She was too silent. It was driving me fucking crazy.

I didn't think I had truly slept since the moment Kristin had entered my life seventy-two hours ago. However, I was positive I hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep with her only being down the hall. My senses had been on high alert the moment I walked out of her room last night, listening out for her as best I could through multiple, thick walls between us. For the first hour, she had been silent before I heard the shower turn on, but once the shower had turned off twenty or so minutes later, she had fallen silent again.

The rational part of my brain knew she had fallen asleep, but I hated the fact that I couldn't hear her snore, or even breathe. I had gotten out of bed one too many times to walk down the hall, sticking my ear up to her door just so I could hear the soft intakes of breaths before heading back down to my own room.

I knew I was being paranoid. I knew she was fine. Doctor Hudson wouldn't have released her if she wasn't, but a part of me couldn't get the imagine of her limp figure dangling in my arms out of my head. Each time I tried to close my eyes, I saw her covered in blood with blue lips, shivering as her heart lingered with each beat - I hadn't known just how much it had affected me until I could no longer sit and watch over her.

Well, I could, but that would be creepy as hell. Not to mention I was trying to give her space. Which had been the hardest thing to do to date. Especially since she had let me touch her - that little, tiny, minuscule touch at the base of her neck where I would mark - my body had been in a restless state since, and that too, was driving me fucking crazy.

"Grayson?"

A soft knock at my office door followed the sound of my sister's voice, and when I looked up, I found her still half asleep in her pajamas, clutching two mugs in each hand that I knew held coffee. Closing the door behind her, she crossed the office, placing one of the mugs in front of me. Then she sat in one of the chairs before my desk, tucking her legs beneath her as she took a small sip.

"What are you doing in here? It's six a.m.."

I snorted, reaching for the mug as I glanced at the clock. "I couldn't sleep. I got up about an hour ago," I muttered, welcoming the warm beverage with a hum of acknowledgement.

Gabi nodded, brows raising in amusement. "Did you sleep at all," she asked, her tone light and teasing, but I wasn't sure why it made me mad. Maybe because I knew she was insinuating something far from innocent. Something that may have been true had Kristin and I met under normal circumstances. Instead, my mate looked like she wanted to throw up at the sight of me.

And I could barely have a calm conversation with her because between the fucking bruises on her face and the fear of her rejecting me, I could barely contain my wolf.

I let out a sigh, setting the mug down harshly, causing some of the coffee to splash onto my desk. With a soft curse, I dropped my head into my hands as my thoughts ran rampant. Kristin Knight. Who the hell was she and where had she been? Who the hell was she running from? The person that covered her in bruises? Who had been abusing her? Was it an old pack? A boyfriend?

The thought of another man touching her, in any sort of way, had me clenching my fist in my hair, tugging. I felt as if my brain were about to implode, and the startings of a headache throbbed between my eyes.

Fuck. I just wanted to be with her.

"Gray? Hey." The teasing was gone, replaced with heavy concern, and I felt my sister rest a comforting hand on my arm. I looked up, staring into eyes identical to mine, and she smiled sadly. "She'll come around."

"And if she doesn't?" I hated the way my voice cracked, but my sister was my best friend. She could see right through me.

"She will," Gabi said confidently, placing a hand to her chest. "I can feel it. My wolf can feel it. All it took was one conversation to know that she belongs here."

I smiled a little at that, dropping my hands. While Kristin hadn't taken to me, she had taken to Gabi and Addison almost instantly. Her demeanor had completely changed, her guards not as high, and for just those few minutes, she fit like a perfect puzzle piece, like she wasn't a stranger.

It was a reminder that I wouldn't be the only one affected by her presence, my pack would feel the connection, too, in a different way.

Something caught my attention, and I turned my head a little, letting out a soft sigh of relief when I heard the bed shift from down the hall - I had never been thankful for supernatural senses.

Gabi laughed, leaning back in her chair while taking another sip of her coffee. "I knew you were only in here because you can hear her better. Why don't you just go sit outside her door?"

"Because I'm trying to give her space," I muttered. I definitely wasn't gonna tell her all the times I had walked down the hall the past seven hours.

"And you are doing that by listening to her every move?"

"You'd be doing the same thing if you found your mate half dead." The words were out of my mouth before I could catch them, but the moment they were, I cursed my mistake. "Gab. I'm sorry, I'm -."

"Don't worry about it," she muttered, eyes downcast as she stood from her chair.

"Gabi. I really wasn't thinking, it just slipped."

"Grayson, it's fine," she repeated, giving me a soft smile. "It's been five years. I'm over it. You know that."

Before I could say anything, her smile brightened. "I'm gonna go stick my head in her door and see if she wants coffee or breakfast."

I stammered, wanting to remind Gabi to give Kristin space, but was still reeling over what I had said when my sister bounded out of my office, her steps extra peppy, as if I hadn't just hit her where it hurt.

I couldn't remember the last time I had slept throughout the night without a single nightmare. All I knew for sure was it had been years. I didn't think I had moved an inch after crawling into bed last night. In fact, I was positive I hadn't due to one side of my hair being completely dry, and the side I laid on the pillow being very much damp.

I sighed softly to myself - when was the last time I had taken a proper shower?

The years I spent in the cellar, she wolves had come down once or twice a week in order to bathe me and give me a change of clothing. The other prisoners weren't given that luxury, as the Alpha liked to remind me, but I had assumed it was due to the fact that they weren't raping any of the other prisoners either.

I flinched, bringing my knees up to my chest, squeezing my eyes shut, willing away the unwanted memories that rushed to the forefront of my brain. Their hands, their breath against my neck. I shook my head, forcing them to the back of my mind. I wondered if they would ever truly go away. The thought that they never would caused my stomach to churn.

We're safe now.

Kita sounded so confident, so sure, and every part of me wanted to believe that as I laid curled into a warm bed in one of the nicest guest room's I had ever seen. Yet, I couldn't shake the fear that came with the thought of what Grayson would be capable of doing when he realized I was nothing that he needed or wanted.

The man had single handedly built his pack from the ground up to be one of the strongest in the nation. Hell, by now, it could be the strongest in the world. There wasn't a single doubt in my mind that he had shed blood to get here, that he would shed my blood, if it came to it, to keep it that way.

Krisitn. Do you seriously think that, that man is capable of causing you harm? Have you seen the way he looks at you?

Kita was silent for a moment, and I took that as my answer.

I-

Kita was cut off by a soft knock at the door, and before I could reply or sit up or even so much as think straight, the door was opening and Gabrielle popped her head in, supporting a soft smile. She looked weary, not nearly as confident in approaching me as yesterday.

"Good morning," she whispered, stepping in and closing the door behind her. "I just wanted to peek in and see if you wanted some breakfast?" She shuffled on her feet. "I make some mean pancakes."

The sound of her offer not only made my mouth water, but it made my chest warm. She may not have been my mate asking me, but she was about as close to him as I could get. That fact was enough to push away those thoughts at the moment as I sat up, giving her a shy smile.

"Sure," I replied gently, voice cracking.

"Great!" Her voice rose a little, grin growing. "I'll just be in the kitchen down here." She pointed towards the end that Grayson had informed me had been 'his end'. "Do whatever you need to do and take your time."

With another smile and a little wave, Gabrielle was shutting the door, leaving me alone once again with an array of different thoughts.

Just a few days ago I had been trapped in a cellar, being beaten and raped, and now I was taking up residence in a guest bedroom with a mate only two rooms away. Once escaping, this hadn't been my plan - I hadn't had a plan, but wasn't this. It wasn't finding a second mate that just so happened to be the most powerful Alpha in the werewolf world that seemed nothing like the rumors along with a sister as sweet as cane sugar.

This didn't feel real. Maybe I had passed out in the woods somewhere and hadn't woken up yet. Or maybe I was still in the cellar, bruised and bloody, unconscious from another beating.

It isn't either of those. Kita replied softly. This is real.

We've been through hell, Kris. And despite what you may think, we've been given another mate, one, I feel, will love and cherish us the way we deserve. He isn't Aiden. This isn't the cellar. We deserve easy, you deserve easy.

Tears sprung and I forced them back with a swallow.

It's okay to let your guard down. I feel it. I've never given you any reason to not trust me, have I?

I replied instantly because if there was one being I trusted on this Earth, it was Kita. I felt her presence in everything I did, felt her love and devotion to me, her vital need to protect me, not only physically, but mentally. She could have abandoned me years ago, slipped so far to the back of my mind that I would have never felt her again. Not every wolf soul got along with their human, and that, that would be the most difficult life any werewolf could live - I was thankful that hadn't been the case with Kita.

Then trust me when I say that we are okay now.

I paused with a heavy sigh, mentally whispering a silent prayer that she was right.

Nothing else was said as I got up to walk to the bathroom. When looking into the mirror, I was surprised to find that the majority of the bruising on my face was nearly gone, only some light yellow remained near my brow bone where the bruising had been the most severe. My hair took to its natural form for the first time in forever, finally not weighed down by dirt and grime. Effortlessly textured waves fell just to my mid stomach, and while I loved it, I hated the length - grabbing a hair tie, I tied it to a messy bun at the top of my head.

I took a few minutes reveling in the fact that I could wash my face and brush my teeth, grateful that Grayson, or whoever, had thought of pretty much everything anyone would need while occupying the room. Once I was done, I hesitantly made my way out of the room, looking both ways before quietly making my way down the hall, glancing once at Grayson's bedroom door - I listened but was met with silence.

It wasn't that I fear running into him, entirely, I just didn't want to interrupt his sleep.

Right. Kita replied sarcastically at the thought, and I rolled my eyes.

I smelled the pancakes before I got to the end of the hall, spotting Gabrielle at the stove, humming to herself. The large television in the living room played the weather channel, and between that and the sounds coming from the kitchen, I felt eight years old again in my parents house.

Every morning had been the same in our household. My mother always cooked breakfast while my father watched the weather every morning before heading to the pack house. I swallowed the lump in my throat - it was entirely too comforting.

I kept my eyes glued to the television for a moment, watching as the meteorologist waved across a radar that covered Maine, but it wasn't that, that had caught my attention. It was the date on the screen.

It was a Sunday. The month of November. A week before Thanksgiving.

It felt strange to know the date, to know what day it was when the sun finally rose. Something too entirely small that I had taken for granted. And to know the year. I had officially turned twenty a little less than twenty days ago.

I had been in the cellar for over two years.

I staggered a little, placing a hand over my abdomen as I forced a breath.

"Are you okay," Gabrielle asked over the sizzling of the pancakes. I turned to find her worried eyes looking over me, head to toe, as she placed the spatula on the counter top. "Do you need something? Are you hurting anywhere?"

She was beginning to sound like her brother.

"No," I croaked, clearing my throat. "No, I'm okay. Thank you," I said, walking towards the counter tentatively. I eyed the marble top before sliding into the stool while looking around. It was so nice and clean, comforting in a way that I hadn't felt since being taken from my own home.

It scared me that I already felt so at home here.

"Do you want chocolate chips in your pancakes?"

My stomach grumbled.

"Yes, please,"

Gabrielle grinned, shooting me a wink before turning around and adding a handful of chocolate morsels to the batter. I watched silently as she hummed to herself, swaying slightly, and I felt myself relax just a little.

Until I heard a door from down the hall close and the scent of my mate filled my nose. I inhaled greedily, letting it wrap around me, finding it was just as comforting as it was nerve wracking.

I counted each step as he grew closer, and soon, I knew he was directly behind me, no doubt looking me over. I didn't move an inch as I felt my body tense back up, mentally repeating Kita's words from this morning.

"Good morning."

My eyes fluttered at the sound of his voice, low and gentle, and suddenly, I felt myself relaxing again. It created an array of goosebumps across my body and I held back a shiver. He was affecting me entirely too much after only three days of knowing him.

He pulled out the stool beside me, stepping onto it and I couldn't stop myself from glancing towards him only to wish I hadn't. His dark waves were tousled, in a much more attractive way than they had been that night in the hospital. He wore gray sweatpants and a loose muscle shirt that barely hid any of his upper body. An upper body that I had only seen clad in long sleeved shirts until this moment. A very broad, muscular upper body occupied by surprisingly tan skin and tattoos.

He had one across the right side of his chest, and a few on his right forearm as well. All spaced out and placed perfectly, intentionally, made up of dark lines and detail that told stories. But it was the one on his left arm, closest to me, that stole the show.

A dark inked layout of a forest of tall trees with an incredibly detailed wolf laying at the bottom of a stream that ran through the middle of it. It ended near his elbow, but took up the entire surface area of his bicep.

It was so beautiful.

I hadn't realized I had been staring until Gabrielle brought me out of my trance by placing my plate in front of me. I jumped, turning towards her only to find her already turning back to the stove. When I looked back towards Grayson, I found his eyes on me, a tiny smile on his lips.

Immediately, I forced myself to focus on the pancakes in front of me, cooked golden and perfectly rounded. So, so much better than hospital food. They smelled amazing and my stomach grumbled again, causing me to blush as I glanced back towards the other two people in the room.

When I caught Grayson's eye for the second time, he was standing, looking at me expectantly.

"What would you like to drink? We have orange juice, white and chocolate milk, water, tea, coffee," he listed, and he seemed like he could keep going had I not spoken up.

"You don't have to," I started, "if you tell me where it is, I can get i -,"

Grayson cut up off, placing a hand on my forearm that caused my breath to catch. "What do you want to drink," he asked again, softly but a little more insistent. It was only when he took his hand off my arm that I could finally form a coherent thought.

"Water," I whispered. "Please."

He eyed me for a moment, as if he could read my mind to make sure that was exactly what I wanted before he nodded and walked towards the fridge. I had yet to catch my breath, and it only left me again as I watched him grab a glass and begin filling it with water from a pitcher.

Never in my life had I seen an Alpha wait on anyone else. It was unheard of where I came from. The Alpha had always been the first to be served, waited on by everyone else, sometimes even by the Luna. So when Grayson placed the cup down in front of me, along with silverware and a napkin, the grateful smile I sent him was wobbly.

With another smile that sent another wave of goosebumps over my skin, Grayson sat down beside me, thanking his sister when she served him his plate. I cut them silently, eyeing the syrup in Grayson's hand, waiting for him to go first when he caught my gaze. He leaned over slightly, his arm brushing mine as he poured a healthy amount of syrup over my pancakes.

"Want more?"

I could barely shake my freaking head.

He grinned, boyish and adorable, and I had to take a calming breath as I focused on eating. The pancakes were moan worthy - not that I dared to actually moan. I did, however, send Gabrielle an appreciative smile.

"These are amazing, Gabrielle. Thank you," I said shyly.

She beamed, taking a bit of her own before covering her mouth with her hand as she spoke. "You're welcome, and please, feel free to call me Gabi. You are going to be family after all."

Her words had taken me by surprise, and it took everything to not choke on my water. This seemingly confident, strong woman barely knew me, had no clue what I had come from, and yet, she so freely opened her home and arms to me without so much as a second thought.

I had been a beaten and bloody rogue found on his territory for crying out loud. Wasn't I technically still classified as one?

I snuck a glance at Grayson to find him watching me intently. I would kill to know what he was thinking. Was his thought process the same as Gabrielle's? Would he really accept me so easily, without knowing a thing about me? Would they both continue to accept me after finding out everything?