After the tour brief Scarlett left the others in the kitchen to with Dane. Silver and I were led through a maze of hallways to Noah's office, where he was waiting for an explanation to our sudden appearance. Silver and Noah were staring each other down from across opposite sides of the room. The tension was thick enough for me to cut it with knife but I tried to ignore it as I continued to explain what had happened, "My uncle must have enlisted the help of the hunters once he found out that I was still alive. He isn't going to stop until one of us is dead—and now I've compromised Silvers pack. Which is why I brought them here. I was hoping you would give them refuge until they could figure something else out..." I did feel guilty over the fact that my being with them had put them in danger. If they had done what they had done to Silver to any one else they might have died.

Scarlett was sitting on the edge of Noah's desk listening to me intently, "Hmm...what do you say Noah? We can't let them wander around with hunters chasing them." she looks over her shoulder toward Noah who quickly switches the object of his attention from Silver to his mate. They share the secret glance for a moment before Noah looks back to Silver, "You are not a normal alpha—You're one of those pure bloods. I can tell..." His words actually shock me, mostly because I hadn't even known they existed until a couple days ago and here Noah, a wolf who had once been a rogue knew.

Scarlett turns her eyes towards Silver in confusion, "Pure blood?" I feel relief that she looks as lost as I was.

"I'll explain it later." Noah quips, "Mostly I want to know what a pure blood is doing out of hiding and leading a pack like an average wolf. If you're going to be staying on my lands I want to make sure I'm not walking myself into something that I might regret later." I could hear the suspicion in his tone and it's not like I could blame him for it. He had to think about himself and his pack.

"Let's just say there were some irreconcilable differences—" Silver replies with shrug that I catch from the corner of my eye. Noah's eyes narrow at his vague and sarcastic response, "I find that difficult to believe. All you pure bloods like to stick together after all—not wanting to muddy your precious bloodlines." He spits out the last part with venom. I want to cringe back instead I lift my hand and press it to the healing mark on my neck, covering it.

Silver emits a low growl, "Listen rogue—"

Scarlett slides off her perch with her own growl, "Don't talk to my mate like that—he's an alpha the same as you and you will talk to him as such." She gives Silver a hard look before relaxing back against the desk, her arms folded over her chest. I had to hold back my own wolf during the interaction because she had wanted to protect our mate. I had to remind her that he wasn't in danger and didn't need our protection.

I chance a glance in Silver's direction to see him clenching his jaw tightly, "I apologize Luna..." The words were stiff but he was trying to be respectful, "It's been a long couple of days and talking about my family is a sore subject for me." He lowered his head in a small apologetic bow. I turned my face toward my rescuer. Scarlett's gaze softened, "You're forgiven and your pack is welcome to stay here for the time being."

Noah let out a growl behind her clearly not satisfied with her decision. She spun around to face him, slamming her palms down on the desk, "You are getting on my last nerves today with all the damn growling. I trust Grace would not bring people into our house who were a threat to any of us, not after what we've done for her—you specifically." I felt my face flush at her statement. It was true that Noah had helped me a lot after my release from the rogues. He helped me learn to control my wolf, and the urges better. He'd also helped me through the night terrors and panic that had plagued me. I owed him a lot.

I could feel Silver's gaze on me but I refused to look at him. He was curious over Scarlett's slip but I didn't want to talk about the past—mostly I wanted to forget that it had ever happened, even if that was an impossible wish. Noah let out a heavy sigh, "Fine. They can stay here—" He looks towards me with a serious expression, "But I will be keeping extra eyes on your mate—You may trust him but I do not."

"Understood." I say softly, "And thank you..."

He grunts and waves a hand dismissively, "Now get out of my office." I rise up from where I was seated and grabbed Silvers hand, tugging him up out of his chair. He allowed me to lead us to of the room and into the hallway which had people milling about. I move a further down the hallway and into a room that looked empty. I pulled him in and closed the door, wanting to be alone.

"What was all that about in there?" I question as I release my grip on his hand turning to face him. Silver lifts his hand slowly running his finger through his hair, "I think I could as you the same question." He mumbles.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I hear my voice rise an octave.

He fixes me with his green orbs that seem to almost glow, "I mean what did he do for you specifically? His mate seems to think you owe him a great deal of allegiance." His words makes me feel like he's thrown a bucket of ice water in my face. I suck in a slow breath as the images of the past start to flood through my mind, "Why does it matter to you if I owe him anything? It has nothing to do with what happening—"

"I think you're lying." He interrupts me before I can finish the thought. Silver took a step towards me, "I think you keep omitting things—things that matter very much. So why don't you start tell the truth because those things are endangering not only yourself but the people I've a duty to protect."

I feel a rush of panic and I snap back at him, "Don't make me laugh! When have you ever cared about any of them Silver? All you do is run away—you even ran away from me, your mate. So if I'm a liar than what does that make you?" I can feel my body trembling under the urge to protect myself from the threat and at the moment the threat is my mate.

Silver looks like I've slapped him and I feel the crushing weight of my words. I wish I hadn't said them because I could see that I'd hurt him. Even though he hurt me—he wasn't wrong. I had been leaving out things that mattered. He was my mate and he did have a right to know but It wasn't as simple as telling him. These things were scars that I would carry for the rest of my life, my burden to bare—and I didn't want that darkness to touch him. I wanted him to be that shining light in the darkness. If I told him then it would change everything. He wouldn't be able to look at me without seeing what had happened and I knew he would blame himself for not having been able to protect me as any mate would.

"You're right. I ran away from them. I ran way from you but not because I didn't want you." He spoke in a gentle voice that made me want to crumble, "I did it because I thought I was protecting you—them—"

His eye fell to the ground for a moment before he looked back to me, "Don't you get it? The only thing that will happen if you guys stay around me is that you'll end up dead. My family will never let me go. I don't want anyone else to die because of me. I don't want anymore blood on my hands—especially yours."

I swallowed hard, watching as the conflict swirled in his eyes. He turned away from me with low growl of frustration. He began to pace back and forth in the small room, pulling at his hair as if he was being tormented by some invisible force. My wolf was pacing along with him, back and forth in my mind.

"I told you to leave me in the woods..." He muttered, "I told you."

I took a small step towards him all my panic now forgotten as the urge to comfort Silver seemed to become the most important urge in me, "Silver..." I called to him softly, trying to pull him back from the edge.

"You should have left me!" He turned to me yelling loudly. My body froze and I stared at him with wide eyes. His chest was heaving up and down, "Now I've marked you—I've signed your death warrant..." His eyes clouded as they fell to the place his teeth had pierced my flesh, binding us together.

I felt my heart break for him, "Silver, I'm not doing to die..." I kept my tone soft, almost a whisper.

His tormented eyes met mine and I stared into them, unflinching. I needed him to understand that I was not afraid, "I won't die Silver. I am going to fight just like I always have. I didn't come this far to lose it all now."

I took a hesitant step towards him, "You called me a liar. You said I was omitting things and you aren't wrong. I told you earlier that I don't need you to protect me. That was a lie." I saw confusion rush over his features, "I might not need you to protect me from the monsters you can see but I do need you to protect me from the one you can't see."

I let out a shaky breath knowing I had to give him something—I had to trust him with something to help him understand, "I've looked into the abyss and it's looked back. Darkness, pain and torment—they've been my constant companions over the past couple of years. I thought that I had lost everything and anything that mattered. You are like a beacon of hope for me Silver. I am not going to die and I am not going to leave you...I need you..."

We stared at each other, neither of us making an attempt to move. He let out a shaky breath, "I wish that—"

"You wish that what?" I whispered, wishing that I could read his mind as he could mine. I watched as his eyes hardened and his body grew stiff, "I wish that I hadn't marked you." His words feel like knives that tear at my heart. I flinch back as if he had actually hit me. He pushes forward and moves towards the door, "I will never be what you need Grace, believe me. I'll only bring more darkness and pain into your life. I'm not your hope—I'm your destruction."

He reached out for the door and I felt anger rush through me, "So what you're just going to run away, like you always do?"

"It's what I do best after all." He replies before opening the door and slipping through it. I march after him my wolf urging me forward to keep him from leaving—to fix whatever was happening. My anger making want to punch him in his face. I pull the door open wider, "Yeah, just run away! You're such a coward! I would hate to be bound forever to a mate like you anyway!" I yelled after him, wanting him to come back--even if it was just to scream at each other. He didn't even spare a second glance back. I let out a loud growl before I pulled myself back into the room and slammed the door shut, making the pictures on the walls rattle.

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Song: 'Bleeding Out'--Imagine Dragons