The door to the basement opened again and I got ready. Waiting on Elizabeth's go ahead weather or not to shoot.

Then I saw him. No shirt, no shoes, basketball shorts hanging dangerously low on his hips. Xavier.

Behind him was his Dad and Fergus.

"What are you guys doing out of the safe room?" Xavier asked then looking around for the first time at the bodies on the floor and me with a gun in my hands.

"Sh*t hit the fan." I said

"They had the code son, I don't know how, but they knew." Elizabeth said going over to Eddie and giving him a hug.

I clicked the safety back on the handgun and put it back behind me in the waist of my pants.

Xavier walked over to me and started looking at me all over to see if I was ok. He touched my face and his hand came away with blood.

"It's not mine." I said looking up at him.

"What happened?" Xavier asked turning to his mother

"They came in holding Nikki, they wanted to trade her for Alex. We said No, but Alex had other plans. He gave her self over to them, then once Nikki was safe Alex took care of them." She said gesturing to the 3 right out side the door in the corner.

Xavier turned to look at me.

"So you turn into a giant dog huh." I said crossing my arms over my chest.

He started running his hand down his face. "I-I was going to tell you, it was just never the right time." He said looking down.

"Is everyone else ok?" I asked him

"Yea we took care of the rest of them." He said looking at me with sadness in his eyes.

"Can we go back up?" I asked ready for a shower to get this blood off of me.

"Yea just let me tell the rest of the pack." He said walking past me and into the safe room.

"Good job kiddo." Eddie said smiling.

"Yup what did I tell ye she's his mate for a reason." Fergus said looking over the dead bodies of the 4 men I had killed.

Xavier came back out and walked me over to one of the elevators. It was silent all the way back to his room.

When we got in I pulled off my boots and laid the handgun on the dresser.

"I'm going to take a shower." I said walking into the bathroom and closing the door.

I took a long hot shower then dried off and wrapped a towel around me. I even blow dried my hair. After running out of things to do I knew I had to face him at some point. I walked out and went straight for the closet closing the door. I put on a pair of underwear, fuzzy socks, booty shorts and his hoodie.

When I walked back out he was gone and I heard the shower running.

I sat at the foot of the bed facing the head board waiting for him. I wanted answers.

Neither one of us said a word as we headed back to our room. I was mind-link various pack members, getting updates and then I mind-linked my Mother for a play-by-play of what went down and what was said.

After she went to take a shower is when my Mother said she told Alex that we were mates and what that meant.

When she came out of the bathroom, I went in to take a shower. Everything was running through my head of how this was going to go.

I've never been afraid of anything, but right now I was terrified of her rejecting me.

I came out and went to put on some boxers and sweat pants. I came out of the closet and saw her sitting at the foot of the bed waiting for me.

I sat down at the head of the bed facing her.

"So mates huh." She said breaking the silence.

"Yes." I said quietly

"Why didn't you just tell me." She asked

I just shrugged my shoulders. Unable to answer her.

"So what all is this, what am I suppose to be to you?" She asked

"Your my mate, my other half, my soul." I said honestly

"You Mom said something about mating ritual what's that?" She asked

"Well, I mark you then we mate." I said looking at my hands.

"You are not pissing on me." She said mortified

My head snapped up to her and I started laughing, "No, nothing like that. I mark you by biting you right here." I said gesturing to my collar bone.

"Does it hurt?" She asked

"I've been told it does at first, but then it turns into pleasure, but if you do it while mating it doesn't hurt at all." I said

"Matting that would be..." She trailed off looking for answers

"Sex." I said

She just nodded her head. Taking it all in.

"So your the 'King'?" She said turning her head to the side.

"Yes. We have Alpha's who take care of a pack, then you have the Beta's, then Gamma's then the rest of the pack from regular members to warriors. But this pack is called the Royal Pack. I'am the King, I took over the title from my father. You are the Queen, my Queen. We help the other Alpha's and make sure everyone is taken care of and prevent Rogues from harming people.

Rogues are wolves who have been banished from their pack for crimes, cursed to live life alone. We are very social creatures so it's the worst punishment besides death you could give to a wolf. Rogues will hurt anyone even humans if left unchecked. We also help preserve the secret of our existence to the world." I explained.

"When an wolf has a human mate the human will stay human, but when an Alpha has a human mate after the mating ritual they get their own wolf. So you would become like me. The human always sleeps for a few days afterwards while their body joins with their wolf." I told her wanting her to know everything.

"That's a lot to take in." She said

"I know this overwhelming, but please just give me a chance. That's all I'm asking for. If you still don't want to be with me, I-I'll let you go home." I said, my heart breaking with every word.

"I was so stupid. I thought I wanted you to submit to me, but after you got hurt, I was so scared I was going to lose you. When you woke up, you were submissive to me, I am so sorry. I never want you to submit to me again. I didn't like it. I promise you Randall will pay for what he did to you." I said looking at her trying to memorize her face as if this was the last time I'd get to see her.

"Oh I was never submitting to you, I was only pretending until I could escape. I'm not that easy to break." She said smirking at me.

I was dumbstruck and in awe. She was stronger than I ever believed.

"How old are you?" She asked me.

"I wonder what your going to think. We age differently. While we do get older it's at a slower pace. I'm 205." I said looking at her for her reaction. She didn't disappoint. Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open. "I've been waiting for you for a long time." I told her. "How old are you?" I asked curious as to her comment about kidnapping minors across state lines.

"18." She simply answered still shell shocked at my age.

She stood up suddenly and started pacing at the foot of the bed.

"I'll give you a chance, give us a chance, but I have condition's." She said looking back at me.

"Which are?" I asked with hope swelling in my chest.

"One do not lie to me again. Lying is my biggest pet peeve and I will not stand for it. That includes lying 'for my own good' or keeping things from me 'for my safety'. That never works and people always end up getting hurt because they didn't know who or what to avoid because someone didn't tell them for their own good. Nothing good ever comes from that.

Two I want to see my Mom and explain, I will not let my Momma go through her life thinking I'm being hurt or dead in a ditch some where for the rest of her life. It'll kill her.

Three when I go to sleep after the marking thingy, you will not leave me alone. I don't care if you have to pack me around like a rag-doll, do not leave me alone. I don't like the thought of being passed out and at the mercy of anyone.

Four there are somethings about me you should know." She said stopping her pacing and looking at me.

"I promise I will do them all. I won't lie or keep anything from you again. You have my word. We will go together and explain everything to your Mom. She can come visit anytime she wants too. I wouldn't leave you alone anyway. And I always love getting to know things about you." I said.

"Once I tell you about what's happened to me, what I've done. You may not want me." She said walking over to the window seat.

"Nothing can make me not want you." I said

"Just let me tell you and don't interrupt." She said looking out the window.

"Ok." I said curious as to what she thinks is so bad.

"I killed my own father." She said so quietly I almost didn't catch it.

"I'm alot younger than my siblings. My oldest sister is 10 years older than me. My second sister is 9 years older than me, my third sister is 8 years older than me and my brother is 6 years older than me. I've always been the baby of the family. My first Niece was born when I was 8. I've been a babysitter ever since I was 12. I love it. My older siblings had a great dad, but they were all out of the house when things got bad.

My Mom is an amazing woman. She works alot though, but she's always there when we need her. She's my best friend.

When my siblings were little our dad only drank on the weekends and never alot. But after they all left it was a 6 pack every day, then a 12 pack, and eventually a 24 pack everyday. He would regularly pass out on the floor. He started hitting me when I was 10 when we were home alone. He drug me around the house by my hair once. I didn't tell anyone because I didn't know any better. When I was 15 my brother walked in on him hitting me.

He told our Mom and she kicked him out that day and filed for divorce. Turns out he had been beating the hell out of her for years. She was planning on divorcing him when I turned 18 as she thought he was a good dad to me like he was to the other kids.

He went crazy blamed everything on me and threatened to kill me and my Mom. He tried a few times. He cut the brakes on my car. He went around town drunk boasting how he was going to put a bullet in my head.

Mom was able to get a restraining order, but it did nothing. He still broke in while we were gone and trashed the house and continued with his threats for almost a year. One day I guess he was tired of threatening and was waiting for us when we got home from a ball game. He beat my Mom in front of me and put a gun in my mouth.

Some how I I got away from him and ran to my room. Since Mom kicked him out I kept a shotgun behind my door for protection.

He came at me and busted my door down. I didn't hesitate... I killed him... I was 16.

After the investigation and police interviews it was classified as a justified shooting.

At first when Mom filed for divorce my sisters had a hard time coming to terms with it. At first they couldn't believe what I said about the beatings. But I guess over the course of the year from hell they realized I wasn't lying.

When all of this was going on before I killed him, a new guy, Brad, started working with Mom at her job. He was a year older than me. I've always gotten along better with guys than girls. I think it's because my sisters are a lot older so I hung out with my brother and his friends for as long as I can remember, fixing cars, playing tackle football. I was the definition of tomboy. Still Am.

But I only saw Brad as a friend. Nothing more. When he tried to kiss me one time. I made it crystal clear that I did not like him like that. He asked me out a few times, but after a while he backed off and I thought we were good. I was wrong.

After I killed my ba*tard of a father I stayed home from school for almost 2 weeks. I needed a break from everyone staring at me. One of my sisters had went and got my work.

6 days after I killed him, Brad showed up at my door. I was home alone as Mom was at work. I was still upset and trying to process everything. Instead of being a friend he demanded I go out with him on a date. Didn't ask demanded. I was over everything and I had so much pent up rage. I let him have it.

I called him every name in the book and then some. I told him he was an idiot who couldn't take a hint. That I had already spelled it out for him did he want me to write it in crayon. I was beyond mean. I shouldn't have said those things. I was just so angry.

I turned around and slammed the door in his face, but I made the biggest mistake of my life. I didn't lock the f*cking door.

I was walking down the hallway when I heard the door slam open. I turned around to give him a piece of my mind, but he was already behind me. He wrapped his hands around my throat. I couldn't breathe, but he didn't stop. I passed out.

When I woke up he was gone and my cloths were off and I was hurt. I felt like it was my fault. If I had locked the door. If I hadn't taken my anger out on him. I got up. I took a shower. I cleaned up the blood off the floor and I went to my best friends house.

Mikey has always been my best friend, since we were 3. I was the first person he came out to when he came out of the closet. Mom knew he was gay so she never had a problem with us having sleep overs.

I went to his house and didn't say anything just laid in his bed hiding from the world. He knew something happened because of the bruises on my neck. I think he suspected, but he never said a word. After the 2nd day he made me get up and took me out to the barn where his wight lifting equipment was.

He was the best guard on the football team. I was strong from living and working on a farm my whole life, but he said I didn't know how to use it. He had me train with him and taught me how to fight.

Brad started stalking me, showing up at games and at my siblings houses while I was there. Mikey started noticing him and straight up made me tell him. He never let me be alone after that. The next time we saw Brad at a football game Mikey beat the breaks off of him after the game. He even broke one of his legs. After that I never saw Brad again."

I didn't know what to say to her. I wanted resurrect and kill her father again for what he put her through. I wanted to kill the guy who raped her. I'd have to find her friend Mikey and thank him for at least breaking his legs, although I'd prefer his head on a pike.

I got up and walked over to her and pulled her in my arms picking her up and walked back over to the bed, I sat down with her on my lap. She wouldn't look at me so I place hand on her chin and brought her head up so that she was looking at me.

"None of that would make me not love you. If anything I love you even more now, if that's at all possible. You are so strong. I love you. I want to be with you. I'm 205 years old. I've done things way worse and that I'm not proud of. You have done nothing wrong. You defended your self from your father. What that guy did to you is not your fault. You are everything to me." I told her honestly brushing away her silent tears running down her cheeks.

After 20 minutes she leaned up and kissed me softly. I kissed her back just as gentle. Then she nuzzled into my neck which is her favorite place to sleep. I got comfortable in the middle of the bed with her still laying on me and pulled the comforter around us. But I still had one burning question I just had to know the answer too.

"Hey Alex?" I said

"Huh?" She responded

"Can I ask you a question that's been bugging me?"

"Sure"

"What the hell does 'Apples' mean?"