I was not mad. I was furious.

Just when I thought that Nolan and I had finally taken a step forward, a step toward equality in our twisted relationship, he reminded me of the harsh reality of our situation-- of the situation of Lunas everywhere. Even the strongest female pack leader had to submit to her Alpha. In my eighteen years, I had never heard otherwise. And it was clear that Nolan expected me to follow suit.

But Nolan forgot one thing. He was not my alpha. Not really. Not by blood nor mate bond. And it would stay that way so long as Nolan kept me an arms-length away.

As I stormed out of the kitchen, in the opposite direction of Nolan, I found myself thanking the Moon Goddess and my damn lucky stars that he refused to mark me. If he did mark me, I'd immediately become a Black Lupis werewolf. I'd be subject to Nolan's every wish. I'd be physically incapable of disobeying his alpha-command.

And I certainly wouldn't be marching out into the forest to meet Dominic right now. If Nolan knew I left the pack house, he certainly didn't make any move to stop me.

My feet carried me straight into the mingling oaks and pines that fought for dominance in the dense biome. My steps did not slow when the chatter and white-noise of the pack house faded completely. A bird chirped in the branches above my head, my feet crunched on a combination of dead leaves and pine straw, and a cricket or two began to sing to the setting sun.

When I could no longer calculate the distance between myself and the pack house, I stopped.

"Dominic?" I spoke his name like I'd speak to someone across the dinner table. Somehow, I knew that he would still hear me.

I crossed my arms defiantly against my chest, cocked one hip to the side, and waited. If he knows what is good for him, he'll expedite his arrival, I grumbled inwardly. Nolan left me in no mood to wait around for any male.

Ten seconds passed, and I couldn't resist the urge to tap my foot against the forrest floor. I wanted to punch something-- someone. A certain someone with perfect dark hair, deep blue eyes, and the face of perfection. A single slap wouldn't hurt Nolan... If anything, it might teach him some critically needed humility!

A rustling in the darkness interrupted my plotting.

"Finally," I grumbled, turning toward the foliage. Dominic appeared a moment later.

"You're early," Dominic remarked, slipping a grey t-shirt over tanned muscles as he stepped into the little clearing. "I didn't expect to see you... ever again?"

"Ha ha." I rolled my eyes. "Nolan isn't the boss of me."

The dark-haired rogue huffed, a semblance of a laugh. "Maybe you should tell him that?"

"I'm not speaking to him at the moment."

Dominic narrowed his eyes, and the puffy skin around his scar crinkled with the movement. He folded his impressively toned arms against his chest, and I noticed the black ink that slithered like a snake on each forearm, disappearing beneath a grey sleeve. I'd never noticed the tattoos before. Moon Goddess, he's sexy.

"You know, I was a bit worried you'd never be speaking to me again..." He finally ventured, and the weight of his words roused me from my childish thoughts.

"Why?" I furrowed my brows.

He let out a long breath, and I suddenly realized that something must have really been bothering him. "I just didn't know what Nolan would say about me... about what happened when we were kids. And then, with our father."

One hundred emotions swam in his familiar blue orbs, and I wished that I could freeze that moment just so I could study each one. Guilt, fear, shame... power. A shiver ran down my back.

"Your father abandoned you, Dominic. You don't need to justify your actions to me." I took a few steps toward him, closing whatever distance had been separating us, and placed a hand on one of his.

Dominic's blue eyes widened, and his gaze flashed down to our touching hands. My thumb grazed a calloused knuckle, and I could have sworn I noticed the man stiffen. When was the last time someone had willingly touched him in such a way? When was the last time someone had cared for him?

He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "So, you're not scared of me?"

"Should I be?"

"No," he answered quickly, with a ferocity in his gravely voice that could have brought an enemy to his knees. I knew that Dominic meant every word.

I squeezed his hand, reveling in the warmth of his rough skin. It wasn't unpleasant. In fact, I wanted to explore Dominic further. I wanted to trace every crack and crevice that lingered on his palm. I wanted to know where he received the little scar that decorated his thumb. I wanted to know more. And yet, I tore my hand away because I could not stand the thick silence that descended upon the little clearing.

I backed away from my Rogue Alpha, offering the male a challenging smirk in an effort to diffuse the tension. "You know... it's you who should be scared of me."

"Oh, really?" Dominic cocked a dark brow, thoroughly unconvinced.

"Indeed." I stretched my arms out in front of me, like a swimmer before entering the water. "Your brother knows how to push-- no, punch my buttons. And I'm ready to punch something."

A ghost of a smile played on Dominic's lips. "An angry Luna is a dangerous thing."

"Don't call me that," I growled, balancing on one foot to stretch my quadricep.

"What? Luna?" When I nodded, Dominic did not bother trying to hide his confusion. "Are you not the Black Lupis Pack Luna?"

"Nope," I popped the 'p' sound at the end of the word. "Nolan has made it abundantly clear that I have no power in his pack. I'm not a Luna. I'm not even a Black Lupis pack member. I'm a rogue, like you."

Dominic laughed. He actually laughed at me. An unbridled, thoroughly amused chortle. Asshole.

"What's so funny?" I growled, hands clenching into fists.

"You aren't a rogue, Charlie. Like it or not, you're Nolan's mate." I thought I detected a trace of bitterness in Dominic's voice.

"Sure as hell doesn't feel like it," I grumbled, nails digging into my palms. "I think Fate majorly messed up this whole 'mate' shit. Maybe I was supposed to end up with you?" The words left my tongue before I could stop them, and I immediately wished I could take it back. But the damage had been done.

Dominic's eyes darkened, and the bright blue orbs no longer danced with amusement. Instead, he frowned. "You really think so?"

I swallowed, mind racing to conjure some explanation. He continued before I could manage even a 'yes' or a 'no.' His frown deepened. "I felt that way with Sarah. I felt connected to her, loved her, like a mate. I think she felt similarly, but her connection to Nolan... it overcame anything she could ever feel for me."

Pity swarmed my chest, even as the familiarity of Sarah's situation frightened me. She'd felt connected to Nolan and Dominic as well?

Dominic huffed a laugh, and cool sarcasm dripped from his every word as he continued. "Sometimes, I like to think that if I had met either of you first... things would be different."

I knew what he meant. If Sarah or I had met Dominic first, perhaps the mating bond would have snapped into place with him... The thought confused me and excited me and worried me, all at once. I shook my head, "I-I'm not sure if Fate works like that."

The muscles in Dominic's shoulders tightened and his jaw twitched. But he released a long sigh and nodded. "You're probably right. Besides, you wouldn't last a day outside of the cushion of pack life."

I scoffed. "Oh really?" And then I launched at him with fists flying, utilizing the techniques he had taught me in our previous lessons, thrilled to leave our previous conversation behind. I had been practicing, perfecting the movements so that my punches landed with precision and speed. My dominant right fist impacted his left shoulder, and my left leg was already on its way to landing a low round-kick to his calf.

These weren't attacks meant to hurt Dominic. They were meant to send a message: Shut up, and let's train.

Dominic and I did not stop until the moon reached its peak in the sky. Along the way, I had lost my t-shirt to the damp night air, and I had gained a number of bruises scattered across my skin. Tendrils of my dark hair escaped the tight pony-tail and stuck to my forehead. I hadn't trained so hard in... forever.

"You look like you were in a car accident--again." Cruel mischief sparked in Dominic's eyes.

I wanted to wipe the smirk off of his face, but I couldn't be sure if my legs had enough strength to carry me toward him. "Shut up. Need I remind you of who jumped in front of my car?"

"Look, I already apologized for that. Are you going to hold it against me forever?" Dominic slipped his own t-shirt back over his skin. We had both decided to discard our tops in favor of the night breeze against our bare skin. He took a few steps toward me, until I had to look up to see his eyes.

"Yes," I answered in defiance, wiping a line of sweat away from my forehead as if our proximity did not have the slightest affect on me.

"Wicked girl," Dominic muttered, his words dripped like sinful honey. My insides tightened, and I couldn't help the warmth that started to pool in my core.

"I've-got-to-go!" The words came out in a quick, jumbled mess, but Dominic got the point. He took a step back, amusement dancing at the corners of his lips. I quickly turned in the direction of the pack house. "Goodnight, Dominic."

"Goodnight, Charlie."

I walked right past the pack house. I might not have been extremely happy with Nolan at the moment, but I liked his little cottage. And, although I might deny it, I couldn't bear the thought of Nolan hating me.

On my journey back to the cottage, I rehearsed all of the reasons why I needed to continue training with Dominic. I could already imagine Nolan's face when I walked back into his cottage. He'd be angry-- waiting up for me to return from my late night rendezvous. I had my argument prepared, and I was ready for the confrontation.

When I reached the beautiful garden that decorated the front of the little house, I took a deep breath and awakened whatever courage and confidence that I'd need to depend on. I wouldn't creep into Nolan's home like a teenager returning after curfew. I'd march through the front door, like a damn Luna. Alright, let's do this.

I flung the front door open like a mighty gust of wind.

"Look, I know you're angry with me, but-" I paused. Wait-- what? Where I had been expecting an angry Alpha, I was met with empty air. Nothing. The living room lights were turned on, but not a soul sat in the illuminated space. "Nolan?"

No reply. I shut the front door and moved further into the house. But I knew that I wouldn't find him. He was not here.

I retreated into the bedroom, showered, and tried to ignore the feeling of emptiness that clawed my chest.

*****