When we got into the car, I tried scooting off of the Blood Alpha's lap, but his grip was firm and he growled harshly. He didn't seem quite too pleased about my escape.

One of his pack members was waiting in the car the whole time, and I felt bad that Alpha Cain hadn't invited him in, although I had a feeling the pack member would have been highly uncomfortable. Cain's willingness to go into another pack's territory with no backup just proved how much he trusted Thane.

Alpha Cain didn't say anything for the first thirty minutes of the trip, and I felt uneasy because of it.

Your and Thane's name are very similar. I mindlinked him, just wanting to ease the awkwardness.

He smiled at my statement and got a faraway look in his eyes as his grip on me loosened. "His mother and mine were sisters. Twins, to be exact. My mother had me 3 years before Thane was born. When she was pregnant, she had a hard time coming up with names. She asked her sister for help, and she told her that she liked the name Cain. The problem was, my mother liked the name so much she wanted it for me, but her sister also wanted to name her firstborn it. So, my mother suggested Thane for her when she had her first pup. I think they liked how similar the names were, thinking it would bond us similarly to how their twinness bonded them."

If you're three years older than Thane, that makes you really old.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Is that a question or a statement?"

How old are you? I rephrased.

"I turned 28 this past spring," He answered, searching my eyes to gauge a reaction.

I didn't mind the age difference. All things considered, his age was the least of my problems with him. I chose not to say anything, and kept my face stoic.

"Does that bother you, pup?" He smirked, lowering his face just centimeters from mine.

Does my age bother you, grandpa? I retorted sarcastically.

The Alpha shrugged. "Not particularly. It is better that I met you while you were still young. It will leave plenty of time to put many pups in you, and they will be healthier due to your youth."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, looking away from his eyes that swelled in hope for his future family. I didn't want to have kids, and that was 90% of my responsibility as a Luna. If I had been mates to a normal wolf, there would be no pressure to carry on their lineage.

You can still choose someone else to be your Luna you know.

He growled fiercely in response, and jerked my chin up so we were making eye contact. "If I wanted to take another she-wolf to bed and impregnate, I would have already. I had plenty to choose from."

I narrowed my eyes at him, not surprised by this knowledge. All she-wolves craved mates with power and dominance, it was in their instincts. Even I on some level relished in my mate's power and dominance. I just refused to submit to Alpha Cain because he had not proven to be a worthy Alpha to my wolf and I. He had been considerably easy on us, and I knew he would have been harsher if it were any other wolf. It made him look weak to go so easily on me. I didn't think he would step up and completely dominate me when it came down to it.

"Does that make you jealous, mate?" He leaned over and mumbled the words into my half-ear. I held still, forcing myself not to react.

I failed to keep my composure when he let his canines extend, and nipped me in the ear. I involuntarily shuttered as he ran his tongue over where his canines touched. He didn't draw blood from the bite.

"You like being bitten? My little demon," Cain whispered the words softly as he moved his mouth down to my neck.

I was acutely aware of the fact that his canines were hovering over where he Marked me.

His large hands, which were softly stroking my hair, suddenly tugged on a piece of my hair. I cried out in surprise at the sudden pain, even though it didn't really hurt too bad, it was more the shock of it.

"I like hearing you," Cain spoke the words so softly I strained to hear him even with my werewolf abilities. "One day you'll scream my name."

I gulped, rather loudly. I could feel him smirk against my neck, as I'm sure he was loving my physical reaction to him. As much as I wanted to blame it on the bond, there was a part of me that was incredibly attracted to this wild man.

He truly looked like he belonged to the wilderness. During the month I was jailed, his beard grew thick and his curly dark locks grew to his shoulders. He often walked around in jeans and no shoes or shirt, making him look every bit the mountain man.

Even now, he had on only jeans and a thin white shirt, which I could see the indentations of his muscles through.

In a moment of equal parts boldness and stupidity, I tugged on his shirt, willing him to take it off. He obliged.

I ran my fingers over his tattoos, trancing the interact tribal prints. I tried to ignore the way my wolf was reacting to seeing her mate's bulging muscles. Very primitive, I know.

"They appear on the flesh of the Blood Alpha when they come to power. They are a sign of being blessed by the Moon Goddess," He explained, his darkened eyes looking at me in curiosity of what I would do next. I felt like prey.

You talk an awful lot about the Moon Goddess, I mumbled, slightly breathless from the closeness of our bodies. I could feel the heat radiating off of him. I always ran slightly cold, and my body ate up the extra warmth our mate provided.

"Since Blood Lake Pack was formed, she had protected us and blessed us in many ways. It is why the Blood Laws honor her in every way they can." Alpha Cain closed his eyes, likely quickly thanking her in prayer. "She has blessed me with you, and I dedicate my life to her because of it."

His words brought my wolf to the surface. I panicked at the sudden loss of control. I tried to reign her in, but the power of the mate bond strengthened her against me. As I grew closer to Cain, she became more dominant and less subservient to me.

Before I could stop her, she threw my arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. Cain lowly growled from the back of his throat at the act, but was quick to recover and kiss me back, assertively shoving his tongue into my mouth.

My wolf was elated, kissing her mate back with everything she had, just as nature intended. I couldn't stop myself from running my hands up and down his abs, feeling them flex with strength underneath my touch as an involuntary reaction.

Cain threw me down to the side, not breaking our kiss, so I was laying sideways on the car seats. My hands left his abdomen and moved on to his hair, clutching the dark locks and pulling. This made him growl against my mouth.

"My little pup likes to play rough I see," he teased, pulling his mouth apart from mine and kissing down my neck.

I tensed as his mouth reached my mark for the second time since the car ride began. I suddenly became acutely aware of the fact that one of his pack members was only a few feet away, but I was sure he was under strict orders not to interrupt.

My eyes widened in shock as his canines lowered. With his beard, long hair, black eyes, and long canines, he looked wild.

My wolf loved it.

I was sure he could sense my attraction through the mate bond, as I could surely sense his. Our arousal swirled through the air and reverberated throughout the bond. It was overwhelming.

Without warning, he sank his teeth into my claim. I cried out from the feeling. Whereas the first time he claimed me hurt, this one was extremely pleasurable and made my wolf euphoric.

The claim was all my wolf needed to go back into hibernation. I could feel her smug satisfaction as my eyes shifted from silver to grey.

I frantically scrambled to sit up on the car seats, my breathing erratic.

Alpha Cain would have none of that. He pulled me back into his arms, cradling me. He licked the spot of my neck he had bitten, and I suddenly felt extremely exhausted.

"Rest, pup," He said the term endearingly, not mockingly. "I need you to be awake for the Gamma's punishment tonight."

Why's the Gamma being punished tonight? I asked, half-asleep already. Him reestablishing his claim must drain me of energy in some way, the way it had the first time.

"Because you escaped." His voice hardened with malice, and I knew the Gamma would receive the beating of a lifetime, all because of me.