By now the orange glow of the sun disappeared and is replaced with dark blackness of night. This making the room pitch black, left for my imagination to dream up monsters in the corners.

This is going to be exactly how it was back home. Constant beatings, constant fear of how bad it would hurt the next time around.

With nothing left to do, I pathetically crawl to the corner of the room. Feeling a tad bit safer now I know he can't sneak up behind me.

I never know, Jared could be sitting in front of me for all I know. He could be planning his next attack, his next threat two feet away from me.

Tucking my knees to my chest I try to look around frantically making sure no one's in here with me.

Feeling my breathing intensify with the constant worry of attack, constant worry that I'll slip up and blab to someone about this night. That Greyson and Faye will die all because of me.

I sob, while rubbing my hand across my throat still feeling as if it's still being constricted.

This can't be happening, this can't be happening. I can't be beat again. I don't want to be beat again.

Jared's black eyes play back over and over inside my head, I feel as if I'm losing my mind to insomnia.

Suddenly I feel hands on my face, they're lightly placed there but I feel as if they're going to move down at any moment and constrict my throat once again.

Looking up I see a silhouette of a man, I can't see him but I already know it's Jared. Sobbing loudly I try to kick myself away from him, try to get as far away from him. But I'm in a corner, no escape.

"No!" My voice comes out raspy and broken. "Don't hurt m-me!" I squirm, only making my neck hurt immensely.

Jared quickly grabs my waist, and I scream terrified. I scream when he pulls me, I scream when he places me into his lap, I scream so much. When in reality it only comes out as rasped hollars.

I try to escape from his hold, but he pulls me tighter against him. Tight enough to where my nose is pressed into his chest.

But what confuses me is that this is not Jared's scent. I know this scent all too well, I yearn for this scent.

This is Greyson, not Jared.

All my senses finally kick into action. I finally realize the warm and fuzzy sensation of where Greyson and I touch. The soft whispers exiting his lips as he kisses my hairline over and over again trying to comfort me. "You're okay, I got you. Shh, you're going to be okay."

Greyson's POV~

The meeting was a complete bust. The Lunar Pack's Alpha is a dick. His only concern is power and territory. Yet he has one of the biggest territory's in the area, he doesn't have the people to fill it up.

A lot of his pack has left to become rogues because of how shitty they get treated.

His people live in poverty, a social pyramid where the weaklings are at the bottom scraping for food.

Packs work together, not sectioned off while some suffer and others don't. If a section of a pack suffers, so does the rest.

He called me into the meeting because he was hoping my pack- since we have the best warriors in the area -could team up and gain The Lightwood Pack's territory.

Though The Lunar Pack is a great ally, I don't always agree with their reasons.

So in the end I denied their plead. I hope this causes no further conflict between our two packs. That Alpha is ruthless, wouldn't want to be on his bad side.

I sigh walking into the pack house wanting nothing better than to wrap Willa in my arms relishing in her scent.

Ah my little mate. I never thought I'd find a mate to be honest. I mean I'm twenty six, that's usually the age people stop looking. They find another partner to satisfy their needs, but never feeling whole.

But Willa? I don't think there's another girl that could match her beauty, personality, style, anything. Sure she has flaws, but who doesn't? She has a rough past, but as do I.

I mean the way her nose scrunches when she laughs, and the little snorts that release from her lips when I make her laugh hard enough.

Who knew I'd become a softy for someone.

Before I found her I'd have a new girl in my bedroom each week. That's why Seb always asks them if they're 'this week's girl.' It makes me cringe thinking about my old ways.

But like I said, Willa completes me. She's making me a better person.

I can't wait to see her perfect green eyes.

Something's wrong Greyson. Jax pops into my head as I'm treading up the stairs to the room. What do you mean? I pause half way up the steps.

It's silent for a moment in my head as Jax pinpoints his unsteadiness. You know when we felt sort of uneasy on the travel back? I nod, just something in my gut felt weird. I think something happened to Willa. But since you haven't marked her, it's a faint feeling. Why haven't you marked her yet Grey?!

He yells at me inside my head, It'll be a strange process to someone who grew up a human. I was giving her time, I defend carefully moving up the steps. What if something really happened to her?

Something happened to our mate! I feel it Greyson. Find her, he angrily yells. And now I feel it. An unsteady feeling in my gut, the sudden feeling of fear.

I run up the rest of the steps, and down the lonely corridor that only has my room placed in it.

The dark wooden door stands before me as I swing it open, please let her be okay. Both Jax and I think at the same time.

Inside the room is pitch black, and without my werewolf eyes I wouldn't be able to see at all.

But then what strikes me is what I find quivering in the corner. On the far side of the room is Willa. She's shaking violently, as her little head snaps around the room as if looking for any threats. I can barely see her face as her hair messily covers it.

I can hear her fragile heart beating rapidly in her chest. Jax whimpers at the sight of her.

Taking cautious steps towards Willa, I see her rubbing her neck over and over again as if she was caressing a wound.

Slowly I lower myself down to her sitting height. Not once does she look at me, her head is too violently assessing her surroundings that she can't see.

I lightly grasp her head stopping its path, and finally she looks my way.

Her face morphs into fear. She tries kicking away from me, but she's already in a corner with nowhere to go. "No!" She screams, but her voice sounds nothing like her. It comes out rasped almost like it hurt her to speak. "Don't hurt m-me!" She yells again.

A pang of hurt rushes to my heart. Flashbacks of the first words she ever told me sounds familiar to the words she just spoke. She was terrified of me when I first saw her, and this is the exact same expression I saw.

But then I realize she's terrified of whoever did this to her, rather then me.

She sobs as she thinks I'm the person who hurt her.

The only thing I'm thinking is that I have to comfort her, now.

I take my hands from her face, and to her waist. She screams with all her might, but it comes out as faint rasps.

Pulling her petite body onto my lap, I whisper comforting words kissing the crown of her head.

She struggles in my grasp, and I only hold her tighter to me. I feel her face pressing against my chest, and I just hold onto her never wanting to let go of her again. "You're okay, I got you. Shh, you're going to be okay." I tell her repeatedly kissing her forehead.

Suddenly, she relaxes in my arms. Her sobbing only quiet sniffles. Shakily she runs her hands up my chest, and I can't help but shiver. "G-Greyson?" She faintly whispers grabbing onto the fabric of my shirt.

Thank god she's back. "I'm here, I got you." I tell her stroking her hair softly. Hair messily comes out from her ponytail that's barely holding any hair at all.

Willa nuzzles her head onto my chest. "I'm sorry," she mumbles.

I rest my chin on the top of her head, shaking my head slightly. "You don't need to be sorry for anything Willa."

"But I do!" She testifies, slightly coughing as she rubs her neck. "I'm a terrible mate for you! I'm a puny human, you're a large Alpha wolf. I'm weak and you're strong. You deserve someone much better than I." I growl with her words pulling her tighter against me.

"I don't care if you're a human. Shit, I wouldn't like you any better if you were a werewolf. I like you for you Willa," she nods her head lightly, kissing my chest.

I shiver feeling the sensation of her lips. Tingles start radiating all over my body. Mark her! Mark her now! My wolf yells impatiently.

Not yet! Patience! I yell back inside my head.

I mind link Koda to come to the room, so we can figure out who hurt her. I wait for him to show up while Willa clings tightly to me.

I hear Koda walk in, and he turns on the overhead lighting as I told him to when he enters. As he does, I look down to my mate, only to witness another bruise forming on her right cheek. How did I not notice this earlier?

Koda's sure to have a stone expression so he doesn't scare her, but I can see it wavering when he glances down.

I make a concerned face looking up to him. Her neck Grey, Koda mind links me.

My eyes bulge as I stand up quickly cradling her in my arms.

Setting her on the bed I make sure she can sit up on her own as I let go of her.

As I look down to her neck she slaps a hand over it making herself cringe from her own actions. She lets out a shrill cough before she makes eye contact with me.

I kneel before her placing my hands on her knees. "Let me see it," I softly tell her.

She slightly shakes her head making sure she doesn't hurt it anymore. "It's fine. I'm fine," Willa rasps out.

Koda makes a couple steps towards us, standing just behind me. "Obviously you're not. You're voice already told us that."

She glances at Koda, but then stares at me, and I stare right back. Something flickers in her eyes, maybe realization. But she knows I'm not going to give up until she lets me see her neck.

Willa sighs dropping her gaze from mine, and slowly removes her hand.

My gaze hardens as I see large purple bruises forming around her neck. Though this only happened 40 minutes ago, the bruises already forming so quickly. "Who did this?" I ground out feeling my eyes darken immensely as Jax screams in my head telling me to shift so we can kill this bastard that hurt her.

She twists her hands in her lap not daring to look up, "I-I don't know. They were hidden in the-in the dark. I couldn't make out their face." She whispers making sure to not strain her voice any more than she already has.

I nod understandingly even though there's something in the tone of her voice. I shake it off, but I can't shake off the anger I have bubbling up.

I'm going to kill whoever did this to her.

Willa see's my anger about to overflow and she softly places her hands on each sides of my face, "I'm fine." She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

Turning my face slightly in her hands I kiss her palm, as my anger starts depleting. That doesn't mean I'm completely settled down. I'm still pissed.

"Look Willa," Koda starts out. "We're going to find whoever did this, they're not getting away with hurting you." He says angrily, obviously getting worked up that someone hurt his Luna.

Willa stands up from the bed, wobbling on her feet slightly. I watch as she moves over to my Beta and hugs him. Koda hugs her back and I have to resist the urge of growling. I know Willa only meant it as a thank you, she doesn't know that Jax wants to push Koda away from her.

"Thanks Koda," she says letting go of him. He nods at her.

He makes eye contact with me, "I'm going to inform Faye and Sebastian about what had happened so they know to be on the lookout."

I nod back to him as he starts to leave, "I don't think she's telling the truth," Koda links me.

"Me either," I confess back.

"Do you think she's trying to protect herself?" He asks opening the door.

I think for a quick second, "I think she's trying to protect someone. Not herself."