at his neck. It looks like Scott was enjoying it very
much.

I sighed before stomping off to class. I don’t know what to think. A part of me
wants to stay. Just the thought of leaving him is eating me alive. I don’t want to
let him go but at the same time, I don’t want to stop pursuing my career. I want to
have choices and not sit around at home waiting for him to come home.

I’m glad Scott and Ace are working things out and are perfect for each other. Judah
and I have been arguing for the past several days non-stop. It was starting to
interfere with our relationships. It’s either he is extremely pissed off or I am.

I settled into my seat and took out my notebook and textbook. The teacher began
teaching but I couldn’t stop thinking about what to do. School is coming to an end
soon and I have already sent in my application to join the school that I wanted to
go to. I had even asked our Alpha to ask for permission for me to join the residing
pack temporarily until I finished my medical education.
The morning flew by quickly and lunchtime came but I didn’t want to see Judah.
Honestly, I didn’t want to argue with him. Not anymore. I’m tired of it. I just
want time alone. So, I avoided lunch. Usually, Scott and I would sit together while
he and Ace watched the students in the Commons but not today.

I knew if I avoided him at lunch, it meant avoiding him throughout the day. Trust
me, it wasn’t an easy task. He sent a note and requested my presence halfway
through my last period but I ignored it.

I walked the rest of the way home which was Judah’s house. I made it there before
he did because he had an afternoon training session.

Putting my backpack on the sofa, I walked to the kitchen and looked through the
mail on the counter. Seeing one with my name on it with the Medical Boards’ logo on
there, I opened it immediately.

I stopped breathing as I read the letter. They have accepted my application. I will
be studying under prestigious pack doctors that are recognized nationally. I
couldn’t believe it. I’m excited and couldn’t stop the smile from appearing on my
face but then I remembered Judah and my slipped.

He will be upset and I’ll miss him terribly. How are we going to survive this
distance? I can’t ask him to pack up and go with me. He has a job over here and it
wasn’t fair. He doesn’t need to move because of me. The pack needs him.

Suddenly, I’m feeling torn and sad. It’s either I leave him or I leave my dreams.
Tears began stinging my eyes and I rubbed them away quickly.

I made my way to our bedroom and I feel a strange ache in my chest. I’ll miss him.
I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can leave him behind. He’s my mate. I
should at least consider our bond into this equation.

Unable to sleep in the bedroom, I walked into one of the spares and ended up
crying, curled up into a ball. I cried because I didn’t want to lose him or my
dreams. I wanted both. I’m selfish.

I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until I felt thick, muscular arms slipped
underneath me and lifted me up. I knew who it was even without opening my eyes. I
buried my face into his chest and listened to his heartbeat.

He carried me back to our bed and sat me on the edge. I looked down at my feet but
he lifted my chin so that he can see my eyes.

“You’ve been crying. I know you’re upset with me, Rose, but don’t shut me out. I’m
sorry I am demanding and asking you to stay but I don’t know how I would do it
without you,” he said softly and caressed my tear-stained cheeks.

My heart broke once again. I realized that I am not the only one feeling this way.
He was too. He knew his duty as Gamma but he also loves me too much to let me go.

He had showered and changed into some new clothes. I ran my fingers through his
hair before leaning down to kiss his lips gently. It’s been so long since he had
touched me. All this arguing between us had been a huge wall between us.

“If leaving me and pursuing your studies is what you want, I’ll let you go,” he
said hoarsely like it killed him to say it.

I pulled back to look at him. His eyes were soft and glimmered with pain. I put
that pain there and that didn’t sit well with me either.
“You’re willing to let me go?” I questioned again.

He nodded before picking up my hand pressing it to his cheek. He needed my touch,

comfort, to soothe the pain while he agreed. It’s killing him slowly.

“What if you miss me?” I asked.

He pulled my hand to his lips and kissed the back of my hand.

“Then I’ll come visit you,” he replied.

“I think you’ll miss me every second of the day.” I gave him a small smile.

He smirked. “Rose, I will miss you with every breath I take.”

“When did you become such a romantic?” I teased and pushed him lightly on the
shoulder with my finger.

He chuckled before moving to sit next to me. We haven’t talked like this for days
and I found I missed him terribly. I wanted to be cuddled up to him and feel the
weight of his arms around me.

As if he heard my thoughts, he lifted me up and settled me on his lap. Burying his

nose in the crook of my neck. The electric current erupted from our skin to skin
contact.

“You were avoiding me all day. Do you know how much that hurts, my little Rose?” he
whispered into my neck.

“I can’t argue with you anymore. I want us to be happy but all we have been doing
for the past few days have been arguing only. I just needed a little break. I
needed to think,” I breathed, feeling a new feeling stir between my legs and my abs
to tighten underneath his skimming lips.

“I miss you.” He nibbled his way up my throat and to my jawline.

I miss him too. It’s weird that we live under one roof and yet I can miss him this
much. I can’t imagine how it would be if I went away. Could I really do it? Could I
really leave this man behind? My mate?

I turned in his lap until I was straddling him. He allowed me to move while his
hand moved from my thighs to my bottom and then sliding underneath the back of my
sweater to touch my back. Cupping his cheeks with my hands, I pulled back to look
upon his handsome face.

We grew closer over the past few weeks and with the bond, it only brought those
emotions to light. There isn’t anything different. Judah is still the same
domineering and oftentimes jerk but I love this jerk which is why I need to tell
him before I forget.

“I received my acceptance letter. They have accepted me into the program and I can
start once I graduate from here,” I told him.

I watched his reaction and although he hid it well, I can see how much this news is
affecting him. It’s making it real. That I am leaving him.

“Whatever makes you happy,” he replied.

“I don’t know what makes me happy, honestly. I want to be with you and I miss you
so much too. I don’t know if I can go.”

“It is your dream, Rose. I think you should pursue. Don’t stay because of me,” he
replied.

“Now, you are pushing me to go? What happened to the last few days? You were doing
everything you can to stop me,” I argued.

“Well, yeah, you’re my mate and I love you. I miss you and it kills me to not have
you close. It hurts to even breathe when you are not near. I can’t imagine life
without you. So, I fought for you to stay but I don’t want you to stop pursuing
your dreams, Rose. Do what makes you happy,” he replied.

“Even if it means we have to make sacrifices?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Sacrifices that involve you, they can take my very life and I am willing.” He
smirked.

I flicked his forehead. “There you go again with those romantic words.”

He chuckled before capturing my lips in his. He kissed me deeply with so much

desire and need. I couldn’t resist responding. I don’t know what I want yet but for
now, I know I needed him to make love to me.

Author’s Note:

I lied, this is not last chapter.

On another note, if you were Rose, what would you do? I know what she would do
already but wondered what you would do if you were her and Judah was your mate.

Leila

39

Judah wasted no time in discarding me of my sweater leaving me in only my bra. I

returned the favor by stripping him from his. Although I try not to admire his
body, it was hard not to. It’s a beautiful piece of artwork that I would gladly
take my time learning every plane and curvature. It’s a hard mass of muscles that I
can’t stop marveling and exploring with my fingers.

The second our skin touched we both released a moan of pleasure and longing. His
face dipped down to my breasts where he kissed the exposed mounds above my bra
before he kissed his way back up my chest and captured my lips.

He kissed me like a starved man. My hands moved to tangle in his burnt-umber locks.
I tugged them lightly which elicited a groan from deep within his throat. I can
feel his growing bulge between my legs. The sweatpants I had on did little in
stopping me from feeling anything. Wetness oozed between my legs and I couldn’t
resist grinding his length. It felt so good, I couldn’t stop from doing it
repeatedly.

Suddenly, I felt the unclasping of my bra before it slid off my body and discarded
it. He cupped my breasts into his palms and nursed on them, driving me insane with
his mouth and lapping tongue. My skin is sensitive underneath his pleasuring
attacks.

The walls between my legs throbbed in need and a huff of frustration passed through
my lips. He must be a mind reader or something because the next thing I knew, he
had slipped one hand between us and underneath my sweats to cup me.

His fingers slid through the slippery opening and dipped inside me. I moaned,
arching my back and rocking my hips over his fingers. He watched me with heavy
lust-filled hooded eyes. Cupping his cheeks, I leaned down and kissed his lips
while he worked his fingers inside of me. Our breaths becoming heavier and louder.
Soft moans of pleasure slipping from my lips and passed through to his.

If I was asked several weeks ago if I can picture myself being fingered by the pack
Gamma, I would choke on my own spit and die laughing. Yet here I am begging for
more and needing him to complete me. A whimper past my lips when I felt him hit me
deeper with his fingers. I bit his lips and tightened around his fingers. He
stretched my walls before pulling out and thrusting back in.

My head fell back at the intense push over the edge he sent me. I shattered like a
beautiful piece of broken glass in front of him. He held me tight in his arms while
I shook above him before he flipped me over onto my back.

My eyes flew open just as he yanked off my sweats and panties. He didn’t even stop
to take off his matching sweatpants. Instead, he reached inside, pulled out his
thick length and with one hard push entered me.

It happened so quickly. Gave me no time to even blink. My lips parted and I sharply
inhale as he stretched me. I wrapped around him like a cozy blanket. He bit his
bottom lip while he hovered above me.

My eyes collided with his dark ones. They burned with an intensity that made me
pulse around him unconsciously. He released his lips to growl with delight before
capturing my lips and pulling out only to thrust immediately back in. It was
intense. He hit me so deep and in all the right spaces, I saw stars immediately.

My head fell back and I clutched the sheets underneath me. His speed was merciless.
He has one intention and that was to bring us to the point of satiation. I moaned
as he continues thrusting deep and slow inside of me. It is like nice and easy
brush strokes. The tightening in my stomach swirled and twisted until I am
squirming underneath him.

Growling, he pulled out, flipped me over before entering me from behind. He pinned
his body over mine. His hands intertwining above mine and placing them above my
head. I had no room to move. I am under his mercy. He continued his slow, torturous
pace inside of me. The rocking of his hips was erotic and purposeful. He controlled
every thrust, every pleasure, and every move.

I felt him pressed his lips against my shoulder before his canine grazed my back
shoulder. I moaned when I felt him mark me teasingly with his canines but not
enough to puncture my skin.

Before Judah, my future had only involved me. There was no second person to think
about besides my mother. Judah and I are tied together by a supernatural bond. We
are stronger together than apart. We both knew that. The decisions I have made in
the past have always been for me only. I never had to consider another person’s
feelings or position.
But now, there is Judah and I owed it to him to at least consider his feelings and
position in my life.

Everything else will fall into place but him-I needed to think about him. He loves
me and I love him. I won’t use my mate as luggage and carry him off to another
residing pack because of what I want to do. He deserves more than that and I will
not treat my mate anything lower than respect.

Now, I know he is willing to give me what I want for me to happy-I want him to be
happy too. I want us to be happy.

I felt Judah’s body stiffen against me. His fingers tightened around mine. His
speed became faster and rougher. Feeling more complete than I have ever been to
before, I felt my heart grow bigger. My body willing his to the edge with me.

His groans interlaced with my mews of pleasure. The sound of skin slapping and our
heavy breathing filled the empty bedroom air.

When he pulled out and thrust harder, shaking the bed with his thrust, the knot in
my stomach burst and I let out a cry of pleasure. He growled my name and continued
pummeling into me. I felt his thick release coat my insides before he collapsed on
top of me. He was careful though not to crush me with his weight.

When we were done, we remained cuddled in bed. I listened to my mate’s deep

breathing. He’s asleep but I wasn’t. I had an important decision to make.

Before Judah, there was only me and my mom. I didn’t need to worry about a mate. My
decisions were not clouded.

Now, I have a mate and Judah deserves to be considered into my decision. Our bond
deserves that amount of respect. To ask him to pick up and leave with me is selfish
because he has his own career, his own goals, and his own purpose. I can’t ask him
to pull away and be luggage I can drag with me. By doing that, I am taking a punch
at his devoted love for me. I’m using him for my benefits. I have no doubt he would
probably consider it because he loves me but because I love him, I can’t do that to
him.

This means there are only two alternative routes we both can take. It is either he
is going to stay here and I go pursue my degree or I stay here with him and take
him up on the private tutor.

Shifting in bed, I turned around to look at him. He is still sleeping soundly but
on instinct pulled me closer to his body. Warmth. I haven’t wrapped myself in a
warm comfortable cocoon ever since I’ve been sleeping with him. He is my warm
blanket.

I placed my palm on his shoulder and felt the electric tingles. I looked up at his
face and couldn’t believe how a domineering man like him can look like a harmless
baby when sleeping. He’s content with me in his arms.

It was his turn to shift in bed. He sighed and his eyes opened. He blinked several
times before looking down at me.

“Hey,” he whispered, “can’t sleep?”

I shook my head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I was thinking about our future,” I admitted. “I think I am going to stay.”

He pulled back and looked down at me. I expected him to be happy I chose this
choice but he wasn’t. His thick eyebrows came together and a small frown appeared
on his face.

“Why?” he asked.

“Because I love you and when making these decisions, I should consider your
feelings and our bond.”

“I don’t want you to change your future for me, Rosemary. I want you to be the
person that you have always wanted to be. I might have jumped into the equation but
trust me when I say that I will be fine here waiting for you. I’ll be fine visiting
you every weekend,” Judah said.

“I don’t understand,” I grumbled. He’s confusing me even more. Didn’t he want me to

stay?

He sighed. “At first, I thought only about myself but I realized that I love you
because of who you are. You are a fighter, always have been. You’re stubborn and
you don’t follow directions well—”

“Are you complimenting me or are you pointing out my flaws?” I arched an eyebrow at
him.

He smirked. “Your imperfections are what makes me fall in love with you repeatedly,
Rose.”

“So you think I should go?” I asked.

He nodded. “I think you should follow your dreams and I’ll be here.”

“What if I go and I don’t like it there?” I asked.

“Then you can come back and I’ll be here,” he replied.

I should feel relieved but I am nervous. I don’t know how we will make this work
but he is telling me to go. If he can be strong for me, I can be strong for him.
I’ll trust his words and see him every weekend.

Things will be different and it will be an adjustment. I can also video call him.
This might work. My eyes met his again before I nodded in agreement.

“I’ll go,” I told him.

He leaned in and kissed my forehead, “Good.”

“We will be fine,” I murmured more to myself than to him.

“I’ll visit you every weekend.” He told me.

And that solidified my decision.

40
A show of hands: WHO read my author’s note? Comment yes if you did.

Also, as you all may have known, I do not proofread or edit thoroughly when it
comes to updates. I don’t have the time, quite honestly. So, I’m looking for an
editor for this book. Previous experience is preferred. Let me know if you are
interested.

After the first five months of arriving in the pack, I felt out of my element. I
didn’t know a single person and that is intimidating. My social anxiety kicked in
and honestly, I avoided talking to anyone in general besides my teachers.

Nonetheless, the teachers were impressed with how quickly I am picking up their
medical strategies and methods that they have pushed me into the clinic settings.
Usually, we don’t enter the clinic or hospital setting until we hit our second
year.

Judah did as he promised. He visited me every single weekend, never missed one. We
video chat every night before bed and every morning before we got up to do our
daily activities.

After seven months, I started getting more comfortable being around the new pack
members. They are nice and friendly. The Alpha is a kind man who has provided a
cozy housing within the packhouse for me. He made sure to keep his male pack
members away from me as ordered by my yours truly Judah. Quite honestly, the Alpha
is a complete suck up and Judah is still being a little domineering even when he is
miles away from me. However, I am thankful for his interference. I did not need
drama while I am here. I want to focus on my studies only.

I didn’t start getting sad or feeling alone until I was a year into my studies.
Judah had stopped contacting me. He only left me a quick voicemail that he was on a
mission and didn’t know when he will return. He stopped visiting me on weekends. I
barely get a text message from him. The only way I knew he was alive was he sent me
a text that he loves me and misses me terribly.

Yet… that wasn’t enough to satisfy the pang in my heart. I missed him so much I
couldn’t breathe.

The pack annual bonfire event was in full blown and I didn’t even feel like
celebrating. I sat on a fallen tree underneath some old tree away from the laughter
and jokes. I didn’t want to join in and I couldn’t bring myself to laugh.

I didn’t want to admit it but I was depressed. My mind is constantly thinking about
Judah and what he was doing. I wanted him to call me but I knew he is busy doing
his job. I can’t expect him to wait for me all the time. I can’t expect him to be
available every weekend.

Unable to handle the bonfire event with everyone else and not wanting to dampen the
mood, I stood up from hiding within the shadows and made a b-line for the
packhouse. I made sure to stay within the shadows so that no one will find me. I
kept as quiet as possible even though the tears are threatening to escape.

I feel like my heart is breaking into a million tiny pieces. Every time Judah’s
face appears in my mind, I want to cry and run home. I want comfort. I want his
arms around me. I am desperate to be near him that I would do anything just to see
him.

I can see the packhouse in front of me and I had to bite my lips to stop the
whimper of pain.

“Rose.”

My heart reacted in so many ways that it gave me emotional whiplashes. My head

snapped up and landed on my mate standing in front of me. He has been gone for
literally three months. I could count on one hand the number of times he texted me.

He stood before me dressed in his usual black attire with his silver dog tag
necklace that he had engraved my name into before I left to come here. His burnt
umber hair falling over his forehead impishly. The warm glow of his olive eyes lit
up at the sight of me.

The tears I’ve been fighting back came rushing forward. They slipped down my cheeks
and I couldn’t stop the quivering in my lips. He’s standing before me and I’m not
losing my mind. He came back.

I ran to him and threw my whole body onto him. I didn’t care if he caught me or we
both fell to the ground. I needed his embrace. Anticipating my attack, he caught
me, lifting me up and holding me tightly in his arms. I wrapped my legs around him
and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

“You’re here,” I cried.

“I am. Sorry, it took me so long. It was a long mission and Hunter needed me. I
couldn’t break away—”

“How? When? Where?” I began blabbering.

“Luna Katya was kidnapped by her old rogue pack. Their Alpha rogue wanted Katya for
himself. Hunter needed my help in bringing back our Luna and Ace couldn’t leave the
pack unattended. I had no choice.”

“Luna Katya was kidnapped?” I mumbled through my tears. I ran my lips up the side
of his neck. He shuddered underneath my lips, his arms tightening around me.

“She was for three months she remained in captivity.”

“What about Liam?” I asked about Katya’s brother.

“He remained back in the pack with Ace. The Alpha rogue only wanted Katya,” Judah
explained.

“I’m guessing your return means she’s safe?” I pulled back enough to look at him.
His eyes scanned my face and I can see how much it pains him to see me cry.

He nodded. “The second that we got home, I came here.”

Judah attempted to let me back down to the ground but I wrapped my arms and legs
tighter around him. He arched an eyebrow at me.

“You left me for three months. You stopped visiting me and video calling me. I’m
desperate for your comfort. How long are you staying for?”

“Hunter gave me a week off,” Judah replied.

I harrumphed like a spoiled brat. He chuckled before carrying me inside. I buried

my face in the crook of his neck to not see other pack members. I didn’t want them
looking but I also refuse to get off Judah.
Once we were inside, Judah made sure to apologize in every way he knew. We did it
fast and quick. Hard and fast. Slow and sweet. Basically, in every way, until my
legs shook and I couldn’t walk. It reminded me so much of our first night together
at home.

He made sure to shower me with flowery words of love and murmured how much he loves
and misses me. He touched every single part of my body. He kissed me until our lips
were chapped from all the kissing. Yet… it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t get enough.
Maybe it was the distance. Maybe I have finally gone insane, but I needed more.

Seriously.

I called into the clinic and hospital and asked for a week off. During that week,
Judah and I barely stepped foot outside of the bedroom. The only time that we did
step out was to replenish our stamina with food.

The pack members knew who Judah was. When they saw us come out of the bedroom, the
would murmur among themselves with knowing looks. The men were snickering because
they knew what we were doing. The females were sighing with jealousy and desire.
They wanted what we have and some are familiar with what we have because they have
their own mates.

When it came to him leaving, I was heartbroken once again. One week felt like one
day. I wasn’t ready for him to leave.

He leaned against his truck with his arms around me. I wrapped my arms around him
tightly, refusing to let him go.

“I’m sorry, my little Rose. I have to go back. Hunter needs me to return,” he

murmured into my hair.

“Can’t you ask for another week off?” I grumbled, knowing I am being unreasonable.
He has a job and I am pleading for him to stay.

“I can’t. No one is handling the training schedules and sessions. I am damn sure
that they are glad they have one week off but I have to return and do my duty as
Gamma,” he replied.

“But I miss you.” I felt the familiar sting to my eyes again.

“I miss you too,” he replied, “with every breath I take.”

My heart is breaking all over again. He’s leaving me again and I don’t want him to.
I’ll be alone again. I don’t think I can wait another week to see him again. I
needed him desperately, yet I let him go.

He kissed me passionately and I hugged him tightly in my arms, but he had to go. I
watched his truck disappear down the driveway. A sudden heaviness fell over my
chest and I found it hard to breathe. I felt cold and alone. I felt empty like
there was nothing inside of me.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I walked back to my bedroom. In there, I cried

myself to sleep. I dreamt about going back home and seeing my mom again. I dreamt
about him and living happily next to him.

Long-distance relationships are hard especially when you are mated. The bond only
grows stronger by the day and the desire to be near my mate would only heighten.
There is no way to stop it.
When I awoke, I still felt the same. Except for this time, I am extremely
depressed. So depressed that I didn’t even bother priming myself up nicely for the
clinic and hospital. I wore my usual light blue scrubs and went to work.

When I arrived at the clinic, my teacher was the first to find me. He stopped short
when he saw how badly I looked. My eyes were swollen and red and my cheeks were
still stained with my tears.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied.

He walked over to me and stood before me.

“I heard your mate came to visit. I’m assuming he is the cause to—” He gestured to
my face and body.

“I know, I look horrible.”

“You look scary. You’ll scare the patients away.” He didn’t even bother to
sugarcoat it.

“Thanks,” I grumbled.

He smirked. “I’m guessing you miss him.”

I sniffled. “I do. So much.”

“Do you want to return?”

I nodded but then shook my head.

“You realize you have another seven years to go,” he added.

Seven years left. It feels like an unreachable goal. My heart broke all over again
for the hundredth time since Judah’s departure. Tears streamed down my cheeks. He
sighed and moved to wrap a comforting arm around me.

“It’s ok. Let it all out,” he mumbled awkwardly.

“I can’t do this. I need to return home.” I shook my head immediately. These words
were the first true words I have spoken in one year. It is the weight that has been
weighing down my heart.

I looked up at my teacher, half expecting him to look at me with disappointment. I

feel like a complete failure. Someone who couldn’t complete something that I wanted
desperately but I have no one to blame. I can’t blame the bond or Judah. I could
only blame my complete lack of will to continue my dreams of studying under famous
pack doctors.

But he didn’t say anything judgmental or blamed me for being weak. Instead, he
asked me what I really wanted to do. When I told him I don’t know, he told me I did
know. I just needed to come to terms with it.

It was a truth that I found hard to face but it is what I needed to not lose myself
completely.

I decided to go home. It took me another week away from Judah because I needed to
tie some loose ends here, but I filled my exit application and asked for a transfer
back to my pack. My teacher signed off on the exit application. Aside from the
feeling of being a failure, I couldn’t help feeling the bubbling excitement inside
of me.

After a year and I am returning home. I didn’t tell anyone about my return. I
wanted it to be a surprise. The only person who knew about my return is Alpha
Hunter because he had received my transfer letter and call.

Seeing the familiar landscape and rolling in a small rental car to my mate’s house,
I felt a huge weight lifted off my shoulders and my chest. I’ve never felt more
relieved than right at that moment. Closing the door, I walked up to his front
door. His truck was gone and so I knew he was still at the school teaching.

I knew he will be home in a few hours. I stood on my tiptoes and felt the top of
the door trim until my fingers touched the spare key that he keeps hidden above the
door. He told me where it was hidden a few days after my father’s death. It was
long ago and I was afraid he might have placed the key somewhere else but I am
relieved to find that he kept it in the same place.

I slipped the key and unlocked the door. I placed the key back where I found it
before entering the familiar home again. My heart is feeling many emotions as I
looked at my surroundings. Everything is the same.

I walked to the bedroom and found that Judah’s scent is strongest in this room. It
wrapped around me, welcoming me back. It provided me extreme comfort that I haven’t
had in a year. I walked to his closet and changed into his clothes before crawling
into his bed and wrapping myself in his blanket like some kind of creep.

The drive back here took a full day, so imagine how quickly I fell asleep wrapped
up in all this coziness. I fell asleep and slept better than I have ever slept.

When I awoke, it was to the sinking motion of the bed. My eyes opened to see Judah
looking down at me.

“I thought I was imagining things. You’re really here,” he spoke first.

I sat up on my knees before throwing my arms around him. He hugged me tighter and
buried his nose into the crook of my neck.

“I came back,” I told him.

He pulled us apart to look at me with a frown on his face.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

Even though I am the happiest I can be, I felt embarrassed. I tried following my
dreams and now I am telling my mate, I couldn’t do it. I’m a failure and a
disappointment.

“At first, it wasn’t that bad but I started missing home. I missed my mom. I missed
you. It was hard to concentrate and I couldn’t stop crying. I know, I am a
disappointment. I really thought I could do this but I guess this mate thing is a
lot harder than I thought.” I couldn’t look at him and so I looked at my hands but
I saw his hands reach for my chin.

Gently, he forced me to look at him.

“You want the honest truth?” he asked.

I nodded, a little confused about what he was going to say.

“I miss you so damn much, Hunter and Ace found me unbearable to be around. The
students at school call me a monster because I would train them endlessly from
morning to night. It was the only thing that kept me from thinking about you or
running back to your side.” One corner of his lip lifted. “But I held on because I
didn’t want to stop you from dreaming.”

My heart thumped against my chest in happiness but at the same time, I felt like my
resilience fell short compared to Judah.

“If you didn’t come back home to me in a month. I can guarantee you, I would have
come to you,” he said at the end.

“I’m a failure,” I mumbled in disappointment.

“For what?” he questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.

“For giving up my dreams so easily,” I grumbled.

“Rose, those doctors over there will not make you any more brilliant than you are
now. You are a brilliant woman with enormous potential. It doesn’t matter where you
study or who teaches you. Your decisions and your work ethic are what makes you a
brilliant person and possibly a brilliant pack doctor in the future,” Judah argued.

It took me a while but I realized he’s right. I don’t need to give up my dreams. It
doesn’t matter where I do it. It matters how I use the materials I have learned and
make something out of it. These doctors don’t define who I am. I define who I am.

He must have seen my thoughts or something because he smiled and leaned in to kiss
me passionately on the lips.

“I missed you, my little Rose,” he whispered against my lips.

“I missed you too,” I whispered back.

“So, you’re staying?” He wanted to make sure.

“I’m staying,” I replied and he pulled back abruptly causing me to frown once
again. What? Did he not want me to stay?

“So, then it is safe for me to tell you that you’re carrying something that belongs
to the both of us?” he asked.

What?

He looks down at my stomach. My eyes followed his line of vision and stared at my
stomach oddly. That explains my spurts of mood swings, hunger, and a strong urge to
be closer to my mate in the past week. I must have conceived when he visited me
during the bonfire event.

“I smelt a different scent on you when I walked into the bedroom. I didn’t
understand at first but now that I am closer to you, I am positive you are carrying
our pup.”
Epilogue

Sitting in a wooden chair, I dipped the tip of my paintbrush onto the darker grey
blob of paint on the palette before lifting it up and making a careful precision
sweep of my wrist to finish off the grey fur on the werewolf. Leaning back, I
admired my work with a tilt of my head to the right.

Shuffling behind me snapped me back up to turn around to see who was behind me.
Judah walked over, bent down to scrutinize my work.

“Isn’t he adorable?” I pointed at the wolf with my paintbrush.

Judah made a face and I narrowed my eyes on him. Slowly, he lifted a hand to rub
the scruff he has been growing on his chin. He tilted his head to the left and then
to the right.

“Hmm…” he murmured.

“What?” I questioned.

He turned to look back at me. Placing gentle hands on my shoulder, he turned me

slowly to face him.

“Rose, I think you should stick to medicine,” he stated.

I huffed, clearly not happy with his indirect criticism. He had painted one of the
spare bedrooms into a light green color for the nursery. After it had dried, I
volunteered to paint little pictures on the walls for the baby.

After coming home from the residing pack, I was shocked to find out I was pregnant
but that didn’t stop me from studying. Judah paid a private doctor to help me with
my studies and medical career.

It has been exactly six months
decision. I still stand by it.
and for everybody around me. I
doctor but at the same time, I
side.
since I have returned and I do not regret my
It was for the better—for my health, for my life,
continued to learn what I needed to be a great pack
get to learn how to become a mom with my mate by my

“It looks exactly like you,” I argued.

He arched an eyebrow, “It looks like a chihuahua.”

“I spent all day working on it!”

He made a sour face. “Yeah, let’s stick to medicine.”

“I think it looks exactly like your wolf,” I added, refusing to agree that it looks
like a starved chihuahua.

“I do not look like that,” he replied with a shake of his head.

He picked up another paintbrush, dipped in the color I had just dipped in and added
some more strokes to the picture.

“Hey,” I scowled.
“There,” he replied.

“Now, you look like a furless fat bear,” I protested.

He turned towards me and swiped the paintbrush over my forehead. My eyes widened in
surprise. I touched my forehead with the tips of my finger before looking up at him
with big eyes. He smirked before dipping his paintbrush on my color palette and
adding a dot to my nose.

“Now, you look adorable,” he announced.

I lifted the palette and smeared on his face.

“You too,” I muttered before standing up.

He grabbed me around the waist before sweeping me off my feet. I released a loud
squeal of surprise before wrapping my arms around him.

“Put me down, Jude,” I complained just as I saw him leaned towards me. He rubbed
his cheek against mine. Paint smeared between our cheeks and I let out a yelp
before slapping him on the shoulder.

“You idiot.” I pushed against him. He held me tighter.

He leaned forward again and wiped his face on my shirt. I squealed when I felt his
lips brushed up against my breasts and nipples. He made sure to nip it.

Once he was done, he dropped me back down onto my feet. I wiped my cheek with the
back of my hand before looking down at the smeared mixture of colors on my hand.

“Jude, you got paint all over me.”

There was a knock at the door, interrupting us both. Judah left to answer it and I
followed him. Looking over his shoulder, I catch sight of my mom coming inside with
some sweet treats. Galen stepped inside right after her.

He’s been very kind to my mom. I’ve seen the way he looks at her. He adores and
loves her. She also looks at him the same way. My mom brushed back her hair and
revealed the mark that Galen had left on her neck two months back. It took a while
for them to agree to be chosen mates.

“Rose, I made your favorite kind of desserts.” My mom walked over the kitchen
counter and placed the tray on the counter.

Judah walked over and picked up a piece of French dessert and taking a bite out of
it. He didn’t even seem annoyed with the paint on his face or his hands. My mom’s
eyes darted between us as if she had just realized we were covered in paint.

“Did you two paint my little one’s room or did you two paint yourselves?” my mom
asked.

“Or did an explosive bomb of paint bomb the room?” Galen added with a smirk before
walking over to wrap an arm around my mother’s shoulder.

“Very funny guys.” I pointed at my face. “This was all Judah’s fault.”

“I think I added some colors to your face,” Judah replied.

“What are you saying? That I’m fat and ugly now?” I glared his way.
“Careful, Gamma,” Galen warned with a chuckle.

“I’m saying you are beautiful,” Judah smoothed it over as quick as he could.

Another knock sounded at the door.

“I’ll get that,” Judah replied before rushing back to the front door.

I felt a kick in my stomach and so I placed my palm over my belly. Little Sage is
awake from all the ruckus that is happening outside my body. She did another
cartwheel in my stomach.

Alpha Hunter and Luna Katya walked inside with Liam trailing behind. Luna Katya is
starting to trust the pack more. She’s learning to open up to everyone including
Alpha Hunter. Judah tells me it had to do with the kidnapping. Luna Katya’s
attitude changed towards Alpha Hunter. Apparently, Alpha Hunter got injured badly
during the rescue mission and Luna Katya was the one who had to end the Alpha
rogue’s life to save Alpha Hunter.

Luna Katya walked over to me immediately. Her eyes falling on my stomach before it
flew to greet me with happy stars in her eyes.

“You look beautiful, Rose,” she smiled.

“Thank you, Luna Katya.”

Liam stepped closer to us and I felt another hard kick to my stomach. This time it
was painful and I winced. Placing my palm where Sage had kicked me I frowned.

“What are you doing in there?” I muttered to her.

Judah walked over and placed his palm over mine.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“She’s kicking me like crazy. It’s like she’s on some kind of steroids or
caffeine,” I grumbled.

Liam stepped closer and eyed my stomach before taking hold of his sister’s hand. He
gripped it tighter but his eyes remained on my belly. Liam is growing quickly. His
dark midnight hair is long and reaching his shoulders. He might only be eight years
old but his dark brown eyes revealed that this little boy has seen much more in his
eight years than a normal adult. He is a quiet boy but very nice and friendly.

“She must be excited to hear everyone,” Judah suggested.

“Must be,” I replied.

Another knock sounded at the door. This time Alpha Hunter who was closest to the
door walked over and opened it. Beta Ace and Scott walked in.

When I was away, Beta Ace and Scott had finally come to terms with their
relationship. They have publicized their relationship. Judah told me that Beta
Ace’s announcement broke so many female pack members’ hearts. They didn’t think
Beta Ace was gay and to hear that he was mated to Scott, it was surprising news to
them all.

Scott walked over to us and pulled me into a hug. He had told me a couple of weeks
back that him and Beta Ace were trying to adopt. They wanted to have pups together.
Adopting is a long process and sometimes it takes years. Most parents do not
abandon their pups. Werewolves adore babies and believe in keeping their kinship
strong. So, adopting it a long and lengthy process. I do hope that they are able to
find what they both want.

“It looks like she’s growing,” Scott said as he pointed at my stomach.

“Oh yes, she’s growing. Another three more months and this baby is ready to pop,” I
replied.

“She’s coming out?” Liam whispered to himself but earned everyone’s attention.

Luna Katya looked down at her brother.

“She is,” Katya replied.

Liam looked at my stomach again and then something happened. He smiled. He smiled
brightly and his eyes sparkled with joy. I laughed softly.

“Are you excited?” I asked.

Liam nodded. “I want to see her.”

“You will. I promise. Once she comes out, I’ll have your sister bring you to visit
her,” I promised.

Liam nodded his approval. Everyone stayed and ate the dessert tray my mom brought.
Judah made us dinner. After dinner was finished, everybody left slowly.

We were alone once again. Judah led me outside to sit on the bench that was on the
porch. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. His hands settling around
my stomach. We were silent as we listened to the little crickets’ chirp and the
wild sang at night. It was a comforting sound.

“We have come so far,” Judah whispered.

“What?” I turned my face up slightly to look at him. He looked down at me and

smoothed my hair behind my ear.

“We started out on opposite sides, thinking it will never cross. Yet here we are.
We’re mates and you’re pregnant with my pup,” he replied.

“Were you happy when you found out I was your mate?” I asked.

He chuckled. “That night when I found you swimming, I was out trying to get some
air because I have discovered that I have fallen in love with you. The possibility
that I have fallen in love with the one woman who hates me and at the same time
might not be my mate—it scared me.”

“So, you loved me even before you knew,” I smiled.

He nodded before leaning in to kiss my lips gently. I sighed against his lips just
as he pulled back to look back down at me with those warm olive eyes.

“I have loved you for a long time. I was just ignorant and refused to face the
truth. Maybe the bond was there and we just didn’t recognize it until it happened.
I don’t know but I know that I am glad you are my mate. I wouldn’t have it any
other way.”
He leaned in again and kissed me underneath the stars and moon. Declaring his love
with every stroke of his tongue and lips.

I’m glad too. I’m glad that I gave us a chance.

Author’s Note:

AHHH Done. *cries*

Thank you all for sticking with me and reading this book. I hope you enjoyed and
loved every moment of Judah and Rose. You’re awesome!

Claim Series

Claim Series — All books can be read as stand-a-lone!

Book 1 — Fever Claim

Book 2 — Wild Claim

Book 3 — Rogue Claim

****

WILD CLAIM

Liam Black holds a dark secret inside of him. This secret is cold, merciless, and
as dark as the night. It flows through his veins and teases his skin, threatening
to reveal itself every second he breathes.

It is taking everything for Liam to keep it inside; to keep this dark secret from
killing everything he holds close to him but his fear of losing control is greater
than his strength.

In attempt to keep everything he loves safe, he had decided to ran away without a
trace.

Many years later, and he has returned. He notices right away that a lot of things
have changed---including a little certain she pup who was no longer just a pup.
Sage Collins has changed into a sexy temptress---tempting and claiming him in ways
he could dream of.

Now, Liam’s will power to hold back is being challenged. He doesn’t know if he able
to hold onto his dark secret any longer when all he wants to do is to claim what is
rightfully his.

*****

ROGUE CLAIM

***PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS BOOK WILL CONTAIN A LOT OF TRIGGER SCENES. IF YOU
ARE SENSITIVE TO VIOLENT TRAUMAS, PLEASE REFRAIN FROM READING THIS BOOK. THIS IS
YOUR ONLY WARNING***
Taken too young and exposed to a cruel world too soon, Katya’s soul was damaged
beyond recognition. All she knew was her instinct to survive. With no one left to
guide her, she’s left to fend for her little brother for many years until one crazy
decision pushed her onto pack territory.

Hunter was an up-and-coming Alpha with a drive to prove himself worthy of his
title. At twenty-one, he was one of the few Alphas who has pushed more boundaries
and asserted more dominance in more ways than any other Alpha.

There wasn’t a challenge he couldn’t win--at least that was until his mate crashed
into his territory and dropped him to his knees.

And for the first time, Hunter was in a long fight to claim his mate’s heart and
trust.

It was a challenge he couldn’t afford to lose.