As per my knowledge, the Scarlet Pride was ran by a temporary female Alpha named Layla, till the right one came and claimed the position—which Lorenzo had.

"What have you done?" I pulled away from him, repeating the same question again as the horror rang in my mind.

"I've done what needed to be done, to take you, to have you with me, to claim you in front of everyone. Isn't that what you want, love?" Lorenzo asked, reaching for me again.

"Yes—no, I'm not ready yet." I stuttered, stepping aside out of fear that brimmed at the core of my heart. While I wanted to be claimed and taken, I wasn't ready, not right now, not immediately.

"It doesn't matter. I'll still take you and if you object my claim, I will force you." A cocky grin spread across his features and he continued. "Let's not go there."

"No, you can't!" I exclaimed. "I've a life. I need time. My Alpha doesn't know—"

He cut me off right when I was going to blurt out everything. "It doesn't matter. Richard will not be your Alpha anymore."

"Oh, yes, he will be. You can't do this to me." Lines of worry appeared over my forehead as I took another step back out of frustration. "My parents, my friends, I've my whole life in Far Waters. I can't just be taken, this is not right! Who do you even think you are? You can't just do this—"

And it wasn't right.

"Shut your mouth for a second, love." He said out of complete annoyance.

I continued either way. When I tried to blabber, he shifted his hand over my mouth and silenced me down. His fingers clasped on my hair and he pulled me to his chest in the same instant.

My heart raced and a groan caught at my throat as I struggled with his hands over me, refraining from me to speak.

"I'm going to come and take you. The second you try to do something or disobey me, someone will be dead and I won't show any mercy on killing whoever I feel like at that moment, whether it's your parents, or those silly little infuriating friends you have." He whispered in my ears before pressing his lips on my neck.

My eyes widened and I squirmed out of his grasp as quick as I could.

"Did you just fucking threaten me?" Rage spiraled in my head and I gritted my teeth together. There was a limit to everything I was going to accept but dragging in my parents and my friends was far too much to bear.

"Yes, I did." His voice boomed at my disrespect and he grabbed me by my throat. His breath lingered over my lips as he inched closer, a small distance separating our lips from meeting. "Fight and I'll break you. Don't fucking test my patience or else the next in line to be dead will be you. Go home and be ready, all right?"

When he released me, I snatched a few quick breaths, no longer in the butterfly world anymore. I avoided throwing anymore curses as I was on his land and I didn't have a death wish so I just flashed my middle finger at him and sprinted away from the area.

To think any of that would happen.

It was absurd, just absurd!

Entering the lobby, I found Ann and Cora, seated and on their phones, waiting for me.

"Where were you?" Ann asked.

"Wow, you look miserable." Cora commented on my state.

I ran my hands through my hair and straightened my back before entertaining them. "Let's go. I'm done being here."

They both jolted at my aggressive tone and grabbed their bags off the couches as I handed over my car key to the valet inside. He scurried out while we checked out of the resort.

The longer I stayed here, the more furious I got. I walked around in circles, hands on hips while the woman at the reception took her time to give us receipts. I wasn't going to allow someone to manhandle and control me whenever he desired, even if it was my mate. We could spoken about it, nicely, and decided on something but no, he simply wanted to bestow his decision on me and expect me to accept it like it meant nothing.

Mates took time to know each other, to fall in love, to move out of packs and everything else but Lorenzo simply pissed me off.

I slammed the room key over the desk, my nerves pounding with anger as I said, "Your Alpha is a fucktard."

"Lily!" Cora yelled, dragging my wrist as I left everyone at the lobby surprised. "What is wrong with you? You can tell someone's Alpha is a fucktard?" She didn't know who I was talking about.

Ann ran behind her and they both pulled me out of the hotel lobby before I said anything else and shoved me inside my own car. Cora took over the wheel and I just dropped down at the back, rubbing my forehead and trying to ease down the anger.

Calm down, Lilliana. We will have all the time in the world to kill that man. My wolf whispered to me from within, she was as pissed as I was. Who in the right sense would want to be dragged away from their house, from their lives? It was clear assaulting and kidnapping.

The car took off immediately, before the security ran behind me, punishing me for calling their Alpha a fucktard. I wasn't wrong.

"Girl, are you fine?" Cora asked, her striking eyes turning at me for a second.

"Ugh. I'm fine." I shifted over the seat and sat up straight. I wasn't sure whether or not it would be nice to insult my fated mate in front of my friends. They had hopes. "I need advice. I met my mate and from what it seems, he's going to come and claim me, quite soon so I need help." I toned down my voice, being soft with my friends.

Cora pushed the brakes of the car and it went spiral, thankfully, it was an empty road or we all would've been doomed.

"What the fuck? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because it just happened."

"Right now?"

"Right now!" I yelled back.

"Oh, that's fucked up. You'll have to tell Alpha Richard soon, by soon, I mean—ASAP." Cora kept her eyes fixated on the roads but through the mirror, I could see her worry for me.

Drawing in a deep breath, I crashed against the seat and folded my leg over the other one. "I know. I've to tell him before my mate commands me to leave with him."

"Yeah, he'll help you out. No one can take you away from your pack if you've the Alpha's protection." Ann spilled facts, even if it was after being silent for long. "It will be against the rules then. You can't snatch a pack member and claim it's yours. The fuck? Are you a property or something?"

"Exactly! That's what I told him. He can't have a claim over me unless I want him too and I'm not ready to leave everything behind." I blew a strand away from my face and sighed. "I thought he was going to be nice and gentle with this process. Now, I'm just so displeased."

"He's a beast, Lily!" Cora reminded me.

"I know."

The was the worst thing about it, my expectations were wrong, entirely wrong.