Eric was pacing around the kitchen after his three-hour run. He was still furious about what happened between him and his little mate. He couldn't even understand how or why she would call their mating, of all things a nightmare.

There were many times during his run around the village, he stopped to stare up at her window.

The first time he stopped behind her house to look up her window, she was still standing in the same spot with tears in her eyes. The second time, she was cleaning up the room. During his third and fourth run, she was pacing around her room while biting her nails. During his fifth to ninth run, she was sitting in front of her computer.

He knew this because while he was running, she had opened a window giving him the ability to hear her fingers tapping on the keys of the keyboard. By his tenth run which was his last, she had the window closed and the lights off, telling Eric that she had finally gone to bed.

Now back in his host home, he couldn't help but pace around their kitchen.

What did he do wrong?

Nothing.

That was his answer, he did nothing wrong.

Was she upset with their pairing because she wanted it to be with her Alpha? Was she and Alpha Seth truly in a relationship? Had his little mate truly been lusting over a man what wasn't her mate?

Eric clenched his fists and let out a low growl. "I won't let you go," he muttered.

"Oh my, I don't think my husband would like to hear that."

Eric turned toward the woman, "Luna," she was just in a long nightgown with her hair in all different directions.

"Can't sleep?" She asked with a small smile. "I saw you running before I had gone to bed and then heard you come in."

"I'm sorry for waking you," he apologized.

"Don't worry, it's not like you could wake my husband anyway," she laughed, "you could scream and yell at the top of your lungs and that man will still be sleeping."

Eric nodded his head and made his way toward the door to go upstairs, "goodnight then".

"Oh no," she said before making her way to the island in the kitchen. "Come join me for a little chat. I think I can help you with your little problem."

"I don't believe you can," Eric sighed, thinking about what happened just three hours ago.

"It's about Blake," her eyes locked on to his. Her ambiguous smirk told Eric that she knows about their mating. "Nothing goes pass this nose," she said tapping her index finger on the tip of her nose.

Eric glared at the woman.

"Come now, don't get upset, your highness. I only want to help you and Blake. And I believe I have right to know what happened between the two of you."

"You have no right." He growled. Eric was annoyed by the woman. He wanted to leave but yet this woman had him pinned. He wanted to know more about his mate and he knew this woman would give him answers his mate wouldn't give. Like why she didn't want him.

"I think I do, I did adopt her after all."

"Adopted?" So his little mate used to live in the pack house. His mate had lived under the same roof as him. "And her parents?"

She slowly looked away from him. Eric could see the pain in the woman's eyes. "It is not my story to tell, I'm afraid."

"A hunter," a male voice spoke from behind Eric. It nearly surprised him that Ross was able to sneak up on him.

"Ross, you should be in bed."

The boy ignored the woman while he glared up at the King of Wolves. "A hunter killed my parents and hung their pelt to dry," he growls in anger, most likely remembering the memory that changed their lives. "After that day," Ross had walked passed Eric and took his place by the island, beside Luna, "Blake changed."

"Ross," Luna frowned rubbing a hand over his one shoulder for support.

"She doesn't like people. Most likely because she is afraid she'll lose them too." Eric eyed the boy, "Your a few years late. My sister will not take a mate."

Eric laughed, "what makes you think she doesn't want me?"

"Because I know her. If you get to close to her, she'll just push you away."

"A mates bound is strong, she can't push me away," Eric stood proudly at the thought that his mate would never push him away.

"Are you sure about that?" The boy challenged.

Eric growled.

"She already pushed you away. Why else would you be here? I know for a fact that she wouldn't kick someone out of the house unless they did something to piss her off. And since it was late when you got to the house, she would have offered you to sleep in my room for the night. So what did you do?"

"Nothing," Eric meet the boy's cold stare that was very much similar to his sister's.

"You didn't touch her?"

She touched me, Eric thought, almost smirking. "And if I did?"

"I'm surprised you're still standing," he answered.

"Ross!" Luna hissed.

"What? My sister would have killed him by now and left him in the woods. You know that."

"True," Luna shrugged her shoulders, "I still remember what happened to Tommy's boy. Poor boy didn't see it coming."

"Yeah," the two were in a complete daze.

"What happened to Tommy's boy?" Eric's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"She broke his nose," Luna whispered, shaking her head.

"Bite his ear off," Ross nod.

"Broke his ribs," Luna continued.

"Broke both his nuts," Both Ross and Eric cringed at the same time.

"What he do?"

Both Ross and his Luna looked at each other than to Eric, "They were sixteen," Luna began, " and Tommy's boy had come over to the house to spend some time with my son. And when he crossed paths with Blake. He ran into her, he fell on top of her while groping her breast and kneed her between the legs. He was a clumsy one," Luna shook her head.

"It was a misunderstanding," Ross said shook his head.

"He apologized."

"But she wasn't forgiving," Ross sighed. "I know you're the King and all, but my sister doesn't care about titles. If you cross her, she'll kill you and leave you to die," Ross looked Eric in the eye, "even if you are her mate."

Eric didn't know what to say. Maybe the boy deserved it. Maybe he didn't. He didn't even know Tommy's boy. "What happened to Tommy's boy?"

Luna looked at him, "Rouge attack, three years."

"I'm sorry."

So his mate wasn't the forgiving type. She was strong for such a small woman and was feared. She could talk down a small pack of rouges without any help from the others. His little mate was the Bate of her pack. She lost her parent's and grow up in her Alpha's home and now holds her own.

"Look, your highness, I'm not saying this because I want you to stay away from my sister. It's the opposite," Ross looked to the ground then back up with puppy eyes, "My sister needs you. Only you can save her."

"Save? She sounds capable of taking care of herself," Eric said almost proudly. She was strong, brave, and was independent. She was an ideal mate in his eyes. It wasn't just about looks.

"But not from herself. She's hurting. I can tell. My sister is hiding secrets from me and I'm afraid I'm losing her. Not even my wolf can each her," Ross looked away, licking his lips out of tension. "If you are my sister's mate, as her brother, please help her."

Eric looked the boy in the eye and he could tell there was no fault in his words. He truly believed he was losing a sister. "She is my mate, and I protect what is mine."

"Then if you want to get close to her, you have to follow three simple rules."