I gritted my teeth as a wave of unease lurched in my stomach. My back tensed, my hand clutching onto Piper's wrist with more pressure than necessary. Through the foggy, tipsy turmoil of my mind, the visiting Alpha's voice seemed to sober me and spur my confidence.

"Cat got your tongue?" Blake mused.

Lifting my gaze, I met the black eyes of the Alpha. "My tongue is perfectly free, thank you."

His lips quirked, leaning close to me. "Well, maybe you could show me just exactly what that tongue of yours could do."

I recoiled from him, a scoff leaving my mouth. "That is going to be a no."

He didn't seem fazed, his hand coming to rest on my waist. "It didn't sound like one until now. Care to change your mind, little human?"

I released Piper's arm to push the damn Alpha's hand from my body. "That's disgusting."

"What? Your Alpha can have his fun with you, and I can't?" He laughed loudly, retrieving his arms with innocence.

My nose wrinkled, hyperaware of my mixed scent again. I took a step back, closer to Piper, who's hand settled on my lower back.

Rolling my eyes, I lazily blinked up at him. "Because that is totally what happened."

His grin dropped slightly, an annoyed glare passing over his features. It made me grin, happy to agitate him. He probably wasn't used to being so shot down.

"You are an unmarked, pretty, fertile human living in a wolf pack. You are a teasing little lamb here. I am surprised no-one has taken the opportunity." He shrugged.

I grimaced. "Taken the opportunity? Ever heard of consent?"

My dismissal of his actions and words was enough for him to drop his grin and growl at me.

"Let me teach you a thing or two about respect, human." He spat.

His arm came out to grab my own, just as Piper went to pull me back. His other hand came to grab Piper's free arm, and she snarled at him. Stuck at a crossroads with his grimy hands on both of us, it didn't take long for another growl to fill the room. My eyes snapped to the side, my head spinning with the action. I closed my eyes to catch my bearings, the wine brain becoming way too strong.

"If you were a smart man, Blake, you would know to let go of something that is not yours." Asra's voice was deadly as he made his way to stand beside Piper.

Blake's eyes flickered between us, but he seemed to have the brain capacity to realise the situation was escalating. He released Piper first, his fingers and eyes lingering on my skin a while longer. I pulled my hand back, rubbing at the red marks his careless grabbing made. Wolves were always so strong. It made me think of Mya and how she said she had to treat me like a baby in case I broke.

"I seem to have misunderstood the situation." Blake cleared his throat, levelling his gaze with Asra. "Excuse me, I am going for a walk to clear my mind."

I smirked at his retreating figure, still cradling my hand to my body. I was glad for the sympathetic part of my brain being asleep; the wine proving a good comrade tonight.

"Piper, why don't you take Ailia to bed," Asra murmured, his body tense as he stared out of the door.

Piper was quick to respond, looping her hand through my elbow before pulling me out of the room. I aimlessly followed, more than happy to go back to my room and away from all the drama.

Wolves were so dramatic.

It made my head hurt.

Finally landing in my room, I sighed in relief as the welcoming softness of my bed greeted me. My back instantly ached at the sight, my feet dying to be rid of its confinements and feel the brush of soft cotton against my skin.

Piper sighed, falling into the chair by my window. "I hate that guy."

"Me too." I grumbled, pulling my dress from my body.

Falling into bed in just my underwear, I moaned into the sheets. "So good."

Piper giggled. "Have you ever drank wine before?"

"My mother would let me have one or two when I was courting my fiancé. I usually just get really chatty." I snorted, lifting my face to stare at her. "So she would make me stop before I blurted out our secrets."

Her soft brown eyes narrowed with mischief. "Well, the sun has only just gone down. Want to talk?"

"About what?"

"Well... you said that your mum would not let you drink because you spill secrets." She grinned innocently. "What kind of secrets?"

Narrowing my eyes, I rolled until I was on my back, lifting myself up onto my elbows to stare at her. She batted her eyelashes, the same fake smile plastered on her face.

"You got enough time for that?" I laughed.

She rolled her eyes, absentmindedly playing with her hair. "I know little about your family. Who did you grow up with?"

"My mother, father and sister Arabella." I shrugged. "She is fifteen now, so she was just understanding life."

"Was?" She frowned.

"Not like that. I just mean... I know it's only been like...not even two months, but it feels a lifetime ago." I sighed. "We were close growing up, but when father died, I had to take over the house because Mother fell into a depression."

"That must've been hard. How old were you?" She shifted nervously, causing me to hum with curiosity.

"Dad died when I was about nine. Arabella was only five. Mother was in a state of acting like it didn't happen. She taught me a lot until I was old enough to be alone. Then she went into her bedroom and never came out." I explained, staring up at the ceiling. "I got a job and earned just enough to pay for the house and utilities. Food was scarce. We were lucky to eat twice a day. Most of the time, I scavenged fruits from the forest and eventually secured some vegetables to grow in the back garden. The soil was good up there, so it worked well. Things were... good, manageable."

"That doesn't sound good to me," Piper pouted. "One meal a day and it was just vegetables? I think I would rot away."

My teeth chewed on my lower lip, my chest feeling heavy as I unburdened my thoughts.

"It was a lot. For four years we lived like that, and then one day, my Mother comes out of her room like it never happened. It was my sixteenth birthday soon, and she started to mingle and take all of my money for her outings with the richer families. Arabella and I struggled, so I did more shifts and finally got to work as a chef, which was a few coins more a day." I sighed.

"I had no education. Just a dirty, independent child with no guidance and then she comes out of nowhere and starts demanding things from me!" I grunted, exasperated. "She preps and primes me only to drop the bomb that I am to date the head family's son and marry him! She literally sold me to them, and they would send her money monthly to keep her comfortable. When we were to marry, she would've got a better house and a nice little stipend."

"That's... that's awful. I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was like that in the human villages." She whimpered, coming to sit on the edge of my bed. "I hope he treated you better than she ever did."

I was laughing now, my blood boiling with anger. "That man was the devil. I have never been through so much in my life. My head and my heart worked out of sync."

"What do you mean?" She wondered, glancing at the door.

"Besides the verbal belittlement and abuse?" I laughed. "What didn't he do?"

She frowned, looking at the door again.

I hesitated, stifling a yawn as I focused my attention on her. That was the fifth time she had looked at the door and I narrowed my eyes at her before copying the motion. She tensed; aware I had picked up on it.

"What?" she wondered, breathing sharply.

"Why do you keep looking at my door?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I think you're imagining." She murmured.

"I may be slightly drunk enough to have more balls than usual, but I know you are hiding something." I shook my head before standing from the bed.

I swayed a little once on two feet, so slammed my eyes closed and stormed my way to my door. Piper's voice grew closer as she clambered to her feet to slow me down. I had already reached the door handle by the time her hand grabbed my wrist and I turned to give her my best smile before wrenching the door open.

His scent washed over me with the swaying of the door, and I felt every muscle tense as I became far too aware of his presence.

Asra stood in my doorway, both hands fisted by his side, his eyes dark with anger. His lips were pulled back into a snarl, his hair dishevelled and unkept.

"What are you doing here?" I grunted. "Better yet, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." He growled.

Hmm.

"I'm sorry, I knew he was there but I..." Piper began, but I shot her a look and she quietened.

My head throbbed, and I raised my hand to press it against my temple. Turning around, I gave the alpha my back and stepped away from the door.

"Look. Talking aside, I just want to go to bed. It has been a long day and my mind cannot take any more drama."

"You sure you don't want to talk more about anything? You seemed really upset." Piper muttered softly, running her hand down my back.

Casting a glare over my shoulder to Asra, I gently shook my head, giving her a small smile.

"I am all done for the day."

I left the door, making my way back to my bed. Yawning, I slipped my underwear from my body and climbed in under the sheets. I rolled over to stare at the two in the doorway, only to groan when Asra let himself in.

"What did you mean about your fiancé?" He snapped.

"What?" I yawned.

"You said, besides the abuse." He growled.

"Right." I nodded.

He blinked down at me, his hands opening and closing with impatience. My eyes drifted down his toned body, along the prominent veins in his arms, before finding the blood splattered marks on his knuckles.

"Who's blood is that?" I wondered.

"You don't need to know." He clenched his jaw and looked at the foot of my bed.

"Ditto."

His eyes snapped back to me, blazing with anger.

I laughed. "You don't answer mine. I won't answer yours."

His tongue came out to wet his lips, and my eyes followed the motion. I noticed Piper leaving the room, muttering a small goodnight and curse as she hit her hip on the doorhandle. I softly laughed at her misfortune. The door clicking shut, silencing the room.

"Well?" I quirked an eyebrow. "As you can see, I am about to go to sleep so..."

"I am afraid I cannot leave you."

I blinked, confused. "What?"

His frown deepened. "I feel obliged to stay in here the night."

"Why?" I probed. "This is my bedroom."

He rolled his shoulders, glancing at my open window. "My beast is unsettled. I want to stay here whilst Blake is here. I dislike how he reacts to your scent."

"Because I'm a teasing, fertile human, right?" I taunted.

His answering glare wasn't full of amusement, but despite that, I laughed.

"What does that even mean, anyway?"

"It is because you are in the middle of your cycle, you are due to ovulate any time." He explained.

I blinked, my head raising from the pillow with shock. "You can smell that?"

"It will surprise you what I can smell." He nodded.

I exhaled a small breath of revelation, more intrigued by this beast's abilities than I care to admit. Adjusting myself in the bed so I lay on my back again, I sighed loudly as my head thrummed with dull aches.

"Look, my head hurts. I want no more drama. If you have to stay, the chair is comfy." I murmured, closing my eyes.

He didn't respond, but the sound of clothes shifting and a creak of a floorboard met my ears as my mind shut down. I heard the curtains close before the chair creaked under his weight. The heavy thud of his shoes hit the carpet before he exhaled heavily. The shift in the air was gradual, as sleep lulled me under and the tension cleared.

"Answer me this one question and I promise I will not react." He murmured, and I hummed in response. "Did he ever hurt you?"

Rolling onto my side, I opened my eyes to find him in the room's darkness. The blue seemed to swirl with unrecognisable emotions, blending with the night. He was shirtless, sat at an angle on my chair so that his body faced my bed, his arms folded against his stomach.

It was so quiet, yet so soothing. His scent filled the room, the earthy, fresh smell invaded my pores. Something about his calm presence made all of my worries disappear, something I assumed was because of the mate bond. Now I knew more about it. When he got worked up, I also felt worked up, and when he was on edge, I felt on edge. It was dull, but I felt it.

He was my meant to be, so it was no surprise his mere presence could make me feel this way.

"In more ways than you think." I whispered, watching how he reacted.

His jaw clenched, hands turning to fists. His eyes searched mine for answers, a desperate plea for a lie that I could not give. When he found whatever deeper meaning he was searching for, they closed tightly. A rumbling growl started in his chest before his beast whimpered.

"I must lie beside you, otherwise I fear you may not have a chair left, but firewood."

I snorted, too tired to argue anymore. "On top of the covers."

My eyes drifted closed when his scent grew stronger, his body emitting a strange warmth that had my heart feeling light and content in my chest. My gut churned with understanding, goosebumps rising on my skin as he sat beside me. He was upright, clad in his just trousers, his body slumped against my headboard.

Although I didn't care about feeling embarrassed or awkward, I knew I would regret letting him stay in the morning. I had to accept his weird place in my life, even more so now I was stuck here.

What was a debilitating race had turned into a stalemate so soon. I wondered, for a moment, if the fire would ever reignite.