I stood frozen in his hold, afraid to even move a muscle. The sound of my heartbeat pumping through my ears deafening me to the sounds of my family that sat in the living room just down the hall from us. So close and yet they couldn't help me.

"You're going to go back over there and say goodbye. I'm going to wait in the car and you better be sitting in the passenger seat buckled in within the next two minutes or I'm coming in after you." He whispered into my ear, the feeling of his breath blowing against my ear making a shiver run down my spine.

"Two minutes mate." He said again before releasing me, pulling away and I couldn't help but stumble back a step when I finally caught sight of his face. His eyes were glowing red and the fury they contained within them made my heart skip a beat before going into overdrive and thundering so hard against my ribcage his eyes flickered down to it.

I forced myself to move though it felt like my legs had turned boneless. I walked back into the room trying my best to school my expression so my family wouldn't see how terrified I was.

"I have to go, there's an emergency in his pack." I said, not even giving them the time to get up, hugging them all quickly as they watched me in bewilderment before rushing out, ignoring them as they called out to me.

I pulled the door to his car open and sank down in the seat, closing the door behind myself. My trembling hands made doing up the seatbelt difficult and it took me over three tries to get it. I could feel his gaze burning into me but he didn't make a move to help, merely waiting until I had done it before stepping on the accelerator immediately.

I didn't dare turn back to look at my house, catching one last glance of it from the side-view mirror as he took a sharp turn out of my driveway. The atmosphere in the car was suffocating, his rage felt like a thick fog that had settled between us and I couldn't get even a single breath through it. My head was beginning to go light before we even merged onto the highway but I didn't have the courage to move a single muscle let alone open my window.

Cold sweat began to bead at my forehead and upper lip as I wondered what he knew. Was it possible he somehow knew about the conversation between my mom and I, though we had been careful to text? Perhaps he had heard me reassuring Nora that I was okay and connected the dots. I feared to even consider that he knew about the letter.

I couldn't imagine what he would do to me if he knew I had received a letter from Ethan or that I had sent one back. I didn't want to think about what he could do to Ethan.

I snuck a glance at him from the corner of my eye, hoping my curtain of hair would keep him from noticing. He was staring straight ahead, tense as a rod and grip so hard on the steering wheel his fingers had indented it.

My breathing grew more constricted at the sight and I didn't dare look over again. My palms grew clammy but I kept my hands folded tightly in my lap, clenching them together so hard it hurt but it was my only source of comfort as we grew closer to his house.

He was driving so fast the other cars were merely a blur and as terrible as it was I hoped fervently that we would hit into someone. Anything so that I wouldn't have go into that house with him again and incur his wrath.

I knew I had to get it together, if the worst case were true and he knew about the letters then I had to convince him not to go after Ethan, no matter what that meant for me. I'd do anything to protect Ethan from him because I knew if he got his hands on Ethan he wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than killing him.

All too soon he was taking the exit and getting off the highway, we would be at his house in minutes. I tried my best to steel my nerves but I couldn't help the way my heart raced or the tremor in my hands that would become obvious if I even slightly loosened the clasp of my hands around each other.

We were in front of his house before I knew it, the long drive shortened into half by his insane driving. He braked so hard I jolted forward, stopped only from colliding into the dashboard by the seatbelt which tightened around me. He was ripping open the passenger-side door before I even had the time to right myself, towering over me as I fumbled to undo my seatbelt and barely giving me enough space to slip out with how close he stood. His broad chest rising and falling with each laboured breath and nearly brushing mine as I slid out.

He slammed the car door the moment I was out, turning and heading for the door without checking if I were following. I dug my nails deep into my palms to resist the desperate urge to make a run for it. Rationally I knew he would catch me before I even took a second step in the wrong direction, but the more primal side of my brain that cared only for survival couldn't be reasoned with. Only the thought of Ethan kept me putting one foot in front of the other and following him to the door.

It wouldn't do to anger him more, making him give chase could excite the wolf and make the consequences more deadly for me too. The click of the door unlocking made my stomach drop but I forced myself to take that last step that doomed me to my fate. I clenched my eyes shut as he closed the door behind me and locked it, blocking off my last chance at escape.

I stooped down to take my shoes off, pulling them off and standing back up unsteadily afraid my legs would give out under me at any moment. I was pushed against the wall the moment I had straightened up, crushed between it and the heated line of his body.

"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" He asked, voice deceptively calm and quiet. With the Alpha that cold, quiet anger was much more lethal than the growling rage, I knew that much by now. I swallowed thickly unable to make even so much as a noise in response, the sound of my blood rushing in my ears deafening.

"Did you think you two could just exchange letters under fake names and I wouldn't find out?"

My blood ran cold at his words and I looked up at him with wide eyes knowing it would be pointless to deny it. Wolves could tell when you were lying, it would only make him angrier but I couldn't help myself.

"It's not what you think." I said, my voice so hoarse and low that if he didn't have supernatural hearing he never would have been able to hear.

"Don't lie to me mate." He growled lowly, his voice sounding barely human as he leant down to be closer to my face making me cringe back into the wall.

"He was just concerned."

"Oh is that all? Just concerned for your well-being, so that's all he wrote in the letter?"

I stayed quiet, knowing he would detect the lie if I said yes and ask what else there was if I said no.

"Answer me." He demanded, leaning down further so he was right in my face and I turned my head away.

He grabbed my face within his hand, forcefully turning it back towards him and squeezing my jaw between his fingers until I looked up at him. The fact that he was careful not to hurt me did nothing to reassure me when faced with the burning rage in his eyes.

"Answer me." He said, voice deceptively soft and low but laced with the venomous fury that burned in his eyes.

"He wanted to know if I was okay and if I needed help."

"What kind of help is he offering?" The Alpha asked and I shook my head, feeling my eyes start to sting as tears pooled in them and I looked at him pleadingly, silently begging him not to make me say what we both already knew.

"I can go ask him, if you're not going to tell me." The Alpha said and I grabbed onto his hand before he could move, terrified at the thought of him going after Ethan.

If I didn't answer he might go after Ethan, and if I did he was almost certain to go after Ethan. I was at a stalemate, there was no way to win this.

"Please Alpha, don't." I begged.

"Then tell me how this human boy is offering to help my mate."

"It doesn't matter, I told him that I couldn't take his help." I said hoping desperately he would let this go when he heard I was being honest.

"It matters to me. Everything you do and everything that concerns you matters to me."

"I told him I couldn't take his help, it's over. Let it go, please." I said, trying to sound strong and keep my voice from cracking.

"It's not over, a man is writing my mate letters, and my mate wrote him back. Either you can tell me what he wrote or I can go ask him. It's up to you."

"He offered to help me get away." I admitted, not releasing hold of his hand as he tried to pull away from me with a deafening growl that shook me to my core.

"Let go of me. I'm going to tear that boy limb from limb and present his head to his parents." He growled out, voice so gruff it was barely human. He was shaking with barely contained rage and as much as I wanted to run away, I held on tightly to his hand, trying my best to pull him back towards me when he made a move towards the door.

My efforts were useless against a grown Alpha and so releasing his hand I threw myself in front of the door, blocking his exit. He huffed out but turned presumably to find another way out. Not giving myself even a moment to reconsider, I wound my arms tightly around his waist making him stiffen in surprise at the unexpected touch.

"Don't please. I told him I can't run away with him. You don't have to do this." I said, burying my face into the soft sweater he wore.

"Trust me, I want to." He growled out through gritted teeth.

"He can't do anything if I don't plan it with him. I told him no, it's over." I said, trying my hardest to believe it as I said it though I knew Ethan would not be so easily discouraged when he knew I was miserable.

"Didn't I ask you not to lie to me?" The Alpha asked, voice calm and quiet again making my stomach drop. He turned over so he was facing me and I released him immediately but he pulled me back in close to his chest by a hand gripping the nape of my neck.

"Do you have any fucking idea how it feels to know that the affair my mate had with some human boy is still going on even after I've found her?"

"It's not an affair and it's not continuing."

"You're damn right it's not. I should have ended him the first time I saw you standing so close to him. It's not like you've warmed up to me after I showed him mercy so what's the point?"

"I won't ever forgive you if you hurt him." I spat vehemently.

"How brave you are when it comes to him my little mate. Just moments ago you were trembling in my arms, clinging to me." He said, stroking his finger gently along the side of my face making me turn my head away in disgust.

"Our relationship will only get better once he's out of the way."

"No, I'd hate you for hurting him."

"I have to admit I love seeing that fire in your eyes, but it makes me livid to think it's for him and not for me."

The way he was looking at me made me want to hide away, the rage mixed with a ravenous hunger that made me feel as though he would devour me whole. It turned my legs weak but I met his burning glare with my own, determined not to let the tears that had pooled in my eyes fall down my cheeks.

"You need to be reminded who you belong to." The Alpha whispered, tightening his grip on the nape of my neck and urging my head upwards before crashing his lips to mine. I froze in surprise, my eyes wide as he kissed me, brought to my senses by his other hand tugging me closer by the arm. Immediately I began struggling to free myself, trying to push him away but trapped by the grip he had on me. He released my arm, curling his own around my waist and tugged me forward until I was pressed into him, hand curling possessively around my hip. His unrelenting hold left me no choice but to resort to biting down hard on his lip to get him off me.

He pulled away, swiping at his bleeding lip with his thumb and smirking at the sight of the blood. He huffed out a laugh as I stood there panting, watching him wearily.

"Go ahead and mark me up sweetness but don't go complaining when I return the favour. My bites are a lot deeper and once I start god knows I'm not going to be able to stop."

"You're ruining it all, we were making progress." I warned, pushing frantically at his hands as he reached out for me again.

"Were we? Or was I just fooling myself thinking if I were patient with you you'd eventually come to see that we were meant to be."

I had no response to that, so I only stared at him apprehensively.

"You seem to be forgetting that it's either you answer my questions or I'll have to go ask that human boy instead."

"I already told you everything." I said.

"No, you've been very selective in what you tell me. You're going to tell me exactly what he wrote and how you responded and then I can decide if he needs to be paid a visit."

I opened my mouth but he placed his finger on my lips effectively stopping me from saying a word as he crowded me back against the wall once more.

"Either you tell me and I can then decide if I will visit him or you don't and I'll tie you to my bed and hunt him down. It's up to you."

"I-I'll tell you." I responded.

"Good choice." He said leaning down and wrapping an arm around my waist and the other under my knees to hoist me up into his chest. Completely ignoring my struggles for him to let me down, he walked down the hall and into the living room, sitting down on it and arranging me so I sat in his lap, my back pressed against his chest with his arms around me holding me to him.

I pulled at his arms, trying to get them to unwind from around me but it was like trying to move stone. I threw my elbow back into his ribs and tried to use that to weasel out, stiffening as he leaned forward and rested his chin on my shoulder, turning his face into my hair and whispering

"trust me you don't want to do that. Having you close to me right now is the only thing quelling my bloodlust and keeping me from hunting him down. You're going to sit still like a good little mate if you don't want me doing that."

I forced my body to go slack in his hold, letting him pull me back and giving up the few inches of space I had created between us.

"Now tell me what was written in the letter that boy dared to send to my mate."

"Ethan was only-" I started but was immediately cut off by his hand in my hair pulling my head back so I was looking at him, the grip firm so I was unable to dislodge if I dared to try but not enough to hurt, the threat of making it so painfully present.

"You will not say his name in front of me. You will never take another man's name except for mine ever again."

His words were a stark reminder that I wasn't dealing with Onyx, I was dealing with the Alpha. A primal beast, completely irrational in his desire to possess that which he believed was his.

"Now try again mate."

"I-it said that he was worried about me and didn't know how I was doing. He wanted to know if I was okay." I said, relieved when he released the grip he had on my hair.

"You are my mate. Your wellbeing is my responsibility, not his." He said and I stayed silent, biting back the retort that I was in the worst state I'd ever been and was really nothing more than his captive because I wanted to live.

"Now I know that is not all he wrote so continue."

"He asked me to write back and tell him how I was doing."

"The audacity of a mere human boy to try to lead astray the mate of an Alpha. Did you know back before the wolves came out of hiding if our mates had a relationship with another we would just kill that human?"

My blood ran cold at his words and I whirled around to face him.

"Don't look so surprised, I'm sure you've heard the rumours about what happens to those who won't leave our mates alone. But here I am listening to you tell me about the letters you're exchanging. How times have changed. Don't let me interrupt you, go on. What else did this boy have to say to you?" He said, stroking a hand down my hair, and twisting me gently to face forward again.

"Stop trembling mate, I'm only telling you a little about wolf history." The Alpha murmured into my ear, stroking his hands down my arms and grasping onto my shaking hands from my lap, holding them in his. The heat that lingered on every bit of my skin that he trailed his hands over making me shiver and him tighten his hold on me.

I wished desperately that this was a nightmare, sitting here in his arms having him tell me proudly that wolves would kill the lovers of their human mates as he forced me to tell him about the letter mine wrote to me. It certainly felt like one. I'd do anything to wake up from this horrific ordeal, even if it meant waking up in his bed and beginning another day confined in his house.

I couldn't bring myself to say it, fresh tears burned in my eyes and fell down my cheeks. I lowered my head in defeat, my hands trembling uncontrollably even as he curled his own around them tightly.

"Please don't make me say it again." I whispered. I had already admitted it once at the door that Ethan had offered to help me get away, making me say it again was just cruel.

"Don't cry, I just need to know exactly what he wrote to you. I'm not going to hurt you, I would never hurt you. You have nothing to worry about." The Alpha said, rubbing his hands up and down my arms in a manner I'm sure he meant to be comforting but only made me want to push him away.

"I'm not worried about myself, I'm worried about what you'll do to him." I admitted, feeling him stiffen behind me and he pulled his hands away from mine, clenching them into balls and resting them on my thighs.

"You know it's funny Athena how even when you're the one who causes this bloodlust, you're the only one who can cool it down. It's like everything about me revolves around you and that's why it fucking infuriates me that you're off writing letters to others, worrying about them."

"I'm not letting it go this time. You're going to finish telling me about his letter and then tell me about yours."

"He offered to help me get away from you." I forced out, wanting this all to be over already. There was no mercy to be found in his heart, I was a fool to keep forgetting that.

"He forgets that those laws he hides behind mean nothing to an Alpha when it comes to their mate. I'd tear him apart in front of the entire pack and no one would dare say a word against me."

I knew he wasn't bluffing, it was the truth and as terrifying as it was it also made me realize I had been counting too much on those laws. If I ran away and the Alpha couldn't find me, the target of his rage would be Ethan even if he knew nothing about where I was. I had two options, I could either spend the rest of my life trapped in this cage or when I escaped, I had to take Ethan because he would be killed either way.

I turned in the Alpha's arms, forcing myself to look into the crazed crimson depths of his eyes. The stuttering of my heart at the sight of those eyes made me regret my decision to look at him but I refused to turn away from the feral possessive gaze that was trained so intently on my own, nothing short of animalistic. I couldn't deny the fear I felt. I wasn't any stronger than I had been the first time I'd looked into those red eyes, but I was determined to one day lead a life where I never had to see them again.

"I wrote that he should forget about me and move on, that I can't run away with him and I swear I'll never write a letter to him again." I said.

"So please, stop this." I begged interrupting him as he opened his mouth to speak.

His eyes studied me intently, looking into my own as though he couldn't hear my heartbeat to tell if I was telling the truth. He glanced down at the way I was sat in his lap, wrapping an arm around my waist and tugging me in closer to his chest. I allowed him to maneuver me as he pleased, gingerly resting my side against his chest as I looked up into his eyes, desperate to please the beast.

"Fine." He said simply, though the smug satisfaction at my clear submission shined boldly in his eyes.

"So you're not going to go after him?" I asked, hesitant to let the spark of hope that had lit in my chest make me feel relieved just yet. I needed to hear him say it.

He reached his hand up and cupped my face, trailing his thumb gently under my eyes to wipe away the tears. The red of his own eyes ebbing out and giving way to the whisky brown I was used to seeing.

"Not today, you're going to tell Nora next week when you see her that you don't want to hear from him again, and to stop taking messages. I don't want him around her either."

It hadn't occurred to me yet to think about what would happen to my weekly visits after this but I was surprised to hear him say I would be seeing my family next week. I thought he would punish me for this by putting an end to the visits.

"I can see them again next week?" I asked, unable to stop myself.

"Yes, I'm not going to keep you away from them. The only time I've ever seen you happy is when you're with them, I'm not cruel enough to take that away from you. Nora is a child, she made a mistake. It is up to older siblings to correct them."

My eyes widened at his words, I hoped fervently that he wasn't planning on talking to Nora. I had no delusions about how Nora would react to him trying to tell her about what she could or couldn't do and no faith in him to not hurt her.

"I'll talk to Nora, not you." I said.

"Of course it'll be you, Nora and I aren't close enough yet for her to appreciate this coming from me." He responded and though I was very relieved I couldn't help but be irritated by his selective use of rationality. Just if he could realize that he and I also weren't close enough for me to appreciate any of the nonsense he did.

My head felt like it had gone numb and I went boneless as the relief of having successfully avoided Ethan being murdered flooded me. I wanted to curl up and go to sleep, exhausted from the ordeal he had put me through when he showed up at my parents' house looking ready to kill someone.

"Your visits to see your parents aren't cancelled but I am done trying things your way."

I tensed at his words, sitting up again and waiting for him to continue but dreading it. I had allowed myself to be relieved too soon.

"I'm done being patient with you, giving you your space and holding myself back when all along you've been thinking about that boy. I'm going to prove to you that you were meant to be mine." He said and my brows furrowed, other than the weekly visits all he had agreed on was allowing me to use his phone to contact my family and to not touch me.

"What does that mean?" I asked quietly, desperately hoping he wasn't planning on going back on his promise. Not that he had truly been honouring it, trying to manipulate me using other tactics but it was the only reassurance I had to rely on.

"I'm going to treat you as mates are meant to treat one another. I've been holding myself back from touching you, spending time with you, but I won't do that any longer. You're going to learn what it means to be my mate."

"You promised you wouldn't touch me without my consent." I said pushing off of him and not expecting the sudden movement he let me slip easily from his grasp.

My victory was short lived, before I could get out of arm's reach he had grabbed my wrist and tugged, sending me sprawling back onto him. In his lap once more, and much more intimately this time as my legs draped over the sides of his, sitting face to face, so close our noses were almost touching. As though he knew I would try to get away he pressed his hand against my lower back, forcing my body closer to his, the other hand on the back of my head, stopping me from leaning back.

"You said you would try to forgive me if I did, but you haven't. All along you've been fantasizing about running away with that boy. If patience hasn't worked then maybe it's time I show you the extent of my affection for you." He said and my eyes widened in horror at his words.

"You'll come to see that Alphas are so much better than measly little human boys. Especially an Alpha who wants you this fucking bad. I could worship you if you'd let me, and you will." He murmured huskily, staring deeply into my eyes.

He stated every word with such conviction that I knew it would be pointless to argue but I wasn't going to give in. The fact that he was sat here on this couch instead of hunting Ethan down was proof that he was afraid of crossing that line which would make me hate him so completely that even he in his wildest delusions wouldn't be able to deny it. If that was all I had to work with then so be it, I could exploit that until I found a way out.

Author's Note

Hello lovelies! I was really eager to get this chapter out so it's only roughly edited. I am so sorry for the delay, life really got the best of me this time. I feel terrible because I am also a reader and I know how frustrating it is to wait for updates. Please try to understand that even though I wish it was, this isn't my job, so when life gets busy it's unfortunately my hobby that has to be set aside until I have time and the mental energy to write again. I know I promise this every time, but I really will try to update soon. Let me know what you all thought of the update and please be kind to each other in the comments. I respect everyone's opinion and request that you all do the same.

For those of you who were waiting patiently for an update, I adore you, thank you. For those that reached out and kindly informed me that they were still waiting, I love you and you mean the world to me. I also just want to mention my direct messages have not been working for months, so if you have been messaging me I promise I'm not ignoring you, I just can't see them. Please take care of yourselves, and I hope this spring brings with it all the happiness in the world for all of you.