For two days, I've been watching YouTube videos and practicing how to do vampire-like makeup convincingly. I'm getting ready to go before the sun sets, doing my makeup. I don't want to be out when the sun is down because Vampires are more likely to be out. Only Originals can come out during the day.

Once I'm done with my makeup, I mask my scent. I planned to sneak out through my window because I don't want the boys to see me looking like a vampire and ask questions. Before I can sneak out someone bursts into my room.

"Vampire," Lucas growls, pulling me behind him.

"Vampire," I say, confused.

"I smell a vampire," Lucas says, looking around the room.

"I don't smell any vampire," I say from behind him.

"It's gone, but did you see anything suspicious?" Lucas asks as he turns around to face me.

"No, I di—"

"What is wrong with you, Luna?" Lucas says, cutting me off. "Are you sick?" he asks and places his hand on my head. An earth-shattering growl is heard the second he touches my head.

The ground beneath my feet shakes, and I have to hold Lucas to avoid falling. I'm trying to regain my balance when I see Lucas's body thrown across the room. His side hits the wall badly, and I don't need to see it to know. I can smell the blood. I turn to see what threw Lucas across the room.

Nathaniel.

And he's fuming with anger.

He looks like he wants to rip off Lucas's head. When did he get here?

"Don't touch her!" Nathaniel growls.

"He didn't touch me! I held him, so I wouldn't fall," I say and walk toward Lucas. I want to help him get up, but Nate lets out another earth-shattering growl.

"Touch him, and I won't just throw him across the room," he threatens.

"Don't worry, Luna. I can stand up by myself," Lucas says and tries to stand up but fails. I want to help him because I feel guilty, but I know I'd be signing his death sentence.

"Nate, you injured him. He is bleeding. I want to get him to a doctor" I try to reason with Nate, who's still glaring at Lucas. I don't understand why he's so angry. Lucas did nothing wrong. I just held his hand for balance.

"I don't care, come with me," he says and approaches me. He grabs my hand and is about to drag me away when I dig my feet into the ground to make it difficult for him. I can't leave Lucas like this.

"Let me at least help him to the bed until Noah and Oliver get here," I say, but this only makes matters worse.

"There is more than one male living here?" Nate asks, angrier than before.

"They others are mated," I say to try and calm him down.

"My Queen, don't worry about me. I'm fine now. I'm sorry, my King, for touching the Luna," Lucas says, after finally lifting himself off the ground. He's holding the wall to support himself.

"Next time, I won't be lenient to let you live," Nate says to Lucas, who looks like he's trying not to pee his pants in front of Nate. He must be scared shitless right now. "Let's go," Nate says, pulling me with him, and this time I let him.

"Sorry, Lucas," I say before we walk out.

I let Nate drag me outside, but I stop when I see where he's taking me. He wants to put me in a car. I'm not going with him anywhere. I didn't run away just to find my Mom. I ran away from his cruelty.

"Why are you stopping?" Nate asks once he notices me not moving.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"Elizabeth, I don't have time for this. Let's go."

"No," I say, stumping my feet on the ground. I'm not going to let him drag me back to that hell I was living in. The way he treated me during my heat was the last straw for me. I can't be with someone who treats me like that.

"Elizabeth, I don't know where this attitude is coming from, but I can'tt deal with it right now. Get into the car," he says, looking like he's trying his best to hold in his anger. If anyone should be angry, it should be me. My freedom just got caught short.

"I won't. You treat me horribly. Yet you won't reject me. I can't go back to that life. It's too painful!"

"The full moon is in two days."

"What?" I ask, confused with what the full moon has to do with our conversation

"The full moon is in two days. If you decide to stay here, I hope you're ready to face the consequences when people die," he says. That's when it clicks for me. It explains why he almost ripped Lucas's head off. The full moon is close and because we haven't mated. His wolf is restless and more on edge than usual. When a werewolf has found his mate and hasn't marked her, his wolf forcefully takes control and goes on a killing spree during the full moon.

"How can you say something like that to me? Of course, I don't want people to die because of me." I don't want people to die because I refused to mate with the werewolf King but am I ready to mate with him? I can't mate with him. There has to be another way to calm his wolf.

"Then get in," he says, holding the car door open for me.

"I'll get in, but before we go, I need to know something."

"What?" he asks, sounding impatient.

"I don't want anyone to die, but I can't mate with you."

"Who said anything about mating," he says, arching his brows at me. I look at him confused because if he doesn't want me to mate with him, why is he taking me back to his territory? "I'm not going to have sex with you, Elizabeth."

"Then why am I coming with you?"

"Your presence is enough to calm my wolf down. With you close to us, the chances of him going on a killing spree are less," he explains.

"Alright. I can accept that."

"Can we go now? We have a long drive ahead of us."

"Yes," I say, getting into the car. He closes the door after I get in and walks over to the driver's side.

***

We drive for an hour before the car comes to a halt. During the ride neither of us said nothing to each other. I even slept halfway through the trip. I look out my window, expecting to see Nate's mansion, but instead, we're at a hotel. What are we doing here? Before I can turn around and ask Nate, he walks out of the car and hands his keys to the valet. He turns back from walking into the building when he realizes I'm not following behind him. He walks back to the car and opens my door.

"Do you want me to carry you before you walk into the hotel?" he asks.

"What are we doing here?" I ask, getting out of the car.

"What do they typically do at hotels?" he says in a duh tone. I don't know if it's because the full moon is close, but he's ruder than usual.

"I know what they do in hotels, but why are we here and not back in your territory?"

"The ride back is a two hour drive. It's late, and I'm tired. We'll continue our trip tomorrow."

"Alright."

We walk inside the hotel. Every single person we pass by bows their head at us.

"Why are humans showing respect to you like they know who you are?" I ask as we step into the elevator.

"Because you might smell a lot of humans here, but every person who bowed is a werewolf."

"All the workers here are werewolves?" I ask, unable to believe him. All the people I saw bowing were workers of the hotel.

"Yes, they are."

"Why are they so many werewolves working here?"

"Because I own the place."

"You own the hotel?" I ask, shocked. I didn't know he was that rich. I know being the King means he has access to funds, but owning a hotel has to be his own privately funded business.

"Yes, I do," he says, stepping out of the elevator as the doors open.

"There is so much I don't know about you," I say, following him. We stop at the last door in the corridor.

A werewolf is waiting for us in front of the door. Nate collects the room key and unlocks the door. I wait for him to give me mine, but instead, he walks into the room.

"Nate, you didn't give me my room key," I say, following him inside his room.

"Who said you'd have your own room? We're staying here together."

"Why?" I ask, shocked.

"I think we both know why," he says, walking into the living room area of the suit. I'm sure he's referring to how I keep running away from him.

"Nate, I'm not going to leave while people's lives depend on me staying with you."

"You might say that, but you might change your mind later at night."

"I swear, I won't run away. Please, get me my own room."

"No."

"Please!" I beg. I can't share a room with Nate; that would be hell. The mate bond would want me to be in his arms, and I've received enough rejection from Nate to know that would never happen. Physically and emotionally, I just can't handle it.

"Elizabeth, I said no," he says louder this time.

"Okay," I choke back, giving up.