The delta was pulled off of me and shoved away. The alpha stood maliciously in front of me, eyebrows narrowed and canines extended. He loomed over me, radiating dominance and dangerous intent.

"Listen carefully, Soren. I don't give a shit," he reused my words, "if you want to die," his eyes flashed, "or if you want to live. But if you want to live, at least if you want to stay here, alive, then I strongly suggest you don't ever dare to speak to me  in that manner ever again.

"And like you said, if you die, all that I will be left with is a war. So, I can't afford be left with a dead Soren. A useless Soren will just have to do the job," he said in a condescending insulting tone.

"Where can I find your father?" I provoked further.

The delta growled again. I looked at him with distaste, voicing my disgust and dominance by barking out a feral snarl as warning. He was instantly silent but I was focused elsewhere to cheer over my victory.

"How about I let you roam the lands," the alpha paused and looked thoughtful, "and then take whatever is left of you after, to see him."

"Be careful, Knight. All that you're saying could be interpreted as threats. That could give my family and people the wrong idea. A dead tribute could lead to alliances, so don't ever forget it."

The Alpha growled and stormed out the house at the smart comment. I still needed to run and the only running I was doing was running off of adrenaline. I was overheating too much to even think about the consequences this was producing, but I reveled in the fact I had angered him and gotten this out of my system. My eyes were completely black now and I was sure I looked as deadly as I felt. I was playing a dangerous game, with each of my moves, I knew I was ensuring my death. It was coming close to the ceremony and I was nervous and nothing I could grant me mitigation. But this lack of control, my lashed out behaviour was all new to me.

When I felt myself being pushed up against the wall again, a smile graced my lips involuntarily, full of malice. The delta was attacking me, I let him. This time his hand squeezed my neck to the wall. My death ensured revenge but I didn't want to die just yet.

"You're lucky my Alpha didn't hurt you, Soren Bitch," he spat at me, spittle flying onto my face.

I twisted my head and looked at him, a delta minor, so young and juvenile, so impulsive. He lifted his hand and slapped me, the impact leaving a stinging pain in my cheek, turning my head from the impact. I twisted my head to look back at him.

"Can't say the same for me," he chuckled out darkly, before taking a strand of my hair between his fingers.

"And what exactly are you going to do to me, Knight mutt? Are you going to hit me? Am I supposed to be scared of a delta? A minor at that?" I scoffed and didn't give him chance to respond after I mocked him.

"Because if you are, then you will single handedly be the cause of your pack's defeat-"

"The Knights will never be defeated by you dogs."

"Maybe not," I smirked, "but when it gets out that the poor, innocent Soren tribute was abused and was killed at the hands of her collectors, people will rally to the Soren's side and the Knights will be wiped out."

"You better watch what you're saying on these lands."

"You better watch who you're attacking. I'm not a measly delta like you, I'm a born and trained Soren beta, so get off of me, dog," I barked at him before extending my claws into his hand on my neck.

He chuckled darkly, pausing thoughtfully, "You see, the difference between you and this measly delta, is I'm a born Knight," his hand tightened slightly around my neck, and I could've manoeuvred out of his hold, but I enjoyed pushing people over the edge, I wanted to see how far this was going to go. It was a dangerous thing to love.

"And," he moved his hand to the side of my neck, cupping it, "I'm immortal."

In that moment, his fore and middle finger squeezed into my neck, putting pressure on a weak spot in my neck, and in that moment I knew I was in colossal trouble, I had dug myself a grave. I felt nothing as I fell to the ground in a heap, my eyes shutting close immediately as I touched the ground.

Warm fingers hovering my neck and placing pressure on my skin is what I felt before my eyes snapped open and I let in a gasp of air. My hands held onto my aching neck, a grunt escaping from the pain. The room was dark as I looked around for my supposed savior, before the scent of the alpha assaulted my nose. The touch of the alpha jolting me awake.

I opened my mouth to complain about my assailant and explain how the Sorens were going to hear about this. But all that escaped me was squeal and grunt of pain. I furrowed my eyebrows angrily at the alpha, my skin heating from the wrath I was feeling. That stupid delta had underestimated how long I would've been unconscious, mocking me for still being mortal, and then forgetting I was when he attacked me. He had dug a six feet grave and laid in it when he attacked me, but the alpha finding me unconscious, would just mean I would be the one to bury him alive.

"Come, lets get you to your room. Some rest should heal throat by morning and then we'll discuss this," he said softly to me, already understanding my dilemma.

He got up from his kneeling position on the floor and offered his hand to help me up. Refusing, I grabbed the chair for support and stood up. With a sigh, he escorted my brooding figure to my room.

"I'm sorry for the behaviour of my delta. He will be dealt with accordingly tomorrow, with your accord of course," he apologized to me, in a glacial voice, as I stood inside my room.

I nodded as much as my throat allowed before locking the door in his face. When I heard his retreating footsteps, I climbed into the bed and relaxed slightly, still holding my throat. My confidence had vanished and the fear that consumed me was far greater than what I felt the first night I had arrived here. The pain in my neck had lulled me into a tired state forcing me unconscious.

The next morning I felt renewed, invigourated and confident. My neck was completely healed and the wildness of my body had felt enhanced. Overall, I felt enhanced and ready to take on this pack with the support of my feral side egging me on.

The knocking on the door brought me out of exuberant state. The alpha entered the room, his scent appeal had increased by a tenfold. His masculine scent and dominance engulfed the room, my eyes were now fully phased black at the aromatic scent that my entire body found engaging. My body was reacting to this scent in a different way, my throat vibrating with an oncoming growl. I strangely felt unthreatened by his presence, as I peered at him in that second. His corded muscled body had my licking my chaps. The unblemished olive skin of his godly face and his silky raven hair commanded too much attention and appeal from me. And the second my eyes connected with his crystal blue eyes, my mind registered just who he was to me.

He snarled loudly, "Mate."

"Mate," I responded.

He looked at with unconcealed abashment and ferocity. I mirrored his stance, opposite the room, he stood peering at me, with calculating eyes. Before long, I noticed a shift in the atmosphere and mood. I was still wary regardless of how safe the new bond was coercing me to feel. It scared me how quickly I was responding to the bond. But all my mind conjured up were praises. Praises that this male in his absolute prime, a prime incomparable to any other, was my mate. Praises that now he, for the sake of his wolf physically and mentally, could not kill me.

He paused where he stood, both him and I unmoving, shocked at the new revelation. Before long, his eyebrows furrowed, his eyes still in a phase, his lips pulled back to show his canines now. He let out a short growl.

"Do you have any idea what this means?" He asked looking at me.

"That you or your people can't kill me now," I growled my discovery back at him.

With narrowed eyes and a growl which morphed into speech he corrected me, "It means that you've reached your maturation. You're immortal now," he paused and walked towards me, "it means today, you've turned twenty one."

I suck in a breath harshly in realization; that meant today was my birthday. Just as the thought crossed my mind, the man standing in front of me released a deadly growl.

"That means you Sorens, are not only thieves but liars. You mutts not only lied to my father about your birth date, but betrayed the peace agreement, this could wage war," he shouted at me.

I growled back at his insults about my people, "Do not dare insult my family. You have absolutely no right. It wasn't my family that arranged this union, and it would do you good to remember that. The situation was two mates who wished to have five days alone with their only child before giving it up as tribute to their enemies," he let me speak defending my family without interruption , "So I suggest that you rethink your use of the word mutt, because how I see it, it's you people who are the mutts."

"If you are finished," he deadpanned, malice could almost be smelt in the air,  "let me tell you what would be good to remember now," in a sickly calm voice as if one disturbance could set the alpha in predator mode, looking for the prey in the room, me. The under tone of threat and malice and the danger is as playing with, was eroding my bravado far too quickly.

"You are tribute to this pack, nothing will change that. Therefore, you are trapped in this pack of mutts, as you call it," he said maliciously to me, eliciting silent threats with the use of predatory insinuations.

"It would also do you good to remember that it is your pack, who has breeched the peace treaty, regardless if you're my, mate, that's punishable by law."

"And what's the judgement for that exactly?" I asked in a low threatening voice.

"I'm sure the council and my father will have an answer for you," he replied haughtily, throwing my previous comments back in my face. I felt threatened but this new sense of renewal and pride washed me like waves, retracting and enforcing bravery into my being.

Impulsive. And being impulsive in this hierarchy world was always deadly. I smiled at him.

"And I'm sure the council will pass fair judgement on my assailant. The delta you assigned to me. He tried to kill me," I said exaggerating.

"He could've kill you if he wanted to," the words  tumbled out of his mouth and wounded my dignity, my pride.

I scoffed in pure incredulity , "Is that what you really believe?"

Play the victim. Play the victim. Play the victim

"He committed treason and you dare to threaten me?" I gasped in pseudo, exaggerated disbelief.

"Treason is punishable by law, that's a breech of the contract. The council could declare an annulment because of it and I could return to my pack. Wolves will always question the pack who collects people as tribute."

He growled lowly at my threat, I smiled, "So if you want to threaten me, then you should make sure I don't have anything that could dissolve your case."

"Your parents committed the crime before the delta. The council believes in order, my case would be far from dissolved," he supported his statement. A small vicious, victorious smirk plastered on his face, but underneath was thinly veiled contempt.

I could feel the defiance and courage that was coursing through my newly instated immortal being, being physically shedded as I realized I was losing this battle. And at the site of my clogged my throat were panic and fear once more. I refused to believe it was the shame and disappointment that we were ignoring the actual problem in front of us.

The thing that shouldn't have been a problem. That should've been a relief. That should've made me happy. That should've made us happy. That should've made any two wolves happy. The sacred thing that was newly discovered and shared. The mate bond.

But all my brain could register were thoughts of fear and panic and discord. But worst of all regret. Regret for what was to come.