"Mate."

I gasped like I took my first breath of life... and then I held it like I was plunged underwater.

That word, that one precious word, eluded me. After all these months, I never thought I'd hear that word directed to my ears. Dragged all over the country in a fake mate search was humiliating on its own. Even when I knew it was bullshit, part of me had still held out hope that I wasn't destined to wander around alone with others' relationships shoved in my face.

And yet, once that word was spoken to me, I was beyond confused.

Umm, at the risk of stating the obvious...

I don't know if it's meant for me?

Not knowing who Theo's monstrous reaction was directed at comprised my first problem. The longer I took in his enraged bull impression, flushed red and snorting breaths, another vein popped out on him. After his neck, tributaries raised under the skin on his biceps.

The second problem was Caleb turned and walked away from me with a disinterested grunt. Taking two steps at a time, he moved so fast that my mouth gaped at the back of his head.

My third, and final, problem was my wolf turned into a scared turtle and snuck into nonexistence.

What the heck Lumi!?

Her only response was a soft, sad whimper, tucking her tail between her legs and slinking back.

After another low growl snapped me out of my thoughts, my eyes tracked Theo's gaze on my right shoulder. If I wasn't tuned into his pupils, then I would've assumed he inspected my neck. But he stood there, hot, violent breaths washing over me, with his eyes not locked on my shoulder, but past it.

Only one eligible bachelorette stood behind me.

Another warm breath washed over my shoulder, this one from behind. Raina whispered affirmation with an 'oh shit' firmness in her voice.

"Mate."

I had one second to get out of Theo's path and I took it with a side step. He was on top of Raina in a blink. Their bodies moved in a blur of grunts and growls. He rushed forward until her back slammed against a wall with a sickening crunch. Her eyes blazed angrily, then flashed blue as Mist surfaced and she growled menacingly. Their lips moved angrily, but the rest of the conversation was between the two of them.

"You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

My hand clamped over my mouth instantly, right before all heads except Theo and Raina's snapped in my direction. My cheeks burned at my outburst and I corrected myself, "I'm sorry. I mean, I... I'm so happy for them."

Every visit, someone in our traveling group had found their mate.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for all of them.

I am. It's fine. It's really great.

My history revealed that I never stepped between the Moon Goddess' selections, but felt like I'd dodged a giant, snarling, bulky-muscled bullet here. After Theo's blind rage tackle, I glanced back at Raina to see if she was alright.

A silent gasp passed through my lips and my eyes stretched wider at their reversed positions. She pinned Theo against the wall, her fingers gripped around his throat. Her eyes flashed bright blue and she did all the talking, but his heated gaze dragged over her like he wanted to eat her alive.

Yeah, she'll be fine.

As I turned away from them, my eyes caught sight of Caleb pausing at the top of the steps. His eyes looked down at mine but all he offered was a shake of his head, then turned and walked out of view.

Suddenly, waves of sadness crashed over me, so strong that my fingers trembled. Tears rose into my eyes and pain gripped my heart. After a few breaths, I realized that those were not my senses, but Lumi's.

'Mate,' she whimpered, bowing her head and closing her eyes.

I couldn't understand why she felt heartbroken, tearing me in between sympathetic and confused. My eyes shifted to Alpha Sandolf for introductions but my shoulders sagged and both my lips rolled inward.

Now what am I supposed to do??

"That was... quite an introduction," Luna-Something spoke up.

Taking ownership of the awkward situation, I stepped forward. "I'm sorry, I -"

"I meant my son, Theo." She pushed a polite smile across her lips but her brown eyes strained.

"We can start over..." I glanced behind me, shaking my head since Raina's fists were raised to trade blows with Theo, and stepped further into the foyer. With one outstretched hand, I introduced myself, "Zara. This is Simon -"

"So thankful, Alpha Sandwolf, Luna Sierra," Simon rushed both his words and feet around me, then clasped his hands around Luna Sierra's hand. "My family -"

Sierra, that's it.

"Are in one of the guest rooms, waiting for you," she cut him off with a smile, then turned to the tall, thin framed man with very short brown hair and stood on her right. "Eyolf, please escort Simon to the right room. His son is... not happy to be here."

"I imagine not." Simon frowned.

Through the exchange, I stood with my still outstretched. My lips tensing, I lowered it to my side, bouncing my fist against the outside of my right thigh.

"Yes, Luna." The wolf behind Alpha Sandolf's right side tipped down his chin, then gestured with his left hand for Simon to follow him.

"Thank you again, Alpha Sandolf." Simon shook his hand, then bowed at the hip. He jogged after Eyolf with a level of energy that pulled up the corners of my lips.

"Miss Zara," Alpha Sandolf's brown eyes shifted to me, dissolving my smile. "We -"

A loud, feral growl released behind me interrupted him, echoing vibrations off the walls and wood floors. As a collective group, our eyes shifted in that direction and widened. In the amount of time I needed to turn, cracking sounds of shifting hitting my ear, an enormous wolf with reddish brown fur and a darker dorsal stripe stood, his head lowered and front legs splayed wide in the front foyer. Even stooped low, he was enormous, corded muscles wrapping his broad chest. His paws were the size of dinner plates, his canines lowering like knives. Curling his lips back and barring them at Raina, saliva dripped in ribbons.

Oh my. I couldn't -

Within a blink, she released a louder, stronger growl, then shifted into Mist's form. Before I registered her tattered clothes on the floor, in a movement that felt like I watched an accident in slow motion, one of her paws lifted and raked her claws across Theo's cheek.

Uh-oh.

The hardwood floors and walls rattled with the roar out of Theo's wolf. Tinkling sounds overhead lifted my eyes to the shaking chandelier. Mist released a weaker, higher pitch challenge, then turned and rushed out the front doors.

"Raina," I mumbled and stepped in her retreating direction.

Theo's wolf paused, his yellow-hazel eyes throwing me a murderous glance that froze my feet. Curling his claws, he shredded lines into the hardwood floors, leaving gouged marks and splintered wood as he tore after her.

My fingers trembled as I turned and faced Alpha Sandolf and Luna Sierra. Seeing their annoyed expressions dropped my mouth open with a gasp.

They're not surprised?

"I blame your side of the family," Sandolf muttered to Sierra, a frown drawing his eyebrows together. "His temper is going to cost him his mate. Although, it looks like she can stand on her own."

That's an understatement.

Sierra folded her arms over her chest, then sighed. "Maybe they'll work out their differences?"

"So... That was Raina... Should we skip introductions?" My voice sounded as small and weak as the shaky legs I stood on. Every word I spoke tasted pathetic leaving my mouth.

Luna Sierra pressed one hand into her forehead, drawing a slow, deep breath. "Forgive both of my son's manners. Caleb was supposed to escort you to your room, but perhaps a more familiar face or two would be appropriate. Elena is two rooms -"

At her words, Cole was gone in a flash. With loud thumps, his feet bounded up the stairs and down the hallway out of view. Sharing a side look with Idris, neither of us needed any explanation. Smiling, I shook my head and assumed I saw Elena later.

Luna Sierra cleared her throat, shifting her eyes to Idris. "And Rose is across the hall -"

The ends of my hair flipped up with how fast he tore off. By the time they fluttered down past my shoulders, he was gone.

Idris' absence left me in a party with me, myself, and I alone in the front foyer. "I'm... Zara." Cringing, I waved one hand.

The Southern packhouse had a formal entrance but the rest of the house was warm and welcoming. Cream and brown walls were decorated with rustic framed pictures of pack members and events, like picnics and farming. Behind the packhouse were enormous, expansive green lawns under a few random mature trees.

My poor sense of direction appreciated the house's simple layout. A large foyer and grand room both had a catwalk hallway upstairs overlooking the lower level. The bedrooms were all upstairs, with the Alpha's family quarters to the left of the stairs and guest rooms to the right.

"I hope this is sufficient. Caleb suggested this room for you," Luna Sierra opened the third door on the right, then reached in and switched on the light.

"Why, are there bear traps inside?" I peered into the room, which was... quite lovely.

I stepped inside an all-white room, including the walls, furniture, bedding, and accessories. The only splashes of color were brass accents in the overhead light and a sage green blanket laid over the white comforter set. My eyes darted down to the pristine white rug over the hardwood floors. I kicked off my shoes and hugged them into my chest before I tracked in dirt.

"No, the color." Her light brown eyes, which up close were streaked with yellow highlights, darkened as she frowned. "Something about being helpful for camouflage?"

"Hilarious," I grumbled.

Seriously? Lumi, he thinks we'll blend into the walls.

I fought the urge to lift my arm for a color comparison. After her mate outburst, Lumi had long ago retreated into her comfort zone. If I stretched far enough into the corner of my mind, then I felt her still bruised ego, so I left her alone.

My face drained of all emotion as I looked back at Luna Sierra. Her lips twitched and eyes flashed. "I assure you he'll get a reminder about manners before dinner."

Not sure one reminder is enough. I'm still voting for a punch to the face.

I kept the thought to myself, which Lumi snuffed at, and offered a tight smile.

"We'll reconvene tomorrow morning at seven am during breakfast," Sierra spoke up behind me. Her voice was lovely, smooth like honey that coated over my ears, even as her expression saddened.

Dropping her voice, she cupped her elbows in her palms. "I'll send someone for you but you get settled in. I don't know how long we'll be able to shelter your secrets for long but until then, you're our guest Miss Zara. This is a home first, not a prison."

I nodded my appreciation but wasn't sure where the house arrest line blurred. Tucking my lower lip under, I went to the closet, where a pile of closed suitcases sat.

Am I supposed to stay inside the entire time?

Before I thanked her, she hesitated, then added, "If you want to run your wolf outside, Caleb has requested that you inform him so he can give you an escort."

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

"Thank you." I turned around and smiled what I hoped was an appreciative smile.

Sierra returned it with a dazzling one of her own then closed the door between us. My smile instantly faded once I looked at the closed door.

Mister disappearing act thinks I need a baby-sitter! Unbelievable!

After I dropped my shoes on the white tiled floor in the ensuite bathroom, and verified my personal bag was in there, I returned to the small closet. Unpacking, my fingers hung up and flipped through the usual options Elena organized.

My mouth dropped open when my hands rested on a large, bulky dress bag. Lifting the hanger, it was heavy enough a pair of shoes sat in the bottom.

"What the...?" I pulled down the zipper, caught an eyeful of white lace and sequins, then zipped it right back up.

Nope. Not going to happen.

Why does everyone think I can keep that color clean?

Once I closed the closet door, the urge not to check in with Elena was too great.

'You two had better not be doing anything inappropriate because I have so much to tell you!'

The silence that answered was an answer in itself. I sat down on the bed, then flopped back-down with a poof of the comforter under me. My stiff spine released its tension and fluff enveloped around me like a soft hug.

I stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, my annoyance over Caleb treating me like a child festering inside me. My fingers twitched and tapped against my thighs, my cheeks puffed out, and I exhaled sharply.

This isn't going to work.

I sat up, then grabbed my shoes and slipped them on outside my room. My feet thudded on the dark hardwood floors that ran on the hallway for the guest bedrooms, back over the foyer stairs and the great room space. Slowing down, I approached the pack bedrooms' hallway.

While I had no idea which room was Caleb's, I tracked the scent of his horrible cologne. Sure enough, it peaked outside the second door on the left. Soft, muffled thumping sounds pulsed through the door, along with slight vibrations against my palm.

"Caleb?"

The door was unlocked and my hand inadvertently pushed it open. Loud, pounding rock music hit my ears, but the sight my eyes took in froze me right on the spot. My heart thundered with its own beat, my lips parted slightly, and a silent gasp escaped.

The first thing that struck me about Caleb's room was in fact the smell. His horrible body spray combined with a musky allspice dominated by cinnamon singed my nose. Itching, it twitched until I rubbed it with my fingers.

His loud, obnoxious rock music struck me second, vibrating shockwaves over his walls, ceiling, and my eardrums. My chest walls pulsed with each beat.

The sight of Caleb himself wiped out my acknowledgment of bedroom details, including the smells and sounds that permeated from it.

He stood, side-facing a wall near the far corner. Dressed in athletic shorts, socks, and shoes, his knuckles were wrapped in white tape. Swinging alternate sides, he punched a weighted black bag hung on a chain attached to the ceiling one weighted thud at a time. His fists struck over and over at a frenetic, near borderline obsessive pace, and he grunted or cursed loudly with each punch.

His brown hair slicked to his forehead, one shade darker. Perspiration glistened over his bronzed skin, highlighting the contours of rippling muscles as he moved. My eyes tracked the sharp line of his clavicle bone, corded muscles in his shoulders and biceps that flexed and tensed before each punch then relaxed after, and a contoured set of pectoral and abdominal muscles.

The longer I stared, the less I knew my own name. The waistband ties hung open, making his shorts hang low off his hips. The elastic cinched a few inches below his navel, where -

Snap out of it, Zara. It's Caleb.

I wasn't sure how long I gawked from the doorway but wanted nothing more than time frozen. His fluid, strong movements mesmerized me, even the way clear beads of sweat dribbled down the sides of his temples and over the tip of his nose.

Feeling the weight of my attention, his eyes shifted to me. His lips curled up into a smirk and he delivered punch after punch into the bag. "I told you to take a picture."

And that's the reminder I needed.

"I came to tell you that I'm not running my schedule by you." I crossed my arms over my chest, leaned my shoulder into the door frame, and frowned at him. "And I don't need an escort if I'm running Lumi outside."

"No." He socked a left punch into the bag like his opinion was final.

In not the most mature response, my fingers depressed into my upper arms, I pushed off the door, and stomped my right foot. "Yes."

"No."

"Yes." Every punch he tossed, every heavy thud sound against the bag, drove a spike of irritation inside me.

"Not." Thud. "Safe."

My foot stomped again and thudded against his bedroom's hardwood floors, although quieter than his punching sounds. Catching his attention for a brief second, I emphasized, "Yes."

"No." Thud.

"Yes!" Thud.

He wound up and punched the bag with a stiff, hard right jab, then grunted while it swung back and forth. After a few moments, he caught it, then faced me. "You can't mindlink anyone here, so not a chance, Sweetheart. Until you can leave, unfortunately for me, you're my problem."

A squeak strangled itself in my throat as I balled my hands into fists.

That's what he thinks of me? A problem?

This boy is unbelievable!

As my lips parted to give a piece of my mind about what I thought about him, he scoffed. "You're so busy drooling over Theo, I'll tail him instead."

"I was not -" I huffed and dug my fingernails into the soft flesh of my palms.

"So, let me get this straight..." He ignored me, turned back to the bag, and resumed his punches. "You came in here to tell me that you don't have to come tell me something?"

"No! Yes? I, argh!" I threw my hands up. "You're so infuriating."

"Part of my charm, Sweetheart." He grunted, switched to circular punches, and swung hard at the bag with a left hook. The rotation rippled his oblique muscles as he turned, then stacked his abdomen into definition on contact. "Now leave."

"You - wait a minute." My lips twitched then I stated, not asked, "You're jealous."

"Of Theo?" A garbled sound logged itself in his throat, like the combination of a scoff, groan, and sarcastic laugh. "Not in your wildest, wettest dreams, Sweetheart."

He's so gross. He's... deflecting.

"You." Empowered with seeing a sliver through his wall of crude words, I stepped closer. "Are. Jealous."

My words struck a nerve because he squeezed his fists tighter, which swelled and flexed the muscles from his shoulders down to his forearms. He punched harder and faster with each swing, exhaling staccato breaths.

His short, sharp words and irritated voice grated on my ears like sandpaper.

"I." Thud.

"Am." Thud

"Not." Thud.

"That doesn't have my face on it, I hope." I slipped in between him and the bag, flashing my palms for him to stop.

He groaned and put his fists on his sides, but stepped back. His chest heaved, expanding with his recovery breaths and he dragged the back of one hand over his forehead. "Sorry to disappoint princess, that's not where I keep your picture," was his odd reply.

Not where he... What!?

He swore under his breath, realizing what that implied. In a movement so subtle I wouldn't have noticed had I not stared at him, his eyes shifted behind me and widened.

My head snapped in the direction of his split-second glance and I gulped. Sagging on his weight bag, I felt like the floor had been swept out from under my feet.

"What the...?" My unspoken words hung in the air while my eyes took in half of his bedroom's smallest wall. "Oh... my... Goddess."

The walls in Caleb's room were a medium gray color. A small wood desk with black metal legs stood against the shortest wall with a small black chair. None of that interested me.

Instead, my eyes roamed over a large collection of photographs that resembled a police detective's evidence board that hung on the wall over the desk.

My heart hammered inside my chest walls, pulsing my skin at the subject matter. It rushed through my ears and they barely registered when Caleb shut his music off.

They're... they're... me!? All of them.

By the backgrounds and my appearance, all were taken within the past four months and clustered by each territory. On the far left hung photos of me at the island component, in my form and Lumi's. Most were when we sat on the cliff edge, gazing out to the water.

My eyes followed the path of pictures from left to right, seeing me and Elena climbing in the private plane we took into the Northern Territory to the open field where I trained with Raina, Idris, and Arlo.

Pictures of the open field where I last saw my father in person churned my stomach, but the ones of me and Raina at the East's lakeside softened my gaze. The relief was temporary, until I realized that was the day Luna Rashida informed me of Lumi's possible delays.

My lips pressed together at the sadness in my facial expression. Pity swirled in my stomach while my fingers moved on their own and traced over my downturned mouth and the forlorn look in my eyes. A quick glance back to the left showed I wore a similar expression in every picture.

Am I always that unhappy?

I gasped at a picture of me and Cole exiting the geode cave, my lips parted in a laugh and one small rock enclosed in each hand. My heart clenched at the sight of my mother's necklace shining in the sun and my fingers lifted up to bare skin. The expansive Western territory mountains surrounded us were on the far right, with the last picture taken after I shot Tobias.

My heart pounded harder with each picture, awareness prickling up the hairs on the nape of my neck. A heavy presence behind me, coupled with Caleb's soft pants, increased the sensations.

It's... creepy when your entire recent life flashes in front of you.

Especially laid out like a timeline.

"Zara."

A warm, sweaty palm on my upper arm dragged me out of my memory lane trance, pulling my attention away from the pictures. Caleb stood behind me, out of my direct line of sight but so close that heat waves radiated off his body and into my back. The timber in his voice deepened, wrapping around my name in a way that trickled shivers down my spine. With the hesitation that followed, he either held the world's biggest secret or amount of guilt inside him.

Or maybe both.

"Zara." His warm breath washed over my ears with his voice, sending stronger tremors down the back of my neck, between my shoulders, and down my spine.

One word escaped my lips, dry from being parted open. Wetting them with the tip of my tongue, I pushed out my least favorite word in the English language in a whisper.

"Why?"

"We needed to keep surveillance on you," his flat voice hummed in my ears.

When I turned my head in his direction, the intensity in his eyes suggested that wasn't really the honest answer. "My job was to organize recon and logistics to extract you. Obviously, there's no way I could've taken some of these."

"Obviously..." I echoed the word like an afterthought. He had a point, some pictures were taken when he was in the Northern Territory's prison, plus his shoes were in the top of the picture where I'd shot Tobias.

So, he's not a stalker, but...

"Caleb -" I started when he ripped the tape off his knuckles. His skin tinged pink when he squeezed both fists closed. "Why are they in your bedroom then?"

"I told you, recon and logistics." He averted his eyes, focusing on his fists, which he clenched and released on repeat. His voice was low but steady when he pressed, "You need to leave."

"Why these particular pictures?" I glanced over them and groaned at me wearing the same faraway expression, my eyes hazy and a wistful smile on my lips.

Do I look that clueless most of the time?

"There's nothing particular about -" he started when my fists became clenched.

"You're lying!" I turned, faced him, and stepped closer until our noses almost bumped and I tasted the salt in his perspiration. "Don't lie to me, Caleb."

Given the full spectrum of blatant lies to omission for my protection I had experienced, I was tired of lying.

No truth Caleb's hiding is worse than harming Lumi.

His lips parted at our close proximity and he ran his tongue over them, drawing my eyes' attention to the warm, pink skin. His pupils enlarged, eyebrows drawing together like he fought an internal battle with himself.

The scent of his perspiration mixed with his usual horrendous smell twitched my nose, but I inhaled another scent. A very faint scent emitted from him, a pure one that I hadn't placed through the smelly fog he sprayed over himself.

The faint but distinctive scent drew me closer, like an invisible aphrodisiac's pull to him, until our lips were a whisper apart. My heart thundered in my chest like it wanted to break out and my pulse surged through my veins, buzzing my ears. My eyes slid half-closed and my lips parted, but then I remembered he hadn't revealed anything despite all my questions.

In fact, he hasn't said a darn thing.

"What are you hiding, Caleb," I demanded, poking both index fingers into his bare, damp chest. "Why are you rude to me but have a whole wall of pictures."

He had no reaction, not even a blink. I poked again, leaving two oval-shaped pink marks on his pecs. "Why are your eyes blue."

His drawn in breath was the only answer I needed. Deafening silence on his end aside, I appreciated he didn't deny my accusation. My eyes darted over his shoulder and widened at a multitude of large, ragged scratches into the drywall.

My voice raised with each word and I jabbed harder, pushing back the ends of my fingers. "Why can I feel your wolf!"

I must've struck a nerve, because his eyes darkened and his entire expression soured. His jaw clenched shut, his forehead creased with tension lines, and his eyes narrowed into thin slits. Within them, fire in his pupils blazed down at me.

"This." I palmed his chest, feeling the steady throbs of his heart. Warmth spread through my palms and radiated down to my fingertips. "Why do I feel this, Caleb."

"Zara." He stepped back until my hands dropped in the space he created, but his tone of voice edged with a silent challenge. "You need to leave."

I closed the gap between us again, satisfaction swelling in my chest when he flinched. The smell of his confusing scents flooded my nose, making my head dizzy but I stood my ground. "Why are you the one responsible for me here."

"Don't flatter yourself," he snapped. "I did the same for Simon and his son crushing on Tobias. Now leave before I toss you out myself."

Oh, that one he answers.

Wait, Tobias?

I ignored his empty threat and stomped my foot again. Gritting my teeth, my voice laced with the irritation that radiated through my entire body at his lack of answers. "Why me, Caleb?"

"Zara -" he growled, tense veins rising under the skin on his neck.

Now we're getting somewhere.

"Why!?"

"Because I promised your father I would!"

His emotionless response roared at me rattled into my bones. It tensed all the muscles in my body, locking them. Painful emotions flooded through me once his words filtered through my ears and registered in my brain.

He's...

With him.

"No," I whispered.

Caleb looked at me with a weighted sense of guilt in his eyes. Apparently, no answer was what he felt I needed. When the hot sting of tears rose in the corners of my eyes, I spun around and stepped away.

Whatever words Caleb trailed after me fell onto deaf ears. Each step stabbed a hard reality into my chest.

He's on my father's side.

I can't believe I thought... No.

No!

My view of the hallway became hazy, my stomach clenched like I braced to be punched. Weakness buckled my knees and blackness blurred the edges of my line of vision. With my weakness, Lumi's presence rushed forward.

Oh no. Not here.

My feet stumbled as I jogged into a full run down the hallway, the brown floors and cream walls blurring more with each step. The forced shift took my feet out from under me when I reached the top of the foyer stairs, so I flung myself down them.

Not my best decision.

The pain that struck my right shoulder and hip when I fell halfway down the stairs was wiped out by the stretch of my skin and crack of my bones resetting into Lumi's form. My heart rate spiked, pounding thunderous beats in my ears, my muscle fibers stretched to breaking point, then tore apart with snaps of pain and reassembled. An adrenaline spike rushed over my body right when my paws scrambled over the hard foyer floors.

Lumi took over right when the two front doors burst open, sunlight blinding me into darkness.