"Wow. You really laid one on her," a familiar voice echoed on the edge of my consciousness.

"Not the appropriate time for humor, Seth." My heart leapt at the sound of Alpha Alexander's voice. "She's been asleep for hours."

"I know. Julie was passed out for three days after I claimed her."

Footsteps sounded before another familiar voice joined the conversation. "I came as soon as I . . ." Julie trailed off. "Whoa." I felt the bed dip as she sat beside me, her hand gently brushed hair from my neck. "Nice one."

A low growl filled my ears.

"I'm not a threat, you oaf. I'm probably the only person in this house who knows what she's going through."

The growl was silenced. "What will happen to her?"

"She'll wake up a little disoriented, but she'll be fine. I was out for days when Seth bit me. I talked to Shelby about when she was claimed by Patrick and she said she rested for nearly a week. I think the more dominant the wolf, the shorter the resting period."

"Why's that?" Seth asked.

She patted my hand. "Two theories. One is the more dominant the wolf, the quicker his venom sets in. The other one is the shorter the resting period, the quicker the heat will set in, and the longer it will last."

Seth chuckled. "Good times."

I heard a hard smack and then a male grunt before Julie stood and addressed Alpha Alexander. "She's fine. She'll wake up in a couple days. Just let her rest. Call me if you need anything."

I listened as they shuffled out of the room. The door closed and I feared I was alone until the bed dipped and a body rested next to mine. The heat of him drew me closer until I was nestled into his side, my fingers instinctively curled around the fabric of his shirt, as if warning him from trying to stray from my side.

His arms wrapped around me, and my body relaxed against him, allowing me to settling back into the darkness once again.

I woke up screaming. I sat up, rigid, as a searing pain laced through my veins, boiling my blood as it flowed through my body. The door flew open and hands fell on my shoulders, which dampened the heat enough for me to open my eyes and soak in the sight before me: Alpha Alexander's face close to mine, his perfect features seeming impossibly more perfect the longer I stared at him.

I mumbled something unintelligible.

He cupped my face with his hands, his thumb caressing my cheek. "How are you feeling?"

I mumbled again, over and over again, the same monosyllabic word, louder with each repetition, "Mine, mine, mine, mine."

A flash of understanding and approval appeared in Alpha Alexander's eyes. I had to force my hands to remain by my sides, though they ached to reach up and touch him. The burning sensation had subsided, leaving a trace of heat within my chest, near my heart. I swallowed the possessive word and tried to pull myself away from the comfort of his presence. I realized the sun was almost setting. "What time is it?"

"How are you feeling?"

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Do you need anything?"

"How long have I been asleep?"

He hesitated and I started to worry I'd been asleep for days. "Four."

"Days?" My eyes widened.

He shook his head slowly. "Hours, Phoebe. You've only been asleep for four hours."

I relaxed a little, knowing I hadn't missed more than a nap's worth of excitement. Then, a conversation from my dreams returned: "The shorter the resting period, the quicker the heat will set in, and the longer it will last." I had enough family pets to know what "heat" meant, and the mandatory school lessons on werewolf mating habits were being thrown in my face as pieces of a puzzle started to fall into place.

Fear suddenly grasped me. Not ready, not ready.

I moved away from him. The burning returned. I stood and crossed the room, trying to reach the bathroom before I crumbled beneath the pain of the heat. I reached the bathroom and started to close the door, but I was too slow. A hand stopped the swinging door and he swept into the bathroom. An arm reached for my waist as I turned away from him; it pulled me back to a hard chest. I forced myself to remember how to breathe, my teeth gritted together, as his nose pressed against the tender spot on my neck, where he placed an open-mouthed kiss. My knees gave out, but he held me up with one arm, the other hand sliding up the length of my body. I shivered as a trail of heat was left in the wake of the path of his hand. He tightened his hold on me. My hands covered his, a futile attempt to stop them.

My body screamed with anticipation but my mind cried with fear—a terrible, gnawing fear that the reality of my new life would come crashing down around me. I knew, I knew the moment I succumbed to the desire clawing through my body that everything would change; my life as I knew it would cease to exist. I would officially be a pack member; I would be mind-linked with everyone. I would be responsible for hundreds of people, human and werewolf alike. I would no longer be just Phoebe Carmichael.

I would be Alpha Female of Luna Nova.

That scared me shitless.

He claimed me—I had wanted him to claim me. I hadn't known him for an entire week and I was already giving in to him.

However, it took me a moment to realize that Alpha Alexander wasn't actually tearing my clothes off or dragging me backwards towards the bed. He wasn't shoving his hand down my pants or up my shirt. Instead, he was cradling me—his arm held me against him, our bodies fitting together like a perfect puzzle. His free hand rubbed my arm, comforting and gentle. It was only then that I realized I was shaking violently. His lips pressed against the mark again and a wave of peace washed over me, relaxing my body against his.

My voice came out in a soft whisper, "What's happening to me?"

His nose skimmed my jawline. "I claimed you."

A sharp shiver rattled through my body.

"You're in heat."

I closed my eyes tightly, straining to speak, "It h-hurts."

His arms tightened around me. "I know."

"Make it stop," I nearly cried.

"There's only one way to make it stop, Phoebe," he said cautiously.

I leaned against him. My voice lowered, barely audible to my own ears, "I'm scared."

"You do not need to be." I never heard him be this soft. His understanding, gentle tone made me boil with rage against myself for seeming so weak, but the fear crippled me. A wave a burning desire washed over me and I would have fallen to the floor if he hadn't been holding me. I cried out as the pain filled every crevice of my body, filling me with heat.

"Shhh," he soothed. "This will hurt, Phoebe."

I was about to scream that it already hurts, but a sharp pain came from the source of the heat at my neck—he bit me, again. Something cold ran through my blood, freezing the heat throughout my body. And for the third time in one goddamn day, I fell into the darkness.

———

Author's Note: Don't forget to vote and comment!

xo —Willow