Julie left a few minutes after trying to convince me I was meant for Alpha Alexander. I still didn't believe her, but whatever. She told me dinner was ready and I was expected to make an appearance. I wasn't hungry, though, so I told her to tell them I wasn't coming.

She looked like she wanted to veto my decision, but kept her mouth shut and walked out the door. I frowned down at my wrinkled jeans and equally messy shirt, and decided a shower would be a blessing. I stood and wandered to a closed door, hoping it was bathroom. My prayers were finally answered and a shiny marble bathroom spread out before me. After I closed and locked the door, I slipped off my Vans, stripped out of my plain t-shirt and skinny jeans, and stepped toward the shower, fiddling with the knobs a bit before finding the perfect temperature. After my bra and panties were removed, I stepped into the blissfully hot water.

I let my tangled, dark hair soak under the spray for a while before moving to wash my body. I found a bottle of body wash and squirted some into my hand. It smelled like mint and made my skin feel soft. I glanced around the shower, in search for shampoo, cursing myself for not bringing my shower stuff into the bathroom with me. After a minute of searching, I found a black bottle of Axe. I frowned at it, deciding against using guy shampoo on my hair. I stayed in the shower for another ten minutes when my fingers started to prune and my body was bright red from the hot water.

Shutting the shower off, I pulled back the curtain and grabbed the towel off its rack, drying my body as best as I could. I bundled my dirty clothes and cursed myself again for not bring fresh clothes into the bathroom. I dumped the messy heap of clothes on the counter and stared at my reflection.

I was paler than normal—my skin was naturally fair. My body wasn't super-model ready, but my curves were definitely lacking. My breasts barely held up the towel I wrapped around my body and my hair hung lamely around my pale face.

I sighed and swallowed around the grime in my throat. Ugh. I searched for a toothbrush, finding one in the small medicine cabinet next to the huge wall mirror. I stared at it for a long time before deciding to use it anyway. Just in case, though, I rinsed it thoroughly before putting it in my mouth. Squeezing some mint toothpaste on to the bristles, I vigorously brushed my teeth. Afterwards, I smiled at the mirror to inspect my pearly whites, but my smile didn't reach my eyes. I put the brush and paste back in the cabinet and closed it. With one last look at my pathetic reflection, I grabbed the bundle of clothes and exited the bathroom.

The second I stepped out, a large hand wrapped around my wrist and tugged me into the bedroom before pushing me against a wall. A body covered mine and it took me a moment to recognize Alpha Alexander glaring at me.

"What do you think you're doing?" he growled—yes, growled.

"I-I just got o-out—" I began to stutter, pointing lamely at the open bathroom door.

He frowned, leaned forward and sniffed my neck. I flinched away. His eyes registered the slightest bit of surprise. "You used my soap."

"I—w-what?" I frowned, glancing around. Then it dawned on me. "This is your room?"

He nodded once, his hands still squeezing my upper arms, pinning me to the wall.

He sniffed me again. "And you brushed your teeth."

My mouth dropped open in horror.

"I think I used your toothbrush," I whispered apologetically. I blushed. This is embarrassing.

Something flickered in his eyes, but fled before I could catch what it was. Suddenly, I became hyper-aware of how close we were—his hips pressed against the lower half of my body, his chest pushed against mine, squashing my breasts against the edge of the towel. Every time I exhaled, it brought our fronts closer. I tried to slow my breathing, but his proximity was making my mind cloud up and spin.

"You're hurting my arms." No, you aren't. But I needed him to step away from me in order for me to get my bearings. Immediately, he released me, but didn't move away. I tried to side-step him, but his hands planted themselves on the wall on either side of me, caging me in. I swallowed. His eyes roamed down to our chests and back to my face. They were dark and nearly burned a hole right through me. I shivered and tried to swallow around the lump of fear lodged in my throat. His eyes stared into mine for a long minute before he stepped away, pushing himself off the wall. He closed his eyes for another minute and then opened them, his pupils lighter than before.

"Get dressed and come down for dinner. I want you to meet the pack."

He started to leave the room.

"I'm not hungry," I said in a low voice.

He heard me. Before he reached the door, he paused and turned back to face me. "You will still come downstairs and meet the pack."

Standing taller, I forced out, "No."

His posture tensed and I saw his eyes darken again. Oh, shit.

"I'm not asking you, Phoebe."

"No, you're not." My anger teamed with my fear and drove adrenaline through my body, giving me some strength to back my words as they spilled from my mouth. "I've just been dragged out of school, thrown into an SUV, and taken to the middle of fucking nowhere just because some wolf wanted to meet me. And when I get here, I'm manhandled several times by jerks who can't seem to keep their hands to themselves. I'm sick of you telling me to do anything. I just want to go home." And, yes, I was very tempted to stomp my foot like a brat, but stopped myself before I acted on the urge.

He stepped toward me, his body radiating anger. I shrunk back into the wall, all bravery escaping me as he spoke. "This is your home now, Phoebe, whether you like it or not. I've told you twice that you'll see your family this weekend. And I'm telling you now that you will come downstairs, eat the dinner our cook has prepared specially just for you, and introduce yourself as Alpha Female of the Luna Nova pack. I will drag you down myself if necessary. Is that understood?"

I stared at him, my hands clutching the front of the towel, my clothes lost at my feet. My body was shivering in fear and my eyesight blurred with angry, frustrated tears. When I didn't answer, he silently walked to the door. Before closing it, he looked back at me and said, "Ten minutes, or I'll be back to collect you."

After the door closed, I let my knees give and I crumbled to the floor. I tried to swallow back the tears, but they fell from my eyes before I could stop them. I covered my mouth with my hands to muffle the sounds of my sobs. I allowed myself to cry for a few minutes before glancing at my duffle bags still sitting on the bed. Taking a deep breath, I stood.

I formulated a plan as I shifted through the contents of my bags before settling on a light hoodie and black leggings. Slipping on underwear and a sports bra, I threw on the outfit and my black tennis shoes. My backpack with my cell phone and wallet was left in Mr. Graham's office.

I stared out of the large window and tried to find a latch—anything to get it open, but it was tightly sealed. I cursed and went into the bathroom. A small window next to the mirror unlocked and swung open, no screen. I had to tilt my body just right to slip of the window and on to the roof. As quietly as I could, I scooted to the edge of the roof and looked below. The grass looked promising enough.

Taking a breath, I scooted my body closer to the edge. After dropping my legs over the edge, I eased my body off of the roof until only my hands held on. Taking another breath, I released my hold and landed on the ground in a heap. I was sure I bruised my tailbone and my ankle twisted beneath me. I held back my cry of agony and rolled my foot a few times to adjust to the pain.

I lifted myself off the ground and headed toward the road Vance drove on to get me here. Everything was dark and I wondered what time I was. I passed several parked cars, but the only sound I heard was from the house, where people were talking animatedly. I ran down the road, cautiously glancing around me. I followed the road until I began to recognize landmarks and signs, guiding me to the one place I want to be.

Home.

I sprinted up my short driveway and threw my body against the thick, wooden front door to my house. I knocked furiously and rang the doorbell several times until the porch light went on and my father opened the door. His frown turned into surprise as I threw my arms around his neck and started crying. He closed the door behind me and hugged me back. "Sweetheart, what are you doing here?"

I sniffed. "H-He's awful, Dad. How c-could you let him take m-me like that?"

He sighed. "I'm so sorry, Fee. I had no choice."

I heard heels clacking along the tile floor. "Jim, who on earth is at the—?"

My mother paused when she saw me clinging to Dad for dear life. Her eyes began to water and she pulled me into a hug after my father released me. She blubbered, "I'm so sorry, baby. I tried to keep you safe, but Alpha Al—"

"Don't say his name, Mom. Please. I just want you to hold me right now."

My mother sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

"Let's just forget it, Mom. I'm here now."

"Fee?" a small voice came from upstairs. I released my mother to glance at the stairs. Tommy stood, holding his GameBoy to his chest, staring at me. "Why are you home so late? And why didn't you pick me up from soccer? You missed my goal."

I glanced at my mother, who slowly shook her head. He doesn't know. I wiped away any sign of tears as I approached the stairs. "I'm so sorry, booger. I was caught up in something for school. What did Coach say about your goal?"

Tommy shrugged. "He told me I could play forward for the game this Friday instead of midfield. You're still coming, right?"

I swallowed around a sob. My mother started to say something, but I interrupted her. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He smiled. "Good."

The phone rang suddenly. I jumped and watched as my father went to get it. He smiled reassuringly at me. "It's probably something for work."

I nodded, but tensed as I listened to him answer it in the other room. After a moment, he said hesitantly, "Yes, she's here."

A voice was raised on the other side of the line, loud enough for me to hear it. My father answered calmly, "I don't care who you are or what she is to you. She is my daughter, and I will protect her no matter what, even from you."

Another minute passed. Mom and I shared a worried glance. Tommy said something about finishing his game in his room. I stepped closer to the kitchen, where my father stood with the phone to his ear, a worried frown on his face.

"You've scared her enough already. And I'll be damned if I allow you to come into my house and take my daughter against her will." An angry voice responded, but his words were muffled. "Then that's her choice, not yours. Good night, Alpha Alexander."

Dad put down the receiver harder than necessary. "Fucking prick," he muttered under his breath.

I held my breath, allowing my mother to ask the question I needed the answer to. "What did he say?" Her voice was laced with worry.

Dad ran a hand through his hair. "Knowing an Alpha, he's probably on his way here."

I choked back a small sob, feeling so much younger than seventeen. "Please don't let him take me."

Mom rubbed my back soothingly. "We'll talk to him, sweetie. We'll work something out."

I nodded slowly. "I'm . . . I'm going to talk to Tommy."

My parents smiled at me assuringly, but even I could tell they were nervous about what the Alpha would do once he got here.

I slowly made my way upstairs, trying to think of what I was going to say to Tommy about Alpha Alexander and why I'm not going to be home very often.

I had to face it—Alpha Alexander wasn't going to let me stay with my family. It's known in werewolf communities that once a wolf finds their mate, it's effective immediately; meaning that said mate is expected to move in and start popping out baby werewolves.

I, for one, fully intended not to be a part of that unbreakable cycle.

I knocked softly on Tommy's door and closed it behind me as I entered.

"Tommy, can I talk to you for a minute?" I said.

"Hold on." His tongue poked out as he twisted the GameBoy this way and that, trying to beat a level. Once satisfied, he put down the game and gave me his full attention. "What is it, Fee-Fee?"

I smiled at the nickname he'd had for me since he could walk. More tears were building in the back of my eyes and my throat tightened, so I calmly tried to explain to him what was going to happen from now on.

"Tommy, remember how your friend Lucy at school was talking about her older sister moving-in with the wolves?"

He nodded.

"Well, I'm going to move-in with the wolves, too."

He cocked his head. "Why?"

"Because I have to."

"But, why?" he pressed.

"I just have to, Tommy. There's no other explanation I can give you until you're older."

He grumbled, "I am older."

"You'll understand one day, little brother."

"When do you move-in with them?"

A tear escaped my right eye. I wiped it away carelessly. "Tonight."

"Why not tomorrow?"

"All my stuff's already there."

Suddenly, his eyes went wide. "What about midnight adventures?" he whined.

Midnight adventures. Sometimes, I took him out for late-night junk food, or to a movie; one time we went to a park, but there were shady people walking around so it didn't last long. It was a spontaneous thing—something he would always remember from his childhood, I hoped. Our last adventure was a few weeks ago. I'd been meaning to take him on another one this week, but that was seeming less likely as time went by.

"We'll still have them. I promise." I tried to smile.

"Fee, why are you so sad?" He pointed at my left eye, which was now leaking tears.

"I'm not sad, sweetie. I'm just really tired. It's been a long day." I forced my smile to widen. "Want me to tuck you in for bed?"

He rolled his eyes at me. "I'm too old for my sister to tuck me in."

I chuckled. "Please. Just one last time before I go."

He stared at me for a long moment and nodded.

"Okay, go brush your teeth and put on some pajamas."

"Yes, Mom."

I swatted him on the rear and waited on his floor for him to finish getting ready for bed. I tried to take deep breaths to keep me from crying any more. I had to get my act together if Alpha Alexander was coming here to pick me up. I didn't want to show him I was scared or intimidated at the slightest. I had to let him know I wasn't going to put up with the shit he'd already dumped on me.

Think tough, Phoebe.

Tommy re-entered the room with his breath minty and a mismatched pajama shirt and pants on. I chuckled and stood. He climbed into the bed and I pulled the covers over his small body.

I kissed the top of his head.

"Ew, Fee!"

"Oh, stop it." I smiled. "I love you, Tommy. You know that, right?"

He hesitated before replying slowly, "I love you, too, Fee."

I kissed his head again. "Good night, booger."

"Night."

I took one last look at him and stood straight. He eyed me worriedly as I turned to leave the room. At the door, I cracked it open before I glanced back at my brother—a boy so innocent and annoying, but I adored him all the same. I hoped to God he didn't have a mate—or if he did, she'd treat him better than mine was treating me thus far.

I flicked off the light and silently backed out of the room. I stared at his door for another minute before turning around to head back downstairs and wait for the Alpha. I jumped slightly when my path was blocked by a dark t-shirt stretched over a large chest. Arms speckled with dark hair were crossed over said chest—arms that were thick and strong and slightly familiar. I swallowed and chanced a glance up to the owner of such an intimidating front.

"Alpha Alexander," I managed to say in such a tone that it was almost a sneer.

"Phoebe." The way he said my name was in stark contrast to the way I said his. It was almost an oath, or a caress.

I picked at my sleeve. "How long have you been standing here?"

"Long enough." His eyes burned mine. I almost had to look away, but then I'd be admitting defeat. I forced my body to stand a little taller. "Shall we move this conversation downstairs?"

I almost scoffed. So you're asking me now, huh? But even I could detect the command in his tone. "We shall," I replied stiffly, stepping around him to stomp down the stairs.

He followed me closely. I could feel the heat of his body practically pressing against me. I strode into the living room, where my parents were already sitting at the couch. My mother was whispering into my father's ear. Dad didn't look too happy; his fist were clenched in his lap—not a good sign.

I sat beside them on the sofa, giving Alpha Alexander the clear warning that I chose my family over him. He stood across from us, casually leaning against the wall, hands in his front pockets.

"You may say your goodbyes now, Phoebe," he said sternly, as though giving me permission.

"You selfish son of a bitch." My father stood abruptly. If Alpha Alexander was surprised at Dad's outburst, he didn't show it. He only eyed my dad carefully. "I will not allow you to take my daughter, especially not after what happened tonight."

"James," my mother warned in a low voice, standing beside him.

"I don't care what the laws state—my daughter will not be going anywhere with you."

"She'll be happier at the pack house," Alpha Alexander drawled almost lazily. "And even if you disregard the state laws, I do not. And neither will my pack. She is my rightful mate and I fully intend on taking her home—tonight. With or without your permission."

I stood finally. My feet automatically moved me in front of my father, who was turning dangerously red. I faced the werewolf, an automatic defense for my family building in my chest. "Do not threaten my parents, Alpha. You may think you can boss me around, but while I live and breathe, you will not speak to my parents that way."

I took a deep breath, trying to settle the angry adrenaline rising within me.

"I will come back to the pack house with you, willingly." I held up my hand as my parents started to protest. "I will meet your pack, but only if you agree to my conditions."

His eyes held surprise, with a hint of what I almost interpreted as admiration. "Speak your terms."

"I can see and speak to my family whenever it pleases me. I can go to Tommy's soccer games and pick him up from school. I can continue my daily routines, only I will live with you in the pack house."

He straightened his body from the wall. After a moment of maintaining eye contact with me, he spoke. "Agreed."

"My family is also under the protection of you and yours. They will remain a part of my life and I will remain a part of theirs. They will not be forgotten."

"That's a given." He crossed his arms, eyeing me carefully as I named my final condition.

"You will give me your word that this mating proceeds as I see fit. I will not be marked or mated without my consent."