I was nervous, very nervous. I had no idea why I was, but I was. I stared at the leather brace that was in the care package, debating on whether or not if I should put it on.

I knew that it would probably be against the rules, but it was to protect me from bites that shifted Wolves could do. It would also protect me from scratches that I knew that was going to happen because I knew that there were going to be Wolves that will shift into their Wolf Form, even though I wouldn't be able to.

"Come in," I said, hearing a knock on my door. I tossed the brace down beside me and moved a hand through my hair.

The door opened, and his scent filled my nose. He padded slowly towards me, and I could sense that he was as nervous as me.

"Ready?" he asked as soon as he got in front of me. He knelt in front of me and looked at me with a gaze that I couldn't see.

I let out a sigh and nodded my head. "Ya," I said, leaning back until I was able to see him. "Just anxious is all."

"There will be people that will shift," he warned, causing me to nod my head.

"I know," I said, softly. I gestured to the brace that was beside me, causing him to look at them. "Those are to help protect from Werewolf bites or scratches. They're designed to withstand the bite of a full-grown wolf."

Xavier picked one up. "They're light," he said, testing out the weight.

I nodded. "We're, well they're, trying to come up with a full body, but it has been taking awhile. It needs to be able to breathe inside of clothing and light. The only thing that we have made that is like that is the chest protector." I took it from where it laid and gave it to him. "You put it on like a corset, but it's better than one."

"Are you worried?" Xavier asked, looking at me. His face was guarded as he stared at me head on. He didn't let any of his emotions show while he waited for my answer.

I shook my head no. "I am not worried about them being able to shift into Wolf form or getting injured," I replied. I licked my lips becoming hesitant with what I was actually worried about. Breaking my gaze from his, I took one of the shin protectors and fiddled with it. "I am worried about how long recovery would take to get me on my feet again," I said, slowly. "Knowing my brothers, they will probably send a video of me fighting to their father, and... he might want to see me..."

"Are you scared of seeing him again?" he asked, causing me to ponder my answer.

"I am scared that he will yell at me for not listening to him in the first place," I said, choosing my words carefully. "Guardsmen are able to access each living and nonliving Wolves' records, and he was wanting me to do that with my... ex."

Xavier stiffened in front of me. His eyes were on mine, but I didn't look at him, didn't meet the gaze of the man in front of me.

"I... try not to look at the files," I said. "Of... the living. I want to make my own judgments and not have someone tell me what to think. I... used to keep an eye on my file."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "I wanted to know what was thought of me. Commander... caught me looking at my file once on a page that had the word "Huge Threat" written on it. He... wrote underneath it 'not a huge threat, just needs guidance' and signed it. He had told the King that I had been reading my file and told him what he had written, and he agreed."

Xavier didn't reply but studied me.

I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat becoming rather uncomfortable. I knew that I shouldn't have said that, shouldn't have told him something that I had told my mate all those years ago which had caused him to view me differently.

Xavier stood, the movement causing me to look up at him with wide eyes. He still had the brace clutched in his hands, his thumb moving across it softly. His face was an unreadable mask, and he didn't say a word about what I had told him.

Breaking eye contact first, Xavier looked at the brace and handed it to me after I had set down the shin protector. "I want you to wear them," he said, finally.

"So... it's not against the rules?" I asked, causing him to shrug his shoulders. Hesitantly, I took it from him and untied them with such skill and precision.

"I make the rules," he replied, causing me to nod my head slowly. "So, I want you to put them on."

"I'm... going to need some help with this one," I said, causing him to stiffen. "I... am going to need help tying it."

Xavier nodded his head, and he held out his hand. After I placed my hand into his, he helped me stand before taking the brace from me. "Do you trust me?" he asked, watching as I turned around from him and placed my hands onto the edge of my shirt.

Slowly, I nodded and lifted my shirt over my head. I could feel his gaze on my back and knew that he was looking at the scars that littered my back of a past so long ago.

Xavier growled softly, causing me to stop taking off my shirt. His gaze was on a carving that had taken place a week before I had left, the thing that had changed my ex-Beta's parents' minds. "He was marking you as a traitor," he said, his voice cold.

"He succeeded," I replied, tossing the shirt onto the bed. I stiffened when he touched the diagonal mark that went through the traitor mark and traced it. "It just failed to hold."

Xavier grunted. He moved closer to my body, his heat becoming my own as he helped put the brace on before moving back. "How do I..?"

"It's like tying shoes," I said. "Pull the second loop from the top until the first one doesn't move anymore and do it until the last one. Then, tie the ends together and push it against my back. If you do it right, they should disappear."

Xavier grunted out his response and did what I said. Slowly, he pulled at the strings until they tightened, his touch warm against my skin.

I closed my eyes and stayed still, making sure my breathing was even. I listened to the sounds of the strings being pulled until they could be pulled no farther and waited as he tied the strings together and then pressed the remaining part to my back.

"They're gone," he said, keeping his hand on my back.

I cleared my throat and opened my eyes. "I'm... going to have to put my shirt back on," I said, not moving from my spot, not moving from his hand or his presence.

"Ok," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He kept his hand on my back and reached over me, his front half pressing closer to my back. His long, muscular arm went past as he grabbed my shirt and brought it over to me. "Turn towards me and put your hands up."

I held back an eye roll and did what he said. "You could say please," I muttered, causing him to stiffen. I looked up at him, staring him in the eyes, a blush appearing on my cheeks.

"Say that again," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please."

I licked my lips and cleared my throat. I broke eye contact first, my cheeks feeling as if they were inflamed. "Umm..." I cleared my throat and stared at the strong Alpha in front of me. "You could say please." My voice was stronger and firmer than the last time I had said it, maybe or maybe not sealing my deathwish against him.

Xavier's lip curled into a smirk as he looked down. He did not say a word as he put my shirt over my head and pulled it down.

I gently moved his hands from my side and tucked my shirt into my pants and tightened the belt. I could feel his gaze on me as I sat back down and placed on both the lower leg guards and arm guards with such skill and precision that I could tell he was impressed.

"Are you ready?" Xavier asked, causing me to nod my head. He held out his hand and helped me stand, his whole body in front of mine.

I took in a deep breath and smelled him, his presence filling every inch of me. I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat as I saw how close he was.

He looked at my lips, his eyes turning dark with lust. Again, he leaned down to kiss me but stopped halfway through.

He sighed and closed his eyes, his face becoming guarded. "We have to go," he said, opening his eyes. He pulled his hand out of mine and gave me space to breathe.

"Ok," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and ran my hand on my arm. "I... don't want them to know that I am a Guardsmen," I said, causing him to look at me and set his jaw.

"Why?" he asked, his voice hard. "More than seven people will try to fight you."

"If so, do I get to choose the seven that I face?"

He set his jaw and nodded his head.

I nodded mine. "Then, I want to kick some cocky son of a gun's ass," I said. "And, teach them that the cocky they are then the harder they will fall."