"Are you ready to go?" The Alpha's deep voice asked from the door. I glanced up in the mirror I stood before, nodding at the reflection of him until I noticed what he was wearing.

I had worn a light grey knitted sweater with black jeans and he was unfortunately also wearing a light grey sweater with black pants. We looked like one of those couples that intentionally coordinated their outfits but asking to change would only draw his attention to the fact. Knowing him he might actually just start coordinating our outfits. To avoid putting that idea into his strange mind I kept quiet.

He stood to the side to let me past him and followed me down the hall and the stairs. Both our shoes sitting in front of the door and once again I wondered if he had some little invisible elves doing all his housework.

As I was putting on my shoes he held out a white coat towards me that I had never seen before but fit me all too well for something that I hadn't bought myself. His eyes took on an appreciative glint as he looked me over and in my haste to get out the door I didn't even bother doing up the buttons of the coat.

I hurried out as I saw that it was snowing outside, tilting my head up to see the falling snowflakes, having to squint my eyes to keep them from getting in. I raised my hands to catch a few in my palm, watching the pretty patterns disappear as they melted into my skin.

I realized after a moment that he was oddly quiet and looked towards him only to have my good mood disappear instantly as I saw him holding up his phone at me. I narrowed my eyes at him before turning my back on him as his lips twisted into a smirk, heading for the car.

Settling down while fixing my coat I tugged on my seatbelt and faced the front, steadfastly intent on ignoring him. The moment the car was on I opened the window, hearing him groan from beside me and having to smother a smile. Irritating him was the little satisfaction I got while forced to stay by his side.

"It's freezing out mate, do you really have to open your window?"

"I rarely get fresh air, and besides your kind doesn't get cold easily."

"It's not me I'm worried about." He muttered, turning up the heat until it was blasting from the vents at a temperature that was too warm for me but probably felt like hell to him. Instead of buying books about how to court your human mate he probably should have bought one about basic human anatomy.

I reached over to the dashboard to turn on the radio only to realize I hadn't paid attention last time and still didn't know which button it was. Before I could start another trial and error run he reached over, gently nudging my hand aside with his own and pressed one of the buttons for the radio to turn on. The pop music filled the awkward silence between us and allowed me to gaze out the window while pretending he wasn't there.

"I'm gonna stop and get a coffee, what do you want?" He asked effectively banishing my fantasy of this simply being a taxi ride.

"Nothing." I answered brusquely, shifting closer to the window so that I could better feel the rush of the wind against my skin.

"It's a long drive, get something or you may just fall asleep before we make it to your parents' house."

I glanced over at him, turning to face the window when he looked at me but not fast enough to miss the way his lips quirked up at the corners. It reminded me eerily of the way a dog would wag its tail when its owner looked at him.

"I'll let you know what I want." I answered, deciding it might actually be nice to have some caffeine.

He pulled in to the drive thru of a chain coffee shop, lining up behind the other cars. I squinted at the menu board, trying to get a look at what the seasonal flavours were but it wasn't until we were next to order that I could make it out.

"Hi there, what can I get for you today?" A feminine voice asked and I struggled to decide on one of the seasonal flavours as the Alpha turned to me with a raised brow.

"Can I get a large black coffee and Athena what do you want?" The Alpha asked, wincing as we heard a sharp intake of breath over the speaker which hurt my human ears and probably burst his sensitive eardrums.

"It's Alpha with his mate." We heard the individual whisper, presumably to the other employees.

"I'll have the salted caramel white mocha." I said unable to keep from smiling in amusement at the extremely disgruntled look on the Alpha's normally serious face.

His expression went slack as he turned towards me after repeating my order into the speaker, a mix of shock and awe. Discomforted, I looked out the window again.

"Right away Alpha." The voice squeaked through the speakers.

We waited as the other cars paid and got their orders before it was finally our turn to pull up to the window. My eyes widened as I saw a crowd of people at the window, craning their necks to try to see into the car. I sank down in my seat, wishing we hadn't stopped for coffee.

"Stop gawking at my mate. You're scaring her." The Alpha growled out making all of them scatter in different directions, nearly bumping into one another in their haste to follow orders. Only one individual remained who accepted the Alpha's card as payment and passed him a tray containing the drinks, a little brown bag on it that I knew we hadn't ordered.

"We're very sorry Alpha and Alpha Mate." The man said and the Alpha nodded in acknowledgement, handing me the tray of drinks before driving off. I was relieved I didn't have to respond considering I didn't want to interact with his pack.

"Are you okay mate?" The Alpha asked as he pulled into an empty parking spot, turning towards me and reaching out to cup my cheek in his hand. I couldn't help the way I recoiled instinctively, immediately turning my attention to the bag on the tray in the hopes that he wouldn't make a big deal of it.

"They gave us cake pops." I said in surprise.

"Pack members try to show their appreciation and respect for us through little tokens like this." The Alpha said, pulling out of the parking spot and driving out onto the road. He grabbed his coffee from the tray in my lap and I had to admit it was impressive the way he managed to open the lid with just one hand.

I carefully peeled back the tab on the lid of my own coffee but left it in the tray for now so that it would cool a bit, unsurprised that he immediately began sipping his. Peering into the bag again I took out one of the cake pops and took a bite, humming in content at the chocolate flavour.

"Give me a bite." The Alpha said.

"There's 4, just get your own."

"Fine, give me one." He said, clearly making an effort to not argue today.

I looked into the bag trying to decide which one I didn't want and pulled out the bright pink with bits of cotton candy at the top before holding it out to him. His large fingers enveloped mine as he grabbed onto the stick under the treat and I pulled my hand away immediately.

His gaze flickered over to my hand which I wrapped around the tray again before landing on the cake pop I had given him and turning into a scowl. I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing as he glared at the bright pink cake pop as though it had personally questioned his masculinity.

"It's not the pink, it's the cotton candy." He grumbled before taking a sulky bite out of it. I didn't deign to respond, simply turning my attention out the window again.

I finished off my cake pop and took my coffee carefully out of the carrier. Just as I had pulled it free the car suddenly jerked to the right as the Alpha narrowly avoided a car swerving into his lane. My hand jerked and some of the hot coffee spilled out onto it making me hiss at the burn.

"Fuck." He cursed, managing to catch the coffee just in time as I nearly dropped it on myself and tucked it into the tray.

He grabbed my burnt hand before I could react, pulling it up to his face and licked along where the coffee had spilt making my eyes widen. He pulled back to blow on my hand, giving me the time I needed to process what he had done.

I yanked my hand away, holding it out in front of me and staring at it in horror. How I wished we weren't in a moving car so I could wash it or better yet light it on fire. I opened up his dashboard, rifling through in the hopes that I would be able to find some hand sanitizer at the very least.

"Are you okay? What are you looking for?" The Alpha asked, sounding as panicked as I felt.

"Do you have hand sanitizer?" I asked and I could see him turn to give me a blank look from my peripheral vision but ignored him.

"Athena I don't have any diseases and I'm your mate, you don't need to disinfect."

"I would feel better if I did." I muttered, checking the sides of the seats before turning to look into the back.

"Is your hand okay? Do you need to see a doctor?" He asked, completely unhelpful to my search for sanitizer.

I didn't need to see a doctor but he definitely needed to see one. I couldn't exactly tell him he needed a psychiatrist though without getting murdered so I simply told him that I was fine.

"Let's just stop and get you some ice." He suggested.

"I don't need it, I'm fine just drive."

I couldn't wait to get home so I could wash his saliva off my hand. I kept my defiled hand on the dashboard between us, trying my best not to think about it. Carefully I picked up my drink with the other hand. Pointedly ignoring his worried glances as I sipped on it, relieved that at least it was good.

"What kind of idiot doesn't check his blind spot before merging into a lane?" The Alpha grumbled under his breath, glancing up at his rear view mirror in search for the car that had nearly collided into us.

"If your parents weren't expecting us I swear to god I'd pull that moron over and break both his hands."

"It's fine, it happens." I said hoping to shut him up.

"It's not fine Athena, look your hand is all red." He bit back, glancing down at my hand with his brows furrowed.

I sighed lightly and twisted my body further towards the window, hoping he would get the hint. It was very unfortunate that I had to tolerate being confined in such a small space with him for nearly two hours just to see my parents.

"If your mocha is too sweet you can pour some of my black coffee into it." He said, clearly unable to allow there to be silence in the car.

"It's fine." I responded. The mocha was extremely sweet and starting to get slightly overwhelming. As it cooled the sweetness was no longer disguised by the heat but adding the coffee he had drunk from to my own was out of the question.

"Are you always quiet or is it just around me?" He asked suddenly.

"Always." I muttered.

"Liar." He said softly, his voice lacking the bite I expected. I didn't know what he wanted from me, I couldn't exactly tell him I was only quiet around people who kept me captive.

"Do you know why I like taking you to see your family? Besides how happy it makes you?"

I turned from the window to glance at him, earnestly curious about what he could possibly get out of taking me to see my family. I thought it was just part of his attempt to win me over, and maybe make him feel less like a kidnapper.

"It's because I get a glimpse of the person you are. I get to see you, under all that fear and resentment you have for me."

I glanced away from him, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to ask him to turn to the car around. He didn't deserve to see who I was. To see anything but the side of me that was his captive after he had hurt me and kept me locked away. The mere fact that I couldn't say this proved he was undeserving of getting to know me.

I turned towards the window, unwilling to look at him and hoping fervently that he wouldn't try to continue the conversation. I bit my lip as I felt the familiar sting at the back of my eyes indicating I was about to cry and tried to cheer myself up at the thought of seeing my family. I was frustrated by the sudden urge to cry, the frustration only making it harder not to.

To my relief he didn't try to speak to me for the rest of the ride, or ask why I was upset. As we turned onto my street I let out a long slow breath, determined to greet my family with a smile.

The moment he was parked he unlocked the doors and I threw mine open but he grabbed the coffee tray from my hand stopping me. I turned to look at him in dread, thinking he was going to give me another one of his lectures about not running away or god forbid bring up scent marking.

"We didn't get them anything so we shouldn't take this in. It'll look rude that we didn't ask if they wanted anything."

I withdrew my hand from the tray easily, not really caring about if we left it in his car or threw it out at my house. Before I could get out though he grabbed onto my elbow.

"Should we get them coffee?"

"No, if they want coffee they don't need you to get it for them." I said pulling my elbow out of his grasp and stepping out of the car before he could come up with another reason to latch onto me for.

I hurried up the steps and rang the bell, the door thrown open mere seconds later. I had an arm full of my little sister as she barrelled into my chest for a hug before I could even get a proper look at her. Laughing I wrapped my arms tightly around her, pressing a kiss onto her head which was still just at the right level for me to be able to do so. She wasn't as tall as me yet, and being the older sibling I secretly hoped I would always be taller than her.

As I pulled away from her I was drawn into a hug by my mom, her grip nearly bone crushing but I allowed it all the same. When she was finally done she passed me over to my dad who pulled me into a much gentler hug, cupping my chin in his hand as I pulled away to get a look at my face.

I squeezed his wrist lightly in reassurance at the concerned look on his face, making sure it wasn't with the hand the Alpha had got his saliva all over before walking past the three of them into the kitchen to finally wash my hands.

I heard the Alpha greet the three of them and their reluctant responses to him as I scrubbed my hand vigorously. My mom coming to stand next to me at the sink and running her hand gently along my hair.

"How have you been Athena?" She asked.

"I'm fine mom, how are you all?" I asked, glancing over my shoulder at the rest of them as I turned off the water and dried my hands.

"I'll take your coat." My dad said, and I shrugged it off, placing it in his outstretched hand with a grateful smile.

"We're good honey." My mom responded to my question as my dad walked off with my coat, brushing past the Alpha who took up far too much room standing in the foyer. Her eyes expressing the concern she couldn't voice with the Alpha listening in.

"Don't worry about me. Worry about this pipsqueak who has been 5'3 since I can remember." I said, trying to lighten the mood and get my family to stop looking me over as though checking for injuries.

"That's very small, is that normal for humans?" The Alpha asked, seeming genuinely concerned and I couldn't help but snicker at the sour look on Nora's face.

"I'm 5'4 and it's perfectly normal." She grumbled, walking into the living room and I followed behind.

"How's school going?" I asked as I sat down on the couch across from her, knowing the Alpha would sit near me and thus stay away from her.

"It's fine, I have Mr.Smith for English and he won't stop comparing me to you. He even assigned me the same book you did for your book report."

"I remember Mr.Smith, is he still obsessed with the symbolism in classic novels?"

"Yep, it's all he talks about."

"He's very easy to get a good grade with, all you have to do to get an A is go off on very long tangents about symbolism in your essay."

"Do you still have your essays from his class?" Nora asked eagerly, the sudden glint in her eyes telling me she did not have good intentions.

"Probably, but I'm not letting you copy." I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Come on Theenie, I have so many other classes to worry about and it's not like Mr.Smith would know. Back in your day you all used to hand in physical copies of your papers."

"I don't appreciate you referring to it as back in my day, I'm not ancient and regardless writing the essay yourself is a learning experience. If I had to do it, you do too."

"What book is it?" The Alpha asked.

"Great Expectations by Charles Dickens." I answered before Nora could.

"I read that in high school too, though I doubt I still have my essay. If you want I could get one of my pack members to help you with the essay. He's doing a masters in classic literature."

"That's okay, I'll do it myself." She said just as my mom and dad came in, carrying bowls filled with snacks in their hands and placing them on the table before me.

"I thought we could all watch a movie together, like old times." My mom said and I nodded eagerly with a smile. It was difficult having a conversation while avoiding the obvious elephant in the room and the less the Alpha knew about all of us the better. A movie was perfect.

My dad grabbed the remote and turned the television on, opening up one of the streaming services so we could pick a movie. My parents were never picky, it always came down to Nora and I whenever we would all watch a movie together.

"This one looks good." My dad said, jumping slightly as Nora and I immediately said a resounding no. Nora took the initiative to grab the remote from my dad and I nodded at her appreciatively. Every movie which looked like it was probably made at home with an iPhone camera looked good to my dad. He really couldn't be trusted to choose.

Nora scrolled down to the family section and quickly went through the movies before landing on one and glanced at me for approval. I nodded at her, trying not to waste our time together being picky.

As the movie started I felt the Alpha lean back next to me, stretching his arm out behind me on the couch. I stiffened instantly, hoping desperately that resting his arm behind me was the extent of it and he wouldn't try to pull me close the way he always did if we watched a movie at his house.

"Athena." My mom called suddenly making me jump and look over at her.

"Come sit next to me honey, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever." She said, patting the spot next to her on the couch and I jumped up instantly to go over, feeling the Alpha's eyes on my back but luckily he didn't try to stop me.

I sat down next to my mom and she put her arm around my shoulders, squeezing my arm comfortingly as I shot her a smile.

"You smell like coffee, its's making me want some." My mom said, and I couldn't help but glance over at the Alpha, catching his eye as he gave me a look as if to say I told you so.

"We should all go get coffee." Nora said suddenly.

"We can just make coffee at home." My mom responded.

"No, there's new seasonal flavours. We don't have those at home." Nora insisted.

"We'll get you those another day Norie, Athena just got here. Let's all sit and watch the movie together." My dad said.

"I can order coffee for all of us." The Alpha offered.

"No I want to go there, it's not the same at home. We can watch the movie after can't we? I'm sure they can stick around a couple more hours." Nora said turning her big hazel eyes on the Alpha making my own widen in surprise to see her speaking to him of her own volition, let alone trying to get him to take her side.

"We can stay, it is the weekend after all." The Alpha said.

"Nora don't act like a child." My mom chided.

"It's okay, if she wants to go we can all go." The Alpha said.

I frowned at Nora, not understanding why she was being so stubborn but decided against saying anything in front of the Alpha. Pausing the movie we all stood up, Nora and my mom excusing themselves to go get their things from their rooms.

"Dad how's work?" I asked, turning towards him.

"Same as always, nothing ever changes at the bank." He said and I nodded.

"Do you remember your co-worker Mariam? Her dad comes to the bank often, he was telling me that your workplace already filled your position."

"Oh." I mumbled, somehow taken by surprise at the news. It had been months, so of course they had found someone to replace me but the news still managed to shock me.

It was a reminder that my old life was gone and I could never go back to it. I was slowly being replaced, remnants of my life disappearing. It wasn't like I could ever go back to that job, the Alpha would never let me go willingly. Of course my workplace probably thought I was off to live happily ever after as the mate of an Alpha so it wasn't their fault that they had filled the vacancy I had left.

It was no one's fault that my life was being snatched away from me other than the Alpha. It wasn't nearly the same but I couldn't help but think of Ethan. How long would he wait before he too replaced me?

"Did they even try to contact you before they hired someone else?" My dad asked.

"Dad it's not their fault, they know what happened. I can't go back to that job anyway." I said trying to hide how upset I was to hear the news.

"As an Alpha Mate, helping me with pack duties will take up far too much of your time to have a job. If there's something you want to do though, we have many opportunities at my pack and you could set your own schedule." The Alpha said.

"What if she doesn't want to help with your pack?" My dad asked making me tense at the obviously hostile tone in his voice.

"As my mate she has to be involved in the pack. It is between her and I how we divide pack duties. I am more than capable of taking up anything she doesn't want to do."

"I don't think you care much about what she does and doesn't want." My dad retorted making the Alpha's lip pull back in a snarl and he took a menacing step forward. I turned on him instantly, standing in front of my dad and blocking his way.

"Don't." I said quietly, hoping he would back down because I really didn't have the energy to put up with him right now. He glared down at me but I refused to back down, meeting his gaze steadily.

"Let's go wait in the car." The Alpha growled, grabbing my wrist and tugging me behind him as he stormed out the door and to his car. I shook my head at my dad pleadingly as he made a move to come after us.

"I'm fine." I mouthed before we were out of sight, my heart sinking at the crestfallen look on my dad's face.

He held open the car door for me, his nostrils flared and eyes darkened in anger making me wish I could run back into the house and lock out the monster. But one wrong move on my part could result in him turning on my dad and so I got in without complaint.

I reached towards the door to close it but flinched back as he caught the door in his hand and leant down until we were face to face. His broad form blocking off my only escape and the sight of me from my family if they tried to look out.

"It's your dad that drilled all that werewolf hating bullshit into your head isn't it?" He asked menacingly, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful.

"My dad didn't do anything wrong, he's just being protective." I said placatingly.

"No one needs to protect you from me. It's my job to protect you, you're mine." He growled, wrapping a hand around the back of my neck and yanking me closer to him.

I clenched my eyes shut, not wanting to see the red that swam in the depths of his. The beast so close to the surface that it threatened to take over. My heart beat frantically in my chest as I felt him lean forward, feeling his warm breath intermingling with mine.

"Say it Athena." He muttered lowly, voice so calm that if I didn't know better I would have thought his anger from earlier was only my imagination.

I opened my eyes to look up at him, not understanding what he wanted me to say.

"Say you're mine."

"Please." I mumbled, trying to pull away from him but his grip remained firm.

"I can smell the agitation of your father, you have seconds before he comes outside and tries to rescue you." He said, not having to say anything else to complete his threat. I knew all too well what would happen if my dad provoked him any further.

"I'm yours." I said quietly, unable to meet his gaze and looking away. He pressed his lips to mine in a swift crushing kiss, pulling away before I could react.

"One day you'll mean it." He muttered before easing off, closing the door for me just as my parents and Nora came through the front door.

"Here's Athena's coat." My mom said, holding it out to the Alpha who I watched grab it through the window. Feeling too shaken up to bother getting out even as Nora frowned in confusion as she glanced towards the car.

"Thank you, I'll give it to her. Where is this coffee shop you want to go to Nora?"

"It's the one near my school, you can follow us." Nora answered.

"We'll meet you there." The Alpha said before coming around to take a seat on the driver's side, holding my coat out to me. I took it from him and tugged it on before leaning back in my seat and putting on my seatbelt.

The Alpha pulled out of the driveway after my dad and I was glad I didn't have to direct him because I really couldn't bring myself to talk to him right now. The silence between us was tense making me dread the ride back to his house which was going to be much longer.

I was so relieved when we finally turned into the little plaza that had the coffee shop Nora wanted to go too that I could barely wait for the car to stop before I was trying the door handle. As soon as it was open I hurried out to where my dad had parked his car, nearly colliding into Nora as she opened her door and stepped out.

I linked my arm through hers, ignoring the bewildered look she gave me as I pulled her along into the coffee shop. Getting in line behind the many teenagers who were out to try the holiday drinks.

"What are you gonna get?" I asked, staring up at the menu.

"Actually I think I want ice cream." Nora said making me look down at her with an incredulous look which she pointedly ignored. She had dragged us all out here and now she wanted ice cream?

"Have you lost it? We came all this way because of you."

"Yeah but I have school tomorrow so I probably shouldn't have caffeine. I don't know why but the cold makes me want something cold." She said.

"Nora you forced us to come here, you're getting a coffee now even if it keeps you awake till morning." My mom said.

"Fine I'll get a coffee but I also want ice cream." Nora responded.

"Just let her get her ice cream, there's an ice cream store just two stores down." My dad interrupted them both.

"Athena you want ice cream too right?" Nora asked and I nodded with a sigh. I didn't particularly want to indulge her mania but I'd rather have ice cream than another coffee.

"Okay well Athena and I will go get ice cream, you three can get coffee."

"I'll come with you." The Alpha said and I looked over at her, intending to silently plead with her not to argue but she agreed immediately. Untangling her arm from mine she stalked off in front of us leaving me and the Alpha to follow.

I trailed after her slowly, watching her closely. Nora had always done what she wanted, but never before had she acted so erratic. Forcing us all to go for coffee and then suddenly deciding she wanted ice cream, not seeming to care that the Alpha was going to tag along. All of this indicated one thing, the stress of what had happened to me had gotten to her. Maybe I could call my mom while Nora was at school tomorrow and convince her to get Nora a therapist. This whole situation was too much for a kid to handle.

"What are you going to get?" Nora asked me as we lined up in the crowded ice cream store. The shop was tiny, and if you weren't from around here you would probably miss it considering they didn't even have a street sign but their ice cream was amazing. They made it fresh every day and had the most generous sizes I had ever seen from an ice cream store.

"I think I might get double chocolate on a sugar cone. What about you?"

"I want the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream."

I was sorely tempted to get that too since they always baked the brownie fresh when it was ordered, but figured I could always steal some from Nora so stuck to my cone. As we made it to the counter the Alpha stepped up and ordered for us all, getting caramel pecan for himself and paying before we all stepped to the side to wait for our order.

"I need to go to the washroom." Nora said.

"You know they don't have a washroom here. Just wait until we get our ice creams, then you can use the one at the coffee shop."

"No, now." Nora said making me frown, it was like watching her revert back to the days of her terrible twos. The only difference was she had a much bigger vocabulary now so she could cause more trouble.

"Just let her go." The Alpha said and I shrugged, nodding at her to go ahead.

"I can't go alone, do you know how many girls get attacked in public bathrooms? Come with me Theenie."

I highly doubted she was going to get attacked in the coffee shop's bathroom when it was so crowded you could barely find a seat but I had no desire to wait with the Alpha so agreed.

"We'll be back." I said to the Alpha.

"It's okay just stay at the coffee shop, I'll come there too when our order is ready." The Alpha said and I nodded, walking out with Nora in tow back to the coffee shop.

My parents were still waiting for their orders and didn't seem to see us come in. We made a beeline straight for the bathrooms though I didn't understand why she hadn't just used the washroom at home if she needed to go so bad it couldn't wait.

Just as we walked past the men's washroom the door swung open and a hand reached out to latch onto my wrist. I let out a gasp as I was pulled inside, the door slamming closed behind me.

A/N

Hello lovelies! I hope you're all doing well. I'm so sorry for the late chapter, but I am going to make it up to you all because I have already started on the next one and am nearly done. It should be out very soon.

I hope you all have a great night!