"Now that breakfast time is over, please start setting your tents. Our first exercise starts in an hour." Thomas, Zach's third in command, announced to the pack members before him, and everyone excitedly scattered to work.

"So what was that about with Nick?" Katie asked Jessica with a rope in her hands. Jessica and Nick kept talking and laughing for the whole ride and Katie was dying to know what was going on in her best friend's head.

"He thinks he can make me fall for him enough to have sex in three months. He's delusional, so we bet on it." Jessica shook her head as she started spreading the tent she and Katie were going to share, yet her face was lit up with a grin.

"Well that's gonna be fun to watch." Katie giggled. Her best friend's love life was almost nonexistent, and Kat was as excited as Jess. Jessica was as beautiful as she was witty and Katie believed anyone would be damn lucky to win her heart. Seemed like Nick was up for the test and wanted to try. Best of luck, Katie thought.

****

"So Jessica, huh?" Zach cast Nick a smirk as they started on their tent. His best friend had always been wasting his time and energy here and there on a lot of women who meant nothing to him. It was time he found someone to tame him, Zach believed, and wished Jessica the best of luck.

"You know me; I never back from a challenge." Nick nodded, his head held high. True, he never did. And the way Jessica had called him like a siren waiting was a new type of torture he had yet to learn how to endure.

"Yeah, but it's not gonna be easy. If Jessica is anything like Kat then she's strong headed. She'll give you hell on earth." Zach chuckled at the interesting challenge his idiotic best friend shoved himself in.

"Well then you and I, my friend, will either burn by their fire or charm their guards down and win their hearts. We'll see." Nick winked at Zach who couldn't help but laugh. It was a challenge indeed, but one worth taking.

"Hey, Alpha." Megan's voice killed their laughter as she showed up behind Zach. He turned to look at her with a frown between his brows. No, he honestly didn't want to do this now. He knew she was harmless and he understood that she only wanted to apologize but he wasn't ready to let the pain and fury of his failure fade yet. But maybe he should, he thought. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"

Letting out a deep breath, Zach handed Nick the hammer before turning back to Megan. She walked into the woods for a minute, trying to get away from earshot, then faced him. "I know you won't forgive me no matter how many times I apologize. But I want you to understand that I could never be fully happy when I know I was the reason of your pain, Alpha."

Zach watched Megan's eyes water at her own words and he couldn't help but feel bad for her. Indeed she had betrayed him and left him for another man, but how many times had he wished he had done the same? How many times had he wanted to do the same, even before she'd found her mate?

"I wasn't strong enough to make the tough decision you did, and I am truly sorry for that." Wiping a tear off her cheek, Megan spoke the truth. "Because I now understand what you had lost for me and I'm really sorry that I can't fix it. I don't know what to do except tell you how sorry I am. I can't even feel happiness with Mike for a moment before it's laced with guilt towards you, Alpha. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough, and I'm sorry I was selfish with you after you've been nothing but loyal to me."

Breathing in deeply, Zach shook his head, thinking about Katie's words. She too had called him a loyal and decent lover. Maybe that was what had gotten him to where he was now, but he wasn't going to loathe himself for it anymore. Katie had personally told him not to dare. Zach decided that he no longer wanted to be angry at Megan. Anger wasn't going to fix what he had broken. It wasn't her fault, it was his. "Don't apologize for choosing your mate, Megan. I wish I had done the same."

****

Katie watched from afar as Megan pulled Zach further into the woods and couldn't stop the fist of jealousy that clenched onto her heart. Megan was now a mated female; Katie knew she had nothing to be jealous of, but the years Zach had spent with Megan were still fresh in Zach's memory, she was sure.

Frowning at her own line of thought, Katie shook her head. It was none of her business, she reminded herself. Zach was never hers to begin with so she had no right to feel jealous, not now and not ever. Turning around to face anywhere but Zach and Megan's direction, Katie made her way back to her friends.

****

"Alright, so now that everyone is done, we're going to split into two groups. The ones who are mated will go with Thomas for their exercise, and the ones who are not will stay here with me." Nick explained to the members and Katie fought with her eyes to remain anywhere but on Alpha Zach. They were definitely not mated, so the awkwardness she was feeling was unjustified.

After the couples had gone away, Nick started explaining further. "Alright, so we will split into two groups again. Group A will be the hunters, leaded by Alpha Zach. Each member of the group needs to use their senses and find at least one member of Group B. After spotting them, Group A should pin them down and once they are captured they should bring them back here."

Hide and seek for adults, Katie thought once again. Since Alpha Zach was a hunter Katie needed to make sure she was a huntress as well, because she knew he could easily catch her if she wasn't on his team, and she was not feeling like being hunted by him today.

"Group B is obviously required to run fast and hide well. Use your senses to evade and dodge the hunters as best as you can. The ones who are not captured after the two hours are up should come back here as well. Group B will be leaded by our most fierce Katie. Don't forget to keep it clean, everyone, no fighting allowed." Nick finished with a smirk and Katie's heart almost jumped out of her chest.

"I'd rather be on the Alpha's team, actually." Katie tried to level her voice as she spoke. Her eyes glanced at Zach to find him staring at Nick hard enough for her to understand that he did not put his best friend up to this. It was all the beta's doing.

"I believe you will do much better as an opponent. Please, humor me." Nick smiled sweetly at Katie and she wished her glare was strong enough to kill. "We'll start in five."

Zach admired how his best friend was trying to set the mood for him and Katie but the worry in her eyes told him she knew exactly how easily he could find her scent among a sea of people. Zach's wolf howled with excitement at the thought of playing with Kat's in the woods, as if no one else mattered. Zach and his wolf both enjoyed the hunt as much as they loved the prize.

"We'll give you sixty seconds as a head start. Should be more than enough." Alpha Zach announced to Group B, his eyes on Katie as she narrowed hers at him. He watched carefully as she turned into her gray wolf and sprinted ahead, bigger and faster than the rest of her group by far.

"I mean, you're welcome." Nick whispered to Zach with a chuckle before turning into a wolf as well. The rest of group A shifted into wolf form and waited for their alpha to go ahead first. Shifting himself, Zach felt lighter than he had in weeks, sniffing the air for Kat's scent and following her through the woods. He knew he wanted to catch only her and no one else.

Katie knew she had no chances against Zach, just as well as she knew that if the roles were reversed, she would have taken less than a minute to find him as well. His scent was one she could find anywhere, she knew, and as weird as that fact was, it still made her heart flutter.

However she believed she was fast enough to dodge him. Running away from Zach was kind of her area of expertise and she was going to do her damn best to run fast.

Zach's wolf kept running after Kat at full speed for what seemed like an hour, and everytime he would get close enough to touch, she would push herself and run even faster. Zach was truly in awe at how fast she could go. Had she been another wolf he would've caught her in less than a minute, but Kat wasn't anyone, no. She was his luna. She should've been his luna, Zach corrected himself. Pushing himself even faster, Zach decided to end this chase once and for all.

Katie's wolf felt Zach's scent hit her completely before she was gently tackled to the ground from behind. He had been close on her tail for an hour. No matter how fast she went, he easily matched her speed. Seemed like he got fed up with the chase.

Wiggling beneath him, Katie's wolf panted heavily, the long run having half that effect. The other half belonged to the rapid beating of her heart caused by his proximity. Katie couldn't help but admire how large his wolf was. He was so enormous that he could definitely bring fear by appearance alone. A true Alpha, she admired. Yet with her Zach was so gentle and tender as he sniffed her scent in pleasure.

Zach couldn't stop his wolf from breathing in Kat's scent in desperation. He was ecstatic to have her scent so close, as if his heart was finally able to rest. Yet when his eyes met hers beneath him his breathing stopped at all. There she was, right there with him, looking at him with those big beautiful eyes of hers, begging him to do something they didn't dare say aloud. At that exact moment, it was as if nothing had ever happened between them, and for the millionth time Zach wished they were mates so he could mark her then and there. He could feel his blood boil at the thought alone and his teeth sharpen. How desperately did he want to sink his teeth into the soft skin of her neck and have his scent on her for eternity right now, to show the whole world that he was the lucky bastard who didn't deserve her.

Katie watched Zach's crystal blue eyes turn dark with desire and her breath hitched in her throat. He had started a fire within her so deep that only he could douse. His eyes scanned her face and fixated on her neck as his tongue ran along his canine teeth, showing her exactly what was running through his mind. His wolf wanted to mark her, and hers almost begged for it. Oh how deeply she ached to feel his teeth grazing her skin, his tongue licking the spot where her neck and shoulder met. But Katie had to remind herself of their reality. Yet even though they were no longer mates, she knew she was starting to become addicted to him. He was her own personal drug, Katie decided, and he was now carelessly swimming through her veins, showing her exactly what feelings she had been missing all those years.

Yet when his wolf's face lowered to nuzzle her neck, Katie's let out a soft bark to stop him. She knew if she ever got a taste of what he had in store for her she would be a goner, because a single touch from him would destroy her. It would consume her.

Zach shoved himself from above Katie in an instant at her bark. No matter how much he wanted to be near her, and no matter how little control he had when it came to her, he would never touch her without her consent. And that bark was a 'stop,' he knew. Panting heavily, Zach's wolf made his way to the nearest tree and turned into human form, hoping that as a human he would have a better hold on his emotions.

Katie watched as Zach's wolf walked away with hurt in his eyes, but she had to stop him, even if her wolf didn't slightly agree. Matching his movements, Katie walked behind a tree and shifted before she hurriedly got dressed in the same shorts and T shirt he had on. Only they fit him perfectly, giving her an image of a fraction of the pleasure his body could give hers, while she looked utterly ridiculous. Blushing at the thought of his perfectly structured body on top of hers, Katie cleared her throat as Zack rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Should he apologize for how his wolf reacted or not speak of it, Zach wondered. Deciding on the latter, he took a deep breath and motioned with his hand for Katie to start the walk back to their tents. Inhaling deeply, Zach decided to break the ice. "So, did you honestly think I wouldn't be able to catch you, Kat? I can follow your scent all the way to hell and back, love."

Katie's heart skipped a beat as he called her 'love' again. A delicious shade of red painted her cheeks as she replied, "No, I knew you could easily catch my scent as I could yours, but I was hoping you weren't that fast. I clearly underestimated your speed, Alpha."

Her beautiful smile brought Zach back to life. Admitting she could easily find his scent, however, almost killed him with pleasure and approval both. They weren't mates, yet their scents were one thing they both knew like the back of their own hands. Maybe it was the Goddess's punishment to those who broke the bond. Their mate's scent would never leave them, continuously torturing them with guilt and regret, until they no longer could take it.

Zach seemed to be in deep thought next to Katie, and she wondered if he was thinking about his previous encounter with Megan.

His frown deepened and she couldn't help but worry about him as they walked side by side. "So I've seen you and Megan talking earlier." She started yet regretted the words as soon as they left her. It was none of her business, and she didn't want him to think she was prying. "She was crying and you looked really mad."

Katie wanted to show him that she was here to support him if he needed her, especially regarding this whole situation with Megan, because she, most of all, understood how messed up it was.

Zach's frown turned into a warm smile as he watched Kat bite on her bottom lip. Had she worried about him again? The possibility alone calmed down his aching heart. "She apologized for choosing her mate over me. She said she felt guilty for being happy with him." Zach watched Katie's expression soften and he absolutely loved how easy it was to talk to her about it.

"And what did you say?" Katie wondered if he had been too harsh on Megan. Yes, Katie understood that Megan broke his heart in a way even she couldn't imagine, but Megan still deserved to be happy. She too did what she thought was right, and she shouldn't be blamed for following her heart, even if it led her afar from Zach.

"I told her what you had told me before. Not to apologize for her choices. It was already done anyway." Zach shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but Katie could hear the hint of sadness in his voice as he spoke. She knew he had been trying his hardest to amend what had broken, but no matter the road they took, they still ended up hurt. "I told her that I wish I had chosen my mate when I had the chance. And that I have regretted not doing so everyday since."

Like a moth to a flame, Katie was helplessly drawn to Zach, even when she believed he was her damnation. And the way he kept shamelessly speaking his heart to her captivated her harder. Kat wanted nothing more than to drown in him. "You did?"

A lazy smile appeared on Zach's face as Kat's eyes widened at his words. God, was she the most beautiful female on the planet. There she was, standing only a few feet away looking like everything he knew he didn't deserve. Yet that didn't stop the need to have her even closer, not even a little. "I most certainly did."

Katie fought with her eyes not to stare at her handsome Alpha, but it was hard to do when he was smiling and looking at her as if she was the most precious thing on earth to him. Nodding her head in silence, Katie felt a blush warm her cheeks as his words kept ringing in her head in rythm with every loud beat of her heart.