"I have stood for thousands of years and have not faltered; the day I met you my legs shook."

Unknown

I didn't bother to hide my distaste as I stared down at the plate in front of me. The meat was dry and burned, and what little vegetables I had been given were so far over cooked I was surprised they didn't turn to mush on my fork.

"Did you not learn to prepare and cook the meat you hunted in Nevada?" Did Nevada not teach their wolves these essential skills?

Across from me, sat opposite on the small dining table in the Nevada training cabin, Riley poked at the food on his plate, looking equally hesitant to eat anything.

Daniel looked up from his own plate, upper lip curling in irritation.

"Why would we need to learn that? We're training to be fighters not pack cooks."

"Well..." I narrowed my eyes at the male. "You need to know how to cook now. How long are you here for? Two years or five? Were you just planning on eating overcooked, burnt meat and limp, unseasoned vegetables this entire time?"

Despite my previous assumptions of the Colorado pack, most of them actually knew how to cook. Their bland meals were merely a result of lack of access to seasoning's and proper ingredient; but since I had stocked the cupboards from my trip to the human shops with Sandra, the enforcer wolves had begun to use them with ease, and without need for my interference.

The same couldn't be said for Daniel as he didn't appear to have a problem with the food he was currently shoving in his mouth as if it were his last meal. Maybe he was eating so quickly so he wouldn't have to suffer the taste for longer than necessary.

"If you don't like it. Don't eat it. I don't remember inviting you in here."

Don't snap, don't snap, don't snap.

I sighed, and glanced at Riley.

"Go to the main house and ask Lorcan for ingredients and spices for a meal for 5."

"Lorcan?" He swallowed harshly.

"He looks scarier than he is, I promise." And he's the best cook. "Quick, go on, before Alpha Harris drags us back to the main house."

The boy was up and out of his seat in a heartbeat, leaving me alone with Daniel. The two other Nevada wolves were still out on their hunting session with Sandra and would be returning any minute. I didn't want to be left alone with Daniel, but I wasn't sure adding more aggressive wolves to the mix would solve anything. Hopefully Riley would hurry.

When I met Daniels gaze again, the sudden change in demeanour threw me.

"What?" I asked slowly, suspicious of why Daniel was no longer directing a glare my way. The male didn't answer immediately, hesitation flitting across his expression.

"We both know what my Alpha thought of you," he finally uttered. "And... and I've heard what the other wolves in my pack have said about you too." Some awful things no doubt. I had overheard a fair few things myself when visiting the pack. They clearly believed I wasn't wolf enough to hear them, or they just simply hadn't cared whether I knew.

"So what? You pity me now, is that what this is?" I laughed, the sound hollow to my ears. "Someone's said something mean about me and now you feel sorry for me? You've hardly said nice things about me yourself."

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"I don't like Nero," he drawled, as if that should explain anything. "He's a young, spoilt pup who's getting special treatment because of who is uncle is. I was only acting like an ass-hole because of that, not because... not because I thought you were less than other wolves."

"Is this you trying to apologise for being such an ass-hole?"

"Do you really care enough about my opinion of you that you would like an apology?"

"No." My eyes narrowed at him. "But I would like an apology for you almost killing me because you can't keep a lock on your damn temper."

This time, Daniel had the grace to seem ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly. "That was reckless of me."

When Riley returned I made it a point to direct Daniel on how to cook the food Lorcan had provided, rather than cooking it myself. I wasn't their maid, but I wasn't going to let him eat horrible food for the next few years. The tension between the two of us had seemed to ease somewhat, and I had a feeling we had come to some kind of begrudging truce - at least for the sake of Riley.

The young boy definitely seemed to be in high spirits by the time we had returned to the main house, and I only hoped it stayed that way. The training young Alpha's received was intense, and for Riley to experience that without the familiarity of his father teaching it would be tough.

___

That evening I found myself in the lounge of the main house with Nero, Sandra and a few wolves I had yet to learn the names off. Music was playing softly in the background as we all lounged in various spots around the room. Riley hadn't wanted to stay with us, instead opting to shower and head to bed early.

"Fuck!" Nero swore for the tenth time, scowling down at the fabric in his hands and the huge knot of thread hanging from it. He and I had settled on the window seat, our shoulders pressed together as I tried to instruct the frustrated boy on his sewing mistakes.

Across the room, sat on the large grey rug, Sandra looked equally frustrated with her fabric, hissing as she continued to stab herself with the dainty needle, much to the amusement of the enforcer wolves sat by her. I was finally putting the sewing supplies I bought a few weeks back to use, as I had insisted Sandra finally learn to sew - much to her irritation. But she had eventually conceded when I'd managed to force Nero to learn as well. The young wolf had been complaining just as much, if not more so.

"Here," I laughed, passing Nero my own sewing. "You take this one and I'll sort out that disaster you have in your hands."

"Laugh it up, bitch." Nero knocked his shoulder against mine a little too rough, nearly sending me sprawling across the seat. "I didn't even want to do this in the first place."

"Oh please," I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "I've been able to sew since I was a child. It's not that hard and it's an essential skill. Suck it up. It's not my fault you suck so bad."

"Fuck you, I don't suck." Nero yanked his fabric back out of my hands, holding it to his chest protectively, glaring. "It's meant to look like this."

"Oh yeah?" I raised an eyebrow, grinning. "I'm the one who told you what to do, I know what it's supposed to look like. Just admit you're not good at something. Admit it, you suck," I teased, jabbing at him with a pointed finger. Nero continued to scowl at me, whacking at my offending hands and smacking me in retaliation.

"Just because you're getting some Alpha dick, doesn't mean you can boss me around."

My cheeks flared hot and Nero seemed smug. Other wolves were snickering at the childish display, and I looked over to see Sandra had abandoned her own sewing project and was laughing along with them. Both of them had been relentlessly teasing me all evening about Thane, and they didn't seem to be tiring from it.

"I can boss you around because I'm bigger and stronger than you. I could snap you in half like a twig," I growled, sewing fabric's completely forgotten as I launched myself at him. Nero shrieked, turning away from me but I still managed to wrap my arms around his shoulders and hold him in place.

"Uh, please!" Nero cried, flinching away from the hand pushing at his face. "I don't know where those hands have been!"

Sandra cackled from the across the room, coyly exclaiming, "We all know exactly where those hands have been."

A throat cleared by the doorway and Nero and I both froze in our assault of one another. Adriel stood with his arms across his chest, eyeing us with amusement.

"How old are you both again?" Adriel drawled, entering the room to claim the large armchair. A step behind him was Thane, expression flat as he fixed me with that familiar hard stare.

The expression threw me for a second, and Nero managed to twist from my grasp and throw me off him. I was laughing as I shifted into a sitting position still leaning against Nero slightly, a little winded from my enthusiastic attack.

Nero scoffed, "Like you're any better. I literally saw you tackle Lorcan to the ground earlier today. You're the biggest child here."

"How dare you, don't talk to your elders that way!" Adriel gaped in mock outrage. He continued to argue with his nephew while my attention was firmly fixed on Thane.

He moved towards the sofa, and I noticed the other enforcer wolves' surprise at his appearance. It was strange seeing Thane around the other wolves in his pack compared to when he was alone with me. Gone was the soft male who was a little too cuddly at times, and in his place stood a stern Alpha wolf.

I tried to catch his eyes, but noticed his attention was instead fixed on Nero beside me. His face was impassive as he watched the younger wolf still arguing with his uncle, and I had to resist the urge to draw his eyes back to me.

I had never felt like this before, like a needy female desperate for a males attention. But here I was, silently begging for it. It was certainly odd to me, that any time he now entered the room I felt so consumed in the strength of his presence. Now that I had finally given in to my physical desires, it seemed perhaps my emotional desires were now free to roam. And the more time I spent with Thane the stronger my desires for him grew.

***

After the other's retired to their rooms or - in Sandra's case - decided to go on a midnight run with Lorcan, I found myself drifting into the kitchen for a late night snack before bed. Mere minutes later Thane had followed me.

"Do you not like Nero?" I asked, the first one to break the silence between us. I was facing away from him, but knew he was there by scent alone.

The thought had been bugging me the entire time we were in the lounge, but I had waited till we were alone to ask my question, not thinking it appropriate to bring up my suspicions in front of anyone else. There was a deep set frown furrowing my brows as I stared at the orange I was peeling on the counter, trying to seem as casual as possible. Nero was my closest friend, and it felt important to me that there was no bad blood between Thane and he.

"I like him a reasonable amount." That made me pause. My eyes narrowed slightly, the expression staying as Thane cleared his throat and drew my gaze towards him.

"You've been glaring at him for the past hour," I stated, leaning against the counter. He only shrugged, seeming unbothered by my observation.

"I don't enjoy how much you like him."

"You're jealous?" I asked incredulously. Again, Thane remained composed, not showing the least bit of embarrassment.

"I don't like the thought of sharing your affections," he explained simply. I crossed my arms, scowling.

"You can't control who I-"

"My jealousy is a reflection of my own insecurities," Thane cut me off quickly. "Not a reflection on you or my opinion of you; I know I can trust you, and I do." He sighed, "It's just... this is new for me, and I'm still unsure where we stand. It will take some adjustment."

"Oh." That was unexpected. "Well, if it offers you any comfort, I didn't plan on sharing my bed with anyone."

"So it's just my bed we'll be sharing from now on then, yes?" Thane hummed, suddenly smirking at this new direction of conversation. He stepped closer, pinning me against the counter with his hips.

My eyes darted towards the doorway, to check no one was coming before automatically falling to his mouth.

"Upstairs. Now." His voice was a low, husky whisper; one that quickly had my body aching for his touch.

Excitement bubble inside me, building at the intensity of his heated stare, but I didn't move. I only raised an eyebrow in challenge of his command.

"You want to play?" He murmured so close to my ear, his lips dragging from my jaw down my neck. I shivered.

"Maybe I do," I couldn't help but tease, my voice more breathless than I would have liked. My fingers clenched tightly on the edge of the counter I was leaning against, and it took everything in me not to grab onto Thane and demand he take me right there in the kitchen where anyone could walk in on us.

"10..." he uttered, voice so low I almost missed it, a hand caressing my hip as he released me from his arms.

"9..." My stomach flipped, heart racing. Thane stepped back, his smirk growing.

"8..."

I didn't wait any longer, shooting from the counter, out of the doorway and up the stairs. Thane didn't continue to count, already I could hear his feet bounding after me and I let a bubble of laughter escape as I sprinted towards my bedroom.

He caught me just outside my door, a strong arm winding around my waist and pulling me back into his chest. He wasted no time in pushing me inside, both of us stumbling in our eagerness.

Before long my shirt was gone and I was bent over the edge of my bed, Thane pressed up behind me, his erection digging into my ass as I clumsily tried to untie my shorts.

He was kissing my neck, hands on my breasts until I finally freed my shorts and they were being tugged down my legs, Thanes hand in my underwear. I moaned, pressing myself into his fingertips.

His lips pressed heavily up my neck to my jaw, he bit gently at my ear before I felt his teeth graze against my neck.

I nearly hadn't felt it, too overwhelmed with the sensation of his hand pleasuring me, but suddenly there was no longer the feeling of blunt human teeth on my neck, rather the scratch of a sharp wolf canine.

I froze, any passion I had instantly extinguished as panic replaced it.

Thane noticed the change, and he was off of me in a heartbeat.

"Were you going to mark me?" I hissed; a hand pressed to the sensitive skin of my neck where his canine had just been. I could still feel it, pressing into the flesh. If he broke the skin even slightly, I was going to skin him alive.

"No, no," he grunted, backing away from me. He looked horrified. "Not without your permission, never."

"Without my permission?" I nearly screeched, eyes wide as I scrambled to re-dress. He was watching me, distress clear in his expression. But he made no move to stop me as I hastily tugged my shorts up my legs and fumble with the tie. "So you were thinking about it then? You wanted to?" I accused. I growled in frustration, my fingers shaking too much to do anything, and speared him with a hot glare.

"Yes."

"Yes? Yes? Why would you want to mark me?" My shorts left untied, and a t-shirt clutched tightly in my hand, I stalked towards the door, needing to escape this room and the stifling heat of his eyes locked onto me with that unnerving stare of his, as if he could see how fast my heart was beating against my chest.

In a second, he was there, gripping my forearm tightly. "So, you really don't know?" Disbelief coloured his tone. "You're not teasing me? You're not... toying with me?"

"What are you talking about?" I snapped, glaring at him as his eyes desperately darted between mine, clearly searching for something in my expression that wasn't there.

"You're my mate."

It felt as if I had been punched in the chest and pushed to the ground. The air wheezed out of my lungs. I almost felt a little dumb as I paused and blurted a blunt, "What?"

"I thought you knew."

"Why would you think I knew?" I exploded, shouting far too loud for this time of night. Every damn wolf in the house would be able to hear me.

"Oh, I don't know," he bellowed sarcastically quickly rising to match my temper, his arm waving violently between us, "Everything that's been happening between us? Or the fact that you requested to join my pack after you met me? The fact that we spend every morning and evening training together alone?"

"And you just thought I hadn't mentioned it?" I shrieked.

"I don't know!" Thane growled, pacing away from me in frustration.

"I thought you knew," I mimicked sharply. "You don't think I would have mentioned it had I known we were mates?"

"Most wolves know who their mate is!"

"Well I'm not most wolves! I don't have a fucking wolf you dick! In case you haven't noticed, I'm a damn freak!" My voice cracked from screaming so loud. Everyone definitely heard that one.

"You're not a freak." Very quickly he had spun to face me again, the hardness to his expression softening as he processed my words.

I was so worked up I was panting. I exhaled sharply with a sharp groan of frustration at his words as I stared intensely into his shoulder, refusing to meet his gaze. I didn't want his pity.

"I didn't mean it like that."

He didn't say anything.

"I just meant..." I grunted cursing myself internally. "I don't know what I meant. I need to go outside, walk this off."

"Emily."

"I can't right now."