Within the bleak, early hours of the morning, I found peace.

A peace that I was well aware would be over.

I wanted to think that in the grand scheme of things, I was coping quite well. Yet, I refused to look in the mirror for fear of what I would see. I had heard Alexander banging on the door, and quite frankly, I was surprised he hadn't just ripped the door off. Part of me was beginning to think that maybe, the weight on the other side of the door was Alexander, not some chair to keep me locked in since he'd finally realised what a nutjob I've become.

It seems I had more control over him that I thought.

I ran a hand over my face, I felt completely fine, though I knew that it was because of last time, this was the time I managed to get the injection. My body is expecting it, regardless of the fact that there was no way I could get it.

But it meant a break, it meant I could eat something, drink something without immediately throwing up.

It meant I could prepare for the next phase.

I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and slowly pulled myself up, feeling my muscles burn with every move I made. While I felt my stomach begin to sway, I was able to stand on my two feet without any problem at all.

I took a moment to lean my head against the door before pushing it open.

The first thing I realised was the smell. It smelled... clean. Not like vomit, sweat and blood but... clean. Hopefully, the bathroom would air out, or maybe the Alpha had learned his lesson and was preparing me a cell.

Thankfully, the bedroom as empty. Sheets were unruffled and half on the floor along with the closet door half open. I looked down at my clothes, they were disgusting, caked with things I didn't even want to say. But, there would be no point in ruining two outfits instead of one, so, reluctantly, I moved on, walking out the door and into the hallway.

I didn't know the house very well, in fact, I didn't know it at all. But it did seem to be completely empty.

I needed to find the kitchen, it was my one and only priority. So I headed down the main stairs and followed it to the last level of the house. Theoretically, if there was one level for each ranking, it would work similar to a boarding house of sorts, meaning that a room like a kitchen would be on the bottom.

And I was correct.

The kitchen, matching the aesthetic of the rest of the house was whites, greys and even a little bit of green. Marble countertops that seemed to span meters on top of an ivory tiled floor. Everything was tucked away into its own little spot, neatly organised and practically perfect.

I snorted as I opened up the fridge, a sandwich would probably be the best thing right now, along with some water, maybe even some meat if they had it. I grabbed everything one by one, essentially throwing it behind me onto the countertop.

"What are you doing?" A voice called out behind me.

I looked around, food items hanging in my arms.

It was the blonde one, Harmony? The human. Now that she was alone, it was easy to figure out her scent, completely and utterly human. She was wearing a pretty sundress, her hair let to tumble over her shoulders and large golden earrings that seemed to steal every inch of sunlight in the room.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I snapped, "I'm hungry, and I need food, so I'm cooking."

Harmony's eyes slid over to the table, "So I don't need to stop you from stealing our supplies and running away into the night?"

I looked out the window, the sun still high in the sky. "No, not just yet."

She seemed to let out a breath of relief, "Oh thank goodness. I'll be honest, no matter how many training sessions those bloody males make me do, I'm still as useless as when I first arrived." She came forward and pulled all the food out of my hands, gently placing it on the bench. "No offence, but you look like shit. Sit down, I'll make it for you."

I pushed forward, "No, I'm-"

"Nightstalker, I'm not saying it twice. Sit down on that bench and don't you move until I've finished feeding you." She threatened, holding the knife forward in my direction.

Begrudgingly, I moved onto the other side of the bench, collapsing into the seat as I rested my head on my hands.

"Any particular toppings?"

I shook my head, "Just as much as you can fit on it, I don't have too long and I really need to eat."

While I watched her raise her eyebrow, Harmony said nothing as she continued to work, buttering the bread and so forth. I picked up a cup from the side of the sink and hung it underneath the tap, filling it to the brim.

"You know, I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself. I'm sure you have much more important things to be doing." I muttered, slowly sipping the water.

Harmony paused, "I know, but I figured it would keep you sitting down for the moment. You see, we haven't really had the chance to chat and now that you're here, right in front of me, I don't want to waste the opportunity."

I gave her a look, and her cheeks flushed red.

"Well, see we've been waiting for you for quite a while. Not you the thief but you, Xander's mate. I mean, Vance and I have only been mated for two years, but the others have been waiting, even Myra, since Xander's sixteenth."

I leaned forward, "And how old is he now?"

Harmony started to slice the tomato, "He turned 26 last month. Now, I know I'm human, and I'm certainly not claiming to be all-knowing here, but apparently, the Luna and the Beta female are usually, well, best friends essentially-"

"I already have friends." I interrupted sharply.

"And there's a rule saying you can't have more?" She asked, barely even flinching from my words. "We're a family here, truly, but Farren and Myra certainly prefer their own company over mine. I would consider them my own sisters, and as a trio, we do actually hang out quite a bit, but I do sometimes feel like a third wheel." She laughed. "So can you really blame me for wanting to talk to you? Even if you look like you want to slit my throat so I'll stop talking?"

I leaned my head down in embarrassment, taking another sip, "I don't want to slit your throat. Besides, not really my way of murder."

Harmony, let out a breath. "Well, that's certainly a relief."

"So what are you doing here anyway? If you're such a close 'family' why are you here alone?" I interrogated.

Harmony placed the finished sandwich on a plate and pushed it towards me before coming around and taking a seat next to me. "As I said, I don't like training. Every morning, there is a mandatory training session for the whole pack from six to seven. On a Wednesday, everyone stays out till around twelve for extra stuff. Sparring, one-on-one with the Alpha and all that jazz. I was super committed at first, but I actually passed out mid-fight from exhaustion after like two weeks and Vance basically banned me from participating ever again. I certainly had no objections to that."

Goddess this woman could talk.

"And I'm guessing it's a Wednesday?" I looked up at the clock, showing off the time of 9:40.

Harmony winked, "That's right."

We were silent for a moment as I properly started to eat my lunch, wolfing it down as quickly as possible.

"Nightstalker, If you don't mind me asking, what was going on upstairs?"

I swallowed and considered my options. I needed to start gaining trust outside of this Alpha, and Harmony seemed just about perfect. A small, weak, innocent human who already seemed to trust me and would have easy sway over the others. And a small part of me, a part that I absolutely detested, wanted to tell her. To tell someone. That part of me was also telling me that we liked Harmony.

I would be willing to bet it was my wolf whispering those words into my head.

Seemed she was perfectly content for a Beta female as a best friend.

"Withdrawal," I ended up saying. "I'm going through withdrawal. Back in the hospital room, I injected myself with, basically, anxiety pills in a liquid form. I'm... prone to anxiety attacks and my doctor said the injection would be the best way to handle it." A little white lie never hurt anyone. "I suppose I've gotten quite reliant on it. I would be fine, but your little Alpha decided he couldn't trust me and destroyed them. I can't miss a day, so my body is weaning itself off them essentially."

Harmony placed her hands on the side of my face, "Oh you poor darling, I'm so, so sorry. I swear if Xander knew what the actually was he never would have done that. My older brother used to have the same issues when we were teens. Her eyes ran over my arms and legs which were covered in scratch marks, "I've never seen someone suffer so badly,"

"I've been using them for a really long time. And it's different for wolves, and because of my situation..."

"No, no, no, please you don't have to explain yourself. Is there anything I can do? Anything any of us could do? We could try and get you a new prescription, maybe even to the doctors-" She started to panic.

I placed my hand on her arm, "Please, it's fine. But there actually is something I need. See, the only reason I'm able to function right now is that a few years ago, I started the withdrawal process, but stopped at this exact moment, three days in. But it's a week-long process, so I still have a few more days. I've never gotten this far, so I have no idea what to expect, other than the fact that it will be bad."

"What do you need? Tell me and it's done," She promised with glistening eyes.

I bit back the smile that threatened to form on my face, "I need you to chain me up, and lock me in a cell."

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"Usually these cells are used for interrogation from the Alpha or Beta themselves, mainly before our generation. Xander doesn't like moving criminals around from cell to cell. Something about escaping times and the rest. But this should work perfectly."

We were walking down the underneath of the house, long corridors of stone and fire. Harmony pulled out a key and pushed open the door of the cell. It was perfect, and exactly what I needed.

As quickly as I could, I got into position, hanging out my hands and ankles ready for the cuffs. I could already feel the twitch forming in my neck. It was starting.

Harmony realised it too, clasping the iron chains around my wrists and ankles before tightening them, stringing my body out.

"That's it," Harmony breathed, "I think that's it."

I watched as she walked out, locking me in the cell.

"Promise you won't tell anyone," I panted, "What I've told you just now, no matter who asks or what situation ends up arising, you can't tell anyone. Please. And you can't come back down here, not for at least another three days."

Harmony nodded her head, "I promise Nightstalker. Not even Xander will know. It's your words and stories to tell. I won't say a word."

There was something about her. I know that my wolf had accepted her position as Luna and Xander's mate, even though I had refused to even acknowledge it. It was her that was telling me to trust Harmony, that our futures together would intertwine and that she would be just as close a friend as Ti or Cora.

Or maybe it was the delusion starting to settle in.

"If I tell you one more thing, promise you won't tell. I don't want them to know."

Harmony leaned against the bars, "Of course,"

"My name," I huffed, "Isn't Nightstalker. It's Cassandra, Cassandra Verano."

A beaming smile came over Harmony's face, her eyes shining and her face kind. "A pleasure to meet you, Cassandra Verano, I'm Harmony James."

And just like that, the familiar sick feeling settled back into my body, ripping my lingering connection to sanity into small, shredded pieces.

And just like that, Harmony James had disappeared.

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After a particularly gruelling training session, all I wanted was a nice cold shower and something to eat. As Vance, Farren, Myra and I trekked up into the house, our bodies dripping with sweat, we weren't greeted by Harmony on the verandah where she would usually be waiting.

Part of me was hoping that my mate had finally come out of the bathroom, finally allowing someone to help her.

I knew I would regret the custom made doors that were impossible to break, but I never really pictured myself in this situation.

All I could hear was her cries, constantly. Whatever she was going through was pulling her apart, and my entire body caved in on itself from the grief of being unable to do anything. A constant burning in my chest, that's all I could feel as I would lean my head against the bathroom door, pressing my hand against the bottom and tried to slide my thick fingers under the centimetre gap between the door and the floor.

I shook the thought away.

As we opened up the door, Harmony was standing in the middle. Her body shaking, accompanied by a wet and reddened face.

Vance stepped forward, "Harmony, what's wrong?"

She turned to face us, more specifically, facing me, "I'm so sorry Xander, I had to, I had to."

Vance went forward as Harmony started to collapse, crying her eyes out on the floor.

I bent down, "What do you mean, what happened?"

We all formed a sort of circle around her, Vance with his arms around her and Myra stroking her arm sympathetically in an effort to calm her down.

"She came down," Harmony sobbed, "She came down in the kitchen, we started talking..."

I felt my gut begin to twist, "My mate? Is she gone, has she run away?"

"That's what I first thought, she just wanted to eat something- She's going through withdrawal, that's why she's acting like this, her behaviour... I promised I wouldn't say anything, I swore that I would keep her reasons a secret."

"Harmony, please, where is my mate?" I begged, holding onto her shoulders.

"It's all she asked. She said not to go back down, that she still had another few days before it was over completely. I locked her in a cell down in the basement, it's all she asked for."

Vance picked Harmony up in his arms as she continued to sob hysterically, "She told me her name... she told me her name,"

I spared a glance to the others before heading down. I opened up the door to the basement, disabled the security and kept going, everyone trailing behind me. The moment that I turned into the corridor that would lead to the cell Harmony would have locked her in, I heard it.

The screaming. Shrill and clear, echoing through the room. I ran faster, pushing myself against the wall when I came in front of the cell.

She noticed me before I noticed her.

"Kill me," She whispered, "Kill me, kill me, kill me, KILL ME, KILL ME!"

Her entire body was bleeding, scratches lining every spare piece of skin with thick jagged nails that were caked with blood and grime, as if she had been clawing at the wall.

"I deserve it," She said, tugging against the chains, "I'm so awful, I'm so bad. I'm a murderer, you hear me? A MURDERER. I've killed, scammed stolen, please I deserve to die. I DESERVE TO DIE, KILL ME!"

I collapsed to my knees, starting to crawl towards her fractured body.

She came forward too, placing her hand on my cheek as she stared into my eyes. Last time, skin to skin contact helped, maybe this time-"

"You're my mate?" She asked tentatively as if I were a hallucination. I nodded, "I don't deserve a mate, you shouldn't be mine, I shouldn't be yours. No one deserves a mate like me, a killer."

She raised her other hand, "You're my mate, you would do anything for me,"

I nodded again, tears starting to silently fall down my cheeks.

"Kill me, you have to kill me mate." She started again, "You'll regret not killing me, I'll ruin your life like I ruined everyone else's, please, you have to kill me."

"No," I whispered, "I won't kill you, I'll never do anything of the sort,"

She started to howl as her body was dragged back against the wall of the chains, her head thrashing around in every different direction, her hair flying around wildly as she did so.

"My touch," I uttered, "It helped last time, back in the hospital, why isn't it helping now?"

"Xander, we need to go," Farren said, wrapping her arms around me as she tried to pull me back.

"Farren, she's my mate we can't leave her here, not like this,"

"We can, and we will. Nothing is going to help her right now, the only way to stop it is for her to get over it. It's withdrawal, that's all. But you can't stay here, none of us can. It's not safe."

"I can't leave her like this-" I said, reaching my arms out in her direction as Myra joined Farren, pulling me back with ease and ever so easily, out of the basement entirely.

No one said another word for the rest of the night.

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