Zach's breath caught in his throat as he looked at Kat's parents. He should've guessed that they might be here. "Alpha John. Luna Emily."

"Alpha Zach." Her father nodded yet his angry frown was perfectly intact. "What are you doing with my daughter?"

Before Zach could answer, Luna Emily grinned. "Don't tell me he's your mate!" She suddenly pulled Kat into a bone crushing hug. "How could you not tell me?"

Kat's loud and frantic heartbeats could be heard a mile away as her mother hugged the life out of her. Hey eyes moved to her father to see his frown fade yet when his gaze fixed on her neck it returned with full force. This was a disaster. She should've known her parents would be here attending the ball under the name of her old pack.

"Wait, why haven't you two mated yet?" Her mother asked the most important question before pulling Kat back and whispered, "and why are you walking with your neck looking like that if you both haven't mated?"

Kat groaned as she shook her head. She couldn't lie to her parents like the rest of the world, she knew. She needed to tell them the truth, but she couldn't do that now either. Not yet, and definitely not here. "It's really complicated and it's a very long story that I will tell you two all about in exactly two days. But for now, I just want you to meet Zach."

Zach's frown deepened at Kat's words. So she wanted to tell them the truth, then. Which meant that her parents would now know of his mistake too. Alpha John would have no respect for Zach when he learns that he had rejected his daughter. Her mother too would be heartbroken. Would they tell her to stay away from Zach, though? Would they somehow convince her to let him go and ruin all the progress he had finally made with her?

"Of course, honey." Her mother smiled before turning to Zach. "I remember you. You're Melissa's son, correct? I haven't seen you in ten years. You were so young. Do you know that when you were nine you used to pull Katie's hair until she cried every time your parents came to visit?"

Zach frowned at Luna Emily's words. No, he most definitely did not know nor remember ever meeting Kat before. The image, however, calmed down his heart.

"Did he now?" Kat shot Zach a playful glare. They were both too young to remember ever seeing one another, but it made sense since their parents were close friend back then, and it made Kat even happier.

"Oh, he did." Her mother nodded with so much excitement that Zach cringed. "It's been years since I've come to these type of events with your father, but now I feel like I've been missing out."

Kat smiled, glad that her smart mother changed the topic once she noticed her father's glare. "Yeah, I remember you always stayed back home. Where's Bee? I miss her so much."

"She's with your aunt, honey. She misses you too. We all do. But look at you." Luna Emily moved her eyes up and down her beautiful daughter with a smile. "It feels like I haven't see you in ages."

Kat's heart twisted with guilt at her mother's words. Ever since she found out Zach was her mate she had been avoiding her parents. She hadn't even visited them as she promised. "I'm sorry, Ma. My life has just been hectic lately."

"It's okay, honey. We understand." Casting her husband a glare, Luna emily raised her brows at him. "Don't we, John?"

With a deep sigh, Alpha John dropped the staring contest he seemed to have with Zach and moved to his daughter with open arms. "Come here. We've missed you, my darling."

Kat jumped in her father's embrace with joy. "I've missed you so much, dad."

"We do need to talk though. You have a lot of explaining to do." He whispered in her ear as he moved his hand up and down her back.

"I promise I will. Just give me a couple of days, okay? Be nice to him for me, please?" She batted her eyelashes at him, a trick that has never failed her, and just like that he grinned with soft eyes.

"You're evil." He laughed, knowing well enough that she knew he could never say no to her. Stretching out his hand for Zach he gave him a smile too. "It's good to see you again, son."

Zach blinked out of his nervous and worried state and took a step closer, meeting the Alpha's hand with a firm shake. "Thank you, Alpha."

"We were just heading to our room, but I'll expect to see you both at breakfast, alright?" Luna Emily nodded at Zach who gave her a smile.

"Of course. We'll see you tomorrow. Have a good night." Kat hugged both her parents again before stepping back into Zach's embarce. She could see how worried he was, how taken back, as he wrapped his hand around hers and led the way back to their room in silence.

"What a day." Kat shook her head with a deep sigh, throwing herself on the bed. She could still sense Zach's discomfort as she waited for him to talk to her.

"Yeah." He nodded in agreement, as tired as she was. They had an arguement about Lucy, had a fight with that fucker they called Peter, learnt that they couldn't heal if one of them ever hurt the other, and met with her parents. All in one disturbingly long day. Yet none of that mattered to Zach as much as the idea of her parents learning the truth.

"Talk to me." Kat gave him an inviting smile as she patted the spot next to her on the bed. "Something is bothering you, I can feel it." Literally, she truly could feel the knot in her stomach just as well as she could see his frown.

With a deep sigh, Zach sat down. "What are the chances of not telling your parents about the whole rejection thing?" He rubbed the back of his head hesitantly. He already knew her answer, already knew it was too much of him to ask her, but he was truly worried. Ever since he broke the bond with Kat he had been feeling a little worse every day, and days like this one made him believe that he would never be free of such burden.

Kat frowned sadly as she read every single emotion passing through his eyes. It was eating him alive, she could tell. Every day they would take a step closer to each other, have their hearts enjoy the calmness and freedom of their past, yet by the end of the day the reality would still make their hearts heavy. And she absolutely hated it. "Zach, we're in this together. You have got to stop taking the blame all by yourself. We made that choice, the both of us."

She watched him move his eyes down and she couldn't help but put both her hands on each side of his face and guide his eyes back to hers. He needed to let this go, just as she did. "Yes, you were the one to say the words, but I was the one who begged you to, remember? And I feel just as bad as you do, but we have to move on. I'm done feeling sorry for myself. After I woke up from the rogues attacks I promised that I wouldn't be stuck in the little broken rejected mate role any longer. I don't know what we're doing or where this thing between us is going, but I want time to figure it out. I want to heal and to trust you and to be happy again, and time will do that. But I can't spend that time sulking over a mistake we both can no longer change. I'd never heal if I didn't let that pain and regret go. And so should you."

Zach's eyes softened at her words. God, how he loved hearing that she wanted to make things work between them, that he still got a chance with her. He was as hurt as she was, he realized. But he had actually hurt himself and the hatred his heart was building against him was going to lead him to his doom. He had to let go, to forgive himself. If she was willing to try and forgive him then he should try too. "You're right."

"Come here." Kat pulled him closer, his head resting on her shoulder. "I'll deal with my parents just like you did with yours, okay? My dad is gonna be pissed but I can handle him, don't worry."

"No." Came his instant reply. "We'll deal with them together. I'm not a coward to hide from what I had done, Kat. I just don't want them to hate me, that's all." He nuzzled her neck and her heartbeats quickened in response.

"They won't hate you. I won't let them." She promised as she moved her hand up and down his broad and firm shoulder, her fingers massaging him softly. His muscles flexed beneath her touch and he couldn't help the deep groan that escaped his throat.

"God, that feels good." His voice was deep and rough and had an edge to it that made Kat's core clench and her breath uneven. The idea of the big bad Alpha Zach, whose wrath everyone wanted desperately to avoid, groaning in pleaure in her arms as she massaged his shoulder made her giggle aloud.

Pulling back to look at her, Zach smiled at how beautiful she looked. "What are you laughing about, love?"

Kat grinned at him, happy that he was no longer sad, and shrugged. "Nothing."

Zach's eye brows shot up and hovered above her, resting his weight on his forearms. "Tell me."

Her eyes moved on their own to his lips and she automatically bit down on her own. Yeah, she was officialy addicted to his kisses.

"And stop doing that, it drives me mad." He pleaded with a growl of need as one of his hands moved to caress her cheek.

"Don't." She breathed softly, holding tight to what little control she still had. "Don't kiss me, Zach."

He wanted to do so much more than that. "Why not?" His eyes moved across her face, her chest heaving up and down with her hard breathing catching his attention. The sight of her cleavage alone had him whining in painful need.

"I'm scared to lose control again. I don't want to hurt you." Kat was a single moment away from pulling his lips down on hers. Her lips were saying something but her heart was beating with a whole different rythm.

"Fuck that." Zach whispered before pulling her lips between his own in a passionate kiss that had her moaning. Moving her lips against his, Kat was lost once again in her favorite taste of rapture beneath him. His body pressed down on hers as his hand moved down to her waist to stop her from writhing. Just like her, he was afraid one more brush against his hardened length and he would lose all sense of contol and rip their clothes apart.

Kat felt his tongue inside her mouth and tried her hardest to manage her nails in place as she moved her hands down his strong chest. Feeling his packs through his shirt, she moaned again and he groaned with her, both lost in bliss.

Zach moved his hand to her thigh and smiled once he felt her shiver when his fingers made contact beneath her dress. Lifting the skirt of her dress up, he trailed the tips of his fingers to the side of her thigh and moved them closer to her heated core.

"Oh, Zach." She moaned aloud against his soft lips when she felt his fingers brush against her underwear, her cheeks warming with another delicious blush.

Zach growled when he felt her wetness through the thin material. "Tell me to stop, Kat. Tell me to stop." He begged with the last ounce of control left in him.

"Don't." She moved her hands to each side of his face and pulled him down to meet his lips again. Zach pushed the thin material of her underwear to the side before his fingers made contact with her warm folds and she moaned again.

Feeling her wetness with his bare fingers made his hardened length ache inside his pants with throbbing need. God, he wanted to have, to consume her, to pleasure her like he knew he could. But again, he reminded himself that this needed to work with her pace, not his.

Kat could no longer control her moans when Zach pressed down on her clit and circled her entrance with another finger. Squirming beneath him, she cried in pleasure when she felt him insert a single digit inside her slippery core.

"Fuck, baby, you're loud." Her moans were music to his ears, his wolf fighting against him again to sink his fangs inside her neck.

Kat moved her hand to her mouth, a weak attempt to control her loud moans but when he added another finger inside her she knew she was too high on pleasure to care.

"Don't. I wanna hear you." His voice was so deep and so full of pleasure that she couldn't help but clench around his fingers, sucking them deeper inside her. He could feel how close she was, could hear how fast her heart was beating, and could smell how soaking she was getting by the second. "Come for me, Kat. Let go."

Hearing her name leave his lips so seductively was her undoing. Her hands moved to the sheets pulling at them as if they were the only anchor stopping her from sinking into oblivion as the knot of pleasure within her shattered into a million heavenly pieces with his fingers pumping in and out of her.

"Oh, god." She blinked her eyes open, trying to catch her breath and looked at Zach who carefuly removed his fingers. Without warning, she saw him bring his fingers to his mouth and suck them clean, his eyes closing as he savored her taste and she could tell that her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest. That was so hot that she knew if she hadn't just climaxed a few seconds ago she would've jumped on Zach already.

"Just like imagined." Zach smiled at Kat whose cheeks were red with satisfaction and a blush. He moved his hand to fix her skirt back in place but his eyes suddenly widened when they stopped at the sheets. "Damn."

With a frown, Kat followed his gaze to see her claws once again were fully out, piercing through the rich sheets and maybe even the matress beneath. "Oh, no." Blinking, she willed her human nails back in place.

"That good?" Zach joked with a chuckle, trying to ease the worry he knew was starting to creep up both their hearts. He, however, was happy that he had finally contained his fangs.

"This is a disaster." Kat whined as she moved her hands to cover her mouth and sat up straight.

Zach frowned at her comment, sitting up as well and blinked at her. Disaster was not the word he would use after what just happened.

Reading his thoughts Kat shook her head with a shy smile. "Not that, no. I mean this." She pointed at the torn sheets. "I can't control it, Zach. Why can't I control it? I've never lost control before today."

It seemed like the closer Zach and Kat became, the less control they both had over their wolves, their needs, and their instincts. Which would've been probably fine if it hadn't been for the new discovery they learnt today. Losing control was the last thing they both could afford now, not when it could actually become dangerous.

"Hey, come here." Zach pulled her to his chest and planted a reassuring kiss on her forehead. "It'll be fine, I promise. I didn't let my fangs out this time. We'll learn to control it, until we figure out why this is even happening. Don't worry, baby." For what seemed like the hundredth time today he calmed her down and pulled the torn sheets above them.

Sinking into his embrace, Kat wondered if she should ask her mother if this had ever happened to her, yet she immediately cringed at the thought. When it came to pleasure, the last woman she'd talk to was her mother. The thought alone almost had her throwing up.

Maybe she should ask Caroline, Kat wondered. A friendship was starting to form between them but Kat wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not. Not because she was embarrassed, but because she needed to know who she could trust before letting anyone know a secret as heavy as this one. If their enemies ever heard that Kat could actually hurt Alpha Zach and leave him to heal almost as slow as a human, they would use her against him. And Kat would rather sink her claws into her own heart before ever drawing a single drop of blood from Zach again. She could, however, ask Caroline about the claws and losing control over them without sharing any further details.

"You seriously have to quit worrying so much." Zach sighed as he shook his head. "Was it good or not, Kat? Did you enjoy it?"

"Of course I did. It was amazing." She felt a blush run its way to her cheeks again as she nodded. It was even better than she ever could dream.

"That's all that matters." He wrapped his arm around her waist and sunk deeper into the bed. "Now let's go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."

Kat gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek before nuzzling his neck, and decided to let go of her worries for the night.