Chapter Eighteen

I stared at her curled up form, my heart pounding in my throat. I hadn't expected that. I had been so angry with her. So angry that she refused to try that I hadn't even thought of why she wasn't trying. I thought she was being stubborn, that she was spoiled. I never thought it would have been that.

Twenty-nine rejections.

I felt like an asshole. An undeniable asshole, yet I couldn't find the courage to go over there and comfort her. I had suffered one rejection and had sworn off mates. One rejection and she had survived twenty-nine of them. It was no wonder she was being as difficult as she was. She didn't know what to do, how to trust our bond like I did. The one thing that we had in this world to bring us happiness among the death and the blood and it had only ever been used to hurt her. I had used it to hurt her. Unknowingly or not, I had hurt her with it.

I didn't know what to say to her because of it. What could I say? There was nothing because sorry was an empty word and 'I apologize' was just as empty. I took a step towards her before running my hand through my hair. Her shoulders shook and she held her knees tightly. She looked frail. My cat looked frail and I had made her look like that. Guilt slammed into my gut and crawled into my chest, constricting my lungs, twisting at my organs. I shouldn't have dropped that on her when she was sick but she had made me so angry and hurt that I wanted her to feel it too.

Wrong? Michael's slightly worried voice entered my head. I had sent him and Kiel out to run a quick patrol. They were getting restless after Shey refused them entry into her room. I figured it was better to send them on a run than to deal with broken furniture.

I made Shey cry. I winced at the words. I had. I had made my mate cry and that was inexcusable, no matter my reason. I took another step towards her before I hesitated again. I wasn't even sure if she wanted the comfort that I needed to give her. There was a faint whispering in my head to fix what I had done. To soothe over the hurt and get rid of the tears.

Fix before I kick ass. There was an edge of warning to the words and I knew better than to doubt him. If I didn't make it better Micheal, and most likely Ezekiel, would kick my ass. I pushed all the doubts and hesitation away before I walked the rest of the way and quickly picked her up before she could protest. I held my breath, waiting for the inevitable 'Don't touch me!' that she always hissed at me. To my surprise, her arms wrapped around me and she buried her face into my neck. The quiet sobbing shook her and I shushed her gently before quickly making my way out of the office.

She hadn't shoved me away, hadn't told me off or insulted me. She had wrapped her arms around me and sought out comfort. I wasn't sure if she had given into the bond at that moment or if she had been so lonely that any comfort was wanted. That thought made the guilt eat away at me more. I carried her towards her room but slowed down. Until I was certain her room and bedding had been washed I didn't want to put her where there was a possibility that her sickness would be prolonged.

There was another spare bedroom and I shifted her in my arms slightly before making my way towards it. I carried her past her bedroom and Shey wiggled in my arms before pushing against my chest. I nearly dropped her and my breath hitched in my throat before I quickly set her down. She took in deep shuddering breaths before wiping at her eyes. She kept her gaze on the floor and heaved out another breath before slowly backing away from me. My wolf growled at the action. He wanted her back where we could protect her, comfort her but I clenched my hands into fists. I had no right to do that, especially after dumping everything on her like I had.

She sniffled and hugged her stomach before backing up several more steps and then moved around me, walking back down the hall. I turned and watched her intently as she coughed before stopping in front of my bedroom door. I frowned in confusion before my eyes widened as she opened the door and went inside. I stared at the spot she had occupied before I slowly moved towards my bedroom.

I was a bit wary as to why she was in my bedroom, especially after the argument we just had. I half wondered if she was going to wreck something in retaliation. I made my way down the hall and slowly entered the dark bedroom. Shey was curled up on the bed, her back to the door and I slowly moved closer to her. "You're aware this is my room, right?" I wondered if she had realized whose bedroom she had wandered into or if she was confused. Her fever was still high and I knew it could cause a bit of delirium

"I know." The raspinesss of her voice made me wince and I resisted the urge to crawl onto the bed with her and wrap her in my arms.

"You know." I said it slowly and she rolled over onto her back, wiping at her cheeks. I winced, guilt twisting at my insides once more.

"If you don't want me in here I can go." She slowly sat up, her voice matching her rather defeated posture. I shook my head quickly. I liked her in my area, in my private domain. It was where she belonged, where my wolf and I wanted her to be.

"No. It's okay. You lay back down." I moved over and pulled back my comforter for her. I watched as she slowly slid her legs under it and I tucked it around her. She let out a heavy sigh and rolled onto her side before she coughed loudly. I sat down on the bed and rubbed at my face. I didn't know what to say to her. I had ranted at her, my wolf fuelling my anger. We had been upset that she wasn't trying, that she wasn't letting us help her, we had been hurt and had lashed out so she could hurt too. It didn't excuse it but it was the only reason we had.

"I'm sorry about your family, Sterling." The raspy words were low and I resisted the urge to touch her and fisted my hands in my hair. "No one should go through that." Her voice was slightly choked and her hand brushed my back. I didn't look at her. I forced my form to stay still. I didn't deserve to see her. I didn't want to see the consequences of my actions. I was a coward in that.

"No. I'm sorry. I was way out of line." The words were a heavy burden. I had lashed out at her in hurt. I had been needlessly cruel and I hadn't thought my words through. I hadn't thought about how they would hurt her. What they would sound like to her. I just wanted to her hurt like I did. It wasn't a good reason and an even poorer excuse but it was all I had.

"You didn't know." Her voice was soft and I shook my head slowly. That didn't excuse my words or my behaviour. I had let my wolf and my anger push me too far. I had hurt her with it and that was inexcusable. My wolf whimpered at the slight reprimand the words were. He deserved the reprimand, so did I. She was sick and already vulnerable and I lashed out because that was what I always did when I hurt.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you. I shouldn't have assumed anything." That much was the truth. I had assumed much about her when in reality I knew nothing. I should have known better than to make assumptions about her. She was my mate but she was a stranger. There was a reason her heart was wrapped up tightly in barbed wire and coated in thorns but I had ignored it, conveniently pushed it to the side in my anger.

"You were right." Her voice was still soft, still raspy but I shook my head. I didn't matter if my words were right, that my assumptions were right. I was wrong to say them like that.

I stared at the hardwood floor, listening to her shuddering, wheezing breaths. "No. I was an asshole." I let out a shuddering breath. "I can't even imagine what your life has been like, my pisică. My brothers and my father died, leaving me to run a pack. I had no clue what I was doing. I lacked the power to deal with the position and I resented it, resented the pack." I had. I resented my position. Resented everything it meant and pushed it away. I couldn't handle the responsibility but the grief and the heartbreak I suffered I knew could barely amount to what she suffered. "But you, you have no one but an Old Way grandfather who more than likely wants you dead. You've been cast away time and time again. Twenty-nine times, my cat. I doubt my hardships could ever com-"

"No. Don't compare. Just don't." Her voice had an edge to it. A warning not to continue and I sighed.

"Pisică-"

"No. I don't know how to do feelings." She said it as firmly as she could with her wavering, raspy voice and I could sense the end of the conversation. She was done speaking of it. I knew it needed to be discussed but I could feel how overwhelmed she was getting. It was as if she was just weak enough to let the bond feed me some of her emotions, a few little whispers of her emotional state.

"Are you hungry?" The question seemed like a good topic. A good way to distract myself and provide for her. To take care of her. The bond wanted me to. It wanted me to make sure she was taken care of and made healthy. My wolf and I didn't like that she was sick.

"A little bit." Her voice was barely a whisper and I nodded even though she couldn't see me. I couldn't look at her. I wanted to but I knew the guilt would twist and tear at my insides. It would rake deep furrows into every organ, making it hard to breathe, to function until I fixed what I had done. I didn't know how to begin. I had been a shit male and an even shittier male. I had used the bond to play with her and that made me just as bad as every other male she had come across.

"Okay. I'll be back." I stood up quickly, needing to leave the room, needing to give us both a chance to breathe without the emotions suffocating us.

"Sterling, when I came into the office." She trailed off and gave a small cough as if clearing her throat. "I-I don't want you when it's convenient for me." Her voice was twisting with emotion and I froze in place. "I wanted to apologize and I thought that giving you the chance to do what the bond wanted you to do would make up for what I said. I never-I never... I didn't- I don't-" She stopped abruptly, as if she didn't know how to explain herself and I ground my teeth together. That was another assumption that I had made and that one I knew was completely wrong.

"It's okay." I said it firmly, unable to listen to her stuttering explanation without feeling worse than I already was. I currently felt more foul and rotten than the sucking bottom of a quagmire.

"It's not." She gave a soft sob and I resisted the urge to turn around and pull her into my arms. I resisted it with every fiber of my being and my wolf battered at me but I shoved him back. I locked him away because his temper, his anger had gotten us to that point. It was his fault that our mate had cried, had broken down and I wasn't about to let him forget it.

"Let me get you something to eat." I swallowed thickly and left the room quickly, closing the door behind me with a soft click. I rubbed at my face hard. I was quickly learning Shey wasn't one to talk about her feelings. To talk about her wants and needs but she acted. Her act of trying to provide an apology with actions instead of words showed that. She tried to give me a chance to calm the bond down, to calm me down and I had thrown it in her face.

I had called her a fucking hardship.

No one could have possibly hated me more than I hated myself at that moment. Shey was so much more than a stubborn female with trust issues. She was the one thing I had that made me feel light and carefree. She was the one thing that made me forget everything that was pulling me in two, that was stressing me out. She was everything to me and in a few short minutes I had forgotten that and I had beat her down like some many others had in her life. It was no wonder she had told me to reject her. She had probably thought I had been gearing up for just that.

I ground my teeth together to the point where my jaw ached. I wanted to go for a run but I needed to make sure my wolf understood the reason for his isolation, his punishment. I made my way down the stairs and towards the kitchen, I felt the beginnings of a headache. The beginnings of the headache were a good warning sign that if I didn't take care of it now my skull would end up feeling like it would implode at the slightest jostle. I was sorely tempted to leave it as punishment.

"Don't stand in the doorway, băieţaş! What do you want?" Gamgam's voice was harsh and it pierced my head with a painful intensity. I winced slightly but looked around before stepping out of the doorway. I avoided looking at Gamgam. She was nearly good at seeing things as fucking witches. "You look like shit. What happened?" And that hadn't worked. I tried to think of an excuse she would buy.

"She's sick." I said it slowly, testing the words out in my mouth. It was the truth but not the one Gamgam had been asking about.

"Knew there was a reason she wasn't leaving her little den." Gamgam chuckled, waving a finger at me. "She tends to be petulant at times but never that bad. That guriță needs to do something or she goes stir crazy. Knew there was a reason for it. Was it bad?" She crossed her arms over her chest

"Doc Howard says it's more than likely a cold. Gave her some medication and me orders to make sure she is hydrated and fed." Take care of her and instead I had blown up on her because I couldn't stop my wolf from lashing out.

"I take it that's why you are here?" She looked at me intently and I nodded slowly. "Okay. I've got some chicken broth already simmering. Boiled down those chicken carcasses from two night ago. It's better for her fresh anyway." She wandered back towards her stove, muttering to herself about vegetables. I wanted to sigh in relief. Gamgam was a force to be reckoned with and if she even caught a whiff of what had gone down I would get a scolding to end all scoldings.

I watched her set a tray on the counter before placing a plate and a bowl in it. She picked up a ladle, filling a bowl with some broth and placing come crackers around the plate artfully. She was very meticulous in how she made the tray look and the gentle way she placed everything was eerily familiar. I felt my eyes widen in realization that she was making the tray like she had made trays for me, for my mum. Like she had made trays for my father, Benjamin, and Derek. It was the way she had always made plates for her family. My heart clenched when I realized that she viewed my mate as her family.

Despite how Shey had shoved me away, she had created bonds with those closest to me. She had been drug into my life and I had forced her to stay but the relationships she had forged were shackles of her own making. She was creating lasting friendships and relationships in the short month she had been with Fortis and a faint feeling of pride filled me before guilt chased it out.

"Alright. You take that to puiu meu de lup and tell her I say to get better. Need better help in the kitchen." Gamgam slid the tray onto the counter beside me and when I reached for it she grabbed my wrist tightly, my heart sunk. "So. What else happened?" Her tone was expectant and I let out a heavy sigh as she let my wrist go.

"We got into an argument." I said it slowly as Gamgam crossed her arms over her chest and levelled me with a look.

"I figured. What happened?" She was like a dog with a rope. Once she had sniffed out something she wanted to known she wouldn't let it settle. She would push and push until you gave her the information she wanted to know.

"I said some things." I honestly didn't want to explain everything I said. It would just serve to piss us both off and I didn't need to become upset again. Not when my mate needed care.

"And?" She gestured to me and I gritted my teeth slightly. She wouldn't give it up, I knew she wouldn't. It was just how she was, how the mountain shifters were. Honesty was expected and almost required and Gamgam wasn't one to let anything slide. Not when it came to family.

"She started crying." The words brought the feeling of shame to the forefront. It left a sharp, bitter taste in the back of my throat and I swallowed against it.

"After you said whatever you said, she started crying?" She said it carefully and she let her arms drop to her side. I could see her clenching her jaw slightly and I gave a faint nod. "You made her cry." Her voice was low with a rather strange emotion and I let out a small sigh. The guilt eating at me. The bond had formed a hard knot in my stomach, unwilling to lessen unless I fixed what I had done. "You lashed out at her because you were hurt, didn't you?" She levelled me with a gaze and I looked away, unable to handle the intensity she put off.

"Yes." I looked at her and her blue eyes turned steely. An unsettled feeling filled me at the look on her face before my head was wrenched violently to the side, my cheek was flaring with pain and a heavy crack echoing in the quiet kitchen. I had not expected that. Gamgam had yelled and screamed at me. She had smacked my head and hands with that stupid wooden spoon and hit me upside the head but she had never smacked me across the face before.

"I have spent years telling you not to do that, to watch yourself and to hold your tongue until you could think. Yet you refuse to learn. You have harmed your mate because you refuse to think. I can't believe I told her not to hurt you." There was a quiet disappointment to her voice and I swallowed thickly. Gamgam had never spoken to me like that before, with such disappointment. Even my wolf was surprised at the stark disappointment that coated her voice. "Get out of my kitchen." It was a sharp order and I reached out for her. There was a sharp tugging in my chest. I didn't want to leave the situation like it was.

"Gamga-"

"Get out of my kitchen, Alpha." Her voice was still low but it held a sharp edge of menace and I retracted my hand, letting it drop back to my side. I picked up the tray and did as she asked, leaving the kitchen with a heavy feeling yanking on my heart. It didn't sit right with me to have Gamgam upset with me, especially like she was but I knew better than to ignore her order to leave the kitchen.

I walked down the hall towards the stairs. My wolf whined at me, he didn't like the emotions bombarding us but I simply pushed him into a small cage, going as far as to shackle him inside of it. He gave a surprised snarl at the action but he had done enough. It was his fault our mate had cried and that Gamgam was disappointed in us. His anger, his temper was too uncontrollable and until he stopped fighting, stopped pushing he would remain in the cage.

"Alpha Sterling, I was just looking for you." At the familiar voice I schooled my face to be neutral before I turned around. Doc Howard was coming down the hallway, a brown bottle clutched in his hand. He shook it a small smile on his face. "This is for your-" His eyes narrowed slightly as he stopped speaking and I stared at him intently, daring him to voice what he wanted. "Your friend." The emphasis he put on the word made me bristle. The rumors and insinuations were getting worse and I had to bite my tongue to keep from setting him straight. I had done enough to Shey for the day. I had no right to throw that on her as well.

"She should take another spoonful before bed or if her throat really starts bothering her." He held out the bottle and I looked at it before looking at him. I lifted the tray slightly and he jolted slightly. "Sorry about that, Alpha Sterling. You have your hands full, don't you?" He chuckled before setting the bottle on the tray. "Well, I have a few other people to work with today so I will come and see how she is doing tomorrow." He nodded at me before turning around and heading back down the hall. I watched him leave before I turned around and started back towards the stairs.

The compulsion to take care of my mate made the hard, painful knot in my stomach twist more. The bond was unforgiving in its unrelenting torment and urges. It was punishing me for my actions and for the tears that my mate had shed. I started up the stairs, resisting the urge to run up them. I tightened my grip on the tray and continued at my current pace.

I hit the second floor and stared down at the tray, everything was in place and I sighed before opening my bedroom door. Shey still lay curled up on the bed, huddling under the covers. There was a sharp tugging in my chest, pulling me towards the bed. I quickly made my way over to the bed and set the tray down on the bedside table before I sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hey." I said it softly, resisting the urge to bury my hand in her hair, brushing my fingers against the nape of her neck. "Gamgam made you some broth." Shey rolled over onto her back, sitting up slowly. Her green eyes were rimmed with red and with her overly pale skin, she looked lost and forlorn. I swallowed thickly before grabbing the bowl of broth and a spoon. I took a spoonful of the broth and held it out to her. My heart rose into my throat as she started at the spoon and turned her face away. I pulled the spoon away, feeling the rejection acutely. She coughed into her arm, her shoulders shaking and her face turning red from the exertion. She slowly turned back to me and gave me a small smile before she opened her mouth.

I stared at her for a brief moment before I spooned the broth into her mouth. She gave a small humming sound of enjoyment before she reached across the bed and grabbed another pillow and shoving it behind her and hunkering down slightly. I watched her in silence before she looked at me and I took another spoonful of broth, holding out for her.

She took it making that same small hum of enjoyment. "It's good." She gave me another small smile and I continued feeding her. The bond loosened the hard knot in my stomach as I cared for my mate. The pain lessened as she allowed me to feed her, to take care of her and I felt a relaxing feeling of peace and contentment fill me. After a few minutes she let out a rather tired sigh before turning her face away from me. "I'm full." She let out a yawn and I set the bowl back onto the tray.

"How's your throat?" I clenched my hands into fists to keep from touching her but I couldn't fight back the urge to pull the blankets up on her. I slowly let my right hand open before I reached out and grabbed the blanket and gently pulled it over her more. I forced my fingers to keep away from her skin and she coughed slightly, her dark eyelashes brushing against her pale skin. There were dark bags under her eyes and I pulled my hand away from the blanket before I could reach out and touch her like every fibre of my being was telling me to do.

"Hurts again." She gave what seemed to be a rather exhausted, heaving exhale and I reached over grabbing the bottle Doc Howard had placed on the tray.

"Doc Howard gave me some medicine for you to take." I twisted the cap off and Shey gave a small groan.

"Is it that gross shit?" She sounded disgusted as if remembering the taste of the other concoction that the doctor had given her. I had to agree with her and a faint shudder ran down my spine at the memory of the foul tasting medication.

I looked at the label. "It's in what I think is Chinese and it doesn't look like the other bottle so I'm thinking no." I reached for the spoon and a small hand grasped my wrist. I glanced over at her, she was getting more comfortable with touching me. My nerves tingled from the contact and my body hummed with expectation but I forced it all way. Her care came before everything else.

"I won't take it without water. It's hard to swallow." She let my wrist go and I nodded before setting the bottle down before standing up. I headed into the small bathroom attached to my room, I always kept a cup handy on the edge of the sink. I filled it quickly before heading back into the room and holding it out towards Shey. She took it with a small smile and I picked up the bottle and spoon, doling out a spoonful of the thick liquid. I held it out and she took it quickly before taking a large drink of water. She gave a small raspy sigh of relief, sinking further into the bed.

"Do you need anything else?" I clasped my hands behind my back, tightening my grip to the point of pain in an attempt to fight the urge to touch her. She set the glass of water on the bedside table, her eyes landing on me in a rather probing stare before she looked away, her dark green gaze on her hands picking at the comforter. A thick silence feel and I watched her for a few moments before realizing she wasn't going to respond. I turned around and headed towards the door, a heavy feeling settling in my chest. "Alright, I have a few-"

"Sit and talk with me." The words came out of her mouth in a rush and I looked over my shoulder as a deep scarlet flush covered her cheeks. "I mean could you please sit and talk with me?" She glanced up at me before her gaze fell back to her hands. I found a smile tugging at my mouth at her rather unlikely request. My little cat wanted to actually talk to me.

"Of course." I turned back around and sat on the edge of the bed. She glanced over at me before her she looked back at her hands before letting out a shaky breath.

"You can sit beside me." If it was possible her face went even more red as she patted the bed beside her. I slowly stood up and moved around the bed to the other side. I crawled onto the bed, keeping two feet between us as I sat down. Another silence fell and I leaned my head back, looking up at the ceiling. "Do you- do you want to tell me about your family?" The question was asked tentatively and almost meekly.

I jolted slightly at it before looking over at her, she looked genuine, if a bit embarrassed. "I had two older brothers. Derek was five years older than me and Benjamin was six. They were the epitome of shifters with Alpha blood. Both of them." I let out a small sigh as I thought of them. "They were evenly matched to be honest, broad and strong. Very much unlike me. Both of them had taken after our dad." They were nearly like twins they were so similar. I knew that if Derek had truly wanted to be Alpha the fight would have been perfectly matched and I would not have been able to place bets on who I thought would be a winner.

"Derek was Benjamin's Beta. They did everything together. My dad used to say that they were attached at the hip." A faint coating of melancholy tinged the words and I closed my eyes, letting my head fall back again. "Sometimes I would look at them at hate how close they were because I was always left out. As soon as I got my wolf I would run away from home, going dark."

"You were a wild?" There was a tinge of confusion to her voice and I shook my head, opening my eyes.

"Not really. I would come back every few days. At least that was when I was younger. When I hit my teen years I would start staying out longer. A few days turned into five and five days would turn into a week and a week would turn into two and two into a month." The longest I had ever been dark had been three months. When I had returned home my father had locked me in the house, refusing to let me out until I promised I would never go out again. A promise I had broken many times.

"Why?" It was a soft and quiet question and I shrugged.

"The wild wolf pack supplied me with the kinship I was missing with my brothers. We were a family. That's actually how I met Ezekiel and then Michael. We were close, as close as my brothers were to each other." That is what I had enjoyed about it, what my wolf had needed. Wolves were social creatures and not having close bonds in my family had driven my wolf to seek out creatures he could bond to. The wolf pack had been his choice and one that we both agreed on and loved.

"What did your parents say?" She shifted on the bed and I turned my head to look at her. She had shifted so she was lying on her side and I slid down the head board to lie on my back. It felt comfortable to speak into the dark, into the quiet.

"My mum understood. She worried incessantly and constantly when I was gone but I think she understood that I needed it. My father, on the other hand, would rage at me, lock me in the house, refusing to let me leave. He didn't think it was appropriate and demanded I be more responsible." I let out a sigh. I loved my family I did but we were far from perfect. I felt isolated at home. "My mother doted on me and my brothers equally but my father's energy was all on my brothers. There was nothing for me. They were the future of the pack. I was just the odd one out."

"You know, even though I hated it, I would give anything to have my brothers alive so they could torment me, calling me the oddball or the runt of the family, just once more." I had hated it, if they weren't training they were constantly poking at my flaws, tormenting me without end but now they were dead and buried I missed it. I missed them. "They had gone to the Alphas Gathering, it was the very first one they had attended with their positions. Benjamin had been just given the Alpha position and Derek had been sworn in as Beta. My father had gone with them to make the formal announcement." The memory was like a sharp edge of burning pain.

"It was on the way home that the accident happened. An eighteen wheeler lost control and hit them head on. My father and Benjamin died on impact but Derek survived the initial crash but was trapped in the wreck. By the time help arrived both vehicles were on fire. He burned alive." I clenched my eyes tightly. That had gotten me. If they had showed up sooner, if someone had helped before the fire started Derek would have lived but they hadn't. They hadn't and he suffered a terrible and long death. "I went from the scrappy little runt of the family to the pack's Alpha in a single night." I let out a heavy sigh, letting the words linger in the air. I felt a lump in my throat. I knew I had never properly grieved for them. I hadn't been given the time to. I had been thrust into the spotlight and told to act like an Alpha.

"My mum couldn't handle it. The broken mate bond and then the grief kind of broke something in her. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's four years ago. Doc Howard told me a few weeks ago that she might not make the year." I covered my face with my hands, scrubbing at it vigorously, pressing my fingers into my eyes to stop tears from forming. Colours flashed behind my eyelids and I gritted my teeth.

"Sometimes I think my mother resented me." Shey's voice was so quiet I had a hard time hearing it. "It was because of me that she had to kill her mate. It was because of me that we couldn't run away from my grandfather fast enough. Sometimes I used to lie awake wondering if she only saw me as her past self and not as a real person. She loved me, I know she did but at the same time that doubt lingered." I had never thought about that. I had never really heard of her mother, never knew the situation surrounding Sulo Lazera's eldest child.

"Why did she kill your father?" The question slipped out without warning and I winced, refusing to look over at her to see the reaction. A silence fell between us and I prayed I hadn't made her shut down communication.

"He rejected her when she was twenty-five weeks pregnant with me." She let out a small sigh and I felt a flash of rage at the male who had done such a thing to his mate and his unborn child. "She went into labour because of it. She was able to get to a mundane hospital and have me safely but there were a few complications. I was honestly too small to survive but they managed to keep me alive. Mundanes are very good at healing despite not having our capabilities for it. My mum said I was fighter and that is why I survived, she said I was born for it."

"Why did he do it?" I couldn't imagine a male doing that to his family, to his pregnant mate. There had to have been something there to make him do it. I couldn't imagine the cruelty that would be needed to even think of doing something of that magnitude.

"My grandfather paid him well. It's a shame he never got a chance to spend it because my mother tore out his heart as soon as she was assured I had a high chance of survival." Her voice had turned hard and she spat the words out. "I had no one but my mother my entire life and then when I-" She stopped speaking abruptly and coughed violently. I rolled onto my side, looking at her in concern but she waved me off as she coughed into her arm. She rolled over and grabbed the cup from the tray taking a long drink before letting out a rasping sigh.

"I had only her and then she died and I learned I had no one left." There was a touch of such a sheer loneliness to her words that the bond whispered at me frantically, wanting me to remove it from her voice.

"You have me." I said it carefully and she gave a heavy sigh before rolling onto her side so she could look at me.

"You say that but there is an aspect of trust that I am lacking. It's hard to forget. To let go of the past. It's hard." She looked at me, as if gauging my response to her words. I could understand where she was coming from. Learning to trust something that has only ever hurt her would be difficult and for some it might be impossible but she was too pig-headed and stubborn to even think about failing.

"We won't have a future if we don't try." I said it slowly and she frowned slightly.

"We won't have a future if I don't try." She tapped her chest with her fingers before resting her head on her arms. "Having your pack's future resting on my shoulders is not a nice feeling, Sterling." She gave me a look and I nodded slowly. Despite the fact the pack didn't actually have any proof that she was my mate I could understand how the pressure was still there for her.

Alpha Marti and quite a few of his pack members are requesting entrance to the territory, Alpha Sterling. Should we deny him entry or allow him across? It was a patrol member, Bradley was his name, and I let out a heavy sigh. I had been expecting Alpha Marti but he was early. I thought he would wait a few more days before he decided to come knocking. I should have expected him to try and pawn his daughter off at the earliest possible chance.

Let him in but keep him on the path towards the pack house. I don't want to let anyone loose it the village just yet. I lay on the bed for a few more second, basking in Shey's scent and her presence. I didn't want to leave the small cocoon of darkness that surrounded us both. I felt like the longer we stayed there the more progress we made with our relationship. That is was easier for Shey, my little cat, to speak to me. "We are going to have guests." I muttered the words. I could feel Alpha Marti on the territory and my wolf rattled the shackles he was in. I left him in the cage, unwilling to let his anger influence me more than it already had.

"Who?" There was a faint sound of disappointment to Shey's voice that let me know she liked the interruption just as much as I did.

"I accepted Alpha Marti's mate requisition requests. So it will be members of the Fors pack." I half wondered if it wasn't such a good thing. The fact that Shey was sick and she was so vulnerable left me feeling uneasy.

"Oh. Is she going to be here?" There it was, the edge of possessiveness to her tone and I smiled at the ceiling. The fact she hadn't actually acknowledged her possessiveness or even realized it made my mood lighten a bit.

"More than likely." I shrugged as I said it before I sat up, running my hand through my hair.

"Okay." She followed suit before actually getting out of the bed.

I frowned and stared at her back. "What are you doing?" I couldn't help the edge that my word took. She didn't need to be getting out of bed. She was sick with a cold.

"Coming with you." She said it as if it were simple and a I quickly got off the bed and moved around it.

"You are sick, lubirea mea." The endearment slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it and I froze, waiting for her reaction, not knowing how she would take it.

"That's a new one." There was no other reaction and I let out a faint breath of relief. I doubted Shey would have anything nice to say about the endearment is she ever found out what it meant. She wasn't really ready to get into the 'my love' part of our relationship.

"You need rest." I said it firmly. There was no way I would place her in a position where Alpha Marti could use her for leverage against me. She was far too precious to me and I knew he would aim straight for her. Wolves could smell weakness and Old Way wolves were the worst of it. "I would prefer you stay inside. At least for now. I don't want your to get sicker. Doc said you needed rest."

"I've had two days of rest, Dickhead." And we were back to Dickhead but I knew the moment wouldn't last. They never did with her. I could just hope the moments got more frequent until they blurred together. I wanted her not to retreat back into the shell I couldn't break. I wanted her comfortable enough around me to accept our relationship, to trust it.

"Lubirea mea, please stay in bed. I will be right back up as soon as I'm finished." I stood in front of her, blocking her escape from the room. I held up my hands, not touching her but letting her know if she tried to move past me I would prevent it.

"Right back up?" She looked suspicious as she searched my face, as if looking for a lie. I nodded and resisted the urge to twitch. Alpha Marti was close to the pack house. I didn't like having another Alpha on the properly, let alone near my vulnerable mother and mate.

"I promise."

"Okay." She sat back on the bed and I blinked at her warily. I hadn't expected her to give up so easily. I opened my mouth when images of four SUVs driving down the road to the pack house were pushed into my head. I closed my mouth before taking two steps towards Shey and kissing her head gently. The compulsion one I barely realized had taken over me before I quickly turned on my heel and left the room. I needed to take precautions with the Fors pack members. I couldn't allow them free reign over my territory. Usually it wouldn't be an issue but I didn't trust Alpha Marti.

I know, Kiel. Both you and Michael wait for me at the front of the house. I headed down the stairs, taking two at a time. We need to watch Alpha Marti carefully. He might become belligerent after realizing I am already mated to someone. I wasn't sure how he would react but I had a feeling it wouldn't be nice. However I wouldn't be sure if the anger would be aimed at me or at his daughter. Neither were something I wanted. If he was angry at me, I could handle it but if he turned his anger to Ainsley I wasn't sure what I would do.

Benji, Alpha Marti is just about at the pack house. I require your assistance with our guests. I opened the front door and spotted Michael and Ezekiel sitting beside the driveway.

Already on my way, Alpha. About thirty seconds out. He cut off the link and I quickly made my way over to my guardians. They shifted their places so they sat beside me. I watched the driveway and it wasn't long before I could see the first of the SUVs pulling up. My wolf rattled the shackles and snapped and snarled in his small cage at the unwanted Alpha on our territory. I ignored him in favour of watching the SUV pulling around the circular driveway. Benji jogged over before standing slightly behind Michael. I could hear him panting from his run.

"Getting old, Benji." I smirked slightly, resisting the urge to look over my shoulder at him and I heard him snort.

"I am old. You just haven't noticed it, Alpha." He sounded amused and I bit back my amusement, focusing on the seriousness of the situation. The rest of the SUVs parked behind the first one and the driver's side passenger door opened and Alpha Marti stepped out.

His brown hair was slicked back and he had a rather sour expression on his face as he looked around. "Alpha Sterling." He nodded to me and I returned the gesture. There was a faint tension in the air as he lifted his head, trying to display his dominance. Ezekiel gave a guttural growl deep in his chest at the action and the sound of it seemed to rattle Alpha Marti like I knew it would.

"Alpha Marti. I was expecting you a few days from now." I allowed the hard edge to appear, showing my displeasure and a small shuffling of his feet let me know that he was nervous with my observation of his eagerness.

"Yes, well my pack members were eager at the possibilities at finding mates outside of the territory." He swallowed and I watched the action intently, keeping my gaze on his throat for a moment longer than I needed too, making him swallow in nervousness.

"I see." I enunciated each words carefully, letting him know that despite what he said I didn't believe him but I was acknowledging his lie, allowing him to save face. "Well, there will be a few rules in place. They will not be allowed to distract my patrols or working pack members. They will not run around as if this Fors territory and they will be confined to the village and only the village." I would not allow them anywhere else. I didn't need numerous unknown shifters into the house. Not with Shey and my mother inside.

"What about the pack house?" Alpha Marti eyed the house with interest and I fought down a growl.

"If anyone that is not of Fortis is found in the pack house. I will personally remove their head and give it to you." I kept my tone flat and my expression neutral as I stared at the Alpha.

He swallowed again and avoided my gaze entirely. "Understood." He threw his shoulders back and seemed to push away his nervousness as he snapped his fingers over his shoulder. "As for the business aspect of our trip. I would like to introduce you to my daughter." I bristled slightly at the insinuation that his own flesh and blood was merely a business deal but I kept my face expressionless. I could see the hard edge that appeared on his face as the door to the SUV opened and a rather petite female stepped out.

My first impression was hair. While she looked like her father, the riotous, flaming red curls that surrounded her face, shoulders and head in a rather fiery halo were definitely not from him. She shared his sharp nose, his thin lips, although hers were a bit plumper and wide set eyes but I had to admit. His face looked better as a female than as a male. She was in an almost too large, red sundress that clashed with her hair colour and she seemed to hunch away from her father, her eyes down cast.

"This is Ainsley, my youngest daughter. I was hoping-" His voice trailed off as he stared behind me. His eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open slightly. I gritted my teeth when the faint scent of citrus and sweetness filled my nose. I knew exactly what he was looking at.

Shey stopped at my side and Michael shifted over, letting her in. "I'm sorry I'm late." Her voice was soft and sweet despite the touch of raspiness it had and I gritted my teeth in agitation. She wasn't supposed to come outside. I didn't want him to look at her like he was currently doing, sizing her up, assessing her worth.

"Who's this?" He said it sharply, accusation heavy in his tone and all three shifters around me snarled at him. I couldn't resist the urge and I reached out, pulling Shey to my side, keeping my arm on her waist and in my protection. I didn't like how she was exposed and I didn't like how Alpha Marti was looking at her.

"I suggest you watch your tone." Benji's voice was icy as he shifted his stance. I didn't need to see it because I could hear his feet shifting in the gravel. Alpha Marti narrowed his eyes and threw out his arm. Ainsley's flinch didn't go unnoticed. That rankled me more than his tone. I stiffened and Shey lifted her hand, gripping the wrist of the hand on her waist. I thought she would throw it off but instead she slid her hand over top of mine before lacing her fingers through mine. I blinked as she relaxed against me, letting me pull her closer to my side.

"My name is Pisică." She said to so politely that I could see Alpha Marti falter. I could feel her looking up at me and I glanced at her, a broad smile crossed her face. It was a smile that spelled trouble and I had to bite my tongue to prevent myself from telling her to choose her words carefully. "I'm Alpha Sterling's mate." The words floored me and apparently Apha Marti who stared at her in disbelief. "Who are you?" She asked it so sweetly that is was hard to hear the note of pure disdain that the question carried. I stared at the Alpha, daring him to say anything about it. To do anything about the newest development.

I glanced at Ainsley and her face went nearly a ghostly shade of white as she stared at Shey. With her rather white colour I noticed she had a rather large spatter of freckles covering her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose and the sudden paling of her skin also brought attention to the dark smudge of a bruise under her eyes that someone had tried to ineffectively cover with make-up.

Shey's grip on my hand tightened sharply and I wondered if she had seen what I had. It was no secret that Alpha Marti was hard on his youngest child but I now he proof of just how hard he was on her and a part of me wanted me to leave it alone but the larger part of me wanted to rip him to shreds for harming a young female whose only crime was the misfortune of her birth.