Lucy's POV-

I sighed in contentment as the hot water rushed over me. It was so relaxing to take a shower, a long and warm shower. I was hardly allowed to take showers at the old pack, and when I did, they were just quick and cold hosing offs. I never got to just relax and think in there. I hardly even got to simply just clean myself. Those men liked to humiliate me, and they enjoyed having their scents etched onto me forever.

We finished our training session too quickly because Kale didn't want to push me too far. I enjoyed the work out though. Plus, it was something that I was good at. I was fast. Even with my lack of training, I was so quick. It was something that I could be proud of.

I was relieved of pack duties for the week, just to make sure I was recovering. That made no sense to me... If I could train, then I could certainly help with the duties around the pack. Kale gave me no choice in the matter though. I wanted to listen to him, but sometimes his requests that I deemed a bit stupid and unnecessary were a bit hard to follow through on... That rule seemed like one of those times.

I put on the clothes that I was given to wear; I still had no clothes since he burned them all. Kale promised that he would take me shopping soon, but it didn't really matter to me... As long as I didn't have to wear the clothes that haunted me with too many bad memories then I didn't really care what clothes I was wearing. Give me a potato sack for all I care. It did thrill me that I got to wear his clothes though; it actually overjoyed me. I loved wearing his clothes. His scent was intoxicating, and it filled my senses all day long when I was wearing his outfits.

I looked in the mirror that sat on the wall and smiled at the deep blue button up flannel that he had given me. He gave me some black sweats to wear with it, but they were far too big for me. The flannel was long enough to be a dress anyways. I wasn't particularly keen on showing my legs, but I didn't want to complain. Kale had been very kind to offer me clothing and shelter; I didn't want to piss him off by opening my mouth.

I discarded the pants to the ground and studied my reflection. I looked different than I had before I got to my new pack. I had a healthy color to my pale cheeks, my eyes seemed more alive, you could see that I was finally beginning to retain some weight, and my long black hair wasn't so flat and oily anymore. Though it could use a nice cut to rid me of the split ends, it still looked a lot better than before. I looked better. Still, the scars and faded bruises that littered the exposed skin on my legs and neck made me grimace. I hardly ever exposed my skin for people to see, it was far too ugly with the scars that I had acquired over the years.

I picked up the pants and walked to the room next to mine. With a deep breath and a hesitant knock, I waited for Kale to open the door. When his door opened, I couldn't help but smile at the scent that pleasantly assaulted my senses. I would never grow tired of his unique scent.

"U-um, here... These were too big for me," I said softly and handed him the pants back.

"Let me get you another pair. I'm sure I have some small-" he tried but I cut him off quickly.

"I-it's okay... A-alpha. The shirt is plenty long enough," I said, gesturing to the clothing that was covering me. It stopped far enough down to be plenty modest and comfortable.

I hadn't met his eyes yet during the conversation. I didn't know if I wanted to face him. I was embarrassed and nervous at his reaction to my legs. I knew that they were far less than perfect and way too skinny. I was sure that the bruises had been mostly healed because my wolf was regaining strength, but the scars would forever remain... just like the rest of my body. I was feeling very self-conscious about the exposure.

"O-oh okay," he stammered.

I felt myself wince at his stumble of words. He was usually very diplomatic and put together. I couldn't help but to think that it was in disgust of my body.

"Luce," he said slowly and lifted my face to meet his. "You look beautiful." My eyes widened in surprise at his compliment and I felt my body heat up remarkably. "And please call me Kale," he whispered softly as he looked into my eyes.

I nodded at him, still shocked at his words.

I took in his appearance and inhaled a sharp breath. His dark brown crew cut hair was still a little damp from the shower giving it an even darker look. The longer top pieces of hair fell right into place messily and looked very nice. His tanned skin made the green on his button up shirt seem to glow vividly against his skin. In turn, the vivid green from his shirt brought out the green even more in his brownish-green eyes. The shirt was just tight enough to show off his alpha muscles modestly, and I loved seeing his healthy and large build. I suddenly felt rush of joy that this incredibly sexy man was my mate, but it also brought out an inferiority feeling compared to him. I was nothing like what that man needed from his mate. I was just... me.

"Would you like to walk with me to the pack dinner? We are announcing the asylum tonight..." Kale said hesitantly as if he was scared that I would say no.

I nodded wordlessly, not wanting to trip and stumble over my words embarrassingly. We began walking very slowly both trying to buy as much time together as possible. Still, I didn't speak, I felt far too intimidated.

It wasn't Kale that intimidated me when I talked, it was just talking in general, especially one on one, that made me feel like that. I wasn't supposed to talk before at the other pack; I was always told to be silent. Now that I was permitted to talk, it was hard for me to say things unless I've had an incredibly long amount of time to think about what I wanted to say, or I didn't think about it at all. The in between territory is when I locked up; its when my stutters and stumbles come out. It's when I had enough time to start second guessing myself and my words but not enough time to be confident in what I'm saying.

"What are you thinking about?" Kale asked curiously.

"Nothing," I answered way too quickly and forcefully and felt hot again. "S-sorry, I um, I mean... nothing."

He raised an eyebrow at me with a smirk. "I've enjoyed today, Luce. I like spending time with you." I smiled at him and felt my body grow warm again. I enjoyed our time together too. "I really like it when you blush." I felt my body get even warmer at his words. "I like it even more when you speak, Lucy. I miss your voice when you grow quiet like this."

That statement caught me off guard and I looked at him as if he was crazy. "You like it when I talk?" I asked in a confused manner. "They always told me to shut up, that nobody likes it when I speak unless it's to screa-" I cut myself off quickly when I realized was saying and widened my eyes. I really needed to start thinking before I speak.

His eyes went black as I winced at my words; I knew I shouldn't have spoken.

"S-sorry... I, I didn't mean to u-upset y-you. I'll, um, ju-st shut up now," I said and squeezed my eyes together in mortification. I am an idiot.

"What are you sorry for? You did nothing wrong," he said and stopped walking grasping my hand gently. "I hate those people. I hate what they did to you. Please don't think that we are like them here... I want to hear you. I want to hear what you have to say, good or bad. I want to hear about what you think and feel. I am not a mind reader so please talk to me. Don't think that I don't or won't listen. I could listen to your voice forever." As he spoke his eyes went back to his regular hazel and I smiled at him.

"Kale," I whispered softly feeling the need to say something.

He smiled a wide smile when his name left my lips and took a step closer to me even though we were already very close. I kept my eyes locked on his as my heart beat faster at our closeness.

"Your eyes are beautiful," I said without thinking. I gasped at the words that came out of my mouth. "I mean..."

He chuckled at me and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. "I like it when you do that too. It shows me who you really are and what you're really thinking. I've never been so consumed by someone before. I've never felt nervous by what someone was thinking or feeling... Until I met you."

His confession along with his lingering fingers on my face left me breathless. "That's because we're mates," I answered thoughtlessly. "You know, before you I was always someone who thought about her actions and words carefully; maybe it was because I had to. But still... now my mouth just speaks on its own before I can even process a single thought. You just make me say what I feel; I've never done that before."

He stiffened up and I knew that I had said something wrong. "Right..." he sighed in a hiss.

"S-sorry... Al-pha," I said with a nod and walked forward leaving him behind. I was so sick of his mood swings, they were really starting to piss me off.

"I told you to call me Kale," he spoke with a sharp voice.

"Well then act like Kale, not some psycho Alpha that turns his feelings on and off," I said before I could stop myself. "I can't do that, you know, make my feelings go away. If you want to teach me how to do that then by all means please do, but until then quit this hot and cold BS that you have going on. It's pissing me off," I said when I turned around to look at him. "And don't order me around; I don't like being to what to do." At that point my wolf and anger were leading my words, they were very true though.

His eyes widened and I felt like facepalming myself. Why do I say the shit that I say? "I am your Alpha, you're supposed to do what I say," he spoke calmly. He wasn't angry like I thought he'd be. He was acting more cold than anything, but I could see his wolf trying to come out.

"Well then... I guess you don't mind me calling you Alpha then, Alpha," I said defiantly with my eyes narrowed. I knew I was pushing him, but I couldn't stop the words from coming out. I needed to tell him how I was feeling. "You might be Alpha, Kale, but you are still my mate. Yes, technically I am a lower ranking pack member, but the mate bond that we have gives me more power than you realize. If you want me to obey your every command then you should go ahead and reject me so I can be on the same power level as all your subjects, your majesty." I curtsied to him just to show him what kind of entitled jack ass he was acting like. "As for right now, I am supposed to be your female equal. You don't get to tell me what to do. You can ask me nicely and I will probably cooperate."

I turned to walk away, but he grabbed my hand again. His eyes were black with his wolf and I felt the fear rising in my chest. I would never have spoken like that before; I had no idea what had gotten into me. I knew that I was doomed though. I disrespected him and his power. You never do that to an alpha.

"Lucine..." He said angrily through gritted teeth.

He lifted his hand to my face, and I backed up to the wall and winced as I waited for the pain from his hit. Instead of a slap or a punch I felt him grab my face in both hands and pull me forward gently. His thumbs ran along the sides of my eyes smoothing out the muscles and wrinkles from my clenched face. I opened my eyes to see what he was doing, and he was bent down at eye level with me, mere inches from my face. His beautiful hazel eyes were staring into mine as he watched me cautiously.

"I will not hit you, Luce," he said gently, but I could see the black trying to take over his eyes still. He was fighting his wolf for control. "I need you to understand that. I might get mad, I might not like the shit that you say sometimes, I might yell and sometimes even spew my angry words at you... but I will never hit you, Luce. I am not him. This is not their pack, and you didn't deserve anything that has happened to you. Please stop thinking that we are like those vile people."

My face softened and I took a deep breath of his scent to calm me. "I don't think that, Kale. I don't think you're anything like those people, but you need to understand that I have been through a lot. Old habits die hard and when I see your angry face or your wolf trying to fight its way out after I've said or did something, I get scared. I've grown up getting hit when I put even one toe out of line, hell, most times I didn't even do anything." I took a pause, not letting my mind wander to horrible places.

"Kale, I am trying, but I can't turn off my instincts so quickly. I can't forget the things that happened there, no matter how much I want to. It affects the way I do things, the way I think, the way I process things... Some simple things might terrify me. I need you to understand that I am severely fucked up from those people and that place."

He let a low rumble through his chest and hugged me possessively. "You're not fucked up, you're scarred... it's different," he said and kissed my forehead softly. My breathing hitched and face softened, he was too good to be real. "I will try not to order you around, but I am an alpha and it is in my DNA."

"Okay and I will try not to lash out at you for doing it... Kale."

We walked to the dining room and everyone stopped talking as soon as we walked in. I stopped abruptly and looked around worriedly; I hated being in front of crowds. I felt my blood rush to my face and my heart rate picked up speed. I felt like I was going to throw up with all the eyes that were looking at me.

"Go sit at the fifth table. You're okay..." Kale said softly and guided me away from the front of the room. Just the small touch to my back was enough to calm me down, at least a little.

I sighed in relief when I got to the almost completely empty last table. Everyone was no longer looking at me because they were standing at attention waiting for what Kale was going to say. I tried not to feel inferior to everyone once again like I did the night I was introduced, but that was hard to do when I had been conditioned for my whole life to feel that way.

Kale introduced Alpha Rodriguez and his pack while explaining what was happening. I couldn't help but feel bad that their pack and lands were destroyed so violently. Rodriguez sat at the same table as me and the other few stragglers of Kale's pack. He, however, was sitting at the head of the table with Nat on his left and his Beta on his right. All his other pack members filled the empty seats that were left available to them. The whole rest of the table was full by the time everyone who was left in Rodrguez's pack was seated.

"Okay, everyone, enjoy this wonderful meal! Welcome to our new friends!" Kale said with a smile as he toasted to their arrival.

The food was served soon after, mine and Kale's serving method was working very proficiently for everyone. The food was all out in less than ten minutes and there were a lot of very happy wolves scarfing down their dinner.

"Are you and Alpha Kale mates?" A girl who was sitting near me asked instantly.

I knew the question was coming, but I still wasn't prepared for it. I wanted so badly to tell the girl 'yes' very proudly, but I couldn't. Kale was still unsure of me and he didn't want people to know yet. He didn't want people to know about us... about me. I just shook my head silently and looked at my food with a heavy heart.

"So, you aren't mated yet then?" A guy from Corey's pack that sat across from me asked with a smirk. I shook my head again and stuffed some delicious chicken in my mouth while trying to avoid the conversation of mates. "Good, most of the hot ones are usually mated so I'm glad you're not."

"I wouldn't say hot. Interesting looking, yes... but definitely not hot," the guy beside him said with a laugh. "Especially those eyes. Those eyes could enchant anyone."

I felt a sting of slight hurt go through my chest, but my anger boiled more than anything. I didn't like the way they were disrespecting me. I was sick of being disrespected. With an angry grunt I began speaking letting my wolf side choose my words for me. "I don't enchant anyone, and I don't appreciate the way you're speaking to and about me either... Both of you."

"What? I called you hot though!"

"Yes, and I don't appreciate that, and I know your mate would not appreciate it either if they heard you," I stated with a hiss. "I know mine wouldn't."

"Both of us are unmated so we may do whatever we please. If you want to be a prude then that's fine, but I can do whatever I want," the first guy said angrily.

"Wow, whoever your mate is, is so very lucky," I told him with sarcasm dripping off the words. "Would you want your mate to have been with a bunch of different people when you meet him or her?" I gave them no time to answer. "No. So why would you do the same thing to your mate? It's supposed to be special... spiritual even," I finished in a huff. There was such a double standard for guys and girls that it seriously pissed me off.

The second guy angrily snarled and bared his teeth. "You're talking about us? I can smell Alpha Burke on you as if he rubbed his scent all over you. Don't sit there and act all high and mighty when you're nothing but a pack slut that the mateless fuck boy Alpha decided to give into."

My anger reached new levels as my face fell due to his words. I felt a growl leave my chest and people turn to look at us. I didn't notice though because I was wrestling with my wolf for control.

"What? Do you think just because he fucked you once that you're going to get the Luna position? HA! I've heard he does this with a lot of females so get in line. He actually probably only did it because he pities you... An unmated, unwanted Omega."

Suddenly I lost it at his words. I usually kept a tight rein on my wolf, but he pissed me off and I could no longer shovel that side of me down. I was Kale's mate, and this stupid boy had no right to speak to me like that.

I launched myself under the table and knocked him backwards while he was still sitting, before he could even comprehend what was happening. The chair fell backwards and broke as he hit the ground with a loud thud. When he landed on his back, I put my barefoot on his throat blocking his airway.

"You do not speak to me in that tone, ever. I don't give a shit about who you think you are. I am not someone to fuck with and you just seriously pissed me off," I snarled, surprising even myself.

I let a bit of pressure up off his throat so he could breathe slightly. As soon as I did that, a vision flashed in my mind, taking a millisecond to let me know what was about to happen. He lifted his hand to grab me by the ankle so that he could throw me across the room off him. Luckily, that was exactly what my foresight warned me of. I took my other foot and smashed his hand to the hard ground, not giving him a second to even try it. I felt his hand crack underneath my foot, and he let out a loud groan.

I knew that Kale was somewhere near me because I smelled his strong scent radiating off of him. Rodriguez was flanking me, and I could see him out of the corner of my eye. He wore a look of surprise. My mind told me that Kale was about to try and pull me off the poor guy and I snarled. I wasn't necessarily angry at Kale, but I was irked. If he would have just accepted me as his mate, none of it would have happened.

I said lowly and divided my attention between the two men. Kale's eyebrows went up in surprise, but his eyes turned black. I wasn't scared this time though, just royally pissed.

As I turned my head more to Kale, the guy tried to lift his other hand to hurt me. However, I already knew what he was planning thanks to my visions. I grabbed his hand and twisted it harshly, all while still standing on him.

"I could and should kill you for talking to me in that manner and disrespecting me, but I won't. This is your one warning though. You mess with me again and I will go against everything I stand for, just for you," I growled out and got off him. "Doc! I think his hand is broken," I called out behind me.

"The same goes for you too, blondie, do not test me," I said as almost an afterthought to the first guy and then walked out of the dining room.

"Holy shit..." I heard from behind me, but I didn't stop walking.

I was no longer going to tolerate the disrespect from others that I had been accustomed to. I was the Moon Goddess' Oracle, and I was damn sure going to act like it. I was sick of being the little slave girl Lucy. I wanted to be Lucine, Seer of all, beautiful Luna.