I have never seen Drake while he was angry, not once. He was always calm and collected, a kind and understanding Alpha that pushed his own needs and desires aside to benefit his pack.

Now, my wolf was awkwardly pacing in my mind as I barely cringed away from the simmering rage that emitted from Drake.

And yet, as his eyes scanned over Ellie's house, found every cracked stone and shattered window, he remained calm. He smiled down at Ellie and reassured the little pup with kind words and soft scratches.

But I could tell that on the inside, his wolf was snarling and snapping its teeth. The way his eyes hardened a fraction when we went inside and closed the door, only for it to creek back open.

The way his lips pursed into a thin line at the noticeable dampness in the air, the chill that clung to your skin and sank in your clothes.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I shuffled to the side, fighting back the urge to shift. Asami's crimson eyes flitted through the house as well, taking in every inch with a cold scrutiny.

When the vampiress glanced at me, I instantly averted my eyes, unable to contain the low grumble in my throat. It wasn't a threat, not at all. Just my wolf alerting anyone in the room that I was feeling extremely uncomfortable with the emotions being presented to us.

"My apologies, Kyle-kun. " She apologized politely, lips pulling in a tender smile when she glanced at Ellie. "It wasn't my intention to distress either of you. I was merely equally surprised and disgusted with the pack's treatment of one of their own."

Drake hummed in agreement, scratching behind Ellie's ear as he grinned down at her. "And who could get angry with such a cute lil face like yours?" He coed at the pup, making her yip and squirm in his hold.

My stomach.... I don't know. It was a weird and uncomfortable sensation that made me shuffle my weight as I looked away, focusing on the vampiress as she slowly walked around, taking note of everything in the house.

And whatever was lacking.

Asami clacked her tongue in distaste, a perfectly manicured fingernail tapping against the wall. Her eyebrows arched slightly as the wall crumbled easily under the slight pressure, showing the water-logged bricks behind the chipping paint.

"Honestly, what was he thinking?" She pondered before shaking her head with a snort. "Never mind, we're talking about Curtis here. He already proved that he doesn't think."

I blinked at that, startled that, even as a visiting representative of the Council and so far had been extremely polite, this was the first time I had openly heard her demean someone.

"Wow, that's harsh, especially coming from you, Asami." Drake snickered, placing Ellie on the floor. "Why don't you go and collect some of your clothes and items that you wanna take with you hun?"

She yipped, little tail wagging at the gentle praise that her wolf, and herself, had been deprived of. I bit my cheek as Ellie flew up the stairs, attempting to take them two steps at a time before her little wolf skipped a step and tumbled down.

Ellie caught herself with an embarrassed yip but much to her credit, simply shook her fur out before she continued at a calmer pace.

The vampiress waited until the little pup was out of view before she sighed. "Curtis has lost all his standing with the Council, even before we were informed of current events."

Drake's eyebrow rose in surprise and both of us shared a look. "So Ellie is...safe? The pack won't be able to retaliate to us or her?"

"Yes." Asami grinned, fangs peeking just past her lips as she bowed in respect to Drake. "We very much appreciate that you brought Curtis' transgressions to our attention, Drake-san. We were already intent to investigate his pack but your message sped up the process."

She shook her head in distaste, long black hair whispering around her body. "We had already received word from very reliable sources that Curtis had attempted to...rid his hands of a pup born out of mating."

Drake's entire expression froze at that, yet his eyes were ablaze with rage. My hands curled into fists as disgust curled in my stomach.

"The pup is alive and well, taken into the Council for protection, along with the pup's mother. Curtis arrived not long after the facts to try and regain favor and defending his breath of Jethro-Sama's territory."

At that, Drake's breath left his lungs in an audible whoosh, eyes wide as he glanced in full shock at Asami.

"Curtis... invaded Jethro's territory?" He asked slowly, shaking his head as Asami replied. "Yes. And insulted Jethro as well before demanding his mate to be executed for defending their territory."

Drake scoffed, shaking his head again before rubbing both hands over his face in expiration while I blinked, not really knowing whom they were speaking of.

Pack politics were already difficult enough to keep up with but I knew packs were highly protective of their territories and especially their mates.

"What pack does Jethro belong to?" I asked curiously, getting two amused chuckles from Drake and Asami, who shook her hair over her shoulder with a widening smile.

"You misunderstood, Kyle-kun. Jethro-sama doesn't belong to anyone. Curtis decided to settle his pack against Lord Jethro's territory, knowing few creatures are willing to face a dragon."

I could feel the blood drain from my face at that, was certain that my sudden fear could be sensed clearly in the air. Because only a fool would harass a dragon, not to mention insult it or threaten their mate.

And in a way, I had just indirectly insulted this dragon, asking to whom he belonged.

Asami's smile was full of understanding as she patted me reassuringly on the shoulder and nudged me towards Drake. "It's quite alright, Kyle-kun­. I could sense that you had no ill intend and were simply inquiring for more information."

Drake chuckled, pulling me into his body as I still trembled at the news that for the past days, we'd been staying close to a goddamned dragon.

"And yet, Alpha Curtis insulted a dragon's mate?" I squeaked out my dry throat because I simply couldn't understand how someone could be so... so absolutely stupid to even mentioning harm to a dragon's mate.

I know I haven't lived long among packs but if even I, as a nomadic wolf, was told by my parents to never, ever insult a dragon, how rare the chance to encounter one even was...

Then why on earth would a pack's leader and brain, their Alpha, dare to demand a dragon's mate execution?

Drake patted my shoulder, shaking me out of my thoughts. "All the more reasons for us to start heading home. Curtis has no power over us, nor can his pack prevent us from going home with little Ellie."

Asami chuckled with slight amusement. "Drake-san, You don't need to worry that Jethro-Sama is coming here to burn the place down. He and his mate are still within the Council."

Drake nodded but replied, "Nevertheless, I'd rather not take any chances, Asami. If Curtis is so moronic that he threatens a dragon's mate, and I'm assuming he did that within the vicinity of said dragon, he's liable to do it again."

"Fair enough." She grinned, one fang tucking over her lips before she pushed her hair out of her face. Asami's eyes flitted between us before her smile widened even more.

"Safe travels to your territory. You guys look cute together." She winked before we heard a thump at the stairs, as Ellie's bag slipped down and landed loudly in the hallway.

We look cute...together?

I bit my lip and chanced a glance at Drake, feeling my cheeks burn vibrantly. Luckily enough, he too seemed to be quite bashful, glancing at Ellie and clearing his throat.

"Hey lil pup, you didn't hurt yourself, did you? Lemme carry that for you." He quickly rushed to her side while I still stood there, stunned.

I hadn't...considered... I shook my head, not wanting to entertain the idea... At least not now. Especially not after being confronted by my former mate, the idea of any sort of...dating....

Two little hands were held out to me and I blinked, looking over Ellie's smiling face towards Drake, who held her out to me.

"Later. First things first." Drake said with a knowing look, smiling encouragingly when I gave a slow nod. He gave Asami a look before both of them laughed, shaking their heads.

"Thanks a lot, Asami." Drake admonished, to which she rolled her eyes. "I know you, Drake-san. You'd wait till the earth stops spinning before you'd confess." She nodded towards our small gathering before she turned and headed outside. "Take care of yourselves now."

Drake gently nudged me to follow her outside, where we shifted back and allowed Ellie to ride on Drake's back.

It was kind of funny to see her slowly relax around Drake, even with the fact that he was an Alpha. It was simply because he didn't act like any Alpha I'd ever seen, that Ellie seemed to trust him.

His gentle demeanor and the genuine care he had shown Ellie was most likely why she had agreed to come to his pack in the first place.

As it was, Ellie sat on his massive shoulders, tiny hands disappearing in his grey fur while I kept pace with him. His ear flickered a few times when Ellie's age caught up with her and poked it, making her laugh at his playful behavior.

"First, we need to go to the packhouse before we leave. I've extended an invitation to Molly and any of their relatives that haven't retaliated towards Ellie. They are welcome to travel and stay in our pack, but it seemed appropriate that Ellie could at least say her goodbyes for now."

I nodded at Drake's explanation, following him to the center of town, where Molly was already waiting. She didn't seem to care that Ellie was on top of another Alpha, as she quickly approached her niece with a grin.

They spoke briefly with one another, mostly Molly explaining to Ellie that she would follow to the pack soon, she just needed to settle things within Curtis' pack before she could.

She thanked Drake profusely for his more than welcomed offer to join the pack so their small and broken family could finally start to heal.

I snickered slightly when Ellie seemed to be slightly overwhelmed with the sudden show of affection, as she dodged her aunt's arms by shifting, flopping off of Drake's back to hide behind my paws.

"Oh! I'm sorry Ellie, I didn't mean to... I'm just so happy that I no longer have to pretend for Curtis' loyal lapdogs." Molly apologized, crouching down so she could look Ellie in the eye.

The pup yawned, shaking the stress off of her little body before she yipped once. Molly took that as an acceptance of her apology as she nodded before straightening up.

And as we turned to finally leave this mess of a pack behind, and go home, my eyes landed on the one person I hadn't wanted to see, ever again.

Max.

My hackles raised instantly, teeth baring as Ellie hid between my paws. His wolf just stood there, cowering slightly as if to show that he wasn't a threat.

But the aches in my body, both phantom and real, reminded me all too clearly that Max was very much a threat.

A low growl sounded beside me before Drake moved in front of me, blocking Max's line of sight. As I glanced at Drake, I noticed his hackles too were raised, making his already massive form seem much bigger than it was.

"Do you want to talk to him, Kyle?" Drake asked in my mind, his voice showing nothing of the hostility he was displaying towards my ex-mate. He was gentle and kind as he spoke, glancing at me as I snorted.

"Never."

Drake huffed in amusement before he took a slow step forwards, nudging my side to encourage me to follow. "Then let's go home."

Home...

I nodded, hesitantly stepping closer to Drake and following his lead. Drake's tail curled over his back in a clear display of dominance and power the closer we got to Max, as we had to pass him to leave the pack.

A sign to Max that he shouldn't dare raise a single paw in my direction or face the consequences of his actions. And yet Max's eyes never wavered, though he did lower them demurely as to not anger the Alpha by my side

Pain glowed in his eyes as they flitted back and forth between Drake, Ellie and I, cringing as I growled the second he even wanted to approach.

And as we moved past him, Drake making sure that he stayed between Max and I at all times, I had the suspicion that Max would follow our trail back to Drake's pack in an attempt to grovel once more.