Mark's form was shaking, his eyes turning black and his muscles tensed. Through the rage on his face, you could also see the pain. Why the pain was there, I didn't know.

Granted, I knew enraging him was my fault. However this just showed how much of a beast these 'people' were. Over such a tiny insult, Mark was ready to shred me into a million pieces.

Well, I'm ready too, bitch.

My thoughts halted whenever Penelope jumped in front of Mark. She placed her hands on his shoulders with her back to me.

"Mark, Alpha will kill you if you so much as scratch her! She's your Luna, Mark!" The constant panic Penelope had kind of annoyed me. She was a werewolf, yet she was terrified of such little things. What kind of fighter could this girl possibly amount to?

I need to ask Chase what this whole 'Luna' title was about.

Mark only growled and snapped at Penelope, shoving her away so she fell against his bed frame. Now that made me surprisingly mad.

"You don't shove a girl!" I found myself exploding on Mark, not caring about the possible attack and walking to Penelope's side. Her wide eyes found mine and she scrambled up herself before I could reach her.

"Luna, don't move! His wolf will see it as a threat!" Penelope screeched, shaking her head furiously at me.

With a defiant scowl, I remembered my plan.

Act scared. Act weak. Don't let them see how strong you are.

I was starting to hate my own plan as I nodded quickly at Penelope's words and backed up, now looking at Mark with slightly widened eyes. This mutt better hope for his own life that he didn't attack me.

I have no weapons.

The thought made me want to groan. Damn Chase for taking them all from me, even if he had every right, in his mind, to de-arm the enemy.

"Penelope. Get her out of here," Mark grunted. His eyes were fully black and the amount of furious pain on his face made me want to wince. "Now!"

At that, Penelope snatched my hand and ran me out of the room. The world spun around me as we were down the hallway and flying down the never ending staircase this house owned.

Penelope was fast, a lot faster than I had ever thought she would be. I had a lot of trouble keeping up without tripping over my own feet. It was surprising yet discouraging to see how such a small, weak-seeming girl could contain such a speed. This only meant that the rest of them must be so much faster.

I dug my heels into the floor, only causing Penelope to slow down a little. The resisting tug was enough for her to notice and stop her sprint.

We were now in a room that appeared to be on the 1st floor. The windows that revealed the green grass and large trees surrounding the house told me we were in the forest.

How deep into the trees were we exactly?

"What are you doing?" Penelope hissed, immediately freezing afterwards. "I'm sorry for the disrespect."

I could only stare as if she had grown a second head.

Penelope sighed and shook her head, looking around to find the house completely empty around our proximity. She then looked back at me with pleading eyes.

"If Alpha knew that Mark got angry at you like that, he could get into a lot of trouble. If Alpha thinks Mark would have left even the tiniest scratch on you just then, it could mean something awful for Mark. Please, I'm begging you, don't tell Alpha," Penelope ranted. She reached out to grab my wrist, then sighed defeatedly when I stepped out of her reach.

That would be one less wolf for me to worry about...but I need all of their trust. Penelope may be my best ally, even if she doesn't know it.

"I won't tell," I assured her, with all plans on keeping my mouth shut.

"Thank you, so much," Penelope thanked, a large grin overcoming her features.

"Why do you care for Mark so much?" I shot out, not able to keep my mouth shut.

Penelope blushed slightly and shook her head. "He's just a pack member."

"You're lying to me," I argued, my eyes narrowing on her. She licked her lips and took a step back.

"I am not," she stated defiantly.

I only stared at her, realizing I didn't exactly need this information right now. Worrying about her and Mark would only distract me from my over all goal.

Keep your head in the game, Jacks. You gotta focus. Don't let your guard down.

My stomach was tight in anxiousness. Penelope and I were only sitting in the kitchen, rested at the bar counter and not speaking. I felt like a sitting duck, waiting for a wolf to just tackle me to the ground and rip my flesh open.

If only Chase would be done with that stupid meeting already.

This wouldn't be necessary if I just wasn't here. Now that this pack had my scent, I would have to travel far away anyways. Maybe another country. Italy, perhaps?

Again, not something to focus on at the moment. I needed to keep my mind straight. Everything seemed so simple, like a plan lined up for me.

1. Gain Chase's trust, which should be simple seeing as how he has claimed that I am meant to be his entire world from now on.

2. Gain the packs' trust. This would be more difficult with some. Some wolves may blindly follow their Alpha, immediately giving me their trust and respect. Like Penelope. However, others won't be to eager to trust a hunter walking around with them, like Mark.

3. Convince Chase that I need time alone, saying this is all so overwhelming and I just need to think. Shouldn't be too hard to find a chance to do that, giving the fact I was, am, a hunter being shoved into a world of wolves.

4. Tell a chosen wolf, probably Penelope it seems, that Chase told us we could go shopping. Do wolves go shopping in town? Then escape. Yes, Penelope would be a good choice. I could more easily get away from her, it seemed.

In the mean time, I only had to make Chase believe I was falling for him. He was an Alpha, yes, but he had trusted my first lie so blindly that I couldn't see this being a problem at all. Wow, mates sure did make wolves clueless.

Weak. Clueless and weak.

I had to hold in my smirk at the thought.

"Isn't just sitting here kind of setting me up for some wolf to attack?" I questioned, mindlessly spinning in the bar stool.

Penelope frowned in thought. "No one would dare hurt the Alpha's mate."

"They will if they don't know I'm his mate," I mumbled back, reveling in this moment that I didn't feel the need to act intimidated or scared.

"They will all know soon," Penelope tried to assure me, but that fact was anything but assuring.

They won't if I have anything to do with it.

"What do you guys mean when you call me Luna?" Might as well get some information while I'm just sitting here.

Penelope smiled at me with the biggest grin. "A Luna is an Alpha's mate. She is the Alpha female, essentially leader of the pack. She is more important than anyone in the entire pack. We will all go to you for guidance and help. Even Alpha Chase will bow at your feet, as any mate would do for his other half. You are crucial for our prosperity. Alpha Chase was going mad since the night he turned 18 and never found his mate until now. He's waited three years, trying to find you while also leading our pack. Now that you are here, and once you mate, Alpha Chase will be a stronger and more respected Alpha. Our pack will be complete."

As Penelope ranted her explanation, I stood frozen in my seat. Her words were stuck in my mind, burning into my memory even though I now wished I had never asked the question.

...more important than anyone...crucial for our prosperity...Our pack will be complete.

The words were a nightmare to me. Branded into my skull, into my heart. Yes, these beasts were dangerous and evil. However I was a simple human and that much responsibility was overwhelming, especially when I planned to run as far away from here as possible. What would happen after I left them?

It doesn't matter. Remember, Jacks, you have to keep yourself safe. You can't stay here!

I recalled back to the full moon just last night. The phone call I had put through popped into my head. Did my group ever get it? I didn't know where my phone was now, but I prayed it was anywhere but here. If they had it somewhere locked up at this place, it was certainly being tracked at this very moment.

No matter how monstrous these animals were, I couldn't find it in me to want their pack to be demolished. The thought of my fellow hunters holding a weak girl like Penelope at gunpoint was nerve wracking to me. Yes, I would run. Yes, I would refuse to live with these things. No, I could never love any of them, especially not enough to lead their pack. However, I was not going to responsible for all of their deaths, or the deaths of my friends. The outcome depended on who would win that battle, and I couldn't figure out who I wanted to win.

They all just seemed so human.

Stop, Jacks! Monsters! Beasts who prey on the innocent, weak passerby's called people!

Shaking my head, I tugged frustratingly at my dark chocolate colored hair. I had to get out of here before my thoughts became so jumbled, so confused.

"Macey? Penelope, why are you two alone?" Even when Penelope bowed her head to Chase as he entered the kitchen, I couldn't find it in me to move my body.

Luna. I can't be a freaking Luna! I had to leave, ASAP.

"Alpha..." Penelope stammered, trailing off for an excuse that I knew wasn't going to come out of her mouth.

"Penelope, I strictly stated for her to be under the protection of a top fighter and under the company of you! Not of just an untrained female!" Snapping out of my mental breakdown, I turned in my seat to see Chase towering over Penelope. "What would have happened if someone attacked!"

"Chase, stop it!" I shot out of my chair and stepped between Penelope and this angry man who called himself my mate. I knew I was supposed to act scared and weak but I needed to get a little anger out. It wasn't smart, but I never had a good temper on me.

"I was hungry!" I lied. I did need to keep up my 'weak' act, so I made a last minute decision to play the guilt trip. "You call yourself my mate? You say you are going to take care of me? You kidnapped me last night, put me through an interrogation this morning, left me, a former hunter, alone with two werewolves, and didn't even stop to think of how I might be handling this!"

Chase's face was priceless, making me want to laugh and point in humor. Utter terror and regret overtook his features. Even though every word I said was true- besides the former hunter part, because I was still a hunter- I didn't actually take it to heart like he thought I had.

"Macey-" Chase reached out for me, but I quickly stepped back. It resulted in me bumping into Penelope, but her comfort was better than the monster's in front of me. Every time he touched me, hot sparks ran through my body and under my skin. It was pleasurable, but that was the exact reason for why it terrified me.

Chase tensed, took a deep breathe, and straightened his shoulders. He nodded, gulping and blinking stoically. "I'm sorry, Macey. Penelope, you are excused."

As the wolf scrambled quickly out of the kitchen, Chase gestured for me to sit back down at the bar. "What would you like to eat?"

Shock ran through me at how different Chase was acting now. Closed off and distant, like he had programming telling him what to do and not emotions.

This is how werewolves truly are.

Stepping down off my seat, I walked towards the monster who was currently looking through a large fridge.

"I can do it myself." No way in hell was I giving him the chance to poison me. No matter my words, Chase continued to mumble incoherent words of food choices. "Chase, I can make my own food!"

The incredible speed that Chase moved was honestly terrifying. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. No wolf that I've battled against ever showed such strength or agility as this Alpha did. In what seemed like half a second, he had whirled around and screamed in my face, "And I can provide for my mate! So back off and let me!"

The shock of his movement and the incredible boom of his deep voice had me falling back in complete fear. I lost my footing and fell straight onto the kitchen floor, staring at the angry wolf-shifted-human who was seething above me.

Chase sighed and ran a hand through his hair. I watched every little movement he made, scouting for any sign that he would attack me.

"I'm sorry, Macey. I'm just on edge from the meeting," Chase apologized, holding his hand out to me. I only stared at it. "Let me help you."

Gulping, I ignored his help and stood up myself, taking my seat back on the stool and eyeing Chase with emotionless eyes. I didn't want him to see my fear right now. I didn't want to act scared. I didn't want to pretend to be the perfect mate. I wanted to get out of here, now.

"Macey, I am sorry," Chase repeated. When I didn't reply, he looked back at the food. "Is a sandwich okay for now?"

"What happened at the meeting?" I couldn't stop the question, but the slight glare Chase gave me had me adding, "Yes, a sandwich is fine."

"The meeting was difficult, but as expected."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Half my men wanted to kill you on the spot. The other half was split between giving you a chance and not knowing how to feel." Chase set the large sandwich on a plate in front of me. "I talked to them all though. You killed no ones mate and no ones children, so that helped."

I only nodded, staring down at my sandwich in caution. I had watched everything Chase had done and the emptiness in my stomach was unusually strong for me to have only been unconscious for one night.

"How long was I unconscious for?" Please say one night.

"Eat, Macey," Chase insisted. "You look like you are starving.

"How long?" I demanded, my tone getting harder.

"Only two nights after I found you. It would have been a third if you had not woken up this morning," Chase explained. I swallowed the lump in my throat, picking up the sandwich and taking a bite.

Have to leave. Have to get out.

Don't rush it, Macey. One chance, that's all you will have.

"You did something to me," I recalled. Chase froze and shut his eyes in a sigh. "When I blacked out, it hurt. What did you do to me?"

"Please, don't freak out."

"You saying that doesn't help."

Chase nodded at my words and gave me a small smile, as if trying to soften whatever blow was about to come.

"I marked you."

~~~~

Yes, this was a good place to stop

YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER

THANKS FOR READIN, FOLKS!

(Also please vote, ma homies)

Author recommendation Simply_Maija