When the door to Moretti’s office closed heavy silence fell upon them. Matteo looked at Gabi with compassion shining in his eyes, but when the bodyguard and Luca send him questioning stares, he only shook his head as if he was saying “I’ll tell you everything later.”

After a few minutes Gabi’s gaze finally concentrated and with a swift move she wiped away the remains of few tears that managed to escape her.

After a brief battle with herself she decided he won’t break her. She won’t let him do it.

She straightened her pose and looked Matteo dead in the eyes with new found willpower when giving him her phone. It was his fault that now she was trapped in here and she really wanted revenge, but at the moment she was at no point to even wish for one.

“So how long are you going to stand here? Lead me to my prison.” Her voice was loud and clear, although at the last word it had shaken a little. Matteo could possibly laugh in her face for trying to play so hard because Dante didn’t seem to care a bit for her, but seeing how she desperately tried to stay on the surface he chose not to. In the end you don’t kick somebody when they’re down.

Without another word he led her down the hallway, at the same time urging Luca to stay by the doors. God knew when their Alpha would want something to be done immediately.

When they were passing by the elevator, her eyes looked in its direction longingly, but she didn’t do anything as Matteo watched her closely.

“If I was you I wouldn’t try to enter the elevator. Only someone with a badge like mine, Luca’s or Alpha Dante’s can open it. If someone catches you there, you’ll have a lot of trouble with your mate.” He took a little liking to this small woman, that despite being gentle and fearful had some fire in her, and so he felt obliged to explain the situation to her and save her from inevitable trouble.

“Hmph, as if you would even let me get close to it” she snorted, but Matteo saw how her face fell even more.

Now they were still on the same floor of the building, but the corridor around them changed a little, possibly to separate the two spaces – office one and a household one. The lighting became softer, almost inviting and pots of flowers and small trees started to appear on both sides of the corridor. Gabi looked at it with astonishment in eyes, as the corridor soon turned into a big jungle with only a small pass between flora, making it almost hard to believe that they were in central London and not in the Amazon forest.

“Alpha Dante is really fond of nature. I guess it’s the only thing that calms him, as beyond this point no one can enter besides Fernanda for cleaning.” He said stopping at simple white door. He pushed a few buttons on the intercom (of course making sure that she didn’t see anything he typed) and the door automatically opened a little, letting her feel a gust of cool air from the inside. She assumed the AC was turned on. Matteo opened them some more but didn’t look inside as if he would break the taboo by doing so. He gestured her to go inside.

“This apartment is a penthouse. Your room in on the first floor, the last door on the right. Soon Fernanda will come and bring dinner for you. If you need anything just ask her and she will tell me what you need. Don’t try to escape, please.”

Her lips became a thin line when she looked at the door. It really was a prison, and a prison for a lifetime at that. Once more she felt tears in her eyes forming, but she didn’t let them fall. Then one thing hit her.

“When did he tell you where my room is? He knew you were going to find me today?”

“No, he told me about the room by the mind link.” Matteo said like he was stating the obvious and she looked at him with a blank expression. He frowned confused.

“You don’t know what that is? You said you were in a pack?”

“I was when I was four. I didn’t get any training or anything like that and my parents didn’t like the subject.” She stated, now confused too. Matteo nodded his head like he finally understood.

“Mind link can be obtained by higher rank werewolves in packs. It’s mainly a link between the strongest ones, so Alpha, Beta and some Deltas. And of course, Luna, Alpha’s mate.” She cringed a little at the last remark. “It allows us to communicate between ourselves by mainly sending images, short messages or our emotions. It keeps the pack safer that way because we can communicate with each other without words.” Unsteady silence fell between them, as Gabi still felt uneasiness and sadness about the remark and Matteo stared at her uncomfortably.

“I think sooner or later you will know what I talk about” he ended his lecture awkwardly, and Gabi once again without any warning shot him a piercing glare.

“I doubt it.” She said harshly and without another word walked through the door, not bothering to look at him or say “Goodbye”.

He sighed a little irritated and made his way back through the jungle to his leader’s office. He started to think they deserved each other. Both of them were incredibly stubborn even if in so many different ways.

The sight before Gabi wasn’t something she expected after meeting with her devil mate. As Matteo said the flat was a penthouse, with ceiling of almost ten meters high. She couldn’t help but marvel at the luxurious interior, starting from the small but open hall she was now standing in, to marvelous open kitchen with big island straight ahead with (of course) black marble kitchen tops and white cabinets, that smoothly transitioned into small dining part consisting only of mid-size dark wooden table with four chairs, to enormous living room with dark grey sofa and two big armchairs of the same color. On the right side of the room, just as the wall ended and ginormous glass walls began, was a big fireplace with a bit of chopped wood on the side. Above it there was hanging a big TV. As the wall with the fireplace ended there was another spacious corridor to the other part of the penthouse she couldn’t see from her place in the entrance. On the far left there was an open staircase leading to an open balcony with a row of five doors. But the thing that enamored her the most weren’t the luxurious furniture or big windows on one side of the apartment, creating a glass wall from kitchen to a fireplace in the living room; it was the plants. They were everywhere, taking almost all of the space between the furniture, creating a small forest in the city center.

She inhaled the air deeply and for a second forgot about all of her problems and why she was here. She sensed all types of plants, from exotic ones to those present in British forests. She sensed spruce, and almost immediately thought of Dante. He probably soaked in the scent after living in here. In the next second though she shook her head wildly. For the first time she thought about him without any negative emotions and she felt it was not okay. He didn’t deserve it. At least for now… whispered a little part of her, but she ignored it.

With cautious steps Gabi went further into the apartment, warily observing everything around, as if something was to jump on her in any given moment. With longing she looked in the direction of kitchen but didn’t divert from her shortest route to the staircase. She was starving, her last meal was before work, but she didn’t feel safe enough to go check out the fridge. Besides, God knows what she even can do here and what not. That devil was surely nuts so she couldn’t be sure of anything.

Remembering what Matteo told her she slowly made her way up the stairs and made her way down the balcony to the last door on the right. When passing the third door she felt a pang in her heart when her nose sniffed out the scent of her mate. It probably was his bedroom. Without another thought she almost ran to the last door and opened them cautiously.

She presumed upon seeing the rest of the house that the room won’t disappoint her, but it also wasn’t something she expected from the place. The whole room was finished with white, beige and pastel pink colors. On the floor right beside the big continental king size bed was a big fluffy and shaggy carpet, and Gabi with contentment ran her fingers through its soft fabrics. Everywhere she looked there were various cushions and fluffy pillows, making the interior seem cozy and almost safe. Beside the big glass window taking up the whole wall on the right of the bed was a massive armchair facing the view of the city. She carefully curled her whole body in its soft fabric and mewled with satisfaction. It was perfect and she wished she had one of these in her own home. At that thought her smile faded. If she ever gets back home, she promised to herself earlier to forget everything she will go through in here, even the highlights.

The rest of the tour was quick now when she was back from her cloud nine upon seeing the room. With a quick glance she checked out two pair of doors that were also in the room. One was leading to a fully furnished bathroom with a bathtub, the other to a walk-in closet that right now was empty. It looked to her like a suite in a guest house. She sniffed her nose – she wasn’t a guest but a prisoner. She also took notice of the big TV screen hanging on the wall opposite of the bed. Good, she won’t die of boredom. Because even if the whole apartment charmed her, she didn’t plan on using it. She planned on staying in this room as long as it was needed so she doesn’t have to interact with Dante.

With a quiet sigh Gabi plopped on the bed, feeling like it sucked her in inviting to sleep, but it wasn’t on her mind right now. She thought about poor Liz left alone in her own apartment. She must have felt scared as hell about her, but what else she could have done in that situation? Leaving her there was the best option. Gabi didn’t want this pack to know about her existence. It was safer for both of them. She wished she had her phone, that way she could at least contact her best friend and tell her she’s alive. She sighed once more. The only thing you can do right now Liz is have faith in me… she thought gloomily, suddenly feeling even more the loneliness around her. She felt goosebumps rising on her skin from the chilly aura in the penthouse and decided to crawl under the fluffy blanket sprawled neatly on the bed. It smelled of roses and something else that was calming her nerves, but she really didn’t have the mind right now to ponder on it.

The last thought that crossed her mind before she fell into a shallow slumber was that she was glad she told Liz to cover her absence at work for at least a month if she doesn’t get out of here until Monday. She wasn’t giving up on her life just yet.

She didn’t know how much time have passed since she fell asleep, but what stirred her awake was a commotion downstairs. She felt how her body tensed and eyes opened widely, ready to attack and run in case of a danger, but nothing really happened. After 10 minutes the steps outside stopped and a characteristic click of the door could be heard. Gabi stayed in her position for another 5 minutes until she was certain for sure that no one was in the apartment with her. Carefully poking her head out of the door she scanned the surroundings. Everything was the same beside the kitchen counter; she could see some plates with food and a package with a note attached to it.

Gabi made her way in its direction still careful as ever, not knowing the route through the jungle to the kitchen yet. Her stomach grumbled loudly upon seeing a still hot steak with mashed potatoes, some side salad and a cake for dessert, but the package and the note got her curious. Stuffing her cheeks quickly with the food, afraid that Dante might soon be back for dinner too because it was already dark outside, with her other hand she reached for the note.

“Don’t worry and eat in peace. Alpha Dante has tonight some urgent matters to attend to and he won’t be back until late. I gave Fernanda a package with some essentials for you. Sorry if they don’t match, I’ve had little time and don’t know your exact size. Tomorrow I’ll come by for the key to your apartment and I’ll bring you everything you need so make sure to prepare me a list. Matteo”

Feeling now confident that no one will disrupt her, Gabi started cursing despite her mouth full of food. She cursed at Dante, Matteo, Luca and even poor Fernanda who was not to blame for anything. A trickle of tears fell down her cheeks and her shoulders slumped.

They literally took everything from her. How was she going to fight this? If she gives them the keys, they can make a copy and enter her home anytime. She doubted even a change of lock would have helped then. Her stomach churned and she felt she can’t have any more bite or else she will vomit. With regret in her eyes she picked the package and went upstairs not finishing her meal. She didn’t budge to clean up.

In the box she found toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush and some shampoo along with shower gel. Matteo also got her some spare panties (a little bit too loose but she decided they would do) and long sleeved pajama that also was too big. Still she was glad she didn’t have to sleep in her underwear or even worse, naked. The AC was still on making the air unpleasantly chilly, but she didn’t see anywhere the thermostat regulating it.

Trying not to think about all of it too much anymore she picked necessary things and decided to take a long bath. She spent in the water at least two hours before her shaken mind calmed a little bit down and various thoughts stopped storming her mind. Feeling her muscles relax a bit she stepped out and let her wet hair dry naturally even if it meant her pajamas would get damp in the process.

She still was clueless as to what to do next, but one thing was obvious to her; there was no point in fighting them right now. That’s why with a heavy sigh she rummaged through drawers in her new room and found a notepad and a pen with intent on writing a list for Matteo.

Gabi put the ready list on the nightstand, planning on giving it to the Beta when he comes for the keys tomorrow. She decided to go to sleep as there was nothing else she could do, besides she felt drained of her whole energy.

Before she went to bed though she decided to check if the door had any locks in them. Fortunately for her, the lock was there. With satisfaction she closed it and after a moment of thought she decided to rearrange the bed so she could feel more comfortable and safer.

Since her last heat something deep within her changed and from now on the only comfortable position for her to sleep was when she was surrounded by a stack of every possible pillow and blanket, she could find. They all had to be neatly arranged on the bed, making one big nest she could slip into.

It took her about fifteen minutes before she was fully satisfied with the outcome. Gabi snuggled into the covers, feeling wearier than ever. With every inch of her body covered and a pleasant warmth spreading through her body she didn’t have much problems with falling asleep.

Somewhere through the night she thought she woke up seeing a pair of red eyes glistening in the moonlight, but when she finally stirred awake it was already morning and as expected she was all alone in the room.

With her whole body tensed she listened for about ten minutes if anyone was home. Hearing and sensing no one she slowly got out of bed. After a moment of consideration, she decided to change back into yesterday’s clothes. She preferred to look worn out than like a defenseless animal in too big pajamas. She slowly went down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Her heart started to drum wildly upon seeing two sets of plates on the kitchen counter, but seeing one of them was already empty she calmed down a little bit. To be sure she touched the half empty coffee mug and sensing it was almost cold she relaxed even more. It seemed he already ate and went out. Good for her. With longing in her eyes Gabi looked at the plate full of scrambled eggs, toasts and load of bacon, but feeling her stomach churning she opted to just eat one toast with orange juice.

She was starving, but the whole situation was bringing her so much stress her stomach couldn’t take more. She felt nausea taking over her and with difficulty she swallowed the last piece of the toast. She quickly gulped the orange juice and decided to lay down once again. The part of her restored energy was quickly gone and her eyes were closing by themselves. She decided to leave the list for Matteo on the counter. She suspected Fernanda will be here later to clean up, as the plates from yesterday where nowhere to be found, and so she can give the list to him along with her keys she left beside the note.

With that being done, with heavy steps she went back to sleep.

When she woke up the next time it was already past noon. Poking out her head out of the door she noticed a few familiar suitcases near the entrance. She opened one of them briefly and finding inside the things she wrote down for Matteo, puffing and huffing she hauled them upstairs to her room. Not in the mood to take care of them she left all of them in the wardrobe and fell asleep once again.

The same pattern repeated for the next few days – she woke up pretty much only to eat a little piece of anything Fernanda left on the kitchen counter and she immediately returned to her room, at one point even giving up on changing from her pajamas. She would watch TV for half an hour or so and fall into slumber once again. It seemed like her body, despite what she declared to herself, decided to give up on life. Even her wolf was silent, still devastated at their mates’ lack of interest. She just couldn’t make it work – everything tired her and depression crept upon her as she still didn’t figure out what to do next.

On the night of the fifth day of her stay at Moretti’s place she suddenly woke up when the door to her room banged loudly on the wall. She curled up in a ball even more under her covers when she saw his furious red eyes shining in the night. She cursed in her mind. Did she forget to turn the lock that evening?

He growled loudly and after scanning the room briefly he quickly made his way to the bed. Without hesitation he tore all of the blankets from her earning a high-pitched scream in return. Gabi felt paralyzed in fear at what he might do next. Dante scanned her body from head to toe with his furious gaze and involuntarily she felt her cheeks heating up. She was wearing her old too big T-shirt and boxers. Not in any way sexy, but she still felt like a piece of meat on the counter at the butchers.

He growled once again shifting his eyes to hers.

“Why you don’t eat.” She stared at him for a few seconds not knowing what he was talking about and only snapping out of it when another low growl could be heard.

“But I do eat.”

“You don’t! Fernanda told me you barely touch anything she prepares for you!” he snapped as his eyes still shone like fire in the dark room.

“I’m not hungry.”

“I order you to eat.” He growled out and at that point she felt like something snapped in her. She sat up and shot him a fiery gaze.

“You won’t tell me what to do! If I want to starve to death I will!” she almost screamed at him, letting out all the pent-up tension she felt. “You’re not my master nor my owner and I can do anything I want, even die!”

Without a warning his hands fell on her shoulders and she squeaked in pain, feeling how he pinned her to the bed, hovering right above her with his powerful glare. The fire in his eyes died a little, but he still looked really dangerous. At the same time, she felt his marvelous scent and sparks went down her spine to her lower abdomen. She cursed at herself feeling how heat pooled down there.

Here I’m fighting for life and all my body can think of is sex… how pathetic, she thought.

“You want to die?” he asked darkly and she hesitated for a second too long, but it was too late now.

“If my life has to look like that with you ordering me around then yes, I want to die.” She replied quietly, but loud enough for him to hear it. His eyes narrowed and without another word he lifted himself up. She didn’t have time to breathe out the air she didn’t realize she was holding in, when he once more brought his hands on her body and harshly hoisted her up in the air. A loud shriek came out of her mouth as Dante with one swift movement put her on his shoulder as if she didn’t weight anything.

Gabi grunted trying to catch her breath as the man went out of her bedroom and walked down the stairs. At first, she was too shocked to even say a word, overwhelmed by his scent and strong muscles she felt on his arm when he moved. She also couldn’t resist and looked at his perfectly shaped ass, not that she had any other choice because of his handling. He still had his jeans on, so he must have come home not long ago. But the moment she heard the click of the closing door, the sound she came to know so well for the past few days, she broke down in cold sweat.

Was he really going to make her wish come true? Was he going to kill her?

That was what pulled her out of her haze. Panic took over her body as she tried to free herself from his grip, shouting and even sending in his direction a few curses as she struggled with his steel muscles. Finally he seemed to have enough of her trying to escape, and an irritated hiss left his mouth. In the next second his hand landed on her ass with a loud smack, and a shocked yelp came from Gabi.

“Be quiet” he ordered her, not feeling or just ignoring her clenched fists pushing into his back. The rest of the way was quiet. She saw another pair of stairs under them and only pushed her fists harder into his back, but still it didn’t faze him. She gritted her teeth, now purely angry. She felt humiliated by his scolding act, as if she was a small child. To top it off, new set of sparks appeared in her body after his hand touched her butt and it felt so wrong to her right now.

Dante opened some door and she felt a gust of fresh wind tousling her hair. Forgetting about the world for a moment she lost herself in the crisp but fresh feeling of night air on her bare legs and arms. She snapped out of it feeling like Alpha came to a stop and put her down. Instantly she pulled away from him another five steps or so, watching him warily all the time.

His eyes became dark brown again, but his frown was still there.

“A-Alpha Dante?” a surprised voice called out and Gabi turned to see Luca. Only now did she also realize that he took her up to the roof and she once more felt fear struck her.

Dante didn’t even look in his direction, his eyes were still on Gabi as if she was his prey.

“Get out of here, now. Stand down and guard.” Were the only things he said, and Luca obediently lowered his head, although his eyes diverted for a second to Gabriella with a tint on worry in them.

When the door closed behind him, Dante changed his stance and started to take down his shirt. Gabi stared at him in pure shock.

“Strip and shift.” He growled in her direction and she stepped back once more, not knowing what he was up to. Seeing his toned muscles and tanned, perfect skin she felt another blush creeping on her cheeks and so she tried to look the other way.

“What for?” her voice seemed now weak against the wind. A hint of red showed once again in his dark orbs.

“You want to die, right?” he snarled throwing his shirt on the ground and her heart almost stopped at that. “Then I give you a choice. Fight me and win your freedom or die. Do as you wish” he ended with irony, unbuckling his pants. She felt tears starting to prickle in her eyes as she panicked.

“Wait, but now?!”

“And why not, the sooner the better.” He shot her a piercing glare and a snarl escaped his lips. She saw how his fangs started to lengthen; his shift was slowly starting.

“I-I haven’t done it in ages! Shift I mean! And I didn’t fight ever!” she stuttered, trying to hide behind something, anything. But the roof was barren besides some ventilators from the cooling system.

“Better late than never.” Was his only response as a loud cracking noise could be heard and Gabi closed her eyes in panic. When she opened them once more a gigantic black wolf stood before her with his dark gaze still piercing into her.

“Shift or I’ll begin now.” She heard in her head and winced at the sudden intrusion. He barked and growled as if to prove his point and took two steps in her direction. She stopped him with his hand.

“Okay, I’ll shift now, just wait a minute.” She said with trembling voice. She hid behind one of the ventilators, even if it didn’t cover her whole, and stripped of her clothes. Her hands were shaking so bad she had problems with stepping out of her boxers. At that moment she remembered what Liz once told her, and she felt like it was years ago “…I may be a werewolf, but I’m a freaking domestic werewolf living in a city, and so when I can’t see a thing, I just switch on the lights!”

She never felt anything more than this at that moment. Liz was right. They were domestic werewolves; they didn’t know how to fight or just simply be a werewolf. Hell, the last time she shifted was almost four years ago! It was probably one of the reasons why her wolf became so quiet through that time.

Finally, naked she curled up in a ball and with difficulty she made her bones break. She winced in pain but didn’t muster a word. After few seconds that for her felt like eternity she opened her eyes once more and everything felt sharper and lighter. She looked down and saw familiar grey paws.

Let the games begin… she thought stepping out from behind the ventilator.

In the next second though she had to duck and fell painfully on her side, yipping in pain.

“You took too long” he growled in her mind getting closer, and she felt anger and adrenaline shoot through her body. She mindlessly growled back at him, and she felt how her wolf was slipping away from her. It was kept in for so long that now when it was free it just wanted to go berserk, mate or not.

This might be my chance.

She made her stance and let her wolf fight for her.

Gabi didn’t know how long they were fighting. She felt stinging pain in her leg and abdomen, but was in such a craze it didn’t bother her. Dante on the other hand had only few scratches on his body, but it was still satisfying for her. He was an Alpha and she was a mere Gamma, but she didn’t give in.

Even when he pinned her down to the ground with her belly up and growled loudly at her with his eyes shimmering with red, she didn’t stop barking at him and snapping her teeth, wanting to bite into his throat.

“Shift back” she heard in her mind but instead she started to yank even more, still growling at him. His snout came close to her throat and a more demanding growl came out from him.

“Shift back now” he repeated angry with his Alpha voice. She didn’t have a choice. She became limp for a second under him and feeling his pressure, not diverting her green orbs from his dark ones she shifted back. When now cold wind hit her, goosebumps rose on her skin.

Upon seeing she obliged, he also slowly shifted back, not turning his eyes away for a second. The adrenaline rush in her veins have made her momentarily immune to his glares.

“I won.” He stated. When no response came from her, he continued. “Do you still want to die?”

Gabi looked at him in silence. Truth to be said, she had never felt more alive than during this fight. But she still didn’t understand him and his course of actions.

“You won, so you can kill me now. That was the deal.” She said breathlessly, and he snapped at her with anger in his voice.

“I asked you a question.”

“I don’t understand what…” her voice was cut out when with swift movement he pinned both of her hands to the ground with one of his and with the other one he grabbed her chin, kissing her aggressively. She stared at him with wide eyes but soon fell into his touch. He was rough and quick when his lips crashed on hers, but she felt like her heart was about to burst open and her wolf was howling in joy. His lips were hot and swollen from their fight as wolves, and he tasted like blood – her blood to be exact, but at that moment she didn’t want anything else. She opened her mouth slightly as to let his tongue meet hers, but suddenly he tore away from her.

His eyes once again were almost crimson red and he was panting, but his ever-present frown was still there. With his tousled black hair and a smudge of blood on his cheek he looked like a devil. A sexy devil.

“You blabber too much. I asked you a question. I won’t repeat myself again.” He said with low hoarse voice.

“No.” she answered quietly also with her voice hoarse, staring at him with hazed eyes. It was all happening too fast for her to comprehend.

“Will you eat?” she blinked a few times, not knowing where the question suddenly came from.

“Y-yes.” She stuttered a little, not knowing what he was up to. His eyes finally left hers and travelled down to her body. Suddenly she was very aware of the fact that they both were naked.

He quickly stood up and went to get his clothes. She stared at him in shock.

“Do I also have to dress you up?” he sneered as if nothing happened and she couldn’t help but hiss under her breath at him. He shot her a glare but she didn’t see it as she was already behind the ventilator dressing herself up quickly. Her leg and stomach still were bleeding a little but she quickly scanned them and decided the wounds weren’t that deep. Until morning they would be all gone thanks to werewolves quick healing abilities.

When she came out she realized she was all alone. She scoffed.

“Did that jerk left me here?” without any second thoughts she voiced out and panicked for a second, but when only silence replied she calmed down a little.

When another cold blow of wind hit her she trembled from cold. Fuck this. Just as she reached the door someone opened it from the other side.

“Hey Gabi” Luca poked his head out and seeing that she was well and alive smiled at her. “I thought he was going to kill you” he said cheerfully as if it was a normal thing to say.

“Yeah, me too” she grumbled squeezing through him inside.

“I’ll take you back” he stated and they both started going down the stairs.

“Soo… what happened?” he started after a moment of silence. She closed her eyes wishing he would just shut up. How can she tell him something she didn’t even knew herself?

“We fought.” Was her only answer and he looked at her in shock. “Don’t ask any more questions.” She told him seeing how his mouth started to open. “Just take me to bed.” She sighed, feeling how every part of her body started to hurt.

When Luca opened the door to the penthouse for her she didn’t even thank him or even look at him she was that tired. Not caring if Dante was home or not, she just trudged through the living room and up to her room and fell on the bed, instantly falling asleep.