Caine

I let out yet another animalistic growl and pull my arms against the heavy chains that are holding me down. For the past four nights I've been chained down here all because Amira won't let me help her. I get that she's mad I didn't tell her about the whole mate thing, but mad enough to put herself through immense torture and pain every night to avoid getting marked by me? I really dug myself a deep hole.

I snarl and turn my head to the empty set of chains next to me. I made Brayden leave for a few days to avoid having to be down here with me. He's staying at his parent's house right now. I stayed here because I deserve to go through this. It is my fault, after all, and I believe in punishment. There are no other unmated males in the house. All of our guards and employees in the mansion are required to be mated before being stationed here, unless they're female.

Normally, we didn't have this problem. Normally the Alpha met his mate and within the next two days she was already marked, but I'm not like other Alphas, and Amira clearly isn't like other Lunas. When this is over, I will mark her. She doesn't really have any other choice. She could reject me, but denying and Alpha of his mate is intentionally setting the pack up to be destroyed. The royal bloodline would end, because a new legitimate Alpha wouldn't be born. Surely Amira won't doom the entirety of the Obsidian Pack just because she hates me.

I can see the sun finally rising as if peeks into the corner of my eye and feel myself gain my control back. Taking a sigh of relief and push myself up off of the ground. After about thirty five minutes of me sitting there, Brayden makes an appearance from the staircase with a key in his hand.

"You could've mind-linked me you know," I just shrug and hold my wrists out as he unlocks and removes the chains. I run my torn wrists as they fall to the ground.

"Tell Amira that we're leaving at noon," I make my way to the stairs and he follows.

"You're still bringing her?"

"Yes. Her dreams are vital to the reason we're going to see Alpha Daniel in the first place. Tell her she doesn't have a choice. She's coming, whether she wants to or not," Brayden falls into step with me as we make our way to my wing of the mansion.

"Maybe you should tell her. Then you two can talk."

"We'll have plenty of time to talk on our way to the Whitefire Pack."

"I mean you two should talk in private," Brayden stops and crosses his arms.

"It will be in private. I'm driving," I shut the door in his face and walk towards my bathroom for a much needed cold shower.

*********************************

Amira

I sigh in content, the heat finally gone from my body. It may have just ended, but I'm already dreading the same occurrence next month. I haven't had much time to think about what happened. Caine is your mate, there's not much to think about. It's not like you can reject him.

I'm disturbed from my thoughts with a loud knock on my door. Already assuming it's Caine, I roll my eyes and groan.

"Go away."

"Amira?" I hear Brayden's voice on the other side of the door, "it's me." I get up and open the door and Brayden greets me with a handsome smile, the dimples framing his mouth dipping deep into his cheeks. "Feeling better?" If it was anyone else, I would've glared and slammed the door, but Brayden is asking out of concern and I can tell. I nod at him and turn to flop back on the bed. Brayden closes the door and sits on one of the plush chairs in the room.

"So Caine sent me up here," I audibly growl at his name.

"Then you might as well leave right now."

"He told me to tell you to be ready to leave by noon."

"I'm not going with him," I push myself up in the bed and glare at Brayden.

"He said you don't have a choice."

"I do to have a damn choice and I choose not to go." Brayden sighs in frustration and runs his fingers through his messy hair.

"Amira, as your friend, I understand why you're upset. Caine knew you two were mates and I should apologize because I knew, too. It just wasn't my business to tell you so I didn't. What he did was selfish and wrong and he deserves to be ignored for a little while, because he's an asshole," I smile at his nickname for Caine, but he keeps talking and the smile slowly fades from my face, "but as your Beta, I'm telling you that you can't reject him. If you care about this pack and it's well being, then you'll know that you can't reject him or all the power that we've worked for so many years to attain will be gone. You can be mad at him for now, but you're going to have to grow up and tolerate it. People are idiots, they do stupid things, it's going to happen. Hell, he's the biggest idiot I've ever met. Right now, your responsibility to this pack is to go to the Whitefire Pack, get Alpha Daniel's help, find Tyson, and give Caine a chance."

I don't say anything and look down at my hands as he stands up. Just before he closes the door he looks over his shoulder.

"Consider that an order," he winks, a small, gentle smile of apology on his face, and the door shuts before I can protest.

**********************************

"I'll take it," Caine reaches for my bag and takes it out of my hands. I don't thank him but instead follow him to the car.

"Good luck," Brayden stands on the steps to the front door of the mansion and crosses his arms. Caine walks to the car and throws our bags in the back. Brayden leans in close to whisper in my ear, "don't kill each other." He winks. I roll my eyes.

"Ready?" Caine walks back to us on the steps and lightly places his hand on the small of my back. I look at him, disgusted, before stepping away from him. He sighs as his arm drops back down to his side. I turn and descend the steps, open the door, and get in the car. Caine talks to Brayden for a few minutes before he joins me.

"Here we go," he mumbles as he starts the car.

*********************************

"Can I show you something?" I nod enthusiastically at the boy in front of me. "Follow me," he grabs my hand and drags me to the edge of the sea. My toes dig into the soft, wet sand as the water slowly rises up to encase my ankles. He turns to me and the moonlight sparkles in his brown eyes. The shadow caused by the scar on his face is emphasized.

"Just promise you won't freak out, okay?" I nod at him and follow him into the water. He quickly ducks under and I wait for him to come back up again. After a few minutes, I start to panic when he still hasn't made a reappearance.

"Tyson?" I yell frantically. "Tyson!" I duck under the water and force my eyes open, the salt burning as my vision is slightly blurred. I blink a few times and look around until I finally see him a few feet away from me. He is looking back at me and his chest raises like he is breathing. Just as I'm about to swim over to him, he motions for me to stop. My lack of breath is starting to burn my lungs.

Tyson raises his hands as he holds eye contact with me and suddenly streams of fire come out of each one, boiling the water around them. The water doesn't quench the fire, and it grows as he holds it. I gasp and any air I have left in my lungs escapes. I quickly push myself to the surface and gasp for air the second my head leaves the water. Tyson surfaces next to me after a few seconds.

"What was that?!" I ask him, wide eyed.

"I can create fire strong enough to fight water. I don't know how, but I figured it out around the same time I discovered that I can breath underwater."

"Why are you showing me this?" He shrugs and starts swimming towards the beach.

"Because I trust you." I follow him and as soon as we break out of the water he begins to speak again.

"I just can't help but think that I don't have that much power for nothing. When the fire flows through me like that I feel... invincible. Like I'm meant to be so much more than a useless rogue." His words cause me to hold my breath.

"Tyson," I place a hand on his arm, "I have something to tell you."

I shoot up in my seat and gasp for air.

"Amira?" I hear a voice next to me, but ignore it as I shake my head. I scramble for my notebook and a pencil and begin drawing.

"Amira? What happened?" I still don't acknowledge the voice and continue to scribble the boy underwater with flames shooting from his hands.

"Amira!" I'm finally snapped out of my frenzy and I abruptly look up at him, shaking my head again.

"I'm sorry I-I get weird after-" I glance down at my drawing.

"After you dream?" I nod at Caine and stare at my drawing, trying to comprehend it. "What happened?"

"He's definitely alive," I mumble, but he hears it. Alpha hearing, I guess.

"Did you see where he is?" Caine questions me, but keeps his eyes on the road.

"We were in the sea," out of the corner of my eye I see him glance at my drawing and groan.

"Let me guess, he can shoot fire out of his hands?"

"Caine," I pause and when I don't talk he looks at me with an eyebrow raised.

"He doesn't know who he is." I look out the window, "He doesn't know what's coming."