I walk by the glass windows and eye my nemesis, the pool, in contemplation. Wolves have a natural aversion to deep water. Our pool is laughably shallow, about four feet all the way across. It still scares the shit outta me. It's a weakness. One I can't afford. Luna Bailey wants to swim, so swim I shall. I also googled it all last night. I was trying to numb my brain to the idea of deliberately submerging myself in a pool, but I also learned a lot. It's great for recovery, building endurance, and lung strength that can't be matched any other way. It's gentle on your joints, too. Something I need when I start strength training. Best of all, Georgina wouldn't know because most wolves avoid the pool like the plague.

I push open the doors to the locker room. The scent of salt mixed with the faint smell of chlorine tickles my nose. We use saltwater pools because we can cut down on the chemicals in the pool. Nothing is worse than chlorinated water to a wolf, except maybe brain-eating bacteria that grow in untreated pools. Yeah, that would be worse.

There are black one-piece swimsuits available in the office next to swim caps and goggles. A bizarre thing to have, but I have a feeling that none of the wolves choose to swim. They are all forced to by their trainers, so they, like me, are not prepared with a suit.

I grab a suit that looks the right size and duck into the changing room. I try to figure out the goggles as I walk out of the locker room. They are brand-new and supertight, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to loosen the strap. Growling under my breath I nearly walk into the slight girl in front of me.

"Iliana?" the girl says with a heavy dose of disbelief.

I look up, startled, to see one of my hybrid classmates. I blink at her in confusion. Shorter than me, with pale skin and freckles. Who is she, again? She smiles at me shyly and it clicks. Enya. She was in my Algebra II class last year. She's a year younger. Her typically curly red hair is plastered wetly to her head, which is why I didn't recognize her at first.

"Hi, Enya," I smile back.

She seems to perk up a little. "Are you here for the swim session?"

I look past her to the small group of seven people. Two of them are hybrids like Enya, the others are all low-ranking wolves. It's easier for them to face the water. "I guess?" I must sound doubtful. "I don't really know much about swimming," I have to swallow my sudden nerves.

Enya's smile comes back even brighter. "Great! Owen can teach you. He's really a great trainer."

"OK?" I question her as she reaches out and takes my goggles, then turns to walk away. I follow, trying to keep Enya between me and the pool, as we head over to the group. When we reach them she hands the goggles back to me.

"Try them now. They should be pretty tight, but not painful."

I slip the goggles on. They feel fine, I guess.

"Hello?" I spin around to see Owen. "Are you here for a lesson?" he sounds as doubtful as I feel.

I straighten my spine, refusing to look at the pool while responding with a firm nod, "yes. I'm Iliana. Ili. Um... I want to learn to swim?" I hesitantly ask him.

He smiles at me before introducing himself and the group. They all say hi, then jump in the pool.

The pool.

I finally look at it. Oh, hell. What am I thinking? I approach the side of the pool as if I am headed towards the gallows to be hung. I vaguely hear Owen give some instructions to the others before coming over to me.

"Iliana?"

"Please just call me Ili," I whisper, not able to take my eyes off of that shimmering expanse. Goddess knows what I'll call Owen when I panic in the water. My hero, maybe?

"OK, Ili, we are going to get in the water together. All we're going to do today is get used to the water and practice some floating. I'll stay right next to you the entire time unless someone else is drowning," he jokes.

I take him seriously for a second, jerking my head towards the seven packmates who are swimming like experts in the pool. I look back at him with a scowl. "Very funny," I grumble.

He chuckles before taking a deep breath. "OK, Ili, let's do this," he holds out his hand to me. I take it, my own shaking. Owen's palm feels warm and solid. He tugs me to the side of the pool. "Sit on the edge, put your feet in the water."

I whimper like a little girl but do it. I have to do this. Luna Bailey wants to swim. I have to conquer all my fears if I want to be alpha female. I put my feet in the water, before pulling back in utter fear as soon as they touch the cold liquid.

"It's OK, Ili."

I nod, not looking at Owen. I am acting ridiculous." Ok. It's just a pool, not a shark-infested ocean," I give myself a little pep talk. The thought of sharks makes my head spin. I take a deep breath.

"That's right," Owen chuckles, "no sharks here, Lee."

I think about Luna Bailey. A good luna, representing hop and promise, damnit. The one who saved our alphason and pack. She deserves better than Georgina. I have to do this.

I slip over the side with a soft scream. "Owen!"

Strong hands grip my shoulders. "Ok, good, Ili. Your feet are on the bottom, see? All good."

I nod frantically, panting in fear. When I was little, maybe five or six, Georgina pushed me into the pool at a party at a human's house. Dad pulled me out, but I had swallowed some water and got pneumonia. I was in bed for a week. Owen rubs my shoulders, my back, not saying a word while I fight for my breath. The water covers my body up to my chest, but I'm only wading. I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then again. I finally feel my heart stop racing as my breathing steadies.

"OK, Owen," I whisper.

He smiles. "Lay back. Real slow. You're going to float."

I let him lie me down in the water. My ears disappear under the water. All of a sudden I feel peace. I am floating, deaf to everything but the lapping of water around me and the hum of splashes. It's beautiful in the scariest way.

I see Owen's face above me. "Good job," he mouths.

My grin is huge, I can tell. All of a sudden I see Owen's hands held up in the air around me. He's not holding me!

I panic, my body thrashing. I dip under the water. In the next instant, I am in Owen's arms, clinging to his head like a crazed koala. My legs are wrapped around his torso. His arms are holding me, one arm under my butt, the other wrapped around my back. I hear the laughter of the other seven swimmers. They are congratulating me, telling me I did great. I take a deep, much-needed breath, "Owen, you promised you wouldn't take your hands off-"

The sound of glass exploding cuts me off. The laughter stops abruptly, shrieks filling the air.

"Get your hands off of her!" Braxton roars. His huge form steps over broken glass, pieces scattered in his hair, on his shoulders. He is wearing only a pair of shorts and sneakers, his chest glistening with sweat and flecks of blood from broken glass. His eyes are slitted and glowing bright with his wolf, his canines are bared threateningly.

Owen's hands go flying off of me in a panic. He's a low-ranked male, not someone who can take on Braxton's alpha-blood.

"Don't let me go, Owen!" I wail, clinging to him even more tightly. I am in the water!

"Get out of the fucking pool!" Braxton reaches over and literally plucks me from the water. We are right at the edge of the pool, making me feel dumb for panicking. I let go of Owen without a fight. A blur of blue water and pale, frightened faces is all I see as Braxton tosses me over his shoulder and rushes me into the lady's locker room.

No one follows us.

His hazel eyes bore into mine. "He was touching you," he growls down at me. "You are mine."

Braxton! What are you talking about?!" I cry out in panic. I'm shaking so forcefully that my teeth are chattering. What is happening?

His answering howl of rage makes my blood ice over. The fear hits with full force, driving out my momentary bravery. I whimper as his claws dig into the floor on either side of my head, tearing out chunks of tile and grout.

Suddenly his heavy weight is gone. My legs are thrown wide over his shoulders. I try to scramble backward but his hands hold me in place. "Are you fucking them? My female, are you?" he whispers. Hurt and horror color his voice.

"I'm not a slut, Braxton" I sob out. "Why... what are you doing?" I ask again. I try to push away when he suddenly moves his fingers to the bottoms of my swimsuit, pushing aside the material to reveal the most intimate part of me.

"No, no Braxton!" I cry out helplessly. Gorge rises in my throat. I'm awkwardly strung over his shoulders. He is going to force me, here on the locker room floor. My she-wolf snarls, crouching low, showing her teeth in a futile threat.

"Shh, my Ili," he murmurs just before his mouth descends. I scream in shock when I feel it. A nip on my thigh, just a press of teeth, a warning. Then... oh goddess, is he? He bends and inhales deeply, before running his tongue over my most intimate place. A shudder passes through me.

"Braxton!" I cry out as his tongue finds my center and thrusts. My fingers wind in his hair, but I lack the strength to tug him away from me.

"Still innocent," he mutters. Twisting suddenly, he flips us so that he's sitting and I'm straddling his lap. His eyes are glowing, nothing but the wolf remains. My breath seizes, but his hands are gentle. Fur has erupted all over him, peeking out from his shorts, down his chest, and the backs of his hands. His wolf is in more control right now.

"Ili. My Ili," he croons. "Mate. My mate."

"Braxton," I whisper. Tears are streaming down my cheeks. He reaches up, rumbling comfortingly, and wipes them away with calloused hands. Gathering me close to his chest, he starts to rock me back and forth.

"Mine, mate," he murmurs gently past canines that are slowly growing from his mouth. He isn't dripping mating venom, yet, but the sharp scent of intent is filling the stale locker-room air.

My heart rate speeds up. My she-wolf scrambles, hiding deep in her den in a tight, protective ball as whimpers are ripped from her throat. I swallow past the lump in my throat. Braxton is experiencing... oh, goddess, what do they call it? A mating crisis. He lost Caroline and his wolf is driving him to mate me. He's dangerous. If I'm forcefully Marked right now, will I even survive?

"Braxton," I whisper in his ear. "I'm so cold."

His chest rumbles again, sounding upset. Braxton stands with me in his arms. Cradling me against his chest, he walks into the shower and turns on the spray. I huddle against the wall, my face turned away from him, as he strips what's left of the swimsuit from me. Tears of humiliation and fear course down my cheeks.

"Braxton," Alphason Conner's voice is low, soothing as if he's talking to a wild animal.

Braxton snarls at his brother.

"Hey, mind helping us with the new weight machine? Take care of your girl and let's go," Alphason Conner says.

Confusion crosses Braxton's face. He looks down at me. I wonder what he sees? The water in the shower is hot, almost uncomfortably so, but I'm still shivering.

"Ili," he whispers, I wince at the guttural sound of self-loathing and horror.

"Brax-"

He whips himself away from me, chest heaving, head shaking. "Ili. I'm so sorry, baby. Fuck. What did I- fuck!" He punches a hole in the cement block wall, most likely shattering his knuckles, and flees the locker room.

"Sean, make sure Ili gets to the clinic," Alphason Conner says roughly. He takes off after his brother, leaving me alone, wet, shaking, terrified, alone with my never-mate.

"I was..." I sob, "swimming. Learning," I whimper as he grabs a towel and approaches me. "Swimming. Learning to swim," I whisper. "Don't!" I cry out as he holds up the towel, about to wrap it around me.

I can't look at him. I don't want to see his eyes, glaring at me in hatred.

"Can you wrap it around yourself, sweeth-honey?" he amends. His voice is soft and gentle.

I wince and hold out my hand to take it, but I can't seem to make my fingers listen to my brain.

"Ok, Lili. Listen, honey. I'm going to shut off the water, then I'm going to wrap this around you. I won't touch you other than that, alright?" he says softly.

I nod frantically. "No touching," I whimper.

"No touching. Just the towel," he says firmly. "Then... I'm going to ask one of the other females to help you, OK?"

I shake my head, 'no.' "I don't want anyone to know." I don't want Braxton to get in trouble. I know how badly he's hurting, what it's doing to his wolf.

"Listen, honey. They... they're all standing outside, worried for you."

"You bring me," I tell him. Humiliation scores me. My she-wolf is whimpering in confusion. Her never-mate is comforting her after the male she trusted so much...

"Alright, Lili. Water's going off now." I watch Sean's hand reach for the spigot. I swallow, hovering as far as possible from him up against the shower wall. The tile is cold despite the warmth of the steam, making me cough from shaking so hard.

"Alright," Sean says hurriedly. The towel is wrapped around me like a cocoon in quick, abrupt motions. He gently pulls me from the shower, careful to only touch the towel and not my bare skin.

He's soaking wet but doesn't bother to grab a towel for himself. Another towel gets wrapped around me, over the top of my head as if I'm a human nun.

When we emerge from the locker room, Owen is at the door, face pale and shaken. "You," Sean seethes. All of the gentle consideration he's showing me disappears when he speaks to Owen. Owen is standing, head bowed but shoulders and back held straight and proud, as Sean approaches him.

Everyone is out of the pool, standing there dripping water on the tile with miserable, frightened looks on their faces as their wet future-Beta approaches the hapless wolf. Other packmembers are in the hallway, mouths agape, behind the now-busted-open window. It is an absolutely humiliating scene.

"You don't let a feral male grab an unmated female," Sean says, his voice hoarse with the effort of not screaming.

"Leave him alone, Beta," I plea softly. Sean stops moving toward Owen. His fists clench at his sides. Spinning around, his eyes catch mine for the first time since he and Alphason Conner arrived. He looks enraged, but underneath all the anger is a deep well of sorrow and guilt.

I wonder what he sees when he looks at me? A terrified, drowned rat?

"Lili, let's get you to the clinic, alright?" he says softly. "More towels," he growls at the swim group. Enya hurries away, returning with a stack of towels so high they teeter.

Sean grabs them all with one arm. With his free hand, he achingly slowly reaches out to guide me forward with his palm on my towel-covered shoulder. "Can you walk, Lili?"

I shuffle forward. I'm not wearing any shoes, but Sean has planned for that. He takes me into the small swimming office and unwraps me quickly. Numb, I let him, no longer caring if he sees my skinny, naked body. He's seen it, twice, anyway. With almost emotionless efficiency, Sean re-wraps me in new, dry towels, swaddling me as tightly as before. I would think he didn't care, except the hands that are treating me so gently have wicked, black claws that tremble just a bit. Sean walks a couple of steps to the door. I hear him order someone to get his keys from his gym bag and drive his truck to the closest side door. "As close as possible and fuck the grass."

Fuck the grass, but the grass is perfect green and immaculately trimmed. Someone works hard on the grass and the truck's tires have flattened it and broken the stems with its heavy weight. I start to cry again as I settle myself into the seat. Sean sprints to the driver's side and leaps inside, but when he pulls away he drives carefully. Reaching forward, he turns the heater on full blast even though it's a beautiful early summer day.

I wait for Sean to interrogate me. For hurtful questions, maybe even accusations. Instead, he's quiet as we make the short drive to the clinic. I'm conflicted; grateful that we aren't talking about it and disappointed that Sean just doesn't care very much.

I step out of the truck without waiting for Sean. No one is around, but embarrassment is settling in deep. I'm wearing towels. My best friend has just nose-dived off the deep end. I'm scared shitless for Braxton and... maybe of him, too.

"Thank you, Beta," I whisper as I shuffle into the building, letting Sean leave and forget all about me again.

"Hi, Ili," Donna, one of the pack's nurses, rushes over to me. Someone must have called ahead because she immediately ushers me to a private room without saying another word. Behind me, I hear the sound of wet sneakers on the linoleum.

"You can leave, now, Beta," Donna tells Sean as we entire the room.

"I'm staying with Lili and escorting her home when you're done."

Startled, I look up at him. He's still wet and half-naked in just athletic shorts and sneakers. Braxton was dressed the same way, I remember. The males must have been working out this morning.

"I'll pull the curtain," Donna says reluctantly. Sean doesn't argue, but when the cream-colored fabric is stretched taut between us I still don't feel very private.

"Now, let's unwrap you and see what we're dealing with, hmm?" Donna gently takes the towel from my head.

"He didn't hurt me," I protest softly. I can sense the predator lurking on the other side of the flimsy curtain. A deep inhale expressed slowly, makes the fabric flutter, like a monster under the bed moving the sheets with his heavy, anticipatory breathing. "He... he scared me," I finish with a whisper.

"I still would like to check you over, Ili," Donna says with a gentle smile.

I swallow and nod and without any fanfare, Donna pulls the other towel away. I'm mostly dry, but only slightly warmer, and taking away my scant cover feels terrible in more than one way. Donna visually examines me, then starts to poke and prod at me with clinical compassion.

She asks me a few questions. Do I hurt anywhere? When did I start shaking? Am I cold right now? No, a long while ago, and hell yes.

She pronounces me physically fine but gives me something for my nerves. Then she leaves to get me a pair of scrubs to wear. I hope they're thick, woolen scrubs.

"Lili," Sean says from the other side of the curtain after Donna leaves.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Lili. I'm sorry for... everything. If I had only... Please don't be afraid. I'll do a better job of protecting you."

I don't say anything in return. The drugs Donna gave me are working and my brain has relaxed into a compliant, drowsy state. My she-wolf is lying on the ground, only her tail twitching to tell me that she still feels the thread of agitation. Our never-mate is apologizing for... everything? Maybe for nothing?

And why on earth does Sean Green think he needs to protect me?