I was happy that Allison had finally agreed to let me take her to breakfast. There were things I wanted to tell her, explain to her about Kimber and what had happened. That's all I had wanted to do since I found out she was back, but every time I tried to talk to her it seemed like something was stopping us. Last night being the worst, I can't remember much just a lot of drinks after the gym and then her shoving me off the bed, freaking out this morning.

I can't believe I lost control last night, that I allowed any of this to happen. How could I have done this to Ally, especially after all that she had been through in the last several weeks. I must truly be a despicable person.

A growling came from the back of my mind, "Stop being a baby! You didn't do anything and neither did Ally. "

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked Knox.

"Lily and I ..."

"WHAT?!?! You and Lily did this! You two took advantage! " I was howling at Knox.

"Ha! Guess you two should have stayed sober. " Knox replied to me, rather smugly.

"Do you have any idea what you have done!?! What issues could you have caused? " I was angry, angry at my wolf, but angrier at myself.

"Lily and I know what we did. It was something we ALL wanted. Lily and I won't apologize for taking over and giving in. Besides, it wouldn't be an issue if you had a backbone. " Knox was scolding me.

"ENOUGH! You crossed the line! Did you see how upset Ally is! " I continued to fume at Knox, but he simply didn't care, eventually cutting me off mid-rant, refusing to admit that he and Lily shouldn't have done what they had done, especially when both Ally and I were compromised.

I kept replaying the events of the night before in my head while Ally showered, getting more and more frustrated with him and myself. I knew that my time with Allison was running out, that she needed to go back to school. I could no longer tread lightly, there were things I had to say, things I needed to know.

That is what prompted me to scent her out the night before, as I followed her scent from her house to the old fight club at first, I was appalled. I knew there was a place in the area she was going to work out, but this looked more like an unsanitary warehouse than a gym.

Opening the doors, I was greeted with the stale scent of sweat and dried blood, something that was less than appealing to my heightened senses. From the back I could hear an older man's voice, shouting pointer, "Get lower", "Don't let him get you on the floor", "Watch her feet". As I walked closer, I saw Ally artfully moving around the ring, landing each of her intended strikes with ease. I was impressed and awe at her gracefulness and acumen of controlling her movements, making it look easy.

As I watched her, her attention faltered as she looked towards me. The person she was fighting against took that as his chance and he flipped Ally through the air like she was nothing. She landed on her back with a hard thud, instantly bringing Knox out.

"Protect here!" he demanded of me and growled. The growl loud enough to make everyone hear, making a stand against anyone that would harm Ally.

"Your boyfriend is back." The guy snickered at Ally.

"Bite me, he isn't my boyfriend." She said reaching for his offered hand as he pulled her up. This guy seemed to have a death wish, he was now whispering into Ally's ear and pulling her closer. Wanting to rip his arm from his body, I was struggling to keep Knox in check if I let him loose right now it would end in blood shed. I am sure that Ally would not speak to either of us if that were to happen.

I stood there and watched their little exchange, getting increasingly annoyed with that guys arm hung over her shoulder, rubbing is scent into her skin. I knew that with everything that had happened that I had no claim to Ally, whether we were mates or not. Knox chose this time to speak up, "That should be our scent all over here. We should not allow another male to scent her. She is MINE! " .

Knox was now fighting me more and I was starting to have a harder time pushing him back, "It's not the simple and you know it."

"You are a weak coward!" He growled at me. "Can't even stand up to father." I knew that if Knox had been standing in front of me, I would have seen the disdain written on his face. He hated me, almost as much as I hated myself for what I had done and was continuing to do. One day I hoped that everyone would understand.

"I'm hitting the showers, good session Allison. Maybe I will see you again before you leave, but if not, you have my number. " Hearing this man flirt with Ally was almost more than I could take, I was having a very hard time holding Knox back. I could feel my muscles rippling, itching to shift, Knox wanting to be let out to rip this guy apart.

Great! He was leaving a smile overtook my face and Ally eyed me. Amusement showing in her features, no doubt her getting kicked out of my distress, not that I could blame her. Without saying a word to me Ally walked away, I followed her determined that I was going to talk to her, but she walked into the locker room, so I stood by the door waiting. She was going to have to come out sooner or later.

"Why are you still here?" Her voice rang out as she rolled her eyes at me, walking past where I stood.

"I went to your house to check on you, when you weren't there, I followed your scent." I responded following her

"Stalker much?"

"No, but I need to talk to you." I was all but begging. There were things she needed to know, and I was determined that she would!

"Do you want to talk? I want drinks. You are taking me to the bar and buying me whatever I want. " I followed behind her to a dive bar that was up the street. Not exactly anyone on being a patron here, but if this is what it took to be able to talk to Ally, I would take it.

Still no matter how hard I tried to remember what happened after walking into the bar, I couldn't. Everything was black, at least until I was abruptly shoved off Ally's bed this morning. Only giving myself a headache the more I thought about it.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sitting in the diner on the outskirts of town, I was fiddling with my coffee cup, waiting for Tate to grow a set and speak already. Once the waitress brought our food and refilled my coffee, I had lost all patience, "You wanted to talk, so talk."

I shoveled a bite of syrup laden pancake into my mouth, moaning at the orgasmic taste. How I missed Tiffany's pancakes. Whatever this woman put in them made them heavenly, I had never found another pancake quite as good as hers. Tate took a few bites of his food before putting his fork down. Uncertainty written in his movements.

"Ally, there are things ... Things I can't control, and I really hope that once I explain everything you will understand why things aren't as clear cut as they should be." Tate seemed to be struggling for words, honestly, he was sounding like a complete fool right now.

Trying to lighten the mood and finally get him to waste whatever secrets he had I made the ridiculous comment, "You know you're the only one who calls me Ally?"

"I am serious Ally." He continued, apparently my quirky statement giving him the ability to finally find his words. He started to explain everything from the beginning, which was his arranged mating with Kimber by their fathers. I scoffed at this not caring. Moving on to our summer together and it being the best time of his life. This brings tears to my eyes to hear him talk about it from his point of view. Love and longing in his voice speaking to me, making me forget for just a moment, that he was the one who shattered me.

"When I came back from that trip with my father, you were gone. I got your letter, but it didn't make any sense to me. But then I slowly pieced everything together. " He continued telling me how he had not known Kimber was going to be there at Alpha Ogden's it was something their parents had once again cooked up. That the 'call' with Kimber had been carried out by her, she had taken his phone, but he hadn't realized at the time, that once he found out what had happened, he felt horrible. "I wanted to call you so many times to apologize, but for some reason every time I did, I couldn't get through."

"That's cause I blocked your number, Tate. I needed a clean break. " I explained, hurt in his eyes at my reasoning.

For the next hour, I listened to Tate talk about everything, how he spiraled after I left. Being in the hospital. I wasn't sure what he was hoping to get out of all this, but I was feeling guilty, like I had somehow done something wrong.

"I'm sorry, Tate." I whispered to him. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Ally," He said soothingly, "I'm not telling you this to make you feel guilty, I don't want you to. I just need to know that we have both been manipulated and why. I know everything about the deal my father made with you and then how they forged your signature on a new deal. " He shook his head.

"I tell you this because you need to know that everything I am doing is for a purpose. I need to get my father out. The pack is suffering. I am sorry that you have been caught in the crossfire of it all, you never deserved this. " Letting his words sink in for a few minutes I sipped on my coffee, signaling the waitress that I would like more.

Once she left the table Tate picked up once again, "I am following along with him to get my title, I want to be with you and only you, but the pack they need this. What kind of Alpha would I be if I didn't do it right by them? I am doing this for all our pack members, the streets are unkempt, the homes are falling apart, the people are not cared for. I intend to change that. " Tate had such conviction in his voice that it was taking a lot of sting out of the words. The words that made me realize there really was no hope for us.

"And you think Kimber is going to help with that vision? She's just like them, you know, that right? " I understood his vision and now why he was doing what he was doing, but my heart still hurt. It still didn't make everything okay.

"I know that is something I will have to deal with later. For now, the main focus is to unseat my father by allowing him to think I am following his desires. I have little choice. "

"You do have choices Tate." The more I heard what he was saying I was getting frustrated. "You have options, but you are either too stubborn or stupid to use them." I was whispering at him now.

Apparently calling him stupid pissed him off because he then barked at me, "I am doing what I think is best for the pack."

"Oh, I get that, but you aren't. You are denying the pack their true Luna. Weakening yourself without your true mate. You are not thinking of their best interest, you could unseat your father right now, but you choose not to. " I snapped back at him, my face getting red.

"I won't put my mother through what yours went through." Tate's words feeling like a sucker punch to the gut. And then as if it was my consolation prize he added, "Once I am Alpha, I will let you out of your contract."

"I want to go home." I said standing up, finished with this conversation, finished with him. Tate had gotten a chance to tell me what he wanted and now I was done. Before I could get away from the table, he added one last thing.

"There is a meeting tomorrow night at the pack house. My father is making me announce Kimber as Future Luna, officially anyway and his intent to pass the Alpha title to me at the next blood moon."

I looked at Tate, disgust in my eyes, sorrow in my heart "He isn't making you do anything; you are choosing to do this. If you ever loved me Tate, you would announce me as Luna not her. Stand up against your father, choose me together we can make this pack what it once was."

Then I walked out, leaving Tate sitting there to think on my words. Unsure of why I would even have told him I would give him a chance if he chose me. Would I? Is that really what I wanted? After he had repeatedly pushed me to the side, how could I do that?