I started my day screaming. Not because I was hurt or out of pleasure, but due to the fact that when I woke up, I almost stepped on Matthew who had taken refuge on the floor next to my bed without my knowledge.

"Gosh Avery," he muttered as he rubbed his ears, "the next time you scream bloody murderer, give a guy a warning won't you?"

"Gosh Matthew, the next time you decide to sleep on the floor next to my bed without my knowledge, give a girl a warning won't you?" I mocked, trying my best to mimic his deep voice, but failing due to the fact I'm a girl. Last night after yet another fight with Greyson, I'd gone to bed without waiting for Matthew. I knew the questions he'd ask as soon as he got here and I didn't want to face them then. And I still don't want to now.

He slowly peeled himself off the floor, stretched with a loud yawn that resembled the growl of a bear, before he wrapped his arms around me, which caught me off guard. My eyebrows furrowed as confusion clouded my mind, but I hugged him nonetheless. "You were so amazing last night," he said as he broke the hug though his grip on my shoulders didn't waver. "You stood up for yourself and you shot down the biggest pain in the pack."

"What is that mutt's name anyway?"

"Becca or Bex. Whichever you want to call her. Natalie's in the cells right now with her"

"I have another name that starts with a b I'd like to call her," I grumbled, the very thought of her making my blood boil. Especially because Greyson did nothing yet had the audacity to get mad at me.

"Agreed," he said as he took a seat on the bed next to me. "But you were a total savage last night. Telling Greyson to stand down and snapping her neck like it was nothing. The pack really likes and respects you. They saw your strength both physically and intellectually."

"Thanks," I sighed as I ran my fingers through my messy hair, "but I didn't want their respect through violence. I was foolish to think I could make it a full day without Greyson getting mad and turning everything into a screaming match about respect and threats. Then he had the nerve to kiss me after as if it'd make everything okay. Like kissing me would make me forget about everything he's put me through the few days we've been together." I was pissed off not only at Greyson but at myself as well for enjoying the few moments our lips touched and wanting nothing more than to give Greyson my everything.

"I'm sorry about him, he's just...complicated. Just give-"

"-him more time. I know, I know. But Matthew, I don't know how much more time I can give him before I can't take it anymore. I mean, I'm hanging on by a thread here, Matthew, and it's not going to be long before he makes it snap." He sighed, knowing that I was right. "Please Matthew, help me get out of here. I won't tell Greyson you helped me, I'll just leave and find refuge in another pack for a while until I figure out what I'm going to-"

"Avery I can't," he said, cutting me off as he shook his head.

"Why not?" I snapped, anger surging through me at Matthew's selfishness.

"Because he'll kill me if I do," he explained, causing me to open my mouth to object, but he held up his hand telling me not to. "And I can't do that to Natalie. I refuse to. Not to sound insensitive, but I put her above everyone, including myself. She's had a tough life. Both our parents are dead and I refuse to die and have her wander through this dangerous world alone." I swallowed, wanting to be mad at him but unable to. "Plus, whatever hell you're going through now will be nothing compared to what you'll go through if you try to escape. Greyson is dangerous when he's mad and especially when he's emotional."

"Luckily I'm dangerous when people think that I'm something to be owned instead of a person to be loved," I grumbled. "What's wrong with Greyson anyway? When you talk about him and his issues you seem to be walking on eggshells and he's been murmuring things to himself. And what is this Katherine Becca was talking about?"

"Those are not my questions to answer, Avery. Sorry."

I let out a frustrated sigh as I laid flat on my back.

"Don't get mad at me, and don't pout. It doesn't look good on you," he said, mocking the pout that had taken place on my face. I didn't move or respond. "Alright, if you want to play, I'm game. I know what'll get you going," Matthew said standing up. One moment I swear I was laying down and the next I was being thrown over his shoulder.

"Matthew!" I yelled as I thrashed around, but his grip didn't waver, but instead, he merely laughed before he headed out of my room and down the stairs despite my constant thrashing and pounding.

"Avery relax," he said as he placed me on the counter, another laugh escaping his lips as I glared at him.

"You know you could've just said, 'come downstairs Avery. I'm making breakfast', right?"

"But where's the fun in that?" Matthew questioned cocking his head to the side before a smile slowly spread across his face causing me to roll my eyes.

"I hate you so much."

***

"I want to go on a run," I announced after the credits rolled for the third movie Matthew and I had watched. After the delicious waffle and oatmeal breakfast Matthew had made, I showered and we started watching movies and hadn't moved since. It was past one and there was no word from Greyson, not that I was particularly worried though. I actually wasn't worried at all.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Matthew said, propping himself up on his elbows as he shook his head. "Greyson might still be out there and like I said, his wolf is not the most stable thing to be around when he's angry or emotional."

"But Matthew-"

"Why don't we go to the training fields, huh?" He suggested cutting me off. "It'll help you get the anger out and give you some lessons in defense and I think that'll be way more useful than running." I slowly nodded, getting the underlying message he was trying to convey.

"Do I need to change or is this good?" I asked causing Matthew to give me a once-over. I was wearing a camisole with leggings, not caring that my stomach was exposed up to my navel.

"As long as you can move around you should be fine," Matthew said as he got off the bed before offering me his hand which I took. He led me out of the house that I'd been trapped in and led me to a clearing in the woods were many pack members were sparring, working out, or partaking in other various methods of training, but as soon as I entered the scene, they all stopped and kneeled. I instantly felt uncomfortable.

"Matthew, how do I make them stop?" I whispered after they'd remained like that longer than what I'd deemed necessary.

"Tell them they're dismissed or say at ease," he offered with a chuckle because I was obviously flustered.

"At ease," I announced and they all got up and looked at me expectantly, awaiting my next order. "You may return to what you were doing."

"Yes Luna," they all chorused as if they were a cult before they did as they were told. I relaxed. I hated that.

"If you smell or see Greyson, let me know and I'll get you out of here, okay?" Matthew whispered so that no one but I could hear. I nodded. We weren't terribly far from the pack house, so if push came to shove we could easily escape. And with Greyson, easily meant we'd escape with only a few scratches and maybe a missing toe or two. I sighed. I hated feeling so defenseless, but today was going to change that.

Matthew taught me the basic maneuvers, my favorite being how to get out of a choke hold and twist the attacker's hands in on them that creates a pressure point even a certain someone couldn't escape. We even spared a bit and I surprised myself at how agile I was and how easily I picked up on Matthew's body language and knew exactly how to dodge him and when. I even landed him on his back a few times. But I still had a lot to learn.

"I want to spar with someone else," I said as I wiped sweat from my forehead. "I feel like you're going easy on me."

"Avery, I really don't think that that's a-"

"Blood Crescent," I called, causing everyone to instantly stop what they were doing an look at me. "I want a sparring partner. Anyone. I don't care if you're male, female, a Warrior, or a new blood. I need training and I need someone who's willing to give me all they have. I promise you won't get in trouble with me or Greyson even if I get a little battered. I've dealt with worse. I just need at least one person...please," I said, adding the please for good measure. No one moved forward nor made a sound and I began feeling uncomfortable under their gaze. I sighed as was ready to accept it and move on when suddenly a boy a bit older than me stepped forward, but by the fierceness in his eyes, I could tell he was a Warrior.

"I'll take you, Luna," he said, bowing. "It would be an honor."

"Thank you," I said as he straightened up. "Give me your all."

"Are you sure?" He questioned, the look in his eyes saying that he hoped I had changed my mind, but I nodded nonetheless.

"If I'm going to be the Luna of an anti-Pack, then I need to be able to fight like I am," I said, causing his lips to tug in a grin before he nodded. "Just know that when I'm down, I'm down, alright?" He nodded before we assumed our positions. His eyes transitioned from their clear gray color to a deep black letting me know he was ready and tapped into his wolf and I did the same, instantly feeling my wolf's strength flow through me as I did so.

Without warning, he lunged and I barely managed to sidestep and lost my balance, but I quickly regained it. Aim for the legs or head. Not abdomen or arms. I snarled before I landed a swift kick on the back of his knee, causing him to fumble a bit, but he quickly responded with a solid punch to my stomach that knocked the wind out of me. But he didn't stop. While I was bent over, he rammed his elbow into the low of my back, causing me to let out a whimper of pain as a bolt of hot pain raced up my spine and ignited my nerves. But I willed myself to stay up despite my body's need to collapsed and regather itself. When he brought his knee up to deliver another blow, this time to my jaw. However, I delivered a speedy sweep kick to his supporting leg right behind the knee. It must have caught him by surprise because he quickly went down, and before he could get up, I was straddling him with his hands by his head to show dominance.

"Do you yield?" I questioned, breathing heavily.

"Do you want me to?" He genuinely asked between deep breaths.

"It depends," I shrugged, "do you want-" before I could even finish my sentence, he tackled me off of him, the wind being knocked out of me once more as I came into hard contact with the ground and now I was the one with my hands by my head.

"Luna, do you yield?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow, boyish mischief in his eyes though it didn't truly mean anything.

"You play dirty," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. "But yeah, I yield. I still have a lot to learn and I'd rather not have my spirits crushed the first day."

He chuckled and started to make a move to get off me when suddenly a loud growl ripped through the air. Both our heads snapped in the direction of where it had come from and my eyes met with those of none other than Greyson himself. He was bare meaning he'd just shifted back, but no one looked away. After a while, it became normal to see naked males, but if it were a female it'd be a whole different story.

"Tyler, I am giving you two seconds to get off of my mate before I rip you apart," Greyson threatened in a deathly low voice and Tyler instantly got off of me.

"Sorry, Alpha," he apologized while bowing in respect.

"No," I said as I got up as well, causing Greyson's gaze to leave Tyler and find me. "He was just doing what I asked him to."

"You asked him to straddle you-?"

"No Greyson, I asked all of them to spar with me and he just happened to be my first partner besides Matthew," I said injecting as much irritation into my voice as I could. Though, I had to admit I liked the jealous twing in Greyson's voice.

Greyson's jaw clenched as his eyes bore into mine, but I didn't look away, but instead I challenged him with my eyes. Go off on me, I dare you. Yell at me. Lay a hand on me and see how it goes. I dare you. I seemed to say with my eyes and he responded with This isn't over.

"Thank you, you are all dismissed," he announced, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Thank you, Tyler," I offered, only tearing my eyes away from Greyson's to look at Tyler and offer him a nod which he returned before hurrying off to escape Greyson's heated gaze.

"You are coming with me," Greyson growled as he grabbed my arm and started leading me toward the house. I shot Matthew a pleading look, causing him to make a move toward me, but he was stopped in his tracks when Greyson said, "Stand down Matthew or you'll regret it. I won't hurt her."

Matthew's jaw clenched as he looked at me and I mouthed I'll be fine. I reluctantly walked alongside Greyson until we were in the house. "What do you want?" I spat as I yanked my arm from his grasp.

"Avery," he warned, but I didn't let him finish.

"No, Greyson. You don't get to boss me around, get mad at me for defending myself, kiss me without my permission, then storm out and then come back and yell at me like this is all my fault."

"Avery," he said, once more, though all authority was emptied from his voice and replaced by tiredness. He almost sounded like he was begging. "Look, I'm...I'm sorry, okay? I just don't know how to handle you. I've never been in a position in which I'm not in total control and I'm still trying to figure this out, okay?"

"Well you'll have to try harder," I said, causing him to sigh and run his hand through his hair. "That's what talking is for. When you don't know what to do, you talk it out. When you're confused, you ask questions. You don't choke people or terrorize them into submission."

"I know Avery, it's just...just give me time, okay? I'm trying and it's not the easiest thing for me."

"Is...Is it me?" I asked, trying not to sound hurt.

"I'll try harder," he said, yet his lack of an answer answered my question more than a simple yes or no could have.

"Yeah, you do," I agreed, and without another word, I turned and walked out of the house. And I didn't know what felt worse, wanting Greyson to come after me, or the fact that he didn't.