I ripped myself out of his grip, a vicious growl rumbling from deep within my throat. "Don't fucking touch me." Without looking back at him, I stormed in Ares's direction. Some people looked over, whispering, but I didn't care. Who did that man think he was, calling me a whore in front of everyone? Who did Ares think he was--bringing me home as a trophy when he obviously had a romance with a pretty blonde already?

Was I arm candy? Was I another one of his whores? Was that all?

My wolf whimpered. That's all we would be, especially when he found out that--

Shut up. I was tired of letting my shifting abilities control my fucking life. Whether I could shift or not, that didn't mean that I was going to spend the rest of my life at the hands of a dominant man who had an insatiable thirst for power. He would never find out that I had the stone because I would never tell him.

The only people who knew about it were me, Alpha Elijah--the man who rescued me from the Hound attack, and his doctor--the man who completed the procedure of placing the stone in my spine.

Hell, at that time, I didn't even know if I would live... but now that life was certain, I wasn't about to spend it like this. In the arms of a man who had no respect for me. In the sea of a thousand blood-hungry warrior wolves. Inside of pack borders that would turn out more like a prison cell than a pack.

Ares gazed over at me, that fucking smile falling from his face. He dropped that bitch's hand and walked toward me. "Kitten, what's wro--"

I slammed my finger into his chest, seething. "Don't 'Kitten' me. I need to talk to you." I stormed right past him--not daring to look at his side-piece who had the most innocent fucking expression on her face.

Pushing past people, I continued deeper into the lush green forest. Not stopping. Not when he called my name. Not when he asked what had happened. Not when he growled as viciously as he did that morning he snatched me from my pack, when he was holding Tony by his throat and calling for me to come out of hiding.

When we were out of ear-shot from the rest of the pack, when the forest began to get foggy like the day Jeremy was killed, I stopped and glared at him. He walked toward me, eyes a fiery gold. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"What do I think I'm doing?" I stepped closer to him, canines emerging under my lips. "What the fuck are you doing? Taking me as a fucking trophy, bringing me to a fucking party, leaving me alone so you can be with another woman?" I said through clenched teeth.

My wolf begged me to release her so we could run through the forest, away from him, away from here. But she and I both knew that I couldn't do that.

He pressed his lips together, jaw twitching. His huge arms were crossed over his chest, making his biceps bulge more than I wanted them to bulge. "What are you talking about?"

"Your warriors, Ares."

"Stop calling me that," he said, growling under his breath.

"That's who you are." I stepped closer until I was inches from him and glared up into his god-like eyes. "Alpha Ares. A god of war. An expert at deceiving others, even your own mate. A--"

He grabbed my jaw harshly in his hands, harsher than he had ever grabbed it. His eyes became a dark, murky gold. "I am all those things, Aurora. I have deceived others for control. I have slaughtered entire packs for power. I have taken whores as trophies." He pushed me against the nearest tree, holding me in place with just his fucking hand.

I slammed my hands into his chest, but he didn't move. Not an inch.

"But have I done any of those things to you?" he asked with such fury.

"Take your hands off of me, Ares."

He growled, an untamed divine vibe radiating from it. "I do what I want with what's mine."

The mere sentence made me clench, yet my anger didn't disappear. I clenched my fist and grabbed his jaw in my other hand. Two could play at this fucking game.

"I guess that's why you let that whore kiss you, isn't it? Is she another one of your trophies too?" I asked.

He shoved me against the tree, harder, and shook his head. "What whore are you talking about?"

"The blonde. Charlotte. Who knows if you have more of them."

His eyes faded back to their normal deep brown color. That expression of wild fury turning into a soft smile, light eyes, and a laugh that I would've thought was breathtaking if it was at any moment other than this. He released my chin and chuckled.

I pressed my lips together. "You're psychotic." I shook my head and stared at him. Why the hell was he laughing? What was so funny about this? He surely wasn't laughing when Tony was coming onto me. Why was he laughing when she came onto him? "Crazy just like the rumors."

He placed his hands on his hips, chuckles slowing, and stepped closer to me. Head tilted to the side. "Kitten," he said, the nickname rolling off of his lips. He cracked a smirk. "Charlotte, that blonde that I was with, is my half-sister."

His half-sister?

My eyes widened.

Well, fuck.

Moon Goddess, he had to be lying. But the lighthearted expression on his face told me that this was the truth, that though he was great at deceiving this wasn't a lie. Charlotte was his sister.

I fanned my burning cheeks, staring down at my shoes in embarrassment. I could hear Jeremy's voice in the back of my mind telling me that assuming always made an ass out of you and that I was the biggest ass here. In that big brother kind of way.

Mars stepped closer to me, one foot between mine, hips pressing into my side. He dipped his head, resting his forehead against mine, and drew a finger up the column of my neck to my chin. "Kitten, I've never thought you'd be so influenced by those rumors. The Alpha Aurora I heard rumors of always thought through everything before she acted," he whispered. There was a sudden easiness between us. He gently brushed his thumb against my jaw. "Tell me Kitten, was that little outburst of yours a subtle plea for me to mark you? So everyone knows that you're mine?" He brushed his nose up the side of my neck, and I shivered. "Or maybe you want to mark me? So everyone knows I'm yours."