An hour or so in I realized I had no idea where we were going, as no one had known where these beasts had been hiding for all this time and I hadn't bothered to ask. I suppose the destination didn't matter when I knew I was on my way to a place I did not want to be, the thought of keeping my mood down. Occasionally he'd adjust the temperature, fidget with his phone or turn the music up and down.

Each time I expect him to speak, he doesn't. After a boring three hours, he finally rattles off the one thing that could put me in a worse mood.

"I'm very happy you decided to come with me." He releases the words of emotion, and I'm filled with a mixture of feelings. I'd like to punch or kiss him, I'm unsure of which one would fit this situation better. The man has gotten what he always wants, and he doesn't know that I may not be able to keep it.

I try to give in for just a few seconds, pretend that I don't want to fight with him, and create even more tension between us. Everything he's done since marking me had been very sweet, and it had appeared he was going to let me leave the pack and have my space. Perhaps the Luna had been right in my needing to at least give him a chance.

My lack of response has him squeezing the steering wheel and throwing confused looks in my direction.

"I want to go over a few things that you'll be expected to know once we step onto my territory, the kind of things that'll cause issues if you and I aren't careful." He's changed, from love-struck teenager to serious Alpha within the blink of an eye, someone doesn't like to be ignored. "I won't have the luxury to be as patient in front of my pack when it comes to our arguments. Any sign of disrespect, I have to demolish otherwise I will have cocky Lycans to deal with and I don't want that problem while I'm trying to transition you into our pack.

You must understand that you are a vampire walking into a territory full of my kind, which we don't usually discriminate but a lot of females will feel threatened by you. Although you may not have the issue right now, the jealousy you may begin to feel as our bond grows can make you act irrationally. I don't want to force a punishment onto you, but I will if you hurt any of my pack or threaten my position with your behavior."

I'm slightly taken back by his change in demeanor. I hadn't expected anything different, as we'd been in our sick sort of honeymoon phase this entire time, but this was still a lot to take in. I'd grown decently fond of my soft-hearted Lycan, who brooded when I didn't give him attention but still showed kindness to me that I'd never been used to.

"If one of your dogs disrespects me, and my mate doesn't handle the situation then I will." Alarik sucks in a breath, hearing me use the word sends his heart racing once more. The truck speeds up, his right hand seeming to float between us as he fights off the urge to touch me, and although I want nothing more, I can't show him how much I ache for it. "What happened to the boy I'd brought with me? Leslie didn't have him in the cabin."

He's pushing the peddle harder, sending us flying down the road as if I hadn't already almost died once this month. The last thing I needed was my body thrown through his window. Alarik is raging, eyes stuck on me as he continues with his childish behavior.

"We drained him, used him to feed you in the first few days that you wouldn't wake up. Now his body is in an unmarked grave somewhere on Bower's pack land, that's not a problem for you is it?" His dangerous tone catches my attention, and for a moment I'm sitting next to the same man who'd held me, prisoner, for weeks. The one who killed my family and ruined my life. I'd expected more from Alarik.

"Your jealousy is pathetic." A deep growl is his response, nostrils flaring as I roll my eyes. I was just as upset, surprised by the true Lycan finally coming to the surface before my very eyes.

"It's called being possessive, Little Vampire. That's what happens when an Alpha smells his mates' scent all over another male, they don't get to live." I can tell he's trying to calm himself down, but there's a smugness in his words that threaten to send me into my fit of rage. "If you keep this attitude in my pack, I'll be forced to treat you like any other outsider, and I don't want to do that." I roll my eyes and snort.

"What will you do, kill me? Like you did a helpless human?" All of his anger seems to dissipate, his body moving into a more relaxed position while I'm tenser than I've ever been.

I wasn't scared of him if Alarik decided to kill me in his passenger seat I wasn't going to put up much of a fight but for some reason, his answer meant more than I cared to admit. My body craved to have the reassurance that he'd never hurt me.

"Maybe the reason you haven't warmed up to me yet is that you enjoy the helpless humans more than you care to admit. A male with a backbone who doesn't bend to your bite is a challenge you can't handle."

I'll admit his observation skills were right on, but that wasn't what mattered right now. This was not some fight about our relationship, or why I worked so hard to stay away from his little idea of commitment. This was about how closely he resembled the man I hated most in life. The one still walking this Earth, how am I supposed to not hate the man that reminds me of Ivan?

Alarik's need to own me would always be what chased me away.

"Go fuck yourself." I spit, and surprisingly he shuts his pretty mouth and broods in the silence of the truck. For a moment I rethink this plan, wondering if I should just throw myself out of the window and take the fiery pain that will follow our departing over the aching in my chest.

Being next to someone I'm tied to in so many ways and wanting nothing to do with him hurts more than anything I've ever dealt with. I wanted that pain to go away, no matter what it took.

---------------------

The Lycans pack sits on top of a mountain, reminding me of the legends of the gods people believed in once upon a time. I'm curious as to how he secured such a vast amount of territory, but not enough to listen to whatever story of savagery had led him to it. The only difference between this prison and the one I'd been held in centuries ago was I'd chosen this. In a way, it made everything entirely worse.

I'm surprised by the packhouse, even after seeing the beautiful land I'd be spending an unforeseen amount of time on, I still hadn't expected the mansion of a home with a full porch around it. Although it was impressive, my eyes were more drawn to the cross that was sitting atop of stage. It was stained with blood and for a moment I felt fear settle in my chest.

Is that the consequences I faced? The chains on a bloodied cross?

The thought pissed me off, and when we finally come to a stop I'm jumping out of the truck and slamming the door with more anger than I could have ever imagined. The scene made me sick, and I was doing nothing to hide it. Alarik rushes around the front of his vehicle, seemingly worried until he sees where my gaze lay. Instead of explaining or attempting to comfort me in any manner, he straightens his spine and pulls a stony expression.

"Come, you need to meet your pack and unpack. You'll stand out with your clothing, but eventually, we'll have leathers made for you." He's pretending to be calm, but I'm forcing everything I'm feeling onto him. Only when his brow furrows and I note he's about to say more do I turn on my heel and begin my walk to my new cage.

The door swings open as I'm walking up the steps, a familiar Lycan stands in the doorway shirtless with his hands on his hips. I grin. We'd started on the wrong foot, yet the male in front of me is laughing as though we have every inside joke in the world.

"Little Bloodsucker!" I flinch at his nickname but keep my smile. "You've decided to join us, decently alive and only a tad bit irritated see." I receive a wink before I'm being pulled into a bear hug that has my body going entirely still. Alarik growls behind me, allowing me to be released. I wasn't upset or happy with the action, but it was nice to feel as though someone other than Leslie was happy to see me. I'm led inside by the faintest touch of the unwanted Lycan on my back.

"I'm glad to have you all here," Alarik's voice is harder than usual, with no hint of happiness on his face as he faces what can only be a hundred or so of his pack members. "This is Eira, as you can tell she is your Luna and my mate. I expect her to be treated as any other Luna would. Now show address her properly."

My eyes widen as I watch the beasts before I drop to one knee, their necks turned to the side as they close their eyes. A show of trust and respect that I had not been expecting. A few don't fall, their heads held high as they sneer at me as though I'm no better than a common whore standing beside their leader.

In many ways they are correct.

Alarik notices, glaring for a moment but he ultimately keeps his mouth shut for once. His opportunity to stand up for me, and in general make me feel worthy and he passes on it. When his hand falls on my waist I hiss in his direction and jump away, finding his touch to be equally disgusting and humiliating.

I smile at everyone, showing my teeth so they know I'm not here in a friendly manner. My presences here may not last, as I was sure some of them hoped, but those who didn't understand respect would learn their lesson soon enough.

-----------------------

Alarik is moving around the room like a bat out of hell, and although the scene is comical, I'm still unsatisfied with the situation as a whole. He's explained that he would be cleaning out a few drawers for me and making room in the closet until we can buy larger furniture. My eyes stray as I stand in the center of a very messy room, and they land on the pictures that adorn the walls. He seemed happy enough with his pack, never lacking a smile in any of the photographs taken. No matter how old the picture he looked the same, a different style of hair or clothes in a few but altogether I was left drooling after a few minutes of staring into his past.

"All of those pretty Lycans, and you wouldn't let one or two fill your bed?" I try to joke and will admit that maybe it was a poorly timed attempt. I've made him angry with the words, but what he doesn't know is that he's making me anxious. I feel unsure. There's no way someone like him could go his entire life without a partner, or a woman to warm his bed.

For a moment, I feel insecure.

"I thought I'd find someone who'd be worth the wait." When he catches my almost saddened expression, he does not drop his sneer, instead, it deepens as if he thinks my sudden show of hurt is my attempt at a trap. I keep my voice soft, but stern.

"I uprooted myself from my life to be here, but I won't live like this with the constant jabs and endless hostility. I've had a pretty peaceful time since my new life started, and if you want me to stay here and not just go back to what I was doing before then you need to act like less of a dick." Instead of waiting for his reaction, I do what I normally do and leave. The bathroom seems pleasant enough as I lock myself in and try to calm the mixture of desire and hatred that swims through my body.

He doesn't move for a while, standing where I'd left him while I begin stripping and preparing for my much-needed shower. I'm muttering to myself the entire time, biding my time until I can allow the hot water to wash away the feelings that seem to be stuck in my throat. I felt like a fool, and angry woman with the ache to either destroy the pack of Lycans or fuck their Alpha into the ground.

I hadn't decided which seemed more practical, yet.

He'd in a way, told me understood our situation and would work with it but his words and actions proved otherwise. He couldn't see past my 'lack of innocence'. Sure, he'd been untouched for centuries, but he had a pack. A family and friends to be within the worst of times.

Alarik had never spent years without making a real emotional connection, centuries without the love of another. The male had felt the loss of course, but never in the way I had. My need for contact was not only the attraction to sex, it was the only way it felt okay to be next to someone. I knew they wouldn't last long, but for however long I was in someone's arms I felt less alone.

He would never see that.

I was sure he could feel everything moving through me at the moment. The unmistakable anger, alongside a misery, cutting so deep I ached to pull my non-beating heart from my chest to make it stop.

Standing naked, I stare into the mirror while I lean over the counter with outstretched arms. My body was sunken in, looking almost wilted from the weeks of barely feeding but I was sure in a few days I would liven up a bit. I would just require more blood.

I look deadly. My teeth are out, blue eyes wide while my body is entirely still. I'm a hunter waiting to pounce. When my eyes land on the mark on my neck I flinch away from my once strong stance and allow my sadness to overcome me.

It felt as though I had a collar. This wasn't a show of love or a sign of mating—this was a mark of property and I'd rather slice it off with a knife than see it every day for the rest of eternity.

There was no denying that I hadn't been the perfect woman to be chosen as his mate, and I'd certainly been giving him trouble since the unsettling news had been dumped upon me. Yet, could he blame me for not wanting to be with someone who couldn't see past the actions and sins I had unknowingly committed against him? For my species sex is normal, there is no law of nature to keep us from enjoying it and living in its glory with anyone we choose.

Alarik had somehow snuck a smidge of...shame into my being with all of his talks. I huff and puff at the thought, deciding to turn on the water and begin my cleansing as I try to get the thoughts out of my head. I wouldn't feel dirty for something I'd never known would hurt someone else.

Sure, I was attracted to man's soul—or whatever, but that did not mean I immediately had to follow the rules of his made-up god. Yet, something inside of me was pulling in that direction. My hands find the soap that smells familiar and scrubs it into my skin furiously.

Alarik is moving around now, so close to the door that my body relaxes under the hot water and I barely stop myself from calling out to him. My anger turns into a sexual need as the place between my legs begs to be touched. Images of him kneeling in front of me with those silver eyes as he kisses my most sensitive areas.

I refuse myself the pleasure, knowing he'd get a whiff of my desire easily and I wasn't sure how to fight off a horny Lycan when my own body wanted him as well.

Only when he's left do I get out of the shower, easily finding a towel large enough to cover me. I decide to wrap my hair in it instead and grab one of the t-shirts neatly folded on the counter. The smell of Alarik suffocates me in the best of ways, but I fight it.

Why couldn't he be a hideous Lycan with smelly breath and bad manners? Instead, he liked to choke me outside the bedroom and looked as though he'd been carved to perfection. How horrible for me.

The room is empty once I've returned and my phone has been set on the small drawer beside the bed, everything else has been unpacked and my suitcases put neatly into a corner. While trying not to roll my eyes at the help he'd given me, I send Leslie a text to let her know I'd made it safely and unhappily to the Lycans pack. Already I missed the woman I'd turned and was looking forward to when I'd be with her again.

I fling myself onto the bed and stare at the ceiling for a few minutes, the urge to do something productive nowhere to be found. Instead, I find the remote and turn on the T.V. while allowing myself the simple luxury of relaxation, on my terms. A cooking channel is on one that has a woman with big hair a lot of chocolate in her hands. Cake, chocolate on chocolate cake. I barely hold back a groan at the thought of spooning it into my mouth.

The memory of my moments before the rogue attack comes back in pieces, one of those pieces being Leslie telling me about the surprise Mable had made me. I'm moving onto my knees, staring harder at the screen as the woman takes a knife and begins cutting herself a generous portion.

Food porn, this was straight-up food porn.

The door swings open without warning and I feel as though I've been caught in that damn barn with my pants half down all over again. I squeal and watch as the raging expression on the Lycans face melts into confusion. He looks between the T.V. and I before fighting off a smile.

"Eira, is that drool?" I feel my jaw drop at his question before I become a bumbling mess of words and denial, my hands desperately wiping at the liquid pooling in the corner of my lips.

Alarik tilts his head as if realizing something before giving me a full-fledged smile. Oh, how it breaks me to see something so handsome on someone I want to break with my hands. Or touch every inch of. When his body tenses I notice the devious look in his eyes as they trail over my body, which is only covered by a shirt I'd figured I'd borrow from him.

"What's the problem now, don't like sharing clothes?" I sass him, hand moving to my hip as I raise my brow with negative intent. He growls and begins a slow ascent to the bed when I seem to be trapped.

I could easily roll off and get away from him, but I do not want to. All I'm able to do is sit down with my legs hanging from the bed as I prepare to stand on the floor. He beats me, however, his body moving over mine as those hands grip my face and pull my mouth to his.

I'm putty in his hands when those lips land on mine.