"The packs in my land are sufficiently obeying my rules. I haven't had any disturbances from them and they're quite cordial. I hope that the vampire clans are treating you with the same amicability?"

"Of course, no disturbances what so ever. The clan on our eastern border has made quite good friends with a neighboring pack," King Jax, the werewolf king, said.

There were different groups of vampires residing in the werewolf territory and vise versa to help carry out trades between the two kingdoms.

Ulric nodded his head, glad there were no conflicts. This meeting had been one of the fastest ones ever. There weren't any conflicts regarding anything. All trade was running smoothly, there were no aggressive exchanges or hostile groups.

"Well Jax, it appears that everything is running perfectly," he said.

"Yes, I am quite glad. I do hope that Ms. Benton has healed fine after the accident?" Jax asked whilst looking between Ulric and Thierry.

"She is doing well under my care, yes, and her injuries are alleviated for the most part. Though, I assume you're aware that she is not coming back."

"I assumed she wouldn't be. She's in the right not to after what that wolf did to her. Besides, you can't resist a mate," he said. Ulric agreed, knowing all too well how much of a torture it was.

"If you don't have anything left to discuss, then we can end the meeting now. All the numbers and exchanges are in order like you said, so I think we are done here until tomorrow's meeting," Jax said while placing his hands on the oak desk in front of him.

All three men stood up, and both Kings were unable to resist the urge to size each other up at they did so. Two vibrantly dominating, violent men in one room together could be quite explosive.

They shook hands and Ulric and Thierry left the Alpha Kings office, heading back to the suite that had been given to them for the duration of their stay.

They had just arrived at the Alpha Kings castle only an hour before. It had taken them a little bit less than a day to get there. They would finish their discussions tomorrow.

Ulric leaned against the counter, pouring himself a glass of blood from one of the bags he had brought with him. As he sipped the blood, he felt an odd pain in the side of his gut. He simply brushed it off, not paying it much attention. Until he felt it again in the same spot, but the pain was much more intense that time.

Ulric drank the last of the blood and then lifted his shirt up, looking for some explanation as to what the pain was from. It wasn't painful to him, more just like an annoying pressure, but it aggravated him that he couldn't detect where it was coming from.

He washed the glass and put it away. He thought about leaving it in the sink, waiting for the maid to clean it up when they left, but he heard a nagging, beautiful voice in the back of his head telling him to clean it up himself.

He groaned as he rolled his sleeves up to clean off the glass as Amaryllis infiltrated his mind. She was making him a more compassionate and selfless person.

By the time he put the glass back into the cupboard, he almost completely forgot about the peculiar pressure in his side when he felt a stinging sensation on his cheek. "What the fuck," he growled.

What is happening, he wandered to himself, growing increasingly more irritated. Then, an image of his mate fluttered through his mind, her ever so beautiful face smiling at him. His heart dropped.

"Amaryllis," he said to himself.

His phone in the breast pocket of his suit started to ring, so he picked it up. "Lawrence," he said. "Where is my mate?" He tried to maintain a calm composure.

"Sir, we aren't exactly sure. Last night, Binta saw her and Reynold heading to the dungeons. Amaryllis said they were going to find something she had left down there. Well, Binta said it seemed strange so she followed them and when she got to the dungeons, Reynold and Amaryllis were gone."

Ulric felt like someone had shoved a hot dagger into his heart. His vision went foggy and he felt himself growing enraged by the second.

"Why wasn't this reported to me last night!" He boomed into the phone, his calm composure be damned. Calmness was not a trait he could maintain in regard to the disappearance of his mate.

"Sir, Binta did not know who to tell. She was worried that some rebellion had formed. She didn't tell me until just a few minutes ago," Lawrence explained.

"Lawrence, you will organize a search party for my mate immediately. Close all borders. Do not let anyone out if the kingdom. Find Reynold!"

"Yes, sir," Lawrence responded before Ulric ended the call.

"Thierry we are leaving now," he growled as he slammed his fist against Thierry's bathroom door.

"What the fuck Ulric?" Thierry spat in annoyance when he opened the door a few seconds later.

"Let's go," he growled.

"Give a man a minute to-,"

"There's something wrong with Amaryllis!" He yelled in desperation, feeling his heart race erratically.

Thierry's face turned hard and he nodded his head, grabbing his bag and following Ulric out of the door immediately.

They threw their bags into the car, but rather than allowing the driver to drive them back, they decided to run as they would arrive at the castle much faster that way.

He was infuriated that Binta hadn't told anyone this earlier. If she would've alarmed someone earlier, Amaryllis could have been found already. She wouldn't be abused like Ulric assumed she was due to the pressures he felt radiating from his body.

"What are you doing," Amaryllis growled as Reynold shoved her into the backseat of a car. He had taken her all the way through the dungeons and pushed her out of the very back exit. A car was waiting for them.

Reynold bent down and grabbed Amaryllis' wrists, tying a rope around them. Then he tied a bandana around her head and shoved it in her mouth so she couldn't speak.

He pushed her further into the car so her legs wouldn't be in the way of the door. Then he and another man she'd never seen before got in the front seats.

Her heart raced wildly. She wanted Ulric to rescue her, to make everything okay. However, Ulric wasn't there. In fact, he was traveling the length of an entire continent away from her.

Amaryllis wasn't sure how long they were in the car for, but the sun had already begun rising by the time the vehicle stopped. Reynold and the other man got out of the car and she watched them approach a group of other men. Ulric told Amaryllis how unmated females could be targets for sexual assault, and she was panicking.

Reynold got back into the vehicle after speaking to the other group of men. Then he drove off, leaving the man that was in the passenger seat with the group. After another half hour of driving, Reynold turned into a field and parked the car.

Oh gosh, this is where he kills me. He's taken me to a secret, abandoned location and now he's going to kill me. No one will ever find my body out here.

Reynold opened the back seat door and slid in next to her. She tried pushing the door open to escape earlier, but the child locks were on. It was also difficult to pull on the handle with bound wrists.

Amaryllis pushed herself against the door as far as she could to create a gap of space between them. She did not want him to touch her.

"Amaryllis," Reynold said once he got comfortable. "I apologize for acting so hostile earlier, I just wanted everything to go perfectly. No flaws," he said with a smile. "Just like you."

Amaryllis stared at him with a confused expression. Reynold unwrapped the bandana from her mouth so she could speak. She flinched slightly as he neared her. "What?"

"Amaryllis, do you remember the day in your hometown where that guard attacked you?"

"Yes," she said, recalling that day.

"Do you remember that guard that pulled him off of you?"

"Well, I don't know who he was, but yes."

"It was me, Amaryllis. I saved you." He said.

"Oh, well, thank you Reynold, but why am I here?" Amaryllis said. She was still panicking. She didn't like the close proximity he had created between them. She was slightly less tense now that he wasn't aggressive toward her, but his actions were even creepier somehow.

"I love you, my angel. Since the moment I saw you walking the streets of your town, I knew I had to have you," he said with a smile on his face. "Then Ulric found you and made you his. But I know you aren't completely his or I would be able to see the mate mark. I will fully make you mine Amaryllis. I will not wait as he has. You are far too perfect to wait," he said.

Amaryllis' stomach trembled. This man was obsessed with her. He implied he wanted to mate her. She wanted to puke.

"What do you mean you will not wait?" She asked as her hands shook.

"My sweet angel, I will mate you. You and Ulric have yet to mate. He's a fool for not doing it sooner. I will mate you soon, to prevent anyone else from ever trying to have you again."

"Why are you doing this? Ulric is my mate, he will look for me," she said, trying to warn him not to act on his plan. Her skin crawled in disgust.

His face turned sour. "Ulric is not your mate. I found you first. He merely stole you from me, and I have taken you back!" He yelled.

"Reynold, please don't do this," she begged. "Ulric will find me."

She was shocked when the glass window next to her head shattered. She barely saw his hand move. "Don't," Reynold warned. "Do not speak of Ulric. He is not your mate. I am."

Reynold exited the back seat and entered the driver's once more. He continued into the field before a log cabin came into a view. It was a slightly run-down cabin, like the ones in horror movies.

He parked next to the cabin and went to unlock the door. Then he popped the trunk of the car and lifted two suitcases out, putting them on the front porch. He opened the door for her and grabbed her arms to pull her out. She did not like the feeling of his hands against her skin. They felt repulsive, unlike Ulric's hands which were both comforting and seductive.

He untied the rope from her hands and told her to stand on the porch. He reached into the trunk one last time before grabbing a large bag. Pushing the door open, he motioned for Amaryllis to walk in first. As she stepped into the doorway, she realized she might not ever come back out. What if Ulric never found her? What if this creep really did have his way with her?

"Welcome to your new home," Reynold said as he flipped the light switch on. The house itself wasn't very exciting. She liked log cabins, but not in her current predicament. The whole place just felt extremely off-putting, like she knew something horrible would happen there.

"Bring me that bag," Reynold said. She picked it up and gave it to him. He pulled all the contents out which were various items of food. "I stocked up on some things I know humans like," he said as he put items in the fridge or cupboard.

After that, he picked up the two suitcases and started to walk up the stairs. "Follow me," he said. Amaryllis timidly followed him, very suspicious of what was going on.

"This is where we will sleep," he said. Reynold placed the suitcases on the bed. Her heart sunk to her feet. He wanted to sleep in the same bed as her. Her racing heart increased it's pace as she stared at the bed. She didn't want to be forced into this.

"You want me to sleep with you?" She asked softly, not trying to upset him. He has proven to be mentally unstable.

"Yes, my angel. We are mates," he said with a sense of confidence. She swallowed down her impending regurgitation. It felt like bugs were crawling under her skin and as if she were being suffocated from the inside out. She did not want this. She wanted Ulric. She tried not to let her fear and disgust show on her face.

"Here, look at the clothes I brought you," he said, pulling one of the suitcases closer for her to unzip.

She reluctantly unzipped the suitcase, afraid of what she might see. Her fear was quite rational because what she saw disgusted her. There were various undergarments in the suitcase. Sexy bras, panties, and lingerie. There were a few pairs of short booty shorts and spaghetti strap tank tops. "Do you like them?" He asked as he stared at her as though she were a prize he just won.

"No," she said, growing angry. She had been quite reserved and subordinate during this trip because she wasn't sure what was going on and she was afraid Heather would be killed if she misbehaved. Though, the fear was no longer controlling her. He looked at her like she was an object. He was trying to control her, coerce her into doing things that were not his choice to make. If Reynold truly wanted Heather dead, he would've had her killed already. Amaryllis was done being cordial.

"What?"

"I said no, I don't like them. And I especially don't like how you think you have the authority to take me away from my mate and then force me into sleeping with you. You disgusting, misogynistic, pig of a man!" She yelled.

Reynold pushed her on the bed roughly, before slamming his fist into the wall. He growled before running his hands over his face. "I don't want to hit you, Amaryllis. I don't want my mate to be afraid of me, but you need to stop saying those things or I might hurt you," he said with a crazed expression.

"I am going outside. I need to clean the yard up for our children to play in when they get here. We will be quite busy tonight, and every night from here on out with making our children," he said. Then he flashed out of the room before she could respond.

Her panic flared at his declaration and so did the bugs that had crawled under her skin. He would force himself on her and there would be nothing she could do about it. He was a vampire and she was a mere human. He could do anything he wanted to her and she would not have the means to stop him. She tried to control her breathing, to calm herself down, but it wasn't working. Ulric was supposed to be the man she gave herself to, not this psychopath.

I need to find a way out of here. If I just figure out a way to leave, maybe he won't notice and I could get help somewhere. But where? There appears to only be wide open space and forest for miles.

She got up from the bed, no longer allowing herself to ponder on the events that would happen that night. Because they wouldn't happen. She will escape before he can touch her.

It was daylight, which meant she had quite a few hours to plan her escape before nightfall. Looking out the bedroom window, she saw a small shed about a football field's length away from the house. Reynold was backing a lawnmower out of it.

She watched as he drove the lawnmower into the distance. He was about the size of a penny when he stopped and began mowing the area.

Good, he's distracted, she thought.

She ran to the bedroom door that Reynold closed before he left. Turning the doorknob, she expected the door the open. Except, it didn't. "Shit!" She whispered. Reynold locked the door from the outside.

She walked back to the window, seeing Reynold was still just as far away as he was 30 seconds ago. She looked to the other window, which faced the opposite side of the property. Reynold wouldn't be able to see her escape from the window from his point of view.

She went to the window and tried to slide it open, relieved when it actually opened. Then she went to the closet in the room, hoping to find sheets to tie together in order to shimmy herself down from the window. It was a long drop without the sheets and she knew she would break something if she jumped without any aid. She couldn't afford her escape to be compromised by an injured limb.

"Yes!" She whispered when she found three sheets in the back of the closet. They were old and dusty, but it was all she had to work with. She didn't want to take the sheets from the bed because she didn't want Reynold to suspect anything when he came up. He would obviously figure it out, but hopefully, if he doesn't see her escape plan laid out in front of him, he wouldn't know immediately.

She tied the sheets together and then wrapped one end of her sheet rope around the lower part of a leg of the bed-frame. The frame was made out of wood and it was very sturdy, so she was confident her work would hold.

She crawled onto the window frame and looked at the ground below. I can do this, she mentally chanted to herself. Grabbing the sheet in her hands, she jumped off the window seal. Her upper body strength was not something to be admired, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins helped advance her athletic abilities.

She wrapped one leg around the other and used her body to slowly drop down the sheet. After a few seconds, she reached the end of the sheet and had to drop down a couple of feet as the sheets didn't reach the full way down.

When she reached the ground, she looked around for Reynold. She couldn't see him anywhere, and she felt sweet relief when she heard the hum of the lawnmower in the distance. He didn't know yet.

On this side of the house, about two hundred feet away, was an entrance to the woods. She wasn't sure where she was going to go as she had no idea where she was, but her plan was to follow the wood line for a while and then run in the direction that they had arrived from. Hopefully, that would lead somewhere.

She looked around one last time, making sure no one was watching. Then she took off in a mad dash for the woods. She was getting back to Ulric.