I wasn't able to sleep for the whole night, only for a few hours after Maricella had joined me. The environment was too different and both my wolf and I were on edge because of it. We couldn't protect Maricella when we didn't know the area or the people in it. I knew that no one would hurt her but much like with her need to protect Bailey I had an even more oppressive urge to protect her. My wolf was paranoid. We had lost her once and he didn't want to ever lose her again. I agreed with him and I was half surprised when I had awoken to her in my arms.

I had expected everything to be a vivid dream but then I had woken up after several hours of sleep to her still in my arms. She had moved closer to me, nearly touching my chest with her own. She was curled up in a small ball but her fingertips were still touching my chest. The small contact was one that shook me. Even in the midst of her dreams, when her mind was far away from her body, she still needed contact with me.

I hadn't lied to her when I said I would have come and gotten her from her bed. My arms had almost physically ached to hold her and I had been at the very edge of my control snapping when she had snuck into my room. Just her scent had made the ache lessen in my muscles. I looked down at her sleeping face as she let out a small sound on contentment, her fingers twitching slightly against my chest. I felt the iciness and rage I held so tightly dissipate as I watched her.

I brought my hand up and brushed some hair from her face, letting my knuckles linger against her skin. She was a truly beautiful female. I couldn't believe I had thought any woman had been beautiful before her. I knew it was partly because of the bond but I truly believed she was beautiful. Maricella's beauty seemed more earthy, more natural and obtainable than the other females I had dealt with before. She was everything I could have possibly asked for in a mate. I pulled my hand back, not wanting to get carried away with touching her.

The sound of creaking floorboards drew my attention. Someone was walking into the house from the front door. I stiffened slightly before brushing Maricella's cheek with a kiss. I bit back a smile as she muttered something happily under her breath before snuggling closer to her pillow. I slowly slid off the bed and listened as I moved silently towards the door to my room. I could barely hear the whisper of bare feet on hardwood as the person moved towards the stairs.

Bailey was upstairs by herself. The thought had my wolf make up my mind for me. Bailey could not be left unprotected. Maricella would never forgive me and despite my feelings, Davin was a good guy and I wouldn't allow his mate to be hurt. I slipped out of the room and slowly made my way o the stairs, listening for the intruder. To my relief the footsteps bypassed the stairs and went down the hall towards the office.

I had made sure to get the layout of the house figured out while Maricella was upstairs in her room. I quietly made my way upstairs and could hear the low tones of talking in Jace's office. He wasn't my Alpha but I wasn't quite sure what to call him. Alpha Lawrence seemed too strange for me but I shook the thoughts away. I needed to make sure Maricella and Bailey were safe from whoever was in the house. I slipped down the hall, listening to the voices rise slightly. The office door was closed and I could scent Jace and the scent of wild and forest. I frowned slightly before I lifted my hand and knocked. The loud voices were silenced and I tried to keep my uneasiness under wraps.

Jace was a formidable opponent and looking at him I knew I would not be able to take him down in a fight, his wolf was too unpredictable and he had the advantage of size. I didn't like being on his territory without having a place in his pack. It felt wrong for some reason .The entire situation felt wrong to me. I needed to have a place in the pack, I needed structure to function. It was how I always lived my life. I was pulled out of my thoughts as the door opened.

A tired, angry looking Alpha ripped the door open and his eyes narrowed slightly as he looked me over. He tilted his head and I stared at him, unwilling to lower my gaze to an Alpha who had not accepted me into his pack. He let out a heavy sigh before running his hand through his hair. He looked suddenly uncertain and it was a strange expression for an Alpha to have. "Come in, Bennett. I forgot about you." He let out another sigh and opened the door wider. I nodded at him and stepped inside when my eyes landed on a chillingly familiar form. The wild hadn't looked any different than the last time I had seen him and I felt a growl erupt out of my chest without warning. My wolf was immediately on the offensive as we looked at him.

"This is Vic-"

"I know this shifter. He's the one who told me Maricella was dead." The words were low and so icy I was almost surprised. I had a lot of sleepless nights because of this wild bastard.

"I never said she was dead." He said it harshly, as if he wasn't used to speaking in mixed company, or at all.

"Well you fucking well didn't state she was living, now did you?" I ground my teeth together, the icy rage swirling up through my body and into my limbs. I wanted to hurt him like he had hurt me. Over two years I had spent in mourning, over two years of having guilt and anger eat away at me because of his actions and words.

"Don't disrespect me, whelp." He sneered the words out and I cracked my neck slightly as I looked at him, breathing heavily. I wanted to hurt him for what he did.

"Victor, be quiet." Jace's voice was tight with anger and I glanced at him as he ran his hand over his face. He looked like he hadn't slept at all.

"Oh so you are on his side?" Victor snapped the words out and I felt my wolf stiffen and I straightened my spine, staring at the man, assessing how badly I could hurt him in a fight. Even him being wild I would do some damage, he wasn't big enough to be able to throw me around. My wolf liked the thought.

"He's her mate. What the fuck do you expect me to do? I hurt him, I hurt her." Jace looked frustrated and I bit back a growl at the fact that they were ignoring me. Anger crackled in the air as the two of them stared at one another.

"Do something." Victor spat it out and Jace's face went stony.

"Like you did?" His voice was tight and accusing and Victor's expression turned blank. I kept shifting my gaze between the two of them. I knew when to pick my battles and jumping between these two was not one I wanted to get involved in. My anger was pushed away for wariness as I watched them.

"I did what I had to." Victor was gritting his teeth as he stated the words, his grey eyes hard like flint.

Jace slammed his fist onto his desk. "You took what was mine." He was seething and I forced myself to step back, letting them have room if they decided to fight. I didn't want to get trapped between them. Both of these males were unpredictable and their wolves were even more so. I was a warrior but I wasn't a fucking mind reader, I also had Maricella to think about.

"You don't think it was mine as well?" Victor's words were confusing but Jace slammed his first down again, making the various items on his desk jump.

"You had no right!" His voice was booming and I looked at the open door, wondering if anyone woke up because of the shouting.

"I had every right!" Once again Victor's words were confusing me. According to tradition, the one who sent the black ribbon had the right to the kill, no one else.

"Oh, just because you fucked her mother, it gives you the right to take my kill." At Jace's statement I wanted to choke. I stared at Victor, studying his dirty face, underneath the dirt I could see structuring that was similar to my little mates and the realization floored me as I stared at his eyes. The wild was Maricella's father, her biological father.

"Don't you fucking dare." He leaned forward, his hands clenched at his sides and I blinked rapidly. Did Maricella know he was her father? From what Alpha Lawrence had told me, her parents were supposedly both dead, obviously her father survived his injuries but did she know that he did?

"What, Victor? Still lying to yourself about it?" There was an ugly look of mocking to Jace's face. His anger seemed to have no limit to it. "Still pretending that you don't see your mate in everything she does?" Jace's words were made to wound and even I felt a bit of disgust for them. Poking fun at a dead mate was cruel and so low that even most illegal rogues wouldn't go there.

"I am warning you, Jace." Victor growled deep in his chest, his entire form shaking as he tried to hold back his wolf. I could see his face turning more bad more angular and I shifted back towards the door just a fraction. I wouldn't be left in the room with no escape when he decided to wolf out on Jace.

"Why? Can't hand the truth that you left her there? Can't handle the fact you failed your mate and your little girl?" Jace had a rather ugly sneer on his face and it made him look even more formidable than usual.

Victor's tilted his head, his long, tangled hair falling over one shoulder as his neck cracked ominously. "Jace-"

Jace cleared off his desk with a heavy snarl. "No! I'm sick and tired of this bullshit, Victor! Either you toe the fucking line or you get the fuck out!" A vein throbbed in his forehead as he shouted the words.

"Bennett, what are you doing?" At Maricella's soft voice the office fell instantly silent and I turned my head so quickly my neck cracked slightly. Her brown curls were a mess of tangles and she was wiping at her tired grey eyes but she was still beautiful, even as a sleepy mused female with bed head. "Come back to bed. I'm tired." She yawned and I felt two sets of angry eyes land on me at her words and I kept my face blank. That wasn't something I needed to explain to them.

"Excuse me?" Jace's voice was icy and I refused to let myself look at him. I could feel his gaze drilling into the side of my head. I didn't particularly need two father figures lecturing me on my relationship with Maricella after I had three brotherly figures do it earlier.

"Bennett, please. I'm tired." She ignored the men in the office as she shuffled her way into the room and grasped my hand in hers. I looked down at it and she took a step towards the office door, tugging me with her.

"You aren't going anywhere with him." Jace's tone was icy and forbidding and I tensed at his words. My wolf didn't like being told to keep away from our mate. I forced down a growl as Maricella stiffened, her entire body on point before she sunk close to me, seeking my protection, her tired eyes wary as they looked at him.

"What the hell is going on?" Davin came into the room, rubbing his face with a dark scowl. So Jace had woke other people up with his shouting. I wondered who else would join us.

Jace gestured to me and Maricella. "I'm gunna tell you what is going on. Bennett is sleeping with Maricella." He spat the words out and Mari grasp at my stomach and back, trying to cling to me. I wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as I looked between the two males

"So? I doubt they are doing anything improper." Davin's scowl deepened as he looked over at us. "She looks exhausted. I highly doubt she would want to try anything and Bennett is too honorable to do anything without permission." I was surprised he was defending us but I appreciated it. I didn't want anyone thinking I would take advantage of her.

"I won't stand for this." Jace bared his teeth as a deep growl rumbled out of his chest. The sound of it made Maricella sink further towards me and Davin snapped his teeth together as he noticed.

"And what are you going to do about it?" Davin's tone was icy. "Scream in her face, shake her, leave bruises like you did last time?" Jace actually had the grace to look ashamed at that and I felt my chest rumble at the words. The growly tone made me more than aware that Maricella was having issues with controlling her wolf. I squeezed her hand gently. She was trembling and I knew her wolf was trying to push forward but I was impressed at how long she was lasting in keeping her in check.

"Davin, please calm down." Victor said it carefully as he looked at the bristling male and I glanced at him. He looked pained but his focus was on his daughter and how she shook.

"That's rich coming from you. You are the reason for all of it. You couldn't reign in your instincts for three seconds, could you? You just had to fuck everything up." Davin's voice was low and accusing as he turned to look at the wild.

Victor turned his full attention to Maricella as if looking for an ally. "I don't think it is a good idea for you and him to be in the same room right now."

A deep growl came out of Maricella's chest at that, her control over her wolf was fraying with all the tension. All eyes snapped to her in surprise at that. "You don't get to parent me. You gave that right up when you left me on Tacita territory when I was four years old." At her words there was a still silence and I looked between her and Victor. Whatever colour he had in his face before was now completely gone. I should have placed my bets on her knowing. She was too intelligent not to have figured it out.

He swallowed hard and looked down at the floor, shame radiating off of him. Davin crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the wild. "She has a point. Did you think we didn't figure it out? Did you think she wouldn't figure it out?" Jce's gaze immediately snapped towards Davin with a sharp growl.

"You don't bring that into this, Davin." There was a heavy censure to Jace's voice that had Davin giving a cold laugh.

"You didn't seem to mind throwing it into Mari's face when you were busy screaming at her. They share DNA that does not make her responsible for his fuck ups." Davin jabbed his finger at the wild, his green eyes narrowing dangerously. I didn't like how he was between me and getting Maricella to safety. I needed a clear exit and he was blocking it. "Do you like her acting like this? She's terrified of you to the point her wolf is aggressive with you. Do you like that you did that to her?" Davin gestured to where Maricella was clinging to me, scared and aggressive growls rumbling her chest as her wolf fought against her control to protect her.

"Davin." Jace's tone was sharp and Davin moved further into the room as he scoffed.

"Don't Davin me." He jerked his finger towards his father. "We made her a promise and you broke your promise. It could take her months to get rid of that fear. Months." The scarred Alpha stared down at his desk, his mouth pressed into a thin line. As if sensing a break in the tension Davin looked at me. "Take her back to bed, she needs the sleep." I looked down at her and her grey eyes were glassy with tears and exhaustion carved deep lines into her face.

I nodded at Davin before I started towards the door, keeping my body between her and the three males in the room. Once safely out I lead her back to the basement stairs. That had been a little too intense. There had been a lot of fear and aggression in her and my wolf wanted to make sure she was okay. We slowly made our way back to my room and I opened the door before pulling her inside and shutting it. I pulled her the bed and sat her down on it.

"Are you okay?" I crouched down in front of her and at my words I could see her crumbling. She raised a trembling hand up to her mouth and she started crying. My wolf was instantly tense, not knowing what to do as her entire form shook as she cried. "Sweet one, it's okay." The panicky feeling started to fill my body and I sat down beside her and pulled her onto my lap, trying to get the tears to stop. I couldn't stand seeing her cry. I held her tightly, trying to fight the constricting feeling surrounding my chest at the sound of her sobs.

Her arms wrapped around my neck and she pressed her tear stained face into my shoulder as her chest heaved out the hurt she was keeping inside. I felt frozen. I wanted the tears to stop. I needed her to stop crying because each sob was tearing at me viciously. I held her a bit tighter and shifted further back on the bed before laying her down. I brushed her hair from her face as she removed her arms from my neck and covered her face with her hands. I shushed her gently, trying to stop the panic from encasing me.

I hated that she was crying and I hated how useless I was with getting her to stop. I could deal with crying females, I could but Maricella was different. Her happiness was more important to me and my wolf than anything so seeing her so hurt with nothing we could do was causing us both to panic. I rubbed at her back, holding her close as she continued her breakdown. After a few minutes her sobs slowed down and I felt the tightness in my chest loosen as I murmured to her softly. I didn't exactly know what I was saying. I was just hoping the sound of my voice would help calm her down.

"Don't leave me, okay? I woke up and you were gone and I thought everything was a dream." She sniffled as she pulled her hands from her face and I made a sound in the back of my throat before I pressed my forehead to hers.

I brushed her sticky cheek with the back of my hand before cupping it and wiping away her tears with my thumb. "I'm sorry, sweet one. I won't leave. I promise." I was relieved to hear that someone felt the same away about our situation.

"Okay. Can we sleep now?" Her voice was soft and despite her sniffles I could hear how tired she was. I nodded before kissing her forehead and pulling the blanket over both of us. She snuggled closer, sniffling a few times before wiping at her cheeks. It didn't take her long to fall back asleep but I knew I was too wired from the intensity in the office. I couldn't hear anymore talking or walking around so either they were all dead or decided to call a temporary truce.

I watched Maricella sleep and couldn't help myself as I brushed my thumb over her eyebrow. I honestly felt a bit off-kilter about our bond. Not a bad feeling but everything with Maricella was changing how I usually dealt with people. I was cold to the people around me but she had fallen into a different category completely. I felt like a different person with her only to be yanked back into the cold persona I had worn for so long whenever I dealt with someone else. I didn't mind it. I loved it when I made her smile but having to switch between the two personalities so often and quickly made me think I had a split personality disorder.

It was a terrible habit but I would be willing to endure pretty much anything for Maricella. I hadn't lied when I told her I would pull the stars from the sky if she asked. I let out a heavy sigh and closed my eyes. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep but I wanted to stay with her until she woke up. I didn't want her to feel like I had left her again.