"Are you playing dumb?" He gripes stabbing at his food again.

"Question for a question right? Or are you wasting it on that?" I retort crossing my arms across my body. Every nerve in me is still livid that I didn't get release. It takes all the muscles in my body to keep me in this chair instead of on the ground rubbing one out.

"Then you get two. Fair is fair."

I rub my lips together them pop the back out, "Fine. Then yes. I am. I wasn't expecting you to crawl into my head and find my darkest secrets while you fingered me okay?"

"And then the answer to my original question?"

"He was a bad ex, everyone has one. But he's obsessed with me, and demands me to return to him. I don't know why either."

"Because you're fucking perfect. That's why."

"Okay. Now you, I'm not ready to talk about it, and now that you can get into my head seriously bothers me. I liked the privacy I had from you, it gave me this peace I needed."

He seems hurts, but masks it quickly, "Human's are indebted to the pack, a few family's that we bring out of poverty, give homes, food, and good basic needs. They also have a paycheck, and they know our secret. In return for whatever we give them, they serve a certain amount of years. We can't add or take away from that time, and if someone decides to give them more that doesn't impact it either. They do minor work like cleaning, gardening, and taking calls. Many work in the banks for us, their lives being no different than any other."

"Oh. That... isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."

"We aren't monsters, Veronica." He seems defensive, the need to say that taking over his better judgement, "And we care for our own, the humans during their time being as such."

"Second question, what does the pack know of me?"

"They know you've been found, and that you are resistant as many of the other human mates are. Our pack mates are waiting for the Lunar Ball, but I haven't given a date. Some are pressing for a heir."

"Did you say ball? Like something you see in a movie?"

He laughs, nodding, "Our pack has some traditions we refuse to break. One being the Lunar Ball that is only hosted when a new Luna is found. Packs and the human's in service are invited to celebrate, dresses, food, music, the works."

"That sounds... crazy." I whisper looking down at my bland self. No reason to give anything like me something so extravagant.

Ares growls, a finger coming under my chin to force me up, "You are beyond beautiful, darling. Don't degrade yourself."

"Get out of my head."

He doesn't. He stays there listening to my inner demons. All the irrational hatreds I have of myself spinning to the front. Ares listens to each one, not responding to anything in particular, but I can see the notes he is making in his head, "I wish you could see you how I see you, but I fear that showing you would lead you to further hatred."

"I just want to be left alone. Is that possible? For you to buzz off and let me have peace?"

"If you so desire, but Jessica will not be involved, and you must stay in the manor."

He sends me a visual of my ass running, the next image of me chained to his bed naked, "Heard loud and clear." I choke out, "No running, stay in manor."

"I have some business to attend to on 12th, the servants and omegas will be guarding outside. I should be home around six. If you need anything," He taps his head, "And please, order yourself dinner. Tell a servant and they can get you whatever you want. You need to eat."

"And if I don't? More chaining to the bed?"

"Perhaps." He winks, leaving me in the kitchen with a small kiss on the forehead. A cleaner comes in quickly after grabbing the mess we made. His visual of me laying beneath him, fucking me while he feeds me dinner, keeping from orgasming until I finish the plate rolls through my head like a movie.

"Go fuck yourself!" I yell at his back, the servant shrinks back, and if I was wolf, I'm sure I could smell her fear.