The rest of the night was pure silence. Nobody spoke or said anything after Luca had kissed me in front of everyone. I could see that Alpha Zeek was infuriated at the show of affection towards an omega. I stayed as silent as possible while everyone mulled over what had happened just minutes ago.

Within time, the servants grabbed the plates off the table and took them to the kitchen to be cleaned, leaving the room in an even more awkward state. Alpha Zeek was the first to stand and he walked over. As I noticed he was walking closer to me, I bowed my head down and never met his eyes. A growl sounded beside me in warning but it was ignored as Alpha Zeek stopped behind me, towering over my small stature. Alpha Zeek reached over my shoulder to grab my chin, pulling my head back so I would look at him. Another possessive growl came from Luca but it was silenced by Alpha Zeek's own alpha like growl. Luca didn't say a word but he watched carefully. I stared up at Alpha Zeek, mentally submitting. Alpha Zeek stared down at me then pulled slightly on the collar around my neck. I whimpered in fear.

He was testing it. He was testing the strength of the collar so he knew if Luca could rip it off or not, the answer obviously being no. Nobody could rip off the collar no matter what. It was impossible to break unless it was cut with a sharp blade after all. Alpha Zeek stepped away from me, clicking his tongue towards his brothers and sons, all of them getting up and leaving. Alpha Zeek stared at me longer then left after them. I let out the breath of relief I didn't even notice I was holding. Everyone seemed to have done the same because the tension in the room died down. Rose, Valley, Toothfull, Alice, and Demon were the next ones to leave. It was just myself, Luca, and his brothers left. Blake suddenly whipped around to Luca with a snarl.

"Have you lost your fucking mind? It's bad enough Cloud mated with that stupid wolf Layla but now you have to mate with one too?! And an omega at that! I can't believe you! King Zeek is going to kill you!" Blake yelled at his brother. I bowed down, sensing the authority in his voice. It terrified me. Luca noticed that about me then whipped around to his brother, snarling with teeth clenched and canines starting to grow.

"You ever talk about what is mine like that again and I'll make sure you have nothing to breed your mate with," he threatened dangerously. Augustus, who was in the middle, stayed silent through their arguing and ignored them. I watched from the corner of my eye and made sure to listen in on them although it was hard not to now that they were yelling.

"At least my mate won't be a worthless omega like what you have!"

"Shut the fuck up! You don't know anything about Lynn or his worth so you have nothing to say!"

"-

I could tell Blake was going to retaliate again but Augustus stopped them with a snarl. Since he was their alpha, he had the power to stop them from fighting.

"Enough! You're both acting like children. Blake, you have no right to say any of that stuff to your brother. You don't know how your mate will turn out so you shut the fuck up," he turned to Luca next, "as much as I'd hate to admit your brother has a point. Mating with this omega will bring problems to us. Unwanted problems with King Zeek. I advise you against it for the sake of your family Luca. Besides, think about your mate. He would never be able to bear children with this type of body and you can see within a couple of weeks, he's going to die. He's too weak to live Luca. Put him out of his misery." Augustus told Luca in a calm voice then left with Blake.

I glanced up slightly now that it was just me and Luca. Tears streaked down my cheeks and I held back sobs. Everyone wanted me either dead or gone. They just wanted me to disappear and truth be told, I wanted that too. I wanted the sweet release of death. I wanted to disappear from everyone's eyes and from this feeling. This feeling of never being wanted.

It looked as if Luca had just noticed me still at his side. He looked down at me sadly and reached out to hug me but instinctively, I jumped off the chair and backed away from him. I turned and ran without thinking, ignoring the way he called for me to come back. I ran past the castle gates and straight into the forest. I shifted to my wolf form, running as fast and as far away as I could. I stopped suddenly and slouched down, panting hard. I glanced around then slowly walked to the base of a tree, throwing up my dinner. I felt sick. I just couldn't get their words out of my mind. I remembered Luca's lips against mine and my sobs only grew louder. I wanted Luca but I didn't. I was conflicted. I wanted my mate but everyone disapproved and they would never approve even if they mated and bonded. King Augustus' words ran through my head. I would be putting Luca's family in danger. And it was true there was a possibility I could never have children but I didn't think that would actually stand in the way of me and Luca being together.

I sat down beside another tree and curled up whimpering softly. I closed my eyes to rest them but slowly opened them again when I heard someone coming. I glanced up at who stood in front of me and Luca stared down at me. I looked away, not attempting to run or flinch. I didn't care. He was just going to take me back even if I struggled or ran. Luca stared down at me for what seemed like decades then went behind one of the trees. I lifted my head curiously as I watched the familiar brown fox walk out from behind the tree. He stepped over me and cuddled me from behind. Because he was the size of a normal wolf and I was about the size of a coyote or fox, I fit perfectly against him. I glanced at him, expecting him to talk or do something but nothing happened. I laid my head on one of the moss covered branches and closed my eyes calmly. Luca laid his head on my neck then started to lick me, grooming me. I glanced back at him before closing my eyes once again, drifting off to sleep.

With Luca at my side, I was able to sleep soundly and forget everything that was said about me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I opened my eyes slowly to notice that it had gotten a lot darker than what I remembered. I looked back and was shocked to see Luca still behind me but he was awake. I raised my head, catching his attention. He turned towards me and frowned softly. Without thinking, I lifted my head more to reach his and pressed my head against his. Memories flooded my mind as I thought back to what was said during dinner and it made me whimper loudly. Luca must have sensed what I was thinking because he started to lick over my muzzle in a comforting manner. I closed my eyes once again to relax against my mate's touch. He pulled away and got up, my eyes opening slowly. He stretched out then turned to me, probably expecting me to do the same. I got up and walked up beside him, stretching out after having been cramped up for so long. He nudged my shoulder then started to walk off, heading to the castle. I looked back to where I and he was just curled up then I followed him. I pressed my head against his thigh slightly to notify him I was near him. I could see him glance back but I didn't look at him.

Once we made it back to the castle neither one of us said a word. I followed Luca like a puppy and followed him into his room. I glanced around and whimpered softly, looking back to Luca and deciding to speak.

"Luca I don't know what-"

"Don't Lynn. Just ignore what my brothers said. They pushed it too much and I won't hurt you. Never." He said as he shifted to his human form. I watched carefully then did the same. Luca crawled onto the bed and laid under the blankets. I stood awkwardly for a couple of minutes before curling up on the floor. I had just closed my eyes when I heard the bed moving. I peeked one eye open to see Luca staring at me curiously.

"What're you doing?" he asked then sighed in defeat. He got off the bed and walked towards me, picking me up in his arms. I clutched him tightly and yelped when he suddenly put me down on the bed. Luca pushed me softly into the middle of the bed then got under the blankets with me. I stayed frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Luca huffed and pulled me to his chest without another word. I relaxed in his arms and slowly closed my eyes but I didn't sleep. I listened to Luca's slow breathing and slow heartbeat as he slept. I turned in his arms slightly and stared up at his face.

"How..?" was the only thing to come from my mouth. I ignored my own question, unable to answer anyways, and curled up against Luca, dozing off again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke alone on the bed causing me to sit up. I whimpered softly as I glanced around for Luca. As if on cue, he walked into the room and looked at me. He smelled of food and instantly I understood. He hadn't woken me up to go to breakfast with him because everyone would be judgemental. He walked towards me but I just turned away and got off the bed, going away from him. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door, turning to look in the mirror. I stared at myself and removed my glasses from my face, no longer able to see anything. I put my cleaned up glasses back on my face and took in a deep breath. I could smell Luca at the door and knew I would have to face him at some point even though I didn't want to. On that note, I opened the door and looked up at Luca. He turned to face me when he heard the door open and he stared down at me. He probably didn't know what to say and I wasn't surprised. I walked past him, putting a soft hand on his chest gently. I looked at him then walked away to the closet. I heard him following me and I stopped, turning to face him. I was shocked to find him standing right behind me. I looked up at him and yelped as I was suddenly picked up. He wrapped my legs around his waist and held my hips, pushing me against one of the walls near the entrance to the closet. I grabbed onto his shoulders and looked down at him, confused. I finally understood why he was doing what he was doing. I leaned my head down and hugged him tightly, whimpering softly.

I had heard that as your mate, marked or not, they could sense certain things with you. He must have sensed my thoughts yesterday and that's why he never left me. I closed my eyes as my arms wrapped around his neck, holding him. He moved his hands from my waist to go around my small frame. I closed my eyes against the warmth of his neck then slowly opened them, pulling away from the soft hug and causing one of his hands to rest against my chest while the other held my ribs gently. I stared down at him then let a soft smile come up on my face. I felt happy and safe with Luca. He wouldn't hurt me. I was about to speak but he spoke first.

"I'm sorry..." was all he said before his hand on my chest moved to his pocket. The last thing I felt was something cold and sharp against my neck, drawing blood then turning my world black.