The ground rules went as follows:

While Roman was gone, I was under the care of Beta Caleb who was the acting Alpha until Roman returned. I was to listen to every demand given to me by Beta Caleb. I was to live under the same house as Beta Caleb. I was not allowed to be out of sight of Beta Caleb. If Beta Caleb saw fit, I was to be locked up accordingly.

While Roman was gone, I was not to talk about the fact that I was his mate to anyone in the pack. I was not to demand submission from anyone in his pack. I was not the Luna, the Queen Luna, nor a member of said pack. Therefore, I was not to participate in any pack activity, including matches.

While Roman was gone, I was not to participate in any oracle nonsense or any nonsense to do with the Goddesses in general. This included any witchy water stuff, visions, and temples. I was also not to mention any of said nonsense to anyone.

While Roman was gone, I was not allowed to be touched by anyone. This included in any nefarious or tender way. I was not to be harmed or loved in either measure. After all, I was his mate. This meant no other wolf or human was allowed to find comfort in my arms. And this meant no other was allowed to try to kill me, besides Roman himself of course.

Were the rules clear? Yes. Was I going to abide by them? Probably not.

I sat in the general living room of Beta Caleb's house, my arms and legs crossed defensively as I glared at my environment with displeasure. I had been in this house before with Diana, the nurse wolf with a knack for archery. However, she hadn't appeared since Roman left me here, so I was stuck glaring at the form of Beta Caleb who merely played with a blade absently.

"You can stop looking at me like that at any time now," Caleb said absently to me, a tone of warning behind his words. I only uncrossed my legs, crossed them again, and narrowed my eyes further as I glared at him.

"The last time I saw you, you locked me in an abandoned temple," I accused him with obvious distaste. Caleb shrugged halfheartedly, lifting his head to sniff the air silently.

"You got out, didn't you? And you left a bloody mess in my bathroom. I assumed we were even," He replied with a smirk, "I could smell you all over the place. Then again, Diana always had a thing for bringing home strays."

I continued to glare at him in anger.

"Is it still called straying if you're kidnapped and nearly murdered?"

"I didn't pick you out from that village. And I already told you I didn't hunt you either. You're angry at the wrong wolf, girl," Caleb stated in a sing-song tone.

"I'll remember that when I'm dreaming about you attacking my crying family members for trying to save me," I snapped back at him. "Roman is gone now. You can just let me go do whatever. It's not like I even have the slightest idea of which direction my village is in anyway."

Caleb paused and leaned forward slightly, peering at me carefully. His dark blue eyes were unnerving if only for a moment while he inspected me. Then he leaned back with a look of satisfaction.

"First of all, it would be suicide to even consider disobeying the King Alpha. Secondly, I have absolutely no doubt that you know which direction your village is in," Caleb announced easily, twirling the blade in his grip with amusement. "I was an idiot to let you keep that blade for the hunt. I had no idea you'd actually know how to use it. Even though I knew you weren't the typical human girl. Who shows up to a selection covered in blood? It's like seasoning yourself for us."

"I thought it might intimidate you," I muttered sarcastically.

"You were shaking like a leaf. Intimidating," Caleb laughed briefly.

The front door opened, interrupting a conversation that was only growing to irritate me. A woman who was undeniably Diana entered with ease. She turned to greet Caleb and paused before a word came out when spotting me. Her eyes moved from my defensive and angry form to Caleb's relaxed form to the blade in his hand.

"Goddess, Caleb. Put that thing away, please," Diana scolded him with a huff of breath. Caleb rolled his eyes but did as she asked and sheathed the blade at last. She then walked towards me, bending down to give me a rather warm hug. I blinked in surprise. "When did you get here?"

"I'm Beta Caleb's prisoner until Alpha Roman comes back," I sneered with irritation.

"Prisoner? That's ridiculous. You can be our guest," Diana answered with confidence.

"Diana, you can't just-" Caleb began with a tone of exasperation.

"Come now, love. We can still do as we're ordered without being cruel. This is our Alpha's mate after all. She's pretty much our Luna at this point. And we've never had a Luna before, it's exciting isn't it?" Diana seemed just that; excited. She turned to look at Caleb, who looked awkwardly in response.

"Yeah, uh. He's refusing that title to her. And also a position in the pack," Caleb told her simply.

Diana hesitated, looking from Caleb back to me.

"Well that doesn't make any sense. He let her mark him, right? He let you mark him?" She was addressing me now at this point. I took a note from Caleb's book and shrugged apathetically. Diana moved closer to me, tilting my head to the side to look at the healed mark on my shoulder. "Yes, the mark is completed."

"Diana, just drop it," Caleb pleaded with her pointedly.

"I just don't understand. I thought this meant things would change... that we could-" Caleb cleared his throat dangerously, staring down Diana with a suddenly tense form. Diana hesitated, obviously torn between just throwing caution to the wind and keeping things hidden. She finally decided, turning back to me with a smile. "Oh well, you're alive at least. Are you hungry, Mila?"

I was torn between distrust and hunger. My hunger won easily when I found myself nodding before I realized it. Diana took the chance to dance her way into the kitchen with satisfaction. I suspected she'd already learned food was the best way to my heart based on the last visit I had with her.

I stood to follow her and Caleb stood just as quickly to block my path.

"I honestly didn't think there could be another man as annoying as Roman," I told him with irritation. Diana cleared her throat from the other room and Caleb glanced back momentarily before stepping aside and holding his arm for me to step by. I walked towards where Diana was preparing me something to eat with Caleb close behind.

I sat down at the counter, glaring at Caleb when he sat nearest to me, and turned to Diana.

"So are you two like a couple or something?" I asked, causing a knowing look to exchange between the two of them. Diana dropped a plate in front of me and smiled sweetly.

"We have been for awhile now. After the Snow Moon, when the Mother's blessing came back to us, we thankfully were made aware of our mate status," Diana explained to me, shifting her curls to reveal the healed mark of a bite on her own shoulder. A blush appeared over her skin at revelation, but for some reason a sense of relief came over me. A part of me was drawn to Diana, in the same way I was drawn to Cate or Cynthia. They were kind to me for no reason, so I wished happiness on them despite their status as a werewolf.

I made no further comment on the mate subject, instead digging into the food presented to me with a sense of joy. I was looking at Diana from the corner of my eye, thinking about Cate as well.

"You know, I heard that you came here with Cate from a pack of rogues," I finally said carefully, noticing Caleb shift uncomfortably next to me. I turned to glance at him, wondering why the statement would bother him. "I'm just wondering what you know about her?"

"About Cate?" Diana verified curiously.

"Yeah. I like her," I mentioned simply.

"Well, that's a first," Caleb scoffed with disbelief.

"Caleb," Diana scolded him teasingly.

"What? She hates Alpha Roman but likes the mute. Naturally," He shrugged with amusement.

"So she's a mute?" I tried to steer the conversation the direction I wanted it.

"I've never heard her say a word. I met her a year or so before I ended up joining the Trinity pack with her. She just kind of wandered in from nowhere and was pretty helpful with the rogues, despite her scary demeanor. She had a lot of hunting and fighting skill, so it was safer with her around. When we first arrived here, Alpha Roman demanded her to pledge herself to him and well, you know you can't reject the King Alpha's direct command, but she didn't say a word... just bowed. Only a true mute would be able to manage that," Diana explained. I had stopped eating and was only listening to her explanation with confusion. I could imagine Cate kneeling in front of Roman, pledging herself silently despite being told through his all consuming command to voice it.

"I heard you fought the Shadow of Death in a match before Alpha Roman interrupted," Caleb addressed me, quite interested suddenly. I frowned at him pointedly, making it clear I didn't want to speak to him rather than Diana, but something in his comment irritated my competitive side.

"I did. And I won." I muttered bitterly.

"You should take her with you to the hunting grounds," Diana suggested to Caleb eagerly.

"Absolutely not," Caleb responded just as quickly. "Alpha Roman said she can't fight or participate in any pack activities. That includes matches, hunting grounds, food halls, bonfires, any of the runs..."

"No eating. No sleeping. No breathing." I began to mock him with irritation.

"She's not allowed near the temples or bodies of water. She's not allowed to talk about the Goddesses or the mate bond," Caleb continued to ignore me.

"No smiling. No twirling. No blinking. No speaking."

"I wish that last one was true," He said to me sharply.

"Well you're stuck with me so whatever I can't do, you can't either," I told him triumphantly.

"I can lock you up in a dungeon while I go do those other things."

My mouth dropped open with disbelief. I quickly closed it and glared at him.

"Yeah, throw me in more cages. It's an ongoing theme on your part!"

"I'm starting to wish I had hunted you after all."

"We can fight right now if you want." I stood sharply.

Caleb stared me down intensely. Diana looked as though she had completely lost control of the entire situation. I only kept Caleb's gaze intently, prepared to lunge myself entirely at this werewolf even without any ammo. If I could go against the King Alpha and the Shadow of Death and survive, I felt I had one up on this man.

"You... are definitely Alpha Roman's mate," Caleb finally said. "I can see it now. Come on." He stood in front of me and bowed slightly, lifting his hand palm up in front of me. I wasn't sure what the motion meant, so I only stared at him dumbfounded.

"I am offering you acceptance and a form of submission. I will not admit you as my superior until I have been bested, but I will admit you as an equal. Let's try to be friends, shall we, Tala Mila?" Caleb said to me simply. I hesitated further, recalling how hands had brushed over mine before the fight with Cate. Going on instinct, I reached forward and brushed my fingertips over Caleb's palm and he straightened up in ease.

"Fingertips are rude, especially for a tutelary title to do to a Beta, but I'll accept it as a rookie's mistake," He informed me, turning to gesture to Diana. "Diana failed to hunt you as well. She's only ever preferred the bow to the bite."

Diana looked entirely pleased. She smiled and held her hand out to me, palms up. I took the hint much better this time and I used the entirety of my own palm to brush against hers. It felt silly, but a part of me could feel the scent of her hand on mine, like a different type of mark.

"For the wolves who submitted to you during the hunt, you won't need their acceptance in such a form because they've already given it to you by force. In this way, we aren't demanding a challenge. It's a lot more relaxing, unless you were to deny it," Diana explained to me, probably recognizing the confusion written on my face. "You are our guest, until Alpha Roman comes back. But please don't abuse such a title. Any failures on Beta Caleb's part will be punished upon his return, and it could be brutal especially when coming to a famed mate."

I paused, considering her request in earnest. For Roman, I definitely would do everything in my power to go against him. But for someone like Diana, who had done nothing to harm me, I couldn't find it in myself to let her down.

"Fine. A willing guest. I'll do as you ask," I submitted, turning to peer at Caleb determinedly. "I guess it would be better... to have friends, rather than more enemies."

~...~

I went a few days before I began to feel that nagging sensation within me. It kept me up at night and I found myself hugging my knees to my chest, listening to that beast under my skin. Most of the time, it felt like something wild and dangerous; unnatural. But sometimes it felt different, like the softest kiss of a rabbit's nose when it greets you. Whatever it was, it was very clear on what it wanted more than anything else.

I thought about Roman. I thought about his unsavory threats on me and my family's life. A feeling of displeasure associated with the thought of him, but behind that was the beast within me that very much enjoyed every time he had touched me.

I absently reached for him, searching for him through the trees of the forest, bending with the river, under the light of the moon, until something in the mark that connected us allowed me to feel his flesh as mine if only for a moment. And a short moment it was. Roman immediately rejected the connection, cutting off my reach just after I had touched him.

I lied back in bed with irritation, both at Roman and myself.

After a moment longer, I thought about my family. I recalled sitting between my mother's legs as she ran her fingers through my hair soothingly, watching my dad show my little brother how a certain work tool was used. I wondered if they had prayed over my death, wishing it to be swift and painless. I wondered if my mother had stopped crying over my absence, or if my brother had accepted the fact that I couldn't have survived after all.

I felt guilt that I hadn't somehow let them know I was alive if not escaped to return to them by now. When I rolled over onto my side, I looked at my hand which reflected the light of the night softly before me. I thought about how it had shifted into something half animal before my own eyes. Would the thing I'd become even be welcomed back in my village? Would it not frighten those who thought they knew me?

I closed my eyes, thinking over Cynthia's warning. Even if I did go back to them, Roman was planning something awful. The Goddesses thought I could stop it, though I wasn't sure why. I obviously wasn't making a difference.

~...~

Being Beta Caleb's "guest" was a lot less dull than being Roman's prisoner. For the first week or so, he was quite strict on following all the rules laid out by his Alpha, but after a couple days of prodding from Diana, he began to relax more when it came to me. He allowed me to follow him around the village, to begin meeting members of the pack.

The youngest member of the pack was a girl just a few months older than I was. Her name was Deb, and she enjoyed plants; growing them and learning about all the different types and their properties. She apologized to me for trying to kill me in the hunt, though she apparently was nowhere close to being the one to catch me.

Not too far outside the village was a vast farmland and crops, which were withered under the snow. Some of the pack kept over the collected crops, keeping them healthy and distributing them with ease. Most of them seemed interested in my presence, but a look from their Beta kept them from addresses me too informally.

Besides the farming, there were groups of hunters who would gather what they could from the wildlife around them. There were collectors and traders, who moved from wolf pack to wolf pack freely. Communication was open between them. Besides some obvious differences in freedom, I found myself struck by how similar the people of this deity village were to my own.

On one random day, Caleb took me to the arena in which I had fought Roman in during our challenge. Some straggler wolves were watching from the safety of the seats and stands surrounding the place, but within the center there were at least a dozen men and women sparring with each other. Most were in human form, but some had shifted at least partially. Many also were using weapons and none were actually intent on killing each other.

"This group is my responsibility," Caleb told me with a critical look, "They are our top performers; our strongest warriors. I believe your friend Cate is the least friendly looking one over there." He pointed out Cate to me and I saw what he meant. She stood in front of her sparring partner without a weapon, but something in her serious expression was weapon enough as is. When her partner finally lunged at her, she moved faster than I could see and had him pinned to the ground with his arm twisted behind his back easily.

I was beginning to suspect she let me win in the match against her.

"Why do you need warriors?" I asked, trying to sound aloof but obviously failing when I saw the look Caleb shot me.

"For wars," He answered simply.

"Against other wolves?" I turned my gaze to his form slowly. My village didn't train our people to fight. We weren't even supposed to hunt more than what was in our designated area and that meant mostly fishing. How many times had I risked my life by searching for food further than I was supposed to?

"Logan," Caleb called out, ignoring my line of question easily. The man being demolished by Cate grunted and Cate released him before pausing when seeing me. A short tilt of her head was all she gave me before walking further away into the arena and out of my sight. The man, Logan, approached Caleb and stopped when peering at me. He narrowed his eyes momentarily, something about my presence bothering him, and then he bowed almost comically low, revealing his neck to me briefly.

"Tala," Logan greeted me gruffly.

"It's Mila," I responded quietly.

"Logan was reportedly one of the first to be forced to submit to you," Caleb told me, something in his tone indicating that this was something of an embarrassing fact for Logan. I hesitated, taking a moment to look at the man further. He was dangerously tall, with dark red hair. Despite the usual pale that came with gingers, he was deeply tanned as though he lived in the sunlight. And his eyes were a light brown that narrowed when meeting mine.

"I was also the one who would have won the hunt," Logan stated determinedly.

I recalled the heat of the wolf's breath on the back of my neck, just mere inches away from ending my life before my power had held them all at bay. A chill went through me despite my best attempts to appear confident.

"I want you to watch over Mila for a while. I'll be nearby," Caleb ordered Logan briefly, pawning me off on one of his warriors without hesitation. I immediately felt discomfort at the idea, especially in the responding look on Logan's face, but Caleb didn't wait for approval from either of us before he was off speaking to the others without me.

I narrowed my eyes at Logan suspiciously.

"You aren't even going to apologize for trying to kill me?" I finally asked him accusingly. So far, he had been the only unapologetic wolf I'd come across. He turned his head to the side to look at me emotionlessly.

"You killed one of my friend's cousin. She was pregnant with a pup nearly two decades ago when the Maiden took away her blessing. She was one of many who lost their child in their own bellies. You killed one of ours. I tried to kill you. I find we're mostly even," He responded simply, "Did you ever apologize for taking that life?"

I was staring at him openly, remembering the feeling of horror and utter disgust when that wolf had shifted back into a human with my blade embedded in her skull. Back then, she had been some unknown beast among many with supernatural abilities and my life had been on the line. I didn't like to think of it, even now. So I kept quiet.

"Do you want to spar a bit?" Logan ignored his previous question with ease.

"I'm not allowed to fight apparently," I answered quietly.

"Light sparring, then? I saw your fight with the King Alpha. You have a natural talent, but you lack the information needed when fighting against those of our kind," He suggested, which confused me.

"I thought you didn't like me," I hesitated.

Logan half-shrugged, glancing at me once again. "I don't like to be bested. Especially by little girls." He huffed with damaged pride and then gestured for me to follow him. I frowned and paused, uncertain if this was the best route to go by, but without Caleb paying attention and without Roman around to interrupt; it seemed a more fun route than just staring and listening all day.

Logan's light sparring was not light by definition; however he did manage not to harm me much when knocking me to the ground. He was also a pretty decent instructor, constantly pointing out weaknesses that I should aim for and strengths I should fall back on when going against someone obviously more powerful than myself.

"I know I shouldn't even have to say it, but in a fight you should utilize your command; that blessing the Mother gave you during the hunt. It may seem unfair, but in most cases it would probably be the only way you win," Logan instructed me gruffly before pausing, "But you do smell of wolf and of the King Alpha. I'm assuming you must have shifted by now?"

I pushed myself from the ground with a grunt. I considered corrected Logan and telling him the Mother didn't give me that so called blessing during the hunt, but something told me it would be too much of a hassle to argue over. As for his question, I considered the answer and hesitated.

"I guess, a little bit," I answered uncertainly.

"Many wolves will shift during a fight. We are stronger in our beast forms. It gives us more focus. Sometimes you can shift only part of yourself, if only to focus the strength in a specific way, but that takes great concentration and even greater skill. In either case, to aim for the kill you want to go for the brain, as you know, or the heart," Logan placed a fist on his chest above his own heart. "Stab it. Remove it. Destroy it. It's an instant win. If you try to just win by submission or by knocking the other unconscious, it's much more risky on your part."

Logan lifted his hands, waving me to come after him. I did so, feeling a bit silly but determined, and promptly was knocked to the ground again.

"You would also want to take your fighter by surprise. You're weak like a human. Slow. A wolf would no doubt make a game out of you. Until you learn to shift, your only advantage would probably be to just act weaker and slower, to make them lower their guard," Logan instructed firmly. I pushed myself up and lunged at him.

I was abruptly yanked away in mid-attack by a rather irritated Caleb.

"I said watch, not fight," Caleb scolded both of us.

"He wasn't hurting me," I answered with disappointment. "Let me go, I want to play with him."

"Yes, Beta Caleb, let me play with the little rabbit," Logan added, something in his tone making him sound like a cat playing with a mouse before eating it. Caleb began to pull me away from the arena without a response, but I threw Logan a wave goodbye with hope that I would be able to learn more from him in the future.

"Okay, okay," I groaned at Caleb before he finally released me.

"You must be careful around the pack members, especially the ones you made submit. If he found you unworthy, Logan could find reason to challenge you again and the next time he would not give you a chance to use any blessing against him," Caleb warned me sternly.

"Wouldn't that be suicide? Roman wouldn't like that, I mean..."

"The King Alpha isn't here right now. That's why there will be no fighting," Caleb said sharply, "Plus, you obviously aren't above challenging a person yourself. And if you challenge someone, there's nothing the Alpha could..." Caleb hesitated and stopped speaking entirely. If they could, my ears would have perked up with interest.

"Oh really?" I asked slowly.

"I should have locked you up," Caleb muttered unhappily. "He's going to kill me when he gets back. I might as well start digging my grave. Make a tombstone."

"Can I speak at your funeral?" I teased with amusement before adding sincerely, "I don't intend to challenge anyone ever again if I can help it. Your secret it safe with me." Caleb peered at me momentarily, as though to deduce if I would keep my word or not, but then seemed satisfied. As for myself, I knew any real fights with wolves would no doubt lead to my own death. It was not appealing to me.

What was appealing to me was learning about them. I didn't intend to challenge anyone, but I did intend to get Logan as an instructor in the near future, no matter how much time it would take to bug Caleb into agreeing to it. For once, my future didn't look so bleak.

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Music: Play Me Like A Violin- Stephen