My eyes fluttered open and I was surprised to find that I was in the car all alone. Unbuckling my seat belt I opened the door, stumbling out. My head began to spin, my balance slipping away from me as I fell to my hands and knees, releasing the contents of my stomach on the grass.

"Great timing, I was just coming out here to get you," a familiar southern voice spoke. The bald man grabbed my bicep and hauled me off the ground.

"Let me go," I said, digging my feet in. I struggled against his grip, trying to break away.

The man rolled his eyes before roughly yanking me towards him and picking me up by my waist. I threw my elbows and kicked his shins to no avail as he dragged me into a broken down building.

"God damn," he griped, "will you stop?"

"Birdie!"

I stopped struggling, looking up to meet the familiar caramel brown eyes I'd been longing for. The bald man let me go as I breathed a sigh of relief. I took a step towards Caleb only to be pulled back by my arm. I didn't have to look to know that it was Alec restraining me.

Caleb growled, his territorial side surfacing, he moved to take a step forward but Alison set a hand on his shoulder.

We were in a dark room, sunlight peaking in from the cracks in the wooden walls, a round table was all that was separating us from Caleb and the rest of the Redwood council. Now that Caleb was the Alpha that would mean Alison was the new Beta. However, Marcus stood next to the other council members, he must've still had a place there.

"We'd like to avoid a war," Marcus said. "We're willing to make a treaty if you give us your terms."

Alec's uncle stepped forward. "My nephew, Alec Powell, is the first born son of Arthur Gardner," a shocked silence fell over the room. I could practically feel Caleb's stomach drop from the anxiety that took over him. "Therefore," Tom continued, "he is the rightful Alpha of the Redwood pack."

"He bares the scar of a bastard, legally he has no claim to Alpha," Marcus said.

Caleb was on edge, his jaw clenched. I could tell he was itching to just jump over the table and grab me.

"Are you going to let your babysitter speak for you all day, mate?" Alec said, an antagonizing grin on his face.

I could feel how close Caleb was to losing his temper and I didn't want to be in the middle when it happened.

"He's the only thing keeping me from ripping you to shreds, so I suggest you listen to him if you'd like to live," he said. He was visibly shaking with rage. I'd never seen him like this before. It scared me.

"It looks like we have all the leverage," Tom said, gesturing to me.

"You're playing dirty," Caleb said, "but it won't help you any. You're still going to lose."

"Even if I lose the pack," Alec said, "I'll still have my mate." He pulled me closer to him.

Caleb's brows furrowed at Alec's statement. His eyes shifted to me, but I couldn't bare to look at him.

"And what do you plan to do when you find your actual mate?" Caleb said. "You're being greedy, you want my pack and my mate? I have no intention of falling for your tricks." His hands were gripping the table in front of him so hard I feared it would snap.

"Except for the fact that she is my actual mate," Alec said, his eyes bright with amusement. "It came as a surprise to me, too."

"That's impossible," Alison said, "Caleb, he's just trying to rattle you."

"Why don't you ask her then? She would know, wouldn't she?" Alec asked, his tone taunting.

"Birdie," Caleb said. I took a shaky breath before meeting his eyes. I could feel the tears brimming and the sob caught in my throat. I had done nothing wrong, yet I felt ashamed. I felt like I had betrayed him. "Is this true?" He asked me.

"Second mates are a myth," Marcus said, "of course it's not true."

"Birdie," Caleb said, making it clear he wanted his answer from me. A single tear fell down my cheek, my bottom lip quivering. I knew if I were to speak I would lose the last bit of composure I was holding on to.

"You can either have Beatrice," Alec said, "or the Redwood pack."

I could feel the conflict in Caleb, a storm brewing in his chest.

"The pack," I said, knowing he would choose wrong. "He'll keep the pack."

Alec shrugged. "Works for me," he said, moving my hair over my shoulder, exposing the bandage on my neck. "I hope you don't mind me marking her now, so you can't go back on your end of the bargain."

Caleb jumped over the table, canines barred. Alec pushed me out of the way, ready for a fight, letting his own canines extend. I winced as I hit the floor, scraping the heels of my hands on the rough wood. Caleb shoved Alec's chest, hard, sending him to the ground. As Alec made his way back to his feet Caleb grabbed my arm, lifting me off the floor to stand behind him.

Alec's eyes flickered between us, debating if it was worth it to lunge for me.

"That's enough," Marcus said, his voice commanding the room into silence.

I rested my head against Caleb's back, letting my body relax in his presence. I'd been fighting the mating bond I shared with Alec, which took all my effort. I grabbed handfuls of the back of his shirt, wanting him as close to me as he could be. The sparks that vibrated my bones were welcomed and appreciated.

He stood in a defensive crouch, as did Alec, ready to attack if needed. Noticing my need for his touch, Caleb reached back his arm and set his hand on my waist. I could feel the stiffness in my muscles begin to melt away.

"We're getting ahead of ourselves gentlemen," Tom said. "How about we settle this the old fashioned way. One on one, whoever comes out alive is granted the title of Alpha."

Alec and Caleb both stood up straight, slowly, still cautious of one another. Caleb, all the while still keeping a hand on me.

"I'd never stoop so low as to battle a bastard for my rightful claim as Alpha," Caleb said.

"Then it's war," Alec said through gritted teeth.

Caleb nodded once. "Get the hell off my territory," he said.

The bald man and Alec's uncle began to back away, but Alec hesitated. His eyes flickered to me and I made the mistake of looking back at him. The rope that tied me to him tightened around my lungs.

A low threatening growl came from Caleb, bringing Alec's attention away from me. Tom put a hand on Alec's shoulder, urging him to move.

"Don't worry," he said, "you'll have her soon enough."

Caleb tightened his hold on me, his shoulders stiffening. Only after they had left the building did Caleb move. He turned to face me, wrapping me up in his arms and holding me tight to his chest. He buried his nose in my hair, inhaling.

Pulling away Caleb took my hands. "Let me see," he said. The scrapes were small, the redness of my sensitive skin making them seem worse than they were. He brought them up to his lips and kissed the tender area.

"We should get her to a doctor," Alison said. "Just in case."

Caleb nodded. "Did they hurt you?" He asked.

"I'm a little sore," I said, wrapping my arms around him once again. "I'll be okay."

"We should get you two out of here," Marcus said. "We don't know what they're planning. The sooner we get you two to the pack house the better."

"Get the cars," Caleb said to two of the council members, standing by the door. He brushed his fingers through my hair, kissing the top of my head.

I squeezed my eyes closed, the pounding in my head overpowering my denial of it being there at all.

Back at the pack house Caleb took me straight to Dorian. I'd recounted everything to them. The bonfire. The basement. The mating bond.

"They must've done something to you to convince you it was real," Caleb said, pacing Dorian's office.

"I don't know of any drug that can come remotely close to replicating a mating bond. Are you sure that's what you felt dear?" Dorian asked. He was running his thumbs down either side of my nose to feel if it was broken.

"It was real," I said. Part of me wanted to lie, say that it never happened and take it to my grave. I looked up at Caleb who was leaning against Dorian's desk, arms crossed. "I know it's sounds crazy, but it felt exactly like when I first met you."

Caleb squeezed his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers. My words upset him, making me feel even more guilty than I already was.

He felt betrayed, not by me, but the circumstances. He found his soulmate, the one, only to find out that she had two. He didn't feel so special anymore.

"Your nose isn't broken, just some bruising," Dorian said, taking off his glasses and folding them onto the neck of his shirt. "You have a concussion, though."

He walked over to his desk, pulling out a bottle of over the counter pills. "These will be fine to take for the headaches. She needs to be closely monitored," he said to Caleb, "no bright lights, no phones, no reading."

Caleb held a hand out to me, helping me down from the exam table.

"You need to take it easy for a few days," Dorian said, patting my back.

"Can you walk? Do you need me to carry you?" Caleb asked as we left Dorian's office.

"No, I'm fine," I said, holding onto the crook of his elbow as we walked.

I began to turn down the hall to take the stairwell up to Caleb's room when he gently pulled me in a different direction.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"I don't live in that part of the house anymore," he said. "Alpha's and Luna's live in the West wing of the house."

"Just when I started to figure out my way around," I said, bumping into him.

"Don't worry," he said, turning a corner that brought us in front two black, arched doors. "Once you live here, it'll be easier to get to know the layout." He opened the door, revealing a master bedroom.

There was a king sized bed on the far wall that faced a pair of french doors that led on to the balcony, a gray couch in between. I crawled onto the bed, plopping down dramatically.

"I hope I'll have some of it figured out before then," I said.

Caleb dropped the pill bottle on the couch before joining me on the bed. We laid on our sides, facing each other.

"I'm going to have some people stop by your house and pack up your things for you," he said, setting a gentle hand on my cheek.

"What?" I asked, my brows furrowed.

"You'll be safer here with me," he said, "where I can keep an eye on you." I sat up, running a hand over my face then brushing it through my hair. "You're the Luna now, I'll need you close."

"What about my grandmother?" I asked, "What about school?"

"You're eighteen, she can't keep you from moving out," he said, sitting up as well. He began rubbing a warm hand up and down my back. "You can still finish school."

I didn't have it in me to argue with him just yet, my muscles begging me to relax. I laid back down against the pillows, Caleb following suit. He continued stroking my back as I moved my head onto his chest.

"I love you," I said, holding onto him tightly. I knew what he needed to hear. He needed the reassurance. "I've only ever loved you."