Kat had to get some fresh air, and she had to think. This was not good. What happened in Zach's past was his alone; she kept telling herself that. Yet the mere idea of him letting Megan go for a mistake she did twisted Kat's heart in fear. What if she ever made a mistake, would he truly just sleep with another woman out of spite? What about right now? He was surely as pissed as she was. Would he run to Lucy again just to punish Kat as he did Megan? No, Zach deserved a little more trust than that. But Kat was already afraid and learning about this now only added to her fear.

Walking to the garden, Kat noticed how it was filled with people talking and laughing and enjoying their time. So instead of heading toward them, Kat just decided to head for the bar inside, to have some time and silence.

She needed to calm down her heart and think clearly. Technically, she knew that Zach hadn't done anything wrong. He was considered a single man when he slept with Lucy. But she meant nothing to him, and he still had feelings for Megan when he did that, so Kat was still confused. But she still needed to be fair. If she was officially in a relationship with him, and suddenly found out that he had kissed another woman, she would leave his ass too. She could never tolerate or ignore a mistake this huge either. Yet she wouldn't just go and sleep with another man, just to prove a point.

Sipping on her second glass of champagne, she sighed. She wasn't going to hold his past against him because that would be unfair. Communication was her best answer. She needed to calmly talk to him and tell him that if this was ever going to work between them he needed to understand that she too was a jealous woman and that under absolutely no circumstances was it allowed for him to touch another female. Even if they were going through a rough patch like they have almost always been. It was a deal breaker for Kat. And if Zach promised her to do so, she was going to trust him. She'd keep a close eye on Lucy, however, for the rest of their stay.

Feeling lighter than before as she finally set her mind straight, Kat got up to head back to Zach, only she was stopped by a male who stood exactly behind her. Meeting his pitch black irises, Kat frowned.

****

Zach has been anxiously pacing his room for the last hour. He honestly still didn't get what Kat was mad at him about. He hadn't done anything wrong from his perspective. Megan had kissed another man, and they had broken up. It's not like Zach went out looking for Lucy to sleep with her and hurt Megan in the process. It was at least two months after they had ended things and when Lucy kept inviting him to her room he didn't see a reason to say no. He was still pissed and he wanted to forget his sorrows. And honestly, Lucy seemed like an easy escape. God, that sounded bad.

He understood, however, that Kat needed reassurance. He knew she still didn't fully trust him, and that it must have scared her that he slept with Lucy even that she meant absolutely nothing to him. She needed to understand that he believed it was a mistake as soon as the morning hit him, and that he wouldn't come near her again. Or anyone else for that matter.

He knew what he wanted now, and that was a beautiful, strong willed blonde who knew how to keep him in check. He knew he would rather cut off his arm before it touched another female. Or other body parts for that matter as well. Taking a deep breath, Zach left the room to go look for Kat and assure her that he would rather die than ever hurt her.

****

"Can you move, please?" Kat blinked at the tall man who stood in her way. The bar was empty except for a couple in the far end, so she saw absolutely no reason for him to stand this close.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Eyeing her up and down like a piece of candy, the stranger gave her a wicked smirk that caused a disgusting shiver to run down her spine as he tucked a blond strand or hair that fell loose from his bun behind his ear.

"Thank you, but no." Sending him a small polite smile, Kat stepped to the side to move past him, only he stepped in her way again.

Licking his lips slowly, he moved his eyes up and down her body, taking a second longer to appreciate the fair skin of her cleavage that the dress showed. "I just want to know you. Let me introduce myself over a drink."

Kat felt naked under his hungry gaze, and the disgusted knot in her stomach grew tighter. What a pervert. "Thank you, but I'm not interested. Please, excuse me." Stepping to her left, Kat tried once more to escape him but he stopped her again.

"Oh, don't be like that. I just don't want you to sit alone." His smirk widened, his gaze once again sweeping up and down her body, stopping at her thighs this time.

"I'm not alone and I won't ask you again to step aside." Kat felt her temper rise. It was so not the right time for some persistent douche to hit on her as she had already been pissed.

"I don't smell a male's scent on you, and I don't see a bite." But he could clearly see the hickeys on her neck, Kat was sure. And surprisingly that seemed to somehow encourage him more, because his eyes flashed with desire.

"Take my word for it then." Kat bit out. What kind of an asshole needed to see a male's bite on a female to leave her alone?

Feeling her anger intensify, Kat pushed her shoulder against his and walked past him. At the corner of her eye she noticed how the couple had stopped their conversation and paid their attention to her and the stranger who decided to grab her arm.

Turning her around, he pulled her close enough to smell her scent and looked her in the eyes. He knew beauty when he saw it, and before him was a damn beautiful woman, whom he couldn't wait to taste. And the fact that she was defying him, refusing him, challenging him, had only made him ache for her all the more. "Have a drink with me. I won't take no for an answer."

****

Zach kept walking around the garden, looking for Kat around the people present, trying to avoid anyone from spotting him since they would want to chat, but he still couldn't find her. Deciding to use her scent, Zach sniffed the air and walked back inside, anxious to have her in his arms again.

****

"No." Kat's voice was low, final and affirmative as she looked him in the eyes. She wasn't going to let anyone intimidate her, and definitely not one who needed to be shown his place. "And yes, you'll take it for an answer, because it's the only answer you'll get. Now let me go before I make a scene."

Oh, he could fall for her easily. His heart pounded in his chest at the fire he saw in her eyes, his pants tightening as her lips bit out a word after the other and he imagined what those lips would feel like wrapped around him. Pulling her even closer, his eyes met hers again. "God, I love a good challenge. Let me take you to my room and I promise you I'll have you begging me for more."

****

Zach could feel Kat's anger and he groaned. He could tell she was furious, even though he hoped the time she had spent alone would have calmed her down. If not, he was going to calm her down himself, and assure her once again of his good intentions with her. He promised her before that when they disagreed on something or had an arguement he would stick around and talk it out with her. And that was his plan.

****

Kat was now seething. Trying to wiggle her arm free of his hold again, she raised her voice a notch. "Are you deaf? I said no. I'd rather burn alive than have you touch me. Now let me go." Kat hated how powerful his grip on her was, but she was still stronger. Using more of her strength, Kat pulled her arm with enough force to lose him, yet it now formed a bruise.

Oh, he was in love already, he believed. Not once had he ever met a woman so strong headed, so powerful, so beautiful. She was standing tall, her head high, every bone in her body defying him, and he couldn't stop the aching need he had to break her. He was going to make her submit to him and he was going to love every second of it, he decided. Taking her by surprise, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to his chest, his lips smashing on hers in a brutal kiss.

Kat's eyes widened as she tried to push him away, mumbling against his bruising lips. The more she struggled against him, the tighter he locked her between his arms. Letting her claws shape over her nails, Kat buried them deep into his chest, the same moment she bit down on the tongue he decided to shove between her lips.

"Fuck!" With a curse he let her go and moved a hand to his bleeding mouth. This was getting even better for him. She was feisty and fierce and everything he had ever wanted.

Kat wanted to sanitize her mouth as she spit on the ground. "Are you insane?! How dare you?" Letting her anger take over, she took a step closer to him and slapped him right across his cheek. His head snapped to the side as the sound of her slap echoed through the empty bar, half of his face now red. "Touch me again and I'll kill you."

He could tell her threat wasn't an empty one, as the wounds of her claws on his chest had only started to heal. Yes, she was the one for him, he was now sure of it. "Fuck, I want you." Grabbing a hold of both her arms, he pulled them behind her back with his left hand, before pulling her face to his with his right.

Kat struggled against his grip again as panic started to creep its way to her senses. She could even taste his blood in her mouth and she wanted to throw up. He was a lunatic, and he was stronger than what she usually dealt with. She was afraid he might actually be stronger than she could handle. The more she tried to free herself, the stronger his grip became, and the more frightened she got. Unlike Zach's, this stranger's kisses were bitter and bruising. His embrace was cold and dark and terrifying to Kat.

She was still struggling against him with no luck when suddenly a deafeningly loud roar changed the panic she felt into great terror. Zach. Kat knew it was him, and as much as she was glad he came to her rescue she was also afraid Zach might actually kill him.

Pulling Kat away from the man who was kissing her against her will, Zach pushed her behind him before punching him in the face with so much anger that he heard bones break. The psychopath stumbled back a few steps and Zach took that opportunity to let his eyes scan Kat. The sight of blood smeared on her lips broke what little control he had left.

With another loud growl Zach took two strides and hammered him with punches, each one stronger than the last.

"Zach, wait!" Kat rushed to Zach's side and held his arm before he caused anymore damage. Even though that asshole deserved every punch, if Zach didn't stop he would surely kill him and they did not want to deal with that right now. Zach roared at Kat to stay back but she only tugged at his arm harder. Pulling his arm from her hold, Zach gave another couple of punches.

"Stop it! He'll die." Kat yelled as people started gathering around, and the couple who had watched the whole thing were now explaining what happened from the beginning, but Kat didn't pay them any attention. The only thing she cared about was calming Zach down. He was so angry that she could feel her own heart twist in pain. She felt like it was one of her life's missions to calm him down, like she was the only one who actually could, and her heart warmed at the thought. Pulling at his arm again, she didn't stop until he took a couple of steps back, breathing rappidly. "Zach, please calm down."

Zach moved his eyes from the bleeding mess that was currently on the floor and scanned her face again. His eyes softened at how shaken she seemed. He wiped the blood from her lips with his thumb, his knuckles freshly bruised with the force of his punches. "Tell me you're okay before I fucking kill him, Kat."

"I'm okay, baby, just calm down." Throwing her arms around him, Kat took a deep calming breath, and just like that she felt like the safest woman on the planet again. Zach's arms were her home and after she was forced to see what it was like in someone else's arms even for a few seconds, she couldn't help but appreciate Zach and the safety she felt with him all the greater. Yes, Zach was a brooding Alpha that everyone seemed to fear and avoid, but with her he was kind and gentle and soft, and he was hers.

Zach inhaled Kat's scent as he pressed his nose to her hair, his body still shaking with anger. The image of a male restraining Kat's arms and kissing her forcefully was too fresh in his mind, and when Kat rubbed his back soothingly he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him as close as he could. "You're mine, Kat."

Kat's core clenched in need at his words. "I am." Assuring them both, she repeated sweetly as she hugged him tighter.

"Watch out!" A loud voice suddenly yelled and before Kat could turn toward its source she was shoved to the side by Zach, a second before he was pushed to the ground and punched.

Zach growled as he saw blood oozing everywhere from his puncher's face, and held his arms before he could land another. Using his strength, Zach tossed him away, pushing him off.

Kat steadied herself on the ground as she saw their opponent land on his feet and head for Zach again with an angry roar, the same moment Zach was still getting up and she decided that she was fed up.

"Enough of this shit!" Kat muttered as she felt her anger take over. Rushing to Zach, she stood in front of him as the pervert threw a punch, only Kat held his fist with her palm before it made contact with her mate. Letting out a growl of her own, she looked him dead in his pitch blank angry eyes and channeled all her strength into her clenched fist before she punched him square in the face, hard enough for him to drop unconscious on the floor.

Zach's eyes widened as he stood up and blinked at Kat who turned to him with a deep frown. He wondered how she managed to still look breathtakingly beautiful after just knocking out someone.

"Ow!" She whined, shaking her hand in the air and flexing her sore fingers. That hurt more than she imagined it would, but it was definitely worth it.

"Did you just punch him for me?" Zach moved his gaze to the body on the ground then back to her and blinked once again. Rubbing her knuckles onto her white dress, Kat took a deep breath and moved her hair from her face in annoyance, her cheeks pink with the heat of the moment. Dear God. "That was fucking hot, baby."

Kat grinned as she stepped closer to him and lifted her palm to caress his red jaw. "No one gets to punch you in your handsome face except me."

She was something else indeed. Wrapping his arms around her, Zach pulled her in his embrace, with a growl of pleasure this time. She was safe again in his arms.

"What the hell is going on here?!" A middle aged man with black and gray hair moved his way across the crowd and when he saw Alpha Zach his eyes widened at the scene.