I walk on my own, plodding furiously toward the packhouse. It's not hard to get mad as I have a lot of reasons to be furious.

First, bitchy Amber is near the packhouse, grinning as she stares at me. Let me tell you that the more I see her, the more I try to believe that Ares and Selene were right to laugh at me when I said that I believed she might not be a lost cause.

Second, that mad Nick killed his own father and mistreats her mother, who is assumably wholly broken inside. I wish I could have the opportunity to rip his throat. Or worst, have Alec end his pathetic life. Before today, I thought he was deranged, but I had never suspected he could fall so low.

Third, lycans backstabbed the crown and leagued I-don't-know-who to capture the gray wolves, and I feel responsible for them. How long will they hunt us, and who is insane enough to consider we can be abducted with our mates' complicity to bear pups to achieve I-don't-know-what?

Finally, I'm starving, and I can't go to eat right now because I must play some crazy game to find out who is accountable for all of this and end this nightmare. And hungry pregnant women are definitely hazardous people. Trust me.

I don't stop until I am in the orchard. Every time I feel angry, I go there and spend hours looking at the trees and how things are growing. The moment I enter it, I am enveloped by the delicious smells escaping the various flowers and fruits that are over the trees as we are in summer.

I walk through the trees and finally stop in front of a pear tree. I love them. I take one pear and bite it, which tastes absolutely disgusting. I spit the bite on the ground and throw the pear away. As I do, I feel some kicks in my stomach. I'm not speaking the fetus' language, but I can guess that one of them definitely abhors pears. I sigh and keep on wandering. There must be something that these little wolves will appreciate. Perhaps I should call them lycans, as it occurs that both their parents are in the end.

I walk a little more and stand in front of my cherry tree. I can say it is mine as my parents planted it for my first birthday. They grew the apple tree next to it for Elijah. That's one of the pack's traditions. Every time an alpha baby comes to life, their parents plant a fruit tree. This way, the alpha bloodline in its entirety will always provide something to the pack. Why fruit? I have no idea, but that's what has been done for centuries.

I climb onto my tree and start to eat some cherries. At least, they are not that bad. I'm waiting patiently for the next events to take place.

I think about the babies. I wonder what they will look like. Will they inherit Alec's green eyes? He has stunning eyes. That would be wonderful to see him every time I look at them. They will have dark hair, as both of us have dark hair. I hope they won't be as terrible as I was when I was a kid. Damn, I did not ask Alec how he was as a kid. Maybe he was as mischievous as me, and we will have to run after two young untamable lycans.

Liv, do you hear me?

Jackson's voice rings in my head and takes me out of my thoughts. He sounds like he is screaming.

What the fuck are you doing? And how do you do that?

I answer in my head.

I don't know. But Alec mentioned you told him you heard me when you shifted for the first time. So I wanted to try again, but I was unsure if it would work. Apparently, it does. That's pretty cool, by the way. Maybe it is because you're a gray wolf.

He says, still yelling in my head.

Stop shouting, for the Moon's sake.

I answer, mentally screaming back at him.

Sorry, I don't know if you hear me well or not. It's kind of hard to reach you. It's not as manageable as with the other lycans.

He replies, speaking in a more tolerable tone.

Well, I hear you great. Did you want to say something in particular?

I swear if he shouted at me for nothing, I will kick his ass the next time he crosses my path.

Yes, princess. I wanted to warn you that a witchy snake is looking for you, and she is coming straight to your spot. So try not to kill her. Not that I genuinely mind.

He answers me, and I can almost picture the grin in his voice.

Thanks for telling me. Let Alec learn, so he stops me if she gets too much on my nerves.

I answer.

It's not long before the awful scent reaches my nostrils. It takes her a minute to find me in my tree and stand under it, a devilish grin on her face. The more I examine her, the more I wonder what Alec could have valued in this woman except for her body.

"Well, well. A wolf in a tree. I did not notice that your pack was half-monkey," Amber's annoying voice shouts at me before she ridiculously starts to laugh at me. Does she really think that she is hilarious? Or that anyone will laugh at her stupid joke as we are just the both of us?

"Move your ass out of this orchard," I answer while growling. If only she realized she meant nothing to Alec. I'm tempted to tell her the truth so she can climb down her little cloud nine of fantasies.

"Let me think... I will stay. I receive no order from a wolf." She grins again at me, her tone being nothing but discourteous. Anger rises in me in no time. Perhaps I should just change the plan again. Perhaps she'd like the taste of wolfbane.

Selene waves her tail as I consider this idea.

Liv, are you okay? Focus on the plan. I'm coming.

Alec's voice seems a little panicked. The plan. I must stick to the plan. Maybe I can have some fun. I jump down the tree to land just in front of her.

"I said, move your ass out of my orchard." That is not just me talking anymore. My wolf is more irate and more intimidating than ever. She clearly hates the way Amber addresses us.

I don't blink an eye and stay all focused on Amber, but several new fragrances reach my nose. Many of them are friendly as I recognize Jackson, Eva, Joey, and several of Alec's men. Then there are some other lycans that I don't know. Soon after, I catch my brother's smell. And, finally, my favorite one, the blooming flowers.

Alec.

"I won't...." Before she can finish her sentence, one of my hands is around her neck, and the other is around one of her wrists, my claws cutting her skin. I push her against the trunk of my tree. The trunk shakes a bit under the force I pressured on Amber, and I can feel this stupid bitch's gulp under my hand.

"You do nothing but listen to me. I am the Alpha's sister, and you're in my pack. I am your prince's mate, so you owe me respect. I can end your miserable life any time I want," I whisper, Selene's and my voice mixing.

"Alec will never forgive you if you kill me. You have no right to kill me, as you're not marked yet. Only the King and the Queen can decide to end someone's life for a legitimate reason. And you have none," she says.

"Disrespect to the prince's mate, your future princess. I think that should be a good enough reason," I answer.

"You're not marked. You're nothing. You wouldn't dare," Amber hardly replies as my hold constricts her neck and as my aura crashes on her. She whines, and I can notice people around me chatter, some wondering if they have to intervene.

"Try me again. If you can." That's my turn to grin. My fangs are getting longer. I smile as I approach my head to her neck, but I can't conclude my action as a firm hand grabs my shoulder.

"Liv, you let her go. Now!" Alec's voice commands. I lift my eyes to look at him, shocked.

Seriously, you order me?

How can he command me something? He does not play it seriously, right?

The plan, Liv. You can't kill her, remember?

I'm surprised by his inner laugh when his face is so severe on the outside. He is good at this. Selene sighs in my head.

"She disrespected me, Alec. I had to do something!" I scream at him. The good thing is that I'm truly upset, so it's easy to play the role. Finally, he commands me to let her go again.

You realize your Alpha order does not work on me, right?

Even if it seems scary, as I noticed people stiffened with his two orders, Alec's voice sounds nothing but usual to me. Well, I pick up he uses his Prince lycan's voice, but that does not affect me. I stiffen a bit to be convincing - and also because it gives me a reason to break her wrist. She whines again, but she deserves it. And it's not like she is not going to heal within a few minutes anyway.

Yeah, I noticed.

Alec laughs through our mind-link. He does not help me much to maintain my earnest face. I'm not as talented as him. I should end this before it turns into an absolute failure. Alec seems to agree as he continues his little royale speech.

"I'll handle it myself. You're not officially my mate yet. You can't make decisions about lycans without my parents' approval. Or mine," he states loudly, with a powerful aura coming out of him. I see his eyes turn a dark green color.

Hey, Ares. Ready to get some of Selene's bitter words?

I ask his wolf, who sighs as he knows Selene will be far ruder than me.

"And what are you doing to do this time, Alec?" Selene's voice mixes with mine to speak. Some people gasp as Selene shows herself through my eyes. We stare at them as I see that dark and light green share spaces in Alec's eyes.

"Let her go, Liv. I'll handle that myself as her prince." He sounds more authoritative than before, and I let out a whimper to make people believe I recognize he is superior to me.

That was persuasive, little wolf.

Alec answers my doubts. I unleash Amber and prepare to speak my last and final reply.

As I let her go, Amber rushes to stand by Alec's side, her eyes gleaming as she supposes she won.

"As you wish, your Highness," I say while I bow down.

Then I go out of the orchard, pushing both Amber and Alec on my way out. I rush to the front door, Eli running behind me.

"Liv, wait. Please." He catches my arm, and I free myself. Other lycans and wolves turn as we stand in front of the packhouse door.

"What, Eli? Do you also want to summon me for something? Watch her fuck my mate?" My eyes are filled with tears, and my voice sounds bitter and sad.

Impressive, Liv. What are you thinking about?

Eli asks through our mind-link.

Well. I think about the day I found Amber's sexy babydoll in Alec's bag.

I answer, and Eli's eyes open widely.

"Wow, calm down, Liv. What are you talking about?" He takes my chin and makes me look into his eyes.

He had no idea about the bag. Even Jackson does not understand how it happened to be sent with no one noticing. He suspects Amber. He did not tell you?

Eli speaks through the mind-link.

I don't have the details of your little secrets, but I don't care. So keep playing, little brother.

I chuckle through our silent chat.

"He said he will handle it. I don't know him for long, but as far as I saw when we were working together, and we did a lot, he is a great guy. So you should trust him," he says with a genuinely calm and smooth voice.

"You defend him. You loathed him weeks ago, as he was pilfering your sister. What is wrong with all of you?" I scream and just go, running to the hall.

"Liv, can you stop, please? We need to talk," Alec says, coming after me, just like we scheduled.

"No, no talk Alec. You always end up kissing me and making me love every single part of your being, and I don't want that." I take the bracelet off and throw it in his face.

"And next time you offer something to a woman, make sure it is not referring to your mistress," I roar at him. He looks at me, totally dumbfounded, and observes me as I climb up the stairs to my room.

I did not even notice these were amber stones. You could have warned me, little wolf?

Alec replies through the mind-link.

And lose the opportunity to see your face. Oh no, that's my petty revenge for your secrets, big bad wolf.

I chortle through the mind-link. I wish I could stick out my tongue to him, but I have to resist the temptation.

Alec follows me into my room as I smash the door to enter.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Olivia? Can't you just follow what I say without discussing my orders?" He screams as he closes the door behind him. He walks into the room, straight to my closet, then comes back with a box. He gives it to me.

"You're not my boss, Alec. You're supposed to be my mate. To listen to me. And don't give me orders." I shout at him while looking at the box. There is a phone inside. As I take it, the screen unlocks, and I can see a text.

Mister wolf -

New phone for both of us. Don't forget the other one when you leave. You'll use this one only to contact brownie scent and the other boys.

I'll mind-link you later.

I smile at him and nod my head.

"You almost get killed because you refuse to follow one simple directive. Do you want to get killed? Is that the reason you can't obey me?" Alec shouts at me, even if his eyes reveal how much he loves me.

"Don't act like you fucking care about me, Alec! You never choose me. You wouldn't notice if I went missing," I yell, wanting nothing but to hold him.

"What?" His eyes show his surprise. I suppose he did not realize how much I could have been hurt before. He knows that there is some truth in what I say.

"I do nothing but care about you every single moment, and you choose to go without any other lycan to protect you... Going alone was fucking stupid!"

"You're the idiot one. You wanted me to be protected? Then maybe you should have taken me with you. Aren't you supposed to be the most powerful? But you don't give a shit, Alec. You ran with Amber. She's probably a better alternative for your future." It kills me to say that, but I am certain some people might listen to us thanks to their lycans' ears, and we don't know if there are other traitors but Amber.

"Never dare to say that again, Liv. She means nothing, I told you. When are you going to trust me?" His shaking but firm voice asks me. He walks closer and hugs me intensely, and I hold him as firmly as he does, like we never want to let go of each other. We don't need words or mind-link. Our tingling bodies and the billions of sparks are enough to feel how mighty our bond is.

"How am I supposed to lean on you, Alec? You've lied, telling me you were going to instruct me, take care of me. Jackson did. He trained me. He looked after me when you were who-knows-the-fuck-where, with your precious Amber." He kisses my forehead silently, trying to ease all the words that hurt us. This fucking plan has to work.

"You let me down. I wanted you, Alec. You talked about moving together. About pups." I cry.

"But you're never there, and I needed you, Alec," I let out in a whisper. He breaks his embrace before he kisses me slowly, without a sound.

I try to catch every inch of his lips to fix their touch in my head, knowing I will not kiss him for a few days. Then, after a few seconds, he breaks our kiss.

"That's what you think, Olivia? I let you down?" He says, his voice calm.

"I need you to be mine, Alec. And I don't know if you actually are. Mark me. Prove me you pick me above her. Right now. I'll believe the words you said. Mark me," I speak loudly, to be sure we are overheard. I smile at him to encourage him to do the same.

"I can't. You have to understand and accept it," he angrily roars but blinking his eyes.

In a few days, little wolf. I promise.

"If you love me, don't let go. Don't go away from me," I say almost whispering this time.

"I have to go," he says, showing no emotion. He turns to the door and leaves me all alone in my room.

Tomorrow, we will have four days until the Blood Moon. So we must end this.

And we will, little wolf.