"Do you think it will do us any favor?" I asked Daniel as we made our way to old looking single story house standing in front of us.

"Deserves a shot," he shrugged. I knew what was going inside his brain and I didn't want to talk to him at that moment.

Daniel rang the bell a couple of times before the door was opened to reveal a middle aged lady with strikingly blue eyes. Those were the bluest I've ever seen. She had a round face, slightly wrinkled with age. Her black hairs were turning grey and she didn't bother to dye them. She was wearing a loose kimono.

"Hey Doris, I'm Daniel, Alpha of this pack." Daniel introduced himself. I rolled my eyes.

"I know Alpha. Please come in." She smiled politely at her Alpha. Her eyes fell on me and she gave me a questioning look. Daniel extended his hand for me to enter and I did. He followed behind me.

We walked to her living room and seated on comfortable leather couch. Doris brought us a glass of water as I observed the room. It was small but comfortable. There was nothing spacious. A carpet was covering floor. Small coffee table was in front of couch. There was a loveseat at the left side and a beanbag to right. Walls were decorated with paintings.

"My mate likes to paint." Doris told me while my eyes were fixed on a beautiful painting on opposite wall. It was breathtaking. There was a beautiful woman with blood red hairs and green eyes with a smile on her face. She was hidden behind a veil. A wolf was etched to her right bottom and forest above her hairs.

"He must be really amazing," I complemented smiling at her. My eyes roamed back to the painting once again.

"Oh-he is. The best one." She smiled.

"Where's Miles?" Daniel asked her. Miles is her mate, the person we are looking for.

"He is in his study. He hardly comes out of that place." She said with a sad tone.

A mate who pays no attention to you. I feel bad for her because I know how bad it hurts to know the person you love with every cell doesn't love you that much. Miles may love her, but not giving her his time is strangling her hopes, her heart.

"Can we meet him?" Daniel asked expectantly.

Doris shifted uncomfortably at her place.

So he didn't like to meet anyone.

"I don't know. He doesn't like to meet anyone." She said in a small voice. She didn't want to anger her alpha when he had appeared on her doorstep for the first time. Daniel was going to become impatient, I knew that. "But I will ask him." She said.

I nodded my head to her along with Daniel. She disappeared in the hallway.

"Now I think this is not going to work." Daniel groaned leaning back and rubbed his hand on his face.

"It will work Daniel," I pulled his hands off his face.

Roles are reversed.

He looked at me intently as his hands were still in my hands. Our faces were not very close but close enough to feel his faint breath on my face.

His eyes shifted to my lips and I knew where this was going. When I was about to detach my hands from his, he wrapped his huge hands around my wrist and pulled me towards him. The unexpected move drew a gasp from my lips and he wasted no time to lean forward and press his lips against mine.

I knew this was going to happen but still my eyes remained open. My body relaxed as his soft lips grazed mine but didn't help to give any sense of elation or satisfaction. It was a simple kiss and I was not going to dwell on it knowing he will go to Shea at the end of day- and I mean night not the eventually. 'Eventually' I won't let him stay with her.

With lack of my response, Daniel coaxed me to kiss him back. His one hand entered the maze of my hairs while others wrapped around my waist. I pulled away slightly because I knew he won't release me easily.

"Your mate won't be happy when she finds out you were cheating on her." I said in a breathless mocking tone. His forehead was pressed against me as he tried to get over the phase of bliss of kiss.

"You're my mate," he panted, his hand massaging my scalp. I'm not going to lie, it felt good. It relieved me of the headache I was suffering since Dave's disappearance.

"You didn't say that a year ago." I pulled away from him and he let me go. He knew he was wrong and he was regretting it, like really regretting it.

After our kiss, his mind becomes most vulnerable. He now realizes that fake mate bond is nothing as compared to true mate bond.

I ran my fingers through my hairs to fix them. If Doris had walked on us, it would have been extremely awkward.

We sat there in silence for few more seconds, Daniel's brain a home of hectic thoughts. Footsteps approached us and I saw Doris coming in our direction.

"What did he say?" I asked. Daniel seemed to recover from whatever daze he was in and looked at her curiously.

"He wants to see you." She told me. I was surprised. I hope he is not a pervert. But why does he want to meet me. Did he say something like I want to meet the girl or did he take my name?

"What?!" Daniel burst from my side and I knew he was going to protest. To shut his mouth, my mind came to easiest spot. I don't have to explain everything to him now, do I? He is not even mated to me. He even rejected me. He has no say in my life.

"It's not like he is asking to see Shea. Calm down Alpha." My tone was not as playful as my mind was after saying this. Daniel stared at me, similar regret washed over his face and he lowered his head. "I can take care of myself." I mumbled and asked Doris to lead me to Miles.

Daniel was sulking as I walked away from him, his eyes burning holes at back of my head but I cared the least for him. Right now I'm thinking about Dave. I will find out where he is even if it takes seducing a pervert.

I'm capable of protecting myself so there's going to be no problem for me. If that jerk crosses his limits, I have to get information by hook or by crook. But for now I expect primary treatment to work.

As I walked into the room, I cringed.

If the person sitting on the desk was Miles then he was definitely a pedophile. His hairs were completely grey and there was a noticeable stoop at his back, His face was more wrinkled and blue eyes were dull.

"Are you-?"

"Miles? Yeas, I am." He said with a smile.

Seriously, this man was my grandfather's age. Not that I've ever seen my grandfather but seriously, how old was he? Hundred and eleven?

"You wanted to see me?" I said unsurely frowning at him.

"Yes Sera," he nodded his head and guided me to take the chair opposite to him. The pace was filled with books and a number of books. It smelled of books, old books. I won't be surprised if I see bookworms or moths hairs because this place is very untidy. Several books sprawled on floor. Those on table are in a mess.

I cocked my head to side urging him to continue.

"You're here with your mate." He said in a weak voice.

How did he know?

But I kept my face neutral not voicing my thoughts. But seriously, how did he know?

That was just a hunch. A voice in my head told me. Doris must have told him that there are two people and he might have thought that Daniel was my mate because it was kind of expected. Mates usually accompany each other everywhere.

"No, I'm not with my mate." I told him monotonously.

He smiled at me, a genuine smile. "You are Sera. Daniel is your mate. Even though your mating bond is not the strongest one."

I narrowed my eyes at him not uttering a single word.

How the heck does he know that?

He broke our eye contact and shuffled in his drawers before producing a slim notebook and blue ball point pen. I watched curiously at he opened the last page of notebook and started cribbing something. I frowned at his strange behavior.

Does he remember I'm still here? I'm sitting in front of him. He can raise his head and look at me to remind himself in case he has short term memory.

Miles was a strange being. There was something about him that irked me. I just couldn't-

"Let me explain it to you." His voice broke me out of my thoughts. I blinked once and leaned forward to where he was pointing at his notebook. He hadn't written anything but drew lines. One line was a single line mark from tip of pen while the other one was thickened by repeatedly stroking the line.

"What is this?" He questioned raising an eyebrow. If he was going to teach me how to play with these lines then I was definitely not interested. But I knew it was not just that. Something inside me told that he was going to tell me something that might have great importance.

"This line," he pointed the thin line, "is your mating bond with Daniel." He said as if telling a child about new thing. "And this," he pointed at the other thick line, "is the usual werewolf bond, a strong one."

My gaze fixed on those two marks. I don't want to believe his words but when I look at my past, his words sound true. Dave can't even stay a day away from Manny. I've witnessed other werewolves who are so happy with their mates while my bond with Daniel is so weak.

"Why is out bond so weak?" I wondered loudly. It was not only a conclusion from those lines but observation from my life. We share a bond, I agree with that. But it is really weak.

"I was also thinking about that. It has to do something with your blood. Your antecedents-"

"I don't want to talk about it now. I'm not here for this purpose." I interrupted him. I don't want him to raise finger on my blood. I know the reason. I know why our bond is not strong. I have a feeling that he doesn't know it yet. It's better that way. He shouldn't know. No one for the matter should know.

He narrowed his eyes at me.

"What are you here for?" I asked cocking his head to side.

"You were kidnapped by rogues?" I asked folding my arms.

"Yes, but I escaped."

"How?" I questioned him.

"I have this insight. I can see through werewolves. I can know about their strength and weakness. It helps me in battle. But you can see I'm not fit anymore."

"How can you do that?" It's not every day you find wolves like that. I've been told that some werewolves have special powers. Maybe he also has this special power.

"I don't really know. I was able to get away unharmed from rogues." He told me.

"My brother is kidnapped by rogues and I want to save him. Can you tell me where did they keep you?"

As soon as those words left my mouth, the door burst open to reveal a fuming Alpha.

Talk about possessive mate.

*** ****