I woke to someone tracing patterns on my back. I opened my eyes and found Julie smiling softly down at me. "Hey, Bee."

I smiled, "Hi, Lee."

"How are you feeling?"

"I've been better. What happened?"

Julie hesitated. "What do you remember?"

Everything hit me like a freight train. "He claimed me."

Julie nodded slowly.

"He bit me . . . twice."

Julie gave me a sad smile. "The first was to claim you. The second was to satisfy the heat for a little while." She waited while I processed what she had said. "He came and got me the second you fainted." She gave a short laugh. "He's like a mother hen. I had to call Seth to literally drag him from the room."

"Why?" I frowned.

"He wasn't helping you by hovering over you." I must've looked as confused as I felt because Julie sighed and motioned for me to sit up. As I pulled my knees to my chest, she started to explain. "The only way to fully satisfy the heat is to do the deed. In order to put it off, you need his venom in your system, as a sort of replacement, so to speak."

The school lessons on werewolf mating did not cover this. I asked hesitantly, "A replacement?"

Julie chuckled nervously, scratching her temple. "Uh, so the birds and the bees, Phoebe . . ."

I threw a pillow at her, laughing lightly. "You're too late for that talk, Lee." After a moment, I asked another question, "Will I feel the pain again?"

Julie nodded. "Think of it this way: the heat is a disease and his bite is a sort of antibiotic but the cure is his di—"

"Okay, okay! I got it, thanks." I cut her off, my face flushing scarlet.

Julie laughed. "It was a good metaphor, you have to admit."

I put on a pair of black leggings and one of his large t-shirts before Julie and I went downstairs. It was only seven at night, a mere six hours post-claiming—which, according to Julie, was a record. She claimed that I was probably more dominant than most werewolf Alpha Females, given that I was human and came out of the "claiming coma" (Julie's words, not mine) within a day, let alone a few hours.

We entered the dining room, where several teenage werewolves sat doing homework and gossiping in low voices. Kellan and Jason leaped out of their chairs when their eyes found me and Julie standing at the doorway. Kellan's gaze fell almost immediately to my neck, a large grin spreading across his face. "Nice one!"

"That's what I said," Julie snickered.

"How are you feeling?" Jason asked.

I noticed those sitting at the table were no longer interested in their homework. Their eyes were focused solely on me and I forced myself not to fiddle my fingers through my hair in an attempt to discreetly cover the mark. That would be extremely disrespectful and if I was being honest with myself, I enjoyed their looks of awe and intrigue. It made me feel pretty damn good about myself.

I smiled and answered Jason's question, "I'm fine. Just a little sore and tired."

Kellan snickered, but was smart enough not to say whatever sexual innuendo came to his mind. Instead, he gestured grandly to the table. "Will you sit at our table, milady?"

I chuckled. "Of course."

I sat across from Julie but between Kellan and another boy I had a history class with. I was trying to remember his name—Cole?—when he turned to me and asked what topic I was doing for a presentation due later in the week. My eyes widened and I stood straight up, "Holy shit!"

Cole stared at me in surprise. "What, did you forget about it or something?"

"Oh my god, I totally did. Shit!" I groaned. "I left that binder in my locker."

"I have the assignment sheet if you want to look at it, or I could make a copy for you," Cole offered.

I shook my head and started to make my way out of the crowded dining room. "No. Thank you, but no. I have a bunch of notes and stuff on my own sheet about my topic. I have to go to the school to grab it real quick. God, I can't believe I totally spaced!"

"Alpha, it's not due until Thursday."

I walked backwards towards the hallway as I replied, "Yeah, but I have a midterm on Wednesday that I need to study for. I might as well get the project done now. Thanks for reminding me, Cole!"

I spun around and ran up the stairs to change into jeans and grabbed my purse. I left the room, but stopped immediately once I stepped into the hallway.

"Going somewhere?"

The hallway light was turned off, but the light above the stairs was on, outlining his large silhouetted body like a golden halo. I couldn't see his expression clearly, so I attempted to sound calm even though my heart was racing at the rough sound of his voice. "I-I need to grab a binder from my locker at school."

"You're not going back to school for a while. We discussed this, Phoebe."

Don't say my name. My knees aren't able to hold me much longer if you say my name like that.

"I have to keep up with my classes so I can be on track with everyone else when I go back." I toyed with the strap of my purse, my nervousness showing more than I intended. "I just need to pick up some things for an assignment that's due this week."

"I'll contact the school tomorrow to excuse you from your class assignments."

"You can't control every aspect of my life!" I snapped. "I need some normalcy. I just want to get this assignment done and study for my midterm. I'll contact the school myself and ask for them to pass any in-class assignments on to Julie. Given the circumstances, they should understand." I sighed, rubbing my temple. "I'm going to ask Jason to drive me to the school so I can grab my binder. I'll be back in twenty minutes."

He didn't say anything. He just watched me, his eyes not betraying any emotion.

I took a step to my right, slipped my body past him and went down the stairs quickly. I came to the dining room and asked Jason for a ride. He jumped up happily but paused when a strong presence filled the space behind me. Jason cleared his throat. "Alpha."

"You will drive her to the school and then straight back to the compound. You will return by eight o'clock." He didn't touch me, but his voice caressed me, causing a shiver to rattle down my spine.

"Yes, Alpha," Jason nodded his head respectfully. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and I followed him out of the house, avoiding the smoldering gaze burning holes into the side of my neck. The mark flared uncomfortably.

I climbed into Jason's car and he sped off down the driveway. After a minute of uncomfortable silence, I finally spoke. "What did you mean by he hasn't played the field?"

Jason glanced at me, surprised at the the sudden and unexpected question.

"When we were shopping yesterday, you said I don't need to worry about Alpha Alexander's previous relationships. You told me he didn't play the field before he met me. What did you mean?"

"I meant what I said, milady. Alpha Alexander just didn't date."

I frowned. "Why would he, though, if he knew he had a mate somewhere out there?"

"Some wolves do experiment with, or even date, other wolves—sometimes even humans—but both parties understand that they're not mates. If one of them finds their mate, the relationship ends automatically. Usually, everyone remains friends."

I pondered over this for a minute. As weird as it was to me, a human, I could understand how this was acceptable in werewolf culture. "Have you ever seen Alpha Alexander with someone?"

Jason didn't answer immediately. When he did respond, he spoke slowly, "I've seen a woman around the pack house a few times over the years. She's the only daughter to an alpha of a smaller neighboring pack. I think her father purposely put her in Alpha Alexander's line of sight to form some sort of alliance with our pack."

"Would he have done that? Would Alpha Alexander . . . mate with her to form an alliance?"

Jason hesitated again. "No."

"But . . . ?" I prompted.

"Like I said, he didn't play the field," he paused, "but I have see her hanging around the house on more than one occasion."

"When was the last time she was at the house?" I asked as my nails dug into my palms.

Jason swallowed. "A few months ago."

"What's her name?"

"I'm not telling you anything else, milady. I've already spilled too much."

I was about to argue, but thought better of it. Besides, Jason pulled into the school's parking lot and I told him to go around to the theater entrance on the side of the building. Our school was putting on a spring musical and an acquaintance of mine was the lead. She told me in a class we had together that they had been rehearsing Sunday through Thursday from six to nine after school. I got out of the car, telling Jason I'd be back in less than ten minutes.

"I'll come with you." He removed his seatbelt and moved to turn off the engine.

"No, it's fine. I'll be super quick." I jogged to the entrance and sent a silent prayer of gratitude when the door opened and I entered the school. I passed the open doors of the theater, where my acquaintance, Haley, was singing a solo. I didn't pause to watch her. Instead, I jogged all the way to my locker on the other side of the school. Reaching my locker, I spun my combination and quickly grabbed the binder I needed. I also grabbed the textbook and loose-leaf papers I would need to study for my midterm. Hopefully, the teacher would let me take it at home or at least online, and if he did, I would have my notes and my book to . . . consult.

I slammed my locker closed, cradling my books in the crook of my elbow. I turned to jog back to the theater when a shadow crossed my peripheral. I glanced down the hallway, my body freezing when I saw the girl standing with her arms crossed at the end of the hall. I should have continued on my way back to the theater, but something told me I wouldn't make it very far. I eyed the girl—she was slightly taller than me with hair a brilliant red and frosty eyes. The dim light illuminated her features enough and her body posture was intimidating enough for me to recognize the qualities of a werewolf.

"So you're the Alpha's little pet," she seethed. Her voice was gravelly.

I didn't dignify that with a response.

"You're shorter than I imagined." She snickered, "This'll be like taking candy from a baby."

Something boiled in my veins. The mark on my neck singed dangerously. My arms quaked with anger. "You can try, bitch."

Her cocky smile dropped, as did her arms. "You pathetic human. How dare you—"

Her sentence cut off as a large furry body slid in front of me. It stepped back towards me until its tail brushed my thigh. A growl rattled off the lockers lining the hallway. Somewhere, in the back of mind, I acknowledged that the wolf in front of me was Jason. His teeth were bared and his shoulders were taunt.

His presence must have signaled something because two dark brown wolves emerged from a classroom behind the girl. They came to her side, snarling back at Jason. I held my breath, waiting for Jason to launch himself at the two wolves, but he stood still and ready directly in front of me. I quickly realized that he was waiting on me—on my order. A thrill rushed through me—something powerful filled my soul and I felt my mouth quirk up in an almost sadistic smile as I softly said a single word, "Go."

Jason barked in response as he lunged toward the two wolves. I barely noticed his body colliding with one of them before the girl started to sprint toward me. I dropped my books and ran to the nearest classroom. I recognized it as my sophomore chemistry lab and dove across the counter to the locked glass cabinet near the teacher's desk. I grabbed the metal chair at the desk and swung it into the cabinet. The glass shattered and fell to the floor. I reached into it, my knuckles scraping against the jagged edges of broken glass. My fingers wrapped around a beaker that was filled with clear liquid and was decorated with several warning labels. As I spun around, the girl entered the classroom. She lunged at me and I pitched the beaker in her direction. It broke against the wall near her head, drops of the clear liquid spraying into her face.

She screeched, her hands clutching her reddening cheek. "You fucking bitch!"

She lunged at me again, her body colliding with mine as we both tumbled down to the floor. Shards of glass dug into my back, but I ignored the pain and focused on the threat on top of me, trying to claw me with her fingernails that were quickly morphing into talons. I clutched her wrists, forcing my adrenaline to keep her nails from clawing my eyes out.

"You will fucking pay for that!" she screamed.

Something surged through me—I thrusted my hips and managed to roll her over. A talon dug into my upper arm and I cried out, but I shoved all my weight into pinning her down, trapping her arms beneath my thighs. Her eyes widened. "What the hell—?"

I threw a punch, my fist colliding with her good cheek. "Why did you come here?"

Her head swung to the side with the blow, her eyes were were filled with disbelief as she sputtered, "How . . . You're a fucking human!"

"I am mated to the strongest alpha in this country. Did you really think he'd mark some weakling?" I punched her again. "Now . . . tell me why you're here!"

"You pathetic—"

I cut her off, lifting her head and slamming it back into the tiled floor—something I'd seen in one of the procedural cop shows I was addicted to. I jumped off of her body and reached for a second beaker in the cabinet. I turned back to the girl as she attempted to stand, using the lab tables for support. I quickly lunged forward and shoved her back, forcing her to lose her balance and fall on her back, smacking her head into the floor once more. I straddled her, tucking her arms beneath my knees. I unstoppered the beaker and gripped her throat in a grasp that was tighter than my human strength was capable of.

"You don't answer my questions," I tilted the beaker threateningly over her forehead without spilling a drop, "and I'll scar your pretty little face so badly they'll need to run dental records to ID your corpse. Do you understand?"

She glared at the beaker, fear clouding her ice blue irises. "Yes," she spat through her teeth.

"Why . . . are . . . you . . . here?"

"To take you."

"Why?"

"Because," she seethed. "Like you said, you're mated to the strongest alpha."

"Why kidnap me? What advantage does that give you?" She didn't answer right away. I tilted the beaker and she struggled beneath me. "Answer me."

"Only you can bring Gabriel Alexander to his knees."

I backhanded her with my free hand. "You will address my mate as Alpha," I chuckled darkly, the adrenaline and dominance sung delightfully in my veins, "and he doesn't kneel to anyone."

"He will if it meant saving your life." She cackled lowly. "He will bend his knee to Leo."

"Leo?" I shifted through my memory for the name but didn't recognize it. "Leo is your alpha?"

She seemed stunned for a moment before realization dawned on her. "You don't even know what's happening, do you?"

"Is Leo your alpha?"

She laughed manically. "You pitiful human. You don't even know who you're mated to. You don't know whose mark you wear." She barked another laugh. "You hide behind your white picket fence with your human family only to be whisked away by the only wolf who matters on this godforsaken planet. You—" she cut herself off to laugh even louder, "You let him claim you and you have no idea what he's capable of, what he's done." She sighed audibly. "I almost feel sorry for you. Next time you lie with him, after you satisfy his every need, I want you to ask him about Leo. I want you to ask what happened to Natalie," she said darkly.

"Natalie?" I didn't recognize that name either. "Who is Natalie?"

"Ask your mate."

"Who is Natalie?"

"Gabriel knows."

"Tell me who she is!"

"Ask him." She smiled evilly. "Then you'll learn who your mate truly is."

I couldn't find anything else to say. I tilted the beaker further and a small stream of acid splashed on her forehead. She shrieked, bucking beneath me, but I held her. A fierce rage coursed through me and I watched as a hole burned into her skin where the liquid touched her. It wasn't as strong as the sulfuric acid I threw at her earlier, but it'll leave an ugly mark.

The beaker was suddenly knocked from my hand and clattered across the floor. I spun around to face my newest opponent, but froze when I caught sight of a familiar wolf covered in blood. He glanced at the screaming girl writhing beneath me. He slowly opened his jaw and wrapped it around my forearm, tugging gently. I stood, leaving the screaming girl on the floor. She would have a nasty scar, but I couldn't find it in myself to feel bad about being the one who gave it to her.

I followed Jason out of the classroom, the girl's screams echoing behind us. Two naked bodies laid on the floor several feet apart. The lockers were dented where wolf bodies had collided into them. Several posters were torn from bulletin boards and blood was splattered on the walls or pooled on the tiled floor. Jason left my side, entering the classroom once more. The screams suddenly stopped and he returned to my side. I glanced into the classroom, seeing her still body on the floor. I looked over to Jason, who sat at my side, staring up at me. "Is she dead?"

He shook his head.

I noticed the blood staining his fur. "Are you hurt?"

He shook his head again, slowly.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue."

He glanced at the classroom where the girl lied unconscious, as if saying I didn't need much of a rescue.

"I don't know what happened," I muttered. "She said something about hurting Alpha Alexander and I snapped."

Jason nudged me, as though trying to comfort me. A tear threatened to leak but I swallowed the sob and asked, "What do we do now? Did you call someone?"

He nodded again.

"Do we just wait for them?"

Another nod.

"Okay." I lifted myself onto the lab table nearest to the door and stared at the girl curled up in the corner of the room. The realization that I was the one who caused her so much pain settled over me uneasily and my body started to shake. Her blood was on my hands—my knuckles were stained red from where I landed my punches and her lip was cut from one of my rings. My hands became unsteady, my fingers shook uncontrollably with the rest of my body. Jason dutifully stood by my side, his eyes never leaving the girl.

I distantly heard the sound of quick footsteps, and I couldn't remain in the room any longer. I stood, my knees quaking, and hurried out of the room. I ignored the bodies in the bloodied hallway and started to head back to the theater—air . . . I needed air.

I turned a corner and ran straight into a pair of strong, open arms that were quick to cradle me into a large chest. I didn't bother to push him away. My body leaned into his, my fingers curled around his black shirt. His chin rubbed against my temple as he spoke to one of the men standing in a half circle around us. "Take care of it."

"Yes, Alpha." I recognized the voice—John.