He left me once more after asking me half a dozen times if I was feeling well enough to be alone. His eyes were wary, but less than a minute after he walked out of the bedroom, Julie walked in. She carefully watched me pull on a dry, loose sweatshirt and a pair of cotton sweatpants. She didn't ask me if I was okay; she didn't question me about why I didn't open the bathroom door. Instead, she gently grabbed my battered hands and looked me in the eye. "Kellan already called dibs on your bacon if you aren't up to eating just yet."

A short but pleasant laugh tore pass my lips. "I could eat my weight in breakfast right about now."

She smiled softly. Her eyes were red and puffy—signs she had been crying. I noticed that she wore the same outfit that I saw her wearing the night before—her shirt was slightly wrinkled, as though she had slept in it.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled after a moment.

It was a full minute of silence with our sad gazes locked on to one another before she finally spoke. "Don't scare me like that again," she said, her emotions pitching her voice as she spoke.

"I didn't—" I began but was cut off immediately.

"When I saw him . . . carrying you . . ." She broke off, her hand covering her mouth as her body trembled. She took a deep, shaky breath. "He shifted in the middle of the living room, you know. It took six of the stronger males to drag him outside. I don't think I've ever seen Seth that mad. He nearly had his head torn off along with Spencer and Kellan when Alpha Alexander kept trying to come back into the pack house. He kept screaming at the Alpha to let us help you." She wiped at her sniffling nose almost irritably. "Everyone was running around, you know, trying to be useful. Half the pack had to be used as, like, a human shield between the Alpha and the front porch. Thankfully, no one was hurt. I think Alpha Alexander understood the pack was trying to help but the idea of you hurt kind of drove him to tap into his primal instincts. The doctor finally let him back inside over an hour later."

She was babbling. She knew it and I knew it, but she was telling me what I wanted to know. All I remembered was the painful howl before I passed out on the living room couch. I was out for at least six hours, during which a lot of activity occurred, and I had missed all of it.

"He shifted to human form long enough to ask if you could be moved. The doctor said he needed to be careful, but that was all Alpha Alexander needed to hear. He picked you up and carried you here." She looked at the bed briefly before glancing at me. "Seth said when he came to report, Alpha Alexander was in wolf-form, sitting beside the bed, watching over you."

I listened to her silently, letting the information sink in slowly. Something tugged harshly on my heart and a wave of emotion crashed around me—a wave that nearly drowned me as Julie continued, "I was so scared, Phoebe." Her voice was barely over a whisper and her words pierced me. "I don't know what happened at the school, and Jason won't talk to anyone, but seeing you, bloody, on the couch—it terrified me. It frightened everyone. You finally joined our pack, he finally claimed you, and suddenly, you were nearly taken away from us. I told you—I . . . told you—how important you are to us. Please, for the sake of my own sanity and the survival of this pack, please don't ever put yourself in a situation like that again."

I could have argued. I could have snapped that I didn't willingly put myself in danger at the high school . . . but I would have been wrong. I was the one who asked Jason to drive me to the school. I knew Alpha Alexander had restricted me from leaving the compound, but because I asked, he let me leave. Because I was so headstrong and defiant, I walked right into the rogues' clutches, like a lamb foolishly wandering into the slaughterhouse. I had listened to Julie drill into my mind the importance of an Alpha's mate, but I still left the compound, even after being threatened by an unseen enemy at the mall. They told me how dangerous these rogues were, but I disregarded my own safety for the sake of a stupid class assignment. And now, hearing how Alpha Alexander reacted while the doctor patched me up—it all drove home what everyone was telling me from the beginning: I was the most important, the most fragile member of the pack, and I was purposefully exposing myself and putting myself in danger by defying orders meant to protect me. I still didn't like the idea of obeying everything Alpha Alexander said, but I also didn't like the pain in Julie's eyes, or the fear that gripped me when she said Alpha Alexander fought his own pack members to get back to me.

I pulled Julie into me, wrapping my shaking arms around her. She carefully placed her arms around my lower back, where she managed to avoid most of the cuts, and squeezed me gently. "I am sorry, Julie," I whispered into her hair. "I realize now what you've been trying to tell me. I promise not to willingly put myself into danger again."

I meant it, but I also had a sickening feeling I wouldn't be able to keep it.

She sighed and her body released a tension she clearly had been holding for a while. "Thank you." After a moment of silence, she grasped my shoulders and held me at arm's length. "Okay. Emotional rollercoaster has come to a stop. Please exit to your right and watch your step." She smiled and pulled me towards the door. "Come on. We need to get to your bacon before Kellan does."

I pulled her back before she got me out of the room. "I'll meet you down there. I have to pee first."

"I'll wait for you," she said quickly.

I smiled at her. "I'm fine, I promise."

She leaned against the door, crossing her arms and smiling right back at me.

I chuckled softly. "Okay. Give me a minute."

I walked over to the bathroom and started to close the door, but saw Julie noticeably stiffen, so I left it ajar and quickly did my business. I was carefully washing my injured hands when I finally glanced up at the mirror. I stumbled back a step, shock rocketing through my bloodstream as I stared at the stranger staring back at me. Her hair was long and brown, like mine; her eyes were wide and dark, also like mine, but the resemblance stopped there. Her face was pale and a small scratch stretched down the side of her face; her throat was bruised severely and the small patch of skin that was exposed just above the waistline of her sweatpants was also an ugly purple. I turned off the faucet and stared at my battered reflection. Twisting my head, I pulled down the collar of the sweatshirt to examine what I immediately recognized as a werewolf's mark. The bruise that had imprinted my skin hadn't taken a permanent shape, like the crescent moon on Julie's neck. I absently wondered what shape it would take and when it would finally appear.

Julie gently pushed the door open and found me staring at the mark in the mirror. She stood beside me, watching me watch my reflection. She voiced my thoughts, "It won't happen until you mate."

I shivered, but tried humor. "It looks like an ugly ink-blot test, like the ones we learned about in Psych 101 freshman year."

Julie chuckled, and asked in a voice that impersonated our old psychology teacher perfectly, "Well, what do you see, Phoebe Carmichael?"

I tilted my head further. "It . . . it kind of looks like a star."

Julie twisted her head. "Yeah. It does, huh?"

I pulled the hood over my head and tighten the draw strings. "I look pathetic," I sighed.

Julie bumped me with her hip. "Well, you are wearing a gray suit."

I looked down and groaned. My sweatpants were a lighter shade than the sweatshirt, but I was definitely dressed head-to-toe in gray, which definitely reflected my mood.

Julie laughed. "Come on. I'm starving."

We went down the stairs to find a surprisingly packed kitchen. I remembered that John had mentioned the school being closed for the day, but almost every teen wolf I had interacted with in the past few days was crowding the kitchen, talking amongst one another. I was immediately the center of attention as I stepped into the room. Kellan suddenly stood in front of me and moved to hug me but Julie shoved him back just as quickly. He frowned but then his expression turned into one of complete horror. "I almost forgot. I am so sorry, milady."

I smiled. "I may have gotten my ass kicked, but I can still kick yours at target practice."

His horrified expression quickly turned to a grin, even though it was uneasy and didn't reach his eyes, as though he was being careful about joking with me. "You got me on an off day, milady. Just say when."

I was surrounded by concerned, familiar faces. I was ashamed that I didn't know all their names, but I made a promise to quiz Julie until I knew everyone by heart. They showered me with careful attention, asking if I needed anything, telling me that some of their mothers were baking me desserts, which got Kellan all sorts of excited. He started taking note of which teen had a baking mother and made me promise to tell him when the goods were delivered.

The cook announced breakfast and once again, Kellan guided me to the front of the line. Instead of serving myself like everyone else, the cook handed me a plate herself. "For you, lovey," she said, her European accent seemingly out of place in the middle of house full of werewolves, but refreshing nonetheless. "Alpha's orders."

I took the hot plate and brought it to the table, followed quickly by Kellan and Julie, who both threw one of everything on their plates in order to be right on my heels. I sensed quality time spent by myself was going to be a distant memory. I looked down at the plate and realized why the cook handed it to me herself. There were double the portions and a small plastic baggie with several different colored pills inside. I glanced at others' plates and realized that the portions may have been triple the normal amount. I silently picked at my food while people talked around me. No one mentioned anything about last night and no one cheered at having an unexpected three-day weekend. The chatter was mostly gossip. I tuned into the closest conversation and attempted to contribute, which clearly excited the young girl who spoke above the others sitting near her.

"It's true!" she exclaimed. "I swear it on the moon, she totally tried to seduce him."

"For a midterm grade?" I shook my head. "She must have some balls to pull a stunt like that. How did you find out about it?"

The girl straightened and dove right into a long-winded story that could have been summed up in one sentence, but I listened and nodded when appropriate, just glad for some normality. As I pushed a pile of scrambled eggs around my still-full plate, the girl suddenly stopped talking. I glanced at her, but she was staring at her own empty plate. Kellan stood from the chair beside me and went into the kitchen, carrying his plate to the sink. Another presence took his vacant seat, sliding the chair closer to mine. His left arm rested on the back of my chair; his right hand plucked the baggie full of pills from the table. I could feel his eyes burning holes in my cheek, but I kept my focus on toying with the food on my plate.

"Phoebe."

My toes curled at the sound of his thundering voice. I slowly placed my fork on the table and took a deep breath before facing him. "Alpha Alexander."

"Walk with me." He stood, his free hand gathered my fork and plate of food before walking down the hall.

I waited almost half a minute before standing myself. I smiled at the young girl—I even managed to give her a playful wink. "We'll talk later."

She broke into a happy smile and nodded eagerly.

I stepped away from the dining table but stopped to turn and address the staring teens. I smiled. "Thanks, guys. Let's do a movie or something later."

All of them nodded, a few threw out suggestions, and then almost everyone started to debate which movie to watch. "Uh-uh, no. Not happening. We watched Star Wars last time!" Julie shouted over the others.

I chuckled and started after Alpha Alexander. As I turned a corner, I ran right into a wall of pure, muscled man. I immediately took a step back and glanced up at him. He stared at me, as though lost in a thought. "You mean that."

"What?" I said lamely.

"You meant it when you offered to watch a movie with the rest of the pups."

I frowned. "Why wouldn't I mean it?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, he turned and continued to walk toward his office. After motioning for me to sit on the couch, he set the plate of food down on the coffee table in front of me. "You need to eat."

"I'm full."

"Eat."

"If another piece of bacon or scrambled eggs enters my stomach, I might puke all over your Persian rug," I threatened casually.

He glared at me. "It's Indian, actually—Agra, if we're being specific."

I nearly choked on my own spit. "Are you trying to make a joke?"

He shook his head, irritated. "Why haven't you taken your medication?"

"I wasn't aware I had any."

He wordlessly tossed the baggie of pills into my lap.

I held it up. "This is the sketchiest medication I've ever seen. Where'd you get it, a drug dealer on fourth street?"

"The doctor prescribed them for you. One is for infection, two are for pain, and the others are for . . . other symptoms."

I raised a brow. "'Other symptoms?' Could you be anymore vague?"

He sat on the coffee table, his elbows on his knees, his hands an inch from brushing against my own knees. "Other mating symptoms, Phoebe."

"What . . . Oh." I understood. A trickle of heat flowed down my body from the source at my neck. "Uh, right. Other symptoms." I fingered the baggie. "I thought you biting me helped with that."

His body tightened slightly. "It can only work for so long and in your current condition . . . it would be dangerous for you to slip back into heat when you are near me. The pills will keep it at bay."

An image of Alpha Alexander tearing my clothes off came unexpectedly to the forefront of my thoughts. The image flared the heat a little more intensely and Alpha Alexander stood abruptly. "Take them now, Phoebe."

"You know, some manners wouldn't hurt," I mumbled, standing and walking toward the door of the office.

He stepped in front of me before I reached the door. "Where are you going?"

"I need water." I dangled the baggie in his face. "Doctor's orders."

He pointed back at the sofa. "Sit. I will grab a glass of water for you."

"Why don't you have Vance fetch it?" I huffed, but moved back to the sofa and sat down. The moment he left the room, I stood and wandered to his desk, picking up papers and stapled packets. I skimmed some of the papers, but the language in it, while it was English, was foreign to me, using terminology I didn't understand. I sat in his large desk chair and twirled in it twice before deciding to open the drawers and snoop some more. I glanced at the door before opening the top drawer, which held pens and post-it notes and paperclips. The next drawer was locked, as were the other two. I groaned. "No fun."

I pondered where he kept the keys, but my thoughts were interrupted when the door opened again. I straightened in the chair, trying to do my best Alpha Alexander impression, but I was startled to find an unfamiliar face enter the room. My neck hairs immediately stood on end and I realized this woman wasn't pack. Her presence disturbed the air and made me feel ill, with an unsettling feeling in my stomach. She looked like she walked off the cover of Vogue magazine. Her hair was dark, like a raven's feather, and her eyes were brilliantly blue, outlined with coal black eyeliner. She was wearing tight black jeans and an even tighter blue top that matched her eyes and emphasized her rather large breasts.

I stood from the chair slowly. "Who are you?"

The steadiness of my voice surprised me, and clearly, it surprised her as well. She stared at me curiously, a human dressed in baggy clothes standing behind an Alpha's desk.

"I could ask you the same question." Her voice was low and hinted at a faded accent. It wasn't harsh, but it most certainly was not friendly.

Before I could respond, Alpha Alexander barged into the room, unsurprised to find a random woman inside his office with me. In his hand was a glass of water, which he placed on the nearest flat surface. His eyes narrowed in on the woman, his body going rigid. "What are you doing here?" he asked her roughly.

At the sight of him, the woman relaxed and a smile plastered to her face. "It's good to see you, too, Gabriel."

I bristled at the sound of his first name passing her lips, a name I hadn't even said aloud yet, let alone heard anyone else say. I didn't speak—something in the back of my mind told me not to. For some reason, I instinctively knew that I didn't want her attention on me. I didn't even want to look at her, let alone be in the same room as her. She repelled me and I didn't even know her name.

"What are you doing here, Ava?" His voice was harsh. He glanced at me, something flickering in those dark irises that I couldn't decipher fast enough.

"Father sent me, for the conclave," she said cheerily.

"Which is scheduled for tomorrow." As they spoke, Alpha Alexander slowly stepped around Ava until he stood in front of the desk. I noticed how stiff his shoulders were and how he purposefully put my body behind his. Was this woman a threat?

"Well, I figured what harm would come with be a little early. Besides," she grinned, "I missed you."

Alarms blared in my mind. Definitely a threat, something inside of me hissed. Then, as she stared at him appreciatively, her eyes gazing down and then back up slowly, it all fell into place, like pieces of a sickening puzzle laid out before me.

"Some wolves do experiment with, or even date, other wolves. Both parties understand that they're not mates. If one of them finds their mate, the relationship ends automatically. Usually, everyone remains friends." That was Jason's reply when I had asked him about Alpha Alexander's previous relationships. He even said that Alpha Alexander had once dated a woman from another pack but that she hadn't been around for months. She was the daughter of a nearby Alpha—which would qualify her to attend what sounded like some formal meeting of pack leaders. An intense ball of fury grew inside of me. From the look of Ava's appreciative grin, she definitely didn't want to be just friends with my mate. My fists tightened and released as anger rolled over me. The dangerous emotion seemingly stretched out to slam against Alpha Alexander, who stiffened even more.

"Your room is how you left it. I assume you can find it on your own, Ava," he said, effectively dismissing her.

Ava glanced at me smugly before returning her grinning eyes to my mate. "I'll talk to you later, Gabriel," she said, an unspoken promise hanging in her words. She glided out of the room and softly closed the door behind her, leaving a trail of sickeningly sweet perfume that polluted the air.