I woke up to Alpha Cain anxiously staring at me. How long have you been staring at me like that, creepazoid? I asked him through our mindlink.

He laughed breathlessly, his eyes aglow with relief. "I'm so grateful to hear your voice again, even if it comes in the form of insults." The Blood Alpha sat on the edge of my bed, a serious expression taking over his face. "Do you remember what happened?"

I looked around at my surroundings, not recognizing them but realizing I was in some kind of Pack hospital. You whipped the hell out of me, I responded dryly.

His eyes flashed in guilt. "Look Ares I-" Cain began, taking my cold hand in his much warmer one.

I interrupted him. Don't. I was the one who volunteered to take his punishment, Even now, I don't regret it. In some way.. I hesitated, unsure of how to articulate my thoughts. I needed you to prove your ability to be Alpha. I wasn't taking you seriously before. I thought you were weak because of our bond.

He nodded slowly, even though I could tell that I didn't alleviate his guilt. "My wolf needed to assert his dominance. I wouldn't control him unless he received your submission. He doesn't take too kindly to insolence, even if it is from his mate."

I shrugged. No harm, no foul.

"No harm?" He harshly asked, and I was surprised by his abrupt change in tone.

"I put you into a coma for two weeks. Your back was utterly destroyed because of my wolf and I. Justify my actions in whatever way you want, but do not pretend you were not harmed by what happened."

Alpha Cain abruptly flipped me over on to my stomach, as I laid there in confusion. A few moments later, he turned me back over and held out his phone. He had taken a picture of my back.

I will admit, it was one of the more brutal beatings I had received. The mutilation on my back was unmatched to any of my other past injuries. I could still see deep indentations from where the whip struck me, and my entire back was raw and pink, as new flesh replaced the old that was beaten off my body.

I whistled lowly. Impressive, Alpha. You whip with a heavy hand. I like that about you. And I did. I respect his use of brute force. It's exactly how I handle my problems.

Alpha Cain looked at me as if I grew another head. "You know, most girls would have been impressed with the romantic picnic. Only you would respect me for whipping you into submission."

I shrugged. It takes a lot to get me to submit. Congratulations, Alpha.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I thought we talked about this already. Please call me Cain, not Alpha."

Considering his request, I hesitated before responding. I accepted you as my Alpha by submitting, not as my mate.

His face slightly fell at my words. "Ares, I will do whatever it takes to get you to accept me as you mate, but I need you to meet me halfway here."

I glared at him. Easy for you to say, Alpha. You get your freedom and your mate. I only get one of those, and its not the one I would have chosen for myself.

Cain searched my eyes, and I kept my poker face, even though I could feel the mate bond punishing me for my words by giving me pain in my chest. "I actually have quite the compromise, little mate. I think you'll find the terms quite agreeable."

I leaned forward, rapt with attention. I didn't think the Blood Alpha had any leeway on the Laws, and I certainly didn't think he would be willing to make any compromises with me on my freedom. He seemed to enjoy having me under his thumb at all times.

"I am willing to let you walk on my pack territory without being carried. This does not apply to when we visit other territories, but while you are on Blood Lake land, as long as you have an escort, you will be allowed to go where you please on our land." His face remained impassive, not giving anything away.

I narrowed my eyes. What's the catch? I asked, not trusting his words at face value.

"No catch, I promise. Our borders are impenetrable. I trust that you will remain safe on our land, especially when factoring in your ability to protect yourself, coupled with guards I will assign to you." He promised, but I remained unsure.

What made you change your mind?

"I almost killed my mate due to my own stubbornness and inflexibility. If this agreement is what it takes for you to stop trying to escape, then I am willing to make the tradeoff, despite the many years of tradition we would be breaking." His eyes were overtaken with guilt. If I knew taking the whippings was all it took to get me my freedom, I would have taken them weeks ago.

Even though I remained suspicious and wasn't sure if he would keep his word, I told him amenably, Fine. I won't escape.

"I just have two stipulations," Alpha Cain began, and I snorted. So much for there not being a catch. "You cannot train with the other wolves. If you feel like you need someone to spar against, you will do so against me. That is nonnegotiable with my wolf, and I agree with him." I paused, before nodding. I would take what I could get for now, but I was fairly confident I could change his mind later on. "The second condition is that you make the attempt to accept your Luna position. I understand it may take awhile for you to love me back, but at least work with me here."

I searched his eyes, weighing my choices, before finally nodding in agreement. Cain smiled, looking pleased that we were able to come to an agreement. If he was always this willing to compromise with me, I may not hate this place so much.

"Let's take you back to home. The doctor gave me an ointment to apply on you twice a day, but other than that, the worst of the healing process is over with." His face was still riddled with guilt. I hated it. I hate people looking at me like they feel sorry for me, especially because most of my scars were from situations that I was the catalyst for. It's not like hunting rogues is risk-free.

I nodded, and reached my arms up, waiting for him to pick me up. His countenance contorted in confusion. "You don't want to walk yourself? I was positive you would want to test ride your newfound freedom."

Oh, right. I was so used to him carrying me, I acted out of instinct. I threw my legs over the side of the hospital bed, and jumped to the ground. However, my legs were so weakened from not moving for two weeks, that I would have crumpled completely to the ground if it were not for Alpha Cain grabbing me by my shoulders to steady me.

"Okay, pup, I changed my mind. You'll get your freedom back tomorrow," He chuckled, picking me up into his arms as he stood up from the side of the hospital bed. He grabbed a fur pelt from one of the chairs in the room and I frowned as he placed it over me.

This isn't the same pelt, I remarked.

Alpha Cain's eyes cast to the side, his voice thick with grief. "The other one was soaked in blood. It was unfixable. I made you a new one."

I nodded. It was much nicer, a completely black fur that was much thicker than the last one. It's nice, I muttered appreciatively.

His eyes brightened at the compliment, and he looked pleased by my appreciation of the quality. "Well you were, um, indisposed, I went hunting and came across a large black bear. The biggest one I've ever seen, actually."

I nodded again. The fur truly was extremely high quality. I was sure that it was worth a lot. Not many wolves have the fortitude to kill such a large bear. Judging by the size of the pelt, I estimated that it had to have been around a thousand pounds.

Alpha Cain carried me through the hospital, nodding at a man in a white coat as we left. The doctor showed him his neck in submission. Now, I understood why his pack members did that when he walked by. He was truly dominating, born to be an Alpha.

As he stepped outside, I was extremely grateful for the pelt, as the air was freezing. I even noticed that there were small patches of snow scattered throughout his land as we walked to the pack house.

"It's nearly winter, little mate. Have you ever been in a land so cold?" He nuzzled into my neck, and I appreciated the extra warmth. His skin always running a little hot came in handy in this wintery land.

I shook my head no. Even though my old pack wasn't necessarily in a warmer climate, it only very rarely snowed. I wondered how much colder it would get when it was actually winter. Is that why you let your hair and beard grow? I asked.

He smiled against my neck, his beard slightly tickling my skin. "Very good observation, mate. Blood Lake male and female bodies change in preparation for winter, a gift from the Moon Goddess. The males' facial and head hair grow thicker and longer, and they also bulk up in muscle easier." It was true. His dark, curly hair hung nearly past his shoulders; his beard was thick; and, now that he mentioned it, I could tell that he had put on even more muscle, which I would have thought was impossible, considering his mountainous stature not during wintertime.

Unintentionally, I let out a purr, curtesy of my wolf, in appreciation for her large mate, and reached out to trace his large chest. Though it was very primal, she was incredibly attracted to how built he was, knowing that it meant he was suitable protection for her and potential pups.

At the sound of my purr, Alpha Cain made a guttural noise in the back of his throat. "I'm warning you now, little mate. If you make that sound again, intentional or not, I won't be able to hold my wolf back from sinking his teeth into you again. He has become rather fond of it, in fact. He is much less civilized than I."

My stomach clenched in anticipation from his words. As much as the thought frightened me, I was incredibly attracted to this dominating male.

Alpha Cain inhaled deeply, making me shudder. "I can smell your desire, pup. Tread lightly."

My face burned in embarrassment from his words. I had no idea what had gotten into me. Just a few weeks ago, I was trying to decapitate him, and now, I was almost unable to keep my hands to myself. I blamed the strengthening of the mate bond and the fact that my wolf had been less submissive to me.

Taking mercy on me, he decided not to rile me up further. We walked to the pack house in silence, and by the time we got there, it was pitch black outside, and the temperature dropped even further. I will say, the cool winds felt marvelous against my raw back.

Alpha Cain carried me upstairs, and he set me gingerly on the bed. Despite his aggressive nature, he could be quite gentle when he wanted to. I couldn't tell if I liked that or not.

"Take off the hospital gown, little mate," Cain commanded, and my breath caught in my throat. "Relax, pup. I'm just going to apply the topical cream. It will feel very cooling on your skin." I nodded, and undressed myself. I wasn't exactly shy about nudity, since I was naked in front of my old pack many times since I was often shifting back and forth in between skin and fur side.

I ignored the desire I felt from him through the mate bond. He lightly rubbed the cream on my back, careful not to push too hard. He was right. It was incredibly cooling, and took the heat right out of the tender flesh. I wondered what the scars would look like when it healed. They no doubt would be extremely prominent.

He finished, and put one of his oversized shirts on top of me when the ointment dried. "Rest, mate. I imagine you'll have quite the adventurous day tomorrow, experimenting with your recent liberation. I have pack matters to attend to, but Delta Carter and another wolf will escort you around the territory, wherever you'd like to go."

I grinned happily, already imagining the kinds of trouble I was sure to get into tomorrow.