I woke up completely confused.

I sat up quickly, checking my surroundings. I was in Alpha Cain's room. I began recalling the events of earlier, and looked down at my hands to assess the damage done.

To my surprise, they were wrapped with cloth, and I could tell that there was burn cream on underneath to soothe the burns I had received from my loving, gentle mate.

Of course I would have to be mated to an Alpha that has the ability to summon and control fire. He must be able to put a charm on things to keep them warm too, since he would make handles warm when he didn't want me to touch them.

"Don't take them off. They'll heal faster if you just let the burn cream take effect." I turned my head to the side of the room, where Alpha Cain was sitting in a cushioned chair.

I stared at him blankly, not wanting to give any indication how I was feeling.

I waited for him to yell at me for running, but to my surprise, he just sat in the chair and continued to stare at me.

"I realized something when you bolted, little mate," Alpha Cain continued, not breaking eye contact. "I had no way to contact you, and if you had gotten into trouble, you couldn't have gotten ahold of me."

I broke eye contact, scared of what he might say next. I was hoping he would offer to give me a cell phone, but I knew it was much worse.

My eyes snapped back to look at him as I heard him get out of the chair.

I watched him walk towards my side of the bed, and sat on the edge next to me.

His hand reached out towards me, and he cupped my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. The action should have been soothing, but I was too on edge for whatever he was planning to do next.

"I am going to mark you now. It is the only way to establish a consistent communication link between us," Alpha Cain met my eyes, and he almost looked apologetic.

I began thrashing in the bed. I would rather die than be marked by this heathen.

I was no match for the Alpha as he roughly held me down by my soldiers. I couldn't wield a weapon right now due to my injuries, and that confirmed that he had aimed for my hands intentionally.

Alpha Cain's eyes darkened, and I knew it wouldn't be long until his wolf surfaced. Alpha Cain stroked my hair, and leaned closer to me. He kissed my forehead, and then peppered more kisses along my neck.

Tears silently were streaming down my face as he reached the part of my neck where he would mark me. He opened his jaws, and I could see that his canines had descended. A sob escaped my mouth, and I closed my eyes, internally wincing at the pain I knew would come.

To my shock, moments went by, and I still wasn't bitten. I opened my eyes, and saw Alpha Cain looking at me sadly.

His eyes were no longer as dark, and his canines weren't out anymore.

I stared at him in confusion.

"Is the idea of being mated to me really bad enough to make you shed tears? You didn't even let a tear fall when you took the full force of my fire, only teared up a little, but you cry at the idea of being marked by me?" He asked, and I almost felt guilty by how hurt he sounded.

I averted my gaze. I would get burnt by his fire again if it meant not being Marked.

He abruptly left the room, and slammed the door on his way out.

I anticipated that he would be gone for the rest of the night, but to my surprise, he came back a few minutes later.

He tossed a box at me, and I caught it with ease.

I raised an eyebrow. "Open it," Alpha Cain ordered.

I opened the box, and inside, there was a brand new iPhone. I had an old iPhone at Red Crescent, but rarely used it.

"You can only use it to call or text numbers that I have already put in there. I put in all of the pack member's numbers and names in, so if they ever come by and visit the Pack House, you can communicate with them. Go ahead, text something to me."

I turned on the new phone, and typed Cain into the recipient bar, and his contact popped up. I texted him: thank you for not marking me.

He pulled out his phone and read the text. "I only didn't Mark you because I didn't want to upset you so much you felt the need to run." I was surprised by this admission. "I will give you two weeks to adjust, and by the end of those two weeks, I will Mark you regardless of how many tears you shed. The only condition is that you have to behave during the two weeks, or else the deal is off and I will Mark you regardless."

I considered fighting him on this, but then realized that pretending to be a loving mate may be my best option at escaping. If I could get him to trust me, then I would be able to escape much easier.

I nodded, and kicking off the beginning of my deception, I threw my arms around him in a hug.

Alpha Cain stiffened at my sudden contact, but wrapped his arms around me once his shock wore off.

"See how good it can be between us when you behave?" He asked, and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. "You don't have to fight me, little pup, I'm on your side." I nodded, still keeping up my charade.

"Now that you have a way of responding back to me and you're being cooperative, it's time I get to learn more about you," He began, pulling away from me, and sitting across from me on the bed. My stomach dropped. I already knew he was going to bombard me with questions I didn't want to answer, but had to in order to convince him that I wouldn't leave.

"First, why did you run away to begin with?" He asked, and I could hear the pain in his voice.

I texted him: I never thought I would want a mate. I want my freedom, not to be cooped up in a house all day with nothing to do, just laying in wait until my mate can come back. I'm a Gamma, I'm not meant to be a housewife. The Moon Goddess didn't give me my Gift to just summon knives to use to cook with, I'm meant to fight back.

Alpha Cain read the text, and then frowned. "The Moon Goddess made you my mate because she knows that I am the only male capable of taking care of you. I will provide for you and give you everything you could ever want. And besides, you won't be doing nothing all day. Soon, you'll have my pups and be taking care of them all day." He said, smiling at the thought.

My face paled, and my heart sank. I didn't want kids, ever. As much as I like them, I don't want them for myself. I don't want to be burdened with them. Of course, I couldn't tell Alpha Cain just how opposed I was to having kids, or I may anger him into marking me.

I responded, How soon are you wanting to have pups?

His eyes brightened, thinking that I was asking because I was eager to have them for myself. "As soon as possible. After I mark you, you'll be going into your heat once a month until we consummate the bond. Once we consummate the bond, you will be carrying my pup, the future Alpha of Blood Lake." He proudly said, and I have never seen anyone look so happy.

I felt guilty, knowing I would never give him that. Nevertheless, I nodded.

"How many wolves have you killed?" He asked, and I was shocked by the abrupt change in topics.

I shrugged, and texted him: I'm not sure, a couple hundred, probably.

His eyes popped out of his head. I was sure that he had killed just as many, if not more. "Hundreds of wolves challenged you for the Gamma position?" He asked.

I realized my mistake. He didn't know I snuck out of territories to kill rogues. Oh well, too late to go back now.

I texted him: I would sneak out of my pack territory early every morning and kill rogues I found.

He raised his eyebrows at my text, and didn't respond for a moment. He reached out towards my face, and it took everything in my power not to flinch away from him. He ran his finger down my eye, and said, "Is that how you ended up with all of these scars and not being able to talk?" I nodded, knowing I didn't need to text a response.

He pulled me into his lap, and I flinched at the sudden movement. "Don't be afraid of me, pup," he coaxed me, stroking my hair. This time, when he called me pup, it wasn't with malice and condescension, but with affection and adoration. "I promise, those burns on your hands will be the last time I ever harm you. I just needed to get you to listen without trying to stab me."

I didn't say anything, and just allowed him to hold me, stroke my hair, and coo into my ear contentedly. "I'm sorry you have gone through so much in the other pack. You never should have been Gamma."

I stared at him, offended. "Not that you aren't a good Gamma. You're the strongest Gamma I've ever seen, and even stronger than most Betas I've encountered. It really is quite interesting. But what I meant was, females should be staying at home with pups and taking care of the home. Not out fighting battles."

I was deeply offended by his sexist remarks, but didn't mess up my plan by contradicting him. I texted him: I don't mind the scars. I liked being Gamma. It was my purpose.

"Soon," Alpha Cain began, rubbing my stomach, "You'll have another purpose."

My stomach twisted at his words, but I nodded anyways.

"Next question. Why do you only fight in human form, and not as a wolf? In fact, I can barely feel your wolf's presence at all. It upsets my wolf greatly."

I texted him: I'm actually tired, may you please put me to bed?

Alpha Cain read my text, nodded, and kissed my forehead. "Of course, little mate. I told you I would take care of you."

He took my phone from me and plugged it into a charger. I got under the covers and laid down as Alpha Cain turned off the light, and slid in next to me.

Unsurprisingly, he pulled me close to his chest, spooning me tightly.

For a long while, he said nothing, and I was grateful. I was half asleep when I heard him whisper, "I'll never let anyone touch you ever again. You're safe with me, always."

He has no idea who he's dealing with.