I scurry out of the room and down the hallway, I wanted to get far away from here. I keep my head down as I rush through the pack house making my way to the backdoor. I go the opposite direction of the training fields towards the woods. I strip down and change into wolf form. I needed a distraction from my aching heart.

I run. That's all I know to do in this situation. I don't know if he's following me, I pray he's not, when my wolf loudly voices her opposite opinion in my head.

I don't frequently get to go on runs, so I'm not entirely familiar with the territory, but when I see a group of vicious looking wolves I know I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. Had I stepped onto someone else's territory or were these just rogues? Regardless I wouldn't be able to take them on my 0 hours a week training regiment.

I stop dead in my tracks, and turn to run back towards the pack house, and nearly bump into another wolf. They had somehow surrounded me, I was screwed. 5 wolves start moving in on my small form and I know I need to think quick, do something to get out of this. I growl lowly and start baring my teeth, hoping my intimidation will just scare them off. It seems to have the opposite effect, as they all exchange amused looks and return the growl back to me.

This was it. I was finally going to die, shockingly not at the hands of my own pack. My head is racing, trying to find some sort of solution, but before I can come up with one, I feel a sharp pain in my back leg. A large brown wolf had sunk his canines deep into my flesh. I yelped and tried to shake him off, which just hurt worse.

Not much could be done as another smaller wolf pounces on me, pinning me down, snarling in my face. I simply close my eyes, willing it to be over with, even June agrees with me as she lets her body go limp falling onto the ground.

A third wolf joins in the action, I open my eyes to see an ugly gray colored wolf attacking with his claws, like the blood thirsty creature he was. They didn't want to just kill me, they wanted to make a show out of it, but I was used to it.

I exchange a somber goodbye with June, convinced we weren't making it out of this one, and let my consciousness slip away, the last thing I hear is an overpowering growl resonating throughout the woods.

Stupid, I'm so stupid. Of course Phoenix would be upset seeing this girl on top of me. I was simply trying to be polite, I hadn't even thought about the consequences.

She was deceptively fast as she scurried out of the room, and I silently cursed and called after her to no avail. I push the other girl off me, not trying to be rude, but the one thing on my agenda was apologizing to my mate.

"Where are you going? She's not worth it you know" Naomi casually shrugs, not making an effort to move off of me.

I lowly growl, and she gets the message scooting further away from me.

I take the opportunity and race after my little mate. I follow her scent down the hall and outside.

A pile of clothes sits besides a tree, I can tell they're hers, so I also strip down and shift. I grab my clothes in my teeth and dash after her intoxicating scent.

But as I near the scent, another one appears, one of blood, and I begin to panic. I would never forgive myself if she got hurt.

I near a clearing where I see 5 rogues attacking Phoenix.

My mate.

Unacceptable.

I drop my clothes off at the outskirts of the clearing and growl, before approaching the group. 2 wolves are circling my mate, while three others are tearing her small wolf to shreds.

Red clouds my vision as I grow angrier, the wolves look up at me, but continue their abuse on Phoenix, while the two others begin to approach me.

If I wasn't in wolf form I would laugh at them. How foolish are they to think they could take me on? The king.

The two rogues approaching me I take some pity on, by killing them immediately, ripping their throats out with my canines and dropping their lifeless bodies to the floor.

The other three wouldn't be as lucky, since they actually touched mate.

A gray wolf moves away from her and towards me hesitantly. I prepare to slowly end his life, but I notice Phoenix on the ground unmoving, and I immediately rip his heart out, oops.

The other two are goners as well before I could even blink.

I run towards Phoenix, she had force shifted back into human form, which only happens when a wolf is really injured and unable to heal themselves. Despite being mates, I force myself to avoid looking at her body out of respect and run back to where I left my clothes. I shift back and pull on my shorts and then back over to Phoenix where I carefully pull my sweatshirt over her frail body.

The sweatshirt is entirely too big for her, and if her life wasn't currently at stake I would've just sat there and admired her for hours. Unfortunately, under the circumstances that wasn't an option. So I scooped her into my arms bridal style and raced back towards the pack house, mind linking my cousins on the way, warning them to have a doctor ready by the time I got back.

I just found her, I'm not losing her, even though her weak heart beat would like to think differently.

The pack house came into sight and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Upon entering the house I was coerced by who must have been the pack doctor to bring Phoenix into a room. I laid her down on the bed and was shooed out. I growled, but complied with the order, just wanting to assure her safety.

"What happened" I hear a wolf ask from behind. I turn to see the soon to be alpha of the pack. After a brief explanation he huffs off looking for his father. What a brat.

I take a seat on the floor outside of her room and begin to wait.