Comfort and warmth were the two things that instantly came to mind when I woke to the sound of consistent beeping and soft voices. Despite not knowing where I was or that I couldn't recall any of the events leading up to this moment, I felt surprisingly calm.

The bed beneath me was soft, the blankets atop of me heavy and tucked around me, and it felt luxurious compared to the tiny cot that I had slept on in the cellar.

I tried to lift a limb but every inch of my body felt extremely heavy. I could feel a needle in the top of my hand as well as one in the crease of my arm. That along with a clamp on my index finger, and a plastic tube resting beneath my nose releasing a gentle air flow allowed me to come to the conclusion I was in the hospital.

But I felt comfortable. It also helped that I could hardly feel any pain.

Opening my eyes again, I was able to adjust to the brightness and glance around. My eyes first landed on a little heater in the corner of the room, close to the foot of my bed that whirred softly. I glanced down at my body, finding it covered in a hospital gown and tubes. Slowly, I turned my head and my eyes fell on the owner's of the voices, and once they did, every ounce of air was sucked from my lungs.

My body suddenly erupted with energy as my mind came to life with the demand of Kita as she echoed one word.

Mate.

Tears instantly filled my eyes as I stared at the largest man's back. He was broad and tall with a muscular stature that would put my five six' frame to shame. His smell was intoxicating, that of a campfire meddled with a cologne that came in waves with each sway of his body as he stared down at a little, blue bundle in his tanned arms.

Every nerve ending lit up with the need to run while Kita howled for us to call out to him, and for the first time since Aiden, we weren't on the same page - the irony.

This shouldn't be possible. I already had a mate, one that rejected me nonetheless. I couldn't be staring at the back of another male that my wolf wanted to claim as her soulmate. Especially not after only hours of escaping captivity for Goddess knows how long at the hands of said former mate.

This couldn't happen - not again. I couldn't handle another rejection. I couldn't survive another rejection.

Panic surged through my chest as all I could do was stare. The connection I felt towards him was palpable, and I had only seen his back. With Aiden, I had to wait until we made eye contact to even have the slightest clue, and we had grown up together.

I didn't want him to turn around; didn't want to see his eyes that would hold little regret as he spoke the words of rejection into the universe. In that moment, I wished he would've left me in the woods to die and that thought caused more tears to flood my eyes.

It was only a matter of seconds before he realized I was awake, and if he didn't reject me immediately, he would once he realizes I'm damaged, used goods. What mate wants someone who's been beaten and touched by another?

Stop thinking like that. He is different. He already cares for us.

Kita released the softest whine, but didn't bother to argue with me because when I looked back at the man that was my mate, I found gray eyes boring into mine.

Instantly, the baby that he had been holding was taken from him by the woman at his side, and he was taking large strides towards me. His eyes growing more and more intense as they stared down at me before looking over every inch of my body.

"Seth, go get the doctor."

The demanding, rough sound of his voice cut through me, and pleasure trickled up my body in the form of goosebumps. There was no room for argument, and the other man didn't waste a second before he was out the door, the woman with the baby following behind him with a soft smile in our direction.

My mate's gaze softened as his eyes met mine again, and he lowered himself into the chair beside my bed. When he went to reach for my hand, I slid it back and a deep frown formed on his lips. But it was only for a heartbeat before he gave me a closed lipped smile.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

If I weren't so emotionally unstable, I would've found his change of tone amusing. He spoke to me as if he were talking to a child or a cornered animal. It didn't match his hard exterior in the slightest, and I couldn't fight against the feeling of security it gave me.

But it was quickly replaced with fear as I looked around the room once again. How stupid could I have been? I didn't know him, nor did I know where I was, and here I was letting my guard down. Not that I could've done much considering I can't feel my limbs - they must have drugged me up pretty good.

"It's okay," he assured, his mouth forming into a comforting grin, and I found that I liked the way it softened his face. "You're safe. I promise."

I eyed him warily, studying him closely, and with a soft chuckle, he allowed me to do so. He sat back, holding his hands up in surrender as my eyes searched every inch that I could see.

His facial features were startlingly handsome. Those gray eyes were twinkling with happiness as he stared at me, smiling yet again, showing a snippet of his perfect teeth. His hair, which was nearly as dark as my own, was tousled with perfect waves, looking as if his fingers had been running back through it constantly. But his most intimidating feature was his sharp jaw line that held a five o'clock shadow - that alone made him look lethal along with the power that radiated off of him.

I didn't have to be told that the man before me was of a higher rank. Everything about him screamed authority, and it only made the fear in my stomach churn. I looked at his hands and couldn't help but wonder how many people he had inflicted pain on with them, and with that thought, I then noticed the dried blood covering his shirt, most of it being near his abdomen.

My emotions must have been all over my own features because his face suddenly dropped in concern, and he slowly leaned up, placing his elbows on the bed. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the door swung open, causing me to jump.

I let out a little gasp as pain erupted through my shoulder and my mate whirled around with a low, warning grow, but it was cut short as the man from before returned with another man in a white coat following behind him.

Suddenly, the amount of men in this tiny room were making me nauseous.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I didn't think to knock."

"It's fine, Seth."

The man with ashy blonde hair and brown eyes that apparently went by Seth flashed me a soft, genuine smile before looking back at my mate.

"I'll be with Addison if you need me."

My mate just sent him a nod, watching him exit before turning towards the man in the white coat and watched as he stepped towards the edge of my bed with a bright smile.

"Good morning. I'm Doctor Hudson." His cheerful voice seemed to echo between the four walls. He seemed much older than myself and my newfound mate. In fact, he looked to be around the age my father would have been. "I'm happy to see that you are awake, and frankly, quite surprised. I didn't expect you to wake up for another day or two."

He grabbed at a clipboard attached to the end of my bed, and looked over the front page before flipping to the next. Once he was satisfied with whatever he was looking for, he turned his attention back to me.

"How are you feeling, dear?"

I opened my mouth to respond but hesitated. Since when did I become scared of my own voice? Glancing over at my mate, I found him watching me intently, giving me a reassuring smile as he raised his brows in a silent question.

"I." My voice cracked and I swallowed, forcing myself to focus on anything other than the fear that kept coursing through me. "I feel okay. Mostly pressure in my chest and shoulder."

My eyes flickered over to my mate to find him grinning ear to ear. His eyes scanned my face with a mixture of awe and relief, and I wondered what had been going through his head.

"That's normal," Doctor Hudson replied. "While the wound on your shoulder was deep, it didn't puncture or tear anything important. You did, however, lose nearly forty percent of your blood which will leave you feeling quite lousy over the next few days."

I felt my eyebrows near my hairline as I listened.

"You have a case of severe hypothermia, but your body temperature seems to be maintaining nicely." Doctor Hudson's smile dropped slightly as he let out a soft sigh. "You also have a punctured lung from a broken rib which we will watch closely." His eyes met mine with severity. "You are extremely lucky, dear. With being so malnourished and weak, I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did. Your wolf is going to have trouble healing you."

My mate stiffened beside me, but I couldn't look at him. All I could focus on were the words of the doctor basically telling me if one single thing had been different, I wouldn't be here right now, sitting beside my mate - my second mate.

I suddenly felt exhausted and even more overwhelmed than I had moments ago. Before I could help it, a single tear slipped from my eye, running freely below my temple and hitting my ear lobe. Taking in a shaky breath, I closed my eyes and clenched my fist.

"Anything else, doctor?"

I'm assuming Doctor Hudson shook his head because a moment later my mate was speaking again.

"If you'll excuse us."

"Of course, Alpha."

My eyes shot open, head snapping towards them as they fell on my supposed mate. Everything in my body went rigid as I stared at the man in front of me with an entirely new fear. The fear of rejection multiplied with the fear of never amounting to what this man would need from me as his mate.

If there was one thing I knew, it was that I wasn't meant to be the mate of an Alpha.

Aiden stood before me, apprehension pooling in his blue eyes while looking over me. It wasn't something I was used to, especially whenever I had known the boy before me nearly my entire life. The same one that had grown up playing hide and seek in the dark with my brother and I in the back yard until we were entirely too old to be doing so.

The same backyard we were currently standing in, one that still had the celebratory balloons and hanging lights above us. It all had been a part of my sweet sixteen celebration. Excitement had been gripping me for weeks, but it all disappeared the moment Aiden walked through the door, made eye contact with me, and paled.

"Kristin."

My name was harsh on his lips, and an anger I had never seen from him began forming as his eyes began to transform to a midnight black. But when he blinked, they were back to that icy blue.

I shifted on my feet, nerves dancing in my stomach as I wrung my hands together at my abdomen. Looking around, I was thankful it was late and everyone had been asleep. After basically ignoring me for the entirety of my party, Aiden had dragged me into the linen closet long enough to tell me to meet him out here after midnight along with a warning to not say a word.

I had been surprised to say the least. But I forced myself to let it go, and tried to enjoy the party that my parents had put their heart and soul into. It was harder than I would like to admit, but by the end of the night, my parents wore relieved smiles that put me at ease.

"Aiden." His name falling from my lips no longer felt innocent. He was no longer my older brother's best friend or the future Alpha of our pack, but my mate. My mate that didn't seem the least bit enthused with the idea of me being his.

"Don't," he growled, taking a step back from me.

"Aiden, why are you being like this," I asked, throwing my hands up slightly. "I get that this is a little weird and there is no telling how Kayden will react when he finds out. But - ,"

"He won't find out. No one will."

My brows furrowed and uneasiness settled deep in my stomach. In slow motion, I watched as his lips parted and knew instantly that the words he was about to say would change my life in the worst way possible.

"I don't want a mate. I don't want you as my mate, Kristin."

Time stood still in that moment. Pain barreled through me so fiercely that I took a staggering step backwards, tears blurring my vision as I willed for it to stop.

"I don't," I gasped, placing a hand on my stomach as I fought to gain composure."Aiden, what are you - ."

"I'm better off without a mate," he said dismissively. "Having you beside me will make me weak, make my pack weak. I mean look at you." He gestured toward me, not an ounce of remorse in his eyes.

"You aren't Luna material and you never will be."

I took in a sharp breath as the memory raced through my mind.

I had never understood and I never got an explanation. In my mind, it didn't make sense. I was a Beta's daughter, the Beta's daughter, the sister to the future Beta of Silver Crescent. From the moment I shifted I had begun training, strengthening my physical form and my wolf, learning everything there was to learn. I had taken pride in being the strongest and fastest of my age group, and along with that, I had shadowed my father along with my brother as he helped run Silver Crescent alongside Aiden's father.

I was, in every sense of the word, made to help run a pack, no matter that it wasn't the highest position.

But the moment those words had fallen from my mate's lips, I had believed them without a second thought. That one sentence had created a doubt so strong within myself that I had lost all my fight - my wolf nor I had nothing left to fight for.

Until the night of the attack. That night I had lost everything, and it was then that I realized I truly had nothing left to fight for. That night my mate looked directly at me, and gave me over to the enemy with the same look in his eyes as the night he rejected me.

I still see them in my dreams. It was a memory I didn't think would ever fade.

The chair scraped against the floor as the Alpha beside me sat back down. Concern now covered his entire face as he scooted a little closer to me, but I didn't move. I didn't realize until his hand slowly reached forward to wipe my cheek that more tears had fallen.

"Hey. You're gonna be okay," he whispered, cradling my cheek and I desperately wanted to lean into it.

It wasn't okay - I wasn't okay.

I didn't think Aiden had a reason to reject me, but this man before me had every reason under the moon. I had been held in captivity; my body malnourished and weak, no longer fit to stand beside him. Not only had I been used, touched by another, I was another wolf's mate before I was his, another Alpha's mate before his.

"Can you talk to me," he pleaded, brushing away more falling tears. "Tell me what you're thinking? Or at least your name for starters." The corner of his mouth twitched and I found myself staring at it longer than I should have.

With a sniffle, I turned my head, letting his hand slide from my face as I stared up at the ceiling.

"Kristin Knight."

I didn't look back to him as my name fell from my lips in a whisper.

"Mine's Grayson Black."

That name sounded oddly familiar, but I didn't know where I had heard it from. Turning my head back to him, I took in a deep breath through my nose, taking in the oxygen greedily as I fought against the pressure in my chest.

"Where am I?"

"Black River pack in upstate Maine."

My eyes widened slightly. Black River pack had been known for its rapid growth in territory, numbers, and strength since the newest Alpha, Grayson, had stepped in. I remembered it being a topic my father and brother had been discussing days before the attack had taken place. While I had never heard of them being dangerous, it didn't mean they weren't capable of violence.

But I had stopped worrying for my safety minutes after waking up as rationality set in. If they had wanted to harm me, I wouldn't be sitting in the hospital right now. However, that didn't mean it wouldn't change if Grayson wasn't pleased with me, but when we got to that point, I think I'll be passed caring.

"Can I ask where you were running from?"

I tensed at his question as another round of tears welled in my eyes. Why the hell was I crying so much? Letting out a breath, I closed my eyes, releasing the tears as I swallowed away the shame gripping my throat. I didn't want to do this right now.

"You don't have to answer that." His words were rushed, looking slightly frantic at the sight of more tears. Hell, I was doing a great job already proving my weakness to him, wasn't I? "You can tell me about it when you are ready."

Finding his eyes again, I found nothing but sincerity mixed with a little wonder, and if I wasn't mistaken, amazement.

I didn't have time to pick it apart, though, as my eyes began fluttering, suddenly struggling to stay open. A yawn forced its way up my throat and when I tried to stifle it, I heard a soft chuckle. He reached forward, adjusting the oxygen tube around my ear as it shifted.

"Rest, sweetheart."

My lips twitched at the endearment as my eyes drifted closed.