Annabelle

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was in a bed. It was mine. I also noticed the two people laying on either side of me, Syphone and Kate. They both sat their watching me wake up as they most likely noticed my eyelids flutter. I creeped one eye open and saw Kate, then the other and saw Syphone. We all looked at each other for a couple moments before I spoke up.

"So do you guys like watching me sleep? Or?"

They both smiled before looking at one another then me with determination in their eyes.

"Annabelle we know you freaked out, but we are not leaving here without you. It's all of our duties to protect other packs that need helping, and as soon as you joined our pack that duty fell on your shoulders too." Syphone said. I nodded, but still was nervous about going back to the place I ran from.

"We know your scared, and we arn't going to let that butt head Logan within two kilometers of you. But think of all the children that need protecting and we need to train the ones who will protect them." Kate said.

I groaned. That was my weak spot. Children. They both knew I wouldn't be able to refuse now. I would never let any harm come to any children or anyone for that matter. Even if it meant sparing my own life.

"Every step of the way Annabelle, we will be there. I'm sure Avalon and Kristy will too. Plus we are dying to meet them." Syphone said with a pinch of excitement in her tone.

"Ok, but you guys have to be with me at all times. I don't want to be around Logan at all for the duration of time we are their." They both looked at each other with worry clear in their eyes. Oh goodness what now?

"That's the thing, the Alpha wants us to stay their full time. Only leaving to help other packs, which won't be very often. The surrounding packs close to us and theirs all want to sign a treaty joining the land together." Kate said.

"So, sooner or later you are going to have to face him. You can't stay away from him your whole life." Syphone said.

Well i'm going to damn well try. I don't want to face him, he marked someone else, and he probably has little kids running around and he's probably even married to her. Syphone and Kate looked at me in amusement and pity.

"Did I say that out loud?" They nodded their heads.

That's the other thing. Logan can mark and mate with anybody, but I knew he couldn't get them pregnant. That would be why Kate and Syphone looked amused. The only one who could carry a heir to Alpha position was me, but that will never happen. The pity looks they were giving me though, is because he could very well be married to her. Heck! He might even love whoever it is he marked! I love Colton, but he would never mark me.

"Yeah he would." Kate stated.

I looked at her in shock, had I been saying that out loud again.

"We only heard you say Colton would never mark you." Syphone replied in tune to my thoughts.

"Why do you say that?" I asked Kate

"Alright get comfortable, it's story time." Kate said to me and Syphone. We layed on our bellies and propped on our elbows facing her.

"When I first joined Colton's pack, before anyone. He had found me. I was in wolf form chasing a small deer. He had tackled me to the side, I immediately started growling protecting my catch, but once I saw him I stopped. He was just like me all white with a surge of power. That's why I ran away from my old pack. I was an outsider, people new I was different, they just didn't tell me why. Me and Colton became friends, when we found Brandon though I knew he was my mate. Then we found Kent, and finally Syphone. Colton came home one day, but he looked different. He looked like a broken man with no light to fill the darkness that invaded his soul. He shut off from everyone. It was that way for a year. We were out hunting together in wolf form when we caught the stench of rogues. We sought out to kill them, when we saw a sleeping figure or wolf, about to be slaughtered by four rogues. We bolted into action creating a protective circle around you. This wolf didn't need it though, once it realized what was happening it saved our lives that day. Annabelle, when Colton first layed his eyes on you, he was blinded, blinded by the sun. If he doesn't mark you he's stupid. He loves you more than the love he felt for his mate the first time he saw her. The bond was broken before it had time to grow. That is why he'd mark you,you two are perfect for each other." Kate said finishing her story.

"Awe." Syphone said.

"OK, ok. Whatever." I said with a slight blush to my cheeks. My eyes tearing up.

It was getting late, around 8. And personally I was starved. The girls followed me out to the kitchen, I saw the ingredients for fried chicken and knew that's what I wanted. The girls got started on some salad and Mac and Cheese. I was finishing the second batch of chicken when I felt two arms snake around my waist, guessing by the slight butterflies I received, I knew it was Colton.

"Watcha makin?"

"Fried chicken."

"Well, when your done can I talk to you outside?"

"Sure."

Here it comes the pain of the rejection. I knew he wouldn't want me more than his mate. Argh i'm so naive. I finished up the second batch and looked around for him. I walked out to the living room and down the hall that lead to the balcony out back. Here goes nothing.

Colton

I was walking down the hall to check and see if Annabelle was awake yet. I still felt really bad from telling her, causing her to faint. But I had too, I didn't want to drop the bomb on her the day of. I stopped at her door when I saw it slightly ajar. I kept my ear by the crack to listen when I hear the hushed whisper of someone speaking.

"I love Colton, but he would never mark me." I heard Annabelle whisper.

"Yeah he would." I heard Kate say.

She was right I totally would. If it wasn't for Annabelle I would have become a shell. When I first laid eyes on her, she became my whole world. It was as if she were my mate, not the girl I saw die in the field. I even found her scent attractive the way it should smell to a mate, and she was gorgeous. Not to mention, her mate obviously didn't treat her right. I would mark Annabelle in a heartbeat I just didn't think she'd want me too. So that is why I was currently going to put her doubts at the back of her mind. I walked into the kitchen having smelled her cooking fried chicken and wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.

"Watcha makin?" I asked her

"Fried chicken." I heard her say with a smile in her voice. Making me smile too even though she couldn't see it. I was finally going to make her mine.

"Well, when your done can I talk to you outside?" I asked her.

"Sure." She sounded worried. Did she think I would tell her I didn't want her? That would be mentally and physically impossible. She was mine, and I love her with every fiber of my being. I knew she still had feelings toward her mate though, but her still saying 'I love you' to me with stars in her eyes, showed me she loved me more. And now it was time I broke any feelings she didn't want towards her mate, by making her mine and marking her.

Annabelle

I walked out into the cold night air and saw Colton leaning over the balcony. I walked over and stood next to him waiting for what he was going to say.

"I'm going to be honest." He started I felt my heart clench.

"I overheard a part of your conversation with Kate and Syphone." he continued.

"How much did you hear?" I asked a little questionable as to were this was going.

"I heard you say that I would never mark you." My heart began to slowly crumble thinking what his next words might be.

"Annabelle, that's not true." My heart beat quickened and what parts of my heart that was beginning to crumble patched up and warmed at his words.

"You would mark me?" I asked shocked and happy at the same time.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I figured that you would only want to mark your mate." He didn't even flinch as I said the word. He just stared into my eyes lovingly.

"And here I thought you wouldn't want me to mark you?"

"That's absurd, off course i'd want you to mark me."

"Right here right now, you'd let me mark you?"

"Yes, but there is something you should know." He waited while my cheeks began to flush what I would guess a bright red.

"Uh-um, i'm a-uh gosh um a-" I stuttered the damned word wouldn't come out my mouth.

"Vegetable?" He chuckled at my shocked face.

"How did you-"

"The girls told the boys, and they told-"

"Yeah, I got it." I'm going to kill Kate and Syphone!

"So you'd let me mark you?" he asked again.

"Yes." i said a little out of breath.

"Good."

He leaned down and kissed me. I almost collapsed when my knees started to go weak, but his arms around my waist prevented that. My arms snaked around his neck and I stood on my tippy toes. Then he leaned down and did something I didn't' think he'd ever do. He marked me.