The field is barren in the middle of the night. I gaze out at it picturing the havoc of sparing wolves, but I prefer it this way—the quiet, serene way.

I wander onto the field from the lone building, finding dirt patches in the grass caused by hundreds of claws tearing it up. Crickets still chirp and sing all around, and to the far left, I spot bright speckles of fireflies.

Theo emerges from the building, human and clothed.

"Let's go."

By his flat tone, I can already determine his disappointment. I walk too many paces behind him, feeling like whatever slight familiarity we had has regressed to the rigid uncertainty of the night we met.

We cross the field in silence and join the path to the pack house. I tread between speaking and staying quiet until we connect onto the main pathway. Finally, I say, "I'm sorry."

Theo doesn't respond right away. He leaves me to stew in my assumptions until he asks, still hard-toned, "What did you do?"

"I didn't tell my parents anything, but when I saw my sister, it was difficult to..." I run my tongue across my teeth. "I told her the truth—that we're mated—but I didn't expect her to say anything to anyone; I made it very clear she couldn't, but she told her mate."

"Their Beta?"

"Yes. He's Rowan's Beta," I confirm, defeated.

Theo sinks back into silence, so I stare at my feet the rest of the way to the pack house. Theo opens the door for me and watches me closely as I move past him to go inside. Few lights are on, only a lamp or two in separate rooms, but it's bright enough to see the stairs ahead. I take off my shoes and go to the staircase, holding the railing post and hesitating.

My sister's betrayal, my family's disapproval, and now Theo's discontent all weigh on me, dragging me to the floor, but I think I can hold myself together long enough to make it to the spare room. I wet my bottom lip and say, "Goodnight."

The second I turn my back, Theo demands, "No. Stay."

The severity of his voice threatens to split me in two, right down the middle with a detour to break my heart. He's angrier than I thought. I look anywhere but at him; Theo's face arouses too many painful, hasty conclusions.

"I just wanted to tell her—only her. She's the only one that matters," I mutter and wipe my welling tear before it falls.

"Does that change what I asked of you? Does that make it suddenly safe to tell the truth?"

I whisper, "No."

Theo crosses his arms and nearly faces away as though the sight of me is now spoiled; he's looking at me through metal bars again. My lip quivers. Too quickly the question slips off my tongue. "Why did you wait so long to come find me? I caught your scent the moment I crossed your territory."

Theo looks at me.

"Goddess, just say it. Say the truth. You ignored my scent the night I came here because you don't want a mate o-or you just don't want me."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

My tears fall with no time to catch them. "I'm never enough. Not for my parents, or the Beta, and apparently not—"

"The Beta? Rowan's Beta?" he questions.

I wipe my face with my fingers. "Never mind; it's stupid. All of this is—"

"Were you with Rowan's Beta?"

"No. He's my sister's. I-I didn't even care at all about him, but my Mom wanted me to be his mate. I wasn't, so I left."

"You ran from home because you weren't mated to him."

My mouth dries. "Yes."

Theo nods and then walks towards the kitchen, so I go after him, saying, "If you're angry with me because I told my sister, fine—I understand that. But you can't be mad at me because of Rowan's Beta."

"You told me you left to look for your mate, not because you lost the man you hoped to be mated to," he says and turns into the kitchen, switching on one of the dimmer lights.

"I was looking for my mate by leaving. I knew he wasn't mine, so I left. I meant it when I said there was no possibility for my matehood at Rowan."

Theo slows at the kitchen counter. "You didn't leave because you were hurt?"

He turns, and I linger in the archway as my arms unconsciously wrap around my torso. "I disappointed my parents. That upset me. I don't care about Ben. How could I?"

Theo straightens his arms to the countertop and leans against it. He takes a heavy breath, appearing somewhat overwhelmed—a thing I assumed was impossible. Our matebond tries to tug me closer to him, to help him comfort himself, but I stay still.

"It's alright, Celeste," he decides. "Go on to bed. I'm not angry—you aren't in trouble."

First, I want to question him. Does this mean he is or isn't upset about any of it—my reason for fleeing home or revealing our bond? I don't believe him. I can see how this isn't true just by looking at him.

I glance behind me down the hallway, not wanting to leave. Instead, I step into the kitchen. "Theo..."

He lifts. "I understand why you left, and I'll deal with Alpha Rowan."

I nod but still find myself unwilling to go. I move a little closer. "You were right; I shouldn't have said anything. It was for my safety, and I put myself in danger."

Theo faces me.

"I'm sorry."

"I know," he says. "It's okay, Celeste. I hear you. It isn't your fault. Things are going to change around here."

He doesn't want to argue just as I don't, and his talk of change makes me wonder if it will be good changes or bad. Is he going to be more strict with me? Am I going to have rules now that he thinks he can't trust me?

"Okay," I mumble. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

He nods. I itch to say more just to remain with him, but I'll try to pacify the bond through other means, so I make my way out of the kitchen and upstairs. We should stop now while we're reasonable.

Before I left for Rowan, I was too cautious here. I snuck about and forced myself to open up, so, in this way, it felt good to voice my anxieties out in the open, and talking honestly seems to have shifted something within Theo, and I can only hope it's for the better. However, I've still caused a giant mess with my family and Alpha Rown, and Theo is left to deal with the consequences.

Maybe the night Lily was mated, I should have run East instead of West.

***

In the morning, I leave the spare room after a bone-chilling shower, but even the freezing water can't rectify hours of tossing and turning and trying to sleep; my sister and parents may as well have been shouting in my ears all night long. I tie my hair into a bun as I trudge from step to step down the stairs, but I slow even more when Theo's voice reaches my ear.

In the living room with an archway ahead, Theo says, "He wants me held responsible for my trespassing and killings, and knowing how thick-skulled he is, he isn't going to drop it."

Killings? More than one?

"It's because he knows his pack is as good as dead," someone else says, and I believe it's Corbin. "Once Rowan is gone, we're going to swoop in and pick them dry. All of his people will be forced to disperse to surrounding packs, and we'll strip the territory for all its worth, becoming one of the largest packs on the continent. We're the closest to him; no one can beat us there."

"Then if Rowan wants to start a war and die sooner rather than later, by all means, let him."

War? I swing around the railing post and creep into the kitchen, my head cramming with even more worries. Maude leans against the counter with a mug in hand and her arms crossed. She looks at me.

"Good morning. Anything to eat? Drink? Coffee? Tea? I'm here till three."

"Oh, uh, breakfast would be—" I stop myself at the sound of approaching, Theo-sized footsteps. "I need a minute, actually," I say and escape through the butler's pantry.

When Theo enters the kitchen, I sneak through the dining room and into the hall.

We ended our argument in a strange place, but, with all night to pick apart my confessions, I settle on the fact that some of the things I said during our spat were too revealing. Particularly, I feel embarrassed about my rant regarding my fear he doesn't want me and that I'm not good enough for anyone at all.

I round the staircase to wait out Theo from upstairs but someone from behind me speaks.

I turn and see a boy close to my age. He wears a content, half smile.

"You're Theo's mate, right? Celeste? The Luna?" he asks.

I bend over the banister, glancing down the hall to check for Theo before I say, "Uh-huh—yeah."

"It's nice to meet you... Should I call you Luna or—"

"Call me Celeste."

"Well, I'm Dan, Theo's Third. Or Gamma; some people say Third, some say Gamma. I think Gamma is a northern thing, but personally, I think it sounds wrong."

"I'll say Third then," I assure him and turn back to the stairs.

"Great. Actually, I heard about what happened when you came here, and I just wanted to apologize, but Theo must have done that enough," he says, forcing me to turn again.

"There's no need, really. I'm past the whole thing."

"Well, you must have been freaked last night when Alpha Rowan didn't let you come home."

The phantom pains of my family ripping away from me pang in my chest yet again. "Mm-hm."

He opens his mouth but holds in his next comment and shifts his attention to the right. Theo emerges from the kitchen chewing something, and I squeeze the railing.

"Dan," he notes and then peers to me on the stairs, "I see you've met Celeste."

"Just now, yeah."

"There's a letter for you," Theo tells me. "It came this morning."

"For me?" I question.

"'To Celeste. From Lily. Please read,' is written on the front of it."

I promptly step off the stairs. "Where is it?"

"Over here," he says and takes me through the left living room to a pair of open doors in a short hallway. Just when I think I've seen all of the house, more of it is revealed.

Dan, his Third, lingers behind, and through the doors I see Corbin sitting in a leather chair in what looks to be a study with its heavy wood furniture and floor-to-ceiling shelves. Theo hands me an envelope from a large desk, so I take it and turn it over to open it.

I head the way I came, but before I leave the room, Theo asks, "Lily is...?"

I look over my shoulder. "My sister."

He nods, permitting me to continue on my way. Dan goes into the study when I surface into the hall, but the contents of Lily's message are more important to me than anything they could talk about now that I'm gone.

I unfold the hand-written letter—which looks rushed—and read: Celeste, I know everything in you is telling you to be with your mate right now, but I'm so worried you're making decisions only based on the mate bond and not what's best for you. I'm relieved Alpha Draven hasn't done anything to hurt you, but that doesn't mean he never will. I'm sure he hasn't told you about all the horrible things he's done because, if he did, you would be forced to question your relationship. If you won't listen to us, ask him yourself, and hopefully he does you the honor of telling you the truth. The whole family is worried, and Mom is praying to the Goddess to watch over you. I am too. Please be safe and look out for yourself. We're always here for you.

I refold the letter and drop my hand to my side. First, I think of writing back, but I realize everything I want to say has already been said. All of her assumptions about Theo make me want to drag her here so she can meet him and see where I'm coming from, but, even if she agreed to it herself, I'm doubtful the Beta will allow her.

I amble into the kitchen and sit at the small table. Maude waits for a moment before asking, "Still want breakfast?"

I place the letter and its envelope on the table and bury my face in my hands, muttering, "Yes, please," and then running my fingers through my hair.

"Bad news?"

"My family thinks I'm in danger."

Maude takes a clean plate and silverware and places them in front of herself. "Because of Alpha Draven?"

I mumble, "Yeah. They think...I don't know, that he's going to hurt me. It doesn't matter what I say; they don't hear it."

"So stop talking to deaf ears."

"And just leave them? Never talk to them again?"

"What do they want from you? The Alpha is your soulmate."

I look at Maude, who matches my irritation. "They want me to stay with them at Rowan and never see him again."

"Easier said than done," she condemns. "Maybe you should leave them. Good riddance."

"Really? But they're all I have."

"Not anymore. You have a mate—an Alpha mate. That's plenty."

I sigh. "I don't know if I can just cut them off like that. They're all I've known."

Maude brings me a mug of tea. "When our families fail us, we make new families, chosen families, and if the Goddess believes you and your mate belong together, well, that's the only approval you need."

"Thank you," I murmur and wrap my hand around the warm mug. "I want to trust in our bond; it's just felt like one step forward and two steps back."

"I didn't say it would be easy," Maude clarifies. "But if you really try, failure is unlikely."

I nod and give her a small smile.

"Now, breakfast, right?" Maude chirps and opens the fridge. "Feeling anything particular? I'm in a good mood so go on and make a request."