He holds me close, his arms encasing me to him, acting as warm chains as they imprison me in his hold. Alaricus leans down nuzzling his face into my hair, he inhales my scent deeply.

"Let go." I mumble, straining to get out of his hold, but his arms only tighten as he brings me closer to his warm chest. Nuzzling his face into the side of mine, the stubble gently scraping across my soft skin, tickling me only making me squirm more in his hold.

"Never, I will never let you go." Alaricus says his voice closer to a growl, and as I look into his eyes, I see the gold standing out in contrast to the hazel. My stomach tightening as I see the way the gold glints dangerously, so very paranormal on his human looking face. The monster slowly ripping out of its beautiful facade. I gulp nervously, his gaze trained intently on my constricting throat.

"You should." I mutter quietly and his hold tightens as he pulls back to look into my eyes. As I shy away his hand comes up to gently lift my face so that I would be forced to meet his intense gaze.

"And why is that?" He growls out.

"B-because you can have someone stronger, a wolf, someone who can reciprocate your affections, your passion." I tell him quietly, and his eyes flash dangerously as I mention him being with someone else.

"How can they when my affections, my passion belong to you, when I belong solely to you." He says gazing deeply into my eyes as he speaks and my heart clenches at what I see, it was true he had given himself over to me. His heart belonged to me, he belonged to me and it was so sad to see the bond was so strong that it had forced a man like him to give himself to someone like me. The wolf had fallen in love with the sheep.

"But what if this is all the bond, perhaps if I'm away from you, you will fall in love with another." I tell him hoping he will see reason but his eyes grow livid as I speak, and suddenly looking into them I can't breathe.

"This isn't only the bond, the bond can only push me towards you, form an attraction, a need to protect, but my feelings for you are so much deeper. The bond isn't what makes me feel as if everything is going to be okay every time I see you, or the reason my arms ache only to hold you, neither is it the reason for the way I long to see you every moment of the day. Why my eyes search for your face everywhere I go, or for the way my heart warms when you make faces while you read. Why I feel all my worries and ailments drift away every time I look into those eyes, or why I find your smiles absolutely enamouring and neither is it why it drives me insane to know that I am the one hurting you most by keeping you here." He finishes off his voice growing quieter until it's merely a whisper and neither of us can look the other in the eye.

A moment of silence passes between us and my heart thrums as his words slowly sink in, but when I open my mouth to speak unthinkingly I blurt out something I shouldn't have.

"Then let me be free." I say quietly, my eyes pleading as I look at him and he slowly lets go of me looking away from me.

"I can't." He whispers refusing to look into my eyes, as he faces away from me. A breath of relief leaving me as I see he hasn't been angered by what I've unthinkingly said.

"But ask anything else of me love and I'd go through any measures necessary to give it to you, anything at all." He tells me, a frensic desperation in his eyes that frightens me.

"N-nothing." I stutter out my response not even making sense as I stumble back from his manic eyes.

"I could give you anything Amara, I would, I only wish to see you happy." He tells me softly, despite the storm in his eyes, and I shake my head pulling further away from him. A crease forming between my brows as his words sunk in, he wished to buy me, to make me his like he was mine through materialistic gifts.

"You claim to love me but how can you when you don't even know me, if you did you would know my dreams cannot be bought." I tell him softly and his eyes flash with hurt, and he walks closer to me. Forcing me solely with the strength of his gaze to look into his bewitching eyes.

"I do know that, I know you are not one to be bought, my status and wealth means nothing to you. But that's what makes me respect you so much, even though you're so young you see that these mean nothing. What saddens me is that despite your tender age and innocence, you recognize me for the monster I am." Alaricus's' voice grows quieter as he speaks and my brows furrow as I listen to him, he looks up at me, gazing into my eyes, baring his soul to me, every ounce of regret, of affection, longing, and helplessness clear on display. The ancient sadness edged deep within the honey pools melts my heart.

"You're not a monster." I mumble pathetically, and he lets out a sarcastic laugh that has my eyes widening as I stare at him. His moods switched much faster than what I could keep up with.

"What else am I, who other but a true monster could keep an angel locked up for himself, when the angel so clearly longs to be free." He tells me slowly moving closer, and before I know it he is right before me his large warm hand slowly stroking the side of my face, sadly but adoringly.

"I'm no angel, I've, I've been too hard on you, this isn't your fault, you're probably as unhappy as I am about this." I say guiltily, peeking up through my lashes to see his reaction to my words.

"Before I met you, I had never known true happiness being with you has shown me that life is so much more. I couldn't be happier with you, it is myself that I am upset with. A selfish man has fallen in love with you Amara, and can't let you go now, I wish that I could, how I long to see you happy but I can't let you go when I've now just found you. When I've only just felt what it's like to truly live. I've lived through decades of misery, years without hope. I've never felt what it's like to truly be happy, but you my angel are my hope, my happiness, my will to live, to go on, to be good. There is nobody that could love you more than I, you're the reason I exist, meum miraculum. I can't give you up, forgive me my love." Pressing a passionate tender kiss to my forehead, he left, turning back only at the door to give me one last longing glance before he leaves me lost in thought.

I sit there for I don't know how long, surrounded by the intoxicating scent of Alaricus, but it's dark when a knock sounds on the door, knocking me out of my reverie.

"Amara." Frank's voice sounds at the door before he softly pushes the door of Alaricus' room.

"Amara you haven't eaten all day, you must eat." He tells me and I make a face not in the mood to eat, but Frank scowls at me, shaking his head before I can speak.

"I-I did eat." I try to convince him, but he simply shakes his head at me.

"The master himself has told me you haven't eaten, and asked for me to beg you to eat. He is already upset Amara do not upset him further by hurting yourself this way." Frank says, his eyes holding judgement, and for a moment I could see if this was another world we would be siblings. Him forever the daunting older brother and I the foolish younger sister.

"Alright." I tell him, my lips forming an involuntary childish pout as I speak. Frank turns to leave but I stop him calling after him loudly, then wincing at the hoarseness of my own voice.

"Has he eaten?" I ask and Frank shakes his head at me clearly suppressing a smile that has me scowling at him unamused by his childish ways.

"Where is he?" I ask carefully formulating a plan to apologize.

"He's blowing off some steam, when he gets upset, he goes into the very depths of the forest. But you'd be wise to wait for him here that is no place for a lone person." Frank tells me and I nod, subconsciously chewing on my lip. I would have to find him.

"So what would you like to eat?" He asks again.

"I'll come take a look for myself." I say quietly.

I walked into the kitchen quietly, happy to see that no one was in there. I quickly gathered up the leftovers of the dinner, more than what was enough for Alaricus and myself, putting them in a small basket. I rushed out the back exit intent on finding Alaricus and apologizing for my foolishness, and to convince him to eat. If need be I would even force feed him. Although if I really thought about that one, if Alaricus didn't wish to eat, it was unlikely I'd be able to even reach his mouth with his towering height. Also quite likely he could pick me up and fling me back to my bedroom in the palace with just one hand. Although he would never do that.

I slowly walk to the large door at the back of the castle, opening it carefully, slowly ensuring nobody would hear despite their supernatural hearing. It was almost embarrassing, my hesitancy to take even one step outside, I slowly placed my foot into the ground, nearly groaning in delight as I felt the cold solid ground beneath my clothed feet.

I slipped out, closing the door behind me I nearly sprinted to the gates, unlatching it with much difficulty I stepped out into the wondrous winter forest. Only realizing now how stupid my decision was, this forest was huge, but with Alaricus' keen sense of smell hopefully he would scent me out. I prayed that even when upset he would still have heart enough to not let his mate stumble around clueless in the forest. Although I would not oppose if he took his time it did feel so nice to be outside alone, unaccompanied, of my own free will.

I walked around the forest, enjoying the way the exhaustion felt as it slowly crept up on me, the way my warm breath mingled with the cold air, making it look like smoke. The beauty of the trees covered in thick white blankets, the cold as it seeped past my boots and into my clothes. I didn't know how long I had been walking, but now my eyes had shut on their own accord simply feeling how it felt to walk around, the beloved ache of my feet. The cold flush of my cheeks as they reddened against the freezing wind, my purpose now completely forgotten.

I slowed my pace feeling the hair at my nape stand on end, the feeling of danger that lurked near me making my blood run cold as it ran through my veins. I stilled, my back stiff as I tried to use my full senses to pick up what the danger was, where the predator stood, when I heard him speak from behind me.

"Running away?"