Pain and sleep, pain and sleep. That's all I know for the next few days while my wolf tries to heal my injuries. I end up with stitches in my arm and when I shift back, my body is black and blue from the bruising. Defiance still stares back at me from the mirror. If my mate thinks I'm broken, he will be in for a surprise.

My gaze flicks to the door as it creaks open. I expect Dante to have another go at me, but it's Jos's steel blue eyes that meet mine.

"Geez, my brother really did a number on you."

My smile is slow. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well, I wanted to see if you are up for a little run in the woods?"

"You mean as wolves?"

"Yeah." He grins. "I'm not into jogging, so when I say run, I mean really run."

"But don't I need to wait for Dante?"

"No. All you need is an escort. I'm a male, so I can escort you. Besides, my father took Dante and the majority of the fighters to the Eastern border to track down a few rogues who invaded our lands. They won't be back until tonight."

Things are looking up. That my heart is also thumping like crazy adds to the excitement. "Then what are we waiting for?"

"Let's just tell Harla so she won't be worried."

Jos strolls ahead of me along the corridor and down the stairs into the kitchen. The Luna is behind the stove, brewing something out of a bunch of herbs and a couple of unidentifiable liquids. The stench is nauseating.

"I'm taking Raelyn for a run out in the woods." Jos's frame towers over the Luna and his stance leaves no doubt that this isn't up for discussion. He's a male, prepared to make decisions. It's the first time I've seen him crank up his Alpha genes.

"That's fine, Jos. Just don't overdo it. Raelyn is still healing and I don't want her to tear those stitches."

"We'll be careful."

As soon as we make it outside, we shift and cross the courtyard with a few leaps. The fresh air floods my nostrils; it's absolutely amazing after being cooped up in the house. Picking up speed, the snow is like powder under my feet. We leave a white cloud behind as we disappear in the woods. Jos is ahead, but it won't take much for me to catch up.

Wildlife scares up from the pounding of our paws on the frozen ground. Though the temperature is well below zero with a killer windshield, the arctic air snaps my heavy limbs awake. With wide jumps, I race after Jos. He makes a game out of the chase, speeding up whenever I've almost caught up to him. Exhaustion settles in after a while and a stabbing pain in my shoulder warns that I'd better slow down.

When I fall behind, he stops and waits. Shoulder to shoulder, we walk along a beaten path by the lake and up a hill. A small cabin is almost fully hidden behind a wall of underbrush. He shifts just before he reaches the front porch, his muscled skin glistening from the sweat of the chase. I growl my approval and my behind rubs in the snow. That close to my heat, my hormones are going wild, especially around a male I actually desire.

He opens the door of the cabin. "Come inside."

I obediently trot behind him, sniffing along the walls and furniture. My nose only picks up his scent. A crackling fire he builds in the open fireplace has me soon sweating. I roll up on the soft carpet and watch him with hooded eyes.

He sits down next to me, his legs crossed. "Don't you want to shift?" His fingers ruffle me behind the ears.

I rest my chin on his knee, growling softly with content. His rubs get rougher before he traces his thumb along my jawline.

"Please shift. I want to talk to you."

I stretch into my skins. When his gaze roams over my nakedness with a heated glint, I drop my hands in front of my private parts. Self-consciousness burning, I grab the blanket off the couch and wrap it around me. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize for not warning you. My brother has a very bad temper and likes to lash out when he doesn't get his way."

"I noticed."

He caresses the bruise on my cheek. "You can't imagine the restraint it took not to tear his throat out after he hurt you like this."

"Jos—"

"And it was equally hard to watch him claim you. That night we had was special to me."

"Then why didn't you stop him?"

"How? If I had asked you not to go through with the ceremony, would you have done it? And then what? We both would've betrayed our packs and turned into outcasts. To defend your honor, your father would've had to declare war. Could you have lived with all that blood on your hands?"

I drop my gaze. He is right. The choice was taken from me when my father agreed to the mating. Any resistance would have resulted in a bloodbath.

"A joined fate isn't meant for us, Raelyn, but that doesn't change that I'm insanely drawn to you. I want to be with you—all the time—and it hurts me to see how much you've suffered since my brother put that mark on you."

"How could you possibly know what I've been through?"

"I sense your pain. Maybe we have a connection, or it's that crazy bond I have with Dante, but it started right after the claiming ceremony. I could sense your distress and could've killed my brother for showing so little affection."

"You have a bond with Dante?"

"My mother was a rogue, and when she refused to turn me over to my father after I was born, he killed her. The Luna took me in as her own. Dante was just a tiny pup and we nursed off the same tit. Such a milk tie binds you closer together than ordinary siblings. We are like twins and can sense strong emotions in each other—and apparently, in our mates as well."

"Well, I can't sense your emotions at all, so the connection must be through Dante. Can you feel mine now?"

In response, his teeth tug at my bottom lip. When his fingers stroke my neck, a shudder runs through me. His teasing continues until I give in and our tongues twine together. With every lap, his desire pulses through me, his arousal pressing hard against my inner thigh.

"Jos, we have to stop."

He pulls me closer. "But I don't want to."

"I've been marked. Dante can smell if I was with another male, even if I'd take ten showers."

"There are special drops that can prevent that."

I snap my head up. "There are?"

"My father gave them to me. He has been cheating on Harla for years and swears by them. I used them once when I spent a night with a mated female while I was training with her pack. Trust me, they work."

"And my heat?"

"How far off are you?"

"It will happen during the next full moon, so a couple of weeks."

"Then there's nothing to worry about."

His kiss is more insistent this time and he moves his hand under the blanket. "Don't you want this?"

My body and soul crave his gentle touch, but a warning voice nags in my head. This is morally wrong. I made my choice by claiming Dante. Ass or not, he's still my mate and cheating with his brother—well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell me that it's plain wrong.

I wrap my fingers around his wrists to prevent his hand from sliding between my legs. "I can't do this. Dante is my mate and we are bound until death. It's already hard enough as it is. I don't need this type of complication."

"My brother is a jackass. All he ever does is hurt you." He teases me with his tongue behind my earlobe, drawing out a moan. I tilt back my head to give him better access.

"Besides, he'll cheat on you every chance he gets. You'll see." He traces little kisses down my neck, his fingers softly caressing my breasts. "Did you know they are the perfect size. Each fits in one of my hands." Cupping them, his thumbs circle my nipples.

Desire throbs hard between my legs, but when he slides his hand southward, I wiggle free from his embrace. "Sorry, I just can't." Turning my back on him, I prop my chin up on my knees with a sigh. Why couldn't Jos have been the one who was chosen as my arranged mate? It would've made life so much easier.

He envelopes me from behind. "Even if I don't like it, I understand your reasons. I just wish things were different."

That makes two of us. "Where does this leave us?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

~~~~

Dante and the Alpha return just before dinner. Their boisterous claim that they "showed those rogues who was in charge" echoes loudly in the hallway before the bedroom door flies open. Testosterone and aggression from the thrill of battle seep out of Dante's every pore. He meets my gaze. A deep cut over his left eye bleeds heavily.

"Oh my god, you're hurt." I jump off the bed to examine the injury.

"It's nothing." He turns his head when I reach for the cut.

"Let me get a towel to stop the bleeding."

He clutches my wrists in a tight grip. "I said it's nothing. You need to start listening, female."

"Well, sorry for caring." I wrench my arms out of his hold and plop back on the bed. Tears of rejection well up. Fuck him.

He exhales with a sigh. "No, I'm sorry. I'm not used to females fussing over me. In my pack, a warrior wound is a sign of strength. I'm expected to attend to it myself."

"Then why don't you do that?" Another one of their stupid rules that takes time getting used to.

For a moment, he stands there with balled fists before heading to the bathroom. The water in the sink runs forever before he turns on the shower. Bored, I flip through a book that the Luna had given me. My stomach is growling and I can't wait for dinner to start.

He comes out of the bathroom just as I'm brushing my hair. Water droplets glisten on his bare chest; the bottom half of him is hidden by a large towel. A bandage covers the cut on his forehead. For the first time since we met, the smile hits his eyes.

"You look very nice tonight."

I frown, not sure if he really means it. The jeans skirt and angora sweater are ancient, and the pastels are definitely cringe-worthy when it comes to fashion standards, but I didn't want to wear jeans and a hoodie when meeting the other pack leadership for the first time.

He envelopes me in his arms, his chin resting on my head. Our eyes lock in the mirror. "Tomorrow night will be the official pack introduction. Maybe you could wear the same thing?"

"This outfit is really old."

"But it looks good on you. And you should pin your hair up. It's easiest for the pack tattoo."

"Yeah, sure." My skin already burns at the thought of the Scopan Lake pack initials being carved into my neck.

"Once you're officially one of us, you can join the other females in their daily chores. That will give you something to do."

Oh, goody. Chores. "I can't wait."

He misses the sarcasm and spins me around. Moving my hair to the side, he trails little kisses down my neck. His lips hover briefly over the mark before he licks the sensitive skin. My body reacts instantaneously, my wolf growling in approval. He hoists up my skirt and lifts me on the small vanity table, ignoring the falling make-up accessories. The towel drops.

"Dante, your mom will call us to dinner at any second."

"I only need a minute." He pushes my panties aside to give his stiff shaft enough space to enter. With his one arm cradled around my back, he holds me in place while he sinks himself deep inside me. His lips suckle the mark to get my body to cooperate; the natural need for my mate makes the whole affair bearable. When he finds his release fast and hard, a feeling of utter emptiness remains. So far, sex with him sucked.

"Dinner is ready," comes the Luna's call from the kitchen.

Dante smirks. "Just in time." He pulls out, cleaning himself off with the towel. "Just let me get dressed."

He opts for jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt that is so tight that it stretches across his rippled chest. Sexy, if I actually cared. With his hand firmly pressed against my lower back, we make our way downstairs. The dining room is packed with everyone in their seats; only two chairs next to the Alpha are empty. To my surprise, Jos and some younger wolves have settled at another table, almost as if they were banned from the others. On closer inspection, they are all unmarked while everyone at the larger table sits in pairs.

Names are tossed at me, most of them going over my head. It will take time to learn them. Just one male sticks out—his eyes are so hard and cold that they chill every fiber in my bones.

"Raelyn, this is Lance Ward, my Beta."

We lock eyes until a low growl from deep within his throat forces my gaze to drop. No doubt it's meant as a warning. I might be Dante's mate and candidate for Luna down the line, but for him, I'm nothing but an intruder until I bare an heir to the throne. The pack tattoo will mean nothing; pups are the only thing that matters. It's an old school thinking that should be outlawed.

"Enough with the introductions." Luna Harla smiles at me. "Raelyn must be starving, so let's eat."

I obediently plop into the chair next to Dante. Baskets of bread make the round and a large platter of meat is passed to me. Rabbit, my wolf's favorite, and the scent is absolutely divine. I only take one piece until the encouraging smile of the Luna allows me to pile up my plate. Since the night of Dante's assault, I've been living off soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, and my body is starving for a real meal.

"I heard you and Jos were running out in the woods today."

As I look at the Alpha, the fork freezes halfway to my mouth. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

"No, not at all." His gaze flicks to his son. "Right, Dante?"

Dante's lips are reduced to a thin line. When he locks eyes with his brother across the tables, I pick up a whiff of anger. Be it an unsubstantiated hunch or jealousy, having Jos run through the forest with me is not okay with him. "Of course it's fine, though I'd prefer if I'm the one escorting my mate when she has the urge to roam the woods."

"You were gone and Raelyn needed fresh air. There was nothing to it." With the smuggest smile, Jos bites off a large piece of meat on his fork.

"I suppose I should be grateful then." Dante's growl is deep and shows his displeasure.

The Luna's fork clinks against her plate, drawing everyone's attention to her. "No fighting at the dinner table."

"I don't want him around my mate." The stubbornness in Dante's voice reminds me of a small pup.

"He's your brother. It's his duty to take care of your mate when you're not able to."

Dante huffs. "Why are you defending him? He isn't even your son."

In the blink of an eye, the Alpha's teeth are on Dante's throat. Before he has a chance to shift into his own wolf, his father tosses him across the room with a growl. A lamp falls over and shatters into a thousand little pieces. Dante finally shifts, his body crouched low for the imminent attack.

"Outside, you too." The Luna claps her hands before shooing the two wolves toward the backdoor.

A young girl from the other table opens the door. The Alpha lets out another growl and exposes his teeth. He's a beast of a wolf, his fur just a hint darker than Jos's gray coat. Muscles built through years of training add to his broad chest and daunting frame. A fire gloats deep within his eyes, warning his son not to mess with him. If I were in my wolf form, I would roll on my back and whimper for mercy.

Dante bares his teeth with an equally loud growl before leaping out into the dark. The Alpha follows. The young girl closes the door behind them with a grin.

"Looks like you're gonna be sleeping in the barn tonight if you want to be with your mate, Raelyn."

"Why the barn?"

"That's where we send all our grounded pups." Lance chuckles. "That son of yours really has a temper, Harla, and he never learns. Challenging Nigel like this. Ridiculous."

"Dante still has a lot of growing up to do before he can take his father's place." The Luna's eyes roam over me with affection. "Maybe he'll change once he has pups of his own. I know Nigel did. Fatherhood has a way of calming males down."

"Let's hope so." Lance picks another piece of meat off the platter. "And you eat up, Raelyn, or you won't be able to give us a strong, healthy pup, skin and bones as you are."

"Yes, sir." I grin, shoving an especially big piece of meat into my mouth. Mate or not, Dante deserves to feel his father's teeth. And who knows—maybe this will even have taught him a lesson.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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